Internet speeds and costs around the world

Have you ever wondered how much people are paying for their internet service around the world? Wait till you see how cheap and fast other countries broadband speed is compared to the Philippines.

Japan wins hands down with broadband speed of 61mbps at a cost of only $.27/mbps/month. I use sky broadband and pay P1,999 a month for 2mbps. That comes out to $20/mpbs! That’s really, really sad and screams of highway robbery! Are we that behind when it comes to broadband connection?



via iClarified

Potluck series part 2

As I have previously mentioned, our ICA HS batch is celebrating our homecoming this Nov. 21, 2009 and some classmates have been meeting almost every Saturday at Deb’s house for dance practice, bonding and mostly eating and laughing.

I’ve decided to post each week’s food so that our classmates who were absent and those abroad will see what they missed. I also want to share with everyone the amazing food discoveries that my classmates bring. The first potluck entry can be found here. The food here ended up being served for an early dinner rather than a separate merienda and dinner like before.

I brought these pork cua pao from Lim’s bakery in San Juan. The owner also happens to be our classmate, Jocelyn’s mom. They have a wide variety of Chinese delicacies that you can order like siopao, chaypao (kuchay-a), opao, birthday misua, kiampung, and many more. I can assure you it’s all good.


cua pao

Someone brought these Go Nuts Pizza. Imagine a donut with pizza topping. I never even knew such a product existed.


Go Nuts pizza

Janet, our resident baker, brought cheese and banana cupcakes and choco chip-walnut bread pudding. As usual they’re a hit!

cupcakes


chocolate chip-walnut bread pudding

Janet also brought this caramel cake from Estrel’s. Little did I know this was going to be my surprise birthday cake.

caramel cake

Mila brought 2 dozens Krispy Kreme donuts. At first my figure conscious classmates didn’t eat the donuts. But at the end of the night the box was miraculously empty. It must evaporated into thin air.

glazed donuts

Every week I look forward to what Cef will bring because she always brings food I’ve never eaten before. She brought an assortment of food from Nathaniel’s like siomai, puto pao, kutsinta and other goodies. Nathaniel’s is popular for there buko pandan salad and puto pao which is a puto (rice cake) which asado pork filling (same as siopao filling) and topped with a slice of salted egg. Nathaniel’s originated in San Fernando, Pampanga but now has 2 branches in Quezon City.

siomai


kutsinta

Mimi told me to be in charge of food for the night so I brought this baked crispy chicken and linguini with sun dried tomato pesto and chicken sausage. When they presented me with the surprise birthday cake I realized the food I brought was my treat to everyone. I’m glad they all liked the food I cooked.

baked crispy chicken


linguini w/ sun dried tomato pesto,
chicken sausage & mushroom

Nathaniel’s siomai is also very good.

Nathaniel’s siomai


cua pao

Deb’s contribution was the callos, her specialty.

callos

She also bought this concorde cake from La Nuova in Forbes Park, Makati.

concorde cake

I don’t mind if someone brings my favorite peachy peachy from Arny ♥ Dading every week. I even took home the leftovers. 🙂

peachy peachy

That’s me slicing MY birthday cake.

What else can you ask for – good friends, great food, and lots of laughter.

Lim’s Bake shop
604 Gen. de Jesus St.
Little Baguio, San Juan
Metro Manila
telephone: 725-8851 ; 7252059

Estrel’s Caramel Cakes
54 Scout Tobias Corner Scout Limbaga
Laging Handa, QC
telephone: 372-2965

Nathaniel’s
Km 69 Olongapo-Gapan Road,
Dolores City,
San Fernando Pampanga

39 Talayan Street,
Talayan Village, Q.C.
telephone: 7125318

ITC Commercial Complex,
Panay Ave. corner Timog
telephone: 332-1305

La Nuova
McKinley Rd.
Forbes Park, Makati City
Tel. 817-8568

Arny ♥ Dading’s Peachy Peachy
254 C. Arellano St. Malabon City telephone: 281-0637
4A Gov. Pascual Ave. Concepcion, Malabon telephone: 281-9758
48A Congressional Ave. Proj.8, Q.C. telephone: 454-0883
207 Katipunan Ave., Proj.4, Q.C. telephone: 433-6443
27B Kamias Road, Q.C. telephone: 496-7553
NGR Bldg. South Super highway Cor Casino St. (near Cash&Carry) Makati City telephone: 550-8079 cellphone: 0917-8323464

