Recent Find: Malunggay Juice

While at the Kultura Megamall branch last Sunday, I found the most healthiest juice I've tried in my whole life. Well, malunggay or moringa oleifera has been considered as one of the most nutritious vegetables in the land. I was tad curious as to how it tastes, so I didn't hesitate when a saleslady convinced BF and I to have a free taste.

Fruit-flavored juices with malunggay leaves: apple, guyabano, mango and dalandan

Colorful display of malunggay drinks (tea or juice) boxes

 

Free taste, anyone?

Although I was expecting that the dalandan malunggay juice would somehow taste bitter or weird, the juice tastes so much better. I can easily compare it with the Zagu natural dalandan shake or the dalandan juice I bought in Salcedo Market twice. No weird aftertaste, I guarantee you that. By drinking the dalandan malunggay juice, you actually do your health a favor.

When I got home, I immediately tried one sachet* of malunggay goodness with my fettucini pasta. With all the carbo-loading I have these past few days, I really need to strike a balance between healthy living and guilty indulgences. :)

*One box contains eight (8) sachets for Php 149.50 only. 

Spotted On My Desk: Zen Tea

Pearl milk tea or nai cha (Php 45, large size)

My trips to HK and Macau (last February & June) this year gave me a high due to my love affair with milk tea and chewy black tapioca pearls. However, a spontaneous craving for milk tea one hot mid-day led me to disappointment. I just laughed off my purchase blooper. I could've settled well with Lipton Milk Tea. I was thankful that it was not that expensive since the taste was an unsuccessful imitation of the real nai cha. Yes, Zen Tea was that bad. Tsk.

My Share of Buko Pie

Above is my share of buko pie when I got home yesterday from a trip to the mall. An almost default action immediately took place. I grabbed my camera and took a picture. My siblings were bewildered by my camwhoring which I easily dismissed as "for blogging purposes".  

So, for blogging purposes, I googled buko pie for more enriching details. Except for the fact that this is the most favorite pasalubong from Laguna, I barely know anything how this local pastry is made. 

Buko pie is a traditional Filipino pastry style, young-coconut (malauhog) -filled pie. It has proven to be a popular dish for Filipinos. It is almost like a coconut cream pie, only it is made with just young coconuts (buko in Tagalog) and has no cream. Instead, the pie utilizes sweetened condensed milk. The pie is made with buko meat. There are also variations of the pie, which are similar but use slightly different ingredients, such as macapuno pie, that uses a special type of coconut which differs from ordinary coconut as it is thick and sticky. The pie was originally a delicacy only available in the Philippines, but blast freezing technology has allowed buko pie-makers the ability to export. 

Holy Seat = Pee in Peace!

I often see this product in National Bookstore counters and Watsons. One time, I even asked a saleslady from Watsons Gateway Mall branch what it was and I got a lame reply. I thought it was a special kind of tissue paper for hush-hush moments and a special kind of hand sanitizer for those moments. Human ingenuity at its best, I thought.

Then, one lucky day, my co-corporate refugees and I went to the food court (never mind the smelly hair after) to buy lunch. Voila! Free Holy Seat items were given away after answering their survey form. LOL! It was definitely one of the cheap thrills of my daily corporate refugee life.

Pee in peace: handy spray toilet seat sanitizer and disposable toilet seat cover

Well, the best things in life are free! Pee in peace, everybody! LOL!

Lunch at Kenny Rogers Roasters

Having lunch at Kenny Rogers Roasters evoked college memories. Back then, my weekend trips - er, mall trips, usually on a Sunday, to Manila are not complete without having lunch at Kenny Rogers Roasters branch at the SM North Annex building. It was the nearest big mall to our house during my HS and early college days, and the long drive could be easily rewarded by a heavy lunch at Kenny. Worthy to note are the big portions of roast chicken, corn muffins, side dishes and, of course, their wood-fire rotisserie!

Anyway, my BF and I had lunch at their SM Megamall branch yesterday - Ninoy Aquino Day - because BF had been very vocal about eating grilled chicken. He wanted Mang Inasal and I strongly and vehemently disagree! Oh c'mon, Mang Inasal is just a stone's throw away from my workplace. So Kenny Rogers Roasters it is.

