Several years ago, I attended the Center of Culinary Arts’ Kitchen Discovery Class, where I got an inside view of the kitchen and had a fine lunch at Cravings. I haven’t been back to Cravings since then, but last night I got to attend the grand launch of a Filipino restaurant from the same group. C2 Classic Cuisine on Missouri Street, North Greenhills used to be an events place, but they decided to include a restaurant that serves classic Filipino dishes with a contemporary twist.

What I thought was pancit palabok was pancit bam-i – again, not a huge fan of it on normal days because I find it too bland. At C2, however, the pancit bam-i is definitely worth trying; the dish is generous with the shrimp and chicken pieces.

Tinola, however, is one of my favorite Filipino dishes. I actually didn’t think this was tinola at first because I’ve never seen it served inside a buko shell. It turns out that this was not just any tinola; it’s called tinolang binakol and it’s cooked with coconut milk. I expected the consistency of the soup to be a little thicker as a result, but it’s still the same thin chicken broth that I enjoy. Tinolang binakol is also a little sweeter than regular tinola, which took me a while to get used to. This turned out to be my favorite dish, next to the lumpiang hubad, but it got cold a little too quickly. The broth could also use a little more ginger.

Sisig rice is a Pinoy favorite I try not to eat too often because of its high fat content. Unlike other sisig rice dishes I’ve had at other places, this one did not feel the least bit oily; in fact, I didn’t realize it was sisig rice until I looked at the menu.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to try the bangus belly because my dining companions got to it before I could. Bangus belly is another one of those dishes I stay away from; to me, fish belly tastes too oily and fishy. I wonder if the bangus belly at C2 would make me change my mind, the same way it did with lumpiang hubad and pancit bam-i.

C2 Classic Cuisine Greenhills can be found at 18 Missouri St. Northeast Greenhills, San Juan (near Anapolis St). ————————————

You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

If only losing weight were as easy as taking a pill. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way; while you could lose weight quickly using dubious diet pills, effective weight loss requires dietary modifications and a lifestyle change (more exercise). However, I discovered that there is a diet pill out there that can help you lose weight without killing you.

Alli Orlistat is a weight-loss aid that will help you lose weight more efficiently – for every 2 pounds you lose, Orlistat can help you lose one more. The capsule should be taken three times a day, once during or after each meal with fat. The product is safe to take because Orlistat, the active ingredient, only works on your digestive system. By binding with the enzymes in the gastro-intestinal tract, Orlistat blocks about 25% of the fat you eat from being absorbed by your body and eliminates these.

Unlike Bangkok pills and other diet aids, Alli doesn’t offer extravagant promises about how you can magically lose weight just by swallowing a pill. The claims are very modest, and users are encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat right. In fact, each box of Alli Orlistat comes with a recommended meal plan designed by a nutritionist – complete with recipes! And the recipes look really good too. The point of the Alli diet program is not to deprive users of their favorite food, but to teach them how to reduce the amount of fats in their diets.

I think if anything, the effects of Alli Orlistat are enough to encourage users to go on a low-fat diet. When I thumbed through the patient leaflet, I was a little bit bothered by the common side effects:

Let us pause for a collective “Ewwww!”

Disgusting as they might be, these side effects are actually signs that Alli Orlistat is working. However, you can minimize them by eating low-fat meals; after all, Orlistat only works if there is fat in your food.

Each bottle of Alli Orlistat contains 21 capsules (good for one week), a patient leaflet information, and a recommended meal plan with recipes for maximum weight loss. For more information, visit www.alli.ph.————————————

You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

Back in World War II, Filipinos used roasted corn kernels as a substitute for coffee when coffee bean farming was disrupted by the Japanese occupation. Today, corn coffee is served as a specialty drink in Filipino-themed cafes as a caffeine-free alternative to coffee. The first time I had corn coffee was at Rafa’s in Xavierville Ave, and if I didn’t know it was made of corn kernels I wouldn’t have guessed it wasn’t “real” coffee. It tasted just as sharp and strong as coffee made from coffee beans! I haven’t gotten around to drinking corn coffee since, not because I’m not fond of the flavor, but because it’s not exactly something you can buy off the supermarket shelves. Today, I found out that you can buy corn coffee on Multiply through Maayad Organic Corn Coffee.

