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'Dead Kids' (2019): review by an amateur film critic

Netflix movie 'Dead Kids' (2019) is a social commentary on contemporary urban Philippines, with focus on the relationship between law and order and poverty. The storytelling from beginning to end is well-done.

The movie's narration of social ills and issues and their interaction with teenage angst was seamless. More importantly, it effectively showed how the experience of the Filipino youth, the Generation Z, is inevitably shaped by the society they're in. This way, it could be considered a coming of age movie.

Character development of each of the main protagonists was carefully executed, particularly on the transitions that they underwent as they dealt with their problems, both personal and shared. The last scene between Janina and Mark (when they were at the backstage) was compelling as it portrayed two entirely different, but both real teenage problems. This juxtaposition showed how both of their momentary concerns, while variying in intensity and future impact, were both valid and legitimate.

'Dead Kids' has the makings of a cult movie. With high-quality production and relative accessibility (i.e. online), rewatchability is likely. The actors' portrayal of their characters was consistently good througout the movie. It's definitely one of the must-see's from this year.

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The Dr. Luis Santos House, Heritage Town in Malolos

The Dr. Luis Santos House is an art deco mansion in Kamestisuhan District, Malolos City. There are primarily two remarkable things about this house: (1) it has a ceiling and a baño that were painted by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo; and (2) a fountain that was sculpted by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino. Does Vigan have a house that is home to three obras of artists who were eventually recognized as National Artists? That's only in Malolos.

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Actors were posing for spectators as part of their preparatory skit before performing a musical about the heroism of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar. They're in front of the Bautista House that is found in the Spanish colonial district of Kamestisuhan, aka as Pariancillo, in Malolos City. The construction of  the house was completed in 1877. It served as the office of the Departamento de Fomento during the First Philippine Republic era, when Malolos served as the capital of the Philippines.

Our guided tour (including visits inside the old houses themselves) was brought to us by LIHAN Enterprises. You may contact them if you want to tour Old Malolos. Be sure to book your tour early so our friends from LIHAN Enterprises could make the appropriate arrangements for you to be allowed to could enter the colonial houses. Their number is +63922 229 8057 or you may like their page on Facebook. *By the way, ‘Lihan’ is Malolos’s ancient name. The core barangay is now called Liang*

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If you want to go to Burot Beach, change your mind

That is just harsh, but yeah.

Burot Beach is about an hour away from Metro Manila and is included in several lists of must-see beach destinations near Manila (because of its apparent proximity), but you might want to think twice before going there because it’s a solid waste management/ecological disaster. This is not an exaggeration, tbh. You can forgive that it could become crowded during peak seasons, but there is no excuse for its non-existent solid waste management ‘plan’ – especially when you pay an entrance fee and when it is privately owned. You can literally find mounds of household trash (from visitors and campers, of course) along the coastline, several meters from the once seemingly promising beach.

The beach is described as a non-commercialized, rugged beach that is without electricity, free-flowing faucet water, restaurants, and lodges and inns. It is located about three kilometres from the town center of Calatagan, Batangas, via an unpaved road, but that is easy to track with Waze. All of these are true, though. It is indeed a quick and easy-to-do trip for day- or overnight-travellers. It is privately managed by an SM affiliate, according to various sources, and has been slated for real estate development (or, rumor has it). In the meantime, it is open to the public, but for a price. You have to pay a P20-parking fee at the guard house. Then you’ll be charged with P130/head entrance fee by the roaming security personnel. If you want to rent a table, pay P300. Should you forget to bring your own tents, you can rent tents for 3 and 4 people for P300 and P400, respectively. Courteous locals also offer a boat ride to Burot Beach’s saving grace – the Calatagan reefs -  for P130/head, maximum of 8 people per ride. The Burot Beach management has 4 functioning public showers and two public toilets, but the lines could get really long.

