On my way to becoming stellar

Hong Kong

2011-05-15T06:38:00.002-07:00

Lately, I’ve been missing HK and so I felt that strong urge to reminisce about the city.

I love the vibe of HK. It seems to me a city that never sleeps and is always full of activity.

This was my second time at HK and we did less tourist-y things. This trip we spent more time walking around the streets and of course, shopping.

Tsim Tsa Tsui is an ideal place to look for a hotel and stay. It is near the metro and just the center of everything. Most of the restaurants at the area are still open if you are going to have really late dinner. There are shops everywhere for any last-minute shopping. And it just seems to be the center of most activities.

The first agenda was to satisfy our (by this time) really hungry stomachs. There are a variety of restaurants at TST. Mostly offer Chinese cuisine but I also saw some resto offering Thai and Vietnamese food. Restaurants there have menus outside which you can check. Some are in Chinese characters so you can just look at the picture and see if you like them or not. Most look scrumptious anyway.

Eee Lai Cha (or hot milk tea)

After stuffing ourselves, we just walked around the area. Then we chanced upon this store – where my friends probably spent at least 2 hours shopping.

After which, we went to The Peak, probably one of the highest peak in HK. The tram going the peak is an adventure itself especially for someone like me who is afraid of heights. The tram goes up at probably 45 degrees angle, now ain’t that scary? It was March when we visited and the weather was really cold. Here you can see me with my mittens on. Yes, the cold and the wind bring a deadly combination.

Our second day was spent at Macau but that deserve a whole different post.

On our third day, we went to the HK Flower festival. I knew that it’ll be huge but I didn’t imagine that it will be THAT huge. The event was held at Victoria Park. It was really a treat to the eyes to the see colorful and amazing flowers in bloom. There were various children who seem to be in art class and were painting and drawing the flowers.

One also can’t get near the flowers because photography enthusiasts are just all over the place. As I told my friend, if you can’t take pictures of the flowers, just take pictures of the photographers.

When my friend and I got tired of watching the flowers, we went round Central and then chanced upon Ikea.

Ikea is just heaven especially for someone like me who is planning to buy a house soon. The place is just full of things for the house that I want to bring home (well, of course, I cannot do that with the luggage limit). I managed to buy a few bed linens though.

The rest of the afternoon was spent around Central, Wan Chai and back to TST.

The fourth day was spent to one of the farthest station in the MTR, Tung Chung. This is the point that leads to Ngong Ping where the Big Buddha is seated. As we are scaredy-cats, we initially planned to do this but backed down on the last minute. We then spent the day shopping (again) at the Tung Chung mall where most stores are on sale (Adidas, Puma, Nike, Bossini, Giordano, ettc.) and branded stores like Coach, Kate Spade etc.

But beyond shopping, I really enjoy the train ride from Tung Chung back to Central where we pass by the ocean and the fishing villages. I feel serene just looking at the view from the train.

On our last night, we ate and shared comfort food at restaurant with a very unique concept – The Charlie Brown café – where as the name puts it, everything is dedicated to the much loved character – Charlie Brown. There were images of Snoopy and his friends everywhere.

Sipping peppermint chocolate while talking to friends is just comforting.

I am missing the busy streets of HK, the food, the shopping and the adventures. I’m crossing my fingers that I get to visit next year. I will definitely muster up the courage to take that cable car rode at Ngong Ping.

I am also missing the tong lai cha (iced milk tea). :)

Banapple

2010-02-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

The Banapple branch at Katipunan, south bound, on any given day would always be full. Parking would be a difficult feat as there are only about 3 or 4 spaces available. E and I once ate there for a late dinner. The food was really good. But aside from the parking issue, the place was small and air conditioning could not keep up with the volume of people going in and out.

Recently, a new branch opened. Same venue, but just on the opposite road. This time, north bound, a bigger space, with a fresh look. Last Friday night, I was craving for the chicken roulade at Conti's. But eating dinner at Serendra meant we have to brave the C5 traffic afterwards and so we decided to just skip the Serendra dinner and look for a place much closer to home. Thus, we found ourselves at the new Banapple branch. Parking was still hard but they have already hired guards who would assist you with parking.

The menu includes dishes served with rice where prices are fairly reasonable (ranging from P165 to P180). I ordered a chicken dish served with creamy sauce while E ordered porkloin with gravy and mushroom.

E and I both loved what we ordered that we finished our entire plate. The dishes were very much worth the price. I was observing the people around me and noticed that a lot were ordering the sparerib dish and baked creamy penne pasta. I'm going to try those next on our next visit. We were seated just in front of the counter where the food was being served and I actually had a good time looking at the variety of food. They all looked scrumptious.

For dessert, we had the Santa's Chocolate Chipper Cookie Cheesecake. It was good but we wish it had more of the cheesecake part and less of the top.

Overall verdict, we loved our Banapple experience and we are definitely coming back to try more dished from the menu.

I had the banapple bread loaf for take-out! :)

Ted's La Paz Batchoy

2009-09-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

It has been raining lately and the weather is cold. This is the best to enjoy a bowl of warm soup. I remember reading an article about the anatomy of a good soup. Probably due to the Chinese influence, Filipinos also enjoy a bowl of noodle soup. Over the weekend, I chanced upon a branch of Ted's La Paz Batchoy where I had one of the tastiest noodle soup. La Paz batchoy originated from the province of Iloilo. E told me that the dish itself was an accident. It was created from making use of leftover meat. I am not exactly sure if that is true but yes, the dish has meat on it. The famous Ted's Old Timer La Paz Batchoy was created by Ted Lapura in the 1930's when he was a teenager. It started as a small stall in the province of La Paz, Iloilo. During that time, they only served the "original" version of La Paz batchoy. Now, it has evolved to dishes like miswa batchoy, bihon batchoy and sotanghon batchoy. As well, they have expanded and has now several branches. At least to me, the most accesible branch whereI can satisfy my batchoy craving is at SM Mall of Asia.

The batchoy has three varieties: special, super special and extra super. The extra super comes with pork meat, isaw (pork's large intestine) and atay (pork liver). One serving costs P80.00. Side dishes include rice, pandesal and puto. I had mine with rice.

Extra Super La Paz Batchoy

It was really tasty and filling. I added a dash of pepper on my serving because I wanted it extra hot. An extra bowl of soup can also be asked, free of charge. I was so satisfied, I came back the next day and had another one.

Ted's also offers namit meals. This meal with sisig, rice a small bowl of La paz batchoy and a glass of softdrinks is very filling at a cheap price of P120.

(Namit meal - sisig, rice, La Paz batchoy)

Batchoy maybe Chinese in influence but is very Filipino in culture. It is very simple yet very delicious.

Red Mango

2009-08-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

I was at SM Megamall earlier and after some time of not going there, I found myself discovering several new stores and restaurants there. There were several food stalls and restaurants waiting to be tried and I can't wait! Bread Talk has moved location and beside it is Red Mango. I knew there was a yogurt craze happening and so I didn't hesitate in jumping in to the wagon. I am not exactly a fan of eating yogurt but I am definitely a fan of trying something new.

Red Mango offers yogurt with the smallest size prized at P80. That size can easily fill a person's craving. Green tea yogurt is also being sold at P85 for the smallest size. Adding one topping costs an additional P20; while it costs additional P30 for 2 toppings and P40 for three toppings. Toppings range from nuts, varieties of cereal, cornflakes to various fruits like mango, kiwi, banana etc. I chose the Special K (Kellog's cornflakes) and mangoes.

The yogurt tasted really good. Of course, it was quite sour but the combination of cornflakes and mangoes was perfect. I'm clarifying though that my only experience with yogurt is that with Nestle. I've yet to try the other yogurt craze and by that time, let me be a better judge about this. But so far, I'd be willing to buy this again. Although it was quite pricey for P110. Does yogurt really cost that much?

Anyway, I am glad that I ate something healthy today and something new. Although, I may have to clarify the exact number of calories I had! Oh, and probably next time, I will also try the green tea flavored yogurt.

Red Mango also offers yogurt smoothies.

Kanin Club

2009-08-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, E and I braved the rain and headed to the far South. We have been reading good reviews about Kanin Club and not having done something exciting for the past weeks, we felt that was the perfect time to try a new place. We arrived at the Westgate area at around 5pm only to find out that the resto opens at 530 pm. We then decided to stroll and explore the ATC mall. It was also my first time at the mall - and well, maybe that deserves a different review.

There varities of rice in the menu - from the conventional brown rice, plain white rice and bagoong rice to the unique sinigang rice, aligue rice and daing rice. We've decided to sti k to the plai white rice and be non-adventurours about it because we were craving for yet another specialty of the house - crispy dinuguan.

Crispy diniguan, I assume, is made up lechon kawali fried until it reached a crunchy and crispy consistency. And then cooked in the usal diniguan stew. Oh, it was worth every penny. One should watch his cholesterol level though - bu this dish is worth taking once in a while.

Being a sinigang lover, I ordered sinigang na baka. The soup was so sour and I loved it! E was cringing everytime he sips the soup. The meat was also tender and the vegetables were cooked just right.

Both dishes were too much for us to finish. We had some taken home. Those two dishes plus 4 servings of rice were priced at around P700. It was reasonable for the food we ate. Although, Kanin Club has only branches - the one at Westgate, Alabang and the other at Paseo de Sta. Rosa. It was a afr drive for us though. If you are at the area, it is definitely worth the visit.

California Pizza Kitchen

2009-05-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night saw E and I having dinner at one of the pioneer shops at Glorietta, which is CPK. I've only eaten there once and I remember having tasted two fabulous salads there. I was with E and it was dinner time, so I knew that we won't be having salad at that visit. I also knew that CPK is in the same line with TGIF, Burgoo and National Sports Grill . . . pricey American food.

We stepped inside the restaurant and was greeted by very warm staff. Indeed, they were nice but I was really troubled by the smell the place was omitting. It was the smell of old, unclean cushion. I muttered several complaints about it under my breath. We were then ushered to our seast and were offered the menu. Again, the staff was attentive and courteaus. The menu included appetizers, salad, pasta and cocktail drinks. The menu did not include rice. Not surprising actually, but I secretly hoped they have rice dishes. I bordered on the safe side that night and ordered hawaiian pizza and spaghetti carbonara. Oh, plus strawberry lemonade. The lemonade tasted good even though it actually was just lemonade with strawberry flavoring.

Both the pasta and pizza tasted good me for me. But really, I could get the same taste in a much affordable price. It might take me a really long time to eat at CPK again. Only perhaps, if someone would treat me. :)

Spaghetti Carbonara

Hawaiian Pizza

Hearts Day

2009-02-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

To the one who holds my heart . . .

I love you sweetie!

For this year's Valentine celebration, E surprised me with several things. Last Friday night, we had a simple dinner at Conti's Serendra. The first choice was actually Kanin Club at Westgate, Alabang. But given that it was a Friday and we did not want to get stuck at traffic, we opted to just have dinner at Serendra. On that day, we also discovered that Abe is still closed at around almost 6pm. Next choice was the reliable, Conti's.

I had the American grilled ribs. The meat was soft and tasted more on the sweet side.

E ordered a chicken dish. It was yummy but the taste resembled Chicken Relleno so much.

We also shared a serving of Italian-style pasta which was really good. I enjoyed the sweetness of the bell peppers.

We were too full that we passed on the desserts.

On February 15, the surprises still did not cease. E went to our house and was carrying a huge gift!

Aren't they beautiful?

UP Diliman food trip

2008-11-29T07:02:00.000-08:00

When I'm at UP, I try as much as possible to eat at Rodic's tapa. There is no other place where you can have tapa cooked this way. One night, E fetched me from Makati and drove all the way to Diliman, just so we can have this for dinner. It was worth braving the traffic. I would usually request for my egg to be cooked sunny-side up.

The next day I was back again at UP Diliman and had lunch with my favorite girl friends, Joanne and Zarah. Back when we were in college, it was a tradition for us to eat at Chocolate Kiss during sem break. We would usually stay there for several hours, drinking our favorite iced tea and enjoying the food.

Taco salad. It was both crunchy and spicy.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto. This was really yummy.

and our all time favorite is the chicken fingers! The taste has not yet change. Extra sauce please!

What is your favorite Starbucks treat?

2008-11-29T06:36:00.000-08:00

Mine would be the cinnamon swirl! I especially love this when it has just been heated. The cream just melts on my mouth. This season, I would usually pair it with the dark cherry mocha. I miss the peppermint mocha frappucino but the dark cherry mocha is a sweet alternative.

What is your favorite Starbucks treat?

Updates!

2008-11-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

I haven’t blogged in a really long while because A LOT has happened. A LOT seems so vague now. In a gist, I went to the United States, celebrated my birthday there, had management training, shopped, saw the White House and got hospitalized. Yes, the last statement was true. Of all the fortunate things that can happen to me and of all the places – it happened in the US. I was confined for one-and-a-half day at the hospital. It was really quite a short time but the incident left me feeling weak for about a week. The big deal really is not being hospitalized; I believe it has triggered in me a complicated set of emotions which is best summed up in one concept: quarter life crisis. Yes, I am still suffering from that. Still being the operative and important word. I hope it’s enough of an excuse for being so lazy to blog. I still have several things to write about: escapades; life realizations, future plans, pending Christmas season, wish list and of course my food mishaps and adventures.

