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Discover Something Deliciously Different!

Just like I did!

At the start of summer, Greenwich launched the Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas, which boasts of having the most toppings on any local pizza available. This new product line also signaled Greenwich’s expansion into rolled edge thick-crust pizza, with the 2 new flavors serving as it’s maiden offerings. I got to sample these two new variants at the recent press launch held at the Greenwich Mall of Asia branch.

Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas

I sat down with Mr. Luis Velasco, Senior Marketing Manager for Media, PR & New Business, and Mr. Joseph Aruta, Project Manager, to discuss this latest pizza craze to hit the country. Mr. Velasco explains that this new line was the result of a study conducted last year which revealed 84 percent of Filipinos prefer plenty of toppings, and that a big percentage also preferred thick-crust pizzas. (I am one of them.=D) According to Mr. Aruta, nearly four million slices of the Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas have been sold since March.

Greenwich Special Overloaded Pizza

The new Greenwich Special Overload is basically the same as the regular Greenwich Special, but with three times more premium meats, fresh veggies, and 100 percent Mozzarella cheese toppings. The new Greenwich Meat and Cheese Overload on the other hand, has layer upon layer of Italian sausage, ground beef, pepperoni, salami, bacon, Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. For thin crust lovers, rejoice! Both variants also come in thin-crust versions that are still guaranteed to fill even the biggest of appetites!

Meat and Cheese Overloaded Pizza

Available in double and family size; rolled thick-crust and thin crust, The new Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas are also available in a square thin crust, which can serve 6-8 people. Can’t decide on which variant to order? Why not have both?! With the Half & Half Overload, you get to sample both on one pizza crust.

My verdict? Overall, I liked how both of the flavors tasted. The rolled edge thick-crust is crusty on the outside yet very soft on the inside. And the top is just packed and overflowing with toppings, just the way i like it. It’s seasoned just right, and what I liked the most, which really surprised me, was that the crust wasn’t oily. At all. I am used to seeing a lot of oil under thick crust pizzas from other pizzerias, so it was a pleasant surprise.

The new Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas are available in all Greenwich branches nationwide. Head on over to the nearest Greenwich and sink your teeth into the new Overloaded Pizzas to discover something deliciously different!

For more information, visit their website at http://www.greenwich.com.ph .

Too lazy to go out? Then let your fingers do the walking! Greenwich delivers! Call 5-55-55 to have your Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas delivered to your doorstep.

Sea Kid Crispy Pusit and Crispy Dilis

It was one late afternoon a few months back when we discovered this snack. I was at the SM City North Edsa with my mom and Nina and we were passing through the Snack Exchange area when I noticed these on a display case in the center isle.

I was excited to learn that these are now available in foil packs, so I immediately picked up several packs. These are actually street foods, and are sold just about anywhere, along with fried peanuts, cornik, dried watermelon and squash seeds, and some local dried sweets like white beans and kundol.
There are four variants: Crispy Pusit (Squid); Mixed Crispy Pusit & Dilis; Crispy Dilis (Anchovies); and Spicy Crispy Dilis. All variants come in the same teriyaki flavor.

Php 29.50

We didn’t even wait to get home to have a taste. After paying at the cashier, I immediately opened one pack of the Mixed Crispy Pusit & Dilis, which the 3 of us shared, And boy it was delicious! It was sweet yet savory at the same time, and the pusit and dilis were very crispy.

Php 39.50

Php 19.50

If you want heat, then this one is the one for you. It still has that sweet teriyaki taste with the added kick of hot chili peppers. I like a little heat at times, but this is a bit beyond my tolerance level.

Php 19.50

SeaKid makes for a delicious snack, but also makes for a delicious meal. I enjoyed eating it with rice, dipped in vinegar.

SeaKid is available at the Snack Exchange of SM Malls and SM Hypermart.

Give it a try. I’m sure you’ll love it too.

