Budgeted Dinner Date for Valentine's (with a bit of Chinese New Year)

Well, as you all know Valentine's day is coming, so as the Chinese New Year--- eating holidays yet again. We are here in the search for the cheapest but yet romantic dinner or well lunch, if there's no other choice, to throw in the 'date'.

I have found one on my Facebook for Valentine's date:
1. Chef Robert at Banawe: Valentine's Meal Set at PhP750.00 (He had the most horrendous poster so I did my version, but you can visit his newly installed website here and view the poster)

You would all remember the Salad Rolls from the first of my many visits there. The Boneless Crispy Pata--- is a new addition to his menu, and I tell you it is good--- you would also remember that I told you, I am not a pork eater, but I ate Chef Robert's Pork Cutlet--- this time I ate (some) Boneless Crispy Pata--- it is good for your senior citizen folks. My parents' loved the pata and of course their all time favorite -- the Salad Rolls--- mom is the only who told me it is a unique dish that she would always love to have, no 'sawa' factor.

Cool at PhP750.00 for all that plus a gift for her, who would not go with this promo, but to impress her you could order some more (but I bet the girl would be a bit shy to eat heavy). So reserve now at 740 9330 or 413 0674

More of the Valentine's Dinner Date search, next time. Still looking. I have a budget constraint of PhP1500 (for two). LOL. Challenge!
I found another one, but it was last year's rate and it's a little over the budget LOL, but hey, it's a hotel:
Hyatt Hotel and Casino's Lili's Valentine's meal last year was on at PhP1,950.00 nett per person (okay not little bit). Search again.

I also found one for the Chinese New Year celebration:
1. If you're tired of eating the same dimsum you always eat (even if it's not Chinese New Year) you can always try Aquaknox Viet Kitchen, were in they serve modern Vietnamese cuisine. You would also remember my visit there during our GFAPY's Dinner in their Makati branch, where it was closed for a few for the renovation, and they're opening this coming February 3, yes Chinese New Year with Chef Danny's new dishes.

The new menu would start at PhP99.00 and now buffet lunch are served daily, you can catch what's latest for Aquaknox at their Facebook account.

Go Gogi Gui! Meating the Stars

We all know (well if you have read my blog) about my meat issues, the cube cuts, especially. The last meat quest was Coco Adobo--- pork stew. And then my aunt prepared a taste drive for her Korean grill recipes--- Korean grill which suggest lots of marinated meat (like beef, pork and chicken), hmm, well I can tell you it’s worth the cheat (or no not cheat because I am not vegan, just of sort).

Most of the dishes were out, prepared on the table; Kong-Kongs were eating already (and heard that they never left the table) and from my first glimpse of the food prepared--- I thought to myself--- I am a dead meat. LOL. Not in that bad sense okay, it’s just because there’s so much food, it was overwhelming.

When we were all rested in our respective seats, our first course (which was not appetizer, the taste drive only goes straight to main, and we love main dish) were placed for us to devour. I refrain from taking the pork and instead took the chicken barbeque---

The chicken is the better version of that one in Mang Inasal Bacolod, maybe because the chicken wasn’t commercial--- a choice cut. It doesn’t have those annoying little bones and litid that interrupts your juicy munch of the mix dulcet taste and smoke from the burnt marinade. I enjoyed one and left the other so I can stuff myself with other delectable.

Okay, here’s a very revealing thing--- okay not revealing (I am doing the advertising copywriting again), but yeah, I guess this made me see beef in a new perspective (but I highly doubt that it would be a staple to my un-healthy-healthy-diet)

Meet the Korean beef stew--- hmm, sweet killers, sweet with little kick, but I’ll tell you about the MEAT, meat the beef, soft that with every bite it melts (figuratively and literally) and as it does you can taste its sweet and spicy mix, with the sesame aroma to add to your appetite.

It’s rich in taste but doesn’t really make you that full--- more of still light because of the pressurized beef that made it luscious and the blissful smell.

Talking about blissful, here’s my bliss. LOL. Squid Chopsuey, it’s light, fresh, easy to eat, savoury flavours of soy, and sesame.

I think squids are tricky, I’ve had squids that are gummy and they really mess the dish. This one just had the right bite for the squid and crunch for the veggies.

The last dish that we have devoured was the Sukiyaki--- YATA!

