Eats love!

Office Christmas Party at Sambokojin Yakiniku Smokeless Grill

Guys, how did you celebrate your Christmas Party? We in the office had a simple but enjoyable one. We did the exchange gift-giving and raffle draw at the office where I got a hot pink handbag, rustic gold pendant necklace and silver cuff from my monita (not what I expected, still I’m happy =)) and Biodroga facial products (jackpot!). Afterwards, we went to Sambokojin at Eastwood Citywalk for our dinner.

Sambokojin is a classy eat-all-you-can buffet restaurant that houses a wide selection of Japanese and Korean cuisine, from sushi to dessert. It’s reasonably-priced for Php595 per head since most likely you’ll never leave the place without feeling satisfied, or happy like us.

My plate, Round 1 (notice how the makis are swimming in tonkatsu sauce.Fail, IKR LOL) 

My plate, Round 2 (much better) 

As for my Japa-nice adventure, I tried different kinds of maki on my plate but I love the one with the Japanese mayo on it. Of course I got a teaspoon of wasabi paste to complement my maki. I also liked that there was a huge yakiniku grill on every table and we grilled different kinds of thinly-sliced marinated meat and seafood. And I must say the beef was delicious. It was sweet, tender and marinated just right. Although I haven’t fully appreciated it that time, I bet I would on my next trip. BTW their crabsticks are divine! Those were the sweetest, freshest, and most delicious crabsticks I’ve ever tasted.

Anna grillin’ like a pro! Teehee!

Sizzling goodness

Aye, corn-frying expert hehe =D

And if that’s not enough, I went to the tempura section to get ebi tempura and chicken tonkatsu (breaded chicken that looked like cordon bleu). They’re not that different from the ones I’ve already tasted but they’re delicious nonetheless. Aside from the food, I also had half a cup of miso soup with fresh seaweed bits and small tofu pieces and iced tea with lots of lime wedges. 

Dessert (I only ate 2 of them, the brazo de mercedes and glazed cream puff =( )

Vanilla and strawberry ice cream

So all in all I’ve had 3 rounds of Japanese goodness and I’ve topped it off with a cup of vanilla and strawberry ice cream and honey-glazed vanilla cream puff. Unfortunately, I haven’t eaten the small piece of blueberry cheesecake and strawberry cake since we have to leave already (Sayang! haha!). I was about to tuck them away with a tissue (which I unfolded in case) but too bad I can’t do that because apparently, it’s not allowed hehe.

Sushi catastrophe courtesy of Vlad

So that’s it. I really had a hard time breathing in between all those food and as much as I would like to gorge, I can’t because my mind has adjusted to eating food in moderate portions (effect of my diet I guess) and I felt quite dizzy from our travel to Eastwood Citywalk (only a 30-minute ride from our office but the driver was brake-crazy!). One thing I’ve learned from this experience: don’t hesitate to take different plates for each of the courses. Anyhow, they have plenty! The tonkatsu sauce smothered on half of my plate kinda ruined the taste of the other food I have. 

Nice counter!

My officemates having a good time

My verdict: it was awesome! The waiters were very accommodating, the place was roomy, neat and clean, and the restroom is huge, clean and well-maintained. They also have a large receiving room with lounge sofas to accommodate waitlisters. I can’t wait to go back to Sambokojin again. I want to bring my family or some close friends and let them have the good experience I had with this restaurant. Thumbs up! =)             

A Thing or Two I Learned about Filipino Cuisine

On my sixteen years of experience as an amateur cook and foodie, I have learned a lot of things about Filipino cuisine which I would like to share with the world. And one thing’s for sure: we have so much more to offer than adobo. This is a no-holds-barred account of my learnings, and some may disagree, but as a free person, I am entitled to my own opinion.

• Filipinos are fond of sauteeing (gisa).Most of our main dishes are basically started off by lightly browning onions and garlic on vegetable oil. Sometimes we add tomato (kamatis) to make the flavor richer.

• Rice is a staple dish in the Philippines. Steamed rice balances the saltiness of the dish and makes the meal more filling. Many believe that a good rice makes the meal more appetizing. An ideal serving of rice is one cup per meal but some prefer to have an extra cup. Some like their rice sticky and glutinous, while some like theirs firm. Health-conscious people usually opt for brown or red rice while others are perfectly fine with white rice. Among the popular types of rice are dinurado, sinandomeng, jasmine rice, wagwag, and laon.

• Our fondness for rice led to the creation of our various rice-based Filipino desserts (kakanin) such as biko, puto, bibingka, suman and palitaw. We also use root crops such as taro and sweet potato to make wonderful feast-worthy desserts.

• When it comes to home-cooked meals, Filipinos are not into the fancy-shmancy presentation. They are more particular with the taste. Of course, the dish should still be visually appealing but we are not that fond of putting herbs and what-have-yous on top of our dish.

