The Peninsula Manila's signature restaurant, Old Manila, is perhaps one of the fanciest places I've been to this year. The ambiance, the food, the service.. were all first-rate.

Here are more details.

Setting. Old Manila has quite the misnomer of a name, as what would normally come to mind with it is traditional Filipino cuisine. That's where the confusion ends though, as its quirky but classy old world meets new world interiors exude the charm of an upscale modern European dining place. Ideal for quiet dinners and memorable fancy dates.


Fine de Claire oysters — fresh as ever and served naturally chilled with cucumber foam and vinegar.



My main course — Pan-fried Barramundi with Spinach and Champagne Foam — was the day's special that was not listed on the regular menu. The barramundi is a saltwater fish with a white, flaky flesh. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this was one of the best fish dishes I've had, bar none. The blend of its crisp, salty crust and its succulent texture was perfect.

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A month and a half until the year ends, and I'm running a schedule that's as crazy as can be. Not complaining though, as I'm faced with prospects of being able to meet interesting folks, pull off some never-befores, think about plans for next year, and make time to unwind as well.

This past week and the coming one are proving to be quite in line with this pace. Here's my usual rundown.

faves.
- making the trip to Antonio's yesterday with my favorite work buddies. The meal, P11K+. The company, priceless.

- the fact that the newly-opened Eastwood Mall is just a few steps away from the condo and the office . A CCA (Center for Culinary Arts) is also slated to open here — I might just cave in! See more pics of the mall at Deiter's Multiply.

- Heroes is getting better every week! I hope the rest of the season keeps up with the vibe of the first 8 episodes.

- Petra & Pilar's Braised Rack of Lamb with Mint Sauce. Yummy and not so pricey!

- if plans push through, I'm now eagerly anticipating being able to make this planned business trip as it'll surely be an enriching experience. Furthermore, I might be able to meet up with an old colleague.


not-so-faves.
- Twitter's faulty badges. The javascript that loads updates from Twitter's servers has been slowing down the load time for my blog. Frustrating! I've since removed the badge from my site until it gets its act together.

- creeps and losers who overact

- Globe Visibility's perennially faulty and totally unreliable connection. GRRR!!!

- possibly not being able to come home to Manila for the next 2 weekends

- I need a new watch! My current one purely serves me for utility purposes only, and is wearing out like a black-and-blue hand-me-down. Boo!


Keep in touch!

What a long day! Woke up early to set out to Antonio's in Tagaytay for a sumptuous, scrumptious lunch feast that's well worth the 2 hour travel time. The meal we had truly affirms The Miele Guide's citation of the place as the 10th best restaurant in Asia.

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When in Tagaytay, we definitely can't do without Rowena's buko tarts. I brought home 3 boxes of 9er's — only to remember that the buko tart is no donut — i.e., it's not quite a hit with the kids hehe. So now I'm left with a whole bunch of tarts to myself!

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Yesterday, I found out that the Eastwood Mall officially opens today (Nov 15, '08) via an RSVP invitation sent to our office for the blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. I visited the mall in the evening, and saw about 30-40% of shops already open for business (The Body Shop, The Face Shop, Bench, Memo, Folded and Hung, and Kenneth Cole Reaction, etc). Springfield, Lacoste, Nautica, and a lot of others are also scheduled to open soon (I heard they'll open before Christmas).

On the ground floor, an array of fancy dining options are also eagerly awaited to open: Little Thai and Holy Cow, House of Wagyu, Cyma, and the Fort's L'Opera Ristorante Italiano, among others.

The mall has bright incandescent lighting reminiscent of Rockwell's Power Plant, although not quite as big (the size is closer to that of SM's The Podium). I also noticed that the mall still has a whole wing (the one facing the DIY shop and Japan Home Center) still not open — which means what I already saw inside was really just about a portion of the whole mall when it goes into full operation.

I hope to see my other staples (Zara, celio, Topman) and an anchor supermarket outlet (preferably Rustan's Fresh) soon.

Our work lives in Eastwood will surely never be the same again, haha. (I think I'm already missing working beside a mall. Oddly enough, soon our office in UP-AyalaLand will also transform into some form of retail oasis as well.)

