Kamias Crush at Fely J's and Starbucks Diary

I was with two friends from college last night. We had dinner at Fely J's, Greenbelt 5. I came late. I wasn't supposed to have dinner with them coz I was running late. I said I'll join them for coffee. But they stayed long at Fely J's so I was able to join them.

When I arrived there's crispy pata and there's shrimp. The crispy pata was good just how I remembered it from my last visit. Hmmm. I love the crispy pork skin. Sinfully delicious. So unhealthy as my friend described. But we a lot just the same.

But what was the best for me last night was not the crispy pata nor the shrimps. I liked the kamias crush. Do you know what kamias is? I don't know what it's called in English but it is a sour fruit. It's an elongated green fruit. I never imagined that it could be used to make shake or fruit crush. I ordered it out of curiosity. And I'm so glad I did. I'm not sure if you can only get kamias crush at Fely J's. Whatever, just try it. You'll love it. It's sweet and sour at the same time. No, don't imagine the sweet and sour recipe for fish or pork. Basta!

Anyway, after Fely J's we went to Starbucks, Greenbelt 3. I asked my friends to order from the Christmas flavors coz I need to complete the stickers so I could get the Starbucks planner. You see I've been trying to complete the stickers for several years already but I haven't succeeded. Do I like the Starbucks planner? Actually I haven't really looked at the design for 2012. I just want to complete the stickers to get the planner for the sake of saying that finally I was able to complete the stickers. That's it. I do not even use any of the many planners I receive every Christmas. lol

Jollibee Grilled Pork Tenders

I was at Jollibee a few days ago. I wasn't really planning to eat. We went there just to wait for someone. But since our friend is late I felt hungry so I ordered something. I chose the grilled pork tenders. It's something new so I was excited to have my first bite.

The pork strips I must say are really tender. Even those with false teeth will enjoy it. The meat is also juicy. The only problem is that it was too sweet for me. I was hoping it would be saltier. I'm not really fond of having my 'dessert' together with the main course. Lol

Overall, I think grilled pork tenders is good especially for those who are having a hard time chewing meat and those who are having problems digesting their food.

How to Make Fried Pork Crispy - Crispy Fried Pork Recipe

I have not been able to write for a long time already. I haven't even finished the Davao City posts. I've been ery busy lately I don't have the energy to write. But for today, I'm going to post a very simple recipe. This is how you make very crispy fried pork. Then I'll include three choices of dressing.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo of pork liempo (bacon-thin liempo)
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup milk powder
2 - 3 small sachets of seasoning mix
oil

1. Cut the bacon-thin pork liempo into 2 - 3 slices. By the way, you have to have it cut bacon-thin at the market because they have machines to do this. You cannot do this unless you also have your own meat slicer.
2. Dip the pork slices in the flour, milk and seasoning mixture.
3. Put the pork slices in the refrigerator for an hour or two. This is to make sure that the flour mixture will stick on the pork and not on the pan.    
4. Deep fry.

Dressing 1
Cream Dip
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose cream
1 chicken cube
2 pieces calamansi

1. Pulverize the chicken cube.
2. Mix the powder into the all purpose cream.
3. Squeeze calamansi into the mixture.

Dressing 2
Soy Sauce - Oregano Dip
Ingredients
1/2 cup soy sauce
5 pieces calamansi
5 pieces of fresh oregano leaves

1. Squeeze calamansi into the soy sauce
2. Pound fresh oregano leaves and extract the juice.
3. Add oregano extract to the mixture.

Dressing 3
Sweet Vinegar Dip
Ingredients
1/2 cup cane vinegar
4 tablespoons of buko (young coconut) juice
1 small red onion

1. Mix cane vinegar and buko juice.
2. Chop onion into small pieces.
3. Add the onions into the mixture.

Grand Men Seng Hotel - Davao City, Philippines

Remembersome weeks ago I listed down several restaurants in Davao City that I'd love to visit. There were I think 14 of them. Unfortunately I was able to visit only 2. But don't worry  because I was able to visit others. I'll start with Grand Men Seng. It is actually a hotel in Davao City. We didn't eat in their restaurant but  we attended an event in one of their function rooms. Naturally food was served. I'm not really sure how each dish is called but I know there's pancit, chicken cooked chinese styke, then I think there's beef, and sweet and sour fish. There's vegetable salad and fruit salad plus an assortment of pastries. I love the pancit and the chicken. I also liked the fish fillet. The beef was good also but I didn't get to eat much. Oh and the soup was great. Crab and corn. Here are some pictures.

DAVAO CITY - Here I Come? (part 2)

When I wrote DAVAO CITY - Here I come? (Part 1) last week, I was really very excited. If you'll notice I wrote a lot of restaurants, coffee shops and eat all you can venues to visit. It's going to be my first time in Davao so I got excited. I know there will be a lot of things I could feature in this blog from Davao. But yesterday I realized I am going to Davao for business and not for pleasure. I am going there (tomorrow) to attend a convention and not to go around and look for food to write about. Besides, I am going there courtesy of the company I work for. Yes I am not spending for the plane ride, hotel and registration fee. It's not my money I am using so I better focus on the things I was asked to do lest I put the company's money to waste. 

So what does this mean? Well I think I'll just have to squeeze in my food/restaurant hunting into my schedule. I think I could find time in the evening to do this. However, since time is limited (and budget as well since for this I will be spending my own haha), I would have to trim down the list. Maybe I'll stick with just three or four. 

I think one of the places I shouldfn't miss is Jack's Ridge. They food is great but the ambiance is even better. When you are there you'll get a good view of the whole of Davao City. I just wonder I could get even a glimpse of Samal Island.

Then I'll also have to try Crepelato. It's a local crepe shop so I shouldn't miss it. And of course I need to try the local coffee shop called Caffee Firenzo. 

Davao City! See you tomorrow.  

DAVAO CITY - Here I Come?

