TRAVEL TV: Anthony Bourdain takes on Paris in tonight's encore episode of 'The Layover' on TLC Asia

With tonight's encore Paris episode of Anthony Bourdain’s ‘The Layover’ on TLC Asia, I am hoping one of my favorite travel hosts would change my view of Paris. He is set to skip the Eiffel tower to spend his time sipping coffee with a local, hunting for a duck press, and exploring the vibrant ethnic neighborhoods for Kurdish food.

Anthony Bourdain chats with  a Parisian.  Image from TLC Asia's facebook page.

Here are some quotes from Tony from his layover in Paris:

PARIS

• On why people have a bad time in Paris: “The vacation gone wrong in Paris is almost  always because people try to do too many things.”

• On Paris’ changing food scene: “The food scene in Paris today in some ways feels way more like Brooklyn: independent and surprisingly casual.”

• On Parisian hotels: Here’s the thing about hotels in Paris: you can go the Henry Miller route and wallow romantically in squalor, or live it up big time. Luxury in Paris? They still got that.”

• On how well he speaks French: “If nothing else, my coffee ordering skills are…impeccable.”

• On omelettes: “It’s amazing how few people in this world know how to properly make an omelette.”

• On America’s influence on French food: “Perhaps the most striking effect of the current food revolution in Paris is the appearance of not only American chefs, but also that symbol of cutting edge hipster foodie culture – the food truck.”

• On ordering a shellfish tower: “If there are two things you do in Paris…this is one of them.”

You see, I did n’t like the city of lights. In the very short time that I was there, I was snubbed by a hundred Parisians,  almost got robbed in the metro, and went round in circles in Gare du Nord.  On top of that, I found Paris to be too saccharine for my taste - which actually came as a surprise for this hopeless romantic and borderline diabetic.

But with Anthony Bourdain showing me Paris through his eyes, I might just be convinced to make a second visit.  

Anyhoo, he’s also set to make a layover in Atlanta, Dublin, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Taipei, and Toronto in this final season of the show. With only 48 hours to spare, he would try to connect with the locals, explore the sights, sample the cuisine, and take in the culture.

I’ve never been to any of these cities so this final season is something I’m pretty excited about.

A new episode of Anthony Bourdain: The Layover premiers every Wednesday at 10:00 pm and encores every Monday at 10:00 pm and Thursday at 2:00 pm on TLC Asia.

TRAVEL SNAPSHOT: Twilight in Coron, Palawan

This is twilight in Coron, Palawan.
And that is La Sirenetta Restaurant & Bar.

I took this while on holiday in celebration of my recent birthday and I am posting it not because I am an insensitive witch. On the contrary, I want to draw some attention to this island which was also deeply affected by super typhoon Yolanda. While relief efforts are understandably concentrated on helping Tacloban, I do hope some of it will make its way to Coron soon.

In Coron, blue is the color of romance. 

La Sirenetta Restaurant & Bar
Reef Pier, near Central Market
Coron, Palawan
Philippines

Eat at Yabu today and get to help Typhoon Yolanda survivors

This rainy Wednesday is a good day to eat at Yabu. If you eat today at any Yabu branch, their profit from your meal will be donated to the relief efforts for the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda.

Here's Yabu's message on their Facebook page:

"In the spirit of giving, Yabu will be holding a Dine for A Cause event on November 13, 2013. 100% of our profits from all Yabu branches will be donated to those affected by the recent calamity caused by Typhoon Yolanda. 

The more you eat, the more we can give. If you can’t make it to our Dine for A Cause day, please help us spread the word to your friends and family. Text it, post it on Facebook, twitter or instagram. Just spread the word in any way that you can." 

Personally, I haven't eaten at Yabu. But my closest friends eat there as often as they can so it must be yum. If you're eating out today anyway, perhaps you can make it Yabu. You can eat your Katsudon and get to help, too.

Yabu will be donating 100% of today's profit to the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda. 

Merry Music Lights Show at Tri-Noma

I know Christmas is here when little colourful lights start to go on and off to a merry tune.

And it seems that it is actually here as I was invited to last Saturday night’s launch of Tri-Noma’s Merry Music Lights Show.

The invite said that event would be at the Garden Restaurant area facing North and Mindanao avenues. But being the ninny that I am, I went to the Rooftop Garden instead. I looked around for a stage and didn’t see any until I looked down couple stories below. Evidently, I was in the wrong area of the mall.

