HHWWPSSP and Johnny Rockets

Hubby and I were on our way to a training when we realized that today is date night and that we cannot have it because of a very important meeting that we have to go to in the evening. So, being committed to our weekly habit, we decided to just have a lunch date since it was still early and the training starts after lunch break anyway.

So we decided to head to the new Eastwood Mall in Eastwood City. Well, its not exactly new but it was new to us since it was our 1st time there.

Holding each other’s hands (pa-sway sway pa..hehehe), we went around the mall and scanned for anything interesting that would interest us. Hubby and I love strolling around malls, supermarkets and bookstores and just strolling and looking for anything interesting.

We can just imagine how much we missed out on dating and just being with each other when we were not yet married. When we got together, hubby flew immediately to Africa for a mission and I was left in the Philippines. When he came back after a year, we got married after a month and then I got pregnant after 2 months. You see, everything happened so fast. From courtship, to engagement,  to marriage,  to pregnancy to present time with 3 children. I guess that’s one of the reasons why we are so committed to our weekly date nights, we are compensating for lost time and dates that didn’t happen when we were officially a couple but are far away from each other.

We also realized that our mission trips as a couple (without our 3 angels) are also God’s gift to us. No matter how difficult it is to leave them behind for us to work/go on mission for a few weeks/months is God’s blessing for us as these trips are our alone time as a couple.

As we walked around Eastwood Mall, we were surprised to see “Johnny Rockets”, a diner that we wanted to go to when we were in the United States but for some reason, didn’t happen. We were happy and excited that it's finally here in Manila.

Johnny Rockets boasts of genuine American comfort food and ambiance. It's the type of diner that we see in Archie comics that serves burger, fries and milkshakes. We excitedly ordered Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich with fries on the side. Good thing that we decided to share our sandwich ‘coz it was huge and the fries was bottomless. The bread used was dry like old bread and crumbles easily when eaten. The shredded beef used was also dry and the caramelized onion was too much. The sandwich didn’t quite qualify with the criteria of being an American comfort food.

The strawberry milkshake was very nice though, it was creamy, with real strawberry taste and refreshing. The drinks from the fountain (sodas) were served bottomless as well. Meals at Johnny Rockets were priced quite on the high side but since they serve it in huge portions, customers can share meals and split the bill.

I can say that there are better sandwiches out there but the details and the efforts from Johnny Rockets and its staff made the diner interesting enough to go to and try. Each table/booth has a little jukebox where you can request a song for a peso (piso). Songs were from the 50’s and 60’s and it complimented well with the American diner ambiance. The staff also performs a very energetic dance number every 30 minutes which is quite entertaining (although honestly, I think they should practice more.

We left Eastwood Mall in high spirits, entertained, amused, with hands clasped together, of course…pa-sway-sway pa!

Crisostomo

Living in Los Banos and working in Manila did not stop hubby and me from having our regular date nights. For us, its our alone time and the special time that we have to just be together and do what we love to do best…and that is to eat! Hehehe

For tonight’s datenight, we decided to go to Nuvali in Santa Rosa, Laguna. Traffic has been bad the past days due to another construction going on at the Alabang Flyover. So we decided to skip the traffic (we left early from work) and headed to Nuvali in order to keep away from the traffic in Sucat-Bicutan-Alabang stretch.

This time, we tried out Crisostomo, as their slogan says, the restaurant offers “turn of the century Filipino cuisine”. In short, Filipino dishes with a twist.

We ordered Bravo Balut for appetizer, and this one we didn’t like at all. Both hubby and I are fond of this uniquely Filipino delicacy but this dish messed up the nice balut flavor with its “menudo-like”, tomato based sauce. Nothing beats the old school balut taste from the oldschool balut vendor in the streets.

For the main meal we ordered Don Juan (grilled liempo) and Cervantes (pancit bihon with pork leg and quail eggs). The Liempo was good enough, regular, nothing grand. It tasted like any other liempo that you can find in any Filipino restaurant. The pancit however, lacked flavor and had very few ingredients. The pork leg and quail eggs can be hardly identified amidst the noodles/bihon.

We think that Crisostomo in Nuvali failed miserably in execution of their so called “turn of the century Filipino Cuisine”. Maybe, they should have just served “regular Filipino cuisine”.

The ambience however was okay, its as if you are inside a haciendero’s house eating with the don and dona.Their idea of putting names such as Don Juan, Bravo Balut and Cervantes in their menus was an interesting concept but then again, the quality of the food should be the priority of every food enterprise and Crisostomo failed to reach that expectation.

