2nd time

2nd's at The Fort is a restaurant on the second floor of a building at The Fort. I like this place for two reasons. It's ambiance and the food. I like that the place stays true to what they deem is good food, and did not attempt to stick to a theme. The first time we went there I ordered the Smoked Caprese Tower- a salad. I liked it, but I was enamored by my friend V's order- the Beef Ribs Adobo. 

On our second visit last weekend, this is what I ordered.

Beef  Ribs Adobo (P545)


It's not cheap for it's size. I also think that only two people can share this dish, with a good large cup of rice. I wish though the rice was brown ( they served a cup of  pristine white jasmine rice).

Adobo is a quintessential Filipino dish of pork or chicken, or both- cooked in soy sauce and vinegar. Good adobo takes some time to cook so that the meat is tender. This one was made with beef ribs, tender and succulent-although I must say, not quite healthy.  Could beat a steak dish. Highly recommended. 

A Splash of Red for Good Luck

I don't really do luck and all that, but in keeping with the New Year, tradition and all things sweet and nice, I am posting this vibrant red Coca-cola thingamajig to greet everyone a sweet and sparkling Happy New Year!

Happy New 2012, everyone!

May the good Lord bless and keep us all as we usher in the new year. ;)

Konnichiwa!:D

Hello! We were to two countries in the last four months, and no, I wan't able to update. M was there for work, and I got to tag along! Lucky me. I must say that I have fallen in love with the "Land of the Rising Sun." It is so enchanting, I understand now why some people gush about this lovely country.M was excited to see Fuji-san, while I was thrilled to be witnessing the koyo (fall season).

We got both wishes and more!:)

On our first night, we went to this ramen bar, just a block away from our hotel along Prince Dori. It was a tiny and busy place, with only bar stools for chairs. It was a ramen BAR, but of course! The staff who assisted us outside the outlet didn't understand much English, but did understood that 1. we were hungry 2. we wanted to try good Japanese food. She suggested we order the bestseller on the list ( heaven knows how we understood it was the bestseller!oh, i remember the nodding and the thumbs up sign! :D)

thick, al dente ramen

Shio-based Ramen, with cured pork, leeks and an egg.

YUM! First meal in Japan was a hit!

The next morning, M had to attend a conference, and I had to look for breakfast on my own. Of course, I mustered enough courage to ask the front desk where the nearest McDonald's was! Good thing it was only two blocks away! Yey!

The McGriddle

- mapled flavored pancake sandwich with an egg, bacon and cheese.

Divine!

I walked around Chiyoda-ku, exploring the Walking Map provided by the hotel of nearby tourist spots. By 3 p.m., I took my lunch fro the nearby Family Mart and had some convenience store ramen. Awful. Never again!

Good thing I bought this chocolate mallow cookie

to erase the memory of that ramen.

That evening, M had dinner with the delegates, so I explored the nearby fastfood joints.

Iwamoto-q's Tempura Bento meal.

I loved the freshness of the shrimp and the fluffy rice.

After dinner, I went to Family Mart for some dessert.

Azuki Mochi

and the Blueberry yogurt by Meiji.

This was my lunch the next day, I just got some

Onigiri (rice balls) at Family Mart. I got one stuffed

with fish roe. Slimy but yum. I must say, I love rice balls!

Later on, it rained harder. I was invited by M's boss to join the dinner for later.

Embarrasing as it was to join the delegates, I gratefully obliged.

Dinner was at Shiba Tofu-ya Ukai, a Zagat-rated tofu specialty restaurant.

Fancy.

Sake

Candied yams

Pan fried Tofu with a teriyaki-like sauce.

Sashimi

Soft tofu in soya milk. Slightly salted. The odd one among them.

Grilled salmon

I wasn't able to finish the whole set. All good, but everyone got busy with activities.

The next day, we plotted to have breakfast at Tsukiji, but I failed to see

that it was closed on Sundays. Duh.

We were so hungry, we got into a Family Mart along the area and got these for me.

Warm lemon tea and a doughnut. The Japanese love their sweets :)

Speaking of sweets, we entered Hama-rikyu Gardens since it was a stone's throw away from Tsukiji Fish Market. Inside was a lovely tea gazebo, and we tried their tea special of green matcha and sweets for a traditional tea ceremony.

