Hermanos

A rainy Friday night, month end coming up.  Everyone was everywhere, and the streets seemed to be littered with endless streaks of open umbrellas.  It was a long drive home for me, from Pasig winding through to Makati and swerving back into Greenhills, and before Vicky and I picked up Monique in North East Greenhills, a good three and a half hours had passed.  The sight of Monique's omniscient smile, however, made the troubles lift off my shoulders, and we persisted through the Ortigas Avenue traffic to get to Granada in New Manila.  The Hermanos Taco Shop is located right on the compound of the Petron gas station, and if you don't keep your eyes peeled, you just might miss the signboard. 

The food is clearly different from other Filipinized Mexican restos, and both Vicky and Monique were able to finish off their respective shares in just about twenty minutes.  Talk about famished, I finished my stuff way before they did!  The sirloin burrito came in jam-packed with meaty flavors, and the taco rolls were crunchy, just right to the bite.  In addition we had quesadilla, lengua on rice, and horchata (sweet cinnamon flavored milk).  I understand the owner is Mexican married to a Filipina, and that probably explains the simple but great tasting timpla.  We wound up with an average check of P450 per head, including drinks.  Viva Mexico!

Mario's Kitchen

Callos is a dish that I think of probably twice a year, and when the craving starts, it sometimes sets me off on an ingredient buying spree so I can entice Gwammy to make some (to my mind, her callos is the third best, after that of Tiya Maria of Tiyo Andres, and that of Tita Sophie).  Of course home-made callos is in a category by itself, but for commercial callos, Mario's is on the top five of my list.  I had the chance of scheduling a lunch meeting at Mario's Kitchen over at Jade St. in the Ortigas Center and to my delight, the callos is still quite good--soft, tasty and complete with all the ingredients that I look for.  Reasonably priced too, P280 for an order, just enough to keep myself happy for the next couple of months!  I understand that Mario's Kitchen is an spin-off from the Mario's restaurant of Session Road and Tomas Morato, but the basic recipes are still the same.  Not bad at all.

The Olive Creek Gallery

I usually find myself roaming around Makati when I'm in between meetings, and this time, I spent a good hour visiting the Olive Creek Gallery over at Rada St. in Legaspi Village.  I had visited the gallery when it was newly opened, and I find it such a pleasure to rest my eyes upon beautiful artwork after long and tiring business negotiations.  Natalie, the beautiful and charming owner knows her stuff and probably walks the tightrope between being a gallery owner and a collector herself. She has a modest variety of artworks, a Ma Lang, a few works of Luz and Alegre, some Orlina and Cacnio pieces, but the delight to me were the works of Dezia, an up and coming architect turned artist who dabbles in delightful colors, intricate designs, pleasing shapes and bright yet soulful subjects.  I really like his painting of the two trees separated by the sea--lovers so near yet so far apart, destined only to see, and not to touch.  I think this gentleman will go places, and the gallery will be known to be the sole source of his uplifting artwork!  

Alfredo

I was quite intrigued reading the carton of the Alfredo chocolate bar at the supermarket--the label "no sugar added" would usually mean using aspertame as the substitute sweetener, but this time, maltitol was named as the sweetener.  I had my reservations about the resulting taste (aspertame leaves a funny taste, especially in sodas), but I decided to take a chance and buy one (P135 for a 100g bar).  As it turns out, I like it, sweet without any funny taste!  What's even better is that the chocolate is of good quality, in fact the bar was misshapen when we opened it (I think good chocolate tends to soften at tropical room temperatures).  It's the first time I've heard of Francestle, the Malaysian company that makes the bar, but I think they've hit on a good formula.

Tebs

I dropped by the Tin Hok Chinese deli at the ground floor of Virra Mall in Greenhills and noticed an ad for Tebs Tea with Soda.  It was the first time I have seen this Indonesian concoction; I think this is available only in select stores around Manila as of this moment. Intrigued, I bought a bottle and soon found out that I couldn't identify what it tastes like!  It's definitely not like cola, nor does it have a lemon flavor (as is common with most ice tea drinks).  Is it tamarind?  Or honey-tamarind?  Try it yourself and you be the judge...

