FOOD LISTS

Stumbled upon this site of list challenges.

Apparently in this era of  lists, making them isn't enough. You've got to be challenged.

I tried the "BBC 50 Foods to Eat Before You Die" which was based on a survey of the British TV station. I got 43 out of 50. I skipped the reindeer (Bambi!), guinea pig and Kangaroo.

From critters to condiments, the site has list challenges you can take on when its early in the morning and you want a break from all the work.

YAKULT SHAKE at Ryu Ramen

I grew up loving the taste of Yakult, a drink made of skimmed milk and a special strain of the lactic acid bacteria L. casei strain Shirota.

Why in the world would anyone want to drink bacteria? 

Don't be so squeamish, at any given time, these microscopic creatures are all around us. In fact, there's like 200-700 of those critters inside your mouth right now, depends on how good your oral hygiene is. The bad ones give us crappy colds and good ones, like the Shirota strain bacteria are often found in food we eat like yoghurt, pickles and dairy products. It produces lactic acid that helps the breakdown of food, improving the proper function of our gastrointestinal system. 

Don't shoot! They're the good guys!
(image courtesy of yakult.com)

The Yakult shake from Ryu, is a refreshing drink and dessert. Frozen Yakult turns into slushy ice and is flavored with a bit of sweet strawberry syrup which blends well with the creamy and citrusy tang of the cultured drink.  Just remember,  don't suck it all in at one go or you'll get brain freeze.

MADRID FUSION 2015

Spanish food is hot this 2015

I want to go.

Madrid Fusión has a 12-year track record as the most important Spanish gastronomy congress. Prestigious and innovative chefs from all over the world like the inspirational Elena Arzak, named 2012 World’s Best Female Chef by  Magazine Restaurant and whose family restaurant, Arzak,  has 3 Michelin stars. Philippine-based chefs like Jose Luis Gonzalez of Gallery Vask will also participate.

Delegate rates are pretty pricey at P20,000 for professionals. But hey, that's still cheaper than a plane fare to Spain. Trade visitors are welcome on the third day but the website hasn't opened registration yet.

2015 FOOD TRENDS

Last November, I shared Entrepreneur magazine's "10 Biggest Restaurant Trends for 2015. This being the first week of the year, I surfed around and found tons of lists! 

 Here's what I think I will be taking a bite of:

SOUR    From drinks to desserts, anything sour will be popular according to CNN Money. The National Restaurant Association lists "pickling," which requires a lot of vinegar, as the number one preparation method food businesses will be engaging in. Personally, I have seen an increase of mustard variants from Jack Daniels- flavored mustard to stone-ground sweet mustard served with sausages.

Get Pickled

FAT     Time Magazine predicts that "more higher fat Asian foods to hit restaurant menus and grocery store shelves in 2015." I'm guessing the Hainanese Chicken Rice and Roasted duck (both with the skin on) will be top of mind. Another fatty product that will see a rise in sales is cultured butter. Some sites even teach you how to make our own.

Image courtesy of www.organicvalley.coop

SPAIN   Have you been seeing a lot of food shows featuring Spain? I am now obsessing on making the cocido, a Spanish stew of cured and fresh meats, after seeing a feature on Sandy Daza's FoodPrints. Forbes predicts that the "cuisine of Spain to overshadow those of France and Asia. While CNN Money predicts more people will try to travel to Spain  to taste the real deal.

Viva Espana!

CURED  Chefs will be pushing the limits on the Bacalao (dried and salted cod) according to Bon Appetit. While according to restaurant.org charcuterie and house-cured meats are going to be big this year  after vegetarian appetizers.

Newfoundland and Iceland folk have been making bacalao 500 years back

OYSTERS     The shelled aphrodisiac will be rediscovered this year in areas where bodies of water are being detoxified and cleaned. International food consultants Baum + Whiteman lists  a variety of interesting possibilities, including oysters cooked in chorizo butter.

 

STREET     Street-food inspired appetizers will find its way to fine dining establishments.

THROWBACK    Sorry vodka, but when it comes to cocktails, whiskey and rhum as base for three-ingredient drinks are making a comeback says food&wine.com. 

image courtesy of wallpapers2014.com

 I think I will be holding out until the last minute to get into these food trends:

BITTER     This taste is "the new bold," declares technomic.com. From coffee and chocolate to cauliflower and cocktails, bitter will be be used to give other flavors a lift.

INSECTS    One of the best sources of protein, the UK Daily Mail says, insects are touted as the latest superfood. I have tried many exotic food but crispy critters still don't put the "appetite" in appetizers.

HEMP     There's going to be a movement to promote hemp seeds as mainstream ingredients.  The good news, according to ourgom.com, it contains 36% protein, "with specific proteins such as Edestin and albumin that are responsible for increasing the strength of the body and also aids in digestion."  Bad news is, adding it to your food will have no intoxicating effect.

image courtesy of ourgom.com

LE FRENCH CLUB

Post-holiday celebrations can bring the dreaded hangover. Men's Health recommends greasy food as a remedy.

Here's something you (or the nearest sober person) can make for brunch after a night of binge-drinking, the French Club using left-over ham.

