Shoot First Eat Later

Lunch Buffet at Bambu, The Venetian Macao

Our room at The Venetian Macao came with either free breakfast or lunch. Naturally we chose lunch. We were told that lunch was at Bambu which had a huge buffet set-up. After taking all these pictures my arm was sore and I lost my appetite. There was just too much food to choose from.

warning: 64 pictures ahead
As soon as the restaurant opened a line already formed.

The restaurant had a seating capacity of 350. It was big but the atmosphere was very cozy.

fried noodles

fried rice

fried seasonal vegetables

roast chicken

steamed fish

braised beef brisket

assam fish

I ended up eating just these delicious garlicky prawns and roast duck. I did eat a lot of prawns though.

wok fried prawns w/ garlic

braised pork w/ shiitake

baked prawns Portugese style

assorted dimsum

cream of salmon soup

vegetable & chicken soup

plain congee

congee toppings

noodle soup bar

roast meats

roasted duck

barbecued pork and roasted pork

steamed chicken

shellfish

wasabi mayonnaise, cocktail sauce & tartar sauce

sushi

fried fish

fried spring rolls, pandan chicken & samosa

salad bar

I couldn’t believe it when I finally finished the long, long table of food there was another table for Indian food. They really did a good job of catering to everyone’s taste.

chicken masala

crab curry

tomato chutney

lamb kurma

Indian breads

apple yogurt

Indian style vegetables

tomato chickpea

yellow lentil curry

raita sauce

biryani rice

Dessert Table

coconut mousse cake

chocolate mousse cake

green tea red bean mousse

chestnut cream cake

blueberry tart

tiramisu

white chocolate mousse cake

teow chew mochi

brownies

apple tart

Malay style fried bananas

bread and butter pudding

black glutinous rice w/ coconut milk

fruits

ice cream toppings

mango sago w/ pomelo

For such a wide selection of food the price was very reasonable. You definitely won’t find prices like this in any hotel in Hong Kong. If you like buffets this is the place for you.

Lunch $MOP/HKD 188
Dinner $MOP/HKD 238

Bambu
Shop 1033, The Venetian Macao Hotel,

The Cotai Strip, Macau

telephone: +853 8118 9990

Operating hours: Sunday to Thursday 10:00 – 23:00 and Friday to Saturday 10:00 – midnight

Dinner at 456 Modern Shanghai Cuisine

We had dinner at a restaurant in St. Mark’s Square at The Venetian Macao. 456 Modern Shanghai Cuisine has 30 years of experience under its belt. It shows in the excellent food and service.

We initially sat outside but the smoke from several smokers really bothered us. We moved inside the restaurant and were pleased with the art deco interiors.

The food in this restaurant was awesome. Everything we ordered was really well cooked. The flavors were exquisite and the taste was just perfect.

Green Vegetable & Mandarin Fish Soup MOP$45/bowl

Braised Beancurd Skin Roll w/ Wild Fungi MOP$88

Fried Shredded Eel w/ Bean Sprouts MOP$128

The steak was really, really tender. The Chinese way of cooking steak adds more flavor and spice to an otherwise bland steak.

Sauteed Angus Beef Fillet w/ Scallion MOP$168

This was the best xiao long bao or soupy dumplings I’ve ever eaten. The dough was thin but not too thin. The meat inside was soft and the soup was very flavorful.

Steamed Pork Dumplings Shanghai Style MOP$60

I thought the fried rice was going to be simple since it just contained chicken and ham. But after a bite I was blown away. It was definitely no ordinary fried rice. The ham used was salty Chinese ham and it brought a nice kick to the fried rice. I could also taste some butter in the rice. I loved the rice so much I had the leftovers wrapped so I could eat it again when we went back to Hong Kong the next day. Alas, I left it behind in the room’s refrigerator. I felt so bad!

Fried Rice w/ Diced Chicken and Ham MOP$88

Even the tea pot was art deco in style!

I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who will visit The Venetian Macao. It’s worth every dollar.

456 Modern Shanghai Cuisine Menu
appetizer, 2, shark’s fin, abalone & dried seafood, 2, soup, 2
hot dish, 2, 3, vegetables, rice & noodles, 2, bun & dumpling,
dessert, 2

456 Modern Shanghai Cuisine
Shop No. 2406 St. Mark’s Square
The Venetian Macao
telephone: +853 2886 6618

Don’t take life so seriously!

Dance

Rest

Get Retail Therapy

Sleep A Little

Kiss A Lot!

Relax In Nature

Have Fun

Giggle A Lot

Scream From The Top Of Your Lungs

Take A Bubble Bath

AND BE HAPPY!!!!

Portugese Lunch at The Venetian Macao

After seeing all the dizzying choices at the food court, I decided to have the local specialty of Macao which is Portugese food.

