my birmingham cupboard

i had a short stop at tesco once again. hmmm it seems that i go there every single day. anyway, while arranging the stuff i got, i realized that i have unconsciously replicated my cupboard essentials back in manila.


i have my garlic, cayenne, pepper, tomato sauce and ketchup. all tesco - it's the store brand, thus, the cheapest. don't forget my butter, mayo, eden cheese in the ref. also got some more stuff, my couscous which is a must ( i am definitely bringing some when i go back home + the foie gras at schipol hehe)



also, i couldn't limit myself to the free sugar from the office so when i saw the muscovado i knew i had to grab it. even got inspired to make some lemonade when i got back home.



i am also loving my tesco digestives. better then m&s is all i could say. but it's a matter a preference right? anyway till next time. happy eats.

birmingham food finds

was able to go to the market yesterday and here are some of my food finds.

fresh native eggs for 25 pence a half dozen

fresh peaches for 10 pence each

also went to the supermarket and got myself an organic mayo and a huge pack of strawberries which are not that tasty. so not worth my £3.

with all my buys i got myself a decent breakfast for today.

bubbly teas

here's my last food adventure in manila before i head to the land of fish and chips and bangers and mash.

bubble tea is in my must try list. with my recent errands i got the chance to finally try it. i got some kiwi tea slush which is so refreshing and affordable. i just got the medium but it's a tall glass already and it's only 69 PHP.

i think that this is what i liked about this place. you get terrific drinks at affordable prices. i've been recently eating at places wherein the drinks are overly priced so bubble tea is on top of my list now.

i also got the seafood udon. not sure on what udon is supposed to look like. i've eaten at other places and their udon appears to be the thick noodles similar to the lomi. now i'm confused which one is the authentic udon, the thick ones i've tried before or this flat one they serve in bubble tea.

the seafood udon is acceptable. i haven't tried a similar dish in other restos so i couldn't make a comparison. but i'm pretty satisfied on how this dish turned out. i recommend this place for people who love pearls/sago and modern jap/fusion cuisine.


bubble tea
sm the block
sm megamall

for the veggie lover

this is a long overdue entry and a shameless plug as well, because i'm related to the owner. likha-diwa is one of the few vegetarian restos in the metro. located near up campus, the coffee shop is more than just a coffee shop, it serves vegetarian and seafood dishes for people who want to eat healthy.

so what can i say? great actually! i am not being biased. being a foodie and all - i enjoy the original ones, the fat and uric acid laden meat versions of likha diwa's veggie versions. but i grew up eating veggie meat so i've gotten used to the somehow weird texture/flavor of these meat substitutes. second, comparing the taste to the original ones, i believe that l.d. was quite successful in replicating the flavors having been restricted by the vegetarian substitutes. third, i have a very extensive palate, so shoot me if i deem that the dishes they serve actually taste great.

took some photos of the dishes they serve and i hope you find them as mouthwatering as i deem they are.

vegetarian paella

i just found out about this new addition. a conversation piece for most customers. two thumbs up! i could eat it without looking for the supposed meat. they took out the veggie sausages because they want it as natural as possible so no veggie meat in this dish.


who does not love kare-kare??? well for those craving for kare-kare without the guilt then this is a good substitute. the sauce simulates the homemade peanut sauce, unlike the ones you get at your typical commercial restos. just look at the dark brown color. this is served with vegetarian bagoong which is actually my favorite. sometimes my only viand is the veggie bagoong.

christmas is indeed in the air with this all natural bibingka. i have nothing much to say, yummy!

i'd like to say that i'm a reliable taste tester. but just as i've said i do have an extensive palate so some people might find the vegetarian versions a bit weird. but i guarantee that there will definitely be a food item that you will enjoy even if you're a meatlover. so here's a list of my favorites.


tofu balls - my first love. a must try for tofu lovers. soft tofu mixed with tuna and served with a special dipping sauce.

shiitake strips - this has actually overthrown tofu balls from my usual likha diwa meals.

veggie quesadillas - sarap! it has veggie ground meat but even my soy evading mom loves this. served with a vegetarian sour cream which means the sour cream is not made of any dairy product.

sandwich with chili con carne??? - gheez i forgot the exact name. it's a pressed sandwich with veggie chili con carne.

sandwiches - i think i've tried all the sandwiches except the banana sandwich which up to now i still find weird and yet has been in the menu for years. so i guess people do like it.

mechado value meal - ok this is a bit tricky. the texture of the gluten is different and people need to get accustomed to it. but i simply love this dish. love it love it.

tomato olivetti - this is my favorite among the pasta dishes. i haven't tried the aligue actually. the tuna pasta is something i could cook myself so i don't usually order this.


these are my personal favorites. my rice favorites will just be the paella, kare-kare and mechado. i am not much of a rice eater and when i'm at l.d. i definitely opt for the lighter meals but i'm sure that there'll be a rice meal for you in their extensive menu. for dessert, the cheesecake is so rich. this is the best frozen cheesecake i have eaten in manila. and how could i forget the drinks? i love all the yogurt drinks current favorite is the carrot yogurt drink. i guess that's it. it's for you to try their food stuff. let me know your thoughts. till next time.


likha-diwa
#1 lt. j. francisco st.
krus na ligas, diliman, qc
(along c.p. garcia avenue which intersects katipunan ave. and the university ave.)
925-5522

cooking frenzy

not sure what's up with me but i have been cooking a lot of stuff. can't remember when was the last time i have cooked food aside from our usual weekend meals. i guess the primary reason why i have been cooking alot is because i have been craving for a lot of stuff and that i now bring my own lunch to the office. here are the stuff i worked on and are planning to cook for the rest of the week.

