For those who’ve joined the latest food tours at TriNoma, Serendra, and Bonifacio High Street, you’d remember that Spot.PH, in partnership with several sponsors, brought to us the opportunity to taste plentiful gastronomic delights. Yesterday, May 8, Spot.PH formally launched its website as the newest hub of information concerning food, bars, and restaurants in Manila. Want to read articles about interesting spots in urban Manila? Searching for average people’s reviews of your favorite, as well, as new dining and drinking spots? Want to view photos and videos of days and nights out of people enjoying good food and drinks? Eager to participate in the discussion on which resto has the best iced tea or serves the most unforgettable dessert? You’ve got it at Spot.PH website.  What makes it different from all other food and drinks websites is that it provides more interaction with the average foodie.  As their buzz line goes, your city, your reviews.  And I actually believe they’re right: the everyday Manila people are those who can give the most honest reviews about the food and drinks found in Manila.  Registered users (registration is free!) can blog about their food and drinks reviews, even upload photos and videos!  There’s also forum for those who want lengthier discussions on their favorites.  Great concept, I’d say.

The launch was held at CAV Wine Bar and Restaurant at Bonifacio High Street, located in the same building as The Spa. It was my first time to be in this restaurant, though I’ve heard that it has a wine vending machine. Wait…a vending machine?  For wine?

That’s one of CAV’s personnel refilling the vending machine with new bottles of wine

One just need to purchase a prepaid card, insert the card on top of the wine you want to taste, press the button corresponding to the amount of wine you want (a shot, quarter full or half-full) and voila!  Wine tasting, the modern way.  Sadly though, I wasn’t able to inquire how much this prepaid card is.  But considering that some of those wines displayed can cost as much as P12,000+, I guess that prepaid card won’t be so cheap.

Here’s another nifty display I found inside CAV:

That’s NOT nail polish

Actually the whole display is called “54 Aromas”.  It comes with a brochure, presenting the different kinds of aromas in families:

• Fruity - Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange, Pineapple,  Banana, Lychee, Melon, Muscat, Apple, Pear, quince, strawberry, raspberry, red currant, black currant, bilberry, blackberry, cherry, apricot, peach, almond, prune, walnut
• Floral - hawthorn, acacia, linden, honey, rose, violet
• Vegetal and spicy - green pepper, mushroom, truffle, wine lees, cedar, pine, liquorice, boxwood, cut hay, thyme, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, pepper, saffron
• Animal - leather, musk, butter
• Roasted - toast, roasted almond, roasted hazelnut, caramel, coffee, dark chocolate, smoke

I can’t imagine the skill of someone who could accurately differentiate all of these scents.

I love CAV’s interior.  If you’ve come to have a taste of good food that goes well with good wine, the subtle lights and thickly textured furnishings all lend to an ambiance that is quite perfect.

This is actually my favorite part of the place.  No, I’ve never been up there!  But I find these crisscrossing wooden beams and stone architecture beautiful reminiscent of some old-fashioned French wine cellar.  Romantic!

But, in this event, the old-fashioned fuses seamlessly with the modern.  Check out those computer stations setup, with broadband internet, courtesy of Smart Bro.

There are, at least, four of those during the event.  I’m not really a fan of Macs, but I find that iMac mouse really pretty and, at the same time, practical (at least, for me).  The scroller is just small enough that one has to use only the fingertip.  It lessens the finger and wrist movements necessary to navigate and maneuver during browsing and thus, decreasing the risk for developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

While waiting for the place to be filled up, CAV served guests with iced teas, nachos, and chocolates:

Just your standard nachos

Now that’s something I want in my room

Can I take the whole box home?  No? (Surely she isn’t happy at the thought)

Soon, the formal presentation of Spot.PH website was done, with introductions from the Spot.PH people and the bigwigs.  And, they’ve presented the video of Spot.PH Bloggers’ Food tour!  Bloggers like Shari, Jester, and AJ got some exposure time back there.  Hehe.

Okay, enough of the sight-seeing.  Time to make the taste buds do their work!

The maitre ‘d presented the four pairings of food and wine he wanted us to taste:

Kani and Asian Slaw Salad cup was paired with (not in photo) Behringer Chenin Blanc

Salmon Tartar with pickled cucumbers which was paired with…

…Enoku Tofu shooter with herbal foam and (not in photo) Nottage Hill Chardonnay Aust.

