When in the South of the Metro, Sa Seoul Tayo

I've tried the run-of-the-mill Korean restos, but not good home-cooked Korean, and so when my favorite Las Piñas couple say this is the best Korean resto along BF Parañaque's Aguirre, I jumped on the chance. My verdict? In one word: winner!

Appetizers! I love these little bowls. I'm partial to the cabbage (top row, right) and radish (bottom-most picture) kimchi, and the jeon, pictured at the rightmost center row.

I highly recommend the mushroom soup: it was warm, simple, earthy, light--comfort in a bowl. Th mushrooms provided a lot of umami goodness.

Next to kimchi, my favorite appetizer is the jeon, a pancake made of pan-fried sliced meats and vegetables in egg batter. This reminds me of our tortang talong. 

This I found interesting: a plate of boiled Korean-style dumplings (wang-mandu). The dough remained firm and moist, and the ginger in the filling was not overpowering.

We also had excellent grilled salted mackerel: soft flavorful moist flesh cooked just right.

My favorite dishes were the mushroom soup, grilled fish, and the jeon.

Sa Seoul Tayo
68 Aguirre Avenue
BF Homes, Parañaque
(+63) 02 955 5164

White Marlin Sashimi, Durian Shake, Cracking Cakes, and Boiling Shrimps and Crabs of Davao

This is my second post on Davao for this year. For the earlier post, click here.

Went to D'Farmer's and had my fill of D24

During this visit, I sampled Marco Polo Hotel's Malasugui Sashimi. There are two things I'm crazy about Japanese cuisine: ramen and sashimi. This is the first time I tried malasugui. The waiter told us it was white marlin. It looked like washed out tuna, but tasted like a more delicate smoked salmon. Yum!

Marco Polo Davao
Claro M. Recto Street
Davao City

(+63) 082 221 0888

We also visited durian delicacies purveyor, Apo ni Lola. Truth to tell I'm partial to Lola Abon's (yes, the owners are related), but they won me over with their durian shake, using the native and Puyat durian variants. 

Just look at how generous they were with the fruit pulp.

Then they added evap. The shake was so good and it was not cloying.

Apo ni Lola Durian Delicacies
San Miguel Street, Talomo District
Davao City
(+63) 082 298 5099

If Bacolod has Calea, Davao has Osvaldo's Cakes. I flipped over the caramel cheesecake.

Osvaldo's does not stint on ingredients. The cheesecakes were brimming with the flavor of cheese. Plus, they held back on the sugar.

Try the blue cheese cheesecake as well. The stinky stuff, if you are into that like me, was very pronounced.

Osvaldo's Cakes 
Ground Floor, Paseo de Legaspi
Legaspi Street, 3-A Poblacion, Davao City
(+63) 082 221 2695

Another new experience was dining at Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimps, located near SM Lanang. I didn't know what to expect but some city-based acquaintances were raving about it. 

For starters we tried the pork riblets. You have to try this--buttery soft, moist, and garlicky. Two thumbs up!

We also ordered crabs, shrimps, and tuna belly (no pictures, gasp!) with the spice level on mild. 

The sauce was so tasty and good we poured it over the rice. The heat was just right, although I don't mind dialing it up a notch. 

Eating with your hands and wearing a bib are all part of the experience. 

For this dinner I gave up thoughts of dieting. It was impossible to enjoy fully all this tasty food without rice.

Also try the stellar kinilaw--spicy and sweet.

Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimp
Lanang, Davao City
(+63) 082 221 8360

That's about it. I'm looking forward to returning to Davao next year.

What I Ate in Bacolod and Iloilo

Next to Bicol, my favorite regional cuisine is Ilonggo. My introduction to this cuisine is via Ilonggo Grill, and right away I fell in love with the pork stew KBL aka kadyos (pigeon peas), baboy ( hocks), and langka (jackfuit), and the French-inspired pasty Napoleones. Later I would fall hard for the irresistible chicken inasal. There was no KBL during my last visit to Iloilo and Bacolod, but I had my fill of inasal, napoleones, and more. How do I differentiate Bacolod from Iloilo foodwise? Iloilo is batchoy and molo soup, while Bacolod is chicken inasal, napoleones, and Calea cakes. 

