Live to Eat

blog moved

2011-02-09T08:26:00.001-08:00

blog has moved! new addy is: http://wanderingbogi.blogspot.com/
Old new posts are will be in the new addy. :)

Christmas Goodies 2010

2010-12-21T23:15:00.000-08:00

My Christmas goodies this year is ice cream again. :) Flavors are: earl grey tea, jasmine tea, oolong tea, vanilla with Oishi pillows, lavender (no sugar), cardamom, Sauternes, and black sesame.

Package 1: stack of 6.

Package 2: Box of 8.

Happy Holidays! :)

Day 3 & 4: Stuffed, Satisfied, and Grateful

2010-11-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

I started the day with the intention of doing a yoga class but when the alarm went off, I just opted to go back to bed and sleep…..hey, it’s a vacation.

So today, we started the day off with lunch at Din Tai Fung. I love the noodles in this place.

Coupon #6: Frozen yogurt at YoMaMa…green tea with strawberries and Oreos. I like the yogurt here because it’s not so sour. The places in Manila don’t offer strawberries and when they do, it just looks sad. And the Oreos….I just can’t resist, it goes nicely with the green tea.

For dinner we went to 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Central. It’s an Italian place that’s known for truffles which also happens to be in season. We decided to share a couple truffle dishes.

Bread to dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Before the truffle dishes, our starters came. I had the artichoke soup that I eyed on the lunch menu. I’ve never seen restaurants offer artichoke soup and I love artichokes so I had to ask if it’s still available for dinner. What a delight that it was! I loved the dish so much I was trying to scrape off every drop in the bowl.

Scallops:

The truffle cart came to our table. It had our dishes, the truffle bowl, the truffle shaver, and Chef Bombana to shave the truffles.

I have a thing for half cooked and runny eggs. Truffles and eggs make the perfect pair so when I had my first spoonful of this, I was in heaven. We shared the dish between two people which was just right. If I had the whole dish on my own, it might’ve been too rich.

We also shared the pasta, nothing too special.

Petit Fours

I really enjoyed this place. The staff was really knowledgeable and friendly. It felt very comfortable even though it’s a fancy place.

To end the night we skipped dessert in 8 1/2 and went back to Riquiqui.

It’s not always about going to a nice place or just eating good food, but about the total experience that counts most. I have a thing for personal touches and Riquiqui is full of it. Sitting on the bar feels comfortably intimate; it’s easy to chat with the company we are with, chat with the girls working as we watch them at work. The girls are full of energy and so easy to talk to. What I like most though is that the place and the food come from a sincere place and that is why the desserts are delicious. As we spent time here and ate the desserts, the feeling that stands out for me is that there is genuine love of food, making it, and sharing it, which is what makes me want to come back.

That’s the end of day 3 which marks the end of the coupons.

Today is day 4 which marks the end of the trip. I've been to Hong Kong many times, but this is the first time I've been to Soho and Lang Kwai Fong, which are both fun places to be at. I enjoyed it very much.. It's a completely different experience compared to my usual humdrum Hong Kong trips. I can finally say I like going to Hong Kong. It's definitely one of the best and memorable presents I've received; it's right up there with my first ice cream maker and L'Arpege meal. I feel very lucky and grateful.

Day 2 of Treats!

2010-11-27T02:11:00.000-08:00

It is day 2 of coupon trip!! I started the day early with a yoga class and that’s as healthy as the day gets….

We headed out to 208 Duecento Otto for lunch. It’s an Italian restaurant on Hollywood Road in Central with bold flavors and super interesting interiors. The girls from Riquiqui, advised us not to order drinks because it would be a glass full of ice and as we watched the drinks pass us by, they were so right! I tried not to eat such a heavy meal because I was looking forward to dinner.

I loved this Pomodori Uovo. It has tomatoes, garlic, a poached egg, and pecorino cheese. Simple enough yet jam packed in flavor intensity.

My plate with arugula salad.

The artichokes on this were yummy! The fish I didn't try.

Mushroom pizza from the wood fired oven!

Dessert didn't really like this ice cream, I forgot what flavor it was....I think passion fruit or maybe saffron?? Hmm...... :p

Coupon #4: Bubble tea!!!!!! This is my favorite bubble tea place in Causeway bay. There is no brand name to it and totally local. Flavor-wise it beats all the other places surrounding it.

Coupon #5: Dinner at AMBER! This restaurant won restaurant of the year or something like that, but I was more excited about the fact that the executive chef here trained with Alain Passard of L’Arpege, where I’ve had my most memorable meal.

There were 2 choices, the 5 course truffle menu or the 8 course degustation full of signature dishes. We opted for the truffle menu because it was lighter and truffles are in season and I believe we made the right choice. I cheated because the vegetarian options didn’t look so appetizing. I loved that the server on his own initiative consulted the kitchen and came back to give me options and suggestions to remove or replace certain ingredients with heavier meats.

This dish is mozzarella on oxtail jell-O with truffles and sourdough….drooling again! :)

Other dishes:
Scallop

Poullard bresse, my least favorite dish of the night. Although it was very soft, it wasn't cooked evenly, there were still veins, and it was too "fleshy" for me.

This was my favorite dish of the night. The pasta was like risotto and the flavors just complement each other; perfectly executed and perfectly balanced.

We changed the dessert to their chocolate souffle with dark chocolate sorbet. It was good, but I found it too much and I wished it was more chocolaty. I could only finish half.

Then the petit fours came……oh the petit fours!!!!! I loved the chocolate madeleines, the lemon tart, and the macaroons. I wish I had more room in my stomach to eat it all.

