photos from a casual foodie

Countries Without McDonald's

2011-12-29T11:45:00.001+08:00

McDonald's is my personal benchmark of a 'familiar' place, as opposed to a strange one; it's hard to imagine a place in the world where something as globalized as McDonald's still has not penetrated the local economy. It has become a default eating place especially when we are too tired to look for better (cheaper) options. I've eaten at McDonald's Barcelona, Singapore, Hong Kong, Paris, (gasp) Versailles, Bratislava...

I once found myself in Kazakhstan, ninth largest country in the world, and there was not a McDonald's outlet in sight. There was, however, a McBurger store in downtown Almaty- serving pizzas, burgers (they taste like Burger Machine burgers!), kebabs.

I also discovered that there is a KFC outlet in a mall far from where I lived-- and strangely, it was rebranded as Rostik's (Ростик'с). I realise that this is what they call the KFC stores in some Russian-speaking states (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc).

Café du Marché, Paris

2011-10-22T16:30:00.000+08:00

In between getting cheap fastfood from (gasp) Chez MacDo, Quick Burger or Monop, we would have proper meals from time to time. It would have been such a pity to spend nine days in Paris eating burgers, fries and supermarket baguettes. Café du Marché proved to be one of the more memorable restaurants with good food and service. The prices aren't too bad, too.

If we had the budget, we would have wined and dined at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy, or any Michelin-starred restaurant for that matter, but unless I inherit copious amounts of money or win the lottery, that would have to remain in my food bucket list- which, if I may add, is growing everyday. (PER SE, French Laundry, The Fat Duck, WD-50, Babbo, Momofoku, Ler Bernardin, Daniel, Buddakan, Topolobampo... obviously I watch a lot of Top Chef.)

It was 2pm and after seeing an overwhelming number of Van Goghs, Degases, Renoirs, Gauguins at Musée d'Orsay, we were starving. The le midi menu prices still apply. The food is 0,50€ more expensive at dinner (le soir), even more so on weekends and holidays. (photo by Angela, click to enlarge)

My dish- confit de canard, or duck leg cooked in its own fat, with pommes sautees and salade verte. God knows how much cholesterol and fat is in this thing, but I love a good duck confit and Café du Marché does it well. 10€.

Angela's steak- entrecote grillee, pommes frites et salade verte. 12€.

Dessert! My riz au lait (rice pudding) 5,50€ and Angela's pommes caramelisees (flambeed / caramelized apples) 5,50€. They say rice pudding is old people food, because it's soft and mushy, but I love it anyway. I want to try and make this however I don't think vanilla beans are easy to find around here, but I did see vacuum-packed ones at the gift shop at Sonya's Garden.

Most restaurants in Paris offer free water from carafes.

Café du Marché
38 Rue Cler
75007 Paris, France
Metro: École Militaire

Sonya's Garden

2011-09-08T02:14:00.000+08:00

I have been hearing about Sonya’s Garden for the longest time and finally I had the chance to visit one Saturday with my family. Sonya’s Garden is a charming place with an organic farm, bed and breakfast, spa, and restaurant somewhere past Tagaytay City.

We ordered the set menu (P610 per person), which was served sit-down style. The best thing about the meal is that you can ask for more servings if you run out. :) The meal also came with bottomless freshly-squeezed dalandan juice.

Salad spread – The greens are lettuce and arugula, with pineapple, carrots, jicama, papaya, mango, jackfruit, eggs, cucumber, and melon, broad beans. Served with Sonya’s dressing.

The salad course was followed by freshly-baked whole wheat bread, with an assortment of toppings— basil pesto, anchovies, tomato & garlic, mushroom pate, olive tapenade.

My favorite spread would be the basil pesto.

The pasta course: spaghetti with two kinds of sauces, sun dried tomato and chicken cream. You may choose to top your pasta with the salmon belly, ratatouille, shitake mushrooms, olives, capers, and parmesan cheese.

Also asked for an extra order of the roast chicken (P450), which unfortunately was too dry for my liking.

For dessert: glazed sweet potato, banana rolls with jackfruit (turon), chocolate cake and tarragon tea.

