Tourné

I just got home from breakfast. It’s Sunday. I love Sundays. For me, this is the day everyone is nice to each other. For some strange reason, people are kinder to other people on Sundays. I guess that’s the reason it’s associated to family.

There’s this relatively new restaurant in the Fort Strip – Tourné. It opened its doors to the public about 5 months ago and it looks like it’s doing well. Why? The food is great and let me tell you why.

I ordered their breakfast this time. Yes, this is the second time i ate there. The first time I ate there was about 4 months ago and I really enjoyed their white cheese pizza. This time I told myself I had to try their breakfast menu. Unlike their regular menu, the breakfast menu is a regular as compared to Chef Sandra’s lunch and dinner menu which changes every 2 weeks. The reason for this? Her ingredients are seasonal but she tries to keep her best sellers.

First on my list was the Hot Chocolate. This was probably the best local hot chocolate I had. A little more smoothness and I could probably compare it to belgian chocolate but belgian chocolate would be 3x the price of this one. I don’t mind settling for this one at all! Full creamy chocolatey flavor – yuummm… 🙂

Tourné's Hot Chocolate

I wanted to try 2 things today. The beef tapa and the half dried tilapia. Yes, half dried tilapia. First time you heard of half dried? Me too. Here’s the story behind half dried tilapia.

Half dried fishes are something like dried fish but there are several differences. Number 1, half dried fishes are all fresh fishes that were caught to be half dried so people could still enjoy a little meat on the fish and still enjoy that “dried fish” taste. As for dried fish, these are usually the left over fish in the market that weren’t sold. Suppliers buy them and dry them. Conclusion? I will now only eat half dried fish. It’s delicious and less “funky” smelling.

While waiting for my orders, I chanced upon Chef Sandra. I was surprised to see her on a Sunday but lucky for me, she was in the kitchen today. I was so sure I was really going to enjoy my breakfast. Oh, lucky for me, she made me sit on the chef’s table. Ha ha! 🙂

Chef Sandralyn Hataway

Chef Sandralyn is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu. She is also a dedicated member of Slow Food USA  – a movement that forwards the preservation of traditional cuisine and farming local plants, livestock and seeds, Chef Sandra aims to educate fellow Filipinos on slow food philosophy – the exact opposite of fast food – and its advantages through Tourné, and the fact that one can still enjoy simple yet sumptuous meals without taking away its underlying tradition or altering its composition.

Here’s Tourné’s Half Dried Tilapia. It was a really enjoyable experience for my taste buds. The saltiness of the fish really complimented the fried bananas that came with it. Yes, fried bananas. According to Chef Sandra, this is how they cook breakfast in their family home. I suggest you ask them to make it really crispy because it was really delicious. So good I used my hands to pick it up from my plate and bite it bit by bit. You could also eat the bones that come with it only if it’s crispy.

Tourné's Half Dried Tilapia - a must try!

While waiting for my next order, Chef Sandra showed me her latest acquisition from her latest trip to the US. She had bought a smoke machine that she uses in some of her food. She also made me try these smoked red bell pepper chips. Yes, she has a dehydrator as well so she can actually make those beef jerkies or beer sticks. Haha. Anyways, I was so surprised to find that bell pepper was sweet. In fact, I liked it and I’m craving for it now. Haha!

Chef Sandra showing me how the smoke machine works by smoking some red bell pepper chips!

The Smoke Chips Chef Sandra uses for smoking food.

Finally my orders came. Guyabano Shake and The Beef Tapa. I was really curious to find out if their beef tapa was good. You guys know very well that I am a fan of beef tapas.

I loved their Guyabano Shake! It was so refreshing. It was also the first time I tasted Guyabano shake. After eating oily food the whole week, the taste of the Guyabano plus all those ice in there made it really good!

Time for the Beef Tapa.

Batangas Beef Tapa - something I would order all the time every time I have breakfast at Tourné.

It was the Beef Tapa that I was looking for! I tasted this kind of beef tapa several years ago but the one who made the tapa lives all the way in Batangas and I couldn’t find her anymore. This tapa contained no fancy sauces or sweet sauces like how they serve it in other tapa places around the Metro.  It was salty but not that salty but the best part was they allowed to tapa to be tasted. They allowed to meat to showcase its natural flavors. Man! I really love their tapa! I will probably be raving about this tapa for the next two weeks. Suggestion? Ask for the fatty part. I am a food lover. I never mentioned I was a healthy kind of food lover. 🙂 Hahaha!