(From L-R; T-B)

1st row: Barnes & Noble - heaven for a book lover like me; me at Nordstrom (a local mall); autumn

2nd row: Washington Monument; me riding the Metro; the White House

3rd row: Residence Inn by Marriott (where I stayed); Tara Thai - my fave resto there!; dinner at The Macaroni Grill with colleagues

Back home, the Christmas promo of Starbucks has started already. I've started already although I am not really that keen in spending more than P2K for a planner. But being the planner-obsessed person that I am - let's see if I can complete the collection of stickers.

Litratong Pinoy: Puti at Itim

2008-09-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

Kung sawa ka na sa cake o cupcake bilang regalo sa isang okasyon, nasubukan mo na ba ang donuts na hugis paletra? Isang kakaiba at masarap na pahiwatig ng kahit anong mensahe.

Ito ay pinagawa ko sa Cello's Doughnuts and Dips sa may Taft Avenue (katapat ng La Salle). Lasang tinapay ang doughnuts nila, subalit matamis ang mga flavor sa ibabaw.

Luggage Dilemma

2008-09-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

This somehow resembles what I bought.
Photo credit: erinweed.blogspot.com

I bought the pieces of luggage that I would be bringing on my trip to the US and Canada. I bought two pieces of luggage at a really cheap price (about P2200 – yup it was that cheap). The luggages weigh 50 and 30 lbs. I was really supposed to buy just a 50lbs luggage from Voyager which costs about P2100 but they no longer offer free duffel bags. It was something I am after. I gave in to the sales talk of buying those cheap luggages. I inspected those luggages very well and I knew that of course, it wasn’t as good as that of Voyager. However, I thought they were okay and since they were cheaper, I opted to buying them. I am really crossing my fingers that they would last my trip and I can still go back to the Philippines without having to buy new luggage.

Flickr Meme

2008-09-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

I got this from Toni. Something to perk up my gloomy day - and it worked!

The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste the html into your blog or Flickr stream. Or use the Mosaic Maker at fd’s Flickr Toys.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Looked up your flickr name and see what pops up.

Enjoy!!! and share with me yours. I would love to see them. :)

Litratong Pinoy: Tanso

2008-09-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Mahiwagang Lampara?

Sana nga ang mga ito ay mahiwagang lampara, subalit hindi yata.
Ang mga ito ay nakita ko sa pagkain ko sa Taj sa may Tagaytay.
Ang sarap ng pagkaing Indian, maanghang at malinamnam. Lubos na umaapaw sa ibat-ibang lasa.

Maganda ang dekorayson ng lugar. Kakaiba at kaaya-aya sa paningin. Sa isang taong malawak ang imahinasyon, mararamdamang mong ikaw ay nasa ibang lugar. Ang sarap kumain habang ang mata ay nabubusog sa magagandang paligid.

Litratong Pinoy: Mithi (Wish)

2008-08-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

. . . gusto kong maglaan ng isang buong araw sa Tagaytay.

. . . gusto kong matapos na ang kasalukuyang semester at makapagpahinga mula sa mga takdang-aralin.

. . . gusto kong maglaan ng isang buong araw na nagbabasa ng mga kakabili ko lang na libro.

. . . gusto kong bumlaik sa Ilocos.

. . . gusto kong makita ang autumn (taglagas) sa pagpunta ko sa ibnag bansa ngayong Oktubre.

. . . gusto ko ng Sony Pink Vaio.

Marami pala akong gusto! hahaha! :)

Books - any suggestions?

2008-08-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

I bought two books earlier at the Powerbooks sale. I decided to take advantage of the sale as it'll only last until end of August. I wanted to buy two books - one with a serious theme that shall keep me thinking and the other - lightly themed.

My hands caught the book of Anne Enright.

As described at wikipedia:

The novel traces the narrator's inner journey, setting out to derive meaning from past and present events, and takes place in Ireland and England. Its title refers to the funeral of Liam Hegarty, an alcoholic who committed suicide in the sea at Brighton. His mother and eight of the nine surviving Hegarty children gather in Dublin for his wake. The novel's narrator is 39-year-old Veronica, the sibling who was closest to Liam. She looks through her family's troubled history to try to make sense of his death.

The other book is the second installment of the famous twilight series. Unfortunately, the first book has already been sold-out so I was only able to get a copy of the seocnd book.

The thing is - I am not yet planning to start on reading any of these books. I am saving them for a long overseas trip which I will be having on October. I'll be having three long flights so I need to be busy doing something.

Do you have any other suggestion for a book that I can read on the plane?

I am trying to stay away from books by Paulo Coelho, Nicholas Sparks, E. Segal, S. Sheldon and J. Archer as I've already read quite a lot from these authors.

A Very Special Love

2008-08-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this film?

I've caught this movie twice already (first with my brother and friend; second: just earlier with E). E liked it so much (either he sincerely liked it or just being sarcastic) and said he wanted a part 2 (ano daw?!). I sincerely liked it. Yes, it has all the elements of a typical and predictable Filipino love story - but I still found it amusing and funny. Save of course for some cheesy moments in the film which I couldn't stand, I had to cover my eyes and ears. I like Sarah on this film and John Lloyd was just soooooo cute.

One fanatic movie-goer described the movie (as shown in the commercial plugs) as: "Soooooobrang ganda." She shrieked.

To comment: "Ganda lang."

Have you seen this film?

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

2008-08-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

The last stop of our northern exposure was the rustic town of Vigan. It was quite different from what I expected. The town of Vigan is now modern with several establishments from food chains, banks, restaurants and souvenir stores. The only reminder of the Spanish ear is the famed Calle Crisologo and some museums.

The Crisologo museum ignited an interest among me and my friends to research on the intriguing and colorful history of politics in Ilocos. We started with how the late Congressman Floro Crisologo was murdered during a mass in the Vigan Cathedral and his son, Bingbong, was accused of arson. A few days ago, I was reading on the history of martial law in our country. Who do you think has the biggest to gain with the murder of Congressman Floro Crisologo?

Sadly, due to time-constraint, we were only able to visit Calle Crisologo and the Crisologo museum. We weren’t able to see the rest of the museums like those by the Quirino family and the Ayala museum.

Calle Crisologo is a road with a long stretch of houses dating back from the Spanish era. The streets are made of cobbled stones. The houses have been converted to souvenir stores.

(a shot of me at Calle Crisologo, Vigan)

Earlier that day, we visited Baluarte of Chavit Singson. Baluarte showcases the collection of animals by the former governor of Ilocos Sur. Singson’ property is enormous – the same goes with his collection of animals. There is no entrance fee. I’m wondering where he gets the funds to maintain the place.

Pagudpud

2008-08-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

Pagudpud. Somewhere North. Far. Tip of Luzon. Breath-taking. Bluish-green water. Tide. Surfing.

The storm somehow has calmed. With a few drizzle of rain, Pagudpud remains peaceful. With only a few resorts in the area, the place seems untouched. This is a perfect place to relax.

We stayed at Kapuluan Vista Resort. The resort combines both modern and nature. The beds are of simple white. The couple who owns the place as well as their staff were warm. We were warmly accommodated.

The food was especially tasty and really good. It appears to have been prepared with a lot of love.

Some shots of the beach:

En route to Pagudpud

2008-08-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

We checked out of Fort Ilocandia on our second day and headed to Pagudpud. En route to Pagudpud we had two stops. First of which was the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse.

I initially thought that Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is no longer working and is purely for tourism purposes. The member of the coast guard stationed at the light house on that explained that it is still being used. We were at the light house when the storm struck us with heavy winds. We got stranded at the light house before we were able to go down. The view from Cape Bojeador is magnificent.

Quoting Mr. Howie Severino: The Cape Bojeador Lighthouse rises about 600 feet above this lonely, treacherous coast. According to the Coast Guard, there has been no known major ship accident here since the lighthouse was built in 1892.

Heading further north, we then stopped to see the famous Bangui windmills, which apparently provides electricity for some parts of Ilocos. Of all our destinations, I was really excited to see this the most. Sadly, this was where we got struck the most by storm Frank. I only managed to get a few decent shots of the windmills. I vow to go back there. I’m wondering – how many windmills do you think are there?

After about three hours of travel from Laoag and facing the raging storm, we finally reached Pagudpud. What greeted us was purely breath-taking – a display of bluish green water.

Ilocos Norte

2008-08-16T05:20:00.000-07:00

My fascination for old houses can be traced from college. It probably came to be because I was studying at Manila and was surrounded by a quaint, rustic community. A trip to Intramuros then made me tremendously happy. Fast forward to where I am now, the busy and fast-paced lifestyle at Makati makes me long for a place of tranquility. My daily digest of real-life architecture now involves rising buildings and fast food chains surrounding Paseo de Roxas and Ayala. Sigh. How I badly need a break.

My recent Ilocos trip did just that. To be honest, it wasn’t that recent. We went there on the last weekend of July, got caught in the storm and my busy sched at work got me to blog about it only now. I’m happy I can finally cross Ilocos on my my must-see-places list .But then again, I want to go back. I want to repeat my northern adventure!

I went there with my officemate friends and we traveled by land. We left Makati at 11:30 pm and I saw the Ilocos Sur welcome arch exactly six hours after. It was only then that I realized that Ilocos was a long stretch. After about another hour and 30 minutes, we passed the town of Vigan. We didn’t stop over there yet because our first itinerary was the city of Laoag. After traveling for about 8 hours, we finally reached the town of Laoag. Luck seemed to have played a trick on us as the weather was quite gloomy. The sun was not on sight yet it did not stop us from exploring the then overcast city.

We stayed at the famed Fort Ilocandia Resort – the only five-star hotel. It was a fine-looking hotel and the staff was very cordial. The hotel’s design was patterned from old architecture and somehow, the smell of the hallways reminded me of museums. We only stayed here for one night but we enjoyed it. Our package included a buffet breakfast which served really yummy food.

Day 1 Destinations

Malacanang Ti Amianan

(L: Fedinand's room, R: Imelda's bed)

This used to be the rest house of the Marcos family and now owned by the government. The care taker narrated to us some facts about the house. Fronting the house is the vast Paoay Lake where the late president used to play water sports. The Marcos family often had ballroom sessions in this house.

I noticed that Ferdinand Marcos had the bigger bed but Imelda had the bigger room and a spacious dressing area.

Paoay Church

This was exactly how I saw it at various images and postcard.

Marcos Mausoleum

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the area where the late president’s body rest. We were ushered to a dark room where the only light was surrounding the body of Ferdinand Marcos. The experience was kind of eerie as a peculiar music was playing in the background (like that of the Gregorian chant).

Luk Yuen Noodle House

2008-08-02T04:19:00.000-07:00

We ate at this Chinese restaurant at the SM Megamall branch to celebrate my college friend, Mic's birthday. I grew up going to SM Megamall for our shopping needs, as probably the case for every Pasiguenos. It is the nearest mall to our place with almost complete amenities. Being familiar with the mall, sometimes it is difficult to pick a place to eat at inside the mall. With SM Megamall undergoing renovation, it is even harder now to choose a place to eat at.

Luk Yuen Noodle House is one of those typical Chinese eateries. Service was good here. Our servers were polite and quick to attend to our needs.

Some of the food was ok but some fell below my expectations.

Noodles Cantonese style. I liked the taste of this but the serving was small.

Sliced Beef with Broccoli

Boneless Chicken in Lemon Sauce

Yang Chow fried rice. The waiter said that it was good for 2-3 persons but it really was a small serving. As well, it didn't have much ingredients (sahog).

To satisfy my Chinese carvings, I’d still go to North Park.

Litratong Pinoy: Dalampasigan

2008-07-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Kakagaling ko lang nang Pagudpud noong Lunes. Inabot kami ng bagyong Igme kaya maulan at malakas ang alon. Subali't sadyang ang ganda pa rin sa bayan na ito. Halos dulo na nga ng Luzon.

Ang aking maruming paa sa magandang dalampasigan ng Blue Lagoon, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. Suot ko ang aking Havaianas na munting nang tangayin ng agos.

Maraming mga bato at kabibe sa dalampasigan ng Blue Lagoon. Malinis at kulay asul at berde ang tubig nito.

Alex Lugawan

2008-07-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

If you grew up at downtown Pasig, then you are familiar with this known eatery. Located at San Nicholas, Pasig (I think), near the Immaculate Concepcion church, Alex Lugawan is a favorite among the Pasiguenos. From the name of the eatery, it is famous for its lugaw paired with tokwa’t baboy.

As I’ve learned, sisig is also one of their best-sellers. When E and I decided to eat there one night, I opted for my favorite tapsilog. E ordered lugaw (congee) and tokwa’t baboy (tofu and pig’s ears). At the facade, Alex Lugawan appears like a carinderia. Inside though, there are several tables and chairs where one can sit – ala canteen-style. The place actually occupies two floors and is open as early as 7am and until 1 in the early morning of the next day.

I found the tokwa't baboy sweet and yummy.
I did not like the taste of the lugaw (congee). It was kind of bland.

I ordered tapsilog. It was okay.

carinderia style

Hula-Hula @ Westgate

2008-07-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Several firsts for me. .

It was my first time to eat at a mall located in the South. I’m an East (Pasig) and North person and well, you can throw Makati there also but I seldom find myself in the South area. It was also my first time at Westgate and it seems to be our version of Eastwood. There were several restaurants and coffee shop in the area.

It was also my first time at a Hawaiian-themed restaurant. As well, a first time to try the luau fests.

Luau Fest: food served in banana leaves meant to be shared.

