Oregon Pancit Molo

Pancit Molo is pretty much a misnomer--you'd probably expect dry noodles, but in this case, the dish is actually soup, and you find siomai-like balls floating around.  It's staple fare in the Negrense regions and is the default dish for New Year celebrations in Casa Oregon.  Here's a recipe that more or less corresponds to my understanding of how they prepare it:

1/2 kilo putian shrimps
1 kilo ground pork
1 whole chicken
400 grams Chinese ham, sliced into bits
1 teaspoon sea salt
8 eggs
4 heads garlic
3 white onions
3 chicken cubes (Knorr or Maggi)
1 pack molo wrappers
400 grams green onions, sliced fine for tableside sprinkle
8 liters of water

1)   Peel and de-vein shrimps, cut into small pieces.  Set aside shrimp heads.

2)   Boil chicken in 4 liters of water with the salt and the shrimp heads, for around 25 minutes.  As soon as the chicken is tender, de-bone chicken.  Slice chicken meat into bite-size strips and set chicken meat aside.  Set chicken stock aside.

3)   Strain shrimp heads and set the broth aside.

4)   Combine ground pork, sliced shrimp, eggs and mix well.  Sprinkle fine salt and ground white pepper over the mixture.  Place half a teaspoon onto molo wrapper and wrap into traditional balls;  you can dampen the wrapper with a little water to make the ends stick together.

5)   In a large cauldron, saute garlic and onions in a little olive oil.  Add chicken strips and Chinese ham.  Once aroma is established, pour in remaining 4 liters of water and add 3 chicken cubes.  As it starts to boil, lower the heat to medium and add in chicken/shrimp soup stock.  Check flavor and add another 2 chicken cubes if flavor is lacking.  You can also add black pepper to taste.

6)   As the soup boils, add in the molo balls.  For individual consistency, drop one by one, waiting for a couple of seconds in between drops so the balls don't end up sticking together.

7)   Once all the balls are in, lower the heat.  Soup should be done in around 20 minutes.

You can serve the soup with sliced green onions on the side.  Some people also had fried minced garlic and fried minced onions at table side.  Some people add calamansi or soy sauce or patis (fish sauce) to the soup.  I've also tasted varieties that have trace amounts of julienned carrots and sayote to give color to the soup.

This is sometimes referred to as Madre-Madre soup, since the molo balls look like nuns in their wimples!

Janine Tugonon

* courtesy of missuniverse.com

Three-peat!  We may not have placed on top, but for three years in a row, Miss Philippines has placed in the top 5 of the Miss Universe contest.  In 2010 Venus Raj made it to the list, while in 2011, Shamcey Supsup came in with a good finish.  Just before Monique left for her China winter tour, we watched the live telecast of the contest and applauded the first runner-up trophy for Janine Tugonon, our 2012 bet to Las Vegas.  A thunderous round of applause--what a great gal!

Olivia Wilde

* courtesy of maxim.com

Watching Cowboys & Aliens was double treat for me.  Olivia Wilde plays Ella, a good alien who helps out the cowboy characters of Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford to victory over the bad aliens.  The resurrection scene of Ella (she's an alien, okay?) was a lovely visual delight, and her stunning figure just dominates the imagery.  And the lady can kick ass... fantasy fulfilled!

Abigail Spencer

* courtesy of Vanity Fair

I just love surfer girls.  Down to earth, care-free, and respectful of Mother Nature.  Last night, I watched the Jon Favreau adventure mash-up Cowboys & Aliens on cable TV, and found myself in wide-eyed interest over the gorgeous Abigail Spencer, who plays the love interest of Daniel Craig's lead character.  I made it a point to Google her to find out more information, and I found her piece My Vanity Fair Moment which brought tears to my eyes.  She happens to be the daughter of Pensacola surfing legend Yancy Spencer, and she practically grew up with a board in hand.  Surfing has been such a part of her life, and her character in the movie Chasing Mavericks was so close to home.  Being a father myself, I egg Monique to go follow her dreams--and if you believe the adage "the joy of the daughter is the triumph of the father" then her real-life story will bring tears to your eyes as well.  Go check it out!

