REDISCOVERING DAD'S

Was recently invited to dine at Dad’s Megamall. I had second thoughts about going mainly because the hubby and I were on a diet. And there was also the mall traffic to consider. But the buffet beckoned and the belly could not resist, our diets be damned.

Buffets are a Filipino weakness. Give us an endless supply of a wide variety of food to be shared with family or friends and we will gladly partake.

Buffets originated as 16th century “smorgasboard,” a type of Scandinavian meal where multiple hot and cold dishes of various foods are served on a table which was, no surprise,  called a smörgåsbord.

Usually, the guests gathered before dinner for a pre-dinner drink, and the smorgasboard was a prelude to the formal dinner.  These side tables, called buffets by the French, eventually, at the dawn of modern day dining, became the center of meals where diners helped themselves and feasted on sandwiches, hot and cold entrées, beverages and desserts.

And that is what  I did at Dad’s.

When dining at buffets, you need a strategy so you don’t end up being full without tasting all the good stuff.

First, get your priorities straight. Find out the restaurant’s specialties. But since Dad's serves hundreds of dishes, this was quite difficult to do. I had to rely on what I remembered from my last Dad's experience and put the roast meat and  poultry with the Japanese dishes at the top of my list.

Kebabs

Cold Soba and Chawan Mushi

Then, map out and do a “recon” of the area.  Go around once before getting any food.  Dad’s has different sections for different global cuisines, a beverage bar and an extensive dessert area, so the walking can be considered as a warm-up for the gustatory marathon that's about to come.

Canapes and breads

Spanish Tapas

Japanese Sushi

US Roast Turkey

Baked Mussels

Greek Beef Souvlaki

And when you're ready, get that plate and take small portions of what you want to eat. Do not fill your plate to  a mountainous PG (Patay Gutom) or, even worse,  SPG (Super Patay Gutom) level.  First, because it's just not good table manners. Second, food is best enjoyed when it looks good. Third, Dad's, like most buffet restaurants, have a "no leftover policy." If you take too much without finishing it, you end up paying more. 

Don't be such a pig!

You can always go back again. And again. And again.

That's  the beauty of buffets. No one is judged for going back for seconds or thirds.

The staff behind the open-theater set-up were helpful in recommending what sauces and side dishes went well with the entrée’s I chose.

Open-theater- set up

Dad's World Buffet makes its own ham.

Special mention goes to the US Roast Beef. It was at Dad's when my own dad took me to my first buffet. This was the dish we both enjoyed the most. Biting through the tender, juicy meat smothered in Mushroom Gravy was a "Ratatouille moment."

For those with Balikbayan guests, the Pinoy selection includes classics like Lechon (and pritchon), Crispy Pata, Kare-Kare as well as regional favorites.

Crispy Pata and Kinilaw

And there are also quirky choices for the adventurous like the adobong balut.

The sign of a good buffet is the absence of lines. Not because people aren’t clogging up the cue to get food, it’s because they’ve already gotten what they want. No lines usually indicate that the dishes are replenished all the time. 

Great food shared amidst wonderful conversation...  was glad to discover, that after 38 years, it’s still the same at Dad’s.

Dad's World Buffet will be celebrating its 38th year with a one-day-only 50% discount on  August 26, 2015. For more details and reservations, pass by the nearest branch or check out their website .

SM Megamall

4^th Level Bridgeway, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong

Telephone: 633-1758, 636-3785 or 0917-8961757

EDSA

207 EDSA, Greenhills, Mandaluyong City

705-1807, 722-8125 or 0917-8988124

Glorietta

2nd Level, Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Makati City

892-8897 to 98 or 0917-8978896

Manila

523 Merchant Bldg., Padre Faura Street, Ermita, Manila

528-1723 to 24 or 0917-8971722

West Avenue

15 West Avenue, Quezon City

372-8845, 374-3767 or 0917-8988844

TASTED: CERVEZA NEGRA CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

I've always believed that one should  NEVER eat ice cream after drinking beer as it would only result in a terrible stomachache and embarrassing trips to the ladies room. That was until I got a chance to taste the Cerveza Negra Chocolate ice cream at the Vatel Restaurant Manila located at the rooftop of the Angelo King International Center in the heart of Manila.

