Have you tried Ukkokei's Tantanmen?

Tantalizing flavors of Tantanmen

According to the servers at Ukkokei, total of 40 Tantanmen bowls are only served per day.
That's quite a small volume compared to the oodles of ramen served elsewhere.
Tantanmen is a spicy, earthy ramen made with minced pork. Tasting it reminds me of the Chinese dish Mapo Tofu. Ukkokei's version is pretty good, the spiciness dows not overpower the flavor of the noodles, but you have to finish this early because the soup might turn into film-like good after a while (its that deadly oily) At 360 pesos a bowl, its good enough to satisfy one's hunger pangs.
Best paired with a cold soda or tea.

I was lucky enough to try the Tantanmen one Sunday night because we did make sure to go there early for dinner so my sister won't miss her ramen fix. I suggest you try one too to discover what the fuss is all about. This is not ramen I would like to eat everyday but I do get to enjoy every once in a while.

 My Ramen Ranking: 3rd place

How to survive Valentine's Day

There's one dreaded day to be sad, alone and single and its V-day.
But you don't need to fret. It IS just one day, one looong agonizing day.
So after all the dumb Valentines I have brushed off, here's some survival tips:

1) Don't wear red. Of all the days, today is not the time to wear something that shouts
"I'm a fool for love." Look up, wear black.

2) Stay away from the malls. The malls will have restaurants and flower shops and people who will be buying and carrying flowers.Instant reminders that will just make things worse. And be warned of the lovey dovey couples. And that girl who would like to parade her bouquet of flowers for everyone to see.

3) Don't be caught holding flowers. There is one day when all flowers are prized insanely off the roof and its the 14th. And don't be a fool to buy on the 13th, its insanely horrible and  it's full of people at the famous Dangwa street. And don't forget everything's bagsak presyo on the 15th :)

4) Turn the radio off. There's going to be mushy love songs and stupid greetings.

5)  Dining at home is good. Why get stuck without a reservation, not only is traffic bad, everything is worse.
Pop a steak in the oven. Chill with some wine, eat well. feel good.

6) DVD/ Netflix is your new best friend. There's so many movies to watch and help you think happy thoughts instead of that stupid rom-com that's not going to happen in real life anyway.

7) Sleep all day. A few more hours of sleep improves your concentration and does tons to help you think clearly. Now's the time to catch up in your z's.

8) Go out and drink. Why wallow in misery if you can forget all about it and have a great time. Bar hop, get sloshed.  (I used to do this every year.)

9) Stay away from Pasay and Pasig, especially at night, traffic is going before and after dinner time. Expect crazy moaning and little earthquakes, you've been warned.

10) Clean out your closet. If there's a chore, that's going to take a lot of time, its closet cleaning, Your old clothes? It's time to donate them.

Remember it's just 24 hours. But steer clear of some date extensions on the 15th.
Valentine's ? Bah, humbug!

Cooking it up with Nora theme song

 Nora Daza (image from Phil Daily Inquirer)

Who among you guys grew up watching Cooking it up with Nora on Channel 2?
For those who grew up in the early 90's, this was the quintessential cooking show.  It also spawned a famous cookbook with the same name. Nora Daza, the Julia Child of the Philippines, was the star of the show and it also had a very catchy theme song.

And if you want to know the title of the song. It's called Nightbirds by English jazz band Shakatak. This song was released during the 80's. And every time I hear this I can't help but reminisce of her cooking show. Thanks to Shakatak, Nora Daza lives on.

Here's the link to the song so you can groove to it. Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrGcdnZ_rWc

Need the mp3? Email me. (Wink)

Chef Sandy Daza's Wooden Spoon at Rockwell

High standards are expected when a food columnist/ celebrity chef opens a restaurant. People will nitpick  the food, the ambiance and everything will either be overhyped or critiqued to death. The long lines daily at Wooden Spoon are a testament of how the restaurant is doing. Everything here is simple and basic. No fancy shmancy, the menu is a no-frills take on Filipino classic dishes and new creations. That's what I like about Chef Sandy,  he's a chef every Juan, Pedro and Maria can relate to.
This guy is so down-to-earth and accommodating, the entrees at his restaurant are reasonably priced so everyone can enjoy the food.

