BonChon is Love.

My BonChon lunch at 2:30pm. so...darn. good. 

Before I ever tasted BonChon Chicken, I've always wondered what the fuss (and hype) was all about... and after I got my first bite, I was never the same again. :-p

:-)

Anyway, it's Chicken, twice fried, so it's crispier, and less greasy *sure*... There are three sauces to choose from, by my first and favorite choice would have to be, Spicy. I simply love the stuff! 

My first taste of it was with a friend, Stephen, who bought dinner that time. He asked what I wanted for dinner, and because I was so hungry and BonChon was the first store I saw, I immediately made a beeline to the place. No regrets. Over small talk about the upcoming delivery of his "Missus", the importance of investing in real estate, and about other life stuff, I devoured my order of spicy chicken wings. So super.

The next time I had it was when I was on-duty with Pearl, Lovelle and RG and we were wondering where to get our dinner. It was RG's first time to try BonChon chicken, and he made another RG-type hirit, where, he said that he wanted his first time to eat it, to be with someone special. And we were like, all hungry, so we basically ignored his comments and trooped on over to the nearest BonChon branch. Best dinner ever. Although Pearl and Lovelle couldn't take the spiciness of the chicken. Lovelle was in tears all throughout the meal. haha. <-- This type of chicken is absolutely perfect with rice, although on its own, it IS something else too. 

It is affordable, although I wouldn't recommend it as a daily meal. It's just too good. You just have to not have it all the time, so that when you're hungry again, you'll crave it so much, you won't ever think of any other food until you have it. :-) I was in a mall full of restaurants earlier this afternoon, and I'd passed Bonchon Chicken place and it was full of people, and I was like, "Nah, maybe next time." Yet, I kept thinking about its chicken, with the crunchy skin and the delightfully flavorful spicy chicken variety...and I ended up taking a seat and wolfing down my order. 

Bliss.

:-)

I'm seriously emotional about it too. haha. One time, when they were out for lunch while I was screening patients, RG, one of my coresidents asked me if I wanted to order with them. I ordered the usual (my favorite), two piece chicken; drumstick and thigh, hot and spicy, with rice... So, a couple of hours later, when I was all done (and all beat from having to interview 6 people in-depth about their problems), I went to the callroom and asked about my share/order. RG, with his poker face, comes up to me and says, "Sorry, Atep, we were in a rush, and all we got you were fries."

I could feel my face crumple, and my heart sink to the floor (being both tired and hungry, oh, and drained is the worst feeling in the world.)...and I felt like crying. I had expected to be able to eat well when i got back to the callroom...but, this??

A few seconds later, he grins and goes into their room and fetches the bag of precious BonChon chicken...and the rest of the world became dead to me temporarily as i happily devoured my order of BonChon.

More BonChon soon.

BonChon simply is, Love.

:-)

Love, 

S.

Black Ink Pasta...

is not for a romantic date. lol, unless of course, your date fancies black teeth and lips.

if you're out with medschool classmates, like I was last thursday, it is just the yummy thing to order.

was out with my med school friends... Smooch! Grin! (and no, i'm not dating currently at the moment, but if i were, i'd probably order Black Ink Pasta and see how the guy would react to charcoal smiles.) Fun night, all in all. Love, S.

Photos: Chef's Quarter dinner

Pulled pork.

Bruscheta.

The "Special" Pasta

The "Surprise". :-) (I think it's creme brulee on brownie with strawberry and grape sauce.)

(food pics from when I had dinner with Sep and Auntie K.)


Love,

S.

Puto and Chocolate.

Where I grew up, this was one of my favorite picks for Sunday Morning breakfast.

One Good Day

It was a stroke of luck.


A table all to myself at the nearest StarBucks, with the lamp just hanging above. Perfect lighting, perfect little corner by the glass window, space enough to wrap my legs around the table leg and a nice cup of Toffee Nut Latte in hand, with my name on it (it simply is my favorite).


Ma'am Wamcie and Pearl, who are my seniors at work wanted some "quality studying time" after work, and I ended up tagging along.I was a little late, so when I went there, I had to drag someone's extra chair from a different table, positioning myself for some light reading ("The Elements of Style") and perhaps some writing.


