Tea time at Serenitea!

B, who is a friend and a boss (not in that order), recommended that I check out Serenitea, since I have a thing for milk tea. So after my nearby shoot today, I headed over to J. Abad Santos (off Wilson) in San Juan try their milk tea.

At first, the options were daunting. But the girls behind the counter were very nice and explained the differences between Royal Tea (Earl Gray) and Hokkaido Tea (a bit caramel-y). I went with Royal Tea. Then they said I could select the amount of sugar I wanted in my tea. I tried 50% and they let me have a taste test first. 50% was pretty good. Not too sweet as to overpower the subtle tea flavor. But I went with 100% anyway. Haha. I think I can go for 75% next time. And despite the many options, I appreciate the precision.

The tea at Serenitea is freshly brewed, and it shows in the flavor of the milk tea. I like that I can customize the sweetness and that I can add other stuff like pearl and crystal bits. Next time, if I find myself tiring of milk tea, I will try their Grapefruit Yakult.

PS. J. Abad Santos Street seems to be a happening place. It's where one of my favorite bars, Moksha, is located. Gloria Maris is at the corner. And down the road, they have Sandy's Pizza and the new and improved Mann Hann. Worth further exploration in the future.

New picks

I haven't had much time to do a proper post lately. But I have had time to eat, and here's what I've been liking -
- Charlie's in Kapitolyo - good burgers, great buffalo wings (nuclear!)
- Chiggy's jumbo liempo - what's their secret, boil, brine, and/or marinate in crack cocaine?
- BBQ Chicken - but not the Red Hot Drumsticks (while they are hot, I find them too sweet) (this is the only Korean fried chicken place I know about in Manila)
- Mamou's chicken and pork with rice and beans
- Piri piri chicken in O'Sonho's along Jupiter - I can't believe this isn't fried
- Piri piri grilled pork and clams in the Portuguese stall in the Legaspi Sunday Market (this guy's piri piri sauce is much hotter than O'Sonho's but he could do with a better grill)
- Ukkokei ramen along Pasay Road - not cheap but worth it once in a while
- French dude's sandwich stall in Salcedo Market - the homemade sausages are great
- Mini stop fried chicken

save your money

Don't eat at John & Yoko at Greenbelt 5. Or at least don't order the Hollywood Tuna, basically a tuna sashimi salad drizzled with soy sesame dressing. Don't be fooled by the yummy-looking picture. The tuna is overpowered by way too much coarsely ground black pepper and the dressing is blah.

Their Dragon Roll is ohkaaay. But not great. The Beef Spinach Tamago is yummy, but not yummy enough to make up for the other two dishes.

The interiors are Cibo meets Tokyo Tokyo. Pero 'pag pumikit ka, feeling mo nasa cafeteria ka lang sa ingay ng mga tao.

So many of their waiters have blond highlights, I suspect it's an employee benefit. Or maybe they just work at salons during the day.

Overall, sayang sa pera. Mag-Omakase na lang kayo :-).

Gabby Concepcion's sister makes damn good pizza

First time I tried Sandy's Pizza was at an editorial shoot some time middle of last year. I was shooting a barkada of personalities, one of which turned out to be Gabby Concepcion's sister. She served some great buffalo wings and unique, tasty pizza (I forget the flavors, sorry!) Turns out she had a pizza take out place, and they deliver.

Fast forward to last night, my brother and I were home alone. He wanted KFC, I wanted pizza but was tired of our usual Shakey's order. I remembered that pizza I had half a year ago, googled them up, and ordered for us a Garlic Chorizo pizza and buffalo wings. They were awesome. Both dishes were flavorful, and I felt the ingredients were fresh and of good quality. My only problem was that the buffalo wing's dip was an extra order, and the crust of the pizza was a bit tough to chew. I usually eat my crust, but I gave up on this one. In any case, and more importantly, everything in the middle of the pizza was awesome.

Anyway, check out Sandy's Pizza. They used to deliver in the San Juan area, but I think they've expanded their reach by now. They have a full menu and better, more appetizing photos on their Multiply site. Other flavors I want to try out are Garlic Tuyo in Olive Oil and Thai Chicken Curry pizza.

