Thursday, February 3, 2011

Manila Trip Spring '10

As always, my brothers and sister-in-law would pick me up from the Centennial Airport in Manila...They took me to the Mall of Asia aka MOA, said to be the biggest in Asia, where we stopped by for a snack...Couldn't remember the name of the restaurant...I was quite overwhelmed and excited since it's been 3 years being away from home...This part of Manila has really changed a lot, now, it's a destination for Filipinos because you'll find everything here under one roof...Wish I had taken a picture of this humongous establishment...


Below is the famous Pancit Palabok that most restaurants serve...It's a very typical Filipino noodles topped with crushed Chicharon (Crispy Pork Rind), Tinapa (Smoked Fish), Hard boiled Eggs and Calamansi (Lime)...


Of course, we had this refreshing Halo-Halo (Mix-Mix literally) It's named Halo-Halo because of the different ingredients used that's served in this Parfait glass...Some restaurants serve it on big bowls so that it would be easier to mix the stuff together...The traditional ingredients are Red Mung beans, Tapioca Pearls (sago), Nata de Coco, Jackfruit, Jelly, Macapuno, Pinipig or Rice Crispies, Sugar, Ube, topped with crushed ice, Leche Flan and finished with Evaporated Milk...Some would even top it with a scoop of ice cream...This is actually a summer treat and since Philippines is a tropical country, we have it all year round...


On our way home, we swung by this place for Bibingka...It's a type of cake made of Rice flour and baked using charcoals placed on top and bottom of it...It's normally wrapped in banana leaves, so no worries, the charcoals aren't touching the batter...Then it's served with grated Coconut on top, mmm...Some would put salted eggs over the batter which is equally good...


Everytime I go home, I always end up pigging out...We eat out a lot, my brothers would take me to places i've never been, places they thought I would like...I always get this Chicken Feet aka Adidas from Hen Lin at SM Shoemart food court...They're pretty consistent, it tastes the same as far as I can remember...I love the cartilage and the meat between bones, Yum! My mom used to cook this often when we were kids :D


They thought I would love this one, Turk's Shawarma, and I did!!! Love the sauce oozing down the Pita bread...It's so good that even my mom loved it when they took her there...



Vacation won't be complete without having my favorite home-cooked dishes, Banana Hearts in Coconut Milk and blanched Sweet Potato leaves seasoned with Soy sauce, Sugar and Calamansi juice...I don't get to eat this kind of food til I go back home...Although, these ingredients are available nowadays where I live...I just don't have the time to search or go to specialty stores...Too busy for that :(



We took a day trip to see my Aunt Gloria in Cavite...Then drove up to Tagaytay City for dinner overlooking the Taal Lake...It was after sunset so we could hardly see the view but we still enjoyed being there...Afterall, we always visit this place everytime i'm home...



I spent my birthday back home, so we went to this restaurant at Eastwood in Libis, Quezon City...If i'm not mistaken, the restaurant's name is Seafood Island...You can opt for a Family style menu where they serve the dishes on Banana leaves placed at the center of the table and dig in just like in the Ethiopian restaurant...But we chose a la carte so we would have more variety since some of us have dietary restrictions...I get to order my favorites such as Adobong Baka (Beef), Kare-kare, Grilled Tilapia, Pumpkin in Coconut and so on...







Max's Fried Chicken restaurant has been in business for ages and they're still growing...One thing's for sure, their chicken is superb, crispy and savory...The fresh Lumpia, it's a thin crepe-like wrap stuffed with vegetables and drizzled with a Garlic sauce and sprinkled with chopped Peanuts is also hands-down...We ordered Sizzling Tokwa (Tofu) and to my surprise, it was out of this world...Who would've thought that this underrated Tofu would taste this good, mmmm...Out West, you only find Tofu in the vegetarian section of most groceries...Not many restaurants offer Tofu on their menu but most Asian restaurants do...Well, it's an Asian thing...




Before I came home, my brother and his wife were bragging about this new Chinese restaurant, Hap Chan that had just opened in Antipolo City...They rated this place so high that made me wanna give it a try and so I did...It didn't let me down...The Beef and Broccoli was close to the one I had in Hong Kong...The Young Chow Fried Rice was also good but my favorite was this Crispy Butter Chicken...It was sooo yummy! I wonder what's in it...You just couldn't stop eating...


My vacation was too short (a week), wish I could've stayed another week and visit more restaurants and hang out with my family and friends...But it was time well spent, I accomplished a lot...I organized my stuff in the house, did some home improvement, I was able to see my high school friends and my long lost friends who were also visiting from Canada...I also attended a family reunion and our company, ICONICS excursion where I was the guest Chef :D What a hectic schedule...That's what usually happens when I go home...Instead of relaxing, i'm even busier...Well, until my next homecoming and hopefully it won't be long and not just for a week...