Hand-Pulled Noodles at Pot & Noodles House

Lamian is a type of hand-made or hand-pulled Chinese noodle. The hand-making process involves taking a lump of dough and repeatedly stretching it to produce many strands of thin, long noodle. At Pot & Noodles House (Ground Floor, Food Garden of Trinoma Mall, QC), you can watch how the noodles you order are made. Various flavors of hand-pulled noodles are served here at two types of serving - the snack size and the regular size. Price ranges from P100 to P170.00 We ordered chicken mushroom noodles and Taiwan beef noodles. Definitely hand-pulled noodles taste better than the ordinary noodles - they are soft, thicker and white-colored.

Kaya Toast? Kayang Kaya!

We had lunch with friends at the Old China Town - Kopitiam at Maria Clara St. near Banawe, QC. Old China Town serves Singapore and Malaysian dishes. Well, I am not here to review the main dishes but their Kaya toasts. Kaya toast is a popular snack among Singaporeans and Malaysians. It was my first time to taste a Kaya toast and it was good. My kids loved it also. Essentially, Kaya spread made of coconut, egg and sugar and butter or margarine are spread on two pieces of preferably toasted bread. We had several orders of Kaya toasts that the owner offered to sell their Kaya Spread to us. So each of us took home one bottle of Kaya Spread (P138.00 each). Here is a video of Apple preparing Kaya Toasts at home. The secret to a delicious Kaya Toast is ofcourse the Kaya Spread and the bread (wheat bread when toasted becomes crispy unlike ordinary bread).

Rice Toppings with a Twist at COMBI

Along Maginhawa St., Teacher's Village, Quezon City, in the same building as Friuli Trattoria, is a small "retro" restaurant called Combi. They serve rice toppings with a "twist." Look at the pictures of the pork sisig and beef kalderata rice toppings and the mapo tofu side dish - notice anything different? Yes, the crispy and "twisty" white noodles on top of the main dish. They are there not just for decoration but for added texture and unique taste when eaten with the main dish - it's a "combi"!

The pork sisig was crunchy but a little oily (the crispy noodles somehow balances the taste, removing the oily taste). The beef calderata was tasty and delicious - the rice serving though is modest but a bigger serving will be appreciated especially if the dish is really tasty. The fried mapo tofu was colorful and also good (although a little spice is preferred). They have other dishes in the menu - katsudon , inihaw na liempo, fried siomai, arroz ala cubana, chicken bbq, beef steak, pork bingoongan and chiken fritters. They also serve fried cookies for dessert (although we haven't tried them yet).

The place is frequented by young adults, and indeed the place targets them as costumers. The music, the available magazines, the color-motiff of the place (as well as the plates), are young and hip. Even the price is affordable to students (but not as affordable as the cafeteria food, of course). The price range is between P78 to P89 for a rice topping. They open at lunch time.

Anthony Bourdain eats Pampanga's Sisig

I just watched the popular author and tv host of No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain eating Pampanga's famous "Sisig" at this video from YouTube.

Yes, Bourdain visited the Philippines last year and featured Filipino cuisine including street food in his show, "No Reservations." He actually visited three places - Manila, Pampanga and Cebu. Watch him eat "Tapsilog" for breakfast and then he tried the chicken balls and taho along the busy streets of Manila. The pancit palabok was also featured. In Angeles, Pampanga, Bourdain ate goat meat, sinigang na bangus, chicken liver barbecue, sisig, "Pako" or fern salad, kare-kare and quails. In Cebu, (Go to Bourdain at Cebu) he had high praises for the famous lechon of Cebu. To quote him from his blog "It can now be said that of all the whole roasted pigs I've had all over the world, the slow roasted lechon I had on Cebu was the best." He ranked it number one followed by Bali and Puerto Rico. Wow! At least we're number ONE in something good (not only corruption! ooops! I am just so proud to be a Filipino). Bourdain also visited the dry fish market of Tabo-an, Cebu.

I don't know when this episode will be shown in the cable tv in Manila. Anyway you can watch the show at YouTube c/o mrfhardy's video.

Battle of the Chickens!

Recently, we posted a survey about fastfoods for "pizza & pasta" and "burger & fries." This survey is still on going. Cast your vote.

