Julia's Pasta

Julia's Pasta

I discovered this "fast food" option while going around Amsterdam Central Station. A good friend actually mentioned this but I hadn't come across it while in Enschede or Arnhem. Julia's Pasta is an excellent option for people on the go who don't want the hassle of going to a restaurant to get a healthy meal. I've always thought that you can eat healthy if only the available choices where to get your meal would only exert a bit more effort in providing these options. Julia's, I think, does just that.

They had what looked like freshly made pastas and sauces, and herbs that went into each box of pasta order ready to be plucked from the metal pots.

The staff were engaging and they seem to have everything available for a quick healthy meal for people on the go.

The box reminded me of Chinese food takeouts.

Fresh arugula!

I took my takeout with me back to the hotel where I enjoyed my food while sorting through my loot for the day. I highly recommend Julia's over sit-down restaurants, especially the fancy ones, for travelers/tourists who would likely be traveling on a budget. Its good, healthy food that's wallet-friendly. I wish we had more options like this in Manila though I'm sure there are many holes-in-the-wall types or "aristo-carts" offering good food choices as well. 

Note: I'm sure there are those who would have a different opinion about Julia's but then understand where I am coming from. Good food in Manila is usually associated with pricey restaurants and not all "artisto-carts" or informal food sources/stands sell healthy or even clean food.

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On inflight meals again

On inflight meals again

During my recent travel to the Netherlands, I decided to take Emirates in order to have more manageable (for me) times in flight. The flight between Manila and Dubai was about 7 hours while the flight between Dubai and Amsterdam was about 8 hours. My layover in Dubai was 4 hours. That meant a lot of time to walk around and get my bearings between long flights. I have also been informed that the inflight meals on Emirates were better than most airlines even on economy. I must agree with that observation and I’m now posting some of the “stolen” shots I took of the inflight meals.

Breakfast served on the Manila-Dubai leg of my trip

Breakfast on the Dubai-Amsterdam leg of my trip

Menu on the Dubai-Amsterdam leg of my trip

Details on the meals served on the flight between Dubai and Amsterdam

The lunch selection was okay and I always thought that one doesn't have to consume everything served to you inflight. Eat and drink just enough so you won't feel hungry or thirsty on a long flight. Check out the food if the taste suits you. If you don't feel like eating or it doesn't taste right to you then perhaps you should pass or opt for some light snacks. I do recommend drinking more as you tend to become dehydrated especially on long flights.

I refrained from taking photos of my meals back to Manila but they were again alright compared to most inflight meals I've had. I guess the better ones I've had would be those on my long-haul flights to and from the US via Japan Airlines (JAL). Of course, I am sure that other people would have other opinions about inflight meals including those who categorically state these are unhealthy. You are certainly entitled to your opinion. :)

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Hearty pesto and chicken sandwich from Spar

Hearty pesto and chicken sandwich from Spar

I have had minimal rice since I arrived in Holland. It's actually a welcome development for me as I need to reduce my rice intake and switch to higher fiber options. Bread counts as long as it is not the regular type. And I've managed to eat healthier thanks to the hotel where I'm staying at and the choices I have when I eat out.

One discovery I've made is Spar, a convenience chain that makes excellent sandwiches, bread, pastries and the like. There were a lot of healthy choices including salads and vegetarian meat sandwiches. I spotted their pesto and chicken sandwich and had it heated for a warm meal I took back to my hotel room.

I surely did enjoy this warm sandwich

Spar is a big chain and I found their stores in most cities I visited in the Netherlands.

Pesto and chicken sandwich

A close-up of this pesto and chicken

I have not seen or tasted a sandwich like this the Philippines though the combination of chicken and pesto is not new. Usually, you see it in pasta but not on a sandwich. Maybe there's a restaurant somewhere back home that serves this?

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First meal in Europe - Happy Italy

First meal in Europe - Happy Italy

My first meal in Europe was...Italian! That should not come as a surprise considering this is usually a default choice for me if I am not knowledgeable of the restaurants in the place I am visiting. In this case, I really didn't bother researching about the restaurants in Enschede and based my decision more on what I felt like a restaurant that has a simple menu and many people patronizing it. The other restaurants looked too fancy for me though cost-wise they were okay. I thought, too, that the other restaurants were good if I had company. I had none.

This looks like a good motto for life.

I ordered this pollo a funghi pasta. It turned out to be a big serving and I had to take half home to finish it the following day.

The restaurant's main attraction was their pizzas. They had some good ovens there and all the ingredients were fresh. I also noticed a lot of people ordering meals for take away (take home).

I took home a copy of their menu as a souvenir. This side shows the pizza selection.

