Whipped.

I haven’t been cooking since that steak dinner I whipped up for the, er, former boyfriend. Obviously that says a lot about why I’ve been avoiding the kitchen. :P 

Anyway, November’s the best month to move forward and I thought I’d check up on this teeny tiny goal I made the beginning of the year—2011, I had declared, was the year I learn my way around the kitchen. And with only less than two months to 2012, I think I did pretty good.

From being a total kitchen ignoramus, I have managed to whip up the following dishes on my own: 

1. Penne Amatriciana
2. Adobo Flakes - this is sort of a copout because Ate L made the actual adobo. Mental note: remedy the situation and cook adobo from scratch! 
3. Grilled Cream Dory with Spicy Mango Salsa 
4. Smoked Fish and Chorizo Garlic Pasta - a family favorite, I might add :p 
5. Lime & Coriander Grilled Chicken 
6. My first homemade vinaigrette  - ever since I started making vinaigrette, I stopped eating salads with Caesar dressing. Too rich and heavy for me. Homemade vinaigrette is the SHIZ. I love how I can control how sweet, sour and spicy the dressing will be. 
7. Chicken sauteed with Apples
8. Spaghetti Bolognese
9. Pesto with Whole Wheat Pasta
10. Steak with Buttered Pearl Potatoes
11. Spanish Paprika Chicken with Spicy Tomato Rice 

Eleven dishes. Not bad. I still have a long way to go before reaching Masterchef material (hah!) but at least I’m no longer a food fraud. I still don’t know all there is to know about the kitchen, but at least I’m not an ignoramus. Yey, me! :D 

The day after the Chili Peppers concert, I decided to go out on my own and explore Hong Kong. 

Rainstorms were the order of the day so I mostly limited my walks around Central. Didn’t get to go to a museum as I had originally planned, but instead spent most of my time inside malls burning a hole in my pocket. Later that day, because I didn’t really feel like spending another night partying, I got in touch with my friend Bernice and asked if she wanted to have dinner and drinks. We agreed to meet in front of the biggest H&M in Central, which was a short walk away from what I am declaring as the BEST VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD. Okay, I haven’t even been to Vietnam yet so maybe I should hold off on the title, but this place just served the best Vietnamese food I’ve tasted. 

The place is called Nha Trang, and it’s located in Wellington Street, Central Hong Kong—a few minutes walk away from H&M. It’s a pretty small place, and almost always full, so we had to wait for half an hour before we were finally seated. 

We had the Soft Shell Crab Rolls for starters. The crispy fried soft shell crab is well balanced with crunchy and cool fresh cucumber and herbs in the salad roll. Very refreshing, and the perfect way to begin one’s Vietnamese culinary adventure :D

Every time I eat at a Vietnamese restaurant, I would usually just order one starter and go straight for the Pho. But because it was so humid during my visit, I didn’t really feel like ordering a bowl of steaming hot Pho. It looked pretty delicious though (photo taken from their FB page): 

Instead, Bernice and I feasted on different bite-sized goodies like the Grilled Lemongrass Beef Skewers, which were perfectly grilled and infused with the distinctive flavor of lemongrass. 

The winning dish of the night was this:

Vietnamese Steamed Rice Ravioli. Obviously my photo does not do the dish justice so here’s a better one from their FB page:

This lip-smacking creation is made with a thin, almost transparent steaming rice crepe that encloses a really savory filling of minced shrimp and pork. Unbelievably good, down to the very last bite. Seriously, I think this dish will give the previous day’s Baked Pork Buns a run for its money. It friggin melted in my mouth. You know how it feels like when you bite into freshly made Japanese mochi? :D Sooo good!

Nha Trang definitely figures into the top reasons I can’t wait to go back to Hong Kong. And next time around, I’m going for the Pho. :D

Nha Trang is located at the following branches: 88-90 Wellington Street, Central; 2/F Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East; Ocean Terminal, Harbour City; and Level 7, New Town Plaza 1, Shatin.

Yesterday I had a reunion with my college friends.

