ALQUERIA TAPAS, PAELLAS Y BISTECAS IN SM MEGA FASHION HALL

       In case I never mentioned it before, both sides of my family are part Spanish, with my grandmother from my mother's side being an excellent chef, specializing in Spanish cuisine. Given that, I practically grew up on food with heavy Spanish influences.

      Given that, whenever any one from my family asks me for a recommendation for places to eat, I deliberately stay away from endorsing a Spanish restaurant, for fear it might not meet the high standards that my grandmother had ingrained in us. However, I recently dined in a restaurant that I would not hesitate to recommend to my family - Alqueria, in SM Mega Fashion Hall. 

CHEF TATUNG'S LATEST: ALAB IT SO MUCH!

                     After blowing my mind to smithereens with his Filipino Dishes at his restaurant, "Chef Tatung", Celebrity Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou returns to the area where his legend first began.. Quezon City. And just like the first time, his name baby, "Alab", is setting Philippine cuisine on fire with its inventive takes on home grown Pinoy food! 

MAKE THE CHOICE!!

        
THE CHOICE 

Every month, every week, and almost every day it seems, there's a new restaurant opening in Metro Manila. There are a lot of great new dining choices, side by side with the perennials, the classics that we grew up with. As food bloggers, writers, and members of the F&B industry, we're always very curious about the crowd favorites.

 

The popular vote, if you will. So, Our Awesome Planet and the Blogger Collective known as the KTG (Kain Tulog Gang) have partnered to conduct the first ever People's Choice for their Favorite Food, Restaurants, Bars, and more~ or simply, "The Choice".

 

You can participate and answer the survey here -->

www.surveymonkey.com/r/TheChoice2015

About The  Awards

We conducted an intense first round of voting among ourselves, and our resulting Top Tens have made us very pleased:  we feel it's a very diverse and fair representation of all our Metro Manila favorites. The categories are very broad, as they should be in a democratic vote. 

However, we'd like to emphasize that this is NOT a "Best of..." list. Our good friends and respected colleagues from The MBKRS are doing an excellent job of recognizing the restaurants and restaurateurs in their prestigious bi-annual awards.

 

The MBKRS are rightly regarded as the Oscars of our ever growing foodie community. So we'd like "The Choice" to be the Golden Globes~ a bit more irreverent, surely less formal, and yes, it ought to be greatly biased. After all, YOU will be voting for your favorites, this is YOUR CHOICE!!!

The Survey Parameters

1. For the Favorite New Restaurant category, our coverage period includes restaurants that opened between May 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015.

2. For the Favorite Out-of-Town Destination, the restaurants must be reached by land in 5 hours; thanks to the TPLex, that includes Baguio!

 

3. There are 45 questions in this survey and answering this survey should take around 5-10 minutes. It is best to give a definitive answer on each question and feel free to skip if you can't decide.

 

4. All answers are treated confidential and final once you click on the submit button. One survey response for one person only.

 

5. Please give us your name and email address for our random validation of the survey responses.

The KTG:

"The KTG is a group of friends who all just happen to be some of the top food bloggers in the Philippines; every one of their individual blogs ranks among the highest ranking and most influential online publications dedicated to food, entertainment, and travel.

The KTG is headed by social media maven Spanky Enriquez, and is composed of some of the more senior food bloggers in the country, including Richie Zamora of "The Pickiest Eater in the World', and Richard Co of 'Tales from the Tummy'. Representing the younger generation are "The Hefty Foodie", "The Food Scout", and "Nines vs. Food". And from the world of showbiz, Mr. Chuckie Dreyfus, a foodie who's also a respected tech blogger.

The KTG's objectives are not limited to discovering the best restaurants, however. While it's affectionately called the "Kain Tulog Gang", it's officially participated in relief efforts in Tacloban and Iloilo after Yolanda; and in Metro Manila, this "Kapatiran sa Tulong at Ginhawa" is on a constant mission to contribute in providing joy and comfort to the less fortunate."

