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.)

Ye Dang with the Gang!

Back in college, when Korean food wasn't as readily available as it is now, I was completely fascinated, obsessed even, with Korean cuisine.  Ironically enough, I learned about Korean food and culture through the hundreds of Korean dramas and movies I've religiously watched over the years.  Before that, all I knew was Beef Bulgogi.  Yep, I'm a bonafide K-drama addict.  I used to be a die-hard fan but these days I've mellowed down.  I'm down to one K-drama series every two weeks.  LOL. 

So anyways, as with any K-drama follower, that the culmination of my obsession with Korean cuisine peaked when Jewel in Palace (Dae Jang Geum) was released.  If you haven't watched it you're definitely missing out.  I dedicated a good two weeks of my life to finish that historical drama with only 2-3 hours of sleep in between.  From then on there was no turning back for me.  I'd drag my mom and dad to eat with me at Kaya every so often just to stem my craving for Korean food.  Each episode had me curious (and salivating).  In fact, A LOT of Korean restaurants started using Jang Geum's face in their advertisements after the drama came out.  That's how effective it was.

Luckily enough, with the sudden boom of Korean residents and students in Metro Manila, Korean food is fast on it's way to becoming one of the mainstream cuisines.  It's not as foreign as it was, say 5 years ago.  In fact, chapchae, a favorite of mine which uses potato starch noodles, is one of the staple dishes in our catering business.  In the beginning, I had a lot of fun introducing this dish to our clients.  These days, almost everyone I know is familiar with chapchae. 

My high school gang and I get together once every one or two months to hang out and catch up with each other's lives.  A few months ago, Dianne, arranged for us to meet up at Ye Dang.

The place was filled with Koreans, which is always a good sign good things to come.

We had to wait a while to get seated since our group was quite large.  We were ravenous by the time we were seated so we immediately placed our orders.

As soon as our orders were in, the banchan (or panchan) was placed on our table.  This is always the part I look forward to the most when dining at a Korean restaurant.  Banchan refers to the side dishes served along with rice and main courses.  These are meant to be shared.  We were served 7 side dishes which is a lot more than the standard 4-5 banchans served in other Korean restaurants. Among my favorites are the stir-fried anchovies (myeolchi bokkeum), the bean sprout salad (sookju namul), the seasoned spinach (sigumchi namul), and the ever popular pickled Napa cabbage most commonly referred to as kimchi.   Be warned, it's highly addicting.  Some days I end up eating kimchi twice a day together with my meals.

I love how crunchy, fresh, and delicate the flavors are despite how almost half of the dishes include chili paste in their ingredients.  The banchans whet the appetite.  I prefer to munch on them together with my main courses.  Ye Dang serves these side dishes automatically with any dish you order, hence the prices and the conservative portion sizes.  Korean cuisine has always been on the pricey side.

Dolsot Bibimbap Php  250.00

At the time, I had been craving for bibimbap which is simply rice topped with a fresh egg yolk and an assortment of Korean-style vegetables; meaning it was simply tossed with sesame oil, garlic, scallions (sometimes) and sesame seeds.  This particular bibimbap was served in a stoneware bowl which added a nice earthy touch to it.  It kept the bowl hot for a really long time so it cooked the egg yolk in no time at all.

Kalbichim Php 300

Kalbichim.  A classic Korean favorite.  Beef short rib stew.  The meat was incredibly tender and just melted in my mouth.  It had just the right sweetness and I liked how the sauce was packed with flavor and not watered down.

Sweet Beef Ribs Php 300.00

My friends took the more adventurous route.  They just couldn't pass up on putting the grill we had on our table to good use. 

They tried an order of the beef ribs.  They serve 2 portions for Php 300.00 which is quite steep in my opinion, given the cut and size of the meat.  However, for any grilled item they do serve a side of lettuce and perilla leaves with it which sorta makes up for it...erm experience-wise.  

This was my first time to see actual perilla leaves so it was exciting for me.  These leaves are related to the basil family and is widely used in Japanese cuisine.  Koreans also use perilla for kimchi among other things.  For this instance, we ate the perilla leaves as is.  You're supposed take a perilla leaf, scoop a spoonful of rice in the middle of the leaf together with a pinch of meat, wrap it, and then pop the whole thing into your mouth.  Fuuuuuun! :)

I forget how many orders of the grilled meats were consumed.  I do know that chapchae (Php 300.00) was ordered as well.

