IssaEats: My (CURRENT) Favorite Burger Place

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I’m not a food blogger, but I know my burgers (and pizza and steaks and potaoes and corn…). Paolo’s first birthday gift to me was an entire box of 4 cheese pizza from Yellow Cab; on our first date as a couple, I ordered a Cheese burger from Dong Juan; on out of town trips, I always have someone bring me back a burger and if mashed potatoes in a box were decent, we’d probably have them everday. Yep, that’s the kind of people we are.

Last Decemeber, I went to Manila to eat burgers. Unintended, of course but boy, did I eat a lot of burgers in a span of a week! And every chance I get, i’m always tasting new ones regardless of how affordable or pricey it is. Yes, I’ve tried Angel’s and Minute Burger; Yes, I’ve had the McDonald’s black and white burger even if I haven’t been to HK yet and it was only available there and yes, I did get a giant burger for my birthday. So what I’m really trying to say here is:

Burgers are my life, people. It’s not just a quick snack on the way home… It’s the main course!

So far, the top places on my list are: 8 cut burgers (Manila), Kri (Dumaguette), Backyard Burgers (Bacolod) and finally, Fat Cow here in Cebu City.

It is important that I make it apparent to you as early as now that I am a no frills type of burger eater. In the exemption of BB’s, I like my burgers based on the perfect blend of the right bun (even if I highly dislike bread), basic condiments, a quality seasoned patty made of course from good meat, and your everyday tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Oh, and cheese. LOTS OF CHEDDAR CHEESE. Burgers with fancy sauce just don’t cut it for me, they seem more like fancy sandwiches which is why I have been finding it so hard to find a local burger place to love here in the metro.

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On one of our take out adventures, Paolo and I decided to try out Fat Cow located in BTC. I’ve been hearing mostly good reviews in the past year but since we live in the South, Fat Cow hasn’t really been a top priority to us. But boy am I glad that I suddenly got cramps in the middle of the car ride home which required immediate soothing thus, landing us there.

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(Angus Burger P230.00)

In the 4 years that Paolo and I have been together, nothing has ever come close to his Charlies Grind and Grill angus burger but FINALLY, he has made room in his heart to a close 2nd. Priced at P230.00, it made me appreciate how awesome burgers were again after a long time of force feeding myself with generic tasting patties.

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(Bacon Cheeseburger P190.00)

It if were up to me, I would’ve just ordered a cheese burger but since Paolo did the ordering, I landed with a Bacon Cheeseburgr instead. I’ve had bad experiences with these kinds of burgers because I can either not taste the patty because of the bacons overpowering saltiness or I end up not tasting the bacon at all because of the patty but this burger was just the right blend of everything and i’m going to exaggerate a little and say, it created a beautiful harmony in my mouth. Also, i. really.loved.that.patty.and.the.lettuce.was.not.soggy!!

Fat Cow isn’t one of those bang for buck burgers because honestly, it’s quite a pricey burger. With individually priced burgers ranging from P150.00 up, you’d still have to pay an additional P100.00 for a drink and fries. We opted out because 1. I wasn’t ordering, 2. Paolo thinks it’s high time we went on a diet. (As if not having fries would make any difference. Ha!)

With the well known fact that it is a bit of an expensive burger, I’ll still tell you that it’s a burger I would pay good money for! If I wanted a cheap burger, I’d go to McDonald’s and if you wanted something greasy and worth your money, Paolo would take you to Burger Joint. But so far, I’m feeling pretty accomplished and I can finally say that I have a favorite burger place in Cebu. FINALLYYYYY!!

Fat Cow is located at the Banilad Town Center. Find out more about them HERE

Til our next food adventure!

xx,
Issa (and Paolo)

P.s. I’ve decided to do more food blogs which will most likely involve Paolo because he knows food waaay more than I do. So let me know what you guys think of our new collab which I haven’t really told him about yet. Hihihi

Little Dreams

If it ever happens, take me to a church on top of a hill- I would need to thank God for giving you the patience to still be with me.

