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Between Bites TOP 10 MUST BITES 2011

December 22, 2011 by Janey

I have scoffed, gobbled, munched, wolfed down different dishes in many, almost countless, restaurants that I have to really organize my food thoughts. That is the reason time and again I come up with these Between Bites Top 10 lists.

Between Bites TOP 10 Best Japanese Restaurants

BETWEEN BITES TOP 10 BEST DATE PLACES

BETWEEN BITES TOP 10 BEST FILIPINO EATS

BETWEEN BITES TOP 10 BEST PAELLA

BETWEEN BITES TOP 10 BEST Buffalo Wings

TOP 5 Sultry Strawberry Treats

Mercato Centrale, Where Food Lovers Meet, The TOP 10

Between Bites TOP 10 Things About Bali

And here we go again! This time I have dubbed my annual list as “MUST BITES” in line with the Between Bites “brand.” Yuck, brand daw oh. Haha.

10. Rub Ribs and Barbecue

A simple duplex with a red signage that spelled RUB stands in Tomas Morato. With more comfortable dining area on the 2^nd floor, the small space has quotable quotes in frames adorning the wall. Their menu offers wings, potato wedges, pastas, pork belly, among others but obviously, it is a no-nonsense restaurant devoted to the love of ribs and barbecue.

Foodie Club Series: Shang Palace Dimsum Buffet Promo

September 1, 2010 by Janey

There was rarely any other Saturday that I woke up so excitedly even when I lacked sleep. I didn’t mind being up by 1030 am despite coming home from a High School reunion at 230am. I was eagerly anticipating brunch slash long lunch at Makati Shangrila’s The Shang Palace.

Shang Palace has always been a favorite and I’ve never been back since my grandpa passed on. As I entered the top-rated Chinese restaurant in Manila, I was gulping down tears of memories, remembering my grandpa.

After turning one corner, the hostess directed us to where our favorite foodie friends were occupying a large round table. It was a beautiful Saturday lunch as we all partook in Shang Palace’s Dimsum Buffet, which we first found out from Richard (and Irene) of TalesfromtheTummy.blogspot.com. They have ordered ahead for everyone to share, initially 20 pieces of Hakao (steamed shrimp dumplings) and Pork Siomai.

The Foodie Club that day consisted of Richard, Irene, ZP (Carlos), Carlos’ friend Faith (who joined us for the first time), Grace (who we shared the inaugural lunch of STV’s Hainanese Chicken set at Richard’s place and who’s great in appreciating good food), Peter, Bubba and me.

Irene and Richard

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ZP and Faith

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Shang Palace Dimsum Buffet

11:30 AM – 2:30 PM

PHP 995 net (PHP 810 + 10% service charge and applicable government taxes)

Unlimited Dimsum +

Endless servings of soup, appetizer, rice,

noodles, congee, vegetarian dishes, dessert +

a choice of one main course per person (personal size)

Strictly no leftovers! 😉

On the Table

Dimsum

Steamed Giant Shrimp Crystal Skin Dumplings

Steamed Shanghai “Xiao Lung Pao”

Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce

Steamed Pork Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce

Spinach Dumplings Stuffed with Shrimp

Baked Barbecue Pork Pie with Apple

Deep Fried Ham Shui Kok Stuffed with Minced Pork and Chicken

Hong Kong style deep fried shrimp spring rolls

Deep Fried Taro Puffs with Diced Scallop

Appetizer

Honey Glazed Barbecue Pork

Chilled Marinated Beef Kenchi

Jelly Fish with Century Egg

Marinated Soyed Bean Curd

Soup

Shredded Fish Lip Soup

Sichuan Style Hot and Sour Soup

Noodles

Stir fried noodles “Fujian” style

Efu noodles with three kinds of mushrooms

Main Course

(1 main course per person)

Hot Prawn Salad (3)

Deep fried pork spareribs in fragrant garlic and chili spice (1)

Stir Fried beef tenderloin cubes in black pepper sauce (1)

Steamed Lapu Lapu fillet with garlic sauce

Dessert

Chilled Mango Puree with Sago and Diced Mango

Chilled Almond Jelly with Mixed Fruits

Sweetened Almond Cream with Glutinous Pudding

Chilled Grass Jelly with Sago

This is a list of what we all ordered… or at least from what I can remember from the delicious feast that was in front of me. For Dimsum, we tried as many as our famed dimsum favorites. What I love about Shang Palace’s Dimsum Plus is the fact that they cook as you order. The dimsum items come out fresh from the kitchen and not sitting in a waiting area for quite some time then served to you.