Overall, my breakfast experience at Tourné was really something I would do again. I love their food. No “unneeded” frills. The prices are affordable. Trust me, I’m a very practical person. Huge difference from thrifty. You see, practical people will only spend on something they see that  is really good and has value for money. So if you’re looking for a good breakfast place at the Fort, pass by Tourné – because serving good food is their responsibility.

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Business hours are from 7am-10am (breakfast) 11am-3pm (lunch) and dinner is from 6pm-10pm (hours are extended on weekends for your dining pleasure). We are located at The Fort Strip, (ground level) 7^th Avenue corner 26^th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

For Reservations or inquiries, please call 555 0267 or 0917 827 5685 and look for Mark Anthony de Jesus.

Facebook Official Fanpage : tourne by chef sandralyn

Website: http://www.tournerestaurant.com

Cafe Zola

Last night before heading back to Manila, I decided to stop by this place where people seem to be falling in line. It reminded me of those modern Hong Kong restaurants where teens and yuppies would be walking in and out to have quick meals and leave. Some would stay to have drinks while some would stay to just chit chat with friends.
Cafe Zola is a modern restaurant located at Session Road just beside the Baguio Cathedral. Its interiors make you feel like you’re in a modern victorian place and the lcd screens on the wall make you feel like you’re in the urban jungle of Tokyo.

 

Cafe Zola

 

When you enter the restaurant, you will find balconies all over the place. I loved the balconies because it reminded me of those old western movies where restaurants would have balconies and when people wanted to have a private chat, they would go there and light up cigars. Ironically, there’s no smoking on the balcony. The restaurant though is a smoker friendly place. 🙂  Baguio has this No Smoking law.

I was with 4 of my friends and we were really hungry. There were a lot of things on the menu and the servings looked really huge. We didn’t know what to order so we decided to just ask the waiter what their best seller was.

We were also thirsty so we decided to order the house drinks. Look how colorful they are.

I decided to have their Chicken A la King. The chicken wasn’t dry at all and it was tender. The cream sauce was flavorful and it complimented well with the vegetables.

Chicken a la King

Our group ordered the Taal Fried Rice as well. It was a mixture of fish flakes, garlic, I’m not sure if it had a little bagoong there and egg but we found ourselves enjoying it. We had to ask for extra seasoning though because it kind of lacked a little bit of saltiness but better that than it being too salty. I think i’d order it again next time I visit the place.

Taal Fried Rice

A friend of mine ordered the Chicken Teriyaki. I tasted it a bit as well and their teriyaki sauce was delicious. The chicken was not too dry but the serving was pretty small and considering we were hungry, my friend and I decided to half another order.

Chicken Teriyaki

We ordered the Baby Back Ribs. Oh this was enjoyable! The bbq sauce was yummy! It was also a little spicy but the meat of the ribs was falling off and you didn’t need much effort to slice it!

Baby Back Ribs

After that feast, we wanted something sweet but we couldn’t take in more food so we decided to go for the shake. It was that chocolate something shake. Hehe sorry I couldn’t remember the name.

 

Till next time Cafe Zola!

 

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Cafe Zola can be found at Session Road, Baguio City. It is 10 steps away from the Baguio Cathedral

 

 

Yes! That Spaghetti House!

I’m back in Hongkong after 6 months. I guess I missed the place. I missed the Mongkok Market: the never ending bargaining and every time the sellers would say.. “okay la! okay la! thank you.. bah bye!”. Haha

The glass hallway going to the taxi lane of the Hong Kong International Airport

My first stop was The Spaghetti House. It’s one of the staple eating places here in Hong Kong and you’ll find them almost in every corner–just like how there are so much Mcdonald’s in the US. I’ve been craving for their Bacon Mushroom Spaghetti for quite a while now and this is what I will be having.

The Spaghetti House

Everything looked so good in the menu but I fold myself to stay focused and order what i’ve been craving for. I hope I will not be sorry.

Bacon Mushroom Spaghetti

It was delicious because there were a lot more bacons than usual. Also, the bacon was so crispy it added texture to the food. I’m sure this is something we could all cook at home but having it here at The Spaghetti House in Hong Kong was quite a comfort food experience. It was so good I finished it in less than 10 minutes. 🙂

Don’t forget to order a soda as well. Also ask for extra cheese and hot sauce. 🙂 Guess this marks the start of a series of food stops!

