Grub Club

Grub Club is an eating place at the podium of RCBC Plaza. Its pasta dishes are delectable and its rice dishes, sandwiches and cakes are quite good as well. The place is owned and operated by a group of friends which Chay knew personally.

We planned to take Eric for a despidida lunch today (a send-off lunch) but it didn't push through as the honored guest (Eric) did not show up nor was he answering the phone calls made. Vee felt bad as she wasn't informed nor invited by the group for the send-off lunch. I believe, the universe conspired as Chay could not make it as well as she will skip the afternoon for a short course on cookie baking with Heny Sison. To make the long story short, only me, Maidette and Mimi will be available.

So, we decided to have lunch instead at Grub Club in RCBC Plaza. We knew the food quite well being regular diners to the place. The owners sort of knew us by face already. Today, they posted new creations in addition to their regular menu.

I ordered one of their new rice dishes, the pork belly with hoisin sauce. 'Twas actually the tender pork belly, cut to size and fried crisp. It was served as topping to a cupful of rice with coleslaw and glazed in orange flavored hoisin sauce. The orange taste was strong, giving the sauce the tangy-sweet flavor providing the contrast to the salty chinese hoisin sauce. I am partial to sweet dishes but this did not hit me right. I liked the crisp pork belly but the sauce overpowers the melange of taste, I did not like the taste left in my palate.

I got an order of marshmallow chocolate cake to wash off the flavors left in my mouth. The chocolate cake was not as moist as it used to be. It must be left the the oven a minute too long than usual. However, the marshmallow icing was good giving the cake a soft cloudy appearance, something like heaven on earth kinda look. I am of fan of the cakes of Grub Club. I normally have the peanut butter chocolate cake or the carrot walnut cake. I should say, the cake was four spoons out of five, if I should rate it.

My lunch bill was Php259.00 or US$5.75. Not too bad to spend for lunch.

Hunter's Cafe

This lunch tale was a comedy of errors. It was way past 12noon and no one attempted to ask everyone for lunch. Having been most hungry, I went to see Eric if he wanted to join for lunch. He asked where, and I suggested we took the nearest place, maybe Brother's Burger at Convergys. He immediately signed up. I asked Rene and he was ok as well. I called up Chay, and she wanted to visit Som's Noodle House for the cheap Thai food. On our way out, everyone agreed to visit Som's. We related to Chay our past experience at Som's the previous week but she was relentless.

We reached Som's at N. Garcia at it was full to the rafters. I asked the waitress if they can accommodate us still, we got the same answer the last time. They can't guarantee the waiting time, so, once again, we trooped out of the resto. We checked out the nearby hole in the wall, but it wasn't airconditioned. Chay had another one in mind, a Japanese burger place in Amorsolo. With the way she described it, being one of those cheap restos with quite decent fare, we all agreed to be adventurous. Before we left the office, Manong Rudy, our office cleaner, thought he knew the place and it was right next to the Makati Medical Center. We went to that THX cinema side of Amorsolo only to be disappointed. There was no Japanese outlet anywhere near it. It was searing hot and we don't have a place to eat and it was like past 1pm already. I told them about the Hunter's Cafe on our way in at the Creekside Mall and if they were willing for another adventure as I haven't been to Hunter's Cafe before. Everyone was game which was a good thing.

Hunter's Cafe as the same suggested was decked with preserved animal parts such as deer antlers, a goat or sheep's skull, even a fish acquarium. The interiors resembled like those old wooden cabins in Baguio City - dark, unpolished pinewood with converted electric hunter's lamp. The overall ambience was more of a gentleman's drinking hole complete with a bar set-up and on one corner, a group of middle-aged men are dunking beer at this early. Tried to see if any other cafe was nearby, but we resigned to the fact that we were too hungry to look for another one.

Hunter's Cafe menu was extensive. A lot of appetizers catered for the drinking class, sandwiches, rice toppings, and a la carte orders for exotic fares like ostrich steaks, burgers. I insisted we try the ostrich caldereta. Eric received an urgent call and he needed to return to the office at once. We were sorry that after so much of the ordeal, Eric still was not able to eat anything. We continued to order sauteed mushrooms and pork sisig (pork meat, cheeks in sizzling plate).

Our orders came and the ostrich caldereta doesn't looked too appetizing. It was quite bony and per Chay's review, it wasn't the choicest meat. I thought it was badly burnt it left some charcoal taste. The sauteed mushroom was not what I expected thinking it was prepared in sizzling plate. It came bland and lifeless. Despite the lush colors of green bell pepper, crunchy white onions, it wasn't too good to eat. Thank God, the sisig tasted much better though it wasn't as hot as we expected it. It paled in comparison to its Kapangpangan variant which has egg topping and spicy kick.

