Boracay's white beach

Boracay's white beach
Taken infront of Seawind Resort (2001)

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Burger King's new exclusive desserts

Burger King has added two new desserts to their menu.

Hershey's Chocolate Sundae Pie

and

Butterfinger Cream Pie

Both desserts were exclusively made for Burger King by Nestle.

Each costs P75.00

Both tastes great but I loved the Butterfinger more. Though a bit pricey, they're still a great alternative compared to the desserts of the other burger joints.

They also have Dutch Apple Pie on their dessert menu.

Lolo Claro's crispy fried chicken ala Max's

Had lunch at Lolo Claro's last Saturday with my wife and supervisors.
Their original outlet is in Tanza, Cavite (or in Naic, not quite sure).
They opened a branch in Trece Martires. It's located along Governor's Drive, across from the city hall of Trece Martires.
I first heard of this restaurant from a friend of mine and he said that the fried chicken tastes like that of Max's.
They have a very simple menu line up. They have combo meals of chicken with pansit, liempo with pansit, lumpiang shanghai with pansit. They also have chopsuey and fresh lumpiang ubod as well as fried lumpiang ubod.
Of course, their house specialty is the crispy fried chicken.
The place is a bit small, they had about 10 round monobloc tables that sits 4. They had one window type airconditioner with wall fans to augment the aircon.
The Tourism Officer of Trece said that the place is always packed on weekdays, every lunch and even sometimes during dinner.

We ordered chopsuey and 2 whole fried chickens.

Their fried chicken did look and smell like that of Max's. It also tasted similar to that of Max's but not as close to the real thing. They even have Jufran banana ketchup just like in Max's.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed our lunch and said that if we craved for crispy fried chicken, we could just go here.

They're open From Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

So, to those in the area or are passing through, check out Lolo Claro's.

Cheeken!!!


Friday, September 28, 2007

Kenny Rogers Roasters New Sandwich Menu

On my way to Makati this morning, I decided to have lunch at the Festival Supermall in Filinvest.
As I was walking to the mall, I was already thinking of what and where to eat until I finally decided to have lunch at Kenny Rogers Roasters. I was planning on getting their baby back ribs and chicken combo platter.
As I approached the place, I noticed that they had some posters on display at the entrance. It was their new sandwich menu and new grill entrees. They have 4 new sandwiches added to their other sandwiches and all are served in whole wheat bread.
They have Philly Cheesesteak, Roast Chicken, BBQ Rib, Tuna Melt, Cheese Burger, Fried Chicken, Cold Chunky Tuna, Cold Chunky Chicken, Jumbo Hotdog and Jumbo Chili Hotdog.


For their grilled entrees, they serve Grilled Rib, Cheeseburger, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Pork Belly, Burger Steak, Grilled Fish Fillet and Grilled Sausage.

I've already tried their jumbo chili hotdog, chunky tuna and roast chicken. So this time I ordered their new BBQ Rib sandwich. The sandwich was great! Ribs were tender and the sauce was just right.


Unfortunately, as I was placing my order, the staff was not well-informed of their new sandwich line-up. When I told her I wanted BBQ Rib sandwich, she offered me their BBQ rib platter. I then said I wanted the sandwich at which she said that they have sandwiches. I then told her I wanted the new BBQ rib sandwich and then gave me the dumb look as if thinking "what is he talking about". I told her that there is a poster at the entrance that they have new sandwiches.

She then asked her colleague beside her what I was talking about. Her colleague knew what I wanted and told her that it's in the sandwich button of their POS. That's when she only knew what I was talking about.

One thing else that Kenny Rogers did is to renovate their interiors. They now sport a brighter dining area.

There will always be the debate on who serves the best chicken (them, Max's or KFC) but I would recommend that you give them a try. Hope that they do something about the product knowledge of their front staff.

Happy eating!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Mile Hi Inn Tagaytay

On my way up to Tagaytay yesterday for a meeting, I stopped at Mile Hi Diner for lunch. Wanted to have their Angus Beef Burger but was not available, so I opted for their Mile Hi Burger instead (which was very juicy!) and a cup of French Onion soup.

While waiting for my food to arrive, I noticed a tarpaulin banner hanging on the wall. I thought it was one part of their menu promos. I was surprised to see that it was about their rooms. Turns out they have rooms in their place.

So I asked the waiter where there rooms were and how many did they have. He said that they're located below the restaurant and that they have 3 rooms (1 Family and 2 Standard). So I asked him if I could see them after having my lunch and he said yes it could be arranged. I took my time enjoying my hot soup and juicy burger. After I paid my bill, they asked if I still wanted to see the rooms, and still having enough time to make it to my meeting, I followed the waiter outside and downstairs of the diner. I didn't have a regular camera with me, so I used my handy N70 to take pictures of the place.

