Love at First Bite: Kanin Club

I just love Filipino food. From the tangy Sinigang to the oh-so-oily-but-good Adobo, I just love them all. I'd like to think that I'm an adventurous foodie but one thing I haven't tried yet was Dinuguan. Perhaps it's because of the color or the fact that it's made out of blood but that was one dish I was iffy to try till...

My friends and I have this tradition of celebrating Black Day every year. For those not familiar, Black Day happens on the 14th of April and is celebrated by those who did not receive any gift during Valentine's Day or White Day. Some say that it's called Single Awareness Day (or SAD for short). But for us, Black Day is a day to catch up and reminisce about the good old days.

So come April 14, T and I went to Makati to visit K and have lunch with her at... Kanin Club.

We were quite famished when we met up so we ended up ordering Squid in Salt and Pepper (PHP235), Itsi Bitsi (PHP235), Spicy Tahong (PHP227) and Crispy Dinuguan (PHP274). I also ordered bottomless Green Iced Tea (PHP99) as it was super hot that day.

The Squid in Salt and Pepper was quite disappointing. The squid was overcooked making it too gummy. Plus it was a tad too salty.

Itsi Bitsi (It's Sitaw, Bitsuelas, and Sigarilyas) on the other hand was my favorite! The crunchy sauteed vegetables with beef was nothing but savory! I love the mix of texture--the tender meat with the crunch of the greens. It was slightly salty too but nothing rice cannot solve.

I made sure that the Spicy Tahong is just mild as I really have very low tolerance for anything spicy. I loved the shrimp paste sauce. The mussels used were fresh too! Yum!

Restaurant Discovery: Early Bird Breakfast Club

Never skip breakfast. That’s something our parents always tell us. But with the boom of breakfast-all-day restaurants, this is one reminder that we will definitely remember.

I just love meetings outside the office as it helps me think better and churn out more ideas. And I just love that my officemates are such great foodies that they know the best restaurants.

 

One day, we had a meeting for Real Living’s big celebration and our group publisher (GP) decided that we hold the meeting at Early Bird, a cute restaurant that serves breakfast food… all day long.

 

The place sure is charming. It is screaming Real Living with its printed wallpapers and nice furniture. The lighting fixtures are cute too!

 

For my order, I decided to get the Tenderloin Tapa (PHP375). I hesitated though given that I want a dish with bacon but since GP ordered bacon crisps with maple syrup (forgot to take note of the price though), tapa it is! As for my beverage, I went for Early Bird Signature Iced Tea (PHP125).

YUMMY EATS 2013 COUNTDOWN: 10 days to go!

I am so excited to taste again the yummy goodies of the concessionaires Yummy rounded up this year. Yummy favorites such as Mochiko, Simply Pie, Gold Leaf, Spring by Ha Yuan and more will be there to join the fun along with new great picks!

 With 10 days to go, let me share with you my top 10 reasons why you should be there too!

1. It's on a Saturday, meaning no work which also means "free" day.
2. There are lots of fun activities, cooking demos, and cook-offs to enjoy!
3. Some concessionaires will launch their newest offerings on Yummy Eats.
4. If you love Yummy magazine, this is your chance to complete your collection! Yes, the Yummy store will be there! Buy some limited edition merchandise too.
   
   
5. This event is a great way to bond with your family, friends, or even your crush!
6. It's just PHP200 to get in!
7. You might be lucky and spot some celebrities munching! Have your cameras ready!
8. The hard to find home bakers who sell yummy goodies are here! No need to search the internet and call them.
9. If you're a foodie, you just have to be here. The reaction, "Hmmm... never heard!" is unthinkable! So be ahead and boast to your friends that you are the group's I-know-all-the-yummy-dishes guy/gal.
10. There will be 56 concessionaires this year sampling their bestselling products. If this isn't enough... well, you will miss one amazing event. 

 

And guess what? Yummy Eats 2013 is now techie! You may buy your tickets online as early as today. Visit www.yummy.ph/yummyeats now! :)

Spotlight: I Saw Da Sign

No, it's not a typo. That's the title of the newest book released by Summit Media in partnership with Mang Juan. 

 

Down? Bored? Got an extra PHP150? Then grab a copy of the cute (literally as it's only 5" x 5" in size) book I Saw Da Sign, a compilation of 100 funny Pinoy signs.

Be amused with the quirky names of some stores or services, misspelled signs, and more.

Restaurant Discovery: Balboa

It has been a tradition for my friends and I to celebrate our birthdays through lunch or dinner dates. A few weeks back, A celebrated her will-not-mention-her-age birthday and we decided to explore the new wing of Shangri-la (my new favorite place!) and have an early dinner there.

 

While walking around, we spotted Balboa, a casual restaurant that serves pasta, pizza, steak, and the like. We browsed through the menu and liked what we saw so we ended up staying.

We had a hard time choosing as A has a strict budget to follow (I kid). But Balboa has a lot of tempting choices but we cannot order too much as we wanted to have room for dessert. In the end we ordered Spinach Artichoke (PHP249) for appetizer, Shrimp and Sausage Spaghettini (PHP328) and Half Roasted Chicken (PHP399; PHP689 for whole) for our main course, and Cucumber Pineapple (PHP138) as my drink. 

Service was quick (well, given there were only 2 other tables being served). Our appetizer arrived in less than 15 minutes.

The spinach artichoke was served really hot and it sure was stretchy. It had a slightly tangy flavor which I love and it was a great way to start the meal. I just hope that they gave us more toasted bread (crostini). 

 

We were almost done with our appetizer when the pasta and chicken arrived.

Restaurant Discovery: Akira The Art of Sushi and Teppanyaki

I think I have mentioned way too much already how much I love Japanese food. My friends know how to lure me out of my hibernation mode... Japanese food, new restaurant, or eat all you can. Why am I so easy to bribe? WHY?

