I heart kutchay

Mongkok's Kutchay (Garlic Chive) Dumplings

TO FEEL the love of the people whom we love is a fire that feeds our life.  Pablo Neruda said that.  (And Summit even posted it on facebook.)

But when all else fails, there’s always food.

After self-control won over the debate on whether or not I should get the Chotovelli I’ve been eyeing for months now, I figured that only food could give me comfort.  There were too many voices in my head – the kind that would make the House of Tudor send me to be burned at the stake – that I realized only a familiar taste to the palate could calm me down.  Oh yeah, and tell me that I made the right decision to put off yet another wristwatch purchase.

I gave T750 at Glorietta 5 a final heartbroken – almost longing – glance and then I went on my way to dinner.  There, my choices would always be a toss up between The Soup Kitchen and Mongkok – funny that these two are actually across each other.  Mongkok won me over by virtue of having booths.  I thought that I could just get slumped onto the cushioned seat in a sulk.

At Mongkok I already have my usuals.  So I would politely motion with my hands that I don’t need the menu anymore.  But this night being an unsuccessful shopping night, I thought about asking for something new to me.  I guess I just wanted something new.

So after asking for Stuffed Tofu (partially hollowed out tofu squares stuffed with a ball of siomai ham) and Beef Tendon Noodle Soup (extra-thin Hong Kong-style egg noodles in a steaming hot beef broth with braised gelatinous beef tendon and fresh vegetables), I finally decided to try the Kutchay Dumplings for the first time.

Stuffed Tofu in a yummy brown sauce

 

The tofu is partially hollowed out to accommodate the siomai ham stuffing.

 

Beef Tendon Noodle Soup

 

I loved the very crisp baby bok choy!

And boy was I glad I did!  Each plump dumpling – a serving has three – was encased in translucent rice paper wrapper, teasing my eyes with the mosaic created by the deep green kutchay (garlic chive) leaves, minced pork and shrimp.  The perfectly steamed slightly thick wrapper wiggled as if mirroring my own excitement, as I took one dumpling in between my chopsticks.  I dunked it in the sauce I made out of calamansi, chili and soy sauce, and bit off half.  Though it was a huge dumpling, I could fit it in my mouth!  But I exercised self-control yet again because I wanted to see how the inside looked like.

My new-found love – Kutchay Dumplings!

Mongkok’s kutchay dumpling was a study in contradiction.  Kutchay being garlic chives, I expected to be assaulted with a really intense, almost pungent flavor, totally relying on my dipping sauce to temper the sensation.  Instead, what I savored was a subtle fragrance that brought hints of celeriac to mind.  The greens were still a bright green, with a give to the bite – not mushy at all.

I enjoyed the dumplings so much that one serving was not enough.  While I chewed, I felt a calm wash over me.  Best of all, they prevented me from doing what I intended to do to myself for being so indecisive about Chotovelli.

That is, get a plate and bust it over my head.  Hahaha!

I washed everything down with Pineapple Juice! I love it for the fiber!

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

I didn’t even have to activate the searchlight

I WAS about to shine my Bat-signal into the sky of Thursday’s cold and breezy December night when my cellphone broke the quick swinging action I was about to give my searchlight.

I picked up my squealing electronic gadget and the text message sender’s name put a smile on my face as I snatched the thought that formed in the bubble atop my head.  Batman always knows whenever I need him.

I was having a crappy day – there’s always one from time to time – and nothing like a surprise from a really great friend made for a wonderful pick-me-upper.

Batman said that he sent over some things for me through the kindness of my officemate he’s classmates with in MBA.  And we’re not even in the twelve days of Christmas!

I can’t wait to get my hands on them today.  Thanks, Batman.  You made my week!

Batman, the Joker and eNTeNG c”,)™©

 

Superman and Batman

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Meaningful five

FIVE HAS always been a special number to me.  All the time I was in school, I was always – ALWAYS – seat number five, arranged alphabetically by surname.  And my nickname begins with the fifth letter of the alphabet.

The number has again managed to reveal its meaning to me when I realized that there are that many wristwatches that have come to mean much in the course of the past year.  And before 2009 comes to an end, I thought it’d be nice to look back.

Tag Heuer Aquaracer

Tag Heuer Aquaracer in all stainless steel with a brushed silver dial.  The thing about Tag Heuer is that it is really strong, they being proud about carving each wristwatch from a solid block of stainless steel.  To be given something like this could only mean strength.

The one on the upper right corner is the Raj by Karim Rashid for Alessi.

