My Food Notebook

Paluto 101 at Shylin

2013-05-18T12:37:00.004+08:00

Oyster Tempura

My second birthday dinner was at my favorite palutuan restaurant in Seaside, Macapagal Boulevard, called Shylin. I have been coming here for years ever since a former boss introduced me to the joy of dining in paluto (palutuan) restaurants in dampa. Dampa literally means a shed or a shack, which normally characterizes the seafood wet markets in the country. But when you talk of dampa in the context of paluto, it is what you call the entire complex where there is a seafood wet market surrounded by many restaurants called paluto restaurants. Paluto in Filipino means "to have someone cook something for you." And these are what paluto restaurants actually are. They are those annexed to a seafood wet market where diners can bring their own fresh seafood for cooking. There are many of these paluto restaurants to choose from and every diner has or develops a favorite, a suki, where they would return to each time.

There are times when I would stray and try other paluto restaurant in whatever dampa I end up in, but none have bested Shylin in my book. They make the best calamares here and the most amazing buttered shrimps.

My mother, who by the way is the best palengke (wet market) shopper in the world, was the one who made the rounds of the dampa market right outside the restaurant. Borne of over 4 decades of plying our neighborhood wet market every single day, my mother is a pro at haggling with market vendors and can weed out the fresh stuff from the bad in seconds. Without her, I normally do not bother with buying stuff from the market and just order right off the menu.

Calamares

The Wet Market. My mother got us half a kilo of shrimps (Php380 per kilo), a little over half a kilo of tuna belly (Php300 per kilo), a kilo of squid (Php180 per kilo), a tub of shucked oysters approximately half a kilo's worth (Php150 per tub), and the token non-seafood entree, half a kilo of pork belly already marinated and ready for grilling (Php180 per kilo). Her wet market purchases cost about Php800.

Weighing. Beside the door of the restaurant is a table where the staff receives what you bought from the market. This is where they weigh the goods and list down how you want them cooked, based on their menu. The menu is simply a list of the restaurant's cooking charges. Prices depend on whether the amount of the main ingredient weighs 1/2 kilo or 1 kilo. Below half a kilo up to a little over 1/2 kilo, provided it does not breach the 3/4 kilo line, will be charged under the 1/2 kilo cooking charge bracket. 3/4 kilo worth of seafood will be subject to the 1 kilo cooking charge.

Cooking charge. If buying seafood from the market or haggling is not your thing, you can order straight from the menu and have the palutuan take care of the market shopping. The cost of the seafood bought from the market will simply be added to your bill. Be mindful of the fact that the prices listed in the menu are mere cooking charges. Some diners not used to the palutuan system often lose sight of the fact that the prices on palutuan menus are just cooking charges and get surprised about the bill after their meal. So it helps that you have an idea of how much the seafood cost in mapping out your orders, because this is an important factor in your total food bill.

Oyster Omelet

Ordering. Our main meals, based on what we bought from the market included shrimp tempura, grilled tuna belly, calamares, grilled pork belly (liempo), and oyster omelette. How much to order normally depends on how many you are in a group (it is quite unwise to eat in a palutuan restaurant all by yourself) and how big the appetite of each person in your group is. In my experience, half a kilo of seafood per person is a good guideline. I would order less if my companions say that they are not too hungry and more if they are. But nobody really goes to palutuan restaurants when they are full or on a diet.

In our case, with 3 kilos of wet market purchases and about an additional half a kilo of oysters from the menu, we ordered too much for a group of 5. The left overs, we took home for an extended seafood feast.

Shrimp Tempura

Experiment. Although not in the menu, I have managed to convince Shylin's chef to make some oyster tempura for us. In Shylin's menu, tempura is only reserved for shrimps but I figured, since the chef already has tempura batter going on there, why not toss in a few shucked oysters? I have tried doing this with other palutuan restaurants but they are a quite set on what are on offer in their menu. Still, it doesn't hurt to ask the chef to experiment a bit, especially when you have special needs in your diet.

Grilled Tuna Belly

Add ons. You can order steamed rice from the restaurant. As we normally come here in a group of at least four people, we always order a bowl of rice (Php120) to go with out seafood feast. There are some vegetables and salads, too which you can order on the side. We like the ensaladang talong. They do it so well here. For drinks, we always get a 1.5 liter bottle of Mountain Dew (Php100) which for the price comes with glasses and a bucket of ice.

Grilled Liempo

Our bill amounted to Php1,400. This covers the cooking charge for about 3 kilos worth of seafood and pork and includes a bowl of rice, a bottle of mountain dew, an off the menu order of half a kilo of oyster tempura and ensaladang talong.

And lest I forget, we got a hundred peso token discount from our bill. Not bad all in all considering seafood fetches a premium price in other restaurants, which by the way sometimes are not even fresh, and as I've said, we brought home quite a lot of left-overs.

Shylin is located in Seaside dampa, Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City.

A Birthday Lunch at Toll House

2013-05-03T13:39:00.000+08:00

Seafood Thai Rice
Php135

A week ago, it was my turn to celebrate my birthday. I called up some friends and we hied off to Subic to have dinner and some drinks at Camayan Beach. But before Subic, we stopped over at Angeles City to pick up my birthday cakes. Yes, plural, because I planned to have two birthday dinners. One with friends, another with family. And, no, they're not really cakes. They were pies.

Apple Pie
Php350

I have been having this fixation for apple pies lately and I have been hearing many good things about an anonymous apple pie from Angeles City, for four years now. The trouble was, all that the proponent of those claims had to go on was a memory of it and it was not until last month did he finally remember/find out what the name of the restaurant that sold it was. It was Toll House. And on April 27 this year, not only did I get my wonderful albeit infamous apple pie, I got to meet Josie, the equally wonderful lady who makes them.

We reached Toll House late lunch time so we were quite hungry by the time we got there. It is actually hard to miss, with its picket fence-white facade and pastel colored 3D sign perched right on the edge of the buildings twin roofs. The interiors reflected the same homey vibe, offering diners comfortable nooks with couches right beside faux windows. Shelves are adorned with pottery and whatnots reminiscent of western country homes and the walls with posters of food and other images that remind you of home.

Pork Ribs
Php130

Roast Beef
Php135

Tropical Chicken
Php70

As soon as we were done drinking up the surroundings, we ordered Combination BBQ, Roast Beef, Pork Ribs, and Thai Fried Rice. And our gracious hosts, Josie and her husband, Rene, (Thank you, Josie and Rene!) added some more items from the menu for us to try-- the Chili Peppers & Cheese Sticks and Tropical Chicken.

Combination BBQ
Php125

There was a long discussion on how getting a not too spicy siling pansigang, the chili used in the Chili Peppers & Cheese Sticks, is a hit or miss proposition, because in a bunch, there are some that will be easy on the palate while some will burn the bejeezus out of your tongue the minute you bite into it. True enough, there are some treacherous chili peppers in our bunch. The solution? Down a spoonful of the Tropical Chicken. The creamy mashed potatoes topping smothers the heat right off the tongue.

