While deciding over what to have for dessert, I heard someone in
the near background say – “finish strong” – so I did and ordered all the
available desserts half wishing they had more.
I have been obsessed with desserts in a jar for the past year
(particularly cakes in a jar). I tried
baking them in the jar (then holding my breath hoping the jar doesn’t explode),
baking the cake in a pan then layering it in the jar, filling them with a variety
of mousses, but it never came out the way I wanted it to.
Apparently, I over-thought it.
Burger Bar’s line of desserts all in jars plays on the good old
flavor combinations that are sure to appeal to most, if not all guests.
Armed with my long dessert spoon (ready to box out fellow
Forkplayers Jon and Ryan from the first bite), I watch as they set down the
Caramel Vanilla Bread Pudding and the Black and White Banana Split jars in
front of us. It is not what I originally
expected. The first jar was loosely
filled with cubes of their homemade burger bun bread pudding, simply topped off
with vanilla ice cream and finished with a generous serving of mini chocolate
chips. The second jar had chunks of
moist chocolate brownies layered with slices of fresh bananas, caramel sauce,
and two scoops of ice cream that stand proud with crown of whip cream and
strawberry syrup that just screams out for you to take a bite. Dessert jars are like your own little
treasure hunt, with each bite is a challenge to dig deep and get all the
different elements on your spoon, and into your mouth.
Walking away with the diyahe piece/spoonful, I came to a
conclusion that good desserts don’t necessarily have to come out all dolled up
to hit the spot. Maybe it’s about time I give the glass jars that go through my
kitchen a second chance…
Though most often associated with fast food and caloric
content that brings a tear to one’s eye, there’s so much more to hamburgers.
Think about it: a hamburger is simple. It’s ground up cow between bread. Then
again, a hamburger is complex. The right combination of herbs in the mix, or a
touch of sauce gives endless possibilities for preparation to tempt even the
snootiest food critics. The hamburger is many things; a paradox wrapped in a
mystery, ground and fried up as a puzzle patty between the buns called genius
and creativity.
EHRMEHRGEHRD BEHRCEHRN
In a lot of ways, that’s what makes Burger Bar such a perfect fit for the food it serves. Despite the upscale status of Greenbelt, the place is a simple, unassuming mezzanine that with a bit of an industrial twist. The overall atmosphere is relaxing. It’s a place where you can just kick back, and drool in anticipation for some awesome twists to some favorites of American cuisine.
Simple, but comfortable.
The place has a fantastic selection of sides. The basic Skinny Fries are pretty good and really affordable on their own, but they've also got a version topped with parmesan cheese and truffle oil which is to die for. Another favorite were the Fried Pickles. The light batter and the sour flavor of the pickles make an excellent first course, and with the speed my group finished them off, I can safely say that we could polish off a bag full of them easily. The Buttermilk Chicken Tenders are another must try. Served with Roasted Jalapeno Ranch and Curried Mango Aioli, they’re a real treat for both kids and adults. Like most American diners, they also have a collection of milkshakes of which the Salted Caramel stood out. Upon ordering, the waiter informed us that we could have it with vodka too! HEAVEN!
Juicy chicken, awesome dip.
Cut the pickle, you get a...
Of course, a place called Burger Bar should have mind-blowing hamburgers, and it does! You can go for simple classics like their cheeseburger, quarter-pounds of pure beef with that melt-in-your-mouth texture that only freshly ground beef can give, the “Tributes,” however, are the definite must-haves. Available as either single or the recommended double patty, you can choose from some of Burger Bar’s signature toppings which, as the name implies, pay homage to classics flavors from all over while adding a generous helping of their own style and flair. Like mushrooms on your burger? The Rising Shroom is topped with fried oyster mushroom tempura and truffle cream cheese. Bacon lover? You’ll be worshiping The Piggy and its combination of garlic aioili, bacon strips, mozzarella, and bacon jam. BACON. JAM.
Always shroom for more!
