Sumilao Corn Coffee arrives in Beijing!

No, Beijing is not a new distribution outlet for Philippines' almost famous Sumilao Corn Coffee, but I did pack some of it in my bag so I can enjoy it during the cold winter evenings here in China's political capital. I love the smell of it wafting while I read my books. It reminds me of the equally yummy chocnut coffee that I had, only this one I can brew right on my kitchen top.

The coffee is great as it is (no sugar!) but sometimes I add variations like sprinkles of chocnut powder or a dallop of condensed milk to recreate Hanoi coffee)

Kinilaw na Hipon

Back during my vacation in Manila, I did a lot of cooking at home but I did it with the usual dishes that I practiced on before. I wanted to try a different mode of cooking so when I googled kinilaw ng hipon, I had my new adventure.

Main ingredients

1. shrimp

2. vinegar

3. lemon

4. onion

5. sugar, pepper for seasoning

Kanin Club

I had dinner with my cousins in Kanin Club in Ayala Triangle Gardens back when I had my vacation in Manila. It was my first time to enter Kanin Club after I've heard so much about it from my friends. They served ordinary Filipino food fare (some of our choices were aligue rice, kare-kare, binuklod na tilapia and pork chops) but I wanted to bring attention to the new dish that I had that evening.

Crispy Tadyang - crunchy and lightly seasoned beef spare ribs served with three dipping sauces for PHP 179. Tasted like very much dried beef. It really helped that the soy sauce that accompanied it was yummy.

Kanin Club

Ayala Triangle Garden

Makati, Philippines

Mister Kabab in Ayala Technohub

I remember when I used to spend afternoons with my blockmates from the Ateneo in Mister Kabab, the West Ave branch. It was an open area that was perfect for breezy afternoon or post-drinks wind down.  West Ave is quite a ride out, so government girl Ishy and I tried out their branch in the UP Ayala Technohub, just on the way out from Batasan.

The Technohub branch was positioned as a slightly more upscale dining place that catered to the corporate set. 

Shawarma Plate for PHP 99

Uncle Moe's

It was one of those evening back when I was in my Manila when my friend Dustin and I had dinner in the famous Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub. Uncle Moe's is a small restaurant owned by an Atenean. Dustin sold me the idea that it sells one of the cheapest but delicious Middle Eastern food around - although their food was so sweet it most likely tailor fit to Filipino taste buds.

There is not much to expect for the interiors but its food is tasty and delicious! We ordered a feast for ourselves:

Ox brain! for Php 75 (I was so hesitant to eat it, I only had a piece)

Halo Cafe in Cubao Expo

My good friend Marion and I headed to Cubao Expo to check out Manila's newly reinvented space for hippies. After lunch in Bellisimo, we headed to Halo Cafe where we had a taste of their famous Chocnut Coffee.

Mercato Centrale Snaps

One of my last hurrahs for my Manila vacation was this morning's trip to the new foodie haven Mercanto Centrale. There were a couple of tents set up in the area - one for the organic market, and another one for the food and desserts sold by different restaurants. It was a better version of the Salcedo Market - Salcedo only sold organic goods and the food that had to be eaten on the go.

Below are some snaps of the food/goods we bought. It was mostly my mother who enjoyed the trip, because of the smorgasbord of organic products sold, as well as the Filipino food she is used to eating growing up.

Ginataang kuhol (snails in coconut). I excused myself from eating this since I had enough from Vietnam that would last me a lifetime.

CBD in Ayala Triangle

Ayala Triangle Gardens has a new joint called the CBD (Cheesesteaks, Burgers and Drinks) - owned and managed by the same people behind Tenderbob's. CBD was a quick response for our hankering for meatier patties. I can't say much because I only dropped by for a short bit, but I had their Cheeseburger and I liked it. My abstinence from burger, however, may be a contributing factor to this rave review.

CBD Cheeseburger for Php 215. 00

CBD (Cheesesteaks, Burgers and Drinks)

Ayala Triangle Gardens

Makati City, Philippines

Swagat (Authentic Indian Resto) in Legaspi Village, Makati

For my final send off from my friends, we sought the authentic Indian restaurant in Legaspi Village. I only have Indian food once in a while because it doesn't work well with my stomach, but we loved the food here so much that we were just bore the consequences later.

Indians have been around the Philippines since the Chinese and Japanese times, even long before the Spanish were around. They usually traded with the natives and introduced Hinduism. Eventually, Filipinos associated the term Bumbay (Bombay) to South Asians in the Philippines, including those in Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. The Bumbays settled here as kind of a scattered bunch, but most of them now settle in Rizal, but the largest community outside of Manila is in Isabela province.

Tasted a lot like the food I tasted in India, except for their Palak Paneer - my favourite Indian dish. I guess the herbs they used were not the same.

Spot the Indian dude at the back, beside him is his Indian date. Beside our table is an Indian guy, behind us an Indian lady. This is an authentic Indian restaurant!

