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 =)
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
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
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 romatic 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 ir 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 Emmental cheese with creamy mushroom ragout topped with poached egg. Soooooo DELICIOUS!!! That sauce tastes AMAZING....we shared this with everone 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 Seabass on a bed of Mashed Potatoes
This was Atong's order that was sadly over cooked! Why o why?? Seabass..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 seabass...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 =)
BAG OF BEANS
Our first stop at Tagaytay was at Bag of Beans. I was crying out for caffeine so lucky for me my friends wanted to stop here for some brews and some sweets.
Coffee here is good and cheap! Php 100.00 for bottomless Batangas brew..NOT A BAD DEAL AT ALL!!! hahaha
We had Brownies to go with our hot cups of java
Sad to say....this was nasty =( Look at it...really made us wonder what it was actually! hahahah ;P Sorry...maybe we should have had bread with jam and butter..they looked nice as the table eside us was having it with their coffee. Next time maybe =)
Carrot Bread
This was ok..not good as dessert though...maybe as a
meryenda bread.
Well, despite the bad sweet treats we had..coffee was good and we were looking forward to our dinner anyway.
In other words...
nagpagutom kame habang kumakain?! haahah Yes..that's the way we do it! ;P
Next Door
We planned the plan and schemed the scheme! Saturday and Sunday shall be devoted to Major foodtripping in Tagaytay!
Oli, Atong, Elainey and I had brunch at Next door Noodles...by North Park, at the Metrowalk branch. Yes, I was definitely sleep deprived from the night prior's night out...with only 1 hour of sleep...I went to work early in the morning..so no breakfast..just coffee. Having soupy lunch was indeed agreat idea!
A must! Oli had the Lemonade...
...well, the menu says its a must order...and he followed! ;P (opo Oli! Opo NP! hahaha)
Fried Mantau Bread with Condensed Milk
No how good does that sound? heheehe Soooo yummy!!! It should be like dessert...but when the waiter asked us if we wanted it served already...we all went...ofcourse!!! hahahaha
Fried Wantons and Fried Noodle Soup
Oh yeah..Elaine and I are health conscious alright. We Picked the "healthiest" soup on the menu! hahaha Delicious fried noodles and wontons gave our soup that extra umph of flavore from the added fried babies swimming in our soup! We shared a bowl so makes it half deadly for us =)
Chinese Kikiam
Just a little side dish to nibble on with our soup =)
Potstickers
Like fried gyoza. It's fried so it's good =)
And last but not the least...
Chicken noodle soup
This is healthy and good..for Oli =)
Our breakfast really energized us and we moved along to Tagaytay!!!! Yehey!!!! =D
Red Lovelies.... =)
Ah....beautiful flowers again =) They can just brighten up a stressful work day. This time they are lovely red roses. ....
Made me smile...=)
San Sung Korean Restaurant
I am loving a new Korean telenovela.....Daja's Spring! I will tell you all anout it when I am through with the dvd =)
How fitting it is to have a chance to dine in an authentic Korean Restaurant....while I am in my telenovela frenzy? Very! And I was ecsatic when my friend asked me to have dinner at San Sung (or is it Sun Sang? help me who ever knows the correct name of this resto! Korean mental block here! hahaha), located at near JP Rizal and Kalayaan avenue in Makati. I am so sorry, as I am really bad with Makati streets.
Anyhoos, the place is like a Korean house...with tables with grills and there is a part of the resto where you can sit on floors...like that of in Japanese restos.
What I love about dining in Korean restos are the nice free appetizers they serve =)
And they serve quite a number of small plates here. Kimchi, pickled veggies, mini omelets, delicious potato salad etc....which all happend to be quite delicious!
I can honestly get filled up by just eating these. I tried my best not to devour them all! hehehe =)
Pajeon
I love this! It's omelet made of veggies and sqiud. Sooo yummy! It's less starchy than the rendtion of this dish at Kaya
Chapchae
It's like Korean pancit, made with yummy and gummy glass noodles.
Now this facinated me a lot.
We ordered Korean BBQ and their table grill is fired up by charcoal! I think others use gas dire grill. I think this is cool =) Makes table grilling more exciting and gives that added smokey flavor! =)
We ordered Beef Ribs and Pork
I love this..you wrapped the grilled beef and pork bbq with fresh lettuce, garlic and bean paste
like so....
and so....
and enjoy! =)
MASHINUN!
