Tito Chef Restaurant

Well, hello there! I'm kinda back, not from the dead but, from some sort of "mommyhood". The two punks are always with us on weekends and I am loving the sound of laughter (and sometimes bickering) of little children at home. I've also been in a state of catatonia (errr laziness) on weekdays.

Anyway, I made a lot of food these past few months and I baked a ton. Sorry, I haven't shared them with you lately. I am so behind my food and baking posts. I'm not sure if I should even post them.

I'm just making a quick one today regarding my date night with Hubby last night. Such a rare occasion nowadays. We managed to go home at the same time last night and decided to have dinner at a newly opened restaurant in BF/Tahanan area called Tito Chef. The parking seems to be always full so I guess the food must be good.

For starters we tried the Calamari with Kimchi Mayonnaise. I must say though, despite the "exotic" sounding name, the dish is quite ordinary but not bad. I probably won't be ordering this again, the batter for the calamari was too salty and spicy.

I also tried the Spinach and Raclette Souffle. I really liked the Raclette Sauce. Very nice, well rounded and not too salty (nor smelly).

Hubby ordered the Ox Tongue Bordelaise. The ox tongue was fork tender and the sauce was quite good too. The serving was generous and presented well.

I ordered the Bleu Cheese Alfredo. It was ok, a little on the bland side. It would have been much nicer if more bleu cheese was added. The mushrooms were delicious though.

For dessert, Hubby and I shared a Macha Praline Torte. We both liked this cake. Tito Chef, as far as I have experienced, is the only one serving this type of cake. The cake also has many layers of flavor, all subtle and not overwhelming, which i think is quite important after such a heavy meal. 

Xiao Long Bao - Shi Lin Restaurant

I had a craving for Xiao Long Bao a few days ago. We normally don't order it when we eat at Chinese Restaurants, until we discovered it in Din Tai Fung in Taipei.

There's a Chinese restaurant in Alabang Town Center (ATC) called Shi Lin. Shi Lin, based on some entries that I've read online, serves one of the best Xiao Long Baos in Manila.

The gold standard when it comes to Xiao Long Bao is Din Tai Fung of course (because it got a Michelin rating, duh!). Shi Lin's version of Xiao Long Bao, surprisingly, didn't come out too bad. It was pleasantly delicious. The main difference though, in our tastebuds at least, was that Shi Lin's version doesn't "linger" in the palate, as if to say yuuuuuuuum in the longest physical way possible. If that makes sense at all (it probably doesn't, he he he). Admittedly though, Din Tai Fung's version was so delicious and memorable, most restaurants probably couldn't live up to its standards.

The Xiao Long Bao wrappers at Shi Lin were made by hand and on site, so it's guaranteed fresh, which is an added bonus.

Since we can't fly to Taipei every weekend, I would go back to Shi Lin to have some Xiao Long Bao. It's reasonably priced, prepared fresh and so near our house. No need to take a plane ride :-)

Niagara-on-the-Lake and Canada's Best Ice Cream

One of the most peaceful places that I've seen in my almost 40 years of life on this good earth is called Niagara-on-the-Lake. It's a small, quaint and very picturesque community just a few kilometers from Niagara falls in Ontario, Canada.

As we were walking around, I really felt that I was abroad, in a faraway land, like maybe Wisteria Lane from the Desperate Housewives or some movie set.  It's just so pretty! The houses and cottages are so beautiful, some even have picket fences,  most of the gardens are well kept and the community has that laid back feel.

It's also a plus that Canada's best ice cream, Cow's, is located along its main street. The ice cream flavors there are so rich and creamy, no wonder Cow's was voted Canada's best!

I love the feel of the store and it's quirky merchandise.

A certain little girl enjoyed her ice cream so much.

Porchetta and Co - Toronto

I've been baking a lot these past couple of weeks. So far, most of my efforts were worth it, not too many mishaps. Although the cookie dough frosting that I made last week was a complete and utter failure.

I digress. Anyway,  I really have to start posting about our recent trips to Canada and New York. So, through the coming weeks or days (who knows really when I will have the time), I will write about the food highlights of our trip.

Yesterday, as were were having a brunch party at the office, my boss brought Bagnet, an Ilocos specialty of fried liempo (I suspect that it gets fried several times to get super crunchy) and it got me thinking about Porchetta and Co, located along Dundas Street in Toronto.

The pork in Porchetta and Co is roasted until it gets that crunchy texture that we all so love. The crunchy pork is then stuffed into a sandwich with several choices of toppings. I chose mine to have mozarella and rapini. Rapini is a vegetable that closely resembles chinese broccoli but tastes like wasabi. The combination was great and worth coming back to next time we're in Toronto.

This is my nice Ashley, waiting for our order.

And modeling root beer. The root beer was excellent, by the way.

Adorable.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting at The Magnolia Bakery

My co-workers and I, typical during lunch hour, would talk about various topics. Our conversation earlier veered towards cakes. It made me think of the Red Velvet Cupcake that I had at Magnolia Bakery during one of my walks along Bleecker Street in our recent New York City trip.

I love the smooth texture and the taste of the whipped cream cheese frosting. I couldn't resist and ate one right at the store :-)

I'm seriously thinking of duplicating the frosting at home. So delicious.

I have to say though, you have to consume the cupcake at the store. I took Hubby at the Magnolia Bakery again the following day (because I was raving about the frosting), the ones that we brought back to the hotel weren't as moist or as soft as the ones eaten at the store.

Happy Mother's Day

I love being a (proxy) mom.

I get lots of practice with my nephew and niece.

But with all my efforts, I know I lucked out and got the best of the bunch.

I love you, Ma! Happy Mother's Day.

To all the moms reading my blog, I salute you!

Thank you for the warm welcome

Hubby: "You, Wifey, have neglected your blog."

Sad, but true.

I will be posting the highlights of our Canada and New York trip in the coming weeks. I'm still getting used to being on "reality" mode. We've had some really great eats and lots of ice cream!

Let me start by posting about our first day in Toronto, we were met by family whom we haven't seen for years. My cousin Annie and her family immigrated to Canada about four years ago. I'm so happy to see them again! The kids have grown so much and the girls have forgotten how to speak Tagalog! Tim, my eldest nephew can still manage a few phrases though.

Thank you for the warm welcome! I miss all of you.

Thank you, Tita Socky for a truly wonderful trip.

I'm a grown woman, I shouldn't be crying every time I see these pictures.

I really miss you guys.