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Talking Tongues

July 24, 2009 by Janey

Right after the doctor’s appointment last Saturday, we had two restaurant choices to visit, one being an Indian restaurant along Jupiter Street and the other a Chinese-Indonesian restaurant in Salcedo Village. Talking Tongue won the decision and off we went to LPL Manor along Leviste Street.

Suddenly the rain poured heavily and the winds blew strong. Inside the car, we saw a lady struggling with her umbrella that turned the other way. That didn’t stop us from trying out what the restaurant has to offer.

Yellow walls and striped chairs first catch your eye in this laidback restaurant. There are also some interesting pieces of art scattered on the walls and counter area. A chalkboard shares their specials for the day. I noticed Indonesians occupy two tables and the sight of them made the experience almost authentic already. The anticipation for the food heats up. “Heat” was definitely the right term.

On the Table

Corn Fritters (3pcs) PHP 72

Battered whole kernels of corn fried to a golden crisp. I like the crunch of the corn fritters as well as the semi-sweet semi-milky taste to start our meal with.

Perkerdel PHP 30

It was a small baby-fist size potato cake that had a flat texture on the outside but mushy to flaky potato inside. The moist cake had little red veins to it. I like it as it is while Bubba needed the sweet chili sauce to add to the taste.

Beef Rendang PHP 288

Most might be more familiar with Beef Rendang drenched with its spicy coating but Talking Tongues’ version of Beef Rendang has dry coating. Bobby Flay is an advocator of dry coating on his meats in Throwdown. Surprisingly, even if the dish was a bit drier than usual, the sauce soaked through the meat evenly and discerningly. There is a generous amount of the spiced Rendang sauce speckled on top of the beef for added flavor.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce (8pcs) PHP 300

The chicken satay arrived like an army with the backup of vegetable mix on the side and peanut sauce underneath. The chicken meat was moist and tender and it was a delight to eat on its own with its grill glaze and garnish of fried spring onions. If you want to intensify the flavor with some sweet peanut-y sauce, then pour a generous amount of the peanut sauce on top before taking a bite. I can’t quite decide if it was better on its own or with the sauce as both were wonderfully delicious.

Some people who speak in tongues believe that they are talking in a divine language, often called the language of angels… At Talking Tongues, they speak the language of authentic Indonesian-Chinese cuisine at the heart of Salcedo Village in Makati.

Talking Tongues

G/F LPL Manor

116 Leviste St., Salcedo Village, Makati City

(632) 473 3588

Events This Weekend Album

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Nama Sakana Japanese Restaurant and Ramen House

July 22, 2009 by Janey

The restaurant is tastefully decorated in a modern Japanese minimalist style with passive lighting and cream-colored walls. Sporting a handsome wood sushi bar at the far end of the restaurant, the comfortable setting begins your journey at this Japanese restaurant that’s building quite a name in the Greenhills area. A modern Japanese bistro, Nama Sakana, puts the emphasis on fusion and new-style Japanese cuisine at its finest.

Master Chef and co-owner Rolly Ongcoy prides himself in training under Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, the owner of the world famous chain of Nobu Japanese Restaurants in the key cities of the world. Chef Nobu is the pioneer of modern and new style Japanese fusion since 1994 and his Nobu restaurant in London has been consistently awarded as the top ten best restaurants in the world.

Nama Sakana recently launched the newest addition to their offerings, the Nama Grill, where aromatic chicken yakiniku are grilled. While the mood on the 1^st floor is lively and upbeat with a warm casual yet sophisticated atmosphere, the restaurant also boasts of their stylish bar with subdued lighting and club music at the second floor of the restaurant. Part-owner Lovely Rivera-Nocom graciously welcomed us at the Nama Bar after the dinner.

On the Table

Green Salad with Seared Tuna PHP 230

Thinly sliced seared Tuna neatly arranged around fresh green salad leaves, topped with shredded radish and carrots drizzled with Onion dressing. The greens were fresh and had a crunch to it ideal match to the soft velvety texture of the seared tuna. The semi-sweet-semi sour onion dressing brings the dish together.

Beef Tobanyaki PHP 800

Grilled beef tenderloin that is thinly sliced with assorted mushrooms, broccoli and asparagus with special sauce cooked and served on a hot plate. Much to the delight, Enoki mushrooms are used in this dish. Also known as golden needle mushrooms, these are small white mushrooms with silky texture and mild almost fruity flavor. The tender beef cooked medium rare sits well with the light broth while the vegetables provides varying textures.

