A Wicked Experience

We are all familiar with the story of The Wizard of Oz. The story of Dorothy who was brought in the mysterious land of Oz when a tornado flew their house in Kansas. In Oz, Dorothy met the wizard who promised to bring her back to Kansas if she can kill the Wicked Witch. Dorothy with her dog, Toto, and some friends she met - the Tinman, the Lion and the Scarecrow - went on a journey to find the witch and try to catch her so that she can go back home. In the end, Dorothy killed the witch by throwing a bucket of water.

The wizard of Oz has his own story as well. Last year, the movie Oz The Great and Powerful was released. it was a movie about how the wizard was brought to Oz. The wizard is just an ordinary man with no powers however he was able to trick the people of Oz that he was the prophesied hero. 

Have you ever wondered about the story of the wicked witch of the west? The witch that was killed by Dorothy. Everyone has his own story to tell and the wicked witch of the west of course has her own story. In 1995, Gregory Maguire wrote the book Wicked which is a parallel story of L. Frank Baum's novel The Wizard of Oz. In Wicked, the witch of the west has a name. Her name was Elphaba. Gregory Maguire took the name from the initial of the L. Frank Baum. 

Aside from being a book, the Wicked is a renowned Broadway musical. After I read the book, I promised myself to watch Wicked whenever opportunity comes. Luckily, the Australian group that is performing Wicked came into Manila. Wicked is being shown at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) since January 22, 2014. Fanatics even wear costumes on its gala night.

The theater was awesome! They had lots of special effects to ensure the viewers will really feel the enchantment of Oz. There are smokes and the changing of lights go well with every scene. I was so concentrated in watching the show that I didn't notice that the first scene before the break was already one hour and half. The last song before the break was Defying Gravity. After the song was performed I tried to stopped myself from already giving it a standing ovation. 

Every song receives an big applause from the audience but it was the Defying Gravity performance which received a loud applause from the audience. The feeling was unexplained especially when Elphaba started to elevate herself while singing.

The most favorite character aside from Elphaba was Glinda. The friend of Elphaba who was at first dislike her. Glinda has a shallow and self-centered personality. Even if with this character you will love how the actress delivered it on stage. Glinda has lots of funny antics that makes the crowd smile and laugh. But this antics are what I call intellectual humor.

Jemma Rix plays the role of Elphaba while Suzie Mathers plays the role of Glinda. Both has very good and powerful voice that it seems that they can reach the high notes without any difficulty. As expected, the audience gave the cast of Wicked a standing ovation and a long and loud applause.

I was surprised that a lot of Filipino watched Wicked. Me and my sister was very complacent that we did not bough tickets ahead of time thinking that only few will watch it. But I was surprised that seats almost went out and they even extended the show until March 9.

I was so happy that it was shown in Manila. I thought that I have to go all the way to Broadway or Australia just to watch it. For me, it was a dream come true to watch Wicked.

 

Vietnamese Dinner at Zao

Our food escapades at the East Wing of Shangri-la Mall continues. This time we decided to try Vietnamese cuisine.

My friend who is not a fan of spicy foods hesitates at first because she has an impression that Vietnamese foods are spicy. We were able to convince her that Vietnamese foods are good and not spicy.

The waiter immediately escort us to the vacant table. I like the design of the place especially of the light hanging above us. It gives a very calm and intimate ambiance.

While waiting for our orders, me and my friends are busy playing flappy birds and taking pictures. The waiter was very accommodating that he even volunteered to take our group picture. Maybe, he saw us having a hard time positioning our mobile phones so that can get our pictures.

Since its a Vietnamese restaurant, a must order is their spring rolls. Our appetizer that evening is their crispy spring rolls and fresh rolls.

Crispy Spring Rolls

Fresh Rolls

We are a big tofu lover and we are craving for some tofu. Good thing, they also have tofu on their menu. We ordered their stuffed tofu which is really very delicious. If you are a tofu lover like us you'll definitely love this.

As carnivores, we cannot resist having their BBQ sampler which is a combination of all their BBQ specialties.

