Shoot First Eat Later

Panfried Tofu With Spicy Sauce

Here’s a simple Korean recipe for tofu. Whenever I need a recipe for Korean food the first place I look is Maangchi’s site.

A friend told me about Maangchi. She’s very, very popular on Youtube and she even has her own podcast on iTunes and I’ve subscribed to it and have downloaded several videos. This is the first recipe of hers I’ve tried and it was very good. I plan to try more of her recipes soon.

I bought the red pepper powder and firm tofu in a Korean store. I’m sure it’s available in most stores. If not I think any red pepper flakes will do. This brand I bought was very mild. I doubled the quantity in my recipe. It’s up to your taste on how much you want to put so I suggest you start with 1 teaspoon and add accordingly.

Next time I will buy better tofu from The Tofu Store.

Add all the ingredients in a small bowl. Taste it and you can adjust the sweetness or spice level.

Dry the tofu on paper towels. If you have time you can put the whole block of tofu in between a clean dish cloth and top it with a weighted plate in the refrigerator to take out more liquid. The tofu will be crisper when you fry it since there is less water left.

Fry the tofu in some hot oil. Lower the temperature right after putting the tofu in the oil.

I liked it really brown (tostado) and I blotted out as much oil as I could.

This was how I ate it as part of my Cohen diet. It was really delicious with a side of baby bok choy and fresh mushrooms. Before Cohen dieters write to me, I know some of the ingredients in the sauce are not allowed but this was my little cheat. 😀

You can also eat the tofu with beef and rice. It’s a simple and impressive side dish.

Here’s Maangchi’s video on this recipe. There is another recipe for tofu on the video and on her website. I plan to try that too.

Panfried tofu with spicy sauce (adapted from Maangchi)
(Dubu buchim yangnyumjang)

Half package of tofu (about 10 oz or 280 grams)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp Korean red pepper powder (hot pepper flakes)
1 tsp sugar or honey
1 green onion, chopped (I didn’t have any so I omitted it)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tsp sesame oil
roasted sesame seeds

1. Slice the tofu into ¼ inch thick pieces. Blot dry with a paper towel or two.

2. Heat a pan with 1 to 2 tbs of vegetable oil. Add the tofu and lower the heat. Cook over low heat about 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Flip the tofu and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer fried tofu to paper towels to remove excess oil.

3. Combine all the ingredients except for the sesame seeds and spoon the sauce on the tofu. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the sauce just before serving.

Maanghi’s website
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iTunes podcast

8 Reasons Why I Like Bulgogi Brothers

Korean food is one of my favorite cuisines. The food is generally very, very flavorful. Their food can be sweet and salty or spicy to burning hot. There’s something for everyone.

Imagine my delight to finally get to eat at Bulgogi Brothers in Alabang Town Center right after attending the blessing of Chatime. Bulgogi Brothers is a Korean franchise with it’s first branch at Greenbelt 5 in Makati.

Let me tell you upfront I LIKED my experience at Bulgogi Brothers. Here are the reasons why.

1. The restaurant didn’t smell like barbecue and we left without smelling like barbecue. They had a great exhaust system.

2. They had a simple and straightforward 2 page menu with all time favorites and some new ones. I find it terribly confusing to go through 10-20 paged menus in some Korean restaurants. I was just disappointed that there wasn’t any pajeon (Korean style pancake) in the menu.

Bulgogi Brothers Manila menu

3. They had appetizers which I found uncommon and yummy. First up was boiled sweet, sweet potatoes and quail eggs. I’ve never had this in any Korean restaurant I’ve eaten at in Manila, Hong Kong or the USA.

sweet potatoes and quail eggs

Another appetizer I really liked was the mashed pumpkin salad. Other Koreans served mashed potatoes or potato salad. These were a healthier and sweeter option.

