Food Panda Maginhawa Food Crawl: KATZ Diner

It's been a while since I visited Maginhawa Street in Quezon City. We were there for a small event of Food Panda Philippines. It's a food crawl of some of their local restaurant partners so we could get to experience their offerings that's already available with Food Panda's delivery service. The first place we got to promises an all day breakfast menu, with the premise of a hearty American diner menu but with the inclusion of continental and Filipino favorites. This is KATZ Diner.

KATZ Diner isn't directly on Maginhawa street, but it's a stones throw away from it and the corner of Malingap street in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. It's got ample parking, 2-4 cars in front and a couple more on the street itself and can accommodate around 30-40 people.  

The interior has got 2 kitchens, some parts are modern, some are rustic, some corners even have posters to pay homage to musicals. They are big fans of it. The other kitchen is there to whip up drinks,  and the other one for hot kitchen items. They just opened April this year serving an assortment of teas and coffee. Chef Kat Oronce also does all the plates herself so you are assured you're getting what you pay for. This is a family owned shack, we had the pleasure of meeting her family during that morning too, including that cute little baby boy on the bottom right side of this shot. They were warmly and sincerely welcoming us to their joint, we felt that right away.

Grilled Pork Steak

 This is KATZ Diner's Grilled Pork Steak. The tender slices of pork had charred parts on it. One bite and you can taste the slightly gingery marinade base it was soaked in probably for hours. This is on the sweet side so don't be shy to ask for vinegar with chili to make it the perfect thing to have for breakfast. Do not leave the place without tasting the Green Tea Yakult which you can have together with this lovely grilled pork dish. They also have various fruity Iced Teas available, or if you opt for the coffee they've got hot and cold ones too. It cuts the oiliness and makes it the perfect accompaniment to everything else on the menu.

Longganisa

One of the hits that morning was this deconstructed Longganisa. They mix in the usual Filipino sauteing ingredients, or some sort of salsa so it doesn't come off as fatty since it is made of pork. This is also served on the side with scrambled egg, so it feels like an omelet where the ingredients are not folded in. I'd gladly have this with french toast or just the plain one and it'll be perfect for breakfast.

Roast Pork Belly

Never even think about your diet when you are on a food adventure in the Maginhawa district. This Roast Pork Belly served with hot white rice, sunny side up egg, mashed sweet potatoes, gravy and chimchurri sauce. It's flavor combination might not be too familiar but it's a staple in South America, particularly Argentina that loves meat with strong and pungent spices all day. Pretty good actually, but this last one is my favorite.

KATZ Diners' Lava Cake

They saved the best for last. You know that instant when you bite into something chocolatey, something gooey that you just can't help but close your eyes and feel it take you to heaven? That's exactly what I felt in this moment. They carefully prepared this to end our meal and the Lava Cake was definitely done right, one slice and the slurry of chocolate just oozes out of the cake enveloping the chocolate chips, marshmallow and the whole cake. It was lovely, and if there was something I'd go back for in this place, it would be this.

They have tons more in the menu that we haven't even tried yet but I have a hunch the pasta, arroz ala katz and boneless bangus would also be a hit. Remember, if you are around the area you can order this through Food Panda by downloading the App in the App Store or Google Play store. You can also go directly to their website and channels below to experience it like we did. Thank you so much to the people from Food Panda and KATZ Diner for hosting our first salvo. We will be back soon! By the way, there's like a couple more restaurants we'll be featuring from the Maginhawa Food Crawl so watch out for that soon!

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GMA's Bet Ng Bayan Semi-Finals Starts Today

When the love for talented Filipinos come full circle, they make it in every town in the Philippines just to find that one special person (or group for this matter); more so in this reality talent show competition called "Bet ng Bayan". Hosted by Asia's Songbird Ms. Regine Velasquez and co-hosted by dimple demigod Alden Richards. Watch these superstars as they start roaming around the Philippines to see the most talented people in the country, then pit them against each other in a one of a kind show and adjudged by some of the Philippines' talented celebrities. The last time I watched, I saw Kuh Ledesma, Jonalyn Viray and Louie Ocampo on the judges table. They've already got bases covered, but you know what they actually do to make things even more real? They got the people to have their say in the competition too. Aside from that, you'll see contestants fight for the right to be in the finals in categories “Bet sa Kantahan” (singing), “Bet sa Sayawan” (dancing), and “Bet sa Kakaibang Talento” (unique talents). If they get to win in the Finals, I heard they'll have a cash prize of 1 million pesos, a recording contract, a house and lot, and a lot of other prizes. They must make sure their talent would be worth that much though!

