Vietnamese Volkswagen

From Hermanos in Greenhills located in the parking lot of a Petron, to that famous pasta joint in Makati located on top of a Petron, it is safe to say that food served in close proximity to a Petron gas station has a decent chance of being good. When I pulled into the Petron on Katipunan and saw this little food stop, I had to try. I've been craving Vietnamese grub ever since I moved here, the closest thing was the Pho I made at home, other attempts at Vietnamese food here have ended in disappointment.

 

 

Some of my favorite food back in California comes out of food trucks. This isn't exactly a truck, and i'm not sure if its even mobile, but i'm hungry and waiting for an oil change, so what the f*ck.

 



 

 A little Banh Mi 101 from the people at "The Banh Mi Stop"

 



 



I like a simple menu, it makes it easier for me to order with my below average reading ability. The sign on the bus said "Banh Mi" so I already knew that was what I was going to order. I decided on the grilled pork; pork always pairs nicely with a hangover.

  

The good: This thing was big. Bigger than the usual Vietnamese sandwich I am accustomed to. I thought about cutting it in half and giving the other piece to Mia, but the oil change took a little longer than expected. The inside parts of the sandwich (pork, veg, pate, and sauces) were pretty close to spot on. It was a little over sauced, but since the flavor was nice, I didn't mind.

 

The bad: The bread. A good french bread should have a firm crust on the outside and a soft inside. This bread had neither. It was very much the same density throughout making it similar in texture to a hoagie.

 

Overall I did enjoy this Banh Mi. For php 150 it was a substantial sandwich and more than enough for lunch. I would go there again, maybe I'll bring my own bread next time. See you soon at The Banh Mi Stop.





Sorry Jon Cruz, I ate Chinese food

I do not like Chinese food, even skipping dinner at more than one Chinese wedding in defiance. However, Mia and our friend Rev wanted to check this place Lugang Cafe in Greenhills, and since that damn womens suffrage movement must be respected and I was outvoted 2-1, Chinese food it is. So with an open mind and empty stomach, I forged thru.

Lugang Cafe is located on Connecticut Ave in Greenhills. It is a chain which started in Shanghai. The space itself is quite opulent, with a 30 foot stone waterfall in the foyer and a multitude of chandeliers.

 

This is what Mia and Rev came here for... Xia Long Bao. I don't know what that means in China talk but basically they are dumplings with soup inside them. Conceptually I can appreciate what is going on there, the delicate texture of a dumpling with a steaming hot soup wrapped inside. I can only imaging the technique involved. I tried one, it tasted like won ton soup. They ordered three kinds of these types of dumplings, Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao, Steamed Crab Roe And Pork Xiao Long Bao, and Steamed Angled Loofah With Shrimps Xiao Long Bao. I would still rather have them in soup form.

Mia also ordered the Steamed Vegetable And Pork Dumplings which I did not try but i'm assuming it is like any dumpling or gyoza. Still very pretty, still very unappetizing to my Panda Express hatin' a$$.

Rev ordered the Taiwanese Salt And Pepper Shrimp. Nicely breaded and fried so you could eat the shell, but it was more sweet than salt/peppery. Covered in a salsa of green pepper, red pepper, onion, and green onion which did nothing to add to the flavor of the dish but did make the plate more colorful, all I could taste was sweet.

Since I don't do dim sum I ordered the spicy beef and tendon noodle soup. I was actually happy with the depth and flavor of the broth, definitely not Magic Sarap or Knorr. However, soup temperature wasn't hot, and it wasn't spicy at all. I did like the flavor and noodles, but when I see the word "Soup" it should come out piping hot, and when I see the word "Spicy," well.....

Overall I did not hate this lunch. I always enjoy getting out and having a bite with friends. I did appreciate how every plate looked and the atmosphere the restaurant provided. That being said, it is still not a menu I can enjoy, and for that reason, I find it difficult to give it a positive review. However, if you do like this kind of food, check it out http://www.lugangcafe.com.ph

Mexican Food Search Over: Hermanos

Let me preface this by saying that the best Mexican food in the Philippines can be found in Cebu at Maya Mexican Restaurant. I forgot to bring my camera when we ate there so I'll have to blog about that at a later time, however, if you are in Cebu please check them out... http://theabacagroup.com/maya-cebu/

Now. After over a year of trying different Mexican spots all over Metro Manila and Luzon (Orale' Fort, Chihuahua Makati, Ristra's Greenhills, B&T Ortigas, Iguanas Angeles, Agave, Cantinas, Mexicali, etc.) I can honestly say there is only one place I would go to if I need something resembling Mexican food.

