A Wonderful Birthday Indeed

A Wonderful Birthday Indeed

Last last week, I celebrated my birthday! Hooray for me! [Thank you Lord for Your faithfulness to me.] I thought that my birthday would be celebrated by having dinner at home or just watching a movie, but I was wrong. My parents had better plans for my birthday celebration. Although it was only celebrated by only me and my family, I had a wonderful time.

My parents treated me to dinner at Katre, a Mediterranean fusion restaurant. It is located in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. It is described as a Mediterranean fusion because it combines Mediterranean dishes with Filipino cooking… and the marriage of both is just so wonderful.

For my birthday, my dad ordered grilled tuna on top of rice served with mussels and potato strings. It was very good. The fish had the right moisture and the flavor was perfect. My mom had chicken covered with a rich white sauce with mash potatoes and a tomato salad side dish. Again it tasted so good. The chicken was, I think, roasted since it still had a nice brown skin part. I loved the mash potatoes. The dishes my parents picked were really good… but I think mine was the best [biasedJ].

my dad's dish

my mom's dish

I liked the dish I ordered because it had the combination of my favorite foods. It had grilled chicken and pasta. These are my comfort food. The pasta was the base of the dish then it was topped with the grilled chicken then topped with potato strings. It was so delicious. The pasta had white sauce with mushroom and the chicken was grilled to perfection. The sizes of the dishes were just right for me and my parents to appreciate the wonderful flavor masterpiece.

so goooooood!

After enjoying our dishes, the management and staff of Katre gave me a complimentary chocolate birthday cake slice. It was very good. The cake was so chocolatey, but not too sweet and it had the right moisture. It was so scrumptious.

Truly I enjoyed my birthday not only because of the food but also because of the people who were with me.  If you’re in the Tomas Morato Area and you’re craving for good Mediterranean fusioned dishes, stop by and dine at Katre… also be sure to check out their other delicious dishes.

-DOT-

P.S. sorry for the bad quality of photo… it was taken using itouch.

OH My Goodness!! (A Crazy late update)

OH My goodness!! (A Crazy late update)

Oh my goodness… do you guys remember my last update on the Christmas blog series, entitled “You know it’s Christmas when…”? Yup, the last update where I greeted everyone a happy new year….

Well on that blog I did say that the camera I used to take pictures of the U.P. Lantern Parade got stolen. It’s still stolen BUT I found the memory card! Yey!! So this blog is to show you some pictures during the lantern parade. It was so pretty and colorful! Hope you enjoy!

BTW, I will soon be posting a blog entry that’s so special. J

-DOT-

College of Mass Communication

Asian Institute of Tourism

College of Engineering

The college of Fine Arts' theme was under the sea

photos were originally taken by the writter.. photos may be used but please ask permision or at least acknowledge the source :)

kung hei fat choi

kung hei fat choi

            Happy Chinese New Year!!!

           

            Yes! I may be late in greeting you… but anyway… here’s how I celebrated the Chinese New Year…

           

             I was able to eat traditional tikoy cooked with egg courtesy of my classmates ^_^. My mom and I also ate tikoy that had a modern twist from Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli. We also ate different types of sweet hopia like buko pandan and ube macapuno, also from Eng Bee Tin. Eng Bee Tin is one of my favorite Chinese Deli places because they have the original types of Chinese delicacies and innovated delicacies. All of this food tasting happened before and after the Chinese New Year but during the day itself I did not eat tikoy or any traditional Chinese New Year food instead I ate a chocolate cake. Yup you read that rightJ!

Hopia with a twist

Not your regular Hopia :)

            During the week of the Chinese New Year my mom bought a really cute and delicious chocolate cake from Icings. It was decorated with white rabbits, since it is the year of the rabbit, and a banner-like sign that says Kung Hei Fat Choi. All of this cake décor were made of white chocolate. The goodness of the cake does not end with its exterior but also the interior. The cake was moist and really chocolate-y. The inside of the cake had chocolate chiffon bread while the filling was chocolate mousse. It was so good… off course it is good since it has been made by Icings. I love icing because their cakes look good and tastes even better. They have cakes for everyone [children, couples, singles] and for any occasions [birthdays, weddings, etc.]. They are located at Dr. Lazcano St, Quezon city, SM Supercenter in Pasig, and Market! Market!

cute and yummy

delicious detail

Check out the cute rabbits ^__^

            That’s all for now… be sure to taste their cakes! Kung Hei Fat Choi!

-Dot-

Buon Giorno!

Buon Giorno!

                 Buon Giorno is Italian for good day! Buon Giorno is also an expression or feeling you surely will have after dining at Buon Giorno café and bistro.

      Buon Giorno is a wonderful restaurant that first opened in beautiful Tagaytay. The scenery in Tagaytay was breath taking. While dining, you can see the smallest volcano in the Philippines, the Taal volcano. Buon Giorno Tagaytay is not only known for their beautiful cozy ambiance but also their great Italian food. They serve a variety of Italian dishes like pastas, pizzas, salads, soups, risottos, and many more. They also have a menu on Filipino breakfast like tocino, tapa, and others.

      I think that the only problem is that it was a bit far from Manila (my place of residence). BUT, today this problem has been resolved because Buon Giorno opened its second restaurant at Rockwell Business Center (beside Medical City).

      And because they opened a new restaurant my family and I decided to go. I could say that the view in Tagaytay is different, but the ambiance still radiates cozy Italian. During our dining experience we ordered the following dishes: Frito Misto de Mare, Steak Panini, Spaghetti Bolognese, Gamberretti e Funghi Ravioli, and lamb chops.

      The Frito Misto de Mare is like mixed seafood calamari. It is deep fried seafood (fish, mussels, shrimp, and squid) and batter. Buon Giorno’s Frito Misto is not soggy but is deliciously crispy.

