A Delightful Lunch at Sonya's Garden, Tagaytay

I love Sonya's Garden. It's always a pleasure to eat there and gorge on their salad. Of course the garden scenery can't be beat.





Check out their B&B. Nice!

Fely J's Restaurant

My aunt took us to this new Filipino fusion restaurant in Greenbelt 5 called Fely J's. They specialize in Filipino cuisine with a modern twist.

For starters, we had the Pako Salad (fern sprouts) with prawns, salted egg in a Thai dressing. It was good and a bit different from Kusina Salud's version. If you're craving for Pako Salad, you don't have to travel many miles to have one :-)



Of course, the Chickaron Bulaklak will never be absent :-)



For a slightly healthier fare, we ordered the Gule Magulang. A combination of shrimps,squash flowers, yellow squash and other vegetables cooked in coconut milk. This was good as well and surprisingly light for a coconut-based dish. Probably a Capampangan dish (from Pampanga).



Next was Fried Tilapia in Plum Sauce. Yummy, not oily.



For our soup we ordered Pork Sinigang, which is a staple in any Filipino household.



For dessert, we tried the Bayabas Pie (Guava Pie). It tasted like apple pie but a little more tart. Nice. The pie crust was also nice, very light and flaky.



Hubby opted to gorge on halo-halo for dessert. Halo-halo literally means, mix mix in English. The cold concoction has milk, assorted sweet beans, bananas, kamote stewed in sugar, topped with leche flan, some versions are toped with purple yam jam and ice cream. And yeah, hubby finished the entire mug by himself :-)

A New Family Member

Meet my brother's new "baby"..... A Chow named Chewbacca.



Mukhang matakaw din sya :-)



I want one!

More Minute Recipes

Shrimp and Mango Salad



Salad Greens
2 Mangoes, sliced
Cooked shrimps
Cilantro Leaves
Dressing:
Lime
Sugar
Fish Sauce

Mix the dressing well, until the sugar melts. Pour over the mangoes, shrimps, greens and cilantro. Voila!


Chicken 'n Tomatoes




Chicken Stewed in Tomatoes

Chicken, cut into serving pieces (or you can buy the "fried chicken cut" from the supermarket, like I did)
Lime or calamsi juice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Head garlic, chopped
1 Canned Diced Tomatoes
1 Canned Crushed Tomatoes
1 Small can of button Mushrooms
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Wash chicken, drizzle with a bit of lime or calamsi juice and pat dry, lightly season with salt and pepper. Sear in olive oil for about two minutes on each side. Set aside.
2. In the same pan, saute garlic, until aromatic but not brown.
3. Pour the canned tomatoes, season, and let simmer until bubbly.
4. Add the chicken pieces and simmer in medium heat until tender. Season again.
5. Add the mushrooms until heated through.

Opional:
You can add red chili flakes together with the garlic for an extra zing.


Baby Asparagus with Poached Egg and Parmesan Cheese




1 Bunch baby asparagus
1 Tablespoon of vinegar
1 Egg
Salt
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Blanch asparagus in boiling salted for a minute. Remove from boiling water and immediately immerse in an ice bath (a bowl with cold water and ice) to preserve its green color and tyo stop the cooking process.
2. In the same pan of boiling water, add a tablespoon of vinegar. Carefully crack an egg on the boiling water. When the whites are cooked, remove from water.
(This is a bit tricky, since it's the first time that I've ever poached an egg)
3. If you move quickly, there is no need to put the asparagus in an ice bath, just place the egg on top and top with grated parmesan. Otherwise, heat the asparagus again in the boiling water for just 10 seconds, top with egg and parmesan cheese.

A Lunchtime Grocery Trip

Yesterday, I felt inspired to got to the supermarket on my lunch break and see what I can cook up for dinner.

I came across some nice sole fillets, cilantro, fresh tomatoes, crispy cucumbers and really succulent pomelos. Here’s what I made from my loot:

Pomelo Salad with Thai Dressing

1 Large Pomelo, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
Half a bag of washed lettuce or mixed greens
Cucumber, seeded and sliced
1 Small pack of dry roasted peanuts, crushed
Cilantro leaves



Dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
Thai Fish Sauce
Sugar or honey

Mix the dressing well. Pour over salad and lightly toss.


Pan Grilled Sole Fillets with Cucumber and Tomato Salsa

3 Sole fillets, cut in half
3-4 Garlic cloves, sliced thinly
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Olive Oil



Rub fillet with garlic.
Pan grill fillet with a bit of olive oil and garlic.
3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily.

Salsa
Cubed fresh tomatoes
Cilantro
Cubed cucumber (seeds removed)
Salt and pepper
White onions, finely chopped (optional)
Lime juice

Minute Recipes for the Busy Cook

Lemon Butter Fish Fillet....Without the frying!

3 pieces fish fillet of your choice
3 pads of butter (about 3 tablespoons)
1 Lemon, sliced thinly
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste
Aluminum foil

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place fish, butter, cilantro, lemon, salt and pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil. Ditch the butter if you dislike pleasure in your life :-)



3. Bake for 10-15 minutes until fish flakes easily.

4. Remove cilantro when cooked (they don't look pretty). Garnish with fresh cilantro.



Serve with Sauteed Bok Choy

Bok Choy sliced in bite-size pieces
Olive oil
Chopped Garlic
Salt and Pepper



1. In a saute pan, heat olive oil, add bok choy and garlic. Season to taste. Saute until wilted.

Done.

No brainer. Anybody can do this.

Hubby was pleased and so was I! Both turned out great.

Interesting ice cream flavors

Found these flavors in an ice cream store in Singapore called Hokkaido Ice Cream.





Hubby decided to buy a safe flavor...mint. Boring.....