One of the perils of eating food rich with garlic is the so-called garlic breath.
How do you deal with garlic breath after eating?
Category Archives: Food
1
Jun
He loves me, he loves me not: a tale of two restaurants
I’m no Imelda Marcos whose introduction to Persia came from attending the Persepolis Celebrations in 1971, and certainly, my idea of Persian or Arabic dining isn’t on the scale of the late Shah Reza Pahlavi (see We are awake: 2,500-year celebrations revisited). But from time time, and pretty often, I get the craving for Arab/Persian food and as I get older I get more finicky about it. Arab food on the cheap can’t be beat when it comes to Behrouz; and if your idea of restaurant dining is to have semi-decent food while providing the restaraunteur every opportunity to dip into your wallet, by all means go to Hossein’s, where they even charge you for the garlic sauce essential for kebab consumption.
But there is a little Imelda in all of us. There are times we just want to eat, and eat well.
There has to be a place which serves premium meat and which uses the best available ingredients, but which charges as reasonably as possible. For some time now, I’ve considered that place to be Arya Persian Restaurant in Greenhills. In its early days, the restaurant was a bit over the top -the waitstaff called customers “Your Majesty”- but having abandoned its “every-customer-a-Shah” gimmick, it settled down to being a nice place to eat. See E. Xsaltire’s Site for a more scientific review of the place. Until quite recently, the only thing wrong with the place was that it had a rather confusing menu, but since I usually ordered the same thing, that wasn’t much of a problem.
They serve really delicious free peanuts, the slightly-but-not-too greasy kind, and slightly spicy. You gotta love a place that starts you off with free spicy peanuts.
And after years of only knowing the rather anemic Hummus of Behrouz, it was a delight to discover the Hummus at Arya (their Moutabal is the best, too: slightly garlicky) which I still think is the best Hummus around. I’d eaten most of the Hummus before I remembered to take this photo, so sorry. The gloop in the dish is an onion concoction called Khask Badenjan which is normally quite tasty, but more on this anon.
But my main addiction has been their lamb shish kebab, which I usually had with fluffy rice. The waitstaff offer to take your tomatoes and mash them for you, which pleases some customers.
Aside from their lamb shish kebab being of high quality lamb, it’s the garlic sauce of the place that really got me hooked. When it comes to some sauces my inner Imelda comes out and moderation is not my idea of consumption. Arya’s lamb shish kebab, cut up into little cubes, doused with garlic sauce, then doused again so they absorb as much sauce as possible, and then periodically re-doused as you eat it with the by-now-mashed roasted tomatoes, is heaven!
And seriously, you have to adore a cuisine that puts dollops of butter on its rice. Everyone should put butter on their rice. If it’s Basmati rice.
And the other speciality that I like very much is Mahiche Polo, which is a lamb shank in some sort of spicy gloop, normally quite tasty (the yellow Basmati rice above is the partner of this dish; the Basmati you get with the shish kebab is the white kind but also with a lovely dollop of butter). Returning to the issue I hinted at with the Khask Badenjan photo, on the night we dined at Arya, most of the food went wrong.
Terribly, awfully, wrong. Shockingly so. The Khask Badenjan was off in terms of its flavor, resembling, for some reason, a packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix moistened with a little water; my kebab was a pale color and, I was horrified to observe, tasted more like Caldereta than a kebab (quite edible anyway which is why I consumed it; put enough lovely garlic sauce on anything, I guess…), and the Mahiche Polo’s gloop was hardly gloopy, indeed, rather soupy, and lacking in flavor.
My companions were quite disgruntled and my loyalty to the restaurant at issue, when the owner strolled by we buttonholed him and he proceeded to debate us on our critique, admitting the Khask Badenjian was, to put it mildly, inferior, yet highly defensive about the Mahiche Polo, whose unsatisfactory condition he couldn’t blame on the kitchen as he prepares it himself. He was frankly skeptical of my complaint about the lamb kebab and in the end, he said we’d have to come back and see if the standards had really deteriorated.
