Breakfast Times 2 at Grams Diner

Late April, I had to attend a yearly convention of Philippine dentists at SMX Convention Center near SM Mall of Asia. It was the first time that our convention will be held at that venue since it was always at the PICC. I can imagine most dentists being giddy and excited about the change since most of us are sick of the lack of parking, not-that-nice learning environment of the function rooms and the lack of decent caterers and nearby restaurants at the former venue. I remember my cousin (who's also a dentist) Nemo always gets minor food poisoning from the venue's caterer yet she gets to eat there each year since she'd rather have those diarrhea episodes than brave the scorching heat walking to Tropical Hut or any nearby food joint just to have lunch. Good thing I haven't been a victim of that caterer since I always hang out with my nongni (godfather) who fortunately drives us all the way to Harbor Square for lunch.

This year, I planned the days when I would attend the convention (since it was a week-long event) and I picked those which my hubby, the Congressman, have hearings scheduled in Pasay area. Good thing, the Congressman decided for us to have breakfast somewhere in the area then drive me all the way to the venue so there'd be no more hassle for me. (Boy, he does love me still! Gush!)

The Congressman seemed to be in a good mood on our drive to MOA until we were trying to find an open restaurant at 7AM so we can have breakfast. Things were about to go sour until I saw the Grams Diner lit sign and a couple of diners in the outdoor seating area. Now, I'm sure that they serve breakfast there since I use to frequent the Rockwell branch during our dental study sessions. The Congressman seems a little bit skeptical as I led him to the spot but he knows that I am like a sniffing dog on prowl when it comes to food joints.

Anyway, inside Grams Diner, one might have a flashback with those Archie Digests teens would wound up reading back in the 80's and 90's. This is something the characters in that comic book would walk into--all that's missing is Betty and Veronica sharing a malt soda with Archie.

Grams Diner MOA

Graffiti while you eat

It's not as 70-ish as the Butter Diner (near Shopwise) but still it appears to be within the "diner" theme.  It has a "graffiti section" on one of its walls where you can write whatever you want, sans obscenities and foul words, save those for the toilet cubicle doors where they belong.

The bar

It would have been much better if they played something from the diner era instead of those Micheal Bubble songs. Posters of Hollywood stars in the 70's adorn the restaurant walls, most of them I don't recognize, tee-hee.

They have a relatively wide variety of food items on their menu. On Day 1, I ordered the Homemade Meatloaf (PHP 135, comes with veggies and rice) and Dalanghita juice (PHP 55, single serve) while the Congressman opted for a true blue breakfast: Pancake Breakfast (PHP 145) and a cup of piping Hot Chocolate (PHP 55).

Day 1 choice: Burger steak, errr, Meatloaf and Dalanghita Juice

Day 1: Congressman's ultimate breakfast

I hate to start the review part with a negative thing but it's really unavoidable. I opted for the homemade meatloaf thinking that it would be something that Mom would prepare and bake at home. It would be such a yummy treat for someone who's exposure to meatloaf would be the one that came out from a can. Alas, I asked the waitress if they got my order wrong as my dish looks like something other than the meatloaf I expected, but I was told that it was indeed the meatloaf dish. Duh. I expected a cut loaf, not a patty! And the taste: reminds me of that favorite Jollibee dish of mine except that I know I'm not in Jollibee and I am about to pay way more than what a burger steak is worth. The Dalanghita juice is so-so, I guess I was really disappointed with the burger-slash-meatloaf that I suddenly became at a loss for words.

The Congressman's order looked more enticing (See how easily I recover at the sight of food?): the Pancake Breakfast consists of  a dozen Silver Dollar Pancakes (mini-pancakes, as big as our local 10-Peso coin), 2 slabs of bacon and egg cooked either sunny-side up or scrambled. It was way better than my choice, although my hubby thought that the pancake easily breaks apart. One wouldn't mind since they're small but if the same occurs on their average-sized pancakes, then that's a different story. Taking a bite from his plate, I describe it as mini flat muffins as it tastes more cake-like rather that the pancake taste we're used to. I absolutely love their Hot Chocolate--not too rich, not too bland-- just right. Now that's one food item that lives up to Grams Diner's slogan: feel good comfort food.

