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Sweet Talks: Getting down and chocolatey at Max Brenner Greenbelt 5
Calling all ye chocolate fiends, Max Brenner at Greenbelt 5 will surely tickle your mouth with the array of visually stimulating sweets that makes you want to order everything they have on their menu. I am one of them.Over the years, I have quite gotten over that addiction to chocolate and now only have small portions if it is available or around the house. I don’t crave for it like I did when I was a kid. But there are some things that I would immediately go for like chocolate with chili. I feel that it feeds my adventurous spirit more and I am also one of those who prefer the bittersweet and dark chocolates over the sweeter and milky ones. Honestly, they make my throat itchy but there is the occasional Milky Way bar which I do really like.One occasion after a good dinner with friends, we went straight ahead to Max Brenner at Greenbelt 5. The interiors I think were made to contrast with the dark brown and rich chocolate because it was a white heaven. Once inside you would then notice this big vat of a machine which is mixing a ton of liquid chocolate. I think my chocolate loving friends would go gaga over this one.
Since I was still full from dinner, I ordered myself a chocolate drink – their “Mexican Spicy Hot Chocolate”. I am always in agreement that chocolate and chilis are a perfect pair and this drink just bolted it in for me. Rich and creamy bittersweet chocolate with that spicy kick of hotness in its aftertaste that leaves you wanting for more coupled with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg flavors which are one of my all time favorite spices. It was hot, creamy, spicy, velvety, rich and satisfyingly chocolatey. This would be perfect for a cold rainy night. I have to remind myself to experiment on doing this one at home. It would be absolutely fantastic!
Friend M ordered their “Crystal Sugar Churros Fondue”, I didn’t get to taste them so I know I will be coming back for it but it was visually stimulating as well. 3 round shaped churros which I am sure are really good and they are paired with some muddled raspberries and a dark chocolate dip, both on the side. Will definitely be coming back to check this out.
Dessert has got to have at least a cake in the repertoire so friend J ordered this gigantic and absolutely flavorful white chocolate and macadamia cake. Absolutely very light and fluffy cake and in between is a combination of white chocolate and macadamia nut icing. The macadamia and white chocolate went very well together. The cake was not so sweet also which is a good one in my books was. The icing was not so much that it overpowered the cake and the taste left me feeling as if I wanted to take a bite out of it again and again even if I was full.
I’d got to give it to Max Brenner to make those really sinful dessert treats. I will be coming back for more.
Price Range is around 200-500/dish. If you are in the mood to splurge and get yourself a chocolate romance, then this would be right on the spot.My Rating:Ambience: 8/10Taste: 8/10Staff: 9/10 -
Resto Feature: Krazy Garlik at Greenbelt 5
It was my first time to eat at Krazy Garlik and I expected a wild garlicky adventure with my tastebuds and the experience just left me wanting more as I felt that I could have had a more garlicky dinner. There is always a next time. I did want to try out that 40 cloves garlic chicken entrée dish in their menu. Note to self.
I was out with good friends that night and before having dinner at Krazy Garlik, me and friend J had already downed glasses of margarita at another Greenbelt bar for our cocktails. The margarita was at a good price since it was happy hour and it made us look forward to a great dinner.
Outside of the restaurant, I could already see its interiors and get a feel for the ambiance of the place. It exuded a sort of bistro-like and informal dining scene inside the posh exteriors of one of the latest Greenbelt areas constructed. It was kind of dim with sofa chairs at the sides and wooden chairs all around. The wooden chairs I did not find that comfortable. I think the sofa chairs would have been better. But anyways, since it was kind of full with the dinner crowd, I looked forward to the dinner.
We started out with vegetable samosas filled with cream cheese and spinach. This is one heck of a way to eat your vegetables. The outside of the samosa was fried to a crisp and inside it was a creamy and green filling which kind of felt velvety inside the mouth. The vegetable and light taste of the spinach sort of balanced out the heaviness and creaminess of the cream cheese. There were 6 samosas to that one appetizer plate. As far as I was concerned, I was quite happy with the start of dinner.
