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Falling In Love With Restaurant 101...

Restaurant 101

Enderun Colleges Inc., 2/F Wynsum Corporate Plaza
22 F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center Pasig City 1600
Trunkline 632.638.5555
Official Website: Enderun Colleges

Read First:
Restaurant 101 @ Enderun by Our Awesome Planet
Eyeing the globe for Filipino hospitality by Cesar E. Tordesillas of the Sunday Times

I'm starting to love Restaurant 101. Not only because of the food, but because of the students, the chefs, and the people behind Enderun Colleges. It was a rare treat for Aidan to meet three (3) great chefs in one day, and I was able to bring my family to eat in Restaurant 101 (for free, hehe :). Also, we met the lovely 18-year old Kash (part of the pioneer batch) who entertained Aidan and served us that night. We also met the marketing team who was very proud of their world class partnerships and the soon-to-open McKinley Hill Campus. We actually thought for a moment of getting a second degree in hospitality management. (hmmn, why not?)

We were interviewed by Chef Gigi Angkaw for the Island Flavors show (every Sunday at 9.30am in ABC Channel 5). They have a blogger episode where they feature food bloggers and their favorite fine dining and hole-in-the-wall restaurant. For my segment, we shot our fine dining favorite in Restaurant 101 in Enderun. They shot our favorite hole-in-the-wall, Latasia Fusion separately and we don't need to be there anymore. Lori of Dessertcomesfirst and MikeMina of Lafang is also included in the show to be aired in August.

Here are the behind-the-scenes during the Restaurant 101 photo shoot....

Dinner with Lydia Go, The Greatest of All Time Food Stylist in the Philippines

Read First
A Night With A Food Whisperer by Socky of Tennis and Conversation
Tales of a Food Whisperer by Nena of Ramblings from a Gypsy Soul

You only hear about Lydia Go or Tita Lyds as most of the advertising world calls her, from stories of legendary food photo shoots. You hear stories about how Tita Lyds is the only food stylist who can execute the right pizza stretch so that it can be properly captured by the lens. You hear about secretive photo shoots where only members of the family are allowed to be present and the materials used in the shoot are collected and properly disposed by Tita Lyds herself. Lastly, you also hear about her delicious and unique twist on filipino cuisine served exclusively after every photo shoot.

For a foodie and a person who is not into the advertising world, it was a challenge for us to convince Tita Lyds to cook for a group of foodies who is in constant search for the best dining experience in the Philippines. Thanks to Socky for making this happen!! (read inside story here --> A Night With A Food Whisperer) It was a truly a night to remember, and just listening to the stories first hand was priceless. She should write a book about her funny adventures and how she became the Philippines' Greatest of All Time Food Stylist.

For P1,000/head (oops, can I divulge this?), we were treated to the best of Tita Lyd's cooking and to legendary stories of her food styling career which dates back to the days before I was born! Coincidentally, she is the mom of my Bosconian high school friend Edward Go, who I just learned is the most sought after (?) and most expensive (~ P10,000/ photo) photographer in the advertising industry. The venue of the feast was in the actual photo studio where the "secret" food shoots happen. She is also a fan of Ugu Bigyan so most of the dinner ware came from him. (You should read Nena's account of the evening with Tita Lyds --> Tales of a Food Whisperer )

Overall, it was truly a night to remember and well worth the P1,000/ head price tag for the delicious buffet feast served that night. Although, some might be turned off by the venue which is in Edward Go's home photo studio located in San Lorenzo Village, Makati. If Tita Lyds is really serious about venturing into an alternative career of chefs-for-hire, she should leverage on her strengths as a food stylist or her son's strength as a food photographer. One concept could be Dinner-ala-Photo Shoot where you are treated to Tita Lyd's delicious meals and you would have a chance to have a group photo shoot by Edward Go included in the package. Another concept would be to tie the dinner with a food styling or a 3 hour private food photography course and charge P3,000/ head.