We are adding another survey. This time on restaurants and fast foods that serve their own special brand of chicken and preparations or combinations - Jollibee's Chickenjoy, KFC's finger lickin good' original recipe, Max's "sarap to bones" fried chicken, McDo's chicken, Shakey's Chick and Chips, Andok's and Baliuag's lechon manok, Kenny Roger's Roasted Chicken, Savory's, Aritocrat's chicken barbecue and the Inasal Chicken Bacolod . The list only inlcudes restos that you will usually find in the big shopping malls. I know there are other restos that serve delicious chicken recipes. But let us limit the list at the moment and focus later on specialty chicken restos.

The survey asks "If you want to eat chicken, where will you go?" In the poll at the right side, you may vote for as many restos you want. So vote now.

Reading the Novels by Irving Wallace

At the DLSU-Manila library, there is a large collection of literary books – both fiction and nonfiction which you can borrow and read for one term (for faculty members). In searching for a good read I browse through these collections and sometimes select a book the author of which I don’t even know. In my search, I discovered an interesting and prolific writer – Irving Wallace. I got hooked with his novels after reading one of his novels – The Miracle. What I liked about Wallace’s style is his strong and realistic characters, colorful narratives and thrilling plots. Each novel has always a different and unique theme (unlike some of the present popular writers who just repeat the same formula in their past novels). These were the books I borrowed and read from the DLSU Library.

• THE CHAPMAN REPORT (1962) is a fictional story of intrigue, dishonesty and relationships between men and women as chronicled in a study of female sex habits.
• THE MAN (1964) is a very provocative novel about the 1st Black US president who fights for his office, race and private life and faced with an impeachment by the Senate of the United Sates. This novel is relevant and timely today with Barrack Obama now as the 1st Black US President – will he be impeached in the future? Very informative. You get to know the impeachment process in the US.
• THE WORD (1972) tells of a gospel, ostensibly written by Jesus' brother, which was discovered. The story combines this religious theme with international business and politics.
• THE FAN CLUB (1974) was about Hollywood's sexiest star who is kidnapped by four men. A lof of sex and violence. For mature readers only!
• THE PIGEON PROJECT (1979) explored the idea of the elixir of life and what happens if it were invented. Fast paced action dealing with a reelvant issue - ethics in science.
• THE ALMIGHTY (1982) was set in the media world, in which the head of the New York Record uses terrorism and espionage to exceed the circulation of the New York Times. Recommended for the mass media practioners (print, tv & radio) who sometimes sacrifice ethics just to sensationalize their news and shows.
• THE MIRACLE (1984) explored how the lives of different people were affected by the promise of a miracle of Mary’s apparition based on the story of Bernadette, the young peasant girl who first saw Mary at the Grotto in Lourdes in 1958. A story of faith.
• THE SEVENTH SECRET (1985) explores the possibility that Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun did not commit suicide in 1945, but rather survived to perpetuate the Third Reich into modern times. Intriguing and historical in its presentation.
• THE GUEST OF HONOR (1989) is a political and love story between the US president and a lady president of a small island in the South China Sea.

I discovered other titles (both fiction and nonfiction) by Wallace at the website of fantastic fiction . If you want to know more about Irving Wallace, read a featured book - A Writer's Profile by John Lawrence at Google Book Search.

I tried to find Wallace’s books at bookstores but it seems they are not anymore available or you have to order them. I hope our bookstores – Fully Booked, Power Books or National Bookstore – will display and sell the novels of Irving Wallace. His novels' themes – sex, professional ethics, religion, politics, science, history - are relevant in the present times.

Survey on Fastfoods

Filipinos love to eat. If you want a quick bite, you go to fastfoods. I wonder which fastfoods are the Pinoy's favorite. Fill-up the survey at the right side of this blog and see how popular your favorite fastfood is.

Which "Pizza & Pasta" fastfood is your favorite?

(a) Shakey's
(b) Pizza Hut
(c) Greenwich
(d) None of the above

Which "Burger and Fries" fastfood is your favorite?

(a) Jollibee
(b) McDonald's
(c) Burger King
(d) None of the Above

Tatlong Kwento ni Lola Basyang

"Tatlong Kwento ni Lola Basyang" chronicles three stories by Severino Reyes (as retold by Christine Bellen) through dance (ballet). Luz Fernandez acts as Lola Basyang who gives the general plot to each story. The production was a collaborative effort of Ballet Manila, Anvil, and Star City.

Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon is about a princess who fell in love with the prince of birds. Her king/ father is against the relationship, thus, the drama. Liza Macuja played the princess who was distraught and torn with her love for her father and her lover. Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Maria is an epic-adventure about a young man in search for his three lost and bewitched sisters. His quest brought him in the kingdom under the sea, the kingdom of the birds, and the kingdom of fierce animals. Ang Mahiwagang Biyolin is a comedy about a young boy maltreated by his heartless employer. He was able to get back at his tormentor when he was given a magical violin that can make people around him do comical acts.

Since I'm not too artisticaly inclined, I didn't expect to be so moved by the emotion of the dance. Shameful it is to admit but I was teary-eyed at the end of the Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon story. My kids - ages 9 and 3 1/2 - likewise enjoyed the dance so much that they continue to rave about it long after we have left the theatre. In fact, my eldest commented that we should keep na eye on what's next (that is, the next show after the Lola Basyang run). My 3-year old loved (what she calls) the "sad story" (Prinsipe ng mga Ibon) and "Mr. Bigote" (Mahiwagang Biyolin). She said she wants to learn ... not ballet, but violin! when she grows up.

Ballet Manila was organized to bring ballet closer to people (as far as I know). And after seeing the Tatlong Kwento ni Lola Basyang, I take my hat off to Liza Macuja and her associates. It indeed made the "dance of the elite" closer to mortals like me. Kudos to all those who made the Lola Basyang production possible.

Lola Basyang runs every Saturday at the Aliw Theatre, Star City Complex, at 7 pm. Ticket price is only P100 - that's a run-away especially when you see the full stage production and costume designs. I'm not ashamed to admit - I can't get enough of "Lola Basyang." (Call Tel. 832 6121 to 25 for inquiries).

Enjoy Japanese Food in Bangkok

When you visit Bangkok, it's hard not to notice the many Japanese restaurants and fast foods in the malls and shopping centers like MBK, Siam Paragon and Esplanade. According to our Filipino friend, Jerry (who works at a UN agency in Bangkok), this is because of the large population of Japanese living and working in the city. Authentic and reasonably priced Japanese restaurants really abound in Bangkok. In my latest visit this January 2009, Ronnie (my boss) and I visited the Esplanade mall near the Thailand Culture Center MRT station. It's a relatively new mall and smaller as compared to the Philippine's SM's the Block. At the mall's food court, there are about 12 restaurants and seven of them are Japanese - the rest are Korean, Chinese, Western and Thai. I haven't seen any of the Japanese restos like Yayoi, Fuji, Gindako, Uomasa, Shibuya, Ootoya, Aoyama, Oishi in Manila. Maybe these restos are just found in Bangkok.

Ronnie and I had dinner at Yayoi - Hot Quick at Esplanade. We tried their set menu - I ordered sauted pork with ginger (99 Baht, about P138 pesos) and Ronnie had the fried pork cutlet (109 Baht, about 150 pesos). The set menu (plastic displays can be seen in the photo) consists of the main dish, rice, miso, salad and kimchi - the price is reasonable and the taste is very similar to the restos in Tokyo and cheaper (A set menu in Tokyo costs about 500 yen or 250 pesos) . There are other dishes in the menu which you can view in the Yayoi website .

In my visit last 2007, I also tried the Fuji and Ootoya restaurants. Again you will notice the quality and affordability of the food.

In Manila, you cannot eat quality Japanese food at fastfoods like Tokyo! Tokyo! or Kitaro. Komoro Soba (found at SM Megamall) used to serve good Japanese set dishes at reasonable price but during the last time we had lunch there, we noticed that the quality has gone one notch down. You really have to go to expensive Japanese restaurants like Tanabe to really experience quality Japanese food.

There are, of course, some Japanese restos in Manila that we like - Yoshinoya (taste of the beef bowl is very close to the original at a cheaper price) and Tokyo Cafe' (not really authentic Japanese but more of a fusion of Japanese and western food and a bit high end).

You don't have to go to Japan to expereince authentic Japanese cuisine. Just visit Bangkok and try the numerous Japanese restos and enjoy Japananese food at a price affordable to your budget.

Airport Woes - What's so special about this siopao?!

