jin loves to eat: August 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

jin loves to eat at home, August 23-29, 2010

Currently reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love.

It is such a powerful book.

“I tell her that I don’t need to see the menu but could she just bring me the best food possible because this is my first night in Sicily. She rubs her hands together in pleasure and yells something in Sicilian dialect to her even-more-elderly mother in the kitchen, and within the space of twenty minutes I am busily eating the hands-down most amazing meal I’ve eaten yet in all of Italy. It’s pasta, but a shape of pasta I’ve never before seen – big, fresh, sheets of pasta folded ravioli-like into the shape (if not exactly the size) of the pope’s hat, stuffed with a hot, aromatic puree of crustaceans and octopus and squid, served tossed like a hot salad with fresh cockles and strips of julienned vegetables, all swimming in an olivey, oceany broth. Followed by the rabbit, stewed in thyme…”

August 23, 12:40pm

Shrimp with asparagus, radish, chicken and mushrooms, egg fried rice

Dragon fruit, pomelo, kiwi, pear, apple

Fresh watermelon juice and a whole bag of Mauna Loa dark chocolate macadamia (read: PMS)

August 24, 10:43am

Pomelo, kiwi, dragon fruit, pear, apple

Fresh watermelon juice

August 25, 12:54pm

Milkfish belly, assorted mushrooms and celery, crabmeat egg fried rice

Apple, pomelo, dragon fruit, yellow and green kiwi, pear

August 25, 7:09pm

Steamed halibut, radish, boiled eggplant and rice

August 26, 10:59am

Garlic prawns, pan fried codfish, assorted mushrooms, watercress

Cherries, dragon fruit, pear, pomelo

August 27, 12:40pm

Fried fish fillet, black pepper prawns, pechay with corn and crabmeat, okra

Kiwi, banana, dragon fruit, peach, pear

August 28, 12:14pm

Unagi, chayote, celery and mushrooms

Dragon fruit, pomelo, pear, mango, peach

August 29, 9:39am

Savory chicken salad on wheat pandesal

Mango, dragon fruit, pear, pomelo, banana

“But Syracuse, the next day, is even better… Shyly, I ask the fisherman where I should eat tonight, and I leave our conversation clutching yet another little piece of paper, directing me to a little restaurant with no name, where – as soon as I sit down that night – the waiter brings me airy clouds of ricotta sprinkled with pistachio, bread chunks floating in aromatic oils, tiny plates of sliced meats and olives, a salad of chilled oranges tossed in a dressing of raw onion and parsley. This is before I even hear about the calamari house specialty…”

I am so booking my ticket to Italy!

Yurakuen ♥

I think Yurakuen at the Diamond Hotel is a beautiful restaurant.

Japanese dolls greet you as you enter

One of the few teppanyaki rooms facing the garden

Bright and sunny main dining room

Too bad their lunch sets are safe and boring.

Appetizer – braised tuna pieces

Assorted sashimi

Katsudon Set – otoshi, tuna sashimi, katsudon, pickles, miso soup

Gindara Teriyaki Set – otoshi, nimono, gindara teriyaki, chawanmushi, sunomono, steamed rice, pickles, miso soup

Sukiyaki Set – otoshi, sukiyaki, namatamago, steamed rice, pickles, miso soup

Mixed tempura and chicken teriyaki

Strawberry pudding

The only thing I like about dining here is I can enjoy delicious Sumibi coffee from Kohikan

Yurakuen: G/F, Diamond Hotel, Roxas Boulevard corner Dr. J. Quintos Street, Manila, Philippines. Tel: +632-528-3000

The Fireplace at Hyatt, A Third Time ♥ ♥ ♥

It is the 27th of August, 4 days left to enjoy the Oyster Promotion at The Fireplace. After the 31st, it’s Goodbye, Fine de Claire.

Frances panicked.

So here we are.

Local oysters baked with foie gras – I forget to mention, and the waiter forgets to ask.
He assumes we want local, and gives us local. So there, local oysters baked in foie gras.
The oysters are so much smaller than the Fine de Claires. Even the foie gras pieces are noticeably tinier. In fairness, these taste okay. But we want bigger and juicier oysters,
so we order a plate of Fine de Claires.

The waiter comes back with our FDCs and gasp! They are even smaller than the local ones! He assures me that these really are imported and tells me not to the mind the smaller-sized shells because they just reuse them for all their oysters, big or small. Errrrr…..

Anyway, after we reject the miniscule bivalve molluscs, the waiter explains that today’s FDCs are really small and suggests we have another round of local oysters instead.

