Tough on the Outside

(... soft on the inside.) One of the best style tricks is to dress up in contrasts-- and I don't just mean colors. For example, I mixed delicate and rough textures by wearing a black lace romper from NewDress, and a fatigue jacket over it.

New Dress romper* (get it here),

Marithé + François Girbaud sneakers,

Louis Vuitton Palermo tote bag, Tommy Hilfiger watch

To spare ourselves from the horrendous traffic situation during APEC week, we decided to stay at home-- for most of the days, that is. That Monday, we found ourselves in the Pasig-Mandaluyong area since we stayed away from the South, where most of the buildup was. Given that it was not-your-typical-weekend, I made sure that I got to shoot something for my blog!

I've been meaning to wear this lovely lace-trimmed romper from NewDress.com ever since I received the parcel while I was in the US. I was planning to wear it during our stay in Las Vegas, but human error led to accidentally forgetting to pack it up oops. Anyways, I'm so glad I got this because I have always wanted to own more rompers (currently, I only have three). Also, I absolutely adore the subtle lace detail at the bottom!! The item's simplicity makes it a perfect "canvas" for different looks: you can wear it on its own, or with different cover-ups.

For this look, I decided to pair it with my legit military jacket. I say "legit" because it was actually my own fatigue jacket when I was part of our school's ROTC (reserve officers' training corps) back in my freshman year. Contrary to hullabaloos, it was actually a fun, enriching experience! After "graduating" from the training, of course we had to retire our uniforms. If we were to use it again, we had to remove the patches first, an instruction which I obediently followed. It was handy for one play where I played General Tarkin (from Star Wars, yes!) -- but who knew that I could use it for an outfit? Cool, right? You might want to take a look at some of your old stuff too, and reuse them in a different way! You just have to be creative. By the way, I'm actually thinking of buying patches or studs to add to the jacket someday hehe.

To complete the outfit, I added a braided belt and wore my (dirty) white sneakers. I also used my mom's bag, which I'm more comfortable with borrowing now since she already has a new favorite. That new baby... it'll probably take a long time before I borrow it haha! It's not that my mom's selfish; she's totally fine with letting me borrow her bags. But personally, I want to "preserve the experience" for her (because that's how I am with my stuff hahaha!)

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What pushed us to go out that day was actually not my goal to shoot a new look, but to try out something new. I've been complaining about how most of the good food seems to be in QC or Pasig, where we barely go. Given that those areas were relatively "uncongested" compared to our frequent destinations, we decided to take our chance. And that's how we ended up in Locavore in Brixton.

Mac's Boneless Fried Chicken

Sizzling Sinigang (left)

Tortang Talaba

Sizzling Pandesal Pudding

We ordered three dishes: the Mac's Boneless Fried Chicken, Sizzling Sinigang, and Tortang Talaba. It took me a while to realize the pun behind the chicken dish's name, much to my own disappointment. Don't let the Pinoy name fool you though! It's kind of like Locavore's own take on the signature Korean double-fried chicken. Given the great taste, perfect crunchiness, and the serving size, it's well worth spending more than the Bon Chon and Kyo Chon you're used to. But my love for their sizzling sinigang beats my praise for Mac's chicken! A review elsewhere sums it up accurately: "like sizzling bulalo, but with the taste of sinigang". The beef is so tender, and every bite gives you a kick of the sour, tamarind flavor. Actually, I don't eat sitaw; but they were so crunchy I enjoyed them too! As for the oyster omelet, it didn't exactly catch my attention while I was browsing through the menu; but we got it because we've been on the hunt for the perfect oyster omelet that matches the authentic Singaporean specialty. It's a little different from what we're used too, but it tastes good! While it has togue which acts like "fillers" I guess, the ingredients have a perfect balance of fillers, egg, and oyster meat. For dessert, we decided to get the Sizzling Pandesal Pudding because my dad's a big bread pudding fan. Note: it has a non- a la mode version. It's a good thing we got the one with vanilla ice cream though, because the ice cream kind of was its "saving grace". The pudding was a bit dry, although the caramel syrup was good. But hey, I enjoyed the toasted part or the "crust" of the pudding! And scraping the burnt caramel off the skillet..

In summary, food in Locavore is kind of price-y, but I'd say it's worth it. To add to that, the ambience is pretty cool, as well as the presentation of every dish!! Would love to come back again if I could, and try other items on their menu.

We actually ate first before heading to Megamall, just to "maximize" our effort in going out (and also to take outfit photos haha!). I foresee another visit to Megamall soon because I won Nuffnang PH x SM Supermalls' #MerrySMChristmas2015 contest! Check out my winning entry here. Okay, I actually just placed 2nd, but it's a big deal for me! I'm having a hard time deciding on what items to spend the prize on; will share with you guys what happens!

x Erika Rosales

PS: I've been gradually making some changes on my blog layout to make it more streamlined-- please bear with the glitches, if any. Also would love to hear your thoughts on the new-ish look!