If, on the other hand, you fancy yourself a member of the burger-topping-bourgeois, you can try your hand at making your own creation, starting from the bun, toppings, and even the beef itself. What’s that? Choose beef? Yep, besides its signature blend, Burger Bar also offers special blends of ground beef made from different cuts such as The Beef Bomb, a combination of chuck and short rib with a unique nuttiness, or The Big Game, a marriage of hanger and brisket which should have the bold flavor of aged beef. Unfortunately, the other blends weren’t available during our visit, but if the flavors are as unique as the menu claims, they could definitely be one of the biggest game changers in the local burger scene.
Burger Building 101
At only a few days old, Burger Bar has managed to thoroughly impress this old meat lover with the array of flavors and options it has presented. Though the world may never fully understand the burger and all its many layers of complex puzzlery, this is one place that takes a giant leap forward towards bringing perfection; no, hamburfection to the Philippines.
“You’ll
have to try the coffee braised beef hot pot. But don’t forget the buchi; it’s
got Reese’s chocolate filling.” These were words alien yet familiar; the usual
suspects found in a Chinese restaurant’s menu. As Chow Fun’s owner Danio Caw
did his roll call of dishes each came into sharp focus, wheeled in on the Lazy
Susan of my mind. The hotpot, when brought in, was a bubbling bowl of dark
caramel-hued stew meant more for the small, amazing eateries I imagine lining
Beijing or Taipei’s side streets. Instead, it’s off Wilson Street, flanked by a
Chinese herbal drugstore and facing a Buddhist temple.
Forget Starbucks, get your caffeine jolt from Chow Fun's Coffee Braised Beef. Right: Modern art - Chow Fun style
Free Zen meditation classes at the Ocean Sky temple facing the restaurant
Like
other neighbourhood favourites Ristras, Chicken Charlie, and Kanzhu, Chow Fun
is casual modern. Instead of red and gold decor, productions Yue Minjun’s
grinning paintings hang on concrete walls. Chairs are deliberately mismatched,
and so are the overhead lamps, which crowd above each table.
Chow Fun's modern interiors by designer Gwyn Guanzon
As
with interiors so with the menu too: Expect a cross-section of China’s food map
that delightfully goes off-tangent. The tender braised beef could nearly, effortlessly
slide down your throat, but it’s the robust, assertive coffee flavour that
makes it stand out. Duck spring rolls are crisp and oily, kind of like pulutan begging to be hand with a cold
bottle of Tsing Tao. While a mildly gamey taste will coat your mouth, the dish
is served with three sauces – orange, chilli, and vinegar.
A duck! Precisely!: Fowl-filled spring rolls with three kinds of sauce
Bigger
portions include a Lechon Macau on hefty mound of fried rice. It’s a meal on
its own, and while the pork is crisp enough, you’ll want it crunchier if
possible. There’s a pork bun version too for merienda stop-overs.
Lutong Macau: There's no secret to Chow Fun's hearty Lechon Macau with rice
While most
dishes are good, a few are more stellar than most like Chow Fun’s House Fried
Chicken. Don’t let the pedestrian name fool you – this amazing chicken could be
enough to wean most off of their Bon Chon addiction. Without anything else, it
could be the dish most fried chickens could aspire to: juicy white meat under a
crispy skin with excellent texture.It comes coated in pepper and dried plum
powder – think champoy – that reels you in with sweetness, then becomes
peppery, and finally back to sweet.
The House Fried Chicken comes coated in powdered plum, and a vinegar dip on the side
And
the buchi? A molten, gooey Reese’s core left us weak-kneed and pining for more!
Chow Fun's buchi comes in two versions: Dark chocolate and Reese's filling. Lord have mercy
And more there ought to be: Despite not being over six months old yet, and
still refining a fluid menu, Chow Fun shows a lot of promise. Dynamic and
slightly unhinged, upbeat and creative instead of staid, it puts its own stamp
on what Chinese cuisine can and should, proving to us that bending rules are
often fun.
CHOW
FUN Modern Chinese Bistro
Ground
Floor, 103 J. Abad Santos Street, Little Baguio, San Juan City
I have many dreams in life - and after watching Korean rapper's Gangnam Style music video for the seventy sixth time, I'm adding another one to the list: Being able to do Korean rapper PSY's horse-dance with a flash mob in the middle of Edsa. Because really how awesome would be to spontaneously break into synchronized fake galloping in the streets of Manila?
