Thursday, December 30, 2010

Simple Recipe for the New Year's Eve Party

In my previous blog entry I wrote some suggestions regarding food that you can serve on New Year's Eve. Here I would like to give you a simple recipe suggestion. I hope this will help you in preparing for tomorrows celebrations.

Pesto Potato Balls

Ingredients:

1k            marble potatoes
2              cloves garlic, minced
1cup         butter
2-3 tbsp   pesto powder (available in grocery stores)
1 cup        button mushrooms

Procedure:

1. Boil marble potatoes in a casserole. Poil until potatoes are almost soft. Drain water. Set aside.
2. In a pan, melt the butter. Use low heat.
3. Add the minced garlic until golden brown.
4. Add the boiled potatoes and button mushrooms.
5. After about five minutes add the pesto powder.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Serve hot.

This is one easy recipe to prepare for New Year's Eve. It only takes less than 20 minutes to cook. Since the potatoes are round, this will fit the New Year's lucky food requirements.
7.

Food to Serve on New Year's Eve

A lot of people are going over the food that they will serve for New Year's Eve. Not that they really worry about what they would like to eat but they want to get every food they they could have that will bring them good luck for the rest of the year. So here are some of the things that I heard people are buying in the hope that they will bring them good vibes for 2011.

Food to Serve on New Year's Eve

1. ROUND FRUITS - There is a long list of fruits that can be bought to bring more money. Some of them are apples, oranges, grapes and pears. Round fruits are chosen because they resemble the shape of money.
2. STICKY FOOD - People choose sticky foods because they are believed to strengthen the bond between families. Some foods chosen are paella or arroz, kakanins like sapin-sapin and biko.
3. NOODLES - People serve noodles during New Year's Eve because they symbolize long life. There is a wide variety of noodles to choose from. But those sold in Chinese stores are the most popoular.

If there are foods that are said to bring in good luck, there are also those that are said to be full of bad luck. One of the is chicken because in the Philippines there is a saying that says chicken are "isang kahig, isang tuka". This means that you are always left wanting because you only get provisions enough for one meal.

At the end of the day, luck is based on how good you live your life. It is best to leave everything in the hands of God than base it on fruits or noodles.

Happy New Year everyone.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Let me depart from mu usual food reviews. This time I'd like to give you  my thoughts about food as gifts for Christmas. I'll give a glimpse on why i think they are good to give as gifts. I'll also give suggestions about what I think are the best ones to give. Lastly I'll give you tips or dos and don'ts regarding giving food as gifts.

Why is it good to give food as gifts for Christmas?

1. We all love to eat so the chance for your gift not be appreciated is small. Even those who claim that they are on a diet will surely appreciate it.
2. With food, you eliminate the possibility of giving the wrong size, color or design. Yes, there might be some types of food that some people do not like but they can share them with their loved ones anyway so they will not go to waste. (Look at the tips below regarding this area).
3. You can buy just one type of food for all your friends. You do need to list down the names of all your friends and the possible gifts you will give each. It is such a hassle to think of 30 gifts for 30 different people, right? Just count how many your friends are and place your order.
4. You eliminate the possibility of one friend being jealous of the gift you give another.
5. Food as gift is generally inexpensive. 

What food can you give as gifts?

1. Ham. It is always a part of every Christmas dinner so you wont go wrong with this one. There are a lot of varieties to choose from and a good choice wood be bone-in ham. Forget about the turkey because chances are they still have some leftovers from Thanksgiving.
2. Cheese. Like ham, every Christmas dinner also has cheese. It would be good to give as a gift. if there are a lot of choices for ham, there are even more for cheese.
3. Cookies. Who doesn't like cookies? They  are easy to find and there are so many flavors you can choose from. You can even have one flavor for every friend you have.
4. Mixed nuts. People love to keep jars of nuts at home because they can serve it whenever there are unexpected guests. It is also nice to have around should the family decide to have movie marathon at home.
5. Wine. You can give wine to almost everyone. Even those who do not drink alcohol will appreciate this because he can serve it whenever he hosts dinner parties.

