Food trip: Wicked Kitchen

Long time no blog! And I'm back because I've something blog-worthy to write about..and yes it's about food :))

So my college barkada decided to meet and eat with a little videoke on the side since we kind of missed each other naks! The first suggestion was to try something around Maginhawa but then one suggested a restaurant in Katipunan which is at walking distance from the IC building, and so after googling the resto, looking at pictures of the food, we'v decided to try it out...and the desserts have intriguing names, like sinful names haha!

We ordered something from each of the courses just so we could at least try everything. We had a platter of appetizers (I forgot the name of the 'package' meal) wherein we got to choose 3 different appetizers for sharing - we had the cheesesticks, drunken calamari, buffalo chicken.

App Sampler P248

I liked the buffalo chicken the most, hot and spicy!!! Although I think we ordered the 'just right' and not the 'spicy' buffalo chicken, haha can't imagine how spicy the 'spicy' version is. The mayo/sour cream dip added a  little flavor but didn't mask the spiciness of the chicken. The drunken calamari was also good though I didn't taste the beer (one of my friends said she can taste it though haha) maybe because I put a lot of the dip and just ate it with the lettuce. I liked the sesame flavor added to the lettuce, just the right level of sweetness. The cheesesticks were okay but not worth it (HAHA), tasted weird at the end..like that of processed foods or maybe I'm just not familiar with the kind of cheese :)) And the price is just right especially if you're sharing.

Ex's Lasagna P205

For the pasta, we ordered the Ex's lasagna and the seafood aglio. I had high expectations for the Ex's lasagna since it has the star figure which I think means it's a bestseller or chef's choice..but it was okaaaaay. I like the cheesiness but not a fan of sweet red sauce for pastas hehe :) The aglio on the other hand was very good - the parmesan cheese was unlimited, it wasn't too oily, the garlic-y and pepper-y taste was right, and the basil leaves gave a different taste but not that powerful, in short, the flavors mixed well. The bread was very HARD  hahahahahaha!

Seafood Aglio P198

We also had the barbecue ribs and fish and chips from the main course section. The barbecue rib was also good - it's like medium rare, I mean you don't have to fight the good fight just so you can have a bite of the meat hahaha! Though the mashed potato seemed too dry for me...or not too creamy pala! hehe! The fish and chips tasted like every fish and chips, I mean like everything I've tasted so far in my entire life hahaha!

Fish and chips P189

BBQ Ribs P268

And then comes the 7 deadly sins....I mean the desserts. The desserts were named after the 7 deadly sins - Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, and Greed.We were able to try 4 out of 7, supposedly 5 but pride, lust and greed weren't available :((

Wrath P148

WRATH was the first to be served. It's mango crepe with alcohol! The waiter was holding a cup of alcohol (drinking alcohol) that was lit and he said to get our cameras ready so we could take a picture of the crepe that's on FIRE!! hahaha! In all fairness, the presentation of a dessert on fire made all the difference :)) 

I liked wrath among all the desserts we had, it wasn't too sweet like all the other crepes I have tasted, even the chocolate syrup wasn't that sweet. Also the alcohol gave a little twist - that bittersweet taste :)

Next was ENVY which is my second favorite. Moist chocolate cake with peppermint 'something/syrup' on top. The cake was very moist...and very hot! hahahaha! It was like eating a peppermint chocolate (andes chocolate...or dynamite candy) hahaha! Sloth is similar to envy without the peppermint. 

Envy P172

Sloth P178

And GLUTTONY is a chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on top. The cookie was crisp on the outside and soft inside..it taste like what my mother and I baked the first time...too sweet for me hahaha!

