Bistro Coron & other food treats in an island-town

Mainly, what made our trip to Coron, Palawan enjoyable was that I wasn’t prepared for the quality of the food that awaited us here. It was simply superb! Bistro Coron has been popular with tourists and I must say they deserve the positive reviews. Dining at the bistro is one of the reasons why I want to go to Coron a second time. Too bad I didn’t get into the habit of memorizing the menu, being on honeymoon mode, LOL.

But just to give you an idea, here’s what a divine breakfast at Bistro Coron looks like , at P250 or so. Nothing makes a more perfect morning than a serving of freshly-baked bread with an assortment of jams and butter. And the bistro offers a set complete with a tasty sausage, farmer’s ham, fries, salad and your choice of fresh juice or coffee.

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A YUMMY dinner at Tosca, Dusit Thani Manila

I have been a fan of the local YUMMY Magazine for the longest time. I always make it a point to buy the latest issue from the nearest Ministop or 7-Eleven, and have gotten a kick from trying out some of the recipes as well. I have just one complaint from this magazine: viewing its pages never fail to make me hungry. The pictures seem to leap from the confines of colorful paper and ink, looking ready to be eaten! My friends agree as well

That is why when the invite from Yummy came for their media Christmas dinner (thanks Fran and Ro!), I was excited to attend. The venue was the elegant Tosca Italian restaurant of the Dusit Thani hotel in Makati which had this impressive wine cellar.

The menu for the night: Potato Sour Creme Soup with Lemon-Grilled Shrimps and Tarragon; Chicken Breast Filled with Marinated Apricot, Orange-Cinnamon Couscous and Green Asparagus. For dessert, we had Trilogie of Vanilla and Red Wine Creme with Caramelized Mango. The chosen dishes didn’t really remind me of Italian food (as I know it) but I must agree with the others that the dessert was heavenly.

I also had fun taking pics of YUMMY editors and staff who make the magazine exciting and worth reading issue after issue.

In this table: Angelo Comsti of yummy.ph, Chef Aileen Anastacio and editor in chief Becky Kho.

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Our Awesome Planet Ultimate Taste Test 3.0

It was a weekend of food events and after our cook-off, it was time to taste the specialties of Manila’s best bakers and cooks. Am glad to have been invited to Our Awesome Planet’s Ultimate Taste Test 3.0, although kinda sad that I missed the first two. The event was simply teeming with culinary discoveries and food finds! Kudos to our blogger-friend Anton Diaz and his wife Rache for organizing the successful taste test which gathers together Manila’s best and upcoming food suppliers, to be rated by a bunch of discriminating foodies. The proceeds of the event will go to the completion of the St. Michael’s Church in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Tickets were sold for only P150 but we easily had our fill from the food samples of about 30 exhibitors. Am afraid I had to beg off from tasting a few, especially the desserts. Either I didn’t have much of a sweet tooth that day, or it was all simply overwhelming.

This was me holding my stack of paper plates while I was trying to take a picture. One lesson I learned here: never underestimate the bite sizes, for they can add up!

It didn’t help any that the first booth I saw was my favorite Sabroso Lechon. Their lechon sampler was the first one I tasted. There were three lechon booths, but the one from Ulcing’s (Original Lechon Cebu) was the first one to run out. Hmm, I want to try Ulcing’s next time!

Magazine editor Erica Paredes (the daughter of Jim) offered the most innovative dessert: bacon chocolate! I did like it:) You can choose from two varieties: chocolate-covered bacon-bites, or the Piggy Stardust and chocolate lollipops with bacon bits (called Pig Pops). Some people might find a mixture of bacon and chocolates weird, but Erica apparently discovered the treat in New York and now seeks to replicate it here. Happy Bacon (as the brand is called) is a must try and surely will become the most talked-about dessert in town in due time.