The Steak Panini was good. It is a perfect meal but could also be a yummy snack. It is sided by fresh salad and potato chips.

Paninis :)

Pasta is my comfort food so allow me to generously describe Spaghetti Bolognese and Gamberretti e Funghi Ravioli. Spaghetti Bolognese in simpler terms would be spaghetti and meatball. I love Buon Giorno’s pastas because of their rich flavored sauces. The Spaghetti Bolognese has a tomato sauce base making flavors rich and creamy. This pasta dish’s key player is the huge yummy meatballs. These meatballs are made from ground beef with various spices that makes that meat so yummy. The Gamberretti e Funghi Ravioli also has a tomato sauce base mixed with seafood stock (I think?). The ravioli in this dish is stuffed with mushroom and shrimp filling (the reason why I think this dish has seafood stock). When biting into the ravioli you could clearly taste the wonderful marriage of the mushroom and shrimp. Oh… writing this makes me want to eat one now J.

Spaghetti Bolognese.... with lots-a-meatbalssss



Gamberretti e Funghi Ravioli



mmmm!!!! :)

My dad was the one to who ordered the lamb chops. It looked good and tasted good. It is accompanied by mash potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Delizioso

All this talk about Buon Giorno really makes me have a Buon Giorno.  So what are you waiting for?... have a Buon Giorno moment too. J

-Dot-


*for more information on their menu check this out:
http://www.munchpunch.com/restaurants/branch/menus/5066.aspx
*photos are originally owned by the author please ask permission when using photos. Thank you :)

Great things can be found just around the corner...

Great things can be found just around the corner

[Patio Carlito & White House on the 84^th]

            A new restaurant and restobar just opened near our place. The name of the restobar is White House on the 84^th. This place serves great Filipino dishes with a twist. Some examples of their delectable dishes are: Picha pie (a Filipino twist on pizza) and Chicken Adobo Wings (a Filipino version of Buffalo wings). They also serve a variety of cocktails and liqueurs.

both found on the same corner

            Beside this new restobar is Patio Carlito.  It is a Filipino restaurant with a modern zing. It is located at 84 Sct. Tuason St., corner E. Lopez Sr. Ave., Quezon City, Philippines. 

menu cover

beautiful ambiance

            During my dining experience I was able to sample 4 dishes. The first dish was Kinilaw na Lamang Dagat sa Gata. Kinilaw is raw fish that was soaked (so that it becomes cooked) in vinegar. Lamang Dagat is the Filipino term for seafood and Gata is coconut milk. This dish was very good. It was spicy but the bite that the chili brought was so good. The next dish is Adobong Kangkong with Crispy Cuchinillo Strips. This dish was also superb! The Cuchinillo (chicharon) strips were so good and crunchy. I was also able to taste their Tagaytay Osso Buco. Tagaytay is a wonderful place in the Philippines and to fully understand what an Osso Buco is here is a link of an example recipe: http://www.monterey.com.ph/frenchPorkChopShanks.html. The last dish I tasted was Classic Lengua. Lengua is ox tongue. This was my favorite of the night. The creaminess of the sauce was just right with the meat of the dish.



Dish 1

Dish 2



Dish 4

Patio Carlito offers very good food at  an affordable price… this will surely make me come back for more J.

-DOT-



  

Myron’s Place: A place to be

Myron’s Place: A place to be

      Found in Greenbelt 5 (Makati, Philippines) is a wonderful place. A place were wonderful gastronomic experiences happen. This place is Myron’s Place.

            Myron’s Place or Myron’s serves fine American cuisine. Their menu consists of fresh salads, appetizing appetizers, mouthwatering steaks, scrumptious seafood, and so much more.   The place looks really nice and the food taste better than how the restaurant looks.

            During the noon before the New Year, my family and I were able to visit and dine at this delightful place. The place is quiet during lunchtime… so when we were there we were the only costumers they had. That afternoon we had a taste of four yummy dishes. The first was a plateful of Gratinated Mussels. It is an oyster topped with cheese, herbs, and spices then either baked or browned to let the cheese melt.

Yummy Oysters!

        The second dish was a bowl of creamy pumpkin soup. It looked really good and tasted so good. It was not a thick pumpkin soup but it was creamy and so pumkin-ny (not a word but it describes the dishJ).

SOUPerb!

 The next dish was a juicy well-done steak. It was so good… that I forgot the name of the dishJ. The steak was also served with sauteed garden vegetables, baked potato, and a choice of three House Sauces: Shiraz Cabernet-Shallot Jus, Brandy Pepper or Mushroom Sauce. I must say that the sauce allows you to taste the stake in different perspectives… which is awesome! J

The Steak with vegetables, baked potato, 3 tasty sauces

       The last dish we ate was the U.S. Certified Angus Corned Beef and Cabbage. It was the real deal corned beef (not the canned type). It tasted good.

The corned beef

            The dining experience was lovely and I sure will return to that wonderful place… Myron’s Place J.

~Dot~

Photos are owned by author. Please ask permission when using the photos. Thanks! :)

Happy New Year! ....(updates)

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope everyone will have a prosperous new year ahead.

One of my new year's resolution, btw having a new year's resolution is great because it means you are setting a goal for yourself, is to blog more :) So hopefully... this year i will blog more on great stuff :)

Another updatre is that i promised to give an update on the UP Christmas Celebration... ummm .. i did go and i took pictures... lots of them... but sadly the camera i used got stolen and the memory sd card is missing.. [bummer!] so here is a link to UP's site and it pretty sums it all up.. : http://www.upd.edu.ph/~updinfo/index156.html


So I'm looking forward to more fun and exciting finds this year!

-DOT-