Esquina Pasta Bar, Cebu

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Issa Please

Lately laundry days with my sister have been one of my favorite bi-monthly chores (we’re disgusting, I know!) because laundry days are the times we both get to walk around the Mabolo area and discover new restaurants in Cebu.

For those who are wondering, I do my laundry at Rapid Rinse in Mabolo and if you didn’t already know, Mabolo is a haven when in comes to hole in the wall restaurants and such.

This week, we stumbled into a PASTA BAR which first of all, I never even knew existed (!!!) and boy did we have a blast!

I first heard of Esquina Pasta Bar on Instagram and was instantly drawn to their bright & catchy marketing material and well, long story short, I had to go. So last Wednesday, on laundry day, we ventured out to Esquina Pasta Bar at 39 C Pres. Laurel St. Villa Aurora, Kasambagan, Cebu City

Getting to the place was a little bit difficult for us because 1, we walked to the location & 2, we have no sense of direction and cannot comprehend maps. It took us a good 15 minutes to finally figure out where Esquina was but once you walk by it, you can’t miss it! (I was suggested to follow Waze to get there)

The pasta bar is outdoors but well ventilated and shaded for those who are iffy about the heat & humidity. Plus, the pretty exteriors makes you forget you’re even outdoors so there’s really nothing to worry about!

I was really interested in their menu as they not only had a nice selection of regular & premium pastas but they also offered what they call the Collossal Chicken, which is closely resemblant to Taiwan’s popular Hot Star chicken.

We were only able to order two of the items on their menu which was ok because it only made us want to go back sooner even more!

We were definitely impressed by the serving size and flavors in each of the dishes that we tasted and I also really appreciated how they altered my linguine shrimp scampi and made it non- spicy, as per my request.

Country Fried Steak – P 180.00

Linguine Shrimp Scampi – Php 155

I am definitely going back to Esquina Pasta Bar in the near future and would suggest this pasta bar to my younger market who loves adventures and good food. I can’t wait til my next foodie adventure (hopefully laundry days can be a weekly thing) but until then, please do drop by Esquina Pasta Bar.

Esquina Pasta Bar is open every Tuesday – Sunday from 4:00 pm – 12 mn

SEE YOU THERE!

xx,
Issa Gandionco

Bridal Diaries: Our Cebu Wedding Details (Bridal, Entourage, Set up & Suppliers)

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Issa Please

Paolo & I wed last April 27, 2019, officially making me a Mrs. (lol. what? I still can’t believe it!) We were engaged for a year and 4 months which gave us more than enough time to explore all of our options, suppliers and ideas. While we didn’t initially have a theme, looking back at what had come into fruition, I would like to believe that it was somewhere between the lines of “Sprinkles & Sparkles” or you know, just fun colors.

I look back at our wedding with such joy and contentment knowing that was everything I had wanted it to be. It was more of a personal experience for me more than it was a visual because what we lack in decorations (flowers), we made up for with bright spirits and CRAZY stories to tell after.

But while those stories will just have to wait for their time to shine, I wanted to share other stories of the wonderful bodies that made this wedding come together and hopefully they can help any and every couple out there!

Bride

Bridal Robe: Bree Esplanada & Hoarder’s Closet
I’ll be doing a separate blog just for my dress alone. Sorry, I can’t help it! I just love it SO SO MUCH!

Customised Bedroom Slippers: Cheeky Chic
Fun fact: These were gifted to me by the owner of Cheeky Chic and I loved them so much, I brought them with me to the reception area and spent the entire night dancing in them!

HMUA: Shyra Qyumbi

Shoes: Maggie’s Box
These shoes were custom made for me for only P 1,500.00 (plus shipping)! I got to choose to add platforms, the color and the height of my heels. It was perfect because I have size 4 1/2- 5 feet. lol

Hair, Nails, Body & Face: Mira Beauty by Design

Flowers: Blush Flower Creations & Events

Groom

Suit: Infini (Ground floor of Gaisano Country Mall)
Fun fact: Paolo burnt his suit from deciding to iron it the night before. CANNOT. UNSEE!

