Ye Dang Korean B.B.Q. Restaurant



Ye Dang B.B.Q. Resto



We have a favourite Korean resto along West Ave., QC and we miss the spicy tofu soup. When it closed, we have been searching for authentic Korean restos. And when I visited Seoul, Korea last Septmber, I got to taste real Korean food and I miss them. So when we were invited to a get-together at a Korean resto, I became excited and hoped to get a taste of the not so spicy but tasty Korean dishes. We were not disappointed.

Ye Dang Korean B.B.Q. Restaurant along Meralco Ave., Ortigas Center serves the dishes that I have been missing. As expected in any Korean resto, a variety of appetizers is served – sweet baby potatoes, sweet peanuts, bean sprouts, kimchi - dilis was not avaialble then. The Chicken Ginseng Soup with rice inside the chicken is sooo soft – even the bones melt in your mouth. It's like our arrozcaldo without the kalamansi, garlic and onion leaves. The Spicy Tofu Soup is the same as what they served in Seoul – although this is still not the same soup we missed at West Ave. The pork and chicken barbecues are tasty and you may eat them wrapped with vegetables. The price of the food is reasonable ranging from P250-P400.00 per order. We will definitely return to this restaurant and bring our friends.



Assorted appetizers

  

The Chicken Ginseng Soup - "it's really sarap to the bones"



The Spicy Tofu Soup - Yummy

The Chicken Barbecue - no smoke fills the room

The AISC Family



Apple tries the spicy tofu soup



Seasons Greetings from "Living the Good Life 4 Less"

Spending time with the kids at Eastwood City.

Art Circle Cafe' at UP Bahay ng Alumni

At UP Bahay ng Alumni, the most popular resto is the Chocolate Kiss, then ROC. Unknown to many is the Art Circle Cafe' since the resto is hidden inside the display room of paintings of Art Circle. If you want a quiet place to dine and do your chores quietly like reading, writing or even meeting a friend without a noisy crowd, then Art Circle Cafe' is the place to go.

It's menu covers breakfast meals of lucban longganiza which I ordered, various pasta meals, rice meals like the fish dory which Geof enjoyed. Their desserts  consist of various cakes and Geof loved the white chocolate molten lava. Price ranges from P100.00 - 250.00.

Ramen X

I love spicy ramen. When I was in Nagoya, Japan, one of my favorites is the super spicy "Taiwan Ramen" which we usually eat during Sundays after a tiring activity like bowling or volleyball. So when I read that Ramen X serves spicy ramen, I made it a point to try their version. There are two branches which I visited - one at the Centris Walk and another at Trinoma.

Ramen X. Affordable Ramen. Price from P149 - P189.



Kimchi Ramen. Price: )149.00. Shoyu based soup with slices of pork and kimchi. Not so spicy. I give this a rating of 3/5.



Karaage. Price: P59.00. The chiken karaage is crispy and soft but little bit salty. rating: 4/5



Oishii Ramen. Price: P149.00. Rating: 4/5. According to their staff, this is their best seller. So when I visited their branch at Centris Walk, I ordered it. It is shoyu and miso based with slices of pork so that the soup is oily which I like. The vegetables are fresh and the noodles are just right and more than enough to fill your tummy. It is not as spicy as the Taiwan ramen but it is good.



Teddy Bear Museum - Seoul, Korea

A unique museum worth visiting at Seoul, Korea is the Teddy Bear Museum located at N Seoul Tower. It presents the history and culture of Korea with Teddy Bears as the main characters. Imagine the King as a Teddy Bear and Korean soldiers ready for war as teddy bears. Modern Korean teddy bears in Louis Vuitton, teddy bears ala Blues Borthers in shades and more. This is a place that kids would love to visit and adults would enjoy too. So when you happen to visit Seoul, take the trip to the N Seoul Tower and meet Teddy and his friends.

Teddy Bears at work building a temple

King Teddy

Teddy Bears in Concert!

A "Teddy" for Julia

Playing with Watercolor

Rooster

I think I copied this image from the backcover of the Readers' Digest.

