Merry Christmas!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

From,

Driver, Yaya, Mayordoma and Senyorito Lakwatsero 

(Post) Holiday Gift Ideas Close to Home - The Edible Kind!

Si Christina Brazo De Mercedes

Christmas is just a sleep away (for those who will be sleeping, anyway)!  In case you are still thinking of what to give away during the holiday season, here are some suggestions.  We know it's kind of late for Christmas and orders should have been placed days before but just keep these ideas handy, say, for New Year.

The list below are the best we've tasted. Most of all, they are from San Pablo.

1.  Chocolate Cake - Kalahi Bakery at T. Azucena near the San Pablo Cathedral.  Their no-fuss chocolate cake is still as fluffy and chocolatey as when we used to have it as children.  Brings back childhood memories especially if you are a true blue San Pableno.

2.  Brazo De Mercedes - Si Christina at Rizal Avenue near the old Manila Bank Bldg.  This Brazo de Mercedes is chewy compared to the typical ones which are nothing but air.  Sugar-conscious people would favor this since it's not that sweet.  

3.  Sans Rival - Home-based at San Francisco Terrace in Calihan.  There's no need to elaborate because as far as we can remember, when a San Pableno is asked where to get a Sans Rival, this is the place to be.  

4.  Taisan - Cake Plus by Abba at Paseo De Escudero (Bonifacio St.) near Jollibee Plaza.  The term "labor of love" would aptly describe their Taisan because it is not the usual loaf.  Theirs is a 12x16(?) rectangular Taisan that is meticulously cut to at least 60 bite size pieces and served in individual wrappers after being spread with butter and topped with grated cheese.  Their Black Forest, White Forest and Mango Cake are also worth trying.

5.  Yema Cake - Folcon Bakeshop at San Francisco Calihan. Their cake is buttery while their yema icing is tasty but not that sweet. And they win hands down when it comes to packaging.

Now if somebody could just tell us if there's a bakeshop in the City that could prepare a Rainbow Cake as delicious as that of Mrs. Poonin's (Erlinda's), we would be very happy.  If you are familiar with this cake, you would definitely agree with us that many tried to copy the cake but never really got where it should be.

Have a Happy Holiday everybody!

Mayordoma Chronicles: Naan and More!

                               

I, Mayordoma, admit that I am the least adventurous in the group when it comes to the savory type of food. The more spices and flavor a particular dish has, the more I won't try it. I would rather eat sashimi without condiments than have a taste of cooked food laden with different kinds of spices. Let me be clear, I am a bit ok with spicy food but not the ones where different kinds of flavors will burst in your mouth when you take a single bite.  Also, it kind of upsets my sensitive tummy. So, one could just imagine the predicament I was in when I was sent to an official mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh where the food has Persian and Indian influences.

I am actually familiar with South Asian dishes since our office cafeteria has an international cuisine section where these type of food is served on a daily basis. To date, having Chicken Kebab  is the most adventurous I've gotten when it comes to the cafeteria food.

With this perspective and accounts given by colleagues who had been to the country, I decided to bring loads of canned goods (sausage, tuna, corned beef).  Unfortunately, my baggage filled with these goods got lost in who knows where! Therefore, I needed to start opening my mind for a food adventure.

http://www.ffcbd.com/

First Trip - Chicken! Chicken! Chicken!

Being a predominantly Muslim and Hindu country, chicken is the choice meat. You can see all types of chicken restaurants - Original Fried Chicken (OFC), Best Fried Chicken (BFC), Good Fried Chicken (GFC), Alphabet + FC.  Our group, however, favored the tried and tested Kentucky Fried Chicken  (KFC) and our new discovery, Fortuna Fried Chicken (FFC)! When asked where we wanted to eat, we always answered either of the two.   But we always had to order "original" and never "hot and spicy".  Why?  Because the original is already somehow spicy to our taste.

http://www.sajnarestaurant.com/information.htm

But then, our gracious hosts began incorporating local dishes in our meals. Admittedly, I had hesitations.  However, I did enjoy my very first taste of local buffet though taking little servings only. Interior and set up wise, Sajna is quite a classy restaurant though a bit pricey.  But the selection they provide is worth it.  Forgive me but I can't seem to remember the exact names of the menu but I did like their Hot and Sour Soup and, yes, Chicken Tikka Kabab. There was also this Mutton dish that could be best described as a "burn in your mouth" relative of our very own Kaldereta.  But I discovered the perfect drink to wash down the burning taste, Lime Soda!

