Take a bite, it's alright

Introducing: (Fa)KAGAT
   ...or (Pha)KAGAT...or KAGAT...or Diner's Club...or... ay basta...

We are a group of friends gathered in love for food. Well, to be honest, I'm more in love with the company than I am with finding the food. The food just happens to be a happy by-product of hanging out these guys.

missing the two who went off to check out bread

I've been lucky to have experienced breaking bread with most of these people on previous occassions. But I have never gone out with them in a group this big. Most of the time our gatherings were a small-ish group of 3 or 5 or 8. A few nights ago, we were a whopping dozen.

This is not the inaugural gathering of (Fa)KAGAT. I kind of missed that one. Then again, a lot of us missed it. The original (Fa)KAGAT movers were still feeling a little clique-ish when they started hahahaha... But they have since learned from their mistake and now know that good food is only as good as the company you keep.

Which is why they need me... um.. us. ;)

The task of organizing the Feb gathering fell to Joe, who seemed to be the most experienced at food gatherings anyway. His recommendation was a quant little Kapampangan cuisine place on the fringes of the Makati Business District, Villa Cafe. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take a picture of the frontage, but it wasn't all that hard to spot. Just look for the big yellow(?) sign that said, "VILLA".

Because I'm so bad with directions, and terrified of parking, I made sure I got there early. It paid off because I was the first to arrive and got to park right smack in front of the establishment. Joe was right behind me and we kicked off this food fest with the complimentary starter bread and dip. Errr... I don't remember what the dip was (I think it was tinapa or something) but I do know that I was hungry and it was good. :)

early birds

bread and dip

We had a bit of time to kill since we were a full 30 minutes early so the staff was kind enough to show me the second floor even though it was closed. It serves both as an extension of the dining area and a potential function room for more private parties. I believe it can comfortably hold around 12 people to a maximum of maybe 20. They even have a second kitchen up there, for the exclusive use of the reserving group. I found that cool.

the second floor

Meanwhile, the kitchen downstairs was an open kitchen so you could see what your food is going through. Not that I looked, really. I was too busy socializing. 

kitchen confidential

pots and pans and things

The restaurant was quite simple in terms of ambience and decor. It felt too simple to be fine dining, yet a tad more elegant than casual fare. But I will say that the place had a nice comfortable feel to it. It's a place that encourages good conversations while eating. Which probably explains all the laughter at our table. It's rare that a table of 12 can carry on with just a single topic of discussion. Most times you'd have about 2 or 3 going on at the same time. But by and large, what was said on one end of the table was heard by the other. Or maybe that was just because we talked loud. Either way, I had a great time. Being at Villa kind of felt like being at home, except with fancier cutlery. Seeing as the place was decorated with personal pictures and knick knacks, I think that may have been what they were going for.

the cozy setting

the way up

the menu with built-in scribbles

Because we were a big group, we had to pre-order our meal. Thank you Joe for handling that as well.

dinner is served

My favorite was actually the Kampangan pizza. I love thin crust pizzas and this was just wonderful. It was thin and crunchy, but also soft to bite at the same time. I shamelessly took two slices for myself. Hahahaha...

longganisa on a pizza!

The lengua was my second favorite. Something about sausages in a dish that automatically make it better for me. I'm a little kid that way. :D

Pastel de Lengua

I'm a bit of a bangus snob so the relleno was just so so. To me, bangus is best served grilled, with a side dip of bagoong, calamansi and crushed sili. Nothing quite compares to that. It's my ultimate comfort food.

Villa's Rellenung Bangus

And what is a Filipino gathering without good ol' crispy pata? Except this was with a twist, being cooked with just the hint of kare kare sauce. It was delicious, a blend of the best things about two different dishes in one.

with or without the kare kare sauce, it's pretty good

Then we come to dessert. Hopelessly full yet needing to eat more we shared one slice each of two different cakes. Yes, we made a good-for-one cake slice last for at 12 people. We did that by taking really teeny, tiny bites. Hahahaha...

Dulce de Tsokulati

lechemon - ang mamon na may lecheflan. yuuumm.

Long after the last morsel of food was put away, long after we forget the taste of the food we had, we'll always have the memory of laughter and fun shared with friends. Which is really what matters most anyway.

ang saya. :)

Since I can't remember what (Fa)KAGAT actually stands for, I think I shall just refer to this group as "Chicken". ;) (you had to have been there...)