Also, because of K-Pop fever, my hair kind of looked like this for six months:
Thanks Tony & Guy! That was a poorly made life decision.
Fortunately there's not much to be confused about with a steaming bowl of bibimbap. With Filipinos' ongoing infatuation for all things Korean, it's no surprise that Korean food - hearty, exotic, and often spicy - have many smitten. From family-run groceries that make their own kimchi to barbecue dens all over to chains like Bon Chon, Sariwon, and Bulgogi Brothers, the culinary floodgates are wide open.
Chef's Noodle, one of Korea's celebrated restaurant chains has finally arrived in Manila. Taft Avenue to be exact, and pioneering it is no less than the founder, Chef Choi In Sun:
Why does Chef Choi In Sun always wear a fedora? I'd like to believe it's because he moonlights as a gumshoe detective. Or archaeologist. You'll know him because he also shows up in your tamago.
How egg-cellent! . . . Shutting up now.
Their specialty, the aptly-named Chef's Noodle (P150) gives a potent kick of flavors with every slurp. This salty and peppery broth is chock-full of tender beef slices, tofu puffs, scallions, and beansprouts (giant togue that's a recurring theme in Korean cuisine). The noodles themselves have good 'bite' - not too flimsy or soggy. For most, a bowl is more than enough, but then again, there's more to Chef's Noodle than - er - noodles.
Chef's Noodles by Chef's Noodles
What makes it the restaurant's bestseller? Until Chef Choi tells us, we'll just have to assume only the most delicious of ingredients...
No, Po's father. Just no.
For starters, the Wanja Steak Jun (P175) reminds us of breakfast, the hearty kind had by high schoolers who pound their tables for more rice and egg in their meals. This Korean-style burger steak is topped with egg and cheese and comes served in a dimsum basket. Imagine a a deconstructed cheeseburger sans the bread buns. The meat as you'd expect is tender but with crisp, burned edges. It's slathered with a salty-savory-syrupy sauce that goes well with rice.
You've also got Ddukbokki (P150)- a dish that sounds like a special martial arts move in Street Fighter. But it's in fact a Korean favorite. And while sapin-sapin drenched in chili sauce gives me pause, it is in some ways the best description of Ddukbokki. Tube-shaped chunks of chewy rice cake will give your jaw muscles ample exercise. It looks and tastes spicy, but the heat is steady and never reaches scorching levels. Fruit juices add some measure of sweetness too.
(For the stubbornly ravenous among us, Chef's Noodle has a Ddukbokki-eating challenge. Eat the most, and you can be part of a meet-and-greet with Chef Choi and Grace 'I-dated-the-president' Lee. Plus you get some sweet swag and bragging rights. I imagine a shirt that says "I Ddukbokkick Ass!")
Though Korean, there's sushi to be had too including raw beef on rice. Your order comes in a neat row of glossy, pink Australian strip sirloin and - because anything on fire is double the fun - is subjected to a constant flame by someone wielding a kitchen blowtorch. (Also, this is a bad ass method for lighting cigarettes.) Dubbed the Starking Fire Sushi (P160), Chef Choi demo'd this first in South Korea's Star King talent show.
Several seconds under the flame renders the meat medium rare while leaving it raw beneath. The glutinous rice has a vinegar element that perks up your taste buds.
Fire: It makes everything taste better.
Seafood Pajun
Filipinos will find two other dishes surprisingly familiar: Torta's distant Korean cousin, the Seafood Pajun (P99), is an omelette pancake filled with chopped squid and vegetables. Leek Shrimp Twigim (P99) are crunchy, deep-fried shards of shrimp and leeks in tempura batter somewhat like ukoy.
Exotic yet homey, comfort food with a touch of K-Pop coolness, Chef's Noodle just might be Taft's answer to students craving all things Korean.
Oh, and it's almost as addictive as that Gangnam Style song.
Chef's Noodle
2nd Floor, University Mall, Taft Avenue, Manila (facing College of St. Benilde)
Tel. 09328715560
www.chefsnoodlephils.com
7107 EATS by Asian Food Channel promises to be an afternoon of gastronomic galore with specialties from the country's colorful culinary heritage. Plus expect top chefs to demo cooking ideas with clever twists on Filipino favorites. Sous vide adobo with truffle oil anyone?