Awesome Bent Art

Check out these Bent Art photos from the BENT OBJECTS Blog. It is really cool and it made my day :)


Salad is Murder!!! -- It would be hard to eat salad again without having this mental picture in my head :)

The Pear Said, "Honey, Am I Fat?". -- no comment :)

Sew Much Drama. -- Hilarious Scene :)

Hotdog Rejection. -- I'll always remember to eat my hotdog on a bun :)

T-House Dining's Fluffy Pancakes!

T-House Dining is a great addition to the competitive eating scene in Tagaytay. It serves the best fluffy pancakes in town that will put Pancake House's pancakes to shame. It also serves a yummy and oh-so-healthy 4 course dining menu for only P550 net with no additional hidden charges. Lunch and dinner are by reservation only. The 4 course menu consist of two choices of soup, a salad, a main entree and dessert.

Thanks to Emy Mendoza, chef and food consultant for T-House dining, for the great food @ T-House. Their team is committed to improve the menu over time by retaining the best sellers and introducing new ones.

They should improve the desserts which are just OK. Also, they need to replace the dishes with tuna which tastes like canned Century tuna. This is contrary to their gourmet commitment of serving food with fresh ingredients.

Gourmandise Degustation Dinner

Read: Sunshine Puey, Goddess of Degustation and Roberto Pengson, Culinary Kung Fu Master

Here are the details of the degustation dinner by Sunshine Puey and Roberto Pengson for those who wants to try it. The cost is now P2,000/ head but I still think it is worth it specially you can bring your own wine without corkage fee. Check it out!

Hi everyone! Gourmandise is happy to announce its new menu avilable only for the months of July and September. (There will be no dinner in August). The degustation dinners on JULY 21 and SEPTEMBER 29, 2007 will be held in The Academy for International Culinary Arts located on the 2nd Fl., Skyway Twin Towers, Captain Henry Javier St in Pasig at 7 pm. Limited seating capacity so please reply asap and as always, feel free to bring your own wine. There is no corkage fee. Here's the menu at Php 2,000/person:

Gourmandise Catering <gourmandisefood@gmail.com>

GOURMANDISE MENU

Foie Gras Lollipop,
Chips with Anchovy Aioli, Lychee Jell-O Martini

21st Century Eggs Benedict with Truffle Oil & Fleur de Sel

Ponzu Scallop Carpaccio, Mesclun Salad

Prosciutto and Brie de Meaux Roulade, Raspberry Coulis
With Hot Foie Gras Cappuccino and Cold Sweet Corn Foam

Roasted Vegetable & Mozzarella Tart,
Tomato – Olive Coulis

Chilean Sea Bass, Truffle – Honey Beurre Blanc,
Spaetzle, Red Onion, Mushroom, Arugula

Intermezzo

Duck Breast, Tart Tatin with Port Wine Reduction and
Duck Confit & Foie Gras Croquette, Green Papaya Salad, Plum Sauce

Cold Peach Soup with Fromage Blanc Sorbet

Lemon Meringue

Chocolate Surprise

The Definitive Guide to T-House, Tagaytay

T H E D E F I N I T I V E G U I D E T O T - H O U S E , T A G A Y T A Y
T-House embodies the luxurious charms of a Boutique Hotel with the service and warmth of a
Bed and Breakfast Place, and affordability of a typical hotel outside Metro Manila.
It is a blessed place with sacred grounds because of its close proximity to the Ina ng Laging
Saklolo Parish Church. It redefines your definition of a weekend escape in Tagaytay!

Bawai, The Best Home Made Vietnamese I've Ever Tasted

Banh da Lon (P20). Vietnamese sapin sapin, made of pandan and monggo beans.

Vietnam is a hot tourist place these days because of its cultural sights, cheap shopping places and interesting Vietnamese cuisine. However, I've never tasted Vietnamese cuisine similar to the one you enjoy in Vietnam. I'm glad that Yong and Virgilio Tatlonghari decided to open their lovely home for weekend dining. Bawai is a 4 month old Tagaytay Vietnamese restaurant which serves close to authentic home cooked Vietnamese food. Yong, called Bawai (grandma in Vietnamese), is the person behind this refreshing new restaurant.