I found my way down and managed to grab a seat before the festivities started. The launch was opened by the UP Concert Chorus who dazzled us with their renditions of “Carol of the Bells”, “I say a Little Prayer”, “Somebody to Love” “Listen”, and “Don’t Stop Believin”. After which, we were then charmed by the talented Nikki Gil with a Disney medley. Everyone enjoyed it so much that even the little girl beside me was singing “Part of Your World” as though she was the red-haired Ariel.

Nikki Gil led the countdown to the official start of the music lights show and it was indeed a spectacle.  Tri-Noma certainly went all out with this year’s show, having strewn all sorts of lights around and installing a good sound system. Since the Garden Restaurant area is circular, the lights can be seen from all points and the music reverberates. It certainly gave the term surround sound a new meaning.

The Merry Musical Lights show began last Saturday night (November 9) and will play every evening at 7 pm, 8 pm, and 9 pm at the TriNoma Garden Restaurants until January 5, 2014. Each show lasts for seven to eight minutes and features popular Filipino and foreign Christmas music. 

Share your own experience over Tri-Noma’s social media sites:
Facebook: Facebook.com/TriNoma.AyalaMalls
Twitter: @trinomatweets
Instagram: @ilovetrinoma

The UP Concert Chorus does some choreography, too.

Nikki Gil, on the Tri-Noma stage, belting it out with a Disney medley.

The UP Concert Chorus and Nikki Gil share the stage for the last song.

Nikki Gil, together with the host, led the countdown. 

Different kids of lights were used for the show. 

They let out confetti at the end. 

'Goin Bulilit' stars were there to join in the festivities.

FOOD REVIEW: Ying Ying Tea House

Last Sunday, my family and I found ourselves in Chinatown and sitting at one of the tables in Ying Ying Tea House. The drive from our end of the metropolis was rather uneventful, thanks to the many who were spending the weekend blissfully elsewhere. I guess, this is what happens when one is stuck in the city during a three-day weekend -she tries to scratch that travel itch by going somewhere in the city that's so far removed from the familiar. 

DISCLAIMER: This post is more of a restaurant review rather than a food one. We were so busy stuffing our faces that we forgot to take pictures of the food! 

FOOD: There's no other way to say it - the food was YUM. This was no Chinoy fast food and perhaps one of the closest to the ones served in the land of Chairman Mao that we can have locally. 

Here are some of the dishes we ate: 

1. Shaolong Pao, P75, 4 pcs. It was more pao than siomai.
2. Bird Nets with Quail Egg, P210
3. Diced Chicken (Sze Chuan Style), P260
4. Cutlet Squid, P260
5. Raddish Beef Brisket hotpot, P280
6. Yang Chow Fried rice, P180. We got a double which is the serving portion in between medium and large. 

SERVICE: The staff isn't exceptionally friendly but they’ll give you want you want, unless it's curry. Why curry? I don’t know. But we ordered curry and it never reached our table. It probably got lost between the upstairs kitchen and our table.

ATMOSPHERE: It's very utilitarian.  Clearly, anyone who comes here does because of the food and not for the ambiance.

PRICE:  Upon seeing the price on the menu - an average of P260 a dish, it seemed to be a bit pricey for a Chinese restaurant. But when we finally saw the humongous serving portion, we saw why. Unless you're used to eating so much food, be prepared to bring home a doggie bag. 

These chairs remind me of the ones in fastfood chains during the 90s. 

Evidently, my dogs aren't welcomed in this restaurant.  

It seems that they can be a go-to resto when everyone else is already closed. 

The upholstered chairs were a boon since it took us a while to finish eating our lunch. 

Love the old staircase. 

 I am guessing they're likely to end up on someone's table. 

Bamboo steamers are stacked right outside the front door. 

Roast ducks and pigs are hung for everyone's delectation. 

I wonder why they chose a duck emblem for a tea house. 

FOOD REVIEW: Stacy's in Capitol Hills

I love breakfast.  It’s my favourite meal of the day. In fact, I look forward to a proper hotel breakfast buffet compared to their lunch or evening spreads.

So when it was time for a proper catch-up with my darling big sis Arlene, I was only too happy to go on a breakfast date at Stacy’s in Capitol Hills. Arlene was the one who introduced me to Stacy's when she posted several pictures of it on facebook. Since then, I've always wanted to go but never had the time until a couple of weeks ago.

RESTAURANT: Stacy’s, Capitol Hills branch

FOOD: With a name like Stacy’s, I expected that the food would’ve been akin to the ones served at a mom and pop’s restaurant. And I wasn’t off the mark. The menu read like a fusion of east and west home cooking / comfort food favourites.