Bistro on the Mile, Holiday Inn Golden Mile

It was our last meal in Hong Kong and we wanted to leave with a bang. We ate at Bistro on the Mile, the all day buffet restaurant of Holiday Inn Golden Mile. This buffet gives you the best value for your money with it’s wide array of International dishes that are cooked really well. For more pictures of the restaurant check out my previous post on Bistro on the Mile.


appetizers


sashimi section

The sashimi section is also where you can get these succulent and tender slices of abalone.


abalone

I skipped the salad and appetizers and went straight to the main course. I even skipped my favorite roast turkey breast. I had the lamb chops and they were delicious albeit thin.


pan fried lamb chops w/ garlic sauce


braised beef w/ cinnamon sauce


asstd mushrooms w/ linguine & pesto sauce


fried mackarel w/ sweet & sour sauce


chicken w/ young corn, Thai style

The pork chop was very good and flavorful. It reminded me of another yummy pork chop I had at Din Tai Fung.


fried pork chop marinated w/ Thai herb


Indian mustard, pickles & chutney


Indian bread

This was my carb of choice for lunch. I loved the combination of basmati rice, spices, dried fruit and nuts.

Indian dried fruit rice


Indian vegetable curry


South Indian stir fried shrimp


chicken feet soup w/ broad beans & peanuts


veggies & condiments for the noodle soup bar


steamed sea bass w/ soy sauce


baby cabbage w/ conpoy in rice supreme broth


pork rib w/ Chinese vinegar


soy chicken & roast duck

Aside from the buffet there was another menu where you can order small plates of signature dishes from around the world.

These dishes were cooked only upon order. They were even better than the buffet dishes. I liked the mussels which reminded me of Barrio Fiesta’s bouillabaisse and the snow clams which were exquisite.


tandoori paneer


snow flower clam w/ black bean sauce


fried chicken w/ asparagus tempura


blue mussel w/ saffron cream sauce

Unbelievable but I only had half a cup of Haagen Daz coffee ice cream for dessert.

These were homemade German specialties called gugelhupf, light textured yeast raised cake. I tried them and they were very dry so I didn’t bother to finish it.

German gugelhupf


rosemary lemon gugelhupf


honey raisin gugelhupf


haagen daz ice cream cups

Bistro On The Mile
Holiday Inn Golden Mile
50 Nathan Rd.
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong
telephone: (852) 2369-3111

Lunch buffet HK$198+
40% off for senior citizens


Dinner at Arirang Korean Restaurant

Did you know that Arirang was the first Korean restaurant that opened in Hong Kong in 1964? The last time I ate in Arirang it was still in another location. Arirang moved to Ocean terminal in 1999. That means I haven’t eaten in Arirang in ten years. We decided to eat there for dinner since I was craving for Korean food.

 
We were served the usual Korean cold appetizers.

Naturally, we had to order the barbecue short ribs.

wahng gahibi marinated double size special short ribs HK$220
 
The quality of the beef was excellent. There was a good amount of marbling in the beef to make it tender and juicy when grilled.
 
Since I was your typical boring Filipino, I ordered the dishes which were familiar to me. The names of the food were spelled differently from the Korean restaurants in Manila but I still recognized them by the English description. The seafood pajeon was served in a hot cast iron skillet. As a result the bottom of the pancake was crisp. I liked it very much compared to some restaurants which served it almost soggy.

haemool juhn seafood & vegetables pancake HK$150
 

dolsot bibimbahb vegetables, beef & egg in stone pot HK$110
 
the rice all mixed up
 
Unbelievable but the Korean ginseng chicken soup was much better at Yedang in Manila.

sahmgehtahng ginseng chicken HK$130
 
We were given sikhye, a Korean rice beverage, served as dessert. We didn’t drink it because it was tooooooo sweet.

sikhye
 
Overall the food was good but not overwhelmingly better than the Korean restaurants in Manila. For the price of dinner I could have eaten at Yedang three times more. Only the beef at Arirang was superior to Yedang. Anyway, it was a pleasant change from all the Chinese and French food we had in Hong Kong.
 
