New Deli in Kapitolyo

November 24, 2009 at 2:50 pm · Filed under Restaurants ·Tagged , ,

I’m starting to develop an aversion towards Pasig. Traffic, especially in the Ortigas area is horrible and parking in commercial places is always a nightmare. City Golf on Julia Vargas used to be the default setting for impromptu dates, but the influx of bars and restaurants in that tiny area have made it almost impossible to visit on weekends.  So out of desperation and desire to escape the chaotic watering holes, I suggested to Mister M that we head for Kapitolyo and try our luck at the newly opened delicatessen slash wine bar.  Much to my delight, it was open. It was almost 12mn when we got there and it seemed like they were about to close. Luckily enough, the accommodating owners were there and allowed us to enjoy a bottle of wine.

Poco Deli offers the usual delicatessen fare of cold cuts,sausages and cheese (some coming from Mickey’s Deli) along with pizzas and pasta dishes.  They had a pretty decent wine selection that can satisfy the occasional craving for a sophisticated buzz. The place was quiet with a very relaxing ambience.  That night, it also offered the respite that I needed.

Sausage Platter (P280)

Sausage Platter (P280)

My visit to Poco Deli was short but sweet and certainly made my drive to Pasig worth it. It’s good to know that I now have a new place to go to for my vino fix, and far away from the maddening crowd.

Poco Deli is located at East Kapitolyo Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig (a few meters from Charlie’s)

*all photos taken with a Nokia 6700 Classic

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There’s a brand new BUTTER in town

November 21, 2009 at 1:28 pm · Filed under Ingredients ·Tagged ,

And it’s called Dairy Magic.

I’ve only seen at SM Supermarket where it was being sold at about P23.  It caught my attention because it was priced lower than my usual brand of baking butter, Bakers Best. So I gave it a try and am quite happy with it.

I’m no butter connoisseur so I won’t even attempt to compare the taste with the leading brands. All I can say is that I like the taste, sort of like buttermilk.

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Laura Calder

November 17, 2009 at 7:09 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged

First there was Nigela. Then came Ina. Now there’s Laura.

Laura Calder is my new favorite chef to watch. I started catching her on the AFC and was instantly mesmerized by her French cooking, casually confident demeanor and calming voice that seems to hypnotize me.  Why this sounds like a Fatal Attraction post, I don’t know. Laura Calder makes French cooking look terribly easy. How I wish her show was on in the mornings so I could start my days better.

Tonight, I will attempt to stay up late and will try to catch French Food at Home.  I am particularly excited as tonight’s episode is supposed to highlight her relationship with her mentor.

Tomorrow, I wander into the nearest bookstore and BROWSE (not buy, as I am on a shopping diet) through her cookbooks.

Sigh.


P.S. I like her even more because her website is also green-ish :)

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All About Jars

November 12, 2009 at 12:44 pm · Filed under Storage ·Tagged ,

 

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I am currently obsessing over jars. What can I say? I’m a sucker for simple and functional objects.

These mason jars could have a number of uses.

1. Storage. Clear jars are perfect containers for spices, herbs, baking ingredients, homemade jams, sauces, salad dressing and chutneys.  What’s also great is that these are see through so you can easily identify and grab what you need. If displayed properly, these could also serve an aesthetic purpose in your kitchen.

2. Shakers. These jars can also come in handy when making home made salad dressings. All you need to do is pour all your ingredients in the bottle and shake away.

3.  Glasses.  My friend came up with the idea of turning these jars into party glasses. They worked perfectly with cocktails since all we had to do was pour, cover, shake and drink.

4. Gifts items. These make for very good gifts. Just fill them with your favorite homemade sauce, tie a ribbon around it and you have instant Christmas gift that will be much appreciated, especially since these are reusable jars.

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Air tight jars that I found at the Robinsons Department Store

I used to have a problem with finding these jars so I am quite happy that they are a lot more accessible nowadays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Of Gourmet Paos and Good Friends

November 8, 2009 at 2:31 pm · Filed under Pasta, Recipes ·Tagged , ,

Yesterday, two of my closest friends H and M, opened up their new home to us. The text invite said, “ Gourmet Siopao and beer for lunch.” Sounded just like my kind of Saturday, and it sure was.  It was such a treat to be among wonderful people, in a beautiful yet cozy environment where all we did was eat, drink, talk and laugh.

