TalkingJing

By: Joanna Kaye Remolar-Limjuco Its M’s first birthday! So much to thank God for for all the protection, provision, and most of all, the people He sent to help us take care of M (It takes a village to raise a child, they say). Where to celebrate this momentous event? The city felt so stuffy with the traffic and Kadayawan craze, that I was just craving for some soil and trees. Oooh! Why not try this farm + café that I’ve heard so much about? La Fermette is a short trip to Tacunan, Mintal, Davao City, within the vicinity of DECA Tacunan. Trees, native huts, soil, family. I was already smiling. When I entered the café, I was instantly enthralled by the charm of the interiors. The place had the effect of me just wanting to get a book and crawl in some corner while sipping a warm cup of chocolate, or to just stare at the outside and think about life)   We looked at the menu and ordered in advance. While waiting, we went outside and explored the back of the ...

By: Joanna Kaye Remolar-Limjuco After seemingly endless years of books, sweat, tears, and law, one of our most well-loved friends by God’s grace finally became a lawyer!! Welcome to the club, Atty. Aimee May Agbayani! (Personally, I think she’s one of the most-deserving persons to become a lawyer as she has integrity and fear of God – traits which are of utmost importance to the profession). All these emotions couldn’t be contained and just needed to be vented out through chika and of course, a good hearty meal. Aimee, Teen, and I were coming from opposite directions. Where could we possibly meet up? Aimee suggested Pepperplate – a quaint little resto located in front of Royal Mandaya Hotel. (I‘ve passed by it once and was immediately intrigued). The three of us were raring to go!   We’ve heard so much about their House Special – Baby Back Ribs, so we decided to try a half-rack of it. While waiting (for the ribs and for Teen), Aimee ordered a Vegetarian Salad (balan...

By: Joanna Kaye Remolar-Limjuco My entrepreneur-friends have asked me about customers who return to their stores, demanding for a return/refund/exchange of an item they bought. Could they? Article 100 of the Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines makes suppliers of consumer products “liable for imperfections in quality that render the products unfit or inadequate for consumption for which they are designed or decrease their value” . Thus, when a customer buys a product, he of course expects that the product is free from any defect. He also expects that the product will be suitable for its intended design. I would say that both expectations are quite reasonable. (Like the time I excitedly bought a lamp, only to find out at home that it wouldn’t light up. Frustrated mode on.) The continuation of Article 100 reads, “ liable … for those resulting from inconsistency with the information provided on the container, packaging, labels or publicit...

By: Joanna Kaye Remolar-Limjuco Bes Rae and her hubby Juan were in town! Yay! I missed them so much and wanted them to have a Level Up dining experience. Hmmm, where to go? We agreed to try Chez Nous (name pa lang, level up na!), a brainchild resto of Chef Chino from Canada. Knowing John and Rae’s discriminating international palate, Chez Nous was up for a challenge. We first had Romanov Salad. I usually skip the salads coz I don’t like the heaviness of the creams, but this was different! The sauce was vinegar- based with the right blend of sweet-sour-salty. I ate a lot and promised myself to eat more greens if it was this good! Then there was Cajun Shrimps. LAMI Kaayo! Shrimp in a spoon with mango salsa and chilli flakes to your liking! I’ve never had shrimp like this  which made such an impression on me! Rae was wondering out loud what the ingredients were. (I bet she was planning to do them at home. Go Rae! I volunteer for the taste tes...

By: Joanna Kaye Remolar-Limjuco It’s the rainy season once again, and some of my friends have been getting a bad case of flu. I was starting to pride myself because I remained unaffected, when I woke up one morning with that cold sensation and scratchy throat. Help! The whole day I was bummed about my impending case of flu. The Husband fetched me from work and then we found ourselves in Dona Vicenta Road. Suddenly  we saw this restaurant: Ooooh! Interesting. I SCREECHED for The Husband to immediately stop the car so I could get a better look. There were 2 things that caught my eye: First, there were 2 old Korean gentlemen eating, and whenever elder gentlemen eat in a Korean resto it gives me the impression that the food is “authentic” and not “pabebe.” Second, there was a big sign that read: Kimbap @ 100 Php only. This is it, pancit! The Husband and I sat ourselves down the resto. Immediately, we were given the menu. Though it was quite early (before...