The Best

November 21, 2010, 1:52 am

≫ Next: The chicken will come to the house

Here's one dish I'm proud to say I helped create for Pepper Lunch Philippines.
Beef Yakiniku is thin slices of beef that's marbled with fat, marinated in special sauce and drizzled with sesame seeds.
Piping hot, it tastes like Korean barbecue and good to the last bite.
Some people even like to pour what's left of their plain rice over the sauce when all the meat is gone.
So good and plenty it's good enough for sharing. Or maybe not if you're really hungry.
Beef Yakiniku is guaranteed to knock your socks off, trust me on this one. Just try it.
Only at Pepper Lunch Rockwell, Greenbelt 5, Shangri-La Plaza and Alabang Town Center.

http://pepperlunch.com.ph/

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The chicken will come to the house

November 21, 2010, 3:07 pm

≫ Next: "Pinoy Sunday" director wins in Taipei

≪ Previous: The Best

On Monday l tried to go to Bonchon Chicken and Wee Nam Kee the day they supposedly opened. But Bonchon was out of chicken at 2 PM and Wee Nam Kee was closed for a meeting.
Last Friday Wee Nam Kee hosted a media lunch, which I did not go to because of work, so all those tweets about "kanin pa lang ulam na" and cereal prawns tortured me.
Last Saturday, my friend Harold from Stratworks made it up to me by bringing Wee Nam Kee to the house.
Not only did he bring food for 15 guests, he also brought Mr. Wee from Singapore and his Filipino franchisee Linfred Yap. OK, Jeroen was not prepared for the visit, I had to pry him out of bed.

Last year Jeroen and I met up with Mr. Wee in Singapore to discuss the possibility of bringing in the franchise to the Philippines.

But I guess God has other plans for us. The franchise went to the young entrepreneur Linfred Yap.
Here's Wee Nam Kee in Singapore

And here it is in Manila, well, a rendering of it. I haven't eaten there physically as the place is always crowded.

Here's what we had at home: Hainanese chicken rice, which my son Christian—who doesn't like rice—loved.
I think it's the perfect baby food. I was also thrilled to feed him with chopsticks. (I love my son.)

Here's the Roast Chicken

Here's my bowl

Wish they had brought the more traditional white chicken

And the cereal prawns

They brought veggies

Grace brought Estrel's

Lucille brought Banoffee

And the gang's all here: Grace and Linfred

Poma and Kevin

Pia, Quark, Mich, Ramon, Neva

(Clockwise from left) Lucille, Jay, Cedric, Maika, Dennis, Frank, Harold, Marc, Candy, Jenny, Pia

Wee Nam Kee now open at Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati.

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"Pinoy Sunday" director wins in Taipei

November 22, 2010, 6:03 am

≫ Next: Escape

≪ Previous: The chicken will come to the house

Wi Ding Ho, Malaysian director of Pinoy Sunday, has just won Best New Director at the The Golden Horse Film Festival Awards Ceremony last November 20 In Taipei.

The Golden Horse Film Festival is the most prestigious and longest-running film festival of Chinese language films in the world and is considered the Asia's equivalent of the Oscar Awards

Cannes winner Wi Ding Ho will be in Manila on December 1st, 2010 to attend the Philippine premiere of Pinoy Sunday as the Opening Film of the 12th Cinemanila International Film Festival.
The film will also have regular screenings during the festival, which runs from December 1-5, 2010.
The film about Filipino OFWs living in Taipei stars Epi Quizon

Bayani Agbayani

Meryll Soriano

and Alessandra de Rossi

http://pinoysunday.com/
To know more about Cinemanila go to http://www.cinemanila.org.ph

