Alba Restaurant

Hubby and I just had dinner at Alba Restaurant. It's been a while since we dined out since we have opposing work schedules. We chose to dine in Alba Restaurant. They opened a new branch in Westgate, Alabang. Alba Restaurant specializes in Spanish cuisine and their sign says that they've been around since 1952. I've heard of them of course, but only got the chance to dine there just now.







We ordered some really nice selection from the menu. To start with, we had Queso Ahumado (smoked cheese) which hubby and I really really liked. The cheese is very mild and yummy, and the salsa that they serve with it is a little bit sweet but still tangy. I personally prefer without the salsa. I probably could eat the whole thing because the cheese is sliced paper thin. Eating cheese nowadays remind me of our trip to Smelly Cheese in Hunter Valley, Australia. Oh my the cheeses there are so delighful. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.



Anyway, I digress...We also had Almondigas de Vaca (beef meatballs). We like this dish as well. The beef is tender and the sauce is a garlicky and a bit salty, very nice for dipping bread. The dish kinda reminds me of my mom's meatballs in misua, they taste very similar but without the noodles :-)



Hubby and I split the Ensalada de Caesar. I like this picture that hubby took :-)



For the main course, we ordered the Paella Valenciana. A paella dish with seafood, chicken and chorizo. The serving is good for three people so we had plenty of left over. The paella was good, but Amalia's (in BF) is better. As I was writing this, it just hit me that Alba's specialty is the Callos and we didn't order it. Oh well, we'll save that for next time.



For dessert, hubby and I split the canonigo this was good also. I have a really fantastic recipe for this and a ultra heavenly sauce made with egg yolks and milk. Yum! I serve mine usually with mango balls on the side. I'll post the recipe when I get the chance to bake it again.

Las Paellas

I've been meaning to tell you about Las Paellas but my posts have always been delayed for some reason, thwarted by some other event. Anyway, this restaurant is not exactly a favorite of hubby and me, and it's not exactly on our "where not to eat" list. Las Paellas is one of them neutral restos. Some items are good, some items are bad. Nonetheless, it has a little bit of the masa yet kinda swanky feel to it.

It’s funny that these types of restos have such an appeal to everyone. You know when you don’t feel like slumming at the ubiquitous burger joint, but don’t want to spend a small fortune on dinner either. So, you look for that nice mix of affordable, semi-fine dining resto without looking so cheap? Las Paellas is the place.

Hubby and I dined there several times already. Its location plays a major role in most of our decisions. There’s a branch in BF and one in Festival Mall.

We started with the Mozzarella Sticks. I generally love anything with cheese, this was a hit for hubby and me. I just hope that they improve the salsa a bit more with fresh herbs.



Pomelo Salad has always been a favorite at home. Although Las Paellas version is not as generous nor as flavourful as what I make at home, it was ok, the dressing was a bit too sour though. I remember hubby not particularly liking that.



I ordered the Chicken Pesto Panini which was nothing spectacular. You can hardly taste the pesto in it but it was not unpleasant. I imagine some people might like its uncomplicated taste.



Hubby had the Lapu-lapu Romana which was a mild hit with hubby, again with the neutral thing.



Of course dinner won’t be complete without dessert. Hubby and I shared a slice of Frozen Brazo de Mercedes. This was good and surprisingly not too sweet.



One thing I like most is that the waiters in Las Paellas is that they are very friendly and courteous (specially in Festival Mall) so the lacklustre performance of the dishes can almost (I said almost) make up for it :-)

Kanin Club

Kanin Club. Rice Club.

A carbohydrate addict's nirvana :-)

I had dinner with my brother and his wife last night at this popular restaurant located at West Gate, Alabang. I've heard such nice reviews about their food and they were even featured at a local TV show. Everytime we pass by there, the place is full. Fortunately, a table was available last night.

For starters, we had Green Mango Salad with Thai dressing. Strips of green mangoes dressed with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, it also has peanuts, onions and cilantro. I love this dish. Very refreshing. I vow to duplicate this dish at home (sans the onions) for hubby. I'm sure he'll love it. Hubby's currently in HK for a business trip :-(



For our main "courses", we ordered two kinds or rice (yeah, two kinds). The first one and the most popular is called The Fully Loaded, it has a lot of goodies mixed into it like sausages, eggs, green peas, shrimps etc.



We also ordered the Aligue Rice, rice with crab fat :-) I know, artery clogger. My official excuse is, my companios are five years younger than me, this order is for them...yeah, right!



Both were good but the fully loaded was extra special :-)

We also ordered Binagoongang Baboy (fried pork with shrimp paste), which is crispy outside and tender inside with the just the perfect "timpla" for it's sauce, not too sweet, not too salty. My little bro's favorite there, understandably. I will definitely order this again.



The Binukadkad na Tilapia is just fried tilapia, presented like a flower. Hence, the binukadkad name. How can you go wrong with fried fish, right?



Upon order, each table is given three kinds of dipping sauces. Vinegar with garlic, soy sauce with onions and garlic and chili oil. Typical dipping sauces here in the Philippines.



I recommend Kanin Club for all the gluttons out there. The price is reasonable, service is so so but the food is great.

Kanin na!

Bali Blends Cafe

Last Friday was such a fine balmy evening, hubby treated me to dinner, al fresco at Bali Blends Cafe in Westgate, Alabang. We've had coffee there before on my birthday but never ordered anything from their dinner menu. They serve fusion Indonesian cuisine and a sprinkling of continental sandwiches.

