Pinoy Life At Large

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Month: July, 2007

And here’s one for the Pinoy pasta lover…

31 July, 2007 (13:23) | Uncategorized | By: Arpee

While coming to work this morning, I saw this sign at Joey Pepperoni and decided that I would give it a try after work, the pasta lover that I am. Imagine, for less than a 7-day call and text card, you can stuff yourself with all pasta your tummy can hold! Not a bad deal for P120, I figured. So off to work I go, thinking of the pleasures to be had later that afternoon. The promo said it was available from 3pm to closing (10pm daily) on weekdays, and the all day on weekends. How could I resist such a deal?

This was taken from where I was sitting. See the Ford Escape parked outside? That’s not mine. I had to park all the way in front of Net Two, which was a good 300 meters away. Too bad the place doesn’t have it’s own parking. However, those ordering for takeout can park in front of the restaurant. Just don’t forget to hit the hazard light while waiting, and don’t leave your vehicle unattended. Worry not, if it’s takeout, they’ll work lighting fast for you.

As soon as I sat, I immediately went down to the business of ordering. Since I was there for the promo, I asked to be served the Pasta-all-you-can for P 120. Noreen had the same thing. If you have clear eyes and can see the tiny fine print on the lower right corner, you will see that very fine print that made me smile. “All prices are VAT inclusive.” Now, how often do you see that sign when you eat at a full-service restaurant? The food is not expensive.Their pastas range from P 115 to P 150. Oh, and did I say it was VAT inclusive? No service charge too. But since the service was good, I left something for our waiter in appreciation. You should too when you dine here. Oh and don’t forget, the prices are VAT inclusive.

The interior looks classy. It’s not heavily decorated with red and orange colors (like some other cheapo-looking restaurant), rather very minimalist in its decor. Chairs and tables are very comfortable, you can afford to sit there for more than an hour and not feel any strain. There’s a lot moving-around room and with the sophisticated-looking surroundings, not to forget its location, it’s a nice place to have dinner with family and friends. For smokers, you can also dine al fresco, where the prompt and efficient service aims to please. And pleased I was.

As the sign said, “Pasta all you can”, and this was what they served. For this promo, they only serve one kind of pasta, Bolognese-style with meat and mushroom. The first plate was served with their Garlic Parmesan Bread. Succeeding servings only have the spaghetti. Sadly it was not as good as I had hoped. Though it was not sweet like the children’s party-style spaghetti, (thank goodness for that) but it kinda tasted like the sauce came straight from the can or something. They put in some greens on the side for garnish, but they used the same plate when you asked for seconds, which really dampened my mood. So I decided to order some pizza.



This is just half of the Luka pizza that we ordered. There was just too much spaghetti that I could only eat one square slice, while Noreen had the other. None of the salty pork sausages that we’ve learned to love in this one. It’s just mozzarella, onions rings, shrimp and a pesto base. Good for those who avoid fat and cholesterol-rich meats we’ve been so accustomed to with the usual thick crust pizza. What it lacks in sodium, it compensates with rich flavors and melt-in-your mouth cheese. Truly, a guiltless pleasure!

This branch of Joey Pepperoni can be found at One McKinley building, between Net One and Pacific Heights condominium (sorry if I can’t exactly remember that Pacific something building). For commuters, you can take the Fort Bus and asked the driver to drop you off at the Net One stop. You’ll see the sign to the left and will be asked to go to side entrance of the building. Inside, it’s beside Philtown, the realty developer, where it shares its toilets with.

Comments: 3

Read or Die at A Different Bookstore

30 July, 2007 (16:01) | Uncategorized | By: Arpee

Naysayers turned converts! I had to convince Noreen and her sister Eden to go with me to the event. Three days later they were still raving about the event.

Prof. Pete Lacaba chats with Mookie Katigbak and Prof. Marra Lanot before the poetry-reading sessions.


