tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1486848310759364432024-03-05T13:37:36.690+08:00Manila HomemakerRediscovering the art of homemaking.
A foodie's blog - a guide to good food, where to find it, how to make it, plus other happy pursuits.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-28679002088823098832010-08-24T22:36:00.000+08:002010-08-24T22:36:33.681+08:00Quirino Grandstand Hostage Situation - Why hasn't anyone been fired?It's been a day since the hostage drama at the Quirino Grandstand yesterday, when the sheer incompetence of the Philippine police was seen worldwide. I'm just wondering why no one has been sacked?<br />
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Even a moron can see that there were blunders, MAJOR, MAJOR blunders, at that! People are calling that SWAT team the worst SWAT team ever. They were too macho to ask for help from units who could have done better.<br />
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Also, bad decisions were made. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that arresting the hostage taker's brother would cause him to lose it. All they had to do was humor him and his brother until the hostages were freed. Agree to his demand to be reinstated. After the hostages are free, throw the book at him for hostage taking.<br />
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Worst of all, what kind of SWAT is this? No thermal imaging, no bullet-proof armor. And why were they using M-16's for close quarter combat? The assault was very clumsy! Some people say it's not the SWAT's fault because they don't have the equipment that other countries have. Maybe other countries' policemen have a monopoly on intelligence. I've seen kids play Counterstrike with better tactical plans. Also, what happened to all the tax money? They're supposed to be used for training and equipment and things like that. Another guy who was interviewed said that we had all the equipment, but that they weren't used!<br />
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I think it's very probable that some of the hostages were injured from police fire/sledgehammer attacks. I wonder what will happen when that comes out. We citizens should really use this incident constructively to demand for a cleaner, better, more professional police force.<br />
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I wish Horatio Caine was real and we can import him and his Sunglasses of Justice here. Now here's a thought - require all policemen to watch CSI, NCIS, Flashpoint, 24... and do a Check for Understanding quiz afterwards!The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-31791889108373919332010-08-24T03:37:00.002+08:002010-08-24T04:24:05.735+08:00Quirino Grandstand Hostage Situation - Totally Incompetent HandlingLike millions of Filipinos, I was glued to the television the whole night tonight watching the hostage taking situation unfold, and increasingly dismayed and irritated at the incompetence I was seeing live.<br />
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Here's a quick rundown of the situation as I understand it:<br />
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1. On Aug. 23, at around 7:30am, a policeman entered a tourist bus in the Luneta area touring Manila Ocean Park. It was the tourists' last day in Manila and they were scheduled to go back to Hongkong later that day. The policeman first claimed that he was there to protect the tourists, but then took out a gun and told the people on the bus that they were now his hostages.<br />
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2. The policeman was ex-Capt. Rolando Mendoza. He demanded his reinstatement (he was dismissed and lost his retirement benefits. More on that <a href="http://jimayson.wordpress.com/2008/05/17/crooked-manila-cops-get-served-by-viral-e-mail/">here</a>).<br />
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3. The whole day, negotiations seemed to be doing well. Mendoza asked for food and gas, and released hostages in return. Mendoza's brother Gregorio arrived to help with the negotiations and talk to his brother. We were following the story on TV the whole day.<br />
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4. At around 6:30pm, I was channel surfing when I saw the drama start to unfold. Mendoza's brother Gregorio was sitting on the ground surrounded by relatives and media, and police were trying to arrest him. Gregorio seemed hysterical and was claiming that the police had taken him "through the back" to kill him if anything went wrong and that he had just ran and was able to escape. He ran to the front of the police station to get protection through media attention.<br />
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5. The police then proceeded to grab the relatives surrounding Gregorio, all of whom refused to let go. There was also a lot of crying and screaming by the relatives, and police forcibly pulling the relatives apart. All this was shown on TV.<br />
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6. A few minutes after Gregorio was arrested, shots were heard from inside the bus. Some time after that, the bus driver was seen handcuffed to the steering wheel and seemed to be fumbling with something. Then the bus driver apparently escaped using a nailcutter, slid down from the window and kept screaming "Patay na lahat!" (Everone is dead).<br />
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7. The bus driver was taken into police custody apparently for debriefing (I hope). After that, police SWAT teams started surrounding the bus. They looked unprofessional and bumbling. Sorry, I was expecting Jack Bauer-like precision and professionalism. Using sledgehammers, they started smashing the windows and the door. They were having a hard time hitting the panes because the windows were high and the cops were trying to avoid being in the line of fire. Then the cop trying to break the bus door panes lost his grip on the sledgehammer and the hammer flew inside onto the bus steps. It was comical if it wasn't so sad. Then they had another bright idea - tie rope around the bus door and use a police pick-up truck to pull the door apart. When they tried this, the rope broke.<br />
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8. Shots were fired from inside the bus, leading the police to realize that the hostage taker was still alive. The hostage taker fired several times throughout this assault every time the police tried to get into the bus. A bystander (usisero) was injured.<br />
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9. Police fired into the bus and apparently kill the hostage taker. The hostage taker's body slumped out from the bus door. But the police were still cautious going into the bus.<br />
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10. Police get in and find some hostages still alive. All in all, 7 hostages were killed.<br />
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In my humble opinion, the police should not have arrested Mendoza's brother Gregorio on live TV. It's their prerogative to call for a media blackout, but in this case I think it was better that they didn't, so that everyone could see the level of their incompetence. Anyway, that was handled very badly. Even if he was suspected of being an accessory to the crime, they could have waited until the hostage situation was resolved before arresting Gregorio. Gregorio, being a policeman himself, probably knew what awaited him if he let himself be carted away, and that's why he acted all that drama on live TV over being picked up. In all likelihood, he would probably have been used as a bargaining chip to get Mendoza to surrender, like, "Surrender and let all the hostages go or we'll kill your brother!" Seeing his relatives being hauled off probably enraged Mendoza, who according to some reports asked for his relatives to be released or he would start killing hostages. A few minutes after, shots were heard from inside the bus. According to twitterdom, I am not the only one who thinks that the killings could have been avoided if Mendoza's brother was not arrested. This was the turning point, the trigger that caused this all to end badly. It doesn't take a genius to predict how Mendoza would react upon seeing his family arrested. You do not provoke a hostage taker.<br />
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What's worse, the PNP didn't even seem to check if the hostages were still alive before trying to break in to the bus. We don't know if some of the hostages were killed by police fire. I am also suspicious of the driver - why did he scream that everyone was dead when apparently at least 4 hostages were still alive? Did Mendoza deliberately release the bus driver to make it seem like everyone was dead?<br />
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All through this situation, I was hoping that it would turn out well, like that bus hijacking episode from Numb3rs (Jacked, Season 5 Ep 12), but realistically I didn't think anyone there had the brains to even conceptualize anything like that.<br />
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Twittersphere and Facebook were full of comments about the PNP and the SWAT's incompetence. Jokes abounded. There were even comments that the PNP/SWAT should learn proper procedure and crisis management from watching CSI, NCIS and playing Counterstrike. Here are some acronyms I saw:<br />
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SWAT - Sorry Wala Akong Training or Sorry, We Aren't Trained<br />
SWAT - Sugod, Wait, Atras, Takbo<br />
SWAT PNP - Sus Wala Akong Talent, Puro Naman Palpak<br />
SWAT - Sana Wag Akong Tamaan<br />
SWAT Training - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3c3940; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><a class="tweet-url web" href="http://bit.ly/9TF2cq" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0099b9; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/9TF2cq</a></span><br />
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I feel really bad for the tourists who came here to vacation but instead ended up dead. Nananahimik lang silang nagbabakasyon. Hongkong just issued a travel ban to the Philippines. How this was handled is extremely embarrassing. Also, from the hostage taker's point of view, how did he think he would get his job back after pulling this stunt? The PNP should use this incident to push for reform, remove low IQ individuals from their roster, and insist on hiring better quality personnel! I shudder that these fools have a government-sanctioned access to guns!<br />
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And another thing, don't they have proper equipment? Don't they have flash bombs, night-vision goggles, thermal imaging? Why did it take them so long to figure out that there was an emergency button on the bus that would open a door from the outside? Some things to consider when revamping the PNP. And who was the idiot who ordered Mendoza's brother arrested? It was shocking that not one of the police there (there were a lot of them) showed any initiative at all to try to appease Gregorio. Didn't any one of them realize the consequences of what was happening? Didn't anyone see the big picture? They all just dumbly followed orders. Following orders is great, but when you realize that something is going wrong, you adjust! So Gregorio was freaking out. Then try to make it less of a media circus and back off and arrest him another time when his brother doesn't have the lives of several hostages on the line. Damn, this is really infuriating. The incompetence is unbelievable!The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-16544257599774286532010-08-21T16:24:00.001+08:002010-08-21T16:25:55.627+08:00An Early Dinner at Je Suis Gourmand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGHp_1hi05XsEWm5IUOU5YrI2ogNJOO8Mv1q4s5OTqZiMJ0SW51Suk6_Ggk93Azi6qZ9I3wSjyJwf9TA5V45K73CaY3T5Kbat7wAF_YY8ZnrlVTjNUxxIFNSwu9UujrGhATwfSqL4bmQ/s1600/DSC01631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGHp_1hi05XsEWm5IUOU5YrI2ogNJOO8Mv1q4s5OTqZiMJ0SW51Suk6_Ggk93Azi6qZ9I3wSjyJwf9TA5V45K73CaY3T5Kbat7wAF_YY8ZnrlVTjNUxxIFNSwu9UujrGhATwfSqL4bmQ/s320/DSC01631.JPG" /></a></div><br />
This is the best foie gras I have ever had.<br />
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The other day, the boyfriend was hungry and craving for some unlimited sashimi. Unfortunately, we were in the Makati area and Zensho and Yakimix were too far away. I suggested going to the Fort. I had several ulterior motives - check out Burgos Circle and Cafe Juanita, and possibly Je Suis Gourmand. I had him at foie gras. He loves foie gras, could eat it all day without feeling "<i>umay</i>".<br />
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For all that I have heard about Je Suis Gourmand, I was expecting someplace bigger, and maybe something that looked like a five-star hotel restaurant. However, the restaurant was small and cozy, and I noticed that they used rattan chairs. I liked how they incorporated the rattan chairs into the cozy French ambience.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKkhArNTTWb0N2pJHB8-4ALY4W68HBoX-6qEDR25Sz4_-sTjRWzVieiQJEsU37TiykaLy6X46Qd1aTeRle9rc_qzuKTAZDceFw0KrpfTVFJHlX39Uf2OJuT6eMGAkgEYfOsZbZCNhV4A/s1600/DSC01626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKkhArNTTWb0N2pJHB8-4ALY4W68HBoX-6qEDR25Sz4_-sTjRWzVieiQJEsU37TiykaLy6X46Qd1aTeRle9rc_qzuKTAZDceFw0KrpfTVFJHlX39Uf2OJuT6eMGAkgEYfOsZbZCNhV4A/s320/DSC01626.JPG" /></a></div><br />
We were the only diners there because it was early. The pan-seared foie gras (Php980+) was not on the menu, of course. I had read about it <a href="http://www.shootfirsteatlater.com/2009/04/dinner-at-je-suis-gourmand.html">here</a>. We ordered the foie gras and had it split into 2 half orders. I'm glad we did. I don't think I could have eaten all of my half order. I even gave about a third of my foie to the boyfriend, who was so very happy to have more foie. Don't get me wrong, the fois gras was the best I've ever had, and I think I will be dreaming of it often, but I don't need to eat a lot of it. I had my share and I was satisfied. Besides, I was starting to feel my arteries swimming with gras.<br />
