Guess who WOK-ed by?
Yes, it can now be said, celebrity chef and no-holds-barred culinary traveler Anthony Bourdain was in Manila and I had opportunity of giving him a ‘taste’ of my city. Literally that is.
And the menu I prepared?
Well, that will have to wait till 2009 when No Reservations sees airtime.
In the meantime, here’s a sneak peak from passer-by Christian Anonuevo (never met before). Lucky fellow, he happened to be a the right place at the right time and took this little memento of me and Anthony doing tusok-tusok of one Manila’s most popular hawker fares.
In the spirit of hygienic sensitivity, I told AB no double dipping. He dutifully obliged.
Oh and I think he liked the palamig.
A smiling Christian.
Who would have known, Bourdain in Binondo? And I know of people who had driven all the way from Manila to Pampanga just have a glimpse of Tony!
For Christian, serendipity indeed.
Thank you Christian Anonuevo for sharing these photos and capturing this moment with your cell cam.
October 29, 2008 at 5:01 pm
im so inggit! i wanna see anthony bourdain too. i soooo love him.
will he be coming back to manila?
waaaahhh!!!
October 29, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Indeed lucky guy. I am green with envy. I hoped the show is going to be a good one. Oh I simply adore Tony Bourdain.
October 30, 2008 at 7:34 am
OH MY GOD.
October 30, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Kaye,
With food I and several other hosts served him, I hope so.
Ewok,
It better be….pray it will!
November 5, 2008 at 3:36 am
congrats ivan!
November 5, 2008 at 7:24 am
You lucky duck!
Arf! Our failed attempt haunts us!
November 5, 2008 at 9:58 am
I can’t think of a person more qualified to take Anthony Bourdain around than you, Ivan. You totally deserve the pleasure and the ensuing envy. :p I’m sure you did a knock-out job.
November 5, 2008 at 10:58 am
awww….i hope i get to see bourdain!!! where’s he going next? =)
November 5, 2008 at 11:46 am
Hi Estan, Joey and Lori,
Thanks! All in day’s WOK! Just hope the episode comes out really yummy as we all presented it. ;o)
November 5, 2008 at 6:24 pm
im soo inggit super crush ko siya nung nabasa ko sa blog ni chuvaness gus2 ko sumugod sa sofitel but im not sure if he’s still there yihhh kainis talaga.
November 5, 2008 at 9:09 pm
It’s always nice to meet a celeb. Anthony is a very opinionated chef!
November 5, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Talk about chance meetings! That guy sure was in the right place at the right time.
Hopped over from Anton’s blog and read your interview. I’m looking forward to seeing this episode. Hopefully, it’ll come out here the same time it does in the U.S. Glad you skipped the balut and went for the fishballs hehe.
November 6, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Buti pa si Harry Connick, Jr. kumain ng halo-halo at balut (on stage yang balut, ha). And he agreed, Philippine mangoes are the best in the world!
Mataas siguro blood sugar ni Bourdain.
November 7, 2008 at 6:42 am
That lucky Christian. My gulay, I’ve been looking for Bourdain eversince I heard he was here. Haaay =(
November 7, 2008 at 7:03 am
Nice you were his official guide in Binondo!
Congrats, Ivan !
November 7, 2008 at 11:36 am
travel Philippines,
Actually, a lot of people did that and I even know one person who camped out at the hotel.
Kat,
Yep, cant wait either.
Kimmi,
Who is Harry Connick?
Sidney,
Actually, not just Binondo but the Manila leg. ;o)
November 9, 2008 at 4:15 pm
i’m totally kicking myself now. i was in the exact same area (doing my rendition of a manila food tour) FIVE days after you took tony out.
perhaps it was for the best–a dignified approach is not an assurance.
incidentally, this is my first visit to your blog (been following links on tony). i hope to join one of your walks soon.
November 15, 2008 at 12:23 am
nakakatuwa, ivan! i just read about this adventure from anton’s blog. i told alvin about this latest news about you too. (he loves to watch food shows nowadays.)
