The Other Side of Mae: June 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Chasing Sunrise in Cambodia

Oh, what a grueling sched I have nowadays that I wish it's gonna be 26 hours a day! (Before, I was only wishing for 25 but with the over overload, another hour extension is greatly desired.) I am just too busy with my senior high school and college loads that maintaining this blog ended up last on my priority list. Huhuhu..... Forgive me, my dear blog readers but I will really really try to do my very best in keeping up with this as this is my passion.

So without further ado, I'd like to share with you a snippet of me and my friends' tour in Cambodia last week! As with every travel, I have some "travel goals" and for Cambodia, I aimed to be chasing sunrise and sunset! Sunrise! Huh! For a sleepy head like me, it's a whole lot of sacrifice albeit the challenge! Hehehe..... With only 4 hours of sleep, I woke up first among the four of us to my alarm at 3:30 AM Siem Reap time. Hallelujah! Being always the last to wake up, it was indeed a victory for me! Praise be to God for the determination to get up and go out there to meet Angkor Wat's most celebrated sunrise!

Now here it is! My very first travel vlog! This is also the very first selfie video I've ever taken, raw, no edits, a very amateur one but filled with love and laughter! For the nth time that I've watched this, it still gives me the stomach-achingly laugh! Just bear with us, guys! Hahaha!!!!!

Hope you enjoyed that one! Hehe..... Watch out for my next post as I bring to you the enchantment of Angkor Wat! #tosomtravels

Friday, June 10, 2016

Feature Friday: Chef Lau's Pugon Roasters

Feature Friday highlights businesses, people, fashion, and basically anything under the sun!

Stumbled upon this over-the-counter-sort-of-carenderia resto in a certain mall in Manila during our last visit. I was enthralled by the long line of people so I guessed that there must be something good about the place. Then I told Papa to take a seat as I joined the others in the queue. Looking up at their menu, they mostly serve chicken in whatever way cooked but their specialty is the Pugon Roast Chicken, traditionally roasted in a pugon. If anything is being cooked in a native way, then it must be really, really good!

Cheesy Chicken Croquetas, Chicken Livers, Spicy Wings, and Pugon Roast Chicken

When our orders came, that's the time I realized that this fast food restaurant is actually owned by Chef Lau. Remember him? He was one of the judges/coaches of Junior MasterChef Pinoy Edition way back 2011-2012. So I got thrilled to finally have a taste of his very own Filipino recipes with a twist!

The Pugon Roast Chicken is super gingerly as I remember, giving it a hint of Chinesy taste. It's crispy in the outside, juicy in the inside, and talagang nanunuot sa buto ang lasa. My fave Chicken Livers has a unique taste too. It is too flavorful with my also fave nacho/chili-con-carne taste. Until now, I couldn't decipher what herb/spice is that. Definitely it's not paprika, oregano, or curry. My apology. I really haven't discovered it yet. Anyway, Papa had the fried bangus sinigang which surprised us 'coz there's really no sabaw in it. Kaya nga, "fried". Hehe.... For take-out, we had Cheesy Chicken Croquetas and Spicy Wings that tasted the same as the Chicken Livers' "unknown" herb/spice. Mama and Auntie Lourding didn't like it as they also always do every time I cook Mexican-style spaghetti with the taco mix, nachos, and tacos. They just can't understand the smell of it. But for me, it's heaven to my sense of smell and taste buds! So I gobbled up everything instead! Haha!

I felt so lucky to have had discovered Chef Lau's Pugon Roasters! It was not part of our itinerary and we discovered it by chance. That's what you call "serendipity" in science. Chance discovery! So thanks to the long line which called my attention and indeed, the place is not only a fast food resto but also a fast good resto! I guarantee you, the food is really, really good and good to the pocket too! Visit Chef Lau's Pugon Roasters in their branches in Sun Mall, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Light Mall in Mandaluyong ('coz we stayed in Light Residences), SM City San Lazaro, and McKinley Hill in Taguig. This may be a little bit late but congratulations to you, Chef Lau for bringing Filipino food to a higher level so we can experience and enjoy Fiesta Araw-Araw! #tosomeats #tosomtravels

Mad Mark's Creamery and Good Eats

Albay's Best Eats

Tuesday, June 07, 2016

Filipino-Style Pad Thai

Serves: 5 Cooks in: 15 minutes

Preparation: 15 minutes Country of Origin: Thailand

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo mongo sprouts salt

1/2 kilo flat noodles pepper

4 eggs paprika

1/2 kilo shrimps peanuts

1/2 kilo squid lemon

3 cloves garlic dried chili

1 bulb onion

Method:

1. Saute garlic and onions.

2. Add shrimps and squid.

3. Add the eggs and mix together.

4. Add flat noodles.

5. Mix in mongo sprouts.

6. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.

7. Serve hot and garnish with peanuts, lemon, and dried chili.

Though Filipinized, also see to it that this dish still has its authentic Thai taste. So when in Thailand, don't forget to bring home some local spices to conjure up memories from a flavorful trip!

