Dad's Ultimate Buffet SM Megamall

One of the first and longest running restaurants to offer the smorgasbord to the Filipinos is the triumvate, Saisaki, Kamayan and Dad's, now more popularly known as the Dad's ultimate buffet. Of course you still have a choice whether you want to go full throttle and get from all the three stations or just one. The difference in price from the ultimate buffet and the single station is minimal so you will be getting a much better deal by choosing to go all the way.

Because of the competition from Korean and Japanese owned buffet establishments cropping up all along the metro, Saisaki has at last come out with more modern offerings. It wasn't enough that they hire a Japanese sushi consultant who is very visible in most of the branches of saisaki but they also modernized and seemingly standardized their fare across all branches so you get almost the same kind of dishes whichever branch you visit or prefer. Though their turkey leaves much to be desired (always as dry as a cardboard) and their Dad's station is really unimaginative, their prices are still pretty competitive and you can always find something enjoyable amongst all those dishes.

Dad's Ultimate Buffet
4th Floor SM Megamall
Lunch Monday to Thursday P520
Lunch and Dinner Friday to Sunday P620

Buffet Alerts - 145 Fahrenheit and Cafe Juanita

145 FAHRENHEIT
upper ground flour of the Il Terrazzo Building
#35 Tomas Morato corner Scout Madrinan, Q.C.
Lunch and Dinner
Friday, Saturday and Sunday

They are offering a US prime roast beef all-you-can eat for P1,399/adults and P899/children. The buffet includes soups, salads, side dishes and desserts.


CAFE JUANITA
#27 United Street Cor West Capitol Drive
Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Lunch 11:30am to 2:30pm
Sundays

Sunday lunch buffet for P485/person. Includes starters, main course and some dessert.

Abbondanza at Mall of Asia

Tucked in a quiet corner in the second story of SM Mall of Asia is a small restaurant with the very catchy name of Abbondanza. The menu makes very interesting reading and although the place has a non descript decor and an air of fast food Italian about it some items on the menu suggested that they were above being called fast food Filipino-Italian food.

The serving sizes are good, most of the items on the menu offered 2 sizes, the piccolo, which they say is good for 1 person (I thought it was good enough for two, especially the pasta) and the regular size. We first ordered the first two items on the menu that we thought would be interesting, the rissoto funghi (procini mushrooms, no less) and the risotto osso buco. Next we tried the baked chicken, with the interesting name, pollo arrosto. The chicken was enormous and came in just one size, half a chicken. It was very tender and was plated with generous slices zucchini, eggplant and young green beans. It was delicious. We had a more difficult time deciding what pizza to order so we settled for their most unusual one, the pizza con polpette, half without cheese. It was very good and amusing because of the small meatballs adorning each slice of the 12" pizza. The crust was excellent and reminiscent of the stone-baked pizzas of Giorgio, the very talented pizza master behind the success of Amici when it was still a "secret" place in Don Bosco. Aside from the whimsical tiny meatballs the other toppings included slivers of artichoke, black olives and a small amount of half cooked egg in the middle. We also tried their house specialty, the pasta montanara composed of fusilli pasta, sausage, bell peppers, cheese sauce and pepperoni, salami and a generous amount of thickly sliced mushrooms. It was deliciously spicy. I didn't get to try the cocoa focaccia that went with the pasta, but I'm sure it was also delicious. Last, but certainly not the least, we couldn't resist the zuppa rustica which one of the wait-staff assured us was the most popular item on their menu and a favorite of the son of Henry Sy. It was slightly spicy, loaded with mushrooms and spinach. We shared one order and I was still not able to finish all of mine, definetely value for money.

Just as we suspected, the chefs at Abbondanza trained under Giorgio hence the excellence of their pizza crust. Abbondanza at Mall of Asia is only 2 months old but shows great promise. Next time I will bring more friends so we can try their monster 24" Abbondanza pizza.

Beef Adobo in Gata

Beef Adobo in Gata

1 kilo beef, cleaned and cut into 2" cubes (use stewing beef for best flavor)
½ cup coco vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
1 bay leaf, crumbled
10 whole peppercorns, slightly crushed with the flat side of a large knife
10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled and cut into strips
1 cup coconut milk, (1st extraction)
2 pieces hot pepper (or to taste)

Combine all ingredients (except the coconut milk) in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to the boil partially-covered over medium heat for 10 minutes. Decrease the heat and let it simmer tightly covered for an hour or until the meat is very tender. On very low heat, add the coconut milk, stir frequently. Let the mixture simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and season as desired with salt. The left-overs make a delicious filling for pandesal mixed with a small amount of mayonnaise.

