Sumo Goodness at Sumo Sam!

Mom have been raving about this restaurant ever since she ate here with a friend she treated to before she left for the US. She said it was really good, a bit pricey, but good! For us, as long as the food's really good, spending a few extra bucks is worth it! Plus Mom and I are huge fans of Japanese food, especially Mom who is ADDICTED to Miso soup!

Sumo Sam is also one of Marvin Agustin's (actor turned restaurateur) babies. In Greenbelt, BFF Trency and I have tried eating at Marciano's.

So last Sunday, after hearing Mass and before watching No Other Woman, we decided to eat at Sumo Sam's newly opened store at Greenbelt 3. It was small but cozy, and the interiors were so bright. They had drawings of sumo wrestlers on the walls, and it reminded me of the anime drawings over at the Ramen Bar!

So here's what we ordered. Of course Mom had her favorite Miso Soup which they served piping hot!

She also had Beef Teppanyaki Don. She said she liked because the beef was tender.

On the other hand, I had my favorite Katsudon. It was really good, and it made me miss other favorite Katsudon over at World Topps in Valero Street, Salcedo Village.

I loved how Sumo Sam have HUGE and generous servings! If you're hungry, this is the perfect place to load up! Check out their menu for other dishes. They've got lots of other stuff to choose from.


Sumo Sam
3rd Floor, Greenbelt 3
Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. No. 903-0847

Best in Late Ever: Wee Nam Kee x Citibank

I am back to blogging! Our IT decided it was pointless to block a blog site, thank God for that! So anyway, I'm back in the blogosphere and I spent like 3-4 days reading backlogs of my favorite bloggers (the ones who use Blogspot). I missed you all! :)

So since, I was derailed from my blogging groove, I am going to be best in late! Like this one, I remember Mom sending me an email about Citibank's promo last September. Wee Nam Kee is opening another branch at Serendra at the Bonifacio Global City. Since I've been trying to convince Mom to eat there with me, she instantly emailed me this and told me to get a reservation at once!

Ain't it cool! When you're a Citibank cardholder you instantly get 50% off on any of Wee Nam Kee's dishes! And since we Filipinos love promos, getting a reservation was a bitch! I mean you wanna have lunch or dinner, but then you get a reservation at weird hours like 3.30PM or 5.50PM! But since we really wanted to avail of the promo we decided to just get on with the show even if it meant for us to eat lunch at 3.30PM on a Sunday! :)

So here's what was on our table. If I remember correctly this was either beef or pork with tofu. It was really good, not too salty! And they served us generous portions of both tofu and beef/pork.

Mom got intrigued by this dish when she saw it on the menu: Honey Crispy Squid. First bite, and it was crispy, like you were eating the skin of a lechon...only healthier! We had fun picking on this! Hearing the crunching sound as you chew on the squid made it exciting to eat! Totally recommended! :)

And of course, the star of Wee Nam Kee: THE Steamed Hainanese Chicken. Damn it was good! And all I could do was sit there and say to myself, how in the Lord's name did I wait THIS LONG to try this out! But as they say, better late than never, right?!

The meals would not be fully enjoyed without rice and we ordered the Wee Nam Kee Fried Rice, it's your usual Yang Chow...Wee Nam Kee style! :)

Thank you so much to Citibank, have you not emailed my Mother about the 50% off I would still be walking along the Ayala Triangle Gardens, wondering why there's always a huge crowd outside Wee Nam Kee waiting to be seated!

And Wee Nam Kee, you did not disappoint. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity and even going beyond my expectations. The food was hands-down good! Can't wait to try other dishes! :)

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice
Serendra, McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Tel. No. 822-7095

Yummy Roast @ Eastwood's Food Junction

Being cheap doesn't mean you get something mediocre. There are times when cheap thrills can be one of the best you've ever had. And that's what happened last Sunday when we had our family day at Eastwood Mall.

After hearing Mass at the Richmond Hotel's lobby, we got so hungry we decided to have early dinner. But first I decided to bring my baby boy Yankee to the groomers (Dogs and the City) before it was too late. Then we passed by YUMMY ROAST at Eastwood City Walk's FOOD JUNCTION. You won't miss it because of their brightly colored interiors plus it takes up a huge space. It also helps that they had their huge menu outside of their door, and we saw their Yummy Pork Asado with Rice. Surprisingly it was only Php98 with unlimited rice and regular coke. Good deal!

