My Atchi's Birthday Dinner at Spring Deer =)

For my Atchi's birthday our family had simple family dinner to celebrate her special day. When it's a family affair...it's definitely Chinese food...denifitely seafood =) We went to Hong Kong....Spring Deer =D hehehe It's a seafood resto, located along Timog Avenue. It's just a very casual place. No fancy ambiance...just very good and fresh seafood =)

Suahe

Ah yes! This is indeed a family fave! We had a kilo ---you read it right A KILO of these uber fresh shrimps...steamed perfectly! When you eat it ...it's just but sweet succulent flesh! Soooo fresh that even if you eat it with your fingers....not a trace of seafoodie smell!

Geoduck Soup

Please forgive me..as I am absolutely unsure if that is the way this soup is called or spelled. But I can most definitely tell you what its like. It's clear soup with straw mushrooms, veggies and seafood. Very good and makes the stomach feel comfy =)

Birthday Misua

It's tradition to have noodles on one's birthday...for long life! This was very good chinese misua..with peanuts and colored quail eggs....which are normally dyed red =)

Crispy Fried Alupihan Dagat with Chilis

These are sooo good! They taste like baby lobster meat. Yummy with vinegar dip =)



Yang Chow Fried Rice


Steamed Fish

Steamed King Fish that was soooo fresh. The flesh was sooo soft and delicious!


Steamed Crabs

How can that be not good? It's so fresh that steaming is the way to go!


Fried Buchi

Fried sticky balls filled with bean paste and coated with sesame seeds =)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATCHIE!!!!!!

Brunch at The Coffee Bean

After Sal and I tried the Eggs Benedict at Bizu and was not quite so wowed by it...I told her that my good blogger friend Ruy gave me a tip to try this breakfast great at The Coffee Bean and Tea leaf.

So Sunday morning, we headed to Serendra to meet her shobe and some friends who are visiting from China, and have brunch at the Coffee Bean =)

Eggs Benedict

Sal and I liked this better than the one we had at Bizu....mainly because we feel its tastier =) Although, the egg was well cooked through...as most people would think proper eggs B should have eggs with sa runny yolk..but we liked our yolks cooked, hence, we were pleased here. Well, different strokes for different folks right?


We also share this Chocolatechip muffin

Actually, the egg ben would have been just fine for the two of us to share..but we wanted to get the coffee with free refills...so might a s well get another breakfast set =D hahaha This served as sort of our dessert. It was HUGE and moist and yummy...buy really...really satiating with that heavy on the stomach eggs ben.

Food was good and coffee was great...we were definitely filled up through the day =) I love Sunday brunchies with loads and load of coffee...and most specially..spending it with my dear Sal =)

Dinner at Bizu

It's really nice to have a laid back Saturday night out. Kirby, Lyn and I opted for just a quite dinner at Bizu Promenade.

Nice bread basket with herbed butetr and tapenade =)

Caesar Sald with Roasted Chicken

Nice and Light =)

Seafood Risotto

The arborio rice was nicely flavored by seafood broth and had a generous amount of squid and shrimps. Kirby Enjoyed this dish a lot =)

Ravioli

This was mixed ravioli with pomodoro sauce =) Very nice...though there just about 5 ravioli pieces in it =) Nonetheless, very satiating as each piece is loaded with spinach and ricotta.

Cream Cheese Brownies

For dessert, we shared this cream cheese brownie. Very dense and very yummy! It had a thin pasrty like crust underneath the cream cheese marbled brownie. Rich tasting and good with coffee.

A very relaxing and pleasant dinner with nice friends! Thanks Lyn and Kirbs!!! =)

ANG BABOY ! ! ! !

Let's have a break from the fancy schmanzy dinners and docli.

My dear friend Elaine, has NEVER had real isaw her entire life. Elpo and I have been telling her about this eating activity of ours back in college days in UP.... and we promised to take her there one day =) . I think the best isaw and fishballs can be found in UP...well....perhaps I haven't had any isaw elswhere...well except for the one's in 4 x force...but that is in a resto.

