When Your Husband Is Choosy

Everybody who knows hubby knows he is picky, picky, picky, and that he would rather starve than eat something he does not like (i.e. adobo ?!?!!). So when we found this restaurant a few minutes away from home that serves home cooked-like food, i was pleased.

This little restaurant serves very affordable rice meals

You order at the counter in front and choose if you want to stay by the counter or inside an air conditioned room.

We ordered the grilled squid

we were really pleased that the squid was humongous...ok, not humongous but it was definitely bigger than we expected

we were also happy with how the squid was so tender and flavorful! hubby said it was probably due to the lemon grass-like greens inside the squid as it was grilled.

With a good first dish experience and great service, we surely we will be back at Zulu!

The Secret Frozen Yogurt Lab Revealed

We were eating out one evening when hubby told me he saw the purple cart of Froyo's Pure Frozen Yogurt in one of the alleys of a group of restaurants near pioneer. I did not want to believe him without seeing it with my own two eyes because the signage out front said Onstott's, a name that did not ring a bell, so i went to have a look see.

My first encounter with Froyo was at the Salcedo Market last February. As we were musing on things to fill our tummies, a cart in the middle of the walkway caught our attention because (1) i was beginning to really like frozen yogurt around that time and (2) the vendor was giving out free taste of the product like there was no tomorrow!

It was an instant hit as i loved the yogurts texture and flavors. I found out that a restaurant in Serendra sold Froyo and so in one of my forced book worm day review, i headed to Arama to get a taste of my new found fave. Sadly the yogurt served seemed a little too frozen and had lost that creamy texture i loved about my Salcedo purchase. I had always wanted to go back to the saturday market just to get my Froyo and so when i rounded the corner of one of the alleys where we were eating i was ecstatic it truly was Froyo! The yogurt bar and cafe is basic with a couple of tables and chairs, no particular interior decors except for the two large freezers that hold the most wonderful flavors of frozen yogurt.

there were frozen yogurt in tubs

and cups

i was surprised there were popsicle yogurt

and cake!

Because im the only yogurt crazed person at home, i had bought only a cup of the natural flavored frozen yogurt and went home a happy girl!

I was not surprised that a few days after, i was craving for more and so late one evening, i asked hubby if we could drive a couple of blocks to get me another cup. He of course agreed and we were there in less than 5 minutes. We found out that it was better to go to the yogurt shop from the back of the building. I had a heel wrenching time the first night i went to Onstott's as my high heels kept going through the designs of the walkway. If you enter the back, you're practically at the door.

When i entered the yogurt shop, i found Dave, the owner and vendor i had met at Salcedo Market. I had sort of made up my mind before coming over that i had wanted pistachio but Dave asked me if i was sure and started giving me tiny wooden ice cream spoon full of different flavors.

around this time, hubby probably started getting bored waiting and so started taking paparazzi shots from the car as he waited for me to buy my yogurt.

As i was indulging in my test test, i could hear a ruckus from the room which i suspect to be the kitchen. Pounding noises, of maybe ingredients of the natural yogurt.

By the time i had tasted a few flavors, (ok i had taste tested around 6 or 7 flavors!) i was a bit confused on what to get. They were all so good!!! Dave saw the confusion in my eyes and told me he could mix the flavors in the cup if i wanted and that made decision making a little easier (somehow). I chose vanilla and grape. Dave piled on the vanilla flavored frozen yogurt on top of the grape. He even added a few scoops in my cup and just gave me the lid to hold on to because the cup was so full!

From what i know, Onstott's Frozen Yogurt is made from New Zealand Milk and all natural ingredients to make the different flavors. Also, it does not have refined sugar so the sweetness comes mainly from the natural ingredients.

The vanilla yogurt was smooth and creamy, almost like ice cream except it had that zesty after taste i love in frozen yogurt.

I loved the grape flavor instantly when i sampled it. It was refreshing and a bit sweeter than the other flavors. My yogurt cup had a good combination of frozen yogurt flavors!

And my after dinner snack almost didn't make it at home as i was enjoying myself scooping the wonderful dessert giving my palate a creamy, sweet and zesty treat!

Dave said Onstott's was his little hide away. A simple shop at the back of a group of restaurants, hardly noticeable except for that sign out front.

Maybe its his secret lab where he develops new wonderful flavors of frozen yogurt, i thought...maybe i just have a wild imagination!

Onstott's is open 10am to 11pm there's parking at the back of the building where its easier to get to the yogurt shop.

Weekend Food Choices Week 4: Consistent Satisfaction is the Key

We bought advance tickets to Imax to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen last weekend and so before our 7pm movie date, we decided to have dinner.

Weekend Food Choices:
1. Don Henricos
2. Jatujak
3. KFC

Our Choice:

This is one of the best fast food Thai restaurant that hubby and i have been to and we just can't help but keep coming back. This time, we brought Tat along to taste their delicious dishes.

Because we were all absolutely thirsty from our walk around the mall, we all ordered refillable mint and lemon grass beverages

I love this beverage because it is so refreshing! Their Thai iced tea is delicious as well and is a must try.

We absolutely love their tom yum soup and is always on our table when we eat at JatuJak

The warm gingery broth of this dish makes for a great comfort food. Its kept nice and hot by the flame under the pot.

We ordered the mixed seafood tom yum and because hubby forgot to specify that he wanted the soup extra spicy, i happily slurped the broth without making my eyes water.

