Food: Agave Mexican Cantina

It was a joint birthday celebration of my aunt and cousin. We were supposed to go to Brazil! Brazil! at Serendra, but given the pouring rain situation in Metro Manila, the majority wanted somewhere close by, so we ended up going to Agave at Morato, which was nearer everyone else except us. But since our office is just a minute away, it was alright.

I have never tried Agave before, much less heard about them. Okay, okay. My night life practically is non-existent, and I spend my weekends cuddling up with my family at home. There's definitely no shame in that. Hah!

Daddy E and Allie went too, but Daddy E was not feeling good that night, so I was the designated driver. No bottomless margarita/mojito for me. Just plain, old lemonade. I tasted the strawberry mango margarita though, and I vowed to go back and have some. *wink*

For appetizers, we had bottomless chips and salsa. They were served on this chili-shaped dish. Make sure you ask for their garlic sauce, too. Mix that with the salsa, and you get this perfect yummy dip for your chips.

We also had this crispy pork belly grande. It reminded me so much of pritchon. You put the pork strips inside a tortilla pouch, add some cucumber slices, salsa, sour cream, a bit of garlic sauce (yes, we love it so much) and maybe some chips, like what my sister's boyfriend did here.

In the midst of all the eating, an announcement was made by my cousin. Everybody hushed and she announced that she's engaged! How wonderful is that? Hmm, so that was why she was always hiding her left hand. She didn't want anybody to see the ring until the announcement. Happy, happy news.

This is our table. It's a pretty long table for our party. I was on the other side, and didn't even notice the camera, so I wasn't looking. Heehee. See? Almost everyone was holding a margarita!

Photo taken from Agave Mexican Cantina

We also had this huge platter (Plato Ultimo), full of different menu items. It had a selection of beef taquitos, chicken quesadillas, chile rellenos, steak skewers, calamari fritos, filete de pescano and baby back ribs. It was served with salsa, guac, sour cream and a variety of rice.

You know, the only part I didn't like about Agave, was the size of their tables. They were too narrow! Hmm, maybe the platters were just too huge. Haha.

But... my favorite dish so far is their beef quesadillas. Super yum.

Here's the link to their complete menu.

Visit Agave at Bonifacio High Street, Eastwood or Tomas Morato. We went to Morato, and they have free, validated parking at the basement, so that's always a plus.

Next time, I will try their steak burrito and maybe do a comparison with Chipotle, Uncle Moe's and Ristra's. :P

Food: Yabu, The House of Katsu

It is the latest tonkatsu craze in Manila. We tried it and it's very good. It is so worth the price because their servings are huge compared to other katsu places.

The set meal comes complete with miso soup, unlimited Japanese rice and cabbage, and of course the katsu. I tried their pork tonkatsu, and I love that it is lightly breaded. You make your own sesame dressing, where you crush your own sesame seeds and pour out the sauce.

Tomorrow, August 9, they will be donating all their net sales to the victims of flood in the country. Come on and let's eat for a good cause. Spread the word.

Visit Yabu at 2/F Mega Atrium, SM Megamall

Food: A Brie and Apricot Snack

I love brie. I love apricots. The two of them together? Even better. Here is a recipe for a quick and easy appetizer that you can make in minutes. I am sure you will love this.

Ingredients:
* french baguette
* brie
* apricot preserves / jam

Directions:
1. Slice the baguette diagonally, and lightly toast.
2. Spread some apricot preserves directly on the bread.
3. Slice some brie cheese, and put above the jam.
4. Top with apricot preserves again.

Love: Sun

I know I said I love rain. But ten days of non-stop rain is just too much.

Where are you sun? I'm sorry if I made you jealous of rain. You are dearly missed. Please come back soon.

Inspiration: Brazilian Cities Against OOH

OOH, in agency language, means out-of-home. These constitute the giant billboards and outdoor advertising. OOH is probably the first thing you will notice when driving around the city of Metro Manila. There is a massive amount of giant billboards scattered every thoroughfare. And I mean massive.

Every single time a big storm comes, these billboard spreads come down. I guess for fear of falling giant steel structures that support the tarps (or whatever material they use for these ads) when strong winds blow.

I think that, in general, billboards just contribute to visual pollution. The photos above show what is left of the outdoor ads when they were all rolled down during a storm. Can you just imagine Manila with all these structures wrapped with advertisements? What about Manila without these steel trusses on top of buildings?

Don't get me wrong; I am not against advertising. After all, I worked in an ad agency for almost 5 years. I just think that ad agencies should be pushed to create visually pleasant and stimulating advertisements that will help beautify a city.

There seems to be hope.

Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are two cities in Brazil that have already implemented laws on banning outdoor advertising -- not just billboards, but all ads that can be seen by everyone including those that you see on public transportation.

It can be done. At first, of course there would be backlash. There will be fear of job loss, revenue decrease, etcetera, etcetera. Where will businesses advertise then? Well, let the creatives deal with that. They should think out of the box. They can go digital, or do art instead like what BBDO did for GE in Sao Paulo.

View of Rio from Corcovado

Wouldn't it be a great deal if Metro Manila were to be defined by its surroundings, its architecture, its cleanliness, and not sheets of out-of-home advertisements? I think there's a lot more to Metro Manila than billboards.

Manila, a clean city. What a wonderful statement. Sigh, one can only wish.