We brought our own food, stove, and utensils to save money and spent the night there to experience the ruggedness of seaside camping. The company of friends – and the reefs – is the only thing that made this trip worth it. But we swear, you can remove this off your summer destinations list, despite its accessibility to Metro Manila.  

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Be cool, Bicol

The Bicol Region is a large region that’s 13 gruelling yetfun hours away from Manila by land (it has airports in the major cities of Nagaand Legazpi, though) and a week, probably, is not enough to discover the whole region. DG went in on an adventure in the provinces of Albay and Sorsogon to experience the Pacific vibe in this area.

Our 2N3D trip was concentrated in the curious province of Sorsogon, at the southern tip of the Bicol peninsula, where spent two nights and two days in. Boy, Sorsogon was a jack in a box – it has full of exciting surprises and adventures!

That lucky old sun, Sorsogon

Sorsogon City, the walk-able and tourist/pedestrian-friendly capital of the province, was our home base for two nights in the province. We stayed at Mercedes Country Lodge near the old city center where you can see the Sorsogon Cathedral. It’s quite affordable. We rented a room that does not have an AC and private bathroom, but it didn’t matter because we stayed there for the beds, lol.

The city gives you a totally positive promdi vibe, you know, that small town, country feel, yet you still enjoy the conveniences of urban life with restaurants and grocery stores after every block. In fact, across Doña Remedios Country Lodge, there is a small restaurant that serves pasta, sandwiches, and rice meals. A homey beer bar sits adjacent to the country lodge and at the corner of our street, just about 25 steps away, 25 STEPS, is a small LCC Supermarket branch. Beside the Cathedral is a terminal of jeepneys that have routes in the entire peninsular province. Commute around the province? NO PROBLEM. Everyone is friendly and honest. IT HAS EVERYTHING YAs NEED, quite honestly.

I want it all, Sorsogon

On our first day in Sorsogon, we went to the Pacific town of Gubat, a mere 30-minute jeepney ride away from Sorsogon City. We spent the whole afternoon at the Rizal Beach, where we rented a cottage at the Rizal Beach Resort for a discounted rate of P300 (we were given access to their shower rooms and the staff gladly watched over our bags). The beach resort has a restaurant where we had our lunch – of course, Bikol style (we had grilled fish and the famous Bicol Express) – at a very affordable price. AND THEY SERVE BEER.

We had the beach almost to ourselves so the general atmosphere was very quiet and relaxing, of course. The sand was light beige and is only a few degrees off the Boracay sand fineness. Probably because of the season (we went there mid-February 2015), the Pacific winds gave us constant medium high waves. The water was really good, not sticky, not polluted, honestly. I cannot fully explain it, but it was a really damn good beach.

Our second day at the province was action-packed.

In the morning, we went, via regular passenger jeep, to another Pacific town, Barcelona, where a nostalgically peaceful old church and ruins stand facing the Pacific Ocean. WHAT A CHURCH. THE RUINS ARE ALSO REALLY GREAT TO SEE. The Presidencia Ruins Complex was an old Spanish-era school compound, where buildings were made of corals. You can come inside the ruins and feel the history and magnanimity of it. It is really beautiful.

We took another jeepney ride to the Bulusan National Park. Bulusan is a volcano in the interior of the province and on its foot on the southeast side sits the Park and its crown jewel, THE BULUSAN LAKE. From the entrance, you can walk a short 2-kilometer fully paved road into a forest. Midway through the park entrance, we met a park ranger who gladly brought us to the park – for free (people in Sorsogon are really friendly and not after your tourist money). So the park and the old crater lake —— I COULD CRY BECAUSE OF ITS PICTURESQUE BEAUTY I HAVE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE IT EXCEPT FOR PUTA ANG GANDA.

The park offers a very affordable P100/head kayaking (no time limit) on the lake. At first we were hesitant because DG’s quite a noob at kayaking (we were also afraid to fall into the lake, which has an average depth of 10 meters). The park rangers told us that we could go on a small boat ride with an experience rower but encouraged us to kayak because they told us it was honestly easy. They weren’t lying. AND WHO COULD POSSIBLY RESIST THIS:

NO ONE!!!

