Clara Ole Baby Back Ribs with Beef Steak Rice and Caesar Salad Recipe

A few weeks ago, I reached a major milestone in my life – I have successfully survived a challenging year at my new office job and living independently in my Makati condo. When I moved in here, I promised myself to cook more and not resort to food delivery. In celebration of this important milestone, Ken decided to whip up a fancy meal for the two us despite the limited kitchen space and equipment at my place. With the help of Clara Ole products, he showed me you don’t have to spend a lot to come up with a restaurant-quality dish that you can make any time, starting with these mouth-watering Barbecue Baby Back Ribs. 🙂

If you’ve been following our blog, you know we are meat lovers. It was easy to decide which dish we want him to cook for this night. He made our meal extra special by also preparing Beef Steak Rice, with Caesar salad on the side. This recipe is easy to cook and budget-friendly, but the flavors and texture are on point; smoky, sweet with that subtle tangy taste. The meat? Falls off the bone. To fully enjoy the meal, we suggest you eat the ribs with your hands so you can lick off the sauce from your fingers afterwards. 😉

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Champorado and Bibingka with Toblerone & Cadbury – A Sweet Twist to Your Favorite Pinoy Merienda

Whenever the clock hits 3 o’clock in the afternoon, it’s like our bodies are programmed to want to have merienda. We grew up like this, and I still remember our nanay knocking on our doors at 3pm, announcing it’s merienda time. When we follow her to the kitchen, we’ll be delighted by the spread of different snacks she bought or prepared for us. You’d usually find pansit luglog or Pansit Malabon, lugaw with tokwa’t baboy, turon (we call it valencia), sopas, ginataan, ensaymada, bibingka and, my favorite, champorado.

Yes, champorado. Some may think that it’s better enjoyed for breakfast, but I beg to disagree. 😀 I love champorado for merienda because it gives me a much-needed boost in the middle of the afternoon that’ll last until the end of the day. 🙂 I also love turon, ginataan, peachy-peachy, and, of course, Pansit Malabon.

Ken’s merienda favorites are lugaw, Pansit Malabon and bibingka. The latter, you’d think you can only find people selling them during the holidays, but in Malabon, it’s a regular snack choice because it’s readily available all year round (that’s why we LOVE our home town 😀 ).

If you’ve seen our past recipes, you already know how we enjoy adding our own twists to usual dishes. This time, Ken came up with 2 Pinoy merienda recipes with a sweet twist that we’re sure you’ll both love. He used products from Mondelez Philippines.

Mondelez Philippines, formerly named Kraft Foods, has been around for over 5 decades. They’re the authority when it comes to snacks. Don’t believe us? Under their belt, they have Oreo, Toblerone, Cadbury, and Tiger Enery Biscuits. Their Eden Cheese is a regular when we prepare spaghetti. We also add cheesiness to our ‘flying saucer’ sandwiches with Cheez Whiz. Merienda won’t be complete, especially for our nanay, without a pitcher of her favorite Tang.

Mondelez has been constantly innovating, coming up with new flavors that us Filipinos love. Have you tried their Oreo Coconut Delight? You must! How about the Tang Dalandan, Honey Lemon and Calamansi? 🙂

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Baon Ideas with Oreo and Tiger Energy Biscuits

I remember when we were still kids, our nanay wakes up really early in the morning to prepare our baon for school. Ken and I usually didn’t know what she prepared for us, and we’ll just be pleasantly surprised come recess time. I guess that’s why we always look forward to opening our lunchboxes during our breaks. She always makes sure we have something to eat that’s not just delicious, but will also energize us for the rest of our school day.

I’m sure many moms would agree that a good baon is vital during school days. I’m seeing a lot of moms getting creative with their kids’ baon nowadays. If you’re one of them, and you need a little inspiration, we’ve got a few ideas for you. We used 2 well-known products fromÂ Mondelez PhilippinesÂ for these recipes.

If this is your first time hearing about Mondelez (pronounced ‘mohn-dah-leez’, meaning ‘delicious world’), their company was formerly named Kraft Foods. The company has been around for decades and theyâ€™re behind familiar brands likeÂ Oreo cookies, Tiger Energy biscuits,Â Tang, Eden Cheese, Cheez Whiz, Cadbury, and Toblerone. If you check their website, you’ll find delightful recipes forÂ fun baon ideas for your kids.