Potato gnocci with Truffle porcini mushroom essence paired with (not in photo) Kangaroo Ridge, Merlot, Aust

Braised beef short ribs bordelaise on potato puree paired with (not in photo) Esser, Cabernet Sauvignon, USA

My taste in food isn’t really in the “high-class” or “sosyal” type, but I did greatly enjoy all of the pairings served that day.  I think my favorite would be the Enoku Tofu Shooter and Salmon Tartar.  Good thing they provided written information about these food and wines, as it is really difficult to remember the names, especially for someone like me who really isn’t an expert in food.

Overall, I’m so glad I came to this event.  My feet may be tired from standing up and going around, taking snapshots, but I get to meet some people and enjoyed great-tasting food and wine.  I hope something like this comes around again soon. 

Charo Nuguid speaking on “How To Blog” during iBlog4

I was excited attending iBlog4 as it will be my first Blogging summit. I was supposed to attend iBlog3 and the iBlog mini last November, however, my back was my enemy then. If it weren’t for the acute lumbar pain that I had that made me stay in bed for some days, iBlog4 would have been the 3rd Blogging summit that I have attended. But since the iBlog series is friendly both to the newbie and the veterans, it doesn’t really matter whether you’ve been present in all iBlogs or not.

One of the things that made the iBlog4 memorable was the “adventure” I had going to U.P. Diliman. I really don’t know how to public commute going to U.P., so it posed a challenge. As I was riding an FX along NLEX, the rear wheel of a medium-sized truck running beside the FX burst and the impact shook the FX a little. I even felt it beneath the FX that I thought it was our wheel that burst. It was a little scary at first, thinking that either we slide out of the lane and crash into other vehicles or if the driver step on the brakes, turn over and again, crash. Thankfully, nothing happened and we just rode smoothly over the NLEX. It’s unfortunate, though, for the truck and the other vehicles because the truck got stuck in the middle of the NLEX, which could very well cause heavy traffic.

When I got to Quezon Avenue, I’ve to look at the signboards of the jeepneys passing through. I don’t even know which side of the road to wait for. But I just followed gut feelings and thankfully, I got into the right jeepney, whose driver kindly pointed me to the right building.

I was one of the early birds so I’ve to watch as people started pouring in, as the 9 o’clock mark neared. I think most of the people I know came in late so I just seated myself in the middle row, where there are less people seated. I wasn’t really feeling social back then.

iBlog4 has a list of interesting topics lined up. I’ll list down my thoughts for each:

How To Blog (From a non-problogger’s point of view)

Charo Nuguid talked no nonsense about the nature of blogging and what one could blog about, which can be practically about anything. It’s in simple enough language because one need not drown in the complex world of SEO just to be able to understand what blogging is. One of the reasons why I wanted my close friends to come with me to iBlog4 is to have them listen to this talk. I guess it can be considered as an introduction to blogging for newbies or for those who haven’t started to blog yet. Unfortunately, those close friends of mine weren’t able to make it. Maybe I’ll be able to bring them with me on iBlog5.

Blogging Lessons Learned

At first, I felt quite apprehensive that Brian Gorrell should speak in iBlog4. It maybe perhaps because of the controversial nature of the issue he’s entangled with. But I’ve to admit that he made some fine points about the lessons he learned about blogging, considering that he had only started his blog months ago. He spoke of having to make some balance between online and offline life, with emphasis on taking care of one’s emotional and personal health. I agree that, as bloggers, we must keep fighting to maintain the freedom we have by continuing to produce quality content, but I must disagree with how he must have defined freedom of speech, considering the libelous nature of his blog. But, overall, with him sitting down near his creek and being bitten by mosquitos, I think he could really be a great guy. It would have been great if we were able to do a videoconference with him, but, unfortunately, there had been some technical difficulties that made it not possible to do so. Maybe next time. Or if he comes back to the Philippines and meet some bloggers. Who knows?

From Student blogger to Problogger

Karlo of Pinoyblogero.com talked about how he had chosen to take the path of problogging after college. I didn’t think he elaborated enough on specific ways how a student blogger could go problogging. But I found it entertaining that somebody from the audience fearlessly asked him how much he earns from problogging. Unfortunately, though, his parents were there, too. So, bye, bye allowance! Hehe. Lesson learned: Never disclose financial information whenever parents are around. LOL.

Photoblogging

I think everybody’s drooling as Juned pulled out his cameras one by one out of his pockets. He practically loves his craft. I love the photos he used in his presentation and it actually inspired me to continue photoblogging. Even if I don’t have those professional cameras, I could still make do with what I have and make the best out of it. Maybe it’s time that I get back to my slightly abandoned photoblog and fix it up. And maybe look up several photography books that my friend has.

