March Munch: Food Coma at Chopstick & Spoon

Lagi na lang restaurant ang binabalibag ko recently. So para maiba naman tayo, doon tayo sa food court!

Last March 11, bago namin sinimulan ang paggala sa Divisoria, nag decide kaming kumain na muna. Maigi na yung may energy kami sa pagiikot-ikot. Mahirap na ang mag collapse na lang bigla sa Divisoria dahil sa pagod.

My boyfriend was already dead set on Chopsticks & Spoon even before I could say anything. It would appear he was a regular. Kilala na nga siya ni ateng serbidora who already took our order kahit habang nakapila palang kami. So having had our orders taken, pinaupo na kami ni ate at sinabihang antayin na lang na tawagin kami.

Nagtaka naman ako kung pa'no kami tatawagin eh napakalaking food court nun. When she called, I finally realized how and why. Parang hanggang sa kabilang mall yata maririnig ang boses ni ate. Kahit bingi maririnig siya.

Heniway... Since it was just a snack, we got pancit, takoyaki, and sweet & sour fish.

I must admit it tasted much like it had a lot of MSG in the pancit, but the takoyaki and the sweet & sour was really good.

Fab Feb Food: Chef Laudico's Casa Filipino

Now it's time for the choice of the month: my favorite restaurant in the Fab Feb Food series.

My boyfriend took me to Chef Laudico's Casa Filipino in Scout Torillo last February 26 for dinner and it was probably one of the most fulfilling dinners I've had that month. That is, for one, because it's a buffet and we love buffets; two, the place was a beautiful house-turned-restaurant with very classy but contemporary interior (which made the whole dining experience so much more enjoyable); three, the food they offered was fabulously Filipino although there was some fusion attempts here and there; and four, (now this didn't come to me until after we've eaten) the place is owned by one of Philippines' renowned and trendsetting chef, Rolando Laudico.

There were cold, as well as hot, appetizers. The cold ones, being mostly maki and sashimi, were the ones I chose to ignore for this experience since I wanted to be an all-Filipino dinner. The hot appetizers were mostly Filipino and were quite innovative, exhibiting Chef Laudico's signature forward-thinking in food.

For soup, I must also say that I liked their sinigang with its thick sauce and tigas-panga sourness.

Next came the ensalada with Balmban bagoong.

For the main courses, there was a variety of fish, chicken, beef, pork and vegetable dishes to choose from. My favorite would probably be the Angus kare kare. It was mostly meat and not much offal (just the way I prefer) and the ginisang alamang (shrimp paste which most would call bagoong) was also just the way I liked it - a little sweet and not too oily.

They also have a carving station where you can get roast chicken, roast beef, lechon de leche and the likes. My top choice would be the Balmban liempo. Most would probably complain that it was too greasy, but it was moist, tender, and so full of flavor you won't even need to put sarsa on it.

As for dessert, they offer so much to choose from including cakes, ice cream, and a lot of merienda sweets including halo halo. Some were done traditionally like the turon and there were some prepared with a unique twist to the traditional like the suman panacotta.

I'm pretty sure there were some bad points somewhere there that I just missed out probably because of my excitement, thinking that it couldn't have been all that stellar, but what the heck! I enjoyed it so much I'm already planning our next visit.

Fab Feb Food: Hong Kong Master Cook at Dampa

Heto nanaman ako! Malapit nanamang magtapos ang Marso pero ang binabalibag ko pa rin ay ang mga naganap nung Pebrero. Anyway, I've decided I should really complete all the Fab Feb Food lined up before proceeding to the March activities anyway so here's the next Fab Food Fiesta from last February.

Andaming F!!!

One of the favorite places me and my office mates go to for just whatever is Dampa along Macapagal Avenue in Pasay. I think the fun there is in the experience of getting to buy and choose what and how much seafood you'd like. You buy crab, squid, fish, lobster, clams or what-not from the market then take them to one of the restaurants and choose how you'd like them cooked.

Our top choice whenever we go there is Hong Kong Master Cook primarily because they're the only restaurant there that offers braised scallops in spicy white wine sauce - the team's favorite. Although I'm really not one to enjoy spicy food, I've learned to love this dish.

