Staycation at Oakwood Premier Hotel Manila in Ortigas [Part Two]

On the first part of my Staycation at Oakwood Premier Manila in Ortigas blog post series, I let you in on a little tour of the One-Bedroom Deluxe which I have stayed in. I apologize if it took me a while to post this second part because well, life outside the cyberspace skyrocketed from being downright chill to notoriously demanding. But I am done complaining. I stole some time to make way finishing the second installment of this mini blog series.

So, where was I? Yes, right. We're done with the tour. Now, on to the back story.

Morning of Saturday that I am scheduled to check in at Oakwood, I was at some photo shoot to finish the project I committed myself into. To say that I was exasperated even before the clock hits 12 would be an understatement. On my way to Oakwood, I grabbed a sandwich and commenced what was the first meal of my day while walking and running carrying one overnight bag and another one full of equipment. I met up with my mother so that they could drop me off at Oakwood.

Marco was one of the people manning the reception area. I told him about my scheduled accommodation. I wish I had the time to fix myself while at the car but continuous phone calls from clients never gave me the liberty to do just that.

In front of me was a very charismatic guy who looked like he took all the time in the world to make his self as presentable as possible for their beloved hotel guests. While I, looked like an inch away from retiring to a beat up bed, a glass of gin at one hand, and a half puffed ciggy on the other.

But still, Marco was very friendly and accommodating. So were the other attendants at the reception and pretty much everyone at the hotel lobby. I was given a room in no time.

(Take a tour of my hotel room at Oakwood here.)

After I'm done taking photos of my room, I immediately unpacked and built a little nest at the working station of the living room so that I could fire up some emails I needed to send that afternoon. The work in the morning was pretty chaotic that I appreciate the tranquility of the room that while working, I almost teared up.

The writing table I thought was awesome. One can pull up a small part of the back end where it hides the wires and cords needed for your gadgets including electrical and internet sockets. Everything is spic and span that even O.C. people can work in peace without feeling the need to scratch their brains out.

Minutes after attending to my scary adulthood responsibility (read: work) I figured I was doing my self a disservice if despite the sense of calmness inside my room, my thoughts would still run around the myriad of tasks I need to finish. So once again, I switched on the TV in the living room while ditching my sneakers in exchange of the comfortable slipper provided by Oakwood.

I was having one hell of a good time reveling at the parade of food plastered on the screen that was tuned in to my favorite food channel. I was enjoying a bottle of wine and chips stashed in my bag which one of my clients gave me that morning. Good thing that dining utensils including a set of wine glass were already sitting in the kitchen. More minutes into it and I decided to take the whiling away of time and the bottle of half finished wine to the tub. After all, there's TV inside the bathroom.

Oh, have you seen my friend The Pickiest Eater's blog post about their staycation at Oakwood? Have you seen his highly laughable concert in the shower captured by his wife, Rina?  Hilarious, that guy is! While it is a given fact of the Universe that only The Pickiest Eater could pull off such amazing stint and post it on the internet for the whole world to see, (Gutsy, eh? I'm a proud friend.) I could assure you that I have my own sweet time myself relaxing sans the belting out of Galileo figaro... Magnifico... oh, oh, oh, oh!

After a luxurious bubble bath which I never would have wanted to end if only my fingers didn't turned out wrinkly like that of a seven year old me at some beach up north, I declared a moment for nap time. With the window drapes hugging the dim stillness of my room, the bedside lampshade whispered that it is okay to read a chapter or two of Ayn Rand. And I did, until such time that I decided to switch on the TV instead of waiting for Atlas to shrugged.

I probably looked like a spilled mocha against the immaculate comforter of the bed, but it was too kind to me that its softness lulled me instantly into sleep after switching off the TV. Welcome to a deep slumber, Yedy.

Moments passed and my inner alarm clock said it was time to get up. I'll be having a friend over as my guest since we agreed to meet up that weekend to brainstorm about an impending project. I was glad that I was able to squeezed in the meet up during my staycation. Because by the rate I was going that time, I was already exuding the aura of a recently divorced woman that got nothing left to lose. I couldn't thank Oakwood enough for a relaxing weekend.

The living room in its golden hue suggested it was time for a golden hour when the short period of time that the sunrise meets the sunset was always breath taking. I looked out at the floor-to-ceiling glass window of my room but instead of magic, a view of a damp city greeted me. Devoid of the usual sighting of the proverbial golden moment most photographers love, the view was still beautiful. Nothing to fret about, no big deal. After all, I have the golden hour inside Oakwood's living room.

