Weekend Restaurant Love: Simply Thai

Food Warrior Eating Challenge training day 2 (training day 1 was held at Sambo Kojin)

I needed to train my stomach to eat more these days for an eating contest I will be participating in this coming Saturday.  Since I hardly go out during the weekdays (as I lead a life of home-office-home from Monday to Friday), I try to maximize my weekends by checking out restaurants I have never been to or haven’t had the chance to blog about. This time, I have my eyes on Simply Thai and I decided to visit it last Sunday with a friend.

We went there around 1pm and there were only a few diners. I guess it was because it was already past lunch time.

I tried to recall what Executive Chef Cecille Chang Ysmael made us try during the intimate dinner she held a few months ago. The dish I remembered was the Crispy Catfish (PHP320) and the Caramelized Squid (PHP295). Since the two were pretty similar, we decided to stick to the Crispy Catfish.  

We thoroughly read the menu and looked for non-spicy dishes and we finally ordered Mieng Kham (PHP220), Silom Shrimps (PHP325), Phad Thai (PHP320) and an order of Thai Green Milk Tea and Thai Milk Tea (PHP120 each). My friend and I agreed not to order desserts as we plan to check its neighbor Max Brenner that same afternoon but we came across Simply Thai’s Nest (PHP240) and the description said that it is a MUST TRY sooooo (you already know what we did). Yes, we are easy to convince as long as it is food-related.

The drinks arrived fast and we were excited to try it.

The Thai Green Milk Tea was too sweet for me. It had a subtle avocado taste (was that the reason why it was green?) mixed with condense milk and jasmine. I wasn’t able to (or should I say couldn’t?) finish it. Tsk.

I prefer the Thai Milk Tea as it had a stronger tea flavor (yet was still undeniably “milk” tea). Also, it wasn’t as sweet as the other one. I didn’t order it because of the color as it looked like curry to me. But I hoped that I ordered that instead. (To be honest, I was waiting for my friend to swap drinks with me but it didn’t happen.)

Finally, the dishes arrived.

The first one to arrive was the Mieng Kham. We were quite clueless as to how to eat it. Since there were leaves, we assumed that we had to wrap the prawns, lemongrass, coconut, chili and peanuts in Thai betel leaves.

I removed the chili before eating it as I saw my friend cry because the chili was too spicy.

It was zesty. It was definitely different from those I have tried before. I checked betel leaves out and I found out that it is often used as palate cleanser. I’d say it truly is a must order as a starter.

The next dish served was the Phad Thai.

It was cutely wrapped in an egg net (which made me think if it really has a purpose or if it was just for aesthetic purposes only). What I loved about it was that it was not the salty, oily type. It was just right. The noodles were cooked well and the small side dishes (peanuts, bean sprouts, and lime) brought out the rich flavor of it. It was love.

The Silom Shrimps on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment if you’re after authentic Thai food.

It was your typical pan seared prawns. The lemongrass and tamarind taste as very very subtle.

Now for the Crispy Catfish…

It was the crispy catfish that I remember. It was neither oily nor salty. It was well-seasoned. However, it seemed to be a bit dry this time. It needed to be eaten with the green mango-apple salad to make it easier to swallow (well, water or any beverage works too). Nonetheless, I still love it and will definitely order it again when I visit Simply Thai.

We were still enjoying the four dishes when our dessert arrived. We felt that the servers were in a hurry. I was not really sure why. The server approached us and asked if there was something else that we would like to order as they were about to close their kitchen. (Ehhhh?) One server also started to sweep the floor. (Uhm, can’t you wait till we’re done?)

Anyway, back to the dessert…

The dessert was adorable. The ice cream really looked like an egg. My friend and I just had to have our photos taken with it. As for the taste, it was truly coconut ice cream resting on shredded sweet potato and taro. The sweet potato taste was stronger though (but you could see the bits of taro if you look closely). The coconut ice cream was rich in flavor and the “nest” and caramel (yes, the brown liquid on the plate was caramel) went well together. It was a bit heavy though (probably because of the “nest”).

Nice ambiance, good food, fairly priced items…  I just hope that the servers will let me take my time to enjoy my meal on my next visit.

Simply Thai is located at the Ground floor of Greenbelt 5, Makati City.

A Tummy Samba Day at Sambo Kojin

I was pretty excited when my dad finally agreed to have lunch with me and my sister at Sambo Kojin. I’ve always wanted to dine there as I heard that the food’s pretty good. Finally, I got to go there with my one and only dad (you see, we hardly eat out together so this is one special day for me). :)

As we entered Sambo Kojin (at the second floor of the Kamayan, Dad’s, and Saisaki building along EDSA), we were greeted by the waiters and they assisted us to three different tables (yes, my dad was very particular with where to seat).

