Follow that craving: January 2013

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Pizza and burger @ Nolita

We were excited to finally try Nolita. Being pizza lovers, how could we resist? My cousin, Rina was raving about it before, saying "It's so good!". After reading several write ups online with the pictures of their gigantic pizzas... it definitely made us drool. Good thing this came to mind for dinner last Tuesday. Happy food for us again... Hihihi!

Their menu from outside

Their menu was overwhelming, so it was hard to choose because everything looked terrific!

Time to attack!

Pesto chicken with sun dried tomatoes

Roasted vegetables

-You may choose with or without chicken.

Angus all beef cheeseburger

-I was surprised they had burgers too. This was juicy and tasty.

Watermelon Mojito

We loved the pizzas and burger! With several toppings, you can tell they don't scrimp on ingredients, which I believe is a good sign for the best quality.

Nolita

Bonifacio High Street Central

Bonifacio Global City

Like them on Facebook

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Unique meal @ Sensei Sushi

I was surprised Mom wanted to have lunch by BF Homes, Paranaque. It's rare we go to that area because we're from Makati and we usually go to Alabang or Tagaytay if ever we go South. Anyhow, I was game just because it was different. Mama (our lola) also came along and I'm sure she was excited because it's another action.* We went to Sensei Sushi in Aguirre Street. It took us a while before we got there since we weren't familiar with that area. After several calls for directions... we finally arrived at around 2pm (Yup it was a late lunch)... Yey! As first timers, we usually ask what is highly recommend. It's a good thing chef and owner Bruce Ricketts was there to explain his menu and give his recommendations.

The seasonal menu changes everyday.

The written menu

-These are the items with the most requests.

I only saw this menu late because I got overwhelmed with the first 2 menus... Hihihi!

Crispy salmon belly roulade

-The blend of the salmon and Japanese mayo was awesome!

Seared tuna sashimi

Tuna and scallop dynamite

-I definitely felt the kick here... Love it!

Beef teppanyaki

Fish taco

-Another favorite.

We were amused with their unique concept of the menus and the modern take of Japanese food. Thank you Bruce for helping us get there. We look forward to our next visit.

Sensei Sushi

268 Aguirre Street

BF Homes

Paranaque

*Nearest landmark is Ton Ton Massage

0919-3772966

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senseibf

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sensei_PH

lola -grandmother
action -a term my grandmother uses referring to going out

Friday, January 25, 2013

Feeling at home @ Angel's Kitchen

We were by the north area and decided to go to Angel's Kitchen for lunch. We just love their cozy and home-y ambience and their home-cooked type meals! This place is perfect for gatherings or bonding times and for a "time out" from the hustle and bustle outside. This adds to our comfort food list.

It feels more like a house than a restaurant... Hihihi!

I find their water bottle cute! It's good they already put water on the table.

Their signature pate

-This is one of the things I look forward to here... Hihihi!

Salmon cake with wasabi dressing

-This is both refreshing and savory with a little kick... Yummy!

Salisbury steak

-With mashed potato, egg and bacon

Laksa

-This is one of the best laksa in town.

The pate, salad dressings, Lengua de gato and other food items are available in Mi Casa, which is right beside the restaurant.* Also available are room and kitchen sprays... Grapefruit with Eucalyptus is our favorite.

Angel's Kitchen

57 Connecticut Street

North East Greenhills

San Juan

721-8822 / 0917-5352033
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angels-Kitchen/255342177609

Lengua de gato -butter cookies that are shaped like a cat's tongue

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Food from home: Japanese, Italian, Pinoy inspired

One of my goals for the new year was to make more new dishes. I decided to have a segment, Food from home to share my works with all of you, as I have developed a love for cooking as much as I love baking.

Linguine Salmon

I made this before. I'm a pasta monster (as my Dad calls me) and salmon lover. After reading Jin Loves To Eat's reviews of La Nuova and L'Opera, I suddenly got a craving for the Linguine Salmon and Caviar pasta. I used Elle & Virre cooking cream, smoked salmon, onions, garlic, orange and black caviar (I used the cheapest one). Thank you to one of my favorite bloggers, Jin Perez for bringing this craving... Hihihi! :D

Cheesy garlic bread

This is based on the recipe of one of my favorite youtube channels, Laura in the Kitchen. I used Ciabatta bread from Chef Jessie, parsley, garlic, olive oil, Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Turon*

Besides the lumpia wrapper and saging na saba, I use Langka because this brings out the flavor. Also, I added Ube (this is optional) to make it more special.*

Katsudon*

I'm a Tonkatsu lover (as mentioned in my Yabu write up). For the longest time, I wanted to make this but I never got the time. I added leeks, nori and beni shoga (the red garnish).* According to another favorite youtube channel, Cooking with dog, students eat this before an entrance exam because katsu also means to win.

