Shoot First Eat Later

Thai Massage @ Mr. Feet

Pain. Our feet were in so much pain from the first day of non-stop walking. We needed massage badly.

Our friend Sonia who moved to Bangkok several years ago when she got married is now super fluent in the Thai language. She recommended Mr. Feet which was just across her office and very near the malls.

The place was very simple but clean. It was also always full. We had the foot and body massage for 1.5 hours which cost 400 baht or US$13 or P570. The foot massage was done on these chairs. It was so painful. The masseuse knew which points to press and it had all of us squirming and grimacing in pain. After several minutes of even pressure the pain subsided. Just when we were about to nod off we were asked to move upstairs for our body massage.

The masseuse in the pink shirt was in one of the rooms where the body massage was held. It was your usual Thai massage which involved a lot of stretching.

The price of contentment, relaxation and much happiness was indeed a steal. We wanted to go back every night but managed to return just one more time. I miss you Mr. Feet.

FoodLoft @ Central Chidlom

After checking in our hotel we didn’t bother to unpack. We immediately went to the nearest mall to do some window shopping. We walked to nearby Central Chidlom department store.

We weren’t successful with the shopping so we decided to eat instead. It was at least 6 hours since our last meal on the plane. We looked at all the dining options in the seven storey department store and chose the the food court on the 7th floor called FoodLoft.

It was a beautiful, modern and swanky looking food court that had several cuisines to choose from. The only problem was they forbade me to take pictures. Can you believe that? I managed to take these few shots.

These traditional Thai desserts looked yummy but we ended up not buying any after our disastrous meal.

Naturally we wanted to eat Thai food so we chose the stall that cooked the food upon ordering to ensure hot and fresh food. Too bad that was as good as it got. I ordered my favorite Thai dish, Pad Thai and it was one of the most bland and boring noodle dish I’ve ever eaten.

Pad Thai

My friends’ choices weren’t good either. Thai food in Manila tasted so much better than these. Our food wasn’t cheap either. The average was 140 baht per person without drinks. They don’t even give free hot water. They grudgingly gave me one cup and said we had to pay for more. Really sosyal huh?

Tom Yum

Duck curry

Thankfully the rest of our meals in Bangkok was so much better than this.

FoodLoft

7th flr. Central Chidlom
Open every day: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
telephone: 66 2793 7070

Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Bangkok

Last March as soon as classes ended and Rochelle was done with her motherly duties we quickly hopped on a plane and took our first summer vacation in Bangkok.

The last time I was in Bangkok the new Suvarnabhumi Airport wasn’t open yet. I don’t remember the immigration line being this long. There were two immigration areas and both were overflowing with people. This was just the hallway that you pass to get to the lines.

We just arrived that’s why my travel mates were still all smiles.

Based on my research there were 130 passport control checkpoints for arrivals and it looked like most of them were open and had long queues. I’m so envious. I wish the Philippines had even a tenth of Thailand’s tourist.

After 1 and 1/2 hours of standing in line I finally got to the counter.

We took the escalator down to the taxi area and found an iridescent pink mini van that was just perfect for the 5 of us. Don’t get a ride from the many people offering you transport to the city. Go directly to the taxi stand where taxis of different makes and models await passengers. Our fare to the hotel including toll fees and tip amounted to ฿400 baht.

My friends brought light jackets and thankfully I brought a shawl mostly for the plane ride which sometimes gets cold. We never imagined we will arrive in Bangkok to 19 degrees centigrade weather. The weather remained the same and even dropped to as low as 17 degrees for two days. It was really very unusual for Bangkok to have that kind of temperature in March.

We chose to stay at the Courtyard hotel because I got a discount with the help of my friend Ariel and it was very convenient to the malls and BTS Skytrain which we never got to ride because it was cheaper for 5 people to split cab fare.

The lobby was small but the colors were bright and cheery.

The room was just the right size with two double beds. It was very clean and well maintained.

Every time we were in the room we had the tv tuned to NHK channel for updates on the Japan earthquake. We were in Bangkok on March 17 just a week after the horrible earthquake.

A unique feature in the room was this mirror on the clear glass wall of the bathroom. If you want privacy there was a shade you could pull down. Believe me that shade stayed down our entire trip.

The bathroom was a bit small and didn’t have a bathtub which was ok since I prefer a shower stall.