The KTG Blogs:

http://www.thepickiesteater.net/
http://www.rinasrainbow.net/
http://www.frannywanny.com/

http://www.thefoodalphabet.com/
http://www.chuckiedreyfus.ph/
http://www.thetummytraveler.ph/
http://www.sugargospice.com/
http://www.talesfromthetummy.com/
http://ericjazfoodies.blogspot.com/
http://www.themommist.com/

http://dude4food.blogspot.com/
http://www.janedchua.com/

http://www.yedylicious.com/

http://heftyfoodie.com/
http://www.thefoodscout.net/
http://www.thepurpledoll.net/
http://www.lynne-enroute.com/
http://www.foodreviewsmanila.com/
http://blogalag.com/
http://bertoinbrogues.com/
http://www.foodinthebag.com/
http://thehungrykat.com/
http://rochkirstin.com/
http://www.ninesvsfood.com/
http://www.pepesamson.com/
http://babeforfood.blogspot.com/
http://www.anotsopopularkid.com/
http://www.googlygooeys.com/

and our fantastic foodie friends from:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.clickthecity.com/
http://www.juice.ph/
and
the Philippine Star's "Let's Eat" magazine,
now nationwide every last Sunday of the month.

BLOSOMEX

 

Our Awesome Planet, the Philippines #1 Food and Travel Blog and
Kain Tulog Gang (KTG), a collective of the top food and lifestyle bloggers in Manila,
in partnership with World Food Expo (WOFEX), the Ultimate Food Show Experience

in cooperation with Vikings, NIU, and Four Seasons restaurants

present the first

 BLOSOMEX 

(Blogging and Social Media Expo) 

on August 8, 2015 Saturday at the SMX Mall of Asia.

Blogging and Social Media Expo (BLOSOMEX), co-located event of the country's biggest and most effective food show, WORLD FOOD EXPO (WOFEX), focuses on exploding the commercial activity in the blogging and social media scene in the Philippines in 2015 and beyond. Blosomex aims to be the catalyst in preparing both the businesses and the bloggers/ social media practitioners to take commercial advantage of the digital opportunities.

Early Bird Registration - P1,497

Regular Walk-In Price - P2,000

To register and purchase tickets for the BLOSOMEX Summit, 

please email Blosomex@gmail.com.

PROGRAMME:

8:00am - 9:30am: Registration

9:45am - 10:00am: Introduction

10:00am - 10:30am:

 ANTON DIAZ, Founder, OurAwesomePlanet.com

Keynote: "State of Food and Travel Blogging in the Philippines"

10:30am - 11:15am: 

 VIP Guest Speaker : Mark Wiens, Founder, Migrationology.com

Keynote: "Food is the Reason YOU Should Travel : 

Viral Video Blogging in the YOUTUBE Era"

11:15am - 12:00nn

 Panel Discussion with Department of Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez

The Global Filipino Fiesta: 

"The Value of Social Media and Blogging in Promoting

 Philippine Tourism Worldwide"

*** LUNCHBREAK : 12nn to 1:00pm ***

1:00pm to 2:00pm:

 VIBER and INSTAGRAM Presentations:

"The Future is on The Move; Social Media's Dominant New Directions 

are on Instant Mobile Apps"

2:00pm to 2:30pm: 

Spanky Enriquez, Marketing and Social Media Consultant

"Restaurant Industry Engagement in the age of Digital Influencers"

2:30pm to 3:00pm

 Richie Zamora, Founder, www.thepickiesteater.net

"Romancing Generation NeXt : Reaching out to the Millennials"

3:00pm to 4:30pm:

THE CHOICE:
THE OAP/KTG RESTAURANT FAVORITES AWARDS

4:30PM to 5:00pm: Closing Program

5:00PM to 8:00pm

AFTER PARTY COCKTAILS:

 Sponsored by Zomato

MONDE'S MAMON MINION MADNESS!

        The other day, Rina packed up her bags, placed baby Rain in a car seat and and took off… Okay fine, it’s just to go to La Union to visit relatives from out of town,, but it already feels like it’s been forever. 

