Foodie Manila

It was just one of those days every foodie dreads. As soon as one wakes up, the unmistakable grumbling of the tummy makes itself felt and even before you touch the floor with your bare feet you know you it was one of those days. “What to eat?” It sounds to benign and innocent. It seems as if the problem of what to ingest after an hours of sleep would matter less just as long as the daily nutrition is met. And yet the question has started some of the most important pieces of art/history/wars, and whatnot you can think of. (Ok ok, I’m overreacting, but one has to admit that it is a very very important question in our lives.)

The other day, I woke up. The air was as usual cold and dry due to the A/C unit and I knew. I knew what I wanted to have for breakfast. I wanted SPAM and eggs. Yes so much drama for SPAM and EGGS, but you have to understand where I am coming from. Waking up and expecting a good/awesome breakfast is not usually the case (unless mom wakes up early and makes it before she leaves!)

Life’s one of greatest pleasures I think is getting exactly what you want at the time you want it. It may be as simple as SPAM and Eggs but hey I was happy! I like my SPAM cut thinly, and fried to a crisp!

Spam and Eggs

I usually have my SPAM w/ 2 eggs but since I am trying to cut down I decided to just have one. Such a simple meal and yet I was so happy! Crispy Spam (actually it was Ma-ling, but it was still good!) perfectly cooked egg and garlic rice. I wish life was this simple!

I’ve been eating quite unhealthily these past few months. Although I have lost some weight, it still does not explain for eating so terribly. (Also quite a strain on my wallet!) Therefore, I vowed to myself to start eating healthily both for me and my wallet’s sake!

I was racking my brain to come up with a solution for my predicament and on my way home I came up with an idea. Why not just cook my food at the office? But given the scarcity of cooking utensils, I had to find a work around. I came with an idea; Steaming!

For the net week or so I will be steaming my food. Carrots, Brocolli, and Onions as for my protein, siomai, and cream dory in light soy sauce, ginger, and onion leeks should do me well for the next few months. Market Market grocery will be my friend. I don’t know though if my recipe will hold up. Also, I am choosing between a rice cooker or an electric steamer. Any suggestions?

I’ve been meaning to write about this place ever since Wil and I visited it during one Serenitea session. I’ve been craving for it ever since then. I regard it as my comfort food. Ma Mon Luk and Le Ching aside, I regard this place as one of the comfort foods already. I guess I just have a soft spot for chinese food.

As advertised, the noodles were hand pulled and prepared each time for the days consumption. I guess over time they have determined more or less how much noodles they actually consume. I was watching a feature on this on the travel and living channel and it really is an art to get the noodles the way they are. I wish the person who prepares it would do a show, similar to flare-tending only with noodles, for the patrons one time.

Sitting quietly along Wilson St, its none intimidating demeanor beckons one to try it out. Reminiscent of those traditional chinese hole-in-the-wall, the insides were clean and sanitary and the service quick and efficient.

Tonight’s dinner did not intend to be a review of this place. It was just a gathering of sorts of Foodies and Food bloggers alike. With some light conversation and a hearty meal, the night turned out to be one I would remember for quite some time.

Beijing Hand Pulled Noodles

Following my trend lately, I shot this set guerrilla style. Primarily because this wasn’t really an invited meal or feature, I just used my flash and camera and took pictures as the food we ordered arrived.

I ordered my usual Dry Braised Beef Noodles. Since this is a place I considered as a comfort food zone, I rarely go adventurous and order something I am not familiar with. I always stick to the staples.

Dry Braised Beef Noodles

I also needed to order 2 orders, (Thats 14 lamb dumplings! just because they were so damn good!)

Lamb Dumplings

The other foodies also ordered different variations of noodles.

Dry Chicken Noodles

Dry Fish Noodles

Tea!

As with my previous post, I’ve noticed that good food is only one part of the equation to a great meal. Company is the lacking part. Solve one problem, the other missing variable still presents or rears its ugly head. I am blessed to have 2 simple dinners, but great meals. As with any gathering, guess what the Foodies and Food bloggers ended up talking about? Food!!

