(con)Fusion

In my earlier blog, nabanggit ko yung mga sintunadong restos na nakita ko (see "Ayan Kase Nabitin sa Lechon"), those whose suggested themes do not fully match what you're offered inside. This past week, I came across two more.

-------------------------------
One such is Bacolod Chk-N-BBQ House in Santana Grove Paranaque. Aatras na sana kami kasi ang sikip! Our server apologized for the inconvenience, seeing as the two of us could not possibly fit into the table arrangements and the table and chair spacings, he moved the couches farther away from the table. E kaya naman pala masikip- there's a frozen yogurt kiosk newly installed on the right front side of the resto. Talk about hot-and-cold, coal-and-ice, grill-and-churn, this chicken inasal specialty house really gave a new meaning to pasma.

Aalis na sana kami pero there was this barkada of four 70ish Bacolodians slurping away at the batchoy and eating the siling labuyo to every bite of inasal- ewan nalang kung hindi pa yan solid evidence of good Bacolod food :)

And so we ordered. Paa, isol, and batchoy for me; chicken barbecue and pancit molo for my hubby. We concocted our suka-toyo-calamansi-sili dipping sauce for the inihaws. The grilled chicken dishes were delicious! The rice was cooked just right. Syempre pa, the signature Bacolod suka made our dipping sauce sensational. Kung ano nga lang yung pagka malinamnam ng batchoy e syang kina tabang ng pancit molo (which came in a mini swimming pool).

Do we dare do the yo? We approached the kiosk and looked at its rows of toppings. When we saw "Wallnuts", ay wag na. Hindi ko type ang mani na tumubo sa dingding. Actually, at that moment di ko parin pati type yung idea na Bacolod meets New England. Parang... mami sabay Yakult.

not just about Bacolod food either hehe

we move sideways through this space

patis ang katapat ng pancit molo

the way to do it: rice topped with dipped chicken, with sabaw at noodles ng batchoy!

the newly-installed (or the actual installing of?) the yogurt station

---------------------------------------------

Another conFusion of a resto is Borough at Podium Mandaluyong. Hindi ko masyadong nakuha ang theme when we entered that day because there was a children's party on the ground floor. I find out that the second floor is open to walk-ins so we climbed the wooden stairway up.

The wide-spaced, dimly-lit area has floral-upholstered booth and high seats, a corner with leather couches, and walls with nagpapaka-NewYork style art set in small picture frames. Our server was courteous and attentive as we ordered - All Beef Cheeseburger (topped with cheddar cheese in a homemeade brioche bun), Chili Chicken Burger (topped with Monterey Jack, corn salsa, avocado, and herbal mayo in a homemade brioche bun), and Rothko Caesar salad (on a bed of romaine lettuce and roasted tomatoes).

The brioche is the star of our meal. Light, soft, chewy, and neutral enough to complement the expected flavors of the sandwiches. It was also the buttery-rich crouton to our salad.  New York na New York ang plating, presentation, and serving sizes. The fries on the side tasted like sticks of crunchy pancakes ("owwsss??"...hubby) and were oozing out of little brown paper bags. I didn't get to try (or see) hubby's burger (it went by so fast) although that's what he came back to Borough for so I assume it's good. My chili chicken burger was an almost open sandwich smothered with corn, avocado and cheese - three of my favorite things! I assembled my sandwich to hand-grabbing position and when I took the excited bite, POOF! much ado about nothing much.

Was it me or was there really no distinct flavor to the mix of fabulous components in my beautiful sandwich?! I mixed some mustard and ketchup on the side of my board and smeared some on the sandwich, and the next bite was relatively better. I enjoyed the sandwich, but I was looking for the distinct avocado and corn flavors in my bite to match the sight. Instead it was like a mix of many colors that was actually black.

The salad? Bow. Bow. Bow. It was fabulous. Another noteable for me is the orange soda served alongside a glass full of ice and an orange wedge. Orange soda kasi e dapat nga naman orange din ang wedge.

