Tous de Jours

My meetings at the Greenbelt area finished early, so I had time to have a light snack at the Tous Le Jours bakery which recently opened its doors.  Sweet pastries, savory snacks, cakes and other confectionery creations are available at reasonable prices.  Pastry items go for under P50, while whole cakes sell for something like P700, and the taste is pretty good.  At first glance, I thought the chain was run by some French or European group, but as it turns out, the bakery is a Korean chain.  I was informed by Anita that this concept is very popular in Seoul, where lots of bakeries and coffee shops have Parisian decor and interiors.  I further learned from the counter girls that the franchise is owned by the CJ Group, which is also one of the largest movie distributors & theater operators in Korea.  The CJ Group used to be the food & beverage division of the Samsung conglomerate, until is was spun-off in 1993.

The Balcony

Right after my brief stroll in Washington Sycip Park, I couldn't help but notice this resto-bar along Palanca Street called The Balcony.  It's positioned literally as a low-rise balcony overlooking the street, and you can recognize the place instantly, due to the distinctive brick lined wall dating back probably to the late seventies.  While it was a bit early, I still walked in for turo-turo lunch which was surprisingly reasonable at P150 only!

I got the mango glazed chicken breast, and had the place all to myself for around 25 minutes, before the lunch crowd started to trickle in.  I understand that an acoustic gig plays early evenings, and the bar becomes lively for happy hour.  No idea about what type of music plays, but I guess light rock favorites and cosmopolitan funk would dominate the airwaves.

Washington Sycip Park

Strolling along Legaspi Village last week, I came across the Washington Sycip Park in between Gamboa and Legaspi streets.  It was the first time that I learned the park's name, but it's not surprising that the park is named after the founder of one of the country's premier audit firms, SGV & Company, given the numerous contributions that he has made to the Philippine business scene since liberation.  As you can see in these pictures, it's pretty well kept and nicely manicured.

I love city parks--they induce that feeling of serenity and calm, a brief place for pause and solitude in the middle of the concrete jungle.  It's just too bad that we have very little space in Metro Manila dedicated to parks, and if I were a billionaire philanthropist, I'd purchase pockets of land for conversion into city parks.  Given the hot humid climate we have, a lot of people prefer to spend time in malls than in parks.

Time moves at a turtle's pace when you are in a rush, but when you are enjoying yourself, time can move as fast as a speeding bullet.  I remember I spent hours just strolling around Central Park in New York (yes, hotdogs & souvlaki galore) or Hyde Park in London (overcast and chilly but still a darling), and as the day ended, I'd wonder to myself what I had actually done.  Well, the list included sitting down to enjoy the view, walking around to enjoy the pathways, eating ice cream, simply doing nothing except strolling and smiling to strangers.  To me, that's the most definitive luxury--spend quality time doing nothing, simply living life and enjoying with family and friends!

The artist Impy Pilapil has conceived of a wishing table in which you can write your wishes using a provided reed and some water (as ink).  When the water evaporates, it is assumed that your wish has gone up to the gods for perusal!

This gazebo reminds me of the landmark in Cebu that houses the cross that Magellan brought to the Philippines.  Don't you think so?

Research at Monastery

This artist's creation is a true joy to behold!  I was very lucky to walk past the Ayala Museum's Artist's Nook at the Greenbelt just when the watercolor series "Road to Silence" of Geneva-based artist Marissa Gonzalez was being displayed.  I stood there transfixed, just enjoying the wonderful works on jusi (yes, what we wear for Barong Tagalog).  So restful to the eyes, so relaxing, practically uplifting to the soul!

I immediately wanted the painting "Research at Monastery" which was done in 2007.  Unbelievable match, as the painting that I wanted was only 1 of 3 unsold pieces left!  It was meant for me, as simple as that!  The artwork was initially intended as wall hanging--free to flap around in the wind.  However, I requested that this be framed, bearing in mind that Pipay has a tendency to grab and play with all the artwork she can get her hands on.  Absolutely gorgeous, feeds my soul!