During today's episode, the bet of Tanauan Katherine Castillo unfortunately was amateurish. It has something to do with diction, the way she pronounced the words of the song (I thought she was even sick) and this might have just failed her in this round. I am sorry dear. I think I'm quite sure you won't win today. I laud your efforts though. Trust me, the judges were just being nice with her. 

For the San Carlos City, Pangasinan bet Renz Roboza. He got every detail of his song in tune, emotions true and the people have already done a good job of choosing. A veteran I think, and very well prepared.

Boyz Unlimited of Mangaldan Pangasinan made sure they stomped their feet, crumped their superiority on the floor. Worthy to win. They have joined and won several competitions already, qualified for international too but they just didn't get funded. They might need this break and looks like they are hungry for it.

The UNEP Dance Club though is going to give the other guys a run for their money. They did a pretty good ballroom-jazz number, totally different routine. If judges are going to not go for the "usual dance number they see in dance contests" then they might win. It's kinda girly, but they're my bet.

Now for the unique performers, we have a ventriloquist John Kim Belangel all the way from Catanduanes. Hmm.. His jokes might be good, some of them might offend the Pangalatoks though. But the singing was good, that might just get him to win. That, and the thing where the two puppets did sing London Bridge at the same time.

Jason Ivan Sobremonte and his talent looked refreshing. I can only do 2 things when he did his routine. Unbelievable in most parts, plus the way he did his set was amazing. How can that be beaten? As the judges even said, he was world class. You only see these shows in Las Vegas. 

In the end, all my bets won and will represent the whole Luzon Island in the Finals. There will be a few more people lined up for the next few weeks (to battle for Visayas and Mindanao) so make sure you tune in 9:40PM every Sunday on GMA!

/*Screenies or images not mine. Credit to owners.

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Public Advisory from Sky Cable

It's going to be one rainy night. As we brace ourselves for the effect of Typhoon Ruby aka Hagupit, we might also encounter inconveniences at home like losing our cable services because towers, posts might fall off, get broken by strong winds expected today or tomorrow. They will follow and make all remedies to make sure everything would be working but of course we have to consider this is something beyond their control. If they fix it while it's still raining outside, their safety might be also at risk. They might have to make sure their people are not going to be at harms way while they are doing the repairs. That goes the same with their broadband internet connection too.

Image from Sky Cable Facebook Page and not mine.

Anyway, they've got some of the places on red alert. Once that the power and roads are passable on these provinces, they'll make sure to have everything back to normal. The provinces are Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Antique, Biliran, Bohol, Bukidnon,  Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cebu,  Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands,  Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Iloilo, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Leyte, Marinduque, Masbate, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Northern Samar, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Mindoro,  Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Quezon, Romblon, Samar, Siquijor, Sorsogon,  Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte,  Surigao del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga del Sur.

Post by Sky Cable.

If your connection has not been restored and your place has been declared safe already, please don't hesitate to contact their hotline for Manila, CAMANAVA and Rizal (632) 381-0000, for  046-484-4701 for Cavite, 049-534-2814 for Sta. Rosa, Calamba and Binan, Laguna, 02-520-8560 for San Pedro, Laguna, 044-693-5877 for Bulacan, 032-421-1818 for Cebu, 082-305- 5456 for Davao,  074-442-4841 for Baguio, 034-432-0051 for Bacolod, 033-300-1210 for Iloilo, 035-225- 1010 for Dumaguete and 083-301-3134 for General Santos City.

You can also follow their social media channels below so you could monitor if they have public announcements regarding service interruptions soon.

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The BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker

Finding the perfect speakers to be in your home or your favorite travel buddy takes a lot of trial and errors. I have found quite a few that would be able to satisfy the audiophile in me but I guess it sometimes fall short on one category, and that's the number of hours that these speakers work. I have bluetooth speakers that work for about an hour, I have one that works around 4-6 hours but I have never even imagined that there would be something like the BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker. The promise? 10 hours. Is that even possible (I had to ask)? We went and tested this promising product for a few days. 