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Escape

November 22, 2010, 4:49 pm

≫ Next: The Room

≪ Previous: "Pinoy Sunday" director wins in Taipei

We came here without a plan, except maybe see a few friends, go shopping, eat really good food, and visit places we've never seen.
Ten years ago we were here on our honeymoon, so on our 10th wedding anniversary this November 25, we decided to be in Tokyo.
We took a Delta flight, upon the recommendation of my friend Ginggay, and we loved it. Better than taking Cathay or Japan Airlines to Narita.
If you take the upper deck you get all this space for your stuff. The bins on your side fit all your reading material and abubuts

and I still have space for my trolley

The seat reclines a full 180° but who wants that? I like to lay down on a slight angle.
It has real a real pillow and blanket that covers your entire body from neck to foot

the nicest flight attendants and so on. I fell asleep while Jeroen watched "Salt" the movie.
(Note: wa niya type)

I don't eat on the plane so at Narita we looked for food after customs.
Welcome to the First World. The escalators will accommodate all your luggage on a trolley, whether up or down.
Think of Shopwise shopping carts that hang on to the walkalators. They should really invent baby strollers that can do this. We're going up

I am Jeroen's personal paparazzi. Walang ganito sa Pinas!

What to eat?

We only had 30 minutes so I chose these. I've been on a Coke fast this entire November, so that's orange juice, nuggets and fries

Oh, and I had five minutes to Muji

so I got these: warm gloves and the loveliest socks. Cause I still wear socks and proudly so.

It was 19° in Narita.

(to be continued)

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The Room

November 22, 2010, 5:01 pm

≫ Next: Daikanyama

≪ Previous: Escape

I chose a hotel in Shibuya, because the last time we stayed at Mitsui Garden Ginza, the room was just too tiny.
We love this room: a 44-square-meter King room

Medyo blurred

So much space and large closet

Jeroen calls this the Muji chair

He even loves the hotel pen

The bathroom is divine, with an extra large shower and bath combo and heated toilet seat

Iniibig kita

This is Tokyo at 4:30 PM. Is it winter yet?

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Daikanyama

November 22, 2010, 5:13 pm

≫ Next: Dinner at Wan

≪ Previous: The Room

Masa and Sayoko picked us up at 7 PM for dinner. But first a quick stop at Daikanyama, for a little window shopping.
This place is called Kapital. It sells mostly reworked clothing and accessories

Uso ang parol dito, pero mas chica

Hi Tata!

Next we went to Pacific Furniture Service, which creates new furniture based on retro styles.

Toti would approve

Love this coffee table

and this lecture chair

Then we went to this chicang hardware store where Sayoko bought my white mailbox

Mas chica sa Ace Hardware

Bakit ganoon?

I told you, uso ang parol dito

Finally, a quick stop at the Margiela store around the corner

The fitting room

And me (enlarge)

(to be continued)

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Dinner at Wan

November 22, 2010, 5:49 pm

≫ Next: H&M fail and then some

≪ Previous: Daikanyama

Masa and Sayoko took us to a place called Wan, which has a Spirited Away kind of feel.
It is on the 3rd floor of a building somewhere in the heart of Shibuya.

First you take off your shoes and put them in lockers. Jeroen can reach the top lockers

There's Masa

Sayoko and Masa did the ordering

We started with a complimentary bowl of delicious salad topped with strips of crispy wonton

Oh, this prawn and cheese lumpia was to die for. We ordered seconds!

In honor of Paul the Octopus, RIP

For Ana: seriously the freshest salmon

Yakitori platter

We cooked pork on a mini stove

They shared this giant turnip

I had to have my wings

That done, Jeroen brought bread for today's breakfast.
Later, C

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H&M fail and then some

November 23, 2010, 8:06 am

≫ Next: Shimokitazawa

≪ Previous: Dinner at Wan

Today was spent with Joey and Hide who live and work here. We planned to eat yakiniku (grilled beef, to be more precise) but the guys were too kind to let me make a side trip to H&M.
Joey said he didn't think the Lanvin collection would fly over here because the party dresses look ridiculous to the Japanese eye. He was kind of right because most of the people coming out of the store at noon looked like foreigners (read: mga Pinoy!).

There was no line but a Guardia Civil stood right in front of the main entrance.