It was truly a wonderful night of food. I’ve never experienced such good quality truffles shaved in front of me and at liberal amounts. This meal is one that will be forever remembered!

To sum it up….it was a delicious day!!! I'm such a bogi, not a yogi....sigh....oh well...Day 3 here I am!!!!! :p

Day 1 of HK Food Trip & Birthday Present

2010-11-25T19:09:00.000-08:00

I’m on another food trip!!! Yay!
This trip is one of the best birthday presents I’ve gotten and have been so excited for it the last few months. This present is a trip to Hong Kong!! It’s a package filled of coupons with airfare, hotel, and good food!!! It feels like I won the lottery or some sort of contest.
Coupon #1: Flight to Hong Kong. Vacation and food here we come!!!

Coupon #2, we used for dinner last night. We ate at a private dining place called Liberty Private Works. I really enjoyed this dinner. The place is small and feels intimate.

There is only one seating per night and one menu per night. I ordered the vegetarian meal and was a little worried I might get disappointed, but the food was done well and the flavors on the plates were fun and easy to enjoy. I like watching the guys at work as they work so quietly and efficiently; watching them plate and cook and smelling what they cook. It adds excitement and anticipation for the dish coming. Another thing nice about this place is that you can bring your own bottle of wine.

Seaweed Crackers:

Red Pepper with Pineapple Soup

Chef at work.

Scallop with edamame

Red beet salad.

Pumpkin risotto with spiced walnuts.

Poached salmon with potato salad and haricot verts.

My favorite dish was the mushrooms with spinach and gnocchi in brown butter. A little oily……but the flavors completely shine.

Passion fruit sorbet with cream cheese ice cream.

Mascarpone sabayon with chocolates and cookie crumbs. :)

After dinner, we went one floor down to Riquiqui for 3 courses of desserts. We were quite stuffed from the dinner upstairs, yet the desserts here were delicious and made so well that I finished everything on my plates! The girls were so pleasant to chat with which made the experience even better.

The place is quite dark, so the pictures aren't as clear.

Menu board for second course.

Firs course, malt mousse with chocolate balls.

Warm amurala cake, better than sticky toffee pudding!

Rasberry Napolean.

Chocolate Cake

Petit fours to end the meal.

Day 1 is over and I hope one day I’ll come back to these places on another trip to Hong Kong. On to day 2….. :)

Finally! We have Good Chinese Food!!!!

2010-11-21T17:19:00.000-08:00

A new place just opened on Connecticut. It's a franchise of Bellagio from China, which was one of my favorite restaurants to go to when I was living there. I got to try it out last night for dinner.

We came in and the restaurant was full of diners and full of people waiting to be seated. I had a reservation but for some reason, they didn't have it down on the paper. But the hostess was kind enough to put us on top of the waiting list. The service was really pleasant. The restaurant was crazy buy, people where harassing the staff and yet the staff were still friendly and smiling.

We ordered a lot of food and it came in less than ten minutes!!! The quality of the food was the same as China, everything was delicious....even the rice!

I'm so glad there is finally a Chinese restaurant in town worth going to! We ended the night with a drink at Happy Lemon...happy everyday!

Day of Food: Mercato Centrale @ BGC

2010-11-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a day jam packed with food. It was the first day of the new market in for called Mercato Centrale. I was quite excited because I was selling my ice cream and it's the first time I joined a market. Although my main item was the ice cream, I was worried that people don't eat ice cream early in the morning so I shared my stall with a friend who sold crepes and I also made smoothies. It was so nice that so much friends and family were supporting me.

The night before we went to check on the site of the market and I was surprised that there were numerous vendors selling frozen desserts too and they all had freezers! I just planned on bringing a cooler which was what some of the other vendors in other markets were doing. Our space was very cramped, so we decided to go back home and look for a table that can replace the bigger one supplied by the market. They also told us that someone will be squeezing in part of our section as well.

From the night before, I was really stressed and nervous all the way till the time of the market. I was worried that my ice cream wouldn't stay hard enough to last through the morning and I realized that I should have spend more time on my display and visuals.

I needed something where one look and the shopper would know I was selling ice cream; like one of the vendors in front of me. I thought his stall was really cute.

Although it's being called a market, it really feels more like a bazaar. The place has a few tents up and they are JAM PACKED with vendors. (I took my friends pictures for these)

Unlike the other weekend markets like Salcedo, Legaspi, or Greenhills. The place felt very commercialized. Most of the products sold are prepared or finished items already. The aisles were very narrow so when people started coming in, it got congested really quickly. As a shopper, I don't feel it's a comfortable place to shop. It felt cramped and irritating when most of the vendors are trying to lure you in. It's the first day, so the layout was still pretty disorganized. There were too many vendors in similar categories it was hard for shoppers to short list where they wanted to buy from or go to. It was a very tiring experience in my opinion. I was expecting the market to be more comfortable and specialized. I think it would be better if they had fewer stalls; perhaps screen all the vendors. The overall experience does not deliver to what it's advertised to be. I'm sure certain aspects of the market will improve as the weekends go on. It is just the first day.

I definitely had an experience in the market. I was so so grateful and touched for all the help and support I received throughout the whole event, from the planning, to the set up, selling time, and packing up. I liked my product. (Picture from a sweet friend.)

Although I did sell enough (mostly thanks to family and friends,haha), there so many things I would change if I were to go back again as a vendor. I'd have to invest in a freezer, have effective visuals that better communicate to the shopper, and perhaps choose a market that has a better time. People don't really eat ice cream so early in the morning.

