New York Pizza Palace --- what a nightmare!

i just checked cashcashpinoy.com and saw that new york pizza palace in a. venue mall is offering discounts again! and they actually changed the discount price —- from Php155 to Php199.. tsk, tsk.. folks, just say no. do not click that buy button or you’d be sorry!

i bought the same deal at cashcashpinoy.com earlier this month, only i got it at Php155. at that price, it wasn’t even worth it! i brought j with me, and i tell you, he’s one the most agreeable persons i know. it’s not very easy to put him in a sour mood. heck! he even considers it impolite to honk his horn when driving! i even went through all the trouble of actually “selling” new york pizza palace to him, just so he’d come with me. i said, the restaurant design is cool and pizza is eaten the way you would with a real new york pizza: you fold it!

anyway, when we got there, the place was almost empty, which was highly unusual for a saturday night. the crew didn’t seem to have any idea what to do —- should we place our order by the cashier or with the pizza guy? in the end, we were told to go directly at the cashier. j went for the NYPP Vodka Pie, which according to them, their bestseller; while i chose eggplant ricotta. after 20 minutes or so, our pizza hasn’t arrived! we made a follow-up and lo! and behold! nobody’s working on our order! nobody’s even aware of our order! as it turned out, my pizza wasn’t even available!

ok, no biggie —- things like these really happen. and so, i asked the food attendant for another vegetarian-friendly pizza. he offered me this white pie; even assured me it didn’t have any meat. after another 10 minutes, the attendant place two slices of greasy pizza in front of us —- both of them with meat!!

j stood up, took my plate, and went to the counter. well, he was still nice but it’s actually the first time i heard him speak in that tone! it was frightening.. they finally replaced my pizza with a slice of wild mushroom something-something. j tried my pizza, he said it’s better than his, which is funny because he ordered the “bestseller” afterall. we diluted our pizza with chili flakes and tobasco sauce, ate, and left the place, vowing to never ever set foot on it again.

believe me, your Php200 is worth more than that!

Details:

New York Pizza Palace
G/F A. Venue Mall, Unit F 105-106, 7829 Makati Ave.
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 720-5977

V-Day Dinner

Three days before Valentine's day, bestfriend and i had below text exchange:

Bestfriend: Hey, wanna meet up on Monday?

Me: Sure! Sa robinson's place na lang ba ulit or do you wanna try another place? (we were supposed to meet up the day before but we both decided to cancel. I've been wanting to see her as I was so excited to tell her about the seminar I attended a couple of nights ago)

Bestfried: You do realize it's Valentine's day on Monday, right? Date! Teehee!

Me: Frak! Oo nga! Wag ka magdadala ng flowers ah!

That Monday...

...the pandemonium at Robinson's Place, Ermita was just amusing!

People were flocking the balloon and flower stalls! I texted my bestfriend again to meet me at the top most floor of the mall, thinking it would be less busy; but even the normally unfrequented restos at the fourth level were brimming with couples.

As soon as we realized there's no escaping the crowd, we turned to each other and said: chocolate! lots and lots of it!

So we found ourselves heading towards Jack's Loft!

We had to wait to be seated (yup! that busy!) 
  

...and decided to lust after the desserts while waiting for our table. It made me wonder how motels were faring at that moment! teehee!



Bestfriend ordered cream of squash. I scooped a spoonful to sample --- not that creamy or flavorful. It was just ok.

She also got Spinach Cheese Quiche. The quiche was not as cheesy as I expected and it kinda reminded me of spinach omelette, more than anything; but bestfriend liked it.

I ordered Penne Tomato Cream --- it's oh! so cheesy and its spicyness provided a contrast on what my bestfriend and i consider as the most important part of tonight's agenda: sinful, calorie overloaded desserts!

My bestfriend got decadent cake. She went crazy over it! Warm chocalate cake, thick caramel sauce! It's actually good!

I chose a slice of newyork cheesecake. I'm not very picky with my cheesecake and I honestly don't know what a perfect cheesecake tastes like, but this one is better than i've tried before. It doesn't have a gelatine-like quality, but it's also not as hard as the one in Kitchen of Cakes (although I like their cheesecake, too! i'm so easy to please when it comes to cheesecakes!) 

I had my dessert with a cup of cappuccino.  

Overall, the V-Day went by and two single friends had such a trip discussing about Single Since Birth and the 5 Languages of Love over a nice dinner...

Pasta Fusion

so what happens after visiting the best italian restaurant and one of the few existing authentic mexican restaurants in the country on the same night? a girl gets preposterous ideas that fresh tomatoes, beans, curry powder and spanish paprika are good ingredients for pasta!

for this dish, my favorite cayenne pepper is on temporary vacation (so yes, mom, it’s safe for you to eat it. it’s not scalding hot). as usual, i sauteed a handful of garlic, added in the tomatoes and let it simmer until juicy. i  added in the beans, curry powder, spanish paprika…and viola!

the verdict: i think it needs more complexity —- i wanted it to have a little more play in the flavors but overall, not bad! the whole kitchen smelled wonderful though!

Hot Air Balloon Festival 2011

Finally! I got to catch the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Clarkfield, Pampanga.

