the hungry ballerina

Fine dining at Sala and Ramen at Ukkokei (what I ate this week)

2012-02-26T00:10:00.000-08:00

I had two lovely dinners this week. The first was at Sala Restaurant in Makati. This is the fine dining sister of Sala Bistro, which many seem to be familiar with because it is located at Greenbelt Mall.
I have loved Sala ever since it opened in Malate years ago. I have to admit I've only been to their Makati location twice, I suppose because it is a destination place in the sense that you can't just pop in and also because it is quite pricey and more of a special occasion place.

After dinner there I vowed to frequent it because the food is still excellent and to me it is really one of our best restaurants in town. (Sala Bistro doesn't hold a candle to it I'm afraid, the food there lately has been just ok)

I was with my mom and she just had a salad. But is was a gorgeous salad with smoked duck breast, roast Anjou pears, fresh pomengranate, walnuts and truffle honey. Doesn't it look delicious?

I started with the pan seared foie gras which was a special that night. It was sublime.

For my main I had the Grilled tasmanian salmon fillet, sauteed Jerusalem artichokes, roast pepers and Puy lentils. To me salmon is a challenge because most restaurants cook the life out of it. At Sala they cook it perfectly, with a nice char on the outside and utter softness when you slice into it.

For dessert mom had the mango pavlova which I thought was heavenly.

While I had the chocolate souffle. I'm so predictable but I really can't resist chocolate souffles!

The next evening I finally got to try Ukkokei ramen. I feel like I'm the only person who hasn't eaten here. Everyone has been raving about it and it has been open since 2009. I live a mere 10 minute drive away and yet it took me this long. (I actually went there twice and both times it was closed, I was unaware that they are closed Sunday evenings)

Anyway we started with tamago or Japanese eggs. These were a cross between soft and hard boiled eggs. I know they are supposed to be eaten with the Ramen but we were so hungry we gobbled it up. It was so delicious!

Then we shared the fried shrimp loaded with Japanese Mayo, it satiated our hunger quite nicely!

And finally the Ramen! I had the miso butter corn ramen with an extra order of that delicious pork topping as you can see. They have three kinds of ramen to choose from, aside from miso, the others are Shoyu (soy based) and Shiro (salt based). They say the Shoyu is the best but I have to say that this Miso based one was perfection!

Rumor has it that the Japanese man running this is sort of a soup nazi (a la Seinfeld). There are rules like no sharing and they say that when the broth he cooks for the day is finished, they close. I'm a huge fan of the Japanese graphic novel Oishinbo and that's where I discovered that the secret to a good Ramen is in the broth. Actually just watch Tampopo and you'll see how important it is.

http://www.salarestaurant.com/

Ukkokei Ramen Ron, Unit 1-2, Upper G/F, Tesoro Building, 822 A. Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road), Makati City, Philippines.

Little Tokyo, Makati

2012-02-13T01:59:00.000-08:00

Little Tokyo is a cluster of small Japanese restaurants at the back of Makati Cinema Square in Pasong Tamo extension. During the day it looks kind of dingy but at night it transforms into a delightful little space.

Many Japanese frequent Little Tokyo and for laid back Sundays I love going there to eat Japanese food. Two of the places I like are Hanna and Nodasho. They are across from each other.

Hanna is under new management and we did notice that although the food was still good, it wasn't a great as it used to be. I love what they call a cubic steak. t used to be perfectly crisp outside and soft and tender inside. During my last visit it lost its crispness but it still tasted good.

This grilled fish doesn't look like much but it is delicious. Perfectly grilled! It was juicy and flavorfull. We order this at Nodasho as well and I suspect they both come from the same Yakiniku place. I noticed that the restaurants order from each other, which to me is part of the appeal of the place.

I always order Ebi Tempura every time I'm in a Japanese restaurant. I just can't resist it. I believe it is a childhood thing.

And a cold Kirin Beer is perfection!

Over at Nodasho, some tekka maki and shime saba, old favorites to start.

And their version of sukiyaki for two. For some reason we couldn't order sukiyai because it was good for four people and they suggested this alternative. It was exactly the same except that the noodles were slightly thicker and there was no egg. Needless to say it was delicious and perfect because it was raining when we had this.

The broth up close!

I have to note that in Nodasho we had the grilled fish and tempura as well but I thought posting their photos were superfluous.

On a final note, the prices at Little Tokyo are not too bad. Next on my list is to try Serya, another restaurant in the same area.

Shi Lin, Bonifacio Global City

2012-01-22T00:41:00.000-08:00

I've blogged about Din Tai Fung and how much I love their Xiao long bao. (Steamed dumplings with soup in them!) It is a must every time I'm in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Last Friday, I had dinner with my college friends and they suggested Shi Lin. The one we went to was fairly new and already the second branch of this restaurant. The original one is at the Podium in Ortigas Center.

The first thing I noticed were the cooks making the delectable dumplings. They were working behind a glass window just like the cooks in Din Tai Fung. Although this kitchen was much smaller.

The menu also had less items than Din Tai Fung but it had many identical dishes.

Like the Drunken Chicken which tasted just the same (though this chicken was not as plump)

The cucumber with garlic and chili was also a match!

The fried rice with shrimp and egg was also good although the one at Din Tai Fung was a notch better (but I'm nitpicking here because this was seriously delicious).

This crispy salt and pepper squid is unique to Shi Lin if I'm not mistaken and it was crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked inside. (Not rubbery at all!)

And of course the exquisite Xiao Long Bao. It tasted exactly the same. Delicious!

This was their version of siomai which to me was the only mediocre dish we ordered. Not bad to be sure but compared to everything else it was just ok.

We also had a vegetable bun and for dessert a bean paste bun which were very good but devoured quickly.

I couldn't resist ordering this Japanese beer because it looked so cute. It was brewed in the Belgian style according to the bottle and I must say it had a very similar taste with the Belgian beers I've tried. It was a bit sweet so it really went with the food.

Shi Lin, Ground Floor, Commercenter Bldg, 4th Ave Cor 31st St., Global City
Tel No: (02)703-5428

Kai, Greenbelt Makati

2012-01-15T04:14:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying that Tsukiji is still my favorite Japanese restaurant in Manila. However, my second favorite is Kai. Kai serves neo-Japanese food if that makes any sense. The chef, Gilbert Pangilinan used to work at the famed Nobu. I was at the Asia Society dinner that brought him here more than a decade ago and I remember being blown away by the food. I have been a fan of Kai ever since it opened in Manila.

I love eating outside and having a long drawn out dinner every time I'm at Kai. Last night was one such night and we ordered all our favorites (minus the Wasabi Oysters Dynamite which we usually also get).

Champagne really goes with Japanese food but it's too expensive to order every time I eat Japanese food so I usually settle for Prosecco which is also really good with it.

I love Shemi Saba or Mackarel. Yummy!

And Kai's Unagi Kyuri, it has a sweetish sauce that's a bit different from the usual unagi maki.

This is the roasted grape and tomato salad with sesame dressing. This is a must! Really wonderful flavors.

And although I have to admit that the sashimi at Kai doesn't hold a candle to Tsukiji's sublime sashimi, I still can't resist ordering Hamachi.

We always order the Wagyu Kalbi beef Ishiyaki. It's paper thin strips of marbly beef that you cook on hot stones. It's fun to cook and it is really delicious. It comes with three sauces and some salad. I always start by cooking a cube of fat to "oil" the stone.

Look at that marbly wagyu!

Here it is cooking, we keep the fat to the side to eat with rice when it becomes all burnt and crisp. I know terribly unhealthy!

I also adore Kai's Inaniwa Sichimi Pasta with mushrooms, asparagus and truffle oil. It is so heavenly and although it is not your typical Japanese fare, it really goes with everything! (This photo doesn't do justice to this superb dish)

And for dessert, more cooking! S'mores! (Need I say more?)

Roast the marshmallows then squeeze them in between two graham crackers and a dollop of chocolatey goodness.

Kai, Greenbelt 5, Makati City
(02) 757-5209

An Amazing dinner by Chef Clinton

2012-01-03T20:09:00.000-08:00

My sister from San Francisco is visiting for the holidays and my cousin, Chef Clinton Nuyda, cooked us a dinner in her honor. It was so amazing, I just have to share.

The table all set

We started with Butternut Squash Soup with Cardamom Cream and Crispy Bacon. The crunch of the salty bacon was the perfect juxtaposition to the sweetish creamy soup. We had this with a nice Chardonnay.

Next we had Pan Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras and Mixed Berry and Onion Compote with Port Caper White Truffle Infused Sauce.
Again all the flavors were perfectly balanced. We paired this with a wonderful Alsatian Riesling.

This was followed by Fennel Salad with Limoncello Vinaigrette with Saffron Shrimp Raviolis. Amazing flavors! My cousin is a ravioli king of sorts and he makes all his pasta from scratch. We continued with the Riesling while some of us went back to the Chardonnay.

Our main course was Slow Braised U.S. Angus Ribeye Beef, Caramelized Onions, Haricot Vert and Black Truffle Cauliflower Puree. The beef was so hefty I'm surprised that a lot of us finished it! That puree was pure genius. It doesn't have the calories of the usual mash but it tasted divine. Of course we had a nice Argentinian Cabernet Sauvingon to hold its own against the robust taste of the beef.

Our dessert was Warm Raisin Orange Bread Pudding with Vanilla Bean Grand Marnier Sabayon and Shaved Vahlrona Chocolate. It was fluffly like a souffle and not at all dense and heavy. The flavors were everything I love! While some opted to continue with wine, I think this called for delicious espresso!

Thank you so much Clint! This was a truly memorable meal.

Abaca restaurant, Cebu

2012-01-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

As soon as I found out that we were going to spend a few days in Cebu between Christmas and New Year , I quickly made a reservation at Abacá restaurant. I had eaten here in 2009 and I was very impressed with the menu, ambience and quality of the food and service. I wanted my family to try it and they were just as impressed as I was.

Abacá is located in Mactan island which is about an hour's drive from Cebu city. We were staying at the Shangri-la Mactan so it took us all of 5 minutes to get there. Abacá is actually a beautiful exclusive boutique hotel. The menu of the restaurant is a collaboration between Chef and owner Jason Hyatt and Australian Executive Chef Wade Watson. The menu is uncomplicated and the food is delicious. They have a wood burning oven where they cook their signature flat bread pizzas and their delicious steaks and roasted chicken.

My parents started with their organic salads and they lapped it up which is a feat considering they are not big salad eaters.

My sister had this chorizo dish with olives and other tasty things. I had a bite and it was a burst of flavor in my mouth.

Another appetizer was this super fresh lightly seared tuna carpaccio.

And of course we had to have a pizza. This was the Margherita and it was delicious. The crust was wonderfully thin and I was briefly transported back to Italy.

Main courses included this decadent pasta with a slow cooked egg and truffle! The most heavenly combination.

And slow cooked pork belly. Ayayay so good!

And the wood oven roasted chicken for 2-3 persons. The skin was so perfectly crispy and tasty, and that broccoli you see? Wow, addicting! Seriously!

For dessert we this is what we all shared

It's the holidays and I'm intoxicated all the time so you must forgive me for my lack of eloquence in describing the food. That same day we had dinner in Abacá we had a decadent lunch of roasted pig or lechon on the beach. That we were stuffed and still managed to eat this much that evening is a testament to how good the food at Abacá is.

It really is among my favorite restaurants. I also have to mention that the restaurant opens up to views of the sea. Icing on the cake if you ask me. Happy 2012 everyone!

Va Bene Pasta Deli

2011-12-17T21:50:00.000-08:00

I have been hearing about this place for quite some time. It started as one of those "secret" foodie places that got a lot of buzz and now it isn't really a secret anymore.

Va Bene is oddly located at the second floor of a gas station, not exactly a place one would identify with authentic Italian pasta. Last night was a terribly rainy night and we were originally planning to go to Draft for their super burgers that we were craving, but the traffic was so bad and when we passed Petron gas station we remembered that we had been meaning to try Va Bene. It was still early but when we got there it was full and the remaining tables were reserved. Luckily someone was leaving so we snagged a table.

The chef here is Massimo Veronesi who used to be the chef at Manila Peninsula's Mi Piace, one of the Italian restaurants I used to love.

Va Bene is small but cozy. It has an open kitchen and the wait staff is very friendly. For the standard of food you get (high quality ingredients), the price point isn't bad.

The chef's cookbooks were on the shelf beside our table

The menu is not too long, offering a variety of antipasti and fresh pasta. We started with pan seared foie gras with caramelized onions and portobello ravioli. We were so hungry we already split it in half when I remembered to take a photo. It was absolutely divine!

Then we shared two pastas. The crab tortellini in seafood bisque was wonderful. You can really taste the intensity of the flavor of the bisque which was obviously simmered for awhile. We lapped up the sauce until the plate was clean.

