Ant-Man

* photo from Wikipedia

I had fun with this movie, the 12th installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Simple clean story, no mind-twisting plot lines.  Dr. Henry Pym (Michael Douglas) mentors well-intentioned cat burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) as the new Ant-Man to protect his shrinking technology from falling into the hands of HYDRA.  As added human drama, Dr. Pym's daughter Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily), reconciles with her father, and in parallel, Scott Lang manages to keep his relationship with his own daughter intact and thriving.  The story deviation from the comic books was easily explained, maybe even enhanced.  Lots of humor and fun moments, interesting stunts and CGI displays; and of course, plenty of action too.  Three cheers for Marvel and Walt Disney!

  

Fairview Terraces Mall

I love the Ayala Fairview Terraces Mall!  The grounds are so relaxing to stroll in.  The mall is just the right size, not too big to be tiring nor too small to be boring.  Enough eateries and specialty stores.  Just right for the me. We went to take a look with Becca and her family, and maybe I'll take my sisters to see the place one day.

Silantro

Mita came to me with delight bursting from her facial expression.  She had eaten at a newly opened Fil-Mex joint called Silantro at the UP Town Center, and it was good.  I understand that the restaurant started in Dagupan City, and recently expanded into the Metro.  I told her we had to try their Kapitolyo branch, as I heard it was a favorite with local foodies.  I was quite right; imagine we arrived rather early for lunch (11:30am), but we sat on the last available table, and people just waited in line.  We opened our lunch with beef-topped nachos (real beef strips) and shared a burrito.  Busog for just under P200 per head.  We'll be back!

P. S. Ate there a second time around with my trucking buddies, and had a slightly different menu.  All yummy, good value for money...

Snakes and Ladders

We grew up playing that ancient Indian board game of Snakes and Ladders.  I had almost forgotten all about it until we walked in the Hamleys toy store at the Central Park Square.  Oh my, such childhood memories--I kept on losing to my two sisters!

Hong Kong Noodles & Dimsum House

I must admit I was pretty disappointed with the ha kaw at Hong Kong Noodles & Dimsum House along Shaw Boulevard.  It was my first time to try the chain, and I had seen a lot of their delivery trucks around town.  It must be good, I told myself.  However, the shrimp dumpling had little meat, and the wrapper had a powdery texture.  Wasn't cheap at just under P100 for the dumpling alone.  The beef wanton noodle soup wasn't spectacular either.  Oh well...

Lolo's Crispy Pata

Hands down, Lolo's has the best commercial crispy pata in Metro Manila.  Located on Dahlia St., West Fairview, this simple stall sells 2 crunchy, super yummy pig thighs at P400 per order.  How can you beat that?

Chihuahua

Mexican rush!  We were at the Central Square in Fort Bonifacio, and while we had eaten dinner already, the Chihuahua Express stand beckoned...and I answered!  I purchased a burrito bowl; the taste was great but the portioning was lacking...I want more!  It's supposed to be a snack companion as you enter the movie theater (fast eats under P200), so don't expect mucho-sized plates.

Starbucks

I always get ribbed by my friend whenever we meet at Starbucks, probably the global symbol of a coffee lover's addiction.  In truth I love coffee (black, of course) but my body just can't withstand caffeine (palpitations).  I always end up with tea or juice.  This time I had bramble berry tea.  Oh well...

Fusion of Red

Monique and I found ourselves in Fairview without any food in the refrigerator.  We decided to eat out, and chanced upon Fusion of Red, located on the second floor of the Regalado Hive.  We had an interesting quick dinner--seafood bouillabaisse, inihaw na pusit and sisig. Not bad at all, for about P350 per person.  Not much of ambiance, but the service was fast and the food was hot and tasty.

Love Desserts

More eateries are coming up in the Fairview area.  We found Love Desserts at the Pearl Drive mini-mall along Commonwealth Avenue, which has a buffet of well, desserts!  I don't know how much sweets you can take, so take note that this is the place for those who do not have problems with their sugar count.  They have all kinds of cakes, flan and ice cream. Around P200 per person.

Highlands Steakhouse (Capitol Commons)

An old classmate recently opened a steakhouse at the Capitol Commons in Pasig.  The Highlands Steakhouse was initially an outlet at the Tagaytay Highlands Country Club and because of the high demand in Metro Manila for quality steak, the restaurant soon branched out at the SM Mall of Asia.  The new Pasig location is pretty convenient to visit, and we were very pleased with the warm interior finish of the restaurant.

For starters, we had some oysters and scallops with cheese toppings.  I had cream soup in order to keep the rumble in tummy down to a minimum.

I like their steak.  It was seasoned with just the right amount of salt, and was chewy enough to qualify as a man's steak.  While I like having melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu once in a while, I still look for chewy juicy tender beef done medium rare!

The spending range is pretty wide.  There are choices that would come to just under P700 per person, and there are prime steaks that would make you spend up to P2,500 per head. Service is pretty fast, and the staff know how to advise you on how to compose a memorable meal ensemble.

Sentimental Night

My BOM Weapon vacuum tube amplifier is up and running again.  I am having fun compiling sentimental songs for relaxation in my weekend home:
Reminiscing
Don't Give Up on Us
Muskrat Love
I Honestly Love You

O, Lumapit Ka
Magkasuyo Buong Gabi

We're All Alone
Love Won't Let Me Wait

Inn

Wan Li Yuan

Inagiku

Still a crowd favorite for Japanese dining in the metro, Inagiku at the Makati Shangri-la continues to delight it customers with clean crisp interiors, good food and impeccable service.  The average check still comes in the hefty range of P1,500 to P2,000 per person, but all told, the meals are worth it especially if you are trying to impress your clients or your financiers.

I particularly like the set meals; you just have to point out your favorite dish to the food attendant, and everything else is brought to your table (i.e. soup, salad, dessert).  This time I had a seafood combination which included prawns, gindara and salmon.  The restaurant is spacious and unlike other Japanese restaurants of the same food caliber, you can have a discussion with your business partners without the whole restaurant gasping at every confession you utter.

Tesco Baked Beans

By looking at the packaging I had thought that the Tesco baked beans would be good.  My mistake, not something I would recommend.  I thought the pork sausages had cardboard filling.  Enough said.

Terry's (Pasong Tamo)

I've written about the food in Terry's Podium and this time I was looking for their store along Pasong Tamo.  To my surprise, the security guard told me that they moved across the street to a new location behind the 7-11 store.  I was lucky to get there before noon; the few parking spaces that were available would be filled as the lunchtime crowd would swell.

Croquettes

Salpicao

Paella

Callos

Nice and cozy interiors, the ambiance reminds me of old-world charm, a place that you would like to take your significant other to celebrate those special occasions.  Food was good, as usual, but be prepared to take you anti-cholesterol medicine if you have one plate too many. Average spend would be around P900 per person.