4. I’ve never ever had free bottomless salad in any Korean restaurant either. I’ve stopped eating white rice completely and it’s specially hard to resist rice in a Korean restaurant. I was perfectly happy and satisfied to eat my bulgogi beef with the salad. The dressing was a sweet and mildly spicy sauce that perfectly complemented the beef.

salad

5. Hot Bori cha (barley tea) was free and bottomless too. They had different kinds of daily teas. My only gripe was the barley tea was a bit diluted. It wasn’t as strong and potent as the one I had at Yabu:The House of Katsu. But hey, it’s free so I didn’t complain. Maybe the Korean version tastes different from the Japanese barley tea?

Korean bori cha (barley tea)

6. I simply loved the crispy tofu with sweetish teriyaki sauce and topped with beef and bland bean sprouts. The best way to eat is to take a piece of tofu and top it with a little beef and bean sprouts. The combination of textures and flavors was just divine. On my next visit I want to eat a whole order as my meal.

dubu steak P395

7. They have portions perfect for family style sharing. There were 11 of us in our party and we ordered 3 Bulgogi Brothers special since the menu said each order was good for 2-3 people. Either my friends were light eaters or they were wrong since we had a lot of leftovers. Two orders would have sufficed since we ordered other food items too.

Bulgogi Brothers special P1,495

8. If you don’t want to cook the beef yourself on the tabletop grill they can cook it for you. This minimizes your chances of smelling like barbecue too.

I was surprised that one of the meat was actually beef burgers Korean style.

unyang style bulgogi

The burgers were just ok but when dipped in the brown and red sauce it became awesome burgers. They were specially good eaten with the salad.

Another pleasant and delicious surprise were the thinly sliced pan fried sweet potatoes that came with the mini burgers.

The thinly sliced beef bulgogi was perfectly seasoned in my opinion and didn’t need any sauce at all.

gwangyang style bulgogi

My not so likes are:

1. The kimchi tofu stew had a mildly spiced tomato based soup with firm tofu. It wasn’t bad at all but it was a poor comparison to the one I had in Virginia where there was more than double the quantity of soft silken tofu in a more flavorful broth.

kimchi jjigae P395

2. The galijim or braised short rib’s to share portion was ridiculously expensive for such a small serving. The menu said it was good for 3-4 people but there was only a small amount of beef and more bones.

The beef was tender but lost it’s meaty flavor probably from the long cooking time. The sweet sauce couldn’t make up for the lack of flavor. Of all the food we ordered this was the only dish I wouldn’t order again.

galbijim (braised short ribs) P1,495

3. A bowl of rice cost P75. It’s good that the Bulgogi Brothers special came with a couple of bowls of rice already so we only had to order 3 extra bowls. I heard it was good though. But honestly, P75? Oh yeah, canned soda cost P75 too. I’ll stick to the free tea.

4. It cost P926 per person for our lunch. Quite pricey but we had lots of leftovers. If we skipped the galbijim the bill would be a more reasonable P650 per person.

Would I go back? Definitely!!!!

Bulgogi Brothers
Lower Ground Level, Alabang Town Center
Alabang-Zapote Road, Alabang Muntinlupa
Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: 919-6840

3rd Level, Greenbelt 5,
Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St.,
Ayala Center, Makati City
telephone: 621-6216, 621-5289

Chatime Alabang Town Center

I can’t remember the last time I went to Alabang. It was probably years ago to attend the birthday party of my good friend’s twins. A few months ago I went to Alabang to attend the grand opening of my friend’s branch of Chatime.

Chatime was at Alabang Town Center’s really nice new wing.

There were some snacks from French Baker too!

Free milk tea for everyone :D.

I discovered a new favorite, Grapefruit Green Tea. Strong green tea with a touch of sweet and tart grapefruit juice. So nice and refreshing.

Grapefruit Green Tea

If you live in the South there’s a new Chatime for you to enjoy milk tea. Go to my friend’s store ok? Thanks!!!

Chatime Philippines menu

Chatime
2nd Level, New Wing, Alabang Town Center
Alabang-Zapote Road, Alabang
Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines

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Happy Mother’s Day from Bizu

I am happy. My mom is happy. Look what Bizu sent my mom yesterday for Mother’s Day!