Bacolod City 

Bacolod City is the capital of Negros Occidental and is known as the City of Smiles. This is also ground zero for chicken inasal, stalls of which are clustered in the aptly named Manukan Country. For more on chicken inasal, click here.

1. Nena's Rose Inasal

I've been to Manukan Country before, and I swear by Aida's. For this trip, upon the recommendation of my officemate, we tried Nena's Rose. I was impressed with the generous sprinkling of garlic bits on the rice--the better to cut through the rich taste of the chicken barbecue. 

I also fell in love with the skewered chicken butts (isol)--juicy and soft, and presented in a novel way. Chicken inasal is not complete without the sinamak and the garlicky rice that cut through rich smoky taste.

Nena's Rose
Manukan Country
Fr. M. Ferrero Street, Bacolod

2. Calea

For my earlier entry on Calea's cakes, click here.

For this visit we went to the bigger branch located across the street. These are what we ordered:  

Choco Mousse Bombe--my favorite 

Pecan Pie a la Mode

Blueberry Cheesecake

I love all the cakes we ordered--except for one on the dry side--because they are not too sweet. There were still many we haven't tried--reason enough to fly to Bacolod in the future. 

Calea
Balay Quince Commercial Bldg.
15th Lacson St., Bacolod City
+63 (034) 435 8413

3. Roli's Napoleones

Napoleones is a custard-filled dessert topped with sugar glaze. Its origins can be traced to the French pastry mille-feuille. Two locals swear by Roli's, and I must agree: it was moist, the crust was flaky, and the custard was not too sweet.

Roli's Bakeshop
Roli's Arcade, La salle Avenue
Bacolo
(+63) 034 433-3257

4. Aboy's Restaurant

Aboy's is a must-visit whenever in Bacolod for good food and fast service. Never mind the distance from the city center. I love the free mint tarragon they served after the meal. Another plus for me was the lovely bangus inasal, pictured above. For more on a previous visit to Aboy's, click here. 

Aboy's Restaurant
Liroville Subdivision, Singcang
Bacolod City
(+63) 034 435 0760

Iloilo

Iloilo forms part of Panay province. Its capital, Iloilo City, can be reached from Bacolod via a two-hour ferry ride. Aside from the food, one should take time to visit Miag-ao Church, one of the few barioque churches in the country.  

1. Roberto's 

Roberto's is popular for its ginormous siopao, pictured below. With siopao this tasty and big, who can refuse?

I also fell in love with the lomi - tasty warm soup, firm noodles, crisp greens. Lomi is made of thick egg noodles, thin pieces of meat, garlic, and shallots.

Roberto's
JM Basa St, Iloilo City

2. Tatoy's 

Tatoy's is an Iloilo institution located along the beach. We always order the chicken inasal--tasty native chicken full of the aroma of tanglad.

Tatoy's Manokan Seafood Restaurant
Baluarte-Calumpang-Villa-Oton Blvd
Villa Arevalo Dist., Iloilo
(+63) 33 337 4276

3. Pacencia Cookies

I now have a new favorite snack: pacencia cookies. These are hard to resist mini-eggnog cookies. Pictured below is one I bought from one of the ubiquitous pasalubong shops for the blog, but the humble stalls offer better versions, with just the right amount of crunch and heft.

4. Molo Soup

When In Iloilo, having molo soup is a must. This cup was served to us during a work-related function--flavorful, rich in porcine goodness, warms your heart. Molo soup is made of pork dumplings, shredded chicken, and chicken stock. 

Cyma's Tonnos Salata, Yemistes, and Flaming Mangoes

I usually gravitate towards favorite items when dining out, so sometimes I make a conscious effort to seek out recommendations from other people or the wait staff so I'd have something different. For this post I was happy I went out on a limb, because not only were what I ordered pleasing to the eyes, but they were delicious as well. 