There's a common door for all 3 rooms, which is located under the restaurant and fronts Carlo's Pizza. Upon entering, there are 3 doors; to your left and right are the doors of the 2 Standard rooms and few steps ahead is the door to the Family room.

The Standard rooms have 2 single beds placed beside each other which makes it look like a double sized bed. There's a small wall-type air-conditioning unit which is strong enough for the size of the room. Floor area is about 9sqm. TV with cable connection is part of the features of the room (TV was removed temporarily to give way to the installation of an emergency light). There's a small toilet and bath as well with hot water.

As to the Family room, it has a double bed; plus another single bed with a roll-away bed beneath it. It also had a cabinet. Room also comes with a TV with cable connection and a toilet and bath which was a bit wider than that of the Standard rooms. Floor area is about 12sqm.

The place is great for groups or families. It's better that one group books all three rooms, that way you won't disturb or be disturbed if there were other guests. The waiter said that no matter the room rate, they don't do head counts of how many are going to sleep in a room.

One thing nice about the place is that you don't have to go far for a meal. The room rate comes with breakfast for two at the diner. And for other meals, you have the choice of Carlo's Pizza, Teriyaki Boy, Pancake House, The Grill by Antonio; over the wall is Dencio's, or you could cross the road and you have King Bee Chinese Restaurant (great food here) and Raja Korean Restaurant.

Overall, the rooms are clean. The waiter was kind enough to disclose that sometimes guests comment on the noise from the restaurant, especially when chairs and tables are being dragged. There is no sound insulation between the diner and the rooms. There is also no view whatsoever so don't expect waking up with a nice, clear view of the Taal volcano.

Room rates are as follows: Family room = P2995, Standard Room = P2250, additional mattress, pillow and blanket = P250. Amenities are Cable TV, hot shower, breakfast for 2.

They also have a wash up rate of P600 for 3 hours, which is available from 9am to 6pm only.

For reservations, call (046) 413.4203 or text 0921.798.8819 c/o Irene Bustos. For weekends and holidays, it's better to call and book ahead as they get booked fast.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Think Green!!!!




Help protect our environment! And you thought i was talking about a university.

Nope, i'm talking about being responsible by helping save mother earth. Shopwise is one of those retail companies that have been encouraging their shoppers to use reusable bags. For P99.50, you could buy a bag made of canvass and use it every time you buy your groceries. Also, when you get their reusable grocery bag, they give you a laminated card with a bar code printed, which you can attach to your bag using the chain that comes with the laminated card.

After you've done your shopping and the cashier rings up your bill, she scans the bar code of the card and it gives you double points.

We used to bring home about 8-10 plastic bags of a month's worth of groceries. Yesterday, we only had two of the Shopwise canvass bag.

I know SM Supermarket is another retail company that encourages their grocery shoppers to get their canvass bag which you can use when you buy your groceries.

Back in the US, Safeway encourages their shoppers to use their previous plastic bags when they buy groceries again. All you have to do is fold them neatly and place them in another plastic bag. And when you're at the cashier, you give the used plastic bag to the bagger and he will put all of your purchases in the old plastic bag.

Another thing Safeway does is that the have a big basket outside the entrance with a sign that says "Dispose your old plastic bags here". Then they recycle the used plastic bags.

These are two options that Shopwise, SM and other groceries and department stores can do to encourage people to reuse or recycle.

Even Yokohama tires, Nissan and Toyota gave out canvass bags during the just recent International Motorshow.

It's the responsible thing to do. Do your share.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

The Diva resigns!





http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=89652


National (as of 10:30 PM)
Society columnist quits over OFW bashing

Complaints sent via the Internet and through othery types of media led a Manila-based society columnist to resign from her job following her negative comments about overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau reported Thursday.

Bureau chief Dindo Amparo reported that Filipinos in the Middle East proved they can make a difference by uniting for a cause against columnist Malu Fernandez.

In her column titled "From Boracay to Greece," which saw print on "People Asia" magazine, Fernandez detailed her unusual and spur of the moment Holy Week vacation in Greece.

Fernandez said that following a friend's advice, she flew on economy class to Greece. The plane made a stopover in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. It was her written observations during the flight and while in the city that got Fernandez in trouble.

“I forget that the hub was in Dubai and the majority of OFWs were stationed there. The duty-free shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume. I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them,” she wrote.

Fernandez said this was aggravated when one of her fellow passengers spoke to her and said, “Hey there? Where are you from? Are you a domestic helper as well?"

