Maple

January 2, 2014

This was a really nice way to start the year -- a new resto to try + a dinner/mini-reunion with Unilever colleagues, both former and current

Have long been hearing about Maple and seeing it in friends' IG posts, and have always considered it a posh breakfast place kaya I never really made an effort to try it out on my own :p

they have a branch na pala in Shang Mall, and since most of us were from the North area, this was where we opted to meet up

pretty homey--Maple in Shangrila Mall, East Wing

I really liked the vibe of the resto plus it was kid-friendly too! they had a portion allotted for toys and bookshelves for kid guests

since we were there ahead, we had some safe starters muna, while waiting for the rest

Chili Fries (Php 225) and New England Clam Chowder (Php 250)

everyone else enjoyed the fries--I like my fries just plain fried and salted so it was too much for me; the clam chowder was tasty too and was good enough for sharing

Yanpi recommended the Tapa, but we opted to have other dishes

Fish and Chips (Php 480) and Chilean Mussels (Php 375)

both dishes were okay naman pero when we saw the Tapa they ordered we couldn't help but drool over it and ended up ordering one too

Prime Rib Tapa (Php 520)

four of us actually ended up sharing this dish; and we didn't even get to finish everything. it was really good and had thin portions of fat kaya I liked it more; some parts though were quite gnawy lang and the fried rice that came with it was just too oily for me

Sumptuous Salmon Torte (Php 2200)

the name pretty much said it all. it truly a full meal on its own: Salmon fillet + rice + onions and spinach all in a pastry puff as huge as a standard chopping board = sarap :)

considering everything that we ate, there was barely room for anything else; kaya we ended up just ordering one dessert plate for all of us

Red Hot Choco Lava Cake (Php 280)

sure would love to take my family for meal here some time soon!

last customers out!

Maple

G/F East Wing

Shangrila Mall
https://www.facebook.com/MapleRestaurantPH

Clucky's

November 2, 2013


as shared in my other posts, whenever Jeff and I would want to try new food, we'd usually check out SM North Edsa Annex area particularly where Save More used to be

and usually we'd find ourselves a newly-opened resto naman in fairness

this time, our newest food discovery was Clucky's

Clucky's is attempting to compete with the likes of BonChon, Chicken Charlie with its Korean fried chicken

our choices:

1) Parmesan fries (Php 49) [also comes in a bigger size at Php 85]
2) Bulgogi meal with 12 oz drink (Php 149)
3) Kimchi meal with 12 oz drink (Php 149
4) Wings Solo (Php 125) solo

I liked their rice topping meals a lot. they had quite big servings and Jeff and I were able to share pa. yung parmesan fries nothing too extraordinary. the dip I really didn't get the taste so much.

not too happy about the chicken though - at first glance it seemed very artificial particularly yung skin breading. when I ate it, the whole thing practically came off na parang kinabit lang sya when it was fried! taste wise so-so lang din

I think if I were to return here though I would go back for the rice toppings lang. hehe


Clucky's
SM North Edsa, G/F Annex

Floridablanca

November 1, 2013

I rarely look forward going to Pampanga as it is practically an extension of Manila for us. we go here at least once every quarter ata and it has always been the same.

sure the travel is much faster and more convenient and we now have better mobile phone signal + wi-fi + cable; but beyond that there really is nothing much else left to do. (oh no, I'm starting to sound like my younger siblings na!)

#agileworking Pampanga style

over the weekend however, whilst there was work to be done (which addresses my issue on the lack of anything to do) I was able to see our home town in a really different light, unintentionally, haha

Floridablanca Town Hall

I went along with my parents to Floridablanca, which was just right next to Guagua, the town Mama grew up in. they had to buy some things at the market, and I badly needed to get meds naman for my colds

while waiting, I walked around muna and made my way towards the church. I know I had mass in this town a decade ago pero I couldn't remember if this was the same one.

I only got to take photos from my outside since it was already quite dark na. I already applied some filters in the one I took below just to make it more visible

this was the San Isidro Labrador (St. Joseph the Worker) Parish Church pala which was built in 1867 and it was actually considered a heritage church... sweet!

actually just before we reached the town proper itself, we also passed by this house below:

reading about it when we got home, it turns out to be another historical landmark, this time in the form of an ancestral mansion

this house was referred to pala as the Bahay na Puti or the Alvendia House

it is presently owned, preserved and maintaned by the Justice Carmerlino Avendia Sr. -- galing!

since we only passed by it, there was only so much info I can get. so I made a mental note to make sure I get to go back and have more time to spend in this town and see what else I can discover!

speaking of, just before heading back to Guagua, I chanced upon this Coke-branded bicycle --pretty cool!

looking forward to where else my feet will take me!