I ordered a serving of Spaghetti Vongole for myself. I think I was kind of craving for this after watching that Koreanovela which had this pasta as the main feature in their show. Al dente spaghetti noodles tossed together with fresh clams that have been sautéed in some olive oil with the addition of those sweet and luscious cherry tomatoes, garlic and white wine. This was a very light pasta dish without the heaviness of a cream or tomato sauce. I vowed to myself that I would experiment with this pasta dish soon. The clams were sweet and soft and they went well with the white wine and added the taste of the sea in that dish. The dish is actually okay for sharing with 1 other person. It was that generous. I am not sure though if this Vongole was really good as I can’t remember my other Vongole adventures before. I will really try this dish out in other restaurants and see how this one stands up.
Friend J and M ordered the Hara Kiri rice which was one of their house specialties. It was fried rice doused with chilies, bacon, shrimps and squid. I wasn’t able to get a taste out of this rice but will make sure to try it next time. It did look hot and delicious though.
They also got the Rogue Seafood Coconut Curry which was a medley of spicy flavors and seafood. Sauteed shrimps and squid slathered in a red coconut curry sauce. This was definitely a rich and savory entrée with a kick.
The next main course we got which was the White Fish Fillet with Creamy Seafood. The fish fillet they used was creamy dory. Creamy dory isn’t really known for its flavor so the accompanying sauces and other elements in the dish will need to lend an extra hand to the fish. This dish was just okay though and not really that spectacular, the scallop sauce was really creamy and buttery and the shrimps cooked just right. The fish was as creamy as its name. It was a tender and a melt-in-your-mouth consistency that exploded in my mouth with the first bite. The sauce really did help a lot to alleviate the flavor of this dish as well as the addition of the shrimps.
Price range for this restaurant would be around 300-500 for a dish. Make sure you bring ample cash. 😉
All in all I had a super nice time. Thanks to friend M for the dinner treat. It was nice to reconnect with friends again over good food. Always a pleasure!My rating for Krazy Garlik:Ambience – 6/10Staff – 8/10Food – 7/10Location: Krazy Garlik Makati2nd Floor Greenbelt 5Tel. Nos. 501-37-52 up to 53Note: Dear Readers, I will be giving you tastier photos soon. Watch out for it! 🙂 -
My Foodie Experiments: Tuna Kimbap
Here we go again with my fascination for Korean cooking. I got this recipe from Maangchi again. I swear, I am getting to be a big fan of her cooking. She makes it appear so effortless and easy that it really makes the whole Korean cooking experiment fun in my kitchen.
I already made this Kimbap twice and I wasn’t just able to blog about it the first time around as I wanted to make it again and include in this recipe some personal notes of mine that I discovered during the cooking process.
Enjoy making this as it really is very simple and quite good. J Have fun!Korean Tuna KimbapIngredients:· 5-6 cups cooked rice (made from 3 cups of uncooked rice)· laver (“kim”) – Roasted seaweed sheets· yellow radish pickle (“danmu ji”)· 1 avocado· crabmeat, a can of tuna· soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and seeds, and a green onion(2-3 servings)1. Prepare about 5-6 cups of cooked rice in a large bowl2. Make your mixing sauce by mixing up ½ tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar until the liquid looks clear3. Mix rice with the mixing sauce and stir it evenly. Set it aside for now.Prepare a large plate to arrange all ingredients for kimbap1. Make seasoned tuna flakesA) Open a can of tuna and remove the oil or water. Put it on a heated pan and drizzle some sesame oil over it. Toss it and cook it for 2 minutesB) Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, ½ tablespoon of sugar, 1 clove of minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper.C) Keep stirring for another 3 minutes.D) Turn off the heat and add 1 chopped green onion, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds.
2. Place 3 yellow radish pickle strips on the plate.3. Place 3 pieces of crab meat on the plate.4. Slice an avocado and place it on the plate.Let’s roll Kimbap!
1. Place a sheet of laver(“kim”) on the bamboo mat and evenly spread a layer of rice in the center of it.2. Place 2-3 spoons of seasoned tuna flakes on top of the layer of rice. Add a yellow radish pickle strip, some avocado, and a red crab meat strip.3. Roll it up gently using the bamboo mat.4. Remove the bamboo mat and cut the roll into pieces about 2 cm thick and place it on a plate*tip: prepare a wet cloth or paper towel to wipe the knife while cutting, it will make it slice easier.
