There's Comfort in Writing About Food

I have not written about food for a long time. I have been trying to lose weight and that's hard to do while thinking and writing about food all the time. I used to be able to exercise while watching Anthony Bourdain sample Cebu Lechon, the best pig in the world. I motivated myself by thinking that if I could burn all the calories  now, then I can eat more later.  This diet philosophy didn't pan out, though.  Even if I missed out on the exercise, I never missed out on eating more.

I guess, some people find their sanity and zen in exercise, I find mine in making, tasting and writing about food.

 

So here I am, two years since my last entry,  back in front of the computer, writing about food. There's nothing special about tonight, except that I decided to share my food experiences again. The hubby was hungry and wanted to try a new resto along Katipunan Avenue.  So we did.

Santiago

A few weeks back, the first time we passed by the restaurant, we noticed that the blurb below the restaurant name on the fascia used the word "kwento," which was a pet peeve, especially for the hubby who always endeavored other writers to use the more grammatically correct "kuwento," with a "u" (which is all about the "kambal-patinig" rule.  For more of this, check out the really cool downloadable version of the Ortograpiyang Pambansa). But we're not such snobs, especially when we're hungry.

It's an old house turned into a family restaurant with a bakery.

The menu consists mainly of comfort food with a few regional dishes like Ilonggo Chicken Inasal and Ilocano Poqui-poqui. We ordered the  Humba  and the Ginataang Gulay served with grilled Liempo.

The Humba was well-spiced and the pork hock meat (pata) was tender enough. I liked it since it's not as sweet as the Boholano version my mom used to make. It actually tasted like Paksiw na Pata, minus the banana blossoms, plus a hard boiled egg cut in half.

Humba

The Ginataang Gulay, did use fresh vegetables- squash, winged beans, string beans, okra and eggplant and were not overcooked. The coconut cream used tasted fresh and I believe they used some bagoong to flavor the dish. The Grilled Liempo was good for just one person but the veggies could have served four.

Ginataang Gulay

The cucumber lemonade drink was refreshing enough and not as sweet as vendo machine lemonades.

I would probably go back there with friends as it is not a place to dine alone in.

Took home some of the  goodies like the Sans Rival Cookies and Palmiers (Mariposa) which the bakeshop guy described as a softer and creamier version of otap. He's right. Biting into one flaky piece as I close this blog entry.