GastroAdvent#8: Food Court in Harrison

I don’t know how popular this old mall is, but despite the history this longstanding mall might have, and even if it’s still trying hard to compete with the mall tycoons that continually emerges non-stop everywhere, old shopping malls tries to invite people in, in hopes to bring nostalgia to shoppers who had seen them in their former glory.

Latest addition to their community, a small “international” food corner. Nothing fancy, just food goodness.

Thai Beef Noodlesssss

One stall in particular recently became our favorite “automatic” food whenever we crave for hot soup. Sen Lek Thai Noodles serves close to authentic (I think and I hope) thai noodles and milk tea. I have yet to try their Phad Thai (which always reminds me of the Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon can’t get enough Phad Thai, ate too much then split into 2 Sheldons… and its way off topic…)

Happy tummy? :)

Back to the food court, if you’re not into Phad Thai, you can choose to have the good ol’ Rice in a Box, Lugaw (porridge), siopao, some Japanese takoyaki, Vietnamese noodles and some shawarma.. if that’s not enough to get your mouth water, feel free to explore Harrison plaza, where I’m sure you’ll find something which will get your attention and fill your hungry tummy.

So… Where in the world is this Harrison Plaza? (aka how to get to Harrison Plaza)

If you’re coming from Manila, along Quezon Blvd (simbahan ng Quiapo.. familiar now? No? google it..) take a jeep with route going to Baclaran, Mabini, Vito Cruz, Harrison, tell the driver to let you off in Harrison, your landmark would be Shopwise grocery. You can also ride the LRT, alight at Vito Cruz station, ride an orange jeep and ask the driver to let you off.. guess where.. Harrison Plaza :)

GasttoAdvent#7: Camiguin Island Foodies

"First, we eat then we do everything else" - M.F.K. Fisher

And that's what we did. As soon as we stepped on the coast of Camiguin, we felt the need to eat. We haven't had breakfast yet so.. Anyways, here are some of the food you can try if ever you get a chance to visit this wonderful island.

 Tapsilog: One of the most common Pinoy breakfast combo. You can get this almost anywhere in the country. (We just wanted to see if Camiguin tapsi is better than tagalog tapsi :p)









Lanzones. (Sorry no pictures available) but I highly recommend for you to try this. It's one of the sweetest bunch I had. It's a bit expensive when you buy it off-season though.

Vjandep Pastel box

Vjandep Pastel. This is also available in CDO but its less expensive when you buy it from the original bakery. They also sell other types of bread but this one's their best sellers and top requested "pasalubong" from Camiguin bakasyonistas.

Kiping

Kiping. Fried "lumpia wrapper" like snack made of cassava topped with caramelized sugar. Bought this one from stores near Katibwasan Falls.

Kilawin. We had blue marlin soaked in vinegar with ginger. Fresh raw fish for lunch! You can request for the fish to be grilled to. The vendors sell them per kg. and will cook it for you so you can enjoy swimming in Sto. NiÑo cold spring while you wait.

Sea Urchins: Sold by locals in White Island. 50 php for 3pcs. Served with vinegar.










I was looking for a place where we can eat fresh sea food but didn't found one. Could be that it does not exists or we just have to look hard enough to find it :) Maybe we'll find it on our next Camiguin trip.

GastroAdvent#6: Tokyo Cafe

When you have a few resources to spare, your food options widens and you tend to try new restaurants which you wouldn't usually go to when you are in a tight budget. This is how Clyde and I discovered the wonderful menu of Tokyo Cafe. We got too confused by the food choices available at SM North's the Block that we ended up choosing this cafe's dishes by just looking at the seemingly real plastic food display.

The ambiance of the store is just normal there are a few diners which is nice when you want to dine in peace. They also have decent food choices, some of which became our favorites during our occasional visit.

Menu

I liked their simple menu, the coffee design already got me. I can never be turned off by coffee (except for the bad ones).

The cafe kinda reminds me of Starbucks meets modern Japanese style. The staff (in my experience in SM the Block branch) greeted their customers in Japanese.


They offers soups and salad, pasta, chicken, beef, pork, seafood, burger, pizza, sandwiches, parfait, dessert, crepes and their special blends of coffee!

I'm no food expert but I'd like to share to you some of my personal choices:
1. Tokyo Caesar Salad
2. Garlic and Shrimp Pasta
3. Tokyo White Pizza - this one almost became a staple during our visits
4. Sumibiyaki and/or Tokyo Blends coffee

For more info, visit their site: http://www.tokyocafe.com.ph/
ITADAKIMASU! :)

Garlic and Shrimp Pasta

Tokyo Caesar Salad

GastroAdvent#5: Zark's Burgers.. Attack!

So, yeah.. we were hungry.. I thought we might be able to locate Bon Chon in Taft but ended up in Zark's Burgers.. and I sure am glad I did.

My BF and I were already famished from the long walk from CCP to Taft ave courtesy of the Vito Cruz traffic jam, plus the whole day church and Pasinaya activity. As dinner time closed in, we were already up for a heavy meal. We decided to eat at Bon Chon which I thought was just along Taft Ave (DLSU area) but after a few minutes of walking, we were unable to find the resto and stumbled on Zark's instead. I've heard about Zark's from my friends who've been raving about the Jaw Breake. And so the equation of choosing Zark's came about. Curiosity + hunger + 8pm = Zark's.

 Zark's menu offers various steaks, ribs, rice meals, sandwiches, desserts, dips and of course burgers! This started all the Zark's buzz. They tapped the person's inability to resist a huge mouthwatering and seemingly impossible to finish burger, and rewarding their talent of giving the burger they've just devoured for free if they accept the challenge of eating the Jaw Breaker under 5min.

