Author: neeners

Rafik's Wagyu Shawarma

Fellow foodies Eric and Bong were headed to the Salcedo Weekend Market, so I tagged along, eager to see how the market has grown from the last time I went there (which was way back in 2004). My, has it grown! There are certainly more booths now compared to 4 years ago, and twice as many people. The only familiar sight was Ineng’s barbeque stall, which has always been a bestseller.

Rafik's Wagyu Shawarma 01

I went around the market twice over, to see the offerings before I decide what to have for breakfast. I was thinking of having the Paella, Kaoko always rave about, but couldn’t find it. Still, there were plenty of stalls offering a wide variety of cuisine. In no time, I was torn between several choices.

In the end I ended up at the stall near the Bgy. Bel Air Clinic. Proudly proclaiming that they serve Wagyu burgers and shawarma, my interest was certainly piqued. I’ve been hankering for shawarma for some time now, and my curiosity about Wagyu pushed me to stop and buy from the stall.

Rafik's Wagyu Shawarma 02

This is the most expensive shawarma I’ve ever had. At Php 190, it raises your expectations. It certainly reached mine. The meat was tender and packed with flavor. The garlic sauce was especially nice, too. It was quite a way to satisfy my shawarma craving.

The Salcedo Community Market is open every Saturday, from 7am to 2pm.

Salcedo Community Market
Jaime Velasquez Park
Tordesillas and Leviste (formerly Alfaro) streets
Salcedo Village, Makati City
The market is open every

Winners of the Delifrance Tray Couture Coupons!

Thank you to everyone who joined our Delifrance Tray Couture contest! I was overwhelmed by the responses. Here the 10 winners of the Delifrance Tray Couture coupons:

Girlie A. Camungay who said:

Im a person who can COMPLETE your day that’s why I can compare myself to Cherie. Cherie has a COMPLETE source of health benefits like carbohydrates(bread, pasta), protein(chicken, egg), and vitamin A & C (mango, vegetables). Its very rare to find a COMPLETE meal and so am I…

boy kuripot who said:

Given my tight work schedule, it’s always a balancing act between work and play. I play as hard as I work. To me, everything needs its balance! Even when it comes to meals, I see to it that I eat balanced meals. I need to have enough carbs, proteins, and nutrients that fits my diet. Of course flavor needs to be well balanced too! For these reasons, PHILIPPE Delifrance Tray Couture best reflects who I am. It has enough carbs from the pasta and bread to give me a boost for my busy schedule, enough proteins from the beef and tuna, and nutrients to last me the day. A well balanced meal for a well balanced guy like ME!

Lita Lim who said:

I’m the health conscious Amelia, because healthy need not be dull, bland and boring. It can be just as delicious as you want it to be, all a matter of choosing the right foods for you. I realized I want to live longer so I’ve made a conscious choice to have more seafoods, fruits, and vegetables. When you get to my age you get to think about wanting to see your grandkids get married… so now I’m more like the health conscious Amelia.

Tricia Andre Lorenzo who said:

I may be a girl but I’m the hearty and down-to-earth Philippe!

I don’t mind getting down and dirty when the occasion calls for it, like trekking in the muddy fields on the way to a mountaineering adventure. Believe me, I need energy to do that which is why I prefer my meals hearty!

Don Eleazar Balboa who said:

I go with Philippe because I flip out whenever I get to taste my favorite meat ingredients (tuna & beef!). Plus its my birthday (27th), so I guess I deserve a great treat from Delifrance. I also make my own version of beef stroganoff (w/ reed beet, red wine, special sauce), so I wanna explore the Delifrance way, the real way it is done…

Millette who said:

I’d say the Philippe Delifrance Tray Couture is the one for me!

I eat heartily and so PHILIPPE it is!

The Beef Stroganoff dish over noodles and tuna clubhouse would definitely satisfy my gastronomic appetite! I work like a horse and I would need all the protein to meet up the demands of my busy schedule.

Ronald Delima who said:

Sporty personality of mine,
A Philippe coutery could well define.
Tuna, Onion and Mayo Clubhouse dish
its truly every health buff’s wish!
Beef Stroganoff Pasta galore
for extra energy to let you do more.
My Philippe is quite a yummy treat,
a delightful meal thats quite hard to beat.
So go on, give Philippe a bow,
Head to Delifrance and order one now!

Danilo M. Reyes who said:

I’m a Philippe because I’m a straightforward and no-nonsense type of guy. I believe in working hard and playing hard. I need my carbs and my protein, and what better combination than fish, beef, bread, and pasta?

My energy I can keep
just by ordering a Philippe

I can go on and on all day
Taking on anything that comes my way!