Some important tips.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

banapple at the ayala triangle

have you ever tried the restaurants at the ayala triangle?....i was there last week....we arrived at around 8:15 pm....long lines in all restos.....even dessert stores are full....i was wondering why there are long lines everywhere....we were supposed to eat at wee num kee (did i get the name right?) but when we asked the girl at door to include us in the 'waiting' list we were turned down....they were closing at ten and the list is still very long so she just apologized because she knew we'll not be accommodated....we then proceeded to banapple....we were fourth on the list....after i got my number there were several others who followed.....many of them were turned down....i think they accommodated only four after me.....



after 50 minutes we were given a table....a table was supposed to have been available earlier than that if only the three girls eating outside were sensitive to the long line of people waiting....they finished eating 15 minutes after we arrived.....the service crew got their plates already....but they chose to stay longer....they didn't even bother to order a slice of cake....and they were laughing so loudly i'm sure people at the stock exchange could hear them....

anyway i ordered glazed tocino....suzy ordered chicken parmigiana and ava ordered a burger....actually, we didn't know it was burger she ordered....we thought it was salad....but when it was served it was a burger that is rather small.....it's a good thing i stuck it out with one of my two favorites....yes, the tocino (the other one is the chicken parmigiana....















the tocino was great....not so oily....not too sweet though its glazed.....and the fried rice is also great.....again not too oily.....but the real winner is the creamy omelet/scrambled egg....hmmmm....creamy.....lavettt......


for dessert i usually order banoffee but since ava ordered it i asked for the chocolate walnut pie so we could try different cakes....it was too sweet for me.....i didn't like it much.....but i had to eat it other wise it would go to waste....sayang ang pera....lol....




i still wonder why there are a lot of people eating at the ayala triangle....is it because it is relatively new?....or is it because there are just so many offices around the area.....
 
anyway, the other restos there are amici....phoa....bfast....golden spoon.....and a chicken house.....


Thursday, December 02, 2010

uni sashimi at nihonbashi tei

i never thought that i'd love eating sea urchin....eeewww.....yuck.....when i was 'forced' to eat 'uni' when i had dinner with friends at saisaki a few month's back, i discovered that it was delicious.....hmmmm....yumyum....since then i have enjoyed eating uni.....two nights ago we had dinner at nihonbashi tei, a japanese restaurant located along pasay road near don bosco church....naturally we ordered uni.....boy did i go crazy...their uni is so good....it's really fresh....it didn't smell 'fishy'....an order of uni sashimi is worth P180....you can also have uni sushi....one piece is worth P55.....

uni sashimi at nihonbashi tei



aside from uni, we also had pork barbeque.....the pork barbeque is delicious....grilled just right....the pork was not marinated in soy sauce i think....the taste is in the sauce that they put after grilling....one stick is worth P35....if you come to think of it, it is way cheaper than the barbeques sold in street stalls....big 'chunks' for only P35....then we also had yakisoba....their yakisoba is in no way similar to the 'instant' noodles you'll find in supermarkets....their yakisoba looks like omelet.....yup....the noodles are wrapped in scrambled egg....hmmmm....but my suggestion is not to have barbeque and yakisoba together....they almost taste alike....
the restaurant looks good....the tables are clean....the setup is okay.....as soon as you're seated they'll give you wet towels....there is one thing though that made me laugh....when we asked for refill of water, the waitress brought in a pitcher....what's funny about that?....the pitcher is made of plastic....it looks like the plastic pitcher usually offered as a prize when you win in local carnival games....as in 'perya'.....major, major 'perya'....i remember i got one when i was able to make my 25 centavo coin land in the center box in the game i call 'shoot that bentesingko in the box'.....


plastic pitcher on her right hand....i couldn't get a nice shot without getting their attention....

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

decaf or not decaf - try mo

i love drinking coffee....i down about 6 mugs everyday....three in the morning.....two in the afternoon.....one in the evening.....i can drink brewed.....i can drink instant.....with cream.....without cream......but i don't like decaf (decaffeinated)....i see no point in drinking decaf coffee......for me coffee = caffeine.....my sleeping pattern is not affected by the caffeine.....that is perhaps because i've become so used to it that my body no longer reacts to it the way it should.....maybe....

just a few days ago i chanced upon this commercial on tv about decaf coffee.....the commercial says that we should try decaf because it tastes the same as the caffeinated variety but will not prevent you from getting a good night's sleep....i just ignored it because as i've said, coffee does not affecet my sleeping pattern anyway.....but last saturday while buying grocery at SM supermarket i saw this booth giving free taste of coffee - decaf.....i haven't had my coffee fix that day so i grabbed the cup offered to me....boy was i surprised....it really tastes the same as the one with caffeine.....

i know caffeine has some not so good effects in the body......i've known it since i learned how to drink it...it affects the liver.....the stomach....the brain....the circulatory.....and some more.....but since i love coffee i just close my eyes on these things.....but having realized that coffee can still taste the same even without the caffeine i decided to try the decaf variety.....i'll try it for a week....if it gives me whatever the other is giving me (which honestly i don't know) i'll stick with  it.....

oh....were you waiting for what brand of coffee i was talking about?.....i didn't want to write it because this is not about the brand but about decaf coffee in general.....but since you asked.....its nescafe....

nescafe decaf.....try mo.....

