Mr. Foodie Goodie

Go Greek's Super Yummy Lemon Chicken

2012-05-18T02:17:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have to admit. At first, I was adamant. I was quite hesitant in tasting “lemon chicken” with large bits of garlic. I have cooked lemon chicken, even orange chicken, but my dishes don’t look anything like that of GO GREEK!’s lemon chicken. By large the difference is the origin of the recipes. Mine is from China. Theirs I hope is authentically from Greece. After a lot of convincing from my buddy, I succumbed to eating Greek dish for the first time. Woaah! I was in for a BIG SURPRISE!

OH! MY! GOD!… the dish tasted SO GOOOOD! Forgive me for a lack of better word to describe the fireworks that went on in my taste buds. I can’t believe how tasty this dish is. It’s lemon-tangy, indeed - perfect! The chicken is oh-so-savory! The large garlic bits that horrified me the first time I saw them, tasted like manna with a twist. Forgive my exclamation points but this Greek lemon chicken is utterly satisfying to the gustatory senses.

The salad with its lemon dressing is great. The potatoes with parmesan cheese perfectly complements the chicken. You could actually select rice instead of the potatoes. For 195 Pesos, this platter is worth every centavo. You have a complete healthy meal. You’ve got carbs, protein and veggies all in one platter.

The only thing I must say that turned me off just a little bit is the plastic-ware (?) or melaware that the food was served in. Well, it does not actually bother me that much. I can still live with it since GO GREEK! is in fact a “fast food” resto in Glorietta 4’s Food Choices located at the 3rd floor.

You must try this platter dish from GO GREEK!. In a scale of 1 to 5, this Go Greek! Lemon Chicken Platter deserves “5” Foodie Goodie stars! I know that I'll be coming back to this great restaurant...

Great Waffles by DeLonghi

2012-05-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

The waffle maker from the high-end Italian kitchen appliance maker known for their technologically advanced espresso makers, DeLongi packs a great punch.

The design of the gadget is superb. It looks sturdy but elegant. It has a shiny silver finish shaped like an alien space craft. I love it!

It is very simple to operate. Just set the crispiness meter (that’s what I call it), put the batter in, place the lid, and wait for the waffle maker to tell you you’re done. It is a great kitchen appliance that delivers great tasting waffles with the kind of texture you desire. Although this particular kitchen gadget is pricey, about 3 times the price of your average waffle maker, it is worth your money. Invest in BEST QUALITY, I always say. This waffle maker I know would last for a long time.

Mr. Foodie Goodie gives this gadget a “5” out of 5 Foodie Goodie star rating.

Mr. Foodie Goodie's Pork with Quail Eggs in Tomato Sauce

2012-05-05T03:01:00.000-07:00

Here is an original recipe I made. Try it. You might like it. It is inspired by Menudo and Minestrone. The dish costs 400 pesos (about 9 dollars) and serves 10 to 12 persons.

Ingredients:
pork (1/2 kilo) bell pepper (square-sliced) tomato sauce (400 g.)
hotdog (1/4 kilo, cut-up) potatoes (1/4 kilo, cubed) soy sauce (3 tbsp)
button mushroom (1 small can, sliced) carrots (1/4 kilo) oil
onion (chopped) green peas water (1 & 1/2 cups)
garlic (minced) pepper (ground) quail eggs (24 pieces)

Procedure:
- boil quail eggs for about 10 minutes then take the shells off; set aside
- in a large pot, saute garlic until golden brown
- add onions, mix until onions become transparent
- add pork, cook until pork changes color
- add cut-up hotdogs and button mushroom, cook for five minutes
- add soy sauce and water
- add salt and pepper to taste
- add potatoes and carrots

- optional: if you have a pressure cooker, do the following:
- transfer contents of cooking pot to the pressure cooker
- add half of the tomato sauce, mix well
- cook in pressure cooker for about 8 to 10 minutes
- add the remaining half of the tomato sauce

