Cafe Bola

We went to Greenbelt 3 for lunch today. It was a easy choice as Gentley took us driving there. Feeling a little sick with flu like symptoms, I opted for some hot chicken soup meal, the sinampalokang manok (chicken in tamarind broth). The order was quite huge, I shared the soup with Maidette and Gentley. Mimi was happy with her adobo flakes, she didn't care to try out the soup any longer.

Cafe Bola is a mid-priced restaurant by Gaita Fores whose italian chain restaurant, Cibo, was more than popular with the high end market. Cafe Bola specializes in filipino cuisine with a twist, presenting the usual home cooked fare in a restaurant setting. It has its own unique clintele, although the diners have dwindled over the years.

We ordered the usual favorite starter, the bangus mouse (milkfish pate). The meat of the milkfist is cooked and spiced-up and processed into a pate like consistency. It is served chilled with freshly toasted bread slices. The group so loved this starter.

My chicken meal tasted good. The sourness of the tamarind was just enough, any discriminating pallet would have likely agreed with its taste. Chicken breast meat was so tender, it tasted sweet and juicy when chewed in the mouth. Slices of Okra, raddish, string beans, aubergrine and onions were in abundance. It melts my heart out and made me break a sweat or two as I gulped on the hot broth.

I paid Php280.00 or US$6.22 for my meal. That too bad, considering that I had some freshly squeezed local sweet orange frapped, to accompany my meal.

Sebastian's Ice Cream Studio

Yesterday was a holiday in the Philippines. One of the "monday celebrated holiday" laws of GMA, in lieu of the National Heroes Day.

I went with Tita Amy to Grace's place in Antipolo. We had some family time together - RJ, Mari, Ronnie, Grace and Tita. Ronnie prepared some grilled pork liempo and chicken barbecue for lunch, while Grace cooked some shrimps and squash with coconut milk. It was a hearty meal indeed, even the kids had a blast. We ate some ice cream too while Tita feasted on sweetened white yam with coconut milk. Despite the rain, the kids were in a good mood. They played with the yo-yos that Tita brought as pasalubong for them. Another toy, mickey mouse on surf board with candies inside was also played at.

Late into the afternoon, I showed the kids my camera phone and they had fun taking each other's pictures and the pictures of the stuff toys. Good thing, I had with me my Ixus camera as well, so both of them had a camera. It was a riot indeed, until we bid goodbye.

I dropped Tita near SM Megamall so she can take the bus to Novaliches while I drove to Podium for some washroom break. As Lani was not done yet with work, I did some window shopping.

In the third floor, a new ice cream stand had opened. It's called Sebastian's Ice Cream Studio, an outlet for premium ice cream. I couldn't help myself, I really need to try out this new ice cream stand. A good assortments of flavor, all very appetizing and creamy to my eyes were on sale. I tried the Dublin Fudge, Chocoholic and another flavor that was the bestseller. All of them tasted heavenly.

Dublin fudge is the personal favorite. I loved its creaminess and not too sweet taste, I could probably eat a pint without thinking about calories. The Chocoholic is for the chocolate addict. True to its name, its made of dark, bittersweet chocoloate. It's not only its main ingredient, large chunks of it are mixed in its creamy form, you would almost die savoring its richness.

There are too many ice creams in the world, all of them special, in their own kind. I would pick Ben and Jerry's as my ultimate favorite. Sebastian's could come in at second choice, then Dippen' Dots, then Dryers, then Haggendaz, the Amici Gelato, then Selecta, then Magnolia and then Nestle. Oh, I'm so craving for ice cream right now.

Inihaw

It was just like one of those days, it started slow and easy. Maybe because it was a Friday.

Before I came into the office, I went out to check some houses at Greenwoods in Pasig City. I meet up with my realty agent, Eva, inside the village. The first house we checked out was located in Durian Street in Phase 7. It was an old house, that used to be occupied by a some lady married to a foreigner. There were 3 rooms in the second floor, while another room was constructed downstairs for the house maid. What I didn't like in the house, was it looked pretty cramped. All the rooms in the second floor were like attic rooms, where the ceiling would slant on one corner, anyone can get hurt hitting it. The master's bath was terribly designed where the shower can be used as only by a toddler because of the really low, slanting ceiling. It was delapitated and all, I can't see myself occupying that place.

We went to another house, this time, its a bungalow type and for sale. It was poorly designed, with no room for air ventilation, I didn't even care to get in to check it out. We went to another house for sale, this time, it was duplex house. There can't be any garden left, however, the three rooms were decent and large enough, I almost liked it. It was on the brink of completion, and the fresh paints were so inviting knowing you will be the first ever occupant whose gonna spoil the place. But I resolved to myself, I need a house with a garden, even though it would just be a small garden. Nearly accross the duplex house was another bungalow type, also for sale. When the owner came with the keys, we went in to check out this newly built, ready for occupancy house. Everything was clean and nicely done, the sala and the dining area were well appointed, the house even provided for a dirty kitchen and laundry area near the back of the house. The maids room was spectacular, I must say, with its own bath and 2 entrances. Eva even joked that the maid might overwhelmed with her accommodation she will not ask for a single salary increase thereafter. I like the coziness of the house, its small garden with blue grass landscaping and those white-flowered plants, these all looked dainty.

Everything was a good thing, except when we check out the 2 appointed bedrooms. The master's bedroom was really small, a king sized bed could not even fit in its designated corner. If I say the master's bedroom was small, the other room must be more midget in size. That really cut-off the whole deal.

I drove off to the office thereafter. Before I know it, it was lunch time already and Mimi has asked that we now have to go for lunch. Chay and Rene joined us to Glorietta 4. We hit Food Choices again as we were on budget.

I went to see Inihaw and ordered the stuffed grilled squid. Inihaw means grilled, so most of its menu are grilled stuff, like seafood, pork ribs, ang barbecue and the like. The squid was a bit big in size, stuffed with cubed tomatoes and onions. It was topped with roasted garlic and served on special soy sauce dip with green lime (or calamansi). The squid was tender and nicely cooked, I was totally satisfied with my meal. With a glass of soda, I paid some Php137.00 or US$3.00 for my meal. Though I was full, I craved for ice cream to wash off the fishy taste in my pallet, I went to get a double dutch ice cream from Selecta. I paid Php20.00 for a single scoop of ice cream. That was my lunch escapade for the day.

After window shopping, the group meet up and Alvin brought us back to the office. As it was the promised day for the camera to get fixed, I asked Alvin to drive me to Canon's Service Center in Pasong Tamo. It took a while to fetch my camera, but I was more than happy to see it finally fixed. I took a couple of test shots and was satisfied that indeed, it's back to its normal operating mode.

I went back to the office with Alvin.

Thai Pad

I went to lunch alone today. Mimi was meeting someone, Gentley could not make it lunch as he was busy with certain deliverables, Maidette was absent today, Chay packed her lunch while Rene was not joining as well.

I decided to call Canon Marketing Corp. for my camera sent for repair last month. After more than a month, I was informed by the customer agent that finally, my camera has been repaired and is now ready for pick up. Although I was disappointed that it took too long a time than their guarantee of 14 days, I was glad to have my camera back. I asked Jimmy to drive me to Marvin Plaza so I can pick my camera and take my lunch at Thai Pad that happenened to be located within the same building.

Today was also the last day of Jimmy with the company as he is taking a month off. Per his representations, his gonna go home to Pampanga to help transfer his family as their home was severely flooded during the last two storms that visited his province this past two weeks. I don't know if I'm too jaded already, as I am not convinced by his reasons. But, I gladly accepted it and looked forward to meeting the reliever from the agency where we contracted our driver/messengerial work.

I meet in the van the reliever. His name is Alvin Mendoza. According to him, he hailed from Bicol, Naga City to be exact. He has been with SL Temps - Searchers & Staffers for quite a time and his last posting was with Jollibee Foods Corp in Ortigas Center. He lived near Bel Air, Makati. In my mind, I thought, good for this guy, his address is Bel Air, hehehe.

