Chique Foodie's Birthday Food Wishlist!

My birthday is just around the corner, and that entitles me to a wishlist. Says who? Me! :p It's always nice to celebrate with sumptuous food and I definitely would love to have them on my birthday!

1. Soda Stream. I'm all about getting fit nowadays. Staying in shape means regular workout and watching out what I eat. While I don't drink softdrinks at home, I usually order them when I eat out to aid in my digestion, specially when I eat meat or greasy food. But I know how harmful softdrinks are and I really really want to quit them. Solution? Soda stream!

This cool gadget turns any water or juice to cabonated drinks! Isn't that amazing? Check out their website for more info. It is also locally available at Gourdo's. And I WANT ONE! :)

2. Mrs. Yulo's Strawberry Shortcake. It is extremely difficult to find Strawberry Shortcakes in general, here in Manila. And it happens to be my favorite cake. For my birthday, I really want to order Mrs. Yulo's Strawberry Shortcake. It looks so yummy and I heard a lot of raves about this on other food blogs. To order, call 810-8078 or 812-4961. Pick up is at 19 Kawayan St. North Forbes, Makati.

                                    

Mrs. Yulo's Strawberry Shortcake (Photo from dessertcomesfirst.com)

3.  Caramel Cake. I am not a chocolate person. I happen to be a caramel person. I love caramel in all it's form. And cake is not an exemption. I have tried Costa Brava's caramel cake and loved it! I like how it's not too overwhelmingly sweet. Estrel's caramel cake on the other hand, I have yet to try. I've read so much praises about it I'm dying to try one on my birthday! :) To order Estrel's caramel cake, call 372-2965 or 371-7938 or visit their store which is located at 54 Scout Tobias cor Sct. Limbaga Sts., Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City. As for Costa Brava's Caramel Cake, call  8961267; 8966872 (Look for Buboy or Inday) and pick up is at 12 Polaris St., Bel-Air Village, Makati City. 

                                     

                  Estrel's Caramel Cake. (photo from Estrel's facebook page)

I also came across this interesting caramel cake while googling. It's Caramel Cake by Monica Allado-De Luzuriaga.  

(Photo from dessertcomesfirst.com)

 It's not the usual caramel cakes I've seen. And I have a feeling I'll like this one. To order, call 0915-992-1636 or 926-1239. Pick up is at  44 Samar Ave. Brgy. South Triangle, Quezon City. 

4. Red Ribbon Coffee Crunch. This is my favorite cake amongst the commercial brands. I can literally finish one whole cake in one seating. I buy one everytime I see a Red Ribbon store. :)

                                

5. Royce Nutty Bar. Like I've mentioned earlier, I am not a chocolate person. But occasionally, I find things I like, and this, I loved. 

                                              

6. Ferrero Rocher. Another chocolate I like. This is what I grab everytime I strangely crave chocolate. 

                                          

7. Rose Cava. Eversince I started drinking cava, I hardly drink any other alcoholic beverages. It's yummy and gives me just the right amount of buzz. I'm not particular about a brand, and I'm willing to try as many as I can. I frequent Freixenet Rose Cava, because it's readily available in many of the local restaurants. 

                                     

8. Bizu Macaroons. It's been awhile since I've eaten in Bizu. I remember eating there alot with my sister. I haven't had the chance to try many of their pastries, but I absolutely love their macaroons! 

                                       

For now, that wraps up my food wishlist. I'm definitely excited to celebrate my birthday with good food and greater company. Happy weekend everyone! :) 

P.S. 

You may also check out Chique Intuition's non-food wishlist here! 

Angel's Pizza Pasta Combo

I don't really know the details, but Domino's Pizza is gone and is now replaced with Angel's Pizza. The taste and the quality is the same, just with a new name (same goes for the menu). Anyhow, I love Domino's pizza so I gave Angel's Pizza a try. And here's my verdict. 

Extra Feast (Php435). This would be the Extravaganza equivalent in Domino's.  Same dough, same toppings. 

Bacon Pizza. 

3 things I love about Angel's Pizza (Domino's Pizza):

1. IT'S NOT OILY. You can hold the pizza and have absolutely no oil in your hands. 

2. Softest crust. I usually don't like the edge crust of pizzas, but their crust is so soft and yummy!

3. Buy 1 take 1 promo after midnight (till 3 am). With any order of pizza, you get 1 free pizza, just choose from Bacon, Pepperoni and Hawaiian. I recommend Bacon pizza. Again, not oily, with lots of bacon and ham.

Two thumbs up! :)

Sizzling Pepper Steak

As the famous line goes, Sizzling Pepper Steak is "a second rate, trying hard copycat".

The menu

I suppose this is the "sauce"

Beef Curry Pepper Rice. (Php 170)

After mixing with the "sauce"

It wasn't anything inedible or yucky. It was "okay". But if you've tried  Pepper Lunch, you would rather pay the extra bucks to eat the "original" than shelve out 170 pesos for this. Yun lang pow. 

