Toast Box: Hebi Hiam & Kopi

Earlier today I saw Toast Box open their doors, though they're still on soft launch. I was immediately drawn to the place as it was all white. There’s a shabby chic feel to it. 

I can see based on what’s written on the price board at the counter that they specialize in Singaporean toasts, with names all too familiar - kaya, kopi, Horlicks and Milo dinosaur.

But today I will try what they say is one of their specialties – Hebi Hiam Sandwich. And the lady at the counter says it comes with a kopi already. I did hear her say the word “shrimp” when asked what this sandwich is made of. The mention of shrimp in a sandwich plus kopi inclusive sounded good to me. How can anything go wrong?

First served was coffee. 

It was rich and I like the fact that they used condensed milk with it, or maybe it's something else, I'm not sure. It harks back to the days of youth when simple pleasures such as condensed milk in coffee or hot choco - hell even on rice, give much joy. 

Coffee... check!

Excitement builds up, what with a good precursor. And then it came - The Hebi Hiam Sandwich. 

I can already smell the aroma of toasted shrimp. It’s mouth-watering. 
I’m already drooling in my head. 

First bite and the taste of hot chili burned in my mouth. 'I am not giving up', I said to myself, in a very mind-over-matter kind of way. 

A second and a third bite and I can already feel the steam of hot air escaping out of my nostrils and ears. By now I’m like a whistling kettle. 

The fourth was just too much. I couldn’t take one more bite.

The look of disappointment is seen all over my face. I was staring blankly in nothingness while dousing my esophagus with sweet kopi and water. 

I just couldn’t understand why the lady at the counter did not warn me that this sandwich is a b!#ch. Good thing they are still on soft launch so they still have a chance to redeem themselves. I really think they should tone that sandwich a few notches down, or at least give people the option on the level of spiciness they want.

This one, unfortunately, is something I won't easily forget.

Noriter: 'Kitchie Nadal' Meets Coffee Shop

The morning after Hollys, I was again talked into having coffee (and to have my brunch at the same time) in another coffee shop that incidentally has Korean roots too – Noriter.

Noriter, I learned, is Korean for “playground”. And true to its name, the place smacks of everything childish - from toys, art works, even graffiti.

There’s no Korean food here though. And it’s not a place where you can indulge in good food either, as their offerings lack that certain quality.

For what it’s worth however, it’s the one place you can really feel relaxed and chat the time away with friends. So relaxed you can take your shoes off and sit on the elevated wooden floor as they have designated areas for such – no chairs, only short tables.

I ordered their Clubhouse sandwich, which is really just your typical clubhouse (I think Tropical Hut's tasted better) and my friend ordered Tuna sandwich, or more appropriately, lettuce sandwich with tuna, as attested to by the amount of green, leafy stuff (seen in the picture) and with the tuna almost nowhere to be found J

Clubhouse Sandwich

Tuna Sandwich

I was supposed to scribble some graffiti on the wooden floor but the guard gestured me not to. Tsk! What a shame.

Anyways, I just love that this place has so much kitchie-ness going on J  

Caramia Gelateria: Nocciola Gateau & Pistaccio Cioccolato

There’s one coffee shop now that I would frequent. Actually it’s a gelateria – a café for gelato aficionados. It’s called Caramia Gelateria, which is Italian for “my dear”, and it’s of the Amici group.  

I have not been to Amici either. But here in Caramia, I’ve been enjoying their cakes as of late. I guess my taste buds got a little tired of the BreadTalk taste and so it clamored for something different, something new.

So far I’ve tasted two and both are de-lish J

Nocciola Gateau 

“Hazelnut cheese cream and dark chocolate filling nestled between layers of crispy meringue speckled with cocoa powder and chocolate curves on top and crushed hazelnut on the side” – vozzog.com

Pistaccio Cioccolato

Lightly roasted pistaccio nuts and rich chocolate

Hollys: Pecan Tarts, Tiramisu & Sweet Potato Frappes

For a long time now, a friend of mine wanted me to try this new coffee house out which she discovered in one of her random adventures. We never seem to find the time for our schedule to work out until today.

Hollys is one of the coffee shops that line Taft Avenue in Manila. It’s cozy and has a somewhat modern-retro vibe. I think the effect was accentuated by the numerous lamps that looked like orbs quoted in what seemed like frozen glass hanging from the ceiling like stalactites. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get pictures.