I ordered the Hawaii Five-O. Why I ordered ham with pineapple still escapes me but I sure wasn’t disappointed. I mean, how could anyone be disappointed with ham and pineapple? It’s like a Christmas Morning meal!

SERVICE:  The staff was pleasant and not in the perky kind of way which could be expected from a place that looks like Stacy’s. Rather, they greeted with their quiet smiles which they kept on until we were seated and gave our server our orders.  

Stacy’s also have these nice add-on services, like guests are given a cup of popcorn and pretzels while waiting for their food to be served, and they hand over the bill in a cute dish together with a couple of candies.

ATMOSPHERE: Stacy’s look is very much suburbia America with the white-washed furniture pieces, white picket fence, and SMEG refrigerator.  The mood was cheerful and very American.

PRICE: It was reasonable for the pleasant experience. 

If you’re one who has a fantasy of living the suburbia American dream, head to Stacy’s and live it for the price of just a breakfast meal.

Kids get their own table at the indoor garden. 

The dining area is so bright and airy. Perfect for happy breakfasts!

Set against white walls and white-washed furniture, dabs of color pop. 

The details like the drop lights, old-school phone, and the baby pink SMEG fridge complete the cute vintage cottage look.

Even the service station is pretty. 

I had the Hawaii Five-O. Look at that mound of rice! 

Ako ay naki-baka and said no to pork.

I pay taxes because it is the right thing to do.
No matter how much or how little money I earn, the government gets a sizable chunk that it thinks it deserves. Moreover,  every time I eat out, watch a movie, or a fly out to a destination outside of the Philippine Area of Responsibility, I still have to pay some more tax.

And I have to confess, that it hurts.

It hurts because the simplest things but are such tell-tale signs of a good city – walkable sidewalks, well-tended foliage, and efficient public transportation system still seem to be an elusive dream for the country’s National Capital Region. It hurts because the last time I was speeding along EDSA at 60 Kph, I drove into a pothole and wrecked my car’s wheel alignment. It most especially hurt when one’s suspicion of perpetual cold-hearted corruption in the government is affirmed.

A couple of weeks ago, the latest tale of corruption in the national government headlined by a certain Janet Lim Napoles made the news. Click on the following links to read more about the story and on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) aka Pork Barrel. 

1. Janet Napoles and the Pork Barrel Scam on inquirer.net                

2. Oink History: Spot.ph Pork Barrel Timeline on spot.ph

So last week, I together with two of my friends – Abe and Ket,  joined the #millionpeoplemarch at Luneta. It was a protest against the continuous allocation of funds to the each legislator’s PDAF fund.

I must say that joining the protest was such a pleasant experience. Sure, we were rather angry and frustrated with all the graft and corruption happening in the government. But this demonstration was something I would describe as quite orderly and had this pulsating positive vibe.

There were no jostling. People were respecting each other’s personal space. Though there were street food hawked around, there was the palpable absence of rubbish, goo, and unpleasant smells. It was such the ideal kind of demonstration.

Here are a few snapshots I took while at the millionpeoplemarch:

Some folks had their picture taken with the police force guarding the US Embassy. 

Manila Punk movement were there. 

I guess it pays to always dress up wherever you go.

Even kids took to the streets.

The Media was there to cover the event.

Red cross volunteers were on stand-by in case of emergencies. 

These kids want more than just abolishing the pork barrel.

No to pork but yes to dirty ice cream sandwich! 

This is just the sight - cops, clean portalets, and no queues.

Why hide in plain sight, boy? 

Some were there to pick up the recyclables. 

For some, the protest  was a family affair.

I signed the petition to abolish the PDAF. (But unfortunately was photo bombed by a certain manong.)

Ket adds her name to the list. 

Abe follows suit. 

These are what we want to happen. 

I am guessing he's a tennis fan. 

Protesters weren't all locals. There were some concerned foreigners, too!

These bikers came as pigs. 

Guess that doggie in a wash basin is also against pork?

The rubbish collected from the protest filled just a several bags!

At the end of last week, Janet Lim Napoles surrendered to President Noy Aquino and is now being detained. There were talks on using her as a state witness against the officials who went with her scam. But a rather brilliant lawyer argued that she couldn’t be since she appears to be the mastermind rather than just an accomplice, saying that Janet Lim Napoles benefited in this particular scam more than the officials who went on with it. She got the chunk while the legislators only had a percentage of the funds.

As it continually unfolds, I do hope all this drama would not quietly fade away but rather be a catalyst for better changes in Philippine Society. I pay taxes because it's the right thing to do but if our government officials don't do right with all my hard-earned money, that's enough reason for me to take it to the streets.