I reached Canon and was glad the queue was not too long. I got called up at once and eagerly waited to be handed back my newly restored Canon Ixus camera. After about 5 minutes, my world fell apart. You see, when the Customer Assistant put on the battery, and turned on the unit, some hissing noise could be heard emanating from the unit. The lady who assisted me excused herself and brought back with the camera to the service center room. I waited some minutes and was told, another problem needed to be attended to. She can't give my camera just yet, as they have to solve the hissing sound. I was advised to come back the next day. I wanted to be furious. I wanted to scream. I told the lady, it's been more than a month,yet my camera's not working. She apologized profusely and promised to call me the next day. I told her back, that I had been promised a lot that somebody will promptly call me to inform me on the status of the repair, yet, I never heared from anyone from Canon. It has always been me who needed to call them.

Anyways, I came down the building depressed. I went to Thai Pad and had my lunch. I ordered the Thai Pork Adobo and Spring Rolls. Thai Pad is a small hole in the wall type of restaurant. It claims to be offering the menu of the once famous Sukhothai Restaurant. The pictures that lined its walls where food offers of Sukhothai. Whether its true or not, Thai Pad's food can never compare by a mile with its predecessor that it claimed to associated with.

The Thai Pork Adobo was tender and the generous springkling of roasted garlic put a smile on my face. Just like any adobo, a hard boiled brown egg was quartered and served with the rice. The spring rolls was good and served hot from the kitchen. I can't imagine it without the sweet and spicy dip served with the rolls. Though it is a far cry from Sukhothai, for the price I paid at Php128.00 or US$2.84, I don't deserved to even compare it. It was very cheap a lunch I had today.

Jimmy drove me back to the office thereafter. Alvin was riding with him so Jimmy can orient him on the ins and outs of his new posting.

Tuna Town

We left earlier than usual for lunch today. Gentley was prodding on taking a quick lunch but was suggesting to hit Glorietta. This was kinda ironic, considering that the Glorietta's not a destination for quick lunches. Anyways, it's just that Gentley had some errands at Glorietta, hence, a good lunch destination choice.

It could not be decided where to eat, hence, it was decided we pick the Food Choices in G4, instead. I saw a new outlet towards the end of the Food Choices stretch named Tuna Town. I thought, this place must be specializing in tuna cuisine. I decided to try it out, no harm there, I liked tuna very much. Tuna Town claims to have grilled seafood and sizzling plates. One can order the sinigang sa miso tuna (miso stew blue marlin), all sorts of the tuna fish, be it grilled, sizzling or whether it's the tuna belly, tuna head or the jaw. Other orders can be had for squid, pork barbecue and other a la carte menus.

I ordered the grilled tuna panga (blue marlin jaw) with a side order of garlic kangkong (water spinach), a cup of rice and some soda. The price was pretty cheap, I paid Php136.00 or about $3.00 only. The tuna jaw was grilled just right, although, it wasn't as freshly cooked as I want it to be. I believe, it can't be called fastfood center if you can't have a faster service, hence, most outlets tend to pre-cook their fares and just re-heat it when a customer orders. Hence, my tuna jaw was not a perfect as I envisioned it to be. Nonetheless, I thought it was some fresh tuna indeed. I was able to sample their miso stew and it paled in taste when compared with Sizzler's (another joint offering a pretty similar menu). The water spinach was a welcome side dish though, it's garlic toppings are superb to counteract the tuna taste. Tuna Town is just an ordinary joint, nothing spectacular about the food they offer. I doubt very much if they thrive for long in the competitive food section at Glorietta.

In the end, I was longer for a dessert. It's been two days straight where I have fish for lunch. I decided to get some funnel cake at The Funnel Cake Factory. For Php70.00 or US$1.56, one can have an order of Chocoloco Funnel Cake. It's basically, cake butter funneled into some super hot cooking oil. When cooked, it gets a sprinkling of some confectioner's sugar then drizzling of black chocolate, then some slivered almonds and another round of the black chocolate syrup. It smelled good and tasted even better.

I shared the funnel cake with Maidette, Mimi and Chay. It was one perfect ending to an ordinary lunch I hade. Gentley had scrambled ahead to do his errand. We parted ways as Mimi and Chay proceeded to Shoe Mart for some shopping, while Maidette went on her own and me had to visit Sanry's for money changing. While waiting for the troop, I walked around the appliance exhibit in the activity center for some refrigerator hunting. I also saw LCD TVs made by Syntax, a china company that retails their TVs at only Php50,000.00. Prices for flat screen TVs have continually dropped significantly and the resolution have grown better and brighter. I wonder, when can I buy my own. hmmmmp.

We converged at the lobby of G4 where Jimmy once again picked us up and drove us back to the office.

Azure Cafe

It was an unfortunate day in the office, all internet connections were down and the employees are agitated as they can't do any work. The funny thing was, all of our services, be it data, voice or internet were carried through one-single local loop carrier,which is Bayatel. Although, we subscribed to different service providers, like having 2 T1 lines with Verizon and an E1 line with Asianet, both of these companies are using Bayantel to connect us to the world. This is a class act of stupidity - where we ascribed to the fact that we wanted different service carriers for redundancy purposes, but was held hostage by one single local loop carrier.

In an act of tryng to hide its fault, Bayantel initially told us that the problem was not in the local connection, but in the Philippines-Taiwan line. It was even told that, some shark bit off the fiber optic cable bringing the service down. This explanation was so lame, I dismissed it simply as "passing the buck". Later in the day Verizon and Asianet tested their lines, and it was found out that all their connections are up and running from the Philippines to Taiwan to the US. So, it must be a Bayantel's faulty local connection that's causing the problem. We never had a restored service until the following day. We were given a temporary back-up line later that day, but the service was very intermittent, it's almost useless. That's one day lost in man hours and productivity.

We wait at Azure Cafe, me and Mimi. Maidette begged off as she was scheduled to visit the doctor for her son's consultation on some coughing. Rene was found nowhere and Chay had her packed lunch.

I ordered the special lunch for the day which was the Red Snapper with marsala wine sauce. I always liked fish, hence, whenever I saw one on the menu, if it's not priced exorbitantly, I would always take it. I thought, I saw it bony when an order came out for another customer. Nonetheless, this did not convince me to change my mind.

When Mimi's order was served (we ordered the same fish), we could smell the fishy taste. Mimi was ready to return it to the kitchen and order another meal instead, but I told her, the staff will probably not like us anymore. I was able to convince her that we knew that at some point, the fish may really smell fishy. But we knew, that the fish was not a fresh catch, hence, the fishy smell.

I was not as excited anymore to get my order. When it came, it did smell fishy and tasted fishy. The saving grace was that the marsala wine sauce was great. We ate half satisfied that Mimi suggested we need some desserts to wash-off the fishy taste from our pallets. I ordered the Rhum Cake which was heated a little thereby warming the rum and giving it a kick that almost always, is pleasant to the taste buds. We devoured the cake and had at least one good ending to our Azure Cafe dining experience. Don't get me wrong, I love Azure Cafe, and its menu. The fish today, was just not right.

I paid Php330.00 for this meal, including a can of soda and the rhum cake.

Annabel Lee

It was a holiday in the Philippines. Because of the new law signed by GMA, all holidays are celebrated on the Monday closest to the holiday to give the filipinos, a long weekend to be with their families and explore the countryside. The holiday we celebrated today is Ninoy Aquino Day, which generally falls every August 21st, but was commerated instead today, August 20th (as it is a Monday before the actual holiday). There are exceptions to this shifting to Mondays law on holidays.

One bad about working with the World Bank is that the employees in the Manila Office are limited to 11 holidays per year (to follow the same number that the US HQ has) and the Ninoy Aquino day is not one of the holidays that World Bank Manila Office honors. That's unpatriotic, huh!

