I don’t have much to say about this without getting too cheesy, but last week, my childhood dream came true.
It’s never too late. ❤
#BackstreetsBackAlright
Category Archives: Austria
Wien Weekend tip!
If you’re in Vienna this weekend, go to Rathausplatz if you like food, music, and films.
I went last week with my friend Dani. It was really hot, so I ordered maki called “Marilyn Monroll” from a sushi place. We scarfed down our food (Dani got vegetarian Gyoza) and caught up. The opera shown in front of City Hall was great, but we spent more time chatting than listening.
If you like free entertainment, good food and open air events, the Rathausplatz Film Festival is for you (and me – you’ll probably find me there sipping an ice cold drink). Here’s what they have in store in the next few days:
Saturday, 9:30 PM: Otello Ossia Il Moro Di Venezia
Sunday, 12:00 PM: Aquarius Jazzband
Sunday, 9:30 PM: The New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Monday, 9:30 PM: Gala Concert from Saint Petersburg
Tuesday, 9:30 PM: The Magic Flute
Wednesday, 9:30 PM: The Land of Smiles
Thursday, 9:30 PM: In Memoriam Lou Reed – Live at Montreux
Happy weekend!
let them eat cake
…and by them, I really mean us. I know how pretty and portable cupcakes and cake pops are, but to me, it’s warmer in July so I’m not really worried about the Mayweather, you know* it’s real cake slices that take the cake. There’s nothing like that perfect triangle and working your way through with the fork, piece by piece. Cake slices are also great for sharing. Just put the plate in the middle of table, get a few forks, and share the goodness and split the calories. It’s what my friends and I do when we pretend to diet but want to treat ourselves to something sinfully good.
After my pre-birthday brunch at Motto am Fluss, my friends and I went to Café Landtmann for dessert. Strawberry season just started, so some of us ordered strawberry-based cakes.
My strawberry pistachio cake.
Gift-opening time!
Rox’s strawberry shortcake
So pretty and so delicious, those cakes. It’s Friday, look away from the screen now and get some cake! TGIF!
* quoted from Drake as Manny Pacquiao
Mochi
It’s my dad’s birthday, and a major one at that, he’s 60 today! He was named after Apolinario Mabini, a Philippine hero and fellow Batangenyo who was born on the 23rd of July. His/their birthday is always special because it’s an official holiday in Batangas. I badly wish I could celebrate with him, but I’m so far away. 😦 It’s not very festive right now in Batangas though, as the province was hit by Typhoon Glenda.
While we may not be celebrating with a party, special occasions such as these deserve a nice meal. Or a little foodporn. A few weeks ago, I went to Mochi in Vienna’s second district. I sometimes walk past it because I love the neighborhood, and I had a quick snack there once, but I wanted a proper sit-down meal. Since it’s always packed and you have to reserve weeks in advance, it must be good.
I ordered the Mochi Delight plate.
Sake Teriyaki for my friend Apa
For dessert, the namesake treat: Mochi
3-0 at the casino
Hi everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. To ease my way into Monday, I thought of sharing about a more fun day (or to be exact, one day before): my birthday! I thought long and hard about celebrating my birthday this year – I usually have a low-key lunch or dinner with a few of my relatives, because I don’t like having parties for my own birthdays. The months leading to the imminent arrival of my 30th were very tough on me; I had never gotten so many bad news and rejections in such a short period of time before. I was really down and heartbroken. Then, two weeks before my birthday, I received one piece of good news, and although that didn’t solve all of my problems, I felt such a huge relief and immense gratitude that I just had to celebrate. With not much time to plan, and a lot of my friends being out of town or committed to other events, I decided to have a small get-together. Nothing wild, but something fun and something I’ve never done before: casino night!
I sent out Gatsby-themed invitations and treated my friends to Casino Wien‘s birthday package. We were warmly welcomed at their Schlumberger bar with bubbly and canapés, followed by a tour through the casino.
We were then taught some basic Roulette skills, followed by a little tournament. This was super fun, and we laughed a lot; little did we know that at the ‘real’ Roulette table, things were a lot more serious!
Not only did I have beginner’s luck, I also had birthday luck, because I won €55! We then moved on to the slot machines, which I was super excited about.
I was pretty lucky with those, too. After cashing in my win, we went to the casino’s Cercle bar to have celebratory drinks.
Love their beautiful ceiling and lights.
