Hong Kong Roasts

Went to a morning meeting at HKR along Jupiter St. in Makati, had some beef noodle soup which came in piping hot!  Soup was tasty, although the beef chunks could have been boiled longer for more tenderness.  The place also serves short orders and I would have wanted to try the other dishes on the menu.  Pricing is quite reasonable, and I think that the average food check would come to something like a reasonable P250 per head for a quick lunch.  The restaurant is located at the lower level, and a word of caution--the stairs are a bit steep.

Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome, or medically referred to as Trisomy 21, is a genetic condition that affects some 0.1% of the Philippine population, one of the most common birth anomalies.  Usually, a person inherits 23 chromosomes from the father and another 23 from the mother (a total of 46), but in some cases, the 21st tandem carries an extra chromosome.  This brings the total chromosome count up to 47.  Children with Down syndrome have very recognizable facial and body features such as upward slanting eyes, small ears, small mouth, single crease in the palm of the hand, wide short hands with short fingers and decreased muscle tone.  DS children also have delayed mental and emotional development and can also throw temper tantrums.  But if you treat them right, DS kids are totally malambing!

*genetic karyotype from Wikipedia, notice that there are 3 chromosomes in the 21st pair

Pipay (Andi's nickname) has Down Syndrome, and while she is already 11 years old, she is our forever-baby.  At dawn, her usual routine is to come close and cuddle up close to either myself or Vicky, and it seems that whenever she grabs my arms to put around her, she recognizes the most important part of living--being loved as part of a family.  She is practically deaf, and can't talk.  She plays with her saliva all day.  She'd pull the hair of her classmates and give off her silly laugh.  Her thyroid under performs, so she's still the size of a 2 year old kid.  She can get cranky at a whim.  She'll never read or write.  But most important, she crawls up to me and Vicky each morning, and demands that we place our arms around her.  She completes our family.

When Pipsie was born, we wept and asked "How Come? Why?"  Kong Kong immediately told me that we just have to love her more, and with that, came acceptance.  To medical science, geneticists and statisticians, it's called a birth anomaly.  To me, it's a regular part of my family, no cause for alarm, no big deal.

I just wanted you to be aware of that.

Toki Q

I was waiting for Monique to finish up with the outing with her barkada in the P. Guevara area, and since my tummy was starting to grumble, I dropped by the Toki Q outlet at the corner of Wilson Street.  It's an interesting Japanese concept, sticks of BBQ pork and chicken are rotated by machine around an electric grill, and the meals are served with unlimited rice.  The meal costs P99 for 4 sticks.  The flavor is a bit on the sweet side for my taste though, and I also thought that the sticks could use a little more meat.  Shop is clean and well lit, but seating is only for around 10 to 12 people at most.

Tea Kitchen

Right after our Japanese dinner at Yuujin, Monique and I had some cold tea drinks at Tea Kitchen, which is just a few steps away.  This location used to house a pizza store, and as you enter, the new tenants have made the multi-colored tea jars a visual treat!  I like the place, cozy and relaxing.  We had some very yummy tea coolers at around P100, the place also has some cakes and pastries to go with the tea drinks.  I understand that this store is affiliated with the Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee (along Tomas Morato), and I must congratulate the owners for a good concept, and nice tasting tea drinks!

Keean's Fried Siopao

Becca was in Divisoria recently, and she came home with a whole pack of Keean's Fried Siopao!  The siopao comes individually wrapped, and is initially steamed, then finished off over a hot plate to get that crispy bottom.  This is best eaten right at the store, and the hot meat filling gives off such a wonderful hearty aroma!  I think each costs under P50 and judging from the speed at which the bag gets emptied, I know the kids just love this stuff!

Dulong In Olive Oil

Someone gave Vicky a bottle of Pinoy Or Durvz's dulong in olive oil.  This cooking technique is akin to sardines in olive oil, but since dulong is really tiny fish, the resulting consistency is almost mashed, much softer than pate or paste.  In effect, the oil seeps through bread or drips down through the holes of your toast or your regular Sky Flakes crackers.  Flavor is good, but I'd like it a bit drier, a bit more compact/dense perhaps?

Russell Peters

*courtesy of Wikipedia

I've been watching some of the videos of Indian-Canadian comedian Russell Peters, and I've been having lots of laughs.  He came out in the movie Breakaway (which also features the lovely Camilla Belle), and much of his humor focuses on observed racial stereotypes.  He has performed all over the world (I didn't know about him when he performed locally, so i missed that).  When he impersonates various English accents, one can really have a good laugh (his Filipino accent is impeccable!).  I understand that prior to his comedy tours, he was an accomplished boxer & disk jockey.  You can check out snippets at You Tube--have fun!

Quaker Oatmeal Cookies

Andi's starting to munch on cookies, and we got some oatmeal cookies for her since she loves oatmeal.  I was pleasantly surprised that Quaker Oats has come up with cookies in 4 different flavors.  Andi seems to like it but still has difficulty with the fruits, chips & nuts.  A little more practice, my dear!

Kopi Roti

While I was busy getting my yogurt at California Berry, Vicky and Monique opted to have coffee at Kopi Roti, which was also right next door to Ryu.  This Singaporean style coffee shop serves coffee with condensed milk, and they are also known for their coffee buns and their peanut spread sandwiches.

We were a bit surprised to learn that the chain also serves siew-mai (siomai) and despite the fact that we just had dinner, we decided to get an order of this just to taste.  It was steamed just right, soft and flavorful.  I'd say with a budget of P150 you can have a good snack here, and with the siew-mai, you have a choice of whether the snack is sweet or savory!