So,even though it is a holiday, my wife has to go to work. I decided to see and hang-out with Allan instead. We planned out to sell my extra phones in Greenhills, before these units become worthless and obsolete.

I sold my P910i, a Sony-Ericsson unit, that's both a phone and a PDA hybrid. I also had an earlier model of the Nokia 6600, a camera phone. You really can't bargain much in Greenhills as the shops there would take your camera at really low,low prices. Anyways, better to convert it at a loss than not recover at all.

Me and Allan decided to eat at Annabel Lee restaurant in the Prominade at Greenhills. The restaurant is known for gourmet and the finest cheesecakes in town. This is my first time at Annabels and I have no inkling what their food would be like. I ordered the Scallop and Pomelo Salad for starters. We had pasta for our main course, mine was the beef stroganoff with shitaki mushroom while Allan ordered the seafood pasta in crab fat. As dessert, we ordered the best selling cheesecake of the shop, the baked double dutch pecan cheesecake. I also had my Coke light fix for this lunch.

The salad was great. I never thought, scallops would be great additions to romaine lettuce and pomelo. Scallops were sauteed in oyster sauce and quite tasted good and tender. Scallops are harder to come by, as they tend to be rubbery and chewy if it's cooked too long. I would rate this salad four spoons out of five.

The seafood pasta was served next. It was spicy and colored orange because of the crab fat. I thought I did not like it much, althought the prawns were extraordinarily large and quite tasty. I think, I was not expecting an orange colored-pasta, hence, my apprehension. But the more I get some servings, the taste kinda grown on me and was liking it at the end of the meal. The stroganoff came at a much later time. The beef was mild and tender but I thought, it tasted bland. I asked for more parmesan cheese and it lifted the flavor a little. It didn't fit well the pasta, I thought it was more viand material, than a pasta dish. I would have ordered a cup of rice to go with the beef instead of the pasta. Allan though, preferred the stroganoff over the crab fat pasta. He isn't a fan of spicy dishes, I guess, that was the tipping point.

We were so expectant of the cheesecake. You see, Allan does some baking as a hobby and just like me, he can opinionated about his desserts. The double dutch pecan cheesecake was a choco cheesecake. Hefty chocolate shavings can be found as toppings. Crushed pecans were peppered on the sides of the cheesecake. It tasted heavenly and almost light. The choco flavor wasn't as strong, I thought, I can finish another slice in an instant. As a baked one, it didn't have the something like soury taste thingy when eaten, which is a good thing. I loved this cheesecake, and I think, I will come back to Annabels' without hesitation.

As a gourmet restaurant, Annabels' menu include steaks which are price mid-high and am not willing to spend at this time, hence, I opted for their pasta dishes. I paid Php1,043.00 (US$23.18) for this meal or close to US$12 per person. This is a bit steep.

Barrio Fiesta

Student classes were called off the night before and the rains by the storm "Egay" that turned into a Super Typhoon dropped more rainfall into the wet and dripping metropolis. I went to Ford Global City for my car's periodic oil change and check-up.

Chay and Maidette were not joining us for lunch. Mimi has not arrived yet so, me, Rene and Gentley agreed to eat by our threesome at Barrio Fiesta. Barrio Fiesta is a filipino restaurant that specializes in Kare-Kare (beef in peanut stew) and crispy pata (pork leg). We thought, we should load up on cholesterol for once and enjoy our lunch.

As it was raining outside, we planned to eat in our building's food court at the second floor. It seemed everyone had the same plans as ours when we saw the very long queue of people trying to get their food. We abandoned the idea and decided to fetch our umbrellas as we tropped to the nearby Barrio Fiesta. I warned Rene and Gentley that we may be "too early" for lunch yet, it may take us a while to secure a table at the resto. True enough, the place was packed with diners and we were third in the wait list.

After about 20 minutes of waiting, we got to our table. As we have pre-ordered our food, it did not take much time to get served. We digged the crispy pata, it was so crunchy, so tasty, we forgot all about the bad cholesterol it harbored in its skin and meat. The kare-kare was not spared as Gentley asked for separate servings of the sweet and spicy shrimp bagoong (shrimp paste) to complement the stew.

We came out of our meal quite sated and happy. We paid Php230.00 each for this trip to Barrio Fiesta. It was a steal of a meal indeed.

Amici de Don Bosco

Yesterday, we felt sad for Tony's loss. His father died and we don't know what happened yet. Boyette was kind enough to inform me through text message of the sad news. We agreed to visit the wake later today. This was the reason why we need to eat our lunch at Amici though, we have had one the previous week. Amici is located inside the compound where the Don Bosco Church is located and we have to buy a mass card for Tony's father.

The group was almost complete today except for Gentley who skipped lunch to check the progress of his car's repair at Honda. Me, Maidette, Mimi, Chay and Rene were together with Jimmy driving the car to Don Bosco.

I ordered Tangigue steak for lunch. I was not excited to get a pizza because the Sunday before, I had a bad experience where the pizza I ordered came in too late. The fish steak was peppered with crunchy, browned garlic in olive oil. It tasted so good, the lemon zest has taken out the fishy smell altogether. I always like the Amici as anytime I felt like eating a rice meal, they do have it in their menu. Or, if I felt like eating some good ole pasta or pizza, they do have an extensive listing. Not to be forgotten is the assortment of gelato flavors and cakes that tastes decent and really cheap.

We picked out the Mass Card from the church office. You see, in the Philippines, it has been customary that you gave the love ones of the dead, a perpetual prayer card for the eternal repose of the soul.

We agreed to leave at 4:30 pm and journey towards Loyola Memorial Park where the wake for Tony's father was arranged. Eric came to join our group while Gentley stayed in the office to finish some deliverables. Jimmy drove us to Marikina as we meander in the Marikina river banks. It was my first time to see the River Banks and the mall beside it. The park in the river bank was clean and green, with bike lanes, skating rink and lots of park benches to sit on. I also get to see the mall with lots of shops selling the famous Marikina shoes and the once Guinness Book holder of the world's largest leather shoes. I thought the extra large shoes were clumsy looking and plain ugly. Though, I have to credit the designer of that shoe for selecting the more conventional bostonian design because of its universal appealand recognition.

We reached the memorial park and Holy Trinity Chapel in the middle of the cemetery. I felt quizzy being surrounded by thousands of graves and stately mousoleums. The utter emptiness and silence of the place made numb and speechless. I thought, it must be sacrilegious to even shout, laugh or carelessly step on someones resting place.

We immediately saw Jocelle after our second pass on the chapel. Tony meet us in the corridor of the triangular edifice. I didn't feel right inside the chapel. First, I know I was supposed to see a dead body somewhere in the room. However, the shape of the room reminded me of the pagan past where rituals and human sacrifices would have been performed in the presence of hooded individuals chanting in unison. In the middle of the room was a mable table that resembled like an altar. Had there been a spot light on the apex of the room, I could be run straight away really scared and breathless. These strange visions were compounded by rows and rows of crepts where human remains of powdered bones and flesh were intered. It was eerie, cold, and totally a scary place to be alone.

Tony talked about his father's fight with the big C. We were quite surprised that the remains of his father had been cremated already. He also talked about the family's last moments with his father before the coma.

We said our goodbyes and bought flowers at the entrance of the memorial park. Jimmy drove us back to Makati until it drizzled a little. I had to ask Jimmy to drive me home as its my carless day and with the weather getting bad, my probability of getting a cab at this time was getting slimmer.

Burger King

It was raining hard this morning. The storm "Egay" was making its wrath felt in Metro Manila causing a lot of flooding and the suspension of classes. However, the call to suspend classes came in too late and the students were in school already. I was early too, as my wife was scheduled to have an early morning meeting at work. Driving our way to Ortigas, we felt the storm winds get stronger, with a heavy downpour and scary thunderstorm this early morning. Visibity was reduced to less than 5 feet while we drove slowly in the Rockwell area. It took us longer to reach Ortigas as motorists were cautious with the driving speed and as streets got flooded faster than the clogged drainage could empty.

