Klean Kanteen Wide Insulated Bottle

I love my S'well bottles, don't get me wrong. But, one super early morning, while getting coffee at a Salcedo Village coffee shop, I heard one of the baristas wondering out loud how she was going to fit ice into my S'well. She wasn't able to, and my coffee that morning was just shaken in ice before it was transferred into my bottle.

This got me thinking on an alternative bottle for my coffee, and yes, milk tea needs. I may have curbed my consumption of plastic bottles from the beverages I often bought before, but coffee and milk tea come in plastic cups, and putting these in a non-insulated Starbucks tumbler wasn't really going to cut.

This is where I decided to buy a Klean Kanteen Wide Insulated Bottle. I was torn between getting the bottle in either Shale Black or Winter Plum, but since it was my first Klean Kanteen product, I eventually went with a neutral color.

I got the 20 oz. size, as a Venti coffee in Starbucks is roughly 20 oz, 24 oz with ice.

It has earned the investment I put in already, as I drink coffee at least thrice a day. My only issue is I might need a second bottle because I sometimes have a coffee drink, and milk tea simultaneously.

Looks like I will be getting a Winter Plum Klean Kanteen after all.

Aomori Cafe in Northeast Square, Greenhills

While waiting for the staff in Garden Barn to organise the Philips Umbra shades that we purchased, Mommy and I decided to have something light for lunch - just having survived my birthday buffet dinner the night prior.

We saw a coffee shop at the ground floor of Northeast Square that was selling fine-bone china tea pots and tea cups, and bric a brac from London. They had cute character tea pots that would add colour to any tea party. What really sealed the deal for my mother to stay were their plush velvet seats - she's such a fan of purple velvet. 

We ordered their Gratinated Smoked Fish Pate, Gruyere, and Toasted Breads, reasonably priced at PhP 118.00:

My mom ordered the Beauty Tea which was only PhP 108.00, and was served in this tea pot and cup set, which they also sold in the shelves lining the walls:

And I ordered the Iced Lychee Tea which was only PhP 98.00. It had sinkers also:

The coffee shop also had sundry items for sale, such as clocks from London, which were priced at around PhP 4,000.00 to PhP 5,000.00, as well as salad dressings from Thailand. When we were there last November 28, some of the dressing was on sale at 40% off. 

Do visit them if you plan on going to Garden Barn. There's ample basement parking space in Northeast Square, but if I were you, I'd really make a beeline for multiple establishments there already - like hit Power Mac for repairs, then go shopping for Umbra items or Brabantia bins in Garden Barn, then have your hair or nails done in the salons, before deciding to relax in the coffee shop. 

If you're interested in contacting Aomori, their details are below:

Aomori

LG, Northeast Square, Connecticut Street

Greenhills, San Juan

telephone number: 02.724.1952

After Greenhills, Mommy and I decided to fetch Daddy and drag him to the original Philippine Pottery Barn - DAPITAN!

Here's a shot of a stall that we visited in Dapitan:

There, we went loco and purchased a tall clear vase and Mason Jars with handles!

When Uan Met Sally

Yes, that's the name of the store/coffee shop that Derek and tried out last Saturday night. Sorry it took so long to upload the pictures and the experience, have been pretty busy. Had it not been for the typhoon and the holiday, I might have waited a few more days before I uploaded them.

Last Saturday, Derek and I met up to have dinner in Don Day in UP Village. The food was good, but the place was something else. It's a Korean restaurant where you can grill meat, and have a field day with the Kimchi and other Korean delicacy buffet in the restaurant. When we arrived, there were quite a lot of patrons, and the staff found it hard to keep out. We ended up eating on a table next to an area that had recently been vacated, and with piled used dishes.

Too bad, since I enjoyed the food in Don Day. After dinner, Derek and I drove around UP Village to look for a nice quaint coffee shop, and we chanced upon this store.

I was initially drawn to the colorful clothes on display in the store, and when we were inside, ended up discovering that they had food and coffee as well.

The clothes were quite unique, and the attendant informed us that the owner of the shop purchase the clothes from Bangkok.

I love the theme and the adherence of the store and coffee shop to it. It had a shabby chic vibe going about the store, and obviously, the owner seemed to love birds as a theme. Here's the detail on the wooden placemat used on the coffee tables.

The store's menu was placed on a blue-washed clipboard with a pretty bird medallion detail.

I ordered the Artisan's Coffee, which came with a free cookie. The cup was painted with a bird-detail, and even the cookie was not spared. 

I love the sugar that they used. I should have taken a video of how it melted when I put the lump in the brewed coffee. 

If ever you're in the area, visit the shop and have a lovely cup of coffee or two. I would love to just sit at the store's patio during a rainy day and enjoy their coffee. 

When Uan Met Sally

154-A Maginhawa Street, UP Village, Quezon City