Of note also is their steamed giant shrimp dumpling in thin translucent flour skin which gives a perceptively melting effect in the mouth. The shrimp inside is very plump and fresh. The hakao bite just slides down cleanly in your tummy and there’s absolutely no trace of MSG or heaviness –very clean-tasting. I dare say, best Hakao in town.

Their pork siomai comes with a morsel of shrimp surprise and generous amount of roe on top. All the ingredients of this little circular dice of siomai come together beautifully and it’s a wonderful taste in the mouth. No taste of extenders here, just quality ingredients that you know is a cut above the rest.

The Xiao Lung Pao is definitely not their strongest suit because there’s no warm soup broth that bursts as you pop it in your mouth and the wrapper was a bit thicker than expected. If they can make it any closer to Din Tai Fung’s version, I’ll be there every other weekend!!! They serve it with soy-ed vinegar with sliced ginger stalks. At any rate, I think I was still able to finish 6-7 pieces of their Xiao Lung Pao.

The Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce was not that greasy and was full of flavor you’d really leached in. I’m not a big fan of chicken feet (I only eat it once in a long while) and I could only usually finish one. I had two this time and if I weren’t stuffing my mouth with the other dimsums, I would have digested more chicken feet. ZP (he loves chicken feet) would have found a big competition in me.

The Deep Fried Taro Puffs with Diced Scallop and Deep Fried Ham Shui Kok were quite a big hit on the table crowd. Irene, Peter, Bubba and Grace all raved about the Ham Shui Kok which is basically minced pork and chicken wrapped in some crisp glutinous wrapper. When you bite into the Deep Fried Taro Puff, it crumbles beautifully albeit messily and reveals the semi-sticky scallop-taro ensemble inside.

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To deviate from the clean-tasting dimsum treats, order the Hong Kong style deep fried shrimp spring rolls and crunch into a crisp goodness. Get a bit of sweetness and savory from the baked barbecue pork pie with apple. Grace almost didn’t share her piece.

The Spinach dumplings with shrimp are also another must-try.

The appetizers we ordered were completely wiped out with no complaints and if we had room for it, we could certainly order another round of honey glazed barbecue pork, chilled marinated beef kenchi, and jellyfish with century egg (a favorite appetizer of mine).

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We each had our own serving of soup. Majority ordered the fish lip soup (another favorite of mine when it comes to Chinese soups –second to Sibot or Duck Soup) while Bubba got his favorite of Sichuan hot and sour soup.

For main course, make sure you order Hot Prawn Salad or Stir Fried Beef Tenderloin in Black Pepper Sauce because it surely satisfied almost everyone in the group.

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I think you can already figure out dessert for yourself. I have to stop here before I pass out. I’m getting so famished after reliving that Saturday lunch I had with the Foodie Club.

Service is top notch as I’m accustomed to from The Shang Palace excellent wait staff –very knowledgeable of the menu items, friendly and so easy to call with a quick eye contact or wave of hand. Entertainment was as usual provided by Peter (who was in attendance without Rowena of animetric.com) who made us laugh and smile our way through lunch. Stories of food, current events and personal anecdotes were all over the lunch table and it made the experience all the more fun and enjoyable. Fantastic time like this over good food is best shared with foodie friends!

Peter, Grace, Irene, Richard, ZP, Everybody’s Janey, Faith and Bubba 😉

A REPEAT of the Shang Palace Dimsum Buffet, is without a doubt, a must on my Things to Do list. It was one of the most worthwhile things I’ve done on a Saturday.

The Shang Palace

2^nd Floor, Makati Shangrila Hotel

Ayala Avenue, Makati City, Philippines.

(632) 813 8888

Shang Palace Album

Related Entry

Shang Palace

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Foodie Club Series: Yabba Dabba Yoggle!

August 3, 2010 by Janey

Last Tuesday night, Richard invited the “club” to the newest Yogurt parlor to hit San Juan, Yoggle. It’s located at the new RONAC building along Ortigas Avenue near the corner of Santolan Road. If you need a landmark, it’s rubbing elbows with the new branch of Charlie’s Grind and Grill.

Frozen Yogurt has been the latest food craze that hit Manila’s pop culture. It’s probably in its sophomore year but I guess I’m one of the few who haven’t joined the yogurt bandwagon. My old school self still sticks to the yogurt/brand that has become a favorite that I can easily buy off the grocery shelves. I have only tried two brands at this time and have eaten frozen yogurt or soft-served yogurt three times.

But I might just have to add to that count.

Yoggle, pronounced as yaggle since the “o” there stands for a German letter, started opening its doors about three weeks ago. Their yogurt supplies/mixes come from the US which translates to really high quality yogurt –and Yoggle gives much importance to quality assurance that they guarantee their customers fresh yogurt every single day. Leftover yogurts are disposed of each night.