Maayad Corn Coffee is made from organic, native, and yellow corn from Sumilao, Bukidnon. Every bag of coffee is made of carefully selected corn grains, roasted and ground to perfection. Because of the corn variety used, Maayad Corn Coffee is truly healthy and packed with nutrients and vitamins that can only be found from “untouched” corn. You’re assured that no harmful chemicals from fertilizers or gene enhancers can poison your body. After your first cup, you’ll feel refreshed and cleansed. Maayad Corn coffee has no preservatives, no additives, and is guaranteed 100% organic.

The best part about buying corn coffee through Maayad is that they make a real difference in the lives of women farmers and their families from Sumilao, Bukidnon. Two years ago, these farmers walked more than 2,000 km from Bukidnon to Manila to claim 144 hectares of land through the agrarian reform program. 50 from the 144 hectares had already been given to them; while government agencies are still processing the remaining 94 hectares (as of October 2009). Since April 2008, the farmers have been organically growing corn, cassava, and other vegetables in the 50-hectare farm lot. Maayad Corn Coffee is one of the products that they are able to offer from their harvest.

Go make your healthy corn coffee purchase at maayad.multiply.com. All photos used were from the Maayad website.————————————

You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

Remember the Selecta Gold Label ice cream flavors that were released this summer? For those of you who haven’t heard of it, the Selecta Gold Series is created by Selecta and Manila’s finest chefs to satisfy discriminating palates without breaking one’s budget. I love bingeing on those from time to time, particularly the Hazelnut Brownie one. But the fourth Gold Label flavor is fast becoming another favorite. That’s right – there’s a luxurious addition that came out just this month. Vanilla Almond is the masterpiece of Chef Ariel Manuel of Lolo Dad’s Cafe, one of the country’s most awarded culinary experts.

When it comes to vanilla ice cream, I only think of them as toppings for warm apple pie or for making Coke floats with. However, Vanilla Almond is good enough to eat on its own. This mouthwatering vanilla ice cream is loaded with roasted whole almonds from California’s Great Valley and ribbons of golden caramel fudge. The crunchiness of the almonds provide exciting texture to the creamy, velvety ice cream base, and the caramel swirls a delightful touch. What I like best about this flavor is that it doesn’t feel as sinful as the Chocolate Truffle and Hazelnut Brownie ones; it’s light enough to top off a moderately heavy meal, but rich enough to satisfy cravings for ice cream.

Vanilla Almond is now available at all supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide.
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You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

Last Saturday, I was invited to attend the Dona Elena Cuisinera Club Celebrity Cook-off at Annabel’s Restaurant, Tomas Morato. For those of you who haven’t heard of it yet, the Dona Elena Cuisinera Club is a free weekly cooking class that teaches moms and other interested individuals how to incorporate olive oil and other healthy ingredients into everyday meals. The past couple of Saturdays were spent teaching club members healthy, simple, and tasty recipes, but this Saturday was different. Four members of the Dona Elena Cuisinera Club, two members of the media, and two celebrity guests would be divided into two teams and take part in a one-hour cook-off. The objective of the competition is to make creative use of Dona Elena olive oil and incorporate them into a tasty dish made on the spot. Little did I know that I would have a rather interesting role in this competition.

Before the cook-off began, we were given a short talk by Prof. Luchie Callanta, the official nutritionist of the Dona Elena Cuisinera Club. It seemed as though the members of the club had already heard this lecture before, but a lot of the things discussed were new to me. For instance, I didn’t know that extra virgin olive oil should be used to toss salads and for other dishes that don’t require cooking. Extra virgin olive oil goes through a cold-pressed refining process that doesn’t introduce heat, meaning that its nutrients and flavor is still intact. Pure olive oil, on the other hand, contains a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and refined olive oil. This type of olive oil can be used to deep-fry meat.

I expected to be a member of one of the competing teams, but it turns out that I was going to be one of the four judges for the cook-off! The criteria for judging included the taste and texture of the dishes, its physical appearance, creative use of Dona Elena Olive Oil, and overall professionalism. I couldn’t wait to start tasting the food.

Each team was to have a chef consultant who will guide them and give them advice on how to prepare their respective dishes. However, the chef consultants are not allowed to prepare the ingredients or cook the food itself; their job is to stand in the background and tell the team members what to do. The first team was called Hijos y Hijas and had celebrity Gladys Reyes in it. When I was a kid, I used to watch Mara Clara with the household help, and I found myself rooting for her character, the contrabida Clara, rather than the weepy Mara (played by Judy Ann Santos). In person, Gladys Reyes is very spunky, feisty, and nice.