The Adobo Bento– a Pinoy take on Japanese boxed meals

As a kid I was fascinated with bentos since I first saw one on Japan Video Topics. If you are unfamiliar about Japan Video Topics, it’s a mini-program wherein they showcase things of interest about Japan and it’s culture such as tourist spots, festivals,technology, food, etc. These are shown on a daily basis during odd hours on state-owned TV stations.

Recently, I found a renewed fascination for bentos, due in part to Kaoko’s creations. I’ve been trying to find the right opportunity to make a bento, and that opportunity presented itself when Nina suggested we have a picnic at the La Mesa Eco Park in Quezon City. I thought about what I was going to bring. It had to be something easy to prepare, something that we definitely like to eat because we would be sharing, and something Filipino. And adobo definitely is all three! So I decided to bring an adobo bento to our trip to the park. I paired it up with brown rice and a siding of fried eggplant, diced tomatoes and bagoong (sautéed shrimp paste).

KainPinoy.com's Pinoy Bento for Lasang Pinoy Challenge #25

The Bento

Adobo has been synonymous to Pinoy food for as long as I can remember. If you asked someone to name a Filipino dish, chances are the answer you’ll get is “adobo”. Ask a fellow Pinoy or foreigners who have Filipino friends and contacts, and most of the time, that is going to be the answer. I don’t know why, but it just seems to be the case.

Adobong Liempo

This is so easy to cook. I used pork belly cut into cubes, and started by sautéing it in oil with chopped garlic and onions. I sautéed it until all the pink is gone and before adding a tablespoon of oyster sauce. Next, I poured in the soy sauce which I allowed to simmer before adding in the cane vinegar. I brought it to a boil, lowered the flame, and allowed it to simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened, and the meat is tender. I continued to simmer it on low heat until most of the sauce has been absorbed by the meat, and the fat has been rendered. I then allowed the pork meat to fry a little bit in the fat before taking it off the flame.

Kamatis, Talong at Bagoong

While I waited for the adobo to cook, I worked on my side dishes. I fried slices of eggplant, diced some tomatoes and scooped out some bagoong from the jar.

Brown Rice

After the food has cooled slightly, I proceeded to put the bento together. Since I don’t have bento boxes, I used some disposable microwavable plastic containers which we already had. I used three containers in all, and to give it a more Filipino feel, I lined the containers with banana leaves. For garnishes, I used a tomato peel rosette for the adobo, and some banana leaves cut like bento grass for the rice.

This is KainPinoy.com’s first time to join the Lasang Pinoy challenge. Thank you Ajay for hosting this round!

Halo Halo Season

Summer in the Philippines is both an anticipated and dreaded season. Holidays, out of town trips and beach escapades are among the first thing that comes to mind when summer is mentioned, coupled with a surge of excitement of what’s to come. On the otherhand summer also means one thing: swealtering heat.

How do you like your halo halo?

People living in this part of the world do whatever they can to cope with the heat. One of the more popular options is to indulge in snacks or desserts made with shaved ice. Japan has its Kakigori, Korea has it Bingsu, and China has Baobing or Chhoah-peng. Our South East Asian neighbors likewise have their own shaved ice snack: Singapore and Malaysia’s Ice kachang, and Thailand’s Nam Kang Sai. We in the Philippines, of course, have our Halo-halo.

Mmmm, pinipig

Halo-halo gets its name from the mix of ingredients that make up this cool snack. Each halo-halo is different; it can have as little as three ingredients, or as much as 12. Ingredients for a halo-halo can either be one (or all!) of the following: minatamis na saging (sweetened bananas), kamote (sweet potatoes), mais (corn), kaong, nata de coco, macapuno, beans, pinipig, sago (tapioca), gulaman (jelly), ube, leche flan, sugar, evaporated milk, ice cream, and of course, shaved ice.

Personally, I’m happy with just the bananas, gulaman, sago, pinipig, ube and leche flan. Oh, and with two scoops of sugar, please. How do you like your halo-halo?

Halo-halo is available in most Filipino restaurants. Halo-halo stalls usually pop up in the neighborhood during summer. A glass of halo-halo can range from Php15 to Php80, depending on where you’re buying.