There’s a lot that’s different from this coffee shop than the usual. For one, instead of having your name written on the cup and having it called by the barista once ready, they have these UFO-like discs that are actually buzzers with digital number at the side, indicating how far you are in the queue. It vibrates and makes a sound once your order is ready for pick-up. This is not the first time though that I saw this device used in the food industry. That spot, at least as far as my experiences are concerned, belongs to Chatime, which I first tried while passing by their stall between Landmark and Glorietta.

In the coffee business however, this is probably the first of its kind - among others. 

Aside from offering free wi-fi service, for example, they do have free internet available complete with desks and computer units. It’s an internet café within a café.

Even the menu offers something quite different from what we usually see. For example, there is this Korean specialty – Sweet Potato Hollyccino. 

I wasn’t exactly floored by it but for uniqueness' sake, it's something new to the palate and probably needs a little getting used to.

The Pecan tart however, kind of swept me off my feet. You can never go wrong with nuts. I just love, love, love, I can go nuts without them. Wehehe!

The Tiramisu is ok. It's not bad, neither is it exciting. This despite having reduced it to almost nothing, as the bottom-most photo shows.

All in all I think some offerings require some tweaking. But I see that there’s still a lot on the menu we are yet to experience. 

The place’s cozy, relaxed atmosphere however, is something worth coming back to.

Till next time then :-)

My Take on the RH Bill

Though I have not read the Bill comprehensively, I think some aspects of it are worth following, as what I have noticed while doing some once-overs. To me it just makes good, practical sense not to create more life more than you can responsibly rear. 

Poor families grow even larger because they don’t know any better. They obviously do not have the financial capability to avail of contraceptives, number one. Add to this the church's coercion by way of eternal damnation. Take them together and you have a population explosion. To some of these families, they might as well take comfort in the idea of strength by numbers - more children equals more people bringing food to the table. 

And though this may be true on the one hand, we do know that it is far more complicated than that. The economic, spiritual and emotional aspects of raising children and bringing them up to become effective, healthy, and responsible members of society, are challenges even the most powerful, educated and wealthy parents know only too well.

So, what to do?

I say, use contraceptives. BUT (and this is a big but), not the abortive types. Personally, I would only prefer those methods of contraceptives that prevent the union of the egg and the sperm cells, which in turn leads to fertilization. It is the government’s responsibility to make sure that available contraceptives in the market are safe and duly approved by BFAD.

I don’t find the use of non-abortive contraceptives to be immoral (and there’s biblical proof to support this) – the act of doing it between unmarried couples is. In this regard, the churches (and parents) are to be the ones responsible. They should be more stringent in instilling moral values. They should be leading by example. Otherwise, we could only expect the moral condition to go further downhill.

Of course not everyone is moral. A lot of people just couldn't (wouldn't) contain their sexual cravings - all the more reason to be protected, what with the proliferation of sexually transmitted diseases.

As to why we are immoral depends on so many factors, but primarily because:

• We are humans. We are imperfect. Temptation is sweet and we are only too easy to give in.  
• Our parents did not bring us up with strong moral values.
• Peer pressure. What the majority does, we follow, because we think that that is the coolest thing to do.  
• We live in a society where double standards are the norm. Our leaders both in the church and in the government are classic examples of people saying one thing and doing another. And they even have the audacity to be called leaders.

I think what’s causing this unwarranted uproar against the RH bill is primarily due to the church’s meddling. Use of non-abortive contraceptives by married couples should not be an issue anymore. The church is doing the blame game and points its fingers to the state for what it failed to do in its own ranks – keeping the spiritual health of the flock in check.

This should be one issue off the list on the debate for this bill.

The Mall Rat Came Out to Play

Photo courtesy of the photographyblog.com

I just got back from a not-so-productive (errands-wise) but fun-filled day. A protracted trip to the doctor and a failed errand to the bank due to bad weather had me spending the day at the mall. Good thing I brought my camera with me, my newly bought Canon A2200. I thought what better way to kill time than to use the device for another ‘test drive’ and give myself some creative boost, which I don’t get to do a lot these days. Oh well, the tragedy of working in a corporate environment - you get boxed in. Hell, we can’t even comment on Facebook anymore – not if we have anything nice to say, or that are otherwise disclaimered with: “I’m on break and I’m accessing internet via Ovi” or whatever. Sucks much.

Anyhow, I digress.

So there I was, shooting like crazy every interesting subject I could find. Without a doubt, one of my favorite subjects to shoot is food. They talk to me, you know. 

You see, when my mind gets idle, I get hungry. Nothing really wrong with that, except if your mind is idle all the time. And THAT does not bode well for me, nor is it helping in my addiction. I am yet to figure out a way of making my passions work without them having to be lethal. For someone who has blood sugar issues, an unmonitored glucose level can lead to seizure and coma, sending one to the ER in no time.   