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But the fois gras was oh, so good. It was perfectly seared. It was soft and buttery, with just a hint of the liver taste. It melts in your mouth while the searing produces a contrast of slight bitterness and caramelization. The sauce was a balsamic reduction and it was perfect - sweet, complex and superb. The boyfriend loved everything so much he did not hesitate to get some bread from the bread basket and wipe the plate with it. He is normally very well-mannered and I teased him for going crazy over this. But it is worth going crazy over.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I would have been happy to have just ordered this, paid, and left. But the foie gras was an appetizer and I think we were expected to order a main too. I suggested that we just get pasta. The boyfriend chose the Raviolis Filled with Lamb Shanks and Feta Cheese Stuffing Tossed in Putanesca Sauce (Php420+). Again, I was glad we split the order. The servings are generous and I was already full from the foie gras, and the raviolis were also creamy and heavy, but good!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzAhRzSz8CzWL3dFW2mVdwq0CE4l5wvkTiMPRG7RKa6zGhSOIfP-wvFONquNnI2S0mhSsdn0POZWVjgFD_3rZGVYcIIbREELGzovUeyh3Useh1egJFTLLXkVPlMWG0xWe0vThqCqXSjE/s1600/DSC01632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzAhRzSz8CzWL3dFW2mVdwq0CE4l5wvkTiMPRG7RKa6zGhSOIfP-wvFONquNnI2S0mhSsdn0POZWVjgFD_3rZGVYcIIbREELGzovUeyh3Useh1egJFTLLXkVPlMWG0xWe0vThqCqXSjE/s320/DSC01632.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The raviolis were delicious. At first, I thought, uh-oh, we ordered Italian in a French restaurant. But the raviolis were so good! Each half order had three big raviolis, each maxi-stuffed with creamy cheese and shreds of lamb. Exquisite. Flavorful. And the pasta itself? Very eggy and strong (does not tear easily). Obviously fresh. I loved it! The olives used were obviously good quality and didn't taste tinny at all. Cantinetta's truffle ravioli used to be my favorite pasta dish, but I think I'm going with Je Suis Gourmand's now. Je Suis Gourmand's seems to be more value for money too, with generous servings.<br />
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By then we were full, but I didn't want to leave without sampling dessert. I was so impressed that for the first time we told the waitress to give us whatever dessert the chef recommends. We were served this coffee chocolate cheesecake. It was good. Not too sweet. Dense and creamy but I didn't taste the cheese so much. I like my cheesecakes to be strongly cheesy, New York style.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokaoRECVvo3P9ii0lNHhDCr1V7WeL56AotTLOPQhawigrkKHy33OUJc83lIeqnrJKDy3x4v5Y5X0DGwoC0N5idS0oeBgxThcXAg9wm7muXIlz33mtVOOQloB-Wh8lu_czRua-Vbac-1s/s1600/DSC01634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokaoRECVvo3P9ii0lNHhDCr1V7WeL56AotTLOPQhawigrkKHy33OUJc83lIeqnrJKDy3x4v5Y5X0DGwoC0N5idS0oeBgxThcXAg9wm7muXIlz33mtVOOQloB-Wh8lu_czRua-Vbac-1s/s320/DSC01634.JPG" /></a></div><br />
All in all, we were quite happy with our meal at Je Suis Gourmand. We both agreed that the restaurant deserves all the accolades and awards it has received. Also, the prices are not as steep as expected for a place of this caliber. Expensive, but not insanely so. With the generous servings, I think it is good value since you are getting very delicious food!<br />
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The boyfriend and I agreed to have foie gras here once a year. Well, I'm setting a limit for myself. Foie gras is too rich to have too often. But I think we will be coming back more often even if were aren't going to order the foie gras. I would like to try some of their other dishes, like duck. I love duck. And their pastas too.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-72119872487537042302010-08-19T11:33:00.000+08:002010-08-19T11:33:57.221+08:00The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhueGk9T0KtqZzARhSfT4W373xoTFYOZTq9OuE2o4_p6dFmGZtm7mj2h_ywVSrebRsrDCfzVFJFYYtHNAeI-Swcb0HJ696zj6htH_8Z8U_zxepAva1DpXE1kFlLCvMPFzBTFZOqbsX-Y/s1600/DSC01619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhueGk9T0KtqZzARhSfT4W373xoTFYOZTq9OuE2o4_p6dFmGZtm7mj2h_ywVSrebRsrDCfzVFJFYYtHNAeI-Swcb0HJ696zj6htH_8Z8U_zxepAva1DpXE1kFlLCvMPFzBTFZOqbsX-Y/s320/DSC01619.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It rained early morning yesterday. It was the perfect day for me - balmy, not sunny; overcast skies, mild sunlight. No, I'm not a vampire. I just don't like sunny days like most people do. I like feeling the energy of a storm, and I particularly love the weather that presages a downpour.<br />
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I made myself some chocolate oatmeal and drowned it in milk, and settled myself on the terrace to appreciate the fine morning reading a book. Stieg Larsson's Millenium books have been the 'IT' books for the past year, much like Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code or the Twilight series were in the past. So on that fine morning, I decided to see for myself what all the fuss was about and started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.<br />
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It was not bad, as crime fiction goes. Although I must say that upon reading the part where the mystery was first presented, I already suspected what the solution was going to be. What I did not know were the details surrounding the solution and though I was not surprised, the author was skillful enough that I did not clearly see it coming.<br />
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The book also has more substance, than, say, Sidney Sheldon's. Where Sheldon's books aimed to tiltillate with the various depravities he wrote into his stories, I felt that Larsson aimed to bring attention to the injustices perpetrated on women. Larsson's book has moral and ethical dimensions.<br />
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Also, the main protagonist, Mikael Blomkvist, is a crusader. In this character you can feel the author's strong personal convictions on what journalism should be. And I agree with him on this. Nowadays journalists and the media mostly pander to vested interests, shaping public opinion to be favorable to the powers that be. Most have forgotten that the press is there to serve as a guardian of public interest and a watchdog on the activities of government, unscrupulous sectors and criminal elements.<br />
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I would recommend this book to people not only for its entertainment value (moderate), but more to help them understand how much we need crusaders in our society too, and maybe to help them realize that in their own small way, they also need to contribute to supporting these crusaders - be it as simple as buying their publications, or supporting them through advertising. And of course, to not support those media outfits that so obviously always put favorable spins on their stories (yes, that damn entertainment conglomerate that's contributing to the moronization of the Filipino masses).The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-56453197851710315722010-08-19T08:57:00.001+08:002010-08-19T08:58:20.824+08:00Fire Lake Grill, Cliffhouse, Tagaytay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiustePl6bVDmhYnd_Uuj7TfEhaO1sjIyB2zDDmKz_1uV_8WC1NhNhzH3Qh0CNm1JzZod_DPLAvwhWnzCvm4lmiidoxg6Mt6W0sI0uatJJoiXHlN8TD5hXxcJFOJy8vGUFMSjeI_Wo24ww/s1600/DSC01609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiustePl6bVDmhYnd_Uuj7TfEhaO1sjIyB2zDDmKz_1uV_8WC1NhNhzH3Qh0CNm1JzZod_DPLAvwhWnzCvm4lmiidoxg6Mt6W0sI0uatJJoiXHlN8TD5hXxcJFOJy8vGUFMSjeI_Wo24ww/s320/DSC01609.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
For our meal before we were to go back to Manila, we decided to eat at Bawai's. Unfortunately, in my hurry to leave Manila, I was not able to take note of Bawai's location or contact information, and nobody else seemed to know where it was - we asked hotel staff and several other people. We tried driving around hoping we would find it, but we didn't, so we decided to eat somewhere else, and since we were driving around, we passed by Cliffhouse several times, and I remembered reading good reviews about Cliffhouse, so we ended up in Cliffhouse.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Cliffhouse is a compound of restaurants. One area with a main courtyard overlooking Taal lake and several restaurants surrounding it. The restaurants are Cafe Breton, Platito, Fruits in Ice Cream, Fling, Buon Giorno and Fire Lake Grill.<br />
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I wanted to try Buon Giornio since there were more people there. It was actually packed. More customers equals good food, right? But my friend did not like crowded places, so we ended up at Fire Lake Grill.<br />
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We ordered the Grilled Norwegian Salmon Fillet with butter-glazed vegetables, warm couscous salad and Dalandan butter sauce (photo at the beginning of the post), and the Roast French Duck Breast set on a warm couscous salad with Pedro Ximenez sauce and apricot batons (photo below).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9n-CjUE8M-RcV_ogIxI-YkEFzUSdjQayKaH6ln7hff0ZJh6kLla2UFDgN_SKYbJFvJvtmZl1NLopoGYQnHILSlknHgqFD5avn-ysrp73zAkJTWU038xCrX80k3B6Rq2l6tsZIYIghqKo/s1600/DSC01606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9n-CjUE8M-RcV_ogIxI-YkEFzUSdjQayKaH6ln7hff0ZJh6kLla2UFDgN_SKYbJFvJvtmZl1NLopoGYQnHILSlknHgqFD5avn-ysrp73zAkJTWU038xCrX80k3B6Rq2l6tsZIYIghqKo/s320/DSC01606.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
The taste - very good, however, the restaurant had some glaring mistakes that we could not overlook.<br />
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The salmon we ordered was overcooked. We love salmon and were disappointed that it wasn't cooked perfectly. The duck breast meat was flavorful and tender like rare steak but some gristle was not removed, which ruined the "melt-in-your-mouth" experience. I expected better from this restaurant. We decided to move to another place for dessert.<br />
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While we were eating, one of the chef/cooks came out and asked the waiter where the basil plants were. I suspect he needed some for a dish. The waiter pointed the chef to a plant box nearby. The chef looked and said, "where? which one" in Tagalog. The waiter said, "there, that one". They continued on several exchanges of this until we assume the chef was able to get some basil. We just thought, the chef does not know what basil looks like? How can that be? I felt cheated eating there. Did not the real chef cook our meal? I expected so much better especially since that day was a Saturday/ weekend! I did not even mind that their airconditioner was busted and just opted to eat at the tables outside. Also, before my companion could protest, the waiter cleared my companion's plate while I was still eating! I expected more from a restaurant at this level. I feel bad about eating there and don't think I'll return to eat at Fire Lake Grill. I might actually insist on trying Buon Giorno next time.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-34834940437630831392010-08-17T08:34:00.001+08:002010-08-17T08:34:00.325+08:00Gourmet Farms, Tagaytay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivm70NqqfJQYC6SiMDRkzNGwZ44C-cTQSNNFYcdYNek9BgzDXVnph96urZmg3C3CBkeGPnIGWZcUQAVbM7GPpJQSvP-B_I8EiUbNWxkNTnG4zFbQlSlUZXqjmBEtyXuOVtd013Uw1FeJQ/s1600/DSC01590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivm70NqqfJQYC6SiMDRkzNGwZ44C-cTQSNNFYcdYNek9BgzDXVnph96urZmg3C3CBkeGPnIGWZcUQAVbM7GPpJQSvP-B_I8EiUbNWxkNTnG4zFbQlSlUZXqjmBEtyXuOVtd013Uw1FeJQ/s320/DSC01590.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Gourmet is famous as one of the pioneers of healthy eating in this country. I remember the Gourmet cafe in the old Greenbelt when I was still on my first job working in Makati. I've read many blogs posting about Gourmet's farm in Tagaytay and was curious, so we decided to go take the tour.<br />
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We first had breakfast here (see photo up top), which is now called Refreshers, The Gourmet Diner, while waiting for the tour. I had Ceasar's salad and my friend had the smoked salmon sandwich. The food was okay but nothing to rave about. The hot choco was pretty good, though.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVzjQsSCTEzUo4GTl7YBix4i2feMRqLNdkQDjf8PYOKo6-ZHbDaplqAjKo-Vjfqexju_bFS__7xSz2J-Xw1M58yHdtwA4lphQkNFgdM7tyPx6aILCd6JPPpy1e4vwkklw0TwdpCj36kA/s1600/DSC01586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVzjQsSCTEzUo4GTl7YBix4i2feMRqLNdkQDjf8PYOKo6-ZHbDaplqAjKo-Vjfqexju_bFS__7xSz2J-Xw1M58yHdtwA4lphQkNFgdM7tyPx6aILCd6JPPpy1e4vwkklw0TwdpCj36kA/s200/DSC01586.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBn3zHokxh5rPjTJ09msG4ibNtqs_OivCabNxNn2ZjngzGDhZ-zu7MkGVOVs8Izc_oKMBFiWTFe_42xFkd_OgCtI9e44P4_VwcyAe9gC8jtqbdBCpDBu2HUMXOmtX64_vRJ3d-Y91UIOE/s1600/DSC01589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBn3zHokxh5rPjTJ09msG4ibNtqs_OivCabNxNn2ZjngzGDhZ-zu7MkGVOVs8Izc_oKMBFiWTFe_42xFkd_OgCtI9e44P4_VwcyAe9gC8jtqbdBCpDBu2HUMXOmtX64_vRJ3d-Y91UIOE/s200/DSC01589.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIcvGP047ieJdZJ7S98Gj1FALjZkjEcQ2ddXGe9SGQEiWYSpUcNnCakLpvnd4z3PhqpldjvppDeJL0IaXbOYFAh6WPfbFyvxSfKzOjuk2ecI_dHzq34FNqvTYCWDhURHjmApQnomQ3Vw/s1600/DSC01588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIcvGP047ieJdZJ7S98Gj1FALjZkjEcQ2ddXGe9SGQEiWYSpUcNnCakLpvnd4z3PhqpldjvppDeJL0IaXbOYFAh6WPfbFyvxSfKzOjuk2ecI_dHzq34FNqvTYCWDhURHjmApQnomQ3Vw/s200/DSC01588.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
The tour is P50/head and we were toured through the farm at the back of the diner. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the operations in the farm and about growing herbs and lettuce, which we asked a lot of questions about since we each had our own little container herb gardens at home. Note to self - bring an umbrella and sunblock! We walked to the end of the 8-hectare farm and I didn't really feel getting sunburned until I got home that night!<br />
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They have neat rows upon rows of growing produce - herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, tarragon, oregano, etc.. and lettuce and more lettuce. It was nice to see the farm though. It was very organized and I really liked how neat it was. They also made some inexpensive covers for their lettuce to keep them from getting wet from the rain, which I thought was ingenious.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfAAGs_MDfnhILPzW4ukOlp5AY3WkfxOle5uI0Fyu7aHiMfmGBMtQ0jkYSXV5JHkTZRpBvJqbhbXpoNpgUzQm6MWYBZA-6PK8TWjXYEyXC-0SLqVHlfRz_nVpKB5qAgFq0I0rqzUn6Uk/s1600/DSC01592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfAAGs_MDfnhILPzW4ukOlp5AY3WkfxOle5uI0Fyu7aHiMfmGBMtQ0jkYSXV5JHkTZRpBvJqbhbXpoNpgUzQm6MWYBZA-6PK8TWjXYEyXC-0SLqVHlfRz_nVpKB5qAgFq0I0rqzUn6Uk/s320/DSC01592.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2E3w3hhsS7vgOfZg-psVBhbTGVbxTH7A7uJ0nWAaj2KmRIoJeaIwShUBNOApDURUPTxJD3mO9JIzHatMA7e0BtwF-Jsbehzv6XsRqBImFhZftwcobh6HpGkzayJWOH1DPQrHPW4GAq70/s1600/DSC01593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2E3w3hhsS7vgOfZg-psVBhbTGVbxTH7A7uJ0nWAaj2KmRIoJeaIwShUBNOApDURUPTxJD3mO9JIzHatMA7e0BtwF-Jsbehzv6XsRqBImFhZftwcobh6HpGkzayJWOH1DPQrHPW4GAq70/s320/DSC01593.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRKCDPtTedU36r9ZlTcHcoxk40y9XEcgWahDnBLCltwx8XFr8n_rr4AvXUgZbqEWbkoESB0RHM7usGfGh2UKAdfBcP-rUeEXsYFgB0OsWHcwJP9kfMta7lxdl0ViLCwNP_t2_7hw-lBk/s1600/DSC01595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRKCDPtTedU36r9ZlTcHcoxk40y9XEcgWahDnBLCltwx8XFr8n_rr4AvXUgZbqEWbkoESB0RHM7usGfGh2UKAdfBcP-rUeEXsYFgB0OsWHcwJP9kfMta7lxdl0ViLCwNP_t2_7hw-lBk/s320/DSC01595.JPG" /></a></div><br />
They also have some goats that help with the weeds. They look so cute!<br />
