Boracay

While it's still sizzling hot, you should consider going to Boracay.  The white sand and the sunsets are still unbeatable.  And nothing else can get you on a real summer vibe than a Boracay vacation.

On the first hour of arrival, we head straight to Jonah's for their famous fruit shakes. I always get the melon-mango milkshake, with less milk.

Our first dinner was at D' Talipapa.  It's still a very delicious "paluto" experience.  Seafood is still fresh and plentiful, but it is not as cheap anymore.  The influx of Koreans and Chinese to this famous island has hiked prices so much, it's cheaper to go seafood-shopping in in Farmer's Market Cubao! 

fresh crabs set you back 660-750 pesos per kilo

fresh lobsters cost over 2500 pesos per kilo!

steamed crabs and grilled squid are my favorites

Fresh uni steamed with eggs.  I still prefer sashimi-style.

The next day, we went island-hopping.  We went snorkelling near Crocodile Island. The area around it is full of colorful fishes, sea snakes, and corals.  It's also a very popular diving spot.  Then we headed to Puka Beach for a swim. The water there is much cleaner than in Boracay. 

Puka Beach

The next day was spa day for me and Cai.  We headed to Station 3, and very near the end of the beach is Bella Isa Salon and Spa. Tell your tricycle driver to bring you to Angol. This unassuming spa is not for the tightwads out there, but they have a very warm and attentive staff.  Look for massage therapist Rodelyn (her picture is featured below). She's very good!  I thoroughly enjoyed her full body massage with scented coconut oil.  We also luxuriated in their full foot spa after miles of walking in the beach for a few days. It included a pedicure!

I've been to Boracay a few times, but it is only in this trip that I discovered Dos Mestizos, an authentic Spanish restaurant along Calle Remedios.  It's very close to the Boracay Police Station. Their paellas are the best! Their version of my favorite Paella Negra was cooked in fresh squid ink, came with aioli, and had generous amounts of seafood. For Tapas, the gambas and the oysters are no-fail choices.

Beside Dos Mestizos is Gusto y Gustos Deli.  We had our after-dinner coffee and dessert here.  Must-try: their cafe latte and donut.

The friendly owners we met in the deli recommended we come back the next day for the Boracay's Saturday Community Market. We found fresh vegetables, freshly squeezed fruit and veggie juices, and many other cooked specialties.  But special mention goes to the Bicol Express of Mang Jun. It's so tasty, delicious, and spicy! He also makes the famous Boracay Chili Bomb sauce. Mang Jun cooks food for several of the hotels in Boracay, and even caters for their "boodle fights".  The cook actually hails from Antipolo where he grows his own chilis.  He may already be back by now.  Contact him at the numbers shown on his Chili Bomb bottle below to order.

Of course, a Boracay visit won't be complete without the legendary Calamansi Muffin. Real Coffee is now located in Station 2.

Calamansi Muffin

view from the second floor of Real Coffee

Another tip: Don't leave without having the best Oyster Sisig of Boracay and the Philippines! It can be found in barLO of Two Seasons Boracay. 

Also, go on a boat ride during sunset in Boracay.  It's life-changing.

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Rags2Riches Artisans

Yesterday, at The Podium, Rags2Riches held their very first "Decorate Your Own R2R Bag Workshop"-- with patches and appliqués and the skill of their R2R artisan weavers!

I was looking forward to an afternoon of design and style. I had that, and I went home with so much more. I had such an inspiring encounter with the R2R artisans! 

The woven panels that evolve into the bags and wallets we love are produced by hand by these home-based women artisan weavers. There are now ten different communities of weavers: they are in Parañaque, Malate, Payatas, Batasan Hills, Tondo, Taytay, Novaliches and Caloocan. They are taught and trained to weave the cloth panels which eventually give rise to the popular R2R pouches, bags, and wallets. These women are very skilled, and also very creative.  They were giving me suggestions on design. They attached my appliques quickly, and their work was very "clean". They knew their own products so well -- the colors, the styles, their uses. And they were even directing me to give comments on their website about my inputs and ideas for other workshops in the future.

I also learned that the artisan weavers are given classes in values-formation and financial education by R2R and its partners to mold them into well-rounded, empowered workers who will be able to give themselves and their families better lives.

My daughters and I love our R2R stuff.  They're pretty and practical and eco-ethical.  And it's great to know that they come from a company that is truly connected with our society. A company that has a hand in offering others opportunities to grow with pride as they create stylish products while learning and earning to advance their lives. The R2R artisan weavers are such a motivated and skilled group. They are truly an inspiration, even to their customers. And I am now, without a doubt, an ardent R2R advocate.

Shop online at their site: rags2riches.ph.

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Honor Thy Father

I was able to watch this movie on Christmas Day. Though I'm not usually a big MMFF fan, this movie caught my eye as a good quality serious film not to be missed as it is not of the usual run-of-the-mill mold typical of Filipino movies.

I was not disappointed. The movie tackles real current issues in a sensible and unsentimental way. The movie demonstrates the unrelenting love and sacrifice of a parent and the strength of familial ties. The movie also touches on religious fanaticism justifying forced tithing, unreal investment returns disguising greed and scams, and the unrestrained cruelty and blatant selfishness that exists in our society.