Have you ever felt hungy while waiting for your flight at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)? I have. But the food at NAIA is "golden" when it comes to price. Imagine paying P110 for a pork jumbo special siopao - I mean, in Chinese restos where the siopaos are really good, you won't pay more than P50 for a jumbo (e.g. Jade Valley-Timog siopao is only P38 - and it's one of the good tasting ones). Or what about the "mami" - P120 per bowl, and we are talking about a styro-bowl, pour hot-water type of mami! Or a triangle-shaped sandwich overflowing with mayo, or a burger that looks too dry that just looking at them turns you off. Or a 3-in-one coffee for P50.

I would not complain if the quality is good - but these are microwave-heated food. The shops seem to be capitalizing on the fact that passengers have no choice. Compare NAIA with other airports - Bangkok airport have fastfood joints or sit-down type restos, so does Singapore, or Narita, or Schipol, or Hongkong .... the list is long actually. These airports have McDonalds, Burger King, and other fastfood joints with the same prices, or maybe just a little bit higher than their stores outside the airport (but definitely not twice the amount, like the "golden" siopaos at NAIA). If you want to eat a fancier dish and willing to pay more, there are choices in these airports.

Now going back to NAIA's siopao and mami... I really wonder what's so special about those siopao and mami. Maybe they taste good... but, despite my hunger, I can't make myself buy those food and patronize the food shops - it's a matter of principle!! I may pay P100.oo for the cup noodle at a Cebu Pacific flight- at least the stewardess can justify the price; "Hey, isn't it cool, you're eating cup noodles on air!".

(NAIA, as we all know, is named after the modern-day hero, Ninoy Aquino. He probably would turn in his grave if he learns about the pitiful state of his namesake.)

Airport Woes - Money Exchange & Tourist Maps

You will know if a country is tourist friendly or not based on the services it provides in its airports, and from my experience, Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport is very tourist friendly. One indicator of a tourist freindly airport is the availability of money exchange centers. Money exchange centers abound at the Bangkok airport. The money exchange centers sell and buy notes in different denominations - US dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro and even Philippine Peso. I usually exchange my dollar, yen or peso to baht when I arrive at Bangkok and then exchange my unused baht money to peso or dollar.

Another indicator of a tourist friendly airport is the availability of tourist maps to guide the visitors during their stay in the country. In Bangkok, I was able to get four different types of tourist maps. Imagine that! - 4 maps in one airport - all free!

The Philippines, if it is really serious in promoting tourism should provide similar services at the international airports. It should ask the support of private institutions and companies to improve the services at the airport. Why doesn't NAIA request a bank to set-up a money exchange in the airport? As for the tourist maps, this can easily be funded through advertisements that can be printed in the maps - similar to the Bangkok tourist maps. I know there are WOW Philippines maps printed by the Department of Tourism - so why not distribute them at our airports (for free, that is).

Airport Woes at NAIA - Security & Terminal Fee

Traveling abroad makes you compare the facilities and services provided at international airports. At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila, the airport terminal fee was increased from P550.00 to P750.00. The increase, according to the NAIA, will not only improve the services, much more, it will be used to improve the public safety security measures to prevent terrorist attacks. After the increase, have you observed any changes in security measures and services in the airport? Ahh.. yes! ... they now ask us to remove our shoes and belts... and they ask us to leave behind liquids weighing more than 100 ml ... What else? ... toilets still don't have tissue papers (and when will they ever renovate the toilets - have you seen the toilet doors - whew!) ... the food price (very expensive) is not comensurate with its so-so quality (read another blog about airport food) ... and the immigration line, oh wow (just look at the picture - it's very chaotic) - it's too crowded that occassionally a special lane needs to be created for those whose plane is already boarding and some VIPs.

I observed in the airports at Tokyo and Bangkok about 10 years ago, there used to be an airport terminal fee (I'm not sure anymore of the fee then but maybe about 2000 yen at Narita and 500 baht at Bangkok). Today the airports of Tokyo and Bangkok are new and beautiful. The facilities have improved. The service is superb. The security is tight. And ironically and very suprising, these airports do not anymore collect terminal fees! In Bangkok, each immigration booth has a camera taking a photo of every tourist. Money exhange booths are everywhere. In Narita, fore finger print scanners and cameras are installed in all booths. The queue is very organized. There are many immigration booths. Internet is free at Narita's Yahoo! Station.