I took the next two pictures of other peoples orders. This was their most famous Portugese chicken. Rice was served on the side.

baked Portugese chicken with rice HK$60

I had to hurry and take the picture of baked pork chop on spaghetti because the owner was already beside me waiting to claim his food. He must be wondering why I was taking a picture of his food.

baked pork chop spaghetti in cheesy sauce HK$50

I had the ox tail since I love ox tail and it was their second most popular dish. I’m always curious about the different ways ox tail is served. The ox tail was fall off the bone tender. The sauce tasted of wine and rich beef stock. There was no tomatoes in this dish which is how I make my ox tail stew. There were about 5 pieces of ox tail. Rice was served on the side.

ox tail with rice HK$55

For afternoon tea I had a light snack from Saint’s Alp Teahouse.

bubble milk tea

crispy raddish cake HK$24

We finally get to our suite. All the rooms in The Venetian are suites. This is their typical room. It sleeps 4 adults comfortably.

Food Court at The Venetian Macao

Last month I went to Hong Kong for our annual Christmas vacation. We went to Macao for a one night stay at The Venetian hotel. It was my second time to stay there.
We went to Macao via New Ferry hydrofoil which we rode from Tsim Tsa Tsui ferry terminal.

We tried the first class deck for the first time. There were only 3 other people on the upper deck. It was so quiet and relaxing.

They even served a snack during the 55 minutes trip.

From the ferry terminal, we crossed the street through an underground tunnel to the bus stop where all the hotel buses were parked. We simply got on the bus for The Venetian. It was a free ride to the hotel.

We got off the west lobby of the hotel. When we tried to check in we were told that the room was available at 1:00 pm. We decided to take a walk around the huge hotel.

This was as near as I got to the casino floor since I don’t gamble.

We arrived at the beautiful food court with the ceiling that changes colors and moods. You feel like you’re in another place when you’re in The Venetian hotel.

There were 24 restaurants at the food court and many more around the hotel and shopping area.

from http://www.venetianmacao.com

I took pictures of the ones that caught my interest.

Glorious BBQ King

beef bulgogi from Dae Chang Kum

noodle and rice bowls from Viet Thai Aroma

Naruto Japanese restaurant

Fatburger

Boost Juice Bar

Rasa Malaysia

Pizza Pizza

BBQ Chicken

North Border

It took me a couple of rounds around the food court before I decided what I was having for lunch. I was truly tempted by the beef bulgogi but an order was too big for me to finish. Check out my next post to see what I ate and I’ll post pictures of The Venetian’s suite.

The 2010 SAVEUR 100 List

Check out Saveur magazine’s 100 list of the best food finds, recipes and inspirations. The Philippines’ favorite dish, Cripsy Pata is at number 27!

Pietro Coricelli’s 70th Anniversary at Mi Piace

I was invited to the commemoration of Pietro Coricelli’s 70th anniversary at Mi Piace at the Manila Peninsula hotel. Pietro Coricelli is one of the oldest family owned and managed olive oil companies in the world. Their products are sold in 70 countries.

Mi Piace

This was the star of the night, Riserva del Presidente extra virgin olive oil. According to their web site:

Coricelli’s President Selection 100% Italian extra virgin oil has a light fruity taste, with hints of freshly cut grass, ripe olives and artichokes. It is fabulously smooth on the palate, exudes freshness and has just the right touch of pepper on the finish. The color is gold-yellow with green reflections. Sporting a low acidity of .3%, it will stay fresh for a long time. Its beautifully balanced, fresh, smooth taste and lovely aroma comes from a 100% top quality Italian extra virgin olive oil especially produced for the 70th anniversary of the Coricelli Company.

Pietro Coricelli has a wide range of products available in the market. I was excited to see that they had several varieties of infused olive oil.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH GARLIC
This versatile oil is a deliciously flavored infusion – once you have this in your store cupboard you will not want to be without.Whip some into potatoes to create truly sublime mash, or drizzle over carpaccio or a toasted baguette. It’s perfect in a salad dressing and means you can always have the flavor of garlic without the mess.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH BLACK TRUFFLE
It is best used to enrich traditional recipes such as pasta and rice with the unmistakable taste of truffle. It is also ideal on toasted bread served as an appetizer.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH GARLIC AND CHILI PEPPER
This condiment has a robust taste and embodies all of the flavors of the Mediterranean kitchen. It is ideal for first courses but also enhances soups and legumes.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH HOT PEPPER
Our Hot Pepper Olive Oil will spice up all of your favorite home cooked meals. It’s perfect for jazzing up your favorite pasta dishes. Try some drops on your pizza, or spray over the minestrone soup. it will always lighten up your dishes.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL INFUSED WITH BASIL
It is ideal for the preparation of gravies and sauces that accompany rice and pasta and is also perfect for the preparation of the best appetizers.

These were the men responsible for the successful dinner and product launch. On the left is Mr. Pino Cipolla, Pietro Coricelli’s director for export who flew in from Italy just for this event. In the middle is Chef Massimo of Mi Piace who was responsible for the excellent meal we had. On the right is Mr. Lucio Cochanco Jr. the corporate president of Fly Ace Corporation, the exclusive distributor of Pietro Coricelli in the Philippines for over 10 years.