JJ who said:

An Amelia I truly am. Because I may look meek and mild on the outside, but I am just as naughty and spiced up on the inside! A gastronomic dichotomy of sorts to match a seafood-pomodoro fusion.

letsgosagoDOTnet who said:

I am a Philippe, u know why?
Coz tuna & pasta I love to try.
I am a Philippe, don’t dare pry,
Or I’ll roll on the ground and cry. =)

Congratulations to all the winners! You can claim your prize at Unit 7C, 114 Tuscan Bldg., V. A Rufino St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Contact numbers are 812-8828, 812-9199, 0917-523-4624. Look for Ms. Joyce Pogoy.

Much love to Delifrance and GeiserMaclang for making this contest possible 🙂

Jollibee's Black Forest Sundae is pure bliss

The work week has just started. Do you feel stressed already? Take some time out, de-stress and give yourself a treat.

Jollibee Black Forest Sundae

Jollibee is coming out with a new sundae variant that lets you indulge without having to spend a lot: the Black Forest Sundae. Our favorite vanilla soft serve ice cream is smothered in rich dark chocolate syrup, blended with a drizzle of cherry syrup, served with moist brownie chunks from Red Ribbon and dark chocolate bits, and a slice of cherry on top. The best part? It’s only Php 35 pesos.

This sumptuous treat will be available in Jollibee branches starting September 24, 2008.

Which type are you?

Ryan, Rey and I dropped by Delifrance this afternoon to try out their latest offering: the Delifrance Tray Couture. There are four variants: Henri, Philippe, Cherie and Amelia.

Delifrance Tray Couture - Henri
Henri – Premiere Clubhouse and Shrimp Pesto Pasta

 
I am a Henri: a set with half a Premiere Clubhouse and half Shrimp Pesto Pasta. The best part about this set? The crispy bacon in the sandwich and the plumb and juicy shrimp in the pasta.

Delifrance Tray Couture - Cherie
Cherie – California Chicken Clubhouse and Garlic Pesto Pasta

 
Rey is a Cherei: a tray with California Chicken Clubhouse and Garlic Pesto Pasta. He and Ryan particularly loved the mango included in the sandwich.

Delifrance Tray Couture - Amelia
Amelia – Seafood Deluxe Clubhouse and Pomodoro Angel Hair Pasta

 
Ryan, on the otherhand is an Amelia: a combo of Seafood Deluxe Clubhouse and Pomodoro Angel Hair Pasta. I loved the creamy crabstick spread and the lusciously red pomodoro sauce looks enticing indeed.

Philippe, the other tray comes with Tuna Onion Mayo Clubhouse and Beef Stroganoff Pasta, and I intend to try this out next time I go to Delifrance.

All Tray Couture comes with a shot of your drink of choice, creamy soup, crunchy breadsticks, and a rich chocolate dessert.

So are you a Philippe, a Henri, a Cherie or an Amelia? Tell us in your most creative way, and win a free coupon to try out Delifrance’s Tray Couture! Simply write your answers in the comment box, and the ten best answers will be given a prize!

Contest guidelines:

  1. This contest is open to Metro Manila residents and nearby suburbs. Why? Because you’d have to pick up the prize in Makati.
  2. Winners may claim their prizes at Unit 7C, 114 Tuscan Bldg., V. A Rufino St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Contact numbers are 812-8828, 812-9199, 0917-523-4624. Look for Ms. Joyce Pogoy.
  3. Contest closes on September 30, 2008.
  4. Winner will be chosen and announced on October 1, 2008.

Bacon Mushroom Tops and Chili Cheese Dog

Jollibee has always been one of my favorite fastfoods, and every visit to their store leads to several minutes standing at the counter, undecided which treat to order. Now choosing is even harder with the Jolly Hotdog’s two new variant: the Chili Chesse Dog and the Bacon Mushroom Tops.

Jolly Hotdog Bacon Mushroom Tops

If you think the original Jolly Hotdog was good, it gets even better. The Chili Cheese Dog has spicy beef toppings with cheese. Not too spicy, but it does have that kick. The Bacon Mushroom Tops have bacon bits, mushroom, and you guessed it, cheese.

Jolly Hotdog Chili Cheese Dog

Each variant costs Php42.00 each, but if you order it as a value meal (with drink and regular fries), it would cost you Php 66.00.

Philippine Blog Awards – People's Choice

Hey dear Kain Pinoy readers! Though this blog is relatively young and sparingly updated, it somehow managed to get included in the People’s Choice Awards for the Philippine Blog Awards! We feel so loved ^_^

Here are the list of nominees:

Here’s the mechanics for voting:

This year’s voting is quite different from last year’s. In order for us to accurately tally the bloggers who voted, we jazzed up the voting a bit and made it more exciting.

