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Monday, July 31, 2006
Je Suis Gourmand: Revisited
My favorite restaurant in the Makati area just got better :) Last January, we celebrated my son's birthday in Je Suis Gourmand ( see Aidan's Je Suis Gourmand Birthday Dinner ) and I've complained about how small the place is. Last June, the place just got bigger and I would dare to say more romantic. I'm glad that they can accommodate more people already because before you would usually need to reserve to eat here at night. They now have two private rooms for celebrating special occasions -- how I wished they renovated earlier :) This is my favorite restaurant because you can't go wrong with any of the dishes you order here. Secondly, I love places where the Chef is always in the restaurant and interacts with his guests. Lastly, it is has a cozy environment conducive for chatting with friends and co-workers. To top it off, the waiters are very friendly and parking is never a problem.
I love the red lamp effect which adds to the overall romantic mood of the place.
Warm Duck Graton Salad with Garlic and Red Wine Vinegar Vinaigrete (P320).
This salad has a very unique taste and the duck blends very well with the vegetable and the vinegar vinaigrete.
Braised Ox Tongue with Tomato and pickled Sauce (P350).
This is one of the best sellers in the house. A lot of people would swear that this ox tongue literally melts in your mouth! It does not have that tongue after taste or that coarse texture when you bite into the ox tongue meat.
More information
Je Suis Gourmand Inc.
GF Net1 Center Bldg. Fort Bonifacio, beside Neo Spa and BPI
Parking in Mcdonalds in front of Gourmand
Tel# +632 815-8801-02
Related Posts:
Aidan's Je Suis Gourmand Birthday Dinner -- there are lots of customer testimonials in this post.
July 31, 2006 in 02. 100 Awesome Restaurants in the Philippines, 03. Romantic Restaurants For Special Occasions | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack
Cookbook Kitchen - a secret homey place in Mandaluyong
I always love to find secret restaurants. The ones that are out-of-the-way quaint places and you have to find it like having a treasure map with X marking the spot. I also want to surprise my wife every time with these few secret places that's becoming rare these days. I always love it when you really have to drive and maneuover your way through the city maze not knowing exactly where the place is. My wife would start to sermon on how expensive gasoline is but I just had to satisfy my thrill of looking for these places specially if the only clue I have was "it is just along shaw boulevard." Even though we traversed the entire shaw boulevard, we cannot find Cook book kitchen and it is just a stroke of luck when we just happen to pass by the place when we are becoming desperate.
Once you arrive in the place, you would instinctive realize why it is called cookbook kitchen. The place is right in the middle of a residential community in Mandaluyong with a house turned into a cozy restaurant. It was a dream of Chef Gen Capati to open his own restaurant that serves home-cooked dishes and it came true almost one and a half years ago. Beside the restaurant, there is a home-based gym that one of the son is operating and it probably make sense to co-locate them :) The lovely couple is always there with the husband cooking the best sellers of the house and with wife, Liza, manning the cash register and entertaining the guests. We had fun chatting with Liza and I caution you not to start a conversation with her because she has so much stories to tell :)
This is one of those feel good places where you enjoy very good food, nice ambiance, and nice company. It does not feel pretentious or trying-hard to be cool. You'll be greeted warmly by Liza and her staff, Christy and you'll immediately feel at home. The place is starting to get a following via word of mouth. It is not easy to go here via Shaw Blvd and it is seldom that people would go here by chance. We had a nice time eating lunch here because our son was free to roam around without us being too concerned of him being bumped around. I do hope it remains a quiet place but I'm pretty sure that once people get to discover this place, this place would be jampacked! I heard that this was featured in Us Girls on Channel 23 but I have not seen the actual episode. At least the Us Girls are starting to feature honest to goodness restaurants because usually they feature restaurants for marketing sake even if the food is not that good (I have a few restaurants to prove it!)
The place is cozy and you can count the table by your fingers. It can sit a maximum of 40 people where you can reserve this entire place for a private function of yours.
There is a cool mural painting on one side of the wall which adds to the overall homey ambiance of the place. " The large mural depicts a colorful Parisienne night scene where diners meet and experience the flavors of local cuisine similar to what Cookbook Kitchen would like to convey. " (from the cookbook kitchen letter)
Home made cream of squash soup (P80) which is a light version and not the usual thick based soup. I like the way the sour cream overpowers the taste of the squash.
Parmesan Crusted White Fish (P 230). Rich, Succulent, and baked! This is THE best seller of the house and my wife and I agrees :) The tender fish is coated with parmesan and Kraft mayonnaise with a blend of italian herbs baked in olive oil. Yummy! This is definitely good for two and we find ourselves scooping the last piece of sauce remaining on the plate. The only downside is, you have to break your diet for this one. As with any homemade goodness, sometimes you prioritize superior taste over the consideration of fattening ingredients.
