BACON SLAB at Poco Deli!!

After a client meeting, we went straight to Poco Deli for lunch. It is a little delicatessen situated at Kapitolyo, Pasig City just a few meters away from Charlie's Burger. Nothing fancy on the exterior; it is just a small place that you might even miss/not notice, but the food is really, really good! It offers all sorts of sausages, cold cuts and cheese; they also offer wine selection.

  POCO DELI!!!

I want to try the Seafood pasta with truffle oil... next time

 No MSG, No preservatives!

Wine area

See, place is quite small.

DUN DUN DUN DUN...

I totally did not have hard time selecting my order. I immediately said that I am getting BACON STEAK! Plus, I am reserving Dave's Frozen Yogurt for dessert.

So, this is how 'uncut', INCH THICK bacon looks like, huh...

Two servings of an inch thick bacon slab right durr! THIS IS SUPER!
Looks like liempo ba? haha! Iz bacon, please...

It looked small in this photo. 

I tell you, if you love bacon or you just want a good slab of meat, you oughta try this!

Sausages, cheese, and cold cuts.

For dessert, two had gooey chocolate cake (MUST TRY! REALLY GOOD!) while our boss had Häagen-Dazs popsicle. 

They also have cupcakes looking ala-Sonja's! hee! I miss munching on Cupcakes by Sonja!

I had a cup of Strawberry Dave's Naturals yogurt. They also have chocolate flavored yogurt which is one of their best sellers. I wanted something fruity, though. If my memory serves me right, it costs 85php per cup now.

Some photos from here.

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CHEF'S TABLE by Chef Bruce Lim

My new team was nice to even facilitate a welcome lunch for me. We had a reservation at Chef's Table a week ago.

We started our meal off with clam and mussel appetizer (REALLY good!). For our main course, I finished the Prawn Aligue my Way: oven-baked fresh prawns (but those were just shrimps!) on aligue-flavored vermicelli. It was somewhat spicy but could really be spicy for most. I can bear the heat so they let me finish  the plate. I expected that it would have quite a good number of prawns (hence the name), but to my surprise, there were just two mini 'garnish' shrimps. 

Generally speaking, I wasn't as pleased as Punch with the menu/overall taste (esp. for our main course) --I am coming from the consideration of the weightily fact that it is owned by a renowned Chef. The plating was relatively posh with an indigen/native touch which is good and is suiting; the place is well-interiored and the ambiance is good; the price is forgiving; but the overall taste isn't, again, overwhelming. The team said that Chef Laudico's better (oops!... but then I still haven't been to Bistro Filipino. Gotta try then). 

We even saw Rajo Laurel with his ghey friends enjoying their food and making chummy with the Chef. Hee!

Chef's Table. Rajo Laurel and his gay friends on the left! I always get fascinated whenever I see celebrities, but with Rajo, not much. Tama lang; not to the point of wanting to have a photo with him. haha!

If you want to work here, you gotta be (semi)bald! CHOSS!
Open kitchen ala-NY!

Chill-a-fino: a steamed fillet of stone grouper sitting on a bed of bright violet, unexpected savory ube mash. (not sure if this is really the plate in left. haha!)
Kadios: The one sitting in beans.  Kadios refers to the pigeon pea, also known as red gram or Congo peas in English.
Prawn Aligue My Way: in banana leaf. My favorite!
We also had dinuguan --not captured in photo. I don't eat dinuguan but for courtesy purposes, I tried it.

Ilocano/Ilonggo dishez

For dessert we had Langka Creme Brulee and Cheesecake. (Is this Langka Creme Brulee? Haha!) Ours' isn't served in this glass eh. I LOVED IT!

 Chef Bruce Lim was all-around. He jumped from one table to another just to make simple conversation and checked from time-to-time if we're doing fine, etc. etc. 

He checks all dishes before they get served. Prior to serving, I saw our clam and mussels appetizer being disapproved and was sent back to kitchen for tweaking!

For more info, visit ChefsTableManila

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IN SEARCH OF Trousers/Bottoms

I still haven't found the perfectly fitting trousers for my leg-shape. hah! I saw one in Topshop but they're just ok or slightly above ok (suitability of price and fit in mind; I love its fabric, though). I'm thinking of going to Forever21 and WAGW hoping to score cheap nice fitting trousers or working jeans. 