Look. Select. Eat.

I was a bit disappointed with the variety. Well, I understand that it was a Korean and Japanese restaurant but I was somehow hoping that there would be more.

This looks pretty sad. :(

Anyway, my first pick was salmon sashimi. My dad asked for the newly sliced cuts and true enough it seemed to be fresher. It was the type that sort of melts in your mouth. Oh love~

The next ones I took were assorted maki and sushi. (I totally forgot to get some ebi sushi. I concentrated too much on salmon.) The makis were your typical makis. The salmon sushi felt a bit old and dry. And the one wrapped in kani was a mouthful (literally) but I liked it. 

My next plate was filled with all things fried or breaded. It was nothing special though. The tempura (from my sister's plate) and the ebi fry were well-cooked. Both were crispy yet the shrimp inside was not dry. The katsudon though was extremely dry and it seemed that it was cooked twice (not exactly how Bon Chon does it) and the meat was very tough.

I also had fish teppan which was yummy. I decided not to eat the green peppers though to give me more space for the other dishes I got. More space for seafood, gyoza and chapchae and another round of salmon sashimi. I loved the chapchae!

My dad took some meat and seafood to grill. I was a bit iffy about grilling though as it is the usual culprit of food poisoning. But my dad kept on giving me and my sister meat and seafood to eat. Oh well. I liked the asparagus wrapped in bacon. It was really good. It didn’t make me feel so guilty since it was somehow “half” healthy.

It was also my first time to eat sea urchin. Since I was a newbie, I was not aware that I had to eat it with soy full of wasabi to prevent food poisoning. Nonetheless, it was very interesting. (I had an upset stomach afterwards but I think it was because of overeating and not the sea urchin.)

We also had some fried rice which was really good. It was the sticky fried rice. (Don’t eat a lot of it though as it is a bit heavy.)

I was pretty excited with the dessert section. I did my very best to ignore it while getting my sashimi. And I was truly surprised when I finally stopped by for my sugar fix.

It was too few. :(

I had no idea where to start because I didn’t find any of the sweets appetizing.

I decided to get one piece of apple on a stick (and dipped it in chocolate), a cupcake, brownie, cookies, and chocolate ice cream. To make it short, I liked the ice cream. No comment on the other desserts.

Yakimix? Check! Sambo Kojin? Check! Next stop… VIKINGS.

Rates:

LUNCH (Mon to Fri) No Left Over Price is P 495 (with left over add P100 only)*Except for Holidays
LUNCH (Sat & Sun) No Left Over Price is P 595 (with left over add P100 only)
DINNER (Mon to Sun) No Left Over Price is P 595 (with left over add P100 only)
For children 4 ft below- No Left Over Price is P 295 (with left over add P100 only)

Sambo Kojin is located at 207 EDSA, Greenhills, Mandaluyong City and Eastwood Citywalk, Quezon City.

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Dome... Cheesecake!

Desserts truly have a BIG space in my tummy. No matter how full I am, I have to have desserts.

After watching Fright Night last night, my mom, sister, and I went dessert hunting. I thought that Café Metro also serves desserts since there’s the word café but I was not aware that they only serve savory dishes. Well, they have the “Dessert of the Day” priced at PHP90. That day, they were serving Banana Fritters and Buko Pandan. I just had Banana Fritters for breakfast (yes, I also make sure I get to have desserts as early as 8am) and I was not in the mood for anything coconut-y.

Then we remembered Dome and its delicious blueberry cheesecake.

*Off to Dome*

I still have fragments of childhood memories dining at Dome. Some were good and some were not so good. But whenever I remember blueberry cheesecake, I smile.

When we arrived, there were only a few cakes left. There was one slice of carrot cake, a few personal sized Blueberry Cheesecake, Devil’s Food Cake, and Sugar Free Mango Cheesecake. There was also an almost whole blueberry cheesecake.

We decided to order one personal Sugar Free Mango Cheesecake (PHP240), Devil’s Food Cake (personal: PHP195, slice: PHP155), and Blueberry Cheesecake (personal: PHP210, slice: PHP165).

Sugar Free Mango Cheesecake

My sister had the Sugar Free Mango Cheesecake and it was just fine. It was not outstanding or something that I would crave. I found it a bit thick and heavy—the type that sticks to the palate. My sister thought that the mangoes were also bit too sour (can’t really say the same thing as I love sour food). Anyway, in the end, we were not able to finish it.