Alex III

Alex III is a spin-off from the Aristocrat group of restaurants; it seems that the family has grown so large that each branch has their own take on food!  The basic Filipino menu remains similar, and you can also enjoy the kare-kare and chicken BBQ that the Aristocrat is known for.  I brought Eddie and Korina to Fairview a few weeks ago, and we dropped by the branch along Pontiac St. for a quick lunch.  While the place specializes in Filipino food, we spied steak on the menu, and since Korina is a steak-lover, we all opted to have one each!  It was nicely cooked according to our instructions (I had mine medium-rare).  Obviously not melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu, but tender enough for a good meal.  For dessert, we shared a bibingka (rice cake), bringing our bill to around P450 per head.

Ed Sheeran

English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran is probably the all-time favorite artist of Monique, so much so that I have already memorized several of his songs--his CDs are a permanent fixture in all our vehicles. Currently touring with Taylor Swift, I understand.  I must admit that his tunes are catchy, and his lyrics have a lot of intertwined emotional depth and (profound) meaning. How can he sing the lyrics so fast? How can he sing with such angst and tenderness at the same time?  Quite amazing, really!

Lancaster Hotel

I had the opportunity to take a look at the rooms of the Lancaster Hotel along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong, and found them to be spacious (32 m2) and comfortable.  The building is on the right side of Shaw as you come from Mandaluyong, just before the EDSA overpass going towards Pasig, and is pretty noticeable as you can see a giant sculpture of a knight with banner right in front of the hotel.  While taxi and jeep access is easy, it's a bit of a walk to the EDSA-MRT station though, and much more of a distance to Shangri-la Mall and Mega Mall.  Rooms are priced at the level of around P3,000 to P4,000 per night.

Clawdaddy

It was Lola Dee's birthday and we planned to have a buffet lunch at Clawdaddy's over at the Robinson's Magnolia Mall.  It was relatively easy for her to move around using her wheelchair, and we had a good opportunity to take her on a fast tour of the mall.  We took advantage of the promotional offer of the restaurant--half price for their weekend lunch buffet, from P1,398 down to only P699 per head.

The food is inspired by bayou cooking, and the restaurant bills itself as the "Great American Picnic Place."  The star of the show?  Definitely crabs and ribs!  There were two kinds of crab dishes, one was fried with lots of garlic and the other was cooked in slightly spicy honey sauce.  Similarly, we had two choices for ribs--Texan BBQ style and another with brown sauce, garlic and mushrooms.  I didn't go to the pasta corner at all; I was so happy with the crabs that after my soup and salad, I started to attack with gusto!  Note however, that the crabs are not alimango size, but midway between alimasag and alimango size (the bigger crabs are reserved for ala carte options, and are not served at the buffet).  Other added viands that we saw include jambalaya, beef & mushrooms, and honey-glazed chicken.  The kids enjoyed the creme desserts; I understand that Teppy had 4 copitas!  I like the casual feel of the picnic-style concept.  The smiling food servers readily arm you with just the right stuff to better your eating experience--a large apron, crab crackers, a giant bucket for crab shells and hot towels to wipe the oils off your hands (my only complaint was that they ran out of hot towels; I probably eat too much and take too long to finish, hahaha...).

Annie's Espasol

Vicky came home with several packs of Annie's espasol, specialty suman made from sticky rice and dried coconut meat.  This is usually found in the Laguna area, and is quite different from the usual suman you buy in your neighborhood palengke in that it isn't sticky to hold, and doesn't come wrapped in coconut or banana leaves.  It's rolled in rice flour, so it's dry to the touch, and is wrapped in manila paper instead.  I understand from office mates that some sellers in the Bulacan area shape it into squares instead of rolls, but I haven't seen those for myself.  These cost just about P50 for a pack of 6.  I like to eat it fresh, while the roll is still soft and chewy, although I don't mind it cold and hard, right out of the refrigerator after a couple of days. 

Deco's

We had to take a fast lunch in order to arrive on time for our mid-afternoon flight back to Manila.  We chose to have it at Deco's La Paz Batchoy, which dates back to pre-war era. This hearty noodle soup tastes good, but has a lot of liver, pork chicharon and eggs, so don't look at me if your cardiologist gives you a scolding!  Comes to your table steaming hot, and costs just under P100 to get a full tummy.