We didn’t bother to order dessert as we have been disappointed with the meals that we had so we got the bill and headed off to Starbucks for a quick fix of our favorite coffee and tea concoction. (As usual, to compensate for the blah meal! Hahaha).

Heading home, we noticed that in the main highway towards Los Banos, most of the election posters and paraphernalia has been removed. We remembered quite clearly that early on in the  morning as we went to office that there were still a lot of these posters. Now, everything is gone. Like as if, there is no trace of election. And for this, we honor the local governance of Los Banos for practicing political will and following the regulations given by the Comelec. Mabuhay ang LB!

Hubby and I have been following the local and national politics and the elections as of late. We realized that we as a nation really have to think hard and pray hard on who to vote for. Our conversations the whole time were about the candidates---those who looked like trapos (traditional politician) and those who seemed to be sincere, the qualities that we should look for in our candidates and whether there is still a chance for our country to recover from all the political mess that it has experienced over the years.

We can’t help but think of how the elections of May 2010 will affect our way of life and our kids’ future. As parents, we can’t help but pray and hope that the results of the elections would be for the good of the country and of course for the benefit of our children.  

Chelsea

Hubby and I had a fun household* meeting today and since its date night, we decided to splurge a bit and celebrate our joy in being pastors to such a dynamic and interesting group.
We headed to Serendra Mall, Fort Bonifacio for a nice dinner and this time we tried out Chelsea Market Cafe.

The ambiance is nice and cozy. Although that time, the air conditioner was not functioning well so it was a bit warm inside. The restaurant, as the waiter said, offers classic American comfort food with a classic twist. However, I got a bit confused with what the resto actually projects since almost all of the stuff sold there were Italian (there were Russian cookies too hahaha).

Hubby and I were just so happy today. It was indeed one of those days that you get fulfilled as a person, moreso, in our case as a couple. We are now happily leading a group of young couples who like us, continues to struggle and face the challenges of married life and parenthood. Its refreshing to have this group whom we can truly relate our everyday life with. We meet almost twice a week and it has been both an inspiration and breather for us to meet with them. Hubby and I have been pastoring couples since we got married (that’s almost 5 years now!) and this year, we both promised that we will try our best to be better household heads. We promised to each other and to God that we will diligently prepare for every meeting and that we would fervently pray for all their concerns and issues in life.

Today’s household meeting was quite exceptional because we capped a series of discussions relating to a movie that we saw as a group. Today, we gave them a book called “Love Dare” wherein they would have prayers and tasks everyday that would greatly contribute to enhancing their unions. We were excited that the group got excited to doing it and it was a great affirmation for hubby and me. Today’s datenight conversation mostly revolved around how we could enhance our meetings more and how we could make it much more interesting and practical for our young couples.

Food Talk. We weren’t super hungry so we just decided to share.  We ordered the Cheese Fondue set  and Angus burger. The appetizer (cheese fondue) was huge! The fondue pan was like a huge kaldero with melted cheese. It was nice but the cheese got a bit stringy after a short while. We also noticed that the dippers were mostly bread and it crumbles easily. Some of the other dippers were cherry tomatoes, red & green bell pepper, carrots and yeah…crumbly bread. We were getting stuffed halfway through the appetizer so we moved on to the main meal. Angus burger with fries….just like the fondue, it was humongous. Good thing we decided to share! The beef patty was cooked just right and tasted like the genuine angus beef. The taste of the lettuce, tomato and condiments blended well with the patty. The bread however was too toasted and was a struggle to chew. Same with the poatato wedges.

Chelsea was a nice place to hang out, but not the type of restaurant that we would keep coming back to. The place looked great with nice ambiance but the food was nothing extraordinary.

Our date night ended well though ‘coz despite the pricey and not so nice food nothing beats the feeling of a great conversation and a great day.  





*household is a mix of couples grouped together to form a support group in Couples For Christ.  

Date With Dad

We were sooo looking forward to our date night today. It was a long day and we came out from a very frustrating meeting at work. Just before heading to our designated date place, wifey and I drove by our parents' place to pick up something and do some errands for dad. When we got there, dad was all by himself 'coz mom was in Cebu.