To vote, you MUST be a Filipino blogger, which means, you need to own a blog. You might be blogging on Blogger, WordPress.Com, Live Journal, Friendster, Multiply, or on a self-hosted
blog—it doesn’t matter—the point is, you need to have a blog to vote. Your blog must be established at least three (3) months from today with a minimum of 10 posts.

Why? Well, read on for the instructions on how to vote for your favorite Bloggers’ Choice Award nominee!

  • Choose only ONE (1) blog from the list of official Bloggers’ Choice Award nominees above. On your blog, tell us why you voted for the nominee. Yes, you can vote for your own blog. And no, you cannot vote for a blog that is not on the list of official Bloggers’ Choice Award nominees.

  • Make sure that the links to the websites of the 2008 Philippine Blog Awards sponsors are included in your post. You MUST include the sponsor links to validate your vote.

    Level Up! Games
    Nokia
    Blog Bank
    Smart Communications
    Josiah’s Catering
    Rsun Technology Store
    Yahoo
    XFM 92.3
    Buddy Gancencia Reality TV
    Ultravision Photo and Video
    Click Booth
    Aloha Board Sports
    Sheero Media Solutions
    YourPinoyBroker.com
    Belo Medical Group
    Inquirer.Net
    Toshiba
    ROAM Magazine
    PLDT

    To make it easier, here’s the code to copy and paste:


  • Submit your post URL and some basic info tthe Philippine Blog Awards committee using this form. Make sure
    that you provide the COMPLETE URL of the post you created for your vote to be valid.

Once you have submitted your vote post URL, wait for the confirmation from one of our committee members. Please be patient, we will manually go through each and every vote post to make sure it’s valid.

So what will you get out of this? Well, aside from the fact that you will make your favorite blogger happy, a valid Bloggers Choice Award vote entitles you one (1) raffle entry.

ONE BLOGGER = ONE VOTE = ONE RAFFLE ENTRY

Source: Philippine Blog Awards

Hmm, I wonder what the prizes are. Not sure when the dealine is, but the Awards night is on the 21st, so cast your votes now! It doesn’t have to be for Kainpinoy… we’ll still love you 😉

Discovering Amazing Cones

“Let’s try that pizza in cone place,” Rey said.

“The what?” I asked. Did I hear him right? Pizza in a cone?

“I heard there’s this place in New Manila that sells pizza in a cone.”

A quick Google search later, I discover that there is indeed a store that sells pizza in a cone: Amazing Cones. Currently, they only have two branches, one along Doña Hemady in New Manila, and the other at the V-Mall in the Greenhills Shopping Center. With a determination to try something new (and having nothing else better to do), Rey and I headed to Greenhills to find out what the fuss is all about.

Amazing Cones 03
My Feisty Fajita and Rey’s Supremo Italiano

 
Basically, Amazing Cones’ specialty are their pizzas, which is served in a pita-esque bread, shaped like a cone. The pizza toppings are put inside the cone and topped with mozzarella cheese. The pizza cones come straight from the oven, served in a cone holder to keep it upright. The cones were hot, and because its shape, the heat is retained longer. You’d have to nibble through the gooey mozzarella to help the pizza toppings cool.

Amazing Cones 02
Amazing Ice

 
Amazing Cones offer a variety of pizza flavors ranging from the familiar to combinations you’d only find in specialty pizza places. I had the Feisty Fajita, which was a refreshing change from the traditional pizza topping with its combination of chicken, bell pepper, onions, cilantro, cheese sauce and mozzarella. Priced between Php 70 – 80 for each cone, it’s decently priced. The cones aren’t too big though, equivalent to one slice of pizza.

We each had Black Gulaman Amazing Ice to go with our pizza cones, and an Amazing Swirl Kool Twist & Amazing Swirl Crunchi Creme for dessert. Priced at Php 60, I didn’t find the Amazing Ice a good value, specially since the large cup wasn’t large at all and I didn’t like its taste (and mind you, I LOVE gulaman). My Kool Twist in its regular cone costs Php 65, while Rey’s Crunchi Creme was priced at Php 80 and comes in a Belgian Waffle cone. As you can see in the picture, they were very generous with the ice cream. The ice cream was creamy indeed, and each order can be shared.

Amazing Cones 06
Amazing Swirl

 
The concept is cute and intriguing. I loved the Feisty Fajita and the ice cream cone (though I doubt I’d be eating ice cream again anytime soon). I’m definitely going back to try the other flavors.

Amazing Cones
#11 Doña Hemady Street
New Manila, Quezon City
Phone: (632) 4165299 / 7241402
Fax: (632) 7227904
Website: http://www.amazingcones.com

Unit V118 G/F V-Mall Building
Greeenhills Shopping Center, San Juan

A taste of Cebuano: CNT Lechon

The second weekend of August found me, Eric and Melo in Cebu to cover the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo festival, as well as to be reacquainted with Cebuano favorites.

