I like eating out and going to the movies: food and films—the two things I live for. Mostly I go alone, because all my friends have day jobs (and I probably should get one for myself), and it’s not like that I have someone particularly special. Yes, no surprise there, I’m single as fuck. Besides, I enjoy the premise of going alone, the freedom from imposed courtesy of thinking and paying for your partner’s meal or movie.
I went out yesterday to watch Antoinette Jadaone’s new film The Achy Breaky Hearts, a film that—Jiminy Fuck-knuckles!—celebrates singlehood. It’s an antithesis of sorts (or is it?) to Tonet’s previous films that have always been about finding love. The conscious putting of one’s self in a state of solitude can be easily diminished as sort of a service to fans, a gesture at relatability so to speak; but then, as you hear Tonet narrate (and commentate) on the movie’s events as they unfold, you start to recognize the film as a bona fide love letter, one that invites to, for once, love ourselves. With this, her new film thrives; it’s a lateral step for Tonet in terms of storytelling, and I’m always happy to see filmmakers like her making a smart use of the platform that she has.
I should probably write a proper review, and this is running a little bit too long already. Find my film website Film Police Reviews as I will be writing a full review there.
It’s, I don’t know, a nice coincidence(?) that a film that celebrates one’s love for oneself is playing on the very day I have dedicated to treating myself to a time of just sheer chill. Of course, going out to the mall alone, or what I call “single-ing”, requires much bodily juice—and one has to charge up.
I walked around Lucky Chinatown Mall and saw a nice-looking place called Nadai Fujisoba (click here to follow them on Facebook!), which is perfect, as I was craving for some noodle soup. You can’t fault a “ramen type of guy” for having ramen be the first thing that pops to his mind when thinking of noodle soups, but at the time, I was looking for something lighter on the belly (if you follow me on Twitter, I’m on a Project: Balik Alindog—it’s ongoing for 3 years now and currently meets zero to very little results, don’t frakking judge me).
Soba, then, is just perfect.
I ordered an Aka Fuji Soba, which is a red noodle soup. I’m a sucker for heat in food, so this is perfect for me.
A few thoughts: I think it’s a well-rounded dish that has enough texture and flavor to get you by that you leave with a pleasantly fulfilled tummy. The portions, as with these dishes, are massive, which I appreciate given its rather mid-pack price of 260 PHP. The noodles have plenty of bite; and so does, surprisingly, the thin tender slices of beef peppered with red spice. Around it, you have vegetables aplenty—spring onions, Japanese seaweeds, and a big square of nori. The star of the dish, though, is the “organic, Japanese egg” (for whatever this means, nice lady at the front desk!). Those few bites are just heaven, man! One minor caveat, though, is I wish there was less oil in the dish. It’s nothing too obtrusive that it ruins the experience, though.
Overall, this is a dish that one might say is a bit derivative, but then again, ‘derivative’ doesn’t necessarily mean bad. At the end of the day, I had fun digging further this bowl. And that’s what counts.
If you want to try out Nadai Fujisoba’s dishes, there are a number of branches around the metro. Lucky Chinatown Mall is the closest to me, as I live in Manila, but friends up North and down South will be pleased to know that there’s one in SM North EDSA, SM Aura Premiere, and SM Mall Of Asia.
Follow them on Instagram, and tell ’em I’ve sent you.
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After turning L.C.M. upside-down doing a bit of window shopping (mostly gadgets and books and, okay, yes, some clothing)—a habit that you learn to enjoy if you’re as broke as me—I was about an hour before the movie starts. Of course, my belly had no chill and had to gruntle for more food, and enslaved to my body for anything related to food, I gave in.
I found a nice-looking coffee shop inside the cinemas, and—heavenly Yeshua!—they serve churros! If you don’t know what churros are, they are essentially just deep-fried Spanish donuts. The shop’s name is called Q’urros (click here to find them on Facebook), and they’re an upstart brand, the same shop at L.C.M. being their first branch.
I ordered a bucket of Grean Tea nugget churros (an order will set you back 100PHP for a dozen of nuggets, which I think is a steal!). Let’s just say it made my day. The nuggets themselves are properly sized, perfectly crisp, and once you get inside, incredibly chewy. The flavor is, thank Heavens, not sweet at all. You can tell it’s green tea powder and hasn’t any sugar in it (there’s just enough of that in the churro, anyway).
Follow Q’urros Spanish Donuts on Instagram.
I had a great time going out. The good food and the overall good movie, of course, helped build that, but it’s the idea that I can live like this, always, that excites me. Plus, I get to tell you these “A Day In The Life” stories, however boring they might grow. In the words of Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road:
“What a day, what a lovely day!”
The Wandering Tellurian 