Food,glorious food!

Oh my july :)

I am so loving July. Finally visited Mercato and I have rediscovered a resto with Abe-like food but is relatively cheaper.

Mercato I think may be overrated.I enjoyed looking at the food stalls but the food I ordered tasted so-so, I also got to sample some of the free food from stalls and I should say, I have tasted better food elsewhere. I was happy though to find an affordable lemonade at Php 30, they are hand-squeezed! Found a cute dessert store too- pink wasabi :)

Also this week, me and bosom buddies had dinner at Roberta’s Cantina @ Maginhawa. I have eaten here a year back, and this place despite its very simple ambiance, never fails to amaze me. I loved their tom yum, noodles and appetizers we had, even the lemongrass infused water was interesting. I have a feeling though that they use way too much MSG or a product that has too much of the chemical as my taste buds almost went numb after dinner.

I was supposed to have my Friday dinner at Van Gogh is Bipolar, but they were already full (Jethro invited us to see the place even if we were not eating), so we went to Pino’s instead. There were new items on the Pino menu :) reminded me somewhat of Abe. I had the crispy hito and 1/3 of the chunky choco tempura dessert, both choices made my week :)

Links to my July finds:

http://www.facebook.com/MyPinkWasabi.pastries

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roberta-Seafood-Cantina/194936865212

My MAY Finds…old and new flavors

Theodore Hotel,Tagaytay

Had a complimentary breakfast- bratwurst sausage… yummy but very oily :(

Bag-o-beans, Tagaytay

I love most of the baked selections in Bag-O-beans. But their burger…almost made cry, hated every bite. Even the fish and chips my friend ordered needed a lot of improvement

Pizza Hut

My mama and I shared the seafood supreme pasta wrap and mango panna cotta in pizza hut, sm rosario. The pasta was simply delicious, this makes up for the aglio olio I had in pizza hut, baguio. The mango panna cotta :( it was rough to the tongue and tasted more like a creamy maja blanca

Mexicali

Their grilled beef and chicken fajitas was a real winner! expect that its mostly bell peppers though

Bellini’s

Fine (and expensive) Italian cooking made by Chef Bellini. The food was flavorful and the chef even gave us free sweet wine that he brewed himself

Gayuma ni Maria

Finally visited Gayuma after 100 years :) hahaha. I ordered their exotic lover, had way too much topping but the pasta sauce was perfect sans the fish. Loved their “beats sex anyday” chocolate cake dessert. It was ridiculously soft, smooth but not too sweet… definitely having that again soon

Countryside Steaks, Cavite

I tried their Country club sandwich… :( I think i can make a better sandwich for myself. The coffee was okay, not remarkable. I hope their steaks taste better

Apart from its magnificent waters and islands, Palawan is also a food lover’s paradise. Prices are relatively expensive, so be prepared to shell out a minimum of Php 250 per meal.

My first meal was in Fort Wally’s at Roxas,Palawan all shuttle vans from Puerto Galera pass by this restaurant because the drivers get a free meal here. The food looks good…but most of them are undercooked :( I am lucky I wasn’t food poisoned here.

Second meal was dinner at Ogie’s Pension House in El Nido, where food is over-priced. Had my first lobster here… tasted just like tiger prawn, only this particular shellfish’s muscles are tougher.

For two days in a row, I had Ogie’s Pension Houses’s Western Breakfast for a lack of a better alternative (oh, and breakfast is actually part of my Php 450/night rent).  

Had an excellent “bangkero-cooked” lunch in between Island Hopping in El nido… simple foods were prepared (adobong baboy, inihaw na manok at isda) but they tasted excellent ( or maybe I was just uber hungry).

In Puerto Princesa, my family and I visited restaurants which were highly recommended  by friends,like the Badjao Restaurant , Ka Lui and Bilao’t Palayok. The ambiance in all these food services are native in theme but really elegant. Food at Badjao was so-so, but I loved my Ka Lui (we ate barefoot here)and Bilao’t Palayok experience :) Since Palawan is surrounded by water, expect that most of the items on the menu are fishes (finfish and shellfish) cooked sinabawan and grilled :).

Now I am broke and I feel like 2 inches have been added to my waistline :) Happy summer it is

                                                                 Sagada food trip

If there is something that struck me about the food in the Mt.Province, it is this: super sizing is the norm, good for 1 actually means good for 1 1/2-2 average sized Pinoys.

My gastronomic journey in the Northern area began when I sampled the pork barbeque over at sison in sison, pangasinan sold at 30/pc or 50 for 2 pcs. I was still a little drowsy from my nap but I remembered it being tender with a flavor that could be described as a cross between tapa and tocino.

