Chasing the Dragon

2012 is the year of the dragon; throughout the year weddings and many other special events spread out and tried to make the cut in the belief that the year of the dragon will bring forth good fortune! That or they just want to celebrate all in December. 

Having gone through the ordeal of wedding preparation myself, i know how the men’s side of things went.  Wedding nowadays are super expensive and people are making good business out of the bride.  They know, once they convince the bride to go for the more expensive option, they know the groom has no choice but to say “yes dear”.  The couple can spend up to a modest P500 / guest to a super spend of P2,500 / guest.  And after the couple has gone through infinity times on revising their guest list, to their super final short list (which can still change in the final week) – you as the guest should feel honoured, and you better think really hard before you even say NO.  Imagine the effort they went through to prepare for their special day and the money that they spent on their guests.  The least you can do is to RSVP, dress up, and enjoy celebrating the special day with them.  So again, THANK YOU to all my friends who went through the trouble for inviting me and the wife, enjoy your life together!!!

The whole year i haven’t attended 1 single wedding, and then December came.  I don’t exactly recall which invitation i received first but all of a sudden, this is how my December looked like:

I suddenly had 7 weddings to attend all in a month’s time.  So here we go:

Neville + Andy

Wedding #1 Dec 4, Tagaytay – Neville was a childhood friend from preschool in JASMS.  The wedding was at Church on the Hill, and the reception took place in a private home which the couple had rented.  It was an intimate wedding, guests were limited to 80 pax, friends and family only.  The reception was very homey and comfortable, soon as the guests arrived at the garden reception the women were given scarves and the men beer.  They even told us that they went up to Tagaytay a week before to spruce up and prepare for the reception.  The couple were really hands on, on this and it really showed.  Intimate, simple, and straight up from an English garden wedding.  The highlight for me was when the groom danced Gangnam with the drunk guys, with me being one of the drunk guys.

Carlo + Roxy

Wedding #2 Dec 11, Makati – Carlo and Roxy are friends and teammates from running and triathlon.  Wedding was in a church in Makati, Kamagong area the ceremonies was nice and sweet, and their personal vows were true tear jerkers.  The reception was at Sofitel, i know what you’re thinking: chocolate chip cookies!!!  Right on!  This was a fun party as most of our friends from the triathlon team were present and it was a good way to drink up and celebrate the calendar year as it ended.  Again, i almost got drunk. 

Alan + Kate

Wedding #3 Dec 12, MOA – Kate is Mayen’s elder sister; church wedding was at MOA.  This church has a certain appeal if you are also into old churches.  I must admit, on a normal day the parking here is not so holy as it is right beside SM MOA.  The highlight for me was when i finally met mayen’s aunt from the overseas which i had a difference of opinions with.  Reception took place at Traders hotel along Roxas blvd.

 

Paulo + Bia

Wedding #4 Dec 15, Antipolo – Paulo is a friend from elementary years from JASMS, and we recently connected again for a project.  The church wedding was at Dela Strada church along katipunan, followed by a reception at Mango Farm, Antipolo.  It was my first time there and it had a rustic feel to it.  The couple comes from the advertising industry so a lot of the guests either had coloured hair, suits, or standout hair cut or hairdo.  As unique as their individualities were, the games were unique as well.  One of the highlights for the guests (well at least for me) the father of the bride speech where the mother of the bride was already signalling him to wrap it up and the 5 minute fireworks after the reception program.

Paolo + Tin

Wedding #5 Dec 18 – church was at mt. Carmel and reception was at Plaza Ibarra along timog ave.  Paolo is a teammate from Secondwind multisport team, so as you guessed it – the teammates was present again.  At this party i did not drink alcohol at all cause i came by way of scooter to avoid the holiday traffic building up. The highlight for me was when our table stood up for the prayer and Eya (not listening) said out loud: tayo na sa buffet???

JP + Melody

Wedding #6 dec 19 – church was at Greenhills and reception was at Edsa Shangri-La.  When those gigantic doors of the Isla ballroom opened, only one word entered my mind: WOW.  They rented out all 3 major ballrooms, which housed 50 tables of 12.  They had a separate backdrop for the host, performers and a gigantic LED screen for the videos.  The attention to detail was above and beyond, it was the most extravagant reception i’ve seen – so wonderfully extravagant that i told my friend, “the only thing missing here is if it rained rose petals”.  I bet, if the ballroom only had more space the couple would have gotten the full line of the philharmonic orchestra!  Highlight: wedding video, it was so nice.  The concept was (i think ha) love in the time of social media.

