Razon's Halo-Halo

If you haven't tried Razon's halo-halo yet, then you're missing out on the best halo-halo in town!And can I just say that summer aint over until you've indulged yourself with Razon's halo-halo! Unlike many other halo-halo you buy in other restaurants, as in the halo halo with beans, ube, kaong, nata de coco, corn flakes, ube and many other ingredients that you don't understand anymore, Razon's halo-halo is different, it's refreshing that consist only of three ingredients, which are saba, leche flan, and macapuno. The ice they use is finely shaved that it's easier to mix, and the milk they use is also different, for some reason, it's creamier and tastier. It is also combined as if they are blended all into perfection. The sweetness of one ingredient doesn't overpower the other and fyi, it's not boringly sweet! There is something special about this halo-halo that you would want to eat over again. It's simpler that the usual halo-halo mix, but the taste is better, sinfully sweet and delectably creamy! And the one thing that's even better is that it only costs for P65 an order. I never knew a halo-halo this cheap that would taste this great.. It seems like the perfect treat for a day like you see in the show teletubbies before, you know, when the climate is so sunny and for occasional inclement days, with rain and puddles, and then snow at christmas time, with an unsually talkative flowers in a landscape of rolling green hills.. awesomeness huh.. I know..what a luscious and mouthwatering treat!

Tita Lynns flavored suman

Yeaahh! I wanna do something weird today, so I went to the Tiendesitas food market and attempted to search for the best suman..

This is a sticky-rice pastry wrapped in a banana leaf and eaten dipped in sugar or in hot chocolate. There are as many different kinds of suman in the Philippines, each region has its own variation of the pastry. In Manila you can get suman in all sorts of flavors, from chocolate to ube-langka for about twenty to thirty pesos apiece.

So I tried suman in different stalls and I finally found the one that I liked best. It's Tita Lynns flavored suman cafe, go and try their suman! It's the best! They also sell chocolate and coffee, they have the tsokolate suman which is awesome, and then the suman biko, suman guinataan, and a lot more other sumans that will satisfy your suman craving.

Tita Lynn's Flavored Suman Cafe is at the Tiendesitas Food Market, Frontera Verde Pasig. LETS GO!

A cow that is named Lulubelle

*LULU BELLE*

Lulubelle has this enviably long eyelashes, impish smile, and darling little wings. Perfectly matching the store's tagline, "Healthy and Heavenly".

If you haven't heard of it yet, well let me tell you, Lulubelle has the best frozen yogurt in town! Lulubelle has the best ambiance among other frozen yogurt stores too, the place is dominantly pink and white with purple pink christmas tree accent.:) Very cute and clean looking! Lulubelle is located at the 3/f of Rockwell Power Plant Mall.

With their expansive array of colorful toppings, it's a no doubt that you'll be wanting to try it all. It's almost impossible to count how many frozen yogurts you can create out of it! It's just a matter of a mix and match thing. Do you like your yougurt paired up with granola-nut banana topping? Mochi almonds? M&m's? Oreos? Or do you prefer your cup of yogurt mixed with all sorts of toppings? It really depends on how you like your yogurt to be. :)

Lulubelle has 3 types of yogurt to choose from, natural, tart, and green tea! I have tried it all, and the best for me was the natural, mainly because it's plain and it's easier to combine with different kinds of toppings. But don't get me wrong, I loved both the tart and green tea flavored yogurt. I just seem to like plain more than flavored. :)

Weee, the place is absoultely delightful!

Oh, and their mango sorbet smoothie is also to die for! :)

Ferino’s Bibingka: Selling like hotcakes

This is one of my mom's favorite treat! Who doesn’t remember Ferino’s? It’s been around since 1938 — and it’s still selling like hotcakes! “The Francisco family owns Ferino’s and our outlet at SM Mall of Asia is the only franchise branch,” says franchisee Oscar Yabut. Since 1938, Ferino’s has used the same treasured bibingka recipe that its founder, Ferino (yes, there’s such a person) Francisco concocted in 1932. Through the decades, down to the third generation, Ferino’s has been using natural aged rice for its bibingka, never scrimping on the ingredients. “That is why our bibingka does not harden and it has a long shelf life, you can store it in the freezer for up to six months,” adds Oscar. “We have a lot of balikbayans who buy our bibingka in freezer bags to bring abroad.” At Ferino’s Mall of Asia, you can choose between the bibingka king (P107) that’s got more salted egg and white cheese toppings and the bibingka super (P88) that’s got only one egg but is just as deliciously filling. If you’re on a diet, you can have the mini bibingka. If you still have room left in your tummy, a great partner to your bibingka is the puto bumbong (P56). Since Ferino’s fanatics have also started looking for other things to eat, Ferino’s has introduced its rice meals. Of course, you remember Ferino’s good old palabok made of tofu and squid, or its dinuguan at puto. Who says you can’t have your bibingka and eat it, too?

Soup is good for the soul

When I tell people I love soups they often look at me funny and don't understand why but I think soups are fab and are a great light snack or starter to a meal.

One of my most favourite soups is Red Pumpkin soup and I have been told by many of my friends how tasty it is! As with most of my dishes my mum taught me this one years ago but I make this about once every couple of weeks now. I had this for lunch today so thought I would share the recipe with all of you! Enjoy!

You will need the following ingredients;
2 Onions
600 grams of Red Pumpkin
2 tablespoons of butter
2 Bay Leaves
10 Peppercorns
Salt
½ tablespoon of white pepper powder
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
¼ cup of fresh cream

First you will need to peel and slice the onions and the red pumpkin. Then heat the butter in a pan and add the bay leaves, peppercorns and the onions and sauté for a while.

Next add the diced pumpkin and cook for about half a minute, add water and cook until it is soft and fully done. Then strain the excess water, reserve the stock and then puree the vegetables. You will then need to add the stock to the vegetable puree to get the right consistency, and then add the salt and pepper to taste and bring it to a boil. I always then add some lemon juice and garnish it with fresh cream.

This is a great easy to prepare dish but is so tasty! I recommend anyone having a go at this one even novices!

Welcome Sandy's pizza!