Enchanting Baler

What a long long week. Lots of things to do at the office and no time to blog. My friend actually asked me if I wasn’t pressured to update The Gustation but I said no. Why? I do this for fun — and leaving office work undone just to be able to write aint a fun choice for me. Haha Besides, my creative juices have to naturally flow for me to be able to share my experience with a specific place.

 

This weekend, I decided to feature a vacation spot I’ve visited before – Baler. No, it is not in Quezon Province. It is located in Aurora Province but yes, it used to be a part of Quezon Province. And yes, it is known to be a surfing destination for locals and tourists.

 

Getting to Baler was not that difficult. All it took was a 15 minute cab ride to Cubao at the Genesis Terminal (they are the only bus line plying Aurora route) and the bus ride which took about 7 hours. I highly suggest that you take the bus and not bring a car due to the really rough roads you are bound for.

 

I started wondering what Baler would be like. Would it be how it was in the movies? Old, quiet, very “Filipiniana” and undeveloped. I also made plans in my mind to take photos of me in those tourist spots that I saw on the movie “Baler”. I pictured seeing old women in their baro’t sayas and men in their camisa de chinos.

 

The Sabang Cove. So relaxing looking at it. Wish I could go back there soon.

At last I arrived in Baler. I was greet by their really polite and welcoming tricycle drivers. The only way to get around Baler is by tricycle(unless you have your own car). It only cost me about P14 for a tricycle ride to my hotel. I stayed in Bay’s Inn – one of the oldest and most reliable places to stay in Baler. It is located in Sabang Beach and would take about 10 minutes from the bus terminal.

 

Bay's Inn - One of Baler's most reliable resort. Great food, great service. Room's are regular. Nice price too. 🙂

I was starving. The only food that I had for the past 12 hours was a hotdog on stick at one of the bus stop overs. I needed a decent meal. Lucky for me, i’ve read  on the internet that Bay’s Inn had the best food in the whole of Baler. Good. I didn’t have to travel a lot to check out the nice eating places here in Baler. All it took for me were a few steps.

 

First meal I had was Bay’s Inn’s Sisig. I was curious how it would taste like. My whole impression about Baler food would depend on this first dish that I would be eating. Here it goes.

 

Bay Inn's Sisig - A must try!

Wham! The sisig was delicious. It was crispy on some parts and was not that salty. The flavor was just right for me. It was “rich” in a way that it wasn’t too dry. The calamansi and hot sauce on the side made it even better. I really enjoyed it with rice and a can of ice cold Diet Pepsi. I think I would be having the same thing for dinner again.

 

After lunch, I decided to catch up on my sleep. After all, I was in Baler to do some “r&r-ing”. The sound of the ocean gave me that sleepy feeling. And so.. I slept for a bit. I woke up after a couple of hours and decided to visit Baler itself.

 

It wasn’t the Baler I pictured in my mind. In fact, it was different. It was modern and only a few old houses were still standing. People dressed differently. The place was developed. But inspire of all the modernizations happening, the values of the people did not change. They were very hospitable, good mannered and made me feel very much welcome in this place. Everyone was smiling. I fell in love with the place that very moment.

 

I visited the Museo de Baler and the Old Baler Church. I was kind of disappointed to see that they modernized the old church. I really don’t know why Filipinos can’t find the beauty in preserving the old. For instance, look at the National Museum and the Manila City Hall. Certain art deco buildings in Manila were modernized as well. *sigh*

 

My friend and I decided to visit Ermita Hill instead. Ermite Hill is like the view deck where people can see the whole Sabang Cove. Oh, the view was breath taking. During the spanish times, this hill was used as a tunnel leading to another part of the city. This place also served as a mural for the tsunami incident sometime during 1735 or 1765. I’m not quite sure. Uh huh. The whole town was wiped out except for a family who survived the tsunami. But the locals here are not afraid of another tsunami anymore despite several tsunami alerts issued by the government. Why? A local told me. “Sir, mababait po ang mga  tao dito sa Baler kaya hindi kami tinatamaan ng mga sakunang ganyan”. Which means, the people of Baler are good people that’s why God spares them from tragedies like this. I believe him.