These were the windows in Shibuya today

The rules posted on the window were kind of a turn-off. You had to queue for a color-coded wristband with a designated time for shopping—good luck to your ten minutes! You can only buy one item. So screw that.
The men's section, however, was open season.

Here's the throng of people being told they were out of wristbands.
But you can return at 1 PM and shop all you want.

We decided to come back after lunch at nearby Jojoen, which Sayoko-san said was the favorite of her Filipino guests

Very festive

Hide and Joey ordered for us

I wanted scallops. Before:

And after (I want to try this at home)

Jeroen wanted bibimbap

The tutong (burnt rice) was just lovely. My dad would like.

I love beef bowl

OK pork was clearly the winner here. Before:

And after:

See the ruins. I really feel bad for Japanese dishwashers.

Oh, and Hide and Joey treated us! ありがとうございます!
Back at H&M was kind of pandemonay. No pictures please!

I can tell you now Joey was right. None of those colorful frou-frou dresses were moving. Especially the pink ones.

So yes I got my loot, as in super konti lang—one for Ana and one for Grace because they are my best girls. Pajama pants for me and something for my goddaughter.
The weather was so lovely. They boys did wait for me at Starbucks while I finished shopping.

Well, so much for H&M x Lanvin. Conclusion: This ain't Comme des Garçons.
And you, did you get anything?

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Shimokitazawa

November 23, 2010, 8:28 am

≫ Next: You are invited

≪ Previous: H&M fail and then some

After lunch we had to walk off some calories, so off we went to a place called

Its streets are lined with small shops and restaurants Ana would love.
This outdoor place makes use of crates for tables

They serve oysters!

How I sometimes feel like

An artist's store called X

Festive barbed wire

Love this store

That's a Mich Dulce mannequin inviting customers to go upstairs

Here's another one. Very creepy...

Boys in the 'hood

Too cute

Love this retro poster, but I'm on a Coke fast so....

it makes me very sad to see this and not be able to have some!! I have not had Coke for three weeks!

Jeroen was looking for something hip and exciting, and we found this:
The thought of barbecued pork wrapped around a rice ball makes me very excited

Tokyo Walker ranks this small hole-in-the-wall as Number One!

Jeroen had to try

Here's what it looked like

and that cute table of condiments

eaten on a street bench

Success!

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You are invited

November 23, 2010, 10:11 am

≫ Next: Steak day

≪ Previous: Shimokitazawa

There's hope for single men who've had No Girlfriend Since Birth.
RJ Ledesma invites you to a book launch and signing this Thursday, November 25, 2010 at Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4.
After Lies My Yaya Should Have Told Me: An Imaginary Guide to Whine and Women and I Do Or I Die: An Imaginary Guide to Getting Married and Other Man-Made Disasters, magazine editor, newspaper columnist, events host, struggling actor and manservant to his wife and baby daughter RJ Ledesma inflicts tertiary damage to the local literary scene with the launch of his third book, Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Me? RJ Ledesma’s Imaginary Guide to Flirting, Body Language and Pick-Up Artists from Anvil Publishing.

is it hot in her or is it me invite copy

In his latest compilation of humorous essays, RJ shares five universal steps of flirting that women use to ensnare clueless men, improves literacy standards by schooling men in female body language, and reveals the secrets used by professional pickup artists to make women do things they will regret the following morning.

Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Me? RJ Ledesma’s Imaginary Guide to Flirting, Body Language and Pick-Up Artists is now available in National Bookstore and Powerbooks nationwide.
To know more, go to http://www.rjledesma.net.

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Steak day

November 24, 2010, 8:47 am

≫ Next: PUMA's Urban Art Face-Off this Saturday

≪ Previous: You are invited

Jeroen wanted to go back to Steak Kuni because he wanted to eat this

But last time, Mr. Kanno picked us up in a car.

This time, however, we didn't want to bother anyone, so we decided to commute.
The hotel staff printed maps and directions online, but on the way to Steak Kuni, I was distracted by things such as Tinsley Mortimer's clothing line called Riccimie that I didn't know existed. In Tagalog, "Mayaman Ako."

