How To Cook Pinakbet With Bacon

Pinakbet Is A Popular Filipino Vegetables That is A Staple for people residing in the northern part of the country.  I have made it more appetizing by adding bacon.   Because everything tastes better with it!

Ingredients:

250 Grams Bacon

1 Medium Sized Onion

4 Cloves of Garlic

2 Medium Sized Tomatoes

2 Table Spoon of Shrimp Paste

1 Cup of Squash Cut Into Cubes

2 Eggplant Cut Into 2 Inch Strips

1 Bitter Gourd Slice Thinly

1 Cup Of Water

1 Beef Broth Cube

1 Cup of String Beans  Cut Into 2 Inch Lengths

1 Cup of Okra Cut Into 2 In Lengths

Salt and Pepper To Taste

Procedure:

1. Fry Bacon until golden crispy brown and reserve the rendered oil
2. On the same pan, saute onions and galic and crush the tomatoes with a spoon.
3. Add shrimp paste and saute for 2 minutes
4. Stir in Squash, Eggplant and Bitter Gourd.  
5. Add the water and beef cubes.
6. When the squash is slightly cooked, add string beans and okra and simmer until tender.
7. Add pepper and adjust with salt when necessary.  
8. Transfer to a serving dish and top with bacon slices
9. Enjoy!

Make sure to try this at home and comment below how it goes!

Best Foodie Spots In Mandaluyong During Quarantine

The quarantine should not stop us in experiencing places. One way to get to know your city is through its food. Now that most food establishments are open, join us on a food tour of Mandaluyong City in the Philippines to get to know our culture through our food!

What's New in Foodie Kapitolyo

They're not really new establishments, but more of recently explored.

Most would probably frequent the restaurants and establishments along the major street of East and West Capitol, but the side street offers more interesting options.

Click on the link for more of restaurants in Kapitolyo:
Kapitolyo Restaurants

Breakfast at Juanita's

Start your day at Breakfast at Juanita's just beside the famous Cafe Juanita.  They're open as early as 6 AM, serving Filipino Breakfast Meals elevated to new heights.  Try their Chicken Arroz Caldo and Embotido.  The quirky, colourful, eclectic interiors refreshes you to start the day.

Breakfast at Juanita's Signature Embotido

Chicken Arroz Caldo with its array of condiments

Lunch at Pomodoro Pizza

Pomodoro Pizza is located at the corner of San Rafael St. and Sta. Rosa St.  From Shaw Blvd., turn left immediately after passing the gate.

As what the name suggests, they serve Pizza and Pasta, with selections of Italian- Filipino fusion.  On my visit, I tried their Filipino Puttanesca.

Pomodoro Pizza at Night (Photo grabbed from Pomodora Pizza FB Page)

Pomodoros Pinoy Puttanesca

Snack at Kapitolyo Gastro Park

The Park offers countless options, from Mexican-Filipino to Thai - Mexican Fusion, enough to satisfy every craving.

The Filipino Sandwich Bar, serves snack sandwiches filled with filipino favourites like Lechon and Adobo among many others.

The Park is located along 1st Street.  Coming from Shaw Blvd, enter the Gate to Kapitolyo, and turn right at United St.  Immediately after, turn right again to 1st St., where theres a Chinabank at the corner.  Gastro Park is located on the right.

The Filipino Sanwich Bar Food Truck

Ever tried a Mexican Bulalo?

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Mexican Bulalo

Dinner at Ser Chef's Lechon

Right across Kapitolyo Gastro Park is Ser Chef's Lechon, known for their Lechon Macau, which is what we had for Dinner.

Lechaon Macau Rice at 145 Pesos

With this much food option, make sure your hungry the next time you drive by Kapitolyo.

Downtown 1956 Cafe, A Taste of Nostalgia in Pampanga

Pampanga is known as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines.  Among the significant people that made it popular if Chef Claude Tayag. The person behind Bale Dutung, a by appointment only restaurant in his home where one can sample and experience the best of Capampangan Cuisine.

I have always wanted to visit the place, but the price is just too much for my budget.  That was until I chanced upon a show that features Downtown Cafe from the Asian Food Channel.

Downtown Cafe operated by the same family and is located at The Quad at Nepo Mart in Angeles City.

Here you can sample traditional Filipino dishes with the signature Claude Tayag twist.  The  restaurant is inspired by the late 50's with its leather upholstered chairs, and vintage decors.  It reminded me of the old Diners in Avenida, Sta. Cruz.

I'm currently trying to loose wight, preparing myself for Summer, but I give in to their Lechon Belly Adobo Confit with Mango and Eggplant Salsa.

You can nibble on their Camote Chips while waiting for your meal.  I would have wanted to sample more of their menu, but I have nobody to share it with.

A few minutes later, the food arrived and it tasted just as good as it looks.  This is probably the best Adobo, I've ever tasted.  Even better than my Moms. Sorry Nanay!

Since, my cheat day arrived early, I decided to end my meal with their Halo-Halo, made special by Pastillas and Creamy Carabao's Milk.