His place reminds of his show FoodPrints and evokes some of the nostalgia of his mother's cooking show. I loved the backlit carved wooden spoon seats and the kitschy chandelier out of wooden spoons. Even if they accept cash only, the place was packed when we went there for lunch, but our orders arrived fast.

I ordered the Boneless Crispy Chicken because the Crispy Chicken was out of stock, so was the Baked Chicken. Bummer, but the Crispy Chicken was alright. Its breaded chicken steak with buttered corn and mashed potatoes on the side. And the gravy is not overwhelming.

We also ordered the Tostadong Adobo. The sauce was delicious and thick unlike some versions which was heavy on the soy sauce. The pork was tender and toasty.  I had two cups of rice with this, normally I'm already full with one. Good job.

Also had the Tortang Talong (Fried Eggplant) This wasn't spectacular but it does the job, the eggplant serving was generous and there are ample amounts of pork in the mix. You get your money's worth.

The menu has a lot of stuff I want to try, so I'll return some other time to get my fill.
Thanks, Wooden Spoon.


Wooden Spoon
Ground Level
Powerplant Mall
Rockwell Makati

Spoon Rating 3 out of 5
 

The Fabulous Lugang Cafe ****

Lugang Cafe is not your typical Chinese restaurant. Its interior is classy and sometimes over-the-top indulgent with chandeliers, birdcage decors, satin chairs and all. Its fine-dining experience galore. And you can see the hundreds of xiaolungpao being exquisitely handmade through a see-thru window.

The menu reveals a pricier entrees than your regular Chinese eatery, with a mix of Taiwanese, Shanghainese and Sichuan dishes. In Taiwan and Shanghai, they are known as Cafe Bellagio. Also bringing you an array of luscious desserts Shanghai style.

Come here for the Xiaolungpao. The soup based meat dumplings that takes skill to make and a second to devour. These little dumplings are the rave outside, and its a whole new experience to savor. The skin is very thin, the soup is tasty and it is done right.

We also tried their steamed siomai, it was big not overwhelming and the skin is very thin.

Siu Mai

Mango Panna Cotta

Fish Fillet with Tauso (Fried Soybeans)

Hot and Sour Soup

Cafe Lugang

Connecticut St. San Juan

02 7757589

G/F New Glorietta 

Ayala Center Makati

Oprn 11am to 11pm daily 

Bob Marlin: Naga's Best Crispy Pata

Bicol may be associated with a lot of things.
The Pili Nut. Churches.  Mayon Volcano. Sili or Red Chili Pepper.
And of course, wakeboarding.

Wakeboarding -cool!

Just in case, you're wakeboading at CamSur, which is about 8 to 10 hour drive from Manila,
 Don't fail to drop by Bob Marlin
The name may sound Jamaican but Bob Marlin Grill serves up delicious Filipino food.
Who knew that the best-tasting crunchiest pork trotter, aka Cholesterol Heaven aka Crispy Pata was found here. It was so good we ended by eating at this place for 3 straight days.

This place is foodie haven and the service is good, the prices reasonable.

Best Crispy Pata in Naga!

 Just look at how they fried this thing. The meat is falls-off-the-bone tender, the crackling crunch of the skin is just pure heaven. And when you dip in soy sauce with onions. Boom! Hello, delicious

fried to perfection

smoked eggplant with tomatoes

Kare-kare - beefy and the sauce is just right

Hope they open in Manila soon.

Bob Marlin
5 out of 5 spoons for the Crispy Pata
Magsaysay Ave Naga City
Camsur Philippines

Chinese Menu Translation Fail

I love China.
The first thing I look for is the menu.
And I see this.
Bon appetit!

So that's where the fish grows

No wonder it's not as smooth

.

I can't stop staring at them

Beware: these noodles stick

Cow + river = Cowabunga!

On a Roll with Chef' Chris' Roll Up Pizza

Last night, we were at Paco again trying the delicious Panizzas of Chef Chris Locher and we were not disappointed. Place was packed, we didn't have reservation but we were able to get a table fast. Service at this place is impeccable, though there are times that the servers might forget a few things but it was understandable. I was surprised that they have changed the names of the Panizzas. It's now called roll-up pizza. (C! still uses Panizza though)

We ordered the Original Baby, one of the new creations with sirloin steak,
fried artichokes, tomato, mushrooms and gorgonzola

Original Tinlou aka Kristina

arugula +alfalfa sprouts image courtesy of my sister

We also ordered the Tinlou which reminded me of the old Kristina.
The pizzas were good as usual. We had fun rolling as well as eating them.

