Eleven Tables

As part of our “discover Kapitolyo,” we went to Eleven Tables for fondue. We ordered the following:

Cheese and Bacon Fondue – I would have to say that I’m quite disappointed. While in theory cheese + bacon = yum, in this case the cheese was too sticky midway. It was hard to dip the bread and veggies in and failed to coat. We didn’t really take a long time to eat so it wasn’t because we left the cheese out too long. I feel that I could make my own cheese fondue better at home.

Sausage Platter – It was good, but you can buy these sausages at good delis and cook them yourselves. All they had to do was cook and plate, then put in the sauce cups. However, since it is in a resto and for the amount of money paid, it was fair.

Mushroom pasta – For our carb component, we got this pasta. It was pretty good and satisfying. It isn’t the type of pasta you’d crave for but it was light and flavorful.

Overall I think this resto still has to improve on their offerings before we return. The place is clean and well lit, good for hanging out.

*thanks to Inez for the pictures!

La Maison Du Chocolat

As part of my macaron tour, I went to La Maison Du Chocolat. I got the 5 piece macaron set and a chocolate bar. I would have to say that for chocolate-flavored macarons, they beat Laduree hands down. Unfortunately, I’m not really a fan of chocolate (gasp! the horror!).

As for the bar of chocolate, I have no idea how it tastes like since I gave it to my sister and I think she hasn’t opened it yet!

Overall, the place was great because the service staff was able to answer my questions properly and the packaging is really good. If I had to buy gifts for chocolate lovers, I would definitely go back!

Bonchon

Funny how the Korean Fried Chicken movement started all the way across in New York. As an avid reader of food blogs, I’ve read so much about the “new KFC,” with different joints opening (which is also true here in Manila, now that we’ve caught up years after). On my last trip, I tried Boom Boom Chicken, which I have to say has the BEST KFC I’ve tasted.

With the opening of Bonchon and 4 Fingers Bonchon in Manila, I decided to try Bonchon on this last trip. Safe to say, it is better than what we have here in Manila, but still Boom Boom Chicken is better. Sorry for the crappy photo, as Bonchon in K-Town turns into a “bar” at night.

Kanzhu & Tea Tap

Just a short post on neighborhood faves. Here is Kanzhu’s A1 Dry Beef Noodle – Braised beef with hand-pulled noodles. There is nothing better than fresh made noodles – be it Japanese, Chinese or Italian. It really has a distinctive “bite” in terms of texture. The name of the dish is quite deceptive, it isn’t really dry, as the noodles are laid on top of the braising liquid, topped with green onions, parsley and fresh garlic. It is served with soup on the side. Quite a good deal for P150.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the radish cake – deep fried but the insides are light and flavorful. I usually don’t like radish cake as it has a heavy mouth-feel, but this one is just yummy.

Usually, after having my noodles, I drive to nearby TeaTap Cafe. While there is a milk tea place in front of Kanzhu, I like the milk teas in TeaTap more. I find it less sweet, the milk tea tastes more refined. I usually go for the yakult drinks (I think I tried all of them, save 1 or 2). Of course, I also like the interiors and the cute cat theme.

The Meatball Shop

My sister said that we should definitely try The Meatball Shop when I was visiting her over the holidays, but since we were going to LES for Katz, we decided to order takeout to try at home later. From the outside, the place looked quiet, but inside it was packed! We even had to line up to use the washroom!

So what do they serve at The Meatball Shop? Well, meatballs – be it beef, pork, chicken, veggie, or a daily special. You can choose to top it off with a variety of sauces. Or have them as sliders, on a baguette or brioche bun with cheese. The point being that you can have them whichever way you want it.

My sister got the beef balls on top of spaghetti, a classic choice. I, on the other hand, got the spicy pork with risotto as my side.

While it was pretty good and filing, I don’t really get all the rave reviews, maybe they like the concept? I would eat here again, but maybe during odd hours to avoid the crush. Who knows, maybe the next time, I’ll figure out what people rave about.

Rocco’s (Little Italy)

After our dinner at Keste, we wanted something sweet to end our meal. Let me tell you, walking around the rain is not fun at all! So we decided to stick to the area and go for Rocco’s. Now our friend P warned us that there wasn’t anything remarkable about the desserts here, but we still went in.

Oh the display was pretty impressive, so many things looking really delicious.

So we ordered (clockwise, starting from the top left) – Red Velvet cake, some sort of a Chocolate Tart, a Chocolate Cannoli, and Lemon Meringue Pie.

All I can say is that for the price, they really give you more than enough in terms of serving size. Unfortunately, nothing really stood out. Everything was just so-so.

Keste’ Pizza & Vino

What NYC trip is complete without pizza? This time, my friend recommended Keste. Keste puts emphasis on the crust, and it was really good. You won’t find overloaded pizzas with confusing flavors (thank god!). As we were pretty hungry, we ordered 4 pizzas, each about the size of a large plate.

In the picture below was the Magherita, the Unknown Pizza and Prosciutto de Parma. It came out really hot and gooey, and yum! Perfect for the rainy weather that night!

Welcome Home!

Daddy was really excited to see us for Christmas, and this is what he prepared for us:

1. Lechon Kawali – YUM! I think I’ve posted a similar picture here before, but this is a staple at home in Richmond c/o Ming Tsia.

Babka

I’ve been reading up on bread making, since I feel that this is one of my weak points when it comes to baking. While I know the basics of kneading, I always wonder if I’ve kneaded it enough, not enough, proofed sufficiently, etc. Recently, I saw some people knead bread using the paddle attachment of their Kitchen Aid instead of the dough hook.

Surprisingly, this works really well for me. I put in all my wet and dry ingredients, turn on the mixer at the lowest speed and slowly work my way up. A few minutes later, I have perfectly kneaded dough, which I then leave out to rest and rise.

On this particular baking session, I decided to make Babka, a brioche-y type of bread with chocolate. Half a recipe yielded 3 small but very rich loaves. I would definitely reduce the amount of chocolate chunks and maybe replace it with good cocoa powder instead.

Overall, I was happy with the results to the point that I used the recipe again, this time using red bean filling instead.

IHOP

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I really don’t think this is what they had in mind. Scrambled Eggs, Potato Hash, Ham, Sausage and Bacon. Total grease bomb. Oh, I forgot to add the 2 buttermilk pancakes with loads of syrup.

Arriving in the city at 6am and going straight to outlet shopping, this is what we ate to fortify ourselves.

This was in the East Coast. A few weeks later we ate in an IHOP in the West Coast, and there is an obvious difference in serving size. West Coast IHOP was visibly smaller, I don’t know why.