BABY RAIN'S FIRST DAY OUT! MAKANMAKAN: ASIAN FOOD VILLAGE

In case you're new to my Blog, I just wanted to let you know that as of today (January 30, 2012), The first ever Pickiest Eater In The World Contest Giveaway is underway, and you can find out the details on how to join by clicking out the post HERE. Get a chance to win Gift Certificates for P5,000.00 worth of services from CATHY VALENCIA SKIN AND BODY CENTER! Guys, if you need pogi points with your girls, this could be your chance! (Unless you wanna use it yourself of course.. Umm.. We're not here to judge)

        So it was Chaikka's (Rina's sister) birthday last Saturday, so she and Rina had planned a family outing at Manila Ocean park, mainly because my Father In Law has a fascination for Marine life. Apart from it being Chaikka's birthday celebration, this day also marked the first time Baby Rain would be going on a Baby's day out, so Rina and I were doubly excited.

      Rina and I have agreed that we wouldn't be taking Rain out to public so much while she's an infant, however this was a special case because it was her Ninang's birthday, and since we would ALL be out, Rina wasn't too comfortable with the thought of leaving Rain at home knowing Chaikka wouldn't be nearby in case of any (god forbid) emergencies (Chaikka and my dad in law lives in the same village we do).

                 
       Naturally, they asked me where we could eat around that area, and I immediately suggested "Makanmakan: Asian Food Village", which I had been hearing some very good things about. Lucky for me, my in laws were up for it.

     In fact, this lunch was extra memorable for me, because It reaffirmed that choosing Rina as my wife, was the best decision I had ever made. Not just just because she's so amazing.. but because her family and I get along so well.. 

   How well? Well let's just put it this way.. I find it hard to believe that I would find another family that would order three types of Pork Spareribs for lunch. 

    See what I mean? Destiny. 

THE MOUTH OF THE SOUTH: SODERNO AT MOLITO

In case you're new to my Blog, I just wanted to let you know that as of today (January 26, 2012), The first ever Pickiest Eater In The World Contest Giveaway is underway, and you can find out the details on how to join by clicking out the post HERE. Get a chance to win Gift Certificates for P5,000.00 worth of services from CATHY VALENCIA SKIN AND BODY CENTER! Guys, if you need pogi points with your girls, this could be your chance! (Unless you wanna use it yourself of course.. Umm.. We're not here to judge)

                Though my long awaited trip to P.F. Chang's would have been the main event to a normal man, but not to me. P.F. Chang's was only Phase 1 of my plan for that Saturday. The second phase got set into motion later that evening, when we made our way to Soderno at Molito in Alabang. 

           Though I've been to Soderno's siblings, Mercato Centrale and Distrito numerous times, this would be the very first time I would be visiting the Southern incarnation.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR AT P.F. CHANG'S PHILIPPINES!

In case you're new to my Blog, I just wanted to let you know that as of today (January 19, 2012), The first ever Pickiest Eater In The World Contest Giveaway is underway, and you can find out the details on how to join by clicking out the post HERE. Get a chance to win Gift Certificates for P5,000.00 worth of services from CATHY VALENCIA SKIN AND BODY CENTER! Guys, if you need pogi points with your girls, this could be your chance! (Unless you wanna use it yourself of course.. Umm.. We're not here to judge)

The only reason why she looks so tall is cuz she's wearing heels. 

And umm.. I'm wearing "flats". 

              My sister Raquel and I made plans during the Christmas break for me to visit her over at the South. I hadn't been to Alabang since my trip to The Wooden Horse Steak House so I thought it would be fun to find a place to eat over at the other side of the metro. At first I was targeting one of those hole in the wall restaurants around BF, but I found out through Rina's friend that there was a restaurant that was opening in Alabang Town Center (Not at The Fort, as I originally heard through the grapevine) - one that I had seen and heard about quite often, but never got to try. Wouldn't it be a cool way to celebrate the Chinese New Year weekend at the newly opened P.F. Chang's? 

       And as a lover of the Chinese Cuisine, I swore to myself that as soon as P.F. Chang's opens its doors in the Philippines, I owed it to myself to finally get a taste of what the fuss is all about. So on January 19th, 2012, P.F. Chang's finally opened for business at Alabang Town Center. 

       Two days later, I found myself speeding down South Super Highway on my way to Alabang. 

CRASHING THE STOCK MARKET CAFE!

         In case you're new to my Blog, I just wanted to let you know that as of today (January 19, 2012), The first ever Pickiest Eater In The World Contest Giveaway is underway, and you can find out the details on how to join by clicking out the post HERE. Get a chance to win Gift Certificates for P5,000.00 worth of services from CATHY VALENCIA SKIN AND BODY CENTER! Guys, if you need pogi points with your girls, this could be your chance! (Unless you wanna use it yourself of course.. Umm.. We're not here to judge)

        Just before the Christmas break began, my lunch buddies, (My giant) Joel and the lovely Donna couldn't figure out what to do for lunch (Which is becoming more and more of a problem these days). Since the Christmas season was looming upon us, the last days at the office were a little bit slower than the usual, so everyone in general was feeling lax. Joel asked if we wanted to go out for lunch for a change. The last time we went out, we ended up in Ma Maison, which wasn't so bad, but a member of the Bistro Group of Restaurants, the group that slighted me a couple of years ago. 

         To us, "going crazy" for lunch means driving off for a quick lunch at the nearby Greenbelt. This time, however, Greenbelt wasn't going to cut it for us anymore. Joel suggested we head off to Bonifacio High Street foar a change. 

