Eric Lopez Archives - Between Bites - Bites of Food, Travel and Lifestyle

Gino’s Eats and Beats: Get into the Eating Groove

July 16, 2010 by Janey

Guess where I was again last Tuesday night?

I guess this entry’s title kinda give it away huh? 😉 Patrick and Eric invited me out to celebrate Mr. Engineer’s birthday (referring to the latter because Pat still hasn’t found the need to take the board exams). The initial plan was to have dinner and drinks somewhere in Eastwood (which is nearer to my area) but plans suddenly changed because Eric and Jaja were coming from the South. Eric asked if we could meet at the Fort and wanted my suggestion on where to eat. I wasn’t answering his numerous calls. I was about to throw a bigger tantrum (these two mongrels had to make up for something else too) since I wasn’t in the mood to drive all the way to the Fort.

However, writing Gino’s Eats and Beats entry yesterday got me craving for their dishes. And I suddenly didn’t mind driving to Makati. Not even the ghastly strong winds could stop me.

As Fate would have it, it was a fairly easy drive to Makati –with moderate moving traffic, it took us only 20 minutes to get to Gino’s. When we opened the door, Gino recognized Bubba and waved “welcome” with a smile. I was a bit surprised to see him there on a Tuesday night but it’s noticeable that passion fuels the fellow. Soon after, Patrick arrived. Not long after, Eric and Jaja arrived. As usual, I took care of ordering the dishes… and I kept one eye closed not minding the prices. Pat said that Eric was footing the tab… and this was part of my “punishment.” 😉

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On the Table

Mushroom and Artichoke Spread PHP 160

Buttered slices of bread toasted and cut into soft bread logs creatively stacked Jenga-style. Sliced artichoke hearts and mushroom in a creamy cheese mixture –smooth with a bit of body in the texture. Certainly one of the appetizers you’d want the group to start with.

Truffle Mushroom Pasta PHP 245

Eric, Jaja and I kept grabbing this plate almost like we were doing a hand dance routine. Al dente pasta cooked soft but with a bite is fragrantly tempting the senses due to the aromatic truffle cream base teamed up with sizeable button mushroom (and bits of cheese and onion and bacon?). Feel luxury brimming in your taste buds in a simple pasta dish.

Grilled Angus Belly PHP 305

Three palm-sized Angus belly square chops grilled to the right doneness that doesn’t make the meat dry. Get an ample amount of grilled fat together with the tasty beefy meat. I didn’t even touch the sauce that accompanied it. I fervently wish there were more.

Angus Belly Salpicao PHP 270

I asked the wait staff the difference between the Greatest Salpicao (what we had last time) and the Angus Belly Salpicao. Greatest Salpicao’s cut comes from the tenderloin part, which means it’s leaner while the Angus Belly Salpicao is from the belly which has fatter parts. Fatty parts bring music to my ears so I decided to try that one this time. Life is too short to worry about grease. The Angus belly bits are soaked in this brown garlicky sauce and Bubba and Pat just had to each get a cup of white rice to soak that flavor in.

Shrimp Poppers (Free)

Gino was kind enough to send over a plate of shrimp poppers. Semi-crispy and crumbly exterior with delectable shrimp inside served with what I think is light mayo with blue cheese. Wipe-out in a flash.

Wings Platter (9 pieces) PHP 405

I ordered 5 pieces of Buffalo and 4 pieces of Honey Mustard for variety.

Greatest French Toast PHP 150

One warning: do not leave Gino’s without having dessert… or rather without having his Greatest French Toast. It’s basically French Toast lavishly spread with addicting Nutella for sheer pleasure. It’s topped with slices of banana and whipped cream with cherry on top. I’m not big on desserts but this one keeps me all happily frenzied with not being overly sweet which also reveals varied layers of flavor from the banana, whipped cream and nutella.

Oh, and you can cross order cocktail drinks from Distillery. I had an apple martini and it was interestingly perfect with the French toast. The boys had 8 bottles of beer between themselves.

