Thursday, March 31, 2011

Revisiting Taipan Grill

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Taipan Grill - SM Fairview
New Annex Building
Belfast Avenue cor. Quirino Highway, Quezon City
25 July 2010


Taipan Grill SM Fairview

When we told brother about our food trip at Taipan Grill in SM City Fairview, brother was a bit jealous because he loves grilled foods. When the three of us went to the mall, mom thought of letting brother taste the food, too. I was mumbling "Let's eat somewhere else, I already made a food trip there," but the restaurant's very affordable foods made mom decide for us to eat there.

Our foods:



Grilled Tilapia

Grilled Tilapia with Rice (p110 / usd2.53). Mom's choice. They grilled this good, the meat wasn't mushy, and the seasoning was okay.

Grilled Pusit

Grilled Pusit with Rice (p145 / usd3.34). Brother's meal. From what I remembered, he liked that the squid wasn't rubbery and that the relish inside complemented the seafood, but if there was one complaint brother would say, it would have to be the squid that big enough for a meal worth p145.

Chicken Barbecue

Grilled Chicken Drumstick with Rice (p70 / usd1.61). As usual, I went for the grilled chicken. I liked it then, I still liked it this time.

It was a great lunch for us... and I think this place is something we could consider if we wanted to eat something grilled. I did tell brother about their dipping sauces, and he really liked the peanut barbecue sauce, and when we learned a bottle of it (the size of the regular ketchup) was only about p23 (usd0.53), we decided to buy a bottle.

When I posted my previous food trip at Taipan Grill, I received a comment and I wanted to share it here: Aside from the SM Fairview branch, they also have a branch in Broadway Centrum, and another one will open up at Shopwise Arcade in Araneta Center.

*** Jenn ***

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

K - KFC Hot and Crispy

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KFC Hot and Crispy



ABC_Wed_8

In college, I had this personal quest of finding the best tasting fried chicken. I wasn't able to finish that because my allowance wouldn't allow me to go on food trips, but among the fried chicken I have tasted, the one that stood out was the KFC Hot and Crispy. I love the balance of all flavors, and I love that it was so spicy addicting. :) I try different KFC foods whenever I have the chance, but on most days, I always go for this... with coleslaw on the side. I love the coleslaw mellows the spiciness.

This 2-piece chicken meal was something I ordered when sister and I tried out the KFC Delivery. We were ecstatic when someone from KFC taped their delivery flyer on our gate, and we were quite amazed that the KFC branch in SM Fairview will be the one delivering, we were shocked a bit because some food shops in SM Fairview thinks our place was already out of delivery range.

Anyway, the delivery took so long, but it was something we already expected. When I was still working at a company in Makati City, Sundays are considered delivery days, and whenever we go for KFC, they would always deliver a bit late even if the nearest branch was quite near. For this delivery, the branch called us 15 minutes after I phoned in my order, just to say that it will take them a bit longer because they only had one delivery man and he just got back in the store. Well, we did appreciate them calling us to apologize, and we understood the situation, but of course our tummies were already on strike when the delivery man arrived.

But of course, eating with empty tummies just made the meal much, much, better... like everything was so delicious! Well, up to this date, I still consider KFC Hot and Crispy as one of my favorites, and echoing the KFC slogan, it was just finger lickin' good!

*** Jenn ***

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

My Harvest

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July of last year, my sister and I cooked Dinamita Wraps, a very delicious pica-pica using finger chilies. We used about 10 chilies that time, and since the chilies were spicy, we decided to see if we could grow it. I scattered the seeds in one small pot with soil, and soon after the seeds were starting to grow. However, their growth took time because there were too many seedlings trying to fit into one small pot, so I chose the two tallest and re-planted them in another pot.

Chili Finger

January of this year, I noticed one of the plants bearing a fruit. I was really, really happy about it and I really took the time to tend to the plants, taking out bugs and watering it when the soil dries up. Soon after, the other plant bore fruit, and I am a happy farmer. :)

I knew finger chilies would get long, so I didn't touch the fruits until they were long enough. The fruits actually looked like bell peppers, and for a while brother was saying that I planted the wrong kind of chilies.

