Kung Pao Chicken Pasta, 3 ways

Aside from the usual Garlic Cream Pasta, Ravioli, Spaghetti and Lasagna that I love, Kung Pao Chicken Pasta is also in my list of faves.

I have ordered Kung Pao Chicken from a lot of restos already and there are 3 (three) that stood out, and they're from different price range.

If I'm trying to save I'll have the Kung Pao Chicken Pasta P69/79 (set) of KFC.


It's one of their new offering together with the Chicken Alfredo.


It's topped with their Original Recipe Chicken.


It's spicy and nutty (duh). Although the sauce used reminded me of a Lee Kum Kee sauce it still is good. Anyway anything with their chicken on it is good.


When I'm feeling a little bit extravagant I'll have the Charlie Chan Chicken Pasta P195 of Yellow Cab.

It resembled a kung pao chicken in taste & appearance, so I assumed that it's just their own version of it.


The chicken in the pasta has somewhat of a grilled taste to it and the mushrooms added another layer of flavor to an already delicious dish. As expected it is also spicy.

And if I have a lot of money to spare, I'll have the Kung Pao Spaghetti with Chicken P385/255 (Half) of CPK.


It has garlic, green onions, peanuts, hot red chillies in classic kung pao sauce. It's the spiciest and also the simplest in taste among the 3 Kung Paos.

Happy Eating!

Dinner at Friday's

My friend and I met for dinner at Trinoma last week. We were supposed to dine at Madison Grill but as luck would have it, they needed to close the resto that day for a possible gas leak =( We agreed on dining at Friday's instead.

We ordered Jack Daniel's Grilled Chicken P325, Fried Mozzarella P225 and Mini Chocolate Mint with Oreos P85 for dessert.

The JD's Grilled Chicken is 2 pieces of grilled chicken with Jack Daniel's sauce, cheddar mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. With that, we added an extra order of Breaded Shrimps for P85.


The chicken were grilled till tender, the sauce was sweet (just the way I like it, but my friend didn't) and the mashed potatoes were good, tart and creamy all at the same time. The shrimps were just okay.


The Fried Mozzarella is 6 pieces of breaded then fried mozzarella cheese with marinara sauce.


It was good, aside from being perfectly-seasoned. I would love to have this dish again.


From their new menu, came the dessert minis. They're 5 kinds of miniature desserts served in shot glasses.

I had the Chocolate Mint with Oreos. It is a mint-flavored chocolate mousse with crushed oreos on top.


The mousse was not satiny-smooth but rather thick and sticky, good thing there were oreos on top.

Happy Eating!

FRIDAY'S
M4 Level, Trinoma Mall, Q.C.
Telephone Nos: 901-5626/943-2163

Conti's

I was out with my family last father's day. And for dinner we agreed at Conti's, since most of them haven't eaten there yet.

We each have our own orders but still took a bite out of each other's plates, in short we got to try every one's orders.

My order of Chicken ala Kiev P195 is 2 pieces of stuffed chicken with butter and spinach fillings. It is topped with cream sauce and comes with garlic rice and vegetables.


The chicken was soft and tender with the butter oozing out of it in every bite. The rice was perfectly-seasoned as well.


The Chicken Roulade P180 is another stuffed chicken dish but with cheese fillings. An order comes with mushroom rice risotto.


The chicken was also perfectly-cooked, with the mushroom cream sauce adding another layer of flavor to the dish. The risotto rice, although a little drier than most risottos, complemented the chicken roulade's taste.

The Baked Prawns P295 is 3 pieces of butterflied prawns with melted cheese on top. It comes with crab salad and Japanese fried rice.


The prawns are buttery, creamy, tart and salty all at the same time. The accompanying crab salad was reminiscent of a coleslaw but with added crab meat. The Japanese fried rice has a strong but flavorful taste.

The Fish and Chips P195 is served with lemon butter sauce.


The fish were soft and creamy while the fries were just okay.

The Pastel de Lengua P210 is like a pot pie because it is covered with a pastry dough on top.


It is also different from other lenguas because it is tender and not rubbery. I didn't even have to chew it since it just melted in my mouth. The paella rice was tangy and flavorful from the tomato sauce it was soaked in.

The Roast Pork Loin P165 tasted like lechon kawali but softer in texture. It comes with vegetables and garlic rice.


