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

Often it feels good to be recognized  and finally, the most influential personalities in the Philippine Social Media scene are given their due. Globe Telecom has recently concluded the first Globe Tatt Awards and some of the country’s most influential social media personalities and bloggers have been awarded and recognized for being catalysts of social change that affects that whole nation if not the world.

Winners of the 2011 Globe Tatt Awards

Here are the winners of this year’s awards. Each winner has received P100,000 in cash, a trophy and several premium gifts from Globe Tattoo.

1. Wordslayer award – Loi Reyes Landicho, aka The Professional Heckler
2. Video Slinger award – Mike Bustos of youtube.com/MikeyBustosVideos
3. #Thought-Mover award – Bianca Gonzales of twitter.com/iamsuperbianca
4. The Artiste award – Jin Joson of jinjoson.com
5. The Advocate award – Elizabeth Angsioco of dswp.org.ph
6. Indie rocker award – Up Dharma Down of updharmadown.com
7. Ball Breaker award – Le Salonga
8. Tech Junkie award – Mark Macanas of techpinas.com
9. The One award – Filipino Freethinkers of filipinofreethinkers.org

Members of the Tatt council

These are the members of the Tatt council who got together and voted on who will receive the awards. These members are some of the most prominent personalities in their respective fields online and offline.

1. veteran journalist Maria Ressa
2. Rock Ed Philippines founder Gang Badoy
3. blogger and entrepreneur Cecile Zamora-Van Straten
4. tech blogger and Tattoo ambassador Rico Mossesgeld
5. director and video blogger Kring Elenzano
6. radio DJ Chico Garcia
7. President of the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines Hans Roxas-Chua
8. Tattoo Head of Nomadic Broadband Dong Ronquillo.

Boys from Pangarap Foundation dance for joy on their 22nd anniversary.

Many big corporations focus all their energies on moneymaking efforts despite being blessed with millions in profit year in, year out. However, some businesses take time off from the race for profits and devote some of their products and resources just to make children happy. Such generosity is rare with most businesses. One such rarity can be found with Greenwich Pizza.

Pangarap Foundation has recently celebrated their foundation day and Greenwich was there to join the celebration. Greenwich generously gave pizzas to 100 children who celebrated Pangarap Foundation’s 22nd anniversary with singing, dancing and prayers to God.

Bro Francisco Tanega is the head of Pangarap Foundation, a charitable institution that provides clothing, food and shelter to street children, primarily boys. Many of the boys housed in the Pangarap Foundation were living on the streets surviving by working menial jobs in parking lots, begging or petty theft. They risk their lives for the basic necessities of life, just enough to stay alive.

Pangarap Foundation also has its share of success stories. Before they release a ward from their care, that boy must be able to find work with a decent wage and can survive on his own. He must be self-reliant and not a burden to government and society. Some of Pangarap Foundation’s success stories have come back to celebrate the Foundation’s 22nd anniversary, some of them married with children and have been very proud of where they were raised. To these people, Pangarap Foundation is truly a godsend; with the help of some of the most generous hearts in Manila and elsewhere, some of the foundation’s most talented and deserving boys are sent to prestigious universities like the University of the Philippines, Ateneo De Manila University and De La Salle University to study on full scholarships.

Pangarap Foundation welcomes donations of all shapes and sizes. Great or small, Pangarap Foundation will always find use for your old stuff. Call Bro. Francisco Tanega at Pangarap Foundation, Tel. Nos. 834-10-61 / 551-37-33 Fax : 834-10-61. You may email them thru pangarapfoundation@yahoo.com

Pangarap Foundation is located at 2503 Taft Ave. cor. Escobal Street Pasay City, 1300 Metro Manila.

This is my Tito. He’s my Dad now.

My father died in 1978 and he didn’t leave much to me in the way of memories, because I was very young when he succumbed to cancer. However, these tiny fragmented memories are very precious to me, so forgive me if I don’t share these with you, dear reader.

However, the lessons I have learned are the ones I will share with you. And these are very important ones that we should all remember about our fathers.

Top 4 Reasons Why We Should Thank Dad:

1. He worked his ass off to give us the creature comforts we enjoy. To the father who needs to be away from his family just to make sure the kids go to school and have a brighter future, kudos to you! That’s double the sacrifice. So to the children of OFW fathers, stop and think about their sacrifice and deal with your daddy-issues. Let his sacrifice mean something. Make him happy by being successful.

2. If your kids are sent to school by your Dad, then you need to thank him DOUBLE! He’s done with you and now he’s helping YOUR kids. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but all the more that you shouldn’t take him for granted. If they meddle with your affairs every once in a while, that’s because he cares about you. People who care about you will always tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear.

3.Thank your Dad for being that authority figure in your life. He’s the guy you take after, like it or not. Learn from his mistakes and improve yourself. Carry your family name with pride and integrity. Lucky are you if you have known your father well and have lived with him until you have children of your own. The wisdom passed on to you will be invaluable.

