Adventures on Easy Street: A flightless night at Lord of the Wings

When my friend and I decided to finally (FINALLY!) go through with our (much belated, frequently cancelled) dinner plans, we decided to just wing it. That is, see where our hunger would take us. Not very far, apparently, because we wound up a stone’s throw away from my office.

Lord of the Wings is a recently-opened restaurant owned by Chef Diego Castro along Maginhawa. Surprisingly, there was no reference whatsoever to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings but the interiors had old-school microphones and radio sets and my favoite, old comic strips on the tables!

It boasts of having six different types of sauces for their chicken wings. But because we didn’t know this, it wasn’t something we ordered. Which you know, is weird of us to do—not order any chicken at a chicken store.

Instead, we chose to carbo-load and ordered two types of pasta and potato wedges. Because there isn’t much anyone can say about potato wedges, we’ll go to the pastas.

Lord of the Wings' Sweet Angel Carbonara and Crispy Adobo Pasta were disppoing but then again, the restaurant isn't called Lord of the Noodles.

The Crispy Adobo Pasta was a disappointment mostly because it was far too oily while the adobo not too crispy. They weren’t so much of adobo flakes as they were adobo crumbs. It was a challenge to eat.

The Sweet Angel Carbonara wasn’t that special or any different from the usual carbonaras but it was more tolerable than the Adobo Pasta.

As much as the different types of sauces for the chicken make me curious, I don’t think I’ll be coming back any time soon.

Lord of the Wings
36 Maginhawa Street, U.P. Village, Quezon City
 

Teachers Village needs a good Japanese Restaurant

aka the Maguro Sushi Bar Experience

As part of my continued search for the Ramen of my childhood (which my sister is convinced is from Ajisen Ramen), or something better, my friends and I tried Maguro Sushi Bar in Teacher’s Village. It was also to celebrate the first day of my birthday week (yay vanity!).

Maguro Sushi Bar is a modest little place along Matalino Street, in between Kalayaan and East Avenue. While most of the other food places there have screaming neon signs, Maguro embraced the simplicity of the Japanese in its interiors . It felt warm and intimate and generally looked like a good place to unexpectedly find good food.

Not that we did.

Well, it wasn’t the OMG-I-FOUND-THE-RAMEN-OF-MY-DREAMS experience, not even the I-finally-found-a-good-Japanese-Restaurant-in-Teacher’s-Village experience. It was just—ok.

While ordering my Beef Ramen (PhP110), I asked if they were offering options for the soup base. When the waiter kind of looked at me funny, I knew it wasn’t a good sign (the Beef Ramen has soy based soup, btw). The noodles seemed to be fast food noodles, just a little firmer than your Lucky Me Supreme instant noodles. The soup base just felt oily and didn’t really taste right.

We also ordered the Maki Platter (Php165 for 16 pcs) which was ok except that it lacked Japanese Mayo.

If you’re wondering if we’re coming back to this place, probably not.

Though  it has Crazy Katsu (which sadly lacks makis and sushis in their menu), Teacher’s Village sorely lacks good Japanese Restaurants.

28 Matalino St., Teacher’s Village
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(+632) 922-0129
11:30am to 11pm, Monday to Saturday;Open from 5pm to 11pm, Sunday

In case you're looking for a Mr. Thursday (and Friday and Saturday) up North

Foodies up North (of EDSA) were thrilled when the brilliant minds behind Mercato Centrale, Soderno and Distrito Makati finally brought the weekend food market experience in Quezon City with Mezza Norte.

No longer do we have to troop to Ortigas, Makati, Taguig or Alabang to get our foodie fix.

Though most of the booths are the same with those in most weekend Markets,  I'm glad to report that the QC-based suppliers rejoiced with its opening and have joined the fun.

Here are some tips for in case you get to drop by:

 1.  MOST SULIT: Paella by Flavor Avenue
Paella Valencia > Bagnet Paella
But I heard they're offering different flavors on different days- like Lechon Sisig Paella (feel the cholesterol!) and Paella al Nero (Negra).

2.  Bite-size food

The most unique thing I've seen here so far were those little taco-things people wanted to fit into egg cartons. There were even mini taco shells from made from malunggay leaves.

3.  If you haven't had enough isaw in UP, here you go
also works in case you're too lazy to go to UP, Isaws, Barbeques and street food are staples in weekend markets.

Awesome except I don't eat Isaw.






(In case you want to strategize where to eat, visit Anton Diaz's blog for a map of booths here.)

Mezza Norte also offers live entertainment like this band of two people who seemed old but played Jonas Brothers songs.

The sad part was that the wifi didn't seem to be working. But hey, let's not trade the experience for the sake of documentation, yes?

On a side note, I was really amused to still have been able to find a pay phone in the area (thank you Ministop) but even more so that even pay phones now look like mobile phones. Will our kids even know what landlines look like?

MEZZA NORTE, Mercato of the North
UP Techno Hub Mall, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City
Every Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 6pm to 3am.

Adventures on Easy Street: Mga Salinawit sa Sopa Negra

Huli man daw at magaling, naihahabol din. Bilang pahabol sa pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Wika (Agosto), sisikapin kong isulat ang artikulong ito sa wikang Filipino (salamat, Google Translate at paumanhin sa lahat ng naging guro ko sa Filipino).