Boracay-themed luau fest

Our choice of theme for the luau fest was a hit. The bagoong rice was made of bagoong balayan (anchovy sauce) and not of bagoong alamang (shrimp paste). I never knew bagoong balayan tasted good with rice. Combined with grilled squid, chicken, liempo, eggplant and okra – it was a hearty Filipino dish. It felt like we were actually beside a beach and enjoying a grilled dinner.

The other group tried these:

Davao Gulf (mostly served with salsa;
came with mango salsa, pomelo salad, cucumber salad and kilawin;
with crab rice)

Japanese Hawaiian (with pineapple pork rice)

Hula Hula is a must try especially for the experience. I have yet to try their crabs and famous belly chops.

Located @:

Business Development-Commercial Centers, FAI Administration Bldg. Alabang-Zapote Road, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang
Muntinlupa City

Exotik

2008-07-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

It was already late in the afternoon and past our lunchtime when we finally left Pagsanjan. Starving, we were desperate for something to eat. But being in an adventurous mood, we didn’t want to opt for Jollibee or any other fastfood we could easily eat at at Manila. Besides, we were looking for a restaurant that shall serve Filipino food. After all, we were in the far South. I recommended a restaurant at the town of Bay but it was just far and opposite our direction. We then headed to another known eatery at the town of Kalayaan which was just a few kilometers of Pagsanjan.

We were determined to be daring so we decided on eating at Exotik. The name can’t be more original. LOL. And true to their name, they serve exotic food – those dishes that we do not normally eat.

The area that the restaurant occupies is quite vast. As we were waiting for our food, we explored the area a little bit. There was a small pool upstairs but I’m thinking it was just for design. There was also a store downstairs selling pasalubong. The real highlight of the resto was the creatures we discovered while exploring the place. There were huge snakes in cages. The caretaker of the resto said that these snakes were ‘harmless’ and friendly. Some of us were brave enough to prove that. I wasn’t.

(Some of my friends who were fearless enough to come near the huge snakes).

As for the food, we actually ordered only three exotic dishes. The rest were the normal, safe food.

(L-R, Top: Sinigang na Baboy and fried whole chicken
Bottom: pinakbet and chicken curry)
I can remember how the meat in the sinigang had more of fat instead of the meat.

I still prefer the food at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan sa Bay. Food there was full of flavor and tasted home-cooked. Food was just ok at Exotik but just for the experience of trying a unique resto – Exotik is worth eating at.

(T - B: fried palaka (frog), ginataang kuhol (snails cooked in coconut milk), sizzling baboy ramo (wild boar)

Litratong Pinoy: Luntian

2008-07-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

(Dapat sana kuha ng La Salle ang aking lahok sa linggong ito. Di nga lang ako nakapasok sa klase noong nakaraang Sabado kaya di ako nakakuha ng larawan. Sayang).

Ito na lang ang aking lahok. Isa ito sa mga paborito kong larawan. Kuha ito sa Calirana Resort kung saan kami namalagi ng ilang araw noong Mayo ng aking mga kaibigan. Ang bata sa larawan ay anak ng tagapag-alaga ng nasabing resort.

Noong nakaraang Sabado lang ay nasa Caliraya uli ako. Ang lawa ng Caliraya ay matatagpuan sa bayan ng Lumban sa Laguna. Ngayon naman ay sa Caliraya Recreation Center kami namalagi. Maganda ang lugar na iyon at maraming outdoor activities na pwedeng gawin. Ilalahad ko na lang sa mga susunod na araw. Ito naman ang mga kuha ko sa lugar na iyon.

so many things to do

2008-07-16T00:32:00.000-07:00

School-related
1. review for two midterm exams - one for tomorrow and the other on Saturday

Work-related
2. finish several pending CGQ for reviews
3. prepare for Level 3 training next week

Others:
- secure (again) a transfer credential from UP since La Salle somehow lost it during their transition from the Makati to the Taft campus
- a Jollibee party for kids from a day care center (this Friday)

Extra:
- dinner with college friends for Mic's birthday
- watch The Dark Knight
- watch A Very Special Love (kakakilig!)
- a trip somewhere North from the 27th to the 29th

August, what's in store for you?

:)

Shooting the Rapids @ Pagsanjan

2008-07-14T06:01:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, my officemates and I visited the famed Pagsanjan Falls at Caviniti, Laguna. How was the experience? It was exhilarating and a mixture of all sorts. At the beginning, it was really scary. Halfway though, the experience was just really fun.

Prior to going to Pagsanjan, we have already contacted a resort to facilitate us with the boat ride. As posted by Anton Diaz in his blog, there are several illegal flaggers who will try to convince you to get the boat ride from them. When we stopped to meet our contact, there were indeed several men who approached us and tried to convince us to get the boat ride from them. Our contact directed us to a house which had several rooms for staying there or just for changing clothes. We were not planning to stay overnight so we just used the resort to shower and change clothes.

We were a total of 15 people and so we rented five boats (three persons each). As soon as I sat at the boat, a wave of fear swept over me. I do not know how to swim. I do not trust the life vests which they provided us as those seemed to be just hand made and not of high quality. I was overly sensitive with the slightest movement or tilt of the boat. I was seated in the middle. If the person in front of me looks behind, the boat moves immediately and I was really frightened. I was feeling that way because I do not know how to swim. It actually takes time for one to get comfortable with the boat ride.

About 30 minutes of the ride, the boat was traveling through calm waters. The view of which were the various houses beside the lake. As we went deeper into the woods, we were greeted with various trees and rocks around us. It was a beautiful sight.

After the calm waters were the flowing rapids and huge rocks along the path. These were the parts where the boatmen had to carry the boat for us to pass through. Indeed, it was a difficult task. There were three of us in the boat; surely we were heavy to carry.

A few more meters ahead, there was a stop over for the boatmen. There was small store there selling refreshments to the tourists and the boat men. The food being sold was priced steeply (softdrinks in can for P50). We then proceeded with the boat ride, with the huge rocks becoming more frequent. After about an hour we finally reached the legendary falls.

Of course, we wouldn’t miss experiencing Pagsanjan Falls. For a fee of P90, we rode a bamboo raft which will pass through the falls. The ride promises a once-in-a-lifetime experience of massage under the falls. Tip: It’s best to seat at the left part of the raft. That is the section that will surely be hit by the falls and will guarantee that massage. The feel of the waterfall was so strong. The irony of which is it was also relaxing. The water was cold but felt pleasant to the skin. We stayed for a while inside the small opening behind the falls, feeling the splash of the falls on us.

We then went back and headed to our boats which will bring us to the resort. This time no longer was I nervous. I’ve already gotten use to the feeling of the boat and wasn’t scared anymore. This time also it was easier to navigate through the river as we weren’t against the currents. It was thrilling every time the boat falls down from a high level. The perfect ending: it was raining when we went back.

We gave the boatmen P200 each as tip. Some of the boatmen didn’t ask for a tip. Some dropped hints for a tip. There were signs posted in the bridge that tipping is illegal and must be reported to the Pagsanjan tourism office or to the mayor. Considering that it was a difficult job and they have to wait more than a week for another chance of a boat ride, the tip can be considered reasonable.

The towns of Pagsanjan and Caviniti in Laguna are just two hours away from Manila. Planning a trip there is really quite easy. And best of all, you can cross Pagsanjan Falls from your list of must see spots in the country. I already did.

Boat Ride: P660
Tip to boatmen: P200 each, 2 men in a boat
Raft ride: P90

Throwdown with Bobby Flay

2008-07-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

I am not a big fan of Bobby Flay. Well, actually not at all. He is my least favorite Iron Chef. I find him too arrogant. I do not really find his masterpieces that amazing. If you regularly watch Iron Chef America, you might have observed that he is fond of using green and red sauces, both of which were extracted from chili. Somehow that leads me to a very undue conclusion that he is not that creative. Yes, I may be that cruel.

When my Saturday afternoons are free as I go straight home from school, I usually enjoy the time relaxing – just lying in bed and browsing through different channels. Usually I would just be flipping between Lifestyle Network or the Asian Food Channel, with an occasional dose of HBO or Star Movies if there is a good picture showing. Once I came upon Bobby Flay challenging the very nice-looking Michelle Doll in the creation and design of a wedding cake. Doll is well-known for her cake designs and a regular for hip New Yorker brides. As I later realized the format of the show is like this: The crew would search for the best ‘food’ being sold – it may be cake, ice cream, bbq, pizza and many others. The creators of these best foods would then be asked to feature their talent and creation in a food show sponsored by the Lifestyle Network. What they do not know is halfway through the show – Bobby Flay barges in proposing a throw down. In this case, Flay challenges Doll that he can make the better tasting and looking cake. Of course, Flay does not come unprepared in every challenge. After all, he is aiming to win. Backed by a team of culinary experts, he practices and alters recipe good enough to face up to the connoisseur.

I have only seen four episodes – cake, doughnut, pizza and fried chicken – all of which Bobby Flay did not win the challenge (perhaps the reason why I like the show LOL). He came close though to winning the pizza and cake challenges.

I enjoy watching the show because it showcases food experts who sometimes are not at all chefs with formal training. They just happen to love food and had the passion to experiment and come up with the best tasting type of food that one can taste. The best doughnut maker worked in the basement of his home for five years perfecting the recipe of his now best-sellers doughnut. If only I live in the States, I’d want to try the restaurants and stores of these food enthusiasts. It makes me wonder who cooks the best Filipino food. Who bakes the tastiest chocolate cake in the Philippines? Who cooks the best sinigang? Where are the not so well-known restaurants whose food are home-cooked and simply the best? Hmm, sometimes I just have to go blog-hopping and perhaps I’d find the answer already. Perhaps it will be another throwdown, if I’m home this Saturday.

Here is the cake Michelle Doll created for the challenge.

Litratong Pinoy: Tatak Pinoy

2008-07-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Nakakaaliwalas uminom ng sariwang buko, lalo na ung manamis-namis.
Ang kare-kare ay masarap kainin kasabay ng ginisang bagoong.
Leche Flan, bilang panghimagas, gusto mo? Kapag ako ang kumakain ng leche flan, nilalagyan ko ng maraming arnibal.
Sa UP naman may sikat na isaw. Alam mo ba na sa Tagaytay - malalaki ang kanilang isaw at kulay pula dahil sa ketchup?
Sa Tagaytay, masarap ang mainit na sabaw ng bulalo. Kilala ang bayan ng Batangas sa putaheng ito.
Masarap akong magluto ng menudo. Gusto ko sa luto ko ay maraming atay.
Sa mga pulutan naman ay di mawawala ang sisig.
Kapag maulan, masarap ang mainit na sabaw. Lalong masarap kung ito ay maasim katulad ng sinigang na bangus sa miso.
Ang halo-halo ay sikat na panghimagas. Ito yata ang bersyon natin ng shaved ice. Paborito kong lahok ang saging at langka.
Sa pagluluto ng kaldereta, ang ginagamit ko ay atay ng manok. Gusto ko ang maanghang na kaldereta.
Sa may Laguna ko kinain ang sinigang na tuna belly sa larawan. Malinamnam!
Ang pinakapaborito kong almusal ay tapsilog. Gusto ko ang malasadong luto ng itlog. Sa Pancake House ko kinain ang tapsilog sa larawan.
Nilagang okra at bagoong isda- pinakasimpleng paraan ng pagluluto, pero sobrang sarap!
Banana que (matamis na saging na may asukal) - ito ay parte ng miryendang Pinoy!
At ang kahit anong prito ay pinapasarap ng sawsawan na toyo na mayroong asim ng kalamansi at anghang ng sili.

Pitumpung libo at isang-daa't pitong lasa at linamnam.

Tatak Pinoy!

Sweet Night @ Icebergs

2008-06-29T07:31:00.001-07:00

(From L - R: French Vanilla milk shake, strawberry milk shake,
super halo-halo, peaches and berries sundae and cappuccino sundae)
Prices start at P100.

My high school friends and I had these last Saturday night at Icebergs branch at Metrowalk.

Litratong Pinoy: Pag-aaral

2008-06-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Naalala ko na ito ang mga paborito kong gamiting pangmarka noong ako ay nasa kolehiyo pa.
Ano ang iyong paboritong kulay?

Ito naman ang paborito kong pansulat (hanggang ngayon).
Bensia kung ito ay tawagin. Sa tingin ko ay ito ang tatak ng lapis na ito.
Isa lang ang gusto kong kulay ng aking bensia - purple.

Kagabi ay nag-aaral ang aking kapatid. Ang linggo na ito ay linggo ng kanilang pagsusulit.
Sa Calculus siya pinakanahihirapan.
Saang subject kayo pinakanahirapan?

***

Mahirap rin pala mag-aral kasabay ng pagtratrabaho. Mahirap, subalit alam mo naman na para ito sa iyong personal na pagunlad.
Mapapadali kaya nito ang aking pag-aaral ngayon?

ang imahe ay mula sa pink--laptop.blogspot.com

Ito ang aking pinapangarap. Siguro sa buwan ng Setyembre na ko bibili. Tamang-tama sa subject ko na Statistics. Haaay, katakot!

Maligayang Huwebes!

Gloomy.

2008-06-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

Captured shot on my way to work. unedited.

TCBTL's Chocolate Fudge Cake

2008-06-21T05:01:00.000-07:00

It was rich and creamy and the best part of all . . .

It wasn't that sweet, di nakakaumay.
With a mocha ice blended drink, it was the perfect sweet ending to the night.

I had it last night at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf @ Fort Bonifacio.

of a random Friday afternoon

2008-06-20T01:36:00.000-07:00

Just some random things to write about (while listening to Love Soldier – the Maskman theme song as uploaded by Zarah in her multiply account). Sorry Zarah, I have to speed through the other songs, I cannot understand Japanese.