We also had the organic egg taglioni with mushrooms and truffle oil. The smell alone was thrilling! Again, it was fabulous. And I have to say fresh pasta really makes a difference.

For dessert we had Panna cotta with marinated strawberries. The strawberries were marinated to perfection, there was just the right amount of sweetness and tartness. Even if I'm not a Panna cotta fan, I thought this was delicious.

And not to be missed is the Cicolatto orange parfait. It was like frozen white chocolate goodness with hints of orange. (Sorry once again we sliced it in half before the photo op)

They don't have an extensive wine list but the waiter said that we can bring our own wine next time. It was a lovely meal that I'm still thinking about. In fact I can't wait to go back and try other things on the menu. This place makes eating carbs worth every calorie!

2ND FL PETRON GAS STATION EDSA CORNER PASAY ROAD DASMARINAS VILLAGE
+632 5569442/+63 9173456869

Le Petit Zinc, Paris

2011-12-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

Being in Paris on a Sunday is a challenge if you like having nice dinners out. Not that finding a nice place to eat in Paris is difficult by any stretch. It's just that most good restaurants are closed on Sundays. I live in fear of wasting a dinner in a tourist trap so when we found ourselves in Paris on a Sunday last June, I had a dilemma. I wanted to eat somewhere good, and it had to be in the general St. Germain area. (I don't remember why but my parents were tired and they didn't want to go far).

Thanks to our wonderful concierge at Le Placide, Christophe (he has helped me consistently for the last three years), we ended up in Le Petit Zinc.

Because of its location, it is a bit touristy. All the restaurants in its proximity were, but I guess we really had no choice. The restaurant itself is beautiful and romantic, very belle epoque. We were seated in the nice terrace area (next to two very interesting American doctors we chatted with for a bit).
We went super traditional with our orders and we were pleasantly surprised.

We started with wonderful Fines de Claires.

Then Foie Gras de Canard of course! I can never resist this is France.

Then Escargot de Bourgogne in all its buttery goodness!

We also ordered this plate of grilled fish on tagliatelle, it was delicious of course.

We also had this wonderful roasted Chicken swimming in its jus. I swear the French cook everything to perfection.

Then my favorite part, dessert! We had profiteroles which was beyond heavenly.

And the most amazing crepes de "Chez Suzette" which was decadent and according to my dad, the best he's ever tasted.

We left the restaurant extremely happy, that I remember!

http://www.petit-zinc.com/

Chirstmas at Cirkulo

2011-12-07T20:41:00.001-08:00

The Christmas season usually means countless dinners and parties with friends, colleagues, and family. One party I always look forward to is the annual Christmas dinner I have with my college friends. We have been doing this since we were all single. We have since gotten married, had kids (not all of us), gotten divorced (just me), moved to other countries ( a few), and sadly, last year two wonderful guys from our group passed away.

But no matter what we continue our yearly tradition. Aside from really enjoying the company of this particular group of friends, I really look forward to the food. It's no secret that Cirkulo is one of my favorite restaurants in Manila. The food is of the highest quality and it is consistently delicious. Lucky for us, Chef J Gamboa is in our group.He usually takes care of the food for our annual fete and it is always mouth-watering!

We started with delicious cold cuts and cheese but I have no photos of that unfortunately.

Other wonderful tapas we munched on while waiting for everyone to arrive were gambas al ajillo and chorizo.

Then we were served Paella negra or black paella (with squid ink). We also had some traditional paella, talk about carbo overload!

Then what we were all waiting for, the turkey! Look at it, yummy!

Sliced Turkey with its gravy

The chestnut stuffing

Carrots, Zucchini, and Haricot Verts

We had two desserts. Bread pudding a la mode and chocolate soufflé with dark cherries. I swear these were to die for!

Look at the cherries inside the soufflé!

What a wonderful feast! It feels like such a treat to have an evening with great company and great food.

By the way, all these vibrant photos were taken by my fellow foodie friend Tricia Tensuan. (With the exception of the veggies which I took- her photos were way nicer than mine, I'm rather guilty of always being in a rush because I'm so excited to eat). Thanks again Tricia!

What I eat for lunch when visiting Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin

2011-12-04T03:23:00.001-08:00

I often book dinners way before I arrive in a city. Especially if it's to a well-known restaurant or a place I've been dying to try. This means lunch, if I do decide to have it, is often spontaneous. I love grabbing a bite in something like the Harrods food hall, which is amazing. (On a side note, the oldest department store in Berlin, KaDeWe has an equally fantastic food hall).

In Paris you can stop anywhere and have something beyond amazing but a sentimental favorite is Café de Flore in St. Germain. Yes, it is full of tourists but I just adore sitting in the cafe and pretending (in my mind's eye) that I'm French. It's lovely to people watch outside but it gets unbearably crowded at times.

I always order the same thing. A ham and cheese omelette and a glass of white wine. (When I do get tempted to order a croque madame, I always pair it with martini bianco)

It is not unusual to have oeufs for lunch in Paris!

Delicious crusty bread is the culprit for many a pound I've gained

During our last trip I stopped by the famous Poilane bread shop and discovered that they have a sort of coffee shop beside them that serves all these open faced sandwiches on Poilane bread. I vaguely remember Ina Garten mentioning this in an episode of one of her shows so I just had to drop by for lunch.

They have these wonderful slices of bread with all the toppings you can imagine. I suppose I can say it's like a pizza but not.

I'm not sure if this is chicken or tuna with anchovies and capers...

But I'm sure I had the sardines. Really delicious!

In Amsterdam we keep coming back to the Pancake Bakery. It is one of the most popular places to get Dutch pancakes and there is always a line to get in. We lined up in the cold rain for awhile on this trip!

The line to get in

It was nice and cozy inside (and dark like a dungeon)

We shared a savory pancake with tons of cheese. Yum!

But the real draw was the super desserts! Dutch pancakes are sort of like crepes but with more air and it looks like Roti.

There's another place called Pancakes! that also has very good Dutch Pancakes but it is a very small place so the wait to get a seat there is even longer.

In Brussels I loved going to the places around the Grand Place for lunch. I know a lot are touristy but we chanced upon one of the older pubs and enjoyed it tremendously.

Sole swimming in butter. Don't judge me I'm totally in love with butter!

Of course Belgian Frites rock!

How can you not have a nice frothy beer with that?

In Berlin currywurst is the best snack there is but I've already talked about that in my Berlin post. The best chocolatier in town is called Fassbender and Rausch and they have to die for cakes in the coffee shop upstairs. I was always more than stuffed in Berlin so I would usually settle for something like hot chocolate with some ginger when I needed a snack, which was divine!

Swan Oyster Depot, San Francisco

2011-11-27T01:12:00.001-08:00

Swan Oyster Depot is a San Francisco landmark. It opened in 1912 in the same exact spot and the 5th generation of the family that owns it continues to serve customers behind the original marble counter today.

This place is no frills. Just a counter with about 20 seats. They open from 8am to 5:30 PM and they have the freshest (off-the-boat) seafood. There is always a line to get in but it is well worth the wait.
Everything here is served cold (with the exception of the clam chowder). The service is efficient but friendly and eating here is always a great experience.

On my last trip my sister and I had a seafood feast.

The seafood taunts us as we wait in line

My sister lining up outside

The menu is on the wall. When they run out of seafood for the day they close, so it's wise to go early.

I love the seafood salad. Crisp iceberg lettuce, fresh seafood and their own addicting Louie sauce, which is kind of like thousand island dressing but elevated.

We also had the most delicious smoked salmon.

And of course local oysters!

We had their wonderful house Chardonnay (California of course!), and local sour dough bread. Really delicious. This place is a must every time I'm in San Francisco. (I swear I'd rather eat here than Fisherman's Wharf)

1517 Polk st., San Francisco

Boulevard, San Francisco

2011-11-21T00:18:00.001-08:00

Nancy Oakes is a self-taught chef but today she is probably the most beloved chef in San Francisco. A James Beard awardee, she opened Boulevard in 1993 and to this day it remains one of the most popular restaurants in the Bay Area.

When we had dinner there last month, there was no sign of recession judging from the number of people waiting at the bar for a table in this 145-seat restaurant.

Bustling dining room

It comes as no surprise because the ambiance and service at Boulevard is warm and impeccable. Their promise of cooking "a la minute" using sustainable ingredients is reflected in the quality of the food.
There were 3 of us dining but I only got what I ate and what my sister (who was beside me) ate. It was just too much of a reach to take food photographs across the table and I still believe that dinner should be social first and foremost. (Blogging duties come in second).

I started with Pan Seared Sonoma Foie Gras. It had honey roasted Shinko Pears, Pickled squash, membrillo, and spiced chocolate toast.

My sister had Lobster Ravioli Al Nero which was Sepia Ink Pasta with Maine Lobster and Melted leeks, Lobster Sabayon and Chanterelles.

She had Wood Oven Roasted Heritage Pork Prime Rib Chop with Kabocha Squash Gnocchi, Celery root and Butternut squash with fontina, shallot and sage roasted Fuji Apples. According to her it was the best pork chop she ever had in her life. (She sticks to her proclamations, to this day she claims that Redd in Napa Valley still has the best Duck she's ever had)

I had Grilled Wild Coho Salmon with sweet white corn, golden chanterelles, native harvest wild rice, wilted Spinach salad, roasted walnuts, Smoky bacon, sherry Vinaigrette, and fried cipollini onions.

For desert I had their Chocolate Carmello Bar. It had a chewy caramel cookie center, Sarsaparilla Vanilla Ice cream, Root Beer sorbet, cold milk foam and honeycomb candy.

My sister had a selection of artisanal cheeses from the cheese cart.

I order from the Hess Collection every time it's on the menu. We visited their winery many years ago and I can never forget how classy their small winery was with beautiful art all over.

Aziza, San Francisco

2011-11-12T23:10:00.001-08:00

Moulad Lahlou came to San Francisco when he was in his 20's to study Economics. Missing the food of his native land he started experimenting with local ingredients to recreate his favorite Moroccan dishes. In 2001 he opened Aziza in San Francisco's Richmond district to much acclaim. Since then he has been awarded 3 and a half stars by the San Francisco chronicle and 1 Michelin star. Aziza is also on Zagat's list of top 10 bay area restaurants of the last decade and Chef Lahlou won the Food Network's Iron Chef by a record-breaking margin. (He beat Iron chef Cat Cora).

This is one of those restaurants I've also been meaning to try but never got to until now. Richmond is not walking distance from the city center but I had just had coffee with an old friend and he kindly drove us to our dinner on his way home.

The dining room is gorgeous

The candle on the table was so pretty

Aziza is lovely, very sexy in an otherworldly way. We ordered 3 starters which we shared.

The Spreads which was roasted eggplant, yogurt and dill, and piquillo-almond. These were served with freshly made flatbread.

We also couldn't resist the sweetbreads with bone marrow, winter squash, and pumpkin seed.

And the Duck confit Basteeya (traditional Moroccan chicken pie) , which is not to be missed. It has raisins and almonds and it is divine. The waiter cracks it for you and serves it individually.

Look at all the duck goodness and the beautiful flakey crust!

On to the main courses!

This was the Shortribs with sunchoke, bread pudding, carrot, abalone mushroom and artichoke. The plate was across me and I was dying to dig into my food so the photo is a bit sad.

My sister had the scallop with green farro, himalayan truffle, carrot and cilantro.

I had the Chicken with fregola, vinegar, scallions and kale. I loved the punch that the vinegar added!

For dessert we just shared the chocolate cremeux with star anise, coconut ice cream, and black currant. We were so full by this time!

Then the waiter brought us these amazing beignets! Talk about food coma!

We had a lovely local Pinot Noir to go with our feast.

I didn't realize how rich and heavy Moroccan food was, in hindsight I think we ordered too much for three persons.

Aziza was a great experience. The food was superb, the service was excellent and the vibe was relaxing! It is a bit out of the way but the restaurant is very helpful and they called a cab for our trip back downtown.

Pearl's Burgers, San Francisco

2011-11-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love a good burger? I'm not talking about the sad, soggy burgers that the Fast food chains spew out. I'm talking about a nice juicy, beefy burger with all the trimmings on a great tasting bun.

When I told my sister I wanted to try the famous In and Out burger, she made a face and said why?!?! She suggested their home grown Pearl's which was a short walk from her apartment.

It was a hole-in-the wall with very few seats. Luckily we arrived at an odd hour so it wasn't too full. She said that sometimes there's a line out the door.

I got the classic deluxe mini which is actually a quarter pounder. I had it with Cheddar Cheese yum! I also decided to go all the way and ordered a chocolate milkshake as well. Oh my oh my.

Up close!

Their fries are fried in a very light batter similar to airy tempura batter.

It was absolutely fantastic. I haven't had a burger this good in a long time. You can tell that the quality of the meat is superb and it was cooked perfectly. No greasy aftertaste, just a delicious burger the way it is supposed to be.

