AND THE WINNER OF THE PICKIEST EATER IN THE WORLD GIVEAWAY #1

    I'm so sorry for the delay, guys! I've been a bit loaded at work I wasn't able to draw a second winner right away.. The first name I drew didn't follow the instructions correctly so I had to draw a new one.. and here it is! 


   And the winner of the P2,000 worth of Gift Certificates from Gerry's Grill is...

YABU: KATSU FOR 25 ? YES, PLEASE!

       A couple of months back, I wrote about my enjoyable experience at Yabu: the House of Katsu, which became one of my more popular posts. The booth we were sitting at had a picture on the wall of an anime boy foodgasming to a bowl of yummy Katsu. Rina thought it would be funny if i copied the pose of the boy. Me, being the obedient (not to mention) guillible husband i am, gamely did the pose.. not knowing months later, that picture would come back to haunt me..

     I was invited by the good people behind Yabu: House of Katsu to their event entitled "Katsu for 25: An Exclusive Dinner for the most influential Bloggers, Personalities and Tastemakers". When I got the email from Denise, Yabu's Brand Manager, I thought it was a wrong send. When I realized it wasn't a fluke, I was deeply flattered that my blog would be mentioned in the same breath as some of most prominent names in the blogging world.  

WHEN IN CEBU: KRUA THAI AUTHENTIC THAI CUISINE

        My family means everything to me, so you can imagine how my trip to Cebu last May was perhaps one of the most amazing vacations I've ever had in my life. We haven't gone on a vacation all together in years, and this was our first trip for Rina and I as parents. 

     Even before we left for Cebu, I already planned the restaurants that I wanted to check out. So during the evening, I asked my dad's permission to leave Portofino Resort, where we were staying, and go out for dinner. 

     My dad was quick to reply, "No need, I'm taking you all out for dinner." I told him that was great, and I had a whole list of places that I wanted to suggest, but all he could say, "Sorry, your mom already chose where we're going to eat.. Krua Thai".

     I've argued with my mother many times, and I've come to accept that there was no winning an arguement with her when she has her heart set on something. So I decided that I would use that list for another day, and prepared for our family dinner at Krua Thai. 

14 COURSES.. LECHON DEGUSTATION AT PEPITA'S KITCHEN!!

        One of my new years resolutions as a blogger, was to make sure I attend more blogger events that I'm invited to. I was very hesitant to go last year, mainly because I was a bit shy (I really didn't know anyone from the blogging world yet), but Rina convinced me that if I had any intention of taking my blog to the next level, I was going to need to break out of my shell (I'm being serious by the way). Perhaps one of the events that I had been dying to go to, was the Lechon Degustation hosted by Pepita's Kitchen. When I had heard about that magic night of Lechon concoctions, I had told myself that if ever I get invited to that event, I'm dropping anything and everything I'm doing to make sure I'm there.   

    I bumped into Dedet De La Fuente, owner of Pepita's Kitchen, during Yummy Eats, where she thanked me for the video I made about her two daughters, Lileya, the 12 year old that made a version of Butter Beer here in the country, and Liyora, the young girl that created "Chocolate Happiness". She was proud to note that Liyora's efforts to sell her chocolate treats was able to help buy three wheelchairs for children in need.. Quite an achievement for a nine year old girl!

    Since Dedet was manning a booth at Yummy Eats that featured her trademark lechon, our conversation was cut rather short, but as we said our goodbyes and went our own ways, she turned around and called out to me.. (Well.. she actually yelled out, "Pickiest Eater!") and said, "Please come to my next Lechon Degustation this June!". 

   I think I may have actually shouted out "Yes!" even before she finished her sentence. 

POSTMANILA INVADES MEAT PLUS SUBIC

     Last May, my company scheduled an employees summer outing at Subic. Ever since baby Rain has come into my life, I have made it a point to spend every waking moment of my weekend with her, since I leave early in the morning and arrive later in the night. Which is why my initial thoughts when I realized I'd be away from my wife and daughter for a day, was to NOT attend the annual excursion. 


     I sat down with my supervisor, and was just about to tell her that I wasn't planning on joining them in Subic. Whenever we have an event for the office, I'm usually asked to help out with the planning of the program and such, so before I could start on about not wanting to go, my supervisor stopped to show me the itinerary. We go point by point on the schedule, and then I come across our final destination, which simply said "Lunch before heading back to Manila". I asked where they had planned to have their final meat at Subic, and she said, "Meat Plus". She then realized I hadn't gotten to what I wanted to tell her, so she said, "Sorry, you were going to tell me something?".


