Orient Express Part 1

Forkplay gets lost in Binondo

Lech-Get It-On!

Jon goes toe to toe with Uncle Cheffy's garlic studded pork belly lechon

This Diet Ain't Proletariat

Raise your forks to the revolution! Discover Hunan and Sichuan cooking at Komrad

Apple of My Eye

Bianca trades the Big Apple for real apple-picking in upstate New York

Pork Barrel

Roast with the most or hyped up ham? We put the Anthony Bourdain-acclaimed Zubuchon lechon to the test

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Breakfast and The Furious

by Ryan

(Firstly, I apologize for the corny title. Really, this is what you get from taking two Creative Writing classes in college so there.)

Once upon a time there was a quaint all-day breakfast joint in Tomas Morato called Heaven n' Eggs. It wasn't the best place on earth but needless to say it had its rustic charm. It had a solid lineup of pancakes, toast, and then some. (Sorry for the ambiguity; this was years ago when things like masticating cold, leathery five-day old pizza counted as a proper meal.)

Slowly though things got weird. Its last branch in Glorietta traded in the sky blue wallpaper for black, and changed the concept from rustic breakfast place to heavy metal rock act. Because as we all know, breakfast brings to mind screeching guitars, leather, and KISS.

Bacon, eggs, toast, demon's blood - all part of a complete and balanced breakfast.

Trends have come and gone - a dizzying list of cupcakes, burgers, frozen yogurt, and milk tea joints - but all-day breakfast? Not quite. There's a little joint in Barangay Kapitolyo's budding dining street though that's sold out on having diners down cereal at nine o'clock in the evening. Whimsically called Milky & Sunny, the venture plies pancakes spouting pet names teenage sweethearts would call each other like Blueberry Honeypie or Choco Marble Warble. The cutesy Sanrio Little Twin Stars concept aside, the food - fluffy pancakes, hearty rice meals, and cold cereal - may not be wholly magical yet but it is damn satisfying.

Left: Milky and Sunny's Strawberry Cream Cheese pancake. Right: A logo I fell in love with at first sight.
There's the Strawberry Cream Cheese pancake (P140) with swathes of Philadelphia and jam between layers. A fourth pancake would have probably made this a more impressive stack, but even then, apart from the gussied up spread, it's still downright homey. Growing boys and lumberjacks should opt for the Breakfast Big Plate (P250) where you can mix and match several protein-rich choices like sausage and corned beef with the breakfast staples of bread (bagel or white), hash brown, and eggs. It's a gratifying sight when set on your table but then again you could probably have the same deal at home.

The Big Plate is perfect for the growing man-child in all of us.
The omelettes add a bit more flair what with a winner like their bell pepper, potatoes, and sausage combo (P130) that's both sweet and slightly garlicky with a smattering of pesto on top. Sugar-deprived students from St. Paul's and UA&P can avail of cereal too: There's Koko Krunch and Honey Stars to be had, but it would be nice to spot some Cap'n Crunch and Fruit Loops in the mix as well.

Left: Quirky artwork lend a sense of the fanciful to the ambiance. Right: Milky and Sunny's
red and green bell pepper with potatoes and sausage omelette  
As restaurants continue to explore the idea of comfort food as something worth building on, Milky & Sunny could very well shine in a neighborhood that's quickly getting saturated with restaurants as Kapitolyo. (Guys, would it really hurt to try something else other than Charlie's for once?) There's some lingering irony however: In trying to promote its image as an all-day breakfast diner plying pancake and eggs the way mom makes it, diners might begin to wonder why they ought to pay for food they could readily have at home.

Still if just for the charming, bright blue ambiance, the chill working space, and solid breakfast fare, I may be persuaded for a second bowl of Honey Stars.

Milky & Sunny is located in #9 East Capitol Drive, Briggy Hall, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City. Visit their Facebook page here

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

KaBLAM! for your Buck: KFC Double Down Zinger

by Jon

Some writers dilly-dally over the minute details of food - the tiptoeing of flavor in their mouths or the niceties of tableware. Sometimes they might whine about how the food is not too authentic, too 'gourmet'. *cough* Ryan *cough*. This is not that blog series.

Welcome to KaBLAM! for your Buck, my personal segment here at Forkplay. You've heard from Twinkle, Bianca, and Ryan, but it's taken me some time do my own research. What that research is involves the return of a fearsome beast! It's the Meat that Repeats! The Dean of Protein!  The Chicken that Takes a Biting and Keeps on... uh... Fighting! I am of course referring to KFC's heart-stopping Double Down. A "sandwich" which KFC claimed had so much chicken, there wasn't room for a bun.

