Suzu Kin, Home Style Japanese Comfort Food

Having lived in Makati for almost 4 years, I am always on the lookout for new places to eat.  The first time I tried Suzu Kin was when I visited their original brach not far from our place along Vito Cruz Extension corner Sampaloc Street in San Antonio, Makati.

It has become my favorite place for noodle cravings especially on rainy nights. My favorite is Nabiyaki Soba served on an iron pot on top of a rectangular wooden base.

Just yesterday, we were so delighted to have been invited to try the food at their newest branch along EDSA.  Its at the Shell Station in between the intersections at East Ave. and Quezon Ave. north bound.

The new branch had improved on the service and ambiance of its original predecessor, but keeping home cooked appeal of the Japanese food it is known for.   We loved the variety of dishes that ranges from sushi's and rolls, to noodles and stir fry, and the addition of Filipino classic favorites like the Sisig.

Apart from the noodles, another favorite of mine is their 123 pesos sampler.  It has a little bit of everything in one plate.  A piece of Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki, Tuna Slice, and Pork Katsu Slice with a stir fry vegetable side dish and dilis.  A real value for your money.

We were able to try their Sisig topped with egg, nori bits and Japanese mayo.  It's a perfect match to few bottles of beer after a days work.  Also, they are having acoustic performances on weekends making it a perfect after office destination.

Another must try is the Beef Salpicao, Teppanyaki Style with stir fried vegetable side dish. 

Our Japanese dining experience would not be complete without having tried their California Maki dipped in Soy Sauce and a pinch of Wasabi.

They have a variety of drinks to complement every meal, but what stood out for us is their selection with Taro as our favorite.

So if your craving for something Japanese, fast and home cooked, or just stuck in traffic along EDSA, come and visit Suzu Kin right before Centris after the Kamuning flyover.  We left the place full, yet still craving for more!

Thanks Cherry and Leslie for the great meal.

My Vios-venture: Bacolor, Guagua, and Abe's Farm in Magalang all inPampanga

The only setback with traveling alone is that you are bound to go back to share the experience with friends or family.

Last Sunday, I took the role of a tour guide to Pampanga bringing along 3 friends with me.  I chose destinations that has cultural significance and included one that I myself haven't been to.  I decided to take them to the half buried church of San Guillermo in Bacolor, the Sistine Chapel of the Philippines, Betis Church, and Abe's Farm in Magalang for dinner.

We left around 1PM and was at Balintawak Toll Gate 45 minutes later.   From NLEX, we took the San Fernando exit and turned right to the direction of Dolores in San Fernando.  After the flyover, we moved to the rightmost lane, and turned left at Lazatin Blvd. under the Lazatin flyover.  We drove past the Heroes Hall until we reached Capitol Blvd. and turned right.  We drove straight until we reached Bacolor Public Market and turned right.  You can see the bell tower as you approach the church.

The church in San Guillermo is a proof of the resiliency of the Filipinos.  The church remained in use since the Pinatubo eruption with the 2nd level windows as the entryways.  Right beside it is a museum that houses religious collections as well as old photographs documenting the church's history.   It has become more popular when a local telenovela entitled "My Bukas Pa" used the Church in many of their scenes.

After Bacolor, we went to the neighboring town of Guagua.  We went back to Public Market and continued south bound to Betis.  Betis Church is on the left side of the road.  Please take note, that they close the church in between masses and that they observe a strict dress code upon entry.  We were fortunate that the guard on duty allowed us to enter after explaining how far we've traveled just to see the church's interior.

From the outside, it looks like a very ordinary old church, but the treasure is hidden in its interiors.  The walls and ceiling were hand painted and is said to be the Sistine Chapel of the Philippines. But unlike the one in San Agustin in Intramuros, this was painted on wood.  The massive wood carved doors showcases the talent of the Betis carvers.

We would have stayed for the mass, but might not be allowed since we're in shorts and slippers.  Instead, we headed straight to Abe's Farm.  Abe's Farm is located in Magalang which is still another 30 miles from Guagua.  From Betis Church, we continued south bound until we reached the town of Guagua.  We then turned right, passing by San Roque Chapel and the Guagua water district.  We continued north bound until we reached Jose Abad Santos Ave. with Caltex and the Diosdado Macapagal Medical Center marking the corners.  We turned right again going back to the direction of San Fernando, in order to see the many stalls of Betis carvers along the highway.

From here, you have two options to get to Abe's farm.  Either to go back to NLEX via Angeles exit or go to Angeles via Macarthur Highway.  We took the last option.  We continued north bound until we reached Lazatin Blvd. and turned left until we reached Macarthur Highway.  We turned left again to the direction of Angeles city which is still 8 Kilometers away.  We drove to the direction of Mabalacat and turned right at Pandan Road until we see Marquee Mall and the Angeles exit.  Instead of taking the exit, we turned right taking the Magalang Road passing the town of Cutud, famous during Holy Week, wherein devotees are actually nailed on the cross.

