Pork Barrel

"I can't believe they increased parking rates. It's absolutely crazy." My friend Kim was visibly, sincerely upset as we entered the parking basement of Ayala Center in Cebu. The bone she wanted to pick with the mall involved the jacking up of the parking fee - from fifteen pesos to an astonishing twenty. Flat rate.  In Manila, that's what's considered a steal, and yet Kim would have none of it. She cussed in Bisaya,...

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The Breakfast and The Furious

by Ryan (Firstly, I apologize for the corny title. Really, this is what you get from taking two Creative Writing classes in college so there.) Once upon a time there was a quaint all-day breakfast joint in Tomas Morato called Heaven n' Eggs. It wasn't the best place on earth but needless to say it had its rustic charm. It had a solid lineup of pancakes, toast, and then some. (Sorry for the ambiguity; this was years...

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KaBLAM! for your Buck: KFC Double Down Zinger

by Jon Some writers dilly-dally over the minute details of food - the tiptoeing of flavor in their mouths or the niceties of tableware. Sometimes they might whine about how the food is not too authentic, too 'gourmet'. *cough* Ryan *cough*. This is not that blog series. Welcome to KaBLAM! for your Buck, my personal segment here at Forkplay. You've heard from Twinkle, Bianca, and Ryan, but it's taken me some time do my...

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Home-Made for The Holidays

by Ryan If the popularity of weekend markets and home bakers say anything it's this: People are now more interested in understanding what they eat as well as the process behind it. Foodies all over are trying their hand in making everything from Callebaut cookies to donut burgers to turducken - and actually making a business out of it. Home-Made for The Holidays, Chefs Aileen Anastacio and Angelo Comsti's latest collaboration,...

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Savoring the Bronx

by Bianca Fatigued by crime stories in the Bronx, my classmate Celia and I decided to do a couple of pieces on restaurants in the borough for a change. We swung by Arthur Avenue for some cannoli and fresh mozzarella, but most foodies already know about the old Italian district---we wanted to dig more into the Bronx's seamy belly for our article. The first stop was Real Azteca, an authentic Mexican taqueria in Hunts...

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Craving for: Fresh Tuba from Chef Tatung's

by Ryan While doing an errand in Sikatuna Village, a friend took me to Chef Tatung's, both the home and restaurant of Myke 'Tatung' Sarthou. It was a spur of the moment side trip, and we didn't get to try a meal (this time), but Tatung gave us a tour of the redone place. He also served some refreshing tuba-turned-sherbet perfect to fend off  the afternoon heat. The blue flower was picked from his own garden. Tatung's...

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Apple of my eye, part deaux

by Bianca More on apples, and New York. My roommates and I decided to go apple-picking for Amanda's birthday (she's the one in the red plaid top), so we rented a car---and luckily got upgraded to a BMW sedan---and went upstate to Outhouse Orchards. By the time we got there, the apples left were most Cortland and Red Delicious, as the Honeycrisps (my favorite) had been picked early in the season. Nonetheless, we...

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Viva La Vegan

by Ryan Where's the beef?: A meat-free pizza party at Kitchen Revolution Usually, the word 'vegan' gives me pause. I once spent two nights at The Farm at San Benito, and after several meals of coconut-derived bacon and crumbly mock tofu egg, I was knee-deep in withdrawal, hallucinating tap dancing Big Macs and pieces of sirloin that called out my name. Come with me, Ryan, it said while showing its well-marbled...

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Apple of my eye

by Bianca As a grad school student in New York, one of the priciest cities in the world, I'm always pinching pennies. At the same time, family and friends warned me against stuffing myself with cheap, unhealthy junk food (check out this video on Bronx bodegas, where the "food" is dirt cheap and probably just as unhealthy as that), so I make an effort to get my fill of fruit and vegetables every week. Whole Foods? Forget...

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Peca(n) Boo!: Where to find Manila's Pecan Pies

by Twinkle A pecan pie is hard to find, a good pecan pie is even harder. I used to go to Mamou for my regular pecan pie fix, but lately I've been wondering "what else is out there?".  So I've search high and low, got distracted by other desserts along the way, and came to the conclusion that I would hate it if someone gave me a box full of Lusso’s pecan pie as a gift. The flaky crust, rich pie filling, and...

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Diwal-icious at the Mandarin Oriental

by Ryan Sometimes one good thing leads to another: While tracking down a baker from Ilo-Ilo known for her homemade yema cake, Twinkle and I ended up with invites to a Visayan-themed luncheon at the Mandarin Oriental. As it turns out, the baker in question was also guesting at Paseo Uno for this week's Diwal-icious Visayas: Bounties of The Sea. Not only did we have our fill of yema cake (flown in from Bacolod no...

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