JACK TV's Night Crawlers

I've seen this happen last year and got so envious with the people who did it... when I received an email inviting me this year, let's just say I was giddy to actually be part of it. JACK TV, one of my favorite cable channels showing some of my favorite cartoons and programs has been doing these events for quite some time now. In partnership with San Miguel Oktoberfest, we've been tasked to do JACK TV Night Crawlers. It's a pub crawl of some sort but a tad different because we're going to scour the favorite watering holes in Bonifacio Global City. It was traffic, but I braved all that and found myself lost at BGC's Burgos Circle which was the only location indicated on the invite. It became doubly hard to find the starting point because as soon as I walked around that area, it started to rain like hell hath no fury. I came alone and arrived at BUGSY's near that circle and found myself in the midst of millennial bloggers and about a handful of their Facebook contest winners, so it was quite awkward to note that I was joining a bunch of guys and gals whom I didn't know. I guess, just like the other pub crawls where you would generally have to turn strangers into friends. :)

At BUGSY's we were treated by the JACK TV team with quick mind games, asking about their shows like our life depended on it. The other team racked in points, although some of my team mates also answered really tough ones so it was quite okay even if they took this round. I bet my team mates are going to have the next ones. 

We transferred to RUE BOURBON and the rain didn't let out. We stopped here and waited a bit thinking that it would eventually stop, but did the necessary things a pub crawl should have... and that's beer. Out of the local beers in the market, my preferred bottle is an ice cold San Miguel Super Dry. Always have, always will be. Oh and Rue Bourbon had those fancy nacho chips in different colors, which were quite good actually especially for beer match.

Albeit a little drizzle was trying to stop us from enjoying the evening, we got to DWNTOWN HALDSTED next. That place was almost full to the brim when we got there. There were expats, treating themselves to really good bar chow. They've got real good cocktails also going on at the bar. We had take over the whole front and play some games again. Of course as expected, our team won this round. They have very good food there as I mentioned earlier, so what better way to celebrate but by having a small dinner there.

They had a pretty good spread. From well decorated NACHOS, the SALTED EGG CALAMARES (do I need to convince you? LOL), and the CRISPY PATA (fried pork trotters). Oh and there's more! To know who would win the pub crawl matches, we went to RELIK which was a couple blocks away from our last restaurant. We had to ride the JACK TV trucks to get there.

To win in the final game, we had to use a contraption that had a ring on it. We had to drink a mug of draft beer first though which made us a little woozy. I'm so glad I listened to my team mates Brent, his Dad and his family. I mean who would have known that the ones who won the Facebook contest were actually relatives, that's how far I got to the conversation. It was nice to actually nice to know how they were enjoying the whole thing, I loved how I connected with them quite well because it was like they were cool with anything. They had interesting stories in between bottles, and now they're my Facebook friends. :) This was the part where I enjoyed it most. RELIK Restaurant and Bar played music during my heydays and the people on my table were all singing the same tune. We were like kindred spirits... we were a little drunk but hey, we WON! It was just the right place and right time to have CHICKEN SKIN and BUFFALO WINGS! It was so good we had to have seconds. Thank you so much to ZOMATO and JACK TV for having us in this JACK TV Night Crawl! 

Thanks to you I now have new friends, I had had so much fun too that evening. I hope I get invited in the next ones because I heard they are planning a lot of events in the future! Thanks again JACK TV!

If you want to experience the same things I did, head on over to the JACK TV Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/solar.jacktv/ and their official website www.jacktv.ph.

Reminisque Bistro: Food, Drinks and Good Music

We went to the Tomas Morato area a few days ago to experience Reminisque Bistro. It's a restaurant and pub at Scout Lozano Street right at the back of Zirkoh in Tomas Morato Quezon City. The place is right below the modern multi level parking complex and can easily be spotted on the district. The place is owned and operated by a group of friends (Ynna Matias, Jun Aventura, Martin Porta) who initially just wanted a place where they can crash, remember the good old days, particularly the 80's when the music was perfect to their ears. They invested a lot in the interiors, putting tables significantly tight, and put some really good Filipino regional food on the menu.

Chef Richard Nazareth, owners Ynna Matias and Jun Aventura

The Interiors

The place reeks the owners taste for the 80's, but kept it modern and not so vintage aside from the little pieces and clocks on display. At night, they open up the LED lights on the posts which randomly changes color. A feature that you would find a little fancy when in Reminisque. Aside from that, they've got dark wood tables and chairs, white upholstered bar stools, leather bunk chairs, and a white fabric covered tables on the main dining area. They also added a whimsical beehive installation on the private room where small gatherings could take place. Aside from that, their full bar could whip up some of the best cocktails and juices you would really love. They also have a fully functioning DJ's booth so invited guests could enjoy spins of their own decade and a small platform for acoustic performances as well. We even had Pido of former Artstart band sing during the small event.

The Food

Cansi Soup - The lovely beefy broth and the fruity and sour "Batuan" found locally in Iloilo/Bacolod area just made this Cansi Soup a hit with everybody. I had tons of this because I am partly ilonggo too, this was as good as you could have had it in Negros. People wondered how they got it because this is a little scarce to source but they said friends helped ship it. I'm going back for this.