Gluttony P155

SO there. I didn't think I'd be so full after eating since I was hungry when we came in haha (patay gutom lang). The price was expensive (at least for me..especially the pasta) comparing to other restaurants I've been to which has similar   menu. Though if you are sharing with at least one person, it's okay. The serving size is good for at least two persons. Overall, it was a good experience. At least we got to try a lot from their menu especially the desserts! I think I want to try pride, greed and lust some other time :))

Half of LBT :)

Birthday

It was a special holiday, luckily for students so I was saved from going to school hahaha!SOooooo... what did I do that day? I slept. And ate fried lumpiang ubod for breakfast and lunch while watching the remaining episodes of Suits season 2 and Emily Owens MD. Received messages from friends haha honestly, I was touched that some even remembered without Facebook telling :)) And I was mostly touched by the birthday messages of my disciples, seriously it's different when people tell you something good about yourself HAHA (pampa-boost pala ng self-esteem ang naisip hahaha) and that they appreciate things you've done for them and the likes. Really thankful for those girls, kahit medyo madalas ay sumasakit ang ulo ko sa kanila hahaha! I was also touched by Panget's birthday gift even though I basically know what the gift was since we were together when he bought it the day before HAHA - I was touched by the message he wrote on the newspaper wrapper, soooo sweet of my brother <3 

And my father dear asked what I wanted as a gift and I remembered saying FOOD, lots of FOOD! But my mother told him I wanted a new backpack, so he asked if I wanted the laptop backpack that's somewhere  in our house that he bought but haven't used yet. I liked the color and that it has a good padding (?) at the back for the laptop and .. for my back but it was too big - it was loooong and the space inside isn't enough when I put my laptop and other things and lunch bag and tumbler hahaha! Good thing, he just gave my mother the money for the backpack hehehe!

After my series marathon, I slept for like 3 hours or sooo and when I woke up, more messages received from friends. The funniest was Ate Char's saying "Steph, punta kami dyan." and I was O_O and replied "Waaaag! Walang fudams at di pa ko naliligo" Yes. It's my birthday and I was lazy to take a bath HAHA! Then I went downstairs to check if my mother has prepared something for us to eat (she was really planning to make spaghetti for dinner) but she was not there. And for a while I kind of panicked hahaha! 'cause Ate Char replied "wala ka ng magagawa, papunta na kami" soooooo. Yeah, I was forced to take a bath and hoped my mother will arrived with food HAHAHAHAHA! My mother arrived with groceries YEY! And I also planned on making my own cake. Mango cheesecake. No-bake of course. And true to her word, Ate Char arrived with Frenchly HAHAHA! makasugod ng bahay!! And they helped me with the mango cheesecake that afterwards tasted like crema de fruta. Seemed like the Mango overpowered everything :))

What's for dinner? Spaghetti, fried chicken, fried lumpiang ubod, pork-shrimp siomai. and some weird tasting bread (tasted like pesto/pimiento). AND the highlight was the CAKES. YES WITH AN S. Oh and Roms did arrive after quite some time...like 30 minutes before midnight haha! also with a cake :)) So yeah, I was like an artista..having so many cakes. Mango cheesecake, chocolate mousse from Ate Char and Frenchly, and chocolate cake from Roms :))) cake overload! yey! And most of which was eaten by my brother and father :)))

Ate Char helped in folding the cream and cream cheese mixture. Mango cheesecake. Chocolate cake from Roms. Dinner with Ate Char and Frenchly. Chocolate Mousse. Happy birthday <3

GIFTS. I love receiving gifts. Either by force or by surprise. I got a book from my brother. The book that I have been looking for almost a year and I finally found a copy in Fully Booked Gateway, and demanded (yes, gift giving by force) Panget to get me the book as a present hahahaha! And since he's so mabait, he fiinally said yes even though he think its expensive. IT IS EXPENSIVE for a book. Or maybe I'm used to buying books in a book sale haha! I really am excited to read the book. Its about asking God for the impossible, and I already finished 2 chapters and all I felt was an eagerness in my heart to claim my seemingly impossible dreams and to ask God for that impossible dream He wants me to have. Two chapters and I'm always teary-eyed and feeling the goosebumps. The testimonies written are so powerful. But I decided to take my time reading it to fully understand and think about things from time to time :)

As mentioned earlier, my father gave my mother some money for my backpack, so 3 days after my birthday, my mom and I went to the mall and bought the backpack. Funny thing was when she was looking for a sandals in the department store, I found an elf-like shoes and since I'm kuripot at ang mahal niya ayoko bilhin, hahaha! so my mother said I could get it as her birthday gift for me. YEHEEEEY! And lastly, my discipler gave me earrings during our dgroup. We also had a small celebration during our meeting - three of us celebrating our birthdays yey!

