SUMMER COOKIN' had me a blast . . .

"Nourishing the Body.

Uplifting the Spirit.

Inspring the Mind."

Special Courses designed for real learning
and selected for maximum enjoyment too;

Great for both Parents and their Children,
Awesome for Students and Professionals!!!






ISTITUTO CULINARIO

the Philippines' newest, most innovative institution
is built on the strong foundations and solid reputation
of the country's first specialized school for the culinary arts,
the O.B. Montessori College Culinary Institute, established in 1995.

Istituto Culinario is committed to nurturing true Culinary Maestros~
professional, creative, and passionate chefs,

through our curriculum based on classical cooking disciplines
and instilled via cutting-edge culinary instruction.

"We're cooking up a masterpiece!"





Istituto Culinario
G/F OB Montessori Building
57 Annapolis St., Greenhills

(just across the street from the
Greenhills Theater and Promenade)

The Complete KC : Keep Cool, boys!!!

To celebrate

the 8th birthday of Facebook,

I made 700+ new friends in one day,
and received around 30,000 likes, shares, and tags
on my album celebrating KC Concepcion in Rogue Magazine.



Of course, that was before I was asked (warned!)
to remove most of the photos you see here,
due to an FB Terms of Use violation;

I'm NOT going to argue with
Mark Zuckerberg and co.~



And so, Manila Boy
saves the day!!!

I'm sharing something really JUICY...

My short and snappy Daily Spanks are here:

http://www.juice.ph/blogs/spanky


Manila Boy will keep the longer posts here!

Farewell, Steve.

Thanks for Changing our Lives.

The Ultimate PAELLA!

One of the most gorgeous
Paellas I've ever seen in my life.



There have been legendary Paellas

that MetroManila Foodies have loved through the years:
Mingoy's in Magallanes and
Doña Nena's "Albert" Paella come to mind;


my numero uno choice now is from Chef Carlos Tuason;
it's available at the Mercato Centrale every weekend,
but it's even better delivered still warm to you~




Classic Chorizo.
Sublime Soccarat,
(a.k.a. "tutong")

Perfection on a Paellera.
Gracias, "Mi Paella de Andaluz"~

originally published in :

http://www.juice.ph/blogs/spanky

MTRCB, Do The RIGHT THING...

SUSPEND this SONUVABITCH!!!

Thank You

DEL MONTE

MANG INASAL

PROCTER & GAMBLE

for showing true decency

and pulling out of Willing-Willie.

The Return of The One and Only ...

I've loved DOMINO'S for quite a long time now.

You know, since the time when we actually

called Pizzas by their full names:

PIZZA PIES.

My family has quite the bond with Domino's too.

My Cousin Larry

(no, we're not the Perfect Strangers sitcom characters)

opened a Domino's in our hometown of San Fernando, Pampanga

back in the late-1990s. And even after a particularly violent

lahar flow from the slopes of Pinatubo caused massive flooding

in our province and submerged his Domino's

neck-deep, ovens and all,

soon, he was back in business,

providing Pampanga with the precious pies.

Until...

one sad day, all the Domino's Pizza restaurants in the Philippines

disappeared. Poof! Gone just like that. Some sort of problem

with the former Franchisor and the local Franchisees.

And boy, did we miss our pies.

Not even the "angels" were

able to compensate...

... until this man came along,

and thundered, "Let there be Pizza!"

Meet Mr. Tong Hong

and his lovely wife, Bu Rim Lee.

Mr. Tong grew up in the United States,

and literally, worked his way up the Domino's chain,

rising from delivery crew to owning his own restaurants.

He's a man who knows and loves his Pizza,

and lives, breathes, and of course, eats it as well.

He relocated to the Philippines to share his piece of the pie,

and together with his partners from Goldilocks,

they are ready to reclaim pizza Dominance for Domino's!

The pies are as good as I remember them.

I enjoyed them with some of my favorite foodies,

blogger/basketball star Richard of Ya Kun Kaya

http://www.talesfromthetummy.com/

and

blogger/photographer extraordinaire Heidi

http://yedylicious.blogspot.com/

And soon, many more

Pizza Connoisseurs

were lining up!!!

Deservedly So.

Pizza Perfection

from a

Cute and Capable Crew,

is what makes

Domino's really really special!!!

What are you waiting for?!?!

Choose your Pie now:

http://www.dominospizza.ph/

If you're in

MAKATI

754-3030

or

PASIG

576-3030

these bikes will deliver your freshly hot pizza in

30 minutes, guaranteed!

FREE STEAK!!!

BATCH '11

gets to enjoy their favorite Casa Special, absolutely FREE,
when they celebrate with at least three more family/friends:





The Graduate's Choice of Free Casa Specials:

1. Tenderloin Steak with choice of sauces
- ala pobre, peppered, peanut sauce

2. Salpicado
- tenderloin cubes sauteed in olive oil, garlic rice





3. Pollo al Ajillo
- half roasted chicken with garlic rice

4. Chicken parmesan
- breaded chgicken breast topped with a creamy cheese sauce
served with fettuccine al burro

5. Barbecued Spareribs
- meaty ribs with our special sauce

6. Crunchy Fish Fillet
- with Mango Walnut sauce

7. Fillet of Fish
- mornay sauce with spinach or anchovy mushroom sauce

8. Seafood Linguine
- squid, shrimps and clams in tomato sauce

9. Shrimp Marucca
- shrimp and mushroom with a creamy garlic sauce

10. Spaghetti Bolognese
- the Mario's classic comfort food recipe

next up: TOM CRUISE for BENCH?

KATIE HOLMES:

the new image model for

KAMISETA

MY PROUDEST MOMENT as a FILIPINO:

25 years ago, on the 25th of February.