Sandy's Pizza: 721-8834, 721-8329, 467-5404 and 583-2296.

the ultimate oxymoron

Vegetarian chicharon, it says on the bottom of the pack. 0% trans fat & cholesterol too. But read the fine print coz each serving has 20% of your saturated fat allowance. So it's still kinda evil. P22 at 7-eleven, probably cheaper at supermarkets. The bags are half air, half chips, pero sulit na rin. Really, really tasty.

walang karibal

One of the best sans rivals in town is from out of town. From San Pablo to be exact. (Although, I hear there there's an argument to be made for Burger Machine's version). Anyway this San Pablo sans rival is a bit of a mystery. I've never bought it on my own. I don't know where to buy it. I don't know the name of the person who makes it.

I know this sans rival because my mom brings it home from her trips with her amigas. And when I had to do work in San Pablo last weekend, our team was gifted with a sans rival for each of us. I asked our host where he got it and all I got was a smile. Later that day, I asked another San Pablo person where they sell the awesome sans rival, and she said that I could get it from a certain subdivision. Without mentioning the subdivision's name, she smoothly changed the subject. Damnit.

Later I find out that, in that still unnamed subdivision, there is a nondescript house that sells the sans rival through a slit in the gate. Like illegal drugs, I suppose. Anyway, I got a clue off the packaging. This mystery sans rival can be ordered through 049-562-3620.

the mother ship

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

To celebrate with our buddies in the Fil-Chi community, I want to write about one of their best contributions to our country. And I don’t mean tikoy, I mean Le Ching.

Le Ching has been talked about here in Bogchi before, but this time we’re talking about the Banawe branch. Over a week ago, I had a job to do in the area and decided to go early to finally check out where it all began. (Actually, I really don’t know what came first, the Le Chings in Greenhills, or this one on Banawe. But like the chicken or the egg argument, it’s moot and academic. Basta! Masarap!)

The Banawe branch will give you exactly what you crave for, and more. The usual combo of spareribs rice and chili garlic is incapable of failing. But in this particular branch, they have an extended menu featuring more short order choices in addition to the usual rice toppings or dimsum. I was feeling adventurous so I ordered the fried chicken. Haha. Also, the savory radish cake deserves a mention because it’s deep fried in a portable station right in the middle of the resto as opposed to being done inside the kitchen.

I probably won’t travel all the way to this part of town for my spareribs rice fix because the Greenhills branches are way closer. Unless I’m in it for the nostalgia. This particular Le Ching is actually on the corner of Banawe and Del Monte and a few blocks away from the house I grew up in. Had I known that Banawe would evolve into this Chinese food haven (aside from being an auto surplus supply haven), I would have never moved away.

Bánh mì

Paté and patis. That odd couple, some cilantro, cucumber, mystery meat, mystery sauce, and soy sauce stuffed in a crusty baguette make for probably the best sandwich for under P50.

Bánh mì stalls can be found on every other corner in Saigon. The one pictured has a little compartment off to one side where the lady heats your baguette over a charcoal grill before stuffing it with magic.

Locally, I think Pho Hoa sells these sandwiches, but I don’t know if they can compare.

DO YOU DARE TO EAT?

P12 at your friendly neighborhood convenience store.  I love that they used actual pics and not graphics :-).

i'll be fat

Fatter, to be honest. Anyway, so I tried The Baconator from Wendy's. Here's what it looked like in the ads:

And here's what was delivered:

Was I disappointed? Hell no. In this day and age, who really thinks they're going to get what they see on TV and on print. Especially when it comes to food.

Also, the Baconator was GREAT. How can you go wrong with the taste of melted cheese, greasy meat, and bacon? Bacon is awesome. There's nothing like wafer-thin, crispy fat attached to a dead and deep fried pig. In this world. You know what was really considerate and thoughtful of Wendy's to do? There was nary a superfluous, sacrilegious veggie in sight. None of that awful, sickly tomato liquid to run down your neck. No leaf of lettuce to dillute the taste. No pickle to make me gag. (I could've used some onion though.) And I washed everything down with a thirst-quenching Biggie Iced Tea. None of that sugar-free stuff.

