Recipe: Singaporean Shrimps

My version of the Singaporean shrimps minus the sweet, sour and spicy medley. This is a little more on the spicy side(since I forgot to put sugar) but appeals to my palate nonetheless.

My personal take - I could probably do better with the spice, but it goes well with rice!

Ingredients:
5 pieces medium hard shell tiger prawns
Ginger, tiny strips
Garlic, minced
Maggi Chili Sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
White Wine
1 teaspoon olive oil

Procedure:
Rub prawns with salt and pepper.
Line pan with ginger and garlic.
Add prawns on top and add a very small amount of water.
Cook in slow fire, with a cover. Allow it to simmer.
Add a teaspoon of olive oil.
Add Maggi chili sauce and white wine to the mixture.
Remove pan from fire and serve.

Server 3 to 4 persons.

It was quite late in the evening already when I decided to cook this, so I didn’t get the chance to pick fresh red chili from the backyard. However, the chili sauce sat quite well with the overall taste of the dish. This was the first time I ever used bottled chili sauce in prawn dishes and I’m quite happy with how it came out.

If you ever get the chance to try this at home, do let me know how you find it!

Recipe: Sauteed Chinese Water Spinach

I’d like to share another simple recipe that you can try out at home. It’s very easy to follow and I usually have this ever 2 weeks or so. It is a very healthy and very basic way of cooking chinese kangkong.

I usually get my supply of green leafy Chinese Kangkong from S&R because according to our help, the kangkong sold in the market are not the good kind. They’re not the cultured type which are grown in very controlled environment.  This is how a finished product looks like.

…and here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:
A bundle of Chinese Water Spinach (Chinese Kangkong)
1 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onions, finely chopped
1 cube of pork seasonin
1 teaspoon olive oil

Procedure:
Saute garlic and onions in olive oil until golden brown. Remove 3/4s from heat for garnishing.
Add cut up and washed chinese kangkong and add 1/4 cup of water.
Add pork cubes and cover the pan for 3-4 minutes.
Stir in oyster sauce to add flavor.
Garnish with garlic bits and serve.

Serves 2-3 persons.

If you’ve tried this recipe at home, I’d like to know how you find it! Do drop me a line here!

An S&R Field Day

Surprisingly, my weekend is empty when I woke up on Saturday, except for a derma appointment at 230pm. So I decided to go for a long overdue shopping at S&R. I had to get fresh meat produce for an adobo I promised to cook for Carla, and also buy some stuff for the house since I haven’t done grocery shopping for the past month.

With a very short list of things to buy, I actually ended up filling up my trunk with bags full of groceries and what nots. There was just so much to buy at S&R - especially the meats and seafood section. Since it was pretty late to go home and cook lunch, we decided to have lunch at S&R.

My favorite - Bottomless soda for Php35.00

Combination Pizza good enough for 2 - Php85.00

Although I am particularly obsessed with super thin crust pizza because I always liked it thin and crispy, I would say the S&R pizza continue to win it for me in the thick crust pizza arena. True enough, the secret is in the dough, and S&R’s pizza continue to live up to this mantra. This pizza is a must have for me every time I visit the store. Aside from the soft dough, the generous layer of mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, olives and green bell peppers, make this pizza a perfect choice for me!

Pepperoni and Cheese Calzone - Php99.0

Imagine slicing into a pastry, with a medley of pepperoni in tomato sauce and rich mozzarella cheese oozing out of the shell. This calzone really drove me nuts! It was just how I liked my Calzone - less meat, less sauce and more cheese! For me, this rich “Pepperzoni”, is a home-run hitter beating every calzone I’ve tried in all food chains.