So come friday night...now where to have dinner? ... We look at eachother and as if seeing one lightbulb light up...we go UP TAYO!!! =D And so we went....

There are 2 main sites in UP for Isaw-ing ;P...one is the the lot near the Kalayaan freshman dormitory and the other...which is favored by majority of my friends...the one located near Bahay Kalinaw which has moved to the spot near the UP Arcade.

Unfortunately that night, the stall at our favorite spot was already closed because, well, they were already sold out! Galing right? So we just had the next best thing....

Innards Galore!

As they say..eat your heart out...and we did...literally and figuratively! hahaaha We had about 50 sticks of a mish-mash of pork and chicken intestines...ears...gizzards and washed them down with Mountain Dew!!! hahha As a side dish..we had crispy and crunchy..bucharon..which is like some innard-part that was deep fat fried, redolent of a chicharon bituka! hahaha

For dessert...we turned around to have dirty ice cream!!! 20 bucks for a big bad-as* waffle cone of chocolate, quezo and mangga ice cream! Elaine and I go...if we had FIC ---the three cones worth of dirty ice cream coul get us a one scooper FIC or half of Haagen Daz (meaning kulang pa pera to buy a cone! hahaha)... And needless to say, the satisfaction we got...was definitely nothing short that of if we had the more sossy varieties =)

We were definitely happy..with our bbq dinner and street treat dolci =)

Ang baboy talga...because we felt sooooo full and guilty with all the cholesterol and fat we ingested..nevertheless...minsan lang naman =)

Thanks Elainey and Elpo!!!

Trattoria Gourmet

One of the longest standing Italian restos in Shang mall is Trattoria Gourmet. I think it has been there since the mall opened...and it probably so because it serves up good ol' comfort Italian food that is reasonably priced =)

Complimentary bread with delicious garlic pesto spread =)

Pizza Margherita

Tomato, basil and cheese on a light and cripsy crust. I cannot get over loving that simple Italian trio =)

Pesto Ricotta Fettuccine

Judge by the name of this pasta...it's again simply good =)

Sometimes I like fancy..sometimes I like just good old time faves. My friend and I enjoyed our dinner here a lot...oh and may I add the service is great too =)

To cap our dinner we had dessert at UCC corinthians...my forever fave hang out...and shared this warm chocolate cake served ala mode

A simple and pleasant evening. Shopping and eating with a good friend..two of my favorite things =) hahaha

Thank you!!!

The Hand Made Oreo Cake

My good friend Louie is going back to Arizona very, very soon. There a small get together amongst his friends that evening..sort of a despedida, so I decided to bake a cake for him =)

I was out the night prior..hence no time to bake at home, plus our kitchen is under rennovation. What to do..what to do? Bake the cake in the office! I loaded up all the ingredients and untensils that I would be needing. I can only bring the bare necessities and make do with them to make my cake.

Well, before the Kitchen Aid was invented, people can make cakes right. So here I go making my cake manually =P hehehehe

I think the arms and hands are the best baking equipment we have. I feel that I have a better feel of my cake batter consistency and more control while mixing =)

Panning my chocolate cakes

cakes perfectly baked..spongy and moist =) yehey!

TADA!!!! My Chocolate Oreo Cake =)

I didn't bring a cake turn table, so I tust used a mixing bowl to mount the cake as I decorated it.

Chocolate cakes with creamy frosting sandwiched=oreos right? hehehe and I placed halved oreo cookies around the side. Maybe next time I put crushed oreo cookies on top instead of cocoa powder dust? =)

Bon Voyage dear Louie!!!