Happy Lemon is OPEN!!!!

2010-11-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Lemon in Promenade is finally open for dry run.

There were plenty of people that came to buy drinks, the counter was full of bills and cups to be filled. It brought back fun memories from the restaurant when I had bills and bills lined up, the printing machine printing non-stop for hours, working at full speed to get the orders out, and time passing by so fast...oh the rush!

At least this time I didn't go back home still hearing the non-stop printing of the printing machine. :)

Happy Lemon is opening soon!

2010-11-07T17:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Lemon has really good bubble teas and it's opening in Promenade really soon!!! I got to have 2 drinks yesterday....both so so so satisfying.
Pictures aren't great....had to use my phone again....
Pearl Milk Tea:

Green Tea with Yakult.

a night in lolo dad's

2010-09-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

It's my Birthday again and just like every year, I just want to spend it eating good food. I wished I was back in Paris like last year. It was difficult deciding where to eat, thought long and hard then finally chose Lolo Dad's Cafe in Malate. I've only been there once a few years back and had good memories about it.

Tonight, we got the best table in the house; beside the kitchen. We each ordered different dishes and they were all pretty good.

Here are some photos of the food. (I forgot my camera so I had to use my phone camera.)

Yummmy bread. So warm, it had a really good crust and went perfectly with the butter.

Ceasar salad with salmon gravalax...tomato soup with thyme foam....and rasberry sorbet.

Chicken and beef kebab with the juice dripping on the rice. Halibut and lobster tail. Duck confit with truffled mash potatoes.

Dessert...pot de creme.

Food is not amazing, but at the same time, I can't say anything negative about. It was a nice night with good food and good company to share it with.

Jia Jia Tang Bao in Shanghai

2010-08-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Shanghai is famous for tang baos which are soup filled dumplings. This place we went to is called jia jia tang bao, although more like xiao long bao than tang bao, was really good. The dumplings are really cheap and they have all kinds: chicken, pork, shrimp, crab, etc. The soup is so clear and flavorful. The food is prepared right when you order it so it's hot and fresh.

Shanghai Highlights

2010-08-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

I spent the last couple weeks working in Shanghai and had some good eats. I'm just posting it all at once now because China blocked blogger.

Vegetarian Lifestyle. This is one of my favorite meals. My friend who can't live without meat didn't even notice that there was none. We had good food and left stuffed.

People 7. This place was fun. Everything was a puzzle to be solved: a code to get into the restaurant, figuring out how to go to the restroom, and a table full of puzzles as you wait for the food.

Fancy brunch in Osteria.

Desserts from whisk. Chocolate addict??? This is the place to go!

happy at hy's without the steak

2010-06-27T23:24:00.000-07:00

Last night's dinner was at Hy's Steakhouse. I love their cheese bread and ceasar salad. :)

Ceasar salad made tableside.

And ice wine for dinner.

organic and raw

2010-06-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

For today, I got to try a restaurant that serves raw organic food, Organic Lives. This type of food is getting really popular because it's so healthy. None of the food is cooked so that the enzymes are still present for the body to benefit.

The starter we tried was crackers and cheese. The crackers are dehydrated and the cheese is made from nuts.

For the main courses we had lasagna with ceasar salad and nachos. The lasagna felt more like a salad. My friend said terrine would have been appropriate name for it, I agree. It tasted very fresh and the salad was good too. I can imagine a ceasar salad.

The nachos was difficult to eat. The crackers and some of the accompaniments were the same stuff as our cheese and crackers, which was disappointing.

We also had a strawberry smoothie called the pink drink.

I find the food and concept really interesting. Although it's not somehting I can eat everyday, I really do feel healthier eating raw food. I just wished that it would not re-use the same components in different dishes and labeling them differently. Also, I think it would be better if they be more creative with naming and describing their dishes and veer away from common terms such as nachos and lasagna. I feel like it would open the diner's mind to a whole world of possibilities rather than disapointed expectations.

finally satisfied my milkshake craving at Sophie's

2010-06-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

It was a rare morning I had all to myself. I needed to take advantage of it and finally have my strawberry milkshake craving satisfied.

So I headed for Sophie's. It's a fun diner and the owner's name is Sophie. I really enjoyed my milkshake. The vegetable omelette on the other hand was just so-so. I still enjoy the place though, it's fun and the people are really hospitable.

fresh made yogurt and waffle cones at Timothy's

2010-06-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

I love going to Steveston and having homemade ice cream and waffle cones. We got their around 9pm and it was full with a line up. Today I tried their frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. You get to pick from a wide selection of fruits. I chose strawberry and peach which got mixed with the plain frozen yogurt and enjoyed from their waffle cones fresh from the maker. Yum yum.

Ice cream section.

Making my order.

Steveston when it's closed.

Chen's

2010-06-19T01:23:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, one of my favorite things to eat was the Shanghai steamed dumplings (xiao long bao) and the best place to have it in Vancouver is a place called Chen's in Richmond. A few years back, the place was just a hole in the wall and we felt like it was such a find. It was small and dirty, but the food was the best and cheap too! It was opened by a Shanghainese couple. The husband was the chef in the kitchen while the wife ran the front of the house. In the afternoon when it wasn't as busy, she can be found in her front counter wrapping the dumplings.

Now, the restaurant really looks like a restaurant. It's got tiles, painted walls, decent tabels and chairs. It's also much bigger. Aside from the husband and wife, they have also hired more people to help out. Even though it's bigger, you still have to wait in line because the food hasn't changed in quality and still not expensive.

My family still loves this place and today, we came here for dinner.

