Lugang Cafe + Tous Les Jours

I have to warn you, this might not even be a coherent review as this is a super late post and it was all a blur of "Damn, that was good!" 

Love the modern vibe of the interiors

Notice the plastic bowls un the upper right corner? They give it to kids to use. Very thoughtful.

Seafood and Spinach Soup

The soup was good but nothing special. It tastes like the seafood and spinach soup from any other chinese restaurant.

Pork Xiao Long Bao

I think that perhaps this is the best part of the meal. Xiao Long Bao is an automatic order for me whenever I see it on the menu. The broth is good and the filling is very flavorful as well. It was served steaming hot and I didn't dig in immediately because I am wary of hot food and drinks because I had a traumatic experience when I was younger where I accidentally burned off my taste buds with hot soup and couldn't taste anything for months. I might have waited too long to eat it because the soup inside was lukewarm already. The skin is thicker than what I am used to so it is chewier than how I would like it to be but this makes it a bit more puncture-proof than most xiao long bao.

Roast Duck

The roast duck was amazing as well. The skin is thinner than what I am used to but it is better than the thicker skins because it is crispier. The seasoning was a bit on the salty side for me but my dad and brother didn't think it was. This was so good that my brother who wasn't hungry and only wanted soup when we were deciding what to order, finished one cup of rice with the duck.

Spicy Garlic Fish in Claypot

This was my favorite dish after the xiao long bao. The fish were soft and succulent but the sauce is really what made this dish. The sauce was a perfect blend of spicy and sweet which is my 2nd favorite flavor combination, the 1st being sweet and salty. Despite the name, it isn't as garlicky as I thought it would be. The gaelic was subtle but undeniably present and enhances the flavor. 

Garlic Pork Roll

This wasn't that memorable for me. It wasn't bad but it wouldn't rock your panties or briefs or whatever. It tasted like a meatier spring roll or a lumpiang shanghai with vermicelli.

I want to get inside that display case sooooo baaaaaaaaaad.

After our meal at Lugang Cafe, we headed to Tous Les Jours for me to pick out a birthday cake. Let me tell you, it is so hard to pick out one cake. They have so many types of one flavor. There are like 10 different chocolate cakes with minor differences. I decided that I wanted something fruit flavored so I looked at the strawberry choices. The differences were so minute that it wouldn't help at all with the decision making process so I went with what I think was the prettiest. Aaaaaand the winner of the prettiest strawberry cake award is, Kiss Strawberry!

They have at least 4 types of strawberry cake.

Kiss Strawberry

This is so pretty and the dried strawberries were so fragrant that our table smelled like strawberries. I love how it tasted as well. It tasted really of strawberries and the strawberry flavor was strong which I prefer unlike the subtle strawberry taste of other strawberry cakes I have tried. Coming from Baguio, I have tried a LOT of strawberry flavored everything. The chiffon cake was light and airy and just the right amount of sweetness. The taste could be likened to Vizco's Strawberry Shortcake which is THE BEST strawberry cake at the moment. It was so good that my dad, who isn't much of a dessert person, asked for two slices.

All cakes come with free cake knife and candles.

Cakes are one of the reasons my birthday is my favorite day of the year.

Lugang Cafe

The Block at SM North Edsa

Tous Les Jours

The Block at SM North Edsa

Famous Belgian Waffles is not only famous, it is also happiness.

This signed looked like the heavens parted and shone a single ray of light on it.

 I have been into waffles recently but there aren't many that are good. I love the ones at Bon Appetea but they don't have savory options and I am a sucker for cheese waffles. The ones at The Pancake House are decent but not oh-my-god-is-this-what-heaven-tastes-like kinda good. So one morning right after this jackassy thing that I did, I was roaming around Rob Manila looking for something to eat while waiting for the people I need to show up. I was going down the escalator ad I saw the kiosk (or is it stall?) of Famous Belgian Waffles.

Famous Belgian Waffles Menu

I looked at the menu and all options seem good. The choices weren't that creative though but at least you have guarantee that you won't get a weird tasting waffle because you were curious (happens all the time to people like me who immediately go for the weirdest sounding food in the menu). Since everything sounds delicious, it was a difficult decision for me right? No. If you were a good reader, you'd remember that I mentioned in the previous paragraph that I am a sucker for cheese waffles. Shaaaame. Just kidding, I'm not judging you. It's your life you could read whatever you want to read and however you want to read it. Please don't leave.