Moving on, we had some Frutti Di Mare Pasta, which was spicy I loved it
and their Homemade Sausage. It was good a meal, but why I wonder why
I didn't take took the photo op with Chef Chris when he came out to check on the
other table.

pumpkin soup P200

Here's an updated menu featuring the new names of the Roll Up Pizzas

ORIGINAL TINLOU
bacon, ham, caramelized onion, sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms

ORIGINAL ANTONIO
smoked salmon slices, fresh mushrooms, tomato and basil

ORIGINAL PAOLO
parma ham slices, artichoke, assorted mushroom and sun dried tomatoes

ORIGINAL VERENA
tomato and white truffle oil enhanced cheese sauce
topped with scallop, prawns and sun dried tomatoes

ORIGINAL PACO
fine slices of herbed chicken fillet, smoked bacon, portabello and golden mushrooms, capers and slices of kalamata olives

ORIGINAL GOD FATHER
spicy chorizo, anchovies, thyme and peccorino cheese

NEW ……. ORIGINAL Di TONNO …….
tomato enticed cheese sauce
preserved tuna, black and green olives slices, capers, anchovies and fresh coriander

NEW ……. ORIGINAL MAMA ROMA …….
parmesan, basil, crispy guanciale and one whole egg with cream

NEW ……. ORIGINAL BABY ……. 
 Fine slices of roasted sirloin, fried artichokes, tomato, mushrooms and gorgonzola

NEW ……. ORIGINAL AURA …….
 Tahini enhanced cheese sauce with bits of roasted lamb, kalamata,
mushrooms and artichokes

NEW ……. ORIGINAL MARY …….
Ham, bacon, sautéed spinach with garlic, tomatoes and mushroom slices
PhP770.00

NEW ……. ORIGINAL CINQUE ……. 
 Five salami spell heaven on earth
napoli, calabrese, galbano, de oca, tripo fino


My Kitchen by Chef Chris
1032-34 Belen Street, Paco, Manila 
(02) 521 2371

Project Pie MYOP (Make Your Own Pizza) Now Open

Ever wanted to make your own pizza while you wait?
At the Project Pie, your pizza is customized, from toppings to sauce. Want peanut butter with your onions? Check. Want to top with all kinds of meat plus 4 cheeses til you can't even lift your pizza? Check. No matter how much toppings you choose, all you pay is Php 285. Conceptualized by James Markham, Project Pie has branches in San Diego and the Vegas strip and is the first international franchise to open in Manila

 

Project Pie is one of the first wave of restos that opened at Blue Bay along with Mcdonalds and others. This is across Blue Wave, Macapagal Boulevard. And you enter from Pasay, Edsa going to Mall of Asia.

The place was full when we came here. I can't help but notice a rowdy bunch of college students who have "taken over" the place and the photo booth by the corner. We were fortunate we were lined ahead of them. Anyway, as you're queued, they hand you a piece of paper/ menu slip where you see your options. You can either order a pizza with preset ingredients or customize as you go. I can't help but notice how cool is their dough making/ stamping machine. (Err... its gonna be total chaos if that machine breaks down)

There are set pizzas with either white or red sauce.
We settled for one with "set" ingredients and had one customized with bacon, canadian bacon, mozarella, parmesan, shrooms and caramelized onions. Pizzas arrived fast and was not oily. In fact it was crunchy but there was some bubbling at the crust (which I learned from my Shakeys days was not the right way to serve pizza) I'd say they have really good thin-crust pizza which reminded of... Shakeys. I heard they have the same owners. But this one's better. (Naman!)

This one has BBQ chicken, onions, mozarella, bbq sauce

Olives + Bacon + Canadian Bacon + Pepperoni + Pineapples

this one has bacon, canadian bacon, pepperoni, pineapples, parmesan, mozarella and caramelized onions

Dessert Pizza anyone? Banana and Nutella = Delicious P145

Winner of Pizza of the Month for March, #8 on the Menu
Half-white half-red, all good

For beverages they have China Mist Iced Teas and Del Monte juices plus soda.

Try Project Pie at Blue Bay
across Blue Wave in
Macapagal Boulevard
Pasay City

Parking is free.