Mitsuyado Mania

Walking into Mitsuyado Sei-Men is like walking through the streets of old world Japan. The interiors feature vintage posters, a ramen stand table, walls that resemble stalls and shops reminiscent of an era that once was.

This relatively new international franchise located along Jupiter Street, Makati has been creating buzz from friends and foodies alike. Mitsuyado Sei-Men specializes in Tsukemen or “dipping noodles”, with the noodles and soup served separately.

We ordered the Sichuan Tan Tan Tsukemen (which is my favorite), Gyoza, Chicken Karaage and a side order of Cheese sauce for my 5-year old daughter who loves anything covered in cheese.

I really enjoyed the al dente texture of the freshly made noodles. Dipping the chewy noodles into the slightly spicy, flavourful broth was delightful.  Definitely a new and fun way to enjoy ramen!

The Gyoza skin was crisp and the meat was moist. This exactly how I like my Gyoza.

The Chicken Karaage was fried to perfection – crunchy skin with meat that’s juicy and well-seasoned.

I have to admit, we enjoyed the noodles smothered in cheese sauce as much as our daughter did!

After lunch, we went to the Yamato Japanese Bakery Cafe next door to grab our favorite dessert. The creamy Chocolate Mousse cup is a great way to end a great meal! 

Modern Mexican at MADECA

MADECA is not your typical Mexican resto. Located at the cinema level of The Podium Mall in Ortigas. This resto captures authentic Mexican flavors and incorporates well-loved Filipino favorites such as sisig and lechon kawali on the menu. 

Everything about this place is well thought out which I appreciate -- from the chalkboard menu, colorful chairs and pillows to the painted table numbers -- everything adds to the experience. Splashes of green, yellow and red give this place a fun and playful vibe.

My hubby and I ordered a little bit of everything before our movie date. We had the Sisig Soft Taco - two soft flour tortillas topped with crunchy sisig with a side of salsa (with lots of cilantro - which I love), tangy sour cream and fried flour chips. I loved this! It was exactly what I expected when I ordered it. The crispy pork bits were complemented by the fresh salsa and sour cream.

I liked the house iced tea and how it was served in an adorable mason jar with a fanciful lid. Their iced tea was refreshing and brewed with a hint of citrus which is how I prefer to have it.

We sampled the Spinach Mushroom Quesadilla - cheesy goodness with massive mushroom flavor ... a must try! 

The Carne Asada Burrito was a full meal in itself, bursting with Mexican rice, beans and beef. 

MADECA is hands down my NEW favorite Mexican resto in the Metro ...

https://www.facebook.com/madecafood

*MADECA also provides "in-cinema" delivery :) 

Fab Finds at the Negros Fair

The smell of chicken inasal, chorizo and freshly baked piaya filled the air as I entered the Rockwell Tent for the 27th Negros Fair 

The sight of Negrense handicrafts and the sound of people speaking in Ilonggo brought back memories of Bacolod. I was so excited to see and taste everything the fair had to offer. I saw booth after booth of my favorite pastries and pasalubong treats.

I would always go back to Manila with boxes full of Virgie's Mango Tarts, Boat Tarts, Butterscotch and Meringue. Virgie's was established in the 1970's and has been a go-to pasalubong place since.  http://virgieshomemade.com/

 

I remember how my mom would order our afternoon snacks at Quan's. They are famous  for their Manapla puto, suman and cuchinta. 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/QUAN-Delicacies/228243650549464

Original Squid Rings and Spicy Squid Curls from Sagay, Negros Occidental are a must try!

El Ideal located in Silay City is a landmark bakery established in the 1920's. All-time favorites include Banadas, Broas, Angel Cookies, Galletas and Lubid-Lubid http://elideal.multiply.com/

I was happy to see some yummy Vargas Butter Cake at the fair. This moist, melt-in-you-mouth butter cake is available at Rustan's  Supermarket Makati and Rustan's Supermarket in Powerplant Mall. 
https://www.facebook.com/vargas.kitchen

The highlight of the Negros Fair for me were the yummy eats! I had the boneless chicken inasal skewers from Lolo Art's Chicken Sarap, Chicharon Rice from Freakin' Chicken and some La Paz Batchoy and Chorizo Recado from the food booths. I went back the next day to have more of the inasal skewers and Chicharon Rice ... yes, it was that GOOD! 
https://www.facebook.com/chickensarap
https://www.facebook.com/TheFreakinChicken

Back for more ...

I was in Boracay with friends and we had dinner at Kasbah, a popular Moroccan restaurant on the island. We ordered Hummus, Moutabal, Tabbouleh, Watermelon and Feta salad, Lamb Gyro and Lamb Tagine. 