The columnist went further by insinuating that due to the large number of OFWs in the plane wearing cheap perfumes, the expensive brand she had on immediately evaporated into thin air.

“I had resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while my Jo Malone evaporated into thin air,” Fernandez said.

Based on prices from the Jo Malone Web site, a 100 ml bottle of cologne ranges from 30-59 British pounds (around 2,800-5,500 Philippine pesos).

Who's the diva?

Fernandez's statements spread like wildfire on the Internet and earned the ire of communities of Filipino workers abroad, especially in the Middle East.

The migrant workers immediately issued statements and sent e-mails to blogs expressing their anger against Fernandez.

The statements can be found at this special blog (http://selvo.wordpress.com/2007/08/08/mahaderang-matapobre-sa-ofws/#comment-1042).

To make matters worse, Fernandez wrote in her succeeding column in the "Manila Standard Today" that she was only being true to herself.

"Many people often find my direct attitude to be rude or obnoxious. I really don't mean to be anything but true to myself," she said.

"Now, I seriously ask you, am I being a diva or are people around me just lacking in common sense? Perhaps it's a little of both!" she added.

Her statements further enraged the Filipino workers. She later apologized.

“I am humbled by the vehement and heated response provoked by my article. To say that this article was not meant to malign, hurt or express prejudice against the OFWs now sounds hollow after reading through all the blogs from Filipinos all over the world,” Fernandez said in her latest statement on the online version of Manila Standard Today.

She added: “I am deeply apologetic for my insensitivity and the offensive manner in which this article was written, I hear you all and I am properly rebuked.
It was truly not my intention to malign hurt or express prejudice against OFWs.”

Fernandez admitted being insensitive and offensive, as she apologized to the OFWs for whatever she had written.

Sought for an interview by ABS-CBN, Fernandez declined.

She, however, sent a letter, saying, "I take full responsibility for my actions and my friends and family have nothing to do with this. To date I have submitted my resignation letters to both the Manila Standard and People Asia, on that note may this matter be laid to rest.”

Not yet finished

Meanwhile, abs-cbnNEWS.com received dozens of feedback e-mails against Fernandez after news broke out about her anti-OFW statements.

“We are already having a hard time here working under the hot climate, then we get a strong below the belt blow by our own kabayan who has totally no idea on being an OFW,” Francis Sangalang wrote from Dubai.

Another OFW, who declined to be named, said: “I seldom come across articles that bring my blood pressure up to a record high. This article by Malu
Fernandez has led me to set a new personal record. To say that this is ‘nakakakunsumi’ (troubling) is an understatement of the highest degree.”

The special blog was also created to compile comments against Fernandez. The comments ranged from defending her column as being about perfumes to to downright below the belt statements.

Contract worker Florencio Laron wrote from Saudi Arabia and said, "All I have to say is that may breeding siya (masama nga lang) (only, it's bad) and she [doesn’t] deserve to be a Filipino.”

An anonymous e-mail sender, meanwhile, said, “Her side comments were uncalled for. She should have kept them to herself. This is bigotry at its purest. What’s worst is she did it to her fellow Filipinos. The bad part is her pathetic attempt to justify what she wrote.”

Information from the Web site of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said a total of 462,545 OFWs or 58 percent of the total number of Filipinos employed abroad were in the Middle East as of last year.

Last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said OFWs sent a total of US$12.6 billion in remittances to their families in the Philippines.

Statement from Malu Fernandez on the OFW Controversy

Statement from Malu Fernandez on the OFW Controversy

I am humbled by the vehement and heated response provoked by my article entitled 'From Boracay to Greece!' which came out in the June 2007 issue of People Asia. To say that this article was not meant to malign, hurt or express prejudice against the OFWs now sounds hollow after reading through all the blogs from Filipinos all over the world. I am deeply apologetic for my insensitivity and the offensive manner in which this article was written, I hear you all and I am properly rebuked. It was truly not my intention to malign hurt or express prejudice against OFWs.

As the recent recipient and target of death threats, hate blogs, and deeply personal insults, I now truly understand the insidiousness of discrimination and prejudice disguised as humor. Our society is bound together by human chains of kindness and decency. I have failed to observe this and I am now reaping the consequences of my actions. It is my fervent hope that the lessons that Ive learned are not lost on all those who through anonymous blogs, engaged in bigotry, discrimination, and hatred ( against overweight individuals , for example )

I take full responsibility for my actions and my friends and family have nothing to do with this. To date I have submitted my resignation letters to both the Manila Standard and People Asia, on that note may this matter be laid to rest.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

san miguel purefoods mom's kitchen ready to eat adobo


got a container of san miguel purefoods new frozen food product, Mom's Kitchen. they have adobo, callos, patatim.

i got the adobo. you could either microwave it or re-fry it. i re-fried mine. the cooking directions said that you add a little oil but i didn't coz i know that adobo already has oil in it. i fried it until it was a bit dry, that way it becomes a bit crispy. what i also did was i sprinkled some oregano and rosemary on it and it smelled and tasted great!

it's a great product for those who want to eat right away and can't cook, either at home or at the office.

check it out in your suking grocery.