  "Yes, what time do we leave?", was my quick reply. 
             

A GEM IN THE SOUTH: MAMA LOU'S ITALIAN KITCHEN

           I was going through my blog, and noticed that there was an alarming lack of Italian restaurant entries. In fact, there is only one entry.. My Italianni's post which was a food trip from even before I was a blogger, and resulted in some pictures I can only describe as "Ugly Ass". With dishes such as Pizza, Lasagna, and Canneloni, all meals that I grew up on, I actually really love food from the beautiful boot in Europe. 

       Unfortunately, my aversion for Italian food stems from my hyper-acidity. Given that Italian food is predominantly tomato-based, eating a dish with Pomodoro or Marinara sauce would ruin my stomach if consumed in large doses (Unfortunately, I don't know how to consume food in any other dose).

     I first heard of "Mama Lou's Italian Kitchen" during my trip to Soderno, and got a taste of their "Panzarotti", which is basically a "Pizza Pocket", similar to a "Calzone". They had a cream based sauce variant called the Bianca Panzarotti that, when mixed with the Bleu Bheese dip, is phenomenal. A little research revealed that Mama Lou's was actually a restaurant in BF Homes, and anyone who has heard of it, has only heard nothing but good things about it. In fact, I've been planning to meet my online buddies from the South, Kevin, Roxy, and Jaime (All whom I've met through my blog but not yet in person) and our choice of location is..? You guessed it! Mama Lou's!

     Rina and I took Baby Rain down South with us on a Beautiful Saturday morning with the sole purpose of finally trying Mama Lou's!

WHEN IN CEBU: FUDGE RESTAURANT!!

       Cebu has undoubtedly bloomed into a full blown metropolis. Gone are the days when Cebu would be considered a city in the province. Give or take a few things, there aren't very many things in Manila that you can't get in Cebu. 

      However, when I took Rina out to a late night out on the town, I found it rather odd that a lot of establishments closed by around 9pm.. Just like the used to in the good old' days. 

      By no means am I a night owl. I don't drink, smoke or dance, so I totally feel out of place at bars and clubs. But I do, sometimes, get attacked by the late night munchies (no drugs involved), and it was a little bit disappointing that there weren't very many restaurants opened at the "ungodly" hour of 9pm. 

        As we were heading back to Portofino Beach Resort, we came across a  cafe called, "Fudge". I remembered seeing it in some blog posts, and my brother, who had joined us, told me that he tried something quite interesting there.. "The Sweet Potato Cake". 

     More importantly, It was open!

AT YUMMY EATS 2012!!!

June is the month of our Blog's anniversary! 

I'm holding the first of a series of giveaways this month! 

Click HERE For a chance to win P2,000 of Gift certificates from Gerry's Grill! 

I'm in this video.. i'm not sure exactly where.. 
something like the 1minute 36 second mark.. 

     I honestly didn't know what Yummy Eats was when I first heard the buzz around the net. I figured at first that it was another food fair along the lines of Best Food Forward. Nevertheless, it didn't matter to me. My relationship with food fairs is like Kevin Costner and Baseball fields.. If you build it I will come. 

    I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it wasn't so much your average ordinary food fair, but an entire day of taste testing and cooking demonstrations! 

   With the promise of over fifty concessionaires in one tent, I couldn't let this event pass me by!

THE PICKIEST EATER'S SECOND YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY #1 !

      On June 28, it's going to be two years from the date that I posted my very first entry in this humble blog of ours. It's quite amazing how time seems to have whizzed by so quickly, and even though I've been posting at least two entries per week for the past year, never has this ever seemed like "work". I still feel the same feeling of anticipation whenever I hear about a new find that I'm dying to share with you all, and the same jolt of excitement  when I'm writing my experience, making sure I find new ways of making you all laugh. 


      Coincidentally, my stomach still growls the same way every time I look at Rina's pictures of the food.

       Some friends of mine have helped me put together some tokens of appreciation for your continued support of my blog throughout the two years that my blog has been running. The giveaway may vary in terms of amounts, but I guarantee you, all are equally awesome. 


     From the birth of my child, to becoming a finalist at the Philippine Blog Awards, your support has been unwavering.. and for that I must give sincere thanks to you all. 

       For the first Phase of The Pickiest Eater In The World's Anniversary Giveaway, my dear friends at Gerry's Grill has graciously provided me P2,000 Worth of Gift Certificates.. And After much thought, I've decided to give it away to ONE lucky reader!!