After this, we went to the famous natural hot and cold (and lukewarm) springs resort in San Bernardo, Irosin. When we went there, the cold spring pool was not filled up, but this did not matter because we spent the whole afternoon in the hot spring. It was indeed hot, and natural (the pool was being filled with natural, flowing hot water from the volcano). IT WAS THE MOST RELAXING THING EVER. WE COULD DIE IN THIS POOL.

We spent the night at our inn after a few bottles of beer from the bar beside it and the next day, we had to say goodbye to this province and head for Albay, to finally come face to face the legendary Mayon Volcano.

Touch the sky, Albay

The next day, we walked to a van terminal (just outside SM Supermarket) to Legazpi City in Albay. After a two-hour trip up north to Legzapi, we went straight to find the Cagsawa Church Ruins, which has become Bicol Region’s icon ever since, I guess. Again, transportation was not a problem. The must-visits are accessible. Everyone was friendly.

So finally, WE FINALLY SAW THE MAYON VOLCANO. The Cagsawa Church Ruins are also a complex of Spanish-era buildings that were destroyed in one of Mayon’s eruptions. I was surprised to see that there is more to the bell tower that we usually see in postcards, juxtaposed with the near perfect cone of Mayon Volcano. Food is not a problem because there are many stalls in the site.

For lunch, though, we went to the Pacific Mall and dined at… I forgot the name!!! Lol anyways, afterwards, we went to the Lignon Hill, a really high hill which we mistakenly climbed by foot (the road was completely paved) instead of renting a motorcycle. The Lignon Hill offers a 360-degree view of the Mayon Volcano, Legazpi City, and the ocean. It’s just fantastic, if not magical.

To fill our stomachs after the physically tiring climb to the hill, we had dinner at the First Colonial Grill, which can be found in the mall, among its other branches, and had basic Bicol dishes. We also tried the sili and pili ice creams.

We enjoyed our short trip to Albay so much we missed the bus schedule to Manila at the Legazpi central terminal. Lol! We were advised to go to Daraga, where a passenger bus from LEYTE passes by. After waiting for a few minutes, truly, the bus came and we boarded it.

Be cool, Bicol

I loved Bicol. Everything is easy to love – the friendliness of the locals, the transportation system, the food, everything. Going there via bus (and endure the long hours of sitting in the bus) is no problem, but for the impatient, you can try the plane. It’s really tourist-friendly and I’d dare to say that there is no such as thing as a ‘tourist price’ there – we spent around P3,000 for our whole trip, less the bus ride to and fro Manila ——-DEFINITELY NOT BAD.

 Let it be emphasized that the locals are honest, helpful, and accommodating. Also, there are also so many things and places to explore (our 2 days in Sorsogon were not enough, actually. We missed the Matnog white beach). Besides, Bicol has six unique provinces, two of which are islands that have its own tourist spots.

We’ll definitely return to this region. Sorsogon, to be exact, because of the lake, lol, but really.

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Come again, Camiguin!

DG’s officially back and we’re bringing it in with a bang with our summer kick-off adventure in the island-province of Camiguin and shortside-trip to downtown Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao.

It was not difficult to plan the Camiguin getaway, thanks to a few DIY travel blogs across the internet; it took us less than a week to plan our 2N3D trip. From these we prepared an itinerary that we tried to follow; we ‘tried’ for we had to make major adjustments with the time and expenses as previously published blogs of other travellers made an understatement on these two aspects (minus the airfare, each of us spent P6,000 – we were three in the group and we skipped, unfortunately, the CDO white river rafting, which costs around P2,000 per head – you can look it up in the internet – for a group of 5). Despite this, the trip was astoundingly great and fun.

