Mona Lisa's Dear Darla

I just got home and found pizza from Mona Lisa (that fancy restaurant here in Alabang that's above Yellow Cab and Army Navy.

When I opened it, I noticed it's exactly like the Dear Darla concept of Yellow Cab. I can assume that Yellow Cab isn't the innovator of that concept, also because Mona Lisa's tagline is "authentic Italian cuisine", and perhaps this kind of technique of wrapping some herbs in pizza is old only I'm not as "cultured" as you guys so I've tasted it for the first time in Yellow Cab.

I am partial to Yellow Cab's Dear Darla (maybe Yellow Cab's chili oil and flakes play a big part about it). Also, Mona Lisa's tasted healthier as compared to Yellow Cab's lovely greasy pizza taste.

I realized that 10 inch pizzas are too small when I realized that I can finish one whole order of Dear Darla pizza only to myself.

I've never been to Mona Lisa. I don't know the price differences and most definitely the other stuff they offer. But with this product I'm just gonna have to say I like Yellow Cab's better. That's personal preference. There is no objective standard for what rolled pizza with herbs should be like. All I have is an opinion. To each his own.

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The Crispy Pata Philosophy

I went to the gym the other day. I actually worked out longer than I'd usually do. And of course, to reward this anomaly and render my workout almost completely useless: I eat crispy pata the next day.

Crispy Pata: if this is a vice then I wish no virtue.

The vegetarian health buff will argue: crispy pata is bad for your health. You will regret it in the future when your arteries are clogged and you get hypertension. Many aspects of your health is, first and foremost, determined by lifestyle and personal responsibility. You should eat a salad instead.

The vegan PETA member will argue: pigs have feelings too. You have no right to slaughter them just to eat them. There are other means of nourishment like leaves and carrots and whatnot.

The pinko will have a humanitarian argument: "crispy pata is excess," he/she will say, "so many people in the world are starving while you indulge on this gluttonous act of eating crispy pata."

Some religions will forbid you. If you ask them why they'll say it's cause their book says so.

Is it really a race on who lives longer? Is it all about quantity and not quality? Hmm, I don't really care. They can all say what they want. To each his own. 

For me, crispy pata is a form of art, a culinary art to be specific. These "unhealthy" or "immoral" dishes does take skill and talent to prepare. It's magical how tender the meat on the inside can be and yet the skin so crispy. Just thinking about the crunchy skin makes me hungry for more again. It does make me feel bad for those who argue against it or those whose opinion criticizes my liberty to eat crispy pata whenever I want.

I do not force them to change their minds. I am merely stating an opinion, a recommendation based on my own personal preference. Hedonistic and selfish, I plead among those seemingly more "noble" than me. Again, I say, if crispy pata is a vice then I wish no virtue.

Haha, forgive my senseless banter. I am writing for the sake of writing; for the sake of updating and having content. I do get paid for blogging, if you'd recall. Getting paid to lie around and eat crispy pata is not bad at all. :)

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Shi Lin Taiwanese Restaurant in Alabang Town Center

First of all, it's my first time to step in to the new area of Alabang Town Center and can I just say: MIND BLOWN. I can't believe that mall is just walking distance from my house and I've never seen the new building they've made. I thought this whole time that they were just renovating. That whole area that used to be the old South supermarket and the old National Bookstore is gone. Man, that's where my pediatrician and dentist used to be at. Anyway, on to my post: I just ate in Shi Lin Taiwanese restaurant in that area.

Shi Lin Menu

I'm not entirely familiar with Taiwanese cuisine. In fact the popular Xiao Long Bao is probably the only one I've tried so far. I tried it for the first time back in 2009 when I went to Singapore. My cousin who lives there treated us to a Taiwanese restaurant there. I didn't even know what it was called because I wasn't the one who ordered. At the time I just referred to it as siomai na may sabaw sa loob (siomai with soup inside). I actually loved it.