They have many other burger variations that I hope to try next time I'm in San Francisco!

http://www.pearlsdeluxe.com/

This was on twitter today:

http://www.zagat.com/buzz/burger-smackdown-umami-pearls-and-super-duper#utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitter

The Slanted Door, San Francisco

2011-11-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

Ever since the Phan family opened Slanted Door in 1995, it has been one of San Francisco's most popular restaurants. Led by executive chef Charles Phan, the restaurant serves modern Vietnamese cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. Today the family runs several successful ventures in the city and the Slanted Door has since moved from its original spot on Valencia St. to the glorious Ferry Terminal Building.

We had dinner there on a beautiful Wednesday evening late October and it was packed when we arrived for our 8:15 reservation. After settling into a nice table by the window we scanned the menu and just wanted to order everything.

The restaurant was packed!

View of the Bay Bridge from my seat

After much editing we decided to start with the wild california yellowtail with crispy shallots and thai basil. It was super fresh and the shallots and basil added just the right amount of punch.

We actually order a whole array of dished and just put them all in the middle of the table for sharing. Here are the rest.

Fantastic barbecued Willis ranch pork spareribs with honey-hoisin sauce. This had us licking our fingers. The pork was falling off the bone, it was ridiculously tender.

This was recommended by our server, California sable fish roll with saw tooth herb, turmeric and gingered fish sauce. Yes it tastes as interesting as it sounds!

The caramelized wild gulf shrimp with garlic, onions and chili sauce had the most perfect caramelization to add the right amount of sweetness to this dish.

The cellophane noodles with green onion and fresh dungeness crab meat was absolutely addicting.

And the Grass-fed Estancia shaking beef (cubed filet mignon, watercress, red inions and lime sauce) was legendary. I swear I'm dreaming of this as I write this.

We had Massa organics brown rice to go with everything.

I'm certain we had dessert but we must have been in such a food coma by then that I forgot to take photographs.

I had such a wonderful time at Slanted Door, I don't know why this is the first time I've tried it after years of visiting San Francisco regularly.

Baker and Banker, San Francisco

2011-10-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

My sister suggested this newish neighborhood restaurant for dinner. It occupies the space where Quince used to be. (Quince has since moved to a fancier place).

It was packed when we got there but we were promptly seated for our 8:15 reservation. It is run by the husband and wife tandem of Chef Jeff Banker and Pastry Chef Lori Baker. (I love that their names are so perfect!)

The atmosphere is homey, they retained most of the old Quince which I think is great because it has a great comfortable feel to it. But that's the only similarity. The menu at Baker and Banker is modern farm to table food.

I started with the squash salad with candied walnuts, Point Reyes Bleu cheese, Asian pear and pomegranate. It was delicious and the flavors balanced each other off beautifully.

My sister had the chicken liver pate with plus mostarda and grilled brioche from their bakery. I tried it and I must say this was divine!

She had the Chanterelle mushroom and farro "risotto" with roasted butternut squash , poached farm egg and salsa verde for her main. It was super tasty too!

I had the Sonoma lamb trio which was a mini gyro, couscous and baba ganoush. It was spectacular and the flavors were spot-on.

We had fantastic desserts (for the record, there were three of us ok?, I just failed to take photos of our other companion's appetizer and main course)

This is a s'mores sundae and I think it speaks for itself.

The roasted banana cheesecake with peanut butter caramel and chocolate shortbread.

Apple crisp with white cheddar streusel and bacon brittle ice cream!

The price of a meal here is still very reasonable considering the high quality of the food. I suspect this will change in the next year or so as the restaurant gains popularity and as its star rises.

I loved that the wife was going around helping serve the food and that after dinner the Chef came out and went from table to table asking how the food was.

Deliciously wonderful meal!

Fleur de lys, San Francisco

2011-10-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

I have passed Fleur de lys many times on my past trips to San Francisco and I've always been curious about it. It has consistently been ranked as one of the best restaurants in the city and it has been around forever.

I admit watching Chef Hubert Keller on Top Chef Masters made me want to try it even more.
So I finally got to eat the the other night and I was not disappointed. The decor is fabulous, very romantic and old-school.

The amuse bouche was a creamy gazpacho that came with a straw. It really tickled our palettes and I guess that was the intention!

I started with the Baekeoffe of Foie Gras. (Baekeoffe is a traditional Alsatian Stew and this was an homage to that). It had truffles, fingerling potatoes and a foie gras "burger". Absolutely delicious.

For my main course I had the Seared Filet Mignon with a Lobster truffled mac and cheese "en brioche". It was accented with a red wine, shallot and thyme bordelaise sauce. I'm afraid my photo doesn't do justice to the exquisiteness of the food.

Of course I went totally old-school with a classic chocolate souffle for dessert.

It was served with home-made Cherry and Kirsch Ice cream.

The petit fours were amazing. Those madelines were wiped out because the chocolate dipping sauce was out of this world.

We were very happy with our Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. When in California, drink California wines!

I wish I could write about what my companions had but it really is difficult to take photos of everyone's food!

Iggy's Singapore

2011-10-17T04:02:00.000-07:00

Every time I visit another city I check out San Pellegrino's 50 best restaurants to see if there is one in that city. Iggy's is ranked number 27 (2011) and it is ranked number one in Asia in the Miele guide.
Named after restauranteur Ignatius Chan, Iggy's opened in 2004 at the Regent Hotel in Singapore. It was a small 28 seat restaurant offering inventive cuisine which was an amalgamation of Iggy's food concepts based on his many travels.

In 2010 Iggy's moved to The Hilton Hotel in Orchard road to a space twice the size of the original restaurant. Even with a much bigger kitchen, they maintained the same seating capacity to keep up their extremely high standards.

All our dinners in Singapore were previously booked so my sister and I went to Iggy's for lunch. There is a menu with 4 courses and around 3 items to choose from for each course.

The amuse bouche was a medly of heirloom tomatoes. It was refreshing and delicious.

For our next course, we both couldn't resist the foie gras with pear, five spice and balsamic. It was other-wordly and because we requested a wine pairing, we got a lovely sauterne to go with it. If you have never tried foie with a sauterne, you must! They compliment each other perfectly.

For the next course we again opted for the same dish. Who can resist pasta with truffles? You have the option of choosing how many grams of truffles you want and it is priced accordingly, we went with a modest 30 grams. They serve this with a cone shaped cover with a hole on top. We were encouraged to inhale the aroma of the truffle until we were heady with it. Then they removed it and of course we greedily devoured it.

The door to the kitchen is opaque but right before food is served the opaqueness disappears, it's like a curtain lifting up, quite theatrical.

I had suckling pig for my main course. It was tender and good but it was not the taste I was expecting. I guess I expected a more barbecued taste, like the cochinillo of Spain or our local lechon.

My sister had Duck which tasted like Duck confit and it was just out of this world! I envied her dish when I tried it.

For dessert I chose the Textures of chocolate with ginger. It was wonderful and indeed a myriad of textures of amazing chocolate goodness.

But my sister's Guinnes ice cream with salted peanuts, miso caramel, and marshmallow was simply phenomenal. Again she picked the winner dessert.

We had to have tea after because we were going to have Chili Crabs that evening!

Over-all it was a wonderful experience. Not much different from other restaurants of this calibre, fantastic flavors to be sure, but nothing out of this world.

http://www.iggys.com.sg/

Eating around Berlin

2011-10-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

I was reading this month's French Vogue and there was an interview with Mario Testino and he mentions Grill Royal in Berlin as a place he likes to meet friends. We ate there last June and I almost forgot about it until this morning.

I admit, a friend who is familiar with Berlin discouraged me from eating there but when with my family the choices are limited as my dad is not adventurous. He loves steak and I read somewhere that Grill Royal had the best steaks in town. To be honest they were just ok.

We started with this spicy but good appetizer.

All the steaks looked like this, no frills. I had the bison because the waiter insisted that it was the best. It was very tender and cooked perfectly. But nothing great.

frites to go with it

Decent dessert

The experience was entertaining though. That same friend said that it was a place to people watch and that it was. It's one of those places to see and be seen in Berlin and the beautiful people factor is very high. It is like being in one big party with models and what not dressed to the nines. The space is nice and the noise factor is high and there is a bit of attitude from the waiters if that is your sort of thing.

This is what it looks like from outside, I took this from the boat tour the next day.

Another supposedly star-studded place is Borchardt. It has the best weiner schnitzel in Berlin and apparently it is frequented by celebrities and heads of state. After reading countless accounts of how ordinary people are crammed in a windowless basement, I decided on a lunch reservation. I figured they would be less busy and we would be seated in the lovely dining room. (For the record my friend insists that this is not true and we were treated quite nicely, however I did not want to risk an unpleasant dining experience).

We ordered one schnitzel each and it was humongous. It looked like I would never get through it. It was indeed delicious. Paper thin with the lightest batter coating it. It tasted very gamey.

Giant puffy weiner schnitzel!

The dining room where Berlin's elite has been dining since 1853.

I love the floor!

This was a super delicious Riesling.

At the end of the day, dinner in a neighborhood restaurant called Renger Patzch turned out to be the better meal. It was a 20 minute cab ride in a pretty quiet neighborhood. The restaurant was bustling when we got there and it was a nice night so everyone was seated outside.

I had the chef's menu and this is what it was.

The first course was a salad with pistachios.

The main course was a roasted chicken.

And a nice strawberry dessert.

I enjoyed my food so much I forgot to check out what everyone else was eating. I just got this dessert that my dad had, it was apple strudel.

The atmosphere was great! My youngest sister enjoying her beer.

Barbecoa, London

2011-09-27T01:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Jamie Oliver and I love any type of barbecue, so I was thrilled to find out that he has a new restaurant that he co-owns with Adam Perry Lang, über pit master from the States.
Barbecoa is in a lovely part of London right next to St. Paul's Cathedral and very near the Millennium bridge and river thames.

This was the view from our table

We arrived super early for our reservation (we thought we could walk around and see stuff but it's in a sort of mall) so we hung out at the bar. The place was packed! We had fun talking to the bar tender who is Filipino and whose family lives very near from where we grew up.

We were finally taken to our seats by the window and we ordered their bread board with home made butter to start. At first we were thinking, isn't bread and butter automatically served? But when we saw and tasted the bread board we realized why. This was an amazing array of perfectly baked breads and the most astonishingly delicious butter. (I must say this butter came in second to Fat duck's specially made unpasteurized butter).

Amazing pickled vegetables to coax our already big appetites

Pork chop cooked in a wood over with braised greens and bourbon peaches

Pulled pork shoulder (Texas pit smoked) which everyone agreed, was the winner dish

Short Rib with Worcestershire Glaze (this was not a light dinner!)

I think this was chicken, perhaps the lightest dish we ordered.

Our super decadent desserts!

Wonderfully filling meal. This was June of 2011 and the restaurant was fairly new so the service was a bit spotty. Other than that it was a great dinner.

http://www.barbecoa.com/

Yardbird Hong Kong

2011-09-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Yardbird is probably Hong Kong's hottest restaurant at the moment. The thing is, it isn't really a restaurant per se. It is a restaurant/bar. But the food is not an afterthought. In fact, Yardbird is the brainchild of Matt Abergel, the former executive chef of Zuma and Masa alumni. With solid credentials like that behind him it's no wonder people are flocking (no pun intended) to Yardbird.

The dishes are small plates, kind of like an Izakaya, and the specialty is chicken. All parts of the chicken, grilled to perfection, yakitori style. I read that not only does Abergel source the chicken from specific areas, he also imports the coals used from Japan. This might explain why I got a sense of deja vu when I bit into a melt-in-your-mouth chicken thigh. It tasted exactly like the yakitori at Birdland, on of the top places for yakitori in Tokyo.

Located somewhere in the Soho area of Hong Kong, a few minutes uphill walk from lan kwai fong, Yardbird doesn't take reservations. And you have to be with your whole party or they don't seat you. The ambience is reminiscent of any generic cool bar circa now and the waitstaff is really good-looking. It was a Friday night and it took us an hour by taxi to get there, not good! If we took the MTR and walked a bit it would have taken all of 15 minutes. Oh well, at least we got there early and we were able to snag one of the last few remaining tables.

The noise level is loud and so is the music, but it makes for a nice, young, happening atmosphere. I researched on what dishes were popular and based our orders on that and the waiter's recommendations. Here's what we had, although I confess I was so caught up in everything that I failed to take photos of every single plate we ordered.

This is called KFC or Korean Fried Cauliflower. This is one of their bestsellers. It's very good but nothing extraordinary for me because it tastes like Bon Chon which I have all the time.

I loved this Sweet Corn Tempura. A savory-sweet delight!

The deadly fried chicken skin on rice. This was superb! Imagine crisp thin flakes of chicken skin toasted to perfection...