The service was brisk and left much to be desired, and this probably is because we visited on a holiday and the place was almost full. Overall, it was a good meal and I would visit again. I’m always looking for places where salads are a big part of the meal and not just treated as an afterthought or an accompanying dish; as the latter is how I usually eat. It was a filling and healthy lunch and Sonya's Garden seems like the type of place that foreign guests would enjoy. It also was a welcome respite from smoky, polluted Manila.

Sonya’s Garden
http://www.sonyasgarden.com
Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines
+63-9175329097 or +63-9175335140
info@sonyasgarden.com

Schwartz's Deli in Paris

2011-08-14T00:25:00.006+08:00

After spending a lot of time taking pictures and battling the crowd at Trocadéro, we decided to grab dinner at Schwartz's Deli. The place is decorated as a diner with little booths and red gingham table covers. It was close to 10pm yet the place is still packed with teenagers and twenty somethings.

I was feeling adventurous that day and decided to get beef tartare and fries (tartare de boeuf et pommes frites).

I have had beef tartare in the past as an appetizer, and I remember it being very heavily spiced with pepper and herbs and it came as a total surprise in my mouth, in a good way. This was not, in fact I found it a bit bland for my liking. That being said, it pretty much felt like eating a raw burger patty. It wasn't that bad really, but the country girl in me just was not used to lack of the aggressive flavors to mask the tartare's texture.

Beef tartare and boat-cut fries

Angela taking pictures of her steak haché-- this is how the French call their hamburger.

http://schwartzsdeli.fr/
Schwartz's Deli (Trocadéro)
7 Avenue d'Eylau 75016
Paris, France

Risotto Alla Milanese

2011-08-08T23:53:00.005+08:00

A few weeks ago, I bought packaged risotto from Mercato Centrale in Florence. I also remember buying the same two years ago from Cuisine de Maison at the Rockwell Christmas Bazaar. I now realize that the entrepreneurs must have gotten the idea from their trips to Italy.

So here is the risotto pack, which cost 10 euros for 3. There are badly translated English instructions and I tried my best to execute what was exactly asked. The grains of risotto Milanese are yellow because of saffron. It usually accompanies another Milanese dish, the osso bucco.

Recipe needs a medium sized white onion, salt and pepper, olive oil, vegetable stock (but I used chicken broth), water, and parmesan cheese. A few years ago I made the mistake of making risotto by using Kraft parmesan cheese from the canister. It made the dish tasteless. So I now learned my lesson and bought real fresh parmigiano.

It turned out looking like this. I'm not sure if it is really the quality of arborio rice, but think the grains are overcooked as they have expanded to such a larger size. I also think I put too much liquid (water and broth). Anyhow, it was still al dente.

I have been trying to learn how to cook since forever, I hope I can come up with a better plate next time. Anyway, I though it still tasted good. :)

Croque Madame at Café de la Mairie

2011-07-18T01:32:00.002+08:00

The Église Saint-Sulpice was our first stop in Paris. It was a Sunday morning, we heard mass and briefly stayed for the organ concerto. It was past noon when we finished, and we were starving. We walked around the Saint-Sulpice area looking for a place to eat, but most restaurants are either closed or above our price range. We finally settled for Café de la Mairie, which is just outside the church.

I like simple things, simple food. In this post I shall rave about a fairly simple sandwich called the croque madame. A croque madame is basically a grilled ham and (gruyere) cheese sandwich with béchamel sauce topped with a glistening fried egg; without the egg it's called a croque monsieur. It's a simple meal but it made for a wonderful food memory; the crunch of the toasted gruyere with every bite, the sauce and the yolk running through the sandwich-- it was delicious.

I did a quick google search and found out that the café uses the famous Poilâne bread for this dish, however in mine they used American white bread. I suppose they ran out of country bread. I honestly preferred the softer bread, as I still have scratches on the roof of my mouth from my hard sandwich the night before. I would love to have a croque madame again and I will be in search of a good one in Manila, or perhaps make one myself.