T.K.O. Fish sandwich @ PHP110.00

For the hard core food athletes, the Tomb Stone burger is their best bet as it comes with your face sticking in their Wall of Fame and free t-shirt plus the bragging rights if consumed in 10 minutes.

But since I try not to eat meat, pork and chicken, I contented myself with their TKO fish sandwich made from cream dory served with fries while my BF, who was not yet prepared for the challenge ordered Zark's ultimate burger instead. 

Zark's Ultimate Burger @PHP130.00

 With bottomless iced tea for him, water for me and UFC channel in the background, the total expense was less than 300PHP (price as of 2 Mar 2012).

For those who wanted to take on the Zark's challenge, their store is located at 2464 Archer's Nook, Malate, Manila (In front of LA Salle Taft, same building where Yellow Cab is). 


And here's their FB account for those curious minds :D
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zarks-Burgers/125052717215


GO BEAT THAT TOMBSTONE burger :D enjoy eating!

GastroAdvent#4: Longganisa Sorpresa

Longganisa! One of the Filipino's all time favorite breakfast treat served along with sinangag rice (fried garlic rice) and itlog (egg, usually served sunny side up). This sausage style meat has become a signature to most provinces in the Philippines who blends their own distinct version and are often times complemented with their original concoction of vinegar.

Along the SM North's Sky Garden Food selection, I found Longganisa Sorpresa, a unique restaurant that serves all these famous sausages and other breakfast treats everyday. No need to wait for the Longganisa festival!

They not only offer various types of longganisa but they also have selections for those who prefer fish (like myself) and salads.



They also have a fish based longganisa (General Santos) and my BF's favorite, Cabanatuan's garlic rich longganisa. 

Cabanatuan



Mangga Vigan Ensalada





And here's one of my favorites, 2pcs sweet Boneless Bangus

 Kain na! ^_^

GastroAdvent#3: Al Centro, Herzogenaurach

"Laßt uns essen!

Our starving group went walking around the streets of Herzo for our first lunch here together. Here we found Al Centro.
One of the things I liked is that they have a separate menu cards written in English. It's also a cozy restaurant. Kinda like Italliani's. They have Antipasti, Salads, Pasta, Pizza, Steaks and Seafoods. Of course any meal here wouldn't be complete without bier.

Napoli (Anchovies pizza)

Menu outside

lasagna

Salmon and Steak

My friends told me that one pizza serving here is more like a personal meal unlike in the Philippines where everything is preferred to be for sharing. Above orders filled up 6 stomachs until dinner!

GastroAdvent #2: Zuchinni tuna pasta

Another tasty treat from the internet with my own added twist. The original recipe was made for vegan people but adding the tuna made it suitable for pescatarians and other non vegan people. I've been enjoying pasta cooking and this recipe proves to be one easy dish to whip up.

Ingredients of this tasty treat:
2 med size zuchinni chopped into cubes -> low calorie, moderate source of folates and potassium
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 med white onion, minced
2 red bell pepper, chopped -> low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, high in dietary fiber, vitamins (A,C,K and B6)
2 can tuna (used century tuna, 1 spicy 1 oil in flakes) -> rich in omega3
4tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

500g pasta (angel hair used for this recipe)

How to cook:
Pasta:
   Boil 3-4 cups of water, add salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cook pasta until al dente.
Sauce:
   Saute onion and garlic to 4 tbsp of olive oil until onion becomes transparent
   Pour tuna with oil in pan and cook for 1 minute
   Add zuchinni and red bell pepper cook for another 1-2 minutes
   add salt to taste.
Serving:
   Mix pasta and sauce. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.


With this easy dish, you're sure to enjoy one fancy dinner with family and friends :)

Sources:
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/zucchini.html
www.centurytuna.ph
http://www.great-workout.com/nutrition/vegetables/bell-pepper-nutrition-facts.cfm

GastroAdvent #1: My pesto experience

Last week, I told my mom that I already know how to make pesto, although she seems pleased, she reminded me that knowledge is different from wisdom. Yesterday, I finally decided to try making my own homemade pesto and officially turning my knowledge into wisdom. After searching the net for the how to's and ingredients, just to confirm if the recipe that I have in mind is accurate, I headed to Robinson's Supermarket, crossed my fingers hoping to find the needed ingredients:

Ingredients:
   Fresh Basil leaves (cost about 12 pesos per pack or 300/KG)
   Pine Peanuts (I skipped this one, dunno if this is available in our local market but will check soon!)
   Olive oil (My mom got this as a gift sometime ago so no need for me to buy)
   Malunggay Bread (30 pesos/pack. Either pasta or any bread will do)
   Eden Cheese (32 pesos/block. Parmesan is better but much more expensive)
   Garlic (about 1 clove, depends on how spicy you want it to be)
   Tomato slice (I wanted to make tomato and cheese pesto)
  
How I did it:
Since I didn't have a food processor which would have made my life easier, I minced the basil leaves, garlic and the tomato. Then poured some 1-1 1/2 tbps of olive oil and mixed the ingredients. Chilled my pesto. After, I sliced 2 malunggay bread (burger style slice.. ehhe) spread the pesto, then add slice of cheese. Toast the pesto bread for about 4-5 minutes and then serve! :)

Note: Never taste the pesto as it is.. I didn't like the taste initially.. I guess the strong flavor of the basil should be blended with either pasta or bread with lots of cheese!!!!! Will post pictures later.