Diding and Angela's Pastillas de Macapuno

Vicky received a box of Pastillas de Macapuno made by Diding and Angela of San Pablo City. Each is just the right size, not too large that you'd choke with overwhelming sweetness.  Yum yum!

Mama Lou's Kitchen

Last Sunday we set some time for bonding with Phineas, and Vicky took the opportunity to race through South Super Highway for a visit to Sucat.  We wound up in her cousin Josie's house for mid-afternoon tete-a-tete, and during the conversation, Josie recommended Mama Lou's Italian Kitchen along Tropical Avenue in BF Homes for us to have an early dinner.

I like visiting restaurants that used to be residences; these usually have a certain homey charm and comfy character.  The patio area has been converted to outdoor dining, and in the cool January air, this was quite a pleasant place to sit in.  We espied a few couples having their dates at this al fresco area; ah, the wonders of young love!

The bread tray came in as we were seated, and I had to take a hard look at the accompanying dip--was is basil in olive oil or mint jelly?  Take a guess!  The red dip shown above is of course tomato-based dip.

The onion rings were not outstanding, but the pizzas were quite delicious (comes with alfalfa sprouts and arugula leaves, organically grown, I hear).  I'd say the consistency of the crust has just enough crunchiness at the outer rim, and proper gooeyness (yes, there is such a word) to take on the filling.  We had a white pizza and a red pizza, and both were absolutely delightful.

Vicky couldn't resist the Ozzie rib eye, and we added two pasta dishes--macaroni and cheese and an oil-based seafood spaghetti dish.  The lady food attendant proudly exclaimed that the seafood spaghetti was one of the more popular dishes on their menu.  Yes, it was tasty and the noodles were firm enough.

Next time I visit, I think I will try their osso buco, the thought of tender veal and gremolata seemed to be so enticing!  All in all, you can spend something like P400 per head if you are on a budget, but if you want to go all out, your bill can probably go up twice over to P800 per head.  Good food, well conceptualized menu and inviting ambiance.

Liberty

Eddie was excited to sample the food at the UP Town Center, and upon his invitation, we headed off to the second floor to try the Liberty New York Steakhouse, which we learned was a sister restaurant of the Chops Chicago-style Steakhouse at the Greenbelt Arcade.  

My choice (shown above) was mid-priced Wisconsin tenderloin (around P700 for 8 ounces), while Eddie and Korina opted for Angus tenderloin (below) which was in the upper price bracket (P1,300 for 8 ounces).  Of course, the Angus meat was tastier, but my steak wasn't bad at all.  My only concern was that I should have taken potatoes instead of my choice of fried rice--potatoes are traditionally a better match for steak.

As we entered, Korina stated that she was pleased with the retro interiors.  You can see in the picture below, prominent display items include a poster of Breakfast at Tiffany's, some Beatles albums, and even an old gramophone.  Furthermore, Korina was practically delighted with the choice of pop-rap music that was played.  Service was friendly and quite efficient.  We brought Korina to the dormitory slightly past curfew time, but the food and the company was well worth bending the rules a bit!

Shin Ramyun

Taking about ramen has activated my cravings once more.  Well, if you don't have the time to go to a ramen shop, the easiest way to satisfy a noodle craving is to boil a pot of water and throw in a pack of instant ramen. Last December, Vicky had the luck to be gifted with a box of Shin Ramyun packs, Korean instant spicy noodles made by the Nong Shim group.  We have been eating a lot of these instant noodles over the holidays, specially on those days that fall in between the fiesta meal dates, when it's just too much of a hassle to cook regular food. I understand that a pack of Shin Ramyun retails at around P50 each, so it ain't cheap, but you probably can taste the difference (in both flavor and noodle texture) from those ordinary packs that retail for just P8 each. Just get your palates ready--this stuff is pretty hot and you will probably sweat it out with just one bowl, albeit with a smile on your face!

Audrey Hepburn

"How shall I sum up my life?  I think I've been particularly lucky." she says.  The bigger truth is that we are the lucky ones, having had the pleasure of watching her performances in Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and My Fair Lady, among others.

* photo from the movie Roman Holiday, via Wikipedia

Audrey Hepburn is almost universally regarded as the most naturally beautiful woman of all time, and I have been madly in love with this Hollywood screen icon since I can remember.

* photo from Wikipedia

Right after our ramen dinner at Roku, Korina showed me her sketch of Audrey Hepburn (top picture), and memories of my childhood longing just came back.  In torrents.  I think the sketch is so wonderfully done, specially considering that Korina has no training whatsoever in art, and that this is one of her first attempts in creating her portfolio.  Korina will do wonders in art, I can see.  She not only draws well, but also chooses the most wonderful of subjects! Look at the eyes of Audrey Hepburn--absolutely enchanting!  I am in love all over again!

* with her then husband, Mel Ferrer, on the set of War and Peace, 1954, via Wikipedia

Roku

Korina just arrived in Manila from her vacation, with just enough time to spare.  Straight from the airport, we stopped at the Roku ramen shop at the 5th level of the Oracle dormitory along Katipunan Avenue for a fast dinner.  It was a Sunday evening, yet the place was filled with students (a lot of groups had their laptops on the the table, right beside their ramen bowls).  We started off with some rolled sushi with kani toppings, pretty delicious, although the cuts were a bit uneven (you can see from the picture below that the pieces on the right side were smaller than those on the left side), which doesn't happen in the more expensive Japanese restaurants.

The ramen was varied--in miso soup, shoyu broth, with pork, chicken, seafood and beef. Came in piping hot, which is a plus point for me.  Tasty soup, chewy noodles, although slightly under-garnished.

All in all, we spent almost P400 per head, which is pretty reasonable.  However, if you analyze it, this could be a bit on the high side for pure student patronage; I would guess that yuppies and families also form part of their clientele.  The restaurant is clean and well-lit, the ambiance is quite appealing, and you can see the walls adorned with manga-like animal characters which creates a relaxing atmosphere.

Mirror Mirror

I just watched a rerun of Mirror Mirror on cable TV.  This movie adaptation of the Brothers Grimm story of Snow White was top-billed of course by Julia Roberts.  Aside from the beautiful costumes that truly are a visual treat (I heard the movie garnered an Oscar for this); the movie is also known (jokingly, of course) as one of the few movies in which the actor Sean Bean (who portrays Snow White's father) is resurrected, rather than brutally killed.  My delightful find is Lily Collins, who so alluringly portrays Snow White; her smile is so refreshing, her poise, so sublime! Interestingly enough, she is the daughter of Genesis vocalist Phil Collins, who has a long long list of musical achievements himself.  This young lady is the new image model of Lancome, and you can see that the artistic genes truly run in the family!