November 7, 2008.  Bubba invited me out to lunch last Friday and we decided to have it at Secret Recipe, Shangri-la Plaza branch.  The first time we tried Secret Recipe was in Malaysia during Day 2 dinner.  Last time I visited the Manila branch was a month ago for a business lunch meeting.  I was very satisfied with the dishes served then specifically with my order of pan-grilled dory with lobster sauce (PHP 320) –one of the reasons why I wanted Bubba to try the Manila version for himself.  The pan-grilled dory fillets were moist and cooked just right, served with their homemade lobster sauce, which had the perfect subtle flavor of lobster and fantastic creaminess.  The plate that accompanied the dory also had French fries, sweet peas and cauliflower.

 

 

The Secret Recipe Manila franchise has the same interiors naturally, where white and maroon shades are predominant colors and overall design is very minimalist.  The restaurant debuted in Malaysia in 1997 and it is currently the largest lifestyle café chain in that country.  The brand started to make a name for itself even outside Malaysia –in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China and now, even in Manila.  Secret Recipe supposedly has expanded of over 150 cafés in the region.  Even if the menu offers varied types of fusion food, pastries and ice cream, what Secret Recipe is most known for are their cheesecakes and novelty cake creations.

 

On the Table:

 

Pumpkin Soup PHP 90

The pumpkin soup was flat and consistency was almost like water.  It had to be my least favorite pumpkin soup from a restaurant. 

 

 

Black Pepper Lamb Pie PHP 150

The pie was as small as the palm of my hand but there is nothing to belittle about the taste.  The few chunks of meat didn’t taste like lamb but it was still flavorful and I like how peppery this dish was. 

 

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu PHP 230

Bubba’s order is cordon bleu –which I’m not really a big fan of.  Boneless chicken chop stuffed with chicken square and cheese, served with French fries and fresh garden salad.  This was the biggest disappointment of the whole lunch.  Bubba said he tasted better deep fried chicken nuggets from the chiller.  The chicken was tough like it was cooked twice and the meat had a weird smell.  Since we were eating lunch in a rush, we didn’t bother to raise it up.

 

 

Crinkle Cut Fries Side Order PHP 55

Bubba had a side order of crinkle cut fries.

 

Tom Yum Spaghetti PHP 180

Spaghetti in stir-fried “tom yum” minced chicken, chilies and spices.  I was able to try this dish during the lunch meeting as it piqued the curiosity of the group as how Tom Yum would taste on pasta.  I ordered it again so Bubba can have a taste.  The pasta basically had the tom yum sourness to the minced chicken with a kick.  This dish is worth a try if you want to taste a different take on pasta.

 

 

We really didn’t enjoy the lunch that we decided to forego ordering their cakes to avoid further disappointment.  I wish the lunch could have been different to ensue a next visit.

 

Secret Recipe Album

Malaysia Album

Related Post: Malaysia Truly Asia   

 

 

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s California Pizza Kitchen.  And there’s definitely love at CPK.  Invites to the Make Your Own Pizza event were sent out and eager participants were not shunned away by the rain and Wednesday’s heavy traffic on the evening of September 10, Wednesday.

 

 

Kitchen adventures always intrigue me as a lot of things happen in the kitchen (after all, isn’t that supposed to be the most exciting part of any quarters… or do I hear bedroom echoing somewhere)?  The culinary excitement started when we were asked to choose from a variety of titles:  Bollywood, Where’s the Way, etc.  The choice was Bollywood –vivacious barely clad bodies and energetic music suddenly entered the mind.   We were then handed a CPK box with a cap inside.

 

 

The enclosed area was so packed that tables had to be arranged outside the reserved venue to accommodate more participants.  The history of California Pizza Kitchen flickered on the LCD screen.  Lawyers who became restaurateurs founded CPK.  The brilliant JR Hernandez hosted the event, while Chef Archie Rodriguez, President of Global Restaurant Concepts, Inc. opened the culinary session by demonstrating how their premium pizzas are made.

 

 

Top-quality ingredients such as handpicked Roma tomatoes, imported Italian sausage, special dough and other premium goods were readily available to help recreate any of the more than 30 pizza offerings of California Pizza Kitchen.

 

Recreating the California-style pizza was a cinch with the freshest ingredient and the knowledgeable team of CPK Philippine franchise behind the counter.

 

 

Make Your Own Pizza participants then arranged these high-quality ingredients on top of special dough before baking them in a hearth oven. “Our hearth oven baking process creates a pizza crust characteristic of fine bread. It also retains the color, texture and taste of our toppings, lending our pizzas a distinct and complex flavor,” explained Rodriguez.

 

The guests had the chance to savor their different creations, which were served fresh from the oven.  From the curry based Tandoori Chicken, spicy Thai Chicken to the smoky sweet Jamaican Jerk Chicken, the international pizzas of California Pizza Kitchen offer a taste of the world.

 

 

“Our pizzas draw inspiration from the diverse culinary heritage of the Golden State, which is called home by many migrant cultures,” said Rodriguez. “This is why California is also a melting pot of flavorful cuisines—a culinary heritage mirrored in the pizzas of California Pizza Kitchen.”