Blog To Print

What can I say? World Domination wins! Haha!

Jonas Diego was quite funny and he did made the presentation lively. I think his talk sparked interest among bloggers to start their own web comics. Neil Gaiman, I think, would be pretty happy about that.

Vlog and Podcasting Prospects in the Philippines

Aileen Apolo and Coy’s video presentation was very much a hit among the bloggers. I didn’t know that if one starts vlogging, one ought to use royalty-free music, so as not to get in trouble, at the very least, with uploading or publishing vlogs. I’ve wanted to try vlogging for some time, but I guess I haven’t got the material yet for vlog episodes. And I’m shy. Hehehe. Maybe I should just go shoot videos of other people, not including myself. Ahaha.

Blogging and 2010 Elections Panel

This must be one of the most awaited talks in the iBlog. Everybody seemed to have some questions in mind that they’re itching to ask Manuel L. Quezon III, Luz Rimban, and Janette Toral. I can understand why The Jester is miffed by the fact that some of those in mainstream media are questioning the credibility of bloggers and blogging and that mainstream media seems to consider itself as the gatekeepers of information. This kind of thinking feeds the attitude that whatever you find online is of questionable credibility, which is wrong, because there are so many valuable information that can be found across the world wide web. However, I think Alex Villafania may be on to something worth pondering, though it might have come across as arrogant.

The wealth of information online is just never-ending that how are we going to discern which we should take as factual, and which are inherently biased? In medicine, when we browse journals, we are wary of inherent biases each study has and that’s how we weigh information offered by such journals to decide which would be helpful in practice. Being in The New England Journal of Medicine doesn’t necessarily equate to being more credible than those found in the local or university journals, even if peer-reviewed, because some crappy studies do still come up occasionally. One still has to discern the biases from the facts, analyze the methodologies used, which is the heart and soul of a credible study.

I think that also applies in blogs. Some information may be presented as facts in some blogs. But how do we know if it’s reliable? It would be necessary that we should be discerning as to the evidences presented by the author to prove that his information is credible. It is also helpful to examine the links being provided for by the author. This practice, I think, is especially useful when browsing wikipedia articles.

Now, going back to what Villafania might have been trying to say, mainstream media, being mainstream, can have the check and balance mechanism to ensure that what goes on print or TV gets verified first. In blogs, that doesn’t need to be done. However, the problem with mainstream media is that, just like in some peer-reviewed journals, being peer-reviewed doesn’t necessarily mean that it is more credible than other information that hasn’t been reviewed. It may be because of the biases already inherent in the peer-review panel itself, or the gatekeeper. Also, even if mainstream media claims to give balanced reporting, one just have to admit that it could be heavily influenced by political and other social forces.

And so we come to that point wherein blogging may actually be able to supplement whatever mainstream media may be lacking. The panel have already extensively discussed the roles bloggers may take during the upcoming 2010 elections and I agree that mainstream media can only do so much and cannot be everywhere all the time. Firsthand accounts of election-related events would be very much appreciated, if not, necessary, for extensive coverage of one of the most important elections in our country’s history.

MLQ3 also emphasized that bloggers covering election should be a “pain in the ass”.

It was my first time to see and hear Manuel Quezon III speak and so I was quite excited to have been able to speak with him in person. And he reads my blog! Yey! I’ve to admit, though, that I’ve been quite a bit reluctant to leave comments in his blog, especially when the post’s topic is too controversial. Readers of MLQ3’s blog would know how the blog’s commenters can really get heated up when arguing.

Legal Challenges in Blogging

Atty. JJ Disini talked about libel and copyright infringement, two things that bloggers nowadays are really wary of, especially after some bloggers have already complained of some of mainstream media plagiarizing their content and perhaps, because of the Brian Gorrell phenomenon too.

And quoting Atty. Disini, “copyright infringement is a crime; plagiarism is simply bad manners.”

Maybe mainstream media should stop criticizing credibility of bloggers in general and start learning how NOT to plagiarize just to meet deadlines and have content on TV and print.

Blogging For Advocacy

I like Noemi’s advocacy “Reshaping The Filipina Image Online” and her talk about it. One has to be too dense not to realize that some may have been cringing at the use of the word Filipina because of the negative image that it already has online (entering the word Filipina on search engines result to marriage and dating sites, porn sites, etcetera. Hardly the stuff that one wants to be associated with). The advocacy do not aim to mar the images of those who’re into dating and porn sites, but rather the advocacy wants to paint a more balanced image of the Filipina, as a whole, not just as a mail to order bride or a maid. Maybe one of these days I’d be able to contribute a little to this advocacy.