Inside the beautiful box is a luscious dessert called Paris-Brest which in essence is a big cream puff filled with cream and fresh raspberries.

To give you an idea of the size I took this picture beside my iPhone. It’s good enough for 4-5 people to share.

The first bite surprised me with the bright flavor of lychee and the subtle hint of rose. There was also crunch from the nuts. The choux pastry was light and chewy. Surprisingly the all the lychee, rose and raspberries meshed together for a very tropical flavor. It was a pleasure to eat. I am happy. My mom is happy. Happy Mothers Day to my mom and all my mommy readers! Thanks Bizu!!!

Celebration of Mothers Day at Bizu

Bizu has always lived by its philosophy of Joie de vivre or the ‘Joy of Being Alive’ by making sure that guests get a chance to celebrate their grandest and most intimate affairs with their artful and decadent pastries and mouth-watering delicacies.

This coming Second Sunday of May (May 13, 2012) is one of the biggest celebrations we have, a tradition that is celebrated all over the world. It is a single day that is dedicated to Mothers hence Mother’s day.

Mom, Mama or Ma, as we call her, is the very breathe of our existence. Their presence and guidance in our lives has molded us to who we are today. She is our hero, our role model and our inspiration. And for this special day, Bizu launches a classic French pastry called Paris-Brest, a dessert that is filled with inspiration and the very best and freshest of ingredients. It is layered with white chocolate, croquantine with rose cream, lychee segments and fresh raspberries in between almond Pâte à Choux pastry.

Guests who avail of this dessert and any Grande size cake from Bizu (Dine-in and Take out) will receive a special mothers day gift package. Included in the package are items from Mario Badescu’s skin care line, Lancome’s facial products, Leg Love leggings and Good housekeeping tote bags that surely make mother’s day even more special.

Bizu branches and telephone numbers:
Greenbelt 2 – 757-2498
Greenhills Promenade – 724-2498
Alabang Town Center – 809-2498
St. Lukes BGC – 789-7700
Glorietta 4 – 757-2086

For inquiries, email: bizumarketing@gmail.com
website
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Twitter: BizuPh

Sunday Lunch at Yurakuen Japanese Restaurant

I seldom go all the way to Roxas Boulevard just to eat but since it was a Sunday traffic was very light so it was a quick and easy drive to get to Manila Diamond Hotel where we had lunch with a big group of friends at Yurakuen Japanese Restaurant.

This was my first time to eat at this restaurant.

I loved the bright and large open space the restaurant occupied. It felt like eating in a garden but with air-conditioning.

Almost everyone in our table ordered a set lunch but I didn’t want soup, rice and the other extras that came in the set so I ordered a la carte. I started with uni which is a new favorite of mine. It was quite a generous serving and I found it quite fresh and briny. A generous squeeze of calamansi was all it needed.

uni (fresh sea urchin)

My main course was this small black cod fillet. It was well cooked but the sauce was just satisfactory.

gindara teriyaki

I had some teppanyaki veggies on the side. It had lots of fresh mushroom which I liked but I tasted margarine which I didn’t like. I should have told them to just use a little oil.

teppanyaki vegetables

The thick menu had so many different sets for all kinds of appetites. Whether you’re really hungry or you want something lighter there’s a set for you. This is what the others on our long table ordered. Sets cost from P750 to P3,200.

The kids ordered the tempura udon set and chicken teriyaki set.

We were able to order Japanese Subimi coffee from their Kohikan coffee shop just outside the Japanese restaurant. They had their own menu of coffee concoctions and dessert. I liked the mild charcoal-roasted coffee so much I had two cups!

Kohikan Subimi coffee P160

We tried two cakes from Kohikan as suggested by our server. It was all about the thick, rich and dark icing with the Chocolate Gateau cake. A little bite went a long way to satisfy my chocolate craving.

chocolate gateau P240

The baked cheesecake was not bad either. It was in between a light Japanese cheesecake and a dense NY style cheesecake.

baked cheesecake P240

Kohikan at the Diamond

Yurakuen Japanese Restaurant’s menu
Kohikan at the Diamond’s menu

Yurakuen Japanese Restaurant
Diamond Hotel Philippines
Roxas Boulevard cor. Dr. J. Quintos St., Manila, Philippines 1000
telephone: (632) 528-3000
website
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Dragonfly Desserts

The key to a successful diet is not to buy any junk food or sweets so there won’t be any temptation around you. This is so hard to do since I’m in the supermarket at least once a week for my food business.