 

CPK menu include: Pizzas, Salads and Appetizers, Soups, Pastas, Focaccia Sandwiches, Desserts, Smoothies, Beverages, Blended Beverages.  I remember having one of my lunch meetings at CPK Shangri-la  2 months ago and not one dish disappoint.

 

“Our range of pizzas encourage Filipinos to be adventurous so that they enter California Pizza Kitchen, thinking: ‘Maybe I’ll try a new pizza today’. Because whether it’s Goat Cheese with Roasted Peppers or Tuna Melt, we want our pizzas to be as exciting as they are satisfying to the palate,” said Rodriguez.

 

 

The Philippine franchise is owned by Global Restaurant Concepts, Inc. and currently operates 6 branches located in: Glorietta 3, Alabang Town Center, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Trinoma Mall, Greenhills Shopping Center, Powerplant Mall.  In California Pizza Kitchen, abandon normalcy and embark on a gastronomic adventure –order a pizza you’ve never tried before, and enjoy the thrill of traveling the world through its premium slices.

 

 

For inquiries on reservation or delivery, call California Pizza Kitchen at 867-2115 to 16 (Glorietta 3), 850-5771 (Cortes de las Palmas, Alabang Town Center), 687-7841 to 42 (Shangri-La Plaza Mall), 725-7377 (Greenhills Promenade), 901-3881 to 82 (Trinoma) and 895-3447 (Power Plant Mall, Rockwell).

 

Global website: http://www.cpk.com/menu/ Philippine website: http://globalresto.com

CPK Album

What better way to miss the Chris Daughtry Live in Manila concert happening in Libis?  Attend the Healthy Shabu Shabu event and engage your appetite to healthy and delicious food!  That is precisely what I did this evening.  Looking for something to warm me up for tomorrow and a good bowl (or more) of hot soup absolutely did the trick. 

When one hears Shabu Shabu, one thinks no frills cooking.  Dump everything in hot water without using an iota of brain cell.  One only needs a drop of brain juice to realize not to stick the searing beef from the hot pot straight to a salivating mouth… I ran out of brain juice.

Now my tongue is numb from scorching it with hot spicy yummy broth.  But before it went numbed and stricken with oversized dots, it was a very happy digestive organ.

Candy Hwang, the woman behind Healthy Shabu Shabu, developed the art of eating Shabu Shabu.  The process begins with choosing the items on your Shabu Shabu platter –veggies, seafood, beef, and lamb as the main options. 

Nutritious veggie platter is always a staple in most shabu shabu meal along with 2 different servings of fresh homemade noodles, the fat and thin of noodles, vermicelli and egg noodle.  This includes Taiwan and Baguio petchay, beancurd, yam, black mushrooms and carrots.  For meat options, chicken, thinly sliced lamb and Angus beef are available.  A healthier alternative is a seafood platter that includes shrimps, fish cutlets, abalone and oysters.

The second phase centers on the soup base.  A small gadget under the right side of the table shows temperature options.  Place the temperature to the boiling point of 150 degrees.  When the water starts producing big bubbles, it signifies the start of the cooking process.  It is vital to know which ingredients go in first.  The sweet corn, yam and fat noodles take the plunge first since it takes longer for them to cook.  For the sauce, Healthy Shabu Shabu provides a special barbecue sauce, chopped garlic, onion, chili, special sauce base and spices.  Simply mix the sauce, chili, garlic, and onion into the special sauce base.  Diners may opt to add egg yolk in the special sauce to make it richer.  You can opt to put half of the spices in the soup.

The key to the best shabu shabu experience is learning how to boil the ingredients without overcooking them.  It helps that you do not crowd the pot with so many items.  You also want to build up the flavor of the broth by knowing which ingredients to put first.  Crabs, shrimps, lobsters make the broth richer in flavor so that should be one of the first items.

Vermicelli noodles, leafy vegetables, carrots, beancurd, meatballs should not be left boiling for more than 30 seconds.  Candy Hwang advises that the vegetable ingredients of this savory meal are best served crunchy and not overcooked.

Phase 3 focuses on the meat part of the meal.  The meat of the fish may follow but make sure not to leave it boiling for 5-10 minutes.  Spreading beaten raw egg on top of the meat tenderizes the beef of your choice.  After doing so, add the meat in the pot during the boiling point.  After 20-40 seconds, let the meat cool down in the sauce and enjoy.  The lamb and Angus beef meat that was served were absolutely fantastic -tender and flavorful.  I could eat a dozen slices without the sauce.

Healthy Shabu Shabu is a fun, safe, healthy and interactive way of dining that utilizes state-of-the dining facilities and equipment. 

Healthy Shabu Shabu Branches: Powerplant Mall -898.3979/895.6300  The Podium -914.1028-29 SM Mall of Asia -556.0354-55 Robinsons Galleria -633.1979/632.1634 SM North The Block -442.0036-37 Alabang Town Center -850.6633/850.6976Robinsons Midtown -526.2981/529.3983Shangri La Plaza Mall 910.3272/632.7532 

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/528/08_0729-_Healthy_Shabu_Shabu_Event