eat all you can

How to Make Chocolate Candies - Valentine's Day Fever

2012-02-09T09:02:00.000+08:00

Okay! It's February and as they say love is in the air! Well, I'm not so into this Valentine's Day stuff but since its something I cannot runaway from then I'll just join the bandwagon. No, I'm not gonna go out on a date on Feb. 14. I mean I'll just give you a recipe for making chocolate candies.

Ingredients:

chocolate block (dark or milk chocolate)
fillings (nuts, raisins, marshmallows, dried fruits, shredded coconut, oats, corn flakes)

pic from kev79.wordpress.com

Materials:

double boiler
spatula
mold
flutter paper cups
boxes

Procedure:

1. Cut the chocolate block into small pieces (to melt easily).
2. Put the chocolate pieces in a double boiler.
3. Place the boiler over steady heat. When the water simmers the chocolate will start to melt. This is the signal for you to start stirring (use wooden spatula). Stir constantly until chocolate becomes smooth and thick.
4. When the chocolate has completely melted, scoop some chocolate and pour onto the mold. Fill only about half of the mold.
5. Add your desired filling.
6. Pour chocolate again onto the mold.
7. Let the chocolate cool for a bit then put in the refrigerator (small ones could be kept in the refrigerator for about 5 to 10 minutes while larger ones would need 10 to 15 minutes).
8. When the chocolate is already firm, turn the mold upside down and tap to remove the chocolate candies.
9. Put in flutter paper cups or just simply arrange in a box.

You can buy chocolate candy molds at low prices. Some of the shapes are star, heart, moon, flower, etc. But do not be limited by the molds that you can buy in stores. Look around your kitchen and you will surely find something that can be used to give shape to your chocolate candies.

One thing I would like to try as a variation to the regular fillings is using fresh fruits. It may decrease its shelf life but fresh fruits are still nicer than dried ones. Instead of drying you may just need to drain the fresh fruit slices well so that whatever liquid they contain will not mix with the chocolate. I'll try it soon.

NOTE: Practice first with this simple recipe before venturing into making flavored chocolate candies. Also, practice with regular molds before trying to make chocolates with elaborate designs. Practice then practice some more. Who knows, maybe next Valentine's Day you can already make export quality chocolate candies.

Mr. Poon - A Second Serving

2012-02-07T13:28:00.001+08:00

Here are additional pics from Mr. Poon (Guerrero St., Manila). You can visit the previous post about Mr. Poon to read more about the restaurant.

Their Lomi has thick sauce and lots of toppings. The Chicken feet is tender. The sauce is not too sweet nor is it too salty. It tasted good but I still added chili. The Mr. Poon mix rice (?) is a complete meal in itself. Get the one with steamed rice - yes there is fried rice but it is different even though they go by almost the same name (just ask the waiter for the diff, okay?). The Halo-halo has a lot of beans which I do not like so you can expect that I didn't like it much. But my friends did. I just wonder if you can ask them not to include the beans.

Lomi

Chicken Feet

Mr. Poon rice mix (?)

Fish Fillet with Tofu in Tausi Sauce (I think that's how it's called or it could be shorter)

Lugaw - Congee

Halo-Halo

Mr. Poon - Richard Poon?

2012-02-06T17:57:00.001+08:00

Mr. Poon restaurant. Who is POON you know these days? I bet you'll say Richard Poon - the singer. You see him regularly on ASAP on ABS-CBN Channel 2. Richard Poon has gain a following a few years ago so many actually associate the Mr. Poon restaurant with him.

But Mr. Poon restaurant did not cone into being because of Richard. There was already a Mr. Poon restaurant probably before he was even born. The original Mr. Poon opened in 1974 according to one internet report. The original Mr. Poon was along Mabini St. in Malate.

Now, there is a new Mr. Poon restaurant in Ermita (or is it Malate? - never knew the difference). It's along Guerrero St. If you are facing St. Paul's University, Manila, Guerrero St. is the street on its left. Its just a few blocks from Robinson's Place, Manila.

The restaurant still serves what they say the popular dish then which is steamed Lapu-Lapu. It comes with different sauces. Anyway, that's not what I tried when we ate there. Here are pictures of the dishes we sampled. I must say they all satisfied my cravings for that night. My favorite is the togue.