My next meal was breakfast in Baguio at  Sab-atan, a restaurant beside the Lizardo Lines terminal. At first, Blancs and i wanted to order separate plates but upon seeing how big each serving was (and in consideration of our plan to slow bowel movement :) ), we split one order of the Sab-atan special. Basically it was a hodge podge of different dishes- chopsuey, a pork dish which is similar to lechon macau, fried chicken, rice and fried egg.

In the Benguet bus stop, I saw some unfamiliar fruits hanging by the Morning Star store opening. The driver told us those were passion fruits so I got a string of passion fruits (sold at Php 25 each) and force fed my companions. On the outside it looked like granada but on the inside it looked like an alien fruit :). It was filled with small seeds the size of long grained rice coated with thick mucus (sorry, ran out of proper adjectives). I ate the seeds since it was hard to separate it from the flesh. Every mouthful was interesting… there was a hint of guyabano (soursop), of kiwi and crispness from the seeds :)

It was about lunchtime when we got to Sagada so we headed to Masferre after dropping our bags . I asked the attendant what their specialty was, to my surprise she replied “fried chicken and lechon kawali”, I was expecting something more exotic than that. Anyway, for lack of better alternatives… chopsuey, grilled bangus and fried chicken with steamed rice made up our lunch. These dishes were not remarkable for the grilled bangus was a bit bitter and the fried chicken tasted like home-fried chicken. I capped my lunch with some home-made yoghurt topped with delicious ripe mangoes. The yoghurt is less sour and sweeter than the commercial ones plus the texture was kind of coarse, but the over-all effect especially when combined with ripe mango was delightful.

For dinner, we originally wanted to try the Log Cabin buffet which costs Php 390 per head, but we all felt like we were bloated so we went to this restaurant called Yoghurt house. There I ordered grilled eggplant in basil pasta (Php 120), an all vegetarian pasta cooked in olive oil. The serving was huge! The flavor was okay but not spectacular so I consumed only half of that. I also had their lemon pie  (Php 35/slice) and mountain tea (Php 15/cup). The lemon pie was a bit disappointing since the crust was not flaky and the filling was similar to maja blanca in texture and tasted like it was flavored with Mc Cormick lemon essence. The mountain tea was interesting, it tasted like oolong with basil.

The next day, breakfast was at Masferre since it was the only resto willing to serve us breakfast at 6:30 am. I ordered the Filipino breakfast (Php 120)- a platter of native sausage, egg, rice, veggies and a slice of ripe mango, also served with coffee or chocolate. It was better than the first meal at Masferre. :) I love the native sausage! although these were very cute in size (smaller than cocktail hotdogs) its flavor was superb- a perfect combination of garlic, salt and meat.

Lunch was memorable. After our tiring trip to Bomod-ok falls, we went to the Pinikpikan House to have our fill of the Mt. Province Specialty called pinikipikan (Php 100 with rice). The chicken was bit tough I suppose its because of the lactic acid that accumulated in the muscles during preparation, the etag (native ham) was delicious and the soup had a smoky and umami flavor. I so loved it that I finished my order in 10 minutes :)

I have been dying to visit the Lemon Pie House since we got to Sagada so even if we were uber full after our pinikipikan lunch we made (forced) room for dessert. At the Lemon Pie House, I ordered lemon pie (Php 25/slice) and mountain tea (Php 15/mug). There is something really unique about the pie- it was honest to goodness fresh & natural-tasting and had very little sugar, a perfect match with the Mountain Tea.

Dinner came after our Echo valley tour, most of the restaurants were closed since it was a Sunday and the only restaurant open was Shamrock Cafe very near the Sagada Municipal Hall.I ordered the Shamrock Special (~Php 150) which includes meat (Chicken paprika), veggies (steamed green beans and cauliflower), soup (cream of mushroom), rice and a serving of yoghurt (with mango slices). We waited for almost an hour before our food was delivered :( Consider this as a warning: most of the restaurants I visited in Sagada serve food 30 minutes to 1 hour after you order, so be prepared with some snacks to keep you sane while waiting. Basically the highlight of my Shamrock dinner was the yoghurt, for the chicken and veggies were mildly seasoned so I did not enjoy it .

We also sampled Sagada-baked breads during our stay. Cinnamon rolls appear to be their specialty and they are quite affordable too- Php 19 per roll :). I also got the sample a unique wine- rice wine made of pirurutong and eaten with a spoon.

