SUPREME IN MALATE

From Maalat to Lagunoi but whatever was its origins, Malate still reigns supreme in Manila!

Well, at least it was once the exclusive residence of Manila's rich and famous, it has 438 years of history from the day it was claimed by Spain, a 155-year old church that houses the patron saint of childbrith, and two of Manila's culinary gems.

We opted to stay at Red Planet along the sleaze of Mabini Street so I can take my wife to Cafe Adriatico, once the epicenter of fne dining in Manila that was the place to be for an assortment of celebrities.

Cafe Adriatico along Remedios Circle is certainly old: it is tight and stuffy, and the servers seem to be tired, but our beef salpicao and callos are good although I thought I've been had with the Cuba Libre.

If it is a gem, Cafe Adritico's luster has faded, eclipsed by an eclectic array of massage parlors, bars, and Korean and Japanese restaurants that littered the length of Adriatico Street.      

The next day, I took the wife for breakfast at one of Manila's oldest operating reaturants [since 1928] that was born from a mother's love for cooking.

It was from its humble origins as a carinderia catering to students that The Aristocrat rose to culinary greatness, inventing its famous Adobo Sandwich in 1936 as an option to American junk food, pioneering the Filipino concept of a rolling store in 1940 to reach more costumers, serving its now famous Chicken Barbecue in 1946 to discourage clients of their beach resort from bringing food, Lola Asiang being recognized as the Mother of Filipino Cooking in 1980, and the distinction of having a historical marker of its own in 2016.

It was too early for the Chicken Barbecue so we had omellete instead and after we left, The Aristocrat was closed down for illegally dumping waste water into Manila Bay.   

We were the among the early birds and the first to register for the Supreme Vist of the Supreme Royal Matron.

We both served as Grand Officers for the first time, me sa Grand Warder and her as Grand Historian. 

Our District had the biggest number of delegation, our folk dance presentation was well applauded and that plus the dinner and breakfast in Malate made us supremely happy!

FISH-OFF

First, Khao Tom Pla Kimpo is No. 2 in the list of "16 must-try authentic local food in Bangkok you'll never find out if you don't have Thai friends".

Second, it is said to be the best fish soup in Bangkok.

Third, it is Michellin-listed.

And lastly, I gave a lot trying to find it but it was still closed when I finally found it.

Finally on Tuesday, I said I would make up for not being able to respond to the Consul General's previous three invitations for a food walk so off we went to Charoen Krung Road and were not disappointed. 

The core ingredients are fish, squid and shrimp prepared as salad, with soup or ala arroz caldo.

The soup is created from boiled fish bones and it was bland at first until a few drops of Thai patis unleash its sublime flavor that is allegedly to die for.

My personal take is it is good but I will not die for it.

That was two huge bowls of rice soup and spicy salad that required some burning so I relented when the Consul General invited me to take a look at Bangkok's newest mall at ICONSIAM along the Chao Phraya River.

It was cool alright with a recreated floating market and street food section but I'm not a mall rat and I hate fakes so when told that beer is out for the night, I invited the Consul General to buy me his promised birthday beer at my place instead.

Bangkok for me is the epitome of good food and I'm not referring to the lunch buffet at the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel where I indulged myself with sashimi and mussels during two days of the 78th ABAC Meeting, but to the usual fare in small family-owned shops like Khao Tom Pla Kimpo and those sold in street stalls.

What I particularly like with Red Planet Hotel is it does not serve breakfast which gives me the freedom to break my fast the way I want it, and I choose the early morning breakfast stalls along Sukumvit Road.  

And on that note, I conclude that the pandan chicken and omelette at Suda Restaurant near Red Planet-Asoke sucks but their grilled pork can pass.

CLEMENTINE@49

PROLOGUE: Clementine is the first name of Baroness Spencer Churchill, wife of Winston Churchill, illicit daughter of an affair between Lady Blanche [move over Lady Chatterley!] and a "noted horseman". "Oh My Darling Clementine" was a Spanish ballad popularized by Mexican miners during the California Gold Rush, Anglicized by certain persons, made famous by Bing Cosby to becoming one of the Top 100 Western Songs of all time, and my birthday song.  

"Through the ricefields

O'er the mountains

Burning fat and calories

Hails a biker 20-niner 

And his age is 49"  

"Oh my uric, oh my sugar

Oh my amputated bile

I have aged [Yes!] 

I am old [No!]

It's great to be 49"

EPILOUGE: Clementine is a tangor, a cross between a tangerine and an orange, sweet and easy to peel  and is locally known in the Munoz Public Market as kyat-kyat. Clementine has nothing to do with the photo below although I did a duet with  Kuya Monic on "Oh My Darling Clementine" a day after turning 49, and that is what's on my mind while eating my phad thai and drinking my Chang. 

NOTE: This is to acknowledge Wikipedia as the sole source of all information on Clementine cited here. 

THE CULINARY LEGENDS OF SILOM AND PRATUNAM

Bangkok after 65 days is kind of new and interesting.