Where we stayed

We did not make prior booking arrangements for our accommodation and went there striking anywhere. Lol. We must have been lucky because we went there mid-March 2015, so probably peak season’s not yet started. Our multi-cab serviceman (whom we made an arrangement with upon our arrival at Benoni Port in Camiguin) brought us to Camiguin White Beach Resort in Brgy. Yumbing, Mambajao, literally adjacent to Paras.

We had a very decent room for three people, with a functioning AC, two beds, private bathroom, cable TV, and a strangely powerful wifi connection, for two nights for only P2,600. Definitely a very good deal, right. The seaside resort was very peaceful and accessible to the National Highway (and the place where you could find restaurants Luna Ristorante and Checkpoint). Although it’s definitely seaside, and you can see the famed White Island from your veranda…LITERALLY, it does not have a fine sandy beach, just as all resorts in the island –even the famous ones, like the adjacent Paras Resort. So, as a tip, you can stay anywhere in Mambajao, for location or proximity to the sea/beach does not really matter.

The resort manager told us that if we’d like to, they could serve meals to us. They even told us that they could arrange a booze session for us. However, we decided to do these things at Luna Ristorante, which is just a 10-minute walk away from the resort.

What we did

On our first day at the island, after finalizing our accommodation, we walked (yes, just walked) straight away to the centralized and barangay-regulated White Island boat terminal (P750 for a boat that can carry 4 passengers + P20/head entrance fee). White Island is the best sand bar islet I’ve been to.

The water around the White Island casts different shades of tropical blue. It’s very clear and the sand, as the name explicitly ‘suggests’, white, though not as powdery as in Boracay. It is very picturesque, to put it simply. On the islet, there were a few non-permanent sari-sari stalls, which I think offer industrial umbrellas for rent. It is an islet, an atoll, actually, that rose from the sea, so there are no trees or anything that could offer shade. The best time to be there is around after 2PM. The boaters usually ask visitors to leave at dusk or before the waves become too high. Note: You can never skip this when you go to Camiguin lol.

The next day, we embarked on our 8-hour “Island Tour” courtesy of the multi-cab serviceman we met the day before (our bargain price was at P2,000, this tour included. The multicab, a small one, has a maximum capacity of 6). We started it with the very surprisingly pleasurable trip to Katibawasan Falls.

Katibawasan Falls is one of the best. It is higher but narrower than Ditumabo Falls in Baler, Aurora. The descent is powerful and the spring pool, very cold! But equally enjoyable (it’s only 4-foot deep so anyone can hop in). We could stay there forever lol.

After an hour, we went to the Ardent Hot Springs. The pool water was not as hot as we hoped it would be (see Irosin, Sorsogon hot/cold spring lol). I’d say that the hot spring in Irosin is better and more relaxing. Next we went to the Old Volcano Stations of the Cross Walkway.

It is never advisable to go there at noontime, just like we did. This can be skipped, to be quite frank about it. I expected to see the actual rim of the dormant volcano crater, which other blogs told us about, but the walkway only passes on the volcano’s side. There are 15 stations there and from the 15th you can see the peaceful Bohol Sea and the Sunken Cemetery. This was tiring, honestly.

We had lunch and another round of cold spring splash at the Santo Niño Cold Springs Resort (and restaurant). Food was okay (but ordering could be confusing because once you arrive at the place, you’ll be flocked by different sales women of the same resort restaurant. They’re all nice so rejecting some of them while choosing one or two could be heart-wrenching LOL!!!).

Finally, we visited the Old Catarman Church Complex Ruins (where a very nice and helpful old man took photos of us with the different buildings there and the dao tree) and the Sunken Cemetery view-deck. I really loved the Church Complex Ruins because it gave me an Angkor Wat/Mayan/Aztec pyramid impression. As for the Sunken Cemetery, there’s nothing to it, really, except for the history behind it, maybe, and the huge white Cross that was erected atop the…well, sunken cemetery.

