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60-Peso Food Trip

The air is cool, Christmas decors are up, and a big old man is somewhere up North starting to check Naughty and Nice lists. What does this mean? This means that December, the season of Christmas and over-spending, is happening really soon. How do you prepare for that? By saving up as soon as you can.

Here is the deal: from a Financial point of view, December is one of the best months. During this month, most people spend a lot, but they also make a lot. The common partyphile however, may find it a wee bit difficult to maintain their hedonistic tendencies while still trying to put a cap on their budget. Obviously, the partyphile’s budget for alcohol and partying shall be left unchanged, thus finding other ways of pinching pennies is inevitable. So where can one partyphile cut costs? I say: on transportation, fashion, and of course, food.

And that brings us to this article’s topic: food. But not just any other type of food, cheap food. Why am I writing about this on a party column? Because again (if you didn’t get the intro to this article), it is the perfect time to cut costs and partyphiles may find it difficult to do that. Moreover, my affordable food finds taste expensive and hit you in the right spot; making eating in my suggested food establishment a pleasurable (albeit affordable) experience; and we all know that hedonism is one of the more recognizable of partyphile traits.

The Challenge: To find affordable meals for sixty pesos.

The Venue: Within the vicinity of the Ateneo de Davao University Jacinto Campus. Why? Because cheap food establishment are in abundance near schools.

The Requirement: Great taste. Decent establishment. Good service.

The Candidates:

1. Harley Boulevard Motor Café (Php 60.00): This quaint resto is popular among the cool kids in the University because they serve alcohol. However, the reason why students and non-students keep on coming back is because they have really good American food that is served hot and fresh and for a measly price. The resto is decorated with different relics of modern Americana and makes the place inviting, interesting, and quirky. Their menu consists of comfort-food like Shepherd’s Pie, Sloppy Joes, their ever-popular Extra-Large burger, Buffalo wings, Chilidogs, Mashed Potatoes, Spaghetti ad Meatballs, and other American favorites. To cater to the local crowd however, they also serve some food with rice. My affordable choice from Harley’s is the Chili Cheese Bowl—a bowl of steaming-hot white rice topped with a hefty serving of Harley Boulevard’s signature Chili con Carne and some grated cheese. This meal is very satisfying and very comforting. The spices in the chilli complement the sharp flavour of the local cheese that top the dish and the white rice mutes the flavours and lends some sort of hominess to the dish making it both novel yet familiar to the palette. An order of Chili Cheese Bowl goes for sixty pesos. If you are into spicy food, you will enjoy the fact that Harley’s has their own signature hot sauce that they place in used Rum bottles and serve with every meal. Oh, and if you do not have enough moolah for drinks, do not fret—they offer purified water for free. Find Harley’s at Juan Luna Street corner Juan dela Cruz Street

2.) Star Bistro: Meals, Coffee, and More (Php 60.00): This food establishment is just one of those places that you’d want to stay in for hours and hours. It is cozy, cool, and quite conducive for conversation. More importantly, their menu is filled with surprising offerings like waffles, pancakes, their signature Bistro Chicken, pork chop, breakfast food, Filipino favorites, English Muffin sandwiches, tarts, cakes, cookies, and a lot of other affordable gastronomic treats. I ordered one of their set rice meals when I was there and went for their Cheese sausage. It came with a cup of rice, a small serving of buttered corn and carrots, and some mayonnaise ad ketchup. Obviously, this is a very Filipino way of enjoying sausages, but I find nothing wrong with it. Moreover, they serve a whole piece of sausage for a quarter of the price as coffeeshops would. Although they do not actually create their sausages (but seriously, who does?) they have mastered the art of cooking it perfectly: with a slightly oily and toasted outside and an extremely soft and juicy inside. They also offer some water for free, and drinks that range from about 12 to 20 pesos. If you have a little bit more than sixty bucks, you could even enjoy some dessert after your meal. Find star bistro at Juan Luna Street.

3.) Khash Persian Kebab (Php 60.00): Khash or “Kebab” as more popularly known in the area, has been in operation for years and years now. In many ways, Khash has been imbedded in the culture of AdDU and thus reminds me (and many others) of very fond memories in the place. Although it has already survived a couple of renovations, the same old Khash Kebab vibe is still there; and hordes of students still eat up at this establishment for lunch or some merienda. Because I had a sixty peso budget, I decided to order a single Beef Kebab which is a long strip of ground beef that is expertly seasoned and grilled to mouth-watering perfection, a cup of steamed white rice with a dollop of butter on top, some of their home made gravy (which costs thirty-seven pesos), and a roasted tomato (which I ordered separately and costs three pesos). As if that was not sinful enough, I also order a serving of their slightly spicy mashed potato drowned in their glorious gravy for only twenty pesos. The meal is satisfying as heck and is kind of exciting as well. The beef kebab goes perfectly well with the buttered rice, and the grilled provides a fresh contrast to the heavily spiced main course. The mashed potato is silky and smooth and quite addictive. Find Khash Persian kabab at Jacinto Street.