Xiao Long Bao

I got to talk to a Taiwanese schoolmate back in college and we talked about Xiao Long Bao. He says, he doesn't understand why our siomai doesn't have soup inside. He even tells me that their siopao already has sauce inside. It makes sense because you don't have to put siopao sauce anymore if the sauce is already inside.

Was the Xiao Long Bao I ate as good? Hmm, I don't know. It's possible that it isn't as good because I wasn't really as mind blown as when I ate it for the first time in Singapore.

Taro Dumplings

These taro dumplings on the other hand are excellent! It's something I would seriously recommend if you're planning to eat there. It's so unique and yummy. It's also has this really fresh taste. Supposedly, all their ingredients are imported from Taiwan. I really loved this dumpling preparation. I actually wish we ordered more of it. It's only 110 Php for 6 pieces. It's really really good. 

Spicy Jellyfish

The spicy jellyfish was really yummy. It's the type you'll see in cold cuts usually served in Chinese restaurants only it's served with sesame seeds, chilis, and this sauce of some sort. It's really really good. But then maybe I'm partial to this at the same time I like spicy food and so combined I was really satisfied.

They didn't have wifi though. Wifi is a big factor for me when eating. It probably roots form the Into The Wild rhetoric that "happiness is only real when shared". I love sharing eating experiences. That's why I have a food blog, right? Haha. All restaurants should really consider having wifi. It's instant and free marketing for them because of Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and other random social media stuff.

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North Park and Pho Hoa in Alabang Town Center

After hanging out with a bunch of friends in TJ's last night in Westgate Alabang, we decided to go to North Park after a talking about the beef tendon soup/noodles thing they had.

North Park Beef Tendon Noodles

I got the regular beef tendon noodles for 158 and ordered extra rice. Their rice was a bit expensive at 40 pesos per cup but it was really worth it. What I do is I get all the beef tendon and eat it with my rice and with their chili oil and I eat my noodles and soup on the side. It's really quite affordable and filling when you think about it. They even make you choose what kind of noodles you want.

It feels very unhealthy but my friend pointed out that tendon isn't half as bad as fat and is actually good for you according to some studies. Maybe I should write about my position/thoughts on health paradigms when I get the chance.

Pho Hoa

Then just a while ago I ate some takeout beef pho from Pho Hoa, just beside North Park. I do love Vietnamese food. There's just really something so natural and fresh about pho. It feels very healthy and at the same time very yummy. I do love the leaves you put and of course the sriracha sauce.

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Molecular Gastronomy and Modernist Cuisine

I first got introduced to molecular gastronomy and the modernist approach to culinary arts in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations episode when he went to elBulli restaurant in Spain right before it closed down. The restaurant was owned by world renowned chef Ferran Adrià whose philosophy and methodology when it comes to preparing and serving food just blew me away. It is surely an episode that I would recommend to all of you.

Ferran Adrià

I wasn't really a big fan of fancy or "michelin star" types of restaurants, cooking, or food; probably a bit similar to Bourdain's views in Kitchen Confidential. I'm more of the street food and authentic type, I would like to think. But then the whole concept of molecular gastronomy and the approach of chefs like Ferran Adrià is just so mind-blowing and intense that it somehow changed my mind about it all.

The way Adrià describes his approach and philosophy makes him much like a renaissance man of sorts whose expertise goes beyond cooking and into fields like chemistry and other sciences, history, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and others. Imagine all that, with very intricate attention to detail, all put into cooking and the dishes he serves. Aside from being innovative, it also feels a lot like being revolutionary of sorts. I'm really just out of words and I don't even know how to explain what I mean. 

Nathan Myhrvold

It just so happened that I just watched Top Chef season 9 episode 9 and they featured Nathan Myhrvold, also a renaissance man when it comes to molecular gastronomy and author of "highly coveted" series of books on Modernist Cuisine and I got so reminded of the elBulli episode and am now learning so much more about the modernist approach in cooking as more of a revolutionary movement than just a methodology.

It all just reminds me so much of freedom, art, passion, and the desire to change the world. Of course, it's also making me really hungry.

