in-JeN-iosiTy

Rainy December Evening

2011-12-04T19:10:00.003+08:00

It feels like it has been ages since I last opened the posting part of this blog. I still have been regulary reading my favorite blogs and at times nostalgically re-read my old posts. Too lazy to write but happy to say not too lazy to read ;P! hehehehe

I wish I have had the energy to write about the nice new places I have eaten in....shared the not so pleasant experiences as well. There has been a lot of changes and developments in my personal life...mostly beautiful and wonderful, I am happy to say ^_^

I just take this time to say hello and check if there are still people who check me out. So, hello dear friends, I shall be posting more regularly next year....part of my new year's resolution ;P hehehehe

For now, let us all enjoy this cozy rainy December evening, hoping that you are having a warm delicious meal alone or with your loved ones.

I had yellow cab delivered: dear darla pizza, baked potato wedges and charlie chan pasta--yummmmm! Made more yummy by the sound of the rain pouring outside ^_^

Valentines Dinner at The Establishment

2011-02-14T15:04:00.010+08:00

Love month once again. No matter how bad the traffic gets during this Hallmark created occasion, deep down inside, all of us want to be doing something special on this day =) I guess being out on V-day reiterates in our consciousness that we are either in-love and or have a love-life =)

Well for whatever reason we are celebrating heart's day, one thing is in common...we celebrate with food!

For this year, we set our Valentines dinner on the weekend prior to Valentines, to beat the traffic on the 14Th, and we prefer to have night outs on weekends to be more relaxed. We recently discovered this new website featuring dining and other relaxation promos and got their 4-course dinner set at The Crystal Room of The Establishment.

It was our first time to dine at the Establishment, we were delighted by the ambiance, service and formality of the place...makes a perfect setting for formal or intimate dinners. However, the food did not fair as great as the place.

Php 800.00/pax 4-course Dinner with Wine

Crispy Camembert with Mixed Berries served with Warm Goat Cheese Salad

I think this was the best part of the meal. I love the contrasting textures of the cheeses and the sweet tangy salad.

Pumpkin Cappuccino

The soup was lighter than I expected it to be...was served nicely warm...tasty.

His Main Course: Pan Seared US Beef Tenderloin with Lychee Truffle Sauce

He was a bit disappointed by the portion of his entree, though the beef was nicely cooked, he didn't like the Lychee truffle sauce.

My Main Course: Hainanesse Salmon with Teriyaki Rice

The Salmon with ginger sauce was nicely cooked and flavorful, I just didn't feel the rice complimented the Salmon. I would have liked it better if they made the rice like the traditional Hainasse style, which would make the entire interpretation of the dish more elegant and refined in flavors. It tasted good, but it just struck me as rice box-ish kinda rice, sorry.

Pistachio de Lupe

The house specialty dessert. Crepes, layered with pistachios and cream...it was nice =)

Over all, we still found the experience very enjoyable. The service and ambiance was indeed wonderful. We were told that for the month of February, the guest chef is Chef Hum Uy de Baron. I have tried a private dinner by Chef Him , and was delighted by the experience, that is why I wanted to know if by being guest Chef at the Establishment, did they mean Chef Him is actually there to over-see the kitchen and prepare the courses? If so, I am truly disappointed. Or, by being guest Chef, he just designedd the dinner? Perhaps the failure could be by the execution of the in-house chef's of the establishment. I wasn't able to investigate that night..hehehe nevertheless....it was a beautiful Valentines dinner because of the person I am with =)

a surprise for me......^_^

HAPPY VALENTINES TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pamana, Tagaytay

2011-01-17T10:32:00.002+08:00

Filipino comfort food, makes for a perfect meal on a cool-crisp weather. That's what we thought when we headed for Pamana Restaurant on a recent get Tagaytay get-a-away. A great choice it turned out to be =)

Pamana is owned by the Ongpauco family, who are also responsible for the famous Barrio Fiesta restaurants.

I adored the rustic al-fresco setting of the place with a rustic Spanish-time feel to it. The menu was as interesting as the place. Spanish-Filipino treasured recipes by the family are featured.

3-ways Adobo

Chicken adobo, crispy adobo flakes and pork adobo trio. We loved each rendition. The chicken was like fried chicken with a garlicky gravy sauce, the most un-

usual adobo I have had, nonetheless delicious. They were all flavorful and delicious...with plenty of steamed rice =)

Zamboanga's Piyanggang Manok

Chicken simmered in coconut milk. I have never had this kind of dish before, but it was delightfully different. Think chicken curry sans the curry.

La Paz Batchoy

As I do not fancy bulalo, we just ordered some la paz batchoy. Piping hot, and rich tasting with all the innards, chicharon and egg noodle flavors melding together! Yum!!!

A little treasure box holding the bill...cute! =) The nice part...it was actually cheap!
Delightful Filipino food, reasonably priced with a good ambiance to boot! A comeback is a must.

Pamana Restaurant

Tagaytay City

Chef Tatung's Private Dining

2011-01-15T09:03:00.007+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL YOU FOOD LOVER'S OUT THERE!!!=)

Gosh! It feels like it has been ages since I blogged about something! I soooo missed this....because I was sooooo lazy! hahahaha

I am back and for my for my first 2011 post, I share with you our dining experience at the home of Chef Tatung.

Dinners at his place is by reservation only, and they have a changed set menu, so do call ahead to check what he has in-store for the night (the number is at the end of this post).

Freshly Baked Bread

hmmm... a bit gummy...not of my liking..sorry

Spinach Soup with Fresh Dill and Sour Cream

It would have been better with less salt and if it was hot. The dill was refreshing.

Grilled Scampi, Beets, Feta Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

I love the salad as it was very fresh and the dressing was lovely. The scampi had a nice flavor but a tad bit salt.

Two Ways Chicken: Grilled Chicken Breast and Chicken Ravioli

The chicken breast was nice. but the ravioli had some gritty bits in the filling. I like the freshness and crunch of the beans =)

Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Icing

Overall, it was a very pleasant experience. Chef Tatung is very warm to the customers and always visits each guest table to introduce the dish presented, which was very nice. Our server was very nice and cordial. You feel that they care for their food and service. I would come back still to try Chef Tatung's other menu. The food was ok, and for Php 500.00 for a set dinner, I would recommend it for a unique dining experience.

Chef Tatung's Private Dining

#17 Matipid St. Sikatuna Village

0915-8463234

=)

2010-12-22T13:47:00.001+08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND

PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me ^_^

2010-10-01T13:38:00.002+08:00

My turn to add another year in my life. Above is my 33rd birthday cake, which my bf got from Bizu! It's a SAMBA!!! =) It tastes as good as it looks! All chocolate here..rich and decadent...just the way I like it!

I am happy that I am keeping this food blog. It helps me backtrack on the year that was...how I spent a certain day in a different year....how I felt...what I ate...I can accurately get back at...check, read and get to re-live that special moment. I went 3 years back. My 30th spent in Bali and finishing the day in Malaysia...I thought was a kinda cool. I remember feeling happy where I was, yet still dreaming of that special somebody to complete me. How was I to know the following year..I would be spending my birthday with a special somebody =) That was really nice. We never know what life has in-stored for us. It is exciting, sometimes scary to wake up each day and live out the day and watch the future unfold...sometime without us realizing, the "now" we are in...is the "future" we dreamt and hoped for a couple of years back.

I am very grateful that at my 33rd, I woke up with much excitement and anticipation of the day to come...excited for what the days will bring as life continues to unfold before my eyes. I thank God above for all the blessings and love around me now.

Now, let's celebrate with good food =)

I chose Cafe Caruso for my birthday dinner. I love the place for it's sophisticated-casual ambiance and ofcourse, very good Italian food.

There was no time for bread, as our food turned up right before we were wondering why we haven't been served our bread basket.

For my birthday pasta....I chose

Spaghetti Aglio-Olio, Peperconcino e Vongole Php440.00

Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, chilly and clams. This was my half portion. I didn't get the chance to snap a photo of the whole dish because our server immediately served it on our plates. The pasta was perfectly al dente...strong garlic, clams and chili flavors. Simple and perfect.

Lapu-lapu alla Favigna Php660.00

Grilled Lapu-lapu fillet with capers and green olives sauce. Our server's recommendation. We chose mashed potatoes as our side dish, which was delicious and creamy.The Lapu-lapu was cooked very nicely. I loved the light crust with the soft and moist, yet perfectly cooked flesh. The capers and olive sauce gave the fish saltiness and complimentary flavors. What was great was that the fish was so fresh. Delicioso!

Napoletana Pizza Php590.00

The reason why we didn't care for our bread basket. Tomato, garlic, anchovies and mozzarella pizza! The crust is just divine. Crusty, chewy...I love the slightly burnt edges. Pizza at it's best. Simple yet divine. =)

After our wonderful dinner, we decided to move to another place for dessert. I chose Cafe Ysabel...I don't know why. Perhaps, in continuing with a relaxing evening...we wanted to cap the night in a not so crowded place.

I picked the Cafe Ysable Truffle Cake for my birthday dolce....

..one bite...and I wished I just opted for Tiramisu at Caruso.
...you can't win them all....but it was still a wonderful birthday dinner ^_^

Happy Birthday to me! =)

Paparazzi Birthday Dinner ^_^

2010-09-21T09:41:00.018+08:00

Time does fly! I can't believe I am posting about our birthdays again...but very happy to be doing so =)

It's the birthday of my bf....this year he chose Paparazzi, Edsa Shangrila Hotel, to celebrate his birthday. We actually celebrated his birthday in two parts: 1) family lunch at Tau Yuan...which was AMAZING...unfortunately I cannot share with you or perhaps tease you with the splendid food we had there...(not polite to take pics while hungry members of the family want to start getting food ;P hehehehe)....ahhhh but let me just have a run down of what we had....lobsters (lobsters GALORE!), salt and pepper crabs, chili crabs, steamed fish, hong ma, tofu with minced pork, tau-pe spring rolls, birthday mee, hainanese chicken and chicken rice ofcourse (mmmmmm...pure carbo love!) plus I brought yummy chocolate cake from Mrs. Risa Perez (one of Manilas best chocolate cake! ) yummmmmmmmmm...=)

2.) special dinner date for two =) ....

We love the ambiance....elegant without being stiff....very cozy...we picked the table with a half circle sofa...behind us was the grand piano....I imagined how even more perfect the night would be with a pianist serenading us through dinner....but sans that, it was yet to become a perfect night.

Starting off with the complimentary stuff....Marinated Vegetables Bruschetta

a boat of bread varieties! We likey!!!!

Oat-rye, grissini, rosemary lavosh, ciabatta, sesame seed roll and onion roll.....delicioso with the olive oil-balsamic-Parmesan dip

bread basket second helping ;P

please note we didn't ask for any...they were just so gracious and even asked us our favorite kinds and gave us plates more throughout the meal.

To start of our meal aside from the delicious breads...we had

Mozzarella Caprese Con Olio Aromatizzato E Basilico Php 450.00

Buffalo mozzarella with beefsteak tomato, aromatic oil a

and basil. They referred to the "cut" of the tomato as beefsteak heheheh ...fyi ;P It wasn't beef looking to me...but we love how creamy the fresh buffalo cheese was.

Fettucine Paglia E Fieno Con Salsa Ai Funghi Misti E Pollo Php 450.00

Spinach and egg fettuccine tossed with chicken and wild mushrooms in creamy sauce. This was absolutely delicious! We are not really fans of creamy sauces on pasta, but this was highly recommended by our server. The portion was just just and perfect with red wine.

Salmone Arrostito Con Asparagi Grigliati E Salsa Al lo Zafferano Php 850.00

Roasted king salmon with char-grilled asparagus and saffron cream sauce. The skin was nice and crisp although we would have enjoyed it more if the salmon was cooked medium, nevertheless, the creamy saffron sauce offset the done-ness of the salmon...so all went very well =)

Ravioli D' Astice Con Salsa Di Mare Php 550.00

Lobster ravioli in light seafood broth scented with Aglianico wine.....

...topped here with freshly grated parmeggiano...love the giant grater !!! =)

Delicioso!!!! =) Lobster...pasta...cheese...how can that not be good? =)

And a scoop of Limoncello Sorbeto to finish of fine dinner

A wonderful birthday dinner for a perfectly wonderful person ^_^

Happy Birthday my love! =)

Paparazzi

Edsa Shangrila Hotel,

Garden way, Ortigas Center,

Mandaluyong City

Tel# (632) 633 8888 ext. 2738 or 2739

Beringer Night at Spasso

2010-09-01T11:41:00.001+08:00

We enjoyed our first Spasso experience, so we made a come back. It was their Beringer night...10% off on all Beringer wines and Dianne Elise serenading you to boot!

Olive Oil-Balsamic-Parmesan Dip for the Rye bread

Yummy! Yummy!

Chicken Liver Tartufo Php 220.00

Our fave! It's just so rich tasting and creamy...excellent with wine and bread!

Tomato-Basil Fritata Php 195.00

Sooooooooo good! Like a pizza Margherita!

Their tapas explode with flavor...so a little goes a long way!

A great evening of savoring flavors, enjoying music and best of all conversation...a perfect weekend indulgence! ^_^

Spasso Italian Tapas and Enoteca

The Lexe Residences

4th Ave. cor. 28th St.,

Boifacio Global City

Tel# (632) 556 0070

Kebab Factory

2010-08-25T13:54:00.001+08:00

It was a day to take on once again----FOREVER 21! Ah yes! My first F21 experience was extremely EXHAUSTING! I vowed NEVER to return...but promises are made to be broken....specially by girls who love to shop like me =)

For this trip, I am with my two sisters...like good soldiers before a battle, we know we have to be properly nourished to get the energy we need....but know well enough not to fill up...as we don't want to get depressed by needing a size up because of our full bellies ;P hehehhe

Something light...something fun to eat...we chose:
Baby sis and I had a very heavy breakfast..so we just wanted snack-lite food...married sis on the other hand, had this as her first meal for the day.

Hummus Php 120.00
Well, well, the hummus ain't bad...but ain't good either hehehehe...we needed an extra order of pita for this...the bread needed a bit more toasty time.

