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Archive for February, 2009
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Finding comfort at PenPen
Posted by Ferdz on 23 Feb 2009 under Gut Feel · 2 Comments
The newspaper headlines. Global recession. Inflation. Times like the present calls for some relief. Now more than ever, we ought to get comfort where we can find it. If it’s spa for the body and music for the weary soul, then it’s comfort food for the weary spirit. So when we heard of PenPen, we took a chance on the Saturday traffic and went to Timog for a late lunch for a serving of comfort food. The place has received some media mileage owing to the fact that it is owned by the wife and son of veteran actor, Pen Medina (hence the name, PenPen), but we want to find out if the comfort food lives up to the publicity.
Breakfast in Bongao
Posted by Ferdz on 16 Feb 2009 under Light & Hearty · 2 Comments
Without question, Bongao in Tawi Tawi is pretty remote. It’s not just the physical distance per se that gives one that feeling but also the absence of the usual, ubiquitous fastfood outlets that line up Zamboanga City for example. Not that we miss the Jollibees, Mcdos and Chowkings. Out here in Bongao, it would be interesting to find out what the locals eat. One breakfast time, we decided to take a walk and see where our feet (and noses) will take us. We eventually ended up at Al-Madina-1, one of the coffeeshops that line the main street of Datu Halun.
A tale of two sattis
Posted by Ferdz on 9 Feb 2009 under Gut Feel · 5 Comments
Pardon our take on Dickens’ “Tale of Two Cities” for the title but we beg to ask, a satti is a satti is a satti, right? A visit to Zamboanga City and Bongao, Tawi Tawi became a journey of discovery with regards to the answer to this query.
But first thing first – what is a satti? A popular breakfast fare in the south, satti is grilled beef or chicken on a stick served with tamuh (rice) in a spicy curry sauce. The description reads like a simple dish to prepare so you might be inclined to say how different can sattis be? We had the opportunity to sample the satti at Jimmy’s, the pride of Zamboanga and Sulu, and at the Bongao Coffee Shop to look for answers.
Kamayan in Manay
Posted by Ferdz on 2 Feb 2009 under Gut Feel · 3 Comments
The weather alternated between overcast and rainy when we ventured to Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte. It’s been a long trip, having gone from Tawi-Tawi to Zamboanga City and northwards to Dipolog so instead of letting the rains dampen our spirits, we took it as a sign to slow down on shooting and making the most of the sleepy weather. Having billeted ourselves at one of the pension houses along the city’s Sunset Boulevard, we had the rare luxury of being steps away from eating places. We consider ourselves very lucky indeed to have stumbled upon Kamayan ni Manay just before the heavy rains came again and obscured the nice view of Dapitan Bay.