I’ve just finished writing a topic outline for my Business Communication class at graduate school. At the end of the term, we are required to deliver a 5-minute speech. With such a short time, a five-minute speech as expected cannot be anything serious or complicated. Five minutes is even a short time for some to build on the introduction. Goodbye to possible discussion on corporate governance – after all, that topic may be long and boring so perhaps it’s a good thing to stick to something light to talk about. I’ve decided to just write about blogging – something easy and close to my heart. The professor said that with our topic, we have to convince and make the entire audience interested. I stare at forlorn faces around me – those who seem bored – and some who seem so hard to please – yes, I can do this.

***

We were discussing quasi delict and diligence and other cases last night at Business Law. The sample case was a vehicular accident, where the plaintiff had her leg amputated. It was a topic that drew so much discussion from the class. Later that night, while waiting for E to get home, I was thinking of the Tagaytay trip we were planning to have next weekend. I was getting worried for the trip because E would be coming from work so that means no sleep for him for more than 24 hours. I then decided to check my phone and see where he is now. I got that text message from E saying he had an accident. Apparently, he hit a truck. Thank God, he is okay now.

***

A quote from J.K Rowling’s speech during the graduation on Harvard

So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.

Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above rubies.

***

It is Fun Day season again at the office. It is that time after several hectic months where we are given a budget to do about almost anything which is fun for us. Last year, my friend in the office and I went parasailing at Subic. Now we are thinking of doing that ultimate Northern exposure trip at Ilocos. The Pagudpud beach (with possible surfing), pottery-making, visit to old churches, trip to Singson’s famous Baluarte and to the Malacanang of the North, trip to Vigan – all of these seem inviting. Do you have any tips for a trip to Ilocos?

I’m missing you Zarah and I’m loving the song No More I love yous by Annie Lenox.

The Chocolate Kiss Cafe

2008-06-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

. . . is a place close to my heart.

The place was a witness to several hours of girl talk, catching up, laughters and celebrations spent with my two closest college friends, Joanne and Zarah. With meager budget, we contented ourselves to sharing servings of taco salad and chicken fingers. We made most of the bottomless iced tea, served with honey and calamansi; refreshing, with the non-commercialized authentic taste of tea. We satisfied our sweet cravings with a slice of cake, shared by three. Those were the days we can't even afford to buy ourselves a slice each. Times have changed; and we have all grown.

Earlier, I attached a new memory to this place. We celebrated E's birthday with a simple dinner here. Again, a slice of random sweetness was shared. There was music playing in the background. The nostalgic feel of college came back.

Amidst the rustic and busy campus lies this quaint store. Do you have any Chocolate Kiss memories?

The Chocolate Kiss Cafe is located at the Ground and Second Floor
of the Bahay ng Alumni at UP Diliman, Quezon City.

The Classic Savory Chicken Part 2

2008-06-16T07:59:00.001-07:00

Yes, we came back! Well, E wanted to eat pancit; we had to eat anywhere at Pasig area because we were planning to watch a movie there; and we were already along C5 earlier. The Classic Savory Chicken at SM Hypermart was an obvious choice. We had a late lunch (around 2pm) so the place wasn't at all packed.

E chose pancit miki bihon since we’ve already tried the pancit canton plus the chicken, which was their specialty.

E found the miki bihon dry. It was the opposite of the pancit canton we first ordered which had a thick sauce. E said that my own 'miki bihon' tasted way better. hahaha.

I am not a big fan of 'fried' chicken with no breading or marinade and so I am also not a follower of the famous Max's fried chicken. TCSC's specialty is similar to that of Max's, both cooked the same manner with the taste slightly differing. TCSC's chicken is served with their own gravy.

TCSC's chicken didn't change my opinion on chicken simply fried. The chicken's meat is naturally bland so it is quite tricky to put flavor on it. I found the chicken a little bit overcooked which resulted to an even more dry taste. I had to ask for soy sauce to add flavor to it. I prefer the moist chicken (cooked 'Shanghai' or 'China') style at North Park or any chicken cooked by adding rosemary and roasting.

If we ever visit again, we'll probably just stick to the pancit canton and try other dishes from their menu.

Litratong Pinoy: Kalayaan

2008-06-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Si Ninoy . . . araw-araw ko siyang natatanaw sa aking pagpasok sa opisina.

Ang mga kalye ng Paseo de Roxas at Ayala ay naging saksi sa malayang pagpapahayag ng mga naghahangad ng pagbabago.

Tunay na nga ba tayong malaya?

I cooked menudo and pansit miki bihon!

2008-06-08T07:35:00.001-07:00

These are all part of E's pre-birthday celebration :)

I cannot recall the last time I cooked pansit. E said it tasted good but I wasn't really satisfied with the taste though. After several hours though, my mom tried the pansit and she said it tasted good. I tried it too and well, I must say it was delicious. LOL. It took time for the flavors to be absorbed by the noodles. Same with the menudo. It tasted really good the next day.

We gave our neighbors several plates of pansit.
Click here for the recipe.

Here is a copy of the recipe.

The Classic Savory Chicken

2008-06-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

Friday night. E and I saw ourselves first time at the quite large and spacious, SM Hypermart at Ugong, Pasig City. The grocery with a few restos and stores is just beside Tiendesitas. I had my hair cut at the BenchFix branch there (which is an altogether another story :P) and went grocery-shopping.

I go grocery shopping at several malls either near our house or near at work (SM Megamall, SM Makati or Landmark). After trying out this branch of the SM superstores, if given the time, I’ll do the rest of my grocery shopping here.

My reasons: 1) it’s spacious (I think I’ve mentioned that already) which means more shelves and stacks of products; 2) so far, almost complete. I mean most of what I need are here. There is a variety of products. 3) few people shop here so it’s not that crowded and there are no long lines at the counter; 4) I went shopping at night and the veggies are still in their good quality; 5) There are restaurants around the are shouting at you to try them out plus Tiendesitas was just across the street for another dining experience.

Where did E and I eat?

We spotted a place just within the entrance where a number of people were eating. The place was just small. When we enter the mall, the resto was already crowded. When we were done shooing, there were still several people eating there. The menu was displayed outside wo we didn’t have to guess on what they were serving. Given that the prices seem reasonable, we decided to try the place. The place is called The Classic Savory Chicken.

As I read, this eatery dates back in the 1950s when four of the ‘Ting brothers’ put up a panciteria at the busy district of Quiapo. Later on, they discovered a special recipe for fried chicken and gravy which became popular not just among the Chinese but with Filipinos as well. Their version of a chicken recipe became so popular which led to the opening of the first branch of the Savory Chicken House at Escolta. After about 50 years, the third generation of the Ting family launched the The Classic Savory Chicken.

Basically, they offer Chinese Cuisine with chicken as their specialty. And so the Chinese saga again continues. I know I have to stay away from all these Chinese food and try another cuisine. LOL. (Indian cusine, don’t worry, I’ll try you next).

E really wanted to try the chicken but as I was planning a pre-brithday celebration for him which included chicken barbeque in the menu, I somehow convinced him that I do not want to eat chicken that night. As much as it was the main dish in their menu, we opted for something else.

They served their pancit the way I want my pancit cooked: with a thick sauce.

The staff was really courteous. E is allergic to seafood and we requested that it be taken out of the dish. They did just what we requested and we were happy about it.

We also tried their spicy beef with sate sauce. It wasn’t at all spicy but nevertheless, tasted good.

As I researched, The Classic Savory Chicken also have branches at Robinson's Place Manila and the SM Mall of Asia. I'm excited to try the rest of dishes at their menu.

Litratong Pinoy: Pag-iisang Dibdib

2008-06-04T18:24:00.001-07:00

Marami ang nagsasabing ang kasal ay parang kaning isinusubo . . .

. . . pwede kang mapaso

. . . kapag hilaw ang kanin, hindi mo pwedeng isipin na maluluto ito sa iyong bibig

Katulad ng kasal, dapat sigurado ka kung kailan mo ito isusubo at gagawin

Subalit, hindi ba’t masayang makakita ng mga magsing-irog na masayang nagplaplano ng kanilang kasal?

Kayanin kaya akong buhatin ng aking magiging asawa katulad na lamang ng nasa larawan?

Maligayang unang Huwebes sa buwan ng Hunyo!

The girls are back!

2008-06-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

image from tv.com

I watched Sex and the City last night with my girl friend, Val, and boy, did I love it!

It was romantic and funny and entertaining and poignant. A certain scene even brought tears to my eyes only to find myself laughing again.

I can't wait to see it again! :)

Martin's Cinnamon Toast

2008-05-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

super, uber sarap nito!

As described in the menu: bursting with cinnamon flavor, sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with whipped cream.

I love, love the taste of this. It has the exact hint of sweetness!

P68 @ Pancake House

Litratong Pinoy: Ihip ng Hangin

2008-05-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Ito ay kuha ko gamit ang aking lumang kamera bago pa man siya tuluyan ng bumigay, masira at di ko na magamit upang kumuha ng larawan. Nakakalungkot dahil marami rin kaming napagsamahan -tulad na lamang nitong isang paglalakbay sa Subic na ginawa naming magkakaibigan sa opisina.

Bawat taon ay binibigyan kami ng kaukulang salapi ng aming kumpanya upang gumawa ng kahit ano na para sa amin ay masaya. Naalala ko noong isang taon may mga grupong umakyat ng Mt. Pinatubo, mayroon naming umakyat ng Taal, may iba na sumisid sa dagat, naligo sa dagat, nag-wake-boarding, nag-rafting sa Cagayan de Oro, mayroon din na kumain ng buffet sa Spiral at iba pa. Ang naisipan naming gawin ng aking mga kaibigan ay dumayo sa Subic at makiisa sa kalikasan – binisita namig ang Zoobic Safari Zoo, Ocean Adventure at ang huli nga – kami ay nagparasailing.

ang aking mga kaibigan sa kanilang paglipad

Ako ay nakaakyat ng mataas at habang ito ay hila ng isang mabilis na bangka – naramdaman ko ang hangin na umiihip sa aking buong katawan. Kasabay nito ay ang pakiramdam ng kapayapaan. Ito ang pinakamataas na narating ko kung saan pakiramdam ko ay malapit ako sa langit. Habang pinagmamasdan ko ang malawak na karagatan – napagtanto kong malawak at maganda pala ang mundo. Tahimik at payapa. Nawala ang aking takot. Ang humigit kumulang na apatanapung minuto na iyon ay ilan sa mga masasayang minuto ng aking buhay. Hindi ko ito malilimutan at sana ay maulit ko uli.

Ito ang aking unang lahok sa Litratong Pinoy.

The Big Little Store of Gilmore

2008-05-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Chinese food trip saga continues! Since that day (several months ago, sometime last year) where we went to Gilmore to have my computer fixed, Gilmore became to me more than just a computer mecca. I associate Gilmore now with authentic, really good Chinese food. Amidst the bustle of the techie industry lays this quaint store and restaurant. It’s called The Big Little Store of Gilmore – the irony of which amuses me.

Pardon me for the lack of research. Perhaps on my next visit, I would set aside my hungry stomach and chat for a while with the owner or some people there. Now my curiosity of how the store came to be bothers me. I’d make a mental note to know about that on my next visit (perhaps it’ll be when I buy my own baby - a new lappie!).

The Big Little Store is divided into three sections. The left part is where the store is where they sell a variety of Asian food products and some local products even. The center is where the counter for ordering is – as well as for the display of food. The setting of which resembles that of a canteen. The right part is the restaurant – where one is seated and waits for the food upon ordering.

The grocery section sells a variety of products. They offer a variety of Asian condiments (like chili paste, soy sauce, and curry pastes), herbal teas, dried mushrooms, vegetables and frozen dumplings. I am not sure though if the prices are cheaper compared if you buy them at stores from Chinatown in Binondo. My eyes feasted though on the assortment of products – half of which I do not even know on what dishes I should use them for.

E and I opted for beef noodle soup, Chinese lumpia and siomai. How I loved the taste of what we ordered!

As the soup was served to use, its gingery scent immediately emanated. It just felt relaxing to put my hands on the hot bowl and smell that ginger scent. The soup was definitely better than what we had at Mongkok. Although I found the soup a little oily. But just that – it still tasted good and I enjoyed eating it.

I first tasted Chinese lumpia at a trip at the Salcedo weekend market. It was an instant hit for me. I don’t usually find Chinese lumpia as part of the menu so I only knew that if I wanted one – I will be getting it at the Salcedo market. When I saw it at the menu at The Big Little Store, I knew I’d be getting it. I was not disappointed. The mixture of fresh vegetables was just succulent. E also loved it.

And of course – the siomai! My top two favorites would be siomai from North Park and from this store.

If you are a Chinese food lover like me – or just looking for good tasting food – I would really recommend eating at this place. Reasonably priced food that would give you a remarkable Oriental experience – that is definitely worth trying!

The Big Little Store is located at:
Ground Floor, Gilmore IT Center
Gilmore, New Manila
Quezon City

I cooked Beef Caldereta!

2008-05-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

It may not look good at the pic but both E and my brother said it tasted good.
Check my recipe blog for a copy of the recipe.

E ate it with wheat bread and added chili pepper for that extra zing!

