Hell Weather and Bulalo

The past few weeks have been rainy, but the last few days had been hell. Heavy rains, strong winds, dark skies and even very low fog kept engulfing Metro Manila for hours on end. To top it all off, there wasn't a storm. No name to call it, unlike say, Ondoy a few years ago; or Katrina in the US several years back.

Last Tuesday, I woke up and felt I didn't want to go to work. My home is a studio apartment, I'm sorry but I don't measure well so I can't give the dimensions. It has all the necessities I have, nothing lavish, my most prized possessions would have to be my personal fridge and my TV. Still, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving my place for an entire day with the rain pouring like crazy, thinking I might come back and all these would have been floating. Okay so maybe I was overanalyzing, but hey, my landlady did say it was knee-deep flood inside my pad during Ondoy weather.

After a few more snoozes on my alarm clock, I finally received the work suspension SMS from our HR department. Nice! I have no plans on being the employee of the month and report for work and pretend like I'm busy anyway. I'm very sure my way from home to office isn't flooded, but still, it's bed weather, water's rising in Marikina River, and it's officially a no-work day as announced by the national government. By noon, I'm hungry. Beer bud's hungry too, so off we went. Don't tell my mother!

Photo credit: sinabawangmedyas.blogspot.com

There's this good bulalo (Filipino Beef Marrow Stew) place, R&J Bulalohan, that I have just discovered the previous Saturday, er, Sunday morning. After partyin' at 7th High on an Indulgence Saturday, my officemate Karen was craving for breakfast. There'd probably be no other breakfast place in the Fort but McDonald's so we went here. (Yes, in party dress, make up and heels!) It's open 24 hours! How cool is that? 

We ordered, of course, bulalo and fried tawilis. I can never be a food blogger since I don't know how to describe it, but it's good! Bulalo is not as good as if you're in Batangas, but probably good enough knowing you're in Manila: marrow and all. The tawilis--I'm not a fan of eating fishes completely (head and tails and all)--but this one I must say I really like. It comes with a plate of sliced tomatoes in fish sauce or something. Maybe next time I'll try other food items too.

This is typically low budget--semi open air, monobloc chairs, bamboo walls, faulty karaoke and all--which makes it even more encouraging. So for my beer bud and I's rainy day fix: a bowl of special bulalo, two cups of rice, fried tawilis and two bottles of soda...just about PHP 400! This is recommended to food lovers who aren't picky with location and ambiance. 

R&J Bulalohan is located along Boni Avenue in Mandaluyong. If coming from Pioneer side, it'd be on the left before you reach the roundabout, right across Mandaluyong Medical Center.

If You Don't Know BNWT, It's Time to Get Buffaloed!

I can't believe I haven't blogged about Buffalo's Wings N' Things! (Or maybe I have? But I'm too lazy to check on it.) Just to let everyone know, I am NOT a fan of buffalo wings. One is because I don't like the wing part because it's too dry--I'm a dark meat girl. Second is I feel so bad that they had to murder the wings with those red tabasco-ish sauce and drench them, like they do at Don Henrico's. They should have just fried it like Max's and it would have been edible.

And then I met Buffalo's Wings N' Things. My first time was because a friend was friends with one of the managers at the Ortigas Home Depot branch, and we had to meet there. Initial reaction: Gawd, why a Buffalo Wing place, of all places?! So we ordered, and have forever changed my thoughts on the 'murdered' ones.

BWNT offers servings per half pound, which is good for one person like me, one pound or triple sampler (1.5pound). Good part is that you get to choose the 'fire' level, you can choose flavors per half pound of wings. I always go for Rookie, the least spicy. Odd for someone who eats fire-red Korean food. Maybe I just don't like tabasco that much. They have about six variations of the spiciness level: Rookie, New York's Finest, Firehouse Classic, Nuclear, Armageddon--forgive me if I forgot something--plus a couple or so of non-spicy choices something like Garlic Parmesan and Honey BBQ(?)

But, for me, the BEST part is that the wings are not soaked with the sauce. It is served, hot, crispy and have just added the sauce on top! I always add Bleu Cheese especially when I don't order their Dirty Rice. They do not serve plain rice, just NY Dirty Rice which the boyfriend says is too Mediterranean for his nose.

One Pound of "Rookie" wings, Bleu Cheese on the side, and a cup of NY Dirty Rice.

They also serve nachos, fries, burgers and beer! Don't the wings just go well with the beer? I'm heading over the the BNWT Quezon City branch tomorrow for drinks with friends. This is definitely a place worth sharing with your friends!