Spinach Feta Cheese Dip Php 180.00

This was yummy! I could really taste the feta...what I didn't like was the chip-like toasted pita. This place need better Mediterranean bread! With that, this dip could have been a real delight=)

Chicken Samosa Php 150.00

Served with a side of chutney. Yummy!

Vegetable Samosa Php 150.00

This was good also..but I like the Queen's version a whole lot more =)

Lamb Kebab Php 180.00

For my married sis...something more substantial. She loved it! I wish they served it with basmati rice =)

Goulab Jammo/ Milk Balls Php 150.00

The winning dish for the day. Like spongecake soaked in spice and honey. Sister's loved it!

For added energy we went to Caramia to get scoops of our fave gelato flavors! Now we are all set for FOREVAH! hahahahha

I assure you, we burned off all those calories! =)

The Kebab Factory

2nd level The Atrium,

SM Megamall

Tel#6319648

Hunan Lutong Bahay

2010-08-24T11:24:00.000+08:00

Here we are at long last! hahaha The small apartment in Rockwell, famed for serving authentic Hunan cuisine at prices that will make our pockets happy =)

Lucky we didn't have a hard time hunting this place down...from EDSA....turn right on Estrella St. ( the road leading to the Power Plant)...count three corners then make a right, then take the first left turn...you should be on Camia St.....and look for this....

Huraaaaaaaaaaaaay! It's such a glorifying experience finding a foodie place sans the hassle of getting lost...getting famished....that sort of experience. We arrive right on time for lunch----ding! 12nn! =) When we got in the rain actually started to pour--lucky us! hehehe

At 40 bucks you can get your fill of hot steamed rice. I read food here is mighty spicy...so I suggested we go for bottomless plain rice than fried rice, to buffer the heat!

We picked....

Kung Pao Chicken Php 180.00

I have always loved the Kung pao pasta of CPK...so I was excited to have this. It was not as spicy as I thought it would be, and I am weak with spice. Perhaps this was one of the milder dishes. We were pleased...but not so wowed. Flavor-wise...it was ok.

Fried Dumplings Php 140.00

Generous indeed! About 8-10pieces of yummy fried dumplings. Now the dipping sauce it came with was HOT!---toooot! toooot! hot hahahaha...so I just asked for a plain dipping sauce...and happily devoured dumpling after dumpling with rice like so:
There are a lot of interesting items on the menu..but seemed good for a group to share. As far as what we have tried are concern, hunan house serves yummy and homey food at affordable prices and simple ambiance. We kinda expected TOOOO much that is perhaps the reason why we were not so wowed by the food.

Come here with empty stomach and simple expectations...you will definitely enjoy! =)

HUNAN LUTONG BAHAY

#6404 Camia St., Makati

Tel# 0915-4252972

Chicken at Baboy: Chic-Boy

2010-08-18T10:36:00.000+08:00

We like to have balance in our life, more so in our eating patterns ;P...so after the Italian "wine and dine" indulgence....we crave for simple, pinoy eats...so we go visit ....

Chic-Boy!

Yup, yup! Good ol' Cebu style lechon manok, liempo, inasal and a mish-mash of pinoy veggie snacks and sidings to enjoy.

Complimentary Soup

good ol' batchoy broth to whet start the meal

Garlic Kangkong Php 35.00

Chopped kangkong sauteed in garlic...topped with lots of toasted garlic! Yum!

Pancit Canton Php 45.00

Yummy and uber cheap! Topped with troasted garlic! They are quite generous with toasted garlic here...they even give it as a table condiment---very nice!

Inasal na Pecho Php 99.00

the meal comes with endless helpings of rice..ala mang inasal! I topped my rice with the toasted garlic on our table hehehe

Well, as for the taste, it;s kind of similar to mang inasal inasal...although a bit on the dry side...but tasty. We found our soon after that we picked the wrong chicken combo meal...we should have ordered the CEBU lechon manok....we got a bit confused by the combo meal codes hehehe. We each had a pecho inasal meal and with all the sidings...a bit still bitin! hahahaha ;P

So we ordered halo-halo Php 45.00

Hmmm...we didn't like the halo-halo so much....needs to be sweetened with lots of sugar...and I find the milk used of poor quality. The milk was thin an tastelkess ( wala pa rin tatalo sa Alaska! ;P hahahahha)

Our meal was uber cheap and satisfying...we need to go back for the real specialty of the house which are the CEBU lechon manok and lechon liempo...mmmmmmmmm....sounds nice =)

Chic-Boy

Chicken at Baboy

Jupiter St., Makati

Beside Legend of India

Spasso Italian Tapas Enoteca

2010-08-16T11:50:00.009+08:00

It's tapas time! Spasso is a hip Italian Tapas and Enocteca at the Fort, where one can relax and unwind enjoying delicious piccolini, vinos and music. The place is dressy-casual, patronized by the mature and ex-pat clientele. They have quiet a selection of tapas, main curses, pastas, dolci accompanied by an extensive wine collection.

Grilled Baby Octopus in Garlic and Olive Oil Php 295.00

My favorite among the tapas we ordered. Sweet, savory and delicious!

Meatball Diablo Php 230.00

Very spicy Italian meatballs.

Bruschetta Caesar Php 295.00

Tuna Caesar salad on crusty bread.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp Php 290.00

Very spicy shrimps, bell peppers and mushrooms cooked in garlic olive oil.

Chicken Liver with Truffle Cream Php 220.00

This was his favorite. Very rich tasting!

Napoletana Stuffed Peppers Php 295.00

Red and greed bell peppers stuffed with ground meat, spices and baked with mozzarella.

and to go with all of the Tapas...Rustic Rye Bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil-Balsamico and Parmigiano!

The tapas were all delicious...nothing fancy...nothing notably great tasting, but the experience is very much enjoyable. They are all very flavorful dishes, perfect to compliment your bread and wine. They have weekend bands playing after 9pm.

We will definitely be back =)

Spasso Italian Tapas and Enoteca

The Lexe Residences

4th Ave. cor. 28th St.,

Boifacio Global City

Tel# (632) 556 0070

Yujiin, San Juan

2010-07-27T01:52:00.000+08:00

Rainy days make for best times to eat! Don't you just love the rain at the backdrop while you share good food and conversation? I most definitely do =)

Looking for a place to eat sans having to fuss over traffic and parking, we decide to go to Yujiin Japanese Restaurant, along Wilson Street, San Juan. We were a bit unsure of whether do dine here or at Omakase. Both of us last visited this place, quite a long time ago, so we don't know what to expect.

The place was still ok. It had a simple and home feel.

Complimentary sweet-spicy dilis....

Miso Soup Php

Nice to warm our tummies on a rainy day.

Agedashi Tofu Php 120.00

Sashimi Moriawase Php 360.00

Fresh squid, shake, ebi, maguro and kani sashimi.

Seafood Teppanyaki Php 300.00

Shrimps, tuna, salmon and squid in steak sauce.

Over all, our food was yummy and fresh. Nothing notable, but quite enjoyable =)

Yujiin

#221 Wilson St.,

Greenhills, San Juan

Tel # (632) 727-5291/386-2028

Yen Yen Taiwan Street Food

2010-07-26T14:30:00.008+08:00

Taiwan street food ....this small eatery along Gilmore avenue shouted out. Yen Yen is a small street side resto, just about across Mien-San. Always packed with people, we check out what the fuss is all about.

Parking seems to be the initial problem, but fortunately, we were allowed to park on a muddy little space between the car sales places neighboring YenYen. One problem down, another one follows...no table! Oh no! The smile on my face after our parking triumph was about to be erased, until the nice manager went out of her way to try to talk to other customers if they would kindly share a table with us. Fortunately, billed out just about, so we had a table of our own =) Yipeee!!!! I saw a lot of "crispy" on the menu and the prices all in the two digit-1**.00----so more reason to be delighted..hehehehe

Crispy Fish Rice Php 148.00

Just one look and you know it's crispy and NOT oily! Breaded with cumin and other oriental spices...served with a heaping mound or rice and sauteed veggies. Simple and filling!

My pick: Crispy Tiger Shrimp Rice Php 148.00

Six pieces of Tiger Shrimps it says...well I doubt if they were tiger shrimps but 6 pieces of breaded shrimps can be really filling too! It has the same breading and spices as the fish (and I presume, same as with the famous pork chop). I love how all their fried food are NOT oily at all.

The texture and taste of their breaded and fried food are somewhat the same as with Ersao and Serenity (chicken chops)

Onion Cake Php 48.00

For the price, this wasn't bad at all. It just needed a bit more spring onion filling...and the crust came out kinda hard---nothing like the onion cake at Peking Garden (hehehe)---but for the price ...we won't complain. =)

We enjoyed our food....but we would opt to get take out or have delivery next time =)

Yen Yen Taiwan Street Food

#96Granada St. , Q.C.

Tel# (632) 345 3219/701 0360

Korean Night: food and more of their ice cream!!!! =P

2010-06-21T09:24:00.002+08:00

I dunno what has gotten over me. Maybe it's too much eating that's causing this streak of blog laziness....MUST SHAKE IT OFF! =) hahhaha

So I go on with my Korean ice cream adventure...

It is just but fitting to start of with proper dinner before diving into the sweet stuff. I take my sisters and brother-in-law for an impromptu Korean dinner date (may bf unfortunately was caught up with work...so I eat in his behalf...;P )

I take them to Woori Jib, Kalayaan Ave., Q.C., one our (bf & I) favorite neighborhood Korean place.

Kimbop Php 200.00 (2 rolls)

Korean maki rolls....filled with pickled veggies and pork =) YUM!!!!

Dolsot Bibimbap Php 250.00

How can that not be good?

Japchae Php 300.00

Delicious!Super tasty and generous in serving! We loved it! We also had Pajeon but somehow I forgot to take a pic...too caught up in eating =) Our food were all served fresh and piping HOT which made it taste even more delicious. We were all so full from the appetizers and our meal. I really love the family style serving portions, simplicity and taste of the food.

Complimentary:MAGIC TOWEL

A little entertainment before you sanitize your hands.....just drop some water on the white pellets....and watch it grown tall into a rolled up anti-bactirial moistened hand towel =) GENIUS!

Complimentary Iced Coffee

Delicious and free! Tastes like the free iced coffee at Kikufuji =)

Now for the frozen goodies.....

This was like our local pinipig crunch, pimped .....
.......with a hard chocolate core!-----Awesome!!! =) hahahha
This one is my personal fave......
Chocolate ice cream sandwiched by two slices of chocolate sponge cake! Like a frozen choco-misu ^_^ heaven in bar....I wish I knew how to call it....*sigh.....
This one is like a relative of the fish ice cream on my previous post....
BUT IT'S SHAPED LIKE A FLOWER----------------soooooooooooooooo pretty! =)
Love at first bite!.....Flower shaped wafer enveloping vanilla ice cream with a layer of mochi and sweet red bean paste..........................
You have the wafer...you have the creamy ice cream...chewy mochi...gooey red bean....^_^

Did we have a great dinner?

You tell me =)

Woori Jib Korean Restaurant

Kalayaan Ave., the building a little after

Adarna Food and Culture

Korean Fish Ice Cream ^_^

2010-06-09T14:07:00.004+08:00

I have been a lazy blogger....bad...bad me. I have been eating and not sharing ...tsk!tsk!tsk!

So let me share with you a lazy-mini post on a delicious treat that we have discovered.
Go stop over the next Korean grocery you see....head straight to the horizontal freezer...and fish out a pack...(or maybe 6) of this DELICIOUS FISHED SHAPED ICE CREAM!!~!! Yummmm! Yumm!!!! Prices depend on the grocery you stumble upon...from php35-50 a piece...we got this for php35 =) The fish shaped exterior is like wafer-like...more on the taste of your sugar ice cream cones....inside is vanilla ice cream with a nice thick layer of mashed sweet red beans!!!

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So many yummy Korean icy goodies I saw...will update you on our next Korean freezer rummaging-capade!

^_^

P.S.

sorry for the shameful pics....I was in a hurry to sink my teeth into :P hehehe

1950's Pan De Amerikana

2010-05-24T10:47:00.014+08:00

I think it has been a year now since we have planned to go to 1950's Pan de Amerikana. For our Sunday lunch, we decided to trek the Marikina path and search for this unique place.

I am happy that I called ahead of time to get instructions going there, and remembered every detail of the landmarks and turns to take. We managed to get there without breaking a sweat! Yay!!!!

Here we are..................PAN DE AMERIKANA at long last!!!! =)

The famous WINDMILL....

It was another SCORCHING HOT DAY....but we were in a very light and happy mood inspite our skin being burned as we went down the car and got inside. The place was charming! A rustic bakery with eclectic decor. I was really amused looking around and smelling the wonderful aroma of the bread baking in the pugon. The only set back?---it was utterly HOT INSIDE!!! We spent a couple of minutes looking for a cooler spot in the place.

What will keep your cool are the prices of the food!!!! UBER CHEAP!!!! The portion sizes are small...but just enough so that two people may share a variety of orders. This made it fun for use because we always find ourselves limited with one or two dishes, when we dine in restos who serve with regular or bigger portions.

Bicol Laing (Php 25.00)

Yes you read that right! 25 BUCKS for this yummy laing. For us, this portion is just right because we don't really eat laing by the mounds, since it is packed with rich flavor! Great with plenty of rice...this plate of taro leaves, cooked in rich coconut milk will go a veeeery long way =)

Beef Tendeloin (Php120.00)

Perhaps one of the VERY FEW dishes priced over a hundred. Thin sliced beef tenderloin with gravy and rice. He enjoyed it even if the beef was uber thin and the portion quite small. It was ok since we had other dishes to enjoy.

Crispy Tawilis (Php 30.00)

Yummy, crispy fried Tawilis, with the unbeatable price of 30 bucks, a real winner =)! Delicious doused with vinegar and accompanied by the laing with heaping spoonfuls of rice.

Bicol Express (Php 30.00)

HOT and rich tasting. Too hot for me, delicious for him =) Simple, yummy and again, CHEAP!

Everlasting (Php 35.00)

Like pinoy meatloaf. Very tasty and I had to have it with....

