Centro Hotel - Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Weekend getaways are like anti-depressant that need to take a dose every now and then to keep us going.

For our overnight stay in Abu Dhabi, we have booked Centro Hotel by Rotana - It is a 4-star  modern, stylish and affordable lifestyle business hotel.

Centro Yas Island is conveniently located on the spectacular and breathtaking destination that will take you beyond your wildest dreams. A few minutes away from the F1 Racetrack, Yas Links Golf Club, Yas Southern Marina, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld and Yas Beach.

Check in is by 3:00 pm but we just took our chance probably we can have early check in and guess what??!! we had our check in as early as 11:00 am. Super love!!

Lovely lobby with earth color motif and like most hotel with high ceiling.

If you don't have your smartphones,ipad or laptop..who can tell that you can't update your facebook status here??!!

Internet Section

Grab a snack here!

Same as on the lobby the shades of our room is also in earth color of brown, white and gray.

enjoying the chair and the wifi..

selfie :)

The bathroom is quiet small but for asian like us the space is enough to move.

And the great view from our room.

What a lovely start for our day!!

Breakfast monster in me.

cereal and coffee station

serve your own coffee

salad and cold cuts station

hot meal and egg station

breakfast with this lovely couple

For a budget hotel food selection is good enough. By the way, the pool is just outside the restaurant so you can opt to have breakfast in pool side.

We checked out before 12pm since we still be going to Ferrari World but our friends  stayed till 3pm for their late check out.

Over all experience with Centro Hotel is thumbs up!! From the facilities to customer service.

A Roadtrip to Abu Dhabi for Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World

Abu dhabi is the capital and second most famous city in United Arab Emirates or simply UAE. It is also the largest among the seven emirates.

We have been to Abu Dhabi for a couple of times either with family members or friends. But this is the first time we will take "HARRY" for a long drive and Albert drove for almost two hours from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi.

almost ready to go..good luck Harry!!

The travel direction from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi is South West. And the travel time usually depends how traffic it is. But since it's Friday and no office work Emirates Road or Mohd. Bin Zayed Road is totally free!!!

We also to take this route so that no need for us to pay for the "SALIK" or toll fee hehehhe!! Anyway, we're not that in hurry at all :)

Exit to Abu Dhabi in Jebel Ali

ADNOC petrol station!! i could no longer see any ENOC or EPPCO station means we're already in Abu Dhabi. I have noticed all the petrol station  are huge and super spacious only shows how rich this city is.

Before heading straight to meet our friends we decided to take our breakfast first in Mcdonalds.

Oh how I wish road is free like this everyday for a stress free world.

Meeting friends in Centro Hotel by Rotana. Where the fun begins.

Chicken Orange

Last night dinner was Chicken Orange and chinese fried rice. And hubby was so impressed  that's why I decided to share with you the recipe I got thru Panlasang Pinoy. By the way, hubby and I used to check this site before anything else when we're looking for recipes.

CHICKEN ORANGE:

Ingredients:
• 2 lbs boneless chicken breast, cubed
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 raw egg,beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• cooking oil
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 4 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped

Cooking Procedure
1. In a container, put-in the flour, salt, and ground black pepper then mix well
2. Dip the chicken on the beaten egg mixture and place inside the container (where the flour, salt, and pepper are)
3. Close the container and shake until the chicken is evenly coated with the flour mixture
4. Deep fry the chicken for about 7 minutes or until the color turns golden brown. Set aside
5. In a pan, put-in the water, soy sauce, vinegar, and orange juice then bring to a boil
6. Add the garlic and simmer for 5 minutes
7. Add the sugar and and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes
8. Put-in the green onions and cornstarch (diluted in 2 tbsp of water) then mix well
9. Add the deep-fried chicken on pan and cook until sauce nearly evaporates
10. Serve hoT.

This is best pair with chinese fried rice.

Happy cooking!!

Healthy Lunch @ Black Canyon-Thai Cuisine

When we feel like eating healthy outside hubby and I always ended up in Black Canyon. Nothing beats a rice and viand for lunch :) . I love Thai cuisine coz they use a lot of spices and vegetables for their flavor and their taste and  aroma is acceptable to Filipino's preference. Patis/ fish sauce and vinegar  is one of many ingredients Philippines and Thailand have in common.

Iced tea for him and Green tea Frappe for me :)

Hubby is in love with soup. We shared with this bowl of Tom Yum. One of the  most popular soup in Thai cuisine.

Main course:

Garlic Fried Rice

Stir-fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is always on my list!!! I just asked them to add more beans sprout and nuts. I ordered for Sweet and Sour Chicken but it's not available by that time so we ended up in Stir-fried Chicken w/ Cashew nuts and guess what??!!it's a HIT!!! hubby and I instantly got in love with this dish. The chicken is so tender and flavorful. And the sauce compliment well with the flavor of the chicken.

Dining in Black Canyon is a guilt free indulgence with the fresh ingredients and mix of spring onions, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric and all. We truly had a balance meal.

Menu here:http://www.zomato.com/dubai/black-canyon-festival-city/menu

Breakfast date @ Butler's Chocolate Cafe

lovely entrance

When I first saw this lovely cafe - I have told to myself this is a must try!

After our errand that day and  our tummy is already calling for food. We decided to take a breakfast to this fancy cafe - have a mentioned I'm a breakfast eater??!! I can skip lunch but never my breakfast.

Complimentary chocolates when you order a coffee. what a sweet treat!

And as usual Cappuccino for me and Latte for him.

Here comes the breakfast:

The eggs were perfectly cooked and hashbrown is sooo good as well. But when I tried hubby's filled croissant it's "nakakaumay" with the butter croissant and the richness of the egg I don't think  it's a perfect match.

Cheese Omelette

Filled Croissant

Butlers Chocolate cafe is perfect for a coffee and a good chat with someone. They have a very limited menu and the service is very slow. We waited for like almost 15-20 mins. for a omelette and hashbrown to be fried and the bread to be toast.

I'm happy with the coffee and chocolate though :)

Total Bill: 86.00 Dhs.

Filled Croissant: 25 Dhs.
Cheese Omelette: 25 Dhs.
Cappuccino: 18 Dhs.
Latte: 18:00 Dhs.

Amazing Drug Store Cosmetic - NO7 Protect & Perfect Foundation & Lipstick

This is my first time to try drug store cosmetics which I got from Boots Pharmacy. And it took me almost 30 minutes looking and reading on the each labels- I’m sure the assistants were wondering if I will really buy :D

I was looking for a foundie which is not too heavy on my face and when I saw this anti-ageing foundie which promises light to medium coverage.

I got the shade of Cool Beige which is perfect for my skintone which I believe is best suits to Filipinas.

The consistency is a little bit watery which make it easier to spread on the face but difficult to hold on the finger. What I really love with this product is - it is lightweight and you can hardly tell you've got a foundation on plus it has SPF 15 to protect my skin from the sun.

I'm using this together with my concealer to cover the uneven color.

Me with the foundie for 5 hours with no retouch

I have no plan of purchasing a new lippy since I still have a bunch of stash in my drawer but when I tried this  one.Oh mg God I can't resist!!hahahaha

I love that this lipstick feels almost like a lip balm and doesn't dry my lips at all. The color is simply gorgeous.

Overall I'm so happy with my first drug store brought stash.