However, as I would always say, life is too short to be worrying about the mundane and the superficial. So, have fun and enjoy the ride. Live and let live. 

And so it was.

First thing I did was to load up on energy - food, in anticipation of a long day ahead. I saw Ya Kun Kaya offering something new on the menu, so I thought I should give it a try. Singapore’s Sa Po Fan or clay pot chicken , was what it was - a topping of marinated chicken pieces, Chinese sausages, black Chinese mushrooms and some garnishing, over steamed rice. 

The gingery aroma had a soothing and calming effect. And the sweet smell of the sauce mixed with the herbs are inviting. It's best eaten while still steaming hot and is just perfect in this rainy weather. It was delicious.

Sa Po Fan

Now, all that carb had to go somewhere. Sitting for hours on end wouldn’t help. So I had to walk around the mall and give time for the food to digest. Not that it’s a very effective exercise method, but this could just be the next best thing.

The scouting around led me to the activity center where a number of DVD’s are on display. One of the DVD’s I’ve been dying to have for a long time was on sale – Planet Earth. Not that it's a big SALE or anything but I felt like I’ve held back long enough and now the patience has grew thin. Well, you guessed it. I just blew 650 bucks, and I sorely hope it’s worth it. I’m about to find out soon and will put my review on a future post, yes? Excites me much, actually.

A few more canvassing and walking around led me to the uppermost floor with a nice view of the atrium - from the wide and spacious activity center on the ground level, up to the whitewashed, airy ceiling, surrounded with what seemed to me as frosted, translucent windows - vertical skylights that flood the whole space with natural light. This is my favorite spot of the mall- picture perfect especially for the miniature landscape feature of my camera. 

Unbeknownst to me however, taking pictures is not allowed. 

No later than a lone experimental shot of the few floors did a security officer come up to me to give me a warning. Of course I obliged, but only when he's looking. The moment he took his eyes off, I was on ninja mode. 

I know this shot doesn't do the place justice, but hey, I tried. 

The day is now drawing to an end and I’m feeling my tummy begging for some nourishment. I don’t feel eating rice, bread or pasta, so I decided to go to Mexicali for some Nachos, instead. 

I realize it could be a healthy option for me, what with its corn chips (in lieu of rice), guacamole, salsa , AND organic sour cream to boot. 

I know, heaps of ground beef topped with cheese isn't your idea of a 'healthy' meal. However, radically changing to a more vegan-like diet requires a little getting-used to. It doesn't happen overnight. Besides, I have no intention of going all out with it.  So there, baby steps.

Although I know I would do well to keep our health buff friends' advice to mind (I ought to), this should do for now. I will be enjoying this food without much of the guilt. 

Good times, indeed J

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank: A Review

Photo courtesy of juice.ph

I had the chance of watching Ang Babae sa Septic Tank with my sister and I had a good LOL moment. It’s been a while since the last time I laughed out loud in the theater, so this must be something special.

The film deals with the rigors of movie-making, following the journey of up and coming filmmakers (a producer, a director and a production manager) in their road to the Oscars. An idealistic breed of young talents who had high hopes of creating the best, if not one of the best films, this country could have ever produced. Their idealism, however, has been challenged left and right with various obstacles.

For one, they couldn’t seem to agree on which treatment to use – is it indie, docu drama or musical? Add to it the challenge of choosing the best actor to play the part of the lead role, Mila, which eventually landed on the lap of Eugene Domingo, who, by the way, has her own version of an over-the-top melodrama treatment of the film in mind, of which she has no qualms laying on the table.

Eugene Domingo is perfect. I really love her acting style, or maybe, just who she is as a person – talented, witty, funny. The supporting cast is no less exemplary. I was really entertained. However, her character as a diva actress is proving to be yet another challenge to the team as she becomes somewhat of a pain, having so many demands that could jeopardize the project altogether. In the end though, it was thought to be workable.

The biggest hurdle probably is when they made an ocular inspection of the film setting, a dump site somewhere in the metro. There they came face to face with the very reality they are trying to capture – the poverty, the squalor - not only in a visual sense but also true-to-life. They experienced first-hand poverty’s ill-effects on human behavior. Now they had to deal with a big financial loss. Their car got burglarized, and with it are all the money, equipment (i.e., laptops), and most importantly, the ideas they’ve worked so hard into putting together to make this dream project into reality.

Now, if this doesn't make a spoiler out of me, I don't know what will. Absurdly enough however, in a seeming act of deterrence from going all out with it, I was spurred to leave it to readers to find out how the story ended.

Now that's being left hanging.