Hi guys!
Sorry for the long hiatus but I have been eyeballs deep in work lately and I really started this as a hobby and a stress reliever which I know is a pathetic excuse but it is the truth. Also, I have been wondering about the direction I would like to take on my blog... I have been dragging my feet on this and I haven't really decided yet but right now, I think I will be mixing it up a bit and see what really gets me going... I just hope that you guys would like it too.
This by far does not constitute a promise to be here always, but I will do my bestest(?) to update the blog.. if not for you guys.. at least for me.
mumbling my welcomes...
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Memories of my childhood -- Barrio Fiesta!
Okay! Let's start the new year with a well loved restaurant. One that has withstood the test of time and have been a staple favorite by Filipino families for years and years. This is especially true to my family.
The place I'm talking about is Barrio Fiesta!
Yep... you know what I'm talking about... The mere mention of the name already fills your head with old time favorites like Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata. These are their best sellers!
I remember in the old days, back when I was a schmuck of a kid, my father always went out to gamble... (What the f***??? What it's got to do with Barrio friggin Fiesta???) Well, I'll get to it... my father gambled as a means of relieving stress from work. He managed an old Sash factory then... (sash what???) It's a wood craft business (why the heck didn't you just say so in the first place?!?).
He worked on it and managed it. That's how he got all his children through school (including me) and was our main source of income. Back to the story... Okay, he gambles away... when he won (and it was either he won big or lost big), he would always pass by Barrio Fiesta... the one located along Edsa... I'm sure you know it and have seen it one time or another... It's close to Ortigas along Edsa southbound... you'll never miss it. Anyway, he would pass by there and buy Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata for everyone! End of story.
Well... not quite. Those were some of the rare times when we enjoyed Kare-Kare and crispy pata!!! (As you already know -- if you read my blog, as a child, I did not eat a lot of foods with veggies --Kare-Kare included -- a big loss for me!). But I eat a lot of the Crispy pata!!! It was an absolute favorite as a child! And this was always the target of my hunger whenever my father went home with his prized pasalubong!
My father even had his own swear word which I could only surmise came from this incredible dish -- "Anak Pata ka!" he would say when he was frustrated at us... heh... good times! It even earned him the nickname "Pata"" from his carpenters.
I remember it all like it was yesterday... my father coming home with the dishes... I remember the crispy skin of that pork leg and hearing it crack as I peel it off the leg... Oh. My. God. It was like angels singing... and when I put it in my mouth to eat and I hear each crackling in my mouth as I chew while it slowly melts away until it goes down smoothly down my throat and into the gaping chasm which is my stomach... it's pure unadulterated, cholesterol laden food heaven! For a kid... it was as good as it will ever gonna get.
Heh... enough reminiscing... so we got to try Barrio fiesta a few weeks back and I was flooded with these memories and I kept telling them to my wife as we got in and settled ourselves... we didn't order the all time faves but wanted to try some of their other dishes. We ordered the Ampalaya con hipon because the wife wanted something healthy and I ordered the lechon Kawali (heheh!). We added some plain rice to that order and we were set. We didn't order much bcoz it was just the two of us.
When the food came, it looked damn well scrumptious!!! And when we got a taste.... man! Oh man!!!! It was delish!!!! The lechon kawali will always be great for me but what surprised me was the amplaya! it was damn near perfection! All the ingredients were fresh and the ampalaya was cooked just right! Barrio Fiesta did not disappoint even if it wasn't their signature dish.
All in all, we had a great meal at Barrio fiesta and already planning a comeback this year to try out their signature dishes and to further relive the memories of my childhood.
mumbling while drooling as I write this bcoz I am thinking of crispy pata...
The place I'm talking about is Barrio Fiesta!
Yep... you know what I'm talking about... The mere mention of the name already fills your head with old time favorites like Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata. These are their best sellers!
