I LOVE YOU, BABY RAIN :)

     I'm usually an alternative music/rock and roll kind of guy, but when I first heard the Song "I Love You 2" by Usher, I loved it instantly. In fact, it made me, more than ever, want to have a child. 

      I can't name you another song of Usher at the moment, but I found this to be the best Father-Daughter song I've heard. I promised myself that when we had our first child, I would make a video using this song for him or her. 

         I've deviated from the usual food posts to share with you a video I made for my daughter for her birthday.. Which, if you follow my food blog..you all know her as "Baby Rain".

A BITE OF THE BIG APPLE: IHOP AND BAOHAUS

           I hadn't even been in New York for five hours yet, and I had already dined in a legendary Cantonese restaurant that Anthony Bourdain had featured in his TV Show, "No Reservations". Based on that alone, I was ecstatic that my trip to the Big Apple was off to a smashing start. 

         After filling up my belly with Chinese Style Fried Chicken and Pork Chops, I joined the younger batch of the Oreo contingent, as we set of to The Biergarten at The Standard Hotel to unwind. 

       I had heard of numerous horror stories about roaming charges, I had resolved to use my smart phone in "Flight Mode" throughout the trip, and only turning it on for emergency purposes. I managed to catch a Wifi signal at the Biergarten and found some Facebook messages from my cousin Brian that lives in New York. 

      Since I hadn't seen him in years, so I was ecstatic to find out that he was more than happy to pick me up and go see us. Within minutes, Brian and his wife, Dori came fulfilling our dining plans that had been years in the making. 

     And so continued my first night in New York, which I look back at with much fondness as, "The Night of Three Dinners".

     *Tear*

A BITE OF THE BIG APPLE DAY 1: HOP KEE

             During my first meeting with Jennifer and Jasmin, the Official Philippine AmbassadOREOS, we were talking about the the places I wanted to eat at New York. As you can imagine, a free trip to New York is every person's dream come true (unless of course, you live in New York), so imagine what it felt like to be a food blogger, planning a trip to one of the greatest food cities on the planet.  

    My goal when going to New York was making sure that I would try some of the delicious hot spots I had seen on some of some of my favorite food shows that I had watched in the past. During our conversation, the twins told me, "Oh, please reserve one dinner for us! Our parents are taking us to Hop Kee!".

     The name "Hop Kee" instantly rang a bell, but I couldn't place it. Hey, it was a free meal so I wasn't going to say no to that. It was only after we had eaten did I realize where I heard the name "Hop Kee" before..

     From a little show called "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations".

THE GREAT OREO ADVENTURE: THE AMBASSADOREOS ARE OFF TO NEW YORK!

Imagine waking up from a deep in-flight slumber, 

looking out the window, and seeing this glorious sight. 

       If you visit my blog with any form of frequency, there's a chance that you might have stumbled unto a little tidbit of me winning the title of the Oreo's "Official Blogger AmbassadOREO".

     So what exactly did winning that title mean? 

     Well for starters, it gave me and my wife the opportunity to fly on an all expenses paid to New York (with pocket money) so we could attend the highly anticipated "100 Years of Oreo" event, where Oreo lovers from around the world gathered in a fun filled celebration of everyone's favorite cookie!

     So begins the travel log of what I consider, -next to my wedding and the birth of my daughter- The greatest experience of my life.. Our Great New York Adventure, courtesy of Oreo Philippines! 

A NEW THAI EXPERIENCE AT THAI BISTRO

            Ever since I visited Robinsons Magnolia during the opening of Yabu's branch there, I've had a fascination with the mall. Around half the stores aren't open yet, so the place isn't too congested, and even parking is very accessible (not to mention at the moment, free!). Of course, once the mall begins to fill up with more and more stores, things will change, which is why i'm savoring every moment of it while I can. 

        Rina wanted to take Baby Rain out for the day, so I thought a trip to Robinsons Magnolia would be a nice change of scenery for her, because we usually take her to Bonifacio High Street (Of course it probably wouldn't make a difference to her). There's a nice garden area that Rina thought Baby Rain would enjoy, as she's slowly learning how to walk. 