My inexpensive sketchbook (I don't draw, I just like writing on clean,unlined paper) was on my lap, and I was just getting comfortable, hooking my legs in the rungs under Ma'am Wamcie's chair when the couple on the next stable stood up and I scored their spot.


----- 


Ah, life. It was packed in Starbucks that night... there were lots of people sitting on the couches, and the tables, and there were still more milling around at the counter, waiting to be seated. I was amused that whenever they'd pass by the planner stand, they'd reach for it, and then turn it over in their hands, and then immediately ask for the sticker card which you have to fill up so you can get your own planner. I know I did. (Obviously, I want one...although it's going to take a me a little longer than most people, unless of course i get outside help.:-p)


I like Starbucks...but not for when I'm studying. Maybe to just do casual, friday night stuff, like hang out with friends and write, watch people milling around. I learn a lot that way.


---- 


Earlier that night, we saw Gary V. perform at the mall for the tree-lighting ceremony.  We were on our way to eat dinner at a SuZhou, a dimsum place in Mabini (which has the best Spicy Sour Soup this side of Manila), when we heard someone sing "Pasko Na, Sinta Ko". We thought it was someone singing karaoke to the Gary Valenciano song, and doing a fairly good job at it. When we looked, lo and behold, it WAS Mr. Pure Energy himself! :-)


Can't say I'm a big fan, but hey, the guy can really hold the audience in thrall. The main audience was mainly a group of students and their teachers (who embarrassingly squealed with glee when Gary V. went by their areas). 


I remembered my cousin Ria saying back in high school (she saw a Gary V. concert), after seeing him on-stage that he was "gwapo kaayo!" (Cebuano for: Very Good-looking). Thenn, I just pish-toshed her and went about with my business. But...after seeing him perform live, I've changed my mind. The man simply is a bundle of energy. And I liked the positive vibe...he talked about his being diagnosed with Diabetes (type 1) at age fourteen and how he had been on insulin ever since. He even showed his insulin pump (which substituted the insulin shots he used to give himself every day.), and talked about how the life expectancy of those diagnosed with this was just 30 years, from the time of diagnosis. He was on his 33rd year, and there were no signs that he was stopping.

Anyway, in this pic, he had the spotlight on him, and he looked almost ethereal. You have to admire a man who does his job with as much pep and good vibes like he does. :-)

Also, may I be excused if I say that he has noticeably one of the nicest derrieres I've seen on a man before? Lol... i never notice these things, but with this picture, I hope you can understand why I have said so. :-p

Gary V. performs during the Tree Lighting Ceremony at Robinsons Place, Manila. November 6,2011.

And there's the beautiful tree that changes colors...:-) The mall was lit up with Christmas lights and Christmas songs were playing, and frankly speaking, I was looking forward to it, even if I won't be able to go home during the holidays. I've always liked Christmases. I'm contemplating on decorating somewhat at my place, so we'll see... :-) (I'll be working that day, though.)

---- 

And so we went to SuZhou, this yummy dimsum place I've been to three times before in the past month (and will probably keep going back to), because its food offerings are simply delish. :-)

Spicy Sour Soup (after I'd taken my share, of course), SuZhou.November 6,2011.

Xiao Long Pao (Shanghai soup dumpling). November 6,2011.

I went with Pearl and Aizah this time, but the first person who introduced us to this place, and made us "loyal minions" to the delicious food in this delightfully affordable  hole-in-the-wall (but almost always packed full) on Mabini St., was Dr. JCP. Sir, one of our favorite and admired consultants* , was a certified foodie who definitely knew his food and where to go for delectable goodies. This place was one of his haunts, something he discovered while walking around the Malate Area. 

This is where we're getting "instruction" on the finer points of eating the Chinese dumpling. :-)

Century Egg on Tofu, with Pork floss. 

Shrimp Tempura.

That's me, acting like a total dork (I'd already scarfed down four of these babies), courtesy of the "food endorphins". :-)
 On a serious note, though, I do believe (especially after this meal) that there are more things to life than meets the eye, and we are definitely lucky to benefit from the experiences and reflections of those who have come before us, especially when they give their time and make an effort in sharing what they know. I've always thought that learning was not only in the classroom, or in the wards, in the confines of the hospital, but most importantly, they were from the people who we interact with. (Thank you, Sir!)

