Friday's, Glorietta 3

Since buting is already 4 months and got clearance from pedia to go malling, bibi and I are excited to bring her along to our favorite past time, dining out! Friday's actually the 5th resto she's been to but have not blogged about it yet.  Also, I am trying to blog through my smart phone.  This is my first entry with pix.  Hope it would turn out ok :)

testing no. 2

testing

Shopping Center (SC), UP Diliman

After dropping off my sister-in-law at the UP College of Music one cloudy Saturday morning, bibi and I went to the Shopping Center (SC).

SC…so many memories from this place. Can’t believe that more than 16 years has already passed since bibi and I spent long hours in one of the computer shops in SC, typing away my Humanities II report using Wordstar (hihi, pre-Microsoft Word days) – we were just friends then : ) There was also this shop where I buy my white UP shirts (the colored ones were more expensive) which I used as my school uniform, paired with shorts and sandals.

Highlights of our trip are as follows:

RODIC'S

A typical Isco (Iskolar ng Bayan – term for UP students) diet will not be complete without Rodic’s famous tapsilog (forgot to take a pic), though my preference then was their bopis and the free clear soup. Bibi and I usually have our lunch dates here.

ENRIQUEZ

I was not a fruit-veggie person in college but this stall now caught our attention as we have been trying to be more health conscious. I was very happy to spot the fruit shake stand inside. I was surprised to see langka (jackfruit) among the fruits that can be “shaked”. We tried the langka-avocado combination. Yum, yum for those who love langka! The sweetness of the langka is paired with the smooth texture of the avocado.  There are also a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as sausages, longganisa and snacks (nuts, chichacorn, spicy dilis, etc) being sold inside.   Too bad their best seller, garlic longganisa, was sold out already.

Aside from SC, there are a lot of other food places in UP that bibi and I would like to revisit so we can reminisce our happy college days (Beach House, isawan sa Kalayaan Dorm, fishball stand sa Ylanan, lumpiang togue from vendors sa Sunken, Aristocarts, Vinzon's canteen, etc). Looking forward to bringing buting to UP and let her experience food tripping, the UP way.

Kuting's Kitchen: Avocado-Shrimp Tango

My househelp and I love watching Kusina Master, the cooking show of Chef Boy Logro. Since I am busy with the baby, my househelp tries the recipes of Chef Boy.  Good thing she loves to whip up new dishes and she’s very good at it. 

But there was this easy recipe that I was very eager to try. I was able to prepare it while the baby was sleeping though it took me 30 minutes before I was able to eat it since the baby woke up just after I made the finishing touches :)

Avocado-Shrimp Tango

Ingredients:

avocado
shrimp/prawn
white onion
olive oil
cucumber

Procedure:

1. Blanch shrimp/prawn in salted boiling water for a few seconds. Remove and refresh with ice water. Strain and set aside.

2. Combine the diced the onion, avocado and cooked shrimp in a mixing bowl.

3. Toss gently and gradually add in olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

4. Marinate the sliced cucumber with salt for 5 minutes in a tray.

5. Rinse with cold water and season with freshly ground black peppercorn and mint leaves.

6. Arrange cucumber into desired mold and fill up with the shrimp salad.

The verdict: Yum, yum, yum!

recipe --> https://www.facebook.com/KusinaMasterGMA

Bulgogi Brothers, Greenbelt 5

My friends from my former company invited me to a lunch date. I suggested that we eat at Bulgogi Brothers. I have been wanting to eat here for a long time but wouldn’t want to be adventurous before due to my pregnancy. Good thing they haven’t tried this place yet : )

Welcome appetizers - it's free! Think of bread from Italliani's :)

More free appetizers - veggies including kimchi!

We ordered the Gwang Yang Set (available from Monday to Friday only), which includes the following (sorry, don't know all the names but one thing I am sure of - delicious!!!):

reminds me of pizza, fritata and okoy 

 

 stir fried beef with bean sprouts

We also ordered ala carte items:

Seoul Style Bulgogi - sliced beef with vegetables and Bulgogi broth (broth is made of fruits, onions and soy sauce) 

my personal serving of the beef broth

Sogogi Japche
- the glass noodles are very flavorful and the glutinous siding is tasty

 

Melona Melon (melon frozen yogurt)
- very smooth  

each is given their own sauce - double dipping allowed!

a drawer of tissues and chopsticks in every table

The verdict - I will bring bibi here! (and we did just two days after - sorry no pics of new food items that I tried because we were starving already; we also have the Bistro card so we got 20% off from our bill :)


07.27.12

Hershey’s Treats

I love chocolates but I prefer chocolates combined with something like cookies, wafer, nuts. When I saw Hershey’s Treats on TV, I immediately asked bibi to buy at the grocery. Lucky me because he did! I think his leniency towards my food cravings when I was pregnant hasn’t waned yet : )

I love them all!

Stock Market, Bonifacio High Street

Hubby signed me up in MyBistro, the website of the Bistro Group of Restaurants which includes Italianni's, Friday's, Stock Market, Flapjacks, Fish & Co., among others. Upon signing up, the member gets a MyBistro P250 Gift Coupon. I was excited to use the coupon since it's been a while since I tried a new restaurant.

Last Sunday, during my "me" time, I dropped by Stock Market at Bonifacio High Street, its only branch. The place has a relaxed ambiance, may be because there were only a handful of customers that time. Perfect for someone who wants to have some quiet time while eating. The food were kind of pricey, typical of a Bistro restaurant. Here are what I ordered:

Slammers (prime fillet mignon, caramelized onions, bleu cheese crumble, mushroom ragout on soft mini buns, served with chips and fries)  - tastes like an ordinary burger, only smaller 

The fries and chips that come with the mini-burgers - loved the fries - twister!! but the chip is so bland, could use a dip

Lemonada con pandan - the pandan made the fresh lemonade to taste weird; the serving is "bitin"!

