World of Food in World of Tanks Blitz

So I've been hooked on World of Tanks Blitz (WoT) lately, playing on the Nintendo Switch. For those familiar with the game, one aspect of improving tank performance is to purchase provisions which can improve characteristics like defensive capability, repair speed, or shooting/aiming speed. One of these provisions is food to give to the tank crew, and what makes it interesting is that the food for each nation reflects its cuisine. I really won't go into WoT details here -- iykyk -- but here is the list of nations and their corresponding culinary provisions (note that WoT features tanks from around the 1920s to the 70s, so there are some nations that do not exist anymore):

Some thoughts: 

• I like the attention to cuisines. WoT could've just put anyonymous MREs for provisions, but they changed it by each nations' cuisines. 
• Especially interesting are the Eastern European ones where they featured very hearty stews and soups for premium provisions. It's not always I learn more about a cuisine through a shoot-em-up game.  
• Asian cuisine is well represented in China and Japan, although the practicality of having Peking duck -- delicious as it is -- on the battlefield is questionable. But the onigiri is spot on. 
• WoT was just lazy with Germany and the USA. I mean from cola to more cola, or from chocolate bar to better chocolate bar? Really? 
• WoT must hate the Italians. There was so much to choose from, and they went with cinnamon rolls -- a pastry one wouldn't necessarily associate with Italy -- and a whole wheel of what I think is Parmegiano Reggiano but called "Cheesehead."
• The USSR selection was also disappointing. Condensed milk is fine -- I could imagine them actually having it in their tanks -- but Extra Field Rations? Soviet cuisine offers quite a lot. I'd have gone with Uzbek plov or Georgian khachapuri for premium provisions. 
• The food for the Brits and French was fine, if a bit stereotypical. Although I understand the Brits do have a hot water dispenser in their tanks for teatime.
• Grilled salmon for the Swedes was a bit lazy too, but plus points for drawing the salmon very deliciously.  
• General "rations" for Hybrid Nation is practical. I mean, choosing any real dish would imply a source or cuisine and therefore a nation.  
• If the Philippines were a WoT nation, I'd go with kapeng barako (liberica beans coffee) for 3% and binalot (adobo, egg, tomatoes and rice wrapped in banana leaf) for 10%. They're morale boosters and practical on the field. Hey, if the Chinese could get Peking duck and the Czechs could get goulash, then adobo binalot is par for the course. 

El Auténtico Pato Manila, a misnomer

So I came a cross this restaurant from the post of a Mexican colleague. Of course, as a native of Metro Manila I got curious.

El Auténtico Pato Manila (see their IG and FB) is a restaurant in Mexico City that specialises in duck tacos in a casual setting. From this post it seems the duck is done Peking-style and "tasted like China." The restaurant also seems to have a lot of Chinese imagery, including portraits and busts of Mao.

Apart from the name, there seems to be nothing in the restaurant's concept or cuisine that is anywhere close to Manila or the Philippines. While I would love to have Peking duck tacos in Manila, I don't think this dish can be found even in the Chinese-Filipino districts of Binondo or Greenhills (although it should be because Peking duck tacos sound amazing). Moreover, Manila has been associated with many images, some better than others, but Mao has never been one of them.

A few questions ran across my mind with this restaurant. Can't they really distinguish between Manila and Beijing? Are Filipinos and Chinese (and Japanese and Malaysians and Lao and...) one and the same for them? Is this a gross misrepresentation of Filipino cuisine, which itself has Chinese and Mexican influences (Filipino tamales and champorado are already Chinese-Mexican fusion dishes)? As someone who is from Manila, how should I feel about this?

Well, I wasn't offended. If anything I was amused. I found it funny to have so many misnomers on so many levels in a restaurant's name. I thought it was good for Manila to get credit for what looks like an awesome duck taco. But I was also concerned it would give Mexicans an inaccurate picture of what Filipino cuisine is and their contributions to it. I could also imagine some members of the Politburo taking offence at using Mao's name and image in vain.

But, overall, if this restaurant helps increase Mexicans' curiosity about Filipino (and Chinese) cuisine, then more power to them. Hopefully it gets one or a few customers to search how Manileños do their duck tacos, and be bemused with the results. If the restaurant is interested, I'll be happy to give them tips on how to make things more Manila-authentic.

Red Buffalo Wings & Pizza

Let me begin with the bottomline: Red Buffalo Wings & Pizza is one of our go-to places for weekend lunch-- child-friendly, relaxed, consistent food, and my son seems to like their stuff (i.e., the fries and spaghetti). I was initially sceptical about the place. I have often been disappointed by American food in this city. But this place didn't disappoint us. After trying the place for the first time we went there for about four straight weekends. We liked it that much.