The breath-taking view of Ermita Hill

 

Then came dinner. It was the opposite for me this time. I ordered breakfast food for dinner.

Bay’s Inn tapsilog was different! It was crispy — something like adobo flakes only it’s tapa this time. I finished it in 5 minutes. I guess I was that hungry or it was that good. 🙂 The rest of my trip was spent sun bathing, reading and enjoying the ambience. Total r&r time.

 

Bay's Inn Tapsilog - the best tapsilog i've had in years. 🙂

My conclusion? Baler is a place for relaxing and surfing. You don’t have to exert any effort to keep yourself entertained. You can laze around, watch the beach, enjoy the breeze.. You won’t get tired of it. Take an ADHD’s word for it. 🙂

 

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Bay’s Inn can be found at Sabang Bay, Aurora Province (about 10 minutes from Baler town proper).

 

Bringing back the Personal in Personal Training

Sunday morning and I found myself waking up earlier than usual. It’s only 5:30 AM. So I started planning out my day.

1. Mass in the morning
2. Grocery
3. Family lunch
4. Retail therapy in the afternoon
5. Dinner with friends

And then I realized. Since i’ve been pigging out a lot recently and when I say a lot, it really is a lot, I should probably hit the gym. I’ve been a member of this gym for quite some time now but I don’t really like going there. I guess it’s because most of the people who go there don’t really work out and hang out and occupy space. Well, they’re paying for their memberships might as well make use of it right?

I decided to visit this new gym that just opened recently — Sky Fitness. It was a 10 minute drive from my place. Good thing they open as early as 630.

The place looks good! Better than I expected actually. So I met with my trainer Kenneth and I was greeted by Raymond, their general manager. I got really excited to work out especially after seeing the new machines. These machines look so much more sophisticated than the ones I used to see in my gym! This got me even more inspired to work out.

Sky Fitness Manila is now open! Located at C Palanca st. in Legaspi Village

Since it was my first time in Sky Fitness, they had to run some “tests” on me. Something like “profiling” me so they can see if there are things wrong with me that has to be corrected. I’m sure there are a lot! So they take me to this small room where this hi-tech machine was located.

In Body Analysis – Used for Weight Management , Nutritional Evaluation, Obesity Diagnosis, Body Balance and Body Strength

So it turns out that I am 25 pounds overweight. My fat content (just like food) was high too. When my trainer started checkin my posture, turns out my right traps were slightly higher than my left traps. I also found out that I have a flat back. My trainer asked me to do squats as well and turns out my leg muscles were weak already that’s why I could not support my body that well anymore.

Next was the Bio Wellness Scan. I just had to hold  this metal thing for about 2 minutes and it gave me the same information you get when you do general check ups. I was impressed. The diagnosis given to me by this machine was the same diagnosis I got when I had my general check up this year… And this machine just did it in less than 5 minutes. And they do it here at Sky Fitness monthly for free if you are  a member!

Bio Wellness Scan - Detects if body functions are normal, checks which Vitamins and Minerals are you deficient in and recommends dietary intake. How cool is that?

Work out time! So my trainer Kenneth brings me to the stretching area so I could stretch. He first asked me to reach for my toes while standing and bending. I was having a really hard time. Then he made me do this work out with my feet and a golf ball and when I tried reaching for my toes again, I could reach it easily! I was amazed.

They call it the Myofascial Release. “Myofascial release is a form of soft tissue therapy used to treat somatic dysfunction and accompanying pain and restriction of motion. This is accomplished by relaxing contracted muscles, increasing circulation, increasing venous and lymphatic drainage, and stimulating the stretch reflex of muscles and overlying fascia”

And then my trainer made me do several stretching techniques that involved several things like this tube where I had to roll my legs and my things, this ball like thing I had to run on my back while leaning against the wall — totally new stuff to me since I was used to the stretching that my old trainer at my old gym used to do. I can now say that compared to my old gym, Sky Fitness really has a more PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL approach.  Stretching done! Work out time!

To my disappointment, I wasn’t going to work out today. My trainer still had to do his homework which was to study my test results and create a personalized work out for me that will fix my posture, make my metabolism faster to burn more fat, concentrate on the weak areas and avoid work outs that are bad for my body.

IT TOTALLY MADE SENSE! This actually angers me a little bit since when I had my personal training before in this other gym, the trainer immediately gave me a work out plan 5 minutes after he measured my height, weight and bmi. Of course, some of the work outs he gave me were bad for me. Tsk tsk tsk.

