Moo, Pare...

The day after our Halloween party at the bar was like a scene out of a 1980’s Bill Murray movie. Matt and I are lying completely static in bed, half-empty glasses of water on both night tables, the floor strewn with our outfits from the night before- my dark angel costume and his all-black attire- which still reek of cigarettes and spilt beer. We got home at 6 AM after a drunken food spree at the 24-hour Yellow Cab Pizza joint (Which is pure evil, I tell you) in Ayala Ave., the latest we have come home in a very long time. From what I have described, I believe you can make a fair assessment as to our physical condition when we awoke after a few hours. Yes. Not good at all.

With our heads throbbing and our bodies completely drained of energy, we have one forgettable meal in the afternoon, and then proceed to drift in and out of consciousness the rest of the day. When I finally came to, it was dark once again. Still weak, but with my stomach rumbling in protest, I force myself into the shower to finally awaken my senses. I knew I needed a meal that will revitalize my weakened body, something piping hot, hearty and succulent- a dish that will not only fortify my buckling knees but also bring me back from my half-comatose state.

It was time for some Bulalo.

Freshly-showered and finally showing some signs of life, Matt and I drive to nearby R & J Bulalohan, Tapsihan,atbp. where the fork-tender beef shank in its flavorful broth is the star. We were lucky to find parking out front and spotted a four-seater near the kitchen door which we immediately grabbed. The quaint neighborhood eatery was filled with families and barkadas enjoying the long weekend.



After ordering, we amuse ourselves by reading the posters of autographs left by R & J’s famous guests. The little girl with the group in the next table was being coaxed to dance by her adoring parents, and it reminded me of those days when it was still acceptable for me to dance at the dinner table. Now, I am usually given coffee even when I didn’t ask for it. Go figure.



We ordered three dishes to share, which is more than enough but we figured we can always take the leftovers home. Our bowl of piping-hot Bulalo Special came first, accompanied by an order of plain rice. We ladle some of the flavorful broth into our bowls and savor the calming sensation it brought to our empty stomachs. The meat was a delightful combination of marshmallow-soft beef and gelatinous tendon which is enhanced by my chosen condiment of soy sauce, calamansi and red chili. Our shank had no marrow in it and we were quick to point it out to one of their friendly and attentive servers, and she immediately gave us a piece of bone filled with butter-yellow marrow. Another feature of this dish worth mentioning is the cabbage- barely cooked through, it is placed on top of the soup just before serving so it is lightly blanched.



The two other dishes were served together, which was perfect, since I did not want to lose my momentum. The Sisig Laman-loob ng Baka (or chopped beef innards cooked sisig-style) is a new favorite of mine. Flavored with onions, chili and garlic, this tasty mélange of chopped beef meat, liver and intestines is given another flavor dimension with the addition of a little bit of beef blood. Yes, it does sound a bit hard-core, but it really is not. The flavors are actually very familiar, not off-putting at all. After tasting this, I knew we needed another cup of rice.






Matt devoured the Crispy Tawilis (deep-fried freshwater sardine from Taal Lake in Batangas) which, as every bulalo purist knows, is a popular sidekick of bulalo. It reminded him of the Crispy Galunggong (deep-fried mackerel scad) we would always eat in copious amounts at the beach. Paired with its condiment of sliced tomatoes, fish sauce and red chili, the tawilis tasted fresh and was amazingly crisp.



Everyone has their favorite bulalo joint all over the metro- and in the neighboring towns and cities as well- but R & J is my top choice. Aside from being accessible (to me, at least), the bulalo is always perfectly cooked (soft meat and tendon, tasty broth, vegetables still crisp) and, so far, the other dishes that I have tried are just as good. I noticed two ladies sharing something battered and deep-fried with something that resembled Yang Chow fried rice and it looked promising as well. It seems to be an ideal place for a quick meal at any time of the day (24/7!), and you can be sure that the food is served hot, quick and delicious.

So, did I really feel strong and revitalized after having that delicious bulalo? Not really. It would have been a good story though.