Angela's chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and my café crème

bread

We shared a salad

Angela's three-egg omelette

Café de la Mairie
Place Saint-Sulpice
Paris, France 75006

Pampanga Food Coma

2011-06-26T23:55:00.001+08:00

My friends and I spent a weekend eating in Pampanga. M has graciously welcomed us in her home and overfed us with takeaway food from the local food stores. The rest of the time we were out visiting restaurants. Thanks to G as well for his wonderful birthday treat at C' Italian Dining :)

It has been said that Pampanga is the culinary capital of the Philippines; of course the rest of the regions would beg to disagree. While I did not have enough time to sample the food extensively specifically the local cuisine, I would have to say that it is definitely home to great food, and it's exactly why people from the city come on food tours and visit. Here are a few pictures from the trip. Needless to say we came home a few pounds heavier.

Breakfast at VFW Canteen

Bread, balsamic vinegar + olive oil dip (C' Italian Dining)

Panizza - really a favourite from the trip. I'm not even sure how the panizza came about, it most probably is a twist to the Italian panino and of course, pizza. They serve you thin crust pizza cut intro long strips, and you roll it up with fresh greens. The flavours blend so well together! thin but chewy pizza dough + arugula + alfalfa + sharp parmesan cheese + chicken strips. (P800+)

Arugula and alfalfa for the panizza

Roast Chicken (C' Italian Dining)

Tiramisu (C' Italian Dining)

Everybody's Cafe Sign

Chicharon bulaklak (Everybody's Cafe)

Tapang Kalabaw (Everybody's Cafe)

Stuffed frogs (Everybody's Cafe)

Morcon (Everybody's Cafe)

Camaru / Crickets! (Everybody's Cafe)

Sinful chocolate cake (A la Crème)

Shey's Cake (A la Crème)

Blueberry Cheesecake (A la Crème)

VFW Canteen
381 Santol Road (Corner Santol Rd. & Pinatubo St.)
Clarkview Subdivision
Angeles City
http://www.vfwpost2485.com/

C' Italian Dining
1210 Don Juico Ave. Clarkview, Balibago
Angeles City, Pampanga
(045) 892-4059
http://www.c-italian-dining.com/

A la Crème
Alcon Bldg.
MacArthur Hi-way, Angeles City
Pampanga, Philippines
http://alacreme.com.ph

Maze by Gordon Ramsay, Prague Hilton

2011-05-20T22:00:00.002+08:00

Note: This post was written in multiply almost 3 years ago :)) The restaurant does not exist anymore as Ramsay pulled out from this location. Re-posting for posterity.

A friend had me watch several seasons of Hell's Kitchen and I got to know Chef Gordon Ramsay because of that. His work and quality standards are incredibly high (at least that's how he is portrayed in his shows) and it is not unusual to be curious about how his food is like.

Having grown up predominantly with Filipino / Chinese cooking and American-style fast food, I admit that I am not very familiar with classical French cuisine, just gradually learning things here and there. I followed Top Chef, some Anthony Bourdain (old man crush!), some Andrew Zimmern and I think I became less ignorant because of those shows. I also have been more interested in food and trying new things since I started documenting with my own camera.

The restaurant has opened in November of 2007, it bears no Michelin stars and the food is half the price of original restaurant in London. That being said, it still is by far the most expensive meal I had to pay for.

I had the Classic menu (seven small courses) and Jess had a three-course a la carte.

Service-wise I'd say the staff was more attentive during the beginning of the service. We were lucky to come a bit early, later into the evening the kitchen choked and a lot of guests weren't receiving their food on time. The table beside us received complimentary wine because they have been waiting for their food for a long time.

Complimentary bread; apparently an homage to a certain type of Czech bread, the rohlík.

White onion velouté with braised rabbit leg and onion brioche. First taste of rabbit.