Third + Johanne

Wedding #7 dec 23 – wedding and reception: Ville Sommet, Tagaytay.  It’s funny how Mayen realized that our 7 wedding streak started and ended at Tagaytay.  My friend was Third, he was our host / tour guide when Drew and i stopped over at Hawaii before heading home.  The couple was so nice and easy to get along with.  On our last night, they took us out for a steak dinner; we laughed and enjoyed each others’ company.  Highlight: star studded wedding: Rica Peralejo, Drew Arellano, kuya Kim Atienza, Piolo Pascual, and Aizza Seguerra! The food was catered by Bizu – CHAMPION!

10 Things I’ve learned after 7 weddings:

1 Bring a candy or gum, the time from wedding to reception is a true test of your appetite

2 Leave the church soon as you can and proceed to the reception to get good parking

3 Having said this, make sure your parking at the church makes for a good and easy way to leave

4 At the buffet, get small portions first to sniff out what’s good and what’s not so good – lahat ng buffet may isang dish na sablay :P

5 Always bring a hanky for you or your date

6 Match your watch with your socks AND wear comfortable socks as leather shoes are really painful to wear!

7 Get a great, spanking belt

8 It would be wise to have at least 2 formal pants, one for barong or one for the suit

9 Men are lucky cause we only wear Barong or Suits for these formal events, no more pressure to think of what dress to wear

10 Don’t mess with the Barong Tagalog – do yourself a favour and don’t buy the tie-died ones, or those couture barongs.  Its meant to be white, and traditional. 

see more photos here

The Snack Shack

as much as possible i try to look around and keep a sharp eye out while running or on my bike or scooter.  i'm a sucker for hole-in-the-wall food stalls.  also, remembering an advice from drew arellano (host of a travel show, weekend getaway) - the best people to ask for good eats are students.  their requirements are simple: value for money and tasty

from the parking area, you will readily identify the Snack Shack.  small, simple, homey, and VERY laid back.  upon parking, the scent of the patties will greet you right away once you are within smelling range.  as you move closer, youll notice a smoking tent from afar - thats them.  

 

move closer, and you will see this blackboard.  then an establishment greets you as "men!" you know these guys run a simple and direct approach.  how it works, you look at their menu board first to know what you want.  they only have 2 burgers: quarter pounder w/ cheese and half pounder w/ cheese, you can also put in some personal requests like: no onions, extra veggies, no catsup, with all the condiments, etc.  they also have plenty of add ons like bacon bits, extra cheese, bbq sause, and spicy salsa - each add on is P15.

 

they serve fresh grilled burger, nothing is fried.  how it works is that theres a pen and paper and you write everything you want on the paper (basing from their menu board), dont forget to put your name cause theyll just call you out once your order is up - hand it to them and theyll start making it. check out the free hugz.  i'd get one if only they werent dudes - on second thought i think ill get one next time i go back.  

their burgers are no joke!  they automatically grill their burgers medium and crispy on the outside.  a very far comparison from any burger meal of mcdo or jollibee.  all of their burgers come with all the condiments: catsup, mayo, mustard, and real slices of vegetables.  best part is, prices start at P60.  it'll make you think: if these guys can price their gourmet burgers at this low price - wham, brothers, and other burger joints are ripping us off! btw, i have no more respect for mcdo's quarter pounder.

you can find them near the UP diliman post office.  they open around 11am and they close when all their burgers are sold for the day (about 6PM).  one time, i went their around 5:30pm and they were already closed, exage.  true story. 

Eid el Fitr

DISCLAIMER: i am not a food blogger nor am i a cook.  I enjoy travelling, eating, and photos.  This review is entirely from an enthusiasts’ POV – so don’t expect any culinary terms and references in techniques of food preparation :D

Binondo – we’ve heard that there were a couple of walking tour (historical and gastronomical) through the area, and we always wanted to go, but never really getting around to it.  We always plan ahead and say “ok, we’ll go next week, Saturday.”

And came this long weekend – we both decided to take on the challenge.  Our tour was inspired by the Binondo street food guide of FHM September 2010 issue.  It’s always been lying in our bathroom along with the other pile of bathroom readables (all bathrooms have one, if you don’t have one, make a pile.  Like, NOW).  On a side note, the article was also authenticated by a good Chinese friend who is also familiar with Binondo. 

What do you do on the Muslim’s Eid el Fitr? Go to Binondo!

There was a low pressure, in the north most part of the country – so this made our tour WAY great.  The weather was 28-30 degrees Celsius and very overcast.  

We planned on parking near Quiapo church for a reason; at this point mayen was making final adjustments to our route and stops.  Mayen and i decided to make the farthest food stop as our first, and work or rather, walk our way back towards the car.  

Going to our first stop, we took a trike.  Since we didn’t have to spend on a walking tour or a guide which probably cost around P1,500 per head, including food.  We figured it was ok to spend a little on local transportation.  