One of Cebu’s best delicacy of course, is the lechon. I don’t know what it is about Cebu’s lechon, but its Manila counterparts simply can’t measure up. The skin is really crispy and the meat is so tender and juicy.

Cebu Lechon CNT 02
Oh yes. I torture you with pictures of lechon.

 
Among the tourists, the “brand” we’re all familiar with is CnT Lechon. This is probably because there are several CNT branches scattered all over Cebu. Inside SM City Cebu, they can be found at the supermarket foodcourt. Likewise, at Ayala Center Cebu, CNT also have a stall at the mall’s foodcourt. Of course, their lechon is superb, hence the popularity of CNT among the locals and visitors alike.

We went to the CnT restaurant that’s found right across SM Cebu, along Juan Luna Extension. It’s a popular dining place during the weekend, and even though we arrived at 1pm, it was still packed with families having Sunday lunch. Ordering is done at the counter, where you tell the girl behind the counter how much lechon you want to order, and pick out any additional dishes you want to go with it, turo-turo style.

Cebu Lechon CNT 04
Don’t worry, this is hurting me as much as it hurts you… I want lechon, too!

 
Soon enough, two plates of chopped lechon is in the center of the table. We all reach for a strip of skin and our eyes collectively rolled back when we bit into it. It was crispy, like chicharon, yet tastes distinctly like lechon. A second set of eye-rolling ensues when we tasted the meat. The Cebu lechon has a distinct flavor — it’s so good there’s no need for any sauces!

Now, when are we going back to Cebu?

CNT Lechon
1377 V. Rama Avenue
Guadalupe, Cebu City
Phone: (6332) 254-4249, (6332) 254-6641

Thinking of bringing home a Taste of Cebuano (as CnT’s tagline say)? CnT have boxes for their lechon, so you can bring home the best Cebu lechon for friends and family. Just tell the staff behind the counter that you want it boxed when you order. You can even order a whole lechon from CnT, and have it sent via air cargo!

Scooping for charity: Miguel Escueta for White Hat Italian Frozen Yogurt

Miguel Escueta and White HatIn an effort to give back to the community, White Hat Italian Frozen Yogurt is teaming up with singer Miguel Escuata to raise funds for his charity of choice.

On the 24th of August, Miguel with don the White Hat apron and stand behind the counter, serving the real Italian frozen yogurt to customers. Half of the day’s earnings will be donated to I Am Strong, an NGO aiming to help the youth become responsible adults. They do this by conducting nationwide training to impart values such as being trustworthy, being respectful, doing noble deeds, being steadfast in times of crisis, being open-minded and being gutsy enough to face challenges.

Now isn’t this a good enough reason to try out White Hat? 😉

White Hat Italian Frozen Yogurt
2/F Entertainment Mall
SM Mall of Asia
Pasay City
Location Map: (click to view large)
White Hat in Mall of Asia

Tasting the best hamburgers at Pepper Lunch

I’ve been eagerly waiting to try Pepper Lunch, ever since I read about it in Chuvaness’ blog, one of Pepper Lunch’s owner. So have every blogger subscribed to her blog. When it finally opened, fans came in droves, resulting in long lines that snake around the Powerplant’s basement. Two months after, I was finally able to try it for myself.

Hamburger at Pepper Lunch
Melo’s Hamburger Steak

 
After reading several blogs singing praises for the flavorful meats, I had high expectations. Also, after seeing countless pictures of the servings and the menu, I know what to order even before I went.

I had the Cut Steak and Hamburger Combo, while my dinner buddy Melo had the Hamburger. For dessert, I ordered the Vanilla Crepe Cake.

Combo Cut Steak and Hamburger at Pepper Lunch
Combo Cut Steak and Hamburger

 
The steaks were served in a hot plate. Not just any ordinary hotplate — Pepper Lunch uses a patented technology that heats up to 300 degrees so you can cook your meat, and keeps your food hot without burning it. It’s also non-stick, so there’s no danger of your food sticking to the metal.

The meats arrive sizzling. There’s instruction printed on the paper that shields you from the bubbling oils. Basically, when you’re served your meal, you’re supposed to slather the flavored butter across the meat and cook it to your desired done-ness. There are two kinds of sauces you can use on your veggies and meat: Garlic Soy Sauce and the Honey Soy Sauce.

Vanilla Crepe Cake at Pepper Lunch
Vanilla Crepe Cake

 
The meat and hamburger were good on their own, even without the sauce. The hamburger was incredibly juicy, and the cut steak reminded me of bacon with its generous sliver of fat. Bacon = good. Mmmm, bacon.

Bacon talk aside, the entire meal was good. Another thing that stood out for me was the rice. They use real Japanese rice, and you can clearly taste the difference from ordinary rice. The dessert was light and fluffy. Good enough, but I’ll probably order a different dessert next time.