This side shows all the other items except their gelato, which was on another card.

Happy Italy is a chain and so at least I have established that they serve good food with very generous serving for pastas. I thought this would be a good reference for future trips to the Netherlands.

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Yamanashi wine

Yamanashi wine

About ten years ago, I was gifted with this wine from Yamanashi. I had kept the wine initially at my office where I have reserved an enclosed and secure part of one of my cabinets for a few bottles of wines that I have purchased. I took it home after we moved to our current house in 2014. I have been waiting for the moment to open it and was thinking about what to celebrate until I remembered the 10 years since we got the wine.

A bottle of white wine from the University of Yamanashi. This was a gift from a Japanese professor who is a good friend of ours. He was posted at UP as a visiting professor about 15 years ago and have maintained contact since.

We were wondering if the wine was still okay after 10 years as the wife pointed to the color. I replied that it was stored properly so it should still be good.

Here's another photo of the label. Yamanashi is a famous wine region in Japan with the climates perfect for growing grapes and apples. It is also famous for the mountains and the testing facility for Japan's magnetic levitation (maglev) trains.

Details on the wine in Japanese at the back. It is easy to read the alcohol content at 12%.

The seal on the bottle that we stashed away with the cork.

This was the first time for us to use the nice wine bottle opener that made removing corks much easier. This was a gift from our Ninang on the occasion of our 15th wedding anniversary last December.

Here I am sampling the wine. The color was just right and the verdict on the wine is a two thumbs up!

We still have half a bottle of wine in the fridge. The wife used some of the wine for cooking, which was the main reason we wanted to open a bottle of white wine in the first place. :)

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Shimanami restaurant, Robinson's, Tacloban City

Shimanami restaurant, Robinson's, Tacloban City

Our trips to Tacloban allowed us to eat at various restaurants there. Of course, there are the reliables like Ocho and Guiseppe's. Warehouse is in Palo and not somewhere we can eat at regularly. And so we tried out standalone restaurants in downtown as well as those in the malls. Since many of us studied in Japan, we also tried to find any good Japanese restaurants in the city. A good find was Shimanami Restaurant at the 2nd Level of the new Robinson's mall across from the city's north bus terminal.

Chicken katsu curry

Ramen

Curry rice

We enjoyed our food there and unfortunately they still have a limited menu (so far). I hope they eventually have sushi, sashimi and other items (I don't recall that they had tempura on their menu.). We look forward to eating at this restaurant again on our future trips to Tacloban.

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On hotel breakfasts again

On hotel breakfasts again

Traveling to Tacloban again last week, we were fortunate to be able to stay at a decent hotel that served breakfast buffets. I took a photo of the relatively good variety of viands we had for breakfasts so you can have a good one before going out to work. In our case, work required a lot of walking and traveling so a good meal was important for us.

Bacon, beef tapa, hotdog, danggit, eggs and rice - the breakfast of champions!

They also had cereals, bread and fruits but these were the usual cornflakes and cocoa puffs as well as the watermelon or bananas. Nothing as fancy or plentiful as those offered in big hotels but the food was good and sustaining. Of course, I would have preferred to have some bircher muesli but this is much better than what other hotels offer for the same price range we got for our stay.

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Pasqualino's Ristorante Italiano

Pasqualino's Ristorante Italiano

A highlight of my recent travel to Tacloban is going to this Italian restaurant located on top of a hill not in Tacloban but in the town of Sta. Rita in the nearby island of Samar. It wasn't difficult to go there as Samar and Leyte are connected by the San Juanico Bridge, and it was just minutes away from where we were already doing fieldwork so we "didn't mind" going out of the way to have a good meal.

Tables are set around the pool and there's a more private area that should be good for meetings or dates.

Restaurant lobby or foyer - this was probably what used to be the receiving or living area for the house. The decor reminds us of the Christmas season that ended last Sunday with the Feast of the Epiphany that is more popularly known as "Three Kings".

An infinity pool and breathtaking views of the San Juanico Strait

Bar and kitchen with the Christmas Tree and reindeer

Entrance to the restaurant - guests may wait here or maybe take some photos of the splendid views including those with the San Juanico Bridge.

Coconut water from the shell

Their version of one of my favorite pastas - prosciutto and porcini mushrooms

Their best-selling pizza is "Everything and Prosciutto" and I must say that it is a "must try"

Fresh salad

Meat platter

Pasqualino's is owned by the same family behind Giuseppe's at the corner of Del Pilar and Veteranos in the Tacloban downtown. The food is great and the prices won't punch a hole in your wallet or pocket. Servings are generous and the service is also good. You just can't go here quite frequently though so perhaps Giuseppe's is the place for you if you're in downtown Tacloban.

