Girl Unobserved

Lunch at Chef Tatung

We had Sunday family lunch at Chef Tatung last weekend because my mom couldn’t stop ranting and raving about the food. Rightfully so. I’m not the biggest fan of Filipino food, but I thoroughly enjoyed lunch. 

Food Rundown: Chicken Sisig Lettuce Wraps, Prawns in Aligue Sauce, Palaboknegra, Balut Ala Pobre, Aligue Rice with Adobo Flakes, and Chicken Inasal.

My favorite part of the meal though was, as always, dessert. Below: Warm Tsoknut Chocolate Cake, and Banana Buko Sundae

Chef Tatung is now located at Molave Lane in Acacia Estates, Barangay Ususan, Taguig City. Call 466-5390 or visit http://cheftatung.com/home-3.

Food Porn: C Italian Dining

On the way back home to Manila today my family and I FINALLY decided to try C Italian Dining at Pampanga, stopping there for lunch since we’ve heard quite a lot of good feedback from friends and the Internet about the restaurant. 

Situated along what I think is Angeles City’s red light district, C is a lot nicer inside than outside, so don’t let location scare you away. The food was very good, and I think that since it’s priced like restaurants in Manila, you really do get what you pay for. Overall though, given the distance, a trip all the way here just to have lunch would still be worth it, but I would only probably go once a quarter at the most since I still think there are a lot of other Italian restaurants in Manila that are just as good as C. Nevertheless, we enjoyed lunch!

Also, sorry about all the crappy pictures. We were all just so excited to eat. 

Food rundown: Rolls Royce Panizza, Pumpkin Soup, Salmon Ravioli, Osso Buco, Saffron Risotto (served with the Osso Buco), Steak, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Chicken Parmigiana, Stracciatella Gelato, Lemon Cheesecake, and Tiramisu.

C Italian Dining is located 1210 Don Juico Avenue, Angeles Pampanga
Call (045) 892-4059 for reservations

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Personally, I think there aren’t a lot of things better in life than brunch in bed and a book of Pablo Neruda poetry to keep you company. 

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I think I’m the only person I know who gets this excited over packets of curry paste. But this brand is from Thailand, I think you can only get it there, and it’s seriously my favorite kind. My godmother who’s based there gave these to my mom yesterday, and seeing them made me so unbelievably happy.

What can I say, I feel quite strongly about curry paste. 

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My Favorite Breakfast Memory

This is a picture of breakfast on the morning of January 1, 2010 in the restaurant of the  ryokan my family and I stayed at in Kyoto, Japan. Breakfast like this is what they traditionally serve in ryokans in Kyoto, and it was seriously one of the best meals I have ever had in my life. It was also one of the best mornings of my life.

The night before we had gotten to our ryokan two dark and freezing hours before midnight. As the snow began to fall lightly, my family and I rang in the new year quietly enjoying each others company while eating Japanese rice triangles and drinking tea. We woke up to magic the next morning. The sun shone brightly and there was a thin layer of snow blanketing the roof tops and the garden right outside our window. Upon looking out we also realized that our ryokan overlooked these rolling hills covered with lush trees. Either that, or it stood right in the middle of those hills. Whichever it was though, it was nothing short of breathtaking.

When we finally made our way down to the restaurant we were greeted by the owner, an elderly Japanese lady who sat us down at a table right beside a floor to ceiling glass window that gave us a view of a traditional Japanese garden, complete with Bonsai trees and Ishi. She cooked our food, served us, and even managed to exchange a few words with us despite her very limited ability to speak English. 

Looking back, that morning was the perfect way to start the year. That morning will also always be one of my favorite travel memories.

If you do find yourself in Kyoto in the near future, I highly recommend you stay at a ryokan, and at Ryokan Yamazaki, (where we stayed) at that. It’s an AMAZING place. Don’t forget to eat breakfast. 