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Here are some bearcats which were given to the owner:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6BQDRjk0aRzI5gocGL9zhCsBWs2jVXCEeocvRRe4BWh-FiLibaEw_zCld8Vdx0HqhAIRsBjtZhAbmhdqoDVOwr9KHynKCeQOLxNmn_I-WFwzss_aT0yNH1xEoBdvmu3b82hKqFJ3rL8/s1600/DSC01603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6BQDRjk0aRzI5gocGL9zhCsBWs2jVXCEeocvRRe4BWh-FiLibaEw_zCld8Vdx0HqhAIRsBjtZhAbmhdqoDVOwr9KHynKCeQOLxNmn_I-WFwzss_aT0yNH1xEoBdvmu3b82hKqFJ3rL8/s320/DSC01603.JPG" /></a></div><br />
At the end of the tour, we bought some bottles of their salad dressings - I liked their balsamic one, their honey mustard and herb cheese. They have some samples you can try to help you decide which dressings to buy. The dressings are <a href="http://www.gourmet.com.ph/salad-dressings-pasta-sauces-spreads-and-dips">here</a>.<br />
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To get to Gourmet's, from the Tagaytay Rotonda, take Aguinaldo Highway (the road facing away from Taal), and keep going until you see the big Gourmet sign. It's a bit far, maybe 10-15 minutes away from the Rotonda, depending on how fast you drive.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-52658771493644471182010-08-16T08:31:00.002+08:002010-08-16T08:33:10.049+08:00Sonya's Garden, Tagaytay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSHjcLidmn9MRx1qmfl1PdmfEM5n7uCJ_vtNudRKUU-AjeoLpGh0tLrxqe5WsUGHBBnGybjn-EH1XfrsgUslchfYwvbHiP86WOHJ5035rrHzD4zsVJVfbLV8_T1-Zb5XMtXnUEQ42hso/s1600/DSC01583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSHjcLidmn9MRx1qmfl1PdmfEM5n7uCJ_vtNudRKUU-AjeoLpGh0tLrxqe5WsUGHBBnGybjn-EH1XfrsgUslchfYwvbHiP86WOHJ5035rrHzD4zsVJVfbLV8_T1-Zb5XMtXnUEQ42hso/s320/DSC01583.JPG" /></a></div><br />
This is my second time at Sonya's. The first time I was there, I didn't think it was a good value because I wasn't so much into salads then.<br />
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This time, however, I totally loved Sonya's! We had their <a href="http://www.sonyasgarden.com/menu.html">set menu</a> at P610/person.<br />
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They have a new dining area where it looked like you were eating inside a greenhouse. There were fern trees and vines about. The plates were Noritake and I loved the hand-embroidered table linen, which, according to Sonya's book, Sonya's Secret Garden, were bought from her suki in Vietnam. I found it sad that she had to go all the way to Vietnam just to buy these beautiful table linens because nobody embroiders like this here anymore.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>We started with some real dalandan juice. Manila is filled with restaurants that usually serve drinks from powder or concentrate, that being served real juice is a treat. Of course, it was delicious!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTME0xDPKdh-0WdwkltvIoOZoRlXfFqmysz6tYzvs8sxXp1JpARGawBekbo5lC8mn6OvaeIOvdcW2_xQnq3wepffU9EB9nwS1fi_RNaGUpt7b5rgwW9rL7R0QXfzr6LVv64o_02WXscDg/s1600/DSC01568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTME0xDPKdh-0WdwkltvIoOZoRlXfFqmysz6tYzvs8sxXp1JpARGawBekbo5lC8mn6OvaeIOvdcW2_xQnq3wepffU9EB9nwS1fi_RNaGUpt7b5rgwW9rL7R0QXfzr6LVv64o_02WXscDg/s320/DSC01568.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next, we were served our salad. The dressing was delicious. I loved it that they used extra virgin olive oil and it added an extra dimension to the taste, like a gentle, mellow kick, if there's such a thing. It's a "make-your-own-salad" affair, and with the bowl of greens were ramekins of sliced cucumbers, mangoes, pineapple, melon, turnip (singkamas), langka, shredded hard-boiled egg, and broad beans.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vP3NmmiFqm0uMWZ2EyFhcsAhXIuFVSISOEr8b1rrwfh-tVyUbxSwDvDkvhhdhb8FGfrQSFaIPirqvlTPirljkpv1iABfhslg_SH3PafrrZEFZx5kyfnNiqxXMxglMI5uV-4-01Ny0-k/s1600/DSC01570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vP3NmmiFqm0uMWZ2EyFhcsAhXIuFVSISOEr8b1rrwfh-tVyUbxSwDvDkvhhdhb8FGfrQSFaIPirqvlTPirljkpv1iABfhslg_SH3PafrrZEFZx5kyfnNiqxXMxglMI5uV-4-01Ny0-k/s320/DSC01570.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupMndtbDo6E-031eI7KAQiCRzFD6rNhiIzawHtk1vcyBWDvfOYt3VjfAVcuqE-KDjkc80jydofWlnLCsJzJSdGOR2oE1PAMBwx53gqG7I80bwmd4Gqkg2w7DgdZciTreiuUVCpCUNJtI/s1600/DSC01571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupMndtbDo6E-031eI7KAQiCRzFD6rNhiIzawHtk1vcyBWDvfOYt3VjfAVcuqE-KDjkc80jydofWlnLCsJzJSdGOR2oE1PAMBwx53gqG7I80bwmd4Gqkg2w7DgdZciTreiuUVCpCUNJtI/s320/DSC01571.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were also given some warm bread and spreads. The pesto was the star! We ate most of the pesto but hardly touched the rest aside from trying them. I was starting to feel bad about the waste.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NhGwW1AMZxVM_MsRXbNs5sZ3_YH27ZhjB6EP1D28Y9sojXgxLb0gvYN8ElfWx3Q3RPH2RFQmDtD_x2c9-Lqi0dwRyTycmGdIeknxrZxh8IdE1TChheHM6ZGDaSxsaPqwLaIqGbNwdvk/s1600/DSC01572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NhGwW1AMZxVM_MsRXbNs5sZ3_YH27ZhjB6EP1D28Y9sojXgxLb0gvYN8ElfWx3Q3RPH2RFQmDtD_x2c9-Lqi0dwRyTycmGdIeknxrZxh8IdE1TChheHM6ZGDaSxsaPqwLaIqGbNwdvk/s320/DSC01572.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcAzPceSrkizUOELDCa5ddPc60fqsTKb3I8D_794QwDKEhrSVOLOnTDeBKv2IzGT9XpQqhEUp3z_47vxDK1AqfLtGvpWp2wNK60iL8nvdvBFxqs79Ihd646X8zce81k51xKNq4s4NmeM/s1600/DSC01573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcAzPceSrkizUOELDCa5ddPc60fqsTKb3I8D_794QwDKEhrSVOLOnTDeBKv2IzGT9XpQqhEUp3z_47vxDK1AqfLtGvpWp2wNK60iL8nvdvBFxqs79Ihd646X8zce81k51xKNq4s4NmeM/s320/DSC01573.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The waiter offered to clear the salad from our table so we can start on the pasta course, but I felt bad about wasting the salad so told the waiter not to just yet. I got myself some more salad but we barely ate even half of what was served to us, and we were starting to feel full already, so we decided to start on the pasta.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were served a bowl of fettucine with some fried salmon belly (careful, it still has fish bones). On the side were a sun-dried tomato sauce, a cream chicken sauce, capers, sliced black olives, sliced shiitake mushrooms, and ratatouille. Loved the cream chicken sauce. But alas, the food served was too much and sadly, we weren't able to finish it all. Again, we barely ate half of what was served.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNPiP5s4cMojgJbZ-ZnC4zvPjGXX83Af2_CLrSpLLyiO5N7_q-0sqoLdVEbyFlq8HwDEHmCJeBGzzHcGn40WZmVgfrccyJCk7KKzh_vJi1moS3xhBfeBsVMzN1vVBg-fh90q2s-k2zbA/s1600/DSC01574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNPiP5s4cMojgJbZ-ZnC4zvPjGXX83Af2_CLrSpLLyiO5N7_q-0sqoLdVEbyFlq8HwDEHmCJeBGzzHcGn40WZmVgfrccyJCk7KKzh_vJi1moS3xhBfeBsVMzN1vVBg-fh90q2s-k2zbA/s320/DSC01574.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFCaVCZZ8YXTEBEEYQT1kH69h0nDEo-Ji_0kTP2JdJKvLVmbc5Qc2XshgzJEwriL9sXQypnY-7sGT-cq6J3jXcoC5oHQgSDlijYUzw5ydsYQKkaP74nejX1C7TCkjQpFgo65XPnYPMGY/s1600/DSC01575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFCaVCZZ8YXTEBEEYQT1kH69h0nDEo-Ji_0kTP2JdJKvLVmbc5Qc2XshgzJEwriL9sXQypnY-7sGT-cq6J3jXcoC5oHQgSDlijYUzw5ydsYQKkaP74nejX1C7TCkjQpFgo65XPnYPMGY/s320/DSC01575.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66yMn1m9lbb-wrzD3kNDWLsDRk-KLG1odYzfziL2jpoHPLMQKmVvgmrAoA2AY_QbQkXDQsXmckqCHNCpSHxy3z9R34fgkovnbWOYQYOV7T31Ww9pQcUXMf73kFbJJVOKngX8BthdFhi4/s1600/DSC01576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66yMn1m9lbb-wrzD3kNDWLsDRk-KLG1odYzfziL2jpoHPLMQKmVvgmrAoA2AY_QbQkXDQsXmckqCHNCpSHxy3z9R34fgkovnbWOYQYOV7T31Ww9pQcUXMf73kFbJJVOKngX8BthdFhi4/s320/DSC01576.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For dessert, we were served a small slice of chocolate cake, some turon and glazed sweet potatoes. The glazed sweet potatoes were delicious! It always amazes me how something so simple can be made so good.. to cap the meal, we were given some tarragon tea, which was also pretty good. I plan to make tarragon tea at home since I have a tarragon plant.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSbfkZyth4Jljb25FZKWnjnO5nHVUBljGAWgjuvn4yB0VlKFR5M5UZbR9k0CqQ6-aWniVk2PzR0nFa41TymhVvjyzgv-0ltU3gKDfEwX8W_EuFG7LUe652Bdbv7SK2IAeTTK2DIUHAiA/s1600/DSC01579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSbfkZyth4Jljb25FZKWnjnO5nHVUBljGAWgjuvn4yB0VlKFR5M5UZbR9k0CqQ6-aWniVk2PzR0nFa41TymhVvjyzgv-0ltU3gKDfEwX8W_EuFG7LUe652Bdbv7SK2IAeTTK2DIUHAiA/s320/DSC01579.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKhAZNwqj8Id6vvlZRrO3K5q5k6PcSU-7bMU51zGTJ8UL-4-z0-gYQiOQ2w1W6V0N6xRhRRfPyYs9jeY83zr2YRiG5LZN2kvP2mqIgEZ4_-oiyao9raqoO3nVr5NwTyvz_6J-BbSJ7ik/s1600/DSC01580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKhAZNwqj8Id6vvlZRrO3K5q5k6PcSU-7bMU51zGTJ8UL-4-z0-gYQiOQ2w1W6V0N6xRhRRfPyYs9jeY83zr2YRiG5LZN2kvP2mqIgEZ4_-oiyao9raqoO3nVr5NwTyvz_6J-BbSJ7ik/s320/DSC01580.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsAybsw46qEO87wgF-XsTLYJEZQtl4QAMZFKpa8Pjw0SFG8xAHrYav2142b1t1-XD69ChirY5gX71pGmzQpYn0fMwCzWAR9TbhMqp2TQM80YH6tBpt_vLFiLyRHYOym_RYHBN3vp9YKo/s1600/DSC01581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsAybsw46qEO87wgF-XsTLYJEZQtl4QAMZFKpa8Pjw0SFG8xAHrYav2142b1t1-XD69ChirY5gX71pGmzQpYn0fMwCzWAR9TbhMqp2TQM80YH6tBpt_vLFiLyRHYOym_RYHBN3vp9YKo/s320/DSC01581.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVq8ygbgSsGjups-M2yesmmdTTXghLHlfoppw4fMTlXn7LSz9dqRm6CUuGN0-VfBtXVWCh_0-ckxWapr5ZhcRmX5CbJL2EYBfeDS-JI2IKtes2RqtVYmT2sPvagGz0I48jqisVwkG8vhg/s1600/DSC01582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVq8ygbgSsGjups-M2yesmmdTTXghLHlfoppw4fMTlXn7LSz9dqRm6CUuGN0-VfBtXVWCh_0-ckxWapr5ZhcRmX5CbJL2EYBfeDS-JI2IKtes2RqtVYmT2sPvagGz0I48jqisVwkG8vhg/s320/DSC01582.JPG" /></a></div><br />
So, the highlights of our meal at Sonya's are the salad (I really love their salad!), the cream chicken pasta sauce, and the glazed sweet potato. I will definitely come back to Sonya's again.<br />
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Sonya's sells their famous salad dressing in their country store. Some of the things to buy there are their salad dressing, Spanish bread, and peanut butter (Daniella's brand). Their peanut butter is really good.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-10508776776082835142010-08-16T07:25:00.002+08:002010-08-16T07:28:24.763+08:00Spur of the moment trip to Tagaytay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9u5MsKfl2Q9QU0QXts4oiR8OSDYmubEvCynNGpKN49RZw9Vsfl1Tpr65MyC7soWMirvkkTDyyKGBgGusLslGljLqQHHJUNTsOzCI4ksGg5v7ajdD7x4OmCm_IGK1tMTK92A-bXDv6kjY/s1600/DSC01614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9u5MsKfl2Q9QU0QXts4oiR8OSDYmubEvCynNGpKN49RZw9Vsfl1Tpr65MyC7soWMirvkkTDyyKGBgGusLslGljLqQHHJUNTsOzCI4ksGg5v7ajdD7x4OmCm_IGK1tMTK92A-bXDv6kjY/s320/DSC01614.JPG" /></a></div><br />
All last week I was hankering for a trip to Tagaytay. I wanted to see the farms there and just generally wanted to travel and explore to make the most of my vacation time, and Tagaytay was accessible enough to make the trip on the spur of the moment. Also because the DFA is taking forever to renew my passport so I am stuck with local destinations (I am not a beach person). I renewed my passport early July but the next available personal appearance slot was for September! I actually miss standing in line and getting my passport renewal done in 2 days.<br />
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I've been to Tagaytay before, but they were mostly quick runs - like lunch at Sonya's or Antonio's with friends and officemates, then back to Manila right after. This time I wanted to explore and get to know Tagaytay. I researched online and made a quick itinerary - eat at Sonya's, visit Gourmet Farms and Ilog Maria, check out the new and improved Taal Vista Hotel, and eat at Bawai's. A friend is into gardening (herbs) and was thinking of going into farming, so I wanted to show my friend farms so that my friend will have an idea of what it was all about.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>We stayed at this nice little hotel called <a href="http://viewparkhotel.com/">View Park Hotel</a>. It's small, there's construction going on at the back, and there's no cable TV, but it was cozy, did not look scary, and was clean. I think it's good for the price of P1,620 (without breakfast, P1,800 with breakfast; I checked the rates for Taal Vista and One Tagaytay Place online and balked). View Park has an aquaium in the lobby that had living corals and tropical fish like clownfish, etc. We liked watching the corals move, it was mesmerizing. The hotel is also right across Picnic Grove. If we had more time, I would have wanted to go take a look at Picnic Grove and go on the zipline, but we didn't have enough time so shelved that idea for next time.<br />
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To get to Tagaytay, from Manila, take South Super Highway, continue on taking the SLEX until you see the Sta. Rosa exit. Take the Sta. Rosa exit, turn right, and just follow the road all the way to Tagaytay (this is the Santa Rosa -Tagaytay Road).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RieNYf_GNnJKizc_sbhncsrkXSWN98KBUgPwUef61vKFL3N8qEIIbJIbVakDz269ILsyf9vXOavzXYPnZEG9DhM1hEGUZvadhz0m7eb8HOpnLx2xgDUeNgmV1JWuArJE0w-F-M2Kmn0/s1600/tagaytay+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RieNYf_GNnJKizc_sbhncsrkXSWN98KBUgPwUef61vKFL3N8qEIIbJIbVakDz269ILsyf9vXOavzXYPnZEG9DhM1hEGUZvadhz0m7eb8HOpnLx2xgDUeNgmV1JWuArJE0w-F-M2Kmn0/s640/tagaytay+map.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Navigating Tagaytay is easy. You just need to be familiar with that one stretch of road - the Tagaytay-Calamba Road all the way to the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Road. Most places of interest are on that stretch of road. Some places like Gourmet's and Ilog Maria are on the Emilio Aguinaldo Highway. Sonya's is all the way down on the road to Nasugbu, in Buck Estates. More on them on the next posts.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-65497708105267065402010-08-15T00:19:00.001+08:002010-08-15T00:19:00.470+08:00Beef Stew adapted from Wolfgang Puck's Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif08zUrKMB8k6C_lb0arsn9P3iMt8TPcOJX4r6pGqp0ieSTVbXXOLHoGvDSQzHj0g5itrePMvnbPUTEQvxjMpIP0Eh9pqoO6g2EPAZxlRDzhBSfnzzAoor-w7Dulr_vDi0H4p1xrUpQYM/s1600/DSC01552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif08zUrKMB8k6C_lb0arsn9P3iMt8TPcOJX4r6pGqp0ieSTVbXXOLHoGvDSQzHj0g5itrePMvnbPUTEQvxjMpIP0Eh9pqoO6g2EPAZxlRDzhBSfnzzAoor-w7Dulr_vDi0H4p1xrUpQYM/s320/DSC01552.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is my second time making this beef stew. This is really, really good, and now my go to recipe for Beef Stew. The recipe I used can be found </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wine-Braised-Brisket-of-Beef-with-Caramelized-Pearl-Onions-and-Dried-Apricots-234062"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. I followed the recipe but made a few changes - I used beef brisket cubes since this was more easily available, and instead of dried apricots, I used dried mangoes. The first time I made this, I followed the recipe by putting the dutch oven inside a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">350° F oven for 2 1/2 hours. The second time, I just transferred the partially cooked stew to a slow cooker and cooked on low for 8 hours. When the meat is tender, I picked out the meat and carrots and transferred them to a bowl, and strained the remaining vegetables and sauce, smooshing them onto the strainer to get a puree. I reduced the puree and seasoned with some more salt and pepper, and poured the sauce over the meat.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This stew is best eaten after a few days in the fridge. It is a really good, complex-flavored, full-bodied stew. Make a big batch, and divide into several meals/portions over the next few days :)</span></span><br />
