Saboten

My birthday treat with the Callars was scheduled on a Sunday lunch, but we got to Makati close to 1:30pm already.  We were hungry!  Mikey and I were even hungrier, as we had to park at the Link, which was a 10 minute walk away from Saboten, a franchise tonkatsu restaurant operated by the Raintree group. 

We started with plenty of cabbage salad in sesame seed sauce, and miso soup (included in the set meals).  Our tonkatsu came in different styles--plain fried, with egg, with curry sauce, and garnished with shredded radish (with grapefruit on the side).  The Japanese rice smelled wonderful and tasted great; the round grains and sticky consistency are qualities that I will sorely miss.  We ordered loin cuts instead of the tenderloin cuts (I must agree with the observation of the ladies that the added fat gives a more flavorful tonkatsu).

The chocolate cake wasn't bad, but I liked the macha lychee cake, which was quite unique.  Average spend is around P500 per head, because you can ask for added cabbage, soup and rice, you tummy can get quite full.  I understand from the food servers that the original Saboten outlet started in the sixties, and that the chain has around 500 shops in Japan (Saboten means "cactus" in Japanese).

Amal Alamuddin

* photo from Forbes.com

Gentlemen, the amazingly gorgeous Lebanese British human rights lawyer is no longer available...  How can actor George Clooney be such a lucky man?  

Torta Delos Reyes

Torta Delos Reyes.  Totally wicked chocolate creation from the Aristocrat Bake Shop.  Just look for the cake that has a doodle of the chef presenting the cake over the counter with the "A" insignia (I bet they can draw this blindfolded).  I was driving along Roxas Boulevard and I just couldn't resist.  I had to get it (around P700). Love this!

Color Your Tub

This is one of the many joys of being a kid at heart--colored bath water from Alex Toys!  Practically all my children, nieces and nephews shrieked in delight watching the tub water turn into swirls of rainbow colors.  After 20 years of play, I found the last few tablets and I will pass these onto to Anita's kids, whom I think will enjoy them as much as their cousins.

Angel's Kitchen

The Connecticut area in Greenhills used to be a residential area, but times have changed, and the recent trend towards increasing living densities have turned old houses into commercial establishments.  We had a meeting with some of our auditors, and we chose to have a quiet lunch at Angels' Kitchen, which had a quaint atmosphere perfect for both small talk and serious discussion.

As you can see, I wanted to try all the appetizers.  We had a lot to talk about, so we wound up munching these for a good 30 minutes.  Garlic mushrooms, gambas, and taquitos kept us busy before the main courses were served.

I started my meal with crab cake salad--a nice blend of crab cakes, greens, mangoes and apples.  Very simple starter, which I purposely ordered in preparation for a full-bodied lamb curry!  This was slow cooked, very tender, and served with raisins and was that candied apricot?  Not mango chutney, that much I remember.

My friend had a salmon submarine; he was on a seafood diet and had wanted to cheat with lamb curry.  If you have the works, from appetizer to soup & salad to main dishes and dessert, I'd say you will spend up to P1,000 per head.  It would be easy to over order, as a lot of dishes are quite yummy.  A reasonable budget would be around P600 per head, and that would be good for a full tummy.

Sincerity

It's been a long time since I've eaten in the Binondo area, and this time I had an opportunity to hold some meetings there.  We made it a point to meet at Sincerity restaurant along Nueva St., and time seems to stand still--the food is still the same.  Someone told me that the establishment has been around since the mid-fifties, and that the fried chicken recipe is still the same one they have used ever since.

We started off with some duck misua soup, this came very hot and the broth was very delicious (I would say that probably due to portion control, the duck meat wasn't as plentiful as I would have wanted).  The fried chicken, quekiam (meat roll with 5 Chinese spices) and oyster cake were delivered in quick succession, and by the time we finished, I felt that my tummy was just about to bulge!  I particularly like the oyster cake, the oysters were very fresh, and the gooey texture from the corn starch batter is nicely intertwined with onion leeks and mongo sprouts.  Prepare around P300 to P400 per head, and I assure you that you will have a fast Chinese feast.  I understand that they were supposed to set up shop in the Banawe area, so those of you who live in Quezon City need not travel all the way to Binondo to taste their dishes.

Jek's Kubo

There's a neighborhood carinderia along Maginhawa St. in UP Village that I've wanted to try for a long time, seeing that several vehicles are always parked outside, with patrons lining up to eat.  This time, I was egging Korina and Monique, and fortunately for me, they had no objections to eating there.  For around P150 per head, we had a turo-turo blast!

