Guilly's Island

Sports and Food at the Same Time

Last weekend I went around Makati to look for a different restaurant to dine in. And I found this unique restaurant named National Sports Grill in Greenbelt three. It is a sports bar, meaning people are gathered there for one main reason, and it is sports. But aside from the sports theme they have, they also offered unique foods. The place is very sporty, person who loves sports will really enjoy this restaurant turn into sports bar in the night. The restaurant provides a very energetic and enthusiastic sports environment. The interior of the restaurant is very relative to the whole idea of giving the customer an environment that is very attractive and very relaxing at the same time. They have several memorabilia of different sports icon in the world and most in the Philippines. The walls are design after sports also, different banners and poster of several sports around the world.   The position of the table is very close random, but most are booth tables, giving the customer the feeling of relaxation and enjoying at the same time. The restaurant bar has 15 televisions with different sports airing. They show sports such as basketball, billiard, table tennis, baseball, football, boxing, swimming and so much more. The restaurant offers variety of beverages to their customer. From cocktails, beers, liquors, and wines. The menu features a wide assortment of all-American appetizers, salads, specialized sandwiches, hamburgers, pizzas, alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty drinks, domestic and international beer and refillable soda & iced tea. The stadium is decorated with sports memorabilia from both international and local stars creating a sports museum ambience. It is equipped with an 84-inch Jumbo and ten TV monitors, which feature both live and classic sporting events and programs. A pool table is a plus! They have cocktails named after different sports terminology such as all star iced tea, coaches cranberry rita, and baseball margarita. The food they offer is served with a big platting with reasonable prices. The establishment is a franchise from United States and spreading now all over the world-giving people dining choice of champions. The national sports grill is the first restaurant that combined dining experience and at the same sport experience, first in the America and also first here in Manila. If you want to experience being a champion while eating go to National Sports Grill and take a sports tour around the world.

Dr.Kebab

 

A day with Dr.Kebab 

      I did my interview last September 12, 2008 in Mr.Hossein restaurant branch in greenbelt

 three. The interview turned to be informal because Mr.Hossein is very hospitable that he let 

me taste his specialties. The interview took around 20-30 minutes. I tour around the 

restaurant and got a chance to meet every people in the restaurant.

 

Kim Quizon: first of all thank you for giving the time and the opportunity to do this interview; I know you are a very busy bee person. Again thank you sir.

Mr.Hossein: No problem. You’re my daughters friend therefore I love you also.

KQ: Sir, how did you start as restaurant owner? What was your job back in Persia? What brought you to the Philippines?

MH: I came here around 1978, to study here. I enrolled in MAPUA school in electrical engineering, then during the Spanish revolution I returned to my country to join military. Why because it is required for us men to join military. so I went military for two years after finishing high school. For me to survived back in persia I went to cooking side because cooking is in the blood of my family. My uncle was a chef of the Shah; my mother is a nice cook. You know what I learned everything from my parents. I don’t even have any formal study in cooking. 1985 I started my restaurant business here in the Philippines, serving diplomat people. I don’t have place wherein I only have 5 tables, then after that we  started again after five years that is 1990 were serving with seven tables then 1993 with 13 tables, then after 2000 we served with 32 tables. As of now, you can see I have 5 major branches here in the Manila. One in Serendra, one in Trinoma, one in The fort, one in Makati Avenue and one in Greenbelt. We run this restaurant with 121 workers.

KQ: what is the specialty of your mom?

MH: as my mom thought me to cook, I think the specialty is that it should come from your heart. My mom is cooking different kind of food. And as early as five year old i know how to cool already. And I just want to become a Shah, a chef of a king.

KQ: is there a secret to running a successful restaurant? 

MH: of course yes, you should love what you are doing that’s it.

KQ: what made you decide to introduce halal restaurant here in Manila.

MH: simply because I’am a muslim. I want to eat my food. The way I want it to eat, I want all Muslims taste it the way I do.

KQ: what are the differences of your restaurant in any other halal restaurants here in manila?

MH:  for me, I don’t see much halal restaurant here in the Philippines, because all of my meat is halal certified. It comes directly from Australia. All are meat are imported. And we have a certification from Australia. And one more thing is that we have 385 dishes in the menu.

KQ: did you invent all of the dish?