Sandy is the sister of Gabby Concepcion who was once married to one of my favorite stars, Sharon Cuneta! She owns this place and we're both pizza lovers :)






I personally liked their white cheese pizza, I might be biased about it because I always ALWAYS loved cheese, it's my favorite ingredient of all and I believe that I can't live without it. What can you expect from every pizza here? Real mozzarella cheese, wheat flour, and home-made sauces and Italian sausages -- Sandy likes to have everything fresh and unique. The pizza doughs are made fresh, daily. Sandy's Pizza also makes use of ingredients and flavors indigenous to Filipino cuisine, which most 'mainstream' pizza places wouldn't usually have. Not everyday will you see tocino, tuyo, adobo, or even red eggs (yes! you can request for it, like a lot of sukis do) in your pizza pies. And for pizza fanatics, this means a lot of items for you to try out yourselves in Sandy's Pizza. Aside from pizza, Sandy has also added pasta dishes such as Carbonara, Creamy Basil Pesto, and Tuna Arrabbiata to their take-out and delivery menu. Recently, Sandy included buffalo wings too, at price P185, and 8 pieces, it's worth every penny!You actually have the choice to make it a combination, as seen in the photo below, for combination it's P390 for small and P490 for large.

Manila's fashionable eatery!

Last night was my tita's birthday, she treated us at Sofitel, Spirals. Boy, i've never felt so full in my whole life! haha! There are a lot of food choices, chinese, japanese, american, italian, etc. And the desserts are overflowing! They usually cook the lamb very well. We have had our annual meetings hosted by sofitel the past couple of years and one of the reasons is Spiral. Sometimes the service tends to slow down, but on the whole they have been more than ok. They have one of the best freshly baked chocolate chip cookies around, but generally the deserts are almost always excellent. Too excelent that I actually took some chocolate chip cookies, placed it in my bag, I got like a tuperware. haha!

The Indian section could have more options in it, but I'm generally satisfied with their tandoor selections and dhal.

For the Japanese section, the yakitori is sometimes a miss, but generally everything is ok. And unfortunately I never get to try the lobster or champagne.
If you think you're going to come back, get the hotel discount card. You get 50% off the buffet price.
My dad has one, and we used it. Great discount!

Something i noticed

One thing I noticed about vegetarians is that vegetarians are in trouble when it comes to eating out. Big trouble. As in, way more than I ever thought.

Think about this.

Is your vegetarian meal really vegetarian?
I've eaten at plenty of restaurants, from fast food to fine dining, and when I look for the vegetarian entree, I assume I am getting a vegetarian meal.

After all, how difficult is it to keep meat and other animal products out of a meal?

Very difficult, it turns out.

Those hidden animal ingredients
From gelatin to rennet, animal byproducts sneak into all sorts of products and dishes, from the cheese plate to the dessert tray.

And, while you and I know about these meat-based ingredients, an awful lot of people do not.

Which means your vegetarian meal, alas, may very well not be.

But it gets worse.

Those pesky tongs
Restaurant kitchens run so fast and so hard that it isn't difficult for a cook to grab a vegetarian entree with the same tongs, for example, that were used to, say, cook a meat-based entree.

It's not like they have a separate station that does nothing but vegetarian foods. They don't have the space. And they certainly don't have the time, personnel, and equipment to have a dedicated vegetarian station.

So what is a vegetarian to do?
My best advices is to eat at a vegetarian restaurant. That way, there is no room for mistakes.

And, hey, it certainly can't hurt to be supporting the vegetarian community. After all, if enough money goes to vegetarian restaurants, then, certainly, more are bound to open. And that's good for all of us!

The best things in life..

One of the wonderful attributes of chocolate, and I mean good chocolate, is that it has the ability to be absolutely perfect for just about any of life’s occasions. Whether it acts as a salve after crazy-hectic weeks at work, or the exclamation point to mark life’s wonderful celebrations, or just the last essential piece to a gloomy-day-in puzzle...or even as a earnest offering for having been away from this blog for a while!

And if it acts as all four? Why then, use four times the chocolate!
I bookmarked this famous (infamous) recipe by the Domestic Goddess herself a while back when spied it over here. There is nothing really more to say than I saw all the chocolate, and I was smitten. I’ve read the good (glorious!) reviews and I’ve also read the bad (doesn’t cling-film melt?) reviews. But so far, Nigella has not let me down. And this cake was no different.

Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake
(From Nigella Lawson. See here for original recipe.)

For the cake:

200 grams all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

50 grams cocoa powder

275 grams caster sugar

175 grams unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

80 ml sour cream

125 ml boiling water

175 grams dark chocolate chips

For the syrup:

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

125 ml water

100 grams caster sugar

25 grams milk or dark chocolate (I used a 30 gram Lindt milk chocolate bar)

- Bring all ingredients to room temperature.
- Pre-heat your oven to 170C and stick a baking sheet in. Grease a loaf tin (21 x 11cm and 7.5cm deep) and line it with parchment paper. Leave a little bit of parchment to extend beyond the tin so that you will have something with which you can easily lift the cake out of the tin later on.
- Put the flour, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream in a processor and blitz until it is smooth and satiny. Scrape down with a rubber spatula and process again while pouring the hot water down the funnel. Switch it off, remove the lid and the blades, and then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in your pre-heated oven for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out pretty clean...there may be stickiness as this is a damp cake and that is totally fine.
- When you still have about 10-15 minutes left of baking time on your cake, get started with the syrup. Put the cocoa, water, and sugar in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes or so. You want a reduced, syrupy liquid that is still pourable.
- When the cake is done, place the tin on a rack and pierce the cake here and there with a skewer. Pour the syrup as evenly as you can over the cake.
- Once the cake is completely cooled, take it out of its tin (just pull it out with the parchment overhang you so carefully crafted), peel off the parchment, and place it on a serving platter. Now take your bar of chocolate and cut it into flakes and splinters and scatter all over the top of the cake. I used milk chocolate for the topping because the cake was already dark chocolate all throughout and I was taking this to a friend who is more a fan of milk than dark. You can also try topping with chocolate before the cake cools down so the chocolate shards melt a bit...MMM!

