Yoji and the Foodies

Kowloon House makes the best siopaos back in the day. Many years ago, perhaps a decade or so before Hen-Lin, we would get our asado siopao fix from Kowloon House. For dine-in, they would serve 2 petite siopaos in miniature a bamboo steamer. It was a real treat.

Then Kowloon House started to fold, one branch at a time. There were a few that stayed on but they were not accessible. We have looked elsewhere to find our siopao fix. It’s always a hit or miss when it comes to siopao. If we wanted safe siopao, we get it from Chinese restaurants, but it made things expensive because it meant buying other good stuff like hakaw, siomai, and other dimsum.

But that has changed. A Kowloon House mini take-out place stands in what used to be a pawnshop along Alabang-Zapote Road. Naturally, we had to give it a go.

They no longer serve 2 mini siopaos, but 2 regular size siopaos for P55 pesos.

(I cut this in half)

Bola-bola siopao with sweet and chili sauce

The siopaos still taste wonderful. Great to have Kowloon House back in the neighborhood.

So we ordered Yellow Cab Pizza, post-acquisition. Yes, Yellow Cab was acquired by Pancake House, a company that has been on a buying spree for the past few years.

Nothing’s changed. The pizza is as oily as ever. Everything tastes wonderful. Still wonderful.

I didn’t know you can request for the pizza to be sliced in squares. Strange though that we had no problems polishing off 8 normal slices but when they are sliced differently, we couldn’t finish them. Weird diners.

The spaghetti has giant meatballs. Extra meatball is P45.

The spicy chicken wings are as spicy ever.

We like Yellow Cab a lot, but we prefer the cheaper and less greasy Domino’s Pizza just a couple of blocks away.

We planned for a Greek lunch at Cyma in Alabang Town Center but the place was jampacked. The only tables available were outside where the sun can scorch the diner. It made us wonder why we are having a summer weather in October.

The Mexicali next door was deserted. We decided to go for Cafe Mediterranean. It was a much safer choice and we didn’t stray too far from the Greek theme we were aiming for.

I’ve always wanted to try the lamb gyro in Cyma so it was the sensible choice in Cade Mediterranean too.

The picture may not show it, but thick slices of lamb meat are in there. The pita bread has always been great in Cafe Mediterranean and if not for it, this meal would have scored dismal marks from me. Lamb meat has a mild flavor taste that goes well with the house garlic sour cream and hot sauce.  The vegetables were fresh and crispy but I wished I had requested for less onion slices.  I can’t get over the fact that the lamb is tough and sinewy. Evidently, they were not from the best lamb cuts. I understand that since the meat are to be sliced anyway, there’s really no need for prime cuts of lamb. But it was a pain to chew them. Now there really is a need to try Cyma’s version just to have some sort of comparison.

My friend went for the fish kebabs and Greek salad. I was half hoping they would be served in skewers. I think I had been watching too much travel shows.

(This is just 1/2 of the salad)

My lamb gyro was a letdown but I wouldn’t turn my back on  Cafe Mediterranean. Just give me pita bread, some tomatoes, cabbage and garlic sour cream and I’m one happy camper.

Vegetable salad is now a staple at home. Making vinaigrette or dressing can be a pain when in a rush. So, even though I really do not want to buy overpriced bottled vinaigrette, I decided to give it a try.

We only use 1 tablespoon for every salad “assembly” so the P180 price tag is worth it.  The mango vinaigrette is good, but the strawberry vinaigrette is love!

When there is a special occasion and we don’t feel like going out or preparing food from scratch, we call 7-9000, the Max’s delivery hotline. Time and time again, Max’s has proven to be a reliable party food purveyor. And since we were really lazy, we ordered food for the birthday party and the after-party snacks (midnight snacks).

This is the first time I’ve tasted the burger. It does not look home-made because the burger patty looks like it was minced by a machine. The cheese is too soft, which reminds me of the cheese sold in wet markets. The addition of coleslaw reminds me of Burger Machine. Can’t go wrong with coleslaw – just wish that they went easy on the mayo.