Dinner at Conti's

2008-05-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

I’ve been eating at Conti’s for several times now and I realized that it’s a hit and miss. Yes, as much as I can rave about their dishes – some simply just seems ordinary. Nothing to rave about. That’s how it went when E and I ate at their Serendra branch last Friday. I ordered callos (my first time to try the dish) while E ordered pasta allegria.

The callos made of ox tripe, knuckles and chorizo bilbao cooked in tomato sauce tasted just fine. I finished it off in a flash as I was really hungry that time.

E had the pasta allegria – oil-based pasta of spaghetti noodles with chicken, shitake mushroom and sun-dried tomatoes. I loved, loved that pasta! It specifically loved the combination of oil and sun-dried tomatoes which created such a flavorful taste. E wasn’t that satisfied with the pasta though. He said that he prefers those from Amici.

For dessert, we shared a slice of choco mousse. I’ve already tried their mango bravo, strawberry shortcake and banana cream torte (and loved all of them!). For this visit, we decided to try something we haven’t had before at Conti’s. I like the base chocolate cake of the choco mousse but otherwise, it wasn’t near spectacular.

This visit was probably more of a ‘miss’ but I still won’t discount how I loved their grilled herbed porkchops served with paella rice, NZ baked mussels and the desserts I previously had there. If you are really hungry though, you might want to eat somewhere else. One dish just won’t satisfy you. As E said, Conti’s really stands for few. LOL.

After dinner, we strolled along Bonifacio High Street and window shopped. After a time, I got tired and so we sat down to rest. I told E I was craving for balut and pansit. Off we went to Market Market and ordered a serving of Pansit Lucban at Buddy’s. It was so goooood and the pansit only costs around P120. At last, we felt full.

Reading and Wifely Steps!

2008-05-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

I love reading books . . . as a kid, while I was growing up, and up until now. I absolutely love my book collection and (as most of those who know me know) I can just sit on my bed and stare at my books for a time. I’m happy that way.

- one of my bookshelves -

Lately though, I find it difficult to have the time to read. As well, with so many things to do – graduate school, work, dates with E, household chores – I find it difficult to read and decide which book to read. You see, I undergo a phase when it comes to books. There was a time when all I read are books by Judith McNaught and then Erich Segal and then Sidney Sheldon and then Paulo Coelho and then Jefferey Archer and harry Potter series and the list goes on. I also went through a phase where I seem to be reading books with serious themes that I then underwent a phase where all I read are the ‘chick flicks’ or the Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes books. The last book I read was Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I still can’t find (can’t decide) on my next book.

I’ve discovered though that I love blogging and reading blogs. It feels like every entry is a chapter. I just have to keep reading and reading. One of my daily reads is Toni’s Wifely Steps. I remember that the first entry I’ve read was of course – about books. It was an article about “The Painted Veil.” From then on, I checked Toni’s oldest entry and read the articles thereafter. I realized then that reading online and reading books are two totally different yet related experiences. I find each entry entertaining and I’m glued and I just have to continue reading it.

Here is a link to Toni’s blog – definitely a part of my daily reads.

And she’s celebrating 5 years of blogging (that is such a feat!) And she has a gift for her readers . . .

Happy anniversary Toni!

Mom and Tina's

2008-05-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

It might be quite difficult for E and I to shed off the way extra pounds we so badly to get rid of. Yes, we’ve eliminated (he did) and lessened (I did) our intake of rice. BUT we’ve substituted another carb for it. E is more religious with eating his wheat breads but we both don’t say no to any pasta, potatoes, and noodles served to us. The late lunch we had earlier is a testimony of that. We ate at that dainty bakery café, Mom and Tina’s, located along E. Rodriguez Ave. (C-5) at Pasig. We only ordered two dishes and dessert but they left our stomachs full. So full that until now, that I’m typing this, I can still feel my stomach digesting the food we just ate. Hahaha. Seriously, it was already 8pm and I was still not craving for dinner. All probably because of the starch and sugar overload we had there.

If you live at the east part of the metro or if you’re just heading to QC, you’ll find that Mom and Tina’s is always packed during dinner time. The place is bustling. Seeing that everyday, I know I must try that place too. Probably avoiding lunch and dinner hours would be the best time to visit the resto. Mom and Tina’s occupies a small space so it tends to be filled up immediately by hungry customers during meal times.

What did we have? E went for the roast pork served with steamed veggies and mashed potatoes. We asked the rice to be substituted with bread, so we had garlic cheese rolls instead. The meal costs P175. I had chicken and spinach lasagna, also served with garlic cheese rolls (P110 I think).

Oh, I’ll be raving about the mashed potatoes that came with the roast pork. It felt so smooth and soft in my mouth. It did not have any strong flavors like butter or milk or chives. It tasted simple yet really yummy – like a secret recipe of home-made mashed potatoes! E is crazy about it!

As for the lasagna – it has both of the good and negative sides. Remember when you were a kid and you wanted your pasta to be swimming in the sauce and have tons of cheese? That’s how the lasagna tasted for me. It was served hot and the cheese just melted in my mouth. Kudos for that one! The only down side was I found the pasta soggy at a certain point. The dish tasted good but overall, the pasta was overpowered by the sauce. If they can probably retain the al dente consistency of the pasta – the dish will be perfect.

And then we had dessert. E had chocolate profiteroles (P35 for the cup). Being a fan of strawberries, I had strawberry walnut torte. If you plan to have chilled dessert at Mom and Tina’s, I suggest you have dessert taken from the fridge while you are still enjoying your main dish. That shall provide enough time for the dessert to soften enough in time for the ‘actual’ time of having dessert. Both of what we had were frozen and not chilled. It was so difficult to eat the dessert continuously. What I did with mine is to leave it for a while to allow it to thaw a little. Again, they should have been chilled and not frozen. But still, I have good reviews for the strawberry walnut torte. I loved it! As for the chocolate profiteroles – I didn’t enjoy it that much because it was hard.

They offer a variety of pastries and dessert. After all, it is foremost a bakery. For an extensive explanation on how Mom and Tina’s came to be, you can read on the insightful article written by Lori Baltazar of Dessert Comes First about Mom and Tina’s. They have breads, torte, cupcakes, cakes and cookies. I noticed that they have sugar-free cupcakes.

Mom and Tina’s is a homey place. I particularly enjoy eating at the couches. Prices are reasonably priced. And they have an extensive menu of desserts waiting to be tried. This place is definitely worth a second visit.

Mom and Tina's is located at:
along E. Rodriguez Ave.
Ugong, Pasig City
just right across Tiendesitas

Stop-over at Bay, Laguna

2008-05-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

I can’t exactly remember if it is “Kamayan at Kainan sa Palaisadaan sa Bay” or the short version of “Kamayan sa Palaisdaan sa Bay.” I might even be completely wrong with the ‘kamayan’ part. The name might be confusing and forgettable but the food surely was memorable!

This was our stop on the way home from Caliraya, Laguna. Having scrimped on just a kilo of chicken and pork chop for 16 people (can you imagine that?!), we were craving for a complete meal that shall leave our stomachs full.

E had brought me to this place before when we visited several places at Laguna. The restaurant offers Filipino cuisine – the menu is not that extensive as the grills that we have here in Manila but the basic dishes are there. When E and I had our lunch there, we ordered inihaw na tilapia cooked in gata, ginatang kuhol and steamed okra. With the food tasting good and the surroundings homey and serene, I just had to convince my friends that we have lunch there.

Kamayan occupies an extensive space – the first part of the restaurant is the covered section. At the center are the nipa huts floating on the palaisdaan. At the back part are even more dining tables on a covered section. The place is still being constructed (or improved) so one might find a few construction on some parts. At lunch time, the place is quite packed so the nipa huts are already filled with people eating. At a much later time, it is easier to spot a vacant nipa hut to eat at. Our group occupied two nipa huts.

At our table, we had sinigang na tuna belly, pata tim, sisig, steamed okra (I ordered it again!) and several servings of halo-halo and buko juice.

The food was all yummy!!

sinigang na tuna belly

I specifically love the combination of the steamed okra and bagoong isda – simple cooking, not doing that much to the dish yet creating the tastiest effect!

The sisig was good and not at all dry which some grills here tend to do. There’s not much oil or fat to it either, something I like.

The surprise of all was the pata tim. They had bell peppers and other veggies at their version of the pata tim. I don’t put anything at mine when I cook that dish – just soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaf and banana blossom. But then it was sooo succulent and full of flavor. The meat was soft that it must have been slow cooked.

The halo-halo though didn’t have much ‘sahog’ as one would usually have at Chowking so my friends weren’t satisfied with that.

The only negative part about our whole experience was the inefficient customer service. The other table was only served drinks and appetizers and then the food just stop coming. We were already halfway through our people yet there was still no waiter in sight carrying a food to their table. Already irritated, one of my friends approached the Kitchen to inquire and learned that they are still waiting for the rice to be cooked. If that was the case, they should have admitted it from the start, informed the table or even offered something while waiting. My friends from the other table just had to cancel all their orders because it really was futile to wait that long for food. If their staffs are not trained that well, perhaps they might think it over if they want to expand the business elsewhere. I would not even blame it on catching them on a bad day. There are no excuses for that.

Good food. Dreadful service. But I would still say, that if you are on that area, try the place. Dining there is surely unique!

Let’s see if I’ll eat there again on my next visit to Laguna (next week?)

Caliraya, Laguna

2008-05-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

When you want to stay for a night at Laguna, perhaps you can think past the ever famous private pools of Pansol or the hot springs of Los Banos. I have nothing against those really. It’s just that Laguna is quite a large place to explore and surely discovering new places to go to won’t be that difficult.

My friends and I spent one weekend at the Calirana Resort situated at the Caliraya Lake at Caviniti, Laguna. About two-and-a-half hours away from Manila. The lake is actually huge as it is situated along three towns of Laguna. To describe the place – far-off, close to nature and tranquil.

It is actually quite easy to go to the place. One just has to follow the road from Los Banos that leads to the tourist capital of Laguna – Pagsanjan. Cavinti is the town after Pagsanjan. In between Pagsanjan and Laguna, one would pass the towns of Bay, Calauan, Victoria, Pila and Sta. Cruz. Just be cautious of the tricycles and jeepneys that would stop in the middle of the road to load and unload passengers. Provincial towns are after all not governed by MMDA polices. A few more minutes of driving from Pagsanjan and one can see a paved uphill road. Following that road leads to a zigzag travel within the hill that somehow leads to borders of the lake where a boat would be waiting for you (if you reserved early).

The waters at Caliraya Lake stretches far and there are several islands that one can see during the boat ride. Our resort was quite far so we enjoyed a leisurely 30-minutes of sight seeing and picture taking in the boat. The lake is a venue for several water activities like boating, water skiing, jet skiing and well known for Bass fishing.

Here's what a largemouth black bass looks like (image from www.agfc.com)

Calirana Resort
CaliRana Booking Office
S-201A Culmat Building
1270 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue near T. Morato St., Quezon City
(632)726-1812; (632)416-4130; (632)416-4131

Mongkok, a Chinese resto

2008-05-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

E fetched me from work last Friday, then we went to Rockwell to have dinner. It was his idea to go there. It was quite understandable that he decided to go there since it was his first time at the Power Plant Mall. I was having a grand time that night teasing him about it. LOL. The Power Plant Mall is a relatively small mall compared to the other super malls like SM and those Ayala-owned malls. E prefers small crowds so the mall was a hit for him. We decided to have dinner at Mongkok since I very much enjoy eating Chinese food. We both are still on for the no-rice diet so we opted for noodle soup and dumplings. I wonder if choosing another carb for rice will do us good but anyway, we did not want to break our no-rice record. As we were waiting for the food, we noticed that several of the crew was looking at the table next to us. We really could not guess why but on the table were a guy (which E said looks like the driver or body guard), a gay man (politically incorrect), a mom and a young girl. The mom and the young girl were seating on the same direction as we were so it was quite difficult to recognize them. It was only halfway through the meal that I realized it was Sarah Geronimo! Deep inside I wanted to take her picture but I have to be composed or else E would tease me to death about being jologs. Hahaha! Sarah (feeling close!) was really polite, charming and friendly.

pic taken from lizhoney.com

Anyway, back to the food. E and I both didn’t like the noodle soup. The noodles were thin and mushy and not the usual type of noodles one would normally have in other Chinese restaurants. There was nothing special with the soup. The broth just tasted that of boiled beef. My best noodle soup so far was the one I had in Seven Corners, Crowne Plaze Hotel in Ortigas. The soup was light yet really tasty.

But we both like the dumplings. They have several varieties of dimsum that one can choose from. They even have carts strolling around the resto where one can just get there without having to give the waiter the order and wait.

Overall, I still prefer North Park over Mongkok and other Chinese restaurants. Although just for the dumplings, I would go back here.

And also, given that I love Chinese food, I still haven’t explored much of Chinatown. I’ve already eaten at President’s and food there is absolutely delicious. E and I have also eaten at this authentic Chinese store at Gilmore, and I also loved it there. I can’t wait to try more authentic Chinese restaurants. Any recommendation?

Mongkok is at:
the lower ground floor (basically the basement) of the Power Plant Mall
Power Plant Mall is @ Rockwell Driver cor. Estrella St.
Makati City

Trek to Mt. Pinatubo

2008-05-07T03:47:00.000-07:00

I went trekking to Mt. Pinatubo last last week. I must say that the hike was demanding and even grueling but getting to the top was worth every step I took. When I went for a dip to the crater’s cool blue water, it was completely relaxing. I was just floating on the water and felt so peaceful.