Let me take a moment here to just say: I really prefer weighing ingredients over fiddling with measuring cups! Weighing your ingredients is not only more precise, it is a whole lot easier! Especially if you have to do the washing up. Imagine a world where you never have to wash those darn measuring cups. That is the world of the scales my friend.

Jay Leno on fries

OMG I heard this line on Jay leno's show last night and I can't stop laughing!

He said,

I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, 'I'd like some fries.' The girl at the counter said, 'Would you like some fries with that?'

LOL.

Health food is only good for the conscience

"Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better."

I believe in this line. I tried to avoid coke awhile ago because it would ruin my diet but I was eating pizza. And pizza goes well with a nice glass of coke.

I can't help it.

Enjoy the peace and tranquility, get away from the busy city life!

During my free time, I would always go to Harbor View especially at times when I just feel like chilling around. At Harbor View, you get a sensation that you are on a cruise on Manila Bay, but the restaurant actually sits on a jetty. You enjoy a marvelous view of the bay and Roxas Boulevard. The deep fried shrimps there are delectable and the crispy pata is to die for! Live fish or crab from an aquarium is yummy too. And you get to choose it cooked in any way you like. As a matter of fact, I'm actually heading to Harbor View in a few minutes! I have a drinking session there ha, ha, beers are available! Let's go!=)

Chef tara, NOT!

Okay I just found out that one of my friends is transferring to another school, a culinary school! at Enderun college. I was really envious of her because I wanna study there too. The thing is that, I feel that it's impractical and the tuition there is so high. My friend said she's transferring there because her mom wants her to become a chef. And she doesn't even want to become a chef. *sigh* I wish we could just switch places.

Free donut+coffee = great morning!

I love Krispy Kreme.

Way before the Krispy Kreme fever came here in the Philippines, I always make it a point to ask my relatives who visits from the US to bring a box or two for pasalubong. Even day-old Krispy Kreme doughnuts from states tasted helluva lot better than fresh ones offered locally. A local competitor was making great raves during that time and for most people, that was the next best thing.

Fast forward a few years, several Krispy Kreme stores started popping out, sharing to the Filipinos their own take on what doughnuts is all about, and we're greatly thankful for that. The local competitor is still there yet personnaly, either their doughnuts doesn't taste as good as before when they're just starting out or it taste just the same as before and we have simply compared it to something new.

The thing is with Krispy Kreme, whenever their store signage light is on, they always give out free donuts. Ha, ha, love it! So what I usually do is I line up, get my free donut, and then the moment I get to the counter, I just go buy myself a cup of coffee.

My morning is now great. Weee:)

The genmaicha tea

So awhile ago I was at Kozui Green Tea cafe because of two reasons: 1. I wanna use their wi-fi, and 2. I'm craving for their genmaicha tea!

It's hard to make a bad cup of genmaicha tea. You'll never go wrong with genmaicha . This is actually the tea I drink most of the time up to this time because of mainly the taste.

This is a nutty, simple drink that tastes quite wonderful with typical Japanese foods. Or, it is so versatile that you can match this tea with any types of food from what I have experienced. I've tried it with Chinese food, Italian food, Mediterranean food, even thai food!

It is an inexpensive, everyday drink that is fun, flavorful, and satisfying.

Soup is the key

Worries go down better with soup. ~Jewish Proverb

So I was really feeling down today. I miss my grandfather. :( and then came the pouring of the rain, which made me even sad more. I'm feeling a little cold too. So I go grab myself some instant noodles. My favorite, YAKISOBA! Yum.

I'm feeling better.

Something to ponder on

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

Dampa style buttered shrimp!

Hi all! I hope you all are having a nice afternoon :))
I just wanna share my ultimate favorite dampa food! I learned how to do it already!

Ingredients:
1 kilo large shrimps/prawns (last week I bought large prawns for Php400 a kilo at Seaside Baclaran)
2 cups of Royal Tru Orange soda (or something similar)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced

Procedure:
Place the shrimps in a large wok in medium to high heat. Sprinkle with salt and pour soda over the shrimps until all are slightly covered in the liquid. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or until the shrimps turn orange. Do not overcook the shrimp as this will make the shell very difficult to remove. Remove the shrimps from the wok and set aside.

In a separate pan, saute the garlic in butter. Once the juices of the garlic mix with the butter, pour in the remains of the soda (now flavored with shrimp juice) into the pan. Reduce until desired consistency. Pour over the cooked shrimps. Served with steaming white rice. ENJOY=)

Best of the BEST

Best Caesar Salad: TGI Fridays

Best Coffee Shop: Starbucks (Caramel Macchiato is what keeps me going every day)

Best Bakeshop: Red Ribbon (Tiramisu Meltdown is to die for)

Best chocolate desserts: Max Brenner

Best chocolate candies: See’s (although its only available abroad so just go to Max B)

Best potato chips: Kettle Chips (sold at GNC, Robinsons supermarkets)

Best local fast food/hamburger chain: Wendy’s

Best pandesal: Basta’t Pandesal (Branch in Greenbelt 1)

Best french fries: McDo

Best Pork BBQ: Beach House (Sunken Garden UP Diliman)

Best calamares: Fish&Co (Greenbelt 2)

Best crispy sisig: Gerry’s Grill

Best Paella: Alba’s

Best seafood market: Seafood market @ Home Depot (Julia Vargas)

YAY!

Nomimono!

I'm proud to present!

Nomimono! a Japanese themed smoothie joint that offers a different twist to the typical blender-generated drinks we all know. What’s so special about Nomimono? Aside from the name, they turn the process of making smoothies into an art form.

They have 3 kinds of drinks: the kokonattsu series (their signature coconut based concoctions with tapioca), kokonattsu fusion (same as the series but with two kinds of fruit), aloe jelly series (fruit blended drinks with Nomimono’s original Aloe Vera jelly), and the aloe jelly fusion (fusion of 2 fruits with Aloe Vera jelly). Layering is the key to making these smoothies taste and look as delicious as they are. Plus, you know you’re really getting all the healthy stuff because all their smoothies are topped with chunks of fruit (of the flavor of your choosing).

My friend owns this place! And they sure have my support! I love all their drinks and their burgers. :) Plus their fries, it's huuge!

