Mama's YesterYear

One year ago, on this very day, Mama succumbed to her fight against Cancer of the Colon, with Liver metastasis, at the age of 54. It was at cockcrow Easter Tuesday.

Allow me to recount what happened last year:

Apr 10, 2006 - Holy Monday. Mama started showing signs of organ failures when she was denied of chemotherapy. She started with memory & judgement lapses, restlessness, eyesight blurs then she gradually lost the sense of touch, her facial appearance changed and she'd started craving for food she was never fond of before.

We were in Adelaide for the holy week but I've been kept up to date of what has been happenning and I've been told every now and then to keep on praying for mama for she's been acting really different.

Apr 15, 2006- Black Saturday. Mama was brought to the UST hospital from La Union after a week-long of deterioration. We've been informed after initial checks that she was having internal bleeding and that she may go after one major bleed. I got so emotionally weak, I attempted to talk to her on the phone but all I could tell her was I love her. I cried a river as I was miles away and could do nothing from where I was. It was the time my greatest migrant's fear was tested. This was when I wished Philippines was just an hour's flight away.

Apr 16, 2006 - Easter Sunday, we were back in Sydney and I got ready for my flight to Manila the next day. I called back home and spoke to Mama informing her that I'm coming home. When she asked why, I told her "for vacation". She replied back and said in Ilocano - "hala paspasam ngarud" ("hurry up then"). I told her "I love you Mama" and she said "I love you too".

Apr 17, 2006- Easter Monday, I travelled from Sydney to Manila. It felt like the flight was taking forever. I landed 5:30pm, went straight to the hospital ... it was a painful sight but rather than waste my time crying, I talked to her, told her how much I love her, how much I miss her ... I kept on talking to her, though I know she was listening she would not talk. I was told that since she woke up that day, she had not spoken a word. She would just moan but she could no longer speak any word. We decided to transport her back to La Union at 9:30pm. On the way home, in the ambulance with my sis & aunt, she called out & said "Dadddddyyyy".

Apr 18, 2006 - Easter Tuesday, we arrived home at 2:00am. After an hour, she started making sounds as if she was giving her last bilins. We were all beside her trying to figure out what she was saying - we said out loud what we knew she wanted to tell us and she would sound louder for concurrence. She did this for an hour or so until her voice was coarse. When her voice started fading, we each told our piece - we were all beside her in bed until she breathed her last.

It was a graceful exit for Mama when God claimed her back at about 4:25am.

Mama, I know you are at peace now with the Lord watching us from above. I miss you so much and you know you will forever have a special place in my heart. Happy birthday in your new-life! I love you.

Feature: LaMesa Restaurant, Sydney

We first heard about LaMesa restaurant from a friend and since we are both "frustrated food-critic by profession", we wasted no time and tried it the weekend soon after. We were their "buena-mano" that Sunday as we arrived straight from our usual 9:30am mass - we were there 11am. The place is not that big - it can probably host just around 40 people comfortably. After 10mins, we were joined by a non-Filipino lady (who sounded like she frequents the place as she knew straight away what to order) then followed by a young Filipino family, familiar faces - who we later found out also go to the same church.

Deciding what to order took us longer than expected -- we wanted to try most of the items in the menu but 2 people can only eat so much. In the end, we settled with the crispy pata and the lumpiang sariwa and boy was it yum! The vinegar-sauce that came with the pata was just perfect.

Raquel & Rey, the owners from Bulacan (which apparently explains why their crispy pata is their specialty), were there serving & chatting with the customers without being intimidating.

Soon after, a family of like 12 arrived and occupied the long table :) that was a good feast for they tried what we would have wanted - kare-kare, pork barbecue and more that were out of sight from where we were sitting haha. There were 2 other non-Filipino couples who arrived for lunch which means that business must be really very good for LaMesa.

For rating from 1-5, 5 being the best, I'd rate LaMesa:

4 - for food, the halo-halo dessert could be better
3 - for the place, they need to improve their exhaust system so you don't smell like crispy-pata after your lunch; parking is a bit of a walk from the place since they are located in the main Pittwater road
4 - for the service

Generally, our experience was very good. We would love to be back.


As of November 2006

LaMesa Philippine Cuisine
Shop 2, 874 Pittwater Road (corner of Oaks Avenue)
Dee Why NSW 2099
Tel No. (02) 9972 9877
Dine-in and Take Away
B.Y.O.

