Good Food All Day

Snatched my attention, as painted on the wall. My buddy watching some shows as foreground.

We dropped by Flapjacks, an all-day breakfast place, at the ground floor of Greenbelt 2 last May 9. At laaast. I'd been nudging him to check out this resto (the one in Robinsons Place) since late last year.

Took these pics using my N77, which has a lousy capture quality.
Made me miss my Sony Ericsson.

What's hot?

I was eyeing for their High Protein Tuna Sandwich but my buddy had been very persistent with the Double Blueberry Pancakes, which I thought was too much even for the two of us. But he had this good convincing mood going on, so there— double blueberry pancakes (P245) and a bottomless brewed coffee (P85) for me. I loved their pancakes! And, yeah, I enjoyed the caffeine-high I got there, too (although I still prefer Mesa's over this one). Two awesome points for him for the prodding. Their serving reminded me of that of Heaven 'n Eggs. The only difference is that the latter supplies you with their assortment of syrup choices. He ordered the Boneless Bangus (P395), which is also another hit.

[Their menu also consists of varied selection of soups, steaks, and salads. Next time, I might try their Country Chicken Fried Steak. :)]

The place is quite small but has a very cheerful feel— must be the interplay of red, orange, and yellow. It looks a little intimidating from the outside, considering that it is at the same row where Italiannis, Pepato, Mezze!, and Temple Bar are situated.

The customer service is notable as well. The attendants are accommodating and patient. You could take your time, without being bothered by a waiting attendant, in choosing which food to take. And your attendant would know the right moment when to come back to get your order.

What needs warming up?

I think the price is a bit steep for eating out on a daily basis or on ordinary days. But considering the serving size, taste and service, this breakfast place is worth a try. Also, all prices are already inclusive of VAT and subject to 10% service charge.

How many bean stamps?

7 out of 10. ;-)

*****
It was an easy afternoon. Happy 45th, buddy ko. :) *kugos*

Blueberry Tart

My buddy came home last Tuesday night with a box of six unassuming blueberry tarts from Amira's Buco Tart Haus in Tagaytay. Although I'm a huge fan of blueberry cheesecake and blueberry muffin, I was quite hesitant to try the tart right away. From the looks of it, I assumed that it would taste too sweet. But I was totally mistaken. Ah, my judgement these days, really. It tasted sooooo good. Neither sweet nor bland. The crust wasn't like that of the pili tarts that I usually buy in Bicol— small and with relatively thick coating. The texture was like that of the base of a nicely done mango graham cake or tiramisu— spongy and with dense fillings. Yummm!

I ate two big tarts in a row, and another one the next day. Basically, I ate half of the box, hehe.

Adding this to my list of blueberry favorites. :)

*****

Ayan, kulet, bili mo ko nun ulit ha? Sige na. :)

Spread

We made a swift follow-through on our previous Mesa visit. After watching Angels and Demons last Friday, we agreed on getting a table for two. It was already crowded inside. So, instead of waiting for our turn, we chose to dine al fresco. No one was smoking anyway.

We tried the Salpicao Ostrich, which looked like a steak. We weren't able to take a snapshot of it, though. It has the same texture and color of beef. It has an aftertaste if you eat just the meat; it tastes good if you eat it with the button mushrooms and a small amount of sauce. But my buddy said that it would taste even better if you eat it with wine. We also ordered the Asparagus Tips, which I initially underestimated. Shame on me, tsk, tsk. It is in fact appetizing— must be the sauce. Mesa's freshly brewed coffee is memorable too. It has a very mellow and distinctive taste, almost crossing the hot choco tang. Loved it.

Overall, that Friday was an easy night out. =)

=====
If you haven't watched Angels and Demons yet, please do not proceed.

The movie has more surprising twists than the novel. Perhaps Ron Howard made those turns to lessen holes on the screenplay, which Dan Brown possibly allowed.

Though I am open to not sticking faithfully to the original story, understanding that no filmmaker can show everything from the book in two hours, I still can't find justice in changing the characters' involvement in very crucial scenes. It might be OK for those who have read the text because they have basis of truth. But for those people who simply watch the film, they wouldn't know the key events.

Here are the major content changes, as far as I remember:

• The discovery of Vetra's ruthless death by Vittoria. She's supposed to be the last one to know about it. It's acceptable if it's not emphasized that Vetra is her adoptive father. But Robert Langdon and Maximillian Kohler, who have been keeping the truth away from Vittoria, should be in the same room when she sees Vetra. Or, maybe, they cut the scene where the three characters are in that little bedlam. Still, it should have beeen emphasized that it is Kohler who discovers the crime at CERN.


• Where is Kohler, the powerful head of CERN in an electronic wheelchair?


• Kohler gets in touch with Langdon first, and not the Vatican.


• Vittoria's father has just died in a very wicked way, and she could already smile and pitch some jokes? Hmmm..all right this one is forgivable. It must be the acting.


• Missing BBC reporter and his camera girl. I think the media plays a significant role in the story. The duo has the direct account on the events after being contacted by the hassassin (hired killer). They also bridge the reality between the politics inside the Vatican and that of the outside world by feeding their network with the raw footage straight from the precise locations where most of the killing happen.


• Robert Langdon should be in the helicopter with the Carmelengo (Papal chamberlain). He also takes that huge sacrifice you know, and his is genuine.


• The truth inside the Papal room should be revealed through Kohler's handycam, and not through the security camera being monitored inside Commander Olivetti's room.


• Vittoria should be captured, dragged to the Church of Illumination, and almost harassed by the hassassin. And Langdon is supposed to save her.

Had they put a disclaimer informing an audience that some scenes have been modified for some reason, all these loopholes could have been bearable.

