A QUICK STOP AT ELBERT'S CHEESE STEAK

Is it fair that she's four months along the way, and I STILL look more pregnant than she does? 

          I was minding my own business, whilst surfing the net, when Rina's friend, Zee begins raving on facebook about a deal she got from the group buying site "Twangoo,com", for the famous Elbert's Cheese Steak Sandwiches. I've actually tried this already before, but that was around two or so years ago, so I was more than willing to get my Cheese Steak on once again.  


        The awesome Twangoo Deal I got gave me P600 bucks worth of food for only P300, so not only was I planning to pig out, but I was planning to pig out as a happy man that just saved P300 bucks (or so I thought).

GROUP BUYING: I'M NOT AN ADDICT.. THAT'S A LIE

     Ok.. first off, before I start sounding defensive, as food blogger, you need to understand that I'm not earning a single cent from this my site, therefore everything you see before you is the work of pure passion. That being said, I'm also not exactly Mr. Moneybags like Warren Buffet either, (although I have to admit, that is an awesome last name). Don't get me wrong.. I do make a decent living, especially since we try to live within our means. I don't have very many fancy gadgets and all that. I never had a PSP, my cell phone is two years old (and i found out if I sell it in greenbelt, I can get a measly P3,500 for it), and I drive Rina's old (but still servicable) 1994 Lancer. The only jewelry you'll find on me is my wedding ring, which is fine because I really have a strong dislike for wearing watches and necklaces. 




       It's a good thing eating out once a week has been part of our budget for quite sometime now, but with a baby on the way and a house to maintain, I won't lie to you, It's not always easy. But here's the thing.. My blog makes me happy.. it's my therapy.. my escape from the stress of the Real World, so I'm not giving it up, no matter what. If I need to start blogging about BBQ stands in my village streets, I'd probably do that (but I hope it will never come to that) Sure, I may slowed down a bit with the posts to stretch it out, and post perhaps once a week to keep up, but to me, that's fine. (I used to post thrice a week, then I changed it to twice a week, and no I'm down to once a week, but that's more because of time constraints and sheer laziness than anything else)


      For a few years now, I set at least one day of the weekend for what I call a "Rina Day" (I take Rina out on a date).And since my beautiful wife loves to chronicle our food adventures, "Rina day" is actually one of the factors that helped me get started with my blog in the first place. 


    Some time in October, Rina's friend, Zee (A fellow foodie that has given Rina and I numerous suggestions for places to go check out.. and they've all so far been awesome), alerted Rina about the website Cash Cash Pinoy (www.cashcashpinoy.com). Cash Cash Pinoy is a "Group Buying" site, that has become popular here and in the States. I actually first heard about it on "The Today Show", and was pleased to see that there was one here as well. 

    Rina saw they had a deal for the legendary Spiral Buffet at Sofitel, and she 

really couldn't resist. With a deal like "Pay only P1,160 instead of P2,320 (50% discount), I couldn't really blame her. I bought a couple of those vouchers, and we eventually used them for our "Mr. Myfoodtrip" celebration. 

    After that, I was hooked. 

CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF AN ANGEL

Light of the love that I found

            I have said in the past, that the secret to a long, happy life is a simple two-step process:

            1) Find the most wonderful woman in the world.

2) Never let her go.

THE PALANCA SERIES #3: THE PLANTATION

"Bakit ngayon ka lang.. "

          As I've mentioned in my Bob's and Gustavus posts, C. Palanca Street in Legaspi Village, Makati was my home for two years. If you include my working career in which I was there on a near-daily basis, that would make it four years. So when my office moved to a bigger location in February this year, you can imagine how sentimental it was for me.

     Especially when what used to be a crappy old bakeshop suddenly transformed itself into a snazzy new restaurant, just weeks before our big move. Though I enjoyed those four years I worked in C. Palanca St., the only drawback was, (until recently) there wasn't a very wide selection of food choices. Of course you have everyone's favorite "Jolly Jeeps" that get you cheap, decent tasting meals. A personal favorite of mine, and perhaps the most popular stall along Palanca was called "Lirio's". Apart from that, your choices ranged from "Gweilos" , "Gustavus", "The Balcony" (Formerly "Bistro"), and "Figaro".  

        There was a bakery that had opened up right in front of Lirio's, called "Antz Bread factory", which was basically a poor man's "Bread Talk". Unfortunately, the standard of their breads were nowhere near that of their more famous competitor. Their Pork Floss was dry, and their Pizza breads were mediocre at best. So when they closed shop in late 2010, I didn't even notice they were gone, until i saw construction going on for a new restaurant.

