All about good food…. hopefully

July 3, 2009

Tao Heung 88 – Various locations in HongKong

Filed under: Hong Kong — gourmandtales @ 8:40 am

Here is one of he more famous restaurant that is known for their DIMSUM. People in hongkong would usually order one of two dishes and spend the whoel day reading the newspaper or talking and sharing stories with one another.  When you see people ordering a lot of dishes. more often than not, they are not from HK.:)

Place was swamp with locals. Be ready to fall in line and wait for a table. Service was quick. Place is as clean as any chinese restaurant can get.

on the table

Radish cake cube, fried with XO sauce- SP_A2730a different taste on the usual radish cake.  I love XO sauce.. the combination of Dried scallops, chilies, etc, etc.. its a wonderful sauce and to blend it with radish cake that would eventually absorb it. Yummy. It could use more sauce though:)

Congee with century egg and pork-SP_A2731 very good  congee, the rice was soft and cooked to the brink that it would eventually melt. THe century egg was of high quality meaning the yolk was silky smooth.

Hakao-SP_A2733 Hongkong hakao is really a taste ot behold. Plump filling, thin and elastic wrapper that is made just right to hold the stuffing.  Indeed one of my favorite chinese dish.

Cheong Fan(asado)SP_A2732- rice rolls, steam to perfectio, elastic and gummy yet very delicious, the filling was overflowing to the ends was you can see, the sweet and slightly salty sauce was just perfect for the dish

Cha Xiu Bao(asado  siopao)-SP_A2734 hot of the steamer, still smoking.. they didnt scrimp on the filling here. Sweet and salty at the same time. THe meat bit was tender and not too much fat was present.

SioMai- SP_A2735 aisde from hakao, Hongkong restaurants siomai really is a world different from our siomai.. except maybe from the siomai at LiLi and Shang palace. You can taste the combination of Shrimp and pork here. And i mean SHRimp..

Lotus leaf wrapped riceSP_A2738- sticky rice cooked inside the leaf itself. sanwich in between the rice layers are chopped chicken and pork. bery heavy and filling

Pan Fried Radish cake-SP_A2736 what makes their radish cake different from our is that the texture is smoother. and packed.

Spareribs with Chicken Feet-SP_A2737 i wonder why we dont make something liek this, two viands in one order so that you get to taste two kinds already. Calling all dimsum places here.  the pork is very very tender. with the right amount of fat. The chicken feet was also very well cooked. not too skinny, lots of gelatinous goodness:) So friends, stop with the breakfast at Mc do.. try what the locals are eating.. eat here…:)SP_A2729

June 30, 2009

Yellow Cab Pizza – Dear Darla Pizza

Filed under: Comfort Food, Pizza — gourmandtales @ 10:11 am

Let me interrupt my Hongkong series with this pizza love. Yellow cab opened in our city with a big bang. Delivering big 18 inches pizzas, loaded with toppings.  All of us thought is was an american franchise, with how the advertisement looked like showing caucasians, showing new york city. Glad to know that its proudly Filipino owned and it already have branches abroad.

They came up with an imitation to C Italian dining PANIZZA and they call it Dear Darla. let see how they fare in their try… Photo-0152Photo-0153

Not as thin as the ones of C’s, not also as savory. It is a cheap and closer(in terms of distance not in taste…NO WAY) alternative. A healthier way in eating my favorite food.Photo-0154Photo-0155Photo-0156

Another new item is the baked potato halves.Photo-0157loaded with cheese and bacon bits.  it was good, but it would have been better if it was baked more so you get a golden brown crust

June 26, 2009

Hong Kong Series – Tsui Wah- Central

Filed under: Hong Kong — gourmandtales @ 7:55 am

Meeting up with an old friend. We were waling around Wellington St in Central and was discussing where to eat, Having tried the famous wanton noodle places. We decided to eat at this Hongkong Coffe Shop.. yes , this is a coffee shop for the Hong Kong people. Though they serve meals as well. Its a famous restaurant.

Service is quick. Food serve hot.  Place not as celan as a fine dining restaurant but clean enough. They have a lot of choices. But there are the interesting ones.

Hong kong French Toast-SP_A2716 humongous piece of french toast. Done the crispy way. Its two slices of bread, sandwich in between is what i think was condensed milk.. then dipped in egg and instead of just pan frying it, this one is deep fried. Served with syrup.. Yummy.

Lamb Chops in curry sauce served with roti.SP_A2717SP_A2718- 3 chops, cooked mediumwell(no asking here how your lamb is to be cooked, just hope and pray thats its not well done. hehe) The curry sauce was thick and creamy. THe roti was fantastic.SP_A2719 it was crispy on the outside and soft and chewy inside. Perfect to scoop the sauce and eat it.

