The Old Favorite Tried and Tested

I've had crazy cravings lately all the time during Christmas and prolly one of them is puto bumbong, the intriguing purple snack that looks like ube-flavored suman, but doesn't have that sweet ube taste. Would you believe the first time I tried and fell for puto bumbong wasn't here in our country but in the States! Weird I know. You usually find puto bumbong outside churches during Christmas and sometimes all year round that I sometimes take it for granted. Oh whelps.

Puto bumbong is actually made of glutinous rice cooked in bamboo tubes and the device used to cook it looks like this:

[picture from ifood.tv]

The rice mix is on the bamboo tubes. The purple color is actually just purple food coloring instead of ube. I don't know why it's purple though, maybe related to Advent or something, whoever invented it. You could have pink or yellow puto bumbong though and it would still taste the same but it still won't be the same I guess, since we're used to seeing it purple.

Anyhow, as Christmas season kicks in and with Simbang Gabi again coming up, I know early churchgoers would be looking forward to having puto bumbong after mass. I was told though, when I was craving again to try Via Mare's famous puto bumbong and to try it with cheese. It's usually with brown sugar, butter, and grated coconut but cheese? Then I have to see.

I went to the famous Via Mare in Landmark. It's now shoved over to the side instead of the center of the second floor, where we're used to seeing it, providing a more intimate atmosphere for meetings or lunches. I got the menu, and I saw that it's available in plain (with coconut and brown/muscovado sugar) or you could jazz it up by adding cheese or queso de bola. I opted to add cheese instead, since queso de bola could be too strong.


It's two long pieces of puto bumbong when served and they're quite generous with the toppings. I don't know how I'll be able to finish the coconut though and too much sugar would be too sweet.
The one they serve outside church had four pieces generously spread with margarine and coated with just sugar and coconut, but the pieces were cut smaller and skinnier, so more or less, the rice component is the same.

Anyway so how was it overall? It was okay. Taste was the same as the one I'm used to having every Sunday. The cheese however made it interesting and it lessened the sweetness if I've had too much of the sugar. I just wasn't fond of the texture though, since I prefer a smoother milling of the rice and none of the rougher texture. The cheese they used was of good quality though, and for someone like me who could only tolerate up to only a certain amount of dairy, this didn't cause me to pump out the dairy out of my gut in seconds.

I guess though for the price it has (Php 65 for plain, and add additional Php16 for cheese), the one in our neighborhood suki would do for my cravings. I'll bring a balikbayan here for sure, for the ambiance especially after touring them in the mall. Cheese is an interesting addition, and I'm going to wonder how it is when it melts too, so hmmm... I guess I'll experiment that with my Php15.00 alternative and grate cheese on top before nuking it in the microwave for a few seconds.

Iced Gems are my Happy Childhood Snack

Remember these?

These little biscuits were every happy child's companion. My best Iced Gem memories (I called them "teased" gem back then, I don't know why maybe because I couldn't make out the words with the lettering , I didn't know how to pronounce "iced," or I was crazy.) were finding them in my Charlie Brown lunchbox during recess time or my mom buying them in bulk at the grocery. I was searching for Iced Gems since forever. They don't sell them in convenience stores and they're hardly in the groceries. SM doesn't even have it (please do please do please do!). I was lucky to find it in one grocery trip at Makati Supermart in Alabang and I grabbed not one but two bags. It was cornered in one section in fact, with only a few bags left.

I don't know about most of you, but I was one of them kids who would eat only the icing and leave the biscuits behind. I don't know what became of the biscuits after, but I'd behead mine during recess time and down it with my Hi-C orange or strawberry drink.

"I beheads you!" 8-}

Anyone know where else I could buy them? These are one of my missed kiddie snacks. These and a bag of Chickadees with the hop-and-pop.

When Siopaos Get An Upgrade

While at a shoot, I was introduced to Gourmet Pao, which gives me a better outlook on siopao. Before I was used to siopao being bola-bola or asado and most of the time, they dissapoint me when all I get are like an ounce of fillings.

Yep, these are actually siopao, but instead of the usual fillings, we get fillings like sisig, corned beef, ham and cheese, and tuna. At first, I was apprehensive to try because I'm not really a siopao fan, yet after I tried one, I had a second one on my way home.

Model Mikaela Lagdameo-Martinez is the woman behind this novelty snack, and since she was present during the shoot, I actually got to talk to her and ask about the business and the products. She's happy that the business is doing really well. There's currently a stall in Alabang Town Center (near Yellow Cab) and she plans to open another one soon. Gourmet Pao also delivers too, for an extra charge of course. And whaddya know? She even said sometimes she delivers them herself. "And it works!" she says.

The flavors have creative names such as Dancing Queen (cheese, ham, egg, and bacon), Sosy-Sig (pork sisig and egg), and Maxi-Moo (corned beef and egg). "Moo because of cow, " Mika says with a giggle. The fun names are quite catchy. How do you determine which is which? The little colorful dots would tell you so. The bestseller happens to be Pesto-Veggie, which is a hit among vegetarians as well.