MH: yes!, about 80% of my menu is originally from me. and I am happy for it. I have this kind of dish that the ingredient is five thousand dollars per kilo. And we have it here in th restaurant.

KQ: Are you bothered after knowing that they’re some restaurants trying to compete and claiming that they are the original halal restaurants here in Manila?

MH: I don’t thing so. There are a lot of people copying each other restaurants, but is not very hard to maintained what you have right now. For me I just give my heart. That all.

KQ: as we know halal restaurant is very complicated type of restaurant, in order to maintain the quality of the food, what are the procedures that the management is doing?

MH:  Yes we have. Of course you have to be very careful of the meat coming in the restaurant. You do not bring any other meat. You know the religion that we have, we are very careful about meat. I just my meats it comes from Australia.

KQ: is there any specialties that the restaurant id known for?

MH: Of course yes!, kebab.

KQ: sir can you explain further to me what is  kebab?

MH: kebab is anything cook with the use of charcoal. It can be tomato kebab, beef kebab, chicken kebab, lamb kebab, fish kebab, any other meat cook with the use of charcoal. You should try our kebab. I will ask my chef to cook all types of kebab for you.

KQ: no thank sir, thank you. I’m here to interview you sir.

MH: no!, I will teach you the reality. I will teach you how to be overall of yourself. I will teach the system way, Chef See way! I will give you some kebab, so you know how will it taste, don’t tell me how is it. After you taste it tell me how was the food. You want to become chef right?

KQ: yes sir. I really want to become a chef. Go sir bring on the kebab.

KQ: so sir, how did you met Tita Gloria?

MH: mhhh.. many people is asking that question. I was a student then. 1979 I meet my wife in UP Diliman. She is studying 2 courses then that time. Political science and at the same time Medicine. Yes its tough my wife is a lawyer and doctor at the same time. I love my wife so much.

 

Guilly's Island

 Guilly's Island

 Last Saturday some of my friends and I went to Guilly’s island restaurant and abr. By day it is a restaurant and by night it turns in a nightclub. The bar is located along Tomas Morato in Quezon City. The bar offers very affordable beverages, from cocktails, liquors and beer. They have a P300 entrance fee. I was so surprised with ambience, it is so cheerful and energetic that makes everyone wild.

 What make this bar cool is their cocktail drinks. They name their cocktail drinks after islands. I was so excited and curious of the drinks because of their unique and catchy names. I ordered their best seller, which is the Guilly’s island cocktail for life. The cocktail drink is composed of absolute vodka and some absinthe, juice and to add more flavor they put minced apple. I really don’t know the fruit flavor of that cocktail but I think its four-season juice.

         I usually don’t like cocktail drinks, but after drinking that unique cocktail, I ordered more. what makes the cocktail so unique is the blending tastes of the juice and the absolute vodka and more is the sweetness of the apple. I didn’t feel actually drunk after finishing 3 glass of the Guilly’s Island cocktail for life. As to the crowd of the bar, people are very cheerful and energetic. The cocktail is best while dancing in the dance floor. I highly recommend this bar, for those who want to experience something different and something unique. They also have branches in Mall of asia and one in San Juan.

      They offer around 50 different types of beverages from cocktails and beers. The beverage is best paired with their food as well as in the environment. I definitely recommend their bestseller cocktail, which is the guilly’s island cocktail for life. Your escapade is incomplete without tasting this cocktail.

School Food

 Siomai in Notre Dame 

     

            Going to school if fun and very exciting. As we grow older, we had our certain decisions to make in terms of deciding what food to eat. I experienced this, as early as seven years old, my mom used to gave me money for me to buy food. At first it feels exciting that t have to buy food for myself. But when time passed by, I felt bored so often. Our school canteen is quite big. And it was when I was in first year high school when I learn to enjoy the food served in our school canteen. The canteen serves us burgers, different kinds of pastas, pizza, fish balls, gulaman, rice meal and so much more. My friends and me usually eat this very unique siomai in our school canteen.