Pork Steak with Honey Mustard Sauce (P220). Grilled Pork Steak in light soy with rosemary and spices served with honey mustard sauce. The meat is tender and has been marinated pretty well. I think the secret in this dish is the honey mustard sauce.
Kittin's Scarlet Cake (P120). This is a specially made red cake (you cannot find anywhere) by Chef Christine "Kitting" Constantino - Zenarosa. She is a culinary management graduate of the Daytona Beach College and of the Culinary Institute of America with a 2-year stint in an LA restaurant. Frankly, nothing special, and all I can remember is the sweet calorie-filled icing that dominates the rest of the cake and its price.
All prices in the menu does not include a 10% service charge and the 12% VAT. Click here for the Menu (large version). Actually, I just realized that this was expensive and we ended up paying P400/ head. If you don't order any starters or dessert, you would still end up with P300/ head. I think there is something in the food that would make you forget how expensive it is :)
Gen and Eliza Capati, owners of Cookbook Kitchen. Let me know what you think about cookbook kitchen. It seems that not a lot of people have been to this place and it is just starting to be discovered by some foodies.
Cookbook Kitchen
8 Socorro Fernandez St., corner Luna Mencias St. (near Shaw Blvd),
Mandaluyong City
Tel. +632 724 3595
Mobile: +63 916-2765257
Directions: If you are coming from Shaw from the Edsa end, you have to turn right on Torres St along Shaw Blvd before reaching 9 de Febrero. Turn left in Araullo treat and left again immediately in the Socorro Fernandez st. If you are coming from Greenhills, It is a lot easier since you just need to pass P. Guevarra st. in Wilson towards Shaw Blvd along the Luna Mencias st. Turn left to Socorro Fernandez st and you will not miss it.
Other Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurants:
Som's Noodle House - cheap authentic version of SukhoThai
Latasia Fusion - Vegetarian Food that is making a difference!
July 31, 2006 in 02. 100 Awesome Restaurants in the Philippines | Permalink | Comments (28) | TrackBack
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Chocolate Kiss Cafe - The Good Stuff?
Gamberi Pasta (P210)
We were planning to eat healthy food last night, and we were looking for this literally hole-in-the-wall vegetarian restaurant called Latasia Fusion in UP. It is a small carinderia place but there was no parking near it to our disappointment. We did not want to risk to park in the dark specially with the heavy rains so we just decided to drive along Magsaysay blvd to visit the famous Chocolate Kiss Cafe of Bahay ng Alumni in UP. It was our first time there and we were excited to finally get a chance to taste "the good stuff" that it was famous for. The Bahay ng Alumni reminds me of my college days (in another university) and the ambiance of solid straight line structures with tall pillars in the facade of the building. Since Chocolate kiss is hidden at the second floor of the building, we were doubtful at first whether it is open or was it the right place. The ground floor appeared deserted after what appears to be a wedding event that was just finished.
The food was indeed good and we all agreed that the Gamberi Pasta was a sure winner. The small sauteed hot shrimps with large garlic and green chili slices with lemon juice is a must eat dish here in Chocolate Kiss cafe (CKC). The servings are generous and is good for 2. It is a very good value considering that the P210 is a net price already with no hidden additional charges of VAT or service charge. We were also surprised how big the place is inside because you only see a small restaurant in the second floor from the door. On saturdays, you get live piano music to add an overall romantic ambiance of the place which it is famous for. Also, we were happily surprised that they gave my 18 month old son a free chocolate chip cookie which the mom enjoyed eating because her reasoning was chocolates are not yet for toddlers especially near bedtime :)
The only thing that bothered me is the staff, particularly the manager. I would normally start to talk to the one in charge of the place and get his / her recommendations which is usually a lot better than talking to the waiters. To my disappointment and shock, as I was talking to her she told me, "Maybe you should ask the waiter so that we will know if they are trained very well" and then immediately looking the other way. This reminded me of the snobbish treatment one would receive in Fat Michael's. To top it off they have this paranoia about people taking photographs. She said that they were traumatized by a young group of people who took pictures and wrote a whole page bulletin write-up criticizing Chocolate Kiss Cafe. So this cafe is the first No-Photography-Allowed Cafe in my one and a half years of blogging experience and hopefully the last! I still managed to take some photos of CKC's good stuff but I guess this makes it as my first paparazzi photos.
Just one piece of unsolicited advice, the good stuff should be complimented by a good staff !