Mom and I ordered the Yummy Pork Asado because it looked so good at their photo. How I wish they presented the actual order the same way as the photo on their menu. But it was really, really good. The pork was tender and they gave us generous amounts of the meat, too. The girl at the counter suggested I order their YUMMY RICE (with an additional amount of Php20) with it, and it was YUMMY! Our helper got inggit because I didn't order that for her. But really, try their yummy rice! :)


On the other hand, our helper ordered their Yummy Chicken with Rice. She got disappointed with it because she wanted the pecho part I think and they gave her something different. But I think it was good enough for her because not only did she inhale it but she also asked for 3 more cups of rice hahaha!

They also have other rice meals on their menu which are also very cheap! I do hope it's good. So you see you can have a good meal that can totally satisfy you that's below a hundred bucks!

Now I have yet to try the other stalls at the Food Junction! :)

Buffalo's Wings and Things

BUFFALO WINGS!! BUFFALO WINGS!! BUFFALO WINGS!! BUFFALO WINGS!! They're just so damn good especially if it has that spicy kick to it. If it's lava red, then you know you're in for one HOT dish!

And so for lunch last Friday, Lainey and I ate at Buffalo's Wings & Things at the Solaris One along dela Costa Street in Legaspi Village. Elaine has been raving about this, so it got me intrigued. And after having a buffalo wing meal early Friday morning after the Incubus concert, it was perfect to compare this wingding meal with what I had.

Buffalo's Wings & Things is just a really small place. I mean this picture captured the entire restaurant already. So if you want to eat your lunch here it's best to come really EARLY! Plus that day Elaine and I ate there, it was payday Friday, so getting seats were kind of a problem for those who came late. But since it was connected with another restaurant, Chubby's, diners could have the option to stay at Buffalo's or at Chubby's. I guess, same owner lang.


Elaine and I both ordered the FAN MEAL A. For Php199 your get 1/2 pound buffalo wings, NY Dirty Rice, and Iced Tea. It's a bit more expensive compared to Wing Kings, but you get more buffalo wings here than in Wing Kings. But at least both were really, really good. I got the NY's Finest Buffalo Wings which was a medium on the hotness scale. Well since I asked for medium, I was really expecting a bit of spice. But it didn't so I had to get hot sauce to make the wings spicier. And also, I got a couple of pieces from Elaine's Firehouse Classic (a 3 on the buffalo wing sauces) and it was really spicy. That was what I was looking for! Again it gave my sinuses a workout!

Oh and when eating spicy food, it sucks when your food goes down the wrong pipe. I choked on a piece, and started hacking like crazy. It was actually dyahe cos people started staring! So lesson learned, when eating really spicy food chew your food well and swallow slowly! Hahaha!

Here's a little bit of concern I had with this small restaurant, I talked to Elaine about this during the meal. It seemed like they had this sort of identity crisis. Refer to their menu below, they say they serve American food, yeah sure the buffalo wings. But then you get to the THINGS part of their menu, there's MEXICAN. The NY Dirty Rice tasted like salsa dip. So really, what are you guys? Identity crisis much? Not like it's affecting the entire resto, we're just saying! :)

And this poster pretty much sums up your eating experience at Buffalo Wings and Things: EATING WITH YOUR HANDS IS SOOOOO MUCH BETTER! I mean come on, you're eating buffalo wings! Wash your hands then eat with them! PERFECT!

For Elaine's account on our lunch out click on her website: Buffalo's Wings and Things lunch out

Buffalo's Wings & Things
Solaris One Bldg. Dela Rosa St., Legaspi Village
Makati City

P.S. I left my iPad in the restaurant that day. Thankfully, they kept it! Just wanted to thank our server Ate Yeth for keeping it in good hands while I was blissfully unaware of my stupid stunt, and also the management. Thanks guys! You literally saved my ASS!! :D

If Not Now, When World Tour 2011 + Buffalo Wings at Wing Kings

As media partners of Ovation Production, our channels here at Solar Entertainment aired non-stop the plugs for the Incubus concert. The big day was on July 28, 2011. We already perished the thought of getting tickets to this one-night only show, so we just stuck to listening to Incubus songs on our iTunes/iPods to temper our lusting over free tickets.

