Chocolate Adventure #1

With February fast approching, I thought it would be a great idea to practice making some chocolate treats. First thing I thought of making were Chocolate Lollipops but not just any ordinary Chocolate Lollipops - I wanted to make some Belgian Chocolate Lollipops. 

It's important to start with the right ingredients so I decided to use some good quality Callebaut Belgian Chocolate http://www.callebaut.com/. 

I melted the chocolate over some simmering water until I achieved the right consistency.

I didn't have a pastry bag so I improvised by using a Ziploc bag which worked quite well. 

The Ziploc pasty bag made filling the mold fast and easy. I didn't make a mess ... 

After filling and tapping the air out of my chocolate mold, I put them in the refrigerator to set for 10 minutes. 

Voila! Homemade Belgian Chocolate Lollipops! Pretty good for my first try.

I'll be posting more Chocolate Adventures soon ... 

Oatmeal Cookie Overload!

I was grocery shopping at Rustan's Makati when I spotted this delightful new ice cream concoction from my favorite brand Ben and Jerry's. 

I was looking for my usual Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough fix but I wasn't too disappointed when they didn't have any because something else caught my attention ... 

Oatmeal Cookie Chunk! the name alone made me drool. I couldn't wait to go home and dig into the creamy ice cream with chunks of chewy oatmeal cookies and slivers of chocolate.

I was in cookie heaven! It tasted better than I imagined. I loved each moist morsel of oatmeal cookie. The cinnamon ice cream was subtle enough to complement the cookie chunks and the chocolate bits pulled it all together. 

I don't usually rave about ice cream but this tops my list of all-time favorite ice cream flavors. Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk is a must try! 

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!