Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme

Anita gifted Vicky with a jar of Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme. I was quite curious.  What was this new concoction from Kraft?  I smiled as I tried it--simply put, it turns out to be boiled cake icing in a bottle!  Yes, yes, truly something that Vicky loves!  Without meaning to brag, be it known that eons ago, I used to be an expert in making boiled icing.  I'd separate the egg whites myself, turn on the mixer at full speed and pour in a thin stream of heated syrup. I'd add a drop or two of the chosen color of the day and voila! We'd have fun decorating our cake (admittedly, the cake itself would be a result of either Michaela's or Erica's hard work, not mine).  I must say those kitchen memories of childhood were really fun!  Today, the icing need no longer be made from scratch, and you can pick it up right off the shelf (especially if you're craving for something sweet but just too tamad to make it yourself). 

Magnolia Cookie Monster

The chicken BBQ satiated my tummy grumblings, but my sweet tooth wanted more!  I dropped by a nearby Mini-stop store and saw a new variant of Magnolia Frozen Delights, the Cookie Monster. Probably named after that lovable Sesame Street character, the bars retail at P24 each, which is quite a steal for me.  I tried both available flavors--caramel and hazelnut, both were good, creamy, flavorful, although a bit on the sweet side. The bar itself isn't that large, but what the heck, it's half-priced compared to the nearest competitor!

Reyes Barbeque

Coming from my morning court hearing in Taguig, I had to attend a subsequent meeting at Citimotors Pasong Tamo.  It was way past lunchtime when we finished, and my tummy was already complaining with sudden grunts and acidity.  I trudged over to the nearest place of interest, the Waltermart Mall at the corner of Pasay Road, and two floors up, I was attracted by the sign of Reyes Barbecue shown above--boneless chicken barbecue!  I was in a rush for another meeting and the boneless concept made it possible for me to eat fast; cleaning up the bones sure takes a some time for me.  The dish was delivered hot off the grill, and tasted just like its ancestral counterpart, the BBQ chicken of the Aristocrat restaurant (owned by the entire Reyes family, as differentiated from the owner of Reyes Barbecue, who, from what I gather, is a 3rd or 4th generation member of the family).  The accompanying Java sauce was the same thing too!  After wolfing down the meal, I'd say it's at the higher bracket of the fast food totem pole at P145, but still reasonable, especially for die hard foodies like me.

Coeur de Suisse

I came across the Couer de Suisse brand of chocolates at the Robinson's Supermarket last week, and without skipping a beat, I picked up a few bars (dark, with milk, and with hazelnuts).  This brand is affiliated with Villars, an old Swiss chocolate brand that dates back to 1901, and named after the village of Villars Sur Ollon.  While Villars has the long history of liqueur and gourmet chocolates, I have this notion that Coeur de Swiss (literally "Heart of Switzerland") is more of a mass-marketed chocolate (around P100 per 100 gram bar).  That perception may be so, but I feel that I still get top-notch quality--the flavor is very intense, and the chocolate blend is smooth, almost melty (which indicates high concentration of cocoa butter).  To me, one of the reasons why European chocolates have a better appeal over American chocolates is that the sugar level is muted, and Coeur de Suisse is a fine example of my idea of the correct sweetness level for chocolate. I like this brand very much and I think I will keep a few bars at home!

Dolce Amore

Had a meeting with some colleagues regarding tax matters in Quezon City, and because of the afternoon heat (and consequently, heated discussion), we decided to cool down at the Dolce Amore coffee shop along Tomas Morato.  The store is located in the basement section of the Landsbergh Place, a building very near the corner of Roces Avenue.  Seating capacity isn't much, the place is good for 12 to 16 people, and it was lucky that we were the only customers at the time (weekday, 3 pm).  I had a tall glass of green tea slush, and this was indeed a refreshing drink.  I heard that the store owner bakes different kinds of specialty cakes, and I'd like to try these some day.  Average spend?  Well, anywhere from P100 to P200 depending on what you order.  Nice private place to discuss some business.

CBTL Sparkling Iced Tea

I recently found out that the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf chain has come out with bottled iced tea. Their version is carbonated, but the fizz isn't that bubbly (which can be a plus or a minus depending of your point of view).  The brew is pretty strong, and you can feel the aroma as you take your first gulp.  Comes in several flavors (I liked the apple flavor).  I understand it retails at some P50 each, which is twice the price of the regular brands.

