Mad about FOOD

Right. Eating out is one of my joys in life. It’s somewhere there on my list of "top 5 favorite things to do" (can you guess the other four?). Since I’m "just" a stay-at-home mom, I’m very happy whenever I can dine out at least twice a week. In fact, this year, I decided to keep a food journal so I can remember all the food haunts that I’ve been blessed to visit. The following is a summary of the restaurants/fastfood outlets/dining establishments where I ate (plus the branches and number of times I dined there):

Teriyaki Boy (Market! Market! - 5) * Flavours of China (SM City Sucat - 11 - this is my Bea’s favorite) * Greenwich (Glorietta-Food Choices - 1; Olongapo - 1) * Dencio’s (Metrowalk, Ortigas - 1; Glorietta-Food Choices - 1) * Tsoko.nut Batirol (SM Makati - 2) * Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (Greenbelt 3 - 2) * Mongkok Dimsum & Noodles (Glorietta - 3; Power Plant - 1) * Big Buddha (Greenbelt 3 - 1) * Max’s Restaurant (Park Square - 1; SM Makati - 1) * Duo Steakhouse and Wine Bar (Serendra - 5) * Chicken Bacolod (Glorietta - 1; Market! Market! - 1) * Sbarro (Glorietta - 1) * Mann Yann (Glorietta - 2) * Blackbeard’s Seafood Island by Red Crab (Market! Market! - 2) * Okuya Express (Glorietta-Food Choices - 1) * Portico 1771 (Serendra - 1) * Filling Station (P. Burgos Street, Makati - 1) * Zhuang Oriental Cuisine (Pioneer Center, Pasig - 1)          

                        Oysters Rockefeller from Blackbeard’s Seafood Island

Pho Hoa (SM Mall of Asia - 1) * Hap Chan Tea House (Market! Market! - 2) * Karate Kid (SM City Sucat - 6) * Pancake House (Glorietta- 2; Waltermart - 1) * Yellow Cab Pizza Co. (Market! Market! - 1; Glorietta - 1) * Super Bowl of China (Glorietta - 1) * Cyma Estiatorio (Greenbelt 2 - 1) * Shakey’s (Glorietta - 1) * TGI Friday’s (Alabang Town Center - 1) * Dad’s (Glorietta - 1) * Zao Vietnamese Bistro (Serendra - 1) * Conti’s (Serendra - 1) * Taste Asia (SM Supercenter Pasig - 1) * Dulcinea (Glorietta - 1) * Kublai’s Rock (Magallanes - 1) * Amici (Don Bosco, Makati - 1) * Hard Rock Cafe (Glorietta - 1) * Mongolian Quick-Stop (SM City Sucat - 3) * Mr. Choi  Kitchen (Waltermart - 2) * The French Baker (SM City Sucat - 1) * UCC Vienna Cafe (SM Mall of Asia - 1) * HEAT (Edsa Shangri-la Hotel -1)

         
                                       Cha Gio Vet from Pho Hoa

McDonald’s (Las Pinas - 1; Olongapo - 3) * Jollibee (Casimiro - 1) * Italianni’s (Glorietta - 1) * The Java Man (Powerbooks-Greenbelt 4 - 1) * Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen (Paranaque - 3) * Cheesecake, etc. (Greenbelt 3 - 1) * Red Ribbon (Market! Market! - 1) * To Ho Restaurant Antigua (BF Homes, Paranaque - 3) * Oody’s Xpress (Market! Market! - 2) * The Chocolate Kiss Cafe (UP Diliman - 1) * Chef d’ Angelo (Glorietta - 1) * Kenny Rogers Roasters (Market! Market! - 2; Glorietta - 1) * Mexicali (Glorietta - 1) * Racks (Magallanes - 2) *  Sugarhouse (Glorietta - 1) * Clawdaddy (Bonifacio High Street - 1) * President Tea House Express (Glorietta-Food Choices - 1) * Pizzeria Pronto!  (SM Bicutan - 1) * The Old Spaghetti House (Waltermart - 1) 

         
                                            Buffalo wings from Racks

Neighborhood joints: Le Delice (Merville Country Club - 5) * Mrs. B’s Food Box (Merville Park - 1) * Lola Idang’s Bahay Pancitan (Moonwalk - 2) * Marabella Cafe (Merville Park - 2) * Carlo’s Pizza (Moonwalk - 1) Olongapo/Subic Bay Freeport [SBF] Area: Sakura Japanese Restaurant (SBF - 2) * Korean Restaurant (SBF - 1) * Dumpling King (SBF - 1) * Mocha Blends (SBF - 2) * Le Jardin (Mountain Woods Resort, SBF - 1) * Sibil Bar & Restaurant (SBF - 1) * Sands Bar & Grill (The Lighthouse, SBF - 1) * Wimpy’s Burger (Olongapo - 1) * Golden Tea House (SBF - 1) * Rico’s Fastfood & Restaurant (Olongapo - 1)

         
                                            Nachos from Mocha Blends

Coffee/dessert shops/just for snacks: Starbucks (various branches - 10) * Figaro (NAIA - 1; Power Plant - 1) * Mocha Blends (SBF - 3 - this is different from the 2 times I had meals there) * Bon Appetit (Rustan’s Makati - 1) * Burger King (Glorietta - 1) * Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (Bonifacio High Street - 1) * Marta’s Cakes! (Serendra - 2) * Chelsea Market & Cafe (Serendra - 1) * Haagen Dazs Cafe (Glorietta - 1) * Cupcakes by Sonja (Serendra - 2 - not counting take-outs) * Milky Way Cafe (Power Plant - 1) * Jollibee (Market! Market! - 1; Glorietta - 1) * Terrace Cafe (Subic International Hotel, SBF - 1) * Sugarhouse (Glorietta - 1 - a slice of cake only) * The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Bonifacio High Street - 1) * Tea & Therapy (Serendra - 1) * Chocolat (SM Mall of Asia - 1) * Red Ribbon (Market! Market! - 2) * Cafe Xocolat (Serendra - 1) * Le Coeur de France (Glorietta - 1) * Bizu Patisserie (Alabang Town Center - 1)

         
                          Chocolate toffee nut loaf and iced Praline Mocha

What an awesome year it was! Thank you, 2007, for all the foodie memories. Here’s looking forward to more amazing eats in ‘08!

