Izakaya Kikufuji in Little Tokyo, Makati

Trying out Japanese food in Little Tokyo with my son. Little Tokyo is a cluster of Japanese restaurants along Pasong Tamo (Chino Roces St.) in Makati, next to the old Makati Cinema Square. Skipped lunch as I went to Divisoria so this dinner more than compensates the missed meal. We had not anticipated the big servings and the prices are reasonable for a highly recommended Japanese restaurant. Will be back to try the other items on offer or the Shinjuku Ramen House next door, known for its ramen and gyoza.

Seafood tempura bento 

Gyu kushi

Ton katsu

Spicy tuna sashimi

Chiropractic, physical therapy & acupuncture

Has anyone tried a naturalistic health care approach to seek relief from pain in the lower back, neck, arms and legs? I have started this approach this week and will update you on my progress.

Chiropractors use hands-on spinal manipulation and other alternative treatments, the theory being that proper alignment of the body's musculoskeletal structure, particularly the spine, will enable the body to heal itself without surgery or medication. Manipulation is used to restore mobility to joints restricted by tissue injury caused by a traumatic event, such as falling, or repetitive stress, such as sitting without proper back support (WebMD, 2016).

Manual alignment is done while one is lying face down or on one's side on an examining table. My chiropractor said relax and with his hands, used a controlled sudden force to improve my range and quality of motion. The whole procedure only takes less than 10 minutes and it makes you feel lighter afterwards.

Must-eats in Honolulu

Carrot pancake with breakfast combo, IHOP on Kuhio Ave.

Leonard's Bakery signage on Kapuhulu St.

Leonard's Wagon at the Waekele Premium Outlets

 
When in Honolulu, there are must-eats worth the time and carbs for. In late September 2012, my son and I were in Honolulu for a 10-day vacation. While there, we made sure we had the local favorites of Leonard's malasadas, the Shorebird buffet breakfast, breakfast at Orchids restaurant  at Halekulani Hotel and Eggs N' Things.

Leonard's masaladas, both at the original bakery in Kapahulu and at their wagon at theWaekele Premium Outlets. Leonard's malasadas are Portuguese donuts with no hole in the center. You can choose from orginal with white sugar, cinnamon and those with custard filling. Inside the Kapahulu store are a wide range of baked products. Another popular item is the sweet bread or pao doce. I brought one home. You can also order hot and cold drinks and sit on the benches outside.

Leonard's Bakery show case

Macadamia pancakes & Portuguese sausage at Orchids Restaurant, 

Food in My Tho, Tien Giang, Vietnam

Vietnamese sour fish soup - canh chua ca



Vietnamese braised fish in claypot - ca ro kho to

On March 27-31, on our way to An Giang province, Vietnam, we stopped in My Tho for lunch with our Vietnamese research partners. These two dishes were among several we ate but my favorite is ca ro kho to, braised fish in claypot (see picture above). It is a tasty fish and the tamarind sauce makes it a perfect dish any time of the day.

The first picture is sour fish soup or canh chua ca. The fish is simmered on the table and the vegetables are added when the fish is nearly cooked. It has a sour and sweetish taste from ripe pineapple, spring onions, shallots, fresh root ginger, lemon grass and tamarind paste. Click the link for the recipe of canh chua ca.

Fruits from our farm

After a 2008 hiatus, our small fruit farm in Ormoc City has a bumper crop of tropical fruits -- Bangkok santol, mangosteen and lanzones (see photos above). It is a joy considering the extreme weather events of early rain and wind that have ran havoc to the fruits in Davao this year. And my sisters flew in from San Francisco this morning for a visit but primarily to pick lanzones. This lanzones picking has been two years in the making. First, my sister wanted to come over in 2007 when she learned about our fruits. I told her that it will be a case of delayed gratification because the trees only bear these fruits every other year. I'm so thrilled our fruit trees did not disappoint this year

On the phone, my sister said she will only eat fruits in Ormoc. I dangled other irresistible goodies -- lechon, Queen pineapple, langka, dried danggit. I have also arranged trips to our hometown, Carigara, to visit the market on market day, eat kinilaw, dilis fritters, bibingka, lupak na saging & balanghoy, rattan fruit, mala-igang, palawan and saba bananas. Such luxuries can only be found in one's hometown.

Dining in Hangzhou

On June 30 -July 4, I was in Hangzhou to conduct training in Jinhua. Hangzhou food is superb, never the greasy food laden with MSG that is often associated with Chinese cooking. The pictures above are just some of the dishes served at dinner I had with friends in Zhejiang University.

The first picture is a fish dish which is reminiscent of the Thai fried fish with soya bean paste, ginger and chilli. The next one is an eggplant dish sauteed in soybean paste and it is so delicious.

Irresistible Thai desserts

I was again in Bangkok in January and April for a workshop and I had time to sneak to the Chatuchak market. In January, the climate was quite pleasant but when I was there last week, the heat was rather extreme and I would describe it as "biting the skin". As I walked around thirsty and hot, I stumbled on a Thai dessert roadside stall which was just too hard to resist. Reminiscent of the halo-halo in the Philippines, this Thai dessert is also called ruan mitr or tab tim grob (red rubies), depending on the mix of goodies inside. I always like ruan mitr which I often order after a meal at MK restaurants.




































At a field visit in Nakon Nayok province, we were served this sticky rice with coconut milk and banana and taro filling wrapped in banana leaves. The sticky rice part tastes like the Philippine suman but it is the filling that sets it apart. The piece de resistance was the ripe sweet tamarind (see photo below):



Last week, when I was in Bangkok, I had memorable meals, even those cooked in the countryside where we had our focus groups with farmers. Will post some photos in my next post.