Paskuhan sa Don Bosco Calauan - 29 Dec 2015

The Kids of Don Bsoco Calauan

The organizers and volunteers

Apple suggested that we do an outreach activity during the Christmas break to expose our kids on sharing our blessings to the poor. There were many possible venues for this kind of acvitiy such as Boy's Town or Home for the Aged.  I suggested Don Bosco Calauan as a possible venue since we have already been visiting this place and I know personally Fr. Salvador "Boy" Pablo, SDB who heads the community. We need the support of some friends to realize this activity. I texted my Don Bosco Pampanga Batchmates and suggested the idea. When I got a positive feedback especially from Alexis "Tetet" Pineda that he will join the event (he has work but he plans to take a leave) and the approval of the date by Fr. Boy, the plan for the "Paskuhan sa Don Bosco Calauan" was conceptualized. Apple even volnteered her OPAPP Policy Office Staff to be the volunteers.  The call for donors and volunteers were posted in social media like facebook and yahoo groups.  There were positive response or "likes" in FB and comments of pledges to support kids. A pledge for a kid was estimated at P200.00 for food and  gifts. Actual cost was P285.00 per kid. The total amount received until Dec 29, 2015 is equivalent to about 190 kids. The event supported 100 kids for lunch and loot bags. The extra funds collected were donated to the Salesian of Saint John Bosco (Bayani Juan Bosco sa Calauan).

Watch the slide show below of the snapshots of the event.

Paskuhan sa Don Bosco Calauan - 29 Dec 2015 from andyoreta

Thank you to all the donors and volunteers: Tetet Pineda and Family, UP Engg AISC'83 Family (Matt Lutao, Vic Macam, Art Fabia, Sammy Hernando), Agnes Lopez Reano, Cynthia Hardy, Sebio Nacpil, Fred Dayrit, Jun Coronel and family, Gettie Sandoval, Tino Tanjuakio, Elmer Cuevas, Dina Maglalang, Pam, Rey Vitug, Cosette Oreta-Aguas, Bong & Aileen Salvador, Arnel Feliciano, Leah, Ellene Dionisio, Maricel Paringit, Kenn Ramirez, OPAPP staff and anonymous donors and volunteers. Kayo ay ang mga BAYANI NI JUAN BOSCO SA CALAUAN!

Taal Heritage Tour

Welcome to Taal Heritage Town

Taal heritage town is one the Philippines undiscovered town that is rich in culture, food and heritage. I just discovered that there is such a place near Metro Manila which compares with Vigan where old and ancestral houses are well maintained and preserved giving the town that heritage and authentic environment.  During our one day visit at Taal we discovered the richness and beauty of our culture.

Our fist stop: Taal's Heritage Basilica

Taal Municipal Hall 1572

Taal's popular lomi is very sticky since it's cooked using casava flour. We love lomi but this version is very different and we're not used to the very sticky version. But the local folks love it!

Taal Imperial Hotel

Taal Imperial Hotel. Quiet & Comfy. A place to relax. But quite far from restos.

Taal's longganiza and tapa are not sweet, not salty - just right! The fried suman with chocolate was superb. We just love the food - so we bought take-home goodies!

The Photo Museum has collections of antique cameras and old photos of the owner who was a classmate of Dr. Jose Rizal. Entrance fee is P100 for adults and P50 for students.

A old photo showing the "SEDAN" of the old days!

Barong tagalog and gowns at Taal Market

House of Teodora Agoncillo - the maker of our National Flag

 "sungka" - a traditional game of luck and strategy

Photo at the back shows the Ninoy Aquino Family

Traditional Bahay na Bato at Taal

The "Balisong" is one of Taal's best product

The "Balisong" - they come in various sizes!

Ozawa Noritako - It's new, fresh and yummy!

