Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen at SM Aura

Baby G and I have decided to go to SM Aura for the Chinese New Year 2015. 

As expected, most restaurants where we wanted to dine were full: We were #9 at Todd English and #36 at Nu by Vikings. We ended up going to Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen, which is located at the 2nd floor of SM Aura. There were a lot of diners, but we were still able to secure seats immediately.

I haven't been to Japan yet, but the place has the feel of an old Japanese ramen house because of how their interior was done.

Condiments Rack

What made it more interesting is their condiments rack on each table that has a sesame seeds grinder. So you can put freshly-ground sesame seeds on your ramen.

Karaage (P180.00)

As a chicken lover, Baby G had karaage (Japanese fried chicken). It was crispy, well-cooked and tasty. As you can see in the photo, it comes with a side dish that is composed of shredded cabbage topped with soy sauce/teriyaki sauce, lemon, tomato and Japanese mayo.

We ordered Gohan (P80.00) as well and Baby G was satisfied. She was able to finish her food, which is an indication that it was good.

All their toppings are pork-based, unlike other ramen houses where you'll have choices of just vegetables, beef, chicken, or altogether. As for me I don't have meat restrictions so not really an issue.

When I was ordering, I was asked for my noodle preference: soft, normal or hard. This is another new experience for me as the other ramen houses do not offer this. I chose normal and it was perfect for me. In my mind, the soft might be soggy, while hard might seem like undercooked noodles.

Ajitama Tonkotsu (P380.00)

The soup itself was delicious and tasty, which is what I really like about my ramen. I think it can stand alone, even without the toppings. The toppings, though created the entire package of having a very nice ramen.

I will give them two thumbs up for a very nice ramen experience. There are a lot of restaurants right now who are offering ramens, but not all can deliver good quality.

The staff were okay. They are attentive, but not too eager which is okay. They don't do upselling.

In case it may help if I tell you that they have 10% SC when the bill comes to you.

All in all, I am recommending this place and yes, I will still be going back.

Snack Attack: Schneeballen Cookies

The packaging

   
According to their Facebook account, "SCHNEEBALLEN is a German cookie that is shaped round similar to a ball, and is coated with chocolate and other flavorings that gives it its distinctly delectable taste".

 It was a usual mall weekend with Baby G. I saw this preppy kiosk at the ground floor near the ice skating rink. As I am always curious, I went near it and in few minutes I was already buying one.

It was really a hard ball so it was interesting that when I asked the girl on how to eat it, she said that if I'd eat it right there, a mallet would be used to sort of crush it in bite sizes. But I opted to bring it home. I ended up smashing it up the wall. I think it came out just the same.

Eating it was similar to eating an "otap" because of the crunch, but this is better because of the authentic chocolate taste that surrounds some parts of the cookie. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos of the actual product and how it looked after it was smashed.

My parents, who are not fans of sweets have actually liked it

One of their interesting displays.
The mallet is actually being used.

Several flavors to choose from!

One thing that makes it interesting is the process of smashing it before you eat it. There is also the idea of doing something new. However, at P110 per piece, it is something that I won't be buying every time I go to the mall.

Brazo de Ube @ La Paz Bakeshop

Doc M and I went to La Paz on the last day of our Ilo Ilo trip (December 2, 2014). After visiting La Paz Church, we headed to La Paz Market where the original store of Deco's Batchoy is located. I will write about our Deco experience later.

I've read in one of the blogs about the ube brazo, which I have completely forgotten during our trip. However, after our craving for the original batchoy and we were about to jump in the cab, I noticed the bakeshop beside Deco's. Being the curious bee that I am, I told Doc M that I'd look around. La Paz Bakeshop do not have doors as it is an open shop. Upon stepping in, I immediately saw the display the rolls of ube brazo and brazo de mercedes. 

I have mentioned from the previous blog how I love ube halaya. Without thinking twice, I knew I had to buy and bring one home to Manila. In as much as I wanted to get a whole roll, it would be difficult to bring it on the plane given that we already have several bags to carry. I also didn't want to check-in our luggages. Not only that it will cost us about P500.00, but it would also be a hassle to wait for luggages upon arrival to the airport. Lately Doc M and I have been travelling light.

Anyway, I brought home half roll for only P250.00. As you can see from the photo, it's fluffy and big so just by looking at it, you'd agree that the amount that I paid was worth it.

Upon arriving home, I didn't wait long until I took a slice. Only then that I realized that the filling was made of pure ubeng halaya, which was rich and authentic (pure ube) when it comes to taste. It was indeed heaven!