This is a nice place to eat at. I usually dont eat at KFC or MCdo here and just try this places,

June 23, 2009

Hong Kong Series – TODAI Japanese Buffet

Filed under: Hong Kong — gourmandtales @ 7:53 am

Even with the advent of the Influenza A(H1N1) a lot of people are still travelling. Here is my food trip in one of my favorite places to eat at in the planet.  HONG KONG!!!!

Located at the basement level of Miramar Shopping Center at Tsim Sha Tsui. Nathan Road.. in front of the Kowloon Park.

I have been eyeing this restaurant for years now and finally I decided to give this a try. My Parents have eaten here a couple of times before and told me thats is a good deal. Lunch Buffet cost HK 118 dollar. Dinner cost twice as much, i dont know why.. the selection is still the same(so i was told)

Plate no1. Assortment of Sushi rolls-SP_A2708SP_A2707SP_A2709SP_A2710i love how their sushi rolls look. very very pretty. The rice was perfectly cook, not mushy. THe ingredients they used was very fresh and the combinations are different from what we are used to here.SP_A2703 THey even had the idea to stamp their name on the tamago.

Plate no2. Siomai and Siao Long PaoSP_A2711-the siao long pao skin was a bit dry. however inside was bursting with hot soup and delicious minced meat. The siomai are better than the siomai we get here from most fast food joints and chinese restaurants.

Plate no.3 Salad and tofu-SP_A2704 The tofu was silky smooth and the dressing that accompanied it has the right mix of sweet, sour and salty tomes that was perfect for the neutral taste of the tofu. THe crunchy noodle on top added was nice touch. THe salad was just okay.

Plate no.4 Pizza and Pasta-SP_A2706the pasta was aldent and lot of seafood that was cooked just right. THe pizza was also good and cheesy

Bowl no.1 wanton noodle soup-SP_A2712SP_A2713this was better than the watons i get from restauants here like Chowking etc...

Plate no.5 -roast leg of lamb-SP_A2705cooked medium.. still pinkish in the middle. it was tender and the well seasoned. THe gravy was also perfect for the roast

Plate no.6 Dessert -SP_A2715very good mango crepe, and nice selection of ice cream, i got the vanilla only though and it was dense and creamy.

June 18, 2009

Asian Twist – N.S. Amoranto, Quezon City

Filed under: Asian, Fusion, Quezon City — gourmandtales @ 11:26 am

THis is the newest restaurant in this area, near Banawe Quezon City.  Specializing in Asian Fusion cuisine.. or so they say.

Located in N.S. Amoranto St or better known as Retiro. It has very nice signage.  Place was very brightly lit. Consist of 2 floors. Service is a little slow and expect little mistakes from the staff so be sure to let then repeat what you order to lessen the confusion

On the Table

Seafood Bibimbap- DSC00145DSC00146 i ordered the seafood cream bibimbap but this was the one served, i didnt have it changed anymore. Anyway, it was served in a traditional sotne bowl to keep the food hot and cook the egg. It has lots of seafood. the shrimps were plump and crunchy. My only rant here is that, their bibimbap then to be on the dry side, but still good.

Jane’s Pajeon- DSC00147 Jane is suppose to be one of the owners of this resto, and having a dish named after the owner , i guess it really worth a try.  THe pajeon as you can see here is pan fried to a delightful golden brown crisp, which i different on what we usually get in korean restaurants. It is very tasty, and i love the crunch. Problem is it tends to be oily

VEggie and tofu tempura- DSC00149DSC00150there was a typo in the menu, saying they serve eggplant in this dish. However, there were no eggplant see, just the usual Kakiage and tofu. Fried to crispy perfecttion. A nice appetizer

Mango something shake(forgot the name)- DSC00143Mango with calamansi syurp. Its a mango shake with a twist indeed. A wonderful thirst quencher

Banapple shake- DSC00144 another shake, very very good. light and refreshing.

I didnt like how they didnt follow the order of how food is supposed to be served, you know…. appetizers before the main dish… THe first dish to arrive was the Bibimbap. Then the appetizers were served seperately. They should try serving sppetizers the same time and main dishes after appetizers.. I think that would be just right, however, food is very affordable and serving size more than adequate. TRy it:)

June 15, 2009

Cheap Desserts – Hai Chinese Restaurant and Chill-out bar

Filed under: Chinese, Dessert, Malls — gourmandtales @ 3:15 am

 

Mango Sago-P65-DSC01620DSC01622 a bowl of Mango goodness, served with sliced mangoes and loaded with sago. They added milk to give it the unusual creaminess that we find in ordinary mango sago that is served in other chinese restaurants. Dont forget to order this.DSC01619when you dine in this restaurant.  2 branches in the metro, one in SM mall of Asia, and another in Fort Taguig

June 12, 2009

Mien San Noodle House – Granada St. San Juan

Filed under: Asian, Chinese, Comfort Food, Greenhills — gourmandtales @ 9:50 am

Address:

36 Villa Ortigas II, Granada St.,
Quezon

Tel no: (63 2) 724-8388

Parking – limited slots available in front

THis noodle house has been there for more than 10 years already. And you can see this fact base on their signage..which still has their own 6 digit tel no, the interiors which are really outdated.

