My Top Five Dishes Worth Writing Home About by Our Table Guest, The Bag Hag

Mousseline de Pommes de Terre Ratte

When Franco asked me to be a guest writer for this well- respected blog, Table for Three, Please, I was honored. Flattered. Floored. I didn't think my love for food would give me the opportunity to actually write about food on a food writer's blog, but here I am. All I can say is this-- I am extremely grateful for the opportunity! *Thank youuu Franco!!! :)*

Let me now write about some of the most memorable dishes I've had-- here and abroad!

Paris, France: At Taillevent. One of the most important restaurants in Paris, awarded with 2 Michelin stars for excellence. My most unforgettable dish: Mousseline de Pommes de Terre Ratte.

This most exquisite dish of puréed potatoes, topped with a circumference of finely minced black truffles, came full circle in the taste department with the egg yolk center. I’ve honestly never had anything so remarkable and if I may say, gastronomically orgasmic—it was like tasting heaven on my lips. The plating itself was an aesthetic achievement and was almost too beautiful to eat. Every single bite was worth savoring-- especially since the dish came with a hefty price tag-- at 95 Euros!

Mussels with Frites

Paris, France: From a high in the price department (Taillevent fits the bill), comes the low. Nothing beats a good plateful of Moules et Frites or mussels with fries in Paris. I never fail to have moules et frites each time I'm in Paris just because. And La Cremaillere serves this dish well.

I quite prefer the size of the mussels at this restaurant, La Cremaillere (at Montmartre-- yes, yes it's a tourist trap, but it's a good place!) than Leon de Bruxelles, which has since started serving smaller mussels. The fries at La Cremaillere are much, much better too!

Jumbo Siopao

Manila, Philippines: A few of the best meals I've had are actually from takeout food! Emerald Garden's elusive siopao is a constant favorite-- if I get to order them!

It's actually quite crazy that when I crave for their siopao, they're always already out! I always have to seek my dear mommy's help to order these elusive buns :( So on those odd times that I get to wake up early enough to place that call to reserve, I feast on the bola bola siopao. I always make sure to order the jumbo siopao, just in case I can't satisfy my siopao craving :).

Hainanese Chicken

Manila, Philippines: Chef Stevie's Hainanese Chicken. I love hainanese chicken. Always have. I've tried some of the best ones in Singapore and wished they'd serve good ones here in the Philippines. And then there was Tao Yuan where my friend would buy takeouts of the chicken for me. I loved it. Hainanese chicken is a very good "takeout" dish because the chicken is not supposed to be served hot. So relax, you don't really have to rush home to eat the dish after you have picked up your order. :) For awhile, I was already good with Tao Yuan's version. But after I was introduced to Chef Steven's Hainanese Chicken and his chicken rice (which is oh soooo good), I became a convert and am still so hooked! I can attribute my weight gain to Chef Steven's chicken rice, really! And though I complain about having gained the weight, I'd still never refuse that chicken rice when offered!

Pecorino and Ricotta Ravioli with Honey

Manila, Philippines: Mandarin Oriental Manila Paseo Uno's Ravioli di Pecorino e Ricotta con Miele. It's safe to say that I am not a desserts person. I don't think I have a sweet tooth, as I can go months without eating anything sweet. And then I tasted this at Mandarin Oriental Manila's Paseo Uno. Mandarin Oriental currently has this Cucina Romana Italian Food Festival and there's this dessert called Ravioli di pecorino e ricotta con miele (ravioli with pecorino and ricotta and honey) that jumpstarted my craving for sweets. The taste has not left my mouth and I can't stop wishing that I had more. Looks like I'm popping by Paseo Uno again in the next day or so just to have more of this ravioli!

Oh and to all those bagloving foodlovers out there, may I recommend using a light bag when you are about to have that feast? Believe me, you do NOT want to be lugging around a house on your shoulders after a heavy meal. So, in the spirit of being a food- loving baghag, I'd like to recommend you use a shopping tote from from French bagmaker Hervé Chapelier.

