We had an unsatisfactory dinner and shawarma was a bust and my young godson and his brother refused to go home without dessert. We all racked our brains on where to have dessert until Vivian remembered La Crêperie in F. Calderon St. in Little Baguio. To top it off I also had a Deal Grocer coupon for that branch.
To get there go to J. Abad Santos (Alex III) and turn right after Nail Loft. There’s also Tori Box, Eat MY GF and Calderon (tapas) on this strip.
This is my godson Zak who’s nice enough to carry my bag while I take pictures. Zak followed his ninang’s footsteps and also has is own blog. He’s a good writer for such a young man.
2nd floor dining area
La Crêperie menu
Their coffee is not bad at all!! coffee P85
This was my third time (and 3rd branch) to eat at La Crêperie and it’s been a great experience each time. The staff were kind enough to give in to my request of turning down the lights so I can take a picture of the flambéed crepe. Of all the delicious crepes we had this simple buttery orange flavored crepe was my favorite. Since the flame evaporated most of the alcohol content of the Grand Marnier liqueur it was suitable for kids too. Crepe Suzette P155
Zak chose the apple crisp crepe and it was a good choice. Apple Crisp a la Mode P245
Tender, crisp slices of cooked apples with oatmeal walnut crisp filled the perfect crepe. The vanilla ice cream just brought everything together.
Our third crepe we decided to build our own creation.
Our crepe was filled with bittersweet chocolate and strawberry slices and topped with sliced almonds (P210).
Whether it’s sweet or savory crepes La Crêperie will definitely fulfill your cravings.
We were supposed to have our Christmas dinner at Greeka Kouzina but it was full that Saturday night so we went to Robinson’s Magnolia and chose to eat at Lombardi’s.
I was with the same group of friends and kiddies who ate at My Kitchen where we had an excellent meal that we still had a pizza and pasta hangover. We were dreaming of recreating some of that joy in Lombardi’s.
You can see their faux brick wood burning oven from the dining area. They used gas. Well, it did look nice.
We will tear down your ice cream plant but we will give you an excellent location for your ice cream house. Indeed it was a prime location.
Chef David Lombardi
bread & olive oil
Quite costly for a few pieces of squid. Not my favorite. Calamari Fritti with Aioli Sauce P365
This was in the appetizer category in the menu so I was surprised when a grilled cheese sandwich came out. We did enjoy it specially with the tomato dip. Mozzarella in Carrozza P230
I guess their pizza was authentic in the sense that there was LITTLE toppings on it just like most of the pizzas I ate in Italy. The basil wasn’t even worth 1 leaf. When the pizza was hot it was pretty good. Even though the crust wasn’t as thin as I like I managed to eat 1 an entire slice edge included. When it cooled down the crust became hard and I basically just ate half the slice and left all the parts without sauce and cheese behind. Rustica P440 – pancetta, salami, mozzarella, basil
You have to look really close to find the teeny weeny pieces of salmon. I think ordering their cheapest and simplest pizzas would be a better deal since paying a premium for better ingredients was not worth it. Salmon Affumicato P420 – salmon, mozarella, basil
The penne was ok. It was al dente and the tomato sauce was pretty good and NOT sweet. Penne Pomodoro Fresco P210
I also liked the lasagna which had a balanced amount of ground beef to sauce ratio. I dislike too much ground beef in my lasagna. Lasagne della Casa P290
Spaghetti Ai Frutti Di Mare P310
While the other food we had could be called ‘authentic’ with a stretch of imagination and wasn’t too awful I just have to rant about their risotto which was one of the side dishes offered with their meat entrees. The other alternatives were baked mashed potato or salad.
If you’re old enough you would probably remember the Star rice commercial. Well this risotto is it! I don’t think anywhere in Italy do they use margarine in their risotto. For heaven’s sake only a little butter is used for risotto. If you can’t afford butter then skip it. But to use margarine? It was beyond awful!!! The pork wasn’t bad at all but the piece below was contaminated with the margarine so we couldn’t eat that anymore. Scalloppa dela ‘Milan’ with risotto a la Milanese P390
Lombardi’s menu (click to enlarge)
I couldn’t help but compare the food of Lombardi’s with Amici since they have a similar price point. Amici’s pizzas also have few toppings but it just tastes better. I also like their pasta much better.
Since the 5 adults in the group weren’t full or happy we decided to go to Manda Centrale for shawarma but when we got there it was closed. I forgot they were open from Wednesday to Friday only.
