Shoot First Eat Later

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
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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
Facebook

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

Lunch at Antonio’s, Tagaytay 2012

My dear friend, Ariel who’s from San Francisco came home for a short vacation last January. He’s the one who brings me to all the good restaurants whenever I go to San Francisco. This time it was my turn to bring him to my favorite restaurant in Tagaytay and possibly in the Philippines.

There’s something about Antonio’s that charms me. Aside from the excellent food I just love the ambiance of the place. I just don’t like the heat and flies during the summer. We went there last January when there was still a nice breeze.

I ordered a carafe of dalandan juice for Ariel. Their dalandan juice was intense in flavor and they use dalandan ice cubes so the juice won’t get diluted. However when we asked for extra ice plain ice cubes were given.

dalandan juice P600/carafe

The previous times (here and here) I ate at Antonio’s I wasn’t impressed with their bread. This time the bread reminded me of Chef Philippe’s crusty roll which was crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Rochelle and I are sad because Chef Philippe has shut down operations.

crusty roll

Each course comes with soup, salad, entree, dessert and coffee. The price of your meal depends on the entree you choose.

That day the soup was cream of chestnut soup which I found a bit too salty and didn’t really have a chestnut taste.

cream of chestnut soup

Normally I don’t order appetizers anymore but since there were 4 hungry people in our table I ordered the triple mushroom crepe.

triple mushroom crepe P355

I kid you not, we all groaned with the first bite. It was the cheesiest and most buttery mushroom crepe we have ever eaten. You can see all the butter that oozed out when I cut the crepe. Rochelle put all that garlic flavored butter to good use by dipping her crusty roll in it.

The crepe was perfect for sharing. I don’t think I can eat the whole crepe by myself for breakfast or lunch even though it wasn’t that big. It would have been too rich.

One of my favorite restaurant salads, meslun (assorted young salad leaves) with bleu d’Auvergne crumble, glazed walnuts, dried currants, cranberries w/ raspberry vinaigrette is the perfect combination of sweet, salty, sour, crunchy and chewy.

Antonio’s farm fresh mesclun salad with raspberry vinaigrette

Sisters, Rochelle and Chris, ordered two different dishes and shared it. The kitchen did a good job of plating the lamb chop and roasted duck breast in one plate. Rochelle said the lamb chop was a tad well done otherwise the flavor was excellent.

I tried a bit of the pan seared foie gras that came with the roasted duck breast infused with truffle and goji berries and loved it! It was thick and generous and just darn good. I think that was the highlight of the entire plate.

herbed roasted rack of lamb (P1,800) and roasted duck breast (P1,500)

Ariel and I had the beef fillet with wild mushrooms and gravy. He had it with my favorite pumpkin sage risoni which is actually pasta that looked like rice. I had an arugula salad with my steak.

Just like the two times I had this steak it was just perfectly cooked. The sauce was so flavorful without being overly rich. Even Ariel was impressed. I love this steak so much it’s hard for me to order something else even though I vow to try something new each time I go to Antonio’s. Why mess with a sure thing?

grilled beef fillet wild mushroom & pumpkin sage risoni P1,850

Each time I go to Antonio’s they have a different dessert menu. Some of the popular ones were still there though.

Antonio’s dessert menu January 2012

Rochelle was too happy with her poached pear. She felt the pear wasn’t cooked long enough for the port to infuse fully in the pear.

poached pear in port wine with vanilla ice cream

I’ve tried Royce’s chocolate covered potato chips before and didn’t like it. The salty potato chip and the sweet chocolate confused the flavors for me. I’d rather eat them separately. But since Ariel has never tried it that’s what he ordered. After eating all the chips he agreed with me. The mango coulis as a dip was interesting though.

chocolate potato chips with mango coulis

Chris had the safe and popular dark chocolate soufflé. She was happy.

dark chocolate souffle with cardamom creme anglaise

In my opinion I had the best dessert. I love anything chocolate with orange so as soon as I saw the words ‘mandarin orange coated with chocolate’ I knew it was the perfect choice.

mandarin orange coated with chocolate

I thought it was orange segments covered with chocolate. Instead it was strong, intensely flavored orange sorbet coated with dark chocolate. The chef recommended I use my fingers and that’s what I did. It was a beautiful mess. Lick, lick, lick… If they can only box this up and sell it in supermarkets I will be first in line to buy it.

