Our flight took us from Manila to Tokyo then straight to Canada. To me, that meant a food trip wherever we landed.

 

Tokyo airport was our first stop. I always joke about going to dining destinations like Japan where one ended up invariably getting McDo.

 

I not only ate my words, I also ended up having McDo. It was an Ebi or shrimp burger that I was so curious to taste but ended up not finishing. Not bad.

 

In another place, I had unagi (eel) with shredded scrambled eggs over Japanese rice. Every time I would look at this dish, the first thing that would come to mind is, “There is just too much rice.” But with the sweetish teriyaki sauce that came with it, I ended up finishing it.

 

In Calgary, we were shown the different aspects of growing and fattening Canadian beef. I just realized how superior Canada beef was. And the best test of that was a Roast Prime Rib dinner we had in a Canadian restaurant chain called Chops.

 

The Prime grade beef was so loaded with marbling that it was one of the best roasts I’ve had. On the side were mashed wasabi potatoes and simple au jus.

 

From Calgary, I made two stops. Vancouver and San Francisco. I would drop my sister Stella in her Pinoy store Tindahan then borrow her car to visit all the restaurants I missed when we were still living there.

 

My daughter and I went to my favorite sushi place Kirin in New Westminster where I had various sushi. Oh how I missed all of them.

 

I went to Song Huong, a Vietnamese restaurant, and had the fresh spring rolls with hoisin peanut sauce and a noodle dish Bun Hen.

 

These fresh rice noodles were topped with shredded lettuce, banana flowers, spicy mini clams and flavored with Vietnamese bagoong. Super sarap!

 

That evening, my sister took us to the Greek restaurant Kisamos where I had the fantastic appetizer called Saganaki. It was a crunchy, salty and sour Greek cheese that went well with pita bread.

 

My main course was a melt-in-your-mouth baked lamb with rice pilaf. Unbelievably delicious.

 

The Dark Room

 

My daughter Ali surprised me and took me to a place called The Dark Room that was in total darkness. It was a unique experience, like dining with one’s eyes closed. But being with my daughter who I missed a lot, it was very fun, especially when she spilled the wine on her cousin Bolo. All we heard was the spill and “Oh, crap.”

 

Another day, I drove downtown along Denman Street and feasted on Babylon Café’s chicken shawarma. This reminded me of my days as a courier where I would always be rushing to have lunch.

 

San Francisco steak

 

After two days in Vancouver, I flew to San Francisco to be with my sister Mariles. She took me to my favorite House Of Prime Rib.

 

I, of course, had the King Henry Cut, the largest cut of all roasts. With au jus and a baked potato, which I mashed with butter, sour cream, chives and bacon, creamed spinach, this was heaven all over again. It was simply superb.

 

Meat was tender, each bite so tasty. The roast was carved in front of guests. House of Prime Rib is a must-have in San Francisco.

 

Little Lucca

 

I also visited Little Lucca, an Italian deli on El Camino Real. I dream about its sandwiches. I ordered a crab sandwich on Dutch crunch bread. The kitchen staff smears a pesto-like sauce on one bread slice and a spicy sauce on the other.

 

I had to take home three huge sandwiches for my kids who were salivating from the other side of the world, thanks to my Instagram.

 

A highlight of my trip was a steak my brother-in-law Henry prepared. This was a USDA Prime rib-eye broiled medium rare served with creamed spinach and creamed corn. Best broiled steak I’ve had in decades!

 

As soon as I landed in Manila, I went on diet mode. I was doing very well until I attended an event last Monday. It was the launch of Inquirer Lifestyle’s “Best Desserts 2” written by Lifestyle’s Vangie Baga-Reyes at SMX center at SM Aura.

 

I thought it was a simple book signing. When I entered, I saw my diet fly away. It was four long rows of Vangie’s best desserts. Patay na naman ang diet ko!

 

Everything I tried, I had in tiny portions, but I felt each bite creeping its way to my waistline.

 

But oh I love it when I have legitimate excuses like this!

 

Check out her book. The desserts are beautifully photographed and all are winners. It is such an honor to be invited to this annual event.

 

I will forever fight this losing battle called “diet.” But with a smile and joy in my heart, I will continue to pursue it.

 

Happy eating!