Ms. Marissa Q. Gonzalez
* Photo courtesy of the Philippine Star

Vicky and I had the chance to have a short discussion with the artist, who happens to be the granddaughter of the late President Quirino.  The amazing thing about her artwork is that watercolor on jusi has zero error tolerance!  Each stroke must be correct, and there are no pencil lines to frame the strokes.  A lot of people have asked me why I buy artwork on irregular media (e.g. banana stalk, and in this case, jusi) with no track record of pigment stability and longevity.  It's simple--I like looking at the presentation, it just makes me happy!  "Research at Monastery" is proudly mine, along with the accompanying serene feeling and visual delight.  Thank you, Ms. Gonzalez, for your contribution to my happiness!

Chinese New Year!

This report on our Chinese New Year dinner is probably much delayed because I've been gaining weight and I haven't had the guts to complain.  Upon the urging of Erica, we combined the occasion to celebrate Gwammy's birthday too.  The food was simply delicious!  Erica ordered most of the food from Tanabe, a famous Japanese restaurant located at the Remedios Circle in Malate, Manila (I understand that they also have a branch at the SM Mall of Asia).

We started off with cold soba noodles

Sashimi platter was very fresh and appetizing!

Sushi came with lots of variety--unagi, salmon, crab roe and ebi

If I remember correctly, this is grilled pork

This lengua dish was ordered by Anita--who says everything has to be Japanese?

Gindara!  We love black cod

Vietnamese spring rolls, crunchy appetizers

Asparagus stalks wrapped in bacon--yum yum!

Ebi Tempura--kids just love this, and it was gone in 15 minutes

My favorite--Wagyu teppanyaki!

Birthday Noodles!  This came in from the old reliable Savory

For dessert, the birthday girl made the ever-present ginataan

What were we doing celebrating Chinese New Year with Japanese food?  I guess that defines the family menu--doesn't have to be coordinated, as long as we long for the stuff!  In addition, Gwammy loves Japanese food--she turns 82 this year, and as she is strong and healthy, we all wish her many many more years to come!

RSD Merienda

What's brewing for merienda at the main house these days?  Shades of many a past afternoon's delight!  Gwammy cooked some hot binignit (also known as ginataan), with plenty of sago (tapioca balls), langka (jackfruit) and bilo-bilo (balls made of rice flour).  This is the absolute favorite of Anita, who was able to finish 3 bowls in just one sitting.

Michaela came in with lots of purchases from a panaderia--kababayan, colored pudding rolls and pan de coco.  Although the breads were good, it seemed to me that the bakery we bought from when we were kids made better tasting stuff.

Vicky gave some palitaw, which is flattened bilo-bilo, usually swathed in grated coconut.  In this case, the palitaw came with syrup and latik (sweetened coconut meat).  Monique contributed her Toaster Pops, although I don't think we had the time to pop it in the oven toaster!  We had fun bonding over 45 minutes of afternoon merienda, and it seems that whenever we meet, all we do is eat, eat eat!

Yuujin

Monique and I walked over to Yuujin for our Happy Friday dinner, thinking that Vicky could join us.  Unfortunately, she had a cocktail affair and called to tell us to eat ahead.  This Japanese restaurant along Wilson St. doesn't advertise much, but the place was packed when we entered.  We last ate there some years back, when the place was newly opened and if I recall right, at that time we occupied one of only two table during lunch.  Business has boomed since, and the friendly service is probably one of the reasons why people keep coming back.  We sat at the sushi counter, and we were immediately given some cold tea to drink.

We opened the meal with salmon and uni sashimi, both all-time favorites.  We also ordered gyoza, the meat filling of which was tasty and juicy, with enough crunchiness at the bottom portion of the dumpling to differentiate it from plain dumplings.   

I was a bit adventurous and ordered some cold soba.  Monique liked this but I wasn't too happy since the sauce was on the sweet-sour side.  The tuna and cheese sushi, however, was a real treat!

We spent something like P650 per head, which is pretty much the average for Japanese restaurant meals these days.  I noticed, however, that the interiors of the place looked a bit dated, and I think that the restaurant can definitely do better with some mini-renovation work.  In my opinion, the lighting also needs some rethinking in order to project a better ambiance.