Ok, on with the show…

MY QUICKIE GUIDE TO EATING IN METRO MANILA

Wow, four years. That’s how long I’ve been in this city. And I must have taken most of my meals in some restaurant or another (well, aside from Mark’s house) having, alternately: no time to cook, no energy to cook, no desire to cook, no food to cook or, more recently, no stove to cook in.

So anyway, here’s a “review-to-go” of the places I’ve been to.

For those who would ask for my credentials: I have none.

Unless you count that I grew up in a home (or I should say community) of really great cooks. As in, my dad has the best lechon recipe our side of the Visayas. Or that we have family recipes going back at least three generations of fiestas, birthdays, reunions, and other excuses to party and pig out. I mean, recipes good enough that guests ask for them on their way out the door, or at least enjoy enough that they get up the courage to ask for a balot, or at the very least, they keep coming back everytime they overhear we might have some sort of “salo-salo”.

So there. If you’re still not convinced, you can email my brother, who will gladly teach you how to cook really tasty chicken and pork adobo using any old oven toaster, among others things.

= = = = = = = = = Reviews-To-Go = = = = = = = = = =
Mang Jimmy’s
Although not the best in the pack, Mang Jimmy’s comes first to my mind because I’ve just been there recently. The 3 + 1 ulam and the “eat-all-you-kanin” deal is pretty hard to beat. And the food is yummy too. I especially liked the tuna belly and the tapa mix.

My rating: Food: 3, Service: 2, Ambience: 3 if you’re into this near-to-nature drinking place kind of stuff
Great for: Laid back barkada gimiks or inuman sessions
Not for: Snotty, stiff-lipped “gourmands” who can’t understand food that’s not spelled in French, naturally!
Located in: Balara, Diliman, QC

Banana Leaf Curry House
They serve a range of Asian dishes (Thai, Malaysian, etc.) - most of them spicy. Must-trys are the deep fried pomfret (fish) in chili sauce and the sate short ribs. Great with tea tareek.

My rating: Food: 3.5, Service:3.5, Ambience: 3
Great for: Lunch with officemates, pre-gimik dinner, casual parties
Not for: People who can’t take spicy foods
Located in: Greenbelt 3 and The Podium

Super Bowl of China
One of my favorite Chinese food places. Must-trys are the delicious “ha-kao” or shrimp dumplings (steamed, not fried), the lemon chicken and the spicy “ma-po” tofu.

My rating: Food: 3.5, Service: 3.5, Ambience: 3 (place can get really crowded)
Great for: Any meal, actually. Just be ready to wait for a table anywhere between 5 - 20 minutes
Not for: Those who are allergic to MSG
Located in: The Strip, Mega B (There’s a new one in Glorietta, but I haven’t been there yet)

Cafe Niña
Really good Spanish food at reasonable rates. Must-trys: the salpicado, the seafood paella, and the mozzarella-stuffed meatballs in chorizo sauce. Mm-mmm! And don’t leave without trying their ñ frozen pie. Sinfully delish!

My rating: Food: 4, Service: 3, Ambience: 3
Great for: Lunch and dinner
Not for: Well, people who faint at the sight of a little bit of grease
Located in: 5th floor of The Podium in Ortigas Center

Wok Inn
Chinese food (and mostly seafood too!) cooked just the way you want it. My all-time favorite is the fish in taosi sauce.

My rating: Food: 3, Service: 2.5, Ambience: 2.5
Great for: Lunch, dinner, late-night Chinese food craving
Not for: MSG-sensitive diners
Located in: Park Square One, Glorietta, Makati City

To be continued…

Posted under Navel-Gazing

(I am indulging my more “introspective self” in the following post. You have been forewarned.)

A THOUSAND LIVES

I may have lived a thousand lives, a thousand times…
…..A million names but only one truth to face

- Sting, “A Thousand Years”

Over the last eight years I must have moved jobs at least 4 times, and residences 7 times (although I must say the last four were in close proximity to each other and reflected my need to find more comfortable and relatively permanent digs close to the office, rather than a senseless desire to simply move around).

So, yes, you can say I’m used to “uprooting” myself every now and then.

But this new move is my biggest so far: I’ve resigned from a job I loved, from a company I really enjoyed working in (which is a pretty sad thing). Then I’m going to officially tie my life with that of a man I’m simply crazy about (which is a really cool thing). And THEN, I’m going off to a different life on the other side of the world - to improve myself, to seek out “better opportunities” for me and my family, and well, to see what other things life has to offer.

I must admit though, there are times when this last thing scares me shitless.

There are times when, alone at night, I can’t sleep, thinking: What if, after all the bags have been packed and unpacked, I’ll forget what I’m doing all this for in the first place?

But then I realize that no matter how many faces I wear as I live my “parallel lives”, I will remain true to the dream I hold in my heart.

And when I see the faces of the people I love, or hear the voices of my family and closest friends on the phone (or read their text and email), I know that no matter how many thousand lives I attempt to live in this one lifetime, the ones who know me best understand what’s going on, and why I do the things I do. And, amazingly enough, despite all this, they continue to love me.

Thanks, guys!

Posted under Navel-Gazing