dining | beyond toxicity

Posts Tagged ‘dining

Apr

I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU, PENANG ASSAM LAKSA!

“Anthony Bourdain : No Reservations : Penang” episode was tremendously compelling that watching its replay on cable TV made me decide to revisit Air Itam, an almost 30-minute bus ride from the island’s capital, George Town to finally experience the version of Penang Assam Laksa that most Penangites, if not all, and other local and foreign tourists have been raving about.

If you must know, my taste buds aren’t virgin to its flavor anymore as I got to try a bowl of it from one of Malaysia’s local restaurants several months ago, however found it of course, commercialized (blog post HERE!).

Blame my faith on Bourdain’s culinary and travel expertise, I didn’t need to drag my feet from our current place in Butterworth, rode the Rapid Penang Bus for 5 minutes to Jetty in Penang Sentral, took the ferry for 12 minutes sans waiting, and hopped on Rapid Penang Bus 203 to Pasar Air Itam (Air Itam Market) all for only RM1.20 (ferry roundtrip fare as I prepurchased unlimited Rapid Penang Bus card good for a month). With almost an hour and a half of travel time, coupled with flashbacks of what my family and I watched on TV, my craving heightened. I even thought it’s a shame for someone like me who have been given a chance to work and live in Malaysia’s food capital for almost 3 years now, not to taste Pasar Air Itam’s Assam Laksa. Good thing the weather and the flow of traffic conspired.

Apparently, the secret of this version of Penang Assam Laksa is in the richly flavored and thick fish broth with fish flakes that appeared to have been boiling for days already. For few minutes, I observed the main man wearing toque, preparing each bowl of laksa upon order. His assistant puts thick rice noodles and ingredients - mint leaves, shallots, chillies, cucumber and perhaps a few more on each bowl of thick rice noodles and hands in to him. Then the man in toque would scoop a piping hot fish broth onto the bowl and pour it back to the boiling broth and repeats the process simply to make sure the noodles and everything on the bowl become warm and flavored. After which, the assist will top the bowl with thick assam sauce (tamarind sauce).

If my perceptions are correct, the secrets to this famous laksa are on its fish broth and tamarind sauce. It’s hard to duplicate it at home when you don’t have the same cookwares that seemed boiling for days and of course, the formula and herbs that the owners keep to themselves.

I wanted to ask them about their laksa but I held back after I saw them very busy tending to all orders, dine-in and takeaways that seemed endless.

Here’s my bowl of Penang Assam Laksa from Pasar Air Itam…

My verdict : With its 4 ringgit per bowl price, everything’s worth it! The sour tamarind sauce, the salty and thick fish stock blended so well with chillies and the herbs and noodles and everything on it! Thankfully, I had the chance to understand the logic of CNN in naming Penang Assam Laksa as 7th out of 50 Most Delicious Foods in the World! It was indeed, delicious!

WHY WAS MY PENANG ASSAM LAKSA EXPERIENCE AT PASAR AIR ITAM UNFORGETTABLE?

Because a fraction of left-over soup of Laksa was accidentally spilled by the “uncle”-waiter on my black T-shirt, making the back of my left upper shoulder down to my left flank smelled like Assam Laksa! Unbelievable! But I even smiled at the old man despite he didn’t apologize, as mentioned, it was an accident. He had the effort of wiping it with his rag (yikes!) but few seconds after, he left me with some fish flakes and mint leaves still on my shirt. He moved to the other tables cleaning and preparing them for the next groups of diners.

PENANGITES ARE HELPFUL

Luckily, the heaven sent angels to ease my Assam Laksa experience. Because I was alone (as Tina and Gabby chose to rest at home over the weekend), I shared my table to other diners. A Chinese-Malaysian couple came to my table with their two very young sons (I’m guessing ages 3-4 years old) and their nanny. The husband, Mr. Chong immediately offered me sheets of tissue to wipe the back of my shirt. Then his pretty wife brought out wet ones that they suggested for me to use instead of tissue. The scene became more awkward but I’m grateful for their generosity, when Mr. Chong volunteered to wipe my shirt for me since I cannot extend my hands to clean everything out. It didn’t stop there, these kind-heartened Penangites ordered a refreshing bowl of lychee for me! How’s that? Even though it’s only 3 ringgit per bowl, I was very pleased and grateful for the moment!

After finishing my Assam Laksa and that bowl of lychee that I got for free, I walked few steps and saw a public and surprisingly cleaned toilet where I continued to wipe and clean my shirt. I rode the bus back to Komtar and Prangin Mall in George Town and bought a new cheap shirt that I wore back home. Imagine the shirt that stinks because it has herbed fish stock and tamarind minty sauce on it! Aromatic!!! lol

I wish my family and I could find chance to revisit Kek Lok Si Buddhist Temple which is located a meters away from this stall in Air Itam Market that sells Assam Laksa. I would like to know if Tina and Gabby will like it too. I didn’t buy them takeaways because Tina asked me to shop for some groceries after; would not be easy for me to bring it inside the store.

Oh yes, my route from Butterworth to George Town to Air Itam looks like this except that I commuted via buses and ferry bypassing Penang Bridge. The things you do to satisfy a craving! :)

via www.maps.google.com

I wouldn’t mind going back to Air Itam from our current place in Butterworth for that heaping bowl of one of the most delicious foods in the world!

>><<

Jun

TO TAIWAN AND BACK

By docgelo 6 Comments

To some extent, I do like Taiwanese foods! I remember during my Med school days, I and my closest friends would go to this ordinary Taiwanese restaurant in front of our school that’s manned by a husband-and-wife-tandem who are both chinky eyed. Must be Taiwanese. I didn’t really care, what mattered most then were the delicious dishes they personally prepare once you order. That restaurant must have been one of our favorites during those days. I used to order a plateful of Shrimp Fried Rice and can finish it to its last bits.

Did the title of this post make you think I brought my feet and my family to a holiday in Taiwan? I wish. Hahaha! I just wanted to post how my taste buds reunited with a remarkable Taiwanese meal last month. I had to go to the island to run an errand for Tina and because I was caught up near dinner time, I decided to eat before heading home. I didn’t rush and had the luxury of choosing a decent dish that fitted my budget and satisfied my cravings.

At the ground floor of one of the premiere malls in the ~~province~~ state of Penang, I was lured by this hole-in-the-wall-Taiwanese restaurant called, 600cc in Gurney Mall. I could have opted for a big bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle but ended up happily with this combo-meal…

Prosperity Deep Fried Platter Rice + Soup & Red Milk Tea =RM18.90 (USD =5.97 or PhP 264).

After I downed the platter, I remember I’m still in Penang and have not gone to Taiwan. And you?

Jun

PAYDAY CASUAL DINNER DATE

By docgelo 12 Comments

It was supposed to be a spur-of-the-moment-dinner date with Tina that she thought of, just after we received our pay last month. It’s a RARE and remarkable moment (she’ll kill me for this!) when my wife asked me via our personal emails (how sweet! hahaha!) if we could go directly after office hours to Sunway Carnival Mall in Seberang Perai, Penang (that’s in main land as she didn’t want to take the ferry ride to the island–worried that she might have another vertigo attack). I am too weak to resist!

Then, her maternal being melted into bits after she received a phone call from Gabby at lunch time. Our kiddo who’s currently enjoying his 2 week-school holiday asked his mom, “Mommy, pwede ba ako sumama sa date nyo ni Daddy?” (“Mommy, can I go with you and Daddy on your date?”) Tell me, how do you say No to such query? So, I was like, “OK, Let’s just ask Mommy (my mom) to bring and accompany Gabby at the bus stop so he can instantly hop on the bus (we’re riding from work as it passes by our place in Butterworth), anyway, I’m planning to go out with Mommy the next day (which never materialized).”

And there you go, we had our Friday-payday-FAMILY dinner DATE at one of our favorites, NANDO’S!

Gabby was only 4 and half months old when we first dined at Nando’s in Botany Mall, Auckland, New Zealand back in 2005. And since our taste buds were accustomed to our local Pinoy love-favorite, MAX’S Fried Chicken and also to one of our default choices, KFC (which Tina and I consider as lifesaver on days when we don’t favor the menu at our present office’s cafeteria and Gabby’s favorite too!), we found this Portugese-South African casual food place, Nando’s as fresh to the palate and uniquely tasteful! Too bad that as of this posting, no one has ever brought Nando’s yet to our beloved, the Philippines. Hypothetically speaking, if money isn’t an issue for Tina and me, we could have pack our bags and luggages and head home to franchise Nando’s or, Old Town Coffee & Restaurant, or Restoran Kapitan or Roti Boy (which deserves a separte post) –those are my family’s favorite food places here in Penang. Oh, well, that’s only me wishing upon a star! But seriously, that’s how we like Nando’s; a bit pricey but money’s worth, definitely!

Caramel Cheesecake was the first to arrive on our table at Nando’s, Sunway Carnival Mall. Oh yes! Without asking us, the wait staff delivered the dessert prior to the entrees. Not a problem to us anyway, but apparently, it may spoil someone else’s appetite. Nonetheless, it wasn’t difficult for Gabby to choose this dessert; the boy, like his parents know his palate so well.

For the nth time dining at Nando’s, Tina, Gabby and I opted for Lemon and Herb rather than braved our tongues at their mild, hot or extra spicy Peri-Peri Chicken; we just had Lemon and Herb chicken even as toppings of our Caesar’s salad. But Tina and I savored their Garlic Peri-Peri sauce to spice up our grilled chicken a little….OK, fine, with only Lemon and Herb, kami na ang duwag!

I’m such a potato-boy! I like potato salad and those baby potatoes! Coleslaw is also a no-brainer order for me, hahaha!

While you can obviously tell who chose corn on the cob and fries, his mom went for grilled veggies and some humongous fries too.

At Nando’s or wherever we dine and the food on our plates are all just secondary. What matters most is the moment spent with the family. Now that’s cheesy!

*BEHIND THE SCENES : Tina made another video and pressed FFW to make it chipmunkie; you may want to peek at what actually happened on this dinner. Watch and see how Gabby struggled with his chicken, hahaha!

Jun

AN EPISODE OF HYPERGLYCEMIA

By docgelo 26 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, ILOVEPHOTOS and MALAYSIA
Tags: amateur photography, baskin robbins, beyond toxicity, blog review, blogger in asia, blogger in malaysia, blogger in southeast asia, buffet, cakes, chocoholics, chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate buffet, chocolate fondue, desserts, dining, doc gelo, docgelo, docgelo.com, Eat all you can, Eat all you want, expat, expat in malaysia, filipino expat in malaysia, filipino expat in penang, fondue, food, food blog, food photography, foodie, fruits, g hotel, g hotel malaysia, g hotel penang, gastronomic adventures, gurney drive penang, gurney drive penang malaysia, hotels, hotels in malaysia, hotels in penang, http://docgelo.com/, ice cream flavors, indulgence, Life, life abroad, life is good, lifestyle blog, malaysia, mint chocolate ice cream, must do in penang, must try in penang, nikon, nikon D7000, penang malaysia, photography, photos taken using nikon D7000, restaurant review, restraurants in malaysia, sinful, soy restaurant, soy sesame restaurant, TRAVEL, travel blog

No, I am not diabetic yet, neither I have pancreatic insufficiency. Don’t fret; continue reading! Either you’ll learn a bit from the next few phrases or you’ll find this post ~~visually~~ gastromically stimulating. To simply put, hyperglycemia is descibed as elevated sugar level that occurs whenever we have excess carbohydrate intake, or when the hormone, insulin secreted by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans of the endocrine pancreas becomes inadequate to catabolize carbohydrates into glucose for it to be deposited in the cells of the liver and muscles as glycogen that may be transformed into glucose again in times of stress and as the need arises. Persistence of uncontrolled hyperglycemia leads to diabetes. Enough of the rambling, you might be having epistaxis (nosebleeding); kidding! This post is all about the CHOCOLATE BUFFET at Soy Restaurant in G Hotel, the most stylish luxurious hotel in Gurney Drive, Penang, Malaysia.

Let’s begin this sinful but delicious blog entry with Baskin Robbins’ Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream…

One of the strongest reasons why anyone interested from Penang should troop to this chocolate buffet is the bottomless scoops of luscious Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. That alone made this sweet dining experience heavenly; its cost so sulit (value for money). I consider it a steal and extraordinary for we don’t have Baskin Robbins experience on a daily basis.

The chocolate buffet isn’t complete without a fondue. And having both white and dark chocolate fountains provides sufficient logic when one isn’t enough…

Of course, I tried dipping some mallows and tropical fruits from the spread onto these chocolatey goodness but in between indulgence, I had savored these fibrous fruits in their purest forms; they aid well in digestion.

At one point, this Soy’s Chocolate Buffet is deliciously challenging. Resistance to be overwhelmed is a must.

Another commendable thing is their provision of free-flowing tea in different variants (I opted for Jasmine Green Tea) to make every intake nice and easy. Thank God for Lipton!

One soothing sip and you’re on your toes again towards the spread.

Yes, it’s Chocolate Buffet so everything in there are chocolates, chocolates and more chocolates!

When I was asked to fill out the comment card by the wait staff, I cannot agree but to tick “excellent” in service, ambience, cleanliness, etc. However, those glorious cakes could have been presented better on top of handsome cake stands. Other than that, Soy’s Chocolate Buffet earns my two-thumbs-up!

Soy’s Chocolate Buffet is such a reason to head to this G Hotel. As they claim to have the most stylish adress in Penang; I cannot agree more.

Meanwhile, here’s a proof that my family and I are such a chocoholics. Tina and Gabby whipped up another no-bake-chocolate cake at home.

Tina’s not only a lovely wife and a caring mom, she also has this love affair with her gadget that she wanted to document some of Gabby’s wonderful antics. If I am into blogging, Tina enjoys capturing special fun moments on video. WATCH THIS chipmunkie-ala-charlie-chaplin-short-film on how the Chef Gabby made that moist cake… ENJOY! Let me know what you think.

Do you think our son has future in becoming a chef, a hotelier and a restaurateur? Only time will tell.

—————–

Enjoy Penang’s only all you can eat chocolate buffet of various delectable offerings of scrumptious chocolate desserts. Available every Saturday,8pm-12am, priced at RM45++ per person (USD 14++ or PhP 612++) at Soy Restaurant, G Hotel, Gurney Drive, Penang, Malaysia.

*Although the blogger and his blog are open for advertisements, sponsorships, invitations and blog reviews, this isn’t a sponsored post.

May

ON RED PLATES

By docgelo 17 Comments

Dining out with a 7-year-old-kid who absolutely knows what his palate wants and a wife who can whip almost everything in the kitchen with her disciminating taste, in Malaysian states where predominant dishes are richly flavored with herbs & spices (read : ultra hot, hot, hot!) may be a little challenge. Because of this and due to limited budget, we don’t really go out to eat on a weekly basis nor as frequent as others might think.

For someone whose family’s gustatory sense was not accustomed to spicy cuisine, I often bring them to something we’re familiar with. Our priority has always been Gabby’s preferences or something that he would agree where he can also eat and enjoy dining. Luckily, there are those food places that we all favor that usually reminds of our eating-out-moments back home. One of those restaurants we used to go to in Glorietta in Makati City and Trinoma in Quezon City that has a branch here in Penang and in Kuala Lumpur is T.G.I. Friday’s. ;)

Gabby’s favorites include that Cheesy Macaroni with tomato dip (5th photo above) and Cajun Chicken Fingers with fries and honey mustard dip. He also likes TGIF’s Caesar’s Salad. While Tina’s choices aren’t constant, I am otherwise. My default option if it’s TGIF has been Jack Daniel’s Chicken that’s fire-grilled and basted with that sweet Jack Daniel’s glaze. Sarap!!!

*Photos were taken randomly from TGI Friday’s branches in Paragon Mall in Gurney Drive, Penang and in Pavilion Mall, Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur.