-----

Earlier today we had our first ever lecture in Forensic Psychiatry, and well, I thought it was a bit anticlimactic, considering I was waiting for "action" in terms of The Profiler, or Criminal Minds. hehe. Not today. It seemed like there was a lot of bureaucratic red tape involved in Forensics. And I'm not sure if it's going to be my cup of tea, but hey, things could change in the next few months.

----

Oh, something came up that day. That was kinda nice. sort of.

When I was making rounds that afternoon, Surgeon Boy ( a surgery resident I have a bit of a crush on because he was super tall and had nice hands) came up to me and asked if I was  the Psych resident on-duty, because I think he had a patient he wanted to refer. Oh, snap. I wasn't, but with a perfectly composed face (because I couldn't help smiling to a little to myself when I first saw that he was in the ER), I told him that I wasn't, and that he could call the local number to refer that particular patient to the resident who WAS on duty. He was a tall one. and I do mean tall. I had to crane my neck just so i could look him in the eye when he talked to me. 

But, well, that was that, I did a quiet little "Eeek!"  and went over to my patient,  back to the business of doing psychotherapy. :-) It was a nice surprise.

The nicer surprise came in the morning, though. I thought I saw Doctor Boy in my ward, while I was making orders. He was probably going into the department office for something or other, but i wasn't able to stare (like last time, haha) because the mother of my patients was calling me and in my direct line of vision. Shoot. He still made my heart skip a beat, though. tsk tsk.

----

It was a good tour of duty. 

I admitted 2 patients, and saw one at the ER during my 36 hour duty period. I can't talk about them here, but suffice it to say, the consultant I worked with was very helpful and gave me a lot of lessons. 

My intern was super-efficient. Lol. With lots of initiative...AND teaching capabilities. It was pretty amusing to see her call the clinical clerks into a huddle first before they presented their patient to me. :-) And the clerks were inquisitive and had a lot of questions. I liked that.

Oh, and the Pre-res I was on-duty with, had pocket wi-fi...so there was free internet all day (haha). Funnily enough, he's my age, and it really is a small world, as I found out that we had both competed during Nationals  back in High School. He for sportswriting, and myself for editorial writing. "No wonder you looked familiar when we first met," he said before. Ok, he did look kind of familiar, when they were first introduced, but I wasn't sure where from. 

(Oh, and we both didn't win. Interestingly, my other coresident, Chamie, won though, she was 2nd place overall in Nationals for Feature writing.)

Guess what we ended up doing while waiting for patients? Well, we ended up writing. 

He was typing into his netbook, and I was scratching out my own "writing project" with pen and paper. typical. :-p

----- 

I've got my portfolio of patients together for the accreditation. Thinking about the number of patients and their families I had interacted with over the past year was daunting. Had I changed any lives? Have I made enough of a difference?

* scary *

------

Oh, and at the start of it all, I woke up early, got ready for duty and work to this song By Blaque, "I'm Good"... about a girl who is ok, with or without a man. (ok, but i don't feel as intensely as a ball buster.I just won't settle anymore. LOL)

Which is kind of like, My theme song for the week. ;-)

---

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the summary of one lucky Friday. :-) Have a good night, y'all.

And...

Merry Christmas. :)

Love, 

S. 

Molo Balls

Now I understand the concept of food as stress-relief…

 

After pulling all-nighters for quite a number of nights already, I was starting to feel drained and, well…ugly. So after work, when my friend Loreen wanted to go get herself duty shoes, I tagged along. After she found the shoes she wanted, I had her pick the place to eat. We ended up on the second floor, where, I suggested Japanese (Sashimi is my favorite.), but she wanted soup, so we settled for the Bacolod Chicken Inasal place that was close by.

 

When we looked at the menu, we couldn’t help but squeal with glee (to some extent). It was Ilonggo food!!

 

“Hey, they have molo balls…” she said.

 

“Wow!” I said, “I want that.”

 

And so we had the chicken, and the molo balls, and other stuff besides.