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The original recipe is Wolfgang Puck's Wine-Braised Brisket of Beef with Caramelized Pearl Onions and Dried Apricots.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-34504265702801308732010-08-13T03:34:00.001+08:002010-08-13T03:34:00.550+08:00Quick Four Cheese Ravioli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flexpack.org/ACHIEV/2004_achievement_awards/images/KIRKLAND_4C_RAVIOLI.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.flexpack.org/ACHIEV/2004_achievement_awards/images/KIRKLAND_4C_RAVIOLI.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Some days you would just like a good meal on the table with minimal effort. Maybe you only have 30 minutes before mealtime. I'm glad I discovered this Frozen Four Cheese Ravioli pack at S&R. Haha, I know it sounds like an advertisement, it's not. I just really like this. It's a bit pricey at almost Php700, I think, but this big pack can make several meals. When you do the math, it really is quite inexpensive for a ravioli meal.<br />
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What do I like about it? There's no need to defrost! Just boil water with some oil and salt, just like regular pasta. Once the water is boiling, drop in ravioli one at a time. Stir ocassionally to prevent sticking. When ravioli is floating in the water, you know it's done. Cook just enough ravioli for the meal, then zip up the remaining frozen ravioli in the ziptop baggie and put it back in the freezer.<br />
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For the sauce, you can make your tomato sauce of choice or just make a simple sage butter sauce. For the meal pictured below, I just heated up a can of Spaghetti Sauce and adjusted the seasoning to taste.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrsvEXZo0SHOL0KDF0CrHoBh7pW59hemymw-8bHxy_Z2LhklkY1cnQ-26NwpUKonpSye6UyaRP_zkqddPP-Oq8h9DVcaDn55bgHK30_s5DD9JnHl9hvj8mG0l3ZwTK9R3QawaKOUJbDg/s1600/DSC01505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrsvEXZo0SHOL0KDF0CrHoBh7pW59hemymw-8bHxy_Z2LhklkY1cnQ-26NwpUKonpSye6UyaRP_zkqddPP-Oq8h9DVcaDn55bgHK30_s5DD9JnHl9hvj8mG0l3ZwTK9R3QawaKOUJbDg/s320/DSC01505.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaolUKF99MZr_ujw_uAHgVQIcEJIWx85F8BumAeDWJquJB_p34Mch0P2XP6ucNcGURtHDTRvfa0CWqvwDQjWedkrAUKxlF0-UT9gjympDu8LvbI0NTmxEdcyo6miocRwdj3ImNdecNpw/s1600/DSC01507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaolUKF99MZr_ujw_uAHgVQIcEJIWx85F8BumAeDWJquJB_p34Mch0P2XP6ucNcGURtHDTRvfa0CWqvwDQjWedkrAUKxlF0-UT9gjympDu8LvbI0NTmxEdcyo6miocRwdj3ImNdecNpw/s320/DSC01507.JPG" /></a></div>The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-19297988513976204152010-08-12T14:33:00.002+08:002010-08-12T14:33:00.153+08:00Sakae Sushi at the Mall of Asia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD43P4CxB11qPlyoRF3GQs2_0K3QKHVzyleje_Jk9QgIn66-EQNOq8XXG0WiX7kq29HJjgWNIg9JHkOsI-KG-Jlj3OxtL7bp0P3uWcaFuhkSQ9233dbhJrn579SLnSsqD4F51J3kI96ik/s1600/DSC01518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD43P4CxB11qPlyoRF3GQs2_0K3QKHVzyleje_Jk9QgIn66-EQNOq8XXG0WiX7kq29HJjgWNIg9JHkOsI-KG-Jlj3OxtL7bp0P3uWcaFuhkSQ9233dbhJrn579SLnSsqD4F51J3kI96ik/s320/DSC01518.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Last month, I dragged the boyfriend to Dapitan to look at household things, vases, plates and other knick knacks. I promised I wouldn't take more than an hour, and I didn't. After browsing through the stalls there, the boyfriend said he was hungry. We drove around but couldn't decide on where to eat. I suggested the Mall of Asia since I wanted to go to S&R with him. When we reached MoA, we still couldn't decide on where to eat, since nothing seemed to appeal, and ended up at our usual spot, Sakae Sushi.<br />
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It used to be that the sushi buffet was only available from 2:30pm-5:30pm. Fortunately, they've expanded this to an All Day Sushi Buffet. The price now is Php399 for adults, and comes with Miso Soup and bottomless hot or cold tea. We were led to our table. Once you're seated, you can start taking plates of sushi from the conveyor belt.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFB7xlO6M9u4LrO5KiLDUOjNw3y_Tqdb55u8MtGvUp1klJInrmWdQSuxlXNIz31Uj5Tmi_lkXS8NYAZh048aO-yUnKoqyB2iwZjThAxoAtmAAlf6JbvyKXlkpzmOXrqmuXgzZ7yQx5Wg/s1600/DSC01520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFB7xlO6M9u4LrO5KiLDUOjNw3y_Tqdb55u8MtGvUp1klJInrmWdQSuxlXNIz31Uj5Tmi_lkXS8NYAZh048aO-yUnKoqyB2iwZjThAxoAtmAAlf6JbvyKXlkpzmOXrqmuXgzZ7yQx5Wg/s320/DSC01520.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Each of the colored plates has a corresponding price, but if you're going for the All Day Sushi Buffet, you don't need to worry about it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje696bU1Crxrz-ouR0lZHf6VcPInTjirk6N_lExCkhrfFVsXWfIKGUJ4sPSDKzhX-cfL43RaM1QqgXS0Uv3MbzD5Yjj3UKpf-SU4XmtstbOP_UUbgKsNeiO1gyGZuw7JE90FF7BrJnAMc/s1600/DSC01519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje696bU1Crxrz-ouR0lZHf6VcPInTjirk6N_lExCkhrfFVsXWfIKGUJ4sPSDKzhX-cfL43RaM1QqgXS0Uv3MbzD5Yjj3UKpf-SU4XmtstbOP_UUbgKsNeiO1gyGZuw7JE90FF7BrJnAMc/s320/DSC01519.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger are available on your table.<br />
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The sushi themselves are good for the price. Of course, do not expect gourmet fare since the nurse-looking women manning the kitchen are not sushi chefs. You get a wide array of sushi, and sometimes other kinds of Japanese "<i>pampulutan</i>" like fried salmon belly. My favorites are their inarizushi, and their salad sushis (different kinds of tuna salad sushi, crab salad sushi, etc..). They also have big tobiko (big orange fish egg) sushi. It's a good way to get your sushi variety fix at a reasonable price.<br />
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The thing is, to get maximum sushi variety, try to eat there near peak meal hours. Why? The kitchen doesn't replenish the sushis on the conveyor until most of them have been eaten. If there are too few customers, there is no turnover, and you're stuck choosing from the same choices that have been doing the rounds of the conveyor for the last hour. Peak hours = more customers = more variety. I've been to Sakae Sushi many times, and I think they have more than 30 different sushis available. Probably more. They usually have about 10 kinds of sushis on the conveyor at any given time.<br />
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Sakae Sushi also has an ala carte menu. Boyfriend ordered a Kirin and said it was good beer, clean-tasting.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-79599981281289565402010-08-11T22:15:00.116+08:002010-08-11T22:15:00.498+08:00Steamed Tilapia with Garlic Ginger Tausi Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWS52r7ehc9ofrrZox1SThtfY3ikEbY69GYHcKZzGkMiW-Oy2SSYvATzFO-rf5Jt2YCWyU9tp1BlZIRWNtzK7mIER-PyNJMIKfvIibL96DEmT3V9DfG1PHnR4tE63aQdDF8cDlkQkLqUg/s1600/DSC01543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWS52r7ehc9ofrrZox1SThtfY3ikEbY69GYHcKZzGkMiW-Oy2SSYvATzFO-rf5Jt2YCWyU9tp1BlZIRWNtzK7mIER-PyNJMIKfvIibL96DEmT3V9DfG1PHnR4tE63aQdDF8cDlkQkLqUg/s320/DSC01543.JPG" /></a></div><br />
This is probably the best steamed fish dish I have ever made.<br />
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Find yourself a nice, live tilapia. Buy it live and have the fishmonger gut and clean it for you, or buy it live and gut it and clean it yourself at home. Believe me, fresh tilapia tastes cleaner, fresher, the meat sweet and firm. Why tilapia? It's more widely available and more affordable than live lapu-lapu. Most city public markets should have some vendor selling live tilapia. Besides, reading about cyanide and/or dynamite fishing of lapu-lapu does not make me want to support any more of those practices. I am hoping that less demand for the lapu-lapus will eventually lead to less overfishing. I was quite saddened seeing some small red lapu-lapu for sale in Farmer's Market in Cubao. They weren't even given a chance to grow bigger. And almost all of the lapu-lapu I saw sold there had mushy stomach areas. Which I read somewhere were caused by dynamite fishing. But that is a post for another day. For now, I'm sticking to Tilapia.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Clean the fish, make sure to rinse out any remaining guts, blood, and what have you. Make several deep diagonal slits on both sides of the fish. Grate some ginger, about a 1-inch piece (I used a Japanese ginger grater I bought from Saizen, I'll make a post on it soon), leave a few big pieces for stuffing into the fish cavity. Since I had some lemongrass left, I also cut up a stalk into 1-inch slices. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste, rub the salt and pepper all over the fish, into the diagonal slices, and inside the cavity. Rub half the grated ginger all over the fish, making sure to put some inside the diagonal slices too. Then put the remaining ginger and lemongrass slices inside the fish cavity. Steam tilapia for 10 mins or longer, depending on the size of fish, on an oiled rack to prevent sticking. Yes, on a rack. We want all the fishy juices from the fish to drain out. Only start timing once the water boils. A tilapia sized like mine takes 10 minutes, a bigger one maybe 12 minutes. The deep slits on the fish should help the thick parts cook evenly. Take care not to overcook the fish.<br />
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Meanwhile, on a clean cutting board, slice some leeks into strips. Set aside. Chop some garlic, about 3-5 cloves. Rinse 2 tablespoons or more of black beans. Rinse the black beans well if you don't want it to be too salty, and rinse them less if you like your sauce more salty. Chop or mash the black beans.<br />
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When fish is done, transfer to a serving plate. Throw out the steaming water. Pile the leeks on top of the cooked tilapia.<br />
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On a clean wok, heat about 1/4 cup of oil, preferably peanut oil. Saute the garlic and remaining grated ginger until fragrant, but do not burn the garlic. Toss in the mashed black beans. Add about two tablespoons of water. Remove any ginger fibers you may have missed while grating. Season to taste with a small amount of soy sauce and a scant teaspoon of sugar to round out the flavor. Heat oil until very hot, turn off the heat, and pour over the leeks and tilapia. Serve.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-10904563303381000302010-08-10T01:32:00.002+08:002010-08-10T01:32:00.735+08:00Rediscovering Dangwa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5p9iT7FfUuqqJBeis5N-u0qU_OoMqZ_Ij0kSailDiqOzu99iuiCi3bc8nKyZaw5NoNl6XEcy3_Ck6dDTVwDgQXcmYIklRveOKYFWwhmHxKA_sF2FL0mlgTV3_67jTCeI_5wkcBWjQ6CA/s1600/DSC01530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5p9iT7FfUuqqJBeis5N-u0qU_OoMqZ_Ij0kSailDiqOzu99iuiCi3bc8nKyZaw5NoNl6XEcy3_Ck6dDTVwDgQXcmYIklRveOKYFWwhmHxKA_sF2FL0mlgTV3_67jTCeI_5wkcBWjQ6CA/s320/DSC01530.JPG" /></a></div><br />
A few weeks ago, I was reading some of <a href="http://www.marketmanila.com/">Marketman's</a> posts on flowers which inspired me to have some vases of flowers at home. Having heard of Dangwa, but only having been there once on our way to the cemetery, I had never seen Dangwa at night. So that night, around 10pm, I dragged the boyfriend to accompany me to Dangwa.<br />
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As usual, the boyfriend was very irritable (<i>sinusumpong</i>). He gets like that when he knows we'll be going to crowded, not so pleasant places. But, also as usual, I am able to cheer him up. He says I'm too cute. In his defense, I am able to make him cave under a barrage of cuteness, to cater to my every whim :) Haha, well, for the most part.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4jNq6AY05EX39dnpzVksYjpFZAuI7XDy2koeQIDpao2mLlmokOEEAQnBzGV7l6OiPeZJ5fr1g3by9u3CxBi_xYuI9mzEy-6dmJEityxWng2X0YcZcyQFseRYxAwnVlsj9hQhE3DxRV8/s1600/DSC01526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4jNq6AY05EX39dnpzVksYjpFZAuI7XDy2koeQIDpao2mLlmokOEEAQnBzGV7l6OiPeZJ5fr1g3by9u3CxBi_xYuI9mzEy-6dmJEityxWng2X0YcZcyQFseRYxAwnVlsj9hQhE3DxRV8/s320/DSC01526.JPG" /></a></div>We bought flowers which I thought would look good arranged. I looked for inexpensive flowers and fillers, those going for Php5-40 a bunch. We were also offered 2 dozen roses for Php60 toward the end of our trip. Too bad we had already bought too much or I would have bought those roses too. I took a mental note of where to find them for the next time I was there.<br />
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When I got home, I cut the stems at an angle and arranged the flowers in water with a drop of bleach and a little sugar. This is supposed to keep the water from bacteria and wrigglers, as well as feed the flowers.<br />
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The boyfriend gave me the orange gerberas. I told him they were expensive at Php180, but he insisted. He said he wanted to give them to me, and he was specific! He wanted the orange ones. So being the gracious girlfriend that I am, I accepted. I really appreciated the gesture.<br />
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I put the gerberas on my dressing table.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JQP52JDo6tNw8s6m_Qhtxs_SBp2QruiwbQmFCWsyI9ixhby99Oza2Ki3Z1sRX6cDOZlQcov9hIg6XVWQBJXcLMro7VjYRUXLmawT_8x3Cqzc6Q0i9OjzBuCS-QHV2t3o029w-IOPtik/s1600/DSC01534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JQP52JDo6tNw8s6m_Qhtxs_SBp2QruiwbQmFCWsyI9ixhby99Oza2Ki3Z1sRX6cDOZlQcov9hIg6XVWQBJXcLMro7VjYRUXLmawT_8x3Cqzc6Q0i9OjzBuCS-QHV2t3o029w-IOPtik/s320/DSC01534.JPG" /></a></div>The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-60714787517261567212010-08-09T23:22:00.001+08:002010-08-09T23:22:00.808+08:00Chicken Pandan and Maid Frustrations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7MEOTRBOw-s_Fh-r8LzcQM8cZ1eGv_h-CSI4HlY22umCvFlKKfwu_1ik51sniQfhnEf-rbMcVz4E3qCPlQ3eEv9qyNtpcszd5CvUK7svcfBbqpaYLg8cxv9515H3ZP2KDA2FzpKlTRM/s1600/DSC01553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7MEOTRBOw-s_Fh-r8LzcQM8cZ1eGv_h-CSI4HlY22umCvFlKKfwu_1ik51sniQfhnEf-rbMcVz4E3qCPlQ3eEv9qyNtpcszd5CvUK7svcfBbqpaYLg8cxv9515H3ZP2KDA2FzpKlTRM/s320/DSC01553.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I bought 10 pieces of Chicken Pandan from SM Supermarket last week at Php11 each. It's normally Php12 otherwise. I try to keep something simple to cook on hand just in case. To wit - when I have plans for the day and have to leave the maid to cook lunch/dinner for the rest of the family, for something easy the maid can cook for my sister's baon, or for midnight cravings. Just deep fry on medium heat until done, about 5 minutes.<br />