But around 2.30PM on the day of the concert itself, God answered our prayers and the best instant message I have ever received came through. WE HAD TICKETS!! YEAH MEN!!!!! But just like an insider's scoop, I can't name our source! :D What's fun is that we would have been happy with Upper Box A or B tickets, but since we're a lucky bunch, we got LOWER BOX tickets! HOOOZZZAAAHHHH!

Since it was Thursday, I first had to attend my class over at La Salle because I had a report that night. But right after my report, I asked my dear professor to let me go because we had an "EVENT". Luckily, he said yes so I ran to the LRT as fast as my two feet could carry me. Just a side note: Haven't ridden the LRT-MRT in a long time, it reminded me of our college days when we'd troop down to the Araneta Coliseum, that same way, to watch La Salle games! FUN! :)

I got to Araneta in the nick of time, the front act FRANCO, just finished playing their set and everyone was just waiting for Incubus to come out. Good thing I had enough time to breathe! Was seated with Lainey and her boyfriend Anton.

Photos from MAGIC LIWANAG. Taken from Saab Magalona's blog: SPELL SAAB


Here are photos from my Blackberry. They suck yes! But I just wanna use them just because I took them hahahaha proof that I was there talaga! :p




We were absolutely POOPED after that concert! But it was great to hear them sing their songs LIVE like I Miss You, Promises, Promises, Wish You Were Here, Drive, Pardon Me, and so many others. They're a great band! And I really wish they come back SOON! Thank you to our source whom I cannot name, without you, we wouldn't have been there! THANK YOU!!

Oh and our friends, David and Marvin got their production passes signed. But for David, he wasn't contented with having his pass signed, he even had his FOREARM SIGNED! Weird mo talaga David! But hey, I turned green with envy! Hahahaha


And even though we were tired, Josh, Leah, and I still managed to haul ourselves to The Fort Stopover to have a post-Incubus dinner at Wing Kings. Had this killer, super good, spicy buffalo wings meal for only Php95 and it came pa with a iced tea. Really good midnight snack! I have to say this was super good because I already have a strong tolerance for spicy stuff, but still this meal got my sinuses worked up! GOOD JOB WING KINGS!!


Wing Kings
The Fort Stopover
32nd St. cor. Rizal Drive, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Mobile No. 0917-5594649
Tel. No. 775-8229

One of the Best Gambas I've Ever Tasted

Is found at Regina's: The Restaurant in San Jose, Antique. Yes, it's that far!

So after a bumpy, dusty, jeepney tour of Antique, we got really hungry. One of my Aunt's Antiqueño friends recommended we eat at Regina's: The Restaurant. I'm not really sure if it's super popular in Antique, but it's different and unique to that place. There was Jollibee and Mang Inasal in the center of town but my Aunt wanted seafood.

At first we were the only customers in the restaurant, so we got to choose the longest table inside. We were a huge group of 12 which consisted more of the senior citizens (boring! hahaha!). Since my Aunt was paying, she was the one who took charge of our orders, and true to what she said, everything we ordered came from the sea!

Sinigang na Tanigue. Really good soup, not too sour, perfect with rice! They had generous vegetable servings too.

Shrimps! Super good! We really just hated peeling the shrimp's shell...but it was all worth it afterwards!

Mixed seafood in oyster sauce. This was okay, the oldies enjoyed this better than I did.

But the kicker in all the food my Aunt ordered was THE GAMBAS! Unfortunately I wasn't able to take a picture of it as they had already attacked the dish even before I could get a snapshot of it. But take my word for it...IT WAS THE BEST GAMBAS I'VE TASTED in a while! Super spicy! My Uncle and I enjoyed it. I had several servings of this dish. And even after we've left the restaurant, I was still reliving the taste of it in my mind. I wish you guys could have a taste of it. I wouldn't mind going all the way to Antique for it.

