for afters
Posted at 06:13 PM

there are three desserts i ought to mention here: fruits, kakanin, and ice cream.

being in the same general geographic part of the world, there was not much difference by way of fruits. at the end of the buffet lines (all breakfasts and one dinner) there was pineapple, suha, watermelon, melon, banana... what was very common though was dragon fruit which looks really funky what with the white meat super specked with black seeds, but is unfortunately bland.

the pleasant surprise really was the kakanin. it rewired me a bit to realize that rice cakes are regional and not national. of course i should have known this before - and reading stories from asia, part of me knew this to be true... but it was still something else to see it. especially the kakanin we had which was like a pandan calamay. very pinoy i would have thought - and like pinoy kakanin, it was very good.

what i do miss now though are the taro bars we discovered at the convenience store beside the hotel. these are ice cream bars that went for $0.30 each and were really creamy. sarap. true they did taste like our ube ice cream, but the texture was just this much more milky. yum!

thai high
Posted at 09:21 AM

by far the best meal i had in thailand was from MC (manang carinderia). across the street from our hotel was a roadside eatery typical of the ones that are strewn along the streets of bangkok.

for a total of 40 baht (or around P52), we had two viands and around 3 cups of rice. i've been eating my share of thai food here and was psyching myself weeks before the trip, but i must say that nothing could prepare me for the full spice that was to hit me with that meal.

the dish i had had pork and what i thought to be string beans. turns out, it was pork and 4 kinds of chili. HOOWA! we were yelping and yelling the entire time it took to consume the meal - eating that was like having a hundred tiny feet kicking at your brain. absolutely terrific.

being served from a roadside eatery with no running water, was it clean? who cares, we lived right? 

a taste of india
Posted at 06:13 PM

The perfect curry exists in Manila.

Bollywood restaurant in Greenbelt 3 is Indian food heaven. The menu is basic: curries and tandoor oven-baked dishes... but man oh man, the food is to die for.

On our first trip there I had shrimp curry and nan bread. The first dip into that curry sauce and I knew I had the real thing. The spice level was relatively mild compared to other Indian restaurants I've tried, but it's still right on the money. Washed down with calamansi soda, it was a dinner worth applauding.

The second time was chicken tandoor. Chicken marinated overnight in yogurt and spices and served on a sizzling plate. Beautiful. The chicken is so tender it melts in your mouth. Joanna had the vegetable curry and the blend of the spicy and the sweet can send anybody into gastronomic heaven. Perfect with chapati - unleavened wheat bread cooked on a griddle.

Can't wait for the next trip. I'll try either the vegetable tandoor or these lamb sausages I see all the Indian diners order. *smacks lips*

And it sure doesn't hurt that the restaurant is Bollywood-themed. If you like Bollywood flicks as much as I do, then this place will truly rock.