LUNCH

The siopaos by Gourmet Pao were hard to miss. At approximately 6-7 inches in diameter, these steamed   buns looked like they would be a challenge to finish because they were really massive. Deciding on what flavor was also tricky just because there were so much to choose from. I ended up having the Chucho, which issiopao filled with ham, cheese and chorizo.  This one didn’t veer so far away from your regular bola-bola siopaobecause of the similarities inpork flavor, except this one is oozing with melted cheese. I also tried the Tuna Dekada, which is filled with tuna, capers, egg and cheese – my instant favorite.  There were probably five other flavors to try but I was just too stuffed to venture that far. Simple food like Gourmet Paos are perfect for entertaining. They are hassle-free to serve and are definitely crowd pleasers.

Gourmet Pao

Gourmet Pao

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Chucho, chorizo with cheese

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M also served this eggplant dish. I’m guessing is was sauteed in onions, garlic, tomatoes and the best part – daing. This was so delicious, I was eating it until late that evening.

Eggplat with Daing

MERIENDA

bar

The beginning of what promises to be a well stocked bar. Looks pretty complete to me.

DINNER

Since we had planned to go to the nearby mall for a while, I suggested that we do the groceries and that I cook dinner. We decided to go with a simple pasta dish with shitake mushrooms, basil, tomato and cream paired with a tuna Nicoise salad.  And because it was supposed to be a hassle-free evening, we chose to just grab one whole rotisserie chicken.

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Tuna Salad Nicoise with Lemon Vinaigrette


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Shitake with tomato and basil cream pasta

We ended that day unbelievably stuffed but mostly glad to be among good friends.

Thank you, H and M for welcoming us into your beautiful home and for giving us the honor of being your first guests.

Shitake Mushrooms with Basil and Tomato Pasta

5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 small red bell peppers, minced

3 tomatoes, diced

2 packs of shitake mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup all purpose cream

a handful of fresh basil

1/4 cup water or chicken stock

salt and pepper

your choice of pasta

In a nonstick pan, heat butter and olive oil.  Saute’ garlic until fragrant, then add bell peppers. Saute’ for another 3 minutes or until bell peppers are tender.  Add shitake mushrooms and 1/4 cup liquid. Cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes, remembering to stir once in a while.  Add cream, salt and pepper. Mix with pasta and serve.

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

November 2, 2009 at 9:35 am · Filed under Chocolate, Cupcakes, Dessert ·Tagged ,

IMG_7125What was supposed to be a 3-day weekend was extended another day, and I think we were all secretly thankful for this prolonged vacation.  My co-teachers and I just got over the first term crunch and got our much needed break (maybe even too much of it).

Last night, Mr. and Mrs. PM decided to host a Mexican dinner in lieu of a Halloween party.  I honestly thought that was a better idea since I’ve never been a fan of this festival.  Yes, I am the Halloween scrooge :P Mrs. PM was set to cook all the food so I volunteered to bring dessert – Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes. Basically, the cupcake version of hot chocolate with a dash of cayenne. I was very excited to make these.

After reading different variations of this recipe, I finally decided on my own. I was going to take my chocolate cupcake recipe and just add 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne and chai spices to it. I also substituted the regular cow’s milk with coconut milk which was quite typical for this recipe. I was very curious to see if the coconut milk would affect the taste of the cupcake, but it didn’t. To top it all of, I made orange chocolate buttercream frosting. Mmmmmmm. This cupcake recipe is perfect for a cold night because of the hint of heat and all the spices that warm you up inside. This is definitely not your regular chocolate cupcake and my absolute new favorite.

I’d share my recipe with you but then I’d have to hunt you down after. But check this one out, a recipe from Love and Olive Oil which is very similar to the one I used.

Happy baking everyone and I hope you all had a safe weekend.

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Hangover Cures

October 31, 2009 at 10:36 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged

my souvenir from Fiesta San Miguel

Last night, I got a little carried away and had more than my share of beer. Woke up this morning to what seemed like a hundred jackhammers in my head and the feeling of regret for having ingested so much alcohol. By 2PM, I already wanted to shoot myself because I was still in misery. As Barney of HIMYM would say, “I’m getting too old for this.” I couldn’t eat and was sick almost every hour. I’m telling you, I developed abs in one afternoon from all the hurling. Amazing.

In my desperation to find a cure for my insufferable hangover, I came across this post by the Drunken Pirate, which inspired this one. His post made me want an Alka Seltzer and Gatorade badly, but being as incapacitated as I was, I couldn’t even find the strength to send someone out to get some.

So in honor of my recovery (which took a whole day), here is a list of my favorite hangover cures.

1. Beef Cup Noodles by Nissin. This instant soup is always a soothing welcome to my drunk and acidic stomach.  This is usually the only thing I can take after a rough night of drinking, and yes, this one is my favorite.

