The latest from Foo Fighters earned glowing reviews from music critics on the day of its release
Foo Fighters sent Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza into a rock n’ roll frenzy with the first-ever performance of their new single “Shame Shame” on the November 7 episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by friend of the band Dave Chappelle.
“Shame Shame” is the first taste of the band’s forthcoming 10th album, Medicine at Midnight, due out February 5, 2021 on Roswell Records/RCA Records. The latest from Foo Fighters earned glowing reviews from music critics on the day of its release, with Stereogum calling it “a refreshing twist on their signature sound that doesn’t reach for trends” and praising the new direction for its “percussive, and slightly funky” approach.
The tenth studio album is produced by Greg Kurstin and Foo Fighters, engineered by Darrell Thorp and mixed by Mark “Spike” Stent. It packs the following nine songs into 37 minutes:
Making a Fire
Shame, Shame
Cloudspotter
Waiting on a War
Medicine at Midnight
No Son of Mine
Holding Poison
Chasing Birds
Love Dies Young
Medicine at Midnight is now available for pre-order, and includes a limited-edition purple swirl vinyl version, available exclusively at http://smarturl.it/FFOnlineStore.
Did you know that Chinese food has three key flavors? These are sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy.
The combination and degree of intensity of these flavors have brought forth one of the most varied of the world’s cuisines. As you hop from one region to the next, you will see variations in the dishes they produce: Sichuan, for example, is famous for its numbingly spicy food while Hong Kong leans towards the sweet-salty dynamic. It just goes to show that one of the world’s richest cultures can produce a very diverse culinary heritage.
Those are some of the flavors that came into play when I decided to give the fam a break for our usual ulam fare and order in a Chinese feast from a nearby branch of Chinese restaurant chain Yang Chow.
Our delightful repast included:
Yang Chow Fried Rice (Php298 for large). Pre-cooked rice is stir-fried in a wok along with chopped char siu, scallions, veggies and scrambled egg. I wouldn’t dare order a Chinese meal without this staple. The kiddos would surely revolt!
Beef Steak Chinese Style (Php398). Tender beef slices stir-fried and doused in a savory sauce. A new fave for my daughter #ExhibitA!
Lemon Chicken (Php278). Another staple Chinese dish with crispy pieces of chicken served in a tangy lemon sauce. A Chinese food meal won’t be complete for my son #ExhibitB without it!
Brocolli Flower with Oyster Sauce (Php218). Crisp and lightly blanched brocolli flowers served with and oyster-flavored sauce and topped with toasted garlic flakes. It’s the healthy part of the meal our meal and counter-balances the rich flavors of our other orders.
I’m glad to know that every time the fam tires of our go-to ulam dishes, we can just have an exotic Chinese feast delivered to us.
This Yang Chow branch is located at Industria Mall, Indusria Street, Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 6.30pm. To order for delivery, call +63 2 79009907 or +63 915 4470765 or course your order via GrabFood or FoodPanda.
Download the Grab App and get a discount on your first food order when you use my code: GRABJELLYBEANS.
Them Bloody Royals revisit the glory days of ‘80s synth pop with the release of their new song “We Children Of The Night.” Bringing effervescent joy back to the dance floor, the Filipino four-piece band’s new single struts confidently around pulse-pounding rhythms, sparkly synthesizers, and angular guitars in an effort to knock the walls down—at least for the entire party run.
Outside of its jagged spirit and blissful retro appeal, “We Children Of The Night” is more than just swagger and sweat; it’s an attempt to capture the feeling of losing one’s self in the moment, drunken and ready to dance the pain away. Lyrically, it showcases “the excitement of meeting new people, flirting with strangers, and having fun,” as vocalist Sib Sibulo puts it. “The song dances around with the idea of falling love, the thrill of it, but also not wanting to fully commit to anything.”
Behind the incessant groove that repeatedly thumps on ‘We Children Of The Night” is a common sentiment shared by broken people trying to escape from their personal horrors. Sibulo has a better way to describe it: “You can be so broken and jaded with the idea of getting into serious relations, that you just wanna say, “fuck it, I just wanna have fun.”