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There are 8 flavors available to its patrons at any given time and they change the variety of the flavors on a 2 week basis to keep the Yogurt fanatics interested. The flavors available that time include plain tart (which is a staple flavor), strawberry, kiwi, banana, taro, watermelon, vanilla and mocha cappuccino.

What makes Yoggle fun and interesting for me is it gives me the power of choice. I can choose just one yogurt flavor for my base or mix different variants in one cup. At the display counter, there are several choices for toppings that include fresh fruit slices (for the healthy buff), cookie chunks, tiny colorful marshmallows (my favorite), white and dark chocolate chips, wafer sticks, various nuts and graham powder.

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The choice is definitely yours what trinkets you want in your yogurt. Pricing will depend on the weight in ounce of your order, regardless if its yogurt filled or topping filled or both. The price per ounce is PHP20.

Bubba finished 2 cups of different Yoggle yogurt flavors with assorted toppings but he very much preferred his Taro yogurt cup. I got the Vanilla variant and was happy with the right balance of tart and vanilla.

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Lauren is sooo adorable! 🙂

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Have you tried Yoggle yogurt? Well, be one of the firsts to get the dibs of Yabba Dabba Yoggle fun and head over Ortigas Avenue. It’s open at 11am and closes at 11pm. I’m sure you’d also want to stop by the diner next door and grab a delicious burger or wings 😉

Yoggle Frozen Yogurt Bar

RONAC Bldg. Ortigas Ave.,

San Juan, Philippines

*Thanks to Richard Co of TalesfromtheTummy.blogspot.com for the invite!

Photo Credit:

Richard Co of www.talesfromthetummy.blogspot.com

Yoggle Album

2 Comments Filed Under: Inside Dish: A BITE of Food Tagged With: 32 flavors and more, address, Angus burger, best burgers, Charlie's, do it yourself yogurt, Filipino, flavors, food blog, food review, foodie, foodie club series, frozen yogurt, Gilmore, imported beers, Internet, location map, Map, menu, Metro Manila, new branch of Charlie's Grind and Grill, opening, Ortigas Avenue, Philippines, Ronac Building, San Juan, Santolan Road, shop, soft opening, soft served yogurt, toppings, Uratex, where is new branch of Charlie's, wi fi access, wi-fi, yabba dabba yoggle, Yoggle, Yoggle frozen yogurt bar, Yoggle yogurt, yogurt bar, yogurt cafe, yogurt flavors

Between Bites’ TOP 10 Food Highlights of 2010’s 1st Half: What a Mouthful!

June 23, 2010 by Janey

Between Bites TOP 10 Food Highlights (2010 -1st Half)

10. King One’s Shabu Shabu

That Sunday lunch at King One’s Shabu Shabu (PHP 529 per head) was a wonderful lunch where the food were abound and of good quality –prepared well I should say. I get turned off with restaurants that offer buffet sometimes because of the way the food is prepared… but in this case, King One’s staff handles the food properly. Service was friendly, prompt and inclined –more reason to enjoy your King One feast. Don’t forget to order fresh prawns, mozzarella balls, tao pao and lamb! Oh lamb!

King One Rotary Hot Pot

M2-A Lower Hobbies of Asia

#8 Macapagal Ave., Pasay City

(632) 556 1370

9. Sweet Revenge of Maitre Chocolatier

Sweet Revenge is Maitre Chocolatier’s Lindt Molten Lava Cake -dark chocolate molten lava cake made from Europe’s finest Lindt Excellence Dark 70%, filled with oozing sweet and vengefully spicy chocolate served with vanilla ice cream

Sweet Revenge was the unanimously favorite on the table with its gooey warm chocolate that ruptures from the moist cake that’s bittersweet dark and spiced with chili. Midway when the chocolate flavor sinks in, the chili essence abruptly creeps in creating a sweet heat inside your mouth. Cool off with the vanilla ice cream that soothes your taste buds to a calm reverie. Bubba, Zipster and I loved the yin yang taste of darkness and sweetness, as well as the heat and arctic feel.

The spunk of the chili in the luscious chocolate liquid inside and the vanilla ice cream bring it all together in sweet harmony.

Maitre Chocolatier Boutique Café

Maitre Chocolatier Boutique Cafe by Eva Wong

2A (Beside Starbucks), No. 28 Jupiter Street

Bel Air, Makati City, Philippines

(632) 897 8559

8. Minato’s Great Korean Barbecue

Other than the smorgasbord of side dishes that includes Kimchi, spiced green vegetables, peanuts, bean sprouts, marbled potatoes among a variety of other side accompaniments, it is really the barbecue that’s quite good at Minato. It has to be one of the best in town.