Trading Hours
Lunch: 11:00 am – 03:00 pm
Dinner: Sun – Thur 05:00 pm – 09:00 pm / Fri – Sat 05:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Prices are GST inclusive – No MSG added
10% Discount for Take Away Orders
Free Home Delivery: Minimum Order $30 (Limited areas only)

M E N U

APPETISERS
 Lumpiang shanghai (6): Deep fried spring rolls with minced meat & vegies - $6.50
 Okoy (shrimp cake) (4): Deep fried patties made of shrimps, shredded sweet potato & pumpkin served with chilli vinegar sauce - $5.80
 Pork/chicken bbq (4): Grilled pork/chicken skewers served with chilli vinegar sauce - $7.50
 Fried quail eggs (8): Fried quail eggs coated in batter & served with chilli vinegar sauce - $5.80
 Beef tapa (6): Fried tender beef pieces served with chilli vinegar sauce - $6.50
 Mixed entrée: Mixed serving of spring roll, pork/chicken skewer, prawn cake, fried quail egg & beef tapa - $6.80

MAINS

Chicken
 Adobo chicken: Tender chicken fillets simmered in sugar cane vinegar, soy sauce, garlic & black pepper (a most popular Philippine dish) - $11.90
 Apritada chicken: Chicken fillets sauteed in tomatoes, sliced potatoes & capsicum - $12.90
 Arroz valenciana: A rice dish baked in coconut milk with tender chicken pieces & strips of capsicum & raisins, bay leaves & mixed spices. (Good for two) - $19.90 / (Good for four) - $34.90
 Chicken with coconut milk: Tender chicken fillets cooked in coconut milk with red hot chillies, onions & ginger - $12.90
 Chicken pastel: Creamy chicken dish with button mushrooms & cashew nuts - $12.90

Pork
 Pork adobo: Tender pork fillets simmered in sugar cane vinegar, soy sauce, garlic & black pepper (a most popular Philippine dish) - $11.90
 Menudo: Tender pork pices sauteed in tomato paste & liver pate with potato cubes, carrot cubes, raisins & diced capsicums - $12.90
 Pork chop (coated): Deep fried pork chop coated with a delicious batter - $11.90
 Embotido: Steamed traditional pork meat loaf served with sweet tomato sauce - $10.90
 Tocino: Sweetened pork served with chilli vinegar sauce - $11.90
 Skinless longanisa: Traditional skinless sausages made of mince pork served with chilli vinegar sauce & pickled green papaya - $11.90
 Crispy pata: Deep fried tender pork hock with crispy skin - $16.90
 Lechong kawali (roast pork): Crispy fried pork belly served with traditional gravy sauce - $12.90
 Sinigang na baboy: Tender pork chunks cooked in tamarind soup with vegetables - $14.90

Beef
 Caldereta: Tender beef pieces cooked with liver pate, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, olives & strips of red capsicum - $12.90
 Bistik: Tender beef pieces lightly fried & simmered in its own marinade, served with thickened marinade sauce & topped with onion rings - $12.90
 Tapa: Fried tender beef pieces marinated in mixed Philippine spices - $12.90
 Kare-Kare: Oxtail cooked in peanut sauce with vegetables - $15.90
 Mechado: A rich beef stew cooked in soy sauce, peppercorns, tomato sauce & bay leaves & topped with fried sliced potatoes - $13.90

Seafood
 Boulabaise: Philippine verson of the famous French soup – rich creamy soup with mixed seafoods (crab, prawns, mussels, fish cubes, calamari) - $19.90
 Tinolang yaman ng karagatan: Mixed seafood (crab, prawns, mussels, fish cubes, calamari) cooked in lemon grass, onions, garlic & ginger - $18.90
 Sinigang na hipon: Prawns cooked in tamarind soup & onions - $16.90
 Tinolang tahong: Mussels cooked with ginger, garlic & onions - $13.90
 Whole bream fish (grilled/fried) : Fresh bream fish grilled/fried served with pickled green papaya - $16.90
 Rellenong bangus (stuffed fish) : Whole milkfish stuffed with is own meat flavoured with spices - $21.90
 Daing na bangus (2): Fried marinated milkfish served with hot chilli vinegar sauce - $13.90
 Barramundi sarsiado: Fried barramundi topped with sauteed egg & tomato sauce - $21.90
 Escabeche (sweet & sour fish) : Fried ocean perch topped with homemade sweet & sour sauce - $21.90
 Seafood paella: Philippine version of the famous Spanish paella – a rice dish baked in tomatoes & coconut cream with mixed seafood. (Good for two) - $25.90 / (Good for four) - $43.90
 Seafood & meat torta: Omelette with mixed seafood, minced pork & shallots - $12.90
 Camaron rebosado: Deshelled king prawns dipped in a delicious batter & deep fried - $16.90
 Hilabos na hipon: King green prawns in shells cooked in their own water with a dash of butter & chopped garlic & shallots - $16.90
 Hot chilli prawns: Large deshelled prawns cooked in hot chilli & fresh tomatoes - $16.90
 Adobong pusit (hot chilli squid) : Squid sauteed in garlic, onions, tomatoes & red hot chillies - $13.90
 Spicy calamari: Fried calamari slices topped with capsicum strips & chilli seeds - $13.90
 Stuffed crab: Stuffed crab shells (2) with delicious mixture of crab meat, minced pork & shallots served with sweet chilli sauce - $16.90
 Hot chilli crab: Fresh blue swimmer crab cooked in ginger, garlic & hot chillies - $19.90

