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Wicked Kitchen's Gluttony Dessert

 

My first impression of Wicked Kitchen is that it is a restaurant that specializes in spicy cuisine. Apparently, that was not the case. For them, "wicked" is a slang word for superlatives such as wonderful, awesome, splendid, masterful, cool, impressive, excellent, fine, superb, outstanding, terrific, fantastic, fabulous and brilliant.

It is a two-storey small cafe/ bar hangout at the back of ABS-CBN. You have to be patient with the wicked traffic around the Mother Ignacia area and with the limited parking space. It is a nice place if you are within the area but I would not recommend going all the way from Makati just to eat there.

A Taste of Baja in Manila?

Carne Asad Burrito (P255 +10%SC). Marinated Beef, Onions, Cilantro, Guacamole.

 

Manila is experiencing another round of Mexican Craze with Baja Mexican Cantina. It is the latest Mexican Resto to open in Greenbelt 3. It is getting disappointing reviews during its soft opening but people are willing to try and give it a second chance.

 

The promise of Baja is to serve authentic Mexican food like what you would enjoy in Baja, Mexico. Take the Burritos for example. The Carne Asad Burrito is served with just beef and vegetables wrapped in 7in. soft tortilla. The most frequently asked questions are: "Where are the rice and beans in the burrito?" and "Is this really how they serve it in Baja?"

Ravioli Fresh Pasta in Food Court

Chorizo & Tomato Ravioli (P130)

When you are in Robinsons Galleria, don't miss eating at Ravioli in the Food Court. Ravioli is the latest food court stall that serves fresh pasta, following the successful formula of Chef Arbeli in Megamall.

We love the Chorizo & Tomato Ravioli! We don't like going to Galleria because of the ugly parking but Ravioli made our trip there worthwhile. :)

Sonsi's House of Longganisa

Have you been to this restaurant that serves all the best longganisa specialties from all over the Philippines? If you're a longganisa lover, you can now enjoy the longganisa of Alaminos, Cabanatuan, Lucban, Vigan, Tuguegarao, Cebu, Pampanga and Bacolod all in one place.

Dulcelin Gourmet Specialties

US Angus Beef Shortribs with Red Wine and Port Sauce (P1,300 per kg). Slow-cooked for 2 days, this dish has incredibly tender beef that is sure to please. It was indeed super tender and yummy.

Dulcelin is best known for its Mango Torte, which is in head-to-head competition with Tony Cuervo's Mango Torte in Makati. But in the recent Ultimate Taste Test Event, they got an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5.0 for their gourmet dishes. Basically, all the people were raving about the Beef Short Ribs, the Wagyu Tri-Tip or the Pork Belly or the Red Rice with Seared Tuna.

This comment from one of the foodies sums up the Dulcelin Gourmet experience:

"From the salad, to the ribs, wagyu and pork -- blew me away!!"

Thanks to Ricky Morelos for the awesome food experience. :)

Ultimate Taste Test Event

Thanks to all those who attended the 1st Ultimate Taste Test Event! Overall, it was a success because it was rated 4.3 in the survey between "4 rating- I Love It!" and "5 rating - Awesome! I would recommend it!" We also learned a lot from this experimental event on what people like about it and how we can improve it further.

Here are some of the comments we received about the event:

"Love that it's an informal, mingling event where people hop from one station to another & getting to know home chefs and bakers."

"It was a success, maybe we could have another one..."

"Wonderful! Hope you can organize another one soon! Many thanks for a great time!!!"

And yes, we are organizing another one soon in August/ Early September. :) 

To all Food Suppliers: Please email Rache if you want to participate in the next event -- rache@diaz.ph/ rachediaz@gmail.com. Kindly indicate the food product you want to showcase and its story.

To all Interested Foodies: Please wait for the FINAL DATE/ VENUE of the next Ultimate Food Taste Test Event before sending Rache an email since the date and venue are vital in your decision to attend the event. :)

As much as she would like to receive a text from all of you, she will ONLY consider you and respond through email for easier handling of participants and for documentation purposes.

Philippines in the Top 7 Natural Wonders of the World!

First of all, Congratulations to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean Underground River for being in the TOP 28 Finalists in the campaign for the Top 7 Natural Wonders of the World!

Now, it is time to campaign to all our friends and family to cast their final vote for Puerto Princesa Underground River! From now until 2011, the top 28 finalists will be put to a global popular vote. The top 7 Natural Wonders of the World in terms of votes win. (The estimate is that there will be over 1 Billion votes!)

In the last global voting done for the New 7 Wonders of the World, which registered over 100 Million votes, the founder Bernard Weber shared his analysis of the votes. Here are my top 3 insights:

1. The highest number of voters were children and the young people of the world. Our campaign should focus on them.

2. Most of the votes came from developing countries instead of the developed worlds. Don't underestimate the power of Filipinos and Asians.

3. We need to learn from the effective voting campaign for Mali, Timbuktu vs. the failed campaign of Alhambra in Spain.

145F Prime Steaks

I'm an amateur steak eater, but I'm into steak these days because it is a very good source of protein for building muscles. I'm also doing a series on the Best Steak places around Metro Manila. (For steak lovers out there, please let me know your favorite steak places that we should consider in this series.)

 

145^o Fahrenheit Prime Steaks & Seafood is becoming the standard for steaks in the Quezon City area. Located in the busy Il Terrazzo Mall near ABS-CBN, most of the foodies I've met raved about their steaks. People are especially raving about their signature 145^o Tomahawk Chop - US Angus 46 Oz (P3,900 +10% sc), which is good for sharing with up to 4 people. The restaurant is named after the temperature required for cooking steaks slowly to medium rare perfection.