My Harvest

When sister and I returned from our vacation early March, I noticed the first fruit becoming orange, but I didn't want to harvest it yet because I don't have any dish to add it with. As the days passed, it became reddish-orange, so I decided to harvest it even if I won't use it yet. The second fruit I harvested a few days after, but I wasn't able to photograph it because I used it the soonest time I harvested it.

I don't really have the green thumb, but agriculture is something I am so interested at even when I was still young. I haven't done much gardening and growing crops, but now that I was able to grow the finger chilies, I am so game to plant other veggies, too. I just scattered bell pepper seeds in another pot, and the next grocery day, I am planning to buy tomato seeds so I can plant it, too. Woo hoo!


- - - - -

Yummy EATS

By the way, I saw this at the Yummy Magazine Facebook page, and thought I'd share it here on my blog. Mark your calendar - 21 May 2o11 - it's going to be an awesome, awesome Yummy event!

It's still quite far from now, so I still am not sure if I can attend this event (the location was far, too), but I so want to attend Yummy Magazine event as it's been so long since I last attended one (Yummy Weekend at Salcedo Weekend Market in 2008). I hope the planets would align for me so I could attend this.

*** Jenn ***

Monday, March 28, 2011

Dr. Pearl Cooler Arrives in Metro Manila!

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Hello fellow foodies!

I have recovered already - I am no longer "lowbatt," although I still pretty much let my siblings take care of the cooking, and I just took over the sink and became the dishie (Aussie's term for "dishwasher"), with the help of cousin Jayson, who would sometimes do the chore. :)

Welcome to another edition of Weekend Eating, where we highlight food(s) that made up our weekend. I am so thankful that you could come and join this week.

Obvious Rules:

* Post images of a food you ate during the past weekend (Friday included). Please use only images that are your own, or you have permission to use.
* Do include the code of the badge (check the right side panel of this blog to get the code).
* Leave your link below once you're done making the post.
* Visit other participants' blogs and leave a comment love, too.


My share this week:

Yesterday, my brother and I went to the opening of Dr. Pearl Cooler shop in Robinson's Metro East. When I received the invite, I quickly said yes to it, because I so love trying new foods and it was a great way to open up my summer this year. I was asking brother to come with me as I don't know my way around Metro Manila, and at first he didn't want to. When he opened his email and realized he had an invite, too, he decided to come with me. There were three schedules provided - and we chose the earliest one (10:30am) so that we could go home early, or if we want to, we can still go elsewhere after.

Dr. Pearl Cooler Dr. Pearl Cooler

It was a small shop with just two tables (for now). Well, it was their first day, so obviously, they just wanted to set up and get the whole thing running and just add stuff as the days pass. We were graciously welcomed by the owner, Nino Gatdula, and told us things about Dr. Pearl Cooler. Here are snippets of what I learned about the shop:
  • They first started as a shop serving Taiwan Pearl Milk Tea and other cold beverages in Taiwan (which they imported here in the Philippines).
  • They then cooperated with Dr. Pearl Cooler and started serving great coolers in Angeles, Pampanga. The shop opened in 2006.
  • They branched out a year after (also in Pampanga). As of today, they have different branches in different provinces (Pangasinan, Benguet, Bacolod), and their 18th branch is located in Robinson's Metro East, their first branch in Metro Manila.
  • Most of their materials (like the flavored powder, pearls, jelly, cups, and even the straws) were imported from Taiwan.
  • Their staffs are trained bartenders. They do train their staff before they could start working.
  • Their black pearls are cooked every 4 hours to ensure the freshness of the product.
  • Even if the materials were imported from Taiwan (a region of China), their milk products are tested melamine free. They have certification to prove that.
Size Comparison

Their main product is the Chantilly Blended Shake. It comes in three different sizes - Small (360 cc) for p59, Medium (500 cc) for p66, and Large (700 cc) for p73. What makes this drink different from other blended ice drinks is that customers can choose from many different flavors as the base drink, choose if they wanted to go for the black pearls or flavored jelly (or both), and they can choose what kind of syrup will be added in the sweet cream. Very personalized kind of drink, eh? Of course, customers can also opt to go for the regular shake (without the cream on the top). Prizes for that would be p42 for the small cup, p49 for the medium cup, and p56 for the large cup.

