Jo-An Chan

Solo Con Tu Pareja

Last night my officemate Gabby asked me if I really love watching Spanish films because he saw me catching Pelikula in Greenbelt 3 two saturdays ago. He surprised me today because he brought me a DVD and lent it so I can watch the film. He told me that this film is very nice and it's a romantic comedy. Well let me find out after watching it over the weekend.

This movie is from the director of Y Tu Mama Tambien, Alfonso Cuaron. This delightful, frank look at sex and manners among Mexico's middle class follows a suave Casanova named Tomas Tomas (Daniel Gimenez Cacho), who seduces one gorgeous woman after another, never allowing himself to become entangled with any of them. A Don Juan-ish type of story in short.

Exciting weekend is coming. Especially now that I have this Eureka moment. I wish I felt this already months ago.

Crepe de Chine

Another Saturday of eating good food came my way when I went to Binondo and visited Crepe de Chine. Situated along Juan Luna St., it stands out in the clutter of typical Chinese restaurants. When I entered the place, I immediately noticed the French country design theme. The huge mural painted by Alfred Galvez was very eye-catching. A few minutes after, I met David Sy–owner of the restaurant. He told me that it’s been two years since they opened. As he told me how they started the business and how they took the risk of putting up the restaurant, the different pastas and crepes were served.

They served most of the dishes I saw on their menu. They actually have a wide variety of choices. I know it’s a fusion of Chinese and other cuisines like Filipino. Diana Sy, who is also the owner and the manager, concocted all the recipes. For me, the CDC Crepe salad is my favorite among all the dishes they served. The crunchiness and the freshness of the veggies inside the crepe made the CDC a champion! No wonder it’s their best seller. I also like their unique pizza crepe, so I think the people should not miss that when they visit Crepe de Chine. The owner’s creativity with the Adobo crepe is very fascinating! Though I told the owner that my suggestion for this crepe is to change the pork to chicken. I think it will complement the crepe better. I also suggested that since the restaurant is more like a fusion of different cuisines, they may want to try kebabs or Mediterranean gyros on their crepe. The Mexican crepe is also a winner! The distinct dressing made it so Mexican. So if you are a lover of Mexican dishes, better not miss that. And lastly, they also have different pastas and the one I tried was their Pesto which was served with bread on the side. Again I couldn’t help but make another suggestion. Since their restaurant idea is crepe, why not serve their pastas with crepe on the side instead of bread? You know, like pita bread. Anyway, I think I gave David too many suggestions already. And he got it from me for free! Hehe! But David was very nice and accommodating so I want to thank him for inviting me there. It was thru Apple, his PR person, that made all the arrangements possible.



It was indeed a good afternoon of savoring sumptuous crepe dishes and meeting new people. The location of Crepe de Chine is in the Binondo area so whenever you visit 168, Tutuban or Divisoria–don’t forget to visit this restaurant. The Artist Chef only suggests places she has already tried herself. This is one restaurant that I hope you will also try for yourself soon.  :-)

Crepe de Chine is located at Lower Ground 2 World Trade Exchange
215 Juan Luna St. ( near State Center and Binondo Church ), Binondo, Manila

Open Monday to Friday from 10:30 am to 9:30 pm
Tel no: (02) 244-2270

Joana Milanes

Armando Alarilla

Met Ms. Dina Bonnevie

The Artist Chef met Ms. D! She's real. I got an impression of who she is. And it doesn't matter. The likes of Dina Bonnevie are only human. She's a good actress anyway.

BIG MAMA's PLACE

After several weeks of a roller coaster ride, I finally made my Saturday alive again. So I decided to visit Big Mama’s Place. Owned by the family of Bede Ongtengsiem. Bede is a good friend of mine.

The place is fabulous. It has a positive ambiance. Its interior is very neat and very stylish. People will have a feeling of being at your home when you are inside the Big Mama’s. I met Beau, Bede’s brother. Like Bede, Beau is also nice and cool person. They were both very accommodating when I was there. I also met Tita Bonnie, the mother of Bede and Beau. I was really mesmerized by the warm welcome they showed me. They prepared for me one of the best sellers in their resto, the Peppered Chicken with Tomato Rice, Thai Bagoong Rice and Orange Tuna Pasta plus Dimsum. I can say without exaggeration that the dishes were all fantastic and superb. I wanted to ask for more and eat more.

MENU

Orange Tuna Pasta

Thai Bagoong Rice

Peppered Chicken with Tomato Fried Rice

Perfect Homemade Dimsum

Interior of the resto designed by Bede's sister

Kitchen Confidential

Tita Bonnie shared with me her cooking styles. She doesn’t want to bake food because she hates exact measurement of ingredients. She prefers the “tanchahan” way of cooking. She makes sure that the ingredients they use in cooking are all fresh and are in good quality. She also allowed me to take a closer look at their kitchen where the food are prepared and cooked. It is very neat and clean. The utensils are all placed accordingly. The staff are all well groomed.

She also told me that their menu continuously evolves as she makes ways to find and experiment different recipes. She doesn’t want their food to be commercialized. She wants to make other people happy and satisfied especially the families who dine with them by serving them real tasty and quality food at its best.

We both believe in home-style cooking where everything goes around. We both love to experiment on different dishes. We never follow the recipes of others. We want to make our own. And we both believe cooking is not just cooking to let others eat and taste your food. We both believe that cooking is a special way of showing others that you care for them and love them. Cooking is not just an art for us. It is a passion.

With the BIG MAMA Bonnie and son Bede Ongtengsiem

Afterwards, I can’t help but express my gratitude to them (Bede, Beau and Tita Bonnie). I thank them from the bottom of my heart for having me taste their one-of-a-kind food. Sincerely, I was really glad and my stomach was really full that time. I am very happy for my friend, Bede for having this kind of business. I can see that it is doing very well. It was indeed a satisfing lunch and a learning experience as well. It wasn’t my usual lunch. It was extra ordinary. I wish to have my own restaurant. I know I can fulfill that dream one day.

Bede, Thanks for inspiring me to wear my big smile again. And for always telling me that life is beautiful and full of possibilities amidst pain and sufferings. ☺

My TAKE HOME!

BIG MAMA's PLACE
Along N. Paterno St. San Juan, Metro Manila
Opens Tuesday to Sunday –11am to 9pm

Rosalie de Guzman