Mar

OUR HONG KONG DISNEYLAND TRIP 2012 : LAST DAY HIGH

By docgelo 27 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HEADLINES, HONG KONG, ILOVEPHOTOS and TRAVEL
Tags: amusement parks, angelo nino santos, beyond toxicity, black and white photography, blooms, breakfast, broadway shows, cadillac, chef mickey's, dining, dining with family, disney train lines, disney's hollywood hotel, disneyland, disneyland train line, doc gelo, doc gelo blog, docgelo, family and living, family blog, family from philippines, family life, filipino blog, filipino expats, filipino family, flight of fantasy parade, flowers, foliage, food, food blog, food places in hong kong, foodie, fun, gardens, gratitude, Hollywood, hong kong, hong kong disney's hollywood hotel, Hong Kong Disneyland, hong kong island, hong kong tourist spots, hotels, hotels in hong kong, how to go to hong kong disneyland, how to go to hong kong disneyland from hong kong international airport, lantau island, live performances, musicals, must see in hong kong, must-visit in hong kong, nikon D7000, pancakes, parades, park, photography, photos taken using nikon D7000, pinoy expats, r & r, rest and relaxation, restaurant, restaurants in hong kong, simba, sunny bay, thanksgiving, the golden mickeys, the lion king, tourism, tourist spots in hong kong, toy story, train lines in hong kong, vacation, vintage cars, woody toy story

19 February 2012. Sunday. It was the last day of our 3D2N grand family vacation in Hong Kong Disneyland Park and Resort. And although we’re ecstatic with everything we had experienced in the Happiest Place On Earth, we tried to struggle a bit with fact that we’re leaving Hong Kong for our work place in Penang, Malaysia before dusk. It’s always hard to leave something so special that gave you many wonderful memories. Nontheless, we still had a day to enjoy so Tina, Gabby and I started our last morning in Hong Kong with ear-to-ear smiles.

Good Morning, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel !!!

From our room down to the lobby, we headed directly to Chef Mickey to have our buffet breakfast!

“Chef Mickey recalls the lavish Art Deco-styled studio commissaries of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Mickey decorations and various Disney characters in sketch form are found throughout the restaurant.” (via hongkongdisneyland.com)

Here’s the nice corner reserved for my family and me…

From the ceiling, fixtures, tiled walls and the spread, there’s a piece of Mickey Mouse to delight your senses!

It was Gabby who first noticed and told me, “Daddy, look at the plate, it looks like Mickey Mouse’s pants!”

Much ado about carbo-loading : My first plate had a crusty cheese bread, a delicate egg tart, sample of fruity and fluffy pastries and a piece of Winnie the Pooh banana cake. Of course, my morning would not be complete without a dose of coffee.

Who says pizza ain’t a morning meal? Gabby was wide-eyed when he spotted an all-cheese-thin-crust-pizza on the spread; he’s a purist when it comes to pizza thus, it’s his favorite! I asked him, “Anak, do you want some?” Of course, I received an excited positive response! I got a few slices for him, added some hash browns molded into smileys; how cute! And the basic scrambled eggs and bacon with Mickey Mouse waffles spruced up with maple syrup, while our boy favored chocolate syrup!

One of my favorites that I found so good from Chef Mickey’s various offerings was those thin slices of smoked salmon! I paired it with fresh green salad which I topped with different kinds of cheeses, some bits of cold cuts and vinaigrette and my morning instantly became perfect!

Tina and Gabby were satisfied with the breakfast too. Why, there were cereals which is a staple for my wife and son; yoghurt and fresh tropical fruits too! There were also some Chinese favorites –choices of dim sum, noodles, congee and a lot more that we wished our stomachs can accomodate.

After filling our tummies from Chef Mickey, we got our luggage and bags, had an early check out at 10:30AM, deposited our bags (for free!) at the Left Luggage Service of the hotel and trooped to the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel garden.

For the nth time, I owe some brilliant observations from our 7-year-old-kid. After first noticing those Chef Mickey’s plates patterned after Mickey Mouse’s pants, he commented about the aisle at the garden has film strips! And so I took a snap…

Bright and beautiful foliage at the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel garden…

The colors of the blooms – both big and small were awe-inspiring!

Pretty, isn’t it? My mother would agree (read : she loves flowers while my wife prefers food!).

It must be the great climate. It must be…

Happy moments in Disney’s Hollywood Hotel were made of these…

So happy he became buoyant on cool air!

Then, at the back of those “Hollywood Hotel” signage is somewhat discreet walkway where vintage cars are parked, excellent for photo-ops. What is Hollywood without them anyway?

Now, here are the exhibits of our “not-our-car-photos”….

Gorgeous cadillac coupled with those lovely smiles…

We’re almost ready to leave the garden when Gabby was fascinated with this movie ticket booth…

Gabby was inspired to do role-playing with his mom. Tina as the movie-goer and Gabby sells the tickets. Guess who’s their director? Definitely, not me! I played the usual camera man; Gabby himself called the shots! And all the while we thought his mind’s already fixed in becoming a chef, hotelier and restaurateur in the future. He got other talents, baby!

The moment came when he thought of dancing in the middle of a turntable-designed ground near the poolside. Elvis Presley songs were on air. He was then more of an entertainer with the grooves more than just an actor-director! haha! (I captured all of his moves in photos which I will probably post on a separate entry soon).

Time to bid goodbye to Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. Thank you for that warm and family-friendly accomodation!

As we planned to collect our luggage from Disney’s Hollywood Hotel at around 3PM before heading to Hong Kong International Airport to catch our 5:45PM HK-KUL flight via Air Asia, we rode the resort’s free shuttle bus and went to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Public Transport Interchange (PTI).

TRANSPORTATION IS ALSO WHIMSICAL AT HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

Here are some info and tips on how to go about the MTR Disneyland Resort Line

Getting to and out the park is as easy as counting 1, 2 and 3. From Hong Kong International Airport, one can opt to ride a bus, a car, a taxi cab or a train to reach Hong Kong Disneyland and vise-versa if you’re leaving the Happiest Place On Earth.

We’ve been to Hong Kong and Hong Kong Disneyland quite a few times already but we were always on a package tour (read : there’s a tourist bus that pick us up to and from the park) and we have not experienced riding that Mickey-Mouse-windowed train running on the MTR Disneyland Resort Line. And so we did not let the chance pass last month to enjoy such experience.

It’s always great to ask whenever you’re in doubt. So I went to the counter of the MTR Disneyland Resort Line to inquire how to go to Ting Chung via Sunny Bay. He instructed me to buy tickets from the machines located at the laterals of the station just before the turnstiles. He generously broke my bills into coins for the train ticket machines; very HKDL-friendly!

The ticket machines are touch screens; you need to identify and press the point of your origin before you touch the point of your final destination. Say for example, touch first Hong Kong Disneyland Resort then Tung Chung. The ticket price for adult and kids are different but the machine monitor will show the amount per person and you just need to press the total pax (e.g. 3 adults, 1 kid). Et voila, you collect the tickets to be inserted (or swipe if it’s loadable) on the turnstiles!

Convenience meets Fantasy.

That’s my first impression on Disneyland Resort Train Station.

It made me wish that all train stations around the globe would be as neat and pretty as this.

“Travel on the railway network of MTR and interchange for the Disneyland Resort Line at Sunny Bay Station.

Only 23 minutes from the Hong Kong International Airport, MTR Airport station,

30 minutes from MTR Kowloons tation and

33 minutes from MTR Hong Kong station where Guests can pick up Park Tickets too!

Operating Hours between Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort Station
From Sunny Bay: from 6:15am – 12:45am the following day From Disneyland Resort Station: from 6:20am – 12:40am the following day

Frequency 4 – 10 minutes.” (-via hongkongdisneyland.com)

Just wonderful.

And at an instant, we fell in love with the train! Those train handles are one of the many reasons why one should visit and experience Hong Kong Disneyland!

Among the many train couches, we were lucky to randomly seated near that Mickey Mouse bronze statue.

There’s Tink’s and many other Disney characters immortalized in bronze enclosed in capsules.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort line runs until Sunny Bay. From here, you wait and take other trains that will take you to your destination.

Doing the “tourist thing” at Sunny Bay Station….

Now, where did we go and what did we do after Sunny Bay would have to be posted next!

With that, I’d like to thank the people who made our Hong Kong Disneyland trip very memorable and fun-filled! Thank you to Jaclyn, Nicole, Catherine and Purple –you guys are the BEST!

Thank you to my fellow Filipino bloggers with their families and friends! Thank you to Gael of The Pinay Solo BackPacker and her sister, Juvy, Thank you to Thammie of ThammieSy.com who came with her entire family, Pastor Dennis of Act Like A Man and their two adorable daughters, Alyanna and Mika. Thank you to Leslie of Shoot First Eat Later who came with her friend, Ms. Elizabeth (not in photo but Thank you, Maam for giving Gabby a lego-Buzz Lightyear watch!), Thank you fashion bloggers and celebrities, Laureen Uy of Break My Style who came with her special one, Robbie, and Kryz Uy of KryzUy.com who went with her sister, Jack. Maraming Salamat! Don’t you wish we meet again in some similar trip like this? Better yet, let’s go to HKDL again someday!

Last but not certainly not the least, THANK YOU SO MUCH to HONG KONG DISNEYLAND for being the venue of our FAMILY bonding, offering more than expected delicious FOOD and providing us never-ending FUN!

In so many ways, this Hong Kong Disneyland vacation was truly an exceptional one!

Whether it was our first time or we’ve been to the park and hotels several times over, reasons are beyond words to go back and revisit the Happiest Place on Earth!

Let this last set of my photos speak of those remarkable reasons why WE SO LOVE HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

As Shakespeare had put it, “Parting is such a sweet sorrow.”

It was an enormous blessing that we got a chance to revisit Hong Kong Disneyland and experienced family bonding, food and fun beyond our great expectations!

Thank you so much, our dear God!

Thank you so much, Hong Kong Disneyland!

Till we meet again, Mickey Mouse!

———————————

This Blog Series Includes :

Dec

RECYCLED GEMS

By docgelo 38 Comments

Never underestimate things from rubbish for you might find gold in them. I told Gabby this while we walked our way towards Armenian Street in George Town after alighting the ferry from Jetty. The little-big boy, at first was puzzled until I simplified what it means.

I was surprised when our 7-year-old wonder boy is already familiar with the triple R -recycle, reduce, reuse. Apparently, his mom and teachers have been doing their duties wonderfully. Our casual father-and-son conversation became more meaningful when we spotted several used bath tubs now serving as plant boxes lining the street. Whoever thought of that must have been so environmental-friendly.

As Tina usually wants to spend her Sunday at home whenever possible (for she thinks and I also agree that she deserves a rest before she begins another work week), it was only Gabby and I who went out to the Island primarily to run some errands (we needed to go to a money changer to have our ringgits changed to pesos as we’re going home to Pinas for the holidays, we also had to buy some ingredients for Tina’s home cooked siomai and a few more pasalubongs for our relatives and lastly, I was asked by my lovely wife to bring her old denims for a change of zippers in a repair shop). However before doing all this, I decided to drop by AMELIE CAFE and grabbed the opportunity to expose my kid to something totally different.

that gem in the mirror

Located in #6 Armenian Street beside a famous tourist spot, Cheah Si Sek Tek Tong that we have yet to explore some other time, AMELIE CAFE is a hole-in-the-wall cafe that serves quality Western food in the heart of George Town.

At first sight, one would not imagine that this tiny food place can provide a charmingly beautiful gastronomic experience. It actually looks like an ordinary carinderia outside, housed at the ground floor of a pre-war building except that its simple facade was made attractively beautiful by those lavish green potted plants and its unique hand-made sign boards express that there must be more than meets the eye.

Amelie Cafe is open from 10AM daily except Mondays

Having been an expat for more than a year here in Penang, I completely know that this Malaysian state, particularly in one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, George Town, offers diversities not only in race, religion and color but evidently in culinary department as well. Like mushrooms in the woods, hawker food stalls, restaurants and coffee shops are having healthy competitions despite they thrive side by side. Food in this part of Asia is more than substantial but a lucrative business too.

With the commercially available kedai kopi like Starbucks Coffee, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf including the popular local kopitiam and the like, AMELIE CAFE, in my honest opinion has greater advantage above all these giants.

It’s edge –the highly creative atmosphere out of recycled materials.

Take a peek at what we had enjoyed inside…

It’s like we entered a hole-in-the-wall eatery-slash-museum-slash-art-gallery. Amazing’s an understatement!

No corner was overlooked; even its humble ceiling deserves a glimpse.

On top of the door were tin plates displayed beneath those water plants (I’ve known them as celia as told by my old relatives; we have some at home in Butterworth cut from the jetty/ferry station) placed in old bottles of various branded fruit jams.

What’s great with all of these decors, I think they’re highly mobile as the owners can move them from one corner to the other making the interiors of Amelie Cafe uniquely different in a snap.

There’s only one ceiling fan without unusual look but nonetheless functional.

Must have that detail shot…

i want to take that dog & cat painting home!

On the left side by the door is a table and this wall…

Who says you cannot create remarkable things out of rubbish?

As we stepped inside Amelie Cafe, we found out that it only has 5 small tables filled with mostly foreigners dining their brunch. Fortune was on our side when we spotted an available table located at the end, just by the kitchen. No worries for Gabby and I because astonishingly, smoke from the frying pan is handled professionally. I didn’t mind being welcomed by the gentle wafting scent of the bacon at late morning; it was so welcoming actually!

The limited 5 tables with 3 to 4 stools each do not come in set. Even their plates, cups and saucers never look alike but when put together they contribute to ones’ fantastic dining experience.

Don't let the simplicity of the table and stools fool you; the total dining experience here is more than you can imagine.

The finish of the walls, floor and ceiling was not made perfect but it added to its enticing appeal.

We were greeted by Yen, one of the owners of Amelie Cafe. It’s only Yen and her husband, Hung run the entire show at their very quaint food place. The wonderful duo serve as wait staff, at the same time, do the preparation of food, do the cooking and tender the cashier counter and if chance permits, entertain their diners. Fantastic! I just failed to ask them if they have formal education in culinary or in related fields nevertheless, I think it’s no longer important as they’ve been managing everything at Amelie Cafe smoothly and successfully.

As Gabby and I sat down, Yen handed in the menu…

menu with hand painted cover, made out of cut-out cartons.

She told us, pointing with her thumb (the way Malaysians do it-not the common use of index finger or for us Pinoys, with a pouting lips, hehe!) to the uber artistic dessert menu board beneath the stairs.

After getting our orders, I asked if they have tandas (toilet), Hung pointed towards the back of the kitchen. The kitchen looks like this…

The Kitchen : Everything's prepared and cooked here. Nothing more, nothing less. Isn't it amazing?

These are some of the artworks located above our table. Other than the use of recycled materials, did you notice the recurrent theme? Mother Nature must be super happy!

Can you spot that solitary little fish inside the jar that was made into its aquarium and a plant vase too?

Humor in recycled art : Old wooden planks nailed side by side painted with fish spines and dog bone noted with “meow” combined with “oof oof !” ….Nice!

I believe the couple also did all those colorful pieces. And it looks like they’re also responsible designing the whimsical interiors of Amelie Cafe. How many businessmen do their work with complete hands-on?

With all those eye-catching things, waiting for our orders to be delivered and boredom inside Amelie Cafe didn’t become an issue. After 15 minutes, Gabby and I were already sharing these…

I gave him the liberty to go over the menu and choose whatever he wants. He selected carbonara, hazelnut chocolate parfait and chocolate banana milkshake. That was pure carbo-glucose fix!

After that candid shot, my boy asked me to dunk my fork and eat all those crispy cut bacon strips from the pasta because he doesn’t eat bacon and seldom he likes ham. Sure, I replied to him; I became easily submissive with his wish.

As Gabby continuously dreams of becoming a chef, a hotelier, restaurateur someday, I told him that putting up a carinderia as gorgeous and attractive as Amelie Cafe would do. Thinking of owning something like this is more than surreal!

Hazelnut parfait was a perfect ending to our mini-brunch. It came with fresh cranberries that Gabby wrongly thought of cherries. The pasta plate was also satisfyingly good, although minimal in serving and less creamy than usual–the taste actually made the difference. And the milkshake? Refreshingly delicious!

Honestly, the food doesn’t come that cheap compared to what you might expect. The price is comparable to Starbucks Coffee’s. A little more expensive than the common fast food joints. But hey, you don’t get all these visual treats from those commercial food places.

Then the moment of “must sample their coffee” dawn upon me…

The first sip of this cappuccino was for Tina. Yeehaa! I really wished she’s with us with this (another) extraordinary experience.