Anyway, based on this spot on review, (which bases this on Wendy's corporate site) a Baconator, in terms of bad stuff, is the equivalent of each of the ff:

Sodium (1920 mg)

180 Pringles potato chips
132 Doritos Cooler Ranch chips

Calories (830)

10 Rolling Rock Light 12 oz bottles
4 Dodger Dogs
5 7-Eleven Cola Slurpees 12 oz
3 Chili Dogs from The Varsity in Atlanta
33 tablespoons of Oscar Mayer Bacon Bits
83 Life Saver Five Flavors candies
166 Starbucks coffees of the week 12 oz
4 Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts
Enough Pam No-Stick Cooking Spray to cover 138 10-inch skillets

Fat grams (51)

10 Dolly Madison Zingers
3 orders of A&W cheese fries
4 Dairy Queen banana splits
22 Oreo cookies
51 cups of Froot Loops
10 servings of KFC mashed potatoes with gravy
22 Mrs. Paul's Crunchy Fish Sticks
23 3 Musketeers funsize snacks
1 Sara Lee frozen cheesecake
6 ounces of Oscar Mayer hard salami
19 Chips Ahoy cookies
4 Jimmy Dean Pancake and Sausage on a Stick, chocolate chip flavored
68 Aunt Jemima microwaveable pancakes

A whole frozen cheesecake?! That means it's all good. But check on me in the morning.

WARNING: BRING BREATH MINTS

The dishes at Santush will make your breath smell funky. So don't bring a date there, unless close na kayo.  But chances are your breath will be an afterthought once you've tasted their  yummy yet affordable Persian fusion food.  Conveniently located in Ortigas, it's fast becoming a favorite after-gimmick pit stop. A nice, steady place to hang out 'til the wee hours of the morning. 

Must tries are the Shawarma Grilled Pizza and Chicken/Beef Kebab Pizza, priced at P140 and P135 respectively.



They also have a dip platter priced at just P73, while their ox brain goes for P60.





Santush is located at 88 Meralco Ave. cor. Dona Julia Vargas St. Avenue (PRO1 AUTO GARAGE, Inc.), right before Metrowalk, and is open until 2 a.m. on Saturdays.

Photos courtesy of TMAC.

OMG Kawaii Bento!

So cute, I almost didn't wanna eat it.



The doggy bento meal I tried at the recent UP Komik Kon came with two sticks of chicken yakitori and one tamagoyaki. The dog parts were made of potato curry croquettes while the mouth and eyes were made of cheese. For me, the tamagoyaki was the highlight of the meal. I suspect the croquettes would've been better if I had bothered to pop the bento in the microwave before eating. Overall, it wasn't spectacularly yummy but it was totally worth its P150 price.

If you want OMG Kawaii Bento for a party or event, call Dale at 09266715375 or email him at dale@omgkawaiibento.com

You can check out their other adorable bento meals at www.omgkawaiibento.com

*Photo above was swiped from their website. But the meals are just as cute in reality.

Out of this world

We’ve been remiss.

For an almost strictly MidMetMan * dweller like me, going to Ambos Mundos is like going to another world because it’s located in, well a side street off Recto. So it was really cool that fellow food blogger, Tish, got Issa and me to accompany her to this part of the Metro.

Yep, that is a pig at the entrance of the canteen.

Ambos Mundos, according to the photocopied news clippings slipped into the menu holder, has been around for a while. It’s primarily a Filipino comfort food eatery with a heavy Spanish influence (ambos does mean both). The ground floor is an open air cantina, where you order from their long list of rice toppings, among others. Upstairs is the airconditioned dining area.

Anyway, to the meal at hand, first to arrive was my drink, Cold Milo. This is probably my next favorite drink after cold milk tea. Which makes me wonder why I just don’t buy Milo and make it myself. Still, it was great, and complete with unmelted Milo bits.

Next up were the house specialties, Paella Ambos and the morcon. Paella Ambos is Paella With Everything On It. It had crab, shrimp, oysters, clams, chicken and pork. The small order (P390) was good enough for us hungry three. While they surely didn’t scrimp on the ingredients, I think I like mine to be of the more traditional Valencia type, including the toasted underside.

Not a cause for worry, because the rest of the viand were pretty good. Can’t remember having morcon (P227) before, but this roll of beef was tasty. And while I mistook those red tubes to be hotdogs, thankfully, it was real, good sausage.

We then had inihaw na liempo and torta crabmeat sa talukap. The liempo, normal and all, was my pick. It doesn’t quite go with the whole Spanish theme, but grilled pork (and toasted fat) was pretty good with their sweet and spicy sauce. I forget the price but one order should be good enough for two or three.

I sort of arm-twisted Issa into order the torta crabmeat because my lola used to make this exact dish and I wanted to compare. I’m happy to say that the Ambos Mundos version was up for the comparison. The crabmeat was tasty, and even if it was priced at P200 per, it was one fat, stuffed crabshell.

At the end of the meal, we got the ginataan and bibingka. The ginataan wasn’t exceptional and won’t even make this story. But the bibingka was pretty good. Interesting that they mix sesame seeds with the niyog and sugar. I like my kakanins and rice cakes, and this was awesome.