          After strolling a little around High Street we realized that the restaurant choices around that area isn't something you can't find around Makati Business District. Fridays, Brother's Burgers, Italianni's.. There was one restaurant that I knew was there that I hadn't tried yet.. Stock Market Cafe.

          We checked out the menu and decided on there.. Not knowing I was about to be in for a big surprise. 

THE PICKIEST EATER IN THE WORLD'S 2012 CONTEST GIVEAWAY!

Yes, This is what I wear to work. Thank you Mrs. Mosuela for the pic!

       As I've mentioned in my New Year's post, 2011 has been a wonderful year for me and my family. The most notable achievements were of course, the worry-free pregnancy of my wife, Rina, and the safe birth of my daughter Rain. That's pretty much all I could ask for from God, but thankfully he didn't stop there.


       In the blog front, our site was selected as a Finalist in the Philippine Blog Awards, The Pickiest Eater site has hit an all time high in terms of hits per day, and just a few days ago, we finally hit 900 "likes" on Facebook. So as you can imagine, things have also been going quite well.


     Sometime in December, a regular visitor of the Pickiest Eater Facebook page, "Perris Will" mentioned that I should hold a giveaway for my readers. I actually held something similar a couple of months ago with the help of my Myfoodtrip family, and we gave away passes to the movie, "Rakenrol". I mentioned that I did intend to host another give away very soon, as a Thank You to everyone that has helped make 2011 a banner year for The Pickiest Eater In The world. 


     So here we are, my Blog's first solo Contest Giveaway!

THE KITCHEN KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR

               As I've mentioned in the past, ever since my company moved its office from the convenient Palanca St. to their further out Arnaiz Avenue, I've been on a never ending quest to find some great places to eat. The area is actually packed with a wide array of choices, but some of the nearby places aren't as price friendly as that of Palanca (I'm talking about you, La Regalade). Palanca had places around it for every budget. Broke? The dependable "Mang Inasal" is just a few steps away. Want a place with nice ambiance without spending too much? You could be at the reasonably priced, yet classy places like Bob's and The Plantation in a matter of seconds. Worst case scenario? Head on over to Greenbelt, just a couple of blocks down the road.


        Lunch time isn't such a big deal for us, because we have Makati Cinema Square and Waltermart nearby. It's nowhere near the vicinity of Greenbelt in terms of food choices (and cleanliness) but both do have a respectable selection of restaurants (Try Aida's chicken if you haven't yet). 

         The problem is dinner.   


        When 7 to 8pm hits, we're all so exhausted, the thought of having to go out again just sounds too taxing, and you start to looking for food delivery instead. You have to understand that in my line of work, while everyone else is on their way home, 8pm to us could just be the height the action. So Sometimes we don't even eat until midnight. It's easy for me to just dial McDonald's or something, but a lot of my office mates need a decent rice meal to get them through the night.. That won't cost them an arm and a leg. 

       
        That's when we discovered "Kitchen Knight'. 

BACON. IT'S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES.

Nuff' Said.

TAPAS TIME AT BASTY'S

          The biggest drawback of coming from a family that specializes in the art of cooking Spanish cuisine is that it's very difficult to find a restaurant that impresses me. The extensive culinary knowledge of my legendary Grandmother was passed down to my mother and her sisters, who in turn did their best to impart their wisdom to their children. These are cooking techniques that have been used from generation to generation, for classic Spanish dishes such as Paella, Lengua and Gambas. My mom could whip out some of the best these dishes you would ever try. Can you imagine restaurant quality food.. As your home cooked meal.. on a daily basis? (My dreams of having a Ryan Reynolds physique never had a chance) 


       In a nutshell, that explains why it took me over a year to blog about my first Spanish restaurant. 


         Though I was absent the day my mom taught my sisters and brother how to cook, the love of food which has become my family's most valued inherent trait lives (arguably the strongest) inside of me. So after receiving a free voucher from the wonderful people at The group buying site Groupon Philippines for a dinner at Basty's (Thanks Joey and Kev!) as their token of appreciation for becoming a finalist in the Philippine Blog Awards, I thought it was the perfect time to do my first post on a Spanish restaurant.

MAD MEATS: A BACON ODYSSEY

               My legendary love affair with bacon began at a very early age. It is something that I could easily eat not just for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner too. People think I'm joking when I say I would prefer a plate of bacon over a USDA Grade Tenderloin Steak, but it's true. Crunchy, soft, thick, thin, it matters not. Growing up in a family thats into the hotel business, I've been fortunate enough to have experienced a lot of breakfast buffets in my lifetime, and the first thing I always seem to look for, no matter what other amazing dishes were laid out, was the bacon.


          So when my wife told me about her friend's home-based business that specializes in different types of homemade bacon, I was immediately intrigued. I know some home-based Tapa, and even sausage vendors, as well as a wide array of pastry sellers, but surprisingly, no bacon. Rina didn't really need to twist my arm to get me to order a batch to try, saying it would be a nice change to blog about another home based business instead of a restaurant for a change. I told her that if I didn't like it I wouldn't blog about it.

           So ladies and gentlemen, you're about to thank me for introducing you to the best bacon you've never heard of... Mad Meats.

PRAY FOR MERCY AT ZARKS BURGERS!

              You are looking at the largest Cheeseburger that I have ever eaten in my entire life. A cheeseburger so ridiculously huge, finishing one in a single sitting could very hazardous to my health, and that's why it is aptly named, "The Tombstone". 

             But you know me.. ever the daredevil.. You can't get me to eat a Cesar salad or anything with brown rice, but a towering, more-calories-than-a-buffet, greasy burger is something that shall never, EVER be denied. 

        Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to Zark's Burgers.