I really enjoyed the Lamb Tagine with couscous. This slow cooked lamb stew was aromatic and exquisite with the wonderful flavours of honey, almonds and plums.

I was delighted to find out that Kasbah recently opened a branch at The Fort so I had lunch there the day after we arrived in Manila. http://www.kasbahboracay.com

Orale is another restaurant that I’ve been hearing and reading a lot about so we decided to have dinner there. We ordered the Carne Asada Soft Tacos, Burrito and Lengua Quesadilla. Everything tasted fresh and authentic. 

You guessed it ... I went back for dinner the next day.

http://www.oraletaqueria.com/

Healthy Snack Attack!

I was grocery shopping at S&R (Bonifacio Global City) today when I spotted a bag of frozen Edamame. I decided to buy some and try it at home.

The first time I tasted these yummy green soy beans was as an appetizer at a vegetarian restaurant. The beans taste similar to steamed peanuts but with a more firm texture. 

A cup of Edamame has tons of health benefits. It is a low-fat, high-protein snack and a natural source of Antioxidants. Also rich in Vitamin C, B, E and Fiber. 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/409591-the-health-benefits-of-edamame/

It's quick and easy to prepare Edemame at home. All you have to do is boil some water with salt, add in the frozen Edamame pods and cook for four minutes. Drain and add a few dashes of salt to the cooked pods. 

That's all it takes to have a healthy (and highly addictive) snack that even kids would love because they were a hit with mine!

Bacolod Eats in Manila!

I attribute my being a Foodie and my love for good food to the fact that I was born and raised in Bacolod. People who have visited my hometown always come back to Manila raving about all the delicious food they ate. 

I'm sooo excited to share some of my top Bacolod Eats because they are finally available here in Manila!

BOB'S is one of my favorite childhood restaurants. I remember Sunday lunches and dinners here with my family. Bob's is located at OPL Bldg. Dela Rosa St., Legaspi Village Makati, Tel. No. 310-2627. Open Monday-Friday only. 

You've gotta try: 

Chicken Sate  - Chicken Inasal basted with peanut satay sauce and served with special Sate rice. This is my fave dish but you can also order the equally popular Sate Babe which is the pork bbq version with the same yummy satay sauce. 

Mongolian Bowl - For me this is one of the best Mongolian bowls in Manila because they mix in the special peanut satay sauce (same sauce as the Chicken Sate) and it adds a unique taste only found at Bob's. Tip: let them mix your sauce for you, just specify if you want sweet, spicy or sweet and spicy. Some people mix their own and they don't get the right blend. 

Mango Pavlova - end your meal with this light and creamy meringue dessert with layers of whipped cream, fresh mango cubes and almond slivers.  

You can also try Bob's Baby Back Ribs, Flaming Chicken, Sizzling Bangus, Siopao, Cheesy Potato and burgers. 

Being at KUPPA Roastery and Cafe brings back some fun high school memories. Kuppa was known as Celyn's and it was a popular burger place in Bacolod that we would always hang out in because of the yummy Whimpy's Burger and Cheese Deluxe Sandwich. The Manila branch is located at Commerce Center Bldg., 31st St cor. 4th Ave Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Tel. No. 623-5120. 

Whimpy's Burger - This unique burger is smothered with creamy cheese sauce on one side and delicious sweet gravy on the beef side. This is what I keep coming back for. 

French Deluxe Sandwich - An old-fashioned triple decker sandwich made with smoked ham, chicken salad and lettuce topped with cheese sauce. 

Try their decadent Matt's Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert ... you can thank me later!

Check out their extensive coffee selection, decadent desserts, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, pizzas, San Andres Tapa with rice and Lamb Caldereta.  

S&R Shopping ...

It was a rainy Saturday when we decided to go to S&R at the Fort. What keeps me coming back here would be the variety of imported grocery items, yummy cheese pizza and baked chicken roll.  


Today, we were looking for the Severin Raclette Grill. They didn't have it at the Fort so we headed to S&R at Mall of Asia. It was worth the trip because my hubby and daughter enjoyed a fun D-I-Y grilled sausage and cheese dinner. (P1,799.95)
http://www.severin.com/Barbecue-and-fun-food/Raclette-Grills

I always find unique yummy eats. This time, the  limited-edition (100th Anniversary) Golden Oreo Fudge Cremes got my attention because of the Birthday Cake creme ... who can resist that? (P349.95)
http://brands.nabisco.com/oreo/FudgeCremes/

We also liked the stainless steel Contigo water bottles.  These are great because they can keep water cold for up to 20 hours! It's leak-proof and has an easy pop-up spout. (P1,499.95 for 2 water bottles)
http://www.gocontigo.com/

We also spotted some ground roasted Illy Espresso in a limited edition can ... had to have that too! (P579.95)
http://shop.illy.com/online/store/home_us

After grocery shopping, we had some cheese pizza, baked chicken roll and cinnamon sugar churros ...  