Marinated beetroot with Sairass cheese, pine nuts and cabernet sauvignon dressing

Roasted quail with peach and saffron chutney, foie gras and Madeira sauce

Roasted Norwegian salmon with braised artichokes and chorizo

Navarin of lamb scented with lavender, glazed baby vegetables and fresh tagliatelle

Slow cooked trio of pork with white bean ragoût and whole grain mustard, Jess's main dish

Buttermilk panna cotta with fresh berries and yogurt sorbet

Vanilla rice pudding with raspberry ripple ice cream

Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with honey milk ice cream

Petit fours-- rosewater-flavored Turkish delights of sorts

Maze by Gordon Ramsay
Prague Hilton Old Town
V celnici 7
Prague, Czech Republic

my little chili crab picture in Afar Magazine

2011-04-01T03:59:00.002+08:00

I'll always be thrilled whenever my pictures get published. It doesn't happen often at all, so it does feel nice even if the photo credit is tiny. :)
As promised, Afar.com sent me a free copy of the March-April issue in the mail. I don't think this magazine reaches Philippine shores, but it's the kind of material that I find very interesting. The photos and content are right up my alley, in the way that it inspires you to travel, none of that Condé Nast stuff that I would never afford in this lifetime.
So about the chili crab. Angela, D and I had it at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant. I remember not enjoying this dish only because I was hacking the entire day. Every bite made me cough my lungs out, because it was spicy and it irritated my throat. Looking forward to a better chili crab experience if I ever do find myself in Singapore again.

*This is probably the lengthiest post I've ever written here. Just in the mood at this hour, I guess.

Bangkok Food Porn

2011-02-19T17:50:00.002+08:00

My first taste of 'Thai food' was a pack of instant Tom Yum soup which had no flavour except for the intense heat. It left me with a scalded tongue. I haven't given it another chance until I found myself in Bangkok.

Speaking about Thai food in general, the flavour profiles are an interesting harmony of sweet, sour, salty, spicy. The keffir lime and lemongrass makes the dishes refreshing, despite the heat. It really does make the taste buds sing.

I can eat pad thai everyday.

Chateau 1771

2011-01-08T02:50:00.003+08:00

There are relatively pricey restaurants I wouldn't mind spending my hard-earned money on, and Chateau 1771 is not one of them. The food is okay, nothing to write home about-- but I have to admit that their plating is beautiful.

Coffee bean sansrival, dark chocolate ganache tart, lasagna, steamed sandbass, angus ribeye, hunters chicken

Chateau 1771
Greenbelt 5,
Legaspi Village
Makati City, Philippines
Tel. (02)729-9760

++++++++++++

This is my first post of the year, I've had this weblog since 2007 with a few entries here and there. I hope I won't get lazy and post more from this day forward :) If anyone is ever reading this, happy 2011 :)

Cereal Prawn at Wee Nam Kee

2010-12-09T03:12:00.007+08:00

I had my first taste of cereal prawn when Angela brought me to Glutton's Bay in Singapore. It was such a revelation; I didn't realise that prawns can ever be cooked and eaten this way, coated with a delicious sweet-spicy mix of oats and eaten with the shell.

Glutton's Bay Hawker's cereal prawns (SG)

Didn't miss the chance to try it when the Singaporean franchise, Wee Nam Kee opened near my workplace. The cereal "formula" tasted great, however I thought the prawns were too large for my liking. Consequently, the shell is thicker and harder to eat. It probably is just me, as I generally do not like struggling with my food. I would still go back and order the same thing.

Wee Nam Kee's cereal prawns

Wee Nam Kee
Ayala Triangle Gardens
Makati Avenu
Makati, Philippines
Tel: (632)846-8924

Fanny Ice Cream

2010-12-09T02:43:00.007+08:00

Fanny is a chain of quaint ice cream shoppes in Vietnam (Ho Chih Minh and Hanoi). It's hard to pick anything from the menu because everything looks good, and some of the options are cute and playful (the cyclo ice cream, for example).

I wish we have this in Manila-- is much better than the overpriced and terribly sweet gelato over at Greebelt5 (the name escapes me at the moment).

cute little water glasses

Sushi Ice Cream with fresh mangoes, chocolate & raspberry sauce

Raspberry and strawberry sorbet

Fanny
http://fanny.com.vn/

Mr. Jones food porn

2010-11-02T01:36:00.005+08:00

Pictures taken on a few trips to Mr. Jones. Love the comfort food and big servings. And they have the best chocolate malt milkshakes!