Some of the food we ordered today:
For the appetizer, we had cold veggies with beancurd and sesame oil. It's tastes so much better than it looks.

Some glutten with peanuts and pig's ear mushrooms.

Vegetable wonton soup

Green onion pancake.

Dan dan noodles

And of course xiao long bao. There's so much soup, it fills up the whole spoon.

This place is a rare one. They are so consistant and there isn't a dish they bring out that isn't good. It's too bad there's only so much you can fit in your stomach in one meal.

Decent places in Downtown Vancouver

2010-06-19T01:09:00.000-07:00

I've been downtown everyday on this trip. I've had two pretty decent lunches this week. One in Yew in the Four Season's Hotel and the other is the Japanese fusion place called Miku.

Yesterday's lunch in Yew was very satisfying. I got the crab sandwich and it tasted really fresh and sweet. The flavors were very clean and pleasant. They also made their own potato chips with rosemary salt. Near the end of the meal, the server found out we were Filipinos also. Then he started giving us free coffee, free cookies and water.

Today's lunch was in Miku. I had their version of goma-e and vegetable rolls. It's not anything amazing, but well made.

Then to dinner.....

A Night at Jean Georges' Market in Shangri-La

2010-06-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Vancouver again! Yay! Tonight's dinner was at Jean Georges restaurant called Market in the Shangri-la Hotel. I have been hearing mixed reviews about this place so I didn't know what to expect. We were a party of more than ten, so they gave us a set menu with limited items to choose from. Also, there is the automatic 18% gratuity charge for the large party.

The food came and it wasn't bad. However, the service was really slow. We sat down at 8:45 pm, the main courses didn't come until around 10pm and we didn't finish till about 11pm. The service was really odd, definitely not up to par compared to other Shangri-la's.

One of the servers were incredibly rude. A diner ordered shortribs and the server brought out a snapper instead and insisted that it's what he ordered!!! I was quite surprised to hear that. We also waited quite a while for the dessert and when we followed up, the server wanted to remind us with some attitude that the kitchen was doing 17 INDIVIDUAL Cakes. I can do 17 cakes in minutes!!!

Then there was this guy, I think he might have been the manager who was really nice yet also odd. He was very playful and entertaining. One of the dessert plates that was served said "Happy Birthday", yet we didn't request for it or say anything, but he just laughed and jokingly started singing the happy birthday song. Up to now, we don't know if it was a joke or a mistake.

At least the food was pretty good, but far from amazing. The pea soup tasted fresh.

I had the truffle and fontina cheese pizza for the main course and it was tasty. Everyone seemed to be happy with the other main courses as well.

The dessert was a little disappointing. It didn't really come warm and I didn't like the texture of the ice cream.

Overall, the service was definitely not worht 18%, but everyone liked the food. Although, I don't think we'll be itching to come back anytime soon.

Hawaii Part 2: Kona and Honolulu

2010-05-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

My Hawaii vacation has sadly come to an end, but I do have more pictures to post. There were 2 places that were really good, but I wasn't able to take pictures: Romy's and Roy's. Romy's shrimps were so fresh and the fried garlic with the rice was yummy! Every dish we had at Roy's was perfect, everyone in our table only had complements.

Other meals:

Famous Kona Coffee

More food at Kona Resort:

Honolulu: Nobu and Allan Wong

Honolulu: Addicted to Jamba Juice!!

Oahu: Famous Shaved Ice

Kona Village Resort, Hawaii

2010-05-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

It's been three days now on the Big Island in Hawaii and I'm always full! We're staying in the Kona Village Resort. It's a nice place that serves good food.

Here are some highlights:

cookies made with love

2010-05-03T03:09:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to eat my chocolate oatmeal cookies, but always seemed to have trouble finding the time to make them. On this rare three-day long weekend, I made them! I used agave instead of sugar. I have been curious for awhile what it would turn out like. I also used organic whole wheat flour, free-range eggs, organic rolled oats, and Valrhona chocolate. I'm quite content with the result. It's not as sinful as my usual cookies and it's a little softer because of the higher moisture with using the agave, but it's still a good cookie. I was pleasantly surprised that people liked it just as much as the ones I used to make and it also disappeared from the tray just as fast.

My cookies just before going into the oven.

Waiting....waiting...waiting...

Ah!!! Done!

Tomorrow.....churning my lavender ice cream....also made using agave and free-range eggs.

Halo Halo on a Hot Day

2010-05-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's been so hot lately and today is a perfect day to have some Halo-Halo (translated to English is mix-mix). We had lunch at Milky Way today with some foreign guests. This place is nice to take people to because I think they have the best Filipino food. The food is cooked well and is always consistent. Each time, I make sure to save room for dessert. There are only two places I eat halo-halo from and Milky Way is one of them.

Halo Halo before mixing. It's got some jellies, banana, ube (purple taro), coconut, beans, ice, evaporated milk, roasted rice, and ube ice cream....nice to the eyes and nice to eat. :) YUM!

Halo Halo after mixing, right before consuming. :)

With the weather being so hot, halo halo is extra satisfying! I think I'll have another tomorrow.

Last Chance for bubble tea

2010-01-04T23:44:00.000-08:00

We’re back in pearl castle for the last time on this trip. My flight is late at night and after checking in, we headed out for my last bubble tea.

I had my usual pearl milk tea, but the hot almond milk tea is also nice. It really warms up the body on the cold night. Good bye Vancouver, it was a fun trip. Til next time...

Cafe Medina Breakfast

2010-01-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

After my Medina lunch, I was really itching to go back for breakfast. So that’s where we went for my last breakfast.