I took me more than 3 hours to reach my Makati office. And that's because, I was caught in a traffic jam at the Saint Paul College - Pasig when students where scrambling to get to their school service vehicles as classes were called off too late. It was only me, Chay and Gentley from among the managers who were able to brave the flooded metropolis. Rene was circling a couple of times his Marikina neighborhood and eventually gave up when flood waters reached non-passable levels. Maidette was on the Skyway ramp but was forced to turn-back as the exit was flooded. No vehicle was allowed to exit and all traffic eventually counterflowed back to Paranaque. Mimi was the last to venture out from the comforts of her home. She waited for the flood waters to subside in her neighborhood until about 10 am. Traffic was getting to a stand still that she change routes a couple of times until she reached the San Juan area. She eventually gave up, when at around 2pm, she was still in the vicinity of Shaw Boulevard. Feeling hungry, she stopped by Chow King to get a fix of hot noodle soup.

That left me and Chay as lunch buddies for the day as Gentley begged off as he needed to check out his car at Honda. Having paid a bigger lunch bill the day before, I suggested to Chay that we hit Burger King this time. She readily agreed as she needed to drop by Shoe Mart and Burger King is situated near SM Makati.

I ordered a double burger with bacon and mushroom. It was a set meal with drinks and french fries. Chay ordered a Whopper Meal that came with drinks, fries and sundae. She was not interested to get the sundae but was rudely told by the counter food server, that she has to take it or leave it. Huh!

I gladly accepted Chay's sundae and I had a great meal indeed. The double burger was good, but I liked BigMac better. The bacon and mushroom, I believe, could not even save Burger King's version. But at Php155.00 for the meal, why should I be complaining.

Sumo Sam

We felt like adventurous today, in terms of food and the place to dine. Gentley was excited too, to drive us to where ever we intend to eat.

I suggested we take a look at the new resto in the Rockwell Mall called Sumo Sam. I saw this foodie place weeks back when I was window shopping for some baby things. I thought the place was interesting, and its japanese cuisine, so, nothing could go wrong.

Mimi, Rene, Gentley were all thumbs up for this lunch adventure. The 3 of them went down ahead to fetch Gentley's car while I stayed in my office to fix that check that I needed Jimmy to present to HDMF for my usual monthly amortization. It was going to fall due the following day and Jimmy wanted to make sure I'm not gonna miss it. Interesting enough, while I was rushing out to the elevator lobby to catch the next lift, Mimi gave me a ring. Apparently, Gentley forgot to bring his car keys with him and its lying somewhere in his desk. So to save on time, I fetched the keys while they waited for me in the main lobby.

Gentley drove us to the mall and feeling excited on what to order in this new resto. We reached the 3rd level of Rockwell a little past 12:30 in the afternoon and the place was packed. We decided to wait while we browsed through the menu. Gentley could not decide between getting the group sampler bento or ordering a la carte. When we had our table after about 15 minutes, we decided to pick our own individual orders instead.

Sumo Sam's specialty are steaks and sushi. The menu includes wagyu beef as specialty, but the prices are a bit prohibitive to try out today. Appetizers are quite extensive, and so are the sushi, sashimi and the yakitori fares. Other than the wagyu beef, the a la carte orders are reasonably priced at mid-range. Its price is relatively comparable with Teriaki Boy.

I ordered the set menu of beef with japanese fried rice, a cup of miso soup, a lettuce salad, california maki and teriaki salmon. The miso soup was quite good and hearty I emptied my cup in no time. Mimi seemed to fancy the salad, so I offered her the lettuce instead. I tackled the california maki and it was so fresh and the mango tasted sweet, I just cannot complain. Gentley had the privilege of tasting the fried rice first, and he approved of its taste he's recommending Mimi and Rene to try and taste it. I ordered my steak medium-well while Gentley fancied a really well-done beef. Gentley was not satisfied with his beef as he saw some pink flesh, he asked his beef to be cooked further.

I was happy with the beef. I thought it tasted good and tender. However, the steak sauce of gravy with mushroom tasted burnt and that's my only bad review of my food.

My lunch meal was a bit pricey as it was a bento meal. I paid Php575.00 for this meal but I'm not complaining as it was so worth it.

We strolled the mall after our lunch and I had this chance of looking at what Rene has called the Rolls Royce of baby strollers. You see, it was the first time I ever saw a baby stroller priced beyond US$1,000.00, I thought, it was rediculous. Rene mentioned that I must be too lucky as Hobbes, the shop that carried the brand, is the exclusive distributor in the Philippines. I told him, I wasn't filfthy rich to waste my money on that brand of stroller.

Gentley drove us back to the office thereafter.

Yellow Cab

In that fateful Saturday, me and Allan went to Salcedo Market in Makati City and shopped for baby stuff in Divisoria near Binondo in old Manila. Traffic was quite heavy that day while we were on our way to Divisoria. We passed by La Salle on our way as the South Super Highway was packed with motorist. It was almost noontime when we reached Juan Luna. We were quite lucky that we found an empty parking space in Juan Luna street, a good number of blocks from Divisoria.

It was a long walk through the crowded streets leading to Divisoria Mall as I let Allan shop for music CDs first before we hit the stalls in Ilaya. I quickly got interested in DVDs as well, at the top floor of the mall as they were selling the pirated stuff at Php40.00 (less than a dollar)for new movie releases. Being a fan of the Heroes series on TV, I purchased the DVD title for the complete season 1, Die Hard 4.0, Simpsons the Movie, Blades of Glory, Rush Hour 3 and another title I can't remember anymore. Allan found a shop that sells music CDs at Php100.00 for 5 CDs. Can you imagine the prices they were selling these pirated stuff? I wonder what the Optical Media Board is doing to stop this trade.

Having bought our movie and music disks, we took some browsing around for picture frames. Allan just came from a trip to the US and he's got some pictures that needed a permanent home and we were hunting for these at the mall. Allan failed to choose what he liked and we moved to the Ilaya side. I asked him to try out the Flea Market on the third floor which Grace had described as a haven for smart buyers where branded goods are sold at specially marked-down prices. Allan was game but we did not fancy anything worth buying.

We went through the stalls in Ilaya and looked for a baby shop. We found one and we never moved away from it until I got all that I've needed for the trip. I bought new born baby clothes, cloth diapers, flannels, mittens and socks, diaper bag and even a baby toy. I spent close to Php5,000.00 for the baby stuff and I was stopped by Allan from buying the crib beddings as well, as we were pretty packed already and it sure was a long walk back to where we parked our car. He volunteered to make it his baby gift instead and he is buying the beddings from a Makati mall.

It was a long journey back to our car. Droves of shoppers came into Divisoria as the weather was better compared to the wet and rainy early week that passed by. The foot traffic was slow and we can feel hunger already. I saw a Yellow Cab near the place where we parked the car and we agreed to have a late lunch.

We ordered a Charlie Chan pasta with chicken and a small pan pizza of pepperoni and mushroom. I loved Charlie Chan pasta, but Allan did not expect it to be hot and spicy. After the first serving, he moved to the pizza right away. I guess we were too tired to taste the pasta and pizza to form an opinion of whether it was a good lunch or not. But, for sure we could not eat a lot, we have to pack the rest of the pizza and past for take out. We consumed though our drinks to their last drop, mine was a Coke Light while Allan content himself with iced cold mineral water.

Allan would drop his laundry in Tayuman and take the long route from there back to Makati where I lived. We passed by the old Mola flat so I can feed the gold fish left in the acquarium. I reached home too exhausted to relate my ordeal for the day to my wife and mother in-law. However, they were excited to eat the pasta and pizza left-over from our lunch and to check out the shopping stuff I brought in from Divisoria.