We took our lunch not much happier with our meal and vowed never to return to this place. I had buko juice (coconut water with slivers of young coconut meat) which tasted like three day old coconut. We divided the bill and my share was Php265.00 or US$5.88. On our way out of the Creekside Mall, we purposely went to see the other side of Amorsolo still thinking about that Jap burger place. True to our dismay, it was on the other side, quite far from the Makati Med area. We laughed thinking, why did we believe Manong Rudy that he knew where it was, we should discern better next time around. Me, Chay and Rene were troopers not much happier on our way back to the office. We were glad Jimmy was there to drive us all along on our misadventures for the day. What a lunch it was indeed!

Cucina Victoria

It was a rainy afternoon and I thought, this must be a difficult day to go home as it’s my carless day, and it sure will be flooded by the time that I will be going home. At around 2:30 pm, I rejoiced to see the sun.

Only me, Mimi and Chay were in the office today. Rene was on vacation to watch the Ateneo-LaSalle game in the UAAP Basketball, Maidette was on a personal leave but will be coming back to the office in the late afternoon to be sure she is around for Eric’s send-off party and Gentley, we don’t know where the hell the guy is. It was decided that Chay will drive us to Rockwell so we can dine at Cucina Victoria.

Cucina Victoria is known for their pasta dishes which are always delightful and has been on top of my favorite, reasonably priced pasta places. Other must have offerings include their clam chowder served in bread bowl, the angel hair pasta and salmon steak. Today, I ordered the Gambalini Pasta (shrimp pasta). When it was served, I thought it was soggy and dry, almost lifeless and pale. The serving plate has also been changed. It used to be in large and mid-shallow plates. Today, it was served in square, deeper and white china. The hints of parsley and sprinkles of parmegiano oregeano were also gone which made the food presentation quite plain and ordinary. I thought, it was not the same anymore.

After my first bite, I can tell the pasta has remained al dente. I needed to sprinkle more than the usual grated parmesan cheese to drown its ordinary look. Further toss of the pasta revealed the pasta sauce trapped underneath the heap of noodles with generous servings of cut to size shrimps. It tasted very good still, I can tell, the quality has not changed much. Digging deep into my pasta, the sauce had accumulated in the bottom of the plate and the taste went more than salty. I realized, this was the result of serving the pasta in deeper plates as against the shallow version. The pasta could not hold the sauce for much longer, as forces of nature like gravity tends to pull it down. Now I knew why I needed to add more than a dash or sprinkle of parmesan cheese. The change in the plates had more or less diluted the taste of the pasta. The top portion get dry and tasteless easily while the bottom part gets more than the required amount of the sauce and the stronger flavor. I thought, the plating never mattered, now I know better. Plating not only enhances the look of the food, it does impact the flavor and taste of the food served.

We contributed Php330.00 for our meal (about US$7.33).

We went our separate ways in the mall as I checked out baby furniture in the second floor. At Baby & Co., I found a crib and playpen in-one. You can keep the baby in the crib set-up up to about 4 to 5 months while use the playpen set-up when the baby ages 6 months to a year. That’s value for money and one less furniture in the cramped house. The crib costs Php7,000.00 which is a bit steep and made by Graco. I went to check-out strollers and baby car seats. These things come in different variations. What struck me the most was the 3-In-1 stroller, baby basket and car seat adaptor. It’s a neat innovation and is expensive at Php18,000.00. I hope to catch the next sale at Baby & Co. hoping I can purchase similar baby furniture at discounted prices.

Marina Seafood Restaurant

We always have this dilemma in the office – where is lunch? Today was no different. What has not changed is that, Mimi still wants her salad and Maidette craves it as well. I was not fond of hitting the Food Court again, we have had a couple of lunches there already. On the way to G4, Chay suggested Luk Yuen. Everyone was looking at me if I agreed with the place and don’t feel like eating Chinese. I blurted out Marina, if anyone was crazy about eating seafood for lunch. Yippey, everyone agreed!

Marina Seafood Restaurant serves fresh seafood in affordable prices and is located near the entrance in G4. It was not crowded a place on a Wednesday lunch, thank God. I suggested clam soup and grilled squid. Mimi suggested we order adobong kangkong (water spinach) and grilled blue marlin belly. Rene pitched in the baked scallops. Everyone was happy with the suggested food combination and we proceed to order.

The clam soup was so good, there must be enough ginger, it almost eliminated the fishy taste. The soup was clear even with the ripe tomatoes, onions and certain spices that goes into its cooking. Next came the baked scallops topped with crisp garlic which was luscious to the taste. It was baked with just enough time, the scallop meat remains tender to the bite. The adobong kangkong was crunchy and the abundant green leaves and young stems were sautéed in garlic and soy sauce. Grilled squid was cooked to perfection, never rubbery nor soggy and you can tell from its taste, the squid was fresh when it was cooked. It took some time for the dip to get prepared as we awaited for saucers to be distributed. However, it was worth the wait as the siling labuyo, (native extra hot peppers) with extra hotness lending credence to the squid’s staple as a favorite drinker’s fare. The grilled tuna belly (blue marlin belly) is cooked medium well and was juicy inside but crispy and slightly burnt on the outside. This I consider a perfect Filipino meal, all seafood and vegetable. Truly a cholesterol buster and easy on the body type of food.