I will be in Davao for 5 days next week. Naturally, my goal is to try as many  restaurants, coffee shops, dessert bars, etc. as I can. Unfortunately, I will be there for a seminar so I'm sure I could only try a few. But anyway, I asked a few friends about places they would recommend for me to visit. Here are some of them.

Restos

1. Jack's Ridge. This is what many of my friends recommended. I don't know why but it seems famous in Davao City. It's supposed to be on a high location with a great view of the city.
2. Coco's grill. This one was recommended for the lechon.
3. Spirale. A friend said she had a great time here. I asked what they offer but she can't remember. She just knows she had fun there.
4. Pablo's Steaks and Crabs. You could what the restaurant is known for, right? I was told the food is price-y.
5. Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant. They must have great tuna dishes.
6. Tiny Kitchen. Same story with Spirale but from a different friend. (What's wrong with my friends? haha)
7. Tadakuma. Being a lover of Japanese food, I had to ask for a Japanese resto in Davao. This is what was recommended.
8. Leafy Green Things. One of my companions is always on a diet. She likes salads so i asked if there's a salad bar in Davao City. Honestly, I was not expecting there is one. But there is one.
9. Crepelato. My friend who is always on a diet also loves dessert. (Shhhh.....she wouldn't admit!) I asked for a local dessert place and I was told about this one.
10. Caffe Firenzo. Would I forget to ask for a coffee shop? Of course not! So here's a local coffee shop for us to try.

Since this blog is named eat all you can, I also asked for restaurants with eat all you can or buffet offerings. Here are 4 of them.

1. Cafe Marco. This is of course at the Marco Polo Hotel.
2. Entree. This is at the Apo View Hotel.
3. Tita D's. This is in downtown Davao. I asked for a cheap buffet because I know those in hotels are very expensive. I was told there are a lot of these cheap ones.
4. CTres. Not as cheap as Tita D's but not as expensive as Cafe Marco and Entree.

I  listed down 14 places to visit in Davao City. I wish I could visit at least half of them. Haisst. Little time and small budget. Haha. Wish me luck guys. I'll post my reviews the soonest.

CHA A - Vegetarian Restaurant

I was at Robinson's Place Manila a few days ago and I passed by this vegetarian restaurant that I know I've tried before. It think it had another name before but I am not too sure. It underwent renovation, that I am positive about. Anyway, I was on a rather tight budget and seeing that they offer something as low as P 89 for 2 viands I, without second thoughts, got in.

For that small amount you get a cup of rice and two dishes from among a wide selection they have. I chose adobo with mushroom and asado. Again, they serve only vegetarian food so the meat for the adobo and asado are just make believe meat.

The asado did taste like asado. It was sweet. I do not like sweet food very much but I must say I enjoyed this one.The adobo didn't taste anything like adobo. But I also liked it. Just forget that it is an adobo imitation and you'll enjoy it too.

adobo with mushroom

asado

I wonder how they make those meat-looking stuff using vegetables. They even have barbecue on their menu.

What I'm thinking about is whether vegetarians are into eating meat looking food or do they prefer vegetables that do not pretend that they are something else? I mean if you are a vegetarian, don't you get disgusted with anything that looks like meat?

Anyway, this vegetarian restaurant is called CHA A. It's at the ground floor near Bread Talk and Razon's. Check it out.

Stoops Ilocos Bagnet and JT Manukan in Makati

Last Monday, my friends and I decided to eat at JT Manukan along Malugay St. in Makati because we wanted to eat something good yet affordable. We've been to this place several times already and we usually order a lot. I usually order 1 quarter chicken inasal and 3 sticks of baticulon (spell check!). My friends usually order the same.

Side story:

[In one of our previous visits I saw Stoops Bagnet restaurant beside JT Manukan. I wanted Ilocos bagnet so I asked the waiter at JT if I could order next door. I figured they would allow me because my friends are ordering from JT anyway. The waiter allowed me. Yehey! He even offered to order for me although I declined.]

Going back to Monday's visit: When we got in I immediately asked the waiter if I could order bagnet at Stoops but i informed him I will also order sticks of baticulon. (I usually ask things like this to be sure that I wont be put in an awkward situation later on.) He said yes then he followed it with "Ay, teka lang, sir! Itatanong ko kung pwede." (Just a moment, sir! I'll  ask if that is allowed.)

Another guy came to our table. He was wearing a different uniform from the rest so he is probably a manager or a supervisor. Anyway, I told him the same things I told the waiter. He said it is not allowed. I asked why. He couldn't answer at once. Then after a while he said they had an experience before when someone brought in bagnet and only ordered rice from them. I asked if they didn't order anything else. He said not. In my mind I knew he was lying. Why would somebody do that? Do they serve very special rice at JT that somebody would do that? He was lying just to  give an excuse for his decision.

My friend got irritated so she suggested we go to Stoops instead.

At Stoops I ordered spicy bagnet meal. The bagnet meal (P 90) consists of spicy bagnet, fried rice and a side dish. I got KKB or Kamatis, Kangkong and Bagoong. I also ordered dinengdeng (P 30).


I love their bagnet (both the regular and the spicy variety). It really tastes like the bagnet from Ilocos. And the dinengdeng is also flavorful. Hmmm.

The store is small. It is air-conditioned. Some of the food already cooked like the dinengdeng, binagoongan, igado. Others are cooked upon ordering like the Ilocos bagnet and daing na bangus (this is yummy as well). The set up is like a clean carenderia.

The restroom is clean. The floor is clean. The tables are small but you can join tables for big groups.

Creamy Macaroni Soup Recipe

Here is a simple recipe for preparing macaroni soup which I learned from my father. It is easy to prepare so I'm sure you'll love to do it for your loved ones. It is also good to serve if you are on a tight budget.


