Vegetables
Where are the mint leaves? I do understand that they’ve probably customized this platter for the Pinoy’s taste and the availability of each sprig but (ugh) this is just plain wrong! I will not in anyway put uncooked togue that looks like that in my mouth!

Manila

HCM City
(fix your eyes on the togue LOL)

CHA GIO (Deep Fried Spring Rolls)
They do look alike but I had to drain my spring rolls using a tissue before chowing them down. It’s also great that SC doesn’t like veggies otherwise the “siding” could’ve been an issue.

Manila
Yes, that’s a single leaf before your eyes.

HCM City

PHO BO DAC BIET (Pho with beef fillet, well done flank, fat brisket, soft tendon, tripe, muscle, and well-done brisket)
Well done? Soft? NOT! Comparing the two bowls, it is by standard that the pho’s topped by vegetables and not sprinkled. Get the pho from our local Pho 24 only if you have a mad MSG addiction.

Manila

HCM City

Iced Coffee
The only thing they got right. *whew*

Manila

HCM City

The most fun part about our Pho 24 Power Plant experience was getting our tab. Spring rolls, 2 bowls of pho, Coke Light, and a glass of iced coffee cost us almost Php 700! My suggestion: take your money to Pho Hoa (not Pho Bac) instead. They serve pho that tastes almost the same as the ones I’ve had in HCM City.

Pho 24
Power Plant Mall
Concourse Level, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella St.
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 897-8088

The facade of my new school

I just had my orientation last Saturday morning and I’ve already made a friend! heeeheee Classes start about a month and a half from now. Gah. I CANNOT WAIT!

In fact, I even worked with a pint every night I was in Singapore

*burp* excuse me

Ice cream’s one of the few snacks I can truthfully say I can eat my entire life. Growing up, it’s actually my parents’ favorite bribe because I’ll do everything for the cool treat (or in this case, reward). It’s also one of those snacks that truly comfort me. I cried the entire night last Sunday after learning that my grandfather passed away and running to Amici (Don Bosco) first thing in the following day for a scoop of sans rival gelato (followed by a scoop of blueberry) honestly felt like a bigggg hug. *sigh*

Two days after the whole “running to Amici” ish, I found myself in Mall Of Asia eating my favorite comfort food…

ice cream heeeheee

As a frequent Marrionaud shopper, I never miss Häagen-Dazs’ pretty

interiors

and exteriors

I can afford to just look at these colorful bins the entire day

but chowing them down my way is much, much more fun!

I also got the chance to go behind the counter (no that’s not me, I looked TOO GIDDY in my photos) and take photos of their new cakes (serves 8-12):

Strawberry Passion (PhP 2500, available only from May 1-July 31, 2008),
“Indulgent Strawberry ice cream underneath luscious strawberries generously surrounded with rich marble dark chocolate.”

Full of Bliss (Php1600),
“An abundance of fruits and nuts. Layers of Vanilla & Chocolate ice cream topped with chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, chopped almonds, pistachios, and seasonal fruits”

and Chocolate Royalle (Php 1950).
“Macadamia Nut or Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream coated with rich dark chocolate and adorned with sea shell chocolates and pearls.”

After shooting around, sous chef and I were presented two plates:

This baby aka. Dark Chocolate Orange Brownie (Php 350) sure is something!

(grabs a glass of water)
“Dark Chocolate Orange ice cream perfectly matched with refreshing Mango sorbet and served with Macadamia Nut brownie. A delicious twist!”

Before I could even grab my spoon, the surprise popped up!

Orange rinds!

I should tell you that the Dark Chocolate Orange Brownie is for the serious chocoholic. I loved it because I am a BIG fan of dark chocolate. Sous chef found it very rich hence feasted on plate #2 instead:

Waffle Dream (Php 310)

(this is the part where SC forks on the waffles quickly, leaving me with the ice cream )
“An appetite of luxury. A freshly baked waffle served with your choice of any two scoops of ice cream, fresh strawberry, banana slices and maple syrup.”

SC’s waffle
OC! OC! OC! heeeheee

I think they ran out of strawberry, reason why we got a cherry instead. We got their classic vanilla ice cream (a good breather from the dark chocolate orange ice cream) and it was delightfully topped with almond flakes. I can still remember how dreamy the warm waffle and cool ice cream felt in my mouth!

How to order a Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream Cake:

• Call 357-2145 from 9am to 4pm Mondays-Fridays or visit the Häagen-Dazs shop at the SM Mall of Asia. They are open daily from 10am - 10pm.
• Place your order at least 2 days in advance (you’re still good if you want to give Mom a cake on Sunday!)
• Pay with cash or any major credit card upon ordering at the Häagen-Dazs shop or upon pick-up.

