Summer is for Halo-halo at Little Quiapo

Summer sun too hot? Have some halo-halo!

The famous Filipino dessert with shaved ice, sweet beans, flan, tapioca, preserved coconut, evaporated milk  in fact traces its origins from Japan, (Kakigori) and Malaysia (Ais Kacang).
And one of the institutions that serves the best halo-halo is the famous Little Quiapo, one of the oldest restaurants in Metro Manila since 1949.

I get my halo-halo fix from Little Quiapo BF. Even when the traffic is a killer along BF Paranaque, I bravely troop to this place because besides from Digman (Cavite), they're one of the rare places that still serve traditional ingredients not found in other halo-halos.  Little Quiapo's Halo-halo is the real deal with its crushed pinipig, macapuno, kaong, sweet beans, ube halaya (purple yam jam), jackfruit, leche flan, ube ice cream and sweet potato/ kamote, etc.. Where others have scrimped on ingredients, LQ have retained its winning recipe.

Halo-halo P 110 per order

You drooling yet?

Other notable treats that can complement your halo-halo?
The Palabok! Little Quiapo's version is very saucy and you can tell that they didn't scrimp on ingredients. Plus one order can be had for a low price of 83 pesos. Can you believe it?

Your trip to Little Quiapo is not complete without this... their famous Tokwa't Baboy
98 pesos for half order, just look at the chunk of pork on the fragrant soy sauce.
The tokwa is a bit crispy as well, crunchy crispy not hard crispy. This is just too yummy.

If you're not a halo-halo fan, how about trying the mais con hielo?

Little Quiapo QC
90 Malakas St.  Pinyahan QC

Little Quiapo BF
42 Aguirre cor Lirag St. BF Homes
Paranaque
Credit cards accepted
.

Honeymoon Desserts 滿記甜品 HongKong

Hongkong is full of  interesting places to eat but when we were at Langham Place in Mongkok,
there was this small dessert place that caught my eye. It's called Honeymoon Desserts and judging from the long queue of people, the place must be good.

Mmm... milky

Mango with Milk Custard

I had the Mango with Milk Custard. The mangoes were sweet and fresh. You can tell that quality ingredients were used because the custard was very creamy. Highly recommended!

Red Bean Soup with Lotus Nuts

My wife wanted something traditional and ordered the Red Bean Soup with Lotus Nuts. This dessert be common to Hong Kong, but its a big upgrade to the ones served in Manila.

Try this place. It may look busy but the turn over is fast!

Shop 409, Level 4, Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok
旺角亞皆老街8號朗豪坊4樓409號

Caliburger Manila, is it "In and Out" good?

Cali Burger has finally opened at the Century City Mall.
We head to this place if it's as good as "In and Out" or is it just "Out and Out"

You can find CaliBurger at the fourth level of the Century City Mall!

The place is quite spacious for a burger joint.
The interiors are cozy and modern.
There's even an alfresco option with a charming view of Makati Avenue.

    

And the menu is no frills and very limited to a few items, which is helpful if you're the type who can't make up your mind and on what to order.

We ordered the Hamburger and Cheeseburger and Fries combo
with Milkshake

Cheeseburger, hey where's the cheese?

Burgers are served In and Out Style

The Verdict:

The burgers are fresh and juicy, and they in fact live up to its SoCal roots.
True to its slogan, you can taste the freshness in very bite as burgers are only cooked upon order.

The slight toastiness of the patty and even the way they serve the burgers remind me of that heavenly burger joint in LA, but the comparison stops here.

This is definitely NOT "In and Out". In fact it reminds me of Sango, the Burger Master, the defunct Japanese burger joint near Mile Long. The patty is quite thin and for its price, you'd be better off having a burger at Chili's or Brothers (if you want the best bang-for-buck burgers try Howzat). The burger is quite filling coupled with the fries.  Flavor wise, it is good but I'm quite turned off paying Brother's Burger prices for Minute Burger patties. I'll be back, but not immediately.


Cali Burger
4th Floor Century City Mall,
Kalayaan Avenue,
Makati City



 

Oroshi Katsu: A fresh twist at Yabu

If you're tired of the usual fried katsu, try a new twist with Yabu's Oroshi Katsu.
Give your tastebuds a joyride with citrus zing with the Ponzu sauce and grapefruit.

How to order:
Choose your Katsu, either Hire (without fat) or Rosu (with fat)
and they will add grated radish (like the ones you see in Tempura sauce), green onions,
Ponzu sauce, a citrus-based tart sauce, almost like vinaigrette, and a piece of grapefruit to squeeze on the Katsu.  And boom! Hello Delicious!

An order also comes with unlimited rice, unlimited cabbage,. miso soup and fresh fruit. Now your tastebuds will not get overwhelmed by having too much fried Katsu. Good job, Yabu!


Yabu has branches all over Manila:
MOA, Southmall, Megamall, SM Aura, Robinson's Magnolia

Chez Karine Bakery at Mega Fashion Hall

Designer clothes? How about designer desserts?

