Remembering Summer

So, I was commissioned to contribute for this article on www.spot.ph. It was a tough task but someone had to do it :) Read the entire article here.

TGIF's Mojitos

Went to TGIF at Trinoma, a convenient location for peope who think MRT is a gift from heaven (like I do!) I think their Ball Park Nachos is a version of unconventional pulutan because of the sheer volume as seen in the photo (okay, so that's my niece. And no, she did not finish that).

1 Mojito
1 Mojito Apple
1 Ball Park Nachos

Price: Php 736.61 (excluding service charge)

I liked the original mojito more than the apple one. But for Php 174.11 a glass, I just had to find out how to make one.

From Taste of Cuba:

1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lime (2 ounces)
4 mint leaves
1 sprig of mint
White Rum (2 ounces)
2 ounces club soda


Place the mint leaves into a long mojito glass (often called a "collins" glass) and squeeze the juice from a cut lime over it. You'll want about two ounces of lime juice, so it may not require all of the juice from a single lime. Add the powdered sugar, then gently smash the mint into the lime juice and sugar with a muddler (a long wooden device pictured below, though you can also use the back of a fork or spoon if one isn't available). Add ice (preferably crushed) then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda (you can also stir the club soda in as per your taste). Garnish with a mint sprig.

So in the end, I probably don't need a mint sprig.

Cocktails All-You-Can

Went out with the girl behind this blog that aptly puts this entry under the tag "musings."

1029 Resto Bar & Grill

Sgt. Esguerra Ave.,

Quezon City

They only accept cash payments. Cocktails all you can until 8pm for P150!

We tried the tuna sisig and wouldn't recommend it but the pitcher each of Screwdriver and the Margarita (for P150 each) were good buys.

Quattro

Valentine's day fell on a Sunday so I took one of my single girl friends on a date. She was going through a tough time and needed to be listened to. See all the mixes available on "the day" as posted on the wall? But we had the usual. A Macho Mug of SanMig Light at Quattro located along Timog Avenue, Quezon City. From EDSA, it is on your left.

By the way, Xaymaca is gone. And Popoy's beside Nommu is now Pipey's.

Homer's

Last month, we were invited to a gig of Jeepney Joyride. The trumpeteer, Melvin, asked us to go to Homer's which was near ABS-CBN in Quezon City. Beer was dirt cheap! Local bands, not the show band kind of bands, played. And it is open 24/7. Limitado, a line of limited items designed by actor-comedian Tado is sold in a corner. The witty remarks on the shirts go very well with how Homer's is. Simple pero rock!

Beer, Bands and Blogs

I wanted to see Beauty in Trouble, one of the featured films of the Cinema Europa this year but they ran out of tickets so I ended up going to Trinoma and then CubaoX. I was craving for Sole Fillet Pasta of Mogwai. I knew there was an event there, with colleague Nina Terol as one of the prime movers and so it made sense to actually give in to the craving.



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Sarah's and Kyusinero

Sarah's is an ice cream shop, supposedly. But it's really more of an institution. You get off at Philcoa, Diliman, Quezon City, and ride a tricycle to Krus na Ligas. Just tell the driver to bring you to Sarah's (near the arch of Krus na Ligas or KNL)

Red Horse Stallion (P28).

Kyusinero is near Eunilaine. Same road as Treehouse. It's open 24 hours.

Cognac and Katips

Hennesy cognac after a nice meal at The Manor, Baguio last July 25. It was nice because it warmed me up. And it was sweet.

When I came back, my friend wanted to meet with me and we ended up at Katips behind the busy Tomas Morato. There is ample parking here and closes quite late.

I think it's on Scout Fernandez.

Nommu, Morato

Niel's work of art.

It was practically a Thursday night of drinking that of course, ended at about 2 am of Friday which qualified this post :)

I sort of suggested it to Noreen since majority of them were from Quezon City. Nommu is along Tomas Morato, Quezon City. It is beside Popoy's Grill which is across Kozui Green Tea. Beer is 3 for a 100 and Vodka Cruiser is at P120.

Food is Japanese-inspired. Emz actually had noodle soup before, with and after her beer. She says she's not really encouraged to drink because she has "acid reflux." But she did and she was fine. The noodles may have really helped line her stomach.



Neil, meanwhile, stuck a row of SML labels on the mirrored table. But he wasn't really drunk.

Jack's Loft

Last Sunday, I was particularly delighted to have finally made my brother go to Eastwood to watch a movie (oh make that two, Ironman then When Love Begins which by the way was not at all a good decision to see them in that order). In between movies, we went to Jack's Loft.

If you want ambiance and a loungy feel, Jack's Loft is the place. I had the opportunity of talking to one of the owners of this joint a few months back and this, he says, was inspired by his brother-in-law's loft in Canada if I remember it correctly. They used to hang out there a lot when he was still based there. So, yes, it is the perfect place to do just that.

There's a nice space upstairs where a group can sit on floor pillows and chat the night away. It's actually a dessert bar so do try some. The cheesecake is baked and not gelatin-based which is good.