But when I received an email from a dessert company I’ve read about and have been wanting to try offers to send me free dessert, I just closed my eyes and pray that I don’t get sent my favorites and clicked send with my big YES.

I didn’t know what Cheryl, the owner of Dragonfly Desserts was going to send me but I ordered a box of hearty chicken pie from her. This I paid for since I love chicken pie more than anything. I can eat chicken pie or empanada every single day and I’m always on the look out for good ones.

Upon opening the pretty box I was initially wary when I saw the pale and color of the crust.

hearty chicken pie P60 per piece / 3 pcs. P180 / 5 pcs. P295

After heating it up in the toaster oven the crust turned into a nice golden brown. I was expecting a traditional pie crust and was so delighted to bite into a buttery and flaky crust that was close to the texture and flavor of puff pastry. I’ve tried so many chicken pies with boring crusts that I don’t bother to eat. This pie crust I adored and I ate every last crumb.

The filling had small pieces of chicken carrots and potatoes. I wish there were less potatoes though. The filling lacked flavor but a dash of salt and togarashi (Japanese chili pepper) and it was yummy. I suggest a touch of fresh tarragon or thyme could give the pie extra flavor dimension. The highlight of this pie was the definitely the crust.

I had a pie for lunch three consecutive days. Told you I love chicken pie.

Unfortunately my prayer didn’t come true. It seems Cheryl reads my blog and knows all my weaknesses and hit me where it hurts by sending me apple pie and cookies among others. Although after looking at her menu there is very little that she could have sent me that I wouldn’t have eaten in a snap. Doomed. Double doomed.

My regular reader know my favorite apple pie is from Sugarhouse and nothing has come close to that yet. Cheryl’s version of the apple pie is a tart made with flaky cheese crust, apple parmesan filling and topped with walnut-cheese crumble. There’s cheese in every part of the tart!!

apple cheese tart 4″-P145 / 6″-P325 / 8″-P645

My first bite of the apple tart made me feel happy. Maybe it’s because I ate it right after a particularly hard and tiring workout at the gym? If there was a more deserving reward for my aching body then this apple tart was it.

The apples were not mushy nor were they also crisp. It was just in between. The cheese flavor was very subtle. You know it’s there but it didn’t overwhelm the apples. I loved the nutty topping most of all. It gave the best contrast and texture to the apple filling. I wasn’t too happy with the soft crust. That I didn’t eat. I wish it were as sturdy and flavorful as Sugarhouse’s almost shortbread like crust.

Overall I was quite happy with the apple cheese tart. So far from all the apple pies that I’ve tried in Manila I put this in the number two spot right after Sugarhouse’s apple pie.

The next dessert Cheryl sent me was called the Intramuros. It was a dark and white chocolate mousse on a fudgy chocolate base.

Intramuros 3″-P135 / 6″-P525 / 8″-P1,045

If you liked Red Ribbon’s chocolate mousse cake then this will blow you away. This is the gourmet and grown up version. The base was really very chocolatey and it was balanced with a milder, even flavor chocolate and vanilla mousse. This is what you bring to a potluck. It’s a sure crowd pleaser.

I literally shot and ate a little of each dessert a day. It took me a week to try all these goodies. Believe me self control was hard.

I shared the desserts above. The cookies were all mine. These ultra thin chocolate cookies reminded me of lengua de gate. These were even thinner and so delicate. I transferred the stack of cookies to the plate and a few pieces broke straight into my mouth. I don’t know how Cheryl made these perfectly round and thin.

