Quiet Rainy Day Lunch at Simply Thai

Despite having the sniffles and hardly having an easy time getting out of bed, I couldn't miss an opportunity to have a quiet lunch in a Thai restaurant that promises good food that's authentic as bringing the whole of Bangkok right here in Manila. Besides, I'll be having my evaluation for pole dancing that night and I need a hot pot of tom yum soup to rid my owies to put me in top condition.

When I got to Greenbelt, I had to look for the restaurant called Simply Thai. It's actually a sister company of Thai at Silk at Serendra, which I'm personally a fan of. Simply Thai is located at the garden side of Greenbelt 5, it's the side near Greenbelt 1, a very pretty restaurant with clean lines and a very fresh color scheme. I'll post a picture too, so you know how the restaurant looks like, so you won't get lost like I did.

When I got there, a few of my blogger friends who I haven't seen for the longest time were there, already with their drinks and appetizers. With them is Executive Chef Cecile Chang Ysmael, who was there to personally describe each dish, answer our questions, and share several fun tales of her adventures in her second home, which is Bangkok, Thailand.

One of the waiters asked me what drink I wanted. I opted not to have milk tea due to my sniffles (but I swear, when the sniffles are gone, I will go back for milk tea!) and had a tall glass of refreshing lemongrass juice. As requested and as my body needed, I ordered a bowl of Tom Yum Kung, with a very rich and tasty broth and didn't go stingy with shrimps and mushrooms, two of my favorite things in Thai cooking.

I don't know if it's just me, but I like nibbling on the leeks too and lemongrass stalks. I wasn't able to take pictures of the lemongrass drink, but it's got a pretty orchid garnishing to go with it. The green and purple contrasts beautifully.

Spring rolls are both healthy and refreshing to make you think that going pesco-vegan isn't such a bad thing. Oh, if you love carbs, they're stuffed with vermicelli.

Those people with qualms about catfish would be happy to know that their catfish is grown and raised from farms so rest assured that it's super clean and its guts didn't house an entire ecosystem's food web. The meat was sweet and tender and fried super crispy.

Soft-shell crab. A newfound love of everyone that was wiped out in minutes (Arpee: Crab? what soft shell crab?). I'm so happy that I could eat crab and shrimp.

I dedicate the next dish to my pole classmate, Tricia who's a fan of Pad Thai. The prettiest Pad Thai in the universe served in a handmade egg net.

That net is made out of egg, and to make the egg net requires training and practice and a very light hand. The waiter had to demonstrate it to us how to mix the Pad Thai. You break it in the center to make a well to mix all the ingredients then cut through the egg net into small pieces. The egg "strings" have to be cut well so you don't choke on them.

For carnivores, here's their bestseller: Lamb Shank Mussaman. It's got sweet potato, peanuts, and caramelized onions. The lamb meat was tender too and it didn't have that aftertaste that most people don't like about lamb.

Other non-seafood dishes to try are the super spicy Green Chicken Curry, Hainanese Chicken with Jasmine rice, and the Suhkumvit fried chicken with crispy and tasty batter that's not your ordinary everyday fried chicken.

They've got really pretty desserts too! Like the red rubies.

I thought they were candied cherries at first until Cecile said they were actually water chestnuts. Interesting to know that water chestnuts can appear in the dessert course of the meal as I'm so used to having them in stir-fried chicken or salads. I also asked why they're red. "Rubies are actually the national gems of Thailand," she explained. The water chestnuts were coated then dyed red. It's placed in a bed of finely crushed ice with cream. They use water chestnuts in a can because you get a more consistent quality of water chestnuts with them. It's like eating sago then you get the surprise crunch inside. It's not too sweet either, but the cream makes it rich.

Arpee gave me a 101 on how to eat the Sticky Rice with Mangoes. It's like a Thai style of our native suman and mangga. You pour some coconut cream into the sticky rice. A slightly tart mango contrasts well with sticky rice. Since it's kinda heavy, I think it's best having desserts like this to share.

More desserts!