It may be nondescript, but it still is exquisite (quality is excellent), discreet, and certainly not too commonplace :) * Just like the way I like my food :)*

x
Mrs. T

Franco’s Note: Much thanks to Mrs. Jackie T. of Bag Hag Dairies

Food in Fashion? by our Table Guests, Little Miss Dress Up

Who says food and fashion don't mix?

Well, Hanna and Rosanna of Little Miss Dress Up, are set to prove this wrong.
From two different countries comes two different meals, the Little Misses invited two food and fashion loving ladies out to grab a bite to eat!

Jet Set to Edinburgh, Scotland with Hanna!

Meet Lynne McCrossan - a certified fashionista and a lover of all things vintage and beautiful. She’s an ex-radio presenter turned fashion columnist cum book writer. Her current project? A girl’s guide to vintage shopping in the UK. It’s hitting your bookstores next May. It will be fabulous. And it will be my best friend.

........
OUR FRI-DATE

LOCATION: The Wash Bar at the Mound, Edinburgh






WHAT LYNNE HAD: A bowl of chicken nachos


No laxatives and detox teas here!

Next Stop: Back home in Manila with Rosanna!

Meet Amina Aranaz-Alunan also known as my sister and my favorite shopping buddy! She's an accessories designer and School of Fashion and The Arts founder.

What better way to cap off a day in the mall than with a nice dinner???


LOCATION: Crisostomo at the Eastwood Mall

WHAT AMINA (and I) HAD: Crispy tapa and a salad with danggit!

Which she paired with tempura stuffed with laing and tinapa fried rice.


Since both of us have such a sweet tooth, we had to satisfy that craving by having dessert! Next stop: La Creperie

Oh Crepe!

We both agree that fashionistas should never skip on dessert!
It's the next best thing to a new pair of shoes!

Well it's pretty obvious that we, The Little Misses, aren't afraid to eat!

Hanna during a trip to Chicago with a great big bowl of pasta!

Rosanna in New York ready to devour some cheesecake from Junior's!

FINAL VERDICT:
1) Yes, fashionistas eat.
2) Loving fashion and food are not mutually exclusive.
(In fact most of the fashionistas we know are big foodies as well.)
3) Who says you have to skinny to be stylish??? Just be confident in your own skin because if you feel good about yourself, it will definitely show :)
4) But given the ultimate sophie’s choice of a great meal or a fabulous handbag?
We're afraid the latter wins.

Franco Note: Thank you so much to Rosanna and Hanna of Little Miss Dress Up

Eating Spanish by Our Table Guest, Miguel

Paella de Verduras by La Tienda

I lived in Barcelona for 20 years before moving back here for good in 1999 and I must say, at first I thought I would miss the food, wine and coffee that I used to have while I was living there. I am happy to admit that I was wrong. There are many good Spanish restaurants in town and what is better is there is also a large variety of Spanish wine locally available to pair your food with. In this post, I feature my three favorite Restaurants with the corresponding favorite dish.

The first one on my list would have to be La Tienda. With Chef Javi Lecumberri in the kitchen, this is definitely my favorite place. Javi is from San Sebastian (North of Spain-Food capital of Spain) and has been in the Philippines for more than 10 years. His cooking is simple and straight forward using the best ingredients possible. There are many dishes I love in La Tienda, but if I were to choose one, it would be Paella de Verduras con Arroz Basmati (Vegetable Paella with Basmati rice).It’s the Chefs own version of Paella using Basmati rice, making it lighter and very fragrant. Perfect with a bottle of Rioja wine. I have never tasted any Paella similar in Spain, specially served with Basmati rice, so this is one of the reasons I love this dish. It is also not so overpowering and loaded like other Paellas, so it serves as a side dish but could also be the main course at the same time.