Image courtesy of Vatel Manila Restaurant Facebook page

Part of the set lunch was an ice cream that combined two unlikely flavors: dark beer and chocolate. Despite years of the "no beer+ dairy rule," I just had to taste this quirky ice cream flavor topped with chopped pistachios.

For those too young to imbibe anything alcoholic,  Cerveza Negra is a  bitter-sweet dark lager with creamy caramel tones. It was introduced by Asia's first beer brewery in the 1890's.

Image courtesy of www.sanmiguelbrewery.com.ph

You read it right. It's been around for more than 100 years. And here's a quick trivia: at the turn of the century, nursing mothers were encouraged to drink beer to produce more breast milk. Barley, the main ingredient in beer contains polysaccharide which was then believed to stimulate the production of prolactin, the protein lets your mama's mammary glands make more milk.  Modern science has since refuted this belief and nursing moms nursing a cold bottle of beer are now frowned upon.

Let's toast to that!

But enough of breasts and beer. Let's get back to the ice cream.

The common ground of the two main ingredients is the bitter sweet flavor. The chocolate dominates the palate with an added hint of caramel from the lager. The pistachios add a nutty crunch to each spoonful of ice cream.  Though the combination seems unlikely, this is a quirky pleasant surprise.

So, the next time someone tells you not to have beer and ice cream, tell them these five magic words: Cerveza Negra Chocolate ice cream.

Vatel Restaurant Manila

Angelo King International Center

Arellano Ave. cor. Estrada St., 

Malate, Manila, Metro Manila

Telephone: 230-5100 local 2602

TASTED: BOCADITOS FROM BAKED BY ANITA

Back in 2011, every time I found myself at the Powerplant Mall on a weekend, I'd make sure to drop by the Baker's Fair stalls at Level 1 and get a box of bocaditos from Baked by Anita.  These moments were few and far in between because I live an hour and a half away. A few months ago, I discovered that they're  no longer part of the Baker's Fair (I guess it's been that long since I've been to Powerplant on a weekend).

Was really glad to discover that Baked by Anita now has a stall in SM Megamall's new Fashion Wing.

Got myself a box of six of these small but tasty and filling pastry.

Bocaditos (which loosely translates to "morsels") are Cuban tea sandwiches, usually made with soft rolls filled with ham spread and served as snacks or as party appetizers.

Baked by Anita's bocaditos' are not made from soft rolls but buttery and flaky pastry dough cups. Every filling is distinguished by its marking on the crown. This one with the star, is the Chicken and  Mushroom in Marsala Cream. It's a bit like bite sized chicken pot pie but a little bit dry.

 

But if chicken bores you, there's the Spanish Chorizo with Mozarella with the "C" marking.

That's a "C" not a horseshoe

For the vegetarians, they also have the Baby Spinach with French Goat Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts.

My personal favorite is the Wild Mushrooms with Gruyere & Truffle Oil. The truffle oil aroma wafts inside your mouth as you bite into the bocadito. Then the silky texture of the mushroom slides onto your tongue as you taste the nutty saltiness of the gruyere. This is what got me addicted to Bocaditos. Make sure to try it when do get a chance to buy from Baked by Anita.

Baked By Anita

Telephone: 736-2877 

E-mail: simplygood@anitali.com.ph

MARINADE OR MARINATE?

One of these words is a noun. The other one is a verb. Can you guess which is which?

MARINADE  /ˌmerəˈnād/  is a noun pertaining to "a savory usually acidic sauce in which meat, fish, or a vegetable is soaked to enrich its flavor or to tenderize it."

MARINATE /,merəˌnāt/ is a transitive verb pertaining to the act of putting "meat or fish in a sauce for a period of time to add flavor or to make the meat or fish more tender." 

Check out these websites for marinade recipes you can try:

SPIKE: THE TOP 10 MARINADES EVERY MAN MUST KNOW

ABOUT FOOD: TOP 10 MARINADE RECIPES

CANADIAN LIVING: 10 DELICIOUS MARINADES FOR CHICKEN

TIPNUT: 15 TASTY STEAK MARINADES

 

 

 

 

 

 

TASTED: PEPITA'S TRUFFLE LECHON

I am on a diet.

And, as anyone who's been on a diet knows, the moment you stop eating carbs, fat and salt,  the more your mind tortures you.  You start craving for a food your diet does not allow. I call it the torture food. Last week, my torture food was lechon, spit-roasted pig.

