Come Taste Flavors of the Philippines 2017

I've always have this innate fondness to Filipino cuisine ever since I've been blogging. The concept has always been simple but there's been nostalgia, history in every dish that describes us as people. This is the reason that everytime I have guests or relatives arriving from any place in the world, I make them taste Filipino food as much as I can. Now what if I could tell you that you can actually taste the dishes of 7641 islands without leaving the comforts of the city? Skeptic? Well don't worry, let me show you the way!

You see, Flavors of the Philippines 2017 was just recently launched by the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board. It's on it's third year and they are doing this for the whole month of April so anybody, of all walks of life could actually get to taste Filipino cuisine from the best hotels and restaurants in the country. 

Alta in BGC starts off with Alta's Spanish x Pinoy Set Menus with ingredients like Huevos, Kabute, Rabano, Pipino, Pulpo, Camote, Balatinao, Totija, Pomelo and Cocoa for a more Spanish - Filipino fusion context. We all know we have 300 years of history to go with that. Grace Park in Rockwell on the other hand has Chorizo in a Blanket, Spaghettini with goulash, sun dried tomatoes and calamaya olives, plus the famous Callos which everyone treats as comfort food. Then for Jamon Iberico treats at Lusso in Greenbelt 5, they've got that famous ham paired with baby olives, french baguettes, salad and tomatoes. They also have a Croqueta Bar complete with Bacalao, Jamon Serrano, and lovely TDF lechon (no feast is complete without it). There are tons of other bars and restaurants like The Pantry which serve lovely original concoctions made from herbs, fruits and spirits inside historic Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City. There's also Cafe Janealo's Halo Halo Smoothie and Bibingka (rice cake) in Cabildo street along the Intramuros district so you could taste a little piece of Filipino Christmas any time of the day! And if you're there, have seconds at Barbaras in General Luna Street Intramuros for various "sinaunang putaje" (old recipes) from different regions in the country. Illustrado Restaurant and Cafe in the same area also serves heritage cuisines if you are much of a history junky, take time for lunch with their Ilustrado Inaugural Feast which includes someof the things they serve before a Philippine President is sworn into office. If you want to taste the favorites, head on back to Bistro Trasierra at the AIM office in Legaspi Makati so you can get the staples in every Gilipino fiesta. 

If you are fond of "merienda" (in betwreen snacks), Milky Way in Arnaiz Avenue in Makati City has got the best Pansit Luglug, Tokwat Baboy and Arroz Caldo (we have this as meals every late afternoon). You have tons to choose from and if you can't get the time to visit ALL the islands, just head on to these establishments which assures you authentic Filipino food and experience everyday. 

For more information, visit them at http://www.tourism.gov.ph/ today and take a look at how the Philippines can be seen and felt through gastronomic experiences in just a few days! Because again, it's more fun in the Philippines!

KUMAGCOW

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RAPOO x VPRO Asks Why So Serious?

I admit, I still am a little boring. Do you have gaming rigs at home? What does your keyboard look like? How about your mouse? What does your headphone look like? I'm asking because mine is all white and apparently, this event I'm in right now solidified my "boring" theory LOL.

Popular brand RAPOO and VPRO knows there are still boring people like me so they've done industrial art and technology on these computer peripherals and take imagination to reality. They make really good gaming keyboards, and they're definitely not boring.

They've got wired and wireless keyboards that's designed well, breaking normal styled ones and crafted with the desire to create a revolution. I love the V500L the most because just look at the colors! It's also so comfortable for hours of gameplay. I also like how the keyboards are lit so you can still see even in the dark. The responsiveness and sensitivity is also unquestionable, I could really win games and type blog entries normally with these kind of keyboard. I'm drooling with envy as they have all of these on display. I want one! :) 

The VPRO headsets were really impressive too. Deep bass with clear and sharp sound, how can you not love something like this? 

The headphones also are quite comfortable. Soft and not too hot on the ears, which is probably done so you can wear it for hours and hear the enemies close in on you if the radars don't work. The thing also changes colors which looked so fancy I'd mistake it for professional DJ equipment. It would work with games and music I'm sure.

The mouse you're seeing right now is also my favorite. This is the V26. It's a wired Gaming Mouse with 3000 DPI, 5 Buttons and multi colored LED, it was actually changing colors as I took this photo. It costs 30 US dollars on international stores and I bet it'll be around that price range in pesos. They actually have more on their line and if you want to experience it, buy it off online stores and computer accessory stores nationwide. Just look for the RAPOO and VPRO brand. They've just started with the gaming peripherals and you'll see how it will change your gaming and computing experience very soon!

Why so serious? When you can PLAY!

KUMAGCOW

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The Greatest Love Ends in 3 Weeks

We're at The Greatest Love finale presscon today. And it looks like they're ending the show in 3 weeks. Sad news indeed!