Ali was back from the States for a few weeks’ vacation, and Rica decided we get together at her new apartment for a potluck lunch. Rix made Mexican Taco Salad and these yummy vegan appetizers, which I regret not taking photos of because they were quite delicious. She did something with Tofu that made it taste like crumbled feta! (Note to self: Ask for the recipe)

Having avoided the kitchen for over a month now (the only cooking I’ve been doing is whipping up different kinds of omelettes), I decided to cook within my comfort zone and prepare a dish I’ve already “mastered”. So I made Smoked Tinapa and Garlic Pasta, and it was a hit! (Didn’t get to take a photo of it as well, but just scroll down a couple of pages and you’ll find a previous entry)

Ali brought one of her “Welcome” presents for dessert. It was this really cute chocolate cake from Makati Shangri-La:

We also ordered Sandy’s White Cheese Pizza, and I brought some leftover Almond Sansrival from Blue Kitchen and a bottle of Semillon Chardonnay because our reunion merited a bottle of good ‘ol white. 

I left Rica’s place a little after four, and on my way back to my condo, the boyfriend told me he was coming over for dinner. And that I should cook for him. Hahaha. I caved and agreed to it because I haven’t seen him in so long, and our potluck lunch got me itching to cook again. This time instead of cooking something familiar, I thought I’d conquer new territories. 

I’ve never cooked steak before—the process seemed pretty simple (“Season with salt and pepper, sear,” said my Chef friend, Trish), but I’ve been too scared to actually do it because 1) I’ve tasted REALLY REALLY GOOD steak before—from our house in Paranaque where our cook has mastered the art of grilling to perfection; and 2) I was scared I’d end up ruining the lovely pieces of Australian marbled striploins I bought in the grocery earlier.

I decided to do it the way our cook does it—serve steak with a nice salad and a plateful of mashed potatoes. So I made Waldorf Salad:

Made my own Citrus Vinaigrette by combining balsamic vinegar, freshly squeezed orange juice, a little lemon juice, a few teaspoons of honey, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. It was really good. Ever since I learned how to make my own vinaigrette dressing, I’ve bid Caesar goodbye. :P

Instead of mashed potatoes, I made Buttered Pearl Potatoes instead. Cut the baby potatoes in half, boiled them until they were edible (but still firm), and coated them in butter, different herbs (rosemary, thyme and italian seasoning), and salt and pepper. Lots of pepper because the boyfriend likes his food spicy!

Finally, the steaks. I cut the Australian striploins in half. The first two I just seasoned with salt and pepper, and the other two I dry-rubbed with spices. 

When we were finally eating, I realized that I’m like my cousin Francis in the sense that we’re both purists when it comes to steak. We like it seared with salt and pepper and that’s it. I’d rather the meat’s flavor speak for itself, instead of letting the spices do the talking. Still, the spice-rubbed ones were pretty good. Z liked it. Told him I think we should have steak dinners every once in a while. :p

And because it was a triumph of sorts for this newbie chef, I decided to open the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon I got from a Visa event I covered. 

It pretty much sums up what I think of my boyfriend…KIDDING. Hahaha. Cheers! :D

Last week, I was in Hong Kong for three reasons: 

1. To watch my man Anthony Kiedis rock out with the rest of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the AsiaWorld Arena. 
2. Shop to my heart’s content. 
3. EAT. 

When you’ve been to Hong Kong a couple of times and have seen all the staple tourist attractions, the only thing to do is basically walk around, shop and explore new food spots. The morning of the Chili Peppers concert, I did exactly that. My friend took me to Kowloon to check out the cheapest one-star Michelin dimsum restaurant in Hong Kong, Tim Ho Wan, where we ordered enough for five people. 

We were there quite early, and it was a good thing because there was already a growing queue at 8:30 a.m. This place is almost always packed so if you’re planning on a visit, better get there early AND bring an iPod or your mp3 player of choice. 

The line may be long, but it is SO WORTH THE WAIT. The food there is unbelievably AMAZING. 