We're loosening our belts already.
PS. What's more Sky Cable subscribers get in for free. Huzzah!
Science geeks rejoice! There's much to be giddy about with the newly opened Mind Museum. While we imagine a dimly lit gallery of brains floating in glass jars, The Fort's brand new science center is somewhat more cheerful. Spanning two vast floors and containing a plethora of exhibits, the Mind Museum brings concepts in biology, geology, physics, and chemistry to life. (The dinosaurs however stay disappointingly dead.) But even for the rest of us who shy away from the joys of memorizing the periodic table of elements, there's still reason to have a blast: miniature tornadoes, faux fossil digs, and a 20-minute 3-D romp through the history of life on planet Earth.
There's more than a grain of truth to the history of rice
Mind Burst weekends provide quirky, hands-on activities including t-shirt dyeing and sandwich-making. Coming up is Extra Rice Please!: an exploration of rice's grainy history from ancient Banawe Rice Terraces to today's infatuation with Unli-Rice. During the event, the culinary experts from The Cookery Place will also provide creative rice meals. Guess we all have a good reason to go carbo loading...
Oven and Earth: Tuscano's pizza is cooked the traditional way - quickly and fiercely in a wood-fire brick oven
Looking back, we solidly put the blame on Giadda for making us take a second, longer look at the heaving, bouncing - er - bounty that is Italian cuisine. Few things give us fevered dreams like the image of oven-cooked pizza, thin with a crackly crust and smothered in cheese. Hell, Ryan even went so far as to delve into pie research, resurfacing with a top 10 gourmet pizza list last year. Alas, Tuscano hadn't opened yet when he was stuffing his face with mozzarella and pepperoni. Because really, it would be a shame to overlook this darling of a ristorante just a shy block away from Burgos Circle.
A high ceiling and spacious floor plan makes Tuscano the ideal dining place for after office hours meet-ups with friends, or family gatherings on the weekends
Fresh is big on the menu here - handmade noodles, sauces made daily, and gourmet ingredients picked ripe. Thanks to a wood-fire brick oven, the transformation from raw dough to crisp pizza happens in five minutes. There are other things to be had too like wild mushroom and mozzarella risotto balls - crisp golden brown spheres of flavorful arborio rice. Each lump is stuffed with a gooey mozzarella core.
No need to be shy with your veggies either: the Tuscano signature salad mixes assorted greens with toasted pine nuts, grilled asparagus, stewed cinnamon apples, grapes, artichokes,and black olives. Everything's tossed in a light vinaigrette that helps enhance, not distract you, from the individual flavors. It's light, refreshing, and a good contrast to Italian cooking's richer dishes.
Tuscano will teach you to eat your greens with offerings like asparagus and egg pizza (right), and a lush signature salad with mixed greens, stewed cinnamon apples, and grapes.
Left: Baked Norweigan salmon on a bed of risotto. Right: The massive house pork chop is fork-tender.
Left: Sweet pear and gorgonzola pizza - one of the restaurant's unique offerings. Right: Watch the staff make fresh pizzas by the brick oven.
As for richer: Tuscano's Sweet pear and gorgonzolapizza brings together the natural sweetness of pears baked with sharp and salty gorgonzola cheese (also known as blue cheese) makes for a unexpected, but winning combination. Imagine the texture of cooked apples here. A bite invites you to playground of flavor - sweet, salty, smokey. You'll be surprised by how well the marriage of peaches and gorgonzola work on this pizza.
If you're like us, you'll be floored by their 14 kinds of gourmet pizzas including:
Sweet Pear and Gorgonzola
Asparagus and Egg
Gamberetto
Margherita and Goat Cheese
Braised Lamb and Mushroom
Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese
Left: Pizza Gamberetto with baby shrimps, pesto, and white sauce. Right: Tuscano's high ceiling and spacious interiors draw in families and barkadas
Carnivore's won't be disappointed either with mainstays like lamb chops in balsamic jus, Milanese osso bucco, and balsamic-glazed pork chop (above). Perfectly seasoned and cooked, we love the taste of a perfect pork chop that practically melts in our mouths. The mushroom risotto it comes with provides a mildly sweet and mushy.
