Bohol Bee Farm's Quirky Ice Cream Flavors, Cassava Crackers, and Squash Bread

Let's just I was intrigued the first time I heard about the Bohol Bee Farm. Mention the words organic and all-natural, and I'm sold. My friends were also raving about the ice cream. I was lucky it was just walking distance from where we were staying, and so after dinner my friends and I went there for dessert.

My verdict--the ice cream flavors were delicate and subtly creamy, with the malunggay and tomato ones leaving a green aftertaste as expected. The flavors are so light, coming through after a few seconds, except for the spicy ginger, which I liked best. Also try the cassava crackers--they were quite addicting.

I had durian and malunggay ice cream. I love durian, and this does not disappoint.

One of my friend ordered the malunggay and tomato flavors

The next day I returned, and had the excellent spicy ginger ice cream

The cabcab--cassava crackers with organic pesto as dip.The crackers were
light and crisp,  and addicting

The squash bread was filling and quite the novelty

Manila's Ukokkei Ramen Ron for Shio Tan Tan Men

A bowl of golden goodness. Shio Tan Tan Men plain...

...and with  orange-yolked eggs

I spent hours one Friday night looking for the Mabini Branch of Ukokkei Ramen Ron. I've read reams of praise online and in print extolling the offerings of the so-called Ramen Nazi, particularly the Tan Tan men, and I wanted to know first-hand if this was well-deserved. I've seen many a girly bar and the facade of Pan Pacific Hotel, but not the ramen house, and so I called it a night, making an oath not to trust GPS again.

Two days later the stars aligned. I had a couple of hours to kill before gym class, and out-of-the-blue I decided to give my search another go. From Faura I took the jeep going to Dakota and alighted at Quirino, where I walked a few blocks towards Roxas until I reached the corner of Mabini. Ukkokei is located at the building after Caltex and just before Sogo.

The restaurant starts serving the Tan Tan Men at 6 pm, and only in limited quantities. I arrived around 5:30 pm. Seeing how dejected I was, the waitress whispered to me to try the salt-based Shio Tan Tan Men, which was almost as good as the bestseller. Spicy, creamy, nutty--very flavorful. The balance of flavors made my gluttony heart sing. I was quite full that afternoon, but I finished the bowl clean. Next time I'm gunning for the Tan Tan Men.

By the way, you could do away with the egg if it's not to your liking. Other than the vivid hue, it's nothing special.

Ukokkei Ramen Ron
2126 A Mabini St., Malate, Manila
(+63) 02 516-5511

Bohol's Flushing Meadows Resort for Ensayamdas

One of the more interesting ensaymadas I came across with is this looker from Bohol. Ensaymadas are light and airy pastries that originate from Majorca, Spain. The Philippines was under Spanish rule for more than 300 years, thus the influence in the former's cuisine. Margarine has replaced the original reduced pork lard  as ingredient, and the pastry is topped with shaved Edam cheese, butter, and sugar. For another ensaymada story, go here.

A little background: I was on assignment in Bohol. Bohol is an island-province forming part of the Visayas, a group of islands sandwiched between Luzon in the north and Mindano in the South. It is known for the Chocolate Hills, tarsiers, and people of deep faith. 

Now back to the main story. At first I thought it was bibingka, cooked as it was in banana leaves, but no. Compare this with the bibingka I scored from Quezon City last year. It was heftier and less fluffy than the usual ensayamda, and it has slivers of ube or purple yam embedded in the flesh (Bohol, by the way, is also known for its ube, arguably the best in the country). I kept two other pieces for eating later--that was how much I enjoyed eating it.

Sebastian Ice Cream's Green Mango Ice Cream and Peanut Butter

I'm no stranger to unusual food--I fancy myself  taking over Anthony Zimmern's quest for bizarre chow  when I grow up. I'll do anything once, and if it's good, I'll have another serving. One of the things I wanted to try the first time I learned about it through the blogosphere and food columns is Sebastian Ice Cream's Green Mango Ice Cream. Fortunately I live near ginormous Mall of Asia, where lie a branch of the artisanal ice cream purveyor. 

