My Top 3 Favorite At Nanbantei of Tokyo

- by Isabel

Last Thursday, my mom and I tried Nanbantei's new P888 Samurai Sets.

Wagyu Steaks At Carmelo's

Carmelo's may just be one of the numerous restaurants in Greenbelt 5 but did you know that this unassuming restaurant serves the best Wagyu steak in Makati? And not only that, the force behind Carmelo's Wagyu Steaks is none other than Christine Santiago- Rivera, who grew up in eating the best steaks at Melo's Restaurant.

Melo's Restaurant is synonymous when it comes to best Certified Angus Beef Steaks and I'm quite surprised that they also own Carmelo's. Actually, Melo is in fact, Carmelo Santiago, the founder of the restaurant with the best quality steak in town. I'm sure all of you know Melo's and House of Wagyu Stone Grill.

Royal Prestige Cookware

The trend nowadays is to eat healthily because people are more conscious of what food they eat. There's been a boom when it comes to organic food and free-range meat. Restaurants have also started offering healthy dishes on their menus and there are also numerous weekend markets all over the metropolis where you can buy organic and free-range meat.

But aside from the food the we eat, we also need to be more particular when it comes to food preparation and the type of cookware that we use. Its been reported that the teflon-coated pans that most of us have been using for ages now have been declared unsafe because of its synthetic polymer coating and claypots are known to contain lead. That leaves us with little options, right?

SIEM REAP: Midnight Dinner

Because we arrived late and rested for a while at the hotel, it was almost midnight when we went out for dinner. Of course, most restaurants are closed by then so we ended up eating noodles in one of the numerous "carinderia" on-wheels along the street near Pub Street and the Night Market area. 

I ordered beef noodle soup which is similar to the Vietnamese pho. Broth was very flavorful and tastes refreshing because of the herbs. It also has tons of holy basil and tamyao which I really liked. This costs USD$2. I washed it down with bottled water bought from the convenience store nearby. A liter of bottled water is worth $2.

Mercato's Mei Wei Lu

The Lucky Chinatown Food Tour

Discover hidden gems at the Lucky Chinatown Mall thru Mei Wei Lu or The Street of Good Food.

Siem Reap: Golden Coconut Restaurant

Dining in Siem Reap is a heaven for foodies since prices are relatively cheap and portions are generous even if they say that the food you order is good for only one person. Price range are between $1  to $3. But there are also restaurants that's a bit pricey with meals that costs $4-9. Of course, if you dine at the posh hotels, be ready to shell out more dollars. ;) Also, currency used in Siem Reap is U.S. dollars so always have some $1s and $5s. Change given is in dollars also except when you have change for $.25 or $.50, then they will give you change in riel (khr).

Rediscovering Mann Hann

We used to frequent Mann Hann because the food tastes great but because I had a not so nice service experience with them years ago, I crossed out the restaurant from my list. I don't really have plan to dine at Mann Hann again (ever) but serendipity strikes. One of my high school classmates arrived from Qatar and wanted to meet with us for lunch. I suggested Robinsons Magnolia since its the middle ground for all of those who are attending. I was about to suggest some restaurants but the host a.k.a. the one who will pick the tab chose Mann Hann. ;)

RECIPE: TKG's Pinoy Risotto

Ingredients:

Pre-made (leftover) spaghetti sauce. It can be bolognese, with hotdogs, whatever floats your boat

Lechon bits. You can use whatever is in your fried; hotdog, bacon, chicken ... better if leftovers too!

Rice. You guessed it right, leftover. Haha

Oil or butter.

FOOD FINDS: Ube, Pinasugbo, Dried Guyabano and Zubuchon Lechon

My foodie cousin recently arrived from her Bohol and Cebu trip and here's what she brought me --- ube, pinasugbo, dried guyabano and Zubuchon lechon. I already tried the lechon last year when one of my food buddy hand-carried it for me but wasn't able to blog it because I forgot to take photos. But the lechon was really quite memorable and I was praying for the day that it will land on my doorstep again.

Bohol House of Ube. I almost did it again. I mean, I (we) almost ate all of it before I realized I haven't taken a photo. You cannot buy this anywhere except in Bohol. For me, this tastes way better than the ones made by the nuns somewhere up North. ;) It's not too sweet also and really tastes like ube or purple yam. The downside is, you are not allowed to hand-carry this if you're riding the airplane; you need to pack this inside your suitcase (maybe) and check it in. Then pray that the cargo is not too hot, otherwise the ube will spoil. Luckily, my cousin's stash didn't. Alleluia!

PR: Bounty Fresh - Everybody's Favorite Chicken

Whether kids, teenagers, adults and the elderly, there's no denying that chicken dishes plays a big part in our diet. It is also healthy, nutritious and very easy to prepare. Even those with dietary concerns are advised to include chicken portions in their meals since white meat is good for the health.

Katsu Iberico at Tonkatsu by Terazawa

Filipinos are known to enjoy and incorporate pork in almost every dish so its no wonder that there's been a Tonkatsu craze in the country.

Tonkatsu by Terazawa is the brainchild of Japanese chef and restauranteur Akinori Terazawa who vowed to make Tonkatsu like no other when he first opened his first restaurant in Japan. "Tonkatsu is one of the favorite feasts families in Japan indulge and because of that, I took the challenged of making the best Tonkatsu in town."- Chef Terazawa said. 

RECIPE: Summer Coolers from The Maya Kitchen

Summer spells h-o-t-n-e-s-s for most of us but The Maya Kitchen shared some recipes to cool us down. They've come up with exciting combinations for our local calamansi, cantaloupe, and a light and creamy butter cake that's a perfect pair for the summer coolers.

For more recipes, culinary ideas, and culinary classes, log on to: The Maya Kitchen.

NEW RESTO ALERT: Livestock

Livestock is a new restaurant along Sgt. Esguera in Quezon City. Its barely a year-old but is already getting raves for its crispy pata. The restaurant is located at the Jardin de Zenaida Compound, which is just in front of El Jardin Condo and a short walk from ABS-CBN.

The owners of this restaurant raises their own hogs so that's where the inspiration for the name, Livestock came from.

PR: Yoshinoya's Gyudong Eating Contest Radio DJs Edition

Radio DJ’s join Yoshinoya Gyudon Eating Contest Media Challenge Leg 

In photo are (from left), Mr. Orlando Galana from Yoshinoya who served as contest host; Century Pacific Philippines President, Mr. Timothy James Yang; Morly Allinio, DZRH DJ; and Yoshinoya Operations Manager, Ms. Lala Habana.