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

kfc double down - adouble disappointment

while watching the gma 7 coverage of the manny pacquiao - antonio margarito fight i saw the ad for the new kfc double down....the tvc must have been played over a hundred times....it looked great.....so after the fight i went to kfc (sm city lucena) to sample kfc's new product....it's a bunless sandwich....instead of buns they have two original flavor chicken fillets....bacon strips, cheese and mayo dressing in the middle.....it looked exciting....but.....it was weird eating soft and oily fried chicken without buns or rice.....the fried chicken was too soft and too oily to be eaten without buns or rice....i didn't find it good for what filipinos call mag-papak...coz the idea is like that.....mag-papak ka ng manok.....i was expecting the fried chicken to be firmer (i can't think of a better word)....and the bacon was there but when you eat it, it's as if it's not there.....labo.....and the mayo was too  sour....is it like that  in all their branches?....i hope in other branches the kfc double down will taste better.....

Friday, October 29, 2010

kfc fried chicken...chililime....

i went to kfc a few nights ago to have bbq rods...unfortunately they don't serveit anymore...too bad...so i tried their new product...chililime...fried chicken with chili and lime...i was not too sure at first if i'll like it...rather weird combination for me...but i dared...not only to know if it's really good but to have something new to write about...haha...i can say i'm happy i tried it...i loved it...really...i loved the combination of the chili and the lime...hot....sour...and sweet?...i don't know if it's just me but i felt like the combination of the two brought out something sweet in the friend chicken...weird, eh?...but you have to try it...then tell me if i'm right or wrong...

for those who are not fond of spicy food there is no need to worry because the 'hotness' is not really to much...and again, the lime somehow belnds in so well that you'll get confused if its hot...or sour...or sweet (again?)...try it...basta...

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

STK ta Bay! Paolito's Seafood House, orchid street, cebu city

on our last day in cebu we had lunch at this wonderful place called STK ta Bay! Paolito's Seafood House.....it's not really very easy to find....actually we do not know the place....we just asked the cab driver to take us to a restaurant where we can eat seafoods....he took us to orchid street, capitol site....he brought us to an ihaw-ihaw....but the ihaw-ihaw was closed....then a few meters from this ihaw-ihaw place, we saw a sign that says something seafood house....

 STK ta Bay! paolito's Seafood House can be found at 6 Orchid St., Capitol Site, Cebu City

the restaurant is actually an old house...it is divided into several sections....the front area which i assume was the garage before has a display of their grilled offerings.....there are also two long tables with antique centerpieces.....the first room looks like the main restaurant....it is an airconditioned room with about 10 tables...the room is also adorned with antique decorations and images of saints......and there's a harp

 the front are...picture taken from the street

grilled tuna and scallops
one long table for big groups
another long table for those who want to breathe fresh air while eating

the main dining area

one of the cabinets and the harp
there are a lot of this images inside the house

the next section (which has a separate entrance - near the long tables outside) is the receiving area of the house....they maintained that 'receiving area' look...there are old wooden chairs......mirrors.....cabinets filled with antiques.....an altar with a lot of religious statues (they have more statues than some small chapels i've seen)....the owner of the house actually invited us in...she saw us having put pictures taken outside....she was very gracious...she switched on the lights so we could take better pictures of the decorations.....she showed us an old phonograph....and a 102 (or is it 112)year old clock....she then told us about the third section.....i actually, i thought the main restaurant is the only place where diners can go to so i was surprised when she let us in on the receiving area and the third section...



 the altar

the old phonograph

is it 102 or 112 years old?


the third section is at the back....it was probably the real dining area of the old house....there were also around 10 tables inside.....and of course more antiques....very nice room....actually, whole house looks like a museum....it could a lot of museums a run for their money....really....


the third section







the place has been visited by a lot of celebrities....they have a gallery right outside the main restaurant....former president gloria macapagal-arroyo has been to the place.....sen tito sotto also has picture there....there people i do not know but i think they are cebu city's who's who.....there are also showbiz people who have visited the place...

 their celebrity guests

we ordered shrimps in garlic sauce, adobong pusit, grilled scallops and halaan soup....


the shrimps tasted really good.....a regular platter which is good for two costs only PhP 95.00....cheap, huh.....the regular platter has about 10 medium sized shrimps....




the adobong pusit was also delicious but it should have been given another name....it did not taste like adobong pusit....but again it tasted good....adobong pusit is actually not in their menu....we just asked for it....nice, right?



the scallops was grilled with butter and garlic.....i think it would taste better with a little less butter....the butter has an overpowering taste....but it was still okay....it's not often that you can order scallops for PhP 85....



the three dishes were all okay but for me, the winner is the halaan soup.....they served it in a big bowl....and the halaan were big.....i was actually shocked because the usual halaan i see here in manila are small....one order probably has 50 halaan shells but the one they served us in cebu has only 6.....you know why?....because the halaan shells are big.....as in really big....did i say they were huge?.....


look at how big that halaan is...one soup ladle, one halaan

overall, that lunch at STK ta Bay! Paolito's Seafood House was a great experience.....if i will have another chance to go to cebu i will surely visit this place again....

