My First Longboat Race Experience

One of the best perks of tagging along with R during his work trips is being able to have unique experiences. I've had my knees lit on fire as part of massage treatment, and I got to enjoy freshly harvested sugarcane while walking around a sugarcane field. But one of my favorites was my trip to Guagua in Pampanga where we got to witness a local longboat race and even got to ride it too!

Fast and the Furious, Guagua Edition!

Clark and Angeles are the top of mind places when Pampanga's mentioned. Guagua, though a first-class municipality under the same province, usually takes the back seat. But this town has some quirky happenings too!

When in Pampanga: Bale Dutung

As much as I love to eat out, I also enjoy staying at home and experimenting in the kitchen. Lately, I find attending events a bit too much especially when all my loose clothes are starting to be fit. But an invite to Bale Dutung is too good to resist. And before my brain cells could even process the pros and cons of attending, I already click the send button with yes as my reply.

First Bite: Piccolo Padre Restaurant

Piccolo Padre is one of our Pampanga food crawl stops and A sure knows how to keep one excited with this stop. She mentioned a couple of times how much she loves this place and its oysters. As a big fan of oysters, I drooled at the thought of feasting on some fresh ones. And after visiting the Instagram heaven Teaspoon Café, I counted the minutes till we reached this Pampanga gem.

Hello, Piccolo Padre!

It was like entering a theatre when you step inside Piccolo Padre. Various masks adorn the walls of the Italian restaurant. 

According to Chef Dan Giampaolo, owner of Piccolo Padre, the restaurant’s elegant atmosphere is influenced by three architectures of Venice—apartments above the Venice Canal, the famous Venetian Mask and replica of the famous clock tower in Piazza san Marco with the winged lion protector of Venice and Apostle Saint Mark. 

Action Star in Training Adventure: Mountain Clark Firing Range

I have always wanted to go to a firing range and unleash the action star in me. But I had no idea though that it would also bring out the scaredy cat in me. I was palpitating as soon as I stepped inside the firing range. 

Hello, Mountain Clark Firing Range. 

This was our second Pampanga trip stop and it was perfect as we were all so stuffed from the spectacular Amare feast. 

This spacious compound, known internationally to train combat teams and special services, will groom you to be the next star in 24. It is divided into three areas, each specialising in different defense skills. 

We first visited the shuriken area where we were trained to be ninjas. I tried the easiest ninja star (there were three types to choose from) and threw three times towards the target. And… I failed three times. The others though seem to have some Naruto blood in them as they could properly throw and hit the target with ease. 

When in Pampanga: Amare by Chef Chris

I have been bugging my foodie friends to organize a Pampanga food crawl as this city is a foodie paradise. But every time we plan to visit, it never pushes through. Hence I was so happy when ForkSpoonManila invited me to his Pampanga food crawl with some of food and lifestyle influencers. It was a mix of restaurants, retail and recreational stops making it a trip to remember. Our first stop… Amare by Chef Chris. 

Hello Amare by Chef Chris!

Our first stop has a fancy feel to it given that it’s at the ground floor of Royce Hotel. 

We were warmly  greeted by the very hands-on Chef Chris and introduced himself in a way very familiar to us… that he used to be the chef of C’ Italian Dining famous for its rollizza. 

Love at First Bite: Matutina’s Seafood Restaurant

R told me about this great seafood restaurant called Matutina on our way to Baguio. But since we were still full on our way (as we stopped over an icky McDonald’s) and we were too sleepy on our way home, we missed having a meal there. But a few weeks back, we stayed at a place which was near a few branches when we went to Clark for C’s big day. We didn’t exactly plan to drop by but R’s dad craved for it and so…

Hello, Matutina’s Seafood Restaurant!

It was a simple no frills seafood restaurant that has a bit of Padi’s Point minus alcohol feel to it. (Or let’s change it to Gerry’s Grill as an easier reference.)