Team two, Don y Donas, had celebrity Bernadette Allyson, who I recognized from TV commercials.

By some coincidience, both teams decided to prepare a cream dory dish. This made me even more excited about my role as a judge; I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a big fish person, but I do enjoy dory fish.

After one hour, the Don y Donas group presented us with their finished product – a cream dory fillet with a side of seafood lumpia and crunchy noodles. This was the first time I tried eating a non-pasta dish prepared with olive oil, and I was impressed at how the olive oil really brought out the flavor of the fish. The crunchy noodles were also an excellent addition, and the seafood lumpia contained clam meat – another first for me.

Hijos y Hijas also had an exciting dish in store – instead of pasta noodles, they used egg noodles for their dish and topped it with a dory fish fillet deep-fried in olive oil. The name of the sauce they used escapes me at the moment, but it contained mushrooms, tomatoes, veggies, and a hint of olive oil.

Judging both teams was really tough, and I had a hard time deciding what scores to give them. In the end, I gave a higher score to Don y Donas. I liked how this team prepared three different dishes rather than one; they showed me how versatile olive oil can be and how it can bring out flavors better than ordinary cooking oil can. I’ll definitely make sure I use olive oil in all the dishes I make from now on!
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You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

In 3 sentences or less, tell us why you want to be a part of Doña Elena Cuisinera Club Cook-off on October 24?

You have to be a member to join the cook-off so post your answer here/ click to post answers

Event Date/Time 10/24/2009 from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM
Location October 24, Saturday – Celebrity Cook-Off Challenge

Time: 10:30am to 1pm

Venue: Garden Area, Annabele’s Restaurant, 194 Tomas Morato Ave. cor. Sct. Delgado Quezon City

Classes are for free! Please reserve your attendance!

RSVP:

Doña Elena Cuisinera Club Secretariat

Landline: 713.8144

Mobile: 0922.880.0142

Email: info@cuisineraclub.com————————————

You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

If you pop your head into our pantry, you’ll notice that we have several colorful cylinders of Pringles lined up. We’ve got cans of Original flavor, Sour Cream and Onion, Cheddar Cheese, Pizza, and Salt & Vinegar Pringles to last us a week. Even though I discourage the kids from eating too much junk food, every person in the family has their own favorite Pringles flavor. And even though I tell my husband to cut down on the snacks, he ends up including several cans of Pringles on the shopping cart anyway. He enjoys having something to munch on when he watches horror movies in the living room.

One evening, I joined him in the living room as he popped open a can of Pringles and inserted a DVD into the player. I’m not one for watching horror movies, and if I had known he’d be putting on this Thai horror flick called Shutter, I wouldn’t have joined him on the living room couch. I was determined to sit with him throughout the movie, even though it was grim, unnerving, and almost gave me a heart attack. What didn’t make me get up and leave was the open can of Pringles in front of us. Whenever eerie instrumental music would play to signal the rising suspense, I would grab a handful of Pringles and start Krrunching to distract myself. And it definitely works! Once the tangy flavor of the Salt & Vinegar Pringles hit my taste buds, it’s hard to really think about anything else but its deliciously crunchy texture.

After that night, I realized that the secret to surviving a horror movie is this: just grab a cylinder of your favorite Pringles flavor, and keep Krrunching away to relieve the tension. Pringles definitely makes watching a scary movie far more fun. Just make sure you’ve got paper napkins within your reach! Some flavors like Cheddar Cheese tend to be quite messy. And when you literally jump off your seat when the ghost appears out of nowhere, you’ll want to be able to clean the mess.

It’s Krrunch Time, Get Playful!————————————

You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

Photo by Jen

Several months ago, my friends were hyping up this herbal drink product called Vita Plus and how it can help you lose weight without compromising your health. I’m normally very skeptical about these so-called health drinks and their scientifically unverified claims, especially when there’s a multi-level marketing plan involved. What eventually convinced me was a photo of my friend Jen, who really did lose crazy amounts of weight after weeks of taking Vita Plus regularly.

