THE CORNER MARKET FOOD HALL AT PODIUM: MEAT DEPOT

      The sparkling new renovation of Podium Mall opened up opportunities for more shops and restaurants to settle into the bustling Ortigas center. Recently, a sprawling Food Hall opened, named, "The Corner Market". Spanning roughly around 1,200 square meters, The Corner Market is set to house 17 food establishments in its massive halls.  

      Though not all 17 are operational yet, your friendly neighborhood Pickiest Eater made the ultimate sacrifice for his beloved readers, to try the food stalls that have opened their doors at the Corner Market.. Where good food is just around the corner!        

          As I entered The Corner Market, it was The Meat Depot that immediately caught my eye. The sizzle of the steaks could be heard from where I was standing, and the aroma of cooked meat was undeniable. 

DISCOVERY PRIMEA MAKATI: TAPANADE

     I've been meaning to visit the restaurants at Discovery Primea for quite some time now, but with my work and all, visiting Makati has become increasingly difficult. A lot of my food blogger friends have been raving about it, further amplifying my agony. Thankfully, I was able to spend the weekend at the Discovery Primea (more on that in my upcoming Vlog!), giving me the opportunity to try two of their restaurants, including the flagship cafe, Tapanade.

SAILING THE HIGH SEAS ON STAR CRUISES SUPERSTAR VIRGO

         I've always been fascinated with the thought of Cruises. I would always joke with Rina that the moment we win the lotto, we'd book a trip on a cruise ship to the Bahamas just so we could finally experience a luxury ship on the seas. 

       But you see, that's the popular misconception with Cruises. Not all Cruise lines cost an arm and a leg. Star Cruises in particular, offers a "High Seas" promotion that offers you the full Luxury cruise line experience, without having to break bank.  

        Fortunately for us, one weekend, some of my friends from The KTG and I joined other blogger friends on board Star Cruises Superstar Virgo to sail the high seas! 

BEHOLD: ZARKS NEW SIGNATURE BURGER STEAKS!

     Zark's Burgers is known for their absolutely insane burger creations that have taken the country by storm. From a humble 20 square meter space in a ratty old mall, Zark's is now looking to end 2018 with roughly around 50 branches.. All that in less than 10 years! 

     Now, they've undergone a rebranding, coming up with a sleeker, more modern design to their interiors and look, but their delicious food at affordable prices still remain the same. In fact, they recently expanded their menu to come up with new Signature Burger Steak Rice meals that will undoubtedly get the Pinoys appetite rumbling!

HOMEBASED DISCOVERIES: MILKBOXPH HOKKAIDO CAKES AND MORE!

      There are a whole bunch of local online purveyors that you can find on social media.. So this begs the question, how do you know which ones are good from the ones that are not. I plan to do a series of online vendors that I find on the net and give my two cents on whether they're worth it or not, and I thought it would be best to start with one such online business that totally blew me away with its delicious concoctions.. MilkboxPH.  

TRAVELING TO KOREA WITH KKDAY: NAMI ISLAND, GANGCHON RAIL CAR PARK & GARDEN OF THE MORNING CALM

            After reigniting her obsession with Korean Dramas, Rina had dreams of visiting Korea, especially in the winter. After 2018 rolled in, her dreams finally came true when I told we had tickets to Incheon via AirAsia with our names on it! 

      Rina had her own itinerary set, based on the locations of her favorite Korean Drama shows, however she asked me to take care of the more touristy spots in Seoul that I wanted to check out. I didn't hesitate to log on to www.kkday.com to gloss over the offers they had, before finally settling on a couple of tours that would make our vacation even more memorable. 

      Based on the advise of my friends that had visited Korea in the past, some of the MUST VISIT SPOTS are Nami Island and Garden of the Morning Calm. 

    Thankfully, there was a tour available that would take us to those gorgeous spots, with a short stop at another popular tourist attraction, the Gangchon Rail Car park.

THE PICKIEST FAMILY FLIES TO KOREA VIA AIRASIA PHILIPPINES !

          Whenever I fly with AirAsia, I feel like my vacation experience begins as soon as I sit down on my seat on the plane. Our trip to Korea via AirAsia once again made me feel right at home. From our hassle free check in via the AirAsia App, to our delicious in-flight meal, our flight help set the tone for what would be an epic family vacation to the land of the morning calm. 

I DID IT MAI WEI FANG

   I have professed my love for Chinese food on my blog time and time again, which is why I have so many Chinese restaurant entries. However, this was the very first time I would be visiting a Chinese bakery.. And I was incredibly excited! 

   I was ecstatic to find that the same care and precision used in meticulously creating Chinese savory dishes, is also used when baking the different types of breads.. Perhaps even more so with bread because being off by a few milligrams could lead to a baking disaster! 

   But Mai Wei Fang at Robinsons Place Ermita does a masterful job of bringing popular breads and other well loved snacks from China for us Filipinos to enjoy!

SPOILER FREE REVIEW: READY PLAYER ONE

I'll admit, I don't read very many books, but sometimes there will be one that catches my attention and gets me hooked. The moment I found out the premise of Ready Player One, I was instantly intrigued. An ode to 80's Pop Culture? Sign me up for that!

I was equally ecstatic when I found out that it was being made into a movie, directed by no less than Steven Spielberg.. Which was rather fitting considering how he played a vital role in the 80's pop culture, making him part of the book's lore.

So I made sure to read the book before the movie was released, just so that I could compare one with the other.

In case you're not aware, Ready Player One is a book by Ernest Cline, set in the future. The world has become quite a dreary place to live in, and a visionary game developer, James Halliday, created an entire virtual world called the "Oasis", where you can be anything. The Oasis evolves into more than just a game, and becomes a way of life.. And perhaps the most important commodity in the world.

Halliday had become such an icon (Think Steve Jobs x 100), that studying him and his pop culture favorites has become popular among the youth. When Halliday passes away, it is revealed that he has hidden three "keys" within the infinite worlds of the Oasis, which would lead to the coveted "Easter Egg". Whoever finds the egg wins Halliday's share of his company, essentially giving that person control of the Oasis. 

Roughly around five years passes, and despite the efforts of the huge corporation,"IOI", who employed an army of gamers with the goal of gaining control of The Oasis, and several "Clans" throughout the world filled with experienced Egg Hunters (aka "Gunters") who aim to win in order to keep the integrity of Halliday's vision intact.. The scoreboard remained empty, making some people believe that the  

Until one day.. A single name appears on the scoreboard.. "Parzival". 

A BIG YES TO NONO'S BY CLASSIC CONFECTIONS

    I was invited to Nono's by Classic Confections a few months back, when they opened their first branch at U.P. Town Center. Unfortunately, since I rarely frequent Quezon City, I as unable to visit them. Thankfully though, the opening of the newly renovated Podium Mall has helped create room for more restaurant establishments, paving the way for Nono's to find another home in Ortigas!