As I assume many who are reading this may not have seen the movie, I will avoid discussing the plot in detail so as not to be a spoiler. Suffice to say the movie shows how a desperate husband and father will stop at nothing to save his family. The actors in the movie, especially the leads John Lloyd Cruz and Meryll Soriano, are effective without exaggerating. So are the performances of Krystal Brimner, Perla Bautista, Dan Fernandez, and Tirso Cruz III. The conversations in the movie lead you quickly into the heart of its story, and then slowly die down toward its concluding scenes of destruction. And the use of Kankana-ey dialect by the protagonist and his family (who are portrayed to hail from Bontoc) I especially took note of. It projects the closeness of the community and of the family to each other and it displays their oneness with the values inherent in their culture. This, I believe, is central to the story of Honor Thy Father. When pressed into drastic and hopeless situations, we do go back to our roots. 

Although some scenes do drag on at times, I am still proud we have a Filipino-made film that is not empty, not petty, not predictable, and not about far-fetched ideas. It's sad that it seemed like the least-lined-up-for movie that day. It deserves more than that. It is thought-provoking and stirs the soul. Go watch and see for yourselves.

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Fun and Mart Korean Grocery

I was so happy discovering this new shop in our neighborhood.  It's called Fun and Mart Korean Grocery.  My mom had been to it first, buying frozen dumplings for my children (which they loved fried or steamed).  The frozen popcorn chicken is easy and good for young and old alike.

I soon visited too, and I unearthed such great finds.

They have great fruit juice drinks.  I especially took a liking to their crushed peach juice. I have been buying them in boxes! It's not too sweet, and the pulp is not too much that it's annoying. It's refreshing and a great pick-me-upper for me.

They have different kinds of soy sauce and salad dressings and soba sauce.  Also bulgogi and kalbi marinades which are very reasonably priced.

They also carry the popular ginseng chicken stew Korea is famous for.  They are packed ready-to-eat. Just heat them. Nutritious and fortifying!

They have all sorts of canned goodies. Even the Korean snack of high-protein silkworm pupa! I hear it's a popular "pulutan".

I found my favorite frozen salted mackerel in Fun and Mart, also very reasonably priced.  We just pan-grill it with olive oil and some garlic.  It's very tasty, doesn't get dry when cooked.  It's very easy to prepare for packed lunch.

They carry premium beef for shabu-shabu hot pot and for bulgogi.  They even have wagyu steaks!

They carry all sorts for the potato-chip lovers out there.  Even the hard-to-find Calbee honey butter chip! My personal favorite is the Crown Gold White Cheddar Cheese which has sweet honey and is low in salt. 

They carry Korean beauty products too, like BB creams and Envisage Collagen Face Cleansing lotion, and Hairfull products.

I also love their home-made yogurt and shakes. They're just the right yummy level of tarty! I am eager to try their snow-flakes next!

 

Now, this is my treasured find from Fun and Mart-- the Honey Butter Macadamia.  It's my most favorite snack these days.  Great with beer too.  They run out quickly, but you can always give them your name and number.  The staff is very efficient with orders and they send me messages once what I need are back in stock. 

They are open til 11pm in the evenings, so I can easily catch them after work when I want to (which is often). Fun and Mart is at the ground level of the Bellitudo, along Katipunan in White Plains. 

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lunch at Tapella

A meal of Spanish cuisine is always something I look forward to, and my recent lunch at Tapella in Greenbelt 5 did not disappoint. The place has such an inviting, comfortable feel to it. It was a great place for business lunches before during my banker days. And it still is an apt choice now for enjoyable meals with colleagues, friends and family.

We started with this generous salad of mixed greens with a tasty tamarind balsamic dressing.  It also has some of my favorite things-- candied walnuts and goat cheese!  The greens and tomatoes are the freshest.  It is an appetizing sweet-sour start to a good meal.

Next on the menu is the refreshing Mango Gazpacho. This is a classic Spanish-style cold soup of tomatoes and olive oil, and Tapella's version has crab meat, salmon roe, and mangoes as a twist!   

The next starter dish is another must-try! This very tasty sisig is made with eggs, morcilla or blood sausages, and pork over shoestring potatoes. It's very special! I can imagine sharing this with some friends over drinks at happy hour!

Truffle-based pastas are popular these days. Tapella's Truffle Cream Pasta, though, is a real feast for the senses.  It reaches you at the table with a heavenly, mouthwatering smell. The use of Spanish jamon as bacon makes it a truly singular experience, delicious yet not overpowering at all.   It is a really delightful dish even my picky children will surely like.

Tapella's Maya-Maya fish recipe is a hit with me too-- it is garnished with lots of my favorite mussels and mushrooms! This is indeed a light and pleasant dish with its white wine parsley sauce.

For dessert, chocolate is always a no-fail choice.  But this Lava Cake turned out to be one of the best I have ever tried.  I love warm chocolate desserts, and this cake is not too sweet, moist and thoroughly warmed just right.

Tapella is offering Christmas set meals til the New Year. Check it out.

Or if your celebrations are at home or in the office, you may call them for catering services. You can choose from set menus or have them customize one for you.

I can't wait to go back for some wine, tapas, paella, and lengua. Here's their menu!

Tapella is at the Ground Floor of Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center in Makati City.

Phone Nos.: (02) 757-2710; Telefax: (02) 757-27-11

Mobile No.: +63917-712-4546

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