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Yes, I am culinarily frustrated with my maid. In her first two months, I have tried to teach her to cook. She has had no cooking experience save from cooking rice, frying things, and cooking simple vegetable dishes like sauteed kangkong flavored with Knorr Seasoning. She has a tendency to fry things to death, and her taste tends towards the very salty. Since I am on sabbatical, I have been supervising her cooking meals almost everyday. Everyday I explain why this procedure needs to be done, why we add this ingredient, why we do this technique. We have made simple Filipino dishes to elaborate Continental and Chinese cuisine. Despite all that, leaving her to cook a full meal on her own will invariably result in weird tasting, unpalatable food. And I hate wasting food. Part of the problem is because she has a very poor palate, she can't taste or smell all that well. To her, salty is salty, and she probably can't process complex flavors if her life depended on it. Sigh. One time we were grocery shopping in SM and I gave her merienda. She chose Potdog's lobster balls. When I asked her how she liked it, she said it had no flavor, "<i>walang lasa</i>". I was unbelieving. Really? I liked Potdog's lobster balls well enough for a commercial product. I didn't think it was bland or lacked flavor at all. It was even a bit sweet, the way lobster meat is supposed to be.<br />
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</div><div>Another part of the problem is her lack of exposure and experience. She doesn't eat our food. It's not like we don't give her any. After we eat our family meal, she is free to get her share of food from the leftovers before packing them and storing them in the fridge. But she only takes food she is familiar with. After having made lasagna a couple of times, I asked her if she liked it. She said she never tried it. I said, why not? She just shrugged. I told her to try it next time. So next time we make lasagna, she tries it and tells me, "<i>Ate, masarap pala.</i>" (Sis, it's delicious. I thought it wasn't.)</div><div><br />
</div><div>So that's why I have Chicken Pandan and Chicken Torikatsu from SM on hand most times. At least she now understands not to overcook them.</div>The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-65687922168132937552010-08-09T06:25:00.002+08:002010-08-09T06:27:51.539+08:00Birthday Lunch at Lolo Dad's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNyxTcQuLvHzUalOYrrPcFQCF2t9LZnSWhRgbk_JNBB82gHpbSQt7ZPArcZLg_M8j8j1dh2JJk5YjHtyM-F_Up5EtehDo4G2k0ImSO4S_HUuI7NRMp5cEm1Hx9YX-4lLLw2LereSVJl8/s1600/DSC01484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNyxTcQuLvHzUalOYrrPcFQCF2t9LZnSWhRgbk_JNBB82gHpbSQt7ZPArcZLg_M8j8j1dh2JJk5YjHtyM-F_Up5EtehDo4G2k0ImSO4S_HUuI7NRMp5cEm1Hx9YX-4lLLw2LereSVJl8/s640/DSC01484.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
It was my birthday last month and my dad treated us to lunch at Lolo Dad's! It was quite pricey, but I had been wanting to try Lolo Dad's since I heard about it years ago as the restaurant with the best food in Manila. I showed him the Degustacion Menu before we left and he said okay.<br />
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We were the only guests there that fine Saturday noon. Knowing the restaurant's reputation, I would have expected more people. We actually started to wonder if the restaurant actually made any money.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Corkage was free so I brought a bottle of a fruity Chardonnay from Tita Nia's, which the waiter promptly chilled for us. Service was acceptable. The waiter did not hover, but there were times we had to refill our wine ourselves. The waiter was knowledgeable about the food and the history of the restaurant, and was able to chat with us about our food.<br />
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<b>Blue Crab, Cucumber and Moluga Caviar Salad</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbw8PU4uGTpCsh39mGPkrvXRdnI5Oavtxq9eaf-P87O_28AH5fvxcz8DXpEdvYnxih7jwfyMwGuQIIpUFot89K7cR_lbx2AW_X1LucCJFJB0ahbaHwgBzdEBXh9pwPPz3Q8IlMYhD3QQ/s1600/DSC01485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbw8PU4uGTpCsh39mGPkrvXRdnI5Oavtxq9eaf-P87O_28AH5fvxcz8DXpEdvYnxih7jwfyMwGuQIIpUFot89K7cR_lbx2AW_X1LucCJFJB0ahbaHwgBzdEBXh9pwPPz3Q8IlMYhD3QQ/s320/DSC01485.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCoDlRybj_RJyNdFBDi7G4yV68oriIhzF-8g6UpTjaEdDF1208Jv7SxS9e-Uih98xLyqmWaAXSa0rCDqYDvfMm85CSi7WSok6UveY4rZrTqJbtxyQRoFbAR7kR8X8RFI30aMqktGNkL8/s1600/DSC01486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCoDlRybj_RJyNdFBDi7G4yV68oriIhzF-8g6UpTjaEdDF1208Jv7SxS9e-Uih98xLyqmWaAXSa0rCDqYDvfMm85CSi7WSok6UveY4rZrTqJbtxyQRoFbAR7kR8X8RFI30aMqktGNkL8/s320/DSC01486.JPG" /></a></div>I loved the Blue Crab. The taste was just so clean and refreshing, yet sweet and creamy. The caviar is perfect with it. I would go back for the Blue Crab.<br />
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<b>Espresso of Roasted Sweet Peppers and Grilled Chorizo Crouton</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUfsNMst74l6pP6Y7U8UKXi07rPmLtItzKSEnBVb6lj3vRJvzt-NSKTidUHIA_ZlS4DMkN3MKmXlCp_ld8p9S90msjNtr7vr-YBzn3AY9cCQ9VCC1by2k0brf3CpOOSN5VzyEvtKENwQ/s1600/DSC01489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUfsNMst74l6pP6Y7U8UKXi07rPmLtItzKSEnBVb6lj3vRJvzt-NSKTidUHIA_ZlS4DMkN3MKmXlCp_ld8p9S90msjNtr7vr-YBzn3AY9cCQ9VCC1by2k0brf3CpOOSN5VzyEvtKENwQ/s320/DSC01489.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The soup was creamy, warm and tasted of sweet peppers. It was good too. The chorizos were salty and flavorful.<br />
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<b>Seared Fois Gras with Vacuum Cooked Fresh Peach and Duck Leg Turnover</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMilpUNCs30dyIKz6b1GUwUFuzsutm4rKtTjUa2XnoRHXCGcczppQEDnOQpgnB2ZNJDGI3LxOtYlBeIT9NQdMuEXErIqB7waXpakC3_Nl8avuOEW5P_sR8XLdwc801dlJnacgAId4i_M/s1600/DSC01491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMilpUNCs30dyIKz6b1GUwUFuzsutm4rKtTjUa2XnoRHXCGcczppQEDnOQpgnB2ZNJDGI3LxOtYlBeIT9NQdMuEXErIqB7waXpakC3_Nl8avuOEW5P_sR8XLdwc801dlJnacgAId4i_M/s320/DSC01491.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The fois gras was crisp outside, creamy inside. I'm not sure if they really meant it to be this way. I kind of thought that it was a bit overcooked. Although not burnt, it had already started to have a slightly bitter, burnt flavor. I was expecting a very creamy seared fois gras. I was expecting the fois gras here to melt in my mouth. After all the hype about fois gras, I wanted my family to be wowed by their first fois gras experience. They were not. I guess the best fois gras I've ever had was still at Prince Albert.<br />
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<b>Calamansi Sherbet</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKkwXnKn8XnsupyAkW_I_1vFkq4ACc6jf_tRTRuT06cDzNuwTl94HeMmjBJgEcA8giYIljEVsYzy2YFaTP4T4dv7j8a9MTjCManyRSc_fR8oYXtfpEnVVfmvaBvvPL3ydLjMLeEj5IRc/s1600/DSC01492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKkwXnKn8XnsupyAkW_I_1vFkq4ACc6jf_tRTRuT06cDzNuwTl94HeMmjBJgEcA8giYIljEVsYzy2YFaTP4T4dv7j8a9MTjCManyRSc_fR8oYXtfpEnVVfmvaBvvPL3ydLjMLeEj5IRc/s320/DSC01492.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The calamansi sherbet was tart and a good palate cleanser. It was served on a teapot with dry ice steaming from inside the pot.<br />
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<b>Roast Saddle of Lamb and Sheep's Heart Ragout</b><br />
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It was good lamb. I wouldn't say I'd go back for it, though. It was very tender and tasted good enough. There was just nothing that would shoot it to spectacular. I also had a hard time eating the heart. I managed to eat it all, but let's just say I won't be eating hearts voluntarily again.<br />
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<b>Center Cut Grilled Rib Eye Steak and Beef Short Ribs</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yPl5tcKQSIXdnH4d4A0J7-2meS73f0u_BmhFgSIqIrP7T8GicqjPls4-oretih4sfG71uciBI1C4GJcvwrwh0_AMm538kS3bseZayBQGZ_zyEQGQqcF02ibn1v3DqgS2X_4mwaRtOFw/s1600/DSC01495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yPl5tcKQSIXdnH4d4A0J7-2meS73f0u_BmhFgSIqIrP7T8GicqjPls4-oretih4sfG71uciBI1C4GJcvwrwh0_AMm538kS3bseZayBQGZ_zyEQGQqcF02ibn1v3DqgS2X_4mwaRtOFw/s320/DSC01495.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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I should have ordered this instead of the lamb. From the mouthful I had of it, the steak was tender and flavorful.<br />
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<b>Steamed Fillet of Seabass with Sauteed Angulas</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_azB-65OB9_ZNcSewfeBc_HpTCHJSA2mSZU2RWDdsZDLzfDpELUYKYmxfzJUpgMgYQA1CrGmWFIyI3zaZG_kv3tsU4KrvMR2RskKWwLwK71nmPkVsz1kFX14DA_68BTilOA51KrIiXg/s1600/DSC01496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_azB-65OB9_ZNcSewfeBc_HpTCHJSA2mSZU2RWDdsZDLzfDpELUYKYmxfzJUpgMgYQA1CrGmWFIyI3zaZG_kv3tsU4KrvMR2RskKWwLwK71nmPkVsz1kFX14DA_68BTilOA51KrIiXg/s320/DSC01496.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Now this, is probably the best seabass I've ever had. The fish was creamy, tender but still had a bite. Not chewy, no, kind of like a live steamed lapu-lapu. The flavor was very delicate, but it tasted sublime! Fortunately, none of us knew what angulas were, so we ate them. I thought they were some kind of noodle seaweed, maybe some Japanese ingredient I didn't know about. Now, looking at the pictures and recognizing them for what they are, and now knowing that they are baby eels, I think I would have balked more at eating them.<br />
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<b>Baked Brie Cheese with Sun Dried Tomato in Phyllo</b><br />
Roma Tomato Marmalade and Warm Spinach<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3skNrwTiI1lI6jJgSeqw3NsKwOmOd9r4uvy-XZk92BnsdnsoYGTsgQfzQOb1XfC9O2XuXERYdEb-wBLSjaM_BQ6ETOQ8ClyXYWbk-JlqoMbSf6lD9UvoYJfI4Sw2j-3llMj7bRfRo6xc/s1600/DSC01499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3skNrwTiI1lI6jJgSeqw3NsKwOmOd9r4uvy-XZk92BnsdnsoYGTsgQfzQOb1XfC9O2XuXERYdEb-wBLSjaM_BQ6ETOQ8ClyXYWbk-JlqoMbSf6lD9UvoYJfI4Sw2j-3llMj7bRfRo6xc/s320/DSC01499.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEFKdvKGbkwr-i9uZ4ZK_t5MkhZmvUeHp614UWCAsoXWAT2nUemM8n9vwP-mG8e65d-xrC5S4d02iDMUkgOpyDrjtA7GgVd3M4LuB9TYDNujrZECTTAcMIUtMXkY4E-yNNN3VsZc1brI/s1600/DSC01501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEFKdvKGbkwr-i9uZ4ZK_t5MkhZmvUeHp614UWCAsoXWAT2nUemM8n9vwP-mG8e65d-xrC5S4d02iDMUkgOpyDrjtA7GgVd3M4LuB9TYDNujrZECTTAcMIUtMXkY4E-yNNN3VsZc1brI/s320/DSC01501.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I love the baked Brie! Cheesy and creamy without being cloying, sweet yet slightly tangy. I wish I could have asked for another serving. I would love to make this at home.<br />
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<b>White Chocolate Pot de Creme</b><br />
<b>Banana and White Chocolate Croquette</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk1tcyc51XE2oJ9xb6yE17tBC8ZrzdHSmT-7GQ4Bbx39X86BOA0-86O6gg12dfjJbj-cpHcJx62u35NdWkUhnU_CiqK2N-JWULF6MW23QgEQvifg_j3iB4pYTBFYI9zS0IDpWpWna8hY/s1600/DSC01502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk1tcyc51XE2oJ9xb6yE17tBC8ZrzdHSmT-7GQ4Bbx39X86BOA0-86O6gg12dfjJbj-cpHcJx62u35NdWkUhnU_CiqK2N-JWULF6MW23QgEQvifg_j3iB4pYTBFYI9zS0IDpWpWna8hY/s320/DSC01502.JPG" /></a></div><br />
This was good but not spectacular. I'm sorry, but for a restaurant with Lolo Dad's reputation, I expected everything to be spectacular.<br />
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Lolo Dad's Degustacion Menu is Php2,800+ 10% service charge per person<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><b>Lolo Dad’s Cafe</b><br />
899 Pres. Qurino Ave. cor. Leon Guinto St., Malate Manila<br />
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<b>Phone Number</b> : (63 2) 522-2941, 524-2295, 526-7151<br />
<b>Cellphone Number</b> : +639228125971<br />
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<b>Operating Hours</b> :<br />
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<b>Monday</b> : Open from 6:30pm to 10:30pm<br />
<b>Tuesday to Saturday</b> : Open from 11:00am to 2:00pm for lunch<br />
and 6:30pm to 10:30pm for dinner</span>The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-49470204112964620292010-08-09T01:29:00.001+08:002010-08-09T06:30:08.128+08:00Watching CATS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GzeqCDmI8avvRro7YUepty8B3igJAsMN7piNQMjXgV-4yEY_5XnuiJgEydRPdsjRDqu6mTifNk2JUFbEBNZ2TRK25Ftpg8WsQipaDxzBbQIPQ6K0uZf_hGpa1m9iFhtU417glyzQtIg/s1600/DSC01542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GzeqCDmI8avvRro7YUepty8B3igJAsMN7piNQMjXgV-4yEY_5XnuiJgEydRPdsjRDqu6mTifNk2JUFbEBNZ2TRK25Ftpg8WsQipaDxzBbQIPQ6K0uZf_hGpa1m9iFhtU417glyzQtIg/s320/DSC01542.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Early this year, my sister nagged me about going to watch CATS, with Lea Salonga. My sister is a fan of Miss Saigon and wanted to watch Cats, but didn't know anybody else who might have wanted to go with her. Our circle of society doesn't really have many of the theatre-going set, so I agreed. Hey, watching theatre might actually be fun! I was imagining the characters and dialogue from my favorite Judith McNaught books, dowager duchesses peering through their monocles high up in their boxes and such.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Unfortunately, tickets sold out quickly and we were only left with balcony seats. When the day arrived, we encountered traffic in Quirino Ave. from an Iglesia ni Cristo event, but fortunately made it in time, 30 mins before the show. I was looking forward to a good gala night and took my time dressing up. It was a bit disappointing that a few people did not seem to take theatre seriously and did not make an effort to dress a little more formally. But, oh, well.<br />
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The minute I sat down waiting for the show to start, I was already bored. I tried to while away the time by people watching. Finally, the show started. The stage was so far down I couldn't tell one actor's face from another. The plastic binoculars being sold by the ushers for Php50 each didn't help much. But I really did try. And for the most part, I appreciated the show. But by the third song, I was growing more bored. One can really watch dancing cats for only so long. Yes, the actors sang and danced very well. They really did move like cats, and I know the energy required to move that gracefully and jump around like that must be great. But really, I was forcing myself to keep watching dancing cats and listening to their songs because I didn't want to be unappreciative. Then Lea sang a portion of Memory. Good! Finally, a song I know. Then more dancing and singing. Finally, Grizabella (Lea) sang Memory again, this time, with feeling, as the story goes.<br />