We had steamed spare ribs with black bean sauce..

Deep-fried dumpling filled with meat:

Glue Rice Dumpling with Black Bean Sauce wrapped in lotus leaves

And The One Dish that you will dream about for nights to come: Baked Buns with Barbecued Pork. 

They look so unassuming, but the moment you taste the buns and the lip-smacking barbecued pork inside, you will believe they were made by the hands of GOD. Oh so sweet and salty and UTTERLY DIVINE. *gaaaaah*

I seriously DREAM about these buns. My cousin Mic was making fun of me for going gaga over, and I quote, “SIOPAO”, but wait until he gets a load of these bad boys next September. He’s going to regret calling these heaven-sent goodies, “siopao.” 

Seriously, when you’re in Hong Kong, better make this a part of your itinerary. The line is looooong, but so worth it. My friend and I actually woke up early for this. We made it in the nick of time—we were part of the first batch served! 

Tim Ho Wan is located at Tsui Yuen Mansion, Kwong Wa Street, Mongkok, Kowloon; and at G/F 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon.  

A few weeks ago, my sister, cousin and I found ourselves in the middle of a foggy Tagaytay Tuesday. We had originally planned on going around the place, but the fog made it impossible to sight-see—not that there’s anything we haven’t seen yet in Tagaytay. You see the volcano, check out some of the “farms”, and that’s pretty much it. So we decided to just eat our way around it. 

Our first stop: Wining and dining at Buon Giorno. 

At my cousin’s insistence, we decided to try the Pollo Funghi Risotto, which reminded me of the Hainanese chicken rice my friend T made for dinner. It was light and good and really delicious. 

There is another variant—the Italian Sausage Risotto—and it was okay, but I felt it would’ve tasted better if we ordered it first before the Pollo (w/c was the highlight of our meal) because it used the same risotto but only with Italian Sausage, and the flavors did not really go well together. 

Also tried the Spinach Ravioli, only because I am on a quest to finding the best ravioli in town. (So far, I love the one they sell in the Mercato market the best). This one didn’t even compare. I’d have liked it better if they made their own pasta. 

We also decided to drop by Uncle Cheffy in Nuvali on our way back to Manila. I loved the “slow-cooked” lamb because the meat was really tender and not too gamey, but it kinda felt like it was microwaved and not slow-cooked at all. I like my lamb served really hot and steamy, but this one was served at room temperature.  

They also serve Panizzas, and I have to say that their East Meets West panizza is better than any of the ones I tasted in C’s. 

This one has parma ham, kesong puti, salted eggs, tomatoes, mangoes and three different cheeses. All my favorite ingredients in one plate. Yum. 

I lasted ten days as a vegetarian. I wouldn’t even call it hardcore because I sometimes included fish in my diet. I’m back to eating white meat now, and I’ve managed to stay away from the evil reds. It’s mostly seafood and chicken, and I’m quite content.

Maybe at this point I am not ready to embrace vegetarianism yet, but the last ten days served as a great jump off point to eating healthy. And I think that’s what I need now. 

But in the spirit of “vegetarianism”,  I went to Charlie’s yesterday and finally partook of the famous portobello mushroom burger my friends have been raving about.

It was quite big so I split it with my sister. Behold, the anatomy of their Shrooms Vegetarian: 

The verdict? Loved the sesame bun, but overall it was a little anti-climatic. I had built it up in my head and it didn’t deliver. Maybe it would’ve been better if the onions were caramelized or if they used a different kind of cheese—I can’t exactly pinpoint what’s missing, but I felt underwhelmed. I liked their Chicken Burger much better and will probably have that one next time. 

The House Fries, however, was well worth every evil calorie. 

It had all my favorite ingredients in one dish: cheddar and sour cream, french fries, and bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. At this point, I was like ‘vegetarian, whut?’ :P I was also intrigued by the Black Truffle fries and I think i’ll try that next time. 

We ended the meal with their key lime pie. 