I ordered the native sago-gulaman drink (sweetened tapioca with jello drink) as well. Today lunch was not expensive at all. We divide the bill equally and my share was only Php280.00 or US$6.36.

Our mission today was to find Eric a parting gift. It has been decided that we will give him a wallet. Since Mimi was going to buy something somewhere and Chay was buying her baking ingredients for Eric’s cake, me, Maidette and Rene were tasked to find the wallet. Chay suggested that we check out Marks & Spencer first.

We checked out the Autograph series of M&S, we could not agree on the wallet design, we decide to check out what Rustan’s carry. We passed by Lacoste, we found one good wallet, however, it was pricey at Php4,700.00. Reaching Rustan’s, I checked out Montblanc, their men’s wallet ranged from Php13,000.00 to Php15,000.00, I thought well to say good bye. We looked at Colehaan, Burberry, Bally, Oleg Cassini, Debenhams and even Oakley, we still could not find the right wallet gift.

Maidette suggested we try Bass. On our way, we passed by Travel Club. We debated whether they carry wallets as well and they do. There was one decent wallet, the only thing is, it’s made of suede. Eric will probably not like it. We found one good one at a very reasonable price at Bass. We did not buy it at once, as we tried to compare it with Pabder Uomo. We liked the Bass wallet more, hence, we went to purchase of gift at Bass. At Php1,850.00, it’s not what you can call an expensive wallet, but not at all cheap. We put the initial Php100.00 bill inside the wallet before it was wrapped by the store attendant. We agreed to share amongst us managers at Php325.00 per person. I will be collecting from this group pretty soon.

The group met up at Bass and went back to the office thereafter.

Amcham Monthly Meeting

It was the usual monthly meeting of the ICT Committee co-chaired by Frank Holz and Don Felbaum of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines. The invited guests for the meeting include the Business Process Association of the Philippines and John Clements Consultancy with the Harvard Business School Publishing. John Clements was the lunch sponsor of the meeting.

Before the start of the meeting-presentation, sandwiches were offered. I had a packed lunch of tuna sandwich with crisp sweet potato chips and bread pudding. I did not take some pictures as I might be chastised for doing so in a meeting of executives from the IT Industry, hehehe. The packed lunch was prepared by some entity that specialized in food delivery and I should say, it is quite decent and tasty. The three-layered tuna sandwich came with egg omelet and coleslaw, all in wheat slice bread and cut into bite size portions. Truly an easy meal packed with a lot of goodness and satisfaction.

The sweet potato chips were crisp and sweet. It was a great companion to the sandwich bread, except that, you can't help by make munching noises and it was a bit distracting especially in a luncheoun meeting. The dessert was bread pudding. I swear I could have finished it, but in the absence of a dessert fork, I was content on nibbling only a chunk of it. The pudding was topped with some caramel sauce that was so yummy I caught myself licking my fingers, hehehe.

It was indeed a good lunch with a regular flavored Coke soda to quench my thirst. Today was a free meal and I missed taking down the name of the food company that prepared it.

The presentation of Oscar Sanez, the CEO of the BPA/P on the initiatives of the group was quite comprehensive and scholarly done. It was a collaboration of the group's think tank with the McKinsey people, so no doubt about the technical frameworks used and the methodical presentation of the desired goals of the association in the next decade. The presentation was all about the initiatives of the IT Sector particularly the challenges for Off-Shore Outsourcing/Business Process Outsourcing and the IT Services in the Philippines. It tackled what the Philippine government should be spearheading, that of promoting the Philippines as the choice destination for IT Sector investors and identifying the demands of the industry to develop and sustain the demand and supply of the important commodity of the sector, human resources. The BPA/P asserted itself as the important group that carried the voice of the infant industry and wanted to creat and learn from the India experience to be able to build the competitive advantage of the Philippines for IT Outsourcing.

It was comforting to know that some private associations take on the responsibilities to build upon the vision and promote the business climate for the IT Industry to thrive.

The subsequent presentation on Talent Retention was dismal, lacking teeth and without much tangible answers to questions affecting the IT Industry which is the high incidence of turnover. It was introduced thru a case analysis - Harvard style and drummed-up as if nobody heared of case analysis before, it was repulsive to my senses. John Clements should improve on their way of presenting a subject matter and make it informative and helpful to its targeted audience. The only practical idea came from an executive who volunteered his secrets for keeping his talents in the company for long-term - make the employees not only salaried-individuals, but share with them the profits of the organization thru stock options, bonus plans anchored on transparent basis, etc.

