INASAL REPUBLIC Opens West Avenue Branch On July 15th

 

Chicken Inasal by Inasal Republic - The meat is soft, evenly cooked, has a crispy skin outside. The garlic rice can be smothered by the good Chicken Oil set on the table. I had a separate dish with Soy Sauce and Sinamak, a spiced vinegar. They have master grillers prepare this for us!

If you're a frequent local traveler, you probably have landed somewhere in Negros Occidental and visited Bacolod City. Much of its charm lies in its people, on how they talk so "malambing" (so soft even when they're mad) and party hard during festivals. I too am from this region, so I'm no stranger to food coming from this place and when I heard Cong. Arjo Atayde, Direk Richard Somes, Gabby Atayde, Ivan Villamar and Mark San Diego were putting up a Chicken Inasal brand called INASAL REPUBLIC, I packed my bags and camped out to see it in Quezon City.

The owners of Inasal Republic can't wait for you to taste their Chicken Inasal

Congressman Arjo Atayde personally served us that afternoon, he was so nice!

Although for some of them, this isn't their first venture into the food business, the partnership blossomed over the last taping day of action film TOPAKK. Arjo was already full from the food served during dinner, but after a while, Chicken Inasal was served on the table and got everyone started raving about it. Direk Richard said Arjo shouldn't leave the table without tasting it, and so he did! 

The Chicken Inasal and other food served that day came from Direk Richard's family recipes, it was passed on from generations of Bacolodnons who loved to eat and cook. Here's a short video of the event, I also included some clips of the food and celebrities that came that afternoon!

 

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Here's some of the food items that's going to be served at Inasal Republic, let me share a few that you'll surely enjoy!

Kansi Soup, comforting and fruity, not too sour which I like! (We were served half the serving because we will be having a lot of food that afternoon!)

Bangus Inasal - I liked how light and soft it was, the very savory sauce complemented it. It was nicely paired with Garlic Rice

Pusit Inasal, for those who love seafood, this would be a dream!

The desserts, Biko, Alupe (in Banana Leaf) and Maja Blanca. I love the Maja Blanca the most as it's so soft, sweet and a little salty on top because of the cheese. The Alupe was new for me, but reminds me of Pangasinan's Tupig, but was actually steamed. Go get them both!

If you're excited as I am about what's about to happen, it'll all go down on July 15th as they open up shop at 25 West Avenue in Quezon City. They also have other items on the menu like the Chicken Inasal Flakes (also in bottles) and Laing that people were loving that afternoon. You can also choose to mix them up with the Garlic Rice, it's as good as it looks in photos. I will probably have to line up that day just to get a taste of it again. Make sure you get ahead of me on July 8 and line up, see why even celebrities loved the Chicken Inasal from Inasal Republic!

There's going to be more branches of it nationwide, so make sure you follow their social channels by searching Inasal Republic on FB, IG and TikTok to get updates where they plan to put them up soon!

Winter Garden Desserts

Filipinos dream of Winter, an indication of desire. They do it quite often, mostly because of our own hot and humid, mere tropical weather. When a snowflake slowly falls, you look at it with amazement as it slowly trickles down from the sky and think - how can this thing be so beautiful, so perfectly cold and crystal. You just want to snuggle up with a cup of cocoa, sprinkle with a generous amount of marshmallows, add more chocolate to it and bite off a chocolate chip cookie or two. Or if it's hot outside and you just want to chill, wouldn't it be lovely to have your own spot, sit down and with your friends? Wait, that didn't sound right. I know, we don't have Winter here... but don't worry, I think I can help you with that. I just heard Winter Garden Desserts just opened last month in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.

Winter Garden Desserts is at the back of ERSAO and in front of the Ateneo Gate 2.5 Overpass. There's a alley on the side and a small signage in the front so won't miss it. (Image from Google Maps and not mine)

Winter Garden serves mighty good liquid nitrogen made desserts. The place lives and breathes cold sweetness, they want to transport you into your own little cove, to ultimately make you happy much like when you see a clear blue sky or just when you get to that point where snowing starts and the snowflakes glisten in the sun. They call this "kazahana" in Japan and the owners would like you to experience that. 

Proud owners/cousins Cecile Perez and Danny Vitan felt it was time to have something special in this area. They are also planning to have more warm food items too in the next few months. Their consumers should be excited about that. As of now, they've got two types of dessert available in this place both of which are still made with liquid nitrogen techniques, a new thing in culinary progression in the Philippines. I saw this in real life in kitchens of CCA and some hotels but never for a dessert establishment, hole in the wall you may think - but this is something new.