Salcedo Market

Allan has asked me to accompany him to the Salcedo Market in Makati last Saturday. Without any lined-up early morning commitments, I agreed provided he accompany me to Divisoria so I can start my shopping for my baby stuff.

We planned to take some brunch at Salcedo Market as it is known to have an assortment of shops selling roast pig, spanish paella, cakes and pastries and various organic fruits and vegetables. We were not disappointed to see the whole Salcedo Park crowded with shoppers and diners. The first shop we saw at the entrance was selling french crepes and we agreed to buy a mango crepe and an apple variety. We walked around, saw several stores selling paella and we got an order of the Valenciana type. We were informed by the stall owner that the Paella Negra was quite popular with the kids because of its pecular black color from the squid ink that's used to darken the paella. Roast calf, roast chicken, roast pork and grilled seafood were all over the place, but we settled for pritchon, it's suckling pig, roasted and dip fried to perfection. It is served in bite slices and wrapped in pita bread with hoisin sauce. Allan wanted to try the lasagna, but the stall he chose ran out of the meat variety and we couldn't wait for another 15 minutes. We went to a french shop that offers several quiches, other french cuisine and baguettes. We bought a cheese quiche and some fresh daladan juice from another staff to complete our brunch feast.

We settled in some corner where the dining area was set-up and had a hearty meal. The paella was not as good as what one can sample from Cocina de Tita Monings or from Senor Alba, but it was tasty nonetheless. The pritchon was tender and crunchy at the same time we came short of our order wanting for more. The crepes were as delectable as what one diner had described it to us while we were placing our orders then. You see, the secret was in the crepes sheet, where it was cooked fresh and sprinkled with some sugar-cinnamon combo before adding the fruit chunks and marmalade. The quiche was good and quite filling to eat. I can't be sure why it is supposed to be eaten as an appetizer.

We had a heavy brunch and we browsed through the shops some more. Allan was about to order some wagyu beef, but stopped himself as he cannot be home until late in the afternoon and the fresh beef will naturally spoil by then. He bought some tortilla, italian panini, some fruits like cherry, bangkok lanzones and langka (jackfruit) which we ate some more along the way to Divisoria.

We must have spent close to Php1,000 or (US$22.22) for that morning trip to the Salcedo Market. It is indeed a glamourized flea market of sorts which boast of organic fruits and vegetables, showcase of some philippine handicrafts, plants, flowers and an international array of food and cuisine. It attracts mostly expatriates and the alta sociedad of the Makati's elite considering that the venue of the market is where some upscale condominiums are situated.

Allan was convinced his not gonna visit Salcedo Market for quite some time.

Azure Cafe

I went to Azure Cafe by my lonesome today. Mimi has been busy and Eric, who was visiting us and processing his clearance, was not also ready to take lunch yet.

I ordered Chicken Relleno, one of the lunch of the day. It's basically, chicken with stuffings where ground pork, and chicken meat are mixed together with bread crumbs, onions, pepper and carrots. When it is served, some mushroom gravy is poured on top to enhance its flavor. The lunch of the day included a cup of rice, sauteed vegetables composed of baguio beans and carrots and a dessert, a banana cake.

The Chicken Relleno was quite good and tasty. Chunks of chicken, the white meat portion remained intact and cooked soft and flavorful. The accompanying vegetables were cooked medium rare thereby keeping the crunchiness of the carrots and beans. While browsing through todays newspaper and having my lunch, Mimi and Eric followed me in Azure. They ordered their lunch and came to sit with me in one corner of the cafe.

The banana cake was not as good as I thought it should be. It was plain and dry. It could be saved if some cream or icing where drizzled on top of it. But, why should I complain, it was a freebie with the lunch menu.

Mimi talked about her bitchiness with Jimmy, our company driver, last Friday when Jimmy failed to give back to Mimi her car keys. Jimmy was already in Bulacan when he realized he got Mimi's car key with him. He called to tell Mimi and if its possible to drive her car to her place the following day instead. Mimi refused to take Jimmy's offer and asked Jimmy to come back to the office right away to return her key. Poor Jimmy!

Eric talked about his new job and its new challenges which he found quite interesting. He also related to us, which of our employees are currently active in searching for opportunities outside so we have a good heads up who are in danger of giving their resignation letters soon.

We ended our lunch while I pay Php210.00 or US$4.66, with a can of soda to accompany my lunch meal.

Kaya

Nobody seemed to ask where's lunch today not until it was close to 1pm when Mimi finally came to my room. I was talking to my sister, Grace, on the phone as we tried to catch up on news about what's happening with our families. Grace finally hung up and I called up Rene to join Mimi and meet up with Jimmy at the back entrance of our building.

We asked Rene on what he feels like eating today. He suggested Yoshinoya, a Japanese fastfood joint at Parksquare. Mimi wasn't too excited about eating at Yoshinoya. Rene was restricted into thinking that Mimi would insist on a foodie place with salad on their menu for which Mimi promptly disputed. Rene suggested Marina but I told him, we would be paying more since, there were only 3 of us whose gonna share the bill. We ended up picking Kaya, a korean resto at G4 at the suggestion of Mimi.

We ordered the spicy squid, japchae and kalbi jim. We also had a side order for a kimchi. Spicy squid has been the group's favorite, though this was Rene's first brush with Kaya. The squid was always cooked to perfection and it's neither too hot nor too bland in its taste. Japchae or potato noodles was crystal in color with sprinkling of sesame seeds on top and chicken bits and shallots. I loved Kaya's japchae as its neither sweet nor too salty in its taste. Kalbi jim or beef stew is also another winner from Kaya. Its presentation was enhanced by the scrambled egg strips on top while its taste and texture have remained immaculately consistent every time we order this dish. The beef was so tender the meat literally separate from its bone and the stew was so good, I could soak my rice in it.

I had a fix of mountain dew to accompany my meal and I paid Php266.00 or (US$5.91) for this lunch escapade.

We went on our separate ways as Mimi went to the money changer and quick stop by Rustan's for some shopping. Me and Rene went around the mall, browsed through marked-down books on display and window-shopped for a new car model from Mitsubishi. This model was named Fuzion, Mitsubishi's answer to Toyota's family car Innova. Fuzion came in two variants, the jazzed up model with dashboard TV screen, eletronic gauges for tire pressure, climate temperature and such and the provision of the much needed safety feature, air bags. Can you imagine, the low end model does not have a single air bag at all? I really thought car airbags are a standard feature of todays cars, apparently not. Rene related that his new car does not have the airbag feature as well. He said, the next model from his newly purchased Honda City car was prized at Php100,000 more for an additional car feature of airbags and a bigger car engine difference of about 0.2 in displacement.

Well, Fuzion looked better than the Innova. It resembled a lot like the Pajero when seen from the front and it features bucket seating for its first two rows of seats. The high end model costs Php1.15 million, while the other model costs Php950,000. Rene joked that the Fuzion was more of a Daddy's car as opposed to the Innova, that's more known to be a mom mobile.

Jimmy drove us back to the office thereafter.

Kamay Kainan

It was a reunion of sorts with my friends from high school. Cecille was in town for a couple of days and I met up with her, Lyndon and Celso at The Fort. Cecille came from Cebu where she operates a personal finance enterprise. She was in Manila to accompany her sister in-law to the US Embassy for the needed immigrants visa interview. Celso has been working with Tambunting, a financial services company as liaison officer. Lyndon was without luck and has been unemployed for quite some time now.

I sort of played the tour guide of the group despite that Lyndon and Celso have been domiciled in Manila for quite a time. I asked them if they have been to Bonifacio High Street, as it's the newest opened alfresco shopping and dining destination at The Fort. Convinced that noboby have been there before, I drove them there. I brought them first to Market! Market! for our dinner. Not knowing what each of my friends would prefer to eat, I brought them to a filipino buffet restaurant, known as Kamay Kainan.

