Pursuit of happiness

I'm very easy to please. I don't need a lot to make me happy. Okay I'm lying. A Louis Vuitton Graphite Tadao would make me happy. Or a Chanel J12 watch. Or oh yeah.. a Tempur mattress with matching pillows. But since I'm attempting to be on recession mode (ha!) like most people, I've turned my simple pleasures to food. Because you can never go wrong with food. Especially if its Yulo Strawberry Cake, Cuerva Mango Torte, and anything from Costa Brava. This season, happiness comes in tiny chocolate and caramel cupcakes from Costa Brava - priced at P250, you get 5 cupcakes with a free one thrown in to fill in the box void. It's so much fun to eat. I bought half a dozen at the Baker's Dozen at Powerplant and stuffed myself silly while watching Twilight last week. I swear it was more fun than watching glittering cheekbones trying to not get jiggy with that girl - who I realized, has a fondness for characters that get into trouble with all sorts of people. There's her versus Forrest and two other guys in Panic Room, then her and the creepy and greasy looking farm hand in The Messengers. Was she in other movies? *puts finger on chin, looks up, and thinks* ANYWAY, try and stuff several of these delectable treats in your mouth and say, "yum, yum!" You really won't be able to say it clearly but what the heck.

White Hat

I realized after seeing photos of my circa 2007 self that not only have i grown fatter (yey!), I've also lost the abs I worked so hard on to gain. It's not even funny anymore. I have to keep a mental check to keep sucking my tummy in. When I used to work myself out to death at the gym every day, I'd push myself to do 600 crunches for middle and upper abs and 200 each for obliques. It was painful, but it was the kind of pain that felt really good. So with that gone, I've become determined to get it back - and try to keep the weight I gained. Juan said I should do some cardio, lift, and eat more meat than usual. Others said I should just run. I say, I should cut down on fatty stuff and (maybe) do cardio and lift. So that means, lessening sweets and going for more healthy but still yummy alternatives, like White Hat. White Hat in Mall of Asia lets health conscious folk enjoy the good stuff without the guilt. The concept is pretty simple. You choose either the regular or large serving, and select from a variety of toppings. They've got all sorts of fruit, chocolates, cheesecake, sprinkles, and cereal. No, piling up on all that doesn't mean it'll defeat the purpose of going healthy. It's 98% fat free Italian yogurt! I had mine with spoon fulls of mandarin oranges, peaches, strawberry, and mango bits. It was light and yet very filling.

White Hat's store is located on the second floor of the Entertainment mall.

It's right across Nike and Speedo. The easiest way is to go up the stairs or escalator near the SM Science Discovery Center. White Hat is also located near the Mall of Asia cinemas, near the exit facing the bay (Ocean Drive).

Website: www.thewhitehat.com.ph

Supermarket surprise

Hey Haps! Look what I found in Makati Supermarket after we chatted! They only had one bottle of chocolate malt, which of course I immediately grabbed lest someone gets it before me. The rest were all the original variant. Sweet!

Horlicks

I'm down to my last box of Horlicks and it's not funny. When I'm in Hong Kong, I make it a point to make a speedy beeline to Park N Shop in Queensway to hoard boxes of it. They used to sell in individual packs until someone got smart and sold it by 3's, which is still a good thing. Horlicks is available in two variants, chocolate and natural flavour. It's like Ovalteenies but better! I think I'll eat one tablet every two days to make my supply (or the lack of it) last.

Peppered treat

Sometimes it's good to treat yourself to something after a hard day at work. So I did just that last night. What better treat you could give yourself but a super yummy plate of beef pepper steak! Drowning in Honey Brown Sauce!

Before

After

For the carnivore in you, you can double up on the meat for just P48. If you prefer salmon, you can do the same for P90. All that medley of super yummy flavours in one hot plate! As Madonna said it, "now where else can you go for a meal like that?" Next time, I ought to save room for dessert. I hear the chocolate cake is a killer. Pepper Lunch is located right across the Rustan's grocery in Rockwell. You can't miss the sizzles.