I'd hate to work as a dishwasher in any Korean restaurant, what with the gazillion plates and bowls they use.  However, as a customer, it makes for a really memorable dining experience and a whole lot of good conversation.  A bottle of soju (Php 180.00) would've been perfect with our dinner feast, but sadly it was a week day, so we settled for red bean ice cream instead at the Korean grocery right next door to Ye Dang.  :)



Address:  88 Meralco Ave., Ortigas, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Tel. #: 636-1461

Filipino-Spanish Cuisine at Sulyap Gallery Cafe

Last Thursday my mom successfully bribed me and Yuri into going with her to San Pablo, Laguna to take pictures of the farm lot that my dad and her are trying to sell.  The price?  Lunch.  That's always how it has been with me and my mom.  She hates to do her errands on her own (who can blame her) so she'd bribe me with a food stop in between so that I'd go with her.  Truth is, I'd go with her anyway even without the tempting restaurant stops, but it just made getting out of bed early a lot easier and pain-free.  I'm not the cheeriest person in the morning, you see.

The usual bribes were Taco Bell's Crunchy Wrap, Jollibee's Chickenjoy meal, Mcdonald's nuggets and fries, Figaro's Al Tonno Pasta, Cibo's Rigatoni Al'Afonso, and Omakase's or Teriyaki Boy's Shake Sashimi just to name a few.  These were the kinds of dishes that she knew knows I can't resist.  Appetite trumps laziness ALWAYS.

On that fateful Thursday, the bribe was a trip to Sulyap Gallery Cafe.  Sulyap is the Filipino word for "glimpse".  It was literally a glimpse into the past.  A peek into the days of Maria Clara outfits and kalesas.

The cafe is in a traditional Spanish colonial house, which was transported piece by piece from Quezon, and refurbished to it's former glory in San Pablo.  The 2-storey cafe is just a teeny tiny part of a huge compound that houses a massive art gallery building and a quaint B&B that they're still putting together.  My mom loves the place because it reminds her of her grandmother's old house, which she says is a spitting image of the cafe.

It feels like being thrown back to a time when things were less hurried and afternoons were savored with long siestas.  I had never felt so relaxed in a loooong time.  The sound of the breeze rustling through the bamboo leaves surrounding the restaurant just added to the sleepy and relaxed ambience.  During the two hours we spent there, I forgot about my never-ending list of things to do and our hectic schedule back in Metro Manila.

I found out that 3 architects own the place, which explains why every piece of furniture and accent decor in the cafe seemed well thought out.

We were planning on having a light lunch but that quickly changed.  It took 15 minutes for our food to arrive but that didn't matter since we were too busy ooh-ing and aahh-ing over the house.

Calamares & Chips Php 280.00

We started off with an order of their Calamares and Chips.  Deep-fried breaded squid strips with their homemade "fries" and a side of garlic dip.  The calamares was nice and crispy.  I liked that the garlic dip was subtle in flavor.  The chips were a bit soggy and could've used a few more minutes in the fryer, but nonetheless, they were fun to eat.

Kulawong Puso ng Saging Php 310.00

We were advised to order the Kulawong Puso ng Saging since it is a regional dish of San Pablo City and also one of Sulyap's specialties.  I was an instant fan!  You can choose between the puso ng saging (banana heart) or the talong (eggplant).  We went for the puso ng saging (the original recipe).  The strips of puso ng saging were simmered and reduced in smoked coconut milk and a dash of vinegar.  The resulting flavor was intense and rich.  I imagine the eggplant would work out just as well for this recipe.  It's then topped with slices of grilled pork liempo which completes this hearty dish.  It would've tasted just like a regular Ginataang Puso ng Saging, except that the smokiness of the coconut milk comes through distinctly in this dish.  It takes it to another level.  This dish is good for 3 persons and is best enjoyed with steamed white rice.  Mmmmmm.

Crispy Tilapia Php 270.00

We also ordered their butterflied deep-fried Crispy Tilapia.  It's my favorite way of eating a whole tilapia.  Since it's nice and cruchy, I can literally eat the entire fish... even the head.   Haha.  I did my dad proud that day.  No slices of sanitized fillets here.  The tilapia comes with a side of extra gingery oyster sauce.

All in all, the food was pleasant and the servers were courteous and unobtrusive.  Sulyap is a bit pricey but the ambience is well-worth it.  Another must-try is their Kare-kareng Sugpo which we didn't get to sample since we were quite stuffed with the food we had ordered.

