jin loves to eat: November 2010

Monday, November 29, 2010

Kashmir ♥ ♥ ♥

I don’t get people who have aversion to Indian food. Hello? Are you out of our minds?!? Curries, tandooris, biryanis, lassis… these are awesome stuff!

And the place I go to for these yummies?

Kashmir! Sometimes in Makati, sometimes in Malate.

No breads here, only something more exciting – a medley of nuts, chips, raisins and other itsie bitsies. Salty, sweet and spicy, this warms up your palate for the multitude of flavors you are soon going to experience.

Kashmir Chicken Yakni (half portion) – I like to squeeze two (sometimes 3) calamansi into my soup. The sourness and acidity first fight, and then blend beautifully with the rich, vitaminy taste of the chicken soup. Always heart-warming.

Tandoori Murgh – I can’t help but stick my face closer to this sizzling hot plate and inhale all the wonderful aroma emanating from it. The yogurt-and spices-marinated spring chicken is baked so beautifully that when I bite into it, tasty juices trickle down my chin.

Rogan Josh Kashmiri – the tender mutton pieces are gamey the way I like them to be, the curry smooth, rich and aromatic. I stop myself from drinking it by the spoonful and order some bread to mop it up until the very last drop

Roti Canai – flaky and gummy, my favorite of all Indian breads

Dum Pukht Biryani – and some people just can’t live without rice. Soft and fluffy.

Mango Jubilee – not wanting to order any Indian dessert ‘cause I don’t want to die of diabetes just yet, I go for the flaming mangoes on vanilla ice cream. Well, I should’ve known better. True, this is not an Indian dessert, but this is still an Indian restaurant. All desserts have to be sickeningly sweet. Ugh.

Mango Lassi – always my Kashmir drink of choice, mango shake with a yogurt twist

Kashmir: Festejo Building, 816 Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road), Makati, Philippines. Tel: +632-8444924, +632-8444927

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Chef’s Table by Chef Bruce Lim ♥ ♥

You must know by now how delinquent a blogger I am. There are times when I haven’t even composed the first sentence about a restaurant and suddenly it closes down on me. Happened a lot of times. Still happening now.

But no worries, Chef’s Table is still in operation. (Whew!) It just moved to its new location at the Fort. I have yet to visit the new place, but not before I finish this. So guys, please do not get all mixed up, this is at the old Kalayaan address.

Roasted Tomato Halaan Soup – the clams are plump, chewy and plentiful although I find the soup just okay. Maybe more ginger?

Chicken Caesar Salad – now this salad I really enjoyed. The chicken is not the usual dry, cardboard-tasting chicken that you push to the side of your plate. It is tender, full of sweet-tamarindy paksiw flavor, and the dressing made from calamansi and patis brings this truly Filipino Caesar salad experience up the highest level.

Fried Pusit with Green Mango Salad – the squid is soft but too oily and can definitely use more seasoning. The green mango salsa saves this dish.

Pan-seared Lapu Lapu with Mongo Sauce – I have to say, the mongo sauce on this perfectly cooked fish is genius. But what really made the greatest impression on me is the camote leaves drenched in bagoong and vinegar, gives the punch to the whole dish.
Chef Bruce proudly announces that this got him featured in the Time Magazine, it is so good it made the author’s mom cry. Awww. Imagine that.

Braised Pork Belly with Chicken Rice – the reason why the mustasa is so bitter, Chef Bruce jokes, is to make this dish seem healthier. Ha. Ha. The bitterness brings out the sweetness of the pork belly, which is tender on most parts, but can be more tender on some.
I think mom’s version is much better.

Banana Mango Jubilee –
so good I wish it came in a full size aquarium rather than this little martini glass

I guess what played a big part in making this an enjoyable meal, aside from sharing it with new friends, old friends, and long lost friends, is Chef Bruce’s fun and easygoing personality. In between cooking, explaining the dishes and inviting everyone to come up and watch him work, he entertains us with stories about his out-of-this-world experiences, of which most he’d rather keep off the record.

Do not be fooled. This is a funny, funny guy.

Old friends, new friends, long lost friends

Chef’s Table (New Location): Unit 106, The Ininity Tower, 26th Street, The Fort Global City, Taguig, Philippines. Tel: + 639188871277, +639228712777, +632-3991888

Saturday, November 27, 2010

jin loves to eat at home, Virginia Series: Part 2

Sisters. They love one another dearly, care for each other sincerely. Yes, they argue occasionally, but they make up almost immediately. That’s us, my sister Jerrilyn and I.

Us then Us now

And sisters, they wait for each other. But my sister did not.

She went ahead and got married, and is now a happy and proud wife and mother of three.

And me? Well, I am still searching. Very. Very. Patiently.

No, we do not eat out ALL the time when I visit them in Virginia. Good thing my sister, like my mom, cooks very well. What can I say, I guess some siblings got it, some siblings don’t. Some can cook, and some, like me, can eat. Life is fair.

Because we have 3 kiddos in the house, we have kiddie meals sometimes.

Creamy and cheesy turkey spaghetti

My adult version with parmesan, oregano, basil, parsley and a dash of cayenne pepper

Cheeseburger

Krispy Kreme doughnut

Philly cheesesteak from Mario’s

Homemade cheesesteak sandwich

Chicken sinampalukan

French toast slices

Pan-fried tilapia and spinach-feta triangles

Ground turkey with potatoes and carrots

Hotdog sandwich

Pork and cabbage soup

The 3 adorable kiddos with their old spinster aunt

jin loves to eat at home, Virginia Series: Part 1

So I’ve been gone for a while. Been hibernating at my sister’s in Virginia, spending time with my adorable nieces and nephew, putting on more flabs and bulges than my already size 14 clothes can take. I am now literally bursting at the seams.

My sister Jerrilyn and her husband Ryan are quite into Chinese-y stuff. Look.

What guard their house

Chinese scrolls, table runner, throw pillows…

Chinese-style dining table, red lanterns, red sofas…

But good thing no Chinese food while I am here.

My first night, we have Korean, which means lots and lots of meat.

Grilled beef ribs

Grilled pork belly

Okay, we have wonton soup, but this one’s Americanized so it’s not really Chinese-Chinese

On another day, we have shabu-shabu, always best to have at home!

Bok choy, watercress, golden mushrooms, crab sticks, shrimp balls

My special dipping sauce

Trays and trays and trays of beef

Kimchi udon (I know, this should belong to the Korean meal, right? But we like to mix!)

And on another day, my bro-in-law Ryan makes a mean steak.

Mine is a perfect medium with pink center

My sis and the kids like it well done, with steak rice

That’s the Steak Master working it

And he bakes a cheesecake, too!
Food styling by moi. I call it “In the Wild” Strawberry Cheesecake.

My slice. Yum!

jin loves to eat at home, October 25 - November 1, 2010

It’s that time of the year again, when adults are as excited as (sometimes even more excited than) children to dress up in their Halloween costumes to ~~scare~~ seduce people. We have policewomen who look more like prostitutes than respectable law-enforcing officers, French maids who, in their short and tight uniforms, look like they’re out not to clean houses but to make a mess of their masters’ homes and marriages, nurses in cleavage-showing tops that guarantee the strongest patients an instant coronary attack.

Gone are the days when Halloween costumes are meant to be frightening and spine-chilling.

October 25, 11:0am

King crabs and tiger prawns