A slice would be enough to meet a sweet craving. It was delicious, but too sweet. Taking in more will already be taking you to the "umay" factor.

After tasting it, I can say that it was truly worth it. This is definitely a must-buy pasalubong from Ilo-Ilo.

A closer look on how sinful it is!

*** There is already a bakeshop in Manila called Baker's Table, creating Ube Brazo. I got 1 last December 2014 given by my boss, but I can't retrieve the photo from my camera. As soon as I got the pic, I will post it here as an update and will try to write about it as well.

Their version though is much smaller, and the halayang ube didn't taste as authentic as how La Paz bakeshop's version does. It is also a bit pricey at P400++ for half roll.

Coffee and Churros at Cafe Maxims

After our dinner at Johnny Chow, we went to the Casino area where the couple applied for Resorts World Manila membership. 

For our dessert, I initially wanted UCC because of the cakes, or Starbucks because of the planner stickers, but Doc M preferred Cafe Maxims. He said he like the ambience, with it being an open area.

Churros with Chocolate Dip

Churros with Chocolate Dip

Churros is expected to be oily, but definitely not the chocolate dip. Cafe Maxims offers it in slim sticks drizzled with white sugar. It was crispy and can be eaten without the dip. 

The chocolate dip, however wasn't how I expected it to be. It was like peanut butter, where there's so much oil that separates from the chocolate. Expectedly, the churros gets drenched in oil before it reaches the chocolate and that gives the "umay factor".

I'd go to Dulcinea instead the next time I crave for churros.

Beverages

*Their coffee and the green tea latte came with a chocochip cookie, which is extremely nice. No need actually to order additional pastries as it would be enough to satisfy sweet cravings.*

              Cafe Latte

Doc M had this and he didn't have complains so I guess it's okay.

    Cafe Mocha

This is what I had this time. It's too sweet for me so I'd perhaps stick to capuccino next time.

Green Tea Latte
This is indeed interesting. RA and EA are in the meantime forbidden to take coffee due to doctor's order, so this is what they had. I haven't tasted it, but sure worth a try next time. The only comment that RA had was it was sweet. 

Doc M have started to appreciate hanging out at Cafe Maxims. The experience was special everytime, probably because it's a bit far from the crowd and as he said, being it in an open space makes it more relaxing. What's more, It's never ran out of seats!

Cafe Maxims Bibingka Prima

  

I am a bibingka lover since I was a kid. I remember buying them during Simbang Gabi, together with puto bumbong and a mug of hot plain tea. I have never forgotten that particular love for bibingka, and I always find them irresistible every time I see a store selling them. Hence, I didn't miss the opportunity of tasting the Bibingka Prima from Cafe Maxims. I saw their poster after watching Priscilla at the Resorts World Manila.



Getting a mini size at about P85.00 was quite expensive, but what would you expect from a hotel cafe? I tried resisting of only getting one, as we were so full from our dinner at Victoria Harbour Restaurant (located inside the casino) but still, I ordered 3 of the 5 flavors: buko pandan, ube and nutella. I was being offered the regular flavor that has cheese and "itlog na pula", but I have thought of being able to get it from Bibingkinitan for only P25.00.

It took a while before our orders came as they create the bibingkas upon order. Doc M ordered a cup of Cafe Mocha to go with his bibingka, while I had a Capuccino.

Capuccino

Cafe Mocha

Biningka Prima: Ube

                                      

Being a fan of native delicacies, halayang ube is one of my favorites. Combining it with bibingka sounded interesting. However, it didn't go well with the bibingka. Maxims' version didn't taste authentic, as if it was made of flour instead of plain ground rice. The texture was too fine, or should I say too smooth. The ube was something that I didn't taste too much. We weren't able to finish it.

Bibingka Prima: Buko Pandan

                                       

Buko Pandan has become a famous flavor for the present generation. From salad, cakes, ice cream... you name a dessert, most likely it has a buko pandan flavor. For Maxims' version, it was acceptable. The topping were shreds of buko, but it was more like sweetened macapuno. The pandan flavor was also present as we took bites of it. This piece, we were able to finish.

Bibingka Prima: Nutella

                                        

Anything Nutella is good. I may not be a fan of it, but I can say that its choco-hazelnutty taste is incomparable to all other spreads who are trying hard to top it. This bibingka was made interesting by the Nutella topping. However, Doc M and I scraped the topping and consumed it first, before we ate the bibingka itself. Now I can't remember how the bibingka tasted with Nutella on it. I can say it was good also.

