I'M ON A WOODEN HORSE.. STEAK HOUSE!

My audition for the role of the next Old Spice Guy didn't go so well

            I'm a very lazy guy, that struggles to get himself out of bed or away from the computer when at home. I'm a homebody that prefers a large order of pizza and a good movie or series marathon, as opposed to a partying at bars and clubs all night. I've noticed most of my posts have been either Eastwood or Makati (I live in Pasig and I work in Makati), so I decided to expand my horizons just a little bit, and explore what lurks in Alabang (I told ya just a little bit). 

    When Rina told me that her friends were planning a get together down South, I jumped at the chance to go on a food trip with them. At first we were planning somewhere in BF Homes Paranaque, but when I realized that the get together was scheduled on a Harry Potter weekend, I thought it would be best to have lunch somewhere in Alabang Town Center, so that Rina and I could go straight to their cinemas right after. I was able to get some great seats via SureSeats.com for the 4:30pm showing (And it's a good thing I did, because the line was ridiculous and by 1pm, they were only selling tickets for the last full show!), leaving me with only one problem.. where to eat at ATC. 

     It's a nice mall and all.. More like a tidied up Glorietta in Makati, but the choices of restaurants aren't anything out of the ordinary. I didn't want to make that rare trip to Alabang, and just eat at Pepper Lunch, Yellow Cab or Italianni's again (Their concession stands are more interesting then their actual restaurants). I resolved that since we went all this way, our meal had to be something different. 

    Rina's friend Lia, who is a resident of the South and has joined us in many adventures in the past, always boasted that once we visited Alabang or any of her "Territories", she would be the one who would play hostess. It was funny because once we got there, she herself found herself a little lost in the labyrinth that is Alabang Town Center. 

  Then came Rina's friend Aiko, who herself is a citizen of the South. She suggested a restaurant that I haven't reviewed yet, and we decided on that. However, I was a little bit uneasy because I knew there were other branches of that said restaurant in Makati and MOA as well, so I really wouldn't be maximizing my trip. But at that point I was just so exhausted from walking I was thisclose to picking the nearest BBQ stand and just going with it. 

   The place she took us to was actually across from the Alabang Town Center, and as we got closer, Aiko pointed out a Steak House, which was right beside the diner she initially suggested. 

 Since I had never heard of this place before, I knew I had found the restaurant I went down to the South for. 

      The Wooden Horse Steak House.

A LONG AWAITED TRIP TO CHELSEA MARKET

If I could turn back time.. 

         One of my favorite restaurants here in the metro is Mr. Jones, and that's primarily on  the strength of their amazing "Bacon and Eggs" dish. I know Mr. Jones' sister restaurant, "Momo Cafe", also has a bacon dish that I'm interested in trying. So basically what I'm trying to say is that Chef Sau Del Rosario and his Raintree restaurants know what to do with bacon. And because of that, they win a special place in my heart. 

       Because of that, it became my civic duty to purchase the Chelsea Market deal that Cash Cash Pinoy offered. It was pretty hard to resist.. Less than P500 for P1000 bucks worth of food? Considering Chelsea's prices and the amount of dishes I wanted to try,  It would be a crime against humanity for me to let a day go by without making the most of this promo.     

       So one fine Sunday morning, my beautiful wife and I visited yet another restaurant in Serendra (I plan to try 'em all) to see if Chelsea Market could live up to the awesomeness of Mr. Jones.

STEAK AND FRITES AT L'ENTRECOTE!

I have raised the flag and surrendered my appetite to L' Entrecote

             Some time last year, My boy Eric, one of my readers whose been following my site since it's early days (much appreciated, buddy!) sent me a message on Facebook suggesting me to try "L' Entrecote". I did a little research on it, and I could see exactly why he would think I would be interested in trying it out. 

      Just like its international namesakes, L' Entrecote is famous for its "Steak and Frites" (for you not familiar with the language, Frites is French for "French Fries".. wait.. so tecnically, shouldn't they call it just "fries" over there? Aaaanyway..). Since I have professed my love for meat and potatoes in the past, this was right up my alley.. except it came with a rather stiff price tag. Because I didn't want to have to sell a kidney just to eat some steak and fries,  "L' Entrecote" fell lower down my list of restaurants to try.. however the important thing was it was always on my list (I actually do have a list). 

      Then along came the group buying site Pakyaw.com.ph with an offer that I could not refuse. I actually had refrained from buying from Pakyaw in the past (I missed out on the Lolo Dad's and Momo Deals.. and now I'm sad.) because they didnt have Paypal yet, but when I saw the L' Entrecote deal, I whipped out my credit card said "Screw it". 

   One fine Saturday morning, armed with our Pakyaw Vouchers, Rina & I sped over to Burgos Circle for an early celebration of my very first Father's Day at  L' Entrecote. 

RAKENROL: BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT FRICKIN' TIME!

Premiere night on July 23! Showing Nationwide on August 10!

        

      It's not everyday that a movie that represents the voice of a generation comes out.. and it's even rarer when you're asked to be a part of it. The movie "Rakenrol" came into my life in 2008, whilst I was working in the Post Production house "Larger Than Life", which is now known as "PostManila".

    RakenRol's Director, Quark Henares, (the guy I bumped into at Chuck's Deli) is one of those genuinely nice guys, and you wouldn't think of him as a director when you first meet him. In fact, the first time I met him, I was handling an event for the.. umm.. "Gentlemen's Club" known as "Air Force One", and he was among the VIP's invited by Direk Erik Matti (My boss) to a special show featuring Aubrey Miles. I was the one assigned to make sure they get in with no problem, and show them to their tables. He didn't really say much, except he had a huge smile on his face. He had just come fresh from directing Maui Taylor in the blockbuster skin flick, "Gamitan", so I thought seeing Aubrey Miles dance gyrate on stage in revealing outfits wouldn't faze him. I was honestly expecting someone along the lines of everyones' perception of the young controversial director, "Rafa Santos". 

        Instead, while he was on his way out, he recognized me as the guy who helped get him in, went over to furiously shake my hand and said to me like a school boy who got a glimpse of his crush's bra strap for the first time, "Thank you! This was the best day of my life!". 

A RAINY VISIT TO ZAO VIETNAMESE BISTRO

Believe it or not, this was shot in the early afternoon, yet it was so dark..

      I'm going to do a magic trick for ya.. Quick! Think of the first Vietnamese Restaurant here in Manila that pops up into your brain! Lemme guess.. "Pho Hoa", right? Yeah, I thought so. If not, was it Pho Bac? or Pho 24? (If you thought up of any other restaurant, leave the name on my comment box please?) My point being, choices for Vietnamese food here in Manila aren't exactly easy to come by, unlike, say, Chinese or Japanese. 

    Zao Vietnamese Bistro was one of those restaurants that somehow flew under my radar. In fact, if it wasn't for their Barbecue Platter deal on Groupon Philippines, I wouldn't have even known they existed- Which is strange because, their two branches are located in Eastwood and Serendra - two places that I frequent quite often. 

   So on a gloomy Monday morning, Rina and I braved the rains and trooped over to Eastwood once again, to make sure we use our ZAO voucher before it expires!