Comparing these two airports with NAIA, you will realize that Philippine airport users are short changed with the airport terminal fee they pay and the type of service they receive. Our rating for the NAIA security and service - UNSATISFACTORY AND NEEDS IMPROVEMENT!

Dried Durian Chips

Durian chips. Whoever thought of doing this ought to be given an award! My first encounter with this glorious food was when a colleague brought home some bags from Thailand. I was a bit skeptical since it looked very much like the kamote chips (sweet potato) available in the local market - but when I tried it, my oh my, it was love at first taste! I can't stop myself from eating it (restraining myself from eating the whole bag was indeed an effort).

The slices are just right - not too thin (ala Pringles potato chips) and not too thick (ala kamote chips found in tiangges) - so each slice has the right crispiness and each chip retains the distinct taste of the durian. It's sprinkled with a dash of salt, and the oil used in frying the chips is almost non-existent. And the best part - no smell at all!

When you eat a piece, the taste is hard to explain, like tasting something very familiar yet new and different at the same time - it's like you can't really pinpoint what's that "ump" that makes it really good. The closest approximation I can think to describe the taste is cashew nuts and kamote chips combined. And you keep coming back for more, as if the chips have some hypnotic trance that haunts you to grab more... some more... some more... (sorry, just got carried away). You just have to taste the chips to understand what I mean. (Think of me when you taste the durian chips for the first time, regard it as our "bonding" experience :-)

Returning from Bangkok last Tuesday, Andy brought me - yes - Durian chips! I am truly, delightfully . . . heavenly . . . happy . . . did you say aphrodisiac ?!. . .

Japanese Goma (Salad) Dressing

I am not a salad eater but whenever I am in Japan I enjoy eating the vegetable salad (like chopped cabbage) served with the main dish because of their salad dressing. I like the taste of the Japanese salad dressing - a little bit sour and sweet. I prefer this taste than the italian or thousand islands dressings. So before I returned to Manila, I searched for a salad dressing and found them in a supermarket. The label if read in Japanese says "Goma". Goma dressing is a sesame seed dressing which tastes good on salads and even meat. According to the label, the goma dressing is oil free. I cannot find this dressing in any Japanese grocery in Manila. And my two bottles of goma dressing are almost empty. So when you visit Japan, don't forget to buy a goma dressing - just remember the Japanese characters for "GOMA" in the label shown at the left. You will love the taste.

The photos below are another brand of Japanese salad dressing which Apple bought during her trip at Tokyo in 2009. These dressing are very good.

GOOD NEWS (Sept. 2011): McCormick is now producing Goma Dressing. I found them at Landmark Supermarket, Trinoma. Now, Idon't have to wait for my Japanese friends to bring home a bottle for me. "Goma was oishi desu."

Organizers' Paradise!

In 2001, when I visited Andy for a week (who was then in Tokyo for a 3-month research), he took me to different sites - Disneyland, museums, parks... and the 100 yen shops! There were so many of them, it seems in each train station we get off, there's a 100 yen shop - some huge, some modest. There you'll find things that you need and things that look so nice yet you absolutely don't need. Home and office materials, food (miso soup, nori, soy sauce, crackers...), cutesy things, tea sets, storage items... just about everything - each for 100 yen. I really enjoyed spending hours (yes, hours) just going around and looking and convincing myself if I need/ don't need the things I see.

Just about 3 or 4 years ago, we discovered the Japan Home Center at Robinson's Manila - a place akin to the 100 yen shops in Japan (but smaller) and sells everything for PhP88 each. I think in most (maybe all?) Robinson's malls, there's a Japan Home Center. There's also one in Trinoma. Recently, we discovered a partner company of Japan Homes, the Daiso, a cheaper place where items are sold at Php66/ PhP55 each. Thus far, we've seen two Daiso shops - one in the new Walter Mart (Munoz) and another in Greenhills Shopping Center. Of course there are some slight differences in quality but I enjoy checking out the items in both shops. What I like about them is that their items are not the usual products you'll see in supermarts, hardwares, and kitchenwares shops - and most of the items are meant to help one reduce the clutter and maximize-organize available space/s. For instance I got for myself a filing case (assemble-yourself) that when put together creates 3 cases. Likewise, I got a magazine rack (again, assemble-yourself) that now doubles as holder of my thick documents and/or old students' papers.

