Calcium - Sandoz

This is one vitamin supplement that I haven't seen on the local market for quite some time now Calcium-Sandoz.  Kong Kong used to buy this very often when we were kids, and these orange-flavored effervescent pills were just like any other soft-drink for us.  I understand that the supplement is now marketed by Novartis, and that the packaging is different, but I don't think they sell this locally anymore.  I miss this stuff!

Red Onion Cafe

Monique drove us around the Katipunan area, and we found ourselves having a light lunch at the Red Onion Cafe located at the ground floor of the UP Town Center.  The place serves Taiwanese style beef noodle soup, flavored up with several herbs and spices.  The place is also a cafe, and Monique tried the iced coffee, which literally came in cubed form.

Aside from the unique presentation, the coffee wasn't different from your regular cup of coffee.  The beef noodle soup, however, was very tasty, and you have a choice of pulled noodles or shaved noodles.  We also ordered my favorite, polonchay with garlic, and this was cooked just as I wanted--soft yet still crunchy.

It was slightly confusing to have katsu on the menu, since this was not a Japanese restaurant.  The lady, however, assured us that this was one of their best-sellers, so we got an order.  It was hot and crispy, and the accompanying plum sauce struck a delicate balance on the palate.

Allot some P400 per head to enjoy the food here.  The interiors are clean and fresh, the staff were helpful and the food was delivered in reasonable time.  I'm not sure if this is a local brand or part of an international chain; I'm sure that the college kids around the Katipunan area will make this a dining place for their special occasions.

Mr. Choi Kitchen

My dinner meeting with some friends was set at the Robinson's Magnolia Mall along Aurora Boulevard.  Since I had arrived ahead of the others, I decided to choose Mr. Choi Kitchen as our meeting place, food was fresh and reasonably priced (around P400 per head).  This restaurant is a regular tenant at the Robinson's Malls, and I haven't seen their branches located elsewhere.

I was hungry, so while waiting for the other, I started off with chicken feet as my appetizer. It was cooked tender, spiced just evenly, and served hot from the steamer.  As some friends started to arrive, we ordered some soy chicken, which we munched on as we started our meeting.

Delicious viands came in succession--beef with ampalaya, scallops with broccoli, spicy chicken, camaron rebosado (this is an old favorite, something like curled tempura), and steamed fish fillet with garlic.  Naturally, the meal came with salted fish fried rice, another all-time favorite.

I had wanted some roasted duck and live suahe, but I was informed that these were out of stock.  Well, maybe next time.

If you are looking for mid-range Chinese food, something better than the fast food chains, but not as pricey as the elegant banquet restaurants, this is a good trade-off.  Simple, fast, and tasty.

Johnnie Walker Premier

My friends had told me that Johnnie Walker Premier was good stuff.  My retort was that it had better be, after all it costs P4k per bottle.  They were not mistaken.  Smooth, clean, no aftertaste, no hangover. Almost sweet, I would say.  5 of us finished the bottle over dinner. It's a funny thing though--I looked at the Johnnie Walker website and couldn't find the label among their brands.  No JW Green too.  I wonder why? The Diageo webmaster probably had a bad case of hangover when they were constructing the site... ;-)

Edna's Cakeland

Vicky bought more sweet goodies from Cabanutuan, this time from Edna's Cakeland. The box had assorted pastries--food of the gods, walnut torte, boat tarts & macaroons. Reasonably priced, good for pasalubong.

San Vicente Kakanin

Vicky arrived from Nueva Ecija with some sweet goodies in tow.  Biko and espasol from San Vicente's.  Soft & gooey texture, freshly made, not too sweet.  I love their kakanin, yummy comfort desserts!

Lusso

Yes, I know you must be thinking that since Lusso restaurant is an Italian restaurant, why is it classified as a Burger House?  Well, aside from being a Fores-owned fine-dining restaurant in posh Greenbelt 5 (good food, by the way), the place has made a big reputation for itself with its prized foie gras burger, the sticker price of which is currently going at P850 (they say it started off at P595 five or six years ago).  One of the best burgers in town, I would say. Patty is succulent, the goose liver in the core gives the patty that extra taste, simply divine. The bun is perfect--slightly crunchy on top, soft in the middle, and the base doesn't get soggy from absorbing the patty juices.  The cheese dip is just salty enough to complete the zing. Biting on the hamburger reminds me of the sensation I first encountered when I sank my teeth into the legendary burger of Sulo Restaurant in Makati (courtesy of Kong Kong, many many years ago).  The only drawback is that I can't allow my uric acid and cholesterol count to go up...

The lobster bisque was tasty, but a bit malabnaw for my taste (how do I translate this in English--watery? thin?  as opposed to thick?  hahaha... Tagalog is really such a teaser...).  I prefer the rich thick version I first encountered at the Rotisserie at the Manila Hilton. 

The lunch was capped with a delightful ice cream, made in-house.  Chico flavor.  Yes, you heard me, chico, the fruit.  One of my top 5 fave fruits, also known as Sapodilla (Latin America). The ice cream had that sandy texture so characteristic of the berry, and was very good (I wonder how they make this).  I am very proud that they have a come up with such a pleasant dessert, a nice Filipino touch, really.  Kudos to Chef Margarita!

