That’s Elmo Magallona, Magnolia’s new brand ambassador. Elmo is the new face of the ice-cream loving Filipino youth. I remember how Magnolia Ice Cream had become the cornerstone of my childhood memories. Truth be told, a visit to the Magnolia House was my motivation for going to church on Sundays. Every Sunday, until I was about 10 or 11 years old, my family heard Mass at Sto. Domingo Church, in Quezon City. After Mass, we trooped to the Magnolia House, an imposing structure along Aurora Boulevard built by Philippine architectural titan Leandro Locsin. Honestly, I was kinda when the place became Nestle Cremery. Commerce changes over time, but Magnolia was never just ice cream to me. It was a part of life. With the new flavors, I’d say Magnolia has managed to creep back into my life.

Tourism secretary Jimenez has implemented a partnership with Magnolia Ice Cream in promoting the beauty of our islands by helping launch the new Best of the Philippines Ice Cream Collection. Magnolia now officially uses ingredients native to specific provinces in the Philippines, such as Guimaras mangoes, kapeng barako and tablea from Batangas, ube, macapuno and langka from Laguna. The tubwraps are especially designed to showcase the country’s best tourist places.

Huwag maging dayuhay sa sariling ice cream (don’t be a stranger to your own ice cream brand), has become the unofficial tagline for Magnolia. And it is true. Enjoying Magnolia Ice Cream will do a lot to further local tourism. I personally want to encourage you, dear reader, to buy local and return to Magnolia for your ice cream crravings. Bring back your childhood memories and make some new ones with the people you love, Happy Mother’s to you all……

Breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks were provided along with games and wonderful prizes. Nothing seriously competitive, just serious fun.  Highlights included:

1. Games.  Shiela Munez and her team worked hard to make it all happen. The games were successful in heating up the fun and the laughter. Newbies got the chance to know the rest of the Hummingbird crowd and the oldies got to know them too.  Grand prize winning team got cash prizes and gift certificates from Sariwon Bulgogi Restaurant.
2. Singing. Arvato Hummingbirds wowed the waterpark crowd with their excellent singing voices. Glen’s renditions of “Better Days” and “Hanggang Ngayon” were moving and awesome. Enough said. He should be singing in the Christmas party.
3. Swimming. Fun, fun, fun in the sun! Amana’s famous giant wave pool was just right beside the view deck and the summer heat made it more inviting.  Employees got the chance to don their swimsuits, show off some skin and cool off in the huge waves of the pool. The park had other swimming pools and also had a zipline.

So what are we waiting for? Here are the pictures. Grab what you can. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Seek and you shall find. True enough, my cravings found its match when I received their invitation for the launch of the new Pizza Castellana. It is a pizza that features authentic Spanish Chorizo, a special pork sausage with a distinctly dried smoky flavor. When used in pizza, the Spanish Chorizo produces a reddish oil that is the source of that wafting smoky smell when you open a box of Pizza Castellana.

Do not mistake this sausage for Pepperoni because it is far from it. Pepperoni slices are smaller and are made from a combination of pork, beef and chicken meat. Pepperoni is a bit spicy and has a tangy flavor compared to Spanish Chorizo which is more smoky and is not spicy, though both are dried sausages.

I have been a child of Shakey’s and have been dining with them since 1978, when their first branch in West Avenue was established. I remember the place having so many people all the time and the service, needing a bit more patience than usual. I asked Shakey’s officials about the slowness of the service and they replied that this is no longer true because they have invested heavily in more ovens and more efficient processes that will bring the pizza to your table as fast as possible. From a personal perspective, I believe there is a bit of waiting time because they make their pizzas from scratch. Thin crust pizza is more difficult to handle than thick crust, thus preparation of thin crust will take a few minutes longer than the usual. It’s worth the wait anyway. Hot pizza, WITHOUT THE THICK BREAD, that kinda cheats you out of the authentic pizza experience. Europeans eat pizza thin crust and with good reason; less bread, more cheese and toppings. I don’t mind waiting for a good thin crust pizza that is truly value for money.

Shakey’s Chick ‘N Chips have never seen any serious competition, at least in my book. Crunchy on the outside, juicy chicken on the inside is so well complimented by the delicious gravy and MOJOS!!! I have not seen any restaurant in it’s class that serves potatoes this way. Not to mention, they ALLOW you to HAVE THE CHICKEN PART YOU WANT, unlike other chicken restaurants who do not allow you such choice. I love Chick ‘n Chips!

