The last day of July saw me dining out with friends from the office. The lunch was good and so were the laughs. This was not really the original place we decided to dine, but a little kink about selecting tables became an issue so we decided to move to Burgoo at the 4th floor of the Power Plant mall. We were glad we did.
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf was always more than just a coffee (or tea) place for me. My experience with CBTL always includes something learned and unlearned. At a photography workshop sponsored by CBTL, I learned that it is always important to have inspiration before taking a picture. Aside from the fact that there is a need for documentation, pictures can be just as effective as words when trying to convey a message. In very much the same way that writers experience writer’s block, photographers can also “lose the moment” when they lack inspiration. And that is what I probably lacked all this time. However, what I do have, is a story for every picture I take, and the pictures below serve as a testimonial.
Most people, including myself, would love to go to a restaurant the serves fresh pasta. Not the one from a bag but pasta that has been made from scratch, that is, from flour to dough to sauce to your plate. I’ve only tasted fresh pasta once at a really expensive restaurant, which my sister paid for (lucky me).
Last weekend (June 15), I was lucky enough to witness Italian executive chef Carmine Pece of the Cafe Puccini at a cooking demo inside the Rustan’s Supermarket, Power Plant mall. It was father’s day and there were a lot of people at the mall and Rustan’s took advantage of the large crowd by celebrating Ciao Italia, an Italian food festival to be celebrated throughout June. Meeting chefs have always been a treat for me, not only because they cook well, but because I haven’t met a chef I didn’t like. They’re funny, witty, gracious and accommodating, always willing to answer every question, no matter how stupid or inane (can you make tiramisu without Mascarpone cheese? Apparently, this chef can!).
Last weekend at the Powerplant mall, I spotted the Salcedo Market crowd at Rockwell’s bargain souk, which in Arabic means marketplace. Despite the weather, people trooped to the souk with hopes of getting the most out of the big bargains, as advertised by the colorful streamers found throughout the mall. Though the crowd may be the same, the buys weren’t as fantastic and I thought it would be.
Some hard-to-find items may have been worth the visit. However, I still couldn’t get over the P50.00 (US$1.22) entrance fee into the Rockwell tent, where the non-food stalls abound. I really think they would get more foot traffic into the place if they let the concessionaires pay for the venue rentals. Experience tells me that markets with the entrance fees are actually more expensive than those without (like the wildly successful Salcedo Market and the Lung Center market.)