I ordered the perfect birthday cocktail: their Gemini drink!
Cheers!
What was your fun birthday party like?
Feschmarkt – design at the brewery
On the weekend of June 13 – 15, Fesch’Markt, a market festival for art and design, was held at the Ottakringer beer brewery. A fun event with chill-out music, great food, and really cool, under-the-radar design.
Polka-dotted and gray shirts are always a good idea
Flight seats re-purposed as a couch
This would be a great addition (get it? haha) to any home
I absolutely love these plates, and I would have gotten them if putting food on them would cover the design
These miniskirts with built-in hotpants (to prevent from slipping) from Minirox are just too cute. I bought two!
The next Fesch’Markt is on on November 14 – 16. Looking forward to visit that one, too!
Dinner at Sinohouse
It’s 4AM Vienna time, so why not blog about food at this hour? I love Chinese food; it’s really good comfort food, but it also reminds me of celebrations. I usually haunt the same few places for some good old eat-all-you-can buffet, but last Saturday, I wanted to try something else. Some place with good reviews and recommendations, a great ambience (none of the stress of trying to eat all you can), and nice location. So off to Sinohouse we went.
Our aperitifs – the Sinohouse Mojito for me, Campari Orange for Julie – and free appetizers!
Baked fish with sweet chili sauce on mangoes ❤
The Chef’s Mix Dim Sum selection. Except for the Siu Mai, I don’t know what the others are called, but everything was good!
I love their lamps!
The star of the meal: the Singapore style pepper crab. This is a must- try!
I gave Vicky some temporary tattoos. She wanted to have one on her back, like Tante Ody. Some role model, I am.
Mochi! Different from the Japanese mochi I’m used to, this has coconut in different tastes and textures.
My favorite among the desserts we tried: sticky rice with mango. So simple, but so heavenly.
Green pancakes with toasted and candied coconut shreds and coconut cream on the side.
My dates.
Sinohouse
Himmelpfortgasse 27
A-1010 Wien
Tel.: 01 / 96 69 670
Heiligenblut am Grossglockner
Nothing like a coffee break with the freshest air and a magnificent view.
Land der Berge…
Hey how YOU doin’? October has just started and I’m still mourning the end of summer. Mostly because the ice cream shops will close soon, if they haven’t done so already. Never mind that I was complaining about the heat and the fact that I can’t wear shorts to work most of the time. It’s just that despite the intense heat, this has been one of the best summers I’ve had. Turning 29 sure did me good! I went to fun concerts (some of them were free!) and festivals, visited Scandinavia, gone on weekend trips, watched a play, spent quality time with my friends and family. I might even call it an Instagram-able summer. Hashtag lame description.
One of those Instagram-able moments was our trip to Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria. Being my ever-so-unathletic self, I was happy that there was no climbing involved. My aunt, my uncle, and I were on the road before 7 AM, and with a pitstop for breakfast at around 8, we reached Grossglockner High Alpine Road by noon time. The timing was great because when we arrived, we had lunch on one of the benches, facing this amazing view: 
The great thing is that even at 3,798m, a lot of bikers ride up the mountain! I really admire their fitness! I, on the other hand, got carsick from the zigzag road. 
Oh hey there, groundhog!
Aside from the breathtaking panoramic view of the Austrian alps, the air is just the best. It seems weird to describe air as best, but it was just so pure, so fresh, so fragrant! So yes, it’s just the best air ever.
Cooling down with bamboo
One of my favorite moments of this summer was hanging out in the bamboo tower in Linz. From afar, it looked like it was made of wicker.
Coming closer, it became apparent that it was bamboo, which instantly transported me to the Philippines.
While some of the other towers that were part of the Höhenrausch.3 – The Art of Towers were meant to be climbed, the Bamboo Tower was meant to be a “contemplative, inward-looking, light-flooded space.” The fact that we had to leave our shoes by the entrance of the tower already made me feel a little zen-like.
Spot the shoehorn!
Stepping in was magical. It was so much cooler inside the tower, which was so welcome after hours of walking in the 28-degree heat. People were either sitting or lying down, and just relaxing.
You can see the Sacral Towers, still part of the exhibition, from inside the bamboo tower.
So here’s my new goal: build a bamboo tower and spend all my summer days in there. I’ll hang out there in the evenings with my friends while listening to this song by Bamboo:
No Stopovers 