Freeway x Carlos "Botong" Francisco

One of the greatest Filipino Modernists Carlos "Botong" V. Francisco has made us look at art in a different view. His aesthetics, the way he makes these pieces all have impressed critics and those who appreciate modern art here and around the world. Freeway continues to pay homage to these true blood national artists and make them part of the clothing line and accessories that drawn patrons who can't wait for Botong's pieces be interpreted and interpreted through fashion. They have done this with other national artists and it has been a worthy cause. This one is special because not only do we get to see the relatives of the artist, but even have a resident expert and the one and only Madame Tingting Cojuangco on stage to treat us on a historical journey. And that's what we got!

We saw some of our blogging friends there!

We also saw some awesomely talented kids do artwork on the spot courtesy of the Blanco Family Academy. I surely would love my future kid to be in one of their programs.

That's also the same place we saw Ms. Tingting Cojuangco. She took time talking to the kids and appreciating what they made because as you can see they are not just stick figures, but quite surreal pieces of art!

The gorgeous and oh so beautiful Ms. Cherie Gil hosted the event. Her passion for art and love for the artists was just the perfect setting.

I rushed inside the store to take a look at some of the pieces they had with the artists work on it and I was quite impressed!

Then when I stepped out of the store, the same garments were shown in a gorgeous fashion show. Of course it's Freeway!

Then the stories came, of course it'll be Ms. Tingting Cojuangco and the experts who made the event quite a crowd pleaser because they gave their pov on the subject and works of art that this humble man from Angono, Rizal made. Murals, paintings and other medium, he made it with his community, friends and family in mind. You can evidently see these subjects on this work. Pretty neat.

Congratulations to Freeway for paying homage to this national artist. We all hope you continue to honor these guys who deserve the attention. Art and Freeway should continue to flourish, and I'd be glad to cover it for all the lovely reasons. Again, congratulations!

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SUMOSAM Introduces Kurobuta Pork and New Items on the Menu!

Our love for Japanese food is unquestionable. If we count the number of times we ate and love Japanese, it might take a while to recall everything but nevertheless, it is something that my family and I share. That sunny afternoon, SUMOSAM just reminded me more of the things I love about their dishes!

 

Marvin Agustin, President of SumoSam Foods, Inc.is this year's recepient of Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He was so happy SUMOSAM was launching a couple of dishes seeing that their menu was continuously evolving. Their good looking PR and Marketing honcho also explained to us a bit about the products they have in store for us. The Chef's themselves were there to show us how each piece was intricately prepared for their customers. Then they made our eyes light up with the first thing they served on our table.

Tonkatsu Kurobuta

Don't let me stop your mouth from watering. Just seeing this meat laid down on stainless steel cooling racks after they served us unlimited hot rice and unlimited coleslaw (with special hot sesame dressing) just spelled lunch. Tonkatsu normally would be anything like a cutlet breaded and deep fried to perfection. However, there is something special about this one. The pork is called Kurobuta, drawn from a special breed of swine from a region in England called Berkshire. The Black Berkshire was sent to modern day Okinawa ages ago and was dubbed best of the best pork because of its superior marbling and balance of fat and meat content. Today, it has been priced and produced as premium pork known the world over. Today, SUMOSAM felt it was hightime Filipinos get to taste the best there is in their menu so they introduced this melt in your mouth, tender pork cutlet covered in crispy golden brown panko bread crumbs that you can dip in a special Japanese Tonkatsu sauce. I closed my eyes (and you surely will involuntarily) and immediately felt heaven on my palate. I loved every bit of this, you should definitely order this off the menu!

  

Chicken Teriyaki Pizza - Imagine your favorite Chicken Teriyaki shredded, Teriyaki sauce poured over it then put int a toasty thin crust with a hefty amount of cheese on top. This was initially only served in 2 branches but since there have been rave reviews about it, they decided to have this made on ALL their stores. It was sweet and crunchy, very savory. I wanted more but I had to share LOL!

Bacon Kane Pizza -  If you are Sushi or Maki lovers, I'm sure you are no stranger to Kane or Crab sticks. They played with several flavors but this one works wonders that it's one of the best sellers in the 2 branches they initially sold this in. A surf and turf dish need not be too arduous to prepare as this one only takes a couple of minutes to prepare. If you are in a hurry and need something to feed your seafood or pork craving, then this is the next big thing. They also had one with shrimp on it which they call Shrimp Enoki Pizza (Enoki is a kind of mushroom). Order one if you need something to eat fast, they said they can cook this in 7 minutes and prepare within a few more! This and a bottle of beer would be perfect! And who in this perfect world doesn't love bacon! =)

Zaru Cha Soba - I've always found cold soba noodles more appealing than the hot ones. Good thing SUMOSAM has 3 variants zaru cha soba (soba with green tea), zaru soba and soba with katsuboshi (fish flakes) all served with tamago (strips of egg), sweet soy based sauce with spring onions and wasabi. Dipping it in sweet soy sauce was too good to pass plus the taste complements each other. I want more so I'll definitely go back for this in SUMOSAM!

 Dessert

Meringue with Avocado and Mango Coulis - Thick Avocado Ice cream sandwiched in two meringue layers set in a sweet mango sauce/coulis. I loved the extra serving of Avocado Ice cream on the side. Presentation was quite cute and the combination of flavors were nice.

Chocolate Ganache Cake - Chocolate cake with oozing chocolate sauce from the center, with slivers of almonds, slices of cherry and chocolate dipped oranges on the side. They didn't hold back on this one obviously. Sweets on sweets on sweets on sweets. Get that sugar high the right way with this combo for your dessert, something totally different for your last bite!