This was the chicken meatball yakitori, you dip it in that sauce with egg.

This was the chicken thigh

We also had chicken oysters which was out of this world. A chicken oyster is not a chicken with oyster. It's the dark meat at the back of the thigh and it is exquisite.

Too bad there was only two of us and we both had a 3PM lunch that same day, otherwise I would have wanted to order more.

Their drink list is extensive and I had a lovely viognier by the glass and G had a nice red. It's so funny because the ridiculously good-looking waiter would kneel down beside me so we were face to face and he'd look into my eyes and ask "would you like another glass?" One has no choice but to say yes!

Yardbird is not cheap but it's not overly expensive either. They follow the US style of not charging service charge but I guess this is why they hire good looking waiters, so you'll leave more =)

By the time we left it was packed. They gave us two packets of their special spice before we left, I have yet to try it on my fried chicken.

http://www.timeout.com.hk/restaurants-bars/features/45069/yardbird.html

http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/eat/yardbird-hong-kongs-it-restaurant-511816

http://www.asiatatlerdining.com/hong-kong/feature/q-a-with-matt-abergel-of-yardbird.html

Ramen at Ippudo Hong Kong

2011-09-20T03:41:00.000-07:00

Because I visit Hong Kong often, I tend to gravitate towards the same restaurants I've loved since I was a child. This is also why I'm always on the lookout for new restaurants creating a buzz every time I visit. I asked a Hong Kong resident and she gave me a list of hot new restaurants to try for my recent week-end visit.

First up was Ippudo. We were so hungry after our lunchtime flight that this was our first stop. Ippudo is a ramen chain from Japan. Its founder Shigemi Kawahara is considered the "ramen king" of Japan. From his first ramen shop established 20 years ago, Ippudo is now in around 60 cities world-wide. The Hong Kong branch is the first in Hong Kong. The atmosphere is casual, communal dining, in a contemporary setting. Even if we arrived at 2:30PM, there was still a bit of a wait. (You get a number and wait for it to be called.)

I had the Akamaru Shinaji which was a spicier version of the classic Shiromaru Motoaji which my companion had. We ordered nori and pork barbeque as additional toppings. If you watched Tampopo, you know that the secret to good ramen, aside from the noodles, is the broth. At Ippudo they use pork bone broth. It was delicious! Everything blended together seamlessly, this was truly excellent ramen. I want to try the Singapore branch on my coming trip!

Akamaru Shinaji

Shiromaru Motoaji

It was exactly what I wanted at that time. We actually wanted to eat more but we held back because we were going to have dinner at Yardbird, Hong Kong's hottest restaurant at the moment. I'll blog about that next!

http://www.timeout.com.hk/restaurants-bars/features/44157/ippudo.html

L'Atelier Joel Robuchon revisited

2011-09-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

I know that a meal is truly memorable if I continue to dream about it years after. One such experience was L'Atelier Joel Robuchon in Paris. My sister and I had lunch there in 2008 and I knew that I had to one day go back. (I blogged about it in one of my first few posts).

This year I arranged for proper dinner reservations and brought my mom and dad along as well. To me dining at L'Atelier is one of those sublime unparalleled experiences. And not just because it's famous. The cooking, atmosphere and service is truly phenomenal.

This time I indulged in the signature menu découverte and it was, as expected, amazing.

There was a l'amuse bouche to start (which for some reason I have no photo of) then I had "Le Caviar" sur une pomme de terre á l'anguille fumée, fleurette au raifort. (Basically on a potato with smoked eel and whipped horseraddish)

Then a softshell crab coked tempura style served with a tangy avocado puree.

Then always my favorite part, Le foie gras de canard chaud

Followed by a delicious L'œuf cocotte a la creme legere de mouilles.

Then a lovely fish course which I think was sole cooked en tronçon aux artichauts violets et jeunes pousses.

And the last savory course was L'agneau de lait en cotelettes a la fleur de thym.

First dessert: Le Citron en mousse legere a la gelee de miel d'acacia.

Then Le Paris-Brest creme mousseline au praline a l'ancienne

I would go back to Paris just to eat here. (Even if there are a million other reasons to go back to Paris!)

My cousin the chef

2011-09-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

Last year, my cousin Clinton Nuyda, re-located to the Philippines for love. He has lived in the U.S. for all of his adult life where he worked as a chef in restaurants like Wolfgang Puck's Spago.

He is currently the chef at Grappas and although the menu of the restaurant is pretty much set, Clinton is able to spread his wings with the specials.

When he told me he had truffles I rushed over and he wowed me with these amazing dishes.

I arrived late so my companions attacked this plate already.

Artichokes in balsamic vinegar.

Truffle soup and truffle ravioli!

He came over to shave more truffles! (As my sister cheered him on)

Can you see how spoiled we were? Look at the plate when he was done.

These salmon things were amazing.

And a mini pizza with the freshest arugula on top.

Of course Tiramisu for dessert!

French in Taguig, Vietnamese in Makati, and Italian in Angeles

2011-08-31T23:52:00.000-07:00

I'm always excited to go to restaurants I've never been to. Here are three that I tried in the last month or so.

There was a buzz about Champétre, a new French restaurant at Bonifacio Global City. Fans of Je Suis Gourmand are familiar with Chef Marc Aubrey's honest cooking and they will be happy to know that he now has his own place, renamed Champétre but still in the same place where Je Suis Gourmand used to be.

I have to be honest, the food was good, but I was underwhelmed. I blame myself for eating there a week after I arrived from Paris, it really was not fair. I will definitely give it another go though.
We started with portobello mushrooms with eggs "en cocotte". This was quite delicious. (We already attacked the plate, that's why it looks messy!)

My companion had fried liver and though it was good at first, he said it had an odd aftertaste that made it difficult to finish.

I was quite happy with my boeuf bourguingon and potato gratin. Very tasty!

The raspberry soufflé for dessert was delicious!

In Makati, I pass by Aquaknox every time I enter the skyway. I have always wondered about this building and was excited to try it when my friend invited me to dinner. We started with these fresh rolls. I am not a fan of Vietnamese mint so this was just ok.

This omelette was wonderful. You wrap it with the lettuce and dip it in the sauce.

My real discovery of the day came when I met the Chef, Danny Vu. I mentioned that his garlic noodles and garlic crabs tasted like my favorite at Crustacean in San Francisco. I found out that he used to be the Chef in Thanh Long! The original and sister restaurant of Crustacean. Lucky for us, he married a Filipina and relocated here. I would eat in Aquaknox just for this. It is truly delicious! There is a closely guarded secret ingredient for these famous garlic noodles but he declined to share it with me. (Rumor has it, the An family prepares these in a secret kitchen over at Crustacean)

He said that at first he tried to import the Dungeness crabs but about 60% of them would die. Now he uses local crabs which in my opinion are sweeter! What i also love is that he serves them "naked", not need to get messy cracking the crabs!

And finally, the other day I got to eat in C, the much-talked about Italian restaurant in Pampangga. Of course I had to try their panizza (which has since been copied by a famous local chain). This is paper thin pizza that you can roll with arugula and alfalfa sprouts. The resulting taste is amazingly fresh! I don't know how I can eat pizza any other way. And I have to say, this was superior to all other versions of this that I've tried. I guess there really is nothing like the original.

We also shared an order of Spaghetti Amatriciana and it was marvelous. The guanciale had a great smokey taste that went very well with the fresh mushrooms and tomato.

We ordered this authentic Tiramisu loaded with mascarpone cheese for dessert! And their coffee was excellent as well.

And we discovered a relatively low-priced wine that was quite good. This was truly a memorable meal. I wish Pampanga weren't so far. One thing I didn't like about C though was the over-zealous use of air freshener! The whole place smelled like cheap air freshener and everyone knows that our sense of smell greatly affects the taste of the food. If you go there I suggest eating outside, or in the annex that used to house the deli.

Champêtre
G/F Net One Center Building
Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Aquaknox
800 Arnaiz Avenue cor. Amorsolo Street
San Lorenzo, Makati, 1230

C' Italian Dining
12-10 Don Juico Avenue
Clarkview - Malabanias
Angeles City

Restaurant Lucius, Amsterdam

2011-08-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Back in 2007, Restaurant Lucius was recommended by the concierge at our hotel. Our meal was so memorable that we made it a point to make reservations here when we returned to Amsterdam this year.
Lucius is not fancy, it is a brasserie type of restaurant and it serves up simple, but phenomenally fresh seafood dishes.

It is always full and bustling and meals there are always a happy occasion.

The restaurant and its happy vibe

We all had herring to start of course. I cannot describe how wonderfully fatty and fresh new herring tastes like. I only experience this in Amsterdam. There is an option to have it the traditional way with a shot of very strong gin, which of course I had.

Someone ordered these shrimps in garlic. I think it was my dad. "Gambas" in stereo!

I ordered grilled salmon with beurre blanc. Yes I know it looks ordinary but I never pass up a chance to eat truly fresh salmon cooked perfectly. The inside of this fish was done just right, slightly undercooked, delicious! (I remember having this the last time we went as well)

The PLATEAU FRUITS DE MER with lobster, king prawns, "zeeuwse creuses", fines de claires, perle blanche, crab legs, langoustines, common whelks, winkles, Dutch shrimps,
vongole, cockles, mussels.

And of course lobster for my sister. The thing about really fresh seafood, you don't need to add fancy sauces or cook it in fancy ways. It really tastes amazing.

Dessert!

I tend to lean towards sancerres for seafood because it doesn't overpower the food.

The restaurant outside.

Visrestaurant Lucius
Spuistraat 247
1012 VP Amsterdam
tel. 31 (0)20-6241831

Berlin with Nigel

2011-08-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

We asked our hotel (the fabulous Hotel de Rome) to arrange for a tour guide for us because this was our first time in Berlin. We lucked out and the man they sent to take us around was this very interesting guy, Nigel. He was a spy for the British during the cold war. He fell in love with a Berliner and ended up staying for good. He had tons of stories as we navigated Berlin on an extremely hot day by foot.

What actually excited me most was that he was the guide of Anthony Bourdain when he did an episode of No Reservations: Berlin. (If you don't believe me, look for this episode, I think on you tube Nigel comes out in part 2). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X9S0496wt0

After a few hours of history, we asked Nigel to take us to a place where they served traditional food that Berliners like to eat. He brought us to this wonderful pub which seemed to be the watering hole of many prominent intellectual and political Berliners.

Anyway, we sat outside and left Nigel to do the ordering. We ordered a sampling of classic dishes and shared them all. Take note, Germans do not eat lightly so this was a hefty lunch! Of course we had to have currywurst. This is a Berlin staple.

According to wikipedia, "the invention of currywurst is attributed to Herta Heuwer in Berlin in 1949 after she obtained ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and curry powder from British soldiers. She mixed these ingredients with other spices and poured it over grilled pork sausage. Heuwer started selling the cheap but filling snack at a street stand in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin where it became popular with construction workers rebuilding the devastated city"

You can get currywurst everywhere these days and an estimated 800 million is consumed in Germany each year.

We also had two kinds of Flammkuchen. This is the German version of a thin crust pizza if you ask me. This also seems to be quite popular and in a lot of menus.

The deadly pork knuckles. This is fat fat fat. Similar to what the Filipinos call "crispy pata". Falls off the bone with a lot of succulent jiggly fat under.

Their traditional meat balls. Also very tasty.

Washed down with another amazing beer. There are so many beer choices in Berlin (just like Brussels) and it often is hard to decide if you want a blonde beer, a dark beer, etc. I wish I could describe just how utterly delicious this was.

Here is Nigel taking us to the site of Valykrie, the former Gestapo headquarters.

And those of you who asked if I gain weight, the answer is yes! (At least 10 lbs even if I run 30 minutes a day when I travel) But a hard-core regimen of Bikram Yoga, Plana Forma, Pilates and TRX/Powerplate whips me back in shape within a month.

"Backroom" Cantina at Bar Tausend, Berlin

2011-08-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

This place was recommended by a dear friend who lives in Germany. The concierge seconded the recommendation by a knowing nod of approval when I asked for help making reservations.

I decided to eat here because I was intrigued by its concept. To get to the restaurant, you have to pass through one of Berlin's hottest bars (at least of the moment) Bar Tausend. The Bar is located under a bridge, just below the train tracks of Banhof Frederichstraße. There is no sign, just a rusty old door an a small doorbell. In the evening it is actually very difficult to find. If you don't have a reservation at the restaurant or are not in the Bar's guest list, you cannot enter. There was a group of rather good-looking guys right before us and they were not even allowed in. You ring the bell and a very pretty hostess pops her head out. You tell her your name, she checks the list, and if your name is there you get to go through the door.

Inside is a very different atmosphere. The bar is small but modern, and behind it, the restaurant has a great cozy vibe. It actually was not what I was expecting!