We decided to try their Pho Pia

These fried spring rolls had glass noodles, minced pork and mushrooms in it. It was nice and crispy and because the filling was not all meat, it doesn't really dampen your appetite for the main course.

I was craving for their Pad Thai

i love these noodles!

For the main course, Tat requested for the chicken pan dan

These tender chicken pieces infused with pandan flavor from the leaf covering them was a good choice.

and this was delicious with the bagoong rice that hubby ordered.

I had actually wanted drip coffee but hot coffee was not available at this branch and because my two dinner dates were not dessert people, we decided to forgo the sweets and enjoy the lemon grass beverages as we waited for the movie.

The movie was great but like majority of sequel movies, i think i kind of liked the first one better...

Not quite like our trips to JatuJak where every dining experience is consistent with the satisfaction of the previous ones!

Flying in a Cebu Lechon to Celebrate a Wonderful Announcement

It was a sunny morning, a beautiful start to a wonderful day! My tummy had been filled with butterflies since the night before. Whether it was from excitement, hunger or both, it really didnt matter because today, we were headed to d airport to pick up a special guest!

Last week was Tat's birthday & just around the same time, i received a notice that my work was accepted for presentation to an international conference. What better way to celebrate a birthday and the acceptance announcement than with family!

So this morning, hubby and i got up early (for him that is) on a saturday to pick up the main guest of our celebration.

At 7am we checked the flight status to make sure the plane was not delayed. And when we were sure the flight was nearing its arrival, we headed to NAIA.

The roads were still pretty spacious for a weekend. And in less than 15 minutes we saw the signboard.

A couple of kilometers from the first airport inspection, the cargo truck we were trailing turned a corner. We decided to follow it as we thought it must be heading the same place as we were. Sure enough, we found ourselves at our pick up area.

The anticipation was enough to make me giddy!

I lined up at the receiving window of the incoming packages and a cheery man asked for my name. Leafing through a couple of forms, he found my airway bill and was probably wondering why i was all googly eyed as he instructed me to proceed to the gates.

At the gate, i gave my airway bill to the lady in charge and as we waited for them to verify my documents, hubby and i searched the packages that might look like ours.

After a couple of minutes my name was called

I was so happy to finally meet our special guest!!

At home, the rest of the feast was waiting for our arrival

We prepared yang chow fried rice brought by brother in law

Beef with broccoli care of Tat

Fresh lumpia and mixed vegetables with shrimp & quail eggs made by Claring

Hototay soup from Tat

Seafood pansit palabok brought by sister in law

and maja blanca & leche flan for dessert bought from our favorite Filipino dessert booth at the market

Our special guest from the airport was unwrapped

and finally after all the wrapping were removed, the golden skinned whole roasted pork was revealed

Chopping was done by the birthday celebrant

The spices that filled the pork could be seen as it was chopped.

These spices infused the meat and skin with a distinct flavor as the lechon was slow roasted on all sides over flamed charcoal. That is, before it took its flight to Manila to become the main attraction at our buffet table.

The word lechon comes form a spanish term meaning roasted suckling pig. This is one of the most popular dishes in any celebration in the Philippines.

After Anthony Bourdain's visit to the Philippines he dubbed our whole roasted pig at the top of his hierarchy of pork.

Frankly, im not all that surprised!

The lechon on the buffet table was the signal for the hungry guests to dig in

Each got their share of all the wonderful dishes in the buffet

I ate quickly because i had to run off to my day job, (surprise, surprise, i don't eat for a living...).

But i left all the guests smiling

Now, whether their smiles were just for the camera or because they loved the dishes that touched their taste buds, in not too sure...

But what ever those smiles meant, it was obvious that life is good!

thank you to my loving hubby for the wonderful photos of the celebration

A Happy Duo

We celebrated 15 years as a couple (2 years of marriage and 13 years before) at the start of the week with a nice quiet dinner in Serendra.

I thought that Duo would be a fitting place as the name of the restaurant describes the combination of two.

Duo's ambiance was nice and cozy with beautiful paintings on the walls which were actually for sale. I take it that the decors evolve with time when these paintings are bought and sold.

we were entertained by our waiter felix who enthusiastically took our orders and as i was starving when we got there, i was ready for some good food.

the bread basket was served and emptied in no time. the warm bread and creamy butter was just to tempting to be ignored by the famished celebrant!

fortunately our soup was served and the warm dish calmed my grumbling tummy. hubby ordered the french onion soup, while i had the prawn bisque & tomato.

for our main course hubby ordered the surf and turf, a combination of blackened top blade steak and spiced grilled prawn.

the steak was deliciously juicy!

i ordered the steak and foie gras (hubby was not surprised at all at my choice)

the steak medallions were topped off with duck liver and port wine jus. it was delicious but i wish the duck liver had a more buttery consistency.

we both enjoyed Chilean wine, luis felipe edwards cabernet sauvignon for hubby and chardonnay terra vega for me.

and then ordered coffee and dessert to cap our dinner date

their brewed coffee had a real bold flavor, a little strong for a late evening cup for me so i poured on the warm milk and ended up with a little spill!

the dessert sampler, on the other hand, was perfect!

the chocolate decadence was smooth and delicious, the blueberry cheese cake buttery in consistency and the tiramisu soft and velvety! Definitely a great ending to a satisfying dinner!

And as we headed back to the car enjoying the serene atmosphere of the evening under the stars, i could not help but think that nothing less than a long happy life awaits our duo!