True, we continue to be a work in progress,
but guess what? It's finally starting to work!!!



Hallucinating Revisionists and Hipster Cynics
may rant and rail all they want, but their brand of passé
thinking is exactly what will keep us from moving forward...

I prefer optimism. I choose hope. I'll never lose faith in the Filipino.

BINONDO TRICOLOR

Walking around Manila's Chinatown during
an overcast, breezy afternoon,





on a day when the streets (and estero!)
are free and clear of debris,






is almost like strolling along
a Farmer's Market.





Nice. Very nice!

The Week in FOODIE DISCOVERIES

The Return of DOMINO'S!!!

I thought Yellow Cab had killed you and you'd become an Angel...
this "Shrimpus" thin crust deluxe sounds spectacular:
shrimp, bacon flakes, horseradish, and paprika.











The Anytime, Anywhere ENSAYMADA!!!

These crackers really have that "essence of ensaymada";
all you'll need is a cup of steaming hot Tsokolate Eh
to complete the ensaymada experience.

FIZZY-licious!!!

This is probably the most revolutionary beverage
since C2 introduced the country to Green Tea in 2005.
Iced Tea with less sugar and more sparkle. Apple flavor too!

FLEUR DE SEL is the new Dulce de Leche!!!

This is the most uniquely, unforgettably scrumptious Wonka-tastic
chocolate bar since the original Bar None 25 years ago!

Sea Salt Crystals embedded in chocolate. Who would've thought?!?!

WATERMELON-SPRITE and Vanilla Ice Cream!!!

This really floats by boat.
Perfect for the long, hot summer ahead.

Speaking of which, are the Tuna Pies back, 'Bee?

And finally, the perfect AFTER-DINNER MINT!!!

‎"MR. PACQUIAO goes to WASHINGTON"

The New York Times profiles Congresspacman

(and future President of the Philippines?!?!)

a day before his lunch with President Obama:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/sports/16pacquiao.html?_r=1&ref=sports

AMAZING!!!

Loving this new movie version of Spider-Man!!!

Loving the fact that it doesn't stray from

my favorite comicbook ever...

check out the mechanical, non-organic

press-to-play web-shooters!

GMA-7, YOU SUCK!!!

is this network run by

bigots and racists?

please explain this telenovela:

Where did you leave your brains, you numbskulls?

In the year 1959?

An African-American has been

President of the United States since 2008,

and here you go propagating the most negative of stereotypes?!?!

Kapuso?

KASUKA!

MEGA PHOTOSHOP??!?!

What do YOU think?

Truth in Advertising

or

Digital Manipulating?

OT HAIR!!!

Float Away

with my Cabalens this

V-Day (Valloon) Weekend!!!

The Shakespearean Tragedy of ANGELO REYES

Exactly ten years ago, right after EDSA II,



Gen. Angie Reyes
was the most beloved, most admired man in the land,
second only perhaps to then Chief Justice Hilario Davide.

The Chief of Staff
seemed to be the epitome of an Officer and a Gentleman.

I still remember how Gen. Reyes fought back tears
when he had to escort Erap out of Malacanang a decade ago.




I pray that something good
will come out of the General's tragic passing.

I would like to think of him as he was in 2001, a hero and a patriot,
rather than the broken, defeated man he was in his final days.

How does GMA figure in all this?

It seems Gen. Reyes's fall
coincided with her rise.



He was Hamlet, and
GMA, his Queen.




And something
still rots the state...

BEST NEW PIZZA I've had since the Original Panizza from C' Italian!!!

ARUGULA + KESONG PUTI:

one of the prettiest pies ever,

and

Proof that Pizza Perfection

need not be overloaded.

Welcome to

GINO'S BRICK OVEN PIZZA!!!

They don't do deliveries

and don't encourage take-out,

because this spectacular pizza is best enjoyed

on-site, with the sensational aromas wafting

from the 800-degree brick oven.

Not Your Usual Pepperoni:

chunks rather than circles,

with flavors that somehow combine

Italian sausage with Spanish chorizos.

That's not Gino...

that's his dad, Jutes,

spreading the love.

After obliterating the savory pizzas,

we saw the friendliest, most cheerful,

most irresistible, most inviting

chalkboard sign ever...

wooohooo!!!

NUTELLA PIZZA?

"Resistance is Futile"

The perfect complement to this addicting dessert,

a freshly brewed cup of coffee, of course;

and conveniently, just a wall away from Gino's,

we found the new site of Cello's,

home of the best darn doughnuts

on Katipunan (and on Taft).

I used to go to Cello's original branch

down the road near Aurora,

they recently moved to this brighter, better location

right across Miriam College, on the second floor

of the new Mercury Drug on Katipunan,

best of all, right beside Gino's!

The Signature Doughnut,

absolutely one of the best in the city,

easily as good (better!) as any Krispy Kreme treat,

CELLO'S CHEESE:

it's like a doughnut shaped ensaymada!

Jutes is dad,

Cello is mom,

Gino is their son,

and we are all fans!

The Menu:

Margherita

(Tomato Sauce, Kesong Puti, Basil)

Bianca Verde

(Kesong Puti, Parmesan, Ricotta, Arugula, Basil)

Four Cheese

(Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Blue Cheese, Ricotta)

Pepperoni

(Tomato Sauce, Kesong Puti, Parmesan, Red Onion, Basil, Pepperoni)

Buffalo Chicken

(Tomato Sauce, Buffalo Chicken, Mozzarella, Blue Cheese)

Prosciutto

(Tomato Sauce, Kesong Puti, Parmesan, Prosciutto, Arugula)