Nomi mono is just right across the Andrew building in DLSU, Fidel St. Malate, Manila. I go there whenever I feel hot and thirsty!

Think about this

And I find chopsticks frankly distressing. Am I alone in thinking it odd that a people ingenious enough to invent paper, gunpowder, kites and any number of other useful objects, and who have a noble history extending back 3,000 years haven't yet worked out that a pair of knitting needles is no way to capture food? ~Bill Bryson

Chocolate lovin'

Go to Max Brenner! Located at Ground Level, Greenbelt 3, Makati!

The Max Brenner chocolate culture is a holistic experience, its center is the chocolate bar which combines a bar and a shop allowing you to experience your shopping at the bar and shop your experience at the chocolate shop.

In the chocolate shop you can find the "Hug Mug" – a mug specially designed for the chocolate drinking ceremony, "Suckao", "Fresh" – the very chocolaty Max Brenner truffle cream, Pralines, Pastries and cookies full of chocolate goodies.

Enjoy this post. I'm gonna let the pictures do the talking.

Rockin potatoes!

Can I just say i'm loving Yellow Cab's twice baked potatoes?! It's my first to try when I went to eat at Yellow Cab just a few hours ago because my friend insisted me to try it. I don't really want to order it at first because I'm thinking that potatoes aren't Yellow Cab's forte. I should be ordering pizza, and not potatoes, but boy when I tasted it, I was like, "WOW!" It's oven baked potato halves loaded with cheese and bacon topped with sour cream and cheese, and it's priced at P195, very stuffed and eating just one will make you full, (duh, potatoes!) but even if i'm full already, I just can't help but get some more. I love cheese and bacon, and the sauce is just simply awesome! It seems like the perfect treat for cheese lovers! I'm a cheese lover so definitely this really satisfies me. I love it. Aside from their charlie chan pasta, the baked potatoes, would be my next favorite yellow cab offering. :) I'm sure to be ordering this again the next time I go back to Yellow Cab.

Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. It always has been. I like all kinds of varieties….strawberry, marble, lemon, you name it. My cousin and I had a bonding slash baking session a while ago and we came up with this wonderful treat. This is one of the easier recipes for a cheesecake that I have found, but definitely not lacking in flavor. I love the oreo crust and chocolate layer. A great any-time dessert!
And this is how to do it:

Ingredients

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

3 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted, cooled

1 Oreo Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1/2 cup thawed Cool Whip

4 fresh strawberries, cut in half (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended.

Remove 1 cup batter; mix with melted chocolate. Pour plain batter in to crust first. Top with chocolate batter.

Bake 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 3 hours. Top with Cool Whip and berries (if desired) just before serving.

There you go! Yey!;)

FOODD!!

I'm coming to my favorite cousin's house later!!

I can't wait for another eating session.

Today’s agenda includes: grocery store, workout, computer work.

Can't get enough of fro-yo's

Everytime I go the mall, and sees a stall or a store selling frozen yogurts, I wouldn't even have second thoughts on buying myself a cup. Last night it was my first time to try Yogurbud located at Podium mall. Despite my friends' bad reviews about it, they say it's sour, it's not creamy as white hat or red mango, blabla.. I actually really liked it! I liked their yogurt mainly because it really taste like a yogurt. I can taste it's sourness of the yogurt. Yogurbud has only 1 size and it translates to the large cup that you would get from the white hat and california berry and it has a cheaper price tag of P90. Maybe the reason for the cheap price is that yogurbud has that icy texture and some say that it is because they have extenders in their formula. Yogurbud is totally different from the rest of the other frozen yogurt shops. Yogurbud is different in the sense that it is closer to a sorbet texture and tangy while most of the yogurt shops, (the white hat, red mango, yoh-gurt froz, and cb's are creamier with dairy notes prevalent in the taste. Yogurbud is an acquired taste as it is sour but for me it tastes better though with every spoonful. I feel that it taste well blended in a fruit shake too!

Salcedo Saturday Market

I usually spent my Saturdays at Salcedo Market in Makati. It's just like the usual marketplace, minus the stink. It looks more like a bazaar though, which of what the best kitchens in Makati had to offer. It was actually the only market I know where some people actually though of their clothing before they get there. As early as 7am, you will see around a 100 plus stalls/vendors that sells all sorts of food. There’s barbecue, lechon, shawarma and other local ready to eat viands. You can also stock up on fresh fish, frozen chicken, live crabs, organic veggies, and an array of desserts like leche flan, maja blanca, nuts, suman and many other delicacies. There are also fruits, flowers and plants available in the market. Aside from those, there are also stalls offering spicy indian food, thai food, chinese food cook on the spot and also my favorite german sausages and monster burgers. This is really a good place to go to every Saturday morning. This market also offer you frenchman crepes, now where else will you get to buy these things in the supermarket or just the usual palengke right? My first time in Salcedo Market, I said to myself that this is the market for me. My love for exotic and great food perfectly matches Salcedo Market. Tents are also set up to provide shade over tables where you can eat and people-watch. It's really the perfect place for me.

Four Cheese Pizza

I can't live without cheese. I love everything with cheese! I used to make pesto sauce and I also mix cheese with it. I love cheese tortas, mozarella cheese sticks and cheese cheese cheese! Right now i'm super loving brooklyn pizza because of their four cheese pizza. It had a right balance between a pan pizza and a thin crust topped with a generous amount of cheese! The best thing about it is it costs just for P550, i'm not really sure how big the pizza was but the pizzas at brooklyn only has one standard size, and it's really big, even good for 10 persons. The slices were big too! It took me a long time before I got sated..or maybe, I just really love cheese! One time we ordered this pizza at a sleepover and we topped it with guagamole sauce, it taste so good and it kept me craving for more! I think i'm about to call Brooklyn Pizza right now and have four-cheese pizza delivered at my house.