The Mindanao Blogging Experience

Whoa! Finally Ria in the flesh! I’ve been following her on twitter and it’s only now that I get to see her in person. Well, I wasn’t able to say hi really because simply, there are just too many people around her!

She shared Davao bloggers experiences, and how Davao got free wi-fi and have inexpensive, but delicious food. Just listening to her talk makes me want to go visit Davao already. Haha! Maybe someday.

The summit ended with the usual closing remarks and the “class” pictures (as Jester calls it). But even if the day has already ended, the night still have some more things to show. We’re off to the 88db.com After-iBlog4 party!

88db.com After Party

I arrived at Katips a bit early with Marcelle, Shari, and others, but Arpee, Benj, Arbet, Manolo, and Jester even got there earlier. We started on a bit of beer and some food already, while waiting for the staff to get the place ready for the party. And it’s good that I’ve already eaten a bit before the party started because, unfortunately, the party that’s supposed to be a party with food and beer became a party with SOME food and beer. If 88db.com aren’t expecting to feed hungry bloggers after one whole day of blogging summit, then they should have just moved the party at a later time and not have it start at dinner time and yet, not serve dinner.

As for the games, I’m not too crazy about it (actually, I don’t exactly remember what games have been played as I’ve already zoned out at that time and was busy just talking to people, which was more fun). I think it would have been enough to get blogers good food and drinks and they’d be able to socialize on their own with that. However, I’ve to say that I got amused with the come-as-your-blog costume contest. Only 3 bloggers competed for the prize of PSP: Pinoyblogero, Batang Yagit, and ChickenMafia. And Gallus gallus trumped the Homo sapiens and won the PSP!

Lose Your Beer Belly, featuring Ade and Lauren, played some songs to enliven the night. I think it’s one of those few moments during the party that I actually enjoyed. I particularly liked their Vertical Horizon song (which I forgot the title, silly, demented me).

I wanted to stay longer but I remembered that I was going home by myself (wasn’t able to ask my aunt in Mandaluyong if I could stay for the night). A naughty thought crossed my mind, which would have solved such a problem, but I’m a good girl now *insert angel with halo smiley here*

So when I left, there were still some bloggers who’re concocting an after-after-party-gimmick. Hungry, perhaps? Hehe.

Okay, so here’s a list of those who also blogged about the event:

• 88db.com iBlog4 After Party
• Lessons I Learned From iBlog4
• iBlog 4 and The 88db.com Blogger’s Night: Because I Felt The Need To Embarrass Myself More
• iBlog4 ramblings
• Snippets from the iBlog4 and 88db.com Bloggers Party
• Being Offline is Fun
• iBlog4 and Morphxchange
• Avi Siwa at iBlog4
• iBlog4 experience
• Morph at iBlog4
• iBlog4 Summit
• iBlog4 Summit bloggers party with 88db.com
• iblog4 Summit
• iblog4 Blogging Summit and Meet Up
• Anger always come from frustrated expectations
• Umleo23.com at iBlog4 Summit???
• Unofficial Philippine Blogger Day
• So wassup?
• iBlog4, Altar Boyz Mosh Pit Party, Nick Weekend Carnival, & 88DB Bloggers Party
• iBlog4
• iBlog4
• FilipinaImages.com in iBlog4 Summit
• iblog4 (old friends, new friends)
• Jester-in-Exile Goes to iBlog 4 and the 88DB.com Bloggers’ Party (or, the floppy hat has gone out of style boohoohoo)
• iBlog 4 and The 88db.com Blogger’s Night: Because I Felt The Need To Embarass Myself More
• iblog4 Philippine Blogging Summit
• Of a very long week
• iblog4: the day after
• iBlog4 Summit
• Chickens invade iBlog4
• iBlog4 summit and 88db.com party by raredog
  
• Blog events by Teacher Julie
  
• The 4th Philippine Blogging Summit iBlog4 by aczafra
  
• iBlog4 Experience by Pinoyambisyoso
  
• iBlog4 Experience by Sweet Perceptions
• A Day For Bloggers by Tom
• Realizations From iBlog 4 (Part 1 of 2)
• Realizations From the 88db.com Bloggers Night (Part 2 of 2)
• Lost at iBlog4
• Bloggers Blog About iBlog4
• Rectal Discombobulation
• iBlog4 Part 1 by Ria Jose
• iBlog4 Afterglow by Janette Toral
• iBlog4 Live Video Streaming by Aj
• iBlog4 Summit Bloggers Party with 88db.com
• iBlog4: The 4th Philippine Blogging Summit by Micamyx
• 88db Bloggers Party

For those who’ve blogged about the event but wasn’t included in the list, please feel free to leave your links here at the comments section.