Mentaiko spaghetti

Mentaiko is marinated roe of pollock. According to another favorite youtube channel, Runny runny 999, this is a popular Japanese dish. This took 2 tries because the first one I found too fishy. Although the second one was better, this still needs to be revised for the perfect blend.

Coffee jelly with vanilla ice cream

This was a spur of the moment thing because I had an "odd man out" unflavored gelatin. I always use strong coffee when making this for really strong flavor. This is yummy with ice cream or evaporated milk.

Turon -banana fritters

Lumpia -spring rolls
Saging na saba -Saba bananas
Langka -jackfruit
Ube -purple yam
Katsudon -deep fried pork cutlet with rice
nori -seaweed
beni shoga -pickled ginger

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Tonkatsu craze @ Yabu

One of my favorite Japanese food is Tonkatsu.* I love it with rice or potato salad! For the longest time, we've been curious about Yabu, based on what we read since everyone has been raving about it. Just spur of the moment, Mom thought of trying it for lunch at the MOA branch... and of course I couldn't resist. Finally, we gave in to our curiosity...

Their condiments

(The sauce for the katsu is in the right most.)

You are given the seeds to grind then you put the sauce.

Wakame (seaweed salad) and Superior potato and egg salad

Chicken katsu set

Kurobata pork set

-Kurobata is said to be the "kobe beef" of pork.

Their signature sauce

The 2 dressings: Sesame and Vinaigrette

Our server said most choose the sesame dressing for the cabbage. I tried each one then combined both... It was yummy with both dressings! :P

The set comes with unlimited rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, unlimited cabbage and fruits. Seafood and vegetable dishes are also available (so don't worry non-meat eaters). We enjoyed everything! Both the pork and chicken were tender and succulent. Nothing was too rich nor too oily, just right... no umay feeling.* Also, I love that the staff were all accommodating and friendly. I'm sure there will be a next time here and we look forward to that.

Yabu House of Katsu

2/F South Arcade
Main Mall Atrium
Mall of Asia

Pasay City
511-7202
*This is near the food court.
Website: http://yabu.ph/

Facebook: http s://www.facebook.com/yabuhouseofkatsu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yabuPH

Tonkatsu -fried pork cutlet
umay -A Filipino word for feeling nauseous after eating something too rich or too oily.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Last meal @ BLT Burger

It's our first time to see BLT Burger in this trip. We got intrigued with the pictures shown in their flat screen monitor. Everything looked superb based on the pictures. As much as we wanted to eat there sooner, it was always full with a long line waiting outside. We were happy we got the chance to eat there on our last day. So we shall see if the taste is as good as the pictures...

Their menu was also a placemat. :D

Chili and Buffalo Wings

Combo #1: The Classic, Fries and soda

-Dad chose fat fries and Diet Coke.

Tex-Mex

-I love anything Mexican inspired! The Chili was intense and the Jalapenos gave it a nice kick.

So cute every burger is labeled with how you want it cooked. Burgers were large, juicy and tasty.

The verdict... the taste of all our orders were as good as their looks! I'm sure we will come back in our next Hong Kong trip. I hope we get to try their salads and desserts next time. :D

BLT Burger
Shop 301
Level 3 Ocean Terminal
Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong
2730-2338
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bltburgerhk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/bltburgerhk
Website: http://www.e2hospitality.com/blt-burger-hong-kong

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Happy food at Dan Ryan's

We discovered Dan Ryan's in the 90's in Pacific Place when we were looking for a dessert place. Our hotel was accessible to Pacific Place that time. Eventually, it became one of our favorite places, so it has been part of our comfort food list since then. The family enjoys what my sister, Mitch calls "happy food". Why happy food? It's because it reminds you of those times you're celebrating... burgers, fries, ice cream, etc.