We had an hour ride in the 4x4 in the grimy, jagged, and rock-strewn path leading to Mt. Pinatubo. It was such an adventure on itself. Then we hiked to the crater for about 3 hours – that’s inclusive of several breaks to rest and take pictures. The first part of the path was mostly sand and rocks. The second part was sand, rocks and water. The third part was rocks, water and foliage. The view on the summit was spectacular. The water was greenish-blue and chilly. The downhill trip was easier since the sun was already setting. As we rode the 4x4 on the way home, it was beautiful to see the sun setting and ending that perfect day.

My version of carbonara!

2008-04-29T02:20:00.001-07:00

My primary ingredients: garlic, tuna and basil.
This link for a copy of the recipe.

The best home-made and affordable Italian food!

2008-04-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

Amici has got to be the place to be! I love their rosemary chicken even if I’ve only tried it once. For this visit, I was able to try their pizza and gelato and I only have praises for both. Amici is the right place to have a relaxed dinner. The place is nothing fancy based on its appearance. In fact, the setting looks like that of a canteen. Yet don’t be fooled on how it appears. They take their food quite seriously.

I learned from E and my friend Raech that it is called Amici now, with the omission of the ‘de don Bosco’ part as the resto have been sold to another owner. They said that it was sold to the previous owner of Red Ribbon, who then sold the bakeshop chain to the owners of Jollibee. I do not know if that rings any truth. I guess I have to ask next time I visit Amici. Some says that the food was tastier when the Bosconian fathers were handling it. Honestly, I have only eaten at Amici recently to be a judge on that.

For this visit, I opted for Cannelloni Agli Spinaci, which basically was pasta tubes filled with spinach and ricotta cheese. It was topped with tomato & béchamel sauce and parmesan cheese.

My verdict: this pasta dish was not as good as the penne arrabiata I previously tried. I could not taste the ricotta cheese and the dish itself was a bit dry. It was good but not that spectacular.

They have 14 varieties of pasta dishes, with prices ranging from p160 - p195. Good for 2 people per serving.

Tutta carne (italian sausage and cooked & spicy ham)

Oh, the pizza, I absolutely loved! It was really different from the usual commercial pizza. It had that freshly-baked taste and the cheese was utterly yummy.
As with the pasta, they have 14 varieties of pizza, with prices ranging from P260 - P310.
Good for 4 persons each.

And for the first time, I tried their dessert. Raech and I had a fun time reading the Italian names of the gelato. We ordered strawberry supreme (which had real strawberry bits), espresso (this one is my favorite) and straciatella (which actually is just choco chips). It is quite difficult to describe the taste of gelato. It is very different from the commercial ice cream we usually eat. I guess it’s best to just try this/ P45 per cup.

The only difficult part with the visit was we found it tricky to find a parking space. Amici tried to solve that problem by posting flyers at the dining table of areas where one can park. But still, the area is limited so I guess it is better to go there earlier and beat the big crowds during lunch and supper times.

Of course, I am coming back again. Hopefully, in my next visit, I am with a bigger group of people. Perhaps by that, I can try my rosemary chicken and not be kuripot over spending for it alone. Hahaha!

Pan de Sal

2008-04-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

. . . has got to be one of the meriendas Filipinos love and is not amiss at every table on breakfast. Pan de sal is sold from the lowest price of a peso to the 20-peso up range depending on its size. If one buys pan de sal at a nearby bakery at home, most likely it will be given in a brown paper package. At Pangasinan, where my mom is from, I remember that pan de sal is sold through vendors riding on a bike and honking in the morning to remind the people in the village that it’s time to wake and have your daily does of pan de sal. For those coffee lovers like me, I love eating my pan de sal by dunking it in my morning coffee. I don’t soak it that long though in the coffee as it tends to become mushy. I soak it just right for it to absorb the liquid and have a coffee-taste. Oh, what a good way to start each day.

And also, it’s a great way to be treated to a free merienda. From where I work, it has become a tradition for our country manager to treat us to pan de sal once every proxy season (summer months for us aka the busiest days at work). I work at a research company where summer months can be pretty chaotic. Those are our busiest months as our clients, the institutional shareholders of about every publicly listed company worldwide, need our research in time for their company’s annual meetings. You can just imagine the amount of time we spend reading annual reports and writing our evaluations and so we become really hungry. Last Friday was pan de sal day at the office and everyone was really excited. Our floor got a big box of the yummy delight. Yay!

And what goes with pan de sal?

Palaman!!!

for the peanut lovers . . .

for those who love strawberry . . .

this is everyone's favorite at the office - the bestseller!

BUT this has got to be MY favorite!

Oh, the combination is just heaven! I really loved it!

So, why don't you grab your daily does of pan de sal now?

E cooked dinner!!!

2008-04-14T04:17:00.001-07:00

After several claims of wanting to do it . . . and procrastinating . . and planning . . . E finally did it. He cooked not just one, not just two but three dishes last Saturday. And take note! It was his first time to cook something which was not fried or did not come straight from the can. We actually planned last Saturday to be a cooking day but we only intended to cook one dish. Sudden turn of events made E cook three dishes as out of the blue we had visitors at home . And those visitors were the trabahador types who were really hungry. I think we fed about ten to fifteen people. What a feat!

T: (L) adobong atay at balun-balunan (chicken liver and gizzard)
(R)sinigang na baboy
B: ginisang ampalaya

Perhaps, I can start my own cooking school now. LOL.

Brothers & Sisters

2008-04-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

. . . is my latest addiction!!!

E bought me the dvds for Season 1 and 2 last Friday. I finished the entire Season 1 (with 23 episodes) on Sunday night and had just started on two episodes on Season 2. I really love the show and I haven't felt this way about a TV show since the first season of Grey's Anatomy.

For the summary, you can read on this link.

I cooked Beef Mechado!

2008-03-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

. . . And this dish was inspired by the recipe shared by MarketMan.

I actually followed the recipe with some variations. I added a small pack of tomato sauce and I wasn’t able to roast the bell peppers so I just cut them in strips.

I bought three-fourths kilo of beef chunks from Monterey. I cut them in bite size pieces. I sprinkled the beef with salt and pepper and then browned them in olive oil. In the same oil, I sautéed garlic then added the tomatoes from a can of Hunts stewed tomatoes. I brought the beef back, added 4 tablespoons of soy sauce and vinegar; as well as four pieces of dried bay leaf. I allowed the mixture to simmer a few minutes so that the acidity of the vinegar would dissolve (or evaporate). I added the rest of the liquid from the can of Hunts, added a small pack of tomato sauce and a piece of Knorr beef cube. I then added water that was just enough to simmer the beef into. I cooked the entire mixture over low heat in about one-and-a-half hours with occasional stirring as to avoid burning the bottom of the pan. I then added the potatoes, bell peppers and sliced onion. For additional taste, I added about half a teaspoon of Spanish paprika and more pepper. After 15 minutes, it was done. The result was delicious. This was our lunch which lasted until dinner. My brother said it was even more delicious at dinner. As for stews, it gets really good over time.

yum, yum!

Abe at Serendra

2008-03-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

As a grand finale to Michelle’s visit, we decided to have dinner at Serendra. Michelle Tan is our senior analyst from Canada and basically in charge of mostly everything when in comes to research in Canadian market. You can try googling her name adding ‘iss

canada

’ with the search and read further about her.

Serendra was the right place to bring her because of the variety of restaurants in the area as well because FullyBooked was nearby. Given that she’s a lover of books, it’ll surely be a hit for her. Our first choice was to eat at Chelsea. When we got there, we were told that we still have to wait at about one and a half hour to be seated. We had our names listed but we still looked around the area. Right across Chelsea is Abe. The place serves Filipino food cooked in Capampangan style. Again we were on a waiting list but if we wanted to eat outside, there were already available seats. We agreed to that setting but halfway while they were fixing the table, another table became available inside and so we were lucky that we got inside.

Crispy Shrimp Binondo: fried small salted shrimps
Nothing impressive about this dish. But at least it wasn’t oily and the shrimps were fried just right.

Spicy Kapampangan Sisig: wasn’t that spicy.
The dish was a mixture of the pork’s face and liver. I prefer the sisig at Masas.

Lamb Adobo: This one I really enjoyed. I am not a fan of lamb and so I was quite hesitant to try this dish but I’m thankful that I indeed tasted this. The lamb was tender and moist. I love how Abe cooked the adobo. The dish had plenty of garlic. The mixture of bay leaf, soy sauce and chili, which added a spike to the dish, brought a wonderful combination. This dish is a reason to go back to Abe.

Pastel de Lengua: Honestly, I didn’t have that much of this dish to judge it. But Michelle was so surprised that it actually was made of ox tongue. She swore it tasted just like ordinary meat.

We also ordered gising-gising, which I found out was really just kangkong stems cooked with chili fingers and coconut milk. It was supposed to be spicy thus the name, to wake you up. We also had Lechon Cubano, which tasted like any other lechon.

I was excited to try Abe’s bamboo rice as I’ve read about it in other blogs. As described, Abe’s bamboo rice is mountain rice cooked with shrimps, wood ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots steamed in a bamboo shell. I wasn’t able to take a picture of it as the rice was immediately distributed to each plate when it was served. I wasn’t able to taste much flavor in the rice. It seemed it was just rice in a mixture of some sort and not much flavor.

We were all excited with one dish though. It was fried frog (palaka), served with a filling of minced pork. I must admit that being scared of frogs, I wasn’t brave enough to have too much of this dish. I actually only tasted a piece of leg because I knew it was the safest part to eat.

Overall, I find Abe’s food not that spectacular, too pricey and with small servings. Though, I am willing to go there again and try other dishes. A one-time experience is not enough to shun this Filipino restaurant.

Kinky Cakes!

2008-03-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

The guys would find this amusing!

If only there is a female version. LOL.

Praises though would be worthy only on what can be seen outside.
The actual cake was quite tough and not as moist and tasty compared to that of other bakeshops. I can't same the same thing though with the 'thing' as I wasn't able to taste it. Hahaha!

The Kitchen. Again?!?!

2008-03-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

How can one spoil a pasta dish? Perhaps by overcooking the pasta? Or by overcooking the seafood and making it tough? Or by scrimping on tomatoes or cream or whatever was used for the sauce?

And so what did the Kitchen do wrong?

None of the above actually. It was just that the pasta was so oily. It was way too oily that you’d lose your appetite halfway through the dish because all you can taste is the oil.

It was quite an appalling experience especially since I’m a fan of Kitchen. I love their rice dishes. I have practically eaten half of the rice dishes on their menu. I’m hoping it was just a one-time experience.

Pancake House. Again?!!!

2008-03-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, Pancake House is a special place for both E and I. It really was an obvious choice: it’s near my office and we both love the food. Last month, we celebrated out monthsary by eating lunch there. For this month, we had our lunch there again. E would usually have Pork Vienna while I order Beef Tapa. Those are our favorite Pancake House food. This time I told E that we should be adventurous and deviate from what we’d usually have and so we opted for hot roast beef and chicken. For the past week we have been avoiding eating rice so that we might lose those extra pounds that we have been getting. What the heck? This time we felt that we can reward ourselves with rice since we were actually celebrating. The monthsary was quite an excuse for us. The menu said that the hot roast dishes do not come with rice and so we ordered extra. Much to our surprise, it was served on top of a white bread. We are so ignorant about these things. Di talaga kme soyal. Hahaha. Anyway for the verdict: I found both hot roast dishes delicious. I’d still ocme back and have those again. But then, those are not recommended for those who want the typical kanin and ulam and for those who are really starving and want big servings.

L: hot roast beef with mashed potatoes and buttered vegetables
R: hot roast chicken with potato salad

One can find a Pancake House almost everywhere. Here is preview of their menu. Enjoy!

5 Days of Michelle's visit

2008-03-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Lunch at Kitchen, Greenbelt
(Topmost Right: Under the Sun - seafood dish with chili cream sauce)
(Bottom Left: Grounded for Life - A hearty mixture of ground beef, carrots, potatoes and peas with fried sweet saba ala 'arroz ala cubana')

Grand Pakain sponsored by The Canada Team
Halo-halo Bar and banana que by Dacar, 9F PhilamLife Tower
pansit by Ado's, Malinao, Pasig City

Bowling at MOA

Michelle's Surprise Bday Celebration
Cake by Red Ribbon
Dinner at Jollibee

Dinner at Abe, Serendra
(Top: Crispy Shrimp Binondo)
(Bottom Left: Lamb Adobo Bencab, Right: Betute - frog with pork filling)

Como Agua para Chocolate

2008-03-23T01:59:00.000-07:00

I haven’t read a book in a really long time. I have all the books I bought piled at home, left unread. I just do not have the time for it. For some, I lose interest as early as just a few pages. I’ve been searching for that really good book that would put me back on track. It was quite a difficult thing to do. I’m way past my Judith Mcnaught days (those cheesy romance novels), my Sidney Sheldon phase (I have read all of his books), the Jeffrey Archer period (a British author). Paulo Coelho books and my chick flick phase (yup, this is with Sophie Kinsella). I also want to buy the latest books by Kinsella and Coelho but they are still on the hardbound issues. They are still expensive. Last Saturday, I chanced upon a book on sale at National Bookstore. I bought it with a 20 percent discount. Every time I buy a book I don’t only read the summary at the back, I also read the first few pages to see if my attention will be drawn to the book. This way I am sure that the book would be worth my money. This is what I did when I grabbed the copy of Laura Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate” and why wouldn’t I be not drawn? The first pages after all talked about a recipe. I knew immediately that I would enjoy reading it.

