Mexican Mayhem: Orale Taqueria Mexicana

The only thing I hate about Orale Taqueria Mexicana (Fort Strip) is that it is so freakishly far from where I live, that I cannot eat there whenever I want to. Which is like everyday.

Logistics aside, Orale is like a modified Ristra’s where chili and salsa are abound and the place looks more like Mexico than a Philippines-trying-to-be-Mexico. It smells like a Nacho Libre setting too.

The Nachos are home (or is it store?) made and are crispy grande. By that I literally mean BIG crisp, one where your teeth totter on the brink of falling, but the freshness and queso mucho make up for this headbang. In the end you stuff yourself silly and find the crunch so memorable and yes, earth shaking.

The Pollo Asado Quesadilla and Pollo Asado Enchiladas denote how much we love chicken, yes I know. What a poultry killer. Back to the comida, the chicken is so flavorful and piquant, we don’t regret ordering 2 chicken dishes. Mixed with the vegetables and cheese and loads of carbs, this is one Mexican meal that is far from Third World.

They give you all sorts of salsa, it becomes a sauce fest. Even for a minute or two, poverty is eradicated from the world and everything is just grande. Grand, huh.

The Burrito seemed just as filling. Ah yes, the diner was at loss of words which should be translated as… zzzzz. Death from beef.

In Mexican food-deprived Manila, Orale is the only haven for authentic Mejicano meals. This makes Mexicali, Agave and Baja Mexican Cantina seem like half breeds. After a visit to this place, Orale has become the new benchmark for Mexican mayhem.

Unless Chipotle comes over to the Philippines. Then that would be just sweet. Grand. Susmaryosep.

Soi What? (Soi, New Glorietta)

Once I get a craving for Pad Thai, there’s no stopping me. Pad thai seems to be my 2013 comfort food which people close to me may find strange since I dislike peanuts, abhor fish sauce and have never been to Thailand—like that matters—but I just felt like adding it.

What’s more alluring than pad thai is pad thai with that crafty egg net. As I tell my peers, who can say no to egg served so artistically? I would welcome that with an open mouth and an empty plate!

Soi Thai Restaurant at the new Glorietta (that’s what they call it, I swear) serves Thai food, which personally I did not care about, since I only went for the egg-netted-pad-thai. Turns out, the Vegetarian Pad Thai is not bedazzled with that lusty egg net! So if you are after the egg like me, go for Chicken Pad Thai, which thank goodness, we had the proactive gluttony to order.

That evening, we were advised that the Pad Thai noodles would go from fettucine flat to rounded slim—about twice the diameter of vermicelli. Like I care.

When the noodles came though, it seems that I do care. The thin noodles were interesting to masticate but then again, you go looking for that flat chewy presence that makes pad thai, well, pad thai. Plus the serving seemed so miniscule, I could finish a plate and still go for other dishes and 2 kinds of dessert (which I did in retrospect). The sauce was ho-hum in sweetness and the tofu barely there. At least the chicken chunks were on the average size. Of course the egg did not make that big of a difference and only made an ooooh impression for the photo op. After the first bite, I could honestly say that I would not be dreaming of this anorexic noodle dish for the poor, much less crave for Soi more.

The Seafood Curry though was interestingly something I couldn’t stop eating, until the very last morsel of curdled curry. It was a bizarrely arranged dish that somehow tasted so well. Even the onion tasted so damn good! Imagine that.

The Pandan Chicken and Grilled Squid did not deviate from their expected taste, so they were both on the safe side. Turns out I am not quite a fan of grilled squid—not sure if it was me or does grilled squid just taste so raw? Must be all the burnt calamari I’ve been eating.

Oh, and half of the pandan chicken was chicken skin so if you’re a skin-hater like me, consider it bit of a rip-off. Rip off the pandan leaf to unveil a rip-off. Nice.