What we ate

Again, from our resort, you can go anywhere by walking (Luna Ristorante, Checkpoint, there’s also a small grocery store and bakery that opens before sunrise) or riding the jeep-trike(the regular mode of transportation; similar to Thailand’s tuktuk but can accommodate 6 at a time; there are no PUJs) along the National Road (like La Isla Cocina, an old-Filipino house themed-fine dining coffee and restaurant) to the Poblacion (where you can find one of Camiguin’s famous trademarks – V(J)Andep’s Pastel de Camiguin).

We had spicy garlic oil pasta and (forgot the name) pizza at Luna Ristorante, which, as the name suggests,is an Italian restaurant. It is owned by an Italian and run by a Filipino crew. In the Santo Niño Cold Springs, we had lutong bahay fried native chicken, fish sinigang, and the traditional ginataang manok na Tagalog, which we downed with fresh buko juice, fresh from the shell.

After buying our first batch of Pastel de Camiguin from the main V(J)Andep (it’s pronounced ‘vandep’) Bakery in downtown Mambajao (P10 ride from Yumbing, the barangay where we stayed), we stopped by La Isla Cocina along the National Highway and had callos, lechon kawali, and baby back ribs.

When we returned to Cagayan de Oro for our flight back to Manila on the third day, we decided to have lunch at Sentro 1850 but we arrived shortly before 11AM, its opening time, so we had batirol chocolate drink and chilli cheese sticks at Mai Café, just across the restaurant. We all loved the chocolate drink. Finally, we had lunch at Sentro 1850 and boy,  we had very good food at this fine-dining restaurant. We ordered imas (thick slice of lechon kawali tbh), tuna steak, chilli garlic shrimp pasta – all at a very generous serving, damn! We also had sotong (a sweet appetizer made of crunchy fried small octopuses in thick, sweet, tomato-based sauce) and the bestselling eggnog cheesecake.

Food is very affordably filling in Camiguin and in Cagayan de Oro’s best-reviewed Sentro 1850 Restaurant. In Filipino, masarap at sulit! (Of course I have to translate even that, “delectable and affordable”)

What to expect

Expect the best.

Honestly, the only thing that should be greatly improved is transportation – both time and system. Laguindingan Airport, Northern Mindanao’s newest and modern airport is not less than 30 kilometers or 45 minutes away from Cagayan de Oro City. It’s about three towns away from the city center. Agora Market Terminal, where we took a passenger van to Balingoan Port for P120/head, max. 12 passengers (which…sucked, honestly), is not less than two hours away from Balingoan Port. From there, our ferry ride (a regular passenger ferry, P170/head excluding government fees) took two hours (dunno what the problem was but we took a 360 just after sailing away from the port, robbing us off of like 30 minutes, which happened again when we were about to dock into Benoni in Camiguin) to reach Camiguin’s Benoni Port. Too much time was wasted from travelling and waiting to travel. The best route to Camiguin, if you’d skip the CDO part, is via airplane from Cebu – Mambajao has a civil aviation runway. (I’m wrapping up this blog before this becomes a novella)

Nevertheless, this trip was extremely, extremely fun and exciting! It’s definitely worth another visit. Camiguin is a small, peaceful, and humble island but it has definitely loads to offer. Again, expect the best.

(That’s Camiguin, the island born of fire)

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Balanga City's Spabok of Tita Aga's Lutong Bahay