Romina Gonzales talks about her book “Welostit,” her collection of short stories. Truly a must-read for short story lovers.

Comments: 1

Read or Die! (continued)

30 July, 2007 (15:57) | Uncategorized | By: Arpee

I finally managed to attend a book club meeting by Read or Die’s literati. We arrived during the meeting of Read or Die and even became privy to some of their activities for the 28th Manila International Book Fair. But you will have to come to the event to know what it’s all about. I’m sure every bookworm in town will be there. By the way, thanks to Khursten for the invitation!

We were also treated to a wonderful merienda courtesy of Anvil Publishing. Being a foodie, I will not fail to mention the good food of A Different Bookstore at Serendra, where the event was held. I loved the spicy tuna in pita bread and the refreshing Banana shake (don’t know what it’s name is on the menu but I figured it was worth mentioning).

A panel discussion with Ms. Romina Gonzales followed the meeting, where she talked about her collection of short stories. I hate to admit that I had not read any of her stories, but it was interesting to know how the professionals struggle successfully against writer’s block. I always believed that women made better writers.

The highlight of the affair, poetry-reading by some of the country’s most well-loved writers: Prof. Marra Lanot, Prof. Pete Lacaba and Prof. Teo Antonio. I’m not a poetry lover but the when you listen to writers read their poetry, you will experience the imagery of their words, as the author intended it to be. It was a good opportunity to ask them questions as to what they meant, what their message was or if you understood it well enough.

Also in the event were Sarge Lacuesta, Mookie Katigbak and Angelo Suarez.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. Their next book club meeting will be held at the Filipiniana Heritage Library along Makati Avenue. You can visit their website for more information.

For a taste of the experience, watch the video and enjoy!

Comments: 1

A Gem of a Food Place at the Fort

24 July, 2007 (12:44) | Uncategorized | By: Arpee


The food place called EAT168 is an oasis for those tired of the expensive and pricey eating places that have sprung around the Global City. Conveniently located beside a nursing school and a call center, EAT168 caters to those who are looking for good meals at affordable prices, which are mostly employees on a budget and students. But then, aren’t we all on a budget?

Though there are other food places, such as the usual fast food fare, there will be times when we all crave for home-cooked meals without the usual MSG. So you can imagine my surprise when I took my first bite!

Noreen and I wanted to eat after a day’s work so we decided to go to the Fort before going home to avoid having to do the dishes. I partially saw the sign the read “…168″ so we decided to check it out, thinking that it was probably a Chinese food place. Once inside, we immediately examined the food items on display. The cheerful lady behind the counter mentioned that they were serving their merienda special which was only P55.00 consisting of a noodle dish (you could choose from pancit canton, lomi or beef brisket with wanton) and a dimsum side dish (choices include 3 pieces lumpiang shanghai, siopao or 3 pieces siomai) plus a tall glass of iced tea. The choice was then obvious, we asked for the pancit canton with siopao and the lomi with siopao for me. Both came with iced tea. I wasn’t expecting a large portion because of the price. I was hoping against hope that the food wouldn’t be so salty, not because of my uric acid problem, but because Noreen tended to complain to the high heavens when confronted with very salty food. I would never hear the end of it if it turned out to be bad food.

Food was served 20 minutes after being paid, a little too long even for some classier full service restaurants. But the staff made sure that the delay was only because their kitchen staff were working with raw ingredients. After tasting the food, I’d say the wait was worth it.

The pancit canton was not salty and oily, like in most Chinese food places, but was served freshly cooked with crunchy vegetables and stir-fried pork bits that didn’t taste like yesterday’s pork chop. Similarly, the lomi was flavorful and served piping hot in a large bowl. The portions were larger than most food combos as the noodle dishes looked like full orders and the siopao was as big a regular hamburger bun, not the Hongkong style siopao usually served as two small buns. The filling was not too sweet or salty, just right with ample parts asado pork that filled out evenly inside the bun. I wondered how they make any profit from the merienda promo. Christy, the manager, apologized for the long waiting time. She went on to say that the merienda promo will be offered for a limited time, up to when she didn’t know.