Kimchi Pancake

The Kimchi Pancake is oil-fried pancake with bits of beansprouts and cabbage flavored Kimchi-style. And I think it’s free.

So Kal Bi PHP 350

Marinated beef short ribs –has a shadow of sweetness, garlic and soy. It’s hard to restrain oneself from gnawing the large bones with charred meat.

Sam Gyeop Sal PHP 240

The plate had thick, fatty slices of pork belly (almost looks like uncured bacon) alternating meat and fat and then skin. Meat is left unseasoned and usually cooked on a grill at the diner’s table. In this case, the wait staff helped in cooking the pork belly slices. On the side, green onion leeks and lettuce are served in case you prefer to wrap your meat inside. Customize it and add different side dishes or Kimchi and dip in sesame oil with fine black pepper and salt for a perfect finish.

Minato Korean Restaurant

Escriva Road (between Furu Restaurant and Agua Vida)

Ortigas Center, Pasig City

#8 is a toss-up between Minato and Chic Boy

tied at the same number.

8. Tasty Lechon Liempo at Chic Boy

Great food doesn’t necessarily have to come at a price. There’s a new affordable (almost dare to say cheap) food discovery along Jupiter Street in Makati. Call on the Chic Boy. Chic-Boy is actually a play on the words Chicken and Baboy (pork) –the meats that are quite popular in the Filipino community particularly when it’s grilled.

Chic Boy is putting a whole new turn on chicken inasal, lechon manok and lechon liempo like you’ve never tasted before. They’ve taken a special secret recipe of tasty lechon manok and lechon liempo in Cebu and chicken inasal of Bacolod and put it all in one easy-breezy and affordable restaurant here in Manila.

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Must-orders include their Cebu Lechon Liempo and Salmon Sinigang (PHP 45). With those affordable prices and flavorsome and satisfying meals, how can anyone go wrong? 😀

READ MORE!

Tasty Lechon Liempo at Chic Boy

Chic Boy

Jupiter St., Makati City

7. 22 Prime’s Tomahawk Chop

Quick-fire thoughts:

I love the ample size of fat that adds a buttery texture

and heightens flavor of the meat

Peppercorn sauce bursts a bouncy flavor that goes perfectly with the chop

The salad is a good pause in between bites of meat as a cleanser to the palate

Side of baby vegetables had the right crisp and seasoning

–the lone brussel sprout was my favorite! Quite tasty!!!

Don’t miss out on ordering my FAVORITE Chef Rick’s Cheese Bread!

Chef Rick’s Cheese Bread PHP 140

Gooey warm cheese topped on three breads, soft and bursting with tantalizing flavors. Served with baby greens in a mild citrus dressing sparkled with pink peppercorn. Sun dried tomato and broiled four cheese together? It’s an exercise in indulgence.

Premium Night at 22 Prime

22 Prime

22^nd Level, Discovery Suites

25 ADB Avenue

Ortigas Avenue, Ortigas Center

Pasig City, Metro Manila

(632) 719 8888/ (632) 719 6821

6. Ya Kun Kaya Toast –Ortigas

Want a great breakfast that lifts you up at any time of the day? Head over at Ya Kun Kaya! 🙂

Kaya Toast (Half PHP 115, Set Menu PHP 140)

2 slices of delicious Kaya toast with butter –has the right lightly toasted crunch of the bread, slathered with butter and just enough green sweet coconut spread. Satisfies when washed down with Ya Kun’s famous coffee tarik or the traditionally pulled coffee. It’s not on their menu, but you can change your coffee to Yin Yang, which is this delicious half-coffee and half-tea drink.

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Noticeably, the Ya Kun eggs were cooked perfectly, which other Kaya stores can’t quite get, where the eggs usually come out with still some raw uncooked parts. My little spoon broke into that fountain of yolk and I was soaked in sunshine delight. There’s no brighter day than eating wet and perfectly prepared eggs with the crunch of your toast.

READ MORE!

Ya Kun Kaya -Ortigas

In Crumbs: Ya Kun Kaya, Taverna Verde and Taal View Heights

Ya Kun Kaya Toast

G/F AYK Bldg., Escriva Drive (Right beside Astoria Plaza)

San Antonio Village, Ortigas, Pasig City

(632) 470 4285

7AM-11PM

5. Stevie’s Hainanese Chicken Rice

Suffused in its natural chicken juice/broth, the chicken meat was very tender and delectable –quite tasty for what can be considered a “healthy food.” The exquisite and juicy flesh of the steamed chicken is finely balanced with the fragrant rice sprinkled with green onions. Add a splotch of color and taste by blending in the ginger in sesame oil, chili and sweetened soy sauce.

Ooh, the appetizing smell and pleasant gingerly-sesame light taste mixed with a touch of soy and red spice… makes you definitely bite off more than you can chew.