Chili Peppers & Cheese Sticks
Php55

It was a very good meal and the most memorable of them, which I found delightfully surprising, was the Seafood Thai Rice. Despite the fact that I have already finished the plain rice that came with my roast beef, I ate a big portion of the Seafood Thai Rice, especially when Rene suggested having it with a seasoning made of fish sauce, calamansi, and chili. I thought the taste of the seafood from the rice with the added fish sauce would be overwhelming but they complemented well, and the calamansi helped cut through and temper the stronger flavors. So so good.

After our lunch, we meandered over to the cake display and ogled at the variety of sweets chilling out in there. It was a battle of wits not to order any dessert because I did have a "birthday pie" waiting to be enjoyed later when we join the rest of our party at the beach. What really amazed me was how affordable the cakes at Toll House are. The chocolate mousse, sansrival, and apple pie for instance only costs Php350 each and the blueberry cheesecake only ten bucks more. No wonder Toll House has become an institution in Angeles City. Food here is not only yummy, they are easy on the budget, too. And I can have a birthday cake (or pie) here every week! Yay!

Toll House is located at Sto. Rosario Street, Angeles City.

Get Blessed by the Ramen God at Ramen Yushoken

2013-04-26T19:45:00.000+08:00

Hiyashi Chuka
(cold ramen)
Php370

I have read so many good things about Ramen Yushoken. I have told my brother about it, too, and the fact that it had opened a branch in Molito Alabang. That my brother likes ramen is an understatement I think, so the very first chance he got out of his busy schedule, he went over to Molito to find out what the big fuss was all about. Unfortunately, when he got there, they were out of ramen and he was told that they were no longer accepting customers for the day. I had warned my brother about this, too-- that Ramen Yushoken prepares only a limited number of ramen per day and they could close even before store hours are up when the ingredients run out-- so he was not too mad at me when I sent him on what turned out to be wild goose chase. A couple of days ago, it was a friend of mine who asked me if I wanted to have a meal in Ramen Yushoken because she had read so many good reviews about it, too. Not having gone there myself, of course I agreed to go.

Tantan-Men
Php380

Out of excitement, I think, I left my camera on the day that we went there. It was a good thing that my friend had a fantastic camera on her smart phone. (Thank you, Mennie, for making these photos possible.)

Gyokai Tsukumen
Php390

House-made and Fresh
Ramen from
Ramen Yushoken

While waiting for our orders, I busied myself with learning more about Ramen Yushoken by reading Ramen Yushoken 101, written on paper that doubles as the restaurant's place mats. My placemat tells me that the restaurant's specialty, tonkotsu, or pork-bone broth, is boiled for 12 hours. That explains perhaps their order limit per day, that and the fact that they make their noodles in-house. Understandably, restocking on tonkotsu, which pervades all the soups of Ramen Yushoken, when they run out may be a tricky proposition for the chef.

My place mat also contains literature on the history of sorts of Ramen Yushoken. Fun fact: Ramen Yushoken's ramen is "derived from 'Ramen God' Kazuo Yamagishi... He is the most revered ramen personality in Japan today, as he was the inventor of the widely popular tsukemen or "dipping ramen."

Gyoza

Php150

The place in Molito is very cozy, has high ceilings, good lighting and acoustics. On one side is a bar which, though it looks decidedly modern, is reminiscent of traditional Japanese ramen houses. You can have your ramen here to get that authentic ramen house feel or if the couch is not your thing. While your at it, why not get yourself an ice cold bottle of Asahi or Sapporo Premium Beer?

Speaking of tradition, do not expect to order sushi, katsu, or tempura here. You go to Ramen Yushoken to have ramen, nothing else. (Ok, so maybe some traditional Japanese side dishes like gyoza and karaage.) This reminds me of a friend of mine who told me that there are no "Japanese restaurants" in Japan like the ones we have here. What you have there are restaurants like ramen houses and sushi houses that serves only one particular specialty and they have real "masters" at the helm who have perfected their craft by learning from the master that came before them. What an thought. That kind of redefined the word "specialty" for me.

Making Dulce de Leche

2013-04-18T09:58:00.001+08:00

Dulce de Leche

A couple of days ago, I was making some cupcakes for my brother to bring to a party at work. I thought I had all the ingredients with me on hand. And I did. The problem was, I did not have enough of one, the powdered sugar, for the peanut butter frosting. Nevertheless, I started to make the frosting, hoping against hope that it would turn out fine. Sure enough, it failed. I whipped and whipped and whipped, and the frosting kept failing on me. Frustrated, I stuck the miserable bowl of frosting inside the fridge. Meanwhile, there I was late at night with a bunch of unfrosted chocolate cupcakes racking my brain and the cupboard for alternative ideas for frosting.

There is not much I can do in terms of cupcake frosting without powdered sugar. I could make whipped ganache. Ganache does not call for powdered sugar, but I did not have enough cream. Or, I thought, I could make dulce de leche out of the cans of Milkmaid condensed milk in the cupboard, and frost the cupcakes with that. It would be like Slice's Double Chocolate Yema cupcake.

Desperate, and probably simply too sleepy, I submerged a can of condensed milk into a pot of water and waited for it to boil. The idea on how to do this came from one of my friends who told me about how as children they would make butterscotch out of condensed milk by boiling it in its own can. Later, I would read about it and find out that it was actually dulce de leche and not butterscotch. Butterscotch or not, the concoction sounded very yummy but I never got the heart to make it because boiling a can of milk for four hours sounded, well, too much. But, again, I was desperate. I knew that dulce de leche would take four hours to make and longer to cool. What I did not realize was that at the time that I started making it, it was 11:30 in the evening. I knew I was never going to make it.

Forlorn, I took out my so-called peanut butter frosting from the fridge to see if it had magically turned into something decent. It tasted OK despite the odd texture, so I decided to work around it by piping it onto the cupcake to look like many little flowers instead of one big swirl. That did it for my brother's cupcakes.

The next day, I had a can of utterly decadent dulce de leche on my hands. Without the cupcakes, I used it on my apple pie that I had made a couple of days back which came out too tart to tame the flaw. The rest I used as topping for many other desserts, and some I even ate off a spoon. It was that good.

All in all, that can of condensed milk did not go to waste and I was glad I finally got to make a culinary project that I had been thinking about doing for the longest time. Although I did have a pickle trying to convince my mom that I did not waste four hours worth of her LPG boiling a can of milk.

Dulce de Leche

Ingredients

1 can of Milkmaid condensed milk

water

Directions

Peel off paper label from can of Milmaid. Put the unopened can in a heavy pot and pour water just enough to cover can up to an inch. Bring water to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, lower heat and let the water simmer for 4 hours. Periodically add water to keep the can submerged in an inch of simmering water.

