surf break

Snapshots from my friend Carla's birthday weekend in La Union.

I've been to La Union several times but it was my fist time to stay at Flotsam and Jetsam. Every time I would plan a trip, the hostel would be full so I'd have to look for another place to stay (The Circle's a good place too). This time I was finally able to get a bed at F&J thanks to my friend Carla, the sister of F&J's creator, Mia Sebastian.

In my first La Union trip (Soul Surf 2013), I was able to visit FlotJet (and was one of their first breakfast customers!). Ever since then I never failed to visit the place every time I'd pay San Juan a visit. The artist hostel is just so homey and beautifully designed, I can't get enough of its motif--from the pillow and bean bag cases, lamps, color, blackboards, Mer Sea Boku kubo, to the bed setups and room decors.

Not only is this place so aesthetically beautiful; it also gathers the most simple, friendly and down to earth group of people.

Here we are at Elunion Coffee, another go-to when visiting La Union. It's a quaint little coffee shop located by the main road in front of Sebay. The place serves delicious coffee and freshly baked (and moist) cookie skillets.



My regular Elunion order: the Dirty White.

Back in Flotsam & Jetsam, having my post surf papak: Hungarian sausage with tomato sauce and onions, and Truffle fries.



Another yummy F&J staple: their brick oven pizzas!



A FlotJet burger my friend had which came with a generous amount of salad and fries. I had the chicken which also came with salad and rice. Both (or all) being delicious meals!

Mer Sea Boku Kubo, one of FlotJet's common areas that holds some of the best memories of relaxation, good conversations and pig out and jamming sessions.



You'll also find the cutest pets and dog lovers at F&J. Everyone loves animals!

For videos from the trip, check out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImP5X-KKlqU - Jamming sessions as Mer Sea Boku Kubo
https://vimeo.com/99028162 - The surf and F&J night

As for the surf, it was awesome. I loved being in the water along with other professional surfers, learning from them and watching them gracefully ride waves. I was also able to surf more than my last trip so I got more practice. There's still much needed improvement, but nothing feels better than a little progress at something you enjoy doing!

Another short but sweet trip. The beach (or vacations in general) never fails to leave me hungover (not from the alcohol) and longing to go back. Can't wait for the next trip! 

common ware x status

A Common Ware first.

Here's a close up of our feature in Status magazine's STATUSPHERE.

You can still grab a copy of Status' June issue with CHVRCHES on the cover. Lots of interesting people to read up on, such as Robert Nethery, Margaret Zhang, Jack Laskey and many more!

#daniealeats: the genji-m and banzai experience

After many months (years, actually) of feeding Anton Japanese at every birthday, graduation, anniversary or any celebration for that matter, I finally got him Jap crazy. To be more specific, salmon sash crazy. Because of this, every Japanese sulit meal that came across our Facebook feeds or any slight craving for it brought us to the closest Japanese restaurant in the area. It just so happened that a few months back, two new Japanese buffets that offered affordable prices for unlimited Japanese feasts, opened. Once we saw this on Facebook, we scheduled a trip.

Genji-M

Genji-M, Makati Avenue

The first one we read of online was Genji-M. We saw on a blog that it had a promo of P250 off the bill of customers that printed out the Genji-M coupon and brought it when dining in. That's P250 off per head, provided that each person had their own coupon. 

When we got there we were asked to choose between three menus: (1) one with just rolls and sushi, (2) another with rolls, sushi, and sashimi, (3) there was a third but I don't really remember what extra it came with. We chose the menu without sashimi since it was more affordable, and we thought that unlimited maki and sushi would suffice since the list we were handed had quite a hand full of choices. How it goes is they serve you your first platter which contains all the available choices, and after tasting the variety, you get to pick which rolls and sushi you'd like to have again.

I don't really remember the names of all the rolls we tasted, but of course we had the basic tuna and salmon roll. I wasn't so happy with the two because their tuna and salmon rolls had ham and other extra ingredients in it which I don't really like. I usually like them simple with the rice, good sashimi, nori and a little bit of wasabi. Aside from that, the slice of tuna or salmon laid on top of the roll was extremely thin that the other ingredients of the maki sort of took over the flavour of the roll.