        So when I was invited to Monde’s special screening of the new Minions movies, it made me miss them that much more. I called up my niece Cara and asked her if she wanted to come along. She thought it would be a perfect opportunity to bond with her baby brothers, Gael and Matteo, so there we found ourselves on Saturday afternoon, in Greenbelt 3, amidst the Minion madness. 

PURE IMAGINATION: A SWEET SUNDAY BRUNCH AT SPECTRUM

        I've made no secret that I feel Spectrum at Fairmont Hotel has one of the best buffets I've ever had.. Not just in the Philippines, but anywhere in the world. Granted, they may not have a selection as extensive as other hotel buffets, but they do a great job in making sure that every entree served is nothing short of phenomenal.  

        Not only is care meticulously given to every dish that leaves Spectrum's kitchen, but the creative minds at Fairmont tirelessly think of ways to make sure their guests are always wowed with their creative themes! 

       After enjoying the Lego Themed "Awesome Sunday Brunch" earlier this year, we returned to Spectrum to check out their newest promotion.. The Sweet Sunday Brunch: A Candy Wonderland!

ASCOTT SERVICED RESIDENCES PART 2: CAFE ON THE 6th!

        During our recent Staycation at Ascott Serviced Residences in Makati, we had the pleasure of having our dinner and breakfast at Ascott's Cafe on the 6th. With its delicious food and relaxed ambiance, It took only a few moments for me to ask myself why I had never eaten here before! 

A WEEKEND AT ASCOTT MAKATI: PART 1

         "Did you know there's a swimming pool in Glorietta?", I asked Rina. She looked at me rather puzzled then replied, "Huh? Where in Glorietta?".  "Glorietta 4.. In Ascott.", I said. "Oh.", she said answered, thinking I was being a smart ass (again). "Yeah, I knew that.".

     But you see, I wasn't just being a smart ass. I was trying to prove a point. Ascott Serviced Residences has been operating Glorietta 4 mall complex for quite some time now, yet it doesn't seem to be the top of mind when it comes to Staycations and even dining in Makati. 

    Well, as me and family discovered last Father's day weekend, it should be. 

I AM KIM: BAPS SO GOOD, YOU'LL FORGET YOUR NAME

Thanks Hefty Foodie for the picture!

         Chef Him Uy De Baron is perhaps one of the most Avante Garde Chefs in the country today. To Chef Him, it never seems to be just about creating delectable dishes that will take your taste buds for a ride. Chef Him also takes pride in creating a unique dining experience for his customers unlike any other that they've had before. In a country where Ramen restaurants are popping up left and right, all claiming to have the most authentic recipe, this side of Japan, Chef Him boldly conceptualized "Nomama", an artisanal ramen restaurant, wherein his concoctions where limited only by his imagination.

       If Ramen was the spotlight of Nomama, Chef Him's latest concept, I Am Kim, focuses on his fascination with the Korean staple, Bibimbap. However, what I am Kim does is take the dish to dazzling new heights, and open your eyes up to a world of possibilities that this one dish can offer.

THE CRAZY KFC CHIZZA #KFCHIZZA

        My day today was spent waiting for a surprise delivery from our favorite Fried Chicken Fast Food Chain. Word of advice: When someone from KFC tells you that they're coming over to bring their Top Secret new product for you to try before the general public, you clear your schedule and your wait by the door. 

      Well, here it is, my friends.. The newest addition to KFC Philippines Menu.. 

      Behold, the KFC Chizza!  

Digital Walker's Great 2-Day Sale This July!

Insane news from Digital Walker!!!

        Mark your calendars on July 4-5, 2015 because Digital Walker is going to hold their insane Walker Madness 2-Day Sale!  It's happening at the Rockwell Tent, featuring some of the best tech accessories such as Boostcase, Bree, Clik, Crumpler, and Tenba! And the best part? Discounts are up to 70% off!

Catch the madness only with Digital Walker! See you all there!