French press coffee

It was the perfect meal, the service was ok, the food good as usual. Nothing to complain about except this pesky fly who wouldn’t give up. It was with us from start to end. We gave up shooing it and gave it the remains of the mango coulis. Enjoy fly!

After lunch we took an unguided walk to the breakfast place which opens on weekends only. During the week you can order from their breakfast menu while seating at the main dining area.

Breakfast at Antonio’s

They used the same bricks for the walkway. I wonder where they got these bricks with so much character. They looked really old to me.

They could have made the place look different but they kept the charm of the main house.

Only the furniture was different. Even the floors were covered with machuca tiles.

back entrance

Antonio’s
Barangay Neogan
Tagaytay City, Cavite
telephone: (046) 413 0975 or (046) 413 1054
cellphone: (0917) 899 2866
Email: antoniosfarm@yahoo.com
website

Sunday Lunch at Tsukiji

We were invited to Sunday lunch by our friends who had guests visiting from the USA. They made the best decision by having lunch at Tsukiji in Makati. The guests were very impressed, so was I.

This was only my second time to eat at Tsukiji so I was thrilled to have the chance to blog about it.

Our big group sat in this private function room. The kids sat outside.

The food in Tsukiji was expensive but the quality and taste was unparalleled for Manila’s standards. Take for example this kani (faux crabmeat) salad. The bowl was about medium sized and an order was probably good for 3-4 people to share as starters. I could finish one order as my whole meal. It cost P980 but I would order it again. The kani wasn’t like anything I’ve ever tasted or seen in any other Japanese restaurant. It was sweeter and the texture was finer and there was a generous amount in the salad. I also appreciated that the salad wasn’t drowning in mayonnaise.

kani special crab & mayonnaise salad P980

This was the best agadeshi tofu I’ve ever eaten. At P100 each it should be. The tofu was ultra fine and melted as soon as my teeth broke into the crispy exterior. I really liked the addition of grated radish and ginger in the well seasoned tempura sauce. No watery brown sauce here.

agedashi tofu P300

They fly in their fish from Japan that’s why you can be assured of the quality.

salmon sashimi P1,450

California maki P390

I eat mushrooms almost every day but I’ve never had it this good. So simple yet so tasty.

shimeji mushroom butteryaki P380

I think this fried rice came from one of the sets. I gave in and tried a little and really, really, really wanted to eat the whole bowl. The rice was almost sticky and the flavors were just perfect. I could have eaten this bowl of fried rice by itself.

vegetable fried rice

I pushed away the fried rice and comforted myself with this bowl of sautéed veggies with generous pieces of fish cake. Yehey carbs in an equally delicious form.

mixed veggies

The sukiyaki was quite big and good for sharing. As expected it was sweet and the beef was excellent.

sukiyaki set P870

This was grilled pacific seasonal saury fish from Japan.

shin sanma shioyaki set P540

The fish set came with a small dish of tuna sashimi and the appetizers below.

maguro tuna sashimi

I don’t know what the one on the left was called but whatever it was I loved it! It was salty and the texture was very interesting. The one on the right is called tarako oroshi or codfish roe.

tarako oroshi

Their tempuras were coated with just the right amount of batter, not too thick, not too thin and very crisp. Another plus was the lack of grease. The paper below the fried shrimp was barely wet from oil.

ebi tempura P650

kisu tempura P450

Look at all those veggies just barely coated with batter. In other restaurants you can barely discern the veggies hidden underneath thick batter.

kakiage tempura P450

Our hosts brought a couple of bottles of wine.

Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere

Eating at Tsukiji is definitely an experience you shouldn’t miss. You really get what you pay for. Next time I want to try their steaks since they had a lot of imported beef in their menu.

Tsukiji’s menu

Tsukiji
3rd Floor Milky Way Building
900 Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road)corner Paseo de Roxas,
Makati City 1200 Philippines
telephone:(+632) 843-4285, 812-2913

Private Rooms are available for groups of 5 to 30. Smoking and Non-Smoking seating are available. Menu is available in Japanese.