The restaurant has a New York casual theme-- think Yellow Cab but with a red rather than yellow motif. There's a TV hung up there with its volume thankfully turned down, although I guess it would be turned up if there's a sports event. It is clean and fairly spacious, making it one of the more toddler-friendly places out there. The atmosphere is relaxed and service is impeccable-- very friendly and efficient. Food are served on disposable containers and utensils are of the plastic kind There's also free wifi (password is printed on your receipt), if you need to take food pictures with instagram and post them in real time because the world needs to see what you're eating right now but don't want to pay data charges.

As for the food, it's one of our favourties for two reasons: good quality/serving size and good price. Their iced tea (P55) is made from actual brewed tea rather than that despicable powder, and comes in a big tumbler. The fries (P85) are kinda like those you get at NY Fries and Dip with nice texture and with some skin on, but much more generous. The spaghetti with meatballs is pretty generous-- a good deal at P215-- with a pretty good Italian-style sauce (i.e., on the sour side); better than marinaras in some Italian restaurants, I should say. The mac-and-cheese side (P65) is not so bad too, although I think I can make it at home if I tried.There's a mandatory garden salad (P135) which is similar to those supermarket salads; ok, the vegetables are crisper. They also sell dips that supposedly go with the chicken but they're pretty expensive even at P25 because serving sizes are infinitesimal and they are nothing special, so I say skip them-- there are free Heinz ketchup, French's mustard, and Tabasco hot sauce anyway. And you really don't need dips for the chicken.

Ah the chicken, the glorious chicken. I'm not much of a chicken wings guy, but this managed to convert me. Five pieces of wings-- a piece is defined as either the "drumstick" part with the humerus or the "wing" part with the radius/ulna up to the phalanges-- costs P165; 10 pieces is P320; 20 pieces is 620. Flavours include the original buffalo wings (hot, x-hot, and suicidal), teriyaki, sweet heat BBQ, honey bourbon, and garlic parmesan. The American-style buffalo wings are pretty good and remind me of typical buffalo wings in the US with the spicy and tangy flavour profile. Quite similar to the Hooter's wings, actually (the chicken wings at Hooter's are actually pretty good, and not just because of the, um, ambience). But what we really like are the garlic parmesan wings-- the flavourings don't overpower the chicken, but you still get that good dose of garlic and parmesan cheese, which is partially melted on the chicken because it was sprinkled (tossed?) on just as the chicken left the fryer.

But beyond the flavourings what really sets Red Buffalo apart from other chicken places I've tried is the consistency of their frying. The wings are always juicy and flavourful and almost perfectly fried. Wings are pretty difficult to fry well because the drumstick part can dry out while the wing part can become rubber. But so far the wings here are always done well on each of our many visits.

[I'm dispensing with the scores since they need to be adjusted for inflation and my changing marginal propensity to eat at restaurants. And I'm too lazy to do it now.]

Wow, it's been that long

It has been more than three years since I last reviewed a restaurant. Since then I have returned to that restaurant with my two-year-old son. He also seems to like the bun we refer to as Spanish bread and the ham-and-egg bun.

It has been more than three and a half years since my last review of a restaurant in the Philippines. I wasn't even married yet.

Since then I've moved residences twice and our old regulars are now rarely visited. I've also started a profile at tripadvisor where I occasionally write restaurant and hotel reviews. I figured there'd be more readers there than over here where there is probably only one person who still has this on his RSS feed just because he is too lazy to remove it.

Pretty nice to revisit this (and the other blog) and see a virtual time capsule of my life when I still had the time to blog fairly regularly. Seems almost like ancient history, actually.

If work doesn't get in the way, here's what I hope to review in the next few days, weeks, months, etc. (in no thought-out order): Red Buffalo Wings & Pizza, Nonstop Kebab, Mien San, Pastry Princess, Hanobe Asian Cuisine, New Bombay, Hermanos Taco Shop, Omakase, Barrio Fiesta.

Right.

Food Trips 2

Featuring food from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, and Turkey. In chronological order; i.e., as I ate them. See the pictures here.

Bishkek, Day 1

Erkindik (Freedom) monument on Ala-Too Square, Bishkek

Currency: Kyrgyz Som (KGS)

USD 1 = KGS 43.40; KGS 1 = PHP 1.11

It is Sunday today so I have one rest day in Bishkek before the work starts tomorrow. I arrived at FRU around 2:30am today but got out of the airport around one hour after because of the long lines for visa on arrival and immigration. Tourist season + inefficient immigration procedures = nightmare.

The weather here is very pleasant, around 30C right now but at night it's about 20C. As I wrote during my last time here, Bishkek is a very walkable city. We just spent the last few hours walking around the city centre and the main city landmarks, which are near the Silk Road Lodge in which where we are staying. Not a bad small hotel, although I think it's quite overpriced given its amenities (EUR 105/night). I would've liked to post more of the pics I took today, but the hotel internet is EUR 4.00 for every 100MB of traffic.