(To be continued, Day 2 on Grams Diner)

Side trip: Making Mom Spabulous on Mother’s Day

May 11, Sunday, will be Mother’s Day.

I haven’t given my mom any gifts for the past 26 Mother’s Days. Well, let’s not count those which occurred while I was still an infant, since I wasn’t aware that there is such a thing back then. Back in my school-age days, I’d often find excuses why I don’t have a gift for her during such occasions: 1) I live on an allowance (P30 a day, circa 1990s, imagine a high schooler getting that amount now, they’d probably cry “Child abuse” hehe), 2)I  get my allowance from my mom ergo, if I get her anything, it’s like her buying a gift for herself, and  3) being kuripot (in English, stingy or a cheapskate), developed early in my system.

I know I’d received a lot of violent reactions regarding the above statements. Forgive me; I was such a bratty kid back then. Anyway, poor mom, she doesn’t deserve all that crap from me.

My mom had me at a relatively early age at 22 years old. She was a fresh graduate then. Looking back, I never imagined myself being a mom at that age. At 22, I was still in UP on my last years in Dentistry lazing my way into early adulthood. I must say, those last years in dental school traumatized us (me and my mom, oh and my dad’s pocket as well) a lot that she made me and my brother swear that no one else in the family (including the future generations) will be allowed to take up dentistry anymore. I managed to graduate (after 6 and a half years) but I have a feeling she was pretty disappointed that her investment didn’t really go well since I am still earning within the minimum wage scale. Oh and my brother? She didn’t get any much luck with him either, as what should be a 3-year course in DLSU became a 5-year project (and counting, egad!) for him. Poor ma!

Oh well, I don’t know what happened during the Mother’s Days that occurred when I was already earning but as far as I can remember, I didn’t give her anything still.

Fast forward to several years, now I am a mother myself. I am slowly beginning to understand and appreciate her more. I realized all the sacrifices that she did for us which I wouldn’t need to do for my child anymore.  My mom didn’t get to practice her profession since she had to take care of us, thus she was eventually trapped in the world of Wordstar. Yes, that typing program before Windows came to the picture. Mom was always complaining that none of us has the patience to teach her the basics of Windows, especially Microsoft Word. I must admit I get easily irritated whenever she calls me to ask how to copy and paste a certain text into another document or ask me what the heck bullets are. I always bellow that I am no MS Words paperclipman (the creature that pops out for you to ask something about MS Word, he could also be Einstein, a dog or a robot but he’d be a paperclipman by default) and I’d get her enrolled into a computer class once I have the money.

Of course I’d feel so guilty after all of those things. Instead of calling STI or AMA (computer schools here in Manila), I plan to sit down with her and devote an entire day teaching her the basics of MS Word. (and introduce her to the paperclipman too!) Now, I’m not being a cheapskate again. I just realized that perhaps she would prefer that I’d be the one to teach her other than a complete stranger.

Oh and to make up for all the past giftless Mother’s Days she endured, I will give her a day at my favourite spa, My Cool Mint Spa in Katipunan Ave.

My husband and I are such spa-holics due to the nature of our jobs which i would consider to have high risks for backaches: me as a dentist and my husband, the Congressman, a lawyer—a job that has high risk to, well, everything! Everytime arrive from the spa, my mom would always hint that she wanted to go to a spa too. Sometimes, she would complain that all she ever wanted in life is to get a massage from anyone. Unfortunately, after stating this, everyone in the house gets selective deafness. It seems that my mom would be okay to the idea to get a massage from me, but that’s one thing I’d rather leave to the experts. I tried massaging the Congressman’s back once, and he complained that it feels like I was trying to pull out his teeth via his nape. It was that horrible.

I know my Mother’s Day gift for her would be at par with all the things she did for me. If I try to give her something she deserves, Donald Trump’s assets would just be a fraction of it. I may not be able to give her expensive and grand things but I hope she gets the picture with my very humble gesture. I’ll love her forever and I hope she’ll be happy always.

P.S.

I’d post a review of My Cool Mint Spa after my mom’s massage. Hope they’d allow me to take pictures!