This is where the magic happens.

To ensure quality, the waffles are made to order so the waffles are fresh. I have found out that it is best to eat your waffle right after it is handed to you because it cools down easily and temperature drop really screws up the perfect texture of the waffle which crispy on the outside but soft inside. I was almost running towards the exit as I can feel my waffle quickly cooling down.

Is it just me or this looks like a shrine?

I couldn't wait to take  a pic before biting into it. Not even sorry.

It was a bit cool when I started eating my cheese waffle but it was still good. The sweetness of the batter complements the saltiness of the cheese which is perfect. I just wish I ate it sooner while it was still hot. Next time.

Double Date with Kenny and Bill

When Kenny Rogers announced this promo, I was excited to try it out since I love Kenny Rogers' (probably) healthy selections. My mom and I decided to have an afternoon date at the Matalino St. branch. My concern with this is that the food that you could buy one get one free are the types of food that are not Kenny's specialties and probably won't be that good. Nobody (that I know) goes to Kenny for their pastas or sandwiches. *Spoiler alert: I was right* 

Meatball Spaghetti

We ordered the Meatball Spaghetti because I love meatball spaghetti and I've been craving some recently. You could actually choose a different snack variant as your freebie as long as it is of equal or lesser value. Mom chose the same because she wants pasta and the Meatball Spaghetti seemed to be the lightest option. Overall it was so-so. It wasn't offensive but it's not something I'd crave. The sauce was okay with the right amount of sourness I want in my spaghetti sauce. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The problem was the meatballs. The meatballs were supposed to be the star but it failed miserably. It was tough which I find weird for a meatball. This meatball would make Chef Ramsay weep, methinks.

Ranch Pork Quesadilla

We ordered the Ranch Pork Quesadilla because we wee curious about it and it looks good. At first bite, it was a punch of flavor and the salsa goes well with it. After a few more bites the garlic became so overpoering that I couldn't finish it all. This is not something I can eat all on my own and must be shared with others. Would I eat this again? Only if I didn't have better options.

Sea Salt Caramel Javakula

Since SBC is just beside Kenny, I decided to get my drinks there. I ordered the Sea Salt Caramel Javakula because Salt and Caramel are keywords that prompt the order immediately reflex in my brain. I usually think SBC drinks are too sweet but this one was just right. I didn't get to try the version of Starbucks so I can't compare but it was good and the balance of salty and sweet was done just right. All flaws this drink might have were forgiven and forgotten because of the adorable candy starfish on it.

I decided to keep him and name him Bill.

Overall, the food we had was so-so. I don't see myself craving any of the food we ordered. I sorta expected that it wouldn't be that good because the items on promo aren't specialties of Kenny Rogers. Couldn't say I didn't hope either. It was a good experience still because of the savings we had. 4 dishes all in all plus one Javakula were all under 500 pesos. And Bill made everything better so it's all good :)

Baguio Food Trip Part 2: Bohemian Food & Cafe

I found Bohemian Cafe by accident. My mom was on a meeting with someone and I didn't wanna go with her to the meeting to sit and look bored so I decided to go around Session road. While I was exploring, I turned a random corner and I saw the sign. I looked at the restaurant to see if this could be a good restaurant for my mom and I to have lunch. The restaurant looks cool and there are a number of people eating in it but not enough to discourage me not to eat. I hate crowded restaurants.

Apparently, Cafe Bohemian turns into a bar at night with live music performances.

Ambiance: The Bohemian Cafe has an overall good ambiance. The atmosphere was casual with current music playing in the background. There are enough numbers of patrons for it not to be too crowded and not to be deserted. There are a number of Korean patrons as well and of course it has the Baguio coolness to it. The walls near the al fresco dining part has a cool design which my mom and I took pictures of ourselves with. The overall look of the restaurant seems to be a nice "inuman" place or to just have a couple of beers with friends.

Pictures of previous customers. I get the polaroids of customers while in the cafe but 1x1s?

These are the walls that adorn the al fresco dining area.

