Recommendation of the Week: Mocha Mudpie

Hands down my all time favorite dessert: Mocha Mudpie from TGIF Restaurant.

Mocha Mudpie - P295

Their menu shows this as a "rich chocolate almond mousse and coffee ice cream frozen in a chocolate crumb crust topped with hot fudge and almond slices". NOT your ordinary ice cream cake. The mousse is a perfect accompaniment to the soft yet still firm coffee ice cream. The hot fudge is very thick and not your usual Hershey's chocolate syrup in a bottle. The slivers of almond is generously added on top and adds a nice crunch to the dessert.

Price is a bit steep but this is good for 3-4 person (skip the overpriced drinks ;p). Trust me, no matter how full you are, order this one for dessert.

Food Porn

An unfamiliar term that I encountered recently in an episode of the TV show "Ang Pinaka". They were doing a countdown of the most popular picture trends right now and number 4 on their list was Food Porn. I was like, wth?

According to urbandictionary.com, Food Porn is:

"Taking mouthwatering pictures of delicious foods and proliferating them throughout various social media websites as status updates, thus tempting all those not even currently hungry into getting a food hard-on and getting food-horny and blowing all of their heroic dieting efforts to hell."

Can't be more graphic than that :D

If I take food pictures with the primary purpose of arousing one's desire for food, does that make me a food pornographer? Hmm .... certainly food for thought. Anyways, here are some of my food porn collection. 

Tamarind Shrimp from Bawai's

Buon Giorno Salad

Eggs Benedict from Breakfast at Antonio's

Sausage Platter from Poco Deli

Devil's Pancake from Breakfast at Antonio's

Frozen Margarita from Mesa

Prosciutto El Funghi Pizza from Buon Giorno

Lasagna from Buon Giorno

Pistachio Sansrival from Buon Giorno

Hope to add more in the future!

Zark's Burger : Bigger is Better?

I love living in Paranaque these days. A lot of food establishments have been opening up lately especially in the BF Homes area that there is really no need for me to go anywhere else. So, with the willing help of my family and close friends, I have resolved to try the different restaurant/cafe/kiosk  in this part of the South.

First up is Zark's Burger which is located along President's Avenue.

We came in Saturday morning around 11am. No one was there but by lunch time, all the other tables were occupied. Place was very simple, clean and unassuming. Had a little bit of cafeteria vibe.

Nachos - P85

Their Nachos, which is P85, was good for 2-3 person. The chips were ordinary, the cheese was not cheez whiz (thank God), there were a good amount of real bacon bits and the salsa was freshly made. The only weird part for me was the white sauce which tasted like mayonnaise. Additional salsa is P15. 

Zark's Burger : 1/4 burger with cheese sauce in a bed of veggies topped
with mushroom and bacon - P130

Philly Cheesesteak Burger : 1/4 burger with chopped onion, sirloin strips
and cheese sauce - P180

Burger from Hell : Cayene burger topped with onions and chili,
chili garlic oil and chili cheese sauce - P135

Double Bacon Cheeseburger - P185

The more bigger burgers (more expensive) already have fries and ice tea. But for the others, you need to pay an additional P25. Their burger patties are big and doesn't taste like they put in a lot of  extenders. The bun was beautifully grilled and has that nice toasted texture. The cheese sauce was plenty. However, aside from the Burger from Hell, the taste of the burgers were a bit bland. Kudos for them, though, for providing mustard condiment. 

Fried Snickers with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce - P125

Not-so-little sis was inordinately fascinated with the Fried Snickers. I was expecting a very hard and oily chocolate candy. Happy to find I was wrong. The heat melted the Snickers bar enough so that the chocolate was soft but not melted and the fried batter was not oily at all. Ice cream on top was perfect. 

happy family

Zark's Burger is at a 2nd floor of a building located along President's Avenue just a couple of minutes from the BF entrance. It's on the left side across from A1 Driving School. 

The Verdict? 

Burgers were definitely bigger than those from most fast food restaurants, lots of different kinds to choose from, ingredients seems fresh and plenty but the burger patties itself is a little bit shy on the flavor side. Still, overall, their burgers were not bad for the size and price. 