See my World Nomads recipe entry here for our story behind this very famous dish in Thailand, Pad Thai! For an authentic recipe, visit The Royal Budha's site here. Click also below for related posts on Amazing Thailand! #tosomtravels #tosomeats #tosomcooks

10 Things Thailand

Damnoen Saduak: Floating Market

Literally Street Fooding

#tosomeats in Thailand

Utan Bicol: Our Family's Very Own Recipe

Sunday, June 05, 2016

10 Things Thailand!

Amazing Thailand as their tagline

Off to the country considered divine

Come and see

Some things to be

A few quick facts

For guided acts

Now get into the maze

And set ablaze

For Amazing Thailand!

1. Elephant Trekking

The elephant is Thailand's national symbol and one of their most revered animals. One should not miss having elephant encounters once in the country and I recommend Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai for an animal-friendly experience.

Damnoen Saduak: Elephant Village

2. Temple Hopping

Thailand is devoted to Buddhism and there are 40,000+ Buddhist temples in the country! Each temple has its own style, reverence, and story. You can definitely visit one since these temples are scattered around the country! But the must-visits are Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and Grand Palace. Just take note of the time or you'll get barred like us. There'll be no entry from 3 PM onwards. Curfew is really early for these temples.

Wat Intharawihan, Grand Palace, and Wat Benchamabophit

3. Altar Offering

Unlike the Roman Catholics, Thai Buddhists are very showy of their faith by putting up altars everywhere in the streets, outside their houses, establishments, etc. Their stone gods are the different personas of Buddhism, elephants, and snakes. They offer food and drinks to them as well as incense. I may not understand each representation of symbolism especially with the Banyan tree but I just considered the work of art instead.

4. Monk Alming

Monks play a great role in religious Thailand. They are considered as holy people who make merit for their respective families. We see them in the streets early in the morning for their daily alming for food, drinks, and toiletries. They don't have any source of income so they greatly rely on alms. This also coincides with the country's tradition to give alms not only to the monks but also to the poor. Thai believe that it is good karma to give for them to receive.

Another Group Asking for Monetary Support from People

5. Tuktuk Riding

We, Filipinos won't be surprised in this 'coz we do have motorcycle rides like this. We have 'em as traysekel in Tagalog, rela in Cagayan de Oro, payong-payong in Lanao, motor in Ozamiz, or habal-habal up in the highlands. So this isn't new to us. Ours is even more thrilling and exciting! By the way, tuktuk rides are really expensive for tourism purposes. The drivers charge really high and even the locals discouraged us to ride one. Better hail a cab than go around on tuktuks 'coz we have motorcycles here anyway around our city!

6. Thai Massaging

Nuat Thai and Thai Boran. These are the only two massage parlors in our little city. Common denominator is, they both have the word "Thai" in their names. That's because, Thailand claims to be the country of origin of massage. So massage chairs are everywhere in the country! You can have a relaxing foot massage anywhere even right on the streets!

7. Bangkok Shopping

The country's capital city is the shoppers' haven! There are lots of malls and they have 'em specialized like one whole mall for gadgets only, another whole mall for ladies' wear only, and another for appliances only. Like, can you imagine it? You go from mall to mall 'coz you can't find a one-stop shop. Plus, they have plenty of bazaars and night markets. The biggest is Chatuchak which is a bit outskirt of town but they do have the total package!

Damnoen Saduak, Gems Gallery, The Platinum Shopping Mall, and Royal Thai Handicraft

8. Food Tripping

Foooood trip, my favorite part every time I go visit a place! There's nothing much to say here 'coz you have to taste it for yourself. Eat all you can while in Thailand 'coz you'll surely miss the distinct flavors of authentic Thai food!

Fried Insect, Pad Thai, Steam Boat, Thai Fruits

9. Sightseeing

Aside from the usual sightseeing, marvel at the capital city on top in a 360-degree revolution!

Check out Baiyoke Sky Tower for this!

10. Backpacking

Backpacker hotels are never as good as Diamond City Hotel, our home away from home in Thailand! Our rooms are very spacious with king-sized beds and cinema-sized tv's. Apart from the daily breakfast buffet, coffee, juice, and biscuits are unlimited 24-7 in the dining room. Just serve yourself as you please! Additionally, the staff is very accommodating. And oops, include the Auntie owner who is already very old but still entertains her guests very well by talking to them even in not-so-fluent English and dancing with them if they might do the honor! I just loved our stay here so thanks to Rulyn's Travel Hub for picking this hotel for us. For travel bookings, like their FB fanpage here!

So these are 10 things about Thailand I learned, experienced, and couldn't ever forget from our country visit two months ago! Watch out for more travel posts only here on The Other Side of Mae! #tosomtravels

Damnoen Saduak: Elephant Village

Damnoen Saduak: Floating Market

Damnoen Saduak: Royal Thai Handicraft Center Company Limited
Wat Benchamabophit: Marble Temple

Wat Intharawihan: The Temple of the Standing Buddha

Baiyoke Sky Hotel

Bangkok Shopping

Literally Street Fooding

#tosomeats in Thailand

Barred