I had a dark chocolate mocha this time.

They are popular for their Belgian waffles so I ordered one. It tasted better than it did last year because it was still warm.

We also tried a few dishes in the menu, all so tasty. :)

Home-made Pizzas for New Year's Eve

2009-12-31T21:45:00.000-08:00

We thought long and hard about New Year's Eve dinner and we finally decided on making our own pizzas. We bought pre-made dough, prepared veggies, grated some cheeses, and more.

We all had half a pizza to personally create. Mine had cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, tomato, basil and onions.

Our final pizza right out of the oven...ready for 2010!

Tea in Adonia

2009-12-31T21:27:00.000-08:00

We couldn't think of a place to go to this afternoon, so we decided to go for tea in Adonia Tea in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood.

It's my first time here and i found it very cozy. It's a good place just sit, enjoy tea, and chat with your company.

They serve all kinds of tea from different parts of the world. We had chai tea served with milk and sugar on the side. The dishes and tea pot completely matched the atmosphere created by the restaurant. I got the teaspoon that said Philippines on it, what are the chances of that!?!

It was a nice place so fitting of the neighborhood.

Cafe Medina, Take 2

2009-12-31T21:20:00.000-08:00

Last year, I couldn't get enough of Cafe Medina's lavender latte, so this year I had to go back. Today, I went for lunch. It's always busy and this time we waited 20 minutes and sat on the bar.

Aside from the lavender latte, I ordered Le Tartine, which was the few vegetarian options. It was four pieces of sourdough, each topped with something different, such as, marinated carrots, grilled haloume cheese, tabouleh, houmus, and beets. It was delicious and not just one of those dishes on the menu so that vegetarians have an option. The meal was worth the wait.

A W-O-W! Dinner at the Pear Tree

2009-12-31T21:10:00.000-08:00

It has been so rare lately to eat a meal and say WOW! I'm finally glad to say that, the moment has come again.

The Pear Tree has been a restaurant I've been hearing about for years, but never managed to make the trek to Burnaby and this trip I did!

The restaurant has a nice outdoor facing that doesn't exactly fit the block. Walking inside, we were greeted and our coats hanged. The dining room is shared by everyone, but still felt comfortable.

The meal was amazing. My meal started out with the flamed gin tomato soup. It was very smooth and light. The shrimp bisque was a hit too.

They didn't have great vegetarian options. It was just all the main courses without the meat. I didn't feel like having mostly carbs with some vegetables, so I opted for the duck dish because it sounded amazing and I still have a weakness for duck. I'm glad I made this choice because this was one of the best ducks I've had in my life! It was cooked perfectly, the skin was so crispy and the meat still nicely pink. It was not so gamey and nor rubbery. The sauce was sexy (the term we used for in cooking school for good sauces).

It was so good, I finished everything on the plate.

For the dessert, we went for the lighter choice and ordered the lemon tart. I loved the caramelized sugar on top.

From start to end, it was a great meal; completely satisfying and delightful.

Bagel Craving Satisfied

2009-12-31T20:48:00.000-08:00

All of a sudden I got a bagel craving. I never eat bagels here so I searched on the net and Siegles Bagels always came up. I drove down to Granville Island Public Market and bought some bagels.

I used to go to Granville Island all the time and would just pass this place. I bought a sesame bagel with Winnipeg cream cheese and it was so delicious! The bagel had a really good crust and the inside was so dense it was perfect with all the cream cheese. It was a craving 100% satisfied.

Some Things Never Change and It's a Good Thing

2009-12-29T00:28:00.000-08:00

Back in the day when I was still living in Vancouver, going to culinary school, and working in the restaurant, one of the ultimate best places to eat was in Diva at the Met. They had the best service, the best chefs, the best food, and the best dessert. What stands out for me until now is the dessert.

The desserts at Diva is by Thomas Haas, the best pastry guy in town. He has this warm chocolate souffle cake that is to die for. It's just the best. I still remember tasting it for the first time, tasting it again, and I still remember how it tasted. The last few days before I left Vancouver for good, I volunteered for Haas for one of the wine events and in return he gave me a few cakes. I had enough to eat one a day until the day I left. It was just heaven, so tonight, we decided to revive the dining experience from a few years ago.

I hate to write negative things, but the night did not kick off too well. We had a server with a fake French accent. He was extremely rude and lazy. I don't want to elaborate on how his service was because I don't think all servers in the restaurant are like him, but service is extremely important to the dining experience and tonight it was terrible and just annoyingly distracting throughout the whole night.

The food was very disappointing as well. It was obvious that changes were made in the menu to cut down food costs, which is not the problem. The problem was nothing was cooked well. It is so far from the quality of cooking it used to be.

The best part of the squash bisque was the presentation and will just leave it at that.

The Waldorf Salad was much better than the soup. The panna cotta went well with the cut green apples, but after a few bites, I just didn't want anymore. It's a good thing it was shared.

The vegetable pot au feu was edible. The flavours were just all over the place. The strong miso broth, the many onions, some pickled vegetables, and hot mustard just did not mix well for me.

The best part of the night was the dessert. I came for the souffle cake and that's what I ordered. I'm so relieved that it did not let me down one bit. It's still exactly how it used to be; the taste, the ingredients, and the extreme satisfaction. The cake is warm and a tempered chocolate disc is served on top which melts and serves as a sauce. There is also pistachio ice cream on the side which provides a contrast in temperature and complements the chocolate. It's just the perfect dessert and a good end to what could have been a terrible night.

