Restaurant Love: Matutina’s Seafood House and Restaurant

I’m so glad that I live in a country rich in seafood. With a bunch of seafood restaurants around, I never have to worry on where to get my under-the-sea fix. And whenever I travel north, one of the stops I look forward to is Matutina’s Seafood House and Restaurant. 

Hello, Matutina’s Seafood House and Restaurant!

Filipino Classic: Lydia's Lechon

Lechon has always been one of the highlights of any festive celebration. We’ve seen it in big events such as fiestas, Christmas gatherings and well… Cebu. I must admit, I already had my fair share of crispy suckling pig but it’s just so hard to resist it when it’s right in front of you begging to be loved or indulged. Screw cholesterol! Let’s YOLO. Okay, using that term might have just revealed that I’m no longer young. Lame lines aside, The Foodie Station tickled my tastebuds once again by inviting me to its foodie eat up at one of Manila’s classics… Lydia’s Lechon. 

Hello, Lydia’s Lechon!

A well-known brand that has been around for over 51 years, Lydia’s Lechon continues to make gatherings, big or small, extra special with its famous roasted pig. But unknown to many, Lydia’s offer more than just lechon. In fact, it serves other dishes that you wouldn’t associate with lechon. 

Love at First Bite: Puñta Manila

I love Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT Manila)! I always tell my friends that I had one of the best nights of my life when I watched them last year. I never laughed so hard and I thought I would die from laughing. And so when I saw their post on Facebook that their first show in 2015 will be at Puñta along Shaw Boulevard, I began to spam my friends. Sadly, people were busy then. I was too. But I badly needed a laugh.

Hello, Puñta Manila!

Photo from Spot.ph

Please do not ask me to pronounce the name of the restaurant for you. It sounds like you’re cursing when you say the name but I guess this is a creative gimmick of the establishment’s owner, Paolo Bediones. People would love to keep saying the name as it’s something different. But Bediones claims that the name was derived from an expression of surprise or delight and not from a “bad word”. Anyway, I will still not say it. >.<

The place was packed that night so it was a good thing that I reserved seats. We were supposed to be a group of four but two had to back out. So I had an extra chair for my bag. Woohoo.

It was difficult to order since all of the dishes I wanted to try were unavailable that night. I think I tried to order over 7 dishes and yes, ALL WERE UNAVAILABLE. I’m not so sure if it was because business was super good or if they only keep limited supply to lessen throw away cost.

We ended up ordering the following: Pollo Tirada Tortillas (PHP285) and Quesos Quesadillas (PHP275). (I wanted to order more but it was difficult as almost everything I wanted were not available. *frustrating!* )

Service was slow. It took Puñta over 45 minutes to serve our food. The food was served a few minutes after the show started which was past 9 p.m. and we arrived around 8:15 p.m.! Good thing we weren’t that hungry.

Hole in the Wall Find: Phobobo (Pho-King De-li-cious)

I used to not care much about interior designs. I would say, “oh, nice place” without much thought into it. However, working with the Real Living team helped me become more appreciative of details. I even helped style the Yummy booth before for Yummy Eats’ first year and cried when I stepped inside an Ikea store for the first time. So just imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon Hole in the Wall’s Instagram account. The first thing that came to my mind was… I HAVE TO GO THERE ASAP. But work was a bit crazy for the past few weeks. We even have work on Saturdays. Then again, nothing can stop me with my affair with food.

Hello, Hole in the Wall. It has been a long two weeks of agony not being able to visit you sooner.

I was surprised that the place was quite packed on a Wednesday night. I guess Friday night is now seven days a week.

I was really famished when J and I got there so I wasn’t able to take much photos plus I was feeling shy to take photos of hungry diners. I also didn’t really choose which concessionaire to buy from. My only basis that time was which one had the shortest line. At that time, it was Phobobo and Greencheese. But let me focus more on Phobobo in this entry.

I was actually more excited to try Kwong’s and Bad Bird but the lines were too long for my tummy to understand. And since I got rained on earlier that day, a warm bowl of pho sounded appealing.

After a minute or so, it was my turn to order. I quickly went for the Pho Bo (PHP360) and Ox Tripe Chicharon (PHP160). Unfortunately, the chicharon was not available that night. I ended up with Crispy Spring Rolls (PHP140).

Participate in a Food Eating Contest... Check!

To check if I really am a glutton, I joined the Food Warrior Eating Challenge organized by Manila Ocean Park last September 17, 2011. 

My fellow glutton wannabe and I arrived at the Manila Ocean Park at 10am as we were told that we needed to be there early for some medical tests. To our surprise, we were greeted by a ghost town fair with empty tents. 

Apparently, we arrived too early. We were not informed by the organizer that the check-up was moved to 12NN. But that bright smile of one of the organizers and the fact that she somehow got my name right made me forget about that boo-boo.  

We also noticed that there were only a few participants who joined the event as I overheard some of the organizers that they were still open to more participants. I guess the line “possible loss of life” scared potential participants.

Anyway, we patiently waited till the check-up and the actual competition. While waiting, we, I mean, I roamed around and saw this cute restaurant called MAKAN MAKAN ASIAN FOOD VILLAGE. Channeling the tourist in me (and taking advantage that I do look like a tourist… sometimes), I took photos of each of the station and I promised myself to dine there ASAP (meaning that same day). 

Finally, the Food Warrior Challenge was about to start. GAME FACE ON.