Rosalie's Suman

One of Vicky's clients gave her a box of Rosalie's suman (rolled sticky rice).   This green suman version comes from Marilao, Bulacan, and has crunchy pinipig (crisped rice) bits embedded in it, together with some sweetened buko. From the way I gauge it, the buko bits are more like latik curds (coconut milk is boiled until the oil separates from the solids).  The product comes in fresh banana leaves, and has a delicious scent that makes my mouth water! I have no idea of the pricing, but I figure that it is quite inexpensive.

Basil

My birthday was up and we didn't have a clue as to where I'd invite the family to dine.  Luckily Vicky, Monique and I happened to pass by the White Plains area a week prior, and we saw the Basil restaurant along Katipunan Avenue near the corner where the Mormon Temple is located. I wanted to try a new place, so we quickly made reservations in advance.  On the date of the dinner, we arrived around 7:30 pm and the parking space was already full--one has to park along White Plains Avenue, since the Katipunan side can only fit maybe 5 or 6 vehicles.  You can immediately smell the scent of basil leaves as you enter; the lighting is pretty dim, so it takes a couple of minutes for your pupils to adjust.  The ambiance felt much like that of a spa; there was the sound of running water from a small pond, temperature was cool, and the simple floral arrangements, together with the charming food attendants made you feel relaxed and laid-back. 

While waiting for the rest of the visitors, we started with some appetizers.  Crunchy catfish atop green mango salad, fresh lumpia, prawn cakes and pomelo salad were brought in one after the other, and as we ate, we exchanged comments on our individual take on the dishes.  Gwammy, in particular, liked the salads, and she said she would take less of the meats in order to have more salad.

The Tom Kai soup was appreciated by the adults, while the honey pork cuts were a hit with the children.  The red (beef) and green (chicken) curry dishes were quite spicy and as such, the kids didn't bother with it at all.  Other Thai favorites that we ordered include prawns wrapped in noodles (deep fried till crisp), chicken wrapped in pandan leaves, phad thai noodles and bagoong rice.

For dessert, I ordered sticky rice with mango, and this was enjoyed by all, as a much welcome cooler to our burning tongues (we asked that the dishes be spiced mildly, but still it was a challenge).  We spent something like P900 per head, and overall it was a successful party.  The only one who wasn't too happy was Kong Kong, as the dim interiors made it difficult for him to eat, and because in general, the aromatic style of Thai cooking isn't really his cup of tea. Serving sizes are really for 3-4 people, so if you are in a big group, several orders of each viand must be made in order for everyone to have a good feel of the cuisine.

Cafe 205

Mikaela took it upon herself to purchase the birthday cakes for both Anita and Korina.  It was just her good luck that right beside the Shinjuku outlet was a cozy little cafe and dessert place called Cafe 205.  I think we had the mango cake and the chocolate crunch cake that night, and I found that both were deliciously done (roughly at the P900 level each).  We then learned that the cafe is operated by the Singson couple, old friends of Vicky, which explained why the cakes were so good.  Yum yum, I want more!

Shinjuku

Vicky first took me to the Shinjuku Ramen House along Makati Avenue in the late nineties.  I remember the menu tags were in hiragana, and that we chose to have a bowl each of delicious ramen, accompanied by the best-tasting rebanira that I had tried.  It was so good that we subsequently brought Lola Dee to the place.  The management also opened a branch along Pasong Tamo, and just last week, we learned from Anita that another branch had opened along Katipunan Avenue, near the corner of Santolan Avenue.

Anita and Korina decided to have a joint birthday celebration at the newly-opened branch, and we had lots of salmon and tuna sashimi for starters.  The main attraction, ramen, came in all sorts of combinations (e.g. seafood, pork, fish, beef, with miso, in clear soup), and after a while I got dizzy going about trying get a taste of all the flavors. 

We also had additional orders of tempura and gyoza to share.  The kids just love Japanese food and it seems that the dishes were empty in just under 20 minutes--can you imagine the pandemonium?  In order to have a good variety, be prepared with a budget of around P600 per head.  Since the restaurant gets full quite easily, try to come in early before the usual meal time rush.

Subaru BRZ

Vicky and I drove over to the Subaru showroom to take a look at the Forester and the XV, but it seemed that for one reason or another, these SUVs just wouldn't be right for Monique.  My eyes thus strayed onto the 2-door BRZ (Boxer Rear-wheel Zenith) and it seemed to me that this rear wheel drive beauty wasn't a bad option for an entry-level roadster, at an affordable sticker price of just P1.9 million. The 2 liter horizontally opposed engine has a reported top speed of 230 kph, and a version with 6-speed manual transmission is available.  My kind of toy. Ooh la la... Ain't it such a nice thing to have?

