Father's Day Shout-Out

I read something proverbial (Solomonic even) that "when a child is born, a father is born as well." Such is the cycle of life, and one without the other simply cannot be.

Bless me FATHER for I ...

A year short of a decade and I'm still humbled on a daily basis that my psyche is fully charged and I am complete! Today my schedule is packed with celebrations, and  all my  social media accounts are packed with greetings and Father's Day cheers.

Allow me to give a shout out to the MAN I've made proud, who taught me that money and power are not ends in itself.  For teaching me to almost always choose the rainbow over the pot of gold. Best of all for Instilling in us that Family Comes First! Leadership By Example At Its Best. Happy Father's Day Papa!

Modern Dating - HK Style

Thanks to my Graduate School partner-in-crime Patrick Ng Yat Lung, a Hong Kong (HK) native in his late 40's and still an eligible bachelor, for sharing this modern day "HK Dating 101" trivia.

The fun part of traveling is immersing one's self in the host country - discovering about their ways and means, bad words included. Although HK is a place I frequent as far back as I can recall, it's good to discover that there's always something new to learn - particularly in the interesting realm of Dating.
 

At present, the HK Coffee Culture is gaining popularity among the youth in a rapid manner, to which "coffee" (synonymous to "post or after dinner") has become part of the dating ritual. Case in point that when a couple go out, they culminate the night with a visit to a coffee joint for a caffein fix and/or dessert (ergo the name behind HK's popular chain Honeymoon Dessert). And typical of all forms of culture, some are maintained and some are revised (for the better?!): The (gentle) man still foots the dinner bill, AND the woman pays for the "coffee". But wait, here's where it gets tricky - a disinterested Gal' will make no move whatsoever to pay her due, leaving the guy in a double whammy - No Money No Honey(moon)!

Yup, who would have thought that a post dinner cafe visit is now a strong barometer of a relationship's future, whether there's a spark of hope or otherwise. Happy dating to all my single friends! Cheers Pat!

HAI Coffee Dripper

Welcome to our growing family *HAI COFFEE DRIPPER*. This cute and clever caffein brewer combines the best features of a drip machine and a French press at a fraction of the price and storage size, making it a must-have in every cafe, household and/or office pantry.

Drip brewing is a time tested extraction method which involves pouring (HOT) water over ground coffee contained in a (PAPER or CLOTH) filter, resulting in a full-bodied drink free of oils and sediments.

Here is a simple step-by-step Drip Brewing procedure recommended by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). Happy Brewing!

Step 1: Choose your desired mug/cup. Place Hai Coffee Dripper on top of it. Place paper filter (#2 size) into the dripper.

Step 2: Select your desired ground coffee (freshly ground, DRIP grind is best), 8 grams coffee per 6-ounce cup is the best proportion.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Stone Ang
365 Modern Cafe

Step 3: SLOWLY add the HOT water. Wait 3-4 minutes, stirring once in between the process to ensure a homogeneous mixture.

Step 4: Serve and enjoy!!!

With the surge of Coffee Houses specializing in single origin shots, this is the perfect go-to method that is cost effective, and gives proper justice to the end result. So what are you waiting for?

Drip brewing is best for hot & cold
coffee concoctioins

READY... SET... BREW!!!!

Salzburg Cerveceria Barcelona

"Beer is synonymous to HAPPINESS!" This is the mantra of SALZBURG CERVECERIA which was love at first bite for us, so much so that we had to do a repeat during our 6 days stay in Barcelona, Spain.

I guess we simply reached our saturation point in the fertile land of tapas and paellas, thus this joint was a welcome respite for us - untypical choice yet proper given the moment.

Vast selection of gourmet sausages (chistorra, schublig, chorizo, etc), toppings and add-ons by permutation (caramelized onions, olives, quezo-balsamico dressing, etc), excellent for a weary traveller and perfect for a sausage geek!

And what's a Cerveceria without quality beer? Salzburg also boasts of a vast selection, but proudly recommends Estrella Damm fresh from the tap, self-pouring and metered (measured per milliliter, or per ML). Superb quality, proudly C.A.T.A.L.A.N.!!!

Accidental discovery turned memorable foodie find! Hmmmm, could this be a premonition of our next travel destination?

Le Comptoir Di Relais, Paris

"1-hour waiting time, no table!" These negative words greeted us by a snobbish yet good looking Maitre D' (Oliver, if I recall correctly) when we arrived at 12:15pm on a busy Monday. Hmmmm, do we move on or patiently wait?  We opted for the latter as Le Comptoir du Relais, a small bistro by world-renowned Chef Yves Camdeborde that seats only 20, was highly recommended by friends, and almost always appears on the "must visit" Paris eating haunts of foodies (the name literally translates as "the artists' bar", which makes apt sense since the restaurant is located in Paris' theater district). Case closed, we're eating here no matter what!

Foie Gras de Canard
to start our meal

Once seated and well-settled in the casual and unpretentious interiors, we wasted no time and scanned the menu, ordered away, and became living proof that this place is indeed one of the best "Good Eats" France has to offer.

