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/

Grocery Galore!

What I love more than shopping is GROCERY shopping and there were so many drool-worthy aisles during our trip to New York. Here are some of my faves ...

CHEESE anyone?  

BERRY-licious! 

 Citrus burst ... 

Bell Peppers, Zuccini and Cucumbers ... 

 Pickles and pickled peppers ... 

Coffee lovers dream ...  

 Liquid Coffeemate and 2% milk ...  

 Every kind of JELL-O ... 

Salami, Pepperoni, Prociutto, Ham, Sausages ... 

Snack Attack ...

Sharing some of my favorite snack finds from our US trip. I hope I'll be seeing these handy snack packs in our local grocery stores soon ... 

GO PICNIC is a FUN, all-in-one snack pack that you can take anywhere. In my case, I bought this at the San Francisco Airport for my flight to New York. I enjoyed eating the Wisconsin Salami Slices, Asiago Cheese Spread with Olive Oil and Sea Salt Crackers, Fruit and Nut Trail Mix and a Chocolate Cookie Cluster. 

Now that's what I call gourmet on the go! http://www.gopicnic.com/

The first time I tried Sabra Hummus with Pretzels was at Union Square where they had some people giving out free samples. This hummus really hit the spot with it's smooth and creamy texture and fresh, homemade taste. Wish I could have brought some back to Manila.  http://sabra.com/ 

How can you go wrong with crunchy cookie sticks dipped in Ferrero Nutella Spread? That's what I thought when I saw Nutella and Go at Safeway. This is an awesome, anytime, anywhere chocolate fix! http://www.nutellausa.com/

What's better than candy?

What's better than candy? ... GIANT candies! 

We were walking by the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan when I spotted the IT'SUGAR Candy Shop. 

What caught my eye were the GIANT NERDS on the display window and when I went inside the shop I was ecstatic to see other super-sized candy treats ... I wanted to buy them all!! http://www.itsugar.com/

My next goal is to find a way to bring IT'SUGAR to MANILA ... 

I was bowled over ...

Breakfast just got better with this fab find from Brookstone. The OBOL bowl is a must have for people like me who prefer cereal to be crunchy and not soggy.  

This fun BPA-free bowl comes in funky colors and has an easy to hold, non-slip grip that lets you enjoy your cereal anywhere around the house. 

http://www.obol.co/

I found myself wandering around FRY'S http://www.frys.com/ while my hubby was drooling over all the gadgets. I was delighted to see the GYRO BOWL and I had to have it.  

Any mom would love this rotating, spill-proof bowl that uses Gyroscopic technology to keep snacks in the bowl and off the floor. 

http://gyro-bowl.com/

FAB New York Eats

My hubby and I just got back from our 2-week vacation. Our first stop was New York where I decided to create an itinerary based on the restaurants featured on two of my favourite Food Network http://www.foodnetworkasia.com/  shows – “Best Thing I Ever Ate” and “Unique Eats”. My goal was to taste the best that NY had to offer and I only had a week to do so.

So, here are my FAB New York EATS  ... 

(1) Shake Shack was the first place my hubby brought me to for lunch when I arrived in NY. We opted for the branch located at 86^th street since this was closer to our place. I have to say that I really enjoyed the combination of fresh lettuce and tomato, juicy beef, gooey cheddar cheese and potato bun. This is the quintessential burger to have when you visit NY. http://shakeshack.com/

(2) We had the best fall-off-the-bone beef brisket at Fete Sau (aka Fat Pig) (Brooklyn), it was so good that we ate there twice in one week. I could not get enough of the slow-cooked beef slathered with their homemade barbecue sauce. This BBQ place was a few subway rides away from the City but it was worth the trip and the blisteringly cold weather walking back to the subway station after dinner.  http://www.fettesaubbq.com/

(3) We had a delicious lunch at Momofuku Ssam Bar – we ordered the famous steamed pork buns, Dirty Duck Rice - Duck gizzards and hearts with Wasabi and the Duck Rice Set with chive pancake and a side of Broccoli Salad. http://www.momofuku.com/

I crossed the street to Momofuku Milk Bar for some Cereal Milk, Chocolate Malt Truffles and a Chocolate-Marshmallow-CornFlake-Cookie. I’m still dreaming about the Cereal Milk which was “comfort” in a bottle.