Segafredo

Sit down and smell the coffee at Segafredo Espresso at the Podium! I was never really a coffee addict but this past few weeks i've been sleeping very late at night and I felt like I needed coffee to keep me going the next day. So now, i'm blogging about another restaurant called Segafredo. Like Connie's Kitchen, I have another friend of mine who makes and then supplies wonderful deserts like cakes and pastries in Segafredo. At Segafredo, you can partner up the coffee of your choice with pastries. It's I think called a coffee set when you order that. It could be like cafe americano with oatmeal cookie, or cafe latte with brazo de mercedes or a slice of chocolate cake. Segafredo is like a kiosk type of restaurant in the middle of the 2nd floor of podium, similar to Cibo found in the middle of shangri-la mall also in the 2nd floor. I would drool just at the sight of Amnesia chocolate cake and the humongous cookies at the counter. When I asked my friend who supples for them, she said that her Amnesia cake is actually her best-selling cake. And indeed it was truly delicious! What I loved about this chocolate moist cake is that the sweetness of it is just perfect, not to sweet and "hindi nakakasawa". So I told my mom about it and she said that she wanna order. Since my sister's birthday is also coming up, I've made a decision to buy that cake for her so we could eat it together. The 9" Amnesia chocolate cake cost me P950. It's actually a bit pricy but it's worth it. We were all loving it and we finished it all just for a night. Didn't even last for a day!

Connie's Kitchen!

Ok so let me take this opportunity to tell you about my good friend's family food business, Connie's Kitchen. She's a good friend of mine who's eyes always lits up whenever the topic is food. That friend of mine is really good at cooking, she would also tell us which restaurants are good, and which restaurants are bad. She knows because she just knows! She's good. Haha. Connie's Kitchen is named after her mom, Connie Gonzalez. They sell all time favorites like the gourmet daing, gourmet tuyo, pinoy caviar, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chorizo, cheese torta, and a whole lot more. Aside from those, they also offer sauces and spreads, which my mom always raved about, they have pinoy puttanesca, salsa amaya, (trivia: amaya is the name of my friend!), pesto, artichoke and spinach spread, anchovy butter, chorizo mushroom sauce and more. So basically, they have all sorts of sauce, pasta sauces, salsals, and dips! Their goods are also supplied in major supermarkets in delis regularly. Connie's Kitchen operates in kiosks located in Alabang town center, SM Megamall, Greenhills, and in Tiendesitas. When I found out that she was actually the daughter of Connie, I was like, "oh, my mom would always buy your sauces and dips!" Once my mom sees an outlet of Connie's Kitchen, it's almost as if she had just raced in the Daytona 500 Experience. She speeds up, get hyped, and be so thrilled! I tell you, it's really good. And Amaya told me that their sauces and dips have a shelf-life of up-to almost two months, as long as you don't go dip and dip in the jar with whatever and you use it well, so there. Check out Connie's Kitchen in the outlets i've mentioned above.:)

Greek greetings from cyma

"Opa!" This word is what you will be mostly hearing when you eat at Cyma. They say that the word is used to express happiness, joy and celebration. It's a greek inspired restaurant that is originally based in Boracay. What I love about Cyma is that they use fresh and unique ingredients with their dishes. I love everything exotic, and they use really big shrimps too! squid, clams, mussels, dory fish, fresh herbs and vegetables and grilled garlic bread. I can say that you can never go wrong with Cyma, its a restaurant that has the healthiest ingredients. This is one restaurant that you wouldn't wanna miss. If you are health conscious, this is the restaurant for you. Although the price is a bit steep, I tell you it's worth it! After finishing one whole dish, you would wanna order again. The chef of Cyma, Robby Goco is already known in the Metro because of his famous dishes served at Cyma. I look up to him a lot, he cooks just like a King! See, he's like Mufasa of lion king, the king of pride lands, powerful, kind hearted and known to be a wise ruler. Chef Goco, on the other hand is the King of the cooking industry! With his knowledge in cooking Greek-inspired dishes, he's very wise when it comes to creating unique innovative dishes. He represented the Greek cuisine well. I really really really love his food! He's also known to be the chef of Ristras, the mexican grill I blogged about a few weeks ago. Cyma can be found at Trinoma, Greenbelt, and Shangrila, those are the only branches I know of. you have to try their lamb gyros, their lamb is really tender, also mixed with light and crisp vegetables, everything about this dish, from the taste to the presentation made me very pleased and fulfilled! 

Bread Talk

I met up with a friend at rockwell to go shopping. We stopped by at Bread Talk after eating lunch at Dulcinea because the aroma coming from Bread Talk drew us inside. The smell of bread being baked is so reminiscent of my childhood days when I would eat breakfast early in the morning. I love waking up early just because of breakfast! So I decided to buy a dozen! I'm gonna share it with the family. So I lined up to buy these gourmet-ish bread. I see that a lot of people are drawn with their breads despite the price. Each bread cost about P40 which is already expensive for just a piece of bread. I think the main reason why people of different kinds patronize them is because of the unique and at the same time tasty breads that they offer. They don't just offer the average bread that is so long time ago. Like the flosss, Bread Talk's signature bread, is a soft sweet bun that has been generously topped with a choiced of pork, spicy prok, or chicken floss. It's also my personal favorite! A bite on the pork floss is like biting into an Adobo bun, except that the filling is on the outside. They also have the so called mr. beans, which is like the bread version of the red mango hopia, while the earthquake cheese is a cheese filled loaf with bread, and then they have the bacon and cheese filled bun too, and a lot lot more! They offer croissants and danishes too! I bet in the future they would make lumbas breads too, haha, if you don't know what that is, it's actually the sacred food of the Lord of the Rings elves. I think that would be pretty cool. And a cool name for a bread too!

Sharing is good!

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly. ----M. F. K. Fisher

I believe sharing your food to others makes the food taste better. :)

Jack's Loft Creamy Carbonara

A while ago my high school friends and I decided to meet up at Jack's Loft, Eastwood for a catch-up chat. I had a sort of reconnection again with my ultimate favorite carbonara! The first time I tried Jack's loft classic carbonara, boy, I felt like i'm Alice in wonderland! I pretty much think that you already know the story of Alice right? you know, Alice was just bored, sitting on the riverbank reading a book, when all of a sudden, she saw this white rabbit running, followed it and tada! She was amazed in everything she saw after that, her magical journey is just simply amazing, and that's exactly what I felt too, eating Jack's Loft classic carbonara, simply amazing! Except of course that i'm not Alice, i'm Tara.Haha.So I really liked their carbonara, they use just the perfect pasta noodles, the linguine pasta noodles locked in much of the flavors of the white sauce, cooked with butter, cream, milk, bacon, and parsley. The combination of all the ingredients were incorporated very well. It has a bit of saltiness in it, courtesy of the bacon, it has generous portion of bacon which I really like. One order of their classic carbonara just costs P180. It's really worth it because it will surely satisfy your pasta cravings!