The shower stall was quite big and I appreciated the hand held shower which isn’t common in hotels.

Back on the ground floor was the business center, the MoMo mart convenience store and the MoMo Cafe.

We never had a chance to try the food at MoMo Cafe since our hotel room didn’t include breakfast. We just bought bread and fruits for our daily grub.

The Courtyard was located in a small street with several hotels and apartments. It was a three to five minute walk to the main street where all the malls were located. It took another 5 minutes to reach the first mall and from there it’s mall heaven to the left, right and across.

The hotel had a free shuttle and we took it one morning to see where it would take us. We almost had cramps laughing when it took us only to the end of the road and the trip lasted for all of thirty seconds. We were hoping it would take us to one of the malls.

The Courtyard was a very nice hotel to stay in when in Bangkok. Sure it wasn’t smack dab in the middle of shopping like other hotels but it was only a short walk or taxi ride anyway. And for the price we paid I wouldn’t stay anywhere else.

View Larger Map

Courtyard Bangkok
155/1 Soi Mahadlekluang 1,
Rajdamri Road,
Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
telephone: 66 2 690 1888

Dinner at 2nd’s, Comfort Food Revisited

Our group went to 2nd’s to meet up with some HS classmates for an impromptu reunion. We went there straight from Tagaytay that’s why we were late. It was probably due to our shopping spree at Mr. Moo’s.

To find 2nd’s go to Cav Wine Shop and Cafe and it’s right across. This is the only sign you will see since they are located on the 2nd floor.

I really liked the ambiance. It felt like I was in a restaurant in New York.

New faces on my blog!

When we arrived they had already ordered 2 appetizers. The Angus beef salpicao was good but I didn’t find any foie gras in it. I asked the waiter to show me where it was and he couldn’t find it too so he took the dish back to the kitchen.

Angus salpicao with foie gras P625

The small dish came back with 3 tiny cubes of foie gras. This was a pretty expensive dish and I don’t think it’s worth it as an appetizer.

The chicken adobo croquetas were delish! Crispy, creamy and flavorful.

chicken adobo croquetas P325

I ordered the lamb shepherd’s pie since I haven’t started my diet then. Tender pieces of lamb with veggies including potatoes cooked in a tomato based sauce and topped with the richest, buttered smashed potatoes and a very, very generous amount of cheddar cheese. I liked it but the über buttery potatoes and cheese made it a bit too rich. I could feel the fat crawling through my arteries. I also expected a brown sauce which was more traditional. I wonder why they put potatoes in the stew when it was to be topped with more potatoes. I wish they would use some other vegetable or just omit it.

lamb shepherd’s pie P435

These are what my other friends ordered. I didn’t get to try any of the other dishes but I assume it was good since everyone’s plate was wiped clean.

Take a classic Filipino dish like caldereta and use lamb instead and top it with Swiss cheese. Very imaginative!

lamb caldereta gratin P590

Debbie said she preferred the duck confit of Antonio’s but it wasn’t bad at all. She really liked the emmenthal mashed potatoes and pineapple chutney.

crispy duck confit P850

Janet liked her fish and chips made with barramundi fish. She probably liked it because of the Red Horse beer batter. I really liked the skinny fries and the inclusion of malt vinegar and dill aoili. Very authentic!

Red Horse fish and chips P520

Some health conscious classmates ordered the sea bass sinigang. This must be the only place where you can find sea bass in a sour soup.

sea bass sinigang P455

When I get off this diet I want to try the yummy looking Tilapia with Thai red curry sauce. This was the cheapest item on the menu for main dishes yet it looked like a generous serving.

shoreshide Thai red curry P375

A simple text message that was forwarded around yielded these many classmates eager to meet and eat. Anytime ladies! Text away.

I highly recommend you try the comfort food with a twist at 2nd’s. Their food is inventive, innovative and well cooked. They do have healthy choices too proving not all comfort food is fattening.

2nd’s menu

2nd’s
2/F Wumaco Bldg. 1, Quadrant 3,
9th Ave. Bonifacio High Street
Taguig City, Metro Manila
telephone: 846-5293

Nespresso Pixie

Meet my new passion, an espresso.

I love coffee and I used to drink plain brewed coffee or a cafe Americano. But since my Saeco espresso machine finally died and I had to return it to Costco where I got a full refund after 6 years (don’t you just love their return policy) I’ve relied on a plastic drip filter to make coffee. I also have acid reflux that’s why I can’t have too much coffee.