                                          CREAMY MACARONI SOUP

Ingredients:

• 250 g - 300 g elbow macaroni
• 1/2 k chicken OR pork - shredded boiled chicken OR  ground pork
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 medium sized onion (minced)
• 1 large carrot(cubed)
• 1 medium sized lettuce (shredded)
• 2 cups evaporated milk
• salt
• pepper

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic and onion over medium heat.
2. Add shredded chicken OR ground pork. 
3. Stir until the chicken or pork fat comes out.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add chicken broth and 5 cups of water. (If you are using pork, pour 8 cups of water.)
6. Add the macaroni and carrots. Let the liquid boil until the pasta is cooked.
7. Pour in the evaporated milk. Stir.
8. Add the lettuce and simmer for about a minute.

There are other ingredients that you can add to make it more special. Some of these ingredients are green bell pepper, corn kernels, liver, boiled egg and celery.

Starbucks - Paseo de Magallanes

Welcoming security guard! Pleasant baristas! Honest service crew members! These are the qualities that best describe the people working in Starbucks along Jupiter St. (the one going to EDSA) However, the same cannot be said about the people working in Starbucks at Paseo de Magallanes. Well, the guard when we went in was not very polite. He didn't open the door for us nor did he greet us good evening. This is totally the opposite of the guards at Starbucks, Jupiter St. The guard when we left was good enough to hold the door for us (a different guard) but he didn't say the usual thank you or please come again. The baristas said some pleasantries when we placed our orders but they already looked tired so I couldn't see much sincerity in what they said. The baristas in Jupiter are such happy people, I must say. Then before we left, we asked for water. The crew said, "There is water near the counter!" Like we do not know! The people in Jupiter gladly serve us water when we ask. We seldom ask actually. We do this only on rare occasions like when we are really tired. Besides, he could have said it nicely if he really didn't want to serve  us. Anyway, I hope they try to improve their service next time.

How Do You Like Your Egg Done?

How do you like your  egg done?

Boiled? Sunny  Side Up? Scrambled?

I like scrambled eggs specially if I'll it with rice only. I like it because I don't get to taste a bit boring white and a more flavorful yellow separately. It's nice when they are mixed because the whole thing then tastes great. I like well scrambled with some salt and pepper to taste. It's also nice with onion, garlic and tomato. I also like it when milk and cheese are added.

If it's sunny side up I like it done 'rare' (in other words not 'well done'). I usually put it on top of my rice before I break the not-so-cooked egg yolk. I like seeing the yellow portion slowly flowing down the heap of rice like lava on an erupting volcano. Okay! Fine! That's not an appetizing way to describe it. Anyway, it nice when the yellow mixes with the rice. I like sunny side up with rice and hotdog or ham.

Boiled egg is something that I'm not really fond of. But if do have to eat it I prefer it soft boiled.

How about you?, How do you like your egg done?

Mesa, Filipino Moderne Cuisine

Thinking of where to eat in Greenbelt 5 is always a challenging thing to do. This is because there are so many restaurants there to choose from. There are a lot of restaurants serving different kinds of cuisine. The last time we were there, we spent a long time deciding where to eat. After a long debate we ended up choosing Mesa which serves Filipino Moderne Cuisine.

Since we were really very hungry we decided to order something we felt they could serve fast. We ordered tilapia, crispy boneless pata, tinapa rice and sisig rice. They turned out to be good choices in the sense they did serve them fast.

The tilapia was good. It was crispy. And they give different sauces or dips. The serving was also big so we didn't have problems if we ordered just two dishes.

If the tilapia was good, the crispy boneless pata was a big disappointment. It was not only 'not boneless' but it also has less meat. It would have been more acceptable if they did not call it crispy boneless pata but hard less-meat pata.

The tinapa rice was great. It has that distinct tinapa and itlog na maala (salted egg) taste. The sisig rice was not as good. It tasted like steamed rice soaked in soy sauce. Just to prove to you my point, look at the following picture.

Will I go back? If only for the tinapa rice and tilapia, yes, I will. Besides their service is fast and the waiters and waitresses are very accommodating.

Mesa Restaurant can be found at Greenbelt 5 facing the landscaped garden leading to the Greenbelt Chapel.

Can You Guess the Restaurant where these Food Came from

Hi. I have here pictures that have not been uploaded yet. Some of them are extras from previously featured restaurants/fast food chains. For today, what I'd like to do is to upload them but I will not tell  you from which restaurant/fast food chains they came from. What I'd like you to do is to guess just that. Is that okay? Do not worry, I'll be giving you some clues. Ready?

Food Photo # 1

Yes, that's fried chicken! Does it look small? It's small because it is one of their 'promo' meals. But do not worry because if you go to this restaurant NOW, you'll definitely be able to eat MORE than just one drumstick.


Food Photo # 2

This is one of the cheapest  sandwiches you can find nowadays. This sandwich is from a popular fat food chains. When you taste it you'll surely get out of the store with JOY in your heart (or should I say tummy?).


Food Photo # 3

Oh how I love this sundae. I got addicted with this for a time. The sad thing is many also like it so it easily gets out of stock. It's not only great tasting but it is cheap as well. This is available in some outlets of the LITTLE convenience store you find in almost every street corner.


Food Photo # 4

I think not a lot of you will be able to guess where this nachos is served. This is served in a restaurant in Makati which also serves quesadilla and burritos. The store can be found in a building at the corner of 1 McKinley Rd and I think 5th. I actually added this here to give you some challenge because I'm sure you'll be able to easily identify the others. I know of only two people who can immediately identify the restaurant. They are my eating buddies haha.


Food Photo # 5

This danggit is from a restaurant that specializes in grilled chicken. This means that this danggit is just one of the "others" in the menu. This restaurant serves one of the best grilled chicken in town. Maybe that is because they STARTed the grilled chicken craze.


Food Photo # 6

This adobo (flakes) is very delicious. I actually want to have this for breakfast everyday. Unfortunately, I don't think I can afford to eat it on a daily basis. That sauce you  see on the lower right corner is really good. You can have just that sauce and a cup of plain rice and you're already going to be fine. Once you taste this, you'll certainly look up the SKY and wish that you'll have the chance to comeback sooner than soon.


Food Photo # 7

I love Hainanese chicken. It is boiled (or steamed) chicken with the rich flavorsof ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. There are many restaurants that serve Hainanese chicken but this particular restaurant serves one of the best. You'll surely shout WEEEEE after eating it.