Grilled American Barbecue Plate (Php 175) - mashed potato, Java rice, chicken fillet with American barbecue sauce and corn muffin

My order: Grilled Sausage plate (Php 155) - grilled schublig, garlic rice and baby corn & mushroom

Their grilled schublig was very juicy and the mustard dip was just a bonus. I had to take a picture midway during the meal because I was impressed. Note to self: You should order this again on your next visit.

Large iced tea (Php 40)

A closer look of the famous corn muffin in the land

It's a bit disappointing that their corn muffins have shrinked to an extra small size through the years. 

Kenny's take on the fro-yo craze! A small cup of frozen yogurt costs Php 35 only. Add Php 10 for mixed fruits.

It's too obvious that I love fro-yo! Their version is only semi-tart and creamy.

While writing this, I suddenly crave for their mac and cheese and corn muffin. :)

Pop-Tarts For Dinner, Anyone?

This American pastry captured the tweener in me. Why so? I was in Grade 6 when I knew of Pop-Tarts and I owe it to my addiction to Sweet Valley books - from Kids and  Teens to High and University editions. [N.B. Well, SVU was introduced to me during HS days.] Pop-Tarts were mentioned once in a while in the books and, back then, I did wonder how the same tastes like. I grew up in CDO, so imported goods were somehow far-fetched during my time.

Wikipedia says: Pop-Tarts are a brand of flat, rectangular, pre-baked toaster pastries made by the Kellogg Company. Pop-Tarts have a sugary filling sealed inside two layers of rectangular, thin pastry crust. Some varieties are frosted. Although sold pre-cooked, they are designed to be warmed inside a toaster. They are usually sold in pairs inside foil packages, and do not require refrigeration.

 S'mores Pop-Tarts

My first encounter with Pop-Tarts was during my six-week training in C'ville last year, but I never bothered to buy one in my daily supermarket trip to nearby Kroger. Dang. Maybe I was then overwhelmed with the breakfast buffet at the hotel where we stayed that I forgot about instant foods.

Hence, I didn't hesitate at all when I saw Pop-Tarts in one of my SM Makati Supermarket trips. Imagine my excitement coupled with childhood longing! A cheap thrill, really. 

Proof of excitement? A plate of four S'mores Pop-Tarts pictured above was my dinner two days ago. :) 

Café Cesario: Pinoy Comfort Food at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport

[N.B.: Due to slightly heavy workload, I had blogging glitches. I'm not very good in updating my travel posts. In a short contemplation, I noticed that this blog has evolved as a foodie blog and I strongly disagree! LOL! I created this blog to ramble off... all and sundry. So there.]

Okay, this is a rather long overdue post about my family's trip (BF was there too) to Cebu early this year. Primarily, we went there to attend my cousin's wedding in Carcar City which coincided with the Sinulog Festival. While killing time at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, BF and I found this charmingly Pinoy café named Café Cesario.

                                               

The leatherette menu

I remember I even asked the Cebuano waiter (using Cebuano dialect of course!) if the cafe has other branches in Cebu. True enough, Cafe Cesario started out as a small resto inside Hotel Cesario located in Lapu-Lapu City. I also remember we were not really famished that time since we took early dawn breakfast in Carcar City. Basically, we just wanted to try the food or, yes, kill time while waiting for our 9:30 a.m. flight. 

 

How about a hot bowl of sinigang early in the morning? Not me.

 

Note the TV commercial-inspired look on his face while eating.

On the other hand, I opted to order a light snack, or so I thought. Their chicken arroz caldo was surprisingly very tasty. For an airport food, I still think it was exceptional. I forgot the price though. 

Who would've thought that they serve very flavorful arroz caldo? If you noticed, there are two spoons in my bowl. Apparently, BF also loved the arroz caldo after I raved about it.

In a hindsight, I never regret eating at Cafe Cesario considering the seemingly pricey menu. Oh well, nothing comes cheap at the airports, right? It was Pinoy comfort food amidst the hustle and bustle often associated in big airports.