Sweet stuff

When we used to live in Sun Valley, my Dad took us to his friend's place where they made pastillas de leche. The sweet, white stuff was kept in huge tin biscuit cans. When we got home, I attempted to make pastillas. I poured half a cup of Nido and sugar and diluted it in a tiny amount of water and chucked it in the freezer. An hour after, I got a rock of sweetness in a cracked cup. Obviously, I didn't know pastillas was made using carabao's milk. But then again, I was five years old with no culinary skills or knowledge whatsoever. Last Sunday before we headed to Healthy Shabu Shabu (they can't stress enough that it IS healthy) for lunch, my parents and I went to this new kiosk at the Town Center that sold all sorts of local delicacies - from pili and steamed nuts, yema, ube balls, atchara, to chicharon that came with laman or just skin. We walked away with a bag of chicharon, which we munched on the way to the restaurant, and this box of jumbo pastillas.

"It was our Lola Impiang who taught us how to make the best pastillas. "Use pure Carabao's milk," she said. Today, we continue to provide you with this delectable sweet, prepared just the way our Lola taught us. We lovingly cook these products in our pastillas kitchen using only the purest ingredients. That's why you'll fall inlove with our pastillas. So go ahead, open a box and sink your teeth into these delightful treats."

There's something about products that are supposedly made using recipes that have been passed from generation to generation. It suddenly tastes much better. Thing is, it's definitely jumbo, probably as giant as the pastillas that Iya Guingona sells. Unfortunately, Sevilla's ain't part of the Baker's Dozen fair at Rockwell this month but Iya is! According to Chuvaness, you can find these (sinful) desserts there:

Gayuma's caramel chocolate cake called "Beats Sex Anytime" Chocolate Confection's pure Belgian Chocolates Patisserie Caroline's Tunnel of Fudge chocolate cake Dezato Mochi's Chocolate Truffle Filled Mochi Empire's cheesecake Puff Mommy's signature cream puffs Big Pea's cupcakes with edible beads Cru Kitchen's cinnamon rolls Iya's giant pastillas Costa Brava - (I LOVE LOVE LOVE their chocolate cake!) Saltine San Lo's Famous empanadas Vargas Kitchen Kitchen's Best For more info, please call 898-1702 and look for Paula Peralta

But if you still want to try out Sevilla's you can head to any of their locations below. The box wasn't very specific on where exactly so you'll have to search for it on your own. 4A Level 1, Shoppesville, Greenhills Shangri-La Mall, EDSA Market, Market Tiendesitas

Grub Review: Sango

To the ordinary Filipino, the Japanese food experience may be limited to the usual ebi tempura, sashimi, sushi, sukiyaki, gyoza, and gindara. But with establishments like Pepper Lunch (I'm still in love with the Beef Pepper Steak especially when its drowning in the Honey Brown Sauce), people now have a wider appreciation for Japanese food creations. Sango! in South Supermarket Alabang is a Japanese burger joint that claims to be The Burger Master and truly, I really think they are. Opened just recently, Sango! also has branches in Mile Long, Makati and Pearl Drive in Ortigas. On its menu are delectable burgers that are to die for. There are about 13 burger variants to choose from - from the cheeseburger to chicken curry, teriyaki, tonkatsu burger, and fish burger. They also have rice burgers and rice meals.

The staff make these origami animals every day and are free

Just as you would expect, the entire restaurant is spotless. It's so clean that it looks like they just moved in. Decor is no fuss. Like, at all. Except for a few LCD Tvs in the entrance and dining area that show Japanese music videos, if you actually understand and appreciate that sorta thing. If you're a really slow eater, there are Japanese books that you could read while you eat.

Anyway, I had the Master Burger (P109) which is pretty much your usual cheeseburger smothered in a really yummy meat sauce. The bread and meat were really soft. Not dry and crumby at all! Burgers range from P62 for the hamburger and P195 for the Master Double Cheeseburger while the rice meals all cost P222 each. I have no idea why. Sango! is located at South Supermarket, Alabang, Zapote Road Tel : 703 8026

Discovering delicious

Baked macaroni is one of my top comfort grub. There's nothing like forking elbow macaroni drenched and baked in creamy, creamy, creamy cheese. I'm only able to indulge on it once a year when my Tita prepares it for our Christmas eve dinner. Other than that, it's a dish that's forgotten and taken for granted at home. Luckily, I discovered Greenwich serves up reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaallllllllyyy good baked macaroni. So I bought two for lunch (P78). Because one just isn't enough. Seriously. And while I was in the counter, I also ordered two pizza bars in Hawaiian and Garlic Mozzarella (P29 each), and Beef and Mushroom Rice melt (P49). I had Chicken ala King Rice melt the last time. I'd prefer if there was more sauce but all in all, it's a rather filling serving. Tomorrow, I'll try this: and maybe a two piece fried chicken meal.