Home Cooked Meals

I've just started a new workout routine recently, thus, I've been eating out less lately. I love exploring new food and restaurants but it can take toll on fitness. So I decided to also include some home cooked meals in the blog to inspire people to dine at home and actually cook. Enjoy! :)

Sunrise Gambas :)

Putanesca with Fish 

Nachos of a Five Star Hotel

You want to see how nachos from a Five Star Hotel look like?

Old nachos with cheap mozzarella cheese. The nachos had no crunch at all, makunat as my friends called it. The mozzarella cheese did nothing to improve the bad nachos. It made all the nachos stick together. 

After some justifiable complaints, this is what came back to us.

More old nachos with hardened mozzarella cheese and two sauces-- tomato sauce and hot sauce. (Php 350)

It was the most disgusting thing ever. I don't mind expensive food as long as it's worth the price. I just couldn't believe a five star hotel would serve something like this. Ugh. Never. Again.

Chicken Chicken!

If you are from Benilde or La Salle, you probably know about Chicken Chicken. But for those who don't, I say this is a place worth trying.

Porkchop and Liempo.

Special sauce with sili (left)  and my own concoction of vinegar and soy sauce (right) for the liempo. 

5 things I love about Chicken Chicken:

1. Breaded porkchop. Served with rice, these porkchop is surprisingly not too oily (im allegic to deep fried food) and the breading and the meat is in perfect harmony. It's seasoned well that it doesn't necessarily need any sauce. A must try!!!! 

2. The "special" sauce. The special sauce can be found in plastic bottles at the tables. You can consume as much as you want. What makes this sauce special is it's mysterious combination of ingredients. It's quite challenging to describe it. It has a hint of cinnamon (or so I think) and it's one of the secret recipes of the place. 

3. Serving. Generous serving always gets a thumbs up from me. And Chicken Chicken makes sure everyone goes home with a full stomach.

4. Price. One order of Porkchop with rice is 72 pesos. For it's quality and quantity, it's really too good to be true.

5. No non-sense menu. Chicken Chicken has 4 food on their menu (except for instant cup noodles and softdrinks). They are Chicken with rice, Porkchop with rice, Liempo with rice, and Sisig (without rice). Prices range from 72 to 80 pesos. Seriously.

Located along Estrada Street, it's not that hard to find (although there is no sign outside). It's just across Angelo King / AKIC. So if you are around the area, go give this place a try! :) Enjoy!

Sbarro

There are things that look really, really good. And usually, they taste really really good too. But this, made me feel cheated! 

Angus Cheese Steak Pizza (Php 186). Whoever named this pizza deserves an award for coming up with such a mouthwatering-borderlining-on-deceit name. I wonder if this person ever tasted this. Okay, so where do I begin? First of all, I didn't know Sbarro put complimentary pasta sauces on their pizzas (you get to choose between white and red sauce). Is it necessary? I don't know. I really can't say if this made the pizza less edible or more edible. So I guess that the problem was not in the pasta sauces. The first bite, all I tasted was the dairy-- butter, chesse, cream. Where was the Angus beef and pizza?! We just couldn't figure out why we couldn't taste anything else other than the forementioned ingredients. I mean, the pizza was stuffed. Then we figured it out. The top layer was just too thick that it overpowered everything else. Without the top layer, it wasn't that bad. But for the price and the misleading name, I really wouldn't eat this again.

Chicago White Deep Dish (Php 172). This was worse. I can not forgive this pizza. Again, it had that top layer of dairy products. I could barely taste any pepperoni or ham. To sum it up, it was a cheap Hawaiian Pizza stuffed under a layer of cheap dairy products, disguising itself with a pretentious name. Why it's called "Chicago White Deep Dish", I don't know. 

I guess what made this Sbarro experience a bad one, is the fact that we just had too much expectations. Their pizzas really looked so good! But alas, looks can be deceiving. And we were thoroughly disappointed.

I actually want other people's opinion on these pizzas. Tell me what you think. I'd love to hear them! :)

Bubba Gump, Greenbelt 3

Okay, note to self: DO NOT GO OUT ON A FRIDAY NIGHT JUST TO EAT. To put it mildly, the traffic was horrible, parking was a b*tch and the restaurants had 30 minutes ++ waiting list. 

But thank God, Bubba Gump didn't disappoint. Here's what I had. 

The blue "Run Forrest Run" sign that pretty much means you are okay. Flip it to the red "Stop Forrest" sign when you need anything from the crew.

Calamari and Dip. It was our first time to try it, and the only reason we ordered it is because we saw alot of tables eating it. The verdict? hmmm... Mediocre. Nothing special. But it was better when eaten with the bedding of shredded cabbage and squeeze of lime. Unlike the usual thick batter, this just had parsley, flour, salt and pepper. According to Italian food expert Frankie, this is close to how Italians really cook their calamari. Personally, I had a problem with their "dip". It was just mayo and ketchup, hardly what I'd call a dip.

