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Showing posts from August, 2010

Bistro Luneta

Ukoy It's as much about the presentation as the taste of the dishes we selected at Bistro Luneta in San Mateo. For starters we ordered the shrimp ukoy which I thought was well prepared. It was served crisp and brown and not a minute longer in the pan.   Tortang Talong The tortang talong or grilled eggplant omelette was perhaps the most visually appealing dish and as delicious as it looks above. The eggplant (the restaurant served Japanese eggplants) is topped off with sautéed ground pork like an open face sandwich. It's important that the eggplant is grilled long enough else it's too chewy which is why it may take longer to prepare it. We also had fish escabeche with teriyaki sauce. This is more appetizing to the American palate. I prefer the Pilipino version with some vinegar and soy sauce. On the whole, we enjoyed our dinner at Bistro Luneta amidst a simple zen background and convenient parking at the back of the restaurant. Recipe for ukoy:  http://putopinoy.blogs

Let's Shop Around the World!

On Takeshita Street in Tokyo From Tokyo's trendy Takeshita Street to Amsterdam's Flower Market and across Europe and the Americas then back to Southeast Asia, shopping is a journey of discovery, retail therapy for some and bittersweet parting with hard earned "dinero" for most of us. Here are some irresistible finds and incredibly beautiful shopping meccas. Flower Market In the tulip capital of the world, you can find a variety of bulbs in Amsterdam's Flower Market on the Singel. Galeries Lafayette I like to stand in the center underneath the glass dome for the best view of these balconies at the Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. Then I go upstairs to get a birds eye view of the ground floor with its perfume and cosmetic counters. O la la. Ponte Vecchio At the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, fine jewelry glitter from shop windows lining the bridge. It's a feast for the eyes and a treat just to see the beautiful pieces on display and imagine i

Limerick, Galway, Ennis, and Doolin

King John's Castle in Limerick City History plays amidst spectacular surroundings and small towns enchant. Fáilte (Welcome) to Western Ireland. The River Shannon runs along the side of this 13th century fortification, King John's Castle. There's a tremendous view from the top of the cylindrical towers following the river to the green hills beyond. During the Great Seige of 1642, Cromwell's army dug mines beneath the castle walls to undermine this once mighty fortress. Invincible? Hardly. Two Writers - Galway In this imaginary scenario, two famous writers, Oscar Wilde and Eduard Wilde (from Estonia) are deep in conversation. It's anybody's guess what their talk is about. They had never met in real life. May I dare say they're exploring their "roots" since they bear the same last name? Healing Hands by Shane Gilmore Pro Cathedral of St. Peters and Paul, Ennis There are various interpretations of these limestone hands modeled from the hands of