They have frozen yogurt too (Froyo) which is a nice addition to their family-friendly menu. Shakey’s is the original sports bar, before all those other sports bars sprouted in the Metro. Their Quezon Avenue branch is the biggest which also features a Fun Zone, where kids can play games and win prizes.

Come and try the Pizza Castellana! It is definitely a taste of Iberico in every bite!

Never has there been such a brand that brings together all the bloggers in the Asia Pacific region as you do. Congratulations on being number one and I wish you more success in all your future endeavors.

All the best to you and your Manila team!

-          Arpee Lazaro,  Nuffnanger since 2009

It was a good dinner. The service was good, as usual in a Japanese restaurant. Nihonbashitei looks like an 80s restaurant and for no uncertain purpose. When  patrons walk into the restaurant, they will immediately notice the 1980s feel and  the warm service.  The prices are reasonable, perhaps less expensive than the neighboring restaurants along Pasay Road.

Like this really tasty roll from Nihonbashitei, I wish everyone a wonderful New Year, full of hope and good things to come. May 2012 be YOUR year and may you have A LOT on YOUR PLATE this year, a lot of love, happiness and g0od fortune.

We’re just taters about ‘em! Potatoes are probably the only vegetables that children will eat without resistance, just take them to McDonald’s. Although it’s 80% water and only 20% solid, there’s enough sugar in every potato that can change its taste and smell. Just be careful in putting them in the fridge; the longer a potato is in cold storage, the shorter its shelf life because the cold causes the sugar to decrease thus changing the taste of potato.

At the recently held Thanksgiving Dinner by the United States Dept of Agriculture Potato Board at the Restaurant 9501 (Restaurant 9501, 14th Floor, ELJ Center Cor. Mo. Ignacia & Sct. Albano Avenue, Quezon City, Telephone nos. 415-2272 loc. 2331), I was completely bowled over with Chef Myrna Seguismundo’s brilliant version of the traditional American stuffed turkey. I never liked turkey until I tried this one. Chef Myrna is indeed a Godsend to the Philippine dining public. She introduced my palate to the turkey that I would have normally frowned upon.

Everything in this dinner had potatoes in them, but they didn’t serve us French Fries. It was a grand potato dinner from starters to desserts.

The image you see above is not made of potatoes. It’s Adobo Pate. An innovative creation by Chef Myrna. I loved this with the potato bread. After this, came the soup.

This is Truffled Mashed Potatoes with Porcini Mushroon Froth. First sip and I saw fireworks. I love the taste of truffles with anything savory. I love the way it was served and how warm it stayed in my cup. Yung sa katabi ko hindi nya maubos, parang gusto kong hingiin, di ko lang sya kilala, hehehe.

Wasting no time to get to the heart of the matter is the Roast US Tom Turkey with bread and nut stuffing, minted orange-cranberry relish, creamed spinach, candied crinkle-cut potatoes all generously poured with Giblet Gravy. Un-be-lieve-able.

The turkey meat was so soft and tasty it tasted like dark chicken meat! It was juicy and so tender. If all turkey meat were THIS good, I’d start eating turkey everyday. Incidentally, turkey has been known to be healthy with more protein and lesser fat than chicken.

For dessert, they served poached pears and grapes on top mashed potato crepes and Vodka Sabayon. To hell with my diabetes, I devoured this one like my blood sugar was better than fine.

I don’t know if they serve this regularly at Restaurant 9501, I think this is a special menu for the USDA Potato Board Thanksgiving Dinner. I hope they invite me again next year. What potato wonders await me then!

Now how is hunger a political matter? It is a known fact that there is enough food for everyone on the planet. All nations are, to some degree, self-sustaining as far as food supply is concerned. There have been advances in technologies used in farming and agriculture that allow crops to be resistant to certain pests, survive storms and even grow in arid lands. So, how is it that 925 million people in a world of 7 billion (almost one out of every seven) is dying of starvation? Here’s why.

