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No, no. We weren't invited to the Malacanang Palace reception.
I was really looking forward to our little Clark food trip with the DHRIM team but it got called off at the last minute. People backed out, the weather forecast looked grim, and I really just wanted to stay home and watch the inauguration on television. And I did just that.
Then at about 1 pm we found ourselves with nothing to do. So we thought we'd go for a little drive. Apalit, Pampanga's town fiesta today. Hmmm. Carry on. Then we suddenly decided to drive to Clark. Pedro wanted to get a few bottles of wine and I just didn't feel like cooking. I made a batch of homemade yoghurt last night thinking I might cook us some Indian curry but in the end I just wanted to sit down and be served.
Pedro was quite hungry when we got there so we decided to play it safe and go somewhere we already know. VFW Post Canteen it is! We thought we deserved a treat (Noynoy's inauguration today!) so we got a couple of beers and ordered food. Picture on top is Pedro's Burgundy Pot Roast with Mash and Corn. Below is my Homemade Meatloaf with Rice and Corn. They were both delicious, sorry for the crappy pictures.
Then dessert! I ordered the Short Stack, two pancakes with butter and syrup. And a cup of brewed coffee. Pedro had another bottle of SML and Cherry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream.
I inhaled my pancakes so fast I didn't even get a chance to take a picture. Even Pedro's plate's picture is blurred. He literally was going to stab my hand when I attempted to get a bit of vanilla ice cream off his plate.
It was a very good inaugural meal indeed. Total: PhP 905.00. Not bad considering it includes desserts and beers.
I saw this bizarre thing on ANC the other day. Two kids, one from CCA Manila and the other from Enderun, explaining to the host their Inauguration Dinners. I thought Noynoy's team actually hired culinary students to do the food for the event. It turned out that they were just plugging their schools and presenting what they WOULD serve if they were hired by Noynoy's team.
The Enderun kid was very clever with his locally sourced ingredients and local flavour done to suit a more polished palate. The CCA boy, on the other hand, was going to serve Noynoy steak and chocolate tart. He even said that because the chocolate came from Belgium, it should be pronounced Tart Chokolah. Not sho-ko-lah but CHO-ko-lah . I love it when they are pretentious and not getting it right! I thought, you're serving food we can get from Burgoo during such an historic event? Come on.
VFW Canteen
381 Santol Rd. Cor Pinatubo St.
Clarkview Subdivision, Angeles City
(045) 892 2408
I was a member of The Spa near Eastwood for the longest time so I never had to bother trying out new spas. I've been hearing about Wensha Spa from my friends and how they have a buffet thrown into the package. That really threw me off. So I planned about going there for the longest time and finally did when John came back from Morocco and I thought we'd give it a try.
Nothing like those Arab hammams John goes to in Morocco. Actually I'd be very interested to find out if there's any here in the Philippines. Anyway, the cheapest massage goes for PhP 680, which includes 6 hours in the facility, a buffet/shabu shabu and an hour massage. I wanted to try the Ventosa massage (yung may basong may apoy PhP 880) but I was told that the queue is quite long so I just got the most basic one.
Because it was Saturday night it was quite busy. There was a long list for the massage and I was starting to worry that we might get our massage in the morning already. Luckily I found the girl who has the list, chatted her up and John and I got in very quickly. Charm really goes a long way. Weheheheh.
I haven't had a massage for about a year and it felt awesome. It's like the world and its worries just melted away. The masseur used Ginger Oil and the pressure was just right. I still miss Remy my The Spa masseuse who knew exactly how to beat me up. Anyway...
After an hour, we proceeded to the buffet. They had quite a good spread. Rice, Fish fillet in some brown sauce, Chicken in some brown sauce, Pork in some brown sauce, Shabu Shabu ingredients, Ice cream, Iced tea and orange juice. Not bad. I mean, the food is the kind you eat in very uninspired restaurants, but after almost an hour on the wet floor and an hour of getting massaged we were starving. For PhP 680 it really was great value.
Wensha Spa is open 24/7 and is located beside Victoria Tower on the corner of Timog Ave and Quezon Blvd. I discovered a Fujimart next door, too!
One sweltering lunch hour we found ourselves in Masangkay Street in Binondo for some official business. We weren't anywhere near Binondo Church so the usual restaurants were out of the question. We just couldn't bear the thought of sitting in traffic nor walking in the heat. I had a look around and happened upon a glass window with a rather feisty guy making fresh noodles. He did it with such panache and expertise that we immediately decided to say f**k the heat and ordered two bowls of ramen.
It was the best ramen we've ever had. Give me your favourite instant noodle and it is nothing compared to this. Pedro got the Chicken one, I had the Beef Brisket. Delicious broth. It really makes a helluva difference if you slowly simmer the stock to get that depth of flavour. The table is set with different condiments including a bowl of freshly chopped cilantro and another bowl of chopped spring onions.
To find it, walk from Bambang Market (Bambang LRT Station) along Masangkay Street. This is the same street as Philippine Academy of Sakya and St Stephen. If you see the Bureau of Immigration Satellite office (left side) you're on the right track. From there, walk another 30 meters or so and you'll find it near a street corner.
Definitely worth the trip!
Nothing would make me happier than to see this restaurant lose money and shut down.
I am reminded of this snob who used to work for Ayala Museum's Museum Cafe. They have the best cakes in Makati. I've tried Avocado, Chocnut, and a few others and they were soooo good.
One afternoon, I was with a friend hoping for a spot of lunch when we decided to eat there. It was 230 in the afternoon on a weekday so the restaurant was quite expectedly empty. There was nobody at the door so we made our way inside and sat at a table at the back. This guy (probably head waiter or even the restaurant manager, pale glutathione skin, goatee) was preparing to give us a masterclass on being a snob when he approached our table.
Snob: Do you have a reservation?
Me: (I stared at him then gave the room a scan.) Do we need one?
Snob: We prefer it if our diners make a reservation prior to showing up.
Me: I think you prefer it if you have diners. Get us the menu, prick.
Ok, I didn't really say prick. But he grudgingly got us the menu. I made it a point to leave a two-peso tip. Months later I saw him working at Chelsea Market Cafe in Serendra. Got fired, much? Or isa lang may-ari nung dalawa?