Like Water for Chocolate had been a sensation. It is a best-seller. Even in college I knew that already. Somehow I just did not find a way to put my fingers in the books’ pages until now. The book was divided into 12 chapters, each corresponding to each month. With each chapter came a recipe as the main character, Tita, expresses her emotion through cooking. The book was the love story of Tita and Pedro, which was suppressed and forbidden by old beliefs. Tita was not allowed to marry for being the youngest child and destined to take care of her mother. Pedro married Tita’s sister Rosaura as it was the best way he could do to stay close to Tita. It was something which I find so stupid and cowardice. As the story progresses, the fate and struggles of the two lovers were revealed.

The book was a light read and it was entertaining. The book uses magical realism. Here are some excerpts to prove that:

“Her body was giving off so much heat that the wooden walls began to split and burst into flame. Terrified, she thought she would be burnt to death, and she ran out of the little enclosure just as she was, completely naked.”

“John interrupted these memories by bursting into the room, alarmed by the stream that was running down the stairs. When he realized it was just Tita’s tears, John blessed Chencha . . “

“At that moment the fiery bodies of Pedro and Tita began to throw off glowing sparks. They set on fire the bedspread, which ignited the entire ranch.”

I almost finished the book in just one sitting (almost two hours). I just had to stop so that I still have something to look forward to the next day.

My first Time at Mang Jimmy's

2008-03-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

E had long wanted to bring me to this ‘kainan’ at Balara. He is a graduate of UP Diliman so he knew the nooks and places where to eat at that area. The only place I am familiar with at UP Diliman is The Chocolate Kiss Café. When one of my close friends from college, Joanne, transferred to UPD from UP Manila, Zarah and I would occasionally visit her. We would spend hours at Chocolate Kiss, enjoying their iced tea, chicken fingers, taco salad and varieties of cake. I definitely miss those times. When I am with E, we would usually eat at Rodic’s then have isaw at Mang Larry’s and for more binging have balut at the Shopping Center. We have also tried Chateau Verde, where I also love the food.

Last Saturday, after attending mass, we headed to the ‘kainan’ that E has been telling me. As I found out, it was Mang Jimmy’s – a place which I know was famous for it’s eat all you kanin even before Tokyo Tokyo introduced that concept. I was really excited since it was my first time to eat at the really famous kainan ng lutong bahay.

The place has a typical carinderia setting. They have monoblock chairs and tables were set up on what I assume was the front part of the house. There were no tiled floors. The place was busy with students chatting and other young people who were perhaps graduates of the university already.

Once we were seated, we were immediately served with plates, glasses and a small bowl with calamansi and siling labuyo (chili pepper) as well as with the menu. I noticed that they have a limited variety of food and mostly were sizzling dishes. E explained that they have a promo wherein if you order three dishes, you get one dish free. We originally ordered sizzling pusit (squid), sisig, lechon kawali and bulalo. They didn’t have bulalo so we opted for beef with young corn. The sizzling pusit and beef with young corn were served first. I noticed that both dishes were topped with a white sauce. I am not sure what it was made of but it was not creamy. Both dishes did not taste good. The beef was tough and it was hard for us to slice through the meat. At first taste, the pusit tasted fine but somehow as I had more of it, I did not like the taste anymore. To add flavor to what I was eating, I was adding more of the toyomansi we made. We already finished the plate of rice which was served to us. We were waiting for the sisig to be served to somehow redeem those two dishes. When the sisig was served, it did not look like the typical sisig that we usually have at other restos. It looked dark and so I assumed it had too much soy sauce. When I had a taste of the sisig, I though that it was not made from the pig’s face but rather just that of the pig’s ears. I told E that I did not find the food delicious. I was also hoping that they’d have more lutong bahay dishes and not limited to those cooked sizzling. E said that it had changed a lot since his college days. He remembered that the space then was not that cramped and the food was more delicious. He said that perhaps they have expanded the place to accommodate more people eating there. I prefer eating at Rodic’s. The visit was really quite disappointing for me.

Mang Jimmy was there and we were able to have a shot with him. Mang Jimmy, san na yung 'good food' everyone was raving about?

The Old Spaghetti House (TOSH)

2008-03-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

E and I went to Robinson’s Galleria last Saturday because the mall was having a sale! All of my friends knew that I love to shop especially going on sale-shopping. Although I am no longer impulsive when it comes to spending, I still enjoy going to malls on sale because there is always that chance of buying something on a lower price. This time around I only buy those which I think I really need and not just want. (Although I still went to VNC to satisfy my shoe fix and even at CMG for my bag fix – but I didn’t buy anything! :P)

We got hungry at around 4pm. At that time, I already bought a book at National Bookstore, some groceries and something from Plains n’ Prints. I suggested eating at Mongkok – well, because I love Chinese food. He said he was craving for pizza and pasta. I agreed to pizza and pasta since most of the time, he relents to what I like when it comes to food. Also because if we eat at Mongkok, we might be ordering Yang Chow rice and I’m refraining form eating too much rice. We passed by TOSH and I asked if he has eaten there. As expected he still hasn’t tried TOSH and so it was an obvious choice for us. We ordered arabiatta and chicken fingers.

TOSH offers food at a relatively cheap price. The arabiatta only costs P100 and the chicken fingers costs P130. Most of the dishes in the menu range only from P100 to above P200.

Indeed the arabiatta was hot! Only it was oily. After about two tablespoons, my lips were already oily. E liked the arabiatta at Amici better. The serving of chicken fingers was just ordinary. For really good chicken fingers, I would recommend The Chocolate Kiss Café at UP Diliman.

A glass of iced tea to soothe the hotness of the arabiatta.
At least, it didn't taste like Nestea - something which I can make at home.

To this date, my top two places for really good cheap pasta would still be Amici de Don Bosco and The Green Tomato.

The Old Spaghetti House
They have branches all over the metro. As I can remember, they have branches at Valero St, Makati City; at Libis; Paseo de Roxas; and at Robinson's Galleria.

California Pizza Kitchen

2008-03-16T05:51:00.000-07:00

It was the birthday of Pam, one of my friends at the office. She treated us for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. She said she was craving for salad from CPK. I was excited because it was my first time at CPK. I have that impression that CPK offers the same variety of food with those of TGIF and Burgoo. Except of course, their main selling point is their varieties of pizza. I was really eager to eat there. We shared two types of salads, one pasta dish and two flavors of pizza.

The Original BBQ Chicken

This was Pam’s favorite. I’d say that this is a fun pizza. When I say fun, I mean that it has a variety of flavors. It has chopped lettuce, black beans, sweet corn, jicama, cilantro, basil, crispy corn tortilla strips and Monterey Jack cheese tossed together in garden-herb ranch dressing. It was topped with chopped BBQ chicken breast, diced tomatoes and scallions.

This salad was mostly greens served with 4 pieces of breaded chicken topped with cheese. Perhaps I still need to read and broaden my knowledge on food. The greens used in this salad and the cheese were those I often see in cooking shows. I just can’t seem to figure out now what they are. I must admit my friends and I seldom get to taste these kinds of salad. We are those who are typically limited to Caesar salad. What I did in my plate, I got enough greens and cheese and chicken and sprinkled those with juice I squeezed with the lemon served with the salad. I found it really good. I think I was the only one who took a second serving of the salad.

Fettucine with Garlic Cream Sauce

I think this pasta was really creamy and the rest of my friends really liked it. It was just that when I ate some of these, it did not blend with the after taste of the salad and so I just ate a small portion of this.

Five-Cheese & Fresh Tomato

Santa Fe Chicken

I wasn’t brave enough to try the two pizzas. The combination of the salad and the pasta left me with a bitter feeling that I felt like puking. I opted to just not try these at all.

Although my friends didn’t touch it that much. Either they didn’t like it that much or they were already full.

Overall, I wasn’t really happy with my CPK experience. It didn’t leave me full. It didn’t have a satisfying effect on me. And the only reason I might go back is to give CPK a chance to redeem itself. Perhaps, I would try other dishes in their menu. After all, there were a lot to choose from.

California Pizza Kitchen
1st Level, Glorietta 3
Ayala Center, Makati City

Lunch at Leslie's,Tagaytay

2008-03-08T21:43:00.000-08:00

I love Leslie's bulalo! For me, it was really tasty. The rest of the food though was just fine. Nothing to be raving about.

(From T - B)
Pinaputok na Tilapia (with tomatoes)
the ever famous bulalo with free refill of soup
crispy kangkong (not oily compared to that of Dencio's)
leche flan (nothing spectacular)
bulalo and grilled chicken

Our sweet escape

2008-03-04T03:52:00.000-08:00

Guess who ordered the americano? :)

Amici de Don Bosco

2008-03-04T03:29:00.000-08:00

I’ve been hearing a lot of good reviews about this place and finally, I was able to try Amici last Friday. I had to finish a lot of things at work that I skipped lunch during that day. I was really hungry when we got to Amici. It was around 4 pm and the place was empty. Only two tables were occupied when we got in but as I heard, the place could be full during meal times. The place has different counters for ordering pasta, pizza, bread and their famous gelato. E and I ordered rosemary chicken and arabiatta. The good reviews I have been hearing were correct. The pasta was so rich and they did not scrimp on the sauce. As I mentioned in the earlier post, I love meats baked or roasted with herbs. Rosemary is my favorite and so the chicken was a hit for me. At some points, E found it salty but I’m sure he agreed that it was good. Their chicken was not at all dry as it came with a sauce which I assume were drippings from the veggies and chicken. We were so full though that we were not able to try the gelato. Ainah, my classmate from La Salle, said that I really should have tried it. Maybe we can try it next time as we would surely be back. I’m hoping to try more pasta dishes aside from the usual that I can order from other resto or I can make at home.

Amici de Don Bosco
1299 A. Arnaiz Ave. (Pasay Road)
San Lorezo Village, Makati City

Conti's at Trinoma

2008-02-28T08:06:00.000-08:00

One of my college best friends, Zarah, will be leaving for the States soon and so I organized various get togethers with our different set of friends. The first get together was with our friends from our previous work, BPI. The last time we were complete was two years ago when we celebrated Christmas. We had dinner at Conti’s at Trinoma. They decided on Trinoma because it was near to where the three of them lives. Ang daya! I live far from the place. Anyways, I enjoy going to that mall because they have bookstores and several restaurants I still have to check. It was my third time eating at Conti’s. With my first two visits, I wasn’t able to enjoy the food that much probably because I had to wait about an hour to be seated. It was at their branch at Serendra. The one at Trinoma was not at all crowded. I ordered grilled herbed pork chops with paella rice. Cher ordered chicken roulade. Almira ordered philly cheese steak. While Zarah ordered fish and chips that came with potato salad. I love herbed pork chop and their version tasted good. I actually love any types of meat cooked with herbs. Their pork chop predominantly tasted that of rosemary, which is one of my favorite herbs. The porkchop with the rice was perfect for me. I wasn’t able to taste much of the chicken roulade and I did not try the philly cheese steak. I had one of that at Pattycakes and I found it salty. Zarah’s potato salad was also creamy and delicious. For dessert, we had mango bravo and strawberry shortcake. Zarah was so satisfied with the strawberry shortcake that she was giddy about it. I’ve had mango bravo before but perhaps eating it slowly and tasting every layer of it somehow formed a fusion in my mouth. I finally understood why a lot of people were raving about it. I actually wanted to try the herb-crusted salmon but it was expensive. Perhaps, I’ll have it when E treats me to dinner next time.

Almira and Zarah

grilled herbed pork chops

chicken roulade and philly cheese steak

mango bravo and strawberry shortcake - yum, yum!

Celebration at Pancake House

2008-02-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

Pancake House is a place close to my heart as well as with E. We met several times there while we were still dating and getting to know each other. Oh, I can’t believe I seriously wrote a cheesy statement. Oh, the heck. Anyways, for our monthsary, we decided to eat there again. It was an easy choice for two reasons: it was near my work and we were both sure that the food would be delicious. I always ordered beef tapa at PH (I love tapsilog so much!). This time though I decided to try something else and opted for Bonuan fish steak. The description said that the fish was marinated and cooked with herbs served with kangkong and salted eggs with tomatoes. E ordered pork Vienna, which was served with coleslaw. The fish steak was not that spectacular but it wasn’t bad either. The beef tapa tasted better. The pork Vienna though was really delicious especially with the sauce that came with it. The sauce was more on the sweet side. I also love ordering spaghetti at PH. Oh, and their French toast is absolutely delicious. Come to think of it, I still haven’t tried their pancakes. I guess there are still a lot to try on my next visit at PH.

Greenhils food trip

2008-02-18T01:36:00.000-08:00

I love reading other food blogs. From one of the blogs I enjoy reading, I chanced upon a post on a resto called Peri-Peri Chicken at Greenhills which serves roasted chicken with a spicy twist. E loves spicy food so I thought of trying the place. As I’ve read, the price is quite similar to that of Kenny Rogers. It was nothing expensive or fancy so I was willing to try that place. Last Saturday, E and I headed to Greenhills after my class to have lunch and also to meet with my college friend, Mic. Mic is going to Singapore and I’ll be asking her to buy me a digicam. (My digicam broke down and so for the past two months, I had to rely on my trusty Sony Ericsson phone). It was the time to try the resto that I have been reading about. As I googled peri-peri, I learned that it is an African bird’s-eye chili. They have a set meal of ¼ chicken plus two side dishes for P170. We all ordered that. Mic ordered java rice and macaroni soup. E ordered the same rice with buttered corn and carrots. I ordered macaroni soup and mashed potatoes. We can also choose if we wanted our chicken mild or spicy. Mic had her chicken mild, while E and I ordered the ‘hot’ chicken. There were also various sauces ranging from mild to extra hot, which can be added to the chicken. E and I found the hot chicken not that spicy although when I added a little of the hot sauce, the spiciness was too much that I had to exchange chicken with E. I guess if looking for a place that serves chicken, aside from the more common Kenny Rogers, one can try this place. It can be recommended to those who love spicy foods. Although, I am more satisfied with the way I make my own version of a roasted chicken. E ordered my favorite watermelon shake. As I tasted the drink, it was too bland that I had to ask for sugar. Overall, I can rate my peri-peri experience as just the ordinary. It was nothing spectacular.

