Muji

I am a Muji customer for six years now and counting. Muji  is short for Mujirushi Ryohin which translates to "No Label Quality Goods". My first Muji experience was in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. I remember purchasing in 2008 two pairs of aluminum square hangers that are still being put to good use till today. When Muji opened in Manila, I was ecstatic because it is now more accessible to me. Hence, it eliminates the issue of excess baggage during overseas trips. Some of the Muji stores I was able to visit were in Hong Kong, Manila, Tokyo and New York.

What's so special about Muji? Well, I like their minimalist concept (no-label/brand policy), simple designs and their conscious effort in saving the environment through recycling plus minimizing waste production. I just have to share their four core principles:

1. Streamlined, functional design eliminating excess decoration.
2. Basic, understated color guaranteed to blend and never dominate
3. Value for money, the right balance between quality and price
4. Complete lifestyle product range encompassing all aspects of life 

As a Muji devotee, I went to Muji Yurakucho store, their flagship store located in Ginza which also houses the largest Muji cafe. Beside it is the infamous Loft.

Mike and I tried their coffee and some of their pastries. Everything was yummy!

Assorted baked goods and deli selection.

I also had the opportunity to browse some stuff and have lunch at their store in Shibuya. Mike bought two packs of ground coffee while I contemplated in buying their ready-made butter chicken sauce.

Muji stores in Tokyo sell bikes that you can customize. Biking is up the husband's alley. I could tell from his facial expression that he was enthralled.

I chose the 3-Deli set. A set consists of 1 hot deli + 2 cold delis + rice and a drink of your choosing. Their apple juice is now a favorite. The menu is not in English so I had to point a lot and ask some questions from the staff. A Japanese translation app I downloaded from the App Store was very helpful.

It was a cold day and my Muji coat came in handy. I got this at half the price in Muji Yurackucho.

I hope they open a Cafe & Meal Muji here in Manila soon. I'd also like to bring my sister too in Muji Yurakucho. She was the one who introduced Muji to me when she was living in Hong Kong. It was just across her serviced apartment. But during that time, it didn't have a cafe and it didn't serve meals.

My sister and I can form a groupie. Lol.

First Photo via Selectism, Second Photo via Fashion Journal and the rest of the photos taken using iPhone5

Herbology 101

Have your ever experienced buying herbs and not being able to consume everything until they wilt, expire and then go to waste? This situation is a dilemma of mine. Fresh herbs can be expensive and sometimes scarce hence an extra trip to a specialty store instead of making a one stop shop at your local grocer. So, I started a small organic herb bar. I often use basil and cilantro in most of my home cooking so I bought a pot of each at a weekend market. As you can see, some of the basil leaves on the left photo below looks crumpled it's because the weather began to get hot and humid these days. But no need to worry, I have transferred them to a cooler location. It's also time to move my cilantro to a bigger pot.

I planted coriander seeds (aka cilantro) too. They sprouted after one and a half weeks and now they are on their fourth week. Alas, progress!

I got this pot of mint as a wedding favor. Perfect for making iced teas on a hot summer day in the city.

I plan to get a pot of rosemary, sage, thyme, chives and flat leaf parsley soon. Nothing beats dressing up your home cooking with freshly picked herbs. Walking by my small organic herb bar soothes me, their scents are a delight to the senses. It works like aromatherapy. It saves money too!

Would you like to grow an herb garden too?

Photos taken using iPhone5 

Bacon Crisp

Bacon. This is the main reason why I'm having trouble becoming a vegetarian. But, I only have some once in a while.

I made these tasty little morsels yesterday as an afternoon snack. I got the recipe from an old blog post of Ms. Janis Snell of Navy Bean. Instead of using Ritz Simply Socials, I used Fita biscuits.

           

         

I just wrapped a slice of bacon with each biscuit, sprinkled grated parmesan cheese and baked them for 2 hours for 250 degrees F. You need to bake them long enough for the grease to dry up.

     Like the Tofu Stir-fry I made, these Bacon Crisps were gone in a flash.

This recipe is great for parties especially during cocktail hour.

The Halal Guys (New York)

A visit to New York City won't be complete if you haven't tried the best chicken / gyro rice plate with white and red sauces from The Halal Guys. Their original cart is located at 53rd and 6th Ave (beside Hilton Hotel, Avenue of the Americas).

The Halal Guys cart

Their infamous chicken and gyro

One of the Halal brothers preparing the customers' orders

This line is still long even after lunch hour

My share of chicken and rice plate. Yay!

This is such a delicious serving of street meat and only for $6.00. My husband and I have to share because their serving portion is enough for both of us. It is best combined with a can of ice-cold Coca-Cola. =)

I highly recommend it! 

Little Germany

Helen is a re-creation of an alpine village complete with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers. The classic South-German style is present on every building even for the small number of known business establishments such as BP Gas Station and The Huddle House. 

Here are some snaps of our trip to Little Germany in the state of Georgia, city of Helen. 

Welcome to Helen

These houses add more character

Charming isn't it?

This Candy and Chocolate shop is pure Heaven!

Yours truly exploring the alleys

We had lunch at the Old Bavaria Inn and Restaurant. We ordered:

• Wurst Sausage Platte - (Choice of Two Sausages) Bratwurst (pork), Weisswurst (pork and veal), Knockwurst (beef and pork), Hungarian Brat (pork and Hungarion seasonings), served with red cabbage, sauerkraut and homemade German potato salad
• Debrecena Dog (Two Orders) - Spicy Hungarian Hotdog served with sauerkraut and grilled onions on a hoagie roll
• Baked Pretzel

Everything was scrumptious!

Wurst Sausage Platte

Debrecena Dog

Baked Pretzel flown directly from Munich

This trip was a few hours away from Atlanta but it was worth the drive. Next time, I want to try Helen's infamous water tubing. 

I'll blog more about Georgia in my next posts. 

Have a Peachy Day!

Beautiful Beijing

Last year, Mike and I decided to travel to China and celebrate his 31st birthday there. We stayed at Chinese Box Courtyard Hostel and loved every minute of it. The staff speaks good English, the place has character since it was an old Hutong (traditonal courtyard residences for the Emperor's administrative staff), they serve good food and it has cute cats. The ambiance is so warm that I don't think it should be called a hostel, I think it should be called a home.

Traditional Doors with modern locks.

A map of the neighboring area  painted on the wall. They organize daily trips to the Great Wall Mutianyu.

The feisty felines of the Chinese Box.

Meet Ni'ure.

The Hutong's chill out area.

Banana Muesli and Yogurt for breakfast.

Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

Outside the gates of Forbidden City.

Bird's Nest for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Sanlitun Village

One of the best Kung Pao Chicken I've ever tasted.

The Great Wall of China (Mutianyu). The tour took most of the day but still had the chance to check out Raffles City Mall and tasted Costa Coffee's Cappuccino.

Spotted Janet Hsieh at the Great Wall. She was very nice and accommodating. 

I almost forgot to mention that Mr. Yang's restaurant located a little further down the Great Wall serves the best sweet and sour pork. That was our lunch accompanied by nine other dishes. The weather was really cold but it's our kind of weather.We didn't get the chance to navigate the city more and look for a Din Tai Fung chain here but was able to find one in Shanghai.

Oh, and thanks to Mike's trusty tripod. =)