After four hours, carefully take out the can from the water and let it sit in room temperature until the can is cool enough to handle. This may take a couple of hours. When cool, open can with a can opener all the way through. The milk should have turned caramel brown in color and the consistency thick and heavy.

Slice of Pie

2013-04-17T07:00:00.000+08:00

In case you are wondering, yes, I intentionally made the title sound like the movie. But unlike the movie, this post has nothing existential to offer, nothing at all, and reading this will not change your life. I merely want to tell you that I made pie. Apples, if you must know what exactly it was made of. It was not perfect, I will admit that much. I put too much lemon juice, I think. I mean, I know I put too much lemon juice and it made my pie too, er, tart. But it had one heck of a crust. The recipe, technically called pate brisee, was from Martha Stewart, and it came out perfect. The texture was nicely flaky and the flavor quite lovely. If something saved that pie, I say it would be that pie crust. So I will make pie again. The same crust of course, and perhaps, again with apples, but I will cut down the lemon juice.

My apple pie despite its shortcomings got finished, by the way. I made it edible, even delicious I dare say, by topping each slice of pie with some luscious sweet dulce de leche before serving. Interestingly, I made the dulce de leche for something else, but that story is for another post. In the meantime, here is Martha's recipe for Pate Brisee (Don't fret if you do not have a food processor. I didn't. I simply used 2 knives to cut the butter into the flour, until I got the required consistency.):

Pate Brisee

Yield
Makes two 8- to 10-inch single-crust pies or one 8- to 10-inch double-crust pie

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions
Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide in two. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten, and form two discs. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

Source: http://www.marthastewart.com/343815/pate-brisee

Vanilla Cupcake Bakery in ATC

2013-04-15T23:38:00.002+08:00

Red Velvet (Php85) & Vanilla Blue (Php75)

Been waiting for this cupcake bakery to open ever since I saw the place being renovated in Alabang Town Center. I was attracted to the adorable candy striper colors and outlandish fixtures and accents that adorned it and I could not wait to sit myself down in one of the whimsical yet comfortable looking chairs.

I would channel Alice in Wonderland, once I am there, I say. And that is just what I did today. Yay!

Valrhona Chocolate
Php85

I picked the cupcake from behind the glass case that said "Eat me!" the most, and took two more to bring home. So that I would get to taste some more of what Vanilla Cupcake Bakery had to offer (and so I would get to have one of the cute cupcake boxes that they would come with).

I did like my Valrhona Chocolate cupcake, the frosting just enough and sweet, of course, but not overly so, while the cake presents a tender crumb and a sophisticated chocolaty taste.

Curiously, I did not grow inhumanly tall after consuming the last bite of my cupcake, but I may have grown a pound wider. Still, a pound well worth it.

Aye Caramba!

2013-03-31T10:23:00.000+08:00

Yet another no-meat request by my sister for Holyweek is okoy. Okoy or caramba as my mother calls it, is one of her specialties, so on Black Saturday it was her turn to labor in the kitchen. Okoy, ukoy, or caramba, is a Filipino version of shrimp fritters. It is a medley of bean sprouts, tofu, and shrimps bound together by orange batter, fried and eaten with spicy vinegar on the side. The orange tint of the okoy is owed to a good dose of annatto in the batter. A fairly common street food in Manila (which prevalence predates another orange-colored street food called kwek-kwek), okoy is normally eaten as a snack but my family likes eating it with rice, as a main course.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the kwek-kwek, a popular street food which is an egg (be it either chicken or quail) dipped in orange batter and deep fried to a crisp, was conceived when an okoy vendor accidentally dropped a hard-boiled egg into the okoy batter and decided to fry it.

Speaking of colored eggs-- HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!

Okoy

Ingredients

1/2 cup All Purpose Flour

2/3 cup Cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Medium Eggs

1 cup shrimp broth or water

1/4 cup achuete (annatto) water (2 tablespoons achuete seeds steeped in 1/4 cup water until the water turns red orange. Discard seeds and set aside resultant liquid.)

3 cups togue (Mungbean Sprouts), washed

1 cup small Shrimps

1/2 cup kinchay, sliced

1/2 cup tokwa (tofu), cubed and fried

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

Cooking oil for pan frying

Procedure

Mix together first 6 ingredients to make a batter.

Add in togue, shrimps, kinchay, and tokwa. Season with salt and pepper.

Put just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Place over medium heat.

Scoop the batter (about half a cup) onto the hot pan, and flatten with a spoon until about half an inch thick.

Fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Serve with vinegar, for dipping.

Seafood Chowder for Lent

2013-03-29T15:13:00.000+08:00

For the past three days, we have been subsisting on non-beef, pork, or chicken based food and Seafood Chowder. I made a huge batch of the chowder last Wednesday and we have been having it for lunch ever since, in observance of Lent. Tradition dictates that Lent is the time of penitence and sacrifice in all aspects of a Catholic's life. All, including food, and seafood was considered to be the least extravagant of the options. That was true, a very long time ago I suppose, because these days, seafood costs just as much as beef, some even more expensive.

Anyway. At the behest of sister, I made my very first pot of seafood chowder. It took a long time to make for two reasons. First, there are a lot of ingredients and they require a lot of work to prep. For instance-- The clams needed to be soaked in fresh water and given time to cough up sand. The mussels had to be washed well and their whiskers pulled and trimmed. The shrimp had to be peeled and de-veined. Secondly, I made the broth base from scratch which required a good solid hour to simmer. A must, to make really good chowder.

I used Barefoot Contessa's much-raved about recipe for Seafood Chowder (recipe below). As with most of the recipes I've used, I made some tweaks to suit my taste and basically, what available ingredients I have to work with. I did not have monkfish, so I used cream dory. Any white fish will work, I think. I did not have crab meat, so I replaced it with mussels and clams. You get the drift.

Seafood Chowder

Ingredients

1 pound large shrimp (32 to 36 per pound), peeled and deveined (save shells for stock)

1/2 pound scallops

1/2 pound monkfish

1/2 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over to remove shells

1/4 pound unsalted butter

1 cup peeled and medium-diced carrots (4 carrots)

1/2 cup medium-diced yellow onion (1 onion)

1 cup medium-diced celery (3 stalks)

1 cup medium-diced small white or red potatoes

1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 recipe Seafood Stock (see recipe)

1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

2 tablespoons minced parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Cut the shrimp, scallops, and monkfish into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl with the crabmeat.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter; add the carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and corn and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are barely cooked, stirring occasionally. Add the flour; reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the Seafood Stock and bring to a boil. Add the seafood; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Add the heavy cream, if desired, and the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Seafood Stock:

2 tablespoons good olive oil

Shells from 1 pound large shrimp

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)

2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup good white wine

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

10 sprigs fresh thyme, including stems

Warm the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1/2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. You can make up the difference with water or wine if you need to.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/seafood-chowder-recipe/index.html

Organic Cafe at Nurture Village

2013-03-28T12:48:00.000+08:00

Chicken Sandwich
Php135
Roasted chicken flakes in wheat bread served with potato chips

"Committed to making life a wondrous experience, Nurture Village create and offers healthy and delicious cuisine including delectable nonvegetarian and vegetarian dishes."