Cultural Night at Barbara's

October 22

our HRVP for SEAA, Lennard visited the PH and so as a way to welcome him, the team arranged for dinner at Barbara's

I've long heard about this place since I started in ULP, as they would often take foreign guests here when they come to visit the PH

I would also often see groupons offering lunch buffet and have considered buying it before, so this was a good opportunity to finally try out the place

Barbara's was directly across the San Agustin Church pala

below was a photo taken on a sidestreet beside Barbara's

here's the entrance to Barbara's

when we got there, the show just started and we were situated at a table which was right beside the performance area so we saw performers up close (may be too close, actually)

Rondalla performing

Pastores

Sayaw sa Bangko

Tinikling

the performance was amazing! sayang didn't get to take photos of all the dances, but there was one Mindanao dance that I saw for the first time and which really drew cheers/applause from the crowd

at the end of the show we all had photo-ops with the performers and we even got to sing a happy birthday song for Kary together with the Rondalla

over-all it was a remarkable cultural night. the performances were great, the place itself was amazing. unfortunately I could not say the same for the food :(

while they had a buffet, I only had a plateful and decided not to go back na. I didn't even get to try the dessert!

I would probably go back though, but perhaps just to watch the show and to go around the restaurant

Barbara's Restaurant and Catering
Plaza San Luis Complex
Gen. Luna St, Manila 1002

Manila Field Trip

October 5, 2013

Jeff and I had another random trip which we just decided on the same morning we went.

the game plan was: Divisoria --> Binondo --> Quiapo

we were pretty used to with the place but it felt different that time especially having had a recent trip to Singapore.

you couldn't help but wish that Manila was as orderly/clean/organized as Singapore.

any how. from their place, we took the LRT from Roosevelt and went down at D. Jose station.

From D. Jose we had an option to take a jeep or walk. since there was quite a build up of traffic na that time, we decided to walk na lang all the way to Divisoria.

Quite a lot has changed na rin since our last visit last year, so it was a good surprise to end up at the new 999 mall and 168 mall in Divisoria after going in and out of other buildings. Since the Divisoria bit of my entry only concerns clothes/toy shopping, no need for further details on that. :)

Post shopping in Divisoria, we walked all the way to Binondo and straight to Benavidez for lunch.

While on our way, I stopped by the Sta. Cruz church to take a quick snapshot:

I think churches will always be among my favorite photo subjects :)

Benavidez St. had a good number of dining options. In this case though, Jeff was set on having lunch in only one place and nowhere else

Masuki Mami Restaurant

I think this was the third time we've eaten here, but Jeff never seems to get tired of eating here. must be because it had a sentimental value not only to him but his dad rin.

they would often share stories about their times eating here. and especially how the current food server was the same server who has worked here way back when his dad was still his age.

Jeff normally orders the Original Mami Regular (Php 110)
while I ended up ordering the Beef Wonton Mami Special (Php 180) which is for sharing because I never am able to finish the dish on my own

Jeff with manong from ever since

Interestingly enough, when we got home that afternoon, the show Taste Buddies on NewsTV actually featured Binondo restos and one of which was Masuki. There I found more about the mami house's history and their 'kinakabayo' noodles.

With renewed energy from our full tummies, we then headed towards Quiapo, this time for Jeff naman.

I wish Avenida would be closed to traffic again
just like how it was a decade back.

On our way, the church yard still remains full of vendors selling herbal medicines, prayer candles and fortune telling.

Quiapo Church

to get to the other side, we took the underpass which was also full of street vendors all over

and so we reached Jeff's happy place. haha.

cycling apparel and bike shops galore

while that kept him preoccupied, I kept myself amused in a store selling clothes/hats for army/navy/barangay personnel :)

Brgy. Tanod at your service

I also came across these funny/interesting signs

you also get to see bits and pieces of the older days, just like this old Scott burgers fixture

while going to these places can be tiring/stressful and even dangerous at times, I think these are opportunities also for us to learn. sometimes it is also good to get a way from our usual routine and rough it up.

