Indie too much: Pho Hoa

(I haven’t brought my camera then, so forgive moi.)

So after indie movies and a bit of shoe shopping, my friend and I decided to try something indie Asian. No Japanese, no Chinese. No Filipino, too. Something we don’t usually do. Or eat. I ogled at restaurants nearby as she tries on flats. There I saw a somewhat eternally present restaurant at this old mall we used to go to. Pho Hoa. Oh. Vietnamese.

I actually have read lots of good reviews about Pho Hoa, mostly from health buffs. I dragged my friend to the Vietnamese place and there ate. Expected much? Yes.

Menu. Not much choices. Or is it the cuisine that is limited? Anyway, I didn’t have much choice but to order noodles, veering away from rice (weird though, I know it’s rice noodles that they are using.) For my friend, a dry version of noodles. The dishes looked like filled with toppings so we didn’t order something on the side. But there was the disappointing part. There were no house tea. I can’t imagine noodles without house tea! Well, they offered Jasmine tea, not my type though. Doesn’t Vietnamese fare go with tea? Somebody advise me on this.

Food service. Our food came in fast, the noodles coming in first.

Flavor. I am actually thrilled that they separated the togue-looking sprouts, an herb I forgot what it’s called, a tiny lemon wedge and chili. It gives me a sense of freedom with my food. I tried the broth first, then put them all in. A lot of my friends knows that I’m an herb person. I like herbs, and if I can put them in all dishes I would. But I guess, Vietnamese herbs are an exemption. They make the broth taste like grass and medicine in a capsule. It’s my fault really to even try that. However, the dish became a-ok when I removed the “grass” out of it. The noodles tasted so-so actually. Beef and rice noodles seemed overcooked. The togue-like sprouts tasted like singkamas and that gave the dish some crunch.

The vermicelli bowl my friend got is what I really wanted. It looked like Asian salad with noodles. It has greens, grilled chicken, bacon bits, minced nuts, and of course rice noodles. It comes with a sweetish sour dressing that blends well with the flavors that is already playing with your taste buds. I’m glad my friend let me finish the dish.

Price. I seldom mention prices of food I order, maybe many has been noticing that, unless it is really really really a cheap very-good-tasting fare. But the prices here, in my very selfish opinion, are over the roof. I can’t imagine noodles, small bowl, which costs P200. The vermicelli bowl went P250 for a small bowl too. Add to that they don’t have house tea. Good thing only they don’t have service charge. I wished I consider my friend’s suggestion to try Bodhi.

I can’t really have a very concrete opinion with the food at Pho Hoa. Maybe I need to try some other dishes to really conclude.

The vermicelli bowl saved my palate from the very herby noodles, that maybe taken care of if there was house tea. ‘Nuff said.

Cinemalaya Date

So there in the middle of cramming paper works (which I totally did not intend,) Jen and I decided to call a dinner and movie night out. I was really in a hurry to finish my assessment papers, and she was gone to the doctor for a bad cold. And it was storming outside. But what the hell, I want Cinemalaya and a bowl of noodles and wanton.

An annual ritual: Cinemalaya

I always plan to eat here, but never happened, until…

So we think, it’s time for good ol’ fashioned cold-weather-craving for steaming noodles and dimsum. Original plan was with Super Bowl, prolly one of the few Chinese restaurants that my taste buds approve. However, we found ourselves in North Park; which by the way, had my eyes a few months back, but for the sheer lack of company to eat there, I’d only finally went for it only that day. I really should learn to try things even when I’m alone. Anyway, that will be another blog post, I think.

Hungry and craving, we ran through the menu on the placemat while catching up with each other. Maybe I should probably mention that we were not given the menu, but we took it from the table adjacent ours. So much for customer service.

Anyway, we had a lot of catching up and lots of talking to do. Our hectic schedules never permitted us to meet that often. Me with the incredibly demanding course and her with her incredibly wonderful job (that I wish it’s my job, too.) I remember telling her of people on Facebook bashing on me. Bastards, ugh. Again, another blog post will be dedicated for those.

Since the noodle craving started, inspired by the rainy weather, I ordered Three Mushroom and Wanton Noodles. I’m amazed that they ask diners what type of noodle comes with their soup. I picked the green one that looked like pesto. I have no idea what it is made of.

The green in this noodles reminds me really of pesto.

 

For the person with colds, Congee of sorts (forgot the name, actually. And never made it for the picture taking) We also ordered pot stickers, and broccoli and mushrooms.

So-so Pot Stickers

There is an evident Mushroom craving.
 

Another flaw. They told us that the order will take for about 20 minutes. Well, I’m really not strict with the time my orders take at any given time, only if it is faster than an hour. More than an hour, notify the starving customer. The order, I think, took an hour to reach my already hypersalivating mouth. I’d appreciate it more if they said – are you willing to wait? (I remembered tuloy that MRT ad. HAHA) Given that the place is not yet full house, I think it is without excuse to be really slow.

It is worth the wait for the food though. My noodle soup is packed with flavor and noodles are cooked just right, taste like hand-pulled, but it look like it isn’t. The mushroom in the soup added texture to the already flavorful soup, with three kinds – button, shiitake, and one that I cannot identify. I didn’t like the pot stickers though. The pork tasted raw, and the sauce is too sweet. I prefer more if it came with spicy sauce to at least cover the raw taste. The broccoli with mushrooms seemed promising, and a vegetarian alternative for beef broccoli. The mushrooms are, again, sweet to taste. Chinese food’s supposed to be salty right?

After that filling meal, we head straight to UP for Cinemalaya. It’s weird how I missed UP even though I didn’t study there. Maybe it was all the times I spent with Jen, Sheng, and Rafael that makes up for the reason why UP is my second home. There were scalpers outside Cine Adarna. And selling tickets lower than the official tickets. Two thoughts. One. I thought scalpers existed only at the Big Dome. Two. Aren’t scalper tickets costlier than those bought at the booth? In short, we bought tickets from two scalpers who seemed to know Jen. There was a forum for the previous film that they had shown earlier. After which the line to the cinema materialized and we were in.

 

I can’t miss the old times more.

We watched Si Techie, Teknoboy, at Juana B. The film is a political satire showing how technology overrules people’s lives nowadays. It is funny. It is mind-numbing. And it is value-laden. I think it couldn’t really be helped to go through sexual issues since the internet, being a technology that influences the society with huge impact, is now a virtual sex den. Cinemalaya provides an avenue for filmmakers to address social issues and inspire creativity at the same time. I really hope it runs all year round.

At the end of the day, I still had my paperworks. But I carry now inspiration of art. And a full satisfied stomach.

Who is Cory Doctorow?

I write like
Cory Doctorow

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Got the link from the writer-annihilator herself Ms. Jessica Zafra.

It feels weird having your writing compared to someone you don’t even know.

Haha. Who the hell Docotorow is?