---Supposed to be, but no, it needs a little hmm, editing with the butter gisa or sauté, but nevertheless the beef with it is a munch, it looks healthy, and it supposed to taste light but with that butter mass and of course the egg adds up to the saltiness (emulsifier).

Coco Adobo

Adobo (Pork Stew) Filipino all-time favorite.

I am not really a fan of Adobo, or any dish with cubed pork/ beef meat (I prefer thin sliced meat) but I occasionally do eat, if I have no choice (either to cook another dish or settle). Of course, I have requests on how they should cook my Adobo, I like my aunt's Adobo. There's nothing really special about her Adobo, she even puts really cheap ingredients in, but she pressure cooks it and let it cook in its marinade, until dry, and then add up the same mix of sauce again. Today the Adobo was prepared with coco sugar instead of the regular sugar, or muscovado. We are testing if the taste will be altered when coco sugar is used instead of the regular sugar.

And the verdict, hmm, nothing has changed not even a slight taste of coconut, maybe even made it tastier?!
I don't know, reaction of the vinegar to the coco sugar? or maybe because of the way it was cooked. Okay I'll let you try this one and taste it yourself, be the judge but I say to you, it has still the same aroma of the garlic, uhmm, you can even taste it just by smelling. Hits your every senses.

Ingredients:

6 cloves garlic

1 tbsp oil

½ kilo Pork kasim (cubed)

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp red cane vinegar

½ cup water

3-4 tbsp coco sugar (according to your taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

Scrambled egg

Asparagus

Procedure:

1.       In medium heat, sauté garlic in oil.

2.       Sear pork in garlic oil.

3.       Add soy sauce and vinegar. Don’t mix. Let it boil first before covering.

4.       Check it from time to time.

5.       Once it dries up, add water and coco sugar.

6.       Cook until tender.

7.       Serve HOT with rice and scrambled egg.

Serves 3 to 4 persons. Okay unless you liked it--- will be for single serving only.

I don't know if the nutrition facts would still be the same added the cocosugar instead the sugar (regular) but if you want to know, here's the NF of the Pork Adobo:

NF credit: mydailyplate.com

I have to take note that adding vinegar to dishes lowers the Glycemic Index plus mixing high and low GI carbohydrates produces moderate GI values.

Adding coco sugar to your favorite dishes would make it even healthier, because it has more nutritious than that of the regular sugar.

Coco Adobo recipe by chef Chris, and cocosugar by SNMC inquire thru sweetnothingscorp@gmail.com

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Egg-ster Sunday: Happy Easter

Did you know that before Easter Sunday, during the fasting period and before lent starts eggs are prohibited, thus they consume all of it--- making it into pancake--- establishing the Pancake Day. And when some eggs are laid over the period, they are either boiled or preserved. Read more about the Easter Egg tradition.

Haw Flakes are Heart-thy

I didn't even know that munching this stuff when I was young could save me from heart diseases. These Haw Flakes came from Chinese Hawthorn fruits 山楂餅 which are believed and I think proven to help people with heart problems. Read some hawthorn benefits here.


Chinese are really good food developer, don't you think, they always think of what's good, or beneficial for ones health, not just developing a product that would sell because it is delicious--- I remember the story of Jang Geum of Korea--- she incorporates medicine with cooking.

Gumbo: Jambalaya!

Gumbo is just a big party atmosphere! It's all fun there, Jambalaya! Wuhoo! Whenever there's a Jambalaya order, the staff in the kitchen chorus-ly shouts JAMBALAYA! It's a taste of New Orleans' fresh seafood.

Jambalaya, a paella style rice dish, it's buy one take one with the non spicy version for PhP375.00+

Bourbon Ribs with fries and corn PhP495.00+

This would be short, the rice Jambalaya is a tasteful yet refreshing dish, basta sobrang sarap, I can't find a food adjective to explain the taste, it's spicy but everything complements, really great mix of flavor.

The Bourbon ribs' was not marinated well, but it's already flavorful. (I can't really describe it well, because I ate just the corn and fries)

I think it's the great experience, the fun atmosphere they are good at. Making the customer feel important, and happy. Looky looky.

It's my mom's birthday, she was presented by the Mardi gras girls with her birthday ice cream.

