TSIM SHA TSUI: TAGUIG'S BEST KEPT SECRET

     Ever since I was a child, I've been a fan of Cebu's famous chain of Dimsum restaurants, namely Ding How, Ding Qua Qua, Harbor City and Dimsum Break.  

Whenever I fly to Cebu, one of my first stop is always one of those restaurants for a couple of orders of Sweet and Sour Pork and of course, their STEAMED FRIED RICE. 

I was elated to discover that there is a place in Manila, specifically the Taguig area, that serves those dishes that I know and love.. A little hole in the wall restaurant in Taguig called Tsim Sha Tsui!

FINDING COMFORT IN KETTLE, SHANGRI-LA MALL

            I have never denied my preference to American food compared to any other cuisine.. save for Chinese. Maybe because it's because I'm a simple meat and potatoes guy, and a lot of american dishes are straight up, no frills comfort food cooking. 

         Which I think is pretty much what Kettle has nailed. And since that's my favorite type of food, it will come to no surprise to you that, despite my own hectic schedule, I've made it a point to visit there at least once a month for the past three months. 

         Yes, Kettle is THAT good. 

TERIYAKI BOY DELIVERY!

Reviving my series on Delivery Services in Metro Manila.. Hope you enjoy! 

            Being a food blogger for nearly three years, people are often surprised to hear that neither Rina nor I know how to cook. Basically, all we really know how to do is eat. It's actually how I fell in love with her. I finally met a woman who can match my appetite. 

         Anyway, during the weekends, if we don't go out to eat we're usually stuck at home with canned goods or something processed. But when we're really lazy (which is pretty much every weekend), we order food delivery. 

        I went online and found out that Teriyaki Boy now delivers! I hadn't been to Teriyaki Boy in YEARS, so I figured this was a good time to revisit their Japanese food.

BROTZEIT OPENS AT EDSA SHANGRILA MALL

One of my best friends in High School, Thomas, was a German national. His father was an expat, and his mother was a home maker, and they settled in and made the Philippines, Cebu in particular, their second home. During my High School days, it was usually me that was doing the hosting of sleepovers, but there were a couple of times that I crashed at Thomas' house after a night of.. umm.. As much as I would love to say "hard partying with some hot chicks", it was more like "A super cool night of Dungeons and Dragons".

Something I always looked forward to, was breakfast in Thomas' house. Thomas' mother, always made sure that despite the fact they were living in a country so different from their birthplace in so many ways, their original culture would not be forgotten by her son. And she did so in simple ways - one was their food.

Sure, after hanging out with us, Thomas got the hang of eating rice with every meal, but at home, when his mom would prepare breakfast, It would be the good old fashioned German way. I was treated to an array of sliced sausages that I had never tried before, different types of breads, and a whole slew of cheeses to choose from, all served up on wooden boards. That was a mere glimpse of how amazing German Cuisine could be, but ever since then, their food kept me enthralled.

There aren't very many German restaurants to choose from here, so hearing about Brotzeit German Beir Bar & Restaurant opening in Manila brought music to my ears.

(Cue in "99 Luft Balloons" here.. Sorry that's the only German song I can think of right now).

I'M HAVING WHAT SHE'S HAVING AT KATZ'S DELICATESSEN IN NEW YORK

              As I had mentioned before, one of my goals when I left for New York, was to go eat at as many famous places as I could. Places I had seen in my favorite food shows, such as Man V. Food and No Reservations. Well It was already my third day, and I had already been to three phenomenal places that I had seen in different food shows.

         The first was Hop Kee, which I had seen in Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, while the second and third ones, Baohaus and the popular burger chain, Shake Shack, were both restaurants that I had just seen during my plane ride to New York in another Anthony Bourdain Show, "The Layover:New York". 

         Though I have a deep respect for the work of Mr. Bourdain, I wouldn't say that he is my biggest food show idol. I am actually a huge fan of the man that inspired me to start this Blog.. Man V. Food's Adam Richman. After watching one episode of Man V. Food, I felt an epiphany.. A surreal moment of clarity that made me realize, despite my lack of knowledge on food, and legendary pickiness, being a food blogger was my destiny.