Not being too familiar with the area, I used the bus that’s going around (which usually gets the bulk of its passengers near the Ayala MRT station). It’s lovely getting around Bonifacio High street, as the streets are clean and there aren’t too many people. Commuting has been stress free for me. At the end of the bus ride, I discovered that I was with Mica and Maki in the bus the whole time (though they’re seated much upfront). Then, together, we proceeded to Krispy Kreme at Bonifacio High Street to meet up with the other bloggers participating in the second part of the Spot Pass Bloggers’ Food Tour.

Bloggers enjoying their free chillers and donuts courtesy of Krispy Kreme

That’s Marilyn of Spot.ph. And yup, we’re being filmed for TV, as well!

There’s significantly fewer participants, compared to last Friday, which is understandable since it’s Monday and most people are still at work (or can’t leave work because it’s the start of the week). We’re still divided into 4 groups, each group composed of 10-15 bloggers. I was assigned to the green group and we’re being herded by Karl, community editor of Spot.ph.

Texas Roadhouse Grill

Texas Roadhouse Grill was the first resto we went into and I kinda like the western feeling and looked like a nice casual place to dine in, especially for a Saturday night when one wants to just hang out with friends and have fun with beer and some exchange of jokes and stories.

I like the look so much that I took pictures of the interior:

Liquor bar. Reminds me of that movie with those bar girls dancing on top of the liquor bar. Hmmm.

My favorite corner of the resto. It kinda looks like a painting. I like how the soft light hit the wall and the chairs

Portfolio of wonderful doggies! These must be pets of their recent clients

I hope that doesn’t fall on the heads of the diners!

But enough of the interiors! We came to dine, right? Here’s a photo of my favorite stuff in Texas Roadhouse Grill:

That’s some skewered shrimp and salmon and grilled to perfection and seafood marinara pasta. Yum!

Texas Roadhouse Grill claims to be the first modern Western saloon in the Philippines. Of course, it offers a variety of authentic Old West dishes like Santa Fe Nachos, Grilled Beef and Mushroom Skillet, Loaded Texas Chips, Baby Back Ribs, and Wrangler Pork Steak.

If you like their food much but can’t afford to go back to Bonifacio High Street because it’s too far from your place, they’ve got a branch at El Pueblo Real de Manila, Ortigas Center.

Next stop was Kabisera ng Dencio’s. I kinda like the fancy interiors, too. Also that the whole place seemed to be made up of mostly glass panes. It looked like a nice, bright, happy place to stay in.

That looked very Pinoy!

Whoa! That’s a creative take on the plain chessboard. Too bad we didn’t get to try to play this one

They’ve got a bar in here too!

Pinakbet salad. Who’d ever guess that bagoong would taste great in a salad?

Adobong Pusit Rice. I love squid!

Okay, I already forgot what this is called. But the squid tasted great! Squid! Squid! Squid!

And with the good food comes the opportunity to play! Here’s L.A. concentrating on his game of Jenga

And then, look who I saw sharing a plateful of food:

How sweet!

After a filling meal at Kabisera ng Dencio’s, we had the opportunity to grab some coffee and sandwiches at Starbucks.

Iced Caffe Latte, Bacon strips, egg and cheese on multigrain bagel, Hungarian sausage, egg and cheese on Ciabatta bread, Tomato, Mozzarella and basil on multi-grain bagel, black forest ham, egg white and cheese of Ciabatta bread.

This could be a healthy breakfast for those on the go, as the sandwiches are made with healthy and high-fiber multigrain bagels. Too bad the sandwiches aren’t available in all Starbucks branches.

Oh wow! I was so excited that Murray’s New Orleans is included in the tour. I’ve heard much about the place from friends who have already dined there. And definitely, it did not disappoint.

This is one crazy interior design…and I love it!

I was kind of hoping that those windows and doors were real so I could go up to it. But no time for such, as the food totally took my attention.

And, of course, silly old me forgot to ask what the name of this awesome gastronomic dish. I totally dig the rice. And yup, I dug it I’m definitely going back to this place.