 

I love Molo balls. Basically, they’re just dumplings in soup, but I especially remember them because when I was in Medical school, we had that more times a week for breakfast that anything else. Our housekeeper, Manang Josephine had a way of cooking them that I can’t forget. They’d be spicy, just a tad salty, but swimming in oil. Oh, and there’d be shallots and garlic floating too.  Kind of like this…

 

 

hehe. I figured it was not that healthy, but… hey, I loved the stuff.  Oh, and back in medical school in Iloilo, we only had time for quick breakfasts, so before school, we’d just put them in bowls and cups and then eat up quickly before walking out to school which was a few blocks away.

 

The first spoonful of soup reminded me of, well, home. (Iloilo was home for 4 years.)

 

Loreen, on the other hand ordered a platter. She said the appetizer on it (eggplant something) reminded her of the hospital we did clerkship in.

 

 

Now I suppose we will be heading to this place for comfort food from time to time.

 

Oh, and here was another surprise…the had button mushrooms! Come to think of it, they’re not usually food for dinner, but then I just like them for the taste (and yes, I was really hungry that time). They’re not very, well, tasty, but I just like the feeling of biting into them, feeling their waterlogged juices flow out and mix pleasantly with the garlic and oil. basta!

 

 

 

And then afterwards, I slept. and then everything was all better again. lol.

 

(I don’t usually eat when I’m stressed. I just sleep it off, or write or something. Molo balls will be another option next time. )

 

Good morning.

 

Love,

 

S.

Kimono Ken (and his fabulous fish)

In my past blog entry, I metaphorically compared eating raw fish with sex. In retrospect, I regret to say that that would not be the case. I'm sure ahem carnal relations of the good kind may be mindblowingly outstanding (I suppose), but in this case, eating sushi the day after you want it so badly is like owning a little bit of heaven, especially at Kimono Ken's...

Sushi Morawase (Sashimi sampler)

Spicy Maguro (Fresh tuna with special spicy sauce)

Kani Salad Maki (Crabstick, Mango, Cucumber Salad)

And, my reason for breathing... Shake ( Salmon Sashimi)

Kimono Ken offered a menu that was "Enticingly Japanese. For Less." It was a bit more than I'd usually pay on my current allowance, but hey, it was well worth it, for an occasional splurge. I was giddy with glee even until after the last bite.

I'm plugging mercilessly (for free), but you should really try it. There's a Kimono Ken on Tomas Morato, one in SM NOrth Ave. (that's where we went to), at the Podium, and the Shang. :-)

Bon appetit!

I crave

June 20, 2009
Kaffefika, G. Tolentino St.
5:45 PM

I have an ardent desire for raw fish...the kind that you eat with chopsticks, smother with wasabi, and enjoy with gusto. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I can down the stuff like a man.

If left alone to my devices at an "eat all you can" buffet, I would willingly heap my plate and come back for seconds...even thirds.

Some people would find the sensation of eating raw fish revolting, and would not even touch the stuff, but I have no problems with that. I always thought that raw fish was an acquired taste anyway.

I crave it now.

I crave it like it was a necessary drug, to satisfy the intense need of my senses,
I'm craving it like a hungry man craves his first bite of food after days of hunger...
I crave it like a nymphomaniac craves sex...
Like a lovelorn spinster desires her first wet kiss...
Like a mortal sinner craves absolution.

:-)

I want that cool, soft flesh, it's pink luscious smoothness on my tongue, and I can't wait to feel that sharp sting of fresh green wasabi in the my mouth, the final few seconds before it slides pleasureably down my throat, the act of eating itself, a sweet surrender to the magic that is sushi.

Raw fish brings back many memories... family get-togethers in my childhood were always about laughter and bowls of raw fish in coconut milk, seasoned with spices and vinegar and lots of chili pepper. There was also a grand time when my aunt and cousin went out and feasted on heaps of Japanese food until we were so full we could barely move. It also reminds me of a time when I waited expectantly, intently watching an ex-love's face, while he tasted the first bites of this delightfully strange dish, waiting for approval.

Ah, memories...

One of my classmates at the review center knows of this Japanese restaurant near Don Bosco, in Makati where the food is so good...even Japanese people eat there. We're all planning to go out after the boards and totally drown our frustrations in the cuisine...

*sigh* I actually can't wait, but I do know I have to, because there simply isn't any substitute...

------------------

(Oh, and if you're from Dumaguete, you should try the Tuna Sashimi at Casablanca. It tastes so good, better than chocolate and sex (I think.) haha.)