At half past 10pm, our usual chatter goes nonstop but the place transformed into a cozier lodge. The lights dimmed while the brilliant music continued. I looked at Eric and he seemed to be enjoying a fab post-birthday dinner –casual and laidback as it is. It’s not like this every day in Tacloban I guess –that’s where he is based for work now. He returns home to Manila at least twice a month. I think what he appreciates most is the company of friends. He has made new friends there but nothing beats home or the comfort of old friends.

Because I cannot let the evening pass without Eric making his celebratory “blowing the birthday candle” moment, I ordered another plate of the Greatest French Toast and Bubba had the wait staff prop a lighted candle there. Maybe it’s also my excuse to have one wrapped to go because I knew Eric and Jaja enjoyed the dessert so much. Right on cue, Jaja and I (with Pat and Bubba chiming in) started singing the Happy Birthday song (albeit too loudly I think) and after a string of blowing (Bubba claims the air kept coming from Eric’s nose) and relighting the “question mark” candle, Eric finally made his 2010 birthday wish.

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Light’s out

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Again, again, again

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Make a wish!

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It’s my turn! 😉

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HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY ENGR.IC! 🙂

BIG HUG!

Engr. Eric and Janey

Eric’s Bday 2008

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Celebrating Passing the Board

Moomba | Embassy 2005

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The Flash and Me After Embassy

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Have you tried Gino’s? Slouch back on your seat and feel the beats featuring the best of House and Hip Hop music and get into the eating groove with the best comfort food in Makati. Visibly and tastefully a one-stop shop for all your favorite comfort dishes.

Gino’s Eats and Beats

Unit A, Ground Level, Valdelcon Bldg.,

20 Jupiter St. Bel-Air Village,

Makati City, Philippines

(632) 519 1272 / (63) 917 885 6969

Eric Lopez Bday at Gino’s Album

EL’s Birthday at Bugsy’s 2009

Friday Night with the Engineers

Eric’s Lopez Birthday at Oyster Boy 2008

In Crumbs: July 2009

Misato

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Misato

July 15, 2009 by Janey

It was a rainy evening last Friday and we set out for Metrowalk because Madz invited to hang. It was supposed to be a poker night at Metro Card Club with Jody but at the last minute, he begged off. I wasn’t also up for it that much anyway. The schedule was at 9pm but traffic looked pretty bad that evening with the rain and all, that Bubba and I decided to have dinner at Metrowalk as well.

Misato was the pick of the night. It’s a Japanese restaurant parallel to Starbucks’ location at Metrowalk, which means that both are at the tip of the U-shaped area. Service was fast and pretty adequate, even the manager takes our orders.

On the Table

Freebie

Gy-Saikoro Steak PHP 365

I deliberated whether to get Beef Sukiyaki PHP 480 since the hot semi-sweet broth will temper the cold weather but decided on getting the Gy-Saikoro Steak, which is basically their version of Beef Teppanyaki. Notice that beef teppanyaki is not included in their menu but when I asked for it, the wait staff pointed to the “Entrée” section and directed my attention to Gy-Saikoro Steak.

The beef was tender to the bite but Bubba wasn’t too impressed. It was served on a sizzling plate with sautéed bean sprouts on the side. The mild sweet salty brown sauce gummed to the beef and vegetables were tasty.

Baked Salmon PHP 305

Of note is the salmon served inside a foil. It was very fresh and serving was generous. It had a mound of cheese on top of it and some onions making the baked salmon dish anything but boring.

Japanese Samurai Gohan Rice PHP 88

Japanese Gohan Rice PHP 55

We were in the middle of our dinner when we saw Eric Tang outside the window. He went to our table and asked if I was going to play at Metro. Bubba shook his head before I could so I just said, “I might” with a smile. It all depends if there is waiting time before my friends arrive. Eric and I have been chatting about Metro Card Club, rules and the crowd, the day before. Eric asked me a few more questions about Metro “rules” since it was going to be their group’s first time there.