November 16, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Sassymoon,
Hey, thanks for walking by! Lots of interesting things happening here… hehe ;o)
November 20, 2008 at 6:26 am
i am green with envy!! i love tony and i record all his shows
what a chance encounter for Christian. i sometimes do the walking tour of binondo with my wife but not so lucky as to do it the same day with tony 
November 21, 2008 at 2:29 pm
omg,i’m so into work and other stuff that i didn’t know about Anthony Bourdain’s visit…:( i so love him…I was even watching his episode last week where there’s this letter sender wanting to see him cook..and he went back at Les Halles in NY,he got pissed actually and walk out of the resto and went back with a chef friend.hahaha…i love him to death.:( i see my husband in him…(well a mixture of pierce brosnan and anthony bourdain…)ivan,ur so lucky…
November 21, 2008 at 2:30 pm
oh,ivan,question.is todd with him?the ever famous camera man?lol…hahaha
November 21, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Cai,
Thanks for walking by. Yes, thats Todd, the cameraman who almost provoked an internatinal incicident in Indonesia when he broke a huge set of soup displays at some restaurant. ;o)
November 22, 2008 at 6:13 am
hey ivan…no problem,actually,i’ve come across you and your site thru my sister,she’s in NZ now,she follows all your tips on great restos,food finds in manila esp. in binondo(she likes chinese stuff,feng shui,did i spell it right?oh anyways, charms and all)i’m never the artist in our family (she writes and a good photographer(pero i was the one who took AB in Comm. Arts course,weird huh?) which is why she chose to live in NZ,kung san picturesque lahat.she has a loner’s life,hahaha,kidding,i love her to death but she really has a simple life basta close to nature and food,oks na sya…everything that i know,partly i credit to her knowledge,kasi i.t. person kaya into blogging,etc.)u are really lucky to really have met AB…i envy you alot…huhuhuhu…..i tried joing Take5 sa travel and living asia,semi-finalist lang inabot ko.hahaha…continue what you’re doing,ur an inspiration,ur really “galing” kasi now people have a different perspective about our culture and food.btw,my husband (he’s american-italian) and he loves Sinigang na Hipon at Ensaladang Manga (un alamang ang gamit)…galing noh?…keep it up!more power!!!!
November 22, 2008 at 6:14 am
*joining…hehe…nagkamali po…kakahiya…
November 24, 2008 at 4:26 am
Hi Cai,
Thanks for walking by and your kind words! How can you not love Sinigang na Hipon and Ensaladang manga?? ;o)
November 27, 2008 at 9:03 am
nice to see this happened in Binondo.:) Can’t wait for the show hehehe!
February 17, 2009 at 6:35 am
Hey hey, I just saw you on TV, and the show is still airing.
Love all the food you ordered. “Coconut milk makes everything good” you said. I totally agreed.
The adobo shrimp looks so good. Gotta learn how to make it.
Bee at RasaMalaysia.com
February 18, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Hi Bee,
Thanks for walking by. Couldnt agree with you more. More so with crabs and chili!
February 21, 2009 at 4:20 pm
ivan, what’s the name of the stall which prepared your food in dampa? thanks.
February 23, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Kusina ni Aling Kadiang, too bad they didnt have a shot of the name, it was so Pinoy.
March 16, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Saw the No Reservations episode and I must say you are one lucky guy!!! I will definitely try the Dampa experience soon. I’m so touched by how much Bourdain loved Pinoy food, especially the “porky goodness” of sisig (I’m from Pampanga.) and of course, lechon (#1 in the world, baby!). More power!
April 30, 2009 at 6:09 am
I saw the film clip via Burnt Lumpia , i’m a fan of Boudains . And you did a great job showing him around . A question….where can i get the t shirt(ADOBO) ???? lol.
May 3, 2009 at 11:44 am
Hi Mark,
Thanks for walking by. Got that Adobo shirt(cheap too!) at the Robinson’s department store in Malate. Think its not out of fashion and off the racks. The brand is Portside original.
July 6, 2009 at 12:48 am
Dear Ivan,
Sorry, this is not a reply but an inquiry. I got an email from Market Man advising me to ask you the name and location of the small place that serves humongous ’siopao’, adding that it was in your segment (No Reservations) and not his.
Thank you very much and more power to you,
Steven
Vancouver B.C.
July 8, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Steven,
No, we didnt have giant siopaos for NR Phils, we had siopao but just the regular ones. There is a restaurant in Binondo (along Benavidez street called Masuki which serves whats called as Taipao, which is siopao much larger than the usual one.
Hope that helps.