I love kare-kare

Every time I have an opportunity to eat kare-kare, I grab it.  That's why it was the first order I barked (yes, like a dog) at the waiter as soon as C and I settled our bums at Bagoong Club on Tomas Morato last night.

The last time I was at Bagoong Club however, I ordered pinakbet while my Dutch dinner companion got binagoongang baboy (which he ate all by himself).  I just feel that kare-kare is a you-hate-it-or-you-love-it dish and I didn't want to impose my taste on anyone, no matter how much they claim to love Filipino cuisine unconditionally.

Kare-kare and I have a special one-way love affair, with me pining for it with a burning gastronomic desire.  I always look for it at parties, fiestas, and Filipino restaurants.  So intense is my passion for kare-kare that I am also in a continuing search of a trusted handed-down family recipe so that I can learn to make it from scratch and share it to the whole world.

Last Day 13

Whatever its origins-- Kapampangan, Malayan, or Indian-- kare-kare is definitely a staple on the Filipino dining table. (All-Vegetable Kare-kare)

Also starring: green mango shake, singkamas with bagoong, and bagoong rice.

Pinakbet and witbier (white beer)

DAY 8

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!