On the way to the bank (dad requested us to withdraw money from his atm), wifey and i thought of just having dinner with dad. We both decided that since dad was alone in the house, that we just eat with him instead of our usual datenight. We realized that he looked really tired and stressed out and a nice dinner would cap the day right for him.

As we drove back to the house, we chanced upon a barbeque stall/restaurant called "Three Sisters". I read somewhere that this joint has been judged as one of Manila's top 10 grills, which made us more interested to taste their food. For tonight's dinner, we bought chicken and pork barbeque.  The smell of charcoal and meat grilling made us hungrier every minute.

Just before heading home, wifey noticed an Oriental Shop just across the street that sells"Fresh Chinese Rolls". She went in and bought some to accompany our grilled foodies.

When we arrived home, Dad was surprised to know that we brought food and had planned to eat with him. He was actually about to eat left over food (*ginataang langka and half of a fried tilapia). We noticed how his face lit up when he learned that we brought freshly grilled yummy barbeque. Moreso, we think that he was happier that he had company for dinner.

Digging into our grilled foodies, we shared visions of how we wanted the house to look. We are about to share the apartment with our parents after the Holy Week as we attempt to semi-live in Pasig again. We talked about the appliances that we needed to fix and stuff that we need to arrange so that the house will be homey and presentable. Dad shared that he was super tired of fixing the airconditioning unit the entire day. He said it was refreshing for him to have someone to share dinner with after a long day of doing manual work. He was even teasing us that the rice he cooked was a special kind of thai jasmine rice and was very delicious and goes super well with the barbeque. (Wifey and I are abstaining from rice for the lenten season, so...yeah, eating grilled meat without rice was a bit frustrating)

Food Talk: The pork and chicken barbeque were served in big portions. It was regular in taste and was served with extra sauce to make it the uniquely "Three Sisters" barbeque. It looked good which means that it was well cooked and the meat was quite tender. No burnt chicken skin that causes cancer..hehehe. The extra sauce however did not make any difference since the base sauce was already absorbed by the meat that gave it its barbeque-y taste. We didn't bother putting on the extra sauce as the marinated barbeque tasted okay already. Generally, there was nothing grand about this meal. Probably because we are very much used to "street barbeque" that tasted almost the same as this one. Moreso, street barbeque is waaaaay cheaper.

The Chinese Fresh Roll that wifey bought across the street complimented the grills. And for us who are abstaining from rice, it definitely went well with the barbeque :)

The dinner date night surprise for dad ended with a simple thank you and the relatively good food gave us good mood to end the day. As we drove home, wifey and i had a peaceful feeling. Today's date was made extra special as we shared this night with dad. Being with him that night made us realize that no one must feel alone and abandoned when you are in a family. A family that reaches out to pull special surprises to each other is a sign of deep respect and love, specially for a guy who dedicated his whole being to make our lives comfortable during his younger years and made sure that this family was/is taken cared for. Now that he is in his retirement age, we are happy to serve him and let him know that we are here for him with our small surprises such as this special datenight.



*Ginataang Langka - is a Filipino dish cooking young Jackfruit in Coconut Milk. Fried Tilapia - is fried St. Peter's Fish.

Tips on Grilling

One of our favorite way of preparing food is by grilling. We feel that it brings out the best flavor of the food and moreso, it brings out lots of great memories. Grilling is one of Africa's greatest influence on our cooking/eating...Thanks to the never ending Braai Fellowships that we've had with friends and co-missionaries.
 
Sharing with you some grilling tips from our favorite chef who is well known for his grills.

Check Out:
Bobby Flay's 10 Great Grill Tips (http://www.ivillage.com/bobby-flays-10-great-grill-tips/3-a-57917)

1. Before grilling, less is more. Brushing food with olive oil and sprinkling with a little salt and pepper is generally all you need. Overdoing elaborate marinades and rubs can dominate the taste of food.
2. After grilling, pull out all of the stops. Condiments make the dishes distinctive. Be bold with your fruit and vegetable-based ketchups, relishes, and salsas.
3. Do what works, the grill is not sacred. Finishing precooked foods with a quick sear, and searing just prior to eating are great strategies to get food cooked perfectly and on the table for your guests.
4. Use squeeze bottles. Pour vinaigrettes into squeeze bottles and store them in the refrigerator.
5. Organize! Prioritize! Plan a menu, make lists, do the shopping. Know what you can make ahead of time. Plan what you're going to make first, second, third and stick to your plan. Get everything out in front of you -- food, spices, and tools should be in easy reach.
6. Gas and charcoal are both heat sources. I prefer gas for its ease and speed.
7. Use a two-level fire. High- and low-heat sides are recommended for maximum cooking flexibility.
8. Keep the lid closed for cooking longer than four minutes and during preheating.
9. Let the food sit a couple of minutes on the grill to develop sear marks and to help avoid sticking.
10. Keep it simple. Make sure you have a nice array of foods, but don't turn the cooking into a burden. Grilling is a relaxed way of entertaining. Enjoy it!