Had lunch at the Arzu Cafe, around five minutes walk from the hotel. It serves good Central Asian food-- we had plov (below), mutton shashlik, and shorpo, all washed down with Stella Artois beer made in Kyrgyzstan (much better than the original, in my opinion).

I also bought qute a few grocey items at the Beta Stores, which is a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Beta Stores is a relatively upscale supermarket/department store in Bishkek, but a lot of products are very cheap compared to the costs in Manila. Here are a few price indicators:

1.5 litres mineral water = KGS 17.00

95 grammes fruit yoghurt = KGS 11.00

50 grammes green tea (in 25 tea bags) = KGS 28.00

1 kilo shelled walnuts, unsalted = KGS 351.00

1 kilo dried sultanas = 208.00

Mass-Produced Goodness

Mass-production and good food are two concepts you don't often see in the same sentence, but here are a few products that made them compatible. See the pictures here.

Hung Wan Cafe & Bakery Shop

My Dear and I ate at a lot of places when we went to Hong Kong but the one place we miss the most is this bakeshop, located just across the Metropark Hotel Mongkok where we stayed. We were hooked on the place after I bought a few buns and an egg tart on a whim, and it quickly became our daily breakfast place.

The venue itself isn't really much: think old-school small Chinese restaurant complete with dingy never-been-scrubbed walls and tiles and, if they had a restroom, you'd probably not want to use it. Really a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, the kind that probably existed since the 1920s, possibly even earlier, and has never been touched by any kind of interior design. It's the kind of place that won't be on any tourist map-- the Hong Kong Tourism Board won't exactly consider its grimy interiors as the island's best representative-- but it is very popular with the locals, who we see every morning when we have breakfast. It's the kind of place that has been around forever making the same things over and over until perfection; unfortunately, cleanliness and ambience aren't among their priorities.

The staff are friendly and they try to accommodate, but they don't speak any English. The menus aren't in English either. If, like us, you don't speak a word of Chinese, ordering will be done via pointing, gestures, and, mercifully, a few common English words. In our case, that one English word was "coffee". Regular tea is served on the house. Oh, bring a jacket-- the aircon is always on full Arctic blast even if it's 20C outside.

Its menu is not so varied-- noodles, baked buns (sweet and savoury), pastries-- but the few things they make they make very well. Our favourite is what we call in Manila as Spanish bread: golden brown top with sesame seeds; perfectly chewy texture; right amount of butter, sugar, and dessicated coconut for filling. They also make great egg tart (nice crumbly crust, subtly flavoured custard) and ham and egg bun (they don't scrimp on the ham or egg)-- in fact, everything we ordered was just superb. By some mysterious method, Hung Wan got the texture of their bread just right. Hong Kong, by the way, makes great breadstuffs, and Hung Wan was the best of them all. Each order of bun or pastry costs between HKD 4 to HKD 7; the Spanish bread costs HKD 5.

The coffee, which is the only drink we knew how to order, wasn't too bad either. Each order is freshly brewed using what looks like an old cheesecloth which has seen better days and some pre-War-looking metal pitchers and steamers. Only old-school coffee making here; no espresso machines in sight. Ordering "coffee" means you're served coffee with heavy cream and sugar already mixed in. I actually prefer black coffee, but I didn't know how to order it in Chinese. In any case, the standard coffee, which costs HKD 10 a cup, is quite thick and heavy-- the closest analogue I can think of is that thick Spanish-style hot chocolate. No coffee in Starbucks has this depth of texture. It was pretty good, actually, and really picked us up for a long day of walking.

Bottomline, best bakeshop ever. If you can get over the looks of the place. Here are the scores:

Quality = 9.0
Size = 7.5
Taste = 9.5
Ambience = 2.0
Service = 6.0
Value = P406.90
Price = HKD 20 = P133.60
Sulit Rating = 2.91 > 1

Here's their address and contact info, lifted from their takeaway plastic bag:

Hung Wan Cafe & Bakery Shop
726 Shanghai St., Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel. 2392-6038, 2393-7852

See the pictures (and this review) here.

Hong Kong and Macau: Food Pics

See the pictures on my Multiply site here.

Hong Kong, Day 2: Stinky Tofu

It's our second day in Hong Kong (see previous posts here and here) and our feet are killing us.  Started the day with some breakfast at a Honk Kong-style pastry shop then went up to The Peak, followed by some brief shopping at Causeway Bay, a long walk along Nathan Road, and a lot of shopping at Ladies' Market (see my Dear's post here).