My Personal Notes:I used Japanese sake (rice wine vinegar) in place of the ordinary vinegar that was indicated in this recipe. It worked out fine. Just make sure that you mix the vinegar, sugar and salt really well to mix with the cooked rice. You can buy the yellow pickled radish in Korean stores as they are not so available in the local grocery stores but I did see them once in SM Supermarket but just to be sure, go to your friendly neighborhood Korean grocery store. You will find the laver (roasted nori sheets), crabmeat and the yellow pickled radish there.For the tuna powder, I used Century tuna’s chunks in brine. Avoid the ones that are in oil as much as possible. For the soy sauce, I used Kikkoman again as I find that it really gives a different and more robust flavor rather than your regular soy sauce. The rolling of the kimbap is a bit tricky but after a few times of doing it, you can already gauge for yourself how to do it without spilling the rice and everything else. Also, make sure that you don’t put too much rice because overfilling makes it harder to roll.Enjoy your kimbap. Mine was a hit with the family accompanied of course with some wasabi and Kikkoman!XoXo -
On The Tummy Spot: Lord Stow’s Light Japanese Cheesecake
Cheesecake! Cheesecake! Cheesecake! Don’t you just love them! I for one am a cheesecake fan. There is just something heavenly about sinking your teeth into all that creamy goodness, topped with that luscious tartness from blueberries or the syrupy sweetness of cherries. They’re comfort food and that is for sure. I haven’t yet met a person who hasn’t liked cheesecake. They’d be crazy not to.
In my recent foodie adventures, my friend JL introduced me to another kind of cheesecake. This was one I didn’t expect. It was Lord Stow’s light Japanese cheesecake. They reinvented the word “light” in this cheesecake. I didn’t quite expect it but it was a good surprise.
The cheesecake in itself was not your usual one with the graham/cookie crusts. The size itself was another thing. It was not your usual cheesecake size but rather it was sized as small as that of the plastic lid on a can of milk. Also, it is not flat but it looked kind of puffy sporting that soft brownish tinge. It looked like a regular puffed up cake with some cracks here and there in its entire appearance. When I sliced it up, I had the feeling that the cake’s consistency would be that of a mamon (Philippine sponge cake). When I first bit into it, the cake really felt like I was biting into a mamon. Fluffy and light and not to sweet at all. Soft and airy, it was just right.
I was waiting for the cream cheese part and it was as its name promised. The cheesecake was not heavy as your usual cheesecakes go and it was also very light inside my mouth. It was not too sweet and I felt like I could eat a ton of them as they weren’t that sinful at all. It was as dense as the regular cheesecake and at the same time light in your stomach. You’d never feel guilty at all.
I think this particular cheesecake really did live up to its name – Light cheesecake. It was really that! For those on a diet and still want to get their cheesecake fix, I think this is an alternative. I don’t really know if it is really lighter in all those calories, but if you bite into it, you’d never feel guilty at all. I for one did not and managed to chow down 2 little slices. 🙂Enjoy!XoXo -
One Sunday with WitchyCrazyMommy and Family: Breakfast at their house and Dinner at Super Bowl of China
One Sunday morning I was going to my friend Witchy Crazy Mommy’s house to go with them together to a christening celebration. I started off early from the house and Witchy Crazy Mommy promised me a peach pancake breakfast. I was energized by the thought of those coupled with some freshly brewed coffee too.I arrived safely at their house in Cubao after a bus, MRT and tricycle trip. They were just starting to get ready so I had lots of time to sit down to a comfortable breakfast. I could already smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting in the air and I was a goner. There is nothing like freshly brewed coffee in the mornings. Mommy Jho then set about to making me the peach pancakes in her kitchen while we were chatting and catching up on the latest news on friends. She told me that she had also made some sweetened whipped cream as well to top the pancakes with.