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

the port,seafood restaurant, waterfront hotel, lahug, cebu city

yahoo....found another eat all you can restaurant....the port, seafood restaurant, waterfront hotel, lahug, cebu city...for PhP 299 you can already avail of the port's eat all you can dinner....they have lots of appetizers....seaweeds of different sorts....ensaladang talong...ensaladang mangga...kropek...squid/fish balls....the appetizers alone can already make you full....i loved the seaweeds....i seldom find them here in metro manila so i was happy to see seaweeds on the buffet table...

then they have steamed rice as well as yang chow fried rice...of course in got the fried rice....it tasted good....lots of toppings....not so oily....

they have a lot of viands although not as many as those you would usually find in buffet restaurants here in manila (adobo, longganisang cebu, pork this and pork that, chicken this and chicken that)....the longganisa (chorizo according to the label) was my favorite....different from longganisa in manila....different from longganisang lucban, longganisang vigan and longganisang cabanatuan.....not too sweet....not a lot of fats....not too garlic-ky....the fried chicken was crispy and flavorful....but they come in very, very small pieces....you have to get a lot to be able to really enjoy it...i wonder why they opted to serve them in tiny pieces....people tend to get several pieces because of that...they could have chosen to prepare big servings and surely people will just get a piece or two....

they also have soup (it was nilagang baka to me but they call it by a different name)....of course a cebu meal will never be complete without the lechong cebu...unfortunately they only present a very small lechon so if you come in late you'll not get the chance to savor its great, great, great taste....the skin is so crispy i could still hear the cracking sound up to this time.....hmmm....and the oil dripping on my lips.....never mind that....

dessert is also part of the buffet...they have fruits...lots of them.....donuts.....other sweets....buko pandan.....ice cream....but since i'm not fond of desserts i just got pineapple slices....a perfect way to end a sumptuous meal....

hmmmm.....before i end may i ask if you noticed something unusual with what they serve at the port, seafood restaurant, waterfront hotel, lahug, cebu city.....let me ask that again....did you notice anything unusual with what they serve at the port, seafood restaurant, waterfront hotel, lahug, cebu city.....yup....its a seafood restaurant.....but apart from the seaweeds they didn't serve any seafood....no fish, no shrimp, no crabs...hmmmmm....

Friday, September 24, 2010

vanille cafe and patisserie, ayala center, cebu city

after eating lechon the next i did here in cebu was have coffee in a local coffee shop...yes, they have starbucks, seattles's best,bo's coffee, etc. but i wanted to try something not available in manila so i tried vanille cafe and patisserie at ayala center...i sampled their cafe americano...yes, i know....it's just brewed coffee....but, hey, that's what i like so that's what i got....i had one in a big mug....let me say that again....BIG mug....its nothing different from all the cafe americanos that i've tried....what do you expect from a very basic cup of coffee....but i like the ambiance of the coffee shop...

this was taken inside the shop...we sat in one of those tables outside...can you see the real trees?

my companion and i stayed at one of the tables outside to feel the fresh air....unlike in metro manila the air at the ayala center smelled fresh....the view was great also....you'll see greens that didn't look like plastic plants....the only thing that i didn't like was the umbrella....it was green....almost the same as the one they use at all starbucks outlets.....it would have been nicer if they used something different....say a purple umbrella?....why purple?....their chairs inside are purple.....weird?....no....they were nice to look at....

nice chairs

they also served cakes....but we didn't order any...we were full.....we ate lechon cebu, right?....

yummy looking cakes

the place was clean.....and the cr was also nice although it was a small.....

inside the cr

that coffee experience was great.....a good 'first' activity in cebu...well, it was second....but i consider the lunch as required so i don't want to consider it as a first activity....do i make sense....no?....oh, well.....but i must say,if you are a coffee lover and you happen to be here in cebu, try vanille cafe and patisserie.....