Villa Cafe is located at 7427 B Glory Building, Yakal St. San Antonio Village. Tel No. (632)4782659, http://www.villacafe.biz/. We ordered about 2-3 servigs of the main dish and spent approximately Php600 per person. The camaraderie: priceless.

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Run, Stacey, Run!

When the whole running craze in this country started I thought it would be something I would take to naturally. After all, I loved walking. And walking was a derivative of running. Therefore, if A (love) is equal to B (walk) is equal to C (run), then A (love) is equal to C (run).

I was wrong.

The first indication of error was when they called these gatherings as Fun Runs and yet insisted that the gun start go off at some godforsaken hour in the morning before the sun had even gone up. On a weekend. I don't know about you, but there is something distinctly not fun about that whole notion.

The second indication of error in my formula was the realization that I would be gasping for breath while sweating buckets. I know that makes me sound like some primadonna but believe me, I am not averse to getting my heart rate up. It's just that when I turn hot and sticky I can't help but think how much more enjoyable working out would be if I were swimming instead. I'd still be gasping for breath but I'd at least feel somewhat refreshed while in the water.

The final blow that collapsed my theory was that running was incredibly impactful. Literally. On my knees. That, plus being be too lazy to control my fall at each step, meant that sometimes I could feel the impact all the way to my head. I suppose training would fix this. But training means commitment. And after errors 1 and 2, I wasn't really sure I wanted to commit to the training needed to correct number 3.

But I suppose there are exceptions for everything. Because this is me attending the 2nd Grace to the Finish fundraiser run of the Singles Apostolate of St. James the Great in Ayala Alabang. 

Running for God

There are very few reasons why I would be willing to pay to subject myself to the physical torture of a run. Or subject people around me to my pleasing personality at 4:30 in the morning. But the Singles Apostolate has been my faith family for the last 11 years and is God's grandest love letter to me. In fact, it's a letter that continues to be written. The friendships I have built in the SA are by far the longest relationships I've ever had.

So as an almost-founding member of the Apostolate, I felt a moral/spiritual obligation to give it my support. That's why last year when it held its first 1st Grace to the Finish on June 5, 2011 I agreed to run. Ok... maybe "run", is a strong word. When I completed my meager 3k I more of brisk walked / walked the distance. Though I did make sure I ran when the photographers were around.

passionately pretending during GTTF 1

I would be told that as I crossed the finish line 29mins later, my first words were, "I am never doing this again." Hahahaha! 

Nearly 8 months later I took back my promise and once more donned rubber shoes and a bib. The second Grace to the Finish was held last Jan 29, 2012 and for a brief moment I toyed with the idea of signing up for the 5k. But let's be honest, if I did that I'd no longer be a decent human being at the end. So 3k it was.

continuing to passionately pretend in GTTF2

I had no grand illusions of finishing at the top, but I wanted to at least the race with a time faster than last. Mission accomplished at a shade over 26mins. And I was careful about what came out of my mouth as I crossed that end line. Though admittedly I had very ungodly words running through my head. hahahaha...

And man, did my body hurt afterwards.

there is no glamour in running

I guess it's not misleading to call activities like these Fun Runs. Because even though I don't take myself seriously as a runner, I take seriously the idea of enjoying myself.

it's all about the fun - GTTF 1

and the fun goes on - GTTF2

When you sacrifice your Sunday morning sleep to help build God's Kingdom and hang out with your friends, you can't avoid having fun. There is nothing like laughing at your own physical pffft-ness to build a relationship. It's healthy. Just as running is.

idaan na lang natin sa team spirit - GTTF1

comparing notes on how unfit we are - GTTF 2

And yeah, I'd do it again. Maybe someday, I'll even get to doing the 5k. Someday.

A (love) may not equal to C (run), but in the long run, A (love) equals the Singles Apostolate. That's a good enough equation for me.

:)

I just love this Apostolate

All photographs taken from other people's cameras because it's hard to take a picture of yourself while running. :D Thanks to Ivan Ferreras, Lester Guevara , CJ Jimenez,  Joe Joson, Tisha Mandreza and Ian Santillan.

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