Chelsea’s got one of the most awesome-tasting classic carbonaras (besides my mom’s version of a classic carbonara) and one of the good-looking chefs too (hihi).

Not a Star Wars costume.  It’s just one of those ladies from Chelsea wearing ‘em

Mamou restaurant was our next destination after Chelsea’s.  Food we’ve sampled were really mouthwatering.  Plus, the store’s manager and staff were really friendly (a breather, perhaps, from the previous resto?).

Healdsburg’s Harvest salad (Lola Rosa and micro arugula greens, dried cranberries, glazed pecans, cranberry stilton cheese with a berry vinaigrette

Roast Pork Chicken (citrus-marinated dish served with a choice of red or white rice cooked in the marinade, Cuban black beans and cinnamon-sugar saba

Prime Ribeye steak (with sides of creamed spinach, corn pudding, baked mashed potatoes, steak red or white rice)

Dark Chocolate Sansrival.  Wow, was that even possible?  Well, obviously it is possible.  But this one really tastes good, especially if you’re into the dark chocolate dessert kind.

Next was Brasserie Cuillere (pronounced as kwee-yer).  French cuisine made less complicated and more affordable, or so their press kit says.  I haven’t tasted much food here, but I love the basic ham and egg sandwiches they’ve made:

Next stop was Cupcakes by Sonja.  Awesome desserts, I’d say.  I was never really a cupcake person, but Cupcakes by Sonja just made the kind of cupcakes a non-cupcake person would love (did that make sense?  Haha).

I don’t want to eat them anymore.  They look too pretty to be eaten

That’s how they prettify them cupcakes

Cafe Xocolat is heaven for chocoholics.  If it weren’t too sinful, I would have pigged out on all those chocolatey goodness they’ve served us.  But then, again, at that time, I was almost bursting with food.

A little intermission:  Cafe Xocolat at Eastwood city will be holding a Summer Speed Dating Event on May 3, 2008, 7 p.m.  20 dates, Xocolat dinner and dessert buffet, and Martini de Xocolat bar all in one evening.  There are limited slots only so if you’re interested, just email xocoholics@xocolate.com.ph for inquiries and registration.  Or you could just text the word “info” to 0917-8480929.

Mezzaluna restaurant/bar is quite a visual and gastronomic delight.  The soft light and warm ambiance just did it for me.

Marcelle, is this your handiwork?!?!

While that there were still other restaurants that are in the tour, I just wasn’t able to properly appreciate them as we were already running out of time and seemed that marathoning has become a necessity.  I think, as an advice for those who’d be organizing food tours in the future, it would be better if there were lesser number of restaurant/establishments participating (like maybe only 10 or less) because 4 hours isn’t just enough to properly cover 20+ establishments.  And to think we all have to do food sampling  in each.  Or maybe if there really are plenty of establishments who want to participate, then maybe we should do the food tour for one whole day.

But still, I’m looking forward to future food tour/events.  It’s just so fun meeting new (and old) bloggers and sharing food and drinks with them is just a nice bonding time.

Others who have blogged about the event:

• The Spot Bloggers’ Tour by Karl
• Spot Pass: Trinoma Food Tour by Tech at Hand
• Warning: Food Tripping Is Dangerous To Your Health by Maki
• Spot Pass in Trinoma (Part 1) by Maki
• Spot Pass in Trinoma (Part 2) by Maki
• Spot Pass in Trinoma (Part 3) by Maki
• Spot Pass: An Exclusive Bloggers’ Tour (Trinoma edition) by Franny

Few certainly doesn’t mean less good, as seen on the Spot Pass Bloggers’ Food Tour last April 25. There were 100 bloggers and 17 establishments who participated in this food appreciation activity. There were those who were veterans of the previous TriNoma food tour but there were newbies, as well.

It was good that we started on time because, though there were fewer restaurants participating this time, it’s still a lot! And we need to be spending more time in each establishment so we could enjoy the food better and interact with the restaurant staff more.

So, off we went…(WARNING! LOTS OF FOODIE PICS! BE READY TO GET HUNGRY!)

The Madison Grill

Just like in the last food tour, this was the place where we started the tour. Chef Lou treated us to a good round of pizzas and braised lamb (it tastes good, but I really just don’t like eating lambs) and even taught some bloggers to make the pizzas themselves!

Jeff donning the gear for pizza mastery

Chef Lou showing Jeff the ropes

Why did the Sweeney Todd Soundtrack suddenly played in my head? Jeff, are you sure that is edible?