Roasted Chestnuts

2009-12-29T00:04:00.000-08:00

I'm a chestnut person. In Vancouver, it only comes out during the Christmas holidays and sold in carts, roasted right on the street location.

I salivate when I smell the chestnuts and I like that it's roasted without oil. I always ask for the burnt ones because those are the best.

Pain au Chocolate to Start Boxing Day

2009-12-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

Boxing Day in Vancouver is always crazy. We decided to start the day off with a pain au choclat. We stopped by Thomas Haas' store, but it was closed. A few blocks away on 4th is the next best thing. The coffee shop 49th Parallel gets its baked goods from Haas so that is the place we headed for.

It's just as good as the one from Haas' store. It was a very good start to the crazy day ahead.

Christmas in Purity Vegetarian

2009-12-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Day, my aunt's restaurant, Purity Vegetarian, was open so she had to work. We still wanted to all be together so we ate dinner at the restaurant. There were more of us, so I got to try out more dishes...yay!

We went through the menu and I listed down all the dishes we were ordering.

For starters, we had the squid rings and fried oysters.

For the main courses, we ordered beef with pepper sauce, sizzling tofu, pan fried chicken, chili eggplant.

Also had the sesame noodles.

At the end of the night I was so stuffed, but satisfied. I enjoy the dishes with real vegetables much more than the imitation meats. My favorite dishes of the night was the noodles, tofu, and eggplant. It is definitely a different Christmas compared to other years, but I still enjoyed it.

Best Pain au Chocolat in Town

2009-12-28T23:41:00.000-08:00

I can still remember the first time I tasted the best pain au chocolat I've ever had. It's by Thomas Haas and when I used to live here, it was only available in Senses, downtown. Thomas now has shops in North Vancouver and recently one on Broadway.

The first time I went to the Broadway shop, I arrived at about 11am and they were already sold out! So I went back the next day at around 10am and was able to get the last two; had one for breakfast at the shop and the other to take home.

I like the place. It does get crowded, but it doesn't feel congested. Aside from the pain au chocolat, I really love the sparkle cookies.

We went back on Boxing Day, but unfortunately it was closed. I think it's the best chocolate goodies in town!

Back in Vancouver and it's Bubble Tea Time Again

2009-12-20T21:44:00.000-08:00

I got hooked on to bubble tea while living in Vancouver. There are so many good places to have it here and one of them is in Pearl Castle Cafe in Richmond. This place is always busy because their drinks and food are so yummy!

Cows in Whistler

2009-12-20T21:42:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to eat in Whistler is poutine and Cows ice cream with their own freshly made waffle cones. I had the ice cream this morning before we headed back to the city and it was still good. :)

Individual Homestyle Stir Fry

2009-12-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

We drove up to Whistler yesterday for the weekend. We were fortunate that someone welcomed us to stay in their home. Everyone had different tastes so we got to make our own dinner.

We chose what we wanted in our dish and cooked it ourselves.

Many sauces available:

I chose some vegetables with a sauce that consisted of sesame, soy, teriyaki sauce, and lemon. This is how my dish turned out as, served with brown rice:

Ended the night with home made apple crumble and the Vancouver Canucks winning the hockey game.

It was a good night in.

Home Sweet Home @ Purity Vegetarian

2009-12-18T23:21:00.000-08:00

I'm happily back home in Vancouver for the Christmas holidays and for my first meal back, I chose to eat at Purity Vegetarian. I have never been here, but have supported it from the beginning. Yes, I am biased because one of the owners is actually my aunt.

During my university days when I lived alone at home, my aunt would always send me my favorites (like adobo, beef stew, paella, chicken broth, etc) because it's not ones I knew how to cook, or had time to cook, or not something I could cook for one.

My aunt is also a food lover and puts care in everything she makes just like my grandfather. Each dish I received never disappointed and always provided me comfort especially when the stress level from school was high. So I knew even without tasting the dishes it was going to be good. Last night, I was excited to see my aunt and finally try her new restaurant in Richmond called Purity Vegetarian.

The restaurant is very casual and feels very open and welcoming.

The head of front of house is behind the cash register giving us a discrete and pleasant smile as I eagerly wait for the food to come.

I was at the hands of my company to order me whatever they recommended. The first was the veggie meat wrap in brown sauce. It's like the Peking duck course without the duck. It was very good, the "meat" is actually pretty well resembled, the vegetables adds nice texture, and the sauce is quite tasty.

Another dish was the crispy veggie oyster with salt and pepper. It looks more like nuggets to me. The colors of the tofu are the colors of oyster and does have a hint of oyster taste. I must say this is my favorite dish. The tofu has a unique taste with the combination of being perfectly seasoned. I could finish the whole dish on my own. It was good on its own or eaten with the accompanied radish.

The other dish we had was the crispy bean curd sheets layered with taro. The taro was very smooth and the taste was very pure, which contrasted well with breaded bean curd. Eating it alone, or with the sauce and/or radish changes the taste of each bite.

We had so much food that there was no more room for dessert! The desserts are fabulous in the place...it's made by the the genius pastry chef cousin of mine. (Again not biased! Her desserts are just always good.) I will definitely try it on my next trip.

Although these dishes aren't the same the ones from my university days, it still gives the same feeling of comfort. It is not just another restaurant trying taking your money with mediocre food. This is a place where food made with love and service from people that spreads love. It feels like home sweet home.

Refreshed in Jonah's

2009-12-18T22:44:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I finally went to Boracay for the first time in my life. From all the hype people have been telling me about the food, I must say I was quite disappointed with what we had....except for Jonah's fruitshake.