Food Photo # 8

This is seafood kare-kare. This is served in a restaurant that specializes in local dishes. They also serve sinangag  na sinigang, crispy binagoongan and gising-gising. After trying this kare-kare you'll surely want to be part of the CLUB.


Can you guess 8 out of 8 restaurants? Answer in the comments section below and I'll tell you your score.

People's Palace - Modern Thai Cuisine

It's been more than 10 days since i last updated 'eat all you can'. In my last post I said I will be telling you about the lunch I will be having with the bosses. So here it is. As expected, I was not able to take pictures and I also didn't write the names of the food we ordered. But just the same I'll be describing to you what we ordered the best way I can.

We ate at the People's Palace in Greenbelt, Makati. People's Palace Restaurant is adjacent to Oyster Bar. It is a restaurant that serve's modern Thai cuisine.

We had prawn, pomelo and coconut salad. It is different from the pomelo and shrimp salad we ordered in Ba Noi's and Aquaknox which I featured some months back (these 2 are Vietnamese restos). Anyway, it was really delicious. It was supposed to be just our appetizer but it was so good I already ate a lot. We also ordered mango and crispy fish salad (I think it's salad). My companions said the fish is catfish. If the pomelo and shrimp salad is good, this is definitely better. I so loved it I wanted to order extra (to go!). Then we had pad Thai and chicken pandan. The pad Thai was good but I didn't get much because I focused on the salads which on that day were more special to me. The chicken pandan was good as well. Normally, my complaint with chicken pandan is that the chicken is too small. Boy was I surprised with this one. I mean there really is  chicken inside the pandan leaves haha. For dessert, we had Thai thako. It looked boring when it was served because it was pure white. If you want to imagine how it looked, call a taho vendor and ask him to open his big container. Look inside and you'll see Thai thako. They didn't taste the same, though. I think it is mixed with coconut milk. It was good to take away the taste of spices. But for me the best one I got for that day is the shake (or did I get from the smoothies list?). I had mango, ginger and banana. Odd combination? Yes, sounds odd. But it tastes great. I love the subtle gingery flavor. Hmmmm....

The ambiance is cool. Walls are white and the fixtures are black. The high ceiling also makes the place homey. I'm already thinking of going back to the place. Soon. 

Go Crazy about Krazy Garlik

Lunch with the bosses. That's what I'll have again tomorrow. I'll be with co-administrators and the President and Vice Presidents of the company. Happy meal again. Anyway, when I was told about this I remembered of the lunch we had last month. We ate out to celebrate the President's birthday.

We had that lunch at Krazy Garlik at Greenbelt 5. Naturally, since I was with the bosses I didn't take pictures. I was really itching to take pictures but my good sense told me not to. Forgive me if some of the dish names are not available because I did not bring my notes for the same reason. Anyway, their fish fillet in white sauce is very, very good. I love the white sauce. Something new for me. It also has shrimps on top. If you  love seafoods you should order this. I also love their salad. I didn't get its name but just ask the crew for their best seller in the salad section. I do not like salads (I eat salad but it is not something I crave for normally) but this one is really great. We also had gambas (Gambas Al Ajillo I think it's called). Spicy. Yum yum. It's shrimps cooked in olive oil. The shrimps are big. I can say they are fresh. Then we had Spinach and Cheese wantons. Crispy wanton. I think they used cream cheese. Somebody ordered pizza but I didn't get to taste it coz I was already full. Krazy Garlik also has unique rice offerings. We had Hara Kiri. This name I am sure of. Guess what kind of rice this is. Did you say Japanese? The menu doesn't say so but I think it's Japanese inspired. But who cares. All I can say is I love it. It is spicy. We also had fried chicken. It tastes good but I wasn't as amazed with it as the other dishes we ordered. What is unique about this fried chicken is that it looks like roast chicken. For dessert we had Apple Pie A la mode. Or was it apple tart? It's good also. I love it. Their green mango shake is also good but it's not unique.  

You have the option to have your order 'to share' or 'regular'. To share is good for two to three persons.

To top their crazy delicious dishes their service is also good. The staff are accommodating. They are easy to call. And the best part is they look dignified. They look smart. They are dressed in an all white outfit (amazingly, they are able to keep their uniforms clean all the time).

I'll keep you posted about our lunch tomorrow. But again, don't expect pictures. You know why. Wink!

How to Save on Food in Boracay

This weekend is the last weekend before classes begin for the grade school and high school in public schools and some private schools. But for college students they still have a week off so I'm sure many are still planning to go out to the beach to have fun. And I'm sure many are thinking of going to Boracay.

So what does this have to do with a food blog? Well, here are some suggestions on how you can save on food in Boracay.

1. There are many 'lechon manok' outlets in Boracay. There are several Andoks branches there - from station 1 to station 3. Ooops! Is there Andoks in station 1? Anyway, you can buy affordable food at Andoks. Don't worry because they are not an exclusive chicken store. They serve other dishes there.

2. There are a lot of carinderia's at the D' Talipapa and at the back of D' Mall. There you can find affordable dishes - from adobo to calamares, bopis to crispy shrimps and menudo to fried crablets.

3. Check out the restaurants at the beach front. People have this notion that restaurants there are expensive. Yes, many of them serve expensive dishes but a lot also have affordable offerings. To be safe, ask for the menu before you get in and get a table.

4. Bring canned food and instant noodles. Most of the hotels there give free hot water anyway so maximize this benefit.

Happy Cream Puff

My friends know that I do not have a sweet tooth. I am not so fond of sweet stuff. I often skip desserts. But once in a while I indulge in sugary stuff especially when I see my friends really enjoying their desserts. So last week we tried cream puff. We saw this cream puff store along Malugay St. in Makati.The store is part of a row of food establishments in that busy street. Its name is Happy cream puff.