Second order of local oysters baked with foie gras – oysters slightly bigger than the first round. More generous foie gras pieces, too. But these still pale greatly in comparison to the Fine de Claires I had before.

Charcuterie platter – smoked salmon, foie gras, parma ham, blue cheese, fig compote.
Nice and fresh. I love the tomato-blue cheese combo the most.

Cream of forest mushroom – light and creamy, but nothing great

Risotto of forest mushroom – like the soup, this is good, but not the best

Barbecued baby back ribs (half portion) – I can think of many restaurants that do this better

Free-range spring chicken roasted in wood-fired oven (half portion, with half portion of baby back ribs at the back) – they say the chicken isn’t fresh and it tastes burnt

Butterfly tiger prawns, brushed with lemon oil – overcooked and rubbery. Dad not happy.

Grilled halibut, capsicum-kalamata relish – overcooked and rubbery as well.
Gwama not happy.

“I’d rather eat sourdough bread dipped in coffee”

“This is yummier than the halibut”

Lamb and beef dishes are still what The Fireplace does best. Next time I’ll stick to my favorites.

Roasted Australian rack of lamb (half portion) – lacks the gamey flavor I so love, but this is very tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare.

Tasting plate of American wagyu premium cuts 6+, left to right: sirloin, ribeye, tenderloin – beautiful marbling makes beautiful steaks. All three cuts are excellent, but I am most in love with the wagyu sirloin, so rich in beef flavor and so soft like a newborn baby’s meat.

Potato gratin – creamy goodness that is 100% fattening, but 200% comforting

Jr, Me, Frances, Mom, Dad, Gwama, A.Kiddie, A.Baby, A.Sab, U.Andrew

The Fireplace: 5/F Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila, 588 Pedro Gil corner M.H. del Pilar, Malate, Manila, Philippines. Tel: +632-2451234

Monday, August 30, 2010

Italianni’s ♥

August 28 is a very special day.

Because…

1. It is my dear sister Jerrilyn’s birthday.

Meme, as we fondly call her, has grown from the ugliest duckling ever (don’t deny it anymore) to a truly beautiful swan. She now lives in the US with her husband Ryan and their three beautiful children.

We miss them a lot.

Meme and Ryan

My super adorable nephew and nieces – Ryan (again!), Riyanne and Rochelle

Aren’t they are the coolest :)

2. Today, this is what I wake up to:

I wish it was for me from a handsome secret admirer. But the bouquet is for my mom, from her fervent not-so-secret admirer – Meme. Yes, Meme sends flowers (and cake) to my mom on her own birthday.

3. Today, my cousin Florence is on her first week of OJT at Italianni’s Eastwood. And that is why we come here for dinner. To ~~harass~~ support her.

“FLO” the bartender

4. Today, I finally meet Reign. After 11 months, 23 days, 20 hours, 47 minutes and 38 seconds. At least I got to meet her before she turns 1.

Reignah Marie Iyesha Joy Lim See. Whew!!!

Okay, let’s do an intermission before I continue with the other reasons.

This is how we carbo-load:

Focaccia with herb-infused olive oil, vinegar and parmesan cheese – the most delicious food of the night is free!

Soup of the Day – Chicken Mushroom Soup

Insalata Rucola – Cyma does it better

Herb Roasted Spring Chicken

Beef Tenderloin

Pizza Abbondanza – Classico Pizza, Pesto Mediterraneo, Quattro Formaggio

Quattro Staggioni – Pepperoni, Mushroom and Artichokes, Shrimp with Black Olives, Four Cheeses with Arugula

Lasagna

Baked Ziti

And of course, enough noodles to guarantee a very looooooooooooooooong life.

Angel Hair Pomodoro

Shrimp Fra Diablo

Shrimp and Mushroom Linguine

My grape fruit shake, personally concocted by “FLO” the bartender

Bundaberg bottles are so vintage!

5. Today, to celebrate Meme’s birthday, I wear an outfit I wouldn’t otherwise be caught dead wearing. The rule is to come in “Meme Fashion,” i.e. wild animal prints, bright and loud colors, accessory overkill, knee high boots in the heat of summer. Yup, that is my sister.

Apparently, I am the only one who takes rules seriously.

Conti’s Bananalicious Pie from the celebrant herself, the Crukitchen Queso de Bola Cheesecake and Belgian Chocolate Decadence from Frances

6. Today is also Auntie Sabeth’s Chinese birthday (yes, we all have 2 birthdays in a year. See her “Filipino” birthday here) and she happily stands in for the cake blowing.

Happy birthday, Meme! From me (dressed as you, ugh!), Jamie, Frances, Felisse, Nikko and Auntie Sab