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

seafood island.....trinoma quezon city

seafood island...it is actually my third time there...it is a nice place to go to on nights when you just want to relax, chat and have a good time...the seafood island in trinoma is relatively a big place...with more that 15 tables to accommodate groups of different sizes...there's a small 'stage' if you may call it that where an acoustic group performs...the place is clean...the design is subdued thus it's a good place to relax...not pretentious...

you can order a bucket of san mig light for only 210 pesos...there's also lots of food to choose from...their sisig is good...meat is crunchy but doesn't taste like fried meat...they also have other 'pulutan' that are quite affordable...during my first two visits we had bihod (fish eggs) served on a sizzling plate...i loved it...not your usual 'pulutan' or 'ulam'...unfortunately it is no longer in the menu...the waiter said "phase out na po"...i wonder why...maybe they are conscious of preserving our ecological balance...hmmm...so since it is no longer available we tried 'salt and pepper squid tentacles'...the squid tentacles are coated with flour mix...fried...in butter...it has heavy butter taste (major major butter-y taste)...had lots of green bell pepper and onions...yumyum...salt and pepper, naturally...overall it was great...except that it must be consumed fast because of too much butter...the place is cold -- get what i mean?...

salt and pepper squid tentacles


i have yet to try the other dishes they serve...i'll let you know....promise....

Friday, August 27, 2010

the best siomai in town

it's been days since i last wrote a piece here in "eat all you can"...and up to now i have not been to any restaurant that i can write about...so let me just write about the siomai i recently ate...it's the siomai sold in one of the kiosks in our canteen...the kiosk is called Big A...their siomai is well loved by almost all people who eat in the canteen...even those who have left come back for it...a few years ago they pulled out their kiosk...why?...i don't have any idea...but last month they came back...and since then i've been eating their siomai everyday...i'm not really sure why i like it because surely it's not 100% meat like those you eat in authentic chinese restaurants...but it tastes good...without the feeling of eating flour wrapped in a wrapper made of flour also...their chili sauce is really great...what i do is i order siomai...put a lot of sauce...then i put whatever is left of the sauce on my rice...hmmm...yumyum...anyway i know there other delicious siomais out there...that is actually the point of this blog...i want to know which for you is the best siomai in town so i can write about them....please post your answers in the comments section at the end of this entry....thank you...

Monday, August 23, 2010

flapjacks -- endless coffee -- really (bottomless slash drink all you can place for coffe addicts slash coffee lovers)

here at flapjacks (robinsons place, ermita)...having coffee...i like it here because you can order their 'endless coffee' for only PhP 70...yes...endless coffee for only PhP 70...this is great for all coffee addicts out there...or should i say coffee fanatics?...i also ordered onion rings...it's actually not listed in their menu...i know they serve that before but i didn't see it now so i just asked the guy serving us...good thing they still serve it although it's a mystery why it's not in their menu anymore...anyway, that's what i always order here...two reasons...first, it tastes good...the 'breading' is not 'hard'...it's crunchy...and soft...?....yes...its crunchy but still soft enough...just trust me...and the second...it's one of the few things that's easy on the wallet...


onion rings
less than half of what was served...a friend saw the pic on facebook and said its calamari (she's in canada) and another one said they call it calamares (she's in spain)...haha...i wanted to say here in the pihilippines we call them onion rings...


onion rings up close


the place is clean...the seats have soft cushion...they have wifi connection...however it wasn't really ok today...diffiult to connect...but after an hour it improved thus this article...you can also plug your laptop...remember my battery lasts for only an hour or two so this is really important to me...hehe

the waiters are also great...they are always smiling...we were next to the table with a little girl...one of the waiters tried his best to somehow make the child feel at ease...he gave her a drawing to color.....then before they left he even gave her a purplr balloon...weird color...but that's one of the store's color....the other is yellow...hmmm i wonder why they didn't make yellow balloons instead...

Saturday, August 21, 2010

eat all you can...finally

those who have been following this blog since this was started a month ago have probably noticed there is not one entry here that talks about restaurants with eat all you can restos...the title of the site is eat all you can....hmmmm....wait no more because here is my first real 'eat all you  can' entry...

last night i had dinner with friends at king one rotary hot pot (hobbies of asia, macapagal avenue)...it is an eat all you can, drink all you can restaurant....

when we got in the one who invited us had already started cooking our meal...yes, it's that kind of restaurant where you are the one who cooks your own food....hot pot...at the center of your table there is a hot plate where the hot pot with soup is placed...you can set the temperature of the hot plate....the hot pot has a division in the middle so you can have two types of soup at the same time if you want to....this is where you will boil/cook your ingredients of choice....at the center of the restaurant is a counter surrounded by a revolving track (not rotating?)...on the track are bowls of the different ingredients that you can choose from (slices of meat, seafoods, vegetables, noodles)...if your table is adjacent to the track you can just grab what you want without needing to stand up....but if your table is far from the track you would need to exert effort to got there and get what you need....but fortunately, the owners of king one rotary hot pot probably realized that this is such a hassle so what they do to help their guests is they give a checklist of the ingredients available...you check whatever you want and the waiters will get them for you...