Thanks to Fran for this picture of the club!

Beijing Hand Pulled Noodles

Till next meeting Guys!

So I’ve finally gotten to a point wherein I need some cards printed out for Foodie Manila. More and more restos are asking and when I do eat a place I enjoy and want to feature them properly I end up giving my business card instead of the Foodie Manila card. I’ve designed it now and I just want to know what you guys think.

Leave a comment here please! Thanks In Advance!

I had the pleasure of eating with Between Bites and “Bubba” (ok chris I really gotta get used to calling you that since apparently that is your online name!) after a company event. I was a bit shy since “Bubba” (sorry Chris will put this in quotation marks muna!) was there and I’m a shy person really! They decided to go have dinner at ThaiDara, a Thai resto place located at Gilmore. Having limited knowledge about Thai food I didn’t even try to order for myself and left everything to Between Bites to choose.

We had good conversation about food, photography, the event, life and everything. I haven’t shot guerilla style in a long time ever since I got my strobe setup. I was lucky to have decent shots for this blog post. Armed with just my speedlight I set out to capture what would be one of the best meals this year so far!

Interior of ThaiDara

ThaiDara

On the menu was:

Tom Yan Gai

Tom Yan Gai

According to Between Bites, it is the Famous Thai spicy soup with mushroom, lemongrass, galangga, and kaffir leaves. I’ve always wondered what Tom Yan was. I actually liked the soup. A bit less spicy for my taste, but I enjoyed it. You can order it in Chicken or Seafood. We had seafood.

Thai BBQ Chicken

Thai BBQ Chicken

I actually really enjoyed this dish. This was something I’ve tasted before. Aside from Pad Thai, this is another Thai dish that I really enjoyed. The skin was nice and charred but didn’t have the burnt flavor. I didn’t even need to use the dipping sauce which was sweet and sour!

Green Curry

Green Curry

This was something I took only a little of. I am not fond of curry. I don’t think I will develop a taste for it. It was actually pretty good, so I wonder what RED curry would taste like. Maybe its something I can stomach myself through. (Pun intended!)

Yellow Curry Rice

Yellow Curry Rice

Now Thai Rice is something I REALLY LIKE. What with all the pineapples, seafood, nuts, and different flavors. I’ve always ordered one of their variations of Fried Rice at different Thai restos. This with the chicken bbq is a big hit for me.

Milk Tea

Milk Tea

I didn’t get to try the Milk Tea. But based on how “Bubba” slurped it down it must have been REALLY GOOD!

Lemonade w/ Mint Leaves

Lemonade w/ Mint Leaves

Now this is the drink Between Bites ordered for me. I was only supposed to get water since I was super dehydrated from the previous event but she got it nonetheless. Lemonade in itself was refreshing enough throw into the mix Mint leaves and it was just what the doctor ordered on a HOT HOT summer day.

I offered to pay or at least split the bill but Between Bites and Bubba were having none of it. I told I was already hitching but Bubba paid. (Thanks again Chris!) I have to treat this two soon! I hope I get a chance to! Dinner and food is only 1 part of a great dining experience the other part would be great company. I always love eating with fellow foodies. Not only are the stories about food experiences great, but they know how to appreciate great food. It was a simple dinner but a GREAT MEAL. Thanks for the company Between Bites and Bubba! Seriously let’s do it again!

Between Bites and Bubba

My recommendation? Definitely a must try. Its quaint little bistro style was refreshing. I love how small and cozy it was and yet I didn’t feel cramped at any point. The staff was friendly and accommodating. They even had neat little TIN bowls for the bill and a tin pitcher for the water!

Thai Dara Bangkok Street Food

Granada St., Valencia,

Quezon City.

(632) 568 0651

Easter Lunch has always and will always be a tradition for most of us Christian and Catholics of joyous celebration. It is said that on this day, Jesus is resurrected making true his promise and completing the 2nd part of the redemption of man from sin. Veering away from the theological basis, it is also said to end the season of Lent as season of fasting and sacrifice, hence the copious amounts of food and celebration. Traditionally celebrated with our relatives, this year we decided to just stay at home and celebrate in our own way.