Passed by this wonderful food hall and wished I could just eat everything and not gain weight or throw up.
Just look at all this beautiful bread

I ate a small serving of salmon and roe on sushi rice while standing up

Then we went down Shibuya station to take the train to the Sumo town of Ryogoku

This is the home of Sumo wrestling and the Pepper Lunch head office.
Of course there is a Pepper Lunch under the train station—one of 200 outlets all over Japan.
Jeroen contemplated having a 300-gram steak here, but our goal was to find Steak Kuni.

After an hour and a half commute, we found it! Halleluia!

Steak Kuni is popular among Sumo wrestlers, as well as the restaurant below it

I just love the retro interiors. So Japanice!

So nice that the chef remembered us from our last visit

Jeroen ordered two kinds of steak

and ate both our salads

If soft-shell crab is on the menu, I'll take it

Et voila! This was one of our steaks. The other one I forgot to photograph.
We realized we didn't quite order what we went there for (see photo on top) but it was good enough for us.

Steak Kuni is at 1-2-16 Yokozuna, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Nearest station: Ryogoku
Tel. 03-3623-9215
Open from 11:00am-11:30pm

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PUMA's Urban Art Face-Off this Saturday

November 25, 2010, 6:18 pm

≫ Next: SMI Friday

≪ Previous: Steak day

This November 27, 2010, gather around as PUMA invites you to do some serious self-expression through urban art.
Puma will provide the sneakers and materials to art groups who will be asked to create art installations.
The works will be judged by no less than Manila’s coolest: Leeroy New, Juan Alcazaren and Ryan & Garovs of Everywhereweshoot.
Winning group get dibs on awesome PUMA stuff plus bragging rights.
All happening at the PUMA store, November 27, 2010 at the Eastwood Citywalk 2,Libis QC from 6-9 PM.
Beats by Caliph8, Pasta Groove and Picoy Cruz.

Poster by JP Cuison

↧

SMI Friday

November 26, 2010, 4:20 pm

≫ Next: Meguro

≪ Previous: PUMA's Urban Art Face-Off this Saturday

So much information, I don't know where to start.
In Tokyo, Jeroen lets me sleep all I want. He gets up early for a swim or gym while I doze off.
For us, lunch happens between 1-2 PM. Jeroen wanted to eat at Mr. Kebab in the side streets of Shibuya.
It was a beautiful jacket day in Tokyo.

Mine was a giant plate of grilled beef and Japanese rice. Jeroen's was a chicken kebab roll, which he loved.
So good we want to go back later.

I know loads of designers (like Marc Jacobs) pick up design ideas from the streets of Japan. Well, I think I know where the Givenchy Pandora originated from. I've seen Japanese school girls sling their school bags on with one shoulder strap, creating that Pandora look.

The Pandora was available at Adora, last time I checked.

The H&M x Lanvin dresses were still there yesterday and will be there today :)
Cause I love this town!

Tonkatsu Wako: I love this signage. Not your typical font used in Manila for Japanese restaurants.
In fact Japanese restaurants here don't play Japanese songs. They play Beatles and jazz. Unlike Manila where they still play "Sakura" in Japanese restaurants.

This is my favorite apartment building in the world. But they are stores now obviously. This is Omotesando.

One day I will have these vines

Paid a sad homage to the Nemeth store in Aoyama, where I've been buying clothes since 1985.
The windows were draped in black. I thought they were closed, since Nemeth died last September.
I bought two pairs of pants and ordered shoes.

Sayoko-san picked us up in the store. Some of you are asking about her. I met her through my Tita Vicky of S.C. Vizcarra, who is my mom's BFF.
She is one of our dearest friends in Japan.

I feel sentimental about Maisen, but didn't eat here this time.

We are on our way to Sayoko's store in Aoyama

The store is called Kika Style

It sells S.C. Vizcarra bags

It sells

and Mich Dulce hats, among other cool things

Sayoko said figure skater Johnny Weir loves Mich Dulce hats

Beautiful Yoyogi Park plant sculptures

(To be continued)

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Meguro

November 26, 2010, 4:42 pm

≫ Next: Delta is Love!