Kamay Kainan - a Kapangpangan style resto has a wide assortment of foods, from beef, pork, chicken to seafood and a gastronomic delight of typical filipino desserts such as halo-halo, dirty ice cream and a whole lot more. Beef sampling was prepared a couple of ways, such as in nilaga soup (beef shanks and brisket in soup with potato, cabbage and other vegetables), caldereta style and mechado. Pork dishes include, sweetened pork knuckles, grilled, bopis (inards), dinuguan (pork blood), pork soup, and pork chops. Chicken was fried, with nilaga (chicken soup) and other preparations. Seafood dishes include, fresh oysters, tahong soup, catfish grilled, shrimp tempura, drunken shrimp, fish fillet with soup, fried milkfish and tilapia, and various dishes with vegetables.

The dessert table was huge with more than a dozen ingredients for halo-halo, basically, crushed ice mixed with sweetened fruits and beans and topped with fresh milk and pinipig or ube yam. Fried sweet bananas, banana cake, ginatan or sweet rice porridge with sweet yam, bananas, tapioca and other ingredients cooked in coconut milk. A cart of dirty ice cream in mango flavor, ube and plain vanilla was also ready for the taking.

I feasted on fresh oysters, drunken shrimps, beef nilaga and caldereta, fried milkfish and tilapia, grilled pork chops, tahong and fish fillet. I felt so bloated I picked on the dessert plate that Lyndon fetched for himself as I cannot eat anymore another plateful. Everyone had a hearty appetite and no one was complaining about the taste and quality of the food. I told them intially, we were eating cheap and we did. Iced teas were refillable and it's only a personal choice not to go back to the buffet table and dishes were constantly refilled by the ever watchful waiters.

Our food bill was only Php1,200.00 or Php300.00 per pax (something like US$6.67). Cecille volunteered to pick the check as a treat for us. After eating, we walked towards Serendra plaza and unto the Bonifacio High Street for the night stroll. I related to them the real estate prices in Serendra for the condo units for sale and the kind of clientele patronizing this new hang out. Reaching the High Street, Lyndon was in awe, almost gawking at the 5 floors of Fully Booked, a flagship bookstore with a Starbucks coffee shop inside. Cecille wanted to shop at Crocs and she bought a pair of a 3-inch heeled slip-ons. They liked a lot the manicured lawns, the myriad of fountains, the trellis vines and the sparse crowd that strolled the gardens of Bonifacio High Street. We sat for while at the other end of the strip and talked about our high school days, what have we become and posed for some shots for posterity.

As the night turns colder, we prodded Celso to buy us some hot coffee at Starbucks. We walked back to Fully Booked and browsed around the wide assortment of trade books, travel, novels, magazines, music CDs, and even movies. After a while, we ordered our coffee and sat at Starbucks for more high school reminiscen. When the coffee shops closed its counter, we decided to call it a night as well. I offered to take Cecille to her brother's house and drop-off Lyndon and Celso thereafter at Edsa. We sure had a fun night as we said goodbyes to each other.

Amici de Don Bosco

It rained since Monday and two tropical storms have since entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility. Yesterday, the dourpour was just tremendous, flooding in my place prevented me from going nowhere. I stayed home with my wife and we enjoyed meals of arroz caldo (rice porridge with chicken) and hot cakes. It was a bit late when school was cancelled and a lot of finger pointing happened blaming the timeliness of calling off the kids from leaving the safety of their homes. Hence, last night, the government had announced no classes on all levels the following day. It has been an old joke that whenever the the weather bureau would forecast rains or bad weather, the sun would shine brightly. Today, the weather bureau did it again, the forecasted bad weather never happened, only few scattered rain showers and the sun did shine most of the day, at least in Metro Manila. Tropical storms Cheding and Dodong were on their way out to Taiwan and the coast of China. I believe, the Philippines should invest in people and better equipment to greatly improve the weather forecasting. We call our weather bureau, Pag-Asa which literally means "hope" yet, its forecasts are inaccurate and hopeless. Despite being the laughingstock, the bureau never got a facelift nor a good lashing for not doing properly its job.

Well, so much for the ills and problems besetting the country. Today, I asked my friends and colleauges to have our lunch at Amici. Amici is like a gem for a hole in the whole establishment that serves decent fare at very reasonable prices. It used be run by brothers of Don Bosco until some months ago when its business was sold to some entity that continued to operate it under the Amici name serving the same food and menu with greatly improved service. As a commercial entity, its POS system is now linked with the kitchen and a customer can literally order from a counter, any of its pasta, pizza or refreshments thereby eliminating the queuing up of the olden days when the brothers used to run the place.

We joked around that we felt different before knowing that the profits derived as a result of patronizing the place would redound to the benefit of the brotherhood that supported such programs as feeding the poor, fostering children and spreading the good news to mankind. Besides, we felt like the food we ate were blest by priest that we feel wonderful inside out partaking of the "feast". Today, its different. We know the place is run for profit but nonetheless, the food never tasted this good.

I ordered beef caldereta. It was the last serving from the food station and I should say, it was more than the usual serving. Got a moundful of rice (more like the huge amount of rice an ordinary carpenter or masonry laborer could actually consume after a day's work) and a can of Coke Light. Gentley ordered his favorite, the adobong pusit (squid cooked in its ink). Since the servings were hefty, me and Gentley shared our food. Rene and Maidette could not even hold their forks to try out Amici's beef caldereta.

It was Rene's maiden trip to Amici and he loved the place for its sheer no-nonsense ambience where the accoutrements go to the food quality and not on less substantive form of investments. Gentley pointed out in jest that Amici can be a "date place" as the woman will think you're the man of substance for choosing Amici over the fanciful restos. To me, I'll say, the man will be branded a cheapskate and that will probably be the end of his courting days, hahaha. We talked about the better mix of people dining in, as we saw some caucasian men ordering a bottle of wine and some svelte ladies ogling on their desserts and gelato.

Well, in fairness to Amici, it attracts mostly office workers during lunches and families during the weekends. It is good to know that it opens its doors to diners now even on Sundays. The brotherhood probably will not like much the idea that the new owners of Amici will not "rest" on Sundays. But the shop has made tie-ups with Waltermart, as diners can park their vehicles at the mall while Amici will exchange the parking ticket for a free car pass after spending some Php300 on food. That's a steal.

Well, I loved my beef caldereta. It has a rich texture and aroma, probably from using A grade liver sauce. You can tell the beef was fresh before it was cooked and I almost wiped my plate clean had I have some cheese bread with me. I also enjoyed the squid that Gentley shared and it was a truly filling lunch. However, my trip to Amici would not be complete without sampling the cakes and pastry assortments. I ordered a mango tango and tiramisu. The mango tango was an instant hit. Gentley loved it so much, he ordered half of the refrigerator cake for taking home. Rene even thought of ordering wholesale the mango tango. That's how good this dessert was. A slice would cost Php35.00 plus some VAT and local tax. The tiramisu was good but could have tasted better with more liquer. But at Php35.00, who can complain.

I paid Php175.00 (US$3.90) for my rice meal and coke and some Php80.00 (US$1.78) for the dessert. This is such a cheap place to eat. I called up my wife telling her that Amici is now open on Sundays, hence, we should be eating here this Sunday again. Oh, I missing their thin crust pizza, the quattro formaggi and the one with artichoke. Yummy.

Pizzeria a Venetto

Pizzeria is a New York style pizza house located in Glorietta. The pizza sizes are quite large by Manila standard although the newer pizza shops have adopted the same strategy such as the Yellow Cab, Brooklyn etc. The pasta dishes are meant to be shared coming in on huge serving portions while the shop offers an assortment of entrees, soups, salads and desserts.