Manila, 1981. Summer vacation. I was a 3rd year college student with nothing to do then. I tried to pass the time by attempting to paint using watercolor. After reading some tips on watercolor painting, I bought the basic materials - watercolor paint, brush and the watercolor paper. I copied pictures from magazines and objects in my sorroundings.

In watercolor painting, planning is very important. You must have an image of what the outcome will be before putting that first stroke of color on paper. You start with the light colors, then proceed to darker colors and finally apply the darkest colors or shades. In watercolor painting, you can not erase a mistake especially the dark colored strokes. Here are my watercolor paintings in 1981. After this venture on watercolor during that summer vacation, I just stopped. I don't know why. Maybe I got busy again with my studies and now with my work. The experience was fun and relaxing. Here are some of my watercolor paintings.

Afternoon at Sulucan

This is a painting of the window in our apartment at Sulucan St. in Manila where we live then during my college days.

Wooden Bridge

Rocks and Cliff



Alien

In this painting, I used a toothbrush to produce the

dotted colors of green on the bright yellow background.



Coconut Tree



Good Companion
(Copied from the original by Jack Pellew)

Happy Days
(Copied from the original by Jack Pellew)

 

Curve Ahead

Lola Cons' New Paintings

Lola Cons' painting of "Day Lilies", a commisioned work for Elsie

"Colorful flowers". A Monet-like painting.

 

This painting reminds of scenes of fields and old churches. This is also similar to Monet's paintings.

This is my favorite - strong colors and strokes. Reminds me of Van Gogh's "sunflowers."

A serene scene of a nipa hut with a mountain and the sun



"Day Lilies"



What is Kapampangan Cuisine?

If you want to know more about the real Kapampangan cuisine, visit the Museo ning Angeles' Culinarium

 

The Culinarium at the Museo ning Angeles displays photos of Kapampangan cuisine. During Kapampangan tours, cooking demos are presented and the tasty Pampango dishes and snacks - tibok-tibok, tarts, halo-halo - are served to the guests. 

Sisig" means "to snack on something sour." Do you know that the original sisig is actually made from vegetables?  The present sisig actually originated at Angeles City when the Americans were occupying Clarkfield Airbase. Aling Lucing is known to have started the popular sisig with oxbrain. The sisig is now a popular appetizer for beer drinkers.  Variations of the sisig have evolved - with mayonaise (yaks), with chicharon, lechon, bangus, chicken etc. - but no recipe can match the original Pampango sisig.

We tasted the Aling Lucing's sisig at the Nepo Mall. Half order is P75.00.





Various regions have their own version of the sinigang.
In Pampanga, we call it "Bulanglang."



"Buru", "Balobalo" or fermented rice is a partner for the crispy or grilled hito or tilapia and vegies like the mustasa, okra and eggplant. The crispy chicharon also taste good when dipped in buru.

Frogs are usually harvested from the rice fields. Want to taste a frog? In Pampanga, the frog is a delicacy. Frogs are clean and taste like chicken.

Batute or Frog Cuisine - it can be stuffed or simply fried or grilled! I dare you to try this and you will crave for more.

Mole crikets or "kamaru" feed on the roots of the rice plant. Adobong kamru is one Pampango exotic dish. When you eat this dish, you will taste the sour flavor and feel the crunch as you bite the crickets. YUMMY!

Julia visits "Museo ning Angeles"

Julia infront of the Museum of  Angeles City, Pampanga - July 28, 2012

Old photos of Angeles City

Sketches of Costumes of Filipino Soldiers

The diorama displays very detailed designs of dolls
with the costumes created by Patis Tesoro

A Filipino Wedding diorama

Tita Dina tells Julia about the diorama.

Harvesting palay diorama

A "kusina" or traditional kitchen diorama

Harvesting sugarcane diorama

The Church as seen from the museum

Tita Dina and Julia

Traidtional cooking tools at the Culinarium of the museum

Tita Dina organizes Cultural and Culinary Tours of the Province of Pampanga. A visit to the Museo ng Angeles is one of the highlights. If interested to join a Kapampangan tour, email: dina_maglalang@yahoo.com.