Inggo Noms...

As I explained in my latest Life Update, I needed to go to Wageningen, Netherlands to attend the International Conference ‘Water Science for Impact’ for work. As I wasn’t able to bring my Beloved photographer with me in this odyssey, I’ll use this post to preemptively apologize on the low quality of the images for the upcoming few posts.

Anyway, I stayed at Chalet GEM located at TopParken, a holiday wilderness park. The closest restaurant was De Kantine, or literally, “the cafeteria” located at said park just a very close walking distance from the chalet. My host recommended I eat there as soon as I settled down as the place closes at 8pm. Famished, I opted to take her recommendation rather than venturing to the nearest town centers, which was at least 2km away.

You might notice a lack of updates recently, especially after the deluge of posts after my Sendai Odyssey. Sadly, work has been very busy and I’ve started going back to school—one of my medium-term goals when I decided to turn my life around a few years ago. I’m now realizing the difficulty of balancing work and study. And if I want to excel, I need to sacrifice one of my side things. Unfortunately, blogging has been the lamb.

Beloved and I had lunch at Shao Kao Grillery the day after visiting Cow Wow, more than a month ago (yes, delayed because of my Sendai/Japan Odyssey). This semi-open place serves grilled foods, and, based on its name, still be somehow Chinese. I’ve already happened to pass by this place a lot of times already, but never dared to try it. After learning that it’s got quite favorable reviews, including a recommendation from MIL, we decided to try it out.

Beloved and I celebrated my birthday at The Alley about a month ago. It has been tradition for us to eat at a buffet restaurant each year that offers a free seat on one’s birthday with one paying adult, just like we did at Four Seasons on Beloved’s birthday this year. The Alley is from the same Vikings group of restaurants that basically allows you to “eat like a viking”. The twist on this place after the cut.

A bit more than a month ago, Beloved and I had late lunch at Marugame Udon. Beloved had already set in mind to eat here after learning of its existence and regretting we didn’t the last time we went to BGC, since it’s quite a rare occasion that we do. Luckily, she had an event to attend at nearby SM Aura, so we had an excuse to try it out.

Beloved and I had lunch a day before my birthday at Rico’s Lechon. I was excited to learn that they finally have opened a branch here in Manila after experiencing it firsthand in Cebu. While I wasn’t able to chronicle that experience in this blog, I can safely say that it was the best all-around lechon experience I’ve had in the country.

After going to Shuin, Beloved and I had dessert at Cheesecake Etc. Located right across the aforementioned place, Beloved already did some research and managed to convince me to try it since one of their cheesecakes sounded interesting. Oh, and this place serves cheesecakes. Surprising, eh?

A couple of days before my birthday a couple of weeks ago, Beloved and I had dinner at Shuin. This Chinese/Taiwanese restaurant is located near the most Chinese-centric street of Quezon City, Banawe. We never ate here before becuse Beloved cannot find it, but she has heard of it and wanted to go. Since she now has that information, she convinced me to try it out. While not in Banawe itself, it’s just a very short walk when you reach its intersection with Maria Clara Street.

A couple of days before my flight to Japan, Beloved and I passed by Ali Mall to exchange some Yen. Unfortunately, we learned that the pawnshop that used to sell Yen no longer does it (I went to Sanry’s in Trinoma the next day; they offer very good rates). Anyway, hungry, we decided to eat in one of the new places in old Ali Mall, Sisig Society.

Me, Beloved, and a couple of her friends ate at Cow Wow more than a month ago. Yes, it’s that long ago because my past couple of weeks were taken up by my Sendai/Japan Food Odyssey. Since it’s rare for them to pass by their alma mater, they wanted to go to Santorini—perhaps their favorite place during their college days. Unfortunately, it’s full with a queue, so we opted for this place instead, which, according to them, was also a place they used to eat at.