Mad Mark's Man Sandwich + Frozen D

DIY: Grilled Steak

Staying Creative:Tip #2

People are built so well on monotony that everytime they are immersed into something, they experience the same thing that they always have. Maybe it’s the whole idea of a comfort zone that acquaints us so well with what we’ve always known. While it’s good to always have familiarity and basis for everything, the culture and world around us is ever-changing. People have various lifestyles they’re accustomed to but wouldn’t you want to be that person that always tries something new? If you’ve always tried the same food from the same restaurants, you’ll always taste the same kinds of flavors. If you’ve never challenged yourself to pass by your local community’s famous art museum, you’ll never fully experience putting meaning into a local artists’ work. If you’ve never watched a film other than Westernized ones coming from Hollywood blockbusters, you’ve never truly seen the beauty of the global film industry. If your iPod only has a few number of genres and artists that are currently on repeat, then it’s time to explore less known bands and artists.

Staying creative means exploring the world around us and experiencing something new every single time. So when was the last time you experienced something new?

Battle of the Chicken Wings: Sunrise Buckets

Life, indeed, is a box full of chocolates, you'll never know what you're gonna get so imagine our surprise when we landed straight into chicken heaven. Thirdy's brother suggested this restaurant to us to help in our search for the ultimate buffalo wings joint! It seemed like a normal restaurant from outside and was nestled into one of the most unexpected places. But looks can definitely be deceiving. Stepping inside Sunrise Buckets immediately transports you to the whitest sand beach you could ever imagine. Surfboards, Roxy posters, a chill soundtrack which even plays Foster the People and Two Door Cinema Club is what made us fall in love with this place even more.

CV Tip:When you dine here, Sunrise Buckets will provide you with gloves which is an easier way of eating the wings as opposed to using utensils. This has got to be the greatest invention yet! Imagine chowing down on your wings endlessly, with no worries on getting stains on your hands. 

We were excited to try their buffalo wings but wanted to have some variety so we ordered their poutine fries. Basically, poutine fries are fries topped with fresh cheese curds and gravy. This dish originated from Canada and is considered as their usual "merienda" meal.

There were many variety to their flavors but since we were only 2, we ordered only 2 flavors. The first one was the Sunrise Original which was served with a sour cream dip. It was mild and tangy which gave the wings a yummy taste that's similar to the red pepper buffalo wings sauce that you can purchase from supermarkets. What eventually won our hearts over with their chicken wings was the fact that the taste not only resides in the skin, (which, unfortunately, is common in most buffalo wings restaurants), but also seeped all the way into the meat of the chicken itself. 

The second flavor we ordered was the Smokin BBQ. Instead of a mild and tangy taste, this set of wings were covered with their homemade BBQ sauce. The most remarkable thing about these wings is that eating them alone is good enough, the sour cream dip really is just optional. It was so good to the bone that we eventually finished 2 whole buckets before we knew it!


CV Tip:Sunrise Buckets does not sell by the number of wings in the bucket but by pounds which is better because this gives the customer a fair amount, one that is actually good value for their money.

Look how cute and personalized the buckets were, that they'd even put your name on it! Too bad my name was spelled wrong, as it always is!

You can tell by this picture we definitely had a good meal! We had a great experience here at Sunrise Buckets and we know you will too.

Visit Sunrise Buckets at Unit 1, Madison St. cor. Ortigas Ave., North Greenhills San Juan City, Metro Manila Philippines

Staying Creative:Tip #1

We're launching a new section in The Culture Vulture Project called "Staying Creative". It's basically all about learning how to observe, document, and share the culture you see around you. Here's the first installation on this series:

Admit it, once or twice we’ve all been caught in the trance of stepping into school supply heaven otherwise known as National Bookstore. For us Pinoys, there can no other store as complete as the Pambansang Bookstore (not even Muji, which actually is one of my favorite places too!) This is where my love for notebooks actually stemmed from. Sometimes, I’d have to actually stop myself from purchasing another notebook knowing that I have a ton more at home that are still left unopened! For any aspiring writer, carrying a notebook with you at all times is necessary to document all your lightbulb moments in. You just never know when it’s going to happen! The trick is to carry a notebook small enough to keep in your bag and a trusty pen. You’ll be surprised by the amount of things you can actually write, no matter how messy your notes can be at the end of the day. You don’t even need to write down full sentences, just scribble down keywords you think will be essential in helping you write later on. Truth is, the use of the notebook is actually spiraling down with the rise of our ever trusty laptops which can be a faster way of documenting our thoughts. But think of notebooks like old-school love letters as opposed to text messages and e-mails, isn’t the former a lot more romantic? Wouldn’t you prefer a suitor to court you like the old-school way? Romance is the kind of feeling you can’t establish with a gadget as impersonal as a laptop which can be generalized to practically every human being living on this planet. Romance is buying a number of notebooks with pretty covers, and writing on it just randomly. That’s the beauty of being a writer, you get enamored every single day with the romance you make with your own words in your own notebook. If you want to keep yourself creative, buy your own set of notebooks now and tell me how it goes!

Happy reading… and writing!

Ronac Art Center

Ronac Art Center is a cultural hub which is perfect for all the hipsters out there! It is located along Ortigas Avenue and is near Ash creek. Ronac has 4 floors and has been designed artistically so well, that you can’t help but notice the architecture of the place.