Since Mayen and i are into marathon / running we treated this as a race.  We figured if we were going to finally do this, we were going to do it right:

Dong Bei

642 Yuchengco street

Specialty: dumplings

Price: 10pcs for P80.00

I love how their menu looks like a hundred years old, aged like a pirate’s treasure map.  Their menu and cartolina may look like it was made in the 1800s but their prices are up to date.

While waiting for out order, mayen was already updating our adventure race map which of course mayen tries to explain to me; but i was just too absorbed by how we are already actually there and doing the tour – FINALLY!

evidently, others also seized the holiday.

LOOK! Real, authentic Chinese chilli garlic sauce!!!  It’s dirty, its gritty, its greasy and homemade!  I love this stuff, it’s the best thing that the Chinese ever invented!  THE BEST! Its been probably there for days, and thousands of customers must have double dipped already!  It was ok though, the best chilli ive tasted so far is STILLL from Le Ching.   

Hands down, the best and tastiest dumpling i have ever tasted.  The size, of how little these things are, are exactly the reverse of the flavour it packs.  Its like the most flavourful and potent dumpling i have ever bitten in to.  We got 5pcs Kuchay and 5pcs pork dumplings.

No big kitchen, no team or crew.  This is the scene that will greet you upon entering their restaurant.  One of the owners (in floral) work hand in hand with their trusted employee. 

Chuan Kee 

650 Ongpin street

Specialty: Go Kong and Kiampong rice

Price: P130 and P35

This is like a Chinatown food court, serves anything and almost everything.  No frills, and always bustling with customers even at odd hours. 

 Si ate uma-angle!

Check out their LED tags!

 Kiampong is the salted fried rice, cooked the adobo way and Go Kong is a bowl of five different meats served with a patatim-like sauce.  

Shanghai Fried Siopao

Ongpin corner Bahama street

Specialty: Fried Siopao

Price: P16 each

Everything here is simple, its just like a typical neighbourhood bakery store.  You can get other tasty treats on the side – but this stall is best known for fried siopao.

Ooh la la

Tasty treat, easy to eat and carry anywhere! 

This is how they make ‘em and this is how many they produce on a daily basis.  These things took like 1/3 the space of the shop.

Suzhou Dimsum

Sabino Padilla street

Specialty: xiao long pao

Price: 4pcs for P90 

Mayen trying to use her blood line (being ¼ Chinese), trying to read the menu

They taste good, in my opinion better than Shi Lin and Crystal Jade – ALTHOUGH the wrapper was soggy and too thick.

New Po Heng Lumpia House

Uy Su Bin bldg 531 Quintin Paredes street

Specialty: Hokkien Lumpia

Price: P50 each

Holy blindside attack batman!  by far, this was the only stop that posed a challenge to us.  It was literally hidden in one small corridor of a building lobby and if you don’t constantly look left and right – you will SURELY miss this.

Walking in to the place was like entering a drug deal.  It was dark, humid, and all we could hear are Chinese echoes from a distance which i can only presume orders from their Chinese boss.

At last!

Walking in there was like waiting for a deal to go south.  Do we bail?  Do we retreat?

Then this store front slowly unfolds.  We barely found the place, and as we walked into it – sideview pa ng restaurant yung nakaharap!

main source of light

The store front – nothing fancy, parang karinderya

The last stop in our adventure food race; their display case didn’t have any other food on display so i assume they only served the Hokkien Lumpia.  It had some crunch, sweetness was just right, and garlicky in taste (who doesn’t love garlic?!).  It's so good that we wouldn't mind having a second serving - if only we weren't full.

Other food items or dishes was available for ordering in all the places that we went to – but we figured we’ll just stick to their best sellers on this first try.  Honestly, i was mildly disappointed with the chilli garlic sauce also.  In all the places that we went to, none measured up to Le Ching’s chilli garlic sauce. 

End workout totals:

Distance: 2.3 kilometers

Calories burned: 200

Calories enjoyed: 500

Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Cost: P602.00 (including transpo and parking)

Last tip: don’t drink soda or juice for 1) so you don’t fill up and waste stomach space, 2) you get to keep your palate clean and pure to really enjoy the authentic tastes that Binondo has to offer and 3) lessen the cost, sodas and juices are all overpriced in restaurants. 

On our way back we passed by Avenida where Mayen looked at some old school Casio watches which was either hard to find in malls, or very expensive in amazon.

Casio CA53W – calculator, alarm, chrono, and water resist

When mayen was still in college (not so long ago), she had a college professor who was already 70 years old and had this for a watch.  She just found it so cool that she wanted one for herself. 

That is why we had to park near the Quiapo church area.

Classic.