I just hope Sky Fitness can still correct whatever damage my former gym did to me. I’m actually highly considering canceling my membership with the other gym. Especially now that I know what my old gym was offering – commercialized and potentially harmful technique as compared to Sky Fitness who only offers personalized and professional training. Sky Fitness really does bring back the Personal in Personal Training.

I love their gym equipment. More sophisticated and better results! These machines are designed not just to improve your body while you're working out but even have after work out effects.

After all, looking good is not the only thing important. What’s important is that we feel good and look good. As for me, as long as I have a balanced lifestyle, (food & exercise) I guess i’ll be fine. 🙂

I am so looking forward to my training tomorrow! I’m really excited to see what my trainer has prepared for me. Have a happy Sunday everyone!

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Sky Fitness can be found at:

2/F OPL Building 100 C. Palanca St. Legaspi Village, Bgy. San Lorenzo, Makati City Philippines

Contact Nos.: (02) 4782248 / (02) 4782249   Website : http://www.skyfitness.com.ph

Look for Mr. Raymond Gorospe – General Manager / Contact No.: +63917-5897819

Or-Dürvz anyone?

My Saturdays are usually spent at the house recharging for the next work week ahead. They are in fact religious because I do not let work bother me unless it is extremely important.

My Saturdays are composed of the following:

1. Entertaining friends

2. Cooking lunch/dinner

3. Preparing cocktails and pica pica.

About 2 months ago, a friend of mine introduced this great pica pica dish to me. It’s supposed to be a spread for toasts but if you get a little adventurous with food, I found out that it can also be used for fried rice and for pasta.

It is Dulong in Olive Oil that Pinoy Or-Dürvz make. You’d be surprised on how good it is. First time it was given to me by my friend, I just placed it inside my fridge for about 2 days. Completely forgot about it. I’m not a fan of fish, that’s why. And Dulong is a kind of small fish with bulgy eyes. Most of the time, people use it to make omelette.

Pinoy Or-durvz's Dulong in Olive Oil

So this one is different. I remember, that night I first tasted this. I was in search of a midnight snack and I remembered my friend giving me some toasts and that Dulong in Olive Oil. So I tried it and then I found myself preparing 10 toasts ( just the small melba toasts) to bring back to my room. I couldn’t stop. After all, why stop if you really like something. Life’s short! Besides, this one is very healthy! Omega 3 and olive oil plus protein. It also has garlic. You know what they say — have a garlic a day and you’ll feel healthy for the rest of your life! Hehe.

So going back to my story, I told myself that I was going to visit the Legaspi Market to get some of that Dulong. To my disappointment, Legaspi Market is only open on Sundays. Saturdays was in Salcedo. I was just crossing my fingers.. Hoping that they would also be in Salcedo Market.

And look who I spotted!

Carlitos - The man responsible for serving the best, ready made hors d'oeuvre. Thanks to him, my pica picas are not just limited to cheese and cold cuts anymore! Their products also do not contain preservatives.

I got really excited and approached him immediately. Of course, I was lucky there was 1 bottle of Hot Dulong in Olive Oil left. I really like the hot one more than the regular one because it gives that accent and makes me enjoy my wine better. Of course, there are people who don’t like spicy food. Different strokes for different folks.

I also found out that Pinoy Or-dürvz has been in Salcedo Market for 7 years already and in Legaspi Market for 6 years. What a relief! This only means that I wasn’t limited to Sundays anymore. Come to think of it, maybe I should just buy a lot next time. Hehe.

They also sell a lot of different pica picas in case you want to serve your guests a pica pica feast. Take it out of the bottle, put it on nice pica pica serving wares, and it’ll make you look like a pro in the kitchen or someone who’s been entertaining for quite a long time.

Some of Pinoy Or-dürvz's specialties

more choices for you! And look - they provide free taste so you could choose which one you really like! Not a lot of stalls are generous with their customers. Maybe this is the reason why people keep coming back to them aside from their products being really good. Carlitos and his wife are very friendly... and their Ilonggo too! That explains their very warm and sweet way of talking.

Since Dulong is healthy, I decided to go healthy all the way! They also sell their own home made Whole Wheat Melba Toasts which I really enjoy because the taste is just right – the wheat flavor is not that strong which makes people appreciate the taste of their spread more. Compliments, yes. A truly enjoyable pica pica.

