100 Miles Cafe: The Blessing!

Except for its small signage, you need to look closely to find it. Tucked in the second floor of a new building (Fort Pointe Bldg) near the sweaty Fitness First Gym and above the aromatic Figaro Coffee Shop, its obscure, unassuming frontage is easy to miss. But 100 Miles Cafe/restaurant at the Bonifacio Global City is well worth finding.

The first thing that strikes you when you walk into the restaurant owned by ultra runner Jael Wenceslao and his family is that it does not feel like a restaurant at all. Rather, it is more like entering a vast bedroom of a hardcore  ultra-runner (presumably Jael’s), complete with running paraphernalia, i.e. local ultra-running race tarpaulins, race posters, books on running, finishers’ medals, framed finishers’ shirts, trophies, race bibs and many more running accouterments.

The only pieces missing here is probably Jael’s battered trail running shoes and muddied socks! But that would probably not be apt to display into this fine eatery except if he decides to display it inside an enclosed glass case which is just fine with me. Hahah..

To celebrate its opening a few weeks ago, the Wenceslaos invited some guests from the media and business community for the blessing and soft opening of this restaurant. I was honored to be invited and got to sample once again the great food being offered here.

This is the kind of place where runners and other athletes meet and so far, some large group events have taken place here, where the ambiance is relaxed and the mood is upbeat.

Here are some pictures taken during its inauguration and blessing:

The main sponsors cutting the ribbon with Jael Wenceslao in long sleeve shirt, Nylah Bautista (white dress) of Ayala Land, Jael’s aunt (left) and Maj General Jovie “Baldrunner” Narcise (Ret) doing the honors.

Jael’s father in striped shirt

The ribbon-cutting ceremony

The blessing. Servers were wearing race bibs and Skechers running shoes!

The staff were ready in their places

Priest pouring holy water inside the kitchen while guests were watching a glimpse of Dean Karnazes’ movie “Ultramarathon Man”.

Ultra Marathon Man

With running friends (L-R) Vanessa Ordinario, Alfred Delos Reyes, Tin Ferrera and yours truly

Shown here:  (L-R) Keshia Fule, Nylah Bautista, Chito Carreon and Rowena Teruel

Inside the extension hall with the group

Jael Wenceslao, welcomes the guests

Sir Jovie

Jael’s dad

Jae’ls aunt, the lucky charm of the Wenceslao business

Triathlete Nylah Bautista of Ayala Land

With Jael’s running mementos

A timer is even displayed on its walls

And the main stars of the restaurant:

100 Miles Salad

Mediterranean Salad

Clam Chowder

Aglio Olio Pasta

100 Miles Pizza

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Pistachio Sansrival

Wishing the 100 Miles Cafe Team every success with their new restaurant!

Soon To Open: 100 Miles Cafe At The BGC

The Bonifacio Global City continues to be a popular venue for road races every Sunday and finding a place to eat could sometimes be a chore, as there are lots of restos to choose from. The fast food joints are still the ones to go for a fast, no frills post-race fare although food options here are quite limited to the usual burgers, pancakes and value meals.

Coming up in a few days is a new restaurant called 100 Miles Cafe which will be located at the 2/f of Fort Pointe Building, just across Fitness First. A brainchild of Ultra runner Jael Wenceslao whose family (the Wesceslaos and Antipordas) are restaurateurs, this cafe will be an unassuming hang-out not only for runners but also for habitues who love good food.

A few weeks ago, i together with ultra runners Tin Ferrera and Alfred Delos Reyes  were invited by Jael to have a sampling of the dishes they will be serving-in at 100 Miles Cafe.

So here we are, sitting at another restaurant that Jael’s family own, the ORIANG, a newly opened eatery just outside the Market! Market! Mall where we are to sample a delectable array of dishes like their Seafood Salad, Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccini, BBQ Spare Ribs, Fish Fillets and other great eats.

Their menu is extremely wide ranging, catering for everyone from the fuzzy veggie, various pastas for runners right up to the ravenous carnivore and it lives up to its promise.

