Urbanista Manila Living in Style

Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

Right after my (unpaid) exposure to Cardio-Vascular laboratory (CV Lab), I  texted my sorority sister who was about to board the bus from her surfing spree in Zambales to Manila. I asked her to meet me up in UP  so  we could catch up on each other’s adventures.  She works in a call center but she chose to rent a pad in  UP.

While we are having our  isaw and barbecue, I got a text from my former patient who was just done with his physical rehab.  He’s an American and it’s his first time in  the Philippines, He was scuba diving in Palawan when he had a heart attack. He just undergone  bypass and his confinement made us some sort of buddies.

I told him that I was having streetfoods with a college friend in UP and if he wanted, he could come by. I gave him the instructions and we  met up at Bahay ng Alumni. We dined at Chocolate Kiss.  The food there is good. I had red pesto and I was really satisfied.  I also enjoyed their New York Cheese cake which sourness gave a good kick to it. For a group  of three, having complete course for just above P1000+ is not bad. That included the cups of coffee that we had to wash out  our gastronomic fulfillment.

We ended that night at the Sunken Garden.

I really miss UP.

As promised to our patient, I toured him around UP when he got discharged. I, personally, am not familiar with campus since I graduated from UP Baguio. I was  not scared at all exploring the university even though it is open to public since most of the people there are students. I managed to get him to UP CS library and we  ended up  at the Sunken Garden.

Suddenly, it sanked in that I miss my student life. Being in  the land of academic freedom, I want to pursue further studies.

I missed UP so much that I went back to get a taste of the infamous err famous street food: the pig instestines (isaw) and pork barbeque.

I think I have lived under a cave for quite a while. I asked Olivia to buy me Kaya jam from Singapore. I really loved that jam having it tasted in Toastbox while in Lion City.
I met up with Liv and she handed me the sweet treat. After a hours of chitchatting, we parted ways.
When I got home, I got a text from her that if ever I want a jam refill, I just have to swing by Trinoma, because there is a Toastbox branch there. She just discovered it too on her way to the shuttle service stations.
What an idiot!
I am excited for the Kaya toast and the milk iced tea.

Being a foodie, I really enjoyed my short stay in Singapore. I have indulged in their mouth-watering gastonomical treats like the laksa, chicken rice, chili crab and the milk tea. These delights are available in every corner of Singapore where Hawker Centers are located.
Casual dining without sacrificing the flavor and draining your pocket.
My friend Liv, who lives in Singapore have something in common. You cannot expect us to eat in fastfood joints while in other places. Trying on their best offerings is number one our must-do list.
Aside from the native offerings, I also enjoyed the fusion of other culture’s delicacies among these are the Indian Pratta and the Japanese Kaya Toast.
While I enjoyed the toast itself (toasted bread spread with Hainanese Kaya, butter and cheese), I find it weird feasting on mildly boiled 2 eggs which came with the Kaya Toast serving.

I have finished my Kaya toast already and while waiting for my friend to arrive, I had no idea how eat the eggs, so I just observed the Koreans sitting beside me, They cracked the eggs, seasoned with salt, pepper and soysause, mixed them them spooned them to their mouths.

When Liv arrived, I asked her to finish both eggs because I cannot stuff them into my mouth without gagging.
I really loved the Kaya toast that I bought Hainanese Kaya spread but too bad that it was confiscated at the airport because it was not sealed. Now, I am craving for it…very badly.