Open Daily
LUNCH: 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
DINNER: 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

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Lunch at BonChon Philippines

The first time I tried BonChon was in 2008 when I was in Virginia. I didn’t even have a blog then. I loved it so much that I had to eat BonChon every time I went to the USA. I hoped someone would bring it to Manila and in November 2011 my wish came true and the first branch in Ayala Triangle Gardens opened.

Andrea, the marketing honcho of BonChon Philippines has been inviting me to try out the local version for the longest time but I was on a strict diet for the past year. Finally last week I met her at their Libis branch for lunch.

I went there at 1:30 pm to avoid the lunch crowd. This branch was located next to The Spa which incidentally is owned by the same owners as BonChon.

menu

seasonal menu

New York Times article

The chicken wings I had in the US were enormous. I was worried that the wings in Manila would be tiny. I was pleased that the wings were plump enough to satisfy. True it wasn’t as huge as their American counterparts but they were definitely bigger than the ones from the chicken we buy in the market.

I’m so happy that the taste and crunch was exactly the same as the ones in the US. The chicken wasn’t oily at all and the sweet, salty flavor that I liked so much was the same.

soy garlic wings – 6 pcs for P185

This ws my first time to try the spicy wings and it literally blew me away! It was a bit too hot for my taste and I miss the sweetish flavor of the original wings. I thought it would be just a spicier version of the soy garlic wings. This was just plain spicy.

spicy wings – 6 pcs for P185

Only BonChon Manila has fried fish and I’m sorry for those abroad since you won’t get to try this yummy fish. The boneless strips of dory tasted exactly like the soy garlic wings. They were just as crispy and as tasty as the chicken. I couldn’t help myself and ate 2 of the fish strips.

fish & chips box P125

Yes even the squid tasted the same. It was crunchier than the average calamari and I wanted to finish it all too. If you don’t like chicken you can choose between the fish or the squid and get the same soy garlic goodness.

You would think that eating all these fried food would make me ‘suya‘ but surprisingly I enjoyed it all. Since I’ve stopped eating fried food for the past year I’m now so sensitive to the taste of oil (rancid or just a little old) and I’m happy to report that all these fried food didn’t have any aftertaste at all. Andrea guaranteed me that fresh, new oil was used for all their food and I believe her.

crispy squid ricebox P125

It’s really a great thing for a QSR (quick-service restaurant) to serve fresh salads. It’s a boon for dieters like me to have non-carb options. They use fresh Romaine lettuce which I prefer instead of iceberg lettuce which is cheaper but doesn’t have any nutritional value unlike it’s greener cousins.

Caesar salad P125

The ginger tofu is a good diet meal in itself. I just wish the tofu cubes were more crisp and salted before it reaches the salad.

ginger tofu salad P125

I was beyond full to even take a bite of the bulgogi wrap. I did take a tiny pinch of the meat and kimchi slaw and found it quite authentic in taste. I took home the left overs and my office staff loved the chicken and the bulgogi wrap.

bulgogi wrap P125

Andrea wanted me to try their new Korean frozen yogurt parfaits. I told Andrea I always eat froyo plain without any toppings so I will just try a little of each.

KoYo – banoffee pie and blueberry torte P70

Boy, with one bite of the tangy yogurt and the not sweet caramel sauce I was hooked. I couldn’t put my spoon down.

banoffee pie KoYo

My favorite part was their homemade graham cracker crust which was in no way even close to the ones you find in the crust of commercial cheesecakes. I don’t even eat the crust of those cheesecakes. This graham cracker mixture was chunky, crunchy, nutty, buttery and just plain addicting. It remained crunchy and distinct even when mixed with the tangy low fat yogurt. Yes I finished the whole cup. I don’t want to know how many calories are in this dessert.

I texted Andrea the next day that I was still dreaming of this KoYo. I hope you come up with new toppings for the KoYo soon.

Thanks again, Andrea and BonChon for the wonderful lunch and the doggie bag too.

BonChon
80 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Bagumbayan, Libis 1110
telephone: 655-1818, 655-8074

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