Peri Peri Chicken At Megamall - Ok?

A few days ago Ikee and I went to withdraw her documents from another university. It was almost 11 am when we left the house and I figured that it would be lunchtime when we reach our destination. So, I decided to bring her phone to the service center at the mall. We rode an FX jeep whose terminal is at Building B of Megamall, where the Authorized Nokia service center is too. Funny though that when we got to the center, the phone was working well!

Anyway, we needed to take lunch before we proceeded to Manila. That way we would be able to maximize time. While walking along the 4th floor bridgeway, we saw a Peri-peri chicken restaurant and decided to eat there instead. It was the first time I saw that resto and so I was excited to taste it. Remember, I'm the self-proclaimed family gourmet.

I was told Peri-peri charcoal chicken specializes in, quite obviously, charcoal grilled chicken. Just because we love hot food, it was Hot and spicy chicken for both of us. We were offered the drink-all-you-can soup and beverage for 49 pesos but we didn't try it since we were not quite hungry yet.

Our meal was served in a short span of time - about perhaps 10 minutes after we ordered. It was served with rice diagonally placed on the side which became the boundary for the chicken and the gravy. Aesthetically good. The chicken was a bit charred but that's alright since it was cooked over burning coal. What I found interesting is that the chicken almost didn't have any fat in it and looked more like free-range chicken. It tasted ok, not unusual, not strange but not a stand out. Yes, the flavors were there and it blended well with the spices but yep, that's just what it is chicken that lost its flavor because it blended with the spices. I don't like that. I want chicken to taste like chicken even with the spices in it.

The chicken resembles the taste of our very own Chicken Bacolod. In fact, as far as the dish is concerned I think Chicken bacolod, specially that one from Katipunan across Ateneo, is better. The one thing Peri-peri chicken has that Chicken Bacolod doesn't is the spice and the chili. I love their chilli sauce. It kinda makes up for the flavor that I found lacking in the chicken. Here I have compared the peri-peri chicken with Chicken Bacolod and Pollo.

(Scale of 1-5, 1 being the worst, 5 being the best)

Peri-Peri Chicken Bacolod Pollo Loco

Price (1/4 chicken) 3 4 3
flavor 3 4 3
Moisture content 4 4 3
Saltiness 4 4 4
time Food is SErved 4 3 4
Accessibility 5 3 5
Condiments 4 3 3

Dish Average score(flavor, moisture, saltinees, price)
3.5 4 3.25
General average score 4 3.57 3.33

So, for the dish itself, I would recommend Chicken Bacolod in katipunan across Ateneo. But, if you consider Food, accessibility, Serving time, price, etc. then I would go for Peri-peri Chicken.

Singapore on a Budget - April 2011 trip

This summer is something my family and I would definitely have to remember. It is the summer before my "unica hija" enters college. It could probably be the start of our "infrequent" (hopefully not!) family vacations what with the belt tightening to pay for her university fees and it could be because Ikee will not have much time to spend with us.

The choice for this year's vacation was made because she had been gifted with a round trip ticket to the Lion City - Singapore. I would have opted to go elsewhere but we had to be with her during the trip. Spending our summer separately was not my idea of a vacation - yet. Thus, we were on a "Singapore on a budget" trip. However, Singapore was not one would consider going to on a budget. Well, here's our attempt at it.





The day we got there we were treated to a Zhi Char resto called Forture Seafood Steamboat. Yes, you read it right. Our destination was Forture and not Fortune. For a while I too thought it was a typo. Larry, our host for dinner, offered us choices - food or ambiance. I naturally chose food over ambiance. It was late and it was a good chance to get some real Singaporean dishes. At 9:30 pm, we were hungry. But the wait was well worth it. So far, for me, this restaurant is the best in Hongkong in terms of its food and price. A few days after, I tried calling them and found that the prices were so low that the whole meal would have cost us twice or even thrice that of the other restos in the City. It definitely a place for the budget conscious. Here are some pictures of what we had:

First we had broccoli in garlic sauce.



The Hongkong style noodles.




Next, was the curry fish head.


Larry ordered the cereal prawn but I wasn't able to take a picture of it.

Last, but the best one of all, was the Salted eggyolk crab,



If you want to check the place out, it's at the corner of Bukit Timah and Old Holland Road. Just don't look for a classy resto as you won't find it there.



Jane

Indian Cuisine in Tagaytay

If you like curry, masala, and those indian fare, you must go to the Taj in Tagaytay. A recent visit to the restaurant has taken me by surprise because although I have heard of the fine cuisine they serve, I never thought they meant it to be really GOOD! We had some lamb curry and beef samosa that were both creamy and hot!


