Ang TOTOong CHICK Nag-eextra Rice!

"Extra rice, please!"

"Ha? Saan yun? May ganun?"

This is the usual reaction we get from friends when we tell them about "Mang TOTO CHICKEN Bacolod Inasal".  Here's the fun part, once they've experienced it, they in turn tell their families and friends about it.  Networking to the highest level!

Who wouldn't fall in love with Toto's (as we fondly call it)?  The food tastes great and yet the cost is cheap! An order of Kansi (bulalo), liempo, chicken, bbq, pitcher of iced tea (Php30 only), and rice costs a little over Php300 only - enough to feed Drive, Yaya, Mayordoma and Senyorito Lakwatsero. The inasal they serve is quite different from the branded inasal which is just like an ordinary BBQ.  Toto's version is well marinated.  If it's chicken, it's flavored to the bone! For the liempo, even the fat and rind portion is still full of flavor.  They also have chorizo de cebu, grilled version of our longganisa.  But what completes the meal (other than rice) is their Bulalo or Kansi. It has a tangy twist to it. Sabaw pa lang ulam na.  No exaggeration.  You can even request for a refill from the kettle-carrying waiter (yes, that's were the soup is).  Based on our experience, the rice and bulalo come first.  We can finish one serving of rice with just the soup and some meat from the bulalo.  You read it right.  We have already finished one rice. So when our order of different inasals arrive, we will order our extra rice.  Our lady friends who are used to saying,"half rice, please" forget this and instead say, "extra rice, please!"

Toto's also have branches in LB and Calamba but what sets apart the San Pablo branch is its setting.  It's not your typical mausok na ihaw-ihaw, the second floor is like a restaurant set in an old house with wide windows.  Ihaw-ihaw dining at its finest!  We are hearing talks that it was actually our cousin Pretty Boy Pogi who worked on the resto. If it is true, now we know why the place looks homey.  Good-taste (and looks?) runs in the family! Hahaha!

Mang TOTO CHICKEN Bacolod Inasal is located at "Bonifacio High Street". In Pabloy parlance, Bonifacio sa itaas yung makalagpas ng Jollibee Plaza sa tapat nang giniba nang lumang Shakey's na ngaun e perya na!

A friend of ours, Tito Teacher, who went to Bacolod recently said that nothing beats the original inasal that he had there but Toto's is your best choice in San Pablo.

Please note that the place is not that big.  So most likely, the place will be full during peak hours and your order might take some time because they still need to grill them. If you are craving for dessert afterwards, there's a bakeshop right beside it.  But if you want to have coffee to go with your dessert, there's a coffee shop nearby (we swear by their new york cheesecake).

YOU want TOFU?

3 Cups Chicken, Fried Chicken, Ruhsy Tofu, Mixed Pulutan

They say, "curiosity killed the cat."  In our case, "curiosity might make us fat!"

A small sign board near our village saying "YOUTOFU" got us intrigued. What could we possibly find in that area? As far as we know, it was an old warehouse. We asked around (the TODA members, in particular) and discovered that it was a Chinese restaurant specializing in tofu dishes.

Last Thursday, we - Driver, Yaya, Mayordoma and Senyorito Lakwatsero - went there for dinner. We were joined by Mommy Ditty and Ate Marianne, the reel-life mother and sister of Senyorito Lakwatsero.

We were surprised by the number of vehicles parked outside the restaurant. It took some time before Driver was able to park. We remember a food critic saying that when in New York and you want to find the best hotdog, look for the hotdog stand with the longest line. Could the same apply to YOUTOFU?

When we got inside the warehouse cum restaurant, some of the "who's who" in San Pablo's business circle were there having dinner together.  Some were prominent members of the city's Fil-Chinese community. So if the Fil-Chinese are frequenting the place, the restaurant must be serving good Chinese food.  Since we are Feel-Chinese, we really got excited.


As we entered the place, we were greeted with a smile by their wait staff, Therese in particular.  We'd like to think that Therese was either an Energizer Bunny during her past life or she drinks Red Bull like water. She was very energetic and feeds you all this information. She was very helpful during the selection of our orders. One admirable aspect about them was that they won't take advantage of you and, based on their knowledge of the servings, they would tell you when you have ordered enough.