I will continue coming back until I have sampled all the food they offer.

Rounding Up My Rainy Day Food Indulgence of the Week

The past few days leading to the weekend had been rainy with two typhoons visiting the country.  Its not all bad, especially with the classes suspended and work hours cut short.  I especially love to satisfy my food cravings during these times.  We're now more drawn to the warm comfort food to combat the wet and cold surroundings.  Here a li list of my food finds during the week.

Goto Bagnet
Where:  Goto Monster, P. Ocampo Steet cor. Primo Rivera Street,, Barangay La Paz, 245 Primo De Riveria, Makati, 1203 Metro Manila, Philippines
What's special about the place:
On top of the Goto, which is available 24 hours a day, they also serve Silog's in many variants.  They also have healthy drinks and desserts.  You can also try the Goto challenge, wherein you need to finish a huge bowl of Goto in 45 minutes for a shirt, and bragging rights.  If you don't finish, you would have to shell out its value in cash.

Goto Bagnet, best paired with their Crispy Tokwa

Bagnet Sinigang
Where:  8065 Bagnet, Estrella St. Baranggay San Antonio, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
What's special about the place:
Bagnet Sinigang is just one of the many ways they serve Bagnet.  But for a rainy evening, this is on top of my list, with its warm, sour broth and vegetables.  On our visit, I ordered myself Bagnet Sisig to go with it.

Bagnet Sinigang

Bagnet Sisig

Banhmi
Where:  Bon Banhmit, Mayapis St. Baranggay San Antonio, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
What's special about the place:
who would have thought, that there's a small Vietnamese Sandwich Kiosk in my neighbourhood.  This is not exactly what you would look for on a rainy day, but, I chanced upon this while stuck in traffic on my way to President Quirino Avenue.  It's best eaten fresh out of the oven, otherwise your teeth will struggle the chewiness of the baguette.

Bon Banhmi Storefront along Mayapis Street.  Please stay away from the area when the rain is too strong to avoid the flood synonymous to the area.

My Chicken banhmi

Arroz Caldo
Where:  Cafe Adriatico, Remedios St. Malate, Metro Manila, Philippines
What's special about the place:
This is perfect, especially during late night cravings, since the cafe is open 24 hours a day.

Arroz Caldo paired with Tokwat Baboy

Munggo Soup and Crispy Pork Binagoongan
Where:  Romulo Cafe, Jupiter St. Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
What's special about the place:
Here, you get to have the munggo soup topped with crunchy pork cracklings everyday of the week.  It is best paired with their Crispy Pork Binagoongan.  With its ambiance and posh interiors, its a best place to get stuck on a rainy evening.

Monggo Soup at Romulo's Cafe

Crispy Pork Binagoongan

To cap the week, nothing beats the dessert at Cafe Adriatico.  There are days when I would literally dream about a slice of their Chocolate Decadence.  I'm pairing it their House Red this time in celebration of the weekend!

Cutting Calories and Cutting Cost

Me and my best friend have found a new way to cut on calories and cost.  Instead of ordering individual meals, we would just share on one and have it served half.

Now, everytime we catch up for dinner at our favorite hangout Cafe Adriatico, we would have them split the French Onion Soup and the Lola Ising's Adobo into two.

Below are pictures of our half serving!

Half Serving of French Onion Soup

Half Serving of Lola Ising's Adobo

My Week with Diet Diva

I was overweight at the start of the year, and with my renewed gym membership, I was focused on gaining my ideal weight back.

To fast track my progress, I enrolled myself with Diet Diva.  Its a food delivery service that will deliver all your meals for 5 days all within the 1200 calorie limit using fresh and healthy ingredients.  I was only in the program for a week, but it jump started interest for eating healthy and counting my calories, and gave me an idea on the right portions.  I took it from there.

I would say, it has worked, especially if you devote time for exercise. As of the moment, I already lost 10 kilos. Although, I'm eating more lately, I would combat it with cardio!

Check out Diet Diva on Facebook!

Techie Travel, Useful Iphone Applications on the Road

Having started driving for two years, I cannot count the number of times my phone has helped navigate to places I've never been and breeze through the traffic in Metro Manila.

Before I go through the applications I am using, I would like to enumerate the essentials of a techie motorist in manila and going on a road trip.

1. You need to make sure your car is always in good condition. Regularly have your gas, air, oil and water checked.  Make sure you have a spare tire and tools in hand should you need it.  Also keep important numbers stored in your phone in case of emergency.

My Car Chager for Iphone

2. Internet Connection.  Almost all applications run using the Internet so its best that you have uninterrupted service especially during long travels.  Most of the country is 3G covered so you just need to be ale to connect to it.  Cell phone companies now offer flexible options for unlimited service depending on the number of days.

3. Charged Battery.  This is both for your car and your gadget.  I always keep an Iphone car charger with me when I'm driving.  Since I am connected 24/7, it uses up a lot of my battery life.  With the car charger, I can use the idle time driving to load up on battery life to take pictures, calls and browse on stopovers.