what we had are the following (not all at once, of course): shrimps, shrimps, more shrimps, dumplings and wanton, fresh oysters, thin slices of meat (bacon strips), bacon strips, more bacon strips, sweet corn, cuttlefish, fish cake, bean curd and water crest....the strips of meat are so thin they get cooked in about 10 seconds...yumyum...the shrimps weren't really big...but they were delicious nonetheless....the dumplings were great especially if you make a good sauce...yes, you mix your own sauce...there's sate', garlic, spring onions, red chili, onions....my friends liked the oysters...i liked it too (i was the one who asked for it actually) but i only ate a few....i didn't want to eat a lot because i'm not sure if my stomach could stomach (haha) a lot....but the winner that night for me was the water crest....at first i was apprehensive about it because it looks like a freshly  cut garden plant...then when its starting to cook it has a certain smell similar to that of celery which i really hate...but when i tried a small sample i immediately liked it....the stem (is that how you call it?) was crunchy and the leaves are slimy....my friend said it tastes like kangkong but for me it tasted better....

i ordered coke at first....my friend had green apple with nata de coco bits....her order looked great so i felt i made the wrong choice...tsktsk....good thing i was told that you can change drinks so you can sample everything....wow.....so i after i finished my soda i asked for that green apple thing...it was fantastic...really....im not exagerating...oh well....but i liked it....a bit sour....mildly sour....and the nata de coco is fun to eat...its not as hard as the one you buy in bottles in grocery stores...i think i had three glasses of that....

oh, by the way, aside from the food you cook you can also sample their other dishes....for every two persons you get to order one free dish....we got spareribs and salt and pepper squid heads....they were also good especially the salt and pepper squid heads.....

the place is big....there were a lot of people coming in and out but i never saw line forming outside....there was a line of chairs for people waiting but it never got occupied....the timing of the diners seems to be great that night...people come in as others are about to go....great....i wonder if all those people made reservations....we did not....

the place is also clean....the chairs are comfortable....however there is only one comfort room....well two...one for males and one for females....i didn't see line forming outside the comfort rooms also but i feel that for a place that big they should have at least two comfort roms for each...

i cannot tell you the price per person because i was not  the one who paid....i didn't ask out of courtesy to the one who invited us but i heard from anothert able on my way to the comfort room that it was more that PhP 500 per person....the drink was PhP 65 per order -- great price....

Friday, August 20, 2010

pixie's...for dine in or take out

i've seen several kiosks of pixie's already...i thought pixie's is just like your ordinary neighborhood kiosks that sell inihaw na bangus (grilled milkfish) for take-home (take out....to go)....i didn't know that they have restaurants where you can eat (dine-in).....so i was surprised to see one at the skygarden (sm north edsa)....i was even more surprised that they have more to offer than just inihaw na bangus....

anyway, my friends and i ordered three group meals...i actually do not know how they call it but the concept is that 3 - 4 persons can share 1 group meal....we were eleven that's why we had 3.....i do not remember which came with what group but what we had on our table were
1. 2 inihaw na bangus (big)
2. 1 inihaw na bangus - bunso (small)
3. 1 relyenong bangus - bunso (small)
4. tilapcharap
5. inang gulay
6. efuven
7. panga ng tuna
8. fish lumpia
9. atchara
10. bagoong rice/garlic rice

inihaw na bangus

this is their specialty so this is obviously great....the bangus tasted sweet...the meat was tender...it tasted fresh....and it was definitely big....


inihaw at relyenong bunso

the inihaw na bunso was nothing different from the inihaw na big bangus...the relyeno was also good but since it was small i was not able to eat much cause all of us had to taste it....


tilapcharap

interesting food...it's tilapia skin made crispy like chicharon...if you are someone who hates snakes you might not like this...i do not like snakes so with anyhting associated to it or something that looks like it (or any of its parts like the scales) but i had to be taste it cause my friend said it's good...it's good i trd cause i liked it...crispy...tasty...


inang gulay

this is my favorite...sauteed okra, saluyot, patola, alugbati, garlic...unique dish...it breaks the inihaw taste...great departure from the taste of 'charcoal' hehe...as you can expect from the vegetables mentioned this dish is slimy...yumyum...but not a lot of people like that, i know....but try it first...who knows you might like it....