 
Arirang Korean Restaurant
Shop G07, Ground Floor,
Ocean Terminal, Harbour City
TST, Hong Kong
telephone: 2956 3288
 
1105 Food Forum,
Times Square
1 Matheson Street,
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

 

California table grapes at Aubergine restaurant

Everyone likes grapes. It’s always present in the Filipino home specially during the holidays. But have you ever thought of using grapes in cooking?

To promote the versatility of grapes in sweet and savory dishes, the California Table Grapes Culinary Adventure was created. Chefs from Aubergine, Tagaytay Highlands Steakhouse, Sugarhouse, Le Souffle and Chef Laudico’s Bistro Filipino created dishes that incorporated grapes in unique and creative ways.

I was honored to have been invited to try out the set menu created by Chef Stefan of Aubergine. I’ve featured Aubergine twice before, here and here. I loved the food both times I ate there. No wonder Aubergine was recently named the no. 18 restaurant in Asia and no. 2 in the Philippines after Antonio’s in the Miele guide to Asia’s top 20 restaurants. They definitely deserve this recognition. I personally think the food in Aubergine is superior to Caprice (16).

Asia’s Top 20 for 2009/2010
(click to enlarge)

This is the menu of our lunch. We had the full 7 course meal which cost P2,250 (+10% sc). The entire meal was flawlessly executed. Every dish was perfectly cooked and the use of grapes were subtle yet provided just the right amount of sweetness to the dish. The dishes are also available for ala carte. You don’t need to order the whole set menu but I suggest you do. It’s a one is a lifetime experience. This menu is available until December 2009.

Aubergine “grape” menu

We started our meal with a refreshing drink specially created for this menu. The drink is called Dark Knight and is made from fresh grape juice, creme de menthe and grenadine.


dark knight

Next is the amuse-bouche of proscuitto ham wrapped around a grape and topped with a tarragon leaf. The grape was a welcome substitute to the usual melon.


amuse-bouche


the first wine (not included in the set menu)


duck foie gras terrine in blue grape jelly
home-smoked duck breast on walnut-grape salad
mesclun greens tossed in raspberry dressing

The soup was a surprise favorite. I didn’t know what to expect when I read the words “cream of grape soup” in the menu. It was savory, creamy and tangy with a mild kick of sweet grape flavor. The oyster fritter added a crunchy texture to the soup.

cream of grapes and apples w/ oyster fritter
and champagne foam

I’m not much of a seafood lover but this dish blew me away. Each and every piece was cooked to perfection. It was my first time to try celeriac puree and it tasted like mashed potatoes. I wish I had a spoon to sop up all the grape nage.

seafood medley w/ lobster, Norwegian salmon
& scallop on grape-celeriac puree
and grape nage


the scallop and salmon

The grape sherbet was served in a teapot with dry ice inside to stimulate smoke coming out of the spout. I found the sherbet too sweet.

grape sherbet


the second wine (not included in the set menu)

The main course was a choice between Australian quail or Chilean sea bass. I already decided to order the more unusual quail. I was delighted when we were informed that we were going to try a little of both.

The fish and shrimp were delicious. The risotto wasn’t sweet at all despite having grape slivers in it. It all came together wonderfully.


grilled Chilean sea bass topped w/ a grape &
prawn ragout served on grape risotto &
grape beurre rouge

The quail was my favorite dish. It was so tender and flavorful. I loved the addition of pine nuts and porcini mushrooms. The grapes blended seamlessly with the entire dish.

oven roasted Australian quail topped w/
grapes, porcini mushrooms & pine nuts
served w/ truffled grape potato mousseline
vegetable cassoulet, honey glazed grapes
& port wine jus

I didn’t like the crispy brie very much. The bread like coating soaked up all the oil and reminded of the Chinese shrimp toast dish. I just ate the melted brie inside with the grapes. This dish would do well with some sort of grape marmalade on the side.

crispy fried brie cheese praline on
balsamic grapes

My favorite dessert was the grape turon.


flamed grape tartlette, grape spring roll,
grape ice cream

Macarons and pralines from their patisserie were also served with coffee or tea.

