Shoot First Eat Later

Lunch at Greeka Kouzina

I’ve been wanting to try Greeka Kouzina for a while now. I’ve read about it in numerous blogs and it’s very near my house. I did try to go there at 6:30 one Saturday night but it was full with a number of people still waiting for a table.

Just before I left for Hong Kong last December I had lunch there with my 2 BFFs for our Christmas celebration. Lunch is a good time to try Greeka Kouzina even without making a reservation.

This restaurant used to be where Power Mac was and it’s in the same building as 50 Feasts Photography School.

with DB and Rochelle

Our unanimous favorite dish was the haloumi salad. There were 4 generous slices of pan fried haloumi cheese served arugula. The cheese wasn’t the gooey kind rather it was salty and had a firm bite to it. Eating the cheese reminded me of the brown bits of cheese stuck on the pan when you make grilled cheese sandwich. With a squeeze of lemon this salad was delicious and very satisfying. Unfortunately the rest of our meal wasn’t as good.

haloumi salad P380

I had a small bite of the gyro and it was just ok. Not much flavor with the beef.

beef gyro P195

The flavor of the salmon wasn’t bad but the fish was overcooked and very dry.

salmon in avgolemono sauce P495

I really wanted to try their famous roasted lamb but 3 friends already warned me against it including Rochelle who already tried it. All their comments were the same – it was too fatty and not that tender. I still wanted to order a lamb dish so I went with the lamb cutlets.

Paidakia – lamb cutlets P560

When the dish first came out it was bloody and too rare so we had to have it cooked some more. There was more fat and ligaments than meat. Needless to say I wasn’t happy with this dish. It was a far, far, far cry from the all meat lamb ribs which I loved from My Kitchen.

Rochelle loves their couscous salad which was one of the two sides we chose.

Greek couscous salad

DB chose the lamb meatball pasta. Rochelle hated the taste and smell of the meatballs but it was fine with me. The pasta was quite soft though.

arni keftedes (lamb meatball) pasta

They only had 3 dessert choices so we ordered all since we all love sweets. It’s obvious only on me though. sheesh. Rochelle and DB can’t stop ooohing and aaahing over the thick, rich Greek yogurt bathed in honey and topped with chopped pistachios. Initially I thought there was too much honey in the bowl but it was just right.

Greeka yogurt P170

It didn’t fascinate me as much because it’s exactly what I eat for breakfast everyday sans the honey and nuts. I buy the same thick and delicious Greek yogurt from Rizal Farms.

I really liked my first bite of baklava. It wasn’t too sweet and it went well with the tangy Greek yogurt.

baklava P180

When we got to the middle part it was too dry and crumbly. This was the first time I’ve seen baklava that looked like this.

The apples were too sweet but they were nice and firm. Maybe a more tart variety of apple would be better for this dessert.

milopita (apple pastry) P180

When I asked for coffee the server asked me, “mild or strong?” Naturally I went with strong. When I took a sip I almost spit it out. It tasted like dish water and it didn’t smell or taste anything like coffee. It was soooooo weak any instant coffee would taste better. I asked what brand they used and they brought out the coffee. It was Craft brand, a local roaster that I’ve been wanting to try. I still want to go to Craft’s store in Broadway to try their coffee. Maybe the servers didn’t put enough ground coffee or they didn’t brew it correctly. I want to give their coffee beans another chance.

Craft coffee

Obviously by review you can tell I wasn’t enamored with my meal at Greeka Kouzina. Maybe we ordered the wrong food? I may just give it another chance one of these days. What do you suggest I order?

Greeka Kouzina menu

Greeka Kouzina
285 Units 4 & 5 P. Guevarra St. , 1500 San Juan, Philippines
telephone: 624-5974, 0917-6292818
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Cranberry Coconut Almond Granola

I’m sure top on everyone’s New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. I know it’s mine. All diet gurus state the importance of starting the day with a good breakfast and here’s my recipe for really, really good granola.

This was the first time I’ve made granola with coconut and it really makes a big difference in flavor and texture. Make sure to use flaked coconut and NOT desiccated coconut. In Manila the brand Franklin Baker tender fresh flaked coconut is widely available in major supermarkets.

The original recipe used a combination of honey and maple syrup. I didn’t have maple syrup on hand and used all honey and it turned out great.

This is the brand of flaked coconut I used. It’s available in Unimart for P71.50 a bag.

You can also use this brand of dried cranberries from Thailand.

I added some cinnamon but it’s optional.

Bring the honey, butter, orange juice and orange zest to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened.