....Pan de Amerikana PAN DE SAL (Php 5.00)

HUGE! SOFT! WHOLE WHEAT PAN DE SAL baked in a pugon---absolutely divine! =) I love it with the everlasting. He look home a leanerra (an oval tin where our traditional leche flan is cooked) of everlasting which costs Php 120.00 and I got me a bag of those soft, hot babies (pan de sal) =)

We left the place sweaty yet utterly happy with our meal and the goodies we brought home, not to mention with wallets a-smile. We will definitely come back, but better on a cooler day, whenever that may happen---we hope it happens soon! Perhaps if you can't wait to try it now, do it very late afternoons or in the evening (though I think they close up early).

Pan de Amerikana Marikina...hot and delicious experience! =)

Pan de Amerikana, Marikina

near World of Butterflies,

Gen. Ordones St., SS Village,

Concepcion 2, Marikina

call them for directions: (632) 934-0667/

(632) 475-2398

coming from Marcos Highway, turn left at Masinag Market, then right at DURAWOOD hardware (which is infront of the first PETRON station you will see on your left)---this is GEN. ORDONES ST., go along this path until you hit a dead end and turn to the left, going down...then keep your eyes opened for e huge WINDMILL that will appear on your left =) Hope you make it!

C2 Power Plant Mall

2010-05-17T15:39:00.007+08:00

It's our first time at C2 Powerplant mall. I have frequented it's Shang branch, and used to love it! The menu has been changed, I see...and I was so excited to see that they have embraced my favorite MALUNGGAY!!! =)

I cook malunggay rice daily. Learning about how nutri-packed the lowly Moringga Olifera is, I ditched my multi-vitamin caps and switched to a cup of malunggay cooked with my rice for office lunch. Oh yeah...I really take time to cook my rice before leaving for the office, even if my family complains with the smell! hehehehe They don't like the grassy aroma coming from steaming my rice! ;P

Anyhoos...back to C2---this is why I was so happy that I can enjoy my maluggay rice even if we are dining out!

Malunggay Rice Php 150.00

Garlic sauteed rice with malunggay pesto. It's a more subtle tasting garlic-malunggay rice that I think is more acceptable to more people than my grassy steamed version ;P We liked it, although we thought it needed more salt and for me, more moringa flava! =) Nonetheless, eating spoonfuls and spoonfuls of this rice felt virtuous, knowing we are doing our bodies alot of good...hence, we wipe out the bowl ;P hahahahaha

And ofcourse we did not clean up the Moringa rice in solitaire...no, no...we paired it up with fittingly healthy choices...

Crispy Tawilis Php 225.00

Fish fingerlings battered and deep-fried, then drizzled with sweet-soy glaze. These delicacies from Taal lake, Batangas were a real treat! We loved every crispy fish-ling dipped in the sweet-soy sauce, that was served on the side, rather than drizzled as described.

Lumpiang Hubad Php 125.00

Thick cut fresh vegetables, sauteed and cooked with the lumpia sauce. The Wrapper was fried and crunched to bits, served along side. We loved the freshness and lightness of this dish. It doesn't taste like the traditional lumpiang ubod that I adore, but this rendition had a nice and filling twist to the classic dish.

After our meal, we felt full, yet we still felt good =) Service was excellent too and I love the classy-casual ambiance, even if we were inside the mall. We will definitely come back here!

Since we have been oh so good with our food choices, we treated ourselves to a nice strawberry sorbeto at Pazzo =)

Strawberry Sorbet Php 85.00

Refreshing and yummy!

C2 Classic Cuisine

2/F Archaeology Wing,

Power Plant Mall

Rockwell Drive cor., Estrella St., Makati City

Tel# (632) 897-8113

Pazzo

1st level Power Plant Mall

Rockwell Drive cor., Estrella St., Makati City

Tel#(632) 756-5011

Rocksalt

2010-04-30T09:05:00.018+08:00

It's my dear Sally's birthday once again! We had a dinner celebration at Rocksalt, Timog.

I have never been intrigued by Rocksalt, primarily because of the bland looking exterior and signage of the place. As I found out, it is run by Global Academy (by Chef Rob Pengson)---school cum casual-fine dining restaurant. I got excited! hehehe =)

The main dining area is located at the second floor. The interior is bright, quiet and casual.

Angry Shrimp Cakes Php 165.00

Crispy shrimp cakes with green papaya and mango salad, lime cream and sweet chili sauce. We love this! The shrimp bits were chunky, giving a nice texture to the cake.

Chips & Chorizo Php 250.00

House made potato chips, smothered with crispy chorizo bits with cilantro-tomato salsa and smoked paprika cheese sauce. The house chips were great! Thin and crisp potato chips made yummy with the cheese sauce. I didn't get any smoked paprika taste though. We all go..."OMG hindi natin ito mauubos (we wont be able to finish all of this)..." because we all ordered individual entrees. Well...we under-estimated our appetites! hehehehe ;P

Crispy Tequila Calamari Php 125.00

Deep fried squid seasoned with Tequila salt and served with mango salsa. Another winner! For only Php 125.00...this dish is a steal! The squid pieces were big and they were able to maintain the tenderness after being fried. No tequila salt taste what so ever here...but yummy still..wiped out also! hehehe ;P

Let's have a closer look at the huge calamari strips....yum! yum! yum!!!!

Girls will girls. We like to share our entrees so we can all taste every dish!

Moroccan Spiced Fish Php 280.00

Chermula spiced dory fillet, pan seared with a warm potato salad. I didn't like how the fish was cooked. It was pinkish at the center where the chermula spices were stuffed. I don't think dory should be cooked rare =( The fish was bland tasting. A boring dish with an interesting name. Sorry.

Crispy Pork Callos Php 390.00

Twice cooked pork belly on traditional callos served with rice pillaf. This perked up everyone's curiosity! Crispy bagnet-ish pork resting on a bed of callos---how devilishly delicious sounding! hehehehe How does this dish fair? hmmm it was flavorful but the pork belly had a pork-y taste! hehehe I don't know how to put that into words...but it had this pork gamey-ness that was not so nice. The callos part was good though =)

Rice Pilaf

This came with the callos-pork entree...we ordered an extra bowl others (like me) who likes to rice-up with their meals ;P hehehe I liked that the rice was fragrant and fluffy =)

Pan Fried Chicken Php 375.00

Pan roasted half chicken, marinated in rosemary and garlic on whipped sweet potatoes, with chorizo-mushroom stew and grilled asparagus. Like fried chicken with mushroom gravy! It was tasty...but I don't particularly like how the sweet potato mash was drowned in the stew sauce. Maybe it would have been better if they served the sweet potato mash on the side.

House Special: Gamberetti Pasta ~ Php 250.00 or 230.00 (not sure because price was on the special board ;P hehehe)

Oh...I might get crucified by all my not so nice comments, but I have to be all honest...this dish was absolutely tasteless! =( For a placed named ROCKSALT---this dish BADLY NEEDED SOME! Or maybe we should have asked for some??? Dry and tasteless.

Pan Seared Salmon Php 330.00

Lightly smoked salmon fillet, crusted with apples and bacon served with sweet potato mash in a shrimp dill cream sauce. This was my order. I was generally pleased with my choice, specially after tasting the other entrees. There was no light smoke taste on my salmon...and it's only now that I realize the crust on my fish was made of apples and bacon (I didn't read the description when I ordered---heheheh too excited to get to the eating part ;P ) It was generally a pleasant tasting and the salmon fillet was cooked nicely.

Over all, I would say that the best part of our meal was the appetizers part! The entrees were all nice enough to eat..but I must comment that the descriptions were kind of mis-leading. They tend to promise all sorts of flavors and tastes with each dish but fail to deliver. So sorry to the chefs/students who work there =( . Nevertheless, the serving portions were generous and the service was very good. Oh one more thing we didn't appreciate was the fact that we told them it was a birthday dinner celebration...no reaction or act of generosity from the kitchen! I go, even at Burgoo, Italianni's or Alex III would give a small piece of cake or a scoop of ice cream..or perhaps a song. For all the food and price of our orders, we expected a little bit of perk. Please don't get me wrong, we had a great time having dinner here...catching up...chatting...tasting the food....criticizing..hehehe all part of the fun!

I hope they improve the quality of the food because the place is quite promising. I would suggest that they have a close monitoring of the quality of the food coming out of the kitchen.

Rocksalt

Unit 7&8 Timog Comercial Complex,

Timog Ave. cor. Panay Ave., Q.C.

(along BPI, Savory, Pixie's, Razon's etc.)

Tel# (632) 215 0761/ 0917 5360809

NYPD PIZZA

2010-04-28T09:58:00.010+08:00

Craving for pizzas, mozzarella sticks and buffalo wings....when trying to think of an Italian resto in Tomas Morato...or a nice cozy pizza place....something like a whole in the wall Italian pizzeria...we just couldn't come up with one good place.

We thought of trying something new, NYPD pizza (New York Pizza Depot), despite the fact of not being an Italian pizza place...it seemed comfortable enough for a chatting evening..and oh...we were famished already...no time to be uber ideal and picky! hehehe ;P

NYPD is located at the upper ground level of CTTM bldg, where the famous Tony and Jackie Korean Salon in Quezon City, can be located. Upon arriving, the place was barren, but we were not turned off because the staff were most welcoming. We appreciated that and settled in.

We were happy to find the menu, carrying our cravings, only the mozzarella sticks was out of stock then. The price range seemed reasonable enough so go! Go! Go! =)

Buffalo Chicken Wings Php150.00 (6pcs)

The buffalo wings here is more of spicy fried chicken wings...but good spicy chicken wings. I would suggest that one should go straight to Buffalo Wing's and Things for the real deal. NYPD's version is very lightly coated with chili sauce...but we can say that the are flavorful, crispy and enjoyable to eat.

Calamares Php 175.00

I think among all our orders (yes...we have orderS ;P hehehhehe please read along), this seemed to be most pricey because there were just a few rings or calamari. They were not as crispy as the wings, but...but...the squid rings were meaty..the breading not too thick and well spiced.

NYPD Blue Pizza 10" Php 175.00

Blue cheese, Mozzarella, Chili and Chicken. This was pretty good. We could taste the sharpness of the pungent blue cheese. Mildly spicy with a chewy medium thin crust.

Garlic Tomato Pasta Php 170.00

This was simple yet flavorful. The tomatoes were barely there, but you will definitely smell and taste the garlic!c=)

Over all, we were pleased with NYPD. Nothing exceptional about the food, but all were pleasing to the palate and enjoyable to eat. A place worth visiting again.

NYPD PIZZA

U/G Level CTTM Square Bldg.,

Timog cor. Tomas Morato

(beside David's Tea House; same bldg.

where Toni & Jackie Korean Salon)

Tel# (632) 467 4826

Craving for Bubbles and Bibimbop!

2010-04-20T11:49:00.014+08:00

It's so HOT! HOT! HOT! We have been cooling down with halo-halo's, guinomis and mais con hielos the past month, so we thought of having something new....how about pear milk teas? They are light, refreshing and have minimal or no caffeine---perfect!

Bubble Tea

We have tried Bubble tea before. I think I had a Taro milk tea and found it tooo sweet! This time I asked for 50% less sugar and had Match Milk =)

Take a peek at the new branch in Tomas Morato...the place is a nice refreshing white and green.

Matcha Milk Tea with Bubbles Php 115.00 (regular)

I absolutely love it! Cutting the sugar by 50% makes the sweetness just PERFECT for my taste. We loved the varying sizes of the uber soft and chewy bubbles. I think bubble tea pearls are THE BEST IN TEXTURE!!!!

Vegetable Sandwich (~Php 185.00)

He ordered this grilled veggie sandwich which took FOREVER to arrive. They were in dry run, so we were patient and understanding. The sandwich was tasty and loaded with veggies and mushrooms. I didn't get to note the actual name and exact price...but I think I am about right.

Serenitea

We have been getting lucky with newly opened tea places. This Senenitea branch is also quite new in the Aguirre Strip.

I grabbed a bag of this interesting tofu stick snacks placed at the counter. I love tofu anything =)

Tofu Sticks-Pizza Flavored Php 35.00

They were yummy! I likey! Crispy and crunchy---like breadsticks. I asked if they were really JUST TOFU STICKS and not bread...they said yes....SO HA! Very safe to indulge in. I wanna get the garlic flavor on my next visit.

Now for the Teas...

I got the Okinawa QQ Php 85.00 and he chose the Hokkaido Milk Tea Php 85.00

QQ means with pearls (black sago) and crystals (nata de coco). You may also opt to have bricks, which are coffee jelly cubes. For each order of milk tea, you can have 2 of either pearl, crystals or bricks. They charge extra for the 3rd add on should you choose to have so. I love the Okinawa blend. It has a stronger black tea flavor than the Hokkaido Milk, which had a coco-nutty taste.

In our opinion, the bubbles at Bubble Tea is better but for the price and over-all taste...well Serenitea has very good value for the buck! =)

After all the bubble tea talk, we go on back to KAYA Korean Restaurant. One of the not so authentic Korean Restos...but it can be conveniently found within malls.

I was with my sisters, taking our nephew for a spin at the Kids Station and Gymboree. I meant to take them to my favorite San Sung Korean Restaurant in Kalayaan, but my nephew fell asleep at Gymboree (awwwwwwwwwwwww---must have gotten tired from all the playing), so we decided to just eat at Kaya.
The craving was for Dolsot Bibimbap...and good thing they dished them out quite nicely here.

Dolsot Bibimbap Php 205.00

This was quite cheaper than the average g prices at Korean Houses. Their version was quite authentic tasting too!

We wiped out two servings .....
plus...

Japchae Php 160.00

I was shocked at the miniscule portion size. Now I know why it's only Php 160.00. Nevertheless, it was very tasty, so it wasn't that disappointing.

Mandou Php 135.00 (5pcs)

This was more pricey than in Korean Houses, being only 5pieces. They were tasty too...so it was ok =)

We wiped everything out so no complains hehehe.

