When the executive chef invites you to a steak dinner, say yes!
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 31st, 2010
This is Chef Rhey Huergas, Executive Chef for Friday’s. Do a search for him on Google or Bing and you’ll see that he’s media-decorated. I met him because he’s the cousin of a friend I work with. We were at Friday’s at the time (DOH!), the day was a bitch, and boy were we hungry.
He asked me if I liked steak. My face was like this:
When the executive chef invites you to have dinner with him, always say yes!
OK so I’m not a steak connoisseur but I love good steak — I’m not a foodie. I’m an eater with quasi-vampiric tendencies because I usually take my meat medium well. But I couldn’t look at Chef Rhey in the eye when he asked how I wanted it because I KNEW if I said medium well to a 500 gram t-bone, that would just ruin it all. And behind the kitchen, he’d probably be like this:
So I had it semi bloody. And you know what, I wish I had brought a better camera. This photo doesn’t do it justice.
It comes with 3 types of sauces. You can eat it without, but I just had to dapple it with the horseradish. It’s honestly the best I’ve tried because it’s in cream form, and not stringy like atchara. You know the whipped butter of pancake house? Something like that, but for steaks! And it’s maasim.
You know, I had a conversation with a friend recently. We talked about the best steaks. Lucky for her, the mother cooks a really good rib-eye and nothing beats home cooking. When I gave my list, I mentioned 3 restaurants: Elbert’s Steakroom, Antonio’s and yeah, believe it or not, Friday’s. She was like WHAAAAT??! I was like … yeah I know. Hard to believe right? Not that Friday’s has bad food, mind you. You just don’t go there for steak. And this led me to narrate my experience when Chef Rhey, preparing the 500 gram wonder. This is the same chef who was asked to cook adobo for his boss. But since he lived in the USA, he had never experienced creating this standard Filipino dish. So for months he researched, and after sacrificing his health for cholesterol (due to adobo and crispy pata) he invented the Friday’s Adobo which, to be quite honest is also really good. It’s a huge brisket steak, done adobo style. The fork just goes through. You don’t need a knife. He went on telling me how the dish won the appetites during “International Night” when other foreign franchises wold visit. It’s a hit in Japan and other parts of Asia. It’s probably in the menu.
I was so full! But he still served the adobo. And crab. I was allergic to crab. Besides, crabs are friends. When I dive, I say hi to them. Be good to crabs.
And after that, he still fed me!!! That’s the Friday’s Adobo I was talking about. I suggest you try it.
OK so you wanna know how much you should set aside for the steaks. Look at these prices:
T-Bone Cut
500 grams PHP 3,375
800 grams PHP 3,995
New York Striploin
500 grams PHP 3,270
800 grams PHP 3,890
Funny story: there’s a cat outside Friday’s High Street and he’s really fat. That’s because the foreigners feed a whole steak to this kitty. Catch a glimpse of him when you pass by. Sadly, kitty wasn’t around this time so no photo today.
P.S. I have a theory about food — especially with carefully prepared meals like steak. I think the preparation of food is very personal. It’s not like a fastfood joint where you have a main commissary and almost everything is just shipped and re-heated. So for steaks, I enjoyed Antonio’s and Elbert’s because I know these chefs personally (shot the menu for Antonio’s in 2006 and Elbert, though not a chef, knows his steaks — met him because of the local Mac group from way back). Same thing with Chef Rhey — there’s something about knowing that he prepared it himself just for you.
So am I right? Or do I suck as an eater? Basta, it’s good.
Geeky Coffee: Reverse Vacuum Packed Alamid
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 26th, 2010
One of the reasons why I still continue to blog to this day is because I get tipped with interestingly geeky things from around the country. This is one of them. It’s rather close to my heart because we’re talking about coffee.
Inside the can is 50 grams of coffee Alamid, the world’s rarest brew. This costs PHP 1,400.00 and makes about 6 shots of espresso. What makes this can rather special is the packaging. Every can comes with a pin, which you use to puncture a hole through the bottom of the canister.
This “reverse vacuum” packing technology is supposedly the best way to pack beans. The science, as was explained to me goes something like this: the best way to preserve the flavor of the beans is to allowing it to spew gas after roasting. However, if you let the beans hyperventilate too much, you end up with no gases at all — and thus no flavor. So what they do is to leave some space inside the packaging for the flavor to circulate, but because of pressure, the gases have no where else to go. Thus, the 50 grams of beans are being marinated in their own flavorful aroma in a state of equilibrium. That is why, if you open the can without popping it with a pin, the insides will “jack in the box” out. Pretty cool. The party favor is the really strong smell of Alamid forcing itself out of the pinhole. WOW.
The foundation behind this technology wants to give it away for free to anyone who’s interested in packing beans. You can visit their website or let me know and I can hook you guys up.
Alamid Coffee for the holidays? SMS 0917.580.8820. Look for Mitch. Also if you’re going to brew this, I highly suggest you take it black or as espresso shots with little to no sugar and creamer. This coffee should be enjoyed as it is. Nag Alamid ka pa!
Played with the Galaxy Tab. Pretty neat!
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 23rd, 2010
Side by side is the Samsung Galaxy S with the Galaxy Tab. I own the former. Having played with the Tab for roughly an hour, I can say that the Tab is exactly like the Galaxy S sans the Super AMOLED screen. I now understand why this Android tablet is a viable competitor to the iPad despite being smaller in dimensions. Not only is it more pocketable, it also comes with a camera. Really — it’s a huge Galaxy S. That’s that.
For me, it’s really simple: If the Philippine Android Marketplace had access to paid apps, it would strengthen the resolve to commit to this platform. Right now it’s pretty much a static marketplace for good freebies.
