Hungry for home

I am coming home in a week. Big YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY.

Yes, coming home is about seeing family and friends again, sleeping in my own bed, escaping the cold, blah-blah-blah… but it is also about FOOD. And as much as I make a mean cheese omelet (with mozzarella and cheddar)

My yummmy and goooey cheese omelette

and looooooove bacon, I am looking forward to not having to eat breakfast food for dinner for the measly eight days that I will be home for. And I intend to celebrate my momentary freedom from BLT sandwiches, microwave dinners and sauce-in-a-jar pasta with the following foods (in no particular order):

My must haves:

• Barbecue from Beach House in UP Diliman
• Beef Brisket, Dimsum and Chili Garlic Sauce (it’s so good I consider it a “food” and not a condiment) from Le Ching
• The tacos we make at home (or the ones from Pancake House)
• Jollibee Chicken Joy
• Home cooked chicken adobo
• The Shawarma from that stall (the name escapes me right now) by the entrance of Rustan’s Fresh in Makati
• Devil’s Food Cake from The Chocolate Kiss Café
• The Hainanese Chicken and Lettuce Cups my fam had for my grandparents’ wedding anniversary (I have no idea where it’s from, but I’m bummed I missed it and will demand to have it again for dinner)
• Hainanese Chicken from Chef Steve in Makati
• Sonja’s Cupcakes (the carrot one, the peanut butter and jelly one, the cheesecake and the cheese and chocolate one)
• Conti’s cheese puffs
• Cyma’s Skolatina
• Crepes with apples, vanilla ice cream and Nutella from Café Breton
• Spicy Salmon salad and Sakura salad from Sakura in Glorietta

The back-ups (in case I miraculously still have space in my tummy after the list above):

• Baliwag Lechon Manok
• Savory Chicken
• Max’s Fried Chicken (yes, I obviously like chicken)
• Breakfast from Aristocrat
• Amber’s Pancit Malabon (my friend Rach will think that I’m doing Amber’s an injustice by not putting it in the first list)
• McDonald’s fried chicken
• Pumpkin soup, Spinach dip and Beef with Garlic and Rosemary from Cibo
• JT’s Chicken Inasal
• Lord Stow’s egg tarts

I know, it’s an ambitious list. I’ve done the math and I don’t have enough lunches and dinners to fit everything in, unless I start having tacos or fried chicken for breakfast. And it’s not like I’ll have the full eight days to go on full-on food trip mode. Unfortunately, I have to go to work. And have my hair cut. And unpack. And re-pack. And try (and that’s the operative word, TRY) to exercise to minimize the effects of the calorific onslaught to come.