       Right in front of that garden area, we spotted a restaurant that I hadn't noticed before, called "Thai Bistro". After a few minutes of walking around the grass with baby Rain, Rina and I decided to give this Thai Bistro a try. 

MR. D'S ARTISANAL PHILIPPINE WAGYU CORNED BEEF

            

        I remember the first time I saw a Corned Beef Brisket. I was a child- Either in the fourth or fifth grade- living in Cebu, and my father took us to a family dinner at one of his favorite restaurants.. "Eddie's Log Cabin". My dad would keep going back there for their Fresh Corned Beef. Even my sister would rave about it. 

      During my first time there, I was a bit surprised when I saw the plate the waiter placed in front of my father. I was expecting to see some shredded meat, sauteed with garlic and onions. Instead, it was a big hunk of beef, placed beside some potatoes and cabbage.. and oddly enough.. there was no "corn".

      Maybe it's because it was my first time to taste corned beef that didn't come from a tin can, but Eddie's Log Cabin was my benchmark for fresh corned beef. But that was until I got my hands on some of Mr. D's Artisanal Philippine Wagyu Corned Beef.

      Let's just say that bar has now been raised. 

ROCKWELL'S 2ND ULTIMATE TASTE TEST PICKS!

       The last time I went to Our Awesome Planet's Ultimate Taste Test in Mercato Centrale, I really didn't have a good time. Since the taste test would only last from 7pm til around 11pm or so, people were scrambling to get a chance to sample some of the country's best kept culinary secrets. It was honestly a bit too crowded and it became ridiculous to line up for around 20 minutes and come out of the tent all sweaty, with half a brownie in your plate. 

      During the course of one of his blogger gatherings, I told my blogger friend Spanky Enriquez, who happens to be a good friend of Anton Diaz, the man behind Our Awesome Planet and the Ultimate Taste Test, and he just replied, "Wait for the one in Rockwell". 

     A few months later, I realized what he meant. The Ultimate Taste Test X held in Rockwell was far more orderly than the one I attended at Mercato Centrale. Since it was a whole day affair, it had a relaxed atmosphere, and I didn't have to clothesline an old lady for a piece of a chicken wing.

    (Never happened, by the way)

PLEASE WATCH THE FILM "GIVE UP TOMORROW"

         I watched a movie the other day that totally blew my mind.. A movie I had been wanting to see for so long.. The documentary, GIVE UP TOMORROW.

         Give Up Tomorrow is the story of how seven men were screwed over by the Philippine justice system. Basic civil rights and judicial procedures were cast aside just to satisfy the public's cry for blood and vengeance. The movie really hit me really hard for a simple reason.  

       The man in the movie, the person tagged as the "leader" of the "Chiong Seven", Paco Larrañaga.. is a friend of mine.

YOOGANE, YOU GOT IT BAD...

        I first heard of Yoogane from my blogger friend Richard, the man behind the food blog, Tales From The Tummy. During a trip to Korea earlier this year, Yoogane was one of the places that he had visited, and mentioned that they would be bringing their famous signature dish, "Dak Galbi" to the Philippines. 

       A few days after they opened their doors to the Philippine public, my blogger buddy Glenn Ong asked if I wanted to join him and other bloggers for a taste of what Yoogane had to offer.

      I hadn't had Korean Cuisine since my delicious trip to Bulgogi Brothers , so I was more than happy to go! Not to mention I had never been to Il Terrazzo, and I was hoping to add more entries to my "Quezon City" Label..

      And I wanted to make my mom, a Koreanovela fanatic that made her obsessed with anything to do with the country, jealous hehe.. 

       

BRUNCH AT THE CAKE CLUB: PART I

          On weekends, there's a very good chance that I would skip breakfast and just have a heavy lunch. If it were up to me though, I would always start the day with Brunch. Maybe something in the mid-morning, around 10 or so.. Not too heavy (Definitely no rice).. So that by 1pm or so, I could have a heavy lunch, then a light dinner in the evening.

      Of course, that would be in a perfect world. One that I don't live in.

      But I did get the chance to try the new Brunch Menu of The Cake Club By Diamond Hotel at Bonifacio High Street, and it gave me a glimpse of what that perfect world would be like. The array of choices were impressive, and I could definitely see myself starting off my day with these mouthwatering dishes.