With me attending the meeting was Tina, our outgoing HR Manager. It promptly started at around 12 noon and ended close to about 2 hours after.

Kainan Sa Nayon

I went into lunch thinking I will have Barrio Fiesta kare-kare (beef stew in peanut sauce). However, it changed when Chay wanted to check out National Bookstore and there is no Barrio Fiesta near G4 or Greenbelt. After not agreeing on where to eat, we decided to hit the SM Food Court so, everyone can choose what cuisine or type of food they decide to eat.

After surveying the different food stalls, I ended up ordering Beef Nilaga (Beef Soup). It was steaming hot when I saw it, with the beef looking so tender, it made me salivate. I knew right away what should I order.

Kainan Sa Nayon is a small food stall that specializes in filipino cuisine. It has kilawen (blue marlin in vinegar and cocomilk), sinigang na hipon (shrimp sour stew), laing (leaves of a rootcrop in heavy cocomilk), bopis (inards of pig sauteed), etc. The food attendant assured me that the beef was quite tender and that it has just been cooked. She even suggested, I should order two cupfuls of rice so that I don't need to go back and order another rice. I took her advice, and true to her word, I almost finished the two cups of rice.

The beef soup is cooked under low fire over an extended period of time to guarantee its tenderness. Kailan leaves and pechay are added as vegetables. I can taste hints of pepper and beef bullioun in it. It is served in a generous portion with lots of soup to spare. There was more that enough beef I can consume in the plate. I asked for a venigar-soy sauce dip with crushed chili and local lime for the beef.

This is one meal that will make you sweat. After several spoonfuls of soups, I gorged into the tender beef dipped in a spicy sauce, you can't help but dunk some bigger portions of rice at once. It was indeed, a hearty meal. And only a growing boy can appreciate the delight in consuming it all. I complemented my meal with a glass of pineapple juice and a cone of mango ice cream for dessert. I paid Php 152.00 for the meal and another Php 12.00 for the mango ice cream (something like US$3.60 in total).

With me during lunch were Rene, Maidette, Chay and Gentley. We talked about the despidida (send-off) party for Eric. We had a delimma what parting gift to give to Eric (he is a gadget person) but we can't ascertain for sure, which Macbook accessory he doesn't have yet. We agreed, that in case we can't think of a better gift, our default will be a wallet for Eric.

As I have discussed with Mimi about the need for a more that usual send-off for Eric, the group indicated concurrence. I suggested a beer-themed party for Eric and everyone was excited. Maidette called up a friend if we can borrow banderitas by San Miguel to recreate an Octoberfest atmosphere, and the prospects were good. Chay will bake Eric a chocolate cake as well, yippey! We will meet again in the office to finalize the food, program and logistics for the send-off party.

Mexicali

I had the surprise visit of Marco today in the office. It was a good thing, we were running kinda late in having lunch. Chay and Rene were in my room waiting for our ride to take us to lunch. So, I begged off from my usual company and asked Marco to take lunch with me instead.

We strolled along Ayala to check out the foodie places in Convergys. Despite the time nearing 1 pm, the restos were still packed with diners. I decided, we should hit RCBC instead as there were more choices of restos there.

Finding the first decent but uncrowded foodie station, we settled in Mexicali. The resto offers mexican cuisine - the usual tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and the like. I opted for the meal combo of chicken enchiladas and beef taco.

Chicken enchilada is baked tortilla with chicken breast filling in enchilada sauce, topped with cheese and sour cream while beef taco is crispy taco with ground beef filling and quick melt cheese shavings. On the side are cubed tomatoes and lettuce and mexican rice. It is a huge meal by all measure with a glass of coke to complement the meal.

I have not had any other decent mexican dish from another resto and I am a fan of Mexicali so, overall, I loved this meal. I have the ability to spice up my taco or enchalada with chili sauce or just the sour cream-mayo sauce for the conservative palate. My bill was only Php229.00 or roughly US$5.00.

Marco had just finished his Mid-Term exams. He is on his third year now studying Marine Transportation at Asian Institute of Maritime Studies. AIMS had an unusual curriculum as the semester is divided into two periods, whereby the first half of the load is taken in the first period while the last half of the subjtects in the last period. Hence, the student will finish the requirements for the first half of the subjects as early as August.

Anyways, Marco relayed about what his father had been busy about during this time when he joined his sons in Taguig which is practically doing nothing at home. He told me that I should probably visit Kuya soon as he seemed bored. His Manong, Rey, as always, is busy in his business and every sibling had been the able hands as well, helping out. Rey was thinking about designing a side-car and installing it in their newly bought motorcycle to be used for delivery purposes.