Shoes: Mendrez| Socks: Zara

Grooming: TUF Barbershop

Rings: MyDiamond
Engagement ring: Royal Gem

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaid giveaways: tote bags, robe, pajama set – H&S Clothing

Bridesmaid dresses H&S Clothing

Groomsmen

Groomsmen boutonniere : Lazada (link)
I really think this is the best alternative if you’re trying to stay away from flowers!!

Groomsmen giveaways: Lazada
Their goody bags came with a wallet & a rubber belt. We opted to keep the belts though cuz they were… rubber.

Godparents

Tokens – Cheekychic
I super love the gifts we had custom made for our Godparents because we were able to customize them to our liking. Inside the side table notepad contains different sheets of paper that says thank you in different languages in printed paper that matched our theme! It was soo special!!

Flower girls

Dresses & Hair piece: H&S Clothing
I went back and forth with the possible alternatives for my flower ladies. I felt like head dresses were a bit too feminine and I couldn’t succumb to letting them carrying flowers so I really had to rack my brain for an alternative. Luckily, my friend Banisa gave me an idea after playing around with scarves that were given out during an event and thus, the floral wrap arounds!

Bearers

Geometric candle holders: Lazada (link)

Our Wedding Set Up

The Inspiration

Backdrop
I made the backdrop myself with the help of my staff and Alyssa! Unfortunately I wasn’t around during set up so I wasn’t able to even out the fringes so it’s a bit bulky on the top and thin in the middle. I was too meh to care anyways.

Center pieces

Host: Ryan Uybengkee
If you’re reading this, thank you so much for everything, bro! You really brought so much life to the wedding and your games were BOMB!! ALSO, THAT PLAYLIST! FTW!!!

Cake: D&M Cafe
My brother and sister in law are pastry chefs from the States and I am so happy that they decided to make our cake for us! My sister in law was soo adorable because she was literally stressing out because our actual cake didn’t quite come out the way we had initially planned it. I had first asked for a naked cake with the sprinkles showing and buttercream in the middle but things changed and they opted for a buttercream cake with cookie dough filling instead. In my most honest opinion, I think it turned out so much better (especially in photos) and it tasted even better than it looks! Seriously, I LOVED IT!

On the day coordinator/ Event Styling/ Flowers: Karen Go

Sounds & Lights: Matte Box Productions

Hope this helps!!

xx,
Issa G. (!)

(ALL PHOTOS BY JAMES JAYSON TY)

I Won Dimsum Break’s 1st Cebuano Flatlay Challenge!

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Issa Please

Amazing things happen when you least expect it, like being the first ever person to win The Great Cebuano Flatlay Challenge despite possibly being the worst person to take flatlay photos on the face of the earth.

It was a fun afternoon filled with food & creativity and I got to play with my food and win some prizes which was definitely the sweet and sour sauce on top of my spring rolls!

Here were my winning shots:

ROUND 1: Greens & spices

ROUND 2: Appetizers

ROUND 3: Main Course (I used my cover up for my background!)

ROUND 5: Dessert

Please do not ask my for flatlay tips because I won on sheer dumb luck!

I hope this post makes you as hungry as it made me,
Issa P.

Cebu Fashion Bloggers Colors of Marrakech Christmas Party x Thanksgiving Party

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Issa Please

Our CFB Christmas & Thanksgiving party was a little early this year as the December months can get quite hectic. We opted for the theme Colors of Marraekech which is a bold and bright display of colors significantly associated with Morocco with hues of deep purples, teal and camel.

Dressing up in this theme sparked the inner gypsy- hippie in me and I gladly took the opportunity to take out my multi-colored cover up that I got on one of my thrift store adventures.

I wanted to stick to theme with the little dressing options that I had as I didn’t want to have to go out and spend for a new outfit. I figured the embodiment of this theme was something free, flowy and definitely colored so I came up with this:

Cover up: Thrifted| Top: Cotton On| Culottes: Taipei Night Market Find| Sandals: SM Department Store

The “walang suklay” look was not intended but it added a nice touch. Throw in a nice chain head piece and it might’ve looked a little put together- unfortunately, I threw mine out. boo.

