Are you kidding me?

disappointing

Sorry for the ugly photo but i was already a bit buzzed and jagered so this was the best i could do. But just try to imagine the solitary cheese stick which is about 2 inches long surrounded by his 9 other friends 5 minutes before this photo was taken.  Imagine the 10 cheese sticks which has a striking resemblance to the cheese sticks you usually see being sold around UP diliman in the fishball carts. Ok maybe a bit thicker, just a bit. How much do those cost? around 20 pesos per 10 pieces? So imagine my disgust when I found out that the 85 peso cheese sticks that I ordered turned out like this. Yeah, 85 pesos for 10 pieces of cheese sticks which are rather pathetic. 

Some of you might be saying, that's not so bad. Oh but it is! What is the world coming to when cheese sticks this small cost 85 pesos?

Good thing their jager is cheap, though it's not even served cold. Ugh, last time I'm drinking/eating in Meat Shop. 

And where else does a bucket, no, not even a bucket, more like, a pint, or two pints (what's the mathematical equivalent of two pints?) of ice, cost 10 pesos? Ayayay

Lomo of the Month

Bitsy

Since it is February. Though, love shouldn't be stuck in a time frame.

Taken in La Luz beach resort in San Juan Batangas by yours truly. This is by far my favorite non-embarrassing picture of her. Just kidding. This really is my favorite.

Montemar Beach Club

The shoreline

As a child, the beach has always been my playground. And as such, I have been or have been taken to a lot of the beaches the Philippines has to offer. Along the way I’ve developed my favorites and one of them if not THE one is a nice little beach in Bagac, Bataan: Montemar Beach Club.

The first time I saw Montemar, back in the late 90’s, the first thing I noticed was a total lack of Globe signal. Of course being in the late 90’s and in the middle of the teenager process, that was a very important aspect. But after I got over that disappointing first impression, I started to see that this place could be special.

Lights at the Resto

First of all, here’s some history. Montemar has been up since back in the 80’s. It just got a facelift in the mid 90’s because of new management who jumpstarted its resurgence. Montemar is a membership based beach club so as members we get coupons that basically give us 50% off twice a year. The thing is they expire so we have to use it sometime before the year ends which to me, is a good excuse to go to the beach at least twice a year. If you’re not a member you can still go as long as you have a member sponsor. You won’t get the discounts though.

The beach tents

Montemar has a lot of room for guests. For more on the details, visit their site here. If your going as a big group they have rooms with lofts (Gallery room) that have two extra beds aside from the king-sized they have as well as apartment style houses (executive suite) which have multiple rooms. Check out their site for the rates. Even if they say otherwise, you can fit 7-8 people comfortably in the room with a loft. We’ve tried it plenty of times. For couples or small families they also have standard 1 bed rooms (the deluxe rooms). All rooms have nice bathrooms and are air-conditioned.

Montemar also has 2 pools, the green pool. And the blue pool which is closer to the resto and the beach. The blue pool also has a bar in the middle complete with stools and a bartender/lifeguard. The resto serves continental as well as local food. Personla favorites are the Burger Maxx, the Bistek Tagalog, breaded porkchop and the three chees pizza. Pricing is ok for a beach resort and the servings, except for the pizza, are big enough to share. The quality is hit and miss but the aiters are nice so just ask them what the favorites are and trust that they will take care of you.