And lucky me, on my designated cheat day (that glorious day when you can eat whatever you like), I was invited to a dinner party that served lechon. And it wasn't just any ordinary spit-roasted pig, it was Truffle Lechon.

Image courtesy of Lechon Degustacion at Pepita's Kitchen

The lechon was stuffed with rice infused with truffle oil. Slivers of Shiitake mushroom were mixed in to add texture and another  layer of flavor to the rice.

Elle Esse Truffle oil

Now, let's talk truffle. 

Don't saw "Eww!" This  fungus is called "The Diamond of the Kitchen"

Truffles are  ectomycorrhizal subterranean Ascomyctete fungi of the tuber species which is dispersed via fungivores.  Now, don't be frazzled by the zoology gobbledygook. It just means it's a sac-like mushroom that grows underground among the roots of trees and its spores are spread about by animals that eat and shit it back to the ground.

That animal is usually a female pig.

Moi?

A Truffle Hog is a natural at truffle-seeking, because it is attracted to the smell of truffle which is similar to androstenol,  the sex pheromone found in boar saliva.

Let me have some sexy time with that truffle.

Because of its pungent aroma and strong syrupy sweet flavor, the truffle has been used since the Third Dynasty of Ur (20th century BCE). But it wasn't until the 17th Century that the truffle had a renaissance when they were served at the court of  King Francis I of France.

So, is truffle oil made from truffles?   

No. According to a 2007 Bon Apetit article, "Truffle oil is a cooking oil, such as olive or sunflower oil, that has been infused with the aroma of white or black truffles. The intense aroma and flavor of truffle oil doesn’t come from actual truffles but a chemical compound that resembles it closely, often marked on the bottle label as “natural flavors.”  

The chemical compound is thioether, which has a sulfur atom responsible for its pungent odor. Quite like the aroma of truffles. Which is why it's used in truffle oil. 

The recent popularity of truffle oil is attributed to its more accessible price range (compared to a real truffle). Celebrated modern chefs disdain the use of synthetic truffle oil. 

In the second season of "The Taste," Anthony Bourdain was quoted as saying ""Let it be stated here, unto forever and eternity, [synthetic] truffle oil is not food."

F*ck You, truffle oil!

Martha Stewart, when asked on Reddit about synthetic truffle oil, had this to say, "I think truffle oil is one of the few ingredients that doesn't belong in anyone's kitchen. It is ruinous of most recipes.

Like insider trading, truffle oil can ruin you.

In an interview with the Huffington post, Joe Bastianchi of "The Masterchef" franchise blames commerce for the prevalence of truffle oil. 

Sorry guys but the lechon begs to differ.

Pepita's kitchen:
Address: Magallanes Ave, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines

Telephone: +63 2 425 4605

TASTED: THE PERFECT REUBEN SANDWICH AT HILL STATION, BAGUIO

There is one restaurant that you must visit should you find yourself in Baguio, Hill Station.

This Asian fusion and tapas bar is a  Miele Guide awardee.  Launched in 2008, the Miele Guide is a regional guide to restaurants in Asia that ranks the top 20 restaurants in Asia using a multi-round judging process.  That means, food is taken seriously here at Hill Station.

It doesn't hurt that the place, despite looking very lived-in, is cozily located below one of Baguio's oldest hotels, Casa Vallejo. If you get the tables by the window, you get a great view of the country's summer capital.

 

There is also a foyer at the entrance for those who want to lounge and have a kuwentuhan session  with friends and family while drinking wine or cocktails.

Or if you have the kids with you, this is a sweet spot to have cakes for merienda...

... or to snack on some serious deli like the Reuben Sandwhich made with fresh USDA grade corned beef, topped with meltd cheese and a side of home-made sauerkraut. This just needs to be mentioned- the sauerkraut here is excellent, even better than the "authentic" German restaurants in Manila. it is not overly sour or bland and complements the well-spiced juicy corned beef chunks.  Just writing about it now is creating a Pavlovian response.  I am drooling at the memory of a sandwich. That's how good it is.

But if its rice you like, there's the Lechon Kawali with Laing sa Gata served with ampalaya salad and red mountain rice. You'll surely end up with a clean plate.

 Before you go home, you can also check out their bottled goodies like the Vegetarian Bagoong, guava jam and salsa monja.

Address: Casa Vallejo, Upper Session Road, Baguio City, 2600

Telephone: +6374 424 2734