Still in Cafe Cesario: wacky shots or the ignore-the-stares-of-other-people-look

 

(Clockwise from top) Obligatory airport pic, BF checking out a pasalubong stall (danggit, bai!), Zubuchon signage and my family

My Favorite Pan de Sal Filling

Pan de sal (see Wikipedia entry) is a breakfast staple amongst the Filipinos. It's best when served with coffee during your rush hour moments in the morning or when you think you're already late after laboriously scouring your skin during bath time. Agree? In my case, however, I prefer cold coffee since I have sensitive teeth and I prefer pan de sal which are softer in texture. Although my family loves the toasted pan de sal (popularly known as "tostado" when you buy in neighborhood bakeries), I always make it to a point that my share (usually 2-3 pieces) aren't toasted dry. Best of all, I look forward to the available filling stored in the fridge for my pan de sal.

That said, I love pan de sal with peanut butter and grape jelly! The sweet peanut butter blends well with the lightly sweet & sour taste of concord grape jelly. I prefer spreading each side of the pan de sal with these two yummy fillings rather than using the single peanut butter and jelly combo filling like Smuckers Goober.

Two pan de sal variants: whole wheat malunggay and potato

How about you? What's your favorite pan de sal filling? :)

Meet Tisoy!

Name: Tisoy, the domestic kitten

Nickname: Soy

Scientific name: Felis catus

Born: August 16, 2010

Meet Tisoy, the newest member of the family. Mama got this lovable kitten from a cafeteria near her office. Sad to say, Tisoy was orphaned a few days after he was born. A feline lover, Mama asked one of the cafeteria people if she can take this kitten home. So this baby meow went home with her. My siblings came into agreement to name him Tisoy due to his light-colored fur. For the record, we already have one named Egoy - yes, a jet-black cat!

Tisoy has found a new crib, a new home.

He's one heck of a cute stress-reliever!

Colegiala All of a Sudden!

Have you ever felt nostalgic after eating? Or does anything you munch reminds you of your much, much younger days? I am guilty of that gastronomical wave of nostalgia last night!

On my way home, I caught sight of two achingly familiar food stalls (Zagu & De Original Jamaican Pattie Shop) which totally reminded me of my college days. Really, there are days when you want to walk down the memory lane again... when life was much simpler.

Zagu natural dalandan shake + De Original Jamaican Pattie Shop's beef pinatubo... while waiting for dinner vis-a-vis watching Studio 23's Kabarkada Nights feature "Don't Give Up On Us".  LOL!

Zagu introduced me to world of chewy black pearls at the bottom of yummy shakes. On the other hand, De Original Jamaican Pattie Shop transported me all of a sudden to my carefree college days when this flaky and savory pastry was a good alternative to Jollibee and Mcdo burger value meals. Or was it Royal Carribean?  

Gosh, am I that ancient now? I don't care as long as I indulge myself to nostalgic snacks once in a while. I'm a colegiala all of a sudden! Never mind the fact that I'm homeward bound for dinner. Burp.

Salcedo Market, revisited

I enjoyed my first visit to Salcedo Market so much that I raved about it the whole week to my dear mother (a.k.a Ruby). Well, she believed me nonetheless that she tagged along with me and BF last Saturday. Maybe I was just plainly hungry during my first visit or I simply marveled at the fact that the market offers international cuisine unlike the Lung Center's weekend market. Heck, bottomline is, Ruby finally saw where her firstborn works - er, a few blocks away from Salcedo Market, that is.

Walk-a-thon to Jaime C. Velasquez Park where the market is. Smoke from grilled specialties is a tell-tale sign you've found the plethora of good food! Yum.

 

A charming Thai lady convinced us to try the different Thai salads and, after a few samples of each, we chose the pomelo salad! Mama loved the salad so much. If you ask me, I prefer Banana Leaf's version which is a mixture of all flavors - sweet, spicy, salty and surprisingly dry. The pomelo salad from Salcedo is watery (proof below).

  

Thai pomelo salad (Php 120)

 

Thai, Turkish, French and Indian food... It's truly a feast for the eyes! 

 

Refreshing dalandan juice (Php 40) 

I don't know if those dalandan slices did the trick in convincing us to try this drink the second time around. They look so summery and healthy!

Then we saw Margarita's famous paellas. I learned that Margarita is Margarita Fores of the Cibo empire and other upscale restos. Amazing.

 

Hungry now?