She just made use of Pillsbury’s pancake mix for the pancakes and they’re really soft, sweet and light. On top of the pancakes she slathered on her homemade whipped cream with some condensed milk which tasted milky and sweet but not too sweet. It had lots of volume and it was really good to pair with the pancakes and of course peach slices on top. On the side, I got some Canadian bacon as well. It was a leaner, meatier and thicker cut than your regular bacon and it is sliced in big circles like what I have in the pictures. It tasted like ham and there was a hint of smoky flavor also. Yum! Some freshly brewed coffee and my plate was clean in a matter of minutes.
After the Christening and lunch celebration, we had a bit of rest time before we had to head back to the city. WitchyCrazyMommy and family invited me to an early dinner before they let me off to go home. They took me to Super Bowl of China which they told me was sort of a regular stop of theirs. The Super Bowl of China branch we went to was in Gateway, Cubao.
The seating was comfortable and the table we had was quite large so it was very very comfortable. It was around 5pm so the dinner crowd still wasn’t there although there were a few trickles. After we were seated the customary “kropek” chips were given to us. We then ordered a pot of tea to aid in the digestion and to make the stomach lighter for another meal session. Heheheh!
We had the Dimsum platter which had 3 pieces of siomai, 3 friend wontons, 2 pcs of hakaw, 4 pcs of fried lumpia and a siopao in the center. I’d say it was a complete platter. The hakaw was not really that great. The wrapping was a bit thick for me and the filling not so tasty when compared to Wai Ying’s but it was passable. The shrimps in the filling were not as plenty as those that I had before. (Note to Mommy Jho: I have got to take you guys to Wai Ying in Binondo and for sure you’ll love it there) The dimsums in the platter were not as good as those in Binondo but quite passable.
We also had some Maki Me. It came in a big bowlful which we all shared. As I have had no previous experiences with Maki, I have to say that it was starchy but tasteful. The noodles were cooked just right in the dish. Mommy Jho has explained to me that a Maki should really have that starchy or thick consistency of the broth.
Then we also ordered “Chopsuey” which is a vegetable medley with some seafood, mushrooms and pork. I loved how Super Bowl cooked their chopsuey. The vegetables were not overcooked and still retained their own flavors and had a crunch to them. The mushrooms were soft and added a touch of earthiness to the dish. The seafood components also completed and rounded off the dish. I’d say that I would love to have this “chopsuey” dish again.
Lastly for dessert we had a Banana Split. Nothing much I can say here except that it is ice cream and we all loved it. 🙂
My personal rating for Super Bowl of China, Gateway Mall branch
Place: 8/10Service: 7/10Food: 5/10Thanks for the great breakfast Mommy Jho and for that filling dinner! Till my next foodieexcursion with you guys!! JP.S. Mommy Jho AKA Witchy Crazy Mommy is also a food lover like me and she has kitchen experiments also of which her better half and lovely daughter are the lucky tasters…sometimes me too. If you have time, you can check her out at WitchyCrazyMommy.com.XoXo -
On The Tummy Spot: Turk’s Shawarma
I have never been much of a Shawarma fan. Sometimes I enjoy eating it if it’s really good but most of the time I shy away from it because I don’t want the messy eating involved. You know that icky feeling when the sauce trickles down to your hands and you have to wipe your chin off because some sauce got stuck or even better, if you have long hair and they accidentally get stuck in it. So, basically I really wouldn’t say I am a big fan of SHAWARMA.It was one of those typical afternoons when me and the family were hanging out in MOA that we passed by all these stalls in the foodcourt. There was a White Hat yogurt which I really love and beside it was this unassuming stall selling Shawarma. They had an all meat one and one with vegetables and you can have it either large or regular I think. Anyway, the brother and I wanted to try it out because it was fast and easy and very nearby where we sat down to rest after all the endless walking associated with MOA. We had the regular sized one with vegetables because we didn’t know how it would taste and we’d just split it between the 2 of us.
The first bite was super delish. It was really good with the creamy sauce and super tasty meat that was just cooked right inside the hot pita bread. I couldn’t wait to eat it again. The vegetables were a wonderful foil to all the meatiness. I just couldn’t believe it; I actually found a shawarma that I want to eat over and over again. After that we went on to order 2 more. It was that delicious.