Pour the warmed honey into the oat, almond and coconut mixture.

Mix well.

Bake until golden brown. Remove from the oven and add the dried cranberries.

I really liked this recipe because of the addition of the coconut which gives the crunchy granola some chewy bits. The presence of the salt also cuts down on the sweetness and gives great flavor contrast.

I gave it to some friends for Christmas and they loved it! It was specially good as a snack eaten straight or with milk or yogurt for breakfast. I have to warn you it’s extremely addicting to munch on.

Cranberry Coconut Almond Granola
adapted from “Gale Gand’s Brunch!” via Erza Pound Cake

1 cup honey (use 3/4 cup if less sweetness is desired)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
zest of 1/2 an orange
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup shredded or flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
1 cup almonds, sliced or chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup dried cranberries

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat®.

2. In a medium saucepan combine the honey, orange juice, orange zest, butter and almond extract. Bring to a boil over medium heat. (Don’t let the mixture boil over.) Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture thickens a little.

3. Mix the oats, coconut, almonds, and sea salt in a large bowl.

4. Pour the hot honey mixture over the oat mixture. Stir to coat thoroughly, and spread evenly on the baking sheet.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and add the dried cranberries. Let it cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.

Storage: The granola will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

Usually my first post on the first day of the year is my family’s New Year’s Eve dinner party in our house but I was too frazzled with preparations that I wasn’t able to take enough pictures so I’m just sharing one of the desserts I made.

We received a gift basket for Christmas that contained this package of pretzels. Since no one wanted to eat this I researched online to see how I could use it in a recipe. You can buy this at Santi’s.

The net came up with several variations of this simple chocolate treat made with Hershey’s Kisses, M&Ms and pretzels. I decided to use Dark Hershey’s Kisses. The most tedious part of this recipe was unwrapping the Kisses. A small bag of Kisses contained 50 pieces only so I still have plenty of pretzels and M&Ms left to make another batch.

Lay the pretzel pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat. Top each pretzel with a chocolate Kiss.

Bake for 3 minutes until it softens.

Top each one with an M&M and push down on the chocolate. Place it in the refrigerator to harden. Obviously try not to use the brown M&Ms since it blends in with the chocolate.

After a few minutes in room temperature the chocolate Kisses become softer. The kids just loved these bite sized treats. There’s crunch and salt from the pretzels combined with smooth creamy chocolate and more crunch from the M&Ms.

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

Another treat I made was for the adults. I never knew candied ginger was so easy to make until I saw Alton Brown make it on his show. This is also good added to hot tea for a sweet and spicy kick.

Candied Ginger

From my super cutie niece and my equally adorable dog, Chino, I wish everyone a Happy New Year!!!

Chocolate Pretzel Bites
Hershey’s Kisses (any variant)
M&M candies (any variant)
Pretzels

Place pretzels on a baking sheet. Top each pretzel with 1 chocolate Kiss. Bake in the oven heated at 200F for 2-3 minutes until soft but not melted. Immediately press an M&M on top of each Hershey’s Kiss and let it cool in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

Candied Ginger
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008

Nonstick spray
1 pound fresh ginger root
5 cups water
Approximately 1 pound granulated sugar

Spray a cooling rack with nonstick spray and set it in a half sheet pan lined with parchment.

Peel the ginger root and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices using a mandoline. Place into a 4-quart saucepan with the water and set over medium-high heat. Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the ginger is tender.

Transfer the ginger to a colander to drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Weigh the ginger and measure out an equal amount of sugar. Return the ginger and 1/4 cup water to the pan and add the sugar. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar syrup looks dry, has almost evaporated and begins to recrystallize, approximately 20 minutes. Transfer the ginger immediately to the cooling rack and spread to separate the individual pieces. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Save the sugar that drops beneath the cooling rack and use to top ginger snaps, sprinkled over ice cream or to sweeten coffee.

Green King at Butao Ramen 豚王

Yesterday I went back to Butao Ramen since my mom and my friend Elizabeth wanted to try the Black King since I was raving about it. It was also my chance to try the Green King.

That’s my mom sitting on the stool first in line at 11:30 am.

They were a little late opening the restaurant today since they were short handed. There were only two serve staff and the chef in red. They did the usual shouting of Japanese phrases.

These are the thin slices of pork shoulder which the chef dips in hot broth beside it just before serving.

To assemble a bowl of ramen he first places spoonfuls of oil and secret sauces then a big ladleful of tonkotsu pork broth.