UP Diliman

My cousin Dora arrived in Manila last week from Los Angeles with her whole family in tow.  We were not doing much on Christmas Day, and Mikaela and I decided to give them a tour around the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines.  Dora had taken her degree in Pharmacy there and wanted to show her children more of her alma mater.  Of course, the Oblation Plaza was the first stop.  We then proceed to other spots including the College of Arts & Sciences, Business Administration, Law & Engineering, whilst going around the famed Sunken Garden.  Mikaela navigated for me over the entire length of the tour since that was her campus (she stayed there for the longest time, with degrees in Architecture and Business Administration, while I only studied there for a year).  As we reminisced, we counted that a good number of family members finished in UP Diliman, including Kong, who led the transfer of students from the Padre Faura campus to Diliman (he was among the first batch of graduates in 1949).  That was heart-warming familiarization tour!

Greenbelt Chapel

I've often reminisced about how the Makati Commercial Center evolved.  I can still remember having Sunday lunch at Fork and Spoon with Gwammy, eating the super delicious burgers with Kong at Sulo Restaurant, and having mami & siopao at the Ling Nam counter that was located at the Quad Plaza.  You would come out of Rizal theater, and have a little drink at Leila's or have some tea at La Cibeles Pasteleria y Salon de Te.  But new features are added to the MCC every couple of years, and the Glorietta-Greenbelt area is so different today--gearing for higher population densities and heavier foot/vehicle traffic.  Despite the progress however, some things are kept as is to provide consistency and continuity, and the Greenbelt mall somehow attached itself around the Sto. Nino de Paz chapel.  I'm happy that Ayala Land has managed to blend the old and the new in stylish proportions.

Looking back, I've really taken the Greenbelt Chapel for granted--we'd stroll past saying quick prayers, without really stopping by for the full and complete church service.  I just recently learned that the Greenbelt Chapel is officially known as the Chapel of Sto. Nino de Paz.  Paz = peace.  By mid-afternoon, the ice cream cone I had from Gelatone had lifted my spirits, and I decided to sit for some thirty minutes at the chapel to reflect on life and say a prayer of safe journey for Monique (she had just left for a two-week winter study tour in Guang Dong, China with her classmates and friends).  It was a meaningful prayer; somehow, the lush garden setting allows one to have a peaceful oasis in the middle of the commercialized jungle.

I like visiting chapels that are airy, well-lit, and have a steady stream of devotees, but without the maddening crowds.  This chapel is definitely on the top ten of my list!

It's very quite there, a sanctuary for prayer, a gentle reminder that while material things are important, the food for the soul must not be forgotten.  I just love sitting down to rest at their open pews, just to close my eyes and gain strength, recharge and revitalize.  The structure has been around since the late seventies, and despite the ever changing face of the MCC, this holy place remains a constant!

Gelatone

After a lunch meeting in Legaspi Village, I went around the Greenbelt Mall to while the time away.  Vicky still had appointments till 7pm, and I had a lot of time to kill.  I passed by the Gelatone shop and my mouth started to crave for gelati.  I wound up with a hazelnut cone for P105, which was just enough to satisfy my mid-day craving.  You have to remember that Italian gelati has relatively lesser fat and lesser air than regular ice cream, so flavors are more intense and texture is very smooth.  I understand that Gelatone produces locally, and I was quite happy that they carry a wide variety of flavors that make it such a delight to point out choices to the counter people!

Bucky's

Vicky received a nice Christmas treat, a box of Bucky's brownies that I felt was a bit unique.  It's the first time that I've tasted salted brownies--chocolatey to the core, but sprinkled with sea salt for that little zing that was, at first, a bit confusing, but later on caught up to my palate.  These brownies are slightly drier that the moist fudgeys that you usually come across, but are still dense, like pound cakes.  Nice to give and receive at Christmas time, cake size is just right (around 5" x 7")--you can taste just enough to want more, without getting overwhelmed by the salt.

Koco Tea House

While roaming around SM Manila, Monique, the Callars and I stumbled across Koco Tea Shop, a newly opened Taiwan-style tea shop.  Drinks go for around P100 and the store has a wide range of blended teas--with taro, with juices, with chocolate and even with Oreo cookies!  We were lucky enough to enjoy their promo--we got a free regular size juice drink for each large tea drink that we got, so we arrived in Ermita with a lot of extra juice drinks for Becca!