He did send us a plate of watermelon by way of thanks for the input, though.
I haven’t been back since, but in the meantime, my offended companions brought me to Cyma Estiatorio (both the one in Greenbelt and at TriNoMa) where I kept having a Malu Fernandez Moment whenever the waiters all got together and bellowed “OOOOOO-H-PAAAAH!!!!!” to commemorate the serving of some signature dish.
The appetizer platter (Pikilia it’s called?) is a crowd-pleaser. Hummus! Cheese with a pepper! Cucumber and yogurt! Mashed eggplant with diced tomatoes! And a radioactively pink fish roe thingy! How could you go wrong? With lots of whole wheat pita bread!
And here, ladies and germs, is what a lamb shish kebab ought to look like. Compare its color with the color of the unfortunate lamb shish kebab I last had at Arya. This is consistently good, I’ve had it seven times already and it’s been good each time and in either branch.
No one has been able to tell me an antidote for the unfortunate garlic breath both restaurants inspires, though.
28
May
Are you cheap with kitchen stuff?
(This is my first post here, and I thank Arbet for granting me the honor although, technically, I’m not a bachelor anymore. 😉 Comic credit: Stove Ownership by XKCD)
When a bachelor decides to cook “for real” (that is, use a stove and pots and pans instead of a microwave oven) he has to go through this unimaginably excruciating process of deciding what stuff to get.
Of course, of prime consideration is budget. It might occur to him to scrimp on cooking stuff because he’d probably use the stuff only half the time (eating out and, well, microwaving stuff on the other half). But he only needs to remind himself that a.) he’s playing with fire and b.) he’s dealing with stuff he puts in his mouth to realize that being cheap with kitchen stuff isn’t worth the risk.
Of course I learned part of this lesson the hard way.
The only stuff I didn’t scrimp on was the stove. While I didn’t get an expensive La Germania, I took a Nikon dual-burner for 750 pesos and a 400+ peso gas regulator. Fire is something I really didn’t even want to entertain — but I didn’t want to get an electric stove either (curse you Meralco!). I also got a model with automatic ignition — didn’t want to bother with lighters, lighter fluid, and matches anyway.
The pots and pans were a different story. I found these cheap China-made pans in SM Hypermarket that sold for 275 pesos. That’s for 20″, 24″, and 28″ frying pans. I also got a stainless steel pot, a nylon turner/spatula (the one you use for frying), a steel can opener and a steel ladle. I got the cheapest ones I could find. I’m all set.
First sign of trouble came with the can opener. It just wasn’t… sharp enough. It cut through the can on the first “bite” came through fine, but when you turned the handle it just went up the can cover and made a shallow dent.
Crap. I borrowed a can opener from a neighbor just to be able to eat breakfast.
A few weeks later and it was evident just how cheap the pans and the turner were. Plastic flakes was coming off of the turner’s edge, and the non-stick coating on the small and medium pans were mottling after just a few days use. The worst story was the large 28″ pan. The moment I picked it up filled with food, the pan handle just gave. And that was the first time that pan was used.
Crap! Good thing the food did not spill.
When the non-stick material on the cheap pans just whittled away after a few weeks, I finally gave them up and decided to get real pans. Good thing some branded, Teflon coated pans were on sale in SM. Got thicker pans with real Teflon on them for half the price. Great. All of the cheap China pans were retired.
But there’s no such thing as a coincidence, and one of the Teflon pans revealed its reason to come into my kitchen a few weeks later.
I woke up a little earlier than usual, and decided to have the longganisa that I requested that had come from Pangasinan. I got a Teflon pan, put water in it, brought the water to a boil, put in the longganisa. Then, for some reason, I put down the nylon turner ON the pan’s edge, and sat down, waiting.
And fell asleep.
Shit happens when you mix cooking and sleep, of course.