Stevie’s Hainanese Chicken Rice: Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

Stevie’s Hainanese Chicken Rice (For pick-up orders only)

21 Libra St. Bel Air,

Makati City

(0906) 508 4155

4. Legend of India

Next to my favorite cuisine, I think Indian cuisine is one of the most interesting and flavorful fares in the world. Indian cuisine uses various spices, herbs, and vegetables and fruits sometimes grown only in India. It also has a wide assortment of cooking techniques.

Kadai Paneer PHP 260

Cottage cheese cooked in a traditional kadai masala paste

Rogan Josh PHP 450

Rogan Josh is an aromatic curry meat dish cooked with a mixture of strong Indian spices where the fat of the meat is usually roasted first in yogurt marinade. Legend of India tamed their version for our group, which mean it wasn’t intensely hot, but it was still intensely enjoyable paired with the vegetable biryani or the naan.

Sweet Lassi PHP 110

It was my first time to actually drink a whole glass of sweet Lassi. I’ve tried it before in other Indian restaurants but found the others’ version too sour for my taste. Lassi is a popular and traditional Indian yogurt-based drink. I tremendously enjoyed Legend of India’s sweet lassi since it has a perfect blend of yogurt, milk and sweetener. There’s a bit of tangy taste to it but it mellows down with a frothy sweet milky flavor. It fully relaxes your taste buds from the spices.

READ MORE!

Legend of India is Legend of Taste

Legend of India

114-B Jupiter St.,

Bel-Air II, Makati City

(632) 836 4232

3. Tsumura’s Wagyu Beef Usuyaki

Other than the sushi and sashimi…

It’s the Wagyu Beef Usuyaki that’s memorable at Tsumura! 🙂

Wagyu Beef Usuyaki PHP 600

Supple mushrooms wrapped in thinly sliced Wagyu beef –very tender, flavorful that it’s mighty impressive. The mushrooms were very light, in mellow contrast of the excellent beef. It is simply an indulgence in fine food. The taste is divine.

Tsumura

2^nd Level 88 Corporate Plaza

Sedeno corner Valero Streets,

Salcedo Village, Makati City

(632) 887 4848/ (632) 4850

#3 is actually a toss-up between Tsumura and Serenitea

tied at the same number.

3. Serenitea’s Okkinawa or Hokkaido Milk Tea

Serenitea is your one-stop shop for all things serene about tea. They have different variants of tea that will help boost a definite change of drinking lifestyle. It is the healthy alternative to colas, coffee and sugar-loaded smoothies. We visit 3 to 4 times a week to get our “Serenitea fix,” which is usually their Okkinawa milk tea drink with nata or pearls (depending on what topping you want) or Hokkaido with pearls.

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A Sunday Afternoon Picnic

2. Frazzled Cook’s Paella

In terms of taste and price, I consider Frazzled Cook’s Seafood Paella as the best in my book so far.

Seafood Paella PHP 550

For those diners who love their seafood paella with the full generous portions of mussels, squid rings, shrimps, chorizo and egg, this is their best bet for paella and huge value for money. I love the fact that they serve it on the paellera since I enjoy most my paella with the burnt crispy part at the bottom.

For other recommended orders, below are some dishes worthwhile to try:

Wagyu Salpicao PHP 550

When the serving arrives on your table, initial thought would be, “this dish is pricey.” If you’re being served with quality Wagyu that certainly softens in your mouth in a buttery texture without any effort, then your money is good. Have no qualms being served only a few flavorful cubes of beef drenched in its sautéed oil with lightly fried chips of garlic and slices of button mushrooms. Superb.

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Peruvian Hot Pot PHP 400

The Peruvian Hot Pot is their version of spicy lamb stew. This was Bubba’s favorite as the spicy invigorating flavors all come together from the lamb, olives, bell peppers and wine –great flavor and unbelievable rich sauce. The lamb meat had no gamey aftertaste that will surely convert those non-lamb eaters.

The Frazzled Cook

#916 Luna Mencias Street, Baranggay Additional Hills,

Mandaluyong City

(632) 782 5980

1. La Tienda Steak

Chuleton PHP 2,150 (PHP 425/100 grams)

It was the steak that was the highlight of this dinner date for me (okay, plus Bubba’s adoring chinky eyes). One of the best steaks I’ve tasted in Manila is not found on a focused steakhouse. It’s at a Spanish restaurant called La Tienda. I was pleasantly surprised how the steak gratified my meaty cravings. I think we had it cooked in medium doneness. The delicious steak was quite tender –glistening with appropriate grease and seemingly lightly salted while being cooked.

READ MORE!