Flavors you asked? Well, they do have a wide array of flavors divided into categories...
Fruit and Cream - Melon, Banana, Ube, Papaya, Watermelon, Blueberry, Durian, Coconut, Strawberry.
Variety - Bubblegum, Milk Tea, Sweet Corn, Peanut, Vanilla, Peppermint, Gourd Milk, Pandan, Pudding.
Choco 'n Cafe - Chocolate, Ovaltine, Iced Coffee.
Yogurt - Blueberry Yogurt, Green Tea Yogurt, Grape Yogurt, Mango Yogurt, Strawberry Yogurt.
Juicy - Pineapple, Grape, Orange, Green Apple, Mulberry, Golden Partner, Strawberry Juice, Lokson, Lychee, Peach, Mango, and Lemon.

Some of the flavors were in powder form, while the others were in juice form. Let's break down what we had:

Watermelon Chantilly

Watermelon Chantilly, small. Stonibert's order. A few minutes after we arrived, blogger Stonibert arrived, and we decided to go as one group. We wanted to go for different flavors, so we chose flavors different from each other. He went for watermelon, and I did have a taste of it, and it was really refreshing. Well, it tasted like watermelon, but when blended with the cream and chocolate syrup, it became a whole different flavor... which was actually a compliment. :)

Gourd Milk Chantilly

Gourd Milk, medium. My choice. I went for the gourd milk because it was the first time I heard of such a flavor. It was actually made from upo (bottle gourd), a totally interesting flavor. Well, it didn't taste like vegetable (come to think of it, upo is not really that flavorful) - sipping this drink felt as if I was drinking regular milk blended ice, but it wasn't as rich as regular milk. It was very light, and a very great way to quench the thirst. Somehow, choosing this made me feel less guilty about the calories and the lactose (I tend to be a lactose intolerant at times), and I think this drink will go well with any snacks.

Bubble Gum Chantilly

Bubblegum, large. Brother's choice. At first, brother just wanted to go for the medium cup, but Stonibert and I persuaded him to go large so we could compare the sizes of the cups. He first went for the Pudding, but it wasn't available, so he went for his second choice - the bubblegum. Well, personally, am not a big fan of the bubblegum flavor, but I could say I liked this. It was a little sweet for my liking, though.

All of our drinks had the black pearls, and it's one other thing I loved about the drinks. The pearls were soft yet chewy, and the cups had so much pearls it really made me go "wow." Well, other blended ice had little of these pearls that sometimes people would go for extra (and extra means additional charge). With Dr. Pearl Cooler, no need to request for added pearls, because theirs just had a lot to begin with, and that is NOT because we were there to attend the event. They really take pride with their pearls.

Puff Up Popcorn



Puff Up Popcorn. They have other different products - coffee, fries, toasts, and popcorn. According to Mr. Gatdula, Robinson's didn't allow them to serve popcorn because there is a Holy Kettle Korn outlet nearby, so they just let us taste their popcorn and gave us a flavor each to take home. While waiting for them to set up the place, I opened each of the bags and gave it a taste. My verdict:
  • Caramel Pop - tasted like condensed milk. Something kids will definitely love.
  • Choco Pop - it was bittersweet, but had a good balance of bitterness and sweetness. It's something anybody would enjoy because it wouldn't strain the throat.
  • Seaweed Pop - my favorite. I could taste the sweetness, and the addition of seaweed powder was just so good! I actually ate half of the bag while Mr. Gatdula was talking about the company... and I was eating it, too, while enjoying my Gourd Milk Chantilly.
  • Kimchi Pop - I was a bit hesitant about this at first, but it was a great discovery. It tasted a little sour at first (well, after all, Kimchi is pickled vegetable), but as I eat more and more of it, it's getting a little addictive. The burst of flavors was something that would make one get more and more of it, and brother said it was his favorite.
  • Sweet Pop - well, it wasn't served while we were in the event and I still haven't opened up the pack, so I still don't know what this taste like.

