Last night I went out with my friend from the Netherlands. He has been to the Philippines several times so I wasn't too pressured about introducing Filipino things to him. But I still wanted us to eat Filipino food, so we went to Bagoong Club at Tomas Morato.
I ordered pinakbet because I thought about making it last weekend but chickened out. (Or veggied out?)
 |
| The Ilocanos know their vegetables. |
Who doesn't love pinakbet?! All those vegetables-- ampalaya, eggplant, string beans, squash, and okra-- swimming in an appetizing stew flavored with bagoong... Ah, heaven!
After dinner, I dutifully brought my guest to The Hobbit House in Malate. He's a big J.R.R. Tolkien (and Star Wars) fan, so it was a must that we visit this place. When we arrived at the bar, the first words that came out of his mouth were, "I've never seen so many white people in one place!"
One of the news clippings that was framed and tacked on the ego wall of the blues bar was from Lonely Planet, listing it as one of the top unusual bars in the world. No wonder travelers include The Hobbit House in their itineraries.
The bar also boasts of having 150 international brand beers on their menu. I let my friend choose an exotic one for me and he got me a "white beer" or wheat beer from Belgium called Hoegaarden.
 |
| Hoegaarden recieved the 2009 Highest Appreciation from chefs and sommeliers of the International Taste & Quality Institute in Brussels. |
According to this beer site, "Hoegaarden is an absolutely unfiltered beer. The secret to Hoegaarden’s sweet-sour and spicy taste is a zest of orange peel and coriander added to a blend of natural spring water, un-malted wheat (45%), malted barley (55%), and hops."
I don't really understand beer lingo, all I know is, this stuff is SERIOUSLY delicious, yo!