KFC Gravy Recipe Philippines

There is one problem with getting KFC taken home or delivered: you won't have access to the unlimited gravy. And we all know that the gravy is one of the most important factors that make KFC one of the most awesome fast food chicken providers in the known universe.

Libreng Sabaw?

I woke up today and remembered I had some leftover KFC chicken in the fridge but got disappointed when I noticed there wasn't any gravy. It's just not the same. It's depressing, actually. It makes me feel as if there is no hope in this world.

One of the first articles I ever wrote that got me into the whole earning through blogging thing would be the KFC Delivery Philippines I posted on my Wordpress site one time when I was sick and I had KFC delivered to my house. I noticed that my traffic surged and realized that this was because I was ranking already. I would have to say that a lot of it was luck and randomness. And I quote from that blog post:

"I am sure they put something illegal or radioactive in their recipe. It is surely more than just salt and pepper that makes their recipes so good and addictive. There was a time in my life when I wanted to work for KFC just so I can climb their corporate ladder until I am given security access to their secret ingredients and then after that expose it to the public. I do believe that their KFC chicken recipe has something to do with the Holy Grail or maybe the aliens who built the pyramids"

Later on I wrote KFC Menu Philippines on my HubPages (this is where I get most of my earnings) and slowly made my revenue and content grow. Then eventually, I decided to create this blog, one dedicated specifically to eating and cooking. So really, I owe a lot of my inspiration for writing about food to KFC.

My urologist actually advised me to avoid gravy. He says uric acid is dangerous for my history of kidney stones. That's when I shoved all the office and medical supplies on his desk onto the floor. I walked out of his clinic, climbed atop his receptionist's desk, and then addressed my fellow patients:

"Give me liberty or give me death!" I shouted, "you can take away everything but don't take away my gravy!"

Itlog na Maalat na may Kamatis (salted egg with tomatoes)

Salted eggs with tomatoes, very easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. This classic Filipino favorite is surely satisfying in spite of its simplicity!

Itlog na maalat na may kamatis (salted eggs with tomatoes)

I was going through the fridge, looking for something to eat and figured I should prepare myself this classic dish and eat it with rice. It's really so simple to make and for something that's this simple it's really so good.

There's this wonderful contrast of textures and tastes with the salted eggs and the tomatoes. And the yolk, my favorite part, is so complex. It really goes perfect with the freshness of the tomato.

Plus, it's very affordable. I remember eating it when I used to live alone during college. And since I had a fixed weekly allowance, for something that's this affordable, I really got my money's worth.

It's interesting how this blog continues to earn in spite of lack of posts. Since I told myself I will be focusing on blogs and articles that are more profitable, expect to see more frequent updates here in this blog. Thank you for dropping by!

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Omakase Menu - American Dream and Unidon

I have discussed in my previous blog post about Omakase how I'm not so fond of fusions and modern innovations and use of deep-fried ingredients in maki/sushi. So when I was in Omakase again for a dinner, I figured I have to make the most of it and order one that is a fusion and one that is classic and authentic.

American Dream

American Dream is a deep-fried maki made with salmon with cream cheese. It does make a lot of sense. Anything with salmon and cream cheese is good so what more if you make a maki from those ingredients and then make it deep-fried. It's around 200 or 300 pesos, if I remember correctly. I'm not entirely sure though (sorry if I'm not really helpful haha). It's one of their bestsellers so it's surely a must-try.

Uni
And then something super simple and classic: my absolute favorite Uni (sea urchin) on top of a bowl of sushi rice. I can't even describe in words how pleasurable and sensual this meal is. It's around 300 as well. I'm not even sure if this is something you can consider authentically Japanese. When I was Mindoro, a fisherman explained to me that the locals there have been eating raw sea urchin for a very long time. I guess what makes it very Japanese is the sushi rice, the kikoman, the wasabi, the seaweed wrapper strips and the other random garnishes restaurants put that make such a harmonious and balanced taste.
I want uni right now.