After several hours of walking and shopping, we got hungry again. Mic already left then. My brother came to join us with the shopping. He came from class so he was really hungry. As soon as we met with him, he immediately asked if we can eat first prior to the shopping. E wanted to try the Le Ching tea house because the name struck him. I love Chinese food and so I seconded the motion of eating there. I ordered siomai. E and I shared stewed beef brisket noodles with a serving of soup on the side. My brother ordered chicken with mushroom (rice topping). Then both of them ordered asado siopao. While we were eating the food, all my excitement vanished. Except for the beef brisket noodles, I didn’t like the taste of everything. Both the siopao and siomai were small in sizes. And the chicken that my brother ordered tasted awful for me. E and I both agreed that The Litte Big Chiness store that we tried at Gilmore was way better and more authentic. Le Ching tea house was not worth what we paid for.

After Greenhills, we headed for the UP fair were we had dinner at Rodic’s. I didn’t take picturse of that place but Rodic’s tapa was a far cry from the Chinese food. Not to mention, their tapsilog is one of my favorites.

Secret Recipe

2008-02-17T06:09:00.000-08:00

I bought E a pair of Havaianas slippers as a Valentines gift (and also because he badly needed a pair of brand new slippers.) However, I got him the wrong size of slippers even if it took a really long time in contemplating the size of his foot. When he fetched me from work last Friday, we went back to Rustans Makati and had it exchanged. Unfortunately, they ran out of pairs with his size. The person there though was really helpful as he volunteered to call another Rustans branch to check if they have the size we were looking for. Thankfully Rustans at Mandaluyong still has his size. We then drove to the area and had the slippers replaced. We decided to have dinner in that mall as well so that there’ll be no need to change parking lots. We were just looking through different restos at the area. We chose a place called Secret Recipe as a lot of people were eating there. The place reminded me of Fuzion Café where they used cool colors for the interior and modern style for their tables and chairs. I enjoyed looking at the pictures at the menu that I wanted to order both rice and pasta dishes. I was eyeing the grilled herb chicken and spaghetti meatballs in their menu. I knew though that I can’t finish those both and so I have to choose only one. As always, E pretended that he wanted one of those two and so we ended up ordering those two dishes. (E always makes way in ordering the food that I wanted.) The grilled chicken tasted so good. It has a sauce that was more on the sweet side, but something which I haven’t tasted in other restos. The spaghetti meatballs did not taste anything beyond ordinary. E found it dry. Again, I ordered a chocolate shake (similar to what I ordered at Tokyo Café). And for all that we ate, we paid P495. Hmm, it was quite cheap for a resto at a pricey mall.

Secret Recipe
Level 5, Shangri-La Mall
EDSA cor Shaw Blvd

My Valetines Date

2008-02-17T05:21:00.000-08:00

I had dinner at one of my fave resto, Kitchen, with some of my favorite officemates - Val, Jean and Pam. Kitchen is at Greenbelt 3. I ordered On Barbie's Cue (a platter of skewered chicken, pork and seafood served on a platter of rice) and Coot It! (mint iced tea).

The Kitchen
1st Level, Greenbelt 3
Makati City

Tokyo Cafe

2008-02-17T05:05:00.000-08:00

I went to DFA last Tuesday for my scheduled appearance for the pass port application. I came with my best friend, Irene. Our applications were processed through a travel agency so we just had to meet with the agency’s liaison at DFA. It turned out that having your passport application processed by an agency, though a bit pricier was way easier and not to mention hassle-free. We had our mandatory appearance, signing of papers and thumb marks all in less than 5 minutes. We just have to wait for our passports to be delivered to the agency. And so since both of us had the rest of the day off, we decided to stroll and window shop at MOA. She was looking for cds that can be used for their Valentine’s presentation at work. I was looking for nothing in particular. When we both got hungry, we decided to try the dainty Tokyo Café. I love trying new things and as Irene loves anything Japanese, I assumed we both were willing to try that resto. As part of her fasting, Irene was not eating meat (pork, beef and chicken) until after Lent season. Due to that, we ordered a pasta dish of shrimp and garlic and tuna sandwich. Tokyo Café offers a wide variety of drink, smoothies, and coffee blended drinks. Irene ordered a tea-based shake. I ordered a coffee blended shake. There was nothing extraordinary about the pasta. It tasted like those with other restaurants. I was raving though on the tuna sandwich. It was really delicious. The ciabatta bread was soft and the dressing was really tasty. I also enjoyed my coffee. It was not that sweet, something which I really like. Halfway though with our pasta, Irene suddenly had a shock look on her face. She discovered that there was hair on her pasta. When we paid for our bills, we reported it to the waiter who then reported the incident to the manager. The manager gave us a 10% discount on our bill because of what happened. Irene was not satisfied with what happened though as the manager did not even apologize. Hmm as for me, I’d still probably try the resto with E next time.

Tokyo Cafe is at SM Mall of Asia
Central Business Park, Bay Blvd, Pasay City

Laguna Road Trip

2008-02-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

E surprised me with a trip to various towns at Laguna last Saturday. He claimed it was not yet his Valentine’s surprise for me. At first I thought we were just heading to Tagaytay. But when we passed the Sta. Rosa exit, I knew it was somewhere I haven’t really guessed. I was completely clueless when we passed Calamba and Pansol. We reached Los Banos and headed for UP. We just passed UP and E brought me to the St. Mark’s Chapel. It was a chapel on a hill, which has an open structure. We stayed there for a while and E drove further to the top of the area until we reached an amphitheater at the highest peak of the hill. It was an amphitheater of the National Center of the Arts and had a breathtaking 360 degree view of Laguna. It was a perfect place for picnics. We then headed past Los Banos and Calauan to have lunch at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan sa Bay at Bay, Laguna. The concept of the resto was nipa huts on a makeshift pond. The food was really sumptuous and cheap. We ordered ensaladang okra, inihaw na tilapia na niluto sa gata, ginatang suso (kohol), pork liempo and fresh buko juice. The food was really fresh. We only paid P500 for such large amount of food. The long lunch was followed by a long drive to Liliw, Laguna. We went slippers-shopping there. The slippers were really cheap that I am planning to start a business and get my supplies there. On the way home, we passed Orient, the all-originial buko pie bakeshop, and bought our pasalubongs.

Chateau Verde

2008-02-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

I have been reading about this resto at several blogs. E and I have been eating dinner at UP Diliman after attending the 6pm Saturday mass. We would first have dinner at Rodic’s, then eat isaw at nearby Mang Larry’s then have balut at the Shopping Center. Last weekend, we indulged ourselves at a relatively cheap fine dining. Chateau Verde is a residential house turned resto. It is located near the Shopping Center (turn left in the road between SC and the Infirmary and it will lead you to Chateau Verde). The place had been well designed and lit to suit that of outside dining (alfresco). The food was really good. E ordered pasta (cream based) while I ordered spareribs served in a sizzling plate with java rice and pickled vegetables. The spareribs was very tasty and sweet. It was tender as I can easily cut through the meat. As well, it had more meat than bones or fat (taba). The java rice complimented the dish as well as the pickled vegetables. The pasta was scrumptious and it was really creamy. I was even the one who finished it. :P

E enjoying his dinner :)

The rest room reminded me of those in Sonya’s Garden. It was homey. The path leading to the resto was laid with plants and lights and just had that romantic feel to it. I really love that place. Not to mention that for the two dishes we ate, we only paid P350. I will definitely eat there again.

not bored anymore

2008-02-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

These past few days saw me complaining on how bored I am in general and I have not been doing anything new. Everything felt like routine. There was not much work at the office and only training was keeping me slightly busy. I am bored to hell with my only class at DLSU. I enrolled for a subject called Fundamentals of Business Writing. Who would have thought that we will be discussing nouns, pronouns, verb and all the basics of grammar? It beat Comm 1 which I had at UP where we were actually discussing précis already. I might actually find the subject interesting if not for the professor who is sooo technical. After all, the subject is a refresher of things I may have thought I have mastered already. Even some dates with E seemed routine. I feel I always decide on where we shall go.

This February though, I am slowly feeling boredom leaving me. To start my February, E brought me to the high school fair of Ateneo. Sosyal is the word that best describes the fair. But I guess that was expected of the school. I found the high school kids entertaining. One tried so hard to sell us lappie bags that he was even stammering while doing the sales talk. There were also the usual kiss and dating booths. Yup, it was so high school.

Then E drove us to UP Diliman (where we felt much at home). We had dinner at Chateau Verde. I suggested the place as I came across posts about the place on some blogs. The food was cheap and tasty, and the ambiance was amazing. It was perfect for dinner and fine dining.

The next day, I met with my closest high school friends and we had a road trip to Tagaytay. After class, I met with my best friend Irene and processed our passport application through a travel agency at SM Megamall. Only when we were done did we headed to Tagaytay. Out first stop at Tagaytay was the public market. I wanted to buy some meat used for cooking bulalo while Sese wanted to buy corn and peanuts. We did not find what we were looking for probably because it was already late in the afternoon. The group ended up eating isaw (or bituka ng manok). They were selling those for P6 each. Mind you, they were huge (malaman) and not the type of isaw being sold at Manila. The six pesos was worth it.

isaw at P6 each

We ate dinner at Leslie’s. In all of my Tagaytay trips, we always eat at RSM and so it was my first time at Leslie’s. The place was not as spectacular as that of RSM’s but the food was way better and cheaper. We ordered bulalo (where we had a refill of the soup), grilled porkchop (it was so delicious), sizzling kangkong and ensaladang mangga. We also had different fruit shakes (mine was watermelon). For all of those, we only paid P350 each.

After quite a few minutes of picture taking, we decided to get back in the car and just drove on the way to Nasugbu. We were heading at no particular place and so I convinced them to try Bag of Beans. The first time I went there, we did not order any food. This time, we tried some of their desserts like mocha and strawberry sundae and chocolate mousse. I ordered their famous apple pie. The apple pie was filling and very rich. It was quite strong for my taste as it had so much nutmeg. It would be good with vanilla ice cream. Nevertheless, I would still recommend it. We stayed a while at Bag of Beans, just enjoying our desserts and talking. After that, we just bough buko pie at Collette’s (P125 and it was still hot) and headed home.

Plans for the coming weekend? A getaway with E this weekend (hot air balloon still or a surprise destination?) and I’m planning a get together with my culinary classmates at ISCAHM. Now, I am stuck with several things to do at work. Not to mention, I will be playing badminton later with my officemates. See, I’m no longer bored.

daily musings

2008-01-25T01:27:00.000-08:00

January 22

I took a whole day leave from work and did some errands. I went to SM Megamall as early as 10am to have my NBI clearance renewed. I knew that a lot of people go there and the line can reach as high as the 5^th floor (the NBI office is at the basement). But I really did not expect that as early as the mall’s opening, the line would reach the 5^th floor. I was quite disappointed and already having second thoughts on whether I should just have my NBI clearance renewed at the Pasig City Hall. But having a previous experience there, I knew that I would also be having a difficult time there. I decided to just wait and stay in line at the Megamall branch. Thank God a few minutes after Ervin came. I wasn’t that bored anymore. Plus, even the line was long, it turned out that they process clearance really fast. It just took me an hour and I already have my renewed NBI clearance. This time though I look much worst. Hahaha.

After having lunch at Mega, we visited my ophthalmologist at Medical City. She recommended a lower grade for my eyes. Lately I have been experiencing heaviness in my eyes. The grade was lowered so that it can match my comfort level. I also liked the design that I chose for my eye glasses. It is in the shade of pink – which makes me look young. It was quite cheap also as I only got it for P2,200 (with discount).

January 24

I went book shopping with Joanne and Zarah. They bought me these:

and another book which I forgot the title hehehe :P

Of weddings and blogging . . .

2008-01-21T02:24:00.000-08:00

These past few days I’ve been obsessing on anything related to weddings. I find it weird. I’m a person whose imagination always runs and who spends her free time daydreaming about almost everything. As a child, I create love stories in my mind. Of course, mostly it is about me. Even now as a grown-up, I have several stories in my head – from fictional people I have fantasized about and paired myself with - to those real people in my life. But never did I imagine about wedding, of walking down the aisle or reciting vows of endless love. Never. And so it may be a surprise even to myself how a casual visit to a photo blog, which led to a wedding blog, and led to several other wedding blogs prompt me to obsess about creating an ideal and realistic wedding. Or is it because of age? Surely, 24 is not old enough to get married? Definitely no within my own set of standards. :P Here are interesting links I found:

www.mimiandkarl.com

www.handcraftedexpressions.com

www.moongardentagaytay.com

Sugarbox

Danz and Celina - the blog which started it all :)

and of course! - W@W

Would you recommend any more links that I can check? :)

from mimiandkarl.com