a few more treats before the year ends

i may not like chocolate but i love sweets. it needs to balance out my palate post a savory meal. this time my friends and i decided to get some cakes from the famous karen young. you need a minimum purchase of PHP 1500 to get it delivered for free. wrapped in an aptly decorated box, the aroma wafts as you open it. now, that's a good sign. but i still won't be able to comment on them since they are not all mine and they are bound to be eaten on christmas day. i'm so happy to be stress free and yet have a glorious dessert. after my horrific cake/dessert buying experience last year i have vowed to get the best desserts without much hassle. this is just for sharing. hope you have great holiday meals everyone!




caramel mousse (PHP 900)



strawberry shortcake (PHP 900)



chocolate ganache (PHP 600)





karen's kitchen
www.karenskitchen.com.ph
898-2280
8982880
0917-key4you

thai fix at som's

whenever i'm with my friend g to eat out, we would always get rerouted to somewhere. i'd like to think that the reroute usually ends up at a much better place.

i was meaning to try out chariya's kitchen, i dunno if it was dark that we missed the place and we found ourselves ending up in rockwell. so where else to get cheap thai fix but som's. believe it or not i haven't eaten at this place. even my non-foodie friends have already eaten here and to think that i love thai cuisine.

got some thai iced tea. i like that they give them to you warm which means they've been recently made. with the turnaround of people at this place, i'm sure food is always prepared fresh.

got some fried spring rolls (PHP 80). this was a generous serving, golden brown with a very apt condiment. the roll itself was a bit bland for my taste but considering i had colds, i'd think it was just rightly seasoned. but the winner really is the condiment. it was sweet and a bit hot that complemented the rolls very well.

my thai meal will not be complete if there's no pad thai (PHP 120). huge serving of rice noodles. but that's just about it. it looked like anemic noodles with bean sprouts and a couple of tofu and chopped nuts. the noodles were also too sweet for my taste. i'd have to say that this was a let down. they could probably charge more for a better tasting and looking pad thai and people will not mind.

also got tofu in red curry (PHP 120). i love the curry sauce. it was well seasoned. the flavors were just bursting in my mouth especially the basil leaves which made a huge difference. as for the tofu, it was just too firm. even tokwa would have been more softer or tender than the ones they used in the dish. maybe if you get chicken or beef then it would be perfect.

overall, it was a pleasant meal. very budget friendly, just don't expect a nice ambiance. it's just good affordable thai food located in one of the most expensive areas in the metro.

som's
algier st. (parallel to lopez drive)
from powerplant going to kalayaan it's on the right.
literally over the bakod from rockwell.

fish and co.

all day i was thinking of getting some chinese fix. i first got some tea which i was craving for...yes i crave for tea. and then, i got hooked by the fish and co. ads.

hmmm....i simply got a craving for seafoods. i don't like the fish and chips because it's cream of dory and after reading the cream of dory email i no longer want to eat it. i want mussels or oysters....but it's bad on an empty stomach....

so finally i got prawn fritters (PHP 315 +VAT) lightly battered prawns that was just yummy. it's been a long time since i've eaten here so i was surprised that they already changed their chili to the green variant. i got extra chili but still failed to tickle my taste buds. you always have to mix all the condiments - garlic, chili and tartar sauce to have that perfect dip.

a compromise to my shellfish craving is mussels penne in garlic cream sauce (PHP 321 + VAT) still has carbs but it's not rice. very lighly seasoned, the sauce is thick but not creamy at all and there's something wrong with the garlic flavor, i just couldn't figure out what. not too strong which is perfect but it doesn't have that garlic essence.

i liked the prawn fritters but the pasta is a let down. straight forward almost everything fried seafoods which will satiate your cravings if ever you do get one.

fish and co.
trinoma
greenbelt 3
shangri-la mall

creamy yogi at californiaberry

craving for a tart, sweet and creamy dessert - what else but yogurt ice cream. i just couldn't get my hands on them until i had lunch at paseo center and i saw californiaberry.

i kept thinking about it that i wanted lunch to be over soon. got the californiaberry special which has kiwi, mangoes and strawberry (PHP 100 ++), i like the fresh fruits which is unlike the ones i've tried before and the ice cream was really creamy with the perfect blend of tartness and sweetness. loved it!





californiaberry
2nd flr. paseo center

dining at myron's place

the first myron's was at rockwell and it made quite a stir in lori's blog. back then, i was not my usual carnivore self so it never piqued my interest.

however, recently, the meatlover in me has had an awakening of some sort. i had a steak craving and i've thought of myron's place at greenbelt which i've learned has a very nice ambiance compared to the rockwell branch.

had freebie bread, the bread was soft but that was pretty much it.

my friend c had the braised lamb shank (PHP 575), it was so huge! we were amazed on how big it was. it has a very rich morrocan inspired sauce with apricots and almonds that makes a perfect blend of flavors and textures in the palate. the lamb was very tender and the tendons were gelatinous which made it even more yummy. however, i deem that the mashed potato wasn't really a good starch for this dish. it would have been perfect to have couscous on the side (the couscous lover me kicking in) or a nice serving of long grained rice for the rice lovers out there.