Chuleton by Gaudi

My second favorite place is Gaudi, owned and operated by Xandra Cacho. Her cooking was greatly influenced by her family, who is also from San Sebastian. My favorite dish is the Chuleton (Grilled according to the methods of Villagodio). A huge 1 kilo cut of meat, specially aged, grilled and served on a hot stone plate with rock salt. Typical sidings are potatoes and Piquillo Peppers. The meat is grilled to lock in the juices and immediately sliced and served. Traditionally it is served on hot stone and the steak is cooked according to personal preference (rare, medium or well done) on the table. I particularly enjoy this with a Rioja wine or a red wine from the Priorato region in Catalunya. I have had many Chuletons in Spain (in basque Restaurants as well) and let me tell you, this one is as good if not better than the ones I have tried in Spain.

Chorizo on Piggy Back by Terry's Selection

My third pick is Terry's Selection in Pasong Tamo. Owned and managed by JC de Terry, he is authentic as it can get. Terry's is a perfect place for Tapas and wine. They have a great selection of Deli and wine to suit every ones preferences/taste. I normally like going there on a late afternoon for some Rosado wine (Rosé wine) and some tapas (Cheese, Cold cuts, etc..). One of the dishes I like most is the Chorizo on Piggy Back. It’s a home made Chorizo, served a on clay pot, then flame grilled til its cooked. It has the right amount of acidity, paprika and spices to make this a great dish. I also prefer this since there is not too much fat on it, unlike others. This dish is perfect with a little bread and some young Rioja wine or a Rosé like the Homenaje Rosado from Navarra.

Coincidence or not, the 3 dishes I chose are traditional Spanish with a little personal touch or twist from the Chefs…not too traditional but not too modern at the same time. It shows how food evolves constantly and even if it evolves, it can still be delicious.

Franco's Note: Much thanks to Miguel of Food and Wine of the World

La Tienda
43 Polaris Street
Bel-Air 3, Makati City
Metro Manila
Tel: (02) 890 4123

Gaudi
G/F Serendra
Mckinley Parkway
Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City, Metro Manila
Tel: (02) 856 0473

Terry's Selection
Building B, Karivin Plaza
2316 Pasong Tamo Extension
Makati City, Metro Manila
Tel: (02) 844 1816

Tayo na sa Antipolo, Foodistas! by our Table Guests, The Manila Foodistas

An often overlooked aspect of the Filipino gastronomical experience is that of our street food. From your typical isaw & barbeque, to your fishball & squidball, and to the bibingka and puto bungbong that is reminiscent of cool December mornings and misa de gallo.

We had initially planned to write about the street food in and around University of the Philippines, Diliman, our own campus, but we decided, in the end, that we wanted to share with everyone something that is a bit less common and generic than the isaw, fishballs, etc. you find in UPD.

And that is how we ended up piling into Harrell's van for a mini roadtrip to Antipolo. From UPD, Antipolo is about a 40-minute drive away, if there is little to no traffic. Antipolo, like most provincial cities and towns, has rather narrow roads. Parking is a bit difficult and while there are a lot of friendly townsfolk willing to help you find a place to park, most of them will invite you to buy their wares, which is what exactly happened to us. We didn't mind so much, however. We figure that, at least, we help them earn a bit more money, even if we do buy from them out of a feeling of "I scratch your back, you scratch mine".

After paying a quick visit to the famous Antipolo Church, we trooped over to the Pasalubong Center located conveniently near the church. You can find kasuy and suman in just about every street corner, but the vendors who have booths in the Pasalubong Center boast the widest selection of food stuffs.

We were rather overwhelmed by the number of vendors and booths, so we decided to pick the vendor who gave us the friendliest smile. We explained to Manang Vangie that we were there to write an article on Antipolo street food and she was more than willing to answer our questions and walk us through her wares.

Walking back to our vehicle, we passed through the newly constructed park/plaza (formerly the parking area in front of the church), where there were even more booths. The booths here were per barangay, each selling their own signature products. We bought some sapin-sapin and what the girl called putong bungang-kahoy (something none of us have tried or heard of before).