And travelling out of the country after enjoying 65 blissful days of working-at-home is almost rejuvenating.

It helps that my first destination is not at the sterile environs of Chatrium's Naradhiwas Alley but at the bustling Rang Nam of boring Picnic Hotel.

It is where I got reunited with my favorite Bangkok fare [grilled pig's neck and a tall Chang beer], and finally ascended the winding stairs to the rooftop Mitr Bar, twice after our aquariumed meetings and mainly for the egg-wrapped fried noodles, and Thai beer [Singha, Chang, Leo] of course. 

But three nights at Picnic Hotel can be hell and two nights at the spacious suite rooms of Chatrium and its well-equipped gym and bountiful breakfast buffet is heaven.

There, I renewed my acquaintances with our two happy and one not-so-happy places with a pork stew for an entree at Chiangkhong, a really spicy beef salad for the main course at Ter Sab Woey Shop, and a so-so salmon salad for dessert at Charlie Brown's, all paired with different Thai beers.    

I was priming up for a whole day meet with ASEAN's leading women entrepreneurs, including the part owner of my favorite Lao Beer and the Thai King's granddaughter, and was so relieved at the positive outcome that I volunteered to drink the Bible juice of my new aunties from Brunei during our steak-and-lobster reception dinner. 

Then back to the boring Picnic Hotel where fortunately, a 2 pm check-in rule gave me enough time to foray for lunch in Silom, to a locally popular family-owned stall which is a 550-meter walk from the Silom BTS Station through familiar Convent Road to the crowd and smoke of Soi Phipat 2 where Som Tam Jae So offers what is reputedly the best grilled chicken wings in the whole of Bangkok.

"Long queue" said the lady in a tight black micro short while pointing to a skewered pile of order slips.

"I will wait" I said with a wai and a sad puppy face, determined not to be disappointed.

"Sit down" she said when she realized that I won't be going away, killing time observing loyal patrons pick their to-gos and place their orders while trying to contain a growing apprehension that I have been forgotten until 30 minutes later, the lady-in-a-tight-black-micro-short came back to me with 5 pieces of the best chicken wings I've had in my whole life, grilled crisp on the outside but delicate and juicy on the inside. 

It was one of my most memorable lunches in Bangkok ever.  

And I still have an hour to spare so I hopped back to the train to the Saphan Taksin BTS Station, walked 1.1 kilometers from there through Charoen Krung Road under a hot mid-day sun, determined to find Khao Tom Pla Kimpo with the aid of Google Maps for what is said to be the best fish soup in Bangkok.

I passed by centuries-old Wat Yannawa which is a Buddhist temple dedicated to a Chinese junk, and was about to accept the fate of a totally lost farang when I saw the other Chatrium [Riverside], and right across is a small shop with a lady stirring something in a large cauldron.

I showed them Google Maps and yes, I'm the right place but was told through sign language that they open at 6 pm.      

That was a huge disappointmentr but I made up for that the next day by forsaking Picnic Hotel's lousy breakfast buffet and service, and walking 1.4 kilometers to a Michellin-listed chicken rice joint in the Pratunam area.

Go Ang Kaomunkai Pratunam has been serving its orginal Chinese chicken rice recipe since the 1960s and has earned a legendary culinary status among the locals.

For 60 baht, I invited myself to be part of this legend, savoring each delicate piece of chicken like it's the end of the world despite my disappointment with the rice which is quite ordinary.

I realized after the meal that I left my camera's memory card in the hotel so I ordered another plate, took my photos through my phone, ate the chicken, and did away with the rice. 

It was a full week in Bangkok and I went back home to a Sunday District Meeting without relieving my bowels so I can tell people when I fart that I've been to the legends of Silom and Pratunam.   

THE YEAR OF THE PERIODIC TABLE OF CHEMICAL ELEMENTS

The first week of 2019 started with a whimper but ended with a loud bark [the Chinese Year of the Earth Dog is just 47 days aways] when for the first time in my Masonic life, I wore a lapel microphone to perform the Masonically important task of Master of Ceremony in our Lodge's 12th Public Installation of Officers, fumbling during the installation of the Three Lights but eventually getting back to my lines and finishing with a confident flair. 

The last day of the 3rd International Year of the Reef [Year of the Rooster in the Chinese calendar] ain't actually bad although our celebration is subdued due to Bulan's recent surgery, and I did welcome its first day with a bottle of my favorite whiskey although the first ride of the Gregorian calendar has to be on Day 2 since it rained on New Year's Day.

The first week of the New Year also marked the 50th year of Father Apolo's celibacy [?], the last fellowship of Kuya Ading as Master of the Lodge, my second... 

...and third foray to the bike trails, and my first work-related trip which is to Krung Thep Maha Nakhon [i.e. Bangkok's full Thai name].

Our finances is hurting and I wish 2019 to be a year of abundance and prosperity, and it will be if I finally win the Lotto jackpot and Oxfam pays my redundancy [i.e. money that a company pays to workers who have lost their jobs because they are no longer needed according to the Cambridge Dictionary].