Source: http://nurture.com.ph/

Exodus started yesterday for Metro Manila. Today, Maundy Thursday, is officially a non-working holiday. While almost everybody is going somewhere else from now until Easter Sunday, either for reflection or relaxation, I would most likely be staying at home for both. Besides, the traffic situation going to every popular destination for Lent, as with every year before this, will be like Calvary. Pardon the pun.

If there were some place I would not mind going to though, it would be Tagaytay City. It is a tranquil place, with awe-inspiring views and refreshing cool weather. This, I suppose, explains why the place is replete with convents, seminaries, retreat houses, and churches.

Aside from religious establishments, Tagaytay City is also home to places that devote themselves to pampering and relaxation, among them, Nurture Village. That said, an ideal trip to Tagaytay for Maundy Thursday would be to do the Visita Iglesia among the churches and religious sites there and thereafter head over to Nurture Village, if not for a massage, a Holyweek-compliant meal.

I say this because as I rifle through the food notes filed in my brain, there are not many restaurants that make healthier food options central in their menu. The cafe at Nurture Village is one of the very few that do. Another delightful tidbit about this place is that they grow their own organic vegetables, so you are sure that whatever you get in the cafe is fresh as can be.

Nurture Village is located in Barangay Maitim II West, Tagaytay City. Visit their website at http://www.nurture.com.ph.

Aside from spa services and dining, Nurture Village also accepts reservations for corporate functions, Glamping, and weddings. For more details or reservations, contact:

Mobile - (0918)8888SPA; (0917)6878873; (0920)9505724; (0922)8988654

Landline - (02)7109786; (046)5126273

There is no C in Krazy Garlik

2013-03-22T00:00:00.000+08:00

Garlicky Crispy Pata
Php695

Iced Tea (refillable)
Php110

Since we're on the topic of birthdays, after my sister, it's my brother's turn to celebrate his. We could not celebrate it on the exact date of his birthday so we decided to do so on March 9, 2013, a Saturday, at the SM Mall of Asia. There's the rub. Unlike the rest of the country, we had no idea that that Saturday was one of the designated dates for the wildly popular 4th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition. Naturally, the place was packed to the hilt. So packed that my brother, who went there ahead of us, could not even get to any parking of the lots of that massive mall. So we had a slight change in plans.

We headed towards Resorts World Manila. We got there past 8PM, so we were decidedly hungry and thirsty. I remember thinking to myself that I want a restaurant where I can get good refillable iced tea. Because that is the first thing that I am ordering, and I will require lots of it. So, after climbing to the second floor of the Newport Mall, we immediately decided to have dinner in another Bistro Group member restaurant, Krazy Garlik, where of course they had "infinity" iced tea.

Baba Ghanoush
Php275

Fortunately, the little detour from MOA proved to be a good one. Service was fast and attentive at Krazy Garlik and the meal was lovely. For appetizer, we ordered Baba Ghanoush.

40 Kloves Garlic Chicken
(to share) Php695

Grilled Tuna Belly
Php425

Black Squid Ink Rice
(to share) Php365

Our main courses comprised a full-on feast-- Grilled Tuna Belly, 40 Kloves Garlic Chicken and Garlicky Crispy Pata. We had two kinds of rice, plain and Squid Ink Rice.

Forest Pizza
Php495

We even ordered pizza. We chose the one called Forest, which had "button and shitake mushrooms, cream, Italian Cheese, and a dash of truffle oil." While everything had rave reviews from our hungry family of 5, The pizza, for me, is the most memorable of the bunch.

Krazy Garlik Newport Mall is at 2nd Floor, Newport Mall Resorts World Manila, Newport Blvd., Pasay City. For reservations contact (02)621-7148.

Little Sister's Birthday Dinner at Ma Maison

2013-03-20T07:00:00.000+08:00

Torikatsu
served with rice, side salad, and miso soup

This year, we celebrated little sister's birthday at Ma Maison. A member of the Bistro Group of restaurants, Ma Maison serves up Japanese food with visibly European influences at surprisingly affordable prices.

When I first heard about Ma Maison, I never would have guessed that it was a Japanese restaurant. The name itself is French, which translates to "my house" in English. This rings true even after you have walked into the restaurant. The interior design of the establishment made me think I was stepping inside an English cottage. And if I had not researched about the restaurant's menu before I went there, I could have easily ordered fish and chips for dinner.

Tonkatsu
served with rice, miso soup, and side salad

Gyudon

The menu of course, listed down classic Japanese food favorites along with some famous western entrees like Scotch Egg and Escargots Baked with Garlic Butter. Creatures of habit that we are however, we stuck to the tried and tested. We ordered Tonkatsu, Torikatsu, Gyudon, and Beef Skewer Teriyaki. The Tonkatsu and Torikatsu came with rice, side salad, and miso soup.

For drinks, we mostly had their house iced tea, which came refillable at Php110. I liked their house iced tea, which I think is identical to the iced teas of most of the Bistro Group restaurants.

Ma Maison-Greenbelt 2 is located at G/F Greenbelt 2, Esperanza Street, Legazpi Village, Makati.

Contact (02) 729-9122 for reservations.

Buddha-Bar Manila (Last of 3 Parts): The Place to Be when in Manila

2013-03-18T00:30:00.000+08:00

"First opened in Paris, France in 1996, Buddha Bar is as a world class bar, lounge and restaurant chain located in major cities such as Paris, Washington, Dubai, Monte Carlo, Keiv and now in Manila. Located at Picar Place Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City, Buddha Bar Manila is a 3-storey establishment that can accommodate over 500 guests to its lounge, restaurant and roof deck. In the Buddha-bar wonderland, your taste buds travel to distant lands and inventiveness nests in your plate."

Source: http://www.buddhabarmanila.com/

It was my first time at Buddha-Bar Manila and I was not quite sure what to expect when I got there. Sure I have read about Buddha-Bar time and again in celebrity news as it seems to be one of the favorite hangouts of Hollywood royalty like Madonna, J-Lo, and Cameron Diaz but still, I was awe-struck as I entered its massive ornate doors. A golden Buddha that I would otherwise find to be a completely serene vision had it not be intimidatingly gigantic in girth, sits above the first floor lounge. It looks after a meticulously designed interior that is both impressive and welcoming at the same time.

