Davids tea house

HappyLemon

Tourne

We were on a tight budget that night and we(with a cousin) were looking for a cheap meal. But due to the overwhelming crowd of fete de la musique, everyone was everywhere, including the restos of fort strip. We accidentally ended up at a small place called tourne(which actually defeated the point of having a cheap meal).

The place was nice with one of the best services i have seen. Everyone was friendly, from the waiters, to the marketing guy, to the chef, and even the husband of the chef was doing his part chatting up with the crowd and helping clear tables. Although the food wasnt really that impressive, we had a good time. Dont get us wrong, food wasnt bad at all, it was actually good, it just wasnt that special.

At any rate, the food looked special enough and the service was exceptional enough for us to take note of the place.

Kain tayo!

I and J

Holy Chef!

J surprised me with a lovely dinner at a place “somewhere in the Fort”. Feeling a bit excited (and presumptuous?) I put on a nice black dress for the occasion. When J saw me he asked me why I had gotten dressed up, and wondered if I already knew of the venue of this “surprise”.  I told him no, but he curiously asked if I’d mind eating street food standing in front of a kariton. I assured him I had no idea where we were going, and would also not mind chowing down some squid balls wearing an LBD from Zara if that was the case.

Well we did not end up making-tusok-tusok-the-fishball at a nearby food stall, but at Chef Bruce Lim’s restaurant Chef’s Table, located at Unit 106 The Infinity Tower 25^th St. in The Fort. I loved the place’s modern yet still homey interiors, plus the open kitchen that revealed where the magic happens. Dominated by a mostly-bald crew (except the female staff), Chef’s Table seemed like a place of fine dining minus the uptight ambience. The wooden tables also had brown paper placemats and yellow pencils on each side to keep our hungry selves entertained as we waited for our food. I attempted to doodle my face and J’s, but as soon as I finished sketching the strands of my hair, our waiter arrived with a bowl of our first dish. (Aww, my illustration face got wet because of this.)

We began our meal with Roasted Tomato Halaan Soup, especially because J is an absolute soup-whore. I enjoy these warm pre-entrée starters as much as he does actually, and found their rendition good, but would have preferred a bit of dairy in it hehe. (Though I’m not so sure if it would work well with that.)

The next dish we ordered was the Chicken Sat on Salt, which was slow-roasted into possibly the softest, juiciest chicken I had ever tasted in my whole life. I was amazed at how easily the meat detached from the bones with mere nudges of my knife, something which I kept showing J repeatedly with equal amounts of excitement every time. It came with a very sosyal-looking vinegar-based sauce, mixed with an orange-colored oil and a sprinkle of err, a type of spice (which escapes me at the moment). Being the typical sawsawera that I am, I knew I was bound to have my sauce plate replenished in minutes. And I did.

We also tried out the Pinaputok na Isda which J described as “lasang halaman” (hahaha). In a good way, though. The fish, which was lapu-lapu fillet on lemon grass, stuffed with tomatoes concass, then wrapped in a banana leaf before being baked, was not only perfectly tender, it easily absorbed the subtle but notable flavors of the lemongrass and banana leaf.

The combination of the scrumptious, well-cooked food, pleasant crew and impressive ambience made for a lovely dinner date. It’s too bad we weren’t able to personally give our compliments to the Chef, though. But I look forward to doing so on our next visit. Can’t wait to try the other fares!

Kain tayo!

I and J

Kwek-Kwek and Onion Rings and Buffalo Wings…these are a few of our favorite things.

At a recent party we attended held at a not-so-conventional venue (Victoria Court motel), J and I encountered some finger foods done with a twist, giving the reference “guilty pleasure” an entirely different meaning. And yes, we may quite possibly return to said place just for the food. (Lower those judge-y arched brows and keep those resounding “Yeah rights” to yourself, please.)

Kwek-Kwek, or deep-fried quail eggs covered in orange-colored flour batter, is possibly my favorite streetfood. Typically eaten while standing on the street (as that is where it is usually sold), these babies are submerged in scalding oil until cooked, skewered in thin wooden sticks, and doused in either a pinkish vinegar-based sauce with chopped onions and chilli, a thick, pasty sweet sauce or (my preference) a combination of both, before consumed.

VC’s version, on the other hand, looks like something that should be called “les que’ que” because its gourmet makeover looks absolutely delightful. Still in its original kwek-kwek form, with a wooden stick still holding the orange balls together, but placed atop a brown-and-white combination of sauces prepared in a cobweb-like pattern. The brown sauce is similar to Mang Tomas in consistency but is a little lighter in color, and tastes like the usual fishball/kwek-kwek sauce sold in the streets. The white sauce is more liquidy and has a hint of garlic. Fried onion rings also completed this pretty picture, as well as green garnishes of onion leeks in the center (or was it parsley).

This reminded me of the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts’ character (a prostitute, for those unaware) was given a makeover. Fancied up and dressed to the nines, but still the same charming street whore you knew and loved. Haha! Oh, and more importantly, this “les que’ que’” was absolutely delicious! The mixture of the two sauces with the kwek-kwek made this dish my new addiction, plus it tasted great with the onion rings too!