After months of dreading on the airing of Anthony Bourdain’s gastronomic adventure in the Philippines, I have finally got the chance to catch it on the Travel and Living channel
I thank Wendy’s light iced tea kicking in so hard that it made me up all night scramming for any show on tv that would make me doze off.
His take on this journey was a bit different and I must admit that it has made me think hard about the Filipino’s identity. The Philippines is nowhere to be found on the map of top Southeast Asian destinations among Westerners or foreigners. Especially those who cover lifestyle or travel shows. Our country is on the bottom of their lists. I always say that we only land the international news if there are catastrophic events happened or political standoff happening.
Fortunately, Bourdain was finally convinced to visit the country after so many questions thrown at him asking why he kept on skipping our country.
The idea started when Fil-American Augusto joined the video invite contest by the said program. Bourdain was thrilled by the enthusiasm Augusto has displayed on the video and he ended up talking with the person face to face. But his interest has died or has been killed by other contestants’ persuasion skills leaving our country unnoticed. I cannot blame Bourdain for turning his back on us because of his disappointment with Augusto.
After the clamor for Bourdain to switch gear and head for the tropical island or for lacking anymore place to go, he finally hopped in.
While Augusto was in his hometown in Cebu prepping for the welcome party, Bourdain did his tour of Luzon.
His first stop, Manila where he had a taste of the fishballs, taho, pancit malabon and the Dampa style dining. Dampa is a place where a person shops for his own ingredients and bring them to an in house kitchen/store, instruct the cook how you want your food to be cooked. The tour guide dcided to have pinakbet to represent the North and the guinataang alimango (crab) and adobong hipon (shrimp).
Next stop was Pampanga. Bourdain explicitly expressed his enthusiasm in visiting the province having been informed that it has been a bread basket and culinary capital next to being occupied by the Americans in the World War II and is now being home to US military officers.
He dug in different servings of Kambing (goat). He found them better that it was described by his tour guide. This is where he tried the “must” …. sisig. Sautéed finely chopped pig’s cheeks served on sizzling plate.
He had a hard time finding the answer to his question who are the Filipinos. Which was also the pulsating question of Augusto who was born and raised in the us. He became enthusiastic about his country having been here once and only for a month in his entire life. His second home coming to the Philippines seemed to be a quest for his true identity.
The true sense of Filipino is hard to classify like the adobo that has so many versions. The country is composed of over 7000 islands and each region, tribe or minority wants to be a representative of the nation. It is hard to identify what represents a true Pinoy when confronted with such a question because there are so many underlying regional considerations and no one seems to be called a minority here.
In Bourdain’s trip to Pampanga, he could not help but comment that it’s always your province first, next the Philippines. This was after hearing one of the hosts said in a bragging manner that whatever dish one region or province could put on the table, they, Pampangenos can do a whole lot better.
Finally, Bourdain met with Augusto. They stopped at an eatery join and welcomed each other in the Philippines. By Broudain’s description, Augusto did not seem to be what he has hoped for – the window to the Philippines. They done went to Augusto’s house and it was a bzzzzzzz……………
The most interesting part has happened, showing Bourdain how the best lechon in the world is cooked. A whole pig on a bamboo stick is slowly roasted the traditional way. No machine intervention.
Funny thing on this part, Bourdain served as the host to the welcoming party and August was just a guest. Even in the lechon tasting . Bourdain seems to have felt the awkwardness Augusto was feeling in fron of hi s relatives and the cameras. So he went on with his quest for the true Filipino and luckily the tour guide who happened to be the same person who toured Bobby Chinn around the Manila was knowledgeable enough in feeding Bourdain about the adaptability and diversification of the Filipinos. From which Bourdain concluded that problem with us being the melting pot of every culture is that we are too damn nice.
In the end, Bourdain enjoyed what he had in the Philippines. The best pig ever! His left his question about Filipino identity to Augusto afterall, it is all about food.

After so many months of taking rainchecks, my close friends and I have finally met up.
I dunno if the nature is against this most awaited opportunity for us to catch up on so many things because it rained so hard and it took me and my officemate forever to get a cab from the office to we decided to get a jeepney ride to Delta and from there we hoped to get a cab or if luck was not really on our side, a jeepney to Center Stage on Timog cor. Morato.
Actually, I had to meet them up at 8:00 p.m. because I had to attend our team’s send away party (our team has been dissolved – boohooo!) at Center Stage.
We were there at past 8:00 p.m. already so I had to stay there until past 9:00 p.m. My friend Leo did not buy my drama that I was still on the street haling a cab, all soaked up. He just texted me that he already found a parking space and it is hard to find a spot so he cannot collect me. Oh men!
Dine and dash was my drama that night.
Ava was cursing me because they have been at Kozui (which is just a block away from Center Stage) since 7:00 p.m.
I finally managed to sneak out and meet them up and not surprisingly, they’re done eating.
I was actually full already. Full of grease in my stomach because all I ate were onion rings, french fries and greasy barbecue at Center Stage.
Waiting on the table at Kozui are tempura and some chicken dishes that I did not even touch because I felt nauseated so Ava just got me the Green Tea which is the resto’s claim to fame. I did not like the taste though or maybe because my palate has been polluted already that night that I was not able to feel gastronomic satisfaction.
I like the place. A Japanese resto with a modern and healthy twist. They offer the freshest and organic dishes and treats that is very ideal for a person who needs (which is the operative word) to shove down low fat and low salt diet down her throat.
I swear I will be back there to sample on its dishes.
After less than an hour, we moved to Cafe Breton where we had our ever favorite desserts to satisfy our sweet tooth’s cravings. I have my Cafe Ligieous, Ava had her Vanilla Milk shake and Leo had his Nuttella Crepe.
I bare touched my Cafe Ligieous because I really felt nauseated and I did not even dig into the Nuttella Crepe. A few minutes after, I went to the bathroom and threw up what I have eaten at Center Stage. I felt relieved after but I did not have the appetite to finish my sweet treat. Too bad.
We called the night off before midnight and I really had a blast except for the stomach upset.