We have to mention this display at the center of the park/plaza of a wooden structure bearing the words "Tayo Na Sa Antipolo" with little suman men running around it and the Mr. Suman and Ms. Kasuy statues flagging both ends of it. We found both of these extremely amusing, and couldn't help but stop to take some photos with them. More than the amusement, we're very glad for Antipolo, that they're investing more on their tourism. Especially so, now that it's May and many people are heading to Antipolo to visit the church.

Kat, Tiff, Bong and Harrell

Piaya, or brown sugar pie, is flat, flaky, unleavened bread filled with muscovado (raw, unprocessed) sugar. This is actually a product of Bacolod, but the Foodistas are rather fond of piaya, so we decided to give the sort made in Antipolo a shot. It was thinner than your typical Bacolod piaya and it didn't have sesame seeds sprinkled atop it. Although the filling was definitely less than the usual, this was still very good. We've honestly never went wrong with any sort of piaya, though.

Antipolo's suman is easily one of the best we've all ever had. One thing about suman is that it's rare that you encounter one so good that you can eat it all on it's own. This one, though, was so good that we can be perfectly content eating it without feeling the need for extra sweetness/flavour.

We, of course, had ours with coconut jam. In Joey's opinion, it's the best way to have your suman: Spoon a bit of coconut jam on to your suman and bite into it – sarap! The homemade coco jam from Antipolo is not as sweet as most coco jams tend to be, and it had a very thick, sticky consistency. Like the suman, it's perfect all on its own. This is the kind that you can put on just about anything: from suman to monay and even to sapin-sapin (we kid you not – Harrell tried it out of curiosity and he liked it).

Sapin-sapin, like suman, is one of the more popular Filipino desserts/kakanin. It consists of three flavoured layers of sticky rice cake: typically ube, kutsinta and macapuno. It's then topped with latik, which is basically what's left of the coconut once you've extracted its oil. The one from the Barangay Dalig booth wasn't as sweet as most sapin-sapin we've had before and there was a generous layer of latik on top. This was only Php 5 a slice – very cheap!

The kasuy (cashew nuts) of Antipolo were also one of the best we've ever had. They were wonderfully roasted and thankfully unsalted. Tiffy says she can eat bags of these at a time, if she could, especially since they were without any additional flavourings.

The kalamay was wrapped in layers of fragrant banana leaf. Eating the kalamay is a wonderful experience: once you've unwrapped it, you gently scrape it off the leaf with your teeth and you're tickled by the fragrance of banana leaf. The Antipolo kalamay isn't very sweet and it's texture is quite firm and not very sticky, which we liked very much. It's great even without latik. (NB: Kalamay de Antipolo is Joey's favourite variety of kalamay.)

Putong bungang-kahoy was probably the one low note of our experience. It smells rather funny (earthy and slightly pungent) and it was hard, dry and tasteless. The filling of caramelized dessicated coconut was a bit dodgy. Kat found the filling was too strong. Bong says he liked the idea of it, but the execution wasn't so great.


We had tonnes of fun doing this feature of Antipolo street food. The weather was perfect, if a bit rainy in the beginning. The trip there was a bit of an adventure and the company was, of course, great. If you're contemplating going on a day trip, we definitely think you should consider going to Antipolo, if you want a change from the usual Tagaytay, Laguna or Batangas options.

Thank you for having us, Table for Three, Please! ♥

Manila Foodistas at Antipolo

Foodistas present: Bong, Harrell, Joey, Kat and Tiffy.
Photography by Joey.

Eating In Hong Kong by our Table Guest, Ragamuffin Girl

Imagine: a food-obsessed Pinoy living in HK given the opportunity to share her favorite eateries with food lovers from the Philippines. Think: crummy looking hole-in-the-walls, noisy eateries, chic bars, grand palaces of dining. Disregard: weight, health and wallet concerns. Visualize: a trip to Macau for just 1 meal. Plan: a food trip that will leave you hungry for more.

