In search of the perfect ramen

Manila has had a love affair with ramen since last year, with lots of new restaurants claiming to serve the perfect bowl popping up. My husband and I rarely follow food trends because we find it silly to waste time waiting in long queues (and also because foods that trend are usually not very healthy), but we do enjoy a good bowl of ramen every now and then. Since ramen with chasyu (grilled pork) and tamago (egg) looks similar no matter the flavor, this will be the first and probably the last photo of ramen I will post here. This particular bowl is from Nomama Artisanal Ramen, of which we'd heard quite a lot about. I found it disappointing—the broth was overpowering and the pork wasn't very tender. Sorry, Nomama, but I think that Ramen Bar's is much, much better.

Tracks

I've only just noticed the small rocks on the tracks of the Metrostar light rail system—better known as the MRT (Metro Rail Transit)—at the Ayala station. The MRT is elevated for most of its length and I suddenly wondered if there are also rocks on those elevated portions.

Green and white

The pavilions of The Blue Leaf in Taguig City open to a garden which can be used as an extension area for events held in the pavilions. Not recommended during the middle of the day during summer, nor for our monsoon season. The white building in the background belongs to Accenture.

Of wood and stone

The handsome exterior corridor of the Banyan Pavilion of The Blue Leaf events pavilion in Taguig City. I really like the slanting wooden pillars and their stone base.

Go skateboarding!

When I left the Philippine Wedding Summit (see the two previous posts), I heard a funny noise to the side of the World Trade Center so I walked over to investigate and saw a whole bunch of boys and young men skateboarding on the corridor. I asked a man wearing a shirt that declared he was a bouncer what it was all about. Apparently, June 21 is Go Skateboarding Day. Skateboarding isn't very safe on Manila's streets, though, so Vans sponsored a skateboarding event on June 22 instead. The event was held in the white building to the left and the guys out here were just practicing.

As an aside, why does skateboarding seem to attract more males than females? I don't think I saw a single female in this group.

Garden weddings

Aside from the miniature Eiffel Tower at the 2013 Philippine Wedding Summit (see yesterday's post), the lobby also had sample table setups for wedding receptions.
  
I believe that they were also designed by Pido Villanueva as part of the Parisian ambiance he created for the lobby.
  
I wish I could have taken photos inside the exhibition hall (the wedding gowns were all so beautiful!), but it wasn't allowed.

Petite Tour Eiffel

Visitors to the 2013 Philippine Wedding Summit at the (unfortunately-named) World Trade Center in Pasay City over the weekend were greeted at the lobby by this miniature Eiffel Tower created by ambiance stylist Pido Villanueva. If you can't go to Paris for your wedding, you can bring Paris to your wedding instead.

Internal glow

The evening Mass had ended, but the lights were still on inside the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, allowing us to see its lovely stained glass windows from the outside.

The windows are on the sides of the church and can't be seen from the street. You have to enter the church's compound to see them. They must be even more magnificent from the inside—where you won't see the metal grills—during the day.

Killing zone

The fiercest sign for a smoking area I have seen to date.

Loopy

The chandelier at Hossein's Restaurant—which serves very good Persian, Arabian and Indian cuisine—in Trinoma mall.
 
Just because I like it and the shadows the glass loops throw against the ceiling.

Yum?

Shelled, boiled then fried, or cooked adobo-style, salagubang (Phyllophaga – May or June bugs) is apparently considered a delicacy in some parts of the Philippines, notably Northern Luzon. These were brought to the office by a friend who hails from Abra, who explained that the beetles are only available once a year, in May, when they first emerge from the soil after their larval stage. I found a recipe for adobong salagubang in one of our dailies from a woman who grew up in Nueva Ecija in a household where salagubang was a staple. Adobo or fried, I don't think I will ever be able to try one. Can you?

Drive-thru

The beach in Boracay where we had our lunch (see yesterday's post).
  I just had to join in the "It's more fun in the Philippines" fun.

Twice lucky

Soon after the short trip that my husband and I took for our anniversary, I went on another trip, this time with my new office. To Boracay and its famed fine, white sand beaches.
  Boracay's sand artists usually date their daily creations. They make a living through the tips that tourists give them when they have their photos taken with the sandcastles, so "writing" the date makes a lot of sense. Many people end up taking photos of at least one sandcastle for every day of their stay.
  This was the beach where we had our lunch during our bangka tour of the island. No resorts here, just several bamboo huts serving simple Filipino fare.

Brekkie

Coffee mural at Pancake House. With a pancake and waffle, of course.

See murals from around the world in Monday Mural.