Hermanos Taco Shop reminds me a lot of the hole-in-the-wall joints all over California. It isn't great, but we aren't looking for the Taqueria experience I grew up with, just a good percentage of it, and Hermanos fits the bill.

The menu isn't too overloaded like most places in the Philippines. Honestly every time I walk into a restaurant I expect to see a burger, fried chicken, and some sweet spaghetti on the Menu, I was glad to see them keep it simple. I thought about getting the carne asada fries but I was scared that they might use camote (sweet potato) instead of the regular russet

Carne Asada burrito: Easily the best burrito I've had in this country. I shared the other half w/ Mia and was still pretty full. It was a little bland, but I blame Mia for asking for the salsa and sour cream on the side. I think it could use a little more herb or heat, but I generally think that about everything.

Carne Asada nachos: The good part is that there was plenty of it, and after that burrito ,finishing off this plate was a task indeed. Also they had fairly decent chips and guac. The bad news is the cheese, watered down nacho cheese and shreds of quick melt. I can accept the usage of nacho cheese over melted jack simply due to the costing of such ingredients, but quickmelt cheese should be banned from existence, I flat out hate the stuff. I probably won't order this again.

The damage wasn't too bad considering the quantity. When we go back we'll definitely get another burrito, but probably order the tacos instead. That being said its hands down the best Mexican food on the island, you can try to argue otherwise, but you will lose that argument.

Medical Adventures

After sleeping in considerably, we found no blood leaking through Larry's bandage. Let's trace back to last night while we were cooking dinner.

Dinner: Corned beef with cabbage & sauteed potatoes in salt and butter.
Mood: Both of us tired as hell, ready to pass out before 9PM.

Incident: Larry was reaching to grab a plastic cup and knocks a bottom heavy, glass cup from the shelf. Immediately, profanities are exclaimed and both of us doing that weird tippy-toe "avoidance" dance that never really helps. I hear him say, "Aww, @*^%!!" Looking over at his foot, there is (no joke) blood, spurting/dripping everywhere-- fridge, rug, floor. I look at his foot and the biology nerd in me is quickly assessing artery?! vein?! Screw it, we need to apply pressure. I grabbed a fresh towel and told him to hold it down while I throw on appropriate clothing for a hospital setting. After turning off the burners, removing all the food, sweeping a pathway through the glass, I grabbed both our wallets, phones, and keys, ready to take him downstairs. Obviously, in this quick flurry we weren't on the same page and he wanted me to go out of the way downstairs to tell the guard and for them to hail a taxi. I indulge him and get downstairs and the front desk is trying to figure out what hospital he should go to and I just said he's bleeding pretty profusely so I suggest the closest one as the injury is far from his head and his heart we don't need a high class hospital. I get back upstairs and wrap his belt over the towel and I hear the guards running down the hall. To our surprise, our favorite guards show up and they all did the mouth-drop at the amount of blood on the floor. They help him up and take him downstairs to the taxi that awaited us. Kuya took us to Quirino Memorial Medical Center which was in Blue Ridge and it took about 5 minutes which was nice.

Emergency Room: The ER guard quickly grabbed a janky wheelchair and wheeled Larry over to the Surgery area. I say area because it really is just an assigned area.. Anyway, talking to the nurse and tell her what happened, she says to me I have to enter the patient to the Encoder. WTH is the encoder? This fool is bleeding on your floor! Anyhow, I find the encoder and he asks me random questions and finally gives me Larry's ID card and entry form. I give it to the nurse, she says she needs to suture him and the waiting continues. After about 15 minutes, the nurse gives me a prescription slip with an array of goods on it. She proceeds to tell me I need to go to the pharmacy either in the hospital or outside right now in order for her to stitch Larry. Apparently, the hospital is low on supplies so she suggests going across the street to get the stuff. Oh goodness.. so I run across the street hopping between 3 different pharmacies in order to buy all this stuff: anti-tetanus, syringes, gauze, tape, lidocaine, etc. That street wasn't too busy vehicle-wise but a lot of sketchy characters hanging out. I get back and we are still waiting. Mind you we got to the hospital at 7PM and didn't get stitched til about 8:30PM. Across from us is a line of beds with 2 patients per bed. There were people just sitting and waiting for help but there was nothing doctors could do. Anyhow, finally we go to the adjacent "Trauma Room" and a guy with a laceration on his leg is sitting on the bed and Larry sits next to him to get stitched. The intern, Nikki, offers to sew Larry as she saw we live in the same building! Jokes fly about her being the one to take his sutures off in a week and after her shift, she's giving us a ride home. Nice girl indeed and she does suturing all shift long. Five stitches later, we find out that this is a clinic, that's why it takes forever to be seen. No one gets paid to do what they do and it's pretty cool that they give their time to help others as much as they can. After the tetanus shots, we were all ready to go and despite some confusion on releasing a patient we get home a bit after 9PM.