The dish that really stood out for us was the Kulawong Puso ng Saging.  This proves that there's more to Filipino food that just lumpia, pansit, and adobo.  Don't get me wrong, lumpia, pansit and adobo are awesome, but there are hundreds of other regional Filipino dishes out there that are waiting to be discovered and reintroduced to the world.  Sulyap is definitely on to something here.  The traditional house and the food commemorate a time that is slowly being forgotten.  I'm glad that Sulyap is trying to preserve and recapture it. :-)



Address: Old Cocoland Compound, Del Remedio (Wawa), San Pablo, Laguna Province
Hours: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM everyday
Contact #: (6349) 562-8059

Deli Boys!

Deli Boys are out to give Santis a run for their money!  We were invited by the owners, Perry Choi and Wilcon Syjuico, to the grand opening of Deli Boys over at  Connecticut St., San Juan.  A night of cold cuts, Havarti cheese, and Meltique striploin.  *drooooool*

Cheese samples!

Oh my gosh that Meltique striploin was seared to awesomeness!  I'm usually wary of anything cooked rare to medium rare.  My uncle Fred was the only person EVER to able to tempt me to try a whole portion of rare steak.  I'd eat almost anything cooked by him.  I gained 10 pounds in a week on both my visits to him and my aunt Gina in Minnesota.  He developed the recipes for the likes of Auntie Anne's, Mister Donut, and many more.  A genius baker and uber talented cook.  His bourbon wings and artichoke dip had me eating like a caveman.  LOL.  I swear between my cousin and I, he baked about 2 dozen wings and we just vacuumed the whole batch.  Full rack of ribs.  Gone.  A kilo worth of assorted cold cuts.  Wiped out.  A big-ass New York cheesecake.  Obliterated.   Him and my aunt were just looking at us like we were aliens or something.  They're probably not gonna be inviting us over anytime soon.   Their pantry and alcohol stock took quite a hit.

As always I digress.  My apologies!  Anywayyyy all I'm trying to say, long-winded as it may be, is that I'd only eat steak rare if I knew I was in good hands.  Up to this day only my uncle has been able to ply me with rare steak.  I get paranoid with the quality of the meat, it's source, and the threat of parasites.  I blame it on the food science classes I took in college.  Counting all those bacteria colonies on petri dishes from various food swabs has made me really picky with my meat in general.

That was definitely not the case last night.  We were definitely in the best of hands.  These guys knew their meat.

We arrived a bit late at Deli Boys since we had a catering gig that same night which we had to oversee (Happy 30th Jay!).  We promised to drop in though and I really was looking forward to having a look at their products.

Really accurate copies of the real deal.

The main event?  The Meltique striploin.  The showed it to us before they cooked it.  The marbling on it was perfectly even all throughout the meat.  It was pink, fresh, and clean.  The quality was superb.  I feel terrible because I don't have any pictures to show for it.  I completely forgot about taking one.  It was that good!

It was served to us, medium-rare, with both sides seared perfectly and evenly, simply flavored with salt, pepper, and a mild teriyaki base and then topped with crunchy garlic bits and minced spring onions.  There was no way I was passing up on that.  Everyone took a bite and a resounding "Mmmmmm" was heard among the group of tasters.  Or maybe it was just me.  Haha.  I'm not all that sure since I was off in my own little world savoring my morsel of wagyu-like beef.  The striploin was seasoned well and the meat just literally melted in my mouth.  They had us try it again, medium-well this time, and it was still tender and moist.  The weird thing was that I found I liked it better medium-rare.  Whoa!  A first for me. :-)

All mostly under Php 100.00. :)

They've also got a nice selection of bread (foccacias, bagels, french bread, etc.), cheeses, wines, cold cuts, and every sort of prime cut of meat you can ever think of at really affordable prices.  They can cook it for you too since they also offer a full dining menu.  I will definitely be back for their steaks and I'll be sure to get a good picture this time. :-)



Address:  Unit 206, Northeast Square Building, Connecticut St.,Greenhills, San Juan City

On Mondays and Mango Tree

I love Mondays!  My mondays are what Sundays are for people with regular working days and hours.  On Mondays, I get to relax and sleep in.  However, this particular Monday seemed to whiz by faster than I would've liked.  Yes we did get to wake up late, but then we still had to go to a meeting and do one ocular inspection.  In between those two client meetings, we managed to squeeze in a date (Yay!).  You'd be surprised by the amount of greasy drive-through food we eat when we've got events to manage.  I make all these intricate appetizers and desserts for other people but it's usually Jollibee and Mcdonald's for me and Yuri.  I'm debunking some of the pre-conceived notions people have about chefs.  Chefs don't eat hoity toity fussy food all the time.  I can't speak for everyone, but when Yuri and I are working (managing events, logistics, and whatnot), any quick hot meal that'll fill our tummies usually does the trick.  You can't be fussy and choosy when you're pressed for time.  We make up for it when we're doing kitchen tests and when we're off the clock.  That's why our date earlier was such a treat and a welcome reprieve. 

