Ciao, Amici.

I first heard Amici from an office mate. This used to be the Amici in Don Bosco Makati. But I only discover this Italian restaurant when they open their branch in SM Megamall. The first time I order pizza, I instantly became a fan.

Nothing compares to a wood fire-oven cooked pizza. The pan is delicious, compared to the machine heated types.

The vegetarian pizza is really, really good. And their wide arrays of gelato are just to die for. The restaurant is self-service, which means you provide for your own ice, glasses, and what nots when you eat. But these are widely available at the sides so it doesn’t matter. Especially if the food is something to be pre-occupied with.

Merlion visits the Philippines.

My super friend, Meg, is in the country for a weeklong break from work in Singapore. It was a Thursday, and the activities for that night has been set since a month ago. We will have a full body massage at The Spa, a thing which she said is muchly deserve. I made the online reservation three days before Thursday at their Greenbelt branch.

I finally saw her Thursday afternoon, with Bimboy. I last saw her May of this year when I visited her on her birthday in Singapore. After the one hour full body massage, we waited for some of our friends to join us at a Spanish-inspired dinner at Casa Armas in Greenbelt 3.

It was a dinner of paella valenciana, gambas and Spanish chorizo, and a lot of fun, fun, stories that laster two hours. And because Meg has not been in the Philippines for a year, she just missed Miggy.

Miggy is San Mig Light. Off we go to a nearby watering hole to see Miggy. A bucket of Miggy!

And some pork ears to accompany us. The last hurrah of Oktoberfest!

Welcome home, Meg.

La Mesa sa Greenbelt 5

Last night, one of our friends who is based in the province is in Manila. Being the dutiful friends that we are, we agreed to meet and catch up with each other. I was assigned to look for a place to eat and lounge around in a good Thursday night.

I decided to settle in Greenbelt 5 area, the new mall within Ayala Center. There are so many strips of good restaurant within the area. But we decided to eat at MESA Filipino Moderne. They offer Pinoy delicacies, which I find good to eat in a lazy night with good friends.

I love their steamed okra with good shrimp paste sauce as partner. I also like their 2 versions of laing, one dried and one with coconut milk. Heaven.

I just have one complaint, though. The service is a little poor. Well, maybe because they have many customers during the time we were there. To think, it was a Thursday.

I will definitely return to try their crispchon. I heard it’s good.

Whop-pak!

There’s a new talk of the town. It’s the Angry Whopper of Burger King. Top with spicy onions, jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, and spicy angry sauce. Whew, not for the faint of heart. Uusok ka talaga.

La Paz Batchoy on my mind

I have been craving La Paz batchoy for some time. And because I cannot just go to Iloilo to savor the authentic one, I have to brave traffic and public bus just to be in SM Mall of Asia. There is a Ted’s La Paz Batchoy outlet there, near the SM Hypermarket just across Mc Donald’s.

I went there one lazy Sunday noon. I ordered extra super, with puto and a diet soda. The smell of a newly served batchoy brings back memories of Iloilo, where I spent most of my college days. The chicharon toppings are crunchy, liver and innards are yummy, the way the ingredients are supposed to be. And the broth, oh please, I want extra bowl of it. After a full serving, I was so full I have to rest for a while before I leave the establishment.

I will be back there when the craving sets in again. I hope it will be sooner, rather than, later.

Late lunch.

Sundays are my pampered days. After working from Monday to Saturday, this first day of the week is reserved for chilling out, relaxation, and eating.

Today, I went to Powerplant Mall which I haven’t gone to in a while. There are a lot of eating places in this upscale mall, but nothing beats Milky Way for that Pinoy dishes perfect for my taste bud. Their kare-kare is my favorite, same with their halo halo.

But when I got there, I tried eating bistek Tagalog and laing. Top it with buko salad for dessert, and the November 2008 issue of Rogue Magazine to read while eating my late lunch.

Eating need not be just a requirement to get us going. It is an experince all its own.

Sumo ni Marvin.

When everyone flocks to the cemetery to remember their loved ones, I flock to the mall to eat. You see, it is during the holidays when I love going to the mall because it’s not crowded. You can run from end to end without bumping somebody.

I drag my sister to Powerplant to eat in Sumo Sam, a Japanese restaurant. It’s not as good as Red Kimono or Kuritake, but could pass for my hungry palate. I just don’t like the music they’re playing. Normally, Japanese resto don’t play techno. Or are they just being post-modernist?

Guilty pleasures

It’s sweet. Perfect for a hot Sunday with a creme brulee.

The common denominator

These are the reasons why we love going out; why we remain friends for a long time; why we smile amidst problems and adversity. Food.

Hard to resist kare kare

And more…

Pinaka pakbet

And more…

Sinful

I hope these pictures did not create Pavlovian conditioning on you. Hail to the next gimmick.