Side trip: My Former Professor's Paintings

I remember a patient commenting that "I didn't realize that dentists are like artists too until now." Well, here's another proof of the artsy side of dent people.

Dr. Maria Lourdes Dorothy Salvacion, fondly called Dr. Dots by UPCD people, is my former professor in Oral Anatomy and Restorative Dentistry. For the non-dent people out there, those were subjects in dental school where we carve mirror images of tooth models in wax, draw zoomed version of specimen teeth, carve tooth fillings and drill onto teeth following a certain outline form. 

Anyway, aside from being a teacher and a dental practitioner, Dr. Dots also paint and she paints REALLY good. I know way back in school that she can draw really nice caricatures, in fact she drew one of the entire faculty of the Operative Dentistry Section in our school. (I still remember the "I am Super Armean!" thing) However, I only got to stumble upon her work on Multiply thru a friend's site. (Yey, our teachers are on Multiply! Groovy!) 

Anyway, for those interested in seeing her work, you can view them at http://dotssalvacion.multiply.com

Thank God For Melissa!

All those walking to get to different venues for this food blog makes my feet want to scream "Stop!!!!"

I've always get blisters on my feet especially when I wear formal shoes. Leather shoes and my feet don't seem to agree with each other. This problem became more evident when I graduated from dental school and kissed my good old adidas sneakers good bye. Although I can still wear rubber with scrubs, somehow, it doesn't look professional at all. (Sorry for scrubs people out there) The closest thing to closed shoes that makes my feet sigh with relief are my Crocs prima but I wouldn't dare wear that with slacks.

Good thing someone invented Melissa shoes. They aren't leather but the black ones can pass looking like patent, as one of my colleagues noted. Melissa shoes are jelly shoes so they can flex while your feet move.

It's pretty expensive compared to other shoes but what justified its cost (in my case) is the guarantee that my feet would really be comfortable in it. I tried a LOT of branded leather shoes thinking that if it's expensive, it must be comfy. Each purchase lead to disappointments one after another. As for my Melissa shoes, it's really worth its price.

Melissa Desire + Triton

I got the model Desire + Triton in black (PHP 3,250) and it's perfect to wear with dressy pants, jeans and slacks. It's not completely flat but the heel isn't that high either. Perfect for long walks during dates and in my case, for my trips during food review venue hunts. I would love to get another one in white but there aren't stocks anymore. I do hope they'd have more models available here in the Philippines soon.

Melissa shoes are available at Athem (Powerplant & Shangrila Mall), Mia Bella (Serendra), Rustan's Shangrila, Rustan's Alabang, Rustan's Cebu and Mixed Denim (Greenbelt 3). They also have their online store at http://shop.melissaphilippines.com

Side Trip: Tarp Bags!

While walking in search of a good eating place in Eastwood, I sidetripped to this tiangge or row of stalls at the back of Something Fishy. They sell pretty much like the usual Greenhills tiangge stuff but one stall captured my attention. That particular stall sells flip-flops and tote bags you can use for beach outings. 

Beach must-haves: bags and flip-flops...sige pwede na rin yung fan

I was very much interested in the bags as I already purchased a pair of flip-flops at the recent Skechers sale at Tektite last April. The bags (PHP 400) , as the the tindera described, are made out of tarpaulin so it's a far better alternative to the usual beach bags in the market. 

I remember our last trip to Boracay where I didn't bother to pack a beach bag with me. I end up walking along the beach with my college Jansport bag. As what they say in gay lingo, "Ang chaka ng dating."

But you won't look chaka in these bags as they have really nice designs. Since their inner material is made up of tarpaulin, it's durable and the insides won't get wet easily, unless water goes in from the top. 

Don't worry, they don't recycle Bayani Fernando's MMDA tarp ads

These tote bags seem durable (compared to katcha and sack bags) and may even pose as a more fashionable alternative to the bayong bag. I saw a chalkboard sign which says that these bags are also available at Multiply. 

Advertising their Multiply site

I checked their Multiply page and I learned that aside from bags, they also make cosmetic kits (Single fold - PHP 130, 3 folds - PHP 130), tissue holders (PHP P50), cash organizer (PHP 120) and many more.