I have been to Pizzeria a number of times and I have never been disappointed as the shop is best known for better value for money spending. Today, I was with Allan, my best friend from La Salle days. We meet up for lunch as he was in Glorietta to pick-up his Gold's Gym membership card. I seldom had the chance to eat lunch with Allan as he now lives in Pasig and doesn't do anymore the usual employment. He is quietly having the time of his life, being in semi-retirement mode and enjoying a good ole view of the Antipolo mountains from his flat.

Allan wanted to try the appetizer platter and the pesto pasta with chicken. I thought, we should order a small pizza as well, just so he can sample Pizzeria pizza. The appetizer platter came in with onion rings, french fries, crab stick crispies and buffalo wings. I wasn't impressed with the onion rings, I thought it lacked the taste. On its own, it wasn't appetizing at all despite the french onion dip that came with it. French fries was ok though it was a little bland. The crab sticks were a surprise because it came in like cheese sticks dipped in bread crumbs and deep-fryed. I liked the buffalo wings as it was like no other. It was caramelized in spices and wasn't too sweet nor too spicy I could eat a couple of it without complaining.

I was no fan of pesto although I like the pine nut flavor but it was light and refreshing. The saving grace for me was the hungarian sausage topping the pasta but Allan would rather prefer the shublig instead. I sure wasn't able to eat much pasta, but it wasn't too bad an order for me. The pizza came with hefty toppings of peperoni, parma ham, green bell pepper, onions, mozzarella cheese, and others I could no longer identify. It was good a pizza, but I thought, large family size pizzas tasted better than their small size variants. Maybe because small size pizzas get cooked faster, and the crust isn't just the same had it been its big brother counterpart.

I had Coke light with Allan opted for water with lemon slice. He worked had to shed some unwanted poundage and he's gearing to maintaining a healthier lifestyle thereafter. I thought he must lost some 20 pounds since and he's not stopping yet though his scale reads 140 now. It really takes a lot of discipline and self-control to maintain a healthy living regimen.

The total bill came in at around Php740.00 or about $7.56 per person.

Seafood Market

It was a balmy day and everyone seemed to feel cold in the office. When approached by Gentley asking for a lunch place, I suggested Marina Seafood Restaurant in G4 as I craved for a hot clam soup. Everyone seemed to like the idea as we needed hot food at the moment to perk us up.

On our way to G4, Gentley fancied the idea of trying out Seafood Market, a resto that offers live seafood where you can go to their market section to select which ones you wanted cooked for you. It was adjacent to Marina and having not had the chance to try it, I quickly assented.

The resto was located on the 2nd floor overlooking the park and it seemed to cater to families as tables were quite large seating some 12 people. We were given a spot in the middle of the restaurant and settings were cleared as there were only 5 of us in the group. We browsed through their menu and trooped our way to their market section to check out what seafood were available. We were happy to see live clams, suahe (white shrimps) and squid. There were also live groupers, lobsters of all sizes, oysters, crabs, tuna, salmon and tiger prawns. But, we agreed we're veering away from ordering crabs and lobsters as these can get our bill to astronomical proportions.

I ordered squid - to be grilled with tomatoe stuffings, suahe (white shrimps) - to be sauteed in butter and, clams - to be prepared in clear soup. I asked for options on vegetables, and we settled for water cress in garlic (kangkong). We opted for plain rice to accompany our food and had our individual choices of drinks. While waiting for our meal, we feasted on fish crackers while talking about a TV show exposing the hygienic questions on vinegar preparation by some scrupulous entrepreneurs.

The clam soup came in first, and it was steamy hot. Comparing it with Marina's soup, I should say, Marina's tasted a lot better. Rene thought, it must be the amount of ginger that was put on the clam soup. Next came the sauteed shrimps on butter, oh it was rosy red, it glistened before our eyes. It tasted sweet, you tell easily it was live and fresh before it was cooked. The shrimp was excellent. Then, the water cress sauteed in garlic came. The serving was a plenty and it smelled wonderful. The gang could not complain either on its taste - just pure bliss. The last viand to be served was the grilled squid. How it was grilled to perfection. We loved it, the stuffing lent an aroma that no fishy smell was ever left. The kicker was the vinegar and soy sauce dip with lots of extra hot chili peppers. O, what a great meal indeed.

We knew we're paying a premium for the live seafood that we ordered. Though, we orginally planned for a cheaper meal at Marina's, we knew we could not complain for what dining experience we just went throught. Our bill came and we contributed Php480.00 (US$10.66) each.

It rained hard when we left the restaurant. Gentley would have wanted to have his passport picture taken and to browse on Oakley sports glasses but we convinced him to do these on another day as it got darker outside. We came back to the office together, me, Rene, Maidette, Gentley and Max. Max came fresh from his vacation in Australia who was thoughtful enough to give me a box of Macadamia Nut Trios. I have also a bar of 3 Muskeeters, courtesy of Randy who also flew in from the US as his pasalubong to us. Jimmy was kind enough to drive us to the mall, as always.

Pizza Hut Bistro

It was a late lunch. Maidette and Mimi were on leave and Chay was not in the office as well. Gentley came into my room to ask where I was planning to have lunch. Rene came in as well, trying to know where we should be going for lunch. Gentley wanted to treat his PIM II buddies and after getting over a bunch of potential restos, we agreed to try out the new Pizza Hut Bistro at G4. We don't know the reason behind why Gentley will treat his project mates. Nonetheless, me and Rene were happy that we were included in the group that he will treat for the free lunch.

On our way out of the office, I flipped through birthday cards on the reception counter. By accident, I came upon Gentley's card. So, it was Gentley's birthday the following day and he must be treating us ahead as his real birthday will fall on a Saturday. We greeted him on the hallway a happy birthday as the gang trooped out of the building to meet Jimmy for our ride to the mall.

Pizza Hut Bistro is a new concept of dining for Pizza Hut. Aside from their usual pizza and pasta dishes, the bistro features milkshakes, coffee, pastries and cakes, rice dishes and an assortment of salad and appetizers. The usual formica topped tables and cold metallic chairs were replaced with comfortable large sofa cushioned seating, synthetic table cloth clad the big round tables and the smaller square tables neatly spaced in a more cozy arrangement over soft lighting and modest ambience. Going over the oversized menu, it's full of pictures only a big budget food stylist could achieve and it looked so appetizing you literally salivate going through the several pages.

We asked Auggie to do the ordering for all of us. I told them about my preference for the cheesy pop pizza, but I quickly assented to their pick - the volcano cheese pizza which came in variants of full meat and with greens. Pasta orders in shrimp aoili, and alfredo were also put through. Auggie also got an appetizer sampler of cheese puffs, onion rings, french fries and pork rib barbecue. A separate order of squid calamare which was a huge hit with the group was served first.

We had good conversation and full stomachs at the end of the meal. The two pizzas were just too much for us to consume some doggie bag get packed for take out. We told the waitress that it was a special day for Gentley and the resto gladly surprised Gentley with a scoop of ice scream with personalized birthday greeting. We sang a line from the birthday song and had a photo taken of the birthday boy. Had it been that I did not have to rush back to the office to interview a potential HR Manager candidate, we could have stayed a little longer in the Pizza Hut Bistro. Nonetheless, I had the fun company of Gentley, Rene, Auggie, Raz, Dax, David and Jan. And because of the birthday boy, I had a free lunch that day.

Gentley was surprised even more that the resto gave a 20% discount on his bill as a result with the promo they have with the Citibank credit card. I should go back sometime soon as its prices were quite reasonable plus the 20% discount, that's just huge to pass up.

Delifrance

God is so good and He is faithful always! That I realy believed.

We came from a follow-up check-up today with our Endocrinologist, Dr. Jimmy Aragon. After waiting for some time, we got to talk to the doctor at around 11am. On Thursdays, we were informed, that Dr. Aragon have a usual meeting which gets him to be late for his clinic schedule.