Top 4 reasons for world hunger

1. Armed Conflict. This is the spawn of everything that makes people miserable. In a place where some groups want to be top dogs, there will surely be conflict. Countries at war suffer from the lack of trade thus the citizens are left with nowhere to buy food and supplies. We all know that civil wars and such as purely political in nature; mostly because some bastard wants to control everything and become king. I will go out on a limb and mention Mindanao. There is real hunger in Mindanao, in the ARMM region to be specific, because the conflict has prevented fair trade. Anyone who wants to work or do business in the region needs to appease those in control, kick some money their way. The very leaders of these poorest of the poor regions are the very people who want poverty to stay because the poverty of the town means money in their pockets. Ecleo and Ampatuan to name two of the clans who have maintained hunger in their land.
2. Price Control. Remember the time during the past administration when rice prices soared to P40 a kilo? I can never forget that. It was a big dent on my budget. I used to spend P26 per kilo and then, seemingly overnight, I had a fork out an additional P14 for the same kilo of the same low quality rice I used to buy. Then we all heard that while the prices of rice went up, our government was importing shitty rice from Thailand and Vietnam. What gives? If prices went up, why in hell were the rice farmers getting poorer and poorer? Apparently, the increase in rice prices went mostly to fertilizers and logistics costs including the increased fuel prices. And other people’s pockets.
3. Unfriendly Weather and Natural Disasters. Typhoons equal crop destruction and the it all snowballs into the mess that we all know to be famine. Got the money, but nowhere to buy. That’s an even bigger problem than not having money to buy food. For most of our farmers in the countryside, this is a yearly tradition. When the typhoons come, and they always do without missing a beat, several millions of pesos in agricultural losses are chalked up and the famers are left with nothing but debt. I don’t know if it is ever possible to grow crops without the use of pesticides, but if it is, I hope there are initiatives for it. There is crop insurance though, but it only works if government people stop dipping their hands into the cookie jar.
4. Poverty. Hungry people can’t think straight, much less hungry children. So they steal, beg, sell themselves for sex. It’s a hand-to-mouth existence that poor people pass on to their children, who in turn make more children of their own. The cycle never ends. For a poor person to go to college is already a hurdle. When that person graduates from a diploma mill, what kind of job does he get? Not the same juicy paying job the ivy league graduate gets. So the poor guy is stuck in a thankless 10k a month job. Then he gets married, has children and the same thing happens over and over again. If luck smiles their way, his kids get to go to school. If not, well, they’ll be stuck in that creek with a four-letter name.

All hope is never lost. There are institutions that do their share in helping alleviate hunger. In the Philippines, Unilever is doing its share in helping give food to hungry children. Support this initiative. It’s the least you can do.

I recently joined the Amazing All-Net Race and it was so much fun! I was part of a team of four where we had to compete ala-Amazing Race at the Eastwood Central Plaza last Oct 18. Then I realized how much of Smart’s reliability I missed by not having a postpaid with them. Other networks have the “unli” plans and they work fine, when they work. Though no fault of theirs, these other networks just don’t have the wide coverage that Smart has. No wonder Smart is the leader in prepaid phones, and with good reason: there is a Smart signal practically everywhere in the country.

In case you’re wondering, we won 3rd place.

I once traveled to Davao City for a food appreciation tour and being a Smart user at that time I was very happy with the service. In the 10 years that I have been using a Smart Postpaid, I NEVER experienced problems like “no circuit availability” or just no service even with a full bar of signal. They didn’t have the unli service, unlike their competitors but it was there when I needed it, and that matters the world for a cell phone user like me. Yes, the unli service equates to big savings, but uptime matters to me more than that. I don’t make calls that I don’t have to thus paying a premium for availability is a fair enough deal.

All-Net services are a giant leap forward. Now I can Internet all I want from my mobile device, check my blog, go blog-hopping and be social media-happy. That’s going to be big savings for me because not only has Smart offered All-Net services at a flat rate, they also have the reliability that people pay premium, but without that premium cost. P599 for unlimited calls and text to other Smart users translates to gargantuan savings that is as reliable as your phone’s battery.

It’s time to switch to Smart Postpaid. I know I will.

The Philippine Tatler has done it again, Once again they have come with the Philippines’ Best 100 Restaurants. Yes, even while dining in some of your favorite restaurants, you are helping the homeless, the needy, the disabled and the abandoned find their way back into a productive and meaningful life. Every year the Philippine Tatler chooses an institution/beneficiary of their campaign  and for 2011, Tatler management has chosen the Virlanie Foundation.

