Well, hand made Grissinis tend to be thicker and twisted or oddly shaped...hence they look this way =)
They turned our pretty good! After pulling the first batch from the oven, I called on to my shobe! It was to be her late night snack! hehehehe They cool quite fast so they were consumable in a few minutes after baking.
here they are, cooling on the rack...
She liked them and ate them with Philadelphia Chive and Onion cream cheese! I tried them with nutella....it reminded me of Yan-yan! hahahah
They should be kept in air tight containers to keep them crisp! As you can see, my air-tight container is a bit short...so I just repacked them in plastic sugar bags and sealed them using an impulse-sealer =)
Yes! Yes! Everybody is here at last! hahaha Unfortunately, when we looked at the display counter of food (ala canteen style) ....we were still full pa talaga--so alas...no appeal! SAYANG! But, satiety shall not lead us to defeat! We forged through and ORDERED! hahahahaha We just picked out the food that we really, really want to try...
No this is NOT the house tea..this is the house soup! for FREE =)
It tastes like the water inside the Balut!
This is what we came for! It's called the CAMARO!--like bumble bee in Transformers! hahaha It tastes like....hmmm crispy and cooked like it was marinated in a bistek tagalog sauce and then pan fried =)
Their version is not the usual muddy looking dinuguan. The blood here is coagulated in small blocks..so they are uniform in size along with the other innards =) I like muddy dinuguan better, though I am not a fan of this dish!
It's stuffed with ground pork...redolent of a Relleno actually The whole thing is then deep fried! It tastes like fried stuffed squab! It's really good =)
By then, we were all famished! The extreme breakfast we had, have already been fully digested (and some reserved in our hips, thighs and buttocks! ;phehehehheeh)
... it seems like items here are cheaper...halo-halo at Php45.00...if I am not mistaken, its around Php60-70 here in Manila.
...it's not the airy type, its the more solid with "laman" kind...crunchy and great with vinegar!
It was dense and dry..but we finished it all because we were starving! hahaha
Others had this too. There was a sign there which says: Our Palabok is Timplado na..please taste before putting PATIS! heheheh Well, something to that effect! So we followed what the sign said, but we thought it did need a dash of fish sauce =) I am no fan of Palaboks, but I think this was just so, so.
So, is it any different from its Manila rendition?---Nah! It's the same. Taste great and still has lovely fine ice, that makes it so cool and refreshing. I just noticed the macapuno strips are in strips here and more generously put as that of in Manila. Oh and the leche flan too is more gereously placed atop of this yummy treat!!!
This is the Bluberry Waffles...or as Peachy calls them...Burberry Waffles! hahahaha
A foot long hotdog, two eggs (sunny side up, over easy), slices of ham and bacon, served with toasts and wedges of oranges....and boy did Oli's eyes pop open seeing this plate served to him!!!---GOOD MORNING OLI!!!!!! =D
Well, it's actually Fish and Fries served with honey mustard sauce. The fish is battered like that of for chicken strips and the fries and thick and crisp criss-cut ones.
It's good..the baked kind with blueberry marbling inside as an added bonus =)
YUMMMMMY!!!!!! I love it! The crust is great! Crisp and cooked perfectly! It's cheesey and tomato-basilly good! hahaha ;P
Yummy too!!! It's not too loaded with seafood...heck...I don't even recall finding any seafood! hahaha I think there were shripms etc...but the crust was great...it was cheesy and the toppings were there (basta)...so it was still good =)
It's loaded with Italian saugages, peperoni, basil, tomatoes, musjrooms, other sausages...the works! A meat lovers delight!
The pizzas were all good!!! I love the Margherita best! =) I checked out the bar list...from the BAAAR-TEN-DUR....hahha...and saw that they are still cheap! ;P 
....happily waiting for our food =)
...I like bananas and raisins in savory food! This was ok but isn't the authentic Cuban version of this has no tomato sauce? ---I'm not sure. It was alright. It had ground pork with raisins in tomato sauce, sevred with some pieces of bacon (one lang ata yun), fried banana slices and an egg on garlic rice.
I've eaten at SumoSam lots and lots of times, but last night was my first time to dine at their Power Plant branch. Yup, I think it opened a few months back. It's on the expansion wing just above where Beaty Bar, Lush and Tyler shops are. Oli, Ven, Chie and I were suppose to have dinner at Serendra, but alas..it was drizzling and traffic was awful on southbound EDSA. So we decided to chill at Power Plant mall. Ven felt like having some Japanese...as for the rest of us....man, we just wanted to get food---and fast because we were starving, especially Chie ;P hehehehe. Oli thought of Sumosam...decent Japanese food and fast! hahaha It was a real good thing the place was not packed for dinner, unlike in the Shang branch where its always teeming with customers and the wait, wait ,wait part is enevitable.