For Korean food craving, I would definitely recommend going to authentic Korean restos. Nothing beats those FREEBIE plates of appetizers...even if the price range is steeper...the portions are bigger and YOU GET FREE KOREAN APPETIZERS (oooh, I mentioned that already ;P )

Oh one more not so nice thing about dining at Kaya...you pay for those korean appetizers =(

*me likes FREE APPETIZERS ;P hehehhe

Bubble Tea

Newly Opened branch in Tomas Morato,

beside Alfredo's Steak House

Serenitea

#268 Aguirre Ave., Phase 3

BF Homes Paranaque

Tel# (632) 794 3288

Kaya

Rockwell Center Branch

Level P-1, Poweplant Mall

Amapola cor. Estrella St., Makati City

Tel# (632) 898 0934-35

Ramen Tei and Refreshing Desserts

2010-04-13T14:04:00.010+08:00

IT'S SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOT! Do you believe that a way to feel cooler is to take a warm bath or eat warm food? Sounds crazy but it's worth a try.

We went to Ramen Tei, at Ortigas Home Depot:

He chose the Kimchi Ramen Php 225.00 regular/Php170.00 snack size

Ramen noodles with kimchi, pork and bean sprouts. He loved how the broth is spicy like korean kimchi soup...gave a good sweat! hehehehe Maybe that help lower the body temperature right?

I chose the Wakame Ramen Php205.00 regular/ Php155.00 snack size

Mine was ramen noodles with shoyu sauce broth, with lobe leaf seaweed with gave the soup a fresh grassy flavor =)

To go with out noodle soups, we had Kakiage Php 135.00

I love Kakiage. Theirs had lots of shrimp and squid too...so it's more of a seafood-veggie fry. It was yummy but we wished it was fried crispier---if it had been crispier...it would have been awesome. It was ok since the veggie variety was nice and it wal loaded with shrimps and squid. I had all the shrimps--yay.

We loved out meal, but just dreamed of a crunchier furai....=)

Now some cool things to have....

Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt....

Mini Peanut Butter Fro-Yo Php 85.00

It was light and yummy =)

Our favorite Via Mare, we tried their new flavored Guinomis...

Buco Pandan Guinomis Php 85.00

Ube Guinomis Php 85.00

They were both good, but I found the flavor of gelatine too artificial tasting. I would go for the regular guinomis anytime, but these babies are worth the adventure =)

Anything to cool down...anything as an excuse to eat more ;P hahahaha

Ramen Tei

Unit 177Bldg. D.,

Ortigas Home Depot Complex,

Julia Vargas St. Pasig

Tel# (632) 706-5930

Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt

ground floor Edsa Shangrila Mall

Cafe Via Mare

#190 Tomas Morato cor. Sct. Gandia St.,

Q.C.

Tel# (632) 416-1355

Weekend Eating: Tagaytay Foodtripping and Heat Buffet

2010-03-24T10:17:00.006+08:00

This weekend was spent with LOTS OF EATING!!! So you can conclude that I am very happy as I write this entry =)

Last Saturday was spent in an all-girls retreat to Tagaytay! The last time I have been to a retreat was way back in high school, and so I asked my dear darling BF if I could go and join the girls....he of course understood (thank you sooo much!).

The day started bright and early...meeting time was at 6am at Krispy Kreme Greenhills. My two girlfriends and I thought oh "matagl na intayan pa yan" because we were all 40 girls participating in the event. When we arrived at Kirspy Kreme, we saw our group leader and other member and no other people there...we go "let's have coffee first" wala pa naman yun others. Only when our leader informed us that every team car has already left, that we felt a teensy need to rush. She told us that we will just drive through krispy kreme to get the doughnuts provided by the organizers...so we go YAY! Our leader gave our ticket to the drive through and the server handed her A BOX and a bag of doughnuts, bottles of mineral water and an envelope. As we passed out water and doughnuts around, we opened the envelope and inside were golden tickets with instructions and riddles leading us to our BREAKFAST DESTINATION!!! SOOO COOL! =) We all got excited ...and then..panic!---WE HAVE TO MOVE OUR ARS*S ;p HEHEHE

Our first task was to go to Petron SLEX give out the extra doughnuts to random individuals who looks like would need some love for the day. Take a picture with them and look for a silver vios with plate number "chocolate". Rush! Rush! Rush! When we got to Petron, we accomplished our tasks and got our next envelope with our tickets and riddles to reach our destination. Solving all the riddles, we knew we had to take a pic of pineapples, a signage "JC Cares Pest Control", the "NUVALI" signage, Ming's Garden and an Angel statue!!! It was one of the most fun and energized trip going up Tagaytay! We managed to find all of them and reached or first foodie destination:

MOON GARDEN:

The place was lovely! Most of the other girls were already relaxing and have mugs of coffee in their hands. We were delighted by the place. It was refreshing to be there...surrounded by greens and flowers.

Breakfast Buffet was set. There were baskets of homemade wholewheat bread, served with sweet butter and pineapple jam.

The buffet comprised of eggs with a variety of things:

Smoked Salmon Eggs

Crispy Pork Adobo Flakes with Eggs

Grilled Eggplants with Eggs

There was a bowl of Garlic Rice and Pitchers of Dalandan juice to go with our breakfast as well. We had time to relax and had group sharing and reflection activities.

Moving on to our lunch destination, we went to ......

CHATEAU HESTIA:

A lovely garden path led us to the dining area, and we were to have our lunch at the second floor dining area. It was lovely also...and had a very refreshing ambiance.

Lunch Buffet was served :

Fresh Garden Salad

Pumpkin Soup

Chicken Ballotine and Fish Fillet with Mango Salsa with a side of Mashed Potatoes and Veggies

Mango with Vanilla Cream

Plate of Chocnut, Flat Tops and Candies =)

After our yummy lunch, we had collage making activities, group sharing and discussions. Fun, enlightening and relaxing =)

We then set off to our final food destination...

T-HOUSE

We had sit down dinner this time, for a more intimate with our friends.

California Maki

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Seafood Pesto Pasta

Grilled Lamb Chop with Mashed Potatoes

Bagnet Pakbet

Chocolate Fondue

Our dinner was set at the second floor of the T House dining area. The Tagaytay night breeze was cool....the ambiance was lovely =)

The whole experience was indeed soothing for the mind, body and soul. Thanks to the wonderful girls I was with ^_^

I was so excited the following Sunday to be with my boyfriend and share with him the wonderful experience I had in Tagaytay =) How perfect the day was to have buffet at HEAT to go with all that story telling!

Sushis and Makis

Filipino Faves

More Japanes for us please...

Lamb with Mint Sauce, Seabass, Veggies and Breads

My Chinese Food Plate =)

Halo-Halo

Churros, Bibinka and Palitaw

Oh, all of the plates are MINE! =D Although, I did miss out my Italian plate...I managed to finish them all ah! I guess all the story telling worked up my appetite! Get food---eat--tell story---get more food---more eating---more story telling =) hahaha Shopping time at Power plant was the perfect activity after all that eating to burn some of what we ate ;P

Going home...we see this..............
^_^ A perfect weekend.

Weekend Eating...Everywhere! =)

2010-03-15T12:41:00.013+08:00

Weekends are made for luxurious eating indeed! I generally like eating more during weekends than weekdays, for the sole purpose that I can take time to enjoy the food, without worries of the next thing in-line on the daily agenda. With that I mean, since work is somewhat light to almost non-existent on these days =)

Back track on the weekend eating that was:

Buffalo Wings & Things Re-Visit

We like the simple and reliable food that Buffalo Wings and Things have to offer. For this visit, we tried other food in the menu, which some I ended up liking more than the house specialty wings =)

Ultimate Steak Burrito Php 175.00

This was for him. It was nice and tasty, but lacked the Mexican something-something that we like in a burrito. I suspect it needed more beans =)

NY Dirty Rice ~Php 50-60.00 (please check =))

More often than not, I tend to look for rice or some form of carbs to go with fried food. The only kind of rice they serve here is DIRTY----not dirty in a filthy way, but dirty in a tasty and may I say REALLY spicy way!~Way to spicy for my heat-weak palate, but naturally--he LOVED IT! It was rice mixed with chili and salsa.

Mini Chili Cheese Burgers Php 155.00 (please check again=))

Mini burgers of chili-cheese burgers.

Fish & Fries Php 195.00

My fave here at last! Fish and fries. One of the best fish and chips in my book. I love how it is always CRISPY (note the word always---for we have had this quite a number of times already!hehehe) I love how it is always served piping hot---spicy yet delightful to my taste buds--and generous in servings! It's not the beer-battered kind..just battered and fried to a lovely golden crisp. C is for CRISPY! That's always good for me =D I likey---I crave for it as I write this paragraph.....aaaaaaaaaaahhh...*droools ;P hehehehe

Pasto Revisited

For our light selections....

Pomodoro Basilico Pasta Php 195.00

We love the light tomato sauce, freshened by chopped basil leaves...topped with a molted slice of ricotta cheese =)

Gamberetti & Asparagus-Parma Ham Pizza Php Php 255.00

On my side, lightly spicy shrimps with caramelized onions....on his side baby asparagus with parma (that was not so parma hehehe) ham. Both were delicioso!!!

And to cool down....

Crisostomo's By Chef Florable Co

Halo-Halo ni Crisostomo Php 85.00

Made of Ube, Leche Flan, Sweetened saba bananas, gulaman and Quezo. I was a bit disappointed because they were out of UBE that day =( They also served the leche flan..SEPARATELY, because they forgot to put it ON the halo-halo. The saving grace was the fact that the leche flan was absolutely delicious! Creamy, smooth with a light hint of lime to cut through the rich taste.

Milky Way

Halo-Halo Php 95.00

It was refreshing..but you just have to add tablespoons and tablespoons of sugar to it because it tasted as if the individual "halo" was not sweetened enough...or at all ;P

Buffalo Wings & Things

Aguirre St., BF Homes,

Paranaque

Tel# (632) 703 4867

Pasto

2/F Greenhills, Theatremall

Tel# (632)722 4992/(632)722 5006

Crisostomo's by Chef Florabel Co

2/F Eastwood Mall Veranda,

Eastwood City, Libis, Q.C.

Tel# (632) 710 1693

Milky Way

Ground Level VMall,

Greenhills Shopping Center,

Greenhills San Juan

Tel# (632) 726 5541

Classic Savory, Greenhills

2010-03-10T10:44:00.006+08:00

Is it "Sa-y-VORY"? or "SAA-vory"? However way you opt to pronounce it, we mean only one thing, those crispy Chinese style fried chicken, which most of us (I refer to adults and young adults) have known since we were kids---hey they have been in business since 1950! hehehe

With all the new players in the "fried chicken" industry, we have definitely missed eating here and so we decided to try it's branch located at the second floor of the Greenhills Theatremal, where Dulcinea used to be (awww---I used to love having breakfast at Dulcinea...I love the churros there----where did it go? Why leave Theatremall?---let's put this in another post! hehehe) Anhyhoos, as I have mentioned, it has been years since I last had Savory Chicken...how is it after all these years?

We got tempted by the good for two combo meals...1/2 Savory Chicken with various combinations of their other...because we like to have a little of several dishes when we eat. Since we were not particularly hungry that time...we gave it a go!

Savory Chicken Combo C4 Php 385.00

This set meal good for two (2) persons, include: 1/2 Savory Chicken, Pancit Canton, Salt & Pepper Squid, 2 cups rice, Special Turon and Tropical cooler drinks. We pancit and squid portions were kinda small, but they did taste pretty ok =) Perhaps we can have an entire order of both next time. The chicken was delicious...just they way I remebered it, althought the gravy was a bit watered-down. The turon was awful---the saba inside were tough and dry! The coolers were sweet and refreshing.
The combo meal experience at Classic Savory was, in all, pleasant (with great consideration to the price) and can satiate 2 mildly hungry persons. We may go back for full orders of other dishes and definitely for the chicken =)

Classic Savory

2/F Greenhills Theatremall

Tel# (632) 584 2736

(0917) 6266329

Yedang Korean Restaurant

2010-03-02T16:26:00.006+08:00

Craving for Korean food is a regular thing for us. It is our first time to try YEDANG Korean restaurant, in Meralco avenue. We were hungry and excited! The outside windows of the resto is covered with pictures of Jangeum (start of Jewel in the Palace---one of my fave epic Korean tele-novelas btw ;P ), inside you'll find the typical Korean dining set up---table with bbq grills in the middle and exhaust pipes hanging over and an area where you sit on the floor, should you opt to.

This is what we LOVE about eating Korean cuisine.... the FREE APPETIZERS!!! =) hehehe

Sweet Spicy Dilis, garlic KangKong, Sweet Potato Marbles (we love this---it had a nice maple-ish flavor to it) , Kimchi, Sweet Candied Peanuts and spicy shrimp-cake-like thingy ( i love that! )
I mixed them up with my plain rice---yummm!!! =)

Spicy Pan Fried Squid with Vegetables Php 300.00

It's spicy but surprisingly, I could take it's heat. I just avoid scooping the sauce! hehehe This was really good. It had lots of squid and veggies, although the angle of my pic showed more of the veggies =) We were tempted to order dolsot bibimbap, but I am glad we chose to have plain rice because it helped mute the heat of the dish.

Pajeon (Seafood with Green Onion Pancake) Php 300.00

It was yummy and had that kinda Chinese Oyster-cake texture to it, which we liked =)

We were very happy and well satiated dining here. As I write this post, I am craving for Korean food...and thinking of ordering pajeon with dolsot bibimbap =) hahaha. A come back is in order!

Yedang Korean Restaurant

88 Meralco Ave.,

Ortigas, Mandaluyong City

Tel# (02) 6361461

Red Palace

2010-02-24T13:12:00.000+08:00

Tucked in Malakas St., located in area of Sulu Hotel, Trellis, Muang Thai, Pancake House..etc., in Quezon City, is a casual Chinese restaurant called Red Palace.

In the mood for Suahe...we got 1/2k of these.....(sorry I didn't get the price of this)

They were fresh and yummy =)

Yang Chow Fried Rice

Yummy and not too oily.

Fried Salt and Pepper Spareribs (Php 470.00)

These were delicious. The breading was tasty and had a nice peculiar taste...the spareribs were not fatty, which was good.

Peking Duck (3-ways)

The duck was kinda skinny...it was tasty but the duck in Choi or Gloria Maris are much better =)

Fried King Fish with Special Sauce (Php 520.00)

This was my favorite. The fish was fresh and fried to a crisp...and I like the "special sauce" which was like the sauce that is doused on steamed Lapu-lapu.

Duck Wraps

The duck skin wrapped in flat bread with leeks and hoisin sauce.