          Yes its cheap, it cost seven pesos per piece for a big piece of siomai. I really don’t know the reason why all of us student love that siomai. When my group feels hungry it’s the siomai stall that we usually line up for. I don’t know how they make those siomai, that my friends and I are always wondering how.  Maybe there is a secret ingredient or maybe it is in their procedures that they do. This siomai even causes me to argue and fight with my friends. It was one time when we really want to eat siomai, after our last subject, which is P.E, which makes everyone hungry and hurrying to go to the canteen. I waited for my friends for them to be dismissed. And while walking to the canteen, I asked my friends to eat siomai with me and so they agree. Those times were all hyper and very active. Then I asked my friend to buy siomai for me. I asked him to buy seven pieces of siomai. But what makes me angry that time is that he is so slow to hear that I want siomai not siopao. He bought me seven piece of siopao. I just don’t want to eat siopao that time I want siomai with rice. What I did is go and buy siomai for myself. But what irritates me a lot is that, siomai is no longer available. But since my other friends don’t feel eating siomai, so I bought his siomai. But I my friend is about to give me the siomai, the soy sauce and the siomai spill in my uniform. And I start screaming to my friend, but then I realized that it’s just a siomai. Every now and then when we remember this, we used to laugh loud for our stupidity. After graduating high school we still miss the special siomai that we always looking and craving for.

        Then one time we decided to visit our Alma matter. The Notre Dame of Greater Manila. The first thing we did is to eat our favorite siomai and it feels so good after how long since the last time we eat those siomai. And just because I am still curious on how that siomai is made I ask the person in charge in making the siomai. I asked her what is her secret recipe and even her secret procedures. And she just told me that the secret ingredient is the pork and shrimp. Then I asked how, and then I was surprised when she told me that she chopped the pork manually. And makes me wonder a lot, for how many years that girl use to chop the pork manually. And I just feel hurt for her. Because it is not normal for a person, especially in businesswomen not use ground pork when you need a large amount of pork and prawn. And I just realized how difficult it is to grind hundreds kilos of pork.

        My friend and I decided to come to our school once every month just to eat that unique siomai in our school canteen. And we will always remember that accident that almost tears our friendship apart. Truly our school food siomai is very unique.

 

My Mom's Kaldereta

  

<<>>  

              My mom is a very busy bee person. Ever since she had us, she hadn’t stopped working. And my mom owed my Lola for raising us so well. And one thing my mom could not do is to cook. So my mom is trying to do is to cook. Since my mom is trying to show love to us, she is trying her best to cook same dishes my lola used to cook for us. My Lola is from Bicol, and Bicolano’s are known for making the best dishes. My Lola used to cook the best Kare-Kare, Kaldereta, Chicken Pandan, and so much more.

         Since my mom is starting to get older, she became more hands-on with us, and by cooking she is trying to show love. What’s so funny is that my mom is trying hard to get recipe from my Lola. This recipe is my Lola’s secret ingredients and procedures. But my mom is too slow to get what exactly the procedure and ingredients my Lola told her. So what my mom did is bought some cook book and find kaldereta recipe. The first time my mom actually cooked kaldereta it turned out okay. The second was more savory. It’s like two secret recipes from my Lola and from my mom, resulting in a fantastic dish.

         I believed every dish has its own secret. In my mom recipe, it’s the freshness and the tenderness of the beef. She used buy beef all the way from Australia. To tell you honestly I don’t see any differences between our beef here in Philippines from the beef from Australia. One thing my mom used to do is, she made her own tomato sauce. Usually now a day, people are fun of using the tomato sauce which are commercially available/ my used fresh coconut milk. Even now that there is a coconut powder in the market. My mom believed that all ingredients she must use are all fresh. Since beef is too hard to achieve the tenderness, so my mom will use an old traditional charcoal stove. She believed that it’s more accurate and will make the beef more tender and soft. And what I really understand about my mom is that, she used to put fork on the beef while boiling it. I don’t know how it affect the taste or how will the beef be more soft after putting the fork. This fork thing in our family has been passed in our other relative and even to myself.

          Since my mom is so busy, there are some occasion wherein she will be cooking the beef Kaldereta because she just want it to show love. Until now it’s magic or wonder for my mom, how she learn to cook. She will usually cook this beef Kaldereta during family birthdays and Christmas. My Tita and Tito used to tease my mom of her dish. There’s something in the Kaldereta that they can’t describe. My mom still doesn’t know how, but I think its in the ingredients and the procedures.