We ordered the following with rice:

Tofu soup - it's like your typical Chinese soup but served with soft tofu.  You can adjust it according to your taste. We added soy sauce, kalamansi and chili.

Mixed Pulutan (yes, we eat pulutan with rice and not alcoholic beverages) - as the name implies, it's a mixture of hardboiled egg (cooked like the adobo egg), tofu, pork kidney, beef towel and leeks cooked in their special sauce.

Ruhsy Tofu - stir fried meat with fried tofu.  If you are familiar with Chinese stir-fry, that's what it's like.  It's got that gingery taste to it.

3 Cups Chicken - no, we were not served 3 cups of chicken but rather with chicken that was cooked in 3 cups of different types of flavoring agents.  It was marinated so well that it was tasty to the bones.

Fried Chicken - what? order fried chicken?  But this was the star of the night. The chicken served with lechon sauce and banana ketchup was so tender and tasty.  More tender than those being served at the house that fried chicken built.  YOUTOFU's fried chicken is probably more deserving of the tagline, "bibig mo na lang ang kulang".  It was so good that we ordered 2 servings.


Silken Tofu - this was our dessert.  Soft tofu with almond and coffee jelly drizzled with condensed milk.


2 pitchers of red iced tea completed the meal.

Silken Tofu for dessert

By now you are probably thinking, "they were able to finish all of it?" Do remember that there were six of us.  Also, the meals were very light.  They don't have the "umay" factor. Despite the noise from all the chatting (including ours), we still enjoyed ourselves. We were enjoying our chat so much that we did not even notice that we have already consumed our orders. The place has a friendly atmosphere. It has positive vibes. Here's the best part, our bill was only Php930!


Overall, Driver says that the restaurant is comparable to typical side-street restaurants in Hong Kong but a cleaner version.

We were served a small bowl of adobong mani  while waiting for our order.

YOUTOFU is located across the old BLTB in Brgy. Del Remedio.  They also deliver and you can contact them at the following numbers 503-1172, 573-2247, 0927-244-3305 and 0916-620-0150. You can also buy tofu, tokwa and soy milk at the restaurant.  

The Hags of Beans

http://bagofbeanstagaytay.net/

Close your eyes.  Imagine that you are in Tagaytay.  Feel the cool breeze of the night touching your skin.  Then, the air suddenly gets infused with the aroma of freshly baked bread.

That was exactly what we experienced outside Bag of Beans in Tagaytay.  As if the world stopped and we just want to be lost in that moment forever. It was a few seconds of nirvana.

Happee Bride handing Senyorito Lakwatsero a butterfly

Last Sunday, 9-1-1, Yaya was a secondary sponsor at the wedding of her long-time friend, Happee Bride.  The ceremony was at Caleruega in Nasugbu and the reception was at a hotel in Tagaytay. We - Driver, Mayordoma and Senyorito Lakwatsero - saw this as opportunity for another food trip.  So, we volunteered to be Yaya's assistants.

It was almost dark when we reached the reception venue from the church because aside from the distance between the two places, Yaya sort of pointed the group at the wrong direction.  Navigation talent must really run in the blood.  Yaya and Mayordoma are real-life sisters (if you have been reading this blog from the start, you will know the significance of the navigation aspect).  Anyway, while Yaya was attending to her secondary sponsor duties at the reception, Driver, Mayordoma and Senyorito Lakwatsero set out for Bag of Beans.

Freshly baked raisin bread

Bag of Beans is known for its Raisin Bread.  This is Tagaytay's version of the famed bread from Baguio Country Club. This was actually the purpose of our visit to Bag of Beans - to buy raisin breads. But since it was already dark, we  decided to have dinner as well.

It was our first time to dine at the place since we're only used to buying bread at their bakeshop. So we really didn't know what to expect. 

The dining area has a garden set up with a little whimsy in it. The wait staff were very courteous and attentive.  When we looked at the menu, it was a little bit pricey especially their steaks (blame it on the Tender Bob's factor - read earlier blogs to understand). There was really nothing fancy in their menu.   If you're familiar with Pancake House, they have similarities in the selection.  What makes them different is their selection of dessert and savory pies.

Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes

Drive ordered Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes (said to be one of their bestsellers), Mayordoma - Beef Tapa Filipino Breakfast, and Senyorito Lakwatsero - Cheeseburger with Fries.  When our orders arrived, we took back our initial opinion that their meals were pricey.  The servings we got were very generous.  One order can be shared by two (not so hungry) people.  Even Senyorito Lakwatsero's order which was a Kiddie Meal was already good enough for one hungry adult. Taste-wise, Driver said that her order was much better than the roast beef she had some blogs back.  For Senyorito Lakwatsero, so long as there's fries, he's happy.  For Mayordoma, the beef tapa was filling but could use a little tweaking to make it more savory and it wouldn't hurt to make it a little more tender.

As foodies, we believe that a food trip should not only be about the food but the total experience which includes the quality of service and the ambiance. We don't mind paying a steeper price if a restaurant can provide all three. After all, whether restaurants admit it or not, these aspects are factored-in in the price. Did we hear somebody say overhead? Overall, we'd recommend Bag of Beans especially for those who want to enjoy a meal away from the maddening crowd.  They provide both quality meals and quality time. 

But here's what's ironic, we were already on our way home when we realized that we went to a coffee shop but did not even order coffee!!! Duh, the place is not called Bag of Beans for nothing.  Well, there's always a next time.

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and imagine that you are in Tagaytay. Feel the cool breeze touching your skin. The air is filled with the aroma of 

It's CHILI out here!

"Duto mo tili?" Says Senyorito Lakwatsero.  Then he will take out an imaginary chili from his pocket and put it in our mouths.

It's a rhetorical question.  That's what he usually does whenever he hears us utter words which are considered as "bad". Obviously, he is giving us a dose of our own medicine.  Some of you could probably relate to this means of discipline as a kid.  No, we were never actually given the sili as form of punishment.  But just the thought of it was enough to make us behave.

In a country where the love for anything spicy hot is an acquired taste, the sili or chili pepper has gotten itself a reputation.  Case in point, our sauces and dips usually has two varieties - plain and spicy.  For your pizza, you get ketchup and hot sauce! Unless it's something that is expected to be spicy hot, you'll never get anything spicy.  The condiment that will make the dish spicy will be given to you separately.  As mentioned earlier, it's an acquired taste.  Some people just don't want their food spicy hot.

Driver loves spicy food!  For inihaw, she'll make a separate dip for herself where she'll crush all these chilies. For pizza, she'd request for chili flakes. Mayordoma on the other hand, would request the food server at the cafeteria to remove the sili from her sinigang.  Yaya can appreciate either.  

We agree on a lot of food.  It's only when it comes to the spicy hot ones where one of us orders differently. But recently, we discovered a sort of spicy treat that we all love. And it comes in the form of a... (hold your breath)...whole sili!  It's the CHILI STICK from Spaghetti House here  in San Pablo City.  Yes, the same Spaghetti House famous for its nachos and sweet spaghetti.

Right outside the restaurant is an area where the Chili Sticks are sold. You can order and eat it outside like any other street food or you can add it to your other orders when you are dining in the restaurant.  Any way, it's still good.

The chili stick is one whole chili (the kind you use for sinigang) with all its seeds removed and stuffed with ground meat. It is dredged in breading then deep fried. Because the seeds are removed, it's no longer that spicy hot but it still has some kick in it.  The meat inside is also very tasty (think of their nachos). The sweet sauce that comes with it complements the chili stick perfectly.  It's a good thing that it only costs Php10 per stick because we can attest that one is not enough once you've tasted it. We are actually hooked.  Please note also that it's availability would be best described as "while supplies last".  We went there late last night but they were already out of chili sticks.

Sigh, it was raining hard last night and the chili sticks would have been a good companion for a rather chilly night.

Bisyo na ito!

BB Burger - bisyo na ito!

Kids are the pickiest eaters! That's why when Senyorito Lakwatsero begun equating a drive southbound of San Pablo City to a trip to this burger stand, we knew that our conclusion that this stand offers one of the best tasting burgers in the city is correct.  And it's not an exaggeration.