We've had a lot of good meals here at the Fragrant Harbour and hopefully I'll get to writing about them soon, but as the title suggests this post is about my experience with stinky tofu.  I've heard a lot about this delicacy from travel show hosts, particularly Andrew Zimmern, Anthony Bourdain, and Janet Hsieh.  It's reputed to be one of the world's more adventurous foods, often placed in the same level of funkiness with balut and century egg. Now, I like balut and century egg, so I thought stinky tofu shouldn't be that bad.

So there I saw stinky tofu on one of the street stalls around the Ladies' Market, deep fried and sitting on a strainer-- two large, greasy pieces skewered on bamboo satay sticks cost HKD 15.00.  It was crisp and golden brown, not unlike the other deep-fried tofus we get at Chinese restaurants or at home.  It did start reeking its fermented smell at that point, but it's still ok.  Nothing horrid. Yet.

The real assault starts on the first bite-- it has the same texture as other fried tofu, but with the taste of what I think would be the taste of thick cotton socks used for one week straight on a trek through a humid jungle then left in a cupboard with raw fish for a month.  No, I have to correct myself-- the stinky tofu was worse than that.  

Being true to Zimmern's philosophy I finished one piece, which was all I could take.  I just had to throw away the other one, and if you know me you'll know that's something I do not do with a light heart.  The worst part was the aftertaste-- it stays with you in your stomach for a long time and, several hours and more than a few drinks and dishes after, I can still taste it especially when I have a burp.

So, yes, my adventurous tastebuds have met their match.  I wouldn't want to have to eat (or smell) stinky tofu again, but I have to say I'm glad I tried it.  At least I can relate with Zimmern, Bourdain, or Hsieh when they say how disgusting it is.  Being a foodie isn't all about gourmet dishes and haute cuisines.  Sometimes, well, stinky tofu happens.

Ride N' Roll Diner

We recently tried Ride N' Roll Diner over at Xavierville Avenue in Quezon City. Having opened around late November, it presents itself as a diner/music lounge/art gallery, with cheap beer. We went on a day without any band or exhibit, so the ambience was more like a casual eatery than an artsy place. Service was friendly and efficient, although at the time there were more waiters than customers. But they were very professional, which is a plus. The menu ranges from staples such as sandwiches and fries to more surprising fare (given the setting) such as baked oysters. Here's what we got:

Calamares (P165)-- The usual battered and fried squid rings, served with a mayo-based sauce. Not bad, but not spectacular either. The squid was cooked inconsistently, some were soft but others were quite rubbery. The batter remained crunchy enough, albeit a bit oily.

Pork Sisig (P145)-- Worst. Sisig. Ever. It was more onion salad than pork sisig-- it had more onion in terms of volume and probably in weight, too. And if you think the onion extenders would result in a larger serving size then you're wrong-- despite being spread so thinly the dish could barely cover half the sizzling plate's surface area. As for the pork bits, they were all greasy and fatty without any of the flavour that would make them edible. I've had much better sisig straight from the freezer. Sisig is usually a very forgiving dish; it's very difficult to mess it up to the point of being inedible. This dish managed to achieve that feat with flying colours. Congratulations.

Garlic rice (P25/cup)-- This was actually pretty good. The rice was well-infused with the flavour of garlic, and the crunchy garlic bits were a good garnish.

Maybe it does showcase good art and music from time to time. It does look like a good place to hang out and have a few beers or coffee. The service is good; beer is relatively cheap (P38/bottle). But from what we've had, steer clear of the food. My Dear has sworn off the place forever; I'm willing to give it a second chance.

Here are the scores:

Quality = 2.0
Size = 3.5
Taste = 3.0
Ambience = 6.0
Service = 6.0
Value = P63.33
Price = P125.00
Sulit Rating = 0.51 < 1

Being in the neighbourhood, I would like to have more good places to eat in the vicinity so I wouldn't have to drive to Katipunan or Kalayaan for a good meal. So far this place has been very disappointing; I hope my second visit, which will have very low expectations, will be a better experience.

Terry Selection (2)

I first blogged about Terry Selection it more than a year ago when I first tried the restaurant (read it here), but after several visits I think it's worth another review.  

After several weeks of craving for Spanish food, particularly for some paella and any rustic potaje, my Dear and I had dinner at Terry Selection (see their partial menu here).  Being tucked deep in the basement of Podium actually works for Terry as it feels more like a private and quiet nook instead of your usual noisy and frenetic mall restaurant.  The interior has a more modern feel, which is unusual for Spanish restaurants which tend to go for traditional (or even medieval) decor.  Service is efficient and professional with a bit of stoic.  However, this branch does not have its own restroom and the nearest one is a bit of a walk away.