RestoRANT, Katre

Since I live just near the areas of Timog and Tomas Morato, which is the north's premier restaurant strip, I get to try out a lot of restaurants. If you're looking for a good mediterranean fusion restaurant, you might want to check out Katre. Katre is located at Dr. Lazcano St., Tomas Morato. The place is a refurbished white space, with modern minimalist approach interior. They have country and native furniture here and there, with wooden floorboards and flowers and candles strewn on the tables. They use linen napkins, tablecloths, and chilled glasses, definitely fine dining. Expect to shell out around P500-P1,000 for a main course but you won't be disappointed because the quality of the food is great. People would at first think that this is a restaurant where you couldn't dress down and just let down their hair down naturally especially with the price of the food they serve, but seeing the calm atmosphere of the restaurant will make up for it. Katre can be associated with the very iconic and powerful Lady Gaga, who always seems to be very well kept and beautiful just like the restaurant. The well-lit all white interiors gives a feeling of pleasantness and at the same time isolation to its customers that makes it unique. Katre's food is unique too, it's mediterranean food fused with filipino sensibilities. Their best-sellers include Angus Rib Eye, Pasta Ala Catre and Roast Chicken w/Pasta. Another specialty in the house was its Seafood Pasta that fuses the different seasoning such as the red pepper, tomato and olive oil that teases a person’s taste, making the food somehow mysterious and leaving the person in trance of wondering as to what it really taste like. It was I guess neutralized by the citrus flavor of lemon, which again reminds me of Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga and Katre have this commonality, which is that uniqueness and poshness. Oh I just love Katre! And Lady Gaga too! Pardon me for mentioning Lady Gaga over and over, because i'm actually listening to Lady Gaga's Poker Face right now so I can't seem to get her out of my head. Haha:D Anyway, another yummy dish that I have tried at Katre is the mediterranean inspired steamed white pampret fish that is savored with rum. It's another yummy and unique treat that you can have only in Katre. Katre is definitely a fine dining restaurant that can be compared to other good posh and fashionably restaurants that serves Mediterranean Cuisine in the metro. Geez, just blogging about Katre makes me so hungry!

California rolls

Sometimes my dad would make california maki rolls for dinner. There would be quartered pieces of nori (seaweed), and all sorts of vegetables in the kitchen as he makes it. He used to ask me what ingredients I would want in my roll and then he would roll it up and chow down. I knew it was easy. I complained about his california maki rolls because it didn't look the same as it did in restaurants so that was the time I learned to make it myself. Many people loved eating all sorts of sushi and sashimi but it's not everyday that you get to eat Japanese food. It would usually cause a hole in your wallet so making california maki rolls at home is much more cost-efficient, considering you can actually make it the way you like it. California Maki is the most popular among other suhsi and sashimi. It has been influential for sushi chefs around the world in creating this fusion cuisine since california maki is an all time favorite Japanese food of many. My way of making a california maki is having cooked sushi rice, seaweed sheets, sliced strips of avocado, sliced strips of cucumer, fish roe, sliced crab meats and soy sauce. California maki rolls would consist of proteins from different sources, meat and vegetables, just the way Gladiators eat so that they get strength and stamina. The california maki rolls have rice that gives of energy, and protein that gives them strength. Eating california maki rolls makes me feel like a gladiator! You see, gladiators are often treated well and fed properly with a high protein diet. Eating california maki rolls gives you that feeling that you are being treated and fed properly too. No wonder a lot of people consider califonia maki rolls as one of their favorite dishes!

Beat the heat

It was really hot today and I don't know why! I have this habit of turning off the aircon at around 6am in the morning and then getting back to sleep again. Usually, I wake up again at around 8am still feeing the coldness of the aircon, not too cold and not hot, but this morning when I wake up, ugh, the sun started to kill me! So I started to crave for a coca cola drink with lotsa ice! Even though there are many other drinks like pepsi, royal, sprite, etc. Coca-cola will always and forever be my all-time favorite drink. So I looked into our refrigerator, and there it was, our 2-liter Coca-Cola classic bottle! So I poured some in a glass and placed lots of ice in it! Coca-cola is such a great drink! I love to drink it when I eat pizza, and it also goes well with burger. I actually wanted to be a vegetarian, but since coke goes well with chicken nuggets and chicken burger, I realized I can't be a vegetarian, because then, I would also have to give up my love for Coke.:( I remeber the first time I saw a Coca-Cola bottle. I was 4 years old. My mom would tell me to get a glass so she could pour some Coca-Cola in it. I realized that the Coke bottle has evolved so much ever since. I guess Coca-cola company began to make the transition from glass to plastic bottles and adding little bumps on the lower half to help grip the bottle and a textured lid to make it easier to open the bottle. I would always remember the old Coke bottle though, it's very sexy, curvy, just like the railroad tracks, they say that it has dangerous curves, and because of the curves, you also get a good grip on the bottle. It makes you enjoy the drink even more! Oh well, i'm okay with whatever, Coke in can is okay too, I don't care about the grip anymore, what matters is that I get to drink Coke! Then, everything will be okay! I just love Coke! Especially on a hot day! Coke for me is the perfect drink!