Things you wanna know but were afraid to ask:
Taste √ √ √ √ √
Presentation √ √ √
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Ambience √ √
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Price € €

Parking: Free
Dress Code: Casual

S&R Membership Shopping
32nd and 5th Street
Bonifacio Global City
Tel. 888-0640

Other Branches:

S&R Aseana
S&R Alabang
S&R Congressional

Recipe: Tenderloin Pot Roast

I didn’t have much to do, so I decided to sleep the afternoon through and prepare dinner. I wasn’t really expecting anyone, but I wanted to cook anyway. So I did. It’s a rare occasion for me to actually have time to cook these days and I savor every moment of it. I took out a 300g beef tenderloin from the fridge, which I bought from S&R yesterday and decided to make Tenderloin Pot Roast.

I’d like to share with you the recipe of how I made this really yummy dish…

Ingredients:
300g beef tenderloin
2 cubes of beef seasoning
5 cloves of garlic
Thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
Soy sauce
White wine
Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 can button mushrooms, thinly sliced
Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup

Procedure:

Slowcooking the Meat:
Using a small knife, make 4-5 deep incisions in the meat, cutting crosswise. Pound and insert thinly sliced garlic between the incisions.
Rub salt, pepper and thyme all over the meat. Rub meat with mustard.
In a pressure cooker, prepare a marinade made of 2.5 cups of water, garlic, a teaspoons of soy sauce and a generous amount of white wine (in the absence of red wine, I used white wine instead since that is what I have in the ref). Add salt and pepper to taste.
Put your meat in the marinade and pressure cook in slow fire for 40 mins.

Frying the Meat:
In a pan, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add a spoonful of butter.
When it heats up, fry the meat by rolling through the melted butter.
Fry it to a golden brown.
Slice thinly and arrange in a plate.

Preparing the Cream Sauce:
After the meat is cooked, use the broth from the meat to prepare the creamy mushroom sauce. Take 1/2 cup of meat broth and mix it in a pan with butter, garlic and button mushrooms.
Let it simmer for a while and add a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom sauce.
Stir until cream is consistent.
Pour cream sauce over meat slices and serve.

Serves 4-5 persons

…and this is how it looked half way through dinner.

Pardon my lack of consistency, as I’m really bad with recipes — I can never follow anything written to a T. I like to experiment so this is pretty much what you get. I also don’t measure stuff, because I love to cook based on how my taste buds would react to it. This is the first recipe I will share in this blog and also the first time I ever tried cooking tenderloin pot roast.

Let me know when you got the chance to try it out. Mine turned out to be better than I expected… so I hope this recipe will also meet your tastebuds liking!

Best Strawbery Ice Cream Ever!

I have been a Häagen-Dazs^® loyal customer since 1998. Although they were not readily available in the province, I would always find a way to source them, whether from visiting friends or if I were going out on a trip - I always made sure I had my fill. One pint of fresh strawberry ice cream - handpacked please!

Not that I don’t eat local brands - I do! But if I can get it my way, I would prefer having a pint of Haagen-Dazs’ strawberry ice cream in my freezer. This is the only strawberry ice cream that really measures up to my expectations. I love how real strawberry fruit bits are infused in rich pure cream, teasing your palate in every spoonful of strawberry goodness!

Häagen-Dazs^® Ice Cream is available in your local Supermarkets and Grocery Stores. There are also Haagen-Dazs stalls in major malls and the one and only Haagen-Dazs Cafe in Mall of Asia.

Lord Stow’s Egg Tarts

I can vividly recall a typical weekend with the girls (mom and my 2 siblings). We would often go to the parlor to have manicure, pedicure, perm, trim, and do just about anything, before heading to the mall. Being the youngest in the family, I always end up getting bored to death waiting for my sisters and mom getting their hair done. There’s an eggpie store a few stalls away from the parlor, that we used to frequent. I would often ask mom to buy me 1-2 pieces so I would shut up and stop complaining while waiting for them. I remember only eating the egg filling and throwing away the dry crust. I never liked the crust they used in egg pie because it was so bland and difficult to swallow.

When I finally moved to Manila in 1996, my sister introduced me to Lord Stow’s Egg Tarts. She used to work at a clinic in Connecticut in Greenhills and would often bring some home after work. I loved eggpies, but fell in love with Lord Stow’s Egg Tarts the moment I tied one. This is by far the best egg dessert I have ever had in my whole life.