I woke up with the loud sizzling on the pan and the stench of burning plastic. SHIT. I stood up and hurried to the stove to find the nylon turner melted three fourths of its way through the pan’s edge. SHIT! I turned the fire off, picked pan and turner, hurried to the sink and turned on the water.
It was too late. Sticky, molten plastic had trickled down both the inner and outer surface of the pan, with small particles dribbling within the oil that was supposed to cook my breakfast/baon. The turner was beyond repair, and I had lost 8 pieces of absolutely delicious but carcinogen-coated longganisa. Worse, a thick blob of plastic stuck itself on a 500 peso frying pan!
Frustrated, I threw the turner and longganisa in the trash, and poured dishwashing liquid on the pan. Hoping against hope, I scrubbed on the cooking surface of the pan — and just like that, the blob of hardened plastic detached itself from the cooking surface. I was surprised, but then it occurred to me: Teflon was supposed to do this, that is, keep stuff from sticking to it permanently. And that’s why it’s that expensive.
Unfortunately the plastic that dried on the outer surface of the pan won’t come off as easily. It continues to cling to the pan as a reminder of that whole disaster.
I now use a stainless steel turner, making sure I do not scrape the Teflon surface too hard.
28
May
Do Tempura and Razons mix?
So last Friday, the Bachelor Food bloggers Juned, MLQ3, and I went to Greenhills. As Juned was already at Greenhills, it was decided that we meet there to eat. While on the car, we passed by Razon’s Halo Halo. Remembering contrasting comments about Razon’s, so I blurted out that we should try their halo halo. And so we picked up Juned at Krispy Kreme, and on the car debated on where to eat. MLQ3 suggested a Japanese restaurant near Razon’s, so there we went.
The name of the restaurant is Tempura! (with an exclamation point). MLQ3 ordered a lot of appetizers, and because we were hungry, we attacked them before even taking a picture. Here’s two shots taken when I remembered I should take pictures:
I ordered Gyakiniku Ramen (I hope I remembered the name correctly), ramen with thin beef strips, some veggies, and half a boiled egg.
Nothing special about it. I don’t know if Juned and MLQ3 liked theirs.
The place is OK, though there were small flies (teeny weeny flies), too small to notice immediately.
After that, off to Razon’s. So we ordered halo halo (what else?).
All I can say is: heavenly. Too bad I was too full to enjoy it fully.
22
May
Amici with your friends
There is an extremely detailed disquisition by The Theoretical Chef on how to quantify value-for-money in a restaurant. Me no understand but it looks nifty.
Anyway, earlier this week accompanied a cousin, his wife and son to Amici along Tomas Morato.
There’s something ironic about a self-service cafeteria-style restaurant that has valet parking.
It’s a large, bright, place, pretty full at the time, but there seemed a bit of confusion on our part as to overdering procedures. And what is it with security guards doubling as waitstaff? There ought to be a law! Between security guards in charge of ashtrays at Starbuck’s, handing out trays at DeliFrance, and handing out menus at Amici, this is not part of their job description and it shouldn’t be condoned.
Asked what the Minestrone was like, and my cousin laconically replied, “filling.”
And I asked my nephew what the Panini was like, and got an equally laconic answer: “Mmmkay.”
Did not venture to try to extract an opinion on the pasta.
This, and the next two dishes, are what I actually got to eat. The (Rosemary) Roast Chicken (170 pesos) was, indeed, “baked to perfection” as the menu promised, the vegetables not mushy, which was all good, but the chicken was rather flavorless. Not bland, but, lacking in flavor, somehow. I personally think it has to do with the chicken being your generic farm-raised Magnolia type, which leads to a predictable but not particularly flavorful, on its own, chicken. The most unremarkable dish of the trio I tried.
The Canneloni Agli Spinaci, on the other hand, was a triumph. No scrimping on either the spinach or the ricotta cheese, not drowning in tomato sauce but not overcooked and leathery, either, not too fatty. A great combination of texture and flavor and at 180 pesos, actually probably a nice dish for one person, but I had to share it and so it served as our appetizer.