The table where we enjoyed everything…

Just before ending our meal at Amelie Cafe, Gabby told me that he liked everything he ate and appreciated all things he saw inside. Like me, he loved all the artworks, all the delightful clutter including the simple presence of that fish solitarily swimming in that old jar. The sense of recycling old things and turning them into great use rather than considering them as useless junks was reinstilled in his young mind. The ~~exposure~~ brain-washing, I guess was successful!

Sep

IN A KEDAI KOPI

By docgelo 26 Comments

As parents of an almost 7-year-old wonder boy, Tina and I always consider Gabby’s preferences whenever we eat out (read: he’s like our big boss). We frequently ask him of what he likes before deciding where to dine. Are you the same when you go out with your own kids or nephews and nieces? Good thing with Gabby, he knows what he wants despite he’s a littly picky when it comes to food but has been keen on his favorites. He’s very particular with what he eats, like he wants his pizza with only cheese and no other toppings (the four-cheese pizza tops his list).

At home, he eats some veggies; he likes kangkong whenever we have sinigang (sour broth) on our table. Gabby eats practically most greens and fruits that we offer him. But whenever we go out, expectedly like kids of his age, he usually craves for fast food meals.

You can just imagine whenever Gabby gives his nod for us to try other food places over Mcdonald’s and Pizza Hut…

Some few months back, while we’re walking at Lebuh Chulia in Georgetown, we found a seemingly ordinary looking Kedai Kopi (coffee shop).

We’re a family who likes Starbucks Coffee and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf but beyond their frappuccinos in venti, we also enjoy some bites from these coffee shops, even from coffee nooks less famous and commercial than those two.

There’s always something special about simplicity; about places where pretentions do not exist, venues that allow you to be as casual as you are.

Inside Trois Canon Cafe, I found a charming painting of Shanghainese woman (kamukha ni Ate Vi, hehe!)…

Good thing I captured the menu on our table, without it I won’t recall the name of this hole-in-the-wall Kedai Kopi.

The menu contained a combo meal that passed Gabby’s taste : a thick buttered toast, oatmeal infused with maple syrup and milk and Milo ais (meelo iced!).

It’s great that this kedai kopi also serves a variety of all-day-breakfast meals; it gave me the chance to load my gastric pit. I picked from their menu something called East meets West combo : Oriental fried rice topped with fried egg, served with pork luncheon meat strips and frankfurter (yes, they’re non-halal).

While my lovely wife was content with her ham sandwich that tasted better than it looks on photo; the buns were slightly toasted with butter that made it different from the usual burger or sandwiches in common fast food joints.

I felt we also must try something that’s soothing; so I also ordered a warm bowl of beef noodle soup.

It was so good and too bad to resist.

The dining experience in a Kedai Kopi like Trois Canon Cafe would not be complete without trying their signature white coffee (actually, it came with my combo meal…)

We indulge once in a while but indubitably, we also like the simplicity in dining space and the delight in eating uncomplicated and affordable foods. And if Gabby says yes to it? It’s always icing on the cake!

Jun

GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURES : PART OF OUR LIFESTYLE

By docgelo 8 Comments

Let’s have a brief rundown of some of my blogged digestive feasts…

DUSIT THANI FAMILY SUNDAY BRUNCH
CIRCLES EVENTS CAFE, MAKATI SHANGRI LA
SPIRAL BUFFET, SOFITEL PHILIPPINE PLAZA
HEAT, EDSA SHANGRI LA,MANILA
SEASONS, MANILA PAVILION
OAKROOM, OAKWOOD MANILA
THUNDERBIRD RESORTS, PORO POINT, LA UNION

DON K! YAKINIKU BUFFET, TOKYO, JAPAN

Obviously, we love eat-all-you-want-dining. Whether it’s in a premier hotel or simply inside a mall, for as long as the place offers decent buffet spread, my family and I are more than willing to take our taste buds to gastronomic adventure (but no exotic foods, please!).

This lifestyle which we don’t boast (you know for a fact that there’s a huge difference between sharing in blogging and boasting), has inspired our 6-year-old son to dream of becoming a hotelier, chef and restaurateur someday. We like it when he tells us he will do this and that in his own hotel or whenever he comes up with ideas of what to prepare in the kitchen in the future.

Last weekend was another memorable one. Scroll down and you’ll understand.

Salads came first : Thinly sliced veggies tossed over deeply fried fillet-o-fish shared a plate with prawns and fruits. yum, yum, yum!

Noodles for Gabby…

Seafoods for Tina…

Must have Peking Duck and Smoked Chicken…

Entrees of seafoods and mushrooms are always comfort foods!

Beef fajitas and seafood skewers… can’t get enough of seafoods!

The Golden Rule : Always make room for desserts!

Contrasting temptations : After ice cream must come coffee; can deliciously numb your teeth!

As we end our wonderful meal at G CAFE, G HOTEL, PERSIARAN GURNEY, PENANG, MALAYSIA which we have tried for the second time (read : on 2 consecutive weekends!), the waitress offered and came back with cups of coffee for me and Tina and I was honestly surprised of what she told me,

Waitress Hema : “Sir, your bill for today’s lunch buffet is on the house!”

This must be because the management and staff of the said generous hotel-restaurant were grateful of my blog post about our dining experience there about a week ago.

Blessings indeed, come unexpectedly.

I requested Ms. Hema to call Mr. Alwee, the G Cafe Manager to personally thank him of his kind gesture but I was told that he went off from work already and will be back at 6PM the same day. I could have taken a photo of him with Gabby for posterity. Nonetheless, I kept his call card sent him SMS. He replied that evening with a phone call inviting us for a dinner one of these days.

So how did I celebrate Father’s Day this year? Simple.

Priceless hugs and kisses from Gabby and Tina, plus a buffet lunch that’s perchance, free!

———————————-

Sincerest thanks to the generosity of G Cafe, G Hotel!

G Cafe, G Hotel

168A Persiaran Gurney 10250 Penang, Malaysia

Tel +604-2380000

website : G Hotel, Malaysia

Jul

CHOWDER X MONGOLIAN BBQ

By docgelo 36 Comments

I don’t know if you’re like me who barely know CHOWDER.

It’s NOT that thick and creamy soup with yummy seafoods that’s best served on a bread bowl but this :

I grew up on Popeye, Smurfs and Thundercats and am currently lost with my son’s numerous favorite cartoons; one of them is Chowder from Cartoon Network.

Imagine how Gabby became so excited when last Friday afternoon, we chanced upon watching its free mascot show in TriNoma before we hit the grocery shelves in Landmark.

Tina and I were amazed how Gabby knew almost all the antics of the show. I guess what draws him to Chowder other than its being colorful is its theme of cooking. The show we saw involved Chowder and friends to cook a dish called Froggy Apple Crumple Thumpkin; whatever that means! So much for half an hour of kiddie fun.

Then undecided of where and what to eat, we went to TriNoma’s foodcourt and had different choices.

My wife enjoyed an affordable but satisfying meal from Le Ching Tea House : Chicken Mushroom Rice Toppings and HK style Asado Siopao + ‘the essential,’ chili sauce. You might think that my wife eats like a carpenter but she shared her food with Gabby and me. Yum!

Then my kid and I tried one of Tina’s favorites, Mongolian barbecue!

Our bundle of joy who dreams of becoming of a chef someday really enjoyed getting all the ingredients from the spread as I guide him what to put on our bowl.

Rice, vermicelli, julienned carrots, Chinese cabbage, onions, garlic, julienned turnips, red and green bell peppers, leeks, cubes of tofu and a personal choice of all-squid meat (there are also strips of chicken, pork, beef, squid balls to choose from) plus its sauce made our Mongolian barbecue bowl; all in for PhP 160.

There are directions on the spread on how to seasoned the bowl. I wanted it SWEET and SPICY :

1 tsp brown sugar

2 scoops Teriyaki sauce

1 scoop Mongolian sauce

1 scoop Szechuan sauce

1 scoop Lemon water

1/2 scoop Garlic water

1/2 scoop Sesame oil

1/4 scoop Soy sauce

-recipe from Mongolian Rice Bowl, Foodcourt, TriNoma, Quezon City.

and voila!

Do you like Mongolian barbecue?

What’s your favorite cartoon/s during your childhood?

How’s your weekend?

Enjoy the new week, everyone!

Jun

A TASTE OF TUSCANY

By docgelo 19 Comments

Dear Gabby,

Remember when I went home last Wednesday afternoon with a wide smile and a pasalubong for you and your mom? It was after I went to Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila located in Ortigas Center, Pasig City. I had a pleasure of being invited to Oakwood’s A Taste of Tuscany, Italian Wine and Food Festival Press Lunch.

I met gracious and wonderful people whom I even talked to about you dreaming of becoming a chef someday.

Like their Spanish Wine and Food Festival last April, what we recently had was a supreme indulgence!

I know you’ll enjoy looking at these pictures again, son…

Basket of amazingly delicious breads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip.

Believe me, Gabby, the photo cannot justify how good Oakroom’s breads are! I’m sure you’ll like those soft and crunchy bread sticks or that herbed bread can surely stimulate your palate.

But of course, you understand that I cannot bring you to this event because those glorious foods were paired with finest Italian wines. Time will come that you’ll mature and develop the appreciation for occasional drinking. Who knows, other than being a chef that you wanted to be, you might become a wine connoisseur too!

Meanwhile, here’s ALBIZZIA, CHARDONNAY 2007, 2008.

*ALBIZZIA, TOSCANA : Flowers, apples and pears on the nose are followed by a palate of ripe peach and apricot. Green apple notes at the finish make this a wine well balanced between fruit and acidity. A light and appealing Chardonnay, with no oak.

This Chardonnay was paired with ZUPPETTA di LENTICCHIE con GAMBERONI e CORIANDOLO or Lentil soup with king prawns and corriander…

You know your Daddy, anak. Anything with shrimps or prawns is delicious to me. The texture and flavors infused into this soup were certainly new to me but I liked it as it was best complimented by that light and fruity Albizzia, Chardonnay.

PARMIGIANA di MELANZANE e ZUCCHINE or Aubergine and courgette parmigiana.

Tasteful! It was paired with REMOLE, TOSCANA 2006. I learned that gone are the days of following hard rule of white wines should only be for white meat and red wines are only for red meat. That afternoon, we had red wine paired with greens!

*REMOLE, TOSCANA is 85% Sangiovese (red wine) and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon but very lightly pressed, giving gentleness and subtlety. Fermentation and aging in stainless steel accentuates the fruit. The aroma has violets, raspberries and red cherries. The palate has red cherry, with hints of tobacco and leather before a soft finish.

Look how Oakwood Premier’s Executive Chef Jerome Cartailler prepared this eggplant dish to perfection…

Ultra-thin layers of eggplant were somewhat grilled for that much needed taste. Sarap!

Main entree was MEDAGLIONI di FILETTO di VITELLO con CARCIOFI LIMONE e PROVOLONE or Veal fillet medallions with artichokes, lemon and Provolone.

The required tenderness of the meat was there. The risotto with provolone was one of the best rice dishes I’ve tasted. This delightful dish was greatly paired with CASTIGLIONI, CHIANTI 2007.

*CASTIGLIONI CHIANTI, awarded as “Oscar for value for money from Italy’s prestigious wine magazine, Gambero Rosso. A nose of cherries, red currants and raspberries, backed by cassis, leather and tobacco notes. A palate of stone fruits (cherries, black plums and blackberries), with a long lasting, well-structured finish.

Another shot of that lovely plate.

What’s a great meal without dessert? We’re almost satiated but can’t resist this temptation :

TIRAMISU ai FRAGOLA or Strawberry tiramisu…

Luscious! I just dunked my spoon on this sweet treat, it exposed generous strawberry slices!

And we nicely capped that excellent lunch with espresso.

It’s such a beautiful experience, Gabby! An exquisite Italian fare we enjoyed. This proof is only a slice to the fact that Oakwood Premier has been living up with its tag line of “Luxury defined by trust.”

I hope this inspires you more to pursue your dream of becoming an iron chef!

I and your Mommy Tina love you, anak!

Tatay-doc.

—————————————–<@

“A Taste of Tuscany” at Oakroom is co-presented by Future Trade International, Inc., distributor of Frescobaldi and Danzante wines in the Philippines. It runs from June 07 to 27, 2010.

For details and reservations, please call the Oakroom direct line at (63-2) 719-1160. Other phone lines : (63-2) 637-7888/ 910 8888 ext. 8118. Oakroom is on the 6th level of Oakwood Premier Joy~Nostalg Center Manila, located at 17 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Thank you, Ms. Genny Puno for the invite!

Regarding TASTING NOTES for WINE APPRECIATION, visit my other blog –>DOCGELO’S EYES .

Apr

WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR SATURDAY DINNER

By docgelo 18 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and FOOD & MORE FOOD!
Tags: atrium, dining, dinner, doc gelo, docgelo, eating, family, family and living, family life, food, food blog, foodie, friends, holy cow, holy cow atrium, holy cow megamall, megamall, megamall atrium, megamall restaurants, sm megamall

Tina, Gabby and I were treated to dinner by 2 of our best friends of 17 years yesterday; they’re Rob and LG, dutiful godparents of Gabby actually. It’s our usual bonding session whenever Rob comes home for a few-week-vacation every 3 months from his paramedic-work abroad. LG on the other hand, just arrived from his 1-week-Bangkok-vacation few hours before our early dinner. A lot of catching up were done in between these tummy-fillers…

CHEESE STICKS (PhP 165+) and CLAM CHOWDER (PhP 70+) for starters…

Gabby liked the super-sized Cheese Sticks; he even requested for a second order that we didn’t avail. We had 3 orders of the Clam Chowder but it’s a huge let down! It was thin and was not creamy at all!

YUMMY FISH N FRIES (PhP 260+)

The Yummy Fish N Fries was OK; a common fish and chips-nothing to rave about. The same word goes to the plates of pasta we sampled…

CHEESY CARBONARA (PhP 190+) and SPAGHETTI MARINARA (PhP 180+)…

OCEAN TREASURE (PhP 899+), almost saved the night with its quite impressive presentation; was served as flambe!

This to-share-order was nearly a great hit if properly served with condiments and/or sauces. Our sponsor even had to ask from the wait staff some bottles of ketchup and hot sauce.

The ambiance was fine; place cozy lit; with nicely interiored western appeal.

You might think why we didn’t try their steaks, it’s because one of our friends doesn’t eat red meat and it’s not a problem to us; we all like seafoods anyway.

*Our attention was drawn when Tina politely complained to the staff that she saw Gabby’s second glass of chocolate milkshake called COWPOKES (PhP 85+/tall glass) was not properly prepared. My wife actually saw in less than a meter from our table, the staff who made the milkshake as she put down her spoon on top of UNSTERILE stainless counter; then she used the same spoon to taste what she’s blending; repeated her actions several times over.

Tina didn’t let the chance pass to correct the untidy preparation of our child’s drink. She’s a professional nurse, a customer and a mother to begin with. I admired my wife for holding her temper; she was so composed while talking to the staff who was apologetic and rightfully replaced Gabby’s glass. Although we were not sure if they’ve called the attention of the female crew who did the unsightly incident.

I was even a bit eager to try this restaurant last night to compare how it rates to another similar-name-forgettable-food place in TriNoma that we tried last year (view HERE).

Can you blame us if we become skeptical to try another meal from…

Nevertheless, our biggest thanks for Rob and LG’s company.

—————————–

HOLY COW STEAK RANCH AND AMERICAN GRILL / SM MEGAMALL ATRIUM, ORTIGAS.

Mar

LETTERS FROM TOKYO #7 : YAKINIKU BUFFET

By docgelo 18 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, TOKYO and TRAVEL
Tags: buffet, dining, doc gelo, docgelo, eating out, family, family and living, food blog, foodie, ginza, ginza restaurant, grill, grilled food, japan, Japanese food, restaurant, restaurant review, TOKYO, yakimix, yakimix mall of asia, yakiniku

Dear Tina and Gabby,

Of course, you’re the first 2 people I miss when we went here…

Don.K! (pronounced by Japanese as donki and not what we think) is a YAKINIKU buffet restaurant near Ginza Street, Tokyo.

Gabby, remember when we dined at YAKIMIX at SM Mall of Asia few months back where you had fun time grilling our food on the spot ? Don.K! is like that; however I find our local version of Yakiniku more Pinoy-family-friendly. Why? The moment we’re on their long queue last Sunday and paid Y1000/pax (or PhP 500/pax; I and nurse Ruth were treated by our consultants ) , the wait staff immediately warned us that we only have ONE HOUR TO EAT. That applies to every table, FYI.

