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!

Of Brick Walls and Pasta Trios

My Mom and I like two other things other than food-- and those are hardwood and bricks. This place we went to last night was a lovely, rustic and romantic Italian restaurant called L'Opera Ristorante Italiano at The Fort Strip, with walls warmed up by bricks. I was staring at the brick arches and walls from the loft, and I forgot to take a photo. Imagine that.

But I did not forget the grub. M was in the mood for splurging on a Friday night.

Minestra con Granchi

This was his soup- the Minestra con Granchi or simply Crab Soup in a tomato base. He liked it, and I could see big chunks of crabmeat on top of the soup.

Please forgive me for the mobile phone shots. I ran out of batteries. Sigh.

This photo doesn't do justice to my Minestrone Soup. It was so good. Earthy.

It was enough to fill me up. But the night was young.

Trittico della Casa

And because this was an Italian restaurant, I thought it was necessary to order pasta. We ordered the Trittico della Casa, a special selection of three pastas of our choice. So, the merry pinpointing began, where we ordered one from each category (Vegetable, Meat, Fish and Seafood).

They were good, but I am not going to do that again. It was excessive and not right. We couldn't enjoy each flavor on its own. Not again. But among the three, what stood out was the strong and pungent Penne Funghi Porcini ( under the Vegetable category, leftmost)). The sauce consisted of a thick and creamy Porcini mushroom cream sauce. Good. The other two flavors were the basic Ragu Toscano ( Meat sauce) and the Vongole Bianco (Seafood). They were good too.

Tagliata di Manzo con Fegato D’oca in Salsa Tartufata con Spinaci e Asparagus

But this one stole the show. Steak, medium well. Split into two.

Melts in the mouth. Salty, buttery. Enough said.

I only wish my camera was fully charged.

Their service is also good. Highly attentive waiters. :D

Bon appetit!

Hearty Eating

I did not intend to make this a Valentine post.

But what do you do when you've eaten a heart-shaped burger? Yes, you take a picture and show it off! Haha :D

M and I were out yesterday. I tagged along his work, and had a yummy meal after! We dropped by Serendra on our way home and felt like trying this burger place we've so wanted to try for so long.

When we arrived at Murray & D'Vine Bar and Restaurant, we saw that the burgers were heart shaped for the season. Cute! After 10 minutes, our burgers arrived. This is his burger-

Spicy Burger with Bleu Cheese (P390).

The beef was too spicy for me. But I think the bleu cheese added

that much need sharp texture in the patty.

Big burger, at least for me.

I had the Sampler Slider.(P348)

I could have gotten any flavor from the menu to mix up among the 3 sandwiches.

Instead, I got two Veggie burgers, and one beef burger.

The veggie patties were made of corn and carrots shreds.

It's got good flavor. A little spicy. But I kept staring at the corn.

Hmmm.

It was a heart-y meal.

Happy Friday!

Decadence on the Day of Hearts

How was your Valentine's Day? M and I had the usual celebration. I prepared a bacon breakfast for him, which is an essential ingredient for most special day celebrations at our home. I made a cute cut-out heart greeting for him, too. He was nursing a flu, and had to work too. But he did come home early so we could get a table at one of our favorite restos to date- the Blackwood Bistro. Blackwood Bistro is located at the Venice Piazza in McKinley Hill, Taguig City. We were also lucky to dine al fresco, with outdoor entertainment provided by the mall showcasing an Opera Night for the evening. Lovely.

But yes, we've dined at Blackwood Bistro before, and we were pleasantly surprised that their dishes were delicious! To date, we've sampled five dishes, and all were good- kudos to the Buffalo Crab Claws (of which I wasn't able to take a picture of,boo!).

For this evening, we ordered the following---

Crab and Mango Salad

This lovely salad was filled with generous amounts of greens,

mangoes, strawberries, and lumps of crab meat. Yes, fresh juicy crab meat.

Baked Oysters

M's favorite appetizer, and this dish doesn't disappoint.

The oyster meat was large and juicy and smothered with a cheese-butter sauce.

Braised Lamb Shanks

Tender and earthy lamb shanks,

most probably slow cooked in a rich sauce

and accompanied by some roasted garlic, caramelized onions

and mashed potatoes.

Now for the piece de resistance. M ordered some dessert, and while he was poring through the dessert menu, the waiter suddenly bursts out and convincingly entices us to order their Valentine offering of Foie Gras, which was not on the menu. I hesitate, and the waiter continues on about it being so rich and sweet and good, and that the dish came with a glass of wine. We both looked at him, then we looked at each other, and let him get us some of that Foie Gras. While waiting, M and I were puzzled how Foie Gras can be dessert. Giggling, we had to confirm with each other that foie gras was liver. But yes, we both agreed that we were "seduced" by the waiter to try it. After a while, this arrives,

Foie Gras

Yes it was rich, and sensuous, if I may say so.

The soft goose liver was seared in butter. It came with a piece of toast, dressed with a blueberry compote, chocolate sauce and clotted cream.

The calories!

Oh, but this dish was playing on a different level. We were eating food for the gods, so to speak.

It was so decadent, I just couldn't resist staring at it.

We are never the same. :D

But yes, we just had dinner outside for Valentine's Day. I am just so glad I am able to spend this day with my love.

Later on he hands me a large, long box.

He gave me flowers.

Thanks babe.

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's day, too!

Loco Moco

I was so crazy with Zynga games, that I neglected blogging for awhile. Well, partly the reason for neglect. The games were so much fun, particularly Cafe World, but it took so much of my time. I have since let go of Cafe World, and have limited my gaming time to a much lower level. :D However, in one of M and I's food trips, we chanced upon this dish from Tokyo Cafe at The Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill which is one of the dishes in Cafe World. It really struck our fancy, so we ordered it. Presenting, the---

Loco Moco!

According to Wikipedia, the Loco Moco is a popular native Hawaiian dish of white rice, beef patty, an egg and brown gravy. It tastes almost like Jollibee's Burger Steak but with an egg on top. I think this meal would be good for brunch.

It's crazy to see it for real. Fun!

Happy eating!