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To be fair, it was a good production. Maybe it was just me. After the show, people gathered at the lobby. There were many celebrities and interviews were being conducted by camera crews. On the way out, I overheard one obviously rich, genteel old lady comment to her husband, "We paid so much just to hear that one song!". Hearing this, I thought, hmm.. maybe it was a good thing we didn't pay so much for our tickets...The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-39087747823548249902010-08-08T19:50:00.002+08:002010-08-09T06:30:23.341+08:00Easy Tausi Pork Ribs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi025it6bekfyqJBiXFv-pdy82Jxp_3DklUQD-fnYkIRx5DQJOi6ovMHMRhtkLd6f7VD28Bble2FBoA-odbZAwCOPE_gx9N3ciHKXSwJO7-v_I-wxQuNZqg-kIT4qu6U9i2zu6E7fuYW-0/s1600/DSC01558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi025it6bekfyqJBiXFv-pdy82Jxp_3DklUQD-fnYkIRx5DQJOi6ovMHMRhtkLd6f7VD28Bble2FBoA-odbZAwCOPE_gx9N3ciHKXSwJO7-v_I-wxQuNZqg-kIT4qu6U9i2zu6E7fuYW-0/s320/DSC01558.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Last week, I started to have a craving for Lo Mai Fan (Glutinous Rice with Chinese Sausage) and found a blog of recipes of homemade Chinese food. While browsing, I found a recipe for Steamed Black Bean Pork Short Ribs <a href="http://www.homemadechinese.com/2009/07/steamed-black-bean-pork-short-ribs.html">here</a>, and I suddenly felt myself salilvating for some good old Tausi Spareribs. Looking at the recipe, it didn't seem so difficult. I always thought that it was a difficult dish to make, having eaten Tausi Spareribs only in dimsum places.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>So, on my most recent trip to S&R, I looked for pork spareribs, but unfortunately, they were out, and I just contented myself with the next best thing, Baby Back Ribs, about 2.75 kilos worth, instead. The next morning, I started work on the Tausi Pork by slicing them, rubbed in some baking soda, and covering the ribs with water for 2 hours.<br />
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Next I drained the pork, and added some soy sauce, sugar, chopped garlic AND two chopped siling labuyo (bird's eye chili), seeds removed. I also added in some rinsed and chopped/mashed black beans (known locally as tausi). I did not leave this to marinate, which, in hindsight, I should have. So, note to self, next time, marinate this so the flavors can infuse the meat, especially when using a thicker, meatier cut such as baby back ribs. Also, don't rinse the black beans too much.<br />
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At this point, I was so into steaming the pork I totally forgot about coating them in cornstarch. I just steamed them in two batches for about 20-25 minutes each. Upon tasting the cooked meat, I found that it needed a little more salt, and I also remembered that I forgot to coat them in cornstarch. I realized I must have rinsed the black beans too much, as they did not impart the saltiness I expected. I was subject to a dish cooked with unrinsed black beans before, and it was so salty as to be nearly inedible. So I can be anal with rinsing black beans..<br />
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I then removed the cooked ribs to another platter, and boiled the remaining "juices" from the steaming to concentrate the flavor. I also added salt and a cornstarch slurry to make up for not putting cornstarch before. Once the sauce tasted right, I put back the ribs to coat, turned off the heat, and served them on a platter with a garnish of chopped green onions.<br />
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They turned out very well, if I do say so myself. But they do taste even better after several days in the fridge! Yes, I knew I made too much so I moved some to a covered container and kept it in the fridge.<br />
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I'm so glad I know how to make this now. It's not so difficult at all!The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-37969643492157049472010-07-06T06:29:00.003+08:002010-08-08T19:59:05.876+08:00Wabi Sabi Noodle House and Vegetarian Grocery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4rjo2L0ptJiqFXEvup7EVFXjmjXZqfaHpwe_9-mz23YrQJcdG1Y6Ei3heSqw5W2sW7eHWlKwvMbuPFxbnQFETtw9iX6Umo92FfI4YhWecj44hUScATv_E-FS-HLDFu02R3pFdZj4w68/s1600/DSC01468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4rjo2L0ptJiqFXEvup7EVFXjmjXZqfaHpwe_9-mz23YrQJcdG1Y6Ei3heSqw5W2sW7eHWlKwvMbuPFxbnQFETtw9iX6Umo92FfI4YhWecj44hUScATv_E-FS-HLDFu02R3pFdZj4w68/s320/DSC01468.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pho</div><br />
The boyfriend and I wanted to go out for dinner and didn't know where to go, so I fired up my laptop and started sifting through Clickthecity.com and Spot.PH. All those nights drooling over Vietnamese food in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations' Vietnam episodes had me pining for good, authentic Vietnamese food.<br />
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I found a place called Wabi Sabi interesting. I called to check if they were still open, and they were, so off we went. Wabi Sabi is located at The Collection, at the old car accessories place along Malugay, you see it immediately upon turning left from South Super Highway coming from the Cash and Carry side. At first we had a hard time looking for the restaurant inside The Collection. It's located off to the side.<br />
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The Collection seems like a place for artistic people. The shops looked bohemian to me. It was still not fully fixed up but I did get the impression that it was like a young Metrowalk, only more artistic. Since we arrived late, most of the shops already closed so it was dark and I felt kind of a slight gothic vibe. I might come back to browse the shops in the future once they're all up and open.<br />
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Wabi Sabi the restaurant was homey with an Asian feel. I would call it Filipinized zen. It is a small place with a few tables and a bar by the counter. You only had two choices for noodle soup, the Pho or the Shoyu Ramen. They also had Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) and potstickers. We ordered a Pho, a Shoyu Ramen, potstickers and half a Banh Mi, so I guess we pretty much ordered almost everything on the menu.<br />
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We also spotted Bundaberg Ginger Beer on the counter and ordered that as well.<br />
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When the food came, we weren't expecting much. The Pho and the Shoyu Ramen only cost P95 each, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had the Pho and of course it wasn't as good as the Pho of my fantasies, but it was pretty tasty, and the clincher is, it's vegetarian! Okay, the "vegetarian grocery" part of their name should have tipped me off, but I honestly never considered a vegetarian Pho. Ever. But the broth was flavorful and I like cilantro. And I like tofu. So I actually liked the fake "meat" too. Even the boyfriend was very happy with his Shoyu ramen.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WN7yyYVmLQpQVjJ7lSTxhYxdVfLudmAnhyphenhypheneLcTGI7idoaGGfjy6kOrr1gawrMV8Ub9I1bDG2L6LQTCU3LmBXqFaspcLzhvm0U4QQf9miD0dSRQUF_ZZMgFkckGZ0CfdGpnStyXWzOVE/s1600/DSC01471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WN7yyYVmLQpQVjJ7lSTxhYxdVfLudmAnhyphenhypheneLcTGI7idoaGGfjy6kOrr1gawrMV8Ub9I1bDG2L6LQTCU3LmBXqFaspcLzhvm0U4QQf9miD0dSRQUF_ZZMgFkckGZ0CfdGpnStyXWzOVE/s320/DSC01471.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The potstickers (P45 for 3pcs) seemed like the usual frozen dumplings you buy from the Asian stores. The Banh Mi (P75 for half order), as simple as it is compared to the ones I saw on No Reservations, was pretty good too. I would like to say that it didn't seem like authentic Banh Mi, but really, it doesn't matter since I liked it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtKgMdEKynEbWOHI3WXQ5_BrzLxdz3kbBIpCsMnTM1A0OAZtO2Yh_LcZDLFr_gWoSfBcv3SUj_YTR4suJlSyf44F3sxM6BCrezmuqqWMmUbe1sXDYsBj7cSl5Z1Xypkul3E-peZj2pBQ/s1600/DSC01472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtKgMdEKynEbWOHI3WXQ5_BrzLxdz3kbBIpCsMnTM1A0OAZtO2Yh_LcZDLFr_gWoSfBcv3SUj_YTR4suJlSyf44F3sxM6BCrezmuqqWMmUbe1sXDYsBj7cSl5Z1Xypkul3E-peZj2pBQ/s320/DSC01472.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KR-KcyYXIyyZ3ZyUF5vEJrzuBwwsPprWsGYL_67NMvSPRsRNeD3FZsg-jStDp5uF7rCYOP6Pw5Ly2ZcURBM-_m53mdRyly-kq1O7hMhet10SoFIwJdlUXOSdrC1gcEn0rcBA6N9PUBA/s1600/DSC01474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KR-KcyYXIyyZ3ZyUF5vEJrzuBwwsPprWsGYL_67NMvSPRsRNeD3FZsg-jStDp5uF7rCYOP6Pw5Ly2ZcURBM-_m53mdRyly-kq1O7hMhet10SoFIwJdlUXOSdrC1gcEn0rcBA6N9PUBA/s320/DSC01474.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The Bundaberg Ginger Beer was the perfect drink for the meal. It was served cold and was delicious. The boyfriend even ordered additional 2 beers for takeout. It only had a slight beer taste, a taste of ginger, it was a little sweet and not hot (<i>maanghang</i>) at all.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtXtlUneOwHhiEX_VR8aAPEhO1RvM-vJswBFsYo6uDVS1OkC-SYn9Pm0cDy7h0OY02O3RbC777cITbm1uiz3QEDBq0tjo6gQo_zKVsGSVN-rvoJQ8tQHYYae3EmCaGq_lgOzO74FPXMo/s1600/DSC01470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtXtlUneOwHhiEX_VR8aAPEhO1RvM-vJswBFsYo6uDVS1OkC-SYn9Pm0cDy7h0OY02O3RbC777cITbm1uiz3QEDBq0tjo6gQo_zKVsGSVN-rvoJQ8tQHYYae3EmCaGq_lgOzO74FPXMo/s320/DSC01470.JPG" /></a></div><br />
All in all, the boyfriend and I were very happy with our dinner at Wabi Sabi. We were full but the food wasn't heavy on the stomach.<br />
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Wabi Sabi Noodle House and Vegetarian Grocery<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">The Collective, 7274 Malugay St., Brgy. San Antonio</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Makati City</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">(0918) 450-1714</span>The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-30301122932402214802010-07-05T09:15:00.001+08:002010-08-08T19:59:58.833+08:00Healing from a Cold & Losing Weight SanelyTwo weeks ago, I came down with a cold. It was bad. Now, I am someone who avoids Western medicine if it can be helped. I don't like introducing foreign substances into my body (unless it's delicious food?) and frankly have more faith in the long-term goodness of eastern healing techniques. But I was desperate and I needed a quick fix so I succumbed to taking some flu pills. Then I remembered that I can boil some ginger with a small bark of cinnamon and drink it sweetened with muscovado or honey. So I did.<br />
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A friend of mine also recommended Banlangen Keli, which she says helped her with a cold before. So I asked my dad to buy some for me in Binondo since he was on his way there. Reading the information on the pack, it's supposed to work on balancing the warm and cold in my body/blood, reduce dry mouth, etc etc. So I opened 2 packs into a glass, put water and stir, just as you would instant coffee. It actually tastes pretty darn good. I like it. And it did relieve my clogged sinuses quickly.<br />
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Now you might wonder what all this has to do with losing weight. All this time I still ate without really thinking about any diet or about limiting my food intake. I did not deprive myself if I wanted to eat. However, I had been googling about traditional Chinese medicine and how to keep your body in balance. I was producing so much phlegm I wondered where it all came from. I found out that there were phlegm-producing foods that I should probably avoid - such as dairy, too much meat, white flour products and sugar. So for the next few days I ate a lot of fish and sauteed vegetables and minimized my meat intake, not that I really noticed (I still ate chocolates and generously buttered my toasted baguette slices). I was more concerned about keeping my body "in balance" but you know what? After a few days, I noticed that my shirts were looser. Hooray for Chinese medicine!<br />
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So now I'm trying to keep it up, minimizing meat intake, eating more veggies and seafood. I could go on a seafood diet for a long time. There's just so much seafood to eat, so little time :) But alas, my other family members at home like their meat, so I can't totally not cook meat at all. But I really have been cooking and eating more vegetables and seafood, which is good.<br />
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Also, according to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), you should avoid drinking cold drinks during mealtimes. The best temperature to digest that slush in your stomach is around 100F, and the more you are able to maintain that stomach temperature during digestion, the better digestion will be. So, if you must lose weight, do it sanely and deliciously with lots of seafood. Here are some dishes I can think of:<br />
<br />
<ol><li>Nori-crusted salmon or tuna</li>
<li>Steamed tilapia with ginger soy sauce or with tausi, there are just endless variations (as much as possible, buy live tilapia)</li>
<li>Sweet and sour fish</li>
<li>Fish sticks or breaded fillets with dill caper sauce</li>
<li>Tuna or salmon teriyaki</li>
<li>Deep-fried Catfish (hito)</li>
<li>Dalag (snakehead) rolls (I saw this on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Vietnam episode)</li>
<li>Shrimp - steamed, stuffed, fried, sauteed, baked, cocktail, with various sauces</li>
<li>Crabs - steamed, fried, baked</li>
<li>Assorted crustaceans and mollusks like tahong, halaan.. pitik, rock lobsters..</li>
</ol>The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-18382856778408615692010-07-04T22:27:00.000+08:002010-07-04T22:27:12.148+08:00Dimsum Lunch at Lili<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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Li Li, at the Hyatt, can probably be considered the best dimsum place in all of Metro Manila. Every time I go to dine at Li Li, there's a certain anticipation. I can already taste the heavenly Baked Barbecued Puff Pastry in my fantasies. Yes, that IS my ulterior motive for going to Li Li's, to taste that sublime Baked Barbecued Puff Pastry. There it is, just slightly below the center of the menu. That, my dear friends, is heaven in a bite.<br />
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But I'm getting ahead of myself. Li Li's dimsum lunch is available from Monday-Saturday from 12:00nn-5:00pm at P670/person. On Sundays, they have an even grander spread with more desserts and non-dimsum dishes available, which costs more at P1,350/person. Having been to both, the one for P670 is a less expensive way to satisfy any onset of intense cravings for Baked Barbecued Puff Pastry. If money was not a consideration, I would still go for the Sunday Brunch, even though I always leave it way too full to do anything more than lie down in peace with a smile on my face.<br />
