Wonderful Lunch at Mio Cucina, Los Baños

Whenever Ilyn and I want to go out on a "special" date, but don't feel like going to Tagaytay or Manila, we opt for Mio Cucina located in Los Baños. It really is one of the best restaurants in that town, bar none. It's a very small, very pretty restaurant from the inside. It also feels very homey and cozy and it's the perfect place to bring a date to.

For a small, quaint restaurant, it also a bit classy without being alienating. And although the food is generally something you see from other Filipino-themed restaurants, the quality of the food is so much better. We've ate here for many times now, trying different things and we have yet to be really disappointed.

Any meal comes with free appetizer (picture above) which includes Bonete and a variety of spreads. The last time we were here one of the spreads was something called "Sinantolan" made from finely chopped and mashed santol but santol might not be in season so we got butter and some kind of tomato salsa. It's very light in flavor and in the stomach. What more from an appetizer can I ask for? Some restaurants go crazy with their appetizers that it makes you quite full by the time your main meal arrives.

For our salad, we ordered Ensaladang Ampalaya (P165). Normally we would order Ensaladang Pako, but it was unavailable so we chose this instead. But having had Pako before, in the back of my mind I wanted to try something else so I was glad that it wasn't available. And it's a good thing too because this Ampalaya salad was just excellent. Not too many people know how to prepare Ampalaya right. People complain that it's too bitter, but it's only because it wasn't prepared properly. This Ampalaya, if I'm not mistaken, was pickled so it's a bit sweet. Combined with the tomato and kesong puti, it was so nice that I finished half of this in no time at all.

Feeling a bit hungry, I actually ordered another appetizer. This one is called Crispy Squid (P285). I wanted to try something else because I was a bit tired of the usual mushroom and garlic or the breaded calamares. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this from the menu. It's a bit pricey but it's an experiment. Who knows, I might like it. And I did! The first bite of this was amazing. It's crispy because it's coated in caramelized sugar, which makes it tastes a little bit like dilis, but with that unmistakable squid flavor. Although I absolutely loved this, it's something I could not eat a lot of.  Medyo nakakaumay, would be the Tagalog term for it.

Ilyn's main dish is the Tortang Talong (P165). We were surprised when it arrived as a pair. As was usual with Mio, any traditional dish is usually elevated in quality, but this Torta might have been the exception. It was good, but there was nothing extra special about it. It tastes very much like other eggplant tortas we have had in other places, including here at home.

My main dish (which I can't seem to take a decent photo of) is the Hito in Coconut Milk (P225). Hito or Catfish is a favorite fish of mine. Ilyn hates it though. I usually have it grilled or fried, but rarely cooked in coconut milk. I had it once like that here at home and it was so fatty. I wanted to try and see how Mio prepares it.

And Mio surprised me again by how good it was. No, it was excellent. The flavor is very subtle, which is a quality that I like in any dish. It's not fatty at all, which is good. I finished all of it and ended up looking for more.

If you are looking for a nice place to have a date with your special someone and you're in the area, I wholeheartedly recommend Mio Cucina. They have this little cove inside their little restaurant that's perfect for couples. It's intimate and the food is really good. I recommend that you call for reservations though, because it does tend to become full at certain times. You can call them at (049)5363311. They're located behind Community Cable, 10395 Lopez Ave, on the left side going to UPLB.

Sisig at Ranzbasty, San Pablo City

A new restaurant just opened within the last week here in San Pablo City called "Ranzbasty, Kapampangan Cuisine". It's located along Mabini St. very near across Doctor's Hospital. It's practically next door to the previously reviewed Hungry Gorilla Burger.

Ilyn and I decided to try it out and see what's so "Kapampangan" about the place and what makes it so unique from other local restaurants. A cursory glance at the menu board surprised us with really inexpensive prices. But the menu items themselves are nothing that you haven't seen in any kind of Filipino themed restaurant. I was kind of hoping I would see things like Betute or Kamaro, both well known Kapampangan specialties. But whatever was there, we decided to try out. There are a lot of things that are not on the menu but are available including Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata. But I decided on getting Tocino, because I know that Tocino is a Kapampangan invention and I was curious if there was anything special about their version. Ilyn got the veggies of course, a plate of Pinakbet and surprisingly enough, a sizzling plate of Sisig.