Liquid Nitrogen is a cryogenic fluid that can cause rapid freezing. In the store, we saw two huge tanks probably sealed in vacuum where they use and apply it on the cream base so that the mix can become dessert instantly. The process isn't as easy as you think, I personally saw how they made my ice cream because they have an open kitchen. They make it right when you ask for it and it's a spectacle, a show on it's own.

Mikoy, Rita, Frencheska and Dion for Artist Center Jam Sessions

Frencheska Farr, Rita De Guzman, Mikoy Morales and Dion Ignacio

It was a great evening of music and artistry when we went to Route 196 in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City. GMA network's very talented artists namely Frencheska Farr, Rita De Guzman, Mikoy Morales and Dion Ignacio. I honestly haven't seen them perform live yet to tell you honestly so this is one thing I'm a little excited about. It's a good thing that they did not disappoint me. I had so much fun that evening.

Mikoy Morales

I've seen Mikoy Morales during his Protege days and of course he was one of the few who was to be taken notice because he's got a very unique voice. It's a bluesy, rnb kinda thing. He was a little quiet at first, maybe because he hasn't met me yet; but once that the program started he looked really friendly.Now remember, I haven't heard him sing live yet so this is a first. I tried to record their performances one by one and upload them real time. Check out this number by Mikoy during the jamming sessions.

That's really good. He felt what he sang and made us all feel the same way. If you get to be affected by a song, what more an album soon. In the mean time, please make sure you subscribe with his Youtube channel to check out his covers and original compositions. His songs are also going to be featured in up coming films and programs in GMA. He's going to be in some of them too so you better watch out for this talented chap on the same channel!

Rita De Guzman

As pretty as the girl you dreamed of last night, she's one fine lady with a very powerful voice. I actually like her style, a more deep kind of belting with very controlled dynamics. She sang an original called "Bilang Ikaw" (Just Like You) which I must say is a good OPM song which was fit and styled perfectly for her range. I'm so sorry I didn't get to record her video as I was still uploading Mikoy's song. She only sang two songs that evening and I thought there was going to be a next one. My bad. Anyway, since she's this good... GMA Records is actually already in the works to release her new album. It's going to have original ones so you have to watch out for that. 

I kinda hated her in Villa Quintana because she was really evil in that role but seeing her here was just great. I didn't know she sings this good, proving her worth as the grand winner of Popstar Kids. She knows how good she is too and that exudes confidence, just like when she sang that evening here. We can't wait to see how her new songs will fare on the airwaves because she is indeed so promising!

Frencheska Farr

I didn't recognize her probably because of her hair. She's Frencheska Farr, and I kinda knew her because she has worked with my Sensei Xander Angeles and Niko Villegas. Those were stunning photos. I also saw her debut album called "Inside my heart" which was more so represented who she is as a recording artist. Her voice is good and I liked what I heard that evening from her. You be the judge on how good she sounds like here.

Her album is still out on major record bars and stores nationwide. If you like what you're hearing in this bit, you'll even love the album. She's a very talented gal and I'm sure you're gonna hear a lot more songs from her in future ones, right GMA Records? :) Aside from that, Innamorata was awesome with you in it. I hope we get to see you in more projects in GMA, you're a nice gal... you deserve it. By the way, she'll also have a benefit concert entitled YOLO this July 25 at the Music Museum. This is for cancer patients and survivors, a really good cause. Tickets will be available at the venue, online and shops nationwide. Make sure you don't miss it!

Dion Ignacio

Seeing a good looking guy like Dion Ignacio makes me a little jealous. He's tall, chiseled like a demigod, has got the face that would make women fall on their knees... and I thought that was all. This evening was a really good eye opener because this wasn't just the Dion I knew all these months that I got to know him. I didn't know that he freakin sounded this good!

This is the first time I've heard him sing live. To my surprise, I couldn't help but tell him how good he was after his set. His background in working with a band also came in handy because he played the drums and the in different songs during the event. Sometimes, I don't get it why people are almost made perfect. Anyway, he's going to have a new album that will be under GMA Records. It's about time! He's a way talented individual to just be limited to dramatic roles he's been doing lately. Congratulations Dion! Proud of you! ;)

The guys and gals are talented and with GMA Artist  Center and GMA Network as a whole working on them, I wouldn't be surprised if they get to where they want to be career wise. I'd love to see another one of these jamming sessions soon! We totally had fun! :) What a way to introduce artists to the public!

For more information about their artists:

Official GMA Artist Center

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http://gmanetwork.com/artistcenter