A Culinary Vacation

We wanted a vacation so bad, but the budget didn't permit us. So, when we had a little something last month, we planned to go somewhere. Still not enough for a full-blown vacation, and Mark being wary of flying during the rainy season-- we settled for a feast in Tagaytay to nowhere else but-- Antonio's!

We've heard of their great steaks long before. But last month, we saw a great feature on the Philippine Star of Antonio's by Paolo Lorenzana- and we saw this scrumptious photo of one of their dishes. So Mark took me there on the holiday last week, while the new President was taking his oath. :)

The path going there reminded me of Sonya's Garden- a winding, wildflower-strewn little road. I love these flowery paths. A big black wrought iron gate greets as we enter Antonio's. There were quite a number of cars parked that day. We found a spot just beside the gate, and parked right there.

We still had to take a 2 meter hike to the door. The door! Oooh! I love those big wooden doors. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of it alone. Sigh. I was too excited to think!

As we entered the bungalow, we were met by ancient photos hung on a gallery- showcasing the family's heritage. The place smelled of dew and wooden antiques---heavenly!!! I grew up on those heavy wooden furniture- so their smell brings back memories. We were seated by the Koi pond and the big balcony, where we saw other diners on the lower level. The floor was made of black graphic machuka tiles. Lovely. White walls. High ceilings, garden and black wood. High on class and romance. Nothing too fancy. Just really classy. Clean lines are still the best design.

Wait- I'm supposed to talk about food! Hehe. The maitre d' was a very nice lady who gave us the best seat and treated us perfectly. She gave us several menus, and the husband ordered the dish we came here for-- Roasted Bone Marrow with Parsley Salad and Onion Marmalade . We came prepared-- or so we thought.

The next person who attended to us, was the waiter in charge of our table. He had to explain to us that they served the entree in sets. And we thought we could order ala carte- to his (and ours too ) seeming consternation! Obviously, we didn't look like the ones on the other table, since Mark didn't really inform me we were going that particular day (We wore plain shirts and jeans, and yes, it was another one of his surprises.).

Anyways, we continued to order and were really excited for the appetizer. And because we ordered the set meals, we got this on our table first-

Parmesan roll.

I forgot the exact name of the bread. I know there was Parmesan on it so I will christen it- the Parmesan roll! This is the first bread that the husband liked. He says - "all bread are the same". I protest, of course. This time- I won. :)

And then came the much awaited appetizer---

Roasted Bone Marrow with Parley Salad and Onion Marmalade

And this is the way to eat it.

Verdict: Husband liked it, I was disappointed. I expected more from this dish. I expected the bone marrows to be in their plain, salty, creamy essence. What dominated in this dish were the capers on top. Lots of capers. And the menu says parsley salad. No mention whatsoever of capers. I like capers, but in small quantities, and not to overwhelm that special thing called- bone marrow. The dish was accompanied by toasted and dry slices of baguette, and a serving of the onion marmalade. The onion marmalade was quite nice.

I wiped the remaining fat off the marrow with the remaining Parmesan roll.

It tasted much better.

Next up, was the House Salad-

This is described as -

Fresh Mesclun Salad from the Garden, Bleu d'Auvergne Crumble,

Glazed Walnuts, Dried Cranberries with Raspberry Vinaigrette.

I loved the walnuts. Mark loved the blue cheese.

Like the House Salad at Sonya's Garden, this salad also had a lot of bitter varieties. I don't know if these are much healthier than the milder ones, but they had a lot of it. A little off-putting, really. I liked the Walnuts though, and the Cranberries and Raspberry Vinaigrette. Husband likes the cheese. It was a very strong cheese, almost goat-like in taste. But when I googled the Bleu d'Auvergene, they say it comes from cow's milk.

Tomato and Capsicum Soup

Very strong and pimiento-ey, with a pleasant milk froth on top.

This is one of those times when I am thankful we don't like the same things.

I gave him my share. Everyone's happy. :D

While waiting for the entree, I spied this lovely lamp. I want one.

This is Mark's pick-

Barbecue Lamb Cutlets with Garlic Risoni.

And because he's married to me, I got to sample this dish too! Hehe.

It's so good! The cutlets were cooked just right. Juicy and almost well done.

The Garlic Risoni surprised me. I thought it was rice at first since I wasn't able to read about it on the menu, but this was actually rice shaped pasta! So cute. It was smothered in a light but creamy sauce.

Good one, babe!

I had this-

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass on Truffle Mashed Potato

I also liked this! It was a very tender, fat and creamy sea bass,

plus the potatoes had bacon bits.

Yum! Happy.

All the heartache I felt over the appetizer and the soup almost vanished at this time. The main dishes were really good! And when when they reminded us of the dessert, I was all giddy! Great. We had some tarragon tea while waiting. The tea was too strong though. It could have been steeped too long.

There were like 5 dessert choices. And here are the winners--

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Mark is happy with this.

The dense cheesecake is covered in thick and smooth caramel which oozed with every spoonful.