Ponsyon

When I first read the restaurant signboard, I read it as "Pensyon," and I asked myself why would anyone want to name his restaurant that?  I merely guessed that restaurant was probably connected with a pension house somewhere.  To my embarrassment, my host corrected me and told me that the restaurant was called "Ponsyon," the Ilonggo word for "Feast!"  And what a feast we had--baked scallops, crispy pork, grilled managat (fish), clams, sizzling bulalo and chicken binakol (chicken soup cooked with coconut water and coconut meat, the specialty of the house).  The staff were very accommodating and service was pretty fast. Food came in hot, but I had expected the portion sizes to be a little bit more generous.  I quickly learned that Ponsyon is actually an extension of the famous Breakthrough restaurant, which is located right alongside the seashore.  That was why the managat fish tasted so familiar--it was something that I had tried some months back during my last trip to Iloilo.  While Breakthrough does has its rustic charm, Ponsyon is a bit more upscale--air-conditioned, more comfortable and with fancier food presentation.  We spent something like P600 per head, and walk out probably gaining 5 pounds each!

Plazuela de Iloilo

For dinner, we ventured out and found ourselves at the Plazuela de Iloilo mini-mall, which has such a quaint Spanish-Filipino architecture that was entirely a match with the older buildings that were spread all around the city.  The mall has plenty of eating places and a wide plaza where I understand turns into an open-air tiangge during special holidays and weekends.  Concerts are also held in the open area, an activity which makes the mall the popular gathering spot for the younger generations.  The corner driveway greets you with a lovely water fountain, which somehow reminded me of the water fountain at the foot of the Nagtahan bridge at the intersection of Forbes and Aurora Boulevard (I heard this gorgeous fountain was relocated by the MWSS to their head office at the UP Balara compound).  As we roamed about, I also came across a store that displayed an electric train set (pictured below). I stayed on for a good 10 minutes, marveling at the beauty of the toy set and the realistic detail of the hillside--brings out the kid in me!

Kerson's Buchicharon

This is pretty dangerous stuff that we picked up in Iloilo--buchicharon, which is chicken innards fried to a crunchy crisp snack.  Even though it was reportedly full of cholesterol and uric acid, we couldn't help ourselves and finished a couple of packs in just under 30 minutes. As the kids put it--OMG!

Smallville 21

After lunch, we took some time to drive around some newly opened residential subdivisions in Iloilo in order to get a good picture of real estate appreciation in the city.  By 4pm, we checked in at the Smallville 21 Hotel.  I must say that for P2,500 per night (breakfast included), this was already good value--rooms were spacious and pretty clean.  The hotel is right next to some restaurants and bars, and there are pros and cons to its location--very convenient for dinner and drinks, but also a pain when you'd like to get some sleep half past midnight.  Unfortunately, the rooms are not sound-proof and while the sound that reaches your room is already muted, the bass guitar and drums can still be irritating to sleepyheads like me.

Joy-Joy's

The plane ride from Cebu to Iloilo was short but bumpy (I usually get air-sick if I don't take pills like Dramamine or Bonamine).  Once we got to Iloilo, we drove around a few project sites and then stopped for lunch at Joy-joy's which had an amazing recipe for catfish in coconut milk (their specialty dish).   We also had a couple of buckets of oysters, but I was a tad disappointed as these were small, fresh but no longer plump.  I figured that our host spent something like P250 per head; we also had grilled pork chops, squid and soft drinks.

Tin Gow

After visiting a few other real estate properties, we finally wound up in the Waterfront Hotel in the Lahug area.  I invited my friends to dinner at the Tin Gow Chinese restaurant, which serves Cantonese, Szechuan and Malaysian-Chinese styles of cooking.  Exhausted as we were, the good food and the charming & authentic ambiance made our night--

We started off with an assortment of cold cuts, and went on to have some thick fish lip soup.  We ordered a couple of dimsum baskets, and went on an assortment of viands.  We had beef ho fan, spicy pork cubes, crunchy squid, sea cucumber with snow fungus and broccoli, and sizzling beef.  With the flat noodles, no one asked for rice anymore, as we already had enough carbohydrates!  The meal came up to around P1,000 per head, which was a bit on the high side, bu then again, the food was quite good.

I was told that Tin Gow was a Chinese gambling game involving dominoes, and this was probably an apt name for the restaurant, as the hotel houses the largest casino in Cebu.