Häagen-Dazs - Mall of Asia
2/F Main Mall
SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
+632 357-2145

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

My Mini Pepper Steak
Php 290

***

Crowne Plaza
28 April
The Relaunch: Blue Water Day Spa

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

***

Labor Day
At home

Dad bought this kick ass electric ice crusher! YAY! Mais Con Yelo 24/7!

***

Bon Appetit Patisserie and Café
02 May
Post-MYOH 2008

French Onion Soup
Php 85

***

Club Manila East
03 May
Family Outing

v. sexy lines…I like!

shuttle on our way to the villa

dried pork

Cheetos!

Kirkland dried fruits and nuts

grilled porkchop

beef + ampalaya

pork binagoongan

chix lollipops

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

1 of 8-1.5 ounce cheesecake pops coated with white chocolate and sprinkles (to match my blog’s theme LOL)

My sous chef’s project/artwork

Ha’vd

Is your milk tooth starting to rock just by looking at it? Oh yes they should cause they’re sweeeeeeet! Your uncle Richard says it tastes like CHEESE while the sous chef almost got an asthma attack after half of 1 .5 oz pop!

So my loves, until mommy finds a good cheesecake and dip recipe to work with, you’d have to settle with my carrot cake and rocky road bars.

Love,

Mom

ps. While I hope to meet you in the future, I hope that the future isn’t very soon!

Cheesecake Pops
Makes 30 – 40 Pops

Ingredients:
5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed
Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks
1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Procedure:
Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

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

Dinner #1: Post birthday of Jayvee’s friend

Per celebrant’s request, Jayvee and I made reservations in the non-smoking area one early Saturday night. We told the receptionist to save seats in the non-smoking area. After an hour or so, we came back with everyone in tow. Inside the non-smoking area, we were given the middle table (the one just outside the kitchen). It’s a Saturday night and we’re dead hungry so instead of giving our slot for better seats, we just took it.

Before we could even place our orders, our group of five’s already freezzzzzing to death. You will be too if you’re seated in that table because the package type a/c vent’s directed to you! We naturally requested that the vent be put up only to hear “Sir, sira po sya eh (trans: Sir, it’s broken).” Option B’s to put the temperature down but with a full house, you can only do so much. The server turned the temp down after about an hour (just in time for the steak).

Here’s what we’ve had:

French Onion with Dumpling Soup, PhP 105

Six Layered Chicken Barbecue Nachos, PhP 205

Cajun Shrimp Popcorn and Calamari Platter, PhP 295

Cajun Blackened Ribs, PhP 599

Skip the soup, shrimp popcorn & calamari, and the ribs but do order the nachos and steak! I ordered the soup because I have this search for the best French onion soup in town (any recommendations?). The dumpling factor I must admit, is something new (to me at least). The shrimp popcorn & calamari is well, just plain shrimp popcorn & calamari (I believe we didn’t even finish it). The ribs, is just your average Cajun ribs. Add about PhP 300 and go to Tony Roma’s instead. The diced mango on the nacho’s a fresh detail I am a fan of. The steak (oh my gawd…the steak) is definitely something! I don’t eat steaks (and lamb) very often because I feel that even with the most exquisite dishes or pastries, if you have something really good very often, its appeal will diminish in time. Note that for me though, North Park’s 3 kinds of mushroom soup with whole wheat noodles and chicken isaw’s an exception to this theory.

This is what we got from about a handful of steaks, sauces, sidings, and cocking options:

11 oz. Brazilian Tenderloin, Tri-Peppered Steak and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato PhP 795

A steak expert should be able to tell what’s wrong in that photo with one look. For us occasional steak gubbers, take a look at the sauce. It’s red, right? That’s because it’s…ketchup! The guy who ordered it called the server and asked why he’s been given a ketchup when a tri-peppered steak is served not with ketchup but a blackpepper sauce. The server’s reaction “Sir naubusan po kami ng blackpepper sauce (trans: Sir we ran out of blackpepper sauce).” Oh geez. The steak, thank heavens, was cooked and rubbed well with tri-pepper hence turned out pretty good. No need to dip into the ketchup.

Dinner #2: Whining Friday

The “Whining Friday” dinner was spent with two ladies and my usual date (not complaining!) after a couple of events in Glorietta. Jayvee and I recommended that we get the exact same steak (I crossed my fingers that they’ll give us blackpepper sauce this time) and the nachos. We also got their local premium tenderloin in the same cocking (tri-pepper) but with the “New Orleans House Steak” sauce.