They also have materials that address concerns at home that we usually take for granted. For example, the contents of an unfinished bag of potato chips or bread usually go stale when exposed to air and thus we throw them away -- they have plastic clips or "sealers" to address this concern (see picture for sample). I find this very useful esp. with kids who open bag after bag of food goodies at home (10 clips in a pack for P88). They have kids' clothes-hanger (20 pcs per bundle), computer keyboard duster (like a make-up brush but softer - and comes in bright orange or neon green!), a mousepad with a gel-like cushion serving as wrist-rest, cute "baon" bags with silver-pad-lining inside to keep the food hot/cold (similar to the one used in packaging fresh fish when travelling), chopsticks' rest, sashimi plates, nabe pots, glass pot covers, (even knobs of pot covers!) etc.

Everytime I visit their shop(s), I end up buying a lot of things that really look nice - some I can live without but still enjoy having anyway (like this tissue box cover :-) I recommend that you check them out.

Lutong Bahay at Pinggan

Pinggan is a turo-turo style eatery that has a homey atmosphere, tasty food, and very cheap price range. Their fresh lumpiang ubod is very good - so good that almost always, it's immediately gone as soon as they bring it out. If we want to "pig" out a little but don't want to spend too much, we go to Pinggan.

At lunch today, Andy and I visited it once again. For the two of us (with Julia), we ordered 1 fried tilapia (medium, priced at P30/ pc), long beans (sitaw) and squash in coconut milk (P30 per serving), igado (pork meat and liver cooked in soy sauce with green peas and raisins) (P50 per serving), fried lumpia (mongo sprouts wrapped in rice-wrapper and fried) (P20/pc), and 2 cups of rice. (Half orders for rice or viand are allowed!!!) They also serve free sopas (shell pasta in chicken/ pork soup stock) and free sago-gulaman for drinks. A lot of employees from (QC) City Hall and nearby NGOs frequent the place.

It's located at Mapagkawanggawa St., Teachers' Village, Quezon City, Tel. No. 922-2759

A Garden Restaurant at UP Diliman

There is a hidden restaurant inside the University of the Philippines, Diliman Campus called Chateau Verde along G. Apacible St. (Near the PNB - UP Shopping Center, back of UP Infirmary) where you can dine in a garden and enjoy good continental dishes which are comparable to 1st class fine dining restaurants in Metro Manila. The menu consists of Spanish (paella, lengua) , Italian (pasta) and French dishes. Each time we feel like eating food with fancy-preparation, we head to Chateau Verde. Our favorite appetizer is their baked oysters topped with ground spinach and cheese. Andy's favorite entree is the poached fillet of fish - steamed fish with shrimps, potato and vegetables and white sauce. Another favorite of ours is the lengua - it's composed of slices of very soft ox-tongue with special sauce. We ordered just recently their Sizzling Ribs - the serving was generous and the rib was tender, tasty, and sweet (comparable to Racks). It's served with pickled veggies and java rice (although I think they need to improve on the java rice preparation). Their pasta dishes are also good. The price ranges from P150 to P350 (main entree is between P190 to P350). Obviously the pricing is not for students (but still low enough to be affordable to UP Profs :-) . If you are in UP and you want to treat visitors to a tasteful lunch or dinner, Chateau Verde is one place we recommend. The ambiance is very relaxing - you can hear the falling water at the side garden and watch the green plants and flowers sorrounding the garden restaurant. (However, it's about time that the owner redecorate and clean the resto to give it a new and more refreshing look to develop more loyal diners.) View photos of Chateau Verde.

NEWS FLASH: June 2010. Chateau Verde is NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS. Finally, UP succeeded in closing the restaurant for the following reasons: 1) It's a fire hazard, and 2)Neighbors complain about the noise. I hope the owner, Mrs. Cervantes will transfer to a new place. I miss their food especailly the poached fish fillet.