From the bunch, one roll that stood out was that maki with cheese on top--yes, cheese. I don't know if this is normal, but never in my life did I eat Japanese maki with cheese on top. I did not like it. We also had California maki in that first platter which I didn't like either. I don't like any California maki anyway, wherever it may be from.

For the sushi, I've had better. The rice that came with it was almost shaped like a ball and was way too compressed, so when biting into it, it didn't feel like rice. Our seared tuna sushi did not taste fresh at all, and the other sushi choices were OK, nothing great. The serving sizes were much smaller than the photos I saw online and again, the rice just wasn't done right.

In the end Anton and I were disappointed with our meal. I don't know if we just so happened to visit on a bad day because according to others, Genji-M is okay. But we weren't happy with the maki and sushi that we got, and I forgot to mention, my Miso soup tasted like water. 

Banzai

Banzai, Mall of Asia

Banzai, Mall of Asia

Banzai, Mall of Asia

Banzai, Mall of Asia

A few weeks after Genji-M, we decided to try out Banzai, the new Japanese buffet in Mall of Asia, Seaside Boulevard. This buffet is kind of like Sambokojin with a more Japanese ambiance, and a slightly wider range of choices. It included unlimited zaru and cha soba (which they don't have in Sambo), pizza, steak and others I was not able to taste. My meal as a whole was actually okay. I had my regular: sushi, sashimi, spicy tuna, zaru soba, tempura, gyoza, steak, Miso soup, and picked on a few meats from Anton's plate. I remember the steak and the Teppanyaki to be good, and the quality of the sashimi, sushi and the cha soba to be mediocre. The noodles of their soba didn't slide off each other once you try to pick them with your chopsticks; they clung to each other like sticky rice. I had a taste of their spicy tuna but didn't go back for a second round (as I usually would) mainly because the sauce tasted more like regular mayonnaise on tuna sashimi.

For the price though (if I'm not mistaken, about Php 899 per head for dinner on weekdays), I'd have to say I'm pretty happy with what I got. It's not great Japanese with regard to the raw dishes, but I'd say the cooked meals are pretty good.

Until next time #danielaeats!

organized fellow

The Edison stand (center) no longer stands alone. Watch out for more designs to come from Fellow x The Bespokery. Releasing soon!

#danielaeats: ramen kuroda | ikkoryu fukuoka

New Ramen experience: Ramen Kuroda

This was the first time I had a ramen meal with the option to refill. Yup! Once you're out of noodles but still have some leftover soup in your bowl, you may ask for additional noodles for free. I think it's a pretty good idea since the men are usually not contented with just one bowl. I don't eat THAT much, so of course Anton ate my noodle refill (his set meal on the opposite side isn't allowed to have noodle refills).

I ordered Aka Ramen (Kyusyu Tonkotsu Spicy Flavor, P290) because I always opt for the spicy ramen. Anton ordered a set menu (P380) that contained regular ramen, gyoza, some vegetables, an appetizer (which he really enjoyed, I just can't remember what it's called), and fruits. For his set he chose to have Kuro Ramen (garlic flavor). My ramen was just okay, nothing great. I wouldn't order it again because I found it pretty boring. After getting a taste of mine then sipping from Anton's Kuro ramen, I wanted to push my ramen aside, claim my extra noodles and half Anton's soup so I could have some Kuro as well. I really enjoyed it! It was my first time to taste garlic ramen which I don't usually get because I always think that the garlic taste would be too strong in the soup, but this one was just right. I'm definitely going to get it on my next visit!

Ikkoryu Fukuoka

One of my favorite spicy ramens: Ikkoryu's Spicy Tobanjan Tonkotsu P380
The only other ramen I've tasted here is their Miso, which is actually pretty good, but I prefer the flavor of this. It caught my eye on the menu because it said spicy but aside from that I decided to try it out since I usually go for the basic Miso, Shio or Shoyu. I was expecting some strong taste from the paste and thought I'd end up getting tired of it halfway, but I actually really enjoyed it. It is now one of my favorite spicy ramens! I'm also pretty happy with the serving size of their meat in the soup because even though it only comes with one or two thin slices, it's still pretty big. And it's not half fat!

I eat ramen so often but two places I have yet to try are Santouka and Ramen Nagi. Hopefully one of the two will be next!