• Filipinos are also versatile when it comes to making dishes. For instance, a little tweak in the ingredients here and there and voila! Pork Menudo becomes Chicken Afritada. I believe it roots from the resourcefulness of Filipinos, making good use of the resources that we have.

• Yes, a lot of us eat balut (duck egg with embryo) but it doesn’t necessarily mean we eat all of its contents. Some (like me) would prefer to leave the embryo. Or sometimes, we would rather eat penoy which is basically a boiled duck egg minus the embryo.

• The meat we often use on our dishes are mainly pork, chicken, and beef. We are also fond of seafood such as fish, shells, crabs, shrimps, and squid. Lobsters, King Crab and tiger prawns are considered a luxury to us.

• If there’s a thing about Filipino dishes that we can truly be proud of, it’s that we use our vegetables in many ways. And that’s what keeps us healthy despite the fastfood hype.

• We Filipinos are not fond of wasting every edible part of our ingredient; we use them as streetfood, beer matches, or main dishes. This clearly shows the ingenuity of Filipinos. A good example would be pork face, which we use as barbecue or sisig. Another example would be pork skin which we make as chicharon (deep-fried to a perfect crunch).

• Our version of a popular summer cool drink would be sago gulaman which is a vanilla-and-sugar-flavored drink with gelatin cubes and tapioca balls. We also take pride of our halo-halo which is crushed ice loaded with fruit bits, beans, gelatin,milk, sugar, topped with taro, leche flan, and rice puffs.

• There may be a lot of restaurants and fastfood joints which offer delicious meals of gastronomical proportions but for us Filipinos, nothing beats a wholeheartedly-prepared home-cooked meal. It makes us look forward to coming home everyday and share the wonderful dish with the whole family.

• We believe that a simple porridge (lugaw) served with motherly love is therapeutical.

• We Filipinos are morning people and we always have a high regard for preparing breakfast. Pinoys love to make fried rice out of the leftover rice and put meat slices on it such as adobo, ham, hotdog, or tuna. We complement it with beef tapa, or cold cuts, and sunny side up/omelet. We love to combine things for breakfast and serve it with a cup of coffee, milk, or hot chocolate. If rice is not an option, Filipinos opt for the ever dependable pan de sal (bread), warm and freshly baked.

• You are missing half of your life if you have not yet tasted the rich, export-quality carabao mangoes from the Philippines. They are big, yellow, sweet, rich, creamy, and not stringy.

• Filipinos love to use condiments to complement our dishes. For instance, we love to serve pork sinigang with fish sauce, Philippine lemon (calamansi) and chili because it lends a bit of salty, sour and spicy kick to the dish.

• Aged coconuts (niyog) are abundant in our country; hence, we also have cocomilk-based (gata) dishes. We use gata on fish, vegetables, and pork. Gata may also serve as a milk alternative for our dishes.

• In Filipino parties, expect to see pancit(stir-fried vermicelli with meat and vegetables), fried chicken and lumpia (spring rolls). For kids, a treat would be Filipino-style spaghetti, hotdog with marshmallows, and fruit salad/ice cream (sorbetes). Roasted pig(lechon) is also served on special occasions such as feasts and weddings.

• For presentation, Filipinos use banana leaves to insulate grilled/fried food. It also adds a native touch to the food and it releases a fragrant smell especially when placed under steaming hot food.

• In the Philippines, bananas are everywhere and we have a wide variety of them. Hence, Filipinos have concocted banana desserts such as turon, banana cue, saba con yelo, and minatamis na saging.  

P.S. If by chance you ever see us eating balut, isaw, betamax, or quail eggs on the street, don’t alienate us. Please respect our culture as we do yours. =)

Ge-ge-gelato!Cara Mia Gelateria!

It was Sunday when our family went to SM Southmall to make the most out of our long weekend. Our plan A was to watch a movie but we didn’t push through with that because we were feeling lazy and we can’t think of any good movies to watch so we decided to go for Plan B just eat out at some restaurant. But before that, we got us our appetizer (or late merienda shall I say) which is Cara Mia Gelateria. Now for those of you who aren’t familiar with gelato, it is simply Italian ice cream, or as Merriam Webster would describe it, “a soft, rich ice cream containing little or no air”.

Gelato are made in small batches so you’re assured that it’s fresh 

See the difference between an ice cream and a gelato? =)

So we got us a scoop each of gelato for Php 65.00 plus P10.00 for the ice cream cone. I chose pistachio because I like its distinct, nutty, kinda-weird-but-works-for-me flavor.  Meanwhile, Kay opted for the strawberry flavor (fool-proof!safe!boo! hahaha! kidding), Shen first thought of chocolate but finally picked mocha, and mom got herself a mango flavor.