Oyeah. I turned a year older. Sooo..hmmm. I was asked what my wish was. I really didn't think of it seriously. I just said I wish I will soon graduate from Grad School and earn lots of money HAHAHA! And until now, I haven't thought of it really (the wish), maybe graduating is the topmost priority this year...and pass 213. And a little bit about ministry. I know that God knows the desires of my heart when it comes to life plans, dreams and ministry. I'm just taking it one step at a time. Actually, I'm refraining from dwelling on my melancholic side and over think things, I just want to take it slowly but surely. One step at a time. Just to lighten the load and the mood. I've realized that I've wasted precious time overthinking about life and the future and that doesn't even help me get closer to my dreams and move forward. This year, I hope for miracles. More miracles. To see more of God's work in my life and the people close to me. I'm refraining from worrying about what will happen at the end, I'm just excited to see what God has planned and what He'll do for me to get there. I'm having faith in the One thing that I'm sure of. So yeah. Lord, let's take it one step at a time. 

Happy birthday to me :)

Heart's day with friends

For over 3 years now, I've been celebrating this special (?) day with my beloved college friends - the LBT. We were planning to go to Love desserts along Banawe and try the unlimited desserts for only P143 (special promo! Original price is P199). However, when we arrived at the place there was a long line and we were 119 on the list, so we decided to eat dinner somewhere else and go back after an hour or so. We walked along Banawe and looked for a place, there's a lot of choices actually but mostly Chinese restaurants and they're also full so we ended up in Teriyaki Boy. It was my first time to try TBoy haha and I was really expecting much but then, I got disappointed with their service and the pricey food HAHAHA! We ordered three main vayands but only 2 arrived since the waiter got the other one wrong. Our bill was around 1k and I don't know with my other friends, but Marie and I weren't that satisfied the serving's not that big and since we're PGs HAHAHA! Then we went back to Love Desserts and still due to the maximum of 2hrs rule, we still waited for I think half an hour or longer. Then hooray we had our table! wiiii~ I was not able to try everything because I was already full by the first round and since I'm not that of a desserts person, one plate-full of cakes and sweets was more than enough :))

The highlight of the night was the surprise for Ate Char!! hahaha! We were discussing something about life..it was a serious conversation then came the crepe and we were surprised HAHAHA then sang happy birthday :)) ibang level na surprises ng LBT, nassurprise na rin yung iba bukod sa birthday celebrant HAHA! in fair effective :)))) 

I'm happy I get to spend this day with my friends, seemed like nothing has changed after 3 years, only one thing has changed with regards to the love thing...one of us started a family, and the rest..single all the waaaaay!! But we're all the same people in college (yak feeling ang tanda tipong akala mo 10years ago nag-college hahaha), I just hope we get to stay the same..the friendship and all after n years :)

LBT love <3

Food Trip: Kanzhu Hand-pulled Noodles

This small restaurant is located along Marcos Highway, in front of Mcdo, and is beside Pizza Hut. I have seen it before with its huge tarpaulin during their opening months ago and I really wanted to try it. My first attempt was last November (I think) with my dgroupmates but it didn't push through. So there, I made yaya my kaladkarin friend and in the end 2 of my other closest friends joined us for dinner last February 1. 

The Menu. 

Even before we got to the place, I was already thinking of ordering a noodle soup since it's a noodle house. The menu looked good, there were 3 kinds of noodle dishes - dry noodles, noodle soup, and the stir fried (I think, examples are the common Pancit that we Filipinos know about). They also had rice and a few dimsum/dumplings. 

Oh btw, the people/crew were very polite and always smiling. They welcomed us with open smiles and warm greetings, and they immediately arranged our table and gave us their free soup and fish crackers. 

Back to the menu. We decided to have different noodle dishes so we could try everything (not everything of course but at least 4 out of the many noodle dishes HAHA). Two of my friends ordered from the dry noodle section and a friend and I ordered from the noodle soup menu. Then we decided we want rice 'cause we're patay gutoms haha we ordered the beef fried rice. 

