Friday, September 28, 2012

Itadakimasu!

     For the past months, I could say 90% of our meals is Japanese, whether home cooked or not. Japanese food is a constant craving for the family. We love the balance of flavors and ingredients which makes the meals light and delicious. The fried items are filling in a good way... not too oily but just right. Some of the most common Japanese ingredients are soy sauce, miso, mirin, dashi, Japanese mayonnaise and sake.* Here are some of the table settings and dishes we do at home...


Shabu shabu table setting


Vegetables


Thinly sliced Ribeye


Other ingredients and condiments


The 2 sauces: Sesame and Ponzu


Sukiyaki table setting


Sukiyaki
-Another form of hot pot with beef, tofu, vegetables and noodles cooked in soy sauce, mirin and water.


Tempura
-Deep fried shrimp and vegetables. This comes with a sauce made of soy sauce, dashi and mirin.


Chicken yakitori
-Grilled chicken with leeks


Cha soba
-Noodles with green tea. This usually comes with a sauce and nori is used as a garnish.

     
     I was inspired to try out some recipes I found online and in some cooking books at home. I know I won't feel the guilt because they're pretty much healthy.


Cold noodles salad with sesame dressing


Gyudon
-A rice bowl with thinly sliced beef and onions cooked in soy sauce, sake, mirin and ginger.


Mapo tofu
-This is Chinese inspired, this is with ground pork, tofu, onions, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce and chili paste. This is best eaten with rice.


Salmon with miso mayo
-This is baked with onions and mushrooms under the salmon. I use Japanese mayonnaise here... I'm not a mayonnaise person but to me, Japanese mayonnaise is the best! 


Japanese inspired Carbonara
-This is cooked with heavy cream, eggs, cheese, onions and pepper.


     Now we go to dessert. The desserts are just fabulous! They look and taste great... not too rich, just right. They say Japanese desserts are very similar to European desserts. 


Coffee jelly
(Some Japanese restaurants offer or give complimentary coffee jelly. It's served with either milk or ice cream.)

Japanese Christmas cake
-Also known as Strawberry Shortcake. So far this is the most tedious dessert I made. I haven't made cakes for a long time so this took me 3 attempts. In my first 2 attempts, the cakes were as flat as a pancake with holes.


Some facts I researched about Japanese culture:
-When eating noodles, slurping is a way of saying the food is delicious.
-Don't place the chopsticks facing upwards inside the bowl because this is a ritual done in funerals so it's considered negative.
-The number four is bad luck because it's associated with death.
-When making a toast, do not say "chin chin" as it's considered inappropriate. Say kampai
-When eating sushi, it's best to eat it as whole because cutting it will destroy the chef's art.


     If this inspired you to cook some Japanese food, you may find your ingredients in the grocery of The Landmark and New Hatchin. With this, I say Itadakimasu!*


The Landmark
Ayala Ave.
Makati City


New Hatchin Japanese Grocery
7602 Sacred Heart Street corner Metropolitan Avenue
San Antonio Village
Makati City
897-7202 / 890-5038


miso -fermented soy
mirin -rice vinegar
dashi -cooking stock
sake -rice wine (2 kinds: one for cooking and another for drinking)
nori -seaweed
Itadakimasu -This is said before meal time. Based on research, this means I humbly receive, I shall take, Let's eat. (The letter u is silent.)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Authentic Marufuku

     Good news, there's another Japanese restaurant to look forward to. We learned my cousins, Pepper and Jay had a soft opening of Marufuku in Ortigas. Mom and I ate there 2 weeks ago and had their set meals, which were filling and reasonable. We ate there again the week after with the whole family and  enjoyed everything. Mom and Dad were thrilled to have kamemeshi after a long time.*






Sorry I don't recall what this is. It seemed like Koroke with Kani.*


Uni sashimi


Spicy tuna maki


Shrimp tempura roll


Gyoza


Chicken Karaage


Hamachi jaw


Mixed tempura


Chahan
(fried rice)


Chicken & seafood kamameshi


Miso Chasu ramen


     When we saw the 2 Japanese chefs, we knew we were getting the real deal. Everything about the place spelled authentic. I have a feeling we'll be coming back soon. 


Marufuku Japanese Restaurant
Crescent Building
29 San Miguel Ave.
Ortigas
0915-3554211/0929-5030591


Kamameshi -rice casserole
Koroke -deep fried potato patties
Kani -crabstick

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Exquisite Champetre

     If you're looking for a fine dining place with delicious French food, Champetre (pronounced as shampet) is the place to go to. You will feel relaxed when you see their clean and cozy ambience and savor their scrumptious food. It will seem like you're in another country, which I believe is a good thing just because it's something different. We never had a bad experience here, quality is consistent.



Their deli


Look at their cute bread basket...


and their salt and pepper.


Homemade Goose Foie Gras Terrine with toasted Brioche & Berry compote


Gratinated French Onion soup


Simmered Spring Chicken in Mushroom Jus served with fries


Grilled fresh Norwegian Salmon with mashed potatoes & red wine tarragon butter sauce


Apple and Mango Tart Tatin


I love their coffee because it's the strong kind. Also, their cream and sugar holder is cute!


Other recommendations:
Grilled Black Angus Rib eye with fries, salad and Bernaise sauce
Strawberry cheesecake
     
     
     Positive energy is all around with the food, ambience and service. Thank you to Chef Marc Aubry and the rest of the staff for being so accommodating. 


Champetre Boutique & Restaurant
G/F Net One Center 
Bonifacio Global City
815-8801

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

A Thai experience @ Mango Tree

        My sisters were in the mood for Thai food so we had dinner at Mango Tree. It's my sister, Nicole who's a Thai food fanatic. Since I developed my like for Thai food in my first trip to Bangkok, I became a Thai food convert too. I got curious about the place after seeing several good feedbacks from friends. As we arrived, I was pleased to hear the receptionist greet us with "Sawatdii Kha" (hello) with the wai (Click here for more details on Thai greetings and the wai: Video courtesy of ThaiPod101). 


Tod Mun Goong
-Deep fried shrimp cakes served with sweet chili sauce


Tom Kha Gai
-Sweet and sour young coconut milk and galangal soup with chicken


Phad Thai Goong
-Thai stir fried noodles with tiger prawns


Chicken with red curry


Their condiments


Tako Khao Phod
-Coconut custard with sweet corn


Coconut juice

     
     My experience here felt like I was in Bangkok again. I'm just amazed with their food and culture. One trait we have in common is our love for coconut. Having said these, for Thai food fanatics, this is the place for you.


Mango Tree
7th Ave. Bonifacio High Street Central
Bonifacio Global City
Taguig
217-2367/0917-5349145

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Let's grill it @ Tajimaya

     We were happy to discover another yakiniku place in the Rockwell area.* It was great to see their cozy and clean ambience. We expecting a typical beef and rice menu, but to our surprise, there are more choices. Each item in the menu... which I think is good. The salads were just refreshing and the beef was just tasty. 


Fresh tomato salad


Tajimaya fresh salad


Jou Karubi
(special boneless short ribs with mixed sauce)


Wagyu short ribs


Ishiyaki Bibinba
(Sizzling rice with mixed vegetables)


Seaweed soup
(Included with the Bibinba)


Grilling time!


Kimuchi
(Chinese cabbage hot pickles)


Green tea ice cream


     Overall, everything we ordered satisfied our hungry stomachs. Thank you to our cheerful and enthusiastic server, Barbie. 


Tajimaya
One Rockwell
First floor, West Tower Building
869-9816
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tajimaya?ref=ts

yakiniku -grilled meat
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