There is a certain cultish-like feeling in the air as we walk towards the gate of Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. Hundreds of people were around, wearing the same sleepy yet excited expression in the face. The sky was still dark but the energy was remarkably high.

And as daylight slowly seep through, the hot air balloons began to take shape. We were running here and there to get the best view and to come as close as possible to our favorite characters. Darth Vader, of course, was a crowd favorite; but frankly, I found the Barn and Frosty the Snowman the coolest!

No matter how old we get, it seems there's a certain part in us that wouldn't outgrow that childish delight of seeing balloons float in the sky. And to see them THIS big, and bearing faces familiar to us, was even more amazing!! Nice to indulge the little child inside every once in a while.

The paragliders added to the whole spectacle. And more than ever, I wanted to have my own wings (well, a wingsuit will do) and fly!!!

As I go through the photos I took, the lyrics of RHCP's The Zephyr Song came into my mind. Zephyr is the greek god of the west wind; but the word also refers to a light, refreshing breeze. I don't know if the food trip we did after could be considered light but the hot air balloon itself is something light.

As soon as the balloons took off and disappeared from sight, we headed to the Historic Camalig Restaurant, walked to Gubat restaurant, Susie's Cuisine for some tibok tibok that my sister loved, and then Luring's, C'Italian, and Zapata's .

Details:

The 16th Hot Air Balloon Festival happened on February 10 to 13, 2011 
Clark Air Field, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines
http://www.clarksubicmarketing.com/news/clark_hot_air_balloon_festival.htm

love and other drugs

Love and Other Drugs —- typical storyline, anne hathaway looks tired most of the time but she did have great breasts so she’s forgivable; nice butt exposure from jake gyllenhaal; numerous steamy sex scenes.

that being said, i particularly like one part: towards the end, jamie plays the video and maggie is seen in bed, still has that after-sex glow that inspires much envy from yours truly. she shrugs and says “…just so happy i am…in this moment right now…it doesn’t matter if i’ll have 10,000 more moments like this or just this one because it’s all the same. just that, right now, this moment, i have this.”

those lines remind me of louis gluck’s queen of carthage that goes:

“I asked the Fates to permit him to return my passion,
even for a short time.
What difference between that and a lifetime:
in truth, in such moments, they are the same,
they are both eternity.”


pretty neat, huh?

Chewy Junior

This is sinful!

I arrived in the office and saw a box of chewy junior on my table...

But this is sinful...let's take a peek at how sinful it is...

Oh my!!! blueberry, chocolate and almonds, and original flavor!!

I must not give in. I must resist the tempation...

But...but...but...

I only get to live once. What if the world is really ending by 2012? What if I get hit by a car while crossing? What if thunder strike me? Will it even matter that i exceeded my daily required calorie intake tonight?

There. I've sampled each one of them and let my officemates finish everything else.

No unfinished business for me; only an expanding waistline =p

Kimchi Paste Noodles

after a night of authentic korean feast, i went home and ransacked our ref for available ingredients. i found my sister's kimchi chili bean paste (yes, ate! i took it..ako ang may sala ~_~) and some bamboo shoots, added cayenne pepper for that little extra kick...and viola! the verdict: uhm, 12 hours later, it's still sitting on our dining table! haha...too spicy!!

Myth of the Human Body Exhibit

Went to the myth of the human body exhibit in Taguig city. Macabre, but informatively fascinating. After you get over the initial queasy feeling of coming face-to-face with real, butchered cadavers, you begin to appreciate the painstaking feat and frenzied devotion that Gunther von Hagens possessed to make each one.

The exhibit is named after Greek Deities: Heracles (muscular and skeletal system), Poseidon (the respiratory system), Dionysus (the digestive system), Hades (the circulatory system), Eros (the reproductive system), Zeus (the brain and the nervous system), and Artemis (the fetal system).

I particularly liked the red man —- the cadaver with everything (bones, muscles, tissues) gone, leaving only an intricate web of nerves. I couldn’t begin to imagine how it was made! And the weeks-old zygote --- tiny, little thing! perhaps as big as a booger!

This exhibit is a must for anatomy fanatics and geeks alike!

Location:
The Myth of the Human Body Exhibit is at Neobabylon Building. 9 Bayani Road, AFPOVAI, Taguig City, Philippines.
It's running from October 15, 2010 until April 17, 2011.
Operating Hours: 10:30AM to 8:30PM

Directions (using Public transport):

From EDSA/Ayala. Go to Guadalupe. Then take a jeep going AFP/Bayani Road, AFPOVAI. Get down at Neobabylon Bldg.

From Baclaran side. go to Rotonda LRT station. Take a jeep going to FTI Kaliwa. Get down Gate 3, Bonifacio. Take a jeep going Bayani Road AFPVAOI. Get Down at the Neobabylon Bldg.

From C-5 Quezon City. Trun left to Fort Bonifacio. Get down at Market Market. Take a jeef Bayani Road AFPVAOI. Get Down at the Neobabylon Bldg.

From C-5 SLEX. Get down at Water Fun. Take a jeep going to Bayani Road AFPVAOI. Get Down at the Neobabylon Bldg.

From Market Market. Take a jeep going to AFPVAOI. Get Down at the Neobabylon Bldg.