 Braised beef with tendon

Mixed seafood dry noodles

Pork dumpling with chives noodle soup

Lamb something noodle soup

Beef fried rice

Sorry for the not-so-appetizing photos HAHA! I tasted everything and I really liked the Mixed seafood dry noodles the most. It had a perfect combination of sweet, salty and a pinch of spiciness! The braised beef noodles was okay, it was just like the braised beef dimsum but with noodles, what I like about it was that the beef was tender. I ordered the pork dumpling with chives which was also good..well at least for me. The waiter gave me a separate sauce which I wasn't sure where to use, first I tried it with the dumpling, it was okay. Then I decided to add it into the noodle soup -- at first I didn't get the taste of it..the sauce was sour-like but then after a while I think it did compliment the taste of the soup. The dumpling was more of chives with pork rather than pork with chives if you know what I mean, it was delicious nevertheless - authentic chinese dumpling! The soup of the lamb something dish was I think similar to the base soup of my dish, and the only difference is the dumpling - it was...hmmm weird. HAHA! I was like "ganun pala lasa ng lamb" very tasty, smoothy (?) and after a while I realize I'm not a fan of it HAHA! Oh well..Hey! Like before, I really like eating at food places where the serving size is as good as the price and the taste of course! And I have to say, Kanzhu's serving is large. I was eating my noodles and dumplings at a normal pace and there was a time (a lot of time) when I thought I'm about to finish but then when I scooped into the bowl of noodles, it's as if my bowl was refilled with noodles! It felt like it was an unlimited noodle soup! HAHA! We were surprised really at how big the bowls were when they were served HAHA! Ayan kasi ang PG! Anyway, we did enjoy! haha! And the beef rice! It was a simple beef fried rice like any other fried rice in a Chinese restaurant, we though it'll be tasty enough to survive on its own but no..needs some dumpling to satisfy your taste buds :)  The serving again was large that we were not able to finish it :)))

So there. We were satisfied with the food. The serving's overwhelming. And the price is just right - ranged from P150-P180. The place looks good with the infinite mirror effect! haha! And what is good food without a good and long talk with your closest friends right?! so yeah, we were noodle-drowned and chismis-filled after :)

Food Trip: Firuz Mediterranean Cuisine

To start the year, my friends and I went on our supposed to be year-end Jologs day which involves going to the Perya, watching a jologs movie and eating. So on January 2, we did it. And first thing was the food trip, and I was again the one who suggested the place - it's Firuz, a small restaurant along JP Rizal near 7-11 and the marikina bridge, and I was eager to try it out since my first attempt with my family didn't happen because they weren't open that time. Good thing was I was prepared for this food trip, I got the cellphone number of the restaurant from Roni's blog and I texted the number a week before just to make sure they're open on January 2, and the answer was "yes, happy new year!", wow so courteous of them hihi :) And then when I was about to meet my firends at 7-11, I walked along JP Rizal and saw that Firuz was CLOSED, and I seriously panicked since we were all excited about the food experience, I even thought of just bringing my friends to Mama Chit's if Firuz is really closed, and then I texted the hotline number HAHA, and they did open at 5pm (store hours: 5pm to 12 midnight), and so we waited outside the resto :)) So there. 

We looked at the menu, and almost everything's not familiar except for the shawarma and kebab :)) we even asked the waitress to explain the dishes to us, although it was nice that they gave a short description of the food in the menu. We really didn't know what to order except for the Hummus which I googled when I first read it in Roni's blog HAHA. So we ordered Hummus and Moutabal for our starters. My friend ordered the shawarma with pita meal, another friend ordered the Lebanese yogurt pasta, I ordered the chicken souvlaki, and we ordered the moussaka for sharing, and lastly, the homemade yogurt ice cream which was ordered by another friend. So here's goes the food..

First was the Hummus and Moutabal. Hummus is made from pureed chicken pea and the likes, while Moutabal is pureed eggplant which are like palaman to the pita. I personally liked Hummus more than Moutabal, I like that it's spicy and had a garlic taste. 

