Grub Review: Pinoy Street Eats

The closest thing to street food that I've ever had are sugar donuts which was sold by this man who'd push a cart every morning where we used to live. He only sold it in the morning when they were freshly baked, sprinkled with white sugar, and packed in brown paper bags. I was also quite fond of fishball back then because I found piercing the fish ball and using the loops on the pan to push it down the stick amusing. Yesterday night, my Tita hosted dinner for us and our balikbayan relatives at the poolside of the Intercon where we had Filipino street food. Offered at Sol y Sombra, our delectable Pinoy Street Eats spread included street food favourites.

Dinner is served in the bahay kubos

Corn, chicharon, okoy (shrimp fritters), and not-so-sour green mango with bagoong

balut. eww.

fish ball, chicken ball, and kikiam

fried calamari

chicken tandoori and barbecue (very tasty!)

selection of more fried food

Lumpiang Shanghai

Puto bungbong and bibingka

taho (not as fantastic as Zhu's)

They forgot to include that orange hard boiled egg, shingaling, and sago't gulaman in their menu! You can wash the food down with bottomless melon and buco juice. I'm not sure what other beverages are included in the street food shebang.

Almost everything on the street food list is made by the hotel, including the “dirty” ice cream in traditional flavours Filipinos love. Dining by the pool is a cool experience. It was breezy the night we went so it was a pleasant dinner. Other attractions aside from the food include a guitarist who will do the traditional harana or a group of musicians playing folk music.

Eat-all-you-can is P650 per person Open from 7pm to 11pm For inquiries, call Hotel Intercontinental at (02) 793 70 00

If the shoe fits

In our last trip to San Francisco two years ago, my cousin took my brother and I to the Y3 store downtown that he claims nobody knows about. I spotted this nice grey pair but they didn't have it in my size. Last year, my brother bought me a pair but it was too small and the design wasn't too much to my liking. It looked like a basketball shoe. I was about to lose all hope in having a pair of Y3's until today when I finally got one in Homme et Femme at Shangri-La Mall that fit perfectly. Located in the 2nd floor (or is it in the 3rd?), it houses high end designer duds from Fred Perry to Marni to Jill Sander. And that's just the Men's section. They had a sale last year which included Dior Homme and Commes de Garcon menswear. I really wanted a pair of grey Dior Homme sneaks but it was still around P21 grand. I wonder why they aren't reducing the price when it's been on the shelf for quite a long time now. Anyway, the pair I got has shiny silver strips on it and it doesn't scream Yohji Yamamoto which I love. In fact, you have to stare at one of the Adidas stripes to see the brand slapped across it. I absolutely love the fit of the shoe. It's very comfortable and light. It feels bouncy actually. maybe because of the unique sole. It has vents underneath the shoe, which I think helps cool your feet. hehehe After, I hopped on over to Felicity on the 3rd floor to buy espadrilles (thanks for the tip, Rey!) which I've been searching for since last year. A store in Serendra had them before but the colours weren't anywhere near nice. It was tempting to get it in orange, grey, and apple green too but I thought that would be overdoing it already. Anyway, I got a red and blue pair. At just around P600 a pop, it was a sin not to get more than one pair! Espadrilles are perfect for the season. Slippers have gone en masse. It's time to sport another kind of footwear! If you're too much of a bum to check out the merch at Felicity, take a peek at them at the fash shop.

Argh

Patience is a virtue. And I definitely do not have an ounce of it. Especially when it involves people who can get stupid. A couple of weeks ago, I asked newbie about an email. Me: "Do you have the figures for the presentation?" Newbie: "No. Do you?" Grrr. I was itching to be my sarcastic self but instead, I inhaled, exhaled, and counted to ten. Had I not done that, I would have said any of the following: "If I had it, would I be asking you, you toad?" "Are you stupid or are you really stupid? Why would I ask for something if I had it already?" "Are you from (insert name of alien planet)? Do you understand English?" "Would I waste my time talking to you if I had the figures?" Yesterday afternoon some items that were supposed to be part of a giveaway at an event two weeks ago but were not given because they never arrived were delivered to the office. Many, many hours later, the supplier said they needed some of it back tomorrow for the client. Me: "Sorry, office is closed tomorrow and I don't have a key." Tonta: "Naku, need your powers. Client is requesting for it. Please help." Again I wanted to be really sarcastic. In the first place, they should have been more organized and set aside what they would think the client might need. And does she actually think that I'll go to the office on a weekend? Just like the other instance, I did not respond. Again I would have said any of the following: "Okay. Let me look for a rock, head back to the office, throw it at the door, so I can get 4 pieces of your precious items for the client." "I do not have the power to open locked doors or conjure keys to unlock them." "Will you pay for my gas, restore lost mileage, and somehow make sure my car does not get depreciated in the process so I could experience traffic and the one hour drive all the way down south from Makati, get the key from the office manager and get 4 items you need, which, by the way, you should have thought of setting aside awhile ago?" "Let me go through my imaginary platinum Vertu and have the 24-hour concierge search for a locksmith for me." "Let me concentrate. The door just might unlock if I think of it real hard." "Wait, let me focus The Secret style. The door just might be open by the time I get to the office!" "I'll help you pray you find your brain." Now close your eyes, count to ten, and breathe.