Ken and I love putting a twist on our favorite dishes, and we did exactly that with the recipes belowÂ usingÂ Tiger Energy Biscuits and Oreo cookies, which are already good baon as is, but we thought of other creative treats you can make with them. These snacks / baon bites will surely give you a boost of energy, so it’s not just great for kids, but also fun snacks to take with you to the office or as merienda at home. Let us know once you’ve tried these recipes, okay? Enjoy! 🙂

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Highlands Prime Steakhouse Now Grilling at Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons

â€œIs this the same Highlands as the one in MOA?â€ asked one of the four undecided women who walked into the restaurant while I was busy taking pictures for the blog. After the server who opened the door said yes, the ladies promptly requested for a table for four. â€“ Well, thatâ€™s the kind of marketing no money could ever buy!

Highlands Prime Steakhouse at SM Mall of Asia has already established its name as one of the best steakhouses in the Metro, so it’s no surprise that expectations were ridiculously high when they decided to put up a second branch. Fortunately, their newest branch at Estancia Mall in Capitol Commons, Pasig City did NOT disappoint.

Highlands Prime Steakhouse at Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons

The new place is not as spacious as their MOA branch, but they both sport a laidback country house vibe. It has no direct entrance from inside the mall, so you have to brave the heat outside to get to their restaurant â€“ a minor inconvenience easily compensated by their great food and service.

Their dining area is divided into 4 sections. Coming in from the main entrance, you will be welcomed by tables with cushioned seats on the left and a big display of imported wines on the right. At the far end of the room, stands a fireplace that adds to the modern cabin theme of the restaurant. If you take a left turn from the main entrance, youâ€™ll find a small dining area where the restroom and the kitchen are located. The wall leading to the kitchen is made of glass, which gives you a good view to leisurely watch the chefs in action.

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Sambo Kojin in SM Megamall: Authentic Japanese and Korean Food Heaven

A few weeks ago, we were invited by Sambo Kojin to try their authentic Japanese and Korean dishes at their newest (also the biggest) branch in SM Megamall. Unfortunately, Mhel was unavailable that day because of work, so I asked my longtime foodie friend, Innah, who just came back from Dubai, to join me instead.

Sambo Kojin at SM Megamall

The faÃ§ade of Sambo Kojinâ€™s branch in SM Megamall leaves little clue how spacious and well-lighted it is inside. Once you come in, youâ€™ll be pleasantly surprised at how many tables and seats there are. I honestly got lost a few times, trying to get back to our table. Thatâ€™s how big the place is!

All tables are also equipped with smokeless yakiniku grills. How are they smokeless? These grills have special exhausts located at the sides of the grills, which suck the smoke out before its smell sticks to your clothes.

Itâ€™s also important to note that Sambo Kojin is open the whole day from Friday to Sunday and during Holidays. This means there will be NO breaks in between their lunch and dinner services, making it the perfect venue to celebrate a birthday, a graduation, or an anniversary (or any occasion, really) with your friends and family.

Here you can see the chefs busy at work to make sure all the food on display are replenished in real time.

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My Unforgettable McCormick Flavor Nation Festival Experience

McCormick has proved once again that they know the perfect recipe for an epic party â€“ food, music, arts, and booze â€“ at the first (hopefully, not the last) McCormick Flavor Nation Festival, held at the Activity Center of Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City last May 16, 2015.

McCormick Flavor Nation Festival

Dubbed as the biggest foodie event of this summer, McCormick Flavor Nation Festival was a celebration of more than a decade of the Filipinosâ€™ patronization of the reliable line of products by McCormick. It was obvious: brand recognition was not the target of this this event. McCormick is already a household name, and weâ€™re all familiar with their herbs and spices. In fact, there are usually sections in supermarkets dedicated solely to displaying McCormick products. This gastronomic festivity was actually geared to introducing loyal customers to unique and surprising ways of using McCormick products to elevate the flavors of food and (who knew?) even drinks!

For PHP 150, attendees were each given an Event Passport and a complimentary McCormick Starter Pack loot bag, containing select McCormick products worth PHP 100 and a copy of the February 2015 issue of Appetite Magazine.

Photo grabbed from Jill of @TheFoodScout

The Event Passport gave us access to savor sample size dishes from all 10 participating concessionaires, taste drinks prepared by the resident mixologist, watch live musical performances, and get a chance to win amazing prizes from their on-site raffles and contests.

McCormick Infused Dishes

The first purveyor that I visited was Fived Rice by Chef John Reyes, featuring the chefâ€™s interpretation of the three variants of McCormick Rice Cookers â€“ Biryani Rice, Nasi Lemak Rice, and Hainanese Rice.

My favorite among the three was the Biryani Rice for its appetizing color and bold flavor. Plus, it was topped with raisins and cashew nuts, giving the rice dish an interesting texture.