Savor Park Cafe

My meeting in Makati took me to familiar places, and I wound up in Salcedo Village for lunch.  I was quite surprised that the Vanilla Bean coffee shop at the ground floor of Adamson Building on Leviste (formerly Alfaro) Street had been replaced by the Savor Park Cafe, and I decided to try the new restaurant.  Apparently, the restaurant was merely renamed and the menu has been tweaked to focus on Filipino food.  Some of the old Vanilla Bean favorites are still around though, although prices are a bit higher.  The Vanilla Bean executive lunches would go for less than P250 per head, and the current menu of Savor Park Cafe would average at around P350 per head.  I decided to have chichos, which is a Castillian-inspired blend of pork and beef strips cooked in a lot of garlic and paprika.  Oily?  Yes.  Cholesterol?  Yes.  Flavorful?  Absolutely!

RH Bill

I am happy that Senator Pia S. Cayetano has become the default poster girl of the RH Bill.  It's a long overdue bill that has just got to get passed, and the lady has done much to shepherd the bill to fruition.  While this is no magic overnight solution, the bill, when signed into law, will enable the country to properly address not only the rights of women and the unborn, but will also pave the way for some measure of economic progress.  To my mind, and make no mistake--the two most important influence points of the bill are: 1)  the much debated "safe and satisfying sex" passage, under which the state recognizes the rights of women, and 2) the reinforcement of institutionalized efforts of the state to curb poverty and increase economic welfare.

The first part is pretty obvious, and anyone who objects to the inclusion of the words "safe and satisfying sex" probably has not experienced "safe and satisfying sex."  Why?  Because it is a truism that once you have experienced "safe and satisfying sex" you will not settle for anything less than "safe and satisfying sex."  And, as is obvious to those who have experienced "safe and satisfying sex," you will believe that "safe and satisfying sex" is a basic human right.  Enough said.

On the second point, I read a recent article penned by former Budget Secretary and my UP professor Ben Diokno which supported the economic arguments for the RH Bill--that high birth rates force the government to spend less on infrastructure, which is a key ingredient of economic take-off.  To my mind, this is simply the bare truth--the country simply cannot break the cycle of poverty if 2 million Filipinos are born every year.  The RH Bill, in conjunction with other government efforts, will provide stimulus to stabilize population growth, which already has ballooned to record levels in recent years.

We are now in the last two minutes of the game.  I pray that the Senate and the House versions of the RH Bill get synchronized soon, and that this bill gets signed into law by early 2013.

Kookie Korner

Andi's birthday!  And since all her cousins love chocolate cake, Vicky trooped over to Unimart to buy some Kookie Korner choco rolls.  This stall has been around since the eighties, and while it hasn't expanded, business must be constant--the goodies are still of the same taste and quality as I first tasted it.  The choco roll was not too sweet, soft and moist.  Reasonably priced too at P260  for a good treat.

Tully's

Tully's Coffee is practically a newbie in the local coffee industry, with just three branches in Metro Manila.  I understand that the listed company AgriNurture recently brought this franchise onto Philippine shores.  I had a meeting yesterday at their branch at Exchange Plaza along Tektite Road in the Ortigas Center, and once I stepped in the place, I immediately liked the cool country style interiors of the coffee shop.  It was a good place to power down and chit-chat over merienda.

I had a tall cup of hot mocha (P185), and I was told that the company uses chocolate from the famed San Francisco chocolatier Ghirardelli, for the chocolate required in their concoctions.  Despite the floor-to-ceiling glass panels, the air-conditioner was powerful enough to keep the room cool, which was a plus factor for me.

Momo Cafe

 

We spent some time with Kong and Gwammy around the Eastwood Mall, and while Vicky and Monique were still out shopping, we decided to have lunch at Momo Cafe, located at the ground floor level of the mall.  Saturdays are busy days, and we had to wait for a while for the staff to clean our table.  It looked like the shoppe had good turnover, all tables were taken and more people were still lining up to get seats.  Vicky and Monique arrived just as salad was being served.