I also saw this on my way out.

You get discounts when you return the used bottles. Of course, they STRICTLY FOLLOW industry standards. They only recycle the bottles but not the caps. Only brand new caps are used.

See? They’re also helping the environment. Just made me love their products even more. I guess I’d be getting a 16 peso discount next time I visit them. Haha!

Bon apetit!

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Pinoy Or-dürvz atbp. can be found at Salcedo Market in Salcedo Village every Saturdays and at Legaspi Market in Legaspi Village every Sundays.

For orders, you may get in touch with Carlitos  @ +63-2-4941970 or +63920-9066131

Bel Canto – The Art of Beautiful Singing

Has it ever occurred to you that music is an essential part of dining? In case you haven’t noticed, all restaurants match the cuisine of their food with music that makes customers appreciate the ambience of the restaurant or to make people enjoy their food better. For instance, when entering a Spanish restaurant— you hear tango music or those singing trio with their guitars serenading diners.

But not all music is music. Some people do it for a living. Some people make music just for the sake of being called musicians. But there are others who make music expecting nothing in return only because they love singing and the joy it brings to people is actually enough to sustain them in their struggle as artists.

Being an artist is not an easy job. For instance, there are a lot of sacrifices you would have to make: a high paying salary, time spent with friends and family, being able to have your own time and the discipline it comes with. Plus the hard work of memorizing pieces and constantly improving the quality of your voice. Marketing is also a problem for some struggling artists.

Singing is an art that needs to be improved on a daily basis. You can be a great singer today and can even be greater tomorrow You just have to keep polishing, practicing and taking care of that God given talent.

UNESCO Artists for Peace - photo credit to Facebook Page of the Philippine Madrigal Singers

This is where the Philippine Madrigal Singers through the leadership of their choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio enter the picture. Yes, they are famous for singing while seated down. They are the only choir in the world to be able to win the European Grand Prix twice in 1997 and 2007. Also in 2009, they were named Artists for Peace by UNESCO. They are also one of the choirs in the Philippines who keep setting the bar of excellence higher and higher. As a matter of fact, when people hear the Madz sing, you can see that expression on their faces that says “beautiful.. perfect..” Based on my experience, they usually gave me goosebumps and tears. Their way of singing just makes their audience feel like they’re a part of the song because the way the Madz sing I guess is that they really internalize every bit of the song and sing it with their souls and their hearts.

2011 is the year of the Great American Tour. The United States of America, Canada and South America were in the itinerary of the Madz. They have been on tour since April 2011 and were invited by several institutions to perform for them. Last April in Utah, they were invited by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir to perform for their Sunday worship.

The Philippine Madrigal Singers performing at the Mormon Tabernacle. photo credits to Mr. Matt Maniano

They also performed at the annual World Symposium of Choirs in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. This is a milestone for the Philippine Madrigal Singers since they are the only Filipino choir in the whole history of choral singing invited to perform at this prestigious symposium where all award winning choirs and composers were present.

The Madz at Puerto Madryn Argentina. photo credits to Mr. Matt Maniano

Of course the members of the Madz are also human despite the group’s greatness. It’s not as if the singers don’t get exhausted or when they wake up in the morning eh their vocal chords are ready for action! Haha!  Pearl Reyes, a member of the group told me ” We had a humbling experience today… As soon as we realized that something was wrong with the way we were singing, we focused even more and ended up delivering it well pa rin. Presence of mind is very important with choral singing. What’s also important is we should learn from the experience and use it to make ourselves better. After all, singing is a skill. The more you practice, the better you get! Mabuhay!”

The Madz recently had a concert t the Merkin Hall in New York City last October 8, 2011 organized by its alumni, Leo Paolo Leal and Enrico Lagasca. Of course the concert was a huge success. They still have several performances in New York before they end the last leg of their Great American Tour.

Must be a fun experience eating at a good restaurant while the Madz is singing on the background. 🙂 Till we meet again Madz!

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For more information on the concerts of the Madz, you may visit: http://www.facebook.com/upmadz

A cookie a day…. Brightens your day!

Hectic day at the office but according to a colleague of mine, work should never interfere with your personal life. He’s done it before and so I shouldn’t. So I thought of taking a break for about 10 minutes and writing.