Uno Falafel
Just to share....
I am a real regular at Uno restaurant. I love the ambiance..the food..desserts and BREAD! =)
My frist time to the this appetizer....the Falafel...coarsely ground chick peas..made into little baby patties....so good. We had it with pasta and salad. Nice!!!
Lunch at Kikufiji
My first visit to Izakaya Kikufuji, I wasn't very impressed. I had dinner there with a bunch of friends and it was just ok Japanese. However, I have been hearing good things about the lunch experience here, so when my good friend Louie invited me to have lunch here, I was definitely delighted.
The placed was packed when we got there! We were seated at the sushi bar...since we were only two people and no tables were available. I think I even sa Mr. Market Man walk in...was it him? Can someone please ask if he had lunch there last week? ;p hehehe
The menu was limited dunring lunch hours...but they give a lot of freebies! =) Check it out...
Cabbage salad, Tuna, Sashimi and we asked for fresh wasabi!
I think I like fresh wasabi better as it is less potent than the prepared kind... =) I really like small plates of food to nibble on before getting into my mains =)
Bacon Asupara
Baby asparagus wrapped with bacon and grilled.....so yummy =)
Gindara Teriyaki
Perfectly grilled to a soft tender! We enjoyed this dish a lot and delicious with steamed Japanese rice (that is bottomless to boot!)
Tonkastu
This one I really liked, even the first time I tried it there. Thick pork...breaded and fried. I compliments our grilled Gindara. =)
To end our very enjoyable meal...FREE ICE CREAM OR ICED COFFEE!!! Guess what I chose? ;P
Love it! Sweet and kinda milky yet I could detect the brew is strong. Perfect ending!
Thanks Louie!!!! =)
Chelsea
Simple meals can be most pleasureable indeed! My second visit at Chelsea's with my friend and we decided to just have bread and pasta to share =)
We ordered the Sourdough loaf..which we only had half of which served..half to go....
It was served with butter and that superb roasted head of garlic spread, that accompanies their free bread..this was not free =) hehehe The sourdough was not very impressive..it tasted just like plain white bread. Mickey's sourdough is waaaay better! hahah
The Seafood Pasta
I forgot what this pasta dish is actually called...but its tomato-pesto sauce with mussels, prawns, squid and fish. This is just half a serving...so as you can see..an order is just perfect for 2 =) Really good and the seafood is fresh =)
A very satiating meal!
A Dessert Discourse
Delicious dessert is always in order..after having a great meal...its never perfect without a sweet ending.
On the look out for dolci...we went to Power Plant to scout for something to sweeten up our palate. I think its nice to look for desserts in nice restos for somethng with a bit more novelty and creativity, as opposed to just having cake at a coffeeshop or ice cream from a scooping station.
Last time I had dinner at Myron's...I didn't get the chance to have dessert...so now is the perfect time...or so we thought ;P
Mango Panna cotta
hmmm...well..it was ok but nothing great here....it's the milky kind..
Molten Chocolate Cake with Mantecado Ice Cream
This is by far.....the saddest molten cake I have ever had in my life =( I am so sorry...but its true..the cake..is like made of condensed milk...not at all molten...just gooey and not nice. Oh sadness! Even the ice cream atop didn't help much to make eating this enjoyable.
Take a closer look....
oh well...you can't win all the time =(
Crispy Pork Knuckles!!!
I can never say it enough..I LOVE MICKEY'S DELI! hahaha I have never brought anyone there who was not happy and satisfied with their food and beers =)
I think everytime I dine here. I always have the bread basket. This time I thought...why not just order an entire loaf and have it served...that way we get more bread right? Absolutely! hahah So here we picked a
whole Rye Sourdough loaf and had it warmed and sliced =)
They charge Php 15.00 for extra butter...but I was able to convince our waiter to just give it t o us for free ;P hahaha Thanks!!!! As you can see..this is a whole lot more bread than just ordering the bread basket. The bread basket costs about Php 82.00 but you get pate and d butter with that. The loaf of Sourdough Rye cost Php 105.00 and a little charm for butter =) hahaha so I think it's a better deal, specially if the people sharing food are bread lovers. They have excellent sourdough here I might add....the best I have had...apart from the ones I make! bwahahha (love your own ofcourse ;P) hahaha The sour taste is very distinctive, indicating a well developed flavor during fermentation. The Rye gave the bread a nutty earthy tone...that I really, really LIKE/LOVE! =)
We thought it was ok that we didn't have pate with our excellent bread because we had....
the PORK KNUCKLES!!!