My AmCham friends and I decided to have a reunion since it has been 5 years since we all first met. From a batch of 25 (plus one adopted person from another batch), 3 made it from our batch and our adopted batch mate. Reunion, fail. Fun dinner, success!

It has been a night filled with laughter and reminiscing about our bloopers and fascination about the teppan table at Akira, a new restaurant in Shangri-La's East Wing.

Since the food was quite pricey, we decided to order for sharing. We got the teppan Set B: US Rib-Eye with chicken, shrimp, and beef plus miso soup and fried rice on the side (PHP1068), Wagyu Ramen (PHP489), and Akira's house iced tea. I also ordered salmon sashimi (PHP228), a must order whenever I'm in a Japanese restaurant.

Service was quick as before we noticed, our food is being prepared right before our eyes. We just have to take photos.

YUMMY EATS 2013 COUNTDOWN: 19 days to go!

It’s the time of the year again when we get to discover great dishes and meet amazing food entrepreneurs with crazily creative ideas on how to turn simple dishes extraordinary. Yes, it’s Yummy Eats time again!

We were lucky to get first hand dibs on the products the concessionaires will sample. With over 50 concessionaires, we had a hard time focusing on which products to try first. But here’s a teaser of what to expect on the 18^th of May at the NBC Tent.

Pio’s Paella offers classic and black paella. The clams and shrimps used were undeniably fresh. Every spoonful is oozing with flavors.

Baby Pat Breads and Pastries offers usual ensaymadas and your not so usual ones. With the craze of Speculoos, they now have Speculoos ensaymada! You must taste that!

 

Love cheesecakes? Food Lab will be selling their rich cheesecakes and will sample it too! Try it with their cookies for added crunch!

Or how about bacon? Mad Meats Bacon will be serving its bacon slabs while The Kitchen Slave will have its Smocked Bacon Caramels available. 

Weekend (Endless) Eating: F1 Café

I simply cannot resist buffets despite the intense guilt after eating a lot. When N invited me to a buffet lunch last Saturday at F1 Hotel, I immediately texted back, YES! *Darn gluttony!*

I instantly said yes because it was pretty convenient as I stayed at F1 the night before as I helped out with the ingress for the Good Housekeeping Family Fun Run. All I have to do is head down and EAT.

N and I met around 11 a.m. and the buffet was still closed as they open at 11:30 a.m. but the waitress told us that we could help ourselves with whatever was out that time.

The bread, desserts, salad and sushi stations were ready to be "attacked" so N and I took some photos and started our 3-hour lunch challenge.

Cheap Thrill: Dunkin' Donuts' Bunwich

Yoga. I'm not sure if it is actually effective in helping me trim down or be more toned but I think I tend to eat more after my practice. Lately, I've been having two breakfasts and eating merienda as well and I used not to snack in the afternoon on weekdays. What. Is. Happening? But because of this, I found myself inside Dunkin' Donuts ordering breakfast #2 one sunny Monday morning.

Hello, Dunkin' Donuts!

Yes, I love Dunkin' Donuts. I love the ones in Korea best as the texture is very different (chewy, just how I love it!) but I still love the ones here in Manila. 

My mom has been bringing home some Dunkin' Donuts sandwiches (croissant BLTs) and last Monday, it was my first time to visit the branch near my work (which happens to be near the factory of Dunkin' Donuts as well).  

Since I was in my it's-a-Monday-meaning-the-week-just-started-and-so-I-do-not-want-to-spend mode, I decided to go with the bunwich as it only costs PHP50 each. (And no, I wasn't really in the mood to eat doughnuts that time.)

Promo Alert: Dine at HEAT Restaurant at 50% off!

My friends know that I have this thing for buffets. I just can't resist it. I remember as well that my first date with N was also in an eat-all-you-can restaurant (and found out later on that it's a no-no for first dates. I guess it doesn't give that romantic ambiance given that you're surrounded with people with mountains of food on their plates).

But since I am stingy, I do not go to the hotels for buffets. I'm satisfied with a PHP299 deal from Don Day or Sambo Kojin or even Yakimix (for unlimited salmon).

Then one lucky day, I saw a photo on my news feed. Overheated? Oh shoot! HEAT! Edsa Shangri-La's HEAT is having a summer buffet promo!

The price is so tempting as for only PHP715++ (for lunch Mondays to Saturdays for the whole month of April), you get to eat awesome food! The catch though is that you need to bring along with you a company of 4 or more to avail the promo. Still, it's not a bad deal at all!

I'm booking a reservation soon to celebrate someone's birthday. Book now too! :)

For reservations, contact 633-8888 ext. 2777. Note that prior reservation is needed.

HEAT is located at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel,1 Garden Way, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.

Restaurant Discovery: Zarzuela

The intense summer heat is getting crazier and crazier to the point that we just hibernated the whole Holy Week. No wonder my sister's getting whiter... uh, paler. Well, you get my point. But come Easter, we decided to go out and our eyes had a hard time adjusting to the brightness of the sun.

We were planning to go to Megamall but since the line to the parking lot was crazy, we opted to go to Shangri-La instead as M wanted to see the new wing too.

When we arrived, I already know where to eat as Frannywanny, P, and I were able to roam around the area a few nights ago.

Hello, Zarzuela. By its name alone, you could easily say that it's a Filipino restaurant.

While checking the menu, I got attracted to the less healthier choices. I ordered Krispy Binagoongan (PHP359), Gising Gising (PHP239), Chicken Fried Adobo (PHP299, all chicken; PHP329, pork and chicken). I got intrigued by the appetizer Fountain of Youth (PHP199) so I ordered that as well.