G.U.S. NITPICKS!! (v. 14)

LA ESQUINA SPANISH RESTO


My bon vivant friend D. texted me out of the blue, dangling the opportunity of a free meal at this place in exchange for being his designated chauffeur/gofer for the day. Not one to pass up the chance to freeload, yours truly woke up early and fetched D. (aka "Bossing") at the duly appointed time and place.

This resto boasts of the famed chef Ed Quimzon as consultant, and Bossing kept on raving about it on our smooth, traffic-free journey to Tagaytay. Hence, my appetite was whetted, and my expectations quite high.

We were joined by his 3 Japanese friends for this lunch. Bossing had pre-ordered the dishes, so i engaged in getting-to-know-you chitchat with his friends while waiting for the food to arrive.

Heres how it went:



The Chorizo Splendido may have lacked presentation (doesn't it look like they just dumped the pieces into the bowl, and that's it?), but i can assure you it was definitely not lacking in flavor. Fiery hot and spicy, and bursting with tenderness! i think i could have eaten 4 or 5 orders of this.



The Gambas La Esquina were firm, nicely complemented by the cream-based sauce. Although i think they could have served the sauce on the side, perhaps?



We were then served Molo soup (not pictured), which the others all liked, but which i found a tad too salty.

Next up was the Pollo Iberico (above), which was particularly tender and juicy. I didn't fancy the potatoes though, they seemed a bit squishy, if you know what i mean.



Above is the Paella Cristina, named after their patroness, Cristina Ponce. I thought this dish was disappointing. It just tasted quite ordinary, and forgettable. . .definitely nothing to write home about.




We were served both Lapu-lapu and Mahi-mahi with sweet banana, presented identically (above). Thus, there was some confusion as to which fish was which. In fact, i forgot whether this pic was of the lapu-lapu or the mahi-mahi!

I had misgivings whether this combination would work well, but oddly enough, it tasted really good! Props to the chef.




Ahh, my favorite part. . .dessert!! Bossing was not fond of sweets, and had to be cajoled to order this Leche Flan and Apple Crumble Cheesecake. This leche flan tasted quite superb! Great, firm texture, with the right amount of sweetness. . .not cloying at all. And the presentation was great as well.

Sana [Wishing, hoping, praying] i could have taken home a whole slab of this. . . (hint, hint) eh, Bossing? :-D

Bonus: Through La Esquina's glass windows, you get a view of the Splendido golf course, designed by the great Greg Norman.




Oh, and one last thing. In lieu of a pic of the resto's interiors, i decided instead to include this pic of their restroom. This steel bucket is rather cool, no? And in keeping with their Spanish theme, too.






(La Esquina Spanish resto is located at the clubhouse of the Splendido Taal Residential Golf & Country Club, Tagaytay. It is open for lunch and dinner only from Thurs. to Sun.)

BANGKOK OASIS SPA
(Part 2, Bangkok series)


There are literally a thousand and one day spas in Bangkok, one of the reasons i don't mind going back again and again to this city. The way i figured it, i need to go to BKK for the next 384 years to try every single one of these spas!!

I literally stumbled upon the website of Bangkok Oasis Spa, and made reservations pronto. So it was, on a hot and humid Friday late afternoon, a Toyota Avanza (painted to look like some giant flower) parked at the driveway of the hotel and fetched us. Stepping inside the vehicle, one gets hit with the pleasantly intoxicating smell of aromatherapy oils. That's their service vehicle for you.
We engaged in some chitchat with the reception staff while scanning their spa menu. Hmm....this pandan juice they served us is really cool and refreshing! Wonder if i could ask for a whole pitcher?! :-D
The Oasis Spas group was founded in August 2003, and after operating 4 branches in different parts of the northern province of Chiang Mai, they opened their first branch in Bangkok just around February this year.

They informed us that the owners really made a huge effort to scour around for an ideal location before pushing through with this Bangkok branch. And i must say it was quite an inspired choice. Located along one of the sois (alleys) off Sukhumvit Road, the neighborhood is accessible, yet peaceful and quiet.

I'll let the pics do the talking at this point:

Entrance gate to the spa



Isn't this white house and manicured garden just lovely?



A closer look at the exterior facilities



Steps leading to the treatment rooms. Be careful so as not to
fall into the pond!




The sofa inside the main reception area


We availed of their Lanna Style package, essentially a Thai Traditional Massage, followed by a Thai Herbal Hot Compress, then followed by an Aromatic full body oil massage.

Quite great! I was so relaxed that i fell asleep; and when i was shaken gently awake and heard the dreaded words, "The treatment is finished, sir", i inwardly groaned and thought, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Can't i stay here forever?!"

Apparently not.

Darn.

(Bangkok Oasis Spa is located at 64 Soi Swaddee, Sukhumvit 31 Rd., Bangkok. Just go straight along the Soi, and you will see the Euro Grande Hotel on your left. Soon after, there is a HUGE sign [which you can't possibly miss] telling you to turn right to get to the spa.

The spa is open 10 AM to 10 PM everyday. Tel. no.: 662 262 2122. Reservations are recommended; check out www.bangkokoasis.com for full details on location/rates/packages)

GIPPLE, ANYONE?
(Part 1, Bangkok series)


Went with my friend R.T. recently to the City of Angels, me mainly for work and him for some R & R. (Yeah, he actually has memorized the full name of Bangkok; which, i believe, consists of something like 24 words or so)

Anyway, I was at the hotel lobby, sitting at the lounge area while waiting for a business associate to arrive for our meeting. With nothing much to do but wait, i glanced out of the window. . . and saw this:




Funny name, no?

Well, it turns out that the Thais pronounce it as one syllable, "puke", just like when it means "vomit". So, no, there is no double entendre meant here. Sayang [pitiful, isn't it?]

At any rate, it reminded me of that Seinfeld episode, "The Junior Mint", wherein Jerry couldn't remember the name of the woman he was dating. All he could recall was that her name rhymed with a certain female body part. In the end, she caught on and confronted him, and he was left to make wild guesses.

Mulva? Gipple, anyone?