TOP CHEF Series

We enjoyed watching the three seasons of TOP CHEF – a competition among chefs. During the Christmas break, we completed the Season 4 series. This is an enjoyable and entertaining show of 15 episodes. The first episode starts with 16 chefs who compete to become the Top Chef in the final episode. For each episode, the chefs compete in two challenges. The “quickfire challenge” is a a very short challenge which takes from 15 min to at most 1 hour to complete – like preparing a dessert, cooking in a restaurant, etc – the winner of the challenge usually is given immunity from being eliminated in the elimination challenge. In the elimination challenge, the chefs compete individually or in groups – carrying out the specific challenge of the episode – like catering for a wedding reception, restaurant wars, preparing a dish based on a theme, etc. The show is very informative as it showcases the various tasks a chef has to know – from butchering a pig, cleaning a fish, cutting and peeling vegetables, cooking the dish and designing a restaurant. It’s appetizing to watch the colorful and juicy dishes that the chefs prepare. It’s interesting to see the innovations in preparing and cooking different types of dishes – western to Asian. There was one chef, who we believe has a Filipino background, who prepared a “halo-halo” dessert. The interaction, intrigues and relationship developed among the competing chefs keep the audience hooked and cheer for their favorite chef. There is a season 5 and we are looking forward to watching it also.

Flavored Rice? Use Ora Mix Mo

My son, Geof, is picky with food. But when I prepared Java rice using the sauce I brought home from Indonesia, he enjoyed it too much, he ate it even without any viand. So when I discovered the Clara Ole Ora Mix Mo rice mixes, I was really happy. Each packet contains sauce good for 2 cups of rice. Just heat the pan, put a little oil, pour the rice mix and the rice (I let the sauce boil a little before I put in the rice) - and viola, I have an instant flavored rice. What I also liked about the mixture is that it has no MSG (at least that's what the packet-information declares). So it's easy to prepare a 'one-pot-wonder' where you can mix the viand with the flavored rice. It comes in different flavors - adobo, beef steak, tocino, paella, java, and japanese fried rice. Each rice packet costs only Php11. Review by Apple.

Suzhou Dimsum in Malate

There's an interesting Chinese restaurant - Suzhou Dimusum - along A. Mabini in Malate (between the Malate Church and Pan Pacific Hotel) that serves authentic Chinese delicacies. It has a variety of noodles and dimsum in its menu which are not common in other Chinese food shops. I like their menu - it is coded with photos of all the dishes.

We ordered (very) soft tofu with century egg topped with pork flakes, spicy potato salad (cut like noodles), spicy chicken feet, fried chicken with crackling skin, seafood soup with tofu, pork siomai, pork dumpling, kuchay dumpling, noodles (both dry and with soup), fried rice, fish tempura, and dumpling with black sesame and sugar for dessert. Yes, its too much but there were 13 of us, too - 8 adults and 5 kids. Apple and I were not able to taste everything so we'll only comment on what we've eaten.

Their soft tofu with century egg is good. The tofu is cold and blends well with the toppings. The pork siomai and dumplings are also good, although we find the wrappings of the dumplings a little thick. But the "soup" inside of the dumpling is good (It's like eating the soup inside a balot). The potato salad was spicy and hot...ahhh ..water please! But it was nice.

The thick soup has a lot in it - mushroom, veggies, shrimp, tofu - but we find the soup a little lacking in flavor. But putting a little vinegar sauce in the soup makes it tasty. The fried rice also has a lot in it, but is also bland. (Maybe the idea is to eat the rice with their siomai or other dishes.) The stir-fry noodles are prepared ala japanese yakisoba with soft pork on the side. My friend who is a regular in that joint commented that the taste of the stir-fry noodle is different from what was served to her in the past. We were not able to taste, though their noodles with soup. (Their Taiwan noodles actually looks spicy and appetizing.)

The dumpling dessert is also interesting. The wrapping is similar to the Filipino's "palitaw" (ground rice cooked in boiling water) and the inside is ground black sesame with sugar. It is served in a bowl-full of hot water (the water is supposed to be taken if you find the dumplings too sweet). We're just not too excited, though, with the texture (the sesame seed with sugar has a sandy-like texture).

They have an unlimited supply of tea, too but a little thrifty in serving drinking water (we had to request for it otherwise they will not serve water at all). Over all, the food is not expensive. Given all our orders, our bill didn't even reach P3000.

UPDATE: Suzhou has relocated and is now at the 1st Level of the Red Planets Hotel. In our last visit in July 2016,  we enjoyed the thin beef with chili dip, cabbage and the usual alltime favorites like Xiaolongbao abd kuchay.

The new Su Zhou at the Red Planets Hotel

The Beef Strips

Cabbage with Chicken strips

The new menu