The tonno (Italian for tuna) salata was lovely salad. I love how they treated the tuna, different from what I'm used to, you just have to try it. I love the tangy sauce with the salty pop of olives and wholesome white cheese.

The yemistes (stuffed pepper) was a lovely non-meat option. Imagine nutty and creamy rice inside peppers. It was smoky and sweet from the raisins. 

Cyma's flaming mangoes is awesome. Imagine skinned ripe mango swimming in syrup on a hot plate. Then scoop wholesome vanilla ice cream into the mix, adding warm tones to the caramelizing syrup

Cyma Greek Taverna
2F Robinsons's Place Malate
(+63) 02 353-3909

Top Picks from My Last Visit to My Kitchen by Chef Chris

I've been recommending My Kitchen to my friends since my first visit, and I'm glad they also enjoyed their meals there. I've been back a couple of times, and this is my report on the dishes I enjoyed in my last visit. 

The Oasis Salad is described as a blend of artichokes hearts, roasted peppers, capers, caramelized onions, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, aragula, and romaine lettuce with red wine vinaigrette. I love the zesty dressing and well-balanced flavors. This is my first time to sample artichoke and I  appreciate how it is rendered both sweet and sour. I wonder how it tastes like fresh. As usual, the sweetish dried tomatoes were divine.

The Pan Roasted Salmon Fillet with lemon butter sauce. The salmon was creamy and rich, tempered by the blanched tomatoes. The potato cake served as perfect foil for the tasty dish. .

The Slow Roasted Chicken, seasoned with lemon, white wine and olive oil , on a bed of chorizo pilaf with roasted carrots, pumpkin, and spring garlic. This tasted like upscale afritada. The meat was soft and the sausages were a nice addition to the dish.The rich dish was balanced by the slight bitter aragula.


My Kitchen by Chef Chirs
The Oasis Paco Park Hotel
(+63) 02 521-2371 to 75

Abe for Tuna Panga sa Bawang

One thing this blog is not is being painfully hip: I don't believe in fads, as I believe that the most crucial thing when dining out is good food.  When it comes to reliable, consistent meals, one go-to chain is the LJC Restaurants, which counts Cafe Adriatico and Abe in their roster. I've featured the former's version of adobo here.

The last time I visited was with friends, and one of the stellar dishes we ordered was the tuna panga sa bawang. It was moist inside, crunchy inside. Obviously fresh. The dish comes close to the crispy tuna fish tail I loved in Ka Lui, which you can read here.

Abe Restaurant
3F Trinoma, North Ave., cor EDSA
Quezon City (+63) 02 901-5692

Koronadal City's Arpochi Seafoods for Pampano Sinigang

No idea where to eat? Ask the locals. This was never truer when work found me in the southern city of Koronadal, formerly known as Marbel, the capital of South Cotabato. They vouch for the quality of the food, and warned us that we would be spending the equivalent of Manila prices.

It was quite a challenge looking for the restaurant. Arpochi is located in a residential area, in a house, and save for its signage, no one would know it is a restaurant. Another group followed us, many bearing gifts. It seems that the restaurant is a go-to place for functions as well. There was more. There was no menu. I'm not sure if they have set meals or rely on what's available in the market, but we proceeded to order anyway. We picked fish, shrimp, and squid over native chicken and crabs. Please note that although Koronadal is not along the sea, it is only a couple of hours from the port city of General Santos.

It may not look it, but the sinigang na pampano (pompano in sour broth) was the best of the lot. The fish was fresh and sweetish, and thus did not require any complicated cooking techniques or thick sauces. 

The prawns cooked in butter and garlic were likewise fresh, although I'd prefer they use less sugar. I can still remember the warm, umami goodness of the fat from the heads of the shrimps--really delicious. The sauce was so good we drizzled it on our rice. 

The adobo-style squid was also good. The squid were soft and the dish sweetish from the onions.

Arpochi Seafood and Restaurant
Jaycee Avenue, Koronadal City
(+63) 83 228-3418