CROCS Opens Store at B7 Bonifacio High Street

The good looking guy just arrived at the new BGC branch of CROCS, our well loved footwear brand. It's been a while since we've covered an event physically and chances are, we're going to splurge a little bit since it's a great day to start summer festivities in Manila. Their call, is for you to tell your SUMMER STORY and this particular branch has all your unique Crocs Clogs in different colors and styles. The store is also huge you can roam around without bumping into anyone and the center is dedicated to a little treat we call JIBBITZ. They are charms you attach on the holes of your Crocs pairs and I loved every bit of it. I got myself a winter camo (Marble Clogs) colored pair and started picking 90's iconic symbols so I could personalize it.

They encourage this so as to make each pair unique and I love them about that. Loads of celebrities have also gone to the store including Crocs Ambassador AC Bonifacio, Patrick Quiroz, models and influencers from the metro. There are also installations outside the store where you can take photos of you, your friends or family. They are extra colorful too so if you're in the look for a pair, it's time to do it here!

Here's a little tour I made on the new store, enjoy!

Go catch a pair and see why people are loving their CROCS while telling their Summer Story!

After Office Gelato Heaven at Casa Italia Cafe in BGC

Had dinner with blogger friends the other day at Casa Italia Cafe over at Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City. It's rarely new, one of two stores of which the other one is in SM North Edsa. As the name says, Casa Italia serves Italian comfort food. It's a franchise from Singapore with Italian roots, so the store is more modern rather than plain rustic. I was expecting a woodsy, dark, oak barrel laden restaurant much like what the Godfather movies portray but I saw a different one when we arrived. Let me take you around!

The Interiors

The place tickled my fancy. It was colorful, very modern and fresh. I could tell they heavily invested in the interiors as some of the pieces were also Italian. The tables, the seating, plus one or more feature walls was reminiscent of an American Italian Diner if I were in the states. This area is pretty crowded with different restaurants and they need to stand out, I think they really did. It's cozy, relaxed, not too uptight when you want to dine and unwind with friends. You don't need to wear a tie or heels to fit in. The staff were all warm and accommodating so we weren't intimidated even if the space was huge! 

This is the ground floor where you can order your freshly made Gelato. They also have other things on the menu which you can take. They have dining areas here and upstairs.

They do what the Italians do. They have a section selling freshly baked breads and pastries, plus really good espresso, and just about the regular coffee flavors you need to get throughout the day.

The Gelato section is crazy. My jaw dropped just by seeing the sheer collection of flavors that they do. The usual favorites are the Green Mango, Avocado, Philippine Mango, Strawberry and Formaggi (Cheese). Aside from the sweet ones, they serve real deal Gelato with Whiskey, Cocktails that's got the same amount of alcohol content as the thing itself. This is part of their after office hours series, a smart idea for those who would like to unwind and just literally "chill".

If you see the jars on the bottom right side of this photo, they actually serve you Gelato with unlimited toppings. You can help yourself to any of the items here - which would make it a dream by any standards.

The second floor has a larger dining space, all in all it could fit around 50-60 people. They've got it maintained well too as it's very clean and pretty!

The Food

They serve Italian staples, more of comfort food for you and me. They cook quite good, they serve it hot so make sure you have room for carbs as you order them. The serving size is big but can be also shared if you are not much of an eater.

This is their Carbonara. I love the huge slice of Bacon on top, it makes the whole thing legit. The sauce was a little runny probably because of pasta water as it was just taken out of the kitchen. They didn't season it that much probably because they want you to work a little. There's a salt and pepper shaker in every table so you can adjust to your taste.

Their Bolognese was so good. I had to for myself way to the dish of my friend to get to taste this. Theirs is not too sour, a thing that I like when they use tomatoes for sauces. I'd have this to share.

You can't complete a meal without dessert so I had their Green Mango Gelato!

See anything unusual? Look closely on the topping. That's actually Shrimp Paste. Filipinos love Green Mango with Bagoong (local name) so they whipped this up for kicks and the recipe was approved in their main office. This is super good, you would have to try this when you step into their store!

For protein lovers, this Roasted Chicken was divine! They used herbs and put in potatoes on the bottom, probably spent quite some time in the oven to reach this point. Don't forget the lovely gravy, we actually did and  we were sorry we ate all the chicken on the plate ha-ha!