Yes, dining experience at Don. K! is limited to an hour only. Unlike in Yakimix where we started our dinner then at 5:30 PM and ended at almost 10PM, hahaha! (Erratum : Don.K! lunch buffet starts 10 or 11am and ends in 3pm; we arrived at past 1pm and had a table reserved; we got in at around 2pm so we only got an hour left to eat. BUT IT’S NOT ONE HOUR DINING ONLY. Sorry).

But what can we do with Don.K! rules except to follow. Nevertheless, it was another remarkable gastronomic adventure!

On Don.K!’s spread…

Freshest & crisp greens with several dressings to choose from…

On my gluttonous plate …

I liked their potato salad; one of the best I’ve tasted so far.

Yakiniku literally means ‘grilled meat dishes’ ... Here are the large bowls of raw meat all waiting to be grilled…

I know Holy Week is just around the corner and we’ll miss eating all these until Easter.

There were also some noodle and rice dishes… I like the noodle with fresh bean sprouts… yummy!

Here’s what we got to grill…

Price for lunch buffet inclusive of drinks (sodas, juices, coffee) is Y1,000 but for dinner it’s a whopping Y3,000/pax! I don’t have idea what Don.K! serves for dinner but don’t you think it’s expensive compared to their lunch?

There were pork, chicken and fish to grill too but beef slices were on top of our list. However, I didn’t see any sushi or sashimi at Don.K!

One of the doctors got samples of what he thought as chicken skin; only to find out that it wasn’t; it’s some part of intestine, probably the omentum or something (read : chicharong bulaklak?).

Grilling time!

No Coke for me us, remember? So I settled with Minute Maid OJ ….

The beef slices after grilling were delicious! So tender I almost thought a friend’s statement about cows in Japan are given frequent massage to somehow ‘tenderized’ their meat (?) is true…

Although there was a chocolate fondue, and my colleagues enjoyed those huge mallows dipped in tasteful choco fountain, I favored peaches and pineapples for dessert!

Sarap ng lunch namin but again, it made me miss you more. Kain tayo buffet ulit pag-uwi ko.

I miss you both; I love you.

Tatay-doc.

Jan

CELEBRATORY MEAL AT PL

By docgelo 18 Comments

If you’ve been following this humble site for some time now, can you easily spot my wife and our kid’s photo on that wall ?

I’ll make it easy… Can you find the photo below from the pictures above? Nyek, lalo ata gumulo! LOL

There was NOTHING SPECTACULAR about our 6th Wedding Anniversary except for SPECIAL MOMENTS that Tina and I shared with who else but our bundle of joy ~Gabby!

After Tina’s morning shift duty from a private hospital in Quezon City, we hailed from Gateway Mall to Shangri La Mall for a much-needed PEPPER LUNCH MEALS!!!

We’ve tried Chicken Pepper Rice before but our palates have been partial to those tender and juicy thin strips of beef!

Tina had her usual Beef Pepper Rice while I had Double Beef !

I’ve been craving for that Double Beef Pepper Rice because it has been monthssss since our last PL experience…

We’ve also favored Amakuchi a.k.a. HONEY BROWN SAUCE over Karakuchi or garlic soy sauce.

The flavor of honey brown sauce + butter in the middlemost portion of the serving + dash of freshly ground-only-outer shells-of-pepper = delicious craving satisfied!

While wer’e enjoying our D-I-Y cooking, Gabby was engrossed with his KUROMITSU ICE CREAM

Our 5-year-old son must have thought that Santa Claus and his reindeers’ job is already done but not for the people behind PL. The season of gift giving isn’t over yet! Before we enjoyed our PL meals, I’ve browsed this HP @ PL PROMO so we participated almost effortlessly!

I just clicked my cam while Tina and Gabby were having fun; finished our meals as evidenced by these before and after photos….

and asked the friendly staff on how-to sample the HP touch screen photo printer after I gave our cam’s memory card. They’ve printed two copies of the chosen pic taken at PL; At the back of one of the copies, I was required to write my name, and contact details and in a matter of seconds, my family’s photo was posted on their wall as an entry for their HP @PL promo where 2 lucky winners will bring home 2 of HP’s wireless Photosmart Premium Printer and Pepper Money! (I WANT!!! *greedy!*). While the other copy of the photo was ours to keep. Isn’t it sweet ?

I therefore conclude that —

1. We’re grateful for those 6 wonderful years of togetherness and we’re looking forward, of course, for more anniversaries!

2. We had another happy dining moments at PL with high hopes to win a new HP Photosmart Premium Printer and Pepper Money!

_____________________________

Pepper Lunch, LG Level Shangri La Plaza, Mandaluyong City. Also in Power Plant Mall, ATC and G5.

PS : When are you having PL branchesssss in Quezon City areasss ? Can’t wait!

Dec

NEWBIE ON HAINANESE CHICKEN

By docgelo 9 Comments

TOASTBOX’S HAINANESE RICE with ICED LEMON TEA, PhP 219+

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese origin most commonly associated with Singaporean cuisine or Malaysian cuisine, although it is also commonly sold in neighbouring Thailand, and found in Hainan, China itself. So-called due to its roots in Hainan cuisine and its adoption by the Hainanese overseas Chinese population in the Nanyang area (present-day Southeast Asia), the version found in the Singapore region combines elements of Hainanese and Cantonese cuisines along with culinary preferences in the Southeast Asian region.

The chicken is prepared in traditional Hainanese methods which involve the boiling of the entire chicken in a pork and chicken bone stock, reusing the broth over and over and only topping it up with water when needed, in accordance with the Chinese preferences for creating master stocks. This stock is not used for rice preparation, which instead involves chicken stock created specifically for that purpose, producing an oily, flavourful rice sometimes known as “oily rice” with Southeast Asian pandan leaves added sometimes.

The dish is usually served with several dips, including chilli sauce and pounded ginger. It is common in Hainan to also offer a third sauce involving oyster sauce mixed with garlic, while dark soy sauce is more commonly served in Malaysia/Singapore. The Malaysian/Singaporean version of the chili are also much hotter, reflecting its Southeast Asian influences, and may also involve a mixture of chilli with garlic. Most dishes are served with sliced cucumber, reflecting the Chinese preference for introducing some variety for a more complete meal. ~Via Wikipedia

What was planned as a quick bite before hitting the grocery shelves in Landmark, TriNoma a day after Christmas turned out to be a heavy merienda for us! And if you’re following this site for sometime now, it’s no longer surprising! *grin*

My wife, Tina and I, including our son, Gabby consider ourselves foodies but also newbies on taking gastronomic adventures. We’re not that aggressive and still keep our personal preferences making every dining experience always fun!

It was our first time to try TOASTBOX, an Asian restaurant originated in Singapore that’s owned by BreadTalk Group of Companies. Another first for me was to taste Hainanese Chicken! Needless to say, there’s no way I can compare it with other versions but Toastbox’s actually satisfied my discriminating palate.

The serving of chicken was almost a quarter and was so tender and flavorful! The rice was just as tasteful. I enjoyed the chicken with its 3 traditional dips! I’ll consider ordering it again on our next visit with efforts to try other dishes as well.

Tina also gave her ‘thumbs-up’ to my plate but she was enjoying her bowl of soup as well.

THAI GLASS NOODLES-SEAFOODS with ICED LEMON TEA, PhP 169+. The bowl was big enough for two; it was served perfectly hot and never fail to warm our tummies. It has generous servings of squid balls, few pieces of sliced shrimps and its smaller variant with bean sprouts and some spices. Yummy!

Gabby had his favorite BreadTalk goodies and also enjoyed Toastbox’s MILO DINOSAUR! While Tina and I had Iced Lemon Tea and also shared Toastbox’s D.I.Y. KOPI JELLY.

ICED LEMON TEA was ordered with the entrees, D.I.Y. KOPI JELLY, PhP 80+, and MILO DINOSAUR, PhP 89+

We went grocery shopping after with wide smiles up to our ears!

———————————–

Toastbox, P1 Level TriNoma Mall, Corner North Ave., Pag-asa Quezon City,

Dec

LATE LUNCH : LESS AMAZING

By docgelo 13 Comments

Categories: FOOD & MORE FOOD!
Tags: customer service, dining, doc gelo, docgelo, family, family and living, food, food blog, food review, foodie, restaurant review, secret recipe, secret recipe shangri la, secret recipe shangri la mall, shangrila mall

Clockwise : Aussie Fries PhP 150+, Cordon Bleu PhP 230+, Choco Mud Slice PhP 120+, Pan-Grilled Dory with Lobster Sauce PhP 320+, Pasta Carbonara (Rigatoni) PhP 280+, Pumpkin Soup PhP 90+.

A couple of weeks ago, Rob, our friend of 16 years came home for his break from an overseas work and invited us to see him in Shangri la Mall.

Rob via phone call : …”Gusto nyo Secret Recipe, para maiba naman?”

docgelo : “Rob, we’re already here. Sure, we’ll meet you near Wrap Shop, 5th level..”

Then Tina, Gabby, Rob and I sat in Secret Recipe. Their gay waiter, A came and handed us the menu. Few minutes later :

Waiter A : “Sir, Maam, are you ready to order? “

docgelo : “…later…..”

After few chat with family and a friend, waiter A came over to our table again…

Waiter A : “Sir, try nyo yung NZ Stewed Lamb with Rice…”

docgelo (politely) : “No… “ (note to self : Sorry, but I don’t feel like eating lamb today, actually I like lamb less)

Waiter A : “OK po iyon, iyon ang bestseller namin.. try nyo yung lamb…”

docgelo (quietly to himself) : ….ayoko ko nga ng lamb eh!!!

docgelo (to waiter A) : Can you make MEE GORENG a little less spicy ?

Waiter A : HINDI PO!

docgelo (to himself) : “why not? what happened to ‘customers are always right?”

Tina and I always consider our 5-year-old son, Gabby at all times, so I would have wanted this Asian noodle dish to be less spicy but the waiter declined my order. Why, oh why?

docgelo to waiter A : “Sige, I’ll just have Pan-Grilled Dory with Lobster Sauce.”

Waiter A (for the ANNOYING SECOND TIME) : “Sir, try nyo yung LAMB…”

docgelo (still controlling his temper) : “No, I’ll have Pan Dory and Pumpkin Soup. Thank you…”

Tina : “I’ll have Cordon Bleu and for Gabby, a slice of Choco Mud Cake…”

Rob ordered Pasta Carbonara, Fresh Watermelon Shake, and Aussie Fries.

My wife and I are always happy to see our friends, not only because they usually treat us to lunch or dinner almost every 3 months but that’s what we really are; believe it or not, we just value our friendship.:D Our excitement to see Rob that day went down to ground zero because we were ALL irked with that Secret Recipe experience.

I usually post raves more than rant with regards to our dining pleasures except for this. I just cannot let this pass and would like to be honest at all times on my blog.

Let me state that the absence of service charge on the bill (of PhP 1,405 VAT inclusive) should never ever be equated to POOR SERVICE that we don’t deserve. Courtesy and friendliness mean wait staff may only suggest something from the menu but should NEVER INSIST their opinion on ordering food and they should not say NO to a client’s request (say of making a dish less spicy or salty etc) UNLESS it isn’t possible.

I didn’t even recall that waiter saying THANK YOU to us. It lessens my appetite when I encounter obnoxious people! And for that moment, forgive me but that waiter A of Secret Recipe Shangri-la branch was so successful in getting into my and my wife’s nerves! Besides, there’s NOTHING REALLY SPECIAL about the food we ordered which I even thought were overpriced! I would not shell out PhP 1,405 for a meal that’s not satisfying! SERVICE WAS WORST, ambiance wasn’t inviting; and foods were mediocre. Now, WHERE’S THEIR secret recipe?

Do you think we left a tip for waiter A ? pun intended, LOL!

Dec

HAVE YOU TRIED TESSIE TOMAS SALAD ?

By docgelo 21 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and FOOD & MORE FOOD!
Tags: atrium sm megamall, chef quarter, chef's quarter, christmas dining, dining, doc gelo, docgelo, family, family and living, family life, food, food blog, food review, foodie, foodie blog, friends, mega atrium, megamall, prawns, restaurant review, restaurants, salads, seafood, seafood dishes, shrimps

My wife, Tina, our preschooler son, Gabby and I joined my our 2 good best friends of 16 years and counting for a casual get together 6 days before Christmas. We came from different places but all hurdled the holiday rush going to SM Megamall just to catch up with our 7PM dinner.

After few SMS of where to dine, my suggestion was honored. Finally, we have tried CHEF’S QUARTER in Mega Atrium.

I’ve been longing to try and taste some of their dishes after I’ve read their reviews from broadsheets and on-line.

We saw the place was packed except for the table outside the restaurant so we decided to occupy it while waiting for Rob who was caught in traffic from Pasay City. Our friends asked me if I’d like to avail of Chef’s Quarter’s eat-all-you-want spread but out of nowhere, I beg off. I opted their ala carte. Perhaps those CQ’s dinner and merienda buffets could wait some time. Just before we were given the menu, I’m already sure of what to choose.

For Salads, Chef’s Quarter has Trio Salad (prawns, escargot & mushrooms on lettuce in balsamic variation), Frut de Mer (spiced seafood and pomelo in sesame vinaigrette), Foie Gras Salad (goose liver on green apple ragout in raspberry honey sauce), Caprese Salad (baked buffalo mozarella, plum tomato, basil and toasted garlic), and Caesar Salad (romaine lettuce tossed in lemon-anchovy dressing with garlic croutons bacon bits and parmesan cheese).

Those salads appeared to me as must-try but I and our friend, LG particularly singled out TESSIE TOMAS SALAD “OLD TIME FAVORITE” for our starter. I guess we’re both interested on how the name of a local celebrity made these seafoods on bed of greens quite attention-grabbing on CQ’s menu.

On my plate :

TESSIE TOMAS SALAD “OLD TIME FAVORITE”, large / to-share PhP 595+. A combination of Roasted prawns, Marinated Salmon, Shiitake Mushroom with Mesclun Salad in French Creamy Balsamic Dressing.

While others considered this salad as ordinary or found nothing unusual, I instantly fell in love with it. Perhaps because I really like no complexities and I’m just biased to its ingredients.

I don’t know about you but I’m a loyal SEAFOOD fanatic. I love SHRIMPS from its little variant used to prepare a Bagoong Alamang or shrimp paste to its larger sized prawns; so it wasn’t difficult to like this at all. Tessie Tomas Salad-large size has FOUR PRAWNS that were roasted in almost perfection; they’re succulent and plump.

While Gabby was still picky on food and was not at all interested with salad, I served Tina and LG their share of the prawns and asked our benefactor for that dinner, Rob, if he wants one. Quietly, I was jumping for joy when he passed up; that made two prawns landing in my plate!!!

FRENCH ONION SOUP, PhP 150+.

Rob was the only one who ordered for a soup. It comes with two small pieces of bread and butter but was served several minutes after the bowl of the soup was brought to our table. There was no apologies from the wait staff so they just gave themselves a minus-point. But let me clear that everything was served within 20 minutes after ordering except for those breads.

STIR FRIED PAELLA SEAFOOD, PhP 430+ large order / to-share. If you must know, I also love this Spanish dish. Although CQ’s version may not be the most flavorful but it doesn’t disappoint either. All of us were satisfied with this platter and despite its HUGE serving, I personally felt short, actually and would crave for more, LOL

CHEF’S QUARTER PASTA, PhP 420+, large /to-share serving. Fettucine tossed in mild spicy vegetable pangritata with prawns.

What can I say? This pasta plate has prawns again! It was raining calcium and iodine last night, LOL! Actually, Tina considered sharing her order with us so instead of having a steak which Rob doesn’t eat (read : he hates pork and beef), she agreed on my suggestion for this pasta which Gabby liked as well.

ICED TEA, refillable PhP 75+. Refreshing, but I was expecting a more uniquely tasteful house blend.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE FONDUE, PhP 350+. Mallows and fresh fruits. Gabby personally hand-picked this dessert from the menu. It was OK but suffered comparison with the BEST FONDUE that we have sampled to date. I think we’ll order their cake slices on our next visit.