..kinda like the one I had at Nanohana...a tempura stuck in the middle of a maki
Slices of pan seared sesame seed crusted Tuna beside a salad =)
...that was not ours!hahaha The waitress took this one back =)
California Maki
Beef-Ebi
....yummy! Staring at this mold ladened wedge of glory, reminded be of our food microbio class. It was the firs time I met the Roquefort cheese! I think most of us then haven't tasted this type of cheese before, and in fact had not even dared to eat it! I recall that experiment so well, where we had to isolate the Penicillium Roqueforti (the fungus that is responsible for that pungent aroma and disctinctive taste). Our professor had us buy them blue cheeses and EAT them before we used them for plating! I was willing...most were mortified by the thought of putting it in their mouth!hahaha We had crackers to go with it----I tasted it---yuck?--oh no--wait---wow! An ardent sensory mishmash=). Since then my love for cheese began =) Late, but never too late, to realize the world of cheeses there is out there pala.
... to add a little interest to it, I simmered the sauce with some pinapple juice do add a little sweetness and zing. I seasoned it well with salt and pepper and served it to my shobe..along with...
..for the salad, i just tore some iceberg lettuce and drizzled Toscana Caesar salad dressing (which I got from Santi's) and sprinkled Hormel Premium REAL -crumbled BACON BITS!
We had the Margherita Pizza
....simple tomato, basil and mozzarella toppings on an equisitely crisp crust. I love it! =) The crust was thin and crisp and delicious.
..so I took another shot! hehehehe
Mark, being the typical guy, had this beef entree...again...I forgot the name ;P
...it's like roast beef with a mushroom-gravy like sauce, served with roasted marble potatoes and beans. It was a tad bit too salty and the beef not so tender...
The Casanova Pesto Penne Pasta
It's creamy pesto on penne pasta. It's good and rich tasting. The penne is al dente =)
To cap our meal, I had to have my caffe Americano and Cha had this cafe latte..
...kinda reminded me of the cafe lattes of dome cafe =)
They offer the usual Italian dolci...zuppa ingles, gelatos (Angelati!!! ) and....
The Tiramisu
I've passed and passed Cantinetta at Rockwell many, many times and have intended to dine there time in time..but never did so.
Their bread was ok...but we wanted more because we were hungry!!! hahaha So we asked for more bread please....but to our disappointment they DECLINED our request! We were told by the waitress that they only give one round of free bread and the next basket shall be charged na!!!We all went...grabe naman bread lang ah....and Oli goes "Jen, labas ko na ba yun bread na bigay mo?" hahahahha I told him "baka may corckage pa..wag na!"hahhaah Oli was egging me to offer my bread to the Italian owner...who was there that night. Na-chicken ako and perhaps next time I might =) hehhehehe
I recall ordering this same pizza variety at Bellissimo...and this was the proper version of it! The pesto was very flavorful and was accompanied by 2 kinds of formaggio, pecorino romano and was it mozzarella? I don't remeber exactly because we had several pizzas AND...AND... while I was trying to copy the names of the food that we ordered, from the menu...because I DID want to post it properly....the waitress approached me and told me that they don't allow that. I felt like a student being reprimanded by a teacher! Was my act unethical or were they being unethical to me? --Well, the good food kept me and my friends in a good mood and we found ourselves laughing at that incident....ahahhaha I didn't really mind because its just all in the name of fun =)
This is just like the prociutto pizza, only this had arichokes, black olives and parma ham
Kelangan talaga pa-taste test sakin lahat ;P...it ws grapey all right..a bit too sweet for me =)
Yes, I am still on the Sourdough frenzy! hehehe This time, I tried to be good. Since I shall be consuming this on a regular basis and giving it to friends and loved ones...I decided to make them healthier =)
Italian restos have been blossoming left and right these days. Who doesn't love pizzas and pastas right? Well, Gwen and I definitely do! Gwen has been telling me about this new Italian resto at Sct. Castor... Bellissimo Restorante, owned by Caesar Montano. My office is just in the neighborhood, and I was quite surprised that I haven't stumbled upon this place.
The breadsticks were ok ...warm and herbed. The dips were ok too =)
Haaay..ok here I go...the pizza looks ok...the edges looked crisp...but sad to say this was a sad pizza. I think the most important part of the pizza is the CRUST! Have a gread crust and even if you have very few or simple toppings---you've got great pizza (that is my opinion) This one was undercooked! The crust was on the soft side..not even chewy...but soft...like pita bread! The pesto and cheese topping was quite alright..it was the crust that ruined the pizza.
Its fussili pasta, with tomato sauce and sausages. Oh my! A catastrophe of a pasta dish!!! As you can see, it looks nothing Italian. The taste? hay, super SOGGY pasta! I've never been served over cooked pasta like this! Grabe!!!! One bite, Gwen & I looked at eachother and talagang we were super disappointed!!! It was a sour tasting mush and the sausages were barely there. I'm sooooo sorry. Grabe sa sogginess..mushy na talaga..I swear..no exagg!!!!
When my baby sis got down for her breakfast...TADA....freshly baked sourdough....it cooled just in time for her breakfast.... I spread a lot of president butter (as she likes 'em) and topped it with some peppered lyoner from Santi's deli =)
It was nice. Philippine coffee is great! For my espresso at home, I use Figaro. I buy weekly at the branch outside our village, so that I have fresh ground beans. In the office I use The Continental Coffee...good for the drip machine. Other local brands that I like are Cordillera and Benguet Gold, they are always fresh =)
Sally had the tocilog
So cool and refreshing, despite it having only 3-halos of leche flan, sweetened bananas and macapuno
...but something was not right...we ate and we go...hmmm kulang ba ng chocolate? Parang..ma-turon lang sha ngayon.... =(
A long list of top chefs and students from Enderun, participated in this whole day eating event. We caught the meryenda session...
