we love kai

Yesterday (December 17), my boyfriend and I celebrated our 7th year anniversary.  I know 7 years!  I remember Cristina telling me that we had a far longer relationship compared to her and her husband, bf/gf days and married life combined!

Anyway, to celebrate our anniversary, we had dinner at KAI, a Japanese restaurant at Greenbelt 5.  KAI catered for a company event before and I remember enjoying their trio of creme brulee.  And while I would love to eat creme brulee again, we have to have something else other than that! And so I went on research mode again and found links on KAI, from food reviews to patrons’ comments.  I went knowing what to order from appetizers to main course to desserts!

For appetizers, we had Age Dashi Tofu and Portobello Mushroom Confit Salad with Maple Ponzu Vinaigrette.

                   

                    

The tofu is so good – crunchy on the outside and super soft inside.  It is topped with seaweed to bring out contrasting flavors.  We also love their salad! I love mushrooms on just about anything, from soups, to salads to main dishes.

For the main course, we ordered Chicken Karaage, Buta Kakuni or braised pork belly cooked for 10 hours, and an extra cup of Angus Japanese Fried Brown Rice.

                    

Jandell was a happy camper when he saw this!  He wondered how he’s going to eat this with chopsticks but the meat was so soft you can just peel it right off.

We also enjoyed the Chicken Karaage.  We shared one cup of the fried brown rice – yes, we the rice-eaters shared just one cup!  The rice was a meal in itself.

                     

In the middle of the dinner, we ordered California Maki.

                  

We had to take four of those home since we were both full by this time.  BUT we still have desserts!  We had their Banana Nutella Harumaki and of course, the Trio of Creme Brulee.

                  

The harumaki is their version of banana split – this is banana rolled in sesame fillo topped with chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and caramel ice cream.

                   

We enjoyed everything that was laid out in front of us and we are definitely coming back!

Happy anniversary to us!

                  

what she is trying to say

I wanted to talk about our trip in Baguio, a new restaurant I tried a week ago, fun stuff, but it seems like it is not the appropriate time.  I was saddened by the tragedy that struck the Philippines and caught everyone unaware.  Over 240 people have been reported as casualties, thousands lost their homes and properties, and people who used to be your friend, your officemate, your relative are turning up as mere statistics.  I consider myself very, very lucky as the place where I live (and where my parents live) was not, compared to others, affected by the devastating floods.  The only inconvenience that Ondoy brought me was having only Fita, Skyflakes, and Vcut for breakfast on Saturday morning (I do not stock up on groceries so those were the food items available at the small store at the ground floor of my apartment building).  My boyfriend waded thru waist-deep water to buy supplies at a grocery store a few blocks away.  But I am not complaining because that is NOTHING compared to what others had to endure during that ill-fated weekend. 

Days following the storm, we are all hooked on television, the radio, and internet – especially the internet, where you get real-time updates.  Pictures and videos are filled with heartbreaking stories but also heroic ones – everyone is putting time, energy, and resources to help those in need.  And this makes me real proud to be a Filipino – the BAYANIHAN spirit is alive!  And my fervent prayer is that we all unite not only in times of adversity.  Kaya natin ito if we all work together.   We are a very resilient people – which is good – but sometimes, tinitiis lang natin lahat so people in the government take advantage of us.  We should be able to tell our government “Ok this is what we expect from you and we will be very disappointed if you do not meet our expectations.  And if you do not meet our expectations, we are going to kick your ass.”

Last night, there was news of an 8.3 magnitude earthquake hitting American Samoa, followed by a tsunami.  Over one hundred people were reported as casualties.  Then an earthquake hit Sumatra, Indonesia with tremors felt in nearby countries such as Singapore.  Mother Nature is trying to say something, and she is making the statement in a big way.  Man’s actions are taking its toll on Mother Nature and if we do not learn from these calamities and insist on our wasteful ways, our actions are going to impact us in a big way, and we won’t be able to recover.

facebook and friends

I came across this article from the Wall Street Journal about how Facebook (and other social networking sites) ruin friendships.  I love Facebook, I made it my homepage a long time ago (before, it was New York Times) so that I only have to click to get to it everyday.  Obviously, I log on everyday, not every hour of every day, as I still have to work, but yes, everyday.  And while I think that Facebook has more positive points to it, I think it has become a source of daily irritation to me.  Let me list who makes my Facebook experience a not-entirely-wonderful thing:

First on my list are those who disclose too much – I had a “friend” on my contact list who shouted to the entire Facebook world that she’s having marital woes and the mistress could go to who-knows-where.  Goodness, why would someone in her right mind do that?  Perhaps she’s desperate for advice or sympathy or the mistress is also on her list and she wants to tell her to back off. Or perhaps she just wants to protect her family.  But, what the hell, how could putting your marital problems on your status update protect your family?  If anything, it exposes the entire family and makes your problem fodder for gossip.  Rule #1 for me:  If it’s a family issue, keep it within the family.

Next are those who, perhaps for lack of anything to do, update their status too regularly - “off to this restaurant” - “ordered pizza” - “about to finish eating pizza” – “got mozzarella stuck on my tooth”.  Sounds familiar? While I’m an advocate of free speech, I think everyone should still observe social etiquette while on Facebook.  And as a rule, keep it interesting.  Ask yourself, does anyone want to know what I’m about to write on my status update?  Excluding your boyfriend/girlfriend and your dentist, if you can’t come up with a name, don’t put it out there.

At one point in my Facebook life, I found quizzes interesting and fun (I took a lot of “How well do you know “F.R.I.E.N.D.S.” quizzes and almost always perfected them :D).  And, thinking that some of my friends who are addicted to the show will find them fun as well, I sometimes (not always) challenge them to these quizzes and check who fared better (yes, I’m a nerd. I’ve always took quizzes seriously hahaha).  BUT, here’s my rule on quizzes – not everyone has to know your score.  And not everyone is interested in what you’re interested in.  And so I find it a little irritating when I receive notifications like this – this person is challenging you to a quiz on Star Trek/Star Wars (oh there’s the quiz I won’t pass!) or “what sex position are you?” (why do you care?).  People, you can skip this part of the quiz! You don’t have to send challenges to everyone.  You don’t have to publish it either on your profile every time you take a quiz.  (I know of one contact on my list who, at one point, took quizzes all day, and every single one is shown on his/her profile, and get this, s/he is at work!)

These are all minor irritations though. And I’m doing something about it.  I’ve “hidden” some of my contacts so that I don’t have to receive notifications from them nor see any of their updates on my newsfeed. =P 

Article:  How Facebook Can Ruin Your Friendships

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204660604574370450465849142.html

intro to greek food

I have heard great things about Cyma from people who frequent its Boracay branch to just about every food blog I follow.  So when my friend suggested that we try Cyma at Greenbelt, I did not think twice.  I am usually not adventurous when it comes to food – I will try new restaurants, yes, but they typically offer cuisines that I love (Italian, Chinese, American and Filipino) so it’s more like trying the same food at a different place (there is only so much you can do [and change] with spaghetti!).  So my first time at Cyma is Greek Food 101 to me.

We ordered the following:

Flaming cheese

You dip the bread into the flaming cheese, but not before the waiter say Opa! =D

 

 

I do not eat eggplant, whether it is an actual meal (i.e. tortang talong) or concealed as an ingredient (i.e. pinakbet).  I do not eat vegetables period.   But Cyma’s Moussaka is awesome! Yes, this has eggplant (see that greenish layer?)!

 

We also ordered 2 chicken gyros and requested that each be cut into half (there are four of us, and honestly, we could not finish a gyros each).

 

I suggested we order the pastitsio (read great reviews about it!) and they are right.  This one’s heavenly!

 

That yellow layer that looks (and tastes) like flan reminds me of childhood where everything’s sweet and yummy!

