I played Pokemon Go in Tokyo

I played Pokemon Go in Tokyo

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

TOKYO, JAPAN—The week “Pokemon Go” was launched in the country last August, I was all geared up to chase Pikachus during the annual Pokemon summer festival in Yokohama, Japan.

It is a monthlong celebration with Pikachu mascots running around the city every Sunday. Each year, the Pikachu Outbreak has a theme. For 2016, it was “Splash,” a refreshing idea under the 40-degree Tokyo weather.

The idea of “authentic” Pokemon hunting in the bustling city of Tokyo was a thrill, and the virtual reality game was the best travel buddy you could ask for. The app was on whenever we waited in line in restaurants and as we went around the city so we could clock in some kilometers on our egg incubators.

With a newly downloaded app and a tourist mode on, we easily earned experience enough to level up as much as 11 stages during our 5-day trip.

We easily caught a Pikachu in Shibuya on our first day, saw a Squirtle while we were trying to claw Eevee stuffed toys out of a machine in Ikebukuro, lured a Magnemite as we crazed over gachapons, and finally hatched a 10-kilometer Vulpix egg when we reached the Tower.

Here are some of the Pokemon I caught, taken in @girleatworld style:

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The grub up north: Commonwealth StrEAT Part II

The grub up north: Commonwealth StrEAT Part II

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Visiting a food park once will never be enough, there are a handful of stalls to try and a mouthful of tastes to discover. Cake and I visited Commonwealth StrEAT thrice, and on our last visit we decided to cap our food adventure with (goblets of) margarita.

   OZAWA   

Budget: P140-P165

Their Noritako is a different take on your usual sushi roll. A crispy, wafer-thin taco shell is followed by nori and sushi rice, topped with a choice of crunchy karaage (chicken) or beef tenderloin steak, julienned carrots and drizzled with Japanese mayo.

Don’t bother using the chopsticks that came with it. Instead, put your hands to good use. Its generous meat and chewy Japanese rice will more than make up for the messiness. Make sure you wash it down with their raspberry iced tea slush that’s big enough to share.

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The grub up north: Commonwealth StrEAT Part I

The grub up north: Commonwealth StrEAT Part I

People of the North rejoice! 

The foodie hotspots keep shifting on Metro Manila’s map, and they finally found their way to the open, empty spaces of Quezon City’s Fairview (or Far-view, as most people call it).

Back then, the foodie capital was Kapitolyo in Pasig, until residential Maginhawa Street in Quezon City evolved into a gastronomic strip offering international flavors.

Fairview was among the more suburban parts of the largest metro city that had long been cut off from the more cosmopolitan and innovative taste bud offerings. But now, a single jeep ride is all it takes for its residents (and other QC folk) to become instant gourmands (or food coma victims).

StrEAT of the Maginhawa food park fame has set up another branch along the North Fairview end of Commonwealth Avenue.

Although it’s under the same brand, Commonwealth StrEAT boasts a different set of food stalls and trucks from its Maginhawa counterpart. There are some familiar treats, but most are unique finds that you can find only at this far-off food spot.

   OFF DUTY   

Budget: P100-P160

The Mexi-grill has the perfect appetizers if you’re feeling less adventurous on your trip to StrEAT. Their regular nachos are topped with ground beef, sour cream and salsa (which tastes kind of like fancy ketchup). The quesadilla isn’t as thick as we would’ve wanted, but is still a bang for the buck with its stringy cheese and flavorful meat.

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