All these are on the menu and they've got one of the newest branches opened too at the Gateway Mall in Cubao, Quezon City. Drop your spoon and fork then grab those chopsticks instead and visit the SUMOSAM branch near you. It's totally worth it! Congratulations on these new items on the menu I'm sure I'm not the only one salivating on these and that awesome Kurobuta Pork! =)

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MARINA Oysters * Seafood * Grill: 25 Years of Great Ilonggo Specialties!

Marina has been a very memorable place for me. Ilonggo cooking is pretty close to home since my family hails from Bacolod. A close friend of mine who I always meet in their MOA branch years ago passed away already and when I hear their name, I honestly remember the times we drank a couple of rounds of beer in this awesome restaurant. 

Locally known for the best Oysters in town, this aphrodisiac friendly place is just something people have frequented in the last few years because of what they have in store. The usual isn't really what you think it is because you have to see it, taste it before you can pass judgement on the dishes served in this restaurant by Ross and Madame Marina Luz Gorriceta. This is the 25th year since the restaurant was established and the longevity proves why they have been patronized.

The Food

Kare Kare done their way is quite different. The peanut sauce on this version is actually okay to go even without the addition of shrimp paste. This and the unlimited rice they have plus bottomless ice tea is just amazing! Doing so would also be nice because they manage to ship things from Iloilo. Raw ingredients or condiments, they all got that taken cared of. Without you having to go to Iloilo yourself.

Sinigang na Hipon isn't just Sinigang in their books because they don't use powder. They don't even use Sampaloc because as in Iloilo we actually use a different thing to do that, the "BATUAN". The batuan is like a fruit but it provides more of a fruity kind of sourness and not that sharp kind that tagalog sinigang usually has. You've got to try this!

They ship these guys every day to replenish what they have in store. These are fresh Oysters and they prepare these in different ways. Baked, steamed or just fresh it's something everyone loves on their menu. Guess what they will be doing on their 25th year... if you order this dish on OCTOBER 25, they will only charge you 25 PESOS for each plate (limited to 2 plates per table). THIS IS NOT A JOKE! So if you are around a MARINA branch near you make sure you drop by on this date and be with them to celebrate 25 YEARS of MARINA OYSTERS * SEAFOOD * GRILL.

HUGE and TASTY this slab of meat isn't really meat but a slice of heavenly BLUE MARLIN. Marina will be the next big thing to serve these ocean giants presented as is but marinated with their own secret concoction and grilled to perfection on both sides. 125 per 100 grams, isn't that just amazing?? Now you can have it your way, visit any Marina branches nationwide to get this one on your plate as soon as you say FISH!

For meat lovers like me, something like Crispy Pata won't spoil our day. The crunchy skin and meat on vinegar is just bliss! I just asked mine to be Ilonggo Sinamak which is our own kind of spiced vinegar and it's one of the things they use in cooking. Just ask for it and they'll gladly do it for you!

  

This ginormous fish which is dwarfing my phone (so you can see how big it is) is called the MANAGAT. It's something that drawed oohs and ahhs because of obvious reasons. Had a taste of it and this together with sweet soysauce and some local sinamak over hot steaming rice is just oblivious!

  

Marina has this, Marina Seafood Soup. It had everything you love in it. The thick soup was reminiscent of clam chowder. This would be perfect for rainy days and cold nights. Something you definitely should try.

To end the meal, I had 2 scoops of Gold Rush which is sweet Vanilla Ice Cream with caramel. This was quite nice. There are different flavors, just ask for the Ice cream flavor menu and they have almost every basic ones plus some fancy selections.

 

Two words, Leche Flan. Loving all the choices and the various items in the menu. Plus this thing to end the meal is just super! The only thing is, their specials for OYSTERS for 25 PESOS will only be on OCTOBER 25, so if you guys don't get that deal that they are offering just for that day it'll be your loss! 

Another one is their BLUE MARLIN steak which they will cut 50% off every Monday until November 26. It's all out there, you just have to choose to go at your nearest MARINA branches nationwide!

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Market-Market
Marina Market! Market!
Fiesta Market, Market! Market!
Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila
Contact Person: Ms. Josie Salontoy
Mobile No.: 0922-879-6744
Tel. No.: (02) 729-0344
Metrowalk
Marina Metrowalk
G/F Metrowalk Mall
Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Centre, Pasig City
Contact Person: Mr. Arman Unisa
Mobile No.: 0922-879-6732
Tel. No.: (02) 687-2881

MOA
Marina SM Mall of Asia
116-117 Veranda North Wing
Entertainment Building, SM Mall of Asia
JW Diokno Boulevard, Pasay City
Contact Person: Ms. Mauriel Tattao
Mobile No.: 0923-280-0800
Tel. Nos.: (02) 556-4224 / (02) 556-0718
 

SM-Sky
Marina SM Sky Garden
SM City North EDSA, Q.C.
Contact Person: Ms. Hope Dayaday
Mobile No.: 0922-8796741
Tel. No.: (02) 332-3462


Timog-Panay
Marina Timog-Panay
No. 79 Timog Avenue corner Panay Avenue
Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City
Contact Person: Ms. Maileen Balanquit
Mobile No.: 0922-879-6735
Tel No.: (02) 332-4174
 
Magallanes
Marina Magallanes
Oakridge Plaza Block 4 Lot 7
Paseo de Magallanes, Brgy. Magallanes
Makati City
Contact Person: Mr. Dan Espinola
Mobile No.: 0922-8796755
Tel. No.: (02) 851-4204

 
Forum Robinsons
Marina Forum Robinsons
Level 3 Food Loft, Forum Robinsons
Boni Avenue EDSA, Mandaluyong City
Contact Person: Marjun Pama
Mobile No.: 0922-879-6751
Tel. No.: (02) 569-8099
Marina Iloilo
Marina Iloilo
Diversion Road
Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Tel. No.: (33)320 1230