Speaking of health, these varieties also come in wheat dough. Okay, before you get all apprehensive and icky with the wheat dough part, we were assured that it tastes as good as carbohydrate-ful white dough. When you close your eyes, you think you're eating white dough, but it's just brown. So none of the grainy, flaky, stuff we don't like with health food. The dough really is something. It's not tough and leathery. And nope, they didn't scrimp on the fillings. The size is huge, bigger than my palm, so it's definitely not something that cheats on you. I ate my siopao straight from the ref so it was kind of cold, but I was told it's better heated (Heat it in the steamer or rice cooker).

If interested to order Gourmet Pao, you can contact them at their email addresses: gourmetpao@yahoo.com or gourmetpao@gmail.com. You could also contact them at 211-1099 and 0917-5377726.

Summer Snacks at a Pop

If mermaids did exist, I probably was one in my past life. My swimming skills probably may not be Olympic-quality but once I see the sun and the sea and the sand, I plop on the sand and bake myself to NC45 level or set my feet on the cool sea water. The ocean and I seem to love each other. Should I blame it on my quest for golden skin? Or should I blame it on my Invertebrate Zoology professor who introduced me to the fossilized corals I used to give taxonomic rundowns to?

My appetite too seemed to dive to the sea. I absolutely love seafood and devour it like there's no tomorrow. Fond memories of summer by the sea would be eating fresh seafood that does not taste fake, preserved, or like it's been in the freezer for so long. A table full of cooked seafood (and the ocassional raw) spells heaven for me.Now if a world-famous chips brand were to have flavors that remind me of my summer staples, the result would be three new Pringles flavors that I'd definitely take on the next trip to the beach or pool. Take a look - seaweed, soft shell crab, and grilled shrimp. Can I spell vacation now? Honestly, I can't think of a favorite as they're all good in their own way and come in cute cans too. Or, if I'm just reminiscing of the ocean trip again, I'll just pop a can as I work on my cover.

Cheeseburger Straight From The Bottle

That bottle above is what the kids at home look forward to having breakfast each day. Cheez Whiz brings back memories of packed snacks when I was a kid. I always thaw it a bit before spreading it on warm bread. And take note... one of the few things that make me eat bread.

The cheeseburger flavor looks fun, and it gives it a bit of oomph with meat bits that do not taste fake or synthetic. I'm actually thinking... what if I use this to make burger mac and cheese? hmmmmm.... Make sure the bread is really, really, really hot and make the spread melt into it. wait for the bread to cool before biting to it though.

It's great that it also comes in 5g packs, so we could take this with us too on our next outing. That's when we want cheeseburger in a snap (or in this case, in a bottle) without waiting for 30 minutes for delivery.

Large Means Large

This is how big the new large fries are:

And for a fry-lover like me, I couldn't finish them :P

Oishi Gourmet Picks as a Pre-Dinner Snack

No rice for a week. Hunger pangs strike. I needed my carb fix and I needed something (quite) unhealthy and here's what I found in the grocery:

I was passing by the grocery since I wanted some chips and I saw this. It was roughly around Php45.00 and the pack was big so I was like... a big bag of chips for a low price.

I expected a full bag though but when I opened it....

ay.... :-

Nevertheless, taste-wise it was okay. And it's even got Nori bits.

I like too that it wasn't too salty or oily. The wasabi flavor also didn't burn my senses or nostrils. But then again, I love Japanese food and wasabi so I was munching along. I'm still fooled by the packaging though, but I like the taste nevertheless.

And the Panda Brings Me Food

When I saw this place, I couldn't help but try it during my weekly pedicure:





That's Panda Mein plain noodles (Php22.00) at Starmall Las Piñas. If you love instant pancit canton, this you'll love more since:



1) It's less unhealthy and it fits the budget.
2) Add 2 pesos you could make it soup
3) It goes with a variety of dimsum (add 8-10 pesos for dimsum of choice)4) There are a wide variety of sauces to choose and mix-and-match







Im complaining though that the servings are small that i could wolf it down in 15 minutes. Maybe I could get two orders during my really hungry days yes? It's quite popular already in my area and it's a shame that I only discovered it now. Well, better late than never.

Looks like I got a new I'm-bored-and-I-want-food favorite. :)

Comfort Food On a Dreary Wednesday

Since I was home-bound yesterday, I wanted to go out and grab something I've been craving for.... Fries!

We don't have a deep fryer at home but Php80.00 with 2 dips aint bad. Good thing we have NY Fries and Dips at a walking distance. Pepper steak is a newfound twist that I love and pesto, a classic favorite. I forgot I had a cold as I was munching them. They're best when they've cooled down a bit as they get served piping hot. I'd rather enjoy the flavors. :)