The seaweed and the kimchi flavors were a risk, of which I am glad they did. It's about time people taste different flavors of foods. Too bad they can't serve this in their Robinson's Metro East branch, but Mr. Gatdula said he is planning to have this go on delivery service within Metro Manila. I do hope they would do that, for I would like to have more of the Seaweed Pop. :)

Overall, it was a great event, even if I didn't get to meet other bloggers, who opted to attend later in the afternoon. I like what the company stands for, and I really wish them well. Hopefully, they would have different branches in Metro Manila, because the Metro East was quite far from where we live. Well, the shop is open for franchise, so if you plan to have one, just go to the Dr. Pearl Cooler Website to learn more about it. You can also check the Dr. Pearl Cooler on Facebook for the latest updates.

Tasting their refreshing drinks, I could say, summer is definitely here! Thank you, Dr. Pearl Cooler for the refreshing treat.

What did you have last weekend?



*** Jenn ***

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Foodie 365 - Week 12

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I have to post this before I cook lunch because the girls (mom and sis) and I will go to the salon, so here are the foods for Week 12.

78. Sister's Kaldereta

Foodie 365 > 78/365 - Sister's Caldereta
19 March 2011
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Sister said she learned how to cook Beef Caldereta from school (without having to use pre-made sauce mix) so I let her cook tonight's dinner. It lacked sauce (well, it was okay, but I am a person who loves a whole lot of sauce), but it was delicious!

79. Siomai Mami

Foodie 365 > 79/365 - Siomai Mami
20 March 2011
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Something brother cooked for lunch. Very simple, yet very comforting!

80. Dinner at Bulalo Fiesta

Foodie 365 > 80/365 - Dinner at Bulalo Fiesta
21 March 2011
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We were invited to a dinner/feast at Bulalo Fiesta because today my cousin Joyce graduated from college. Aunt Mary reserved a table and pre-ordered foods that include: Crispy Pata, Caldereta, Bulalo (in two variants), Pancit, and Dinuguan. It was a gastronomic feast!
81. Creamy Beef and Brocolli

Foodie 365 > 81/365 - Creamy Beef with Broccoli
22 March 2011
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This day our electricity was disconnected. It was a very long story to share (and no, it's NOT because we didn't have money to pay for it), but anyway, dinnertime came and the only source of light came from the candles. It was a good dinner, but of course the whole family was agitated about the whole situation. Electricity was reconnected about 10PM.

82. Alukon Dinengdeng

Foodie 365 > 82/365 - Alukon Dinengdeng
23 March 2011
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Following the feast and last night's dinner, we decided to eat fish and veggies for this dinner, and I specifically requested Alukon Dinengdeng because it's one of my favorite types of Dinengdeng (vegetables cooked in some broth and fish paste). Brother cooked this dinner, and I just ate a lot! Hooray for Alukon!

83. Binagoongang Baboy

Foodie 365 > 83/365 - Pork Binagoongan
24 March 2011
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There are quite some ways of cooking this dish, but I love it with some eggplants. Brother knew that already, so when I thought out loud how I wanted to eat Pork Binagoongan, he cooked it for me (I do have a great family).

84. Hawaiian Pizza

Foodie 365 > 84/365 - Hawaiian Pizza by Pizza Hut
25 March 2011
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Cousin Jason (who is staying with since early February) brought home two boxes of pizza tonight. It was a very surprising gesture, but of course the family was thankful about it. I only ate one slice of the Hawaiian Pizza because I love pineapples in my pizza, will just eat the other flavor (Pepperoni) next time.

Okay, my time is up... sister's been bugging me to start preparing for our salon trip, so I am now going to wrap this post. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

*** Jenn ***

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Jenn, the Foodie


I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my travel blog, and since I have quite enough to start a food blog, might as well put all those food trips in one location. Thus, a food blog is born - thanks to the new Friendster Blogs. However, due to several problems, I was left with no choice but to pack bags again and move here instead. Here's the permanent address, promise! Enough talk, let the food trippin' begin! {Know More About Me}