East rules!
July 2, 2006 | 12:00am
Deciding where to spend Father’s Day lunch with the three boys became an easy choice when I got the text from Olga del Rosario promoting the Tofu Festival that would be held at East that Sunday. For those still not in the know, East is on the second floor of the Rustan’s Department Store, Makati; and with chef Him Uy de Baron at the helm, it has remained a steady favorite for the boys who love its eclectic mix of Japanese and Chinese dishes. In fact, that’s always been East’s mission vision – to go beyond just Japanese and Chinese, and highlight the best of Oriental and Asian cuisine in one establishment. In this East-ern landscape, you’ll find Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean, Vietnamese and Korean influences, along with the aforementioned Chinese and Japanese.
For that special day (for me! The one day when us Dads can make believe we actually count), there were dishes rolled out that incorporated a special tofu element – but all the selections in the buffet, if not in the regular menu, do come into play when East caters, and are readily available. Sashimi, California maki, and dimsum starters, a tofu and mushroom fried spring roll; these had my boys pigging out without even looking at the main courses! In fact, Luca took four trips to the Maguro sashimi platter and would have gladly refrained from taking anything else, if not for the shrimp tempura he also couldn’t resist.
Mee goreng, Szechuan lapu-lapu stuffed with mapo tofu, steamed tofu with prawns in soya sauce, beef brisket, lamb rendang, mixed tempura and my favorite – the tofu and tuna tataki with snow peas and shiitake (with the tofu encased in sesame) – these were a sampling of the dishes arrayed that day. Miso soup and Japanese fried rice were also available. And predictably, for dessert, there was taho with sago, plus fresh fruits and some pastries.
No getting around this omnipresent tofu theme; and because I’ve often extolled the nutritional value of bean curd, the boys were having a great time convincing me they were eating enough "healthy" for the rest of the year. Yeah, right, it may have been Father’s Day, but that didn’t mean I was born yesterday. Of course, I decided to humor them and said they didn’t have to eat vegetables and the likes till 2010, and they broke out into chants of "All Hail King Philip", which is very embarrassing in a public place. That’s all I need, people beside us thinking in disgust, "What a Dad, needs his children conferring him some kind of coronation just because it’s Father’s Day!"
The photo of Luca making "beso-beso" Quintin’s lapu-lapu was Matteo’s idea; and since he’s so game, Matteo actually wanted to be the one in the photo, but he was busy with his taho. It was the kind of tempestuous lunch that’s typical when the four of us get together; laidback and relaxed one moment, recriminations and accusations flying in the air the next, then back to brotherly love – and the cycle repeats itself. Spending the day with the three boys can be a handful, but my hands are always theirs for the taking, and I wouldn’t trade places at all.
The day before Father’s Day, Saturday, had me bringing the boys to an event their Tito Keren had invited us to. It was Sustagen Premium’s Pop Art photo exhibit. Clever punning that title of Pop Art, as the exhibit consisted of fathers as photographed by their children. Some 21 photos were on display, all of fathers as captured by their children who ranged from young kids (the children of such personalities as Ricky Davao, Edu Manzano, Manila Rep. Miles Roces, and Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco) to models (Bianca Valerio), fashion designers (Rajo Laurel) and car racers (Angelo Barretto). Sec. Bert Romulo also had his photo, as collaborated on by daughters Mons and Berna. Photographers Xander Angeles and Patrick Uy had the tables turned on them as their kids took photos of them, and I wondered with what critical eye they would have looked at these photos!
Tricia Dizon, marketing head of Mead Johnson was on hand to welcome us and extol the virtues of Sustagen Premium. An adult nutritional beverage, Premium is specially formulated to help build resistance, and combat one’s susceptibility to sickness and stress. From my childhood years, I remember taking Sustagen straight from the can, like some crushed polvoron; so it was with some deja vu that I approached Tricia, tempted to ask if I could try Premium in its powder form. I balked though, and opted to stick to the pre-mixed ice-cold samples they were handing out. There’s a regular milk flavor and a chocolate one, and the chocolate version hit the spot for me!
The multi-defense system of Sustagen Premium consists of the following ingredients: there’s natural inulin fiber to help reduce cholesterol to healthy levels and make this a low fat drink. Vitamin B6 helps reduce the risk of heart ailments by combating the build-up of homocysteine. And the immunity-building nutrients that help strengthen white blood cells are Zinc, Vitamin A and B12. Too often we take for granted the claim of health benefits, but in this case, I took the time to check out why this Premium would truly ebb an adult formulation, and not just a repackaged version of the regular Sustagen. Was glad I did, and walked away satisfied.
