Author: Rochelle Sy Chua

Kalye Juan

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On November 4, 2009

Kalye Juan
CKB Center, Tomas Morato corner Scout Rallos, Quezon City, Philippines

(02) 376-2508

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Just near Timog circle lies Kalye Juan, a Filipino restaurant that is open until wee hours. I just got off a weekly late-night conference call and I haven’t eaten dinner. So as not to rush closing time, this place was perfect for dinner.

With the tagline “Pagkaing Pinoy.. Mga Paborito ni Juan Dela Cruz”, you already know that everything is sooo pinoy. I was just too hungry that I wanted to order almost everything I saw on the menu ahhaha! But I know I can’t, so we just ordered 2 dishes, 1 fried rice and drinks! Ended up sooooooo full but satisfied!

We ordered the ff.:

Sisig sa Kalye (Php 150)

Typical Filipino dish: chopped grilled pork with fresh onions, chicken liver & fresh chili pepper. Nothing special IMHO. We requested it to be toasted more. I do think that it’s not something we will remember Kalye Juan for.

Adobong Kangkong (Php 110)

This one was just cooked perfectly! It was very tasty. I especially liked that they chopped the kangkong stems into smaller ones w/c made it easier to eat. The shrimps were the perfect topping for the dish w/ garlic.

Bagoong Rice (Php 110)

I don’t know if I was too hungry or what but I think I like Kalye Juan’s version of bagoong rice over Thailand restaurants’ version of it. Every piece of rice bit tasted like bagoong & w/ onion leeks combined, it was just heaven! I loved eating this w/ adobong kangkong.

Guinilu sa Kalye (Php 50)

I was like saying this phrase over and over during dinner “this drink is just delicious… ang sarap!”. Indeed it was. This is Kalye Juan’s Guinilu. It is a must order!! It’s crushed ice w/ condensed milk, jelly & sago. Wow! It was just yummy! One comment for the owners, please change the straw to a bigger one 😉

Two straight days of pigging out! hahaha! I’m really so full! I can’t even breathe well because I feel that food is already upto my throat :P:P It’s beginning to be a habit. I have to stop this!!

Pig-out pictures here.

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Arya Persian Restaurant

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On November 3, 2009

Arya Persian Restaurant
Unit L-9 Promenade Mall, Greenhills, San Juan City, Manila
(02) 994-4879

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After reading Fran’s blog post about Arya, I wasn’t able to resist and ended up craving for Arya Persian Restaurant. I’ve been contemplating about it the whole afternoon. I asked my friend if we could just eat at Arya instead of our previously agreed upon restaurant to visit.

It was not my 1st time to eat at Arya’s. I loved their beef koobideh a lot. That was what I intended to order! 😛

Here are what we ordered:

Arya Yogurt Smoothie (Php 95)

I’m not really fond of yogurt so obviously this was not my order 😛 My friend said the drink had some after taste. Anyway, I took a sip and I felt it was a bit sweet & sour. I think yogurt lovers will like this. Guess I don’t have the right to judge this drink as I’m not a yogurt lover.

Tamarind Smoothie (Php 95)

I love love love tamarind especially the individually-wrapped thailand tamarind! This however was a drink. Wow! It had quite a strong taste! I must say this is a good one though I don’t think I would drink any more of it. One glass was enough for a day.

Basket of Bread (Php 70)

A mix of Barbary & Pita bread.

Shahi Hummus (Php 235)

This was a combination of Shish (Beef) & dip! You can choose from 2 dips: Hummus or Motabal. Hummus is Chick peas while Motabal is eggplant dip. The one shown above was a Hummus. Best to order bread to go with it.

Beef Koobideh (Php 355 + Php 20)

Last but not the least, my favoriteee (wait for it…..) Beef Koobideh!!!! :D:D:D
Skewers of ground beef seasoned w/ spices & onion served with either basmati rice, jasmine rice or persian bread. If you choose rice, you’ll need to pay extra Php20.
The taste was just superb! This is such a comfort food! No words could ever explain how delicious it was! hayyy! yummy!

Before I forget, the sauce that would be best for this dish is smashed tomato seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic sauce & hot sauce. I asked the server to help me prepare it. Here is a video of it:

Their prices aren’t cheap. A person will have to spend around 400-500 per meal. But believe me, it would be worth it! The food is just delicious!!! I was able to forget all the stress because of the good food 🙂

Service was superb as well. The owner was there to entertain the customers as well. He just briefly said hi to us coz he was talking to the foreigner guests so I wasn’t able to ask him anything. I didn’t mind. I was too busy eating my yummy order anyway 😛

More yummy pics here.

