THE FLYING PIG HAS LANDED!

 I'm a "Flying Pig".. get it? A "Flying Pig?... never mind..

         So I'm sure by now, you all know I won the online contest of myfoodtrip.com, right? Meaning, yes, you lucky devil you, are reading the actual written works of Mr. Myfoodtrip 2010, himself. Please.. try to control yourself. (from hurling?) hehe..

       A few days after the winners were announced, I got an email from the lovely Leslie of myfoodtrip.com, congratulating me and as well as coordinating the pick up of my prize. My options were to either have someone pick it up, have them send it through "Snail Mail", or if I would be picking it up. Rina wanted me to pick it up so she could take pictures, ya know, for memories sake. I thought it would be a cool thing to blog about as well. Of course, I asked permission first from Leslie if I picked it up in person, if they'd allow Rina to cover it for my blog, which she of course said was no problem. So Leslie and I set a date to meet over at Eastwood so I could pick up my prize. 

     Picking our meeting place for me was easy. What kind of carnivore wouldn't be drawn to a restaurant with a name like "The Flying Pig"?                     

     I had been to The Flying Pig one other time before, and had a rather mixed experience. The food was outstanding but there was a mix up in the kitchen that initially turned me off a bit.. I ordered their "Pork Belly", but two minutes later, the waiter came out from the Kitchen to tell me that it wasn't available anymore (Seriously, I hate when that happens), so they asked me to change my order. I reluctantly ordered the Spare Ribs instead (which was the first time in my life that I've ever ordered Spare Ribs, "reluctantly"). Two minutes later, the waiter comes back to me to tell me that The belly is now available, and it's the ribs that they're out of. I found it rather odd, but It was a welcome change. The manager saw my reaction to the whole situation, although I didn't cause a scene or anything like, and immediately walked up to my table to apologize for the mix up. By the end of the meal, they gave me a free chocolate cake dessert, and charged me the Belly for the price of the ribs (which was cheaper). So they I left Flying Pig, chalking my experience there as a good one.

     Rina was already in the restaurant when I entered, and little did she know, she was sitting right beside Michael (Leslie's awesome boss, as she calls him) of Myfoodtrip who would be joining us for lunch. A few minutes later, Leslie arrived, and we got to ordering. I looked through the menu and I noticed a few changes, namely the Pork Belly I had ordered before wasn't on the list anymore, so I decide to go with the "Spectacular Spare Ribs". Just as I was telling Michael and Leslie about my last experience wherein my order wasn't available, guess what? The waiter tells me that the Spare Ribs are.. you guessed it.. NOT AVAILABLE.

     Nice. 

THE FOOD

Not so sure what was so "Texas" about the smoked sausages

         I ended up ordering the Texas Smoked Sausages (2 pcs. P279.00, 4 pcs. P495.00) instead, but more out of panic. They had all ordered, except for me, and considering this was the first time I had met Michael and Leslie, and considering I was the one holding up their orders from being cooked, I was facing astounding pressure. (You know that feeling when you have your mind set on what you want to order, then since it's out of stock, you're completely thrown out for the loop? I really hate that feeling.) I ordered 4 pieces, but it honestly seemed more like 3 1/2 because the fourth sausage was basically half the size of all the others. It was actually a delicious, juicy sausage, but with it's hint of chili, it was more tangy and spiced than meaty, which I expected it to be. The baked beans side didn't do anything for me, though. I found it a little bit dry. Minus the beans, it wasn't a bad substitute dish at all. 

There's something about Paella that makes it easy on the eyes

       Rina ordered the Paella Con Salpicao (P685). As I've mentioned in the past, my aunt makes the best Paella ever, so I'm not really impressed with other Paellas, but I have to admit, this one was quite exceptional. The slices of tenderloin beef used was so soft and the mix of the vegetables and other spices complimented the rice, which was cooked just right. It's one of the pricier items on the menu, but it can feed around 5 people, so it's justified.

"Spectacular", indeed

     A week or so later, Rina and I went back to The Flying Pig, because I felt this post would not be complete without featuring their Spectacular Spare Ribs (P345). And you know what? I'm so glad I did. Maybe It's a sign of old age, or something, but I ordered one order of this, and I split it with Rina, and we were both pretty much full afterward. 

Beautiful char marks on it..

    This was a beautifully grilled piece of pork, where it's fat simply melted in your mouth. Even the skin was not just merely edible, but absolutely delicious. The BBQ sauce was glazed heavily on the skin, which caused it to caramelize after being grilled - giving it a delicious sweetness.

Gimme mah meatloaf!

             Although I said we were both full, it didn't stop us from ordering The Flying Meatloaf (P295) to share. This was rather disappointing. Although it was wrapped in bacon, that strip of bacon came off as a bit dry for me, as was the actual meatloaf. The mashed Potatoes could have used a few more minutes of pounding to eliminate all the remaining lumps, but otherwise, it wasn't so bad. I found the mushroom to be a bit too thin, coming off more like a broth or drippings rather than a sauce. 

In the future, all rice will be Bacon Rice.

      Of course, everything tastes better with Basmati Bacon Rice. Such a simple dish, yet it manages to enhance any dish that it's paired with. Because that's what bacon does. It makes everything in the world, better.

PHOTO ALBUM

Rina's Drama Pose.. Schatzi can see me from afar hehe

I win Mr. MyFoodTrip and all I get is..... a picture with Leslie!? hehe kidding

  

I actually got a pretty cool gift bag! 

The picture with Leslie was just a bonus hehe..

P.S.

    It's a great time to be a foodie, because Myfoodtrip has got some great plans in store for you all! In case you haven't liked their page on Facebook yet, you should be ashamed of yourself (weirdo).