"Burger! Burger! Wawap (french fries, sorry we cannot explain why he calls it that way)!!" That's what Senyorito Lakwatsero will say whenever he notices that we are heading towards San Francisco Calihan, San Pablo City. You can just imagine the tantrums he throws when we go past his favorite burger stand.

Before we proceed with the review, we need to be transparent.  The proprietors are our friends.  That's how we came to know the place.  But we don't base our reviews on friendship.  This is a food blog. The only friendship that will be discussed here is the camaraderie that is established because of our love for food.  

The burger we are referring to is Bisyo's BB Burger at San Francisco Calihan, across the Caltex gasoline station (Mayordoma, please make sure this is correct!), near the tower.  If you're a true blue San Pablenyo, sa may 7-Up! 

We first heard about it from another friend.  We weren't really keen on trying it since it was quite far from our place, mahal ang gasolina!  But what got our attention was the price.  We were told that you can have a good tasting burger for Php30!  So, off we went to Bisyo Burger.  But we have to admit that we were a little skeptical.  Php30? Come on, who are you kidding?!

But our doubts melted at the scent of the burger being cooked on the griddle.  It did really smell like  beef! So, we each ordered a burger. Our first bite told us that it was worth the trip. The patty tasted the way a burger should - not like paper, not like starch - just like beef. If there were extenders used, there was no hint in the taste.  From then on, whenever we are out of budget and wanted to dine out or whenever we needed a quick fix late at night, we'll drive to Bisyo.

Here's their menu :

Please note though that it's just a stand right outside a liquor store (thus, the name Bisyo). Orders are for take out or drive-thru as we refer to it, but they also deliver.  If you don't mind sitting on the benches outside the store, you can "dine-in"  But since it's a liquor store, be prepared to eat beside a group having a drinking spree. As we say it, naglevel up na ang mga manginginom sa San Pablo, burger na ang pulutan!

We also recommended it to our other friends (outside the proprietors' circle) and now they are also regulars.  There are other burger stands that offer more variety, condiments, etc.  But the true test of a burger's taste is when you strip it of all these additional stuff - just the patty. Bisyo Burger is the hands down winner!

So don't be surprised when you hear Senyorito Lakwatsero say, "Bisyo na tayo!"

The Loooong-Weekend Adventure

"Let's check-in at a hotel in Makati and go malling!"

That was what we decided to do when we learned of the unexpected long weekend  last August 2011 (4 days!!!!). Well, that's half true.  The other half?  Food trip!

So on Aug 28, we left San Pablo City at around 11am.  Our original plan was to have lunch at Serendra but due to the fiesta-related traffic in Alaminos and Sto. Tomas, we were still at SLEX by lunchtime. We decided to have lunch at Pancake House instead. Our dilemma was we couldn't remember which gasoline station it was located.  Being the worst navigator on the planet, Mayordoma said it was at Shell, the second station.  As it turned out, it was at the last station, Caltex.

http://www.pancakehouse.com.ph/

We loved how Pancake House designed their menu.  The pop-ups were cool.  Made us want to order all those kiddie treats. But of course when you're near famished, all that would matter would be the food.  Senyorito Lakwatsero had the Corndog and Fries. While the three of us opted for the beef menu.  After all, their menu boasts of high quality beef.  Driver - Roast Beef, Yaya - Salisbury Steak, and Mayordoma - Hamburger Steak.  Let us just say, we enjoyed Senyorito Lakwatsero's food!  The sour cream and mustard dip went well with the fries.  As for our respective adult meals, well...nothing really much to say other than they were filling.


Since it was a  holiday, the travel from SLEX to Makati was a breeze.  We went straight to our hotel to check-in.  For some reason, we were told that there was no reservation under our name and the room category we opted for was no longer available.  Left with no choice, we decided to book a pricier room.  There was another hitch.  The room would only be available after an hour.  Tough luck!  After paying and getting our parking card, we decided to pass time at Bonifacio High Street, Serendra and Market! Market!  We were there when we got a call from the hotel staff telling us that there was a mix up in our reservation and that there was actually a reservation under our name.  To compensate for it, they still gave us the pricier room but at the promo rate of the room that we actually reserved. With the hotel booking problem already solved, it was time to go shopping!  Or so we thought.  