We had a 1 o'clock meeting at Starbucks at Trinoma so we decided to do a late lunch at this resto we've been eyeing for a while now.  We've tried almost every other restaurant at Trinoma except for this one: The Mango Tree Bistro.  It's relatively new.  They opened their doors around mid-October last year.

The Mango Tree Bistro is from the famous Thai Mango Tree restaurant chain.  This spacious resto with its dimly-lit interior, brick walls, and deep violet accents is definitely pleasing to the eye.  We were looking forward to a nice, quiet, and relaxing meal, away from the usual hustle and bustle of the mall.  We were excited!  Yuri and I, we luuuurve our Thai food.  We've been to some really amazing Thai restaurants so our expectations were quite high.

I was determined to shy away from the Thai resto combo trap which is Phad Thai, Chicken Pandan, and Bagoong Rice.  I sort of succeeded.  Sort of.  Haha.  We started off with Por Pia Phad Thai, which was simply deep-fried spring rolls stuffed with Pad Thai noodles with sweet chili dipping sauce on the side.

Por Pia Phad Thai Php 150.00

It was nice and crisp but a tad too oily for my taste.  The peanut oil really comes through.  Props though for originality and well-seasoned Phad Thai noodles even if it was slightly overcooked.

Panang Nua Php 380.00

Next, we had this beef curry dish infused with kaffir lime leaves.  It was highly recommended by our courteous server.  The beef fillets were incredibly tender and the spiciness was just right for me.  The heat was spot on.  The  portion size is definitely big enough for 3 persons especially since you're supposed to eat it with rice.  Not eating rice with any sort of curry dish is just.... oh.... it's just not done!

Khaopad Gai Php 200.00

Me being the rice monster that I am decided to order Khaopad Gai (stir fried rice with chicken) to go with the Panang Nua.  I'm usually not this harsh, but I've got to say that this dish was a complete letdown.  It was totally under seasoned and did nothing to improve our meal and appetite (as most fried rice dishes usually do).  I guess my biggest issue with this dish would have to be the price.  It left us wanting.  We were better off with a bowl of Thai jasmine rice (which we did order in addition to the fried rice harhar).

If anything, the ambiance and service was excellent.  It definitely was not the best Thai food we've had (check out our secret Thai resto and then there's Thai Silk too which I will write about soon), but it was a welcome break from all the fast food grub we've been eating for the past week.

It's going to be another busy day for us tomorrow.  We will be braving the streets of Quiapo, Divisoria, Dangwa again. *sigh*  No more fastfoods please. :-(

Valentine's Day Date Options

Valentine's Day has always been a tad over-hyped for me.   It's been getting worse over the years.

Case in point, last year, we planned on having a quiet dinner date at Bonifacio High Street/Serendra.  We decided to just wing it and be spontaneous.  Nope.  Didn't happen. 

We paid dearly for our so-called spontaneity.

The entire area was packed!  It was just really noisy and the atmosphere was rife with something close to panic.  Restaurants were either booked up or had a waiting list.  Their hosts and servers were all irritable and frazzled.  Couples were scrambling to get into any restaurant.  Almost every restaurant that night came out with their own overpriced version of their "Romantic Dinner for Two" menu sets.  The cheapest one we saw was about Php 1,000.00++ per head.

We ended up at New Orleans Bourbon Street Steaks & Oysters.  By the time we got seated, we were grumpy, hungry, and completely stressed out!  The food was good and they even gave me a free box of heart-shaped chocolates, but it was just so far off from our imagined "quiet dinner date".  It's quite funny when I think about it now. 

The way I see it, there are three easy steps to beat the crazy commercial Valentine's hoopla:

1. Scout.  Start looking and asking around as early as now.  You might be able to get good deals if you plan ahead.
2. Be creative.  Hey if you've got skills in the kitchen, now would be the best time to show them off.  If concerts are your thing, there's loads of them happening on that day too.
3. Book ASAP.  Whatever it is, be it a concert, a date at a resto or something else, save yourself the stress and the hassle of last-minute plans.  You can do that on any other day of the month.