Big Bang Theory, one of the few TV series that I love to watch was on the TV. I made myself a cup of coffee I found in the kitchen courtesy of Oakwood. I was in the mood to polish some drafts on the blog so with the complimentary high speed internet access included in my accommodation, I spent some time cleaning the spider webs of my unpublished blog posts.

During the waves of hunger pangs started hitting me, I got a phone call from my mother checking out if I am okay.  I told her how the day transpired and that I was hungry. She told me that the little bag she handed me when they dropped me off at Oakwood was packed with things I can cook.

Apparently, my mother remembered the last time I had a staycation when I also used our hotel room's kitchen although I was completely devoid of other things (i.e. rice) that can go well with the Angus tapa I cooked. She told me that it would be nice If I could feature on my blog post my room's kitchen since judging from the text messages I sent her, I was really impressed by it.

She also told me that should I need something more, I could just run at the nearest supermarket since Oakwood Premier Manila is conveniently located near the biggest malls in Ortigas area.

It baffles me that I texted the phrase "Amazing kitchen, Ma!" when I was already inside my room, long before they left the vicinity of Ortigas. She packed my kitchen stash even before knowing that I'll have a kitchen in my room at Oakwood. How do parents do that? Foreseeing the future needs of their children? It's kinda amazing, really.

Okay, enough with the musings, let's go to the kitchen.

As mentioned in my previous post, the kitchen at Oakwood Premier Manila's One-Bedroom Deluxe is fully equipped with Microwave, Refrigerator, Washing Machine and Dryer, Convention Oven, Vitroceramic Cook Top, Electric Kettle, Coffee Maker, Dishwasher, Crockery and Cooking Utensils.

Complimentary coffee, tea, sugar, and creamer are also provided. For those who is not really a fan of instant coffee, there's also ground coffee provided which I believe can be had for a little charge. The dining ware are neatly tucked inside the cabinet on top of the stove.

Seeing the kitchen at a glance, one may think that although there are kitchen equipment around, it is devoid of some major things needed to put the appliances into good use. But behind the cabinet doors, these items are just waiting to be of service.

There are pots and pans, microwave-friendly food containers, and Pyrex. All of these are of different sizes perfect depending on the guests' needs. There's a pull out spice rack beside the oven where guests may place bottles and little containers of their condiments.

Also beside the oven is the four-layer cabinet that houses other utensils as shown on photos below. I was really impressed by the orderly manner in which these things are arranged. I am all for well kept and neatly arranged kitchen tools. I also appreciate that these babies smelled like they are maintained well, completely devoid of that distinct smell of a cabinet these things normally get in some household.

There is also a big chopping board which comes really handy when we cook our meal that day. Complete set of knives and other cooking utensils are also readily available located near the stove top. Everything is clean and arranged neatly as if it has never been used.

There is also a single drawer dishwasher which is perfect for those who hates washing the dishes manually, like me. I almost burst into an applause upon seeing the dishwasher because while I love to cook and to eat, I am not really fond of dealing with its aftermath. Beneath the dishwasher is another chest that houses additional stainless aluminum bowls which are perfect if the guests want to work on their baking skills.

Of course, should the guest need other kitchen tools that cannot be found on the kitchen, they can always kindly ask from their resident assistant. Guests should not be also intimidated in using the appliances because manuals are also readily available at the kitchen counter as a guide or reference. Resident assistance will also gladly assist the guests in operating the kitchen appliances if needed.

Going back to the little bag of food my mother secretly packed for me.

Inside the little bag were small tub of uncooked rice, a box of easy cook macaroni and cheese, a can of my favorite corned beef, Japanese mayo (which I love tossing in with sauteed corned beef, it's weird, I know.) and some herbs and spices. Mother told me that she played safe by packing some of my comfort food which are fairly easy to pack, cook, and has a long shelf life in the event that I decided to eat out instead.

Apparently, the theme of the night was easy to cook comfort food. A tad sinful since there's no fresh ingredients involving some veggies which mother would normally feed me. But it's not bad at all.I took the suggestion and gave the kitchen a test drive.

It was published in Oakwood website that rice cooker is included in the kitchen but I am guessing that since it was nowhere in sight, guests could just ask for it from their resident assistant. But I was trained to cook rice without that nifty gadget. As long as I got pot, water, and fire, I can pull a decent rice without bothering anyone, so that's what I did.

Strips of pandan leaves could have been a perfect accompaniment for that amazing smell, but what I pulled off was pretty decent. Immaculate, soft, and pluffy,the rice reminded me of the bed but I got some cooking to do.