I asked about the whereabouts of Marco's other siblings. Crom is busy is his studies leading to a certificate/diploma in Practical Nursing at the Kennedy School which he hopes to complete sometime in December. Melbourne is expecting to graduate from a Criminology course this October. According to him, his goal is to join the elite Special Action Force and train in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. John has stopped studying and helping out in the family business. Klang-klang, their half-sister, which is just a little over 3 years old, is adjusting to her new environ; having been transplanted from a crowded, almost squatters area in Novaliches to their new abode now in Taguig. Klang-klang at times would threw tantrums which can be irritating during the night and would often get some discipling from his father. The girl was accustomed to getting her way and would not eat food other than candies and junk food. Marco joked that maybe Klang-klang must have worms in her system as she sported a buldging stomach with a relatively thin-framed body.

I resolve to try to visit them next week.

Alliance Francaise

The lunch adventure today was a little unusual. We started out planning to have inexpensive Thai food at Soms Noodle House in N. Garcia, Makati but we ended up at Alliance Francaise coffee shop. We left the office at around 12:30noon so we must have arrived at quarter to 1:00 pm at Soms. We had a good parking space and chanced upon an empty table to an almost filled up restaurant. I thought, when had Soms attracted so much diners at one time, that the best kept secret place must have been so popular now that habitues have trooped to this virtually discreet place in droves.

Anyways, it took us a while to attract the attention of the waiters and waitresses just to get hold of their menu. We thought, this must be normal, considering the huge number of diners. After getting the attention of the guard who graciously gave us their menu, we decided on our fare. It took us another 5 or 10 minutes to get their attention so we can place our order; some two waiters would drop by our side but was not willing to take our orders yet, signalling us to wait for somebody that he will send along. Finally another waiter came only to tell us that they cannot take our orders yet as their kitchen was piled up with unserved orders for the moment. Me, Maidette and Rene exchanged glances for this unusual customer service - as the least they could do was offer something to drink while waiting in the meantine but queue our order nonetheless. The waiter came back to inform us that the least amount of time we can probably be served was 40 minutes and asked us if we were willing to wait. We said goodbye to Soms at that instant.

We had a good laugh on our way out as I proposed to check out the nearby Alliance Francaise instead. Everyone agreed as I pointed out to Jimmy, our able driver to fetch us there. Rene and Maidette were not familiar with AF as they inquired if indeed there was an eating place inside as the building looks more like an office. I told them, it has a gallery, a library, a cafe and such other facilities inside. Maidette can't help but compare the two places we've been to, the "culture" environment of AF versus the really rinky dink Soms complete with Eat Bulaga as entertainment on TV. Rene mentioned the differences in food presentation, as we were offered light toasted french bread with butter, my softdrink was served complete with a lemon twist, table cloths in immaculate white layered with the red one, comfy sofa and cushioned chairs, climated controlled central airconditioning versus Som's, where, the softdrinks were served in their own unwashed bottles, wet and oily table tops, uncomfortable and soiled chairs and hot and humid air. The differences couldn't be more pronounced. We laughed on the contrast and how we shifted our environs from opposite direction of ultra casual dining to a cultured cafe like AF.

We had fun reading the menu as the main headings were written in French but we find solace in the fact that they served Bistek Tagalog and the like. Their menu have been filipinized over the years. I ordered the Roasted Chicken with mashed potato and garnished with asparagus sprigs, carrot sticks, cauliflower and some eggplant combination on the side. The roast chicken have always been tender that the meat will separate from the bones each time to dig your fork in it. Its aroma is strong but not repugnant to the senses and the taste - it's just great. I have always loved the AF roast chicken and it's almost my staple everytime I dined there.

The gallery cafe featured an artist that does photography, painting and collage as medium. It is an unusual exhibit whereby clothes line were hung on one of the garden windows. Pictures, a packet of Tide in clear plastic bag, a worn out stuff toy were pinned to the clothes line. In a gallery, it's probably called art, but to the uninitiated, it can be classified as trash. We laughed at the shallowness of our "cultured" selves.

I remembered Miguel who introduced us to AF way back in 2001 when it was new then in its present location. I wasn't expecting as well that meals are served in the building as it doesn't say at all in its decor or facade.

For dessert, we tried out the mango pie. The crust was good, though it was not flaky as I liked my crust to be. However, the topping was made of gelatin which blended well with the mango filling. The three of us agreed, it was a nice ending to our meal.

Heaven 'n Eggs

My lunch today is at Heaven 'n Eggs at G4. I ordered Peppered Pork Chop served with rice, potato wedges, crispy eggs, sauteed vegetable combo of young corn, carrots and baguio beans. I had melon milk - the nonfat variety, to go with my meal.

I loved the spiced coating of the chops which tickled my taste buds and the mushroom based gravy spread on its top. Anyone can have it dipped either in plain ketchup, A1 Steak Sauce or Tabasco sauce or if you're the adventurous type and would want a melange of tastes - why not combine them all. The chops were quite tender and never over done which left a faint pinkish hint where the meat joins the bones. The vegetables were cooked rare, crisp and sweet while the two eggs were just over easy. No one would get wrong on the wedges, it was always good to the palate. The meal itself is quite heavy considering the heapful of rice and the carbo weight equivalent provided by the potato wedges.