Pizza Masters!

Haiku

Our second stop, just like in the previous food tour, is Haiku.

Yup, I missed this starfish-shaped plate and still, I find it very pretty. I love the taste of this Oyaku roll (please check the spelling) and Haiku Salad. I’ve come back several times to this place, even after the first food tour. Going back to it in the second food tour still felt like coming to it for the first time. I just can’t get over the taste of the food here.

And it’s interesting to see something like this:

It’s my first time to see a sake wine in a glass jar.

La Maison

Ah! We’re back to one of the restaurants with the best-tasting spareribs! I’m not much of a meat-eater, but with La Maison’s spareribs, I think I’d make an exception.

This is their House specialty of pork ribs with Bourbon barbecue sauce

I’m a pasta monster and so it is just so easy to fall in love with La Maison’s seafood marinara pasta. I think I must have eaten a plateful of this.

Shrimps, mussels, and Lapu-lapu in Tomato sauce

I’m not much fan of the Duck Live Pate and not because I’ve really tasted it. It’s just that I don’t like to eat duck. But here’s a nice photo of the dish:

Another House specialty served with cumberland sauce and bread

Ruby Tuesday

It’s actually my first time in this restaurant. I find the interior a bit dark, though. But the salad bar is win!

We didn’t get to sample the salad bar, though, because it isn’t part of the food tour. But still, the setup looks fantastic.

I’m not much impressed with the other food, though. It taste good but nothing really special that could really make me come back for some more.

Premium Baby Back Ribs

Ruby Tuesday Minis

Cyma

Opa!

That’s an appetizer specialty of the restaurant, Saganaki or Flaming Cheese. You can see that everybody’s almost scampering to get a good picture of how the waiter lighted that dish.

Okay, I take back what I said before that I don’t like Greek Mediterranean dishes. I’m beginning to love this place.

Arno Sto. Fornou, slow roasted leg of lamb with potatoes and lemon

Spinach and artichoke Fondue, a dish with melting cheese, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, warm pita triangles, and grilled garlic bread.

Cyma’s Original Roka Salata, a dish with fresh arugula, chopped romaine lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, candied walnuts, shaved parmesan with traditional greek vinaigrette

And what else? Feta! Feta! Feta! I want my cheese!

But this one takes the cake:

Skolatina, Cyma’s Molten Chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream and roasted chestnut sauce

Five Cows

This is also one of my favorite restos in TriNoMa. I love their ice cream cakes, reasonably priced at P180 per slice (believe me, every peso is worth it!).

Come and get it

And what’s more? You’ve got free wi-fi! That’s a yey for bloggers like me who likes hanging out in places with coffee, chocolate, cakes, and wi-fi.

There were other restaurants that participated in the food tour but I just cannot post more about them simply because: 1) I’ve covered some of it in the previous food tour entries; 2) nothing more can be said of them; or 3) I just don’t remember much of the food I’ve eaten there.

I hope there’d be another food tour next time. For those who weren’t able to join this food tour, I advise you to always watch twitter posts, as most bloggers do post notifications of such events through twitter. Hehe.

The second leg of this food tour will be at Serendra and Bonifacio High street on Monday, April 28. Hope to see you guys again!

Others Who Posted About The Event Too!

• Spot Pass: An Exclusive Bloggers’ Tour @ TriNoma Mall by Azrael
• Takin’ A Break: Bloggers’ Food Tour at TriNoma by Spot.PH by Ed Arevalo
• First Bloggers’ Event: A Food Tour by Yam
• My Cross Section Is A Square: Bloggers’ Food Tour at Trinoma by Cigarette Girl
• Spot Pass Trinoma bloggers’ Food Trip by Teacher Julie

]]> http://tesstermulo.com/2008/04/27/spot-pass-bloggers-food-tour-trinoma/feed/ http://tesstermulo.com/2008/04/27/lost-money-but-was-happy/ http://tesstermulo.com/2008/04/27/lost-money-but-was-happy/#comments Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:04:33 +0000 Prudence http://tesstermulo.com/?p=1229 Strange as it may sound, but that’s how I can pretty much sum up these recent days events. It has been busy these past few days, with the Spot.PH Bloggers food tour and the iBlog4 that surely, for the next few days, I’ll be spending most of my free time editing photos and posting about these activities, since I’ve promised myself (and I said on a video interview) that I’ll be writing about these.