Cooking

This is for Joanna who added lemon and capers with her tuyo. For variety, you can also attempt to do this: Pasta With Tuyo (dried herring) Ingredients: pasta onions garlic tuyo tomatoes olive oil (you can use plain olive oil or the oil in the jar of tuyo) salt and pepper How to cook it: Cook the pasta according to package directions. Don't forget to add oil and salt when you boil the pasta. Drain and keep warm. While the pasta cooks, chop the onions, dice the tomatoes, peel and finely chop the garlic. Flake the tuyo or chop them if you want them to be almost invisible. Heat the oil in a sauce pan. Add the onions. Once you think they're turning translucent, toss in the garlic followed by the tomatoes. Then, add the tuyo. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes or just until the vegetables start to soften. Throw in the pasta into the pan and mix, mix, mix. Eat. You can also forget about the tomatoes and use olives instead. or capers. or whatever you have in your fridge. Or you can also try doing what Anna does. She boils pasta, drains it, drizzles olive oil and adds cubes of cheese. If you have more time but want to keep it simple, you could also do what I do. Boil tomatoes (usually while boiling the pasta so I won't have to wash too many pans) in a pot. Once they're starting to resemble raisins, take it out, skin 'em, and take out the seeds. Drain the pasta and set aside. On a sauce pan, saute garlic. Once it starts to turn golden brown, add the tomatoes. Then the pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

Shoo fly

I think flies have a sweet tooth too, like me. Because I saw swarms of them in Krispy Kreme 20 minutes ago when I went to buy my what looks like to be my weekly dose of strawberry filled donuts. They were everywhere. The bugs, not the strawberry filled donuts. They were hovering above the customers, landing on the donuts on the shelf, and some were even inside the display. Some could have flown inside the kitchen, but I'll really never know that because I was busy keeping myself from drooling while staring at the beeeeaaaayyyooootttiiifful sight of donuts before me. I won't be surprised if some of them got trapped inside a donut. Hopefully not the ones I bought. Scary.

Baking for dummies

I used to like cookies. I even paid a friend to make me a whole jar and hid it from my brother and sister. I thought my friend's cookies were spectacular until I discovered that it wasn't her recipe. It was Pillsbury's. So much for that. It was only until my recent trip to Melbourne that my liking for cookies was rekindled, thanks to the nibblers and cookies my sister would bring home from Mrs Fields. I have since been having constant cravings for them. That craving hit me again this afternoon while I was nonchalantly walking around town center in search for something to buy. I asked Speedy G if it was cheaper to buy from Mrs Fields or bake my own. "Just bake your own," he said. So with beginner (almost zero) baking skills, what's a guy to do? Buy an easy-to-bake cookie mix! Luckily, I found this in Makati Supermart. How easy can it get?

add two tablespoons of water (the box said no more, no less)

mix it until it becomes dough

roll it into balls and space an inch and a half apart from each other. No need to grease the pan. Bake it at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

This was the finished product - thirty minutes after. When I took it out when it hit the eighth minute, it was still soft so I left it to to bake some more. When I took it out again, it was still soft. But just like anything I attempt to prepare in the kitchen, I ate it anyway. It was crunchy on the outside but very moist (read: raw) in the inside.

C is for Cookie

Yeah, cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C. Choco Crunchies also starts with C. It's a snack that's a blast from the past. Yesterday afternoon, there was a box full of it. Now, I'm down to my last 5 pieces.

HK list

Things I do when in Hong Kong: 1. Hoard boxes of Horlicks at that grocery in Queensway 2. Hunt for stylish stuff in Causeway Bay and LCX 3. Buy a box of egg tarts from Tai Cheong in Central 4. Have duck at Spring Deer in Kowloon 5. Enjoy champagne truffles (or ANY chocolate) from Teuscher at IFC. Because it's the best in the world.  6. Eat in Yung Kee and take home a box (or two) of their famous roast goose Yung Kee is one of my favourite Chinese restaurants. Aside from Zen, its one of our family's must eat in places each time we visit Hong Kong. Established 60 years ago, Yung Kee started as a small stall selling roast goose that became well known to not only local residents but also to the foodies in Macau, Guangdong, and the rest of the world. That small stall has now turned into a multi level food paradise dishing out plates upon plates of gourmet delights that make you want to forget about any diet you're on. The food here is simply to die for - it's soooo good that it was voted by Forbes magazine as one of the top fifteen restaurants in the entire world. It's the only Chinese restaurant on the list. For lunch, we had thousand year old eggs,

Wintermelon soup,

Egg foo young,

some veggie dish,

crispy noodles with seafood (again),

frog's legs (not as tasty as the one's in President's but fatter),

and roast goose

When I was done eating, the Philippine maps on my shirt stretched that it turned into the map of the entire Southeast Asia. Burp. Yung Kee is located at 32-40 Wellington Street Central, Hong Kong P hone: +852 2522 1624 Its best to reserve a table.