4.Thank your Dad for being what he is. Your Dad. He may not be around all the time but without him you will not be where you are. Whether he treated you badly or he loved you to bits, you are who you are because of your Dad. Thank him for that anyway. If you feel your father didn’t love you well enough, thank him still because now you are stronger than you will ever be. As long as you survive in the game of life, you will never be a loser for as long as you’re still in the game. And your Dad had a hand in it, in one way or another.

Foodie me and no recommendations? Of course I do! See the restaurants I recommend where you can take your Dad out for Father’s Day. That’s June 19. So, SAVE UP!

Top 5 restaurants to take your Dad for Father’s Day

1. Melo’s Steakhouse. Most Dads love steak and Melo’s serves the most succulent Wagyu steaks in town!

2. Sambokojin – Well, Dad isn’t the only one eating. If you want the rest of the family to enjoy the Father’s Day dinner, bring them to this wonderful smokeless grill restaurant that has recently opened a new branch along EDSA.

3. Dampa – In the Cubao branch, you can rent a room and even have a Karaoke machine rolled in there. Dad can sing his heart out.

4. Red Box – A bigger budget than Dampa? Red Box has a classier interior with state of the art Karaoke machines, a buffet and limitless drinks. Dad would definitely approve.

Photo owned by www.wheninmanila.com

5. One Tagaytay Place Suites – It’s a nice hotel in Tagaytay City and you might want to spend a family weekend there. Nice swimming pool and, of course, food excursions that Tagaytay City is famous for.

Man does not live by bread alone. At the Bakery Fair 2011, there was a whole lot more we could live on including Gluta Ice Cream (Yeah, I was just as intrigued, imagine ice cream infused with glutathione to give you fairer-looking skin! More on that later.)

The organizer, Filipino-Chinese Bakery Association Inc, were successful in putting this all together. There was so much to see, AND EAT! There were so many people and you could get lost in that large crowd, but please do heed my important tips if you decide to swing by tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is that last day.

Top 4 things to remember when going to the Bakery Fair 2011

1. Make sure you are in business attire. Though they are not so strict about it, the guards will not let you in if you are in shorts, slippers and sando. Yes, even some girls, no matter how sexy they looked, have been denied entry so dress decently. Not really a coat and tie, nor a Barong, but for the guys, shirts, jeans and closed shoes are a must. The girls just need to cover themselves a bit.
2. Come early so you can take advantage of the cooking demos and seminars that you would normally pay too much for. Some of the country’s most innovative bakers and bakery operators are here so feel free to ask questions. I know it’s not the Franchise event, but for those interested in going into the food business, several reputable business consultants and franchisers abound.
3. There is the matter of the P100 peso entrance fee. Don’t complain, it’s worth it. Just don’t fall in line only to find that you didn’t fill out the registration form prior, like what happened to me so I had to line up again. May be useful to bring a big bayong for all those things you will not be able resist buying.
4. There’s one ATM in the lobby but don’t count on it. Bring some extra cash because when you get in, you will find such bargains that you have never seen before, ingredients that you never thought you will find and gadgets you never thought existed at such outrageous prices. No, I am not exaggerating. Better to see for yourself.

This bread of soft and delicious. My problem now is where to buy it again. I have hamburger patties at home, so I fried them and plopped them into the hamburger buns of Guam with some cheese, catsup and pickles. The best burgers ever. Nothing really beats homemade.

This lovely cake will greet you at the door. So beautifully made! There’s no cake underneath, the guy says and it’s pretty obvious, but a cake like this for your WEDDING or DEBUT?! Imagine the oohs and the aahs.

I love caramel and Stick-o, don’t you?

Just some of the really nice things to buy. I got a whole plastic bag load of them.

There’s this peculiar thing about Chinese bakery items, they’re dirt cheap but really good! Now why can’t those so-called European-style bakeries have the same prices? As a kid, I love going to Chinese bakeries. They’re so much more interesting because of their mixture of sweet and savory stuff. Many have chided cakes and pastries from Chinese bakeries because they’re supposedly of low quality compared to the usual commercial bread shops at the malls. Not true at all.

I met Chef Emman Galvez while he was making this pizza that had teriyaki sauce, kani, mangoes and cheese. It was really interesting!

I didn’t get to try it but it looked delicious. I just might come back tomorrow and have some.

This is one of the most interesting things I saw; it’s an ICE BELL. You plug in the machine, put clean water through a spout on one side and wait a few minutes. After some time, which the marketing person failed to mention and I failed to ask, semi-crushed ice comes spouting out of the top and it fills the rest of the ice bell. It looks like an inverter bell filled with ice. It’s P250k and works best with events, parties and store fronts.

Neat huh?

I want one of these just so I don’t have to wait for food to freeze. I think this machine is cool, pardon the pun

Remember I mentioned something about Gluta Ice Cream? Here it is.

I couldn’t believe it either, ice cream that makes you white, and it’s open for franchising!

According to the guy who gave me the brochure, this is vanilla ice cream that contains a powerful anti-oxidant known as Glutathione which supposedly enhances liver functions, makes your skin whiter and fights aging. I was offered a taste, but I’m cool with my dark skin tone, and my liver works fine. I’ve no issues with growing old because we all go through that. However, as a business venture, it’s not a bad idea. If you’re interested, call them at 0949-3385056 or 0915-9576894.