The Tocino Rice (P49) came with rice, sunny side up egg and a small portion of tocino. I guess I shouldn't be surprised based on the price, but taste-wise, it tastes just like any other tocino. Nothing really special there.

Sisig (P120) is another Kapampangan invention and Ilyn had always wanted to try it out. I always told her to wait until we are at a relatively authentic Kapampangan place before she tries it so she won't be disappointed. Now I don't know if the sisig served to us (pictured above) is actually authentic, but it did look good.

And wow, it also tasted really really good. Ilyn was surprised that she liked it as much as she did. She's not a big meat eater. She's a veggies person through and through. So for her to actually volunteer to try this dish of innards and things unspeakable was one thing, for her to really like it is quite an achievement. I myself eat sisig rarely, but this is one best I've tasted. It's got freshness from the greens and chilies and salty crunchiness from the meat that's been toasted by the sizzling hot plate. It's amazing.

I didn't get to taste the Pinakbet (P109), but Ilyn assures me it's really good. The vegetables were firm and not overcooked (she hates it if veggies are overcooked).

We also got an order of Leche Flan (P80). We were both surprised that it was actually a really big order. We only got to finish less than half. As Leche Flans go, this was firmer than most. A little bit firmer and it would have the consistency of pudding. But it tastes really good.

All in all we were really satisfied with our meal. I probably won't have the Tocino again. Next time we'll probably try the Bopis and Diniguan to see if they're as good as the Pinakbet and Sisig.

Awesome Korean Meals at Cook-Eat, San Pablo City

I first learned about Cook-Eat as me and Ilyn were passing the place aboard a tricycle. I said to Ilyn, look, the old liquor place is now a restaurant. And it's true. This new resto is located where we used to buy wine. If you're at the San Pablo City Fire Station, just start walking up the road towards the Iglesia ni Kristo and you can't miss this place, located on the left side of the road, across Human Heart Nature.

We first tried this a few days ago and had their Bulgogi set, which includes beef, vegetables and a slew of side dishes including soup, dilis, peanuts, kimchi, pickled cucumber, spicy sayote, bean sprouts, potatoes, vegetable lumpia and a desert of mango jello. Being new at this, we asked one of the wait staff to do the grilling for us and he did.

To be completely honest, I was a bit underwhelmed by the Bulgogi. I thought there was something lacking in the taste. The beef was chewy. I didn't like the soup. Mango jello seemed to be made of instant mango than actual real mangoes. But the kimchi was really, really good, as well as the pickled cucumbers. That being said for a meal that fed both Ilyn and me rather well, I thought P399 for everything was rather cheap.

I was a bit more happy when we visited the second time. Actually, we were more than happy. I thought our meals the second time around were amazing. Ilyn ordered the Bibimbap with an extra side order of pickled cucumber:

Ilyn really liked it. To me it looked like Tapsilog with 5 different types of atsara. Which is exactly what Bibimbap is, I think. I mean, it's true! There's the beef, which is both salty and sweet. I asked to taste the beef and it was really really soft. I really liked it. There's the rice and sunny side up egg. Then there's an assortment of side dishes including bean sprouts, carrot and a few leafy things I can't tell what they were but Ilyn says tasted really good.

Meanwhile, I had the Ramyun, with an extra side dish of kimchi, which I didn't know already came with a small side dish of kimchi:

The broth was just AMAZING. It tasted really thick, beefy, with a slight hint of anise and just the right amount of spiciness. The beef itself is really soft with a slightly more anise taste. The noodles were cooked perfectly right and complemented the soup really well. There were a couple types of mushroom in there as well a couple of slices of tofu. One of the best ramen noodles I've tasted in a while.