With chandeliers probably from India!

They even got their waitresses to wear saris. Nice touch =)

This portrait makes me imagine old India.

Sweet Lassi, my staple! for Php 40

Murgh Masala - chicken cooked with onions, tomatoes and Indian spices for Php 135

Chicken Tikka Masala - boneless chicken tikka sauteed with herbs, mild spices, tomatoes, butter and cream for Php 250

Shrimps Biryani - shrimps cooked with special Indian rice and flavoured spices for Php 225

Methi Machchi - fish cooked in mild sprices with spinach and sauce for Php 155

Murgh Masala - chicken cooked with onions, tomatoes and Indian spices for Php 135

Palak Paneer - fresh homemade cottage cheese with spinach and fresh spices for Php 155

Malai Kofta - vegetable buns cooked with delicious gravy for Php 140

Swagat Indian Cuisine

119 FCC Building
Rada Street, Legaspi Village

Makati City, Philippines

Tel: 632 501 5079

Mickey's Delicatessen in Jupiter Street

It was one of those random days when I was running errands and I needed something to eat, and so I traveled to Mickey's because I heard it is another version of Poco deli. I've been doing some deli rounds these days (no photos, and its mostly Santis, for cold cuts and random sandwiches).

The world deli is actually a North American word (I thought it was Italian!), but stemmed from the German word "delicacies," which gave birth to the word delicatessen, which means some kind of food store. A delicatessen is a half-breed of a fast-food restaurant and a grocery store, although it offers a fresh menu -prepared as you order, which "fresh" ingredients.

I think I will always associate delis with Santis: gentle reminders of Saturday mornings spent with my mom, when we would come in, and buy a few pieces of cold cuts, one or two bars of chocolates (when I'm lucky), and a spoonful sized packaging of Nutella (when I'm really lucky. This was back when Nutella wasn't distributed in groceries yet. So yeah, that long ago)

Lartizan Bread Shop is right inside Mickey's. If I'm not mistaken, they are the same people behind French Baker. They prepare the bread right across the cashier, and well, it was a lazy Tuesday afternoon, huge flies latched themselves on the exposed larger bread!! But still, I couldn't resist a Pain Au Chocolat and a Madeleine, anyway they were stored in a glass case.

Roasted Pumpkin soup for ~Php 190. I liked this, but then I always like pumpkin soup!

Pure Angus Burger - 100% imported Angus Beef topped with Lettuce, Cucumber, Tomato and Mustard Sauce served in a Deli Bun for Php 450. This didn't really suit my taste, but maybe it's because I've grown so used to Wagyu. I just ate the bun, the bacon, and half the burger.

Vanilla Gelato for Php 100 for two scoops

Mickey's Delicassen

144 Jupiter Street

Bel-Air 2 Village, Makati City

Philippines

Tel: 632 899 8080

Cafe Romulo in Tomas Morato

By this time I've figured out that my favourite food is Filipino food, and the top of head response will be kare kare please, if I weren't given a menu to help me chart through my decision properly.

I traveled with my best friends in Tomas Morato, on a busy Friday evening, to get a taste of this new Filipino restaurant that a lot of foodies are raving about.

We called earlier at 6 for a reservation, and they said that they couldn't let us in because the house is full for the evening. Anyway, we took our chances and arrived at around 9:20, but they let us in and had us dine one of their function rooms. The place was PACKED when we arrived, a lot more were starting to stream in.

Romulo Cafe was actually founded by the granddaughter of Carlos P. Romulo. Mr Romulo was the founder of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, and served as President of the UNGA, as well as the chairman of the UNSC. His most significant contribution (in my life, at least) is his riveting piece entitled I am a Filipino. It gave me so much goosebumps as a child that I delivered it for my 6th grade declamation contest - in my white shirt, red bandana, folded jeans, no less. For added heart strings, the speech is posted on the main wall of Romulo Cafe (and I still memorize the first and last parts!)

Cool as Cucumber - fresh lime, fresh cucumber, mint leaves for Php 95

Sunshine Lemonade - fresh lemonade, strawberry syrup for Php 85

Chick Flick - strawberry syrup, white cream de cacao, fresh milk for Php 75

Baked Lemon grass chicken - Chicken marinated with fresh lemon grass stalks for Php 225

Tito Greg's Kare-kare for Php 350

The make or break aspect of kare-kare is the sauce. The most efficient way to get myself to eat veggies is if they are drowned in kare-kare sauce. I tasted the paste of the crushed peanuts on this one. I loved this! It had around 3-4 pieces of beef, the rest was tripe. I lump tripe with fat so I didn't get to eat much. But I was extremely satisfied with the sauce.

Bagoong rice for Php 120

Sisig rice for Php 120

Romulo Cafe

32 Scout Tuason corner Dr. Lazcano
Tomas Morato, Quezon City

Philippines
Tel: 632 332 7275

Belgian Waffles from Starbucks

My last few weeks in Manila has been marked by my search for that one mouth watering waffle. Nothing seems to satisfy, but the closest one I will get to is probably Starbucks' Belgian waffle combines with Pia Y Damaso's bibingka one, so it was either one or the other.

