Yoji and the Foodies

Friday nights have become “looking forward to” nights because I get to see my friend/s without having to travel for long hours. More time to eat and chat and less time being stuck in traffic. It is also in those Friday nights that we get to try every single food offering in Starbucks. Starbucks is not a place you go to for food but after 2 hours of coffee drinking, the brain starts to remind you that you need solid food.

We set our eyes on this solid food. Ham & Cheese Croissant.

The Boss gave it 4 stars.

When I go to Starbucks, I just order brewed coffee or Mocha Frapuccino because…well…seriously, have you seen the food they have on display? They look like they’ve been sitting there for a long time. True enough, the cheesecake tasted like it had been sitting there for a good 2 days or so. But that was a year ago and I recently had the courage to try out some of their new offerings. I enjoyed their Grilled Tuna Wrap so I figured, perhaps, other food items they have on display would be as impressive.

After having a wonderful dinner at Flavors of China, my friend Ozbound and I decided to have our coffee fix at Starbucks and I couldn’t decide what to get for desserts so I ordered the first thing that caught my attention  - Banoffee Pie.

It’s huge so I figured this should be enough for the two of us. It looks a little intimidating and (very) fattening. So what’s inside the banoffee pie? Sliced bananas with toffee sauce on a bed of crushed (and sweetened) graham crackers. The combination is a real treat to the palate. I just wished they didn’t make the crust very sweet.  This goes very well with black coffee but I ordered a mocha frappucino, which explains the sugar rush that lasted for a good two hours or so.

I was hungry. I was in a hurry. Ordered Starbucks Mocha Frappucino. Saw the Grilled Tuna Wrap. Compared it to the sausage sandwich. Decided on the bigger wrap. Asked the barista to re-heat the tuna wrap. Took a bite.  Surprisingly good…

It has a hint of (very mild) curry that oddly goes very well with what seemed to be the tomato sauce/salsa used.  Strangely delicious. Either it’s really good or I was too hungry to make an unbiased “review”. Will try this again under normal conditions.

When I eat in restaurants, I try to name (or guess) the ingredients in the food I am eating. I am not a smoker so my tongue is not coated in nicotine, hence, I’d like to believe that my palate is sensitive enough to distinguish various tastes. But even if you know what goes into your favorite food, recreating it at home can be very tough. You also need to learn the techniques used. It can be in the way the ingredients were mixed together or how the meat was sliced. Those things matter if you want to uncover the secrets of your favorite recipes.

I have been trying (and dying) to recreate some of the menus of TGIFriday’s and Chili’s, but I have not perfected them. I find it very challenging and it’s always a good conversational piece with friends who love food as much as I do. When I hit the dead-end, I consult Google and try out the recipes of the top links in page 1. Unfortunately, no matter how popular they are in search engines, they still fall short in the expectations department.

So, with the failures outnumbering the success, I decided to invest in the CopyCat Cookbook. Out of the bazillion secret recipes online, I decided to try this one out because they have recipes for TGI Fridays, Applebees, Chili’s, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, and Starbucks. The food and drinks served in these restaurants are my favorites. Call me a cheater, but my family and friends will be the beneficiary of such sneaky act. Come on, you want one for yourself too! Admit it!