By the way, I don't know what they use for rice here, but it's really really good. One of the best tasting rice I've had as in literally anywhere. What is this magical rice? They must tell me!

I see myself coming back to this place and try their hotpot! Next time soon, Cook-Eat!

Here's Cook-Eat's Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/CookEatSPC/

David's Tea House, San Pablo CIty

My mom has been bugging me about eating at this new restaurant that was under construction for the past few weeks at Puregold, San Pablo City. It came to the point that she was bugging me almost everyday why the place wasn't open yet and of course I had no answer.

Personally, I'm always on the lookout for a new place to eat here in the city, and when I saw that David's Tea House was the name of the restaurant, I immediately looked it up online. It's one of many branches of a Chinese themed restaurant, and their menu looked really promising. To be quite honest, I was very excited. We do have a few Chinese themed restaurants in town, but David's Tea House looks like it's the most hardcore of the bunch. Hardcore meaning their menu is very deep with a lot of exotic and authentic Chinese dishes.

When I learned it had finally opened yesterday, I immediately set a date with the family to have lunch the following day, today.

I was so excited that I probably ordered more than we could possibly eat, but I wanted to try a lot of things and of course, we could have leftovers bagged for dinner. Some of the things had aside from the Seaweed and Century Egg pictured above were:

Hot and Sour Soup

One Half Fried Chicken

One Half Yang Chow Fried Rice and Beef with Ampalaya

Dimsum Platter

Hakaw

Shanghai Spring Rolls

Steamed Lapu-Lapu

WHEW! That was a lot huh? But I tasted them all, and all of them were pretty good.

I do have to give special mention to the Seaweed and Century Egg, which was just fantastic. I've never had seaweed before, at least not like this one. I was half expecting the green rubbery stems with tiny little balls, so this was some other kind of seaweed. It was served cold, which was a surprise. But as I said, it tasted quite extraordinary. Everyone on the table liked it.

Also, the the Century Egg was thankfully free of the ammonia smell that usually accompanies this type of egg. And that's how I like it. As dishes go, I give this 5 stars. I don't give this often, so that's probably saying something.

As for the rest, as I mentioned, they were perfectly good. I liked everything, specially the Hakaw and other items on the Dimsum Platter. The Hot and Sour soup was subtlety sour and not overpowering.

Their house tea (which is a complimentary item) was very nice. I was surprised it was Jasmine Tea. Normally, I hate Jasmine Tea because it smells like a Filipino wake. You know that smell. Similar to Sampaguita. That smell creeps me out now and depresses me. I don't want to be drinking anything that smells like that as well. But this Jasmine tea was nothing like that. When told it was Jasmine, I did start to notice subtle hints of it, but it wasn't enough to bother me.

I've really got nothing to complain about. The wait staff was very very attentive. They were very nice and even helped my mom and dad place food on their plates. The food arrived in a timely manner and we didn't have to wait for too long.

The only thing that disappointed me was that they didn't have any duck dishes. In fairness, it's not on their menu. It's not even on the menu on their website. But they do have a photo of it at that same website so it only made me wonder. I asked why they didn't have it, and they said that not enough people order the duck and the stocks just go to waste. Oh well.

Nevertheless, we had a great time. The food was great, and now my mom can stop bugging me.

Yep! Looks like we're a pretty happy bunch, specially my mom.

We definitely plan on coming back, specially me and Ilyn, to try their other dishes.

Fathers' Day at Savory Restaurant

Of all the restaurants here in San Pablo City, Savory Resturant is my dad's favorite. I think it may even be his favorite restaurant of all time, I suspect for sentimental reasons. He loved eating at this joint back when he was still working in Escolta, Manila, where there was this Savory Restaurant just across from his office. Dad would always wax sentimental about "Miki Bihon Binondo", but he could explain just how different it was from the regular Miki Bihon.

So come Fathers' Day, it was only natural that he'd pick this place to have lunch. SM San Pablo has a branch of it, a rather frustratingly small one, but at least there is one. I say frustratingly small because it is small, almost like just a hole in the wall.