The two times I've been at Mr. Poon I spotted who else but Richard Poon himself. I wonder if he sings to their customers! Hmmm

Archipelago 7107 - Eating with Friends is More Fun in the Philippines with its 7,107 Islands

2012-01-31T18:14:00.000+08:00

The Philippines is composed of 7107 islands. I do not if this is when the tide is hide or when it is low. What I know is that within the first week of the new year, I had a wonderful dinner with new friends in a restaurant called Archipelago 7107.

Archipelago 7107 can be found at the 2nd level of Il Terrazzo Building along Tomas Morato in Quezon City. It is very near the Tomas Morato circle and ABS-CBN compound. Archipelago 7107 is owned by Barrio Fiesta.

We ordered a lot of Filipino dishes. For starters we had chicharong bulaklak - two orders. The chicharong bulaklak was served with prawn crackers. The health conscious may not really like this but I must say it was really good. It's both crispy and chewy at the same time. How that is possible I really don't know but just trust me.

Chicharong Bulaklak

Then we also ordered Kare-Kare which Barrio Fiesta is known for. I assumed it would be as good if not better. Well for me it was as good although my friends said Barrio Fiesta's Kare-Kare is better. They liked it. No question about that but they pointed out several times that it is still better in Barrio Fiesta.

Kare-Kare with thick peanut sauce

We also has Inihaw na Pusit. For me it was just okay. Nothing really fancy about it.

Inihaw na Pusit with crackers on the side

Then we also had Crispy Pata. I can't say anything but I love it! I love it! I love it! It's very crispy - true to its name.

Crispy Pata - Should be renamed Very Crispy Pata

I mentioned first the three common Filipino dishes we ordered. Now its time for the two I was very familiar with. First is Balbakwa and the other one is KBL which stands for Kadios, Baboy and Langka. I've already heard of Balbakwa but I have seen on tasted it in the past. I looked like pochero. It tasted like pochero also. Anyway, the Balbakwa was the least touched among all our orders. This is not necessarily because it was not good but we already have Kare-Kare with a better tasking thick sauce. The KBL also didn't get much attention. I know Kadios and if I remember it right I never had problems eating it. But it's actually the first time I encountered that KBL combination. Had I not liked the Kare-Kare I would probably have eaten more of this.

balbakwa

KBL - Kadios, Baboy, Langka

The waiters and waitresses were attentive. They are always there ready to give us what we need.

The ambiance is also very nice. The seats are comfortable. The comfort room is also good. Clean and nice smelling.

The only thing negative perhaps was the fact that my friend reserved a corner table a week before (and we confirmed again a couple of days before) but we didn't get that preferred table. The head waiter has an excuse though. The owners were having a meeting and they were seated at the table we wanted to get. But again, they approved the reservation so they should have done their best to keep it unoccupied for us. They're the owners so they should understand the the needs of their customers.

Overall the dining experience was very good. Good food, good people. What could possibly go wrong.

Mang Inasal - Lumpiang Sardinas, Ginataang Kangkong and Kamote Chips

2012-01-18T15:33:00.000+08:00

I had dinner last night at Mang Inasal along Filmore St., Palanan, Makati City. Since it was late already I decided not to eat rice. I just ordered lumpiang sardinas, ginataang kangkong and kamote chips. The lumpiang sardinas has been featured here already and I think my comments are the same. I still like it. I like the 'spicy' touch. It was also crispy so I enjoyed.

The kamote chips tasted good. I like the barbeque flavor. However, it was not as crispy as I hoped it would be. It seems like it has been prepared long before I ordered. It must be nearing its shelf life (or whatever you call the time before it has to be thrown for loss of quality). But since I liked the taste, I am sure I am going to give that Mang Inasal kamote chips another chips next time.

What disappointed me last night was the ginataang kangkong. It was served cold. It also has more stalks than the leaves part. I could help but compare it to the kangkong in Chicboy. Theirs was certainly better than Mang Inasal's (different preparations but in general I could say my assessment is fair). I had it heated but my interest has already waned.

It was almost 10 pm already but that shouldn't be an excuse in serving 'old' food. And at the very least, even if the food like the ginataang kankong was not freshly cooked, they should have at least had the initiative to reheat it before serving it to their customers. As for the kamote chips, I think they should get a better storage/container to keep its quality.

Bubble Tea - Milk Tea - Tomas Morato, Quezon City

2012-01-16T09:34:00.000+08:00

I was at Bubble Tea in Tomas Morato, Quezon City last night with a friend. It was my first time there. We were supposed to go there Tuesday last week but while we were walking along Tomas Morato there was a slight drizzle. So we just decided to have coffee at the Green Coffee. It is at the building were Center Stage is. It's at the Tomas Morato Circle. Anyway, Green Coffee will be the subject of another post.

