TSM’s Favorite Things: September 2014

September is about to end… allow me now to share with you a few of my favorite discoveries and happenings for this month. I say September’s favorites list is comprised mainly of two F’s : FOOD and FASHION! 🙂

Here they are :

CDP’s Maine Lobster Vongole 

Malou Fores (of the famous Mamou restaurant) has done it once again. She recently opened CDP in Rockwell which stands for Chef Du Partie or “Chefs Do Party” – whichever term you prefer to use! 🙂

For this new dining concept, Malou partnered with two other restaurateur friends : Katrina Alcantara (of Mesclun and Chuck’s Deli) and Kristine Locsin (formerly of Lu). This little chic and quirky restaurant has a lot of promising dishes on the menu but what stands out is their Lobster Vongole. The star of this dish (and what makes it pricier than usual at Php1,135) is obviously that nice chunky Lobster tail placed on top and surrounded by steamed Manila clams.  The spaghettini pasta is also done right, lightly seasoned and served al dente. The seafood is fresh and not overcooked.  But it is the sauce (or the lack of it) that makes this dish simply delicious! Definitely, one of the best pasta dishes we have available now.

CDP – Ground floor, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell

Tel +632 – 556-4454 and +63917 – 832-9828

The Spoiled Mummy Crepe at La Creperie

It’s a given that I have a sweet tooth and that I really love my desserts! And because I love sweet things, it has always been a joy for me to collaborate with some of my favorite dessert places. One of my very first food collaborations was with La Creperie, a quaint creperie known in the foodie circle to serve some of the best savory and dessert crepes in town.

La Creperie has always been my go-to place whenever I want a quick but hearty lunch or I crave for a sweet crepe with coffee or tea in the afternoon. The Spoiled Mummy Crepe which I helped create with one of the owners, Christine Laman, has been on the menu since October of last year. And biases aside, I am happy to say that it has always been one of their most popular crepes on the menu! 🙂

What’s in this crepe? All my favorite things! There’s peanut butter, oatmeal walnut crisps and fresh strawberries lovingly tucked inside. On top, the crepe is generously drizzled with their homemade chocolate AND salted butter caramel  sauce.

And if that still ain’t sweet enough for you… I say this crepe is best paired with La Creperie’s Angelina, a deliciously rich hot chocolate drink and quite possibly, the closest you can get to the original one from Paris!

*If you want to read more about how this special crepe came to be, click this link to my previous post : A Lovely Lunch at La Creperie. 

(Thanks to my friend, Martine de Luna for this lovely photo of my favorite crepe!)

La Creperie

125 Leviste St, V Corporate Center Salcedo Village, Makati 

or visit their Facebook Page to see their other locations

Sexy White Shirt

I have always been a white tshirt kind of girl. I probably have more than one dozen plain white shirts now in my closet! 🙂 Back in College, I wore them almost every day. And I live in them now because they are chic, comfy and just versatile. I dress them up at night by pairing them with bold accessories and heels or I dress them down during the day by wearing them with my jeans and flats.

So imagine my delight when I discovered this online shop that sells the comfiest and sexiest white shirts! Sexy White Shirt, is a locally-based online shop that sells the softest and most comfortable white shirts I’ve ever tried. Not only do their shirts make you look and feel good, they are reasonably priced as well.

Of course, the bonus part here is that since online shopping makes things easier and faster, I can now shop for my daily uniform with just a click of a button. So yes while writing this, I have just added all the other basic colors of this favorite tshirt to my stash! 🙂

**Sorry for the random photo here  — still learning how to take OOTD photos, lol!

Check their styles at www.sexywhiteshirt.com

Estee Lauder’s Modern Muse

I have always had a penchant for light-scented perfumes. Estee Lauder’s newest, the Modern Muse, has recently become my new favorite! It has done a wonderful job of combining both floral and woody scents in one bottle. I have worn this a couple of times and without fail I get compliments with its subtle and refreshing scent. The perfume is both light and fresh, not too strong or overpowering. The long-lasting scent is pleasant to use during the day and sophisticated enough to wear at night as well.

Estee Lauder

Rustan’s Department Stores (Makati, Shangri-la, Alabang, Gateway Mall and Cebu)

Essenses (Powerplant Mall, SM Mall of Asia)

Philip Lim x The Spoiled Mummy

Speaking about my favorites, this has got to be one of the most random but exciting things that happened to me during this month.

A couple of days ago, I ran into one of my favorite international designers, Phillip Lim! He flew in from New York (as one of Bench’s guests) to watch the much talked about and highly successful Bench Naked Truth Fashion Show held last Saturday. Despite his international success in the global fashion arena, Phillip Lim has remained to be a very down-to-earth and a simple kind of guy. He was warm, friendly and chatty — and we talked about things related to food and fashion! He was definitely a very welcoming guy, especially to a starstruck fan like me! 🙂

Thanks to Miguel Pastor and Kai Lim for the intro and taking this photo!

So what are your favorite things for this month of September? Share them all here with me!

(If you want to see last month’s favorites list, click here : TSM’s Favorite Things – August. )