My next proper meal was at Pizza Hut, SM Baguio. I ordered their aglio olio with shrimps (~Php 160). My first order came with a free strand of human hair so I asked for a new plate, thankfully they obliged :). Nothing fancy about that pasta and the shrimp was not juicy and sweet, probably because there is no ready supply of fresh seafood in the area. The last time I was in Baguio was when I was five years old, I was so disappointed that Baguio looks similar to Quiapo now.

A sweet afternoon with the sweet Tuppil girls

This is about my latest halu-halo discovery and a happy merienda meal with my bosom friend Shey. After a quick stop at her bird club meeting, Shey and I , along with her uber cute  5 year old daughter cjik, went to Malen’s in Noveleta, Cavite.

Shey ordered beef calzone, it was bit dry (both the pastry and the filling) but flavor-wise the calzone was really a winner. Shey also managed to snag free warm pan de sal and home made butter for the three of us.

I ordered their halu-halo and was really surprised on how delightful it was. I used to think that Digman’s and Razon’s are the best, but Malen’s version has definitely topped my list. On the outside, it looked like an ordinary halu-halo with more ice and less of the sweetened fruits…but do not let the unassuming exterior fool you.

The shaved ice was of a deeper flesh color and had a creamier flavor than other halu-halo brands, I am guessing they used alpine milk to create this effect. The fruits (banana, jackfruit, macapuno) were not overpowering in terms of sweetness and they blend excellently. I was also delighted to find large chunks of “melt-in-the-mouth” leche flan hidden in the shaved ice. Normally, what is used in halu-halo is a leche flan that has more egg whites, but Malen’s used their best-selling leche flan for their halu-halo.

Truly, this was heaven in a parfait glass :). The sweet Tuppil girls of course added spice to my afternoon. Happy summer

The Damage:

Peso: Php 60-80 per galss of the halu-halo (sorry, i didn’t pay for the halu-halo so I don’t know the exact price)

Calories: ~ 284 kcal

I have been planning to try yakimix for the last 2 years… finally i did at SM MOA! Had to travel around 2 hours to get there to meet bosom friends shey tuppil & badette masiglat for an early dinner. I have no yakimix horror story to tell…i enjoyed the food and the service was not that bad. When I got to yakimix, shey and badette were already seated so I did not have to queue outside unlike the other diners. Imagine people were already lining up to get in at around 6:30 of an ordinary Wednesday. Anyway, I did not get to sample all of the dishes in yakimix, just got myself a total of 15 pieces of assorted sushi before proceeding to the “self-grilled” portion of my dinner. I loved their maki selections! I tried their original creations and some maki types I am not that familiar with (like the las vegas maki). I can’t describe each maki in detail (since I ate each one of them like a pringles chip) but I am sure I was delighted with each one of them. The most memorable of the sushi selections though, was their pink salmon sashimi. It was milky in flavor and very tender (as in almost melt in your mouth tender ) and excellent even without a soy sauce and wasabi. Too bad the photos here do not do the yakimix sushi spread justice. I also enjoyed grilling my selections- I chose a variety of USDA pork and beef slivers, cuttlefish and pink salmon skin. I did not use the liquid condiments they have provided on the spread, good old salt proved to be sufficient. I skipped rice that night and just had 2 servings of vegetables to sweep out all the fat I ate. I capped my dinner with 1 scoop of selecta strawberry ice cream with a dash of candy sprinkles and choco chips. I also had a slice of the blueberry mousse, but that was not very interesting so if ever you’ll visit you can skip that. Most of the desserts in yakimix are branded food products like selecta ice cream, goldilocks and red ribbon, so if you are “unique” dessert person, the yakimix buffet may not be the place for you. Thanks shey for the discount :) The damage? Php 500

The Real Thing Experience

Met with college friend Sinag Ramos last Feb 28 and we agreed to sample a relatively new restaurant. We headed to Il Terrazzo at Tomas Morato, went around for 30 minutes before we finally decided on THE REAL THING. Personally, I was intrigued by the restaurant since it was COKE-themed-from the colors to the decors and guess what, even the menu! Yes boys and girls, The Real Thing food is either marinated in coke and coke-products or comes with a sauce that is coke or coke-product based.

We both wanted to get dessert after dinner, so we ordered dishes which were relatively light- Sarsi Fish and Chips (PhP 240), Shrimp and Zucchini Linguini (PhP 239), and just to experience their unique beverages we also threw in one order of Cinnamon snifter (PhP 99).