After the rice, I decided on sauteed corned beef with Japanese mayo thrown in the mix for a good measure. I love that I never missed a scene of the series I was watching while chopping the garlic and onion because I still got a good view of the TV while working at the kitchen counter.

Dinnerware is provided in the kitchen but I decided to play on my usual one-bowl wonder since I was dealing with comfort food. No need for fancy table set up, I just crouched at the comfortable chair in the dining room and finished my bowl of rice, sauteed corned beef with bits of crushed potato chips on top ( my affinity for weird food combination showing here already, isn't it?) while watching episode of the Big Bang Theory.

Couple of hours after I finished my meal, my friend Glenn arrived.

Remember that guy behind the food blog The Strolling Spoon? The guy who I was with during my early days of blogging, restaurant hopping around the Metro Manila? Yes, he's that guy. He's on a blogging hiatus because the demand of his day job is just impossible to bend. He joined me that night because of some project we needed to talk about.

He too was impressed by how equipped the kitchen was. I told him about the test drive I did earlier so instead of dragging me to eat out he decided against it. Instead, we went to the nearest grocery store and buy his easy to cook comfort food - pork tocino. Yeah, the gourmet kitchen at Oakwood deserve more than that, but hey, comfort food at the comfort of our room doesn't sound so bad, right?

Also, I needed some butter, milk, and bacon for my macaroni and cheese so going to the supermarket was a good call.

Now, for Oakwood guests who does not have time to go to the grocery store but lacks some necessary things for their stay, they can always fill up the grocery form provided in their room. Kindly people at Oakwood will do the shopping for them and deliver it right at the comfort of the guests' room. There is a specific time for placing the order and delivery, so better check with your resident assistant for that.

After heading to the grocery store, we went straight back to Oakwood and started cooking. Glenn was kind enough to man the kitchen while I do all the talking and occasionally assisting him with the stint. It's been a while since we last spoke and we did a lot of catching up aside from discussing our project. Staycations like this are good not just for a relaxing bonding time with family, but it can be a really good means to connect and catch up with friends as well.

Photo above may show that we got a pretty different way of cooking mac n' cheese, using pan instead of the usual pot where everything is expected to be just thrown in and mix. But trust us on this, you don't want to leave bacon drippings when dealing with mac n' cheese. So, work that pan with bacon drippings and you can thank us later.

After the mac n' cheese topped with bacon bits, Glenn cooked buttered fried rice and his beloved comfort food, pork tocino. One of the many things that endears me to Glenn is the fact that we both love to cook although our blogs only shows our affinity for eating out and visiting restaurants. Maybe we can do something about that, I think.

For the dessert we had the Voila! Old Fashioned Jar Cake. I was introduced to this product during the Best Food Forward and love it ever since. We just popped it in the microwave for a minute and a half and voila, indeed! we got our cakes for dessert. Equally comforting!

After working on the kitchen, Glenn and I shared a simple yet comforting meal while catching up further. It was a great late dinner, all thanks to our kitchen because really, how many of us could actually prepare a decent enough meal we cooked our selves while on a staycation?

But then again, Oakwood wouldn't let their guests starve in the event that they do not have time to enjoy cooking like what we did. An extensive menu is also provided in the room just in case guests wants to have a room service. Oakroom Restaurant at the 6th floor of the hotel is also welcome to accept guests who wants to enjoy their themed buffets and/or ala carte dishes.

It was already midnight when we finished our meal and the catching up. We would have wanted to stay awake a little bit longer but there is a promise of a great breakfast buffet in the morning and a grand brunch with our foodie family before we check out the next day. 

We also planned to explore the amenities of Oakwood in the morning so, we decided that it was time to retreat and enjoy a good night sleep.

This blog post had gotten so long that I think it is best to reserve the breakfast buffet, brunch, and hotel amenities on the next blog post.

Meanwhile, there's a lot of promos and great deal packages available at Oakwood Premier Manila today and everything is posted on their Facebook page. So, if you want to experience a relaxing staycation with your family, friends, love ones etc. I suggest that you check their promos out. 

UPDATE!

Here's the complete Oakwood Premier Manila Staycation Blog Posts Series
 
Part 1 of Staycation at Oakwood Premier Manila
Part 2 of Staycation at Oakwood Premier Manila (Oh, That Kitchen!)
Part 3 of Staycation at Oakwood Premier Manila (Jazzy Sunday Brunch Buffet)  

Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila
17 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1600,
Philippines
Tel: (63-2) 637 7888 / (63-2) 910 8888
Fax: (63-2) 706 7777
Email: premiermanila@oakwoodasia.com
Website: www.oakwood.com
Facebook: /OakwoodManila