Raj by Karim Rashid for Alessi in black.  This is one of the time pieces Alessi created in partnership with the foremost names in innovative and cutting edge (interior) design.  The stark simplicity of this wristwatch is what I find really attractive – arrestingly so.  I think only someone with an equally commanding presence could strap this on their wrist.

ToyWatch chronograph, as featured on the last page of US Men’s Vogue magazine.  This wristwatch got major backing when Oprah put it on her Christmas Favorite Things list.  But what I love most about it – aside from its ingenious use of plastic and other lightweight materials – is the fact that it comes from Chicago, one of my most beloved cities in the whole wide world.

Philip Stein Teslar Signature dual time zone wristwatch in black dial with gunmetal steel face.

Philip Stein Teslar Signature dual time zone wristwatch in black dial with gunmetal steel face.  Another wristwatch that got the blessing of the Oprah.  But for me, what I love about this is the fact that it is the perfect gift for someone who doesn’t really drool over something that it thought of as trendy or “in the moment” but may give something that has health and fitness benefits a consideration.

Philip Stein Teslar Signature dual time zone wristwatch in white dial with white face.

Philip Stein Teslar Signature dual time zone wristwatch in white dial with white face.  This is the one I’m wearing right now.  And this early, I can vouch for its purported benefits!  It’s a great plus that everytime I glance at it to check the time, I get reminded of someone.

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

A year – or so – in wristwatches

AS HAS always been the case with me, if I will have to express my highest regard for another human being in terms of something tangible – an actual material thing – it will have to be thru a wristwatch.

A few days ago, I finally felt it was high time to accord my own self with that same regard.  The one wristwatch that I have been pining for for months now, I finally got.

That's my gift to myself – the Philip Stein Teslar wristwatch! It works wonders!

And in a year – or so – that blitzed through hell and high water, natural and man-made disasters, I look back to five other wristwatches that have come to mean so much in my life.

I can’t help but feel thankful for some things that we can hold on to.

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Buying with your eyes first

A COUPLE of display windows at the malls caught my eye.

In its simplicity, one evoked images of Parisian haute couture.

In its brilliant splendor, the other conjured up images of Christmas past.

The very classic intertwined Cs of the house of Chanel.

Louis Vuitton – the best play of lights I've ever seen in many years.

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

All about loving myself

SATURDAY TURNED out to be all about loving myself.

For one, I made good on my promise to treat myself to Cibo’s Panna Cotta Ciccolato (Php 143.00).  But that’s getting ahead of myself.

My table for one at Cibo in Glorietta.

The night before, I had a great dinner with Kakel at Cibo in Town.  On Saturday night, I went back to the same restaurant, but at their Glorietta branch.  While I enjoy being in the company of family and friends over good food, I don’t have even the faintest hint of hesitation – even an iota of indecision – to dine on my own.  When the very comely wait staff welcomed me by saying, “Sir, table for…”  I cut him short with, “For one, please,” before he could even finish his question.  It wasn’t a curt reply at all.  I do remember beaming from ear to ear.  Especially since I was already toting in my hand my Christmas present for myself.  Hahaha!

Crema Di Zucca

This particular dinner was all about comfort so I asked for my usuals – the zuppe di Crema Di Zucca (soup of summer squash, cream, and slab bacon, Php 185.00), the Spaghetti Alla Romana (spaghetti with sardines in oil, extra virgin olive oil, fennel, chili peppers, and red pesto, Php 225.00), and the Panna Cotta Ciccolato.  Of course, my drink could only be Tomato Juice (Php 90.00).

Spaghetti Alla Romana, my favorite!

 

That fennel frond on top was just so tempting I munched it first! The sardines were perfect, a far cry from the usual bottled variety at the grocery (though there's one brand I hold dear!). And the shredded fennel bulb was just the right sweetness!

The star of this dinner was the pasta, to which the kitchen generously added extra fennel.  I was so excited to get my fork into the dish but not without first snatching the fennel frond that prettily sat on top of the mound.  As I played with it in my mouth, shredding the pin-like succulent foliage with my teeth, I got an arresting shot of an almost-licorice essence.  It was all good.

Each strand of the al dente spaghetti was perfectly coated with the glorious melding of extra virgin olive oil and the oil in which the sardines marinated.  The chili peppers and the red pesto provided a pow-wow layer of heat that developed as I savored the dish.  But the shredded fennel bulb – the white part – provided the perfect counterfoil to this spiciness.  I couldn’t think of anybody else delivering such a great pasta creation for the discriminating Filipino palate.

I started harping about panna cotta ciccolato and ended up raving about the pasta.  Oh, life!

The Panna Cotta Ciccolato that I love!