VC’s buffalo wings also became part of my “to order next time again” list. You see, I am an absolute fanatic of buffalo wings. I kid you not, I am crazy addicted to them. One time, J showed me an instructional video on youtube, “How to eat a buffalo wing”, showing the most efficient way to devour (yes, DEVOUR) the tasty things. Right after watching it, I immediately called up Shakey’s and had them deliver a box of them. (It was about 11:45 in the evening, and yes I already had dinner.)

I usually prefer buffalo wings with a spicy, Tabasco-like tang, and my sauce of choice to dip them in is bleu cheese. But I also appreciate other wings flavors like those with a garlic and parmesan taste, or even a sweet, barbeque style. Victoria Court’s Buffalo wings are a little like the latter. The chicken wings are not too modest in size, and are fried enough to have a mildly crunchy coating. They are covered in a slightly sweet sauce, and can be dipped in a thick, garlic-tasting white sauce (a bit thicker than the Kwek-Kwek’s). Not bad.

I know a motel isn’t the first place you’d take someone to have a meal with, without seeming like you’ve got an ulterior motive. But why not give it a shot? Something in their menu might surprise you!

Kain tayo!

I and J

Who's your Big Daddy?

After a brief meeting in Starbucks MOA with J and some of our friends-slash-project-partners, we decided to get some dinner to go as we were headed home to finish some work. Besides, the cramming Christmas shopping crowd had already started congesting the mall, and we were in no mood to end up stuck in line for a taxi until 1AM. (Happened to me before. True story.)

We (ok, I) decided to try out this fast-food type place I saw featured in a local blog. Big Daddy’s Chicken, touted as Taiwan’s Famous Crispy Chicken Chop, was obviously famous for, well, its chicken chop (duh). They also sold pork chop, but since I don’t eat that, I was glad they offered the former.

If you’re looking for a flavorsome gourmet chicken dish with a French-sounding title, garnished with onion leeks or parsley, served attractively on an expensive-looking glass plate with an equally expensive price tag, this is not the place to go. However, if you’re in the mood for some deep-fried, large-portioned, chicken lovin’ soul food, this is where to get your fix.

Big Daddy’s chicken has huuuge servings that make its 95-buck price (for the whole meal) well worth it.  When I saw my takeout order, I was surprised to see one half of the styro container overflowing with the chopped fried chicken (which made me wonder if it was really Pterodactyl chop I’d be consuming). Add 10 pesos and you get soup and rice; 15 if you want creamy pasta. I opted for the latter, and so did J. I also tried out their milk tea, which I found a bit bland. Then again, it may have been because the melted ice already drowned out its flavor. (I only got to taste it when we arrived home.)

They serve the chicken and pork chops with several flavor choices: original, lemon, nori and plum (as in champoy?? I should’ve asked.). J and I both tried the chicken with “original” flavor. It was good, but being the sauce-whore that I am, I guess I would’ve preferred my fried stuff doused with some a lot of gravy. They offer a sweet chili sauce, but I decided to try it without.

All in all though, it was a fulfilling meal. The pasta had a meatless white sauce that wasn’t too salty so it balanced out the chicken’s taste. (J, though, ended up getting rice from the kitchen hehe.) Next time we might just get one serving of chicken (which costs 80 pesos as is) and our carb dish of choice. Mine is still pasta, I think J will be getting rice next time.

We want some hot stuff baby this evening

There is something seductively inviting about spicy food. In the way a rollercoaster becomes an exciting attempt to assault the senses (with the knowledge that you will be safely kept in place by a metal seatbelt anyway), the taste and intrusion of a throbbing zing on your tongue can be stirring, pleasurable and quite addictive.

So sometime around 12:14 AM yesterday, J, my sister and I got our spice fix.

Thanks to the ever-reliable 24-hour Mini Stop, as well as the Korean Store in our building lobby, J was able to pick up a large bowl of Shin Cup Korean noodle soup which my sister and I shared, and a pack of [Brand we forgot] Spicy Seafood Noodles for him.
As far as convenience store choices are concerned, we haven’t tried the other variants yet, because the ate in the Korean store told us they were only mildly spicy. (Nuuuks, so feel na feel naman namin na kaya naming yung super anghang?) Maybe we’ll try those other flavors too eventually, but whenever we’re craving a filling, satisfying midnight snack, these are usually our tried-and-tested food items. (Those, or the Century Tuna Bangus Sisig Siopao also from Mini Stop, which costs P32.00 for the big one and P22.00 for the small.)

Going back to the hot soups, the big bowl of Shin Cup is P75.00 in Mini Stop, not sure how much it’s priced in groceries. The Seafood Noodles on the other hand, which comes in a pillow pack (so better get a bowl washed and ready) costs P 40.00+. J and I used to share the Shin Cup noodles often, but after trying the Spicy Seafood kind, J decided he liked it more.  It’s mixed with bits of dried seafood like scallops, squid and clams. It’s a bit saltier than the Shin Cup noodles and I enjoy its spicy kick, but I still prefer the latter’s flavor. Both also have dried veggies that have a little crunch when you bite.
Next time you’ve got the midnight munchies, try some hot noodles. After several drinks of water (or in our case, bottles of Smart C+, our new beverage of choice), you’ll surely be filled up and satisfied.

Kain tayo!
I and J