Today’s menu consisted of chicken and crabs. We had buffalo chicken wings, grilled and served on a platter. We also had crabs, steamed and served as is. For dessert, we had the buko pandan, and an array of fruits from mangoes, bananas, and pineapples. Our guest also brought Contis’ cake called Mango Bravo.

Steamed Crabs

Grilled Chicken Wings

It took awhile before the crabs were cooked since we got them alive. The chicken took some time too since the griller we have isn’t that big! (Note to self: must have a bigger griller made!) But luckily we calculated the time perfectly that by 12Noon the food was done. We all sat down for a sumptuous meal. Of course, I had to steal away some food to take pictures of!

Crab Claw

Chicken Wings

The Spread

Easter Lunch

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE! GREETINGS FROM THE CHUBBYCHEF!

I’ve always loved food. When people find out that I blog about nothing but food, the first question they always ask me is “So what’s your favorite type of cuisine?” I find myself staring out into space in search of the answer to this oh-so-simple question. My love affair with food started way back when I was young, hence the rather large figure I have. I can’t just have one cuisine. Its exactly like asking a fashionista to pick just one kind of design for a shirt or dress. But if absolutely necessary I think I would have to go with Chinese. There is just something about Chinese cuisine that is just absolutely divine. I love pastas and Italian food in general as well, I’m also a sucker for Mediterranean food, and Japanese cuisine, but Chinese food takes the cake. Not only because of the ease of use, but the aroma, the flavors are just simply divine.

So tonight on the dinner spread, we had Beef Tenderloin Tips w/ Brocoli and Hakaw.

Dinner Spread

Inspired from LadyIronChef’s blog, I vowed to improve the quality of my blogging. I am still happy with how my images use and testing out the 35mm 1.8 as much as possible since I have it for only a short time. I love this lens and I’m sure I’ll be buying one soon.

Hakaw or Shrimp Dumplings

Hakaw or Shrimp Dumplings

I’ve always loved Shrimp Dumplings and for some odd reason these are damn expensive! We also had some Tenderloin Tips w/ Brocoli.

Tenderloin Tips w/ Brocoli

Well that’s it and since it is Black Saturday I won’t go on rambling about food food and more food. This is the Chubbychef signing off for this week! Thanks for the visit guys! Happy Easter!

Foodie Manila

*edit: We also had Buko Pandan for dessert! More on this next time! Time to nom-nom!!

Buko Pandan

Buko Pandan

Taking a break from the usual restaurant tours, I decided to add something that has somewhat become a tradition for this blog; our traditional meals in our family. Although we trace our lineage from the Kapangpangans or Cabalens and have that inculcated with our daily meals, it is during the special holidays do we really roll out the good stuff. Last New Year I featured, Callos on this blog and how we made it, our own family recipe I presume. And since Holy Week has just dawned upon us here in the Philippines, we have a tradition of having a HUGE SEAFOOD spread on Good Friday. But over the years it has been watered down to 2 basic dishes: Bacalao and Fresh Oysters in onions, ginger, all soaked in vinegar and left to “cook” for awhile. We call it Kilawin.

I won’t go into details about the Kilawin since most, if not all of you know about this dish already but basically just DON’T EAT IT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

Bacalao or Bacalhau on the other hand is a different story. It is a completely foreign dish which traces its history all the way back to Spain.Bacalao is the Spanish term for dried salt cod. The dried fish is white, delicate, and tender once it’s re-hydrated. Lomo is the best cut; avoid the chewy end pieces.

Pronunciation:

[bah-kah-LAH-oh]

Tomatoes! Tomatoes! and more Tomatoes!

Stripping the Meat by Hand was a chore!

Stewing the Bacalao!

Although it is a staple in Spain, we only have it in our family once a year. (Mostly because it is a very very expensive fish which doesn’t yield too much meat costing about P800/ half a kilo) Our preparation includes, tomatoes (and lots of it), potatoes, garbanzos, red bell pepper, oh and did I mention tomatoes? The most time consuming part of the dish would be the preparation of the fish. It takes 2-3 times to completely wash the fish meat. After which you need to strip off the meat by hand to ensure that no bones go along with the mushed up meat in the stew.