La Tienda

43 Polaris St. Bel-Air

Makati City, Philippines

(632) 890 4123

Because I love food so much, I have #11-#20 but I’ll save it for another post. Watch out for that soon! 😉

For the meantime, here’s looking forward to the wonderful eats and gastronomic experiences for the next half of the year! Food Highlights from July-December 2010 –2^nd half version! And finally, by the end of the year, TOP 10 of 2010!!! 😉 I’m so giddy with excitement! CHEERS!

THANK YOU Ming for this photo! 😉

LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE and EAT!!! 😉

Photo Credit:

Carlos Palma of Foodie Manila

www.FoodieManila.com

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Foodie Club Series: The Shabu Shabu Fit For A King at King One Rotary Hot Pot

June 8, 2010 by Janey

I’ve been hearing King One stories from Richard, Irene and Wendy ever since the Foodie Club meet at Beijing Hand Pulled Noodles and since then it’s been included in my “food/restaurant” hit list to try. I don’t know how the King One Plurk thread started but when somebody said June 6, it was immediately a “green light” for me without even peeking at my calendar.

June 6 was such a hectic Sunday. Bubba and I went from one end of Manila to another end but nothing could have stopped us from joining the King One lunch get-together. It wasn’t too tough to find the place with specific directions from Richard. A little before 12 noon, Carlos, Bubba and I were welcoming Irene and Richard back in Manila (fresh from a Davao trip). Our group of five sat comfortably in the reserved booth near the conveyor belt.

King One has a conveyor belt that showcases all their little plates of ingredients available for hot pot. They will basically provide the Hong Kong curry broth on your table and set it to boil. Once boiling starts, cooking begins. Grab the plates that you want to add to your curry soup. Sze Chuan sauce is also available as an additional spice.

On the Table

I’m so happy that I was sitting across Irene because she knows good food! She picked the right plates off the conveyor and requested some more plates directly from the servers who are stationed inside the “belt”. We started off with:

Tao Pao

Tao Pao is basically beancurd skin. I learned from Irene that this is used to wrap Kikiam meat. Interesting huh? It takes a while to cook them but it’s worth the wait to bite into the soft beancurd skin. It gives a different texture to your palate –the beancurd sheets have a unique bite about it I can’t quite explain. It was soft yet textural… almost still crunchy.

Mozzarella Balls

It’s Singaporean fish balls with mozzarella inside. Be careful when you bite into it because even if the outside might not be that hot, the inside could be piping hot!!! It’s best, as Irene advised, to cut it first on your plate.

I like the soft fish balls (I’m not a fan of fish balls, maybe squid balls, but Singaporean version is good!) without the evident fishy taste and interestingly semi-sweet and cheesy mozzarella bit inside.

Lamb Slices

Bubba and I love Healthy Shabu Shabu but it can get quite pricey. Some plates there cost PHP 500 already and your limited to just one plate for that price. King One has great meats available with the “all you can eat” price. I particularly loved the lamb slices and I think even finished one plate by my own. It had enough meat and fat combined in the strips.

Instead of dumping the meat/shrimps on the boiling soup that makes them a bit overcooked and dry, the trick is, I learned again from Irene, to place the beef on the ladle, submerge it in the hot pot and wait a few seconds for the pink to turn light brown, then pull it out onto your plate. The lamb tasted so delicious soaked a bit in the curry soup.

Hong Kong Curry Soup

Enoki Mushrooms

Also known as Golden mushrooms… it’s one of my favorite

Fresh Scallops

We didn’t get to try this since it wasn’t available that day… but Richard and Irene were able to try it on their previous (dozens) visits.

Shrimps

Do the same trick with the lamb slices to the shrimp. King One can serve the shrimps without the shells anymore. Best to dip the cooked shrimp in the Sze Chuan sauce… it’s like dipping suahe in Chinese restaurants into the semi-sweet soy sauce with spring onions.

Dip and Shake -and it gets cooked!

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Other than the above, we also tried litid, pork dumplings, shrimp dumplings, watercress, fresh squid, Hong Kong fish cutlets, etc.

Richard and Irene brought several pasalubong from Davao –langka yema of 2 brands and durian yema. My favorite (and I think Joan and Carlos agree with me on this) is the Apo ni Lola Yema Langka –has the sweet milky yema flavor to it and strands of fragrant langka adding a different sweet tang to it. I almost finished the whole bag.

Apo ni Lola has the sweetest yema langka! 😉

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Richard and Irene 🙂

Love this HAPPY photo! 😀

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Abet and Joanne 🙂

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Carlos aka ZP aka Zipster

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It was a battle won by “us”

After eating the yema langka, I had to eat some more savory food. I can’t end with only a sweet note on my palate. I ate more shrimps soaked in the sze chuan sauce and half a plate of lamb slices. It was a wonderful lunch where the food are abound and of good quality –prepared well I should say. I get turned off with restaurants that offer buffet sometimes because of the way the food is prepared… but in this case, King One’s staff handles the food properly. Service was friendly, prompt and inclined –more reason to enjoy your King One feast.