On the happy-sappy chorus, the lead singer even pleads, “Here we are / Wishing this night would never end / We fall in love, we fall apart,” as if finding refuge ephemeral romance would make you forget about your struggles in life and love.
Production-wise, the song in general – the entirety of it – is the result of Them Bloody Royals’ attempt to reinvent and outdo their previous work. “We wanted to see if we could come up with a legitimate banger, and set a good pace for the next things down the pipeline,” Sibulo shares.
Written and produced by Them Bloody Royals, and recorded at Pointbee Multimedia, “We Children Of The Night” is out now on all streaming and digital platforms worldwide via Lilystars Records.
Image and details provided by Lilystars Records in a recent press release.
Sometimes, the stars align and everyone in the family agrees that they just had a good meal.
This Sunday, after running morning errands and lunchtime looming just a short hour away, neither Hubby nor I were in the mood to handle the stress of meal prep and cooking.
Well, I thought to myself, this looks like a job for my food delivery apps!
So off I went, tap-tap-tapping on my phone, looking for food that I can have delivered for the fam’s Sunday lunch. My criteria is that the meal should appeal to the fam’s collective taste in food, not be something we recently ate (for variety), and should cost below Php1,000, delivery fee included (because payday is still a few days away!).
Lo and behold, the solution to my dilemma was at my doorstep less than an hour later.
The fam’s meal consisted of five sets of Tapa King Classic.
Tapa King started as a hole-in-the-wall business in 1987 in Makati CBD. Today, it’s a chain of restaurants with presence, not just in the Philippines but also in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Despite recently undergoing a brand refresh and store makeover, it remains true to its original intent: to serve homestyle Pinoy comfort food – tapa.
Tapa is basically marinated beef, stir-fried in oil and, when served with fried egg and garlic fried rice, forms the iconic tapsilog (tapa–sinangag–itlog).
The Tapa King Classic is the formerly known as Tapa King (yes, there were also a Tapa Queen and a Tapa Prince). It is tapa cooked the traditional way, seasoned with spices that bring out the beef’s natural flavors. With fried egg and garlic fried rice included in the order, it is a deliciously satisfying meal.
You can have it as a solo meal at Php169.
Or you can choose to have all the meals in the 4-in-1 Box (Php678) be all Tapa King Classics. You even get solo bottles of Pepsi to go with your meal.
In our case, I opted for both so the whole fam – myself, hubby, the kiddos and yaya – can all enjoy our own Tapa King Classic. Thanks to a a GrabFood free delivery promo, my total bill came in at just Php847.
Thanks to Tapa King, I escaped lunchtime stress. Now, on to worrying about dinner…
This Tapa King branch is located at G/F L&Y Plaza E. Rodriguez Ave. Brgy. Ugong, Pasig City, open daily from 6am to 8pm for dine-in, takeout and delivery. For inquiries, reservations or orders, call +63 2 82916254 or +63 915 0611117, or course your food delivery via GrabFood or FoodPanda.
Filipino folk-pop outfit Ben&Ben marks a definitive new era in music with the release of their new single, “Di Ka Sayang,” now out via Sony Music.
Now more confident than ever with their newfound direction, the nine-piece collective drops an empowering anthem that respects individuality without prejudice.
Empowerment in the face of adversity
According to guitarist and vocalist Paolo Benjamin, “Di Ka Sayang” was inspired by a conversation with his brother Miguel Benjamin in a hotel room last year during one of their out of town shows. “Migs and I were having a conversation on our career choices and how hard it was to fight for who we really are and what we want to do in life, amidst societal and family expectations,” Paolo explains. “A year later, we decided to release it, at a time where we feel it is most timely, with everything tough going on, and with many of our dreams being crushed by the pandemic and other circumstances.”
Inspiring confidence and fearlessness in the face of adversity, the MTV Europe Music Awards-nominated band confronts everyday challenges of life with light and motivation. But instead of perpetuating the erasure of our collective struggles, their song “Di Ka Sayang” encourages listeners to get out of the rut and be in charge of their own decision matters, no matter the costs.