And with all the meat we ate, I tried to incorporate a little bit of vegetables in my meal by ordering Mango Royale Salad P70 (solo).


Lettuce leaves topped with mango royale dressing and chunks of mangoes.

It is sweet, tangy, creamy, light and refreshing all at the same time. I love how it tasted and would love to order it again. Btw, their dinner rolls were also good, soft, fluffy and creamy.

For desserts we ordered Turtle Pie P80/slice and Mango Bravo P85.

The mango bravo is the cake that made them famous. It is layers of meringue, sponge cake, nuts, chocolate, mangoes and cream, phew! that's a lot.


It is a light and not too sweet dessert.

But what bowled me over and made me order another one to go, was the turtle pie.


It is layers of cookie crust, chocolate, toffee, toffee cream and chocolate mousse, with nuts and whipped cream on top.


It will satisfy all the true blue chocoholics, with all its layers of flavor and sweetness.

For take home, we bought a small box of Cream Puff P100/15 pieces. It is miniature puffs with vanilla and chocolate toppings.


The vanilla and chocolate toppings and also the custard fillings were all good, but the pastry/puff was really dry. It reminded me of the Tee-Up of Monde, but this was drier and harder.


As a proof, the small box we bought was still inside the ref, half-eaten. That's rare in a household of dessert lovers.

Happy Eating!


CONTI'S
P1 Level, Trinoma Edsa
Telephone Nos.: 796-3283/943-1665

Thousand Cranes

I was treated by a friend to a late (because I was late for our meeting time) lunch of Shabu-Shabu at Thousand Cranes in Trinoma. We were both very excited since it was our first time eating shabu-shabu and also eating in thousand cranes.


Shabu-Shabu is a Japanese variant of hot pot. It is similar to sukiyaki in style but is more savory and less sweet. It roughly translates to "swish-swish" (the swishing sound it makes while submerging the thin slice of meat or a piece of vegetable in the pot of dashi, back and forth) where it got its name. --- Wikipedia

The crane in Japan is one of the mystical body or holy beasts (include the tortoise and dragon) and is said to live for a thousand years. An ancient Japanese legend promises anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life, recovery from illness or injury. --- Wikipedia

Since shabu-shabu is considered a winter dish, it was 'bout right to eat it that day, when it was raining hard outside.

It was very cold outside, more so inside the restaurant, that eating something hot was truly appreciated.

Since it was just us two, we ordered the Meat Deluxe P760 from their Super Shabu-Shabu Special (good for 2 persons).

It has U.S. Angus, Australian Lamb, Beef Tenderloin and Pork Loin. It also has an assortment of vegetables (mushrooms, tofu, corn, cabbage), hawker stuff (lobster balls, squid rolls, crab sticks, etc.) and noodles (vermicelli and egg)



And since it was our first time, we don't know what to do and how to do it. Fortunately the staff were very helpful, teaching us how to do it step by step, apart from the how-to guide on our table.


And here's how:

First, boil the special soup.


They use native chicken broth. They also have an assortment of finely chopped chilis, garlic and onions, half of which are mixed together with half of the BBQ sauce and their special sauce in the soup. The other halves are to be put on the dipping sauce.


An egg is also cracked and swished around at this point.

Second, Put the ingredients one at a time. Put first the items that take the longest to cook.

In our case, it was the corn and taro.

Third, submerged the thin slice of meat or a piece of vegetable and swish it back and forth until cooked (doneness varies according to your preference).

Don't forget to dip the cooked meat into the special sauce for a better taste.

Fourth, put the vermicelli and egg noodles, cooked up to the point of doneness (also based on your preference).

Last, enjoy!


It was an enjoyable experience for both of us, even if as Bill Murray's character said on a scene in Lost in Translation of "what kind of a restaurant makes you cook your own food?", in our case we enjoyed cooking and especially eating our food.

The broth was very tasty, especially when dashed with a little bit of their special sauce. The meats though thinly sliced were tasty and flavorful even sans the sauce.

The menu said that it is good for two people, personally I think it should be 3-4. We had more than a quarter of it left.

Though it was our first time eating shabu-shabu, we both enjoyed the experience and the taste, we can't wait to have it again (maybe this time with lobsters =) ).

Happy Eating!

Thousand Cranes
Level 4 Trinoma,
North Avenue cor. Edsa

Flaming Alaska

I have tried their (Five Cows) Rocky Almond Bar and liked it. Just recently I got to try their other best seller, the Flaming Alaska P210.