Our reservation was at 10PM which was fine because we just had giant schnitzels for lunch (more on that next time). The restaurant was full and already people were waiting for their tables for the next seating. This lighting is dim and there are candles all over the place. (I remember my sister was so worried that this woman's hair would catch fire because she kept throwing her head back as she laughed and there was a whole row of votive candles behind her).

Anyway, the waiters are a mix of different nationalities and they all wore their own clothes which expressed their individual sense of style. The atmosphere was very laid back and I have to say our waiter was this wonderful man, he was so nice, so helpful, so sweet, we all wanted to take him home. (He was like a thin Richard Simmons with a mustache if that makes any sense) I don't think I have ever been in a place where I felt more welcome.

The cuisine is a combination of Japanese and Spanish tapas. I know it sounds weird but it was not fusion. It really was both Japanese and Spanish! I wasn't expecting to be blown away but the food was amazing! Really delicious.

Here's what we had.

Foie Gras on Risotto (I know right? But remember these were tapas, we shared everything)

Grilled cod (Gindara), I know stomach killer! But again, we shared.

Ceviche! It was wonderfully fresh.

These pork buns were divine. We ordered seconds and thirds!

Creme brulée for dessert.

And some deadly chocolate thing.

The bridge under which it is located. I took this photo on a boat tour.

We had two bottles of Sancerre plus extra that was complementary (our dear waiter kept on pouring for us). I got so buzzed that night. I also know it was one of my happiest nights in Europe that trip, it was so much fun. I really wish I took more photos to convey the amazing atmosphere of the place, but again that fine line between having a life and actually having fun vs. documenting everything!

By the time we left the bar was filled to capacity!

http://www.tausendberlin.com/

Sea Grill, Brussels

2011-08-02T01:54:00.000-07:00

For our last night in Brussels we wanted to eat somewhere special. I made reservations at The Sea Grill which was just around the corner from our hotel.

From my research it seemed the best option for what we wanted that night. It is a two-starred Michelin restaurant and one of the top in Brussels run by Chef Yves Mattagne.

I admit I was a bit skeptical at first. I almost went for an Italian restaurant in the hip side of town. I was a bit put off that Sea Grill was at the Radisson hotel. (I realize a lot of excellent restaurants are now housed in hotels but still...) I was also afraid that it would turn out to be one of those super stuffy Michelin-starred restaurants where everyone fusses over you and the food is underwhelming.

The restaurant has been around for awhile and just recently underwent a massive renovation. I heard that the old dining room was depressing.

Sea Grill however was wonderful. The decor is modern and understated, the service is top-notch but not at all stuffy. Everyone was so nice and the food was superb!

They are known for their lobster press which was specially designed for them by the famous French restauranteur Jacques le Divellec. It is used to press out all the juice from the shell of the cooked lobster. The only dish I know of that uses a similar method to get the juices of anything is the famous canard à la rouennaise or duck in blood sauce, a spectacular antique dish that is still served at the superlative Tour d'Argent in Paris.
Here are shots from another memorable meal.

Some amuse bouches...

If I'm not mistaken, this was a wonderful grilled sardine that I had for a starter.

And a lovely salad with asparagus, slow cooked egg, and of course truffle oil!

The famous lobster press, where they put the left overs of the lobster shell after it has been cooked and made into the most intense sauce. Note all the servers, they were all for our table of 6!

Lobster rice.

The magnificent lobster which most of us ordered. The photo doesn't do it justice. I can still remember the intensity of the flavors. Like nothing I have ever had.

My dessert always has some chocolate in it.

My sister's cheese plate.

And petit fours to end the meal.

We had an amazing white wine from the Languedoc region that the sommalier recommended. This was a very expensive meal, I suppose because of all the lobster we ordered, but it was truly special.

Sea Grill, Rue Fosse Aux Loups 47, 1000 Brussel
T: +32 2 212 08 00, F: +32 2 212 08 08, E: info@seagrill.eu

Lastage, Amsterdam

2011-07-27T23:55:00.000-07:00

When we gave the driver the address he asked "the Indian Restaurant?", my dad freaked out. (He doesn't like Indian food but I absolutely love it). After turning around the red-light district several times, we found Lastage, which was actually beside the Indian Restaurant so our driver was right after all!

I was excited for Lastage becuase I had been reading about it prior to my trip to Amsterdam. The chef, Rogier Van Dam earned his Michelin star cooking in another restaurant. The draw to the fairly new Lastage is that you get Michelin quality for much, much less. His girlfriend Elsie is his partner and she is a sommelier so theirs is a particularly wonderful collaboration. She recommended a superb riesling to go with our food and she went around the tables making sure everyone was ok.

The restaurant itself is out-of-the way and quite small. It was packed when we went there with people walking in and being turned down for not having any reservations. They only have one seating and this is absolutely slow food.

Their menu instructs you to inform them if you have to leave right away and after the dinner I realized why. It was about 4 hours from start to finish. The food came steadily and the atmosphere really encourages good conversation. Judging from what I could see in the kitchen, it's just the chef and probably two other people, and to churn out food of that quality is amazing. It was a pleasant experience but if you're the type to get impatient, well this might not be for you. (I realized Amsterdam is really more laid back than most countries and there really is no rush when dining).

Anyway here are a few of the sublime things we had.

The first amuse bouche was Herring with herring caviar, potato puree and beet root cube. The herring in Amsterdam is amazing and this blew me away. Perfection. Seriously.

The second amuse bouche was Apple Jelly, raddish and pudding. (Meat pudding). In my notes, it says that it reminded me of our local longganiza. And that's a good thing. Longganiza is a tasty sausage, similar to chorizo but more garlicy and sweeter.

The next was my first course which was raw tuna with octopus. This was delicious. There was a spring roll wrapper somewhere there too, and I just know everything went together.

Then I had white asparagus soup with boiled egg and prociutto. Close your eyes and imagine the taste. So simple yet so divine. (Yes i dunked them into the soup!)

This was my sister's Halibut with beurre blanc.

This was her boyfriend's Lamb with Lamb tongue and sweetbreads.

My Veal Cheeks with Lobster and Milk foam. This is truly elevated food.

There was a fantastic amuse dessert which was chocolate.

This was my sister's white chocolate with pineapple and Piña colada.

My mom ordered Strawberry with Shortcake and vanilla ice cream, yogurt and mille feuille.

I had this cheese from Province with aged balsamic. Elsie suggested a vin santo to go with it and it was perfect. Amazing actually.

The intimate dining room.

It was dark when we finished and remember the sun sets at around 10PM!

http://www.restaurantlastage.nl/index_main.html

Spinnekopke, Brussels

2011-07-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

I didn't know much about Brussels before my visit. I just knew that Moules Frites, chocolates, and beer were their thing.

Luckily, we have a good friend who grew up in Belgium and he took us to dinner with his brother, who still lives and works in Brussels. We requested for something traditional and he took us to Spinnekopke. It is an interesting, very old, "tavern". It has been around for awhile and it has an extensive menu with traditional Belgian favorites. It is walking distance from the Grand Place (about a 10 minute walk) but then again, everything in Brussels is pretty near.

So the menu had moules (mussels) in all it's variations but I opted for Moules Marinieres. I love the soupy broth underneath. This is basically just Mussels cooked in white wine, shallots, butter and parsely. So simple yet so delicious. Perfect with crusty bread!

The pot it came in was super heavy and super hot and yet the waiter just handed it to me, I almost dropped it! But just look at it, so mouth-watering!

Pots of all sorts of things were coming since there were 8 of us and I just had to dig into this. It is Carbonnade. Traditional Belgian Beef Stew.

Also to be enjoyed with crusty bread, the beef is cooked in beer and the result is a rich, sweet-ish sauce that is truly addicting. I ate so much that night. The problem with rustic eating!

I think the secret is the beer. Belgium has hundreds of the tastiest beers I have ever tried. This is one of them. (Plus different beers are served in different glasses.) This one tasted like dark cherries. I wish I could have one right now actually!

Dessert was Crepe Mikado, I don't know the reason for the name but it's basically crepe with ice cream and chocolate.

This was the wine we had with dinner. I remember happily rolling home after.

The atmosphere in Spinnekopke (which incidentally means spider) was relaxed, fun, and homey. I love places like this!

http://www.spinnekopke.be/

Phat Wong, Makati

2011-07-11T23:32:00.000-07:00

After one month in Europe, I was craving Asian food so I jumped at the invitation of my dear college friend who wanted to take me out to lunch. So full disclosure, this was a free meal. Having said that, I ate here right before I left and paid and enjoyed my meal as well. At that time, the restaurant was in it's soft opening stages.

Anyway, for those of you from Manila, Phat Wong is located at the LRI building on Reposo street. It has taken the place of the gallery/cafe Ricco Renzo (I think that's what it was called). This is being run by the same people that run Lolo Dad's, one of my favorite restaurants in the country. Chef Ariel Manuel was even there when we had lunch (although it is my understanding that he just supervises Phat Wong and still devotes most of his time to Lolo Dad's.) For those that don't know, Chef Ariel is an award winning chef and in my opinion one of the best we have.

Anyway on to lunch. This friend of mine is such a soul mate and we both have hefty appetites and lunch was extremely enjoyable, we actually spent half the time laughing.

We started with the Shrimp, Pomelo and young coconut salad with coconut milk and lime dressing. As you cut into the succulent coconut all the yummy goodness spills out. This is a filling salad so best to share!

Then we had Deep Fried shitake mushroom roll. It is served with vinegar. I could not stop eating this. (Last time I ordered the deep fried adobo pao, it is also super yummy!)

We had two main courses which we shared. The "bistek" of US Rib eye, which is a calamansi and soy marinated beef steak with sauteed onions), and the Hainanese Fish (a fish version of the famous Hainanese Chicken).

To be honest, "Bistek" has never been one of my favorite dishes. But I have to admit it is wonderful with rice and the rib eye was a nice variation from the traditionally thinly sliced beef. It was juicier than the usual beefsteak. And of course Hainanese Chicken with all it's fatty jiggling skin can't be beat but I was so over meat at this point I wanted fish. The fish was nicely cooked and super fresh. (Last time I ate here, I tried their Hainanese Chicken and it was delicious)

For dessert we had Baked Meringue on fresh seasonal fruit (this time mango) with Pandan cream.

This was like my favorite French dessert Iles Flottantes, but a local version! I was in heaven. I never met a cloudy meringue swimming in cream that I did not like.

I'm always happy when there are new places to eat in the Metro! Next post, back to Europe =) (I still have a ton of amazing restaurants I'm dying to share with you)

Vis Aan De Schelde, Amsterdam

2011-07-04T01:23:00.000-07:00

This was my third trip to Amsterdam and as far as I can remember, I have always had excellent meals there. In fact, in my opinion, Amsterdam is an underrated culinary haven. The food I have eaten here is always super fresh and with high quality ingredients. The seafood is particularly divine.

I had meant to go to Vis Aan de Shelde when we visited last but for some reason it didn't happen.
This June we found ourselves trekking to this out-of-the-way place in the pouring rain. Thank goodness it was worth it!

We were welcomed by the Chef himself, Chef Michiel Deenik. The restaurant seats around 60 and it was packed, so if you want to eat here, a reservation is a must.

Many people call this a temple of seafood and now that I've been there I can see why! The seafood was superlative. The cooking was exciting and inventive, without being overwhelming.

The staff was wonderful. What surprised me was that throughout the night, Michiel Deenik came out to serve several dishes himself. He even thought nothing of "busing" tables in the sense that he removed empty bread baskets when he passed them.

There is an open kitchen and we saw Chef Arjan Wennikes at the helm whenever we saw Chef Deenik outside.

Here are a few things we had.

The amuse bouche was spectacular. The soup was white asparagus (it was in season) and inside the cup on the left was corn with popcorn. It sounds strange but it was delicious and it really succeeded in giving us an idea what this restaurant was all about.

I started with one of the specials for the night. This was salmon, grilled with all these wonderful sauces that complemented it. I do not take notes (my bad!) but suffice to say I was blown away by the flavors.

My mom had the sashimi with soy, ginger, wasabi, and Japanese rice. Yes it wasn't the most exciting order but if freshness of the fish is one's goal...

My sister had the salad visaandeschelde and it was everything decadent on a plate. Lobster, truffle, foie gras, balsamic vinegar and greens. I couldn't resist a bite and it was total bliss.

The bouillabaisse is one of their signature dishes. This is traditional bouillabaisse with seasonal fish. This was my mom's main course. She said it was the best she tasted (and we've tried it in Nice!)

My main was Lobster cooked a la plancha. The flavors of the onions and whatever else they put was spot on. Extremely tasty and perfectly cooked.

My sister had grilled tourbot with parsely risotto and asparagus. If I remember correctly there were snails in the rice too.

My dessert was chocolate with, peanut, maple, and vanilla. I cleaned the plate.