Until next time #danielaeats!

common ware

Our latest venture: Common Ware

Anton and I started out with Fellow about a year and a half ago. We still continue to make accessories and we actually just launched our Summer Collection yesterday, but last month we decided to expand a little and work on what Anton has been wanting to do for more than a year now: clothes. I think it was last year when he mentioned his idea of Common Ware to me, but it was long delayed because we were both concentrating on work--he's a full time contractor (until now) and I was (then) a full time producer. When I left production, we both decided that it was time to work on Common Ware since I had more time on my hands.

We released our first line last March 23, which we call Common Ware Swim Ware. This first release is a line of board shorts for men.

Solid Colored Swim Ware

Printed Swim Ware

As of now we're working with only men's Swim Ware, but eventually we'll be able to work on some women's clothing. Hope you can check it out!

For orders and inquiries, please email us at commonwareclothing@gmail.com
Like Common Ware on Facebook www.facebook.com/commonwareclothing
and follow us on Instagram @commonware

magnum manila

Got a sneak peek of what's to come in Magnum Manila last week! I was there to take photos for a two-day press conference, and in those two days, I ate the world! Here are some of the dishes and desserts I got the opportunity to try:

Crostinis Three Ways

What I remember from this appetizer is that I enjoyed the truffle mushroom and the seared tuna on tomatoes very much. 

Cajun Spiced Chicken Poppers

IF ONLY. If only this came with rice. I would've been stuffed even before the main dish!

This was the second appetizer served during the event and it sold in an instant. Once the chicken poppers came out, everyone attacked it and there were even requests for extra orders. It was delicious!

Asian Steak Salad

Two reasons I enjoyed this: steak and vinaigrette dressing. The chips, nuts, corn and other ingredients made it all the more enjoyable. I finished one whole serving by myself!

Braised Beef Cheek

I didn't get to enjoy this dish as much because by the time I got to it (after taking photos), it was no longer warm. I ate it anyway because I was hungry, and I liked that the beef was really soft. It was good and I liked that it had carrots and mashed potatoes, but I kinda wish there was a little more flavor to it (kind of how the Cajun Chicken Poppers got me at my first bite).

Seared Salmon with Basil Creme and Chorizo Confit

I don't usually choose fish meals over meat but I had to get this as main dish during the Friday press conference because I couldn't eat meat (Lenten season). I must say I actually liked it! The presentation was pretty too.

Carbonara

They served the Carbonara with bacon and some bits of ham I think, but because i ordered it on a Friday, I had to settle for the plain Carbonara sans the meat, but with egg--yup, they serve it with egg! It was okay, nothing great for me. I would have to say that I enjoyed the salmon more.

I forgot the name of this one, but that's strawberries + cheesecake + vanilla Magnum. It was good! But still not my favorite dessert.

I forgot the name of this too, but it's a rainbow butter cake with a side of vanilla Magnum. Of course it was also good, but I think out of all the desserts this was my least favorite. Only because the next one.. WAS THE BEST!

The Cookie Skillet Pie

THIS. This one I enjoyed the most! Vanilla Magnum on cookie dough. This is the dessert that's similar to the Pizzookie from Bamba. I really love vanilla ice cream on freshly baked cookie dough, and Chef Miko executed this perfectly--so soft and moist! I prefer this over Death by Chocolate--a common favorite.

I don't have a photo of Death by Chocolate, but it's the dessert that also comes in a skillet and has Magnum bar over chocolate lava cake. It was also really very good, but if I had to pick one I'd go for the cookie!

 Of course you can't go to the Magnum Cafe and NOT make your own Magnum. After eating everything I just mentioned above, I drank a cup of hot water and proceeded to the Magnum making station!

This isn't mine--I just like the color combination of the Gold chocolate, dried raspberries, pistachio, almonds and milk chocolate dressing. Mine had a vanilla filling, milk chocolate coat, almonds, pistachio, some sea salt and marshmallows with Magnum Gold chocolate drizzle.

As a whole I would have to say I really enjoyed the food in Magnum Manila. The appetizers, main dishes and of course the desserts were all delicious, it's impossible to leave that place without a food coma. I will definitely schedule a trip back to the cafe once it opens to try more dishes and desserts!

Magnum Manila will only be up for 500 days, so enjoy it while it's here! It opens on April 8 in the SM Aura Sky Park.