If it ever happens, please have my mom and papa there. I don’t care about guests and gifts- you are the best gift and they are the most important guests.

If it ever happens, please don’t make me cut the cake; wear something blue and borrowed; throw a bouquet in the air or kiss to clinks of dinnerware- we are not that couple and that’s what I love about us. Let’s feed each other steaks, let me wear your favorite deodorant, let’s throw out every misconception we’ve heard about marriage and let’s kiss under the moonlight. Don’t we save soo much money that way?

If it ever happens, promise me you won’t have pre wedding day jitters. You’ve been with me for so long, why would a forever scare you?

If it ever happens, I hope we can just take each other in the hand and walk our way into it like we were walking towards our favorite restaurant- we always look forward to going there and even when it’s not always the best experience, we wouldn’t mind going back and giving it another try..

As much as I’d hate it, I’ll wear a white dress I know you’d like because you’ve always said white was my best color. You can wear a shirt and your ripped jeans that I hate, for all I care. You are marrying me. You are taking me. You are promising not to leave me even if there were so many times I’ve made you want to. You are promising to love me through thick and thin and you honestly deserve to do what ever the hell you want.

If it ever happens, I’m going to have a speech for you whether you like it or not. I’m going to tell you the things that I love about you and the things that I hate which I know are the things I cannot live without. I’m going to let the most beautiful words that I have ever spoke run out of my mouth and it won’t even matter if there’s anyone there to see it.

If it ever happens, let’s travel places near and far. I would like to love you in the outbacks, on a trek, under the heat of the blazing sun or under the sheets on an ice cold day. I want to love you with the flu, in complete ecstasy- I would want to love you even when I cannot love myself which is mostly 99.9% of the time.

If it ever happens, let’s make a home that is always filled with flowers and the fridge is always full. You will never love my cooking but I will always love yours so I’ll keep the fridge full for as long as you’re in charge of our stomachs. Let’s have friends over and tell them about our travels, explain why we skimped out on a fancy party but that they’re always allowed to give us gifts anyways.

If it ever happens, let’s have dogs and cats and goats and chickens. I’ll have a little vegetable garden and I’ll cook you breakfast [which you probably won’t like either] with your favorite coffee and the morning paper. I’ll kiss you in the morning and I’ll be the daintiest thing you’ve ever seen. I’ll be so happy. And most importantly, I’ll make you happy.

But if it never happens, I guess that’s still ok. At least I’ve dreamed it so I never really have to wonder what it would really be like. At least I know what kind of life I would’ve wanted to live out of the thousands of lives I would have wanted to live and I saved my favorite version of life with you.

Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice

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Sugar and spice

and everything nice

that’s what little girls are made of

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Sunshine and rainbows

and ribbons for hair bows

that’s what little girls are made of

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Tea parties, laces

and baby doll faces

that’s what little girls are made of

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But I was made of dynamite and sprinkles,

and dresses that would twinkle.

That’s what I am made of.

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Leather and fur,

People saying “Look of for her!”

That’s what I am made of.

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Beer pong, aces

And traveling to far places

That’s what I am made of.

Dress: Cotton On| Shoes: Sanuk| Shades: Rayban

Backdrop and photography: Chay Ramirez

Life is a lot more fun when you add a little or a lot of color to it!

xx,

Issa

In Mint Condition

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I still can’t believe that my fashion preferences have evolved so much from when I ever started blogging. [Good luck trying to find those evidence online, I’ve almost successfully removed all traces online. nyehehe] I was always the boyish dresser and I still am, but I truly have started to embrace and love my more feminine style.

Changing your style definitely isn’t a walk in a park especially since it’s not something that you’re used to. The moment hints of pastels (especially pinks) hit my wardrobe, I felt like I was going to puke out my insides but I knew it was going to a start of a brand new adventure. The most important breakthrough I made was realizing that I didn’t have to compromise my long term preferences but instead incorporate them with new things to update my look.