Since we're talking about this, I've got a Valentines date suggestion that's easy on the wallet,  romantic, and promises to give you a unique experience.

The Chocolate Buffet is a fund-raising event that my home organization (UP SHARP- University of the Philippines' Society for Hotel & Restaurant Progress) does yearly.  I used to help out with this back in college.  They've got a different theme each year and this one has got me intrigued.  For only Php 350.00 you get one main dish which is the Penne in Tomato Cream Sauce (served plated), and unlimited access to the dessert buffet.

Chocolate Buffet:

• Heavenly Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Caramel Mousse
• Spiced White and Dark Chocolate Truffles
• Chili-Cinnamon Chocolate Mousse
• Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Moist Peanut Brownies
• Flourless Chocolate Biscuits
• Chocolate Fondue

Everyone I know who's been to this buffet (including me) goes home giddy and high, what with the dizzying amount of chocolate treats available.  You get to help out hard-working college students AND you get a bang for your buck.  Now that's an awesome date. 

I had my heart set on making this our Valentine's date, but unfortunately, duty calls.  Yeah, one of the downsides of catering.  Not that I'm complaining of course.

Anyway, since I'm resigned to the fact that we can't go, I thought I'd share this with you guys to add to your list of possible Valentine's day date plans.  Just an idea.  Lemme know how it goes. :-)

Lights, Scones, and Coffee

I've been a little remiss in updating my blog this past week.  I've been completely distracted from all the trips, reunions, and parties that I've had to go to.  The amount of food I've eaten is ridiculous.  I've no clue where to start or how to sum it all up, so I won't even try.  I'll save all that for my other entries.

My new year was simple, relatively quiet, and alcohol-free.  Surprise surprise.  Truth is I was still recovering from my reunion with my college buds the other night.

I welcomed the new year with scones, a cup of cafe latte, and fireworks.

Warm Plain Scones with Raspberry Compote and Clotted Cream

I will not nitpick about the menu, the band, or the service at The Lounge of the Manila Marriott.  No I will not because the new year is about good vibes.  At least I'm trying to keep it that way.    

After all the stuff I've been eating of late this was a refreshing change.  I had my family with me and that's all that counts.  2010 was awesome but I've got a feeling that 2011's going to seriously ROCK.

Crossing my fingers!

The Rolls Royce of Chocolates

I was working with chocolate last night and I've come to realize that chocolates are really moody. You never get EXACTLY the same result. It greatly depends on the temperature and humidity in the kitchen. You never know what you're in store for. Some days it's effortless, other days it can get a bit frustrating, especially if you're working with melted chocolate. I still love it though.  I mean, who doesn't love chocolate? For some it's the best sort of all-around medicine, i.e. for a broken heart, a day gone wrong, depression, etc., etc.  It makes you feel good (that and ice cream) no matter what.  No matter how tight a person's budget is, somehow chocolate ends up in our grocery carts every now and then.

One chocolate brand that I wouldn't mind spending would spend my money on is Royce'.  It's the only chocolate that I literally dream about on a regular basis.  Silky smooth blocks of melt-in-your-mouth morsels of happiness lightly dusted in cocoa powder.  It's pure genius!  

I got mine twice straight from Japan as gift from my beloved cousin.  I am amazed that she has had the generosity and self-control to spare me not one but TWO whole boxes of Royce' Chocolates because I'm not sure if I would've been able to give them away if the roles were reversed (shameful I know).  But I'm paying her back by giving her awesome food and styling at her wedding next year.  Harhar.  :))

I remember when I got my first box of Royce' Nama Chocolates (this was before I got married and was still living with my parents) and I gave up 4 squares of chocolate, quite grudgingly, to my brother and mom, both of whom are the certified chocolate junkies in the family, so that they could try it out.  They both had the same reaction as I did.  I'm telling you, once they bit into it, their eyes went wide with shock for a second or two,then their eyes closed, closely followed by a look of pure bliss.  True story.  

Whenever I pop a piece into my mouth, my entire mind goes blank and all my senses involuntary zoom in on this amazing piece of bittersweet chocolate.  And then it sort of feels like an an orchestra's playing in my head (in surround sound, mind you) as it starts to melt oh so delicately in my mouth.   Heady stuff.   I could rave about Royce' all day! 