My Spoon

I am truely a local of the Tomas Morato and the area that surrounds it. I feel like I have eaten at almost every nice restos found in the area, or if I haven't the place it must be rather new or totally has given me no interest to try. Well, I am very happy to post that I have found another place love here...and that is MY SPOON =). It's funny, when the friend who invited me to dine here actually live very far from Q.C. I am fully aware of the existence of this resto and yes, I have been meaning to give it a try...but really had no chance..until that evening.

I was asked ..."Jen...do you like Oysters?" I go ..."ofcourse..I adore them..." with a smile...and my friend goes.."have you tried My Spoon?" ...I go.."No....but I I would love to!" So off we headed to this neaby resto....I have always thought their cuisine was Filipino. I don't know why I had that notion. It is situated behind Abs Cbn building...with a small facade that led to a wonderful surprise.

I was quite impressed..perhaps because I was expecting a Jerry's like ambiance with that silly thought of it as a Filipino resto. The place was nice and cozy..dimly lit but very inviting. Diners are serenaded by a singer accompanied by a cello playing nice love songs...nice =)

Please pardon my very bad pictures...the place was very dim...candle lit...so my camera had a hard time focusing and using flash just destroys everything ;P Anytips from people out there on how to take decent pics at very dimly lit places sans using flash???? hehehe help! help! help please =)

Dinner Rolls

nice sweet dinner rolls, compliments of MySpoon

Seafood Chowder

Very rich and creamy soup, with a generous mish-mash of seafood bits. Really good but just a tad bit over the top with cream.

Oysters Rockefeller
This is absolutely delicious! I love that the oysters were meaty and big, not like the kind served in Via Mare Oyster Bar (which are nowadays small and shrivelled...what's up with that? So sorry) They remain soft ans succulent underneath the well broiled through cheesey topping =) Very nice.


These are Cheese Wontons with Sweet Chili Sauce

I didn't get the cheese used in this appetizer...but these were just yummy and fun to eat. I like crispy crunchies to much on before having the main dish. The presentation was lovely as they tasted.



Crusted Lapu-Lapu Fillet with Lobster Sauce

I used flash this time..because I really want to share with you this delicious dish! A wow dish. The fish had a nice crunch from the crust that envelopes the fillet and the flesh of the fish was cooked through yes remains soft and tender. I love the lobster sauce that laced the dish.



My BakedCrusted Salmon Fillet

I again didn't get the actual name of this dish, but let me just describe to you how it was. It was Salmon fillet with a sweet potato like crust layered with tomatoes. It's delicious and rich tasting. Another WOW dish I might say =)

I was really delighted with everything we had for dinner. As if we were not full enough, we had coffee and dessert =)

I picked the Chocolate Souffle

For a light dolci. I was huge but airy..so it was a right choice. It was ok..just a bit on the eggy side.

I think this resto is great. The food selection is very interesting and a once again is definitely required.

I can't believe I have dined in this resto just now after all this time it has been there.

Better late than never right?

Thank you =)

Bawais, Authentic Vietnamese in Tagaytay

The second reason for our Tagaytay Food Trip...to eat aunthetic Vietnamese food at Bawais. Bawais, means grandmother in Vietnamese, as I have learned upon chatting with the very friendly family who runs this restaurant. The beautiful Veitnamese lady who heads the kitchen, married a Filipino and then moved to our country. This is actually their Tagaytay rest house and they go here on weekends to run the restaurant =) So nice....a family spending their weekends together cooking delicious Native food of their mom =) Sooo nice no?

When I had a vacation a Vietnam, I really, really enjoyed their cusine! They always incorporate fresh veggies in the dishes. Very flavorful, interesting and fun to eat!

Fresh Spring Rolls

Shrimps, ground meat, rice noodles and greens wrappedn in soft rice paper. Delicious and refreshing to eat! I love it =)

We had them fresh..so let's have them fried too... FRIED SRPING ROLLS

Crunchy and delicous! How can one not like that?

I didn't get the name of this appetizer =( So sorry

It's like chicken longganisa that you wrap in rice paper with rice noodles, lettuce and kechap manis like sauce. I love food wrapping...makes the dining experience fun and taste great too!