Honkey Tonk

The guy who collected us at the airport was kinda on the dumb side. For starters, he didn't speak a word of English and we didn't speak a word of mandarin, fookien, cantonese, or ANY Chinese dialect. Coming from an environment 9 hours earlier where we enjoyed a below 20-degree Celsius weather almost every single day, the hot and humid air blasting and blazing wasn't very comfy especially when we stepped out of the airport, almost an hour after waiting for my mom's secretary who she treated to a trip with us. Thinking back, I'm not sure if that was a rewarding experience for the secretary.  Especially since she shared a room with my sister who finds comfort in a heated room, even if you're in a tropical country. After walking to the parking lot, the farthest I've ever walked out of the airport, I wondered why he brought a van when I'm sure he was told that there were 5 of us with huge luggages in tow plus an even bigger golf bag. Which became my seat mate. To make matters more annoying, he took us to Conrad. When we were booked at Island Shangri-la. It was a good thing the room was already available when we checked in or I would have lost it. After freshening up, we headed off to Rice Paper in Kowloon for lunch. It was really hot when we emerged from the MTR station next to the mosque. It was so hot that the walk from there to the end to Harbour City seemed to take forever. But when we got to where we were supposed to go, it was well worth the trip. Rice Paper is a stylish Vietnamese restaurant with a French flair, which can be realised in its style of interior décor, the style of the dining ware as well as the menu. Unlike the Vietnamese cuisine you have experienced in Hong Kong that are based on old-time Vietnamese recipes, Rice Paper's menu is about, as the sign says, today's Vietnam and not the past.

Deep fried Vietnamese spring rolls

Prawn cakes Vietnamese fried rice with fresh prawns and chicken Vietnamese style Deep fried soft shell crab rice paper rolls with avocado and bittersweet orange sauce

I loved the soft shell crab rolls the most that I ordered another serving. After an extremely satisfying lunch, we walked around Harbour City and Ocean Terminal which to my surprise has changed. It's now much brighter and more modern looking. Ralph Lauren and Lane Crawford are still in the same spots, See's became a Customer Service desk, and the area where Marks & Spencer used to be is now occupied by Versace and Chanel. We swung by my Dad's suki fragrance sellers where I finally got my bottle of Paul Smith cologne. After my stock finished last year, I have since used Acca Kappa, Gendarme, and Rykiel Homme but my scent preference always goes back to Paul Smith. There's something delightfully fresh about it. When the heat was unbearable, we retreated to Admiralty and went around Pacific Place instead. We had dinner downstairs at Zen, one of our must-dine-in Chinese restaurants when in Hong Kong. If over-the-top minimalism is your thing, then this is the place for you. Attracting mostly professionals and executives who enjoy eating as much as they do people-watching, this restaurant serves dim sum and other popular Cantonese dishes—house specialities include barbecued suckling pig and roasted goose or pigeon.

Joanna (the one to the very right), my sister's boyfriend's sister joined us. 

You know when you meet somebody new and they're on this Silence of the Lambs vibe (and I don't mean cannibals)? One answer for every question?  

She's not that type.

Infact, she's the type of person that you'll feel as if you've known her forever and ever.

She's funny, stylish (she was sporting a fancy Chanel bag), charming, polite, and has really, really long eyelashes.  She sort of reminds me of my cousin, Angelique. Anyway, I wanted to order drunken shrimp but my Dad said Spring Deer serves it better. Instead we had really fat jellyfish and thousand year old eggs, egg foo young, crispy pigeon, and crispy noodles. The steamed garoupa never came. Hmph. Rice Paper is located at Zone 3319 (near Royce Chocolates) Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui Open from 11:30 am to 11:00 pm Phone: +852 3151 7801 Zen is located at B/F, Pacific Place 88 Admiralty Road, Admiralty Open from 10:30am to 11:00pm Monday to Saturdays 9:30am to 11:00pm Sundays Phone: +852 2845 4555