Mama with her Mango gelato

Shen kissing her mocha gelato

Kay obviously happy with her strawberry gelato

You can compare gelato to a premium ice cream, only sweeter and creamier. So you can say it would be good for your “cheat days”, when you haven’t had ice cream for a while and you’re totally craving for it. I’ve read on a blog that gelato is made with more milk and has less fat content than cream. Still, you should not let your guard down. Go easy on it because all the sugar and flavor probably load this thing up with calories. I think a scoop of gelato would be enough for one serving, or if you’re feeling generous, you can share it with your friend.

Moi with my pistachio gelato

Mmmmm….

Ahhhhh….

Another thing about gelato is that it can be chunky because it usually contains bits of real goodness like fruits/chocolate chips/cookie bits, depending on the flavor. Mine’s got no pistachio (boo again!), but at least you can taste the distinct natural flavor of the nut, and it’s got a white chocolate sliver (which kinda compensates for that). As for Kay’s, there are really pieces of sliced strawberries (yummmeeeh!). I haven’t tasted Mom’s and Shen’s but I bet they were delicious as well (you can tell from the look on their faces, yes?).

So there it is. I’m glad to have finally tasted gelato and it’s been a great experience. Someday I’mma have another scoop of that sinfully delicious treat. =)

BTW you can check out their gelato cakes too! I bet they taste as good as they look! =)

Gelato cakes (should be consumed immediately after chilling or they will melt)

They also have equally tempting cakes which are worth a try. =)

BDM…who could ever resist this? A rock perhaps =D

Sans Rival with generous cashew toppings

Tiramisu cake (Tiramoko!)

Pistacioccolato cake (made out of pistachio and guess what…chocolate!)

Chocolate cake with rose decor… isn’t that beautiful?

Caramel Cake with rose decor

Sidenote: Cara Mia Gelateria is a subsidiary of the popular Amici Restaurant

Heavenly Lord Stow’s Egg Tarts

Yesterday, our boss bought another unique merienda treat for us: Lord Stow’s egg tarts. At first, I thought it was not enough since it was small we can only have a piece each but I was wrong. Or maybe I’m just not indulging myself because I am on a diet (hahaha!). So here it goes.

The egg tart had a soft, flaky crust which easily crumbles when you bite into it. As for the filling, it was custard, similar to Beard Papa’s vanilla cream puff, except that it has a more egg-y taste (which is appealing to some). It is not too sweet; it has just the right amount of sweetness which I think weight watchers would approve. And it is slightly burnt on top, but don’t worry it doesn’t add bitterness to the filling. I think one serving of egg tart is enough because it may be small but it can be packed up with calories (think of eggyolks). So I ate the egg tart and it filled me up the whole afternoon.

An interesting trivia for you: Englishman Andrew Stow started out Lord Stow’s Bakery and Cafe in Cologne Island, Macau, where it became famous for its egg tarts. As a baker, Andrew only used the freshest ingredients for his recipes, thus, customers get nothing but the best quality for their money. Soon enough, word about Andrew’s “heavenly” egg tarts quickly spread like fire throughout Macau, attracting a huge following, and almost becoming the country’s trademark. Then the success of the egg tarts soared to greater heights as Lord Stow’s franchise branched out to neighboring countries in Southeast Asia namely Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Philippines. Now, we are so lucky to get a taste of Lord Stow’s egg tarts here, isn’t that amazing? =)   

Ginataang Halo-Halo: Team Effort

Last Saturday, Kuya Karl and Shen thought up of cooking Ginataang Halo-Halo for our merienda. They were going to the market to buy the ingredients and they asked me if I would come along.I would like to help out but I felt weak that day so I decided to take a nap instead. So off they went and when they came back, they asked me to form the glutinous rice flour into balls for the bilu-bilo. I did it and they took care of the rest. Now this is how we made the ginataang halo-halo.

Ginataang Halo-Halo

Ingredients

Sweet Potato (camote), chopped into small pieces

Saba Banana, sliced into quarter inch thick pieces

Grated aged coconut (for gata)

Tapioca balls (sago)

Brown Sugar

Glutinous Rice Flour

Water

Chopped Taro/Ube (optional)

Procedure

1. Boil sago with sugar until it is half-cooked (clear on the outside, but you can see a little white thing on the center). Stir the sago occassionally to avoid clumping. Set aside and drain.

2. Mix rice flour with water until it becomes pasty with a thick dough texture. Form into small, bite-sized balls.

3. Mix grated coconut with warm water and let it cool for a while. Strain gata from coconut with a cheesecloth (katsa) or use a strainer and squeeze the cocomilk using your clean hands.

4. Boil camote with approximately 4-5 cups of water. Add saba and bilo-bilo when camote’s halfway done. You can also add chopped ube to lend an appetizing lavender color to the dish.

5. Incorporate gata and sago into the mixture. Add sugar to taste. Simmer for a few more minutes.

6. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy your ginataang halo-halo!