The cookies were super crispy and chocolatey and the topping of pistachio bits was just enough to make it super decadent. I confess to eating the whole stack in one seating. My bad. Cookies good.

chocolate pistachio crisps 12 pcs P155 / 18 pcs P215

Cheryl also sent me 3 kinds of cookies – Maracaibo, black and white and oatmeal cranberry walnut.

Since I’m a big fan of dark chocolate I tried the Maracaibo cookie first. The chewy butterscotch cookie had Felchlin Maracaibo 65% bittersweet chocolate coins in them. All the cookies had the same chewy almost cake like texture that were so buttery I could smell the butter and vanilla on my fingers long after the cookies were gone. When I ate the cookie after 3 days (yes it lasted that long) it tasted even better because the exterior became a little more crisp and the inside became chewier. I liked the dark chocolate very much. The cookie was just perfect with my espresso.

Maracaibo cookie 6 pcs P265 / 10 pcs P425

Shockingly my favorite cookie turned out to be the non-chocolate cookie. The cake like consistency worked best with the rolled oats, walnuts and cranberry. The ingredients were really generous and there was walnuts or dried cranberries in every bite. It was like a mini granola snack in a cookie. Satisfying and filling.

As I write this blog a week from receiving the samples I am left with one black and white cookie (I got 2 of each kind) which I will eat with joy and sadness right after I publish this post.

oatmeal cranberry walnut cookie 6 pcs P195 / 10 pcs P325

It is evident in all the products I tried that Dragonfly Desserts uses top quality ingredients and don’t scrimp on them. Try any of the numerous tempting goodies from their menu and let me know if you enjoyed them as much as I did. Thanks Cheryl!!! My personal trainer is not happy with you though. 😀

Dragonfly Desserts menu (click to enlarge)

Dragonfly Desserts
G/F SM Mall of Asia North Bldg, Pasay City, Philippines
telephone: 624-6459
cellphone: 0917-8231123

New Manila (Commissary)
telephone: 415-8003
cellphone: 0917-8780001

website
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Mushroom-Braised Short Ribs

I saw this recipe on The Today Show and tried my hand at making it but with a twist.

I bought a pack of Australian short ribs from S&R because they were leaner and hopefully more tender than the local beef. Not in the picture is the bottle of white wine. Yes, white wine. Most beef recipes use red wine and I was curious if using white wine made it better.

I bought this giant plastic bottle of assorted dried mushroom from Costco. I finally got to use it in this recipe.

The recipe called for seasoning the short ribs one day before and leaving it in the refrigerator. I then browned the beef on all sides in a pan.

Next cook the aromatics in the same pan.

Instead of braising the mixture in the oven as the recipe said I tried cooking it in a pressure cooker.

This was the pressure cooker I used. We normally use this to make soup and congee (lugaw) with excellent results.

Using the pressure cooker wasn’t a good idea because the sauce didn’t thicken and the beef wasn’t all that tender. I transferred the contents into a large Dutch oven and continued to simmer it on the gas range. The sauce thickened up and the short ribs became tender.

The sauce was very rich and the mushrooms still had a nice bite despite the long cooking time. This recipe is a keeper.

I used Herb’s Best Amori pasta as a partner for the short ribs. A box of Amori pasta contains 4 individually packed dried pasta made with carrots and squash. I really like this portion control packaging. You cook what you need without any wastage or leftovers. And no overeating either!

One ball of dried pasta cooked for 3-4 minutes only and it’s super al dente. It tastes just like fresh pasta.

I recommend following the recipe and braising the stew in the oven.

Mushroom-Braised Short Ribs (from The Today Show)
Tom Valenti
Ingredients:
6 pounds short ribs (about 6 pieces)
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
9 cups store-bought, reduced-sodium beef broth
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup dried morel or porcini mushrooms, rinsed

Preparation
The day before cooking, season the ribs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat the olive oil in a roasting pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the ribs and brown them on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar, broth, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir in the mushrooms. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Return the ribs to the pan, cover with aluminum foil, and braise in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for 3 more hours or until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone.

