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Zuchini and Arugula Salad

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I ordered lunch from Dig Inn once and loved their side zuchini and arugula salad, so I thought I’d give it a shot at home. We had some extra green squashes so I chopped it into little pieces and discovered they didn’t need to be cooked before eating.

Afternoon snack: Zuchini, arugula, and beet salad on endive with a side of hummus. Drool.

Zuchini, arugula, and beet salad on endive with a side of hummus. Drool.

This salad is so simple and refreshing and we didn’t need to use any oil. The arugula is so rich in flavor it hardly needs anything else. We added some beets for color and snacked on it with endives. All you need is a little patience in chopping, lemon, salt and sugar, and you’re on the way to healthy and happy.

It's about color.

I love this salad’s color, and that’s only secondary to its taste.

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Pakibalot Panciteria, Quezon City, Philippines

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Pakibalot Panciteria‘s pancit canton was recently ranked #2 by Spot.ph so I knew it was a place I wanted to visit the next time I was in Manila. Of course the pancit never made it to my photos because I got too excited again, but I did manage to capture some of their other specialties.

Tokwa’t Baboy (Fried Tofu and Fried Pork Belly)

I always enjoy a good Tokwa’t Baboy. To me the quality of fried tofu is a testament to the skill of the chef as it’s very easy to over- and undercook firm tofu and end up with either a soggy mess that could use a little more browning, or tough squares that have long lost their touch. Pakibalot hit the spot right here with a perfect crunch while remaining tender inside to soak in the delicious sauce.

Chop suey with lechon

They do offer vegetables on the menu but with a Filipino touch of fatty meat stirred along with it. Of course! Continue reading →

Oil-Free Chicken Fajita

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Being forced to cook without oil makes one realize that it is often unnecessary. This is a hard habit to break simply because sauteing seems to be how most dishes are started, no matter if it’s a soup or a casserole or a stew that’s simmered for 3 hours. Garlic, onions and vegetables are always inevitably sauteed in oil before anything else is done. Especially in Asian cuisine, stir-fried dishes seem to be a staple, as is the use of oil.

We made this fajita without frying and without adding any oil or flavoring other than that provided by its ingredients.

Chicken fajita topped with salsa, cilantro, black beans, avocado on a tomato wrap.

Chicken, peppers and onions on a cast iron skillet

We found that more often than not, the sauteing ingredients (commonly onions, peppers, garlic) produce their own flavored liquid which adds to the complexity of the sauce or stew. Continue reading →

Mr Jones, Makati City, Philippines

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I made sure Mr. Jones was on my list of restaurants to visit during a recent trip to Manila. Friends raved about their beef tapa, burgers, and milkshakes. They sang praises for the truffled mac n’cheese and challah french toast and I would drool every time someone posted a photo online. I knew I had to go.

Fortunately we had friends who were fanatics and knew the menu well. Unfortunately, we each only had one digestive system so we couldn’t order everything I wanted to try.

The evening began with a Banana Cream Pie Milkshake which reminded me of a liquified Magnolia Banana Pudding. Not too sweet and made with love. I was too eager to consume it that it didn’t live long enough for a photo, but there was more in Mr. Jones’ arsenal to cover.

Tapa and Garlic Overload

The main reason I made sure to go to Mr. Jones was for their famous Tapa and Garlic overload, a fancy take on the Filipino breakfast tapsilog, a combination of air-dried beef, fried rice, and sunny-side eggs. Usually considered a budget meal, Mr. Jones’ take on it is 2-4 times more costly than its fast food counterpart, and not because of the restaurant’s venue and ambiance. Mr. Jones makes their tapa from Yakiniku cut US Ribcap Beef, and the result is the most generous serving of beef you’ll ever have on a breakfast plate, and could quite possibly be the most tender pieces of meat you’ll ever have in the Philippines. You get what you pay for. Continue reading →

Is Panizza a Philippine Phenomenon? Mona Lisa Ristorante, Alabang

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New Yorkers are arrogant about pizza, and with reason. We do have the best pizza you’ll ever find outside of Italy. See? Okay, I would rephrase that to say that New Yorkers are arrogant about a particular kind of pizza, the coal-oven thin crust variety, not to be confused with Chicago’s deep dish or a hearty thick crust elsewhere. But ours is still the best. 🙂

(Read DJ’s take on Grimaldi’s, Patsy’s, DiFara’s, Rome’s Pizzeria Da Baffeto, and Sint Maarten’s La Fregate.  I do love my slice!)

And so when a friend said the pizza at this restaurant in Manila was good, I was skeptical and nearly rolled my eyes. Good pizza? Surely you don’t know who you’re talking to. But wait, there was a twist. It wasn’t just pizza but PANIZZA, a supposed combination of pizza and panini, that made me even more suspicious. You must be kidding me. I knew I had to try this bipolar pie.

Rolled up panizza. The richness of the cheese combined with the crunch of the crust is the perfect accompaniment to the freshness of the greens inside.

Google it. No such listings for Panizza exist other than family trees for that Italian last name and restaurant listings from the Philippines. Is panizza truly a Filipino phenomenon? Why hasn’t anyone thought of it elsewhere? Some entrepreneurial spirit needs to read this and rock New York with panizza because it was so, so good! Continue reading →

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