 

BF squeezing lime to his paella negra (Php 280)

  

Mama squeezing lime to her paella valenciana (Php 280)

Since I sat in between these paella eaters, I had the opportunity of tasting their orders whenever I want to. :)

 

Picolé healthy ice pops in lychee juice and red bean flavors (Php 35 each)

A Picolé kiosk can also be found at the LGF of SM Megamall. Affordable, healthy and not so sweet.  

 

BTW, I appointed myself as my own mother's paparazzi. Nice sideline for a weekend, eh? :)

Celebs spotted: Susan Callo-Medina of Travel Time fame doing a segment shoot (whatevs) and Gina de Venecia (more popularly known as Manay Gina) 

Go Greek!

Thanks to OAP (go click!) for featuring Go Greek! food stall last week! That awesome food blog piqued my interest in Greek food. Once upon a time, my friends and I were disappointed with Cyma-Trinoma branch and that unfortunate experience led me to boycott Greek food for almost a year. So there.

                                     

Greek Kebab chicken combo (Php 135) -grilled meat skewers served with side salad, yogurt dip, hot sauce and pita bread

My first Go Greek! experience was last Friday the 13th (August 13) with my officemates and I was impressed with the Greek salad. Two things lingered on my mind: the Greek vinaigrette was really superb on the veggie salad and the grilled tomatoes on the chicken kebab was yummy with the yogurt garlic dip. The downside however prevails: I forgot to take a pic. LOL! So, yesterday, I prodded dear mother to try Go Greek! after our Salcedo Market food trip. 

Mama a.k.a. Ruby

Since I was still full from our market food trip, I only ordered eggplant lasagna or moussaka. It was quite heavy on the tummy but I gobbled it all up. Let's forget about diet here.

Greek gggplant lasagna or mousakka (Php 115) -served hot from the oven and sprinkled with parmesan cheese and herbs

Nomnomnom, I can proudly declare I had a change of heart.. I now love Greek food! :)

Go Greek!
Glorietta 4 Food Choices

Sweet Friday The 13th

Fact: The mere mention of Friday the 13th alarms the scaredy cat in me.

I, however, chose to conquer that gnawing fear by strolling in the mall. Odd, you think? I guess it's my only way to kill boredom on a Friday afternoon sans the BF, who plays a very busy role nowadays in his own niche. Luckily, today was the start of the Glorietta Midnight Madness Sale and that was more than enough to pump up the mall rat in me. Bye scaredy cat, hello mall rat! 

Almost an hour of boutique-hopping and window shopping, I still couldn't find anything worth my hard-earned money. *rolls eyes* So I moved on to search for - what else - food! To be specific, something sweet! 

Frostings cupcakes: dulce de leche (Php 55) and brazo de mercedes (Php 40)

I know, they are almost pretty as Sonja's but Frostings cupcakes are less expensive. 

The kid who loves yellow cupcakes

Bought a mini mix tray from Dulcinea. Mini mix has four mini cream puffs and chocolate eclairs. My verdict? I think Happy Cream Puff still holds the crown for having the most delish cream puff in the metro. My nephew Dave enjoyed it though. Well, anything sweet or chocolatey always makes him conclude it's the best he has ever tasted! I miss the simple tastes of childhood all of a sudden. 

Sweet tooth kiddo

So there, folks! It was indeed a sweet Friday the 13th for me. How about yours? :)

Yogurt Lovin' Part 2

Still on my quest to eat healthy, I chose this tasty yogurt as my dinner last night. Can you imagine it? A small cup of fruity, creamy and lightly tart yogurt was my sole tummy filler for dinner. Nope, I'm not on a diet. I'd say it straight-faced to anybody that I'm so, so, so not on a diet! Hey, I love to eat! On top of that, I learned that I gained 17 lbs. after a year of gobbling here, there and everywhere! 

Raspberry apple flavor (Php 25)

Okay, back to the yogurt. This was my futile attempt to detox so I could poop - for heaven's sake - and comply therefore with the annual physical examination (APE). Till next yogurt lovin'!

My New Fave Body Wash

This is now my favorite body wash and yet I feel sad at the same time. Why? I feel sad because it means leaving my first love Johnson's Baby Milk Bath. For almost eight (8) years, JBMB has been my daily bath essential since it's so easy to use and my skin never felt parched even without lotion. However, an aunt from O Canada gave us some pasalubong which includes Dial Moisturizing Body Wash in Soy and Almond Milk variant!