Oh, and the confusion? New York meets Spain! The Gypsy Kings were loudly playing during the meal! Teka, baka naman New Yorkers ang Gypsy Kings.... wikipedia please?


                  The Gipsy Kings are a group of musicians from Arles and Montpellier, France who perform in Spanish                  
                  with accent from Andalucía. Although group members were born in France, their parents were mostly 
                  gitanos, Spanish Romani people who fled Catalonia during the 1930sSpanish Civil War, with the 
                  exception of Chico Bouchikhi who is of Moroccan and Algerian descent. 


ahhhhh....fusion nga.

Ayan Kase, Nabitin sa Lechon

Umpisa palang ng week, lechon paksiw na ang nasa utak ko. Akala ko kasi kakain ako ng nito ng Sunday the previous week. So when my loved one asked the usual question after church, my response was an immediate "lechon". "Saan?", tanong niya. "Ewan, basta lechon" - hala, I was in a trance. Off we drove from ortigas to c5 where Lydia's Lechon in Pasig was.

Hurriedly (and still in a trance), I stepped off the car and was greeted with two smiles -one from the guard and another (more wide) from the supervisor. Sa isip isip siguro nya, "Quota agad kami sa benta sa dalawang 'to. Makakauwi ako'ng maaga!". Everyone was friendly and happy to serve. Ang lakas ng aircon woo hoo!

Pinaghalong turu-turo at casual dining ang Lydia's Lechon. Go to the counter where the ulams are displayed tapos ituro mo na ang gusto mo. The food is served at your table. You can get your lechon fix for as low as P115 - combo yun dalawang ulam and kanin. The lechon per kilo is around P750, and when taken home is chopped and neatly packed in a bowl na bilao with banana leaves.

The skin was crunchy and the lechon sauce was major major liver- sarap! The lechon paksiw had the right sweet sourness na di gaya ng sa iba na parang pinakuluan lang yung baboy sa mang tomas.

Not to miss is the lumpiang sariwa. Simple lang yung components na nakabalot sa egg wrapper, but the sauce is divine. Not the typical matamis na toyo na pinakapal ng cornstarch at binudburan ng dinikdin na mani - this one tasted like gravy from the drippings of the lumpia filling.

Two noticeable fixtures in the restaurant are the CCTV, which shows activity from the kitchen, behind the counter, and on the dining floor; and the small temperature-monitored dessert chiller. Mahirap ang tsansang madumi ang handling ng pagkain and panis ang gatas ng buko pandan at fruit salad.

We had the bbq and lechon combo, lechon paksiw, rice, 2 coke zeroes, 2 buko pandans, and 1 kilo of lechon to take home - P1,200

----------------------

Edi naidaos ko na ang lechon paksiw pagkaloka ko... halinang tumingin ng sapatos! We drove further up c5 towards Eastwood and stopped at Club SixFifty where The Sports Warehouse is. Dito kami bumibili ng mga brand new na rubber shoes na mas murang matindi kasi one year old na ang style. Sulit na sulit. Si irog ko lang ang titingin ng shoes so umupo muna ko - sa Blushing Cupcakes coffee shop within the same compound.

The small shop was packed with young athletes, isa ata sa kanila ang may ari. I took a seat at a small table within the masikip na area after I ordered the peppermint cupcake, the red velvet cupcake, and iced caramel latte.

The cupcakes did not look very impressive, kung dala ito ng food sponsor sa prayer group, nakaka wow.  Some cakes did not fill the large cups and the swirls were not consistent. Biting into the red velvet cupcake however, sa flavor naman pala bumawi. The cake was light and moist and its slightly salty cream cheese frosting was a good contrast.

When I tried the peppermint cupcake, wow, lasang masahe. It tasted like the scent that meets you at The Spa. The chocolate cake base was okay though.

As for the caramel latte.... gumawa nalang kayo sa bahay. Walang pagkakaiba. Lukewarm coffee with cream iced with ice cubes from a domestic tray. Not worth the P65.