Thanks to Dorothy Falcon for the photos. Tune in to Confessions of a Partyphile on the radio every Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 in the PM. For comments, suggestions, and more confessions from this partyphile, log on to http://party.i.ph or follow the columnist on twitter.com/zhaun

Semi-Instant Pulutan

Filipino drinking sessions are unlike those that are attended or initiated by our foreign Partyphile friends. The Filipino drinking sessions, more commonly referred to as "inuman" sessions, are less formal (although there aren't many formalities that go with foreign drinking sessions either) than those of our non-Pinoy counterparts. Our drinking sessions can take place anywhere, at virtually any time of the day, and may be attended by just about anybody dressed in just about any sort of garb. The Pinoy inuman session is definitely a no-brainer. All one needs to start is a bottle (or two...or more) of alcohol, a group of friends, some conversation (of varying degrees of sensibility), and some "pulutan".

"Pulutan" is the Pinoy term for anything that you eat with your alcohol. And in this country that isn't limited to nuts and crackers.

It is common to see Pinoy boozers enjoying a round of beer with that night's dinner-leftovers. Aside from the common sisig, fish crackers, and nuts, Filipinos enjoy eating anything-- from pizza, to sashimi, to lechon, to instant pancit canton, to Pinoy style barbecue, and so much more-- with their poison of choice.

And although these food items seem worlds apart it seems like the usual choices when it comes to pulutan choices have to be 1.) Savoury, and 2.) Convenient. Whatever may be in the pantry or fridge at the time of the inuman session is always a good pulutan. However, this may get a little tired. This is why I have gathered a few of my easy pulutan recipes and decided to share them with you. Here they are:

1.) Instant Tuna Sisig. All you need for this recipe is canned tuna in oil or leftover tuna meat, torn into bite-sized pieces (leftover grilled tuna belly works best for this), a white onion, butter, and liquid seasoning. All you need to do is mince the white onion and sauté it in butter. When it becomes translucent, add your tuna, and sprinkle with liquid seasoning. You may serve this on a hot plate with a piece of calamansi (Filipino lemon).

2.) Cored Beef Nachos are also a wonderful semi-instant idea. All you have to do is heat canned corned beef in a skillet, add frozen carrots, peas, and corn (which is available in most groceries), and then add some tomato sauce over it. Season the mixture to taste and then scoop some on top of a bed of Nachos or Potato Chips. Then, sprinkle everything with some quick-melting cheese and pop it in the microwave or oven until the cheese has melted.

3.) Meat Loaf Hash. Usually, people prepare meatloaf by simply slicing it and then frying it or by eating it straight from the can. This unique take on Meat Loaf is savoury and fried and makes for really good pulutan. All you have to do is slice the meat loaf into little cubes. Slice an onion and two potatoes the same way. Then, prepare a skillet and heat some oil in it. Pour the onion, potatoes, and then meat loaf and cook on high heat until the potatoes are cooked through. If you want to give it a little crunch, you may leave it in the skillet to brown a bit. It approximately takes 15 to 20 minutes. You may also dust it with cheese before serving.

4.) Leftover Adobo Flakes. This is the ultimate in Pinoy pulutans, although not may people know about. Seriously though, is there anything more Pinoy than fried adobo? Anyway, here is how you do it. Take your leftover Pork adobo and tear into small flake-like pieces (it should resemble larger pieces of Corned Beef). Then, let it sit in the sauce it previously came from for some minutes to help it absorb the flavour of the sauce. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, cook the adobo flakes in it at medium high heat. Keep frying it until it looks golden brown and looks crisp. After this, remove the adobo flakes (at this point it will look like crunchy corned beef) and place on top of a paper towel. This will absorb the oil. As the adobo flakes cool down, it starts to get crunchy. Serve it in its crunchy state as the perfect Pinoy pulutan.