Service was good but not great; maybe because staff was busy more on refilling the buffet spread and a little bit less attentive on the ala carte diners. The place was a bit small especially when cramped during peak hours. Nonetheless, Chef’s Quarter deserves a second and many more visits because of the quality, taste, cleanliness and presentation of their dishes.

We spent more than 3 hours of chatting over fine foods on our table. Other than the dinner treat, Rob and LG who both stand as dutiful godparents to Gabby, gave our son their advance Christmas gifts. THANK YOU! Tina and I had a little something too for them. What a night of friendship and family bonding experience!

Have you tried dining at Chef’s Quarter ?

—————————–

CHEF’S QUARTER, Level 3 Mega Atrium, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.

Dec

WHERE’S THE SHRIMP?

By docgelo 18 Comments

Do you dig seafoods ? What about Thai cuisine ?

12 December 09, Saturday –My family and I met up with our good friend, Rob at our usual meeting place of 16 years and counting, where else but Shangri la Mall. Rob, who works as a paramedic-nurse in a rig in the middle of nowhere, comes home every 3 months for his days off. He treated us for a lunch and to another family-kiddie fun activity which I opted to post soon. Hours after we kill the afternoon, we had grande cups of Starbucks and a slice of cake for Gabby. Then our friend had to leave for an errand before dusk.

My wife, Tina and I were already eyeing a restaurant when we’re having frapuccinos. It took me no sweat to convince her to eat dinner there so that we can just freshen up and immediately hit the sack at home (it’s also our common logical defense for being lazy to prepare dinner at home). What I like best about my wife is her weakness when it comes to food! It’s our kyrptonite, LOL! I know she’ll wry my neck for this but it’s one of the reasons why I so love her, naks! Food effortlessly binds us together! (babaw!)

And so mutually, we decided to have our evening meals at CRUSTASIA’s THAI SHRIMP HOUSE.

Yes! Tina, Gabby and I had pig-out again-on a dinner buffet! It’s a guilty pleasure but heck, what’s a holiday season without a feast? hehe.:D Important thing is we’ve enjoyed every moments together bite!

We’re honest to state that we cannot be biased with Thai cuisine, for my wife and I cannot handle too spicy foods. We just like it mild. Never to forget that as a family, we always put Gabby’s preference to food as our priority or at least there should be something that he can munch as we enjoy our meals together; best, Gabby still eats for FREE in most buffets including this one. Although Thai cuisine doesn’t top our list of favorites, how can you say no to seafoods ?

Crustasia and Red Crab are known for freshest seafoods cooked into Vietnamese, Singaporean and Thai dishes . It was our first time to try their buffet and unsurprisingly, we were delighted.

On the spread …

Starters include salad, sushi, soup, a cripy-pita-like bread, and what won my palate were those Thai spring rolls, Spareribs, Siomai and Chicken feet.

On my plates :

Perhaps unlike you, I am not fond of Chicken feet. The first and the last time I’ve tasted them was in NZ when my cousin’s relative drove us to her favorite Chinese resto; I ‘chicken-out’ to say no to Chicken feet! But Crustasia’s version isn’t bad! It was tasteful actually; so with the Spareribs. They may have the smallest bite-sized Siomai in the Metro but believe me, they’re one of the most delicious! And those Thai Spring Rolls ? I fell in love with them, LOL.

I was thankful that there was soup on the spread; even though it wasn’t Tom Yum, it’s enough to warm our tummies. The spread has less dishes compared to other restos and hotels but volume isn’t always essential in a buffet but tastes. For meat lovers, one cannot resist Crustasia’s Angus Beef Shortplate – it’s so tender, flavorful you’ll be asking for more! Look at my surf and turf plate :

There were 2 choices of rice – the common steamed and Nasi Goreng, an Indonesian-Malay-Singaporean fried rice.

Because Tina passed on the salad, she never failed to eat greens with that dish called Lohan Mixed Vegetables that she coupled with Nasi Goreng and a few slices of Angus Beef and a piece of crab. Her comment – She should have paired the viands with steamed rice! Not because Nasi Goreng wasn’t done right but it’s almost a complete meal like paella sans ulam!

Above on the left was Tina’s Nasi Goreng + her choice of viands; on the right my second plate for the entrees : I got few slices of White Chicken in Ginger Sauce – I like it’s tenderness and it’s less gingery which I favor; I also tried Salt and Pepper Porkribs -which wasn’t bad either; Nasi Goreng and can’t get enough of those Angus Beef Shortplate!

Pasta lovers won’t be disappointed in Crustasia’s Thai Shrimp House’s dine-all-you-can! On the buffet table :

Seafood Spaghetti and Chicken Pad Thai…

Char Kway Teow and our sampler plate of those pasta. It isn’t Crustasia’s but just me : my personal taste still partial to Chinese noodles, Italian pasta and our very own Pancit Malabon, LOL

I think the only dish on the spread that we didn’t try was Catfish in Caramel Sauce. I find the name bizaare, sorry. The crabs were so-so; they were tiny in size -I’m not sure if it’s because of the season or was it because it’s an eat-all-you-want. The crabs were simply cooked with sotanghon however, if diners would like to order ala carte, there are lots of choices from their menu. On our future visit, I’ll try to sample their Crab Maritess, the one sauteed in olive oil, white wine, garlic and chili.

To end the buffet, desserts cannot be missed! Some tropical fruits and panna cotta in 2 colors, some fritters and tiny pudding topped with sesame seeds.

We ordered 2 refillable glasses of iced tea (at only PhP 49+ each) and paid PhP 790+ only for 2 buffet plates. All in all we paid PhP 968.34; not bad for an eat all you want dinner They have lunch buffets too!

I was almost impressed with the dishes on the spread and I think it’s a steal for its price but I wonder why there were no shrimps included in the buffet. Did they run out of shrimps last Saturday or do they have to rename their restaurant ? Just asking! I know we can order any shrimp dish from Crustasia’s ala carte menu but can you blame me if I thought of looking for some from the buffet spread?

For more of Crustasia’s Thai Shrimp House menu, view here .

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CRUSTASIA’s THAI SHRIMP HOUSE, The Ledge, 6th fl, Shangri La Mall, EDSA, Mandaluyong City.

Dec

HOMEMADE & HEARTFELT

By docgelo 24 Comments

Are you like me who believe that the family who eats and prays together, stays together?

No it isn’t Noche Buena yet but thankfully, my wife, Tina found time exactly a week ago to prepare a meal that Gabby and I love eating! Pasta! She made a little twist on the usual ingredients of carbonara. Instead of using the usual spaghetti or fettuccini, penne or linguini, she personally hand-picked a pack of pasta-shapes with spinach from the grocery shelf to make the dish more enticing for our kid; and unlike other version with bacon bits, she opted to incorporate Purefoods Fiesta ham. OK, I must admit; I made her used it, LOL. I like it and another brand of ham which I’ll try to feature before the holidays.

Should you be interested in trying Tina’s recipe, here are the ingredients : San Remo Vegeroni Pasta Shapes, Sabroso Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Alaska All Purpose Cream, Jolly Button Mushroom, Carnation Evaporated Milk, Gold Medal All Purpose Flour, Kraft Eden Melt-Sarap Cheese, Anchor Family Spread Butter (our favorite!), carrots, bell peppers, salt and pepper to taste and the so-called star of Noche Buena – Purefoods Fiesta Ham!

Look at those pasta!

STEPS :

1. Boil pasta to al dente; within 9 – 10 minutes; add a few drops of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of butter. Drain the pasta and set aside.

2. Cut the carrots and bell peppers into small cubes; do the same with the button mushrooms; set aside.

3. Slice Purefoods Fiesta Ham and cut into cubes. Fry until golden brown; set aside.

4. For the carbonara sauce : Melt 2/3 Anchor butter. Add and mix 2 – 3 tetra packs of Alaska All-Purpose Cream with 2 cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk in a sauce pan. Grate Kraft Eden Melt Sarap Cheese and add it to the mixture. Save some grated cheese for toppings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring into a boil with constant stirring. Add remaining ingredients (mushroom, carrots, bell peppers) and simmer for 2 — 3 minutes.

5. Pour a fraction of the sauce over cooked pasta on a plate and top it with ham and grated cheese.

6. Serve with a smile and with all your heart, naks!

Actually, Tina’s secret ingredient was the fun bonding moments she had with Gabby while cooking. And my participation? I’m their food tester taster, LOL

What’s your favorite home-cooked meal ?

Dec

HALF-BLOOD CHINESE (PART 2)

By docgelo 29 Comments

We love Chinese foods.

It would probably require me or my wife, Tina (or worse, wait for our son, Gabby who’s only in Kindergarten) to enroll in culinary school (which we love to do in the near future) or to have several attempts at home-cooking before we can come up from scratch, a perfectly prepared and steamed dimsum!

We value money.

How do you stretch your budget nowadays on food without compromising your own cravings? Your thoughts may be relative with mine –either you cook at home, or eat out at those food places where figures on the menu won’t injure the pockets.

We love value-for-money Chinese foods!

We’re just glad that we have finally tried EMERALD GARDEN right across US Embassy and beside Bayview Park Hotel in Roxas Blvd., Manila. Yes, you read it right; it was only yesterday that we’ve experienced what we’ve been missing! We’ve proven truth to a few posts about how this restaurant offers affordability coupled with great tasting dishes!

This Chinese restaurant is unique on its own. When we entered Emerald Garden, we were politely greeted by the wait staff who immediately led us to our table. Gabby liked its spacious dining area that’s far from being intimidating. Emerald Garden, in fact has a homey-casual ambiance without pretentious decors whatsoever. We also noticed that all servers, neatly clad in office attire-looking uniforms, were generally geriatric ’matured’ compared to other restaurants’. We took that as a plus points on them for being focused and attentive, most of all friendly to their clients.

On our table :

FRIED CRAB STICKS, PhP 140 + and HAKAO, PhP 75+

One of Gabby’s favorite finger foods (at least for him) is kani tempura in Japanese or fried crabsticks for Chinese; so automatically, in the absence of pizza that he also likes, this should be ordered. Emerald’s version is simple, logically priced and more importantly, it satisfied gabby’s picky appetite.

I love almost anything with shrimps, so Hakao is also a must for us when dining Chinese. Tina and I shared similar views on Emerald’s Shrimp dumplings : they were only 3 compared to other restos that serve 4 per order; their Hakao’s wrappers were a bit dry but at least they came with those plump shrimps!

It was only 2005 during our 7-week-vacation in Auckland, New Zealand when Tina and I first tasted steamed dumplings called Cheong fan after we enjoyed a lunch treat by one of my cousin’s relatives. After the first bite, it has always been one of those Oriental dishes we look in a menu. But sadly, not all Chinese restaurants here offer Shrimp Rice Rolls a.k.a Shrimp Cheong fan. We haven’t explored the rest of the Metro’s food places yet but I only know of Le Ching’s Tea House and Gloria Maris that serve these shrimp goodies until we truly fell in love with Emerald Garden’s.

SHRIMP RICE ROLLS, (I forgot it’s exact price but probably more or less PhP 75+ too). Believe me, they actually taste greater than how they look in my photos. The wrappers were not-too-thin-neither-too-thick; they’re almost perfect in consistency. Its sauce isn’t too salty nor too sweet.

Despite our instant infatuation for Emerald Garden’s Shrimp Rice Rolls, most of its loyal patrons would never let a dining experience pass without having SIOPAO!

BOLA-BOLA SIOPAO, small PhP 30; large PhP 85. We were still lucky to order even the small ones at nearly 2 in the afternoon for we heard they easily ran out of these great steamed yummies especially the large siopaos as early as few minutes after 7AM (Emerald Garden opens at 7AM; closes at 2PM and reopens for dinner at 6PM onwards).

I cannot blame them. These Bola-Bola Siopao are really delicious! The buns were the softest like that of Kowloon’s. The filling has those chives but surprisingly not overpowering and just flavorful! We would not mind having these for breakfast!

After stating my 2-cents worth about some yummies from Emerald Garden, our votes also go to this noodle dish that sky-rocketted our palates to other planets, LOL

EMERALD FRIED NOODLES, small PhP 140 (also available in medium & large orders). Look at those fuchsia colored quailed eggs that are far from being usually orange! Aren’t they enticingly different? This Fried Noodle dish has generous volume of veggies and very tender breaded meat, all cut into strings and mixed with its tasteful thick sauce! The noodle itself was so good sans other ingredients making this as one of the best I’ve tasted! …Excuse me, I’m salivating as I post this.

In one phrase, it was absolutely, heaven on a plate!

How many restaurants can serve all these or at least similar dishes for less than PhP 700 all in ?

Before me paying the bill, my wife with her sweet smile asked me if there’s Emerald Garden branch near our place in Quezon City; an evidence that this resto won even Tina’s discriminating taste

We’re going back, definitely!

Have you tried dining at Emerald Garden? What dishes do you like best?

Where do you go on your usual Chinese food craving?

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EMERALD GARDEN, 1140 Roxas Blvd., Ermita, Manila.

PS : Why do you think Tina, Gabby and I had to be in Manila on a Tuesday afternoon ? Abangan!

Dec

HALF-BLOOD CHINESE (PART 1)

By docgelo 21 Comments

One of the simple pleasures in life that I am enjoying is having a wife whose appetite cravings mimics mine I am blessed with Tina being a foodie in her own right and you can blame genetics, for our 5-year-old-would-be-chef-son, Gabby has already developed his own preference too.

Other than Japanese, Italian and Pinoy foods, we like Chinese! It has always been a topic of our usual talks that both Tina and I can probably thrive either in Hong Kong, Mainland China or best, Japan basically because of our love for Asian foods. At times, I would imagine how wonderful it is to live near Binondo and Ongpin Streets in Sta. Cruz, Manila where access to authentic oriental cuisine is just a step away. On the otherhand, I am also disillusioned with the daily traffic in that heart of Manila which is considered as one of its busiest business districts. When we miss going to Hong Kong or at least Ongpin, we’re just grateful for the many restaurants around the Metro that more or less offer the same menu.

I don’t know about you but we like dimsum and dumplings; we love hot thick soup; peking duck and lots of flavorful fried rice! (we’re not eating it anyway on a daily basis and perhaps like you, we go easy on salt and cholesterol intake too, lol)

Sometimes when we’re in the mood, it would only take an eye-to-eye between me and Tina to know we’re craving for Chinese! Need I say more?

It only took exactly 7-day apart when we last enjoyed 2 of our favorite Chinese food places -Superbowl of China and Flavors of China.

On November 30, Tina, Gabby and I had dinner at Flavors of China in Tomas Morato…On our table :

Complimentary SHRIMP CRACKERS (Gabby’s favorite; he always asks for a refill!), SEAFOOD BEANCURD SOUP, PhP 175+ (We just love this soup! affordable yummy!), FLAVORS of CHINA SEAFOOD FRIED RICE, PhP 190+ (We like it for its smoked taste plus can you resist those fish roe on top of flavorful fried rice with what else but shrimps and scallops?), BEEF BROCCOLI FLOWER, PhP 215+ (its thick soyed sauce and freshly blanched and crisp broccoli makes it so delicious!), BOLA-BOLA SIOPAO, PhP 75+ (it may not be the best siopao in town but it doesn’t disappoint too), STEAMED SHARKSFIN, PhP 85+. and we had 2 glasses of riped mango shake at PhP 65 each.

We were looking for SHRIMP DUMPLINGS or HAKAO in their menu but we’re told by the waiter that they already dephase it

On November 23, we had a lazy afternoon but a very fulfilling early dinner at SUPERBOWL OF CHINA in Gateway Mall

Not in the photo : Complimentary Prawn Crackers. Our SBC favorites : SUPERBOWL LEMON CHICKEN, PhP 260+ (it’s our favorite version to date), LECHON MACAU, PhP 205+ (Tina dislikes the sauce; biased with this restaurant’s ), YANG CHOW FRIED RICE, PhP 199+, and our best order whenever we dine at SBC : TAHO, PhP 70+ that comes with the usual tapioca and caramel sauce! Bottomless Lemonade, PhP 79+ completed the meal.

As you may know, Taho is rich in protein! Simply satisfying!

I am missing DONG BEI DUMPLINGS in Yuchengco Street! Note to self : I have to bring my family to Ongpin whenever possible.

It has also been years since we last dined at Gloria Maris.

Of course, there’s always our other favorite, MANN HANN and the affordable LUK YUEN and LE CHING TEA HOUSE.