Home: A congealed, bloody, glassy mess. After sufficient sweeping and lots of scrubbing, the kitchen was clean. I had to run to Mercury to get his antibiotics and more gauze. I found this sweet metal cane in the corner and bought the thing since it would also be a good thing when he has gout. Get home, and now we're both super hungry so I finish off cooking our corned beef and cabbage. The potatoes were no longer good and had blackened =( We ate and still hyped off the events, we decided to watch 28 Days Later.

Bandaged foot

Bloody towel and belt initially used

Patient ID Card

Bloody foot

Suture buddies

No glass!

Making dinuguan

Suturing process

Dinner left half cooked

Death by glass

Bloody mess

Raspberry Jello, anyone?

Good morning!

SESO

Been awhile since I've been able to post, I'm sure both of our followers have been waiting eagerly for some updates. I finally finished culinary school, the final week was a restaurant simulation. I was fortunate to be one of the few chefs selected as sous chef to run the kitchen for my designated night. This proved to be a tough, yet fun experience for me. I was really happy how my team came together and did a fantastic job when our number was called. Here are some pictures from restaurant week.

Restaurant name was "SESO" which means "sense" in Spanish. With a Spanish theme menu, it seemed appropriate.

Appetizer: Potato and bacon croquette on top of an onion confit (onions sauteed in butter with sherry and basalmic vinnegar).

Amuse Bouche: Tuna ceviche (diced tuna with a citrus marinade) on top of squash puree topped with a daikon radish slaw (daikon radish julienned with a vinnegar / sugar dressing) and micro greens finished with a soy caramel sauce (soy sauce reduced and mixed with honey).

Soup: Roasted Garlic Soup, poached quail egg on top of garlic toasted crouton, with garlic foam.

First Course: Spicy lamb sausage over bean fabada (beans stewed in hock and chorizo stock) with a fig basalmic sauce.

Intermezzo: Grape Grenita, grapes with lime juice and sugar frozen then shaved.

Main Course: Pork loin stuffed with spinach, pecans, and raisins cooked suvee for 14 hours on top of a Potato Mille Feuille (thin sliced potatos stacked, baked, then seared). Salt roasted beet salad with sherry vinegrette and sauteed mushrooms. Strawberry demi-glace sauce (reduced brown stock with strawberry)

Dessert: Creme Catalan. A creme brulee, pineapple compote (which I secretly kicked up with brandy when our head chef was out of the kitchen) vanilla ice cream over crushed pistacio. All topped with a tuille cookie. Finished with a mango and a strawberry puree.

Congrats to my entire class. After 8 months I can say that I learned as much from my classmates as I did from my chef instructors. While I won't miss waking up at 6am, I will miss being in class with you all.

Before School Festivities

Greetings. Haven't done much other than get sick, work out, watch TV, and be a bum. Pretty fantastic if you ask me. Anyhow, celebrated the day of birth of Christine who is an awesome Aussie friend met here in the PI. She is shown here reppin' SJ.

Some sweet Kaws dolls at a local art gallery

Watching the fight in a private room. Holla!

Gooooood evening or morning, however timezone you wish to read. Anyhow, after going through my phone, I realized I failed to upload the random photos taken during my vacation and my return here! Without further ado...

Round Table.. Mmm grease. King Arthur (my choice) & Hawaiian (the kids)

Louie super excited =)

Bone-- I mean banh mi.

Pretty sure half of the 6 weeks of meals consisted of amazing bowls of this goodness.

Gotta love Hawaiian! I ate the musubi in the car...

Parking lot pimpin' with Jel.

100% Efficiency.. hollaaa!

That's my girl!! You're a grown ass woman. I love you!

Reunited with his bed at Mamel's new spot.

Mamel!! Sukiyaki?! Filipino Spaghetti?! Haha Coincidence.

Fan 1- Mia 0.. Got into a fight with the fan while moving it into my room. Apparently, they're not adult proof.

That's all folks. School is starting soon so more to come concerning my higher education!