Davao City: Durian Coffee at Karlo's!

Karlo's Gourmet and Coffee @ Jack's Ridge, Davao City

After the late lunch at Taklobo Restaurant our group trooped to Karlo's (a few steps away) for dessert and coffee. Good thing that there were no other visitors with us just as few small groups of local diners. Solong-solo namin ang Karlo's where we took the liberty of shooting award-winning (!) videos and photos of just about anything in that coffee shop. 

Coffee time. I forced my friends to try out the Durian Coffee (I tried it already the first I was in Davao City years back and I enjoyed it). They did not like it. Absolutely detested the taste.  

Karlo's Durian Coffee is a bit bitter. Not coffee bitter (which I like) but Durian bitter. I had to add Equal (why are there still coffee shop who refuse to carry Splenda??) to temper the lingering bitterness and the strong Durian after taste. As expected, while using the toilet less than an hour later, I was smelling Durian again. And again...

Durian Coffee P125
Americano P70

Carbs Galore: Roast Mandoline Potatoes!

Let's Cook My Way @ Urdaneta Village

Mandoline -  "is a cooking utensil used for slicing and for cutting..." Wiki

There are many popular potato preps: french fries, mash potatoes, potato salad, hashbrown, etc. Why don't include roast potatoes to the list? Admittedly, preparing it demands a little more time and patience. But I tell you that it's worth all the hard work. 

So, let's learn from the expert with the time and all the patience. Let's start. 

After slicing one kilo of potatoes using the Mandoline, Tita Nelia (Let's Cook My Way!) arranged the pieces in a baking dish and seasoned it with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. 

Next, between thin slices of potatoes, Tita Nelia added shallots and garlic and drizzled the combined mixture of olive oil and butter (not margarine, take note!) before baking it at 375. Lastly, she topped the browned potatoes with Thyme sprigs.  Perfect with chicken!   

This is what we want:

 Uniform thickness of potatoes

We "insert" thinly-sliced

shallots and garlic between the potatoes

Baking the potatoes in the oven at 375F

A Sweet Christmas to All!

Let's Cook My Way! @ Urdaneta Village

Tita Nelia of Let's Cook My Way can really whip up magic in her kitchen!

This Christmas, it was Quadruple Chocolate Cake (Chocolate times four!):  Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Filling, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

A Joyful Christmas to all! 

Adobo Magic!

Adobo Connection @ Araneta Square

I like Adobo. Not my favorite Pinoy food, but I like it and have experimented on the viand quite a number of times in the past. I even went to business with two partners (Mary Anne now based in Canada and Tita Nelia of Let's Cook My Way). One was low-end Adobo Topping and the other, high-end Adobo with a Twist. 

Ang dami-dami pwedeng gawin sa Adobo. In fact, there have been numerous restaurants that center around Adobo, the latest (I think) of which is Adobo Connection which I chanced upon while walking in Araneta Square.  
We tried the meryenda food priced at P49. One was Adobo rice and the other, Adobo spaghetti both topped with Adobo flakes. I have to fair. Both taste good... for Adobo Connection's market. A bit bland which can be fixed by a little seasoning. 

Adobo Connection, in my book, is not something you crave for in the middle of the night or any time of the day. It is just something you eat when you're really hungry and/or when you're on an extremely tight budget. 

Exceptional Food at Tutto Domani!

Tutto Domani @ New World Hotel (Store #9)

Everything about this "Lifestyle Coffee Bar" is exemplary, the service and most especially the food. It's owned by Chef Anthony Yupangco who used to work for a considerable number of years at Mandarin. The restaurant shares a space with a furniture shop (which he also owns with friends) located at the corner of Esperanza Street and Makati Avenue in Makati. 

We knew of Tutto when Tita Nelia's (Let's Cook My Way) good friend (Marissa), the owner of Country Spice, took us there a few months back. We fell in love with the place and I vowed to sample their twice-cooked Roasted Crispy Chicken on my next visit, which I did (and worshiped it!).

It was the Christmas Lunch of Tita and her High School classmates (JASMS). And I tell you... everybody adored the food!    

Osso Buco (P450)

Beef shank with saffron risotto 

and Mesclun salad 

Saffron cream sauce with smoked salmon

garnished with mushroom and truffle

sea salt with rigatoni noodles (P250)

Dried fish with mushroom, asparagus and 

seafood on spaghetti noodles (P300)

Roasted  Crispy Chicken (P399)

Ryzza Mae is a Giggly Christmas Elf!

Look at the naughty, giggly Christmas Elf! 
 Pilya, bungisngis mahilig sa laro!

Yan ang ating Little Miss habang binibihisan sa 
recording room which doubles as her dressing room. 

Have you seen the trailer of the 
Si Enteng, si Agimat at si Ako?
Well, introducng si Ryzza Mae dun 
playing an important role sa pelikulang
 Metro Manila Film Festival entry!

It stars Bossing Vic Sotto, Senator Bong Revilla
and Ms. Judy Anne Santos! 
Don't forget to watch it on 
DECEMBER 25! 

Pero bago pa man yan ay 
manood muna kayo ng 
MISS ENGKANTASYA UNIVERSE 2012
dahil magsasama-sama dito ang pinaka-magagandang 
nilalang sa buong universe
mula sa iba't-ibang kaharian...

on December 22, Sabado, 11:30am!      

Brazil, Brazil's Buffet!

Brazil, Brazil @ Serendra

"Churrascaria is a Brazilian steakhouse and Churrasco is the cooking style, which translates roughly from the Portuguese for barbecue." Wikipedia
 
I miss Brazil, Brazil. 

I miss working for Brazil, Brazil (former branches, Rockwell, Metrowalk, Ayala Town Center and the still very much alive, Serendra) and most especially, I miss working with the people there. My work in Marketing required that I give the Churrascaria ample media exposure.  It was not a difficult task considering I have done years of Television and have kept in touch with production people whom I can easily approach for help. 

This year, I had a reunion of some sort with Brazil, Brazil because, Discovery Channel, for which I'm currently involved in, had two nights of Sales Blitz at the Serendra branch. It was good seeing the Brazil people again. 

Anyway, they still serve a mouth-watering spread of different kinds of salad (Cole Slaw, Fruit Salad, Macaroni, Cucumber and Tomato with Cheese), main course to complement the star of the show... the Churrasco or Brazilian barbecue. 

Main Course:
Roast Chicken
Sauteed Bokchoy
Seafood Salpicao
Pasta with Vodka
Farmhouse Fried Rice