To serve, remove the ribs from the braising liquid and divide them among 6 warm, shallow bowls. (Leave the bone — it makes a dramatic presentation.) Strain the braising liquid, discarding the solids. Skim off and discard the fat from the liquid, and pass as a sauce at the table.

New Products from Gourmet Finds

I borrowed this image of kouign amann from my idol David Lebovitz. Since last year I’ve been reading a lot about this French pastry and I wanted to try it when I was in the US but I didn’t find it in the bakeries I went to.

Now I can try it right here in Manila in the comforts of my home. My favorite macaron supplier, Gourmet Finds, has several new French temptations in her arsenal and among them is the kouign amann, a pastry similar to croissant. Read more about kouign amann in David Lebovitz’s article.

Here are the new products of Gourmet Finds:

Eclair

Choux dough filled with pastry cream, Valrhona chocolate ganache topping
Choice of Fillings: Vanilla Bean or Coffee Pastry Cream
• Box of 6 – P480
• Box of 12 – P960

Bostock (just reading the description made me drool)

Orange zest-scented round brioche bread (approx 3.5 in. diameter) dipped in custard, topped with toasted frangipane and sliced almond nuts, dusted with powdered sugar.
A nice alternative to breakfast French toast!
• Box of 6 – P450
• Box of 12 – P900

Almond Croissant

Regular
• Box of 6 – P540
• Box of 12 – P1080

With hi-end French Butter
• Box of 6 – P720
• Box of 12 – P1400

Coffee Caramel Mousse Cake

2 mousse layers: coffee and caramel with sliced poached pears insert
Chocolate sponge cake base – P1,200

Coconut Mousse Cake

2 layers of coconut sponge cake in coconut mousse, topped with mango coulis – P900

Check out her new DCs or Doughnut-Croissants!!! I love the salted caramel best. (post coming soon)

Gourmet Finds
cellphone: (0921) 762-2240
pick up is at Narra Ave. Forbes Park, Makati
email: gourmetfinds@yahoo.com
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Filipino Food at Mercato Centrale

I brought my friend Ariel who’s from San Francisco to Mercato Centrale at the Bonifacio Global City on a Saturday afternoon.

It was hot, hot, hot and there were fewer vendors from the first time I went to Mercato. Nevertheless there were a lot of good food to choose from. Ariel was quite excited when he saw all the choices.

The first meal he had was the Vigan longganisa with fried egg pictured above. He said the longganisa was really garlicky and not very fatty. The only problem was all the food he bought was cold. Don’t they have microwave ovens? I wish they did.

His next choice was Bicol Express. Not too spicy and very coconutty. It was good but cold.

Bicol express

I bought an order of Bagwang to share. We were both amazed at how good and hot it was. Think thick crispy bacon but not as salty. This was good eaten alone without rice and just a quick dip in vinegar. I can almost imagine a bottle of ice cold beer in my hand and I don’t even like beer!!

bagwang P150

They fry the pork strips on site. They do deliver depending on your location. Click here for their menu and to order.

I tried cutting up thin strips of liempo (pork belly) at home and frying them. It didn’t turn out as good as the bagwang which uses pork jowls.

For dessert I had a cup of low fat Yoh-gee green tea frozen yogurt. I really liked the tart and creamy ice cream-like frozen treat. The green tea flavor was quite evident and not over powering.

Yoh-gee green tea flavor P150

On the other hand the green tea mochi ice cream ball from Mochiko was very disappointing. The mochi coating tasted like raw dough and the ice cream filling was watery and had no green tea taste at all.

Mochiko’s green tea mochi ice cream ball P70

Mercato Centrale
The market is open every Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 2pm.
Visit us at the corner of 8th Avenue and 34th Street at Bonifacio Global City
website
Facebook

Manila Q Bagwang
contact: Cha Morados
email: cha@joaxingredients.com
cellphone: +63 917 835-8361
Delivery Menu

Yoh-Gee
G/F (beside MiniStop)
Raffles Corporate Center
Emerald Ave., Ortigas Center
Pasig
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Mochiko
Facebook
cellphones: 0999-884-0624 / 0917-831-0624
email: hellomochiko@mochikomochi.com

The Old Kano’s Farm and Ilog Maria

I seldom go to Tagaytay and when I do there are so many places I want to go to. After our lunch at Antonio’s we went to Bag of Beans for my haul of beef and mushroom pies.