Fish and Chips

Buttermilk fried chicken with biscuits and potato puree

Double Eggs Benny. I love Eggs Benedict and sadly this is a bit disappointing, because it seems like the sauce is not freshly prepared hollandaise

Steak and eggs and rosemary potatoes

Tapa and Garlic overload. Tapsilog is my ultimate comfort food, and these tender strips of sirloin are the best I've ever had.

Challah french toast with Nutella and raspberry preserves, caramelised bananas, crispy bacon, whipped cream, and maple syrup.

Wicked Truffled Mac n Cheese. Four kinds of macaroni, canadian bacon, portobello mushroom, drizzled with truffle oil. The truffle oil made this dish taste so earthy.

Mr. Jones
Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center
Makati, Philippines
Phone 501 3111

Dinner at Cyma

2010-10-26T02:56:00.007+08:00

Cyma is easily becoming one of my favourite restaurants, mostly because of the Roka Salata. I would come more often if I weren't scrimping on food expenses as of late.

Service is great on a Saturday, I suppose it was not such a busy night. I had unpleasant experiences in the past with slow orders and inattentive waitstaff.

Saganaki (P200), served in a sizzling plate with herbed bread. Behold the waitstaff shouting OPA! as they serve this dish.

Roka Salata, family size (P680, more than enough for 4 people). Arugula, lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, candied walnuts, and generous shavings of parmesan. It's such well-balanced salad with the right amount of sweetness and tang. I cannot believe I didn't discover this any sooner. I can eat it every day!

Moussaka (P250). Ground meat, eggplant, and Greek bechamel sauce.

Hirine Brizola (P450). 3/4 inch thick grilled pork chops with roasted potatoes. Juicy and cooked just right.

Chicken Souvlaki (P340). Grilled chicken skewers with spinach rice and pita.

Cyma Estiatorio
G/F Greenbelt 2
Ayala Center, Makati
Philippines
(02)729.4837
http://cymarestaurants.com

Escolta at Manila Peninsula

2010-10-03T16:51:00.006+08:00

My mom got us a Peninsula membership card and one of the benefits of being an early member is a free lunch/dinner for two at one of the hotel's restaurants.

Lovely Old Manila interiors

different breads with tuna and liver pate. I wasn't able to try the fruit spread.

Amuse bouche, two of each. Stuffed grapes and salmon rolls.

There's a raw seafood bar where you can have as much oysters, lobster, mussels, and prawns as you want. We had these oysters steamed. I'll dare to have it raw with lemon juice the next time. As an aside, Anthony Bourdain realised his love of food at 10 years old when he had his first taste of raw oysters in Arcachon, France.

generous servings of salmon sashimi and maki

From the salad bar: lettuce and arugula with pine nuts and parmesan cheese.

Heart attack on a plate. Pork belly.

At this point my belly is close to exploding. Lobster, pork humba, mussels, roast beef with red wine jus, potato gratin. The beef and gratin are delicious.

Final plate, desserts. Cheesecake, fruit, fondue, biko, purple yam, chocolate panna cotta. Unfortunately I wasn't able to try the selection of artisanal ice cream because I was too full-- I was particularly interested in the pink guava ice cream.

The food selection is not as large but it is still more than enough. There's a cheese station, pasta, free coffee and tea. The chefs also can make risotto and noodles to order. I'll go back again if budget allows it.

Escolta
Manila Peninsula
Makati City, Philippines
(632) 887 2888 Ext. 6694

Buffet Trzesniewski

2010-09-30T03:10:00.003+08:00

Eating alone in Vienna. I love these neat little open-faced sandwiches (1€ each) at Buffet Trzesniewski. I wash it down with Pfiff beer in a tiny mug. Apparently, the place is a Viennese institution owned by Polish immigrants and it opened in 1902. Franz Kafka used to eat here.

http://www.trzesniewski.at
Dorotheergasse 1
Innere Stadt
Vienna, Austria

Cafe by the Ruins

2010-01-15T22:58:00.004+08:00

Pastel de Lengua on a puff pastry shell

Beef Sinigang

Shredded Tapa with wild mountain rice

Cafe By The Ruins
Baguio, Philippines
http://cafebytheruins.com.ph

Sammich

2009-06-28T01:29:00.005+08:00

I didn't realise that making a grilled cheese sandwich is super easy. I always have it on lonesome weekend trips at Pancake House. Now I know how to make it on my own.