They have a lot of cream puff flavors to choose from. They have the original cream puff, dark choco, white choco and nut-topped variants. That night we had walnut caramel, dark choco and white choco. We only ordered the petit size. Each cream puff costs just P20. Cheap, right? You'll even get discounts if you order by the dozen.

What I love about Happy Cream Puff is that it is not too sweet. It's sweet but not too much that I could eat several pieces without feeling like I never want to eat sweet food again for several weeks.

Aside from cream puff they also have eclairs. They look great but I have not tried them yet. You can also croquenbouche (I don't know if that's what this things is called but that's what I saw in the leaflet they gave me). It's like a big cone made of several pieces of cream puffs. I actually it a cream puff tree - it looks like a Christmas tree to me, that's why. It's their version of a cake for different occasions.

Aside from the branch in Malugay St. (The Zone, 7224 Malugay St., Bel Air, Makati City) they also have branches in Legaspi Village (Unit G-16 Rada Regency) and Salcedo Village (Paseo Center).

Chic-boy - Chicken at Baboy

A few weeks ago we went to Chic-Boy restaurant at UN Avenue, Manila. It was my first time there. I was expecting it will be just a chicken and pork barbecue restaurant - (the name gave me that idea - chick as in chicken and boy as in baboy or pork). I was surprised that they actually have a lot of other dishes to choose from.

We ordered Cebu lechon manok, Cebu lechon liempo, ginisang kangkong with bawang, gising gising and sinigang na salmon. For dessert we had turones con leche.

Cebu lechon manok

The Cebu lechon manok is a winner. The chicken tastes great. Normally, white meat parts taste bland to me but this one is different. The chicken really tastes well so there's no need for any dip or sauce. The order goes with atchara but to be honest about it, there's really no need for it.

Cebu lechon liempo

The Cebu lechon liempo is also good. The skin is crispy - just the way I want it. The meat was tender and there's less fats (in a way this is a bummer because I love the fats - so unhealthy, I know).

Sinigang na salmon

I love salmon. I love the belly. And this is what we had. Their sinigang is good. I'm not so fond of sinigang but I can say I like this one because I love salmon - yeah, I know I already said that. If you really do not like sinigang but you want to eat salmon (in a chicken and pork resto!)  you can opt to order tinolang ulo ng salmon.

Ginisang kangkong with bawang

Gising gising

The ginisang kangkong with bawang tastes like your mommy's home cooking. If you miss mommy's healthy options, get this. Same goes with gising gising. It was not so spicy hot so those who do not like very spicy food can have this. I would have wanted this spicier but it was great just the same. Why did we order two vegetable dishes? Hmmm. Maybe it's our way of atoning for our sin of eating too much fatty food.

Dinuguan served with puto. I didn't eat this so I have no comment yet.

Turones de leche

If all the food we had are winners, the turones de leche was the major, major winner. It was so delicious I ate several pieces. The wrapper is crunchy, the banana is sweet and the dip is heavenly (whatever that means). This is a must have. Don't worry it doesn't cost much.

They also have set meals which is good for all types of budget. They have chibog-busog meals which goes with eat all you can rice.

Starbucks - Jupiter St., Makati City - Great Service!

I was at Starbucks along Jupiter St. in Makati last night for a night cap. I wasn't really planning to write anything about the place since I've been there a lot of times anyway. There's nothing new to write. There are no new Starbucks promo. It's already too late for the Happy Hour  promo where you get to have two frappuccino for the price of one. It ended last Sunday. It's also too late for the Complimentary Upsize promo where Starbucks is offering free one size upgrade for your favorite non-frap drinks like brewed coffee, espresso, etc. This they say is to thank the non-frap customers who had to line up for long during the Happy Hour promo last week. It's actually useless to write about this because the promo is from opening to 2 pm from May 9 - May 10. Yesterday was May 10 and we arrived there at around 9:30 pm. Well' I could have written about the 'lollicakes' which we bought but I wasn't really in the mood to write. Actually, I do not really know what its called. I didn't even bother to look. But I must say it was yummy. Moist chocolate on a lollipop stick covered in chocolate, white chocolate and strawberry (I think because it's pink).

So why am I writing this. Well, this has nothing to do with their food and drinks. I'll write something about their service. I was really, really tired last night. I actually slouched in the couch to relax. I was so close to falling asleep -  that's even after having coffee. When we were about to go I checked my old Nokia phone for new messages. I, at that time, was holding my  Samsung phone which I placed on my lap. Then we left. My friend brought me to Buendia - Pasong Tamo where I ususally get a cab. While waiting, I decided to check for the time so I looked for my phone in my pocket. Boom! My Samsung's not there. I called my friend to see if it's in the car. It's not so I called my phone to talk to whoever got it. It was ringing so I knew there's still hope that I'll be able to get it back. Then a girl answered and I told her my concern. She said they'll wait for me at the store and that I should bring an ID. When I got there the girl immediately recognized me. We visit the place often. She also didn't ask for the ID anymore because, according to her, my picture appeared when I called using the other phone. It was good I used that feature of the phone. After I thanked her, I asked who actually found the phone. She said it was the guard. I thanked him when I got out.

I'm writing this to tell you that there are still good people out there. Some of them are at Starbucks, Jupiter St., Makati City. I honor you guys. The guard could have just kept my phone in his pocket but he chose to report it to the baristas. Galing!

San Marino Tuna Paella and Century Tuna Paella Compared

A few days ago I wrote something about San Marino Tuna Paella. That time I thought there is only one brand of canned tuna paella in the market. It was a week after I wrote that review when I found out that Century also has its own version of it. I was in the supermarket buying San Marino when I saw the other brand. I like comparing things so my immediate reaction was to return the San Marino and get the Century Tuna Paella. I wanted to know which one would taste better.