UPNEXT : my post on EMERALD GARDEN RESTAURANT

Do you like Chinese dishes ? What are your favorites ?

————————————————–

SUPERBOWL OF CHINA -Gateway Mall, Level 3 Unit 323 Gateway Mall, Araneta Center, Quezon City.

FLAVORS OF CHINA – 170 Tomas Morato Avenue St Thomas Square, Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City.

Dec

IN AN INSTANT

By docgelo 18 Comments

Categories: FOOD & MORE FOOD!
Tags: asian foods, chinese foods, dining, doc gelo, docgelo, family, family and living, family life, food, food blog, foodie, instant food, instant noodles, noodles, shabu shabu, soups

With our fast paced lifestyle, it’s not surprising that everything is done in an instant. For most people who regard time as gold, it’s essential that everything should be completed in a press of a button or even in a wink.

And filling the tummy isn’t an exception. Aren’t you thankful that we have fastfoods, instant coffee, instant noodles, instant whatever?

Few hours after our lunch last Sunday, our son, Gabby was enjoying his favorites – a slice of pizza and a few pieces of soft buttered garlic sticks while my wife, Tina and I found a food stall at the basement of Shangri la mall that offers cheap skewered fish balls, shrimp balls, chicken balls, crab sticks and many more for only PhP 29 – 32+ per stick; we added PhP 10 for each cup of noodles + soup and voila, we enjoyed a delicious SHABU SHABU in an instant!

Although admittedly it’s not-that-healthy, one cannot deny the fact that it can be very satisfying! We only spent PhP 120 or so to taste and experience instant happiness with the family!

What’s your take on instant food? Are you the type of person who can never live without a microwave oven? hahaha! What instant things other than food do you enjoy?

———————————-

Chef Choy’s Shabu-Shabu Xpress, Ground level, Shangri la Mall, EDSA Mandaluyong City.

Nov

WHAT’S FOR MERIENDA?

By docgelo 32 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and FOOD & MORE FOOD!
Tags: bibingka, chef tony's popcorn, christmas, cookies, dimsum, dimsum and dumplings, dining, doc gelo, doc gelo blog, docgelo, dumplings, eating, family, family and living, family life, fish balls, food, food blog, food blogger, foodie, fruits, greenwhich pizza, lanzones, merienda, meryenda, midday snack, pizza, popcorn, puto bumbong, rice cakes, snack, Starbucks, Starbucks coffee

My wife, Tina, our son, Gabby and I are just like most Pinoys who love eating and eating in between meals. Whenever at home, particularly during weekends, we usually have morning light meal few hours after breakfast or more likely before lunch. Same thing goes in the afternoon; a snack is always perfect as a prelude to dinner. But unlike others, we oftenly skip midnight snacks for the fear of taxing our pancreas too much that might lead to its rupture during sleep; now that’s another topic.

Merienda or midday meal is one of Spain’s legacies to Pinoys that I am thankful for, aren’t you also?

Here are some of the yummies we enjoy during merienda.

Are you a popcorn-person? Have you tried Chef Tony’s? What flavor/s do you like?

I don’t know about you, but Gabby and I just love it when Tina fries fish balls and serves it hot off the pan with vinegar+soy sauce+onions! We prefer only fish balls cooked at home rather than those sold in streets. And you?

Other than chips ahoy, oreo, or the locally made m.y.san buttercookies, lady fingers or broas (I love broas!), prima and marie (which reminds me of my childhood), I and my family also enjoy munching these cookies…

Try it, make sure it’s Double Fudge Sugar-Free! They’re heavenly delicious in each bite!

Sometimes, we have fruits during snack time and nothing compares to sweet and plump bunch of lanzones which happens to be in season until now. Do you like lanzones too?

I usually grab two large orders of Khaleb Shawarma for Tina and me as our merienda before we go grocery shopping.

We also like dimsum! Among our favorites are shrimp cheong fan and shrimp dumpling a.k.a. hakao!

And who would say no to pizza for merienda ?

or to either venti of frappucino, iced macchiato or any hot blends from Starbucks Coffee and pastries or a slice of cake perhaps…

Our latest to-go purchase was done just yesterday afternoon, soon after Tina and Gabby tagged along with me as I went to my dentist in Marikina, we spotted a carinderia that sells freshly cooked rice cakes…

Nevermind if it’s cheaply priced at PhP 25 per bibingka and at PhP 20 per order of puto-bumbong; regardless whether these two are far from Ferino’s or Via Mare’s or even from Kamayan’s, what was important yesterday was the fact that we enjoyed our first bites at these Holiday season favorites. If only we have muscovado, everything could have been almost perfect with Anchor butter and those coconut shavings.

Tastes, smells and feels like Christmas already! Aren’t you excited ?

Well, we are! Both for Christmas and enjoying another satisfying snack!

What’s your usual merienda?

Nov

SMOKELESS GRILL, SUSHI AND MORE!

By docgelo 67 Comments

Last week, everything was unplanned when my family and I had a glutton’s gastronomic adventure from breakfast at Starbucks Coffee and lunch at Filipino restaurant, KKK, to ultimate dessert at HAAGEN-DAZS and ending the day at YAKIMIX!

My wife, Tina, our son, Gabby and I, all came with hungry tummies with my youngest brother, JC for dinner to this buffet-and-grill-all-you-want-restaurant that we’ve been wanting to try for several weeks now. Initially, we planned to try it months ago as we spotted Yakimix in their branch along Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City near those seaside-’dampa’ restos. But unexpectedly, after long hours of strolling in SM-Mall of Asia last week, finding difficulties in deciding where to chow down from so many choices, we’re just lucky to find Yakimix’s posters at the entrances of the mall as one of its newest food places.

We had to wait for few minutes when we came to Yakimix-SM-MOA before 5:30PM as it re-opens in the evening. When we’re ushered in to our table, we saw this impressively spacious buffet place…

This was just one view taken from where we’re seated. Another section is available to accomodate, more or less 60 to 70 pax inside and few more tables are outside catering to those who prefer al fresco dining. Believe it or not, before we get to taste our first choices from the spread, the place was packed in a heartbeat…

I know you’ll agree with me that whenever an oriental food place is full of chinky-eyed diners, then it verifies the taste of Japanese and Chinese foods it offers. That was so apparent when we dined at Yakimix; the more we got excited to try all dishes at the buffet table.

I got this plate filled with raw seafoods and marinated meat for us to cook in our smokeless grill at our table…

Soon after the wait staff smeared oil on the grill and turned it on, our little ‘chef’, Gabby became too busy

Obviously, our son enjoyed cooking for us Look at his ‘masterpiece’…

We’ve tried Shabu-shabu few times before and still enjoyed Yakimix for it’s purely grilling pleasure. Everything was browned by Gabby to almost perfection

There were more seasoned cut meats and seafoods on the buffet spread; skewers which we failed to sampled; there’s always a next time.

It may not be the best Sukiyaki in town but it satisfied my craving for that sweet and salty Japanese soup. For me, UMU in DUSIT THANI, Makati City serves the best Sukiyaki. My brother, JC had the other bowl of Hot and Sour soup which was also just OK.

I got few sushi and two slices of sashimi

On Tina’s ONLY plate : ebi tempura, fried unbattered prawns, california maki, bacon-wrapped shrimps, crab sticks, mushroom and veggies, and according to her, the best among she tasted from Yakimix were those “seafood balls” . I cannot agree because I failed to bite at them

On my plate : almost the same thing but I got to try the noodles. There were more on the spread that we passed on simply because we’re so satiated already. And unlike what you might be thinking, we don’t have bottomless gastric pits, LOL. There were just so many dishes, but so little time!

There were salad bar, fresh tropical fruits and yes, cakes and pastries too, mostly from Red Ribbon and Goldilocks.

On our table :

Yakimix offers Selecta Ice Cream included in the buffet! Gabby went several times to the dessert table for these ice cream sprinkles…

Although I found Yakimix’s dishes plain and ordinary, it gets our nod because of its wide-array of choices, better traffic of diners and spacious ambiance. Our drinks were refilled at an instant even without asking, but nothing special for the commonly tasting instant juices and iced tea. Far from the other blog reviews of Yakimix-Macapagal branch, service at SM-MOA was quick and friendly exceeding my expectations. :) Yakimix’s buffet costs half as hotel buffet prices and can surely give Dad’s Saisaki Kamayan Ultimate Buffet a stiff competition.

Another reason to give Yakimix a try : where else can you find an eat-all-you-want-Selecta Ice Drops ? LOL

We’ll visit their branch in Tomas Morato, Quezon City whenever possible because it’s closer to our place.

Have you been to Yakimix? How’s your experience ?

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YAKIMIX /Unit 122-126 Ground Floor SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City /

Yakimix Weekend Buffet rate : PhP 580 per pax; bottomless drinks at PhP 55.

PS : Gabby ate for free (children below 4 feet get to dine free of charge)

Nov

PINOY COMFORT FOOD

By docgelo 20 Comments

My family and I like Japanese and Italian foods but indubitably, we love Pinoy dishes the most! Nothing beats the combination of rice and viands that are very Filipino.

In as much as we usually less favor anything that can be easily prepared at home, my wife, Tina with our son, Gabby and I still welcome the thought of eating ordinary Pinoy dishes in food places where we haven’t dined before or at least in restaurants that we have tried and tested tasted that are known to satisfy our palates.

Few days ago, we had a chance to taste few of our favorites in a restaurant named after a group that sparked the revolution in Pinoy history…

KKK actually stands for Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangan na Katipunan Kainan sa Kalye Kanluran because its pioneer restaurant is located at West Avenue, Quezon City.

The branch in SM-Mall of Asia is not that huge but it’s adequate enough to accomodate hungry diners’ cravings for our very own cuisine.

The interiors boasts of a poster of our national heroes appeared to be brainstorming over a grand feast. The walls were also adorned by woven bamboo-like material drooping gracefully.

Upon receiving KKK’s simple laminated menu, I was ready to order two local dishes that I so love. The first on my list was…

SINIGANG NA SUGPO, PhP 358+. I’m one big shrimp/prawn fanatic! I like them buttered, grilled, steamed and yes, in sour stock with veggies. I guess other than the famous adobo (that I know originated from Mexico), sinigang is one viand that every Pinoy tongue is familiar with. And KKK’s version of Sinigang na Sugpo did not disappoint. The huge hot bowl contained 5 huge prawns to our delight! The veggies were still crunchy and were cooked with the plump prawns to almost perfection!

Here’s my lion share…aren’t those prawns a beauty? LOL!

My other all-time favorite Pinoy dish is Kare-Kare or Beef and ox tail in peanut sauce. I could have ordered it as well if I did not consider Tina’s choice….

KALDERETA SAN MIGUEL, PhP 280+. It’s described in the menu as “baka niluto sa cervesa”. Those beef cubes were so tender that once you dunk your fork into it, it shreds off effortlessly. Its tomato sauce with carrots and potatoes stewed (with beer, hence the name?) to a creamy but not-so-thick base. We only wish for its serving to be more than enough to meet one’s appetite

While Tina and I were sharing bowls of our comfort foods, Gabby was also enjoying his take on the sweets…

LECHE FLAN NA GATAS NG KALABAW, PhP 68+. The use of Carabao’s milk made this dessert different from the usual leche flan, plus it’s topped with macapuno strips. Although Gabby had to asked me to scoop those macapuno strips out of the flan for he, I think, at an early age is a purist.

For our drinks, Tina had her usual serving of agua while Gabby and I ordered these..MANGO and BUCO JUICE! I liked KKK’s chilled coconut but I liked it better when the wait staff didn’t hesitate to give in to my request in a blink and made a small opening that gave me the moment to scrape its chewey soft pulp. And I tell you, I missed doing it when we were in Boracay last month.

Other than the quantity of the Kaldereta, we’re happy with our lunch at KKK. On our next visit, I’ll make sure we get to taste that Kare-Kareng Baka and I’ve heard that Adobo ni Jake Espesyal is another must-try.

We join the owners and staff of KKK in saying yelling their battle cry- “Huwag matakot, Maki-Kain!!!”

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KKK Comforts of Pinoy Food G/F Entertainment Mall SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City / Tel # (63-2)556-0755. with branches at Level 3, Midtown Wing, Robinson’s Place Manila / Tel # (63-2)567-2186. Kainan sa Kalye Kanluran 74 West Ave., Quezon City /Tel # (63-2)371-9099.

Nov

ANYTHING GOES AT…

By docgelo 8 Comments

One lazy afternoon more than a week ago, I brought my wife, Tina and our 5-year-old son Gabby to Gateway Mall to have an early dinner in a restaurant that isn’t new to our palates.

While waiting for our order, Gabby became too busy with the crayons provided by the waitress clad in neck tie and apron while Tina and I were preoccupied doing nothing.

I and my wife usually oblige whenever a wait staff of a restaurant asks us to fill out a comment card to evaluate the food, ambiance, their service and whatnot to help them with the improvement. But since there was no one in that restaurant had asked me to do so, I just kept the comment card and brought it home.

Here are my comments on that particular eat-out :

GUEST VALUE CARD
Our goal is to give you the best!
You’re here for : DINNER
How often do you dine with us ? once in a while
Please rank each of the following on a scale from 1 (Poor) to 5 (Excellent)
The LOBBY :
Were the lobby staff friendly and did they welcome you to the restaurant ? 3
Were you seated in a timely, efficient manner ? 4
The SERVER :
Was the server attentive and there when you needed him/her ? 4
Was your server knowledgeable and able to answer your questions about our food and beverages? 5
How was the pacing of your meal ? 4
The FOOD :
How’s the taste of your food ? 3
Please rank your visit on the value for money. 3
Would you recommend this restaurant to a close friend or relative ? 4
What did you like most about your visit ? I like the fact that you’re friendly to family with kid/s.
What do you want us to improve on? Overall taste; it should always exceed our expectations.
Whether you give us a very good rating or not, we assure you that we will do our best iin giving you nothing but the best. Thank you very much and enjoy your meal.

After 15 minutes of waiting, what we favored from the menu were served with a smile

seafood caesar salad SEAFOOD CAESAR SUPREME, regular PhP 395+ (large PhP 445+). Traditional Caesar salad topped with fried calamari and grilled shrimps, crabmeat and parmesan cheese. I so love its ingredients but I wished they could have added more dressing into it. I didn’t ask for more but should I?

SUPREME SAMPLER, regular PhP 395 (large PhP 595 +). A combination of Buffalo wings, Sta Fe spring rolls, mozzarella sticks and onion rings. My wife likes the spicy hot Buffalo wings which are served with celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing. This platter also has deep fried onion rings coated with seasoned mix, served with ranch dressing which I personally like. Another inclusive in the plate are mozzarella sticks which are Gabby’s favorite.

Since this wasn’t our first time to dine there and already have tried other yummies from their other branches, I was no longer surprised that the wait staff knows every ingredient there is in Sta Fe spring roll when I asked her about it. That is really impressive in a server. I usually ask them of their bestsellers and I just hate it when someone doesn’t know anything about the food they offer and gives you nothing but blank stares. But this restaurant’s people are really exceptional; well-trained.

However, the three of us didn’t like that Sta Fe spring rolls at all, sorry. They are stir-fried long stem bean sprouts, cilantro, chicken strips, Monterey Jack cheese, wrapped and dip fried till golden. Perhaps it’s only us that we found every single ingredient incompatible in that roll; or we’re only partial to the Pinoy version of wrapped and fried bean sprouts deliciously dipped in vinegar!

supreme sampler plate

We made sure Gabby enjoys that dinner by having his other favorite; what else but pizza!

PIZZA SAMPLER, regular PhP 375+ (large PhP 475+). My son has been biased with QUATTRO FORMAGGI or four cheese pizza but there was none on their menu, so we had the sampler instead, which is a combination of 2 to 4 pizza flavors of your choice. For Gabby, we ordered MARGHERITA in half serving, with mozzarella and parmesan in fresh tomato sauce, less the basil leaves and the other half we tried FRUTTE DE MARE topped with shrimps, calamari, mussels, bell pepper rings and onions. We like any pizza that’s stone-baked, so we give this Pizza Sampler our two-thumbs-up!
pizza sampler 2

You might think we finished all these plates, WRONG! We have huge appetite but we’re too full for all of these yummies. We had the left-overs to-go and reheated as our breakfast the next morning but nothing was left in the plate of our dessert..