Since I've never had dinner yet, I ordered Beef Rendang, similar to our beef stew but spicier and has other complex flavors to it.

The Beef Rendang was served with buttered vegetables and rice. The beef rendang wasn't very tender and a bit too spicy, yet bland, if that was possible. Also, the dish needed a refreshing kick to balance out the gamut of spices in the dish. Cilantro, perhaps?



Unsatisfied with my meal (which I didn't finish), I ordered extra roti with a curry dip. After conferring with the waiter and getting the assurance that it's home-made roti, I place my order. The roti is not the same as what I had in Little India (darn!), the curry dip tasted like Mang Tomas with curry powder in it :-) Ayayay!



For dessert I had sweet coconut in pandan crepe, served with vanilla ice cream. The coconut was interesting, it tasted like soft bukayo. Bukayo is a Filipino dessert usually made by simmering strips of your coconut (buko) with brown sugar. I also saw a recipe using dessicated coconut, condensed milk and butter, simmered together.



Anyway, back to my story. Hubby had a tropical cooler. An assortment of tropical fruits, drizzled with caramel syrup with cayenne pepper, served in a fried crepe bowl. Hubby opted to have the syrup on the side, just in case he didn't like it. The cayenne pepper in the caramel was very mild, you can hardly tell it's there, which is a good thing. The fruits are fresh and juicy. The crepe bowl was very oily, baking it with a sprinkling of sugar would have greatly improved its taste.



The wonderful cool breeze of the evening, friendly waiters and pleasant company (my hubby) more than made up for the lackluster food.

My Birthday Dinner with Hubby

First of all, thank to everyone who sent emails, phone calls, text messages and personal greetings for my birthday. I'm so touched that you remembered :-) My cellphone was beeping 'till midnight!

I'm so happy, hubby's finally home from his week-long business trip.

Prior to his arrival, he mentioned that he bought three gifts for me and hinted that they were for our home. The idea of him buying anything for the house, scared me. His track record for buying such things is let's say, something to be desired. I love hubby dearly but when it comes to choosing home accessories, he's absolutely useless.

The minute I saw him, he had a big bag from Ikea, one of my most favorite stores. I said to myself that maybe this time hubby hit it right on the mark. And he did! he bought me stainless steel sauce pan, casserole and a platinum teflon frying pan. I was very happy! I was looking at similar things at the mall the other day but decided not to purchase them yet. Hubby even bought a ton of dark chocolates for me to use for my icing recipes. I'm so happy, happy, happy. Happy that hubby's home safely, happy that he made it just in time for my birthday and happy that he bought me gifts that I loved :-)



For dinner, we dined at Hula-Hula Hawaiian Restaurant . It's a small Hawaiian fusion restaurant located in Westgate, Alabang. They serve mostly Asian and American dishes with a Hawaiian twist.

For starters, we ordered the Mussels Wasabi Salsa. It's six pieces of baked mussels with chunky tomato salsa topped with cheese. This was not very good for one simple reason, there's hardly any wasabi in the salsa. It's also overpriced at P200++ per order.



Next, the Pomelo Salad. It's a combination of pomelos, mangoes, iceberg lettuce, fried wonton wrapper with a Thai dressing (lime, patis, sugar, pepper etc) and generously sprinkled with sesame seeds. This salad is so wrong on so many levels. One, the salad was served warm. Two, the mangoes are over riped. Three there's just way too much sesame seeds. Lastly, the dressing is weak, it just tasted like water with a squirt of calamansi. Way overpriced for P200++ per order.



For our main course, we had Mess of Steaks with Smoked Manila Basting and sidings of Baked Beans and Macaroni Salad. The steaks themselves are very good, light and just have the right amount of smoky taste to it. The baked beans has cumin in it and not too bad, a different twist to your usual baked beans. The macaroni salad is also good (but not as good as mine or my mom's). A good buy at P275++. The Mess of Stakes is cravable and it's the best selling entree on the menu.



For dessert we had Coco Pannacota Mango Rum and Buko Lychee Sherbet. As you can see from the photo below, the Buko Lychee was served with a fork. What are we supposed to do, spear the sherbet?





The Coco Pannacota is served with a meringue on top. The custard itself is just maja blanca but without the corn. An ordinary dessert, dressed up to look like something special.

I'm not sure if we'll eat here again. The Mess of Steaks is good but the rest of the stuff that we ordered were duds. The jury's still out.

After dinner, we make our way around the next curb, a five-minute moonlit walk through a small park with a cute little fountain to Bali Blends Cafe. A restaurant and coffee shop that serves Asian dishes and Asian inspired coffees and teas. I ordered the Spiced Chai Latte. Chai is traditionally prepared by boiling loose tea in milk and water. I've never had this before and I was game to try it. I liked it, it's like drinking a cappuccino but with tea and cinnamon.





Hubby had the Minty Caramel Mocha Iced Coffee. This one is also good with just a hint of mint. Not too overpowering.

Hubby was also intrigued by their Banana Parcel. A steamed dessert of glutenous rice and bananas with a drizzling chocolate sauce. It's their version of "suman". Light and not too sweet.



Despite the misadventure in Hula-Hula, our date was very happy, filled with love, laughter and meaningful conversations.



I got the best gift when we got home, an hour-long massage from hubby! I wish it was my birthday every single day :-)