Unfortunately, Matteo’s satisfaction left much to be desired. There was a black-out Bingo game as part of the festivities, and he reached the point where no one had won yet and he only had one more number to block out on his Bingo card. Visibly stressed and excited, I was tempted to make him "down" a glass of Sustagen right there – for the stress! As you can guess, someone else went home with the P10,000 prize, and he gamely took home the card, as a souvenir of ‘what might have been’. That was too cute, his getting so anxious, and his brothers and myself hoping his number would be called. Matteo was even enumerating what he’d spend the money on, and how he’d share some of it with his brothers, in true Musketeers style.
Those are the moments when I just want to grab them and hug them, even if I know it’ll only have them rolling their eyes, and shouting, "Poppa, you’re so embarrassing!" If only they knew how I lie beside them when they sleep over, and kiss them while they’re fast asleep – ooops, only hope they don’t read this, and get on my case.
For that special day (for me! The one day when us Dads can make believe we actually count), there were dishes rolled out that incorporated a special tofu element – but all the selections in the buffet, if not in the regular menu, do come into play when East caters, and are readily available. Sashimi, California maki, and dimsum starters, a tofu and mushroom fried spring roll; these had my boys pigging out without even looking at the main courses! In fact, Luca took four trips to the Maguro sashimi platter and would have gladly refrained from taking anything else, if not for the shrimp tempura he also couldn’t resist.
Mee goreng, Szechuan lapu-lapu stuffed with mapo tofu, steamed tofu with prawns in soya sauce, beef brisket, lamb rendang, mixed tempura and my favorite – the tofu and tuna tataki with snow peas and shiitake (with the tofu encased in sesame) – these were a sampling of the dishes arrayed that day. Miso soup and Japanese fried rice were also available. And predictably, for dessert, there was taho with sago, plus fresh fruits and some pastries.
No getting around this omnipresent tofu theme; and because I’ve often extolled the nutritional value of bean curd, the boys were having a great time convincing me they were eating enough "healthy" for the rest of the year. Yeah, right, it may have been Father’s Day, but that didn’t mean I was born yesterday. Of course, I decided to humor them and said they didn’t have to eat vegetables and the likes till 2010, and they broke out into chants of "All Hail King Philip", which is very embarrassing in a public place. That’s all I need, people beside us thinking in disgust, "What a Dad, needs his children conferring him some kind of coronation just because it’s Father’s Day!"
The photo of Luca making "beso-beso" Quintin’s lapu-lapu was Matteo’s idea; and since he’s so game, Matteo actually wanted to be the one in the photo, but he was busy with his taho. It was the kind of tempestuous lunch that’s typical when the four of us get together; laidback and relaxed one moment, recriminations and accusations flying in the air the next, then back to brotherly love – and the cycle repeats itself. Spending the day with the three boys can be a handful, but my hands are always theirs for the taking, and I wouldn’t trade places at all.
Tricia Dizon, marketing head of Mead Johnson was on hand to welcome us and extol the virtues of Sustagen Premium. An adult nutritional beverage, Premium is specially formulated to help build resistance, and combat one’s susceptibility to sickness and stress. From my childhood years, I remember taking Sustagen straight from the can, like some crushed polvoron; so it was with some deja vu that I approached Tricia, tempted to ask if I could try Premium in its powder form. I balked though, and opted to stick to the pre-mixed ice-cold samples they were handing out. There’s a regular milk flavor and a chocolate one, and the chocolate version hit the spot for me!
The multi-defense system of Sustagen Premium consists of the following ingredients: there’s natural inulin fiber to help reduce cholesterol to healthy levels and make this a low fat drink. Vitamin B6 helps reduce the risk of heart ailments by combating the build-up of homocysteine. And the immunity-building nutrients that help strengthen white blood cells are Zinc, Vitamin A and B12. Too often we take for granted the claim of health benefits, but in this case, I took the time to check out why this Premium would truly ebb an adult formulation, and not just a repackaged version of the regular Sustagen. Was glad I did, and walked away satisfied.
Unfortunately, Matteo’s satisfaction left much to be desired. There was a black-out Bingo game as part of the festivities, and he reached the point where no one had won yet and he only had one more number to block out on his Bingo card. Visibly stressed and excited, I was tempted to make him "down" a glass of Sustagen right there – for the stress! As you can guess, someone else went home with the P10,000 prize, and he gamely took home the card, as a souvenir of ‘what might have been’. That was too cute, his getting so anxious, and his brothers and myself hoping his number would be called. Matteo was even enumerating what he’d spend the money on, and how he’d share some of it with his brothers, in true Musketeers style.
Those are the moments when I just want to grab them and hug them, even if I know it’ll only have them rolling their eyes, and shouting, "Poppa, you’re so embarrassing!" If only they knew how I lie beside them when they sleep over, and kiss them while they’re fast asleep – ooops, only hope they don’t read this, and get on my case.
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