And yesterday during Fathers' Day, the place was already packed as early as 11am with a long waiting list. Hey Savory, time to expand, I think. Take a chunk of McDonald's next door, which is a little too large. They already have several branches in San Pablo already. FOUR branches? They have too much space!

Anyway, we got seats soon enough and we ordered the following:

Dad of course had his favorite Miki Bihon Binondo. The rest were:
1/2 Fried Chicken
Lo Han Chay (Kind of a mixed vegetable stir fry thing)
Shrimp Relleno Roll
Nido Soup

I actually wanted to order their "Kaylan with Garlic" but it was unavailable.

The interesting thing is, this is the first tme I'm eating Nido Soup, also called "Bird's Nest" soup in a restaurant. I've eaten plenty of this through instant packs here at home. But I've never had one made from scratch. The interesting thing is, the main ingredient of this soup is this solid membrane like substance, which turns out to be bird saliva. wtf. For real? Yes, apparently, for real. It tastes interesting, like biting into really soft edible plastic. I know that sounds horrible, but it actually isn't. It's actually very nice.

This ingredient was also prominent in the Lo Han Chay, which as I said was kind of a vegetable stir fry. It included mushrooms, bamboo, mung beans sprouts, young corn, tofu, cabbage, etc. Very nice. Like Chop Suey without the meat, but with more variety of veggies. As usual, it's that sauce that puts it together, a taste that I get only at Chinese restaurants. I can't put my finger on what it is.

Fried Chicken at Savory is always nice. I don't know how they fry their chicken, but the difference with their is that the flesh is amazingly soft, almost like it was slow roasted. The gravy is also unique, but this time I think I know what they put in it, which must have been star anise. It's not too overpowering, but it does give that unique Chinese taste and aroma.

Their Miki Bihon Binondo I found too oily, which is a problem I have with a lot of their dishes. At other times I ordered fried fresh lumpia, and kikiam, and they too were kind of oily. I know they were fried in oil, but still, when I would do it at home, they're never that oily. Perhaps they don't drain the oil in paper towels before serving? I don't know.

The Shrimp Relleno Roll was also nice. My mom liked it a lot. Ilyn didn't so much. I thought it was just OK.

I didn't order it this time, but at other times I've been ordering their Chicken Mami quite a bit, and I like it. It comes with plenty of chicken and the soup tastes really nice. Ever since Chowking stopped serving Chicken Mami. I found I'm eating more at Savory just for Chicken Mami. Sorry Chowking. You may have Ser Chief, but if you don't have Chicken Mami, I'm out of there.

Cafe Juanita: I Died and went to Food Heaven

Yesteray Ilyn and I went to Manila and finding ourselves in the Barangay Capitol Hills area, we decided to eat at Cafe Juanita. It's a restaurant I've heard so much about. In fact, it's been voted many times as the best that serves traditional Filipino food.

Oh yeah? We went ahead to try it out.

The first thing you notice upon entering the place is the visual assault of the many things that decorate the interior. I can't even begin to describe it. Here's a photo, showing just a small segment of the dining area.

Ok, that didn't even begin to show how crazy the decor is so I'll just leave it at that. The food is the important thing anyway. So how was it?

Ilyn and I ordered two things: Corned Beef Sinigang and Laing.

Seemed simple enough. I tasted the Laing first (pictured above). The Laing was presented in quite an ordered way, unlike the usual mush of leaves stirred endlessly together. They rolled the leaves over a meat of some kind and sliced it. I took a bite of one of the slices and oh my God, it was so awesome. I've eaten laing so many times before from so many different places. I don't understand how they can make it taste even better, even spectacular. My eyes were literally rolling in their sockets. I tend to do that when I taste something awesome.

I was eager to try the Corned Beef Sinigang next.