The verdict - I will not go back to this restaurant  unless I get a coupon specific for this resto.  I'd rather go to the other Bistro restos, like Italianni's.  

Chili’s, Greenbelt 5

Chili’s is our current go to place for comfort food. When I got pregnant, we started frequenting this place, which was every after OB check-up. Aside from its convenient location – it is very near the parking lot, the food’s great. Another incentive was we get a lot of freebies – Citibank promo, A-card tie-up and free buffalo wings on your next visit (just answer their online survey)! This is the first time that I remembered to take pictures of the food because before, we were usually starving already and I’ll just remember when the food is not presentable anymore. Here are what we ordered:

Chicken Lime Salad with Guacamole
(not sure of the name, forgot to take note)
A new addition to their menu - loved the combination of the greens, grilled chicken and avocados :D

Honey BBQ Ribs
Delicious and very tender Mexican-style ribs. Sarap to the bones! The fries don’t taste like the usual fast food fries – you can really taste the freshness of the potatoes and it’s baked too – no oily taste!  

Wings over Buffalo 
For me, the best tasting buffalo wings - with a hint of spicyness complemented by the celery sticks and yummy bleu cheese dressing. Another plus - it’s free!

5/12/12

Sumo Sam, Greenbelt 3

Finally, a Sumo Sam branch in Greenbelt!  Before, we go to Rockwell for our Sumo Sam fix and that was when we were still living in an apartment in Orion St, Makati, almost 5 years ago.  Rockwell was just a walk away...  

Sumo Sam Pride Salad 
- Summery flavor because of the mangoes, sweet due to the candied nuts,  light and sweet vinaigrette.  
Reminds me of the Sicilian Chicken Salad of Italianni's.

Vegetable Ramen (Shoyu soup base, solo)
- Just what ramen should taste like!  Yummy!

Birthday Noodles
- Great for a meat lover like bibi.  the sausage and pork have nice Asian flavors but too oily for me.

Bacon Enoki Mawashi
-  The teriyaki sauce was excellent but since the enoki (mushroom) won't tear into pieces so I had no choice but to gobble the whole thing making it too rich tasting in my mouth
trivia: in sumo, a mawashi is the belt that the rikishi (or sumo wrestler) wears during training or in competition (Wikipedia)

Ending - a very satisfied preggy who has been longing for Japanese food :)

04/28/12

Ice Cream Galore

One Sunday afternoon, two of my friends visited me and they brought me ice cream! Three kinds pa!  I got more excited because these were not the usual brands bibi and I buy.  

Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey
- banana and ice cream really tastes good together

Breyers Reese's
- if you prefer not too sweet ice cream (similar to coffee flavor), this is for you.
But if you like it sweet, the version of  Selecta will suit you

Snickers Ice Cream Bars
- delicious like the candy but in frozen form - a perfect cold treat in a hot afternoon!

Eating the ice cream above made me remember about my draft entry on my first taste of Magnum ice cream.  I keep on forgetting to post it because it did not have any “wow sarap sobra” factor.  For me, it was just an over-hyped and expensive ice cream but still worth trying (anything new interests me :p). Anyway, just want to post the pics as well.

Silky vanilla bean ice cream covered in a thick layer of Belgian milk chocolate
- reminds of the Belgian ice cream in Ministop but with smoother taste

Silky vanilla bean ice cream covered in a thick layer of Belgian milk chocolate with crunchy almonds
- reminds me of pinipig crunch but a notch better 

Chocolate Truffle
- this is chocolate overload!

All of the Magnum above looks like this before the first bite :)

Cacao, Greenbelt 5

A chocolate stall in Greenbelt 5 caught my eye:  Cacao. There were different varieties of chocolates on display.  Bibi and I tried the following:

Dark Chocolate Mint Meltaway

Paseo-dark chocolate praline with choco fudge chips

These were creamy and smooth. Tasted like Belgian chocolates.  I like how it was not too sweet – as it should be since these are dark chocolates.  The downside is the price.  For two pieces, we paid Php140! Well, at least it was a sweet treat :P

tried on 04/14/2012

Kenjie Tei Ramen House, Greenbelt 5

Ever since I had my first authentic ramen in Hong Kong, I have been on the hunt for a local place that could serve ramen with the same authentic taste. So far, I have tried Teriyaki Boy, Sumo Sam, Ishin and Shinjuku, during my blogging hiatus.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the ramen. Without the pictures, I am not motivated to blog about it.

When I saw the new ramen place in Greenbelt 5, Kenjie Tei Ramen House, my love affair with ramen was rekindled. Here are what we ordered:

Gomoko Shio Ramen-seafood, vegetable and pork shio ramen

• Tasted good with the fresh shrimp, squid,boiled egg, slices of pork and mushroom.  But its taste reminds me of our local mami, just a notch better.  

Hiyashi Chuka-refreshing cold ramen with assorted toppings served with a sweet, tangy sauce

• It lives up to its description-cold, sweet and tangy.  But it lacks the wow factor that will make you crave for more.   

California Maki 

• Just the usual taste of a good old fashioned california maki

All in all, our Kenjie Tei dining experience is ok, enough to satisfy my curiosity on this ramen place and my ramen craving.

dined on 04/14/2012