Lombardi’s 2nd Floor, Al Fresco Robinsons Magnolia Aurora Blvd. cor. Dona Hemady St. Quezon City telephone: 623-6901 Facebook
After my lunch at Madeca I was about to go down when I saw Mochicream, a Japanese sweets deli from Japan. I tried Mochicream the first time in Hong Kong and I loved it. Too bad their store in Sogo Causeway Bay has closed and I don’t know where their store is located now. I’m happy that it’s now in Manila.
Don’t you just love their super realistic faux mochi display?
There are so many flavors that I wanted to try.
Mochicream menu (click to enlarge)
They keep their mochi in the freezer despite filling being cream and not ice cream.
The two sales ladies were amused when I quickly ripped the bag open to eat my mochi on the spot.
Naturally I asked for the green tea flavor first but they just ran out. Since I’ve tried the chocolate and cafe au lait flavors in Hong Kong I tried my next favorite flavor – orange and cheese. It was a good thing that the mochi was well wrapped in plastic because the exterior of the plastic was wet and had chards of fine ice clinging to it. orange cheese mochi P100
Even though the mochi came straight from the freezer it was easy to bite into. My first bite was heavenly. The strong flavor of orange burst on my tongue and I enjoyed the wonderful chewy texture of the mochi (made from glutinous rice flour) and creamy ice cold filling. I didn’t really notice the cheese flavor since I was ecstatic with the orange flavor. It tasted even better than orange ice cream.
I ate the darjeeling mochi maybe 30 minutes later and it was still good although I found it sweeter maybe because it wasn’t as cold anymore? I liked the strong taste of darjeeling tea. I can’t wait to try their green tea mochi as well as the apple pie & caramel machiato. darjeeling mochi P80
Take note that Mochicream is different from Mochi Creme located one level below which sells mochi filled with ice cream. I’d choose Mochicream’s mochi over macarons any time.
Mochicream 5th Floor Podium Mall, 18 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong Facebook Branches: SM The Block Robinsons Magnolia
Yesterday I went to The Podium for a simple errand for my cousin Sha who asked me to buy her a few bottles of squid ink from Terry’s Selection. This quick shopping trip led me to the 5th floor for lunch at Madeca. Madeca is located at the 5th floor cinema level of The Podium mall. It had a quick service format. You go to the counter to order and pay for your food and wait for the server to bring the food to your table.
Their menu is typical for a Mexican fast food place but what made it unique was the use of Filipino fillings like sisig, lechon kawali & salpicao for the soft tacos and burritos. You can also have it with rice or Mexikanin as they call it. Madeca menu
I wanted a light lunch so I ordered soft tacos instead of the heavy burrito stuffed with rice. A regular order included 2 soft tacos with the SAME filling. I wanted to try different fillings and luckily I ate past 2:00 pm and was able to avail of their happy hour promotion. I ordered two single tacos.
I first ate the sisig taco. I really liked the thin and light flour tortilla. The flavor from the pieces of sisig (pig’s snout, cheeks, and ears, liver, etc.) really stood out. There were some crunchy pieces while others were chewy. It seemed like pairing sisig with mashed beans, salsa, sour cream & cabbage was a perfect match. I liked it so much I suggested to the manager that they also make sisig nachos like the one I ate at Señor Sisig’s food truck in San Francisco. sisig soft taco P85
You can’t really see the sisig in the picture but I promise you that you will taste it.
I wasn’t as impressed with the nondescript beef salpicao. It was tender enough but I wasn’t fond of the texture and flavor of the beef. I did like their salsa which had a strong tomato taste which I suspect came from a little tomato paste. It was a little spicy too.
The chips that came with my soft taco were fried flour tortilla and not corn tortilla. It was very crisp although it had a little oily aftertaste after I finished all 8 chips. salpicao soft taco P95
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.
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?
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
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.
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
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
I want to greet everyone a blessed Merry Christmas and a happy and bountiful holiday season. I’m here in chilly Hong Kong where huge Christmas trees stand tall in all the malls reminding shoppers to shop, shop, shop. Wherever you are in the world don’t forget the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Shopping and eating is only secondary.
A mall in Tsim Sha Tsui had this pink inflatable winged pig as it’s main decor. I wonder what it means?
Eat well, be happy and thank the Lord for all your blessings this past year. Next year the diet begins. 😀
Shoot First Eat Later 