Next time, I had my friend Ansot with me. I wanted to introduce her to the shawarma but she actually did try it already when she was here in Manila vacationing with relatives and we were of the same opinion. The meat is really tasty and cooked just right. Not much oiliness here. Their sauce also makes a difference. It was tangy, creamy and cheesy at the same time. We both had the all-meat one and we agreed it was great. It’s not your regular resto fare nor is it the fastfood grub but just plain street food if I might say. Turk’s shawarma is really good and this is coming from a non-shawarma loving individual like me. They don’t have any fancy space or resto, they just have this little stall where you can get your shawarma fix and they usually have a long line of people waiting to be served.
XoXoYou May Also Like
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My Foodie Experiments: Spicy Stir Fried Pork – Doejibulgogi (or Daeji bulgogi, daeji bulgogi)
Here is another Korean dish experiment that I did in my kitchen. This was a fairly simple pork dish. Stir fried and spicy! It came out looking like I had slathered it with lots of gochujang (red pepper paste) which is what I did do. Below is the recipe I got from Maangchi.com. Thanks Maangchi, she is my go-to-gal for Korean recipes.Ingredients:600 grams (1.5 pounds) pork belly sliced into bite size pieces ¼ inch thick.1 medium onion, sliced3 stalks green onions, chopped diagonally4 cloves garlic, minced½ teaspoon ginger, minced1 green chili pepper, chopped (optional)1/3 cup hot pepper paste2 tablespoons hot pepper flakes2 tablespoons brown sugar1 tablespoon soy sauce½ teaspoon ground black pepper2 teaspoons sesame oilIn a thick bottomed wok or pan, add all the ingredients together. Heat up the pan over high heat. Mix and stir all ingredients with a wooden spoon, until the pork is cooked thoroughly. It’ll take about 10 minutes and the onion will look translucent and mushy when it’s done transfer it to a serving plate and serve with a bowl of rice, some lettuce, a few more side dishes (if you want), some soup, and kimchi also.
My cooking notes: I wasn’t able to find the green chili pepper and hot pepper flakes so I skipped those ingredients. The dish didn’t have any problems with being spicy. I also roasted some sesame seeds and sprinkled them on top of my cooked doejibulgogi and they taste great. I love the roasted sesame seeds.
This was actually my 2nd try already as I wasn’t able to document the first one. So I made a few changes to make the 2nd dish even more interesting. I really sliced the pork thinly. Maybe a bit thin than the ¼ inch thick that the recipe says. Don’t slice your pork into big bite-size pieces because you’d end up with fatty chunks of meat that you wouldn’t like to eat. I also put in a little more grated ginger than the recipe says. I love ginger and it’s really good with this dish. I also used Kikkoman soy sauce and not your usual Datu Puti/Silver Swan soy sauce in this recipe.
The pork tasted really good and spicy. I loved putting it on the lettuce leaves with some rice and eating it like a spring roll. I was able to eat a lot of it. The dish had the right amount of spiciness although there is about 1/3 cup of the hot pepper paste in there. The seasoning was just right. The sweetness was not overpowering nor was the saltiness. I’d say there was a good balance of flavors here. The pork was cooked just right and it absorbed all the flavors from the spices. Eating it with the lettuce made it refreshing so I really do suggest doing this for the dish. This is very easy to make and takes up just a few minutes. 45 minutes I think with the prep time included.
Have fun cooking!
XoXo -
The Start of My Summer – Swimming Pool Food Fare
Last March 20, the family all trooped to our swimming pool haven as a welcome home celebration for Tito M who just came home from Congo. Tito M rented this wonderful and spacious airconditioned villa for the day which had really nice interiors. 2 beds downstairs, a mini kitchen, bathroom and a second level which had 4 beds for those who wanted to sleep. It was very comfortable for everybody and the pool waters did not even beckon to me that much. In fact, I did not even take a dip that day. I just photographed and ate!Thinking of what suitable items to bring to the pool, we settled and agreed to bring some pork belly and Papa’s “Kinilaw” of which I am very much addicted to. The pork belly we just bought from the nearby SM department store so there was no marinading involved. It was simply seasoned with just rock salt at the poolside and for some reason after we had grilled it, it tastes absolutely delish. The pork was done perfectly and the meat was tender and not tough. The salt-only seasoning seemed to heighten and even make the taste good for the grilled pork belly. Sometimes if we marinate the pork in soy sauce, which is usually what is done, it kind of interferes with the taste of the meat. I do suggest you guys try just seasoning your pork belly with rock salt before grilling and you can taste the difference.