As an opening salvo, we opted for the Escargots de Bourgogne, or wild snails from Burgundy sauteed in garlic butter and minced parsley. Like an itch that need to be scratched, we just had to sample what the fuzz is all about. Tasty!

Our first course was a no-brainer, Sweet Roasted Scallops In Butter With Soft, Bitter Endive. This dish is a gold mine for seafood lovers like us. 6 plump and succulent scallops expertly seared and infused in a hot butter-based sauce made with a reduction of vermouth. Winner!

And now for our main course, what caught our fancy was the Cochon de Lait, which literally translates as "pig in milk" or "suckling pig." Le Comptoir's interpretation consists of slow-cooked pork, deconstructed and reassembled into a ring form and served over stewed lentils. Now this is French Cooking at its best!

Overall, lunch at Le Comptoir was a grand experience! Our bill for 2 (make that 2 and 1/2) came out to be EUROS 80. Not exactly cheap, but truly exceptional! BON APPETIT!

Chocolate Chaud by Michel Cluizel, Paris

A trip to Paris, France wouldn't be complete without sampling some of the best Chocolate Chaud in the city. Not the instant or quick fix kinda stuff, but the authentic one made from scratch - premium chocolate block melted and doused with cream and/or milk, sugar cubes optional.

But no thanks to the uncooperative April weather which slowed down our movement (not to mention several failed attempts from Chaud "posers"), we chanced upon MICHEL CLUIZEL at 4:45pm on our last day in Paris, Saint-Honore to be precise.

Spreading chocoholic smiles since 1948, they are at present one of the rare chocolate makers in the world to process cacao beans themselves in their own ateliers (an artist's workroom, as defined by Webster).

Feast your senses on multiple platters and bowls of truffles, milk and dark chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate-covered fruits in season,  chocolate bars, French macarons, pralines, ganaches, etc. Name it, they have it - Anything and everything CHOCOLATE, all single-origin ranging from 65-70 percent cocoa content.

Once we're done ogling at all the chocolate porn, we got back on track and sampled what we really came there for - Chocolate Chaud! I watched intently as the counter lady dropped a generous amount (morsels) of their premium chocolate in a paper cup, then slowly doused it with hot cream/milk mixture dispensed from a churning beverage warmer.

Our verdict - we struck LIQUID (Chocolate) GOLD! My initial sip, everything seemed to switch to slow motion. Mind you that the liquid elixir is a notch below searing, but it was perfect to combat the 10 degrees Celsius experienced that day.  The beverage is quite thick with a playful viscosity and mouthfeel, best of all the flavor is robust. No short cuts here definitely!

Good things occur to those who wait, definitely worth it!

Counting My Blessings

I feel for the hundreds of lives affected by yesterday's Boston Marathon bombing. Whether it's a sick coordinated prank or an act of terrorism, it leaves a stigma to the whole world that America (the whole world even) is as vulnerable as any other country. Safety is always uncertain.

There's something about "Bean Town" that makes it close to my heart! It's the first US State on my wish list immediately upon getting (after 3 denials) my US Visa; I'm a BIG Celtics fan since birth (thanks to my brother Fred), and my ultimate dream is to be able to send Kiddo to a University in Boston either for college or post graduate studies.

Our honeymoon destination

Rewind to January 2013 as we were planning our annual summer getaway. All roads point to the US (Boston in particular) as the annual Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) was to be held there. Oh and as an added bonus, two days after the SCAA, the Boston Marathon was to be staged - COOL! And as an icing to the cake, there will be a Celtics-Pacers NBA game scheduled in TD Garden a day after the marathon - PERFECT!

For some strange twist of fate, in February I learned that my In-Laws were headed to Europe - Spain and France to be exact, same time as the SCAA Show. I couldn't trace back as to why or how I decided to join them at the 11th hour, but someway-somehow it felt "proper" to be with them in another continent. In a nutshell I opted for the less obvious choice...

Fast forward to today, I am thankful as I write this post in the comfy confines of my abode. Friends who attended the SCAA and stayed a few days after to hobnob or take-in "Bean Town's" beauty were either stranded or severely inconvenienced due to the senseless bombing; and the Celtics-Pacers NBA game was cancelled for security reasons - SAD!

With full confidence I am cheering for Boston's resiliency, to immediately rebound from this bump. The good always wins. See you soon "Bean Town!"

Calpis Sodas By Gavino's

This picture stamped a HUGE smile on my face! What a perfect send-off present as I embark on the land of paellas and bull fighting.

My fave donut shop GAVINO'S did it once again, this time scoring a beverage touch-down with the launching of their Calpis Sodas - A refreshing fruity-yogurt-based drink with just the right amount of fizz. Choose among the four meticulously tested flavors: Strawberry, Honey Dew, Green Apple, and Bubblegum. Three... (make that FOUR) CHEERS to health drinks! Undoubtedly an apt way of beating the summer heat.