Pho Bo
Rice noodles and thinly sliced beef cooked in hot broth, topped with cilantro and spring onions. Hot and delicious. It has a clean taste.



Bung Tom

Sauteed shrimp and garlic with lettuce, cucumber and dry noodles with crushed peanuts. It's like pancit palabok but the sauce is doesn't have that shrimp taste. Light and delicious.


Bung Bo Hue

Pork and beef knuckes soup slow cooked and served with rice noodles. Very flavorful and delicious. It's like bulalo noodle soup! =) I suggest that you pre order noodle soups like this on because they really simmer the soup for quite a while, henceit takes a while before this baby comes out of the kitchen.


Our meals were pleasant and we were very pleased. We were given complimentary desserts of sticky rice and corn cooked in coconut milk. Like ginataang mais...but thicker, with almost paste like consistency.

Delicious but VERY satiating!

A visit to an authentic vietnamese resto should always come with having AUTHENTIC VIETNAMESE COFFEE =) One of my favorite and one of the best tasting coffee renditions I have had is Vietnamese style Kape =)

Served Cold....

Iced Coffee

Or hot like so..

Both are laced with condensed milk that makes that dark and old brew have a sweetish caramel like tinge! A perfect ending to a meal! A dessert on its own =)

Here is some of us with the owner at the far left (the Filipino husband) and in white in the middle...the wonderful Viet Lady...they refer to as Bawai =)

What a gastronimically satisfying weekend it was. We even saw a very, very nice place not far from Bawais which shall be the target of our next Tagaytay food adventure!

Thanks Oli, Atong, Aileen, Elaine, Peach, Matt and Sher!!!! I was a very, very fun weekend!!!!

Verbena, Country Suites Tagaytay

Now on to the main event! We came to Tagaytay that weekend for two reasons....

the first of which is to dine at VERBENA =)

It's located at the Country Suites, Discovery Tagaytay. The place is nice and cozy..very appropriate for romantic dates ;P hehehe

Multi grain Loaf

They serve a nice warm break basket with butter and tomato spread.

The bread was ok..I like the tomato spread a lot =)

Cream of Potato Soup

Good and creamy =)

Sampler Platter

A trio of Ribs, Salmon and another dish I didn't get the name of. This is Matt and Sher's order. They said it was good...but nothing spectacular.

Now this is the WOW DISH or our evening. Elaine and I shared this Bavarian Mushroom Croute

Melted Emmenthal cheese with creamy mushroom ragout topped with poached egg. Soooooo DELICIOUS!!! That sauce tastes AMAZING....we shared this with everyone and to make it go a long way...I dip the bread on the sauce to share the glory to all. A REAL WOW DISH!!!

Pan Fried Salmon Fillet

Perfectly cooked Salmon with smoked bacon, baby carrots, garlic arugula and red wine sauce. Elaine and I shared this dish...and we were very pleased indeed =)

Our Salmon was served with a siding of the CREAMIEST MASHED POTATOES ever!

Look at that! Doesn't it almost look like softened butter? hahaha Sooo good! Almost at rich and creamy like the mashed potatoes of Antonios...=)

Pan Seared Sea bass on a bed of Mashed Potatoes
This was Atong's order that was sadly over cooked! Why o why?? Sea bass..wasted. It was fried like a Tanigue. The exposed flesh of this delicate fish was seared to a crusty end. We were expected melt in you mouth sea bass...but alas....not for that evening.

This was the Caesar Salad that went with Oli and Peach's Ribs

I lost the ribs pic. It was a rack of ribs, served with fried polenta sticks. It was good and they enjoyed it alot...but now a WOW dish ;P hehehe

Over all we had a very pleasant dining experience here. Elaine and I had our WOW dinner...and the rest of us were more or less happy with what they had =)

A very nice and charming place. Oh and may I add, we just adored the toiletries in the restroom...L' occitane no less =)