efuven

efuven is pansit....but it is different from your ordinary pansit....the noodles are flat...i think they are egg noodles...it has vegetables and meat...it is a bit sticky....i do not know what secret ingredient they add but it really tastes different from bihon, sotanghon, miki, luglog, palabok, etc. etc....the only other place i know where they serve efuven is seafood marina (moa and boom na boom complex in pasay)...unfortunately i cannot compare which is better because its been months since i ate there....



panga ng tuna

this is nothing different from all the other tuna's i've tasted....the good thing about this is the serving is big....meat is thick...


fish lumpia

this was not part of the group meals we ordered...we were supposed to have scallops...unfortunately they said it's seasonal...this what they replace scallops with....though i was looking forward to eating scallops i was still satisfied because the fish lumpia was good....it did not taste malansa...it was not oily...they fried it just right...no burnt taste...it was actually a bit sweet if yoou come to think of it....

atchara

this one tasted like what we used to make in home economics class back in grade school....that was too long ago....hmmm, did our atchara really taste like tis....anyway, this atchara is not too sour and not too sweet....it blends well with the panga ng tuna....oh, and i tried to eat the tilapcharap with this....great combination too...but i noticed i was the only one who tried doing that....

bagoong rice

this is the one that was a major disappoinment for me....not that it tasted bad...it was actually okay...it's just that i expected more....after eating bagoong rice in thai restauants you'll find that there is something lacking....not enough bagoong perhaps....and what's with the green peas and corn....

overall the food was great...but you know what's best about the place?...the crew....the girl assigned was really something...mabait...gracious....basta...it's apity i failed to get her name....but she is not the only one good there...the others were courteous as well....thumbs up to you guys....

if there is one thing i didn't like about the place it's the lighting effects...blue lights...okay for the place cause they serve seafoods....unfortunately blue lighting makes me dizzy....hmmmmm....we felt like we were agua in her aquarium haha

Saturday, August 14, 2010

lola neh bulalohan atbp

ever heard of lola neh bulalohan atbp....if you've not been to cash 'n carry makati recently chances are you have not heard of it....i only heard about it yesterday...it is at the food court of cash 'n carry....i was disappoined when i saw it because it now occupies the place of the japanese kiosk i used to love....anyway, though i miss the jap food i felt it's okay when i tasted their food....

lola neh offers a wide variety of home-cooked meals....well, they looked like home-cooked to me....there's crab, shrimp, tuna, etc....i ordered shrimps in spicy sauce....for only PhP90 you'll get 5 pieces of big shrimps...that's PhP18 per piece...priced right, right?...and the taste?....great....i liked the really, really hot sauce....the place was cold and yet i was perspirin a lot because of the spicy-ness of the shrimp.....they also have a generous serving of rice.....if you're on a diet you'll definitely forget about it....if you do get the chance to go to cash'n carry don't forget to try lola neh bulalohan atbp...

Thursday, August 12, 2010

pixie's

had dinner with friends at pixie's....my first time....food was great....i didn't expect that....honestly.....but i'll talk about that later...i'll write a new post later....i need to do a lot of things right now....just want you to know that you have something new to read today or tomorrow morning....wait for that =)

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

c2 envidia - another way to lose weight?

i left the house early this morning so i had time to go to a convenience store to buy something to drink....a saw a lone bottle of C2 envidia in the cooler so i got.....after drinking it i decided to read the label....there i found that this drink contains l-carnitine and egcg....l-carnitine as many probably know already is said to aid in weight loss by improvig the body'd metabolism by enhancing fat oxidation....egcg on the other hand is something not all of us are familiar....i'm not familiar with it....according to the label it stands for epigallocatechin gallate.....it is an anti-oxidant that is naturally found in green tea.....it deactiviates the formation of free radicals and prevent oxidation of ldl (low density lipoprotein) orbad cholesterol....the bottle says that it has 2 fat burning ingredients (l-carnitine and egcg).....1 delicious geen tea......and 0 sugar.....

if you'll sum this all up, people who want to lose weight can drink this to help them succeed.....but i wonder how much you need to drink to see effects....maybe a lot....

anyway...i learned that c2 envidia has several flavors....what i got this morning was mixed berries flavor....i'm not really fond of berries but i liked this one.....it tasted okay...its not sweet....well, they say it has 0 sugar.....it doesn't leave an after taste....it is also not expensive....in that convenience store they sell a 355 ml bottle at PhP18.00.....


will i continue to drink this?.....i don't know....let's see.....if i get to leave the house early everyday maybe i can get a bottle and drink on my way to work.....haha...