Because it was a long holiday, it was like "Christmas Rush" at Market! Market! In the end, we ended up buying two umbrellas. It was raining and we needed to cross to Serendra where our car was parked.  By the way, despite the noise from the holiday rush and the rain, Senyorito Lakwatsero still managed to fall asleep in Yaya's arms.


Tired from all the walking and window shopping, we stopped by Gelatissimo to rest and have some gelato.

http://gelatissimo.com.ph/

Gelatissimo has a great selection of flavors.  It's not your run of the mill gelato. Driver - Yogurt and Berries, Yaya - Choc Chip, and Mayordoma - Pistachio. It's a bit pricier than the gelato we will be mentioning later but its location made up for it.  It's a good place to hang out with family and friends.  We indeed were able to rest and relax.  Senyorito Lakwatsero was asleep the whole time.  Yes, Yaya has the talent of eating gelato on a cone while still carrying the sleeping child.


Driver bought cupcakes at Cupcakes by Sonja (this is the store that started the cupcakes craze in the country) then we headed back to the hotel.  To our surprise, the parking spot given to us was that of the hotel's president!


After settling in and resting (again), it was time for dinner.  We went through the restaurants in Greenbelt 5, Greenbelt 3, then ended up at Greenbelt 2 - at Tender Bob's!  The place was a revelation and the meal we had would be best described as the highlight of our food trip.

http://www.tenderbobs.com/

Let us just say that we are more than once bitten and more than twice shy when it comes to ordering steaks.  So when we ordered at Tender Bob's, we psyched ourselves that our orders will be no different from the other blah steaks we've had in the past that were in the same price range - Php250 to Php400. Surprise! Surprise!  Our eyes almost popped out when our orders came.  The servings were generous even if what we ordered were the basic size. Then, the meat was tender.  It was not melt in your mouth but there was no need to struggle with the utensils and the meat itself.  This came as a surprise since the beef used was the domestic variety.  The taste? It was good even without the gravy.  Driver - Porterhouse, Yaya- Fish Fillet (she did not enjoy the Salisbury steak she had for lunch so she opted for fish), Mayordoma - T-Bone, and Senyorito Lakwatsero - Spaghetti.  Their french onion soup was also good.  The taste was just right.  It was so good that Driver wanted to try making one at home.  All of us left the place more than satisfied.  It was also worth mentioning that Tender Bob's crew were very accommodating, attentive and polite.  Clap! Clap! Clap! to Tender Bob's Greenbelt 2.


Because we had Gelatissimo earlier at Serendra, we also tried Caffe Ti-amo at Greenbelt 5 because Mayordoma wouldn't stop yakking about it ever since she had a taste of their Dark Chocolate last month.  The place was full even it was already near closing time, and there was still a queue at the counter.  Despite the late hour, there were still kids who wanted to have their gelato just like Senyorito Lakwatsero.

http://www.facebook.com/CaffeTiAmoPH

Driver - Peanut Butter and Banana, Yaya - Vanilla, Mayordoma - Mint and Non-Dairy Chocolate Rice Crispies, Senyorito Lakwatsero - Ube.  Driver is partial to Gelatissimo because of the variety while Mayordoma chooses Caffe Ti-amo because of its smoother consistency and price - it's a few pesos cheaper.   


With gelatos in our hands, it was time to go "home" to our hotel.


Earlier, Driver wanted to have Japanese food for dinner.  But since we chose Tender Bob's, she just ordered to go Sashimi Moriawase (assorted sashimi) at Sugi in Greenbelt 2 also.  Together with a couple bottles of Budweiser and Smart-C (for Mayordoma), it was our midnight snack.

http://www.sugirestaurant.com/sugi.htm

The raw tuna, salmon, squid and shrimp were fresh and had that melts in your mouth goodness.  Best of all, it did not have any after taste.  It was very light.  


The unlikely pair of the night? Sashimi and Strawberry Cheesecake from Sonja's!

http://cupcakesbysonja.com/

Over all, it was quite a satisfying day.  Don't worry, we did a lot of walking in between meals.  And do take note that we have a live exercise machine with us, Senyorito Lakwatsero!