Doc Emer on Twitter sang the praises of Amici’s pizza, and he was right. Nice, thin, Italian-style slightly flaky crust, this was the Tutta Carne, Italian Sausage and Cooked, Spicy Ham (not spicy at all, and slightly, it seemed to me, more along the lines of generic cold cuts -read, “Spiced Ham” for baon sandwiches- than a real ham. But, filling, with a good combination of real cheese and an apparently non-canned sauce. Good for two but not more than that.
This is really a place for marauding gangs of friends or large families, but this isn’t a place with big share-with-the-world servings.
21
May
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be
I have fond memories of Rufo’s Tapsilog from oh, 20 years ago, when gimmick nights would end early in the morning with a pre-homecoming feed. Rufo’s used to be across the street from I.S. in Makati and I remembered it as the most delicious Tapsilog in town.
So I went to their branch in Pasig last night.
Apparently, memories embalmed in an alcoholic haze aren’t worth diddly squat.
Because it looks like poo on a plate. I’m not very fussy about presentation, but please.
And wasn’t very tasty, either.
I should’ve stuck to my memories.
20
May
How to fortify soup
If all else fails, have soup. There are times, however, when you want to fortify your soup, so that it fills you up even better. In most cases, this is best done by means of frying a piece or two of bread in butter and dunking it in your soup. But if you aren’t in the mood to bring out the frying pan (or you’re out of butter), then something else will have to do.
Actually fried bread in soup is best when it comes to creamy soups. When your soup is more along the lines of a stew, then you’re better off finding another way to fortify your soup.
Here’s a simple technique which also adds texture to your soup.
De-can your soup, pour into a bowl.
Heat the soup in the Microwave.
Get a packet of crackers.
Get a wooden spoon or somesuch implement. Smash the crackers.
Take the soup out of the Microwave, open the packet, pour crispy smashed goodness into the bowl.
Get your handy-dandy essential Vietnamese (actually, from what I understand, Thai) style hot sauce*, which is superior to Tabasco because it’s not vinegary and so doesn’t make everything you eat taste more like Tabasco than what you’re eating, and dribble a little bit into your soup. Hot sauce eliminates the taste of the can.
Stir and enjoy.
*Together with Kewpie mayonnaise, a basic food group, along with deli mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire and A1 sauces and Italian dressing.
20
May
Going batchoy with Ted’s
So the Bachelor Food Bloggers went to Ali Mall to check on Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy last Friday, upon the recommendation of Bachelor Food Blogger-slash-rockstar Fritz. As Fritz was late, Juned and I stayed at Country Style, where I got a Triple Fancy whatever and regular iced tea for Php 41.
After a few hours, the rockstar arrived, and so we went in, and I ordered their Extra Super Batchoy (for Php 85):
Fritz ordered the same, while Juned got Miswa Batchoy with egg, which costs separately. Fritz was disappointed that puto was not available.
The technique in eating batchoy at Ted’s is to ask for another cup of kaldo, or soup. To do that, first finish the soup without eating the noodles and the meat. Then you can ask for another cup of kaldo. That way, you will get distended fully-filled stomach. That’s what the puto is for.
What can I say about Ted’s batchoy? Well, despite eating at Country Style, I almost emptied my bowl, though I did not ask for another kaldo; my two companions did. The contents of the batchoy: the noodles, soup, several strips of pork, several strips of pork liver, chicharon. Heavenly.
The place was no-frills, nondescript. To be honest, it feels like a cafeteria somewhere, but maybe there’s charm on very simple ambiance.
After exchanging gossip while sipping some soup, we retreated to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Gateway, for some coffee, vanilla ice blend, and free WiFi. Plus more gossip. =P
Ted’s batchoy is a good but sinful comfort food, specially during cold weather, but again, it is not a day-to-day eat.