As the year draws to an end, allow me to share with you some of the foods that made my life so much fun, exciting and bursting with flavors. These are my top picks for 2007:

* Duo Surprise from Duo Steakhouse and Wine Bar - Hands down, Duo in Serendra is our (my and my husband’s) best restaurant discovery this year. We loved everything that we tried from their menu, most notably the baked fillet of sole, fish and steak, steak with foie gras, Tessie Tomas salad, parma ham and goat cheese salad and, of course, the desserts! Duo Surprise (about P220) is a combination of cheesecake and creme brulee that packs a lot of pleasant surprises in the mouth. That I devoured this half-cheesecake dessert gives you an idea of how really special it is (considering that I NEVER liked cheesecakes).

                                                          
* McDonald’s caramel sundae (P28)- This is an inexpensive yet yummy way to satisfy a sweet craving. Unlike Jollibee’s caramel pastillas sundae, McDonald’s creamy vanilla sundae is topped with perfectly gooey, chewy caramel that sticks to the teeth for just a second or two. Now that is truly sundae-licious!

* Spaghetti aligue from Tsoko.nut Batirol (P98)- This gives a new twist to an old Pinoy favorite. I’m enamored by the delicate flavor of the aligue (crab fat) with just the right hint of olive oil, garlic and parmesan and served with a side of bischocho. One serving of this pasta dish is usually not enough for my relatively big appetite but I always leave room in my tummy for my other Tsoko.nut favorites — ensaymada, pandesal adobo, choco amaretto or the signature tsokolate ah batirol.

* Virgie’s homemade pastillas de mangga (mango tarts) - This regional specialty from Bacolod is my Bea’s favorite treat after her nap. My little girl is in a perennial state of  mango mania, and the tarts make up for the times when fresh mangoes are not in season. I love them, too. Available in Shopwise and Market! Market! for P90/pack of 10.

* Sizzling tofu steak from Karate Kid - I always order this every time we dine at Karate Kid. It has soft Japanese tofu cubes, a generous amount of ground pork, my favorite shiitake mushrooms, with a delectable sauce served on a sizzling plate. It’s certainly a must-try and very reasonably priced at P100/plate. Tofu-rrific!

* Monterey premium chicharon (chili vinegar) - It retails for about P30, but you can be sure that the preparation of the pork cracklings is not worthy of an expose in Imbestigador. I brought a pack of this chicharon to one of our regular Sunday family gatherings, and now a brother-in-law of mine always buys 10 packs at a time when grocery-shopping. Bad, bad, bad.

* Samurai sushi platter from Kitaro - If you are infatuated with Japanese food like me, this is the perfect party platter that contains an assortment of sushi and maki. I ordered it for my Bea’s 3rd birthday last June and it was such a big hit that I ordered another one a couple of months later. I won’t mention how much it costs because I got a 12% discount both times from the restaurant’s owner. God bless her.

* Go Nuts cupcakes - These are reasonably priced yummy cupcakes that are readily available in most Go Nuts outlets. My favorite varieties are the buttercrunch toffee, hazelnut crunch, white chocolate crunch and cookies & cream.

* Banoffee pie from Red Ribbon - Introduced this year by everyone’s favorite bakeshop, the banoffee pie is an original English dessert that is said to be one of the favorites of the late Princess Diana. At first, I wasn’t interested in it at all (because it has fresh banana chunks - eewk), but when I bought a slice for my sister, I decided to give it a try. And swoon over it I did. A tasty graham crust cradles a bed of chocolate and toffee, bananas, premium walnuts and topped with a lush layer of cream with swirls of chocolate and caramel. The fusion of different tastes and the variety of textures make this pie absolutely heavenly! It’s bound to be another classic from Red Ribbon.

* Cream puffs from Puff Mommy (P220/dozen)- These gems are positively addicting! They’re homemade treats by a very enterprising housewife from our nearby village. I saved her number in my cellphone a long time ago, but I never really tried to contact her. However, word of mouth rapidly spread that her cream puffs are simply divine, and so I had to give in to my curiosity. I texted her and the cream puffs were delivered right at my doorstep. The verdict? Once you pop…err…puff, you can’t stop!
                                  
         
                                       
These babies are made with a tasty bread crowned with chocolate and are oozing with luscious cream that is unlike that of all the other cream puffs I’ve ever tried. In fact, the puffs are best eaten straight from the freezer or fridge because the filling then somehow tastes like ice cream. This year, we gave away boxes of these goodies to our friends so they can share them with their family.

         
                                            all set for gift-giving

On that note, let me wish all my fellow foodies and friends a very merry Christmas! Let us all be thankful for the abundant blessings and hope that next year will be even more bountiful. Remember the reason for the season–then enjoy eating, drinking and merry-making!