Noodles were boiled in water then he gives it a high toss in the air before placing it in the bowl of soup.

I wasn’t fast enough to catch the picture of the noodles in the air and requested he do it slower, thus the smirk.

Since I was happy with my selection my first time at Butao Ramen I followed the same choices on my order sheet.

The Green King had much subtler flavors than the Black King. The taste of the basil was barely there.

Green King HK$90

Be sure to mix everything well specially if you order chili or you will get a shock of heat in the middle of your meal.

I added a lot of freshly ground sesame seeds which added a nice, nutty flavor to the broth.

While I didn’t finish the saltier broth of my Black King I drank all my green tinged broth since all the melted gooey cheese was at the bottom of the bowl.

For the less adventurous I suggest the original Butao King or the Green King which adds a herby twist to the pork broth. For the gourmand go with the Black King and you will not regret the bold flavors of the squid ink. This ends my 2 day Butao Ramen experience. Until my next trip to Hong Kong when I might give the Red King a go.

Butao Ramen
G/F, Kam Wing Commercial Building, 28 Minden Ave, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀棉登徑28號錦榮商業大廈地下

other branches:
G/F, Wo On Building, 8-13 On Lane Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central
中環蘭桂坊和安里8-13號和安樓地下
telephone: 2530-0600

G/F, 40 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay
銅鑼灣登龍街40號地下

Lunch at Butao Ramen 豚王

I’ve written that I’m not a big fan of ramen. I did try Ukokkei, Ippudo and Mitsuyado Sei-Men and enjoyed my meals there but still wasn’t convinced. I think I’ve found the ramen that has made me a convert.

I’ve read about Butao Ramen from numerous blogs and online magazines and I’ve always wanted to try it. When my blog’s reader, Erin, who was based in Hong Kong invited me to lunch I suggested Butao and she agreed since she hasn’t tried it either. We were supposed to meet in the Causeway Bay branch until I discovered their newest branch in Tsim Sha Tsui which happened to be 3 minutes walk from where I live. I never knew a jewel existed right in my backyard.

Erin and I arrived at 11:25 am so we were first in line. The restaurant opened at 11:30 am sharp.

I caught the staff in a briefing session or was it a pow wow session? I heard some yelling. 😀

You can see two giant stock pots of their famous broth that cooked for 20 hours.

Japanese menu

They were only 4 kinds of ramen to choose from- Butao King (original tonkotsu pork broth), Black King (black squid ink), Red King (spicy) and Green King (basil, olive oil & Parmesan cheese).

Chinese menu

While sitting on the stools outside the restaurant waiting for it to open they gave us order sheets to check what we want to eat and the ability to customize the flavor and toppings to our taste. If you check the box labeled ‘chef recommendation‘ you leave everything to the chef’s whim. All you need is to check the thickness and doneness of your noodles.

omotenashi sheet / menu order form

For that day the Limited King, which they only serve 20 bowls a day, was made with tonkotsu pork broth with special kind of chili peppers. I was tempted to try this but wasn’t sure how spicy it was.

limited king

On the table were a variety of condiments that I felt weren’t needed since my ramen was pretty much perfect.

condiments

The container on the left contained spicy preserved vegetables and kimchi beansprouts on the right. I tried both with my noodles and found them very spicy and it didn’t really go well with my Black King. I enjoyed eating my ramen without the need for any additional extras.

This was Erin’s order. She wanted to try the original for her first Butao Ramen experience. Since she lives in Hong Kong she can try the other flavors any time.

I tried some of the broth and it was really rich and milky.

Butao King 豚王 HK$80

I was trying to decide between the Black or Green King and finally decided on the Black since I love squid ink flavor. I was disappointed that the pork belly wasn’t available that day. I ordered my noodles thick and super hard and it wasn’t as firm as I liked it but that it wasn’t soft either. I suggest ordering your noodles super hard.

my order sheet

When my bowl of Black King ramen was nearing the table Erin and I turned our heads and breathed in deeply. The wonderful heady aroma was the first thing that catches your attention.

When I saw the picture of the Black King in other blogs I was wondering what that scoop of black mound was.

Black King 黑王 HK$90

It turned out to be finely chopped uber tender squid with a high concentration of flavor from a healthy dose of squid ink. It’s the magic of this bowl of crazy good ramen. Each bite of noodles or spoonful of soup came with tiny bits of squid adding depth of texture and flavor to the dish. Since I ordered 1Chili there was a slight heat to my soup which just added to the overall goodness of the ramen. Salty, tangy, garlicky, spicy, touch of sweet – all these flavors just spell umami.

