Haul: Birthday Gifts ♥

It's now time to unwrap the presents I got for my 24th birthday!

Nah, I've actually unwrapped and ate most of them a few weeks ago, but they're worth sharing so here goes! ;)

A portrait, letter, and The Body Shop Colour Crush Eyeshadow from Dawn

This one's probably one of the most priceless and sweetest present I received! My friend actually drew me! Haha! :D I'll be putting this in a frame, that's for sure! Dawn and I both love The Body Shop, as you can see. Don't forget to join our giveaway! :D

Cara Mia Brazo Gelato cake from my colleagues

Christer, Jeffery, Kurt, Bailey, Ness, and Anne

My teammates/lunch buddies surprised me with this during the weekend before my birthday. They're as sweet as this gelato cake. :D

A birthday card also from my colleagues

The card design is so me, don't you agree?

Figaro Devil's Mocha Cake from my boss, Achi V

I've already told you before, I've got cool boss. :D

Cosmopolitan dress from my sister, Melissa

Since we like the same clothes, she has another dress like this, only in a different color. Don't worry, we won't wear it both at the same time!

Starbucks tea tumbler from my sister, Vivian

My sister hates the ancient water bottle I use at the office, so she gave me this! She was planning to give me a regular coffee tumbler, but then she remembered that I'm more of a tea person, hence this one! I love that it has a leaf design where I can fasten the string of the tea bag.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers from my sister, Cindy

She got me this because she knows that I want this, but I won't be buying this for myself anytime soon. (Hey, I was waiting for National Book Store to go on sale so I could get this at 20% off!)

OMG Nail Colors by Klik in Tiara from my sister, Ann

This was a half-hearted present from my sister! I just know. Haha! She got this for herself, but then she remembered it was my birthday that day, and handed it to me instead, and borrowed it right after a few minutes. (I said no! No using until I've taken a picture of it.) But still, thank you!

Krispy Kreme doughnuts from my friend, Pan

I love Krispy Kreme. You've witnessed it all in my blog. If you're curious, my favorite doughnut from them would be Original Glazed.

Frostings cupcakes from my friend, Lala

She's as sweet as these cupcakes! ;) This came as a surprise during our dinner at A Veneto, where the crew couldn't even sing a decent birthday song. My friends sang instead.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Skin Essentials also from my friend, Lala

Because she know that I love The Body Shop! I'm excited to try this new skincare set. And it's pink - what's not to love?

Beauty Bar's Lavender Luxury Hand Cream from my friend, Jeanne

My friend was thinking if she would give me another lippie, but figured that I already had lots. (Good thing!) She gave me a fancy hand cream instead. Much appreciated! :D

Green Tea Kit Kats from my friends

Because they know what my all-time favorite chocolate is. :D

Uji Matcha Green Tea Kit Kat from my friend, Jat

He found this in a Japanese store. Now, I want to go there and hoard!

Matcha Green Tea Kit Kat + Ghirardelli chocolates from my friend, Tope

This pack is similar to the one I received from Hong Kong, only this one he got from Japan.

Birthday cake from HEAT

Last but not the least is this birthday cake from HEAT, where my family and I celebrated my birthday dinner.

That's all for now! This one's probably my favorite haul posts, since everything here are special and from my loved ones.♥

Love,

Helen

The HEAT is on! at EDSA Shangri-La

For my 24th birthday celebration, my family and I went to HEAT in EDSA Shangri-La Hotel last Sunday for a sumptuous buffet dinner. Did you know that HEAT actually stands for Healthy Eating, Amazing Tastes?

The rainy season madness hits fever pitch at HEAT with its mouth-watering smorgasbord of international favorites at almost half the price for friends of 5 or more! HEAT's talented assembly of chefs indulge diners with flavorful dishes presented over 10 interactive theater-kitchens.

Mondays to Saturdays - Lunch

Sundays to Thursdays  - Dinner

July 1 to August 31, 2013

They have a promo wherein parties of 5 or more could enjoy their buffet for just P888.00 net per person.