Catch Confessions of a Partyphile’s (The Radio Show) Pulutan Special this Wednesday (August 31, 2011) from 6 to 9 PM on 105.9 Mix FM or www.mixfm1059.com. For comments, suggestions, and more confessions, log on to http://party.i.ph or follow the columnist on twitter.com/zhaun

Friday State of Mind

Admittedly, a hard and jaded Partyphile like myself have little inclinations on becoming too emotional. In fact, only three things in life make me emotional: good food, good drinks, and weekends. And the emotion I choose to feel when faced with these three elements of bliss is happiness. So yes, I was happy—ecstatic—when I found out that one of the few places that could offer all three elements of my happiness was now in Davao.

TGI Fridays, as you probably already know (unless of course if you have been living under a rock these past few months, which has been out-of-chic since Obama’s death inside a cave) opened some time at the end of May (2011 of course. Check the date on top of the page in case you are reading this some time in the distant future) in Abreeza Mall. Yes, the one owned by the Ayalas, along JP Laurel.

Most of you know that TGI Fridays is a casual dining restaurant; you go there to dine…casually. Duh. However, the fact that they started out as a bar might come as a surprise. I know it gave me that kind of reaction which later developed to a strong infatuation with the brand. In my book, any restaurant that serves good food and alcohol is, well, good. In fact, in my book, any place that serves alcohol is good, but that’s a whole different story. Now, going back to Fridays.

Fridays actually started out as a bar, and even though they gained popularity in the country for being a casual dining resto, they could not forego the bar because it is a very important part of their identity. But of course, this is not what you want to read about. I know what your thought process is when you step inside Fridays.

You got here thinking that you are about to enjoy really good food. And then, all of a sudden, a huge bar comes into your line of sight. Suddenly, you start thinking twice about having some food. Alcohol, of course, is always better than solid food (well, for most of us, that is). But then of course, you decide to do what you went there for: eat. At the back of your mind, you are thankful that you decided to skip their cocktails because you would not really know what to order. And that is where I come in. Being the Partyphile you love (or hate) I have whipped up a review of six of their best-sellers. So no. Do not expect me to say bad things about their drinks because: 1.) They gave them to me for free. 2.) These are best-sellers for a reason. 3.) They are just too good to bash. So without further ado, here are six of the cocktails you must definitely check out at TGI Fridays:

L-R The Pina Colada, The Margarita, The Electric Lemonade,

and the bestselling Mojito which also comes bottomles from 4PM til closing time

1.) The Classic Mojito: This cocktail is the king of all cocktails as far as TGI Fridays is concerned. Their Mojitos are the stuff of Urban (Cocktail) Legends. Have you ever read passages and stories about the power of a Mojito to transport the drinker to a beach-side setting with a bevy of friends in tow, and a sunny disposition to boot? Well, I haven’t either. But that is exactly where this cool and citrusy Mojito takes you. If this cocktail does not refresh you and remove all the stress that has pent up from whatever it is you do (work, school, or shop), then nothing else in the world can. This cocktail tastes like a citrusy, minty, fizzy burst in your mouth. It is cool and calming and is made with Rum. How can you go wrong with that? Oh, and to make things even better, TGI Fridays offers Bottomless Classc Mojitos from 4PM until closing time at only Pesos 305. And do not even try to argue that you can buy two buckets of beer with that money in your friendly neighbourhood sari-sari store. These Mojitos are BOTTOMLESS. ‘Nuff said.

2.) The Margarita: Served on the rocks, this classic cocktail is one of the more popular items on their cocktail menu. If feels like a shower of citrus and alcohol in your mouth, that is bound to make your knees weak with one sip. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. This cocktail is potent but is easy on the palette. In fact, while I was sampling this cocktail, a fine gentleman from Japan kept on giggling beside me. Turns out, he has had 6 servings of this cocktail… and it was not even 6 PM. It seems like, with the Margarita, you just can not stop with one. A well-made cocktail is good in any language, I guess. What’s in it? TGI Friday’s very own Margarita Mix, Triple Sec (a citrus-based liquor; do your own research to find out why it got its special name), and Tequila. Alright. I am ending this paragraph here. Tequila should be enough to convince you.

3.) The Pina Colada: If you do not know what a Pina Colada is by now, shame on you! It is ONLY one of the most popular cocktails in the whole wide world! In fact, I’ve heard some news that aliens in Mars drink the cocktail. And I’m not even making this up. Ok, so maybe I am. But you can bet your bottom dollar that if ever Martians would choose a Pina Colada to booze up on, it would definitely have to be the one they serve at TGI Fridays. Ok. Fine. If you still do not know what it is, here is the proper explanation. The Pina Colada is a blended mix of Coconut Milk, Citrus Fruits, and the king of Tropical fruits, Pineapple. Basically, it is a Tropical Holiday in a glass. A really large one too, if you order it at Fridays.