Kyoto Japan, 2010

Good Things I Ate This Weekend

I spent the weekend up in Baguio with my family and some of our friends enjoying the cool weather and laughing a lot. And because a good time is never complete without good food, here are some of the stuff I ate over the (fat) weekend:

(clockwise from left)
1. Slow Cooked Roast Pork from Hill Station- It was my first time to eat at Hill Station after reading about it in PAL’s inflight magazine. Apparently, it was named one of the best restaurants in Baguio, and as an over all experience I agree. I originally ordered their slow cooked roast beef, but since they didn’t have available beef, was served pork instead. It wasn’t the best roast pork I’ve had, but it was good enough. What my order lacked in taste however the service, ambiance (Hill Station looks like a rustic New York restaurant), and dessert more than made up for. 

2. Death by Chocolate from Hill Station- One of my favorite things ever is flourless chocolate cake. Thank God I don’t have to make decisions like this, but if I had to choose one kind of dessert to have for the rest of my life, it would probably be flourless chocolate cake. Anyway, I’ve been in pursuit for the best flourless chocolate cake in Manila, and while there have been a few front runners, Hill Station’s Death by Chocolate is absolutely heavenly. Unfortunately enough what’s probably the best flourless chocolate cake I’ve tasted is all the way in Baguio. It’s probably a good thing that you have to drive 5 hours just to get to one though because I’d eat it everyday if I could.

3. Filipino Lon-Si-Log from Cafe by the Ruins- Having breakfast at Cafe by the Ruins when we’re up in Baguio is something that my family and I have been doing ever since I can remember. I’m a huge fan of breakfast, and Cafe by the Ruins is one of my favorite places for it. I don’t particularly like Longganisa, but the Lon-Si-Log in Cafe by the Ruins is just great. My favorite thing about it is how it also seems healthier since they serve the Lonnganisa without the fat, and with red rice. 

4. Kamote Bread and Herb Cheese spread from Cafe by the Ruins- I think there are not a lot of things nearly as great as freshly baked bread. So Cafe by the Ruins’ freshly baked Kamote Bread is something that I eat and love every time I’m there. They have a whole variety of spreads to choose from, but after countless breakfasts there, I think I’ve decided I like their Herb Cheese best. 

I hope your weekend was a yummy as mine!

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My favorite meal of the day! 🍴 (Taken with instagram)

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Nice things: Having Croque Madame for breakfast at Cafe 1771 with my wonderful mom (and simultaneously not having to shell out money for food)! 

Food Porn: Nolita

Had lunch today at Nolita in High Street, and I thought the food was pretty good. I wouldn’t think twice about going back.

It was their pizza that I had been hearing really good things about though and within good reason. I’ll go out on a limb here and say it’s probably the best New York style pizza in town. 

Food rundown: Pepperoni pizza, Bleu Cheese and Mushroom pizza (BEST THING EVER), Chili, Fried Shrimp with Creole and Hollandaise, and Buffalo Wings

7th Avenue, corner 31st Street, Bonifacio High Street Central
Taguig City
Tel. No. 0917-532-2612

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Whenever I feel like scaring myself aimlessly about random things (something I do regularly) I google for news articles on the supposed “dangers” of Diet Coke. Some are really legit sounding, while others are down right stupid. Still I wish I could kick my Coke Light habit because there’s absolutely no way that something so unnatural does no harm at all to your body. Then I’d stick to just drinking Coconut water and that way I’d live up to how earthy and new age I think of myself to be.

Anyway, here are 5 “Interesting” Facts about Diet Coke shared by me in tribute to one of the best drinks ever, with my side comments italicized and parenthesized right after:

1.  Diet Coke is not a modified form of Coke, but rather a completely different formula. (a more toxic formula perhaps)
2. If you put Mentos in a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke, you get a geyser. (it’s such a sketchy chemical reaction if you ask me)
3. Diet Coke has bigger shares in the market than Pepsi. (everyone knows that everyone likes coke more than Pepsi. Duh)
4. Diet Coke is known as Coke Light is more parts of the world. (because “diet” is such an ugly word)
5. As per the “experts”, apparently Diet Soda, despite its being sugar and fat free, causes more weight gain. (i have my doubts on this cause i feel “experts” like to suck the fun out of life.)