          In our family I’m the one who really loves cooking. When my mom first tried to cook this kaldereta, all I did was to watch her. I laughed at her all the time while she’s in the kitchen. My Lola had a very hard time teaching my mom how to cook. And it’s so nice to see them. Even if my Lola is 82 she is still remembers the entire recipe that the whole family is craving. And since then my mom use to got the step-by-step secret procedures and ingredients. And now she loves cooking for us. That really makes our heart big. were a big family, literary big family. And if you try to see us, no wonder me turn this big.

        Before it was my Lola who my relatives asked to cook. Now it’s my mom who they ask to cook for them. It really proves that in our family cooking really exist and flows in our blood. Now I’m missing my moms Kaldereta, since it’s been two months when I last eat Kaldereta. Maybe the secret ingredient that just now I realized is love and passion. Maybe when my mom is cooking she is in love so much. So much inspired to feed us with her best Kaldereta with love.

    

Coffeeology

           Coffeeology

          According to Dheza Maria Aguilar, “Most of us might not be aware that the Philippines is one of the few countries fortunate to have all four major coffee varieties present in our soil. We are actually situated in the Coffee Belt, the part of the globe which has only two seasons—wet and dry season” Manila Standard Today.  I am a curious how coffee cherry is made into a real coffee powder. Fortunately my class with Ms. Ines Cabarrus had a field trip in Boyd’s coffee factory. We went there last July 5, 2008 together with my classmates. And there is a guy who served us a double espresso cappuccino. He made 35 cups of coffee within 15 minutes.

              The coffee that served us was probably the best coffee I ever tasted. The froth of the Double Espresso Cappuccino is perfect. He uses only fresh milk in making froth. The coffee he used is freshly roasted and imported. The coffee bean he uses is Arabica, which is the best coffee bean commercially available. The Double Espresso Cappuccino taste a bit bitter but when added sugar its awesome. The sweetness and the bitterness of the coffee combined resulted in a coffee full of body, aroma and creamy.

                   Guess what? The guy, who served Double Espresso Cappuccino for us, is the owner of Figaro here in Manila. His name is Mr. Francisco. He is one of the pioneers when it comes to the coffee industry. I’m so curious what is the difference between the coffee from his store Figaro and the coffee in his factory. Because of my curiosity I went to one of Figaro’s branch in Rockwell Mall. I order the same coffee Mr. Francisco served to us the Double Espresso Cappuccino. And I must say the ambience of store will make your mouth water. I went there in my corporate uniform after my last class; the staff is very good you will know that they are well trained. The service is fantastic and accurate. The service staff is well trained to attend the need of the customer.

                         I am bit afraid whether the taste of the coffee is different or the same with Mr. Francisco’s coffee. But my expectation is met it tasted exactly the same. The coffee tasted not too bitter and the froth is perfected made and very creamy. The crema is sugary. For 100 of coffee is not that bad and heavy to your pocket. Afterwards receiving priceless service is worthless. I tell you Figaro Coffee will exceed probably Starbucks Coffee. If you want coffee that will feed your thirst, tension, and stressed go now to any Figaro’s branches nationwide.

                   

Big Brother Burger

   Big Brother Burger 

We all want to find the best burger in town. Oftentimes we eat so much burger yet, the best burger is very difficult to find. Now after spending a week looking for the best burger finally I met Brother’s Burger. The store is along Bonifacio High Street in Taguig. I ordered the classic Brothers Burger with cheese. The burger is composed of seven main ingredients. Namely bread with oats, lettuce, tomatoes, beef patty, cheese, ketchup, and bread again. For P 135.00 you will have an imported Burger from Australia. The patty is so thick and juicy; you can zip the juices coming from the burger patty. The cheese they used I think is a mozzarella cheese. The cheese used in pizza hut! How yummy!

      The thing about their burger is their bread. The bread used is freshly bakes, you can touch the bread then you will notice that the bread is baked using “pugon”. Instead of putting sesame seed they put oat. They use fresh tomatoes; you can crunch the tomatoes like chicharon and produces a sound of biting chicharon. Truly Brothers Burger is the best burger in town. From the ingredients, to preperation down to the service is awesome. Although the place is so small, its belts to take out the burger and eat somewhere else.

    I know that you are now craving and your mouth is watery all you have to do is go to Brothers Burger in Bonifacio High Street. For P200.00 you can eat a quarter pound burger. I highly recommend this burger to all people who are fan of eating burger. Brothers Burger can fill your aching stomach. “Best burger in town is the Big Brothers Burger!”