If you guys do get to Antique, do eat at Regina's: The Restaurant and order their Gambas. But try also their other stuff, I'm sure there are dishes in that place that's surely good! Here's their menu. :)

Balaw Balaw: Art and Food in One

It was last Saturday, a day after the whole of Manila was submerged in flood waters by Tropical Storm Falcon, Ninya and I met up in SM Taytay to have coffee. But I was not yet in the mood to go home just yet, so I told her we could go to the art capital of Rizal: ANGONO.

I've been in the town of Angono once before when I was still a writer for our travel magazine, Travel Plus. We had a CALABARZON road trip, and the province of Rizal was first on our list. We visited a lot of museums that time, but one that really stuck to me was BALAW BALAW RESTAURANT.

Balaw Balaw is found inside a middle-class subdivision, and serves both as a museum and restaurant. Ninya and I first went around the museum. It was a trip down memory lane for me as I walked down the familiar corridors of the museum. It's cool that you have a new perspective of things when you re-visit a specific place, you get to see things you didn't pay particular attention to before. Although I would have to say that they really need to spruce up the place. It's dark, dusty, and is in bad need of a makeover. Maybe the artist's family should consider this to entice more people to come.

The museum showcases works done by Pedrigon Navarro Vocalan (photo above). You'd see hundreds of his paintings and sculptures on display. I'm not artsy person, so I just look at the paintings and the sculptures with an amateur eye.




As for his sculptures here are some that really caught my eye. This is found at the dining area, and it's a lady washing her hair in the river.

This is a life-size image of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, complete with all of His 12 Disciples.

Amihan or the Northeast Monsoon

And if there's Amihan, there's Habagat or the Southwest Monsoon

And in the center of the second floor, is a collection of mini sculptures

One more thing that caught my attention is their antique collection of statues that clearly depict our deep Roman Catholic faith.


After all the walking around the museum, it can really work up an appetite. So on the first floor, is the dining area of Balaw Balaw Restaurant.


Balaw Balaw, for folks who may not know what it is, is actually an appetizer. As written in the front page of their menu: "A delectable appetizer or sauce the Tagalogs serve together with Sinigang. It is made of small shrimps mixed with gruel and "angkak" a herb that gives reddish coloring. This mixture is preserved and fermented in an earthen jar for three days. After 3 days, the BALAW BALAW is ready to eat or sauteed with young bamboo shoots."

Would really, love to give this a try. Although am not really a huge fan of fermented stuff ever since I had a really bad tummy ache after eating a couple of spoonfuls of Pampanga's BURO! :(

But what made Balaw Balaw famous are their EXOTIC FOODS. Some of their exotic dishes include, Uok (beetle larva), Nilasing na Palaka (frogs marinated in wine), Kamaro (crickets), Soup No. 5 (butt and balls of COW), Sizzling Butt and Balls, Sinabawang Balot (fertilized duck eggs cooked like bulalo), Sizzling Balot, and Bibingkang Abnoy (duck eggs cooked in banana leaves). CAN YOU GUYS HANDLE THIS?! HAHAHA! Although I remember the first time I was at Balaw Balaw some 2 years ago, I ate something with FLOWERS. I think it was their salad, but it had actual flowers in them.

No Ninya and I didn't eat any of these, although it would've been cool for me to eat another round of exotic dishes much like when the BFFs and I went to Everybody's Cafe in Pampanga. Ninya and I settled for a safe and much-loved Filipino dish: ADOBONG MANOK AND BABOY (Chicken and Pork Adobo).


It was really good! The sauce was perfect with the rice, and the chicken and pork meat were all tender. We inhaled it in minutes (plus we were really hungry, too)! We even ate the pork fat (yes, it was that good or we were just THAT hungry hehe). And the serving size is really good for 2.

So why not visit Balaw Balaw Restaurant when in Rizal? You guys could get some Filipino culture and art appreciation. The museums of some of Rizal's famous artists are all close together, so it's not really that hard to find. And then after your visual arts trip, you and your family or barkada SHOULD make that detour to Balaw Balaw Restaurant! :)

Balaw Balaw Specialty Restuarant and Art Cafe
#16 Don Justo St., Doña Justa Village
Angono, Rizal
Telefax: 651-0110