Buddha-Bar Manila has three floor levels. The first floor houses the lounge, one end of which is an imposing well-stocked bar. At the other end is an Asian-inspired staircase that reminds me of fight scenes in restaurants from period Chinese movies. It leads the guest to the restaurant proper which is located on the second floor of the building.

The second floor is home to more Asian and Buddhism inspired artifacts and other artwork. Against this backdrop are beautifully arranged table-settings and at one side, a sushi bar where diners can watch Buddha-Bar's skillful sushi chefs strut their stuff. There is also an outdoor area, for guests who prefer to lounge al fresco.

The third level is an open-air roof deck that offers a breath-taking view of the Makati skyline called the Terrace. You could get there by stairs, but everybody there will recommend you take the elevator (For good reason, I should say). It also has a bar, but unlike the one downstairs, this one has a more Caribbean vibe to it.

The restroom located at the basement is also a sight to behold. Decked in intriguing images and prints and adorned with elegant fixtures, it is a fashionably designed restroom, easily at the top of my list of best restrooms in the country. If I ever thought about making one up...

Buddha-Bar also has a boutique that sells exclusive products like Buddha Bar CDs, spa products, T-shirts and other novelty items. The stuffed Buddha Bar panda bear is really adorable.

By the numbers, Buddha-Bar Manila, touted to be the biggest in the world thus far, has a total of 528 seats, 2 bars, 1 restaurant, 1 lounge, 1 terrace, and 3 VIP rooms.

Buddha-Bar Manila is at Picar Place, Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City. For inquiries and reservations, contact (02)856-6719 or (02)856-6859.

Find out more about Buddha-Bar Manila at:

Website: www.buddhabarmanila.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuddhaBarMNL

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuddhaBarMNL

Instagram: https://instagram.com/BuddhaBarMNL

OPERATIONAL HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 12noon - 2AM
Friday - until 3AM
Saturday - 5PM-3AM

Buddha-Bar Manila (Part 2): Elegant Food and More Exciting Promos

2013-03-17T00:48:00.000+08:00

Thai Curry Prawns
Fresh Tiger Prawns in Red Thai Curry Sauce with coconut and lemongrass rice

(Click to enlarge)

More than just a bar, Buddha-Bar is also a restaurant that serves up artfully plated cuisine that does wonders for the taste buds. Try the Thai Curry Prawns on for size. It is an exotic mix of fresh tiger prawns, red Thai curry sauce with coconut and lemongrass rice.

Oh, and they create fantastic desserts, too. The Chocolate Sesame Bar, for instance, is a unique dessert made up of layers of of wafer, sesame seeds, and dark chocolate. I loved it to bits.

These and the rest of the best of Buddha-Bar's menu graced the stage at the 7 Stars event held last March 1, 2013, and they made up for a delectable parade of gastronomic delights.

Buddha-Bar Signature Iced Tea
Kiwi and Lychee Syrup and special tea combinations

Crunchy Rice Shrimp Jalapeno (Deep fried Japanese rice with topped with Shrimp, Avocado and Jalapeno served with Unagi and/or our Buddha-Bar Sauce) and Boneless Chicken Wings (Deep fried boneless Chicken Wings tossed in Chinese Wine with Shallots and Red Onions served with spicy Thai Ginger Sauce Dip)

Sea Bass Tamarind
Roasted Sea Bass marinated in Ginger,
Lemongrass and Cumin with Sweet Tangy Tamarind Sauce

Black Pepper Beef with Thai Basil (Deep Fried Tender Beef slices tossed in signature Black Pepper Sauce) and Pink Lady (Breaded Shrimp with Avocado, Cucumber topped with Surimi Mix. Best served with Unagi Sauce and/or Buddha-Bar Sauce)

Buddha-Bar Chicken Salad
Marinated Grilled Chicken
tossed in Buddha-Bar Chicken Dressing
with Sesame Seeds, Chinese Cabbage and Crispy Wanton Chips

Chocolate Sesame Bars
Signature crunchy bars with wafer, sesame and dark chocolate

Chocolat
Dark Chocolate Cake with silky Valrhona Ganache

Trio Of Creme Brulee
Classic French custard in three flavors- vanilla bean, coffee
and chocolate

It was a memorable night, and many many things make me want to go back. One of them being the awesome promos that Buddha-Bar Manila has lined up for beloved guests-- the Business Lunch (Php895 Net/person from 12-2:30PM, Monday-Friday), Early Bird (20% off on all food items from 6-8PM, Monday-Saturday), and After Work (50% off on all standard drinks by the glass from 5-8PM, Monday-Saturday), and not to mention the fabulous Weekends at the Terrace.

(Click images to enlarge)

Buddha-Bar Manila is at Picar Place, Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City.

For inquiries and reservations, contact (02)856-6719 or (02)856-6859.

Find out more about Buddha-Bar Manila at:

Website: www.buddhabarmanila.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuddhaBarMNL

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuddhaBarMNL

Instagram: https://instagram.com/BuddhaBarMNL

Buddha-Bar Manila (Part 1): Weekends at the Terrace

2013-03-05T00:35:00.002+08:00

Last Friday, Buddha-Bar Manila kicked off their latest and hottest promo called "Weekends at the Terrace."

For only Php1,500, guests can chill to their hearts' content in a snazzy outdoor lounge against the flickering lights of the Makati Skyline,

complete with Buddha Bar's fantastic grill menu (fired up fresh right before your eyes), delectable desserts,

assorted canapes, salads, and maki,

and, for libation, rum and vodka cocktail drinks mixed straight from the bar at your command. Their specialty cocktails- which are really quite unique and uber imaginative- include the Heart of Darkness (fresh grapes, cinnamon syrup, lemon juice, vodka, and port wine topped with soda), the Majestic (fresh pineapple, fresh basil, pineapple juice, sugar cane syrup, and vodka), Raspberry Saketini (sake, raspberry puree, pineapple syrup, pineapple juice, and creme de casis), and D'Ultimate (fresh pineapple, almond milk, Cointreau, Maraschino Syrup, and special rum mix). I have tried a couple of these concoctions and my favorite was the Heart of Darkness. I found it to be exquisite owing to the complex mix of flavors and approachable at the same time because of the hit of soda.

Music of course is provided by Buddha-Bar's in-house DJ, which rounds out the laid-back yet posh weekend experience.

"Shisha Nights" runs every night, every day
at Php300 (net) per flavor with 4 mouthpieces
and over 16 flavors to choose from.