For breakfast or brunch, that very important meal, skip the hotel buffets and fry-ups. Cha chan tangs or Hong Kong style coffee houses are the answer. No Starbucks, these. Perennially busy and cramped, they serve milk tea, pineapple buns, pork chop buns, instant noodles and a hodgepodge of food at cheap prices. Some are definitely not for the squeamish, but they’re a novel, very “local” place to try, and they’re found almost anywhere in HK. Usually with no English menu, and the food is an offspring of Westernized Chinese and instant everything with eggs on the side:

• Lan Fong Yuen (4-6 Gage St. Central)
• Tsui Wah (15-19 Wellington St. Central)

HK does dimsum well. So this lunch treat is not to be missed:

• Dimsum (63 Sing Woo Road Happy Valley 28348893)
• Moon Koon (2/F Hong Kong Jockey Club Happy Valley 29667111)
• West Villa (1/F Lee Garden 2 Causeway Bay 28822110)
• Victoria City (5/F Citic Tower, 1 Tim Mei Avenue, Admiralty 28772211)
• Metropol (4/F United Center 95 Queensway, Admiralty 28651988)
• Fu Sing (1/F Sunshine Plaza, 353 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai 28930881)

On a bright sunny day nothing beats an alfresco seafood lunch where restaurants face the water or beach and you choose your meal from live sea creatures swimming in tanks and have them cooked any way you like. Order the scallop with vermicelli and garlic served in their shell, lobster, poached shrimp which is always sweet and perfectly cooked, razor clams with black bean sauce, salt and pepper mantis shrimp, and whatever fish specialty they have:

• Lamma Hilton (Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island 29828241)
• Chuen Kee (53 Hoi pong St. Sai Kung 32861779)
• Lei Yue Moon in Kowloon (look for full establishments with happy diners)

Avoid the places chock-full of foreigners and flock to where locals go for lunch:

Joy Hing (265-276 Hennesy Road Wan Chai): Tucked away on a side street this tiny, inexpensive place with long lines serves very lean yet juicy “cha siu” or bbq pork and roast suckling pig. Those who have issues with hygiene should just order “take-away”.

Wang Fu (65 Wellington Street, Central 21218089): Try their pea shoot and pork dumplings or any dumpling of the day. Most tables will have something from the pictures posted outside, so take your pick from there.

Ser Wong Fun (30 Cochrane St. Central 25431032): Order the liver sausage rice, and variety of soups; the intrepid can try the snake soup!

Ning Po Residents Association (4/F Yip Fung Building, 12 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central 25230648): Just pay HKD 20 to get a membership card. Try the kung pao chicken, chive pancakes, fish strips with ginger and leeks, tofu hotpot, lion’s head meatballs (a bit too fatty tasting for me but it’s not a common dish back home so try it) and whatever the waiter recommends. No English menu. Booking highly recommended.

Hankering for a quick afternoon snack? Noodles shops are the answer. They’re ubiquitous, cheap and filling. Grab a bowl and slurp away:

• Mak’s Noodle (77 Wellington Street, Central, servings are small)
• Tsim Tsai Kee (98 Wellington Street, Central)
• Nam Kee Spring Roll Noodle Shop (Stanley Street Central and many other locations)

• Chee Kei (Percival Street Causeway Bay with the yellow sign and long lines outside, near the trams and Times Square)

Law Fu Kee (144 Queen’s Road Central, Central) At Chee Kei order the fried dace fish ball with clam sauce – the clam is salty, like bagoong. It takes a while to get used to this dish.

A more “genteel” choice would be afternoon tea at the lobby of The Peninsula (Salisbury Road, Kowloon 29202888) or at The Verandah (The Repulse Bay 22922822). There’s a lot of history and nostalgia attached to both places.

