Pass The Sauce

House of Minis
26 April
Pre-88DB event

(A very emo) French Onion Soup
Php 80
[Photo by Jayvee]

My Mini Pepper Steak
Php 290

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Crowne Plaza
28 April
The Relaunch: Blue Water Day Spa

Sum’in very rich to match the rich services spa has to offer

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My dear future kids,

I heard from our neighbor’s daughter, (insert name here), that you’re envious of her mom’s cheesecake pops and hope that I’d make some myself. I regret to inform you that your wish won’t be granted anytime soon.

You see, when mommy started her food blog, she also joined this spanking network called The Daring Bakers. Every month, there’s a challenge members have to complete and come month end, they have to post up about it. Mommy’s first challenge were cheesecake pops. Remember those really yummy Toblerone mini cheesecakes I brought to school on your 5th birthday? Well I thought I’d ace my first challenge since I’ve been making cheesecakes since I was 12. Halfway, I realized that I was oh so wrong.

I didn’t have a roasting pan bigger than 10″ so I used a small wok instead and placed a little rock so that it errr wouldn’t rock.

I followed every instruction and measured to death. Based on the recipe, the cheesecake cooks up between 35-45 minutes. This is how my cheesecake looked like in 30 minutes (and her thermometer was accurate):

Bibingka or NY Cheesecake? Hmmmm

I had to scrape off a thicker than the usual (NY cheesecake) top to reveal what’s underneath. When I was balling up after chilling overnight, everything seems to be melting off still! Mommy blames the summer heat in the tropical islands for this! This made coating six hours after balling up a PAIN! The choco dip recipe that called for 1 pound chocolate + 2 tbsp. shortening was similar to your favorite (which I hope you’ll cut down pretty soon) Nutella spread when it’s supposed to be “dippable”! *sigh* After coating 8 balls, I slept everything off and thought that “shells” were better options.

Shells and sous chef to the rescue!

So are you ready to see what mommy and her sous chef made? heeeheeeheee

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Pop quiz my dear gourmets and foodies: Do you give bad restaurants second chances? Remember that small joint near your flat that served really good couscous but the waiting time just took forever? How about that really posh place that you love going to but serve hot soup cold? If your answer to my first question is yes, what are your dining “negotiables”?

You see, before I construct a review and hit that (WordPress) publish button, I try my best to dine in a “reviewee” twice before posting. I only have two exceptions:

• I wouldn’t be able to come back and dine anytime soon (like out of town/country dégustations)
• The reviewee has swept me off my feet on first bite

That said, let me share two Saturday dinners spent in one restaurant: Murray’s New Orleans. The steak we’ve had almost caused me to publish pre-maturely but my date, who loved the same piece of meat, has been bugging me to dine there again hence gave me some room to accept “negotiatiables.”

MNO’s al fresco bar at night

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The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf invites you to share your most memorable experiences while enjoying a soul-warming cup of Chai Latte or chilling out with friends over original Ice Blended drinks by joining My Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Story.

If your story is our cup of tea, you might just become the winner of a trip to Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA for 4 days and 3 nights, with accommodations and pocket money.

Click here for more details.

SLURPPPPPPPP!*

That’s what self-taught connoisseur and famed Master Tea Blender David DeCandia told me and a group of bloggers earlier to do with our paper cups filled with tea. Apparently, this allows you to actually enjoy and bathe your mouth with the full aroma of tea versus just plain sipping and gulping the drink down.

Sleepless and caffeine free, off we went to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (Paseo Center branch) with a vague idea of what’s about to happen. Before the introduction and the actual cupping session, we’ve been asked to drink and drink water to clear our palettes. Jayvee and I had to drink more than what the others had because we just split my favorite salad from CBTL, the Chinese Chicken Salad:

“I will never get tired of youuuu…”

Going back, here are some snaps from our interesting class earlier:

David and the gang

Juned, (1/16 of) Lauren, and Fritz checking out the tea leaves

CBTL’s tea vs. its competitors (the one on the right is Tazo from Starbucks)

Let the cupping begin!

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If you’re tired of the usual wine and cheese at Greenbelt 5, you might want to try a dash of Pinoy comfort food from SOLIHIYA:

Solihiya is a weave of different flavors that has shaped Filipino cuisine. We feature dishes that have been lovingly served in Filipino homes, mainstays of fiestas in the hacienda and of course, comfort food from the “panciterias” and “estero” restaurants from the old Binondo. A showcase of dishes that ha been enjoyed by all Filipinos, from Pinoy, Tisoy and the the Chinoys!

