Food from home: The old and new

     This week was about revival. We brought back some of our favorite dishes that we haven't seen (or eaten) in years. All these family recipes came from Mom's brilliant ideas, which were based on her jurassic collection of cookbooks and recipes written or posted in index cards. Jurassic because it's been around since the 60's or 70's, which explains the brown or yellow color of the pages. :)) Although jurassic... but still superb and immortal. ;)

Twice baked potato

     I would describe this to be a cross between baked and mashed potato. Mom describes it as an amplified baked potato. Mashed potatoes are placed inside another potato with the skin on which serves as a cup, then garnished with sour cream and bacon. Personally, I would include scallions in the garnish. :D

Mom's pasta salad

     This was Mom's recipe that came sometime in the 90's in one of our family lunches. She used fusilli (corkscrew shaped pasta), mozzarella cheese and diced tomatoes. I revived the recipe with a twist... used farfalle (bow tie pasta), cherry tomatoes and kesong puti (this was Mom's idea)*. I thought the kesong puti is better because it was more tasty and creamy. I always adored farfalle! It's best to use the 3 colored pasta. ^_^

Mom's Chinese Lumpia

     I'm not much into Chinese food but have some exceptions... and this was one of them. Filling is made of vegetables and comes with other condiments like garlic, shallots, crushed peanuts, etc. This can be eaten with or without the wrapper. 

Lemon cupcakes

     This was formerly the lemon pound cake in my product list for The Bandana Baker. My sister Mitch had requested this for an event and made it into cupcakes. 

Salmon with lemon dill

     The only new recipe here. I thought of doing something light and healthy for a change and thought of combining dill, lemon (both the juice and zest) and olive oil. These contrast the fishy taste which make it citrus-y and fragrant. 


Kesong puti -white cheese made of Carabao's milk

Champetre again

     It was one of those moments when I was in the mood for something succulent, so I chose Champetre (please see my previous post). It's always a privilege to come here because food is always delicious and portions are big. :P Also, I love their ambience because it gives that homey and relaxed feeling... the interiors remind me of some familiar places abroad. ^_^ Besides our usual, here are some new favorites. :D

Aren't these so cute? :D

Sauteed chicken livers & Portobello mushroom simmered in Herby red wine sauce

Truth is I like chicken liver. Dipping bread in the sauce is awesome too! ^_^

Baked goat cheese & black olive tapenade in filo pastry served with salad & olive oil

Gratinated French onion soup with Emmenthal cheese

Yup still love the bebelgam (aka the cheese)!* :D

Braised traditional Coq au Vin with marble potatoes

Grilled US lamb chops with creamy mushroom risotto and lamb jus

          This is my favorite. I request to cook this medium well and it's always tender. 

Grilled scallops with Lyonnaise potatoes and green Madagascar peppercorn sauce

First time we tried this one... light and tasty!

Iced tea

     Another discovery was the refreshing strawberry sherbet to end the meal (sorry I forgot to take a pic). Congratulations to Chef Marc Aubry! :)

Champetre Boutique & Restaurant

G/F Net One Center 

Bonifacio Global City

815-8801

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Good old Di Mark's

     Di Mark's has been a family favorite for years. I still remember their Makati branches in the 90's when it was in Makati Avenue and Pasay road, then had Greenbelt branch around 2002. We have always loved their pizza because of its crispy crust and generous toppings. Pastas and other items are just comforting. No fancy and overpowering ingredients, just simple and satisfying ingredients and taste... highly recommended for pizza and pasta lovers of all ages. It's a good thing we recently discovered their Mandaluyong branch, which is the nearest one, which soon became our pit stop when we're in that area. 

Chicken Croquetas

Spaghetti with meat and mushroom in tomato sauce

Don Arturo pizza

     Dad's and my favorite. Green pepper, sausage and mushrooms are mandatory toppings in our pizza and they have it all. ^_^

Bistecca Alla Paulina
First time to try this one and it was good!

     The good news is the Mandaluyong branch delivers. Mom and I were in the mood for pizza one night, so it was Di Mark's to the rescue. ^_^

Basic pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushroom, mozzarella, white cheese

Talk about the works. ;)

Don Arturo

Of course I didn't miss out on this one. :D

Spaghetti with meatballs in tomato sauce

I love their meatballs! I should request for extra meatball next time. ;P

Other recommended items:

Hero Meatball

Taco Pizza

Chicken Cutlet Parmesan

     Minimum for delivery is P1000 for Mandaluyong branch to our area, but I believe it may vary depending on the branch, so it's best to check with the branch to be sure. 

Di Mark's
Visit their website for further details

Friday dinner @ Mangetsu

     After being in the hospital for almost a week, Mom wanted Japanese food. Since it was a Friday night, we wanted to just stick to somewhere nearby and the nearest was Mangetsu. Funny thing is whenever Mom and I made plans to eat here, we never pushed through for some reason. Finally we made it this time. :D

Found their plates cute. ^_^

I always appreciate restaurants with a bell for convenience. 

Miso soup

Ebi sushi

Unagi sushi
Sorry don't remember which is the other one. 

Salmon sashimi

Uni sashimi

Chicken karaage

Tempura

Shrimp rice gratin

Lemonade

     Although we heard mixed reviews here, I would like to come back and try other dishes. All I can say we were just happy to have one of our major comfort food. 

Mangetsu

38 Jupiter Street

Makati City

478-3292

Visit their website

Comforting hospital food @ Floating Island

     Due to unexpected circumstances, we had most of our meals in Floating Island. It's not the typical hospital food (which means bland and unexciting) but comfort and happy food. We always stick to the Filipino comfort food and quality is still the same, never disappointing. We have a friend who just had lunch here one time without a medical appointment... yes that's how popular it is here. In all our visits (which isn't very often) we have always been impressed with the staff for being friendly and accommodating.

Bird's nest with quail egg drop soup

Beef Steak Filipino

Garlic Fried Chicken

     This comes with a special garlic sauce. Also good with ketchup. :D

Adobo rice

Pancit Bihon

Other recommended items:

Hamburger steak

Beef tapa

Pancit Maria -similar to Pancit canton but uses white noodles

Chicken mami -Mom wanted something not greasy so she ordered this and liked it.

     If you're in a hurry and just want to grab a bite, there's a take out counter outside the restaurant which is open from 7am-10pm.  

Floating Island
Makati Medical Center
1/F 2 Amorsolo Street corner Dela Rosa Street
Legazpi Village
Makati City
888-8999
892-4356
Operating hours: 7am-10:30pm