The Armchair Critic

Last week, I accompanied my nephew, Kyle Imao to Pancake House in Trinoma. Kyle is one of the kiddie cooks in ABS-CBN's top-rating Junior MasterChef Pinoy edition. As of this writing, he is part of the Lucky Seven. I didn't consider it a task to chaperone Kyle because 1) I like hanging out with this twelve year old and 2) I love eating at Pancake House. An added bonus, I also got to see other Junior MasterChef contestants Miko, Caitlin and Jobim.

From Left to Right: Miko, Caitlin, Jobim and Kyle

The four kiddie cooks were presented to the press and fellow food bloggers. I was one proud aunt as I watched Kyle, whom I've always known to be quiet and shy, answer the interview questions with aplomb. His confidence and discipline has really increased, thanks to his positive experiences in the show.

Question and answer portion

When asked who he considered to be his biggest threat in the competition, he replied, "Miko, because he is a very good cook and he is also very good in plating." When asked the same question, Miko answered that his biggest competition is Kyle for almost the same reasons. Mutual admiration society? But truly, it was gratifying to watch the kids' camaraderie and friendship even if in the show they test their cooking skills against each other.

Kyle and Jobim

A few things haven't changed in Pancake House. They still have those big movie posters, they still serve my favorite fried chicken and everything is still orange. But they have something new that you have got to try.

Chef Adrian Azurin of Pancake House and Ms. Kathy Solis of ABS-CBN

Pancake House now serves dishes inspired by the young kiddie cooks. Chef Adrian Azurin, who also started cooking at a very young age, presented the dishes to us. He explained how he watches Pinoy Junior MasterChef (aired every Saturday after Wansapanataym and every Sunday after Goin' Bulilit) looking for dishes that would fit the Pancake House menu. Of course, the dishes created by the Junior MasterChefs couldn't be replicated exactly because of the availability of ingredients and the cooking process, but he assures us that each JMC-inspired dish is a culinary masterpiece. Just like what the kiddie cooks produce in the Junior MasterChef kitchen.

Pancake House and ABS-CBN staff with the four Junior MasterChef contestants

Six Junior MasterChef meals are available at all Pancake House branches. Chef Azurin said that more dishes inspired by the Junior MasterChefs will be served until end of March 2012.

Cabbage Lumpia in Coconut Breading (P175)

Rice in Ampalaya Silog (P235)

If you've ever felt really hungry after watching Junior MasterChef on TV, rush to the Pancake House nearest you and have a healthy plate of Cabbage Lumpia in Coconut Breading or a fully loaded meal of Baby Back Ribs served with Warm Bacon Potato Salad and Corn on the Cob. So next time you see the Junior MasterChefs on TV, you can say you've tasted their cooking.

I think these two guys ordered the same things from the extensive menu.

Public Disclosure: As I mentioned, I happened to escort Kyle at the food event featured above. Since I have a food blog, I asked the public relations staff present in the event if I could write about it. I also mentioned that since Kyle is my nephew, my write-up would feature how I experienced this event with him. I was given permission to do so.

I had always wanted to write about one of my favorite restaurants but I kept putting it off, mainly because I get cravings whenever I look at the photos I took. Since it's located about two hours from where I live, it's not too easy to satisfy these cravings. I don't have the luxury of pretending I was naglilihi (pregnant with unusual midnight cravings which should be indulged or else...) and I do have to rely on The Artist for transportation. Now, even while he is a fan of Chef Chris, you can't always count on him to indulge my every whim. That's what 11 years of marriage and not naglilihi get you. But today, I am excited to share this restaurant with you because I know that tomorrow my cravings will be more than satisfied.

I still remember exactly when The Artist and I "discovered" C' Italian in Angeles City - January 16, 2005. I had a reunion with high school friends and The Artist and I decided to stay overnight in Clark. We decided to forgo our usual sisig ni Aling Lucing sa riles and eat somewhere smoke-free and air-conditioned for a change. I had read about an exciting new Italian restaurant in Angeles but didn't take note of the name (duh!) I assumed that the hotel where we were staying would know of the restaurant. Unfortunately, the receptionist couldn't even recommend us to a dining venue outside of their own coffee shop (double duh!) So DH and I decided to just cruise along the perimeter of Clark Air Base, hoping to spot the place. Minutes into our ride, we saw the sign "Italian" looming like a beacon in front of us, we just took the chance that it was the right place. Since we were tired and hungry, and The Artist was getting testy, I swear I almost heard a chorus sing, "Allelujah!"

When we walked in, we were immediately struck by the cozy feeling of the interiors. (It was quite small back then, they had since expanded.) The menu offered extensive (and expensive) choices. Now, as you may know, The Artist is quite particular about his pasta. He doesn't like paying for food that he himself could cook quite well at home. Now, since we weren't sure if this was the place I read good reviews about, he was quite hesitant to order - especially when nothing in the menu appealed to him. He finally settled for the seafood pasta, but with very specific instructions to the wait staff for "olive oil and just a hint of tomatoes, etc., etc." He basically ordered something that was not in the menu!

A few minutes later, this not-so-tall foreign looking guy, who could only be the chef, came striding out of the kitchen. I warned The Artist, "Hala ka, hayan na yung chef. Lagot ka!" Chef Chris turned out to be a very friendly fellow. He just wanted to confirm The Artist's instructions for himself. The Artist described what he wanted and Chef Chris got it perfectly. When The Artist tasted his pasta, he had nothing but praises for the Chef. And so that was how we met jovial uber-talented Chef Chris. Every time we visit C, The Artist would order the same dish, still not on the menu, and Chef Chris would know exactly who it was for.

Indeed, the pasta dishes at C are a gustatory delight. But, C has something else to offer that is not found in other restaurants. We didn't have this the first time, but since then, countless visits after (sometimes twice a week), we've tried all the 10 or so versions. Only at C will you find the panizza - a novel way of eating pizza, guaranteed to have you licking your fingers and smacking your lips for more.

How to Eat a Panizza

The panizza is a thin pizza that you eat with fresh arugula leaves and alfalfa sprouts.

Make sure there's enough fresh arugula leaves and alfalfa sprouts for everyone. If you need more, just ask.

Enjoy the anticipation of tasting one of the best pizzas in the world.

It's okay to use your hands. Go ahead, do it.

Cut a long strip and top it with fresh arugula.

Roll it...

Roll it...

It may look like lumpia to you, but wait 'til you taste it.

Tastes like heaven. Enjoy!

Freshly-baked breads to chew on while waiting for your meal.

My favorite appetizer - slabs of deep-fried mozarella with lots of
mushrooms and fresh tomatoes.

A healthy plate of salad is always a good idea.

His favorite: Seafood Pasta Ali Oli. C' Italian does not scrimp on
ingredients so you definitely get fresh sea food that tastes like the sea.

Pasta with artichoke hearts

Their risotto is good enough for two persons. You can ask them to
split the servings which we did here.

Love that pesto dip and iced tea to chase it down.

If you don't want the iced tea, they have a fine selection of wines.

Four years already, and we still keep going back, each time discovering something new and confirming to ourselves that the last meal we had at C was not just a gastronomic dream.

Sometime in November, Chef Chris "took a break" and I don't know it it was psychological or the quality was affected, but I swear, the panizza didn't taste the same. We were ecstatic that after two weeks we received a text message from Chef Chris saying that he was back. So will we! Because when you eat at C, you will really hear heavenly voices singing, "Hallelujah!"

C' Italian Fine Italian Dining
1210 Don Juico Avenue
Angeles City
Open daily 11:30 am - 12 midnight
For reservations: (045) 892-4059

Last week, DH and I found ourselves chaperoning his parents to an affair at the Dusit Thani Hotel. Since we weren't officially in the guest list, we decided to grab some eats in nearby Glorietta.

Glorietta used to be the place I hang around during lunch break. Since I worked just across at the 6750 (that building along Ayala with the high-end shops and the Starbucks in the corner), it was very accessible. I know it was more cost-effective to just bring lunch to eat at the office pantry but by lunchtime, I usually had to be out of the office or go berserk. :-) Sometimes I ate alone, but more often, I ate with two other staff, who for their own personal reasons needed to be out of the office, too. We must have dined at all the eating places in Glorietta, from the ubiquitous Jollibee to Tony Roma's. Because there were so many choices, deciding what to eat wasn't much of a chore. But deciding where to eat was.

Anyway, I prevailed upon DH to have a quick meal at Sakura which is located at the second floor of Glorietta 4. Sakura (Japanese for cherry blossoms) is actually a Japanese Grocery and Restaurant. They set up tables and chairs outside their shop. Each as close as you can get dining al fresco inside an air-conditioned mall. It's not as crowded or chaotic as you might think, but chances are high someone you know or who knows you might pass by. So better take dainty bites with those chopsticks.

While Japanese restaurants in the Philippines usually have a reputation of being expensive, the food in Sakura is affordable. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that their prices didn't change much since I had my lunch breaks there.

We had my favorite dish, seafood teppandon. DH ordered the same. See those large chunks of tuna, shrimps, and squid? Yummy. Sakura does not scrimp on the ingredients though I could do with more rice.


DH decided to try something new so he ordered the Tuna Sashimi Salad. A tower of crispy noodles and vegetables with sashimi strips on the side. I don't often like my vegetables but I had to eat these under DH's watchful eye. It was no hardship, I assure you, because it was really good.


Sakura also has a branch in Mall of Asia.

I will have to make a confession. I pass by a branch or two of The Old Spaghetti House everyday and I often ignored it. In my mind, I lumped it with the "in" restaurants of my college days - Whistle Stop and Choo-Choo Junction - nothing new to offer. So TOSH was never in our list of restaurants to eat at.

Yesterday, there was a thread in our scrapping e-group about TOSH. Members usually in lurker mode came out of the woodwork to declare that TOSH is a good place to eat. When someone mentioned cheesecakes from The Cheesecake Factory, USA, I knew I had to give it a try. I am a cheesecake fanatic and next to Veniero's, I love the cheesecakes at The Cheesecake Factory.

While chatting on YM with Nita, she said we should eat at TOSH. And before we knew it, we had a date to raid Au's newly arrived balikbayan box and have late dinner at TOSH that very same day.

We went to TOSH St. Esguerra Avenue. The restaurant was quaintly decorated with hanging copper lamps and faux brick walls. An appetizing aroma drifted from the kitchen. There is a blackboard where a menu written in chalk hangs. I always love reading these chalkboards declaring the day's special. I always feel that there is something new to be discovered that is not in the regular menu. Today, the announcement is only about fresh fruit juices.

After the prerequsite "I was here" picture taking, Au ordered the Pasta Negra (pasta in squid ink sauce and crispy squid - Php95.00). This is what we were told was cooking in the kitchen when we walked in. (Amoy pa lang, panalo na.) When I was in college, my dormmate told me that spaghetti is not a good date food because it was messy to eat. And when you're trying to impress someone on a first date, messy isn't what you want to be. Now Pasta Negra definitely isn't date food, unless you are actually trying to scare away your date with black lips and teeth. But in this case the the Pasta Negra is worth the risk. Au declares it to be delicious.



I ordered the Pesto with Grilled Chicken (Php120) because Nina recommended it and because hubby rarely makes it at home. The pesto is quite tasty and I enjoy it. So do Au and Nita. (Note to self: buy fresh basil leaves and have hubby make pesto at home. Hmmm....do we stil have EVOO?)


Nita ordered the Gambas (Php165), the sauce of which had me begging for extra garlic bread to mop it up. I ate it like a bruschetta, lots of tomatoes and chili, if you please. We suspect though that the shrimps are not fresh as they are not firm to the bite.


Nita asked for dessert - Cheesecake with Blueberry (Php145) and Creme Brulee Royal (Php80) - to be served at the same time.



When Nita orders food, she orders alot because she wants to have a taste of everything. Au calls it takaw-mata. I call it grazing. Which is a good thing too because Au and I eat like cows. LOL. The grass always greener on someone else's plate.


Would you belive we ordered extra Pesto Pasta without the chicken? We liked the first plate so much we just had to have more. Sadly, it wasn't as good as the first. We think it's the grilled chicken that accounted for the difference in taste.

While Nita can eat dessert between bites of the main course, I always save the best for last. The cheesecake is, as expected, a much smaller slice than in Cheesecake Factory, and the blueberry came from the can, but it was still good. Velvety smooth and creamy the way I like it, it slides cleanly onto my fork, direct into my waiting mouth where it melts in a burst of cream cheese goodness.

The Creme Brulee comes in three flavors - regular, chocolate and citrus. Nita likes her Creme Brulee soft and creamy. Like Amelie, I like to crack the caramelized sugar on top. Sadly though, I think the chef was in a bit of a rush because not all the sugar was caramelized. We all agreed we liked the chocolate custard the best.

Our verdict? Why don't we let the plates speak for themselves?


And finally, the bill. Ignore Nita's facial expression. The meal didn't really break the bank. In fact, the cost of eating at TOSH is very very reasonable (especially since she paid for it. Thanks Nita.)

It's been a while since I posted in this blog. Got side-tracked by a new-found love - scrapbooking. You can read about it at my scrap blog www.pinayscrapper.blogspot.com.

But that doesn't mean I've forgotten all about food. I mean, I still have to eat, right? And I do still take food photos. Except that sometimes the uploading gets to me. I am not the most patient person I know.

But anyway, I want to share with you a story. My kids had their Literacy Week last February 12 - 17. And I volunteered to help out with some activities. I think it's important for children to see their parents so involved in their school. Since I have three kids in the school, I prepared different activities for their classes.

For my gradeschool kids, I had a workshop on making an accordion mini-album. And for my pre-schooler, I assisted in their baking activity.

Well, we didn't exactly bake because the school had no facilities for that. So what I did was make brownies at home to bring the school. The plan was for the kids to make cookie cutter shapes and decorate them to give as a gift to their parents for Valentine's Day.

I baked two pans of my moist chewy brownies (crispy on the outside, soft and chewy in the inside). I distracted my kids with a movie video. Normally, I would have let them run free in the kitchen but I wanted to finish early because I had a dinner date with friends.

So here is the basic product.



Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the kids doing their thing because I was busy helping them use my cookie cutters.


But look at what they and their teachers did to wrap things up.


Isn't that beautiful? Any parent woud be proud to receive that. Not to mention, delicioso too.


Postscript:

When I bake, I really bake up a storm. I always feel I should make the most of the oven's heat and the cleaning up afterwards. It's not logical I know. But my stomach is not complaining...

I also baked Chocolate Chocolate Cookies. I got the recipe from the Allrecipes.com. I used Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips as the kids love it. My DH was a bit disappointed because he likes the cookies with Hershey's Mint Chips. Unfortunately, it wasn't available in the grocery.

Yes, that's what my four year old daughter asked me when we were at Heaven 'n Eggs in Tomas Morato. We were finally able to snag a parking space right in front of the restaurant. Parking space is always a premium in Morato.

The restaurant is bright and sunshiney. The pale blue walls with cloud paintings helped give that illusion. My daughters had fun counting the number of angels hanging from the ceilings. My son had a kick out of the waiters who were wearing wings.

The menu is quite extensive, but as the name indicates, this is a place where you could get eggs, primarily. Cooked any which way - scrambled, sunny-side up, poached, baked. With it's waffles and pancakes, it's actually an all-day breakfast place.

I knew the kids won't be eating much so we ordered them the regular waffles. Not being adventurous eaters, they frown on fruits like blueberries or peaches on their food. My son (the predictable) had the kid's meal of chicken and spaghetti. My husband was intrigued by the Germany vs. Brazil item on the menu. It's a tribute to the FIFA contenders, with German sausages and barbecue cooked churarosco style. Since I have this thing about Eggs Benedicts, I had to order their version with crabs and salmon on a bagel. We also ordered Pinoy Nachos - crispy lumpia wrappers with adobo flakes, cheese and mangoes.

When we arrived, we heard the table to next to us following up their order. Half their group was already halfway through their meal. The other half's order had yet to arrive. I looked around and the place wasn't even full. I wondered what they ordered for it to take so long.

Anyway, the waffles were the first to arrive, which was fine as I had time to supervise the girls' eating. Then my Eggs Benedict came. I had a kick from the crab and the salmon but the bagel ruined the experience for me. It was tough and hard to cut with a knife. I ended up breaking pieces of it by hand to mop up the egg yolk on my plate. I know, I know, bagels are supposed to be tough and chewy. But they are best served hot and fresh from the grill or toaster. Mine were quite cold when they arrived thus the difficulty.

I had almost finished my eggs when my son's kiddie meal arrived. There was no sign of my husband's order yet. The other table finally got what looked like poached eggs. It took that long to poach an egg? My husband checked the time and it had been more than thirty minutes since we had given our orders. His eyes are now starting to glaze over. He had already followed up with the waiter but they didn't give him any feedback at all. Finally he told the waiter to just cancel his order and asked me if I minded his leaving and eating at the restaurant next door. I could see he was already very upset so I let him go. This is one instance where heaven can't wait.

A few minutes after he had walked out, the waiter arrived with his food. I asked what took them so long and that my husband had already left to get his food elsewhere. The waiter looked panicked and I took pity on him so I called my husband back on his cellphone. He had already ordered at the other place but he came back.

The Germany vs Brazil was quite good. The barbecue was tender and succulent. Unfortunately, my husband couldn't take more than two bites because he wasn't hungry anymore. Nalipasan na ng gutom. I ended up picking his plate.

The waiters were very apologetic and they gave us free pancakes. As an apology, it wasn't much because it was the cheapest on the menu and I had brazenly asked for free dessert. (Hey, it wasn't the best dining experience we ever had, after all.) Besides, the girls couldn't even finish their waffle so no one was really interested in the pancakes.

I can't say that I'm going back to eat at Heaven 'n Eggs again. The whole dining experience wasn't quite so heavenly and the food was expensive. A can of Coke costs P55.00 without VAT. Not even the Eggs Benedict was worth going back to. Next time I have a craving for eggs, I'll just make clarified butter, get some fresh milk and break out the eggs. At home - where service is at it's finest.

I love rainy weekends. I have the perfect excuse to stay in bed and cuddle with my kids under the warm blanket. When a gray curtain of rain falls ouside the windows, nothing else exists except me and my family. Nothing can compel us to brave the heavy rains and go elsewhere. We're quite warm and comfy where we are.

Rainy days also make me crave for certain food. This month I have been craving for baked macaroni. I used to have a crush on a guy who runs a snack house where their best seller is the baked mac. I loved that baked mac served with homemade pan de sal. I would finish off the very satisfying meal by mopping up the extra sauce on the plate with the pan de sal. Hmmmm...yummy. I think my love for the baked mac outlasted my like for the guy. So even when we weren't talking anymore, I would sneak into his store when I know he's not there so I can take home a bilao of baked mac. Of course, some people would think I was actually hoping to get a glimpse of my crush and was just using the baked mac as an excuse. Eh! Not really!

So the past few days had me reading recipes on baked macaroni. I found an easy recipe from Potluck Hidalgo Bonding, A Family Heritage Cookbook, edited by Jaime C. Laya and Adelaida Lim. I so heart cookbooks that evokes thoughts of family, traditions and good appetite. Already I can see myself sharing this passion for baked mac with my kids. I could only hope that the daughter who doesn't eat pasta with sauce would make an exception.

A storm is raging outside and I had never made a baked macaroni before. But I wanted to satisfy this particular craving, so I braved the rains to get the ingredients from the neighborhood grocery. I grabbed some butter too, to make cookies. No sense wasting all the residual heat from the oven.



One large pyrex dish of baked macaroni, chorizo de bilbao, vienna sausage and queso de bola goodness. Certainly more than my family can eat in a day. I will be having baked mac for the rest of the week. Nice...



One taste and I was brought back to the past. I was a young girl with a crush again. I open my eyes and see my family around me. The baked mac I made is richer, more flavorful and more exciting than the one in my past. I kiss and hug everyone as we settle down to partake of the food and make new memories.

POSTCRIPT:

When I turn on the oven, there's no stopping me. I also baked chocolate revel bars, choco chip oatmeal cookies, and even tried to make molten lava chocolate cake. Unfortunately, I overcooked the latter and no molten chocolate oozed from the cake. but it tasted quite good. I will try that again and if I am more successful, I will post photos on this blog. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to photograph the revel bars and the cookies before they were gone.