According to Wikipedia:

Salt cod has been produced for at least 500 years, since the time of the European discoveries of the New World. Before refrigeration, there was a need to preserve the codfish; drying and salting are ancient techniques to preserve nutrients and the process makes the codfish tastier.

The Portuguese tried to use this method of drying and salting on several varieties of fish from their waters, but the ideal fish came from much further north. With the “discovery” of Newfoundland in 1497, long after the Basque whalers arrived in Channel-Port aux Basques, they started fishing its cod-rich Grand Banks. Thus, bacalhau became a staple of the Portuguese cuisine, nicknamed Fiel amigo (faithful friend). From the 18th century, the town of Kristiansund in Norway became an important place of producing bacalhau or klippfish.

This dish was popular in Portugal and other Roman Catholic countries, because of the many days (Fridays, Lent, and other festivals) on which the Church forbade the eating of meat.Bacalhau dishes were eaten instead.^[1]

Bacalhau is also popular in Sfax where this dish is eaten in the first day of Eid ul-Fitr with charmoula.

Finally! Stew is OVER!

More Bacalao Please!

I’ve always loved this dish and always will. Drizzle some olive oil on it, toast some bread, and voila, you’ve got a dish fit for royalty! Although it differs with preparation every time since some are better at stripping bones than others, this is something I would choose to continue as a tradition. Not because of its religions implications, but rather because of the tradition that comes with it. The memories, the feeling of belonging to a tradition laden family is something I’ve always aspired too. Along with Lengua, and Callos, Bacalao I’m sure is something my kids will be eating someday.

Photography and Food Styling by: Carlos Palma

There’s always an excitement towards discovering a hidden gem. This is the kind that would make you go “a-ha!” upon stumbling upon a good thing that’s not quite known to the public yet. Such was the case when we were invited by the Frazzled Cook for dinner one quiet Saturday evening. I have been noticing this quaint, cozy looking restaurant along Luna Mencias street in Mandaluyong.

From the outside, you’ll see a dark iron gate with a garden filled with giant pots. Walking inside the restaurant, you’ll be greeted by 27 Japanese money cats waving as if they’re welcoming you in.

Jude Mancuyas: Head Chef

The Frazzled Cook’s menu consists of a number of comfort dishes. This is to match with its laid back ambiance, I guess. It was a special evening and we were served with dishes that were specially prepared by Chef Jude Mancuyas who’s the head chef and co-owner of this restaurant.

First came the Pizza Caprese which is Frazzled Cook’s homemade pizza topped with kesong puti, tomatoes and basil. It’s your Pinoy-version of everyone’s favorite Pizza Margherita. What made this pizza different is the addition of the garlic oil that one has to put a couple of drops of on their slice of pizza before taking a bite. Every bite was simply bursting with all the flavors coming from the garlic oil, tomatoes and the salty Kesong Puti.

Herbed Chicken Salad

After the pizza came the Herbed Chicken Salad. This was a hit especially with the girls who enjoyed the mix of roasted chicken marinade and rubbed with the freshest herbs and crunchy lettuce and our local mangoes. It was very refreshing and a perfect way to start the meal.

Sizzling Squid

Next was the Sizzling Squid which was very fragrant and I simply loved how tender the squid was. No need to struggle in every bite here.

Paella Negra

Among the entrees served that evening, I really enjoyed digging into the Paella Negra. I love paella and what I love most is the kind that has a thin layer of burnt rice (tutong) underneath. I can’t help but smile as I take in one spoonful after the other. Muy Delicioso!

Seafood Paella

For those who would like another alternative to their Paella, there’s the classic Paella Seafood which is loaded with the freshest catch from the sea.

Tenderloin Nuggets

Another crowd-favorite was the Tenderloin Nuggets with Mashed Potato on Flat Bread. This is perfect for the meat lovers who will enjoy a really tender piece of tenderloin steak topped with button mushrooms in every bite.