Soi Glorietta was packed that Friday night; I imagine people really love the noodles and rice which seemed to flood the other tables. Since I only came for the pad thai and was met with an anorexic dish that had more nuts than soy, I’d say better luck next time. With noodles that thin—pho hoa skinny—I’m better off going to the gym.

So Slap Me! (Slappy Cakes)

Cooking pancakes is a skill I am least capable of, next to sign language and texting while driving. Even with Aunt Jemima’s big motherly love, I have created poorly shaped, stiff as cement and just “blech” quality pancakes, if there is any quality at all to my work.

So finding myself in Slappy Cakes, make-your-own pancake mecca, remains to be a conundrum.

 

However I found myself not being a fire hazard to the place and painstakingly spending time with my  fancy creations. Perhaps it was that nasty griddle that made cooking life an easy peasy task.

Yes my dear Watson and readers, there is available syrup on the table.

 

Slappy Cakes is that place wherein you actually pay a premium to make your own pancakes (your choice of batter, fixins, syrup and toppings). The result is a dish you can never complain about—because you made it yourself! That’s the catch!

 

They give you a 225 oz bottle where you squirt, slap and paint the griddle with whatever you fancy. Splatter it with your choice of toppings and eat like a messed up kid.

Being plain weird, I chose the whole grain batter with chocolate chips. The result is a chocolate chip-digestive pancake that was not too sweet but was soft (and slightly undercooked as I was hungry). Many may dislike my multigrain choice for its gritty and slightly salty taste but I liked it just fine.

I may be lazy, but I make a mean Chocolate Chip Digestive.

The buttermilk batter with combo #1: Blueberry and Lemon Curd seemed to satisfy my companion but claims it was enhanced by the toppings and syrup (there is free syrup on the table which will do if you are not from Canada anyway and in demand of the real maple syrup). Hence, without these sweet add-ons, the batter on its own might be on the bland side.

 

I agree. If the batter was so good, then this should be batter heaven and Slappy Cakes would not make as much money from its bacon, sour cream, white cheese, maple syrup, blueberry, bananas, etcetera. Mr. Slappy would go poor from selling batter alone and as they say, a pancake isn’t a pancake without the “others”.

Okay I just made that up.

J for “Jemima Wannabe”

There is a vegan batter that is also available, not to mention eggs and potatoes. Back to the vegan batter, I wonder how it will taste and if I could pair it with mushrooms and white cheese. If ever that concoction proves to be a gastronomic success, then it would be my turn to slap anyone!

When we TRY to be creative, we end up eating raw, burnt or just oddly shaped items.

Seriously, that vegan batter—I JUST HAVE TO TRY! I will be getting green dreams until then.

Cold Soba Nights

 

The search for Little Tokyo (Pasay Road) has been a long and winding road and the best way to get there is not to plan at all.

That’s how I got there.

Just say: “I want Ramen” and like Harry Potter’s Room of Requirement, the mysterious door appears in front of you! Then you go through this drunken sakura alley and next thing you see is Little Tokyo with the takoyaki ladies and the la-la-lanterns. Pick your choice dining place and eat like it’s the Meiji era.

 

How we ended up at Hana was a combination of accident, timing and good lighting. Since this was an unplanned trip, I never had the chance to research on where to eat, much less how to read signs in Japanese. However the takoyaki lady in Hana who also alternated as waitress and direction giver found the opportunity to seat the wanderers and so we obliged.

 

No reason can explain why I did not order the takoyaki balls which are quite a steal at P120. Perhaps this gives us a good reason to return. Unplanned of course!

Sumimasen for the blurry photos. The place was dark.

The tako karaage was supposed to serve as the pescatorian appetizer (domo) and was ungreasy and very tender, despite the form of the animal it originated from. To be dipped in salt, ah yes, quite an under the sea re-enactment.

 

The Tempura Soba was the highlight of my meal, warm and sweet—just perfect for my cold! With perfectly fried tempura and chewy soba noodles making the ensemble, it was a fabulous dish for anyone in search of the perfect noodles! Sadly for me who cannot just delight in ramen (because of the pork stock) the soba offers the better alternative.