Duck Soup

I didn't like this soup so much because the ginger taste was too strong for my palate.

Minced duck meat wrapped in lettuce

I always like this part of the 3way duck =)

Almond-Lychee

A cool and refresh meal ender.

Overall the Red Palace experience was good. It was just disappointing that they didn't have any crabs that day, perhaps because we arrived after lunch hours already =) A nice casual chinese dining place.

Red Palace Seafood Restaurant

#132 Malakas St.,

Q.C. near Muang Thai and Pancake House

Liyimen, Banawe

2010-02-23T14:23:00.004+08:00

We found ourselves in Banawe area and I had a craving for sweet and sour since the week prior to Valentine's day!

Driving along the stretch of Banawe, we chose Liyimen Seafood Restaurant.

Kuchai Dumplings (Php 55.00)

Their dimsum prices are pretty cheap and these are pretty good! hahaha Pretty, pretty ei? It had shrimps, bits of pork and just the right amount of kutchay. The dumpling skin was a tad bit too thick, nevertheless, we liked this =)

Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet (Php 350.00)

I was very pleased with this dish because it knocked-off my craving! It was simple, true to the taste of SWEET AND SOUR FISH! ;P Nothing fancy..but yummy...I though it was kinda pricey for this dish at Php350...but since I really wanted sweet and sour...we got it =)

Their seafood must be good here too...

A very casual neighborhood-y Chinese restaurant. No ambiance, just simple eating here.

Liyimen Seafood Restaurant

835 Banawe St.,

Q.C.

Tel# (632) 742 6200

The Goose Station

2010-02-15T11:46:00.002+08:00

Happy Valentines and Kung Hei Fat Choi everyone!!!! =)

Let me make my first year of the Tiger post with a yummy degustation dinner at The Goose Station of chef couple's Sunshine and Rob Pengson =)

Their place had a nice, cozy, casual-elegant feel..being located at the ground floor of West Tower building at 39th Street, at the fort, far from the bustling restaurant strips and complexes that people usually thrive at for dinners and hang outs. The secluded location makes perfect for more intimate dinners...perfect for us =)

We didn't want to get stuffed this evening, so we decided to have the 5 course express degustation dinner with an ala carte order of the Salmon Gravlax (as I have read that the main entree portion was quite big here)....and should we feel un-satiated we could just order an extra main =)

The express 5-course dinner Php 1, 700 ++ (SC and taxes):

Complimentary Bread and Butter

I love that it had a sweetish taste =)

Snacks: Truffle Puff, Potato Glass and Prosciutto Guava Macaroon

These were mini bites with explosions of flavors. They were perfect to whet the palate. The potato glass was an uberly thin potato chip! Crisp, delicate and salty....how good would it be to have a plateful of them, I thought. The nutty taste of the macaroons, with the salty prosciutto flavors were complimented by the sweet guava jelly. The truffle puff was yummy.

Foie Cone

Foie mousse in a puff pastry cone. The foie was like softened butter...in texture and taste. A truly rich bite!

Beet Garden (Php 395.00)

Textures of Beet, Corn & Orange, Davao's goat cheese, Walnut and Gingerbread soil and the rest of the garden. The two discs you see are like oreo-sandwich cookies of crisps beet slices and goat cheese. The tubular log was like a beet gelee piped with goat's cheese. It was a play of textures and tastes...not your average salad. I tell you, if you want your greens, lots of veggies, dressing....this is not for you! =)

Unagi-Foie Gras Terrine (Php 480.00)

Apple tartare, Gingerbread and chocolate "soil", Brioche toast point and chives. This was my favorite part of the degustation. I enjoyed the interplay of textures and flavors. Th rich seared foie, with the firm sweet-savory unagi...accentuated by the coarsely chopped sweet apple tartare, eaten with a bite of the brioche...it was exquisite. You just need a little portion of this and the flavors of that perfect bite can fully satiate.

Salmon Gravlax (Php 480.00)

White asparagus flan, Parmesan, Avocado Oil, Caviar, Potato Chip and micro greens This was our additional appetizer, which was lighter than than Unagi-Foie terrine.

Confit of Duck (Php 950.00)

Spice and citrus rub, jus, horseradish potato puree, black soy beans, whole grain mustard and black currant jelly. Can you believe this is just HALF a portion? We were very surprised too. A If I were to have all of the above by myself, I would have barely enjoyed this dish (or maybe I could ;P hehehe) It was delicious! Rich with savory decadence. Chef Rob and Chef Sunshine abide by this sweet and savory yin-yang in their dishes, as we have experienced in all of their dishes. Savory duck confit... potatoes...whose richness were all cut by the black currant jelly. Fatty-Salty-Sweet balanced in every dish..so as you will not gawk, should the meal strike you unctuous.

Chocolate Candy Bar (Php 390.00)

Earl Grey Mousse, ganache and biscuit. It was rich..yet it seemed light on my palate because I easily devoured bite, after bite =) hahaha Delicious! Delicious!
And when we thought our meal was through...we were served a lighter meal ender...an oatmeal crisp.
Sweet, nutty and crunchy.

Dining at the Goose station was absolutely worth the experience. We agreed that it was not the kind of thing we would like have on a regular basis, but occasionally, the palate just loves a good tease =) We had to have our dinner with wine, because that is the only way your stomach will be able to emulsify all the foie and fat throughout dinner =)

If you have bigger appetites, perhaps two express or have the 10 course degustation for Php 2,500. I think the price structure of the Goose encourages one to select the degustations rather than going ala carte...as your bill would definitely end up being way up there.

The Goose Station
G/F West Tower,
39th St., Global City Fort Bonifacio,
Taguig
Tel# 556-9068
0917-46673

Gourmet and Roadhouse Yummies ^_^

2010-02-11T13:03:00.007+08:00

Here are some of the yummy meals we got to enjoy the past week =)

As I have share with you before, one of our favorite foodie places in BF Paranaque is Gourmet's Palate. They never fail to satiate the clamoring of the stomach as well at please the palate. A very casual, simple place for real homey comfort food. Oh, did I mention uber cheap too???

Sizzling Chicken Teriyaki Php 74.00

I would choose to have this over a fast food meal anytime! Nothing beats hot sizzling food! Everything tastes plus 10 better when served piping hot =) Chicken breast pieces in a sizzling sweet teriyaki sauce, served with java rice and mixed veggies. VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY! Java rice=just yellow colored buttered rice...but still yummy when mixed with all the food elements on the sizzling plate. Simple. Yummy. Cheap. What a combination right? hehehehe

Our all time favorite here---A MUST ORDER AT ALL TIMES! =)

Spaghetti Bolognese Php 49.00

Php 49.00!!!! For a good plate of home-style spaghetti with buttered-garlic pan de sal toast! Check my archives for a post on this and you'll see the price is still the same. NOTE: Just checked my archives...they increased the spag price by 2 bucks ;P hehehe

Mushroom Melt Burger Php 82.00

Creamy mushroom sauce with melted cheese on the thick burger pattie! This was his order....so I just took a bite to taste it (am not much of a burger fan) ---it was delicious! The burger patties was thick, meaty, juicy and tasty...the whole thing was yummy. The price is lovely! hehehhehe ;P

Now let's travel back to Ortigas...and try out TEXAS ROAD HOUSE GRILL

Chicken Quesadillas (about ~ Php280.00)

Sorry I wasn't able to get the exact price, but it was more or less that price ;P. Four huge quesadilla pices loaded with grilled chicken breast slices, caramelized onions, and a combination of sharp cheddar and melt-y cheese, served with tomato salsa and sour cream. YUMM!!!! We love how it's flavorful, yet not greasy. They also serve complimentary peanuts no munch on as you wait for your food---which I enjoyed very much ;P hehehe

Gourmet's Palate

Aguirre St.,

BF Homes Paranaque

Tel##8094273

Texas Road House Grill

Ruby Road, El Pueblo Real De Manila,

Ortigas Center

Tel #6356715/6356716

Maitre Chocolatier Boutique Cafe

2010-02-10T11:01:00.002+08:00

Chocolate heaven along Jupiter St., Makati....Maitre Chocolatier Boutique Cafe =)

They serve ice cream made with white/dark chocolate .

Apart from their signature chocolate desserts, they carry Toblerone, Lindt, Ritter Sport chocolates in a wide assortment and adornment for your chocolatey-satisfaction! =)

We love ice cream...so we ordered the Trio of Ferrero-Hazelnut, Lindt Chocolate-Mint, Ritter Sport dark-Cappuccino (Php 95.00)

I dunno anybody who wouldn't be happy with this =)

Maitre Chocolatier Boutique Cafe

28 Jupiter St., cor. Astra St.,

Bel Air, Makati

Between Whistle Stop and Starbucks

Tel# 8978559/ 8962529

Old and Reliable =)

2010-02-04T15:25:00.000+08:00

Man Hann faves....

Sansi Fried Rice

Oyster Cake

yumm.....

Simple. Yummy! =)

Mann Hann

103 J. Abad Santos St., San Juan City.

Tel# 723-2917

Having Black Soup with Van Gogh

2010-02-03T15:51:00.001+08:00

Hello my friends! I am happy to share that I am creating this post with my new ASUS EEEPC SeaShell =) hahahaha I just love it! It's so compact...pretty and versatile enough for my simple needs. This is my first blog post with my seashell---my cute shelly! hahaha =)

Now on to our foodie adventure!!!

Recently we have been going to the usual places we go to, perhaps because we have been overworked the past weeks and have no strength to look for someplace new. Well, for this evening, we belly up for some BLACK SOUP with VAN GOGH.

I have read nice reviews on VAN GOGH IS BIPOLAR, and since last week, I have been trying to get us dinner reservations. A week prior to this visit, I was informed that they were only serving tea....NO FOOD????...then I press my luck again and got us Friday night dinner reservations! I was ecstatic!

Van Gogh Is Bipolar (VGIB) is not your typical restaurant. They are supposed to serve food that will pick up one's mood. Well, who wouldn't want that, especially on a weekend right?

Incidentally, VGIB is situated in a quaint complex, where it is neighboring BLACK SOUP art cafe. When we entered the complex, we saw a few groups of diners sprawled on the grass area, seated on banigs (mats) with small tables enjoying their food and beverages by candle-light, with a movie projected on a screen. That was a nice sight. Our reserved table was actually inside, but we opted for a table al fresco, so may we may enjoy the movie as well. The Devil Wears Prada was showing that evening...hehehehe. We were asked to go inside and read the restaurant RULES. How strict, we thought. Shoes are not allowed inside the resto, you place your order in a piece of paper and bring it yourself to the counter...oh and after your meal...you clean up your own table! hehehehe

We were fore-warned that food takes a bit of time to be served, so being all famished, we decided to sneak to Black Soup to try a dish or two there and have drinks. We of course asked permission from VGIB if we could have food sent to our table from the other resto, fortunately, they allowed us.

FROM Black Soup Art Cafe:

Grilled Lamb Chops Php 220.00

It was kinda sad looking as it was served to us....placed on a lonely plate with a few tasteless and cold potato marble wedges. It tasted ok though...but a piece of meat like lamb, which is not regularly enjoyed, should be served more joyfully to celebrate it's unique taste.

FROM VGIB

Axl Rose Egg Shot (~ Php 55.00 ---egad! I forgot to take careful note of the prices on this visit...my apologies if I am inaccurate with the prices)

We were initially served with this egg being lightly warmed in a glass of hot water...then the sauce shot was placed on top....

...the person (who I think runs the place) was very kind enough to show us how to properly prepare this .....crack open the warmed egg and plunk in the shot of sauce, which was somewhat like balsamic vinegar mixed with soy sauce and oil...

...pluk.....

...stir..and shoot! He told me it was ok ...i tasted a bit and the sauce was nice =)

Cherry Potatoes (Php 155.00)

My apologies, as I didn't get all the proper names of the dishes we had for the evening...the prices I indicate are very close, if not the actual menu price =). Anyhoos, this was part of the appetizer list. We wanted to try the chili wings, but they were out that night. This dish was yummy. Potato marbles dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette like dressing...more sweet than sour, which was very nice.

Salmon with Van Gogh Rice (Php 285.00)

Pardon my overly lit picture...I just had to take a pic of if with flash because the place was very dimly lit and I really want to show all of you what was served to us.

the dimly lit pic.....

As you can very well see, the Salmon part was very disappointing...it was just a thin strip of Salmon....for a Salmon entree. The Van Gogh Rice was made of black rice, topped with peanuts, cashews, mangoes, tomatoes and a strawberry. They offered us some bagoong sauce, which we accepted and drizzled over the rice. That was a nice touch, but over all we didn't quite get was actually being served to us. The Salmon became more of a side dish to the Van Gogh rice. There was A LOT of rice! The black rice had a unique taste and texture, but the nuts and fruit combination didn't strike us as a merry blend. The dish was ok... a bit pricey for a rice dish (we would have appreciated more Salmon =D ).

I wouldn't know if you will agree with me or not with this review. Perhaps you should just try for yourself and see if their cuisine if of your liking =). Perhaps the items we picked were not their best? Nevertheless, our over all experience at VGIB and Black Soup Cafe was ok and entertaining. It was a unique dining experience worth trying.