       It wasn't until early January that I was able to visit the newest restaurant that had sprouted on Palanca street. But after my first visit to "The Plantation", I actually contemplated filing a petition to stop our office from moving locations. 

SUMMER TIME ON THE SLIP N' SLIDE!!

Summer Time On The Slip N' Slide! from richiez168 on Vimeo.

           Due to the hectic schedule of my past few weeks, I haven't had the time to write a new post.. So I decided to instead show you all a video of me on my nephew Gael's Slip N' Slide! For those who are curious, Yes, it did kind of hurt the jewels a little bit, but surprisingly, not as much as you would think (It's a good thing I got Rina pregnant already), and Yes, I eventually did tear a hole in my shorts.

      It was really fun!!

BURGER WARS EPISODE 2: BURGER AVENUE

Glen meets her nemesis face to face

           My search for the best burger in the country would not be complete without a stop at a burger joint, whose creation is so huge, there's only one way to describe it.. RIDICULOUS! I had heard of the monstrosity known as The "Ridiculous Burger" a few years back when Burger Avenue first opened. Just looking at the sheer size of it, (Triple patty, cheese, tomatoes, kitchen sink) was enough to blow an artery. But Burger Avenue didn't stop there. If you take on the "Ridiculous Challenge".. meaning finish the burger in five minutes or less, you get your burger for free and your picture and name up on the wall of fame! I love myself some huge burgers.. But to do it in five minutes? That seemed like work, even for someone with my appetite.

      I went "Burger Avenue" at The Fort with my friends to try it out, but unfortunately, I found out the hard way that I wouldn't be able to participate in the challenge. Apparently, my name in the annals of food eating is already legendary, and they thought it would be unfair if... Oh who am I kidding.. They didn't allow me to remove the tomato so I was ineligible. hehe

      I returned a year or so later with some friends to check out what else Burger Avenue had to offer.. and guess what? Don't let the name fool you.. They're MORE Than just a burger joint!

WEIRDEST REQUEST EVER: " EAT MY GF"!?

Time to Meat My GF!

           I made my way to the food bazaar, "Best Food Forward" one weekend, just to see what they had to offer. Considering how big a part Food plays in my life, I try to visit events like this as much as I can. I would frequent Mercato Centrale and Legazpi Village Market a lot, so my standards for a food bazaar are very high.

      Rina wasn't with me, so I don't have very many pictures from the event, but I saw some of the old dependables that I would see in other weekend markets, like Manang's Chicken and Hero Sausages, among others. A booth that left me baffled was "King Sue".. You know.. the maker of the cold cuts that you buy from the grocery? A rather odd addition to the Food Bazaar scene was "Rufo's Tapa", one of my favorite local fast food chains (If you haven't had their Famous Tapa yet, you can't call yourself a Filipino).

    Apart from that, There was a food stall whose very name got me intrigued..

"Eat My GF". 

         

THE HUNT FOR ADAM RICHMAN'S "AMERICA THE EDIBLE"!

       My first picture with Adam Richman

      Ok,  I've made no secrets about my love for Adam Richman and his show, Man V. Food. (There, I said it. "I Love him and his show" alright?.) I have every episode of MVF ever aired, (Seasons 1, 2 & 3, including the "Carnivore Chronicles") and I can safely say, that show changed my life. 

    How could a show about one man traveling to America's greatest pig out spots to take on their legendary food challenges have such a great impact on a simple guy, living thousands of miles away? Because the show was the inspiration for my food blog. And if there's anything I'm passionate about right now, it's this simple website of mine. I'm not earning a single cent from the Pickiest Eater (In fact it's quite draining on the wallet to eat out every weekend), but when I think about how much I enjoy eating at different places and sharing my experiences to the world, it becomes all worthwhile. I don't get many comments in my posts, but when I do, it means absolutely the world to me. Someone took a moment of their time to write something to me about how much they liked my work.. Next to hearing my baby's heart beat for the first time, and waking up to Rina everyday, its the best feeling in the world!

     Prior to Man V. Food, I couldn't stand to watch food shows, because it would make me hungry, and it would annoy me that all those stuff I couldn't get here in the Philippines. Then that's when it clicked to me. Why do I have to sit idly by and die of envy with what these people are eating, when I could show the world that there are some pretty kick ass places to eat here, too! After getting hooked on Man V. Food, I became a food show junkie. I think it's my dream to be able to do something like this for a living!