Papa’s “kinilaw” was tuna washed with some vinegar and added with some spices like onions and ginger. He also added some mayonnaise. It was really good. Filipino style sashimi. The fish tasted creamy and milky and there was a certain tangy taste to it. It also had some chili’s which added the needed heat to perfectly complement the fish. The fish was very fresh and that heightened the flavors as well. This is otherwise known as “ceviche”.
The Kooiman family brought their newly invented dish as well as a large bilaoful of Pancit Malabon. They called their new invention the Kooiman family pasta salad. It was a cross between being a Mediterranean, Dutch and Filipino pasta salad and an original creation at that inspired by the mix of cultures present. Achi and Matthijs made use of Fusili as the pasta of choice together with some herbs, Feta cheese, Dutch cheese, pineapples, green olives, pesto, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, green bell pepper, carrots, onions and bacon. It didn’t taste at all heavy but rather was so refreshing to the palate. It was tangy and creamy, salty and sweet. So many contrasting but at the same time complementing flavors in one spoonful. For me, it was the perfect pairing for the grilled pork belly and I think I ate continuously throughout the day! Hahhahaha! Blame it on the good food and wonderful company.
XoXo -
My Foodie Experiments: Fried Chicken Karaage
I have been meaning to experiment on this food item ever since I tasted Tokyo Tokyo’s Sumo Remix with Fried Chicken Karaage so I finally got the chance to experiment on it. I was having a bit of a problem finding the potato starch and the sake which are key elements in the recipe. Luckily I was able to get the potato starch from the nearby Korean grocery store in our area which also sells some Japanese products although I got the sake from the mall. The potato starch can actually be substituted with cornstarch but I don’t like substitutes if I haven’t had the chance to try out the recipe first. I am OC that way. 🙂
I got this recipe from one of the blogs that I follow constantly, this is from Makiko Itoh at JustHungry.com. Thanks for this recipe Makiko!Prep time: 10 min :: Cook time: 20 min :: Total time: 30 minYield: 10 to 12 piecesServing size: 3-4 pieces as part of a Japanese meal or in a bentoIngredients:· 10 oz (300g) boneless chicken thighs· 1 piece fresh ginger, (about the size of your thumb)· 3 Tbs. soy sauce· 1 Tbs. sake or dry sherry· about 1/2 cup Potato starch (katakuriko) or cornstarch, (enough to coat the chicken. Potato starch is better, but cornstarch will do)· peanut oil or other vegetable oil, (for deep frying)· a few drops sesame oil, (optional; add to the frying oil for extra flavor)Directions:Cut up the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. You can take off the skin if you like, though it does make the chicken crispier.Peel and grate the piece of ginger. A microplane grater works great for this task.Put the chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the grated ginger, soy sauce and sake, and mix well. Let marinate for a minimum of 10 minutes. Around 30 minutes is ideal. If marinating for more than an hour (say, overnight), use 1 tablespoon soy sauce, then add the other 2 tablespoons just before you’re ready to cook them; this prevents the salt in the soy sauce from drawing out too much moisture from the chicken.Heat the oil; if using a temperature-controlled fryer or a thermometer, aim for 180°C / 355°F. If not, a test with a single piece of chicken or a small piece of skin. Toss enough potato or cornstarch into the marinated chicken (drain off a bit of the marinade if it’s too watery first) so that each piece is completely coated. Fry the chicken pieces a few at a time until a deep golden brown.Drain well – a wire rack is best for this, but paper towels work too.Serve with lemon wedges. Some people like to add a sprinkling of grated yuzu peel and/or sansho pepper.Ingredient notes:Potato starch flour, or katakuriko, is standard for karaage in Japan. It creates a wonderfully light, crispy, greaseless surface. It’s not that easy to get a hold of in many places though (look in a Japanese grocery store), so cornstarch is an acceptable substitute.My Personal Notes:I had actually doubled the quantities so I doubled up on the ingredients here. I think the chicken would have tasted even more delicious with more time to let it marinade and will definitely make this again but this time will try to marinate it overnight and see if that changes anything. The