Mad about FOOD

More and more people are getting health conscious nowadays, even fastfoods recognize this fact. So now they’re trying to include salads on their menu. KFC, Jollibee, and McDonald’s are already offering salads along with their bestselling fried chicken. I actually like the KFC chicken caesar salad, especially when my budget is tight. But when you want to go for a healthy-licious treat, I recommend the following–
      
         

So remarkable in its simplicity is this vegetarian salad (P120+) from Vietnamese restaurant Pho Hoa [SM Mall of Asia]. As the name suggests, there is no meat or any other complicated ingredient–just lettuce, cabbage, shredded carrots and ground peanuts (if I remember correctly). The vinaigrette is a bit on the sweet side, but it really brings out the simple flavors of the veggies. Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, I’m sure you will love this one.

I’ve dined at Duo Steakhouse and Wine Bar [Serendra] often enough to be able to engage the head chef in conversation. So I asked Chef Mau, "Why is this salad so named?" And he said, quite simply and in his natural unassuming manner, "Because it’s her favorite." Thus the Tessie Tomas salad (solo-P370++) was born. It used to be a popular item at Le Souffle even though it was not on the menu. Once I tried it, I was immediately hooked. It has grilled prawns, marinated salmon, shiitake mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, lollo rosso and green ice lettuce and a creamy balsamic dressing that’s absolutely delectable. They named it after the actress-TV host, but I call this salad a masterpiece!

The first time I tried the seafood salad (P329++) of UCC Vienna Cafe at the Podium two years ago, I was instantly smitten. I had it again recently at the SM Mall of Asia branch and it’s still as good as before. How can anyone not fall head over heels in love with the generous portions of ebi furai, crab cakes, kani sticks, whole kernel corn and fish roe on a bed of lettuce? What makes this salad even more special is the Japanese dressing–distinctively piquant and very appetizing. Is this salad a starter or a main course? You decide.

My latest discovery is the Sicilian chicken salad (lunch portion-P350++) from Italianni’s [Glorietta]. It took me this long to try it because I used to sneer at salad recipes that call for fruits like pomelo, mango, apple or kiwi as ingredients mixed with leafy greens. My initial reaction was, yuck. But after reading raves about this one, I wanted to judge for myself. It’s a medley of "diced chicken breast, mangoes, ripe red grapes with pine nuts, tossed in a creamy lemon-dijon dressing served on a bed of crisp romaine lettuce." I never thought I’d say this, but the ingredients really blend well. The grapes and mangoes together with the lettuce, the focaccia croutons, and the dressing provide a burst of flavor in the mouth that’s, in fact, pleasantly unusual. My 3-year-old foodie, Bea, confirmed: "Mommy, I like it. It’s so delicious!"  Coming straight from the mouth of a babe, that’s a very positive sign. My only complaint is that the chicken and the pine nuts are scarce, but after finishing the entire platter, it didn’t matter anymore. The salad was so filling.

Oftentimes, I find myself not fitting into my pants anymore, so desperate times call for…SALADS! And while my favorite salads don’t seem to help trim my waistline, at least they make me feel good. Really good.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 2nd, 2007 at 3:59 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.