Ok, so they didn't just open a can of corned beef and made sinigang out of that. Apparently, they made their own corned beef but it still looked like whole pieces of beef, cut into thin slices. And once again, oh my God, the beef was probably the softest that's ever passed my lips (softer than that Donovan's steak). It's so soft that the mere pressure from a fork crumbles the beef into shreds. The soup itself is perfectly tart for sinigang, but it has something else in there that makes the taste so soft to the taste. Perhaps bayabas? I'm guessing it is.  Whatever it is, it's brought this dish right to the edge. Once again, I can't believe I'm saying this... I've tasted corned beef before, I've tasted sinigang before, but I'm not kidding when I say this is the best damned corned beef and sinigang I've tasted. It's kind of insane.

The nice thing about their sinigang is, they actually give you a small cup with some of the soup for you to preview its tartness and saltiness. The would ask you if it was all right or if they need to turn it up a little bit or lessen it. I've never seen anyone do that before.

Cafe Juanita, I love you, dammit! I'm coming back and next time I'm bringing my mom and dad.

Cafe Juanita is at 2 United Street, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig. Be sure to call to reserve a table at peak hours because apparently, we were lucky to find a free table when we came in. All the tables had "Reserved" on them! (02) 632-0357

Cabbage Roll

Inspired once again from a recipe I found at Chef John's Food Wishes, I tried out this technique of wrapping some filling with cabbage and  simmering it in stock and tomatoes. I would often do a lot of these cooking experiments but not all of them makes it to this blog or onto video, specially those that turned out to suck.

This however, this turned out fantastic!

We had some left over lumpiang shanghai filling from lunch earlier today and I thought I could use that filling for this dish. Now you can come up with a filling of your own and use whatever you like. You can use chicken or pork or fish... it's really up to you.  This recipe is more of the technique of doing the cabbage roll itself.

These were the ingredients I used:

1/4 kilo filling. (I used lumpiang shanghai filling which included chicken, carrots, onion and spring onions)
3/4 cup washed uncooked rice
1/2 can Capri Whole Peeled Tomatoes (I like this brand because the tomatoes are really nice and red)
1 medium sized cabbage
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2-1/2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
kinchay

First you need to prepare your ingredients. First up is the tomato. Take half of the canned whole peeled tomatoes, put them in a bowl and crush them until they form kind of a rough sauce. Now you can always buy canned tomatoes that are already crushed of course, and you can choose any brand you like, and of course, you can just get regular tomatoes for this, it doesn't really matter. Well, it matters to me actually because as I said, I really love these canned tomatoes. Buy one and see for yourself. It's amazing.

Second, take out the core of the cabbage and place the cabbage in a deep pan of boiling water. Within a few seconds, those cabbage leaves are going to peel off. Using tongs, carefully remove each one as they detach. Do this until the entire cabbage is deconstructed.

Third, take your meat filling and add the rice and around 2 tablespoons chopped kinchay. Mix that all together very well.

In a medium sized casserole dish (with a lid!), line the bottom with the smallest cabbage leaves.

You are now going to build your cabbage rolls. Take one of the biggest leaves, remove bits of hard stem towards the bottom with a knife. Take around 2 tablespoons of meat/rice mixture and place it horizontally near the bottom of the leaf. Now carefully wrap the leaf around the meat, folding the sides and then folding the whole thing. Do as many as would fit in your casserole dish.

Carefully place the rolls inside the dish. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the rolls. Now pour your tomato sauce over this, add the bay leaves and pour as much stock as would cover the rolls completely.

With regards to stock. You can always boil some chicken with a few vegetables like carrots and celery and use the liquid for stock. I didn't have that so I simply used a chicken cube dissolved in 2-1/2 cups of water. Now if you're using a cube, be careful not to add to much salt in the previous step. Not too much would just be right.  The cube comes with quite a bit of sodium already.

Place your chopped onion over the rolls and then cover everything with a layer of the remaining cabbage leaves.

Close the lid, place the dish inside an oven pre-heated to 180 degrees C. You will bake this for at least one and a half hours.

After one and a half hours, leave the casserole dish inside the cooling oven for 30 minutes more before serving.

And there you go!