Buddha-Bar Manila is at Picar Place, Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City.
For inquiries and reservations, contact (02)856-6719 or (02)856-6859.
Website: www.buddhabarmanila.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuddhaBarMNL
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuddhaBarMNL
Instagram: https://instagram.com/BuddhaBarMNL

Our Chicken Inasal Meal

2013-02-28T23:46:00.001+08:00

Before I completely say goodbye to February, let me sneak in one itty-bitty post about my favorite chicken inasal recipe. My brother grew to liking Claude's ready-made inasal marinade, because it makes for perfect tasting chicken inasal without the added hassle of actually chopping up and throwing together the ingredients for the marinade. But on days when he runs out of these bottles on stock and we get a hankering for chicken inasal, this is the recipe we turn to. (I learned to make annatto oil from this recipe. I do realize that that "skill" really isn't such a big deal, but I am just really really amused I learned it.)

This recipe, from bigoven.com, calls for chicken pieces. But if you feel like grilling the chicken whole, hey, nobody's stopping you. I suggest splitting the chicken in half and grilling it flat though, if you do not have a rotisserie handy. Aside from helping the chicken cook evenly, this orientation results in a stunner of a chicken. Good enough as a centerpiece for a special meal, I must say.

Chicken Inasal

Ingredients

2 Chickens (free range if available)

3/4 cup Filipino vinegar

Salt

1/4 cup garlic, finely minced

2 stalks lemon grass, optional

Annatto oil, (see notes below)

Wooden skewers

Spiced vinegar

Chicken Inasal Preparation

Additional Ingredient Instructions:

2 free-range chickens, approx. 3 pounds each, or if you can find smaller chickens, use 3 of them

3/4 cup Filipino vinegar, palm if you can find it, or cane; or if you must, the equivalent in kalamansi juice (available in the frozen aisle of your Asian market if you don't have access to fresh)

1/4 cup garlic, minced very finely, or better yet, mashed into a paste with 2 teaspoons sea salt

achuete or annatto oil, made by steeping 1/4 cup annatto seeds in 1/2 cup hot oil for half an hour (If not available, you may mix a small amount of paprika and tumeric to achieve the same color.)

thick wooden skewers, soaked for 1 hour in water prior to cooking

Bottled spiced vinegar for serving, or make your own by mixing Filipino vinegar, lots of crushed garlic, a bit of salt, and a handful of Thai peppers or other tiny red hot peppers

x x x

Quarter the chickens, or if using the small ones, halve them. Marinate in the vinegar, garlic and salt, several hours or overnight, turning several times.

Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Make sure your grill is cleaned and oiled well. Cook over indirect heat for 20 minutes, basting with the achuete oil. Turn and cook for 10-15 minutes more, or until thickest parts of chicken exude clear juices when pierced. Can also be made in a grill pan on the stove if no outside barbecue is available.

Serve immediately with the spiced vinegar. Other welcome additions to the vinegar: some soy sauce or fish sauce if you like, or even some minced ginger.

See the full version of this recipe with all the notes made by the author at http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/163721/chicken-inasal

The Mysterious Crispy Cereal Prawn at Boon Tong Kee

2013-01-14T14:30:00.000+08:00

Crispy Cereal Prawn
Large serving (6 pieces) - 595

I am waiting for the fast food delivery person for my lunch. At past 2PM. So you can imagine the state of starvation I am in. And the worst part about it is that I am flipping through the photos of my recent Boon Tong Kee dinner in my computer. Torture, I know.

Crispy Roast Chicken
Half serving - Php395

Chicken Rice
Php65

French Beans with Spicy XO Sauce
Php295

I have been asked what I liked most from that spread. I say the Cereal Crispy Prawn. By a mile. The flavor of that dish is as unusual as its appearance. Normally, when I come across a dish that I have seen for the very first time, I will have some sort of an idea on how it could have been cooked. But this Cereal Crispy Prawn, looking at it, I cannot make heads or tails- pardon the pun- of how it was made, and how the cereal played a part in it. Nevertheless, I found it delicious. Unlike shrimp tempura, where I feel dependent on dipping sauce to complete the dish, I did not miss any form of additional seasoning for this Cereal Crispy Prawn.

Crispy Beancurd

Php185

But that is not to say that I was not happy about the rest of that meal either, because I did eat more than my usual ration that night (against my better judgment), from the appetizer to dessert. I liked the Crispy Roast Chicken for instance, which is one of Boon Tong Kee's signature dishes, particularly its skin, so flavorful and crispy. I must confess I like this better than the boiled version in general, for the same reason.

The French Beans with Spicy XO Sauce, which I felt was our token healthy food option because it's vegetable, was surprisingly good, too. Oh, and those morsels of Crispy Beancurd, which I find antithetical in that they are crispy yet pillow-soft, healthy yet deep-fried, were actually quite addicting.

Yes, I just used the word "antithetical" to describe food. I tend to over-think things when I am hungry.

Sago Gula Melaka

Anyway. I should end here. Lunch is at the door.

Boon Tong Kee, MOA is located at the Second Floor of the North Wing, Entertainment Mall (facing Manila Bay) of SM Mall of Asia. Land line is (02) 804-2862.

Oven Roasted Chicken Quarters

2013-01-09T13:22:00.002+08:00

Oven Roasted Chicken Quarters

Fried chicken is a staple in our home. When nobody has time to cook or even think about what to cook, my mom would always have some chicken quarters marinating in the fridge, ready for frying. And boy, do those fried chicken taste good. Generously dredged in breading before frying, they were crispy and gloriously greasy. But alas, fried chicken is not exactly the healthiest thing in the world, and with a household with burgeoning issues with cholesterol and weight gain, we were looking to make our diet a bit more forgiving. Now, what to do with that chicken marinating back in the fridge...

They will not be fried, that's for sure. For a healthier chicken meal, I decided to roast the calamansi and garlic-marinated chicken in the oven. To up the flavor, I slathered a paste made with some herbs and olive oil on the chicken quarters before roasting it roast-beef style. That simply means I roasted the chicken over high heat in the oven for the first few minutes before letting it cook the rest of the way in 325F heat.

The chicken turned out quite fetching. The skin was paper thin, owing to the fact that the fat has melted and dripped away from it through the wire rack during the cooking process, but it still had a delicate crunch to it which I enjoyed. The meat was juicy and while I took it easy on the sodium, only half a tablespoon of sea salt for a whole kilo of chicken, it was abundantly flavorful. The garlic gave it a robust punch (Imagine Emeril!). It had citrusy notes from the calamansi. And the medley of rosemary, thyme, and black pepper lent a complexity to the dish that made me believe that it does not take that much to make a healthy change after all.

Oven Roasted Chicken Quarters

Ingredients

1 kilo chicken quarters

juice of 10 calamansi

10 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

2 tbsp salt

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp rosemary

olive oil

Instructions

Marinate chicken in calamansi juice, garlic, and salt overnight.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove chicken from the marinade. Combine thyme, black pepper, rosemary, and olive oil to make a paste. Rub the paste equally all over the chicken pieces. Place the chicken on a wire rack inside a pan, so that the grease drips away from the chicken. Roast in the 400F oven for 20 minutes. Then lower oven temperature to 325F. Roast for another 30-40 minutes.