Above is the UNO Magazine blog with a YouTube video playing: the Galaxy Tab supports flash. The iPad doesn’t. This may be a huge deal for a lot of consumers who want to play Farmville on their slates.
Out soon. Wait for it.
I. Friggin. Want. This.
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 20th, 2010
This is the Jura F90 espresso machine. You know what makes it real special? Apart from the touch screen interface, this is the first espresso machine that connects to the Internet. It can gain access to an online database of coffee recipes and settings and saves this information on the machine for your ultra-customized cup of java.
Meep! Meep! Meep! Meep!
“Jayvee, you’re the first person outside Microsoft Philippines to see this”
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 16th, 2010EDIT: My friend Johnny Benitez from Microsoft has also posted his first impressions on Facebook.
Before I continue let me just say that I haven’t felt the adrenaline of chancing upon a gadget like this since the early 2000′s. Back then when it was a battle between Palm and Windows Mobile, I’d have Elbert Cuenca calling us to hurry over to Microwarehouse to see a then flagship m515 in the flesh, complete with blurry photos. I had been working on getting this scoop for a while and finally, effort paid off.
This is an industry exclusive. I’m apparently the first person outside Microsoft Philippines to be able to hold the new HTC Mozart, the first Windows Phone 7 device launching before the holidays. Thinking of an iPhone for Christmas? Hold your horses first.
Above: The new events calendar is color coded to match different synched accounts (via email including Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange Server) and yeah even Facebook Events … all color coded baby.
Here’s what you need to know:
(more…)
So I woke up this morning and …
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 15th, 2010
… BOOM. There’s been a twisted takeover on the blog.
I feel really good partnering with McDonald’s for this type of execution. Ads are ads but when the entire brand takes over your template, that’s something completely unexpected and eye catching. Fun!
Well, as you can obviously see, the good news is that Twister Fries is back! You can check out their FaceBook page at Facebook.com/McDo.PH and of course their online delivery if you want Twister Fries delivered to your office right now!
Did you own a foldable keyboard for your PDA?
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 11th, 2010
Look what I found! from the ashes, this is my Targus Stowaway Foldable Keyboard compatible with the Handspring Visor series. I think I bought this in 2001 and used it with a Visor Deluxe wihch I then upgraded to a second hand Visor Prism (with 16-bit color!).
The foldable keyboard was an engineering marvel back in the day and not too many people owned one. Did you own a foldable keyboard for your Palm / Windows Mobile device? I remember this cost around PHP 3,500.00 or so with this particular model tough to get as there weren’t as many Handspring devices compared to Palm in Manila.
Hey Magel, does this ACER review even count?!
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 7th, 2010So about two weeks ago I was like:
And then Magel of Strategic Edge (Intel’s PR) put me first on the list for a really big ass ACER gaming laptop. INTEL Core i7. Lots of RAM. Radeon card. All that. Oh and it was so big, that, if you knew Magel personally, the box covered half her body. Imagine her carrying that. Oh, here’s her Facebook for reference.
Being first on the list has its perks.
She’s referring to me and Rico (who just picked up the laptop today).
You know what, reviewing really nice products makes you forget your JOB. The laptop arrived about the same time Civilization V for the PC came out (SEE ABOVE PHOTO). I had just bought the game as stock had just arrived in Datablitz (thanks for the heads up, Ms. Orpha) and met up with her to pick up the unit. Henceforth, I have been unavailable for everything else. Not even for an ACER event.
Wait I was there for WordCamp. Here’s a photo of Matt Mullenweg inside my car.
Hence we are confronted with a moral conundrum: Does missing an event because your were testing their product count as positive product engagement?! We will never know because everyone would rather discuss the RH Bill.
DUDE IT’S HUGE. I’m not kidding. That’s my 13 inch MacBook Pro on top of it.
And there are the specs. It’s OK! Comes with Blu-ray! Lots of gaming! Lots of power!
OK on a more serious note, I must say that I came to an epiphany after getting to play with this laptop. Since it’s huge, it comes with built in arm rests and that matters a LOT for someone who uses the computer everyday. You see, lately I’ve been experiencing numbness in my left pinky due to Guyon’s Canal and lo and behold, working with a big laptop makes working gaming less painful. Serious!
The price of your health: PHP 115,000.00
OK at least we learned something today! I love you, ACER! I love you, INTEL!
Do you like this Pawikan? If so, wwwf.org.ph/donate
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 6th, 2010
My friend Andrian Lee runs the backend for the WWF’s donations. For those of you thinking that donations can only be done via credit card, you will be surprised to know that they also accept deductions from your Bancnet ATM, a more viable option since not everybody has a credit card. You can opt to do a monthly recurring donation (you can specify the amount) OR you can do a one time donation.
Donors do get special benefits — passes to film showings sponsored by the WWF, first dibs to events such as cleanup dives, coastal cleanups and the like.
If you think this Pawikan is cute, why not donate a few pesos or so every month? If you don’t donate, you’re probably an evil person with no friends. This Pawikan will also die. By your hands.
Donate now at http://wwf.org/donate.
Solenn Heussaff for UNO Magazine October ’10
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 5th, 2010From the four corners of our magazine, we are very happy to present Solenn Heussaff. Video shot by Juan Caguicla and edited by Jason Tan. Music by Caliph8.
THREE =)
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at October 5th, 2010
Ananya just turned three (and time flies very fast!). RIght now she’s in her McDonald’s phase and in the tradition of happy childhood memories, a children’s party at McDonald’s is a staple achievement. I never had one when I was a kid (which explains a lot, JK!). So after booking the place (McDonald’s Festival Mall at Filinvest) and choosing the Disney Princess theme, all we did was sit back and relax. Really.
Parting shot: This is her singing her latest favorite, Bad Romance.