Tomato soup (with a dollop of creme fraiche and dill), grilled cheese sandwich, crisps.

Flapjacks

2009-03-25T17:36:00.003+08:00

I ordered one of their specials (I think it's not on the menu), a grilled Tuscan chicken sandwich (P195) of sorts, with fries and onion rings on the side. I was very disappointed to be served two VERY thin and DRY slivers of chicken breast. Obviously the restaurant is scrimping on ingredients, as most restaurants do, we know they do this by reducing their portions, using smaller plates, etc. I'd usually let most of those things pass but I was horribly turned off by this sorry excuse for a sandwich patty. The photo on the menu is probably 5 times larger than the actual serving.
The toffee banana pancakes (P245.00) weren't any better. The small smattering of sliced bananas look pathetic on such a big stack of pancakes.
Too bad because it's such a nice space and they offer free wi-fi as well.

Flapjacks
G/F Midtown Wing
Robinsons Place Manila

Ziggurat

2009-01-14T22:02:00.007+08:00

The most interesting meal I had in recent memory was shared with a friend at Ziggurat, a Middle Eastern / African Restaurant in Makati.

We started with beyin, or calf brains, with some kind of flatbread. It was the most interesting dish of the meal, to say the least. Aside from being 'exotic,' (hey, I don't eat brains everyday) it has caused me a several agonising minutes in the crapper as soon as I reached home. Tummy problems aside, It was pretty tasty and I'd like to try it again sometime. I only hope my stomach can hold it better.

I loved the rest of our dishes as well-- everything was new, flavors I don't eat everyday. We had Persian green curry, which I really like better than the usual curry with the mustard tinge. The kufteh (minced meat) was incredibly juicy and had just the right amount of spice, not too strong. I wasn't really a fan of the couscous, or most of non-asian starchy staples for that matter, such as the polenta in Italy or the dumplings in Central Europe. (Give me rice or noodles anytime!) I have also enjoyed the Ethiopian honey beer. I am, by no means a beer connoisseur, but the taste is sweet and light and not 'gassy' unlike the usual Filipino beer.

Any dining experience which bundles food and travel is a great experience to be had. On this night, we had a taste of Persia (Iran), Turkey, Morocco, Ethiopia... and there are plenty of more dishes and countries to discover in my future visits to Ziggurat.

www.zigguratcuisine.com
Sunette Tower
Durban Street cor Makati Avenue
Makati City Philippines

* This post is an entry to Kaoko Cow and Avalon.ph's Cook's Tour Giveaway.

Meals at Nordsee

2008-08-18T15:36:00.005+08:00

Vienna can be quite an expensive city, so we eat at Nordsee as we have a limited knowledge of other reasonably priced restaurants. It can be a nice alternative to the usual greasy burger joints.

The displays are attractive and I found many customers buying nicely packaged (for takeaway) bruschetta topped with different kinds of caviar. I wish I had gotten one myself.

Pangasius fillet with rice and Coke Zero!

Shrimp sandwich and pommes frites

Nordsee
http://nordsee.com/

Banana Bread

2008-08-02T04:01:00.003+08:00

Tried to bake for the first time, and surprisingly, it came out okay. I chose the easiest, simplest thing to do-- banana bread! It could have used more overripe bananas and less sugar, though.

Pasta dishes I've tried

2008-08-02T03:54:00.004+08:00

Spaghetti Aglio Olio, with bits of seafood. As I am currently posted in a landlocked country where seafood (fresh or packaged!) is quite pricey, I can only buy a small tin of mixed seafood.

Spaghetti Al Tonno, tomato sauce, tuna, oregano, other various herbs

Little things

2008-08-02T03:39:00.005+08:00

Two of my food pictures were published this month. My Cotoletta Alla Milanese photo is included in the "Milan, A Surprise River City" feature in the San Pellegrino website. Another image taken from our office goose party a year ago is in Sky Europe's in-flight magazine (I haven't seen this on print and I couldn't find the feature in their website).