Here's what we ordered during our last visit:

Lentejas Castellanas (P250)-- a pottage (i.e., potaje) of lentils, chorizos, jamon Serrano, and hardboiled egg served with garlic rice in an oven-hot cazuela.  It's a very classic and rustic Spanish dish, something you'd expect to be served in a farmhouse restaurant.  The lentils take on the strong taste of the sausages, which goes well with the bland rice.  I actually did not expect it to come with rice as it wasn't indicated in its picture on the menu, but it was ok.

Super Paella Parellada (P540, for two)-- the classic Spanish saffron rice dish garnished with pork, seafood, chorizos, pimenton, mushrooms, and peas.  Technically, though, this isn't paella because it isn't cooked in a paellera; rather, this version is cooked in a sizeable cazuela.  But despite that technicality, this version of paella is quite sumptuous and is indeed good enough for two fairly sized appetites.  The rice was amply infused with the flavours of the saffron and chorizo, neither bland nor overpoweringly salty.  Overall a good paella and more than adequate to hit my craving.  However, I have to say that my all-time favourite paella is still Mingoy's Paella Española, which I've loved since grade school so there might be a little nostalgia in this statement.  

In our last visit we managed to keep the bill below P1,000, so it is possible to have a satisfying meal below P500 per person.  However, for a complete meal with soup and drinks I'll have to put the price at P650 per person at the minimum.  Here are the scores:

Quality = 9.0
Size = 6.0
Taste = 8.5
Ambience = 7.5
Service = 7.5
Value = P873.55
Price = P650.00
Sulit Rating = 1.34 > 1

As a final note, I repeat what I wrote about Terry Selection more than one year ago:

Bottomline, Terry Selection offers great food, but it ain't cheap. Surely, there are lots of very good and less expensive places out there, but if you love Spanish food and Spanish cured meats this place is worth a visit.

3 Greenhills Restaurants, 1 Post

It's been a while since I last did a restaurant review.  The last one I did was in August; for a resto in the Philippines it was in May.  As a sign of changing lifestyles I find myself cooking more and eating out less, trying to go from the theoretical to the applied.  But my Dear and I still do eat out at least once a week, usually near her office.  Here are brief reviews of three restaurants we've visited recently (in alphabetical order).  As usual, an explanation of the scores can be seen here.

Annabel Lee

Promenade II, Greenhills Shopping Center

San Juan City, Metro Manila

Half Italian restaurant half foodcourt concessionaire mutant.  Pretty decent actually, and was one of Tatler's top restaurants for 2007.  Service is good and professional.  I had the Roast Beef Sandwich (P190) and my Dear had the Puttanesca Pasta (P160)-- the entrees had good flavour and they were of fine quality, but the serving sizes were, like the waitresses' skirts, on the small size.  I also bought a soft baguette (P75) to take home-- not bad but not spectacular either, which can also be said for the restaurant.  I don't think any winged seraphs of heaven will covet this Annabel Lee.

Quality = 6.5
Size = 4.0
Taste = 7.0
Ambience = 4.0
Service = 6.0
Value = P267.21
Price = P250.00
Sulit Rating = 1.07 > 1

Choi Garden

Annapolis Street, Greenhills

San Juan City, Metro Manila

This Chinese restaurant is so popular Barack Obama will want to be seen with it.  It is so packed with customers you have to call in a reservation if you don't want to wait 45 minutes to get a table.  They have a fairly sized parking area, but there are just too much cars that have to be parked.  The place itself is big and the service is decent, but the sheer number of people can dampen the overall dining experience.  But it's all about the food.  Our regular (i.e., cheaper side of the menu) orders include siomai topped with sharksfin or siolong pao (dumplings filled with meat and soup) for appetisers, sauteed greens with garlic, and a main course of steamed fish with garlic or spicy spare ribs.  The fare can get easily grander than this, with various kinds of fresh seafood (groupers, lobsters, crabs, etc.) and a selection of Chinese charcuterie collectively called roasting.  Our favourite dessert is mango pudding, which is basically mango tapioca submerged in evaporated milk.  Good food at a reasonable price-- the definition of sulit.

Quality = 7.0
Size = 7.0
Taste = 7.5
Ambience = 6.0
Service = 6.0
Value = P559.38
Price = P250.00
Sulit Rating = 2.24 > 1

Good Burger

Connecticut Carpark, Greenhills Shopping Center

San Juan City, Metro Manila

A vegetarian burger place, for those who like hamburgers but don't like the meat.  Vegemeat doesn't usually inspire confidence in me but this was worth a try, if only to see how not bad vegemeat can be.  The pleace itself is pretty clean but small and not so comfortable; better have your burgers delivered.  The burgers, which are flame-grilled, come in three sizes: good (1 regular patty), better (1 bigger patty), and best (2 regular patties).  My Dear got the Margherita Burger (good, P90) and I got the Persian Burger (best, P95).  The Margherita has tomatoes and basil while the Persian has aioli and bell peppers (they were supposed to be roasted but I guess they didn't bother anymore).  We also had a side of Regular Wedge Fries (P30)-- I think we got eight pieces.  Overall, not so bad considering the price and that it's vegemeat.  It's a pretty decent alternative if you really don't like meat.