Upon reaching the town of Magalang, we turned left at a dead end and right on the next corner where a sign of Abe's Farm is posted.  From here on, there would be signs leading you to the actual location.  There are unpaved portions on the last few hundreds of meters to the gate.  Its better that you drive carefully and slowly so as not to put stress on your shocks and wheels.

The gates were closed when we arrived.  It was a bit disappointing especially after driving for an hour and enduring the rough dusty road.  Fortunately, a car went out, and the guard said they were open.  Its best that you check their website for their operating hours just to be sure. http://abesfarm.com.ph/

The place was really nice, and felt like an over-sized bahay kubo with bamboo floors, walls and ceiling.  It's also adorned with antiques and local arts and crafts.   It complemented the vast property at the foothills of Mt. Arayat.  A swimming pool is located on the lower level and Ifugao houses scattered in the property.  You can check out their website for the complete list of services and accommodations.

I thought the food was just ok, thinking that its the same menu as Abe's restaurant here in Manila, but having it with with that kind of surrounding made it special.  Take note of your food combination.  Somehow the thick chocolate drink and the Sampaloc we bought  roadside caused an upset stomach to one of my companion.  After dinner, we headed back to Manila arriving at 9PM.

Borawan, Padre Burgos, Quezon

I was browsing through facebook when I chanced upon an invite to go to Borawan for a weekend January 12-13.  The first 2 weeks of the year was so hectic, that I saw this as an opportunity to take a break.  This is also my first time to visit the place and the picture on the invite was so tempting.

It was raining the night before, and was having second thoughts.  I tried to confirm whether the trip would push through, since we're leaving around 3AM.

I was still partying at a friends bar at 1AM, but went home at 2AM to prepare and pack, and went straight to the bus station to Lucena. I slept the entire bus ride, that the 3 hours travel time seemed like minutes.  I was at the Lucena Grand Terminal having breakfast where my travel buddies caught up with me.  This time, we headed straight to the market at Padre Burgos to get provisions.  Padre Burgos is still an hour from Lucena.

Not far from the town is where we met our contact, where a boat was arranged for tour and take us to Borawan where we will camp for the night.

The tide was low that morning, and we would have to get our feet wet and walk a few hundred meters to get to the boat.  After a few minutes of waiting, we were off to our first destination, Lampas Kweba.

It was called Lampas Kweba because of the small cave on the rock formation protruding from the shore.  We explored the beach and cave for a few minutes, but did not stay long since we want to get settled to our camp and rest a bit.  Most of us had very little sleep the night before.

Our boat was maneuvering our departure when a lady from the shore started shouting to our boatman about our entrance fee.  She was uncontrollably nagging about the policy of not letting the guest leave without having to pay the 50 pesos per person rate.  Our companions from the other boat managed to pay only 20 pesos since they did not step ashore.  It was a bit disappointing, since, we were tourist and were not aware of their policy and honestly have no intentions of running away from our obligations, had she asked politely.  Tempers rose, and the conversation got louder that ended with SHUT UP! after handing her the 300 pesos she's so mad about!  Still, the lady wouldn't bulge.  We told her that "we are not coming back", and she replied with, "we don't need you!"

What a way to give tourist a first impression of your place.

Even arguments are more fun in the Philippines.  Imagine us bickering with the lady ashore from our boat a few meters away.

We just might be back.... TO GET EVEN... hehe.

It took another 30 minutes to Borawan.  Lampas Kweba is actually farther and Borawan is on the way back.  We were supposed to visit Dampalitan but was pressed for time.

Unlike the original picture from the invite, development has now started on the private beach.  Picnic huts are now scattered alongside the rock formation, complete with toilet facilities and running water.

Borawan got its name because the rock formations that resembles the limestone of Palawan and the sands of Boracay.  The sands were white, but not as powdery as the original, contrary to the claim.

Should you plan a trip to the island, you can call the contact persons on the photo above, and they can arrange boat transfers for you.  Mar is the most accommodating caretaker, unlike his Lampas Kweba counterpart.

They have plans on putting a store on the beach, but its best that you have your own provisions.  The rest of the day were spent preparing meals, taking photos, rest, swimming and drinking.  We did a lot more drinking than swimming since a lot of jellyfish decided to welcome our arrival.  The resort caretaker was kind enough to enclosed a portion of the water with net for us to swim, but the water was really cold in the afternoon towards the evening.

We were picked up the next morning and was on our way back after breakfast.

The entire trip cost me about 1500 pesos including transportation.  Since its in Quezon Province, you can take the opportunity to have lunch from the many restaurants along the road to Manila.