My last HEAT buffet experience was way back in 2007, and I remember seeing the place less crowded (like tables and chairs more farther apart from each other), and with a wider buffet area/selection of food.

I'll show you what we had that night at HEAT.

Salad and Cold Cuts Section

First stop was the salad bar, where I tasted the freshest, most crisp lettuce ever. I am no vegetable-lover, but I enjoyed this part. Say, if we had these fresh salads at home, I'd eat it everyday!

Cheese Section

There was also a wide selection of cheeses, which you can opt to eat on its own, or with the bread they also serve. Some of their breads are hard though, but there are some variants that are softer in texture. My sister is weirdly into their breads and got several servings, which she paired with cream cheese.

Sushi and Sashimi Section

There was a Japanese sushi bar, where all sorts of fresh sushi or sashimi were on display. Miso soup was also available!

I know it's crazy, but I wasn't able to take much pictures on the main courses, like meat, etc! Just check my plates to see what I had.

• The Good: Pork liempo, grilled chicken, beef steak, fish fillet, tempura
• The Bad: Crabs (no crab claws on display, not too much meat in them - just shells), clams (big but not so fresh and are hard to chew)

Taho Section

The taho is served semi-warm and my sister LOVED this. Too bad I wasn't able to try it!

You'll see where I hanged out the most - the dessert section!

Crepe Section

You can watch as the chef prepares your crepe in front of you. Choose from blueberry, apple cinnamon, peaches, and cream as filling, and then top it off with rice crispies or dark chocolate chips.

Ice Cream Section

The ice cream section is conveniently located beside crepe section, so you can top your crepe with your choice of ice cram like vanilla, ube, cookies and cream, and chocolate!

Halo Halo Section

Lovers of this famous Filipino dessert with enjoy this. Top with your choice of fresh fruits (beside the Halo Halo section) for a fruity twist to the traditional dessert.

Desserts Section

Check out their gorgeous display of mini cake slices. Everything looks so tempting! They have red velvet, custard, chocolate, mousse cakes, etc!

Panna Cotta & Leche Flan

They also had panna cotta (which got me all excited), but don't be fooled by the cute color and appearance. They're just all creamy and gooey, unlike the more solid, jelly-like panna cotta we're used to.

Chocolate Fountain

Get either chocolate balls/truffles or fresh fruits and dip it into this flowing chocolate fountain (that my niece loved!)

Unlike past buffets I've been to, I didn't fill my plate to the brim in one go this time. I wanted to try a little bit of everything, so I just had these. For me, what's more important is that I enjoy the dining experience and savor the flavors, and not just stuff myself up for the sake of getting my money's worth.

Now, I'll show you my plates!

Plate #1

Bread, cheeses, salad, and fruits

Plate #2

Salad, sushi, pork liempo, and fish fillet

Plate #3

Rice, sushi, mini siopao, tempura, beef steak, grilled chicken, pork liempo, and fish fillet

I can't get enough of the salad and fish fillet. The meats I mentioned (in Plate #3) are all flavorful and tender.

Plate #4

Peaches and cream crepe with vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle

Plate #5

Ube and strawberry panna cotta, strawberry creme brulee, chocolate truffle, mango mousse, and mocha cake

I love their cake slices, but I wasn't able to finish the panna cotta. The strawberry creme brulee tasted like strawberry leche flan and I liked it.

Plate #6

Complimentary chocolate cake

This cake was actually a surprise from HEAT! My sister told the staff that I was celebrating my birthday (together with my niece, hence the 2 candles), so they sang us a birthday song and gave us this! Since I was already full, I brought this cake home instead.

My family and I enjoyed our dinner at HEAT. One noteworthy thing to mention is that the place is clean, and that the staff are all nice and courteous. And, they'll remove the plates you've finished as soon as you're done with the food. I'm so looking forward to my next visit. I bet they'd have a bigger and better spread of food had there been no promo, so that's also a must try! If you want to dine at HEAT, their "The HEAT is on!" promo is ongoing until the end of August 2013. Better call them up first to book your slots.

HEAT by Edsa Shangri-La, Manila

Telephone no.: (02)633-8888

Love,

Helen