Quality = 5.0
Size = 5.0
Taste = 5.5
Ambience = 2.5
Service = 3.5
Value = P113.12
Price = P100.00
Sulit Rating = 1.13 > 1

La Cuisine Française in a can

More than elaborate sauces, expensive wines, and Michelin stars, the heart of French cuisine is really the common man's fare: the staple baguette, the hearty cassoulet, the cheap and easy ratatouille.  And of course there's choucroute, which I just tried from a can.

Choucroute is basically sauerkraut from France's Alsace region, which borders Germany.  The name itself is a francicised version of the German dish, from German Sauerkraut to Alsacian Sürkrüt to French choucroute.  Choucroute garnie is choucroute garnished with sausages and ham, and choucroute royale is choucroute made with premium charcuterie and wine.

I first heard of choucroute from Anthony Bourdain, so when I saw a can of it at Rustan's Fresh I just had to buy it.  The big can of choucroute, good for at least two servings, costs around P250.  Made by Belle France CIBON, it is marketed as authentic Alsacian choucroute royale made with Riesling wine.  The charcuterie is composed of two pieces each of smoked pork belly chunks and three kinds of sausages (Montbeliard, Frankfurter, and something that tastes like a mild chorizo).

I did not have particularly high hopes for choucroute coming from a can, so I was pleasantly

 surprised that this one actually tasted good.  The choucroute itself was mildly sour and matched well with the meats; however, it had a greasy aftertaste, surely because of the lard.  I ate it with slices of soft baguette from Annabel Lee (P75 for a big loaf).

At around P125 a serving it is quite expensive for a meal from a can, but it's quite reasonable for the closest thing to authentic French cuisine you can buy from a supermarket.

My P1,000 Morning Food Trip

It started benignly enough. I woke up earlier than usual to bring my Dear to her office in Greenhills, a mere 25 minutes away including mild traffic. On my way home I decided to look for Pasteleria Mallorca which I knew was somewhere along Sct. Fuentebella in Quezon City-- also 25 minutes from my house but in the opposite direction.

Pasteleria Mallorca's products are actually available in supermarkets-- I've tried (and like) their lenguas de gato, palillos de Madrid, and galletas San Nicolas-- but I've always wanted to visit their shop not only to buy their pastries but also to try their old-school ensaimadas, which are supposed to be the best in town.

So there I was, driving down the length of Sct. Fuentebella looking for a pastry shop, thinking it should stand out in what's mainly a residential street. No luck. After seeing the same houses four times I decided to call it quits and go home. So as not to let my detour be a total waste, I thought I might as well pass by Estrel's on the corner of Sct. Tobias and Sct. Limbaga.

Estrel's, established in 1946, is actually famous for its caramel cake which is I should say really superb-- it's one of those cakes in which everything is actually good: cake, filling, icing, flowers, etc. But since I wasn't in the mood for cake I decided to buy a box of food for the gods, at P360 for 20 pieces. They're very delicious and you can tell they only use premium ingredients, but I find it quite pricey since I'm already happy with those generic versions you can buy in any supermarket. But if you want food for the gods that is worthy of, well, God, then do buy a box from Estrel's. As for me, next time I'll stick to the caramel cake.

Heading back home, I impulsively parked at Santi's Delicatessen along Timog Avenue, unable resist rummaging though a well-stocked grocery. They did have a good selection of cheeses, canned goods, meats, sausages, etc., but I could find 90% of them (or equivalent substitutes) in other supermarkets at a marginally cheaper price. I was also looking for some Russian sturgeon caviar which I can't find anywhere in this country, and neither did I find it there. I ended up buying two links of pork cervelat, two links of veal bratwurst, and three links of Italian garlic pork sausage for a total of P295.40. This amount is actually enough for at least six meals so at around P50 per meal it's a pretty good deal.

While on the Santi's checkout line I met Mrs. Tess Morato-Lazatin, a daughter of Tomas Morato (yes, the street's namesake). She mentioned that, as a hobby, she makes morcillas and chorizos and cooks made-to-order paella (10 people minimum), using recipes from her home in Spain. Obviously she didn't have any products on hand so I got her contact info and I'll surely order some chorizos when my current stock runs out, maybe even some paella if I feel like splurging. I mentioned I was in the area looking for Pasteleria Mallorca, and lo and behold, she knew where it is-- 18 Sct. Fuentebella.

