Nanbantei: an excellent barbecue place in Makati

Japanese food is also known for having its unique twist on barbecued dishes. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to try it out at Nanbantei, a Yakitori bar located in the heart of Makati. Most of the menu, unlike their other Nanbantei branches, is heavily focused on the barbecued dishes. I found that more than 20 selections are on a stick, ranging from beef, pork, chicken, and even seafood. 

According to the owners, they use authentic Japanese binchotan charcoal, one that is specifically used for making barbecue. It doesn't burn fast or have ashy residue, unlike ordinary variants. Furthermore, the charcoal provides the dish with a stocky, smoky flavor that is distinct in Nanbantei's skewered favorites. 

We started off with a taste of the Kani salad. This appetizer is the usual Crabstick on top of lettuce, mango chunks, and pink mayo, with carrots to boot. It had a mix of a sweet and sour taste. It was accompanied by  the ubiquitous California Maki, which was one of the typical Japanese sushi variants in a restaurant. I don't like sushi, so I can't speak for the quality of the dish. Lastly, we had the Ebi Nigiri. This was a simple variant composed of shrimp atop a rice ball.  I found it quite plain to the taste.

The next selections were much more appetizing. The skewered meals were served hot and fresh off the grill. We started with the Tebasaki. It was a generous helping of chicken wings grilled to perfection. It had a simple marinade, which was not too tasty. Yet the meat itself was tender easy to chew off the bones. We followed up with the Ebi Tempura, which I would say is the best dish to boot in the restaurant. It was the classic fried shrimp with breading; yet this was done with so much excellence. The breading was crispy and crunchy. The shrimp meat was hot and well-fried. 

We then went on to more ambitious dishes. We tried the Aspara Maki, which was pork wrapped on asparagus. It was grilled perfectly, with no burnt edges on the pork. The mix was pretty tasty too. It had this smoky, bitter flavor which gave a garlicky kick. Add to that the juices and fat trimmings, and you have a grilled winner. A solid follow-up was the Shiitake Maki, which was shiitake mushroom wrapped with fatty beef strips. I enjoyed the juicy and tender textures of the mushroom and beef. It also had the smoky, bitter flavor due to the charcoal used.

Another fried favorite was the tori karaage. This Japanese style fried chicken was not too oily for the palate plus it had a crisp and juicy texture.  The servings were also generous. However, I didn't quite enjoy the Ebi Kushi Yaki, which were grilled shrimps. I believe that it had to have more flavor. Plus the shrimps weren't quite fresh. This was compensated by the baby squid or the Yaki Ika. This grilled seafood was pretty generous and fresh at the same time. 

We then ended the main course by having 3 of their skewered bestsellers. The first was the pork yakiniku. This grilled favorite was composed of juicy pork strips grilled with the fat in the strips. The marinade plus the charcoal gave it a full-bodied flavor. I paired this with the Chicken Yakitori, which were composed of chicken chunks freshly grilled. It had an excellent smoky taste too. The most memorable was the beef yakiniku, which was composed of thin beef strips grilled well. It was dripping with its marinade when served. Plus, the beef was served with a golden brown color which made it all the more appetizing. 

We ended the meal with their house special: the avocado ice cream. It was not too sweet and easy on the palate. It was a fitting way to end a hefty experience. 

Nanbantei is truly one of the best kept secrets at the heart of Makati.

The Wholesome Table: Your place for organic selections!

Organic food is getting a boost in popularity  these days. I wondered what the craze was with pricey food untreated with pesticides and preservatives; and now I found the answer. Who knew that organic cuisine  could be tasty  and healthy at the same time? That was my discovery in the Wholesome Table. This latter already has 3 branches; and it never stops in its endeavor to serve the best organic vegan food. This is probably because of its commitment to serving only the healthiest and freshest selections possible for all those health connoisseurs.

We started off with the avocado toast. This simple yet flavorful dish is a combination of baked eggs, avocado, and whole grain toast with mustard and dukkah spice. This is considered as one of their breakfast meals. The eggs and avocado, besides being high in unsaturated fat and protein, gave me an energy boost. Add to that the fact that the ingredients produced a sweet, tangy flavor that was truly fitting to start the day.

The Mushroom Paella was their flagship main course dish. This vegan version of the popular Spanish dish is a sight to behold due to its clever mix of bright, explosive colors, and the strong smoky smell. According to the owner, the dish does not have any meat. Instead, the chorizo topping was made out of walnuts. Talk about using vegan ingredients to substitute the meat! Upon tasting, I found that the rice was well cooked; and the chorizo, bell pepper, black mushroom, olives, egg, and shrimp toppings became a winning combo. The mushroom and the chorizo gave the dish a meaty flavor without involving actual meat.

The paella was supplemented by their unique Cordillera salad. What makes this special is the fact that authentic Sagada oranges were used in the dish. These were small and tangy oranges that gave the salad a candy-like flavor. I normally don't like salad; but this is an exception because it tasted like a popular confectionery.  Furthermore, the salad was topped with duck eggs, baked onions, kale, romane lettuce, squash, and candied chayote. The chayote made the dish even sweeter since it was already caramelized.