The Century Tuna Paella looks like San Marino in many ways. It's colored orange (the way home-cooked paella looks). The rice is topped with a few chunks of tuna. It also has green peas and carrots. Oil is also evident. If there is one major difference that you will see, that is in the rice. Century's rice looks 'hard'. It's difficult (I was tempted to write hard instead of difficult.) to describe. It just looks hard. True enough, when I ate it, the rice is really hard. It's I think in the way it was cooked. Not enough water was used. Funny thing is there were actually portions where I found uncooked rice grains. I wasn't really able to enjoy it because of this. It just didn't taste right because the rice is hard. But of course, the tuna chunks taste good - after all it is from the tried and tested Centruy.    

I might have to try it again to find out if this 'hard' rice is just an isolated problem. Maybe the other batches they released are better.

Like San Marino, Century Tuna Paella is also available in easy-open can. It's also perfect for camping, picnic and other outdoor activities where you need to go light.

Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream - Food Served during the Royal Wedding Reception

As I've said the previous entry, one of the food that was possibly served during the Royal Wedding reception is Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream. I tried to ask around what this is or how it looks but nobody could answer me so I searched on the net for a recipe. Here is a recipe for Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream. I'll  just post the ingredients but you need to click link for the preparation method below. This recipe is by James Martin from Housecall posted in the BBC website.

Ingredients

For the Yorkshire puddings

·         1 egg

·         85g/3oz plain flour

·         85ml/3fl oz milk and water mixed

·         vegetable oil

For the horseradish cream

·         1 tub crème fraîche

·         2 tbsp fresh horseradish

·         salt and pepper

For the filling

·         2-3 beef fillets (depending on size)

·         flat leaf parsley, to garnish

Preparation Method

Have you found out about the other food served during the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Ms. Catherine Middleton - now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge? If yes, please share them at the comments section below.

Food and Drinks at the Royal Wedding - What will Prince William and Kate Middleton Serve?

It's already Friday and I've not written anything yet. So busy with work I really found no time to write. But apparently I was not busy enough that I was able to read a few stories regarding the Royal Wedding happening later today (April 29, 2011). One interesting area about the Royal Wedding that I read is about the food that will be served to the guests of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

One article on the net says that of the 1, 900 guests who will attend the ceremony, only 600 will be invited back to the palace for the reception. There, 10,000 canapes will be served. An even shorter list (300 people) will be part of the wedding dinner which will be hosted by Prince Charles. There is no mention about the food that will be served for the Royal Wedding dinner.

Another article says that canapes will be served 'as soon as the guests arrive' and champagne will be served throughout the day.

What type of canapes will be served is still a mystery to us but there is a great chance that some will be similar to those that have been served in previous Royal Weddings or other parties held at the Buckingham Palace. One example would be mini Yorkshire puddings with roast beef and horseradish canapes. Another could be quail eggs with celery salt.

Aside from these interestingly named canapes, a multi-tiered fruit cake will be displayed. Wait? Did that article I read just say 'displayed'? Does it mean guests will not be able to sample it? Hmm....Why should I be surprised? That's how it is in most weddings, right? But this is no ordinary wedding. This is THE Royal Wedding. Anyway...

For those who have not been invited to the Royal Wedding Reception, there are hundreds of parties happening simultaneously throughout the entire region. Surely, great food and definitely 'refreshing' drinks will be available -- thought certainly not for free.

(dailymail.co.uk and about.com)

San Marino Tuna Paella - Ready-to-Eat meal

Sorry friends I wasn't able to write anything last week. It was Holy Week and I was on vacation. I didn't bring my laptop with me because I wanted to really spend 'quiet' time with my family and friends. Anyway, what I'll write about today is something I ate when I woke up one morning with nothing on the dining table.

It was Holy Thursday. The helper was late so she wasn't able to prepare breakfast. Good thing, I found a can of San Marino Tuna Paella on the cupboard. Talk about being lucky - the can is an 'easy-open' one. No need to look for the can opener. Yahoo!!!

Once opened you'll find orange colored rice with tuna chunks. It also has green peas and carrot cubes. At first it looked kinda oily. I was a little struck by this because I thought it was supposed to be healthy food. So I checked the Nutrition Facts. The label says it has low fat content. Okay! Good! But calories is rather high - I think!?It's 180 kcal so that's 180, 000 calories. (Somebody please tell me if that's high or just right please!)

Anyway, I'm not into calories. Let's just leave that to the health/nutrition experts. I was so hungry I really didn't care. So I dumped the content on a plate and --- tsadan (voila! if you like)...it contains a really big serving of Tuna Paella -  more than what I actually expected. And the rice is not your ordinary rice. It's 'sticky rice' - the kind you really use  for paella.

Though it looked oily as I said above, it didn't taste bad. It was actually good. The chunks are few considering that there's plenty of rice but it was okay since the rice taste good.

San Marino Tuna is one of the best ready-to-eat meals in the market. It is good for people who loves to go on picnics or climb mountains. It's not heavy so there is no need to worry. You can bring several cans - dinner, breakfast, lunch - without hurting your back. It's better than bringing a small burner and pans. You can take it cold. Believe me, you can take it cold. It's also good for those who bring food to work. No need to wake up early to cook.

One can is good for one person with a normal appetite but for people who eat light, two cans can be shared by three.

San Marino Tuna paella was launched just recently. It was a good tactic to use popular celebrities (in this case Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes) to launch new products. They were easily able to penetrate the market.

Pixie's Delivery Service - Good or Bad Service?

It's Friday! It's the last Friday before Good Friday!

Why  am I saying this? Well, this morning, I was thinking of what I am going to write for this blog. I have several restaurants lined up but I didn't feel like writing about them because I  would be talking about meat. It's Friday and I don't want to tempt the readers who are observing the Catholic tradition of abstinence. At around 10 am, I already made a decision not to write anything for today anymore.

At about the same time, we decided to order lunch at Pixie's Sinugba. I wasn't going to write about it though because I already have a blog post about it (click here). Anyway, we ordered inihaw na rellenong bangus and bangus embotido. The lady who answered the call got our name, telephone number and address. She then said she will be forwarding our order to the nearest branch which is the one in Pasong Tamo, Makati. I asked that the food be delivered before 12 noon. She said okay. After a few minutes we received a call informing us that they do not have rellenong bangus and embotidong bangus anymore so we changed our order to inihaw na bangus and sizzling  crabmeat.