The Sarsi Fish and Chips was not remarkable but was not bad-tasting either. It consisted of 3 half-palm slices of deep fried dory with a about 1 cup of slightly crisp and generally bland-tasting potato wedges. I think they should rename the dish to potato and fish just so the diner will know there is more starch here than  fish. The sauce which was almost gray in color, had a mix of salty and sarsi taste. I had 1 1/2 slices of the fish and almost half of the fries, so that would be around 463 kcal.

The Shrimp and Zucchini Linguini was served in a small platter and was mostly pasta- it only had 3 pieces of small shrimps and 5 thin and small wedges of zucchini! It had a taste reminiscent of Lucky Me Pancit Canton, and I somehow liked it. I think the management could add a few more shrimp and zucchini, otherwise they could rename the dish to Linguini with “barely there” shrimp and zucchini. I had half of the order so that could have been around 200 kcal.

Sinag and I shared a glass of Cinnamon snifter- a mix of cinnamon, coke, sarsi and vanilla ice cream. Since I have been abstaining from carbonated beverages for two years now, this drink created an intolerable fizz in my mouth, throat and stomach. I did not like the mix of flavors too, it was too juvenile to my liking =(. Good thing I ordered a bottle of water.

Mother Lily Monteverde of “Mano Po” fame also visited the real thing resto the same day we did :)

After dinner, sinag and I ordered a mango crepe at the FANCY BAKERY. They were moving out of Il Terrazzo, so most of the items on their menu were on sale. The crepe was so-so… the batter had too much flour and was burnt by the crepe man. The filling was forgettable… Cafe Breton’s version is way (100x) better.

Know more about the Real Thing from other foodies:

http://www.munchpunch.com/restaurants/branch/7455.aspx

This 2011, I have been to a couple of eat-outs with family and friends, to new and old places.

My Room 114 friends and I visited Trigo a week after I went there with Dean Mayo. Since I was curious about the Schnitzel, I tried it and was disappointed. All the flavor were concentrated on the crust and the meat tasted as if there was no salt or pepper rubbed on it. I am not sure if this is how it really is, bottom line is I didn’t like it.

Three days after I had my hair permed (and I was slightly depressed over it), my Ate Apple and I visited Peanut Butter Company at SM North. We ordered barbeque wings, classic spaghetti and shared a dark chocolate peanut butter milkshake. I so love the food! The pasta sauce was of the right thickness and had a pleasing blend of tomatoes and savory peanut butter. I also give them a thumbs up for keeping the pasta al dente. I also love their milkshake, it reminded me of the Jonas’ chocnut shakes in Bora, but PB’s version was of course way way better. They have to re-think their choice of utensils though as they use disposable ones…the spaghetti and the chicken stuck to the paper plate =( not a pretty site and this is so earth unfriendly.

Last week, my 114 frenemies and I headed to Contis at the Katipunan ext. for an uber late post bday & racket treat c/o Krissy and myself. I had my usual baked salmon with paella rice which again as usual was an absolute delight to my palate. I got to sample Blanca’s choice- baked prawns which turned out to be just as dreamy as my order. We had strawberry short cake (my first) and mango bravo for dessert with a teapot of jasmine to wash it down. The strawberry cake had a very interesting texture- velvety cake, smooth cream and a with sweet and sour flavors at each bite. The mango bravo was frozen too long I think, as the mangoes were almost as hard as ice candy.

After my Friday class, I met up with my soul sisters Badette and Shey at Old Vine in Libis. The restaurant had a very classy and expensive ambiance, but do not let that fool you… the price is reasonable. The food though is another story, I find their creations well-plated and delightful to the eyes, but somehow wanting in terms of flavor and attention to texture. Since I already had a full course buffet courtesy of the French class function my students prepared, I ordered the attendant’s dessert suggestion- langka banana samurai crepe. The texture was like freshly cooked home made pudding on the surface and at the bottom, you’ll find overcooked saba bananas and jackfruit. I had to force myself to finish the dish.

Yesterday , my highschool buddies and I went to Silid and once again, Ding dong and his team sent me to gastronomic heaven =) Their aglio olio, seafood carbonara, and red sauce spaghetti with cutlets were amazing. I also liked the pizza we ordered. Too bad, I don’t know the names of the dishes since it was my friend Mike who took charge of ordering.

Food from this semester…from recipe tests to mini functions, these are what my kids are whipping up

DZUP day

Yesterday (jan 10, 2011 PST), I was the guest at the CHE 12-1 pm radio show in DZUP 1602. I was asked to share what i advice my clients who would like to lose weight. After the show, the dean treated me and Ma’am Etchel to Trigo (Filipino for wheat), a small art cafe located at the UP Bahay ng Alumni.