Pork Teriyaki Niritako

Pork Tonkatsu and Chicken Karaage Noritako

Beef Tenderloin Noritako

Ozawa Noritako is a new recipe conceived by my cousins and pamangkins and is now the crowd's favorite at the Box Park, Congressional Ave., QC. Noritako is a fusion of  concepts from two cultures - Japanese (nori and sushi) and Mexican (taco). Noritako consists of sushi rice, nori, carrots, cucumber and meat and sauce of your choice (beef tenderloin with Japanese mayo, chicken karaage with sesame dressing, pork tonkatsu with sauce or port teriyaki with sauce) wrapped in crispy wrapper like the Mexican taco. It's eaten like a taco but the taste is different with the nori giving that distinct taste with the rice mixed with the meat and veggie toppings and sauce. There is contrast in the crispiness of the wrapper and soft sushi rice. Each flavor of noritako is unique but my favorite is the beef tenderloin and pork tonkatsu. Noritako is not a Japanese recipe. It's also not a Mexican food. It's unique! It's original! Only at Box Park that you can taste this new, fresh and tummy-filling food. The meat toppings are fresh and fried when you order. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare the dish. The orders for noritako comes every minute that's why serving may take sometime. When we were there, customers have to wait for one hour just to taste the crispy and yummy noritako. But the wait is worth it. Kudos to the Coronels for the innovative and unique recipe!

Ozawa also serves Japanese rice bowls, salads and their raspberry slushy which is served in two sizes of jars is cool. The juice can be shared among a group.

Box Park where Ozawa is located is a new food haven along Congressional Ave., QC. It is similar to the popular StrEAT Maginhawa food park at Maginhawa St., QC where different shops serve their specialties and Ozawa is one of them.By the way, Ozawa serves food from Tuesdays to Sundays from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM only.

Choose your favorite Noritako

The Ozawa owner and chef -happy serving their popular noritako. 
Carlo and Edison!

Healthy Chicken Burgers!

Healthy and Irresistibly Delicious! H.I.D. I was intrigued by the name of the burger shop at the Shell Station along Congressional Ave. near Rodic's. Renan had good feedback about their burgers so I decided to drop by after the Metro Shake Drill. H.I.D. serves chicken burgers instead of beef burgers. If you want burgers but not the "unhealthy' type, then this is your best option. Price ranges from P120 to P155 depending on whether you  want 1/4 lb or 1/3 lb of meat. What's my verdict? It's fresh, fills your stomach with their big size burger but chicken burger really tastes different. I am still a beef burger guy. The taste of smoke grilled burger is different. ( I love Barne's Burger - so juicy, not pricey).

Located at Shell Station Congressional Ave.

1/3 pound chicken burger!

Waffle Burgers at BAP's

Along McArthur Highway at San Fernando City, Pampanga going to Angeles City is a cozy and modern eatery called BAP's Waffle Burger which serves waffle burgers. This is beside Maybank and opposite Jun-Jun's. We have no idea what to expect when we drop by at the place. The ambience is modern with posters of famous people - Abe Lincoln, Einstein, Michael Jordan, Leonardo di Carpio, John Lennon, etc.  Everyone was hungry and very eager to order and have a bite of their burgers. We were not disappointed. It's a better alternative to Army Navy and other pricey burger stores.

Bap's waffle burger - many choices at price ranges from P169 to P230. You can order half.

Our appetizer - "Dynamite" - green pepper with cheese and ground meat. Dip it in tomato and onion salsa. It's awesome.

The B3 Burger has  beef, bacon, barbecued sauce and mushrooms

I love the salt and pepper burger - simple flavor and you can taste the smoke grilled beef

Photo taken by Bap's and posted on their facebook site.

Cafe' Oley: A Taste of Ilocandia

Cafe' Oley opened last July 1, 2015, a new resto in the Baranggay Pinyahan Block in Diliman, QC. Because of the promotion by Maestro Fernando Sena who painted the painting of the resto, we visited it one Sunday. The ambience is antique, homey and seems like a visit to the old houses at Ilocos.

Julia poses infront of the Cafe Oley painting by Master Painter Fernando Sena

The food is obviously Ilocano. Our starters were the crispy tawilis and the malunggay & mongo soup. The soup has tinapa mixed on it. For our main dishes - we had the bagnet-pinakbet, stuffed grilled squid and the lechon kawali. Finally, we ended with a tasty dome cake - a sweet and delightful cake with choco mousse and crisps inside. Yummy. The serving is good for sharing. The price ranges from P150 - P300.  By the way, they have two private rooms that can be reserved for meetings and small seminars for a minimum of P5000.00 consumable. Cafe' Oley is located at#76 Malakas St. almost corner V. Luna St. Tel. No. 02-4338033 or 0905-2635645. Email: Cafeoleymnl@gmail.com. Opens daily 10AM-10PM.

