Back at Bellini's

The week before the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or lockdowns, we were able to do some surveys for a project with a provincial bus company. We were already in Cubao after one meeting and decided to have lunch at the Araneta City (formerly the Araneta Center), which people generally refer to as 'Cubao'. It was a long time ago since I've eaten at Bellini's and one of my colleagues recalled my recommending the restaurant a while back as I shared with my officemates an orange cake that I bought from the restaurant. And so we decided to eat there while also reminiscing the old days for its location, which used to be a hub for locally made shoes - what was the Marikina Shoe Expo.

Menu showing pasta dishes - we usually opt for their handmade pasta

Frescoes in the restaurant

Restaurant interior

They bake really good cakes here, and our favorite is one of their bestsellers - orange cake.

Interior of the main part of the restaurant. This was usually full for weekend lunches.

Another view of the driveway of what was a very busy Marikina Shoe Expo. Most shops, bars and cafes open in the afternoon to night. That includes the second-hand or thrift shops selling a variety of items.

The main door has a scale model of the Tower of Pisa to welcome customers.

Restaurant front

The complementary breads for appetizers

Portobello mushrooms and arugula with cheese

Pasta Al Sapore di Mare - seafood pasta cooked and served in foil

Grilled fish steak

Tartufo Funghi con Prosciutto with hand-made pasta

The box contains a favorite - Bellini's orange cake

There is another Bellini's in Marikina City but I have not gone there preferring, with the wife, to eat at the original restaurant in Cubao. I must say that the food is still of good quality and the prices were reasonable. It seemed to me though that there was something missing despite the familiar ambiance of the place. Much of the Cubao and the Marikina Shoe Expo I had known during younger days and the recent past when the wife and I were able to there for dates seem to have passed. Maybe lunch time on a weekday wasn't the best time to be there? Perhaps other times and days offered a more crowded setting? Perhaps these are reasons to come back and eat there again - for old times sake.

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Seiko Actus 7019-7070

I had written previously that I have 2 other Seiko birth month, birth year (BMBY) watches in my collection aside from my favorite King Seiko. One is a Lord Matic and the other is this Actus. I only got to wear this maybe a couple of times. I got it cheap and mainly for the novelty or sentimentality of it being a BMBY model.

The dial has simple, raised hour markers but has both day and date features. Days are in English or Kanji (as shown).

Side view showing the crown near 4 o'clock.

The other side view

A clearer look at the crown

Original stainless steel band with 'Seiko 5 Actus' embossed on the clasp

Case back showing the model number (same one that appears on the dial) and the serial number that states this watch to have been manufactured in February 1972. The 7019 movement beats at 21,600 A/h with a potential power reserve of 43h. I haven't really used it as frequently as my other watches but it keeps time and has had a decent reserve based on a few observations.

I don't recall having a wrist shot for this but I think I should get one for posterity, and before I decide whether to retain this or part with it. I had another Actus before and gave it away to a close friend (it was his BMBY model.). This one's in similar shape but has the original strap that fits nicely with my wrist.

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Chocolate review: Maitre Truffout Fancy Truffles Hazelnut Flavour

We had a couple of boxes of chocolates (chocolate-covered truffles to be exact. I recently featured one of them- the Classic variety. Here is the other box that has the hazelnut flavor.

Fancy design for the box of truffle chocolates

A lot of details in different languages at the back of the box

Information on the chocolates/truffles in Greek

Ingredients are stated in so many languages on the other side of the box

Nutrition information and the expiration date at the bottom of the box

I was not able to take a photo of the truffles for the first box. I made sure to take one for this box. Shown are the cacao powder-covered truffles in a foil pack.

Like what I mentioned in the last post, this was a treat and was surprisingly good, reminding me of similar chocolates from Japanese maker Royce. I still have no idea about the price (I haven't Googled it.) so if the price was right, I probably would be picking up a box or two if I saw these in a supermarket shelf. But of course, if it were a choice between these and our more favored dark chocolates, then I would more likely pick up the dark chocolates instead. The word 'fancy' in the name is sort of a turn-off for me. :)

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Chocolate review: Maitre Truffout Fancy Truffles Classic

My brother-in-law sent us some items through a relative of his wife. They received the balikbayan box and sent us our share of the 'padala' from Canada. Among the items in our package were chocolates, truffles to be exact.

The chocolates came in this box. Note the term 'fancy' to describe the truffles.

Details at the back of the box included several translations in different languages of the ingredients.

More details on one side of the box

The nutrition information was at the bottom of the box. Here, too, was the expiration date. Note that these are declared as "cocoa-dusted" truffles.

The chocolates (truffles) were on the sweet side but enjoyable for dessert. The texture reminded me of similar chocolates from Royce. I don't know how much this costs but if it is on the expensive side, I would say it is not a "must buy". If it were cheap then perhaps you can grab a box or two some times.