Spabok is a contraction of two names of dishes - spaghetti and palabok (a Filipino sauced pasta dish popular in Tagalog-speaking areas). In Bataan, a peninsular province that is two to three hours away from Manila by land and perhaps an hour away from it by sea (Manila Bay), spabok means a two-thumbs up pasta dish. Judging by its name, spaghetting palabok, one would say that it is a rather simple dish. It is indeed - Its pasta is spaghetti, while the sauce is the native 'palabok'. However, Tita Aga's spabok, which we believe invented the gastronomic sensation, is more than that. Its spaghetti is very well-cooked - al dente. Firm and tasty on its own. The palabok sauce, meanwhile, is its secret weapon. It is very full in taste and spices. Unlike the usual Tagalog palabok, its colour is darker than the usual reddish yellow - which must be due to the ingredients that are mixed together to produce the savory concoction. When served on the pasta, it is generously topped by bits of crunchy and savory chicharon and other garnish. And when you take your first bite, you can confidently say that you have tasted the best native delicacy! You can never forget what Spabok is afterwards. You can also match the gastronomic spabok with Tita Aga's hamburger with homemade patties. They also serve other pasta dishes, though. Tita Aga's is a small food service outlet that can be found along JP Rizal Street, Talisay, Balanga City. The resto itself can accomodate two tables at once and another one which is set in presumably the owner's open garden. Smoking is tempting, but stop yourself as Balanga is a city where smoking is banned - an ordinance that actually is observed citywide. Anyways, the location is sanitary and nice and comfortable. There can be no question about the price for a plate of spabok is for only 30 Philippine pesos! That is less than a US dollar. It can serve one person, but they also serve family-sized bilao that you can take home for your family and friends.

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Olongapo City's Rico's Fastfood and Restaurant Eat All You Can

It's been quite a while! Rico's Fastfood and Restaurant is a nice spot to eat and hang out with your family and friends if you're in downtown Olongapo. It both has short order and buffet-style eat-all-you-can (yes!) meals that are affordable, indeed. But allow us to focus on the latter. The restaurant offers delectable food choices from appetizers, grand course, and desserts. The choices are good, though not much is served all at the same time (but let us not tackle that yet for the main attraction is yet to come). For appetizers, they have green mango slices with bagoong, sliced eggplant in tomato-based sauce (if memory serves me right), vinegar salad, and lettuce and ceasar dressing. They also have the very creamy macaroni salad (which I highly recommend) and the best kinilaw na tuna with mayonaisse in town. Their kinilaw na tuna is simply the best, probably because of its generous mayonaisse dressing that completely eliminated tuna's fishy taste. It has also crunchy bits of greens (most likely, celery stalks). One can eat it with rice as one of the main courses (I admittedly tried this and there are no regrets!). In sum, the appetizers can give you a good start and no reason to skip this part of the meal. Now, the main course. They offer a balanced choice of viands ranging from fish to beef. I tried their suacey beef steak (similar to Tagalog bistek, only they used beef chunks, instead of beef slices). It was one heaven of a steak! For the beef, as mentioned earlier, they use beef chunks from several beef cuts that are extremely tender and delicious. Yes, extremely tender. It's taste is definitely nanunuot sa laman. There's not much fancy to this very good and highly recommended dish that besides its rich sauce and heaven-cooked beef, its only ingredient is onions. Despite this, the taste is never compromised. I also tried their chicken adobo. Unlike the distinction of their bistek, Rico's adobo is comparable to your house kitchen adobo. It has thick sauce, lots of onion and garlic bits and slices. But like the bistek, their chicken meat is equally tender. You also have to pick properly the chicken part you're taking for you might end up with the bonier ones. Anyways, it is still good. And then, the salted small to medium-sized tilapia daing. Their tilapia daing is new to me, but I found it very delicious. You can have the salty taste of the danggit, but the essence of your tilapia is still there. There is no need to worry about the fish bones, for they are crunchy (you can remove them if you want to, if picky). Like its fish counterpart in the appetizers, their tilapia daing has no fishy scent and aftertaste. It is also a must-try. Besides these, they offered ginataan na susô (farm snails in thick coconut milk-based sauce) after the tilapia daing was consumed. I did not try this one, though (apologies for the lack of gastronomic wilderness here). Moreover, I believe they also served another course, which I did not try for my preference to the food I mentioned above. Lastly, they have jelly desserts based in coconut water with coconut flesh. They also offer hot bulalo soup on the side. The soup was full in taste, exploding on your taste buds. If I was informed correctly, Rico's also offers bulalo, which apparently, is not in their list of eat-all-you-can courses. But judging by its preview, their bulalo must also be very good. In summary, Rico's was a good destination for my revolting stomach, not only did it fulfill my digestive needs, it also highly satisfied my tastebuds. Apart from the buffet and the bulalo, they also have short-order meals, the likes of Kamituy or kamatis (tomato), sinangag (stir-fried rice), and tuyo (dried salted trout), among other affordable combo meals that you can try when you're in a hurry. The price, in general, is very good. We only paid 500 Philippine pesos for all four heads in total (that's less than 200 bucks per head; we only asked for ice-cold tap water). In addition, the location is moderately accessible from the main roads. You might want to carpool, if going with your friends, for parking space is not available (you can park on the road itself, but too much vehicles can cause disruptions though Olongapo locals are very friendly and accomodating). Their buffet room is air-conditioned, but if you want to smoke, they have a spacey quarter where you can also eat and drink. Rico's Fast Food and Restaurant is certainly a must-try for families and friends going out of town in Olongapo. You can find it in 21 4th St. West Tapinac, 2200 Olongapo City. You may also want to check their FaceBook page at http://www.facebook.com/RicosFastfood.