Since the chocolates were so precious I tried to eat one square a day only.  It was like The Ring.  I'd see my brother and my mom circling the chiller where I'd kept the box, alternately and at the different times of the day, attempting to steal some when I wasn't looking. They did succeed a few times and they'd come to me to sort of apologize saying that they couldn't stop thinking about the chocolates and that it was out of their control.  Totally understandable, but there really must be something dark and evil in that box. lol.

Royce is made in Hokkaido, Japan.  A box of Royce Chocolates is usually wrapped in three layers of packaging that comes with a cooling gel to ensure it makes it to wherever its headed without melting.  It has to be stored below 10 C since the ingredients are highly perishable.  Good thing they're now available in the Philippines.  Woot!  You can now buy them at the Powerplant Mall in Rockwell, Makati (costs about P580) and when I last checked they had a stall in Trinoma too, but I'm not sure if it's still there. 

If Yuri had given me two or three (or four) different boxes of Nama Chocolates on our first date I would've maybe agreed to be his girlfriend within a week.

Kidding!

Not.

Erm maybe?

Who knows. :)

Hankering for a Panizza at C'Italian

I woke up late this morning but I still got to squeeze in a few hours of work and somehow  managed to close a deal. Yay. :-)  If we hadn't bagged that event I would've been riddled with guilt for wasting half the morning away.  So all in all it was good day.  I'm feeling semi-accomplished.

On days like these, I'd usually ask my husband to take me out on a date.  But since he's feeling a bit under the weather, I guess an imaginary food trip would have to do.  

Let me take you to C' Italian Dining in Pampanga.  This restaurant is famously FAMOUS for their panizza.   Chef Chris is quite the celebrity too.   I'm telling you this place is well worth the trip.

I discovered this jewel through my brother and his girlfriend.  They heard from a friend about an amazing Italian restaurant in Pampanga.  We were coming down from Baguio at the time and driving back to Manila.  Since the traffic was so bad (Holy Week) we decided to take a detour and see for ourselves if the place lived up to the hype. 

It was an easy decision at that point since we'd been driving for almost 5 hours with all 6 of us crammed into one car together with all our bags, supplies, and what not.  The thought of getting out and stretching our already numb legs was heavennnn.

It was really tricky finding C' Italian since we only had a hazy recollection of a text message to go on for directions. After harassing quite a number of people on the street who only gave us a blank looks after mentioning "C'Italian", we were getting frustrated.

By some miracle we managed to land on Don Juico Ave. (which has been renamed to Fields? I think).   At this point my expectations were pretty low.  I've gotta say, the location is quite funny.  It's right outside Clark so I feel stupid now for being shocked the first time I went there.  Girly bars line the street with a generous scattering of scantily clad girls evenly interspersed with foreigners walking down the street.  I really thought we'd end up in some sleazy restaurant.  Thank God I was so wrong! The ambience is perfectly understated and elegant with dark stone walls and dim cozy lighting.  Turns out there are a few other restos in the area that are quite good (like Zapatas).  I've yet to try them out though.   

I digress.  Back to the Panizza.  Oh my gulay. The Panizza is SO GOOD.  It's a rectangular thin crust pizza sliced into long strips and served with a variety of toppings, and always with a bowl of alfalfa and arugula on the side.  My personal favorite is the Panizza Angelico.  This has chorizo, salami, bacon, mushrooms and mozzarella.

How to Eat a Panizza:
1.   Sprinkle your desired amount of alfalfa and arugula on your panizza strip.  Don't hoard everything.  Remember to leave some for your companions so that they too can enjoy the complete panizza experience.
2.  Roll the panizza, with your greens in between, until it's bite-size.
3.  Take a deep breath.
4.  Close your eyes.
5.  Bite into your panizza roll.
6.  Mm mmm mmmmmmm.

Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.  I know this is supposed to be a panizza entry but it would be sacreligious of me not to mention Roberto.  Oh Roberto.  Penne Roberto.  Creamy gorgonzola goodness.  I go weak in the knees for well made cream-based pasta sauces so this was memorable for me too.  Gorgonzola was melted into the cream sauce which coated the penne and chicken fillet strips.  Sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and an assortment of herbs was also in the mix.

I now leave you with these words:  Panizza and Roberto.

Try it. :-)


Buon Appetito!


~Mich :)




Here's the link to C' Italian Dining to help you out.  Make sure you call in advance to reserve a table because the place is packed and you could end up waiting in line for hours.