12:00 noon came and no Pixie's Sinugba. 12:05 pm and still no Pixie's Sinugba. I decided to call  them again. I asked the lady who took my order if the food is already on its way. She said she'll ask the branch. After talking on another line she told me that the food will arrive before 1 pm. No specific time was given - she just said maybe between 12:30 to1 pm. I said that cannot be. The agreement was before 12 noon. She said the branch informed her that they have a lot of orders. I told her it's not my problem. I asked her to call again the branch and ask them if  they can do something to deliver it earlier. She talked again on another line but ended up with the same answer. They simply couldn't deliver it earlier than 12:30. I told her that we were not informed of this delay. I told her we should have been informed. That would have given us opportunity to make adjustments. They can't say  they cannot contact us because they were able to do so when they told us our first order is not available. She couldn't say anything but sorry.  She said it should have been the branch who should have informed us of that. I said it's useless to point fingers because the damage has been done. I also told her to cancel the order because we are no longer interested.

Restaurants with delivery services should be careful in giving the expected time of delivery so as not disappoint the paying customers. In case that they will not be able to deliver on time, they should have the decency to inform the customers. If they cannot do these, they will really have a lot of problems. They should stop their delivery services and just concentrate on dine-ins or take-outs.

What Pixie's did to us today is definitely wrong. It is very unprofessional, to say the least. We are really disappointed with their bad service.

If there is  any good thing that came out of this mess, that is it gave me something to write about.

Steamed or Fried Siomai - Hen Lin or Paotsin

Do you like siomai? Do you like it fried or steamed?

Many of us Filipinos like our food fried - fried chicken, fried fish, fried porkchop, fried egg, fried rice and yes, fried siomai. This probably explains why in malls or food centers, Paotsin (they serve fried siomai, sharksfin, etc.) would more often than not have longer lines than Hen Lin. This was the case when I went to a mall last week. Since I was in a hurry, I decided to 'just' order in Hen Lin even if at that time what I really wanted to have was fried sharksfin and the green rice from Paotsin.

I ordered spareribs with rice and an extra order of 3-pc steamed siomai. I wasn't really sure if I'd like what I ordered but I had no other choice since I didn't want to have siopao that time. I also didn't want chicken feet which is the other viand Hen Lin is offering.

Anyway, I was surprised with the spareribs I ordered. It was really yummy. I love the blending of the sweet, salty and spicy flavors. The meat is also tender. The steamed siomai is also okay. I still like my siomai fried but Hen Lin's steamed variety is acceptable. What I wasn't really satisfied with is the yang chow fried rice - this is what they serve with the spareribs as part of their 'combo' offering. If I didn't have much expectations with the siomai and the spareribs, I was looking  forward to a good tasting yang chow fried rice. What they served was just like ordinary fried rice with yellow coloring. Well,  there were bacon (or was it chorizo?) bits on top but it didn't help improve the taste.

spareribs with yang chow fried rice and 3 pieces steamed siomai

up close

the fried rice with bacon bits

Overall, the experience was good. I look forward to eating at Hen Lin again the next time I go to the mall or grocery/supermarket.

Mikey Bustos - Filipino Dining Tutorial

Have you watched videos of Mikey Bustos? Mikey Bustos is a Filipino-Canadian singer who made a name for himself when he joined Canadian Idol. Recently, he made this videos about the Filipino culture. One of them is Filipino Dining Tutorial. It's really funny. It talks about the things that Filipinos do during meal times. Find time to watch it (click here).

Cafe France - Red Grapes and Coffee Buns

A few weeks back, my friends and I was driving around Makati to look for a good place to eat. We couldn't decide where to go so we were going round and round. We saw lots of restaurants but we still couldn't decide because there will always be at least one who would say "I do not like to eat there". Then we saw Cafe France. We didn't stop because we want a place were we could have a heavy meal. But the place made an impact when one of them said the name Cafe France in a very funny (for me irritating) way. She was trying to sound French and she failed miserably. HAHA. From then on they would always laugh every time we pass by Cafe France. They would say the name in that irritating manner just to tease me. The thing is, since that time also, I began seeing other branches that I never noticed before. I thought Cafe France is haunting me.

One evening - I was with another set of friends - we went to UN cor Orosa St in Manila to go to Starbuck's. Unfortunately, that Starbuck's branched is no longer there. Since there was a Cafe France in the other corner we decided to just go there. That was my first taste of Cafe France.

I ordered Red Grape Shake and coffee buns. The Red Grape is worth P 120. The others had Mango Locco (P 120), Cafe Mocha (P 100) and Caramel Frappe (P 135). A coffee bun is worth P 40.

The coffee bun looks as soft as sponge. Actually it is not. The outermost portion is sweet and crunchy.  This is the part with the coffee flavor. Inside it is soft. It has a small hallow portion where they put melted butter.

The coffee bun with the crispy crust.

That hallow portion has melted butter. It's yummy!

The Red Grape Shake is good because it is made of real grapes. You can feel the bits and pieces of grapes when you sip. It gets to be too sweet as you near the bottom but I was able to finish it just the same. I'm not so into sweets so the fact that I was able to finish it should tell you something.

The Red Grape and Mango Locco. Those are tall glasses.

The Red Grape has two or three whole grapes.

That's the Cafe Mocha there in the middle.

That's the Caramel Frappe

The Cafe France I've been to is the one at the corner of UN Ave. and Ma. Orosa St. It's near PhilAm Life. You can also find Cafe France in SM Mall of Asia, Robinsons Place, Manila, somewhere in the Makati Business District and South Luzon Expressway (in one of the gasoline stations). I'm sure there are other branches. If I'm not mistaken Cafe France used to be Deli France. Is it still owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation?