WHAT I HAVE IN MIND

I. ROLLED-UP / TAPERED

 Zara has this (really similar). Fit is not for me, though. It looks good on her so I'm posting it, nevertheless.

 I would buy her trousers!

 Hilary Duff, I will stalk you in JustJared from now on!

I know this is just a rolled up pencil jeans but I couldn't help but post it! hee!

  Hilary Duff really looks good here!

 BESTIE of The Capricious Club!

II. WIDE LEG JEANS/TROUSERS
As I try to imagine myself wearing one, I am not sure if it would look good on me... probably NOT.

 Rachel Zoe <3 
Wide leg jeans remind me of Rachel Zoe, ahead of all others.

 Jessica Biel

 Jessica Alba

Hilary Duff

 BESTIE of The Capricious Club again! hee
Most of her trousers are thrifted! *in awe*

I SAW A PERFECT WIDE LEG JEANS HERE --I can somewhat imagine myself wearing this!

photos from lookbook.nu, justjared.com, and thecapriciousclub

 

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SHALL WATCH THIS TOO: "Hatchi: A Dog's Tale"

My brother's insisting that I watch Hatchi: A Dog's Tale. He saw it on HBO last night and keeps on saying that it is his favorite movie already.

I am seeing it because (1) my brother's enthusiasm is over the top; he even told me the synopsis SOULFULLY; (2) I am a sucker for movies based on true stories; and (3) Marley and Me made me cry and most, if not all, dog films brought me to tears and made my heart melt slash bleed.

I wiki-ed Hachicko, see story here and about the movie here.

Might as well wiki-quote a few about the movie:

Hachiko: A Dog's Story (or Hachi: A Dog's Tale) is a 2009 American drama film based on the true story of the faithful Akita Hachikō. It is a remake of the 1987 Japanese film Hachikō Monogatari. It was directed by Lasse Hallström, written by Stephen P. Lindsey and stars Richard Gere, Joan Allen and Sarah Roemer.

The first foreign premiere was on August 8, 2009, in Japan. To date the film has opened in over 25 countries and continues to open in foreign territories throughout 2010. In the United States the movie was first shown at the Seattle International Film Festival on June 13, 2009. Sony Pictures Entertainment decided to forgo a U.S. theatrical release. According to the Odeon Cinema website the film will be given a UK theatrical release on March 12, 2010, courtesy of Entertainment Film Distributors. Box Office Mojo reports that total foreign box office has reached $45,000,000 as of June 2010...

...As of November 20, 2010, the film has a 57% rotten score at Rotten Tomatoes but holds an 85% "fresh" rating from the Rotten Tomatoes community, and an average score of 8.1 at IMDb... (directly lifted from here)

watch trailer

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SHALL SEE: Make that six

 Somewhere, Freakonimics, The Kids are All Right, Restless, Blue Valentine, Daydream Nation (improvised Daydream Nation poster; I couldn't find a vertical one... couldn't find one actually)

SOMEWHERE

SOMEWHERE won the Golden Lion Award for Best Picture at the 2010 Venice International Film Festival. From Academy Award-winning writer/director Sofia Coppola (LOST IN TRANSLATION, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, MARIE ANTOINETTE), SOMEWHERE is a witty, moving, and empathetic look into the orbit of actor Johnny Marco (played by Stephen Dorff). (directly lifted from here)

FREAKONOMICS

FREAKONOMICS is the highly anticipated film version of the phenomenally bestselling book about incentives-based thinking by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Like the book, the film examines human behavior with provocative and sometimes hilarious case studies, bringing together a dream team of filmmakers responsible for some of the most acclaimed and entertaining documentaries in recent years. (directly lifted from here)

DAYDREAM NATION 

We haven’t known too much about Daydream Nation, the indie named after a Sonic Youth record (YES!), which stars Kat Dennings and Josh Lucas. (directly lifted from here)

Daydream Nation tells the story of a city girl who moves to a small town and becomes entangled in a love triangle between her high school teacher and a stoner classmate. (directly lifted from here)

Usually I dislike it when people say, “Oh that movie was weird.” I’m always inclined to think that they’re missing something. Or maybe I’m just a movie snob. Quite possible. However, halfway throughout this movie, I turned to a friend and said precisely those words to her. This movie is weird. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad – but it is strange... 