King One’s “all-you-can-eat” hot pot was such a pleasant and satisfying lunch –all for a good price of PHP 529 per head. It’s a bit far off the usual Metro highways but the trip to Macapagal Avenue is worth the while. Best to go on a Sunday where traffic is really light in the area.

King One Rotary Hot Pot

M2-A Lower Hobbies of Asia

#8 Macapagal Ave., Pasay City

(632) 556 1370

King One Album

Related Entries

FoodieManila King One

Tales from the Tummy

Photo Credit:

Carlos Palma of FoodieManila.com

Richard Co of TalesfromtheTummy.blogspot.com

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4 Comments Filed Under: Inside Dish: A BITE of Food Tagged With: address, affordable, ala carte dishes, all you can eat, Apo ni Lola, beancurd skin, best buffet in Manila, best food blog, best food blogger, best shabu shabu, Buffet, Carlos Palma, cheap, Chinese, davao, dish, durian, Filipino, food blogger, food review, foodie, foodie club series, FoodieManila, fresh seafood, Hobbies of Asia, how to get there, Joan Lim, King One, King One price, King One Rotary Hot Pot, King One Shabu Shabu, Korean, lamb, location, location map, Macapagal Avenue, Macapagal Avenue restaurants, management, menu, Metro Manila, P529, Pasalubong, Philippines, price per head, Richard Co, service, service review, Shabu Shabu, shrimps, Stonibert Lim, Sze Chuan sauce, TalesfromtheTummy.blogspot.com, Tao Pao, Tofu, top one, where, yema langka

Foodie Club Series: Cantonese Soup Kitchen

June 4, 2010 by Janey

Tuesday night –After our Foodie Club dinner at a recently opened Indian restaurant in Makati, we all headed to our favorite tea spot for after-meals tea drinking. Our hunger for more good food led to a dinner meet-up the next day at Cantonese Soup Kitchen.

Richard, Irene and Carlos picked me up at the office a little past 6pm and straight we went to Banawe area. The Banawe area is one of the spots in the Metro that’s heavily populated with a range of restaurants. Despite getting muddled in the thick of restaurants, a really good dining spot doesn’t get drowned easily especially if it has superior specialty dishes that stand above the rest.

If you’re looking for Cantonese dishes to try, Cantonese Soup Kitchen is where you should be headed. If the Americans have their popular chicken soup for those feeling under the weather, the Chinese have a traditional recipe called “sibot” soup that can counter that any day.

On the Table

Sibot with Duck Soup PHP 195

“Sibot” is a kind of herb that’s used mostly in duck soup that can help alleviate illness. Sibot duck is supposedly one of the oldest and most popular Chinese herbal soup recipes. This soup is famous for restoring energy and strengthening of the immune system. For those who like duck, this is another variation that offers soft delicate duck meat and soothing herbal (tea-like) soup.

More than its healthy benefits, Sibot is a comfort food that’s an enjoyable starter for a succeeding hot meal.

Chicken Feet PHP

Carlos and Irene both like chicken feet a lot. I was more the courageous one out of Richard and Bubba to try a piece. Carlos ordered another set and loved the fact that at certain time, CSK’s chicken feet dimsum’s price is at 50% off.

Tausi Spareribs PHP 85

Richard ordered this and this is also more like my order for dimsum more than chicken feet.

Shrimp Salad PHP 250

Fried Garlic Squid PHP

Sliced Beef Kenchi PHP 240

I’ve been harping on Plurk how much I wanted to go back to Cantonese Soup Kitchen ever since March. Fran suggested trying the sliced beef kenchi and it was a good recommendation! Thin sliced beef with strips of “litid.” It’s so soft that almost no chewing is required! 😉

Satay Sotanghon Seafood in Hotpot PHP 250

Different seafood chunks in a Chinese stew –flavorful satay sauce and strands of sotanghon

Wintermelon soup and another bowl of Sibot duck soup (again) are on my list when I pay Cantonese Soup Kitchen another visit. They have a bigger branch along Banawe Street near Starbucks (where Coco Asian Bistro used to be).

Cantonese Soup Healthy Kitchen

Unit C-847 Banawe cor. Linaw Sts.,

Quezon City

(632) 743 5249

Cantonese Soup Kitchen Album

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Foodie Club Series: Omakase

June 3, 2010 by Janey

Omakase isn’t really a new kid in town. For most of you, you know it’s a good affordable place to go to for Japanese cuisine particularly varied sushi platters.