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Primetime Feast

Third of January, Year of the Rabbit

For the longest time, we had been planning on going on a literal eating-spree in any of the eat-all-you-cans in North avenue. And finally, the most anticipated came – our stomachs and stomach juices accepted, and successfully accomplished, the challenge.

Mark and I went to Kamay Kainan in Trinoma. Actually, there was a brief intermission as we were torn between going to Cabalen or Kamay Kainan. Neverthless, this deciding bit stalled us not for a very long time (about a few minutes of pondering) as the obvious pick was Kamay Kainan since Cabalen is a few more expensive than it (about 50 bucks only, but when it’s Tagtipid Times, the cheaper is always the better).

Kamay Kainan offers numerous (if you think, ah, ~30 dishes is plentiful) Filipino dishes. Cauldrons of kare kare (peanut-based pork stew), menudo (simmered pork in thick tomato-based sauce), beef in tomato sauce, clams, and bopis (ideally spicy pork lungs bits) are strategically set in a round, doughnut service table, alongside your saucepans of cholesterol, fried delights – breaded pork chop, breaded chicken strips, tuna belly, shrimps, bangus (milkfish), alimasag (saltwater crabs, or are they alimago?); curried goodness; adobo; and even salted eggs and many others.

The dishes really taste fine.  Every dish can bring provincia binge memories back as they are perfectly, genuinely lutong-bahay. My personal favourite was the kare kare. Their kare kare was comprised of the usual gulay and the toallas, not the pork part that’s commonly used in the urban recipe. Mark did not like the kare kare because of the toallas, but if you are used to, and love, the provincia recipe like I do, Kamay Kainan’s kare kare is the best.

Their bopis’s degree of hotness was a huge disappointment as it was not spicy hot at all. But, never trust my judgement in this as I do love my ulam extra hot. Nevertheless, it was just weird tasting a bopis like that. It’s bland, and weird, when it’s not spicy. Other fish dishes were also not good. There is one fish bisque that I did not like because it was, er, fishy, in other words, malansa.

Their dessert bar has Filipino green mango strips and bagoong, which you can pair with sweetened gulaman (I just don’t know if it’s a good combination), macaroni, and their own salad dressing; pastries; more pastries; and the most-coveted coconut milk-based ice cream, also infamously called

dirty ice cream, on the side. Their dirty ice cream is really great. We consumed pints of it.

The experience was very good for first timers like us. The ambiance is good and the service is excellent. We enjoyed our food so much we went back to the buffet area twice, picking the ones that truly caught our tasty-buddy fancies. It is worth the money and the trouble. No restaurant crew watches over the buffet table, so you can have absolute freedom to return anytime you want and shovel and dump generous amounts of food unto your plates, shame-free.

