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.