Last February, we decided Dampa was definitely the place to spend the fund our boss gave us (simply because we were very good employees).

We had the usual braised scallops in spicy white wine sauce, of course, as well as sizzling squid (pictured above), a very cheesy baked tahong (below), the name of which I've already forgotten, and stir fried squid with salt and pepper.

We love eating here so much our next visit is already planned for next week.

Fab Feb Food: Valentines at Super Bowl

Truth is, I really don't have much to say about this restaurant. Other than the pictures of the food I took when me and my boyfriend had a pre-concert snack in their gateway branch, I couldn't remember much about it. I guess it didn't really leave me that much impression or maybe because all I could really remember from that day was watching Regine and Ogie's concert, Mr. & Mrs. A.

We got the dimsum platter which had shanghai rolls, fried dumplings, siomai, hakao and a plump siopao in the middle. They had tasty dimsum, but the quantity - for the price - was a bit of a let-down so we also got sweet & sour fish fillet (I think it's a standard dish in any Chinese restaurant).

One thing I remember I enjoyed, tho', was the crunchy banana balls I got as dessert.

I'm not so sure, but it's a plate of bananas dipped in batter and fried then served with chocolate syrup. It was yummy, I'll give it that.

All in all, it wasn't so bad for a Valentine pseudo-date.

Balloon Fiesta

Kahit walang tulog at nakainom dahil katatapos lang ng opening night ng unang Sine Bahaghari, go na go pa rin kami para makinood sa fiesta ng mga lobo.

Ala-una pasado na ng umaga nang umalis ako ng Chef's Bistro kung saan naganap ang matagumpay naming opening. I just went home to my boyfriend's condo to get a change of clothes and, of course, wake my boyfriend up.

Pasado alas-dos, bitbit ang isang bag ng sitsirya at kendi, nagtungo na kami sa Cubao. We met up with the others in Cubao and after only a few minutes of chitchat, we were already on the bus going to Pampanga.

High energy pa rin kahit walang tulog, ni hindi na ininda ang isa't kalahating oras na biyahe namin sa bus. We got off at Mabalacat. The others went for a change of clothes, while some of us grabbed some snacks. It took us two more jeepney rides before we finally got to Clark Airfield.

Alas-cinco na kami nakarating ng Clark kaya naman di na mahulugang-karayom sa dami ng tao at sa haba ng pila papasok ng airfield. Halos kalahating oras din yata kami nakapila bago nakapasok.

At sa wakas nakapuwesto na rin kami para panoorin ang mga lobo. It was my first time to witness the balloon fiesta. So even without any bit of sleep, my eyes were wide open as we watched the balloons slowly inflate and later take off.

At heto ang ilang mga nakayanan kong makuhang mga pics.

The JunA's Ramblings #8

I will look at the big picture once or twice. After that, I will deconstruct it in my head and look at the small pieces ten to twenty times and nitpick on the fine details until I have reduced them to the smallest discernible units or until I'm satisfied that I've determined what and the importance of the role they play in beautifying or destroying the whole image. That's how my mind works.

Fab Feb Food: Rumpa

After watching the fancy balloons' flight at the hot air balloon fest, and having had no sleep at all the night before (a story which deserves a separate post), me, my boyfriend and several friends headed out from Clark Airfield to find some place to eat. We actually had no idea where to go, but after much walking and talking, my boyfriend got us all to AC Rumpa.

Although the name may remind you of midgets with green hair and orange skin, don't expect any fancy candies produced in this restaurant. The place is actually a bit no-fuss, no-frills, and straightforward, although it's obviously an old house converted into a restaurant.

We were lucky we got there before noon so we hadn't any difficulty getting a table. It didn't take long before the place got filled with people. Apparently, Rumpa is quite popular to both locals and people visiting the area.

I sampled their very popular barbecued spare ribs and I must say it was very satisfying. The meat was succulent and so tender they were sliding off the bones. We loved it so much we decided to order another pair (for me and my boyfriend) to takeout.

Although we wanted to try out original kapampangan cuisine and Rumpa didn't quite fit that bill, it was still a good brunch. At least for hungry people like we were.

