Chefie’s World

Mozzarella Salad

Roast Beef Sandwich

Roasted Fennel and Prawn Pasta

Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream

Milk Chocolate with Kiwi Fruits

July 24, 2008

I was invited to have lunch today by a friend of a hundred full moons ago, I wanted a new place to go to, something interesting so Sala Bistro was right smack to what fitted my requirements. We were quite early so we had a choice pick of table to seat on so I can get good pictures of what we were going to eat….even had the freedom of photo shooting without the usual stares of the diners.. I was amazed with the modern and masculine interiors, it was also very clean to look at…we had all the attention of the servers. I chose to have the specials of the day which was buffalo mozzarella salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette and their roasted fennel and shrimp cream bavette pasta. My friend had their roast beef sandwich with horseradish cream and tons of alfafa sprouts. When orders were taken, I enjoyed nibbling on their hot crusty Italian bread smeared with butter, it was just right to the taste….and when the salad came it was just right for one person, my friend and I wanted to split it which was so “Pinoy” of us but the server hesitated since the serving was just for one. It was good but I found it too engrossed with olive oil, the sliding factor involved in the salad gets too dramatic and changes the whole flavor and texture…the mozzarella was something else since it had so much cheesiness into it. Then came my order, where all the taste factors of the ingredients were highly tangible although the prawn factor was bland, might have been my receptors became so overused that when it was time to take it the prawn there was none to taste it….or it simply lacked salt….hehehe….I also found it very slippery or should I say “ oily “. Let’s be happy for having the al dente pasta….my friend’s roast beef sandwich is something to put a smile on your face since it has a big lump of horseradish cream right on the side….good crusty bread and great tasting roast beef. For dessert, we had a sticky date pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream, I think, I am not too sure since I was getting too full and very sleepy already.. sticky was not the pudding but was more of the sauce….the ice cream fell to the side of the plate, so I had to rearrange it in some form for better picture quality. In the end, I ate more than I was suppose to….walked to Power book and saw the latest issue of Yummy, I look like a big mushroom this month in my column picture but guess what, I am even bigger now after all the “lamon” galore I did in Davao…..
Before I go, ever tasted Kiwi Fruit Chocolate…it was really good, a little tartness in chocolate…………..

Eggs Benedict

Steak & Eggs

Scrambled Egg White with Vegetables

Dinner @ Binggoy’s Gourmet with Charina, Jojo, Tita Baby and Kit

My last post said, I will be writing my blog from Davao but I never wrote. I again will apologize since when I am there, I teach which I enjoy and I try to relax with people who mean very much to me. I have learned with the little time that I have spent in Davao, my students and friends have always been there wanting to see and treat me out for a meal, to spend some time just talking about what’s happening in my side of the world. Going back to the subject of the post, before I left for Davao, I had a tremendous brunch with Liane in Apartment 1-B, this must have been my third time to eat here but never this meal time. Guess what? We ordered almost everything in the menu, all I wanted was to taste, their phenomenal scrambled egg white with roasted vegetables which was quite good since it had the right mixture of bland taste and flavor from the veggies, there was a bit of flavor I guess either from the oil they used or from the egg whites, sometimes they store it near food so it can absorb its flavor….also had the steak, which needed a little more salt and that beef savoriness. Of course, had my eggs benedict, this is my comfort food – two poached eggs on top of crusted and soft muffins with just the right amount of hollandaise sauce, ang sarap….I remember when I was 12 years old, I attended my brother’s best friend’s wedding in Mandarin ballroom and this was the main course of their breakfast with Canadian bacon…I was so happy because it was so good and it was the very first time I had it.
Liane and I had a wonderful chat, talking about her grand daughter and new events in her life….talking about my redundant, boring but enriching life….then we browse through the books in Fully Booked and got myself the legendary Italian notebook, Moleskine…sarap sulatan….hehehe…mahal din…..
Having a great meal with good friends are the best things in life, enjoying the food with thoughts and ideas being expressed makes the meal more interesting with laughter and sometimes tears…. I had tons of great meals in Davao, just like the one I had with Liane…dinner in Binggoy’s Gourmet with Charina, Kit, Jojo and Tita Baby; a drinking and calamares spree with Mariel in Music Oone and another in her Banok’s outlet in Torres, having consecutive dinners with the Chef Booboo’s family in Tom Yang and again in Binggoy’s Gourmet to celebrate Dra. Chacha’s birthday….and one of my favorites, pigging out with Catet in Cecil’s eating fresh lumpia, molo soup, cakes and more….enormous food and lots of heart and love expressed….I am getting bigger in size than expected but with a tremendous shower of friends who should complain….

Today was again a no work day but decided to go to school since my good good friend, Betina Kahn Legarda was going to teach Spanish cuisine in one of our classes. I would make it a point not to miss her class since her food is delicious and authetic, really Spanish from the olive oil to the tons of butter that is added to the dish. I have grown to love Betina since we became so close some 7 years ago. I first saw her in a baking class I use to attend in another school, all to herself in one corner of the room, never realizing that she was who she was. She was part of the group I had when I started taking classes again after I got back from the States, which maybe was one of the reasons that I returned to the culinary field. I remember that she would reserve seats for us since we were jumping from one school to another and it would bother her for the other students were looking at her badly for doing such. I was very fond of her and when I got back into teaching, she even invited me to teach in her school in Alabang. Sometimes, I call her mom since she has the same birthday as mom and she made me feel very special whenever I am with her. Today, she took care of her students the way a Spanish mother would treat her kids and I chatted with her about what has been happening everywhere with everyone, it has been quite some time since we last saw each other. I also brought her the Legarda’s favorite Tinapang Boneless Bangus ( Smoked Milkfish ) which I surprised her with.

Also today, students started consulting me on their buffet desserts so tried my very best to make them think and be creative about their choices, it was fun that they get to think and conceptualize a menu from the best desserts they ever tasted.

Inquirer Newspaper also came out with their 20 best home baked dessert specialties, and I am glad to let you know that my mentor and good friend, Jill had two desserts there – Pistachios Sansrival and Concorde. Other friends that are part of the list are Buddy Trinidad’s Mango Madness and Chocolate something, Pixie Sevilla’s Dulce de Leche Cheesecake ( she was one of my first dessert suppliers in Caffe Ago-go ), Dimpy Camara’s Frozen Brazo and I attest that they are all quite good, however, I beg to disagree with some. The classics – Yulo’s Strawberry Cake, Estrel’s Caramel Cake, Juda Yu’s Pandan and Mocha Cake, and Doren Tayag’s cake are a must. They should have added Tita Polly’s Chocolate Cake, Bambi Gobio’s Brazo de Mercedes but it has to be home based so I guess not….anyway, will have to try the others….

I am off to Davao again to teach but will still be writing the blog from there….

June 28, 2008 – Got a call yesterday from a friend and student, Trish asking me if I wanted to go to the Salcedo Weekend Market and I readily said yes….I have been tinkering with these idea for weeks but didn’t have the time due to my weekend classes. Dreaming of having my suman, Budbud Kabog (Visayan Suman, made from millet seeds) which is the best one I ever tasted. I was there before 10 and was surprised that it was also the weekend that Yummy was sponsoring some type of event.

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