A Mighty Meal That's (Not Just) For The Man Of The House

A slab of thick, juicy, steak is always alluded to guys. Somewhat, steak seem to be a guy thing. It was my late grandfather who introduced me to steak telling me it's best eaten medium rare, or rare, rather than cooked well-done. When we used to have our Sunday lunch, I would order the same thing as he does, and try to finish it without a morsel left. He prefers it medium rare. I would try the same, trying it medium-well at first and then medium, which is how I still like it up to this day.

I tried turning vegan and sorta suceeded a few years back, only to turn to meat-eating due to practicality (They do not serve veggie burgers in fastfoods here in the Philippines) plus my love for sashimi and seafood and Don Galo tapsilog. Health consciousness plus a family history of hypertension and high blood pressure and personal preference has made me avoid meat when I can. I found this quite easy since it's hard to find a decent steak anywhere, I can't cook meat, and the only person I know who cooks steak really well prefers is well-done.

This time, I break the rule a bit, thanks to Arpee who dragged me along to Melo's and told me that this I have to go or I would miss half of my life. As Melo's Steakhouse has been famous to serve certified Angus Beef and has steak that would make me forget my name, I complied. And so I did, forgetting cough and colds. Fortunately, my taste buds started coming back and my sense of taste has not numbed. Going to Makati from my place has been horrid due to the traffic but for a good slab of steak, telling myself that it's my birthday I could eat what I want. I met up with Eric first at Starbucks where we proceded to Melo's Jupiter.

As the event started, we were served chicken liver pate as an appetizer. The guys went around and asked us how we wanted our steak done. Despite Arpee telling me to go for medium rare, as he would tell me to, I went for my classic preferred medium and asked him that I would just try from his medium rare. We were shown a powerpoint presentation on the various grades of steak, the best forms of steak, and even the kinds of steak. Practically, it was steak 101 and a short history of Melo's. It was that I found how the famous Wagyu beef came about with the cows being pampered and humanely treated (*whew!* no torture here). We were shown the mouth-watering steak dishes from the humongous slab of porterhouse steak to the thin strip of sirloin steak (all Wagyu, nonetheless) and also, we were served the star of the event:

This I present to you, is Steak ala Dad.

This is the latest creation of Melo's cooked up just for the special men in our lives - all the dads in the world. Yet you don't need to be a dad to actually love it (I loved it and I'm a girl!). Imagine this -- Melo's signature Wagyu Tenderloin (zoiiiiing!) wrapped in bacon (double zoiiiing!!!!) seasoned with Al Funghi Porcini Sauce on a bed of tasty mashed potatoes and vegetables that are crisp and not soggy.

I tried the steak first with the bacon. The steak practically melted in my mouth. It was chewy and I was able to swallow it without choking myself. It was easy to slice and even without bacon, the steak itself was flavorful. When I tried the medium rare, I was quite satisfied that it was still warm on all areas and it didn't have any "fresh blood" taste. I told Arpee the reason why I avoided medium rare was that I did try medium rare before from a certain restaurant yet I wasn't happy with it because it had that distinct "fresh blood" taste and it was cold on the inside. Definitely this one I tried that night was really good steak.

Aside from our very own Steak Ala Dad, we were also served slices of steak that were presented to us. I found the rib eye the most flavorful of all. The striploin won me over, having the slice and leanness that I wanted. As a refreshing treat, four of Melo's signature cakes were served.

The mango cake was light and refreshing and provided perfect balance to the heartiness of the steaks.

Not that I'm giving up my love for greens. I did end up munching on the vegetable sidings from time to time, but of course, I would enjoy a treat like this once in a while. The Steak Ala Dad is a perfect father's day gift for the man of the house, but give yourself a chance to enjoy it too once in a while, since I also did. I might try going medium rare just like my grandfather did then.

My Burp-Day Lunch at CPK In Pictures

I chose CPK as my burp-day birthday lunch treat since I've always loved CPK. It was a late lunch that day so would you believe we wolfed it down all, nothing left save for 2 slices to take home.

For starters, I chose the Asian Chicken Salad. The personal size is already good for two people, and I love the healthy combination of greens, fried wonton noodles, carrots, and grilled chicken. The sesame dressing adds zing and zest too. On its own, it makes a light and healthy lunch on a summer day. And it has no beans. You know me with legumes.

The Tomato Basil Pasta is always a classic that I love. Not too stingy and sour and I could finish a personal size in one sitting had I not had the Pizza.

And speaking of pizza, CPK Pizza is one of my favorite non-bloating pizzas. They have creative flavors like the BBQ Chicken, a family favorite. However, here's my recent discovery: have you tried the Buffalo Chicken Pizza?