I thought, it compensated that I had my drink in less fat on the melon milk. But for those who never skipped on great taste, the non-fat variety just tasted bland and lacking the creaminess of the full cream type. But, I have to accept the fact that I should be having less fat in my diet and compromise a little on the way certain food types are prepared.

It was a great meal and I always loved Heaven 'n Eggs. On any given Sunday, I would have ordered some banana walnut pancakes for dessert, but I restrained myself this time, as I am a little over my BMI. The meal costs some Php265.00 while the melon drink was Php69.00 (total equivalent US$7.25).

My lunch today was free, courtesy of Rene. He said, he had not treated us yet since he came back from the US, so this was his treat to us. Maybe it is also Rene's way of toasting the delivery of his new car, a Honda City, which will be delivered to his place sometime late afternoon today. He relayed on how excited his mother had been, having asked Rene's elder brother to come home in Marikina and bring some bottle of wine. He joked, he should restrain his mother, whilst she may break the wine bottle in the new car. hehehe. Rene's mother was even excited to go and see over the weekend her nephew who is a priest and assigned in Antipolo City, to have Rene's car prayed over and blessed with holy water. Well, only a loving mother can think of this things for his son.

With me during lunch were the usual suspects, Mimi, Maidette and Rene. As always, Jimmy drove us to the mall and back.

Azure Cafe

I had my lunch today at Azure Cafe. As we were a bit late, all the lunch specials have gone out already. I contemplated on ordering the pasta dishes or the pasta-sandwich combo or some all-day breakfast fare. I chose the latter and oredered the Beef Tapa Breakfast.

There were 6 of us who dined together. Mimi, having been on a diet, opted to use this meal for her available cheat meals and ordered eggplant parmigiana. Maidette ordered the same as well. Chay picked Aglio Olio while Eric got his corned beef breakfast meal. Rene, who came in late, ordered his pasta.

My beef tapa is quite good. Tender and crispy while retaining its juiciness on the inside. As a breakfast meal, it is served with 1 sunny side-up egg, a cupful of rice, a banana and an order of Coke light. Beef tapa is marinated beef strips in spices, brown sugar and some vinegar or lime juice as tenderizer. It is fried in super hot oil and served at once. Normally, it goes well with a vinegar dip with chili flakes or pepper.

The meal was quite filling as I did not expect it to be served with a ripe banana. While ordering, I thought, I was gonna try their new apple struesel muffins as a dessert. Anyways, I will have to try that on another day, perhaps. My lunch today cost me Php215.00 or a little over US4.67.

As lunch progresses, Mimi recounted her family reunion last weekend and how their presentation went about; having to sing accapella and in 4-part harmony the song "Stand by Me". She thought, their intro was well loved, but it lost its audience thereafter.

Maidette shared her sister's story about being asked by her OBGyne to check out the hospital facilities and specifically bring with her some bathing suit whenever she checks-in for her baby delivery. Everyone asked why does a very pregnant person would don a bathing suit on her due date. Well, apparently, it is a good ritual to soak in hot bath while the mother is on its way to labor as it helps dilate the pelvis or whatever that needs dilated and facilitate the delivery. Isn't that amazing, the kind of medical service Canada offers to its citizen. They actually have hot jacuzzi for pregnant women. And it extends to husbands as well, as it is expected that the husband will be with his wife during the ritual - sit in the hot tub while waiting for the baby. This is just too great!

Maidette casually asked me if I will be on my wife's side when delivering our baby. I said, I probably would not want to be in the delivery room as I am a bit quizzy to certain smells and the sight of blood and scalpels. She recalled how her husband Ricky, was with her in the delivery room with the handycam documenting the delivery process. As Maidette was on caesarian operation, however, she was fully awake, she remembered well when she was cut-up and all the intestines were hauled out of stomach to make way for the baby while Ricky was filming. When Ricky saw the intestines coming out, he almost fainted and looked the other way. However, he would continue to peek into the video focus as filming never stopped. Maidette had a laugh looking at the grimaced face of her husband.

I probably could not endure what Ricky had just experienced. I will probably faint or make so much mess in the process.

Well, Lani, the cashier at Azure Cafe had just delivered her baby last June. She showed me her baby pictures and her baby boy was just adorable and pretty cute. She had a 7 pounder baby when it was delivered. By the way she relates her baby, she was a happy and content mother.

Reyes BBQ

No pictures for today of my lunch.

Had lunch with Lyndon today, a classmate of mine from High School.

We walked to the RCBC Plaza and dined at the Reyes Barbeque. I ordered 2 sticks of their yummilicious, juicylicious and super tender pork barbecue served with thick and smoky barbecue sauce, pickled papaya salad and the usual java rice. Had to have Coke light to drain this cholesterol laiden food.