Uncle H already ordered for us and we had Bangus na Inihaw (PHP130), Tanigue Kilawin (PHP180), and Sizzling Bangus Sisig (PHP180).

While waiting for our fish, we munched on some coconut candies wrapped like pastillas which were yummy! I failed to take photos as I was already hungry then.

For the price, the grilled milk fish was huge. It was grilled well as it was still juicy when it was served to us. I enjoyed it with soy sauce with calamansi.

Look at that belly!!!

Love at First Bite: Spanglish

Looloo is an amazing app. I find myself relying on the app when I am traveling locally and have no idea where to eat. And last week, Looloo helped me find another great restaurant.

Hello, Spanglish!

After checking in our hotel, R and I went out for lunch to fill our tummies before C’s big day. And since we’re not familiar with the area, I checked Looloo for some recommendations. There were a bunch of Filipino restaurants in the list but the one that caught my attention was Spanglish.

Aside from the high rating, one of my schoolmates reviewed it too saying that it’s a gem in Clark. Convinced, we headed to the Mexican restaurant.

The complex where the restaurant is located looks abandoned with several retail spaces empty. Spanglish was the only area with a lot of customers. And we were lucky to get the last table inside the restaurant. (It was super hot that day!)

We decided to order the following: Chips and Salsa (PHP150), Chicken Quesadilla (PHP310), and Chimichanga Plate with shredded beef (PHP315). R also ordered a glass of House Blend Iced Tea (PHP65) while I got Espresso Triple Thick Milk Shake (PHP240).

First served was R’s iced tea and it was nothing spectacular. I also find it a bit too sweet to quench our thirst.

Chips and salsa was served next and it was quite filling. R and I ate nonstop and after 10 to 15 minutes of munching, the appetizer calmed our grumbling tummies. The pico de gallo was fresh though again, nothing extraordinary.

My Espresso milk shake was dessert and drink combined. It sure was thick and flavorful. I enjoyed it but I need it with a glass of water.

Finally, the mains were served.

2011: A Gluttonous Year

Disclaimer: Yet another random blog but is surely something from the bottom of my heart (and tummy).

I can’t believe that today is the end of 2011 and awesome 2012 will begin. So many things happened to me this year and I do not regret any of it. I have experienced a lot and visited so many different places this year and met awesome people who are as passionate as I am when it comes to food and exploring Manila.

To end the year, I’d like to highlight some things that made this year extra special.

Intramuros

Oh how I love this place! The Old Manila feel plus the numerous kalesa makes this place an ideal dating and hangout place for me. I remember touring a not-so tourist here and I was the one who ended up enjoying it more. It was like a blast from the past. Educational, fun and truly memorable.

Binondo

I have mentioned before that I have never been to Binondo till June 19, 2011. It was a rainy, rather, stormy day when we decided to explore Binondo in search for some warm soup. We went to Ying-Ying, a popular Chinese (well, almost every food establishment there is Chinese) restaurant in Chinatown. The congee was bland but the experience was… delicious. (Okay, perhaps that sounded a bit wrong.) Now I always find myself in Binondo searching for food; may it be exotic dishes like Soup #5 or ice cream from the Chinese supermarket or the got-almost-everything Korean mart. Plus, this was the place where I got my first kalesa ride!!!

Delizioso! C' Italian Dining

The morning after arriving from Florida-Texas-Japan (too many connecting flights so I’m not really sure which one to mention), I had yet another food trip. This time, an out of town food trip… for the second time this year.

A friend invited me to a Pampanga food trip and I got excited with the thought of eating lots of exotic dishes (as for some reason, I have started to be fascinated and addicted to trying weird and plain exotic delicacies). 

However, Mother Nature was against my goal of eating a lot of bugs that day. It was one gloomy Friday. My friend suggested that we go to this place where the guests eat in nipa huts but that idea was deemed "not feasible" since it was raining. T.T