We also saw Jayvee and Kring walk inside the restaurant and we said our hellos. It was a slow dinner as Bubba and I took our time knowing that with the heavy traffic, Madz, Pat and Eric will naturally be late. We both talked about our recent projects –but mostly I did the yapping about this project that my team and I are going to present the following week. He had some inputs and talking about work without the pressure and stress was really a breathe of fresh air.

Madz followed soon and feasted also on the baked salmon and rice. She liked the salmon as well. Not long, Patrick arrived and we all decided to transfer for drinks and meet Eric Lopez at the next venue.

Misato

G/F Metrowalk, Meralco Avenue

Ugong, Pasig City

(632) 638 7951

Misato Album

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EL’s Birthday at Bugsy’s

June 25, 2009 by Janey

Pat obediently following my instructions to reserve a table for 6, indoors and couch area secured us a table at Bugsy’s Tuesday night. My friend Eric is experiencing Murphy’s Law since the start of the month and the biggest blow was about his work –news that broke only last week. On top of that, he lost a mobile phone, nicked his Mazda and is currently nursing a forlorn heart.

EL celebrates his birthday every 23^rd of June. What a way to welcome a birthday right?

But like what they say, it’s hard to put a good man down.

EL still celebrated his birthday in tasteful fashion with friends over drinks and good food.

Bubba and I were first to arrive but we were an hour early so we were off to Big Bert’s for a carwash. We came back to Bugsy’s and found Pat on our reserved table. Of course, as Eric’s spokesperson, he briefed us with Eric’s mishap in the recent week.

On the Table

Buffalo Tenders (2) PHP 175

Imagine your favorite Buffalo wings with all the tangy spicy goodness without the bones! No more working out tediously to get the meat out. In every piece there’s a flake of crispy skin that makes it all the more addicting. I can eat this all day. Pat is not found of spicy dishes but he loved this obvious when he wiped out one plate.

The Family PHP 265

I ordered Warren’s Dip and Chips but it wasn’t available so I tried their appetizer sampler, The Family. The Family was composed of potato wedges, mozzarella sticks (that I didn’t get to try. *shooting a mean look to Bubba*) and buffalo tenders.

French Fries PHP 150 (?)

Deep Fried Burger Melt PHP 165

Burger meat, cheese in deep fried spring roll

Uncle Moe’s Beef Kebab Plate (2) PHP 130

I had to have my rice and I was craving for beef kebab. Bugsy’s was nice enough to let us bring in the food from their neighbor and serve it on a plate. You help your neighbor and you increase both your foot traffic –always good for business.

Margarita PHP 130

I love my margarita. I find it funny that they served it on a Martini glass.

Arctic Vodka (2)

Bottles and Bottles of Beer PHP 50

There is so much to love about Bugsy’s. The wait staff is really gracious, speedy and efficient. You wouldn’t mind hanging out with them on a Friday night. The food is nothing but delish particularly the mouth-watering appetizers! Price on the drink list is reasonable. There are no frills –just straightforward scrumptious dishes, reasonable price and quality service that always please. It seems to be the homiest hangout spot to enjoy beer drinking with friends, colleagues or sport groups.

Fred and Madz followed afterwards. It’s been more than 5 years since I last seen Fred. He still looks pretty much the same except that in this dinner he brought with him MUSCLES. Every time we look at him, he flexes them muscles. When he asks for beer from the wait staff, he flexes them muscles. When he laughs, them muscles flex.

"Pat, I know you enjoy our company... but what's with the BIG smile?"

Of course, Pat (as Eric’s VOLUNTARY spokesperson) had to share AGAIN with the latecomers Eric’s misfortunes. After much sympathy to EL, we know that our presence there is not to sulk with him but to remind him the comfort of having friends around at times like this. We remind him that as long as there is tomorrow, there is always another day of possibilities.

