Good Earth Roast: a bit of Singapore here in Manila lah

Back in 1990, I had my first trip to Singapore. I guess you can call it love at first step when I immediately fell truly madly in-love with this fellow ASEAN country near the equator. It could probably be because of its clean and green-friendly environment (no trash, no vendors!), the honesty of the people (this was back in 1990s..have to update this info soon) and the food.

It was the best 2 week vacation then as we went around the different tourist sites, shopped till we dropped (the exchange rate was still low back then), met up with old family friends and lastly tried out the different possible combinations among the following: roast chicken/duck/pork + rice/hofan/noodles. Every meal is truly exciting as we happily mixed and matched our meat with its perfect carbo pair. Since then, I knew that Singapore is the place I want to be in forever.

It has been a while since I've been to Singapore. Times have changed and there were quite a number of new attractions available like the Esplanade, Ministry of Sound and the man-made beaches in Sentosa. Soon, I know I just have to go back and experience it myself.

Here in Manila, I was lucky enough to discover a new restaurant that reminded me of my favorite country. Located at the Block 9 of Rockwell Center, Good Earth Roast may be more popular to the night crowd who'd hang out till the wee hours of the morning as they drink, party and eat. For a Manila yuppie like myself though, Good Earth Roast is a perfect lunch out destination. It's proximity to my office is just right, the parking a bit challenging but manageable and the food and service perfect.

It does not require a perfect food IQ to order here. Simply match the four different meat dishes: asado pork, roast chicken, crispy pork and roast duck to the following-- plain rice, fried rice, hofan, mien (noodles), soup noodles or congee.

It was fun mixing and matching the different combinations to see which pair's best. Alas, after four visits I found my favorite : crispy pork and fried rice. I like the fact that I do not have to constantly spit out chicken/duck bones and still keep my poise while eating neither do I have to struggle with the asado meat as I try my darnest to cut it using my teeth. Although a bit on the calorific side, the crispy pork is fragrant and tasty.

As for the carbs, I find both hofan and mien a bit dry and cold on both visits, at some point it felt like I'm eating cardboard strips even if I tried to add more toyomansi. The plain rice is ok for those who'd like to have it simple while I, a certified fried rice fan, adores this option. Mixed with chinese sausage, onion leeks, garlic and peas, GER's fried rice is really yummy and perfectly matches the crispy pork.

Good Earth Roast is my little Singapore here in Manila. If only they also have my favorite Bah Kut Teh then it would have been perfect lah.

Good Earth Roast is located at the Block 9, Rockwell Center along Rizal Drive.

Supporting Earth Hour: the power of ONE

On Saturday, our household will be supporting the Earth Hour by switching off ALL of our lights from 8-9PM. Hope yours will too Ü


Reference: http://www.earthhour.org/cities/manila/

Som's Noodle House

"It would take years to build a relationship and seconds to destroy it..."

This famous marketing mantra has proven itself true last weekend when Paul and I ate at Som's Noodle House in Tomas Morato. After hearing all the raves and being able to dine in their former branch in Reposo myself, I was dead set on bringing Paul along on my next visit to allow him to enjoy the authentic yet very affordable Thai dishes that this restaurant was known for.

It wasn't difficult to secure a table because this branch was spacious enough with 10 rectangular-sized tables that's good for 5-6 guests each. After handing us our menu, the waitress informed us that they have ran out of noodles and shrimp. HUWAT?! "So no more Phad Thai for tonight... well, it was almost past 8 and business must have been really good that day," I thought.

To make the most of our visit, we settled for Catfish Salad, Green Curry Chicken, Spring roll and Tofu Togue. The salad was very small considering that it's for P105. It's served in a small platter and the green mango strips and catfish flakes were literally swimming in the vinegar dressing. The Green Curry Chicken is pretty good though. It was has a spicy-sweet taste and there were quite a number of chicken strips included. This dish alone made us order another cup of rice to share. The Tofu Togue and the Spring Roll were both forgettable to say the least.

Then came the downfall...

Halfway through our meal we noticed that the table who ordered after us was served with a steaming bowl of...guess what?!.. noodles. I politely called the waitress' attention and asked her how come the other table was able to order noodles when we were told that they were out of stock. She turned defensive and told me that the kitchen crew failed to inform her that there's still one more order of noodles left. Ok, so I forgave her..after all we were already eating and there's nothing that can be done.

After a couple more minutes, the next table was served with Phad Thai (stir fried noodles). This time it was Paul who obviously got irked and asked one of the waiter if they actually have noodles available. The waiter answered with a definite "Yes Sir." He then called the same waitress to ask her the same thing. She was partly stammering, partly denying, partly saving her soul. Poor girl...