Imagine house favorites sisig, kare-kare and bulalo, all in one go!  Flavors were good, not fancy but home-style.  Rice was hot off the cooker.  No wonder the college kids and the DINKs make a beeline for the place.

Xiaomi Mi3

Xiaomi recently launched the Mi3, which has the specs of the top-end brands, and is surprisingly merely one-third the price.  Did I read it right--during launch, 100,000 handsets were sold online in just 86 seconds?  Really now, that is just a little over a minute.  Should I get one?

NKTI

Korina, Monique and I paid a visit to my cousin Lina, who was briefly confined at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute for dialysis.  This hospital has been pioneering in kidney treatment and transplants for the past 30 years, and I was quite surprised that the facilities are still in very good shape.  Good doctors and staff too; as such, my cousin is doing very well, thank you!

Roots & Herbs

I was having the car tinted in the Timog area, and the long wait made me uneasy.  Lucky enough, the Santi's store was just a short walk away, and I found myself window shopping for meats and cheeses, making mental notes as to which ones I'd be trying next.  As much as I would have liked to stock up, I couldn't purchase any; my afternoon was lined with appointments and meetings, and, despite the heat-rejection qualities of my new window tint, the meats wouldn't have lasted long under the blazing hot sun.

The commercial space beside the deli used to be occupied by Zuchini Restaurant, a sister company of Santi's Deli.  I was surprised that the occupant is now Roots and Herbs, and as I walked in to have a fast merienda, I quickly learned that the place not only had herbal coffee, but also pastries, sandwiches, pasta, and even rice bowls.  I noticed that they had made good use of malunggay (both in pastries and in coffee).

I had an oil-based seafood pasta (P188), which was good as my mid-morning snack (portioning won't be enough to sustain me for lunch, however).  Good bursts of garlic, although I would have wanted more of the seafood flavor to shine though.

Lindt

You can't go wrong with a box of Lindt chocolates.  Not cheap, on the high end of the price scale, but you get good, consistent quality.  Sweetness is just right.  I was lucky to receive a box of Lindt truffles and we ate it up in one evening.  Exquisite!

Behati Prinsloo

Adam Levine is such a lucky man to catch the gorgeous Namibian supermodel...

Ecosport

The Ford Ecosport is out in the market.  I want my toy now!

Maple

I first saw Maple restaurant at the San Antonio Plaza, and I was quite amazed at the endless stream of patrons lining up to have pancakes.  Early this year, Monique tried to get us a table at their branch at the Shangri-la Mall, and we lucked out too--the line was simply too long.  This time around, we were there early with Becca and Angie and Vicky had her wish--lunch at Maple!  The food is done American country style, and be warned--it is quite rich and you can walk out feeling giddy.

The cream pasta was made with truffle oil (or maybe truffle-infused olive oil), and the prosciutto and aged cheese made it very rich.  We had boiled Chilean mussels; the soup was full of flavor and the lemon wedges gave it a neat touch of tartness.

The burger was soft and juicy, and strangely enough, I was particularly happy with the dill pickles.  If I'm not mistaken, Vicky ordered what I think was an egg omelette with mushrooms, but somehow it looked like an oyster cake from Sincerity in Binondo (sorry I do have a hard time recalling what it actually was).

I wasn't too happy with the blackened chicken strips, which was tough and dry.  The chef tried to play catch-up with the sauce, but even that failed to uplift the dish.  The T-bone tapa was a unique take on the ubiquitous breakfast dish; I still prefer my T-bone to be cooked like a steak though, and I'd keep my beef tapa boneless, thank you.

We finished our meal with pancakes.  Yes, the girls had it dripping with lots of maple syrup!  Oh, simply too sweet for me.  Our total bill came to around P700 per head, but you guessed it right--we pigged out!

Third Cup Cafe

I was glad that Monique convinced me to have an early breakfast with her at Third Cup Cafe, which is located on Rosa Alvero St., in Loyola Heights.  The coffee shop isn't readily visible from the street (the entrance is on the side of the building).  Decor, however, is homey and uncluttered, the mood is quiet, really a nice place to read in solitude or hang out with your best friend or significant other.  I understand a lot of college kids frequent the place.

I had a Reuben sandwich, which wasn't bad.  It was the hot chocolate that made my day. Thick, ultra flavorful and served nicely warmed.  Belgian chocolates, the counter boys informed me.  Bring around P300 per person for brekky or merienda.

I asked why the place was named Third Cup.  The staff quickly explained that most people have their first cup of coffee at home.  The second cup is usually taken at the office or at school.  They simply want you to come to their coffee shop for your third cup!