Thanks to Mamu Rex for taking us, and to Ben, Lawrence, Rob, Russel, Arnel, Alvin, Jay, Rex's Sister, Kuya Driver and the not so Little Boy for the company.

Special mention to Russel, where I grabbed some of the pics without permission.

Day 12 of the Alindog, Pagbigyan mo na ko Program

Last week I was only able to follow my program up to Day 3. On day 4, I have to go to Pampangaand sleep over, with no gym access.

The following week, my cheeks was swollen from a tooth decay which was finally extracted yesterday.

Today would have been my Day 12, I think I need to reboot by Sunday! Ang ilap mo talaga Alindog!

My Vios-venture: Aling Lucing's Sisig, Angeles Pampanga

Even before having a car, I have always like to discover places.  I remember a time when I traveled all the way to Pampanga just to have my workout.  I have this need to be mobile all the time.

Now that I have a car, my destinations have become farther and farther.

Last Thursday, I went back to Pampanga to visit a branch in San Fernando.  I frequent the province, but every time I explore it, I would always miss a destination.  I have visited Betis Church and Bacolor already.

This time my agenda is to visit the original stall of Aling Lucing believed to be the birthplace of Sisig.

I googled for its location but all I got was the address.  It was located along G. Valdez St., where the red pin on my map was dropped.

The blue path on my phone was impossible due to road blockage and instead, I drove straight along MacArthur Highway passing Angeles University Foundation till I reached the corner of P. De Guzman St.  Instead of turning right, I turned left to the direction of the pin which was a mistake.  I hould have just turned right to where the blue dot on my map was located.

Since its already four in the afternoon, parking was easy.  I am assuming that it gets packed during meal time.

 

Aside from Sisig, they also offer other grilled items and vegetable side dishes.

 

But I came for the house specialty.  My bill was a little over 200 pesos for an order of Sisig (good for sharing), Rice and a softdrink.  It was so worth the trip.  Unlike the canned version you can see and taste the chunks of pork cheeks and meat. 

 

It was a quaint Turo-Turo restaurant decorated with photos documenting different milestones of Aling Lucing and the Restaurant.

 

This is a definite must stop when visiting Angeles, Pampanga

Day 3 of Alindog Pagbigyan Mo Na Ko Program

At last, I'm on my track to the healthier new me.

I managed to sleep before 12MN and was up by 6:30.  I struggled to sleep for another hour, since I was required a minimum of 7 hours worth of sleep, but decided to have breakfast instead.  I ate the other half of the chicken breast left over from dinner and 3 spoonful of pasta.

By 7:30 AM, I was at the gym.  It was a challenge trying to find a parking space, even at that early in the morning.

I was able to do my chest and back workout.  Its been close to 8 months from the last time I went to the gym and my stats are low.  But, that's expected, after all, this just the 3rd day.

My Meals:

Breakfast

1/2 Chicken Breast

3 spoonful of pesto pasta (leftover from dinner)

Morning Snack

Fruit Juice

Lunch

Low Calorie Chicken

Calamansi Juice

Day 2 of Alindog Pagbigyan Mo Na Ko Program

Notice how I started my blog with Day 2, since Day 1 didn't happen.

Last Saturday, I was so eager to clean out my closet, that I started at 10PM and ended at 6AM Sunday morning.  I had very little sleep that day, not to mention that we would be spending the night at Las Pinas.

Monday morning, I was so tired and felt useless should I come to work that I asked to be excused. Since I was in a hospital that morning, I took the opportunity to get a check up.  In short, I spent the afternoon of Day 1 sleeping.

Today is my Day 2, and was scheduled to do a 20minute continuous cardio workout.

I left the office early, 10 minutes past  6 to drive myself to Slimmers World, Pasay Road.  Surprisingly, the traffic cooperated with me that I was in Ayala Center at 7PM.  Please note that Park Square is now closed and the nearest parking lot would be Thomas Square beside Raffles, if your coming from EDSA, turning right at Pasay Road.

My 20 minute cross training got interrupted since another person reserved it for 7:30.  I was 12 minutes into the workout.  I was able to transfer and continue the other 10 minute at another machine.

I was able to grab myself a few healthy stuff for dinner at SM after the workout.

Day 2 Meals

Breakfast
Hamdesal from Mcdo and Coffee

Lunch
Grilled Fish, Side Salad, 1/3 of a grilled corn cob and fesh calamansi juice

Afternoon Snack
2 Saging na Saba

Dinner
1 cup Pesto Pasta
1/2 Chicken Breast
1 cup Vegetable Soup

I intend to workout first thing tomorrow morning, and the program states that I should have 7-9 hours of sleep.  I only have less than an hour before bedtime, and hopefully Day 3 would go as I planned. Tomorrow is my back and chest day!  Wish me luck!