Hummus and Moutabal P85

Shawarma pita P110

Then the shawarma with pita was served. It was like any other shawarma around, nothing really special though I only tried it once, so maybe I missed out the special part hehehe! And now, my chicken souvlaki. It was full of vegetables, which was consistent with the picture in the menu HAHA! The sauce (?) was the thing that's different, it was like milk with tahini and spiced up with some green thing haha! It was fairly good for my taste though the onions were overflowing which I didn't eat. It was different for my taste buds and I liked it. 

Chicken souvlaki P140

The Moussaka made all the difference! It was creamy and quite spicy and very good! We all liked it! Except  the fact that it was very oily that made us not wanting more (nakakasawa e!). And the serving was more than enough for us. And the waitress said that it's usually eaten with rice or pita so maybe that's the thing that'll counter the nakakasawang lasa haha!. The lebanese yogurt pasta was..bland. I think if they served it with parmesan cheese, it'll be okay. Maybe because it's just yogurt in a pasta though I think they could have experimented with it and added some spices just so it wouldn't be bland. The blandness made it difficult for my friend (and for the rest of us) to finish it since the serving was large (maybe good for 2 or 3 if not that hungry), but then again, maybe the recipe's just like that haha! so yeah, at least we got to try it :))

Moussaka P160-P180 i think :P

Lebanese yogurt pasta 

 As for the dessert, the waitress got my friend's order wrong, she ordered the flavored ice cream but the waitress heard it wrong so she served the plain one which again was bland since it's only yogurt hehe. But the texture was good for a homemade ice cream, enough smoothness :))

plain homemade yogurt ice cream P90

 What I like about Firuz besides the 'gastronomically challenging' yet good food was the place itself, even though the tables and chairs were simple, the lights (lamps?) were nice, with intricate designs and the colors were very eye-catching. They also had a magic carpet HAHA! and I like the comfort room (the tiles and the plant hihi). Also, the food prices were okay, not that expensive, and with that kind of serving, it's worth more than what you paid for :))

Goodbye, year when the world was supposed to end :)

It's the last day of the year 2012, and guess what, we're still alive!! The Mayans were..wrong. Soooo I looked at my Project 365+1 album just so I could remember what the hell happened to my 2012. And what surprised me is that I've been to a lot of places this year, and what didn't surprise me was the number of food photos I have posted, well hey I like to eat and make lakwatsa hihi :) It really is a dream for me to travel, I mean it's everyone's dream - to go out and see the world and try out the adventures that life has to offer. And I'm really glad that that dream is slowly coming into life (wut?). I would like to sincerely thank DOST for the allowance that's keeping me alive and financing my food trips and other trips HAHAHA! Besides traveling and eating, I did learn a lot this year mostly about myself...for the purpose of self-improvement, and of course I also learned school stuff HAHA! A lot of first-times, a lot of experiences, a lot of lessons, a lot of heartaches, but the joy was beyond compare :)

Here's a list of the memorable things I did this year:
1. Paintball at La Mesa Eco Park with orgmates - great experience! what could be more satisfying than being able to shoot people HAHA!