Last month when I stayed at The Venetian in Macao, our room had a Nespresso machine and I got to try an espresso for the first time. I always thought that espresso was really strong but I was surprised how good and satisfying it was. I read on a forum – Espresso is NOT simply strong coffee. It’s a completely different beverage. Coffee uses water to wash through grinds and only release their water-soluble flavors (the “solubles”). Espresso is made with a small amount of water forced through the grinds at extreme pressure, thus releasing their oil-based flavors (the “insolubles”).

When I went back to Hong Kong I visited the Nespresso boutique at Elements Mall. I tried more free espresso and finally bought their newest machine, the Nespresso Pixie.

Nespresso Pixie in electric red, Pixie sleeve

The Pixie has a water reservoir in the back.

The Pixie has a really small footprint. Here you can see it beside a Jack Lalaine juicer. It’s perfect for small spaces.

When I bought the Pixie it came with a free discovery box containing all 16 grand crus capsules and a espresso cup and saucer. Nespresso machines use only their proprietary capsules filled with different blends of coffee. The capsules are available in 2 stores in Hong Kong, Elements Mall and IFC Mall. I found a supplier in Manila but the capsules cost twice as much. It’s good many people go to Hong Kong so it’s easy to get my supply of capsules. A capsule cost HK$4.7 to 5.30 each.

All these came with the Nespresso Pixie

I also bought this aluminum sleeve dispenser from the Pixie collection. It holds 4 different boxes of capsules for easy access.

When I got back to Manila I got obsessed buying espresso cups. I was happy to find a decent selection from Gourdo’s, Landmark, SM and Rustan’s.

my espresso cup collection (so far)

I even found espresso spoons. I thought my regular teaspoon would do until I tried stirring my espresso. It won’t even fit in the cup.

I store all my espresso related stuff in the cabinet above the machine.

I’m now a Nespresso addict. I take my espresso with a dash of non dairy creamer and some stevia. I love how smooth and non acidic it tastes. The body of the espresso is full and the taste lasts a long time in my mouth, long after I’ve finished this small cup. It really can’t compare with a regular cup of coffee. This is now my dessert after meals. On weekends I’ve consumed up to 3 espressos a day. I’ve been drinking this for almost a month and have yet to experience acid reflux. Before, drinking regular coffee for 4 days straight would already trigger my acid reflux.

This shot of espresso is also the perfect base for a latte or cappuccino. I tried adding some hot milk to my espresso but I realized I liked it better with a little non dairy creamer.

thick crema – love, love, love!

Nespresso has 16 kinds of capsules to choose from. They rate from an intensity of 10 to 2. The blends are described woody, cereal, fruity, roasted or cocoa.

image from Nespresso.com

I’ve tried a lot of the blends but my favorites are the Arpeggio which has an intensity of 9. It has a very distinct cocoa flavor that I really love. It’s taken the place of chocolates in my diet. At night I drink the Decaffeinato Intenso which has an intensity of 7. It’s similar in taste to the Arpeggio but just a little lighter. This is one decaf that lets me sleep soundly every night. If I want a lighter and sweeter espresso I drink the Dulsao do Brasil which has honey and malt notes.

image from Nespresso.com

Nespresso Boutique Hong Kong
2nd Level, Shop #2096. No. 1 Austin Road, West Kowloon, Hong Kong
1 Harbour View Street, Central, IFC Mall, Podium Level One, Shop 1019B, Hong Kong

Chef Philippe Breads

I love bread. All kinds of bread – soft, crusty, flaky, plain or filled, sweet or savory. I probably love bread more than rice. Gasp!

As much as I love bread I limit myself to the occasional wheat bread only. Bread is carbs and I don’t have much control when confronted with good bread.

One day my *evil* bff Rochelle gave me two long breads from Chef Philippe. I’ve known about their party breads for quite some time already but I never dared try them since I knew my weakness. So it was part apprehension and part “jump for joy” when I saw the breads on the kitchen table.

Chef Philippe Party Breads

Party breads came in five varieties – 3 savory and 2 sweet. Rochelle knew me so well in choosing the walnut cream & chocolate bread.

I was already drooling when I took these pictures. It was the quickest photo shoot ever.