Nitong nakaraang taon, nadiskubre ko kasama ang isang kaibigan ang Blacksoup Cafe + Artspace sa kahabaan ng Maginhawa St., Teacher's Village. Naging isa ito sa paborito kong destinasyon kahit pa nagkalat sa paligid nito ang iba't ibang makakainan. Ito'y hindi lamang dahil sa katakam-takam nitong mga putahe (subukan ang pork chop ciabatta at twice-cooked adobo!) kundi dahil na rin sa mga interesanteng likhang-sining na litrato at poster sa mga mesa at dingding, pati na rin sa mga libro at album na inaalok nila sa kanilang mga parokyano.

Sa dinami-rami ng pagkakataon na dito ako kumain, nitong nakaraan ko lamang nakita ang isang libro na kamuntik ko nang nakawin mula sa lugar- ang 101 Salinawit ni Pete Lacaba. Dito, makikita ang mga pagsasalin ng nasabing musikero ng mga awiting banyaga tungo sa wikang Filipino.

At dahil walang binatbat ang awtor na ito sa pagsusulat sa ating sariling wika, mas mabuting ang mga larawan na lamang ng mga napili kong awitin ang magpatuloy ng kwento:

Blacksoup Cafe + Artspace
54 Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village, Quezon City
12 nn-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-11 p.m. araw-araw maliban sa Linggo

P.S. Nais ko ring magpasalamat sa mga tauhan ng Blacksoup sa hindi pagpapalayas sa akin kahit kanta ako ng kanta sa loob ng nasabing restaurant

P.P.S. Ngayong Setyembre ang anibersaryo ng Blacksoup. Bisitahin ang kanilang Facebook page upang makita ang kanilang mga promo para sa pagdiriwang nito.

How Nagsasa taught us about climate change

While many people have heard about how great and wonderful Anawangin in the western coast of Zambales is, our group decided to go a little further to Nagsasa Cove. Not that we did not appreciate the lake and beach and the pine trees of the former (which was also the venue of a John Lloyd movie, I was informed), the place was just a tad too crowded for our liking.

Nagsasa is about a slow-boat’s ride away from Anawangin.  While the place has also started to become popular recently, there’s still plenty of space to enjoy the beach which is roughly twice the coastline of Anawangin, the gery-white sand and the clear waters.

According to a friend who has also visited the place two or three years back, there used to not be any commercial establishments in the Nagsasa. Now, though, there’s the Beach Place where people can rent gear and recreational equipment in case they didn’t come boy scout-ready.

 

Still, I’d recommend Nagsasa for the more adventurous and not so high maintenance. You’d have to be able to build a tent, a bonfire and be able to go to the bathroom (yes! Thankfully, there is a true bathroom) in the dark.

Nagsasa also offers a trekking trip for those who want to squeeze in all the adventure they can from this little cove. For only P50-P100/person, your guide will get you from the beach, through some grasslands, through rocky paths, through a river, over boulders and finally to the falls.

Unfortunately for us, the river dried up when we did the trek and the falls was down to a trickle. The water was cool and (for those who drank) sweet.

TIPS:

·         HOW MUCH?  For commuters, the budget for this trip is roughly P1,500 (AO May 2012). Includes fare (bus to Olangapo, bus/jeep from Olangapo to San Antonio, tricycle to Pundaquit, boat rides, camping fee). Excludes individual meals.

·         HOW TO GET THERE? The Victory Liner bus station in Cubao doesn’t have trips directly to Iba, Zambales. You would have to stop over at Olongapo and get a bus/jeep to San Antonio. If you're coming from Pasay though, you can just ask to be dropped off at San Antonio. Also take note that the said bus terminal sells tickets to Zambales starting 2:30 AM but leaves around 3:30 AM. When at the San Antonio Municipal Hall, get a tricycle to the resort of your choice from there (each ride is usually P30/person). Remember to ask your boatman/guide if he's meeting you at the resort or at the municipal hall.

·         WHEN TO GO? Come to Nagsasa during the dry season (April to late May; or November to February). For us, though the weather forecasts said we should have expected thunderstorms, we only experienced a slight drizzle. The waves though, were slightly less forgiving.

·         WHAT TO BRING? Bring lots of water for drinking and cooking. While spring water (from the falls) and mountain water (available through hoses near the campsite) might be potable after filtering with cheese cloth, this would not be advisable for those with sensitive stomachs or for children. Just so you know, the store in Nagsasa charges P30 for a 330mL of bottled water. (Surprisingly though, they sell Halu-halo for P35).

Also bring a tent, a sleeping bag/blanket, sun block, appropriate footwear, bags for water proofing and for your wet clothes, food, flashlight/headlamp/candle and matches, your own surfboard or skim board, a camera and your sense of adventure. Leave your Diva behind.

·         WHAT NOT TO DO. Aside from being a diva, please, please do not litter. Trash from Pundaquit and Anawangin were already floating on the water. Please preserve the beauty of our beaches and our waters by not littering.

·         POSSIBLE DISAPPOINTMENTS? Please take note that you will not have any cellphone signals while at Anawangin/Nagsasa unless you plan on bringing your own tower.

      If you’re hell bent on seeing the falls, and you’re the sort of person who likes getting disappointed, try asking your guide if there really is a falls to see, first. Also, if you plan on trekking, bring the appropriate footwear. Your flip flops would be ruined climbing the boulders. Also, try the berries your guide might point-out- they’re a good source of energy.

If you plan on going to Capones, ask your boatman to pick you up early. The waves get bigger the later it is in the day.

·         WOULD YOU GO BACK? Definitely! The cove offers most of the activities I like trying out- the beach, the mountain and the supposed falls. The bonus for me here is how quiet it is and that there are pine trees along the coast (I’m a sucker for pine trees, I think).