Sukiyaki

Premium A Beef PHP 720

Premium B Beef PHP 480

Standard Beef PHP 350

One of my favorite Japanese dishes to order particularly in rainy season like this is a bowl of sukiyaki. Sukiyaki is the traditional Japanese dish of tender beef slices with mushrooms, tofu, vegetables, and glass noodles in sweet broth. In Nama, there are three kinds of beef to choose from. It was a passable dish with scrimpy serving of glass noodles but nothing remarkable, leaving a desire for the usual clash of beefy and semi-sweet broth.

New Style Salmon Sashimi PHP 320

The sashimi was placed in a white plate with special dressing, a single breaded tomato and green stalks as garnish on top. The salmon was slightly cooked with a hint of olive oil, tasted very fresh but without the rawness sting to it. The accompanying sauce was mild soy sauce with a trace of vinaigrette. Fitz really enjoyed this dish along with the unanimous ayes of the rest on the table.

Katsudon PHP 175

Breaded pork fillet with sautéed vegetables in egg served on steaming hot Japanese plain rice. Katsudon is something that both Bubba and Fran love to order every time they dine Japanese. Nama’s Katsudon dish passed with flying colors to both Katsudon authorities.

Black Cod Gindara with Sweet Miso PHP 680

Gratinated Gindara fillet served with Nama’s special miso sauce. The black cod gindara is another favorite as it was both savory and semi-sweet. The fish was tender and had the desirable flaky flesh. Not overly cooked making the fish meat mushy, it had the right bite to it. The fish was fresh and very tasty that every mouthful is savored. The sweet brown miso sauce on the side heightens the flavor making the experience simply a celebration in every bite. Personally, the black cod Gindara took the spotlight on the table

Uni Sushi PHP 80

2 pieces of sushi with uni (sea urchin) on top, one of my favorite sushi

California Maki

Japanese Cheesecake PHP 130

A citrus-y melt in your mouth cheesecake topped with cherry and mango slices and drizzled with dulce de leche sauce

Deep Dish Chocolate Cookie PHP 130

Chocolate chip cookie baked in chewy goodness topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream. The soft chocolate chip cookie was crusty to the bite but soft and chewy on the inside. The vanilla ice cream adds the sweet milky taste that further softens the dough. Looking very appetizing, it was sinfully delicious!

The restaurant also offers lunch exclusives available from 11:30 am – 4:30 pm that includes single layer bento boxes with three variations to choose from. Service was friendly and efficient.

Feast your palate on these sumptuous Japanese fusion and new style dishes at Nama Sakana restaurant.

Nama Sakana Album

Nama Sakana Japanese Restaurant and Ramen House

G/F Fox Square Building, 53 Connecticut St.

Greenhills, San Juan City, Metro Manila

(632) 726 7266

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EL’s Birthday at Bugsy’s

June 25, 2009 by Janey

Pat obediently following my instructions to reserve a table for 6, indoors and couch area secured us a table at Bugsy’s Tuesday night. My friend Eric is experiencing Murphy’s Law since the start of the month and the biggest blow was about his work –news that broke only last week. On top of that, he lost a mobile phone, nicked his Mazda and is currently nursing a forlorn heart.

EL celebrates his birthday every 23^rd of June. What a way to welcome a birthday right?

But like what they say, it’s hard to put a good man down.

EL still celebrated his birthday in tasteful fashion with friends over drinks and good food.

Bubba and I were first to arrive but we were an hour early so we were off to Big Bert’s for a carwash. We came back to Bugsy’s and found Pat on our reserved table. Of course, as Eric’s spokesperson, he briefed us with Eric’s mishap in the recent week.

On the Table

Buffalo Tenders (2) PHP 175

Imagine your favorite Buffalo wings with all the tangy spicy goodness without the bones! No more working out tediously to get the meat out. In every piece there’s a flake of crispy skin that makes it all the more addicting. I can eat this all day. Pat is not found of spicy dishes but he loved this obvious when he wiped out one plate.

The Family PHP 265

I ordered Warren’s Dip and Chips but it wasn’t available so I tried their appetizer sampler, The Family. The Family was composed of potato wedges, mozzarella sticks (that I didn’t get to try. *shooting a mean look to Bubba*) and buffalo tenders.

French Fries PHP 150 (?)