We ordered several items on the menu, so we could all taste the food by sharing, family style.  Vicky enjoyed the salad, which came with puffed shrimps and orange bits.  I had wanted some Italian zing to our menu, and I chose macaroni Bolognese and meat pizza.  We also ordered BBQ marlin kebabs, roast beef fingers and country fried chicken to complete the meal.

We spent something like P400 per head, which was pretty reasonable considering we were able to taste a wide variety of dishes.  Food was hot, tasty and presentation was eye catching.  The only thing about eating in mall restaurants is that the pace is a bit hurried; it was also difficult to catch the attention of food servers, since the restaurant was full.  That, for me, detracted from the overall eating experience, and I should have suggested that the management employ additional staff during peak hours and weekends to improve the service quality.

Bizu

A friend had wanted to schedule a meeting in the Greenhills area, and he suggested that we meet in Bizu at the Promenade Mall.  This patisserie has been around for around a decade, and it's been known for French macarons (note that this is basically almond ganache sandwiched in between two meringue buns, as differentiated from the coconut macaroon).  On a Tuesday afternoon, parking was very tight and all three of us got in later than the agreed time, but we were in luck as I was able to get a table immediately.  Since I got in first, I had a wonderful berry yoghurt blend to cool down while waiting for the rest of my colleagues.

My chicken cordon bleu on mushroom carbonara was perfect--I was a bit hungry and I was looking for some meat with a rich overtones.  My friends had quiche and roast beef on ciabatta--obviously I had the big appetite in our group!

The average food check for a fast lunch or merienda moves in the P400 to P500 range, but full course meals will take you around the P800 to P900 bracket.  I like the place because quality has been maintained all these years; I can still expect the same taste, texture, presentation, and serving temperature from their kitchen as I would from a five-star hotel.  Years ago, someone told me that the word "Bizu" is a Philippinization of the French word meaning "kiss" and we were joking that this was so because the giving of their macarons inevitably leads to kisses!  I sure hope so because their pastries are sweet and delightful--in fact, I always have to control myself since I end up eating more that I should.

Nagomi

I was invited to have lunch at Nagomi in El Pueblo center at the Ortigas Center, and I was surprised to find that the restaurant had a large floor area with a couple of function rooms too.  From the outside, the nondescript entrance didn't call much attention.  The signboard wasn't at all visible to passers-by, so I figured that the place was more like a fast-food or casual dining spot rather than a full-service restaurant.  Turns out that the restaurant is a popular dining destination in the Ortigas area, and when we were on a Thursday noon, it was around 60% full.

I was furthermore surprised to find out that the restaurant had lunchtime bento boxes priced below P400, and I ordered the one with sashimi and shrimp tempura.  It was nicely prepared; the sashimi was very fresh and the tempura has just the right amount of crispiness.  The interiors were very clean and modern; the restaurant had fast service, and our only complaint that a teacup was a bit smudged and not rinsed properly.

The salad was very colorful, the sauce had the right sweet & sour combination; distinctively Japanese without the overpowering taste of mirin and sesame.  If you take the ala carte dishes, I mentally computed an average food check of around P650 per head easy, so the teishoku (set meal) choices for fast working lunches are always a steal!

Hao

It was a no occasion Saturday night dinner with Mommy Dee and Toots, we just felt that we had to get out of the house and enjoy a bit.  And we did enjoy at Hao along Jupiter Street, which is patterned after Hong Kong diners you'd likely find in the escalator district of upper Central.  I was amused to find the kubyertos dipped in boiling water, and I found myself reminiscing about the first time I visited Hong Kong in 1971--yes, chopsticks were served that way.

We had a whole series of small dishes--broccoli sauteed in garlic, shao long pao, spicy mandarin beef, chicken curry, steamed fish fillet, chicken chow mein, crispy pork hoisin, Hainanese chicken and crispy squid.

 

Vicky and Monique loved the chicken curry and the mandarin beef, enough to order seconds!  Serving sizes are really for one person, and the food stretches out to share if you try a little bit of everything.  Be prepared to spend something like P350 per head, which should get you to taste the variety they offer.  It's best to come in a group of 6-10 people, so food can be passed around.  At night the place is lit slightly on the dim side, I understand that on week nights, the place gets packed with the drinking crowd, and is more like a bar than a restaurant.