YUMMMMMMY!!! We are in FAT HEAVEN HERE! Crispy fried pork knucles...redolent of our native Crispy Pata. The skin is UBER CRISPY AND CRUNCHY! I tell you...no bite is without a CRRRRRUNCH! hahahahah And the pork meat...still tender and flavorful. I thought to myself..hey..despite it being fried this ain't oily at all...not bad a...then
I GO POURING THE GRAVY ON THE KNUCKLES ON MY PLATE....then I thought to myself...yeah..sure..there goes the fat I was missing..right back on my plate! hahahahaha Welps...there is no escaping cholesterol here....what the hey...its mighty GOOD! hahaha
Sourdough bread and pork.....yum..yum..yum!!!!
Sharing Some Dolci =)
Cibo is indeed a fave of mine...for good ol' simple and reliable Italian food. On a nice shopping day at the mall...it's nice that you can run in to the Cibo branch there for a lottle break and for some brew and dolci!
That was exactly what I did once fine shopping day at Greenhills.
Cafe Americano
Good strong brew served with two delicate Palmiers =) A nice touch! I like delicate cookies with my brew =)
Panna cotta
A real fave of my sisters...the mango panna cotta. Simple and yummy.
My Torta
Cioccolato-Mati
I am not so sure if I got the name right. It's flourless chocolate cake with walnuts and served with a dollop of Raspberry preserve. I love the chocolate-nutty taste of the cake. The sweet-tart taste of the preserve gave each bite a nice dimension =)
A nice after shopping treat indeed!
Emperor's Dimsum
Isn't dimsum just so wonderful? I thinko so =) Small serving of various steamed/fried treats in those cute bamboo steamer things...so nice!
My first time to try Emperor's Dimsum along Wilson St. in Greenhills. How about dimsum in the wee hours of the morn? Why not! hehehe
Chicken Feet
It is very unsual that I, being chinese, don't eat chicken feet!!! Never tried and never will! Sorry to those who adore this...I have personal reasons that explains why...wana know? hmmm I don't know of I have ever mentioned this, but I have a severe phobia for birds and anything bird like...eve feather duster! hehehehe Chicken feet just reminds me too much of the whole chicken ..as it was when it was living still...which scares the living daylights out of me...so pass on this.
Pork Siomai
This I like =) Good ol' siomai..dipped in a soy sauce with a little kalamansi...or I like it too with Hoisin sauce...yummmmm ...anything with Hoisin will absolutely turn out to be delish (for me)
Siaolong Pao
Delicate siopao like babies...that had that very nice soupy surprise upon bitin onto it. How do the chinese chefs put soup in these dumplings? Well, you know how when you make broth made of beef...and as it cools turns into gel from the gelatin obtained boiling the meat and bones...well, the soup gel is the secret! This is what is placed in with the filling and once the closed and sealed dumpling is steamed...the gel turns to soup...hence...the soupy surprise! Genius! =) hahahaha
Hakaw
My favorite! Clear rice paper like wrapped shripms steamed to a soft and slightly gummy goodness. I love this with hoisin sauce and nothing else =)
Yummy yum cha!
Brunch at Bizu
I love Sunday brunches! I can never say it enough =) No matter how late I get home from a Saturday night out, I can always muster an energy to get up and go out for a great brunch=) Well, it was a special brunch Sunday at Bizu! =) I've always dreamed of having delicious Eggs Benedict...but I have unfortunately (or fortunately for my body! hehehe) had this once in my life! Can you believe? Yes! True. I have tried and failed, to have my second Eggs B. at Apartment 1B...but sadly it's closed on Sundays (why o why???) Anyhoos, my first Eggs B encounter was quite disappointing..I had it at Grams diner at Rockwell (if you may...please check out
my post on that)
I was more than excited for our brunch at Bizu. The first thing that I love about it?