With the noodles so hauntingly rich and the flavor bursting with soy wonder, I believe there is nothing little about Little Tokyo.

And yes, I ought to come back. “Eat again, I must,” as Rurouni Kenshin would say.

As for me, Ja ne! See you later!

 

It’s a Cookie, yo!

It doesn’t take a brain to tell you that when we say frozen yogurt cookie, expect something sour in between. No, the frozen thing in the middle does not magically turn into sweet creamy bliss once sandwiched in between cookies. The laws of matter tell us that once a yogurt, always sour. If any, it gets more sour as the minutes pass. 

Yoh-froz came up with this frozen yogurt-cookie sandwich to battle the likes of Sebastian’s ice cream (my favorite) and the DQ sandwich cookie. Of course if you want ice cream-sweet, then go for the others. However if you are on a diet, the Yoh-Froz cookies will do.

I went for the nastily named Frookie Monster, because my undying love for oreo made me do it. The oreo bits (if it was even Oreo) were painstakingly crushed and went strangely with the frozen yogurt.

The first few bites can be surprising since I was expecting cookies and cream, not cookies and sour cream.  Still, it was strange yet satisfying and future crave-worthy.

Imagine my dismay when the Yoh-Froz at Hobbes and Landes Trinoma disappeared all of a sudden. Guess it’s back to Red Mango. 

In the HEAT of Battle

Best way to spend summer is in Heat, not in a seductive way. More of gastronomic.

Heat (EDSA Shangri-la) with its brilliant buffet spread is the best way to enjoy summer, way better than swimming, sun bathing and cooking combined! Being the sarcastic vegetarian, you can never expect me to come up with a fairly decent and comprehensive review for a buffet—but to talk about what I ate, I got that covered.

While I swore to abstain from eating salad, I could not stay away from the greens. Picking up anchovies, shrimps, lobster, assorted cheese (emmenthal, luv!), squash curry (seriously) and walnuts from other stations, I created one mega pesto salad.

Best part of the meal was my self-concocted squid ink pasta with pesto, shrimp, various cheeses and lobster on the side. This warranted seconds but I was viciously eyeing the cheesecake so the lone serving ought to suffice. Lone yet the stuff that dreams of made of.

A taste of laksa was all I needed to crave it for another day, but too much of that coconut milk was again, a hindrance to my ultimate dessert goal. Next time, laksa!

I had quite a fill of the lobster that seemed to pour from Poseidon’s basket. What a gracious gesture for any pescatorian.

For some outrageous reason, my plate gathered no stocks from the Chinese food section—especially the boring crispy fish that seemed to run out every time I ventured to that place. So I frequented the place that seemed to welcome me the most, cheese! I do love cheese and it felt wonderful to find a block present at all times.

The dessert stations were always filled with buzzing folks, I was just glad I got my hands on some pastries that ran out by the time we officially ended our meal. (Indeed, I snuck out in between main courses to pluck what seemed to be chocolate mousse/ganache (?) and panna cotta) on shot glasses.) the flourless chocolate cake was endless, a bit dry but acceptable as it went well with the ice cream.

My own concoction consisted of strawberry-chocolate ice cream, flourless chocolate cake-brownie-almond parfait. A wicked end for a satisfying meal.

It seems that when in Heat, best way to chill is just to eat like a lazy black cat. No stomach ache guaranteed. Just one smile that wouldn’t leave.  

 

What’s Going on, Global FC

As Carlito de Murga would put it, “Dios mio!” Si!

We’ve had quite a string of Global FC-related interviews, the summer happened, laziness crept in and well, food bashing came and out was football.. Not!

As a weekly denizen of Emperador Stadium, it is time to update our (Miji x J.Anne)  list of football features. I have been busy, and not just with pancake attacks and broccoli wars, but also with bleachers, boys and yes, the inevitable balls (plural, mind you).