There were two large and lean slices of pork shoulder included. I was glad I didn’t order additional Japanese egg, extra pork or tree mushroom since there was more than enough meat and squid in my bowl for the perfect noodle to meat to soup ratio. I felt the noodles were just secondary to my enjoyment of the broth and all the stuff in the bowl.

I noticed the majority of the people ordered the Black King too.

So full, so good, so satisfied. Deliriously happy.

Thanks for joining me for lunch Erin!!!

A few minutes after we sat down the restaurant was instantly full. I asked one of the staff how many bowls do they really sell since I’ve read conflicting numbers which range from 200-300 bowls a day. She said on really busy days they can sell up to 500 bowls of ramen a day.

By the time we left there was a queue outside. I went back to another restaurant in the same street that night and people were patiently lining up in the super chilly weather. Eating a bowl of good, hot ramen is the perfect balm to cold weather. I get their patience.

We met a lovely Filipina staff who worked at Butao Ramen and had our picture taken with her.

I like their uniform.

I’m now a ramen convert thanks to Butao Ramen. I can’t wait to try the Green King and who knows maybe even the Red King.

Minden Avenue is parallel to Mody Road and is near K11 mall. It’s a dead end and surprisingly there are many restaurants in that street.

Butao Ramen
G/F, Kam Wing Commercial Building, 28 Minden Ave, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀棉登徑28號錦榮商業大廈地下

other branches:
G/F, Wo On Building, 8-13 On Lane Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central
中環蘭桂坊和安里8-13號和安樓地下
telephone: 2530-0600

G/F, 40 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay
銅鑼灣登龍街40號地下

Pak Loh Chiu Chow Restaurant @ Elements Mall

We always check in at the Airport Express station in Austin Road just so we can do last minute shopping or eating at Elements Mall which is connected to the station.

One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, Pak Loh Chiu Chow has a branch at Elements Mall. The other restaurants nearby barely had customers while Pak Loh was almost full.

Instead of the usual peanuts they served pickled mustard greens.

pickled mustard greens

We just wanted a light snack before going to the airport. Chiu Chow style goose is different from Cantonese roast goose. Their version had a soy based sauce and the skin wasn’t crisp.

soyed goose meat HK$118

The duck meat was very flavorful and moist.

I liked their oyster omelette which didn’t have any tapioca flour. It was just eggs and succulent baby oysters. The sauce was salty fish sauce instead of hot sauce or catsup.

omelette with baby oyster HK$68

There was lots of oysters unlike in other restaurants which contain more tapioca flour than oysters.

steamed rice roll with beef & dried citrus peel

Pak Loh Chiu Chow menu

Pak Loh Chiu Chow Restaurant
1028D Elements Mall
1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
telephone: 3691 9168

Dinner at Praise House Congee & Noodle Cuisine

The first time I ate at Praise House Congee & Noodle Cuisine I wasn’t that impressed that’s why I didn’t go back again. But it’s been a couple of years so I went back to give it another chance.

I have discovered a dish worth going back for over and over again and it’s the fried rice with roasted goose & preserved vegetables (HK$62) pictured above. Well seasoned, not oily fried rice with bits of roasted goose accented with salty preserved vegetables. It was a very well executed dish and a meal in itself.

The rest of the dishes we ordered were just all right nothing as incredible as the fried rice.

seasonal soup HK$20

braised soybean curd with dried scallops & bamboo fungus HK$68

Praise House Congee & Noodle Cuisine
Shop 705, 7/F, iSquare
63 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Cafe de Coral (October 2012)

Sometimes you just want a quick and cheap meal in Hong Kong and the best place to do that is at Cafe de Coral which has branches all over the city.

Each time I go to Cafe de Coral they have new items on the menu. Last October they were promoting organic oat steamed rice dishes.

It’s a step above regular fast food fare is quite edible. Nothing fabulous but it’s decent food that will make you full at a very affordable price.

Shanghai style spare ribs with vegetable rice HK$33

organic oat rice with water chestnut, mushroom & pork croquette with salted egg HK$30

It needed a good douse of sweet soy sauce.

Lee Kum Kee sweet soy sauce

Don’t forget to order their milk tea or coffee with your meal. It’s one of my favorites.

Lunch at Kitchen M Caffe

I wanted a change from dim sum and Chinese food so I went to Kitchen M Caffe at K11 mall for a very American meal of lobster bisque and sandwich.

They had several breakfast and lunch sets promotions but I just wanted lobster.