FREE COFFEE WITH REFILL!!! YEHEY!!!! That had me at hello =)
The second thing to love about bizu? FREE BREAD!!!! with butter and orange marmalade!!
Now that is actually breakfast already for me!! hahahaDo I really need to order??? hahaha Ofcourse! More carbs and fat to jump start a perfect day!!! ;P
Here is the French Toast
Ah..thick slices of whote bread..soaked in eggs and milk and freid to a crisp...served with MORE butter and maple syrup! hahaha This should definitely be eaten ONCE A YEAR ONLY...maybe once in a lifetime hahaha Was it worth the calories? hmmmm ..let me think...I think it was waaaaaaaaaay too buttery....sorry for butter lovers..I
DO LOVE BUTTER...but it was just way tooo d*mn greasy for me =) Sorry...a bit lacking in taste..say needs a bit more salt and the maple syrup didn't help much...
look at that fat ladened cross-section! Will all go to the hips and thighs!
hay-ayay!!! (note:
kaya I didn't finish my half ;P hehehehe)
Now to what we came for...
EGGS BENEDICT!
There was not one..not two..but THREE (3)!
Yes...three eggs cooked over easy covering a huge slice of English muffin layered with Ham and all covred by the oozing yellow hollandaise sauce!
About 1,000 calories per serving (
NO JOKE AH!) ....was it worth it? hmmmmsad to say a NO for me =( Not as WOW tasting as I thought it would be...but WAY better that the first one I had. It's over rated I think..or maybe I have yet to try a superb rendition of this brekafast fave. Maybe next year I'll try it in another resto =) hehehehe
It was a pleasing brunch, don'tget me wrong..maybe my expectations were just too much for that morning...maybe not. But I still love dining at Bizu...love the interios...love the service.....love that I am surrounded by cakes and breads (even if I am not much of mousse cake fan)
Maybe next time..I'll just have coffee and bread with butter =) .....I am just a simple girl perhaps no?
Tokyo Cafe
There is this cute Japanese coffe shop called Tokyo Cafe. I've seen this place so many times but just haven't had the chance to dine there...untill now. It's like UCC or the defunct Kohikan at Promenade, Greenhills (which I used to love and frequent). They have very inrestesting food..like Chicken roll with cheese!!! However, we had the
Chili Scampi Pasta
I know..I am no fan of spicy food....so why have this? Well, I didn't read the name while ordering..I just pointed at the picture because it did look soooo yummy. When it was served to us...yikes!!! uber HOT!!! Nevertheless...we managed to eat it anyway..so for spicy food lovers..this is pretty good =)
Margherita Pizza
What do you know...they have pizza here..and pretty ok too. Simple but good =)
Maybe I should try their coffee and desserts if I get to visit here again.
Dinner at Le Opera
I was really excited to have dinner at Le Opera once again...my first dining experience there was great...but I didn't have camera then. This time I told my self, my post on Le Opera will be great...I will have beautiful food pictures of their wonderful food.
Here is the bread basket...served with pate, butter and salsa-ish dip
...just as I was getting excited for our orders to be served....my camera batt went dead!
=( haaayy
So..please pardon my super dim and gloomy pics..I used my phone camera here....nevertheless...the food was great!!!= )
I got to sample an array of dishes for the evening....here is the Mixed Carpaccio Plate
Mussels, squid, salmon, artichokes etc...marinated with olive oil and vinegar and sprinkled with chopped herbs....a nice start to perk up the palate for a long dinner =)
Parma Ham with Mangoes
This is really supposed to be served with melons...the traditional Italian rendition...but the waiter was most apologetic as there were no melons for the evening...so mangoes took its place. It was good....but I think better with melons =)
Risotto Ai Funghi
My favorite!!!! The best risotto I've had....creamy and perfectly cooked arborio rice! Sooo good but very satiating...so I just sampled a bit to make room for the other dishes =)
The Pizza with Parma Ham and Anchiovies
The pizza was ok..the crust was thin but not thin, thin...like medium thin =) My only problem with this pizza?---the anchovies made my mouth itch! That has never happend to me before...hmmm I don't have food allergies (that I know of)..so that made me not enjoy this pizza.