A sample of their cosmetic kit (as shown in their Multiply site)

TARPart Enterprises

http://tarpart.multiply.com

The New Face of Mister Kabab

Mister Kabab... that dark, hot and crowded shawarma place at the corner of West Ave. and Quezon Ave. has found its new home.

Mister Kabab would always have a place in my heart...err palate. Pepe Smith and I used to frequent this place during our impoverished (!) dating years. You know naman how kulang a college student's allowance is. During our UP years, a dinner date amounting to P200 is already engrande so guys, if you want to impress your gal in a way that it won't burn your pocket, bring her to Mister Kabab.

How good is Mister Kabab back then? Good enough for us to go back despite the rugby boys who surround the area. Their old joint always have a minimum of 3 rugby boys lurking at their entrance area. I don't know what they're keeping their eyes on: my bag or my shawarma! But even if I get tachycardic every time we eat there, Mister Kebab's Persian food kept us coming back for more.

That's why when I learned that they already transferred places (still along West Ave. though), I was able to give out a big sigh of relief and immediately demanded Pepe for us to dine there. West Ave. is pretty much out of our way (coming from Marikina) that we often go to other nearby Persian establishments in Katipunan (Persepolis & King Kebab) but every after meal, we would rant how Mister Kabab's was much much better. Good thing, Pepe was such in a good mood that he agreed to drive all the way from his office in Mandaluyong to West Ave. to satisfy my kebab craving hehe.

The first thing we noticed when we reached Mister Kabab's new venue is how much bigger it was than it's original location. It was like three times it's former size! And definitely more parking spaces at the resto's front and back area, but of course it was easily filled up as diners began to pour in.

The owner seemed to notice the lack of well ventilation in it's previous site that he had numerous ceiling fans installed in the new place. Now diners won't worry about suffocation anymore!  The high ceiling and multiple lamps that adorn the entire place makes diners more comfortable while eating. Oh and did I mention that there are no more rugby boys in sight?!

Fans galore at the new Mister Kabab

No rugby boys in sight!

We ordered the Shawarma Plate (PHP 60), Keema with eggplant (PHP 50), yogurt shakes and pita, of course. Pepe wanted to have the Ox Brain but it wasn't available that time. Of all the Persian eateries we've tried, the pita in Mister Kabab is definitely the yummiest. It tastes as if it's freshly made, unlike in King Kebab where you'd notice that the pita was made days ago. I don't remember exactly how much the pita is per piece, but I know it's definitely cheaper than in the other places I mentioned.

The yummiest pita so far

I was delighted when my Shawarma Plate came. Back in their old venue, the waitress will always tell me that this particular dish is unavailable. We're often left wondering why since their conventional shawarma (the wrapped one) is available and the only difference is the wrapping part. Pepe joked that probably they roll their shawarmas beforehand and serve the leftovers as Shawarma Plate. 

Shawarma Plate

Anyway, what I like about this dish is it enables you to eat shawarma the way you like it. Personally, I don't like eating the wrapped shawarma, the ones you'd find in the malls. Sauce would always pour out when you take a bite and the rear part often gets saturated with sauce ending up being really soggy. At Mister Kabab, you can eat shawarma by tearing a bite size part of pita bread, put your preferred toppings (you have a plateful of onions, tomatoes, cucumber and beef) and sauce, then pop it in your mouth. I would have said that this version is completely mess-free but somehow I still end up with sauce dripping from the sides of my mouth and shawarma bits on my jeans, but hey, that's a more fun way of eating shawarma.

My bite-size shawarma

I was a little bit disappointed with the Keema with eggplant as it is dry and has less serving than before. Yet Mister Kabab's version is still much better than the keema at Persepolis Katipunan which was too oily for me.

 Keema Super Dry

The yogurt shakes served us a double purpose as a drink and dessert. At PHP 30, it's really worth it, definitely better that cola. I read somewhere that yogurt shakes are served in Persian and other Middle Eastern establishments to complement the spiciness of the food served there. 