Food: The food was okay. It was not a mindblowing gastronomic experience but the taste was pretty decent. If we're going to factor in the cheap price, I'd say you get what you paid for. Their food is a combination of several cuisines including Korean. they also have Korean beers. They have different coffee and tea choices (could be iced, frappe or hot). They also serve various beers, wine, alcohol and cocktails. We ordered combo meals which I forgot to note their names but here are their individual reviews:

My order. I forgot which combo meal this was. P150.00

This was my combo meal. It has the typical salad with thousand island dressing, fried chicken, spaghetti and chicken sandwich. The salad was unremarkable, it tastes like how you would make a salad with thousand island dressing at home. The fried chicken was good imo. It was crispy and well-seasoned enough. The spaghetti was on the sour side perhaps tasting a bit more Italian tasting than most cheap spaghetti. The spaghetti lacked complexity compared to the spaghetti my mom used to make. but then again, you get what you paid for. I loved the chicken sandwich. The bread was toasted and they didn't scrimp on the chicken. Can you see how big the gap between the two slices of bread? The chicken was also chunky which I enjoy. It was almost as good as my mom would make it.

My mom's order. P150.00

My mom's combo meal included the salas, Pinoy bistek, rice and fried dumplings. The salad was the same as mine. The pinoy bistek had a lot of soup as compared to what I'm used to. Flavor-wise, it tasted okay. the meat was tender enough and the sauce was not bad.The fried dumplings came with a sweet and sour dip and it tasted like regular fried siomai. Wasn't that remarkable but then again, it was cheap so It was ok. The good thing about their combo meals is that it may not be mindblowing tastewise but it is filling and cheap.

Soup. This comes with our combo meals.

The soup that comes with our combo meal is good. It seams to be made with some broth with eggs and random vegetables like carrots, onions and celery. It had a homey taste to it.

Watermelon Italian Soda. P50.00

I love Italian sodas and I order them whenever they show up on a menu.I like the taste, the watermelon was subtle enough to add a refreshing taste but not too much as if you were drinking carbonated syrup. It is a no-frills soda as most restaurants would serve it with whipped cream and/or a cherry but for only 50 pesos, I'm not complaining.

Nutty Strawberry Shake. P100.00

My mom ordered the nutty strawberry shake. It was rich and you could tell they used ice cream with it. I didn't get the nutty taste but it did have bits of some nut (maybe peanuts?) with it.

Blueberry Cheesecake. P80.00

DO NOT ORDER THEIR BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE. The cheescake was horrible! It did not taste at all like blueberries and the topping seems like it has too much extenders that it tasted like "kalamay" or just sticky stuff that looks like blueberry. The sad lonely cream has also hardened. 

Service: Ther service is good and fast. The waitresses are attentive and has good personalities. They also smile a lot which I like :)

Overall verdict: I would revisit Bohemian Cafe only to see if it is a good "inuman/tambayan" place. I would recommend this if you would like a filling and cheap meal but I wouldn't go here for the sole purpose of just eating lunch unless I had no other choice. I would visit other restaurants if I wanted amazing food though.

Baguio Food Trip Part 1: Tea House Restaurant and Bakeshop

Baguio really holds a special place in my heart. I have always loved going to Baguio. This is where my parents met, this is where I was born, this is where I spent my infant and toddler years, this is where I usually spent my summers and this is where I had a lot of memories.  This is why I will do my best to tour you virtually around the summer capital of the world. All year long, I will visit Baguio from time to time and will bring you back reports on various gastronomic experiences I had. 

The Tea House Restaurant and Bakeshop is old and it has existed back when I was a child. It is a hole-in-the-wall along Session road. Their famed snow cake used to be the automatic pasalubong request I had for my relative from Baguio who'd be visiting. It is now replaced with the lighter option, Strawberry cake from Appleblossoms. The Tea House may be small but it is always so busy with diners and people simply buying their cakes. You could even encounter people walking along Session Road with boxes of cakes from Tea House. I haven't eaten anything else from Tea House besides their Snow Cake and Mocha Streamline cake. I will try to taste some of their food someday and finally grab a bite of the well-reviewed Chona's delight and their delectable looking pies bulging with filling.