Again, why did I say that I was happy even if I lost money (which I’m sure isn’t what Jeff is feeling right now)? Well, for one, I’ve to take leave from work, in order to attend the events. That, of course, meant that I don’t have pay from work for those days (hahaha, moonlighting can be such a biatch), unlike perhaps in corporate workplace. But no regrets. I’ve learned and experienced a lot of things in those two days, which I’ll be talking about in my next few posts.

Well, for now, I’ll just be playing PW again and perhaps, go check what others have already posted about the said events. Hahaha.

Looking at the news around the world today, the wars being fought because of territories, clan skirmishes, food crises, and racial discrimination, one just cannot fully imagine why these atrocities have to occur.  It is perhaps we, as humans, are capable of much more evil than what we admit we can do.  But evil as we can be, we can also be good and each has a potential to be heroes and fight for what is right and true.

On May 15, bloggers are challenged to harness the power of blogging to make this world better, even by the most simple means.  Bloggers Unite is an initiative of the blogging community (particularly the Blog Catalog Community) to use blogging as a tool to spread awareness that everyday, in many parts of the world, basic Human Rights are being violated.  Bloggers are also encouraged to write about the successful endeavors that has been done to promote basic human rights.

I’d say let’s join in this revolution on May 15 and continue making it our fight thereafter.  See Bloggers Unite site for more information on joining.

Remember last January’s fun food tour (check out my entries 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), I’d say I’m definitely excited about going to another one.

The following are the participating establishments:

TriNoma Mall

• Jack’s loft
• Holy Cow Chophouse
• Bubba Gump Shrimp House
• Madison Grill
• Recipes
• Red Box Karaoke
• Ruby Tuesday
• Café Breton
• Cold Rock Ice Creamery
• Cyma
• Fish & Company
• Cold Rock Ice Creamery
• TGIF
• Italianni’s
• La Maison
• Recipes
• Krispy Kreme

Serendra and Bonifacio High Street

Food Establishments

• Conti’s Pastry Shop & Resto
• Fu by Hei Shin Lou
• Cupcakes by Sonja
• Xocolat
• Portico
• Chocolate de Batirol
• Polu Kai Grille
• Cuillere
• Mamou- A Home Kitchen
• Miss Desserts
• Kape Isla
• Krispy Kreme

Non Food Establishments

• Carnevale Lifestyle & Designer Wares
• Abbey Road

If you’re interested in joining, just go over to Spot Pass website and view the mechanics for joining and then sign-up! I’ll see you there

But today is not a normal day anyway.

I woke up when my dad was briskly shaking me at around 6:30 a.m. I groaned in protest and turned my back on him. But I managed to open an eye at him when he said that he couldn’t find Coco, my hamster.

I wasn’t troubled at first, since my Mom almost always tells me that, only to find Coco buried in his pine shavings, with his ear barely showing through all the covering. And it’s so cute seeing him poke his head through the pine shavings and look at who’s disturbing his sleep.

But when Daddy told me that he already shifted through the pine shavings and still couldn’t find Coco, I pushed myself to get up and look at his cage. Awwww, he was able to open the porthole door on top! Spanking intelligent hamster! And now I’ve got to go hamster hunting early in the morning.

I thought of setting up a “trap” for him (erase those thoughts of cruel mouse traps from your mind). I took the clear tub I used to carry Qingzi home, removed the cover, put some lettuce leaves and carrots in it, and left it somewhere near the door of my bedroom. If Coco gets hungry, he’ll be able to sniff his way to the food stash and hopefully he’ll stay inside the tub until I get him back to his cage. I thought it’s going to be a long wait and I occupied myself with rearranging the stuff in my room, in hopes that I’d be able to shake him out of his hiding place, wherever that may be.

I didn’t actually have to wait long and the trap was unnecessary. Fifteen minutes after I’ve setup my trap, I found him scurrying under my bed. He’s going for the half-opened door! How could I forget to close it when I’ve got a hamster on the loose? I quickly closed it and well, I found Coco on the floor, seemingly disappointed that he didn’t make it to freedom. I wasn’t able to take a photo anymore, as I was in a hurry to scoop him up and put him inside his cage, before he could think of an alternative escape plan.

And yeah, I’ve got to take some precautions so that it wouldn’t happen again soon.

Sorry, Coco, if I’ve to tape you up like that. Read his post about his escape.

I was at the clinic the other day, trying to solve this cube while waiting for patients’ lab results. But then, no matter how I think about it, I just can’t seem to solve the thing. Too many permutations. So, yes, I can’t solve a 3 x 3 x 3 Rubik’s cube, so shoot me.

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