Yoshinoya - Shitake Shumai or Flour Shumai?

I went to Glorietta with a friend last Monday to look for sunglasses and board shorts for our trip to Coron, Palawan next week. While walking around the mall, we saw Yoshinoya and simultaneously said "let's eat". So we abandoned the original plan to look for summer stuff and just decided to eat.

Since I'm trying to lose weight as advised by my doctor, I decided to just have their shitake shumai and yasai itame.

While waiting for our order to arrive (the lady at the counter said it would take 10 - 15 minutes), we saw this poster that says "Join the 4th Gyudon Eating Contest". There were 3 guys competing that time.

The challenge is to "eat all you can in 5minutes". This is just for the qualifying round. There is a grand match on June 14 where all those who qualified during the eliminations will meet and compete. For the grand match, the 5 minute challenge will be increased to 15 minutes. How many bowls of gyudon can a normal guy eat in 15minutes? Hmmmm..... For contest mechanics, visit their website www.yoshinoya.ph or their facebook ang instagram accounts.

Anyway, our order arrived within the time frame given which was good. I hate it when restaurants fail to bring food later than declared.

I first ate the shitake shumai. I got disappointed from the very first bite. It was supposed to be pork topped with shitake mushrooms. Well, it tasted like "flour siomai" topped with shitake mushrooms. It's very much similar to the siomai you get at the stalls outside supermarkets or LRT stations which usually costs between P25 and P30. This one costs P59.

The yasai itame was just okay. Nothing really special about it. The pork didn't even taste fresh (but don't mind this because maybe I'm biased because I was disappointed with the siomai).

Anyway, I will still go back to Yoshinoya if you want to know. I may have been disappointed with the shitake shumai but I still love their Beef Yakiniku. The thinly sliced beef is really good I always come back for it whenever I get the chance.

I need to lose weight -- Yeah!

3 weeks ago I went to see a doctor because I was suspecting I have kidney stones. All tests related to however revealed that I only have UTI. But the doctor noticed that my blood pressure is high so he referred me to another doctor. The doctor had me undergo several tests which eventually turned out really bad.

The result of the lipid profile exam showed that I have high cholesterol level. The HDL or the good cholesterol is low and the LDL or the bad cholesterol is very high. If it's any consolation, my blood sugar level is very good.

Anyway, aside from the meds that were given to me to manage my blood pressure and cholesterol levels, I was also asked to go on a diet. You see I'm a little bit....okay....I'm overweight. She asked me to do this because I asked her if there is something we could do so that the maintenance medicines will not be for life.

What I decided to do was to cut down on my rice. I decided to eat a maximum of a half cup of rice for breakfast and that's it....no rice for the rest of the day. It was difficult sometimes because of "temptations" that spell like "friends" but I was able to manage. Well, I failed a few times. Two nights to be exact...and those were the two nights prior to my follow up check up. I ate rice for dinner. But even with that failure I found out from the doctor's record that I lost 1.2 kilos or 2.64 pounds.

With that little success I am a bit encouraged to do better this coming weeks. I've decided to add more fruits and vegetables on my diet. I've also decided to be a little bit stronger in resisting temptation to eat rice. I know this type of diet works  because I've done it before. I lost 8 kilos or 17.6 pounds a couple of years ago. I was just too happy that I lost weight that after a year of being a size or two smaller, I went back to eating rice. Weight loss wasted huhu.

Anyway, again this is what I'll do to lose weight. Lower my carbohydrates -- 1/2 cup rice for breakfast and a piece or two of crackers for snacks once in a while, have plenty  of fruits and vegetables, eat small meals frequently, drink lots of water and exercise. Okay, I still haven't convinced myself to do the last one but I'll try. I want to lose weight to improve my  cholesterol and blood pressure levels. That's the motivation. Oh! And before I forget, I want to look good too even if the summer season is almost halfway over.

