coffee bean breakfast

this was an unplanned breakfast. i honestly wouldn't opt for coffee bean as a breakfast place. anyway, since i've read about their breakfasts in some posts i might as well try them.

i love salmon so i opted for the scambled eggs with salmon. the meal comes with tea or coffee.


i realized that i am really not that keen on smoked salmon. but since their smoked salmon didn't have that uber fishy taste, it was bearable. the eggs were soft, not too dry but could have been more fluffy and moist. the bread is great. i loved the foccacia. it was well seasoned, you can taste the herbs and it was soft and yet well toasted so you had that perfect bite.

still, i'd rather go to ucc for some french toasts =).


coffee bean and tea leaf
tordesillas st. salcedo village
trinoma
greenbelt 3

is the meatlover in me back?

i have lessened eating red meat in the past couple of years. this is because of my blood type diet. just search it on the net and you'll understand why. the only thing that breaks this diet is when there's lamb and during the holiday season because i couldn't resist lechon kawali and my mom's caldereta.

anyway, last year, the food fad was wagyu. i didn't pay much attention because i was refraining from eating meat and truth be told it really feels heavy and unhealthy whenever i eat meat. however, i just couldn't resist the temptation of kobe beef when a colleague had me try some. this beef was brought in from japan. and yes, she vouched it's authentic kobe because no other wagyu she has tried tasted this great.

and now, i am dreaming of kobe. scoured the internet looking for a place that sells authentic kobe. they said tsukiji carries it, but i found out they only serve ohmi wagyu. ohmi comes second to kobe but still isn't kobe.

i found sugi offering kobe at 2500 PHP (not sure if this is an upated price list) but it's teppanyaki. so this means, i will be restricted to thin slices of kobe? that ain't fun. a more substantive offering comes from madison grill, american style kobe at 2850 PHP. but then that ain't kobe right? because it's american hehe. american kobe is wagyu and black angus crossed bred to create beef that is better than USDA prime. the thing is, if you're shelling out mucho dinero you wanna be happy with what you're getting. i'd rather have something that i know ain't kobe but comes close to kobe rather than being lied to. the key here is making sure that i'll be getting a well marbled steak which ensures the tenderness and flavor of the meat because i like my steak medium well. so it should still be tender and buttery even if it's cooked and not have that uber pinkish color.

gheez, now i'm torn. there are several steak places i have wanted to try before but i don't think they'll compare with getting a kobe or wagyu at the very least. there's duo which i want to try especially the classic combination of steak and foie gras, tagaytay highlands because lori's rib-eye just looks oh so yummy. elbert's is also famous for high quality steaks. they only serve USDA certified and i just found out that in the japanese marbling system, USDA prime steaks are at 5-6 while kobe beef rates 12 - what a huge difference right?

oh well, the problem is not just where to eat but also who to eat it with. i doubt that i would want to finish off a 3K steak all by myself. so foodie friends, lemme me know if you are up for the challenge.

TOASTy

toastbox is a singaporean chain which offers kaya toasts and kopi and other singapore food items. i was awake for more than 24 hours already and was itching to get home when i heard my stomach grumbling. i wanted to eat something light and toastbox just popped in my head.

i finally settled with one of their new toasts which has mahu or pork floss (i love pork floss).



the bread was well toasted, it has strips of cucumber, mayo and pork floss. but i don't think it's worth my 55 PHP. also, the iced tea was overpriced at 65 PHP. if you're thinking about the value for your money then i don't think you'll get it here. but i will be coming back because i ought to try their singaporean noodles.


toastbox
trinoma lobby

new orleans bourbon steak and seafood

read about new orleans a couple of times already. so i placed it on my list of restos to try. i was inspired to try it out when i read sakai's post on it. i wanted to try the beignets so badly and of course judge the famous ribs.

i got the shrimp ettoufee with beignets. if you check out sakai's pic and mine. you will see the difference. i didn't have the mushrooms and the crunchy green garnish on top. why oh why? plus, the dish wasn't really remarkable. it tasted like sauteed onions and bell pepper with cream. the beignets tasted like biscuits from texas chicken. it was ok, i haven't tried beignets before so i wouldn't know the best way it should be prepared.

now we go to the new orleans baby back ribs. wanted to try the cajun but c was not fond of spicy food so we settled for this.

my oh my, the ribs was tough. had a hard time slicing them. i imagine them 'racks like' - meat falling of the bones. where is that??? aren't they supposed to be an expert on ribs and shouldn't their ribs be cooked into perfection? oh well, the lack of vat was sufficient enough for me not to complain. but this unfortunately, was a miss.


new orleans
bonifacio high street
global city , taguig

S&R finds

haven't been to S&R for a long time. but i finally decided to get a membership card in the hopes that i will be regularly visiting the place. anyway, i do hope i get to maximize it. i only got a couple of stuff. two things i wanna share with you are the white castle burgers. famous on the east coast. i was craving for these when i saw them on tv. but there's nothing spectacular about these.

and some jennie-o turkey burgers. this one is better than the ones i got from healthy options because this ain't salty. actually it doesn't have any taste at all so you better season it up.

i also got some ben and jerry's (g and i ate it there), t.g.i. friday's potato skins (which was superb btw) and my favorite granola bar (nature valley).

i am looking forward to getting some of the turkey franks, butterball turkey (they have the lowest prices when it comes to butterball), isn't it obvious? i am a turkey addict, some frozen berries and bulla!!!

btw, you can still avail of the products they sell even without being a member with an additional 5% charge and you have to pay in cash.


S&R
the fort
congressional
macapagal/roxas