Here are the other looks from my fashion forward loves:

Hope this serves as inspiration for those who need it! <3

Stay fashionably forward,
Issa P.

Reviewing A Bin Of Make Up- 2018 Products (Review, Haul, First Impressions)

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Issa Please

Thanks for watching this video! I would tag everyone in the video but I cannot bear to rewatch it because it’s 30 minutes long and I don’t have that kind of time. So… e GMT (Google mo, tanga!)

Don’t forget to like, subscribe and follow me on my socials and especially on Youtube.

Appreciate it,
Issa P.

On Wednesday’s We Wear Pink (Mean Girls Tribute)

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Issa Please

On Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018, wasn’t a holiday but it might as well had been. Women and men all over the world paid homage to the movie Mean Girls, which is all know is a totally fetch movie.

Seriously, if you don’t know what I’m talking about you can’t sit with us.

All puns aside, I decided to play along to the tribute and deck myself out in a pink ensemble because we all know that “On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink.”

It was honestly quite fun to be able to dress up in theme and it was even more fun to see hundred and thousands of people on social media join in on the fun. While I doubt Regina George would have ever let me sit with them in this ensemble, I’m still glad I got to wear something that was pink yet was still a good reflection of who I am and my style.

Obviously I’m not a huge girly- girl but I like the think that I get to be more adventurous with my fashion options that way 😉

Til the next,
Issa P.

E BLOGGERS BALL FT. CEBUANO CONTENT CREATORS, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS & ETC.

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Issa Please

Thank you to Bree Esplanada for dressing me in his wonderful creation,
Careline & Ever Bilena for the wonderful spa experience,
Movenpick for hosting us,
E! for putting this awesome event together and Pixie Dust Creations for all the amazing work you’ve done!

The future is indeed bright for all of us and we are so thankful for you acknowledgement.

To more content in 2019,
Issa P.

Leyte Photo Diary & Blog

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Issa Please

Some months ago, Paolo tagged me along on a family trip to their province in Biasong, Leyte. I didn’t intend on blogging the trip as I wanted to take that time to bond with my new family to be but I’ve got a handful of photos that I wanted to share somewhere & today, that soPostmewhere is here.

The trip was definitely beautiful, insightful and our days were filled with adventures while the evenings were always full of food, drinking, talking and laughing. Naturally, I’ve been nervous about acquiring a new family & a new family acquiring me as I’ve never been exceptionally great with people but I’ve always felt welcomed by new soon to be family and it allowed me to see clearer why I love Paolo as much as I do. It takes a village to raise a child-> person and he was definitely raised by great ones.

While I don’t intend on blogging about what we did, where to go, where to eat (we mostly stayed in their ancestral house & binged on free range chickens which were awesome)- I do recommend that you make a visit to Lake Danao if you’re ever in the area. You can rent a floating hut and eat food & drinks you brought/ bought while enjoy the cold waters. I especially enjoyed the kayak and inner tube but I’ll let the photos do the talking!

At the end of the day, I am just extremely grateful that I can surround myself with genuinely good people. That means a lot.

xx,
Issa P.

[VLOG] AYE BILAT! Should Women Use Feminine Wash?

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Issa Please

If you are watching/ reading this entry and are asking yourself why I would ever make content like this and wondering who would consume this when it’s common knowledge, consider yourself extremely blessed.

Til The Next,
Issa P.

[VLOG] OPPO A83 User Review (After 1 Week Use) & All The Wonderful Hate That Came With It

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Issa Please

I had a very interesting time reviewing the Oppo A83 not just because I was given the opportunity to play with a new toy for an entire week but also because of the backlash that came with it. I’m not a stranger to mean comments and honestly, I could give a flying rats ass about it but you know, some of you guys are real winners.

I would elaborate on this but I’m too caught up watching To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before for the third time and to be honest, the mean things you say don’t even make sense but for comical purposes- here are my favorites: