October 27, 2007.  It was a day of violence as we watched a group of chaps spar with each other.  After watching the 1^st taping of Mano Mano at ABS-CBN Studio 10, we went straight to Elorde’s gym at Katipunan to survey the Fight League Philippines event.

Described as the specialty of the house.  A platter of beef tenderloin kebab, ground beef kebab, chicken kebab and pork tenderloin kebab that includes 2 basmati rice, grilled onions and tomatoes.  The basmati rice can be changed to pita bread instead.

Mashed garbanzos served with a little spice on top.  

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/262/07_1027-_Mano_Fight_League_King_Kebab#

http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/265/07_1022-_T-House_Tagaytay

Intro: Soup

The soup was served as shooters. It was a weird way to take in soup but I’m up for anything new. We can order 2 choices of soup each. Although I suggested that Bubba get the Wild Mushroom as a safety starter, we decided to try all four. I had the Tomato and Wild Mushroom, while he had the Carrot and Coriander and Broccoli and Almonds. Tomato soup tasted like smashed tomato without the skin –it needed a little more flavor. Wild mushroom was the best among the four soups. The Carrot and Coriander probably comes in second only because Bubba likes anything that tastes curry –the presence of the Coriander made this possible. The Broccoli wasn’t bad but it tasted like a nutty Broccoli puree.

1^st Stanza: Salad Bubba sang Tuna Citrus Salad while I duet with the T-house Signature salad. We both enjoyed our salads, which saved our palettes from the not so impressive intro.

Chorus: Entrée I immediately ordered the Spiced Chicken on Grilled Vegetables with Pesto dressing and Pesto Pasta, leaving the problem of ordering another worthwhile entrée to Bubba. The Spiced Chicken is the specialty of the house so how wrong can I go? I suggested that Bubba orders the Salmon since the Wasabi Mash that goes with it was intriguing. Unfortunately, it was well-ordered the night before so they were out of it when Bubba ordered. Bubba made me choose between a Rack of Pork Sauced with Caramelized Onions served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes or the Fish dish.

Banana-Nangka Crumble was served on a small ceramic container where Crème Brulee is usually served. Bubba was not much fun of Langka but I loved Langka. Too bad it played a very small part in the dessert. We liked the crumble on top, same texture as the crumble crust atop an Apple Pie. The Banana Nangka was not too sweet.

T-house is a great escape nestled in the hills of Tagaytay or what I better call Yagatyat.

No One

Alicia Keys

I just want you close
Where you can stay forever
You can be sure
That it will only get better
You and me together
Through the days and nights
I don’t worry ‘coz
Everythings gonna be alright
People keep talking
They can say what they like
But all I know is everything’s gonna be alright
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I’m feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
You you
Can get in the way of what I feel for you

When the rain is pouring down
And my heart is hurting
You will always be around
This I know for certain You and me together
Through the days and nights

I don’t worry cause
Everythings gonna be alright
People keep talking
They can say what they like
But all I know is everything’s gonna be alright

No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I’m feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
You you
Can get in the way of what I feel for you

I know some people search the world
To find something like what we have
I know people will try
Try to divide
Something so real
So till the end of time
I’m telling you that

No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I’m feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
oh oh oh …

To You with Love.

http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/259/07_1005-_Banapple

In high school, I used to play a game in the arcade called Banana Apple. It is similar to a slot machine where you have to guess if the monkey is holding a banana or apple. I always end up guessing it right and winning. My visit to Banapple last Saturday was also a winner. Bubba told me that he had to do an errand near Ateneo and asked me to accompany him. 10am, we arrived at the place and since we were double-parked, I had to stay in the car. When he got back, he was holding a bag of three boxes. He ordered a dozen of cupcake from Cuptails and Dreams! It was 4 pieces of each flavor, Mojito, Screaming O and BJ. I could not wait but try the cupcakes, however, we were about to try out a new resto and I have to make room. We had an early lunch at Bananapple. The interior was a simple but nice little bakeshop café with apples and banana pieces as decor. They had a napkin holder of banana and apple (Bubba wonders if this was custom-made for the store) on each table. I ordered Chicken Parmigiana (their bestseller) while Bubba struggled to decide what to order. He was asking whether to order Pasta or the Beef Tapa. I told him that it’s his choice and I shouldn’t be part of his selection. He settled for the Bangus because he said he was craving for one.

On the Table: Chicken Parmigiana, Teriyaki Bangus, Tuna Pie (To go), Mushroom and Cheese Pie (To go), Chocnut Cheesecake

I have to agree that the Chicken Parmigiana is their bestseller. For only PHP 145, the taste of the marinara sauce on a tender and moist chicken is worth it. On the other hand, when Bubb’s Bangus came. We looked at each other and laughed our hearts out. The Bangus was 2 strips of thumb-size Bangus fillet with a drop of teriyaki sauce. For PHP 150, the ready-to-chow Bubba felt he got pick-pocketed. I laughed and retorted, “why would you order Bangus in a bakery-café?” He teasingly told me to order for him next time. This time I cannot argue. I should really advise him what to get (like I always do!) next time –again (haha).

To finish the meal off, we wanted to at least 3 desserts, but restrained ourselves (Read: I restrained him). Finally, we decided together to get the Chocnut Oreo Cheesecake, which was a real hit! You can really taste the chocnut in the Oreo mixed crust. We are absolutely going back for more! Off we went to Trinoma for the Lastikman Convention. It was our first time to set our heels in the Triangle Northern of Manila Mall and we saw that they also had Landmark as part of the complex.

The Lastikman Convention was set in the activity area of Trinoma, which is very similar to the activity center of Glorietta, only bigger. There was a Mars Ravelo corner, a tribute to the talented cartoonist who is the man behind Lastikman and other Pinoy superhero originals. There were still life mannequins of all the antagonists in Lastikman which was classified by the 7 deadly sins. The costumes were really impressive. We went to Abenson to check the price of the camera I’m saving up for. I still am debating whether to get a Sony T100 or T20 but I’m leaning towards a sleek black T20. Sony has an ongoing promo where you get several coupons that entitle you to discounts or freebies. I can get a free 1 Gig Memory Card Pro Duo for free! After hopping from one shop to another, we made a pit stop at the food court, which was very clean and wide. It has a nice ambience because the area didn’t seem cramped. Not more than 2 hours after Banapple and we found ourselves looking at the gleaming food in front of us. We weren’t hungry, still somewhat full. We opted Pao Tsin, after considering Le Ching (hmm… the sparerib rice!), a Mexican or Japanese fare whose names I forget. My Bubba has never tried Pao Tsin and he got curious out of the story I’ve been telling him. Back in DLSU, a friend from CSB introduced me to Pao Tsin when he bought me a meal. Since I’m from Main, I had asked that friend to buy me food from Pao Tsin every time I’m craving for their dumplings and sauce! Forward to Trinoma, I saw in the Menu that they also have Laksa. I’ve been wanting to try Singapore Laksa in Secret Recipe or Banana Leaf, but every time I opt to go for something else because I don’t want to pay PHP 220 and get disappointed. Much to my delight, the Laksa at Pao Tsin, was only PHP 50 for the basic laksa with dumplings! What a steal!

The Laksa had a strong taste of the coconut milk (gata) and a hint of shrimp. The noodles were hard to bite into but the dumplings made up for it. For PHP50, I couldn’t complain.

On the table: Porkchop with Rice meal, Shark Fin Dumplings, Laksa, 2 C2 Lemon (Let me reiterate that we weren’t hungry. Can you spell takaw? Lol. Sometimes we eat food for 3-4 people. If we join a couple-eating contest, we’d win hands down!)

Sunday at SOMS

After the 6pm Sunday Mass with Bubba’s Mom and Dad, we headed to the Rockwell area to have dinner at SOMS. SOMS has always been an old-time favorite hole-in-the-wall resto of Bubba and me. And Bubba had thought of bringing his rentals (decoder: parents) to SOMS since his dad likes curry a lot.

On the table: Tom Yung Soup, Green Mango Catfish Salad, Spring Rolls, Chicken Pandan, Red Curry Chicken, Sticky Rice with Mango, 2 Milk Tea, 2 Mineral Water.

Overall, it was a weekend of non-stop eating that didn’t pinch the wallet.

A lonely artistic candleholder by the window greeted us as we enter the resto-house named Vieux Chalet. One area had an unfinished window. We’re dining tonight in a rustic atmosphere atop of Metro Manila, a place where a pool of lights is swimming in front of your eyes. Antipolo.

It was an evening of charming celebration since it was the 18^th, a significant number to Bubba and I. Bubba was the one who set this dinner date. I’ve always wanted to try this restaurant since I read I good review about it. We ordered 5 items on the menu. We didn’t travel all the way to Antipolo to only try a couple. On the table were:

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/264/07_1018-_Swiss_dinner_at_Vieux_Chalet

Raclette 185

Rico, who was our table attendant that night, discouraged us in ordering the Raclette since the smell might turn us off. Little did he know, we are fans of any cheese –even the stinky stinky I’m going to barf with that smell -kind. On the white plate was melted Swiss cheese garnished with 2 olives, half-boiled potato, and a few pickles. The potato was sweet. The cheese was seasoned with paprika. We loved the sharp flavor of the cheese, which was enhanced by the odor. Smell really affects flavor. The pickle was juicy and sour as expected and a good contrast to the salt of the cheese. The olive, not falling behind, served its purpose in harmonizing the two flavors.

Rosti

Simply put, Rosti is potato hash that’s fried. It had the right taste of saltiness. You get a bit of a crunch when you bite it then softness as your teeth sink in the soft texture of potatoes.

Lamb Shoulder 725

I hesitated ordering this since I found it expensive compared to the lamb shoulder in Kai (and I’m sure Kai pays more taxes and rental rate than Vieux Chalet) You can have the Lamb shoulder in three different ways: with red wine sauce / café de paris/ curry sauce. As expected, only a few pieces of meat were on the plate along side 2 slices of tomato. The first bite tasted fishy. The meat was pretty inconsistent. Some chunks were too tender, like it was overcooked/over-boiled, while others where tough to chew. Overall, the dish was way SALTY! – I can’t taste the red wine in the sauce at all– and the saltiness overpowers the entire meal.

Pasta Padilla 575

The recipe is the same as Pasta Alfredo but key difference is the mushroom in Padilla. Nothing extraordinary except that the serving is good for the buck you’re paying for. Mushroom flavor is strong which carried the overall taste of the pasta. Before they bring out the last part of the whole meal, which is the sweet portion. Let me tell you about the service at Vieux Chalet. Rico has to be the most accommodating and polite wait staff I’ve ever met – he doesn’t tire saying welcome every time I say thank you. He knows the dishes by heart and can very well explain what they are. While waiting, we were asked to sign the guestbook and Bubba read some pages and the common denominator of the comments are their acknowledgment of Rico’s high quality of service.

Chocolate Parfait

The winner of the night hands down!!! It was a rich chocolate dessert that had a mousse consistency – Belgian chocolate yum! Parfait au chocolait! It was served in an Ice Cream glass with apple slices as garnish. I didn’t see any use for it but the plate was dusted with Cinnamon and chocolate powder for added design.

Reviews are really relative… first and foremost to the taste and personality of the person writing it. It is also relative to timing and service.

Gawd, have to end this abruptly. Cheers to more fun eating!