Deep Fried Burger Melt PHP 165

Burger meat, cheese in deep fried spring roll

Uncle Moe’s Beef Kebab Plate (2) PHP 130

I had to have my rice and I was craving for beef kebab. Bugsy’s was nice enough to let us bring in the food from their neighbor and serve it on a plate. You help your neighbor and you increase both your foot traffic –always good for business.

Margarita PHP 130

I love my margarita. I find it funny that they served it on a Martini glass.

Arctic Vodka (2)

Bottles and Bottles of Beer PHP 50

There is so much to love about Bugsy’s. The wait staff is really gracious, speedy and efficient. You wouldn’t mind hanging out with them on a Friday night. The food is nothing but delish particularly the mouth-watering appetizers! Price on the drink list is reasonable. There are no frills –just straightforward scrumptious dishes, reasonable price and quality service that always please. It seems to be the homiest hangout spot to enjoy beer drinking with friends, colleagues or sport groups.

Fred and Madz followed afterwards. It’s been more than 5 years since I last seen Fred. He still looks pretty much the same except that in this dinner he brought with him MUSCLES. Every time we look at him, he flexes them muscles. When he asks for beer from the wait staff, he flexes them muscles. When he laughs, them muscles flex.

"Pat, I know you enjoy our company... but what's with the BIG smile?"

Of course, Pat (as Eric’s VOLUNTARY spokesperson) had to share AGAIN with the latecomers Eric’s misfortunes. After much sympathy to EL, we know that our presence there is not to sulk with him but to remind him the comfort of having friends around at times like this. We remind him that as long as there is tomorrow, there is always another day of possibilities.

So we exchanged stories one after the other. Eric and Pat reminisced about the time there was a swimming get-together at Fay’s house. My girlfriends (Gina, King and Fay) and Fay’s other girl group were there while I was MIA since my parents didn’t allow me to stay out late during college days. Then-chubby Fred didn’t bring any swimming attire. He had to wear Fay’s badminton shorts that were sheer. We all doubled over laughing. They both demonstrated how Fred swam that evening like he was playing shark. Most of the time, he was sitting in one corner playing with Fay’s nephew trying to be unmindful of the beautiful girls that surround him. It was so hilarious. Fred evens the score when he tells us about the time Eric was so wasted and the Eng boys bathe him. He was so smashed that he didn’t know they were playing with his “cockpit where he keeps his gun”.

At this point, Fred was still flexing his muscles as he tells the story. The other tables were also getting as distracted as we were.

Bubba saw some Xavier friends while Chai walked up to me and surprised me.

We ordered another round of Buffalo Tenders. It was everybody’s first time there except for Bubba and I. They really liked the food and that makes me cheery. The humor and energy were nothing short of an upbeat tempo. The drinks continue to flow. We literally laughed our hearts out –it’s been quite a while since my abdomen had this heavy workout.

Little miss bo beep with the Engineering boys

Oh, Fred looks so much like Jake Cuenca when he laughs. With bigger muscles. Madz had to take another shot of Arctic Vodka to reluctantly agree. At this instant, Eric reminds me that it’s his birthday not Fred’s.

Effortlessly, the dynamics in the group bring so much energy to the table conversation.

Bubba and I excused us to go to Barcino and get Eric a cake. Good thing that Bugsy’s had a birthday candle on hand when we asked for one. To Eric’s embarrassment, we sang the Happy Birthday song.

It was a workweek and we had to call it a night. Pat was still raring to continue elsewhere. Eric and Fred were on board but Madz, Bubba and I had to beg off. Pat was convincing Madz to go when Eric unintentionally knocked the bottle that drenched Pat’s pants. I think Pat’s pants absorbed all spill because the red couch he was sitting on was spotless. That was our queue to get the bill. We were supposed to treat Eric and split the bill but Pat was insistent on letting Eric pay –how ironically funny.

On the way out, I snatched Fred’s jacket as soon as he stood up. He stares at the chair for a few seconds and then looks under the table. He looks at me and said, “Did you see my jacket?” He looks bewildered and shy, “I think I lost my jacket…” with his voice trailing off. I rapidly hand off the jacket to Madz from my back. I asked him, “did you bring a jacket?” He responds, “Yea, remember you were teasing me that I took it off to show off my muscles when I got in?” “Really,” I respond biting my lip to keep from laughing. He had this super worried look on his face that Bubba, Eric, Madz and I tried the darndest to stifle our laughter. Madz and Pat went out ahead while we wait for Fred to look for his jacket. He couldn’t resist and timidly asked the waiter if they saw a jacket. That’s the time I had to tell him and point outside to Madz.