Author: ajay

Here’s a tummy-filler we can’t possibly resist. All-day breakfast place Flapjacks is offering these divine stack of pancakes at one peso each from April 13 to 17, to celebrate their first year anniversary.

Conditions apply:

A maximum of three pancakes per table

Available only from 1 to 5 p.m.

Still, it’s good enough. Considering that Flapjacks is known for their filling but pricey offerings, one peso for a pancakes….. is better than street food!!!

I just bumped into this promotion actually. The server (who was on OJT) didn’t even mention it to me So much for letting OJT trainees on the frontline. I went to Flapjacks Robinsons Midtown because I wanted to snack and was craving for their Endless Coffee (P75) to keep me awake, while in the office

Besides, I really like the phrase Endless Coffee. I think it’s better than the much abused word “Bottomless.”

I also like the fact that the resto offers fresh orange juice served in neat decanters, at P225. It’s good for a few people to share.

It was only a few weeks ago when I first got to dine in Flapjacks and feasted on their Ribeye Steak Omelette (P355). I immediately thought of the hubby who would surely love scrambled eggs enveloped by tender slices of red meat and cheese. Throw in the toast and hash browns too. It was a yummy filler.

My officemate had the All-Filipino Slammer (P395) which consisted of eggs, boneless bangus, fried rice and tapa. Honestly though, I’d order this kind of food in Filipino joints like Tapa King or Goodah. I’d rather have waffles,omelettes, salads and steaks, or try their other kinds of Continental slammers

They serve the mango torte “frozen” (P265). This one didn’t leave much of an impression, but their other cakes sure look luscious.

Flapjacks has branches in Greenbelt 2, Greenhills and Robinson’s Midtown, Manila.

Average price of a meal: P250 to P400

With a mainly no-meat diet being imposed by Filipino Roman Catholics among themselves this past Holy Week, allow me to talk about seafood markets that have mushroomed in the city. When you’re craving for cooked seafood in these parts, you can think of three major sources: the Filipino restos where you can feast on local specialties like guinataang kuhol (snail), the Chinese restos which have offerings like crispy shrimps or crab with sotanghon (vermicelli), and the open-air markets where you can pick your seafood fresh and have it cooked in the adjoining restaurant of your choice.

I dined in two of these seafood markets recently and the experience hasn’t been disappointing. A bit on the pricey side, yes, but then again, seafood doesn’t really come cheap, unless you’re in a coastal town or something.

Dampa sa Libis was quite a revelation. I liked it because it was clean and didn’t suffocate me with the crowds. For someone like me who’s based in the center of Manila, its location in Libis, along C5, was definitely out of my way. It would pay to be here at least once a year, he he, and what’s good is that after eating here, you can take a short five minute drive to Eastwood City and have coffee there. The malls in Eastwood also close late, around midnight or so.

A friend was having her birthday in Dampa sa Libis and truth to tell, I already forgot the restaurant where she had her chosen fish and seafood cooked. On the menu was grilled squid, cheese-topped oysters, shrimps with chili garlic sauce, crab in oyster sauce, crispy fried garoupa fillet (lapu-lapu) and the calamares. All were good, but the last two dishes really rocked. I would endure the long drive, if only to taste those again

Closer to Manila, there’s the chain of eateries in Seaside Macapagal, which is a takeoff from the original Seaside Paluto in Baclaran. I actually dread going here because of the neck-to-neck parking. Still, the place wins points for proximity.

We tried the resto called Yatai Ramen upon the prodding of my son because his classmate’s family owns the place. We ordered pancit bihon (P300) and out came the biggest bowl of pansit I have ever seen. It was big enough to feed six or seven people! I had to request the server to give us half a serving only.

The prawns in their ebi tempura (P240) were plump and meaty as well, not like the scrawny ones in the Japanese fastfood restos where you wonder where the shrimp was amid all the breading.

The hot prawn salad had generous servings too but needed more flavor. Still, I think am treating at Yatai for my birthday, if only for the gigantic plate of pansit!