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Quesadilla recipe and Asian-inspired pasta, a la Century Corned Tuna

I seem to have gotten mixed reactions from my friends about this new product in the market called corned tuna. The purists say it defiles the sacredness of their favorite corned beef. However, it must be noted that local canned tuna manufacturers have long made variations of Filipino dishes – among them tuna afritada, sisig, Bicol Express, adobo, mechado, to name just a few. The fact that they continue to fill up our supermarket shelves attest to the fact that people flock to them like they would feast on a Jollibee hamburger. Especially people who swear by a strict tuna diet to keep slim.

Despite some scientific findings about tuna having high mercury content, tuna remains one of my favorite food. Tuna lumpia, tuna omelet and most recently, the tuna kimchi chigae are just some of the dishes I cook repeatedly at home. During last Saturday’s Century Tuna Bloggers’ Cook-off, it was time to discover again some kick-ass tuna-based dishes. Imagine scanning the table for 20 or so ingredients and being able to decide right there and then what to cook, based on the short time allotted. Modesty aside, the finished product certainly looked and tasted like something close to gourmet!

So here it is, our group’s recipes. We hope Century Tuna will be able to adapt them in their test kitchens in the future (if they haven’t, that is)

Corned Tuna Quesadilla with Tomato-Pear Salsa
Preparation/cooking time: approximately 20 minutes

Put a piece of flour tortilla on a plate. Sprinkle with grated cheese, and then regular corned tuna. You may use the chili variety if you want it more spicy. Add in diced red and green bell peppers, to add more flavor and color. Top with very thinly sliced pear. Cover filling with another tortilla then press down.

Put the sandwich in a heated nonstick pan and toast until slightly brown. Flip to the other side. Cut into wedges before serving. Serve with tomato-pear salsa.

To prepare salsa: Thinly dice tomatoes, pear, red and green pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Add in a little olive oil, then mix.

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Pritchon at La Mesa Grill

I consider pritchon or piniritong lechon one of the savviest Pinoy food inventions ever. Sure it takes off from wrapped roasted Peking duck, but I bet the taste of roast suckling pig with its tender fat melting into the mouth is more heavenly.

There was a time when pritchon was all the rage in Manila parties. Gourmet chefs invented all kinds of tasty sauces to go with the dish and eating pritchon can be one of the most interactive foodie experiences around. The craze has somewhat died down but am glad there are still select places you can go to when the pritchon craving hits. Like La Mesa Grill in Mall of Asia which considers it a specialty on their menu.

Photo shows the half order of pritchon (P1,999) that was served on our table. The whole family was gathered because a visiting aunt from Chicago was leaving the next day, and we were giving her a despedida dinner. Service was highly personalized as our waiter personally attended to slicing the crisp lechon, topping it with sliced onions, cucumber and celery leaves (?) and folding them over the pandan crepe. The pritchon even becomes more savory when paired with the selection of sauces, and my favorite were the hoisin and lechon sauces.

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MoMo at Robinsons Manila: no longer momolicious?

I was all raving about MoMo! Food + Drink when they opened. With free wifi, cool waitstaff and mouthwatering desserts as low as P50, it was destined to be the great hangout on Robinsons new Midtown Wing.Until they closed for renovations and revamped their menu. Unfortunately, things look headed for the worst.

Brewed coffee is now at P150 from the previous P75. At this rate, am better hanging out in the Shang-ri La.

My friend ordered their peach torte for P195, and it was nothing outstanding. The premium dessert, L’Opera at the nearby Manila Diamond Hotel is better and cheaper because it’s only P165.

The only good thing was that MoMo! serves these breadsticks with a serving of herbed butter, before your main course arrives.
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Ascott Makati and its Cafe on the 6th

Ascott Makati (formerly Oakwood Premier) is an oasis in the urban jungle that is the Makati CBD (Central Business District). What makes it ideal is that it is just beside the Glorietta 4 mall. Since not all of us are expats and executives who can afford the expensive long stays at the Ascott, I was pleased to find out that their coffeeshop called Cafe on the 6th is perfect for cozy meetings and leisurely lunches with friends. The prices aren’t bad either. It should be a good alternative for when you’ve had your fill of all the mall restos or tired of the often-crowded mall ambiance.

