ENTER... YABU: THE HOUSE OF KATSU

            Though we had just stuffed ourselves with six J. Co donuts a few minutes before, Rina and I were looking to fill ourselves with something heavier during the rare times that Rina and I found ourselves at SM Megamall. 

       I had heard nothing but good things about Yabu: House of Katsu from some very credible sources, but I'm not really a huge fan of Japanese Food. As we were walking around the SM I took a glance at the menu of Yabu, and saw an item that caught my attention.. "Rosu Katsudon". 

      All of a sudden it became clear to me, and eating at Yabu was now a must. The first time I heard about Yabu, was when a friend of mine, Direk Yeyey, tagged me in a picture of this dish.. Rosu Katsudon. In the picture it said, "Rosu means it has a bit of fat in the meat so that adds a lot of flavor to the dish."

      So i answered, "You had me at 'a bit of fat'". 

JUST FONDUE IT AT ELEVEN TABLES

         While the entire country was on the Holy Week vacation, Rina's job unfortunately required her to work. Luckily though, her shift doesn't start until 3pm, and she can do her work from home. (I should seriously start looking into that. Imagine how much I could save on my water bill, not needing to shower before going to work!) I told her that I wanted to take her and Baby Rain out for lunch so we could get home before her shift started, so we don't go all "The Shining" staying in the house throughout the break. 

     Chaikka, who was getting bored out of her mind at home, had said that should we have any plans, to let her know right away, and no matter what it was, even if it was a midnight Magnum run to our villages' Mini Stop, she was in. 

        I had done a little research before the break began, so I had an idea of what restaurants would be open during the Lenten season, and one stuck to the back of my mind. After a leisurely driver around The Fort and Ortigas, I decided it was time to give that restaurant a try..

      "Eleven Tables" at Kapitolyo. 

MY DAD, A KITE, AND THE ISLANDS BANCA CRUISE

      One of the perks of living in Cebu when I was a kid was the beach. Because of my family's business, we were fortunate enough to be able to go to the beach as easily as people in Manila decide to go to Mega Mall.. almost to the point of me getting sick of it when I was a kid. Sure it was fun at first, but like everything in life, (and especially when you're a kid) when something becomes a weekly routine, it gets tiresome.


      One morning, I had just gotten out of bed, my dad told me to get ready because we were going to the beach. I rolled my eyes and said I didn't want to go. My dad, you see, is a lover of anything to do with the seas, so he was a little bit shocked. He said, "Come on, we're going to go island hopping on a pump boat." Being the brat that I was, I found it funny he thought that would entice me, considering that's exactly what we would always do when we go to the beach. I said I wasn't feeling well. Then he said, "Do you know how to fly a kite? The wind looks nice out. I could teach you." Being a punk 13 year that was trying to reach the highest level of Castlevania on my Nintendo Family computer, I found his offer to fly a kite laughable. I said a simple, "No Thanks". He then looked at me and said, "Richie, believe me, one day you're going to miss the beach and going island hopping." Finally I just annoyingly said, "I have a lot of homework to do, Dad." 


     He didn't look to happy, but he obviously got the message. I know he told my mom what I said because before they left, my mom said, "I'm going to check your homework when I get back so it better be done". 


     So I got out of having to go to the beach that weekend, which for some reason I took as a form of punishment, and instead spent the day on a whole lot of video games and a little homework. 
    
     Cut to: Twenty years later. 
     


    When Rina told me that her sister, Chaikka, and her Boyfriend Don wanted to the beach for Holy Week, there was only one place I could suggest.. Cebu. I needed to get out of the concrete jungle that is Makati so we booked the flights without hesitation, and luckily enough, my friends Ted and Karen were able to join us as well! 


   Given all my years living in Cebu, my group looked at me as "The Host", so naturally I was in charge of fixing the itinerary. I could easily book a pump boat for island hopping, but I wanted to give my friends an experience that they couldn't get just anywhere.. something that would be distinctly "Cebu". 


   That's when my brother told me about Islands Banca Cruises, which he had experienced with his friends a couple of months before. So I booked the cruise, and we headed off to Cebu.  

     My dad was already there, attending to the business, but welcomed us all when we arrived. He asked me if we had a set itinerary yet, and I said we had booked a few plans.


    And as proof that God has a sense of humor, I said to my dad for the first time in my entire life.. "Dad, we're going Island Hopping tomorrow. Would you like to join us?"

     My dad smiled and said, "Sure".     

WALKWAY: REFLECTIONS ON THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS 2012

          Rina and I agreed that while baby Rain is still in the infancy stage, we will practice austerity and resist any temptation to go fly out on unnecessary vacations. Since we've been married, we've traveled together to Baguio, La Union, Cebu (twice), Boracay, Singapore and Hong Kong, so we can't exactly say that we haven't had our time yet together. But since we have a daughter now, it would be pointless to take her on trips, since she won't be able to tell the difference between being at the Grand Canyon or Outside the gate of our house. 