You Are an “A-OK”

Your life philosophy can be summed up as, “Whatever will be, will be.” Your greatest wish is to live each day a little better than the next. You are naturally calm and stable. Some people would call you a rock. You feel one with the world. You are a spiritual person, though no one who knows you would guess it.

Q: What do these 3 places have in common?

  

  

Talk about overhype — I think there's no boxing fight that's getting more hoopla than this — what's been dubbed as "The Dream Match": Philippines' own Manny Pacquiao vs. the Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya.

This is actually a non-title fight, one purely for entertainment and enterprise purposes. The match should make a grand coup de grâce of De La Hoya's celebrated box-office boxing career, especially if he proves triumphant. His historic fight with Floyd Mayweather (where he lost) was one of the most-watched pay-per-view events last year.

Pacquiao, or 'Pacman' to Pinoys, is the country's most popular (and probably the richest) athlete. With a couple of notable titles under his belt, Pacquiao will most likely gain distinct, worldwide recognition if he manages to upset the famous Mexican-American.

Fighting at 147 lbs, both boxers are pushing beyond their comfort zones — De La Hoya usually fights at 154 while Pacquiao won his titles at around 136-139. All for the sake of their dreams (cash and glory? haha).

The dream match it is! I'm no avid fan of boxing, but I've kept a decent interest in the sport (thanks to my dad) so I'm surely not going to miss this spectacle.

I'm certain that my dad will be glued to the set the whole time as well.

Snaps of desserts we had at the quaint little food place along C5 — Mom & Tina's Bakery Café.





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Whoa I just finished watching Heroes season 3 episode 8 — "Villains" and it's AWESOME!!! What a pulse-pounding episode.


I love the back story link and all the surprise twists buried in season 1... although I think there are a few inconsistent flaws to the storyline.

Still, it's gotten me all pumped up about the series. If you're not yet hooked on Heroes, you're sooo out. Haha.

Download the latest Heroes episodes here.

Free shipping on orders over P3000 I wonder how this will affect the retailers? On first glance — prices are cheaper than PowerMac's

There's a new best restos list out, complementing (or verifying?) the Philippine Tatler guide and Manila's Best Kept Restaurant Secrets books.

The Miele Guide list is compiled by a group of food critics in Asia, and names the top establishments in the region. The aim is to somewhat become the Asian version of the Michelin Guide. Local restos that made the 2008/2009 list are as follows:

* Li Li * Shang Palace * Le Souffle at Fernando's * Lolo Dad's Cafe Museum Cafe Pepato * Abe * Cafe Via Mare Chef Laudico Bistro Filipino La Cocina de Tita Moning Sentro 1771 Aubergine * Bizu Bistro Chateau 1771 Prince Albert Rotisserie * Apartment 1B

* Heat The Fireplace Bellini's * Italliani's * Sugi * Casa Armas Tapas Bar El Cirkulo Elbert's Steak Room Old Swiss Inn People's Palace * Antonio's Fine Dining — Listed as part of Asia's Top 20 Best Restaurants (ranked #10) Highlands Steakhouse Kanin Club Sonya's Garden

(List from margauxlicious)
* = places I've already tried
Initial thoughts:
- Foodies all over blogosphere have started to blog about this book, mostly in praise and excitement. I would like to offer my slight disagreement to it though. At first glance, I don't think it can match Michelin standards of credibility, what with its sporadic listing and lack of explained criteria.

- While the restos on the list are mostly deserving, there are a few up there that I find dubious and not at par with the standards I'll expect of such a prestigious list. Italianni's is, at the very least, the country's 3rd best Italian restaurant (other than Pepato and Bellini's)?? Ludicrous.

- In my opinion, there are a couple of equally (or more) deserving establishments that are missed out. Places like The Tivoli (Mandarin Oriental), Le Bellevue (Manila Diamond Hotel), Tosca (Dusit Hotel Manila), Lemuria (Horseshoe Village), Red (Makati Shangri-la), ... list goes on. I believe any of these places deserve the distinction more than a few of those listed.

- I've only tried 13 out of 30 in the list.. gotta do some catching up! Anyway I have the whole of 2009 to do so