Anyway, I tried their spicy yogurt drink and both my husband and daughter had the sweet yogurt. Both were good but since mine is unusual, I thought it to be exotic. Imagine yogurt with some ginger, black pepper and chili. The spice enhance the creaminess of the drink without a hint of sweetness. It was strange at first but when you get used to it, it is a wonderful treat. A word of caution though: if you are not used to eating really flaming, head bursting, mouth-fuming food, do ask for a moderate or light spice. You might find how hot their food is. My daughter was surprised because she has a high tolerance for hot food compared to most Filipinos. But she couldn't eat as much as she wanted because it was too hot for her taste. I liked it and it is as hot as I expected. But that's me.



Taj is not only a restaurant. It is now also a bed and breakfast place. We were allowed to take some pictures so I'm sharing them here with you. It's just sad that the halloween treat was over when we got there. But they do have another promotional offer this nov. until NOv. 30, they're offering their room rates at 50% off with free breakfast and massage for 2 and not to mention a fantastic view of the Taal Lake. That means for as low as Php2,000.00 you can stay there with another person overnight. additional bed costs 1,000 for most rooms. Not bad.

Bon Apetit! - Buon Giorno at the Cliffhouse

Boyet and I went to Tagaytay by ourselves last Dec. It was his birthday and he took a leave so he'd be able to pay for the tax for our Cavite property. Fortunately, I was free because I had just taken the nursing board over the weekend.
We left the house at about 10:30 am and had reached Dasmarinas at 11:45. It would have been past 12 noon if we had gone to the city hall and we'd have to wait. Instead of going to the city hall, we opted to go straight to Tagaytay to have lunch and some coffee.

We headed straight for lunch at Buon Giorno at the Cliffhouse. Boyet ordered some seafood primavera pasta while I had a sandwich. It was really cold outside because it had been drizzling since the night before so I ordered some pumpkin soup to keep me warm. The meal was superb and there was superb. Of course we knew that because we had already gone there thrice. On all occasions they've not failed to serve a meal that was not nearly perfect (nearly because only my mom's is. I'm a loyalist!). Other than just its flavor, food was served at the right temperature. This thime I particularly liked my Roast Beef Sandwich. It had lots of the veggies which I prefer. And the soup was creamy but not too creamy and had a lot of flavor. Next time I'd like to try their dessert. I always end up so full that I don't have room for it. But they do look tempting and I was told they're so mmmmm... delicioso!

Kusina Salud

From Kusina Salud ...

What better way to enjoy the native Filipino dishes than to be at an ancestral home in the countryside? Such is what Kusina Salud offers. The Restaurant has an array of delectable dishes from long ago and served in a modern concept. I specially enjoyed the Pako Salad which is actually made from a plant of the fern family, mixed with tomatoes, salted eggs (they weren't dyed red mind you), vinegar, onions and ginger. The flavors blended well that it was a perfect appetizer. I also loved the turon and ice cream (I've forgotten what they call it) which is saba wrapped in lumpia wrapper (something like a flimsy tortilla) that's deep fried and topped with vanilla ice cream. The mixture of the icecream with the sweet sour taste of the banana was unique - not too sweet but not sour either. Just simply sumptuous.

Kusina Salud is a treat for the tastebuds. It's owned by Ms. Patis Tesoro, one of the country's best coutourier and known to have saved the Pina cloth - a filipino fabric woven from the pineapple leaves.

Tagaytay - My Daughter's Birthday Celebration for '06

We always want something new for her birthday. So this year we decided we want to go camping since she has gotten this addiction to the activity. Until d'day we were not decided where to camp. Since we had left the house at 10:30 am, we figured we should just go somewhere nearby and agreed to go to Taal Lake Yacht Club in Talisay Batangas. Our first stop on our way to Talisay was to have lunch at Tagaytay . I remembered reading about a blog on the new Cliffhouse in Tagaytay. The adventurous family that we are, we went there straight without knowing exactly what we wanted to eat. It would've been hard to locate the place as the sign is not in a conspicuous place. But having starbucks for a landmark, it was not so difficult to spot after all. The area has a pleasant and cozy atmosphere, away from the crowd. It has not formally been opened but there are about 4 restaurants that have started operating. The was Buon Giorno, Papa Vinz, Massimo (an ice cream stand) and Lake Grill. Since it was her birthday, Ikee had the privilege to choose where she wanted to eat and she wanted pasta. Buon Giorno was the verdict.

Our meal started with an antipasto which consisted of toast and some spread (pesto is one of them). Then we had a seafood marinara and a ravioli. For a drink I had green tea, Ikee had apple caramel shake while Boyet had Limonatta (the Italian lemonade). It was still early when we finished our meal so we had time to go around the place.

Next we went to Chateau Royale. It was agreed that we'd go fishing there but had soon learned that they transferred the fishing area to another place. We didn't have time to go to that place so we visited the organic farm instead. Chateau Royale has a large pool, organic farms, a children's playground, a paintball warzone, wall climbing, billiards, a restaurant, spa, etc. They even have log cabins where families can stay. These cabins have 2 rooms each where a family of 4 can fit comfortably.