4.) The Electric Lemonade: Ok. So you think that Lemonade is a boring drink. It is kind of flat and one-sided. It is simply lemon, sugar, and water. Right? Right. Thankfully, the Partyphile Gods have blessed us with Alcohol; and this makes everything a little better. So, TGI Fridays serves up a gorgeous Electric Lemonade: a combination of Lemonade, some really good Vodka, and some Blue Stuff. It might be Blue Curacao; it might be not. But at this point, would you really care? I wouldn't too. All I care about is a good cocktail; and this might be a good introduction for somebody who hasn’t grown accustomed to cocktails just yet. If you are new to the whole cocktail-drinking bandwagon; then this is the one for you. Oh, and by the way, TGI Fridays (as well as most of the food establishments at the Ground Floor of Abreeza) will be extending their closing time to two in the morning. So please, for the love of Alcohol, grow accustomed to cocktails now.

Leading the pack is the flirty Appletini

5.) The Appletini: So most martini innovators will tell you that anything that is shaken (or stirred) with ice and combined with Vodka is a Martini. Martini Purists will tell you that all these innovations are fake Martinis, and the classic Martini is the only way to go. I say, if they are really purists, then they should not even drink cocktails in the first place. Whether an Appletini is a real Martini or not, it is far better than any old Martini I have ever tried in my life. And trust me, I have tried one too many Martinis. Fridays’ Appletini is a sweet and tart blend of Apple Syrup, Vodka, and it seems like, Magic. This Appletini is surprisingly good, and is one of the fastest-rising stars in their cocktail menu. It is perfect for ladies who enjoy a really great-tasting cocktail, without the instant buzz; or for gentlemen who just want to drink a cocktail for its taste. It is impossible not to give out a smile after drinking this cocktail; it kind of reminds one of apple-flavored candies that used to be popular during our childhood. Of course, this comes with Vodka, which makes it better than any old piece of candy.

6.) The Mudslide: Before you order this, get ready for an all new cocktail experience. Although the mudslide is served with a simple swirl of chocolate syrup (to line the glass) and some chocolate chips, there is nothing simple about the cocktail. It is made with Bailey’s Cream (which is gorgeous when taken alone), Kahlua (which is comforting at any time of the day), Vodka (which still remains to be one of the most, if not the most, popular alcoholic beverages in the world), and Vanilla Ice Cream. Think of the mudslide as an adult version of the Chocolate Milkshake you used to love as a child. It is creamy, dreamy, smooth, and slushy all at the same time. It seems to provide you with nostalgic memories that bring you to a place of comfort and solace. It is that kind of drink. The experience may be comparable to that of drinking a cup of Hot Chocolate, but we all know that the Mudslide is better (it has alcohol in it). It comes in a tumbler that is the perfect size for really sitting back and relaxing. In fact, I will go as far as to say that it is one of my favorite cocktails so far. It is definitely a must-try. And if you don’t take it from me, well, good luck on finding another valued opinion about cocktails.

The Mudslide is as comforting as the good old-fashioned milkshake, but with alcohol

All in all, the cocktails at TGI Fridays are above par. These yummy alcoholic treats, combined with some finger food (Ballpark Nachos, perhaps) seem to be the perfect combination to transport you a weekend-state-of-mind, at any day of the week. After all, in here, it is always Friday.

For comments, suggestions, letters of adoration, and more confessions from this partyphile, log on to http://party.i.ph, or listen to Confessions of a Partyphile on the radio every Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 PM on 105.9 Mix FM. You may also follow the columnist on twitter.com/zhaun

Enzo is the man to look for behind the bar. He whips up Fridays' signature cocktails and has little tricks up his red-and-white sleeves. Consider him your new best friend.

The ballpark Nachos seem to be the perfect accompaniment to any cocktail

Yogu Iloilo

I spent three lazy days in Iloilo with no travel buddy ad without a real itinerary. So most of my afternoons were spent lazily walking around the city, trying to look for gastronomic delights. On my second day in Iloilo, I decided to check out this adorable yogurt shop I found in Smallville.

The place was called Yogu. The whole shop was made out of an old container van and was painted all white. They had pink nets that acted like canopies and had really cool pink accents inside. (check out the uber-cute pink ashtray in the photo). They only had plain yogurt and a limited menu of toppings... So I decided to indulge in all the pink cuteness (even though it's not really my thing. I thought it would look better in the photos though) and decided to order some Frozen Yogurt with Strawberry Sauce and Strawberry Flavored White Chocolate Chips.