It's a 24 hour place on the beach and the shakes are so refreshing and tasty. I had a papaya mango shake to go and they serve them in re-used plastic bottles. I don't know how clean the bottle was, but thought it was simple yet creative and environmentally friendly.

This was favorite thing out of the whole weekend...very healthy, very fresh, and very delicious.

My Last Treat in HK

2009-11-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we left Hong Kong. We had about an hour to roam around IFC mall before taking the Airport Express. In the mall, there was YoMaMa.....frozen yoghurt. I had green tea yoghurt with strawberries and oreos. It was goodl the yoghurt isn't as sour and it pairs perfectly with the strawberries, which isn't usually availabe in Manila. It was good end to the trip.

Bubble Tea Again and Again

2009-11-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

Another night......another bubble tea!!!

Last night, as I was drinking my bubble tea, around the corner I passed by this place. It was packed of people waiting outside, so I thought I would try it tonight.

There was a line up again tonight. It took more than 5 minutes to get my drink after ordering and I understood why the wait was so long. The people didn't seem to be working as fast or perhaps they weren't efficient. The drink wasn't bad, but it wasn't really worth the wait, knowing there were 3 other bubble tea places in the same area.

It was too sweet for me and really thin. It reminded me of the bubble tea place in my University village where the only reason we would get it is because it was the only place to get bubble tea. Next trip to Hong Kong, I would choose the no name place or East Sunshine.

Bubble Tea Again! :)

2009-11-20T07:43:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Hong Kong for the weekend and it was such a stressful day!!! Travelling can either go so smoothly or so crappy....and today, it was crappy. We lost our patience, our tempers, and I got a headache that I just preferred to just stay and do some work in my hotel room.

About an hour later, we headed off for a delicious dinner. The highlight of my day, however, is my bubble tea!!!! We headed off to Causeway Bay to look at some of the shops and I went off to look for different bubble tea places to try.

Today, I found one near my previous bubble tea post, One More Cup. It's called East Sunrise, just a block away from Sogo. I think it's a franchise from Taiwan.

I ordered what I always order, Pearl Milk tea and I liked it much better than One More Cup. The tea isn't as strong and it's a little more milky. It did not disapoint, but it still doesn't beat the no name one across the street that's also cheaper. After a stressful day, this was a nice end to the night. Tomorrow, there's another place to try. :)

Lunch at L'Arpege

2009-09-17T00:47:00.000-07:00

There was one meal I was really excited for. It's a 3 star Michelin restaurant in Paris called L'Arpege. The chef of this restaurant has a few organic farms outside of Paris just to supply his restaurant. The produce is delivered daily to the restaurant and whatever is not used up gets sent back to the farm for compost....incredible.

There was a lot riding on this lunch, it was my only Michelin starred meal, it was a Birthday present, it was my last meal in Paris, and my last meal of the whole trip! I really hoped not to be disappointed and disappointed I definitely was not!

I ordered the lunch menu that consisted of mostly vegetables, except for one fish dish. I was relieved that there were other single diners. I enjoy dining my own, but I've never gone to a fine dining place by myself. It wasn't an intimidating place so I felt very comfortable.

This was my first setting when I was seated:
The amuse- bouche: Potato crisp, with carrot, and sweet and sour sauce.
More amuse...
Bread and Brittany butter......OH!!!! the BUTTER!!!! THE BUTTTEEEERRR!!!!!!!
Veggie Sushi.....LOVED it. It was a perfect dish.
OOohhh the BUTTTTEERRR!!!!
Table side service:
From the table side service: Tomato gazpacho and mustard ice cream.
Carmelized onions with fresh greens:
Squash veloute with smoked bacon cream....it was so enjoyable
Risotto with vegetables like you've never had:
Couscous with vegetables you've never had:
My fish with green tea sauce. I was worried I really wouldn't like this dish when I smelled it, but it was very fresh! :)
The cheese cart, mix of cow and goat milk cheeses:
My cheese plate:
My dessert!!! It was a chocolate mille feiulle.....delectable! Before it was cut, the server presented it to every table and told them it was their dessert. The pastry was so delicate, crisp, thin, and very flaky. It was so easy to cut through.
Macaroons with vegetable fillings....interesting.
It was a really tasty meal. I was hoping that after the meal I would be inspired to cook again, but I was more inspired to start my own organic vegetable farm.

European Pastries

2009-09-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the best pastries I've had throughout my trip:

Chocolate Croissants :)

Cheese Pie!

Apple Strudel!

Truffle Heaven

2009-09-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

Truffles were always something I wanted to eat at in abundance and untouched. I’ve had them before in oil form, or preserved in a bottle, or diced extremely small with ostrich egg, but never have I had a fresh whole slice. I finally got to experience it in Gardone, Italy.

My first dish was baked egg, tomino cheese (a local cheese) and truffles. It was interestingly presented; the server cut open the plastic in front of me and cheese and truffle just suddenly jumps out. The look of the final dish doesn't look too appetizing, but it was very delicious.

When I got my spaghetti, it was truffle heaven! It hasn’t even reached my table and I could smell the fragrance of the truffles, but the taste was much milder than it smelled. It was a rare experience I was delighted to have.

My Ultimate Comfort Food

2009-08-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

There is one dish that I could eat anytime and anywhere....and it's called chinmai. It's one that brings fond memories, warmth in my heart, and joy to my senses.

My grandfather doesn't cook very much, but when he does, it's something special and always delicious. This dish is something my grandfather used to make every Sunday mornings for breakfast when I was really small. I can still remember waking up and going down the stairs, looking forward to get a bowl of chinmai from the pot on the stove. To this day, no one can make chinmai better.

