buffet diners

Did anybody ever notice how diners eat at a buffet? I don't know about foreigners, but most Filipinos load their plates with so much food and end up eating only about half the food on their plates. Do these people think that the food is gonna run out? Maybe at the lesser establishments, but at places like hotels and high-end restaurants, the food is supposed to be replenished as long as there are diners present.

Or maybe us Filipinos are just too embarassed to go back again and again to the buffet table, lest other people think we're pigs.

sushi with no banshees

It comes in different forms. Sometimes it’s just sticky rice and a slice of raw fish, either salmon or tuna, or cooked, shelled prawns, octopus or cuttlefish pressed together to form a finger-shaped treat. Other times, nori, or pressed algae sheets, is rolled around the rice, with a sliver of raw fish in the middle. Occasionally, it comes in the form of cones, with the filling spilling out from the open end. And it’s not just seafood that is used to make the fillings. Vegetables such as cucumbers, different kinds of meat, eggs, fried bean curd, even fruits like mangoes can be used as ingredients in this popular Japanese delicacy. Some people say that it actually originated from the Chinese, as a way of preserving fish, but it is widely accepted that it was a Japanese vendor who made it extremely popular.

Yohei Hanasa, a street-food stall owner in nineteenth-century Tokyo, then called Edo, started selling hand-formed fingers of vinegared rice and raw fish to workers on a short break, travelers looking for something to eat or just about anyone who happened to be hungry. His products, called nigiri-zushi, roughly translated as “hand-formed rice snack” became so well liked that other vendors followed his lead, and nigiri-zushi stalls started popping up everywhere. Nowadays more commonly called “sushi”, it has become popular not only in Japan but also all around the world.

Carlito's Way: The Steak Revolution

For so long, steak lovers used to patronize a particular steak house named after the owner. It got to the point that steaks became synonymous with the name of the restaurant (or owner, take your pick). I don't know exactly what happened, but Cebuanos seemed to have stopped patronizing this particular steak house. Maybe because their steaks were too expensive, or maybe the steaks weren't as good anymore, I don't really know. Pass by the restaurant and more often than not, there'd be no cars parked in front of the place.

Anyways, with the entry of Carlito's Way, steak lovers now have a place to call home. With their inexpensive steaks, friendly staff and cozy interior, who wouldn't want to have a meal at Carlito's Way?

In less than a year's time, they seemed to have gained a following among Cebuanos. And because of this, not one but two branches are opening. I guess I was right when I said that soon, Cebu will know steaks by another name.

Talk about bang for the buck. How about P395.00 for a 300 gram steak with cole slaw and mashed potatoes? They also got other stuff like gambas (shrimp sauteed in butter with garlic and peppers) and lengua (ox tongue with mushrooms and a creamy sauce).

By the way, this was supposed to have been posted a couple of days ago, I don't know what went wrong, but it never went on the web until now. Oh well, the perils of technology.