For the more adventurous, nothing beats HK street food. Deep-fried vegetables and cuttlefish tentacles, rice noodles, “fake” siomai, all kinds of skewered “balls”, waffle, fruit juices squeezed at every corner with no added sugar syrup or water, stinky tofu (smells like athlete’s foot, tastes better than expected).

A special dinner can be had at the sky’s-the-limit Hutong (1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui 34288342) with its killer view, beautiful presentation, unique interiors, Sichuan chicken, boneless lamb ribs and hot Oriental-style drinks. Fans of celebrity chefs will enjoy:

• Nobu (Intercontinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui 27211211)
• L’ Atelier de Joel Robuchon (4/F The Landmark, Central 21669000)
• Alain Ducasse’s Spoon (Intercontinental Hong Kong, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui 23132256).

If local fare is more your cup of tea, then these would be good choices for dinner:

• Under Bridge Spicy Crab (401-402 Lockhart Road or 414 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai 28346818)
• Hei Kee (392H Jaffe Road, Wan Chai 28937565)
• Spring Deer (2/F 42 Mody Road Tsim Sha Tsui 23664012)
• Peking Garden (Upper G/F Alexandra House, Central 25266456)
• Tasty Congee and Noodle (21 King Kwong St. Happy Valley/Podium 3, One IFC, Central 28383922/22950101)

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao (IFC Mall, Times Square, Harbour City): It may be a chain and located in the mall, but the food always satisfies. Order the xiao long bao, la mian with minced meat and spicy mushrooms, la mian in hot and sour soup, crispy eel, fried prawns with salty egg yolk, crispy crab meat and mushroom pastry "wuxi" style, braised pork with beancurd sheet, Shanghai noodles, sauteed eggwhite with conpoy, deep-fried soufflé ball with red bean paste for dessert.

Tung Po (2/F Java Road Complex, 99 Java Road North Point 28809399). A dai pai dong, or hawker/street side stall. Order the duck rice and prawns with salty egg yolk.

• Fook Lam Moon (35 Johnston Road, Wan Chai 28660663)
• Yellow Door Kitchen (5/F 37 Cochrane St. Central 28586555)
• Ngau Kee Food Café (3-5 Gough St. Sheung Wan 25462584)

Ahhhh, dessert. How can we sweet-toothed Pinoys go on a proper foodtrip without trying some? Visit a Chinese-style dessert shop featuring fresh fruits, coconut milk, aloe vera, nata, sago, black sesame, red beans, mango pancake, sticky rice and a lot of hot soupy and not-too-sweet stuff:

• Honeymoon Dessert(Harbour City, western Market Sheung Wan, Po Tng Road Sai Kung, Podium 3 One IFC)
• Moon House (5-7 Cleveland Street Causeway Bay)

Wondering where the fashionable and knowledgeable go for drinks?

• FINDS (2/F LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St. Central 25229318)
• Red (Podium 4, Two IFC 81298882) for the relaxed vibe under the night sky.
• Zuma (Level 5 and 6 The Landmark Atrium, Central 36576388) for its interiors and fashionable crowd.
• Lotus (37-43 Pottinger St. Central) They have a resident mixologist. Enough said.

And Macau? Let’s not forget that gambling mecca that’s only an hour’s ferry ride away. If you could eat only 1 meal there, go to A Lorcha (Rua Almirante Sérgio No. 289 Inner Harbour Macau 853- 28313195). Call and book because they’re always full. They have the friendliest Pinoy waiters, and the most delicious Portugese food. Order the sopa de mariscos, callo verde, chorizo, bacalhau fritters, bacalhau with potatoes and cream, grilled lamb chops, grilled chicken, African chicken, seafood rice, clams with beer and tomato sauce or clams Lorcha style, and the tender oxtail stew.

I've been here for 5 years and I haven't even begun to cross off half the restaurants on my "To Try" list. Hong Kong is indeed a food lover's dream

Pictures care of my friends Acky Ferreria and Tehlin Betts.

Franco's Note: Many thanks, Ragamuffin Girl. I think it's time to take a trip to HK...