        So even before leaving for New York, I re-watched the New York Episode of Man V. Food. After that my mission was clear.. 

        If there is one place every foodie must go to when they're in New York.. It's the iconic Katz's Delicatessen.. The home of the best sandwich I have ever eaten in my entire life. 

VISITING CHEF TATUNG AT ACACIA ESTATES

       I'll be the first person to admit that my palate is strongly influenced by the Western Hemisphere. I'm a guy that looks for Burgers and pizza over Caldereta and Mechado. I lived in the United States when I was around three years old, and moved back here to the Philippines when I was six, and I still remember the first thing I ate when I got back here was, Believe it or not.. Spam. 

       That's because I took a look at all these strange looking meats drenched in sauces, all with different colors and thinking to myself, "What a strange country I'm living in". 

       My Yaya then made me try the wonder that is Liempo, which I instantly loved. From there, she slowly broke me in to more exotic local dishes, which not coincidentally, were predominantly meat based.  

      Through the years, my appreciation for the food of my homeland has grown exponentially, but I still wouldn't consider myself a huge fan of Filipino Cuisine.

      One lunch at Chef Tatung's changed all that. 

DIMSUM BREAK NOW OPEN AT SM NORTH EDSA ANNEX!

     If you haven't read my post about one of my all time favorite restaurants.. Cebu's "Harbor City", I suggest you do first. That way, it might be easier for you to grasp just how deep my love for their dimsum goes. Regardless of their incarnation, whether they were called "Ding How", "Ding Qua Qua", "Harbor City", and the most recent, "Dimsum Break", their Sweet and Sour Pork and Steamed Rice has been a staple in my diet since I was a child.    

       When a fresh graduate of High School from Cebu leaves for Manila, one would think that he would miss his friends most. Call me a horrible friend, but forget them.. Leaving Harbor City's Sweet & Sour behind was one of the most heart wrenching experiences of my life.

      I always had a dream that someday, we would all live in peace and harmony.. And that Sweet & Sour pork that I grew up with would be easily accessible to me.

     Finally, that day has come. 

     On September 29, 2012, Dimsum Break opened their first branch in Manila, at SM North Edsa Annex. 

I LUV FISH & CO. !

You bet your butt I do

    Part of my being a "Picky Eater" is my aversion to seafood. With the sole exception of fish (which I actually love), I make it a point to stay away from creatures from the sea. There are a few incarnations of seafood dishes that I eat, but on the whole, it would be safe to say that i'm a carnivore, through and through. 

    I don't eat Squid (except Calamares from some restaurants), nor do I eat shrimp or prawns (except for tempura and more recently, the blackened shrimp of Village Tavern, mainly because you could pour the sauce on a rubber slipper and I would still probably eat it). And to date, there are only two crab dishes that I would be willing to eat willingly.. The Crab Wonton from P.F. Changs (which doesn't taste like crab) and the Crab Cakes of Village Tavern. 

     I don't eat clams, oysters, Mussels (yes, that includes baked tahong dripping with cheese), scallops and even lobsters. So as you can imagine, I'm no fun at Dampa and other seafood restaurants (I imagine it would be like taking a vegetarian to a place like Zark's Burgers or Brazil Brazil). 

    But there is one Seafood Restaurant that I can never say no to, because they have one dish that is a member of the "One of the Best Things Ever" Club. 


   True to it's name, Fish and Co. really does have "The Best Fish and Chips In Town".  

SINGAPORE DAY 3: THE GRAND FINALE AT IKEA!

THE PICKIEST EATER IN THE WORLD AND THE IKEA GRANDE FINALE from richiez168 on Vimeo.

          For our "Last Supper" in Singapore, I scheduled a visit to Ikea. Rina and Chaikka were both eager to check out the awesome furniture they had, but I could care less about their lamps, sofas, and what not. I was there for one thing, and one thing only: The Swedish Meatballs. Little did I know that, with the help of my friend Nina,  I would discover another dessert that I would add to the Best Thing Ever List!

SINGAPORE DAY 1: FIRST STOP - CHEN FU JI NOODLE HOUSE!

Bring it on, Singapore!