Aside from the weight loss, I found out that the other desirable effects of Vita Plus includes increased energy and higher resistance to diseases. According to the manufacturers, Vita Plus can provide all these health benefits and more because of the five power herbs it contains: malunggay, sili leaves, saluyot, Pinoy spinach, and talbos ng kamote. Pound for pound, these herbs are said to contain vitamins and important minerals like potassium, magnesium, zinc, and calcium (see Jen’s blog entry for the complete list). The final selling point was the fact that Vita Plus does not taste like herbs at all; in fact, the four flavors of melon, dalandan, mango, and pineapple are said to taste exactly like the real fruit. So I when I read all of this in Jen’s blog, I was like, “OMG, a healthy herbal drink that does not taste like vegetables, that will help me lose weight, and that will give me the energy boost I desperately need in the morning? Why the hell not?!”

I bought two boxes, or 40 sachets of Vita Plus, for P700 per box (20 sachets). For a month and ten days, I took one sachet of Vita Plus first thing in the morning. Actually, today’s my second to the last day; the photo above is of the glass of Vita Plus I made about an hour ago. The first thing I noticed about Vita Plus is that the dalandan flavor really did taste like dalandan juice. More importantly, it gave me the energy boost that caffeine couldn’t. The entire time I was taking Vita Plus, I did not have to drink coffee to wake me up in the morning – and I am usually very grumpy, lethargic, and unable to work without my morning coffee. The effect of Vita Plus’s energy boost would last five or six hours – far longer than my morning cup of coffee, which would start to wear off by hour 2. I was very impressed by its energy-boosting capabilities, and would have taken Vita Plus twice a day if only it weren’t so expensive.

But this is where my raving ends. To be perfectly honest, I have a lot of doubts about the purported health benefits of Vita Plus – even the weight loss angle. I did exactly what was said for weight loss: drink a glass of Vita Plus 30 minutes before meals, in lukewarm water. The only thing I noticed was that smaller amounts of food would make me feel full and satisfied, but I don’t think I lost a significant amount of weight. Of course, it would be silly to think that a drink alone can make you drop ten pounds. Weight loss requires a total lifestyle change that includes exercise and a healthy diet, but only recently did I start exercising regularly and being conscious of what I eat. This might be why Vita Plus didn’t make me very skinny.

Also, I did get sick once during the Vita Plus period – the flu hit me out of nowhere. While I didn’t get a fever like I normally do, it may be because I overloaded on 1,000mg of ascorbic acid when I started feeling my throat getting itchy.

What really made me doubt the product was when I noticed the ingredients list several weeks ago. The photo above is the ingredients label from the back of the melon-flavored Vita Plus sachet I had this morning. I’m no expert, but I’d imagine that a product that actually contained malunggay, sili leaves, saluyot, Pinoy spinach, and talbos ng kamote would include ingredients like, “malunggay extract”, “sili leaves extract”, etc. Instead, all that’s there after the sugar and the flavoring is a vague “power herbs.” I know that Vita Plus is marketed to contain these so-called “power herbs”, but if the powder really does contain all these vegetables, why are they not listed in the ingredients label?

Finally, a quick look at the nutritional information shows that Vita Plus may not be as nutrient-packed as the claims. To the column on the right, you’ll see that its Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium, and Zinc content is nowhere close to fulfilling the RDA for these nutrients. And take note that the RDA is based on a 100g serving – a sachet is only 22g. If you look at the column on the left, you’ll also notice that there’s far more sugar, carbohydrates, and sodium than any of the healthier minerals.

These observations made me decide to discontinue using Vita Plus. I didn’t start taking the drink for its health benefits per se, but it’s a little disheartening to realize that the health claims do not exactly correspond to the nutritional information on the sachets. I actually wouldn’t mind taking Vita Plus regularly for the energy boost, but a box costs P700. Seven hundred pesos! That’s a lot of money just to wake up for 20 days.

Despite my review, I suggest you try out Vita Plus for yourself if you’re really curious, and draw your own conclusions from there. Vita Plus can’t be found in supermarkets, but you can ask Jen where to get them.————————————

You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

Marco and I returned to Fish & Co because I had a serious craving for fish and chips that demanded to be satisfied. Normally, we go to Teriyaki Boy when I crave for fish and chips, but after a recent bad experience where it took 30 minutes for our food to arrive, we decided to avoid the place for a while (though they do have very good fish and chips). I’ve been told that fish and chips was the specialty of Fish & Co, and we decided to check it out and see if the best fish and chips in town really is as good as everyone says it is.