19
May
Only Slightly Sinful Mandarin Oranges
Dessert is a problem, specially if you don’t want to gain too much weight. And if you don’t want to actually cook anything. Otherwise consuming a 1 pound bag of peanut M&M’s is the easiest solution to late night dessert requirements, but past the age of 19 no one can get away with consuming a pound of candy in one night.
Fruit’s always good for you but if you live alone, it’s difficult to store fruit. So the best solution is canned fruit.
Since weight is also a state of mind, if you buy things that say “Light,” ergo, they and you will be lighter, if not physically, then psychologically, and after all, maintaining morale is half the battle. This recipe is full of light ingredients -fruit in light syrup and light whipped cream (or whipped dairy product). I’d even say this is a health food recipe!
Ingredients are simple:
I don’t know if this brand’s better than any other canned Mandarin Oranges brand, but I enjoy reading what it says: “Mandarins from China, Enjoy y [date]”.
And
It says it’s light so it has to be healthy, non?
Spoon the Mandarin Oranges out of their container, trying not to include any syrup.
When you have placed the right amount, proceed to step two. Cover the Mandarin Oranges with whipped cream.
Artistic!
Enjoy.
Repeat.
Impressionistic!
Enjoy again.
You are way better off than having consumed one pound of Peanut M&M’s!
16
May
Is Oki Oki OK?
Yesterday, I met a friend at TriNoma (it was his birthday yesterday). As he was hungry, we decided to eat, and I thought revisiting Oki Oki would be nice. I had tried that restaurant months ago, and I was craving for ramen yesterday, so Oki Oki we went.
The restaurant is located on Level M1 (TriNoma’s floor configuration is very confusing), near Super Bowl of China. It has two entrances, one at the mall, the other at the garden area. The garden side has glass for a wall, and the mall entrance is quite wide open, with traditional Japanese eatery banners. There were padded seats at three sides of the resto, while there are benches and tables at the middle area. Funny thing was, yesterday, they were playing Filipino music; first time I visited, they were playing enka.
Now, to food.
My friend ordered this Gyudon for Php 185.
If you order this one, you would be asked if you want the egg raw, or scrambled together with the beef. My friend chose it raw; the heat of the food cooked it some. The beef were cut into strips. I couldn’t say anything on the taste since it was not the food I ordered. But he did gave me some beef strips. The beef wasn’t tough, but the texture was like bacon. No, it doesn’t taste like bacon.
I ordered Tonkatsu Ramen for Php 225. The last time, I ordered Oki Oki Chicken Teriyaki Ramen. Maybe I should have ordered it yesterday instead of this one.
If you will notice, the presentation appeared to be disturbed. Because it was. I already ate few pieces of pork, put the egg on the side, and stirred the noodles when I remembered to take a picture. (You see, this is what Juned always says about food blogging: sometimes the food appears so inviting you devour it immediately.) The breading of the pork tasted a bit salty. The vegetables were crisp, not overcooked, which is nice. There were two pieces of what I think was the Japanese version of squid balls, except that these don’t have distinctive tastes, as if they were just pastes. The soup had a hint of shrimp stock, which surprised me, but I think it worked well.
I also ordered Mushi Gyoza for Php 125. Basically, it was just five pieces of steamed dumplings.
I’m not sure what’s in them, but they were tasty, with a hint of vegetables in them. There’s a dipping sauce of soy sauce with a bit of vinegar. The vegetable leaf is edible, but we did not eat it.
If you are a light eater, avoid Oki Oki. Their servings are huge. Otherwise, if you really need to eat large and craving for Japanese food, you may want to try Oki Oki. And no, this is not a good day-to-day eat – it will burn a hole in your pocket, and it will make you obese. Is it a good date place? Depends on your date – if she’s a light eater, avoid Oki Oki, or try their hot pot, which might be good for two. Next time I should try that out with friends.
Maybe next time I will do a Oki Oki v. Teriyaki Boy post. Any sponsors? =P