         Since we were traveling to a country we were unfamiliar with, for the first time in my life, I found myself totally lost when Rina and Chaikka asked me, "Where are we going to eat?". All I knew was that we had to be at "The Singapore Flyer" by 1:30pm to start our tour. Where that was, and how long it would take to get there, I had absolutely no clue. I asked our receptionist Charmaine, (who after our 15 minute English dialogue, ended our conversation with a very Filipino, "Salamat po, ingat po kayo!") what would be the best place to grab something to eat before we went to the Flyer. She suggested going to Sun Tec City Mall, because we would find a lot of choices there, and we could easy grab a cab en route to the flyer. 

    As mentioned in my earlier post, everything you've heard about Singapore is true. It's sparkling clean, it my four days there, not once did I find myself caught in any form of traffic, and whether you're commuting or driving, there's a strong sense of discipline among its people.

      We got to Sun Tec City Mall at around 11:30am, and started going around, trying to find a place to eat. I wasn't really impressed with the choices, especially since Charmaine made it seem like it would be a food paradise. (I would later find out that she wasn't lying, but that's a whole other post) Since were were pressed for time, we couldn't explore the mall, so I had to make a choice right away. 

     With the clock ticking, and my wife and her sister's stomach growling, I decided to go with Chen Fu Ji Noodle House - The restaurant with the best tasting noodles I would try in my short stay in Singapore.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH LEMURIA

Lemuria, I'm about to rock your world

       Even when we were just Boyfriend and Girlfriend, Rina and I would never go with the Valentine's Day crowd. Our mentality is, since we're a part of each other's life on a daily basis, every day is Valentine's Day (cheesy I know, so sue me). We go out to eat almost every weekend anyway, so its no big deal. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a hopeless romantic at heart - I've never failed to send flowers, chocolate or something else on Valentine's day, just to make sure she knows I'm not taking her for granted. 

     Since winning the title of "Mr. MyFoodTrip" last December, I had yet to avail of any of the cool prizes. The prize package included Spa Treatment at Blue Water Day Spa, and a session at Philippe Salon. However, the prize I was most excited about, was the Gift Certificate to the Lemuria Gourmet Restaurant.

     I had first heard of Lemuria from the myfoodtrip website - but admittedly, prior to that, I had no idea what or where it was. Leslie from myfoodtrip mentioned to me that she was anxious for me to try their food, and what I thought of it.Also, when i mentioned to my sister Raquel that a dinner package there was one of the prizes I won, she totally freaked out! She hadn't been there yet, but it was on her list of "Dream Restaurants" she planned to go to (making food-related lists is a family trait).

     We were supposed to go there for our wedding anniversary last January 6, but then since we had my whole birthday shebang, I thought it would be best to save it for a Valentine's day date. But the offer could not be availed on Valentine's day itself (or even the day before), so we went to Lemuria for lunch, one weekend early.

HOME COOKING PART 3: A TALE OF TWO NEW YEARS

New year, Same old appetite..

          Everyone usually braces themselves during the Holiday season, mainly because they know they're gonna get seriously fat (or is that just me?). As usual, my mom was going to go all out again for New Years eve, so I was strongly considering just eating lightly during the day, so I don't punish my body too much during the evening. 

        Unfortunately, of course, that was not going to happen. In fact, things got more complex, because I realized we were scheduled to visit Rina's family in the early evening before going back to my parents place in Antipolo before midnight. It's one thing to prepare your body for one grand New Year's Eve feast, but how do you prepare yourself for TWO amazing feasts? 

           Since I knew the weight gain was inevitable, no matter what, I decided to just accept it and chalk up my new year's resolution as " Lose Weight" once again, as it has been for the past.. umm.. two decades. 

         Fantastic food with the people I love the most? What  a great way to start the year!

HOME COOKING PART 2: CHRISTMAS AT VALLEY

Ho Ho Ho-ooooly crap that smells so frickin' good!

     I'm taking a break from all my restaurant posts and showing you how we Zamora's roll during the holidays. Like I said before.. Boy, can we eat!

        I gained around 10 pounds this holiday season. Even though I promised myself I wouldn't, I still did. 