Interior decor is very spartan as the place caters mainly to the lunch crowd. In the evenings, EAT168 becomes a watering hole where you can sit with friends and order great tasting pulutan with your favorite beer. Another good thing about it is that the place is right beside the Global City bus station. It’s for those with and without their own transportation. I’m not a drinking person, but for those who are, I’d say EAT168 is also good for those who are looking for a nice place to share a beer with friends without the loud videoke machines.

Try going there for merienda. It could the best meal you’ll ever have for P55.00.

Comments: -

Food writing with the Hundred-Pound Foodie

18 July, 2007 (13:41) | Uncategorized | By: Arpee


Ah food, glorious food! Who is his/her right mind would not seize the opportunity to sample some of the most delectable dishes and be asked to write about the whole experience? I am no fool. Thus when I got the chance to join the food writing workshop with no other than Ms. Christine Nunag, I had no second thoughts. My schedule would be free for this event, come hell or high water. And I was not at all disappointed.

If you’re wondering who Ms. Nunag is, she’s the pretty and slim lady in white (see top picture) and is an authority on food writing and even has a Doreen Fernandez award to prove it. I have Mr. Jayvee Fernandez to thank for organizing the food writing workshop at Serye. Techie as he may be, Jayvee seems to have put in a ton of work in putting it all together. Kudos to you, Jayvee!

If you are drooling over the dishes seen in the pictures, believe me when I say the dishes are better experienced than seen. I used my cell phone’s camera to take the pictures. Though the quality is not so good, I figured really good pictures will not capture the reality of the moment. Magazine quality pictures always give me the impression of being done over with photoshop, it kinda looks fake. This I learned from the Gretchen-John fiasco when reporters said the pictures where taken with a phone camera, which makes it all credible.

One of the activities involved was tasting the dishes while blindfolded. Hah! I actually got most of them right. They served us sisig, kare-kare, sinigang na bangus, the famous Serye Iced Tea, pinakbet and miki-bihon. Actually these are the ones I got right.

It’s always the ones you get wrong that are hard to forget. Just when I thought I was so darn sure it was pork barbeque, I was shocked to learn that it was actually boneless chicken barbeque ( as seen on the pictures). I was thoroughly deceived by its wonderful texture, rich flavor and the sauce that seemed to have a hint of peanuts. The last one they served tasted like some exotic turon but it had a sauce and turon never goes with sauce, thus I was confused anew. They finally showed the dish in full parade uniform, it’s Philippine fondue, Serye style. Little rolls dressed up to look like lumpiang shanghai, some with bananas, some with jackfruit strips then coupled with a tiny battered ensaymada with a rich chocolate sauce. Not exactly euthanasia for the diabetic, this dish is surprisingly NOT very sweet. It’s just right as the sweetness can be controlled by how much chocolate sauce you add.

According to the owner, the name of the restaurant “Serye” was a play of letters on the surname of the owner, the Reyes family. Same family that owns Aristocrat Restaurant (remember the chicken? Now think Aristocrat’s honey chicken barbeque with a fusion twist minus the bones. Ah, heavenly sinful!). I wonder if they are also behind Reyes Barbeque, the one found in most mall food courts that sell their barbeque sauces by the bottle. Bottomline, Serye has good food at great prices. It’s good enough to take your friends and family for special occasions like graduations, birthdays, or if you just want good food. The prices are for everyone who appreciate good food. Two to three people can enjoy great food at P500.00 or maybe less.

I will probably take my wife to Serye in Eastwood, as I told the owner. I’m a lover of good food and this restaurant will probably bear witness to some of my special moments and celebrations in the future. To Christine, I must say you have been very successful in making the Philippine food and beverage industry more vibrant, dynamic, fun, progressive and robust, one food blogger at a time.


Comments: 1

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