With my cholesterol tirelessly shooting up, I have no choice but to deal away with red meat and shove greens down my throat as many as I can.
Goolai, a brand that offers prepacked green salad variations topped with seasonal fruits, nuts and other healthy stuff, is one of my favorite organic treats. It’s claim to fame is not its being organic though but its tangy salad dressings like the creamy mango, raspberry, garlic ranch and others. My hands are down to its amazing dressings but with the great packaging comes a heavy price tag. Each pack costs about P146.00 which is a pocket drainer considering that one could finish the hefty pack in one sitting.
So in this tough economic times, I tried to be a copycat and come with my own version of the green stuff.
Iceberg lettuce is way cheaper than the romaine so if you are really on a tight budget, you can be partial to it.
Olive oil, balsamic vinegar and walnuts are surely bank breaker but they are good for more than just one consumption. They could be stocked up in the pantry for future use.
Pepper and garlic are the cheapest ingredients.
For the toppings, I suggest that you go to the supermarket to get your produce weighed. From grapes, kiwi, fresh mango slices, cucumber, oranges and lemon.
You will be needing the lemon and orange juices and zest. combine them with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper and chopped garlic. There’s no measurement put everything according to your taste. You could prepare as many as you want and put them in the fridge for future use.
Tip though in preparing them is make the lettuce as the bed and just put the rest of the ingredients on top of it because they are too heavy that if you toss them up, they will end up on the bottom. So prepare it like the lettuce as the pasta and the toppings as the sauce.
I am telling you it is all good! All the goodness without breaking the bank.

I was thinking on making pesto today but finding out that I’ve got not enough of basil , I scoured the internet and found this Alfredo recipe.
I just modified the heavy cream part to Campbell’s cream of mushroom and I used spinach fettuccine.
It turned out fantastic. Kinda of carbonara-ish sans the bacon and the ham i.e. cholesterol.
So let me share the recipe, if you will:
250 g boneless chicken breasts (cut into strips)
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small white onion (minced)
1/8 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cans Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup
Pepper to taste
250 g spinach fettuccine
1/4 cup water

Heat olive oil in a pan fry chicken strips on medium heat until cooked through. Set aside
Sauce:
Melt butter in saucepan. Sauté garlic and onion on low fire. Stir in Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup and cheese. Add water and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Add pepper to taste.
Mix chicken and Alfredo sauce together.
Cook fettuccine per package direction. Drain noodles. Put sauce and chicken over noodles.
Serve with a slice of double toasted whole wheat bread.
I do not know how much sodium and cholesterol this recipe serves but I think it’s way lesser than the original recipe.

I know that the Season 4 of Top Chef is so yesterday but I have not seen it all yet and it is actually the one being shown (as the latest season of the show) on 2nd Avenue.

I do not know yet who won that season and I’d like to keep it that way.

For a foodie like me, I find it enticing to watch cooking shows especially those being hosted by true chefs but I must tell you that although there’s a little voice in my head telling me that I want to be a chef, I know that there are dreams that are best to be kept as dreams.

At the moment, I can state two reasons why I am not entertaining the thought of me becoming a chef or even a sous chef:

1. I can not plate. I can’t even fix my room how on earth could I arrange food on a plate?
2. I almost failed my French class, how would you expect me to invent food, plate it and name it in French?

So letting go of this unreachable dream, let’s switch back to Top Chef.

I remember reading an article about Dale Talde of Season 4 on a local broadsheet. I learned from it that he is 100% Pinoy but it left me guessing who he was in that season as there was no picture of him to accompany the article.

I was able to know him (on TV) through 2nd Ave.’s teasers.

I am still not a regular viewer though. But in every episode of TC that I have seen, I must say that I was really impressed by Dale’s genius and attitude towards cooking.

What makes watching in action more exciting is how he proudly and fearlessly incorporates in Asian side and Pinoy side in every dish that he serves.

Screw Vanessa Hudgens and Nicole Scherzinger! They’re famous yeah, and most of our kababayans would love to ride on their popularity forcing them to acknowledge their Pinoy roots but in reality they are not.

They grew up and raised abroad in the culture that is all but Pinoy.

If my marriage to Curtis Stone fails, then I would marry Dale. I would not mind living with a Butterscotch Pony.

After hitting the gym and before going to PC Live, I felt a little hypoglycemic.
So I decided to get a sugar fix a Mr. Choi at Walter Mart North Edsa.
I ordered mushroom fried rice and my all time fave chicken feet. I was surprised that the mushroom fried rice serves 2 to 3 persons, too bad I did not care to ask.
While eating, I did not feel that I was dining at a Chinese restaurant, the food tastes bland and you could tell that they were not freshly prepared as if they were just reheated.
Although they serve complementary tea, they do not have freshly squeezed lemonade or freshly made iced tea which makes my dining experience worse.