Daydream Nation is a very apt name for the movie because much of it takes on a very dreamlike quality. Most of those scenes are visually stunning, however sometimes, but some of the daydream sequences end up feeling somewhat like music videos interspersed throughout the actual movie...

More of Laura Holtebrink's column here. 

**Personally, I am quite thrilled to see this because (1) it stars Kat Dennings and (2) 'coz of the movie title. 

BLUE VALENTINE
Blue Valentine is an intimate, shattering portrait of a disintegrating marriage.

On the far side of a once-passionate romance, Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) are married with a young daughter. Hoping to save their marriage, they steal away to a theme hotel. We then encounter them years earlier, when they met and fell in love—full of life and hope.

Moving fluidly between these two time periods, Blue Valentine unfolds like a cinematic duet whose refrain asks, where did their love go? Framing the film as a mystery whose answer lies scattered in time (and in character), filmmaker Derek Cianfrance constructs an elegant set of dualities: past and present, youth and adulthood, vitality and entropy. The rigor of his process is visible throughout the film. Eliminating artificial devices, he has only the truth of the characters to work with. Because Gosling and Williams bring amazing intensity and emotional honesty to their roles, the experience of connecting to these two souls becomes truly moving. (directly lifted from here)

LASTLY, TWO OF MIA WASIKOWSA!!
(1) RESTLESS
The story of a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII. (directly lifted from here)
       **Looking forward to Mia Wasikowsa's wardrobe here. I intially thought (first few seconds) it's Carey Mulligan. 

(2) THE KIDS ARE RIGHT
The most talked-about movie at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and the winner of the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT is directed by Lisa Cholodenko (HIGH ART, LAUREL CANYON) from an original screenplay that she wrote with Stuart Blumberg (KEEPING THE FAITH). The movie combines comedic surprise with poignant emotional truth in a funny, vibrant, and richly drawn portrait of a modern family. (directly lifted from here)
       **Umm, hello Lesbo love and yes, modern, unconventional family. Reminds me of the same titled TV show.

What else?

There's also this short fashion film (series of short movies) entitled "The Power Room" presented by Miu-Miu directed by Zoe Cassavetes.

The Powder Room by Zoe Cassavetes is the first of "The Miu Miu Women's Tales", a series of short movies by international female filmmakers that explore their fantasies about the brand. Set in London's Claridge's Hotel, the short film explores the feminine rituals in the powder room. Watch additional behind the scene footage and interview with Zoe Cassavetes herself on www.miumiu.com. (directly lifted from the sneak peek video here) 

 

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MARIKINA: Mama Chit's and Krung Thai

We went to this coffee house, more like diner, named Mama Chit's Coffee House. Labeling it as a coffee house is such a misnomer! I wonder why they decided to name it as that when they don't even serve coffee variants and cakes or even pastries and the fact that their bestsellers/their customers' in-house favorites are grilled burgers, pasta, and their nacho salad. WHY coffee house, Mama Chit's!

Anyhoo, the place is snuggery small which has that combination of subtle ambient and accent lighting that creates a comforting warm mood. Being at funky junk places heightens my astronomic admiration to such for they have managed to work on and incorporate junk as interiors pretty well --everything is still in harmony despite the overwhelming elements (same with country style eateries!).

It was nice to look at their 60s to early 90s vintage pop decors and be time warped or simply be reminded of early years with their displays such as rotary phones, vinyl, sepia and black and white framed photos of Old Manila, old posters and acrylic paintings of famous icons, black and white tiles and other more.

If you come to think about it, everything stated above are elements you would find in most diner, I know. What I loved most about Mama Chit's (aside from its unusual interior, still. hihi) is their relatively cheap comfort food; for at the end of it all, it boils down to price and taste and the suitability of the two.  

 Lamp in one nook

 Those can banderitas are so pretty!

 I like their wall which is bombarded with Old Manila pictures in frames and a portrait of Elvis Presley and a portrait of Marilyn Monroe on the other side.

I asked the cashier lady on their bestsellers for pasta and burger since it was our first time there. She suggested that we order Mama Chit's spaghetti and their Cheeseburger with chips. So, we did. We also had root beer float and green mango shake to go with our meal. 

I had the CHESSEBURGERRRR with chips! I placed some chips inside the burger for added crisp! Crispness for the heart!
Their food is really of comfort food in goody good price!! SULIT!

It was still Christmasy at Mama Chit's when we went!