So we exchanged stories one after the other. Eric and Pat reminisced about the time there was a swimming get-together at Fay’s house. My girlfriends (Gina, King and Fay) and Fay’s other girl group were there while I was MIA since my parents didn’t allow me to stay out late during college days. Then-chubby Fred didn’t bring any swimming attire. He had to wear Fay’s badminton shorts that were sheer. We all doubled over laughing. They both demonstrated how Fred swam that evening like he was playing shark. Most of the time, he was sitting in one corner playing with Fay’s nephew trying to be unmindful of the beautiful girls that surround him. It was so hilarious. Fred evens the score when he tells us about the time Eric was so wasted and the Eng boys bathe him. He was so smashed that he didn’t know they were playing with his “cockpit where he keeps his gun”.

At this point, Fred was still flexing his muscles as he tells the story. The other tables were also getting as distracted as we were.

Bubba saw some Xavier friends while Chai walked up to me and surprised me.

We ordered another round of Buffalo Tenders. It was everybody’s first time there except for Bubba and I. They really liked the food and that makes me cheery. The humor and energy were nothing short of an upbeat tempo. The drinks continue to flow. We literally laughed our hearts out –it’s been quite a while since my abdomen had this heavy workout.

Little miss bo beep with the Engineering boys

Oh, Fred looks so much like Jake Cuenca when he laughs. With bigger muscles. Madz had to take another shot of Arctic Vodka to reluctantly agree. At this instant, Eric reminds me that it’s his birthday not Fred’s.

Effortlessly, the dynamics in the group bring so much energy to the table conversation.

Bubba and I excused us to go to Barcino and get Eric a cake. Good thing that Bugsy’s had a birthday candle on hand when we asked for one. To Eric’s embarrassment, we sang the Happy Birthday song.

It was a workweek and we had to call it a night. Pat was still raring to continue elsewhere. Eric and Fred were on board but Madz, Bubba and I had to beg off. Pat was convincing Madz to go when Eric unintentionally knocked the bottle that drenched Pat’s pants. I think Pat’s pants absorbed all spill because the red couch he was sitting on was spotless. That was our queue to get the bill. We were supposed to treat Eric and split the bill but Pat was insistent on letting Eric pay –how ironically funny.

On the way out, I snatched Fred’s jacket as soon as he stood up. He stares at the chair for a few seconds and then looks under the table. He looks at me and said, “Did you see my jacket?” He looks bewildered and shy, “I think I lost my jacket…” with his voice trailing off. I rapidly hand off the jacket to Madz from my back. I asked him, “did you bring a jacket?” He responds, “Yea, remember you were teasing me that I took it off to show off my muscles when I got in?” “Really,” I respond biting my lip to keep from laughing. He had this super worried look on his face that Bubba, Eric, Madz and I tried the darndest to stifle our laughter. Madz and Pat went out ahead while we wait for Fred to look for his jacket. He couldn’t resist and timidly asked the waiter if they saw a jacket. That’s the time I had to tell him and point outside to Madz.

We had such a commanding happy night that it took us another hour to say goodbye. It was already midnight.

Spotted: Zanjoe Marudo, Epi Quizon, Drew Arellano, Jake Cuenca (oh, that was Fred, my mistake)

Bugsy’s

Unit C-105 City Golf Plaza

Julia Vargas Avenue, Pasig City, MM

(632) 489-4985

Bugsy’s Album

EL’s Birthday Album

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Bugsy’s

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Friday Night with the Engineers

May 12, 2009 by Janey

Eric and Pat are two of my longtime friends. These two are a tandem in college and I’m glad to see that their bond is still as strong as it was back in the day.

I know the love life of these two from college days to post-college days. Let’s just say that I’ve never seen these two loveless. There’s always AT LEAST one woman in their lives. At a certain point, there was even a girl in between these two! (Ahem, what do the letters F, A, and Y mean to you guys?)