The dome cake was awesome! The resto is on soft opening and the service is excellent.

The crispy tawilis is a nice appetizer. The quid is stuffed with cheese, tomatoes and onions.

Feeling at Home at Qubiertos Grill & Resto

Price range: P75 - P200 for the dishes

 If you want to eat tasty and "lutong bahay" Filipino dishes and experience an ambience like you are in the province, Qubiertos at Kalayaan Ave., QC may be the place to go. We tried this place for lunch on a Sunday and we were not disappointed with the food and the place. Qubiertos has bahay kubo (good for 8) where your group can dine with privacy. The price is reasonable for the food that we ordered. Our only negative comment is the service - there is lack in coordination among the waiters. There should be a manager who should monitor the service and needs of the customers. You will see the waiters and waitresses not very attentive since they're busy making joke among themselves. I think this resto is very busy during the night for beer drinkers. Tara na sa Qubiertos!

Feeling the fresh air while dining at Qubiertos was awesome. Parang nasa bahay ka. Ang sarap mag-relax!

The gambas is spicy but good. The crablets a little bit big but crispy. The baked oysters were creamy, The tuna belly was little bit small but yummy.

The sigarilyas and the bagnet taste the same with the gata. Actually the Bagnet should be binagoongan but maybe this is the Ilocano version. The qubiertos rice is flavored rice with egg.
Rating: Food 4/5, Ambience: 5/5,  Service: 3/5, Price: 4/5

Fluffy & Teddy: Adventures in Japan

Fluffy and Teddy are Julia's favorite stuff dolls. They joined Julia and the family in their Japan Summer trip at Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe last May 2015. Enjoy the trip and the humor of Julia, Teddy and Fluffy. 

Painting and Bonding Time at Sip & Gogh!

Geof & Julia display their masterpieces

If you want to spend two hours of your time with your partner, kids or friends to relieve yourself of stress, then Sip & Gogh at Capitol Hills, QC is the place for you. Last summer 2015, we brought the kids there to experience painting in pastel. You pay the minimum fee and you will be provided with the art materials - canvass and paint and a teacher will guide from sketching to the final painting. While you're busy painting your masterpiece, you will be served with refreshments - wine and cold cuts for the adults, juice, fruits and biscuits for the kids. After the two hour session, you have your own masterpiece which you can display in your home or office.

Refreshments at Sip & Gogh

Muang Thai Revisited: Still the best Thai Resto in QC

Shrimp Tom Yum- not so spicy, the "asim" is just right and shrimps are not small!

2009 was our first time to dine at Muang Thai (MT) and Apple and I had a delightful experience (Read the 2009 blog).  May 31, 2015, we revisited Muang Thai, this time with our two kids for lunch. Actually we were planning to eat in a new Thai resto at Malingap St., QC but the resto was full so we decided to go to Muang Thai instead. And we were not disappointed.  There was one table with a couple and when they left the resto was like reserved for us only.

How was the our dining experience. First, the dining is authentic Thai. The decor shows Thai images and there were green plants which make the envrionment cool. And the food was awesome. Our kids loved the food! So I highly recommend Muang Thai to anybody who wants the taste of Thai. Authentic and still the best! We tried the Thai resto at SM North (Soi Thai) and we were disappointed. Very artificial taste. I wonder if the food at Happy Thai, our original choice can compete with MT?

Chicken Curry

Fish Fillet

Catfish with Mango: Really filled with crispy catfish unlike other Thai restos.

Geof, our food critic enjoyed the food ... pad thai and all!

Muang Thai Restaurant is located at 138 Malakas St.,, Brgy. Central, Quezon City at the back of McDonald's near QC Hall. Tel. 632) 426-4123 , (632) 927-4305. The price ranges between P200-P300 per dish.