 

Two receipts from two wonderful dinners!

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Cibo is necessity and indulgence

That's my reflection on Cibo's mirror wall.

THE NICE thing about food is that it is both a necessity and an indulgence.  Even better, it can be both at the same time.

There was no stopping my dinner plans last Friday night.  Earlier in the day, my friend and fellow engineer Kakel and I floated the idea of treating ourselves to a great dinner – should we survive the day.  You see, where we work, something really major is happening.  We’re in the process of totally asserting our independence from the two parent companies that brought forth the business venture we are in.  Think Y2K all over again – only this time, with real drama.  I was waiting for a chasm to open up from right under me.

But with all that we had to go through and take care of, we realized that a great dinner was a non-negotiable.  On the drive to Town, I was quick to recommend Pepper Lunch.  But when we were greeted by the velvet rope upon which was a sign that said, “Line starts here,” I had to seriously reconsider our restaurant choice.

Good thing that right next door to Pepper Lunch is Cibo!  It was also full but I immediately radar-locked unto the last remaining free booth seating.

Spinaci Gorgonzola

The spinaci gorgonzola comes with a generous pile of the best melba toast!

While the usual accompanying melba toast is nice, I prefer my bread soft. So here's my own "soft" melba toast. Finished this off!

We started with the Spinaci Gorgonzola (spinach and gorgonzola cheese dip, Php 218.00), served with melba toast.  I’m not fond of bread sliced thin then toasted to a crisp so I asked for a side serving of soft melba toast (Php 18.00).  Even with what I had in mind for dinner, I managed to finish the whole serving of the bread!

Farfalle Genovese

One of Cibo's strongest points is their presentation. The la famiglia serving of their farfalle genovese comes in a huge pristine white serving platter placed on top a thick slab of wood. The plentiful portion of their fresh bread is neatly piled up on the side.

A tight shot of the farfalle genovese. See the generosity of the restaurateur in this dish. You see all the components – the fresh basil pesto, the wild mushroom cream sauce, and the freshly grated parmesan cheese – all completely coating each piece of bow tie pasta.

Just one of the many helpings of farfalle genovese that I helped myself to.

I then asked for the la famiglia serving of Farfalle Genovese (farfalle in a fresh wild mushroom cream sauce and basil pesto served with a generous grating of well-aged parmesan cheese, Php 465.00).  This dish has long been touted as one of the bestsellers at Cibo.  And I had it for the first time that night.  With the first bow tie pasta I picked from the huge platter, I instantly fell in love.  I could imagine the chef slaving over a mortar and pestle – all the way from Romblon – making the basil pesto from scratch.  Only a fresh and intensely flavored pesto could conjure that image in my head.  It was mixed well with the mushroom cream sauce, coating every piece of pasta.  For presentation and added flavor, a dollop sat right on top at the center.

The mushroom cream sauce perfectly tempered the full-bodied purity of the basil pesto.  The dish had a liberal amount of sliced fresh mushrooms – lots of shiitakes, white buttons, and oysters – that I was sure to hit thick and juicy slices of these fleshy fungi everytime I stuck my fork through.  The very generous dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese only managed to elevate the dish to an astral plane all its own.  But I managed to remain on the ground as the faint hint of nutmeg in the cream sauce reminded me of Christmas.

I’ve never been one to salivate over pasta with a cream-based sauce.  But Cibo’s Farfalle Genovese eradicated whatever shred of skepticism I had.

My first glass of their tomato juice!

Before long I already needed a second glass!

Notice the freshly cracked black pepper on top! Just got to love this drink!

To wash everything down, I had Tomato Juice (Php 90.00) – all two tall glasses of it!  I love tomato juice, the only drink I would keep on asking for on board flights.  While all people shamelessly gulped down all the free champagne that flowed incessantly – in an obvious attempt to take passengers’ minds off the frightening turbulence on a Malaysia-to-Singapore flight – I just asked for my glass to be freshened with tomato juice!  Cibo’s presentation was lovely, complete with a celery stick and freshly cracked black pepper on top.  I like all the quiet drama involved with freshly cracking black pepper tableside.  I would often wonder if the pepper mills were part of the restaurateur’s famed collection.

Kakel's Penne All' Amado. He ate this all up!

While I shared my farfalle with him, Kakel for his part ordered the Penne All’ Amado (penne with slow simmered beef sauce and tomatoes, Php 218.00).  It was the first time I heard of it, and while the description was pretty straightforward, I couldn’t help but assume that the dish could have been named after the owner’s son.  For his drink, Kakel asked for peach-flavored iced tea (Php 90.00).