Incidentally, right across Ambos Mundos is what seems to be a famous Chinese resto / panciteria – Wah Sun (formerly known as Sun Wah, seriously). Carlos Celdran’s blog says that, way back, the families of each restaurant intermarried. Interesting twist to the whole “both worlds” idea. Anyway, the product of that marriage is the fact that you can now cross order dishes from either restos.

Sounds like this makes for another great reason to head out of MidMetMan (okay, annoying).

Notes:
1. Ambos Mundos is on F. Torres St, Sta Cruz, Manila. Tel no is 733-1160.

2. We were given the heads up that parking might be difficult. We took the LRT2 line (from Gateway) and got off at the end, Recto. Get on the side of Isetan, head towards Rizal, cross it, and you’ll see F. Torres St on your left. For LRT1 line users, I think Doroteo Jose might be your stop. I think.

*Middle Metro Manila. My pauso term for the area within the triangle of the QC-San Juan border, Pasig and Makati. Also Taguig… so I guess we have to make that a rhombus

Really eating out in Malate – Super Six Grille

Utterly ignorant politically, I only judge leaders by their output. And though I heard a lot of flak about Atienza, I miss what he had done in Manila. I miss being able to walk along Carriedo without jeeps bearing down on me. And I miss walking Roxas Boulevard’s nightlife, amidst the vibrant, salty throngs.

Buti na lang, Super Six Grille hasn’t been shooed away despite its spilling over Remedios sometimes.

Craving the beach but unable to get out of the city, I settled for, uh, the caress of the malagkit and briny wind off of Manila Bay. Practically broke, I dragged D into a slumming dining experience he survived naman.

If I do influence you to try Super Six Grille, push away ANY expectation of ambience. This place is unapologetically street. And not Som’s kind of street pa which is at least quiet and homey.



A and I discovered Super Six on another slumming adventure maybe 2 years ago. On a break from working in Bangkok, I wanted to find Manila’s version of Khao San (and its requisite cheap street eats). We figured Malate would have it. And it did :)

For Php20 each, you can get basics like a stick of pork or chicken bbq, as well as other choices like pork with garlic, pork liver, pig ears, chicken with onion, chicken heart, chicken gizzard and liver.



A platter of liempo is Php 50, as is bbq chicken thigh.
Three pieces of grilled chicken ass is Php 40.



What really caught my eye though was their fresh bbq ideas like tomatoes wrapped in bacon, onion leeks, grilled eggplant, grilled garlic, grilled tofu and crab sticks bbq. All also 20 bucks each. Cheap AND so yummy.



I think we ordered half of their menu and lots of sticky garlic rice. We only paid Php 300.
Plus, we got serenaded pa with “Kay sarap ng may minamahal”. Well, parang mas-masarap pag may murang pagkain ;p





Super Six Grille is right along Remedios St., in front of Socialista, Club Tekshi and Tia Maria’s. Grab a monobloc table and wait for a guy to take your orders. Or go to the grill counter and pick out your sticks ☺

dream puffs

Tee Up Cream Puffs, it should read. The latest offering from Monde. Little balls of crispy pastry filled with chocolate or custard cream. Yum.

At P12 per box at 7eleven, it's really too good to be true.

Everything At Steak

has been reviewed every where else. But it took me awhile to try the place out. It's along P Guevarra in San Juan. It's right at the Petron Station nearest to Wilson. It's not quite your 99 bucks steak joint. My T-bone with rice came out to be 132 bucks. But that's still not bad for what I got. And they do have P88 meals, I think.

The place tries to be a bit homey and country. But there's no disguising that it's a cheap steak joint. But what's important was that my T-bone was soft and juicy, and the gravy tasty. Ok na ko dun.

popcorn is evil

When you eat a whole giant tub. Which is what I can't help doing when I come across Chef Tony's white cheddar popcorn. Don't let the eager salesfolk trick you into getting the parmesan. Medyo bitin siya sa lasa for me.

I've tried two other flavors-- caramel and white chocolate walnut (?). Pero white cheddar fan pa rin ako. Sweet, salty and extremely addictive. It says low fat and low cholesterol on the label. I really hope that's true. Consuelo de bobo y gluttono.