Trying to call Fay (currently at Irvine, California)

Friday night, we had dinner at Jay-J’s at Ortigas Home Depot. Since we haven’t seen each other in almost a year, we were the loudest table inside the restaurant laughing and bantering. Patrick tries San Miguel Double Chilled for the first time. We were supposed to hang at Bugsy’s at the City Golf Plaza but all 4 tables were RESERVED and while I like their food and wanted my friends to try it, I didn’t want to sit outside so we settled for Jay-J’s.

Maddy joined us in the dinner and I was happy to spend time with her because I haven’t seen her in two weeks! So it was a party of four, Madz, Pat, Bubba and me.

Mr. Lopez was L-A-T-E and I didn’t let him hear the end of it! Just a minute after arriving (he hasn’t even sat down), he excuses himself to answer a phone call. He went to his car where it was quieter. We transferred to another table (located at a discreet corner) while he was outside. The wait staff as if on queue cleared the table we vacated. 2 minutes after, Eric goes to the table bewildered that it’s empty. If it weren’t for Pat’s shaking shoulders, we would have drifted to oblivion and Eric would think that we had left him. Busted.

30 minutes into the drinking spree and Eric excuses himself again to answer another phone call. We put hot sauce on the rim of his beer.

I’ve never had a more serious drinking sesh discussing religion, faith, weddings, and careers. We grilled Pat about not going after his board license. After much discussion, I realized that the dreamer Pat I knew in college has his feet deep in the mud of everyday reality. His perspective is quite different now and although we have differing opinions, I like the tenacity he now has in pursuing his dream of starting a family life soon.

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Eric Lopez Bday

July 1, 2008 by Janey

What a hectic weekend it was starting with a full packed Saturday schedule. Morning was greeted with a Sky Cable Fun Club event at Science and Discovery Center in Mall of Asia. Kring spearheaded the event and kudos to her that all aspects of the event are covered.

07:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Fun Club Event @ Science and Discovery Center

12:30 PM – 02:30 PM: Breyvon 1^st Birthday @ Valle Verde

03:00 PM – 03:30 PM: Office

04:00 PM – 07:30 PM: C-Hunting @ QC0

8:30 PM – 09:45 PM: Eric Lopez Birthday @ Oyster Boy

10:10 PM – 12:00 MN: URCC Bar Tour @ Warehouse 135

The highlight of my day though probably has to be either Brey’s party or Eric’s Birthday. I cannot believe it has already been a year since Brey first cried hello to the world. It was such a wonderful sight to see the tandem of Gelo and Issa at the party. Gelo carrying his kid and attending to the guests while Issa was being attentive to the other details of the party. Issa’s friends were there to help out specifically Kye who facilitated a few games for the kids. The bubble show was fantastic! I wanted to line up and be engulfed by a big human size bubble.

I arrived at Oyster Boy in Metrowalk at exactly 830pm. 5 minutes later, Patrick and Edah arrived. Rely on Patrick to be on time. But not Eric, the birthday boy! Patrick called Eric and asked where he was. Eric said he was on his way. I took the phone and talked to him. He admitted he was still at home.

PJ arrives at 9pm knowing that Eric is going to be late by 30 minutes. PJ jarringly looks like Lance Bass of N Sync and throughout college, I always associated him with Lance. PJ now works for P&G and I couldn’t stop grilling him about his company while waiting for the food.

Spoiling me I guess, Eric said I could start ordering, risking the fact that I might order too much. So the four of us started ordering our dishes. PJ still full from dinner at home ordered his first beer. I didn’t want to eat and run but we really had to be at the URCC XII pre-event by 10pm because CW was going to ref a match. Thank God that at 920pm, Eric finally arrives.

I was so happy to spend time with them. I feel like an adopted child of their Engineering block because they always tag me along to their gatherings. I was so excited to see May, Tin, Mike, Arkay again but we really had to go by 945pm. I think they arrived a little past 10pm and suddenly it was me who was missing all the action. Even if it was brief, I was glad that I was at Eric’s birthday dinner. I miss college.