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Another look at the San Juanico Bridge

Another look at the San Juanico Bridge

I was back in Tacloban last week and was able to try out a new restaurant but in the nearby island of Samar. I will post about this dining experience in a future post. Meanwhile, here is a photo of the San Juanico Bridge from the restaurant, which is located at the top of a hill with a great view of the San Juanico Strait dividing Leyte and Samar.

View of the San Juanico Bridge from Pasqualino's, which is in the island of Samar

I was fortunate to be able to take a clear shot of the bridge as the weather was not cooperating last Friday when it was mostly raining and the bridge was usually shrouded by rain or mist.

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Chocolate review: Complementary chocolate at the hotel

Chocolate review: Complementary chocolate at the hotel

It's nice to start the year with some chocolates. We did enjoy a new one on New Year's Eve that I will write about soon. Meanwhile, here is a quick one on some complementary chocolates from a recent trip. My wife traveled to London recently via Singapore and on her way back, she stayed overnight in the city state in order to catch up with friends there. We had lived for almost 2 years in Singapore and love to come back once in a while to visit friends and go around our favorite haunts including its national museum. She decided to try out the new Sofitel there as it was also strategically located and allowed her easy transport as she met up with old friends. The hotel had some complementary chocolates at her room when she came back from her meetings.

Sofitel left the chocolate in this simple but elegant-looking box

I took the white chocolate while the wife had the dark

The chocolates were exquisite and if she had tasted it earlier could have been tempted to purchase a box at the lobby shop. There will be a next time so I look forward to that with me, hopefully, also getting to go to Singapore again.

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Farewell 2017 and Hello 2018!

Farewell 2017 and Hello 2018!

With just a few hours until the new year, I looked back at a very blessed 2017. This was a very productive year for me and a momentous one. I turned 45 earlier this year and among the things I wanted to do were to travel to new places. I was able to do these with new places both international and domestic. Among my travels this year were my trips to Australia, Vietnam, and Zamboanga.

The Sydney Opera House

Ho Chi Minh City Hall and statue of the man credited for uniting Vietnam

Zamboanga City airport

I look forward to an even more exciting year ahead with new places to explore and more experiences to live. More importantly, I look forward to spending more time with family, especially our soon to be four-year old daughter who is growing and developing so fast before our eyes. Here's to life and love!

God bless us all this 2018!

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Chocolate review: Milk chocolate from Belfast

Chocolate review: Milk chocolate from Belfast

The Clairvoyant brought home this milk chocolate that was given by a colleague during her trip to Belfast. This was her 3rd trip to Belfast and the second in 2017 and had not purchased any chocolate bars from there. That is not because she couldn't find some dark chocolates but just didn't have the time while there. In any case, we usually got our chocolates from the duty free shops at NAIA to avail of the 5% discount.

Souvenir chocolate from Belfast

Details on the chocolate at the back of the wrapper

I shared the bar with my nephew and niece who were visiting us a couple of weeks ago. We wanted to have some sweets after lunch and enjoyed this chocolate. This was very good quality milk chocolate and was certainly satisfying.

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Chew Love, Tacloban

Chew Love, Tacloban

Another restaurant we went to when we were in Tacloban last month was one that we had spotted before but didn't consider because at first glance it looked like a place for younger people. Another colleague thought it looked like one of those food hubs that's now the fad around Metro Manila. It turned out many of us wanted to try it out and it helped that one of our contacts in Tacloban recommended the place.

The decor reminded me of another restaurant, Stacy's, that had that American diner feel to it.

The interior was well lighted, clean, and orderly

There are a lot of 'positive' and humorous messages posted around the restaurant that are consistent with its theme and vibes.

The menu features some interesting names for the items

Here's the rest of the main menu (there's a separate menu for drinks and dessert)

These seats are likely for waiting and not necessarily for dining.

This probably drew inspiration from the bridge in Paris that was recently rid of decades of locks attached mostly by tourists.

'Cheeky feeling'

'Love at pork sight'

'Hot chick'

'Beef mine'

Their version of the halu-halo

Sinful chocolate dessert

Chew Love turned out to be a good restaurant. Serving sizes are just right for the meals and a bit generous (indulgent) for dessert. The latter may be meant for sharing perhaps? There are two buildings where customers can be seated. They fill one first before allowing people in the other. A third building is under construction and is closest to the street. The kitchen is located at the back area of the compound. Parking is very limited so that's an issue for those bringing their own vehicles. My transport background makes me wonder how such restaurants can comply with parking requirements considering they are in clear violation of the National Building Code...but that's another story.

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