Dial S-K-I-N.

How happy I was the first time I tried it! It left my skin sweetly scented and milky soft. Okay, okay, I might be giddy in superlatives but, what can I do, it's just so true. It exceeded my expectations and I guess it will take a long time to go back to my first love. *dreamy sigh*

Spotted On My Desk: Goldilocks & My CBC Patch!

 

I took this photo while nursing a minor soreness brought about by CBC.  Just so you know, I fear the mere sight of a syringe and, worse, blood! There's really no need to dig Psych 101 here. Unbeknownst to many people, my physical pain tolerance is shamefully low. That said, I think I deserve a pat on my back after the mandatory annual physical examination. Oh well, it's just the way it is. 

 

Ube halaya (or purple yam jam) peek-a-boo!  

So, to lighten the mood, I bought some Goldilocks sweet treats - Mango Sago and Ube Siopao. Yes, these two proved to be successful in diverting my attention from pain to gain... Gain some weight, that is. LOL! 

Bigby's Cafe, SM Megamall

After one typical working day, BF and I went to SM Megamall for a light snack. Well, a light snack is our excuse to bond and window shop for sale items or just wander around the populated mall halls. So there.

We chose Bigby's Cafe and Restaurant, located in the Mega Atrium, since I've read recently that many foodies raved about it. Big portions, they say, hence Bigby's. However, what caught my attention is the fact that this resto originates in the City of Golden friendship (read: CDO) where I spent my grade school years.

 

The eye-catching ceiling decor & the travel-inspired menu (see the passport?)

 

Green mango shake (Php 68) for BF 

It was too sour for my taste but the BF loved it.

 

Monkey business freeze (Php 68)

I found the beverage name funny so I ordered it. Oh, it's a banana shake.

Shrimply divine pasta (Php 220; good for 2) - a light and creamy pasta with pesto and shrimps

Two thumbs up for this creamy pasta! The pasta was very appetizing considering the fact that I don't like pesto at all. True enough, Bigby's Cafe offers big servings. BF and I shared this flavorful pasta. Till next time, Bigby's!

Macau: A Gastronomical Experience!

When: June 18-21, 2010

Where: Various foodie joints in Las Vegas of Asia

In attendance: Passie, our travel bud. More of Passie below.

This is a long overdue food post concerning my trip to Macau last June. After compiling all my travel pictures in other social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, among others), I have decided that I should post food trips. As y'all know, my friend Issa and I spent a super fun weekend in Macau and, along with the obligatory shots at tourist spots, we also took shots of the food we ate while we're there.

Before we engaged to food trips in Macau, we acknowledged the fact that food may either taste or smell different from our countryland's cuisine. Oh heck, armed with guts and hungry bellies, we knew everything will be alright!

 

Come Buy's milk tea with pearls and curry fish balls at Senado Square

It was absolutely love at first sip with Come Buy's milk tea! While chitchatting and catching up with juicy details of anything under the sun (or the moon), Issa and I swore to try other flavors of Come Buy. With the curry fish balls, I think it was brave of us to eat strange looking hotpot balls drowned in curry sauce. My favorites include the cheese-filled ball and the plain ones since they taste so meaty. We had a good laugh from the vendor who hardly speak any English, so thank God for sign language! 

 

Beef noddles, yang chow fried rice and milk teas at Hundred Tastes Kitchen, The Venetian Macau food court

Issa and I ordered lunch at Hundred Tastes Kitchen, a Taiwanese food stall, in the spacious The Venetian food court. They have big servings that's why we picked only the yang chow rice, which is already a meal in itself, and chunky beef noodles. The purple yam flavored milk tea I ordered proves to be just a so-so drink. Good thing there's the complimentary bottled water at The Venetian casino lobby. It turns out that the casino attendant is a Pinoy too!

 

Just ask the friendly casino attendants for bottled water and they will gladly give you one for free. Or maybe two.

 

Lazy, junk food afternoon at Macau Fisherman's Wharf: Potato crisps, cheese rings, M & M's coconut chocolate candies and iced teas

We found this amazing grocery store which sells a wide array of snack foods at the MFW. We chose the snack items which we rarely find in Manila stores. The potato crisps  and cheese rings reminded us of home-grown junk foods. We were also glad to find M & M's coconut choco candies (limited edition), but we got disappointed with the taste. Coconut & chocolate are not good friends, trust me.