Just like it's predecessors, this is primarily a Bluetooth speaker. I didn't know until I read the fine print that this is also going to function like a power bank. I think it's also the same reason why it can last a long time, because you can use the device batteries to also charge your cellphones and small gadgets that run on the same specifications. 

Unboxing the BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker

The black box contains enough cardboard pieces to protect the metal finish of the speaker. It fits the purpose of at least getting the device to you without scratches or dents but with the speaker's build, it'll be pretty hard to do that for real.

The pack also contains two cords. One is the twin 3.5 mm jack, used probably to have another speaker connected to it. The other is for charging the device, from USB to mini jack that you can also use to charge phones with the same port. Since there is a USB port on the BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker, you can use your own Lightning cable for Apple devices like what I'll be using in this instance.

Braven's Top View

Braven's Back View

Braven's Front View

As for the Braven 570's build, it's really awesome. Now you might think it's weird to have the speakers open in two directions, but if you've got real sound going out of the unit, you don't need the extra bass and go for a louder volume... that's exactly what you'll get from this unit. I tried both music and podcasts so I could differentiate what I'm going to hear in vocals and in different genres of music. If you are looking for deep bass, this wasn't made for that. This BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker is for REAL non saturated music, no modifications, nothing but the clear music as it should be. Purists who prefer it this way will super like it. As for the loudness, I've reviewed smaller ones before and this packs it like twice of those. After all, this is where that 6 watts of power goes.

Pairing the BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker was also easy. Just turn on the notch found in the side of the device. You will hear an ascending tone on the speaker itself. Go to your phone and open it's bluetooth capability, it should see the BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker on the list of devices.

Just go ahead and click on the BRAVEN 570, then wait for it to connect.

There's also a blinking blue light on the device signifying the attempt on pairing. It only lasts a few seconds so make sure you do not miss the exact time pairing with it. This could also be the way to pair with it securely because if it stands around like other devices, other people might connect with it just for fun. That might ruin your listening experience, and it was cool they only do it for a few seconds for discovery alone.

Talking about controls, the ON/OFF switch, the bluetooth pairing button, the mini USB port, the 3.5mm input jack and the +/- Volume controls looked very apt for the unit. On the other side, the USB port (for output), the 3.5mm (also for output so you can connect another speaker), and the charging button if you have a phone attached. 

Using the Bluetooth connection, I was already satisfied with the output of this BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker and it could still work in my room which was more than 10 feet away from it. I don't have that much interference in my house aside from the router and it all works like it should.

I also used the cable that came with the package to connect my iPhone 5S powered by SMART to play podcasts straight from the internet and it was amazing. I think it even sounded more crisp with the cable, but even so, either way, they all work so good on talk shows, and HD music on Deezer Premium.

The BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker also has an output 3.5mm port so if you have another BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker or other brands that have that input, you can daisy chain it for an even louder set. Heck, you can have a party indoors or outdoors with friends and family with just this and your iPhone. I'm sure that will be so good if you want to carry around something, not those huge ones that you have to rent and pay thousands of pesos for when you can get the best in this small device.

The BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker also can be used as a Speakerphone. If you're in a group and want the whole place to listen in to meetings, parties where you want the ones abroad to join you, this is a great solution. Aside from that, it's got this USB port on it that you can use to charge your cellphones. Since it's got around 10 hours of battery life, lending a few thousand mAh's for your drained phones won't hurt. It can also greatly work in emergencies when you can't find a power source during weather disturbances like this typhoon weekend.

The new BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker works as it should and has a lot of other things in its sleeve to impress you more. It works as a speakerphone, a power bank and plays real sounding music for hours of fun with your family. It's also available in Digits Trading branches nationwide. All you need to do is go to their stores and test it out. Whatever is your budget, they've got other Braven models you can choose from to fit that. Don't forget to check out their showrooms because they would gladly assist you in choosing the right stuff that would also fit your personality. These are lifestyle products after all. As for me, I am happy with the BRAVEN 570 HD Wireless Speaker. I held a party yesterday at home using this, fits like a glove! If you haven't thought about that perfect Christmas gift yet for your man, this would be highly suggested!

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http://www.braven.com/