Binge Session at Kanin Club

It has been an insanely busy week for our catering business; and so, I am deeply mortified by my lack of posts this month.  My only excuse is that we had to cater to close to 5,000 people in a span of 5 days.  What few days I've had after that hectic week has been spent hibernating... and working some more.  Boo.  We were all operating on 2 to 4 hours of sleep per day but somehow we managed to pull through til the end.  So workaholics that we are, we scheduled a meeting with Anj, a consultant of ours and a very good friend of mine, last Saturday, which was just a day after our said hellish week.

I don't know how I managed to get myself out of bed, but I had enough of my wits about me to bring all the necessary paperwork for our meeting and my trusty camera.  It was supposed to be a simple meeting over lunch at Kanin Club.  I had no plans of blogging about what we were about to eat since all my energy was focused on staying awake.  It was a good thing that I'd developed a habit, akin to a muscle reflex, of taking pictures of everything I eat because our lunch at Kanin Club turned out to be not so ordinary after all.

I managed to drag my bleary-eyed self to Technohub 15 minutes past our agreed time.  Yuri was late too by association.  Teehee.  My bad.  He was ready an hour before we were supposed to leave as always.  Lucky for me, our other business partner and Anj had a hard time getting out of bed too so it ended up that we all got there at almost the same time.

Our team was in a celebratory mood, and since we had Anj with us as well, we decided to reward ourselves by ordering A LOT of food.

Among us, Anj was the only one who had eaten there before.  She enthusiastically recommended that we try one of her fave dishes, which was the Sinigang rice.

Sinangag na Sinigang Php 179.00

I wasn't sure what I was expecting but it certainly didn't look like anything I had imagined.  The crispy kankong (water spinach) topping, the "sinigang risotto", and the pork liempo slices wrapped around the rice had my interest piqued and I was excited to try it.  This deconstructed dish is an interesting take on pork sinigang and you can definitely pick out all the key flavors.  The rice was cooked in the sinigang broth with an extra helping of tomatoes, so the tartness and full-bodied taste of the soup was definitely there.  The portion size  was more than enough for three, but Anj and I needed no help in wolfing this plate down.

Yuri wanted to stay away from meat, so he picked out the Stuffed Squid.
 

Stuffed Squid Php 224.00

It was definitely a sight to behold.  It looked so pretty on the plate.  The squid was tender enough and the batter was crunchy.  The sweet sauce had hints of oyster sauce in it.  The menu says the squid was stuffed with chives but I'm pretty sure it was some sort of spinach.  I just wish the stuffing had some sort of flavor to it instead of it just being plainly blanched.  The dish would've been phenomenal if they did something special to the stuffing.

Itsi Bitsi Php 224.00

We were trying to sort of erm eat "healthy" so we decided to order one veggie dish.  We went for the Itsi Bitsi just because the name was quirky.  It was described in their menu as "It's sitaw, bitsuelas, and sigarilyas sauteed with beef.", hence the name.  They get plus points for trying to be funny, and they got us to order the dish anyway so that counts for something.  The vegetables were rolled in cornstarch and then deep-fried before it was cooked with the beef.  It was simply seasoned but really tasty. 

Binukadkad na Tilapia Php 246.00

You can never go wrong tilapia.  This dish is always a hit.  Deep-fried butterflied tilapia served with soy sauce.  It was fried perfectly.  I could've literally eaten the whole thing bones and all.

Now this is what the Kanin Club is known for.  Dinuguan a.k.a pork blood stew is a truly unique and exotic Filipino dish.  Kanin Club has somehow made dinuguan friendlier and more accessible to people who'd usually cringe at the thought of eating dinuguan.  The blood sauce part is non-negotiable of course, but instead of using offals, they've decided to use choice cuts of pork cooked chicharon-style.  It was a lovely surprise!  You'd never guess it underneath all that sauce.  I'm ashamed to admit that I have been unable to conquer my squemishness for dinuguan ever since I watched my lola cook it from scratch when I was a kid.  But I've been told that many people have ventured to eat dinuguan for the first time at Kanin Club and loved it.  So I gave it my best shot.

Crispy Dinuguan Php 261.00

More than anything, it's the visual of the thick dark blood gravy that psyches me out the most.  I had to close my eyes, like the big baby that I am, before taking a bite.  Once I was past the visual hurdle,  I could properly appreciate the crunchy chicharon together with the slightly tart sauce.  Yep this was my first bite of dinuguan in a loooooong time and it wasn't so bad was as delicious as any bowl of dinuguan could be. LOL.  So, if you're sampling this dish for the first time, then I must insist that you try it here.

