Gastronomorgasm

The always-friendly, always-accommodating Bond over at the Big Leather Couch tagged me with a restaurant meme. I'm supposed to list the top five favorite places to eat at my location. Then I should tag five other people (preferably from other countries/states) and let them know they've been tagged.

Soooo, I tag the following:

-DaddyPapersurfer (UK). You can ask for help from the TG, DaddyP. In fact, I expect no less.
-Prometheus (India). Food, mon ami! How can you say no to food? And me? [bats eyelashes prettily]:-D
-EDog (Colorado, USA). Food, Ian! Food! Play along, will ya?
-Terra Shield (Malaysia). Our cuisines are similar in some aspects, but I'd like to know more about yours.
-Greedy Blugger (UK). Also known as Nunu's Mum. This expat Filipino woman is passionate about food. However, since her restaurant options are rather limited right now, let's bend the rules for her. Inday, tell us about the most fab places you've had gastronomic epiphanies -- and you've been everywhere!

Here are some of my favorite stuff-my-face places:

1. Dampa. Dampa isn't really a restaurant per se. It's this big complex that has a wet market and numerous tiny restaurants. What you do is this: you go to the market and buy your fresh seafood (there's also pork, chicken, beef, vegetables, etc., but almost everyone goes there for the seafood). And the seafood is ultra-fresh; they're still swimming or wriggling in water when you buy them. The vendor does the murdering for you (if necessary). Feeling your freshly-gutted fish wriggling in your basket, it's a weird sensation I tell you. Then you bring your newly-dead purchases to your restaurant of choice (many of them seat just a dozen or so people) and have them cook it the way you want it. Whenever we go there, we always have prawns among others. Prawns sautéed in butter. Mmmmmmm. Finger. Lickin'. Goooood. [Goin' into semi-orgasmic throes here.]

2. Kimpura Garden. This Japanese restaurant holds lots of good memories for me. We ate a lot there when I was growing up. We'd have this little room all to ourselves, and we'd watch things like sukiyaki (one of my favorite Japanese dishes to this day) being cooked right in front of us. I love Japanese food.


3. Sukho Thai. Eating dishes like chicken pandan (chicken wrapped in pandan leaves), bagoong rice (rice and shrimp paste) with meat, spring onions and green mangoes, meat in coconut milk. Thoughts of these make me close my eyes and writhe in ecstasy.


4. Dad's. Dad's is where you go for buffets. For about US$10, you get to fill your plate again and again and again ad infinitum with various kinds of food: Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, continental. Appetizers, entrées, salads, desserts, soups -- just quit when you're done. It's a sure-fire way to ruin your diet. Make sure you're with someone who can roll you out the door.

5. Pier One. This is a great place to eat and drink. And they have branches in many parts of the Philippines! Where do I start with the dishes I enjoy most? There's crispy kangkong na ginisa sa bawang (deep-fried swamp cabbage with lots and lots of garlic), grilled tuna belly, grilled beef spareribs, sinigang na maya-maya (red snapper in sour broth with vegetables), Seafood kare-kare (peanut-based seafood stew with vegetables), pusit a la pobre (sizzling squid in garlic), sizzling sisig (pork), fresh lumpia (meat/veggies wrapped in a roll with garlic sauce) ... Oh, God. My mind is so drowning in local food porn right now. Ahhhh, yes! Yes! God, YESSSSS!!!




(deep sigh)

Pass me a cigarette, will ya?