Van Gogh Is Bipolar

and Black Soup Art Cafe

Both at

#154 Maginhawa St.,

Sikatuna Village, Q.C

VGIB Tel# 02-394 0188
0929 163 8592

Weekend Cooking =)

2010-01-26T09:40:00.004+08:00

Cravings and hunger pangs set me off to a culinary expedition! To the kitchen I headed as I woke up that Sunday morn. I opened the pantry and eyed a pack of fettuccine pasta....a can of tuna in oil....a pack of tomato sauce....looking over to the counter, I saw some anchovy fillets....I remembered having a ball of quezo de bola in the fridge.....FETTUCCINE AL TONNO THEY SHALL BE!!! =)

I chopped a head of garlic, an onion and about 5 anchovy fillets. I boiled a pot of water with a dash of rock salt where I would cook my pasta. Then I melted a knob of butter and sauteed the anchovies until they were melted...I added the garlic and onions and the my shobe came to the kitchen, hungry and all...saw me cooking pasta and came back to me with a can of button mushrooms!!! CHOP---I told her...and so she did! We added the chopped shrooms to the saute and I asked her to grate the quezo de bola. I then added the drained tuna in oil...then added the tomato sauce and half of the grated cheese....seasoned it with pepper, a dash of sugar and a tiny pinch of salt (the anchovy and cheese were already salty), then some parsley flakes. I simmered the sauce for about 5-10 minutes adding some of the pasta water to thin out and thicken in ;P

Just about when my pasta was done, I drained them and placed it back in the pot, tossed in my sauce, added more cheese and covered to rest (sans the flame) to let all the flavors meld and let the sauce stick on the pasta ;P

And here it is plated....topped with cheese and parsley flakes =)

It was yummy!!!!!!!! The anchovies made all the difference. I which I had some capers and black olives..it would have been divine with those =)

For some dolci, my shobe had a brilliant idea, which she picked up from AFC (Asian Food Channel). Caramelized Apples with Mascarpone cheese was the recipe, but I told my sis we didn't have any mascarpone cheese...nor cream cheese (which would have been a fine substitute with ab it of confectioner's sugar =)) So I just suggested we just put vanilla ice cream! YUM!!!!!! =)

Here is how we made them. My sis quartered and cored 2 apples as I melted some butter in a non-stick pan. I placed about 2-3 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar and added the apples....and a dash of cinnamon...

I cooked the apples until they were soft and tender.

I placed the cooked apples in a shallow dish, topped with scoops if vanilla ice cream and drizzled the caramel sauce over =)

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =)

It was a fun day of cooking and eating! =)

Pasto, Greenhills Theatremall

2010-01-25T12:05:00.008+08:00

Pasto is one of our favorite pizza places. We love their flavor varieties, thin crust and affordable prices ;P

Melanzana Pasta Php 215.00

Fettuccine pasta with eggplant, smoked bacon and melted mozzarella. The pasta was yummy but I just wished they gave a better piece of bread to go with this pasta rather than just plain old white buttered bread.

Greca-Vegetariano Pizza Php 215.00

They let us have two kinds of pizza in one! Yay! Our fave is the Greca---feta cheese, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichokes and prosciutto. For the other half we just picked the Vegetariano, which has assorted roasted vegetables-eggplant,zucchini, bell peppers, onion and garlic.

To cap off you yummy meal, be drive by the nearest McDo to grab our fave dessert...

McDonald's Oreo Hot Fudge Layered Twist Php 32.00

love ko to! =)

Pasto

2/F Greenhills, Theatremall

McDonald's

Everywhere ;P

Because We Couldn't Decide Which =)

2010-01-19T08:57:00.000+08:00

When we look for desserts, we usually opt for the cool and refreshing kind. Normally, we would go for ICE CREAM!!!! Yes, we love ice cream...and out fave is MCDO OREO HOT FUDGE SUNDAE (hot fudge sundae with additional oreo topping ;P)---that we could only order at McDo in Sucat, up until recently when they offered the new McDo HOT FUDGE LAYERED TWIST!---Oreo Hot Fudge, Ore-Coffee and Choco-Raspberry---YUM! YUM!! YUMMMMMM! ;P Ok, enough of my McLove....on to our dessert comfort at Cafe Via Mare=)

It's always a debate, whether to have halo-halo, guinomis or mais con hielo (I am the only one who fights for the mais! hehehe) Luckily, at Cafe Via Mare, they offer there cool shots of all of the above! Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! We likey! The question is....will each shot be enough? ;P hehehehe

Guinomis, Halo-Halo, Mais Con Hielo Trio

I am happy to say that inspite being "mini-mes" of the all time faves, the taste and flavor were all very good!!! We loved tasting one after the other...one..two..three..then back to one...but the mais I had for myself =) YAY! hahaha

Cafe Via Mare

Newly opened at President's Avenue

Sucat, Paranaque

Near Conti's BF, Across Pancake House and Starbucks BF =)

Mien San Noodle House

2010-01-18T17:17:00.007+08:00

I am still not over craving for Chinese food. Perhaps the hunger will never go away, because....I am always hungry ;P hehehe

Yes my friends, I am still on with my pork chop hunting! We now go back to an old and reliable choice....MIEN SAN NOODLE HOUSE. If you are not familiar with this place, you will probably miss it as you drive along Granada St., going to Greenhills. It is an old place, along the lines of Happy Valley restaurant, Thai Dara and the defunct Gayuma (I didn't notice what took the place of this restaurant). A very simple place that is known for yummy dumplings and noodles, priced very affordable.

Complimentary Wonton Chips

I really like being served free pre-meal nibblies =) They are just fried wonton skins with a sprinkling of sugar. Munch...munch...munch...

Steamed Shrimp/Radish Dumpling (Php 90.00/6 pcs)

What a deal ei? Cheaper than Ersao dumplings! hehehe He liked this very much...I only managed to eat one piece ;P

Fried Pork chop Rice (Php 148.00)

I was aghast when this was served to me. I still had this crazy thought at ALL PORCKCHOP RICE that I'll order from Chinese restos will be somewhat like my beloved Delicious Pork chop rice hehehehe. Normally I would have been very pleased by this sight----for Php 148.00 I got a tonkatsu-like chop (which I really like), veggie omelet rolls, a sponge gourd (patola) side dish and an eggplant side dish plus a bowl of rice. Everything was tasty....but at that moment I was just eating because I was eating. It was good homey food though =)

Mustasa with Fish Soup Noodle (Php 119.00 +~10 for noodles)

This was recommended by our server, he just asked them to add noodles to it so it will become more filling =) It was kinda bland tasting....didn't really flipped our switch...but hey, it was healthy =)

Perhaps we were all too worked up with excitement prior to having our meals here. Our food were generally ok, but kinda plain =) Nonetheless, bill was cheap and we went out full--it was ok! hehehe

Mien San Noodle House

Granada St., Bgry. Valencia, New Manila, Q.C.

Tel Nos. 7215794/7230558

Eat Well, Delicious Kitchen..Not The Real Delicious =(

2010-01-15T09:32:00.001+08:00

Our HongKong trip, I thought I would be "sawa" with Chinese food already. Alas! All the yummy memories of what we had there made me crave for them since the day we arrived back in Manila. Before we left for Manila, I we were already curious if the Delicious Kitchen being put up in Greenhills (beside and above Pancake House, where Dencios used to be) was related to or the same as THE Delicious Kitchen in HongKong.

Eat Well, Delicious Kitchen...

Before we settled in, I checked their menu for PORK CHOP with Spinach Rice....IT WAS THERE!!!! Perhaps it is the same???!!! I was so giddy with excitement.

We first ordered the

Xio Long Pao (4pcs.) Php 88.00

this was ok...nothing compare to Din Tai Fung of course, but this had some soup in it and was pretty ok in taste.

Deep-Fried Pork Chop with Vegetable Rice Php 188.00

Awwww.....sadness...when our pork chop rice arrived, we knew it was NOT the same as the Delicious Kitchen in HongKong.
The concept is the same though...spinach in the rice...pork chop on top...but it was not same =( The pork chop was a bit fatty and the rice quite oily...it was ok...tasty..but perhaps our expectations were too high that's why we got disappointed. Nevertheless, we can compliment the staff for being very cordial and attentive. Our food came out swiftly I might add, so kudos to the management for that =) Their prices were very reasonable and the food portion was generous, so we were quite happy about that. Despite being in soft opening, the place was in good operational status. Try for yourself =)

Eat Well, Delicious Kitchen

Greenhills, San Juan

Beside Pancake House, near Sugi

A Very Merry Christmas in HongKOng ^_^ Part IV

2010-01-14T09:31:00.001+08:00

Trying more Japanese novelty food...this display window ticked our fancy =)

The place is called TOI HOKKAIDO RICE PIZZA

It was kind of late and we were absolutely dead tired, so we had this as take away...

Salmon, scallops, nori,corn Hokkaido Rice Pizza
It came in a funky take-way box with a funky plastic server (I regret forgetting to take a picture of---rats! It was sort of a plastic version of a pizza wedge server---soooo cool!)...kudos to the Japanese for making brilliant packaging materials and stuff! hehehe

You may have had rice burger, but have you ever had RICE PIZZA?! This was absolutely delicious! Unlike any other pizza we have ever had, because of it's RICE CRUST (hence rice pizza!). It's like a flattened out maki...with a crisped up bottom. Warning: VERY FILLING! It's really loaded with salmon, scallops, nori, corn and perhaps some Japanese mayo and cheese. Very fun to eat and each bite is FULL OF FLAVOR! =)

Toi Hokkaido Rice Pizza, Shop 6-8 G/F Yee On Bldg., 24-26 East Point Road, Causeway bay, HongKong

A Very Merry Christmas in HongKOng ^_^ Part III

2010-01-13T09:47:00.001+08:00

For the most part, we generally enjoyed chinese cuisine, but we were able to sneak in trying some Japanese food in HK. We stumble upon Beppu Ekimae.

We wanted something light, but different, so we picked these... =)

Tuna Tartare Topped with Black Truffle Gunkan Maki

Boy did we pick the right kind! This was exquisite! As we took our mouthfuls and chewed, we just let out uuuuuuuuhhhmmms and closed our eyes as we savored the textures and flavors gently filling our senses. It was a real delight. We didn't order another of this as we wanted to keep the tastes and sensation with our respective pieces, as perfect.

Ika with Uni Gunkan Maki
This had a more slithering and slippery mouthfeel...delicate and delicious, but we agreed our first Beppu Maki experience was more to our liking. This was nevertheless our second fave =)

We veered away from the delicates and just went to the more filling and fun....

Hokkaido Scallop Thousand Island Pizza

This was a treat! Very different from the kind of pizzas we have here...the crust was buttery, chewy with a light crunch...it was uber cheesy and very flavorful with the scallops in bedded in the thick goo of cheese =) I think there must have been some Japanese mayo in here somewhere, hehehe.

have a closer look...

It was a very wonderful dining experienced as we enjoyed very well the new combination of flavors and taste of Japanese cuisine. ^_^

Beppu Ekimae 22 Petterson St., Shop 3 1/F Jade and Pearl Plaza, Causewaybay

A Very Merry Christmas in HongKOng ^_^ Part II

2010-01-12T12:56:00.002+08:00

To date I still dream of this.....

Delicious Kitchen Porkchop Rice ^_^

aaaaahhhh..... this flips my switch!!! Upon arriving in HongKong, this was our first stop to quiet down the clammoring of our stomachs...and perfect it was! How do I begin to describe this simple yet superb rice bowl? The porckchop, unlike anything I have had in Manila.....so tender, so flavorful! It had a sweetish-savory taste, with a texture, not crispy yet tender to the bite. The underlaying rice was the perfect accompaniment. A bed of chopped pechay/bok choy cooked with the rice....no strong flavors here, just the wondeful fragrance of the veggie with the rice. How the simplest foods can be of utmost perfection? =) hahaha

We had other food with the porkchop rice, but I only managed to snap a photo of the bowl of soup beside my rice bowl =)

Soup

The humble delight of DELICIOUS KITCHEN. I Likey! =)

Located at #9-11Cleveland St., Causewaybay, HongKong.

A Very Merry Christmas in HongKOng ^_^ Part I

2010-01-11T09:34:00.019+08:00

Happy 2010!!!! ^_^ Wow, how time does fly? Nonetheless, I am very happy to share with you how much the last few weeks of my 2009 have been filled with so much wonderful moments accompanied by delicious eating! hahaha

I was very fortunate to have had the chance to spend my Christmas in HongKong! It is the first time in my life that I have spent it away from home. I was so elated and thrilled by the opportunity to be with the love of my life (and grateful to have been welcomed by his family) to share the wonderful Christmas season. Nevertheless my heart and thoughts were always with my family at home, the whole time I was travelling and eating...I am so glad they understand.

To be honest, I didn't get that chance to take pictures of all the delicious lunches and dinners that I have experienced during my trip, so I just share a few that I have had the time to snap digital memories of, with you =).

Before our much awaited trip, a friend of mine told me about this excellent Taiwanese restaurant that specializes in Siao Long Pao called Din Tai Fung. Upon checking on the internet, I was so excited to find out they have two branches in HongKong already, one at Kowloon side and the latest ...at Causeway bay, 68 Yee Woo Street---just a run around the hotel were we were staying----sweet!!!!

DIN TAI FUNG

Remember the name and go there when you get to HongKong if you are craving for the BEST Sio Long Pao...well the best I have ever had...but then it may be so, because I have read that their HongKong branch was given one Michelin Star =)

Upon entering the restaurant, you will see this clear glassed room, where the delicate dumpling delicacies and carefully made.

Among the things we ordered, besides the main event---we picked the Pork chop Rice
Very tender and flavorful pork chop on a bed of yummy yang chow fried rice!!! Delicious! Delicious!

Now the Siaolong Pao...we ordered two kinds...the regular and crab roe

Just look at these masterpieces! Delicate pouches filled with delightful ground meat and hot and flavorful broth!

The dumpling skin was thin and moist...a lovely packaging for the perfect soupy-bite!

Take a closer look....

This is the Crab Roe Siao Long Pao

aaaahhh... I can still taste that golden broth....simply the best!

Kutchay Bun

Veggie Siopao =)

I love the flavors...the bun was thinner than the usual Siopaos we have here in Manila.

May I add that the service here is as excellent as their food.

Din Tai Fung, is Din Tai Fun! ^_^ I love the whole dining experience.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

2009-12-23T14:36:00.001+08:00

A Very Merry Christmas To All!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^

Sam Won Garden, Paranaque

2009-12-09T13:40:00.000+08:00

Are all Koren restos created equal? You get small plates of pickled veggies, mini pancakes and other yummy nibblies to whet your appetite before your meal =) We love it! I guess the only difference is the number of freebie plates in different Korean restos. The more the merrier so please give us more! ;P

In Aguirre St., BF Paranaque, we tried Sam Won Garden. We tried their Chicken Bulgogi. It came with kimchi, fresh lettuce leaves, garlic cloves and bean paste.

One of the things I love most about eating Korean food...you don't simply get your food...you have some fun before and while eating!

I love grilling the meat on the table. I love mounting the veggie leaves with spices and condiments.

I love placing the grilled meat on my prepared veggie-mount and wrapping each piece before taking a bite =) It's like having a mini ceremony prior to devouring your food, in the process you take charge of the flavors goin on inyour meal.

