Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe (SG) giving out iPad! #ShamelessAd

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe

If you're in Singapore and if you're good at puzzles, try playing Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe's new Facebook game, Piece IT Challenge. Top three scorers win the following:

1st: The new iPad
2nd: iPod
2rd: $100 Xin Wang Dining Vouchers

Up to 10 levelled puzzles to solve before time runs out. Each puzzle more difficult than the next. The faster you solve the puzzle, the higher your score for that level. Accumulate as much points until you finish all levels or you run out of time. Last day of promo: 16 September 2012.

Got a free eBook on KFC's Col. Sanders

We got Col. Sander's Autobiography for free! Thanks to #KFCPhilippines in Facebook.


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Haven't really had any interest in it, but hey! It's free! And it's just a few clicks anyway! :)

BULALO! Oh Bulalo!

Every now and then, we want a taste of home and have one of our favorite delicacies. It's pretty rare that we look specifically for bulalo, but when we do, we always end up disappointed: Meat was not tender; wrong type of meat; wrong type of bone; not enough meat; you name it. I think we've been served every type of disappointment in the bulalo department for the last five years we've been in SG.

That changed tonight.

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"BULALO! Oh Bulalo! Where have you been all this time?! ;))"
(taken at Lucky Plaza)

Homemade Valentine's Day Dinner

Wifey went home early to prepare this meal for us. :)

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Meal consists of medium-well steak-ala-pobre (or as we call it, the Poor-Man's Steak), tuna spaghetti, and choose-your-own-dressing salad.

Pork Ribs Sinigang for Lunch

It's been a while since I cooked food for the folks. This is one of my favorites! I didn't have all the ingredients here, though, so I had to make do with what I had.

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HATCHED: Food for the Disney Junior Preview lunch

Hatched was the venue for the Disney Junior preview last May 31st. It's at the Evans Lodge along Evans Road -- a little bit difficult getting there without your own car, as the nearest bus stop is a quite a way off.

It's a pretty small place which could accomodate around 30 people at a time. They're going for the old, rustic, farmhouse look and feel and they certainly achieved that. The yellow light bulbs remind us of the old yellow light bulbs you find around chicken houses used to warm newly hatched chicks. And all the furnishings -- the wooden tables, wooden stools, and the brick accent walls complete the farmhouse feel. Even the bar and display shelves have that simple, functional, farmhouse feel as well. Ah, the joys of farm living. :)

My May 2011 To-Do List in the Philippines

Just got back, and here's my to-do-list. I used the iPhone application "aNote" to keep track of things...

Foods-To-Eat List: Christmas 2010 in the Philippines

After three long years, we will finally be going back to Philippines to celebrate Christmas! It's been a while so here are some food items that I want to eat once we get home:

"Star Bread" or Putok -- yep, miss the good ol' putok / star bread made in our local bakery, accompanied with Coke which I consume every afternoon. Though I'd probably pass on the Coke this time around...

Halo-Halo -- whether it's the halo-halo on the streets or the halo-halo in Chowking or Razon's, it's way better than anything they have here.

Red Ribbon's Salisbury Steak -- very yummy! Love the sauce on top of that luscious salisbury steak! Mmmmmmm...... Steeeeeaaaak..... :))


KFC Gravy -- yep, there's KFC in Singapore, but there's NO gravy! And no spoon and fork either! Yep, I miss the bottomless gravy we love and enjoy at KFC! Maybe I'll order some chicken too.....

Pampanga's Best's Pina Ham -- I used to sell some of this in my last job back there... Well, there's really no reason not to like it. It's cheaper than the traditional Christmas hams, but is very very tasty. A lovely alternative if you're on a tight budget.

Hen Lin's Siomai -- One of my favorites, going way way back in gradeschool. I remember when the local Park and Shop was still open and the "food court" area had a Hen Lin stall which sells 4pc of Siomai for 16 pesos. Then there's the calamansi/lime and the chili! Ah good times... Anyway, the only thing that's changed is the cost. And the fact that Park and Shop closed down a long time ago...


Smokey's Chicago Dog -- One of the reasons I love watching movies so much! Perfectly cooked hotdog on bun. Pickle relish. Bacon bits. Onions. Sauce -- not sure if it's just meat sauce or chili sauce? Plus a healthy serving of ketchup and mustard! Now, all we need is a move to watch...

Ah yes... Good times... :)

Happy Birthday Daniel

Yesterday evening, we had dinner at Neil and Cel's pad as they celebrate Daniel, their second son's first birthday.

As usual, lots of food, food, and more food. Did I mention there's lots of food?

Hehe. It's Winnie the Pooh theme, and Daniel sure dressed up for the occasion.








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Tilapia Treat

And what a great lunch we had! Earlier in the day, I bought from the local ShengSiong some tilapia. I was initially expecting the 'tisoy' reddish-white variety which is the common kind sold here. Good thing I found a fresh batch of the greyish black variety common in the Philippines; this type we find a lot tastier than the tisoy type. I immediately asked for three of those. BTW, no doubt they're fresh; they're still swimming and fighting just before I asked the vendor to 'clean' them.

And when I got home, the masterful hands of my mother-in-law, Nanay Malou, came up with this dish:


That's tilapia in gata (coconut milk). Simple dish really. Onions, ginger, pechay, coconut milk, a little vinegar for that kick, and of course, the tilapia.

Yumyumyum!!! :D

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Our Bought Homemade Pizza

I came home from the office a bit earlier than usual. I always cherish the times that I get home earlier as those times are rare and very far between.

And this night, wifey Che wanted to do something different. She bought a ready-to-bake pizza, toasted it in the oven, and served it at dinner. It was all done when I got home!


