Pinoy Life At Large

Balaw-balaw is Angono’s answer to Nueva Ecija’s Halubaybay and Iloilo’s Ginamos. It is just as fermented as goes well with just about anything. Balaw Balaw is also a restaurant of good repute in the town of Angono, a restaurant frequented more by Manilenos than by the locals. Aside from the food, people troop to Balaw Balaw for the art works of Mr. Perdigon, an Angono son who’s art works grace the walls of the restaurant giving the customer the “flavor of the arts” as well as “the art of flavor”. I believe the paying customer should be able to get the full experience.

Unfortunately for the members of the Havila AAR Tour, there was a mix up with the food and there wasn’t enough for the guests. Noreen and I ended up buying Adobong Itik (duck meat cooked in soy sauce and vinegar) just to ease the hunger. For P205.00 (US$ 5.00) a plate, it seemed a little too steep a price for the size of the serving, which did not seem to be enough for two. Since food is expected to be cheaper outside Manila, I found their prices a little too high. However, upon tasting the dish I’d say that the flavor paid for the dish. It was worth it.

This wonderful little food find should have been featured in my blog two weeks ago. Sadly, things got a little too busy and this post was inadvertently shelved for more than a week. However, I managed to wise up and finish my office chores (finally!) leaving me my precious 2 am mornings to blog about this noodle shop.

No, it’s not just another noodle shop. Though it may look that way on the outside.

My friends, this noodle shop is one of the very few (in its price range) to serve fresh hand-pulled noodles at astoundingly affordable prices.

Finally, I got the chance to go on a Jelly Belly launch at the Le Souffle Rockwell in Makati. Quite the eye-opener for me, I never thought that there was more to the jelly bean than just a sweet treat. Because this wonderful confection is easy to handle, not messy to work with and comes in different colors, the possibilities are endless. Mr. Teddy Manuel has done a wonderful job decorating Le Souffle’s lovely interiors with his Jelly Belly creations.

I finally got around to visit the Saturday Salcedo Market. I worked in the Ayala area for some years but I never got to visit this much-talked about market. After spending almost a year in McKinley Hill, I realized I missed downtown Makati. So this Saturday, I asked Noreen to go with me the famed Salcedo Market.

Nothing special about it except that it only opens on Saturdays and that only the best of the best can be bought here at rock-bottom prices. Being in one of the country’s most expensive stretch of real estate, expect that it is also a good place for people-watching. I saw some relatives of the Zobel-Ayala clan, in simple everyday wear and without bodyguards (couldn’t take a picture, though. I don’t want to be sued or anything, hehe). Expatriates and their families frequented the specialty food shops to remind them of home. But my purpose in going there didn’t involve the fresh vegetables or the French quiches. It was the Wagyu burgers.

As I entered the market place, I immediately spied this innocent-looking stall beside the clinic (I wonder why it was beside the clinic) and quickly realized that this was the shop my friend had told me about.

Yup, it had Wagyu screaming from the signs. This was indeed the place.