AKG

Vicky and Monique have been searching for a good pair of headphones, and they have a long list of musts:  lightweight, comfortable press on or hug around the ear, handles a wide range of frequencies (deep resounding bass to tweeter clarity), lengthy cord (1.5 m) and affordable price.  I've been canvassing for the past few months, and I was convinced enough to get an AKG headphone for Monique.  Not bad at all, their starter headsets come in at P2,000 and these babies can outperform some of the more expensive versions of other brands (bracket of P4,000 to P10,000 a pair).  I understand that the company is a subsidiary of the same group that makes Harman Kardon amps which is pretty much a known name in the audio business.

Karate Kid

The Karate Kid movie series with Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio was an inspiring trilogy about the coming of age of a young karate student (in recent years, the remake has Jacky Chan and Jaden Smith).  I guess the Karate Kid restaurant was conceived to be a direct tribute to the movies.  Monique and I chanced upon the outlet at the Robinson's Ermita and we had an afternoon snack of noodles, gyoza, crunchy maki and burger-topped-spaghetti:

We spent something like P500 for the both of us, and it was good that we were able to sit down despite the long queue at the counter.  Pricing is pretty affordable, so it was understandable why the place was full with students around the Ermita area.  I would say that the gyoza, the maki and the ramen soup were acceptable in taste, although I felt that the gyoza was a bit under-filled.  There was definitely no excitement about the burger-topped-spaghetti, and I felt like berating myself for ordering Italian in a Japanese fast food outlet.  Also, serving portions are calibrated for snacks.

DZFE

DZFE on 98.7 mhz has been the sole classical FM music station in Metro Manila for  many years now.  Run by the Far East Broadcasting Company, this station is also a Christian gospel station--its monicker "The Master's Touch" is in reference to both the Divine and the master composers whose music the station plays.  I was driving along EDSA the other day, and tired of the long traffic lines, I tuned in for some soothing quartet music.  At the end of the piece, I was especially impressed with the announcer's clear description of what it was all about--the song title, the composer's name, the music at the time the piece was written, how the composer drew inspiration for the music, and some comparison with the music of the era.  I don't remember exactly what the piece was, but I remember that the station had put a lot of thought into describing the music and explaining the background of how the music came to be.  This approach definitely paves the way for a clear appreciation of classical music; I just wish that the DJs of pop stations would take the same painstaking care in dishing out their brand of music to the public.

Let's Toast

It's a pretty different combination--french toast with ham and sweet jelly, served with coleslaw on the side.  I thought that this Korean-style concoction by Let's Toast would be primarily salty with a tinge of sweetness from the jelly, but it turns out, only the coleslaw is salty, and the toast is definitely sweet (the saltiness of the ham is totally drowned out).  P65 for the combo; the store has a few stalls in Alabang and the Ortigas Center.

Peking Garden

Kong's 90th birthday celebration was a smashing success at the Peking Garden restaurant, at level 4 of Greenbelt 5.  One of the best Chinese restaurants in town, I understand that this is a franchise of a Hong Kong based chain (they have one at the Pacific Place in Admiralty).  Menus can go anywhere from P7,000 to P25,000 for a table of 12; I must say that the food is excellent and staff are very well prepared to handle your needs.  Aside from the typical Cantonese dishes, this restaurant has several northern Chinese specialties--after all, it is named Peking Garden!

LPL Suites

It's Kong's 90th birthday, and we found the perfect place to book some relatives coming in from the provinces for the festivities.  Since we were holding the party at the Greenbelt Mall, it was quite logical to look nearby--the LPL suites along Legaspi St., which was just right across from the Zara outlet.  Rooms were pretty neat and spacious, and since we booked in advance, we were able to get good room rates, something like P2,800 per room night.  The building was built in the late seventies or early eighties, and the lower floors are occupied as residential apartments.  The hotel starts on the 7th floor and goes all the way up to the 9th floor, where the lobby is located.  I understand that the Leviste family operates the hotel and a tie-up was forged with Dulcinea for the built-in brekky for guests.

Kuya's at the Fort

Kuya's at the Fort is one good example of word-of-mouth advertising.  We never even heard of the restaurant until some of Vicky's friends scheduled a party there and the wonders of their home-style Filipino cuisine was a very much talked about topic.  Located along Bayani Road (on the road from Lawton to C5), this restaurant has no frills and has simple decor, but people visit the place for the food.

Interestingly, the place is also home to Jed & Jillian's Burger House--they serve burgers, pizzas and pasta--but we elected to try the Filipino food this trip.  At night, the bar is open; also, the second floor serves a function room that can accommodate some 30 people with a Karaoke set-up.

It was Lola Dee's birthday, and we chose to sit in the air-conditioned  side of the restaurant.  For a Sunday lunch, we were lucky that there were only 3 other tables that were taken, and we were able to find a big table even without making reservations.

They make their own potato chips, which retails for something like P50 per bag.  We tasted both the regular version and the cheese version, and while the kids liked the cheese, I would stick to the regular salted one.

We started off with birthday Bam-i noodles, which came in steaming hot!  That was a good first dish, as we got to the restaurant past 1pm and were quite hungry.  The specialty of the restaurant was Kare-Kare (with real sauce from ground rice and peanuts), and twice-cooked adobo (this is a rare treat--most adobo dishes are just boiled, and only a few do the boil-fry-boil technique as this is time-consuming).  The crispy pata (pork leg) came in with a lot of garlic, and  the steamed pampano was very fresh.  The chicken dish was a hit with the kids, and the lengua (ox tongue) was mostly taken by the adults.

We finished the meal with dessert--the bobo chacha was also liked by the kids (it's something like halo-halo, but without the crushed ice), and the leche flan was ordered by the adults.  Very reasonable pricing--we spent something like P450 per head for a very fine and filling meal.