There are a wide array of breads...challas, baguets, rolls etc...
they look so lovely and enticing!!!
Robs & I tried Saltine's turn overs....she had the chorizo and I had the spinach
A yummy puff pastry that is an excellent snack =)
We tried the banana cream pie...
well, I mostly picked on the banans and crust! It was loaded with whipped cream and the girls loved it! As we were enjoying Chef Baba's creamy pie, we noticed that the numerous chefs and chefs to be roaming around. I said to them..."dame ng mga chefs noh? Pero you know d ba not all chefs naman are nag-aral from culinary school...like there was a time when I was watching Heny Sison's show...her guest was a chef from Lolo Dad's...he told her that he never got formal Culinary schooling and that he started out as a dishwashed there!..d ba ang galing?" and Gwen goes..."Well, sabe nga ni Ratatouille...ANYONE CAN COOK! " hahahahah You're so funny honey! :P
It's time for wedding number 3!!!! My friend Trina had the wedding ceremony at Iglesia Ni Kristo Central and the reception followed at the Gazebo Royale, in Mindanao Avenue.
I think I put way too much of my dusting mix...but I know I can always tap it off after baking to remove the excess.
So, I placed my first dough in the oven and crossed my fingers! Here is my first SOUGH DOUGH BREAD!!!! =)
The shape is not perfect and the top a bit burned at one side, so I note to rotate the next loaf I bake.
Here our all three loaves baked!!! =) YEHEY!!!! I love them, despite their imperfect shape! As you can see, I am a novice slasher...is it lame not to have a lame? I used a blade to make several delicate gashes on my loaves before baking.
Here is the bulked-up dough---so cute isn't it? =) The aroma if excellent! Using a starter does have a big difference. I've made different kinds of breads before but this has a special aroma! I hope it does taste as good as it smells!
It has a lovely yeasty aroma and a thick and creamy consistency =)
I had the Ogura Smoothie! I've long been intrigued by this red bean delight, but I've never had the chance to have it because I am always drawn to having coffee =) ...well up untill now ! I love beans! Red, white kidney, mung, yellow, cannellini and even soya?!hahaha This smoothies is really good. It's redolent of the Azuki Frap of Starbucks, sans the coffee, which I find too sweet. This was blended just right and I like the little bits of grainy Ogura.
And these are the twin towers of Coffee Jelly Parfait....for Gwen And Elaine
They love this cool concoction..well as for me...I just want 'em Jellies =) See that whipped cream cascading along the mountains of coffee ice cream?----well, that was the major barrier that hindered my spoon to scoop up a taste! heheehe But..but...Elaine was generous enough to give me a big cube of coffee jelly...that I dropped in a glass of water to rinse off the cream hahaha ---yuck ba? It was like an espresso jello-shot! =) nice hahaha
After that, we parted ways with Gwen. Elaine and I went to Sanctuario de San Antonio to hear mass---my favorite church =)
Another wonderful Sunday to finish up the week!
Thanks girls!
...one homemade and the other is commercially done! hahahaha
It was sad looking...just look at it..looking back at you, sitting on that gargantuan rectangular dish! The only thing I liked on this plate---the Cashews =) hehehhe
It was nothing like a sansrival. No wafer, no dacquoise. There was just a layer of yema like substance that did taste like Jackfruit and a layer of mushy minced nuts with something sweet and brown! hahahaha I am sorry to M Cafe...maybe there are a lot of people who really adores this, but maybe when it comes to Sansrival, we are purists...by that I mean we want it to have the nutty wafer later and expect ist oh sooo buttery and nutty. We at once thought of our Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Pistachio nut Sansrival---that was good ei! =)
Well, that was that, maybe we just didn't like their rendition of this dessert. Nevertheless, the interiors of M Cafe is definitely admirable, I like the art that adorned the walls =)
What a lovely place! Fig & Olive, is a Spanish-Mediterranean restaurant found along H.V. dela Costa in Makati. Yes, Makati. Elaine & I were supposed to catch the new movie of Mandy Moore, License to Wed, and since the movie was at 845pm, we decided to have something interesting for dinner =) We traversed the business district of Makati to look for this restaurant nouveau to us. Fortunately, despite both of us being always a-lost in the area...we found it with ease. Meant to be ah! hahahah
It's somewhat like a meatloaf of minced chicken meat mixed with nuts(like pistachios), dried fruits, ham and herbs. This was served blanketed by mushroom gravy with veggies and garlic bread on the side. A great melange of flavors! Really good galantine. I like the sweetness imparted by the dried fruit, ( in this case I think they were sultanas?) whichs cuts through the richness of the dish. 
I miss Caruso's Tiramisu =)
good and squashy =) hehehehe Served with a small pillow o bread.