      So this Holy Week, we decided to just go on a "Staycation". I'm a simple guy, you see?  I actually don't mind - no, let me rephrase- I actually really enjoy Staycations. Give me my wife, a hard drive full of shows and movies, my 42 inch LCD, ice cold air-conditioning, and a fully stocked fridge, and I don't mind staying home for a week (I'm a bum, I know). 


      My friend Karen asked Rina and I what our plans were for the Holy Week, and we told her about Operation: Staycation. She said that she and her husband,Ted would be in the metro too, and asked if we wanted to meet up. 


      Naturally, we said yes, and she suggested that, given that it was the lenten season, we make our meet up more than just your average ordinary visit, and drop by the Walkway: Reflections on the Stations of the Cross at Bonifacio High Street. 

BEST FOOD FORWARD PART II: THE SWEETEST THINGS!

         Because of all the main courses we loaded up on throughout the days we were at Best Food Forward (see here), Dessert became more or less an after thought for me. I won't deny that I'm more of a carnivore anyway, so if there's room in my tummy for a little sweets, then that's a bonus. 

         But For Rina on the other hand, desserts are a must. And its a good thing, too.. because if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have tried this little pies you see above.    

          These, my friends, are what you call "Crack Pies".

         And it's one of the best things I've ever put inside my mouth. 

THE SOLUTION TO THE HUNGER GAMES? BEST FOOD FORWARD 2012: PART 1

           By now I really shouldn't get excited at the thought of food fairs anymore but I got up early last Saturday morning in anticipation of the annual food fair, Best Food Forward. 


          I had such a great time there, I ended up getting early on Sunday too!


          Yep, I spent practically two whole days at a food fair. And yep, I need to get a life, I know.  
          

J. CO DONUTS & COFFEE AT SM MEGAMALL

             A few months ago, as I was strolling along Greenbelt 3, I saw a sign about this Donut place that would be opening called "J. CO Donuts and Coffee".  It's supposedly really big in Indonesia and Malaysia, and they've started opening stores in China and Singapore. 


            Last March 15, Rina and I dropped by the opening of J. Co Donuts and Coffee's first Philippine Branch at Megamall to grab us some donuts, just to see what everyone seemed so excited about. Unfortunately, the line that had formed for the opening was ridiculous, and we were told that if we wanted to buy a donut, we might have to wait around two hours. 


           Yes, you read that right. Two Hours. For a DONUT. 


            So to call J. Co's arrival here in the Philippines "a success" would be a massive understatement. 

XIAN LIM & MCDONALD'S MCFLOAT SUMMER MEDLEY

For the record, Youtube chose the thumbnail, not me. 

                 I actually don't know who this Xian Lim guy is except from my friend that talks about him a lot on Twitter (Hehe you know who you are). But apparently he's popular enough to get a contract from McDonald's as the endorser for the "McFloat Summer Medley" Line up. (Funny,no? I knew who Dino Ferrari was straight away, and this guy who's on Philippine TV everyday, I had no clue who he is) But it's clear that he's extremely popular, and the ladies love him. 

       The McFloats come in Four different flavors to choose from.. Blueberry Sprite McFloat, Four Seasons Sprite McFloat, Green Apple Sprite McFloat and Honey Banana Sprite McFloat. 

                 I normally refrain from writing about food items that I haven't tried, and truth be told, I haven't tried any of the McFloats yet, (although the people I work with have tried the Blueberry and Four Seasons and enjoyed it, while i'm intrigued by the Honey Banana) I decided to write about this, not because of the items, but because of the commercial, in which the post production was done by the company I work for.

YOU JIE XIAO CHAO: A CHINESE HIDDEN TREASURE NEAR ROCKWELL

             If you ever find yourselves in the outskirts of the Rockwell area in Makati, and you pass this gate on Camia Street, do yourself a favor.. 

            Stop, go down, knock on the door and walk in.

          Because inside, you'll find some of the most amazing Chinese food you'll ever try in Metro Manila.  

                     Friends, let me tell you all about You Jie Xiao Chao...

          

MAN UP AT MAD MARKS!

            I've been curious about what exactly it is about the Kapitolyo area that just made it suddenly boom with some very interesting "Hole In The Wall" restaurants. Ever since Charlie's Grind and Grill exploded unto the burger scene, an eclectic selection of food choices have popped up in the area, making it somewhat of a food lover's Mecca. 


        Though Kapitolyo is actually quite near my place, I've never gotten a chance to go to any of their restaurants just yet.. Something I knew I had to rectify right away. I actually made a list of the restaurants in that area that I wanted to try, and ranking high on the list was Mad Mark's.