Hate to say it, though, but it's not really up to par with any of her dishes. The slices of 'salami' are actually slices of chinese sausage. Guess I was expecting the taste of salami and when I got the taste of sausage, I was a bit disappointed.

We do have an extra ready-to-bake pizza here so I'm already thinking of ways how to improve the taste.

I don't want to get rid each slice of sausage and replace with real salami. That's a bit too expensive and wasteful for one meal. So I'm thinking more cheese. Add a few bits of ham and pineapple for that hawaiian flavor - though Che probably won't eat the pineapple. Okay maybe a few bits of bellpepper -though I really don't like them much. :)

Then maybe sprinkle some sesame seeds for good measure. Hmmm... Time to go Iron Chef on this one....

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Lifesaver: a cup of noodles

Can't help but notice that I'm really starting to eat out alot at night. Even if I'm already full, my tastebuds are looking for something specific. Bothered me for a few days.

After several nights, I finally found the taste I'm looking for: the Nissin's cup ramen seafood flavor!


This one we've got from a Japanese store here, so it's slightly different from the local ones available. A little bit bigger, cup is styro, taste is a little fuller - of course that's just my opinion. Can't fully trust my tastebuds - even if I'm full, they're forcing me to eat! :))

Goodbye diet! :))

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Afternoon Starbucks Snack

After doing my errands for the day, I met with wifey at theor office's local Starbucks. For our snack, we had:


Fudgy Chocolatey Cake;
Dark Mocha Frap;
Passion Fruit Iced Tea.

I always ordered Java Chip Frap, so the dark-flavored micha frap was a nice change for me.

One big consideration though: this is a very, very, very heavy snack. I think I have an extreme case of chocolate overload! Hehehe :))

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A Taste of Home: Champorado

Or tsamporado. However you want to say or spell it.


I think this is a fairly unknown dish on this part of the world. Or at least in the restaurants here in Singapore. I often wonder what dishes here use glutinous rice. Haven't really explored that aspect of this country. Something for me to think about. ;)

Anyway, let's go Iron Chef on this one: the harmony between the soft rice and the cocoa powder goes very well with the texture of the condensed milk. The contrast between the flavored rice and milk forms a balance; a Yin-Yang, so to speak. It's very delicious. And I like it.

Okay enough of that. :))

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Good Ol' Pressure Cooker

And here's perhaps the most important cookware in our kitchen: the pressure cooker.


Just half an hour is enough to tenderize the hardest of meats I've encountered so far. :))

Come to think of it, what do I use this cooker for anyway? Mostly beef dishes, I think. Never encountered pork so tough that I need to cook it here. Even more so for chicken and fish.

Ah hell... All this talk of food... :))

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Trying something new in McDo

As requested by Che, I got the new Deluxe breakfast meal for us to try out.


So it has scrambled eggs, hotcakes, buns (or was it muffins?), and sausage. It's not so bad... Sorry, I'm just not a big fan of the muffins, but I do enjoy the spiced sausage.

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My Favorite Breakfast Meal

Finishing up my night shift, I decided to end my day with my favorite breakfast meal: KFC's Waffle and Egg Meal.


I really love the crispy texture of the morning waffles. Had too wait for awhile though. I guess not so many people actually prefer this... I had to wait for about 15 minutes before I had it.

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Pork ribs afritada

Here's my own version of the afritada I made earlier for dinner:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg pork ribs, sliced
  
• 1/4 kg lean pork, diced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 1 large red onion, chopped
  
• 1 large Russet potato, diced
  
• 1 red bellpepper, sliced
  
• 1 cup (Maggi) tomato sauce
  
• 2 pechay
  
• 3 tbsp patis (fish sauce)
  
• cornstarch

Steps:

1. Fry potatoes until golden brown. Set aside.
   
2. Using the cooking oil above, sautee garlic and onion, then drop in the pork. Add fishsauce. Wait till you can smell that distinct cooked fish sauce smell.
   
3. Add 1 cup water and 1 cup tomato sauce. Let it boil then add the potatoes and bellpepper. Continue to boil until the pork is tender, adding water as necessary.
   
4. Add cornstarch until you get desired consistency of the sauce. 2 tbsp should be ideal.
   
5. Add pechay. When it boils, turn off the fire.

Comments:
Key component is tomato sauce. Selection of the tomato sauce brand can make or break the taste. During my initial "trial run", I used the Maggi tomato sauce, which has just the right amount of sweetness.

If pechay is not available, cabbage leaves can be used instead.

Sprinkle fried sesame seeds before serving.

My Birthday '09

I treated the guys for dinner to celebrate my birthday. Finally had a chance to try out the cam. :)

Pre-Dinner
Took some pictures around the Explanade-Marina Square area. Here are my favorites.



Dinner At Glutton's Bay
The main event. Good thing we were early! If we came 10 minutes later, we would not have any place to sit! Oh, and good bye diet!!! :)) Hahahaha!!!



"Dessert" at McCafe
It's a bit late but we aint done yet. Went to McCafe in Marina Square - thankfully open 24hours as my birthday draws to a close...

Back in Manila March '09 - Day Nine

April 2, 2009: It's my last full day here in Manila.

I actually finished all of the important tasks that I have lined up. What remains is the preparation of the things I'm bringing back to Singapore.

Except for a few items, everything I needed is already prepared. It's just a matter of packing everything up and hoping that I don't exceed the 22 kilogram baggage limit of Philippine Airlines.

Not as easy as you might think. Using a mechanical scale is not really that accurate. And I had to give up some items to make room for the others. It all comes diown to which things are more important; the must-haves.

Speaking of must-haves, I better get that Chicken Joy and Burger Steak, which are in Che's wishlist that I bring... Yeah... Jollibee food items are one of the things that most Pinoys take for granted but is sorely missed by most Pinoys abroad.

Better get going...