Seafood Archives - Page 4 of 4

Plates of the Caribbean: Surf and Turf Goodness from Fish & Co

Ahoy, mates! Fish & Co., the Singapore-bred restaurant that has enticed the Filipino palates with their best-selling seafood fare, had set sail across the Atlantic Ocean and captured the flavors exotic to the islands of the West Indies in their latest menu addition the â€œPlates of the Caribbeanâ€.

Being a Filipino, Iâ€™m accustomed to having rice and meat combinations in most of my meals, so a dinner of merely â€œfish and chipsâ€ may deem unsatisfying to my appetite. Relatively, Fish & Co. recognized the need to introduce more meat dishes in their menu as a strategy to reel in more rice-and-meat-loving Pinoys.

Early this year, they launched the Fish and Ribs as a means of testing the waters to see how their meat dishes will fare in the market. The dish was well-accepted by their guests, thus resulting now to the creation of the Plates of the Caribbean, which promised to incorporate more fish, seafood, chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables into Fish & Coâ€™s menu.

The Plates of the Caribbean presents 5 new surf and turf dishes named after five island destinations in the Caribbean. They are the islands of Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Montserrat, and Saint Lucia. And to complement these five sumptuous fare, three new refreshing beverages were also added â€“ the Juice Almighty, the Cool Cucumber Breeze, and the Veggie-Fruit Blast.

Fish & Co's Plates of the Caribbean - CertifiedFoodies.com

From Top Left: Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Dominica, Barbados,Bahamas, Juice Almighty, Cool Cucumber Breeze, and Veggie-Fruit Blast.

For Sharing or for the Lone Pirate?

The Plates of the Caribbean are available in Regular and Just For Me portions. Regular is enough to feed 2-3 hungry pirates, while the Just For Me portion is for those pirates dining alone, or for those who prefer smaller servings of the dishes.

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Sooo Pinoy Food Tour First Stop at Adarna Food & Culture

There is a tight list of countries with dishes bearing â€œinternational cuisineâ€ status, with the French and the Italian battling for top position. And sadly, our very own Filipino cuisine falls short in terms of popularity to even qualify for a place in the top 10. But the Sooo Pinoy food campaign is determined to change just that.

Pioneered by Unilever Food Solutions in 2010, the Sooo Pinoy: Promoting Filipino Cuisine campaign advocates to finally put the Philippines in the cuisine map by increasing buzz and appreciation of our local dishes.

Last year, with an online voting contest, they led the search for the best Pinoy Dish with the â€œSinigang na Hiponâ€ emerging triumphant. And for 2011, the Sooo Pinoy campaign is now geared towards naming the best food establishments serving the best Pinoy dishes nationwide.

To get the word out about their new project, Unilever Food Solutions organized the Sooo Pinoy Food Tour, inviting 15 bloggers to a one-of-a-kind food trip aboard a WiFi-enabled bus around various food places in Metro Manila. Thankfully, I was part of the lucky bunch who got to participate in the event.

Everyone met up on June 11, 2011 at Adarna Food & Culture along Kalayaan Ave. in Diliman, Quezon City, the first stop in our food tour where we also had quite an unforgettable lunch prepared by executive chef and owner Giney Villar.

For a chef her age, itâ€™s very awe-inspiring that Chef Giney has taken a brave move of ignoring what the market dictates to earn easy money, like going for Italian or American food. Rather, she chose to start a restaurant business with aims of preserving and promoting the gustatory excellence of Filipino cuisine.

Lunch began with one of Adarnaâ€™s best-selling dishes, the Seafood Special (P485, pictured below), a mix of shrimps, scallops, and squids with several veggies all cooked in a tomato-based stew. I donâ€™t usually get allergies when eating seafood. This time I did, possibly â€˜cause of the scallops, but I think this delicious dish was worth a day of scratching. 😀

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The Stock Market at Bonifacio High Street

Last week, Ken and I were invited to an intimate dinner with fellow bloggers at The Stock Market Cafe in Bonifacio High Street to introduce us to their new menu.

We were told to come in our 1930s clothes. Ken dressed up all in black, with a buttoned up polo and hat. Hannah of FlairCandy was also there and she wore a Chicago-inspired dress. She looked more like Cleopatra and was really pretty. Hereâ€™s the 3 of us right before dinner:

I know, I only wore that printed blouse. I donâ€™t have any skirts or dresses in my wardrobe. 😀

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The Art of Cheese : Perfect Italiano Second Mystery Dinner

I heard about Perfect Italiano’s Mystery Dinners (aka guerilla dinners) from fellow bloggers and I was hoping my brother Ken and I would get to join next time around. So, when I found out on Perfect Italiano’s Facebook page that the signups for the second Mystery Dinner was open, I immediately informed him and my blogger friends to try their luck, too. Fortunately, Ken and I were picked to join their upcoming Mystery Dinner. And on May 13th, we were both excited about it, especially after we received the invite a day or two before. The only clues we received were to wear something artsy or with loud prints. Plus, this: We were told to be at Starbucks Magallanes and we’ll be “whisked away” to the mystery location for the dinner. After we met a few more people who got invited, including Richard from Tales from the Tummy, we headed off to the house of the mystery host somewhere around the area of Magallanes. Aside from the lovely people from Perfect Italiano, we also met Chef JJ Yulo of Pinoy Eats World, chefs who organize mystery or guerilla dinners and food tours in and around the Metro. Here he is, telling us briefly about the host. Inside, we were greeted by the lovely Aleth Ocampo-Mapa. She’s an artist and loves to cook and bake, too. We were also introduced to Chef Namee who is a part of Pinoy Eats World. She and Chef JJ prepared all 8 courses for our dinner that night.