Manila’s seafood markets and restaurants (partial list)
addresses:

Dampa sa Libis
107 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave.
Libis, Quezon City
Telephone. No. 637-3301

Seaside Macapagal
along Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard
Pasay City
Tel. No. 556-1778 to 79

Seaside Baclaran
along Baclaran, Near Redemptorist Church

Dampa Paranaque Fresh Food Market & Ihaw-Ihaw
Sucat, Paranaque City

Seaside @ San Miguel by the Bay
Seaside Drive, Mall of Asia Complex
Tel. Number 4826609

Seaside Ortigas
Ortigas Home Depot Complex
Dona Julia Vargas Ave. cor. Meralco Ave.
Pasig City
Tel. No. 6386303

Dampa sa Farmers’ Market
Cubao, Quezon City

Fast forward to 2009 and I am happy to find Little Tokyo in Makati. Fellow bloggers have been talking about this place and it was time to see It warmed my heart at first sight.

The place is really nothing more but a tiny strip in Don Chino Roces Avenue (formerly Pasong Tamo) near corner of Amorsolo Street. The landmark is the old and fading Makati Cinema Square. But what makes Little Tokyo authentic is that the restos and chefs are Japanese themselves. Throw in the nearby spa and grocery to complete the whole Japanese theme. The only thing missing is a boutique!

(to be continued)

In 2005, I was able to set foot in one of my dream countries, Japan, and one of my dream cities, Tokyo. “Lost in Translation” had quite an effect on me and I was more than happy to absorb Tokyo’s glittering lights, even though we didn’t have much of a night life to speak of.

My pics of this trip was also misplaced in another Flickr account and it was only recently that I found it. Picture quality isn’t so great either. Around this time, I was still lugging around my first digital camera which was a Kodak Easyshare (officially stolen). Still, they’re good enough for keeping my fond Tokyo memories alive.

A lovely spring day at a park in Ueno. In search of the cheapest box of Cup Noodles to bring home as pasalubong, the Pinays told me to go to Ueno. I went there alone, even though I couldn’t read much the signages at the train station.

At the train, I took a shot of this woman garbed in traditional kimono. She gamely posed for the camera, a far cry from riding the train in New York where I was warned not to look at people in the eye.

A houseboat where we cruised Tokyo bay and had a filling dinner. What I remember most was the host egging us to “drink more beer, & drink more sake!”

I was certainly thankful to pass up on the hotel buffet breakfast and have the traditional Japanese breakfast meal instead.The fish here would be the equivalent of our tinapa. But hey, we also have saba or mackerel in our Japanese restos here!

Mouthwatering bento box meals for sale. Their groceries have all kinds of ‘em!

We rode this bullet train to Nagoya. And I couldn’t help but be impressed with the experience

I like street scenes. And here’s one I took of a street artist.

One of my favorite pictures from the trip, even though this came out a bit blurred. It was almost midnight when I took this shot of a man working in a ramen stand, and he was still at it.

Japanese schoolgirls in their mini-skirt uniforms. A far cry from the rules of Catholic schools in the Philippines, hehe.

I heart Tokyo. And someday I wanna see Kyoto too

I was about to park my car to buy a pair of tires in S & R Macapagal (Aseana Business Park) last night when I chanced upon this angry scene.

A group found out too late that their brand new Montero SUV had been broken in, its glass windows smashed. In a relatively well-lit parking lot with security guards. Losses included a brand new Acer laptop and money in six figures.

The victim (not in picture) was mainly mourning the loss of his laptop, placed in a knapsack, which contained important work records. We learned he’s a vice president of Volvo cars based in Singapore.

It seems only a few weeks ago when we wrote here the rash of laptop robberies in vehicles. This is the reason why I’d never venture out of the house these days with the Mac, even for the sole reason of “looking good while using wi-fi in a tony coffeeshop.” The prevailing moral lesson is that you should never leave your laptop and other gadgets in your car, even if you just have to pee for five minutes, or less.

SUVs and other luxury vehicles seem to be the preferred targets. The newer the car, the better.

While it is easy for victims to scream “inside jobs,” I doubt if people inside are so brazen as to sh*t in their own backyard. There seems to be a pattern as to the kind of places being targetted by the criminals. And it appears that they’ve mastered the art of doing their job as noiselessly as possible, even with guards around.

Another tip that the police gave in last night’s incident was to take note of the plate numbers of the cars beside you, on all sides, most notably the right and the left. It seems the parking lot thieves, who reportedly hire ‘rent a cars’ park beside their intended targets to cover up what they’re doing.

Anyway, that’s again another senseless statistic in the metro. We’ve been warned