The film, however, also flaunts some plus points:

• Howard showcasts a fast-paced sequence. There are lots of chase scenes, preventing you from yawning or taking a pee or getting more popcorn.


• The cinematography is generally remarkable. Howard unreservedly takes you to the streets of Rome. [I'm not just sure about the scenes in the Vatican, knowing how strict and conservative are the laws there.] On the whole, most frames are grand and colorful.


• Ewan McGregor's portrayal of the soft-spoken Carmelengo slash Janus is pretty much satisfactory.


• Tom Hanks as Langdon is sporting an improved hairdo. He looks younger. =)

What I learned from film production classes is that when you watch a movie, especially when it is based on a book, always lower your expectation. Before the reel starts to spin, condition your mind that you are not going to see exactly every single detail that you read in the book. Watching this film was not an exemption. I could wholeheartedly accept the cast's performance. I could even let go of a lousy direction (I'm not saying that this is a lousy one) or a loose script. But removing the essential parts of the story was a total deal breaker.

*****

I still respect Ron Howard's craftsmanship. It's just that, I don't know, there must be something...

Table for Five

After our quick O' Noodle stall hunt in Mandaluyong last Saturday afternoon, we headed to Ayala for the family dinner. We took our reserved couch area at Mesa in Greenbelt 5 to celebrate Mother's day in advance. He'd been raving about this resto since he read about a certain good food review.:)

We experimented with Hito Flakes on Spoon for appetizer. Hmmm...so-so. Maybe next time we would try the Baked Scallops with Garlic Butter.

We had the Sinigang na Salmon Head for our soup. This one is OK.

From its Hito menu, my buddy tried the Crispy Boneless with Mangga Salad, another so-so. Giselle ordered the Baby Squid Adobo in its Own Ink— this one is yumyum. Nay ordered Seafood Pasta for Gab. But the kid didn't dig it that much. My buddy, Nay, and I ended up sharing the plate. Nay said that the pasta was salty. She was even proud of Ming Tree's version. :) My buddy and I, however, agreed that it was actually delicious.

He still wanted to order the Salpicao Ostrich but worried that we might not be able to finish everything. I was curious about Crispchon but I think we had had enough.

Our bill was reasonably priced. Our a la carte plus two bottomless iced tea, one ripe mango shake, one mango juice, and six cups of rice cost us only P1,500++. That was fair considering the location. The resto is strategically situated on a corner, near the middle ground floor entrance of Greenbelt 5, almost across Seattle's Best in Greenbelt 3. The exterior looks a bit intimidating, imposing a formal dining aura.

But the interior has a modern Filipino look and feel, reflecting a very casual tone. Personally, the orange (or is it flaming red?) couch sections are more comfortable and private than those seats on the other side and at the center.

We recommend making a reservation since the place is not so big, and has the tendency to be crammed full at peak hours. Also, if you want to dine al fresco and listen to music from the Greenbelt Park or nearby restaurants, you could occupy one of the few tables that Mesa provides.

Mesa is worth a second visit. ;-)

*****
My humor has been quite nostalgic for the past three nights. I've been missing home all of a sudden, weird thing. I'm not so sure if it's just the time of the month or some things have been simply sliding, as you would expect. But I hope it's the former.

I woke up that Saturday morning slightly raring to go, anticipating to spend the first half of the day outside, under the sun or the mall atmosphere, and the second half of the day with the family for our advance Mother's day treat. But it took us late in the afternoon to really get going. I was already a little bummed out. It must be the unsympathetic weather. Or the stubborn WiFi connection that he had been configuring since 12PM. Or, maybe, the day was basically droning.

But we shoved off anyway.

We looked for his group's O'Noodle trial stall along Barangka Drive. It took us several minutes of walking and a modest share of bad mood before we got the exact location. [He'd been very patient with me I knnnow.] We tried its cup of noodles with siomai toppings and cup of gulaman juice for our late lunch. Not bad. Or were we just hungry? =) I so hope it clicks.

Thank you so much for the 45 months, buddy ko. I'm so sorry for moping and for being extra sensitive today...*kugos*

10K Week 1

I nailed my preliminary goal of 5357 steps per day. Very sweet.

My initial plan was to change routes with increasing number of steps each week. But since I had already exceeded my target for the Alaska Military Highway trail, I decided to switch to a new route, the Appalachian Trail, on the fourth day. Hehe, angas.

Start of the footfall.

Switched trail.




Now I have a very healthy reason to roam around the mall. :P

10K

All right. Starting tomorrow, I will be counting my steps. :)

As part of my company's Well-Living Program, the second annual 10k-A-Day Challenge will kick off tomorrow. And since the company has distributed this interesting device that you need to wear on you waist to log the number of steps you take (also known as pedometer), I've signed in. Ambisyosa naman, hehe.

The goal is to encourage everyone to take an average of 10,000 steps a day for 28 days. However, the program is considerate enough to provide four different "trails", depending on how active or inactive you are.

• Alaska Military Highway — Average 5357 steps a day
• Appalachian Trail — Average 7643 steps a day
• Highway 50 — Average 10975 steps a day
• Lewis and Clark Trail — Average 13214 steps a day

You can swtich routes anytime. I've chosen the first one. I-test ko muna ang aking powers. :P

2:59

Two huge knockdowns in the first round. A surefire, brutal knockout in the second.

The English fighter fell to the canvas, too down for the count. The knockout artist knelt down in the corner, too humble for the feat. And the crowd was at a standstill for several seconds until referee Kenny Bayless waved his hand.

It was one of the most stunning episodes in the history of world class boxing.

*****
After lightweight, super-featherweight, light-featherweight, featherweight, flyweight, and the latest belt light-welterweight, what's next? :)