A secret called Vieux Chalet
*Published in the Life & Travel section of Manila Standard Today
Most people associate Antipolo with the cathedral and the patron saint for travel. Others associate it with the watering holes that line Sumulong Highway, mostly because they offer a spectacular panoramic view of Metro Manila especially at night. Undeniably, these two have put a sleepy [...]
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Salmon head and chayote tops soup
Unlike my fried chicken and cabbage fried rice, this soup dish was something I planned and prepared for. Well, more like a five-minute planning, actually. I saw the salmon heads in the supermarket and couldn’t resist the thought of having fish head soup for dinner. Then, there were the chayote tops that just looked so enticingly fresh. The picture inside my head of a simple soup spiced with lots of ginger was just too irresistible. So, I gave in…
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Fried chicken and cabbage fried rice
I debated for a few minutes about the name of this recipe. Fried chicken and cabbage fried rice does sound redundant. Alliteration, I believe, is the correct term. But I decided to retain it because it is the perfect description for this dish. It is a variation of the basic Chinese fried rice recipe, of course, although cabbage is not a usual ingredient with Chinese fried rice probably because it is a watery vegetable and water in fried rice can be disastrous. Well, when a cook is challenged, the cook finds a way. 
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Bangus sisig and daing na galunggong
It was during my birthday dinner last year when I first experienced bangus (milkfish) sisig. Sisig is, of course, traditionally a pork dish made with grilled and chopped pork ears and face and served sizzling on a hot plate. So, you can just imagine my delight when three kinds of sisig were served, one of [...]
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Speedy’s chicken burgers
I’m not so sure if I’ve mentioned before that we have a “Sunday arrangement” in the house. I don’t cook on Sundays. Or, at least, that was the agreement between my husband and myself. He’s supposed to do the cooking on Sundays. From cheese omelets to fried hotdogs and eggs, he can now cook wonderful pork chops and nilagang baka too. But prior to last Sunday, I really can’t remember when it was that he last cooked a Sunday meal. What I do remember is that we have been going out most Sundays so that his cooking assignment had been limited to breakfast. And that often meant thawing some cold cuts from the fridge and putting them on the table…
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Bangus (milkfish) fritters, v. 2
The recipe for the bangus (fritters) is not new. It might be, though, for those who haven’t gone through the archives of this blog. Bangus Fritters was one of the earliest recipes that I posted, on May 21, 2003. Imagine that. Seems like another lifetime ago. 
What is new is the recipe for the sauce. It’s still made basically from garlic and mayo but I added a few other ingredients to give it a very oriental twist. The spiciness is subtle but, overall, the sauce is wonderfully pungent and quite intense.
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Xin Tian Di Chinese Restaurant, Crowne Plaza Hotel
Yesterday was the 77th birth anniversary of my late father-in-law. The family gathered for dinner at the Xin Tian Di Chinese Restaurant on the 4th level of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. I was a bit disappointed that there was no dinner buffet—I was hoping to raid the dim sum cart. We ordered a la carte [...]
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(Something like) tiramisu
I wasn’t going to post my tiramisu entry until I could make a better one but the photo looks so gorgeous with the perfect lighting and right focus.
It all started when Beng posted her tiramisu recipe. I was going to wait until she visited the Philippines again so she can teach me. Then [...]
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