I like the homey and intimate feel of Trigo, price-wise expect the spend the same amount that as when you dine in either Chocolate Kiss and ROC. The food is not really spectacular but it was acceptable so I would not mind bringing my friends here for a treat.

I ordered aglio oglio with grilled chicken. I would have preferred seafood like spicy tuyo or sardines to go with my favorite pasta though. Beverage as always is bottled water. I had 1/3 of the tiramisu cheesecake and brewed coffee for dessert after my pasta meal. The cake was average tasting, not too sweet and it could still be improved in terms of texture- the base of the cake was dry and rough to the tongue =( Aww, i missed Chocolat’s cake selections when i was having this dessert.

Calorie-wise what I ate  at Trigo would translate to:

Pasta= 200 calories

Olive oil= 200 calories ( I am hoping this is lower since I did not consume all of the oily sauce on my plate)

Water= 0 calories

Bread= 50 calories

Grilled chicken= 82 calories

1/3 cheesecake= 135 calories

Coffee with 1 tsp sugar= 5 calories

Total= roughly 680 calories for lunch! Now, I really have to move a lot and study a lot to burn that

Oh, and I learned that Schnitzels are Europe’s version of breaded fried meat =) Thank you dean! I have always thought that these were a type of bread. This is why we need to consult dictionaries all the time whenever we encounter a new word

In my FN 24 class last week, the students were asked to plate several Filipino dishes. I am sharing some of their work which I find very different and interesting . Most of their work are western-inspired, as these kids are exposed to that style in TV and in local restos. I like how some of them taught of functionality, one group placed bagoong in the middle of a plate with kare and kare on on side and green mangoes on the other =)

A calorie-laden birthday =)

Just turned 30! A few weeks back the thought of turning 30 scared the hell out of me. Now, the fact that a lot of people say that I look like in my 20’s make me feel real good about being 3 decades old.

Just like any other person, I spent my birthday with food (okay lots of food) as the highlight. First stop was Carl Cedz at Kawit, Cavite for a buffet lunch (@Php 175/head! believe it) with my ma, bro and relatives. I love their food, there were about 20++ dishes and those that I sampled tasted good and clean. This dish which they call as squid vermicelli caught my fancy…a moss green colored concoction “peppered” with small squid rings, it was definitely an interesting asian noodle dish. Oh, and their beef caldereta…a definite winner! Soft and flavorful plus it was chili so its an instant favorite.

By 3:30 pm, I was eating again… spaghetti, ice cream and some white loaf bread. I know, i know it looks like a standard children’s party fare, but that is how conventional my mama is when it comes to menu planning. The spaghetti was umami in taste and the milk Ate Dags added to the sauce created a deeper and creamy flavor to the dish. Too bad I did not have pictures of the spaghetti dish… the sauce had a color midway between pink and orange.

At 7:30 that day I had a meet-up with my sisters and brother-in-law at the UP Ayala Techno Hub. We went to Mister Kabab and had keema, korma with eggplant, roast lamb ( a definite must try…smoky and flavorful!), shakes for them and water for me, rice for them and some chapati for yours truly. We also sampled the pistachio and walnut baklava for our “first” dessert. I loved our dinner, I am not sure if it was because the last time I ate there was 6 months ago or Kabab really improved in their cooking. The baklava tasted okay, not too overpowering in terms of sweetness but  I think it would have been better if it had more chopped nuts inside and that pasty was flakier.

Right after our dinner, we headed to Cafe Breton for yet another round of dessert =) This time we sampled 2 crepes- LA PINAY and TARZAN! I loved them both. LA PINAY had a light and delicious bitter note because of the chocolate and as usual tarzan made my taste buds so happy. What I really like about Cafe Breton is that the crepe batter tastes real good and the texture is a-okay whether hot or cold.

For the cafe breton menu: http://food.clickthecity.com/menu/Jv1161#

Yummy bicolano dishes care of Tita Tessie Nacario

In just two days…Tita Tessie Nacario introduced me to her own version of the Bicolano cuisine. Some of the dishes she prepared were familiar to me, but the pinangat (shrimp with grated coconut wrapped in gabi leaves) and the balaw ( a chunkier and yummier version of bagoong alamang) and the pancit batu were definitely new and exciting!

Oh, and tita loves organic foods. The chicken and most of the veggies and fruits we had came from their farm and their backyard. =)