2. 17th International Hot air balloon festival in Pampanga with orgmates again! ~ first time!
3. The Rebelution camp in Rizal re-creation center in Laguna ~ God taught me a lot of things mostly about my personality. I was broken and redeemed at the same time.
4. Team One 2012 - JZONE nationwide leadership conference in CCT Tagaytay ~ Learned a lot about leadership, ministry, and service. And I was able to socialize a little..define little!
5. Family adventure in Bicol last April! It wasn't my first time but the adventures we had was worth remembering and the fact that we went as a whole family! I saw the beauty of the Mayon volcano for the nth time, I was able to try making a flower vase at a pottery house in Tiwi, and even though we didn't get to meet the Butandings in Donsol (for some unknown reason), I did experience snorkeling - the coral reefs and the school of fish was just....awesome!!! Besides the adventure, the food trips! We tried the sili and malunggay ice cream! The pansit bato for only 10pesos hihihi!
6. Intramuros semi-photoshoot! ~ there was a similar place in Cebu, the plaza independencia if I remember right
7. Tagaytay with the new Jcore Leaders  - it was our first planning getaway! God had given me a task I didn't think I was capable of doing, but then again He gives me the reason to JUST DO IT and have faith in Him.
8. Cinemalaya goes to UP 8 ~ I was able to watch most of the films and it was a great experience. I felt like I was really from UP, I mean my friend and I, we were making assessments every time the movie ends and we were using our imagination, we were using our brains for crying out loud.. just to analyze what the hell was the movie about (ehem diablo ehem)
9. Aly Siopao turned one! Time flies so fast! she's dalaga naaaaa~
10. My first ever musical! (yak feeling cast??) - Phantom of the Opera in Manila ~ SOOOOO AMAZING!!!! Goosebumps all over! my student discounted ticket was so worth it!! *kilig*
11. 30th SPP Physics Congress ~ first time to attend, first paper to submit for a national conference - and by God's amazing grace, that paper was chosen for the parallel sessions (oral presentation)
12. Binondo Food trip with Chem friends! ~ not the first time in Binondo, the fooooooooood waaaa
13. ARCHERY!!!!! 'nuff said.
14. Fellowship with Churchmates. Seriously, that's a big deal for such an introverted person like me. SERIOUSLY. Give it some credit!
15. Dgroup <3 ~ I have cried a thousand (nabilang?) tears for the people in my group. I learned a lot from these girls, and I learned a lot about myself. I did realize I have a lot to work on for myself for me to be able to help these girls with their walk with God. And until now, I still don't know what God wants me to do or maybe I'm just scared.
16. THESIS! even though I haven't started HAHA! I mean the journey from choosing the adviser wherein God specifically told me in a dream and confirmed it through His word (a true revelation that God really is awesome!), up until the sudden change of thesis topic which I seriously think is ..... err very difficult for me to understand HAHAHA! And I thank God for my very funny and very mabait na thesis adviser :)
17. BAKING! was able to try making blueberry cheesecake, blueberry muffins, and the most recent violet velvet cake which is our version of red velvet cake..we only had the violet food coloring that's why :P I am seriously considering this as a hobby and I want to invest in the baking tools etc... hihi
18. Citipointe Live concert in Manila! one of my favorite Christian bands! And we were upgraded to a better seat! we went down to the lower box from the gen ad section hihi
19. Purity series <3 wait to date contract <3
20. Food trips: barbara's resto in Intramuros (buffet), Cafe Lidia, Cafe via angelo, Bubba lab, casa feliz, mama chit's, chinatown buffet, binondo food trips, leona art unlimited pizza, TOSH unlimited pizza and pasta,  burger king, tamagoya, strawberry taho, yellow halo, pinkpikan, and many moooore
21. Ice skating with chem friends! after more that 15 years, I'm back in the skating rink and still don't know how to skate properly HAHA
22. Checked out some of the things in my bucket list! HOORAY! ~ watched a movie alone, finish the Bible,   learn how to bake, archery, paintball, some of the places in my travel list :)
23. SAGADA ultimate adventure! A DREAM COME TRUE INDEED! Thank you Lord for Your provision! and for letting me have such adventurous friends to accompany me haha! and for making our trip very safe though tiring! Extreme adventure it is! Cave spelunking for 4 freaking hours! very fulfilling huhu! And the death defying hike to the Pongas falls, seriously it's more scary than the spelunking haha!
24. BAGUIO! side trip after our sagada escapade! strawberry taho <3
25. Almost done with MS! except for thesis which is 0/10 haha! and thank you Lord for the miracle grades you have given me :)

Sagada adventure! (c) Jay-el Esguerra

2012 in a glimpse! incomplete pictures :(

There's a lot of things that are worth remembering during my 2012. And I thank everyone who became part of it. My family, my friends most especially LBT and chem friends, churchmates, Dgroupmates, MSE classmates..everyone thank you! Most grateful to my Lord and savior Jesus for everything, for the everyday experiences, for the heartaches and the lessons behind..and the joys, for my redemption, for Your unending love and amazing grace. It was a great year because You made it great. It was awesome because You are the awesome-est! I did get to know You more, and I want to know You more..for our relationship to continue til eternity! Love you Lord. You are my one and only <3