Stole the pic off Chef Tony's website. Hope he doesn't mind. You can look for the nearest Chef Tony's outlet here-- http://cheftonyspopcorn.com/TheBranches.html

wheee :D

Relatively quicker and cheaper. Been open at the Glorietta 4 foodcourt for more than a week now. Yehey! :)

Ihaw Balot Plaza

And then there’s the quintessential QC beer garden. Going to Ihaw Balot Plaza is like entering a time warp. They still have multicolored light bulbs. In-house rock ballads come from the videoke machine they’ve set up in the garden. And one time, I ordered a Coke Light, and got served what was probably the last bottled Diet Coke on earth. Serves me right for ordering a softdrink in a beer house.

A buddy of mine introduced us to this beer house/garden found along a little street between Panay and Quezon Ave. His father used to bring him and his siblings there, when they were little. Later, when my buddy married, he got his sisters together to bring them back to the place where you can find the best inihaw na pusit and chicken ass. There was also a drunken brawl at the nearby table as an added treat. (No worries, doesn’t happen that often.)

Nowadays, IBP is a brightly lit, wholesome beer garden. If you go early enough, say 6 to 9pm. Appetizers come in the form of kasoy, green mango, and bagoong, from the manang who sits by the gate (thought they've moved her indoors lately). Kasoy, sour, unripe fruit and sweet shrimp paste hardly go together. But it’s IBP, and anything goes, including your sense of what goes together.

At IBP, they have consistently excellent and simple food fare. Their grilled chicken ass is sweet, and the sizzling bulalo is tender and meaty. Their sisig is underrated. And lest you give yourself a heart attack, the inihaw na pusit is even better. Theirs is seasoned, smoked and slowly grilled to perfection. It’s not too soft, not too chewy, and always fresh. Arguably, the best pusit in town.

It’s the perfect place for the guys (with the patient, low-maintenance girlfriend or wife) to kick back and talk about the most important things in life: family, politics, and our NBA fantasy leagues.

At Ihaw Balot Plaza, you’ll find that the chicken ass good, the squid better, and the cholesterol and beer induced conversation best. I hope it stays the same for the time I bring the wife and kids over.

Going all the way (chicken ass, 1 kilo of pusit, sisig, bulalo, rice, softdrinks and beer) cost our group of 6 over 200 bucks each. Not bad, I reckon.

Ihaw Balot Plaza is along Scout Borromeo, between Panay and Mother Ignacia. Side of Tropical Hut.

Poochini’s

After the extravagant spending and eating of the holidays, it’s back to work with as lean a meal allowance as possible. Can you get a good meal for, say, 50 pesos? Bogchinoypi was started to answer that question. And to find possible solutions like Poochini’s.

With a niche carved out of the Valero parking building, I expected higher prices than a jollijeep. They have seats after all. And bespoke at that – orange, with cut-out carrots like the one on their logo. Don’t expect to get your bum on any of them though, unless you come way before or well after the lunch rush hour. With only three sets of tables and its popularity because of the jollijeep prices, your best bet at lunchtime is take out.

Poochini’s set-up is carinderia-style. But rather than huge, stainless casseroles, they have food warmers. So lunch almost seems like a wedding buffet gone wild. Attendants stand behind the long table of warmers, while diners come up to the table and swarm around.

If there’s no free spot right in front of the table, stand behind someone and wait patiently. When he or she’s done, take his/her place and wait for an attendant to pay attention to you. Once one does, point out the viands you want and she’ll ladel them out for you. It’s chaos, but its organized. Typically Filipino, no?

The great thing about Poochini’s is that there’s lots to choose from. I’d say they easily have twice, even thrice the number of choices you’ll get at a Jollijeep. Just today, I counted 24 warmers of different viands on the table.

Plus, despite the jollijeep prices, their servings are more generous. And I guess because of the presentation, you’ll feel more confident about how sanitary your food is.
I usually come in for staples like their thick monggo (10 pesos), their very tasty, crunchy squid (30 pesos) or tokwa in black bean sauce (30 pesos). But officemates swear by their adobo (30 pesos), caldereta (30 pesos), pata tim (30 pesos) and sinigang (30 pesos). Biko lovers will be glad to know they always have a few slices on hand. Leche flan seems to frequently grace the table too.

They have a good range of choices for pork, beef, chicken and, important for me, veggies. Chances are, if you’re craving for a specific pinoy dish, they have it. And it’s bound to be truly satisfying too.

Poochini’s is along Valero st., along the line of Valero parking building shops like Bugong (another favorite!) and Mercury Drug. Open til 9pm, sometimes even later.

p.s. don’t forget to claim your free broth!