Our meal began with a carafe of apple green tea with grenadine and orange juice. We normally have house water with our meals to save money (Marco) and to avoid the liquid calories (me), but at just P80 for a pitcher we couldn’t resist it. Plus, it’s green tea. Can’t get any healthier than that, right? I know that most commercial green teas have more sugar than actual tea, but we could tell that this was the real thing because of its refreshingly fruity taste and the orange pulp settling in the bottom.

Since we were both starving, we decided to get appetizers to quiet down our hunger pangs. It took us a while to choose which appetizer to pick, but we eventually ordered the Mussels in Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce (P380) because it was one of their best-selling dishes. I thought it was a little too pricey for mussels, but my eyes literally widened when they finally arrived at our table. I’m used to our small local mussels where the meat doesn’t even fill up half of the shell, but these mussels were HUGE and MEATY. Easily the largest mussels I have ever eaten! Despite being smothered in lemon butter sauce, it was not the least bit greasy to eat. I think it could have used more salt, garlic, and lemon, but even with the condiments pared down the mussels were a delight to eat – they were chewy, moist, and absolutely filling.

Halfway through the mussels, our main course arrived. Naturally, I ordered The Best Fish and Chips in Town (P405) but I had almost gotten the cheese-stuffed New York Fish and Chips (P465) or the Philadelphia Fish and Chips with cream cheese and lemon butter sauce (P465). I decided on the plain fish and chips because I wanted to taste the dory fish without all those toppings, and because cheese is fattening (I’m very careful about what I eat these days). I did not regret my order one bit. My eyes again literally widened when my pan was placed in front of me. This picture does not do justice to the size of my food, but trust me when I say that the dory fish fillet was half the size of the pan. It tasted just as wonderful as it looked too – the batter was light and crunchy, and the fish was absolutely soft and not-fishy-tasting. I thought it could have used some more cream of tartar sauce, so I asked the waiter for some. It was too much trouble for me to keep dipping the fish into the sauce, so I poured it all over the fillet. I then understood why they served the fish with very little sauce; pouring all that sauce all over the fillet made the batter soggy and not much fun to eat. The fish still tasted great though, but it was far more excellent with the satisfying crunch of the batter.

Marco loved the chicken barbecue from the Just for Me Meals so much, he ended up ordering them again. The photo above is from the Fish & Co event because I was too busy stuffing my face with dory fish to take a picture of Marco’s food. But when I glanced at his plate, I did notice that the chicken was considerably smaller than the one that was served to us at the event. It still tasted great though, and the barbecue sauce is still the best sauce I’ve ever had.

Overall, Marco and I were both satisfied by the size and quality of our meal. The Best Fish and Chips in Town were excellent, but they’re not something I’ll eat very often because of the price. P400 is a lot of money for one dish, even if I do share it with my boyfriend; he won’t get full with just half a dory fish fillet. I can easily get fish and chips at half the price at Teriyaki Boy, and be able to feed my boyfriend with leftovers. Price aside, Fish & Co’s fish and chips are definitely worth trying if you enjoy light and fluffy dory fish as much as I do.————————————

You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

Several weeks ago, I blogged about the succulent dimsum buffet at Gloria Maris. For just P238/head, you can feast on many kinds of dimsum and short-order dishes like birthday noodles, congee, and yang chow fried rice. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and the Gloria Maris Dimsum Buffet will only be running until September 30. Actually, today was supposed to be the last day of the dimsum buffet but it was such a huge hit that they had to extend it for two more weeks.

So for those who have yet to gorge on this delightful assortment of dimsum, you still have plenty of time! Just head over to Gloria Maris Podium or Rockwell on weekdays between 2:30 to 5:30 pm. It’s quite the heavy merienda (or a really late lunch), but the buffet will definitely satisfy whatever cravings you have for dimsum or Chinese food. For reservations, contact Gloria Maris Podium at 636-2905 or Gloria Maris Rockwell at 895-9741.————————————

You might also want to read my personal blog at Touched by an Angel and my other blogs like Free Filipino Food Recipes, Shopping Finds, and Techie Gadgets. Hope you can drop by! Thanks for visiting…Noemi Lardizabal-Dado