The Riserva del Presidente or President Selection olive oil really lived up to it’s name. We loved dipping our bread in the pesto and tomato dips made with this olive oil as well as plain olive oil with Parmesan cheese. We ate so much of the delicious bread that it had to be refilled three times

It was my first time to try beef carpaccio or raw slices of thinly sliced beef. I poured more olive oil on the beef to make it more palatable. Let’s just say it’s not my favorite thing. Give me cooked beef anytime.

beef carpaccio- thinly sliced US beef tenderloin, button mushrooms,
crispy celery, Parmesan cheese and Pietro Coricelli olive oil

Who would have thought such a simple pasta dish would be so spectacular? It was the sweetness of the fresh tomatoes, the touch of fresh basil and the generous quantity of Riserva del Presidente olive oil that brought it all together for one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever eaten.

spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce, basil and Pietro Coricelli olive oil

They always say fresh tuna is best eaten raw because when it’s cooked it will become tough. Not this tuna loin. It was very tender and flavorful.

tuna loin w/ potato confit, green beans, tomato petals,
quail eggs & lemon dressing

I don’t like eating fresh pears. There’s something about the gritty texture that I don’t like. I wasn’t excited when I read on the menu that dessert was poached pears. Nevertheless, I took a leap and tried it. It was so, so, so good! The pear’s texture totally changed into a firm, smooth and sweet fruit. The red wine lost its alcohol taste and all that’s left was the sweet grape flavor infused into the pear. The olive oil ice cream provided a cool and creamy contrast to the pear. It tasted just like vanilla ice cream.

red wine poached baby pears, Pietro Coricelli olive oil ice cream,
pine nut crisp

We had Casillero del Diablo Chilean wines with dinner. I’m no wine expert but I liked both the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon.

I never had brand loyalty when buying olive oil. I’d usually just grab the cheapest bottle in the supermarket. But after trying Pietro Coricelli olive oil I realized they offer the best taste and value for your money. I suggest you try Pietro Coricelli Riserva Del Presidente 100% Italian extra virgin olive oil. A 750ml bottle retails for P575.00 and is available in Landmark Makati and Tri-noma, Unimart, Cash n Carry and Makati Alabang Supermarket. That’s a very reasonable price for such a special olive oil.

One Year in 90 Seconds

I just loved this video made by Erik Solheim!!
“This video showing the whole of 2009 in 90 seconds “

via Likecool

What should I eat from the produce aisle?

The site Top Cultured came up with several interesting and helpful flow charts to help you decide what to eat or drink.

This flowchart is for the healthy produce aisle section. This is for everyone who over indulged during the holiday season.

(click to enlarge)

Here are some of their other flowcharts:

Fast Food
Cereal
Chain Restaurant
Beer
Freezer Aisle
Candy

Inarizushi

I love sushi but not so much the raw stuff. I can remember the first time I tried inarizushi. One bite and I was in love. I really liked the beancurd skin but I don’t usually eat all the rice inside. It’s a good thing I saw inarizushi with different fillings in a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong and it gave me the idea to make my own version of stuffed inarizushi.

The typical inarizushi found in Japanese restaurants is simply sushi rice stuffed in aburage or fried tofu pockets soaked in a sweet soy mixture. I decided to jazz it up by adding a tuna corn salad on top of the rice. Once I made a salad from shredded crab stick, cubed mangoes and chopped cucumbers and stuffed it in the inarizushi. Whether you eat it with just rice or with a salad in the stuffing inarizushi is a very hearty and filling sushi. I served this at our New Year’s Eve party.

Inarizushi
sushi rice (see recipe below)
aburage* (fried tofu pouch), available in Japanese groceries
tuna flakes
corn
cucumber
Japanese mayonnaise

*I bought the aburage in New Hatchin grocery in Makati. It came in a plain, clear plastic wrapper. Each pack contains 10 pieces.

Sushi rice
3 3/4 cups Japanese rice (or 5 rice cooker cups)
3 3/4 cups water (or 5 rice coojer cups)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, add rice and cover with lots of water. Stir rice in water with your hands, then pour off most of the water, and agitate 10 to 15 times by quickly moving your hand back and forth, swishing rice against side of bowl. Rinse the rice several more times, until the water that drains off of the rice is almost clear. Transfer the rice to a colander and let drain for 1 hour, undisturbed. Transfer the rice to a rice cooker, add the water, cover, and cook. While the rice is cooking, bring rice vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and then remove from the heat. Add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature.

When rice is done, allow cooked rice to remain in rice cooker for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a large shallow mixing bowl so that rice forms a mound in the center of the bowl. Using a diagonal slicing motion, gently cut into rice with a wooden paddle, and pour cooled vinegar mixture over top of rice. Cut rice several times to evenly distribute vinegar mixture, then allow to cool. Gently turn rice over from time to time with paddle so that rice cools evenly. You might want to consider using a fan if time is of the essence. When rice has cooled to body temperature, it is ready to use for sushi rolls. Rice can be kept at the proper temperature by placing it in an insulated container such as a small ice chest, covered with a damp kitchen towel. Yield: enough rice for at least 7 large rolls

Inarizushi
Method
1. Prepare the sushi rice. (see recipe above)

2. In a bowl mix flaked tuna (drained of any liquid), whole corn kernel, chopped cucumber and Japanese mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.