I had a cold at that time yet I could still taste the spicy hot sauce. The ranch dressing you drizzle on the pizza tames down the spicy-ness. I love veggies so the carrots and celery slices add plus points to this. When I first tasted this, I thought it was a bit spicy. Yet it was addicting, so I kept ordering this. Since it's way spicy, I suggest to share this with friends or with someone who loves spicy foods. Also, constantly request for house water. This is a hot dish. Seriously. Hot but really good.

The CPK crew also was very prompt, something that an impatient person like me loves. They know how to prepare the food. The salad was crisp and the pizza and pasta were hot. I love also how family friendly this place is. They have kiddie cups and coloring sets. They even could accomodate a family of 12, like ours, in all CPK branched we've been to.

Thank you CPK for being part of my birthday and other family-friendly special occasions!

Sharing Thesugarbug's BNP Picture

Of course my lil food blog would have to be included in Blognapinoy. For those who still do not know about Blognapinoy, it's a site Mike put up that's a directory of the most influential Filipino bloggers. However, instead of the usual name of the blog, URL, and description, it showcases the pictures of the bloggers with a link to their site. There's no ranking for Blognapinoy so that everyone would be equal here.

I've been shot already for my beauty blog but I wouldn't pass up the time for my food blog not to be included in the directory. I arrived early at Mike's place, and practically shocked the living daylights out of him that I arrived way earlier than 10. I went there with skin prepped and evened out so basically all I had to do was slap on the color and contours and sculpture my hair.

So I thought of a new concept for Thesugarbug ergo it took a lag for me to shoot for my food blog. For my makeup blog, I thought of going glamorous and Hollywood-like - the big wavy hair, black dress (which coincidentally is a makeup artist must) and my makeup would be my trademark red lipand cat eye a-la screen icon. For my food blog however, I wanted it fun, quirky, cute, yet still having a touch of my love for classic.

I thought at first pink, and going Vargas girl. Obviously, I had to keep it wholesome for the site so I had to tuck away the pink corset and hot pants. So in place, I got out from my closet a cute KSP-pink dress with a bubble skirt and a bow on the back.

The logo for my blog had a ladybug with cookies around her so I thought to place both elements in my picture... a little ladybug stuffed doll and homemade baked cookies. I styled my hair thanks to a tutorial I found in YouTube for the pinup girl look and substituted hot pink lips for classic red.

My Healthy Breakfast

Sharing my breakfast for the day:

Had granola with low-fat milk and milk tea. Low-fat because low-fat is easier on my stomach. Actually, I know it tastes better with soy or yogurt but I arrived late that night so there was no time to shop. It was a quick pick-me-upper and energizer since I had work that day plus the fiber totally cleansed my system.

Healthier than my sugar-loaded cereal without sacrificing taste, I think I better scout more of these babies in the grocery. The dried goji berry bits, almonds, and powdered cinnamon-sugar mix helped too.

Up Close on The Greenwich American Idol Pizza

Every summer, we'd all be glued to the TV to witness American Idol. I love music (I play the piano and I sing) so seeing these hopefuls vie for the top position is entertaining. Their renditions of various songs are also something that I find creative. It's definitely one of my favorite shows that still makes me watch TV from time to time. And yep, it's not just me who loves AI. A lot still watch it. I was able to catch snippets though of this season, although work prevented it from me following it religiously.



Just in time for American Idol, Greenwich launched their LE American Idol Pizza, which contains American favorites like shoestring potato strips and burger bits.

The thing I like about Greenwich pizza is that they never, ever scrimp on fillings. I mean look at all that filling and that floor of melted cheese! The dough is also something. It's thicker than the usual thin crust. However, unlike the thick heavy pizzas that cause me to bloat after 1-1/2 slices, this one had my tummy in check still. I'm full but not overly stuffed.

Hmmm... maybe I know my next snack when I'm watching Idol next week.

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.

Krispy Kremes Encouraging Filipinos to DOugh Their Part

With only days to go before the May 10 elections, everyone's all geared up with preparations and all. Krispy Kremes joins in the fun creating a mock ballot where voters get to choose their menu, election-style. I dashed off from work braving traffic and rain straight to KK at BHS and I was welcomed with a piece of paper and I was told to choose my own doughnuts and coffee. Since my camera was buried beneath my bag, I wasn't able to take a picture of it though. I was told to choose 12 doughnuts, and present it to the staff and I had a box of doughnuts ready for me. I think it's personally a fun way of giving us a little practice on how the new voting system now works, since it's pretty new.

See you on May 10!