Mouth puckering green mango sorbet topped with warm, sweetish shrimp paste.
It was not that bad at all, pretty well-balanced flavors, and quite the palate cleanser.
The mango reminds me of green tamarind.

Peanut butter toffee. It's peanut butter on a stick, with real peanut bits. This is
a winner, and I'd gladly return for this.

I wasn't keen on ordering the green mango ice cream alone, so to be on the safe side I ordered a favorite--peanut butter toffee ice cream bar. The first one I did out of curiosity, and that satisfied, I hankered down to enjoying the second one. The next time I'd visit, I'll have more of the peanut butter ice cream bar variants.

Sebastian's Ice Cream
SM Mall of Asia
(+63) 915 489 5753

The Best from a Visit to the SIDCOR Sunday Market: Lechon Kawali and Bibingka Galapong

I've been to the Salcedo and Legazpi Weekend Markets, both based in Makati, and let's just say I'm a fan of both. For my post on my visits to weekend markets, click here. I haven't been to the Centris Sunday Market, it's quite a long way from where I live, but feeling adventurous, I texted my favorite weekend market companion to meet up at Eton Centris, right below the Quezon Avenue LRT station. Below were the best from our loot: 

This was Teeny's order: the lechon kawali, a popular pan-roasted pork dish, from
an unnamed stall.  Pork cuts are boiled, air-dried, and then fried to make lechon kawali.
Like good lechon kawali, these were  crisp outside, and soft and melts in your mouth
inside. I could feel my blood pressure hiking just thinking of  how good the dish was.

Bibingka Galapong, a rice cake usually eaten during the Christmas season. This one
was quite substantial, so I ate it installments. It was as straightforward as the stall we
brought if from. The dough a tad sweet, balanced by the salted eggs. Not too greasy.
The fresh grated coconut provided textural interest.

Sidcor Sunday Market
Eton Centris, Edsa corner Quezon Avenue, Quezon City
Open from 6 am to 2 pm

Top Picks from Bacolod City's Aboy's Restaurant

This is my last post on the highlights of my eating expedition in Bacolod City. For related posts go here, here, and here. 

It was our last day in the city, and we had time to kill before going to the airport. Aboy's came out on top of a quick survey of where to go for lunch. We ordered a storm, and here are the winners: 

Sinigang na pargo/maya maya (mangrove snapper). This I learned from my colleague--
maya maya 's rich strong taste is well suited to a full-bodied souring agent. The secret to good
fish sinigang, then, relies to a great extent on pairing the right species with the complementary souring agent.

I picked this not because it is stellar chicken inasal, but because it shows what for me
is good chicken barbecue--straightforward, moist, flavorful, roasted just right.
Notice the blisters in the skin? It gave the skin just the right crackle. 

It must be age, but I find myself lately gravitating towards fish sinigang. I prefer pork most days, but fish siningang done right is irresistible. I can get lost in the cartilagey, fatty and minerally flavors of this dish, especially the head and the collar, dipped in calamansi and fish sauce.

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

Davao City's Galletas de Davao

I'm in training, and one of our lecturers is related to Wency Cornejo, the singer, who's now into a Davao-City based pasalubong business. They met in one of our trainings in the city, and she urged us to buy his crispy wafers called Galletas de Davao.

I bought two canisters from their Davao airport stall: one in durian, the other in ube-langka. I hand-carried these to Manila, and they barely survived intact.

durian, my favorite, now in wafer form

the ube-langka was delicate

Since I'm partial to durian, I tried it out first--it was melt-in-your-mouth and rich, like ice cream. I should have bitten into the ube-langka wafers first. The durian wafers overwhelmed the delicate taste of the latter. I tried these a few days later, and they're quite good, too. 

If you've ran out of ideas on what to bring from Davao City, consider these wafers.