Monday night, right after almost all (Zipster, I’m looking at you) of us cast our votes for the 2010 national elections, we all gathered at Omakase for our usual Foodie Club dinner meet. That week’s choice was Fran’s recommendation after she and I started talking about sushi on Plurk and got the craving going.

Foodies present were Carlos, Christa, Fran and Paul, Richard and Irene, Peter and Wendy, and Bubba and me! 😉

On the Table

Spicy Tuna Salad PHP

Seafood Crepe Salad PHP

GDR Sushi Platter PHP

Golden Blossom, Dynamite Roll, Rising Sun

Uni Sushi PHP 230

We ordered Uni Sushi and placed it on a separate tab since I figured it’s only me who likes Uni. I was glad that Fran was interested to try my usual “must-not-forget” to order. It was her first time to taste it and she liked the velvety silky melting texture 😉 I’ve converted one!

Seafood Dumpling PHP

Tempura PHP

Asupara Beef Rolls PHP 180

I always look forward to the Foodie Club dinners every other week. It’s great to have a group that shares the same enthusiasm for delicious food finds plus 10,000 food and travel stories on the side… funny anecdotes included 😉

Omakase

Unit 207 Intrepid Plaza E. Rodriguez Ave.,

Libis, E. Rodriguez Jr., Quezon City

(632) 437 0075/ (632) 6013

Omakase Album

Photo Credit:

Carlos Palma of Foodie Manila

http://www.foodiemanila.com/

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3 Comments Filed Under: Inside Dish: A BITE of Food Tagged With: best food blog, best Japanese restaurant, Between Bites, Cuisine, Eastwood, foodie club series, Foodie Manila, Libis, Makati, Omakase, Omakase Japanese, Omakase Restaurant, Philippines, price, where to eat

Foodie Club Series: Legend of India is a Legend of Taste

May 31, 2010 by Janey

I was so glad that Gursharan Sethi of Eurosports sent me 5 Indian recipes last week for me to try cooking at home. But if you’re new at whipping up Indian dishes and want to get your dibs, Legend of India is where you have to march.

Legend of India is the newest Indian restaurant to hit the city of Makati. I was glad to visit Tuesday night with foodie friends and sample their delectable dishes.

On the Table

Mixed Chevro PHP 100 (small bag) | PHP 200 (big bag)

Wendy, Peter, Bubba and I were the first ones there and while we were busy chatting, we munched on some mixed chevro -mixed grains and spices. I like it so much that I bought 4 bags to take home with me. I plan to give Francis, Madz and Pearl one bag each so instead of snacking on chips, they can snack on the mixed chevros.

Pani Puri PHP 130

Pani Puri is a round hollow fried Indian bread, usually served with mint water. The hollow puri has a small filling of potato, onion, and chickpeas. The idea is to completely dip the crispy fried bun and let the mint water fill the inside up to the brim. These are made small enough to fit completely in your mouth since it should be eaten at one time without biting.

Once inside your mouth, taste suddenly explodes as something minty and piquant besiege your taste buds. It’s an ideal starter to get you enthused for the rest of what Legend of India has to offer.

Chicken Kathi Roll PHP 280

This Romali roti flat bread stuffed with marinated chicken, sautéed onion and Indian spices served on shredded lettuce has less stress on spice and one welcomes the bites of chicken meat pleasantly.

Amritsar Fish PHP 420

Boneless fish marinated in a special mix of Indian herbs and spices grilled to perfection. The fish had a good coat of the marinade, which makes it quite tasty and gives a crunchy texture while the inside is tender and retains its delicate taste. Spring up the flavor by squeezing lemon

Chicken Vindaloo PHP 350

Chicken pieces dipped in hot spicy gravy topped with potatoes, tomatoes and chili pepper

Rogan Josh PHP 450

Sweet Lassi PHP 110

Kadai Paneer PHP 260

Cottage cheese cooked in a traditional kadai masala paste

Plain Naan PHP 110 | Garlic Naan PHP 120

Plain wheat flour bread (and another naan version with garlic) goes well with the thick sauces of the Rogan Josh and Kadai Paneer. This soft chewy bread is great alternative to rice.

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Vegetable Biryani PHP 350

Rice mixed with vegetables and sauce

Masala Papad PHP 60

I remember buying several Papadum snacks at Mustafa Center in Little India in Singapore. I love the variety of flavor and the crispy texture. Masala Papad is crispy thin flatbread topped with a relish of diced onions, tomatoes, chili powder and chopped coriander leaves.

Kulfi PHP 120

This is definitely a dessert must-have when dining at Legend of India restaurant. It’s cold dessert very similar to ice cream but has the taste of delicious milky pastillas.