Since almost all of their cakes are best shared, I waited for a willing & available friend to come and try it out with me.

The Flaming Alaska was first set-up near our table, with the waiter pouring rum on it, closing the lights, flaming it up and every one (staff) saying something inaudible in unison. It was only when the flame died down did he transfer it on our table.


Flaming Alaska is a french treat with a twist. Spiked sponge cake dome filled with assorted ice cream, chocolate cookies, nuts and smothered with meringue and served with flaming rum.


The torched meringue was crunchy at first and fluffy next. It will be hard to cut thru it, so it is best to ask the waiter to do it for you (they offered it beforehand, I was just too stubborn to accept at first).


In spite of the great production, it was just an okay dessert. The chocolate cookies lining the ice cream were very thin, almost non-existent. I also found it weird eating a rock-hard sponge cake.

Even if I finished my part of the cake and some of my friend's, I won't order it again, but I would still try their other cakes (Tarta de Manila and Peter Piper).

Happy Eating!

Five Cows
Trinoma, Edsa

Conti's Peach Walnut Torte

My mind was set on ordering the Turtle Cake of Conti's, but the staff was very insistent with the Peach Walnut Torte P85/slice. She said that I would regret not ordering it. So, just to shut her off and not think about it anymore, I bought a slice to try at home.


The Peach Walnut Torte is made of alternating layers of meringue, peaches, cream and nuts (cashews and walnuts).


It is similar to their infamous Mango Bravo sans the chocolate.

And since I love any dessert with cream and nuts in it, I like this cake. My only gripe, as with their other cakes with cream (except the Mango Bravo), the cream was nauseatingly rich.

Happy Eating!

CONTI'S
Unit 1C-17 Serendra Piazza,
Bonifacio High Street,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Tel Nos : 856-2352/901-3486/856-2353

Desserts at Conti's

After having an early dinner at Ruby Tuesday, we're ready for desserts.

Since it is now my turn to choose, I opted for the flaming alaska of Five Cows.

Comfortably seated at one of their couches, we were told that it won't be available until the next day. A celebration the day before polished off their stocks.

Disappointed, we transferred at Conti's. We ordered Blueberry Cheesecake P60 & Chocolate Overload P85.


The blueberry cheesecake is creamier than Red Ribbon's, but not made of pure cream cheese. The crust is also sweeter. It is better than Red Ribbon's version, but not the best you can have.


The chocolate overload was one of their best sellers. It has a brownie base with chocolate cream & chocolate chiffon, topped by chocolate-caramel sauce.

The chiffon's a little bit dry, but as a whole the cake's good & not too sweet.

Not satisfied with trying just that, we also bought 3 different cakes to try at home. We ordered NY Cheesecake, Bananalicious Cake & Chocolate Mousse.


The NY Cheesecake is richer than their blueberry, but the latter's crust is tastier.


The Bananalicious Cake is considered as one of their best sellers & also a new product.

It is similar to banoffee pie but with just a slight hint of toffee & of mostly caramel. It is also a type of cake, where a little goes a long way.


Their Chocolate Mousse is better than Red Ribbon's version but behind KFC & Goldilock's versions.

A slice is big & thick, light & not too sweet, but it would be better if there's more chocolate shavings.

Overall, Conti's cakes are good & inexpensive, though not the best.

Happy Eating!

Ruby Minis

I was out with my sister at Trinoma & as part of our weekly restaurant dates, of restos she or I wanted to try, we dined at Ruby Tuesday (her choice, I already dined there once).

Since it's her first time there, I let her order. She doesn't like ribs ( caused by a Tony Roma's experience)& also not in the mood for any meat except burgers. So we had the Ruby Minis with Fresh Garden Bar P390.


*** A heaping serving of different salads made by us

It is 2 mini burgers of USDA choice ground beef, topped with melted American cheese & crisp onion straws, garnished with mayo, mustard, ketchup & crisp pickles. It comes with 5oz of their flavored fries and a single serving from their fresh garden bar.


The bun of the burger has a milky taste, just lightly toasted. The patty is juicy, but as a whole, the burger's a little bit dry. No extra sauce or something.


The fries are like the fries of Potato Corner. Flavored with combinations of cheese & BBQ. Though they're not thick-cut fries, the addition of flavors made it more enjoyable to eat.

Happy Eating!