Joshua Garcia says "I am really thankful to be part of the show. It has brought upon attention to a degenerative disease that doesn't choose age, brain activity, as this still has no cure. I will miss everyone, the management, staff and stars. I wish I could still get to work with them after the show. I have two Moms, like Ms. Dimples and Ms. Sylvia, and I want that to remain."

Aaron Villaflor added "I don't even say I love you to my Mom and Dad before this show and it has changed me, in a way that I do always say I love you to them now in a regular basis. I was sad to see it'll only be 3 weeks before our story ends. We're happy that our shots work, even the revisions of the writers. We know how hard it was for them to work at this. We knew what we were getting ourselves into even before the show so in some way, the HATE was kinda expected. They have to know though that we are actors. I will miss the off cam moments, all the live instagram updates we do while on set, these people are my greatest love and I hope they connect with Paeng and feel sorry if they also are in the same situation. From black, he went to gray and now white Allegre and I'm thankful and blessed because Paeng had a really interesting journey."

Andi Eigenmann says "My Mom said I changed a lot because I don't even say po or opo in texts, and I do now. She's also a fan of the show so it was just lovely to see people's reaction while the show was going on. Everybody who's in TGL is happy because we finally have something that works on Philippine TV. I now see what my priorities are, it's family. Everything happens for a reason, even our partners and children would visit us and have fun the set, it helped built my relationship with my child and boyfriend. It helped me see things clearly."

Dimples Romana says "This show affected me so much that it changed my relationship with my Mom. I say I LOVE YOU more to her now that she thinks I'm too clingy, and at first she even thought it wasn't me. I had to hate myself while doing Amanda and I had to push myself to be as real as possible. I asked myself a lot of times but it happens and I had to do it. The whole point of the show is teach and touch people. We bully each other a lot if we can't say the lines, that's how supportive they are haha. Thank you for this role that has been given to me. Before a scene, they revise things a lot of times and we had to make sure it touches a lot of people, and we play with that. We don't want to bear the weight so much, we're tired after a scene but we keep the set happy because we need to do that. We read all the feedback, I even get threats (her kids included too) but the writers have redeemed the character and they made sure they fix that. This is real because someone guilty of it tweeted me last night and admitted she's an Amanda no matter how evil she is."

The show's star Ms. Sylvia Sanchez says "Thank you for letting me be recognized. All the awards and accolades I got would not be impossible without you all! I don't think a mother's love would be gone, but there are times people should do tough love. It'll make them look at people with respect. I want to make sure my kods are safe, they're okay and just have good health, happiness, and a great life. This is our passion and we learn a lot in the show, but we stand to tell the story of the Allegre family. Everyday that I portray Gloria I sometimes have to erase her because I carry the character even when I'm already home. I just stand there and look dazed, and we need to snap out of it. I remember my scene with Z, I cried but I didn't have to because I was showing symptoms. We have more of that, you have to be ready."

The Greatest Love is shown in the afternoon primetime block of ABSCBN right after The Better Half and you'll have to see them in their last 3 weeks. You'll discover this is more entertainment, this is real emotions, real love for parents, siblings and put yourself in these situations as they do happen in real life.

KUMAGCOW

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Botejyu Authentic Japanese Cuisine Megamall

This is not a ramen place but the premise of this restaurant is to serve the best of what Japan has to offer in one place, meaning they put all the famous regional dishes on their menu. I'm alone so I could only eat so much. The place can sit about 60-70 people including outside seating.

The menu is VERY pricey and the servings are normal sized, so if you're on a budget this isn't the one for you. A normal meal here would need about 500 bucks, more if you plan to eat like a king.

The Ramen I ordered is called Paitan Ramen with Charsiu Pork which hails from the Kyoto region. For me, it was already bordering fusion because Charsiu is already chinese. There were only two varieties and the Chicken was breaded like Tempura so I chose the Pork. It's got a bone based broth, already milky prolly by boiling for hours and had some dried fish hints on the flavor. The pork is prolly boiled then roasted over fire so you also get a little smokey flavor from it but not as sweet as normal HK chinese charsiu. It's a tad salty, but just enough if you want something for a rainy weather like today. 

If you want it a tad spicy, they have these Schichimi spices upon request, also some dried NORI which I used and it changed the broth's flavor. I love it more now. I also like the crunchy veggies and tamago added on it.

PS. They don't serve coke but they have Pepsi products and a couple of alcoholic drinks including Asahi Beer.

This would be okay for families who are looking for a Japanese fix but really, it's not for those looking to save a few bucks for lunch or dinner. But the service is superb, as they have people kinda assigned per table. 4/5 Kumags which means it's just alright. Botejyu is at the SM Megamall Atrium, right across the MANGO store.

KUMAGCOW 

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