While the burger is ok, the potato chips that came with it was a big disappointment. I like the fact that it is not salty, but it has no flavor. It tastes like deep fried crispy paper.

It’s nice to try out other food items in the menu, but it’s always a hit or miss. Don’t set yourself up for a disappointment, order the damn chicken!

Less than a month since we saw the teaser, Domino’s Pizza has opened its doors to the public. This, I believe, is a cheaper alternative to Yellow Cab just a few blocks away. Yellow Cab should be worried (yes, even if Pancake House bought them for  P800 million. Pancake House is amazing but everything they touch turns to crap).

I also overheard from the cashier that the buy-one-take-one offer happens every Tuesday.

Since I am a part-time vegetarian, I ordered Margherita 10 inch. This is the all veggie plus mozarella cheese (actually it’s basil, tomato and cheese — other veggies are on strike). Eating veggie pizza does not mean you become a righteous eater, it just means you consume less calories per slice (around 200 calories). And who eats just 1 slice? No one.

Domino’s Pizza has long been dead in the city I live in….

Something hot is about to open in SM Las Pinas Center.  Long live Domino’s Pizza!

I’m on a mission: 10,000 steps a day.

Day 1:

Whoever said 10,000 steps a day is easy must be a super duper active person.

So, after 48 minutes and 2 kilometers of walking, I only registered 3475 steps. I was huffing and puffing and sweating and I was not even close to 10,000 steps. What am I doing wrong?

Experts say that 10,000 steps is equal to 30 minutes of brisk walking. There’s nothing brisky in my walking. I didn’t think it was this difficult. I doubt if I could reach 10,000 steps with 8 hours of my day spent sitting in front of the computer. But I’m not giving up. I just need to make some adjustments.

When some Deli France branches were quietly transformed to Cafe France, we suspected something’s gone wrong in the Jollibee-verse. True enough, there was indeed a disturbance. The P3 billion acquisition of Mang Inasal made headlines but unloading what appears to be an unprofitable franchise didn’t make any noise. Not even a sputter.

I am saddened by the demise of Deli France (at least on this side of the world), but this sadness was short-lived. As it turns out, Cafe France didn’t drastically change its menu. It’s still every bit…Deli France. Only cheaper.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Chicken Soup

Butter Croissant

It was nice to know that Cafe France didn’t jack up the price. As for serving portion, it’s enough for a person on  a diet. Trade-off is a bitch.

Didn’t plan on making an apple pie, but there were 3 apples in the fridge, wasting away. And I have just enough flour and butter to make a thin flaky crust

Ingredients:

250g flour
1/2 bar butter (for crust); 4 Tbsp for the filling
1 egg
3 Apples (chunky slices or thinly sliced — your choice really)
4-6 Tbsp of cold water
brown sugar
cinnamon
vanilla
**for sugar measurement, adjust depending on the sweetness of the apples. I used 4 tablespoons.

1. Cut the flour into the butter. Use your hands. You’ll know it’s done when it looks like couscous (a bit larger).
2. Add egg and water, 1 Tbsp at a time until the mixture can be formed into a ball.
3. Do not knead too much. Just pat the sides. If the dough does not stick to your hands, then it’s good.
4. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes
5. Cut the dough in half (one for the crust and one for the topping).
6. Using the rolling pin, flatten the dough to desired thickness (or in this case, thinness).
7. Assemble in a round baking pan (or square or whatever you have)
8. As the crust is too thin, there is no need to pre-bake the crust.
APPLE FILLING
a. Heat sugar in butter until it caramelizes
b. Add the sliced apples
c. Add 1 Tbsp of vanilla
d. Add Cinnamon (go easy on this one)
e. Cook the apples until tender
f. Fill the crust with the apple filling
g. Bake for 30 minutes (180 C)

**to thicken, add flour.