Decadent!

Assorted Berries with Creamed Chantilly

I had this because I'm such a sucker for berries. I am so happy that this had blueberries, strawberries and one special raspberry tucked in the middle of the sponge cake and whipped cream.

This is really much like a berry trifle. Lip-smacking.

Thanks you Lord for this visit, it was a lovely trip and, we hope to be back to try that suckling pig. :)

Someday again. :)

Have a blessed day, everyone!

Hilagang Kanluran

Happy New Year, all!

I'm starting off the year with our recent road trip to the north east of Luzon--- Cagayan Valley! This isn't technically our first road trip for the year. We went up to the mountains on the first day of the year to check out the much buzzed about Zip Zone in Dahilayan, Manolo Fortich Bukidnon. We had some Grilled Chicken Steak at the Cowboy Grill, but I wasn't able to take pics. It was good though :)

So, back to this post. Mark had to attend a hearing in Buguey, Cagayan Valley which is just "next door" to Aparri. We were psyched to be able to drive that far, so we packed our bags and drove away...

On the way up, we saw some major fast food establishments along the highways, which just means that business is good in these areas. There weren't too many fast food joints in Region 1, so Region 2 got me excited... I wasn't going to get hungry!Yey!

We stayed at Tuguegarao City, and went food tripping as soon as we arrived! :P First stop, dinner at Kainang Pilipino. We initially wanted to go to Kusina Cagayana but they were closed that evening. The place had an old feel, but not Ilocos old. Just 1980's old, with garish green paint on the walls. Not very appetizing. I started ordering signature Ilocano dishes like:

Dinengdeng

I like this dish. Mark agrees too. It's very much like Pinakbet, only it's not oily. There isn't any visible bagoong, but the watery sauce is highly flavored with non- red bagoong. Yum!

Truth is, I've been wondering how this dish tasted ever since my cousin, who's mother hails from Tuguegarao, was craving it.

Halabos na Hipon

Mark's order and the restaurant's Catch of the Day.

It was good, but I was distracted by the Dinengdeng. :P

Nilagang Baka, compliments from the restaurant.

I love freebies, and I really liked their Nilaga :) Perfect for tired bums.

Dinakdakan

Another Ilocano specialty, which resembled a non-sizzling Sisig.

It's fried pork and slathered with lemon and onion sauce.

I'm not a big fan of it, but Mark really liked it. :) So there.

This was one of Tuguegarao's nicest restaurants, and for that plus our drinks--our bill totalled P600plus. Not cheap, but the food was good.

I was doing a lot of Googling the night before we drove off, and found this blog, the name of which I wasn't able to write down. Boo. I'm sorry.But I was able to write down it's contents. He recommended Dock's Panciteria for breakfast, and for the best Pancit Batil Patung in the city. We drove to Pengue Highway for breakfast (since our hotel didn't include breakfast in our accomodation), to search for Dock's (pronounced as "doks"). Being the maarte that I am ( now i admit, regrettably!), I wasn't too keen to eat there when I saw the place. Mark didn't want to force me to eat there either, so we went to the next best place, as recommended by Anton of Our AwesomePlanet in his blog. We searched for Gretchen's, and found it in a cramped corner of Magallanes Street.

Pancit Batil Patung @ Gretchen's

This is Tuguegarao's specialty noodle dish. Almost every corner in Tuguegaro pays homage to this dish, as panciterias abound everywhere! The egg noodles are topped ("patong") with vegetables, eggs and meat. At Gretchen's, they have the Pancit Batil Patung and the Gretchen's Special. The latter is topped with beef, and the former is topped with carabeef. We ordered both. Each order is P60-P70, and they were very generous with their serving.

The pancit is accompanied by an egg soup- which was very creamy and salty.

Good, especially on a cold day, but too salty.

We had a long day after that, as we checked out the Callao caves, drove off to Aparri to check on Mark's work, after which we drove off to Port Irene in Santa Ana. We arrived in Tuguegarao in time for dinner, and headed straight off to Kusina Cagayana, and ordered the following:

Pinoy Salad

This was composed of steamed leafy greens such as talbos ng kamote, seaweed, spinach, pickled papaya (atchara), tomatoes and onions. It had a dressing of Bagoong.

Verdict: WE LIKE!

Pancit Malabon

They highly recommended Pancit Malabon on their menu.

Which was weird, but we still tried it. It was good. We also ordered

some Bulalo Soup, which I didn't really like. Just don't order it.

For our last meal in Tuguegarao, we ate at Michelle- the hotel's restaurant. We ordered some of their signature garlic longganisa, and garlic fan that I am--- was happy enough :P

Along the highway, we could see men planting rice. Charming.

Plus, while cruising through the winding Dalton Pass, we saw some vegetable vendors with these adorable greens--- fresh talbos ng kamote. These are so good steamed in the pan. They have a crisp and nutty flavor.And at P10 for the whole bunch, these are awesome!!