      As you can imagine, holidays with my family always involves a huge feast, and my mom takes her Noche Buena very seriously. When it comes to hosting an event with the family, my mom has no idea how to keep things "small". But for someone with my appetite, that works out just fine. As I mentioned in my previous "Home Cooking" post, my sister Rose is an internationally trained chef, so we are always eagerly awaiting what dishes she'll be whipping out on Christmas Eve.

         Rose and my mom joined forces to great their version of a Christmas miracle.

          To all my cousins overseas.. brace yourselves.. hehe

THE SPIRAL AT SOFITEL CELEBRATION

Spiral, we have arrived. Brace yourself.

        When the Mr. MyfoodTrip contest began, I had to fill out sort of a questionnaire, just so people of the myfoodtrip.com community could get to know me better. One of the questions I was asked was:

"Name your top 1-3 favorite restaurant/s, and your reason for liking it/them"

        My answer was Brazil Brazil!, Harbor City in Cebu, and Spiral in Sofitel. 

        My reason for Spiral, was this:

"Food as far as the eye can see. How can this place NOT be among my favorites? Spiral cafe has what I believe to be the longest buffet line in the Philippines, bringing together cuisines from around the world into one magical place. (Yes, Virginia, a place like this actually does exist) I usually start at the Italian section by grabbing a slice of Pizza, just so I have something to munch on while I'm walking around. The place is so huge, and the choices so many, you'll probably be moving around a lot, so you'll be getting a healthy work out AND a great meal in the process! (I keep telling myself that and yes, It helps me sleep at night)."

          So when I won the title, I thought it would be appropriate for Rina and I to celebrate at - where else?

             

OZ CAKES AND PASTRIES: PART 1

Gotta have the cream.

         A few years ago, my sisters, Raquel and Rosemarie went into a venture to start a restaurant in the grounds of U.P. It was a cafe at the back of Bahay ng Alumni, that shared a space with an art gallery. Oz With its artistic ambiance, and their delicious pastas and pita wraps, Oz Cafe garnered a cult following among the students of UP for quite a number of years. My personal favorites were the Japanese Fried Rice, the Pesto Pasta, and the Cheese Kranier. Three items I dream of till this very day.

        The undeniable star of Oz Cafe, however, was the Chocolate Molten Lava cake. This was a concoction that my brother made, after trying something similar at another cafe. He liked the whole concept of it, and felt that the version he was easting was good, but firmly believed with a few more tweaking, it could become great. 

        And you know what? He was right. 

        I'm not saying this out of love for my brother - I'm saying this out of love for food. The Chocolate Molten Lava cake that my brother makes is the best you will ever try. The Lava cakes sold like.. well.. Hot cakes.. and became the flagship product of Oz Cafe. There were other desserts that were also quite phenomenal, but nothing that could even remotely compete with the popularity of the Lava Cake.

         Unfortunately, The whole economics of running a fully functioning restaurant on a University campus eventually caught up with us. The building administration escalated the rent to an unreasonable amount, making the whole operation unfeasible.

            So just like that, the Cafe closed shop, leaving legions of heart-broken students behind, hungry for the magical goodies from the world of Oz.

               It's 2010, and years have passed since the doors of Oz has closed, but the legend of the Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, still live on. 

THE RETURN TO NORTH PARK

The prodigal son has returned.. and boy is he hungry!

                I've declared my love for Chinese food time and time again, so it comes as to no surprise that this is the cuisine that has the most posts here in my blog. Given that I have so many other cuisines to explore, I decided to take a break from Chinese for a while, to give myself a chance to explore other cuisines. At the same time though, I felt it was a travesty that I had not yet included one of my all time favorite Chinese restaurants, North Park, in my posts.

                My love for North Park goes back to the mid-90's, when I first got back to Manila. I just graduated High School from Cebu and my sister wanted to take me out. She knew I formed a band in high school, so she started taking me out to watch rock bands, in order to meet some new people. She took me to the old "Weekends Live" at The Atrium to watch bands like "Advent Call" and "The Breed" and to "Kalye" along Palanca St (which is, coincidentally, where I work now), where she introduced me to Wolfgang and Razorback. After a long alcohol infused night (I was designated driver so because I don't drink), everyone would get hungry, we would usually end up at the 24 Hour North Park branch along Makati Avenue. 