Healthy foods

Last week I watched an episode of Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino's show, Boy and Kris, they were talking about healthy foods to eat, and if I remember it correctly they included water, apples, garlic, milk products, bananas, carrots, citrus fruits, tomatoes, fish, and green leafy veggies. That was an interesting episode because I just really eat what I like to eat. I don't really bother looking or knowing the nutritional facts of food that I eat. I just love all sorts of food and drinks, for me it's not a big deal whether I put beer in my pastries or ketchup in my soup, I just try all sorts of ingredients and mix it up in my dishes. I don't care if it's a weird combination, what matters to me is that they taste good. So there are a couple of things that I was surprised of, number one is that you're supposed to drink a glass of water the moment you wake up, because according to them when you sleep, you become dehydrated. I was like wow, really? I didn't know that! Number two, garlic lowers cholesterol and prevents heart diseases, I also didn't know that, funny thing is that I thought garlic is bad, probably because garlic makes your breath smell bad haha! So I guess it's alright to put on lotsa garlic in my dishes! Three, I was surprised to know that bananas makes you happy, they say it releases serotonin that alters the mood. Okay, so I need to stock up on those too! And lastly, I was also surprised to know that fish fat is healthy, they mentioned fish fat is good for arthritis, good for the heart, and good for memory. Nice right? Well that's basically what I wanna blog about today. My new learnings about foods hehee:D

Mexican burrito heavan

Ever since I was young I would always love to eat mexican food, tacos, nachos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, etc. Well, there are only a few mexican restaurants that I know of, and just a few hours ago, I was able to try out Ristras Mexican Grill, (it's in J. Abad Santos corner Lopez Jaena, San Juan), you can see it when you turn right on Alex III from Wilson st., Ristras would be one block away from the corner. Cyma-Greek restaurant and Ristras Mexican Grill, which are both good restaurants by the way have the culinary influence of Chef Rob Goco. Oh, and here's a little trivia, Ristras is named after the arrangement of chile pepper pods when hung to dry or for decorative purposes:) It's a burrito fast food joint that uses only fresh ingredients. Burrito is the speciality of the house and then you can customize your burrito fillings when you order at the counter and choose your ingredients. When you create your own burrito, you have the option to choose a couple of things, cilantro-lime rice or chorizo-brown rice? pinto or vegetarian black beans? red or green chilli? buritto in tortilla or in a bowl? or do you like with beans or sauteed pepper and onions? I like mine the vegetarian way, meaning, brown rice, black beans, green chilli, and lots of chilli sauce! I love hot sauce! You get to also choose your choice of meat, grilled jalapeno marinated chicken, grilled chipote adobo steak, carnitas (raised pork, seasoned with thyme, bay leaves, orange juice and freshly cracked black pepper, seared then braised for hours) or barbacoa (shredded beef, slow-braised with chipotle adobo, cumin, cloves, garlic, and oregano ). My favorite is the barbacoa, but all of them taste really really good. Oh by the way you can also request to have a mixed of meats. Its just by default that they asked you what meat you would like. They also have other yummy ingredients like corn salsa, guacamole, cheese, sour cream and romaine lettuce. They will wrap the burrito, the burrito costs for P290 but its really filled with losta things and it's really heavy food so you can also request them to cut it in half and share the other half with a friend. They also sell Mexican beers, speciality beers, and local beers which you can pair up with your burrito. Awesome stuff I have to say! Go check them out!

The carb-fruit smoothie

Let me share something new that I did today. I call it the carb-fruit smoothie! An awesome name for an awesome drink! This drink is inspired by the Royce potatochip chocolate, I want to make something different too! So I decided to blend rice in my smoothie haha:D Carbs overload! I know too much carbs are bad but not if delivered in a great smoothie recipe right? Besides, most smoothies are composed of carbs anyway. Well, my smoothie has all the carbs it can get! It consist of 2 cups of rice, 1 cup of yogurt, 1 cup apple juice, 1 small banana, and crushed ice! What's also pretty unique with my drink is that I used my pea-sized plastic cutter in the shape of a dolphin to cut out bits of banana bread to make this drink a little more exciting. The dolphin shaped cut out bits of banana bread are placed on top of each serving. Of course, you have a choice whether to mix it in the smoothie or eat it first before drinking. My friends who were able to catch a glimpse of what I made where all like "aww, the dolphins are super cute!!" You see, dolphins have this universal appeal, which uplifts the spirits of many people. And so it's also perfect with my home-made smoothie, because once you drink it, I tell you, it can make you smile! :D I asked my neighbors to try the drink I made and they all loved it. I know the dolphin cut outs made it extra special!

Still can't get enough

I still can't get enough of chocolates!! I'm still munching on the potatochip chocolate I bought yesterday at Royce. I don't really worry on getting fat because I go to the gym at least once a week. Hahaha so it's okay! Besides, they say chocolates are good for the heart, especially dark chocolates! They say chocolates is associated with cancer-fighting anti-oxidants, which lowers blood pressure so it makes your heart happy. And indeed, not only is my heart happy, but I am really happy, literally and figuratively.;p

Another royce favorite

Weeee! Sorry but I just can't get enough of Royce chocolates! Because just last night, I was with a friend of mine and he introduced me to Royce Potatochip Chocolate! It was my first time to try and I got addicted immediately! So I drove by Powerplant Mall to buy my own Potatochip Chocolate! Its P540 for small, and P990 for large. Well, I bought the large one, of course.;p It's literally potato chips covered in chocolate! One thing that got me hooked is the sweetness of the chocolate that didn't overpowered the saltiness of the chip. It's sort of weird but I tell you, it's really a perfect match! Royce chocolates did a good job in mixing the two. It's a perfect balance of sweet and salty. I saw the potatochip chocolate long time ago but I really thought it would not taste good. Because hello, potato chips? chocolate? What?! But boy, was I wrong, when I tasted it last night, I went straight to Royce to buy my own.

The real joy of life

When I learned that Royce Chocolates is now opened in Manila, I couldn't be happier! Before, it would take me a ticket to Japan for me to get my hands on Royce Brown Gold. Now, it would only take me a trip to Rockwell Powerplant Mall for me to indulge in this Japanese chocolate treat. Boy, I could eat Royce chocolates all day! My classic favorite would be the Macadamia Nuts chocolate! (P690). It's dusted with bitter cacao powder that makes it extra special. It's different among other Macadamia Nuts chocolate sold in the supermarket. The flavor is apparently richer than any other chocolate covered macadamia nuts i've ever tasted. The packaging is very classy too. It comes in a dark purple shiny can which you can bring in the car, at home, or give it to your loved ones as a gift! For sure, they will love it!