A massive statement
Written by Paolo and Miguel Benjamin and produced by Jean Paul Verona along with lead guitarist Poch Barretto, percussionist Toni Muñoz, keyboardist Patricia Lasaten, and violinist Keifer Cabugao, the anthemic rocker arrives with a massive statement: tribal beats and esoteric details that evolve into a soaring, pop-rock production, but whose unrelenting energy and sonic ambition feel like a natural progression from their past releases.
Pat Lasaten recalls how the arrangement and production of “Di Ka Sayang” challenged the team to have fun and explore an entire new world of possibilities in terms of lyrics and musicality. “Our goal from the start is to create a vibe and sound like no other song of ours before: one that would immerse the listener into the message of the song, and into a mood that we wanted the message to be experienced in.”
This creative mindset allows Ben&Ben to hone their trademark sound without rethreading into past themes and venture into ideas outside of their comfort zones, especially now that the band has all the time to make new music under one roof.
Vocalist and guitarist Miguel Benjamin shares in a statement, “We’ve also been exploring new soundscapes and writing about themes other than love and heartbreak, and we’ve been having a lot of fun in the process. Liwanag, and everyone who listens to us can expect more of these things to be shared to anyone who is willing to listen.”
Kintsugi-inspired music video
It also continues to spread its winsome streak as it dropped the official music video on Youtube. Helmed by Jorel Lising, the band’s frequent collaborator and the director behind their hits “Pagtingin” and “Nakikinig Ka Ba Sa Akin,” the visual accompaniment of the song follows the band performing in random intimate spaces with ‘Kintsugi’ artform as the backdrop.
According to vocalist and guitarist Paolo Benjamin, the inspiration behind the pottery repair method as the binding theme came from their production designer, Ms. Dianne Khu. “During the planning of the video, things came together in a very organic kind of way and we thought it fit the concept perfectly,” Paolo said in a statement. “Kintsugi is the Japanese art of piecing together broken parts of pottery with gold glue. By doing this, brokenness is made whole in a way that is much better than it previously was. Our percussionist Andrew even has a tattoo of ‘wabi-sabi,’ which is the Japanese philosophy of accepting and finding meaning in the imperfections in life and nature. We really saw Kintsugi as a powerful way to represent self-acceptance.”
Honoring the importance of embracing one’s flaws and accepting brokenness as something that you need to display with pride and not hide, the song sends a vital message to listeners who are going through difficult challenges in life, especially with the pandemic crisis taking a toll on everyone’s mental health. Vocalist and guitarist Miguel Benjamin points out, “This year has been the toughest year for many people from our generation, and a lot of us are in this state wherein a lot of plans, dreams, hopes, and goals were compromised, cancelled or rather ‘sayang.’ Even for us personally as a band, we had a hard time dealing with these same struggles. What we wanted to share however, is that we are never alone in our hardships, and that there is still hope in a better tomorrow.”
Ben&Ben’s “Di Ka Sayang” is now available on all digital platforms worldwide via Sony Music.
Image and details provided by Sony Music Philippines in recent press releases.
To many, the word “Mediterranean” calls to mind sun-kissed rooftops, sparkling waves in an cerulean sea, and vibrant vistas. For foodies like me, it brings forth images of hearty dishes made with fresh produce and flavorful spices.
My love story with Mediterranean food came about because of Hubby. He introduced me to kebabs, shawarmas and hummus back when we were still dating. Twenty-plus years later, we share our love for this cuisine with our kids who look forward to our food adventures involving kebabs.
Thankfully, thirty-three-year-old food entrepreneur Adam Tan seeks to provide the metro’s denizens easy access to great-tasting Mediterranean dishes, even during quarantine.