It's one thing to commit a mistake and another thing to lie. I don't really see the point why she needs to lie and say that they're out of noodles when in fact they have loads available. It's disappointing that the manager even refused to talk to us. I can't believe that we had such as terrible experience at Som's all because of one waitress who, for some reason, can't keep her facts straight.

Everything happened within the span of 20 minutes and Som's has officially lost two potential loyal customers. *sigh*

Beware.

Not Goodbye but Till We Meet Again, Ilocos [Day Three]

Today's itinerary was pretty light. Beach bumming for the entire morning and a side trip to another historical landmark before heading home. HOME. Suddenly, I realized that today was our last day. Can't believe it has been three days since we all first met at Mcdonald's Quezon Ave., exchanged shy but friendly smiles and tried so hard to get accustomed to sleeping in the bus.

It has been three days since we toured around this picture pretty province at the northern part of the Philippines and fell in-love with the beautiful moments that we were able to capture.

As we laid our keys down at the counter of Polaris, we said thank you to the graceful owner who welcomed us all into her cozy resort. We ate our last lunch and once again boarded the bus for our final stop.

Cape Bojeador sits on top of a hill overlooking the South China Sea. It has one of the highest lighthouses that guides ships heading towards the ports of Salomanque and Curmimao. I'm not sure though if the lighthouse is still functional at present.

It was yet another trek up to Cape Bojeador and upon reaching the base of the lighthouse, it would take a brave soul to be able to climb 93 circular steps to reach the tip. I had to beg off and gave my camera to Paul who was brave and curious enough to take the climbing challenge just to see what can be seen from the top.

After a couple of minutes, he came down with a big smile on his face and impressive shots to show off. We began our trek down to the bus while enjoying the afternoon breeze.

After a quick dinner on the side of the road (talk about being game!), we boarded the bus to begin our trip back home.

We ended the trip with 400+ photos. These consists of the beautiful sites that we have visited, the food that we ate and the friends that we made. It was truly a memorable trip that luckily, I was able to share with Paul. Till we meet again, Ilocos.



Our Ilocos Heritage Tour was organized by The Travel Factor. Thanks Tyx and Mike!

Related posts:
discovering Ilocos [Day One]
discovering Ilocos continues.. [Day Two]

discovering Ilocos continues.. [Day Two]

My phone's alarm clock began to ring loudly, fighting the urge to press the snooze button, I slowly sat up and did some stretching. It's 4:30AM and in thirty minutes I have to get dressed, prepare my day bag and meet the group downstairs. Today, we start early. Our goal is to catch the sunrise at the Bagui Windmills.

I admit I was very excited for Day Two. Despite the early schedule, I can't wait to finally see a windmill up close! At exactly 5AM, we boarded the bus that will bring us to Bagui. I can't remember how the drive went as I fell asleep the moment I sat down. It wasn't until I felt Paul tapping my arm that I woke up and saw shadows of giant electric fans outside the window of the bus.

I quickly got my camera, tightened my cap, zipped up my jacket and followed Paul and the group as we got off the bus. It was still dark and the wind was very strong. Just imagine having fifteen 70 meter high electric fans blowing in one direction creating the strongest wind possible. At this point, I wished I had a tripod to shoot in night mode. The strong wind just makes it impossible to keep my hands steady!

Finally, the sun is starting to rise. We walked further down to the sea and with some tips from our photographer companions, I was able to take a couple of decent shots. Now i know about ISOs and shutter speed (nax!).

I'm really amazed just looking at the 15 windmills lined up by the shore. It's a very beautiful sight and I can't help but go trigger happy once again as I wanted to capture this moment forever.

After a couple more shots, we went back to the bus for breakfast. It was a yummy meal that consists of hotdogs (my favorite!), overflowing garlic rice and scrambled egg. I got to hand it to Polaris Beach Resort , who took care of all our meals for the trip, that they didn't scrimp on the food that were served to us. In other words, we were definitely fed well Ü

After breakfast, our companions continued to take more photos while I went back to dreamland. I must have slept quite soundly that I didn't realized that we have left Bagui and have reached our next destination.

After walking for an hour, crossing 4 streams and doing a bit of balancing act at the side of a hill, we came face to face with a magnificent wonder called the Kabigan Falls. Who would have thought that crystal clear water still exists in our overly polluted land? Kabigan Falls was our second destination. We were extra cautious not to move so much for fear that our cameras might suddenly decide to take a dip and go swimming. Nonetheless, no time was wasted as we once again captured a rare moment.

