Old Manila

Last January 2, since we weren't doing anything except eat all the leftovers from the holidays (and boy, they don't look like leftovers - it could still feed you for the next week), we decided to have a mini roadtrip in the metro. It was a wise decision because there wasn't much traffic - everyone was home or visiting others, eating leftovers from the holidays.

We decided to go to Manila, and find out how much it has changed since we were kids. We used to spend our summer vacation either in Pampanga, my mom's province (it's actually Tarlac, but her sister lives in Angeles, and it was a shorter commute back then, so we go there), or to Sta. Cruz, Manila, my dad's hometown.

Now Pampanga and Manila are worlds apart - Angeles then, was at once, bucolic and worldly, with the GI's all around and the fresh air smelling of chicken poop and PX goods, of friendly strangers, of everyone claiming to be related to each other - it was a warm feeling. Manila, on the other hand, was a bustling, chaotic mix of noises, urban dirt, and exciting unfriendly places and faces - everyone was anonymous, yet, in that old sector, my cousins and I know everyone and know who to hang out with.

In Manila, we would often take jeepney rides or just plain walk around in the vicinity of Sta. Cruz. It's quite a fantastic thing to do, specially when we were just 10 or 11 years old then. Everything was big, and everything was a wonder. It was actually quite dangerous then, and probably much more now. It was the martial law years then and it was the time when Manila was undergoing a change for the worse - buildings were beginning to deteriorate and people were becoming meaner. But those were wonderful years then, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else.

Enter now, and I see a quiet Manila (because it was a sunday), and I see some of the old buildings still there, but completely defeated, wearied by time and neglect. But it sure still shows us the glory of what was Manila then. I wish that the Manila government would be much more focused on saving our heritage sites there and also other sites that are worth saving, buildings that give Manila its distinct character and its true place in the history of the world - a great City that truly has a heart that is still alive and kicking after all these years.

Quiapo Church

Typical church bell tower showing the artistry of centuries-old architectures in Manila

Downtown, the old business district

Syvels!!! 

Art Deco Style, common among pre and post war Manila Buildings

Capitol Theatre, along Escolta, designed by no less than Juan Nakpil

Capitol Theatre

Chinatown welcome Arch

Binondo Church Exterior

Ongpin Statue

Binondo Church

Post Office

City Hall

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Shoppingu ya dainingu Yamazaki de

I have been to Little Tokyo several times in the past few years, and i must say they really offer a good variety of Japanese food at very affordable prices. While most are not perfect or excellent, they are still a good buy. But one place in the compound comes through as an affordable and delicious treat, all at once - Yamazaki grocery and Ramen house.

The place faces Makati Cinema Square, and is right beside a Japanese spa. Inside is a very lowly looking grocery, but it is stacked full of everything you will need, Japanese food-wise.

They have sauces, seasoning, frozen seafood, meat and processed food. They also have noodles, drinks (non and alcoholic - they have all of my favorite coffee and juice drinks there) baked products, snack food - you name it, they most likely have it. On the left side of the grocery is the ramen house area, with a smoking and non-smoking section (yey!).

Japanese crepe cake, sliced to bite size. yummy!

The selection of ramen is decently wide, and are priced lower than most other ramen places. They also have other dishes, but they stick mostly to ramen.

I must say, their ramen is comparable to ramen I've tasted in the city. The service is fast, the menu is in Japanese and English (another yey!), and the friendly Filipina waiting staff can actually explain to you the dishes if you ask for it (another yey!). They cater to mostly Japanese clients and the place is very quiet, homey and modest and very, very clean.

the smoking area

menu in english, yey! and the wait staff can explain each dish to you, if you want!

gyoza is crunchy outside and melting delicious inside!

some of the Japanese pocket books they lend to customers

Their ramen is really good, not too oily, ingredients are fresh and serving is large enough

each table is partitioned for privacy. the place is modest and clean

Their customers are mostly Japanese the last time I went, but the grocery has its share of Pinoys like me.

While it may not be comparable to venerable Japanese establishments like Hatsu Hana Tei or Kimpura or Shinjuku, or even Tsumura, it tastes a lot better than most other Ramen shops I've visited. So if you are hungry for some Ramen, but is not open to spending a whole lot but still looking for something worth it, your place is Yamazaki. It's near, it's delicious and it's affordable!

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Healthy shabu-shabu, aren't they all? and the Hat that was never quite white

Our new favorite lunch or dinner place at Alabang town center is Healthy Shabu-Shabu. It has been there for quite some time, at the Cinema wing, but it has just been in the past year that we "discovered" it - i.e., my parents agreed that it is indeed well worth going back to.

Our latest trip to it was about a month ago, just to get away from the searing heat of the weekend.        

So there we were - my parents, I, my sister and brother. We had our fill and we enjoyed the long lunch and chat time, and our free halo halo, japanese style (if ever there ever was, though it tasted good, nonetheless).

fight!

break

burp!

