Project: SUPER MOCHI KART

The reason for this US trip was a groom's cake. And as a fitting commemoration of a relationship of nearly 12 years, I was determined to do a darn good job. When consulted for ideas, fiancee Camille contributed that, apart from herself, the things Francis loves most are his screenwriting, video games and devoted yellow lab, Mochi. Egad! How to put all that together?!

I 'get' screenwriting, I've also met his dog, but weeks of researching and downloading, even consulting with my students didn't ease the frustration of not being 'with-it' enough to play those games. What quickly became apparent is that there were more varieties than I had the time and patience for. A turning point to the design dilemma was a chance interaction with a group of young ballerinas studying at our building. At the off hand question, "Who plays Super Mario Kart?", three DS players were instantly whipped out and 7 fifth graders fell on top of each other as they fought to give the best suggestion to my plight.

All the hand-molded sugarpaste decors were made, packed in and hand-carried from Manila. When told of the contents of my large bag, the immigration officer at the SFO Airport commented with a chuckle, "Tell Agriculture that if they break anything, they will have to report back to me!"

The cake was baked in San Francisco, iced in Santa Monica, and decorated in my hotel room at Woodland Hills, LA. It was not an easy feat but my support team was of high caliber.


To say that the cake was well received is an understatement. More people took pictures of and with this cake than the actual bridal cake-- sorry, Camille. Hey, but your cake was really delish! I had seconds of the Vanilla and White Chocolate Cake with fresh berries, as well as the Chocolate and Banana layers.

Food Trippin'

Coming out of the BART Station and at the first sight of Montgomery Street, my drowsy face clears into a smile that would not be contained. I LOVE San Francisco! The city is a blend of old and new, with a touch of quirk, a lot of wit and all around hip.

At each visit, what I look most forward to is the eating!

Like a kid in a candy store, I ooh and ahh over restaurants and cafes that cater to a multitude of tastes. And every time, I trust my downtown guides Abbey and surfing miracle boy Greg McDonald to take me to the latest and the coolest...

'WICHCRAFT- With branches in NYC and Las Vegas, this casual sandwich service at Westfield Centre on 868 Mission and 5th Streets serves a variety of soup, sandwiches and salads perfect for the on-the-go. The Grilled Cheddar with smoked ham, pear & mustard on cranberry-pecan bread was sooo good inspite of my catch-up monologue. (www.wichcraftnyc.com)

SOUTH- Contemporary Australian and New Zealand food and wine is featured in Sydney celebrity chef Luke Mangan's (Glass Brasserie, Sydney/ Salt, Tokyo) Mod-Oz menu at SoMa's 330 Townsend Street. Chef Josh, formerly of Abbey's Four Seasons Hotel, prepared the most mind-blowing Hiramasa Kingfish sashimi with ginger shallot dressing and crumbled goat cheese, and treated us to yummy Honey Pudding with Pomegranate coulis and Blood Orange segments. (www.southfwb.com)

MAMA'S on Washington Square- Brunch is epitomized by this lovely classic on 1701 Stockton Street that has known hour-long queues. Understandably so, as evidenced by the best Eggs Benedict and French Toast I have ever tasted. Everything from the bread, pancakes, jams, and desserts are fresh and from scratch. (www.mamas-sf.com)



BLUE BOTTLE Coffee Company- Move over Starbucks and Peet's, Blue Bottle is what's in! Priding themselves as artisanal microroasters of organic coffees, this Oakland native takes freshness to a whole new level that borders on impractical. The modern Mint Street cafe was busy and full, certainly the happening place. (www.bluebottlecoffee.net)





The FRANCISCAN- November 15 having been the opening of Dungeness season, this 50 year old restaurant at famed Fisherman's Wharf was chosen as the venue for a mini reunion of old friends. Chucking queme aside, we got down to our fingers and picked heartily at the juicy clams, mussles, oysters... and of course, crabs. (www.franciscanrestaurant.com)

The Fountain of Youth

I come from good strong stock. My 90-year old lola, until very recently, walked totally unaided and still gets in a card game or two almost everyday. But there was no denying the symptoms, and I had to finally drag myself to the ophthalmologist right before this trip. At his clinic, Anton Javellana, my seatmate for many years at Zobel, welcomed me cheekily with, "Are you 40 yet?"... and I greeted him emphatically with, "$#^& %@#!". Far sightedness notwithstanding, FYI, I was rated in the top 21% at the latest faculty physical and stamped as 'Class A'-- fit as fit can be to work. HA!


CSB's Young Hotelier's Exposition, a school-wide competition, is designed to be an alternative source of learning and a showcase of young talent. For a week every term, all energies are reserved for participating in or helping out with this 100% student-run event. The halls are a-buzz with almost maniacal activity and although it's a whole lot of fun, it is certainly taken very seriously. It also serves as a chance for long-serving practitioners to give back and to look back. For last week's YHE, I facilitated two categories and invited friends from the industry to help as judges-- Judy Uson (The Cake Artist), Aggy Villabona (Aggy's Cakes) and Stephen Ong (Link Import-Export Enterprises) for BEST IN CAKE DECORATING; James Antolin (CCA Manila/Les Toques Blanches Philippines), Don Salubayba (international visual artist/founder, Anino Shadowplay), Geri Chua (Eng Bee Tin/The Mezzanine/Mr.Ube Noodle House/Fil-Chi Baker's Association/Association of Philippine Volunteer Firefighters) for ARTISTIC BREAD SCULPTURE.