But with the President’s Cup bringing us back on track, I present my nearly forgotten list:

Fasten Your Reichelt

First off was the uber special Patrick Reichelt who got 2 features from me and Miji, one for the Azkals site and the other for Global FC—a task more challenging than finding a new job (seriously)!

We started 2013 with this Fil-German winger and continue to get delighted with Kiki’s fabulous assists and moves. Truly he’s on the rise, this Reichelt guy. Heil Patrick!

Scot Session

Next was Coach Brian Reid, who, now that I mention it, is rather special too; the coach got his own spread on my blog. WordPress can get tough at times, but Brian is tougher (by a mile) so painstakingly finishing the layout is something I can afford to offer him. After all the Scotsman paid praise to my Scottish accent, and how can I refuse that kind of compliment?

So if anyone asks you for a Scot Session, by all means, say “Aye!” and never look back.

Brit it on

Then came Big Ben Starosta who’s big, British and the self-proclaimed popstar of Sheffield. What a fun guy this was, and so amusing that we chose the dainty Cake Club (BHS) to hold that boisterous interview.

In the end, so aptly named, courteous and missing his tea, we can only wish Ben more brill times in the country (and not just his new fave Cebu).

The Winning Pair

Lastly, we had the strangest choice for a feature: LGR, the athletic garments supplier of Global FC. In short, you say jersey, we say LGR. Rhayan Cruz, the R in LGR, has been put to the spotlight with our SWOT analysis questions (sorry mate, MBA times). I nearly came up with the title Dress to Possess but it makes absolutely no sense to a footy outsider.

Whatever title we used though, it doesn’t matter because LGR rules the pitch just as well as the team, and so good luck with the winning pair! Especially in the coming President’s Cup in Cebu this May.

And thank you for the jersey that finally solved my identity crisis. Meet player #23 LAZY BLACK CAT.

I wonder when I will be featured.

Kenji Tei: Ramen Night!

Hontou ni? Ramen houses must hate me; what a sad way to treat the cat that came up with Ramen Night at Kenji Tei (Greenbelt 5).

With the prevalence of chashu and pork shio and all that animal fat, it seems that ramen night was not made for vegetarians. But still, I persist. I cannot end ramen night without enjoying a single noodle sliding down my throat.

And so after interrogating the waiter to the point of almost unearthing Kenji Tei’s soupy secret, we managed to come to an agreement without having to resort to yaki soba, which I pointed out is a big no-no.

Cold ramen. It is summer anyway.

The Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen) with sesame miso dressing (Hiyashi Goma Miso) came with pork slices which I asked to be magically turned into more veggies. The result is a chilled half bowl topped with tamago, cucumber and tomato slices. The presentation was lackluster was the flavor was sublimely sour and perfectly meat-free. The noodles were firmly chewy and drenched in sesame-miso, was absolutely apt as a summer salad!

The cheese gyoza seemed to be quite a hit, though sadly its pork composition could not be managed, altered and totally removed. Ah well, it was interesting watching others delight in this fried delicacy. Other shots of the dinner.

And of course what inspired Ramen Night.*sigh* Itadakimasu!

Look at my birthday note! Arigatou, Miji-kun!

Pes-Tokyo Bubble Tea Dinner

Creamy pesto is a sat-fat binge I can only afford on special occasions when I feel immune to dairy. Munch punching the menu of the newly opened Tokyo Bubble Tea in Trinoma was promising since they offer the Tori Pesto Spaghetti amongst other Japanese delights. Despite the lure of the Seafood Udon and Scallop Pasta, stubbornness led to la fee verte.

Sprinkled with nori strips, drizzled with wasabi-mayo and topped with chicken Yakitori slices, the Tori Pesto Spaghetti was a trip to Tokyo obesity. This was discounting the fact that the sauce was already creamy pesto, well balanced and mixed on un-al dente noodles. All in all it was hmmm-kay, given the small serving and attempts at creating a manga epic out of this dish presentation. The flavor was largely created from a smorgasbord of Saizen-Konbini products, so the Japanese flair is fairly evident.