Grub Review: Zhu

With all the eating I've been doing lately, it's very frustrating that I have not gained a single pound. Rather than attending Lesley Mobo's show last night at Greenbelt 5, I had one of those mandatory invites to join my family for my tita's birthday dinner at Zhu at the Fort. I've always been a big fan of Chinese food. In fact, I love it so much that I can have it every almost ever single day for every single meal. Too pink for me, Zhu is located in the same building as Aubergine and a 24 hour McD's. It's also right across St. Luke's and beside HSBC. For starters, we had kropek. I would have almost finished two bowls of it had it been for my cousin who arrived and shared it with me.

We also had really good dumplings. Still not as good as those I happily chomped on in Binondo but tasty nevertheless.

Hakaw (p 99) and

Chicken Feet (P 88)

I've never tried chicken feet before. I always thought it was very unsanitary because who knows what it's stepped on?? Anyway, I ate one foot and didn't like the texture so much. It was weird. Other food we feasted on were:

Double boiled chicken with (a piece or two) dried scallop (P 144)

Peking Duck which we later had minced and fried (P 762)

Salted Fish Fried Rice (P 189) Seafood Crispy Noodles (P 202)

Oyster Beef with Broccoli (P 222) Poet Sun Po's Pata Tim (P 222)

Steamed Fish Fillet with Garlic Sauce (P 252)

Mapo Tofu or Braised Soy Beancurd with Mushrooms (P 168)

and for dessert, we had Taho (P 112) which I loved, loved, loved! They served it in this wooden bucket so you have to scoop the soya yourself. It also came with an extremely sweet bowl of syrup and sago. The only thing I did not like in the restaurant was that it was very noisy. It was like eating in Max's on a Sunday. But then again, Zhu isn't fine dining so I guess I'll let it slide. Restrooms are shared outside with the other establishments in the first floor but it's clean and well stocked with paper towels, and hand soap. Zhu is located at 32nd and 5th Building, Bonifacio Global City Ring them at 856 36 38 and 39 They also deliver!

Grub Review: Oceano

If seeing all that fish makes you suddenly crave for seafood, then Oceano is the place for you. Located by the Fish Spa and Stingray Feeding corner of the Manila Ocean Park, Oceano is like a smaller version of Circles with a shorter buffet. Run by Steve Tamayo (of Tamayo's catering), Oceano is a fusion of Meditarranean, Western, and Asian cuisine which you can enjoy for just P600.

The restaurant is very clean, well lit, and has good exhaust. The staff are friendly and quick. And no, the seafood doesn't come from the aquariums in the lower level.

Tuna didn't know of its fate earlier this morning

Who can resist a Belgian chocolate fountain?

We happened to be instantly invited to the soft opening of the restaurant so they were still on dry run. The food was tasty and the seafood was really, really fresh. When they will be fully operational, the buffet will have a Japanese, Italian, Continental, and Filipino spread. The owner said they're opening a more masa-friendly version in the lower level.

Under the sea

When I was younger, my brother and I had an aquarium. We didn't have any exotic fish - just the regular goldfish variety. I'm not really a fish person unless its deep fried, steamed, slathered with mayo and relish, or grilled. Anyway, my Dad took us to the Manila Ocean Park yesterday. He helped fund it so he's particularly fond of the place. We went after 6pm and surprisingly, there weren't too many people. The Manila Ocean Park has several areas of interest with new wings being constructed already to open in a year or two. You begin your ocean adventure in Agos where you can see a huge ass Arapaima, piranhas, and all sorts of crab. You can also touch (read: poke at your own risk) strange looking starfish. Next is the Bahura where you can view behind really thick glass (obviously, I knocked on it to annoy the fish) a plethora of fish in all sorts of colours. They had striped fish (this Dad was pointing out to every single orange fish with stripes to his kid and said it was Nemo), fish that looked like sticks, and a huge crab that was housed in a cold aquarium. The most fascinating part is the 25-meter long tunnel that features different marine animals. It''s like having front row seats to a real life version of Shark Tale. Kalaliman shows different kinds of schooling fish and one giant grouper, while another area shows lots of stingrays swimming about. The guide said we had to dip our hands in the water and make waves so attract the stingray. We were able to touch and feed them (I think it was because we were being guided by the Singaporean owner) with galungong. I wasn't exactly able to put the fish into the stingray's mouth because I freaked out when the biggest stingray of them all swam to me. It wasn't a pretty sight so I dropped the fish into the water. hehe It was an experience though. You can also pay P100 bucks for 15 minutes to experience the fish spa. There are several wading pools with tiny fish that eat away your dead skin. The fish are said to be from Hong Kong (or Turkey, I forget). When you dip your feet in the pool, you just wait for a couple of minutes and they slowly approach and chomp away. The Manila Ocean Park is open from 10am to 9pm, Monday to Sunday Not sure how much admission is but I think its around P400-P500. Visit their website at www.manilaoceanpark.com