Mama Chit's is open 10am to 9pm daily and is located at San Roque, Marikina City (near that Shoe Museum)

 Skull on my left

CHERRY SODAAAAums!

 The only BB team I rooted for. Jordan foreverzzz! 

slut machine... ay, slot machine.

I approve of Mama Chit's, too! Beatles on his side --not that I'm a fan, hee! 

Eow, Mama Chit'z! Izzz super cold outside!

TEH vid!

We had dinner at Krung Thai the other day. I spent two nights in Marikina for dinner, yes. 

We had Pad Thai and Tom Yum. They have big servings so we shared instead. I wanted to order pork satay or spring rolls but we weren't willing to wait for 20 minutes. Personally, I deem that Krung Thai lacks the Thai spiciness. Their Pad Thai is not as good as it should. There's no bean sprout and some part of each strand of the noodle is uncooked... Weird!

Having tasted my two Thai favorites cooked the Krung Thai way, I say that their rendition of Thai food did not satisfy my taste buds well mainly because I have Siam House to compare it with. Siam House is pretty far if you are from the metro, but, rest assured that it is the BEST yet most affordable Thai restaurant to date!

Most customers in Krung Thai ordered bagoong rice and Thai (fried) chicken. Later did we know that those two are their bestsellers so despite my bad review I would probably go back to try the two.

Tom Yum! See, their serving is big!

  Didn't like their Pad Thai much

Amazing Thailand

Krung Thai is located at Sta. Elena, Marikina City

I was pondering weeks ago on where I spend my money most. As expected, money goes mostly on food! I am just too defensive on this and would argue that it is the good kind of vice. I enjoy spending on food with purse wide open and with a rumbling stomach and popping eyes willing to take the bait of tempting menus. I don't think I can cut off my spending for good food, though. For one, food eases the tension and stress I get from time to time. Hee!

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UP DILIMAN DAY

DECEMBER 22, 2010: I was looking forward to this day --the first day of my work leave! Finally, two weeks off work!

Fin and I spent half the day at UP Diliman for breakfast and just did whatever. Being in UP makes me miss college years and everything in between! *going nostalgic here*

Before I entered college, older people would say that nothing beats high school shizz and that at the end of it all, your high school friends will forever be your comrade. I agree since I am now back in my hometown and we constantly spend time with each other whenever our schedules permit and as always, we spend awesome hours talking about life, future plans, plans on putting up our business, looking back and still laughing at memorial HS memes and boo-boos, and planning and scheduling vacations which make us feel that we are, indeed, grown-ups and kickin' it all up a notch! :-) But I say, college is as great as high school and I'm really glad that most college friends and I still get to see each other from time to time. Hee!

Holding a WYON The Killers themed Notebook. Will blog about it soooon! NICEST NOTEBOOK IN THE PLANET! YOU SHOULD HAVE/ORDER ONE, TOO! They're customized notebooks! 

 Full smile, please

Sneak Peek of WYON (WriteYourOwnNotes). It's plastic covered even! Really something for clumsy and uncareful people like me! haha!

WYON! WYON! WYON! I'll soon make a post about this great customizedpersonalized notebook --going over and over, K!

 Fin and I walking! Hee!

Poster there says: What's happening on 1/11/11?

Lace beneath my dress

Dress' print! In time for New Year! Went polka dots-y like!! Hah!

Cardigan's print. UNICOOOORN!

This photo reminds me of ancient / anime Japan of schools, trees and wind

After spending half the day in Diliman, we went to Glorietta for Vans. Then, we went to Megamall for lunch at Orchard Road and visited Forever 21 --literally just visited and looked at merchandise since I don't have money and not that I wanted anything too. Hah!

 inside Orchard Road

View: EDSA, ummm... same old... buses, vehicles, traffic, pollution which I miss at times

The obligatory food photo. Haha! That Crispy Chicken Noodles is A-ok!!

One partition in "Are We Human or Are We Dancer" WYON notebook. Or Are We.... (picture) Dancer!

Fin gave me these cute pens!!!! Sooooo cute! :))

Lastly, we went to Cubao Expo for dinner at Kebab X after visiting shops there. 'Twas really a nice day of bus rides and walks! YEEHAW!

HAHA! HAHA! HAHA! Wall!

 monster doodles

HAPPY BLESSED NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! *hearts*

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