The Fisherman

As I was going down the escalator of Tower One, I noticed that the painting hanging at the lobby was "The Fisherman" of Ang Kiukok (1961) from the Ayala Museum Collection.  I love paintings about fishing harvests; to me they signify abundance and man's blessings from the bounties of nature.  Very apt for the lobby of the building that houses the Philippine Stock Exchange!

La Cantina

And for my dessert?  I had a bowl of buko salad at La Cantina, which was just beside the Mesa Steak Shop.   Cost less than P50, if I remember right.

Mesa Steak Sizzlers

I was pretty happy with the food court at the Tower One along Ayala Avenue.  Spacious and clean.  Of course, I went to eat there at 11 am, just before the mad rush of employees at noon, so maybe "spacious" is a function of time slot.  I made my way to Mesa Steak Sizzlers, and I found out that one can have a Porterhouse steak for about P150.  Well, it's not exactly a thick nor tender one, but it'll satiate my hunger pangs!

Argent Orfevres

As we toured the Promenade, I came across some swashbuckling Argent Orfevres steak knives from Hampton Forge at Gourdo's.  I love the feel!  As the joke goes, these knives will ensure that your steaks are considered tender, despite whatever your butcher might say!

Tai One

Monique had a lunch with her good friend Jeena at the Promenade in Greenhills Shopping Center, and they went on to spend some bonding time together until the evening.  Vicky and I agreed to fetch her, and while waiting, we opted to have dinner at Tai One, which has an entirely refreshing take on Chinese cuisine.  Well, more accurately, it is Taiwanese food.

We picked the crowd favorites in their menu card.  Vicky just loved the oyster congee, which came topped with a few slices of century egg.  I had to try the beef noodle soup, and I particularly enjoyed the gooey tendon bits.  The broth was quite tasty, and the soup arrived piping hot, something that other restaurants fail to hit on the mark.

I know that pork fat is a source of cholesterol, but I was having such a fun time!  Vicky and I shared this big piece and we placed slabs onto the mantou bread.  

The interiors are pretty neat and simply styled.  While the ground floor looks a bit cramped, the second floor is generous and spacious.  I understand that on weekends, it is quite difficult to get a table during dining hours.  Our budget came up to around P500 per person.  Highly recommended--we will surely be back!

Good Fellas

The last time I visited Good Fellas in the Kamuning area was a few years ago, when we started the burger hunt tradition with Monique and the Callar kids.  I was there a couple of weeks ago, supposedly for a meeting with some real estate brokers, but they didn't turn up, and I was forced to have dinner all by my lonesome.  I tried the house steak at just under P500.  It wasn't bad for the price, but I wouldn't rave about it.

The restaurant is named after the 1990 Scorsese mob film of the same name, the same picture which made Ray Liotta a household name.  I was happy to find parking right in front of the restaurant, although I was a bit disoriented as I entered--the lighting was really dim, and despite the obvious absence of a display of alcoholic drinks, I still had the impression that the restaurant would turn into a bar at night time.

Fuel Burgers

I agreed to fetch Monique and Angela at the SM Makati; it was an early Thursday evening and my hungry tummy was starting to bare its fangs.  I just had to get something inside.  The basement seemed to provide an easy solution, and I stopped by Fuel Burgers to get myself a burger, priced at something like P100.  Of course it wasn't a gourmet experience, but it wasn't bad.  Good enough to stop the acidity from burning holes in my stomach, it was.

Beyond The Flavors

I had just finished my dinner at Ramen Kuroda when I found my sweet tooth begging for attention.  In the same commercial complex, I found Beyond The Flavors, an ice cream shop steeped in the old tradition of sundaes, peach melbas and other delicious concoctions!  The place was neat and seemed to be a favorite place of dating couples.  When I saw that Big Scoop was their mainstay supplier, I wandered off with a pint of avocado ice cream in my hand...

Andromeda

We remember the TV show Andromeda, created by Gene Roddenberry of Star Trek fame. The Andromeda Ascendant is trapped for 3 seconds in the event horizon of a black hole, and, when rescued, Captain Dylan Hunt (played by Kevin Sorbo) finds out that 300 years have passed in normal space-time.  The galaxy has fallen into chaos and it is up to Captain Hunt to bring back the Systems Commonwealth.  The Canadian series ran from 2000 to 2005, and while we were not able to watch the latter seasons, we remember how much of a fun sci-fi series this was.  Action, beautiful ladies, good special effects, light comedy, interesting plot twists!

Ramen Kuroda

There's an interesting ramen shop at the ground floor of the Mezza Residences, which is located at the corner of Aurora Boulevard and Araneta Avenue.  Ramen Kuroda has had a few branches all over the Metro for some time now, but I must admit I only heard of the name a couple of months ago.  I was intrigued.  One night while on my way home, my tummy was grumbling and I decided to try their dishes.

I ordered some gyoza and a bowl of kuro ramen.  With around P300 per person, you can find tummy happiness!  The gyoza was fresh, the skin was crisp yet the filling was moist.  The broth was salted just right and the garlic sprinkle gave a good umami kick to the experience.  Noodles were chewy, almost gooey, not soggy at all.