 

Pork chop noodles, fish ball noodles and cold milk teas in a hole-in-the-wall food spot at Senado Square

I experienced one of my loudest burps in my life that night after gulping one big bowl of noodles with pork chop. The combo looks odd but it was surprisingly good. Just imagine replacing your good ole hot rice with a steaming hot bowl of noodles with vegetables and a flavorful pork chop slices on the side. Their milk tea was also good you can  taste  the strong, authentic tea after one single sip.

 

Green tea gelato at Milky Top store in Senado Square

I'd say this is a perfect dessert for health-conscious people. After our heavy dinner, we browsed the food stalls in Senado Square for something sweet. We found this small ice cream parlor called Milky Top and the green tea gelato was very addicting! Issa raved all about it until we went back to our hotel.

 

Light brunch at Heong Tou Cafe: beef macaroni soup, macaroni with fried egg, toasted bread slices and milk teas

It was my first time to try macaroni in a brown soup which is unusual to me. More unusual was the macaroni soup topped with fried egg which was Issa's choice. Back home, we're used to milk-based soups with macaroni, right? Wanna know how the soup tastes? Tomatoey and beefy. But it's good! Look, we got milk teas again!

 

This is the famous food stall which sells pork chop buns, milk teas and egg tarts featured in Boys Over Flowers, a Korean drama. 

It was my second time to try the milk tea in this food stall en route to the Ruins of St. Paul's. My first try was last February with BF and spouses BC. We noticed back then that lots of young people flocked to this stall and we got curious. Then we learned that it was the food stall made famous by the romantic pair Jan Di and Jun Pyo of Boys Over Flowers during their Macau location shoot. If you ask me, I think it was the Korean drama hype that made people dropped by and not the taste of pork chop bun and milk tea. Nothing spectacular.

 

Dimsum dinner of shao mai and vegetable buns and yummy custard for dessert and sweet honey lemon drinks at Creative Kitchen, New Yaohan Mall

  

Solo shot of pretty and yummy custard... *sigh*

 

Steamed shao mai in a street corner

We observed that locals flocked to a street food cart named Lotus near Casino Lisboa, so we did not let our chance pass to try the food ourselves. Very meaty dumplings sprinkled with sweet soy sauce. Yum.

 

Crabstick sandwiches, chocolate drinks and the best egg tarts (pastéis de nata) ever at Margaret's Cafe e Nata

We found the most tastiest Portuguese egg tarts in Margaret's Cafe e Nata located in a pedestrian alley which is also home to several food joints. Issa and I agreed that their egg tarts are far more delicious than Lord Stow's Bakery. The small cafe was filled with busy locals trying to grab a quick yet tasty breakfast or simply eat an egg tart or two.

 

Juice up before our Guia Fortress adventure!

Picture this: It was 12 noon and strong sun rays, icky feeling of sweat and the long hike to Guia Fortress. You think these juices would suffice? Surprisingly, they did! It was similar to our Mount Tapyas climb last year in Coron, except that it was done in late afternoon.

 

Ice cream sandwich and melon ice cream (for Issa) at Lai Kei ice cream parlor

After our long, tiring foot journey in Guia Hill, we stopped at this old ice cream parlor named Lai Kei. We learned that this ice cream parlor has been operating for almost sixty years already. Interesting. The retro paper box of the ice cream sandwich reminds me of old school blackboard eraser.

Late lunch consisting of rice toppings at New Yaohan food court

Curry balls (again) and Come Buy's flavorful iced teas

Above was our airport food in Macau so we opted to buy at Come Buy for our farewell drinks. I chose passion fruit flavored iced tea while Issa picked another variant of their milk tea. If you noticed we had this snack combo during our first night in Macau and we enjoyed eating curry balls, so we replicated the idea. It made us feel nostalgic all of a sudden.

After spending almost four days in a foreign land, it dawned upon us that it was an ultimate girl bonding after all, from food adventures, camwhoring at tourist spots, shopping for gifts (Father's Day gift, that is) and girl talk! Best of all, we discovered Passie - our jetsetter-friend and overexposed travel buddy! :)