INGREDIENTS:
8 slices white bread
4 eggs
1/4 cup fresh milk
6 tbsp butter
8 ham slices
8 bacon strips
cheddar or grated edam (queso de bola) cheese
mayonnaise 
lettuce
tomato
strawberry preserve (or jam)
salt
pepper

Wash the tomatoes and lettuce. Slice the tomatoes and set aside. Tear off the lettuce and soak in cold water.  Fry the bacon to a crisp. Use the same pan (don't take out the bacon grease) and fry the ham in 2 tablespoons of butter. Place the cooked bacon and ham on a plate with paper napkins (to absorb the oil).

Whisk together the eggs and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a shallow bowl. Melt the remaining butter over medium heat.  Dip the bread in the mixture before frying until one side is golden brown.  

Drain the lettuce and towel-dry so the sandwich doesn't get soggy. Place one bread on a french toast and spread some mayonnaise. Add in a layer of bacon, cheese and lettuce. Top with one french toast. For the second layer, spread some strawberry preserve and pile up the ham, tomatoes and lettuce.

If needed, hold the sandwich together with a toothpick. Serve with a side of the strawberry preserve.

 Enjoy the French Club and hope you get over that hangover soon!

TASTED: AKIRA

With Christmas shopping comes the age-old question: where to eat?

Hubby and I found ourselves in the (not-so-new) east wing of Shangri-la Mall and decided to have Japanese at Akira. The restaurant looked spacious as it was well-over lunch time when we got there. There were some big tables with grill and exhaust combos for groups of  eight to ten people who would like to have their Teppanyaki, the restaurant's specialty, cooked before them.

Akira forntage and flatware details

We started off with a steaming bowl of miso soup while we waited for the  bento box and  mixed teppanyaki set. The dashi soup stock was flavorful ( I think they may have used clams)and the tofu cut into small bite-sized pieces, saves you from having to bite into a big piece only to find out it's burned your tongue.

Miso soup

The bento box was, literally, a big sumo-sized surprise.

Almost 2 feet across, it had maguro (tuna) and sake (salmon) sashimi, chahan (fried rice) topped with roasted black sesame, beef teppanyaki, shredded cabbage with wafu dressing (soy-based vinaigrette),  karaage  (bite-sized deep fried battered chicken), tin cups of pickled seaweeds and veggies, and orange and watermelon slices.

Beef bento box

The Teppanyaki platter had US tenderloin beef. The nice thing about ordering you beef at Akira is that they list the source and beef grade. You can Have A3 or A4 grade Wagyu or the pricier Kobe or Matsusaka beef at almost P5,000 a plate.

US Tenderloin Teppanyaki

All Teppanyaki platters are served with miso, gohan, vegetables, shrimp, chicken and beef cooked in a tepan (iron plate or griddle). These iron plates are flat and not to be confused with the hibachi grill often used for yakitori (grilled skewered chicken).

The wait staff will ask you how you like your beef done. I usually like my beef done medium-rare but this time I had my beef done medium. The usual problem with small bite sized pieces is that they tend to darken and dry out easier because the heat within the beef continues to cook it until the colder air in the room brings the beef temperature down. They do know how to serve their beef at Akira.  Upon serving, mine was still slightly pinkish and tender. 

The Teppanyaki platter can actually serve two (unless one of you is a sumo-wrestler who just finished a fight) and is served with a variation of dipping sauces.

To complete the meal, I had a cold Sapporo beer. I like this rice lager beer more than the other Japanese beers because it's light and leaves little aftertaste.  Other beer connoisseurs  may have a different opinion, but for me light beer lets me savor the meal without being too demanding on my taste buds.

If I have any beef against Akira it would be the chairs. Though they look great, they are rather uncomfortable.  Hard to enjoy good food when your arms keep hitting the armrests.

AKIRA

Address: 5th Floor, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, St Francis Street, Mandaluyong, 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines

Phone:+63 2 654 3920

FOUND ONLINE: FOOD YOU CAN PLAY WITH

Image from thiscollosal.com

Toys made of chocolate. Now you can really play with your food.

The cacao-flavored blocks  were designed by Akihiro Mizuuchi, a Japanese illustrator, designer and lecturer at the Shizuoka College of Design and Tokoha Gakuen University of Art. He used molds based on actual Lego blocks and designed each character on his computer so he can calculate how many blocks he needs to make. Sadly, these are not for sale.

Mizuuchi is part of Gunchoco Club, a Facebook community dedicated to re-create Gundam, a popular Japanese anime robot,  out of chocolate. 

The colossal Gundam Robot in Odaiba, Tokyo.

Here's cute and quirky video of Gundam, who may now lay claim to the title, "Creamiest Robot Ever Made."

Click on the pic to get linked to the video

UK graffiti artist Hoakser, known for his custom-designed spray paint cans, has come up with the chocolate nozzles, "Chozzles." These come in dark and milk chocolate flavors and can be bought via his website.

These are the spray paint cans. Not edible.

These are the Chozzles. Highly edible.

Another UK designer, Robert Cooper, a graduate of Central Saint Martins, made chocolate-filled wafer snacks called Cooper's Chocolate Airfix for giant manufacturer Cadbury's.

Photos courtesy of stupiddope.com

While this looks fun, it makes you wonder if anybody has ever finished a plane model without taking a bite.

Meanwhile, Spanish product designer Diego Ramos, has been selling the Mr. Chocolate Moustache through ChocolatFactory, a Barcelona-based workshop owned by Belgian master chocolatier Michel Laline.

Photo courtesy of diegoramos.es

The artist encourages his formerly beardless customers to send their pictures that he can post at the website.

These are definitely food you can play with.