The place is well-lit and very clean.  Decor isn't fancy at all, and a lot of patrons I assume come from the neighboring schools and the patients/visitors at the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center.

Capilla Lorenzo de Manila

I was at the Manila Pavilion for a meeting with some gaming officials.  After what seemed to be such a long day, I stopped briefly at the 5th floor chapel, Capilla Lorenzo de Manila for some quiet prayer.  I heard that the old owner of the hotel, Ambassador Delgado, was once the Philippine dignitary to the Holy See, and the chapel is still in operation today as it has been since the days of the Manila Hilton.  I understand that the doors of the chapel are replicas of the doors at the San Agustin Church (or the Manila Cathedral, if I am mistaken).  I can see why a lot of buildings have a house of prayer; the short respite was quite refreshing! 

Doner Haus

Monique had a quick beef kebab at Hole-In-The-Wall for just under P300.  The shop, aptly called Doner Haus, made a stuffed wrap filled with greens and some specialty sauce. Unfortunately, if you haven't tried it yet, you won't find the store there anymore--it's merely a pop-up shop that has an expiry date.

Banana Leaf (Greenbelt)

All by my lonesome at the Greenbelt Mall.  I had to kill time; my meeting was at 4pm and I didn't have lunch in order to beat the heavy traffic and arrive in Makati at 2pm.  Somehow, I was craving for beef rendang so I made a beeline for Banana Leaf.  Erica had introduced this restaurant to us when one of their first branches opened at the Podium Mall many years ago, and my friends had told me that the food quality remains consistently good to this day.  To my utter consternation, however, the kitchen ran out of the good stuff! I had to settle for chicken rendang, wasn't exactly what I had wanted but it was alright.  P400 for a hot meal.

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi

Our meeting with auditors brought us to the Ramen Kagetsu Arashi store at the Paseo Center on Paseo de Roxas.  The chain has been expanding its footprint in Southeast Asia, and I understand that it has some 300 shops all over the world.

We had a good meal of ramen and gyoza for around P350 per person; the broth was hot and quite flavorful.

The mini butameshi that came with the combo meal, however, didn't make much of an impression on me--to my mind, the meat could use a bit more flavor.  Overall though, it's not a bad stop for a quick meal.

Stylistics & Main Ingredient

I missed the concert!  Ovation Productions had scheduled the Stylistics and Main Ingredient concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday, and it was just too bad that I had other things to do.  The Stylistics, on the one hand, dominated the soul sounds of the early seventies with hits like Betcha By Golly Wow, Stop, Look and Listen, You are Everything, I'm Stone In Love With You, You Make Me Feel Brand New, Let's Put It All Together, Break Up to Make Up, Star on a TV Show, Can't Give You Anything and Na-na is the Saddest Word.  The Main Ingredient, on the other hand, is known for I'm So Proud, Everybody Plays the Fool, I Just Don't Wanna Be Lonely and I Only Have Eyes For You.  The hits surely bring back a lot of memories from yesteryears!  They just don't make music like they used to.

Jatujak

My meeting at the SM Megamall had to be over a fast lunch, as my afternoon meeting was moved to an earlier time slot.  Luckily, the Jatujak Thai restaurant was available, and the cook prepared our orders in a flash.

One order per person, and we decided to share the food.  We started off with catfish salad and had bagoong rice paired with pandan fried chicken.  The portion sizes aren't really that big, and I guess the 3 dishes was meant for around 2 people only, so I wound up with a slightly hungry tummy.  The food was hot and tasty, and while I wanted to get some more, I held off as I didn't have much time.  I'd estimate that maybe a couple more orders would have made the cut, and that would have been a budget of around P450 per head. 

7D Dried Mangorind

One of my favorite dried fruit candies is a combination of mangoes and tamarind.  7D Foods calls it dried Mangorind!  It's got that pleasant sweet-sour blend that chases the furrows out of my forehead.  The candy comes in pillow packs that make it very convenient to keep in my pocket--perfect for my mid-day snack!

Mr. Bean

* photo from hulu.com

Monique has always enjoyed Mr. Bean's brand of comedy.  Rowan Atkinson, electrical engineer and race car driver in real life, plays the embodiment of a childish buffoon trapped in a grown man's body.  We enjoyed watching the TV series together while Monique was a child, and now that she's all grown up, I cherish those moments when I act like Mr. Bean (both unintentionally that she shakes her head in disbelief, and purposely just to make her smile) because it makes me relive my bonds with her.  Thank you, Mr. Bean!

Sultan

Monique and I wanted to check out the new restaurants along the quiet side of Wilson St. in San Juan.  We decided to have a quick dinner at Sultan Mediterranean Grill, which opened sometime early this year.  The interiors are simple yet cozy, and the food is reasonably priced--you can still make do with a budget of around P350 per person.

We tried a moussaka and a grill plate, both of which we pretty good.  However, I expected a bit more taste and aroma from the beryani rice that came along with the order.

Overall, it's a nice hangout with your friends, good for casual meals without breaking the bank.  Parking though is pretty tight, so it's best to arrive before the crowds do.