I remember in the old days, back when I was a schmuck of a kid, my father always went out to gamble... (What the f***??? What it's got to do with Barrio friggin Fiesta???) Well, I'll get to it... my father gambled as a means of relieving stress from work. He managed an old Sash factory then... (sash what???) It's a wood craft business (why the heck didn't you just say so in the first place?!?).
He worked on it and managed it. That's how he got all his children through school (including me) and was our main source of income. Back to the story... Okay, he gambles away... when he won (and it was either he won big or lost big), he would always pass by Barrio Fiesta... the one located along Edsa... I'm sure you know it and have seen it one time or another... It's close to Ortigas along Edsa southbound... you'll never miss it. Anyway, he would pass by there and buy Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata for everyone! End of story.
Well... not quite. Those were some of the rare times when we enjoyed Kare-Kare and crispy pata!!! (As you already know -- if you read my blog, as a child, I did not eat a lot of foods with veggies --Kare-Kare included -- a big loss for me!). But I eat a lot of the Crispy pata!!! It was an absolute favorite as a child! And this was always the target of my hunger whenever my father went home with his prized pasalubong!
 | |
| The all time fave - Kare-Kare! |
My father even had his own swear word which I could only surmise came from this incredible dish -- "Anak Pata ka!" he would say when he was frustrated at us... heh... good times! It even earned him the nickname "Pata"" from his carpenters.
 |
| The famous Crispy Pata! |
I remember it all like it was yesterday... my father coming home with the dishes... I remember the crispy skin of that pork leg and hearing it crack as I peel it off the leg... Oh. My. God. It was like angels singing... and when I put it in my mouth to eat and I hear each crackling in my mouth as I chew while it slowly melts away until it goes down smoothly down my throat and into the gaping chasm which is my stomach... it's pure unadulterated, cholesterol laden food heaven! For a kid... it was as good as it will ever gonna get.
Heh... enough reminiscing... so we got to try Barrio fiesta a few weeks back and I was flooded with these memories and I kept telling them to my wife as we got in and settled ourselves... we didn't order the all time faves but wanted to try some of their other dishes. We ordered the Ampalaya con hipon because the wife wanted something healthy and I ordered the lechon Kawali (heheh!). We added some plain rice to that order and we were set. We didn't order much bcoz it was just the two of us.
 | |
| Ampalaya on Hipon and Lechon Kawali |
When the food came, it looked damn well scrumptious!!! And when we got a taste.... man! Oh man!!!! It was delish!!!! The lechon kawali will always be great for me but what surprised me was the amplaya! it was damn near perfection! All the ingredients were fresh and the ampalaya was cooked just right! Barrio Fiesta did not disappoint even if it wasn't their signature dish.
All in all, we had a great meal at Barrio fiesta and already planning a comeback this year to try out their signature dishes and to further relive the memories of my childhood.
mumbling while drooling as I write this bcoz I am thinking of crispy pata...
Welcome 2012
Hey! Hey! Hey!
It's 2012 and though it is a bit late (I do have a life you know...), let me all greet you with a hearty new year!
And since I'm at it, let me greet you a belated Merry Christmas!!! Hahaha!!!
So there... the christmas cheer has been here and gone (about 5 seconds really)... and now we face another year ahead of us. The past year went like a blur and this time next year, I'm sure we'll be thinking the same of this year! Ain't I full of optimism and cheer today??
On that note, let me leave you with a quote from ~Bill Vaughan
Happy New Year to Everyone...
Mumbling my greeting 'coz my mouth is full...
It's 2012 and though it is a bit late (I do have a life you know...), let me all greet you with a hearty new year!
And since I'm at it, let me greet you a belated Merry Christmas!!! Hahaha!!!
So there... the christmas cheer has been here and gone (about 5 seconds really)... and now we face another year ahead of us. The past year went like a blur and this time next year, I'm sure we'll be thinking the same of this year! Ain't I full of optimism and cheer today??
On that note, let me leave you with a quote from ~Bill Vaughan
"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."
Happy New Year to Everyone...
Mumbling my greeting 'coz my mouth is full...
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