To say that we reached a milestone in our business is gross understatement.  That's the most we've catered to  EVER.  So that pig out session at Kanin club was well-deserved.  :-)  I'm crossing my fingers and hoping we have more stressful weeks like those!



Address:  U.P. AyalaLand Technohub, Commonwealth Ave., Quezon City, Metro Manila
Tel. No. : (02) 332-5978
Other Branches:  Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati
                              Westgate Center, Alabang
                              Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Laguna


~Mich :)

My 4th of Juy: Mongolian BBQ & Momo Cafe

I've got tons of things to be thankful for this year.  What better way to celebrate than by throwing a party!  My birthday was on July 4 but since it fell on a Monday, we held the party last Saturday instead.  I had a ball since I got to pig out while the people closest and dearest to my heart were happily munching away with me. Since most of our parties have themes, Yuri and I decided that this one should have a Mongolian barbecue spin on it. As you know, in one of my previous posts (O'Mai Khan), we are big fans of Mongolian buffets so we decided to give our guests the same experience. I was told to stay away from the planning this time, so this was really Yuri and my mom's gift to me.  They took care of everything!

We didn't want the party to feel too "catered", which is ironic since that's what we do on a daily basis. We wanted to keep it simple and self-service mostly so we just borrowed our best Mongolian BBQ cook, and another one of our staff members to pitch in with the service side.

My uber generous parents, who I dearly love, decided on their own that a Mongolian buffet wasn't enough. They surprised me with pritchon!!!  Pritchon or pritong lechon is simply deep fried suckling pig served Peking duck-style.  Chopped lechon is wrapped in pita bread together with slices of cucumber and spring onions.  The secret is always in the sauce and they had 7 types for us to choose from. 

I was ecstatic! I hung out by the pritchon station for quite a while and tried to get my fill before the bulk of my guests arrived.  LOL.  I wasn't going to miss out on this.  Nuh-uh.  Hell no.  Usually pritchons last for no more than 30 minutes in our parties.  People just seem to inhale them.  Can't blame them though because it's craaaaazzzy delicious!

Hubby (left) and I (middle) with the early birds!

 Our house was noisy, chaotic, and brimming with people, just how I like our parties to be.  I had a blast! :)

I was still on a high from the party so I didn't really mind if we skipped celebrating my birthday on the actual day.  Yuri would have none of that though, and told me to get dressed for a date.  I have to admit, I didn't really put up a protest.  In fact, I got dressed in record time!  How could I say no to a date?

We went to mass and then went to Momo Cafe for lunch.  I had a hard time choosing between my favorite restaurants, but in the end we went to Momo since it had been quite a while since we ate here.   

Once we were seated, I immediately flipped open the menu to my favorite page.

We quickly placed our orders and patiently waited for our scrumptious dishes to arrive.  While waiting, they customarily serve all their guests bread sticks with a tasty side of cheese pimiento spread.

Since the first time I ate here in 2010, there has only been one dish for me.  The pan roasted Norwegian salmon. *drools*

Pan Roasted Shiitake Mushroom Crusted Norwegian Salmon Php 425.00

It's perfect really.  I guess it really is a personal favorite of mine since I'm quite obsessed with most of the ingredients on this plate.  The oh-so-juicy-and-flaky hunk of salmon, the spinach cream risotto, and the teriyaki glaze go together like a dream.  Thanks Anj for introducing this to me!  This dish gives me the same glazed look and dopey smile I get when I'm given a huge emergency shot of benadryl for my allergies.  Everything just fades into the background.  If you don't believe me, ask Yuri.  He knows that talking to me in this state would be utterly useless since I'd be completely distracted.  Harhar.  I can't help it.

The salmon dish is really a big plate with at least 350 grams of quality salmon cooked to perfection.  I'd say that it's totally worth it for 'splurge days' like these.

Yuri decided to try a new dish at Momo and ordered some good ol' corn dogs.

A Bucket of Corn Dogs and 3 Dips Php 295.00

This is Yuri's brand of comfort food that's for sure.  He loved that they used real American hotdogs and a really thick and tasty pancake batter to coat it with.  It came with homemade coleslaw and three kinds of dips-- sweet and sour, hickory BBQ, and honey mustard.