Noodles
 Pansit bihon: A steaming mound of sauteed rice noodles with mixed vegetables & slices of tender meat & prawns - $12.90
 Pansit luglug: Rice noodles in homemade sauce sprinkled with smoked fish flakes topped with fried tofu slices, shrimps & sliced boiled egg - $13.90
 Pansit canton: Sauteed flour noodles with tender chicken pieces & mixed vegies - $12.90
 Sotanghon: Sauteed soybean noodles with tender chicken pieces & slices of carrots, beans & cabbage - $12.90

Vegetables
 Lumpiang sariwa (2): Homemade crepes filled with vegetables & chicken pieces topped with homemade sweet sauce, crushed peanuts & crushed garlic - $10.80
 Beef with vegetables: Tender beef fillets sauteed with a mixture of vegetables - $12.90
 Seafood with vegetables: Seafood chunks sauteed with a mixture of vegetables - $12.90
 Ginisang sitaw sa baboy: Long beans sauteed with pork strips in garlic, tomatoes & onions - $11.90
 Pinakbet: Mixed vegetables (eggplant, long beans, pumpkin, bitter melon) & pork strips sauteed in ‘bagoong’ (shrimp paste) - $12.90
 Stuffed eggplant: Stuffed with minced pork & wrapped in fried scrambled egg - $10.80
 Tofu with mixed vegetables: Tofu cubes & mixed vegies sauteed in traditional sauces - $9.80
 Chopsuey: Tender chicken fillets with mixed vegetables - $12.90

Rice
 Plain boiled rice (unlimited) - $2.50
 Garlic rice - $4.20
 Fried rice - $5.50

Desserts
 Halo-halo: Sweetened exotic fruits topped with shaved ice, milk & ice cream - $6.80
 Leche flan: Vanilla flavoured egg custard - $4.80
 Special biko (with langka & buko) : Rice cake with slices of young coconut & jackfruit - $3.80
 Cassava cake: Baked cassava topped with sweetened milk - $3.80
 Turon: Fried ladyfinger banana wrapped in pastry with sliced jackfruit - $4.50
 Ube yam: Sweetened baked yam - $3.80

Happy Easter

I hope all of you and your families enjoyed the Easter celebrations. As for us, we just stayed at home most of the long Easter weekend.

On Friday, we watched Ben-Hur (my first time) & realized it joins the Ten Commandments & Passion of Christ in the ranks of Good Friday movies. We attended the Passion Mass & Veneration of the Cross at 3pm. Our parish priest, Fr. John, in his homily focused on the importance of the cross in our lives and how thru the cross we experience the glory of love. Although the church was packed (we were standing at the back) it was so solemn that everyone was touched by his words. I was teary-eyed after the sermon.

My cousin (who stayed w/ us for 2 months) moved to her own apartment on Saturday morning so we helped her transport her stuff. Memories of our move last year came rushing back, I hope it will be awhile before we'll have to do that again ... and hopefully not until I've done some spring-cleaning!

On Easter Sunday, we joined our friends celebrate the baptism of their first child, Wolfgang Kris. The mood was festive, more so like Christmas, and just the best day for Christenings! Our friends imported their mum from Phil to help in the early months of their first child, so the lunch we shared were genuine lutong-bahay pinoy food c/o the mum. Yum!

Hubby & I just cruised around the city on Easter Monday. We were kinda interested about the Easter show but we ended up in DFO & we did some shopping (ok, ok, more of me while hubby was in the bookstore).

I'd say it was a quiet long weekend for us ... something new as we always did long drives from Manila to La Union back in Phil & a Sydney-Adelaide (+ unplanned Phils - another story) trip last year; and something we actually prefer doing so as to focus on the more important things of the Easter season (ok except the shopping hehe).

Hunter & Wollongong

Last weekend, we went on our first out-of-town drive up North, to Hunter Valley, where world-class wines & cheese are beyond expectations and picturesque country-side sceneries are a common sight.

This weekend, we opted for a shorter drive down South, to the coastal towns of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, Gerringong, and much to our surprise they were breathtakingly beautiful! We forgot how hot & humid it was, we got snap-happy under the sun for more than an hour. It was a shame that we just had 1 camera, with everyone taking turns to take fave landscape photos.

Here are some snaps from the two weekends.