How to Make Coco Vinegar

The question is, why make your own? First, you would know that what you are consuming is the real thing and not a watered-down version (like those being sold on the side of the road in Tagaytay). Secondly, you are sure that it's clean and not contaminated.

If these reasons sound good to you, then here is a recipe for making coconut vinegar that I filched from my mother's file.

Coco Vinegar

Utensils Needed:
Stainless steel measuring cup
Stainless steel measuring spoon
2 large funnels
Strainer
Cheese cloth
Rubber band
Dark-colored bottles

Ingredients:
8 cups coconut water
1 cup refined white sugar
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast (the yeast used for making bread)

Place cheese cloth over the mouth of a bowl or large measuring cup. Pour the coconut water over the strainer and strain. Remove the cheese cloth and set aside. To the strained juice add the sugar. Mix well until all the sugar has dissolved. Pour through a funnel into dark-colored bottles. Add the yeast (Use a small teaspoon) to the juice. Cover the bottle with small pieces of cheese cloth and tie with rubber band. Set aside. Let the juice ferment in a cool and dark place for three weeks or up to one month. Place the bottles in a pot of boiling water, neck deep for at least thirty minutes to kill any harmful bacteria. Dilute the finished product with distilled water if desired to taste. Undiluted coconut vinegar is delicious used to make chicken and pork adobo and other native dishes.

To hasten the process and if you have access to mother liquor*, add before covering with cheese cloth and securing with rubber band. Using mother liquor will cut the waiting time to half or less before your coconut juice becomes vinegar.

*As defined by my mother, mother liquor refers to the liquid set aside from a previous batch of coconut vinegar. It is deliberately saved to use for future vinegar-making.

Mom's Oatmeal Drop Cookies

Mom's Oatmeal Drop Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup molasses
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup raisins

Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and molasses. Sift all dry ingredients together. Blend in shortening mixture. Stir in oats, nuts and raisins. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2" apart on lightly greased sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in preheated 400*F oven.

Back to School

It's another long week-end for the kids and the parents. A welcome respite for the traffic that tomorrow's school opening will surely bring. People lucky enough to be finished with this stage in their lives can now fondly recall the mad rush to National Bookstore during the last week-end before school started to purchase their brand-spanking new notebooks and pencils and rolls and rolls of plastic to wrap their new school books with. I, for one am very happy that those days are over.

There is one aspect to going to school though that I miss, and that is the cookies and cakes that my mom made for us to take to school. Our mom worked full time as a chemist but she always found the time to cook us fresh and healthy meals and even managed to bake us treats. One of the treats that I remember was her delicious oatmeal cookies. It is only now that I am older and can bake my own treats on demand that I realized just how simple the recipe for her cookies really is. My mom's patient hands and the loving way she prepared it was what made it extra special.

Independence Day for Filipinos

What gives?! People have always wondered why the past administration liked moving the day of our holidays when it falls on a week-end. Independence day this year falls on a Saturday and I applaud Senator Aquino (who is the President - Elect, by the way) for questioning the logic behind celebrating Independence day 4 days later. He was supposedly invited to the June 14 celebration of our June 12 Independence day where the organizers are reportedly going to extoll the accomplishments of past President Arroyo during the said event. Movable holidays indeed. More of that article on line here.

Read more about the story of our Independence and the subsequent decision to choose June 12 as the Philippines' Independence day here written by Diosdado Macapagal, the 9th President of the Republic of the Philippines.

On this day, the correct date, let's all celebrate our hard- earned freedom. Happy Independence Day to all.

Nasi Lemak Robinson's Galleria

Tucked away in the restaurant row of Robinson’s Galleria is Nasi Lemak. The restaurant’s erstwhile consultant HK was proud to assure us that you will get the most authentic Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine in Manila, and they do not disappoint. Back when they were still situated in Thompson Square they were already impressing us with their laksa and bakute and we occasionally enjoyed his stories (and complaints) about the incorrect way Hainanese chicken is served in Manila. It was refreshing to re-visit the place again in a new setting, this time in a mall.


For starters try their very generously sized poh piah. It should be eaten at once though because the wrapper dries up really fast and it isn’t a very pleasant experience to bite through raw, tough lumpia wrapper. While waiting for your main meal to be served you may also want to try their roti prata served with the pre-requisite curry sauce for P98. I loved their Nonya chao chye and I wish I had ordered the larger size, but the small size will generously serve one person. The char kway teow was too heavily sauced for my taste but the beef rendang was almost a religious experience. It was deliciously spicy, hot and creamily rich with coconut milk. The beef almost melting in the mouth and the flavour was complicated and just divine.