*********************

Although already full, couldn't help but be tempted by the cake shop a couple of doors away titled Cake 2 Go. 

Not-so-little sis recommended I try their Dulce De Leche Cheesecake. I wasn't that impressed at first taste but then as I ate more, I began to like the fact that it wasn't too sweet. It had that delicate leche flan flavor and not too dense cheesecake texture. Overall, this makes me intrigued to try the other cakes as well. Thankfully, they sell their cakes per slice as well. Will definitely try more when I pass this store again.

Northpark: Yen for Chinese Food

Lately, I've been mad jonesing for Chinese food and when the craving calls, North Park I go!

Here are some of my favorite:

North Park Chow Mien - stir fried noodles with fish fillet, fish cake,
sliced asado, meatballs, prawns, 3 kinds of mushroom and Chinese vegetables.

The noodles is just the right amount of thickness. It has that salty/sweet flavor combination which reminds me of my favortie instant noodle without the grease. Plenty of toppings. BIG serving! I call this my miracle dish because even when shared, there's always plenty of leftover.

North Park Lechon Macau - charcoal broiled juicy pork belly
served over egg fried rice

I don't know why but this dish always make me smile. The pork skin is very crunchy but not too hard while the meat is tender and juicy. Not your usual lechon kawali. Combine this with their sauce and pickled vegetable ... a dynamic combination with the fried rice. Again, another big serving which is good enough for 2 person.

North Park Salted Garlic Squid - golden fried slices of squid dashed with
sea salt and freshly ground black peppercorn

The dish is really simple but this is, by far, my favorite. Squid, cooked too long, becomes tough and chewy. But at North Park, their salted garlic squid is always tender. The flour coating is not too thick and they added just enough salt to add flavor but not too much that you automatically reach for water.

Combine everything with their freshly made lemonade and you're good to go! Simple, flavorful and affordable Chinese food. My only wish is that they have meryenda size or rice toppings good for one. Bring a friend and expect to pay P200-P350/each.

Grabe, gutom na ako!

Recommendation of the Week : Emerald Siopao

I call this siopao (steamed bun) on steroid.

This thing is HUGE! Easily two or three times bigger than your normal siopao. The filling has it all; bola-bola (ground pork), Chinese sausage, roast pork and chicken with salted egg. Instead of having this all mixed up, they neatly layer the filing so you're able to get everything in each bite. Delicious all the way and you don't even need the sweet sauce. Eat half for breakfast and have the other half for lunch.

This can be bought at Emerald Restaurant which is just across the United States Embassy at Roxas Boulevard. However, you would need to buy this early since the restaurant always runs out by early lunch. Restaurant opens at about 7am - 9pm  and from 11am-2pm. No delivery but you can call to reserve at 522-3457.

Each one cost P99 which is a bit pricey for siopao but definitely worth it.

Buon Giorno?

If you feel like going somewhere quiet in Tagaytay with a great view of Taal yet easily accessible, head towards Cliff House. It's a small compound of eating establishments located along Aguinaldo highway beside the more known restaurants such as Leslie's or Max's.

Cliff House - good view of Taal, plenty of space so not too crowded, pretty garden

One of the more popular places to eat here is Buon Giorno. My friend and I always wanted to try this place out but there's always a long line of people waiting for a table.

perfect - no customers yet

Last month, we finally decided to phone in our reservation for early lunch on a Saturday.

Buon Giorno's mix of best salad ingredient drizzled with the
well revered house dressing P218

We started with the Buon Giorno Salad - Tagaytay greens with fruits in season accompanied by their well "revered" salad dressing. The dressing had plenty of flavor (sour/sweet combination) but would have preferred they lightly tossed it with the salad instead of putting gobs of it on top.

Prosciutto Funghi Pizza - deep flavors of ham, mushroom and oregano (about P249)

The Prosciutto Funghi Pizza is about 10' inches with a thin, crispy crust. The prosciutto, a fancy name for thinly sliced ham, had a subtle taste. Mushrooms were plenty as were the mozarella.  Overall, the pizza looks impressive with every space filled with toppings and cheese but there weren't any real "deep" flavors. Thank the culinary gods for chili oil!