With that, we had an order of Dolsot Bibimbap

Their version had some minced beef, veggies, pickled ginger and ofcourse an egg. Stir..stir..stir....

enjoy!

I guess we could say that dining experience are more or less same with most Korean restos...but the food quality and taste definitely differs! Sam Won Garden flipped our switch =)

Kiss The Cook Cafe

2009-11-23T15:57:00.006+08:00

Another new resto just sprung up at Maginhawa St., UP Village...Kiss The Cook Cafe! I got really excited when we passed by this place one evening. The place is quite nice and cozy...now let's see if the cook deserves a kiss ;P hehehe

We decided to get starters first before we order any main dish. Their menu offers an array of interesting fusion dishes...and we picked ...

Hermit Crabs Php 195.00

Crabcakes in a borrowed shell, with mango salsa. We love crabcakes so this one was the first thing that we wanted to try here. They were 7 pieces of clam shells filled with spiced and breaded crabmeat. At first bite, we were really pleased as there were lots of crabmeat and each bite was very tasty and flavorful. However, after finishing our first shells, our palates were left by a very overwhelming saltiness! We asked for more of the mango-salsa to douse off the salt on out palate so we may continue to enjoy the crabcakes...but alas...they were just too salty =( . Just take out 50% of the dishes' salt content and this would absoultely be great!

We gave the starters another shot and opted for ....

Spinach Feta Dumplings Php145.00

Mini spanakopitas with roasted garlic aioli. They were nice and crunchy and had generous spinach filling.... we counldn't really taste the feta and the dish was also salty =(

The place is promising but we were kinda taken back by the saltiness of both appetizers we tried. The place has just opened so we can give it another try one time =)

Cafe Juanita Fort and Larry's Bar Serendra

2009-11-19T11:16:00.016+08:00

It's been a long while since I last dined at Cafe Juanita. I remeber falling in love with the swanky yet cozy ambiance and delicious Filipino dishes they serve. I have read that they they already branched out to the Fort. Yes my friends! From Kapitolyo Ortigas, Cafe Juanita's ostentacious charm can now be enjoyed at the new Forbestown Center at the Fort.

We had to try our old time fave to see how the new branch fares with the original.

Catfish Mango Salad Php 230.00

Crispy shreds of Catfish ontop of green mango salad. It was yummy and the the texture of the crispy catfish gave a nice delicate touch of savory taste to the tangy mangoes.

Beef Salpicao

This dish was ok but we found the serving size contemptibly small.

Laing Php 180.00

Ground pork and sundried anchovies wrapped in young taro leaves and stewed in thick coconut milk and capsicum.

Two-Ways Pork Adobo Php 435.00
Tender pork adobo ribs topped with crispy adobo flakes. This was very flavorful and I liked contrast in pork textures . Yummy with rice!

Laguna Fish Php 228.00
Crispy fried Tilapia with a tomato salsa on the side. It was nice but we found the fish too small for the price.

Fresh Corned Beef Sinigang Php 428.00

Sorry for the blurred picture, it was taken in a hurry as the server was to dish out this soup already. This was a house specialty, as indicated on the menu. They even set out a cup of the broth to our table so we may check the taste of our sinigang soup before they finish cooking it. How nice we thought...so that the balance in sour to salty would be just as we liked it. We told the waiter that we were pleased with the sourness and asked for the saltiness to be toned down. When we were finally served our custom sinigang, we were disappointed that it was still salty =(.

Lengua Estofado Php 385.00

Tender Ox tongue gently stewed intomato sauce. The dish was flavorful but we found the tongue not as tender as it should be.

Over all we found the ambiance great and the food not as wow-ing as my dining experience at it's Ortigas branch. The prices are just right but the serving portions of some dishes are a bit small...not enough for sharing perhaps.

After dinner, we moved to Larry's bar at Serendra to have a little bit more nibblies...

Larry's Spinach Quiche

This was delicious! The pastry was rich tasting and the egg-bacon-spinach filling was cooked perfectly....eggs set yet still deilicate...served hot. The side salad with vinaigrette gave the touch of tart that I needed to cut through the savory richness of the quiche! Yumm! =)

Churros con Chocolate

One of my friends found the chocolate, not sweet enough... I liked it nevertheless. I detect a touch of mani (peanuts) grounded with the chocolate---native chocolate is at times made that way.

A delicious evening of good food, ambiance and friends =)

Momo's, Eastwood Mall

2009-11-16T13:33:00.000+08:00

Momo Cafe, as we have learned, is the sister of Chelsea! Set with a cozy-casual ambiance, located at the ground floor of Eastwood City Mall. It's always packed with diners, usually families, probably because of the comfort food it's menu holds. Every member of the family will find something to enjoy!

Now enough for sounding like an ad for MOMO cafe and on to their food!

Complimentary Buttered Toasts with Cheese-Pimiento Spread

This had me at hello =). I love the spread! The taste reminded me of a college fave of mine, which I used to have almost everyday when I had lab classes in UP. It was grilled-cheese pimiento at the UP College of Home Economics' Tea Room ^_^...ahhhhhhhhh....I used to make my own too. Mix grated quick-melt cheese with canned diced pimientos and add some condensed milk....spread bread with a little butter...spread the cheesy love spread and squeeze in the sanwich-maker...of just grill on a buttered non-stick pan----la-la-la---love it! =)

Soup Du Jour: Roasted Capsicum with Artichoke Soup

Sorry I didn't get to note it's price because it was just written on the specials menu board. It tasted like an indian soup! It was spicy and thick...nice but I think I can have too much of this as the flavors are a bit too strong for a soup, in my taste.

Grandma's Country Herb & Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Php 395.00

Meatloaf stuffed with Spanish chorizo and topped with tomato cream gravy and fried egg. Whoa! Stay away if you are on a diet! Two very thick slices of meatloaf...wrapped in BACON ....topped with FRIED EGG...then you pour gravy on it as you eat it with mashed potatoes and corn relish! hehehe The meatloaf was indeed HERBY as promised. We could see the fennel seeds and other spices as we dig in the meatloaf. That's some grandma the chef must have had! hehehe

That was all we got to try for the day. It was a pleasant first time with momo. We would love to come back and try their pizzas and ribs!

Wicked Kitchen!

2009-11-13T11:07:00.000+08:00

I think this place used to be where MY SPOON stands. Wicked Kitchen, is a casual dining cum hang out (mostly of abs-cbn peeps and celebs) place behind the abs-cbn complex (Mother Igancia)...along the row of Panaderia Pantoja, Ai-Sarap, Pixie's etc....you'll find the place =)

They dish out a variety of food...from appetizers, pastas, rice dishes to desserts!

Fish & Chips Php 180.00

Beer battered dory fish with fries.

Firestarters Php 168.00

Minced chicken with cheese and chili lumpia, served with a tomato salsa. I liked this a lot =) ! It has just the right amount of zing that I can bear.

Seafood Aglio Olio Php 175.00
A light garlic and oilive oil pasta with squid and shrimps, served with garlic toast.

Chicken Kebabs Php 185.00

We loved the presentation =) I think the funky metal skewer they used was cool! hehehe The chicken pieces were tender and tasty.

Mushroom Chicken Pie Php 172.00

Sorry for the wrong orientation of the pic (I don't know how tp rotate the pic here =( my apologies!) It was button mushrooms and chicken breast cubes with cream, topped with a puff pastry. I liked the puff pastry, but the cream filling was a bit runny. t was an ok dish.

Beef and Beer Pie Php 195.00

The beef brother of the above mentioned pie. Same comment here...the gravy was runny. I think pie fillings should be rich and thick.

Wicked Kitchen's cuisine is generally ok. Nothing really fantastic with all the dishes we tried but all were generally pleasing to the palate and eyes. The service is good also. I guess we always come back here is for the comfy-casual ambiance =)

Oh...I hear a lot of people rave about the Gluttony Dessert....large warm baked chocolate -chip cookie ala mode!~must try soon. I can't believe we still haven't...hmmmm....

Army Navy, Glorieta 5

2009-11-09T15:40:00.010+08:00

We first stumbled upon Army Navy Burgers and Burrito, during a recent trip to Tagaytay....we were only able to try their chicken quesodilla because we had dinner elsewhere. We really liked their quesidilla so kept a mental note to try their burritos when we go to their branch in Glorieta 5 =)

And here we are.....

Fries Php 60.00

They tasted alot like KFC fries...only this was a better version because the potatoes were cut thinner...and these were crispier....a bit pricey at 60 bucks for a small helping though...

Now, for what we came for...Army Navy Burritos!

Steak Burritos Php 155.00

It was a bit smaller than what we expected. The tortilla was delish...chewy and tasty...the rice kinda needed more flavor and there weren't much meat and beans.

Chicken Burrito Php 135.00

This was my order. I think I needed more chicken in my burrito! hehehe

I want more beans too! The beans were crushed and I could barely taste it there.

Each burrito cvame with a side salsa...very spicy!

Our overall experience here was pleasant...but I think we kinda expected more. We would suggest that Ristras, BY FAR...serves BETTER burritos. Even if you pay double the price (compare to Army Navy burrito prices) at Ristras for a burrito...the serving size there is very well good for sharing...so you end up with the same bill or probably less, as you would here when you have 2 burritos. Ristas burrito have more meat, more beans and a whole lot more flavor. We ended up not very full actually after this meal. Nevetheless we may come back to try the burgers and have quesodilla! =)

Try for yourself.

Kanin Club, UP Ayala Hub

2009-11-04T16:22:00.009+08:00

The Kanin Club at the UP Ayala Hub, is always packed with people everytime we pass there. We have heard and read a lot of good things about their witty rendition of our fave Filipino dishes ... so we go there to check it out =)

This is one of their signature rice dishes...SINIGANG NA SINANGAG Php 224.00

Sinigang-inspired fried rice with liempo and vegetable tempura. The rice has a very pleasant sourness with crispy kangkong and 2 thin slices of fatty liempo. This was our fave amoung the dishes we ordered.

SIGARILYAS EXPRESS Php 149.00

Wing beans cooked in coconut milk and chiles with bits of pork....bicol express! =) It was a very flavorful dish..the sigarilyas were cooked just right with a light crispness to it, however, we thought it was a bit too oily.

And the house specialty...CRISPY DINUGUAN Php 261.00

Crispy chicharon like---pork TABA (FAT) pieces cooked in blood sauce. I know there are a lot of crispy pork fat lovers out there...and a lot od KC (Kanin Club) Crispy Dinuguan fans too...but I just speak for ourselves when I say we didn't fancy this dish. We would have like it better if there was a nice balance the pork:fat ratio....perhaps something like a crispy fried lechon kawali like pork bits rather than just ALL FAT pieces. We barely ate this dish...we just aren't fat lover's I suppose...so again...my apologies to the fans of this dish and to KC! =)

Overall, we thought we would have enjoyed our meal if we had ordered the Binukadkad na Tilapia with our Sinigang rice or perhaps the Crab Omelet (which was what we initially ordered but had cancelled when we remembered the Crispy Dinuguan). Nontheless, the service and ambiance was great, very ideal for family and group get togethers

Try for yourself and see if this place flips your switch ;P

Kabob Corner, Matalino St.

2009-11-02T00:18:00.000+08:00

KAbobs? KEbobs? ...which ever way it ought to be really spelled...we love em' ^_^! There's just this wonderful GUILT-LESS feeling we have when we choose to enjoy mediterranean food.

We never knew why for the longest time we pass by KABOB Corner at Matalino street, infort of Trellis restaurant (an old college fave), we just never were enticed to eat here...well...now we are very pleased to have finally tried =)

The place is set up very much like the Mister Kebab in Timog...but looking at their menu...it seems like the prices here are a bit cheaper!!!---Cool right?

We ordered the Mix Kabob Platter Php 240.00

You choose 4 stick of either beef, chicken, beef chelo, chicken chelo, tandoori,veggie, seafood, shrimp, fish or lamb chelo. The difference between the beef/chicken from the chelo one's are that...chelo is the ground meat formed into skinless longganisa like forms. The difeerence between the chicken from the chicken tandoori is the marinade =) For this platter, we chose chicken, beef, veggie and fish kabobs. We were very pleased by the serving portion as well as the taste. They were all tender and flavorful...although the beef had a "cured" texture to it (perhaps it's a tenderized inexpensive beef cut)...it was nevetheless tender and tasty.

Spinach Yoghurt Dip Php 45.00 (+ Php 15.00 for a pita)

It was yummy but a tad bit too runny for a dip and not enough spinach in it.

Eggplant Yoghurt Dip Php 45.00 (+ Php 15.00 for a pita)

We can same the same here as that with it's spinach sister. Just thicken and add more eggplants...it would be great!

The dips were also great as sauce for the kabobs =)

Chicke Tandoori (Php 60.00/stick)

We wondered how different the plain chicken kabob would taste from the tandoori kind...so we got ourselves a stick to check. It was yummy!!! Yummier actually. We liked the tandoori better =)

Another stick of the Veggie Kabob Php 60.00/stick
Grilled tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and eggplants =)

The best part is....WHEN YOU DINE AMOUNTING TO PHP300.00...USE YOUR BDO CREDIT CARD AND GET A FREE KEEMA PLATE!!!

YUMMM!!!! It'FREE...AND IT'S GOOD =)

Restaurant Updates Part I

2009-10-29T00:18:00.000+08:00

Let me do a little restaurant updating today =). Apart from the new places we love to try out we still find time to always go back to our old faves or sometimes give restos where we had not so good..not so bad experiences, another shot.

An all time fave Barcino...

Sometimes it fun to have small Tapipitas instead of the usual tapas platter we order here...

Meatballs with Cheese and Mushrooms

Liver Sauteed in Garlic and Olive Oil

weird as it may....we do love liver =)

Breaded and Fried Quezos
Sorry I didn't get all their spanish names...but they were all good and fun to nibble on while enjoying some wine =)

At Bugsy's....

Fried Hamburger Sticks

hamburger meat made into springrolls..enjoy your burger embraced by less
carbs!

lambchops with mint vinegar
yummm!

and at the neighboring Uncle Moe's...

Pan Grilled Dory Fish with Tapenade

love their tapenade...can serve as dip for your pita too!