My usual date and I dined there last Saturday night after watching Altar Boyz (which was fun BTW). For some reason, we (separately) skipped meals the whole day making late dinner our first and last meal of the day! Am grateful that Solihiya cooperated: we had a very hearty meal that almost caused us to topple down on our bellies!

I love their chic and sexy utensils! It compliments the organic wall decor and bubble-like lighting.

A round of complimentary appetizers
I only had 3 pieces of dilis because my date ate almost everything! HMPH!

Crispy Breaded Tofu, PhP 130
Deep fried breaded tofu cubes with black vinegar sauce
BIG silky tofu squares paired with a sauce reminiscent of teriyaki and sesame oil. YUM!

Pinsec Frito, PhP 160
Crispy fried wanton wrappers with pork fillings
A personal favorite! I love that it’s drained (probably even paper towel dried) from all the oil, making eating by hand possible. I was about to ask for another order until I saw the next dish in line (see photo below).

Sizzling Bulalo, PhP 450
Beef shanks smothered in a garlic mushroom sauce served in a sizzling plate (can also be served in a non-sizzling plate)
My date LOVED this! I’m not exactly a bulalo fan but the beef just melts in your mouth! The garlic mushroom sauce puts an interesting twist to the traditional fatty Pinoy dish.

Binagoongan Belly, PhP 395
A must try! Sliced double cooked pork belly in a rich and flavorful dried shrimp paste sauce
While this doesn’t come close to my grandmother’s version, this goes down to my notebook as one of the good variations around. The bagoong’s saltiness is just right and there’s no fishy after taste too.

I’d definitely come back to this place when I am feeling for something very lokal. Don’t forget to order their bottomless iced tea (PhP 120) too! It’s house blended to perfection.

Solihiya
Unit 39 3/F Greenbelt 5
Makati City
(02) 729-8744

Dinner from Pinoydon (Podium) yesternight:

Kani Ensalada
I love the sesame oil that came with this!

Pinoydon Tofu

My Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf breakfast at 4pm is best savored in a lanai with a book at hand and two industrial fans on full power:

Guiltless Chocolate Delight

Is it just me or you’re also one of the foodies whom Cupcakes by Sonja hasn’t impressed (just yet)?

Red Velvet Vixen
Traditional southern cake made with Belgian cocoa and cream cheese icing
PhP65
Cream cheese icing’s too sweet, cupcake’s too dry.

Southern Pecan Cupcake Pie
Rich and tender homemade shortcrust with our special pecan filling made with heaps of pecan nuts bathed in sweet maple syrup
PhP98
Too sweet syrup on dry and hard shortcrust.

Raspberries and Cream*
Raspberry cake filled with Raspberries and topped with Rasp-Whipped Cream
PhP85
My Lancôme Juicy Tubes taste far better than this. Even JustDesserts agrees. Get it for your complimentary make-up sample and lesson from Bobbi Brown though.

Vanilla Sunshine
A classic and fluffy yellow cake topped with either vanilla or butter cream
PhP48
Yes, it’s a classic treat but it’s not in anyway fluffy! The butter cream was too sweet. While it’s bigger than my vanilla cupcake of the moment, I’d go for CC’s cupcakes over this on any day.

Cupcakes by Sonja
1C03 Serendra Piazza,
Bonifacio Global City
(02) 856-0308

*Thanks to Sophie for tipping me on the Raspberries Creme cupcake!

Do food bloggers post and share their cart contents? Am not too sure but as a beauty (and sort of fashion) blogger, it’s one of those silly things that we do: share the products of our retail therapy.

Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page

smitten ov’r my new read

I’ve been looking for this book forever! The foreword’s written by one of the best chefs and writers in my book, Madeleine Kamman. Recommended by a relative, this book is a truly formidable read!

Available at Fully Booked (Bonifacio High Street) for PhP1498.

Envirosax in Retro Kitchen #3 and Wilton’s Pure Vanilla Extract

I don’t come very often to Gourdo’s in The Fort (I frequent Promenade and Living Well, Podium) and finding Envirosax is such a wonderful surprise! I couldn’t decide which Retro Kitchen baggie to get but to be safe (too safe actually) I grabbed the pink one. The aqua’s such a beauty too!

The pure vanilla extract’s a staple in my kitchen. I need to have at least an extra bottle for backup. *wink*

ps. I also got a blocks of chocolates and a seamless knife the other day but am saving it for review.