Next cake was the Devil’s Food Cake. I love the one from The Chocolate Kiss. The frosting was delightful as it has the melted marshmallow texture and the chocolate cake inside was not too sweet. The Dome version on the other hand was a bit too sweet for me. The frosting was sugar overload. I didn’t like the chocolate cake as well as it was not as moist as I think it should have been. Nonetheless, I think this is still a hit to those who are hardcore sugar lovers.

Devil's Food Cake

Finally, my favorite, Blueberry Cheesecake…

Blueberry Cheesecake

The blueberries were a bit sweet and sour complementing the cheesecake. Also, the cheesecake was light and the texture was smooth. It was one dessert I would love to order after one heavy meal. I just thought that the strawberry syrup on the plate a bit odd though. If only they have spelled Dome or put it more creatively than like a blob or small puddle of blood, it would have been more appetizing.

Dome is located at the Ground Floor of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City (in front of Mercury Drugstore).

Attack of the Fitness Nagger

For some reason, I think that the Fitness Nagger is following me.

It all started way back in 2009 when I first joined St. Paul College, Pasig or SPCP’s Family Fun Run. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy it at all. The fact that I was running out of air, it removed the fun out of the picture. (Okay, that was extremely corny.) But it inspired me to become more fit because for a 3.7 K run, I reached the finish line after 54 minutes whereas the best runners finished their 5K run in less than 20 minutes. (Shame!!!) And yes, some grandparents had a better time. How did they do it?

The next run I participated was… this year. Apparently, I wasn’t very inspired to become fit. But hey, I did a lot of walking for 5 months when I stayed in Korea. It was same place, same distance—SPCP’s Family Fun Run 2011. It was still tiring… and I got slower! I finished the race after an hour and four minutes.

Since I felt that I wanted to become more athletic, I decided to “upgrade” and joined the 5K run during the Good Housekeeping Family Fun Run (which was also an event for the latest magazine Good Dog—a dog magazine). I saw several colleagues during the run so I was really shy to do speed walking. It was a great motivation though as I finished the race under an hour (which was still a terrible record but loved the idea that I improved and broke my personal lame record).

That run made me desire to be fit again thus I began to look for running shoes with a friend. I was pretty concerned with the support and cushion as I have weak knees (wonder if it’s due to too much eating). In the end, my friend who did not plan to run at all was the one who went home with a paper bag with running shoes and I went home with a tummy full of chocolates, other sweets, and Chinese food. FAIL.

Finally, another “motivation” appeared (via email this time)…

Hmm… should I go?

Shopaholic me: Go!!! Can’t you read? It mentioned S-A-L-E

Glutton me: Why spend it on shoes when you can buy lots of munchies instead? Let's go explore Makati instead!!!

O.o 

Pantry Surprise: Mochiko Cookie Dough

I just love pantry surprises! Oh wait, let me define “pantry surprises”. It is when you get a call that there’s a delicious treat waiting for you at the office pantry. This time, the treat that was chillin’(okay, that was not funny) was Mochiko’s newest flavor… Cookie Dough!!!

I love cookie dough and my lovely relationship with it all started last year.

I first got a taste of cookie dough in 2010. It was the Pizza Cookie Dough of Joey Pepperoni—literally a cookie shaped like a pizza (it’s been a long time and I wasn’t able to take a photo of it). I still remember that the dough itself was a bit hard and we had to exert a lot of effort to take a bite. But we did not mind it at all for the chocolatey taste compensates the effort. Oh, did I mention that it was also topped with a generous serving of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup? 

My second encounter was even sweeter. It was with Carmen’s Best cookie dough ice cream. I just love how creamy and smooth the ice cream was with a bit of crunch (from the cookie bits). It was really flavorful yet not extremely sweet kind that make you hate it after a few spoonfuls. I must remember to place an order soon (and also some of its rich milk).

I also had some cookie dough chocolates from Chocolate Fire and it was quite weird because the texture reminded me of shaved coconuts. Maybe the one handed to me by the server was wrong. Nonetheless, I will still claim it as cookie dough.

I got a taste of Mochiko’s latest flavor when I went to the Ultimate Taste Test and it was one of my top 5 concessionaires but I remember telling Nowie of Mochiko that I still prefer Azuki… then.

Well, after round two with this sweet goodie, I take it back. 