It's healthy to go green

So here I am once again blogging about my latest food craze. Can I just say i'm loving Kozui Green Tea Place! Not only is it healthy but it's also ultimately yummy! When I first heard of this place, I was really weirded out. In my head, this place must be totally boring since everything would be just plain green tea. But when I saw their menu, oh boy, I wanna try everything! So i got the chance to try out their Takoyaki Special (P98), it's a pan-grilled tako-balls with chunks of ika, ebi, and negi, (squid, shrimp, and leek), topped with Japanese mayonnaise and strips of nori wrapper sprinkled on top. Very delicious and juicy. A must try at Kozui. And then I also fell in love with their Karage Chicken Salad (P148). It's a Japanese breaded chicken, lettuce, onions, and black sesame dressing for the kill. I ordered another one for take out because I just can't get enough! Then my dad also ordered another yummy treat, called the Chilled Green Tea Zaru Soba (P148), and a Chinese-inspired Dandan Noodles (148), a spicy egg noodle dish with cilantro that gets its zing from pepper, sezchuan sauce and siling labuyo. I thought to myself, the man behind all these dishes must be a genius! All their dishes are unique, inventive, and at the same time healthy! And then just when I thought green tea is boring, when I was introduced by Kozui's Green Tea Anmitsu (P138), man I was in awe! I discovered this Japanese version of our prized halo-halo! The anmitsu combines shaved ice, ice cream, taro jam, green tea jelly, fruits, sweet azuki beans, and my favorite element in the group, and mochi balls, it's like bilo-bilo in ginataan, only silkier! Damn, words aren't enough to express how yummy all of these are! When it comes to tea selections, nothing beats Kozui. The Genmaicha Geen Tea is also one favorite of mine. The aroma is just wonderful. Kozui Green Tea Cafe is located at 258 Tomas Morato St., Quezon City. Go visit!

Rain, rain go away

For some reason, the rain always makes me feel like baking. Hearing the sound of the rain also makes me hungry. And since it's raining cats and dogs, our jogging with my girl best buds got cancelled. I hate it. So please rain, please go away. I'm having some weird food cravings too lately. And when I say weird, I meant really weird. Like this morning, I suddenly craved for honey syrup. And then just a few hours ago, I started to crave for a chocolate-banana shake. Now, i'm craving for mozarella cheese sticks and melon shake. I know, I know, i'm such a weirdo! The rain has this weird effect on me! The rain makes me so weird. I've got nothing to do, and I need to do something! I miss baking. It has been like almost a week since I have baked. I'm suppose to be baking walnut-oatmeal cookies right now for my cousins but then I realized that I just ran out of oatmeal. Lol. Which reminds me that I needed to do some grocery shopping. I realized I wanted to eat pesto flavored potato salad so I better grabbed some potatoes too. Okay, so these cravings really need to stop! The rain needs to stop! It's ruining my day!

Eating should be regular

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti

An apple a day keeps the doc away

I don't get how closely the history of an apple tree becomes connected to us human. They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away... I say without apple, there would be no apple pie, apple cider, apple jam, apple juice, apple cheesecakes or even apple butter...

Apples are everywhere! The Sunday Market seems to be full of apples, tons of gorgeous apples seen in almost all the stalls, why, oh why? I realized that it must be some sort of a sign.. So I stocked up on apples, bought like a dozen, and off I go to my pearl-white kitchen!

I guess i'll just be making fresh apple sauce for tomorrow, it's the easiest thing to do, just cut into slices, put it in a saucepan, add a little water, start heat on high, bring to boil and stir! Apples are my favorite because you can easily mix it with anything, it quickly adds crunch, flavor, and aroma to any type of food, be it main course, appetizer, or dessert! My kids are huge fans of apples too.

Another thing with apples is that you can get a good dose of vitamin C, potassium, and folic acid into your body. Keeps you energized and rejuvinated! And the best part is, it's a low-calorie food! Healthy, fuss-free, just peel the skin and you're good to go. Monday morning will be a great morning for I will be getting loaves of delicious whole wheat bread made moist with applesauce! My kids for sure will love it! I'm excited!

Pizza tastes yummier when it's free

I spent the whole night last night figuring out that secret recipe to that great tasting sauce at Uncle Moe's. I tried to combine plain cold yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, and salt to taste in attempt to copy the sauce but of course, I got disappointed. I even tried to experiment by putting some tomatoes in it but it tasted weird. So I've decided, what the heck, I'll just call 777-77-77 and order my all-time favorite Shakey's potato mojos and bacon mushroom pizza! Two of my friends were actually with me at the time so we got two 12-inch pizza using a palm card plus party sized mojos. A palm card entitles you to a free pizza for every pizza that you buy either take-out or delivery, same size! So we called them at around 12:10pm and they said that our order will arrive after 45 minutes. The weather was pretty bad because of the heavy rain.

12:55pm >> still no sign of the delivery pizza guy.

Then all of a sudden, my friend started to sing, "Shakey's 777-77-77, if it's late it's free, Shakey's deliveeerrryy......" She started to joke around that if the delivery guy still hasn't arrived by 1:00pm, we might actually get the pizza for free. I thought to myself, probably not unless it's extremely late..

At 1:10pm, *doorbell rings* "Shakey's delivery!!"

AND GUESS WHAT, we actually got everything for free! Our bill was supposedly P600 and we ended up paying only P50, which is just A tip we gave for the delivery guy. The delivery guy was so nice!

Next time, try to order at Shakey's when the weather's bad, I tell you, eating gets better especially when it's free. ;D

Happy times!

A bang for the buck restaurant

So a while back I was looking for a good place to eat my favorite shawarma-rice combination. I was totally craving for it. So as I passed by Julia Vargas in Pasig, I saw this interestingly small restaurant named Uncle Moe's. And wow, can I just say I loved the food! It's definitely worth what I paid for. It's cheap, great comfort food. They have the yummiest chicken shawarmas, definitely the juciest I have ever tasted! I also tried their beef kebab and the sauce is just awesome! I would have to figure out the secret recipe to that. Definitely be coming back soon! I'm super in love with the sauce.

Now excuse me and let me get back to my late night cooking adventure!