The blue pool with the bar

Of course the most important part of a beach resort is the beach itself and in Montemar, it doesn’t disappoint. The sand is fine and the water is clean and clear. The beach is massive, which is why a lot of companies go here for their team building. They have a beach volleyball court and an obstacle course as well as a host of available water sports including a jet-ski with a banana boat, kayaks, and water bicycles. You can also snorkel to the right of the cove where there are plenty of fish to be seen, although this is not their main attraction. On some day when the water cooperates, it’s also a perfect place to skimboard (this is where I taught myself). Plenty of beach tents and chairs are available so you can actually stay in the beach the whole day and have lunch brought to you from the resto.

with bitsy

Skimming

playing in the sand

Another thing worth mentioning is that Montemar is part of the pawikan conservation project. They have a conservation area near the beach where you can see baby turtles and some of the turtles they take care of. Periodically, they release baby turtles into the ocean and you guests can experience first hand letting the creatures out to the wild. It’s a pleasant experience, and it doesn’t hurt that the baby turtles are cute.

pawikan

As a boy I dreamed of having my own personal beach house where I can live for months at a time just playing with the water and living the life. At Montemar I don’t get to stay that long but it gives me the feeling of what I expect would be similar to having your own personal beach playground. 

Tuesday's Tasty Takeouts: Perspolis Persian Cuisine

Perspolis

A tasty take out does not only mean food that will satisfy your palate. For me, the following things must be present for the take out to be serviceable:

1. The food you take out must have the same quality as the food you would normally eat there. Given the travel time of course, there may be some drawback on the freshness. But the taste should still be the same.

2. The packaging must be both economical and user-friendly. Meaning plus points for re-usable containers, minus points for styrofoam. Also, plus points for including utensils and using containers that can be used as plates or bowls so you won't have to use your own stuff, hence less work for you.

3. I love sauces, I believe that you should be able to have as much of the complimenting sauce as you want. Plus points for take out sauces and plus more points when they give you extra when you ask for it. Same rule applies for other condiments.

4. Aside from the quality, the quantity of the food must be the same as what the establishment will give you for dine ins. I hate it whenever I open a package only to find out that they gave me half of what I ordered. I tell you, it happens. 

5. Waiting time should be minimal. of course you're subject to the wrath of the lunch and dinner rush but you know your in good hands when the waiters and waitresses give you water and assure that your food is well on its way.

Perspolis ia a great place to get the persian fix for an affordable price. I won't go as far as comparing it to Mister Kebab, but the quality of the food comes closer than other similar establishments. It's in katipunan avenue, at the same compound where sisig hooray, flaming wings and world topps are located and its becoming very popular among the frequent katipunan food-goers. The pricing as I said is great. With a price range not exceeding 200 pesos per entree so you can get a decent meal for a little more than 100 pesos.

The Perspolis packaging

On to the take out. I have been a regular customer in Perspolis for the past month and a half now and so far the food quality is consistent. I normally pass by at tuesday nights to take our food for Bits. 

The waiting time for the food you ordered is reasonable considering that you're getting freshly cooked food. Plus the service people are very nice and accommodating so the time went by like a breeze. Plus one.

 As you can see, in the packaging lies the only fault I see in Perspolis. I just can't stand styros, I'd rather that they used reusable plastic containers and just charge extra for them, at least you can use them again for storage. Also, the use of plastic bag for their sauces is a turn-off. Although a lot of establishments do this, I just don't like not being able to get every little grain of sauce from the food which you can do if it were in a bowl or something similar and you put the rice on and simot all the extra sauce that's sticking to the bowl. Minus one.   

Plus points though for the sauces. They were nice enough to give me extra when I asked for more since I love their yogurt sauce. Plus one.

  

We normally take out the chello kebab double, which already includes buttered rice to go along with the tomatoes and the two kebabs of course. All for only 105 pesos, a real bargain if you ask me since the kebabs are decent in size. Then we add any other entree in combination with beryani rice since, well you gotta have beryani rice when you eat persian. Yesterday we decided to try something different so I ordered the spicy keema (65 pesos) then beryani rice (35 pesos) and their beef beryani meal which is beef beryani and beryani rice (120 pesos).

The food was delicious. The beef was tender and the sauces consistency and spiciness was just right. The keema was also ok though not the best keema I've had, it was enough to satisfy for the night. The beryani rice as always was tasty. Quantity-wise, as I have eaten there and I am aware of their servings, the take out offered the same amount so plus points. They pack their styros full and it's really satisfying to see a full styro when you open it. None of that half-full stuff please. Plus two.