And now, for the piece de resistance, G&B's Buko Pie. This is one specialty Nueva Vizcaya should be very proud of. This is, for me, the BEST buko pie. Let me show you why...

At P135 for 3 boxes

Oooh, look at that. Not soggy.

Barely an inch thick, the filling is only two or three layers high

and glued together by sweet milk. Sweet!

Even my Mark likes this. And he's not a buko pie fan.

There's just so much to see and so much to eat in this region. I can't wait to discover more beautiful and yummy things, Philippines! Dios Mabbalos :)

Cheers!

Happy Holidays everyone! See you next year! God bless you all!

Sweet Season Ahead

It's December once again. The time for lots of eating in excess of all yummies unhealthy and scrumptious, loaded with sugars and carbohydrates. For somebody like me, I have no idea how to get the willpower to avoid all these wonderful things. It's going to be a big pain to avoid them since I HAVE to go on a diet. Bummer.

Oh well. I can imagine all the fruitcake, brownies, cakes, kakanins (steamed rice cakes), and cookies. Ah, cookies. I am quite particular about cookies. I like the thought of having those home baked kinds but they always come off too oily. That is why, I am rarely tempted to buy those homemade cookies made by people I know. Chewing those oily morsels just irritates me. But I hardly throw away my food, so I end up eating the whole thing anyways. Not even if they say, those were of the thin and crispy variety. Some sludge always sticks to my palate. That is why, when it comes to cookies, I always go for the commercial kind. I'm sure they're not less healthy. But they taste like they do, so I prefer them. Aside from my local brand, I utterly love Jacobs Oatmeal Cookies!

Jacob's Oatmeal Cookies

They're really crunchy, NOT oily, yummy, and full of oatmeal.You will have a lot of oatmeal in every bite! Love, love it!

And if someday, some home baker claims to make something like this,you can bet I will get myself some. But I guess not for a very long time.Until then, these will be oatmeal cookie royalty for me.

On a Clear Day

Right after the storm whipped the Metro, M and I together with his friend Raymund, drove up to the mountains to visit the lovely Taal Lake in where else, but- Tagaytay! It was Raymund's first time to go, and it was a pleasure to bring him there. And like the rest of the people who were also there, we knew we had scored a jackpot- "to be at the right place, at the right time."

The skies were clear, the birds were hovering above, and the lake was spectacular. Of course my trusty ol' point-and-shoot wasn't able to capture it's magnificence at that time. But my baby and I tried hard. Yes, we did :)

Wonderful.

We stayed at Carlo's Pizza for a snack and for the view. We weren't quite expecting the pizza to be good, but it was! At least, at that time, it was. So I would really recommend this place if you want to get a good view of the lake. And since we were up there already, I asked M to bring us to Sonya's Garden. Raymund- for the sights, and me-- for the yummy Cheese Hopia :)

CHEESE HOPIA

I loooove their Cheese Hopia. At P70 a pack (forgot to count how many, sorry!), it is a good deal. Although I am very sad to say, I tasted more cheddar this time than the previous Parmesan. :(

The surprise on this particular trip were the scones! We scored some scones at the same price for a pack.

SCONES

These were flaky, buttery, almond-y, with a hint of spice, and crusted with sugar.

HEART.HEART. LOVE. LOVE :)

From the center of the Philippines, with love.

It would have been our first time away from each other. Husband was scheduled for a road trip to Boac, Marinduque. He was going with an associate and would be away for a two days. That would have been the first time he'd leave me alone at home. But as destiny would have it, I was able to join him on this trip. It was the night before when we knew I could go, when I searched frantically on the net for Boac tourist spots.

I found one that really interested me- the Luzon Datum. I was so excited to realize that Marinduque holds the geodetic center of the Philippines. And this is verified by a marker placed on the very spot! So cool.

But sadly, when we were trying to find the way to the marker-- a local told us the spot was on a mountain, and we had to hike up there. We had barely enough time to do any hiking after their work was done and before the barge was about to leave. So we settled for one of the must-see's---The Boac Cathedral,

Might I say that this structure was splendidly preserved and maintained. The interiors are still shiny and clean. Wonderful, wonderful piece of heritage. But before we left, I had to make sure to get some of their delicacy- Arrowroot cookies!

They have different varieties of arrowroot cookies- they have the regular flavor which is heart-shaped, sugar-free varieties, and ones mixed with oatmeal, pinipig or cinnamon. But I still think the best ones are the heart-shaped ones. There's more butter and sugar in it. Yummy!

Arrowroot cookie (no, it's not a rock. hehe)

Aaaah, the province. Nothing's quite like it :)

Still Foodtripping

Yes, I have still been food tripping. But haven't been posting. Bad me. But I do miss this. Yes, I do. Every single day. And I will start again this month, on my birth month! It's November again, a month shy of my favorite December. Surely, no one should refuse me on my birth month, right?:P

I will try to post all the other stuff I've taken, cram it all in--- like I do when I'm in a hurry for breakfast. No chewing necessary. Kidding! Chew your food well.

See ya. :)