Maximizing the existing kitchen space of his other food venture, casual dining resto Main Street in Kapitolyo, he decided to open Jamie’s Kebabs last April on a delivery basis. Its menu includes Middle Eastern staples, dishes familiar and appealing to the Pinoy palate. These include:
Hummus (Php189). A savory spread or dip made with mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic. Jamie’s Kebabs’ version is made even more appetizing by the addition of roasted bell peppers and fried chickpeas. This dish is served with a piece of fresh pita bread. It’s quite good when enjoyed on its own with the pita bread but adds a new dimension of flavor when added to the other dishes as a dip or a condiment.
Beef Kebab Pita Wrap (Php159). Marinated ground beef grilled in skewers and served wrapped in pita bread together with garlic sauce, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, red onions and cucumbers. Each bite brings an explosion of flavor and pleasant textures in my mouth. Like I said earlier, this also becomes phenomenal when a bit of hummus is added to the wrap.
Kebab Sampler (Php329). Beef, lamb and chicken kebab served on top of buttered rice with one grilled tomato, alongside garlic and red hot sauce. It would be enough for two (I shared it with Hubby) but a really hungry (or selfish!) Mediterranean food fanatic can easily polish this off by herself.
Jamie’s Kebabs’ offerings are great, not just of kebab fans but for budding foodies seeking to broaden their culinary horizons to include Mediterranean cuisine.
Jamie’s Kebabs is located at 10 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City, open daily from 10am to 8pm for dine-in, pickup and delivery. To order, call +63 2 72392827 or +63 917 8158187. Payments via cash, credit card, BDO bank transfer and GCash are accepted.
You may also course your order via FoodPanda or GrabFood (the resto is included among the establishments available for long distance delivery).
Taguig, Pateros and Makati residents may soon also get a taste of Jamie’s Kebabs’ dishes as a new branch is set to open Barangay Sumilang, Pasig City which could serve those markets via delivery.
Download the Grab App and get a discount on your first food order when you use my code: GRABJELLYBEANS.
One of my challenges as a work-from-home mommy during quarantine is keeping the fam energized for all the things we need to do at home. Whether these tasks involve Zoom meetings with work colleagues, attending online classes or simply doing our tasks to maintain the household, giving Hubby and kiddos a tasty snack to tide them over between mealtimes is crucial to the continued harmony of our home during quarantine.
One of my go-to snack treats for the fam is the Jamaican Pattie.
As its name implies, this meat-filled pastry came from Jamaica but had roots from among the various cultures present in the country during its colonial period. From the Cornish immigrants came the baked pastry, while the Indian and African laborers contributed the use of cumin, curry and cayenne pepper. Together, these influences have produced a tasty and filling savory dish.
Here in Manila, the Jamaican Pattie was introduced and popularized by de Original Jamaican Pattie Shop & Juice Bar. In these kiosks, the delicious pastries are baked – not fried – fresh everyday.
For the kiddos and myself, the Cheezy Beef Jamaican patties hit the spot while Hubby’s favorite pattie is the Cheezy Pinatubo. The patties’ flaky crust and generous filling make for an enjoyable family snackin’.
Previously, we could only get these patties when we go to malls but since the quarantine, the chain’s kiosks have begun offering their wares for delivery via its official delivery partner Coco Delivery, or through GrabFood and FoodPanda.
With exciting Coke #ComboDeals on GrabFood this holiday season, celebrations with family and friends can be just as meaningful.
Plans for the fast-approaching holiday season may have been altered, but good times with family and friends can remain. Whether you’re together in person or through a screen, what makes a celebration special is sharing moments with your loved ones over a good meal.
This holiday season, GrabFood and Coca-Cola make these celebrations even more special with pot-lockdown #ComboDeals! Because no gathering is complete without a refreshing drink of Coke, starting November 7, exclusive combo deals of your favorite food paired with Coca-Cola will be available— only on GrabFood.
To find a combo deal near you, just head on over to the GrabFood homepage and look for the Coca-Cola #ComboDeals icon or type #ComboDeals in the search bar. With a wide variety of food choices and #ComboDeals only on GrabFood, you’re sure to have a pot-lockdown celebration for the books!
For a memorable pot-lockdown style holiday celebration, all you need is good company and GrabFood’s Coke #ComboDeals! Visit http://grb.to/combodeals for more details.