The main course was ended by the Pokebowl. This is a new organic dish that is currently making waves across the U.S. It is composed of a melange of Fresh salmon, wakame, brown rice, onion leeks, pickled ginger, romaine lettuce, ebiko, furikake, and topped with Togarashi spice and stir fry sauce. Despite the overload of ingredients, I found the dish exciting and tasty. It was the perfect balance of healthy ingredients without scrimping on the taste. While the salmon was raw, I didn't restrain myself from devouring the whole bowl. The delightful mix of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors plus the assurance that it was a health dish made me give in.

As for dessert, we had a number of their fine selections. We were bombarded with generous servings of the banana cake, fudge brownies, mango cheesecake, and their blueberry muffins. We also had a taste of their cookies, namely the chocolate and the double oatmeal variants. I loved the banana cake and fudge brownies since they had this no-gluten mixture. That means no bloating from eating a lot of the stuff. I ate to my heart's delight since both cakes were not too sweet for my taste. Both had a chunky texture and were not brittle as well. The mango cheesecake also had a no-gluten policy. The cheese used was also low fat and light to the taste. Since I love blueberry so much, I can say that the muffins took the cake. One can say that the ingredients were well-mixed and of the highest quality.

The Wholesome table truly changed my perception of a legit organic food place. I'd truly come back for more.

Circle Coin Launch Part at Kpub, The Fort.

Cryptocurrency is fast gaining traction as a viable investment tool and monetary medium. It can be used to pay for goods and services at lightning fast speeds as well as secure anonymity in online transactions for that added layer of privacy. It all started with Bitcoin, then more and more market players participated in the past few years. These players created their own independent currencies. Circle Coin is one of those. It is a Japanese creation that has started a few years ago and is actively being used in other countries in the Asia Pacific region. According to the representatives, Circle Coin has increased its value in other countries.

In the Philippines, Circle Coin has been operating for less than a year. The company behind it seeks to develop Circle Coin as a premier cryptocurrency brand in the country. Hence, the company offers affiliate bonuses to investors plus a milestone for value increases relative to the number of investors and money converted.

I was fortunate to have been invited to Circle Coin's launch party in KPub the Fort. The food and drinks were great, plus we had amazing treatment from Kpub's general manager, Sir Mike. We also had excellent musical numbers from special guests. Guests were able to win special prizes from the organizers.

I am pretty much convinced that cryptocurrency has amazing potential as a medium of transaction. Add to that its power as an investment tool. Hence, I surely am keenly interested in using it in the near future. However, this doesn't change the fact about my doubts on this product.

My thoughts on Circle Coin are:
1. If the developers are creating it as a form of independent cryptocurrency, then why is it heavily tied to the bitcoin? For every transaction, users have to go through a very tedious process of ordering bitcoins through a Fort Satoshi then exchanging it for Circle Coins in the standalone website. Users have to navigate a complicated process to copy-paste delivery and exchange codes from one website to the next in an attempt to link their accounts. Non-techies may find this frustrating and confusing.
2. The second qualm I have is the increased volatility of one's investment since the money has to be exchanged from bitcoin to circle coin. What if I bought Bitcoin then the price sharply dropped the next day? How will I be able to effectively buy circle coins if my bitcoins lost their value overnight?
3. Thirdly, what is the use of creating a cryptocurrency that is a slave to the Bitcoin? Can't Circle Coin have its own identity and market that is created as its own brand without relying on another well established brand such as the bitcoin?
4. Also, I am still not sure of the level of security provided by the Circle Coin website. Cryptocurrency transactions have had a history of vulnerabilities ranging from disappearing funds and unreliable websites. Given Circle Coin's status as a new player in the market, their short presence has not proven reliability. I'd give them some time, though.

In sum, I still have a hard time gauging Circle Coin as a viable investment option as still as they do not address these questions.

Pictures of the event:

Sunlife Sinag Awards 2016 at the Makati Shangri La

Last month, Mr. AR Bautista of AB Comm Events invited me to the annual awards day of Sunlife Philippines Inc. called the Sinag at the Makati Shangri La. This event consisted of honoring and recognizing the achievements of media personnel among the print, radio, online, and written mediums. Sunlife chose winners based on the regions of the Philippines. They also chose winners from unique sectors such as the youth.

Sunlife also recognized the special role of journalists in society and the risks they face. In connection with this, they awarded all the participants with accident insurance. This is just one way that Sunlife hopes to give back to the community as part of its CSR.

It didn't end there. Sunlife also awarded students with cash prizes from the Sinag Student Awards competition. Students from top universities in the Metro submitted their written works on important topics. Sunlife then chose the ones with the best content and delivery then awarded them with Php 10,000 in cash.

These activities show Sunlife's commitment to helping out journalism in whatever field and sector. With Sunlife, your future is not only secure. They also help out in a person's personal growth, be it in business, writing, or other fields. Now that is truly a selfless way of giving back.

The story in pictures:

Ms. Riza Mantaring, President of Sunlife - introducing the winners for the various categories of journalism

The awarding ceremony being conducted