Ah yes – lol. I got lost. I was supposed to write about a cookie and here I am writing about work. Yes, the cookie.

It was very good! Nope, you’re not supposed to just say very good. You’re supposed to describe every small detail about the food. Haha! Let me first tell you where it came from. Turns out it wasn’t very good after going through the standards.

Now let me tell you what flavor or what kind of cookie it is. 🙂 Clue-  It is my favorite kind of chocolate. I usually dissolve it in hot water every Christmas morning to make myself a nice cup of _________ hot chocolate. Another clue is even if I love dark chocolate, I still prefer this one over that.

I also love the way Bizu packaged it. You could actually give it as a gift to someone and people would feel good about receiving it. I did not want to open it. LOL But how could I taste it and write about it if I didn’t?

See? Looks nice no?

mix with love.. bake with passion...

Okay. The cookie flavor is Belgian Chocolate.

I hope this one is good. Packaging is great so I assume cookie’s good! Uhm. Okay. Cookie wasn’t really that good. It was kinda dry but I could taste the belgian chocolate flavor. I mean, the flavor was good, it was the texture of the cookie. I expected it to be chewy or you know, like those cookies of Mrs. Fields but this cookie felt like a macaroon cookie. But Bizu makes great macaroons.

Had about a couple of cookies. Yes, I am having the cookies while writing this. 🙂 It sort of makes me relax a bit. Having cookies while working.. Haha.

My smiling cookie

But yes, it indeed brightened my afternoon. Back to work! Laters.

Selecting Terry

I think it’s obvious that I had a pretty hectic work week. No time to write and no time to explore. But anyways, it’s Sunday today and I’m pretty much done with my chores. I also managed to squeeze in a haircut because I’m starting to look like a human being shocked by 1,000 volts of electricity (you know, my hair growing sideways and “upways”.

I  had a free hour yesterday so I decided to pass by the deli to get some ingredients for my weekend’s cooking session. Good thing the deli was just a few steps away from where I cut my hair.

Terry Selections has always been the best deli for me in Manila. They practically have all imported ingredients but what I really like about this place is that all the good stuff from Spain are available here. Probably because the owners are Spanish and they make sure they have a lot of em Spanish food in their house.

I like the Terry Selections in Podium. It’s much bigger than the one they have in Pasong Tamo (near BMW). Every time I enter their shop, I look at my wallet and wish that my wallet was like an atm machine with no maximum daily withdrawals or I look at my credit card and it somehow makes me think to finally accept the bigger credit limit my bank was offering me. Haha!

simple yet good!

Look at those bottled spanish sardines. Don’t they make you crave for a melba toast where you spread them nicely? Add some olives, if the spanish sardines aint spicy enough for you yet, you may also add some peperoncino. Then top it off with a bottle of Pinot noir. Why pinot noir? Because pinoit noir is usually the type of wine that matches fishy dishes. It’s not rough at all, it’s usually delicate and fresh and tannins are very soft and with some cases, fruity. 🙂

Then I see canned beans. Canned beans only mean two things: Fabada or Lentejas. Fabada is one of my comfort food growing up. It was my grandmother’s version of pork and beans. She usually adds some ham and chorizo as well to make it tastier. We just have this running joke in the family about eating too much beans tho 🙂 I’m sure you guys know it as well! Haha

Pork and beans anyone? 🙂

*Poof* Pasta! Great timing since I was able to buy “Aligue” (crab fat) and might as well cook aligue pasta with shrimps. hhmm.. sounds like an exciting recipe! Although i’m not quite sure if i’m going to stick with the “healthy” pasta which is the wheat pasta or just the regular pasta just the way I like it. Anyways, I decided to get both and do a mix for both to see which is a more enjoyable treat 🙂

Oh. Cheeses. 🙂 Nice! I usually go for those cheeses with a mild flavor like brie, camembert, saint paulin. The reason why I like those is because they practically go with anything and the flavor is not too overpowering so I get to enjoy the other food i pair my cheese with.

"quezos, quezos, quezos"

I was about to go to the counter when the corner of my eye saw something on the other side of the freezer. Foie Gras. Valette Foie Gras. Oh yes. A whole foie gras at my mercy. At my disposal. How could I ever say no to this? Could you? Or the bigger question: would you??

Foie Gras anyone? I gotta go on a diet after I cook this. Seriously.