≪ Previous: SMI Friday

Sayoko took us to Hotel Claska in Meguro.
This out-of-the way boutique hotel has function rooms on top that host art events.
This is the moody hotel lobby

We don't have these in Manila. I love how they do moody dark lighting here

The hotel's "museum shop"

These are Sayoko's friends

Bikes for hotel guests

We visited a few shops in the neighborhood.

We went to D&Department Project

Upstairs, not your regular home store

Downstairs, a quick bite

Why so chica?

Love this dreamy town

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Delta is Love!

November 28, 2010, 5:35 am

≫ Next: Doppelganger

≪ Previous: Meguro

I used to fly Nothowesto Koku (Northwest Airlines) all the time when I was flying back and forth New York and Manila back in the day. Then Delta merged with Northwest not too long ago.
I forgot all about the airline and just flew Cathay kind of everywhere, even to Tokyo. All because my sister and I had a really bad experience with Japan Airlines two years ago.
Then Ginggay told me about Delta, which flies straight from Manila to Narita.
The flight going to Narita was great enough.
But the flight going home was even better. Imagine that Jeroen and I were allowed three pieces of checked-in-luggage per person?
Since we only had five pieces, all weighing 20 kilos or less, we were checked in within five minutes and charged NOTHING for enjoying shopping in Tokyo.
So stress-free, I would do it again!

Next steps: Get a BPI Skymiles Mastercard for the miles. Find out where else Delta flies to.
Delta is Love.
http://www.delta.com/

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Doppelganger

November 28, 2010, 8:48 am

≫ Next: November 29

≪ Previous: Delta is Love!

In fiction, folklore, and popular culture, a doppelgänger is a tangible double of a living person that typically represents evil. In the vernacular, the word doppelgänger has come to refer (as in German "doppelt(e)") to any double or look-alike of a person.
The word is also used to describe the sensation of having glimpsed oneself in peripheral vision, in a position where there is no chance that it could have been a reflection. Doppelgängers are often perceived as a sinister form of bilocation and generally regarded as harbingers of bad luck. In some traditions, a doppelgänger seen by a person's friends or relatives portends illness or danger, while seeing one's own doppelgänger is an omen of death. (Wiki)

Very creepy. I swear I saw Jujiin's doppelganger in Shibuya.
He was playing drums while handing our fliers in front of a Pachinko parlor.
In fact he handed me a flier. When I looked at his face, I got shocked at the Jujiin impostor. (see below)

So shocking

OK fine. Jujiin is much better looking. But I tell you I was really shocked.

I also realized which of my friends have the most impostors in Tokyo, besides Jujiin:
1) Andre Chang. I can't tell you how many boys sport the Freddie Aguilar hairstyle, no offence to Mr. Chang :)

2) Daryl Chang, his sister

3) Ryan Vergara

Take note that none of those mentioned have Japanese blood.
You might be wondering why Garovs was not named. Only because I think she looks more Korean than Japanese.
This is Garovs

and this is her Korean doppelganger, Jinny Kim at Park Jun Salon

↧

November 29

November 28, 2010, 9:33 am

≫ Next: Craftholic

≪ Previous: Doppelganger

Happy birthday to the sweetest sister in the world, who has a thing for ostriches (Illustration: Patricia Mapili)

she even served them for lunch

somewhere in Batangas

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Craftholic

November 28, 2010, 7:36 pm

≫ Next: Why Mich and Quark can't marry

≪ Previous: November 29

Loft in Shibuya is one of those massive wastelands (Tokyu Hands is another), just leave me in there for one hour and I'm happy.

Wish I could show you my loot, but they're still in my luggage. I like to keep things in the luggage a few days after a trip, so I have this chest of really nice things to look at.
One of the things I indulged in is a plush toy from Craftholic, which makes the softest stuffed toys ever.