Brotzeit

The Singaporeans have found a way to bottle excellent German beer, package all kinds of wursts and bring them to your doorstep.  Well, maybe not directly to your doorstep, but perhaps figuratively at the Brotzeit restaurant of the Shangri-la Mall in the Ortigas Center.  I didn't even realize that the place was open already, and it took an Indian colleague to tell me about the place and invite our group for some drinks.

The restaurant had a good clean atmosphere, and the staff were quite helpful.  We had half a liter each of Munich dark lager, and this kept us chatting merrily the rest of the afternoon. The sausage platter was very delicious (also pricey at around P950), and we also ordered a spinach pizza to complement the sausages.

Shredded pancakes anyone?  This came in with rum and raisins, and had plum dip on the side (definitely a bit too sweet for me).  All in all, prepare for something like P800 per person for food & beer.  That should be good for making merry.  And remember, because the lower alcohol content of draft beer can sometimes be deceiving, take it easy, okay?

Delfi

I understand that some five years ago, the Malaysian chocolate company Petra Foods completed the acquisition of Goya chocolate, a long-time local brand, from Nestle. As a background, Philippine Cocoa (originally owned by the Chuas and the Villa Abrilles), which has made Goya chocolates since the sixties, was acquired by Nestle sometime in the nineties.  Aside from re-marketing the Goya brand in the local mid-market segments, Petra Foods also sells Delfi chocolates, as its flagship line.  Considering its Swiss heritage, the Delfi chocolates are creamy and have no starchy aftertaste. Sweetness levels are just right.  I bought some at Robinson's supermarket and I was impressed that a 100 gram bar would go for something less than P130 each.  Monique and her friends just love that taste, and I always keep some packs in the ref just in case the barkada drops in.

Equilibrium

 

EQUILIBRIUM

(Dezia)

 

Natalie was gracious enough to hold it for me.  After the usual due diligence, Vicky approved my request for a purchase order.  The paperwork took a few weeks to sort through, but given the circumstance, the bureaucratic wait was well worth it.

Such a mix of bright colors!  A wonderful fusion of balance and imbalance.  Mountain peaks to climb, valleys to rest in.  Intricate detail, a tapestry of sorts.  Sunset in the dessert, the Grand Canyon or Ayers Rock?  A bubble bath.  A family of four.  The Magi bearing gifts.  Stalagmites dressed up in patches.  Flowing rivers.  Waterfalls.  Population density.  M-class planet bearing primitive life forms.

What do you see?

Oki Oki

Kong Kong was really in the mood for Japanese food.  Ed was in town and we had the perfect opportunity to get together, just the three of us boys.  Given the heavy traffic in the Tomas Morato area, we decided to head towards the Trinoma area, and have dinner at Oki Oki.  This restaurant has long been patronized by Kong Kong; the Trinoma Mall is practically his lounge and exercise area, and Oki Oki is ranked at the top ten of his favorite Japanese restaurants.  In addition, the Trinoma parking space for senior citizens in wheelchairs is very near the Oki Oki location, and this made it such a cool place for us to eat in.

We started off with tuna and salmon sashimi, which was quite fresh.  I was, however, disappointed at the serving size--I wanted more!

I initially thought of getting a bento box, but I was informed that the bento box with beef teppanyaki had been struck off the menu.  What a bummer!  I guess they didn't make money on this item, given the higher food cost of steak cuts.  I ordered the standalone beef teppanyaki anyway, and I while the tenderness isn't exactly melt-in-your-mouth wagyu, I was quite pleased.  The dish came in hot and the serving portion was hefty.  Ed, on the other hand, preferred a sweeter beef dish and chose the beef teriyaki, which was also plentiful.

 

We also ordered a side dish of gyoza to share.  The dumplings were fat and properly filled, not one of those anemic versions in the fast food outlets.  Kong Kong had a seafood bento box (a mix of stir-fried shrimp, squid, fish in garlic), and this came complete with miso soup, agedashi tofu, some noodles, a potato patty, and a piece of ebi tempura.  All in all, we spent something like P600 per head, and we had to walk around the mall a bit to let the food settle properly inside our tummies.

Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub

Monique had a tiring morning, as she struggled with the heavy traffic to get to the ACET site on time.  I was quite worried that it was a few hours past lunchtime and we thus decided to have a fast meal at Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub at the Teacher's Village area.  The place serves Filipinized Middle Eastern fare.

 

We shared an order of shawarma, an order of moussaka, and plate of mixed kebab (chicken and beef).  It was edible but the beef wasn't tender, and the portion size wasn't generous.  The garlic sauce, however, was pretty good.  Bill came to something over P200 per head.  However, next time I'd be around the vicinity, I would probably take a look at other places to eat.