Chicken Shawarma

their shawarma kinda lacks taste...the only thing here we weren't so hot about...

At Buffalo Wings ans Things

Firestarter

he loved it...too hot for me =)

Chili Fries

spicy...cheesy and oh so yummmy! prepare to get your fingers dirty!hehehe

At Jalapeno....

Grilled Chicken Platter

Yummy and spicy grilled chicken breast with salsa and corn relish on the side and flour tortilla

Chicken Quesodilla

We love to eat ^_^

Tomato Grill, SLMC

2009-10-26T15:29:00.002+08:00

A recent unfortunate car accident brought me and my injured sisters to St. Luke's Medical Center. Yes, it was kind of a major car accident. It happend a recent monday morning. I was driving with my sister's going to our office. It seems like any other monday morning and I was actually scheduled for my second rootcanal appointment that day too (talk about unfortunate over an unfortunate!!! =( ...sigh...when it rains..it pours...it poured like Ondoy on me that day!) So upon crossing Scout Rallos...just after passing Jade Valley restaurant...a speeding crosswind SLAMMED ON OUR VAN---hitting us from the side going to the back part...causing us to turn 180 degrees...making our look as if we were coming from the opposite lane of the road! I hope I described it well enough that you may picture what happend. I was in shock...we were all in shock. I managed to get out of the van ...shaking and sore. My sisters went out of the car...we were shocked...then scared..than angry! I looked to my youngets sis...she loooked ok...turning to my atsie...one of her eyes was bleeding at the corner and started to turn black and blue. The side door was wrecked...we copuld no longer clode it. The rear window broken and flew out the pavement....all our stuff was a mess...some broken...some were found outside..landing at the pavement as well.

I was driving. My married sis went to our rescue..as well as my boyfriend. My sis took my atch and kid sis to SLMC and my boyfriend and I went to the police station. I had to deal with all the police reporting crap and made sure that the other driver take responsibility for his EXTREME RECKLESSNESS which could have cost our lives!!!! I was infuriated!

After all the reports that needed to be filed..I then went to SLMC to check on my sisters. They had to get xrays and CT scans...I just had the physicval exam because I felt fine and I didn't have time to get scanned because I needed to get back to the police station. I told my attending that I would just skip being worked up.

Well...the whole ordeal took up our entire day. My sisters were both at SLMC the whole time and I had to go back and forth. We haven't had breakfast...we had no lunch ...by the time we realized out hunger it was already 5pm...so while waiting for the test results we decided to taka a break at Tomato Grill restaurant...at the ground floor of the main building.

Despite the very unfortunate day we were having...our saving grace for that day was our grace ...

Tinapa Rice

WOW!!! It was a sight for sore eyes...sore bodies and empty stomachs indeed! Fried soy sauce flavored rice encircled by flaked tinapa, salted eggs and tomatoes. It was delicious!

Pork Binagoongan

Very flavorful and generous in serving size! This would have been great with plain rice!

Pancit Maria

A hearty flat noodle dish...with veggies and pork. Piping hot and very comforting to eat.

Bibingka
We had two of this yummy rice cake..with quesiong puti and salted egg slices. Hot and perfect with the nyog on the side.

We needed all the comfort these Filipino comfort food could give. We got by and had smiles after our meal...but then saddened again going back to the ER.

We were just greatful that non of us was severely hurt. Just a major reminder to us that EVEN IF YOU ARE ALWAYS CAREFUL...A LOT OF IRRESPONSIBLE AND RECKLESS PEOPLE STILL ABOUND AND CAN HURT US ONE DAY! Sad..but true...

Nomnomnomnom....

2009-10-23T12:00:00.001+08:00

The corner of E. Rodriguez and Tomas Morato has become a mini hub for new restaurant, such as World Class Persian Cuisine (please check my post on that), Sabroso Lechon (which is making quite a buzz amongst foodies and piggy goodie fans--I have yet to try this), Orange Cafe and at the back...NONMNOMNOMNOM....

The place is situated at the back part, parking area side of the building. It has a small indoor dine in area and if you choose to dine al fresco, they have several tables and chairs at the garden facing the parking lot. I have read and heard that they put several events during the week...such as guest bands and free movie at the parking! Better call them first to check out their weekly schedules.

Now for the food.

Fried Spinach Ravioli with Tomato Salsa

A bit of a disappointement because they came out oily. They were more of spinach wontons than ravioli really...it would have been ok if they were fried properly.

Margherita Pizza Bomba!

It was like a ball of pizza dough stuffed with cheese, tomatoes and basil...lightly breaded and fried...served with tomato sauce. He did not enjoy this at all...but for me it was fairly ok =)

We found their al fresco setting a tad bit uncomfortable because the garden was uneven and the "bangko" they used was too narrow which felt unstable.

For me the experience was ok..different and enjoyable..nevertheless he did not like it here so I don't think I would be back here anytime soon. Do give it a try and see for yourself..it's all a matter of personal taste anyway =)

Romulo's

2009-10-10T14:52:00.000+08:00

We passed by this nice black and white themed restaurant somewhere in the scout areas, where Brick Kitchen used to stand a few times and finally saw it open last weekend. The placed is called Romulo's...named after Carlos Romulo, the grandfather of one of the owner's as one of the waiter's told us. It had a fabulous casual-fine interiors, decorated by Ivy Almario (who is part owner of the resto also as we were told), all black and white, with 2 air-conditioned dining areas, a second floor for private functions and a nice alfresco area.

They serve Filipino cuisine with their own signature touch and twist.

We decided to have 2 appetizers and a main course to try out their food =)

Smoked Bangus Pate with Pan de Sal Chips Php 150.00

Bangus pate topped with hollandaise sauce. We liked the generous bangus flakes in the pate and the rich sauce atop...we only wished they served it with more pan de sal chips. We found ourselves having more pate with no more bread to eat it with.

Pinoy Nachos Php 75.00

Kamote and Taro chips drizzled with melted kesong puti, keso de bola and tomato.We liked the crispy and thin taro and sweet potato chips, but the cheese topping tasted more like nacho king cheese sauce than kesong puti and keso de bola...although I did find bits of kesong puti on the sauce =) It was yummy but not generous enough in serving for me.

What they scrimped on the appetizer serving portion, they made up with the main entree...

Flying Tilapia with 3 Sauces Php 290.00

Cripy fried Tialpia served with sweet chili sauce, honey bagoong and soy vinegar. We loved how big and cripy the tilapia was and the winner sauce among the three was the HONEY BAGOONG! You can forget about the ordinary sweet chili and soy vinegar sauces that you can make of find anywhere. Perhaps they shouldn't have included the 3 sauces with the name because only one sauce was special.

The place was very nice and cozy...great for get togethers and parties. The service was great too. The waiters were all very attentive and polite. We will come back to try more of the promising entrees and less of the appetizers =) The bagnet and pastas look intriguing and the desserts too =)

A part two is in order..I will post it soon together with the exact location of this new discovery=)

My Birthday...back at La Cabane ^_^

2009-10-01T15:06:00.002+08:00

It's my turn for a birthday =) How time really flies! Is it just me or are the days seem getting shorter and shorter...meaning me older and older...faster ;P hahaha Despite being officially off the calendar today (as in wala na ang edad ko sa kalendaryo--officially! hahaha) I can say, I celebrate my 32nd birthday with so much happiness than I have ever had in the last 31 years of my life.

Complimentary Bread Basket

Complimentary Amuse Bouche

Duo de Tartare de Poissons Php 370.00
We had this on our first visit for his birthday...I think I made a mistake on naming this dish on my previous post. We loved it so much that we ordered it again =) ...still as good as when we had it the first time.

Assortment de Terrines "maison" Php305.00

A trio of terrines...one of champignons (mushrooms), olives and foies de volailles (chicken liver), served with oblives, green salad, tomatoes and gurkens =) The servings size of each terrine was quite big...yummy but not one of our faves because the distiction between the three terrines is very subtle. Good with bread.

have another look....

Sole ala Normande Php685.00

This was on the daily specials board. They have this rolling black board that they show their guest to suggest the day's special offering. This was pan grilled sole fish with prawns with cream sauce. It was delicious! The fish and prawns were perfectly cooked and the cream sauce flavorful yet not overly rich tasting.

We had our dinner with the same Alexis Syrah with had before...all the dishes were just delicious with a light shiraz.

The waitresses remembered us and remembered my comment that we would be back for my birthday =)

chocolate heaven..this time with a pink candle for me =) How nice!

It was indeed another wonderful dining experience here. We love the food, ambiance and service.

In the car awaits another yummy dessert for us to indulge in....Dark Chocolate Cake from Theobroma!!! ^_^

It was a happy birthday indeed!!!

Thank you my love!

My Small Helping Hands and Prayers

2009-09-30T16:59:00.006+08:00

We were all caught off guard.

I was actually in Antipolo that saturday when Metro Manila was suddenly struck by rising flood water out of nowhere. I was contemplating on leaving around 830 am but decided to leave the house a little before 8...because I wanted to get home as soon as I can so I can clean my room before going out for the day. It was raining the night before and still raining when I woke up, but I was the non threatening kind of rain that didn't even made me think once or twice about heading out the door or not. It was smooth sailing...just rainy...but no traffic...no sign of what was about to come...

I got home safely and ok. I finished my morning room clean up, took a bath and was getting ready to be fetched. My sis went to my room about 10am and she goes "aalis ka pa?" I replied "oo naman ..why?" my sis goes "may bagyo ah". I just gave her a smile and just thought nah...it's just an ordinary rainy day like last week. I waited...waited...then my boyfriend called me and told that traffic was bad and he couldn't get to my house...I was not watching TV and I was just in my room watching recorded TV series episodes so I had no idea on the gravity of the situation outside. I got another call and he told me that that streets are starting to get flooded and he said he would just head home because a lot of streets have become unpassable. Then I turn on the TV and go OMG! Katipunan is flooding...Edsa...various parts or QC...NOW I GOT REALLY worried! SO I call and call...but his batteries went dead. An hour before lunch he was able to call me and said detouring led him to Libis and he was at KFC charging his phone and asking the delivery people which roads are passable. I was just glad he was able to charge his phones...communication pacifies a worried spirit! Around 3pm he was able to reach his sister's house in Valle...so I felt calm already that he was safe no matter what happend.

WE WERE SO LUCKY!!! Watching the consitent TV coverage about the condition of Metro Manila.....we just went...boy are we so LUCKY! Thank GOD for letting us both reach safety...we were so close to getting caught buy Ondoy!

Sunday morning my sister's and I rushed to the grocery to buy food...apparenty we were not the only ones with that idea. Check out was crazy! We watched the news through our the day....as we wonder the condition of our offices.

Monday morning was calm and dry...we reached the office and found everything dry and safe. Our workers was able to get to the office as well...they were all alright as well. THANK GOD for sparing us all.

My silent and small prayer of thanks was all I can give to God for his protection...my prayers I offer to those who were affected....and as little as donating some old clothes...so little I can give I hope helps even a bit. I shall be dropping of my donations later..either abs cbn or gma..closest to me.

I hope nothing like this ever happens again. I have friends with stories of how bad they were hit...some with homes flooded to the second floor....others had their cars drowned by the flood water...some offices and machines drowned as well. I am just thankful that all I heard from people close to me were just material loses...no one hurt, no life lost. I THANK GOD again. Everytime I look at the net...watch the news...my heart feels sorry and again makes me greatful. My silent prayers go our to the victims still. I hope with help great and small...when they add up...I hope...will help alleviate the situation.

Was it really because of the continuos rains? Or was is irresposibility by the people controlling our dams? I am not sure.

Lovin' La Cabane =)

2009-09-20T10:37:00.005+08:00

A special birthday eve dinner celebration for my dearest....we were so delighted to have chosen La Cabane, Pasay road Makati. This place has a shabby-chic charm to it that we found cozy and romantic =)

Complimentary bread basket

Complimentary Amuse Bouche

A nice bottle of Alexis Syrah Vin du Gard

A light red wine to go with our dinner =)

TARTARE DE POISSON
A duo of tuna and salmon tartare on a bed of greens. It had the perfect balance of sour to savory....lovely with the wine and bread.

LA CABANE SALAD

Pan grilled Salmon and Prawns on a bed of greens and tomatoes with mango slices. This could be a meal on it's own. It came with a nice vinaigrette. A filling yet refreshing salad.

MAGRET DE CANARD

Duck brest with pepper gravy. This dish was so wonderful. The breast was meaty yet tender with the skin crisp, the gravy simply delicious! We had it with potatoes douphin, which was like a potatoes gratin. The combination was rich and perfect =)

CHOCOLATE HEAVEN

After our lovely dinner and wine..we were surprised by the waitresses who came back with this exquisite chocolate cake...candlelit and came with a song =) They were paying attention to us! hahaha It was absolutely rich, decadent and divine.

As if we were not delighted enough with our dolci...they even had us choose any cocktail or coffee to cap off our perfect evening....how wonderful!

He chose a Mojito

Delicious and minty!

and coffee for me =)

Thank you to all the wonderful La Cabane staff...we had such a great time.

Fine food...nice ambiance....attentive and warm service with all the nice treats for their guests...it's no wonder people can only say wonderful things about La Cabane.

We will definitely be back soon =)

Ristras

2009-09-17T14:12:00.000+08:00

Ristras is one of the latest San Juan born restos that has gained much popularity in the foodie realm. I was indeed intruiged by all the written and spoken word about the great burritos they dish out here....we investigate ;)

The menu is straight to the point and simple mexican faves. What makes their burritos and tacos great is that they have very good quality ingriedients, they are generous in portions and you are in command of what you will have! You pick your meat: lime chicken/beef/pork; pick your rice/chorizo or cilantro lime rice; pick whatever goes in your burrito: guacamole/salsa/beans/what have you....pick one ...pick 'em all! hehehe

We had the chicken with lime rice, pinto beans and the works. It was delicious! Only after ordering did we find out we could have ordered two kinds of meat since we were splitting our huge burrito anyway! Next time =)

For Php 290.00 --good for two perhaps? not bad.

We also had an order of Nachos with salsa. Purple and white corn nachos with salsa and guacamole dips. Php 90.00
Yumm!!!!! Must try burritos with other meat...but try tacos and quesodilla! =)