Lazy Saturday = Lasagna

I was home with the kids today and decided to make some lasagna for them while they were napping.

I started by making a meaty and chunky spaghetti sauce with some Chorizo Bilbao to add more flavor. After that was done, I made a mushroom cream sauce. It's good to have your pasta cooking and grated Mozzarella cheese ready before assembling.

To assemble, I start with a thin layer of the meaty spaghetti sauce then I put the first layer of pasta on top.The next layer would be a generous helping of the mushroom cream sauce topped with grated Mozzarella cheese. 

Another layer of pasta then meat sauce go on top of the white sauce and so on. Finish the last layer with some white sauce, Mozzarella and Quick Melt Cheese. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the spaghetti sauce is bubbling  and the cheese is nice and gooey. 

Finished making my lasagna just in time ... kids are ready to eat!

FAB Kapitolyo EATS ...

I was passing through Kapitolyo, Pasig so I decided to check out some of the new fab eats in the area and I wasn't disappointed ... 

My first stop was Poco Deli, a neighborhood deli famous for their sausage and cheese platters, meatloaf, slab bacon and Black Out Chocolate Cake. The owner Chef Joy de Leon worked for the late Michael Beck, owner of Mickey's Deli along Jupiter Street. I was happy to find out that she opened her own place that serves our favorite German sausages. I ordered some Kielbasa, Bockwurst, Meatloaf and Nurnberger to go.

I had some brewed coffee and a slice of the much-blogged-about Black Out Chocolate Cake. The cake was moist and had an intense chocolate flavor and coffee custard filling that created a nice balance with the thick chocolate icing. I wasn't too fond of the mini chocolate chips around the cake. 
https://www.facebook.com/PocoDeliOfficial

My 5-year old daughter was with me so we decided to go to Milky and Sunny, a popular all-day breakfast place for some yummy blueberry pancakes. I enjoyed the cool, laid-back vibe and the teal and white interiors. I was going over the menu and they serve bacon and spam pasta, breakfast enchiladas, french toast, cereal by the bowl and unlimited cereal too! I will definitely come back for some Sunday brunch soon.
https://www.facebook.com/milkynsunny

I spotted two other must-try places across the street - Three Sister's Restaurant and Chuck Wagon Roast Beef Sandwiches
http://www.munchpunch.com/three-sisters-restaurant-pasig/menu
https://www.facebook.com/chuckwagonroastbeef

The Classic Roast Beef sandwich was delicious, the meat was tender and the mushroom gravy soaked the soft hamburger bun (P100). The pork bbq was char-grilled and tasted exactly how pork bbq should taste like, just the right balance of savory and sweet (P35/stick). 

A week after, my sister and I decided to try another popular rib place called RUB at East Capitol Drive. We ordered the Super Duo that comes with a rack of baby back ribs and two side dishes - we chose the grilled buttered corn and bacon potato salad. The menu said that the order was good for two but apparently not enough for us so we up-sized to the Family Brunch and added a side of coleslaw.

I enjoyed eating the ribs because of the char-grilled flavor and the tangy hickory barbecue sauce. The bacon potato salad had a distinct mustard flavor that reminded me of American potato salad. We liked the coleslaw - fresh and crunchy!

We were stuffed with the Family Brunch platter but we had to try the Fried Oreos with Vanilla Ice Cream. I was a bit underwhelmed with our dessert because of the oily after taste. Maybe they can improve the batter to make it sweeter, like pancake batter but I love the concept - they can add fried Twinkies too! 
https://www.facebook.com/RUBRibsBBQ

More Balikbayan Box STUFF ...

The Balikbayan Box that we had shipped a month ago just arrived today. It was such a happy surprise to see the box on our front door when I arrived home. 

Here's a peek at some of the stuff we bought ... 

My sister-in-law brought us some Speculoos (Cookie Butter) from Canada and I've been craving for some ever since. Good thing I was able to find some while we were in New York. If you've never tried Speculoos, the consistency is like smooth and creamy peanut butter.  You can spread it on bread, toast and crackers or just eat it straight out of the bottle with a spoon. It tastes like gingerbread with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Speculoos is like Christmas in a jar! 

I bought my 5 year old daughter the kiddie version of my favorite childhood game, Operation. The object of the game is to use the tweezer to pick up the different pieces without touching the sides and setting off the buzzer, when you do the patient's nose lights up. We had a blast playing this game.

 http://www.hasbro.com/games/en_US/operation/