                     

The Mirinda beverage I've known all my life is the orange variety and seeing its colorless version was a surprise.  I also enjoyed the way I had to drink it - pour in a glass followed by a sweet syrup.  I loved how it bubbled and fizzzled.  It was like having a science experiment on my table, ha! ha!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naan

Our best discovery, however, is the Naan. While the locals eat it the way we eat our rice paired with viands, I can have it on its own. I could describe it as a flat bread similar to a thick crust pizza but much tastier.  It's somehow crispy on the outside but soft in the inside.

source:  http://www.austinbushphotography.com/2009/03/bangladeshi-sweets.html

Of course, a meal won't be complete without desserts and Bangladeshis are serious when it comes to their sweets. I could best sum up their desserts (Golab Jam?) as similar to our Pastillas though softer and creamier.  Think of pastillas made from carabao milk!

Second Trip - Time to be more adventurous!

For our second trip, we already had an idea of what we would like to have - FFC and KFC!  Well, that was our plan.  But I guess there was really a saturation point.  Thus, we opened our minds and our stomachs with other options.

I am Feel-Chinese, remember?

We were originally planning to have lunch either at FFC or KFC when we saw this restaurant's billboard along the way.  Without any idea if they really serve Chinese dishes, we still decided to give it a shot and was rewarded for it. We ordered Beef with Oyster Sauce, Mixed Veggies, "Something" with Tofu and Peking Chicken. The food was more than passable.  It was the closest we could get in terms of having a taste of Chinese cuisine.  But its taste still has the Bangladeshi twist.  Actually, the Beef with Oyster Sauce was full of onions that it tasted more like our Bistek Tagalog.  In case you are curious, no, we did not try the Shisha Lounge.  Though it was interesting to see that there was a lounge within the restaurant.

http://www.allindiarecipes.com/indian-recipes/butter-chicken-23.html

During our last night in Dhaka, we decided to treat to dinner the rest of the team who will be left behind.  Our choice of restaurant?  Our hotel's restaurant!  We planned on making the Naan the main dish so we asked the wait staff what will go well with it and he recommended the Butter Chicken Masala. So we ordered it together with Chicken Tandoori, Mixed Vegetables, Rice, and of course, Butter Naan.  Good thing we ordered only 3 servings of Naan because each serving provided to us was the size of a pizza!  Let me come clean, I still had the hesitation.  Therefore, I opened a can of Spam and had it with my rice!  When  the Chicken Butter Masala came, I took a spoonful and dipped my Naan in it. It was spicy but the yogurt in it did magic. I actually enjoyed eating it to the point of encouraging my colleagues to try it.

At the end of these two trips, I learned that those courageous enough to take risks are rewarded  in the end.  But I think, it will still take some practice before I become more adventurous when it comes to food. My taste buds are already adventurous but my sensitive tummy is a different story!

'Till our next adventure. This time it will be closer to home - Our New Year Party.  As of this writing, we are planning a buffet of various cuisines (American, Japanese, Italian, French, whatever suits the budget of course!). Some we will prepare ourselves, the rest we will just order locally.  In short, we won't only feature restaurants but also suppliers of cooked meals!

Have a happy holiday!

Cebu, B! As in BBQ.

Queen City of the South

If you are from Mayordoma's generation, you would probably always associate "Cebu" with the PLDT commercial wherein two kids were pretending to be a caller and an operator.  The caller requests to be connected to Cebu then the operator says the famous line, "Cebu, B!"

Cebu has been known to be the Queen City of the South with its bustling economy, beautiful beaches, and historical sites.  Of course, one should never forget the pasalubongs - Danggit, Pusit, Dried Mangoes and Otap!