         On our way there, my cousin Raffy suggested two things for me to try  that he believed I would love. And to this very day, there hasn't been a time that i've gone to North Park, and DIDN'T order those two dishes. (Far away look, followed by a single tear down my cheek)

A DAY IN THE LIFE PART 2: MRS. YULO'S STRAWBERRY TALLCAKE

(Umm.. I didn't do it)

           After getting back to the office from my John & Yoko lunch break, I went straight to our Marketing meeting. As we were discussing some of the issues that we needed to tackle for the upcoming months, Miss Mench, The head of our department, commended us for a job well done the previous month. And as a token of her appreciation for all of our efforts, she had a huge cake box brought in and placed in the center of the table. 

         When the lid was lifted, and the contents revealed, it brought chills down my spine. This cake and I had crossed paths before. And it was one of the best cakes I'd ever tried in my entire life. 

          It was one of my all time favorite cakes - The Strawberry Shortcake. 

THE WONDER THAT IS COOKBOOK KITCHEN

 I hate when I leave my beanie.

              A workmate of mine told me about this place called "CookBook Kitchen" in Mandaluyong that supposedly has phenomenal food. Naturally, I immediately did a little background check to see if they had anything that would interest me and interestingly enough, there was. Their ENTIRE MENU. It's quite rare that I see a menu of a restaurant online wherein I want to try every single pork and fish dish on it. If you remove the "Garlic Shrimps" from the appetizers, that would make it 3-0, while getting rid of the "Menudo" from the Beef Dishes, would make it 4-0. That's still a pretty good ratio, though.

      Ahh.. but does it taste good? That's another question. As fantastic as their lineup of food was, I knew I'd never know the answer unless i tried it myself. As we were driving home from Schatzi's day out in Eastwood, I saw at the front of the new building the sign of "CookBook Kitchen". I was curious if that was the same one that my workmate was talking about. I used my detective skills (read: Facebook) to find out if it was the same thing, and as it turns out it was, saving me a trip to Mandaluyong. (It's not that far I know, but like I said, Rina and I enjoy going to Eastwood)

     So would their menu that sounds so perfect on paper live up to the standards of The Pickiest Eater In The World? Well, let's put it this way.. *Spoiler Alert* (That was for you, Kim).. I found out that within the walls of Cook Book Kitchen lies a dish that made it to my list of One Of The Best Things Ever..

   

HOLD YOUR BREATH, WE'RE GOING TO DAMPA!

          I first heard of Dampa from a friend that described it as the "Best Seafood Experience Of Her Life". Since my ears don't exactly ring when I hear "Seafood", it didn't really leave a mark with me. I don't eat squid, shrimps, crabs, tahong, or any of those things. In fact, the only seafood I really eat, is fish. Though I wasn't really excited about it, I ended up going with some people from work, who had no clue yet of just how picky an eater I was. So with my luck, it was only natural that they ordered everything above that I said I didn't eat. We were taking out a German friend of my boss, and he wanted his visitor to get an authentic taste of Good Old Filipino Seafoods. Not to mention the fact that the Dampa experience was something that would definitely be a story to tell when going back to his country.

               
           So I went to Dampa with low expectations, and completely clueless to the fact that I was about to try something that would make it to my list of "Best Things Ever". 

                  

BEST. GIFT. EVER.

                           

              What's the best pasalubong you've ever gotten? Most people get shoes, shirts, or caps. People look forward to getting balikbayan boxes filled with goodies, like perfumes and chocolates, all from a loved one thousands of miles away. 

           . But not me. Such trivial trinkets don't really do it for me. I'm thankful I have a Godmother in the States who knows me so well, and is well aware that as grateful as I would be for anything she'd give me, I wouldn't be going bonkers over a hat. 

                       Don't get me wrong.. I love getting shirts, shoes and caps as much as the next guy, but my Godmother sent me a package together with my cousin that completely blew my mind away. It became the Barometer that all future Pasalubongs would be measured by. And I don't think anything in this world could come close to it. In fact, tears are welling up in my eyes as I am typing this, just at the memory of what a wonderful gift it was..

                Especially when it's so good, it's in the "Best Thing Ever" Hall Of Fame.