MAC Bow checking out the six layered chicken nachos

While accidents happen (I make a lot of serving booboos myself), hungry guests do not like their nachos slipping off the plate while being served. We waited for about 15minutes to be served and another 8-10minutes to be re-served. (sigh)

The steak’s still remarkable (am glad we didn’t disappoint our steak lover Sophie). We were served with the blackpepper sauce this time. Sophie and I’re guessing that the sauce is made of ground white and black pepper heated in extra virgin olive oil with almost caramelized brown sugar. The local premium tenderloin was thinner than the Brazilian of course but it wasn’t so bad. The house steak sauce was so-so.

Just when we thought the slippery nachos was the highlight of the night, the veggies nabbed it! I was about to fork out good bunch from the serving plate when I saw one of those lettuce worms! I don’t know what it’s called but we all saw it! Thing is, we were so hungry to report nor take a photo of it because they might just take our plate away (again). I just inspected the meat and the mashed potato, checked for foreign or moving objects, then gave the hungry gang a go signal to dig in.

I can go on forever telling you about the times the server served us drinks we didn’t get but that will just give this place a roadkill.

Any recs where to get good steak and good service? I give bad restos second chances.

New Orleans Bourbon Street Steaks & Oysters
B6 Bonifacio High Street
Taguig City
(02) 856-4326

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.

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!

Cheers, David!

TRIVIA: Did you know that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf uses the “two leaves and the bud approach” when picking their tea leaves? They do this knowing that the bud gives the cup the fruity and floral flavors and aromas while the leaves give the cup the body necessary to complete the cup. (ahhhhh)

In David’s hands: a steeped sprig of the Fancy Formosa Dragon Oolong

Below are the five kinds of tea we tried:

Genmaicha Green is a blend of high quality Sencha tea and partially toasted rice. The Sencha leaf provides a delicate taste while the toasted rice adds body and sweetness to the finish.

Aroma: toasty
Body: light
Flavor: toasty, full-flavored with sweet finish
Origin: Japan

I would love to cap a fish or chicken dish with this one. It’s crisp and light and the toasted rice finish is a good break from the usual caffeine toast we grab.

Fancy Formosa Dragon Oolong is specially hand-picked, semi-oxidized and both pan and basket fried. Only the young whole leaves are sued, evidenced by the silver tippiness of the tea leaves.

Aroma: subtle floral
Body: medium
Flavor: hint of peach
Origin: China

Pass me a cup of this one after a sweet and sour dish or crustaceans, please. It would be the PERFECT finale!

Apricot Ceylon is this Bogawantalawa Estate Ceylon Black Tea from Sri Lanka is known for its special mellowness. Flavored with Apricot, this tea is well-balanced with fruity aroma and a light body.

Aroma: floral and fruity
Body: light
Flavor: apricot
Origin: Sri Lanka

This is a fun variant. It strangely reminded me and AJ of St. Ives’ Apricot Scrub though because of (errrr) the apricot scent. This will definitely go down the books of fruit lovers.

Chai by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has a special recipe that is blended by hand using the using only the finest blend of Black Tea, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and other spices. These give an exotic aroma and spicy taste to this flavorful tea.

Aroma: spicy
Body: full
Flavor: cardamon, clove, cinnamon

I missed to tell David that a huge chunk of my payroll goes to this drink of theirs. I am absolutely hooked on this drink since the day we met. It’s terribly relaxing and invigorating at the same time. If you haven’t tried this, jot “drink CBTL’s HOT Chai Tea Latte” in your “things to do before I die” list NOW.

African Sunrise is a The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf original blend. It has not yet been released anywhere in the world and will be first sampled here in the Philippines.

AN ABSOLUTE MUST TRY! Chai used to be my favorite until I met this! It’s got this delish sweet, vanilla creaminess that just lingers in your mouth! I cannot wait for this to be launched here in the Philippines sometime mid 2008!

Interesting facts I learned tonight:

• All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant and the popular kinds are black, green, and oolong.
• Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world next to water.
• A cup of brewed tea typically contains less than half the caffeine of a cup of coffee.
• Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia.
• At harvest time, the glossy whole leaves and young new shoots are plucked and processed for optimal freshness.
• Each new crop of tea derives its unique taste from the particular environmental and climactic conditions of that region, including soil and water, as well as the care and technique of the tea grower.
• During oxidation, tea leaves undergo natural chemical reactions that result in distinctive color and taste characteristics.

To cup cap this interesting experience, we were treated to their best selling goodies! YAY!

My “dinner”

Whoever said that tea is no fun versus coffee is just soooo wrong!

*Do not do this in public, please.

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

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