Honestly, as I type this post, I still feel bloated! hahhaha that’s how full I am! 😀

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å…¬é¤¨ Gongguan

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On November 2, 2009

å…¬é¤¨ Gongguan is a popular shopping district in Taipei.

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å…¬é¤¨ Gongguan caters mostly to students as this place also houses the åœ‹ç«‹è‡ºç£å¤§å¸ National Taiwan University. When we visited, I think about 80% of the people walking & shopping around it were students.

I kinda liked the place! Sadly, I was in a hurry as I was about to meet my colleagues at the hotel, so I was pressed for time. I just wished I stayed longer though because I ended up staying at the hotel the whole night coz of miscommunication with regards to logistics hayyy.

Pictures here.

It is also in å…¬é¤¨ Gongguan where I bought Taipei’s famous Pearl Milk Tea 🙂 There was a promo that day wherein we just needed to pay 35NT for a cup of Pearl Milk Tea w/c was originally priced at 50NT. Yummy! As I write this post, I’m really craving for some Pearl Milk Tea… wahhhhhhhhhhhh!

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More pictures from the å¤©ä»èŒ—èŒ¶ Tea store here.

This was one of my more memorable shopping & leisure place I’ve been to during my Taipei trip. I’ll surely go back to this place once I get the chance to visit Taipei 🙂

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Metropolis – a Series of Philippine Indie Films

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On November 2, 2009

Philippine Independent Films is fast becoming popular worldwide. This is proven by the awards the Philippines has been getting from respected award-giving bodies. These films boldly embodies the Filipino experience with excellent artistry & insight.

With this in mind, I suggest that you go see the Indie Sine at Robinson’s Galleria on November 24 (November 21) for Metropolis, a series of independent film screenings.

The event is presented by Anahata Foundation for the benefit of its community-based projects involved in movement, performance, fashion, media, visual arts & concern for the environment.

Metropolis will feature the ff. 3 Philippine Indie Films:

Iskwaterpangk (2006) | 1:00PM (2:00PM)

An urban punk rock vibe not to be missed. Directed by Khavn De La Cruz.

Batad (2006) | 3:00PM (4:00PM)

The coming of age of an indigenous Ifugao boy. Directed by Benji Garcia.

24K (2009) | 5:00PM (6:30PM)

a Hawaiian Orchid Award nominee.
The secret world of post war treasure hunting. Directed by Ana Agabin.

Tickets are sold at Php150 per film and available before each screening. You can also text your name to +639296944138, +639087568699 or +639278748789 for reservations/group bookings.

I hope you do catch the film screening as this is for a good cause. Plus you would be able to watch quality films made by Filipinos. The filmmakers will also drop by to introduce their film & share their insights about the industry.

The Brockas will perform live after the film screenings at 8:20PM.

I’ll be there to watch all 3 movies. Will I see you there on November 21? I sure hope so! See you! 🙂

** The organizers moved the date to November 24, 2009. With this change, I will not attend anymore due to schedule conflicts.

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å¯¶è—å·– Treasure Hill

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On November 1, 2009

å¯¶è—å·– Treasure Hill
Lane 230, Sec. 3, Dingzhou Rd., Taipei
886 (02) 2364-8105

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Beside Taipei Water Park is the å¯¶è—å·– Treasure Hill. I really wished we entered because I missed a whole lot! Apparently, Treasure Hill was once a village full of unauthorized houses. It then formally became a village featuring buildings as if it was in history.

see this AMAZING picture I got from wikipedia

I was only able to take pictures of the entrance. Hayyy, I really feel bad. If we only knew, we could have entered and seen at least a reflection of Taiwan history.

I really thought that it was just a place for bicycle riders as it has bicycle signs all over the entrance (even on the floor!). I missed big time one of the must-see destinations in Taiwan. :'(

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Treasure Hill photo album here.

Kalye Juan

Arya Persian Restaurant

å…¬é¤¨ Gongguan

Metropolis – a Series of Philippine Indie Films

å¯¶è—å·– Treasure Hill

å¯¶è—å·– Treasure Hill