MYSTERIOUS OF THE AYALA TRIANGLE: THE SEARCH FOR THE GOLDEN SPOON

We have a deal that anywhere we go, our cheeks must always be touching.

It's sweet, yes, but it makes going to the bathroom a bit difficult.

        Can I be honest about something? I don't get the big deal about frozen yogurt. I have friends and office mates that go ballistic at the sound of the words "Red Mango" or "White Hat", but I just don't see what the hype is all about. Isn't it.. umm.. too Sour? "It tastes just like ice cream!", my friend explained. "So.. umm.. Why didn't you just buy ice cream?", I replied. "Because it's not non-fat!", my friend answered back. I stared at the cup she was holding, loaded with chocolate sprinkles, huge white chocolate bits, and drowned in some sort of caramel syrup. Sorry, but I couldn't believe that what she was holding, was not hazardous to her health. Considering she was firm in her belief that what she was holding was as healthy as a protein shake, I was seriously contemplating finding a bridge I could sell to her.

     I actually find regular yogurt better than frozen, or "Fro-Yo" as it's now more popularly known (See, I'm "down" with the times?). I even like that fruit yogurt with Jelly inside. Its possible it could be because I'm annoyed with this whole fad. I sometimes think people see places such as "Red Mango" as a status symbol, more a "place to be seen" than anything else. 

      I'm an ice cream lover, so if I wanted a frozen treat, I would march straight to Gelatissimo instead, but that's just me. I would probably even prefer a scoop of Better Than Ice Cream's (BTIC) Banana Pecan, than something from Red Mango.

       Basically, you get it. I'm not a fan of Frozen Yogurt.

     So you can imagine that I was less than enthused when my brother Ryan told me to try Golden Spoon. "It tastes like ice cream!" he said. "Yeah, I know, I've heard that before.", I yawned back. "No Rich,", Ryan said as he looked me straight in the eye, "It REALLY tastes like ice cream." My brother and I have almost the same taste in food, with him being less picky than I, so i take his food suggestions seriously. But this time he said it with serious conviction that belonged on a member of the Harvard Debate team. And we were talking about Yogurt.

     His passion for Golden Spoon got my attention, so I asked him, out of curiosity What flavor he got that he seemed to love so much. Than he said the two words that would forever change the way I looked at Frozen Yogurt..

    "Cake Batter".

WE'LL EAT BENEATH THE MANGO TREE BISTRO

The title is spin on a line from a Jack Johnson song, in case it didn't make sense to you.

       Although we don't cook, Rina and I are big Gordon Ramsey fans. His confidence (or arrogance, depending how you look at it) when it comes to food preparation is really impressive. At first, I refused to watch Hells Kitchen because I was thinking I didn't want to see some British jackass screaming at the poor contestants, so I started with The UK version of Kitchen Nightmares that was being show on ETC (They don't anymore, bummer), where he was much more calmer. After every episode, I'd be more and more impressed with the man. My brother Ryan gave me a copy of few episodes of Kitchen Nightmares US, that I made Rina watch, and almost instantly she was hooked (She can't resist a show with a "makeover" portion). After that, anything Gordon Ramsey was on, we were watching it. 

     All of a sudden, Anyone who can call someone a "Donkey" with such conviction is OK in my book.

  
    My brother, also a Gordon Ramsay fan, and the person you go to when you want an episode of anything that was shown on television,  gave us a copy of the first few episodes of the TV Show "Ramsay's Best Restaurant". It was a different type of a contest this time, that I found very interesting. Instead of the contest being a battle between amateur and aspiring chefs, this was now an all out war between established restaurants in the UK that wanted the title of "Ramsay's Best Restaurant".

    One of the places that was in contention for the title, was a huge Thai restaurant, "Mango Tree" in London. The Mango Tree was a huge snazzy place that ran like a well oiled machine, although they did bump into some problems with their kitchen and service, particularly with their Signature Dish, the Grilled Chicken (I'm guessing that wasn't the Thai Name for it). I don't want to give out any spoilers, but I highly recommend you to check out the series if you get a chance. Regardless of the outcome though, the Mango Tree still go glowing reviews from Ramsay.

   After watching episode after episode of such great places getting glowing reviews from the great Chef himself, you can imagine how ecstatic I was to find out that one of those restaurants opened here in Manila, in the form of "Mango Tree Bistro".

NOTHING FAKE ABOUT PEKING GARDEN

Be not afraid, my child...

        Forget Gunpowder, the compass, and paper printing.. the greatest invention ever to come out from ancient China is without a doubt, THE PEKING DUCK! I went with my Rina and my In-laws to Peking Garden at Trinoma for a family gathering, and nearly passed out from all the duck I ate!

        Having your own function room in a restaurant as classy as Peking Garden can spoil you, because you usually have a waiter dedicated to your room, meaning the service was impeccable.The place was comfortable as well, but when you get together with family you haven't seen in a long time, it's hard not to feel at home!

          And with me being a Chinese food aficionado, I couldn't wait to try the best of what Peking Garden had to offer.. And I wasn't disappointed!