Hop to IHOP Philippines

I always hear about IHOP or International House of Pancakes from friends who've been to the states but I've never bothered asking them about it because I have no plans of going there anytime soon. Then IHOP opened in the Philippines and for a while a lot of people were talking about it. So last month I went with a friend to their 2nd branch in SM Mall of Asia.

I had no idea what they serve except for pancakes (haha) so I was amazed to see a lot of food items to choose from. Of course there are pancakes with lots of flavors. Then there are sandwiches and burgers as well. The pictures of the burgers on the menu looked interesting but I felt like they're something I've already seen somewhere.

They have appetizers and salads too. The Chicken Fajita Quesadilla looked interesting but I was thinking of having something heavier that time.

Healthy choices were also available. They have Simple & Fit Super Fruit Oatmeal.

They also have crepes. This one really got me interested. They looked good so I considered ordering one that night. Then I saw Specialty Entrees and Hearty Dinner. So i ended up eating Fried Chicken Dinner.
Yeah! I know! So ordinary. But I must say the chicken was really delicious. The breading is crispy. And the pieces are BIG.

Anyway, I think the food they serve look interesting but they are a bit pricey. But if you're gonna go there just once in a while then I think you're good.

Menu for the Holy Week Triduum - with Tokwa Staek and Boiled Tahong Recipes

It’s Holy Week and many of us Catholics are going to the provinces to follow the religious traditions that are seriously observed there. Many will be doing Visita Iglesia. I hope you’ve listed down the churches you will visit. A lot will also be joining processions. On Good Friday, many towns will have long processions – depending on the number of images that will join. And many will observe fasting and abstinence.

For those who will not be fasting (especially small kids and senior citizens) but will still be abstaining from eating meat, here are some food suggestions for you.

Maundy Thursday

Breakfast

Spanish bread

Lunch

Fish Fillet

Halaan Soup

Dinner

Chopseuy with squidballs/kikiam

Good Friday

Breakfast

Fried Banana (Saba)

Lunch

Tokwa steak (see recipe below)

Dinner

Fried Tanigue

Sautéed Pechay

Black Saturday

Breakfast

Pandesal with cheese or peanut butter

Lunch

Buttered Shrimps

Ensaladang Talong (eggplant)

Dinner

Grilled Fish

Boiled Tahong or Mussels (see recipe below)

Tokwa Steak (version of the more popular Tofu Steak)

Ingredients

8 cubes tokwa (cut into 4 cubes)

1 can tuna flakes

1 cup mushrooms (button mushrooms thinly sliced)

1 cup diced carrots

1 clove garlic minced

1 bulb onion chopped

Oyster sauce

Breadcrumbs

Eggs

Flour

Salt and Pepper

Procedure

1.      Mix eggs and flour in a bowl. You may add salt and pepper to taste.

2.      Dip tokwa cubes in the mixture.

3.      Coat with breadcrumbs.

4.      Deep fry until golden brown.

5.      Set aside.

6.      Sautee onion and garlic in a pan.

7.      Add mushroom and tuna. 

8.      After a minute or two, add oyster sauce.

9.      Pour over fried tokwa or you may also serve it separately.

Boiled Tahong (mussels)

Ingredients

1 kilo tahong

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp chopped onion

1 piece ginger (about the size of your thumb) sliced thinly

3 pieces green chili (optional)

2 cups water

Procedure

1.      Sauté onion, garlic and ginger.

2.      Add tahong. Stir occasionally for about two minutes.

3.      Add water and bring to a boil. Add green chili.

4.      When the all mussles have opened, simmer for about a minute.

5.      Serve hot.  

Buffet 101 - Buffet, Buffet, Buffet plus 98 more buffets

It's summertime once again folks and I'm sure you are all in some form of diet to get that beach body you want. I was hoping I would be able to do that too but I just can't resist eating good food. So yes, I still have a big tummy I would not dare show in Boracay or Coron. But since I have already booked a trip to Coron for the summer, I'm going to feature here another buffet or eat all you can restaurant. The goal is for you to try the place so I will not be the only one with a big tummy.

