The kids and I hang out at the Manila Ocean Park over the weekend, just in time to catch their recently launched Mermaid Show. This is a 30-minute treat where attractive (and should I say, curvaceous) swimmers perform dances, moves and acrobatics underwater. Of course it’s a given, they gotta be professionals to do that!

I must say it’s a real delight for kids, who must be harboring fantasies about being the next Little Mermaid or even our homegrown Dyesebel. It was fun seeing the women-swimmers in their colorful, alluring costumes, waving and smiling at their audience while grooving to the beat of the music. I took a video but I still have to upload it to YouTube

The show is one of the free attractions you can have in Manila Ocean Park at the moment. It’s almost “free” considering that they give you one ticket for every P150 purchase at any of the park’s restaurants and food outlets. You can choose to buy the tickets per se, but I think the first option is preferable.

The performance happens at the Buhay na Karagatan exhibit area which is the biggest tank in the oceanarium. Viewing is being done at the Look Function Room and even though they announced that no picture-taking was allowed during the show, the rest of the pack was using their cameras like me, just no flash allowed.

The crowd is allowed to have their pics taken with the mermaids still romping in the tank after the show, and there’s more photo op in the mermaid booth, like this one:

The Mermaid Show at the Manila Ocean Park
happens everyday, except Mondays
4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 pm

Address: behind Quirino Grandstand
Luneta, Manila

Call telephone no. 5677777 for inquiries

Fast forward to 2009, one need not fly as far because the real 100-yen (hyaku-en) shop named Saizen opened its first branch at the Robinsons Galleria last April 29. Everything at 85 pesos each! I have to admit: the extent of their offerings makes Japan Home Center a poor cousin. Must-buys here, in my opinion: beauty aids, home organizers and kitchen tools, including bento accessories that I’ve been looking for. And of course, things related to Japan!

I just wish Saizen would go forth and multiply soon, and not limit its store to faraway Ortigas.

Some interesting items:

French fries container, almost like the way it looks in McDonalds. Bought a pack, so kids will think it’s the real thing

Multi-colored, brightly-designed chopsticks.

I look at these, and if I were the copywriter, I’d say: “Hayden Kho-inspired banana holders.”

Seven Dwarfs home ornaments ~ complete them all!

My Saizen loot netted me P3,060. Aaaargh! And they say 100-yen shops are cheap? Hehe.

My favorites from this batch are the bento picks, lunch cloth, the polka-dotted hair turban, gold-colored bracelets, the magnetic dolls as well as the kikay accessories like nail art and eyelashes. They’re all the height of cute!

The sales clerk told me celebrities like Judy Ann, Chynna and Carmina have been flocking to the store too…. so we’re definitely not in the wrong company.

My next post will tell you all about shopping wisely in this Saizen. Mata ne!

I dined in two of these seafood markets recently and the experience hasn’t been disappointing. A bit on the pricey side, yes, but then again, seafood doesn’t really come cheap, unless you’re in a coastal town or something.

Dampa sa Libis was quite a revelation. I liked it because it was clean and didn’t suffocate me with the crowds. For someone like me who’s based in the center of Manila, its location in Libis, along C5, was definitely out of my way. It would pay to be here at least once a year, he he, and what’s good is that after eating here, you can take a short five minute drive to Eastwood City and have coffee there. The malls in Eastwood also close late, around midnight or so.

A friend was having her birthday in Dampa sa Libis and truth to tell, I already forgot the restaurant where she had her chosen fish and seafood cooked. On the menu was grilled squid, cheese-topped oysters, shrimps with chili garlic sauce, crab in oyster sauce, crispy fried garoupa fillet (lapu-lapu) and the calamares. All were good, but the last two dishes really rocked. I would endure the long drive, if only to taste those again

Closer to Manila, there’s the chain of eateries in Seaside Macapagal, which is a takeoff from the original Seaside Paluto in Baclaran. I actually dread going here because of the neck-to-neck parking. Still, the place wins points for proximity.

We tried the resto called Yatai Ramen upon the prodding of my son because his classmate’s family owns the place. We ordered pancit bihon (P300) and out came the biggest bowl of pansit I have ever seen. It was big enough to feed six or seven people! I had to request the server to give us half a serving only.

The prawns in their ebi tempura (P240) were plump and meaty as well, not like the scrawny ones in the Japanese fastfood restos where you wonder where the shrimp was amid all the breading.

The hot prawn salad had generous servings too but needed more flavor. Still, I think am treating at Yatai for my birthday, if only for the gigantic plate of pansit!

Manila’s seafood markets and restaurants (partial list)
addresses:

Dampa sa Libis
107 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave.
Libis, Quezon City
Telephone. No. 637-3301

Seaside Macapagal
along Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard
Pasay City
Tel. No. 556-1778 to 79

Seaside Baclaran
along Baclaran, Near Redemptorist Church

Dampa Paranaque Fresh Food Market & Ihaw-Ihaw
Sucat, Paranaque City

Seaside @ San Miguel by the Bay
Seaside Drive, Mall of Asia Complex
Tel. Number 4826609

Seaside Ortigas
Ortigas Home Depot Complex
Dona Julia Vargas Ave. cor. Meralco Ave.
Pasig City
Tel. No. 6386303

Dampa sa Farmers’ Market
Cubao, Quezon City

The place is really nothing more but a tiny strip in Don Chino Roces Avenue (formerly Pasong Tamo) near corner of Amorsolo Street. The landmark is the old and fading Makati Cinema Square. What I did was chow on Japanese stuff after having my fill of bootleg DVD copies in MCS (there’s a whole floor of them) and segunda mano antiques.

What makes Little Tokyo authentic is that the resto owners and chefs are Japanese themselves. Throw in the nearby spa, grocery and nightclubs to complete the whole Japanese theme. The only thing missing is a boutique!

I will write more about its food in another post. Meanwhile, here’s a bowl of ramen to share…..

Ramen + Chahan at Hana is love. Prepared by Mr. Kimura for the price of 200 pesos.

This restaurant has the longest lunch hours, from 11 am to 3pm. It closes at 11 p.m. You gotta try their Takoyaki too. It has real octopus bits.

Once, I had just come from the graveyard shift and splurged on their Grand Platter at something like 500 pesos +++. It was the most I can do to assuage my sleeplessness and hungriness (errrr, hunger!) but it was worth it. Nothing like steak, sausage, fruits and a little bit of everything for brunch. The fresh OJ, most especially.

Am glad that this time around, Italianni’s is offering their “Small Price for a Big Lunch” promotion. Tried it last week and I absolutely liked the falling-off-to-the-bone goodness of their Costina Brasatta (Braised Ribs) which was paired with spaghetti aglio e olio and grilled vegetables.

The “Small Price for a Big Lunch” line-up cost from P295 for the fish & chicken dishes and P350 for the pork/beef platters.In these days of recession, P350 for lunch isn’t really small price but I must say it’s a modest expense for a chain like Italianni’s where average bill is at P500 per person

We want to try next the Manzo di Arrosto (Roasted Rib Eye). The price for this one is really good (and small) since it’s an honest-to-goodness imported steak for only P350. Too bad, this one’s only available in Italianni’s Trinoma, High Street, and Greenbelt.

On the night we were at Italianni’s somebody was having her birthday and we had all kinds of calorific desserts:

We shall be back again Viva Italianni’s!