MISSISSIPI MUD PIE, PhP 155+. The plating and the mud pie itself are enticingly divine!

So can you perfectly guess where we dined last week ?

Nov

EATING TUNA HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER

By docgelo 51 Comments

If you must know, my family and I have been eating CENTURY TUNA for decades now. Personally, it’s one of those canned goods I like on my sandwich, or as simple as rice toppings and appreciate it more on some dishes. I like my Century tuna flakes or chunks in brine, oil, water, hot and spicy and their flavored variants of Mechado, Bicol Express and the like. So when this brand came out with their newest innovation, adding to their line of products a few weeks back, I was one of those many who became so curious of how it’s going to taste like.

I love corned beef particularly a local brand and Century tuna a lot like I love eating; and I honestly never thought that these two can make a great fusion and can transform any instant dining into a healthier experience and a little more edgy until they introduced CENTURY CORNED TUNA!

Saturday, 07 November ’09 – I went with my wife, Tina and our 5-year-old son, Gabby to THE STOCK MARKET (the restaurant, not the stock market we all know! It’s called as such because it’s where Del Monte showcases its stock of products from salad dressings to fruit juices etc.) at Bonifacio High Street in Fort, Global City in Taguig City for the CENTURY CORNED TUNA BLOGGERS’ COOK OFF.

We were served with these plates and a choice of iced tea or lemonade…The sandwich and the pasta was made better with what else but Century Corned Tuna.

So did I cook? Did I participate in the ala Iron-Chef-Bloggers’ Cook Off? I was fortunate to be invited via e-mail last week as one of the (self-proclaimed) foodies and food bloggers to this event (Yes, this blog remains to be about my family and our adventures beyond dining!). My participation was upgraded to the next level when I was asked (via e-mail again) if I can sit as one of the…ehem, judges. Who says doctors &/or educators can’t be best food tasters critics ? We also have our own discriminating palates, LOL! Needless to say, I obliged.

The contest was lively hosted by celebrities JM Rodriguez and QTV QUICKFIRE Chef-Mom Rosebud Benitez (my family is a fan of her cooking show).

Here are the ingredients that the bloggers had to include, but not necessarily all, as they were tasked to prepare an appetizer and an entree per team.

While the food bloggers in Team A and Team B were busy preparing for their dishes…

my name was called by the hosts as one of the GAME participants! C’mmon, can you spot me ?

While I was busy guessing the condiment as we taste it blind-folded, our adorable son, Gabby was busy too posing for the cam Isn’t he the cutest 5-year-old kid? You cannot agree less and I cannot blame genetics, hahaha!

My fellow foodie-bloggers made sure that their pasta was cooked al dente! I’m no chef but I follow my own rule of no-cooking-beyond-ten-minutes to make it pasta-perfect! It usually works.

While waiting for their contest-entries, my co-judge, Ariel was so generous to take our pic with the 2009 Century Tuna Superbod Model Winners…(papasa na din ba kaming Tuna models? hehehe )

with 2009 century tuna superbod winners

On with the judging thing… Team A and their starter…

Team A’s appetizer was canape made of soft white bread topped with Century Corned Tuna on slices of tomato with asparagus. Their main dish was…Fusilli in olive oil highlighted by the main ingredient plus tomatoes and parmesan.

On the other table was Team B with their starter…

It was a salsa made of….pears! and pita tortilla with Century Corned Tuna filling ala quesadilla… and their entree was the bomb itself!

Tagliatelle in olive oil topped with the main ingredient, asparagus and chopped almonds. Believe it or not, it was delicious! Now, can you guess who won?

gabby with chef rosebud benitez and jm rodriguez

Judging was damn easy; given a set of criteria and my own gastronomic instincts, I believe I was fair enough for the two teams. It was a unanimous decision actually. And it was fun doing it

They’ve proved that they’re not only good on food blogging but knows culinary as well. And they did their best dishes with Century Corned Tuna!

There was a dinner buffet after the contest but we beg off as my family and I were still full. After I was given a token of box of 6 cans of Century Tuna Bangus Fillet Spanish-Style Gourmet, I thanked the people who invited me and politely exit to Timezone and Starbucks.

Sarap itong Century Bangus fillet! Try it too! I’ve never enjoyed bangus like this before.

Have you tried CENTURY CORNED TUNA already ? Grocery shelves are running out of stocks.

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Thank you to the management of Century Corned Tuna and all the people behind this event particularly Mr. Christopher Santos (not my relative) for inviting me here. Salamat !

Nov

EAT AND BE MERRY

By docgelo 27 Comments

john lennon

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Yoko_Ono_Biography

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It’s not our first time to dine at JOHN AND YOKO in Greenbelt 5, Makati City. We’re also quite familiar with the other themed restaurants within its group of companies- MR. KUROSAWA Euro-Japanese in Eastwood Mall and SUMO SAM in Shangri la (and other) malls as we’ve tried them a few times already.

John and Yoko, Cosmopolitan Japanese almost appears (and tastes) like the other two mentioned food places which are all co-owned by the local celebrity, Marvin Agustin. They all feature union of the East and the West from their modern ambiance to whatever is served on the plate.

The last time my wife, Tina, our preschooler son, Gabby and I ate there was a few months back. I took pictures of what we enjoyed but unfortunately, I cluelessly pressed something on our cam that deleted every photos I had. It taught me a lesson, big time!

Last Saturday, after few hours of trick or treating, Gabby was finally convinced that we had to munch something as our late lunch before he continues with his Halloween event at Greenbelt. Thankfully, he and his mom agreed on John and Yoko and I was too weak to resist.

It was our first time to try this dish last Saturday and we’re missing it already…

JAPAELLA, PhP 378+. One of Spain’s well-loved dishes was twisted anew with generous slices of chicken teriyaki, bite sized chorizos, my favorite prawns topped with nori strips. These ingredients rest on the most flavorful rice I’ve tested. Japaella also won my wife’s discriminating taste; we’re one in saying that we’ll definitely have this again next time we visit John and Yoko. Did I tell you it comes in enormous serving that’s good for 3 pax? But since it was just perfect for our appetite; I don’t think Tina and I would share it with other friend/s or relative/s, LOL

Gabby ordered one of his staples…EBI TEMPURA, PhP 368+ /5 pieces. Our son nearly finished the entire plate! He had 4 out 5 of those battered prawns. He must be so tired and hungry then or it must have been that delicious for him, or he just really favored it over other Japanese yummies on our table. But I know he also likes kani (crab). He enjoys dipping them on tempura sauce. As for my two-cents worth, it may not be the best tempura in town but heck, Gabby was satisfied so we like this too.

IKA LINGUINI IN TOMATO CREAM SAUCE, PhP 228+. This was my brother’s choice and because of its large serving, of course he had no choice but to share it with us. Crunchy fried squid served as toppings in creamy pasta; not bad…but where’s the tomato?

CHISAU RICE, PhP 208+. Tina ordered this bowl of rice+mushroom+chicken and nori strips. As she puts it, “Masarap naman.” but you know now that she likes my order better than this.

ICED TEA in BLUE (Dalandan), RED (Calamansi), GREEN (Lime), PhP 108+ each/refillable servings. I like my glasses in BLUE and its flavor doesn’t disappoint.

FOOD : A bit pricey as expected of Japanese restaurant, but Japaella will keep us coming back. We also appreciate the use of (heavy) stone wares as plates and serving platters.

AMBIANCE : Although we like its cozy, dim lights with black and white film of Akira Kurosawa being projected on one of its wall the last time we visited; it’s a bothering thought that it can be so congested and a bit noisy during peak hours.

SERVICE : Now, allow me to be extra serious with this. I certainly profess that this resto, along with SUMO SAM and MR. KUROSAWA ULTIMATELY NEEDS IMPROVEMENT when it comes to this department. Their wait staffs, although clad in sexy black uniforms, should attend vigorous trainings on PUBLIC RELATIONS and HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT. Read : THEY’RE NOT SERVICE ORIENTED as they don’t offer smiles and are far from being family friendly compared to other restaurants of the same cuisine.

We waited for several minutes before they attended to our requests with no signs of being apologetic whatsoever.

I controlled my temper during and after we dined but it doesn’t mean I won’t blog do anything about it.

WE ARE PAYING CUSTOMERS and DESERVE nothing but THE BEST SERVICE THAT ONE CAN OFFER. Gaano ba kamahal ang ngiti ngayon? What’s with their 8% service charge if they’re not on their best foot during work?

Let me remind all the UNfriendly wait staffs of John and Yoko that other than the dishes on the menu, SERVICE COUNTS A LOT in restaurant business.

As I’ve stated on this free and unpaid advertisement for John and Yoko, WE LIKE THEIR FOOD BUT PLEASE, they have TO IMPROVE SERVICE….They have to… It’s never too late for change before they lose customers who are supposed to BE VALUED.

Eating should always be a happy activity especially with family. It shouldn’t be less interesting.

We will revisit this resto whenever possible not only to grab a spoonful of that Japaella again but particularly because I am STILL optimistic that they’ll change for the better.

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JOHN AND YOKO, 2F Space 205 Greenbelt5, Ayala Center, Makati City. For more of John and Yoko’s menu, click here

Oct

PASTA ALL YOU WANT

By docgelo 18 Comments

How many plates can you finish when a great deal called PASTA ALL YOU CAN, ALL DAY, EVERYDAY is offered only at PhP 150?

We’ve been wanting to try this great deal for the loooongest time but it’s only yesterday when the stars and the heavenly planets conspired that we found time.

My wife, Tina, our 5-year-old son, Gabby and I trooped to JOEY PEPPERONI PIZZERIA at their branch in Fort Bonifacio, just in the corner of Mckinely Avenue, Taguig City and had our late lunch. It was our first to sample their pizza and pasta and gladly, we’re not disappointed.

CLASSIC CAESAR SALAD, PhP 110 +. Crisp romaine lettuce, bacon bits, crunchy croutons served with Caesar dressing.

Ever since Gabby had his first taste of this pizza a few months back from another Italian restaurant, it has become one of his staples whenever dining out. We’re proud that our son has developed his own preference to food and at an early age, he knows his palate very well. Tina and I can’t complain about his choice of flavor; this one’s simple yet deliciously fulfilling.

QUATTRO FORMAGGI (Four Cheeses) 8″ pizza, PhP 165 +, also available at 12″ at PhP 335+. This thin crust pizza has no toppings but parmesan, fontina, mozzarella and ricota. Sarap!

The pasta dishes included in the promo are…PESTO (original price PhP 145 +). Made of basil, cashew nuts and parmesan cheese in olive oil. Pesto tops my list of favorites of all pasta dishes. Joey Pepperoni’s may not be the best pesto I’ve tasted but it’s not bad either. I like it.

CARBONARA (original price PhP 155 +). Pepper cream sauce and bacon bits in spaghetti. Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria’s version of this usual pasta got my wife’s vote, considering her discriminating taste. It’s best eaten immediately after served so as to avoid the pasta being dried as it can absorbs the creamy sauce in a few minutes.

BOLOGNESE (orginal price at PhP 175+). Classic meat sauce. It isn’t as good as the other two but then again, perhaps it’s just me.

FYI, Joey Pepperoni’s PASTA ALL YOU CAN promo has those three dishes in big servings that even foodies like me and my wife who both have huge appetite and great passion for eating may surrender easily. Honestly, since those pasta are prepared no less than usual, they’re all deliciously satisfying that I only had 3 plates (yes, I sampled all of them, hehehe) and Tina only had a plate and a half (I ate the rest of her second serving ) of Carbonara. I tell you, with PhP 150 deal of yummies for more than a plate, you can never complain.

For the three of us, the winner among those we’ve tasted at JP’s pizzeria is…FROZEN CAPPUCCINO MUD PIE, PhP 90 +. This definitely is one of the reasons to visit JP again. It’s so delectable that we find it hard to resist. Satisfied the sweet tooth in all of us, hands down. It’s enormous serving and cheap price gives everyone a chance to enjoy life’s simple pleasures It’s such a perfect sweet ending to a binge self-indulgence of carbo-rich plates.

We had their iced tea, bottomless for only PhP 50.

Friendly and polite service, affordable good food, high ceiling + casual dining ambiance = we like!

The only thing I dislike with Fort branch is the presence of a communal toilet. It would be nice if they can have separates for both genders and a bonus for physically challenged and/or a family room with diaper deck for babies. Nonetheless, we’ll surely visit again, not only that branch but else where.

This has been another fun-filled, budget-friendly dine-out with the two people I love the most.

Life has been so generous.

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PS : After that hearty meal at JP’s, we concluded that we’re nothing compared to the YOUNG (as in she looks like early or 20 something) LADY from Las Piñas City whose picture appears at the promo card at JP’s tables because she at present, holds the record for having enjoyed NINE PASTA plates! Can you handle that?

Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria. Fairways Tower Condominium 5th Avenue corner McKinley Ave., Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. Other branches and details can be found at their website –> here.

Sep

A QUAINT RESTO : REVISITED

By docgelo 6 Comments

Our munch plan for my birthday :

Friday late afternoon snack/early dinner + Sunday hotel buffet = family bonding

This is the first of two celebrations I had with my wife, Tina and our son, Gabby…

It took us seven months before we revisited this quaint Italian restaurant tucked in the low-key area of Cubao (our first can be viewed here ). I like its interiors and ambiance more than their food. OK, their menu may be authentic, as the owners are a former paparazzo who married a Filipina; but I guess my palate has been biased with other restaurants that serve similar cuisine. Nevertheless, I always find BELLINI’s pleasing…

These aren’t paintings on the walls but murals on the ceilings.

Check out how enticing the interiors is…

Bellini’s, owned by Roberto and Ma. Luisa Bellini, has been a location of a local movie because of its romantic appeal…

It’s like a small piece of Italy in the heart of Marikina Shoe Expo in Cubao, Quezon City…

Bellini’s delightful atmosphere is artistically beautiful but I just wish the service will be friendlier. The two wait staffs who attended to us were discreet and courteous; but smiles were inapparent. I like food servers who always flash their best smiles while at work. For me, smiles mean that they love and enjoy what they do. It lessens my appetite if the servers are apathetic.

I always expect waiters and waitresses to be acquainted with the menu. I usually ask something like the serving size and the restaurant’s bestsellers; and I admire staffs who are familiar with the food they serve. Yesterday was not my lucky day at Bellini’s; for the querries I addressed to our waitress were all thrown to her colleague.

I ordered one of my favorite breads, focaccia; even asked the waitress the dip that comes with it, but got no reply from her but from other waiter. And when I checked the bill before paying, the focaccia bread was charged but it wasn’t served. To be fair, I’d say the waiter was apologetic and did the necessary changes on our bill; but there’s no room for mistakes to render remarkable dining experience.

Poor me, I just thought that the waitress was new and still untrained, and I just swallowed my temper and remembered that it’s my birthday.

Enough, and on with the food…

BREADSTICKS, Complimentary House Iced tea, PhP 50+; it tasted like Peach flavored Sola Iced tea, not bad for me; i love peach!

Last February, we ordered a pasta that won our hearts, so we had another plate for my birthday!

BUCATINI AMATRICIANA, PhP 250+ (bacon, tomato and onion sauce).

We love its thick strands of pasta and its simplicity made it so tasteful.

What’s an Italian dining without pizza?

QUATTRO FORMAGGI, PhP 250+ (mozzarrella plus 3 different kinds of cheese; tomato based).

All of Bellini’s pizzas are mozzarrella and tomato based. We had Bellini’s special pizza seven months ago. It was fine combination of most toppings in super thin crust.

Yesterday, we chose this 4-cheese-pizza because we considered our son’s preference. He doesn’t like any toppings on his pizza but cheese. We all liked its flavorful thin crust; but we all thought that Amici’s version is far better.

POLLO ALLA DIAVOLA , 1/2 PhP 280+(grilled chicken breast with herbs and chili).

I ordered this grilled chicken breast with herbs and chili just to taste how different it is from other chicken recipes I’ve sampled from other restos. I like its well-marinated meat that was so tender that once you dunk your fork into it, it easily shreds off from its bones. I like it but not to point it’ll become my favorite. Unfortunately, my wife gave this dish her thumbs down. She was probably not in the mood for some spice.