So back I drove to Sct. Fuentebella, looking for No. 18 which I'm sure I've seen before. And yes, I've seen it before-- that green-gated house that looks like the other houses beside it with nary a clue that it makes Spanish pastries on site. Well they do have a sign on the gate, if a plastic-covered piece of paper with words you'll only be able to read if you step off your car and walk up to it counts as a sign.

And there I was, at the first cause of my detour, the home-based factory of the Pasteleria Mallorca line of pastries as well as the Mega Mexicana line of tacos and dips (never knew they were made by the same company). First order of business was the ensaimada-- they had none. They make them only during the afternoon, freshly baked at around 2:30pm. Sigh. I guess I'll have to order some in advance then. But since I also went there for the pastries, particularly the lenguas de gato, it wasn't a total let-down. Besides, they also had some frozen sans rival and tarta Madrid, but they were too much for me at the time. I ended up buying a jar of lenguas de gato (P210), a jar of palillos de Madrid (P135), and a pack of argellanas (P60).

So that's P1,060.40 worth of various food stuffs bought on a whim. And it wasn't even lunchtime.

Singapore Food Trip

Took a lot of pics, so I'm posting on my multiply. I have two posts:

Hainanese Chicken Rice, Char Kway Teow, etc.

Sha Tin Kitchen- restaurant review

Vietnamese Food Trip

My Dear and I had a Vietnamese food trip yesterday, eating at Pho Hoa in SM Manila for lunch and Zao/Dzao Vietnemese Cafe in Eastwood City for dinner. Click here for the review. Here are their scores:

PHO HOA
Quality = 7.0
Size = 6.0
Taste = 8.0
Ambience = 5.0
Service = 6.0
Value = P466.63
Price = P250.00
Sulit Rating = 1.87 > 1

ZAO/DZAO VIETNAMESE CAFE
Quality = 7.0
Size = 6.5
Taste = 8.0
Ambience = 7.0
Service = 7.0
Value = P682.65
Price = P400.00
Sulit Rating = 1.71 > 1

Ababu Persian Kitchen

See my review here.

The scores:

Quality = 5.0
Size = 5.5
Taste = 5.5
Ambience = 2.0
Service = 4.0
Value = P113.55
Price = P100.00
Sulit Rating = 1.14 > 1

Bottomline, despite being hit-or-miss in its dishes, Ababu gives fair value for the little money you'll shell out. Good place for that 2am craving, and for me a convenient place to grab a meal.

Restaurant Uno

Hmmm, now that I'm about to write it, it sounds corny to make a play on Restaurant Uno and Mayo Uno, but I thought I could make some nice pun because that's where we ate today and they both have uno and... . On to the review.

Restaurant Uno, at the corner of Tomas Morato and Sct. Fuentebella in Quezon City, is a quaint and quiet restaurant right across the big Amici and the loud Ratskys. Mainly known for its breads and desserts, it uses food quality to compete with its neighbours' size and flamboyance and remain on the radar screen.

It was actually our second time at Uno, but the first time was all about desserts and coffee. This time we had a proper lunch. Here's what we got:

Sliced sourdough and butter (Free)-- This is the house appetiser, and I have to say the bread was very good-- great taste and texture. Not quite San Francisco sourdough, but so far the best sourdough this side of the Pacific.

Roti canai with onions and Gruyere cheese (P145)-- I'm not usually a fan of fusion but this French-Malaysian combination actually worked, with roti taking the place of a crepe. Pretty obvious substitution, if you think about it, but this is the first place I've seen it. And the serving size wasn't bad either.

Pasta with shrimp, spinach, olives, and feta cheese (P220)-- This was my main course. The ingredients' flavours melded well on this one-- the fresh spinach balancing the strong flavours of the olives and cheese, all playing in a backdrop of shrimp and butter. Serving size was also ok; nowhere near Italliani's or Don Henrico's size, but good enough.

Pasta Alfredo (P195)-- This is pasta Alfredo for purists-- only cream, butter, and a little parmesan cheese on spaghetti, nothing else. Order this dish if you really, really, really like the taste of cream and butter. If you find cream and butter ok but are not so much into them, then this dish is not for you. My Dear and I belong to the latter group so we weren't very happy with this dish; we needed loads of parmesan cheese and pepper to make it more palatable. This dish is only for lactophiles; everyone else beware.

Fallen Chocolate Cake (P55)-- My Dear's dessert, which she described as "heavenly". Unlike my Dear, I'm not such a big fan of chocolate cake, but I say this is pretty good. Basically a chewy and fudgy brownie crossed with a cake. But I still prefer my chocolate as confections.

Lemon Tart (P45)-- This is ok as lemon tarts go-- zesty lemon tart on a sturdy crust. Not the best lemon tart I've had, but pretty good for the price.