The best piece of advice I can give anyone is to not be afraid to experiment with fashion. I That’s what I do everyday! If you’re uncomfortable with dresses, try one with sleeves for starters and mix it with a vest and a cute bowler hat. If you’re a pants type of girl and you want to try showing off more skin, ease yourself in by starting with Bermuda shorts or something of a more comfortable length.

Life is too short to wear boring clothes!

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For affordable clothes and a wide variety of choices, drop by Planet Exchange at SM City Cebu.

Don’t you just love my mint laser cut dress?

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Have a wonderful weekend!

xx,

Issa

Behind On Fashion

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 Is it bad that I’m only getting starting to enjoy exploring with “print on print” now that it’s completely obsolete? Perhaps. But then again, I’ve never been the one to enjoy trends that much anyways.

When it comes to trends, I’m admittedly always a step behind. I didn’t know keeping a “clean” Instagram was cool, I thought lace ups were still called gladiators, I also thought culottes were just long pants and the list goes on. Thank god minimalist dressing is in because now my lack of effort can finally be justified.

But then again, who wants to be like everyone else? I’ll be the pop of color when everyone’s in white washed neutrals!

Trend or no trend aside, just be you. Fashion is an expression of what you are and it fills in the gaps with words that need not be spoken. And remember, history repeats itself when it comes to fashion… so hopefully, this look will become relevant in a couple more years!

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Dress used as top: Cotton On| Skirt: Given| Sandals: Carcar

Photography: Chay Ramirez

xx,

Issa

 Follow me on snapchat & instagram: @issaplease

Flowers in Summer? Groundbreaking.

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 It’s a wonderful Sunday morning and I’m finally taking the time to blog about one of my current favorite looks particularly for this summer season. Summers and Springs will always be associated with anything floral and as much as I loathe being cliche, I have to admit,  if I had to wear florals everyday… I would totally wear this.

I am still 101% convinced that matching sets are the best way to go in life.

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 Matching Zara suit set: Planet Exchange| Top: Gaisano Grand| Sandals: Carcar

Photography: Chay Ramirez

xx,

Issa

Switch and Save featuring Iya Villania & Watsons

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I’ve officially made the switch and I’m  putting money away for a rainy day! Nothing is better than a scoring a great deal and at Watsons, I am able save more money without skimping on the important stuff- quality (and not to mention great packaging!).

I was lucky enough to experience the full shopping experience at Watsons, completed of course by the presence of our Personal Store Supervisor of the day, Iya Villania and now I’ve got a loot to brag about worth a quarter (or more) of the price!

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Iya Villania shopping with beauty bloggers

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Watsons, Asia’s leading health and beauty retailer, has set the standards when it comes to quality products at affordable prices. From personal care items, beauty essentials, and even medicine, Asia’s leading personal care store now offers a wider variety of products under its own label, giving smart shoppers the choice to save as much as 80 percent without compromising on quality.

Here’s what I got:

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Power toothbrush [P209.00], Replacement heads [P149.00], Breath strips [P115.00], FootEase heel cushions [P107.00], Travel Dental floss [P39.00], Round thread dental floss picks [P29.00]

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BUY ONE TAKE ONE  Conditioning treatment shampoo [ P189.00] & wax [P239.00]

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Purederm Hydro Soothing Cucumber Pads [P89.75], Moisturizing 3- Step Facial Treatment [P65.00], Nose Strips [P119.00], Quick Fx No- Shine Mattifier [P89.00], Mini Wet Wipes [P49.00], Eye Puffiness Minimizing Patches [P59.00], BUY ONE TAKE ONE Round facial cotton pads [P178.00], Moisturizing lip balm [P59.00]

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BUY ONE TAKE ONE Cream hand soap [P149.00], Hydrating body lotion [P99.00], Leg and foot soothing massage gel [P85.00], BUY ONE TAKE ONE exfoliating body scrub [P149.00], Loofah Pad [P82.00]

I am nothing but happy with the products I purchased from Watsons . In fact, some items such as the nose strips and no-shine mattifier have been a part of my daily or weekly make up and facial care routine for quite some time now.

It’s quite obvious that I’ve made the smarter switch by choosing Watsons. When will you?

xx,

Issa