OUT OF THE BLUE.....

The Buffet Table.....






Lechon de Leche.....






Lechon Liempo/Kawali.....






Restaurant Promos.....






Eat All You Can Price List.....







A few days ago, my brother and I talked about what to do when the day of my natal day comes. As usual, the customary cooking of pansit or spaghetti to symbolize long life comes to mind. So I asked him, "Spaghetti or pansit? He didn't answer and left me to contemplate about the question by my lonesome. I'm more into Italian food so I went to check the pantry for the ingredients for whatever sauce I planned to cook.

He comes back after a few minutes and asks me if I know of any restaurants that offers "eat all you can" promos and that will not burn a hole in our pockets. I told him about eating at Kamayan Restaurant which is rather a good restaurant that offers what he sought. My colleagues in PGH and I would go to Kamayan at Padre Faura to celebrate any special occasion during my time at that hospital. He asked about the type of food being offered, I told him what to expect. Then he asks me pointblank, "Can we eat there?"

The day came and we went around dinner time. The restaurant was still closed when we arrived, which was the ideal time since the food on the buffet table will be freshly cooked. He seemed fascinated to find some food items that we used to eat before but rarely these days. A menu item called ginataang kuhol or escargot caught his eye. He also liked the lechon de leche.

I almost forgot to take pictures, not necessarily of the food, rather of the restaurant. Rarely do we go out so this evening was something I quietly cherished.

FROM FILM TO THEATER ARE 39 STEPS.....

This Poster Says It All.....






Michael Williams As Richard Hannay.....






















Lisa Infante-Robinson As Annabella Schmidt, The Spy.....












The Female Passenger Pamela.....





The Scottish Housewife Margaret.....








Juliane Mendoza As The Emcee.....




The Secret Agent.....



The Milkman.....



The Police Officer.....



Professor Jordan.....



Bogus Police Inspector.....



First Old Guy.....



Male Motel Owner.....



Stage Clown.....





Rem Zamora As Mr. Memory.....




The Lady Cleaner.....



The Train Passenger.....



The Highlander.....



Cogon Leaves.....



The Lady Assistant.....



The False Detective.....



Second Old Guy.....



Lady Motel Owner.....





I have always loved the musicals, especially the well known ones. During my time in London, I never got tired of watching these musicals over and over again as the production is always top notch. I saw Les Miserables thrice and Phantom of the Opera twice. Others that I have enjoyed were Rent, The King And I and Fame. Cats and Bollywood did not grow on me and I shunned these two. Perhaps it has something to do with my affinity for dogs and dislike for "noisy" production. Throughout my stay, I was able to watch just two straight stage plays, Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof which starred Brendan Frazer and JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, which was advertised as a children's play. To my surprise, I did enjoy these two just as I enjoyed the musicals.

My time with Repertory Philippines as one of their photographers has exposed me to other materials that I haven't seen before. This blog has featured some of the plays that I have covered. But this stage adaptation of The 39 Steps from Alfred Hitchcock's thriller is the best production that I have seen so far for this year.

Hitchcock's film was a thriller but this stage adaptation written by Patrick Barlow from the novel of John Buchan has more touches of action and comedy in it. Although the production seems to involve a thousand characters, it was interesting to note that the cast is composed of four people with Michael Williams' character as Richard Hannay the solitary constant lead. Lisa Infante-Robinson played the three women who got involved with Hannay. Juliane Mendoza and Rem Zamora play every other character on the show: heroes, villains, men, women, children and even inanimate objects!

I have seen Rem act in other Repertory produced plays but I believed that he shone the brightest here, truly a scene stealer. And I am so much impressed with the way he pulled off that Scottish accent, it felt I was conversing with that Highlander! Major kudos to you my friend.

I guess I have typed a rather long insight that, I'm afraid might bore you, my dear readers if there are any. c",) For a quick glance on what the plot of this production is all about, click here.

This is after all, a photoblog, enough talking and enjoy the pictures!

THE COLOR OF MONEY TWO.....

As I continue my quest to produce some images based on the theme "complimentary colors" with the local currency as my subject, I decided to interpret the phrase "paperweight". The orange takes the place of a paperweight. Lighting was provided with the aid of my led lenser k3 since my flash does not have its slave function working.

Eventually, I grew tired of the pictures that I was getting since I could not decrease the light from my led lenser down to a small beam (which can only be achieved with a honeycomb or a snoot attachment). I then resorted to playing with the images in CS5 afterwards. The above pictures are the fruits of my impaired imagination!

THE RETURN OF THE CHEFS.....

An Ongoing Competition At The Professional Level.....






Chef Bruce Lim As He Prepares His Workstation.....






Preparing His First Dish.....






About To Lay It On The Table.....






Preparing The Second Dish.....






The First Dish.....






The Second Dish.....





As far as I can recall, I have always loved eating good food, a certified foodie. And good food to me does not necessarily mean steaks, although I love a good steak and all those posh entrees at Michelin star restaurants. Hmmm Michelin star? Does Manila actually have one? Going back, good food can be as simple as tuyo with champorado or even the typical burgers and fries from any of the fast food chains that the city has. And the locale of these places range from the malls to the neighborhood hole in the wall eateries.

But part of eating is also knowing how to cook good food since dining out can burn a hole in one's pocket most of the time. Hence I always try to remember the flavors in a certain dish that I really love, allowing me to come up with a version close to what I experienced in a restaurant before whenever I cook.

Both of my parents are good cooks. And my mother always made me prepare the ingredients as I helped her cook when I was younger. Talk about junior master chef, that was me. As I grew up, my mother would ask me every now and then to cook the family meal. My travels overseas have broaden my palate that whenever I cook a dish nowadays, my mom would comment para akong kumakain sa restaurant.

This love for food has also led me to the world of cooking shows. Stephen Yan's Wok With Yan was the first cooking show that I have ever watched. He obviously specialized in Chinese cooking and his easy demeanor, wit (which can be viewed as embroidered sayings on his apron) and charm made me follow his show as it aired weekly. The BBC in London has a lifestyle channel and it airs cooking shows most of the time. I now am a fan of Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay as a result of my exposure to this channel.

Here in the Philippines, Nora Daza and Sylvia Reynoso-Gala are the women who used to have their own cooking shows. Heny Sison soon starred in her own show and then other up and coming cooks and chefs followed. Some of Daza's and Reynoso-Gala's children got in the act too. It just proves that cooking is hereditary and also a way for parents and children to bond together.

A yearly event that showcased the talents of our local and also international chefs titled "Chefs on Parade" was soon started. From the adverts being shown on television, it mentioned that the event "was back". What was not clear to me was the year when this event was scrapped and just how many years was it not held. It did mention though that the event was 35 years old.

I checked the event out on its last day as I wanted to get into one of the free lectures on food photography. To my shock, the seminar area was packed full! I then decided to roam around the exhibit hall to see the other activities. Indeed, the hospitality business is thriving. Gone were the days when being a cook was considered a job which equals that of a housemaid in rank. Cooks are now called "chefs" and many seem to view this occupation as glamorous! I was able to check out a free cooking demo by Chef Bruce Lim, he of "Tablescapes" his cooking show at Studio 23. I didn't line up to taste his dishes though, as I had to go check the stalls selling some wares. But based from the photos I took of the dishes, it looks appetizing enough.

People might get curious and ask me the names and recipes for the two entrees. I do have the names and the recipe for each dish but as of this writing, I can't find it. I shall update this blog and post the recipes once I find it, Sorry! My bad!