Which made my sister cringe because she said it tasted like car freshener. It’s not that bad but I’ve had better key lime pie. This one was too sweet and it made me wish we ordered turtle pie instead. 

I think while this visit was mostly bad than good, I’m still willing to give Charlie’s another try. They’re pretty good, but I wish they’d be more consistent. 

Charlie’s Grind & Grill is located at G/F Ronac Art Center, Ortigas Avenue. 

I’m on my fifth day of going vegetarian, and interestingly enough I’m not having such a hard time as originally expected.

I dont miss meat so much. I was sorta itching to eat a burger the second day but thought better of it. I guess it boils down to WILL, which makes me green lantern material. heh. i warned you about the weird humor.

Anyway, I realized that I am cool with a meatless diet so long as my food is oozing with flavor. One of the reasons why I’ve resisted going veg so much is the notion that i will only be eating bland food, and if you know me, if there is one thing i hate it’s tasteless food. Turns out there are plenty of good reasons to go veg, and top on that list is discovering different herbs and spices that will turn even the most ordinary of veggies into something really drool-worthy. And the best examples you can find in Asian cuisine—Indian food to be exact. They’ve mastered the art of producing food with the best of flavors.

i think the reason i lasted this long is because i’ve been eating mostly indian and mediterranean cuisine. it happened by accident, because the series of get togethers I’ve been attending involved mostly eating in mediteranean and indian restos. So think hummus, tzatziki, vegetable samosas, grilled vegetables and even pad thai—-you will not miss meat.

anyway it’s only the fifth day and i still have 25 more days to go so wish me luck.

ta!

Call me a loser but I have never tasted a savory crepe EVER. I’ve always associated crepes with sweets, and I don’t really like the sweet ones that much so I thought that I wouldn’t like the savory versions either. 

Turns out I was sooo wrong. My sister and I were running late for a trip to Paranaque (wow, out-of-towners we are) one night and we were hungry so we decided to stop by Podium for dinner. We decided to try Cafe Breton and split the savory crepe shown in the photo. My bad, but I already forgot the name. I think it was Crepe Americane or something else that sounded, well, pretentious. It had hungarian sausage, caramelized onions, asparagus, an egg cooked sunny side up, and…dressing. Really really good dressing that brought all the elements together. So as pretentious as the name was, it delivers taste-wise. :D 

Can’t wait to try another one of them savory items. I tried Cafe Breton’s blueberry crepe before (tasted what my friend ordered) and I didn’t really like their sweet selection that much. But maybe I just haven’t ordered the right one. 

Anyway. Until next time. Happy eating!

—

By the way, I decided to go vegetarian for the time being. It’s part of my bucket list, and I figured now was the best time to do it because I am officially at my UNHEALTHIEST. So after my visit to Davao last weekend, where I gorged out on two types of lechon and loaded up on evil evil evil carbohydrates, I have decided to limit my diet to rabbit food. 

I’m not really torturing myself with this goal because the challenge is really in finding vegetarian recipes that are both healthy and delicious. I still want my food to be chockfull of flavor—AND this isn’t about starving myself to weight loss. I just want to introduce myself to vegetarian recipes that meet my taste standard. So let the vegan experiments begin. I can’t wait to post new entries in the next few days! 

Cheers,
-T 

I haven’t really been cooking much ever since my sister got here from Singapore, because 1) while we’ve arranged this daily cooking setup where we cook alternately every night, much has been going on that’s kept us from sticking to the game plan; 2) we’ve taken to eating out or having food delivered; and 3) we’ve been all over Manila. Last night we went to stay the night in Tagaytay, and we had this really hearty meal in Buon Giorno and they just serve the best Pollo El Funghi Risotto that merits another entry.

I haven’t really been blogging much either—at least not in this site because I’ve been making a number of changes in my own domain (www.shoutsmurmurs.com), and it’s sort of a hassle to maintain different blogs in different providers. But I swear as soon as I come home from Davao this weekend (it’s my dad’s birthday and we want to surprise him) and finish this really big project I’m working on that’s driving me insane at the moment, the ball will start rolling again.

