THE SECRET'S OUT: LAZY BASTARD IN MAKATI

       Romeo and Juliet. Jack and Rose. Cersei and Jamie (?). Kanye and Kanye. Sorry, I meant, Kanye and Kim. And then there's Richie and Rina.. err.. Richie and Bacon.  

      For the past few weeks, I've been getting tagged on Instagram and Facebook with a picture of a neon light in a restaurant that proudly sports my lifelong motto.. "Long Live Bacon". Everyone that tagged me was very adamant that I had to try the restaurant in which that light calls home, Lazy Bastard. 

     Upon hearing about this place, I immediately did what any normal human being would do - Log on to Google and do a quick search for information on the restaurant. Unfortunately, apart from your usual food directory websites, there weren't very many blogs that have featured Lazy Bastard yet, in fact just one to be exact - a testament to the restaurant being fairly new. 

   So one fine day, I found myself with a few hours to kill in Makati, I contacted my friend Hefty Foodie to ask if he was in the area and if he would like to join me in unveiling one of Makati's best kept secrets... Friends, let me tell you about this Lazy Bastard I know..

RECESS BY CHEF CHRIS: MY FAVORITE SUBJECT!

          Since he opened "My Kitchen" in the Manila area a few years back, the name of Chef Chris Locher has been synonymous with incredible food. Although I must admit that I had not yet been able to visit it yet, it was most definitely in my Bucket List of places to try. 

          I had heard that Chef Chris had opened a new concept restaurant in the more accessible Makati area called "Recess" (Incidentally, my favorite subject in school, and the only one in which I had perfect attendance), I knew my title of "Food Blogger" was at stake if I didn't go out of my way and visit it right away. Especially when I found out that the menu was comprised of Chef Chris's take on "Comfort Food".

  

THE ROYAL TREATMENT AT ARISTOCRAT

        I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I spent the first few years in my life growing (or not growing) in the good ol' U.S. of A (Which probably contributed to my picky palate). I was six years old when my family and I moved back to the Philippines after a five year stay in America. 

      The day after I had arrived, I still remember the first meal that my grandmother prepared for us. That images of that dish is still ingrained in my memories, to this very day, simply because what I saw scared the living crap out of me. It was a big bowl of black slop, with little bits of animal parts I couldn't make out floating around. I asked my yaya, "What is that?" and she answered, "Dinuguan.". I looked up at her and asked, "What's Dinuguan?". Never one to B.S. me, she got straight to the point and said, "Pigs blood". I made a face and answered, back, "Yucky!". My mom called me to come eat lunch, and I said, "I don't want to eat the blood of a pig!" and run up the stairs and into my room. Seconds later, my brother followed me into the room. I went up in tears, because in my six year old mind, I was afraid that moving to a strange land such as the Philippines meant being forced to eat food made from the blood of an animal and other exotic dishes.  

    Two minutes later, my mom and dad came into our room, saying that I shouldn't have stormed off, and I should apologize to my grandmother for insulting her food. I was in tears and said, "I hate Filipino food!". That moment, my grandmother entered the room with a tray in her hands, and a warm smile. I didn't have the guts to tell her that I didn't want to eat the food she brought, but thankfully, I didn't need to say anything. She walked in the room, and said, "Richie, you don't have to eat the dinuguan if you don't want to. I prepared this for you.". 

     I was half expecting to see an animal's head perched on to a plate, but instead, I found two plates (for me and my brother), with six slices of Spam, a cup of rice, and a bit of ketchup on the side. Needless to say, we tore into the plate like ravenous cheetahs having a field day with the carcass of a gazelle.  

    Later that evening, at around dinner time, my dad walked into with a bag of food. I won't lie to you. Whatever was in that bag, smelled really good. He said, "Hungry?". I was being bullheaded, and I just replied, "I don't like Filipino Food.". He dipped his hand into the bag, and pulls out a sandwich unlike any other I had seen before. "Its a flying saucer". he said of his strange, round, sandwich. He went in for a bite, and I gotta say, it looked really good. My dad continued to pretend that he didn't notice me watching him, and continued to focus on the TV. He then pulled out another sandwich from the bag and said, "All yours.". I hesitated for a minute, but in my mind, decided that sandwiches are considered American food. 