And they serve beer and sosyal pulutan, too.

Xaymaca

April 25 -- With two girl friends, Twenty and Dawn, we went to Xaymaca in Quezon City. This was after the Earth Day Jam along Tomas Morato where I rekindled a feeling for pinoy bands like Moonstar 88.

You pay P150/head no matter which part of the band's performance is at already. This entitles you to a beer. It can get pretty crowded though so be careful not to bring a huge purse which will be inconvenient while you stand around waiting for a seat to be vacated. Additional bottles are at P40 each, i think.

Xaymaca is located along Timog Ave., Quezon City.

Mogwai

Mogwai was it for Friday night last week. Good friend from China came home to do pamamanhikan to his fiancee's parents in the province.



Onigiri


Before going to Cubao Shoe Expo, went to Kozui, a green tea place along Tomas Morato where I collected a pack of shelled pumpkin seeds and cheese hopia from Sonya's Garden. I was made to try Onigiri, a snack made of Japanese rice (yes, I was forced to eat rice with my Roast Green Tea Latte with soya milk) shaped into a triangle. It had bits of tuna and some salty japanese sprinkles and had a nori strip at the bottom. It will be part of the pastry display of the store soon. I imagine this to be effective in lining one's stomach before drinking. It will actually go well with beer, I imagine, because it is rice and fish (which you can conveniently bite into like a piece of bread--not that i eat bread with beer).




(Mogwai images by pro photographer Nicky Sering)

Anyway, Mogwai is a place (restaurant-bar with a theater or screening room on the second floor) owned by Erik Matti and Lyle Sacris. It's a cozy place and we always choose to meet here now that everyone has outgrown (or simply find it not sulit to go to) Sarah's and Molo's. Beer is affordable here. But what I do like are the lava cakes, both dark and white (P90 a piece), the Alamid cofffee, and a plate of spaghetti with fish fillet smothered with achovies.

It was packed that night. While waiting to be seated, I asked my friend what he was going to bring for the parents and if it was lechon? His answer, as usually, was funny that I am actually "all for it" for its novelty. He said he was bringing boxes of Krispy Kreme. Hahaha

Il Pirata

It was Easter. And my cousin (who just finished his nursing degree) was in town. So we met up at SM Mega Mall's Toy Kingdom before heading to Eastwood City's Il Pirata.

I first went there last year a few weeks after it first opened. I got to meet the owner's son (i remember Diona and I talked about him a little). What is unique to this place is that it looks like you are inside a pirate ship. Some may not like the novelty of the idea since it serves Italian food (but who says there can't be any Italian pirate ships ;P) But I like the food.

While there, we saw Paolo Contis, Isabel Oli and Keempee De Leon in another table.

Anyway, my cousin who is a professional dubber, has added script writing/editing (he translates and edits scripts of television series) as part of his bread and butter. He was convincing me to edit scripts. But when I found out how much they get paid vs the time they spend to edit, I was appalled! I'd rather stick to print, thank you. We joked about the writers' strike in the states, that we should probably also do the same here. But then, we are not as organized here.

Oh. A bucket with pizza at Il Pirata is P270 (from what I can remember).

Blue Butterfly & The Grill

DOMINIQUE GRILL is beside Blue Butterfly (SML P21). It's the first time I saw it so it must be fairly new because last December, I was just at Blue Butterfly with my gay and gay-friendly friends. I'd say the crowd here is like Popoy's Grill which is also nearby (along Tomas Morato). But I didn't get to go inside since I was with mostly gay friends who are really at home and "familiar" with Butterfly.

BLUE BUTTERFLY
28 Scout Tobias St., cor Timog Ave., QC; Tel no.(02) 416-1784 "Small cozy bar and art gallery; Accessible by cab and plenty of parking along side street and Timog Ave.; Crowd: straight-looking/acting gays" -- found this description in another website

SML (P150/5 bottles) as of last Friday/Saturday morning. This establishment has two floors. On the first, is a small space for dancing. The second floor can be rented with videoke. The waiters and bartenders here have been around since it opened.

Had a coke light. I arrived at around 30 past 11. I really didn't want to drink but then I eventually gave in to a glass of rhum coke light followed by coke light and a separate shot of rhum. I got to mix my drink :)

It was the first time I met Joey who was a magna cum laude Math major, gay and happy :)

He's doing his PhD now...anyway, I remembered he was telling us about a program with a set of indicators that he developed which measured an "employee's happiness." Apparently, using happiness instead of satisfaction is also an indicator that he's gay hahaha so cute.

Kafebaresto

Found along Kamuning. From EDSA, it's on your right. Wouldn't have had the chance to learn about this place had it not been for my cousin who also introduced the place to my brother. We went here early AM of Saturday. P30 SML.

Photographs on the wall. Digital art/short films are shown regularly as indicated on the schedules posted on the wall. Cozy place. Owned by celebrities Romnick Sarmenta and Harlene Baustista.