Walnut, Cream & Chocolate Party Bread

Despite being filled with a generous amount of chocolate, the bread wasn’t too sweet. The brioche had a slightly chewy crust and soft interior. It was a really wonderful experience biting into chocolate, pieces of walnut and sweet vanilla cream. It was even better when toasted in the oven for a few minutes.

Varieties of Party Breads (image from http://chefphilippe.org)

The other bread was a classic cinnamon raisin bread.

Raisin Bread

I’ve never been a big fan of raisin bread but this was pretty good too. Now I know that I don’t have to go to Baguio to buy raisin bread.

Premium Raisin Breads (image from http://chefphilippe.org)

Both breads were good but my most favorite bread from Chef Philippe are their crusty rolls. These aren’t in their website and needs to be pre-ordered. I thank Deb for introducing me to the best rolls ever.

Crusty Roll

The crusty roll is as big as a pan de sal. It just looks big in this picture which Rochelle took. The rolls aren’t fully baked and you have to finish baking them in a toaster oven. This made it taste like freshly baked bread. I usually store these rolls in the freezer and heat them in the oven straight from the freezer.

The roll is super crunchy in the outside just like a baguette and soft yet a bit dense in the inside. It’s perfect with simply butter and marmalade. A box of 12 white rolls cost P150 while the wheat variety which is equally good costs P180.

I had left over roast beef from a party which cut into cubes and sauteed in lots of garlic, olive oil, pepper and a dash of liquid seasoning and used it as a hearty filling for the crusty roll. It was one of the best mini steak sandwiches I’ve ever had. It definitely beat anything I’ve eaten in a restaurant.

Crusty roll filled w/ steak cubes

Since I’ve been on a diet for the past 6 weeks and haven’t eaten a single piece of bread this post made me yearn for bread. As soon as I reach my goal weight I’m buying a box of whole wheat crusty rolls to celebrate.

Chef Philippe on Facebook

Chef Philippe Comissary
2310 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City
telephone: 556-7768, 232-9643, 0917-5847588

Mr. Moo’s Fresh Milk & Kesong Puti

After lunch in Tagaytay Highlands’ Golfer’s Lounge we headed back to Manila. We stopped by Mr. Moo’s to buy some milk, cheese and pastillas.

Mr. Moo’s is on the right side of the road on the way to the Sta. Rosa exit. You have to keep an eye for it.

Mr. Moo’s basically sold milk and cheese from 3 animals – cow, carabao and goat. It really depends on how adventurous you are on what kind to buy.

(click to enlarge)

soya milk

Almost all my friends bought cow’s milk except for Debbie who swore that the carabao milk was much tastier. Since their milk was fresh and didn’t go through UHT (ultra high temperature processing) the lone sales person diligently packed the bottles in large plastic bags filled with ice to survive the trip back to Manila.

They also bought pastillas de leche made from carabao’s milk. It came in several flavors- plain, langka, ube, cheese and buko pandan.

pastillas de leche

carabao milkshakes anyone?

products made from goat’s milk

Still not sure what milk or cheese to buy? They have a comparison of the different milk and cheese bassed on taste, texture and flavor. I couldn’t get a better picture because the sign was semi-blocked by a wall.

milk and cheese comparison chart (click to enlarge)

I can’t tell you how it tasted because I didn’t buy anything. I just didn’t feel like it at the time. But looking back I wish I bought a block of kesong puti and goat milk ricotta cheese. Kesong puti with pesto panini is just scrumptious.

Mr. Moo’s Fresh Milk & Kesong Puti
Tagaytay (0922) 8774085 or in Silang (0922) 8774083

The Highlands Golfer’s Lounge

For our last meal in Tagaytay before we headed back to Manila, we had lunch at Golfer’s Lounge inside Tagaytay Highlands clubhouse. The meal was Florence’s birthday treat to us.

Golfer’s Lounge was the open air, casual all-day dining restaurant of Tagaytay Highlands. They served mostly Filipino food with some international selections.