The Wrath of (Mayor Fred) Lim

my good kabalen, spanky, posted his blog in one of our email groups about the news item on newly elected Manila Mayor Lim wanting to remove all establishments along the baywalk area.

true to his word, Mayor Lim aka Dirty Harry took down all of the bars located along the stretch of the baywalk area, which were enjoying good business during the term of former Mayor Atienza.

yesteday morning, after i dropped off my wife at the US embassy for her interview, i drove down the boulevard on my way to cavite. as i was driving, i remembered my friend's post and decided to take pictures of the now empty baywalk. using my nokia N70 and using the 'sport' setting, i took some pictures as i was driving by.

here are the pictures that i took:




now, if they took down the fake hanging shark and the dinosaurs, how come the giant coffee cup of cafe puro hasn't been torn down yet? same goes for the coffee/snack bar at the end of the baywalk towards the manila yacht club.

when i used to work at the manila hotel, i knew how terrible traffic was along the boulevard, especially on saturdays when bro. mike velarde and his "fan club" would hold their prayer meetings at the quirino grandstand. it's good that they've moved their gathering to the land owned by bro. mike along sucat road, not far from sm sucat. the baywalk then was dark and you would think twice if you wanted to take sunset or early evening stroll.

when former Mayor Atienza allowed bars to be set up along the baywalk, the place came alive. lots of people suddenly appreciated the area at night. the place lit up. as a hotelier, i too learned to appreciate the idea of using the baywalk as an entertainment area. it attracted both local and foreign tourists to the area. it was a place to be for some beers and stories among friends.

Mayor Lim said that it wasn't political, he was just implementing the law. we don't know the 'real' reason behind the demolition but we hope that they would reconsider what they did.

New favorite weekend lunch place

my wife and i have a new favorite weeked lunch place in makati. it's the mongolian quick stop, located at the ground floor of waltermart, makati city.




for P245 per person, you can have their all-you-can-eat mongolian barbeque. you fill up your bowl with egg and/or vermicelli noodles, veggies and meats; then you could either make your own sauce combinaton or choose from their own combinations (regular, sweet, spicy or sweet and spicy).


aside from their all-you-can-eat, they also have the quick bowl, which is one serving of their mongolian menu. you load up your bowl with noodles (egg and/or vermicelli), rice and veggies, and then you hand over your bowl to their attendant and they put your choice of meats (beef, chicken, pork), squid, fish balls and squid balls. then they ask you what sauce you want (regular, sweet, spicy, sweet and spicy).

then there's the quick box which is a smaller serving of their quick bowl. they do the toppings for you and they ask you for your choice of sauce.

they also have other items on their menu like sze chuan rice toppings, friend chicken, pork bbq, grilled squid.

unfortunately, i'm not the same buffet eater i used to be. halfway through my second bowl, it was becoming a challenge to finish it. back in my days, i could go for a fourth bowl. the last time i had a mongolian bbq all-you-can-eat was at summer place bar in boracay, when i was still working in the island.

although their range of ingredients is not as extensive as kublai's rock, it's still a good alternative, especially since it's not as crowded and you don't have the lack of parking slots compared to magallanes center.

so, if you want to satisfy your hunger pangs and go on an eating binge, check out mongolian quick stop.


Monday, August 13, 2007

newbie

after meeting a few bloggers last week, it got me thinking of finally setting up my own blog. some friends of mine already have their own blog sites.

i am a member of quite a few email groups, 14 to be exact. i moderate 3 and i own 4. and i post or forward a lot emails to these groups.

i have been visiting a lot of blog sites especially when the subject matters are food, travel, movies, gadgets, photography and music. one author even encouraged me to put up my own after i left a comment in her blog site.

so to those who are 'veterans' in the blog world, a little advice, some words of encouragement or tips and tricks would be appreciated to help this newbie.

thanks!

I got a C!

I checked out Eugene Villar's site, Lakbayan: How much of the Philippines have you visited (http://forge.codedgraphic.com/lakbayan/) to see how many places I have been to in our motherland.

And I got a C! My good friend and cabalen, Spanky aka Manila Boy (http://spankyenriquez.blogspot.com/) got a B-.

Here's my map. Check it out and get your grade


My Lakbayan grade is C!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.