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More BMBY watches for me

I recently acquired two birth month, birth year watches (BMBY) to add to the one, a King Seiko, that I already have. These are not fancy watches but also vintage Seiko models. One is a Seiko Actus 7019-7070 with its original band. The other is a Seiko Lord Matic (LM) 5206-6080. I got both from sellers in Japan. The Actus is from a seller in Saitama, where I actually stayed - once for 3 months and another for 1.5 months - as a Visiting Scientist. The LM is from Tokyo, where I also resided for 1.5 months but often went to while living in Yokohama for most of 3 years (I say most because I went home a couple of times for vacations.).

Seiko Actus 7019-7070

Seiko Lord Matic (LM)

Both are automatics and have kanji day features on the dial. The Actus is a bit more banged up than the LM but is still functioning well. The LM is in great condition despite not having its original band. The black face is accented by an elegant leather strap. I left both at my office and have to check if I have stock photos that I can post here.

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Happy Easter!

Maligayang Pasko ng Pagkabuhay!

"The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6. He is not here, for he is risen as he said. Come, see the place where they laid him; 7. then go at once and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. This is my message for you.""

Matthew, 28 - Bíblia Católica Online

Leia mais em: https://www.bibliacatolica.com.br/christian-community-bible/matthew/28/

Chocolate review: Eunoia Chocolate Barks

I got this chocolate from one of those small stores that pop up at weekend bazaars. I only got a few bars to sample as it was the first time I saw these and wasn't sure about the quality. I had bought other bars before that turned out to be inferior or didn't meet expectations at least when compared to the Malagos and Auro chocolates that we thought should be something like a benchmark for Philippine chocolates. The brand name is quite interesting as the word 'Eunoia' refers to the shortest English word containing all 5 vowels. The word is used to refer to a normal state of mental health often equated to a well mind.

This chocolate claims to have 70% cacao content

Details on the chocolate at the back of the box

Nutrition information

This chocolate was manufactured in Tagbilaran City in the Province of Bohol. Bohol is well-known for its peanut kisses and other delicacies and sweets but it was the first time I got chocolates from that Central Visayan island province.

This chocolate was surprisingly good. It did not taste like you were eating raw cacao like other upstart chocolates. My surprise was similar to when I first tasted the dark chocolates I bought in Vietnam. I wasn't expecting them to be as good as dark chocolates from established brands. I think the only issue here is the price of a bar. 370 pesos (about 7.30 USD in today's exchange rate) for a 100g bar is on the expensive side especially for a brand that is not yet established as Malagos or Auro. Will I buy another bar if I see this chocolate again? Definitely, as I believe it is that good.

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Timor automatic vintage watch

I used to have a mid 1940s military style Timor. I let go of that as it became more of a novelty and I couldn't find the parts for its winding mechanism to be repaired. It didn't take long for someone to buy it as it was a collectible and the design was close to the much sought after Dirty Dozen watches of which Timor was one of the brands that produced those watches.

Dial showing even number hour markings and no day nor date features

Side view showing the dial texture and the crown

The other side view

Case back stating this watch to be waterproof, shockproof, and having a stainless steel back. There is also what looks like a symbol and a serial number.

This is a rather small watch at 32mm wide excluding the crown. The dial is also somewhat framed by the case making the watch appear even smaller and therefore unappealing to those who prefer larger watches on their wrists. It is an automatic and still reliable. I have not timed it to determine how long it will last after regular use. It survives overnight after a day's use so I guess that's a decent enough storage for an automatic.

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On gardening for edibles

The wife and I were talking about community gardens over breakfast. Public schools still have them, even those with less plots of land. Perhaps private schools should consider this and allocate plots for edibles including veggies and herbs. Maybe universities and colleges can have land dedicated to edibles? UP Diliman pa lang marami nang pagtaniman. Perhaps the church should also consider this with the community/parishioners pitching in to produce food. What do you think?

Pictured below is a community garden at a public school in Valenzuela City that's one of the schools we've engaged for a child road traffic injury prevention project.

This garden has, among others, lettuce (pechay), chili (sili), eggplant (talong), and bitter gourd (ampalaya).

We've planted edibles in our home's garden. Currently, we have kamote (sweet potato), chili, Basil, papaya, lettuce, and others. I will feature these in a future post.

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Mango season in Antipolo

January to March of this year have been pretty cruel or vicious wherever you may be in the world now. April has arrived with most of us under quarantine to arrest the spread of Covid-19. And so I thought is was but appropriate to start the month of April with something positive not in the Covid-19 sense but in terms of something more pleasant. In this case, it is about life in the form of the mangoes provided by the our tree at home.

Our mango tree is very generous this year and I think its mainly due to the favorable weather. Of course, there was a little nudge when we had a barbecue as part of the 6th birthday celebration of our daughter last January. The smoke from the chicken inasal grill practically triggered the flowering of the tree and surely eradicated much of the insects that tend to inhibit the flowers from becoming fruits.

The first pick was practically hinog sa puno (ripe from the tree). I took the photo beside another, which is low hanging, that we will probably be picking in the next few days.

A view of the upper parts of the tree reveal more mangoes developing. The strong winds have knocked off many of these fruits but more remain and we are optimistic about a nice harvest soon.

More on our mangoes soon!
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