Snow Cake

The last time I went to Baguio, I decided to buy snow cake for my brother who didn't go with us since he had classes. Their snow cake is my absolute favorite and a constant must buy whenever we visit Baguio. It has a very chocolate-y cake with thin custard in between and thick gops of sweet boiled icing. I really love the snow cake for its icing. That absurdly sweet sugary icing is to die for. Now, I wouldn't try to give you any highfalutin  description of the cake. It's something really sweet and that's good enough for me. It is also relatively cheap. A roll of snow cake is about 300 pesos and is already huge for that price. Try it whenever you go to Baguio and have a taste of simple sugary heaven.

Though my photography skills didn't do it justice, the icing is really thick.

The cake didn't survive the commute home. 

The Twice Fried Chicken Experiment

This is why I can't be thin again.

Twice fried chicken is one of the current food fads with Bonchon, Chicken Charlie and Manang's in the forefront. I am addicted to twice fried chicken (TFC from now on). Frying chicken twice results in a crispier and paper-thin skin which I love. The sauce is also amazing! I love love love it! The only problem is, I'm no longer residing in Taft where all three are very accessible. Sometimes I feel the need to have some TFC in my tummy but am too lazy to drive or has no one to go with so I just resign  myself to the feeling of emptiness only TFC can fill. So I decided to do something about it. Why not try to make one at home? I don't mean to brag but I usually am good at experimenting with food. I was successful with my Cayenne Calamares and Beer&Bacon pancakes (I might post the recipe one of these days), why not push my luck a bit further? After watching numerous youtube videos, and reading various recipes, I decided to try making TFC with elements from my resources and decided to add my own twist which resulted to my own unique soy garlic recipe.

Recipe

Fried Chicken:

• Chicken (preferably legs or wings)
• Salt & Pepper
• All-purpose flour
• Oil for frying

Soy Garlic Sauce:

• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp pure olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 13 tsp muscovado sugar
• 4 tsp strawberry wine
• A little more than 1/8 cup of water

Procedure:

1. Marinate your chicken with salt & pepper at least 30 minutes before you start frying. The longer you marinate, the better.
2. Heat your frying pan with enough oil in high heat. Coat the chicken lightly with all-purpose flour while waiting for the oil to heat up.
3. Test whether your oil is hot enough by dipping a piece of chicken. If the oil bubbles on the area where you dipped the chicken, the oil is already hot enough. Fry the chicken for 10 minutes on high heat.
4. After 10 minutes, take out the chicken from the oil and wait another 10 minutes before you fry it again. Fry it until golden brown. This usually take another 10-12 minutes.
5. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the onion and saute until soft.
6. Add the garlic and saute for about 3-5 minutes
7. Add the rest of the ingredients.
8. Mix until it starts to boil. Simmer for 2 minutes more.
9. Strain the sauce and coat the chicken with it. You could put some chicken and sauce in a big container and shake it.

I am not recommending that you follow this recipe to the letter rather, tweak it according to your own taste. Don't be afraid to experiment! Also, because the sauce was a stressful ordeal for me because I really didn't follow a recipe for that one since most recipes I encountered required ingredients I didn't have like Mirin or Potato flour. My recipe was mostly improvisation so my measurements may not have been accurate though I used measuring cups and spoons. This is because I kept adding something until I finally got the taste that I wanted. Some people may find the strawberry wine a weird ingredient but in our family it is not. It is a staple of our adobo and other dishes. The strawberry wine adds a distinct kind of subtle sweetness when added to dishes. I know not everyone's cupboard has a stash of strawberry wine but since the holidays are coming up, I'm pretty sure you know at least one person if not yourself who'll go to Baguio. Strawberry wine is pretty cheap and would cost you less than a hundred bucks. Also, don't be fooled by how pink or red the wine is. The bright red color is just coloring and does not say anything about the quality of the wine. Most vendors offer a free taste so base it on that. My mom and I love adding alcohol to our food. Not because we want to get hammered (alcohol becomes impotent when cooked) but because of the different flavors it adds. I cook bacon with Bacardi (try it!) and add beer to pancakes. Experimentation pays off.

I only used 5 drumsticks so I ended up with extra sauce

I could eat the chicken already even without the sauce

Soy Garlic Sauce with Strawberry Wine :)

Don't forget to strain the sauce! 

The strawberry wine I used was my debut souvenir surplus. That or  the bottle is a Twilight vampire.