The Mitra Residence

Firestone

* image from Wikipedia

Wherever wheels are rolling,

No matter what the load,

The name that is known is Firestone

Where the rubber hits the road.

The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, together with Goodyear and BF Goodrich, dominated the global tire industry in the sixties and the seventies.  They were the Big Three. Vicky's dad was the country sales director of Firestone at that time, and it did seem that the hold of the Big Three would never be broken.  I can remember driving from Baguio to Manila along the Capas area in Tarlac, and the huge Firestone signage would be prominently visible.  The radio and TV jingle of Firestone was heard everywhere, and the tire brand was sold in every city. Today, however, Firestone has been bought up by Bridgstone, the Japanese tire company, and the market local market is flooded with tires from all around the world.

Cold Stone Creamery

It's an ice cream mash-up of sorts when you try the cold desserts at Cold Stone Creamery.  I was at the Robinson's Galleria today, slightly miffed at the Land Transportation Office (you have to wait 3 months to get your plastic driver's license), so I decided to cool down and have a cold treat.  Wasn't expensive, really, costs just around P80 per scoop of ice cream.

They have plenty of flavors to choose from.  I tried a combination of ice cream (butter pecan) and sorbet (raspberry, mango and peach).  The cold stone is like a freezing plate, and the counter master mixes and mashes your ice cream with whatever add-ons you care to blend. It's a delightful show to watch, and those guys really enjoy their craft!

Smile Elephant

The Kapitolyo area seems to be the place to go for foodie treats in the eastern section of town.  Restaurants have been mushrooming in the area, and the types of restaurants have been expanding, with prices ranging from P100 per head to P1,000 per head in the flashier bistros.  Anita, Michaela and I spent a sibling lunch in Smile Elephant, and we were quite satisfied with the quality of the food and the average food check that came to just around P300 per head. 

Anita, our resident Thai food expert ordered crispy catfish salad, Pad Thai (noodles), and spicy pork fries.  Michaela and I insisted on chicken pandan and bagoong rice.

This is good tasting and reasonably priced Thai food.  Nothing fancy, all home-cooked style and full of flavor and aroma.  You can ask them to vary the spice content from mild (which we like) to fiery (authentic Bangkok heat).  Anita would have wanted a little more cilantro, but to me the taste was just right.  Servings were pretty generous, and we'd definitely come back for a second round!

Windows 9

* graphics from softpedia.com

Whatever happened to Windows 9?  My computer keeps prompting me to make a reservation for Windows 10 (launch is supposed to take place at the end of the month).  I use Windows 8.  I think I'm not the only one wondering about this.  I searched the internet for answers, and I understand that Microsoft has decided to skip Windows 9 altogether, to emphasize that Windows 10 is a totally different animal, a step up, so to speak.  Will be it friendly?  Will it be functional?  Will it gain wide acceptance?  Let's wait for what is in store...

One Manalo Place

Kokoo

Sheila G's Brownie Brittle

Koka

Conad

The Wholesome Table

It was sort of like a business lunch, but I was with family--my cousins Yeye and Mitchi.  We had just come from a meeting with our family stockbroker at the Salcedo Village, and we hopped over for lunch to The Wholesome Table next door.  The ambiance is pretty much like home--cozy, plenty of greenery and relaxing.  The food is organic, very healthy!  Spent something like P600 per person, not bad at all for a filling meal which we shared (meatballs, pizza and a burger).

Jaime C. Velasquez Park

I just enjoy oasis parks, like the Jaime C. Velasquez Park in the middle of Salcedo Village in Makati.  You can find some peace and quiet, some solitude even, right in the middle of the Central Business District.  Might not be as large as Central Park, but still the concept is essentially the same!

A little bit of history--Col. Jaime Velasquez was a graduate of West Point, and became the aide-de-camp of President Quezon during the pre-war years.  After the war, he joined the Ayala Corporation, and together with Col. Joseph McMicking, painstakingly transformed the Makati marshlands with a master blueprint.  Today's Makati CBD is the end result of their vision and foresight.

Wildflour

This is one time that I've gone to two branches of the same restaurant in one day.  Probably a dash of brand loyalty!  Had a breakfast meeting at the newly-opened Legaspi Village branch of Wildflour.  It was a fast meeting, so I had little time to savor the many breads that they had laid out.  Judging from what was given to me, I can say that this establishment has the expertise in churning out such delicious breads!

My breakfast order had everything in a nutshell--poached eggs, half a loaf of bread, some jelly, orange juice and coffee!  Roughly around P600.

The dinner meeting was at the Podium branch, and this time we had a little more fun with the menu--

Bulalo with matching sauce and bread.  I forget my cholesterol count.

Club Sandwich

Flat Bread Pizza

Roasted Chicken

Lasagna

I must not sit too long at their dinner table.  I will lose all the gains I have made in watching my diet.  Casual dining with a reasonable price range, Wildflour is a good place to meet up with friends and have a long lazy tete-a-tete.