Chef Robert Twisted Banawe

Banawe, Quezon City is known for the flock of Chinese restaurants, and yet in this small place at the corner of Linaw Street, there's one man who braved to bring the whole world to his kitchen. His menu offers good choice of food coming from every direction of the map, Asian: Korean Beef Stew, Thai Green Chicken Curry; Italian:  Seafood Marina, Lasagna; American: Morning Pancakes, Beef Burgers;--- and here's Pinoy Beef Tapa with egg, Pork Tocino with egg, Daing na Bangus; and he doesn't just serve ulams, he also serves desserts. There's Coconut Mango cheese cake which I think is his signature dessert (I haven't heard of a cheese cake like this, but I wasn't able to try it because I wasn't available), and a number of really deliciously sounding ones--- High Rise Mango Banana, Devil's Fork, to name a few.

Unfortunately the space is small (only 22 pax capacity).

But cozy and clean, yep not your Chinese resto clean, this is really clean.

For starter: Calamari PhP125.00

Crispy breading, soft calamari not chewy-chewy just right

(sign of freshness and not over cooked or microwaved)

The food is always served hot, that's one important thing. First served was the appetizer Calamari and the Salad rolls in Kani and Mango.

Salad rolls in Kani and Mango PhP155.00

Crispy fresh and the aroma of the mango cubes and dressing spells perfectly summer!

The carrots and cucumber are chosen and chopped well, crispy means it's fresh. The dish is perfect for the summer, it's light, it's healthy and refreshing though it's not cold liquid--- but you get the feel.

Pork Cutlet in Mushroom Gravy PhP135.00

Speaking of hot, this is hawt! Look at that smokey, smokey dish--- this one received the most mocking from mi familia de matatakaw, because of the gravy--- they call it Jollibee, but I call it home-cook style. This is one dish that you cook at home, and it takes effort (well, if you're a lazy cook, to cook this), so if you're craving for a home-style breaded pork cutlet with mushroom gravy, just order one at Chef Robert's. Just so you know, I don't eat pork really, but this dish is definitely one to have a second, third, forth... try with my visits.

Korean Beef Stew REG PhP185.00 BIG PhP355.00

I wasn't able to taste this one, my mom ordered it. She said it wasn't quite that spicy as that of the one they have tried, but it's perfect for the Filipino taste.

Seafood Marinara Spaghetti PhP145.00

This one I definitely have to ask--- chef Robert could you plate this one again, placing the sauce on top of the cooked tahong and other seafood killed the presentation. Of course you have to show that 5 tahong on top, 3 shrimps and some little shrimps, and kani crabs, yes yes?! it's part of the wowing factor, you know. But with everything, it's just a Marinara, in spaghetti pasta--- not Linguine.

Fish Fillet (Breaded?!Cream Dory) in Hollandaise Sauce REG PhP135.00 BIG PhP260.00

This is a usual dish at home, I particularly didn't like the breading--- it's dredged in flour--- I like it breaded with Japanese bread crumbs. The Hollandaise had formed bits, not so perfect. Good thing it was cream dory--- you'll never go wrong with cream dory. Oh, one thing, I paired it with Thai Green Chicken Curry's curry, it's perfect--- that's another dish LOL--- Breaded Cream Dory in Thai Green Curry?!

Two Way Pork Steak Tagalog REG PhP185.00 BIG PhP355.00

I don't know why it was called Two Way, I guess I have to find out next time. My dad ordered this for the second time (he was the one who introduced the resto to us, it's his second time), I don't know why he loved it, I didn't get to taste it, but mom noticed that it was on clear or light soy sauce unlike that of the Pinoy style Steak Tagalog, with dark dark toyo.

Thai Green Chicken Curry REG PhP155.00 BIG PhP295.00

Creamy, rich in flavor, not too spicy it's definitely a rice partner. If you're having the REG serving make sure to have extra rice or a companion to share it with.

And for the finale, High Rise Mango Banana PhP135.00. Simple sweet.

Genius use of molo wrapper instead of puff pastry.

Chef Robert Tan with my mom at Chef Robert.

All-in the experience was great! Price are very reasonable, that I came, or we came to realize which explains the ingredients being like for crab--- instead of real meat, he used Kani, and while for the gravy he used powdered (if I am not mistaken)--- it's all homey, LOL.

*Did you know that Chef Robert is already 27 years old, LOL. He doesn't look like 20 at all. LOL.

Update:
From chef Robert:
Thank you for the Resto Review. Sorry I don't know how to comment in your blog since it's asking for a profile. Oh btw, we have a dining area in the 2nd floor and a balcony as smoking area.