For a total score of 4 out of 5. Not bad for a take-out meal.

Overall I recommend giving Perspolis a try when you need to get some food on the go. It's a better and healthier alternative to all of the fast-food joints in Katipunan and their menu is full enough to keep you coming back and trying out more of their food. Just bring a reusable plastic bowl if you do plan to take out. Plus pogi points ka pa for saving the environment.

 

Tuesday's Tasty Takeouts: Regrub There it is!

Regrub goodness

Tuesday's Tasty Takeouts will feature affordable and practical take-out treats that will satisfy your need to eat on the go or when your too lazy to whip something up. 

Burger joints can be tricky. Tricky in the sense that it's getting to the point where it's so hard to tell them apart. Everybody offers the same flame-grilled burgers, grilled to perfection with all the toppings in the world to make your wildest concoctions come true. But the thing is, all of these burger joint come with a hefty price tag. And sure, it's nice to indulge in an awesome burger experience once in a while but when the times get hard and you absolutely need to have that burger fix, Regrub which is located in CLub 650 Libis, will give it to you and you will be satisfied.

The simplified menu, which does not offer "burgers your own way" is not a weakness to the burger joint. Its flavors are sufficient enough to keep you coming back to try the others and the burgers are really good. They have several toppings, some of which are unique to the joint like the PESTO cream burger which is basically a burger with PESTO cream on top, and the Hiroshima burger which is something you have to try on your own. The tripple patty burger should be reserved for those who actually exercised in club 650. I say, stick to the 6 designer burgers: Sib's, Hiroshima, Mexican, Pesto Cream, bakes and shrooms and American BBQ. These burgers are all superb and really worth the value.

The burgers are cooked well so you know that it will survive your trip home or to wherever. One time, I bought the mexican burger and I had to leave it in the car for 6 hours and when I ate it, the burger still tasted fresh and the toppings were still good as well.  

Regrub usually has a staff of 2 on-site though, so I recommend ordering and then window shopping in the sports stores or doing your grocery shopping in Shopwise since it's just next door.

They don't deliver yet so, for now, you will have to go to club650 libis for these burgers although, the trip is really worth it.  

Lomography of the month!

Clearwater, Pampanga

photo by Bituin Biglang-awa

Oktomat

We love Lomography and I'm sure if i had more money then I would be doing it on a regular basis. As it is I have to wait for 5 rolls to finish before I have it processed in Digiprint to avail of their discounted prices. This first one was taken last year in Clearwater Pampanga, what used to be a promising vacation spot near Manila before its contractors bolted leaving it half-finished and disappointingly. Still, the scenery is, well, serene I guess. Now if only, they finish all the construction going on, then it will be a peaceful getaway near Metro Manila.

One from the Archives! of the week: Crossing on Giant steps

Banaue

I've been to Banaue twice before we went 3 years ago as part of our holy week escape. The first time, I had chicken pox because my mom wanted all of her kids to get it at the same time, while we were little to prevent having it later, so i stayed in the hotel pretty much the whole week. The second one, we took a coaster (a small luxury type bus) and what I remember the most is the curtains of the vehicle having the same print as my mom's shirt on the way there. Also, we stayed in Banaue hotel, and back then, I was too lazy to really experience crossing the giant pilapil, I was content with just looking at them.

This time was different though. We decided to experience it fully and to cram as much as we can in the 3 days that we were staying before we set off for Sagada. The best time though was hiking to the village of Batad and the Tappiya waterfalls on the last day. It was an exhausting day but the pictures that we got and the close calls (one wrong step can send you down 20 feet or more feet, the pilapils were huge!) and of course the reward of seeing the waterfall at the end of the trail made it all worthwhile. Here's a link to my original post. I must say, of all the places I've visited, so far, Banaue has been the most photogenic.