Review: Smaller and Smaller Circles

Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Borrowing from the vocabulary of the great Stephen King, unputdownable.

This book provides a more than your raw and gritty crime fiction. This provides a shrewd look into institutions--both in our criminal justice system and in the Roman Catholic Church. It is laced in politics and for the first time in a long while, I didn't mind. In hindsight, I realized that you really couldn't write about Manila without getting political. This book served like a slap in the face of our political system and even the piousness of the Church. It's a juicy and interesting take on Philippine politics set in a whodunit. It's layered and multi-faceted. It gives the readers a glimpse at the affluence of the rich marred with corruption, and a jarring picture of poverty deeply rooted in even more corruption and social diseases.

Wildflour Cafe + Bakery: Honest Good Food

The food scene in Makati is all things including both diverse and lavish. Of course, there still exists the crowd favorites when it comes to cheap grubs, but anyone who has been to this particular restaurant can honestly say that this restaurant appeals to a more...laid-back, but upscale crowd. I admit, visiting Wildflour was very intimidating. (For me, that feeling never wanes even after a second visit.) The facade gives you this relaxed vibe designed to make you stay longer than you usually do at restaurants and just enjoy a good chat with your friends. Due to Wildflour's popularity and distinctly authentic menu, it also attracts an affluent crowd--people in suits and black ties; foreigners with bulging bellies and genuine smiles; families with uniformed yayas and gadget-savvy kids; Makati girls with their corporate outfit and high heels and; the usual celebrities and well-established bloggers. Never mind the fine-dining scenes, apparently, well-heeled people still prefer a more mellow environment.

Wildflour Cafe + Bakery

On my first visit to Wildflour, I made the unfortunate mistake of dragging Borgy there during peak hours without a reservation. So we had to settle for a table outside the walls of the cafe. Even there, all tables are close to being booked. Nevertheless, the place's lighting and exposed milieu gave an edgier vibe to our otherwise fancy dinner.

Cookie-Craving Cuckoo at CookieBar Manila

My last post talked about RUB Kapitolyo and very fleetingly, a mention of a specific bakery. Now, allow me to finally rave about CookieBar, a home-based bakery by Ms. Ivorie Acosta! :) During my endless online scavenging for delicious food, I came across this Instagram account that has been attracting followers like bees drawn to flowers. The first thing that delighted my interest was this creative item from their menu: a cookie shot glass. Yes, you read that right. It's a cookie, but it's also a shot-glass. Naturally, I wanted to try it--to gauge the taste of something so ingeniously thought out.

CookieBar Manila

Favorite Date Spot: Elar's Lechon!

It is no surprise that my boyfriend and I love to eat and discover food--as evident by the exhaustive list of the restaurants, bistros, and cafe's we've eaten at (will post about that some other time). Although, quite a few restaurants on our list are special enough for us to frequent on. One of those few restaurants is my favorite lechon place in Manila: Elar's Lechon.

Elar's Lechon