Cajun Shrimp. This I loved. The shrimps were fresh and juicy, with the right amount of herbs and cajun spices. Every bite was tasty. I also appreciated the portion. I have this fear of ordering shrimp appetizers coz they usually come in not more than five pieces. But this order had twenty (yes, I counted) shrimps! Great value for money. As for the garlic bread, I just wish it had less butter in it. It was too oily for my taste. But the shrimp, was divine. 

Bourbon Street Mahi Mahi. This is one of my favorites. The grilled Mahi Mahi was moist and flavorful throughout, and again, the shrimps were full of flavor. The Bourbon sauce is really commendable because it is light enough to compliment the Mahi Mahi, without overpowering it.

Mama's Southern Fried Chicken. Please excuse the last photo, we were so hungry at this point, photo quality was the last thing on our mind. Anyhow, this dish is surprisingly good, knowing that Bubba Gump is really more of a seafood restaurant. It is boneless and smothered in gravy. What more can you ask for?

Bubba Gump surely knows how to cook their shrimp. Next time, I'm going for that bucket of steamed shrimps and ice cold beer!

Aristocrat Restaurant

I am not a chicken person. The main reason behind this is because it's tricky to eat. Yes, hindi ako marunong maghimay. Unless it's boneless or someone does the tedious task of deboning for me, I probably won't order chicken. On the other hand, I love anything grilled and I love everything barbecue. So when Aristocrat was suggested for lunch, I happily obliged without any violent reaction.

Aristocrat's famous Chicken Barbecue with Java Rice. I really like how well-marinated their chicken is. Plus their Java rice is something else. The atchara was bit dry but the juicy chicken made up for it.

Grilled Spare Ribs (half). This is what I had. Just like the chicken barbecue, the meat was marinated well, and the cut had just the right amount of fat-meat ratio that I actually finished the whole thing without leaving any extra fat.

Now, this special Java sauce is what Aristocrat's is known for too. It's too "peanuty" for my taste but nonetheless, it adds that extra sweetness and umph  to the barbecues served here.

While waiting for the food, I also checked out their bakery and tried a couple of things too. I loved their Creme Puff and Mocha Lemon Squares but forgot to take pictures! I will definitely go back to buy more and will feature them soon!

Happy weekend everyone! :)

Bistro Saratoga, Tagaytay Midlands

Tagaytay Highlands is one of my favorite getaway. Aside from it's blissful Spa, it also has numerous restaurants that offer different cuisines.

Bistro Saratoga is actually situated in Midlands surrounded by plush greenery.

The al fresco area. One perk of dining in Tagaytay is that you can always enjoy al fresco dining with cool breeze and fresh air. 

Just looking at this picture relaxes me! :)

The high ceiling gazebo was just perfectly cozy and breezy. Perfect lunch weather! 

Greenhouse Bistro Salad with Mango and Raspberry Vinaigrette. This came with the main dish I ordered. Fresh greens, nuts and cheese. Light yet so tasty! 

Philly Cheesesteak. The BEST Philly Cheesesteak, period. 

Balsamic Marinated Pot Roast. Oh this one was a winner. The meat was marinated to perfection. The tangy sweet sauce was the perfect compliment to the tender beef. 

Glass of ice-cold Coca Cola. 

Koi pond beside the gazebo.

Dining experience in Tagaytay has become not too far from city dining. Most restaurants are crowded, some with booming music. But in Tagaytay Highlands (specially in Midlands), you can actually just enjoy the view, breathe in the fresh air and literally hear birds chirping. Now doesn't that sound like the perfect backdrop for a perfect meal? :)

Wai Ying, Ongpin

Obviously, you will find the best Chinese restaurants in China Town. And Wai Ying is definitely one of them. You haven't had Chinese food 'till you've eaten in Wai Ying.

Hakaw. Now this is hakaw. None of that shrimp-wannabe stuffings you find in most Chinese fastfood place. You will taste shrimp in every bite!

Siomai. I'm very particular about Siomai, since it's one of my favorite dumplings. And Wai Ying siomai is my standard for good siomai. Perfect combination of real pork and mushroom stuffing. A must-try. Wai Ying also sells them in frozen packs.

Curry Beef Rice. Err, the picture doesn't do justice to this dish. Actually it was my first time to try this because I just wanted to order something new. And it didn't disappoint. It had just the right amount of curry with tender beef that just melts in your mouth.

Honey Baked Ribs. This is the cult-favorite. All my friends go to Wai Ying for this. A must-try!

Soup. Regardless of what restaurants I'm at, I usually ask for soup. Most restaurants will give you the soup base of their noodle soup. They won't mind if you ask for more (and more and more) as long as you work your charm and ask them nicely. I love having soup while eating because it helps you lessen your water intake during the meal. Because drinking too much water while eating can actually hinder digestion and absorption of nutrients in the stomach. 

So the next time you are in China town, go try Wai Ying. I'm sure you will go back for more.

Welcome to Chique Foodie!

Aside from shoes, food is the second thing I splurge on without thinking twice. After all, we all need to eat, right?

Always in search of the next best thing, join me as I embark on a gastronomical journey exploring everything from fishballs to almas caviar. 

Enjoy! :)