Lace and Denim (and Ramen and Ice Cream!)

Won't you look at that semi-rhyming title (denim and cream, y/n?)! This has been long quite due, actually. But anyway, here's how my family spent Independence Day around two weeks ago.

June 12, 2014 marked the Philippines' 116th Independence Day. As per usual, it was declared a national holiday. Every Filipino has a different way of celebrating the occasion (if ever they do in the first place). Some-- mostly the youth-- took to social media by tweeting about Philippine history in a different light under the #RP612fic tag. (I have to admit, I enjoyed the stuff there!) Most people, however, took the liberty to leave their homes and spend time in the malls, myself and my family included.

We usually refrain from going to the mall on a holiday, due to the throngs of people that fill them up. However, we have kind of missed going to Bonifacio Global City so we took the chance to go there. We're more of the Makati crowd which is actually not that far from BGC, but yeah. Of course, much to my delight, I drove our car! I think my driving skills are improving. (But if you ask my dad, he might have the opposite idea, oops.)

Our plan really was to go to SM Aura, since we haven't been there since they first opened. Back then, the a-already-operating stores were still so few. So we thought it would be nice to check it out again.

But of course, I couldn't pass up the chance of having a nice place to take outfit photos in, so we decided to stop over at High Street first to take some snaps. (The place reminds me so much of America, particularly the premium outlets haha!)

It felt like a warm summer day, so I snagged that as an opportunity to wear my denim shortalls. Crop-tops and dungarees go together like peanut butter and jelly (what kind of an analogy was that???), and if I were daring enough, I would have gone with that alone. However, I wasn't, so I wore a lace top over haha! The delicate feel of lace just contrasts perfectly with the toughness of denim, don't you think? :)

(Yes-- it's a GIF!)

(click photo to view on Instagram)

Lace top & shortalls: H&M || Crop top (worn underneath): Bershka

Sandals: Birkenstock || Bag: from Korea || Watch: Casio

Bracelet: Yabang Pinoy || Lipstick: Maybelline (Coral Crush shade)

Won't you look at that perfectly-messy bun!! I suddenly felt like doing something fun with my hair, so I decided to roll it into a donut bun. I did it with no sock or anything! Just pure pins and ponytails. *feeling smug*

If you guys noticed, 3 of the items I was wearing (shortalls, sandals, bag) were from my Seoul haul! Hihi. But in the spirit of the Philippine independence, I wore my Yabang Pinoy bracelet. It is made of braided abaca, a material that is abundant in the country, and is known for its resiliency. Honestly, I love how it means something yet looks beautiful at the same time.

Bonifacio High Street

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

These photos have been post-processed. But putting that aside, you can notice how the outfit shots looked sunny yet the landscape ones have turned gloomy. The weather decided to be moody on that day, apparently, so it began acting up a few minutes after I took these photos! The wind blew so hard and the rain poured with as much intensity. It's nice how the security of Boni High treated the Philippine flag with the respect it deserves by sheltering it from the rain.

And so we finally headed to SM Aura. As expected, there were lots of people milling around. Restaurants were full too! I was on a hunt for a potential 'best ramen in town' though, so we endured queuing for this one:

(click photo to view similar post on Instagram)

Universal Noodle Ramen Nagi

SM Aura Premier

The waiting time was around 45 minutes (may not be that much, but for hungry people, it just may be), so I thought, 'this better be worth it'. Indeed, it was! My parents already tried it (yeah, they ate here without me and it broke my heart loljk), and they had so much praise for it, but I had to try it for myself. After all, I'm doing micro-reviews on ramen joints (check out #RamenRavesByErika on Instagram!)

I got the Butao King, their bestseller. But that doesn't end there! You get to control how you want your ramen to be! Cool, right? You can choose the intensity of the flavor, the spice level, firmness of the noodles, the pork part that will go in it, and other stuff! I took a photo (see above) of my choices in case you haven't seen! Of course, the extra order of tamago ("egg" in Japanese) is a constant for me hehe.

Given that we can all come up with different combinations (or permutations? lol), I can't really give a detailed review aside from saying that Ramen Nagi is a MUST-TRY. I'd love to go back again and maybe try their Green King (pesto and cheese) or Red King (spicy) next time! (They say the Black King is really good, too, but I don't eat squid to that's out of the question haha.)

After a fulfilling lunch, it was then time for dessert! We made sure to leave some room in our stomachs because that was actually the main point of us going all the way to Aura. What am I talking about, you ask? Why, Magnum Café of course!

(click photo to view on Instagram)

Magnum Manila

SM Aura Premier

I've always been a fan of Magnum ever since it hit the country. So when I heard about the Magnum Cafe finally coming to the Philippines, I was so excited! I think the concept of getting to make your own ice cream is totally rad.

For P100, you get to choose the ice cream inside, the coating, the drizzle, and three (3) toppings! You can choose from usual toppings like almonds and marshmallows to the unconventional ones like quezo de bola and chili flakes. They also have suggestions for combinations, in case you're having a hard time choosing what you want. But for myself, I got chocolate ice cream coated in dark chocolate; topped with gold nuggets, freeze-dried strawberries, and honeycomb, and; drizzled with gold chocolate. My very-own Magnum came out to be colorful. It also tasted great! I love how the sourness of the strawberries clashed with the sweetness of the honeycomb (and also the light bitterness of the dark chocolate shell). I also enjoyed the crunchiness of the toppings.

Magnum Cafe also offers wonderful dessert creations, but we'll have to try that some other time. Some other cheat day, perhaps?

Wow, I never talk about just one thing on any of my posts, don't I? Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this post! I'd love to hear from you guys-- whether you've tried these places, want to try, or whatever. :) Also, kindly follow me on GFC, Instagram, and/or Bloglovin! And let me know so I can return the favor, (I'm also planning to make a Facebook page for my blog soon-- once I've reached a hundred followers here or 300 on Instagram, maybe?) Thanks! :)

x Erika Rosales