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Enjoy Instagram-Ready Persian Food at Dweet Gastropub

The weekend before Holy Week, we were invited by Dweet Gastropub to give their revamped menu a try. Since theyâ€™re only a few blocks away from where Mhel is staying in Makati, we accepted their offer.

Dweet Gastropub first opened their doors November of 2014. After almost two months, they decided to update their menu to better accommodate the palate of their target customers, which were mostly Makati office workers.

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Surrender Your Taste Buds at Cops and Robbers in San Juan

Last week, I received a warrant of arrest from Zomato for being found guilty of gluttony. They ordered me to surrender myself at Cops and Robbers in Greenhills, San Juan. I had to turn myself in to answer for my crime. 😀

The Concept

When I got off the cab, the first thing I noticed was the scarcity of food businesses in the area. Cops and Robbers shares the location with only two other restaurantsÂ – Maria Maria and La Contessa Delicatessen. Strategically situated in front of Xavier School’s Sports Complex, there’s no doubt Cops and Robbers triumphs over its contemporaries for having a fun ambiance, a straightforward menu of comfort food, and a price range that students, the restaurant’s main demographic, wouldn’t findÂ so heavy in the pocket.

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Our First TV Guesting: Battle of the Best Pansit Malabon on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho

In our over 4 years of food blogging, Ken and I have been invited to guest in various TV shows as food critics / bloggers / reviewers. We were even invited to share our own recipes in a televised cooking demo, but our busy work schedules and the fear of the 10-pound gain when you’re on TV held us back. 😀

Okay, that last part was a joke. And you know what they say about jokes. 😛

When we got this invite to guest as judges for the Battle of the Best Pansit Malabon on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, we were ecstatic! We’re big fans of Jessica Soho and her show. After a few hours of deliberation (si Kenneth kasi ehhhh 😀 ), we accepted the invite and braced ourselves for what’s to come.

On day 1 of our shoot (we didn’t know there’ll be a day 2), we were both nervous but excited. We both love Pansit Malabon and it’s a staple in almost all of the parties we hosted and attended since we were kids. So yes, we know what we’re looking for when it comes to Pansit Malabon.

Pansit Malabon is almost similar to our Pinoy favorite pansit luglog. Thick noodles, orange sauce made with annatto seed oil, strong flavors, lots of toppings. The main difference is the amount of seafood you’ll get. Malabon is known for the abundance of fresh seafood, and our own version of pansit is generously topped with them. Nowadays, they mainly use shrimps/prawns, squid, and tinapang bangus, but the old versions used tahong or fresh oysters (sushal!). The market prices in recent years have affected the amount of seafood you get per serving.

We’ve seen many food places here in Malabon that sell Pansit Malabon, but we’ve always ordered from Nanay’s, and Norma’s (they’re in Navotas). We’ve had other versions of this dish from other stores at our relatives’ and friends’ parties. So, yes, we’ve eaten a lot of Pansit Malabon in our lifetime. 😀

Now, going back to our TV guesting, I t was crazy seeing how a 15-minute segment on TV needed to be shot for 2 days. Though it was a tiring shoot, we had fun during the whole experience, seeing what happens behind the scenes of our favorite TV show.

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Fun Times, Good Food at Detalle Bar + Kitchen

Because we’reÂ food bloggers, Ken and I are usually our friends’ go-to resource personsÂ when it comes to restaurant recommendations. We haveÂ manyÂ favorite places (we haven’t written about most of them yet though), and so we have an arsenal of personal recommendations. One place that has been on top of my list since we went there a few months ago is Detalle Bar + Kitchen in Ortigas.

Detalle is sort of a hidden hangout. They don’t have a huge sign that’ll help you pinpoint their place, but that’s one of the reasons whyÂ I love them. The thingÂ that’ll help you locate this restobar is the Century Tuna billboard at the corner of Meralco Avenue and DoÃ±a Julia Vargas Avenue – they’re right below it. 😀

Detalle is owned by sisters Bernice and Denise Lim, with cousins as partners who also happen to be their friends, which is why you’ll get that friendly vibe as soon as you enter their restaurant. Detalle has this particularly chill environment where you can spend time catching up with friends or even getting to know someone new… and special. 😉 It’s the perfect venue to enjoy their cool drinks, aÂ relaxing ambiance and delicious food.

My favorite spot is on the second floor lounge where you’ll find big couches and coffee tables. They also have a bar there so you can easily order food and drinks whenever. Their staff has been quick in attending to our orders or needs the 2 times we’ve been there. 🙂

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