The beast is back and better than ever
When the Double Down first came out in 2010, people were shocked. Puny mortals. They don't know true power when it's theirs to be claimed in calorie-laden splendor. But where others would back off or take a few measly bites, I knew a new king had arrived. Hide your children - the Double Down is back in a spicy Zinger variant.


I could go on about health facts, calories, sodium levels and whatnot, but honestly, if you're even thinking about eating a Double Down Zinger (DDZ), the only two things in your mind should be 1) how fucking awesome it'll be, and 2) how much exercise you're gonna have to do to make up for eating it. Seriously. You'll have to go through some serious punishment at the gym just to cancel this bad boy out, but if you ask me, it is damn worth it at just Php 120.00. Nowhere has meat been so packed since that video I downlo- Anyway that's besides the point. You haven't lived until you've had the DDZ.




Sunday, November 13, 2011

Home-Made for The Holidays

by Ryan


If the popularity of weekend markets and home bakers say anything it's this: People are now more interested in understanding what they eat as well as the process behind it. Foodies all over are trying their hand in making everything from Callebaut cookies to donut burgers to turducken - and actually making a business out of it. Home-Made for The Holidays, Chefs Aileen Anastacio and Angelo Comsti's latest collaboration, is a DIY no-fuss primer on how to make stellar Christmas creations to wow and spoil guests. Their recent book launch showcased some mouth-watering examples:

White Belgian Chocolate Cheesecake

Assorted goodies ranging from caviar to cheese dips to pretty frosted cupcakes
Host (and baker) Erica Paredes asks Aileen and Angelo about their latest collaboration

Irresistible gingerbread cookies 
 Here's what you can expect from Aileen and Angelo:

  • An easy-to-follow guide to over 60 recipes this holiday season and beyond
  • Potential gift and business ideas
  • Tips on how to package and present
  • A list of easy to find ingredients.
What's more they've got 2 special treats this Christmas season. Contact 09214802482 for more information
  • By-order food baskets put together by Aileen and Angelo (4 different kinds)
  • A Home-Made for The Holidays cooking class on November 28th at the Pino Kitchen Studio in Quezon City. Limited slots only.

Savoring the Bronx

by Bianca

Fatigued by crime stories in the Bronx, my classmate Celia and I decided to do a couple of pieces on restaurants in the borough for a change. We swung by Arthur Avenue for some cannoli and fresh mozzarella, but most foodies already know about the old Italian district---we wanted to dig more into the Bronx's seamy belly for our article. The first stop was Real Azteca, an authentic Mexican taqueria in Hunts Point, while the second one was Neerob, a Bangladeshi eatery in Parkchester.

Both restaurants are real gems; the dishes we tried had bright, piquant flavors---maybe a bit much for most Western palates. No wishy-washy fusion, because the dishes were clearly created for their respective immigrant communities.

How to make a fresh tortilla.
From chili to salsa. 
No ground beef here---that's slow-cooked, hand-pulled meat 
I had a steak quesadilla for $4.
Tamarind soda!

The best part was, Celia and I walked away with bellies full to bursting for under $10.

Today's foray into Parkchester brought us to Neerob, located in the heart of a Bangladeshi community. It was packed when we got there at about 2pm; we shared a table with an elderly man who was sipping some tea. He didn't speak English, but he nodded at us encouragingly as we dug into our spread of fish, duck curry, bhorta (a sort of mash eaten with triangles of naan bread), fruit-studded rice, and pakoras. Neerob's been attracting a more diverse set of foodies lately---The New York Times and the New York Daily News wrote articles about it---so they weren't surprised when we walked in and asked a lot of questions about our meal.

Naan and duck curry
Pakoras and fish curry with cilantro 

Craving for: Fresh Tuba from Chef Tatung's

by Ryan

While doing an errand in Sikatuna Village, a friend took me to Chef Tatung's, both the home and restaurant of Myke 'Tatung' Sarthou. It was a spur of the moment side trip, and we didn't get to try a meal (this time), but Tatung gave us a tour of the redone place. He also served some refreshing tuba-turned-sherbet perfect to fend off  the afternoon heat. The blue flower was picked from his own garden.

Tatung's menu has gone through some changes: first European then Pan-Asian and finally, as if realizing he had to return to his own roots, he's back to the basics of Filipino although with his own personal touches.

See you soon, Tatung. I'm bringing back up.