If there's one thing I love about Christmas- actually there isn't anything I don't love about the Holiday season (I even love the horrendous traffic that comes with it *shock horror*) it's being able to spend time with my family and my friends doing what we do best- EATING.

Yeahpppp. That's right. You heard me. Or should I say read me? I don't know, I'm still recovering from  massive food coma that has spanned what looks to be 2 weeks in the making. Anywayyy...

I thought I'd share with you all my food adventures with my two favorite women, my older sister Trina and my Mama Bear. :)

Christmas Eve Dinner


For Christmas Eve we decided to head on out to the Fort to have dinner at Caffe Puccini, a quaint Italian place in the Fort Strip. All I can say is- IT WAS AMAZING.

(Please excuse the less HD pictures, I'm still using my iPhone and because the restaurant used very dim lights, the pictures came out a bit grainy- but still look yummy! Hihi)



It isn't the cheapest of places, but I am a firm believer in not scrimping on the Holidays and on food in general. The quality of the food is more than worth the price you pay for it. I can guarantee you guys this. We had our own pasta each (oink) and shared in a pizza as well (oink oink!) and devoured about two basket of the complimentary bread (carbs party!).




These two pastas are what my Mom and I ordered- we actually got the same pasta, just different noodles. I went for the penne version as I love a good penne noodle. It was a black truffle pasta with prosciutto and mushrooms... Can we take a moment to let that all sink in? One moment? Got it? Good. It was HEAVENLY. I've never been so in love with a pasta dish in my life. I didn't want it to end.



This was Trina's order and something that wasn't on the menu. Yeah, I know, being the biggest foodie and Instagrammer of all things delicious, Trina knows how to order. This is their version of a Carbonara which as per Trina, was beyond good.




And who could forget the pizza? Ohhh this glorious wonder of bread, sauce and meats... My heart melts and mouth waters as I look back on these photos of pure Italian genius. We opted to get one pizza but with two flavors. I was very happy that Caffe Puccini offers this to their customers as I feel it is the best way to taste the "best sellers" of every establishment. We went for the four cheese and of course the Caffee Puccini pizza which had arugula and prosciutto on it. It was the perfect balance of flavors as the cheese was rich but minimal and the Puccini was flavorful but not overbearing.

Christmas Day


Because Trina had a flight for Australia on Christmas Day (which I had to rush drive her because her Uber driver got lost and wouldn't answer... more on that later) we got our overfed butts up from bed to go out to of course... eat again. We went back to BGC and ended up eating at a restaurant I had heard so much about but never actually tried... Crystal Jade Garden.

Being a lover of Chinese cuisine, I was very excited to spend Christmas lunch munching on my favorites- a good batch of fried rice (I'm not a rice over but there's just something about Chinese fried rice that gets me going *cough MSG cough*)


We started things off with a good ol' order of some hot and sour soup. Frankly for me, this soup is either hit or miss. It's either too sour that your face bunches up right down the middle or it's too spicy, causing you to go into fits of coughing and gulping down numerous glasses of water. This soup, however, did not disappoint. It was the perfect balance of spicy and sour, giving off the perfect little taste to get the appetite going.



And then came the pork buns. I have learned in my 24 years of existence, that one must never say no to whatever Trina suggests you try. These buns, oohhhh these buns... these buns give Beyonce a run for her money in the buns department (yah feel me? yah? no? that's okay). Glazed just a bit at the top, providing a little crunch, these sweet and savory babies are the perfect snack to munch on whilst waiting for the main dishes. Yes, we do not judge in this family. We support the snacks before actual meals HAHA oinkburpoink. Now that we've got these two "appetizers" out of the way, we move on to the main stars of our lunch...



Nothing like a simple but tasty dish to get the ball rolling. The white chicken of Crystal Jade was so good, Trina almost ate the whole dish on her own (HAHA sorry Trin). It wasn't as salty as most white chicken and even the white meat, which is the only meat I eat of chicken uyyy healthy was very moist and super packed with flavor.



Ahhh the sweet and sour pork. A classic in "Karla's List of Food that She Can Eat for the Rest of Her Life Happily" Ever since I was a kid, I always gravitated towards this particular dish. It was my grandfather's favorite, it's my Mom's favorite and it is mine. I love the mix of the spices, with the crunchy skin of the pork, the sweetness of the pineapples and peppers and the thick sauce... THE SAUCE!!!! I can forever eat this dish, as in, forever. No complaints. (although my heart and overall physical health might beg to differ)

And lastly, as mentioned earlier, the rice. Who could forget a good order of Chinese fried rice? Not us, apparently.


Check that bad boy out. Isn't he just gorgeous? Look at all those colors and textures... I've never been so in love with a rice before. Yummm.

So that's it for our Christmas themed meals. Are you guys still recovering from your Holiday bonanzas? I know I still am.