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Post Christmas Celebration at Mommy Z & Daddy J’s house: Another French cuisine experience…
Last December 28, Mommy Z & Daddy J hosted another small dinner for me at their quaint and comfy house together with cousin J, cousin I and his girlfriend M. Another dinner party filled with mouth-watering dishes, abundant red wine, excellent dessert and good conversation. I just came from our high school reunion the night before and was kind of tired that I welcomed the intimate family gathering that night. For the food, I was so excited that I could not wait to get to their house. I knew lamb was going to be the main course since I had mentioned to them that I wanted to eat lamb so they kindly accommodated my request and I love them for it. Especially Mommy Z for cooking
away in the kitchen. The table was a sight to behold. 
For the antipasti, Mommy Z just assembled an Italian dish – Prosciutto with Melon Balls. Slivers of prosciutto arranged around the plate and in the center was a small pile of melon balls. Quite simply delicious. On the salad side was my all time favorite and Mommy Z made it as per my request (I just love Mommy Z). The salad were medium sized prawns drenched in olive oil, basil, lemon and spices to create that Lemony Shrimp Salad.
For the fish course Mommy Z baked tuna and paired it with 2 kinds of sauces: green pepper sauce and the mustard sauce. The verdict-the mustard sauce pretty much hit it on the spot as the better pairing for the baked tuna fish. And for the main course, leg of lamb with its drippings as sauce. When I had lamb here in Manila, I noticed this aftertaste that was not unpleasant that stuck in my mouth, but with Mommy Z’s lamb I loved every taste of it. Juicy, no evident aftertaste and so tasty. Later on she told me that it was Australian lamb from their butcher. Yummy!! Should I go on or are you guys already salivating. 🙂 There has to be a vegetable side dish to every dinner and we had the usual glazed vegetables as accompaniment to our hearty dinner.
But wait, I am not finished yet. Dessert comes in the form of my much missed and much loved dessert which brings back memories of childhood days when all our family was present and we were having dinner or lunch at Daddy J & Mommy Z’s house and we, children at that time were playing on the grounds and sneaking in and out to demolish the dessert that Mommy Z usually made. It was one of my favorites, Chocolate and Vanilla Mousse. The taste was everything that I remembered it to be and that night was a reunion for my tastebuds as well. Mommy Z also brought out her homemade bread which she usually baked for us. Again another memory of my childhood and I was content. Cousin I and J were content as well.Daddy J and Mommy Z: thank you so much for hosting that dinner for me because it was such a trip down gastronomic and memory lane. I look forward to the next dinner…hopefully soon and I’m bringing Z with me.
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On the Tummy Spot: Chawan Mushu from Teriyaki Boy
This is not part of my PHP250 challenge, this is just a spotlight on some food items that I might find interesting and different in my food adventures here in Manila. For my first piece, please welcome the CHAWAN MUSHU from Teriyaki Boy.
The Chawan Mushu is an appetizer. It is placed in a small somewhat souffle-looking white bowl and is served hot to you. It is actually a savory miso-based flan with shrimp, squid and mushrooms, which give off that earthy flavor to the flan. This was my first encounter with it and I must say I am quite pleased that I want to order it again the next time that I come inside Teriyaki Boy. It tastes very light, not overpowering at all. Not filling, just tasty and serves as an interesting appetizer prior to you digging into your bowl of Japanese rice or whatever you may happen to be eating at Teriyaki Boy. The Chawan Mushu costs PHP85.00 all inclusive. It’s worth the try.
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On The Tummy Spot: Hole-In-The-Wall at Century City Mall
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Lutong Macau @ Jupiter
This is not part of my 250 challenge but it is about a great deal in food choice here in Makati. Located along Jupiter Street in Bel-Air is this Chinese restaurant that has known such patrons as Lani Misalucha and her whole family. It seems that as friend BV told me that this resto
has quite a reputation for good food. So one Friday evening when we were looking for a place to chow, we chose this one. Not that cheap but not that expensive either. Just right on the pocket. They also deliver. When we were seated, we were given free tea to go with the meal and it was just what I was looking for. Nowadays, I don’t go for soda because I believe tea is the healthier alternative and tea actually prevents me from feeling bloated. So friend BV and I ordered their rice meals which come in these white oblong shaped dishes and I 
just love it. Quite big actually. I ordered 2-Kinds Roast Meat while friend BV had the Lechon Macau rice toppings. We were given free soup as well to go with the meal. Not bad at all. Service is quite fast and I was content with that meal. The 2-Kinds Roast
Meat was priced at PHP 170.00 while the Lechon Macau was at PHP 145.00 and it was so good by the way. Crispy and not so fatty. Just right. So for a total of PHP 315.00 both of us had a good meal with free tea and soup. Not bad at all! -
One of the Best Home-Cooked Meals in Cagayan de Oro City: Mommy Z’s cooking.
Let me tell you a tale of how I first enjoyed food delights in my childhood. It was during the holidays and special days that we always gathered in Daddy J’s and Mommy Z’s house in Golden Village. Mommy Z used to cook French food for all of us (her being French and all that) and I enjoyed it so much and was missing it until last Sunday. Sunday night, I was invited along with cousins I and T and I’s girl for dinner. And what a feast it was. Overload of sensations.