Chez Karine Bakery serves fancy French desserts at the ground floor at the newly opened Mega Fashion Hall of SM Megamall.  Their specialty is the macaron. Yes, those colorful, sinful discs that looked like colored Oreos with a buttercream filling in the middle. My benchmark for macarons are the ones made by Bizu. At P55 per piece, Chez Karine's version is as good  but it's tiny and leaves the mouth wanting.

Vanilla Ice Cream Macaron and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Macaron

A new version to try is the ice cream macaron, which has premium ice cream in the middle instead of the yummy fillings. At Php 70 each it is also built for tiny stomachs but it is  very good. The ice cream variant only comes in Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, and one more flavor that I forgot.

Mango Panna Cotta 110 per bottle

Dark Chocolate Macarons

Other house specialties include the Royal Pudding that come in cute jars. (nice to reuse)
They also have different flavors of Panna Cotta and cake.We also had the Chocolate Royal Pudding (P110) which was melt-in-your-mouth good. The Mango Panna Cotta (P110) tasted average compared to the Royal Pudding. It's creamy and the mangoes were "bitin" Hope they can make a man-sized version.

Macarons come in gift boxes of 7, 14, and 21 (image from chezkarine.com)

Chez Karine desserts in cute jars (image from chezkarine.com)

Chez Karine
chezkarine.com
With branches in Serendra
and Mega Fashion Hall, Megamall

Much Ado About Atoy's Porkchop

There was a porkchop,
named Atoy's Porkchop
Sold at 65 pesos a pop.
Men raved. people posted.
It looked inviting. It made me stop.
But looks can deceive,
it was too oily
Off to the toilet I hopped.
Too much oil in the rice,
Too much oil in the chops,
Neither crispy, neither flavorful,
This pork chop was a flop.
Sorry Atoy's, when it comes to porkchop,
It's Buddy's you have to top.

40% off on March 22, 2013 at Pancake House Roxas Boulevard

To celebrate its 2nd anniversary, Pancake House Roxas Boulevard is giving its customers a whopping 40% off the menu price today March 22. The discount applies to any dine and take-out transactions all day until 10:00 pm. Steak is excluded from the promo.

We were there today for breakfast and the lines were manageable. Service was also fast and you won't be disappointed.

Emerald Garden's Breakfast and a Scene-stealing Huge Siopao

If you're tired of having the usual rice and 'log for breakfast, maybe its time to visit Emerald Garden.
To those who are familiar with Chinese lauriat, Emerald Garden is a landmark at Roxas Boulevard for quite some time..But the breakfast experience here seems always new to me.

Notorious for being the restaurant where the former mayor and president was dining at the time of the Hongkong bus hostage crisis, it is open for breakfast with a very limited single page menu.  But you can sometimes order special requests from the main one. The place is sometimes packed with their usual clientele of joggers and businessmen, especially during weekends. So I suggest you come early.

Above: Ham Sui Kok, Below: Honey Bread

Breakfast is composed of  Cantonese teahouse favorites like Ham Sui Kok - a sticky pie-like dumpling with minced pork and chives, Taro Puff - a fried dumpling filled with mashed taro and minced pork, Malay Cake - sponge cake made with brown sugar, which are laid out in a tray and are sold out by 9 am. Standard fare include the usual congee, and beef and fish mami.  And when you're here, never ever miss your chance to order their Emerald Special Siopao.

Beef mami

Now this is a Big Siopao

At about 5 inches in diameter, the Siopao is good to shared by 2 or 3. This bun is generously filled, literally stuffed with fillings like meatball, pork asado, egg and chicken)  This stuff is so good I can literally write an ode to it. But the thing is, if you order this, you need to have room for the other things like the Ham Sui Kok, or you'll be very full.

The Honey Bread is a small and sweet roll you can dip in coffee. It only costs 5 pesos each (would you believe the price) And it also sells out fast.

Other special stuff you can order include the Seafood Hotpot or the Beef Hofan (stir fried bee,f flat noodles). You can also try their Chicken Pot Pie (waiting time can be long)

Fried dumpling, there's also a steamed version

Seafood hotpot

The place has seen better days and definitely needs refurbishing, but the service is friendly and food is good. So come in early, jog a little, bring out the dailies, and smell the coffee. Breakfast is served at the Emerald.


Emerald Garden
Roxas Blvd. Ermita, Manila 
(02) 523-8510

Hot Star: Now THATS a 12-inch Chicken

Ever heard of Hot Star?
The Taiwanese chain that serves the biggest chicken chops has arrived in Manila.
Unlike the street-side kiosks of Taiwan, the set-up here is more like a fastfood place. Now open at Blue Bay Walk, there are long lines during lunch time.Not surprising, given that their Chicken Chop is even larger than my face. Measuring 30 cm or about 12 inches long, these deep-fried chops are worth your money at Php 110 a piece. You just have to add 35 pesos for rice and drinks (blue lemonade or soda) The chops come in 3 flavors: Original, Crispy and Barbecue.

Very Compact Menu, there's also fish

How big of a chicken eater are you?

this is Crispy P110 I like this better than Original

Barbecue, my current favorite Php 125

 The chicken is a freak, and it's tender and juicy and crispy, you may opt to have them remove the seasoning if you want.  If you have a chicken fix, come get yours at Hot Star. Attack!!!!

Hot Star
Blue Bay Walk
Macapagal cor Edsa Pasay