1. my peach and walnut with mixed greens salad
2. korean bbq chicken strips (was dismayed with both the magnolia marinated ones and the mccormick instant mix that i just made my own)
3. my clear mushroom soup, inspired by my bubba gump outing. my mom was raving about it haha never got that in ages. so this is a breakthrough dish, another addition to my staple menu at home. i got some shiitake and oyster mushrooms fresh from the weekend market this morning. next time i'll use other variants such as the portobello and fresh button mushrooms.
4. veggies with oyster sauce. i can't remember when i last cooked this so i'm gonna cook it this week with the fresh young corn i got this morning from the market as well.

i guess that's it. my erratic schedule for this week prevents me from actually planning all my meals. bon apetit!

i love thai!

thai food is one of my favorite cuisines. they have fresh and exciting flavors. my favorite thai restaurant is muang thai. it's close to our house and it's quite affordable too. after doing our groceries my mom and i dropped by the place to get some lunch.

phad thai is a staple for me. this is the best i have had in manila by far. served with lime, crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro. i also ordered fish with garlic sauce which is just fish fillet cooked in a clear sauce with various herbs and spices. i like it because of its simplicity. unfortunately, the fish was bad. my mom scolded me for ordering fillets because i should always order the whole one daw to make sure i know the kind of fish we are getting and you'll know that's it's fresh. this is the first time it happened to us. of course, they asked us to order just another one. hay! i got myself some chicken satay. surprisingly enough i found jatujak's satay much better.

this satay was not bad of course. i like the fact that the chicken pieces were thicker but the sauce did not suit me well. the jatujak satay are thin chicken pieces but are tenderly cooked and the chunky sauce was ok but i like the cucumber dip much better.

muang thai
malakas street, quezon city
it's right after mcdo and pancake house when you are along the sulo hotel street (matalino?).

bizu patisserie

people have had great reviews on bizu, especially the macarons. but when i bought some a year or two ago i was not impressed. so i never paid much attention to it again. my friend l was raving about it and i've read a blog on it just recently. wanted to try the cake and coffee this time. since i was craving for chocolate (which rarely happens hehe) i got a chocolate based cake. i got the amour which has valrhona orange chocolate and creme brulee...looks/sounds yummy. i was quite excited that it has custard in it.

we got another cake, which is the samba. everything chocolate...3 kinds as far as i can remember. a chocoholic's dream.

the cakes were served on plates with scribbles made of chocolate. what's my verdict? still not impressed! i guess you pay a lot for the craftsmanship used to make those cakes. but i'd have my banoffee from red ribbon/starbucks or frozen brazo anytime.

bizu patisserie
greenbelt 2

shrimpy craving

my recent tokyo cafe outing was a bit disappointing. my shrimp aglio y olio did not meet expectations. so i was craving for more shrimps. my dinner plans last night had a reroute to greenbelt. and i found myself eating at bubba gump at long last.

we ordered mama's firepot which is mahi mahi and shrimps in a spicy sauce. the sauce was flavorful but not spicy. i like the smoky flavor of the mahi mahi but the shrimps were small and the rice was a bit cold.

we also ordered mama's fried shrimps??? not sure with the name but it's just breaded shrimp with again, supposedly spicy fries. it comes with 3 dips, tartar sauce, coleslaw and ketchup. verdict? damn it doesn't taste like shrimp anymore. i guess they have been too frozen for a long time that the flavor is just isn't there.

bubba gump
greenbelt 3

mickey's deli

i've read two blogs on mickey's delicatessen already. while browsing through anton's entry, a colleague saw it and suddenly wanted to try it out. the foodie in me could not resist the temptation. so off we went to jupiter. we tried the nurnberger sausages with hot bavarian salad. we were pleased with it. i like the smoky flavor and the fact that it's freshly made.


contrary to anton's experience. the owner was actually accommodating. he would answer the customers' inquiries and would provide inputs on the stuff that the customers bought. he even opened a pack of what i thought were bread sticks and asked us to try it out. unfortunately, it was like thinner versions of chorizo which i only prefer cooked in my fried rice, callos, paella or any spanish rice dish. i didn't finish mine and hid it in my bag of bread hehe.

i got some meatloaf and cheese to go as well a sourdough bread from larzatin (a boulangerie inside the deli). i hope they are good buys especially the cheese which i bought because of the owner's recommendation. i know i'll be coming back because i have a sausage lover friend who have been asking me to go there and i want to try the other specialties too.



mickey's delicatessen
144 jupiter corner orbit street
bel-air 2 village, makati

store: +632 896-9650, 899-1440
deli: +632 899-8080, 896-9650, 899-1440