Dial

Aren't you glad you use Dial?

Armour and Company (now Armour-Star) used to be a big manufacturer of corned beef since the 19th century.  Since tallow was a by-product of meat packing, they also ran a soap making division.  But it was after the war that they added anti-bacterials into the soap, and thus Dial soap was born!  The product was so popular that the company renamed itself to Armour-Dial. Gwammy bought Dial on a regular basis when we were kids, but somehow, the product went off-market in the nineties.  Vicky took me to S&R recently, and I was lucky to find some.  I understand that Henkel is the current owner of the brand, but the bright yellow color of the soap and its distinct smell still remains the same to this day.  This brand was marketed by creative ad agencies and their famous tag line would have made people conscious if they were not using Dial.  I still remember the raffle promotion that Dial launched locally--you put your name and address on the Dial soap cartons, and drop them into the tambiolo, for the chance to win an Opel Manta (this 2 door was a beauty).   I must have sent in ten entries, but a poor boy from Mindanao sent in just one entry and won the car.  The ad agency published his photo receiving his prize and story about the one-in-a-million chance that won created even further publicity for Dial.  That was a classic case study for Marketing majors!

Greens

My vegetarian niece Maddie recently arrived from Zug for a tour of the Philippines, Burma and Thailand.   Together with Monique, we had a quick lunch at this vegetarian restaurant Greens, which Erika found with a little research on the internet.   The restaurant is along Scout Castor, and isn't hard to find.

Surprisingly, the kabab and the sisig did taste like the real thing.  And the plate of vegetable lasagna was quite good.  The best part?  We had the meal at just less than P200 per person!

The ambiance is quiet and good for intimate meals with good friends.  Staff are pleasant and very conversant about the merits of their veggie dishes.  Street parking is available.

Moccona

Mikaela recently popped in the main house with a bottle of Moccona instant coffee, which made Kong and Gwammy (the perennial coffee lovers) break into a wide smile.  Made by the Dutch company Douwe Egberts (which has been in the coffee business for more than 250 years), they say Moccona has quite a good body and aroma.  Carina has been looking for their sachets for some time now, but it seems that sachets are not available locally.  Too bad for that...

Theo and Philo

Our visit to Gourdo's was very enlightening--we found Theo and Philo chocolates, which is touted to be the only chocolate bar that is made entirely in the Philippines.  Meaning from the growing of the cacao beans, to the roasting, to the blending of flavors and the packaging. These chocolates come in different (you might think out-of-this world) flavors, such as calamansi, green mango and adobo.  Yes, you heard that right. Very Filipino touch, and these are all locally blended and flavored.  Try them to find out exactly how they flavors combine.  The bars are not exactly cheap, just a bit more expensive than some of the imported brands, but I can assure you, the taste sensation is enriching to the palate!

Hong Kong Spring Deer (Timog)

Our Sunday lunch routine with Kong and Gwammy led us this time to Hong Kong Spring Deer restaurant along Timog Avenue.  We used to patronize this restaurant in the eighties, but we haven't been there for almost ten years now.  It seems that the place needs a renovation already, and I was particularly not happy with the indoor lighting which I felt was on the dim side.

The food, however, is still good.   We started off with thick Six Treasure soup, which was good for 4 persons.  Kong wanted some broccoli, and I requested for salted fish fried rice. Gwammy was quite specific, she wanted the birthday pancit canton even if none of us was celebrating a birthday.  Of course, she was after the orange colored quail eggs!

Piece de resistance was of course, the garlic fried crab!  We truly had a feast, and Monique now is a believer in the thrill brought about by succulent crab claws.   Our bill came to about P700 per person, but we were extra delighted to learn that they restaurant would give us a 20% discount due to their ongoing anniversary promotion.  Very well timed visit indeed.

FX Airguns

I found this Swedish air gun manufacturer on the web, FX Airguns, and it seems that their products are pretty neat!  I especially like the FX Boss, which has a 40 shot capacity on a tankful, and is available in .177, .22 and .25 size pellets.  The Olympic fever has just reminded me of my childhood love for target shooting, and I really should get to practice my skills again.  I might not have been that consistent on the match range, but I wasn't bad in my younger days.  I remember that we set-up a small trick range in the Torres compound and I could hit a lit cigarette in the darkness with a rifle from 15 yards in around 1.5 seconds!  At that time, our CO2 guns were locally made (the Precision by Centrepoint) because we didn't have the budget for the good stuff (i. e. Feinwerkbau, Walther, Benelli & Anschutz).

Ajisen Ramen

Vicky and Andie tagged along with me to Robinson's Ermita, and we had a late lunch at Ajisen Ramen.  The prices weren't as steep as other Japanese ramen houses, and the menu had a wide variety of food choices aside from ramen.  

We started off with some gyoza, sushi and spicy tuna sashimi.  The gyoza wasn't as stuffed as I'd like them to be, but the flavor was still good.  The tuna was quite fresh, and the crunchy bits atop the sashimi served as a good counterpoint to the hot spicy mix.   We shared the bowl of pork ramen; the broth was tasty and the mixture had just the right amount of seaweed, vegetables and egg (of course, I always want more meat, and my primary complaint is that the lone paltry rolled pork slice is not enough for my appetite).

Expect to spend something like P500 per person for a variety of dishes.  Of course, if you are just there for a snack, the spend is much lower.  The staff were attentive and knew exactly how to market their menu, so we didn't have any problem at all.