TIRAMISU : GELATO CAKE, PhP 170+

Gabby immediately recognized that it’s a combined mocha and coffee ice cream cake. For a barely five-year-older, we’re proud to raise Gabby as a food enthusiast too (with the hope that he’ll pursue his early dreams of becoming a chef one day). But to my wife Tina, this gelato cake is a dissapointment; not of its taste, but of its price. I have to agree with her that it’s pricey for its serving. C’mmon, with its price more expensive than a pint of ice cream, the cost is just too steep! Look how fancy the layers are but its tiny size of slightly bigger than a teaspoon drowned all its glory…

Although we’re full after that meal, I felt something’s missing. I never experienced the excitement of dining I had during our first visit. Perhaps because of the gloomy weather, or can I attribute it to the service and some dishes that can still be improved?

Anyway, there’s still tomorrow for another day of gastronomic adventure.

Abangan!

———————————

Bellini’s Italian Fast Food and Restaurant / Stall 68-69 Marikina Shoe Expo, Gen. Romulo Ave., Cubao, Quezon City/Tel #s (63-2) 913-2550.

Aug

IT’S BEEN A FAVORITE

By docgelo 14 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and FOOD & MORE FOOD!
Tags: cakes, conti's, desserts, dining, doc gelo, docgelo, eating, food, food blog, foodie, pastries, Philippines, pinas, Pinoy, potato salad, quezon city restaurants, trinoma, trinoma restaurants

Yesterday, we had another remarkable afternoon dining at Conti’s in TriNoma. Tina, Gabby and I like their food so much that it has become one of our favorite restaurants. The ambiance is simple, never intimidating; their patrons- mostly family-oriented; the service is always fair; prices of dishes-value for money, and the food itself -impeccably delicious!

We first asked Gabby of what he’d like to order and quickly browsing the menu, he pointed out to a cake and a tall glass of iced beverage.

Our preschooler son opted to only have desserts. And just like his father, ehem, I guess he has good taste! He is sure of what he want, and he’s not “takaw-mata”. He makes sure that whatever he orders whenever we dine out, he’ll eat it. Yesterday at Conti’s he ordered for a glass of MOCHA FRAPPE PhP 110 and had a slice of a heavenly cake called BANANALICIOUS, PhP 80.

Its crust is made of fine graham powder topped with soft cake and cream with slices of chilled bananas in between. It’s simply hard to resist.

Since I’ve described what our son had for his sweet tooth, might as well continue with what Tina and I shared for dessert….it’s a slice of my favorite cake from Conti’s…

In my opinion, it’s a mortal sin to dine in Conti’s without having a slice of MANGO BRAVO, PhP 105. lol. IT’S MY FAVORITE CAKE for few months now. And nothing had replaced its place in my heart palate, lol.

Look how gorgeous those layers of lady fingers a.k.a. broas are! Perfectly fused with just the right sweetness of that cream and chilled slices of mango with minimal drizzle of chocolate. It’s just sublime!

Prior to being hyperglycemic with those divine cakes from Conti’s, Tina and I enjoyed these plates…

For our starter, we had RUSSIAN POTATO SALAD, PhP 115. The plate was served with chilled cubes of potatoes, carrots and red beets that made it pink, sarap!

Tina had this CHICKEN BALLOTINE, PhP 195. It’s a dish of chicken rolls with ham and cheese stuffing topped with white creamy sauce served with freshly blanched veggies.

What is BEST with Conti’s isn’t only the tastes of the dishes and of course their cakes and pastries but moreso, I like the fact that they don’t use commercially available packed corn and carrots. Don’t get me wrong, we also buy it from groceries once in a while, but I believe that all restaurants should served freshly cut and blanched vegetables as sidings to their entree for the benefit of their clients of course.

What I HATE about eating at Conti’s is the difficulty of deciding what to order. It’s not our first time to dine there but I still had a hard time again in choosing what to chow down. After several seconds of staring at their menu, pondering, lol.. I finally told the waiter of what I’d like and if the experience yesterday was a lottery, I think I hit the jackpot with this dish…

ROAST BEEF in MUSHROOM SAUCE, PhP 270. The beef slices were so tender; the mushroom sauce was flavorful and creamy, even the sidings as I’ve told you, were so pleasant not only to palate; it was just delightful.

I wouldn’t mind eating at Conti’s on a weekly basis.

CONTI’S TRINOMA, P1 Level, TriNoma EDSA corner North Avenue, Quezon City, Tel # (63-2) 900-5013.

They also have branches at BF Homes, Parañaque, Connecticut Street in Greenhills and in Serendra in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Conti’s also have catering and food order services : tel # (63-2) 842-5265.

note : Just the same whenever I feature other food places we enjoy, this post isn’t paid by Conti’s.

Aug

SHAMELESS

By docgelo 8 Comments

Categories: HEADLINES
Tags: corruption, dining, doc gelo, docgelo, food, food blog, Le Cirque, luxurious dinner, New York Times, PGMA at Le Cirque, Philippine government, philippine politics, pinas, Pinoy

While most of us are busy sweating it out in our work places like carabaos in the fields, some people in the national government were spending USD 20,000 at Le Cirque in the US; ordered the most expensive wines and munched in style.

For my blog buddies who frequent my site, you know by now that my family loves dining – from fastfood to upscale carinderias, lol. I can relate to from the simplest food item to the most gourmet and well-prepared and plated dishes. But my eye globes popped out when I read this news item on page 6 of the New York Post dated Aug 07, 2009, Saturday.

How can these elected officials stomach to chow down almost a million pesos for a single dinner while most of their countrymen have nothing but instant noodles and or tuyo on their plates?

Here’s the link, CLICK IT NOW and read it for few seconds for yourself…—> EAT and DRINK.

Please tell me this news item isn’t factual otherwise, i’ll hum the tune of “NAPAKASAKIT, KUYA EDDIE!”

Jul

ABOUT LAST WEEKEND

By docgelo 14 Comments

Last Saturday, after a quick stop at my folks’ place in Pasig, I brought my family -Tina and Gabby to Eastwood Mall in Libis, Quezon City. Look how crisp the interiors of the Eastwood Mall is…Other than having those functional and stylish lounges, Eastwood Mall boasts of having mall butlers clad in black suits who’ll offer to carry your paper bags throughout the duration of your shopping. Although we haven’t bought anything yet from our previous visits there LOL , and still to try the cinemas (we commonly go to the Eastwood City cinemas – haven’t watched a movie yet at Eastwood Mall cinemas), we usually go there for few reasons : to get a load of Starbucks, for my preschooler son to enjoy Timezone and what else but to CHOW!

Perhaps, next to Glorietta & Greenbelt in Makati, Shangri la mall in Mandaluyong, and Gateway and TriNoma in QC, this Eastwood Mall is becoming one our favorites. Why not? it isn’t as crowded as Isetann Recto (patawa lang po).

Before deciding where and what to eat, we asked Gabby to pose as I click the cam. He knew he had so many photos taken already from this site from our previous visits hence the awkward smile…

From its exteriors, a row of upscale restaurants always appear so inviting however last weekend, Mr. Kurosawa won our votes.

It’s one of the chain of restaurants that the local celebrity Marvin Agustin partly owns. One similarity between John and Yoko in Greenbelt 5, SUMO SAM in Shangri la and Power Plant Malls, with Mr. Kurosawa besides being contemporary-Japanese in the menu, is the interiors. All of these food places have hip and edgy atmosphere having subdued lighting, the evident constant use of purplish hues, and lots of things in black which I like. The servers too, wear dark sexy short dresses in heeled shoes/boots; and you won’t expect any kimonos and obi belts just like in traditional Japanese resto.

I like the idea of glowing Japanese posters up in the ceiling…

My wife and I noticed food is basically the same. Their menus probably only differ in covers, but has less variations. I don’t know about your palate, but IMO, one thing is sure - the food in those three spots are delicious if you welcome a fusion of taste between the East and the West, however a bit reasonably pricey.

We keep coming back to SUMO SAM once in a while because I personally like this dish that we’ve also tried ordering at John and Yoko, now tasted the plate in Mr. Kurosawa —> SEAFOOD OMELET RICE, PhP 228.

Tina and I both agreed that Mr. Kurosawa’s version of Seafood Omelet Rice is BETTER than Sumo Sam and John and Yoko. The Japanese rice is stickier; the taste yummier. Common among the 3 restos : generous servings for this dish.

The serving was too large for our appetite (honestly) that we have to asked the wait staff for us to have it as to-go. OK, I admit we have huge appetite but far from being gluttons we failed to finish this favorite because we sampled another hit from Mr. Kurosawa…

The pizza that we enjoyed after the last bite is called IWO JIMA, PhP 279 …

It’s thin crust pizza which I like, and what made it uniquely savory from most pizzas we’ve tasted was the presence of sweetest mango cubes as one of its toppings. Imagine the saltiness from cheese had married the sweetness of mango bits. It’s Euro-Japanese on a plate! That one last slice I had came from this good-for-three servings…

If my taste buds served me right, the mango and cheese combo in IWO JIMA pizza was also mixed with cubes of chicken teriyaki and sesame seeds. It’s so flavorful enough for you to forget worries of daily living, lol Another must-try from the menus of either Sumo Sam, John and Yoko and Mr. Kurosawa, are the 3 -colored-iced teas.. They’re in green (lime), red (calamansi), and my favorite – in blue (dalandan)…

They’re refillable until whatever volume you can handle at PhP 108.

Apparently, we liked our merienda last Saturday; look how my wife and our son smiled after being satiated…:D

MR. KUROSAWA, G/F Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City.

Feb

TASTING the WORLD @ CIRCLES!

By docgelo 12 Comments

My wife, Tina prefers dining somewhere rather than receiving flowers or anything mushy from her ex-boyfriend, ehem, that’s me, her husband for five years now We don’t usually go out on a date during Valentine’s ever since, not only because she dislikes the part, but I, too don’t give in to cupid’s requests for it’s just too traffic everywhere when it’s hearts’ day.

But this year, we decided to celebrate it a couple of days earlier; not with flowers, neither a movie-date but with most interesting thing that we do as a couple, and that is enjoying good food and savoring best dining experience. It need not to be expensive, but for the ocassion, I went out my way to plan ahead for the budget was quite steep compared to our usual eat-outs.

We went to CIRCLES EVENTS CAFE in Makati Shangri-la with our four-year-old son, Gabby. I must say, I surrendered to the fact that CIRCLES offers one of the best, if not the BEST open-kitchen-hotel-buffets here in Manila. It’s comparable to buffets in hotels abroad. I remember the buffets in hotels in Vegas that I had with my family several years back. Circles buffet is similar to those, or perhaps even better. One can truly TASTE THE WORLD at CIRCLES for its varied international cuisines. There were Asian- Chinese, Japanese, Filipino stretch, there’s also Mediterranean food section, American and ofcourse the sweetest section is left for the gustatory cravings.

The price of PhP 1,639.40 net per pax is a bit expensive, but it’s reasonable in Circles! I’m not a culinary or a food expert, but I did appreciate how a dish in every stations at Circles buffet had been prepared with so much effort to stimulate not only the palate but the eyes as well.

I ran out of superlatives to describe how delicious the buffet in Circles is. It’s simply superb! Highly recommended! I’m just so glad that Tina & Gabby liked it too.

Here are the photos of our gluttonous romantic early valentine’s date that we enjoyed to the fullest and we can’t resist but to plan for our next visit…c”,)

The lobby of Makati Shangri-la Hotel…

My son Gabby, who at the age of four, dreams of becoming a chef, as he sometimes watches Iron Chef on cable, now begins his exposure to the art of cooking and sublime dining…

The signage of SINFULLY CIRCLES bakeshop & patisserie at the entrance of CIRCLE EVENT CAFE…

Now, the food stations. Beginning with CHINESE CUISINE… dimsum, dumplings steamed or fried, cooked to perfection! Simply divine…

JAPANESE section offers freshly prepared seafoods – from steamed lobster & tiger prawns, seasoned huge mussels, oysters to maki, sushi, sashimi and other jap rolls…appetizingly delicious!

the MEDITERRANEAN food section…

Care for some CHICKEN SHAWARMA? Freshly made by the Persian chef as you make your request…

A portion of CIRCLES EVENT CAFE’s CARVING STATION…tender every bite…

The most attractive section of the buffet… Make sure there’s still a gastric room for most of these treats…SWEETEST TO NONE!

Don’t they look heavenly? CAKES were refilled swiftly by efficient and friendly staff…

CHOCOLATE FONDUE…

Now, these were our plates…

Tomato soup : creamy!

My first plate : fresh cold salad, bread and butter…

My chinese-asian platter : steamed sea bass, fried chicken dumpling, vegetable/kuchay dumpling, ebi tempura, pork siomai …

Tina’s Asian plate : tiger prawns and lobster, dumplings and Japanese rolls…

my seafood and jap preference… i so like the plate! The mussels are to die-for! I just can’t explain its herb-seasoned taste, simply superb!

my attempt to try Mediterranean dishes : chicken shawarma, mutter paneer, naan, roti chanai, and there was also chicken kadai… spicy curries galore!

while Tina opted to mix Persian shawarma and American beef steak and veggies…

Now, let me show you the best part of our dinner : DESSERTS!

This was my first platter of sweetest things from Circles.
Makes me salivate and gives me reason to forget hassles,worries,whathaveyou…sigh ^_^

Tina’s desserts…

We tried to be subtle for the camera first, resisting the immediate sweet temptations for few seconds…

Can’t get enough of those sweets…

while Gabby was content with those sweet treats…

Before asking for the bill, we requested a waiter to take a shot for us…

We didn’t get to taste pizza, pasta, and other dishes for we were full already. It will give us reason to go back and experience again the joy of dining at Circles Event Cafe…
It was one of those few shared moments when eating was never a necessity but a pleasure!

What made our Valentine’s this year extra-special was the fact that we are complete and happy.

I SO LOVE YOU ITY & GABBY !!!

Feb

BELLINI’S !

By docgelo Leave a Comment

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD! and whatever
Tags: Bellini's, bucatini, cubao, dining, dinner, Fast food, food, foodie, manila, marikina shoe expo, olive oil, pasta, pizza, quezon city, restaurant, tomatoes

Last Friday, I and my wife, Tina decided to have dinner after work to finally try Bellini’s. This restaurant located in the subdued area of Marikina Shoe Expo in Cubao, Quezon City offers great authentic italian foods. One will disregard the location and the how-to-get-there once he/she gets to experience the reasons why Bellini’s is a word-of-mouth when it comes to sublime italian dining experience.

We’re both familiar with the resto since we already heard & read reviews about it, even watched a local movie shown in cable TV shot in Bellini’s itself.

Bellini’s ambience is really inviting and very homey. It has cozy interiors with murals and art works of what makes Italy and its key cities popular. And because the owner Mr. Roberto Bellini, married to a Filipina Ms. Maria Luisa, was a former Italian paparrazzo, most of his precious photos from his work are displayed on the walls which makes the place more interesting. I guess courtesy is the second skin of Bellini’s waiters for they have ready smiles to greet diners and very polite when taking orders and answering our querries.

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We ordered a pasta called Bucatini all’Amatriciana, Bellini’s special pizza and 2 glasses of house iced tea. Tasting Bucatini all’Amatriciana was heavenly! I’m a fan of freshly cooked tomatoes and having it on thick strands of pasta was really something! The pizza was equally superb; its very thin crust and generous toppings made it really special. There was one funny moment when that Bellini’s special pizza was served to our table. The waiter also gave a medium-sized flask-like bottle of transparent semi-thick liquid with capsicum. Tina was clueless of what it was, so she asked the waiter if it was a bottle of vinegar and the server informed her that it’s a bottle of olive oil with capsicum - the Italian way of making pizza spicier. We were laughing at the moment and the waiter just commented that it happens all the time. We’re both familiar with only tabasco or any bottled hot sauce or something in sachets. Now we know more. LOL !

free breadsticks, house iced tea (PhP 50 each)…

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Bucatini all’Amatriciana (PhP 250)…

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Bellini’s Special Pizza (PhP 280)…

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We’ll surely be back in Bellini’s to try other food on the menu.

Note : the photos were blurry because we only used a mobile phone in taking pictures.

Bellini’s Italian Fast Food & Restaurant
Stall 68-69 Marikina Shoe Expo,
Gen. Romulo Ave., Cubao, Quezon City
Tel : (63-2) 913-2550
(do i get a discount on this, Mr. Roberto Bellini ?)

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