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What else do I love about Li Li? I love their plates. Their patterns add a touch of whimsy to an otherwise austere and formal dining area. They are Raynaud Villeroy Fruits and every time the waitress changes our plates I wonder what the next fruit is going to be. The collection just reminds me of the painting in the Thomas Crown Affair (Son of Man by Rene Magritte). I also love it that they set out silver spoons. No metallic aftertaste to mess with the food!<br />
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First, we were served some lightly pickled vegetables and boiled peanuts as appetizers. The boyfriend loves the pickles. If it was available for sale at a reasonable price (we didn't ask), the boyfriend would have bought a jar of it home to <i>papak</i>. The pickles were not too vinegary, not too salty, not too sweet. Just perfect and light. The peanuts.. how do they do that? Such a light touch with the seasoning yet so flavorful. The seasoning was not overwhelming, though I am sure there was a little soy sauce involved somewhere. You could just taste the peanuts and they were wonderful.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m8a9jep5ocota9Qob3tJFLi4R-xojyIsVQUDdMiIudaLOAEUD9e9NcthrRYHIKV0jM23zF_gYv95xlrihxa4eqN-s0c61fPcghyphenhyphensTigNXodUW4pQ5FdaUrA7-0pZxt7Lz6BAUMZmNjI/s1600/DSC01440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4m8a9jep5ocota9Qob3tJFLi4R-xojyIsVQUDdMiIudaLOAEUD9e9NcthrRYHIKV0jM23zF_gYv95xlrihxa4eqN-s0c61fPcghyphenhyphensTigNXodUW4pQ5FdaUrA7-0pZxt7Lz6BAUMZmNjI/s200/DSC01440.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mAgy4zWT10CLygCC2Ll2KGn6_C891gvonxzbMhK8oh_ZPn3KLXqrbfhKLP1fz2eOVd4aUGP7I-cGIXf22nusCb__RpP8DuE5pYfTQa9UjS9xfUjsVR0g-BBuqHvHWcYJTZTIfE2XtcE/s1600/DSC01441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mAgy4zWT10CLygCC2Ll2KGn6_C891gvonxzbMhK8oh_ZPn3KLXqrbfhKLP1fz2eOVd4aUGP7I-cGIXf22nusCb__RpP8DuE5pYfTQa9UjS9xfUjsVR0g-BBuqHvHWcYJTZTIfE2XtcE/s200/DSC01441.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Our orders were brought out not soon after we ate up all the appetizers. First was the Deep-Fried Glutinous Dumpling with Assorted Meat, then my raison d'etre, the Baked Barbecued Puff Pastry. Think of biting into honey-glazed crisp yet tender pastry layers and finding sweet honeyed barbecued pork in the middle. I could wax poetic about this all day. Calling the barbecued pork "asado" would never do it justice. It's just worlds higher than what we normally think of when we think of the pork "asado" filling in asado siopao.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Deep-Fried Glutinous Dumpling with Assorted Meat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqvgqUyEnvEQ33syBKR0yySwB_78ZjRU3EiA-iRf5m95obxLLOn_6N8Xi-erznZ1fnMb0qK78X_HDaxqmkhrwztmHBtxtDUOlDaMp0BQSOiDJBVXbW1jm1Ma-WAr7EGmJW1wFMTNcgWc/s1600/DSC01442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqvgqUyEnvEQ33syBKR0yySwB_78ZjRU3EiA-iRf5m95obxLLOn_6N8Xi-erznZ1fnMb0qK78X_HDaxqmkhrwztmHBtxtDUOlDaMp0BQSOiDJBVXbW1jm1Ma-WAr7EGmJW1wFMTNcgWc/s320/DSC01442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Baked Barbecued Puff Pastry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Kq7XMEjZDnp6v5cmOgrg_cuVfb4di-MSdhyTiacSKfyIadsAlKpCbY5iPeDbpzJD_QTp4Zq6EFNFv-kpZ0dODUWrgCZQY9uDOoEHavimiVEIQrDZdGYGrQZ0t3anG_7y23kzVK-Siug/s1600/DSC01443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Kq7XMEjZDnp6v5cmOgrg_cuVfb4di-MSdhyTiacSKfyIadsAlKpCbY5iPeDbpzJD_QTp4Zq6EFNFv-kpZ0dODUWrgCZQY9uDOoEHavimiVEIQrDZdGYGrQZ0t3anG_7y23kzVK-Siug/s320/DSC01443.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ha Kao - the boyfriend's favorite. Oh, look at that skin!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9IATU-dqUTzC5MoHCeLnLUpvBwK9JPFgxPMR7ojjpAWqh1inzKvT-TW5RJ9Q_OD9goyWYkR3vVYO5z7c-V0c3HrJ8F_AjMLlOYLaX16_trFQymbA1rPD4A0ujJ_T6LHxCAUUKrtLLUs/s1600/DSC01444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9IATU-dqUTzC5MoHCeLnLUpvBwK9JPFgxPMR7ojjpAWqh1inzKvT-TW5RJ9Q_OD9goyWYkR3vVYO5z7c-V0c3HrJ8F_AjMLlOYLaX16_trFQymbA1rPD4A0ujJ_T6LHxCAUUKrtLLUs/s320/DSC01444.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce - this was good but unfortunately was overshadowed by my other favorites.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLgLEUit9bRrHp1eb5QBx_qUARREpBd3H1XIh0b5V3ItpiUpesBo3YlXhhTaBTsNTopNhAnvVCsuhxez_QhkLvzA8HCKp8wyUO3OlxiJ4u4zEIapzGdgTw94civ43LYUp6vKHG9FrCTo/s1600/DSC01445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLgLEUit9bRrHp1eb5QBx_qUARREpBd3H1XIh0b5V3ItpiUpesBo3YlXhhTaBTsNTopNhAnvVCsuhxez_QhkLvzA8HCKp8wyUO3OlxiJ4u4zEIapzGdgTw94civ43LYUp6vKHG9FrCTo/s320/DSC01445.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Honey Roasted Barbecued Pork - if I wasn't so full I would have asked for another order of this. Yes, it's good. The meat was perfectly cooked. And yes, I hate poorly cooked meat (overcooking perfectly good meat is sacrilege). The flavor was also like a perfect blending of tastes and spices, and nothing overpowered.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZpA8XnerppG0C9ZtIzugOQBeYeUQ_enJ0XbVfkanwiilJQgCdUzey8YXOCQOTMkbiV7lHeHWMU16XXmZr61E5JGNrtsVn1xpwdA_UG3eBh5Dms915y2zNc4owBMsJbgTYiigKKXhZJk/s1600/DSC01447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZpA8XnerppG0C9ZtIzugOQBeYeUQ_enJ0XbVfkanwiilJQgCdUzey8YXOCQOTMkbiV7lHeHWMU16XXmZr61E5JGNrtsVn1xpwdA_UG3eBh5Dms915y2zNc4owBMsJbgTYiigKKXhZJk/s320/DSC01447.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Deep-Fried Vegetarian Spring Roll and the Crispy Pancake are just okay.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKWVTZBYOKkr2-KdteDLimWxn-0puuncPGH7u1Bv3n4iXSGFGirIex_qrKhH4pwtt9anMvUWPsuLnUD7vAjWlV9mUM5vxDaDkdzqH9sqM1B_Cm-xMBA3KWQNUbOXUWidzWTKdAYtAvCI/s1600/DSC01448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKWVTZBYOKkr2-KdteDLimWxn-0puuncPGH7u1Bv3n4iXSGFGirIex_qrKhH4pwtt9anMvUWPsuLnUD7vAjWlV9mUM5vxDaDkdzqH9sqM1B_Cm-xMBA3KWQNUbOXUWidzWTKdAYtAvCI/s200/DSC01448.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWq1L9pl8TVQ-Ya08TiXldnkL0QyGSJXUcQ9TZfDcQKPTF3uXrfCdrc9bRe7DN_2VWxCMn4Vpy_KzzPqas_eSNl5l2XpMP4Z_hqrFz4JruYpuOH7OGMsSiF1_cDkPqxd_99goMilXIgLM/s1600/DSC01449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWq1L9pl8TVQ-Ya08TiXldnkL0QyGSJXUcQ9TZfDcQKPTF3uXrfCdrc9bRe7DN_2VWxCMn4Vpy_KzzPqas_eSNl5l2XpMP4Z_hqrFz4JruYpuOH7OGMsSiF1_cDkPqxd_99goMilXIgLM/s200/DSC01449.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Xiao Long Pao was up to expectations though not mind-blowing. The Sauteed Seasonal Vegetables in Garlic - now that is just fresh. That's all I can say. Why is it always the simplest of dishes that has me stumped? The cabbage tasted so fresh every bite, yet light and not greasy nor soupy. Oh, if I only knew the technique of how to cook it so perfectly!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0E62eN_u2rn9_rwoCPxN0C70E72FhS1fkyfjsInNPERA7BvNcjZkDNFiLQ0A730VwV4K6xEDSCUKCTgCKLzLKhZhEfDGKb1B_Y2CfqhTtxuXWoM_4rbxWLYeL1RhASpOi6sYBYQezlY/s1600/DSC01450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0E62eN_u2rn9_rwoCPxN0C70E72FhS1fkyfjsInNPERA7BvNcjZkDNFiLQ0A730VwV4K6xEDSCUKCTgCKLzLKhZhEfDGKb1B_Y2CfqhTtxuXWoM_4rbxWLYeL1RhASpOi6sYBYQezlY/s320/DSC01450.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDR3LWqsPsWYVdnbqACSe-XPO3fVKlAYG6mcrfKD0P28IgC-ml_O-4HUGQtAJRJJUcM1ELBlNaHxwCsNDVp1OK8eHJET42HzqSThmIuU6v5tAC7gjE6Oai-59PpFEF6CQkxwviRAjgtPc/s1600/DSC01451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDR3LWqsPsWYVdnbqACSe-XPO3fVKlAYG6mcrfKD0P28IgC-ml_O-4HUGQtAJRJJUcM1ELBlNaHxwCsNDVp1OK8eHJET42HzqSThmIuU6v5tAC7gjE6Oai-59PpFEF6CQkxwviRAjgtPc/s320/DSC01451.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Finally, dessert. Fried Buns with Egg Custard Cream. Look at that custard!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlm2xuSSGBVvi2LBHa_klcJ9ZLa4DALrocSBaYdULbhyT-O34zAsLi8nG_KlPZwsf7AgFdE2Wm5TOxiOqBlJhjoLYSYz6jImfufF_aOt3XGeY6-GzYQtWVbL3s5YC_QYVDUq8aZNTf2M/s1600/DSC01456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlm2xuSSGBVvi2LBHa_klcJ9ZLa4DALrocSBaYdULbhyT-O34zAsLi8nG_KlPZwsf7AgFdE2Wm5TOxiOqBlJhjoLYSYz6jImfufF_aOt3XGeY6-GzYQtWVbL3s5YC_QYVDUq8aZNTf2M/s320/DSC01456.JPG" /></a></div><br />
And here's the Chocolate Masachi. I was expecting the usual brown chocolate so I was pleasantly surprised to bite into creamy, tangy white chocolate! I asked for another serving of this. Who would have thought white chocolate and buchi would be so good together?<br />
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Li Li is at the 5th floor of the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. If you're driving there, note that looking for the Hyatt's parking entrance can get a little confusing. Anyway, just ask the guards and they will tell you the way.<br />
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<h1 class="title" style="color: #005597; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila</h1><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="adr"><span class="street-address">1588 Pedro Gil cor M.H. Del Pilar, Malate</span>,<br />
<span class="locality">Manila</span>, <span class="country">Philippines</span> <span class="postal-code">1004</span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="tel"><span class="type" style="float: none; text-align: left; width: auto;">Tel: </span><span class="value">+63 2 245 1234</span></span></span>The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-1085321167643608762010-07-04T16:41:00.000+08:002010-07-04T16:41:13.218+08:00Dimsum Lunch at Xin Tian Di<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSv5trG4kgpeXlsIJqEEFq609bjIHB8hiziKWe4auGphyCu5af7RyXrthhzyQltiOIkI8lwAC5wTuqKzajLJcNxB8ibDvu2aUNQYzGSFZVHNLs4lRgE2aMrmdnFW877WlVtq_4mwHcjs/s1600/DSC01426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSv5trG4kgpeXlsIJqEEFq609bjIHB8hiziKWe4auGphyCu5af7RyXrthhzyQltiOIkI8lwAC5wTuqKzajLJcNxB8ibDvu2aUNQYzGSFZVHNLs4lRgE2aMrmdnFW877WlVtq_4mwHcjs/s320/DSC01426.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Last Father's Day, we had Dimsum Unlimited at Xin Tian Di at the 4th floor of the Crowne Plaza Galleria Hotel. The place was busy but service was good enough. The food is good. This and Lili's dimsum buffet are our dimsum go to places now. The establishments in Ongpin just don't measure up anymore.<br />
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Xin Tian Di's cuisine is Singapore Cantonese, and as such you'll see some menu items with a Singaporean twist, like curry in dimsum. But all in all, it's pretty good. They also have a more extensive menu compared to Lili's weekday dimsum buffet. More on Lili's on the next post.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The menu:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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I wasn't able to take pictures of everything we ordered. What I would recommend though, is the Scallop/Fish Congee. They make really good congee, and I know my congee.<br />
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I also recommend the Steamed Seafood Dumplings, pictured below. Don't let such a simple looking dish fool you. The broth is really tasty, the dumpling skin firm, and the filling? Light yet simply delicious.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is our plate of fried dimsum - Crispy Curry Beef Dumplings (triangular one), Salmon Taro Puff, and Deep-Fried Chicken Meat and Curry Dumplings. The Salmon Taro Puff was good, and it grows on you. At first, you won't notice the salmon (I was expecting the thing to be filled with salmon chunks, but no, it wasn't), but keep eating and you'll notice it. I hoped they would put more salmon in it, though.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvoQrvPZh_w7dJ7-gpGXaaRh1yH-3RB94Rmue_CJHkzeb1ewj8gIHNarv-m5WwTtXZZ6XvbkcHjZR87BWeGnlugwhVg4z8bU8rz3aUcMYzpHNeFtcbf1MkbIjYPrqp-asgX8ZwwtwqXoQ/s1600/DSC01428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvoQrvPZh_w7dJ7-gpGXaaRh1yH-3RB94Rmue_CJHkzeb1ewj8gIHNarv-m5WwTtXZZ6XvbkcHjZR87BWeGnlugwhVg4z8bU8rz3aUcMYzpHNeFtcbf1MkbIjYPrqp-asgX8ZwwtwqXoQ/s320/DSC01428.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Raddish cake. Crispy outside, soft and smooth inside. What can I say? I love raddish cake. Make sure to ask for Hoisin Sauce to dip the raddish cake in. I find that I like raddish cake with hoisin sauce best out of all possible condiment pairings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGWHNzvhrJ1Go0A8e4M_w_ohywjvLBT8hIeUnl45PW2ojLwaUy1KBjYhtgi9XAixJIeQXursRabD5lF5PAIe1dooOO9I9FVSEeLZ18foCQOWbwZdDBdjAvqtg2jJA0bmFm6njEkSBiJM/s1600/DSC01429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGWHNzvhrJ1Go0A8e4M_w_ohywjvLBT8hIeUnl45PW2ojLwaUy1KBjYhtgi9XAixJIeQXursRabD5lF5PAIe1dooOO9I9FVSEeLZ18foCQOWbwZdDBdjAvqtg2jJA0bmFm6njEkSBiJM/s320/DSC01429.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Steamed Crystal Prawns "Ha Kao" - the popular favorite. Really, very very few Ongpin dimsum places make Ha Kao like this anymore. The skin is strong but not tough, the shrimp inside the perfect state of doneness, and the taste? Light and subtle, but, oh, so yummy. Best with as little soy sauce as possible. Just put enough soy sauce to highlight the flavor of the shrimp and subtle seasoning. Do not desecrate it by dunking the whole thing in soy sauce.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGODQl7W8zO28zjuS8CFgcyT9qHexvQHse0PvlxpkYldllWXdD0FlWUK4XoPhzJRRNjK0bd-Fq8Z2QUVIM2tMDEcIEMYXqGcEu0xF1Serg_Nbq2nU-qHhymQ4nIf6JsqavyjSG0di-8Y/s1600/DSC01432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGODQl7W8zO28zjuS8CFgcyT9qHexvQHse0PvlxpkYldllWXdD0FlWUK4XoPhzJRRNjK0bd-Fq8Z2QUVIM2tMDEcIEMYXqGcEu0xF1Serg_Nbq2nU-qHhymQ4nIf6JsqavyjSG0di-8Y/s320/DSC01432.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I forgot what this was but I love the dumpling skin...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbBfOk2wA90G7ZK4uPY-f-A2L9k58oczbDDsrz7r6bWutrBuFwjtZKmq0dIl9wrQSwR-ZXLHrG5P_hOG9OTITlRmKRgo6h0B_ijbFbCFWS63lDiAwahevih4OH0H74_SKgeuv3tmovE4/s1600/DSC01431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbBfOk2wA90G7ZK4uPY-f-A2L9k58oczbDDsrz7r6bWutrBuFwjtZKmq0dIl9wrQSwR-ZXLHrG5P_hOG9OTITlRmKRgo6h0B_ijbFbCFWS63lDiAwahevih4OH0H74_SKgeuv3tmovE4/s320/DSC01431.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Xiao Long Pao. It was good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_Sz1KB7cYjxbicBhYSmw-9WNp5GbVwP2L9L3vqsYMofnTmQCpt2ArS_X4XaidmZW-Ul35c_7KF_jiHFzcMpWgThBwJXwqIFinhu8uO1k11_9w2B5ls6LzuP-YaeHASS1IiI8Zyr4EnQ/s1600/DSC01435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_Sz1KB7cYjxbicBhYSmw-9WNp5GbVwP2L9L3vqsYMofnTmQCpt2ArS_X4XaidmZW-Ul35c_7KF_jiHFzcMpWgThBwJXwqIFinhu8uO1k11_9w2B5ls6LzuP-YaeHASS1IiI8Zyr4EnQ/s320/DSC01435.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Steamed Glutinous Rice Dumplings Stuffed with Duck Meat, Mushrooms and Egg Yolk in Lotus Leaf. Take a look at those glistening pearls of glutinous rice and tell me you're not salivating. The glutinous rice was firm but soft. Okay, that's a heck of a description but this little morsel is just mouthwatering. There was just enough of the soft but still slightly chewy sticky rice for the filling (some restaurants put a lot of rice to make up for the fact that they don't put enough filling). The filling was flavorful and not too salty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0k0jPLHPm16V3H9CRv4x-TzRRAjMyuSKWsRY0nCX4BTywiVQ6nTSmJPqzrzJQESyC9MJGrWob4rHMxhyDVaScUpIdcjWDbE5o63UcvXPAYP7bV-REUJUwT78ek4KfUQXOdahvC2Ipx0/s1600/DSC01436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0k0jPLHPm16V3H9CRv4x-TzRRAjMyuSKWsRY0nCX4BTywiVQ6nTSmJPqzrzJQESyC9MJGrWob4rHMxhyDVaScUpIdcjWDbE5o63UcvXPAYP7bV-REUJUwT78ek4KfUQXOdahvC2Ipx0/s320/DSC01436.JPG" /></a></div><br />