2.  Aleve. Taking one of these before sleeping always prevents a hangover. But if you get too drunk to remember, taking one in the morning will eliminate any nasty headaches.  *Taking pain killers after consuming alcohol may cause liver damage.

3. Lugaw. One of my favorite comfort food of all time.  I was relieved to see that this was served for breakfast but was only able to eat it in the afternoon. This carb-filled meal fills and warms the stomach.

4. Gatorade. I think everyone knows that if you drink one before sleeping, you could save yourself a lot of trouble.  The Drunken Pirate makes a funny specification to get the lemon lime variant because in the event that it comes back up, this one won’t stain :P

5. Airborne or Berocca – There’s something about fizzy drinks that makes me feel better when hungover. Plus it’s probably a good idea to make up for lost nutrients.

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my cure-all

6. Anything greasy. The moment I feel ready to eat, I always look for something fried like hotdogs, spam or chorizo. Maybe it’s my body wanting to make up for the loss of calories.

7. Water – Duh. Naturally, your body will welcome any form of rehydration but I think water just does the trick. But for some reason, I cannot take cold water when in this state because it hurts my stomach. I can only take lukewarm water when recovering, and I take lots of it.

And what not to take? Anything sour. I attempted to drink a glass of pineapple juice and my body just instantly rejected it.

So unless you’re in your early 20s and can easily bounce back from a night of drinking, be prepared so you can prevent having to spend the whole day trying to recover from a nasty hangover.

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Saizen

October 29, 2009 at 9:49 pm · Filed under Stores ·Tagged , ,

Move over, SM because Saizen has definitely got it all! This Japanese made store has managed to put everything that you might need (and think you need) within approximately 80 square meters inside Robinsons Galleria. Now, that’s my kind of convenience store. I was humorously (and kind of seriously) holding on to Mister M when I first got a glimpse of the store because I was too excited. Imagine, everything for P85! Nakakaloka!

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Kitchenware galore

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Cookie cutters!

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silicone cups and more baking materials

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all you need to make a bento box

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they also had scrapbooking materials

Image0040some of my Saizen loot : an apron, oven mits, ice cream scooper, elastic headbands, and carton cake boxes

We would’ve stayed there longer if it weren’t for my aching feet and our fear of purchasing unnecessary items. Visiting this store definitely requires a lot of self-control.  My advice : leave your credit card at home and set a budget for yourself, because you can seriously get carried away in this store.

My visit to Saizen was so therapeutic and definitely exciting. Thanks, Mister M for introducing to my new favorite store :)

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Food Photography

October 26, 2009 at 11:16 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged

Whenever I have a new idea for a post, two things come to mind: (1) When can I make this dish? and (2) How do I photograph it? Styling (or attempting to) and photographing my food probably takes just as long as it does to make the actual dish. I think everyone who has a food blog knows that it’s one thing to make your dish taste good, and another to make it LOOK good.

BE CREATIVE
BE CREATIVE

I was quite thrilled with the idea of using colored chocolate chips as an accent for my cookie photo.  I think it makes for a more eye catching image as opposed to using a plain brown background.

Food photography is still quite tricky for me, especially in terms of composition.  You can only style a cupcake in so many ways, right? And it is through my search for food styling inspiration that I stumbled upon these wonderful sites that have excellent food photography.

1. HONEY & JAM – A food blog by an 18 year old. This has got to be one of my favorites because other than her mouth watering recipes, she always takes beautiful photos that are wonderfully styled without being too contrived.

2. TASTESPOTTING – This site offers a plethora of food blogs that one can spend hours on.  I like this site because they seem to have a good standard for choosing which photos to feature on their site.

3. CUPCAKES TAKE THE CAKE – More than the photography, I look to this website for really fun cupcake designs.

4. 80 BREAKFASTS – Among all the local food blogs, this is probably the one that I visit the most. I like that each post usually just has one excellent photo.  There’s nothing more annoying that a site with a ton of poorly taken photos that take forever to load.  80 Breakfasts is simple but engaging.

5. NOBLE PIG – This site has amazingly unique recipes with photos that are straightforward but still very pleasing to the eye.  Definitely one to add to your RSS feed.

MAKE THE MOST OUT OF NATURAL LIGHT
MAKE THE MOST OUT OF NATURAL LIGHT

I almost always shoot during the day just so I can avoid having to use my flash. But hey, if you know how to use your flash well, go ahead :) Maybe you can teach me a thing or two?

Any food blogs you’d like to suggest?

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Remembering Julia

October 17, 2009 at 10:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged

Because I’m still obsessing over her…

How I wish they’d show reruns of her show on the Food Network.

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