About Grab
Grab is the leading super app in Southeast Asia, providing everyday services that matter most to consumers. Today, the Grab app has been downloaded onto over 185 million mobile devices, giving users access to over 9 million drivers, merchants and agents. Grab offers the widest range of on-demand transport services in the region, in addition to food, package, grocery delivery services, mobile payments and financial services across339 cities in eight countries.
About Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola company started in 1886 and grew with a purpose to refresh the world. This became refreshment not just in a physical sense but also in spirit, and not just to refresh people but also communities. Today, we are a total beverage company, present in almost every beverage category and have more than 500 brands. Over 700,000 people in our system help deliver those brands to customers and consumers everyday. The Coca-Cola Company purpose remains clear: To refresh the world and make a difference.
When I was young, my parents used to reward my good grades with a meal at Kentucky Fried Chicken. (Oh, those simple joys!)
This ubiquitous fried chicken fast food chain’s history began during the Great Depression in the US with Colonel Harlan David Sanders who started selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. Having perfected his original recipe that made use of eleven herbs and spices, he then franchised his fried chicken recipe to restaurant owners.
Today, KFC is a global presence, with presence in 150 countries.
It offers its “finger-lickin’ good” fried chicken to Pinoys along with a wide fast food menu which includes pastas and rice bowls that appeal to the Filipino market.
As a busy, currently working-from-home mom, KFC is a way for me to escape from cooking duties while still providing the fam with a delicious meal.
This is why my family came to have KFC for our Sunday lunch.
Feeling bone-tired from a hectic work week, I was in no mood to plan and prepare a meal.
Thankfully, I saw Mommy Ojie of PiggingOutOnSundays post a Php100 discount code for FoodPanda. I grabbed the code and ordered a Bucket of 10 (Php720).
I asked my yaya to cook lots of rice because, yeah, it’s an unli-kanin kind of meal.
Biting into finger-lickingly flavorful fried chicken in between spoonfuls of rice is more than fine by me.
I just wish that KFC start offering coleslaw as one of its fixins again. It stopped offering my favorite side dish since the pandemic started and hasn’t yet brought it back to its menu. (Note: I used to make a scene at KFC checkout counters when informed that coleslaw is not available.)
This KFC branch is located at Ground Floor, Robinson’s Place Cainta, Santo Domingo, Cainta, Rizal. To order for delivery, call +63 2 88878888 or course it via FoodPanda.
I had my first taste of Dairy Queen’s blizzards back when I was in high school (such a long, long time ago! Sigh!). After the last of our quarterly exams, my schoolmates and I made a beeline to SM Megamall to decompress.
Back then, the blizzard was totally new to me. For me, ice cream was something scooped out of a tub and served as is, or if you’re feeling fancy, with toppings. I found the concept of mechanically mixing ice cream while at the same time mixing in sundae toppings, and then handing it over to the customer upside down as proof of the thick creaminess of the ice cream absolutely amazing.
Fast-forward to a few decades later and I still enjoy Dairy Queen’s Blizzards, this time with the fam. As it happens, blizzards are dessert treats that appeal to the entire fam.
Despite being quarantined at home, we were still able to indulge ourselves with our icy dessert simply by ordering these Dairy Queen Blizzards via GrabFood.
Rocky Road Blizzard (Php110). My go-to blizzard order since high school, these are made with DQ’s soft-serve ice cream mixed with cocoa fudge, marshmallows and peanuts. As it happens, I share my taste in DQ Blizzards with both Hubby and my son #ExhibitB.
Oreo Blizzard (Php110). My daughter #ExhibitA’s only choice for her DQ Blizzard, being partial to Oreos herself. These are made with crumbled Oreo cookie pieces mixed into creamy vanilla soft-serve ice cream.
As these are frozen treats, it’s best to eat them as soon as they arrive! (And for heaven’s sake, don’t flip them upside down!) 😜
To get your Blizzards and more from Dairy Queen delivered to your home, call +63 2 89111111, order online, or course your orders through GrabFood, FoodPanda or Lalafood.
Jellybeans in the City 