Yogurt shake

Another thing that keeps Mister Kabab ahead from the rest is its garlic sauce. It's more garlicky in flavor, without the obvious garlic bits that eventually blocks the sauce's way out of the nozzle. I had an incident at King Kebab where a small slice of garlic blocked the nozzle of the sauce dispenser. I tried to squeeze it further so the sauce can get out but alas, the sauce popped out from the bottle and spattered all over my shirt. Curses!

Overall, my reunion with Mister Kabab was pretty much OK, with the keema dish as the only disappointment. I have yet to find a nearby alternative since it's still too far from where I live. I've heard about Ababu (the infamous tambayan of Parokya ni Edgar members in Teachers Village area) which transferred along Xavierville Ave., just a short walk from our condo. The reviews I've read so far looks promising.

My verdict on Mister Kabab? 4.5/5 shoeprints You'd always find yourself back to Mister Kabab!

Mister Kabab

West Avenue, Q.C.  (almost across Kamay Kainan)

Charmed by a chimichanga

During my college years, there's this Mexican food stall along Taft Ave. (near University Mall) which sells good chimichanga. My roomies and I would troop all the way to DLSU area just to buy chimichanga and cheese flauta from this joint. Good thing, I had this ex-boyfriend who studies at DLSU back then and I "innocently and casually" (without any hint of being a bilmoko girl haha) that I really like Miggy's chimichanga. Lo and behold, the next time he paid me a visit, he handed me two chimichangas from Miggy's plus Coke in can pa!

Now, that me and that La Sallite boyfriend of mine have long since broken up and Miggy's already out of business (Waaaahhhh!), I am still in search of a real good chimichanga.

What's a chimichanga anyway? It's a burrito that's deep-fried, that simple.

I tried other Mexican-inspired restos like Mexicali whenever my brain screams "CHIMICHANGAAAAAA!" and I must say it does satisfy my craving once in a while yet I still miss that dirt cheap chimichanga of Miggy's. Mexicali reigned as my chimichanga haven for the longest time but I would love to discover other not-so expensive Mexican places as well.

Last Saturday, my mom asked me to drive her to Fitness First Eastwood for her retro class. Since I have nothing else to do and I wanted to try Omakase anyway so I obliged. I haven't been to Eastwood for a long time, last I've been there was about a year ago to watch a movie and eat at Prince of Jaipur. I dropped my mom off to where her gym is and went all the way to the front part near Eastwood's entrance to park where Alba Restorante is. My mom's retro class usually takes an hour and thirty minutes so I devised my game plan that afternoon: park the car – walk to Omakase (near Piandre) to try their much-wowed makis – fetch mom.

So off I walked to Omakase, but boo-hoo, it's closed for some minor renovations. Drats, change plans! Next to Japanese, I thought of what I would like to eat—hmm, something garlicky—Persian cuisine! I retraced my steps back to Eastwood towards Citywalk area where Prince of Jaipur is. Haha, double whammy—it's closed too! I was tired and hungry, it was a long walk from E. Rodriguez Jr. to Citywalk, you know! I figured out I'd better walk around and look for other options. My disappointment was washed over by the sight of this restaurant beside GoNuts Donuts—Agave Mexican Cantina!

 

I felt like someone trapped in the desert who wants to make sure that the oasis he's seeing isn't a mirage, I had to peer inside to make sure it's open unlike the first restos I wanted to go to. After confirming it's open, I went inside hoping that they have my all-time Mexican fave on their menu.

And this restaurant didn't disappoint me; they do have my beloved chimichanga! Now those two closed restaurants must have been a blessing in disguise after all! The place was almost empty probably because it was way past lunchtime and in a matter of seconds a waitress greeted me, in a dress which reminds me of what Lucy Torres would wear in her dancing show when she does her flamenco number. I chose to be seated in a booth at the back so I can take pictures of my food and not be conscious of the other diners. I immediately made my order; chimichanga, what else, and Agave iced tea to down it with. 

Agave opened it first and so far only branch in Eastwood last August. It was named after a Mexican plant consisting of large fleshy leaves, each ending generally in a sharp point and with a spiny margin. I think our next-door neighbor had this plant back in the 80's with its leaves covered by egg shells to prevent anyone getting near it from being poked. For a while, we thought it was an egg-bearing tree.