A must try is their Caramelized Chicken Wings. This is so delicious! The chicken was glazed in sweet and salty garlic-ginger sauce. The green mango garnish makes it more mouth-watering.

Another food in our list was their Beef Stew. It was simmered in star anise and basil.

A stomach filled with delicious food ends our evening. Aside from Shangri-la Mall, Zao also has a branch in Serendra, Taguig.

the centerpiece

the light

Time for Hainanese Chicken at Wee Nam Kee

Wee Nam Kee is a place for Hainanese Chicken lovers! They have four different types of chicken - Steamed, Roasted, White or Yellow Chicken.

It was already almost 10PM and most restaurants are already closed. Luckily, we saw Wee Nam Kee! Our hungry stomach have found relief.

I'm not really familiar with Hainanese Chicken. Its just that Wee Nam Kee is the only restaurant that is still accepting customers at that time of the night. All I know is that Hainanese Chicken is from Chinese origin but is well popular also in Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.

Of course, a visit at Wee Nam Kee is not complete if you will not try their Hainanese Chicken. The Wee Nam Kee in Serendra offers only two types of chicken. They only have steamed and roasted chicken. You have an option to order a combination of steamed or roasted chicken so that you can try and taste both. We ordered a combination because we cannot decide on what we think is more delicious.

A must try also at Wee Nam Kee is their Chicken Rice. We Filipinos love rice and their Chicken Rice is something I definitely love.

We've also tried their Beef with Broccoli in Oyster Sauce. I love its rich sauce and the tender beef. 

Their Marmite Pork Ribs is what I've really love that night. The thinly sliced pork is overflowing with its sweet sauce.

Wee Nam Kee also serves unlimited ginger, chili and soy sauce. Try using this to make your Hainanese Chicken experience more memorable.

Aside from Serendra, there are Wee Nam Kee in Ayala Triangle and East Wing of Shang-Ri La Mall.

Bacon, Eggs and Pancakes

It was just an ordinary Saturday that me and my friends decided to have brunch at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP). However, most of them lives in Quezon City and are complaining that IHOP at the Fort is not a very accessible place to them. Good thing, there is already IHOP at the newly opened UP Town Center which is of course located near the University of the Philippines and just near Miriam College and Ateneo De Manila University. 

IHOP became a big buzz when they first opened at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC). I remembered seeing a long line of people waiting for their turn to be seated and this is at 10PM. Just imagine that long line just for a taste of pancake. 

Since most of my friends are not familiar with the place, our planned brunch came out as lunch. This does not stop us from eating at IHOP. 

IHOP is not just about Pancakes. Of course their pancakes is a must order but their menu is full of other mouth watering foods.

IHOP has a generous serving of their foods so most of it are good for sharing. Especially for us who don't have large appetite. So what we order is their Pick-A-Pancake Combo which is a combination of hash brown, two eggs, two pieces of sausages or bacon and your choosing of IHOP flavored pancakes.

We ordered one Pick-A-Pancake Combo with bacon and the other with sausages so that we can both try it. I prefer their sausages over the bacon. The bacon was just too salty for me.

For the pancakes, we ordered the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancake which has a whipped of butter on top and  is just full chocolate chips. This is a must try for all chocolate lovers. 

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancake

 I'm a cinnamon fan so I really love their cinnamon pancake. The cinnamon is evenly spread in between the three layers of pancakes so you can taste it in your every bite. Its very tasty!

Cinn-A-Stack Pancake

Aside from these we ordered two additional pancakes. Their Blueberry pancake and New York Cheesecake Pancake. Just too bad that the strawberry syrup has made the pancake too soggy.

New York Cheesecake Pancake

 My friend who is an ultimate lover of Blueberry didn't let go of the opportunity to try their Double Blueberry Pancake. She even poured the Blueberry syrup over it.

Double Blueberry Pancake

We also ordered their appetizer sampler which is a combination of four large onion rings, four chicken strips and four cheese sticks. And the onion rings are really big that you can see through it.

We also tried their Colorado Omelette which is filled with bacon, pork sausages, ham, onions, cheddar cheese and shredded beef on top of it. This omelette is just packed of all the good things.

This photo is their sweet syrups!!!