Now, a word about the food. As a starter, we had the Bouillabaisse Soup which is suitably rich and creamy. Then i go with the Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccine which is spicy flavored with only a hint of sauce and is served with bread sticks.  Alfred relishes the Fajita Platter with strands of greens like lettuce and tomatoes while Tin has all the green salad to her liking.

An artist’s perspective of 100 Miles Cafe

I won’t go into the details anymore but i would recommend all the pastas in their menu and what runner doesn’t love pastas, anyway?

The other menu items are detailed below and i will be announcing in this blog when their doors will be open to the public. Bon Appetit!

Bouillabaisse Soup

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

BBQ Spare Ribs

Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccini

Seafood Salad

Your choice of dressings for the salad

Oglio Oglio Marina

Fajita Platter

Fish Fillet with Marsala Sauce

High Protein Noodle Soup

L-R: Jael Wenceslao, Tin Ferrera, Alfred Delos Reyes and moi.

Easy To Go Sandwich Spreads: McCormick Bread Spreads

In an ideal world, you’d love to sit down comfortably while enjoying a complete breakfast meal of eggs, sausages, bread or rice, coffee or fruit-juice and some fresh fruits to refuel yourself after your morning run just before going to work.

In the real world however, a hectic work schedule or leaving home early to beat the morning traffic leaves you with very little time to prepare or cook breakfast. Most often than not, we just grab a pandesal, spread it with whatever is available, take some sips of coffee and head out the door.

I’m not much of a breakfast eater so a piece or two of pandesal bread that i spread with either peanut butter, cheese whiz or butter plus a banana with my usual cup of coffee will sustain me for the whole morning.

Last week at a product launch of which i had been invited, i was introduced to a new bread spread in 3 flavors contained in squeeze tubes, the McCormick Bread Spreads. I was first intrigued by the containers which was similar to those of a tooth paste, shampoo, ointments or creams.

McCormick Bread Spreads

McCormick Bread Spreads in three (3) flavors

The bread spreads come in three delicious flavors: the Herb Parmesan (cheese), Pesto and Garlic. These are zero trans-fat spreads which you can just press off in a no mess squeezable tube. The Herb Parmesan is a great cheese flavored spread made with parmesan cheese, soybeans and other blend of spices and herbs. It’s great as a cheese-flavored dip for snack items such as crackers, potato chips and corn tortilla chips but i still like it as a bread spread with my hot pandesal!

The garlic spread tastes great too. I used it in combination with corned tuna and you have a very satisfying and filling sandwich. It’s good as a stand-alone spread too but if you have to use it often, you’ll have to stop talking to me after breakfast! The Pesto flavor has a very strong taste so i suggest taking it easy with it by spreading just enough in your slices of bread.

The bread spreads can also be used to enhance the flavor of dishes like this Carbonara

Comes in tubes

During the launch of these products, we were made to sample foods where these spreads were used and they tasted great on Carbonara, Chicken, Salads and many other pastas.

Sample dishes where spreads can also be used

The tubes are very handy, you can take them to the office and spread them on your bread or crackers for snacks and merienda. It costs about P75.00 per tube in your favorite supermarkets. A good idea for runners on the go!

Let’s Go Vegetarian: Let’s Go Gandiva!

I’ve never purposely been in a vegetarian restaurant/cafe before, much more when this cafe (with its wide roomy extension) also serves as a mini archery range for archery enthusiasts.

Just a few hundred meters away from our Ortigas office, the Gandiva Cafe and Archery Range, located at the 7th Floor, One Corporate Center Building, Julia Vargas corner Meralco Avenue, offers a delightful selection of healthy, vegetarian dishes for health enthusiasts and a practice and training ground for budding archery practitioners.