Chicken Inasal Salad - Lovely roasted Chicken Inasal slices mixed with greens, sweet golden mangoes, olives, tomatoes and light dressing. Pretty good.

Salmon Salad - This one must be eaten fast. It's like Tempura batter covered so it kinda softens a little when left to be cold. It's good don't get me wrong, but not my favorite.

Pork Sisig - Now this is tasty. I loved how they mixed the usual sisig bits with chicharon bits (pork crackling). It's a play on texture, then a tangy touch with the calamansi plus your optional liquid seasoning and chili. You can't go wrong with sisig.

Tibok Tibok - This is Pampanga's queen of desserts and with good reason. This Tibok Tibok sounds so native but is very close to Maja Blanca. They added tons of cheese to cut through that sweet coconuty taste to have a little saltiness in each spoonful. I like this a lot so make sure you order one before you leave the place. 

Reminisque Bistro has all these and more on their menu which you can probably have in small functions or just about any visit to the Tomas Morato area. They can take care of you and your gatherings so give them a call at 441 5302, or visit the place at Scout Lozano in Quezon City. They open from 11am and closes up til 2AM - that's in the wee hours of the morning. If you have birthdays, meetings, celebrations, they have packaged menu's to choose from or you may opt to have them customized to your preference. So go ahead and invite your friends and try out the place. It's near mine so if you're in the mood to treat me for beer I'd be glad to!

For more information about their restaurant:

Reminisque Bistro

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Visit their official website

https://www.facebook.com/Reminisquebistro

The Perfect Pint

We visited "The Perfect Pint" over at 32nd Street in BGC. They are currently offering "The Perfect Match" which speaks of their warm delectable comfort food and the corresponding in house designer brewed beer that they think would perfectly go with it. It's not my first time trying out dishes with beer but I tried San Miguel Lifestyle Brews which is more on the commercial side. These are pretty good ideas and they gave us a sampler so we could get an idea on how both the Chefs and brewers would want their products taken in, literally that is. 

The sampler costs around 600 bucks which for me is a little pricey. If this were around 450++ range it would have been worth it. I think they are paying much of it to their space because this is after all still in BGC. Other than that, maybe because of the fact that it is artisanal in some way as these are designer brews.

For the first pairing, they got us Blackened Chicken Breasts with Charred Cuban Corn Salsa and a Sierra Madre Wheat Ale brewed by Francis Oñate. I super loved the corn salsa as it had a spicy kick on it. Pairing it with a light ale made the flavor pop out more on the palate. I know it was just corn but I enjoyed it much with the soft grilled chicken which was like a good canvas for flavor coming from its marinade. This was my favorite pairing that evening.

The Fish Ryder Pale Ale made also by Francis Oñate was a tad darker but it still felt light to the taste. The Glazed Pork Belly with Apple Onion Potato Mash was intensely flavored, a combination of sweet and savory. The accompanying beer just well complemented it and didn't make the whole thing contradict each other. That was good.

The third pairing had us try Katipunan No. 1 Stout by Kiyo Miura. Served with the yummy Mac and Bleu Cheese that had strong and sharp cheesy flavors, it was really good. The intensity from the food and beer was somewhat equal so you know you are getting the best of both worlds.

They also have us try the same beer with their special dessert called Smores. It's got a chocolate brownie cake base with fluffy marshmallows that are charred, a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and a caramely candy floss on top. The well crafted beer was also good with it, pairing wise... That tasted really well.

The last one was Salmon Gravad Lax and G Point Red Head Ale. I liked the salmon and the hint of saltiness from the olives and capers but the beer pairing wasn't as good as I thought it would be. The G Point Red Head Ale wasn't complementing the fish much, it just masked the fishiness by having itself bitter. I don't like the pairing to tell you honestly but I guess it stems from the Filipino preference for something sweet and smoother when it comes to beers. The bitter notes on this might be a bit harsh with most of us who find it the least appreciated one out of the four. I bet foreigners would get to love this even more as it might prove to be closer to home for them. 

A series of these pairings will happen in the next few weeks. From October 27-30 they will have a band of brew masters, on November 3-6 they'll have Food Writers like Ms. Nana Ozeta from FOOD Magazine, Ms. Nina Daza-Puyat of Appetite Magazine, Ms. Marilen Fontanilla of F&B World Magazine and Ms. Marie Pascual of again, Appetite Magazine. From November 10-13 there will be Chef's Specials by Chef Peachy Cebrero, Chef Bob and Nina Abes. And Chef Waya Araos Wijanco. 

For those who would like to experience it, come visit The Perfect Pint at the Crossroads Building 32nd street in BGC. It's quite near Home Depot, Skinny Mike's and Starbucks so you wouldn't miss it. Beer lovers rejoice! You've got a spot worthy of your time and good pub food, find your perfect pint here!

For more information about their brews:

The Perfect Pint

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Visit their official website

https://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectPintPH