Miss Table Napkin: 2012

Zamboanga: Cupcake Story

I was craving for cupcakes since last night. This morning, I went out to try to satisfy my craving by going to the grocery and buying me stuff that could substitute the “cupcake”.

After paying my purchase, I tried to go about to buy me some milk tea when lo-and-behold, at the corner of my eye, God sent the speedy-est answer to my prayer. Who would’ve known that one could satisfy my Manila-cupcake-craving in Zamboanga?!?

I am just really astonished by how things which seem impossible (finding a good cupcake in Zamboanga) can turn out to be one of the best-bang-for-the-buck cupcakes I’ve ever eaten!

I’m definitely going back to try the other flavors. =D

Brew-kus

I've been reading and hearing about Brew-kus since the beginning of the year and it was only now that I was finally able to try it.

Moroccan Mint tea - premium selection of Dilmah Tea served with honey

Wintermelon Tea Milk Frost Series - sweet, salty, creamy foam nestled on top of the sweet wintermelon tea.

Fish and chips - crispy cream dory + special beer batter + hand cut fries + tartar sauce. I've tasted better fish and chips at Mercato market.

Wild Mushroom Pasta - spaghetti noodles + rich cream sauce + prosciutto slices + shitake mushrooms + truffle oil <3 font="font">

Three cheese omelette - Three farm fresh eggs with mild cheddar + feta cheese +fresh buffalo cheese served with roasted potatoes

Brew-kus classic burger - premium ground beef patty + special dressing + fresh cut fries. I prefer MissB's Tuckshop Burger.

Banana Foster French Toast - thick slice of white bread + special milk batter + flambeed bananas + nuts served with home style roasted potatoes... This was supposed to be our dessert but it wasn't the champ for me. It lacked sweetness and I wasn't able to appreciate the nuts.

Food for thought

Where to find them...

Kenji Tei Ramen House

Despite having limited time, I was still able to set some food trips while I was in Manila. I was craving for Japanese and so my Aunt suggested this new "authentic" Japanese place at Greenbelt.

"Authentic" - During our entire dinner, we were the only Filipinos dining there. Most of the other customers were Japanese nationals.

Salmon sashimi

Cheese gyoza - Fried gyoza with a cream cheese center and cream cheese dip. It's a good alternative to the usual gyoza if you want something different.

Crispy chicken teriyaki - Grilled crispy chicken teriyaki glazed in teriyaki sauce. I liked this. It's not as sweet as it looks. It had just the right amount of flavor and the chicken was tender.

Chashu Miso Ramen - Miso based ramen served with an array of toppings. We asked the waiter to separate the leeks on the side as I don't eat onions.

We were supposed to get the Negi Itame Ramen but I learned that "negi" - translates to onion leeks so we stayed away from that.

Beef curry rice - Home-made curry topped on rice. I didn't like this much. Never imagined a Japanese curry food. But my Aunt liked it. The sauce was rich and the beef was tender.

Iced Tea

HAPPY EATS! =D

One of the things that made me sad is that their table napkin didn't have the resto's logo. =(

Oh and their dessert selection ain't that great either. I was hoping for a wasabi ice cream but they didn't have that. Fail.

Dinner date with Lola

Heavy jolly #breakingdawn dinner date with Lola. Champ+Breaking dawn meal+peach pie = JOLLY Lola and Apo =D

Leyte: Binagol

Binagol - This is a visayan delicacy. Sweetened shredded gabi tuber with coconut and condensed milk then cooked in coconut shells and wrapped in banana leaves.

My colleague brought this home for us from his R&R. We had one each.

Zamboanga: Shrimps and Crabs in Alavar sauce

2nd Lunch after the Civac this morning.

#crabs #shrimp #alavar

Zamboanga: Wichcraft by La Tienda

It's been months since I last visited this place so I invited my boss and two fellows for some sandwiches and coffee. The crabwich that I loved was out of stock so I ended up ordering these instead:

Prune cake - It was the winner for the night. The cake was moist and it was not too sweet.

Salted Caramel Frappe - ho hum... Can't taste the "salt". I should have stuck with the juice.

Grilled chicken wrap - The bread wrap was somewhat stale. The chicken had an unusual taste. I'm not going for this again.

Spongebob cupcake

Zamboanga: Tamal

Tamal

The Zamboanga version of the tamales. It uses ground rice and coconut milk and is wrapped in banana leaves. For the stuffing, it is stuffed with glass noodles (vermicelli) cooked with camaron rebosado (i.e., with sautéed shrimp and seasonings, plus a hint of chili).

Bought this from the OJT for 10Php.

Zamboanga: Chicken Pianggang

Late lunch. The boss saved some ”chicken pianggang” exclusively for me. =P

Chicken Pianggang - According to the Boss, pianggang is a Tausug viand. It’s very spicy chicken soup.

Warning: It’s not for the feint of heart.

The usual office afternoon snack

Coke + putok bread + coco pandesal

Zambaonga: Paseo - Knicker bocker and Isaw

Knicker bocker - A Zamboanga favorite. Before I went home, I had my friends bring me to Paseo . Nothin like a good ole dessert to top the night. <3 br="br">

Isaw - Chicken intestines. My friend had this. Not really something I'd readily eat. I'm happy with my knicker bocker. =P

Zamboanga: Early Bird's

Early bird is famous for their shawarma. We usually have it delivered at the hospital. It's my first time to go to the actual shop and imagine my surprise when they had one of the best tasting smoothies I've tried in the city! Seriously.

Mango shake

Banana shake with choco chips on top

Zambaonga's version of shawarma comes with potato wedges. =P

Chocola's Cispy Mint

I am addicted to mint choco. Period.

Review:

Bought for the sake of trying. Will not buy again.

Baguio: Cafe by the Ruins

This is one of my fave foodie places. I often bring my visitors here whenever I want to showcase my hometown. I think a part of the history of Baguio is embedded in the resto thus I also consider it as a landmark.