And someone had strawberries with mint and lime.

Petit fours to end an amazing meal!

Scheldeplein 4
1078 GR Amsterdam
Telefoon: 0031 (0)20 67 51583

The Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal's wonderland

2011-06-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Last year I got as far as the waiting list to the famed restaurant The Fat Duck. This year I was determined to eat there so I bombarded the concierge of my favorite hotel in London, the Soho Hotel, with e-mails to get us a reservation. Luckily, the coveted reservations were acquired and after much anticipation, my sister and I found ourselves in Paddington station, looking for the train to Maidenhead where the elusive restaurant is located.

The Fat Duck has no sign. It is small and unassuming and inside it is elegant but simple. This is a 3 star Michelin restaurant so as expected each table had around 5 people serving them. We started off with two lovely glasses of Rosé, and then we were off.

They started with an amuse bouche that was actually a sweet macaroon with horseradish. The burst of flavor was unbelievable and if this was a teaser of what was to come then we knew we were in for the meal of our lives.

Then the waiter came with a tray and asked us if we would like a vodka & lime sour, gin and tonic, or a campari soda aperitif. I opted for Campari soda and he nitro poached it in front of us.

This is what it looked like and you're supposed to pop it into your mouth right away. At the same time, another server sprayed a scent over our table and it was an indescribable citrusy scent that created an amazing sensation as I tasted the aperitif. It was the oddest sensation, but I liked it!

Then we had the Red Cabbage Gazpacho. In the middle is Pommery Grain Mustard Ice Cream. This was absolutely delicious, I wanted to lick what was left.

This was followed by the Jelly of Quail and Crayfish Cream, which was a Chicken Liver Parfait with oak Moss and Truffle Toast. The menu said this was an homage to Alain Chapel, a Michelin chef whose signature dish is truffle stuffed chicken in a rich chicken broth. We started off with a sliver that we were supposed to put on our tongue. It was a thin film that somehow gave a hint of the taste of really good chicken broth. We then were instructed to take alternate bites from the left and the right and it was indeed unbelievable.

Look at the theatrics! They also sprayed something really earthy that once again heightened the taste of the truffle. On a side note, that knob of butter on the side was served with the bread and it was the most delicious butter I've ever tasted in my life. Like butter on steriods! When I asked where their butter came from, I was told that a farm in Wales churns it for them and it is unpasteurized. I had so many servings of bread because of this.

Then we had Snail Porridge with Iberico Bellota Ham and shaved fennel. This had a lovely subtle taste. I love escargot and I thought the snail was excellent too.

This was followed by Roast Foie Gras with Barberry, Braised Konbu and Crab Biscuit. I don't need to say anything more I think! This dish speaks for itself.

Then the waiter placed this book marker in front of me. This was because the next course was called Mock Turtle Soup. In Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter served mock turtle soup. (It's not made of turtle, it's made of calves head and feet.)

This plate came next...

Then we were given a "gold watch" (another reference to Alice in Wonderland) to dissolve in a cup of what I assume was hot water.

Then we poured it over our plate and there we had our mock turtle soup!

For our next course we were given a shell that had an ipod shuffle in it.

We were then instructed to put the earphones on while we ate this. They said they would explain what it was after.

The sounds of the sea came out of the earphones. Waves and seagulls and the sound of the ocean. Then I ate the most amazing fish and the foam tasted like salt water. There were crumbly things that reminded me of sand, and later I was told this was sardine tapioca. It sounds all weird but I closed my eyes and I was at the beach. I never realized how magnified the eating experience can become when all senses are included.

Then came Salmon Poached in a Liquorice Gel with artichokes, vanilla mayonnaise and golden trout roe. The salmon was cooked to perfection.

The final savory course was Lamb with Cucumber. Again, subtle perfection. These were not bold flavors that assaulted your palate, they were subtle and yet intensely delicious.

This was the onion and dill fluid gel that went with the lamb. I cannot describe how perfectly they went together.

Then we were served what was called Hot & Cold Iced Tea. What can I say, it was indeed both hot and cold! I don't know the science here but there it was, just as they said.

Dessert began with Macerated Strawberries with an olive oil biscuit, chamomile and coriander with jelly and ice cream cornet. Isn't it pretty?

Then the "BFG" (A Roald Dahl reference) which was Black Forest Gateau. Yum!

Then the whiskey wine gums. These were literally gummy bears that tasted like whiskey! Can you see the map? It indicates where each whiskey was from.

And finally we were given a bag of sweets which were essentially their version of petit fours.

This is what was inside the bag.

Look at one of the treats. So pretty! And p.s. you can eat the seal, it's made of chocolate.

I had no room for the optional cheese course but I had wonderful fresh mint tea to help me digest everything in the end. We washed the meal down with a fantastic sancerre that was recommended to us but the bottle was so far I didn't get a photo.

The whole meal lasted 4 hours but it was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Yes, it is costly but unparalleled. Now I know why The Fat Duck is considered one of the best restaurants in the world. What I like most about it, is the playfulness that Heston Blumenthal injects into his food. The service is first rate but not stuffy. I felt giddy at the end of the meal and in a way I felt like Alice who fell into the rabbit hole and into wonderland. In this case, food wonderland.

Bistrot Paul Bert, Paris

2011-06-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

This Bistrot has been around for years in a street with the same name. It is known for its entrecote or steaks, but even if you're not a carnivore, I think this is one of those delightful quintessential bistros in Paris.

We went there with a dear Paris based friend and the crowd was a mix of locals and American tourists. (The New York Times gave it a rave review). The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. (When our friend contemplated ordering an organic wine, the waiting asked him if he was familiar with it and subtly discouraged him from ordering it).

We had an 8:30 dinner and we left close to midnight but the place was still packed and buzzing!

The menu is on a blackboard which is placed on a chair beside your table.

It was not full when we arrived.

The wine list.

White asparagus as a starter. Bursting with fresh clean flavors!

Perfectly cooked saignant, you are discouraged from having it any other way. This is au poivre (yes again, I know)

And you will always have frites with your steak in Paris!

My sister was tired of meat so she ordered fish. (cooked in butter like everything else in France!)

Ile Flottantes again! This one had the most addicting nuts which added a crunch.

A warm chocolate cake. Need I say more?

It was packed by the time we left.

We ended up nixing the organic wine and washed everything down with this.

We are such creatures of habit that we end up ordering the same things again and again. I promise my coming posts will be more exciting. We are in Berlin right now and we have eaten our way through some amazing places in Brussels and Amsterdam along the way. It's just difficult to post regularly when traveling and intoxicated every night!

Le Bistrot Paul Bert; 18 Rue Paul Bert, Paris

La Marlotte, Paris

2011-06-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

My dad wanted to eat steak au poivre so I asked Paris based, super blogger, David Leibowitz and he suggested La Marlotte. As it turned out, this restaurant was right behind our hotel so I booked a table. Even Christophe, our concierge nodded his approval when I asked him to make the reservation.

Relatively unknown compared to other famous bistros in Paris, I was pleasantly surprised when La Marlotte exceeded my expectations.

It was better than good, in fact it was excellent. The service was wonderful, the atmosphere relaxed and unpretentious. The food, flawlessly executed, no frills, really what you want when you eat in Paris.

We started with Foie Gras Paté. I think this one had Pistachios. It was served with fantastic warm toasted bread.

This was my dad's pepper steak. He said the pepper didn't over power the perfectly cooked steak and yet the flavors were there.

Both my sister and I opted for the salmon with beurre blanc sauce. I have to say this was amazing. I was actually thinking about it the next day. I have never eaten a more perfectly cooked salmon. Crispy outside and just barely cooked inside- not overcooked.

The Beurre Blanc was heavnly buttery madness.

It came with Broccoli purée which honestly tastes waaaay better than it looks and sounds!

The steak came with frites.

We went crazy with dessert. First up creme caramel perfection.

Cloud-like Ile Flottantes

And Chocolate Profiteroles.

River Cafe, London

2011-06-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

The River Cafe has consistently been one of the best restaurants in London for more than a decade. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver started here. It is an Italian restaurant that uses the best and freshest ingredients available in the market. I think the success of River Cafe lies in the freshness of ingredients. The cooking is simple and straightforward, the way Italian cooking should be.

We make it a point to eat here every time we visit London. Reservations can be quite difficult but our beloved concierge at the Soho Hotel, Sandro, always snags us a table. This year, because the weather was unbelievably gorgeous, he reserved us a table outside.

The River Cafe is in Hammersmith, meaning it's quite out of the way. However, people make the journey just for the amazingly fresh food. They change their menu twice a day depending on what's available. It's like being in Italy. The fact that it is by the river is simply icing on the cake.

This is what we had. (I think we indulged in Fish and Chips at our favorite chippy place for lunch that's why we opted for a relatively light dinner)

We started with this super fresh buffalo mozzarella with fried zucchini and grilled tomatoes.

Amazing cured meat with baby rocket and parmigiano reggiano, a variation of traditional carpaccio.

Mom had vongole with lentils

The rest of us had this lobster pasta. It had fennel which my dad didn't like but I thought it added a unique freshness to the dish.

My sister and I shared a Chianti classico

I had cheese for dessert and to be honest I don't recall what everyone else had. Nevertheless, this was a wonderful dinner as always.

The Goose Station, Taguig

2011-05-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

I finally had dinner at The Goose Station. I wanted to for a long time but no one wanted to try it with me (the idea of a degustation menu did not seem to appeal to those I asked). A visiting friend invited for dinner and I was only too happy to come. (The company was fabulous, it wouldn't have mattered where we ate but that we were here at a restaurant I'd been meaning to try was a plus)

Run by a husband and wife team of Chefs Robert and Sunshine Pengson, The Goose Station is obviously a play on the word "degustation". This is probably the most sophisticated restaurant in Manila to date in the sense that they are experimental and playful with their menu.

Their flavors are vibrant and flavorful, and their ingredients fresh and of the highest quality. But this type of cooking, using various techniques and methods, has been done for quite some time so "original" is relative. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and I welcome the dining option that The Goose Stations offers and I will definitely be back.

They start you off with their "snacks" and we each got one of these, it's a Phylo pastry with all sorts of goodies inside that you eat with one bite. It was delicious.

Here's the second "snack" which I thought was lovely. The oreo cookie looking thing is actually a tapenade. The flavors of the trio go together perfectly.

Finally my first course which was a Foie Gras terrine with Unagi, Apple, Raddish and Raspberry Coulis. This is served with a buttery brioche.

Then the much hyped "eggs benedict". A slow cooked egg with Hollandaise Foam and White truffle oil. That tuille you see has bacon! My favorite thing in the world. And when you scoop out all the egg-y goodness with it, it is breakfast elevated!

For my main I had the Salmon, it is served with whole grain mustard and onion cream and spaetzle. I admit it isn't the most exciting thing on the menu, but it seemed the least rich. It was cooked to perfection, which to me is a feat with salmon.

I snuck a photo of my friends Goose confit. Yes not duck but the even fattier goose. I tried this and it was extremely tasty. Not something I could eat a lot of.

And for dessert I had their chocolate candy bar which is Praline, dark chocolate ganache, milk chocolate, earl grey tea mousse and frozen raspberries. Chocolate heaven!

They gave us a mini "cheeseburger" at the end. It was actually a macaroon, a good one at that!

You can't get a meal of this quality at this price anywhere in the world if you ask me.

http://www.thegoosestation.ph

Lu, Rockwell Makati

2011-05-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

Terry's Selection has been a favorite restaurant and deli of mine since it opened. In November of 2009, the son of the owner of Terry's, Luis de Terry, opened his own restaurant at the Joya tower in Rockwell. Simply named Lu, the restaurant is modern and casual. The menu is interesting with a strong Mediterranean influence.

Ever since it opened Lu has been one of my favorite go-to places when I want a great meal and a nice glass of wine. The ambience is conducive to long lazy afternoons (literally lunches that stretch into the afternoon) although when it is very full the acousitics are not very good and the sound level goes up a notch.

Here are some of the things we had recently.

I almost always order this grilled kesong puti to start. This is a local white cheese that has a distinct sour taste that is so addicting! I suppose it's our local mozzarella cheese!

One of my favorite burgers ever. This one is made of Beef brisket and it's topped with an egg!

Butterscotch over an Apple Tart for dessert.

Pumpkin soup that you can have cold or hot.

This is a chicken grilled to perfection. Bursting with flavor and moist and juicy on the inside. I always order this. There is a hint of middle eastern spice in it too.

They also have this Peanut butter and Jelly pie that is amazing. Of course it never stays long enough on the table to get photographed.

Lu, G/F Joya South Tower, Rockwell, 1200 Makati, Philippines

My favorite breakfast buffet in Hong Kong

2011-05-15T03:25:00.000-07:00

To me breakfast is important. I never leave home without eating breakfast (a real one at that!) and on weekends I reward myself by cooking french toast and bacon. So when I travel breakfast is terribly important.