Nowadays, he only makes it when he feels like it or when there are special requests for it. He knows it's one of my favorites so there would be days he'd call me if I want to come over for breakfast because he's planning to make a pot. This time however, I've been craving it for so long that I asked him a few days ago when he'll be making it....and....today is the day! :)

I went to his house early before work, for breakfast. The smell and sight of the bowl of left over congee, misua, cabbage, pork broth, pork bits, boiled shrimp, dried scallops, fried onions, and peanuts instantly put a smile on my face. It's been a long week and this is exactly what I needed. After a bowl, I couldn't resist for another, which my grandfather was also happy to see, especially that nowadays, I'm not eating meat.
This dish is actually considered a peasant's dish because it's what poor people would make when they have left over congee. They would just add cabbage, misua, and some pork and it would be their whole meal. Over the years, my grandpa has added a few more ingredients and made it his own.

Each time he makes this, he still puts care and love into it, which is why it tastes so good. It has become my ultimate comfort food. The love he puts in transfers, which must be why I feel warm and happy when I have even just one spoonful. Wouldn't it be great if each meal felt that way.

Bubble Tea!!!!

2009-06-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite treats is bubble tea (milk tea with pearl tapioca). It was the first think I learned how to say in Chinese when I was in Taiwan more than 10 years ago. Although it originated from Taiwan, there are places in Hong Kong that make them just as good.

One of the places I passed by in Causeway Bay, somewhere near Sogo, was One More Cup. It caught my eye not only because I'm always on the look out for bubble tea, but that there was a crowd of people waiting on the street. It was a small place and you have to wait about 5 minutes because their drinks are so popular many people stop by.
The pearl milk tea here is not as milky as most places, but it was definitely worth the wait!
There is also a stall right across this one that sells bubble tea and other HK snacks. The wait is about 30 seconds. The drink is a little milkier and just as great.

BO Innovation, Hong Kong

2009-06-12T03:57:00.000-07:00

Every time I visit Hong Kong, I always look forward to the food. YUM!!!! Most of the places are good; the street stalls, the hole-in-the wall restaurants, and the food courts. I've been here so many times, but I've never gotten a chance to eat in a fine dining restaurant.

The first night, we went to BO Innovation. It's a two Michelin star restaurant opened by Chinese Canadian Alvin Leung. His food is labeled "X-treme Chinese" because he takes Chinese dishes and deconstructs, re-cononstructs, and transforms them into something so creative by using different techniques with new ingredients not found in traditional cooking.

They had a vegeterian menu prepared which was a pleasant surprise. We ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu, which was a 12 course meal.

Amuse Bouche: Pomelo Foam frozen in Nirogen; done table side.

First Course: Tomato Jelly
Second course: Tofu with spring onion and lime sauce.
Third Course: BO's version of Dan Dan Noodles (Sesame and Peanut Sauce)....delicious and not too spicy.
Fourth Course: Spring Roll of Bamboo Shoots.
Fifth Course: Sweet Potato Lettuce Wrap with miso sauce.

Sixth Course: Mushroom Dumpling. (Didn't really enjoy this one)
Seventh Course: Lettuce salad with kumquat sauce. (I'm not a kamquat person, so I didn't care for this dish much.)

One thing that really bothered me was that the menu first presented to me was completely incorrect. While I was eating the dishes, I noticed that it wasn't what I was supposed to get or something that was not on the menu. Finally, at the salad course, I asked where it was on the menu and the server pointed out that it was the lettuce wrap, which I had a couple courses before. It turns out that there was a new vegetarian menu and they presented and gave me the old one! They gave me a copy of the menu during dinner and as they were explaining each dish, they could see that I was looking at the menu as well. It seems that they were trying to pass it and see if I didn't notice or that the servers are just completely clueless with the food. They finally gave me the correct menu which was newly printed. I was so bothered by this incident, considering it's a two Michelin star restaurant.

Eigth Course: Crispy rice with peas and Sichuan SauceNinth: Mushroom with vermicelli noodles.
Tenth: Cauliflower with black truffle

Eleventh: Rice noodles with black truffles. (My favorite of all the dishes.)
Black Sesame Soda
During the dessert course, I liked the dessert wine that went with it and ordered a glass. As compensation for their "stupid mistake," as the server put it, the glass was complementary.

Dessert: Poached banana with fried banana ice cream.

The menu was a little heavy on the starches, but most of the dishes were still quite delightful. There were a couple things that I wasn't too fond of, but with such a risky concept, it's really quite impossible to be completely satisfied.It was a very unique and interesting experience; one that was definitely worth a try.

Urumuqi Minority Markets

2009-06-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

One of the places I enjoyed visiting was the local minority market. They sold many things like rugs, mirror compacts, hats, pashminas, local fruits, juices, and nuts.

The nuts they sell were still in their shells. I bought some roasted almonds; it took some work to eat, but very delicious.

I also bought freshly churned milk flavoured ice cream. The temperature being 40 degrees Celsius, it was so cool and refreshing. The turnover of the ice cream was so high, once it was churned and mounted on the plate, it kept selling cup after cup. A small cup cost 3 RMB.Another popular item was the freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. I didn’t try it since they didn’t wash the fruits before it was squeezed nor did they wash the glasses so I didn’t want to take my chances with still having a few days to go in the trip.It was a fun experience to see the market, eat the food, and chat with the beautiful people. The Chinese people here are much friendlier than other places I’ve been to in China.