Other dishes I'd highly recommend are the Sweet & Smoky BBQ Riblets (Php 450.00), the Slow Roasted U.S. Roast Beef Fingers (Php 495.00), and the MOMO Gourmet Salad (Php 295.00), which are all good for sharing.

I was planning to have dessert at some other  place since my favorite dessert at Momo Cafe was nowhere on the menu or on the dessert display up front.  I should've put more faith in my hubby because next thing I knew, the restaurant was suddenly playing a very classy version of the "happy birthday" song and our waitress was walking towards me with a slice of my favorite dessert topped with a lighted candle.  It was incredibly sweet!

The dessert in question, was the cookie dough cheesecake.  I don't really have a sweet tooth so I'm a fan of desserts that aren't too sweet and sugary.  This really does it for me.  It's a baked cheesecake with a cookie dough crust and drops of chocolate chip batter on top.  The cheesecake itself has a lemony flavor.  Yuri and I were both flabbergasted though when we saw our bill.  We used to pay Php 175.00 for a slice and now it was Php 275.00, which is quite ridiculous even if it was my favorite dessert there.  We didn't want to spoil the mood though.  It was my birthday date after all.

I thought my parents spoiled me unnecessarily before, but nobody has spoiled me quite like Yuri has.  You know how a little girl feels like when she's in a candy store and is told that she can pick out whatever she wants just for that day?  That's how I felt during this whole week... except I don't like candy all that much... but you guys get my drift.   Anyways, all I'm trying to say in my own clumsy way is THANK YOU!  Just in case I haven't said it enough. <3  



Address: G/F Eastwood Mall, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave, Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City
Tel. #: 900-1006

(Disclaimer! The food quality here is awesome, but the service crew has their good days and bad days.  I personally prefer to go here on weekdays or during off-peak hours when the place isn't too full just to be on the safe side.)

My Bakmi Addiction

Yesterday I got the best surprise ever!  I called home and my Dad was back from Indonesia. Yay!  That was the best part.  The next best thing was that he brought me home some Bakmi GM! *me jumping up and down*  This is not just any Bakmi, oh no no no.  It comes from the one and only Bakmi Gaja Mada!  He bought it right before leaving for the airport and hand-carried it home.  Harhar.  We have this routine down pat by now. :)  I get my Bakmi supply every 3-4 months... because I'm a bit spoiled like that . Teehee.  My dad's setting a good example for my hubby.  lol.  He brought home six takeaway boxes of Bakmi GM this time.  It's funny how lenient the airport staff in Jakarta is when it comes to this.  They ask you about what's in your bag, I usually just smile and sheepishly point to it while saying "Bakmi GM".  They take a look at your bag, smirk and wave you off without a second thought.  It seems to be the magic word.  It's really odd that they let you get away with it since the broth is separately packed into the box too.  I've no plans on taking that up with airport security since I happily wolfed down 2 1/2 boxes of Bakmi yesterday because of their leniency. :)  

Now what is Bakmi?  The literal translation of Bakmi is "meat noodles".  It's a wheat-based noodle that's thin, flat and yellowish.  It's then boiled, drained, cooked with a little bit of beef fat, and then topped with stir-fried chicken pieces, oyster mushrooms, and shallots in a sweet soy-sauce base.  The last component on the bowl would be the blanched pechay which is simply placed on top of the noodles.  This is served with a separate bowl of broth on the side so that you may add the broth to the noodles according to your preference.  I always put in two spoonfuls of broth in my noodles before I mix everything up.  Oh and it comes with a packet of chili sauce too.  Indonesians like their food spicy.  Chili works the same way as black pepper over there.

Bakmi GM (Gajah Mada) is waaaaay famous over there.  It's like our Jollibee.  It's huge.  Now if Bakmi GM (yes that is the name of the resto too) is Jollibee, then the Bakmi GM Special is THE Chickenjoy of Indonesia.  Now, Bakmi GM (the dish) is just Bakmi Ayam (chicken) done extremely well.  I've tried loads of other Bakmis so I'm pretty sure about this.  It's one of my favorite comfort foods.  It's something that reminds me of my childhood and of my time in Indonesia.  I used to spend my summer vacations in Jakarta while my Dad was based there.  And we did live in Malaysia for 3 years so it was easy to just cross the border and go to Indonesia.  But yeah,  I think Bakmi GM is a close second to my all-time favorite dish (which I'll be saving for another entry).

I could eat this everyday.  In fact I did eat it for two weeks straight when I visited last year.  Seriously.


~Mich :)