I swear, it is one of the best frozen yogurts I've ever tried. It was tart and had a really yogurt-y taste. It was refreshing, it was affordable (around 100 bucks, if I'm not mistaken), ad the staff was very friendly too. Loves it! I soooo wanna visit Iloilo again.

Afrique's Iloilo

I recently went to Iloilo (alone.loser much?) and decided to chillax for three days and explore what the city has to offer gastronomically. I was referred by soo many people to Afrique's so I checked it out during my last day in Iloilo. I ordered their Osso Bucco which was HEAVENLY! The sauce was tangy and savory and had ust a little spice. Plus, I could really make out the taste of the lemon rind, which helps cut through the velvety and uber-tender umptuousness of the beef. I think i just had a food-gasm.

And in true Pinoy fashion, I ate my Osso Bucco with white rice. LOL. I lurve that it didn't break the bank though. I think the dish cost around 275 pesos. That's pretty affordable, in my opinion. Oh, and the waitstaff looked gorgeous. teehee.

And this place mat with a kitschy article kept me entertained as I waited for my order (which didn't take very long). I needed it because I have the attention span of a goldfish (2 seconds). I wish I could have staed in Iloilo so I could have MORE Osso Bucco and maybe even try the rest of Afrique's offerings.

Mamma Maria's Davao Take-out

Mamma Maria's Davao has opened last year but I've only eaten there once. Last week though, we had ten visitors over so we decided to take some pizza out. Their thirty-inch pizzas cost a little over a hundred, so we decided to take three pizzas out. We didn't realize that thirty-inch pizzas were THIS BIG.

This is how you know that you are going to have left-over pizza for a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Was it good? I'll tell you when I've digested all of it.

follow me on http://www.twitter.com/zhaun

Krua Thai

My family eats out every Sunday and one of our default Sunday afternoon go-to places is Krua Thai at the Metro Lifestyle Compound along F. Torres Street. We looove their food because we enjoy the salty+sweet taste of Thai cuisine; plus the prices are not bad. The photos below show some of Krua Thai staples (the things we order almost EVERY TIME we're there)

(clockwise from top-right: Thai Mango Salad, Thai Calamares, Tofu in Red Curry, Black Pepper Fish, Thai Spring Rolls)

Thai Mango Salad: Honestly, I never tried this dish. I don't like Green Mango and I don't like vinegar. So I don't try it. However, the rest of my fam swears it's yum-o.

Thai Calamares: If you expect uber-crunchy pieces of breaded and fried squid, you won't get it from this dish. It's dipped in batter and fried much like Battered Chicken so it's slightly crunchy and slightly cake-y. But that's not a bad thing. it's really tender too.

Tofu in Red Sauce: If you are under the impression that tofu is bland and tastes like sponge; well you might be swayed into thinking otherwise after trying this dish. it is slightly spicy, tangy, salty, and well-balanced. Plus, can you really go wrong with curry? (Ok, so my brother hates curry..but he's just weird like that)

Black Pepper Fish: Don't let the name scare you. Although it tastes really, really, REALLY like black pepper, it isn't spicy at all (or I just can't feel the spice because my tongue is always coated in alcohol) and it tastes AWESOME. I swear I could eat it FOREVER.

Thai Spring Rolls: Everybody who knows me (ok..not EVERYBODY) knows how much I love spring rolls, and I extra-love (this might even be lust) Thai Spring Rolls because i enjoy eating spring roll wrappers stuffed with rice noodles with steamed white rice...because it's carbs plus carbs on top of more carbs! Take that South Beach Diet!

(Clockwise from top-right: Chicken in Red Curry, Chicken Pandan, Pad Thai, Thai Calamares)

Chicken in Red Curry: This dish is basically like the Tofu in Red Curry. It's basically awesome...and that isn't basic at all. Wut?!? I know. I'm crazy-stupid today. It's real good. Unfortunately, my weird-a$$ brother can't take heat so we ordered this with Mild spice. BUMMER.

Chicken Pandan: This dish is basically marinated chicken wrapped in Pandan (or Screwpine for all you social-climbing Filipinos who pretend that they don't actually add PANDAN in their rice everytime they have visitors over) Leaves and then pan fried to golden-brown (and crispy) perfection! Seriously: chicken + frying...do I really need to explain why this is awesome?

Pad Thai: If you aren't into sweet food... you might not like it. But I like it. It's flat noodles with a sweet sauce and some shrimps and nuts and wrapped in scrambled egg. It is said to be one of Thailand's signature dishes. It tastes GORGEOUS. Plus, I love the mouth-feel of the silky noodles with the nuts.

Oh, and by the way..you can follow me on twitter.com/zhaun