While doing my groceries at Market Market, I was surprised to see that there is actually a Lord Stow’s store in the corner! I immediately bought myself a box of 6.

Over the years, Lord Stow’s Bakery has maintained the quality of the egg tarts they are so known for. Lord Stow’s egg tarts have the finest pastry crust that I have ever tried. The tarts are soft, with the right amount of sweetness that goes in every bite. I just love it!

Things you wanna know but were afraid to ask:
Taste √ √ √ √ √
Presentation √ √ √ √ √
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Price € €

*** As of this writing, one egg tart costs Php36.00.

Parking: depends on the location.
Dress Code: Casual

Lord Stow’s Bakery
Market Market
Bonifacio Global City

Other Branches:

SM Mall of Asia
Phone: +63 2 9151951

Banawe St., Quezon City
Phone: +63 2 7315072

Madison Square
Phone: +63 2 7279328

Imperial Sky Garden, Ongpin
Phone: +63 2 7315072

Glorietta Food Choices
Phone: +63 2 7285412

UCC and Me

My addiction with UCC Coffee started when I first tried their Sumiyaki Coffee. I don’t know what is in that brew that I can’t help but go for a second cup all the time! Lately, I have found myself frequenting UCC, not for the Wifi connection, or for the coffee… rather for the ambience and desserts!

I find particular interest in their smoothies, with the Kiwi Strawberry smoothie topping my list. My friend Christy ordered a tall glass of Oreo Smoothie. Mmmmm…looks yummy!

On the parfaits, the Fruit Parfait is a sure winner! The Coffee Jelly parfait used to be a personal favorite but I kind of outgrew the taste. The whipped cream is so rich in these ice cream desserts that I can’t stop from counting the calories in every bite!

and of course the cakes… I make it a point to try a new cake each time I visit, and there are some that I keep going back to UCC for - including the Moist Chocolate Cake, the Blueberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Xanadu and Better than Sex… Yes, you got it right. This piece of immaculately divine chocolate caramel cake is every bit what it’s known for and more. Everyone who’s had their fork into this cake couldn’t help but utter “oooohs” and “mmmhhsss” in each bite. Topped with UCC’s signature caramel icing, this chocolate cake is a medley of bitter sweet chocolatey goodness, oozing with sweet creamy filling coated by semi-sweet choco cake crumbs. Indeed, sinfully irresistible!

In one of my visits in UCC along Tomas Morato, I was surprised to know that they serve Frozen Brazo de Mercedes in two flavors - Green Tea and Strawberry. I opted to go for the green tea and I couldn’t be any happier. Like a little girl enjoying my cake(or ice cream?) down to the last bite, I couldn’t help but smile the whole time! The sweetness was just right, the texture was a creamy like a real ice cream cake. I couldn’t make out the ingredients in the crust, but it felt like crushed pastry. It’s not quite the typical Brazo de Mercedes that everyone in my family loved while we were growing up, but it’s a good dessert nonetheless. It just doesn’t measure up to the brazo de mercedes that I knew and loved while I was a kid.

While UCC is known for its coffee, desserts and beverages, it has expanded its offering to a wide selection of modern japanese meals, ranging from sandwiches, breakfast specials, pasta dishes and full course meals. My personal favorite includes the Seafood Kani Sandwich and the Cliffhanger, although I’ve been trying to avoid it for the longest time since it’s soooo unhealthy dripping in oil after deep frying the sandwich! Annams ordered a plate of Chicken Teriyaki with Waffles and Side Salad, that looked really yummy!

Among all the coffee chains, UCC will always rank close to my heart for 3 things - ambience, presentation and quality of service. And I love lime on my water - they happen to be the only coffee shop in the metro that serves this! Although a bit on the upscale side among coffee shops, UCC is and always will be my favorite coffee shop and dessert place.

