New at Far East Plaza: Pearl River Deli and Lasita

I haven’t been to the Far East Plaza since 2019. Whenever I go, there’s something new. I don’t see some of the spots I used to frequent. And I also missed the opening of Pearl River Deli by the same chef of the famous Hainan chicken rice place in Arcadia, Side Chick. So Chef Johnny Lee is now closer with PRD, but his Hainan chicken is available only on certain days. I got lucky that one of his weekend offerings was something perfect for my special diet. Dieting was never in my vocabulary before. Now, it’s my number one concern. I literally want to live longer as in longevity is something I’m working on currently. It has turned into a full-time career, taking care of my health. Back to what I ordered, I was so happy with my lamb neck pancake wrap — well-seasoned, tender lamb bits with a nice, chewy, flaky pancake underneath.

Alex and my mom enjoyed char siu on rice and silky shrimp scramble. Amazing that they have vegan options, so I tried the healthier mushroom chow fun which turned out to be a great alternative for beef chow fun.

The cooking was distinctively Chinese, but you’ll know it comes from a different level, like it’s not your typical grandma’s style. It has that modern flair and youngish vibe to it that someone like my mom could still appreciate. Happy she was happy.

For dessert, we went to Lasita, the space that Filipino restaurant Lasa used to occupy. One of the chefs is still the same one running Lasita. I will need to go back for the chicken inasal which is a family fave.

I was drooling while looking at my mom’s white halo-halo with a modern mix of melon, sago, honey brittle, melon horchata (instead of milk), chia seeds and pinipig. It sounded definitely more interesting than the classic halo-halo with ube ice cream. She said it was good. Again happy that she was delighted with my pick. We were lucky to have chanced upon Tito Rudy’s halo -halo pop-up.

Until our next food adventure. I wish to blog more often now that I have more time doing nothing.

Oh, thanking you for dropping by BlauEarth after all these years. I hope you are all healthy, safe and vaccinated. Keep your masks on peeps!

LEAD’s The Wild Ride

I had the wonderful privilege of photographing The Zebra first. Only by the innovators of sandboarding in the Philippines Selfie-ready!

Laoag La Paz Sand Dunes is just the perfect backdrop.

Like Ilocos Sand Boarding on Facebook, by the movement that started it all (here).

Sports Unlimited Laoag “La Paz” Sand Boarding/Duning BTS

Sports icon Dyan Castillejo and prominent TV host Marc Nelson were in Ilocos recently to shoot for Sports Unlimited’s upcoming episodes. At the end of a via ferrata adventure in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Sports Unlimited proceeded to the capital of Ilocos Norte, Laoag City, where they were led to the capital of sandboarding in the Philippines for the uniquely Ilocos thrills, with no less than the pioneers of sandboarding in the country, the Laoag Eco-Adventure Development Movement, simply known as LEAD.

Dyan and Marc are not new to La Paz. Sports Unlimited was the first sports and adventure show that featured the iconic Laoag La Paz Sand Dunes more than a decade ago. A couple of LEADers were among a group that hosted Sports Unlimited for that first ever local sand duning adventure on Philippine television, which later evolved to a creative palangana, yes, a batya adventure, if you will recall. And then came the trending sandboarding culture introduced by LEAD Movement.

Very pro to the core, the duo tried every imaginable trick on a board. The younger members of LEAD were so amazed.

Catch Sports Unlimited every Saturday evening on ABC-CBN with replays on the ANC Channel.