I think the four seasons is the most luxurious hotel bar none, but the breakfast at the W Hotel beats their breakfast by a mile. (Island Shangri-la has a great buffet too but I like the cool, young vibe of W)

They have the most spectacular spread in the coolest "kitchen". I was trying to be unobtrusive so the photos are mediocre but anyway...

I love the bottles the juices come in!

I love the little sugar donuts too.

They have all sorts of spreads but the one that just blew me away was the home-made peanut butter. Delicious! (I even put in on my pancakes)

The egg station where this guy cooks eggs to your liking. You can even ask for an omelette (my choice was always mushroom and cheese)

Isn't the area adorable?

Breads that you can toast on a Dualit toaster.

They have oriental breakfast too.

And freshly sliced prociutto!

This was in the pancake and waffle section (made fresh)

And the evil bacon that I can't resist.

Glazed Ham...

In this area there's a smoothie station where a guy makes you fresh smoothies with whatever you like.

The dining area is lovely with harbor views.

And as if this wasn't enough, every day a chef would go around with a tray of breakfast amuse bouche. Great way to start the day don't you think?

The Steakhouse, Hong Kong

2011-05-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

My dad was craving a good old steak so we made reservations at The Steakhouse bar and grill at the Intercontinental Hong Kong. We had read about it and we figured that in a hotel that houses Alain Ducasse's Spoon, Nobu, and Yan Toh Heen, a Michelin starred Chinese restaurant, you really can't go wrong.

The atmosphere is clubby, and it is a real old-school steakhouse with a salad bar too! Unfortunately we were stuffed that day so we passed on the salad bar, which according to them, is extremely popular. The food was good. I mean the steaks were cooked to perfection, and well rested, the way all steaks should be. And here, a medium rare, is a true medium rare and I appreciate that.

They started us off with a tiny amouse bouche, a nice lobster bisque.

This was the surf and turf. Lobster tail with Fillet Mignon under. My sister and I had the same order.

My mom had the baby back ribs. It was actually much larger in real life. I didn't get a photo of my dad's steak but then a steak is a steak!

And for dessert we had this cheesecake. It was humongous! Good but nothing spectacular.

So the food was excellent but nothing new. What was different was the experience, which was over-the-top. As we entered my sister wondered why so many people seemed to have ipads. It turns out, their menu lights up when you open it. Genius because it really is difficult to read menus in dark restaurants.

Then a lady comes to the table with a knife selection. She explains and describes each one (from a Japanese knife to a German knife, you get to choose). I picked the daintiest one for aesthetic reasons.

You then have a selection of salt! Each with a distinct flavor that might enhance your steak. I picked the "smoky" one, but frankly I doubt that it made much of a difference.

You get three different butters for your bread. One with truffle, one with sun dried tomatoes and one plain.

And a mind-boggling selection of mustards for your steaks as well.

Din Tai Fung, Hong Kong

2011-05-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

Din Tai Fung is a chain of restaurants known for its Xiao Long Bao (small steamed buns). Originating from Taiwan, Din Tai Fung has become so popular that it now has restaurants all over the world. In 1993, New York Times ranked Din Tai Fung as one of the 10 best restaurants in the world.

The super dim sum makers doing their thing

There is so much fantastic Dimsum in Hong Kong but in my opinion, the best Xiao Long Bao is in Din Tai Fung. These dumplings are sometimes called soup dumplings because they have soup in them. The fillings vary, usually pork but it could be chicken, shrimp or even crab. They are traditionally eaten with a sauce of vinegar and soy sauce with a bit of ginger. (See my previous post on Bo Innovation's molecular Xiao Long Bao)

Soup comes out of this

The sauce

The thing I love about eating these delectable dumplings is the "surprise" of soup as it gushes out. We went to the Silvercord branch of Din Tai Fung, this is the branch that was rewarded one Michelin star.
It is always full and they don't take reservations. We went at 2:30 PM, which is an off hour so we easily got a table.
Here are other dishes we had...

Delicious Drunken Chicken

Spicy picked cucumbers

Pork buns (no soup here!)

More Xiao Long Bao...hard to tell which is which but we had some with steamed shrimp and pork, one with pork and glutinous rice, and there was even one with truffle!

The dessert was heavenly! These had sweet red bean paste.

These had a sweet sesame paste. Really delicious!

And my drink of choice with this meal is ice cold Tsing Tao Beer.

http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/index.asp

Bo Innovation, Hong Kong

2011-04-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

I have been dying to try Bo Innovation so I was really looking forward to this lunch on my last visit to Hong Kong.

The restaurant is located in Wan Chai, in a building that also houses this wonderful design store where I excitedly saw my favorite Kenneth Cobonpue Chiquita stool while killing time.

The restaurant entrance is located in a side street so the actual address is misleading. It is not actually on that street.

The chef, Alvin Leung, was trained as an engineer and this discipline is translated into his food. They say it takes him months to perfect a dish and he has taken Chinese cuisine to another level. He is daring and innovative. This approach has paid off and today Bo Innovation is ranked by San Pellegrino as the 65th best restaurant in the world (one rank above the famous Momofuku Ko in New York). It is also one of the top ten restaurants in Hong Kong according to the Miele guide and it has been awarded 1 Michelin star.

Anyway, the restaurant is small, modern and cozy. The staff is very welcoming and helpful and my sister and I both opted for the chef's tasting menu.
Here's our mind boggling lunch. I say that because it shattered all my perceptions of Chinese cuisine as I know it (but in a good way!)

This first course is called Dead Garden. It is morel, caterpillar fungus (a type of mushroom), green onion, and lime. First of all I love the way it looks, it's like something from a Tim Burton movie! And it tastes out of this world! Refreshing, sweet, savory, and just the perfect dish to prepare us for the surreal afternoon ahead.

This is molecular xiao long bao. Traditionally it is dimsum with soup and pork inside. You dip it in vinegar and soy sauce ( I will post about the best xiao long bao in Hong Kong next time). This version captures all the tastes of Xiao long Bao in one bite. Even the sauce! It reminded me of Willy Wonka's gum that tasted like a full course meal =)

This is Har Mi, it has lo mein, chili, sage and carabinero wonton. Half of the prawn is fried, and the other half is left sashimi style. It was delicious.

Next came this perfectly cooked scallop with kaffir lime, kyoho grape, passion fruit and sichimi potato. Those two sauces are as different as night and day and swiping each one is a different experience. Amazing.

This is Iberico 36 with morell and vermicelli. That's Iberico ham cured for 36 months in Toledo, it is out of this world.

This is Foie Gras with lettuce wrap and the sauce is made from sauternes and miso! Just imagine, sauternes are traditionally drank with foie so this sauce is genius. As my sister said, party in my mouth!

And just when we thought it couldn't get better, we were served Saga-gyu beef (a4 quality) in black truffle and soy "cheung fun". Whatever it was it gave me hallucinations. It was THAT good.

This was the dessert and to be honest I don't remember what it was. I was still in my beef trance. It was pleasant, that much I remember. Perhaps a lemony thing judging from the photo.

I was deciding between Champange (which goes with Chinese and Japanese food) or the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon blanc (my other Oriental food go-to wine) and the sommalier suggested the Cloudy Bay. Great Choice! Wonderful lunch, one of my unforgettable experiences. I have to say that compared to this type of lunches (chef's tasting menu, prime ingredients, celebrity chef) in other parts of the globe, it was priced very reasonably.

http://www.boinnovation.com/2010/BO/index.html

Nobu, Hong Kong

2011-04-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

Back in the day when I visited New York yearly, I had always meant to eat at Nobu. For some reason, I never got around to it, I suppose because of the many other restaurants I was dying to try. (Daniel, Le Bernardin, Babbo...these were pre-digital days and my only memory of these wonderful meals are short diary entries)

Nobu is the restaurant of Nobu Matsuhisa. His signature style is inventive Japanese food with some Peruvian influences, inspired by living in Lima when Nobu was in his early twenties. It is still distinctly Japanese and he never veers too far away from traditional Japanese food.

Anyway, back in 1998, there was a big fund-raising event here and for the dinner they flew in 3 chefs from Nobu. I remember being astounded at the quality of the food. In 2007 I finally ate in Nobu, Milan and it was remarkable. But Japanese food in Italy? It just feels off don't you think? So on this trip to Hong Kong, when deciding on where to eat, Nobu was one of my top choices.

The Nobu in Hong Kong is located at the Intercontinental Hotel (home to many wonderful dining options including Spoon by Alain Ducasse) and has been around since 2006.

I feel the best way to enjoy everything a talented chef has to offer is to do some sort of tasting menu. So I opted for the Omakase tasting menu. Furthermore, a chunk of the cost of this tasting menu is currently being used to raise funds to help Japan, and I think that's really great.

The Omakase started with Toro tartar with caviar. I don't know how you can get more decadent than that. Toro sashimi is from the belly of the tuna and it literally melts in your mouth. That little raspberry looking thing on the side is a Japanese peach, it tasted like chocolate!

This was followed by hamachi with blood orange and yellow yuzu pepper. It was perfectly balanced and everything came together effortlessly. This was delicious and refreshing.

Then came the seared scallop with Foie Gras, pear and shiso salsa. What can I say? Two sublime ingredients of the highest quality, perfectly cooked, how can it go wrong? Fantastic!

And the peak of the meal was the Saga Wagyu Beef with truffle egg sauce. If I'm not mistaken, this is A5 quality beef. It doesn't get any better than this, and the addition of the roll-your-eyes-and-die truffle sauce just took it to the next level. (Yes I admit, the thought of radiation briefly crossed my mind but I figured, a restaurant of this caliber wouldn't risk contaminated ingredients. Besides, food like this is worth glowing in the dark for!)

I guess to sort of cool us off, this was followed with a Sushi assortment. I started with the Uni on the right and ended with Toro (again!) on the left.

And maybe to calm you down after the excitement of all those flavors, the meal ends with clear mushroom and shrimp soup.

Our dessert was Matcha Tiramisu and that little green cake on the left is lighter than air. The creme brulee was not too shabby as well. It was a truly sublime meal and I was a happy camper.

In my excitement, I didn't see my dad's A5 Saga Wagyu grilled in a wood fire oven but I caught this perfect yellow tail collar that he said was excellent too.

This was my mom's sushi assortment. I didn't get her lobster tempura though.

And the most amazing deconstructed brownie ever!

As an added plus, the harbor views from the restaurant are spectacular.

People's Palace, Greenbelt

2011-04-09T04:25:00.000-07:00

I love Thai food and one of my favorite restaurants is People's Palace in Greenbelt. I've enjoyed their food ever since they first opened in Malate years ago. I met up with some girlfriends the other night and although ordering was difficult (one of them doesn't eat shellfish and the other doesn't eat pork), we managed to have a fantastic meal.

We ordered from the appetizers and main courses and told the waiter to just bring everything together. The steamed rice is replenished endlessly so every time I eat there, I have to consciously tell myself when to stop. But with the contrasting and vibrant flavors of Thai food, it's impossible!

If you're wondering what type of Thai cuisine is served in People's Palace, it's Bangkok food. That's what chef/owner Colin Mackay told me when I interviewed him a few years ago.

So anyway, here's what we had...

Crispy Catfish and Green Mango Salad. You have to mix all of this together.

Chicken satay with peanut sauce, yum I can't resist peanut sauce.

Son-in-law's eggs (hard boiled and crispy with sweet fish sauce). This was an intentional play of words. I was mortified when my mom once asked for son-in-law's balls, true story!

This is Roast Duck Curry with Cherry tomatoes, long beans and basil. This made me eat a lot of rice! I have to admit this isn't my favorite curry but it was good.

And for dessert, my ultimate favorite, Sticky Rice with Mango. We shared this of course! And I have to say, Philippine mangoes are the best in the world. The juicy sweetness is unparalleled!

http://www.peoplespalacethai.com/

Tapas in Manila

2011-04-03T03:01:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I had tapas at Barcino in Rockwell, then today we had Sunday lunch at Tapella Gaudi in Greenbelt. It's tapas week! I love tapas, and I have very fond memories of Barcelona and the amazing tapas there. Luckily we have pretty decent tapas here in Manila, and Barcino and Tapella Gaudi are as good as it gets.

Here's what we had at Barcino...

Chistorra. This is Basque sausage fried in olive oil, I always order this if it's on the menu no matter where I am. It's your basic chorizo but elevated! And I have no qualms about mopping up all that olive oil!

Pan con Tomate is the perfect refreshing foil to all that oil. But it makes you eat more! This is served slightly differently from the way they serve it in Barcelona where the tomatoes are toasted with the bread.

Gambas Al Ajillo is another favorite. I was deep in conversation at Barcino so all my shots are of almost empty plates. Sorry about that!