Frozen

Do you want to build a Snowman?
Come on let's go and play
I never see you anymore
Come out the door
It's like you've gone away

The Disney movie Frozen has already broken the US$1 Billion mark in gross revenues.  And kids are still singing the Oscar winning signature song "Let It Go," made popular by both Idina Menzel and Demi Lovato.  It's a wonderful story based on Hans Christian Andersen's "Snow Queen," a tale of two loving royal sisters, fated to find true love in the most dramatic fashion.  I watched the movie last night, and find myself with the Last Song Syndrome again, "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" as performed by Kristen Bell, keeps on playing, and playing, and playing in my mind...  What a lovely song, what a wonderful movie!

Mao Jia Hunan Cuisine

Along Bagtikan St. in Makati, right off Pasong Tamo, you will find a nondescript Chinese restaurant call Mao Jia Hunan Cuisine.  Beware, the food is spicy!  If you are brave enough to bite into that fiery sensation, and adventurous enough to have beads of perspiration streaming down your cheeks, then the Hunan region's specialty foods will be a epicurean delight.  Our trucker's meeting was held there a couple of weeks ago, and we started off with some sliced pork ears as our appetizer.  

The pork soup was thick and spicy, and we ordered some plain vegetable omelette to balance off the spicy sensation (this was the only dish that was plain).  Dishes came in streaming--pork intestines, hot pot eggplant, diced chicken and steamed tilapia.  I finished one and half cups of rice.  We were all sweaty, but the food was good.

It's a nice break to try Hunan food, especially if you always go to Cantonese or Hokkien style restaurants.  Pricing is reasonable at around P600 per head (we had a good variety).  You can down the food with cold Chinese beer and that would be just great.  I understand that the place is very popular with visitors from the Chinese mainland, and while we were there, several other customers were conversing in Mandarin, which is a good indication that we were having authentic Hunan cuisine.

Azumi Boutique Hotel

Anita and I took the parents on a leisurely Sunday journey across town to the Alabang Muntinglupa area.  After a hearty family lunch at the Palm Country Club with Jefferson & Alexis, we hied off to the Madrigal Business Park to check out the new branch of the Nail Spa located at the lobby area of the Azumi Boutique Hotel.  You won't miss this building, it's got lots of red lining, much like a playful architect's design twist to the facade.

Interiors are simple and have muted colors of the modern European look.  You can see an occasional accent piece in bright red, eye candy which sort of like corresponds to the red lining on the hotel's facade.  The restaurant on the left side of the lobby area is part of the Romulo Cafe group of restaurants, and they serve good Filipino food.

The rooms are pretty spacious, and have a zen-like interior--simple, no clutter, all functional. The suite at the pool deck (around P14k a night) has a lovely bathroom (glass sides) and you can have a nice view of the Alabang area.  The swimming pool is not wide, it's designed as a lapping pool; in any case, the kids will love it.  The only problem with roof-deck swimming is that I have the feeling the wind is a bit stronger when you are high up, and getting in and out of the pool makes one really shiver especially on windy days!

The regular rooms are popularly priced at the P4k level.  Notice that the sofa doubles as a second bed, which is great for families.

The best part of it all is that you can pamper yourself with a visit to the Nail Spa, located to the right side of the building as you enter the lobby.  Perfect place to soak your feet in that relaxing foot bath.  Go ahead, grab your favorite reading material just as you have that long-deserved pedicure.  Luxury living all over again, at very reasonable prices!  Be pampered today!

Milo Soft Serve

Milo is practically a staple in a lot of households, but ever see Milo being made into soft serve ice cream?  I bumped into this station at the Sta. Lucia mall, and for P12 a cone, I couldn't resist.  It's not as creamy as ice cream, and what they served was a little bit runny (freezer section probably not cold enough), but it was definitely the Milo taste that we all are familiar with.

Jong Soon

I was at the Sta. Lucia Mall for a meeting with some real estate brokers, and was invited to have a fast lunch at Jong Soon Korean restaurant.  While the mall proper is already showing its age, the restaurant was spic and span, brightly lit and the food was reasonable, just about at the P250 per head price range.  I was a bit confused, however, because the food server told me that their bestsellers were sushi rolls and tonkatsu, which sounded more like Japanese food to me. The man, however, insisted that these were styled in the Korean cooking method, so I had them for lunch.  Not bad, it was definitely not Japanese, and with the red ketchup sauce on the side, I'm inclined to believe his explanation.

Amber

Becca decided to get some Amber's Pancit Malabon for Kenny's birthday.  Since we discovered this store along Filmore St. near Cash and Carry Supermarket in the late nineties, their pancit has been a regular household favorite.  Nowadays business must be booming, and their branches have begun to mushroom all over town.  The pairing dish is almost always lumpia shanghai, which is bite size and crispy (I'm not too fond of the sweet-sour sauce though, but the kids just love it).   Dessert?  Necessarily pichi-pichi, which is a gel-like cassava treat sprinkled with lots of cheese gratings.  Becca ordered such a big bilao that we had enough to last till dinner.  Yum yum!