Our attention was easily won over by one of Tuscano's more peculiar specialties: beef stew casserole with chocolate. The meat practically falls apart as you slice it, and the sauce -- it's that perfect blend of bitter and sweet. If you've never thought of chocolate as a savory ingredient, this is the dish that will change your mind.
Left: Fisherman's Seafood and Black Ink Pasta. Right: Tuscano's beef stew casserole with chocolate.We're wondering if it's Hershey's or Cadbury.
And how could this be an Italian restaurant without cannoli? These spring roll-looking darlings stuffed with cream are an Italian staple. In this case it's drizzled with chocolate and mango bits. Stuffed beyond belief, you'll still be eyeing that last slice of pizza or final bite of cannoli. "Is it worth it?" you ask yourself. You bet it is.
Tuscano Italian Wood Oven Pizza and Restaurant
Unit 3 Ground Floor, Fort Residences Building, 30th Street corner 2nd Avenue
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Contact 4787503 or visit www.tuscanowoodovenpizza.com
Japanese cuisine is perhaps one of the most
elegant in the world. From the humble bowl of rice to the elegantly sliced
perfection of the freshest sahimi, the food is a reflection of the centuries of
growth and evolution of their culture. While most Japanese restaurants present
a gastronomic garden (with meat, just going for the alliteration here) Yabu
instead chooses to focus on one aspect of the cuisine's spectrum: deep fried
breaded meat. (Insert huge grin here.)
The initial thought may put off some
diners. "Tonkatsu? I can grab that at any fast food Japanese joint,
right?" Yeah, but you can also grab a gravy slathered centimeter slice of
beef and call it steak. It's all in how you look at it. What is foi gras but
extremely nummy liver spread? So yes,
this is a deep fried slab of pork, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better
one without flying north to the "land of the rising sun."
The ever-reliable tonkatsu: For the Japanese it's a filling meal and also a handy iPhone cover.
There's a lot to love with this deceptively
simple dish. The loin is covered in panko,
the traditional Japanese breading, and according to their menu, fried at a
specific temperature down to the exact second as taught to the restaurant by
the chef of one of the premiere tonkatsu restaurants in Tokyo.
At the new Yabu in Mega Mall, you'll first be given a small bowl of sesame seeds to begin the
interactive sauce preparation. It's no trouble at all and the kids should get a
kick out of the activity. Once ground you then pour some of the tonkatsu sauce
over the seeds and mix, resulting in a nice, thick sauce, tastier and not quite
as sweet as the ones served in local fast food joints.
Ground and pound: Sesame seeds for preparing the tonkatsu sauce.
Whatever it is about their cooking process,
be it the cut, the temperature, the time, or perhaps all the simple facets
combined, the dish is simply perfection. The local pork variant of rosu or loin is already incredibly moist
and tender, and you can also opt for the slightly healthier hire cut which has the fat trimmed. Yabu
also offer a premium set of kurobuta pork,
a variant with heavy marbling which is just... out of this world. The extra fat
makes it even juicier to the point that it literally melts in your mouth.
Up close and personal with my lovely tonkatsu
I love fried stuff. I love meat. I love
tonkatsu. Health benefits? I honestly can't think of any besides a rush of endorphins
whenever I took a bite. Yabu isn't one of those places where you go for a salad.
What it is is a restaurant that knows how to do what it does well. When you
visit, just order as big an order as you can manage and indulge. It's the piece
of meat that poets write epics about and heroes go to war for.
Jonathan Lansang is a hardcore foodie who will not pass up eat-all-you-can's, food challenges with time limits, and massive portions of meat. He co-runs Burger Boys, a family-owned diner, and has written for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Metro, and Yummy.
We know, we know. It's been a quiet past few weeks - okay months - and you're probably wondering, "Where'd they go? Are they still alive?" We've been right here all along folks.
At our Pampanga food trip with Chef Jam Melchor (far right) of Villa Cafe.