California Berry

After all that Japanese food, we just had to have some sweet desserts.  I went over to California Berry located just next door from Ryu.  The place just reminds me of Pinkberry--they both serve yogurts & carry the same color scheme.  A large cup cost me something like P130 so both stores have more or less the same pricing scheme.  One has the option to add fruits and other sweet toppings, although I prefer to keep mine in plain Jane format.  I love 'gurts and this one is no exception.

Ryu

It was a Happy Thursday for us, and upon my recommendation, Vicky and Monique agreed to try Ryu Ramen and Curry located along Tomas Morato in QC.  I had heard that this shop was opened by the husband & wife team of musical superstars, Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez, and we wanted to taste their culinary creations.  Ryu is the Japanese word for dragon, and I was happy with the simple, yet pleasant interiors of the place.

We ordered two kinds of gyoza for starters (seafood & pork), and both were pretty tasty and juicy.  We also had pork ramen and soba, which were flavorful.  I however, thought that the meat and vegetable trimmings were on the sparse side, and I wished they had a little more so that I wouldn't feel bitin.  The karaage curry combination was a success, the texture was thick and the spice level was just right.

We wound up with an average spend of around P400 per person, and despite my wish for a bit more trimmings, we got out feeling full (probably because of the soup).  Staff service was pretty fast, efficient, and courteous.

Highlands Steak House (SM MOA)

Our reunion was held at the Highlands Steakhouse at the SM Mall of Asia.  This was my first time to eat in this restaurant, although I have already tried the food at the original steakhouse in Tagaytay.  I was surprised that the restaurant occupied such a big area, close to 600 m2, I'd say (this estimate includes the function room and the kitchen area).  I was more surprised when I realized that the restaurant had a lot of diners, and that the food check could go anywhere from P700 to P1,500 per head, depending on the dishes ordered.  We had a specially prepared buffet, and I must say that the roast beef was very tender, juicy and was packed with flavor.  The restaurant has and informal log cabin ambiance, and I understand from the staff that they sometimes have guest performers on stage.  One advantage of its location is that the fireworks display of the mall can be clearly seen from the dining area, and this is a wonderful visual treat for the kids.

Macallan (10 years)

I liked the Macallan single malt Scotch whiskey that we opened.  Very aromatic, smooth to the palate.  Had a slight sweetness to it, without being obtrusive.  Single malts are pretty much unique in taste, as the taste evolves depending on the time and manner of creation (blended whiskeys, in comparison have consistent taste).  If you watch the James Bond movie Skyfall, you can see a bottle of Macallan bandied around, yes, this is good stuff!

JW Platinum

After the bottle of JW Blue was gone, the next target was the bottle of JW Platinum.  Now this was the first time I heard that Johnny Walker has a Platinum label, and I was very curious as to how this would taste.  The first swig felt clean but to my surprise, I felt that the whiskey has a slight bitter aftertaste.  I'm no expert, so I'm guessing that this bitterness was really part of the bottler's intent.

JW Blue

Had a big reunion with my high school buddies, and it seems that the conversation has been full of medical analysis lately--each of us has his own litany of aches and pains, punctuated with tales of MRIs and angioplasty, and each has been taking careful measurements of blood pressure, cholesterol and uric acid with increasing regularity!  The reunion was a time to celebrate, and, defying our doctors' collective wisdom, we started drinking the happy liquids pretty early at 7 pm sharp.  Since the rule is to start off with the best, the Johnny Walker Blue Label was consumed in around 20 minutes, and I was lucky to have 2 shots of this delicious firewater!  Enough said... masarap ang pinagbabawal!

Ginzadon

The Resorts World complex is best experienced with a big group of friends--casino, all night dining, bars and luxury amenities.  Vicky's former classmates held an impromptu get-together and we found ourselves dining at Ginzadon, the Japanese-Korean outlet of the complex.

The fish soup and the sashimi came in first, and our empty stomachs were immediately warmed and relaxed.  The Dragon sushi came next, and was instantly a hit--topped with eel and stuffed with a Black Tiger prawn, the rolls were large compared to you average sushi roll, and we had a fun time picking it up with our chopsticks--due to the size, the vinegar rice couldn't hold the roll together, and the sushi had a tendency to unwrap.  

As part of the Japanese menu, we also ordered ebi tempura, stir-fried vegetables, chicken yakitori.  And to try the restaurant's Korean offerings, we asked for pork & beef bulgogi which came with lettuce for the wrapping.  Food wasn't bad, and servers were very eager to please.  Overall spend came to something like P950 per head, which was inclusive of some discounts given to RW members.

Interiors are very simple, and the beige background is punctuated by the red furniture and linen.  The restaurant also has a teppan grill area where you can watch the chef as he cooks your meal right in front of you.  The restaurant is almost always full, so if you were thinking about a quiet romantic dinner for two, well maybe you have to try somewhere else!

Cafe Maxim

Cafe Maxim at the Maxim Hotel practically serves as the lobby lounge of the whole Resort World Complex.  Given that the casino operates on a 24 hour basis, there are times when you simply just want to power down and have some sweets and coffee.  That's exactly what we had--raspberry and butter toffee ice cream for me, paired with a cup of hot brewed coffee for Vicky!  This was almost midnight on a weekday, and the place was still full--we were a big group and were lucky to get seats.