R & J Bulalohan, Tapsihan, atbp.
Bonifacio Ave.
Manadluyong City
(From Mandaluyong Circle, make a right at Petron. R & J is right beside the gasoline station.)
Tel. no. (02) 5334811

Quick Bites: Sandy's Pizza

In this over-saturated food industry, it is very rare that I come across “good finds”. You know, those small, hole-in-the-walls where you find excellent food with a home-grown feel. Everything seems to be going in the direction of “bigger and better”, franchising, constant expansion, banking on the tried and tested formulas and distributing it to the masses. Nothing wrong with that, but most of the time the quality and painstaking care that is put into preparing delicious food is lost.

Recently, when I was coming home from work, I saw a delivery bike with the name “Sandy’s Pizza” emblazoned on the box parked in front of our building. I have read about it more than a year ago in other blogs but have never gotten to try it. Since we lived in Makati at the time, it was impossible to have a taste of this much talked about pizza that is based in residential San Juan. I don’t know how it is now, but at the time they were only doing deliveries and did not have facilities for dine-in customers. Despite that, people were constantly gushing in their multiply.com site about how delicious the pizzas were and that they could not get enough of this gem of a pizzeria.

It took a while after spotting that delivery bike until Matt and I finally got to sample Sandy’s pizza. The first time we had it, we passed by their small store in San Juan at around 9:30 PM, hoping that they were still taking orders. Although they were already closed, they were kind enough to accommodate us and baked us a combination pizza (Chicken Curry, Garlic Tuyo, Garlic Chorizo and White Pizza) for take-out. The second time, we had them deliver another combination pizza (Garlic Tuyo, Mexican Chili, Meatzarella and Filipino Adobo and White Cheese) to our pad.

Both times the pizzas were absolutely phenomenal- and I do not use that word loosely when it comes to food. Yes, there are some pizzas out there that come close and even fewer that might be better (actually, only Caruso comes to mind), but what has gotten me smitten is that its high quality and tastiness has taken me completely by surprise. First of all, the pricing I believe is just right. It might be more expensive than your average neighborhood pizza joint, but for the authenticity and quality that you get, you cannot complain. Second, the toppings are unique and full of flavor. They are not overly-generous with it, but you can be sure that they taste good. Finally, the crust is perfect- soft and chewy on the inside, light and crispy on the outside. If this is not the perfect pizza, then it surely comes very close to it.

I think foodies like me appreciate dishes and restaurants more when we get the vibe that the food comes from someone who is more of a food lover than a businessman. And I get that feeling from the owner of Sandy’s. You can tell from how the crust was made to the careful conceptualization of her innovative pizza toppings, she has put a lot of love into these pizzas. Although I have never met her (I just saw pictures of her in her multiply site with her famous actor brother), I can’t help but admire her for turning her love for a particular dish into something truly spectacular that she can share with others. You just got to love that, too.

Sandy’s Pizza
J. Abad Santos St.
San Juan, Metro Manila
Tel. no. (632) 7218334
Website: sandyspizza1.multiply.com

Older and Hungrier: The Eve of My Birthday

Every year in the past I told myself that I will not celebrate my birthday, but somehow, for one reason or another, it pushes through. This year though, after the craziness that was my wedding, I decided it would mindlessly excessive to throw a big birthday party. Also, at the wake of the tragedy that tropical storm “Ondoy” bestowed upon the islands, it would also be in bad taste.


But, being the food addict that I am, I had to sneak in a few good meals somehow. At the eve of my birthday, my parents invited me, my sisters and the rest of our growing family to lunch at Senju. Out of all of the restaurants at Edsa Shangri-la, the Japanese restaurant is the only one we have not tried.

Despite not having a reservation, we were immediately seated at a teppanyaki table for 10. Being big fans of Japanese food, everyone had their favorites. Matt went bonkers over their sushi and rolls, so I decided to order something else. But what? Since I could not decide, I ended up ordering the “Sakura” set- a set menu which consisted of miso soup, sashimi, tempura, appetizer, beef roll, your choice of grilled fish, tuna and California roll, and dessert. Phew!

The miso soup arrived first, of course, piping-hot and very tasty. It contained generous cubes of tofu and seaweed.

I saved half a bowl to sip with the small platter of sashimi, which quickly followed. It was a pretty predictable combination of kani (crabstick), tuna and salmon, all of which I like. I always judge how good a Japanese restaurant is based on the freshness of its raw seafood (don’t we all?), and happily, theirs was quite fresh. The salmon almost melted like butter in my mouth, and the tuna was firm and perfectly cool.