In this stop, I was able to conquer a number of fears. First off was my fear of birds. Ok, before anyone decides to include me into their birdwatching list, it was just a basic initiation of me crossing a tiny bridge with ducks, chickens and other feathered animals pecking and paddling nearby. Normally, I would have probably just froze and back out. Thus, for me this was an achievement. Next was my fear of heights. Making sure I won't slide down the hill and die a gory death was another first. Thanks to my Crocs which made hiking possible and accident free, I was able to join the group as they went up and down and up and down again to take the best shots possible. Everything was worth the physical exhaustion and if ever I have to do the hike once again, I'd probably do it just to see Kabigan Falls one more time.

After our hike, it began to rain on and off thus ruining a bit of the experience in the remaining stops. We continued on to the Blue Lagoon for lunch and for a brief photo op despite the bad windy weather that makes it very hard for us to walk around. Lunch was once again c/o Polaris and their grilled chicken was delish!

Afterwards, we breezed through Bantay Abot Cave, a tall mountain with a hole in the middle (like Polo hehe), Agua Grande and the Patapat Viaduct. Since it was drizzling, Paul and I opted to stay at the bus to keep ourselves dry.

We found ourselves heading back to Pagudpud earlier than expected. Thank God that the rain has stopped and the sun came out just in time.

Pagudpud is perfect. With its powdery sand, clear blue water, no signs of trash or lumot anywhere; it is the perfect summer getaway for those who just wants to escape from it all. I can just imagine myself lying in the sand, an mp3 player playing nearby and a tall glass of fruit shake. ahh..

Luckily, we were able to capture the sunset at Pagudpud. Thanks to Alice, who took this romantic photo, Paul and I will always remember this wonderful moment forever.



Related posts:
discovering Ilocos [Day One]
Not Goodbye but Till We Meet Again, Ilocos [Day Three]

discovering Ilocos [Day One]

The saying "time flies when you're having fun" turned out to be the biggest understatement during my recent weekend getaway at Ilocos.

After 8 hours of restless sleep in the freezing bus, we finally arrived at our first destination. "Welcome to Bantay, Ilocos Sur", the church keeper greeted us. He was a jovial looking man who took the effort to wake up at 5AM to meet us at the church grounds exactly thirty minutes after. Speaking in fluent english, he narrated the story behind the St. Augustine Church and the Bantay Bell Tower that were both standing so high and mighty ready for us, travellers, to explore and appreciate.

Here at the Bantay Tower was where the movie Ang Panday was shot starring no less than the late Fernando Poe Jr..

The Bantay Bell Tower was truly a sight to behold, its red brick colored facade shines as the early sunlight strikes it. Needless to say, Paul and I didn't waste any precious time was we allowed ourselves to go trigger happy just this once, just for this trip.

After an hour of shooting and posing, something is starting to rumble and grumble. No, it wasn't the church or the picture pretty bell tower but it was our tummies reminding us that it's time for breakfast.

We said good bye to the church keeper and made our way to Vigan City for breakfast at the 130 year old bed and breakfast place called Villa Angela. Personally, breakfast was pretty so-so. For a place filled with so much history and drama, I was personally expecting more than the usual Pinoy-Vigan fare. After re-fueling our bodies with 3 tiny Vigan longganisas, plain rice and a piece of banana, Paul and I began our walking tour down the infamous Calle Crisologo...

Walking down the long cobble stone street was an experience in itself. We stop every now and then for a short photo op while peeking in pocket souvenir shops that sells over-priced native products that can actually be found at our beloved Greenhills tiangge. Then again, there might still be a small market who wouldn't mind the high price as long as the product is authentic or as it aims to be. As for me, I'm saving my money for the chichacorn, empanada and longganisa that Ilocos boasts of.

We reached the end of the road that led us to another church, this time a modern-looking one, sandwiched in between two plazas namely plaza salcedo and plaza burgos. "Yan po yung Vigan Church" a by-stander pointed out when asked what was the name of the church. Beside the church is a line of colorful kalesas (horse-drawn carriage) with its respective kutchero (driver of the kalesas) standing nearby.

After circling the two plazas and going in and out of the church, we began our short search for the empanada. Being a fan of Taco Ilocano here in Manila, I know I am not leaving Ilocos without trying the real thing. Ilocos' empanada, as my Ilocana colleage Gigi explained, must have chunks of longganisa, veggies and egg wrapped in a thin crepe-like dough and deep fried until it has a crispy golden orange texture.