But caught between blogging and the demands of real life, we've opted to keep mum for the time being until we could sort out our lives. And my how we've sorted them out. Here's what we've been up to lately:
Bianca just finished her Master's Degree in Multimedia Journalism in Columbia earlier this May, and after months of investigating crime scenes, interviewing guys who sell M&M's on the subway, and yes, exploring a monster makeup convention, she's finally ready to make good use of her newly minted degree.She'll be interning with Mashable starting June. For now however, she's vacationing in Austin, Texas, sampling tacos, slow-cooked beef brisket, barbecue, and giant doughnuts. We have never been more jealous.
Our resident baker Twinkle has also moved up the ladder of luxury, doing PR and marketing for no less than Bulgari and Hermes Philippines. Can you expect hundred thousand peso-handbags and purses next to homemade key lime pies during our shoots from now on? Probably not yet - although we've come close. Last month Twinkle (or should we say 'Angelina'?) teamed up with swimsuit designer Twinkle Ferraren for a Twinkle-Twinkle shoot.
Jon continues to wow crowds with his superb knowledge of pop culture during Trivia Night and Geek Fight. Lately though he's taken on a bigger role, helping run Burger Boys. By day he scours the metro for cheap foodie finds and buffets, and by night he, uh - well he's been caught up playing Diablo 3. Last April he returned to his home province of Pampanga with us in tow to do a Kapampangan food trip.
And as for Ryan? He's all over the place these days - shooting, writing, and attempting to be a grown adult. On some days he hikes off to Makati in a dress shirt and tie, other times he's in jeans and sneakers. He still dreams of visiting Europe, but in the meantime, has to deal with a dozen flavors of homemade ice cream in his freezer he has to rate. Check out his monthly restaurant review in Yummy magazine. And speaking of Yummy...
Oh yes. A whole day of eating this Saturday! See you there!
The J-School is on spring break, and for the most part, the weather has been gorgeous. Sundresses, fresh flowers, fresh produce---the air hums of spring. But I've been cooped up inside a building, snacking on biscuits and juice to get my sugar up while working on my master's project (ironically, which is on obesity). I can't wait to throw on a pair of shorts and running shoes and make my way through Central Park. But you know what they say about Irish luck---I sure hope it doesn't rub off on me! I need to get out for some sunshine.
It's also St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, and there'll be plenty of drunken revelers around town drinking green beer and wearing sparkly green hats. Me? I'll be shooting for a documentary, and hopefully sneaking in a visit to a museum or a good dinner. And probably mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, just because.
I also really want to try the Shamrock Shake. I know, I know. It's all artificial ingredients---food coloring and high fructose corn syrup, things I normally avoid like the plague. But I love mint, and I love milkshakes. I make a homemade version with better ingredients, but it kind of ruins the fun and limited-edition spirit of the thing.
So, should I go for broke and haul myself to McDonald's?
POP CULTURE: Beat the heat with these homemade healthy pops with flavors (left to right) like Spirulina, Baguio strawberries, and freshly-squeezed oranges. Sugarleaf owner Angelo Songco (rightmost) comes up with new flavors each week.
Bring up popsicles and I revert to my nine-year old self fussing over his Twin Popsies. These were (are - they're still around) bright orange sheets of ice the color of road construction cones that tasted of sugar, syrup, and maybe a drop or two of citrus. In short, sheer magic for the blistering hot summer of '93. Nineteen years later and I still love popsicles though time has made me a little more choosy.
So when Angelo Songco who owns healthy-leaning cafe Sugarleaf came out with his own line of homemade pops, it seemed that nine-year old me and his yuppie, slightly jaded counterpart could finally agree on something. So far there are three flavors - a glowing blue Spirulina that's mildly tastes of sea, Mountain Province-picked strawberries, and orange, awfully reminiscent of the kiyat-kiyat I had snacked on earlier that day.
Each tastes fresh in a way usual frozen desserts don't, and though not as creamy or sweet, they're pretty satisfying too. Try them or other kooky flavors at a Sugarleaf near you.
Sugarleaf
Ground Floor, Health Cube Building, 226 Wilson Street, West Greenhills, San Juan City
Tel. 385 0387
Ground Floor, MEDICard Lifestyle Center, 51 Paseo de Roxas corner Gil Puyat (Buendia) Avenue, Makati City
Tel. 891 7323