Before it starts melting or be devoured by hungry sweet-tooths, I took a picture of that homemade coconut ice cream on a bed of taro and orange (there's caramel sauce too at the bottom).

Pretty tapiocas all in a row each with a red ruby on top.

Since there's so much pretty and tasty dishes, I think it's best to eat here as a large group so you get to sample out a lot of dishes. The dishes are best to share.

Zentea Love

I'm lactose intolerant (I say this as I type this drinking a glass of malt-flavored soymilk) but I love milk tea. I really love milk tea! I'd prefer milk tea over a cup of coffee any day. Usually, I like my milk tea with mild sweetness and hot on a cold rainy day, but for a jolt of energy, it's nice to have it cold, especially after an hour or two of pole class. I love Zentea because their cold iced teas are yummy and their horlics milk tea is superb!

People who frequent the Pearl Drive area are already friends with the Pearl Drive Zentea staff who are really super friendly. They know their regular customers plus their favorites and how they prefer their drinks.

In my case, I prefer my horlics milk tea with no pearl. If they run out of horlics tea, they're nice to give you another alternative like caramel or their bestseller nai cha. Horlics milk tea tastes a lot like the candy so I really like it.

Oh yes, and if you think this is deathly pricey milk tea, that size cost me only Php65.00. If milk isn't for you, they also have regular flavored iced teas that cost only Php35.00 for a medium size.

Thanks kuya, for letting me take your picture and the Kiosk, so when my readers decide to hunt for this branch they know how it looks like! I think I'm there often and purchase too much that the guys over there know already what I want and practically memorize my pole schedules. Did I mention they're pretty famous too? Google Zentea Pearl Drive and see lots of pictures!

B'uon Giorno, Thank You For Moving Closer To Me

I've always been intrigued with Tagaytay's ever-so-famous B'uon Giorno restaurant being a frequent stopover to any Italian-food lover like myself. The reviews are great and everyone who went there seems to love how authentic the food tastes instead of mass-produced and artificial, like each pasta piece or veggie bit was made with love. Did anyone say authentic Italian food? I'm all smiles now.

Since Tagaytay is too far to experience B'uon Giorno, the heavens answered our prayers and finally opened one an arm's throw away from Ortigas Business District - the haven of Rockwell Business Center which is becoming an oasis of great food finds.

So among the Italian dishes on the menu, which among these ranked my favorites? Let's find out:

Top #1 goes to the Spinach Canneloni. The cheese didn't make me gag out and well, call me funny but I always have a weakness for spinach. The canneloni texture was the al dente form I wanted and it held the fillings in place. If you're quite sensitive to cheese and dairy, you could opt to just have less of the cream and have your companion finish off the richer part of the meal with some bread, one excuse to share this dish too, because yes, everyone should get a taste of it.

Salad Greens are never soggy in the classic order Caesar Salad. I got to the venue a bit late yet the greens in the buffet table are still crisp. I went for seconds on the veggies actually, and really. I love how fresh and crisp they were. I was told that the restaurant has really high standards and everything has to be perfect. Those who would love veggies can try the B'uon Giorno Special which are their best ingredients with the signature house dressing.

Dessert love time! Who doesn't love chocolate? Well It's something I do not say no to especially in the form of this...(say it with me)

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE! With Ice cream on top. Why too little words for this? uuuhm it's because I'm at a loss.

Apple Strudel reminds me so much of the Sound of Music song on a stormy night. What happens when I finally met this dessert in person? It became one of my Favorite Things. Unfortunately, my picture of it was too grainy so there's more reason for me to go back there and have a bite and a better picture to post it.

A good mentionable for seafood lovers like myself is Pescatore Alla Puttanesca. Puttanesca on its own is already a very rich and robust sauce having both the spice and the richness of fresh tomatoes so imagine when fresh seafood gets thrown in to the mix? I swear... I lunged for it. And mind you, I usually eat less during dinnertime.