Thank God for friendly Ilocanos, the owner of a convenient store at Plaza Maestro suggested that we try looking for the stall that sells these delectable treats at Plaza Burgos. Crossing the not-so-busy street, it wasn't difficult to find it. Funny that we also bumped into three of our tour groupmates who were also in search of the same thing.


We found out that Vigan has two types of empanadas. The regular with purely veggies inside (good news for vegetarians!) and special with the works (vigan longganisa and egg). For only P25 a piece, Paul and I got the special variant to share. Each empanada comes with a tube of vinegar. We quickly sat down at the table across the stall, opened our brown paper bag and placed our freshly deep fried empanada on a plate. We poured the vinegar in a small bowl and began to attack! Although I am not a fan of anything sour, I have to admit that I fell in love with this type of vinegar. It has the perfect combination of being sweet and sour (like me! haha kidding) that makes it soooo delicious!

With an hour left before we are expected to head back to Villa Angela for lunch, our mini group has decided to take the trike and explore two more sites nearby -- the Panurbayan Jar Making Factory and Chavit S' Baluarte.

We arrived shortly at the Jar Making factory and the potter was kind enough to demonstrate how he makes a jar. Paul was obviously fascinated with it while I was busy taking photos of the finished products displayed for stamping. We thank Mr. Potter (hehe) and off we went to the Baluarte.

I admit I was thrilled that we're actually going to see Chavit Singson's much-talked-about animal haven up north. The place was filled with kids having their field trip while us, 5 travellers, made our way inside. What I like about the Baluarte is that majority of the animals are free to roam around their man-made habitat. This said, I guess you can say that I'm totally against caging animals. Paul, who obviously is an animal lover, was in heaven! I literally had to grab his jacket to pull him away before he pets the ostrich or gets too close for comfort to the hungry looking tiger (yipes!).

We were running a bit late but the place was sooo nice that we had to frequently stop for more photo ops.

After a quick lunch at Villa Angela, we boarding our fancy pink bus and proceeded to our next stop: the Marcos Museum and the Batac Church. This was a quick stop and while everyone else went in to see Marcos' body, I opted to stay outside and take shots of the Batac Church instead.

What caught my eye was the school beside the church. The sign read: Immaculate Conception Academy. I didn't know ICA has a sister school up north. Ü The group's done with their museum tour and we're back at the bus to the Paoay for the San Agustin Church.

The church is one out of four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Philippines. It's bold stone structure makes it very picture pretty.

As Ivan Henares quotes Toti Villalon:

"Built in 1710 under the direction of the Agustinian order,the ensemble of the church and detached bell towers are truly majestic in scale when viewed from the edge of the plaza that faces the ensemble. Detached from the church façade the bell tower tapers as it rises from the ground in a fashion reminiscent of a pagoda. The stone façade is plain at the bottom. Light, elegant decorative carving is applied close to the top of the pediment. A row of feathery stone finials that seem to gently brush the sky with delicate Oriental strokes accentuate the triangular top of the pediment. The earthquake protection system in this structure is probably its most dramatic feature. Exaggeratedly thick buttresses protrude quite a distance from the ground to be countered by a smaller volute near roof level topped by a stone finial. Swirling upwards to the sky, the massive stone buttresses take on a magical lightness."

Our photographer companions were having a ball shooting every possible angle of the church. I, on the other hand, was able to capture this photo when we asked two kids to jump at the count of three. Their joy and playfulness can be perfectly seen with the Paoay Bell Tower as the background. Wish I can be a kid again *sigh*

We're off to our next stop: the Malacañang of the North. Unlike the Malacañang Palace here in Manila, this political landmark up north overlooks a clean body of water. Looking out the veranda, I was simply at awe with the beauty of the garden and the lake. It somehow reminds me of the mansion of Capt Von Trapp of The Sound of Music.

Our last stop before finally heading off to Pagudpud was the Sinking Bell Tower located near the Ilocos Norte Capitol. I was a bit disappointed as every shot taken showed numerous cables blocking my subject. Hello to urbanization!

To make our last stop worth it, Paul and I had our second empanada at an open food court nearby. This time, this is Laoag's version of the yummy, crispy snack and I got to admit I still preferred the one at Vigan.

The sun is starting to set as we boarded the bus for the last time that day to head off to Pagudpud where we're checking in for this trip. During our first day, I realized that Ilocos is literally bursting with so much history and architectural beauty. I salute the local government for making the place so clean and attractive. No belching fumes from vehicles, no crazy drivers, no eye sore. I miss my empanada...

More Ilocos adventure for Day 2 and 3....

Related posts:
discovering Ilocos continues.. [Day Two]
Not Goodbye but Till We Meet Again, Ilocos [Day Three]