Nasi Lemak 2/floor Robinson’s Galleria

Poh Piah P140/2 pcs.
Roti prata with curry sauce P98
Nonya chap chye P138
Beef rending P360
Char kway teow P138 (small size)
Ayam panggang (Indonesian roasted chicken) P296/ for 2
Tea tarek P88
PLUS 5% sc

Bayabas (Guava)

The delicious fruit bayabas is native to the American Tropics. The tree of the guava is small, with a slender trunk with a brown, scaly bark with long elliptical to oval leaves. There are several varieties of guavas and the fruit can vary in shape from round to bottom-heavy fruits and their colors range from yellowish green to orange. Their flesh is firm and sweetish and is embedded with small hard seeds. When fully ripe the flesh is very soft, almost luscious and has a distinct flowery aroma.

Bayabas can be eaten fresh while not fully ripened or opened and served in slices with a little salt. The flesh can also be dried and preserved. Commercially it can be made into delicious guava jelly or preserves and candies. In the province, the bark is sometimes used as a cheap substitute for cinnamon after being treated with cinnamon oil.

The bark and leaves of the guava tree are often used as home remedies to cure diarrhoea and stomach ache. The leaves and bark can be boiled with water and left to steep. The liquid is then sieved and drank to cure all manner of stomach ailments, including diarrhoea or simply drank as tea to calm the stomach.


Some Recipes to try using Bayabas


Bayabas Jelly

Clean 1 kilo of bayabas and pat dry. Cut the fruit into quarters and add 1 kilo of water and cook for at least 20 minutes or until soft. Strain the fruit without pressing on the fruit. Add .5% to .7% of citric or tartaric acid to the jelly. Or 1 tablespoon calamansi juice can be added for every cup of guava extract.

Heat the mixture and bring to the boil. Strain through a sieve and continue to cook until reaches 108*C. Pour the mixture into sterilized jelly jars and allow to cool. Remove the scum that will float on top and then seal airtight.


Guava Chiffon Cake

Batter:
3 cups cake flour, sifted twice
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup corn oil
½ cup cold water
¾ cup guava juice concentrate
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2-3 drops red food color

Meringue:
7 egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350*F and lightly grease the bottom of an 13x9x2½” pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.

Make batter: Sift together cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and add oil, water, guava juice, egg yolks and food color. Beat until mixture is thick and light in color.

Make meringue: Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in ½ cup sugar until mixture stiff but not dry.

Gently fold 1/3 of egg yolk mixture into meringue to lighten the mixture. Add and fold in the rest of the egg yolk batter until well blended but not over-mixed. Gently pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and invert on a greased rack to cool completely.

Remove from the pan and remove paper. Make the frosting and topping.


Guava Chiffon Frosting:
4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
¾ cup guava juice concentrate
1 cup whipping cream

In a small bowl beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and light yellow in color. Add guava juice. Place in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick, stirring frequently for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Whip the cream and fold into the cool guava mixture. Make the guava topping.


Guava Topping
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water
Pinch salt
12 oz can guava juice
1 teaspoon calamansi juice
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon butter, softened

Mix cornstarch with water in a small cup until completely dissolved. Add salt, guava juice, calamansi juice and egg yolk. Cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Use while still warm.

Frost sides of cake. Use the remaining frosting to decorate the edges of the cake, including the top edges of the cake. Slather the top with the guava topping.

CQ Chef's Quarter Sunday Buffet at the Megamall

There’s a wonderful place in Megamall where you can literally have your cake and eat it too. The wait staff are all warm and friendly and the buffet price is reasonable. For P600 you get more than 1 kind of salad greens, one of them usually always a ceasar’s salad and to complement all of these is their excellent salmon carpaccio. The escargot salad, creamy balsamic dressing and fruit dressing are all something to watch out for. Their soups are always freshly made and delicious. For the carving, it’s usually a tender and flavourful beef plate, though there was one Sunday evening that they served turkey instead of beef. To go with their carving are roasted vegetables. They usually offer two kinds of seafood dish, a fowl concoction, a pork dish and a beef stew offering. Their beef bourguignon is divine and always something to look forward too. They offer two kinds of rice to go with all these viands plus a pasta section where you can order your choice of sauce. When they first opened their doors to the public a few years ago they offered their buffet on a daily basis, and it became almost a daily treat for us until then they whittled it down to just the week-ends, and now the buffet is only available for lunch and dinner every on a Sunday. The items from their menu are pretty special too and the prices are reasonable, considering that they offer 2 sizes for most of the items and the portions are larger than you might expect from a fine-dining establishment. They do give you your money’s worth and is certainly worthy of wading through the maddening Sunday crowd at the Megamall.


CQ Chef’s Quarter Buffet
2/Floor Atrium of The Megamall
Sunday Lunch and Dinner Buffet
P600 net per person