Lasagne Al Forne - alternate layes of spinach pasta, ragu and cheese P280

The Lasagne Al Forne looked delicious with its bubbling tomato and cheese sauce. The flavors were deep and rich. However, after a couple of bites, we began to wonder, where's the pasta? The ragu was more meat than tomato sauce and they packed so much in between the layers than it completely obliterated the thin delicate spinach pasta. It tasted like we were eating just pure ground beef. Not a good feeling.

Servings were good for 1-2 person.

Chocolate Pistacho Sansrival P207

Unlike their other dishes, the Chocolate Pistacho Sansrival was really really small.  One bite and all we can say is, "Wow! Butter!" I like butter but not that much. The person who assembled the sansrival must be the same one who did the lasagna because the icing layers were so heavy that the wafers in between were just flattened out. Saying that, kudos for using a generous serving of pistachios.

ready to eat

Service

Service was really really weirdly bad. When they showed us to our table, there were a lot of bugs, spider and ants on the banquette seating. When we pointed this out to our waitress, she just looked at us and said, "wala po kaming magagawa". No effort at all to sweep it away. After just standing there and the waitress looking at us blankly, we decided to take matters in our own hand and just sat at another table.

Waiters were inattentive and borderline rude. Service was slow and you have to call their attention repeatedly to request anything. They would talk to each other about personal matters even though they were just standing beside us. One waiter was singing (off key!)  in a normal voice despite another song being played over the speakers. Honestly, the owners should seriously consider teaching the waitstaff some manners.

Final Verdict

The food prices are not that bad and except for dessert, the food can be shared by two. Expect to shell out P400-P500/person. The food is very pretty to look at and except for the pizza, their dishes has strong flavors. However, any enjoyment you derive from the food and the peaceful surrounding is destroyed by very bad service. You might want to avoid the aggravation and try the other restaurants at Cliff House instead.

Buon Giorno

4 Cliff House
Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay 
(beside Yellow Cab Pizza House)

Tel 046-4832102

Coffee Anyone?

Not a food review but I wanted to show you the new Starbucks which just opened in Tagaytay this week.

can't miss the sign

From Tagaytay Rotunda, go towards Picnic Grove. After passing the hotel Estancia (white and blue greek inspired building), slow down and you'll see the sign for Starbucks.

Outside, the building itself looks a bit stark/minimalist surrounded by all concrete parking lot. It's located down a steep hill. Going down is a feat in itself - not for the faint of heart or novice drivers.

Inside, it was spacious and very very nice. The big windows let a lot of light in. There were a lot of seating areas for groups. Plenty of space to move around. The wood/glass design fits very well with the Tagaytay vibe.

another seating area in front of, what I presume to be, an electric fireplace

high table/chairs

veranda

view from outside - the white concrete square is actually another type of
seating area. For smokers? 

You don't see much of the Taal Volcano but nevertheless, the view is still good. There were still some work being done on the floor below. Hopefully, they put in a nice garden.

view from the deck looking in

Below is another seating area with plenty of tables and chairs. Thankfully, they have another restroom area in this part so no need to go upstairs.

Unfortunately, you won't have much of a view here because of the stone fence.

nice design on the wooden drop lights 

additional seating outside

way to go outside

a bit of zen feeling

plenty of parking space - aside from the one beside the building,
each level down has space for parking

really not for the faint of heart - exit to Starbucks

We came in on a Tuesday morning and the place was practically empty (love it). There's plenty of sitting areas for big groups but not a lot small tables. Might pose a problem if you're alone or with a friend and don't want to hoard the big tables/sofas. Also, if you want to work and need a high table instead of a coffee table. Plenty of areas for smokers. Very nice interior with the big glass windows in contrast to the wooden furniture. The tables were smartly spaced apart. A lot of parking spaces. Exiting could be a problem because of the high incline and little to no clearance room from the exit to the main road itself. Safety is an issue especially at night.

The barista told us that this is the biggest Starbucks in the Philippines. I believe, one of the nicest one too. Try to come in midweek to truly enjoy your coffee in a peaceful surrounding.

Opening hours:

Friday - Sunday
6:30am - 12mn

Monday - Thursday
8:00am - 12mn