Things you wanna know but were afraid to ask:
Taste √ √ √ √ √
Presentation √ √ √ √ √
Cleanliness √ √ √ √
Ambience √ √ √ √ √
Service √ √ √ √ √
Price € € € €

Parking: depends on the location. In malls, there is pay parking just close by, in Fort Bonifacio, parking is free. In Tomas Morato - Valet Parking is available.
Dress Code: Casual

UCC Cafe
26th Street, Forbes Town
Bonifacio Global City
Phone: +63 2 8451365

Other Branches:

SM Mall of Asia
Phone: +63 2 5560446

Paseo Center
Phone: +63 2 8102210

Rockwell Drive
Phone: +63 2 4030123

Westgate Center
Phone: +63 2 7711549

Greenhills Connecticut
Phone: +63 2 7261728

The Podium
Phone: +63 2 6873107

Tomas Morato
Phone: +63 2 9286964

Glorietta 3 Park
Phone: +63 2 818744

Ciao Bella hits the Metro

Eversince I was a kid, I have already been a big fan of ice cream. When the Magnolia Ice Cream cakes and fun sticks became popular in Manila in the 80’s, my sister would painstakingly handcarry a box with dry ice for me everytime she went home to the province. Yes, she loved me that much!

I grew fond of ice cream - any kind, from any brand - except Mango-flavored ones! Although I have to admit as I grew older, I became biased to the foreign brands because they are creamier and richer in flavor!

My trip to the grocery store is never complete without paying the frozen section a visit. I was planning to get me a pint of Haagen Dazs Strawberry(my favorite of all!) but my gaze rested upon the colorful pints of Ciao Bella Gelato! I was totally surprised to find out that Ciao Bella is now available in selected Rustan’s Fresh and Shopwise Groceries across the Metro!

I immediately reached for a pint of Pistacchio flavored Gelato - with real pistachio nuts!

My verdict? Despite its high fat content and unusually softer, smoother texture than ice cream, I would definitely go back to the grocery to stack up on my next pint of Ciao Bella Gelato! After all the waiting, I have finally found gelato that’s readily available, and one that I can bring home to my freezer… for one of those long nights infront of the tube!

Celebrating with John and Yoko

GTM Manila had two reasons to celebrate - Ann’s exciting new life in Prague and Francis’ bold move to take on the GTM Role. We wanted to make it a special send off for Ann and a welcome dinner for Francis, so we decided to turn one of our regular GTM meetings into a more casual dinner at John and Yoko in Greenbelt 5.

The red-and-blue-themed interior at John and Yoko greeted us, as we stroll along the 2nd floor of the new posh Greenbelt 5. The cozy interior suggests a very modern, cosmopolitan mood for a Japanese restaurant. This had been my first time to actually dine there, although I have always been a big fan of SumoSam in Shangri-la, so the menu was nothing of a surprise to me.

We were seated at a middle table that seats 4 people - talk about underestimating our appetite! The friendly staff greeted us, distributed the menu and patiently waited for us to pick our orders — but not after we asked her to take our photo!

Service was pretty efficient, despite the restaurant being packed with diners checking out and more diners coming in. Before we could even make up our minds on the entree, our starters already arrived one by one. The Tuna Sashimi came first, which was a little bit disappointing.

The fish looks like it had been defrosted and drained of water, it looked bit soggy, but it was still okay. It wasn’t rotten at all but I guess it just failed my expectations, as I was half-expecting class A tuna grade that has not gone through the freezer.

The California Roll is not as bad as it looks on the photo. It is actually one of the best California Rolls I’ve ever had in my entire life! the idea of putting a bit of kani salad on top was also great - I just love kani salad!

The Venetian Roll was also surprisingly excellent! I know it’s not real japanese maki, but I was quite impressed at how ingenious the idea is, of having sausages in my japanese rolls! I’m a big sausage fan so this is something I would definitely try doing in my kitchen one of these days.