We got to try the Ascott’s specialties because fellow blogger Spanky Enriquez knows the hotel’s lifestyle manager Ms. Susan Salcedo and after a series of emails later, we were finally able to gather together for a dinner there.

The evening started with a series of nibblers. They were good, but it seems we were too busy catching up on the gossip, political news and post-storm Ondoy chit-chat to notice much.Appetizers like peanuts, potato chips and vegetable sticks are served for free for diners of the cafe.

The big plate of chicken and seafood frites (P615) is for sharing. The serving consists of chicken fingers, fish fillet, squid, mussels and onion rings. For dips, you can choose between homemade aioli, barbecue and ponzu sauce.

I really liked their Artisanal Cheese Board (P470) consisting of three kinds of cheeses – local farm-produced chevre, pecorino and blue peppato, with dried fruits and nuts, organic honey, biscuits and crusty bread. Good enough filler for light eaters and the health conscious.

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Yes, it is all right to go bananas and OD on this miracle fruit

How true is it that they’re running out of bananas in Japan?

That’s because the figure-conscious Japanese are into this Morning Banana Diet which goes like this: eat a banana with water for breakfast, eat anything you like for lunch, take a snack but no desserts in between meals, have dinner by 8 p.m. and make sure to go to bed before midnight. It is so good that one actress has reportedly lost 26 pounds with it (via Huffington Post).

I do attest that bananas are a good filler. Because am usually rushing to go the office, it just takes a visit to the nearest 7-11 store to assuage my hunger pangs for when am caught between breakfast and lunch. 7-11 sells these perfect and lovely DOLE bananas for just P12.00. What could be a better, cheaper food slash diet alternative?

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Cafe World and a real tonkatsu recipe to try

It’s easy to immerse oneself in Cafe World. Today, I reached Level 15 which means I can already whip up Tony’s Classic Pizza to add to the usual menu repertoire. These include bacon cheeseburger (the most basic), Super Chunky Fruit Salad, French Onion Soup, Triple Berry Cheesecake, Spitfire Roasted Chicken, Home-style pot roast, tikka masala kabobs (or kebabs), jumbo shrimp cocktail, & spaghetti and meatballs.

My online kitchen is ever-busy! Good thing there’s the husband on vacation (gulp) to keep watch over what’s simmering in my stoves. What I like about Cafe World is that I also have the option of preparing dishes that will be ready when I come back from the office. One example is the cheesecake which takes all of 12 hours, or the roast chicken – ready in one day!

I noticed that some of my friends are now in Level 23. Do they still sleep? LOL. I’ve also read about a software you can download for Cafe World cheats to make life easier, such as acquiring more stoves. However, am not keen to take this, as I prefer to do things the honest, old-fashioned way.

As I said, it’s easy to immerse oneself in Cafe World but the husband will surely complain if we do nothing all day but watch what’s cooking in our online kitchen (he’s now engrossed in the game too) So yes, the highlight of my week has been my new-found proficiency at cooking this lovely tonkatsu dish. Deep-fried pork cutlet with its own home-made sauce, and topped with savory egg. Yummy.

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In Singapore: The Coffee Connoisseur & an overpriced meal

This dish mystified me, I simply had to order it.

Is it a pasta, or a dessert? Judge for yourself.

But the fact that it was placed in the cake counter made me think: surely, that is a dessert? The next thing to do was taste it.

Aah, the magic of the pastry bag! It is actually a tart with a spiral shaped cream frosting that tasted like almond and some nut (maybe ginko nut?) Kinda hard to imagine since am not a pastry chef but yes, the magic you can do with the right tools.
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