I think I'll be back here sooner than intended. :)

Masuki Mami House
931 Benavidez St. Binondo Manila
https://www.facebook.com/pages/MASUKI-MAMI-RESTAURANTMASUKI-MAMI-HOUSESIOPAOBOY-by-MASUKI/152826091292

Bistro Remedios

September 27, 2013

we were actually here for a former boss' despedida but I'll be focusing on the resto/food more than the event in this blog

Bistro Remedios is one of the restos in the LJC group so am expecting nothing less than Lorenzo's Way (which is the only other LJC resto I've eaten in pala, haha)

it was within the Remedios circle of the Malate area.

I really really loved the feel of the place. it was very homey and comforting -- no doubt it was a Filipino resto. 

since the dishes were pre-ordered na. we only had a say in terms of dessert. haha. but knowing Ms. Tins, she would get only the house specialties

for starters, we had the following:

- Sinigang na Bangus (which was a meal in itself na) I'm not a fan of sinigang cooked with bayabas but this was really really good
- Gambas (to die for) and
- Chicharones (nakamamatay sa sarap)


for the main dishes naman (as if our starters were not heavy na)

- Binukadkad na Crispy Pla Pla
- Knockout Knuckle
- Chicken in Gata (I couldn't find the dish in the menu but it was a chicken version of the usual bicol express albeit not spicy)
- Gising Gising
- Bicol Express (not shown in photo but it was more like pinakbet)

All the dishes were really good. Though I think it could have been more diverse. haha. since we got quite a number of fried dishes + dishes cooked in gata.

Atleast I have a reason to come back here sooner :)

As for dessert, apart from the usual leche flan and maja blanca, we also got their specialty knows as Sikreto ni Maria Clara

it was a plate of suman with mangoes and vanilla ice cream. and it was oh-so good.

not sure why they call it that since the dish was quite straightforward, but I'll be sure to ask when I return. :)

it's a really good resto for comfort food but with a twist. should be a good start in exploring new food finds within Remedios circle.

Bistro Remedios
1911 M. Adriatico Street, Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila

Phone: 523-9153

Angeles Day Trip

August 31, 2013

I wanted to go to Nayong Pilipino. period. haha.

thoughts of our old 'field trip' site came to mind one day and since then I've been nagging Jeff to go to Clark, Pampanga to visit the new one.

so, one Saturday, with nothing planned and with a half-hearted road trip partner on tow, we headed for Clark!

both our families were from Pampanga, but we've not ventured on this side of the province on our own so it was an adventure in itself trying to get there.

sa awa ng Diyos we got to Clark naman with just basic directions we found online.

and thankfully, Clark was funded enough to have generous amounts of signboards to lead us to our destination.

Nayong Pilipino was built on the site of Clark Expo pala. but it was at least close to a decade na since I last came here so it was like coming to a new place altogether. may SM Clark na rin pala.

I learned from other blog sites that the entrance to Nayong Pilipino was only Php 50/head. so I thought all along that if the place turns out to be mala-La Mesa Dam, I wouldn't mind so much. but when we got there they charged us na with Php100/head. (100% increase!) they charged pa Php20 on top of that for parking. so I expected to really get my money's worth!

when we got there, there was hardly any people. not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing :|

I was only able to take a map of Nayong Pilipino from the ticket counter when we were about to leave so we wandered mindlessly all throughout the tour.

our first stop was the Maranao House.

I really digged the architecture and the details/decor of the house. I wonder if there were houses which look like these today.

next to the Maranao house was the entrance to the Orchidarium

it seemed like a new installation or I guess we were really just off tangent if there as a prescribed order on how to go around the whole tour. :|

this was our 2nd landmark pa lang but Jeff was quite bored. he was already creating sarcastic hashtags such as #besttripever or #funweekend to use when he posts photos of us here.

hindi naman halata from his smile diba?