Both times we dined at Uno it was daytime, so everything was peaceful and parking was a breeze. Evenings, especially on weekends, might not be so tranquil, with the commotion of its large neighbours spilling onto the streets and the narrow Sct. Fuentebella being on gridlock. So note that my rating for Ambience is only for lunch or merienda. Now for the scores:

Quality = 7.5
Size = 6.0
Taste = 7.0
Ambience = 7.0
Service = 6.0
Value = P559.38
Price = P350.00
Sulit Rating = 1.60 > 1

Ziggurat Cuisine Restaurant

As far as I know, Ziggurat Cuisine Restaurant is the only place in Metro Manila that serves African cuisine. While it also serves Indian, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern food, which we can find in various other restos, it is African food that lured my me to Ziggurat.

First, a few notes about the location. The restaurant is located on the corner of Euphrates and Tigris streets in Makati, which I'm sure figured in the owner's calculus before he opened the restaurant. It is not exactly the easiest place to find, especially if you're not used to Makati's latest permutation of one-way streets. I actually got flagged down by Makati's finest on my way there; luckily I got off with a friendly reminder. I can also see parking being hell during peak hours-- my Dear and I went there on a Sunday, which was a pretty slow day for the restaurant, and there was only one parking slot available.

The decor is predominantly Turkish/Middle Eastern-- think carpets, gold thread, and hookahs-- which can either be tacky or exotic depending on your taste. Although there are a few high chairs and tables, most of the seating is on the floor with lots of throw pillows and carpets to keep you comfortable. Indoor lighting is quite dim, which might be nice for the after-work evening crowd.

Now on to the food:

Moussaka (P150) with Arabian Khobiz (P10/piece)-- The moussaka was very good and flavourful, equal in flavour to the one from Arya Persian Restaurant but not in presentation. I had the impression that they make a big batch early in the day then just reheat portions as people order. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as food like moussaka actually get better when you reheat them (stronger flavours). Khobiz, the classic Arabian flatbread, is basically pita bread. The bread with the moussaka can easily serve as an good-sized appetiser for two or a hearty snack for one.

Algerian Grilled Vegetable Cousous (P250)-- While Ziggurat has around 20 rice dishes, we opted for the Maghribi staple, couscous. It was a very good decision, as the couscous with vegetables was a meal in itself. I've had couscous only a few times before, and I have to say this was among the better tasting ones. The grilled vegetables, which they chopped and mixed into the dish, added a sweet and savoury taste to the bland couscous. As you can see in the picture, they made no effort towards presentation, which to some people might matter, but to me was more than made up for by the taste.

Ethiopian Chicken We't (P375)-- If you watched NBC during the mid 90s, you might remember this filler segment they called World in a Stew. One of the dishes they featured was a chicken stew from Ethiopia. This is that dish. Chicken we't (or doro we't) is a stew of chicken cooked in butter and berbere spices, served on injera bread with hard-boiled eggs and cottage cheese. Ziggurat's version of this dish was mildly spicy and a bit pungent-- I liked it but it wasn't exactly every day fare for my Filipino taste buds. The bland eggs and cheese were a good complement to the we't, cutting through the strong flavour of the berbere spices and butter. The injera bread, where it was dry, was also a good complement to the dish; however, the butter-based sauce soaked most of it that it was no longer nice to eat. Next time I order this dish I'll ask them to serve the bread on the side.

Moroccan Mint Tea (P75) and Ziggurat Iced Tea (P60)-- Nothing really spectacular here, just mint tea in a pot and iced tea. Next time I'll try their lassi, an Indian yogurt-based drink.

Dessert Trio A (P250)-- A trio of (from the top) shir berenj (Persian rice pudding), kulfi (Indian frozen milk dessert) and mihallabiya (Egyptian milk pudding). The shir berenj was a milky rice pudding with a hint of rose water, similar in texture to a thick rice guinataan. The kulfi was basically hard ice cream, like a very sweet rum-raisin ice cream. The mihallabiya, which for me topped the trio, had the texture of soft bilo-bilo made from sticky rice but flavoured with yogurt and rose water.

Ziggurat, which has been around for a few years, was a very good discovery for me. It impressively offers a very diverse and ambitious menu of dishes, and does a decent job of them. While I wouldn't say that it serves the best dish X or the perfect dish Y, I think it does a pretty good version of those dishes. Very much worth the trip (and a return trip) if you're getting tired of the usual East/Southeast Asian, Italian, or American fare we often find in the city. Although we spent around P650/person during our visit, one can have a hearty meal in Ziggurat for around P450; their shawarmas even go for less than P200 if I remember correctly. Now for the scores (in case you missed it, see the explanation here):

Quality = 7.5
Size = 7.0
Taste = 8.0
Ambience = 6.0
Service = 7.0
Value = P677.64
Price = P450
Sulit Rating = 1.51 > 1