Greek Treat

Today, we decided to watch a movie and as usual, check out a new restaurant.  We wanted to go somewhere with less people and less complications.  So we went to Alabang Town Center (A Mall in the South of Manila with the crowd mostly from the middle to upper class).  We figured that it was near our province and the mall setting was more casual and laid back.

I (the wifey) usually decides on what to watch.. hehehe. And so, I decided: Miss You Like Crazy.

The film is a comeback movie of John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo.  So much media hype was given to this movie thus the reason why I forced my hubby to watch it with me.  Of course, this is besides the fact that I am an avid supporter of Pelikulang Pilipino (Filipino Movies). Most especially the love stories.

I don't need to tell the whole story, but it revolved around the "illicit" affair of John Lloyd and Bea, the messages written in stones, Malaysia and just plain falling in love.

Honestly, we got disappointed with the storyline, with how it ended and the values that it tried to convey to the audience.  We don't quite agree with the idea that "living-in"was okey and that it was, as it appeared in the movie--normal.  However, we both agreed that the cinematography was quite good and the actors were styled nicely.  But we still can't get over the fact that it was embedded with screwed up values like breaking relationships, illicit affairs, living-in and one night stand. However, we liked Maricar's acting (John Lloyd's girlfriend that he left for Bea), this kind of roles suits her perfectly...she speaks nice English. But we definitely hate the wigs. 

We went out of the movie house disappointed so we looked for a highly recommended, nice restaurant to make up for our frustration.

CYMA Greek Taverna... our new favorite place. to eat!!! This restaurant is sooo panalo (a real winner!)!

We both loved the "ROKA SALATA", its a salad made with chopped romaine lettuce, arugula, sundried tomatoes, candied walnut and shaved parmesan cheese in Greek vinaigrette.  This salad super rocks!  It even made hubby reminisce on how eating salads was one of my biggest influence in his life, made us both remember our mission days in Kenya when we hated eating arugula (rocket) because by itself, even if you dunk it in whatever dressing, its still bitter.  But going back to this wonderful salad... Roka Salata was simply amazing.  The whole dish was a harmonious marriage of ingredients.  The bitter taste of the arugula, the sweetness and crunchiness of the candied walnuts, the kinda sour taste of the sundried tomatoes and the saltiness of the shaved parmesan... perfect gayot (really perfect!)!

And our main course, "Paidakia" Char-grilled lamb ribs and roasted potatoes.  This dish is to die for!  Although it's a bit pricey, but definitely worth it.  I say its worth every penny and it definitely compensated for the bad movie hahaha!.  The lamb was grilled wonderfully, its meat falls right off the rib and the potatoes are a perfect siding to complete the meal.

Both hubby and I realized that food was something that brought us closer to each other.  As we ate our wonderful meal, we both became sentimental on our past adventures before, even when we were just mission partners, and it all involved food!  When we were sad, we compensated the feeling by eating nice food at nice restaurants. When we are happy, we celebrated with the same. Hahaha. In short, we LOVE food. And we will look for every excuse to eat out and try any kind of dish.

Hubby and I went home smiling.  Good food + Good memories - bad movie = Great date night!

Finally loved Arugula (Rocket)!

Arugula (Rocket) is a greek leafy plant that we hate to eat! It's bitter and gives an after taste that will kill your appetite. So when we encountered Cyma's ROKA SALATA, we were initially skeptic about the taste. To our surprise, Cyma perfected the combination of Arugula into its salata! 

Sharing with you the health benefits of eating Arugula...



Arugula is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium, manganese, and magnesium. It's also a very good source of potassium, iron, zinc, riboflavin, and copper.

Arugula and other cruciferous vegetables contain a group of anticancer compounds known as glucosinolates. These compounds exert antioxidant activity, and are potent stimulators of natural detoxifying enzymes in the body.

Murray , Michael N.D.. The Encyclopedia Of Healing Foods.
New York: Atria Books, 2005.