(4) I was surprised at how much I loved the Vanilla Rice Pudding at Rice to Riches. We were only planning to check out the place and since we were there I decided to sample some of the flavours and I was hooked! We were quite full from dinner so I had my Vanilla Rice Pudding to go for breakfast the next day. The rice pudding was fantastic so we decided to go back the next night for more breakfast takeout. http://ricetoriches.com

(5) Brunch is quite propular in New York so we had Sunday brunch at Popover Cafe. This place had great omelettes. My favourites were the Creole Scramble made with Andouille sausage, garlic, onion, horseradish, cheddar & tomato and the French Flopover filled  with brie, roasted pears, diced jambon de paris & scallions. We also had their version of Eggs Benedict called Eggs Benedict Arnold with smoked salmon over a split-open popover.  What a great way to start the day! http://www.popovercafe.com/

(6) Chelsea Market is a haven for foodies like me. My most notable eats were the Boston Clam Chowder and Lobster Roll Sliders at The Lobster Place http://www.lobsterplace.com/ and the Wicked Hot Chocolate and Chocolate Chip Cookies at Jacques Torres http://www.jacquestorres.com/.

The Lobster Roll Sliders were so fresh and delicious that I could have eaten a dozen but I had to leave room for dessert and I was not disappointed because these were absolutely without a doubt one of the best Chocolate Chip Cookies I’ve ever had ... chewy, moist, oozing with chocolate and crisp around the edges.

(7) Since I’m on the subject of cookies, I have to mention the Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies at the famed Levain Bakery. There was a line outside the door when we arrived at the bakery. One bite and I knew why everyone was lining up to get their hands on these freshly baked treats. These cookies were huge and were literally a handful. http://www.levainbakery.com/

(8) I was so glad we had time to visit the Smorgasburg Weekend Market because I had the BEST Fish Tacos  at Chonco’s Tacos , Pastrami on Rye Sliders with whole grain beer mustard at Brooklyn Cured  and the Goodwich Ice Cream Sandwich at The Good Batch. The vibe was great at this open air all-food market.  

https://www.facebook.com/chonchostacos,http://www.brooklyncured.com/, http://www.brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg/, http://thegoodbatch.com/.

(9) I adore Mario Batalli’s cafe-deli-restaurant EATALY, this place had anything and everything Italian. We explored this gastronomic marketplace and opted to have a picnic-style dinner with cold cuts, artisan cheese, fresh fruits and a French baguette.  http://eatalyny.com/

(10) Since we were at Times Square we decided to have dinner at Junior’s. I totally devoured the Pastrami Reuben Sandwich. Being the dessert person that I am, I could not pass up the oh-so-popular Junior’s No. 1 Original Cheesecake which definitely lived up to my expectations. I personally loved the chunky cheesy texture and the moist cake crust. http://www.juniorscheesecake.com/

(11) I know that Magnolia Bakery is famous for its cupcakes but I came in looking for one thing and it wasn’t a cupcake ... I was there for the Banana Pudding! I guess you can say that I saved the best for last because this was one of the best things I ever ate. The creamy vanilla pudding and cake pieces were heavenly, my taste buds were soaring. This pint of creamy goodness was hands down the best dessert I ever had in New York!

Our next stop was San Jose, CA we weren’t here for a food trip because I was looking forward to some shopping. I do have a couple of FAB San Jose EATS to share ...

If Shake Shack is the must try burger place in New York then In-N-Out would be the place to get a good burger in the West Coast. We always grab a quick cheeseburger when there’s an In-N-Out in the area. This fast food joint knows how to make a good and fresh tasting burger.  

On our last night in San Jose, we opted to dine in and we had a great time eating with our hands and enjoying our Cajun Seafood Feast – crawfish, fried catfish, shrimps, clams,  sausages and corn on the cob. 

After this entry, I might want to consider changing my blog to “My Fab Eats” ...  haha!