QUESTION OF THE DAY:
FIT 'N RIGHT OR C2 ENVIDIA (please write your thoughts about this on the comments section below)

Friday, August 06, 2010

sitti's halal food hauz...halal food at the mall

i encountered the word 'halal' a few times already....so i decided t look it up on the internet to know what in means....wikipedia describes it as

S.G. Halal (Arabic:حلال, ḥalāl; means lawful or legal) is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. It is the opposite of haraam. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law (Sharia, الشريعة الإسلامية).



i also asked other about it and said that 'halal' means food that our muslim brothers can eat...there were some who said that halal foods are dishes without pork....later on i found out that it is not merely the absence of this or that ingredient...it also has something to do with the way some animals are slaughtered....anyway, i thought it must be difficult for them to find the right food to eat because basically, Filipinos are pork-fans...go around food courts in malls and observe what food stalls serve.....probably more than 75% of the main dishes have pork....where will they  eat...

i know there are 'specialty' restaurants that serve 'halal' foods...but they are not in malls....and given that they are specialty restaurants, they probably charge high.....so it was great to discover that there is a food stall in a mall food court that serves halal foods....

sitti's halal food hauz.....i saw this at the food court of virra mall in greenhills (san juan).....they serve a wide variety of common Filipino dishes that can be safely (or freely?) eaten by our muslim brothers....they have several chicken and fish dishes....they have garlic chicken, chicken curry, fried mayamaya and tilapia in coconut milk sauce for example.....they also have a lot of vegetable dishes.....
i found out that sitti's also has a food stall in market! market! (taguig)....this is great....it is high time that malls should also be sensitive to the needs of people who belong to different religions, cultural backgrounds and beliefs....

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

r & j bulalohan, tapsihan, atbp..-- celebrity bulalohan


i've been hearing about a 'bulalohan' in mandaluyong from friends....unfortunately, everytime they would go there i have other things to do and everytime i would be free and ask them to accompany me they would be busy....so after more than a year of just wondering how that bulalo tastes, i've finally had mychance.....last sunday, we had lunch in that 'bulalohan' which is named R & J bulalohan tapsilogan atbp....it can be found along boni avenue...just a few meters from mandaluyong circle....
their signange says they're open 24 hours....i don't know if their telephone line is still active...

the place looked ordinary to me....it's partially 'open air'....walls are made of bamboo....pictures pasted on illustration boards are hang on the walls....chairs are plastic....tables are also the same.....some even have cigarette burns....there are two television sets....when we were there, one was showing a variety show while the other was on a boxing match....one of the fighters was morales....that boxing player defeated by congressman manny 'pacman' pacquiao....there was also a videoke machine......
towards the left you will see the tv set showing the local show...towards the right is the al fresco dining area

now on to the menu....they have a lot of choices....of course there's bulalo...it wouldn't be called bulalohan if they do not serve that right?...haha....and yes....you're correct....they also have tapsi.....other choices are adobong pusit....nilaga....sinigang....fried this....fried that....they also have 'packages' (set orders)....

we decided to get one of their packages.....each package is worth PhP700....good for five....the one we ordered has bulalo, fried plapla, chopseuy, chicken terriyaki, sisig......we added adobong pusit, fried tawilis, 10 extra cups of rice and two pitches of iced tea....

bulalo

bulalo*(from pidyey's facebook album)

fried plapla (big tilapia)

chopseuy
sisig*(picture from pidyey's facebook album)

chicken terriyaki...oh o yummy
adobong pusit...not so black
iced tea


as expected their bulalo is great....it has real bulalo....i'm saying this because we have experienced in the past where restaurant just serve big bowls with the soup, meat slices and 'used' bulalo (bone)....this one has 'unused' authentic bulalo...you can even get free soup refill....the fried plapla was also very good.....it is very crispy plus it has a delicious sauce/dip made of fresh tomatoes and onions mixed using a blender....the chopseuy is not much different from those you order in eateries or canteens...the sisig is good....it is not very spicy so it is good for those who do not like their food hot....adobong pusit was i guess okay coz all my friends liked it....i want it really black....squid ink in adobo is so tasty...their tawilis is okay...very crispy....but i still like the ones you order in tagaytay city....but like with real food, i save the best for last...i really, really love their chicken terriyaki...it is oh so yummy....did i say it is delicious?....i did?....okay...let me say it again...chicken terriyaki is the best....

their food is great no wonder a lot of people go there....even if the place does not have a very good ambiance, they have loyal customers....because of their food that is not unthinkable....those picture i mentioned above?....they are pictures of celebrities who have at least once visied R & J Bulalohan Tapsihan, atbp....


messages from presidential sister kris aquino and her long time best friend boy abunda


signed by vice presidential candidate mar roxas and his wife, korina sanchez
they have provided food for different tv programs like the buzz, wowowee, nuts entertainment
after lunch....all happy......