(Photo from Perfect Italiano’s FB page)

Wait, did you read that part when I said we had an 8-course meal that night?! YES! If we only knew we’dÂ be eating that amount of food, we wouldn’t have had anything before dinner! 😀

Our fellow diners at the table, smiling for the camera while waiting on our first course.

(Photo from Perfect Italiano’s FB page) We were all seated at a long table. In front of us were the menu and info about the different cheeses of Perfect Italiano. Continue reading The Art of Cheese : Perfect Italiano Second Mystery Dinner

Our Banchetto-Emerald Food Trip!

Update: 07/10/2011 â€“ Banchetto now operates from Tuesdays to Saturdays in 3 different locations. Please check the bottom of this post for the schedules.

After attending Magnolia’s Summer Bloggers party, we (my friend Badeth and her photo booth guys, my bro and I) headed over to Banchetto in Emerald Ave. in Ortigas.

Banchetto started out as a very popular late night food strip in Ortigas. They recently opened 2 more venues in Libis, Quezon City and at Pioneer in Mandaluyong City (more info at the bottom of the post).

Badeth and Kenneth at Banchetto

Iâ€™ve been reading a lot of raves about Banchetto and so I was pretty excited to check out all the food I can enjoy there. Oh, trust me, Banchetto is definitely any foodieâ€™s heaven. Youâ€™ve got a lot of food choices. You can enjoy a full meal or something lighter if youâ€™re on a diet. We even saw a stall selling food for vegetarians.

Okay, let the photos speak for me. Wipe off the drool after. Everythingâ€™s really mouth-watering! 😀

I wanted to try the isaw since I havenâ€™t had them for a very long time. But, I was a bit full after the buffet at the event we came from. Next time, Iâ€™ll make sure to not skip this.

My bro and I are coffee and pastry lovers. So, when we saw Good Farmâ€™s booth in Banchetto-Emerald, we were so eager to try their products. We ordered their Coffee Brownies with Vanilla ice cream, priced at Php 35.00. The lady in black was the one who baked the brownies.

The brownies were really moist and chewy, just the way I like it. We were disappointed though â€˜cause we were expecting a liâ€™l more kick of coffee flavor. I guess we shouldâ€™ve tried their Arabica Coffee brownies (Php 25).

If you work in Ortigas, Banchetto-Emerald is definitely a place youâ€™d be frequenting a lot. You can save on your meal expenses because there are many food choices at very affordable prices. There are even packed meals you can buy, as pictured below.

What I also would love to come back for are all these grilled food at Banchetto. When I saw these huge squids being grilled, I felt my tummy grumble even when I know Iâ€™m still full. These are perfect for a quick late night drink with friends. 🙂

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Golden Fortune in Victory Mall, Caloocan (Monumento)

Ever since my mother saw the fruits of my labor from blogging and became supportive (read: active), most especially here on Certified Foodies, whenever we go out, she NEVER wanted to eat anywhere we’ve already dined in before. So, when we went grocery-shopping a few weeks ago at Victory Mall, she convinced me to eat at Golden Fortune Restaurant.

I’ve been seeing this Chinese restaurant for like a hundred times over because I usually frequent Victory Mall when I buy inks for my printers. So, I was looking forward to trying their food, especially because I wanted to know how they compare to Wai Ying Fast Food Restaurant in Binondo.

The ambiance inside Golden Fortune’s branch in Victory Mall is surprisingly warm considering they’re at a VERY crowded mini-mall at the heart of Monumento, one of the busiest places in the Metro. I guess it’s mainly because of the lighting. But, the waiting staff were also very accommodating. We didn’t have to wait long for our orders and the woman waiting on us seemed okay with our questions. She was all-smiles and was even checking if we needed anything. That’s awesome customer service, if you ask me. I forgot to get her name though. 🙁

Anyway, as soon as I saw the menu of Golden Fortune, I heard my tummy grumble. Aside from the dumplings and rolls one can order, their rice meals (Che Chai Rice) were also very tempting. There are a lot of food choices on their menu! And my first impression was they were all reasonably priced.

I wanted to try Golden Fortune’s Hongkong Lechon that they’ve been advertising on their walls. So, that’s what I ordered. I ordered the Hongkong Lechon Che Chai Rice for Php 88.00. You can order this with unlimited rice by just adding Php 8.00. But, since my mom was not ordering their rice meals and I’m trying to lessen my carbs intake, I didn’t avail of their unlimited rice promo. 😀

As you can see, for Php 88, the serving is big enough for someone with my appetite (I shared, promise!). 😀 I love the crispiness of the pork skin and the flavor of their lechon. I also liked that there wasn’t much fat on the lechon slices I got.