Hardly anyone leaves these events untouched, the vibes are too strong and the spirits too positive, everyone is on fire! That must be why I keep coming back for more.

Fine dining at 30,000 feet

The Purser-In-Command just announced that we are soon approaching 65F San Francisco and I can't believe I haven't begun to write before now. That's how absolutely crazy this trip is, never before have I set out to travel so ill-prepared: no lists, no itinerary and lamentably, no credit card!!! The countdown to madness I had going on in FaceBook managed to get even Trixie anxious-- and she had no clue what it was leading to! Oh, if only she knew! Coupling work and school, then fast forwarding preparations 2 weeks into the CHRISTMAS season was at times more than I thought and felt I could take. And when I kidded that I would collapse from the pressures-- I DID! Rushing out of the house to class on my last day, lugging a laptop, 2 school bags and a piping bag, I fell flat on my back under all of the above. From the floor I looked up at the heavens praying, "Please don't let me hurt anywhere!" I was lucky to walk away with only a broken nail. After that, my sole goal was to just get on this plane.

It sure pays to have friends in high places... literally. Out of all the sampids on PR104, I was QUEEN!!! And I milked that opportunity for everything it could offer. Cool flew out the window from the port bow where bright flashes accompanied course after course of the menu designed by PAL Inflight's Chef Ian McKenzie and specialties from his Pinoy Chef Brigade which includes J Gamboa of El Cirkulo/Azuthai, Ferns Aracama of Embassy/Tides Boracay, Buddy Trinidad of Park Avenue Desserts, Gene and Gino Gonzales of Cafe Ysabel/CACS. I chose Minced Pork Adobo with Fruit Salsa and Mango Seafood Roll for apps, Pinais na Alimasag sa Mustasa for dinner, Cod Steak with sweet Soya Sauce for breakfast, and EVERYTHING ELSE in between.

If I were to die now, it really wouldn't be a bad way to go-- fully reclined at the First Class section with Brut Champagne clutched in one hand.

Tsokolate Ahhh!

Last Saturday, I decided to rearrange priorities and traded hours of sleep to tick off another craving from a long and mutating foodie list: The Peninsula Manila's Chocolate Buffet!

With just under an hour and a half left til the midnight curfew, I had an uphill battle even with just what was left from, what we were told, was en extra busy night: fondues, ice creams, cookies, tarts, White Chocolate Pen Stones, Bailey's Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, White Chocolate Mousse with Passion Fruit, Heavenly Moist, Fallen Chocolate and Chocolate Fudge Cakes, and the famous Peninsula Truffles and Pralines. Of the lot, I enjoyed the Chocolate Pudding best- smooth, dark and warm, topped with crispy almond slices.



It was fortunate, too, that we chanced upon Dante Abalos (ID #102) from my very first BakiPa class, who has been working at Pastry for two years.

That indulgence now out of my system, it will henceforth go down as a once in a lifetime experience.




Tsokolate Ah! on Fridays and Saturdays (9pm to 12mn)
Buffet only- P550 +++ for adults, P225 +++ for children 12 years and under.
Chocolate and Champagne- P850 +++
For inquiries and table reservations call The Peninsula Manila at 887-2888, ext.6759 and 6762.

The Great Binondo FOOD WOK, reprised

Hiatus, meatus! I don't care what anyone says, I enjoy writing and I write for myself. I kinda like the idea of my thoughts as words making its mark on the world wide web, my unique indelible fingerprints, therefore I will continue to write. Not that anyone could tell I was on strike, NO ONE READS MY BLOGS ANYWAY. Nevertheless, I am back. So there!

Touching once more on Tony Bourdain's recent Manila shoot...
It is said that one of the few things on his brief itinerary was Ivan Man-Dy's GREAT BINONDO FOOD WOK. Below is a reprisal of my very first post ever, saved from blog-on-sabbatical, Can Bake, Will Travel. This tour made such an impression that I have snuck Asian Cuisine classes to it several times since.

"It would have to be a real good reason to get me anywhere near downtown Manila on a rainy day. As it happens, July 11 had a real fun reason too: The Museum Foundation organized a Great Binondo Food Wok, and it's soo my thing!

I knew the best companion on a
food trip was to be Larry. It was he who, after just 30 minutes, declared our afternoon a success. Our guide Ivan's knowledge, respect and pride for his Chinoy heritage impressed us immediately. He regaled our small group with anecdotes, FAQ's and not-so-FAQ's that spanned over 300 years of China Town's colorful history, covering everything from purple firetrucks to a chocolateria, to Fookien dumplings, to a traditional engagement shop and drugstore, to fried siopao, to a buddhist temple, and more!

It was a discovery, an eye-opener, a treasure hunt...
4 hours weren't enough! Rain or no rain, I would go again!"




The young, eloquent and funny history/architecture/food/tsismis afficionados of Old Manila Walks also offer walking tours of the Chinese Cemetery (Mounds, Magnates & Mausoleums), San Miguel-Malacanan District (Power Palace), FEU Campus (A FEU Good Men) and Intramuros (Walls of This Content). For schedule, details, directions, call (632) 7113823/ (0917) 3291622 for Ivan/Cherry. Email oldmanilawalks@gmail.com. Blog www.oldmanilawalks.blogspot.com