The coffee shop had a lot of gourmet items from France and Italy for sale.

Duck rillettes are awesome on good warm baguette.

Larnaudie duck rilletes

Larnaudie price list

Inaudi truffles

Inaudi truffle price list (click to enlarge)

I want!!!

Larnaudie bloc de foie gras

Larnaudie white fig confit, onion confit

This is the only place I saw British brand Prestat chocolates. I bought the diamond jubilee bar made with 70% dark chocolate with raspberries. It was delicious!

Prestat chocolates HK$35

I wonder if these are any good? I want to try a bag of Moak coffee.

Moak coffee

Moak Coffee price list (click to enlarge)

Butter cookies and palmiers seem to be the current rage in Hong Kong. Suddenly many, many brands have sprouted around the city.

Roll cookies

I hardly ever see lobster sandwich in Asia. Whenever I go to the US I always indulge in a lobster roll which I love.

They gave in to my request to change the potato wedges to a side salad.

Kitchen M Caffe’s lobster set HK$168

The lobster bisque was heavenly. Not too thick but creamy and rich in flavor. It even had chunks of lobster in the soup. A couple of twists of freshly ground black pepper and it was perfect.

Boston lobster bisque

The lobster sandwich did not disappoint. Generous large chunks of fresh and succulent lobster meat barely dressed with mayonnaise and sprinkled with shrimp roe. I found two thick slices of brioche too much so I just ate my lobster with one slice. If I ate both slices of bread it would have drowned out the delicate flavors of the lobster.

Boston lobster, shrimp roe dressing on brioche

The coffee was surprisingly strong and delicious. It was sooooo much better than the weak brew that Agnes b cafe next door served.

coffee

Kitchen M Caffe menu (click to enlarge)

Kitchen M Caffe is a nice place to have a light meal of sandwiches and salad. Good coffee is a plus. I have my eye on the smoked salmon, egg salad on rye sandwich on my next visit.

Kitchen M Caffe
Shop G36, K11 MiXTRA, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
telephone: +852 2736 1832

Yamato Bakery Cafe

Right next to Mitsuyado Sei-Men is a bread lovers haven called Yamato Bakery Cafe owned by the same group. I noticed diners waiting for a table at Mitsuyado were there shopping for bread. That’s a great way to pass time.

This bakery has it’s roots from Japan unlike Bread Talk which came from Singapore. Both sell similar style bread.

After my very filling and satisfying tsukemen lunch at Mitsuyado I went next door to take some pictures. I was too full to contemplate buying anything but the owner Mr. Hubert Young (pictured below) insisted I try some bread and he chose it personally.

They start baking at 5:00 am and continue the whole day ensuring fresh bread and pastries.

I would never have selected fried doughnuts but Mr. Young told me it was different from the American doughnut. He was right. It was denser and chewy. I suspect some mochiko (sweet rice flour) was used.

cinnamon twist doughnut P25

pineapple danish & twin ball (custard cream inside)

chocolate croissant, ann pan

This bread topped generously with bonito flakes looked really interesting.

okonomiyaki

burger roll

choco croissant & apple pie P50 each

This bread had some mild Japanese chocolate in the dough. Not enough for my taste though.

chocolate wassant P108

choux cream P40

choco choux cream P50

Japanese cheese cake P310

I got to try this fresh milk made by a Japanese couple in Bulacan. It has no preservatives and is not heated to a high temperature that’s why it has a short shelf life and has to be consumed immediately. It was really sweet.

These are the goodies Mr. Young so kindly gave me. I’m no expert on croissants because I hardly ever buy them. I love croissants but I feel too guilty eating them. These croissants were incredibly light and flaky. To me they are among the best I’ve tried in Manila.

banana fiesta, croissants, apple pie

ham & egg, ann doughnut, cinnamon twist doughnut

Since I was still quite full from lunch I had a buffet of bread for my dinner. It was dinner and dessert all in one. I started with the savory croissants, ham & egg and had the doughnut stuffed with red bean paste and apple pie for dessert. Everything was excellent but my favorites were the ann doughnut and the apple pie.

The apple pie had maybe a third of an apple inside with puff pastry wrapped around it. The natural sweetness and crunch of the apple was a joy to eat. The buttery puff pastry was just enough to hold the apple together. At P50 it was a steal. I can have apple pie for one anytime I want.

Yamato Bakery Cafe
22 Jupiter Street, Brgy. Bel Air, Makati City, Philippines.
7:00 am to 9:00 pm daily
telephone: +632 823-0960