Nanyang

Squeezed in a date after doing some errands. We were really happy when Nanyang opened a branch nearby. It easily brings us back to the days we'd enjoy merienda at Toastbox.

For merienda, Sweetie got me a set. It includes butter sugar thick toast, 2 eggs, and iced teh. It was filling and perfect for a quick bite. I love how they provided dark soy sauce and white pepper for the egg. I felt like I was back at Toastbox Vivo City! 

What about you? What's your favorite non-Filipino merienda?

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Lakwatsera Fridays: Breakfast Date with Sweetie

Took the opportunity today to accompany Sweetie on his errand. I also needed to refill my prescription and thought it would be easier to buy more at the mall. Well, that was my excuse. I just really wanted to visit SM. The last time I visited one was in 2020, on the day Taal erupted. 

After Sweetie's errand we walked a bit to look for breakfast. Luckily the restaurant beside the entrance was already open. It was a good choice since they had eggs Benedict available. It's been an elusive dish in our area. 

Enjoyed breakfast with Sweetie. We reminisced about the things we miss about Singapore because he spotted Nanyang before we entered the resto. He missed the ginormous Asia Square food court. It had a number of our favorite places, Toastbox, Guzman y Gomez, Aston's and it had a hidden Starbucks tucked away at the back. It was a memorable place since he would sometimes pick me up after work. 

After breakfast, we passed by Ace Hardware, Watsons and the supermarket. I realized I missed doing groceries in person. There's a lot of new things you can discover in person. It was fun to see some new offerings in the grocery. I was also able to compare prices and made mental notes on where to buy some items.

I was pretty tired by the time we finished doing groceries, but that was the perfect segueway to have a snack at Nanyang. Hrhrhr. I got my usual, teh peng, and thick toasts. The teh peng was okay, but the toasts were meh. Will stick to the cheesy chicken noodles next time. 

It's really good to go out once in awhile. I would've wanted to meet up with a friend, but it's hard for me to commit to a meetup. I only know if I'm up to a trip out if I wake up okay and sometimes my stamina runs out fast. I was lucky today because I made it back to the car before I had an asthma attack (AQI suddenly went up). Yup, I'm gonna be wearing a mask forever.

Happy weekend everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Lakwatsera Fridays: Nanyang!

One of the things I miss the most in Singapore is Toastbox. I used to have eat there several times a week when our office was in the CBD. The crew would always ask me how come I look Chinese, but I don't speak their language. Well, my grandma passed away when my Dad was young so I never got to meet her and I guess she never got around to teaching the language (she eloped with my Filipino hunk of a grandpa!). 

Anyway, I digress. I super love Toastbox. In fact as proof of my love, the fats are still residing in my thunder thighs. When I got home my good friends told me that Nanyang replaced Toastbox in the Philippines. Their offerings are the same, just the name is different. 

Luckily there is a Nanyang branch at Ayala North Exchange. We discovered it while waiting for my doctor. Her assistant told us there was a passageway from the clinic to the mall. Agonizing over the stairs was worth it because there was a gem in the mall!

Was asked by the doctor to come yesterday. Miggy and I made sure to pass by Nanyang for some takeaway. Good thing we did because it took us an hour to get a ride and we were famished by the time we got home. Aside from our favorite teh and kopi c, they also had my favorite cheesy chicken noodles. It also had the very bitter kailan veggie (lol). Anyway, it was happy super late lunch for the three of us since the beverages were perfectly prepared too. 

Nanyang has branches in the following locations, see here. Maybe this would be a good bucketlist for me since I failed to visit all the Toastbox branches in Singapore (haha). 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Missing Toastbox

Lived in Singapore for 10 years, but I feel I wasn't able to fully appreciate and see all of it. I was so busy with work and was always traveling, I only got to really stay there without leaving because of the lockdown. Spent most of the time at home during the lockdown, but that was when we started to enjoy going to the park. 

The thing I miss most in Singapore is Toastbox! I used to drink teh peng almost everyday. I loved pairing it with toast and eggs. Today Sweetie brought home some milk tea from Nanyang. A friend told me it was the Toastbox at SM Aura. I was so excited to try it because it's been 8 months since I've had some. 

The first sip brought back happy memories. I regularly had it as dessert with Cherry after eating lunch. We'd descend from the 37th floor to buy at the food court. The crew would always ask me every time why I looked like a local and how come I couldn't speak Chinese* since I had Chinese blood. Well, when we moved to MBC the Toastbox was too far, so we'd normally go to Gong Cha or Starbucks. 

Toastbox was also a must visit place whenever we had friends over. It's where the TeaCompletely crew would always hang out whenever Koyah Drew was in Singapore. I wanted to visit all Toastbox branches in Singapore and was about to do it, but Marv went back home so I lost my Toastbox buddy haha. Didn't get to continue since we had to avoid going out for safety. Good thing it was easy to get some Toastbox goodies for delivery. 

Glad Sweetie was able to bring home some milk tea. It tastes a lot like my favorite Toastbox teh peng. Too bad it's far from where I live, but maybe I could get some at least once a quarter.

 *I tried studying, but I couldn't figure out the intonations so I ended up studying Nihongo instead.

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