I just hate it that I had to wait for it to thaw. It was plain torture that you couldn’t take a bite right after getting it from the fridge. A colleague of mine attacked his mochi right away though; and he’s a-ok! He must be using a certain branded toothpaste (blind item?).

Cute packaging. :)

Anyway, I waited for my mochi to become softer… 1 minute… 1 minute and 30 seconds… 2 minutes… oh whatever.

The first bite was a bit bland for it was all mochi. As for the second bite… it was a different story.

I got a bite of the cookie itself with chocolate chips with creamy vanilla ice cream (which I assume is FIC). It was quite sweet but it was somehow addicting. The crunch from the cookie and the soft mochi was a very interesting combination. I had to stop myself from getting another one as the box of mochi was for the team.

I just hope that there’s a smaller mochi (Mochiko Jr.?) so that it will be easier to eat. 

Thanks Nowie and the Yummy editorial team for sharing it with us! :)

Chocolate Discovery: Russell Stover

If Russell Stover wasn’t that old, I would have asked him to marry me!

My mom bought this small piece of chocolate (well I find 57g small) just because she got curious with it. Priced at PHP99.75 at Candy Corner, it would have never appealed to me as there are several other cheaper yet still oh-so-good snacks I could buy instead. 

Anyway, my mom forgot all about the chocolate so it is now all mine (yahoo!) and after a few days, I’ve finally decided to try it.

Hmmm… it doesn’t look special at all to be priced at PHP99.75. While staring at it, the snooty glutton in me said “I would have bought Ferrero Rocher instead. Pffff!” But I felt that I was being unfair. (Come on! Russell Stover will cry.) Who knows, it might be good after all to justify the price.

Disclaimer: The chocolate got smashed inside my big bag.

 Lo and behold… it was pretty good.

It tasted a bit like Snickers but fewer nuts (the one I had was with almonds) and more caramel. What I loved about it was that the caramel doesn’t get stuck between your teeth (especially the molars). The chocolate was soft and every bite definitely had caramel and small bits of almonds.

A warning though to those who love chocolates but are not that fond of the too sweet variant: this one falls on the too sweet side. 

I.Think.I’m.In.Love.

Right after finishing the pack, I immediately checked the web for more information about this latest love of mine. I found out that it is way cheaper in the States (one box costs around $7!!!). 

Yes, Nutrition Facts. I am ignoring you!!!

Now, I can’t wait for October. I will definitely hoard a lot of Russell Stover goodies. (And perhaps a few of those WeightWatchers by Whitman’s as well.)

For now, I will visit S&R for price check. :)

Gone to the dark side of… chocolates.

I just love dark chocolates for it made me feel less guilty of finishing a box of it in one go.

I often do the grocery shopping whenever I’m not very busy. I’m proud to say that I could shop a month’s worth of supplies in less than 30 minutes. Yes, I have mastered the grocery near our place. However, there are also times when I just look around hoping to see something new or interesting (as long as it is reasonably priced, I will buy it). Thus I was so happy when I saw my favorite chocolates KitKat and Macadamia... DARK and BITTER.

I'm in love!

And I love you too! (Great! I'm a two-timer!)

At first I was afraid that these might just be like the failed attempts of chocolate brands claiming that the chocolate beneath the wrapper with screaming DARK/BITTER/PURE COCOA is indeed dark; but in reality, it was still milk chocolate… only with its sweetness level toned down one tiny bit.

I.was.wrong.

Looks dusty but who knows, that might be the "secret ingredient" :)

Meiji’s Macadamia Bitter truly used dark chocolate. The word bitter was a bit too strong though. The chocolate’s taste was similar to Meiji’s Dark Chocolate bars… one of my cheap thrills. It was dark but not extremely dark to the point that it is no longer enjoyable. (Note: This one though is a bit pricier compared to the chocolate bars because of the macadamia).

Let's play a game! Which one is dark?

As for Nestle’s Dark KitKat… I was impressed. It is longer compared to the normal milk chocolate KitKat and (biased) it is definitely better. I love dark chocolate and Nestle managed to come up with an affordable chocolate that is quite dark (but not too much that will make you go blaaaah!) yet something the little tykes could enjoy.

Both chocolates has something to munch on (macadamia for Meiji and waffle for KitKat) making it delicious snacks that will make you eat it for… hours (well, with some chips, water, and soda—well, that’s what I call the I-will-just-relax-and-watch-a-movie snack).

Then again, the unforgettable truffles of Risa Chocolates and the delectable chocolate goodness of Royce are still my favorites.