Next to arrive was the prawn and vegetable tempura, along with the appetizer. The appetizer, which I suppose varies depending on the chef’s mood, was some sort of stewed fish, probably tuna or blue marlin. The tempura was done very well, with the batter light and airy, fried to a pretty golden yellow. The prawns were quite big, as expected from a hotel restaurant that is not scrimping on ingredients.

As the teppanyaki chef begins preparing some dishes before us, the platter containing my main course is set down before me. From the selection of grilled fish, I chose the Chilean sea bass to accompany the beef roll. For my side dish, I had two pieces each of tuna and California maki, as well as some cold soba topped with shredded nori. The sea bass was cooked to buttery perfection, nicely accented by the accompanying sweet sauce. The beef roll was pretty cold, so I just had a bite and ignored it for the rest of the meal.

While having my dessert of chocolate ice cream, the staff surprised me with a small cake and a birthday song. I believe it is worth noting that nobody told them directly that I was celebrating my birthday the next day. The server just picked up on our conversation and decided to give me a cake- one of the few instances that eves-dropping is ok.

After chilling out the rest of the afternoon, Matt and I headed to Sala for his birthday treat for me. It has been a while since we returned to the popular fine-dining resto, mainly because Matt was not impressed with the food the few times I dragged him there. I have read in other blogs that it has been taken over by chef Carlos Miguel and thought I should give it a try. Luckily, it was my birthday, and Matt did not have a say in it.

The small dining room is gorgeous, as usual. I like its modern French interiors and how the acoustics are perfect. Even the lighting is just right- not too bright that all your pores are visible, but bright enough for food pervs like myself to take good pictures.

To start, we were served a delicious and fragrant mushroom and truffle capuccino with a cheese stick.

I remember ordering the Prawn and Dill Souffle the last time I dined there a long time ago, and I just had to have it again. Now I remember why I loved it so much. The soufflé is light and fluffy, with little bits of prawn imbedded into its cushiony inside. The flavor of dill is unmistakable but not overbearing. The toasted cheese sauce around the soufflé is the perfect compliment-creamy but not too cheesy. Overall, a winner in most people’s books, since it is one of only a couple of dishes that is never removed from the constantly-changing menu.

For my main dish, I chose the Sous-vide Squab with Foie Gras and Potato Puree. The first time I had squab was in Pinot at The Venetian in Las Vegas and I remember enjoying it. It had the same texture of quail, but bigger. I like the gaminess of the meat and how exotic it tastes compared to poultry. The dish in Sala was also delicious, but I have to admit I was surprised to see two tiny bird’s legs on my plate. It looked more like a Maya bird (the Philippines’ national bird, around three inches from beak to tail) than a squab, or at least compared to the one I had at the Venetian. Although disappointed by the size, the flavors were still quite enjoyable. The combination of the “squab” (I still think it could be a Maya bird) and foie gras was pure decadence, and the potato puree was milky and rich. You cannot blame me for wishing the bird was bigger.

With our meal, I brought a bottle of German Riesling that I ordered from Zachy’s on-line. It had a very nice, approachable character- off-dry, citrusy, which later on became a bit more complex. It went very well with soufflé and, later on, even with the dessert.

We chose to have our dessert outside- a yummy rhubarb crème brulee- which our server quietly brought out with a candle. Matt, expecting a song from the servers, looked back at the counter with a puzzled look. Before he storms up to the manager demanding a birthday song, I told him, “I don’t think they’re allowed to sing because it might bother the other customers”. Totally understandable, being the super-cool and chic resto that Sala truly is. They’re not TGI Friday’s, that’s for sure.

After dinner, a few old friends of mine with their significant others (and now good friends of mine, too) came over to the pad to have a few drinks with us. It was a nice change from the usual boozefest where everything goes by in a blur and some parts are even forgotten. The evening ended at a decent hour, just a couple of hours past midnight, our age quite obvious at this point. It was just about right for me, since I did not want to be tired and hungover for my actually birthday. I knew there was more to come, and I had to be ready for it.

Senju
Edsa Shangri-la Hotel,

Ortigas Center , Mandaluyong City

Tel no. (632) 6338888

Sala Restaurant

Poduim level Locsin Building
Ayala cor. Makati Ave., Makati City

Tel. no. (632) 7501555