For dessert, go for the egg custard thing. I wasn't able to take a picture of it though. It's the best thing from the limited dessert selection.<br />
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Xin Tian Di's Dimsum Unlimited is available everyday from 11:30pm-2:30pm. Tel. No. 633-7222.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-87129964452641654312010-06-17T00:56:00.000+08:002010-06-17T00:56:37.422+08:00Sale Alert: Buy 1 Take 1 on Cheese at Robinson's Place Malate Supermarket<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gdvRxYATN6YHWt2Etdvu1KnGo6Um4Il0Aj3UL4s-EPSru14ifkhtxALraBqx4CFmidBlP6RhQKuA-EBXbqfB0ubFArQ58iUiSTJkLRlEABQHAGSFBJh7iwC3ZMhz9-sM2xFnPlwutvc/s1600/DSC01410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gdvRxYATN6YHWt2Etdvu1KnGo6Um4Il0Aj3UL4s-EPSru14ifkhtxALraBqx4CFmidBlP6RhQKuA-EBXbqfB0ubFArQ58iUiSTJkLRlEABQHAGSFBJh7iwC3ZMhz9-sM2xFnPlwutvc/s400/DSC01410.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5A7dlXZnoOzlWZ79A8aMeKwqi9etepVMnqjQ5sRTExC0mNDTbjCpLRjo8A3PBHiT2mlFt-mRzzV0iznjGRzEuv8vw2x5zI_gg-ZUi_3yV6nRd18yCa5CTeMWoSG6T_KkoepbDc5vD_U/s1600/DSC01408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5A7dlXZnoOzlWZ79A8aMeKwqi9etepVMnqjQ5sRTExC0mNDTbjCpLRjo8A3PBHiT2mlFt-mRzzV0iznjGRzEuv8vw2x5zI_gg-ZUi_3yV6nRd18yCa5CTeMWoSG6T_KkoepbDc5vD_U/s400/DSC01408.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My father is a fan of food sales. Buy 1 Take 1, 50% off, 30% off, 20% off, he's there. Tonight, he found this. Kraft and Eden cheese food on Buy 1 Take 1. This is at Robinson's Place Supermarket in Malate. I checked and they are not yet expired. We bought the Kraft cheese and one is about to expire in July and the other one in October. Which is so not going to be a problem. Can you say cheese sticks, cheese rolls, cheese ensaymadas, cheese cupcakes? Not to mention afritada or menudo with cheese.. I admit that I use these un-gourmet cheeses for everyday fare. I save the special cheeses for special occasions :) Like that Buy1Take1 Cheddar for a superb Mac n Cheese (from scratch). Yes, I got my Mac & Cheese wisdom from Alton Brown, and from an episode of Bones..</div>The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-72234907681478702102010-06-17T00:34:00.000+08:002010-06-17T00:34:04.380+08:00Chocolate Fire and Dinner at Brasserie BohemeLast week, I found myself staying at the office late. Where to go for dinner at such a late hour? It was past 9pm. Luckily, I was with DB, and we were both game to try a new restaurant. Looking around, we saw that Chocolate Fire had already opened around the corner. I have been intrigued about that place ever since they started renovating the place but it took them a while to open! I had been wondering what it was going to be - a bar? A chocolate restaurant? What is "chocolate fire"? So DB and I went in and looked around.<br />
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The place looked trendy, but, oh, inside, it was filled with chocolates! Different kinds of chocolate morsels, chocolate desserts, and they all looked artisanal. They had strawberries dipped in chocolate going for P95 (ouch, I know), glacéed fruits dipped in chocolate, and their own combinations of fruit and nut type bars. They all looked so yummy. I'm getting a serious chocolate craving just writing this down.<br />
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Unfortunately, they didn't have anything for dinner except for a light salad and a sandwich. So DB and I left to look for another place to have dinner, but intending to return to try out some dessert from Chocolate Fire some other time.<br />
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Well, there IS this place I've seen for a while now on my way to work and which I've been meaning to try since the first time I saw it. So we walked over to Brasserie Boheme. Since it was our first time there, we decided to stick with the set menu. The set menu was priced at P480+, and included a soup or salad, an entree, and dessert. One thing that was not up to par was that we were given paper napkins instead of cloth napkins. Now that might not be important to most people, but for such a restaurant, I expected cloth napkins. I asked the waitress if they had some cloth napkins and she told me that they had run out. I felt a little bit cheated at being given paper napkins while other diners used cloth napkins, but, oh well. I am currently campaigning to use cloth napkins at home (or any kind of napkin, actually), so this was a letdown.<br />
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I wasn't able to take any notes or pictures of the food. From memory, the boyfriend ordered Cream of Wild Mushrooms, and I got the House Salad, wtih mangoes and smoked salmon. Both were delicious as expected. For our mains, boyfriend ordered salmon, I forgot how it was cooked, but it was cooked perfectly. The salmon was perfectly seasoned and just perfect! Not overcooked, but perfect! Very few restaurants get fish right. This one did.<br />
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My lengua entree was good, too, but I did wish I had ordered the salmon instead! The lengua dish came with rice but I hardly ate the rice - the lengua was enough and somehow it didn't really go with rice. The seasoning was just right for the lengua to be eaten on its own, not enough to be eaten with rice. No complaints, though, because it was delicious. Though I still wish I had ordered the salmon.<br />
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Dessert was Creme Brulee each for the two of us. My only complaint was that it was too small. It was so creamy and rich you will really wish there was more of it. We particularly liked the wafer thin caramel on top. How did they get it so thin? It just cracked like fine crystal.<br />
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Someday we might go back and try it again, hopefully, they'd have real napkins by then. It wasn't as expensive as you'd expect, either. Set menus for 2 and drinks for 2, plus all included charges, totaled to less than P1,200.<br />
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Chocolate Fire is at the corner of LP Leviste and Rufino streets in Makati City.<br />
Brasserie Boheme is along LP Leviste Street at Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences, very near the Salcedo Saturday Market grounds.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-45810797091803342192010-06-16T17:55:00.004+08:002010-06-16T18:12:11.304+08:00Crispy Catfish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprsqjm6zK11QVHKs4iPhJCeYgMeFaq1lxkplMW3P4KSdC44kfvv1wj201oMpAAMnb8WBrh_-xIpJAIcZDDDH_Q9xloMt0Sounnz8X33f0kMABkJSWf7yLhm8cuB4kI4IaY2G4c0qaCno/s1600/DSC01382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprsqjm6zK11QVHKs4iPhJCeYgMeFaq1lxkplMW3P4KSdC44kfvv1wj201oMpAAMnb8WBrh_-xIpJAIcZDDDH_Q9xloMt0Sounnz8X33f0kMABkJSWf7yLhm8cuB4kI4IaY2G4c0qaCno/s320/DSC01382.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Last week, DB and I had dinner at Sentro 1771 at Serendra. I had not eaten anything the whole day and was famished. It was 5pm and the last meal I had was breakfast at 9am of 3 slices of Bag of Beans' Raisin Bread that dear sister brought home from her recent trip to Tagaytay.<br />
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</div>As hungry as I was, I had just been reading food blogs, so no Jollibee, McDonald's or any of their ilk would do. I was adamant, even if I had to die of hunger (well, sort of. I think I would have caved sooner than later). "No crappy food" was my battle cry!<br />
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So I called up dear boyfriend to have dinner. We had just eaten at Brasserie Boheme the previous weekend and wanted to try another place. I googled and found Chef Laudico's Bistro. A friend had previously mentioned that it was good, so I wanted to go to Chef Laudico's. My bad, I did not take note of the restaurant's exact address, just took note that it was at The Fort. Needless to say, we couldn't find it in Bonifacio High Street, The Fort, or Serendra, and nobody we asked seemed to know what it was, either, be it security guards or the concierge lady. We ended up in one of our Serendra standbys, Sentro 1771.<br />
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This time at Sentro, we had the Sinigang na Corned Beef and Crispy Catfish. Both were good. The sinigang had just the right blend of sourness, saltiness, and umami from the corned beef. And you could tell it was not made with sinigang mix. The crispy catfish... what can I say? I wanted to replicate it at home. It was shreds of catfish flesh fried crispy with garlic, also fried with the catfish. It was soooo good with rice! The crunchy, tasty light meat was perfect with the soft rice. The menu description said it was adobo.. so, hmm.. I think I have an idea of how to replicate it at home.<br />
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So a few days ago I bought a kilo of live hito (catfish) and had them filleted. I simmered the catfish fillets with some local vinegar, salt, peppercorns, a bay leaf, and crushed garlic. Once they were cooked, the skins peeled of easily, and I was left with just the meat. I heated some oil in a wok and proceeded to fry and shred the catfish meat, adding the garlic from the adobo. The rest of the adobo ingredients got thrown in a pot with the rest of the catfish bones and heads, plus some salt, onions, carrots, lemongrass, and whatever aromatic veg I wanted to use up, to make fish stock.<br />
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Here is the catfish in adobo:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuxufDWww7fOhyphenhyphenZEu_0WGxFzdU3C5S7wGEu3zgRNU_0b70IR1DVbb6dLnHjO2tojPqSo2vVK58HvSNivHlP4WoDdJWPTu9v5XbnYe7O-qmGJicbY_fM0mpHz3WK0m75HwiKOAeJBEGiI/s1600/DSC01372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuxufDWww7fOhyphenhyphenZEu_0WGxFzdU3C5S7wGEu3zgRNU_0b70IR1DVbb6dLnHjO2tojPqSo2vVK58HvSNivHlP4WoDdJWPTu9v5XbnYe7O-qmGJicbY_fM0mpHz3WK0m75HwiKOAeJBEGiI/s320/DSC01372.JPG" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the catfish when I just started frying:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICCf2m8jTDCxqkbhMvsoH4GlB21jL8WksrmriDToCRP4izeRhuh2klKLerwlo29F7OY4I4b2HIXS4hJSxiPrGH1GOhQ2uui1ouk5cKJHifiFfKP-mdiPyFC8_H7BeCTa9_XwiJZ9tikg/s1600/DSC01375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICCf2m8jTDCxqkbhMvsoH4GlB21jL8WksrmriDToCRP4izeRhuh2klKLerwlo29F7OY4I4b2HIXS4hJSxiPrGH1GOhQ2uui1ouk5cKJHifiFfKP-mdiPyFC8_H7BeCTa9_XwiJZ9tikg/s320/DSC01375.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Here is the catfish almost done:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF627f9ff8TETzK-WmrbkzUshBLaW7lMlz7tIKFKw6EgnQHLzZ3OzvZ_kv_ug4NQnxc42gex6Ud9SZRUfKIbCpziIcK3paZTDYhj4yG46OyVuegmGNDLKZYIH38uq1mJ0doSlHB5F_se0/s1600/DSC01378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF627f9ff8TETzK-WmrbkzUshBLaW7lMlz7tIKFKw6EgnQHLzZ3OzvZ_kv_ug4NQnxc42gex6Ud9SZRUfKIbCpziIcK3paZTDYhj4yG46OyVuegmGNDLKZYIH38uq1mJ0doSlHB5F_se0/s320/DSC01378.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Nobody makes fish stock anymore. But I can tell you, that fish stock made all the difference in the fish congee I made the next day. I didn't even have to add any additional flavoring to it - it was just washed rice simmered in the fish stock, and everyone commented on how flavorful the lugaw (congee) was. And it tasted just like how a good restaurant lugaw would taste like.<br />
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Fish stock and resulting congee:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLr4fKuGvNadq5v-dVIpHEeWGzfb1e_aoCiqLkyqMO0ZCRa3erxAWa4s3lQsYQEcgNxvHQ4KQsSk0XTucvbNZFFlFL4H2BmKwyR7zwFDqrZmdvp2NbuY2W_NJ8klYdRy8bRlxgUNW6kk/s1600/DSC01394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLr4fKuGvNadq5v-dVIpHEeWGzfb1e_aoCiqLkyqMO0ZCRa3erxAWa4s3lQsYQEcgNxvHQ4KQsSk0XTucvbNZFFlFL4H2BmKwyR7zwFDqrZmdvp2NbuY2W_NJ8klYdRy8bRlxgUNW6kk/s320/DSC01394.JPG" /></a></div>The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148684831075936443.post-30827981402571781192010-06-16T15:33:00.002+08:002010-06-16T18:11:16.493+08:00Are the domestic arts on the way to extinction?A few months ago I came across Jamie Oliver's School Dinners and a YouTube video of one mother who fed her children takeout and candy their whole lives (Jamie's Ministry of Food - A Kebab a Day). Her children were unhealthy, always sick and saw their doctors a lot. My first reaction was, "you should be ashamed of yourself!", then she said that she "can't cook", and I thought, "is anyone really that stupid?". I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, and Jamie was quite nice to her about it, too. Maybe she was never taught how to cook and didn't have the confidence to try. At least she's willing to try now.<br />
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This got me thinking closer to home. Many women of my generation, mothers even, do not know how to cook. They can boil an egg in theory, but probably have never tried it. One friend I know just relays instructions to her maid from her mother-in-law on how to cook some dishes. I wonder how the food turns out. How does she know it's overcooked, undercooked, overly seasoned or not seasoned enough? Besides, in all probability the maid has no idea how the cooked dish is supposed to taste like. I have never been invited over to taste her maid's cooking. I have to admit I am a bit curious but more scared to find out.<br />
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So I started asking people I know who actually cook what they thought about people who don't cook. Quite often, the answer I get is that they are just lazy. From those who really know how to cook, I detect a little condescension towards those who "can't" cook. To be honest, I feel this way too. I feel respect for those who cook, even if they are not really good cooks, just as long as they can turn out something edible. But for those who can't be bothered to cook at all? Somehow, they are brought one rung down the respect ladder. I know this is not politically correct, but I consider cooking a basic life skill, and I sort of expect everyone to know how to cook.<br />
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But the truth is, more and more people don't cook. What's worse is that more and more people do not even know the basic, simplest things. Like the joy of having a family breakfast at home everyday, and family dinner at night. A well-set table. Good table manners. Good manners, period. I want to bring those back.<br />
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This blog is to share my thoughts and lessons with like-minded souls. Please visit and share your thoughts as well.The Barat Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08991312430181100695noreply@blogger.com0