The barbeque is always a delight. I will never get weary in eating barbeque, either with rice or as hors d'oeuvre. It is filling and a great food creation.

I did not see Lyndon for over a year now. He's in Manila since early 2006 and have not had a permanent job. He started to work in a Pre-need company, but eventually quit after 3 days as he did not like the environment at all. He tried his luck at several call centers, but didn't find the right fit either.

He used to have a casual employment with the City of Tanjay as Information Officer under the Public Information Office. I can't remember how long he held that position, I guess, it must be for quite sometime. He quit his job as the possibility of permanency is a remote reality, and as he contends, he is not growing any younger with a growing family to feed.

We talked about the state of political affairs in Tanjay. How chaos was averted when the incumbent family lost the mayoralty post to the tandem of Lawrence Teves and Nilo Tam just shortly after the election results were announced. Well, power can corrupt anyone especially the weak in spirit. You see, in Tanjay, Baltazar Salma has been in power for 9 years or the maximum 3 terms as City Mayor. It was widely known that in last May 14 elections, Salma will turn over the reins to his vice mayor, Lawrence Teves. Salma suddenly changed his mind and fielded his son Neil, to run for mayor.

Candidates and standard bearers of political parties are very much agreed upon by the political stalwarts of the City and the Province way before the dawning of an election year. This prevents turf wars, personal mudslinging and crab mentality syndrome during the term of an incumbent. It also allows continuity of platforms, cooperation and peaceful transition of power.

Truth be told, Salma's son lost in the mayoralty race and for a lot of reasons.

There was one rumor that I found funny about the state of health of then mayor Baltazar Salma during the last half of 2006. It has been reported in the papers that the mayor is ailing and has been in and out of the hospital for quite sometime. Clamor from the Tanjay constituency has it, that the people wanted a pronouncement on the mayor's state of health as it has been awhile since his last public appearance.

Well, the funny story was something like this. One morning, mayor Salma was in the shower when his mobile phone beeped. It was an sms message. The mayor's wife, a DepEd Division Supervisor, reportedly went to check the mayor's phone. Rumor has it, that the text message for the mayor was coming from a girl, maybe a querida or something. Alledgedly, the mayor's wife grabbed a .45 caliber pistol and hit the mayor in the head with the butt of the gun. This caused a major impact on the mayor's head which led to his hospitalization. It was told, that some damage to the brain resulted from this injury. Well, according to some stories, the mayor's wife was only joking when she poked her husband in the head. Only the joke went too far to cause his confinement. Lesson here, throw away those mobile phones, lol.

Mr. Kim Bop

My lunch today was at Mr. Kim Bop. A Korean restaurant that served just so-so food - plain and ordinary - nothing to write home about kinda-food.

Anyways, Gentley joined for lunch together with Mimi. As always, Jimmy drove us to the mall. We decided to hit the food court of SM-Makati. Mimi however, decided to get a to-go order from Delifrance for her salmon salad and joined us in the foodcourt for lunch.

Gentley was relaying to us the story of his cousin's death during the weekend. Alledgedly, many believed that the late Ana (his cousin) did not commit suicide at all, but rather may have been a murder victim. The alledged perpetrator is no other than the husband. Anyways, to make the riveting story short, Ana was married to a Neri from Cebu whose family was also related to the Garcia's, a huge and highly political family in Cebu. It was noted that the political family also owns Sunstar, a local publication in the Visayas.

Ana was described as a poet, journalist and a contributor to the local newspaper who adored diving. As a poet, she joined the prestigious Carlos Palanca competition for her poems but was only adjudged 2nd place. I thought, that's a great feat already, considering that so many talented individuals do not even get the chance to be entered in that awards.

Ana's story was a bit complicated as the husband's family brought in the NBI for the documentation of the case. It was alledged that maybe the Neri family must have some connections in the NBI as it is not normal to go directly to the NBI for domestic cases, but rather, that case would have been referred to the local police. Well, to complicate things further, the family of Gentley was related to the Police Superintendent in Cebu City, which prompted them to bring the guy along. The presence of the police superintendent added tension to the otherwise sensitive situation, as the husbands' family felt they're not trusted by the family of the deceased. Well, the story has the trappings of a soap opera complete with an evil mother in-law, dreams and sightings of the deceased to their love ones, different versions of the story by the husband on how he discovered the body, etc. etc.

Well, back to my lunch. I had the set meal with tempura, jap chae (the potato noddles), sauteed bean sprouts, egg and tofu soup and a cup of rice. I ordered on the side, samurai balls and bottled of mineral water.

The soup was good and the noodles was ok. It is not as good as the jap chae of Kaya though. The shrimp tempura was a bit hard, I mean the batter did not resemble the japanese style that I am accustomed to. (Note to self, why order tempura in a Korean resto?) The samurai balls was wanting a little spicyness. At the end of the routine, I felt like I need to eat something more.

