jin loves to eat: Pino and A Bit of Pipino ♥ ♥

Because it is my birthday, I am conquering my shyness and introverted-ness by lunching with a group of people I’ve never met. I’ve never met them but I already “know” a few of them, what they look like, what they do, who the wife is, the names of the kids… okay, I’ll stop now before people start calling me a freakin’ stalker on my birthday.

Because it is my birthday, Spanky of The Daily Spanks gifts me with a bouquet.
Aww shucks, Spanky, you didn’t have to, but thank you! Smile

Turns out to be a bouquet of popcorn. Toink. Okay lang, at least this tastes better than roses.
Dee’s Gourmet Popcorn in Spicy Buffalo Wings flavor.

Lunch is at Pino, a resto bar that serves FiliPINO fare. There’s Pipino upstairs, but we
all agree we’re allergic to the vegetable, plus there is just no way you can make me eat
healthy vegan food on my birthday. No. Way. Even if my life depended on it.

Okay, maybe I’ll have just a little bit of Pipino’s portobello. The sexy Tina Vitas inspires me to eat healthier, but I’ll do that tomorrow.

Baby steps. Baby steps.

Portobello Inasal with Red Beet Puree, Ensaladang Talong and Brown Rice
Unfortunately, this doesn’t do anything for me. I think baby steps may have
to wait till next year.

That’s Anton of Our Awesome Planet doing his stuff

And now, the REAL food:

Mini Sisig Tacos – surprisingly, the bits of meat are not fatty at all, and pairing it with sweetish Mama Sita sauce actually works. I have a helluva time stuffing these little pockets of porkjoy into my mouth.

Longganisa-Topped Nachos – the chopped up longganisa is too red and too sweet.
I think the nachos need something with much more ooomph.

Shrimp and Pork Lemongrass Skewers – these taste like homemade meatballs.
The sweet chili sauce complements well.

Crispy Shrimps with Salted Egg – it’s crispy, it’s tasty, and it’s laden with cholesterol.
The best part is, you just eat the whole thing, no need to peel! Winner.

Kare-Kareng Bagnet – Pino’s house specialty, authentic Ilokano crispy pork belly in
annatto-peanut sauce. The menu doesn’t say it, but it is actually pork belly confit, meaning the pork belly is cooked in its very own fat. Wickeeeddddd!!! And because it is
my birthday, I am allowed to deconstruct the bagnet and take only my favorite parts –
the top 3 layers consisting of the crunchy and crackling skin, that sticky white gelatinous layer of fat, and a little lean meat.
Okay, maybe another layer of fat. Smile with tongue out

Red Wine Adobong Tadyang – this reminds me so much of Korean galbi. The meat could be more tender, but the sauce hits the spot. It is the culprit behind my broken promise of going rice-less. I kinda finish Spanky’s leftover rice, too.

Laing-Stuffed Crispy Pata – because it is my birthday and because I love laing and crispy pata, the group, after darting outrageous are-you-out-of-your-brains looks at me, gives in to my request of ordering this. Sadly, the dish disappoints. The knuckle is over-fried and the laing completely dried out, kinda similar to how I feel at age 32.

Binakol – there’s buko strips and buko juice in it! I love the subtle kick of the green chili. Chicken tinola has never tasted this good. Flavorful to the nth degree.

Our bottles. Thank you, Tina P! (and manong, too!) Smile

Because it is my birthday, Chef/Owner Ed Bugia sends over an extremely
monstrous glass of Pino-Ka Margarita. Thank you, Ed!

So huge it is even bigger than my very big face!

See??? See??? Hihihi! Rolling on the floor laughing
Delicious Pili Pie from Tourne, pretty candles from Tina V,
and photo of me swindled from Spanky’s fb page. Thank you, thank you!

Our food bill came up to P3,xxx, Chef Ed says we ate waaayyyy too much for a group of 5.

Now, now, quit looking at me.

Tina P. of L’Incontro, Jin of Jin Loves to Eat, Spanx of The Daily Spanks,
Anton of Our Awesome Planet, and the lady who brought us together, Tina V!
(Photo AND caption grabbed from Spanx)

And this is us on Pino’s wall. Anton, the reserved and bashful gentleman;
Spanky who goes wild over my birthday margarita; Tina V, the sexy and feisty babe;
Me, the fat and shapeless eating machine; and, last but not the least,
Tina P, the angelic, very demure, very soft-spoken epitome of tweetum-ity. Punk