I would highly recommend the fresh spring roll and just about anything with the special sweet patis sauce. Also, they don't get a lot of guest lately so they will entertain you as their own guest. You need to reserve and order in advance since each meal is cooked by Bawai herself. I do hope it remains that way, and the food don't get commercialized like most Vietnamese restaurants in Manila. The secret to Bawai's food is authentic imported ingredients from Vietnam sent by Bawai's friends and relatives.

So next time you are in Tagaytay, be sure to check out this hidden Vietnamese treasure..

Blogger's Run For a Kid's Life

A Blogger's Marathon-For-A-Cause

Dearest Our Awesome Planet Friends,

I'm not a runner. I never imagined in my life that I can run 10k. I have used all the possible excuses I can think of --- I'm too fat and I cannot handle my weight, it is so boring to run for more than an hour, it is better to sleep to regain energy than to run, it is too hot and I don't want to get darker than I already am, etc. etc... I realized that I've been eating too much when I gained the equivalent weight of Aidan (around 30lbs+) ever since he was born (that is when I started blogging).

Thanks to my boss, Jim Lafferty, who motivated us to run and we formed the P&G Marathon team. I started running since January but I was not disciplined enough to follow the Marathon training plan to the letter. Not until I got Nike Plus, it changed my entire running life. It is my loving companion during my run. Nike Plus would give me statistics about my pacing and how long / how far I already run. It lifts my spirit with the power songs when my legs are already telling me to quit. It plugs me into this virtual community of runners in the Philippines and all over the world. That was good for 21K or half a marathon. I survived the 21K Run for P.E.A.C.E. and 21K Adidas King of the Road. .

On July 22, 2007, I hope to become part of the elite group of the 0.1% of the world's population who have run a full 42 kilometers marathon. I don't know if I will finish the 42km run since I'm running at my heaviest weight. I would like to make it meaningful and to run like there is no tomorrow. In partnership with the Pinoy Ultra-Runners' Run For Your Life, I'm dedicating my first Marathon to Kythe. Kythe is a non-stock, non-profit organization that caters to the psycho-social needs of pediatric patients (especially those with chronic illness, such as cancer) in government hospitals around the country. I would like to solicit donations as part of my first marathon, and 100% of the proceeds will go to Kythe.

Kythe runs various activities and programs for pediatric patients, from in-house playroom activities, and bedside activities like reading books to children, to out-of-hospital trips like visiting zoos, museums, etc; With available but limited funds, they also cater to the medical needs of some indigent patients. It is currently supporting ~9 affiliate government hospitals, and has supported and uplifted the lives of hundreds of patients and their families. More difficult than running my first 42km, their task is way over challenging given the number of patients in various hospitals to support, and very limited resources and fund to support them.

We need your support. The mechanics is simple and patterned after a marathon challenge pledge. I got the idea from Christian Pobre who used to do a Marathon-for-a-Cause for Bukas Sarili. You just need to pledge an amount P10 per Km. If I finish 42km, then you just need to donate P420. If you are generous, you can pledge P100, or $1 or even P1 will do. 100% of the proceeds will go to Kythe. Please put your pledge in the comments section and I will contact you via email on the easy ways to give the donation.

For the bloggers who will also run the Milo Marathon on July 22, let us make this a blogger's marathon-for-a-cause. You can run as short as 5k and collect pledges / donation from your family and friends. Let me know if you are joining so that I can include you in the list of the Bloggers Running for a Child's life. We will do a simple dinner/ ceremony afterwards to give the donations to Kythe. Please don't forget to register in the Milo Marathon this week.

Thanks for all your support in advance. May God reward and bless you for your generosity.

Sincerely,

Email me at anton@diaz.ph for your pledge or text me for your pledge at +63 928 558 8500