A thing I like about the restaurant in general is that even though it's located in the Metro, it's not commercialized at all. It's like each dish came straight from an Italian home and delivered to your table. And if you take note of the price, it's really not that bad. A pasta dish full of seafood costs Php308. What I recommend if you're dining with friends though is to order one dish each and share them, so you get little portions of everything and taste a variety of dishes. A dish is good enough to share but I still order solo portions of food and just pass them around to share. I like getting little portions of several dishes rather than stuffing myself full with just one dish.

Oh and before I end this, you really must get dessert.

When Nutella meets French Pastries

When Amaya, one of my pole instructors, mentioned a little French cafe that serves a super-good amazing nutella donut that's hardly stingy with the filling, I waited for the right time to try one for myself. After my shoot at LRI plaza yesterday, I knew that I had to take a mini-detour to Makati Ave to search for this cafe for myself. Since it was a tiny, tiny cafe, it would be easy to miss so I kept my eyes peeled and open. Luckily, Amaya mentioned to me that it was near Jolibee and I spotted the Jolibee already while trying to find the U-turn that would take me there. And here, right smack at the boundary that separates Makati Central Business District from the red light district like a little oasis that is Paris Delice.

Paris Delice would be a little cafe with yummy colors of cream and chocolate brown in a clean architecture with clean lines that spells elegant simplicity. It's really quite small, with only a little number of chairs and tables, and on a Saturday afternoon, we have it really quiet, which is a refreshing change from the overcrowded coffee shops in the mall or dotting practically the Metro.

In the mini-pastry display, I was able to spot the nutella donut, which could be pricey at Php85.00 a piece but I was told that each penny would be worth it.

Just like Paris Delice's interiors, it's a simple filled donut with no glaze or garnishings. This is it heated on the microwave (low until just warm or else it

would dry and burn). Pretty simple...

Until you stick a fork and take a bite and see all the hazelnut filling flow like gold. Definitely generous with the filling. Since nutella is sweet enough, The dough was kept bland so as not to overpower the senses. Love how good it is and so that no drop of nutella goes to waste, spread a bit of nutella on the bread.

Another thing to love about Paris Delice is free WiFi! Well, all places should be free WiFi anyway! Will I go back here? I just did. In fact, I texted Amaya and told her how much I loved the Nutella Donut and she said she was just there too that afternoon. On another chance that I'll be passing by the area, I know just where to go.

Paris Delice is located at No 1. Juno St. Corner Makati Avenue, Makati City. It's located right beside Jollibee and outside a blue Bel Air 2 Village gate.

Recipe Share: Baked Mozarella

One of my recipes reminds me of how I do makeup, it's sort of a go-with-the-flow thing, just getting what I see in the fridge and trying to see what stuff I could magic out of. This recipe is quite easy and makes use of only few ingredients and a microwave oven, so this could be made in a jiffy. A little story on this, I woke up from a long nap and it was time to make dinner. As usual, pasta would be my default dish but I wanted something to go with it. The process of making this is an experiment actually turned nice.

This is a foolproof baked mozzarella version that's a great appetizer or a great snack served to guests without taking much time. It's yummy on its own or what I do, I sear up tortillas so there's something to balance it off.

Thanks TJ Cafuir for the photo.

So here's how to create this simple foodie, no complicated equipment needed.

What you need:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Thin slices of tomatoes
• Fresh basil
• Thin slices of mozzarella cheese
• Balsamic vinegar
• sprinklings of salt and Italian Seasoning
• A microwave-safe plate
• A microwave oven

How to go about it:

• Drizzle olive oil on the plate and spread it all out so it covers the plate so the mozzarella doesn't stick on the plate.
• Line the plate with thin slices of mozzarella cheese. You could buy mozzarella per 100 grams in the local supermarket or deli and have them slice it for you.
• Top with thin slices of fresh tomatoes and fresh basil.
• Sprinkle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and Italian seasoning.
• Chuck the plate on the microwave and microwave on low heat for a minute or just until the cheese bubbles but doesn't stick, shrink, and burn on the sides.
• Let it cool a bit and serve with heated smoked ham or any of your favorite deli.