I ate here once when they initially opened. like it, but never had the chance to eat here till now. Plsce still looked the same . No significant changes.

Pork and Casbbage dumplings- mien-02mien-08Freshly cooked, served hot. Filling was substansial, tasted great. no fatty extenders. great with the dipping saucesmien-01

Shrimp and Chives Dumplings-mien-06mien-07 i was surpirsed by the contents of these dumplings. You can see the whole shrimp, and not the chopped shrimps we use to find in other places here. Very very good. Has this pan fried. the pork variant we had it steamed.

Beef tendon Noodles- mien-03 the noodles unlike the noodle houses we are used to, like north park, ling nam etc etc.. are fat just like a japanese udon. These noodle are of the taiwanese kind, which you can also find when you order noodles in Ersao. its chewy and very filing. Beef was very tender and the broth very flavorful.

Seafood Chami-mien-05 one of the dishes that is popular in this resto. Chani.. meaning pan-fried.  this dish can be a bit oily… but otherwise it was very good. It was loaded with seafood and veggies, the noodles were cooked just right.

Overall, the place still maintain its quality in regard to their food even after all these years. the place really needs a facelift though, but i guess with people still flocking to this noodle house till late in the evening, i think the owners and the customers are happy.  So i guess, why cant something that aint broke right??  to those who havent try this place.. come and enjoy their food.

June 9, 2009

Dumaguete Series – Best Dumaguete Pasalubong

Filed under: Dumaguete City — gourmandtales @ 9:36 am

Buttery, rich, creamy. this is how i describe the best pasalubong to bring home from Dumaguete and for me, they have the best Silvanas in the Country.sansrival

I prefer their Silvanas over their Sanrival. Because of the size. Being small the silvanas can be eaten easily by a single person. I usually pair it with fruits.  Trust me, its worth hand carrying it and bringing it to people you love. And for 10 per piece of Silvanas, its also very affordable.

Another pasalubong would be the dumaguete Longganisa which looks like the longganisa of Vigan but packing more paprika for the intense maroon color and sweetish flavor compared to the wildy garlicky flavour of the Vigan Longanisa

June 7, 2009

Dumaguete Series – Royal Suite Inn Cafe

Filed under: Dumaguete City — gourmandtales @ 1:20 pm

Billeted at a hotel, 5 mins away from the airport, we went to explore the local cafe and try their food, thins that are not available in Manila.

Special Club Sandwich-duma7duma8 asking what made their sandwich special. they said they smother it with cheese sauce and eggs. So we ordered it and gave it a try. it was ineed smother with cheese sauce and chopped boiled egg. Its a little “nakakasuya” an order is good for 2 persons

Now this next dish will make carnivores smile…… look at the size of their sizzling bulalo… its a whole bone…….. parang dinasour bulalo, very big, it is the biggest bulalao i have ever seen.  Cooked perfectly tender. no effort whatsoever in eating it.duma9duma10duma11 If ever you are in Dumaguete, you have to try this bulalo

June 4, 2009

Dumaguete Series – Casablanca

Filed under: Continental food, Dumaguete City — gourmandtales @ 12:55 pm

I wonder if being a city of gentle people makes them more liken by Expats… Because there are a lot and i mean a lot of Foregin retirees in this city. Among the business that these expats are into are into the food and restaurant business. There are a lot of restaurants in this city, especializing in different cuisines.

Among the new ones is this restaurant opened by an Austrian Chef. Named Casa Blanca.

On the Table

Spaetzle with ham and onions-dumague1 Spaetzle is  a german dish made from dough like noodles but shaped like little dumpling, some chef would just pass the dough thru a strainer with large holes to make the shape. This disih had a mild flavour, the speatzle soaking up the ham and onion flavour.  It was good.

Casablanca Steak- dumague2asked to be cooked medium, and it was delivered tome medium. good….The sauce was also very very good , the mashed potato was freshly made and not the powedered form.  The eat was very tender and flavourful, the sauce complemented it well

Crepe stuffed with ice cream- dumague3this was just ordinary, nothing to brag about.dumague

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