We ordered Golden Fortune Fried Rice, Php 198.00. Honestly, it was a bit expensive for me since the serving wasn’t that much. Good thing it was good, with all the carrots, shrimps, green pepper, and cabbage adding more flavor to it. I expected it to be a little oily, but it wasn’t. So, I was still very satisfied with this order.

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Mango Honey Chicken Recipe

When we went to Pagudpud last December and dined at Emohruo Beach Restobar, I really wanted to recreate their Mango Honey Chicken that we all loved. So, for our Noche Buena in 2010, I decided to cook it for us.

I’m so glad I was able to recreate the dish and it really tasted close to Emohruo’s, except theirs was grilled. It’s very simple to do and I know you’d love this! Recipe, after the jump!

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Emohruo Beach Restobar in Saud Beach, Pagudpud

One of our main destinations during our 5-day North Luzon getaway last week was the beautiful and relaxing beaches of Pagudpud in Ilocos. I’ve been wanting to go there for years now, especially after I saw photos of my brother Ken with his friends during their Pagudpud trip.

We stayed at the Saud Beach Resort hotel because there weren’t too many people staying there so we can enjoy the beach mostly all on our own. They’re one of the more expensive hotels in Pagudpud. Since we were only staying for a day, I thought screw my budget and let’s stay at the lovely Saud Beach Resort. We only paid Php 4,356 for a room good for 5, and I thought that’s already a good deal considering how lovely their resort is. Their resort seemed more relaxing than the other ones next to them.

Anyway, when we finally checked in, it was almost lunch time (they allowed us to check in earlier since there weren’t too many people staying at the resort). Ken said we should check out the other restaurants in the area. So, we immediately headed out to the other restos on the other side of Saud beach. It was a long walk so imagine how hungry we were when we finally arrived at the area where the restaurants in Saud beach were lined up.

Among all the menus we saw, my brother and I liked Emohruo Beach Restobar‘sof Evangeline Resort the best. And, the prices were also very affordable. All I can tell you now is the long walk was so worth it!

Emohruo is actually “Our Home” spelled backwards. Cool, eh? I love the whole vibe at their restobar. People dine al fresco and the rustic design of their area just complements the whole feel of dining near the beach.

Though the sun was really up and shining brightly, we didn’t feel uncomfortable because the wind was cool and fresh. Ahhhhâ€¦ I so miss it! That’s why I so love the photos I took while we were at Emohruo. It reminds me of how relaxing the resort was.

Emohruo Beach Restobar has a wide range of dishes on their menu, mostly Asian dishes with their own twists. They all sounded really good that I wanted to order one of everything! 😀

Everyone with me – my mother, my bro, our aunt Zeny and Beth (my mom’s best friend) – were all supportive of our food blog so we all agreed to order different beverages. 😀

First up, my Banana Mocha Shake (Php 98.00), marked as one of the favorites on their menu. I love, love, love Mocha flavored anything, but I didn’t completely enjoy this one. I guess it’s because of the banana. But, it was still really good and Ken enjoyed it. I guess I was expecting the mocha flavor to be stronger than the banana.

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Wai Ying Fast Food in Binondo, Manila

I am a big fan of Chinese food and I love dimsum A LOT. But, my desire to roam the streets of Binondo in Manila to taste the most authentic Chinese cooking/cuisines was heightened the night my mother brought home the best dimsum soup and siomai I’ve ever tasted.

I’ve asked a couple of my friends who are familiar with the Chinese restaurants in Binondo because my mom forgot the name of the restaurant. When my mom and I were at Divisoria last November, we decided to head over to Binondo and she’ll just try to remember where it was located.

After almost an hour of looking for the restaurant, the pedicab driver finally led us to Wai Ying Fast Food. As soon as my mother saw the front of this Chinese food joint, she immediately exclaimed we’re at the right place. Finally, I thought. I was already hungry. 😀

Wai Ying Fast Food is a two-storey restaurant at Buenavidez Street in Binondo, right across Manila Chinatown Hotel. Wai Ying has been around for over a decade and they are very popular in Chinatown.

At the very entrance, you’d see ducks and chickens being roasted by the window. They have a mini kitchen at the entrance so you can actually see them preparing food.

If you want a relaxing dining experience, you might not completely enjoy at Wai Ying’s. They’re just a small Chinese fast food restaurant. So, if you’re planning on bringing friends along with you, prepare to wait for tables or head on upstairs for more tables.

Anyway, as soon as we were handed the menu, it was funny to see my mother ordering away. 😛 So, we ended up with around seven (7) different dimsum dishes and other plates of Chinese food. 😀

First, we ordered 2 cold Lemon Tea (Php 50). It was really refreshing, especially after what we went through looking for Wai Ying all over Binondo (sorry, I can’t get over it :D). The lemon slices and the genuine taste of tea made it one of my fave iced lemon teas.

Oh, by the way, while I was taking photos of the menu, the guy who was waiting on our table approached me and gave me a copy of their menu. Nice, eh? They’ve got very accommodating staff, even during that very busy lunch hour.

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