I do not drink milk tea because I do not find the combination of milk and tea exciting. But my friend said it's good so I decided to give Bubble Tea a try. I asked the waitress which flavor is something that a -non-milk tea drinker could take. She immediately suggested Taro Milk Tea. I trusted her decision so I ordered large Taro Milk Tea with small bubbles (sago).

Prior to our visit I told my friend that I like the glass that they use to serve the milk tea. Bubble Tea serves their milk teas in beer mugs. I like that. Unfortunately, when our order was served I got a little disappointed because my Taro Milk Tea was served in the usual tall glass. My friend's milk tea was served in a beer mug. I asked the girl why they used different containers. She said black tea based milk teas are served in beer mugs while green tea based milk teas are served in tall glasses.

Container aside I can say I am willing to go back to Bubble Tea in Tomas Morato. I love the Taro flavor. I didn't find the taste weird. The taro flavor was strong enough to tame the taste of the milk tea.

CREPELATO - Davao City (Gelato, Crepes, Pastries, etc.)

2012-01-10T07:56:00.000+08:00

This post about Davao City is long overdue. This should have been posted months ago. Anyway, better late than never.

On my last day in Davao, my companions and I had the chance to visit a dessert bar. We just came from an all you can eat breakfast we were not up to eating anything but we wanted to have something sweet so we went to Crepelato. They have crepes, obviously, gelato, pastries, cakes and they also meals including pasta dishes.

We ordered gelato instead of crepe even if we thought that crepe is the specialty of Crepelato. This is because as I've said we were already full from the breakfast we just had. We ordered the OVERLOAD. That means 8 scoops of gelato. Overload really.

I loved the experience.

By the way I had tea to go with the Crepelato gelato. They aren't the perfect pair, I know, but I wanted to try it so I did. I had mango flavoured tea.

You can also order Crepelato gelato in sugar cones with flavors. Now, we should have tried that.

Leftover Christmas Ham Recipes - Omelet and Breaded Christmas Ham and Tofu

2012-01-04T09:25:00.000+08:00

It's the 4th of January. I'm sure many of you still leftover Christmas ham in your freezer. If you don't feel like eating that ham as is anymore, here are some simple and easy to cook 'recycling' suggestions.

First recipe to 'recycle' that ham is omelet. Here is how to do it.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp onion
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup bell pepper (optional)
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper
1 cup cubed leftover Christmas ham
2 eggs

Procedure
1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Saute garlic and onion. Set aside.
3. Beat egg in a bowl. Mix the leftover Christmas ham, tomatoes, bell pepper and the garlic and onion you set aside. 4. Add milk. Add salt and pepper to taste
5. Pour over a preheated pan with little oil. Make sure to use low flame.
6. Remove from flame. Sprinkle grated cheese on top.

Another suggestion would be to make 'breaded ham and tofu'

Ingredients

Christmas ham (a quarter of an inch thick, 1 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches in length)
tofu (half an inch thick, 1 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches in length)
egg (beaten)
flour
powdered milk
pepper
chili powder

Procedure
1. Put a slice of leftover Christmas ham in between two slices of tofu. (like a sandwich) You may use toothpick to secure the sandwich.
2. Dip in beaten egg.
3. Roll in breading mix (flour, powdered milk, pepper and chili powder - flour and milk should follow a 2:1 ratio, pepper and chili powder according to your taste).
4. Deep fry.

Kamias Crush at Fely J's and Starbucks Diary

2011-12-13T07:54:00.000+08:00

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

2011-11-21T18:43:00.000+08:00

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

2011-10-26T11:02:00.000+08:00

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

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000+08:00

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)

2011-09-20T08:12:00.000+08:00

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?

2011-09-16T10:23:00.000+08:00

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

2011-09-06T17:47:00.000+08:00

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

2011-08-25T12:02:00.000+08:00

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

2011-08-10T09:59:00.000+08:00

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:

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

2011-07-29T13:27:00.000+08:00

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?

2011-07-12T07:52:00.000+08:00

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

2011-07-07T14:32:00.000+08:00

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

2011-06-29T12:41:00.046+08:00

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

2011-06-21T07:51:00.000+08:00

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

2011-06-06T15:03:00.000+08:00

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

2011-06-03T13:59:00.000+08:00

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

2011-05-30T14:09:00.000+08:00

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).