To Feed the Sweet Tooth

2013-01-07T23:21:00.002+08:00

Food for the Gods

Sometimes you just want to create something sweet just for the heck of it. It can be a gesture, a poem, a mix tape, a note... or, if you were unglamorously domesticated me, it can be pastry. A couple of days ago, I dusted off the last recipe card of food for the gods (date and walnut bars) that I was working with and gave it another whirl.

As I mentioned here somewhere, I tried to make food for the gods before. Once, and unfortunately, without much success. But I am not one to give up so easily once I have set my sights on a particular baking project so I thought back on what could have possibly gone wrong the last time and I prayed I rectify it on my second try. For starters, I halved the original recipe to fit my 8 x 8 pan.

That second time, it baked properly. (It baked in half an hour.) Moist and chewy, it was no longer as inedible as the goo that resulted from my first shot at baking food for the gods, and the flavor, I thought, was there. But I still found it a bit too oily for my taste and, er, fingers and I thought the recipe could still do with a bit of tweaking.

So on to my third try. From the original recipe (see below), I deducted 1/8 cup of the melted butter and replaced it with with 1/8 cup of evaporated cup. That did it for me. A bit less oily and a bit more creamy, the resultant bars of sticky, golden pastry studded with exotic dates and decadent chunks of walnuts were divine and definitely worth sharing, if not with gods, at least with dearest friends.

Food for the Gods

(Chewy Version)

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup pitted dates, chopped

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp. honey or light molasses

½ tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9" x 13" rectangular pan OR 2 – 8" square pans with aluminum foil. Set aside.

2. Sift the all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder together. Divide this mixture into two. Use one-half to dredge the chopped dates.

3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, sugar and eggs. Mix until well-blended. Add in the honey or molasses and vanilla extract.

4. Fold in the dry ingredients to the batter mixture. Lastly, fold in the dates and walnuts. Pour the mixture to the prepared pan. Spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes or check doneness with a cake tester. Insert tester close to the side. It should come out clean and dry. The center would still be a little wet when tested. Cool completely. Slice into bars.

Source: http://afbeercan.typepad.com/trifle_takes/2005/12/there_were_four.html

These (bread) sticks are made for munching

2013-01-04T15:24:00.001+08:00

Crunchy Breadsticks

New Year's Eve, I realized I failed to buy some nachos or baguettes to serve with my chili and spinach and Parmesan cheese dip. (As if I was not frazzled enough already making so many things for the 4-hour long dinner feast.) To make up for the tragic tragic loss of chips, I thought about making some crunchy breadsticks. The recipe, courtesy of tasteofhome.com, was a very easy one and every ingredient it called for is available in my pantry. For optimal dipping, I made my breadsticks short and flat. Pretty much the only tweak I made in the recipe. That, and using butter (yum!) instead of plain old shortening. Oh, and I sprinkled some with parmesan cheese (extra yum!) instead of salt and thyme.

Crunchy Breadsticks

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
1/2 to 3/4 cup ice water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions
In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and shortening; cover and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. While processing, gradually add water until dough forms a ball.
Transfer to a floured surface. Roll dough into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Cut into 10-in. x 1/2-in. strips. Twist each strip four times and place on baking sheets. Brush with oil. Combine coarse salt and thyme; sprinkle over breadsticks.
Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 16 breadsticks.

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Crunchy-Breadsticks

Last Meal for 2012

2013-01-01T12:13:00.000+08:00

Barbecue Pork Ribs

New Year's Eve, while we waited for the fireworks to start-- I mean, really start, at midnight, because there have been a few small sporadic celebratory explosions here and there since morning-- my brother was hard at work on his new charcoal grill to make sure his barbecue pork ribs come out perfect for the family's last meal for 2012. (The recipe, called Last Meal Ribs Recipe, that he followed I think was very apropos.)

And if how that rack of barbecue ribs came out is any indication of what is to come for a year that is beyond the reach of Mayan predictions, then we will have a fantastically awesome 2013!

Happy new year, everyone!

Red Velvet Brownies: A Christmas Hangover

2012-12-26T13:11:00.001+08:00

Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

After having a very heavy roast beef lunch for Christmas, I got a hankering for brownies. My last attempt at making brownies was a disaster, just as bad as the one before it. So I kind of stayed away from making brownies for a while.

Then I tried making date and walnut bars, a.k.a. food for the gods, thinking I would have better luck with it, and it is sort of like a brownie, so if I do well with it, I will eventually get better at making brownies. (Trust me, inside my brain, that makes sense.) THAT was a disaster, too. I took it out of the pan and the thing just collapsed. The top was decidedly hard but everything underneath was goo. I did not know what to do with it. I think it sat in the fridge for quite a time while I thought about it. I never figured it out.

After that I decided I was not good at making any sort of bars. Maybe I do not have the right pans. Or I could not get the temperature right. Or I over-mix my batter. Or I am impatient about letting them cool before cutting. Whatever it is, it is getting in the way of me making an edible brownie.

For some reason, yesterday, I thought I could make a good brownie. Ok, that reason is-- I thought Christmas is a magical day. It is that day of the year when anything that proved to be impossible the rest of the days of the year becomes possible. And that day, I believed I could make not just a brownie, but an awesome Red Velvet Brownie. It is Christmas after all. I am going for broke.

I halved the original recipe to fit my 8 x 8 pan, used metal rather than a glass pan, buttered and dusted the pan with cocoa powder (per Martha), and added a cup of walnuts in the batter, but I followed the rest of the recipe to the letter. I also hovered around the oven for a good 40 minutes to make sure the oven temperature stays at a constant 350 F. And when I stabbed the brownie with a toothpick and only moist crumbs stuck to it on its way out, I took it out of the oven to rest on a wire rack until completely cool. I mean it. I left it there on the rack, went to the mall with my family (spent a horrible 2 and a half hours there thanks to the hoards of people who take pictures of themselves in the middle of the busy halls and who push and do not understand the meaning of maximum capacity in elevators and a restaurant staff that dished out service so bad it was unbelievable), and took out my red velvet brownie from the pan only after I got back home.

Red Velvet Brownies

It was perfect. I knew it the very moment I cut into it. It was thick, dense, moist, just slightly sweet, delicious, and quite stunning to look at. The smattering of generous chunks of walnuts was a beautiful touch, I am glad I added it. I also frosted some bars with cream cheese frosting (see recipe here) and because the brownies were not so sweet, they went wonderfully together.

Red Velvet Brownies
adapted from Smells like Home

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 oz red food coloring (optional)
4 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 9 X 13 clear glass baking pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in food coloring (if not using food coloring add 4 T of water or milk) and vanilla, mix until the color is fully incorporated. Mix flour, cocoa and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly add in the flour mixture being very careful not to over mix.. Do not over mix. The batter will be very thick.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl. You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. 35 minutes for a thin crust on top and gooey underneath. Set aside to cool, cut into bars and serve.