Pagtapos tumingin ng sapatos ni irog, he joined me for a frosted vanilla cupcake. Ayun, eto oks. Another thing going for them, according to my hubby, is "matibay yung paper kaya pwedeng simutin yung cupcake.".

Cupcakes range from P27-P37 each. Pwede nang pang pasalubong or pamatid-gutom. Marami pang flavors, dulce de leche, oreo cheesecake - yun lang natatandaan ko. Oh, and they also serve daing na bangus, vigan longganisa with rice..... O di ba... Blushing Cupcakes with rice meals. Parang yung German resto na nagse serve ng laing at bicol express at yung Cafe Francaise na pinagmamalaki ang kanilang authentic Italian cuisine.

---------------------------------

Nagsusumigaw na ng gupit ang longhair ko kaya we went to Salon de Matt along Pioneer St., near Cityland and Joey Pepperoni. Matt is a hair stylist at the Peninsula Manila and his salon is his own contribution to brilliant salon service sans the corresponding high cost and a low-cost salon sans the loud kwentuhans among the hairdressers. Ang ingay lang na narinig ko e yung mga kanta ni Sara Brightman and iba pang soothing classics, at yung mga bagets na pinagtatawanan ang tomahawk na pinagawa ng barkada nila. "Pa-ganyan kaya ako", sabi ng asawa ko. "Ipag-pray natin", sagot ko.

Ang saraaaaap ng shampoo :) While waiting for Rodel, my hairdresser, minasahe pa shoulders and back ko. Hayyyy... mamya ka na dumating Rodel ha... Rodel did my hair, a beautiful bading na softspoken "Mmm.... hano pong gagawin natin sa buhok nyo maaaaammmm...." Na dahil sa pagka relax ko sa pagkamasahe sakin muntik ko nang saguting "kahit ano, kahit kalboooooh". Snipping away for a while, I got the haircut I wanted.

Aba nagpapa foot spa na pala si irog. Sinabayan ko nga ng pedicure hehe.

The haircut cost P120, the Foot Spa P300, and the pedicure P130. Biglaan ang decision kong magpa pedicure so I came in with closed shoes. Binigyan ako ng slippers to wear on the walk to the car. Galing.

-------------------------------

Edi syempre gutom nanaman kami. Spicy Chicken Wings! We only go to one place for this - Buffalo's Wings N' Things. May outlet sila sa Ortigas Home Depot's Food Street.

Hindi bulgar ang tamis ng spicy wings nila. Ang ganda ng mix ng asim, anghang, tamis, init, paso, at pawis. Nagpapaka-New York ang shop, with icons sa walls. Ang ikli ng palda ng mga waitress kasi... kasi wala naman talaga sila sa maginaw na New York. Tig iisang bulto ng paper towels ang meron bawat table kasi lahat ng likido ng katawan mo lalabas sa balat mo lalo na pag ang in-order mo e yung Armageddon wings.

Se-serve-an ka ng paper plate and plastic fork ang knife, pero kelangan mo lang yung kubyertos sa una at pangalawang subo ng mainit na manok. Maaatat kang isawsaw ang wings sa blue cheese dip (separately ordered) kaya kakamayin mo ang mga to.

May categories of hotness ang wings and meron ding hindi maanghang. We had a pound of rookie (walang anghang) and a pound of firehouse (medyo maanghang) na wings. I'd normally get the Nuclear (2nd to the hottest) wings pero .. este... me sitwasyon kasi nung araw na yun hehe. We also had dirty rice and a side of fries. Our total bill, P685.

Common ang banyo pero malinis (ewan ko lang kung dahil apat lang kaming kumakain at Linggo). Ang pinakamaganda, merong bidette! Nag cartwheel ako palabas ng banyo! Sabay hand sanitizer kasi walang sabon.

Two restos, a salon, and some Chatime in between, in one afternoon. Ayan kase, nabitin sa lechon.