We ordered 3 entrees (yes, we were not very hungry!). First to arrive was the Japaella. I know the photo I took would not do justice to how good this dish actually tastes . This paella is nothing like all the paellas I’ve had in my entire life. It is a bit sweet and tastes like teriyaki. There is something about this paella that I can’t just seem to dip my fingers on, but it is really good. The tiger prawns and chicken teriyaki strips on top was also very generous.

Next entree to arrive was the Beef Teppan. We preferred to have it well done but it actually arrived medium well. Due to lack of space in the table, the Beef Teppan did not attract as much attention as the Japaella did, which was sitting right smack in the center of the table. The beef was actually tender but as a dish, it wasn’t quite spectacular.

To top off the night, our last entree arrived when we were just about ready to give up on all the food on the table. Nits highly recommended that we try the Salmon in mild Wasabi Cream and it came in last. When the dish arrived, I thought it actually looked quite sloppily prepared. The salmon was too small and it looks as though it was swimming in a pool of white wasabi cream sauce. However, my hesitation disappeared when I took my first bite. It was very good! I just had to take a 2nd bite… and then a 3rd and so on.

Overall, my dining experience at John and Yoko was fabulous! I loved the ambience, it was busy but relaxed in a peculiar way. It was also a perfect place to have conversation with people. The noise and music was just loud enough to actually accommodate groups who love to exchange stories.

Things you wanna know but were afraid to ask:
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Presentation √ √ √ √
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Price € € € €

Parking: Php 30-45.00 for the first 2-3 hours
Dress Code: Casual

John and Yoko
2nd Floor Greenbelt 5
Legaspi Street
Makati City
Tel No: +63 2 729-8698

Hawaiian BBQ in Mall of Asia

When Hawaiian Barbeque opened at the Boutique in Tagaytay, it has always been one of my favorite destinations outside the metro. The cozy interiors of the Boutique welcomes weekend couples and visitors to its lounge cum restaurant, The Original Hawaiian Barbeque, that opens up to a veranda where patrons could choose to dine al fresco.

After going around the car show one saturday, we decided to check out the rows of restaurants along the bay area of MOA. Our eyes landed on the not-so-recently opened Hawaiian Barbeque. We decided to go for the big one, so a large plate of The Original Hawaiian BBQ and a large plate of Spam Rice to share.

We also ordered a plateful of chicken glazed with some coconut milk sauce and ginger, which was also surprisingly good! Voracious eaters that we are, one large plate of spam rice and a medium order of the hawaiian barbeque plate had to be added to fill the stomachs of 5 hungry souls.

I don’t know if it’s just me but comparing my dining experience in Tagaytay and MOA, the food was way better and bigger in Tagaytay, but the service was quicker and more efficient in MOA. However, there was a miss in our first spam rice plate — it did not contain any SPAM at all, but chicken barbeque flakes!

On the cleanliness front, I’m not sure if it’s the kind of tiles that they use, but it seems that the floor was not so sparkling clean on both visits. But that’s just me, nitpicking. Price wise, it wasn’t too cheap, neither was it too expensive. Our bill was around 2,500.00 enough to feed 5 really hungry customers and a doggy bag full of bones for Atlas, and half a plate of SPAM rice and half a rack of ribs to go.

Overall, the dining experience was great and I will definitely go back.

Things you wanna know but were afraid to ask:
Taste √ √ √ √
Presentation √ √ √ √
Cleanliness √ √ √
Ambience √ √ √
Service √ √ √
Price € € € €

Parking: Flat rate of P25.00 along MOA Bayside area
Dress Code: Anything goes

The Original Hawaiian Barbeque
San Miguel by the Bay
Seaside Boulevard
SM Mall of Asia Breakwater
Mobile: +63 927 3632660

Other Branches:

The Boutique
45 Aguinaldo Hi-way
Silang Crossing East
Tel No. +63 46 413-1885
+63 46 413-1795
+63 46 413-1698

Station 1, Boracay Island
Balabag, Aklan

Been to the Original Hawaiian Barbeque? Tell us what you think!