- if without pressure cooker:
- add all of the tomato sauce
- cook until potatoes and carrots are tender

- add green peas, bell pepper, and quail eggs
- cook for about 3 minutes

Sesame Seed Balls by Ling Nam

2012-04-30T23:48:00.001-07:00

We Filipinos know this sumptuous Chinese dessert as BUTSI. Butsi is a deep-fried glutinous rice ball with red bean or mongo paste filling and covered with sesame seeds. Our dinner at Ling Nam has been very ordinary until the butsi came. The sweet and sticky sesame seed balls are delightful. I wouldn’t mind coming back to Ling Nam to try out some of their specialties but the butsi will always be part of the order.

Mr. Foodie Goodie gives this dessert “4” out of 5 Foodie Goodie stars.

Fish with Ampalaya (Bitter Gourd) by Ling Nam

2012-04-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

I love Chinese food. I would always have at least one Chinese dish in a week. For this week, I tried LING NAM in Transcom Center beside Tiendesitas in Pasig City. I always wanted to try out Ling Nam, so here’s my chance.

I was craving for fish so I ordered Fish with Ampalaya (Bitter Gourd). When the dish arrived I was like, “where’s the fish?”. To me, the dish should have been aptly named “Ampalaya With Some Fish”. There were a lot of Ampalaya and little fish.

It’s what you would expect in a Chinese dish. The sauce is thick because of corn starch. Common for Chinese dishes. The slices of Ampalaya is quite unusual but not bad. There were also slices of button mushrooms. The pieces of fish fillet are apparently fried with batter before mixed into the rest of the ingredients. The menu did not say what type of fish is used but my taste buds say it’s probably Cream Dory.

The dish tasted ordinary. I experienced no fireworks. For 250 Pesos (about 5 dollars and 60 cents), I think I would not order this again for some time. Okay, for a long, long, long time. Mr. Foodie Goodie gives this dish “2.5” (out of 5) Foodie Goodie Stars.

Chicken with Cashew by Dusit Thani

2012-04-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

This chicken dish from the Thai restaurant, Dusit Thani in Glorietta 3 mall in Makati City is so flavorful! You can distinctly taste the "sweetness" and "mild spiciness" of the different kinds of pepper put in the dish. There were three types of pepper used in the ingredients, I think. The dish however, is adjusted to the Filipino palate since it is a bit sweet and not too hot compared to the authentic Thai version.

The strips of chicken are tender and properly cooked. The cashew and vegetables especially the Chicharo (green peas still in their pods) are fresh and very crunchy! They are cooked exactly the way I like it!

Mr. Foodie Goodie gives this delectable dish a "4" out of 5 Foodie Goodie stars.

Hot and Sour Soup (Tom Yum Kung) of Dusit Thani

2012-04-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

I would not visit a Thai restaurant without ordering Tom Yum Kung, hot and sour soup with prawns and lemon grass. Sometimes this is the only reason why I go to a Thai resto. That's how much I love Tom Yum Kung (sometimes Tom Yum Goong).

Dusit Thani, a small and quaint restaurant in Glorietta mall in Makati, has a totally different version of the soup. There is no coconut milk. All Tom Yum Kung I tried here in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Thailand have coconut milk. The coconut milk definitely adds flavor to the soup. Thus, without it, the soup tastes odd.

My taste buds tell me that the spices that are supposed to be in Tom Yum Kung are missing like galangal (sort of a rhizome similar to ginger) and lime leaves. Dusit Thani used a different type of chili pepper. Instead of the Thai chili, the "siling labuyo", a native chili is used. This makes the soup hotter I think because those "siling labuyo" do pack quite a punch! But what's good about the soup is that Dusit Thani used straw mushroom which is faithful to the authentic recipe unlike most Thai restos that use champignon.

Overall, the soup is not bad. Mr. Foodie Goodie gives this soup 3 out of 5 Foodie Goodie stars.