Source: http://www.newlyweds-blog.com/2012/02/21/red-velvet-brownies/

Waiting for Christmas

2012-12-24T11:20:00.001+08:00

Coconut Biko

Biko is a traditional Filipino delicacy that is enjoyed in our house come the holidays. It is made by Kuya Iyong, our jack of all trades handyman, who harvests the coconut component of the delicacy himself from the trees that grow around our house. Biko is made with equal parts of glutinous rice, coconut milk, water, brown sugar, and garnished with latik. Kuya Iyong made this latest batch of biko a bit more special though, one bilao with coconut shreds and another with langka. It makes waiting for Christmas Day a whole lot more yummy.

Langka Biko

Wishing all of you joy and fantastic food this Christmas Eve!

Dips and Crisps at Cafe Republiq

2012-12-15T17:21:00.001+08:00

Spinach and Parmesan Cheese Gratin
Php200

Yesterday I had the audacity to plan to go watch the Lantern Parade in UP Diliman. It was a ridiculous proposition, I knew that, because in addition to the fact that the UP Christmas Lantern Parade attracts hordes of people every single year, that same day was 1) payday Friday; 2) the inauguration of the monorail in the UP Diliman campus; and 3) a perfect candidate for Christmas party schedule. But I had not seen the Lantern Parade since I graduated from the university a couple of years ago and I truly, madly, deeply, wanted to go this year.

Alas, as expected, traffic was a disaster. And no matter how early I thought I was leaving the house, it was not nearly early enough to avoid the brewing traffic nightmare. Traffic was bad not only in Quezon City, but the entire Metro Manila. Worse, by the time I realized that I will not see the Lantern Parade again this year, traffic going home was likewise in a standstill.

So instead I found myself in Resorts World, Cafe Republiq to be precise, where I drowned myself in Spinach and Parmesan Cheese Gratin and nacho chips. The gratin was warm, creamy, and comforting in its deliciousness. Something I needed to make me feel a little bit better for missing the Lantern Parade. While I can imagine how much the cheese made the dip utterly sinful, the fact that it had spinach in it easier for me to convince myself that I was munching on something healthy. I had to believe that, see, because I munched through those chips and dip like there was no tomorrow.

Cafe Republiq-Newport Mall is located at 2/F Resorts World Manila, Newport Mall, Newport Blvd, Domestic Airport, Pasay.

Christmas Dinner Ideas and The BIG Holiday Outlet Sale (A Giveaway!)

2012-12-12T23:46:00.001+08:00

December is the season for fabulous feasts. That time of the year that we go on a diet for. You know, to make room for all the food that we will partake of during all those parties and reunions that we will go to.

Nobody goes on a diet on December. The two words, while they start with the same letter, is simply antithetical. That is why every year, I rack my brain to come up with recipes that will knock everybody's socks off during Noche Buena and Media Noche. Of course there will always be roast beef, but it's always nice to have something new and exciting on the table next to it.

Next to food, family, and friends, it is also the season for shopping. Every year, I seem to forget how frenzied the crowd gets in the malls and it never fails to amaze me. Never mind if the sales come in before and after December and everything on the shelves is at full price, people seem to always do most of their holiday shopping in December. Those people, unfortunately, includes me. It's a good thing that my friend (the new mom), Mossy, told me about this huge 3-day sale starting on December 21, 2012, dubbed as the BIG Holiday Outlet Sale 2012.

WHEN: December 21-23, 2012, 10a-9p
WHERE: SMX Convention Center, Hall 4, Mall of Asia Complex
WHAT: Sponsored by BPI Edge, SM Cinemas and e-PLUS

Up to 80% off on select merchandise from major brands

Free entrance to BPI + e-PLUS cardholders (w/ valid ID)

Hourly raffle draws for BPI Edge cardholders (1 raffle coupon per P1000 minimum receipt)

New Brands!

Havaianas, Vibram Fivefinger, Oakley, Skechers, Levi's, Dockers, Technomarine, Hush Puppies, Sebago, Cushe, CMG (Celine), Melissa Shoes, Ipanema, Grendha, Adidas, Maldita, Space, Speedo, Uratex, Ikea, McJim Leather, Digital Walker, Rudy Project, JBL, Sennheiser, Creative, Ray-Ban, Homedics, Parker, Giordano, Suki Shoes, Daniel Hechter, Robe di Kappa, Case Logic, JB Music, Guerlain, Shiseido, Majolica Mallorca, JB Sports, Polo Leather, Rustan Marketing, Paul & Joe, Nike Golf, Bridgestone Golf, And-1, Gola, Ryka, Pollywalks, Switch, Philips, Triumph, Jockey, Babolat, and SO MUCH MORE!

I love love love outlet stores and just thinking about event makes me feel all giddy inside. So naturally, I plan to do the rest of my Christmas shopping there. Entrance to the event is Php50. But for everyone with a BPI credit card or those apply for one during the event, entrance is free. Not eligible for free entrance? Let me make this outlet sale sweeter for you...

My Food Notebook and Malibu Enterprise, the good folks behind the BIG Holiday Outlet Sale, are giving away FREE tickets to the event. Just send an email with the subject, "TBHOS" to and in the body of the email, write your first and last name and help me figure out what to serve along with my holiday roast beef by completing the sentence:

My favorite holiday food is _____________________.

The first 20 email senders get 2 FREE entrance tickets each to the BIG Holiday Outlet Sale.

Yay!

My Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Recipe

2012-12-10T23:18:00.001+08:00

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Having made fresh basil pesto recently inspired me to make pesto out of what remains of my big jar of olive oil-soaked sun-dried tomatoes. "Red pesto," others call it, owing to the beautiful deep red hue of the sun-dried tomatoes with which it is made with. It is so easy to make, but the ease with which I was able to whip this up belies the utter deliciousness of this pesto. I learned that the very second that I licked clean the spatula that I used to scrape out the sides of the blender where I made my sun-dried tomato pesto. It tastes of summer, if that makes sense at all.

At first, I just wanted to use the sun-dried tomato pesto on my new pack of rigatoni. But my recipe yielded a lot, good for more than two-servings worth of pasta, so I got creative with the remaining pesto. It makes for such an elegant dip for melba toasts, for one. Combined with cream on the other hand, it results in a pasta sauce so sinful, you will forget about all the health benefits of sun-dried tomatoes.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients

1 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 tablespoons walnuts

3 garlic cloves

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

Pulse together sun-dried tomatoes, chili powder, cheese, basil, walnuts and garlic in a blender until combined. With machine running, gradually add olive oil and blend until smooth paste forms.

Makes about 3 cups pesto.