                                       

In summary, part of the experience was being able to eat bibingka at the simple but classy cafe of Maxims Hotel. It may not be the best, but the toppings made the difference. However, experiencing it once was enough and we'd rather go back to the old tradition of getting bibingkas the SM supermarket for an affordable regular size bibingka, or Ferino's for a more authentic, quality one.

                                    

Johnny Chow at Resorts World Manila

 

Doc M's high school classmate RA arrived from Singapore and they have met up, which is usually the practice every time he goes home. Initially, RA wanted Mall of Asia but given the holiday season, we recommended that we meet at the Resorts World instead to be able to avoid the mad Christmas crowd.

We were 4: Me, Doc M, RA and his wife EA. We have decided to eat at Johnny Chow.

Doc M and I has frequented Resorts World but it was our first time to try this restaurant. The waitresses would always catch our attention because of the colorful wigs that they wear.

So here's what we ordered:

Chap Chae Adventure

I remember first time tasting Chap Chae was when during the time when I was taking French Language classes. Our instructor was Vietnamese and she brought this when we had a mini Christmas Party. It has become one of my favorite noodle dish since then.

For Johnny Chow's version, it was okay. Not spectacular as I've tasted better ones before. It is good in meeting your craving for chap chae.

The serving can be shared by 3-4 persons.

Crispy Beef Orange

It was like eating the usual lemon chicken. Perhaps the beef was too tender that it didn't taste like beef at all. Nothing special about this dish but it wasn't bad either. 

Serving is good for about 3 persons. Doc M and I didn't finish it as we were so full already.

Maggie Woo
*Lechon Macau with Pineapple Fritter*

My first reaction when this was served was "Whoah!", simply because it came out more that the serving that I have expected. And if you look at those cuts, thery're simply heaven for pork fans and death wish for those who are restricted to eat pork. I didn't get to taste it, but EA said it was also good.

Korean Beef Kimchi Rice

According to EA, she's not fond of Kimchi. However, this came to her as a surprise as it was good. I also didn't get to taste this, but will consider ordering next time.

Entrance Door

I like the ambience of the restaurant and the accents are cool. Just like the door you see above, it's really nice isn't it?

In summary, we went out full and satistied. Johnny Chow still has  a lot of interesting dishes in the menu that I am still planning to try really soon.

Kapehan Sang Silay, Bacolod

October 2013

Doc M and I had a trip to Bacolod last October 2013. I was already able to blog a summary of our trip as well as Trattoria Uma, but haven't really zoomed in to the details of our Bacolod food trip.

One of the places that's being recommended by other bloggers is the Kapehan Sang Silay, which, from the name itself is in Silay City, Bacolod. 

From Bacolod, Doc M and I rode a jeepney going there. It's been more than a year so I can't remember the signage on the jeep. Although it won't be difficult because you can ask around and people would be willing to let you know. We sat beside the driver so we didn't have much difficulty letting him know that we'd alight Silay City. 

The jeepney stopped right in front of Kapehan Sang Silay that's why we didn't have difficulty going there. It was over lunch time already and we were the only customers when we entered. The ambiance wasn't as welcoming as I have expected, but it wasn't a bad place either. 

I ordered 2 cups of coffee for us, and 2 ibos as it was the only suman available during our visit. 

Silay Native Coffee

(with evaporated milk)

I love coffee, but am not an expert when it comes to taste. The Silay native coffee tasted like a regular one for me, but was made special because of the place where I was having it. It's also the same coffee being sipped by several generations already. Combining it with evaporated milk is something that I like as well.

Native Coffee with Evaporated Milk
(P14.00)

Suman sa Ibos
(with Muscovado Sugar)

Same as the one we usually get from Antipolo, this particular suman is dependent on the sugar, honey, syrup, milk, or whatever sweetener it's being served with.

For Kapehan, they serve it with Muscovado sugar, which gives it a healthier twist. I also like anything muscovado so it was really good for me.

At P6.00 per piece, what else could go wrong?

Suman sa Ibos with Muscovado Sugar
(P6.00)

Below are photos of how it looks like inside and from the outside: 

Interior of the Local Cafe

Exterior View of the Cafe

Whenever you're visiting Bacolod, it's a must to drop by Silay City. Going to Silay then won't be complete without getting a cup of coffee at Kapehan Sang Silay. It is like sipping a hot cup of the city's history!