Buffet 101

They have Japanese food like the others I've featured here (Vikings, The Food Club, etc). And  like in those restaurants, you'll never see the sushi/sashimi tray (always boat-shaped) full.

There also have dishes from other parts of the globe. They have pizza that I liked. It has cheese that isn't rubbery though it was a bit too oily (who cares, lol).

Hmmm.....whatelse? Ah, they have lot's of seafoods too. They even have scallops which  I rarely see in buffet restaurants.

..........I guess I was too tired the day we ate there so I wasn't really able to take notes very well. All I could say is I enjoyed the dinner.

But wait. I must say the food sections aren't as organized as the other buffet restos. For example you'll find Japanese food in various sections. Anyway, I suggest you go around first before getting anything to study what they have to offer. Once you've seen all then that should be the only time you should start picking lest you miss the food you really want to eat.

I'm not sure if I'm making any sense here so  just look at the photos I took. They're only few, mind you.

Buffet 101 offers a free meal for your birthday -- not only on the day itself but 3days before and 3 days after your birthday.  

Buffet 101 can be  found in 3 places - SM by the Bay (556-2888), Robinsons Magnolia (961-2291) and Eastwood.

The Food Club - another eat all you can/buffet restaurant in the metro

Buffet restaurants are becoming more and more popular lately. When Vikings became famous, other "old" buffet restaurants became "in" as well. And not only that, new ones were also established. One of the newest buffet restaurants in the metro is The Food Club. It is relatively new so it  is also relatively easier to get a table any day of the week.

The Food Club has, as expected, a wide array of food to choose from. Of course, for those of you who've been reading my posts would know that the first thing I looked for is the Japanese section. I was not disappointed because they have what I wanted to eat except for uni. Actually, unlike other buffet places they have uni. However, we came a bit late that evening so it's no longer available. I can't say though if this is because they have really good uni that a lot of the diners had it or they just had a small amount available to begin with. Anyway, at least I can say they have it.

Next to Japanese, I also look forward to the seafood section. The Food Club really made me happy in this area. They have shrimps which happens to be my favorite. They have shrimps in the cold section -- it's I think steamed before they put on top of the ice cubes. They also have shrimps fresh and alive -- they'll cook it for you upon request. In the grilling sections you can also find shrimps "on sticks".  Oh, and there's also ebi tempura.

They also have various dishes from all over the world -- China, Mexico, Italy, etc. They have Peking duck, century egg, nachos, tacos, various kinds of cheese and cold cuts, bread of different kinds, soups, etc.

For those who are a feeling guilty because of all these meat products and seafood they have lot's of greens too in salad area. I'm sure having some of these vegetables will help you feel a little less guilty haha. Right next to the salad area is a small kimchi place.

  
Sweets. Oh,  they have lots of desserts for the young and old alike. They have fresh fruits if the vegetables were not enough to lessen your guilt. They have various cake slices too. I love the one with pistachios. There's also a chocolate fountain --  with fruits and mallows on sticks. Ice cream and halo-halo they also have. And something I didn't see in other buffet restaurants that caught my attention -- a candy bar. :)

For drinks, you can have fruit juice, shake, coffee, beer and I think wine.

We didn't make any reservation when we went there. We actually decided we would go lunchtime of that day. When I called i was informed that they no longer accept reservation -- by phone or in person -- but we can be "walk in" customers. I told the girl I was talking to that we would be going that night to try our luck. She said there's a chance we could get in. Then she said they would even be giving 30% off that evening because some of the air-conditioning units are not properly working. It was not as comfortable as I would want it to be because of the "broken" ACs but I didn't care -- 30% off means P300 savings.Yes, buffet dinner at The Food Club costs P1000 plus P50 service charge.

The Food Club is at the Bluebaywalk, Diosdado Macapagal Ave. cor. EDSA. It is in that complex where the Project Pie is (this is my next project).