Pancake House at Cash and Carry, Makati City

When i was still a child, one of the 'malls' that we always go to when we travel to Manila from the province is Cash & Carry. It wasn't really a mall then but a supermarket with stalls where you can buy imported (px) goods. You can also buy here cheap appliances. The elders love going here because this is where they can get imported Maling (canned luncheon meat) and Target corned beef. This is also where they buy Nissin's Ramen (Japanese Cup Noodles). I wonder if our relatives who come from abroad buy their pasalubongs for us here. You see, common pasalubongs are the things I mentioned above. And of course the Dove soap for the moms and the Old Spice for the dads. Dove and Old Spice are also available here. You can also buy here 'branded' shoes for Kuya's and Ate's.

Anyway, Cash & Carry is no longer just a supermarket. It is  now a mall. There are specialty boutiques. There are also stalls for different famous clothing brands. They still have px stores but prices of px goods are I think higher now - perhaps because of higher rentals. There are also lots of restaurants and one of which is Pancake House.

Here are pictures from my latest visit. We had Pan Chicken and Burger. I love their fried chicken - one of the best here in the metro (along with Shakey's, Jollibee, etc.). The burger on the other hand is also good. Who wouldn't want that thick  beef patty. Hmmmm.....

Don't you just love the WELCOME HOME tag?

Look! The burger almost covered the entire plate.

Thick slices of potatoes. Still crunchy even if they're thick.

See how thick that burger is? Yo really need a fork and a knife for this one.

Oh! Love! Love! Love! Crispy chicken. No need for that gravy.

Wham! Burger - katipunan, Quezon City

A few days  ago, my friends and I went all the way from Makati to Katipunan, Quezon City just to eat at Wham! Burger. We heard about it from a few friends so we wanted to try. Our expectations were high given the feedback that we received. On the way we were discussing other burger shops like Burger King, Brothers Burger and Carl's Jr. (it's no longer existing here in the country, right?) just so we could compare later on.

It was a very long drive. When we saw the place it was on the other side so we looked for a U turn slot. We thought there was one in front of Ateneo but unfortunately there was none. The U turn slot was in front of Miriam. The search for that U turn slot made the trip even longer.

Finally we reached Wham! Burger. The guard wasn't outside the store to help us park. He was inside, with his uniform unbuttoned, texting on his cellular phone. The place has seen better days. The walls, not to mention the tables and chairs could use some repainting.

We ordered Wham burger, Bronco Burger, Onion Rings and Sarsi. The Bronco burger is BIG. It has a thick beef patty, cheese, bacon, onions and barbecue sauce - Western style. I love the barbecue sauce. I like the sweet taste. Overall i like the burger. It was worth the trip. However, this doesn't mean that I will say that it is better than the others I mentioned above. You be the  judge. It actually didn't meet our expectations but just the same I can say I like it. The Wham burger was better for my other friends. They didn't like the barbecue dressing much so they prefer the rather plain - with lettuce, cheese and other burger basics - Wham burger. It wasn't really plain nothing unique about the add-ons. The Onion rings was also good. Crunchy! And the onion has no bitter taste.

Wham! Burger, Katipunan, Quezon City

Bronco. See how thick the beef patty is?

bacon, cheese, onions, barbecue sauce

Wham burger

The crispy onion rings

The burgers at Wham! Burger are reasonably priced. Wham costs P 108 and Bronco P 165. The onion rings  is worth P 66.

As said, the burgers are okay. The experience was actually good. I just hope that next time, the place will be cleaner. By the  way, the guard helped us when we went out of the parking area. 

California Pizza Kitchen - Promenade, Greenhills

Last night I watched the musical Mama Mia at Teatrino in Greenhills. It was just a one-night production of a school. After the show we had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. It was my first time there so I was excited. Unfortunately, I was with my bosses so I was not able to take pictures of what we ate. I think that is something you can understand, right? I felt it wasn't proper for me to 'delay' the meal just for me to take pictures. But anyway, we ordered Wild Mushroom Pizza, Caesar Salad, Chinese Chicken Salad (or was it oriental) and Spinach something (you'll find this on the the appetizer list).

The Wild Mushroom Pizza was great. It was great because it's unique. I mean it tasted far from all the other pizzas I've ever eaten. Meat lovers may not go crazy over this but it's worth a try. The Caesar Salad was also good. It has lots of Parmesan cheese. And the croutons are crispy (even after about an hour of being exposed). The Chicken Salad was very good. I don't know what the brown 'things' they put on top are but they sure made the salad crunchy so eating it wasnt boring. I'm not really a salad fan but this twist was very much welcome for me. The Spinach appetizer was also nice. It's actually nacho chips with spinach dressing. Yum. I love it.

I do not like raspberry very much but I ordered Raspberry Iced Tea just the same - 'for a change'. I was bent on having Lemon Iced Tea to be safe but I figured that would be boring. It's good I tried the new one because it was good. You should try it too. It was bottomless - I had two and a half glasses.

California Pizza Kitchen is at thwe Promenade in Greenhills. It's beside Bizu. I know they also have a branch in Makati - Glorietta 1?   

Mushroom Burger - That Burger House in Tagaytay

The first time I went to Tagaytay my friends brought me to Mushroom Burger. That was in 1992. They said one must not leave Tagaytay without eating at Mushroom Burger. My first experience there was good that's why every time I would be in Tagaytay I always look forward to eating there. However, the itinerary changed during the past few years. Instead going to a burger house we would always spend time in coffee shops and/or bulalohan. Mushroom Burger was totally forgotten.

But last month I decided to drop by Mushroom Burger again. It was again a nice experience. There have been changes already in many different ways but the taste of their burgers remained. Anyway, here are some pictures of the place and burger I got.

Their burgers: pinoy, royal, regular, sandwich and king.

The King burger is served in this plastic container (when will Tagaytay go eco-friendly?)

King size it is!

Double patties!

Mushroom for dessert, anyone?

Do you know that you do not need to go to Tagaytay to eat Mushroom Burger? They now have Mushroom Burger along Katipunan and West Avenue in Quezon City. But if you want to really have the feel of the "old" Mushroom Burger, then  go to Tagaytay.