So…au revoir for now! 

Pardon my lame attempt at Italian, but  Bellissima just rhymed with the restaurant I am about to review rave about: Bellini’s at Cubao Ex. 

Before my brother left for Davao, my sister and I just had to take him to Bellini’s. It is by far my favorite Italian restaurant in the city. I first discovered it when I was in college (can’t even remember who introduced me to the place anymore) when Cubao Ex was still known as the Marikina Shoe Expo. To date, I haven’t found an italian restaurant that ousted it from my no. 1 list. 

First of all, going to Cubao Ex is an experience in itself. 

It’s one of the more bohemian places in the city and Bellini’s fits right in with its rustic and artistic vibe. 

More than its ambience, what people really come back here for is the food. It’s a little pricey but the flavors are so friggin unforgettable it’s worth every penny. The place is as authentic as it can get—it’s owned by an Italian, Roberto Bellini, who’s always at the restaurant waiting on his guests. 

When I took my brother there, we started off with my favorite appetizer—Caprese Salad, which is just tomato, mozzarella and basil drizzled with olive oil. 

We also had the Pizza Alla Margherita (we’re not really into pizza heaped with a lot of toppings).

Because we realized we had mostly tomato-based starters, we decided to go with two truffle cream-based pastas: Mushroom truffle cream penne and Spinach Ravioli with Truffle Cream. 

Which there are no photos of because we inhaled them in five minutes. 

I will leave you with a photo of the best—THE BEST—panna cotta in town. 

Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you I’m a panna cotta-holic. I’ve eaten my way through town—from fine dining restos to more mainstream ones—just to find the best panna cotta, and this still takes the cake for me. It’s creamy and rich and it’s just right. It’s perfect. And awesome. And amazing. And it turns me into a rambling idiot. 

If you’re looking for a good place to celebrate a promotion or milestone or just want really good Italian food, go to Bellini’s. This was also where they shot the dining scenes in that John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo movie, “One More Chance.” Just a little trivia. :P

Sardines sauteed in lots and lots of onion, and a cup of freshly cooked rice. Methinks I’m just pinoy that way. :P 

I’m an absolute basil fan. I put it everywhere, from a hot bowl of Vietnamese pho to pastas and sandwiches, even omelettes, and basically any dish I feel it would go well with. Give me a tomato, basil and cheese panini, and I’m one happy camper. 

But I find that the best way to really enjoy the herb is by making pesto. A few weeks ago, I experimented with a pesto recipe my friend gave me. Because my cousin had been in a healthy-carbs-only diet, I decided to make Whole Wheat Pesto Pasta: 

Now I know it’s not the prettiest looking dish, but I will tell you now that looks are indeed deceiving. This was one of the best pesto pastas I’ve tasted, and you can ask anyone and they’ll tell you I’ve tasted a lot. Pesto pasta’s always been my go-to order when I can’t be bothered to peruse a restaurant’s menu. It’s always a safe bet. You can never go wrong with pesto—if you do, then you might as well close down your restaurant because pesto’s one of the easiest dishes to make.

Easy Peasy Pesto
Prep time: 10 mins
Yield: 4  to 6

What you need:
2 cups firmly packed basil leaves 
1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp grated pecorino cheese (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
salt, to taste
2 garlic cloves (or more, depending on your taste) 

 
Instructions:
1. Put the pine nuts on a non-stick pan over medium to high heat. Wait until roasted or when a yummy scent starts wafting from it. 
2. Chop the basil and garlic, and put in a food processor/blender with olive oil. Add the pine nuts and process until smooth. Add salt, to taste. 
3. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan and pecorino cheeses.
4. Reserve 2 tbsps of the pasta cooking water and add to the pesto to make a smooth sauce.
5. Toss with the hot pasta to coat well. Serve immediately with extra parmesan.

If you made too much of the sauce for one meal, you can store the leftover pesto in an airtight jar for up to a week in the refrigerator. Completely cover the surface of the pesto with a layer of oil. It may also be frozen in the same way for up to a month. :)