Lunch was at Sushi no Midori Sohonten. Will post pics at the latter portion, when I took them on the second visit. Yes, that good :)

At dinner time, after hopping from one train to another, and experiencing the lovely Shibuya area, we had dinner near Hachiko station. We ate at this simple ramen bar. I had a chicken noodle soup, and M had curry. The Japanese LOVE curry, we learned.

This beautiful bento dish was what we had for lunch during the Mount Fuji tour. It was a delight to the senses, this array. Almost everything in Japan was beautiful. Even my lunch! Awww.

M and I experienced the lights at Ginza and had some more

dessert and tea at a nearby Starbucks. :P

Hello, Green Tea Latte!

Now, here is the the Sushi No Midori meal that we had on our last night in Tokyo. Thanks to various Japan blogsites, we were able to try this delectable feast!

Oishi!:D

Egg custard soup. Me thinks this was made for the gods!

It was an egg custard soup with tiny pieces of shrimp that had settled at the bottom.

So good!

Various sushi rolls

The popular Ponzu

- teriyaki marinated eel over a rice ball. Nom nom.

Yum.

I was especially entertained by this lovely handful of rustic toothpicks.

The lovely end to a lovely meal-Tiramisu.

Arigato gozaimasu, Japan!

Until we meet again.

Island Paradise

We were whisked to Boracay last month for M's office outing. We were so excited for the beach and the food!

Because there were meals provided by the hotel where stayed in, we didn't have to food trip all the time. For those times we could though, we tried our best to have the stuff I've been reading in other blogs.

For our first stop, we had lunch at Manana Restaurant, a Mexican restaurant that I read at Dessert Comes First and Our Awesome Planet which serves the most wonderful burritos. It was packed full when we arrived, and we had to wait for a table outside. Well, we waited by the beach so it wasn't so bad. :) Anyways, I must agree (and the husband heartily agrees), that the food was awesome!

M ordered this super good Avocado Shake.Perfect for the beach breeze!

Burritos

Hard-shell Tacos

The Burritos and Tacos were delicious! The tortillas were obviously freshly made, so it was all gooey and sticky with the cheese and the filling. Yuum. The Tacos were just as good. Save for the corn grits, everything was perfect! Our first meal in the island was a success. No picture of us two in the resto though, so boo!

The next meals were all sponsored by the office, so we had meals at the hotel. Our next food trip was for an afternoon snack the next day- a very long walk to JOnah's at Station 1 for the infamous milkshakes! M had a Mango Milk and I,

a Mango Lemon

This photo was taken with the Instagram. That's my smile and my hand :)

In the evening, we had dinner at The Sandbar so we could also watch the Fire or Poi Dancers. Food was okay. But the burger we had at Nigi Nigi Noo Noo was yuuuuum! Fat, juicy, old-fashioned burgers, they were only P180! Soooo good!

We weren't able to get our hands on some of Real Coffee's Calamansi cupcakes.

Maybe next time. And I will definitely make sure that I will make it my first stop.

Have a nice Sunday!:)

Food Porn

I was checking out clothing (for a change! :P) on Team Manila, and I found this amazing food video on their blog by Rick Mereki. Food porn at its best= lovely shots +gorgeous hunk!

Click on this link! Enjoy :)

Garlic and all things nice :)

I almost always cook with garlic. Save for desserts, and maybe soup, I can't imagine food without it. The onion may be forgotten, but never this white bulb.

We were in the Pasay area at lunch time, and hunted for good food at the gigantic (at least, for my feet) SM Mall of Asia. Facing the bay, we headed in Abe's for some Filipino fare and rice.

And true enough, my garlic-loving heart was happy here. M ordered a seafood dish and I ordered meat. Was hungry!

Sinuteng Baby Squid

Squid cooked in olive oil and garlic, they were really tender and melted in the mouth like some seafood custard. Sigh.

Mutton Lamb Adobo

This is really flavorful and tender. Cooked to perfection, I had noticed only a hint of gamey aroma, a pleasant one at that. M loves goat meat. Maybe someday I will try this at home. And maybe, just maybe I will be successful.

All these and glorious, white, steaming rice.

So good! Abe's. I miss you :)

Sour Trip

Discovered at Food Court of the SM Hypermart Pasig is this Philippine

favorite combination of sour green mangoes and bagoong ( a fermented shrimp paste).

Dubbed as the Mango-ong, it is clean and crisp at P20.

Mango-ong

Now, I can have a sidewalk style sliced manggang hilaw, and not be afraid of germs. Yipee!