Callos ala Almon Marina

Because ox tripe usually requires a lot of cleaning and long, slow cooking, I seldom cook Callos at home. The few times I cooked Callos, it was a big hit (except for my mother who loves to critique my cooking :P). My favorite Callos is at Casa Armas. More than a decade ago when Casa Armas first opened in Ermita, we would brave the terrible traffic to get there just to eat Callos. This Callos, however, is not from Casa Armas but from Almon Marina, one of my favorite stops at Megamall. This was my dinner the other night when I was in the mall to pay some bills and it rained, and I forgot to bring an umbrella.

Callos is a quintessential Spanish dish, a rich stew of ox tripe flavored with chorizo de bilbao, white wine, ham, and olives. I love to pair this dish with crusty bread.

Posted for Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

Karatula [signboard] - Litratong Pinoy

Corny ang mga karatula ko, pagtyagaan mo na lang muna.  Mga karatula sa Seattle sa aking pag-ikot-ikot doon noong nakaraang buwan.  Ang Bell Street Pier sa Pier 66 ay malapit sa Port of Seattle.  Para itong mall--- maraming restaurants, plaza at marina sa tabi lang ng Elliott Bay.  Kitang-kita rin ang karatula ng Miners Landing sa Pier 57.  Isa rin itong arcade kung saan may mga kid-friendly attractions, shops at kainan.

Sa Pier 55 naman ang daungan ng Argosy Cruises  kung saan kami sumakay ng ferry para makatawid sa Elliott Bay at makita ang Seattle skyline after sunset.

 

Karatula sa bungad ng Hiram M. Chittenden Locks sa Ballard, isang neighborhood sa Seattle.  Sa loob ng complex ay nandon din ang isang botanical garden na ipinangalan  kay Carl S. English Jr.,  isang landscape architect, na nagsaayos nitong garden sa loob ng 43 years mula nang natapos ang locks noong 1911.  Ang Hiram M. Chittenden Locks ay kinaroroonan ng Lake Washington Ship Canal, isang landmark sa lugar na kung tawagin ay Ballard Locks.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

To see a volcano [TWTW]

 

To see Taal Volcano from a different perspective, I walked this path from the highway to the ridge.  About 300 meters from the highway, this path leads to a residential area at the edge of Tagaytay ridge.  Residents have this view from their windows---Lake Taal and Taal Volcano.

Posted for This way Thurs-way  

Kissing Rocks - Watery Wednesday

This place was our playground when we were kids---a small rocky tip of a cove locals call "kabatuan". In my teenage years, I heard people call this place "Kissing Rocks", referring to two huge rocks behind the mangrove that moved closer through years of wave action. But my friends and I credited the name to the fact that lovers rendezvoused at these rocks before sunset. I returned to this place on Monday morning with my siblings and cousins to reminisce the countless summers our grandmother brought us here. We buried our grandmother, Lola Fanny, on Sunday afternoon. She was 97.

Posted for Watery Wednesday

Cold Jellyfish Salad

The hot and humid weather in Cebu had me craving for this cold and spicy concoction---Jellyfish Salad.  I had this salad as an appetizer at Big Mao, a Chinese restaurant at  Ayala Center.  I loved the combination of textures in this cold salad---crunchy jellyfish and creamy century egg, with an added crunch of sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

 

Posted for Food Friday and Food Trip Friday