The First Sine Bahaghari

Last February, Akei's Gender and Sexuality Working Group with PinoyG4M and Pelikula Tumblr presented the first ever Sine Bahaghari in celebration of the National Arts Month -

Preno!

Ayoko munang maging pormal ngayon.

Sa totoo lang, nakakaubos ng enerhiya at nakakahagas ng ganda ang mag organize ng ganitong event. Nakakapagod, but after everything it also fills you with pride.

Hindi ko na ide-detalye ang bawat kaganapan (though you can read some notes here). At this point, I'd prefer to share what it feels like to be part of a project like this.

I've heard of the term sociocultural responsibility before, but it's only now that I'm really grasping what it means. Only after this project did I realize that one doesn't need to perform acts on a grandiose scale to make a difference - to fill a gap in society.

Heto ang isang maliit na proyekto na ginawa namin sa abot ng aming makakaya. Sine Bahaghari is but our small contribution to the National Arts Month - a small detail of a bigger picture. Small but integral, I'd like to believe.

Nahagas man ang ganda ko, napagod man ang katawang lupa ko, tumaba naman ang puso ko.

Fab Feb Food: Brunch at Choco Kiss

I've always known Choco Kiss for their luscious desserts, cakes, sweets, etc. so I was surprised to learn that their Tomas Morato Branch offered a brunch buffet. The buffet is available on Sundays only, perfect for people who had a long Saturday night and looking for somewhere to have a leisurely breakfast.

They offer a mix of continental and Filipino breakfast choices: cereals, champorado, chorizo, sausages, daing na bangus, fried eggs, pancakes. There's even an omelet station where you can pick which stuff you want in your omelet. There's a section for bread with a selection of jams, but I wasn't able to sample those. Then, there's the dessert section that mostly offered fruits.

I, unfortunately, wasn't able to take any pictures since I was still a bit groggy when we went there. I was, really, still half-asleep. I hadn't even fixed my hair before going. Luckily, there weren't a lot of people.

The food wasn't exceptionally great but it wasn't so bad either. My favorite part, tho', was the omelet. It's good to be able to choose what goes inside your omelet.

Overall, it was a pretty fun experience, although the price was a bit steep at 350 pesos. Still, eat-all-you-can's are a lot more fun.

Fab Feb Food: Banapple

Dahil kinarir ko na ang pagbabalibag tungkol sa pagkain, heto na ang kasunod ng January Food Adventures: ang mga bonggang karanasang gastronomiko sa buwan ng Pebrero! First on my list: Banapple.

Hindi ko na masyadong maalala, but one night me and my boyfriend got hungry so we decided to head to Il Terrazo in Morato. Hindi naman talaga Banapple ang target namin nun. My boyfriend just wanted the spicy chicken wings from Bonchon, but me not being very intimate with spicy food, wanted something else. So ang kinahantungan, nag take-out siya ng chicken niya pero sa Banapple kami kumain.

At hindi ko naman pinagsisihan ang desisyon na yun. Their Lasagna Rollups, cheesy-meaty tomato sauce and all, was simply divine! The creamy penne was also very satisfying.

Of course, a trip to Banapple simply wouldn't be complete without the classic Banapple pie.

It's one of the best cakes I've ever tasted with just the right amount of sweetness. Even the crust is abundant with flavor.

Syempre, naubos ko lahat ng in-order ko.

Sa Mundo ng Diosa.DIVA version 2.2

At nagbago nanaman ang mga gusto kong mangyari sa blog na 'to.

The deeper I delve into the intricacies of blogger template xml code, the more things I discover and the more ideas pop into my head. Previously, I was working on getting a 2-column content layout. Recently I've been trying to discover how to parse the post timestamp. It's juicing me of what I know, or at least what I can remember, from CSS, javascript, HTML, XML, etc.

Heto yung mga panahon na nararamdaman ko ang challenge. Para siyang matinding adrenaline rush.

Nakakatuwa naman kasi kahit papa'no eh, nare-refresh ang utak ko sa web designing at coding. Medyo pumupurol na rin kasi ako diyan since I don't really get to use that skill set at work.

This is really one of the reasons why I still try to maintain a blog kahit na bibihira lang akong makapag-post ng kung anuman.