Breakfast at Apartment 1B

This morning we had a superb breakfast at Apartment 1B (Address: G/F, One Lafayette Square, LP Leviste corner Sedeño Sts, Salcedo Village, Makati; phone: +632 8434075). What we experienced lived up to the raves about this resto which is hidden among condo and office buildings in this side of Makati.

We got there about 7:30 a.m. and the place was quiet. The restaurant has a warm homey feel with an eclectic collection of chairs. Fresh orchids (phalaenopsis and dendrobiums) adorn each table. It also has a collection of glossy magazines and the day's newspaper.









I ordered pancakes (P235), a side order of sausage links (P100) and Vittoria Italian espresso (P75). My son had eggs-benedict with smoked salmon and spinach (P435) and a coke light(P75). Total bill, including service charge came up to P985 which was well worth it coz the servings were large. I got three large thick fluffy pancakes with a small bunch of grapes on the side. The sausage links tasted like Italian sausages, spicy and delicious. The espresso was a Vittoria blend which uses 100% Arabica beans, which, I gathered, are typically lower in caffeine and milder in taste. The eggs-benedict was marvelous - it was a layer of poached eggs blended with hollandaise sauce, spinach, and smoked salmon on wheat bread.

It was a memorable breakfast -- food was great, the place was quiet, and service was excellent. When it comes to food, product or service, my son insists that you get what you pay for. In the case of Apartment 1B, you get more than what you pay for. We shall return perhaps for dinner and try the other dishes in the menu. We wish it would be open on Sundays too so we can relish a late breakfast.

Conti's - Serendra Mall, Fort Bonifacio

Because we could not secure a dinner reservation at Apartment1B earlier tonight, we decided to try Conti's at Serendra (1G-17 Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, tel. 856-2352). When we got there, it was crowded and other customers occupied the tables outside the restaurant. We were prepared to wait but in a few minutes, a table for two was found inside.

With its contemporary interiors and Zen-like fountain, Conti's can easily draw customers. Its pastry shop has elicited raves from its loyal customers. It has branches in Greenhills and the original one is in Paranaque. Its menu lists a wide range of dishes from appetizers, salads, soups, pasta, vegetables, beef, pork, chicken, seafood and an array of desserts. The prices are extremely reasonable considering its location and ambiance. Consider these: chicken fingers - P80, salmon croquettes - P75, baked New Zealand mussels - P135, roast porkloin - P145, roast beef in mushroom sauce - P195, beef salpicao - P240, herb crusted fillet of fish - P195, tiramisu - P60, coffee kahlua cake - P65.

I ordered chicken barbecue (P140), pineapple macaroni salad (P85) and green mango shake (P60) while my son went for chicken fingers (P80), grilled pork chops (P185), and coke light (P45). The ambiance was cozy, the service was fast, and the waiters were courteous and efficient. The food was served on square large white plates and matching small rectangular pieces for rice and side dishes. It was quite stylish. The food arrived after a reasonable wait. In the menu, the pineapple macaroni salad was described as chunks of pineapple and chicken mixed with macaroni or words to that effect. I have always loved this sinful salad and I had visions of the pineapple macaroni salad I used to whip up in my kitchen. Conti's version, however, was rather unhealthy as the macaroni, pineapple and a few chicken tidbits were drowned in mayonnaise. Next came the grilled pork chops with risotto. What a disappointment. It was so different from the creamy and deeply flavored risotto in Circle's (Makati Shangrila). While I thought the risotto had a funny peculiar taste, my son remarked that it tasted like parrot fish. The chicken barbecue was smothered in some black barbecue sauce and terribly paled in comparison to Aristocrat's chicken barbecue with Java rice.

But tomorrow is Saturday and there's Salcedo market nearby. Tomorrow, I will buy from the French stall, La Cuisine Francaise, a thick slab of lamb moussaka and quiche and sip Japanese cherry tea at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf just across the road. In fact, this is what other Salcedo market customers do - bring their goodies over to this coffee shop and enjoy it over a cup of coffee or tea.

Frequent flyer award tickets

Despite the hype against frequent flyer programs, I have -- or my son has -- immensely benefited from them. On separate occasions, my son has taken holidays in Melbourne, Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, and next month, London. Using my mileage points, I have even given away a trip to Singapore and Bangkok to my son's architect-friend who designed and supervised his bathroom renovation without charge. Since he's a yuppie, free overseas trips with all the taxes and fees paid, was a tempting offer he could not refuse.

Miles or points can accumulate without notice and before you know it, you can claim a free roundtrip air ticket to somewhere. Yesterday, my son went to the Thai Airways ticket office in Makati and got his bookings arranged and the award tickets, armed with just a printout of my email to the Thai Airways and my Royal Orchid Plus card. For their trust and efficiency, the Thai Airways staff were amazing. Payment for taxes and fees and for purchase of top-up miles was done at one swipe of his credit card. There was no fuss at all on what or what not to charge.

I must say that the Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Miles is equally great when it comes to redeeming award tickets. On my son's travel to Melbourne last month, he had his return flights moved without any hassle nor rebooking fees charged. He just called up PAL reservations (63-2 855-8888) to inquire if he could move his Mel-Mnl flight since he was holding a non-revenue ticket. The call center agent quickly made the change and sent him his e-ticket by email. That act spared my son a trip to the PAL office on Legaspi St.

While mileage points can easily accumulate, keep in mind that these can also quickly dissipate with your points expiring at particular times. Weigh the cost-benefit of redeeming an air ticket or letting go of your hard-earned points. Or if you don't plan to use the expiring points, claim an award ticket for a friend who might need it more than you do. Alternatively, explore whether your favorite airline will extend their mileage expiration deadline, as in the case of Thai Airways last year.

Getting the lowest domestic air fares

With my frequent travel, I've been a sucker for the cheapest air ticket and hotel deals. In the past few years, I've been booking and buying my own air tickets online as it seemed cheaper than what the ticket offices sold. Just as I thought that buying tickets online was the cheapest way, I discovered a better way.

For domestic air tickets on Philippine Airlines or Cebu Pacific, check the ticket price online and later call the reservations office (for PAL, its 63-2 855-8888 and for Cebu Pacific, get the phone number of the local agent) and ask for the cheapest domestic air ticket price for your flight date and time. You can then compare which is cheaper.

I stumbled on this the other day when I was booking my Tacloban-Manila-Tacloban flights online. The cost was PHP6,425 (Cebu Pacific's air fare was PHP 3,506) but I was willing to pay for the higher fare because PAL's flight schedule was convenient. However, my online transaction didn't get through as there was server error after I submitted my credit card details. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I was forced to call PAL to check whatever happened to the online booking I had made. The call center agent said that my credit card was not billed as the transaction didn't get through. She offered to book my flights and asked if I wanted a promo fare. I replied that I wanted the cheapest fare. When she mentioned it was P3,978 (with Mabuhay Miles points earned and about P300 less without), I was pleasantly surprised to find the huge difference. The call center agent said that the P6,425 online fare was the price at my booking time but she confirmed that cheaper PAL domestic tickets can be obtained by phone. This rule does not apply to international airfares which are cheaper if obtained online.