chicken courtesy of the potato starch had a very crispy covering. Thin but crispy layer(which tasted like chicken skin chicharon) unlike when you dredge chicken in flour.This recipe just made me a potato starch convert. Also, letting the chicken hang to drip on a wire rack after it has fried to a golden brown is really advisable because if you don’t there is the tendency that the chicken comes out kind of oily. The ginger taste was dominant and made all the difference in taste while I think the sake also did contribute to the flavor as well as tenderizing the chicken more. It was juicy to eat as I bit into it and the refreshing taste of ginger filled my mouth somehow compensating for the heaviness of a fried dish. The sesame oil I added to the oil before frying also added another dimension to the chicken making it more authentic. These days one of my favorites in the kitchen is my bottle of sesame oil. 🙂P.S. I am making my descriptions more graphic and complete as I got feedback from a reader that she wanted this so. Thanks Tza! 🙂
Happy Cooking!XoXoYou May Also Like
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My Binondo Foodie Adventures Part IV: Wai Ying Take 2
You’ll probably be thinking by now that this restaurant must be one of my favorites because this is actually my 2nd if not 3rd entry. It is one of my favorites because not only do they serve really good Chinese food, they are also not so heavy on the pocket and that is something else. Even if I have to travel from my house to Manila to eat, I don’t really mind as long as I know I am getting value for my money. And also because my mother loves going to Binondo and getting her fill as well.
It was Chinese New Year and the streets were filled with merrymaking and dragon dances all over. Fireworks here and there made it so much noisier than the usual. Red was the predominant color of the day. This was my 2nd visit for February with the first one together with friend Bel who was in town for a convention. I will basically just summarize the new food items I had tried during the 2 visits since most of the time we still order the same items on their menu which are as I would like to dub them “staples” like the siomai’s, spareribs, hakao and etc.
Before the Chinese New Year visit, I went there with Bel and we ordered the same things they usually offer but then there was this one food item which I have wanted to try out but never got the chance and Bel also wondered about it so we tried it out. It was actually named Chongfan and you can have it either shrimp or pork flavored. We had shrimp and it was good. It was drowned in sauce and it was a new thing altogether. Tasted good but nothing really remarkable and I finally satisfied my curiosity about it.
CHONGFAN For the Chinese New Year I went there with mama, Z and Z and we ate brunch since I had to be home again before 1pm for work so we woke pretty much early and I had just a cup of coffee for breakfast which made me hungry for dimsum.Dragons everywhere and in all sizes and Chinatown was a sight to behold during the New Year festivities. We first bought some Eng Bee Tin staples – hopia in lots of flavors and of course the tikoy for when we get home. Mama usually prepares it by dipping it in egg and then frying it in the pan. So yummy! Nothing beats it. We also bought some siomai for later in the house also and other yummy stuff.
When we got to Wai Ying, we ordered some fried rice, spareribs (which were as delicious as ever), siomai, hakao, raddish cake (in keeping with the Chinese New Year) and we tried out their noodle soups. We had pork noodle soup and I forgot the exact name already.
We then ordered the raddish cake was super light. Same as taro cake but it had dried shrimps in it and the texture is a bit watery/soft. Personally I prefer the taro cake to this.
The pork noodle soup was something else entirely. The broth was served separate from the noodles and pork slices. We had a big bowl of broth (which was really delicious), a plateful of noodles with the pork slices and it also had a kind of sweet and spicy sauce atop it. We didn’t know how to eat this one since it was a first so we just dumped the noodles little by little into the broth and then ate it from there. The single order was good for 3 people if I may say so myself and there were even some leftovers still. Whew, talk about a big bowl of soup. It was so very filling that I went away feeling that my breakfast and lunch were done.
All in all a great Chinese New Year!!!XoXo
exploring food forever! among other things…