Virlanie Foundation has helped more than 13,000 street children become productive citizens and significant contributors to nation-building.  Most of the funds Virlanie will receive will go to their mobile classroom project where they have trucks roaming the Divisoria area that also double as classroom where street children can attend classes for free. These classes are conducted by capable and licensed teachers who teach the children how to read and write.

Between September 22 to 30, 37 participating restaurants will be serving you with an extra smile as part of their earnings will go to the children of Virlanie Foundation. Enjoy the food while giving a part of yourself to a worthy cause.

List of Participating Restaurants for Philippine Tatler’s 2011 Best Restaurants Charity Week

1. Aubergine – 32nd and 5th Building, 5th Avenue cor. 32nd Street, Fort Bonifacio 1634 Taguig City. For reservations, e-mail the restaurant at dine@aubergine.ph or call [63] 02 856 9888 [63] 917-557-1675 | [63] 949-641-9468
2. Azuthai – ADDRESS: Ground Floor, Milkyway Building, 900 Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road),
corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. Telephone:813-0671, 817-6252, email: jgamboa@azuthai.com
3. Banana Leaf – The Podium, 12 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center
Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. Phone Number: (63 2) 687-6808, (63 2) 687-6818
4. Cafe Ilang-ilang – Ground floor, Manila Hotel.
5. Cav Wine Shop and Cafe – Ground Floor “The Spa Bldg.” Lot 5, Quadrant 8, City Center Fort Bonifacio, Global City, Taguig City. Tel. Nos:(632)856-1798 (632) 856-1796;(+63922) 8167127, Email: info@cavwine.com
6. Chef Jessie Rockwell Club – G/F Amorsolo Tower, Amorsolo Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City,(632) 897-7516, 890-6543, 890-7630.
7. Cibo – Glorietta 3, 2nd Level, Glorietta, Ayala Center, Makati. (63 2) 892-3963
8. Circles (Makati Shangrila)
9. Cru Steakhouse (Marriot Hotel, Manila)
10. Crystal Jade
11. Escolta (Manila Peninsula)
12. Felix Greenbelt 5
13. Indigo (Discovery Shores Boracay)
14. Kai Restaurant
15. Keizo Restaurant
16. Kimpura Restaurant
17. Kirin Chinese Dining
18. L’Incontro Restaurant
19. Italiano Restaurant
20. Le Bistro Vert
21. L’entrecote
22. Lili (Hyatt Hotel and Casino)
23. Lusso Gastro Bar
24. Mabuhay Palace (Manila Hotel)
25. Mamou
26 Masseto
27. Ninyo Fusion Cuisine
28. Opus Restaurant and Lounge
29. Palermo
30. People’s Palace Thai
31. Restorante Y Damaso
32. Sala
33. Sala Bistro
34. Sugi
35. Thai Patio
36. The Tivoli (Mandarin Oriental Manila)
37. Umu (Dusit Thani Manila)

Every household in the Philippines is familiar with Gardenia Breads because almost everyone in the Philippines must have tasted Gardenia Bread at least once. In my home, I am never without a loaf of Gardenia in my pantry. For snack time, I sometimes buy the Fun Bun filled with Ube, because it is my favorite flavor. Gardenia loaves come and go and we hardly notice it until we run out.

I once had the opportunity of visiting the Gardenia plant in Laguna. The plant was huge beyond what I imagined. The plant had machinery that could produce 650,000 loaves of bread and buns in a single day! It was a tower of bread that seemed to tirelessly churn out loaf after loaf. Adults and schoolchildren alike were in awe of the mechanized wonder that made our the most crucial part of our favorite sandwich. I was surprised to learn that all of the nation’s Gardenia breads came from this one huge factory, with distribution sites that continuously ship breads from Luzon to Visayas to Mindanao on a full 24-hour shift.

Here’s something you might want to know about; how to tell if the bread you got is made the day you bought it not. There are dates on the G-lock tabs of every loaf and that tells you the expiration date of the bread, but what it doesn’t tell you is when it was baked. The colors are keys to this information.  The G-lock tabs are color-coded a represents the day when the bread was baked. Mind you that the day it represents is the day of that very week when you bought your bread, not last week. The next time you buy your Gardenia bread, look at the color of the G-lock tab and look at the list below.

• Tan – Monday
• Orange- Tuesday
• Yellow – Wednesday
• Blue – Thursday
• Green – Friday
• Red – Saturday
• White – Sunday