For drinks, Casa Italia Cafe actually serves locally crafted beers plus imported ones like what you see above. I like the Katipunan Indio Pale Ale and Hoegaarden. They even have a happy hour, get them beers cold while spending a bit less than the ones compared in other bars in the same area!

For those who love Gelato but still want to get a kick, they've got Johnnie Walker Black Label and other cocktails made into Gelato form. Now you can have your lovely frozen treat and get that kick you need for casual drinking. A pretty smart idea for those who just left the office and want to spend time here rather than braving the Makati/EDSA traffic. 

Casa Italia Cafe is located near Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. They've got piping hot hearty meals, refreshing drinks and a whole lot of Gelato flavors to choose from. After work, invite your friends and family so you can enjoy, unwind and indulge yourself because you deserve it. You've done your job, let Casa Italia take you to Italy right in the heart of BGC.

For more information about their restaurant:

Casa Italia Cafe Philippines

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://www.casaitalia.com.ph/

The RISE Makati

We're in North Makati area today and looking around condominium units from famous Shangrila Properties. Their newest project called The Rise Makati located at the NoMa district boasts tons of artsy restaurants and establishments that say a lot about its selling point, Location, Location, Location. They also want you to paint your own canvass and create your own masterpiece in each room. The building will have 55 floors and habitable areas. They got us to look at some of the model units in their showroom, and it is quite impressive for this area. To give you an idea, it's along Yakal Street and almost right behind the Makati Fire Station, the Makati Post Office and the Makati Police Station.

It's got its own mall, a line of homey restaurants, a hangout area, a huge pool + a kiddie pool, a game room, an entertainment area, a circus themed kids room, function rooms, karaoke suites, a kilometer or more running areas all set in the North Area of Makati. I loved every bit of it.

The One Bedroom Unit

This is perfect for bachelors or young professionals who are just starting out living alone or starting to just invest in properties. The company also has programs of you want to lease it. This is pretty small but it's enough for someone like me who wants something classy and simple. Ahm, actually they chose the word Creative, the way they designed and built it. The amenities is over the top, the community is hip and cultured, it's near Team Manila's headquarters. 

The One Bedroom with a Balcony

This one almost fits like the other one and is around 27-29 square meters. The design is made by local and HK based people. The architecture is implemented by locals too. They have different projects in China, HK and elsewhere but the technology is much like the same. They use the best ones in the industry and can also recommend interior designers if needed. The biggest is around 43 square meters, and can cost around 3.2-3.9 Million, depending on the view and how large the area is plus taxes for Comissioner Kim Henares' enjoyment.

Two Bedroom Units with a Balcony

This costs around 9-10 Million but is so good I want one for myself. This can probably fit a family of 4 and I could say it's like 2 and a half rooms. The half could probably function as a home office or a study. If you have foreign guests, this would be something that could well be their second home. 

They also showed us around restaurants in the property and had super good lunch in Chesa Bianca, an authentic Swiss restaurant with b@d@ss fondue and Pork Cordon Bleu! 

I super love it! In fact it's the cheese that makes the difference. If we only had white wine, we could have stayed there for hours!

Then we headed on to my favorite dessert place called Bebe Rouge.

Their Earl Grey Tea and Strawberry Shortcake is to die for! You can quote me on that. Might I also warn you not to hit on the Japanese Chef because he's married, sorry ladies haha!

Then we went onto Suez and Zapote which is on the artsy part of the community. It's a place also by Team Manila but more on galleries and limited edition shirts! 

We even made our own shirts to take home and enjoy! I'll wear this proudly of course! :) 

Then for the last stop, we headed on to Speak Easy in Alphaland Makati Place.

They had a huge wall dedicated to my favorite drink! Aside from that, the gorgeous Russian lady named Allona prepared everything for us that afternoon personally. 

She whipped up Lychee Mojito for the ladies and Old Style thingy for me! It was awesome to cap off the evening with that! 

Thank you so much to the great people behind Shangrila Properties, The Rise Makati and all the establishments we went to today! I really had fun and hope the real soon to be tenants of The Rise Makati would see the value of being in the NOMA district. For more information about the property, please visit http://www.therisemakati.com or like their official Facebook Page The Rise Makati

Love you guys!

For more information about their property:

The RISE Makati

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://www.therisemakati.com/