Secret Fresh, a lifestyle boutique that retails contemporary art is located on the first floor. Some of the most artistic objects can be found here, from miniature toys, to exhibits, and even seemingly trivial ones like wallets, keychains and T-shirts. The famous burger joint, Charlie’s Grind and Grill, can also be found here with a bigger space and more comfortable setting as compared to their Kapitolyo branch.

The third floor is the basketball court which is dubbed as The Playground where famous players and teams from the PBA practice.

On the upper floor is The Deck is where you can find the ultimate portrayal of urban lifestyle. The stores offer graphic tees, unique caps, stylish bags and most of all, colorful kicks that can really make a statement.




CV Tip:Don’t forget to check the basement because there’s actually more!

The basement is where the Jagnus Design Studio is, an architectural office. There are also a few more stores located here just like the ones you can see at The Deck.

Ronac is a good place to immerse oneself into anything that is urban. Check this place out if you want to witness contemporary art at its finest.

Happy Reading!

Top 5 Blog Picks for November

5.) Anik-Anik Love

There’s nothing we love more than discovering creative home-grown talents. Anik-Anik delves into the creative spaces of notable Filipino artists. Getting a glimpse of how these artists work, and live, is getting a peek of their personal lives which otherwise would not have been possible without this blog.

4.) Our Awesome Planet

Have you ever wondered how beautiful this country is? OAP founder, Anton Diaz is in search for the best places you can find here in the Philippines. Getting approximately a million hits every month, Our Awesome Planet catches the attention of every reader by not only promoting the local tourism, but the awesome food finds that come along with it!

3.)The Uniform Project

A Little Black Dress is one of a girl’s fashion staples. It’s one that will never go out of style and will always look classy. But what if you had to wear that LBD for 365 days straight, do you think you can pull it off? The Uniform Project is a great way to show that fashion isn’t all about designer clothes, and expensive jewelry. Sheena Matheiken is the founder of the Uniform Project and used this as a fundraising project to help less-fortunate children in India.

2.)The Selby

If you had a chance to get deep into the mind of an artist, where do you think you should start? His personal spaces, of course! Todd Selby is the founder of a blog that’s all about immersing oneself into the abode of creative individuals. You’ll be surprised at how creativity breeds not only the works of the artist himself, but the way he arranges his surroundings! If home truly is where the heart is, then The Selby has definitely captured the complex hearts of various artists.

1.)Bride and Beyond

Everybody loves weddings and this blog is no exception at all. Every post will leave you with an, “awww!” and will show you that love really is all around! It is founded by a Filipina wedding planner who narrates the beautiful proposals, and weddings that she witnesses. Her beautiful execution of weddings make the blog a thousand times more interesting to read.

Foodcamp Burgers & Sandwiches

Foodcamp Burgers and Sandwiches is located in Katipunan Avenue beside Banapple en route to White Plains. It is a burger and sandwich joint that mixes the ideas of both Brother’s Burger and Subway. The small place is decorated in line with a military theme, and the staff wears these cute camouflage bandanas.

CV Tip:It can only accommodate approximately 20 people so if you want to enjoy this with your barkada, it’s best to take it out or have it delivered!

Selection of different burgers

Selection of sandwiches, add on's, and sides

Foodcamp's staff & line cooks

Selection of Local & Imported beers

Jalapeno Cheese Sticks w/ Wasabi Mayo Dip

 The first dish we ordered was the jalapeno cheese sticks which, basically put, are cheese sticks that contain a julienne of jalapeno.

CV Tip: Julienne is a culinary term, which refers to a cut when food is sliced into even, thin strips.

It tasted like a normal cheesestick with a surprising kick of spicy-ness from the jalapeno. The sauce that goes alongside with it is their wasabi mayo dip which was relatively okay, nothing great.

Bravo Burger (Everything on it!)

We ordered 2 burgers. The first burger was the Bravo Everything On It! which was composed of double cheese and mushroom that is served with potato wedges. The beef itself was over-mixed which resulted to a soft, mushy and icky taste once you bite the patty.

CV Tip:To know the difference between good and bad quality of  burger patty, all you have to remember is this:

Soft, mushy or dry texture = bad patty

Once bitten, all the juicy chunks of beef that are usually clumped together oozes with flavor from the beef = good patty

Wagyu Steak Burger with 1/3 pound of Pure Australian Wagyu Beef

The second was the Wagyu Steak Burger with 1/3 pound of Pure Australian Wagyu Beef Patty.

CV Tip:The best kind of wagyu can be found in Japan, Australia and United States. Since the quality of this beef is better than most, purchasing Wagyu beef that come from these countries can be more price-y compared to other beef.

Since wagyu steak has an inherent flavor of juicy-ness in it, the grinding and kneading of forming it into a burger patty eventually strips the beef of all these amazing flavors. We personally prefer that the wagyu steak should be served and eaten as a whole instead of making it into a burger.

On a positive note, the burger bun topped with poppy seeds was freshly made! 

Overall, the food was normal and wasn’t really anything special. We think that there are many, other burger joints that taste better out there. We haven’t tried any of their sandwiches, though, so if you have let us know what they taste like. Now we are in search of the best burger joints in the greater Metro Manila area, so let us know your favorites!

Please don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: @CultureVultureP 

Happy reading!