Next stop was The Old Kano’s Farm so I can buy organic lettuce and whatever else veggies they have. The farm was only 3 km. from Tagaytay City right on Emilio Aguinaldo highway.

Here’s some information from their Facebook page: (I edited it slightly for punctuation and other errors.)

Located at agricultural province of Silang Cavite, the property were acquired by the couple Mrs. Julieta and Mr. Fred Ammann, in the year 1982, with a total lot area of 12,747 square meter, the original plan of the couple on their property is continue the business they started way-back on their last place at Caloocan City, which are producing and selling some live animal namely rabbits, turkey and other farm animals to some business establishment in Manila, by that time the property were not known by it present name and during those years Mr. Fred Ammann started to sow some plot dill , a kind of herbs that is exotic to the Philippines, it was a plain hobby of Fred but because of good location of the place, just few minutes to tourist destination town of Tagaytay City, and alongside of Aguinaldo Highway, a visitor to the farm by the name of Werner Berger of Santis noticed the bed of dill and bought some and ask how many he could grow and on a further visit Mr. Berger introduced Fred to head Chef of the Manila Peninsula Mr. Alfred Moser, who did not only order at least 30 kgs of dill every week but ask what else can he grow. Fred gave a seed catalog to Chef Moser and let him choose what he want from that chance meeting the thought of rabbits and others were abandoned and the Old Kano’s Farm came into existence producing not only a single variety of herbs but it multiply to 18 varietys and extended the production in producing salad crops, edible flowers and some exotic vegetables produced exclusively at the farm.

The Old Kano’s Farm is the pioneer on producing organic products in the region among the list of the products produced at the farm are the salad crops namely the green ice, romaine, lolo rosa, red lettuces, tatsoi, mizuna, cucumber, New Zealand spinach, baby carrots, endive, french beans, kohlrabi, red radish, cherry tomatoes, turnips tokyo, and stripped eggplant among the 18 variety of herbs are purple basil, sweet basil, cilantro, dill, marjoram, mint, Italian oregano, Italian parsley, arugula, rosemary ,sage, sorrel, Mexican tarragon, thyme, Thai pepper, habanero pepper and cayenne.

I was happy to see curly endive or frisee which I’ve never seen in supermarkets. I was able to buy only a couple of bags because all were reserved by a restaurant.

The fennel bulb was really small compared to the ones in the US.

We all bought several bags of lettuce for P120 per kilo. I also bought a big bag of rosemary for P100. The best time to go there is on Monday and Thursday when they harvest the vegetables.

By the way the owners are selling Old Kano’s Farm. Check out the contact details below.

Just a few meters from Old Kano’s Farm on the opposite side of the road was Ilog Maria.

I wanted Ariel to try their all natural handmade soaps.

I’m also a fan of their virgin honey and honey cider vinegar good for cooking or drinking as a natural cure for many things.

I like their healing massage oil but use it sparingly since a small 100ml bottle cost P155. Another good product is their honey and propolis throat spray perfect when you have a sore throat or cough.

You don’t need to all the way to Tagaytay to buy these excellent products. I’ve ordered from their online store a number of times and the delivery is very quick.

The Old Kano’s Farm (to visit or for interested buyers)
telephone: (046) 414-0960 look for Edwin or Juliet Amman (farm owner)
cellphone: 0918-935-4733
email: theoldkanosfarm@yahoo.com
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Ilog Maria (map)
It is 700 meters east of our sign along Aguinaldo Highway. Our sign is at Km 47; 5 kms. down the highway from Gourmet Café, on the right. Or, about 2 kms. up from the town of Silang going to Tagaytay, on the left.
email:info@ilogmaria.com
open 6 days a week from 800 am to 500 pm, Tuesdays to Sundays