Hence, at the egging of Gentley, we ordered Halo-halo at Razon's. Oh, as always, it was heavenly. The carabao's milk was just creamy and the crushed ice, melt's in your mouth. I loved the leche flan as well together with the sweetened bananas, and other beans that got added into my halo-halo cup.

Well, I spent Php137 for my Korean meal and another Php65 for my Razon's halo-halo. I will call it another day in paradise. I really need to watch out for my weight, my tummy seemed to buldged a little bigger each day.

I asked Jimmy as well, during the lunch break to bring my car to the vulcanizing shop. I noticed, it was punctured by some nail which makes my tire to ran flat at the end of the day. It was my second time visiting the nearest gas station to pump more air into my tire.

Gentley suggested that I should try out using Nitrogen instead of the ordinary air to inflate my tire. Nitrogen being bigger in molecule size (I don't know what I'm talking about here?)does not escape so easily hence, I don't need to check for pressure as often as using ordinary air. O Drive and Bridgestone do inflate tires using Nitrogen. At O Drive, according to Gentley, the charge is something like Php50 per tire with free top-ups. Bridgestone charges twice the amount though. I will think about it.

Sizzlers

The lunch place was decided today by Maidette. She craves to eat mini steak at the House of Mini's. So, we have all agreed to get our lunches at Glorietta 4 (G4)Food Station.

Mimi, as expected, since she started this no-carb diet last week, would want to hit Salad Days for her salad fix. Me and Chay will decide as we check out the food counters when we get there.

It was a late lunch, and along the way, Mimi recalled her conversations with Mikee, our OIC for Customer Support, on the plight of her group where 1 resignation was submitted the day earlier. It seemed that Mikee's style of leadership contributed much to the low morale of the group and Mimi would want her to do something asap. Mikee's colleagues (at least 3 of them) have complained to Mimi the previous week about how Mikee is leading them and what they feel at the moment.

Anyways, as a way of preparing Mikee for sound leadership, Mimi has sponsored Mikee to attend the ACLC conducted by OCCI. Isn't that neat after getting a round of scolding, hehehe!

On the way to the mall, the construction barricade beside our building collapsed because of strong winds. Thank God, no one was hurt. Even the bimmer parked beside it was spared as the collapsed was in the direction of the digging.

Jimmy drove us to G4 and I wound up getting my lunch at Sizzlers, after much thought of either getting a pasta at Piadina or a broiled chicken at World Chicken. Chay, was surveying the place as well, and she ended up getting the same food (which was steak)as Maidette at the House of Minis. Mimi never buckled on salad.

I ordered my sizzling squid, had it spiced up a bit. The order includeed a cupful of rice, a sinigang soup (soured soup in fish stock) and a glass of lemonade. The squid was quite tender and grilled to perfection. I would always like the garnishings - pepper, browned garlic and pineapple bits. I asked the food attendant to do away with the sesame seeds as I tried my best not to have it in my food. I am not allergic to sesame seeds nor do I hate it, it's just that, I don't like the seeds ending up in between my teeth after the meal.

This was quite a normal, ordinary lunch meal and I paid just Php133.00 for it. It was a steal indeed.

I would most likely order squid when eating out especially when I am not with my wife (she doesn't eat squid at all). The other staples would be fish and native vegetable preparations like sinigang, steam kangkong, pinakbet and the like.

I enjoyed my meal very much although hints of burnt meat crept into the underside of the squid. The sizzling plate must be too hot it burnt the sauce poured on the squid.

After lunch, we went on separate directions. Mimi was bound to Mercury Drug, Chay and Maidette to Gourdo's and me to find the clinic called My Womb at the ParkSquare II.

I will have a pretty good look of my coming baby this weekend for the scheduled ultrasound. I am amazed at the kind of ultrasound that's done today. What used used to be black and white snapshot of the baby in the womb has been transformed to 3D and even 4D images. The machine can take moving images in DVD format that you can take home with you with the contour on the face, skin condition and all the minute features of your baby can be viewed in full color and great detail. Truly, the wonders of science and advancement in technology has brought us to frontiers we only dreamed of in the past.

After finding the clinic, I went back to Glorietta and found Mimi trying to navigate herself towards a shop in Quad. She wanted to check out how she can have prints on T-shirts to be used for their family's reunion on the weekend. The group congregated on the shop and Mimi has decided the prints they make are too small for her requirements. She is now looking at other options.

We went back to the office thereafter after Maidette picked up her banana chocolate from SanFo Apples stand. She joked, the chocobanana doesn't have too much calories as it's only a coat anyways.

Journey of my Lunchscapades!

Beginning today, I will try to write about my lunch, people with me, random thoughts and conversations during the whole meal. This way, I can look back and recall how my diet has evolved, did I eat the right foods or I simply binged on anything.

This will be my new journey.