walking further past the Orchidarium, we reached the Land of Legends

first stop was the Aeta Village

not only did they sell Aeta instruments/tools but they were sold by our kababayan Aetas themselves. I ended up buying a small bow and arrow set, while Jeff got a musical instrument for his niece

adjacent to the Aeta Village was the Ifugao Village naman

here they showcased variations in the huts/houses depending on the tribe

glad I got a chance to go up to one of the houses. reminded me a lot of the old hut we had in Pampanga ;)

here's the other row of Ifugao houses and of which featured some cool wooden statues underneath

next stop was the Kalinga Village. beside it was a replica rin of the rice terraces

from the Land of Legends next comes the Land of Heroes naman

it was a compound of house replicas of our national heroes

first stop was Mabini's House

Mabini's house actually featured interesting history about Pampanga and artifacts on its first settlers.

beside this was Rizal's House (top center photo) but we didn't go inside that na

at the middle was the Heroes Plaza

this was probably my next favorite spot after the Maranao House--Aguinaldo's House

here kasi they had a showcase of old-century stuff such as the old rocking horse and a high-wheel bicycle -- pretty neat huh!

here are some more photos of the Heroes Plaza/compound including a tiny replica of the Kalesa

after the Heroes Plaza was the Fountain + Barasoain Church 

since Jeff and I got to go to the real Barasoain church na last year, we didn't really linger around the place na

I particularly liked the Bandstand though (left photo) and it would have been cool if they opened the lagoon for visitors to boat around in

while we were in this area we saw some posters about a Cultural Show that was happening in the early afternoon. however since it was quite hot that day and it didn't seem like there was much to see around -- we didn't see the point of staying until then

just before leaving, we passed by the Outdoor Amphitheater

and statues of Maria Makiling, Malakas + Maganda and Lapu-Lapu

eto na ba ang sinasabi nilang Cultural Paradise?

I think a lot has to be done to really achieve that vision for Nayong Pilipino. I don't think Philippine culture/history can be summed up by just two main attractions i.e. Land of Legends and Land of Heroes or by showcasing heroes homes.

I think we're better than that as a people/nation and I feel ashamed especially since a number of the tourists we were with that day were foreigners pa naman. is that all that we are as Filipinos?

sure didn't think that I got my money's worth. and I feel terrible for the bus load of preschool students who arrived just when we were leaving.


well if there's one thing Clark is known for -- its the Duty Free shops.

with rumbling tummies we set forth towards the shopping area and chanced upon Parkson Duty Free

we didn't really plan on buying anything but we were just keen to look around. it was nothing too special naman, except for the grocery portion. yung clothes pa parang walang original. duty free shop ba talaga ito?

Jeff goofing around

across Parkson naman was Clark Liberty. the space was bigger but the content was nothing better compared to Parkson.

we also came across this rundown Duty Free shop which sold Adidas and Van Heusen stuff. hindi na kami nag-effort to check it out. haha.

since it was close to 3 pm and we've still not had lunch we headed out of Clark and into Angeles in search of Angeles Fried Chicken

all I knew that time was AFC was near Casino Filipino and that didn't work well for Jeff who was more the precise kind of traveler.

sa awa ng Diyos (ulit) and after asking at least a couple of Kapampangans, we got to AFC!!

i first heard about this from a former colleague who shared it was mala-KFC daw.

I expected a more carinderia type of place kaya I was surprised to see how inside the resto had a more "intimate" dining vibe. I expected a more-KFC feel. hehe. 

so... time to taste the 'heavenly' chicken

we got the 3 pcs. set of regular chicken + coleslaw + rice (Php 145) a pitcher of iced tea (Php 99), chopsuey (Php 145) and a cream of mushroom soup (Php 75)

in fairness sa chicken - mala KFC nga. even yung gravy and yung coleslaw. I liked their iced tea too ha. another thing they're known for. pati pala their soup was good, and it didn't taste like it was made from Knorr. haha

however, I don't think its the kind of resto na dadayuhin mo yung place just to eat here. buti na lang I can always go to KFC if I'm craving for that type of chicken :)

over-all I think it was a fun trip naman. it was exciting enough for me to figure out how to get to these places rin kasi. however, other than learning how to get to Clark/AFC there was nothing else that satisfied that thirst for learning/experiencing something new. 

just the same, wonder where will our feet take us next?

Nayong Pilipino at Clark Expo
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga
https://www.facebook.com/nayongpilipinosaclarkexpo

Parkson Duty Free / Clark Liberty
Claro M. Recto Highway
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga
(045) 599 2700

Angeles Fried Chicken
1992 Marlim, Angeles City

(045) 322 4448