Last week Yaya and Mayordoma took a much needed break in Cebu and Bohol with family and friends.  Aside from doing the usual touristy stuff, they came with the mission to experience Cebu dining.  Being "somehow" adventurous, Yaya, Mayordoma and their friends M&M veered away from the usual dining spots (actually, no Lechon Cebu while in Cebu!).  With the group being billeted in Downtown Cebu City, they ventured into "BBQ sa Colon".  Please take note that Colon starts with a capital C, therefore, read it as a proper name and not as an anatomical part!  Actually, Colon is considered as the oldest street in the Philippines.  How's that for some history lesson?

BBQ sa Colon is a compound with its inner perimeter lined with stalls selling different kinds of ihaw-ihaw with videoke on the side (really, each stall has a videoke!).  The tables are set up in the middle of the area.  Soon as you enter the place, food attendants from the stalls will try to convince you to eat at their place, even offering you with free "sabaw" to entice you.  Honestly, all the stalls offer the same fare so the group decided to dine where there was less noise and usok - at EMM Z GRELL BARBECUE.

This is where the adventure begins.  For starters, you don't order rice by the cup, you order Puso or hanging rice. It consists of rice wrapped in coconut leaves which is then boiled. It's cut in half when served.  Think of suman but in small triangles.  Then the group ordered several types of BBQ - Chicken, Pork, Longganisa and Chorizo.  The other half of M&M swears that the Chorizo was just the Longganisa tied in smaller in pieces to give it its marble-like shape.

After placing their orders, the gang sat at their appointed table.  They were given the puso served on native plates wrapped in plastic.  One of the first things they noticed were the plastics bags stacked on a bottle.  Their first impression was - the place must be semi self-busing, you wrap your food waste in the plastic bag.  Mayordoma then asked the food server to give each of them a set of spoon and fork. With an amazed look on her face, she asked if indeed each member of the group would like to have his/her own set of utensils.  Mayordoma was actually tempted to tell the food server that they will just share a set, of course she did not say that and just said, yes.

When the orders arrived, it was time to dig into the feast.  The BBQ Chorizo was the best!  Since the puso is like a suman, you can just imagine how solid it is.  Instead of the usual practice of putting sabaw on your rice, Yaya was dipping her rice in the sabaw! As Mayordoma, Yaya and M&M get finished with one stick, they would diligently put their food waste in the plastic to make sure that their table was kept clean.  However, just as about they were to be finished with their meal, they discovered the mystery behind the food server's surprised look on the utensils request and the stack of plastic bags on the table.  Well, since the puso is like a suman which you can eat from the wrapper and the BBQ are on sticks, there wasn't really a need for utensils.  You can eat them with just your hands.  And if you would like to eat that way, use the plastic so you don't have to touch the food with your bare hands.  Probably, the food server must have thought the group was odd with that they've done with the plastic bags!

http://www.albertospizzacebu.com/

After dinner, Yaya and M&M went to the mall across BBQ sa Colon to buy some stuff.  Mayordoma on the other hand stayed and checked out the pizza place in the area.  ALBERTO's PIZZA was a gem of a find! They offer the usual and not so usual pizza toppings - from ham, pepperoni, beef & mushroom to ham & egg, spanish sardines, tuna garlic, sisig twist, taco and beef shawarma to name some.  One can opt to have Parmesan or Mozzarella for their cheese topping.  But it's really their crust that spells the difference.  It was thin with a hint of saltiness and sweetness. It's like you can eat it on its own. If you are familiar with the Persian "naan bread" it has a similar taste to it, just on the thinner and crunchier side.  For an 11-inch Ground Beef & Mushroom with Mozzarella Cheese, Mayordoma only shelled out Php144! And it was big enough for the group to share.  Beat that! They (or the Colon Branch) are open 24 hours and they deliver.  The group is looking forward to the time when this pizza becomes available in their locality.

One of the lessons learned by Mayordoma on this food trip, if you will order pizza with lots of onions, eat it in the restaurant or somewhere there is good ventilation.  She spent the night trying to get rid of the smell from her hotel room. Well, nothing that an open door and several sprays of Downy Innocence couldn't handle!

Travel Side-Tips:

1.  If you intend to spend most of your time outside and the hotel is just a place to crash, look for a "business hotel".  These are hotels of choice of people who are long-staying. Think of it as an upgraded boarding house. The group stayed at Cebu Century Hotel in Colon.  The rate for a Twin Room was Php740 per night.   It can accommodate 3 people. It has the usual hotel features of A/C, hot & cold shower, cable tv.  They also have a cafeteria as well as room service.  A breakfast composed of fried rice, egg, danggit, coffee/tea and fresh fruits costs only Php85. But of course it's not new but their able attendants will always help you if you want to get your room cleaned.  Their front desk attendants will help you out in getting directions for the places you need to visit as well as the codes of the jeepneys you need to take. If you're thinking of a Hilton, go somewhere else.  We don't see the sense in splurging on a hotel room when all you will do is sleep and take a bath!

2.  Again if you intend to stay outside most of the time and don't mind the noise, look for a hotel downtown. At the hotel where we stayed, transportation was accessible.  Some of the sites were walking distance. And there were malls outside.  We arrived late and hungry but all we have to do was walk across the street and straight to the mall where several food chains were available.  We needed to buy pasalubongs, the supermarket was just at the corner.  We wanted to take a jeepney/taxi, all routes pass by the street where we stayed.  Unless you are on a retreat, its best to stay downtown!

3.  If you want to take a trip a day trip to Bohol from Cebu, your best option is a fast craft via Tubigon. You can get your tickets either at Pier 1 or Pier 3.  We took the MV Starcraft. If you get your tickets at Pier 3, they have a van to take you to Pier 1 where you will board the fast craft.  Cebu to Tubigon is just an hour trip and business class ticket is only Php280 + Php10 terminal fee (one-way).  If you're traveling with a child, the rate is only Php140 and not subject to terminal fee. The fast craft is air conditioned and in business class, you have bigger and more comfortable chairs and you have cable tv or dvd. The people at MV Starcraft also helped arrange our van who took us around Bohol.  Our driver, Mang Loloy was already waiting for us at the port when we arrived. We were even able to negotiate for a lower rent, from Php3,500 to Php3,000 only. Tubigon is the best point of entry.  Not only is the trip shorter but it is also cheaper and you can start your sight-seeing with Chocolate Hills which is the farthest.  If your point of entry is Tagbilaran, travel time is two hours and an economy ticket costs at least Php500 one-way. If this is your route, Chocolate Hills will be last.  So you can either enter via Tubigon and exit via Tabilaran or vice versa.  For our part, we did not want to spend much time on water and on ticket cost so our entry and exit were both through Tubigon.  We were business class all the way for Php580!

4.  Though we did not eat Lechon Cebu in Cebu we still brought home some lechon.  We got ours at the airport.  Zubuchon can be bought either fresh or frozen.  The fresh lechon needs to be eaten right away while the frozen one has a lifespan of one month. You can buy it for Php490/pack.  They will pack it well for you so can you take them with your carry-on hassle-free!

5.  For pasalubongs, Tabo-an market is the best choice for bulk-buying of danggit, dried pusit and dried mangoes.  Just be prepared for the smell.  It sticks.  Even your undies will smell like danggit!  But if you need to give out loads of pasalubongs, this is your best bet.  You can buy in bulk and just repack.  If you prefer to buy pre-packed dried mangoes, we found the Profoods Cebu Dried Mangoes to be the best tasting. For Otap, most people like the ones from Shamrock but we liked Conching's and Sugbu better. They're more toasted and less commercial tasting. And, they are cheaper!!!

'Till our next food and travel adventure!

The Ultimate Food Adventure

A Taste of Asia

We are expanding our food travel adventure.  Mayordoma will do some official business in South Asia this October. In November,  Driver and Senyorito Lakwatsero will conquer Southeast Asia while Yaya and Mayordoma will rediscover Southern Philippines.  And in February 2012, the whole gang will reunite for the ultimate foodie adventure in Northern Asia!  Watch out for our accounts about these places.

So bear with us if we won't be posting much.  Kailangan magtipid hahahaha!

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.