Getting there in a rainy Friday afternoon for the launching of their establishment is a bit of a drag but once you get there, you’ll immediately feel the ambiance and the staff’s hospitality as they did for us last night. As i took a seat near the glass panels overlooking the view outside Meralco Avenue, i am reminded of upscale watering holes where fun and laughter with friends often takes place over some bottles of beer. Only this time, mouth-watering fruit juices and coffee were served.

The interiors of Gandiva

For starters, we were served a sample of their Tuna Pesto, a mixture of fresh gotokula (don’t ask) and basil with nuts, fragrant flavours, similar in taste with that of Joey Pepperoni but not too spicy- it’s pasta with all the goodness. A sampling of their pizza came with the pasta. The slice of veggie pizza was light, with a veggie meat ham and other veggie trimmings laid into it although i wish they should have served more of this as a thin slice don’t really bite the taste palette much.

Tuna Festo, Pizza and Veggie Burger

Took a bite of the YAM Burger and it was yummy although the bread itself was a little bit dry. Burger patties come in two varieties, Mushroom and Soya Bean Burger.  The Choco cup cake was very interesting which they say is diabetic friendly and vegan, no dairy.

Runners who run frequently in the Ortigas area can surely drop by after their runs and enjoy’s Gandiva’s pasta, pizza, veggie sandwiches and other runner-friendly delights at very reasonable prices.

Highly recommended!

The crowd at Gandiva Cafe

Thanks to Jigs Padilla for the invitation and to Chef Lali for the superb food! For more info, you can go to their website at  www.gandiva.com.ph.

CHIA Seeds: Super Food?

Used to be that eating the right foods at the right times in the right combinations can give you the boost and energy that you need in gaining optimal performance in running. No more. In an attempt to take nutrition to the next level, new “super-foods” are being introduced to the market for better conditioning and to give you that “edge” among your competitors.

I’m not referring to Oysters or Garlic which we all know are straight-from-the-earth foods that pack doses of health-boosting essential vitamin, minerals and other phytochemicals without having anything else added to them. I’m talking about CHIA seeds.

Tarahumara Superfood

Well documented as one of the energy food of the Tarahumaras, the native Mexican Indians known for their long distance running prowess, it’s touted as one of the oldest and most nutritionally dense superfoods know to man. The seeds of the salvia hispanica plant found mostly in Central America is among the richest sources of the heart and brain-healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. It has been used as a foodstuff, energy booster, and medicine as far back as four millennia and reached its zenith during the times of the ancient Aztecs and Mayans.

I’ve known some runners use it. Betty sprinkles it in her specially concocted fruit juice while Ron puts some in his pasta.

I was able to get hold of a sample during the launching of the product by Ferzudo, a Philippine subsidiary of its main distributor in the U.S., Hidalgo Ventures LLC. Headed by a young entrepreneur, David Bicierro, he explained the benefits of the product which can be sprinkled to any food like on breakfast cereals, jelly sandwiches or can be blended in smoothies, mixed in salads, add to soups or use in bread and pastries.

Gram for gram, here’s what the Ferzudo Chia seeds claim it has:

• 1400% MORE Magnesium than Broccoli
• 700% MORE Omega 3 Fatty acids than Salmon
• 500% MORE Calcium than milk
• 200% MORE Antioxidant strength than Blueberries
• 200% MORE Iron then Spinach
• 500% MORE Vegetable Protein than Kidney Beans
• 100% MORE Potassium than a Banana
• 100% MORE Selenium than Flax Seed
• 100% MORE Fiber than Bran Flakes

Forzudo Philippines CEO, David Bicierro

Pretty impressive if you ask me. I’m not a spokes person or an endorser of the product but what’s to lose if we add a natural food to our diet, used by the ancient Aztec warriors and Tarahumara Indians for their survival, strength and vitality?

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Another thing good about Chia is that it can be eaten raw and unprocessed. It has a neutral flavor and can be easily added to any sport or energy drink to boost performance. Three tablespoons daily is their recommendation. I’ve tried adding less than a teaspoonful of Chia into my Gatorade and feel fine with it.

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To learn more about this product, you can visit their website at www.Forzudo.com.