For aperitifs, we had strawberry daiquiri’s to pass the time. Cousin T & me were drinking it so fast that it was all gone before dinnertime. I remembered all those days gone by where it was a very nice treat 
to have lunch or dinner at Daddy J and Mommy Z’s house. It was a European dining experience for all of us. We were waiting for the main course to be cooked while catching up on some news, family or otherwise. For the entree, we had the crown of pork ribs cooked in the oven with spices specially made to order by Mommy Z as well as steamed salmon with french spices, salade, glazed vegetables on the side and of course the bottle of Merlot. Now you can see why I crave these things. I got spoiled early on by Daddy J and Mommy Z’s way of eating. What can I say except they are French. After dinner, we had pistachio ice cream and cookies followed by after dinner armagnac, Remy Martin (which by the way is pronounced as Romy Marta as Daddy J told us). Hot fire passing through our lips and going down to settle comfortably in our already full and bursting stomach. Good food, good wine
and good conversation. Very heady. Now you know where my craving of excellent food experiences come from. And the best thing about it all was that it was FREE!! I was spoiled early on. 🙂 As they say, “there is no place like home”. Thanks again Mommy Z & Daddy J. More dinners to come. Oh! I am expected for Christmas where the menu will be Lamb. Yummy! Can’t wait.
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The Kopi Roti experience: A part of the 250PHP challenge
I may be one of the last ones to discover Kopi Roti but still better late than never. I keep on hearing and reading about Kopi Roti that I was very curious about it. So after a hearty dinner at Buddy’s, me and friend BV again scouted out Kopi Roti at ‘The Columns” along Ayala Avenue. We had a good free parking space at the Columns and we found Kopi Roti and immediately I liked the welcoming atmosphere that they projected. Since it was my first time, I gave free hand to friend BV to order for
us. She ordered a Set E for me which consisted of their signature Singaporean coffee with sweetened milk at the bottom, their crusty 
and very filling kopi bun with a very creamy spread at the center and soft boiled eggs with their special soy sauce. For herself she ordered Set F which consisted of a mug of Kopi Roti and Kopi Bun.
She then educated me on how to drink the Kopi Roti which is simply to stir the coffee together with the milk at the bottom and then eat the bun with the soft boiled egg. Wow, that was a very good gastronomic experience at a very reasonable price. For the whole thing that friend BV ordered, total bill – 185PHP. My rating for them would be 8 out of 10 for the overall
experience. I can’t wait to go to Kopi Roti again! See you soon! -
Buddy’s @ Reposo: 1st 250PHP challenge
Friend BV and I were just browsing and coasting along streets in the Makati vicinity when we came upon Buddy’s Pancit Lucban and Longganisa restaurant. Situated in Reposo, Makati. The restaurant from the outside helped convey a very cozy and homey feel. We agreed to try it out as it did not look too expensive and they had many diners which could only indicate that their food was great. We stopped and after parking proceeded to scout out the place. When we got inside, we had to order
from the counter and we were stumped on what to order.
We decided to share the meal and then we ordered Pork Sisig w/rice @115PHP and then one of their specialties, Lucban Longganisa @ 6 pieces for 91PHP and an extra order of rice plus 2 glasses of water. We did not order any drinks as we planned to have coffee after dinner. We sat down at one of their tables and continued our funny updates and tall tales of what happened in the past few weeks of not seeing each other. There were funny ones and serious talks and all that talking made us quite hungry. When our order arrived, we were not disappointed. The sisig was what we had expected and the longganisa was cooked to a delicious crisp. The sisig with egg was really good. Still sizzling as it arrived, the longganisa was Oh so good what with all the fat and the special vinegar that went with it was so tasty. Personally, I don’t like vinegar that much but that night I enjoyed it with the longganisa. I am planning to take my parents here. Not so pricey but really good, good food and the best thing about it – our total cost for that fulfilling dinner is: PHP228.00 for 2 persons. Not bad at all. You can even bring your date here. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 the highest (taking into account affordability, taste, total ambiance), I’d rate Buddy’s at 7. -
The Php250 below challenge in Makati
I love to eat and I love to write about different things. Here in this blog you will see the combination of my love of food and writing. Last Friday me and friend BV went out to dinner for a catch up date. For info on friend BV, she was my elementary and high school classmate and as such we already have several years of friendship under our belts but it is just recently that we have gotten in close contact due to the proximity of our locations. Like me is also a bisaya in manila. While we were having dinner, I was talking to her about my love of writing and food and asking her to be my foodie buddy on meal adventures that she gave me a very good idea for a topic. Good places to eat that would only cost us less than Php250.00 for 2 people. Now, in a place like Manila which is pretty expensive this is a challenge and a challenge we will both be excited to fulfill.
Thanks to friend BV for the great idea and for a fun Friday night with our weird and hilarious stories about life and all its quirks.
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An Introduction
First of, I am a Bisaya true-blue. I am a girl. I love to eat. I love to travel. I love discovering new places. I love discovering secret food places. This blog is my exploration of Manila and the Greater Manila Area and beyond… In here I will document my adventures whether with food, food places or places in general. I will be sure to provide you with the best possible information that I was able to get although it might not really be the best but I will strive to give you my thoughts and share with you my viewpoint. Enjoy yourself!
exploring food forever! among other things…