   I was pleasantly surprised with what I found inside after my first bite. It was definitely new territory for me. It was very meaty, but the flavor was something I had never experienced before. It was only after I had finished my last bite that my dad took the empty sandwich wrapper from me, to throw in the trash, and with a smile said, "That was called "Adobo Flying Saucer". It's made with Chicken. A very popular dish in the Philippines.". I was a little annoyed that I had been had, especially since my Filipino food boycott was still in full effect. My dad, with a laugh, said to me, "See? Filipino food isn't so bad, right?".

   The days following, my dad would bring for me take out food at least once a day, introducing my brother and I to basic Filipino food staples, such as their Chicken BBQ, Liempo and Pork BBQ.. All from Aristocrat.     

     More than 30 years later, I found it ironic that my journey into exploring Filipino Food would continue where it all began: At Aristocrat restaurant, whose standards in food and service still stands tall, till this very day.  

A MITSUYADO SEI-MEN GIVEAWAY :)

It's not everyday that someone gets photobombed by one of their "blogger idols"

        For someone who keeps saying, "I'm not too big on Japanese Food", it's funny that I'm writing about the fifth Japanese restaurant that I've visited in the first four months of 2013. I can't explain it, but there just seems to be something about that cuisine that serendipitously finds me sitting in front of a plate or a bowl, and enjoying a dish that I could have sworn I wouldn't care for just days earlier.   

     But this time it was different. This time, I was a man on a mission. I had a couple of opportunities in the past to visit Mitsuyado Sei-men along Jupiter Street in Makati, but scheduling conflicts would constantly keep us apart. 

     Finally, I had my date with destiny just before Holy Week, when Rina and I got together with some friends to finally try some of their new dishes. But I had my eyes set on the one dish that many have been talking about.. The Double Cheese Tsukemen. 

PINO RESTOBAR: FILIPINO FOOD AT ITS FINEST

Out of curiosity, am I doing it right? 

             

       When I began my blog two and a half years ago, my wife's friend, Karla suggested we go on a visit to the popular food haven, Maginhawa St. Near UP, because she was absolutely certain that there are so many drool worthy places that would interest me. After doing a bit of research on restaurants there, I had settled on the fact that when I DO get the chance to visit Maginhawa, I would most likely be dining at the restaurant, "Pino". 

       Based on the reviews I read and a study on their menu, I found their take on Filipino cuisine rather unique and intriguing.. and definitely worth blogging about. Unfortunately, with my laziness busy schedule, that highly anticipated trip on the other side of town has never come into fruition. Pino's name would consistently pop up into the discussion whenever Rina and I would think of places to try next (Believe it or not, Rina and I always have a discussion when the question of "where do we eat next?" is brought up, but her participation is normally limited to the sentence, "It's up to you") but my laziness the distance often makes it its undoing. I even went as far as telling Rina, who has been wanting to try it for quite some time now, "If they had a branch in Makati, we would have eaten there a long time ago!". 

       The Last week of November, 2012. 

          

        I get a text from Maestro Spanky Enriquez, telling me that Pino opened their second branch at Jupiter Street in Makati, and I don't need to go to Quezon City to try their famed "Kare Kareng Bagnet". 

        To this very day I have that text saved in my phone's inbox, as proof that if you want something so badly and your heart is pure, dreams do come true.

UNDER COVA NIGHTS.. TAPAS Y SANGRIAS

Convicted Pigophile

           I don't know if you know this boring tidbit about me, but I'm a notorious introvert. There's absolutely no chance that you would see me at a bar or a super club in the evenings. Maybe it's because I don't drink. Call me corny and all that, but alcohol hurts my throat and no matter how hard I try, the darn stuff just won't go down. 

          When I was invited to go to Cova Tapas Y Sangrias, I had some slight apprehensions, because everyone I had asked about Cova, always replied, "You should try their Sangria!" or "They have a great selection of wines!". It was only when my buddy Spanky assured me that he wouldn't let the night pass without making sure our bellies were filled to the brim with delicious food that I realized that Cova was more than just a late night drinking spot. 

         Their Spanish food is pretty phenomenal too