I wanted to have my favorite Panna Cotta Ciccolato, but decided against it for the time being as Starbucks was part of the dinner plan.

A couple of Dark Cherry Mochas!

In this one, I like the watch better than the drink. Hahaha!

So off we went to Starbucks and ordered two Dark Cherry Mochas.  “I shall have my Cibo panna cotta on the following night,” I told myself.  The two stickers I got for the coffee drinks were enough to make up for it.

And the great conversation too!

Kakel by the Rustan's display window at Town.

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Superman, the oil rigger, and Christmas trees

CHRISTMAS IS so magical in the sense that even I could really smell it in the air – even here in the tropics – as if announcing its advent.  Crossing the street from Rustan’s Supermarket to Rustan’s Essences, the breeze that gently touched my cheek carried with it a hint of bedewed pine.

And I could definitely see it as the malls are now spruced up for the most wonderful time of the year.  A couple of Christmas trees actually caught my attention last night.

Blue Christmas tree

The blue one was very soothing to the eyes.  It brought to mind Superman as blue is one of his favorite colors.  And the white accents reflected his preference for white-faced wristwatches.

Autumn Christmas tree

The other one had shades of burnt orange, appearing actually very autumnal to me.  It managed to convey the warmth that the season brings to the heart.  I saw it and thought of the oil rigger, Harryboy, as autumn happens to be his favorite of the four seasons.

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Happy birthday, Superman!

Happy birthday, SUPERMAN!

 

Superman dons the Barong Tagalog like no other. Happy birthday!

ONE THING about Superman:  he is so many wonderful things rolled into one.  And yet he doesn’t even seem to be aware of it.  I find that very cool.

Though we had been working in the same office for quite a while, it wasn’t until The Caped Crusader introduced us that The Man of Steel and I became friends.  And while I appreciate his having a telepathic mind, and bionic hearing, it’s his patience that I have come to appreciate the most.  Being friends with me means having to endure all the many many things I blab about.  I practically text – full-word, full-sentence – every thought that takes form in my head.  Good thing that the superheroes I text these messages to are capable of herculean exertions and infinite understanding.

Superman belongs to the sky.  And yet, I have never met anybody who is as grounded as this son of Krypton.  Achievement has never gone to his head.  And being friends with him, he allows me the sense of security and confidence that I could catch up with his fast pace.  That I too can do whatever I want and still be who I want to be.

He has always had genuine interest in the things that make me tick.  And while our likes couldn’t be any different, he doesn’t laugh at or trivialize the diversions that occupy my time and my thoughts.  I remember one time telling him about being breathless in anticipation about some movies, and he cheered my anticipation on.  This, while knowing that all that actually gets him excited lately is waiting for “Avatar, The Last Airbender.”  He knows I haven’t heard of this M. Night Shyamalan film – much less the animated series it is based on – but he never made me feel like a dork for not knowing.

Superman possesses the best qualities I can only aspire for.  Even Batman told me he’s one of the few really sensible people at work, almost habitually reserved in speech and not taken to grandiose gestures to draw attention to himself.  And Friendship said he’s really nice.

To me, he is the kind of friend with whom you can sit beside with, and not speak, yet you will walk away from the experience like you have just had the best conversation of your life.

And whenever I feel invisible or afraid that I will disappear by falling into a crack in the pavement, never to be seen or heard of again, he will ask how I am doing…  and suddenly I will realize I’m alive and I matter.

Today, Monday, the 23^rd of November is his birthday.  Happy birthday, SUPERMAN!

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

I read all night

The Aquino Family on the cover of the December 2009 issue of YES! magazine.

I WAS given the December 2009 issue of YES! Magazine as pasalubong.  It was a very thoughtful present.

The issue is packed with 74 photos of the Aquino family in their Times Street home.  And the write-up was quite long.  I really read all night.  It was an engaging read that I couldn’t put it down, bathroom breaks notwithstanding.  As Christmas is fast approaching, the story devoted a large part on the family’s traditions – and the sumptuous spread they would have.

A couple of things about the late former Philippine president, Tita Cory, struck me.  I found it funny how she described her daughter Kris’s posing for the camera.  Hindi ko kinaya, natawa talaga ako.  And I found comfort in the fact that I’m not the lone full-word, full-sentence texter on this planet.  Tita Cory was.

 

*Will it be easy to ship this magazine to Singapore and the US West Coast?

*Is there something significant with the numbers “74” and “11” (7+4=11)?  74 photos in this cover story.  And the number 11 is bold, embossed and in yellow in the limited edition Cory Aquino wristwatch by Philip Stein.

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.