Happy Foodies

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/5570251136/"><img alt="Bu-os " src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5063/5570251136_48cab86a32_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bu-os (Ant Eggs)</figcaption></figure> Real good food with the absence of impurities and natural is done by going back to nature. In my recent Tour with Lakbay Norte 2, we visited the isolated forest town of Adams in Ilocos Norte. After our hike to visit Anuplig falls, we had a late lunch where they served us meals which they consider organic. It's those simple dishes with ingredients freshly hand picked from their surroundings which made them good on their own.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggie/5543648346/in/set-72157626183294517/ "><img alt="Oh My Gulay House Salad" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5136/5543648346_0ce3ed66fe_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Oh My Gulay House Salad (P100)</figcaption></figure> Go up five flights of stairs, past the sporting goods store on the ground floor, the drinking joint with the blaring karaoke on the second, a gym on the third, more offices on the fourth, and enter the world of artist, Kidlat Tahimik. There are artistic curiosities on this high-ceilinged, top-most floor -- large installations here, framed paintings over there. The plants spread all over the place are real, lending it a lush, texture-filled vibe. Up on the second level, the dining area offers a panoramic view of the city center. Welcome to Oh My Gulay along Session Road in Baguio.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/5389593401/in/set-72157625909902752/"><img alt="Hot Choco at Soul Cafe" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5132/5389593401_1e94bac272_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hot Choco at Soul Cafe</figcaption></figure> Food discoveries during travel have always been the heart of Happyfoodies. And during this Lakbay Norte 2, a familiarization tour of select places in Northern Luzon, we get to try out some interesting food stops on the way to Baguio from Manila on our first day. We had breakfast at SOUL Cafe in La Union, snacks at Cafe Isabelle and dinner at Hotel Elizabeth's Flora Cafe.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/5222769571/in/set-72157625263656779/"><img alt="Baked Bun with BBQ Pork" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5222769571_cb6fd4ff03_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (HK$12)</figcaption></figure> It's already past mid-afternoon when we, armed with maps from the HK airport, alighted at the MTR station in the Mongkok district. Nina (of <a href="http://justwandering.org">Just Wandering</a>) whetted our collective appetites with a tale of a much-written about hole-in-the-wall place that serve this really different kind of siopao. Since we we were in the vicinity for a look-see of Mongkok's electronic shops later in the afternoon, we thought why not find the place and taste for ourselves? Turns out the place wasn't really hard to find as we ran into a motley group of hungry diners, both local and foreign, hogging the sidewalk along Kwong Wa Street. We were given a number and told to wait an hour.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/5186859694/in/set-72157625263656779/"><img alt="Roasted Suckling Pig with Steamed Piggy Mask Buns" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/5186859694_a5a1b15eb8_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Roasted Suckling Pig with Steamed Piggy Mask Buns</figcaption></figure> Once upon a time, travel bloggers who were also happy foodies, were sent to a not so far away Disneyland perchance to savor the ride but first, to partake of the food offerings... On our first day in <a href="http://synad2.nuffnang.com.sg/nn_gtrack.php?click&gid=10387">Hong Kong Disneyland</a>, the first order of the day wasn't a fancy ride nor a character meet-and-greet. It's lunch. Yep, the Disney magic transcends the senses of sight and touch and spills over onto taste. All that talk while growing up about not playing with your food and here we are, looks like the chefs were the ones who played around with theirs. You could say we were in for an interesting lunch.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggie/5184263656/in/set-72157625407637314/"><img alt="Mak's Pork Dumpling and Wonton" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1279/5184263656_c08af729c1_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mak's Pork Dumpling and Wonton</figcaption></figure> We capped our first day in HK watching the sunset and admiring the early dusk view of the Kowloon and Central nightscape at the viewdeck of Victoria Peak. Boy, was it a chilly 19 degrees up there with the wind adding to the cold. We chanced upon Mak's on the way out of the Galleria mall, the warm lighting looked inviting and the thought of having hot soup on a chilly night sounded like a good idea.

<figure><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlwrObEV4hGNkCKeKURDZ5Uu-gha7KSDowF5SHcRqKaz9IucDbX0_0FvYAQ3QQ_FS9ozeF5hOePvSkcAAfriV92N99x7gppC1CvCr9v8W95jn_mxSzMCXDx1APxMb_uzvHwocbFEnnmymgP3eq-XXmFfC4AhyphenhyphenICspXHf143iuReQNowBiuOBmb8zrNBc/s1024/wabi-sabi-2010.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlwrObEV4hGNkCKeKURDZ5Uu-gha7KSDowF5SHcRqKaz9IucDbX0_0FvYAQ3QQ_FS9ozeF5hOePvSkcAAfriV92N99x7gppC1CvCr9v8W95jn_mxSzMCXDx1APxMb_uzvHwocbFEnnmymgP3eq-XXmFfC4AhyphenhyphenICspXHf143iuReQNowBiuOBmb8zrNBc/s16000/wabi-sabi-2010.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wabi-sabi Noodle House Window</figcaption></figure> Yeah, I know the drill. Eat your veggies. Eat more of 'em. And eat 'em more often. Well, I'm no veggie hater; it's just that pork, chicken and beef are just too commonplace and admittedly, too good to pass up come mealtime. Vegemeat dishes are okay but there aren't a lot of places that serve them, and honestly, the dishes fall short on taste. Call it serendipity or luck but your Happyfoodies are just too happy to have stumbled upon a really nice veggie place -- Wabi-Sabi Noodle House & Vegetarian Grocery at The Collective in Makati. We're just too glad to find somewhere we can seek penance for all those trips to the nearby 8065 Bagnet.