We naturally ordered tawilis which was fresh water sardines native to Batangas. You can eat the whole fish, bones and head included.

pritong tawilis P220

The bulalo came in a large bowl and we all got a generous cup each. It was quite flavorful but it’s far from the best in Tagaytay. For my foreign readers, bulalo is soup made from beef shank with bits of bone marrow floating in the surface. It’s one of the most popular dishes in Tagaytay but it can be found in Manila too.

bulalo ng Mahogany P580

I have a confession. I’ve never eaten sisig before this meal. Somehow eating pig’s ears, cheeks and liver never appealed to me. I don’t know what made me try this sisig but it was a revelation. I loved the salty, oily, crunchy mixture specially with rice. I think I ate half of an order. My friends tell me there are even better sisig out there. I can’t wait to try them. Where can I find the best sisig?

sisig Kapampangan P280

The kang kong was good, the over cooked and hard lechon wasn’t.

kang kong sa lechon P180

Sorry I don’t eat ampalaya (bitter gourd) but my friends wiped out this dish.

guisadong ampalaya sa hipon P180

The kare kare was just ordinary. I could hardly find any ox tail. Wishful thinking on my part. Well kare kare is supposed to be ox tail peanut stew right?

kare kare P280

Deep fried pork knuckles or crispy pata is our favorite Filipino dish and this was pretty good with crunchy skin and very tender meat.

crispy pata P680

The fried beef rib was the only leftover we had despite it’s small size. It was hard and overcooked. A big challenge to our teeth and jaws.

pinalutong na tadyang ng baka P280

Some of my friends shared some Filipino dessert. The ice cream was supposed to top the saba con hielo but they ran out of vanilla ice cream that’s why the ube ice cream was served separately.

Debbie was the only one to order the banana cue split and I’m so thankful to be sitting beside her. What a smart idea to combine caramelized bananas with ice cream and langka (jackfruit) to make a truly Filipino style banana split. It was soooooooooo good! The burnt caramel coating on the bananas were just perfect with the ice cream.

banana cue split P150

Bananas and langka cooked in syrup and served on top of crushed ice and doused with milk and topped with ice cream. A very refreshing dessert. But I’d rather eat fresh, sweet langka from Tagaytay.

saba and langka con hielo P150

These ducks were waiting for food to fall from the tables. Too bad they were far from our table or I would have thrown some fried beef to them.

Golfer’s Lounge menu

Thanks for the yummy lunch Florence! I’ll never forget my first sisig and the sinful banana cue split.

The Highlands Golfer’s Lounge
ground floor of the Highlands Golf Clubhouse
open daily, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Shoot First, Eat Later is now at Nokia’s Ovi store

Several years ago the only way to surf web sites was through computers. Today there are so many portable devices you can use. Almost everybody has a cellphone and if your phone is a compatible Nokia phone you can now access my blog.

Just go to Nokia’s Ovi store and send my free app to your cellphone. Now you can be updated with my new entries wherever you are. Even better is you can also search for restaurant telephone numbers or what food to order while you’re on the go.

Shoot First, Eat Later at Nokia Ovi store

Highlands China Palace

We couldn’t decide where to eat dinner and we were hungry so we went to Highlands China Palace right inside Tagaytay Highlands. It was a good decision.

Members of Tagaytay Highlands are very fortunate that they have a large Chinese restaurant that serves well cooked, authentic Chinese food in their backyard. I’m sure this restaurant is always full during weekends when most people go to Highlands.

Chinese restaurants usually give free peanuts or in Peking Garden’s case, spicy wonton crisps for snacks while waiting for your food. China Palace had a yummy mixture of fried peanuts, corn, green peas and broad beans. You can buy this in the supermarket. This super addicting snack has the unfortunate name of Ding Dong Mixed Nuts.

Ding Dong mixed nuts

Chinese style beef tenderloin

The eggplant was everybody’s favorite dish. It was so tasty from the bits of dried salted fish that flavored the eggplant and tender pacific clams. It went very well with the salted fish fried rice.

braised eggplant w/ pacific clams

How can you go wrong with crunchy noodles and fresh seafood sauce. The trick is to eat it quickly while the noodles are still in the half crunchy half soft stage.

fried noodles w/ seafood

salted fish fried rice

The crisp prawns needed just the quickest dip of salty Chinese bagoong. Mmmm.

crystal prawns w/ Chinese bagoong

I had already eaten half of my lettuce cup filled with a heaping serving of the minced pork thinking it was minced pigeon. It was just as good as the original minced pigeon version.

minced pork w/ lettuce

Thanks for the delicious and very satisfying dinner Deb!

Highlands China Palace
Tagaytay Highlands
Palace Drive
Tagaytay City, Cavite
Philippines
(046) 483-0818