Belgian waffle for Php 70. Have it warmed and topped with whipped cream.

Sigh. Still, the search continues.

Starbucks - all over Metro Manila!

Xtremely Xpresso in Subic, Zambales

On our way home from our surfing trip in Zambales, we passed by Subic for brunch in Xtremely Xpresso. It's great how SBMA maintains the discipline in the operations of its ship repair and shipbuilding facilities, ports, oil storage and refueling stations. Everything is just so orderly and clean, which makes it a conducive stopover during a long trip up North. It's also a nice place to hang out in (for a couple of days) because of its revved up tourism activities and the forests that they've protected. Just don't swim on the beach though!

When I went to Subic for my Bayer Environmental Envoy training 4 years ago, they introduced us to the environmental battle that was waged within Subic: the set up of the first landfill and incinerator in the country. This was a huge issue since Subic took a stance for environmental preservation.

Interiors of Xtremely Xpresso

Waffles with choco banana topping for Php 110. Still unsatisfactory. My search for the perfect waffle continues.

Mozarella fingers for Php 180

Xtremely Xpresso Cafe

Subic - SM City Clark

Marquee Mall, Angeles

Pampanga, Philippines

Poco Deli (take 2!) in East Kapitolyo

Headed once again to Poco Deli to try out their callos (but later on I admitted to myself that I am not cut out for tripe) for a lively, chatty dinner with one of my favourite persons in the world. (Shameless plug: Please support National Bookstore Foundation projects and make an investment on The Lord!)

Irish beef stew with bacon rice for Php 265. I liked this! Beef was tender, reminded me of the delicious stew I had in Kiss the Cook Cafe

Spanish Chorizo with home-made Pomodor sauce and mozarella cheese for Php 300

Orange poppy seed cupcake for Php 65. I really liked this one. Tangerine-sweet just right

Poco Deli

21 East Capitol Drive

Barrio Kapitolyo Pasig City

Philippines

Tel: 632 664 0519

Le Bistro Vert in Salcedo Village

I've been meaning to try out Le Bistro Vert ever since Carlos Celdran mentioned it in his FB. Thanks to my two Makati girl friends, Isa and Lisa (of the Chocolate Fire experience) who made this suggestion. I love friends who know where to dine well. =)

Le Bistro Verti's is an advocate of "sustainable foods" (also their tagline), because they source their ingredients from nearby places. The nearer the source is, less transportation, less carbon emissions, thus moving towards a more sustainable environment.

Some of the items we had:

Sagada orange, carabao cheese, tomato - malunggay, basil, pesto for Php 195. I can't say it's worth the price for such simple ingredients, but I adore the arrangement of the food. This deserved the gourmet meal stamp.

Aligue Spaghettini with Green Mango Shreds - frilled shrimp skewer, grilled tomatoes for Php 295. House specialty, rightfully so! One of the best aligue pasta I've had.

Freshly ground beef and lucban longganisa - quesong puti, roasted onion bread for Php 250

Apahap Fillet, Buro Mustasa. Citrus Soy Dressing, Brown Rice Pilaf for Php 295. Couldn't get enough of this too!

We walked back to my car in the afternoon, and it was beautiful walking along Valero on a sunny afternoon. Thank you to the weather that has been relatively cooperating with me throughout the week!

Le Bistro Vert

Streetside, Fraser Place

Valero Street, Salcedo Village

Makati City, Philippines

Tel: 632 403 1841

Relish in Ponte Salcedo

My good friend Mela gave me a heads up on the new restaurant that her mom and aunts opened: Relish in Ponte Salcedo. Her sales pitch was: grab a bite to eat in Relish before you hit Ponti, in reference for the nearby yuppie bar. Smart pitch! But I'd say you can have your drinks in Relish too, because they offer thirst-quenching cocktails in beautifully contoured glasses (which I can only admire at a distance since I took the wheel that evening).

I loved Relish's interiors. The place looked a lot like Mela's beautiful home - with flowery wall paper, cushioned seats and clean dividers, very much like a classy artists' lounge. It made me feel like I walked into a spring evening.

I am a big sucker for the color green, it is cooling in the eyes.

A jazz musician plays on Wednesday and Friday nights

Freebie popcorn with pesto. Creative twist!

We had our dinner in Ilustrado previous to our trip to Relish, so while we saw very enticing main items, we opted for the dessert menu instead. Still worth the trip, if only for sweet dessert that cleansed our palate.

Special Relish Delight - a heavenly coco pandan cream concoction for Php 195

Chocolate Caramel Cake for Php 140

Dreamy interiors merit another visit! Heading back for the mains and a cocktail when time permits.

Relish

Ground Floor, Ponte Salcedo

120 Valero Street

Makati City, Philippines