While at it, tortillas are best heated on a nonstick teflon pan on its own. Heat both sides until they're all nice and toast-ey. For more flavor, you could sprinkle the mozzarella with Parmesan cheese.

This is a fairly easy recipe that's a quick way to entertain guests without leaving them for a long time to slave yourself in the kitchen.

Happy Seafood and Fish Treats from Max's.

Dear Max's Chicken,

Although for forty days, I'd pass on the to-die-for Crispy Pata (literally to-die-for) and signature chicken, thank you so much for your seafood choices that you served to us last Monday. The rain and the chores I had at home didn't stop me. Although it was mainly Yeoh who egged me to go if I want to live to see the next day. Whaddya know? I didn't regret it.

Not only did the seafood/fish dishes make Lent less of a chore, but just in time for summer, when eating fresh yummy seafood reminds us of a beach picnic while we're in the concrete jungle.

Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet was a mixture of tasty and healthy. Before the guys took pictures, I already popped a bell pepper in my mouth so poor dish had to be angled. :P

Some are traumatized to eat bangus because a sliver of a fish bone is usually pried in the meat and you have to be OC and careful that no bone comes in contact with the esophagus. This one had nada tinik. Boneless bangus is really boneless. Yummy too even without the vinegar and atchara sidings.

My favorite would have to be a steaming hot pot of Sinigang na Hipon with crisp veggies, a hot, sour tamarind based broth, and bright orange crunchy shrimps. I love that this bowl wasn't stingy with shrimp. I'm a sucker for good shrimp, but these weren't crinkly, old, wrinkly tough shrimp. The shell could easily be peeled off the meat and it wasn't much effort to chuck out all the shells so I could devour them.

Guilty as charged!

Speaking of shrimp, another shrimp dish to behold is the Camaron Rebosado, which were shrimps (wheee) dipped in batter served with sweet and sour sauce. Sige na nga, hindi sya tempura. I thought it was tempura in the picture, but I forgot that tempura uses bread crumbs.

If anyone got hooked to the seafood bug and decided to sample out all the seafood dishes, be sure to get the special seafood fest frequency card, which rewards the bearer a Chicken-All-You-Can treat from Max's upon completion of all six stickers, which should be done in the time frame from March 8 to April 30, 2011.

I am totally serious on the Sinigang na Hipon and Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet that got me hauling seconds and thirds. So I think I know now where I'd be on Friday if I get too lazy to cook. :P

Lunching Solo

Resisting the urge to call delivery for sodium-ladden meals, since I've been spending lunch alone in the four corners of the unit I've been calling home, I just raided the ref and decided to be healthy.

Yesterday, I had salmon with lemon, capers, and a squish of lemon juice. I used smoked salmon here, a bit expensive, but I promised to have this only on special occasions, not to break a dent on the food bill because a little vacuum pack costs Php 231.00 for just a few slivers. I'm not talking big chunks here. However, salmon has quite a rich taste that too much could be horrible after I had a plateful of grilled salmon, so yes, it does make a point to have this only occasionally. Lemon and capers provide a good contrast too.

Since it was fat Tuesday, sige na nga, some pastrami slices na rin! Pastrami's an addicting one, I love peppered spicy smoky beef drizzled in mustard. Realizing I needed carbs because I'll be working and then working out at pole class, I went for the easiest thing I could find: cheapo toasted slices of white bread made sosyal by dipping it in olive oil+balsamic vinegar mix, just like in Italian restos.

Before they get all moldy, I finished up all the leftover strawberries. Thank God they were still okay.

Today was Ash Wednesday and since it's no-no to meat (except seafood today), saffron risotto wouldn't be a crime right? After all, that's just butter, onion, spices, water, saffron, and risotto. However, I found it too plain and I needed protein since I'm building muscle so I used slivers of smoked salmon and capers to put it on top. Didn't add the lemon na, sacrifice na ang lasang isda, fine!

I like how the capers provide contrast on color so it doesn't look like a swarm of warm colors.

It's prolly chore day today, and I'll take a few laps on the pool as soon as I clear the kitchen up. For a dish for one, the sink's quite a loadful.