While waiting for my food, I observe Agave's interiors starting from the booth where I was seated. The U-shaped booth is good for groups of ten to twelve, you'll be able to fit yourselves and eat comfortably without hitting each other's elbows or bump each other while reaching for food.

The rest of the restaurant is composed of dark wooden tables and chairs, pretty much like a Mexican cantina, with large lamps hanging from the ceiling and those leaf-like designs on the wall. According to the waitress, the restaurant can seat up to 60 diners and they can provide extra tables for a bigger group.

My food was served fast, but I can't really say if this is their usual service pace—I have yet to come back during lunch or rush hour. Their chicken chimichanga (PHP160) looks big and yummy, considering I ordered a smaller size. Most of the items in their menu comes in two sizes – solo and for sharing, although forgive me for not asking how many people can be fed by their bigger servings. The wrap is crispy and not too oily, just the way I like it. The fillings (a mixture of chicken, lettuce, Mexican red rice, cheese and refried beans) are moist and creamy from the cheese, I didn't need to order a guacamole or additional sour cream to go with it. I can say that the dish is almost perfect as it is. I added the word "almost" for personal reasons like I wanted it to have extra refried beans (I looove refried beans) in it, although I learned later that you can order it as a side dish (at additional PHP45), and I missed those free white dressing available at Mexicali. Well, I can't have everything and for some people, I think the dish would be perfect.

You can have the option as for the fillings: beans for vegetarians (price ranges PHP145 – 270), chicken and steak for beef lovers. Chimichangas are also served in two ways, it can be a Classic0 (topped with salsa and sour cream like what I ordered) or an Ultimo (topped with Ranchero sauce, Mexican cheese blend, salsa and sour cream), you just need to add PHP50++ if you want to go with the latter.

Now for the iced tea: oftentimes you'd see find iced named after the restaurant's name, claiming it's their own blend. I always clear this with the waiter serving me since most of the time it's just plain Nestea or Lipton, they just change the name to make it more enticing, in that case; I'd rather have a Coke zero. Well this Agave iced tea (PHP45), as the waitress told me, is a blend of Lipton iced tea and pomelo juice. Hmm, interesting. Kudos for Agave's trying to be creative—it tastes good, like sipping iced tea from one glass and pomelo juice from another; yet I can't say it wowed me really.

Agave's menu is quite extensive, way more choices than Mexicali. For the appetizers, their best seller is the Quezo Fundido (PHP295), rich melted cheese dip with chorizo, spinach and artichokes served with garlic bread, crispy flour-tortilla triangles and corn chips; and Nacho Grande (PHP305), corn chips topped with Mexican cheese, sour cream, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeños and refried beans. Served with choice of taco beef or grilled chicken. The first one seems to be a cheaper version of those corn chips from CPK with spinach artichoke dip. Both dishes are good for sharing. The waitress even offered me a slight history of their appetizers: the Yucatan Skewers (PHP305 – 365), a choice of grilled skewers (chicken, steak, shrimp or combo), used to be an appetizer too but a lot of people eat it with rice so they gave the dish an overhaul by serving it with Mexican red rice and Hacienda ranch dip; thus making it one of their main dish specialties.

Other dishes on their Favorites category that I'd want to try on my second time there are their burritos (fillings can be bean, chicken, pork or steak, at P135 – 235) and quesadillas (cheese, mushroom, chicken, steak or shrimp, priced at PHP190 – 375). For the main dishes, I might get the Mexican pizza (PHP245), thin crust pizza topped with your choice of chicken or beef plus tomatoes, green peppers, onions and olive. It reminds me of that uber yummy Mexican pizza we had in Boracay last year. I promise to hunt it down when we go there next month along with Boracay's other gastronomic delights.

 

Agave also offers a wide array of alcoholic drinks from their bar, I hope to try their house margarita on our next drinking spree.

Overall, I give it a grade of 4/5 shoe prints = Muy delicioso! Worth a comeback!

 

Eastwood Citywalk 1

Unit H-6

188 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue

Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City

Tel. 912-6989

www.agavecantina.com