This was an amazing mouthful. A piece of toast topped with caramelized onions, brie, and a drizzle of truffle oil. I couldn't believe how well it all came together.


Croquetas Pollo y Jamon

Then at Tapella Gaudi...
Boquerones which I love! Fresh anchovies marinated in olive oil and garlic and some vinegar.

Chistorra again!

Gambas Al Ajillo again!

This is Pulpo or Octopus. When cooked properly it tastes so good.

And because we were a big group this time, we also ordered Manchego cheese Paella. Yummy!

And the claim to fame of Gaudi restaurant, the Chuleton. You choose a whole slab of dry-aged beef that they grill whole for you then slice. You finish cooking it in this very hot stone plate set on top of a flame. This is one of those instances where the photo doesn't do justice to the taste of the food. Plus I think we were just starting to cook the beef slices. But anyway, it is to die for. (And of if you have too much! haha)

You can't see the sizzle but the hot plate was sizzling.

Sans rival for dessert

And oreo cheesecake

My drink of choice when having tapas? Sangria of course!

Sala Bistro, Makati

2011-03-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

Sala has been one of my favorite restaurants ever since it opened in Malate more than a decade ago. It has since moved to the PLDT building in Makati. I have to confess even if I live nearby, I've only been there 3 times since it opened. I guess because it's quite pricey and it is really more of a special occasion place.

This is why I'm so happy that Chef Colin Mackay opened Sala Bistro at the very popular Greenbelt mall. I frequent this place and among my favorites are the casarecce with guanciale, porcini and truffle cream; the Angus burger (one of the best in the city), the sticky toffee pudding, and this salad with egg that they no longer serve.

Anyway, last Saturday, we popped in for dinner and here's what we had.

Pear, Rocket, and blue cheese salad for me

Parmesan, romaine and bacon salad

For mains...

braised lamb shank with green beans and parmesan mash

Slow roast beef brisket with cauliflower cheese is what I had

We had the Valhrona chocolate tart with vanilla seed ice cream for dessert but unfortunately we kept blabbing and eating, I forgot to take a photo!

The satisfying meal was washed down with one of my favorite super affordable wines.

http://www.salabistro.com/

Hotels part deux

2011-03-22T01:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a certified hotel freak. I posted some of my favorite hotel rooms awhile back. Here are 3 more hotels that I love.
First is the Four Seasons in Hong Kong. Located in the same area as IFC mall, last Christmas was the first time we stayed there. I absolutely loved it. They actually fetched us as we exited the tube from the plane and zoomed us around the airport in a little cart! Although the breakfast is not as great as the breakfast at The W Hotel, The Four Seasons is definitely more luxurious.

Amazing view of the Harbour

Espresso makers seem to be de rigueur in top hotels these days

In Napa Valley, we stayed at the beautiful Auberge du Soleil. I cannot say enough nice things about this place. You are spoiled rotten here!

So Cozy!

Great bath with separate shower

The only hotel I've ever been in with a sub zero ref!

Sis and I being camera w*#@%s!

Everyday there's something (with alcohol) Port and chocolates...

Brandy and cookies....(eggnog, bottle of red wine, name it! we were intoxicated all the time)

And my favorite hotel in Tokyo, The Penninsula. Unbelievable service and large rooms. I hope all the wonderful people who took care of us on our last visit are ok.

Welcome letter

The dressing room is on the other side of the bathroom

Living area

Espresso maker again!

Grill party, Chef Clinton's style

2011-03-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

Last Friday there was a dinner at mom and dad's place, and Chef Clinton Nuyda (yes my cousin) cooked up a feast! It was a "grilling party" but this was no ordinary bbq! There was a definite Asian twist and the sensory overload of his different sauces to go with the different dishes just blew me away.

Here's what we had...

Appetizer of Chicken Wings

Grilled Veggies

Grilled prawns with peanut sauce

Baby Back Ribs

Ok so I know potatoes don't look like much but I swear Chef Clint makes the best mashed potatoes. I don't know which I like more, the truffle mash or this one!

Wasabi Mashed potatoes

Grilled Angus beef Rib -eye with ponzu sauce

He also made the most divine panna cotta with ginger (staying with our Asian theme!)

I couldn't resist ordering more desserts from one of my favorites, Mara de la Rama-Poblete's Dessert du Jour. This gateau de crepe is marvelous! Layers and layers of paper thin crepes filled with vanilla creme.

And a very dense flourless chocolate truffle cake.

This is why I now exercise every day!

Japan on my mind

2011-03-13T00:23:00.000-08:00

Tokyo is one of my favorite cities in the world and news of the big earthquake and tsunami has just left me thinking about the good people of Japan. The news has been so depressing so I'm sharing some photos from my last trip to Tokyo, the beautiful, vibrant city that I enjoyed so much.

The Japanese love pastries and little coffee shops and they're huge fans of everything French. Look at this adorable coffee shop in Ginza decorated for Halloween (we were there in October).

Many windows have European pastries

They have their own Joel Robuchon shop

And many locals enjoy their coffee here

A shop specializing in butter

A typical "salary man's" after office haunt near the metro

An upscale coffee shop, I loved the unusual table

A lovely shopping mall

Tokyo is also home to fashion. From couture to funky they seem to have it all. I was particularly attracted to their modern architecture.

At Ginza

In the tree-lined Marunouchi area

The Commes de garcon store in Aoyama

The Prada building which is several stories high

10 corso como, the Milan based multi-label store in Aoyama

Nearby is Omatesando, another fashionable shopping area

There are "Japan Only" brands like the young Lanvin en Bleu off-shoot of Lanvin


The younger and hip Daikanyama area

Harajuku

There is also the weird and odd kinkiness...

This is in Akihabara

Maid and school girl themed pastries

She's giving out flyers to a maid-cafe

To cater to "Otaku" or people with obsessive interests like Anime or Gaming...there are lockers where you can leave your things and just play video games all day. Again in the Akihabara area.

And tons of vending machines where you can buy noodles, coffee, and even hotcakes!

And finally, I have to mention the Japanese toilets. If you've been to Japan, you know they are the most bizarre things on earth. The one in our hotel had all the bells and whistles...

I detailed my Tokyo food journey in the October 2010 archives of this blog for anyone interested.
I know Japan will recover. I join the world in praying for them.

Lolo Dad's Brasserie

2011-03-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

I'm a huge fan of Lolo Dad's in Quirino avenue. To me Chef Ariel Manuel is one of the best in the country. When Lolo Dad's Brasserie (a more informal branch) opened a few years ago at 6750, it was always packed. I ate there a few times and found the food quite delicious so I don't know why I stopped going there.

Anyway, I met up with some old college girlfriends the other night and Lolo Dad's Brasserie was our venue. We had such a blast! I can't remember the last time I laughed that much, the fact that we were there for four hours proves this. It was also nice to meet new people. (Friends of my friend eating at another table joined us for drinks after).

I ordered the fried chicken, which is fried in goose fat. Yes I know, don't judge me! It was more of a drinking night than an eating night but I just had to share this wonderful dish with you!

It was wonderfully juicy inside and crisped to perfection outside. After all how can you go wrong with goose fat! The gravy on the side was not even necessary, it was that good and I finished it down to the bone!

My friend had the burger which also looked good.

My other friend didn't eat, she had bar chow, but this was our dessert:

That's a chocolate block sort of like ice cream, to be eaten with the tangy popsicle sorbet tasting thing. It was yummy, refreshing end to the fatty meal.

They had a young new sommalier who gave excellent wine recommendations. And I love that they have wines by the carafe so we were able to pair our food with the wine that went with it best.

http://www.lolodads.com/

Bistro Filipino revisited

2011-03-08T02:21:00.000-08:00

We had a bon voyage dinner for my aunt who is based in L.A. and I thought Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino was the perfect place to celebrate her last night in Manila.

There were 9 of us so we decided to order lots of different dishes to be able to taste a bit of everything.
Bistro Filipino serves Filipino food, but with a twist. Cooked and served in a more modern way if you will. As I've said before, Filipino food is an acquired taste. Plus, when served traditionally, it doesn't look very appetizing. It is not colorful, in fact, almost everything is brown!

But I swear, I love it. And not just because I'm Filipino. It is rich and tasty, and diverse! What else can one expect from a country of more than 7,000 islands!

Anyway here's what we had...
Tuna Kilawin (which is basically soaking tuna in a vinegar mixture like ceviche) In this case, it was a calamansi (local lemon) capsicum emulsion.

Kangkong Crisps which was Kangkong (green leafy vegetable) fried with some kesong puti (local white cheese) and served with bagoong dip. Bagoong is a local shrimp paste that is a great condiment but smells a bit off!

Salmon Gravlax salad, which was just ok for me.

Main courses were heavy! This is Angus Beef Kare-Kare. Slow roasted Beef short plate in peanut sauce with stuffed banana heart and grilled eggplant chutney. This is deconstructed Kare-kare, and traditionally the sauce is thicker because ox tail is usually used. Also the local version is swimming in sauce. I liked their take on it though. Kare-kare has always been one of my favorite dishes.

Then Binagoonan Crispy Pata. Boneless crispy pork with creamy bagoong sauce served with grilled onions, tomatoes, and asparagus with garlic tumeric rice. This was delicious, the bagoong sauce was perfect, and in my opinion, inventive! Once again this is not traditional binagoongan.

We also had Fried tilapia, which is kinda like the fish in fish and chips but it was served with three wonderful sauces! One was buro, another was aligue. I forgot the 3rd one but they were all delicious I couldn't decide what to dip the fish in.

And finally Adobo overload. Adobo sticky rice stuffed with chicken adobo, topped with seared foie gras, fried adobo flakes and adobong Kangkong. Wow! I guess it's obvious that foie gras is not really in our local vocabulary but it worked!

Our desserts were slow-baked tsokolate eh topped with Almond cream, (winner for me); Polenta Crusted maja blanca cheesecake with coconut tuille; coconut rice cake drizzled with latik glaze and garnished with toasted coconut and torched mango; and finally Molten chocolate cake made with belgian chocolate and served with carabao vanilla ice cream in the center.

http://www.cheflaudico.com.ph/

Cooking in Tuscany

2011-03-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

A fun thing to do when you're in Italy or France, is to enroll in a cooking class. The last time I went to Florence, we asked our hotel to arrange for a private cooking class for me and my sister. (To me being in a serious class can be too much pressure and I really wanted a fun day, so private works for me)

A local cooking school called Apicius, sent a teacher/chef to meet us for our day of cooking. She took us to the mercato centrale where we bought ingredients for our "summer" menu. This was so much fun because she taught us a lot about the local produce as well as the history of the market. We got to meet vendors and sample a lot of products. (This was a big help the next day when we returned to buy goodies to take home)

With ingredients in tow, we took the short walk to the cooking school. There was a tiny private kitchen reserved for us and we were given matching aprons.

She then proceeded to explain what to do and before we knew it we were chopping and mixing away. We would show our work to her for approval and she would mutter "yes, yes" in her thick Italian accent. Other times she would say "do it with love"! After hours of slaving about, the best part came. We sat down to eat our labor of love. (With wine of course!)

I must say it was delicious! I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I think any food lover should try to do something similar as well.

Here's what we cooked and how to do it:

some ingredients, others were inside the refrigerator

Our chef/teacher going over the menu we picked

Zucchini Flowers and fresh herbs

Red tomatoes

This is buffalo mozzarella flan with zucchini flowers and anchovies. Chop fresh mozzarella cheese and mix with sliced anchovies, salt, pepper and cream. Place clean and opened zucchini flowers in a mold covered with plastic wrap, add the mozzarella mixture inside and close tightly with the wrap. Steam for about 5 minutes then open the film and invert on a plate. Serve with fresh tomato and basil. This tastes like summer!

My sister struggling with the tomato soup

This was Pappa al Pomodoro. It's really just garlic and tomatoes cooked in extra virgin olive oil for about 10 minutes. Then puree through a food mill and return to pan. Meanwhile unsalted Tuscan bread that has been soaked in hot water should be added. Simmer for another 20 minutes then add basil and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

This is Carpaccio di Tonno. Raw sliced tuna marinated in a mix of lemon and orange juice. Then topped with shallots whisked in lemon juice and olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. This is served with arugula. I am a horrible sous chef and I apologize for how unappetizing this looks. I sliced the tuna too thickly and for some reason it oxidized so the color changed. Oh well, it tasted good! (Though I think my teacher was less than thrilled with how it looked)

This was a marvelous dessert. Lemon mousse with thyme syrup. The mousse has yogurt, sugar, lemon zest, Grand Marnier, gelatine leaves and whipping cream. The syrup is boiled water, sugar, thyme, mint leaves, lemon juice, and Grand Marnier. I have not cooked this yet again but I have been meaning to because it is so refreshing and delicious.

I'll never be a chef as you can see but this was a great experience and fantastic way to spend the day.