Let’s proceed to everyone’s favorite segment – the food.
My younger brother and I had lunch at Manam Comfort Filipino during a late January errand run to a nearby mall. You may remember the joint as the place where I had my birthday lunch, which I tackled in a two-part post in November of last year (Part 1, Part 2).
I ordered the restaurant’s trademark Crispy Sisig Silog with Egg, while younger brother went for the Overloaded Garlic Bangus Belly. We also ordered Munggo with Chicharon – an overloaded version of the traditional Filipino mung bean stew. It came topped with pork rind bits and smoked fish flakes, which are often added to the original version of the dish.
We also paid the newly-opened MOS Burger in Eastwood City a visit after I got my Moderna booster. I’m still disappointed over the closure of UCC Park Café, but the Japanese burger joint’s opening made up for that loss. I mentioned in an earlier post that MOS Burger is another restaurant concept by Hubert Young of the UCC Group.
My younger brother ordered the Wagyu Cream Burger, while I ordered the Ebi Katsu Burger. Our meals came with hash browns, and we upgraded our drinks to UCC Coffee with milk. Despite it being a relatively new outlet, it did not have much patrons when we visited. This is one joint I’d definitely come back to, given the UCC Group‘s reputation for good taste and commendable service.
Almost a month after getting boosted, I left the house for a much-needed dental appointment. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns to address it stifled dental appointments for many. Thus, I visited our family dentist for an overdue cleaning and filling on the penultimate Monday of March. She thankfully told me that my teeth were in relatively good condition, save for coffee stains.
I had supper (read: early dinner) at Pino Restaurant/Pipino Veg in Trinoma after the dental procedure, as I only had a smoothie for lunch. I ordered two appetizers from the joint – the Nori Cheese Sticks and Salted Egg Shrimps and Crablets – alongside a serving of Garlic Rice. I ended the meal with the joint’s Tablea Cheesecake. (More about these can be found in my Pi Breakfast and Pies post on Wix.)
Almost a week later, my younger brother and I saw ourselves in the Ortigas area as I wrote here. I incidentally discovered a new shop in the vicinity that sold Japanese goods – and of course, I bought something there for proof.
I initially found out about Tokyo Market PH at Ayala The 30th along Meralco Avenue due to their Instagram ad promoting the 500 ml bottle of Yakult. The probiotic milk drink is only sold in 100 ml bottles here in the Philippines, so this one would be a welcome surprise. But unfortunately, the big Yakult bottles were easily sold out. No worries, as the 200 ml tetra pack will do – which I purchased 5 packs of.
I’ve also taken to the kitchen to whip up some dishes for the Lenten season. The Philippines also follows several Catholic traditions related to the 40-day preparation for Easter – such as fasting and abstinence. Ash Wednesday, all Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday are deemed abstinence days.
I turned leftover eggplant in the fridge to this sauteed eggplant in paprika. Chopped garlic, eggplant, salt and pepper went into a pan alongside a liberal sprinkle of paprika for color. I added sugar to counter the salty taste, and served the dish immediately.
Meanwhile, I made this tuna and mushroom omelette for breakfast. Corned tuna – tinned fish aesthetically similar to corned beef – was mixed with chopped mushrooms in a mixture of three beaten eggs. This sufficed as a meatless yet rather heavy breakfast.
I’ll close off the second part of this quarterly update with some beverages, both alcoholic and not, that I tried out.
Keep it here on The Monching’s Guide for the third and last part of this series. 👍 Until the next post!
The Monching's Guide 
Seems like you have great options for Japanese food! Malaysians are obsessed with Japanese cuisine so there’s no shortage of restos here haha.
Indeed! And what’s amazing about that is more establishments are opening near me — so I need not venture far.
And it’s not just restaurants. Online shopping has allowed more Japanese groceries to reach a bigger market — posing a challenge to the Korean supermarkets here!
Thanks for sharing all these insights 🙏 It‘s very interesting to read about all the different foods. May I ask too how the Wagyu Burger was? My son is always making a fuss about Wagyu beef but it‘s quite crazy expensive here and so I haven‘t bought it yet. 🤔
It‘s also very interesting that the Philippines seem to be closer to catholic traditions than many Catholics in Italy. 😁👍 Most of those I knew in Italy only made a meatless day on Good Friday but that was about it. 😉
No problem Livia, and thank you likewise for stopping by! 😁 From what my younger brother told me, the Wagyu Cream Burger was juicier than the conventional hamburgers he tried out. I guess it’s the marbling of fat in the beef cut used, which melts down and contributes added juices to the patty. I do agree with you that it’s rather expensive!
Well, the Philippines being a Spanish colony for more than 300 centuries is to blame for that. We have a saying here that the Philippines “spent three centuries inside the convent, four decades in Hollywood, and three years under the rising sun.”
Ferdinand Magellan first brought the faith here in 1521 and, five centuries later, this country still remains one of two strongholds of Catholicism in Southeast Asia alongside East Timor.
It seems the Philippines aren‘t only the stronghold of Catholicism in Southeast Asia but rather in the whole world. I‘d say in Europe, if anybody, probably only the Vatican itself is following the traditions so strictly. 😉
Definitely! If I remember correctly, we’re the only nation in the world that doesn’t have divorce — while almost all of the world has.
Oh, wow, that‘s very interesting. I didn‘t know that. 🤔
Thanks for sharing this information. So in the Philippines, marriage in church is at the same time also marriage accepted by the government or do you have two wedding ceremonies (like we have in Europe, one governmental and one religious)?
Two ceremonies, actually. 🙂
The first one, often called a “civil wedding”, happens in front of an officiant — which can be a court judge or the mayor of a city. The couple pronounces their vows, and the officiant pronounces them as married “by the power vested upon [the officiant] by the state.”
The second one called the “church wedding” often happens after the civil ceremonies. This is the one with the wedding dress and all; the couple pronounces their vows in front of a priest (for Catholics) or pastor (for Protestants).
But based on what I’ve seen most of the time, if the marriage was finalized in church — the state already deems it valid; no need for a civil wedding anymore.
Hope this answers your question! 😊
Ya, that’s just what I meant. 🤩👍 Thank you very much for the information and have a great weekend!
Pingback: 364 – On Recapping 2022, Part 1: Posts | The Monching's Guide