After Chateau Royale we visited the Caleruega Church. We've heard so much about this place. Located inside the Evercrest Compound, Caleruega is 2 km from the gate. This place is on a nice rolling hill with the Church itself at the top of the highest hill. The area is basically like a garden - lots of pine trees, plant and beautifully landscaped areas for viewing the farms below. I remember watching a Filipino film shot in this place. It resembles an american countryside complete with the cool weather. While there, we learned that they do have a campsite and decided we want to camp there after this trip. it was 4 pm then and we had to leave for the Taal Lake Yacht Club where we were to camp overnight.

Palawan Day 1: City Tour at Puerto Princesa

The PAL plane that my husband, my daughter and I took left the Manila centennial airport at exactly 8 am and got to the Puerto Princesa airport at about 9:05 am. Daddy was there waiting for us and so were the staff from Lola Itang's Pension house. First stop was at the pension house where we checked in and unloaded our stuff. After this, we were off to the Iwahig Penal Colony.

Iwahig is a big place which is a prison but is basically the residence of the inmates and their families too. There we went around and purchased some souvenir items from the gift shop. I learned that when purchasing goods from this shop would mean helping the inmates earn. I suppose that if you have to buy something to remember anyone by, it might as well be something to help them. So, I bought some keychains, an arnis (mahogany wood) and some pens. From the way the goods have bee made, you'd deduce that the people who made them have been trained well. I just hope that there be some effort to market these goods to alleviate the living conditions of the families there. Some inmates recommended that we go check out the Balsahan natural pools which is just about 3 minutes away from the shop. So, off we went.

We were hungry when we got to Balsahan. At the gate, we were told that we'd have to rent a hut which cost 100 php. Also we had to order lunch right there. There was only 1 dish that they serve - broiled native chicken. Of course we didn't have a choice so we ordered two chickens and rice. They only had coconuts for beverages so we ordered these too. The chicken tasted really great despite the fact that it didn't have anything on it - not even salt! Why won't it be when these are killed and dressed only when there is an order. We asked for some soy sauce and red peppers to dip them in. It's funny how the lowly "tutong" turned out to be my daughter's favorite calling it "chips" which made it sound a little "sosyal".

While waiting for our orders, we proceeded to the hut assigned to us. This was the chance to go around the area. Balsahan is part of Iwahig and therefore proceeds from the use of this area would go to the inmates. It has several huts and gazillion trees that provided the cool and shady atmosphere to the resort. We were told that some inmates maintained the place. I should say they have done a pretty good job at maintaining it. The nice thing about Iwahig is that you can bring your own food to eat there or you can also bring raw food and have the inmates cook these at the resort for a fee. Such are the filipinos - ever so resilient and resourceful.

Our next stop was the Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (formerly known as the Crocodile Farm). We got there at 1 pm. However we were told that there was a guided tour scheduled at 2 pm so we decided to stay. There was a fee of 50 pesos each (i'm not sure about the price really, could be more). The highlight of this activity was the opportunity to pet a crocodile but none of us wanted to do that. We left just after a few minutes of staying since we had to go to other places and there were plenty of mosquitoes there anyway.

Next we went to Mitra's ranch but this had been closed because there was an on-going renovation. On our way back we stopped for some water at the Baker's hill. I had heard from a friend that this bakeshop/bakery is originally from manila. The area had a small kiddie playground but the kid with us (my daughter) who is almost 12 years old was no longer interested in it so we went on our exploration of puerto.

Next stop was VietVille, the vietnamese village where the "boat people" were accomodated. Here you'd be proud to be a filipino because you know that we are indeed hospitable and warm having given these people a modest place to live in. There were but a few people left in the village though because most of them had migrated elsewhere. There is a restaurant that serves french-influenced-vietnamese food. But we were too full to try their fare. apart from the restaurant, there's a buddhist temple and a catholic church in the area. I heard there was a lagoon somewhere but did not get to see it.

After Vietville, as we were on our way back to the city, we noticed a hot spring resort and restaurant called Kim's. We checked it out and found that this place had about 6 or 7 huts with a small pool to dip in, kinda like a jacuzzi. The water gets really hot when the water is allowed to flow from the faucet sticking out from behind the pool. Apparently the owner had built a piping system from the hot spring to each cottage. There's a pool at the middle of the common area for those people who do not want to get their own cottage. The place is owned and run by a korean national so the restaurant serves both filipino and korean fare.

We had dinner at the Badjao Seafront Restaurant. My dad said that during the first few times he had gone to the restaurant, the mangroves that lined the entrance weren't there. Obviously these were planted in by the owners so now it looks like a restaurant amidst a mangrove plantation. This is very good for the marine life in the area and also contributes a lot to the ambiance of the place. You should try the steamed talakitok with the seaweed (lato) salad. But do dip the salad in some vinegar and onions so they don't smell like the sea.