Chicken a la Kiev (P205). Roulade of tender chicken breast filled with cream cheese, butter and herbs. I loved this chicken cordon bleu version specially the cheese and herbs filling. For the record, my wife finds it ordinary but my friend maong and I absolutely loved it :)
Grilled Tender Pork Spareribs (P175) with hickory sauce, buttered corn kernels, and rice. The meat is tender and you can taste how it was grilled to perfection. Also, the meat was marinated very well and you can taste the hickory sauce consistently throughout the meat. Indeed, the good stuff :)
Chocolate Kiss Suite (P55). This is a 3 piece sampler of their cakes. We tasted the following three combinations:
1). Devils food cake. Deep rich chocolate cake with choco fudge filling and marshmallow frosting.
2). Kahlua Butter Cake. Full flavored coffee liquer mocha butter cake with kahlua fudge and coffee butter icing.
3). Prune Cake. Prunes in an extra moist butter cake with prune butter icing.
f You also have an option to change it to Carrot Cake or Dayap Chiffon cake. I would not dare comment on the cakes.... Have you tasted Chocolate Kiss Cafe's cakes?
Chocolate Kiss Cafe,
1st/ 2nd Floor, Ang Bahay ng Alumni
Magsaysay st. UP Diliman.
With music on mondays, wednesdays and saturdays.
For more info, check out their website: thechocolatekiss.com
July 30, 2006 in 04. Restaurants that are worth to try once | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack
Piazza Serendra -- I can't Wait!
I await with great anticipation for the opening of Piazza at Serendra. I've been driving along Market Market these past couple of days waiting to see a glimpse of this great place soon to open in the heart of Serendra. I can still remember the excitement of people when The FORT opened in the middle of vast empty land space and it was THE place to be. At that time, it feels good to say "Lets go to the FORT" to your friends who does not have a clue where it is. The opening of Piazza at Serendra will have the same excitement and feeling specially with a few signature stores opening including the Chef Miguels @ Mezzaluna. Also, can you still remember the long line when Go Nuts Do Nuts opened their first branch in the FORT? Sonja's Cupcakes may be the next dessert craze and hopefully will have the same effect. At last, the FORT would have an alternative dessert place other than Cafe Breton, UCC or crepes and cream.
I'm really not connected with Piazza at Serendra, and most of my knowledge about this place is through word of mouth. I've seen a few names like Gaudi, and Zhongnanhai opening here within the year. The opening was delayed in August. A few more weeks, and I'm dying to check this place out. Would you know of any cool restaurant opening here in Piazza at Serendra?
Related Post:
Shopwise Manila Now Open!! Not your usual supermarket :)
[Mall of Asia 02] A Virtual Tour of the Grand Opening of the Mall of Asia
July 30, 2006 in 35. The Best of Serendra and Boni High Street | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Friday, July 28, 2006
Plagiarism is the highest form of flattery? Website Jacking is Not!
Original article:
Our Awesome Planet: The Perfect "Dampa" in Seaside Macapagal Blvd! (Dec. 23, 2005)
Plagiarized article:
Foodfor2.com: Dampa at Macapagal Ave - Shylin Tating Restaurant (April 19, 2006)
Have you been plagiarized before? How did you deal with it?
UPDATE 8/22/06 --- Finally the guy revised all the posts already! Even just an apology would do but I guess he is scared. I'm glad he also changed the plagiarized Lori's posts and starting to come clean. The google DMCA complaint did it :)
April 28, 2006 Update: I wrote the website owner about the plagiarized article as advised by Lorelle in her posts What Do You Do When Someone Steals Your Content. Thanks to Nina of for this great article and suggestion!
_________________________________________________________
Carlos Lim (mybuysell1111@yahoo.com),
This is to advise you that you are using copyrighted and protected
material on your website/blog. Your illegal use of "Dampa at Macapagal
Ave - Shylin Tating Restaurant" article at foodfor2.com dated April
19, 2006 is originally from my blog called "The Perfect "Dampa" in
Seaside Macapagal Blvd!" at anton.blogs.com dated Dec.23, 2005. This
is original content and I am the author and copyright holder. Use of
copyright protected material without permission is illegal under
copyright laws.
Please take one or more of the following actions immediately:
1. Re-write the post to include excerpts with a link to the original content.
2. Credit the material specifically to me, as author, and my website
anton.blogs.com.
3. Remove the plagiarized material immediately.
I expect a response within 5 days to this issue. Thank you for your
immediate action on this matter.
--
Anton
Our Awesome Planet
http://anton.blogs.com/
_________________________________________________________
July 28, 2006 in zz. Internet Marketing, Cool Sites, Other Interests | Permalink | Comments (35) | TrackBack