Of course, true to the family spirit of never-ending eating, we had to pass by White Hat for the perfunctory frozen yogurt that has become a default pass-by-before-going-home for everyone in the family. It really is a bottomless pit, when it comes to good food.

nomnomnomnomnom

It was great, and shabu-shabu delivered on its name that it is indeed healthy. So next time you are in Alabang Town Center, check out Healthy Shabu-shabu at the cinema wing. It's cheap (if you order right), filling and fantastic comfort food fit for a family weekend runaround.

my soup doesn't look as nice as it tastes

fish, beef, chicken and pork just rounds it out quite nice

an egg, fresh vegetables and nice oriental balls (LOL) and noodles comes with every order

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Shabu-shabu and the not so fit MINI moniker

I used to just pass by all these shabu shabu for the past years thinking that it really isn't my cup of tea. And for good reason - what decent restaurant will charge you for ingredients that you would cook yourself. I usually don't go out for a meal so that I can cook it. If I wanted that, I would probably just stay home. But a good friend and colleague introduced me to it a couple of years ago. It didn't quite catch on to me, but in the past year, I am starting to get the hang of it for two reasons: they really offer a healthy fare, and I always relish the excitement of eating what you cook up, bad or good. It seems to excite me always.

I actually have two favorite shabu shabu places - healthy shabu-shabu in alabang town center and mini shabu-shabu at bonifacio high street. I always volunteer these places when people start asking where we should eat out.

Now let's start with mini shabu-shabu. This place isn't really mini. Their serving plates are humongous and an order of ingredients is always too much for one person. I don't know where the "Mini" name came from - it just probably stuck when they were starting and they didn't bother to change it. I don't know! ask someone else! If you are ever at Boni High Street wondering where you should go for lunch, this is a good place to park and lounge the afternoon away. They won't push you out even after you're done!

Anyway, here are some pictures from the place care of the visit with my sister and cousin.

the place is quite nice and clean

our initial orders

and then another order

by this time we have over ordered. nobody cares.

yes we've over ordered

my sister even had to order a rice dish

my creation - simply heaven

The prices are reasonable, the food is fresh and really delicious, the place is clean, quiet and not too crowded, even on a weekend. Worth going back to, I would say. On my next post, the Healthy Shabu-shabu at alabang town center.

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Tina Fey: Mama Said Knock You Out Celebrities: GQ.com

Tina Fey: Mama Said Knock You Out Celebrities: GQ.com

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Pinoys and the coins that cashiers ask for all the time

There's the fact that we point with our lips, and also that everything is just at the next corner, or that a decent call-out is a psst. But the most amusing and annoying for me is that most cashiers ask for your loose change every time you pay for anything. I guess giving out candies as change has reached international shores as I have experienced this in Tokyo, Hanoi, HCMC, Singapore, Bangkok, KL and even Guam. But no one has yet immersed themselves in the habit of asking for more money when you have paid for things you have bought. "Sir, do you have 3 pesos?", to even out the change to a rounded off figure, fair and square.

It wouldn't have bothered me, but most cashiers now expect you to always have at least P10 in loose change in your pockets at any time. Some even glare at you when you can't give out the required loose change. The nerd, as some of my funny sarcastic friends would exclaim. Though I admit that I do have more than P10 in my pockets at any given time (sometimes even P100, please don't kill me), and some of my friends know that and even egg on the cashiers and harass me to cop out the required change whenever THEY buy stuff, and i happen to be with them. Now, I even pay for my friends' stuff!!! Talk about irony that went left field.

I hope this weird habit doesn't ship out to other countries. Otherwise, it would be part of the signs that the end is coming. The whole world will implode with the sheer number of cashiers around the world simultaneously asking you to give them more money when you have given them more than what you were supposed to pay in the first place.

Today I have resolved not to entertain the cashiers' badgering. The last one got a cold "Wala" from me with a languid stare that would stand down even the icy stare of the Man with No Name, or even Clint Eastwood himself, or even Toshiro Mifune (or whoever LOL).

So the next time someone asks you for loose change, tell them "I would give it to you if I had it, which only means I don't have it, so don't ask me, ok?" LOL. That should shut them up, hopefully for the next two customers, who is lined up behind you.

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japanese resto in sta. rosa

In the new wing of Paseo de sta. Rosa is a ramen house that is really yummy. Ryuma (sounds like arthritis, but it's not, LOL) is a nice new addition to the restaurants in Sta. Rosa. It is surprisingly inexpensive and their ramen and sushi were great! Checked who is behind it and it is owned and managed by a Japanese and their chef is also Japanese. So it is as Japanese as it gets. Lots of traditional dishes on the menu. Treated my parents to a lunch there last week and we thoroughly enjoyed the food. The best ramen I have tasted locally, to date.

funny placemat with monkeys and other animals

Here are some of pictures from the lunch. If you are ever in Sta. Rosa, check this place out. It's in the new wing, where Timberland, Aerosole, and Marks and Spencer outlet stores can be found. While you're there, check out the great merchandise and the fantastically low prices at Timberland. Bought a decent pair of shoes there for only 35 UD dollars!

shoyu ramen

miso ramen

tokusei ryusa chirashi - a do it yourself sushi cart

mom and dad fooling around

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Beautiful Subic

Last January, we went to Subic for a shoot for one of the accounts I handle. I must say, that despite all the things that has happened to Subic - its emancipation from the Americans as a naval base, its subsequent handling from Mr. Gordon who successfully turned it around into a thriving industrial park, its slow demise now, after Mr. Dick Gordon was unceremoniously kicked out of Subic several years ago - it still has its charm and it has started to evolve into an enclave of discipline and industriousness. Never mind that most of the multinationals are starting to leave it for China. Subic's residents have etched for themselves a unique character in a community built on earnest living and respect for order. It still is a beautiful, quiet, clean and orderly place.

Here are some of the pictures I took.

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