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http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150136126402506&notif_t=video_processed

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Dianne singing Duffy's Mercy

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It's Christmas time, therefore, it's DG Tagtipid Times! Click here to read article

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Tagtipid Times

Oh, DG hard times. These are the times when you want to eat mouth-watering foods but you don't want to spend a fortune of your hard-earned, precious money. Entering a resto, looking at their menu, and deciding to transfer to another one upon seeing their prices is a sign that it's Taghirap Times. We end up eating in Mang Inasal. It wasn't bad despite the fact that my mom openly tells me how she hates the fact that chickens in Mang Inasal are so "in-stretch at binulatlat" so that they will appear big. In fact, Mark and Allen were so bundat (full) after ordering their PM 1 (Paborito Meal 1, if I remember it right) worth P99 with the unlimited rice. Trust me, the boys were very ecstatic about the unlimited rice (they are very defiant of restos who sell their rice for approximately P25 and above HAHAHA). The chicken is stretched, yes, but not so small so it really isn't so bad after all. I, on the other hand, ordered SM1 (Sulit Meal 1) worth P49 for a one-piece chicken and one rice. Good enough for thrifty people who also don't eat a lot. We also tried out their halo-halo which will cost you P45. Single serving with one scoop of ube ice cream makes it acceptable for a 45-peso halo-halo except for the fact that the sago and gulaman are tasteless. I want it a bit sweet, in my case. Hihi. All in all, Mang Inasal is a good place to eat and can in fact be a substitute for your Jollibee-McDo-KFC routine. In fact, the ambiance is better. However, it's still chicken and grilled. Not much change if you're going to consider "nutritional" value. ;)

Click here to see ~pictures~

[drewsgroup]

When's the next DG?

Well, it could be tonight, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow ;)

- Dianne

[drewsgroup]

DG goes to Bigoli, Trinoma

If you can’t resist your cravings for Pasta but you are on a tight budget, Bigoli is the best place to go. With only at least 160 pesos, you can have a grande size Italian pasta, which we proved to be very delicioso. Nonetheless, pizza here is more expensive compared to other pizzerias .

You can also try their Italian juicy chicken and sweet turtle cheesecake.  You will also enjoy their breadsticks while waiting for food to be served. You can also ask the roaming waitress if you want more.

Restaurant is part-self-service; you make orders and pay at the cashier, but the food will be delivered by the waiter to your table. You have the option to go bottomless on your preferred drinks (soda, iced tea, juice). Refilling them is hassle-free as containers are readily available beside the cashier area. Restau rules prohbit sharing of unlimited drinks, but we have proven twice that they are not as strict here with that rule compared to other restaurants.

However, the place is not perfect if you want to relax, as it can get really noisy at times - we can blame it perhaps on poor acoustics and auditory planning. Minus these, Bigoli can surely give you the feeling of dining a la italiano 

- Mark

EDITED

[drewsgroup]

Aveneto Pizzeria Ristorante, Trinoma

April 25, 2009, after school

This is our first DG apart from Drew’s. We’ve decided to eat outside after our summer classes (Dianne & Allen in their NatSci 1 and me, Mark, in my Philo 198 and PI 100). The restaurant is accessible to anyone, both commuters and those who have their wheels, as it is strategically located in Trinoma. The food is great (delicious yet affordable). We liked their pizza and Pasta el Pesto. Bottomless iced tea and lemonade were good but it takes time before the waiter refills your glass (or maybe because there’s usually a lot of customers). One thousand for three people is already enough to satisfy your Italian food cravings. The ambiance is cool and comfy as well. Located nearly outside the mall, less people will see you if you’re hiding from your other boyfriend or girlfriend. They also play relaxing music that is suitable for conversations about anything and everything under the sun. We, for instance, debated about the mabuti-mabait disparity. It can be a nice place to eat out and spend time with people you really want to be with. This is one of the best restaurants for those who lack budget yet want a good pizzeria experience.

-Mark