Anyways, the best of good news. The OGTT test proved that my wife did not have gestational diabetes. However, it was decided that we still have to go through a healthier diet and set an appointment with the dietician. At the end of the month, Dr. Aragon would like to redo through a simplier test, the sugar level of mommy. And we still have 1 question that remained unanswered, what causes the high-normal amiotic fluid in the baby's womb? That question will be probed further by our OB-Gynecologist, Dr. Arlene Bravo-Ricarte. And we have a set appointment on Saturday to eliminate other possible causes, aside from our usual pre-natal check-up.

It was a bit earlier before noon and we decided to have lunch together. We strolled the length of Legaspi Street from the Makati Med's side to look for an interesting restaurant. It seemed like the italian resto that Lani wanted to try was on the other side and we're not too eager to walk further, we settled for Delifrance instead. Delifrance offers salads, pastas, gourmet sandwiches and an assortment of breads and pastries. Its offerings are quite delectable and yummy but on the mid-section on the price bar.

Lani opted for the Ceasar salad with chicken (isn't this her fare in yesterday's lunch?) and I choose the Spaghetti Bolognese with meat balls. Though Delifrance is quite known for good food, its quality can vary from good to bad accross its franchise stores. I wastn't to happy with my pasta.

First, the pasta was cold. I know, they re-heat the pasta sauce, but this just wasn't passed through the microwave for much longer to emulate freshly cooked dish. Second, the french bread brushed with garlic was not toasted to perfection, it was cold as the store counter. In fairness though, the taste was better than ordinary fast food fare but I could have more parmesan cheese to spread to enhance further its flavor. The store crew wasn't as attentive to what customers' requested such that my pleadings for additional cheese was lost to oblivion. I was too happy and in the mood, I dare not complain. I don't want to spoil my fun zone with crappy food and service. What save the day was the order of four seasons juice drink. Well, if the store can mess up a ready to drink vendo juice, it can't last a season but close down.

I paid Php230 for my meal or US$5.11. Not to expensive but I wasn't as satisfied for the value I paid with the quality I got. Franchise stores can really either make or break the success of the whole Delifrance system. I don't think I would be too excited to visit another Delifrance shop anytime soon.

Dome Cafe

Today, we came back to Makati Med for the sugar challenge test, something like, your sugar is monitored every hour for the next 3 hours after drinking that sweet almost-cola flavored drink. The term is OGTT test with the first blood sample was collected at 9am. Three more blood vials will be collected every hour thereafter. I flinched at the idea of a needed and syringed sucking blood out from my arm. Thank God, it's not me going through the test.

Three hours is quite long to sit around in the hospital corridor and I had finished reading todays news and had to re-read some articles out of boredom. You cannot help also but people-watch as droves and droves of people pass you by in the hospital corridor. I used to formulate a theory that most doctors are white skinned. With the number of doctors or doctor-looking individuals that come and go, my theory has been 100% supported. I based this theory on hypothesis that white people tend to have more money than their brown skinned counterparts (this is only true in the Philippines) and studying to become a doctor requires a lot of money. Besides, being white skinned equates to looking more clean and a doctor has to exude that cleanliness thingy. I used to tease Lani, my wife, that I don't like going to a dark skinned doctor as that doctor seemed so dirty and shabby.

Of course, this theory is only drawn for fun and hold no water of validity at all. It keeps my sanity and lets me get pre-occupied while in a state of boredom while waiting for a doctor. My wife would love to challenge this theory, but for every doctor that we saw passing us by, no dark-skinned doctor ever came to pass. She was so frustrated trying to prove me wrong.

Anyways, we finished the test at around 12noon. My God, we are expected to come back again for the discussion of the results with our Endocrinologist the following day. This will be my first 3 consecutive days of presence in Makati Med.

Lani is not happy to get lunch at Floating Island. She is so hungry having been not allowed intake of food or water since last night's dinner. Just a dumb question, why does blood tests require food abstinence for something like 8 hours prior to the test; some test require 12 hours fasting, grrr... I should be a scientist or inventor for a machine that can do blood test with results as accurate without requiring the patient to fast at all.

Anyways, so much for my frustations in life. I told my wife about a restaurant at the back of Makati Med, Dome Cafe. She was familiar with the place and she was excited to eat something, she's thinking, why not some salad. Well, she is on a less sugar diet, so salad is such a good idea. Dome was almost full when we reached it. Had a small vacant table in a corner and ordered a seafood aioli and cheese wands. Cheese wands are cheese sticks; this maybe Harry Potter inspired as it's listed under Kids Menu.

The seafood aioli was dry and almost boring to look to at. I asked for freshly grated parmesan cheese and tossed the salmon bits, squid rings, shrimps, tomato and the spaghetti pasta together with the cheese. I should say, it lacked the much needed olive oil to coat the pasta with a gloss so it shines. The noodles was soggy, not al dente, although the overall taste of the dish was good. The accompanying garlic french bread was lighly toasted and was good to the bite.

I like the cheese sticks with a cheese dip. It came in hot and fresh and was good to the bite. I became too pre-occupied with my pasta, I forgot about the cheese sticks. I should remember the next time around, cheese sticks are meant to be eaten while its hot as when it gets cold, it doesn't taste as good. I had to labor so much to eat the last portions of the cheese sticks at the end of my meal.

Well, I should say, I had a good lunch. Dome Cafe offers not just pasta dishes, but sandwiches, rice meals, pizza, desserts and cakes as well. Coffee is also good at Dome.

I spent around Php550.00 or US$12.20 for my meal today.

Floating Island

We had a scheduled doctor's visit at Makati Medical Center. My wife will have her sugar rechecked with an Endocrinologist as she seemed to have gestational diabetes. We visited Dr. Jimmy Aragona, who seemed like a nice doctor, but I was kinda disappointed to know that the sugar challenge to check on whether a person does have diabetes comes in different dosages. I was thinking, why was it not done at the first instance, since, it was more or less sure by virtue of the ultrasound results that my wife may have had gestational diabetes. Anyways, we have to come back to the laboratory for the increased dosage sugar test. Visiting doctors is just too much of a hassle as we have to wait in line and you will have virtually nothing to do in the hospital.

We were prescribed to consult a dietician and some training on how to inject insulin and monitor blood sugar. First thing that comes to my mind was, shouldn't their be a flyer or something that says, eat only these kinds of food at these proportions, etc. Well, apparently, Makati Med wanted to make more money than a flyer may cost that there is actually a 1-hour seminar on planning your diet for something like Php640.00. Imagine that. I can do better by surfing the internet for diabetes diet plans. Well, to make the story short, I was a bit pissed that it ruined by lunch mood and we decided to forgo the seminar until after the results of the sugar challenge is completed the following day.

It was way past 1pm and I was more than hungry to walk and find a place to eat. So, I decided to take my wife for a quick bite at Floating Island at Makati Med. This restaurant is quite peculiar as it serves liquour and such gastronomic delights you wouldn't think a place like a hospital would ever endorse such as the cardiac causing crispy pata (deep fried pork leg) and bulalo (beef shank stew). There is even a smoking area on the al fresco dining part of the resto. Imagine that.

Well, I ordered the shrimp with brocolli for my lunch. I wasn't able to take a snapshot of it as well, remember, I'm in no mood after our short visit to the Dietician. The shrimp was cooked well with the shell just a prick away from its meat. The brocolli also was tender to the bite, never cooked too long. I loved the taste, I caught myself spreading the sauce on my cupful of rice. Despite its location in the hospital, the resto serves good food. Although, I couldn't help thinking that I must be smelling that distinctive hospital smell even inside the resto I could lose my appetite at any time. But maybe, it's just me as I'm no fan of hospitals, its smell, the dangers of getting germs and diseases while walking through its corridors and such. If I can get as far away from a medical facility or hospital at any given point in time, I would.

I spent close to Php500.00 or US$11.11 for my meal. A bit pricey, but I just didn't care at that time.