  

Will I go back to Cyma? Definitely! =D

missing singapore

There's nothing like good food to ignite your blogging groove (ok, I know that rhymes and sounds corny but groove's exactly what I'm going for so food has to be replaced with another word. But what's another word for food? Meal? Cuisine? Nah they all don't fit so I'm sticking with this first sentence. I'll try to do better with the next sentences =P). And good food from your favorite country is even better. I love Singapore! It's a walkable city, they have an efficient transportation system, the city's clean, the shops are great (they have IKEA and Kinokuniya!) and best of all, they have great food!

It's been 3 months since my last trip to Singapore and I miss it! While I can go to Fully Booked to bask in a Kinokuniya-like atmosphere, there aren't enough restaurants here in Manila that serves authentic Singaporean food. So when I read about a Food Republic-like place opening in Manila from the various blogs I follow, I knew I had to see it for myself. While the reviews were initially negative, I did not allow them to deter me.

The place is called Makansutra Asian Food Village. Located at the Manila Ocean Park complex, the place offers local cuisine from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India and the Philippines.







The prices are reasonable. Just like in hawker places in Singapore, there are small stalls selling all sorts of food from roti prata to chili crabs. In true self-service style, you pay for what you order where you ordered it. There is a separate drinks station that sells kopi, teh, bandung and a Michael Jackson drink (black gulaman in white, milky liquid).



I went to Makansutra with my mother, sister and my boyfriend, who are all for trying new restaurants. I ordered hainanese chicken rice and roti prata with curry.

This was kind of dry. And the roti prata was just ok.





Probably the only meal we had that's comparable to those served in Singapore is the kwey teow.



My sister had khao kai moo (Thai stewed pork trotter in a sweet spicy sauce with rice) and she hates it! It looks appetizing in pictures that's why my sister ordered it. And when she was presented with this, she was like "What the hell is this?!".



My bf had this. It was good!



Will I go back to Makansutra? Maybe for the ambiance, not for the food.

we've got to save ginny weasley and more wizard rock

Have you heard of Wizard Rock or Wrock? Apart from the books, movies, fanfiction, clothing line and other items all Harry Potter-related, there's a music movement that revolves around the world of Harry Potter. I found this article on TIME entitled "The Boy Who Rocked" and it talks about the various bands whose songs are inspired by all things Harry Potter.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1909622-1,00.html

I did a quick search on Youtube (thank you Youtube!) and found the following groups with some sample songs.

Harry and the Potters - Save Ginny Weasley
The Parselmouths - What Kind of Name is Hermione?
The Whomping Willows - I Believe in Nargles (A Tribute to Luna)
Draco and the Malfoys - 99 Death Eaters
Ministry of Magic - Accio Love
Gred and Forge (I didn't misspell this) - Twelve Days of Wizarding Christmas
The Remus Lupins - Teenage Werewolf
Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls - We are the DA
Moaning Myrtles - Prefects are Hot

"Prefects are Hot" has the funniest lyrics! Here goes...

Prefects are freakin' hot in any season
You know they call me Moaning Myrtle for a reason
Went looking for some Prefects in the bathroom one day
But instead I found Harry
and so I said "Hey!"
I helped him solve the mystery of the egg
But I'd like to solve the mystery between his legs!

This group also has a song entitled "And Then I Died" which is hilarious!

Of the above, I think Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls has the best sound - he's one guy who has quite a nice voice and plays great guitar. And his "End of an Era" totally captures what Harry Potter fans feel about the end of the series with the release of the final book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".

Oh I can't wait for the 6th movie! And the 7th and the 8th! =D

maroon 5 singing my wedding song

This is a cover of Frank Sinatra's The Way You Look Tonight by Maroon 5,who counts "She Will Be Loved" and "This Love" as some of their hits. I LOOOOOOVE their cover of this classic Sinatra song. Every time I hear The Way You Look Tonight, I imagine my wedding day (not that it's anywhere in the near future). Oh I would love to be serenaded with this song! =D

Apparently, iTunes got together several artists to cover this great music icon's work for an album entitled "His Way, Our Way". Looking forward to hearing the rest of the songs in this album. I hope they did "Come Fly With Me" and "Moon River". In the meantime, enjoy Maroon 5's cover! =D