To add to your disappointment, I had water to drink so don’t expect any bubbly beverage reviews.

The yakisoba was so-so, yet the unnamed rice dish seemed to delight Ossan. I am partly grateful to Tokyo Bubble Tea for its sprightly ambience and free wifi and so instead of Sayonara, I say Ja ne (see you later!)

They do have a Green Tea Cake I have yet to try, ja ne!

The Spiral Never Ends

I may be lazy and always hungry but I would never lie, especially when reporting about a Sunday brunch at Spiral, Sofitel. Sure, we had to go through aunti-pathy and heinous methods to earn our way to that golden meal but it was worth all the torture. The taste of fresh parmegiano brought me to nirvana.

The 21 Ateliers is what earned Spiral its bragging rights in the buffet business. It would be silly and unrealistic of me to rummage through and collect a wee bit of something from each of the 21 though, because contrary to popular belief, I am not a hoarder. If it were my last meal on Earth then I would most probably focus on the items that matter most to my life. And so if you were expecting an atelier-by-atelier detailed analysis, go find Our Awesome Planet or an indiscriminate blogger.

Because I will not post any photo of my foie gras (actually the top photo shows the raw form, find it!) though I did manage to sample a Nerds-size morsel. I may have said last day on Earth but I still remain to be a boring vegetarian.

Who ate my cheese?

The cheese and cold cuts cold station with push buttons built for the art thief is so resplendent, I had to go for seconds. The Mona Lisa could live and thrive here and yes, she will get really fat but happy. The hard cheeses especially were so spectacularly cut and served, it was imperative to incorporate them in my subsequent meals.

Green Streak

Lettuce, caviar and all sorts of raw materials could create any salad you desire in Spiral. I settled for the Caesar dressing which was all right but with a smorgasbord of  shrimp, caviar, cheese (again), seafood, and broccoli (stolen from the Indian station), it became the salad a la lazy black cat once again. Meow!

Delhi-cious Delights

The North Indian station was barely visited which made it double attractive to me. Abound with lentils, curry, paneer, papadom and chappati—it was a New Bombay fest of all sorts. Best of all, it was a vegetarian haven, or so I was told though there were chicken dishes.

Truffling Situation

While I couldn’t dabble in the pasta lair for fear of OD’ing on the carbs, at best I tried a platter of the spinach gnocchi, that parmesan thing with truffle cream sauce. Add in a bit of cheese from my abundant cheese platter and voila, pasta perfection.

Italian Job

The pizza ovens were fantastic and the aroma memorable but I settled for the lapu-lapu (baked) and cheese-topped lobster (baked again). A bit on the dry side, still the fish was worth returning for.

Asian Invasion

You will probably hate me for NOT having visited the popular spots in our very own region. I admit, the Chap Chae was tempting, and so were the tempura, ramen, noodles, dumplings (I had the vegetable ewwwness), peking duck, more dumplings, kimchi and teppanyaki (which I heard was divine) but I got stuck in Europe and decided to park there till dessert. Told you I was a picky eater.

Like Tea for Chocolate

The dessert station was the inevitable pitstop, and calorie counting was forbidden. The Paris Brest deserved the highest award and was the only cake I had for seconds. Hazelnut and chocolate mousse combined—more of Paris BEST!

The carrot cake was not so bad given its bland-moist composition, while the dark chocolate truffle and Spiral chocolate chip cookies made superb toppings for my strawberry-chocolate ice cream combination. Glad I did not indulge in the Asian carbs since it was the sweets that made my Spiral brunch the best heist ever.

So, do you still think I’m boring?

PS

I considered forcing this as my pre-birthday brunch but fate reproves those that plan and so I was reduced to a mere mortal. Ah well, I have 8 more lives anyway.