Pancake Ala Mode

Dinner was filling and truly satisfying. We were all so happy with the generous serving and interesting dishes served to us that evening, we were surprised that the Frazzled Cook was not yet done. Out came the Pancake ala Mode which was so good that even those who were already full just had to give in for just one more bite. We enjoyed the fluffy buttermilk pancakes with soft vanilla ice cream. What a perfect way to cap our meal!

It was a very relaxing evening as we enjoyed each other’s company. The food was truly comforting, not at all intimidating and the place is definitely one that I will definitely go back to.

Meat Lovers Pizza

Food Bloggers!

Rosemary Chicken

Refreshing Iced Tea

The Frazzled Cook

#916 Luna Mencias Street Barangay Additional Hills, Mandaluyong City

Open from Tuesday-Sunday

I’ve been hearing a lot of Chi-chi lately about the latest food craze and Hainanese Chicken from Stevies has always popped out. Blogs really do offer the best source of information. Now mind you, my standards for chicken rice is somewhat high. The first time I tasted it was on the first night of my Singapore trip last year. Ming took us to Boon Tong Kee. Little did I know that it was one of the best places to get said chicken rice. Even hawker center chicken rice was not the same after Boon Tong Kee. But for the price it was well worth it.

I’ve tried the “Original Chicken Rice” over at Cubao and was not satisfied. Something was missing. The chili was just not the same. I missed Singapore.

Yesterday, while talking about food in the office we finally decided to go get Stevies Chicken Rice. At P950 per set, it wasn’t going to be a cheap meal on a Friday.

We ordered 2.

Mind you that Stevie’s won’t deliver unless you get 8 or more orders. So we with GPS on my blackberry in hand we were off to find his house.

I’ve been on a diet (portions) since January this year. I’ve literally stopped myself from eating more than I should, controlling my want for more and more. But today I promised, no vowed, to throw all of that out of the window, even if for just one day.

On the way to the house it was a fun drive discovering which route to take via GPS. The blackberry was indeed really helpful. We kept driving around until we finally found his house. It was an unassuming house. A quaint little chateau nestled in a milieu of foliage. It seemed so different from all the other houses. We have found the place.

Stevie and FoodieManila

I half expected an old man, decked out with white hair as a sign of old age and wisdom. Or some well-travelled explorer who has decided to bring to the Philippines some of the best dishes he has found during his travels. After requesting the house help if we could meet Stevie, out came a gleeful person, all in smiles, and actually thrilled to meet us. He didn’t expect that we would want to meet him. I found him so humble and friendly that I couldn’t help but just smile. So this is the man who made my meal. After exchanging pleasantries and how we chanced upon his chicken rice, we shared how www.dessertcomesfirst.com’s mom lives next door too. Small world this food blogging niche. We said our goodbyes and pleasantries and paid Php 1900 for our meal. His help actually loaded up 5 trays. 2 chicken trays, 2 rice trays, and final tray for all the sauces.

I couldn’t drive fast nor slow for fear the some of the oh-so-precious sauce drippings would spill in the car. But the smell alone was driving us crazy in the car. It smelled like Singapore. I suddenly missed Singapore. The Nuffies and everything.

Chicken Rice

Hainanese Chicken Rice

We quickly unloaded everything at our office. I decided to style the food a bit, (but by this time I was really holding back) and take some pictures for this blog. I proud myself on taking nice food photos. Usually I am able to control myself when it comes to food but for some reason I was too eager. After 2-3 shots, I sat down and ate. I left it to my other co-workers to take other pictures of the food.

I took my first bite.

I took another.

And it just kept going.

I was in heaven. Goodbye diet. I promised to run tom even more than what I had originally committed to do. I am considering 15km because I ate so much.

Stevies is a success. A bit too much lime in the chili but I love it nonetheless. I see myself dreaming about chicken rice for the next few weeks as I try to forget the aroma and scent of the chicken.

Thanks Patty for the Photo. I couldn't resist anymore.

Next Challenge: Find Bak Khut Tey

You can contact Stevie at 0906-508-4155