*Sigh* All those ingredients, now i’m excited and confused because I dunno which one i’d be cooking first. 🙂 One thing’s for sure – i’ll prolly be inviting friends over soon for one of our dinner bondings but before I do that, time to surf the net for some recipes. 🙂 I’ll also try checking out Julia Child’s cook book. She might have some brilliant ideas on cooking foie gras. 🙂 Thank God for weekends!

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Terry Selection can be found at the Basement 1 of the Podium Mall, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City 🙂 They also have a restaurant so if you dont know how to cook and just want to eat their food, you could have them prepare it for you 🙂

Strawberry Fields.. Forever

What comes into your mind when somebody says to you “Strawberry fields”? Isn’t it the Beatles song sang sometime in the 60’s?

I remember listening to the song as a kid and imagining a black and white scene, just like how it was in the 50’s. Now close your eyes. Imagine there’s a wheel barrow, a horse, a huge huge huge field, roads going up and down. The grass is green. There’s a windmill somewhere. It’s a pretty quiet afternoon almost close to dinner.. Just that serene scenery playing into your mind.

Now imagine that kind of feeling but only this time, you’re having real strawberries in cold weather. To top it off, you’re having ice cream as well! Nope, this aint  Häagen-Dazs. This is actually not your typical commercialized ice cream. This is Strawberries & Ice Cream – a nice ice cream bar at the Filling Station in Camp John Hay.

Strawberries & Ice Cream in Baguio

Strawberries & Ice Cream started about 5 years ago as a family business of the De Leon’s. How about continuing the John Hay tradition of eating ice cream as a family? After all, ice cream is supposed to be fun. I remember enjoying ice cream so much as a kid- waiting for the ice cream van every afternoon to drive by in front of our house so I could get my dose of ice cream. It was the only thing I was looking forward to as a kid–aside from Sesame Street every 3pm. Now it was the same excitement I felt when I visited Strawberries & Ice Cream. It felt homey.

I was with my 2 other friends we we visited Strawberries & Ice Cream. It was evening time to and we were craving for something sweet to energize us from a pretty hectic afternoon. So we decided to order several things.

First we ordered was the Very Strawberry.

Very Strawberry

I was actually overwhelmed with the generosity of strawberries in that dessert dish. The name stood for itself! So first bite went, and soon, I found it hard to control myself from taking more. I thought there would be too much strawberries but it actually complimented very well. It tasted like home made strawberry ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate. Really good.. and sinful too. But who cares right? I’m on vacation, i’m supposed to enjoy! Diet resumes in Manila. So my friends and I decided to try more dishes. Next on our list was the irony of our first dish. Simply Strawberry.

Simply Strawberry

It was a downplayed version of the first one but!!! the feeling of indulgence did not change a bit. This probably had more whipped cream though. It was actually a dessert I imagine serving after serving roast chicken or something like that.

Next on our menu was the Choco Loco Mudpie.

Choco Loco Mudpie

Now this was different. Chocolate and strawberries– always a very..very..sinful desire. I’m used to eating strawberries with melted chocolate, you know, like fondue. I’ve tasted chocolates with strawberries before but it never really left a mark to me. This Choco Loco Mudpie did. I dunno but maybe it was the weather… the ambience.. but i really enjoyed it. It was dark chocolatey with those small white chocolate kisses. Just imagine white and dark chocolate with real strawberries in one dessert dish. The owners of the store must really have a sweet tooth then.

Our last dessert dish was the Ube Supremo.

Ube Supremo

This was really different. We never thought it was possible to eat Ube with strawberries. Ube is purple yam. We just had to  try it out of curiosity but then it turns out we really liked it! We liked how the two flavors are so different but when mixed together.. really blended well. Actually, the first serving wasn’t enough for the 3 of us so we decided to order another serving. It was that good!

Okay so now we’re kinda full. I didn’t know that the owner was there watching me and my friends enjoy our ice cream. His name’s Marty de Leon – the eldest son. He was very nice to do a small chit chat with us. In fact, I thought dessert time was over when he sent us cookie’s & cream. Haha!

What an experience! I have never eaten so much ice cream in my life. Some of us would probably feel bad after the indulgence we did but what the heck. We had fun. 🙂

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Strawberries and Ice Cream can be found at The Filling Station at Camp John Hay. 🙂 Enjoy!