as for my craving, i settled with the bianca's cut (PHP 900) which is 240 grams of us certified angus ribeye. i even saw how it was cut from this huge slab of beef before it was sent to the kitchen for further cooking. i had mine done medium well which was perfect - cooked through but still pinkish and tender. had 3 types of sauces, my favorite would be the shiraz- cabernet jus because of its strong flavors. the peppercorn was not significant - i was expecting a hot/peppery gravy but it was not flavorful enough for me and similarly the mushroom gravy was a bit bland as well. it had roasted garlic, carrots and zucchini on the side with a choice of potato - i chose baked potato.

i felt like splurging that i ordered foie gras on the side. i actually forgot to mention that i prefer the choice cut which means it has foie gras too. i was saddened by how small the foie gras was =). it satiatied my cravings for a melt in your mouth experience but in restrospect i don't think it's worth the additional PHP 350.

overall, it was a great meal. good service, nice ambiance and good food. i wouldn't have second thoughts coming back.

myron's place

g/f greenbelt 5

s&b curry

been seeing s&b curry in supermarkets but i have no clue on how to use it. eventually, some bloggers posted about this japanese curry cubes. so i've decided to give it a try. this is the medium hot variant.

i don't like plain meat like chunks of meat used in usual filipino dishes. i enjoy cuts like the pork belly and the beef cut with loads of litid (tendon) but these are unhealthy cuts due to high fat and cholesterol content. so i decided to use "buto buto" which are basically pork ribs cut into small pieces. the bones give the sauce more flavor.

i sauteed the meat with garlic and onions and a little fish sauce similar to how filipino dishes are initially cooked. simmered the meat with water until tender and added some potatoes and carrots. after which, i added the curry, i used half of one plastic container which equates to 2 cubes. i let it simmer until the veggies were cooked and the sauce thickened. and voila, i now have a pork japanese curry fix paired with whole wheat couscous, this has suddenly become a comfort food of some sort.

savory (sa - bo -ri )

savory is a chinese chicken resto. i never knew when it really became famous but it's not as mainstream like the others. my fondest memories of this resto is when i was around 10 years old and every time i get my acupuncture treatments in escolta, my mom would treat me to savory afterwards.

i've never tried their chicken though. i always get the cheeseburger. huge juicy patty that appears to be steamed. lately, i have seen posts on this chicken chain that has suddenly become ubiquitous around the metro. i was itching to try the chicken to find out what's the fuss all about. when i visited the place, i found the the prices are affordable. they have set meals for 2 or more people which basically appears to be a lauriat of some sort with several food items.

got the half chicken, pansit, salt and pepper squid combo (PHP 300 ++). it comes with rice, drinks and buchi and turon for dessert and is good for two people. the chicken was tender and flavorful has the hint of star anise which makes this fried chicken very chinese. the other items were ok, not spectacular but you'll get your money's worth.

even though i am not fond of lomi, there was this picture over the internet of savory's lomi (PHP 180) that looked appetizing so i tried it. a bit pricey for a simple dish but when it came and i saw how much ingredients were in it, i'd have to say that it was worth every peso.

the place is very budget friendly and has efficient customer service which probably explains why there's still a huge turnaround of customers even after lunch time. very good place for a quick chinese fix - traditional chinese menu but much better than chinese fastfood.


savory
sm north edsa

wagyu heaven or not?

just a stone's throw away from my office, i haven't tried malcolm's wagyu offerings which they are famous for. convinced by my colleague's testament on how great their burgers were, i made sure that the next time i get a burger craving i'll get the fix from malcolm's.

we got freebie fried wontons with a mayo dip. and while waiting we got the ABS - apple bacon salad (175 PHP). strips of bacon, chopped apple and slivers of cheese with a mustard based dressing. the salad is ok...the greens are not fresh - not crisp and vibrant. they better rethink calling it the "great abs".

finally it came, wagyu burger (400 PHP) thick burger patty in a bun with potato wedges on the side. the bun, nothing special. i would expect some fancy or distinct burger bun but it was a typical commercially available bun. anyway, it's time to check the patty. burnt on the outside? a way to seal in the juices? as i cut through the patty no juices came out, my medium well burger is mostly still red. i cannot determine what's the wagyu in this lump of ground beef. a burger that is dry in the insides with a crispy/burnt outer layer. what's wrong with this 400 peso lump of beef??? everything!!! it was disappointing. the only saving grace are the potato wedges and garlic mayo that was a perfect side dish.

the other menu items are still worth the try. i actually enjoy the grilled vegetables sandwich and the salpicao is also good. overall, malcolm's offer other promising dishes, just don't bank on the wagyu that much.

malcolm's place
hv dela costa cor. tordesillas
salcedo village, makati