The Breaded Veal Cutlet
I don't know if we were just sooo full already when we tried this dish...I think I only had a small bite...but my fave...as I don't fany beef being breaded and deep fried ...maybe grilled veal would have been better =)
Ragu Pasta
I'm not so hot over meat sauce...but I think it was good..just like good ol' spaghetti =)
The Seafood Soup
Light and delicious =) I like
Now for the most important part of the dining experiece...dessert sampling! hahaha yes, yes...don't think I ate all of these ok? I just had like a teaspoon...er...or tablespoon..or a bit more of each! hehehe ;P
Tartufo
I adore this! The first tarrufo I fell in love with was at Antonio's Garden. This is next! Deep dark and rock hard ice cream bomb..with a nutty and cherried center--surprise! =) YUMM!!!!
Panna cotta with Balsamic Vinegar and Walnuts
I am no fan of panna cotta right...but my friend really wanted to let me have a change of heart...so I tried this one. What do you know...I had more than just a teaspoon of this. I really liked the Balsamic effect on this creamy dolci. The tangy sour taste cut through the creamyness and gives that almost smoky tinge to the dessert...and the walnuts gave a crunchy dimension to the delicately soft panna cotta =) I think this is one of the best!
Tiramisu
We have to try the classics right? This was good...but I think I was more impressed with the Cafe Carusso rendition
What a degustation dinner it was! Having a little of everything was very, very satiating and a very enjoyable experience! I love Italian food and Le Opera serves great food and has a wonderful ambiance to boot! Oh and you are serenaded while you dine...how nice is that? =) Very.
Another Creamy Surprise =)
Wow...how lucky I am to have a great doctor/chef friend. Yes..another sweet surprise came my way...this time its FLAN!!! =) Yey! Amonth creamy desserts...I do like leche flan =) I love it's smooth texture and maybe I don't see it like other creamy desserts is that the golden brown caramel on top appeals to me a lot hehehe.
This one, I can tell...is made with real vanilla beans...the flavor is just wonderful and Jeff's version is very rich, creamy and smooth. Almost like cheesecake-ish...=) Like dulce de leche cheesecake...but ofcourse lighter than cheesecake but a bit more dense than the average flan.
Thank you Jeff sooo nice of you =)
Starbucks Bagels
Meet my new fave at Starbuck's! The Bacon and Egg Multigrain Bagel Sandwhich! Sooo good and only Php 95.00! hahah They also have Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil...which tastes like pizza! hahaha =) Do try it! A great meal with coffee! yummmm
Holiday Baking #3: Red Velvet Cake
My shobe's weres smitten by Cook Book Kitchen's Scarlet Cake. I have been on the cake making mood this holiday season so I decided to make Red Velvet Cake for our new year's eve get together.
I got the recipe from the awesome
BETTER HOMES COOKBOOK given to me by my darlings Kitty and Sal for my 30th birthday =) I love it!
I preped the red velvet cake batter...but I was kind of scared putting in 1/4 c red food color in my cake! T thwarted the red color volume and just diluted with water to make up the1/4 c required....
well...my cakes turned our perfectly spongy and no cracks...lovely =) but I think reducing the food color called for made them turn faint brown as opposed to yummy muddy red....
the frosting here is made from fresh full cream milk, real butter and sugar...no powdered sugar here...and this is the cooked type =)
I cooled my cakes and frosting completely before assembling the cake. I love this part most..its fun =)
frosting the first layer...
sandwiching with 2nd cake layer
and frost all-over!!! I made swirl designs on top and combed the sids of my cake =)
Lovely!!!! =) I think this turned out pretty good. My sis and bro's in law liked it....my dad thought the cake looked too pale brown though!hahaha. I served it new year's eve after our dinner at Sheraton. Before midnight we went back to our house to watch fireworks and eat..eat ..eat...and drink...drink...drink as
2008 ushers in!!! It was a great new year's celebration.
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 =)
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 =)
These are sooo good! They taste like baby lobster meat. Yummy with vinegar dip =)
Steamed King Fish that was soooo fresh. The flesh was sooo soft and delicious!
Fried sticky balls filled with bean paste and coated with sesame seeds =)
