The Gourmet Couple

Three weeks ago, my wife and i went to her hometown in Sariaya in the Quezon province during the weekend. Well, Sariaya is a sleepy town. You won’t see any popular fastfood there. Heck, there’s no even PLDT there. So if you’re kinda bored in the hussles of city-life here, this town is right for you. If not, you’re out of luck. But in fairness to this town, you can find good traditional eateries here. I’ll feature them one of these days here especially where to buy pasalubongs.

Anyways, given our “predicament”, we went to SM Lucena. Yup, Lucena is now a booming town. We stroll around and lo, we found something very familiar… a blast in the past. There it is… Buddy’s.

Going back to memory lane, when i first visited my wifey in Sariaya, we went to Lucena (sleepy town nga kasi). Lucena then was different than today. The center of commerce then was the town proper. If you’ve been to Binondo, you’ll get the idea what i am trying to picture at. So, the very popular resto there was Buddy’s. It was here also that i first saw a “kiping” (kee-peeng), a decorative lantern made up of rice. The ambiance is nice… and so is the food. We had a great time there. Good ‘ol memories.

So when SM Lucena was built, the town proper lose it’s customers and so is Buddy’s. All roads now lead to SM Lucena. It was good to see Buddy’s penetrated SM Lucena. A smile and an excitement covered me when i saw it inside. I miss the food. So in a hurry, we ordered Pansit Lucban ( a variation of Pansit Hab-hab but with a lot of mix), Lumpiang Ubod and 2 pcs bbq. Pansit Lucban is best eaten with it’s own cocktail vinegar. It was a real feast for me for their Pansit Lucban is good for 2-3 persons. And as usual, the price is reasonably cheap. And oh, I got to see more kipings.

Hi. As promised we celebrated my wife’s birthday at Pier One located at Buendia Ave. in front of World Trade Center in Roxas Blvd. Actually, Begaverde, just beside it, was our first choice but since it was closed that night, we settled at Pier One.

The place is dark but cozy. Tables are in the front and back porch. You can stay inside where the band is playing. It was Live Wire performing that night. Nice husky voices from the vocalists belting out funky and groovy music.

There are lots of food choices to choose from. From pulutan to sinigang. We ended up having Grilled Salmon in herbal sauce for me and fish and chips and clubhouse sandwich for my wife. I like their Grilled Salmon topped by different herbs and spices (can’t identify one). Though it’s quite unusual to eat a fish with a rice in a dark place. Tinikin pa naman me. My wife contend herself with the chips and clubhouse while enjoying the band.

It was a fine dine-in we got there. We just stayed for half an hour after we’re done before we left the place. Well, it’s definitely a place to go after an a day in the office. Cool music and great food awaits you there.

So, turn your plates. Till we meet again!

Bonapetite!!!

Last payday, my officemates and i treated ourselves in a sumptuous lunch. We went to Baliwag Grill and Restaurant just inside BF Homes Parañaque along Aguirre Avenue. The place was changed since the last time we ate there. It can now accomodate bigger customers.

Baliwag offers a variety of our katutubong ulam. We tried pinakbet, ensaladang talong, adobong pusit and of course their all-time lechon manok. I recommend pinakbet. I’ve never tasted such pinakbet as good as this one. Adobong pusit is also highly recommended. There’s a twist in the sauce they used… you’ll crave for more.

And.. oh.. don’t worry about the price. It’s reasonably kaya ng bulsa.

So, turn your plates!

Bonapetite!