Menu from participating restaurants
(available until Dec. 2009)

Chef Laudico’s Bistro Filipino, Le Souffle
Tagaytay Highlands Steakhouse, Sugarhouse

Aubergine
32nd and 5th Building
5th Avenue cor. 32nd Street
Fort Bonifacio 1634 Taguig
telephone: 856-9888

Autistic teen finds a voice by typing on a computer

I know this is a food blog but I wanted to share this video with everyone who got to my site accidentally by searching some restaurant or food product and with all my regular readers. Maybe you know someone with an autistic child and you can share this inspiring video with them.

My cousin who has an autistic son shared this video with me. Her son like all autistic kids has a hard time communicating with others. He often shows signs of intelligence but he doesn’t have a way of telling us what’s in his mind. Maybe Carly’s experience will be the key to unlocking his and so many others silence.

Pictures that will make you smile

Thanks to Monjie for sending me these pictures that made me smile.

Plumber with a sense of humor! Gotta love this guy!!

this is what sad looks like

this is what sorry looks like
bad spelling?

privacy please!

bad judgement?

I’d rather hold it

pile up

forgot something?

let me explain…

how was your cereal this morning?

how to handle a problem neighbor

the ass family

boy genius

good reason to wear pajamas to bed

must have grill accessories!

Lunch at Caprice, Four Seasons Hotel

Caprice isn’t one of my “must eat” restaurants in Hong Kong. My previous meal there was very unsatisfactory. Since it’s our host’s favorite restaurant because of the beautiful decor, good service and fabulous view I have no choice but to pray that the food has improved.

private dining room

ferry to Discovery Bay

street level

ferries to Central and Kowloon

They have the best butter among all the place I’ve eaten at.

salted & unsalted butter

focaccia w/ olive oil

Their bread has improved a lot. I loved the sesame roll, olive bread and the baguette. The butter did help out a lot.


Caprice set lunch menu

Everyone had the salmon appetizer. The salmon was very fresh. Lunch was off to a good start.

marinated Scottish salmon, aromatic dill
cream, sour cucumber

These were the main courses we had.

risotto, wild mushrooms,
sweet garden pea emulsion

garoupa fillet, citrus emulsion w/ watermelon
& honeydew melon

braised beef cheek lasagna, celery puree &
seasonal vegetables

I don’t know about the others but my lamb chop was the best lamb I’ve ever eaten. It wasn’t grilled instead it was slow cooked and it was amazingly tender and full flavored. I guess they changed their chef because the food was fantastic. I didn’t hear any complaints from the others either.

Australian lamb rack, green asparagus,
quinoa in nut brown jus

Caprice always had good and creative desserts even when their food wasn’t up to par. But with this meal everything was excellent.

poached pear napoleon, red currant cream
& vanilla ice cream

bourbon vanilla parfait & speculos biscuit
roasted figs in raspberry jus

I had the chocolate dessert as usual. And as expected it was the best dessert among all three. Chocolate is always the safest and best choice. Don’t forget that!

chocolate brownie, salted caramel &
cappuccino ice cream

free petit fours

Caprice
The Four Seasons Hotel
8 Finance Street
Central, Hong Kong, China
telephone: (852) 3196-8888

two courses HK$380
three courses HK$420

Best Sans Rival in Manila

Updated: July 11, 2014 (all prices have been updated too)

I wrote this post in  2009 and never found the need to amend it until now. I’ve tried Delize’s Pistachio Sans Rival before and wasn’t impressed.  A couple of weeks ago my friend brought it to a party and I fell head over heels in sans rival love. 

Continue reading “Best Sans Rival in Manila”