The Hungry-Trotting Couple.....goes ANYWHERE!

New Year's resolution: Chili Crab!

2012-01-08T20:45:00.003+01:00

Do you make new year's resolutions and when that year is almost over, you're preparing for your next resolutions and little did you know you haven't fulfilled any of your previous ones?

Sounds familiar to HT wife but this 2012, after 2 weeks of drinking, eating and merrying, she decided to do something this early in 2012 which has been part of her resolutions since she moved to Holland...that is to cook crabs!!!

Funny that i have thought about it when i'm living in a country where crabs are usually not part of a family's table. (compared how we eat it in the Philippines and Singapore per se). There's dampa in the Philippines and my mom cooks pretty good buttered garlic crabs or steamed crabs. Singapore provides wide range of shops serving crab dishes.

Yes, i've fulfilled one of the my resolutions already this 2012, and thanks to a friend of mine who gave us chili crab mix. :)

It all started going to the market and looking for crabs. There was only one stall selling it (we prefer moving ones), and got 2 of them.

ta -dah! We kept them in a backpack. HT hubbie was walking around the centrum with moving crabs behind him...yes, he and the crabs survived for 3 hours.

Now the challenge...was to stop them from moving.

my mom told me to steam them alive!!! "oh, and don't forget to put ginger in the water". HT couple didn't know what to do but to follow. Later on, HT hubbie decided the next time, we just freeze them so they get numbed instead of the suffering they encounter from hot water (he's such a sweetie, to think about it...:) Yeah, but eating it says otherwise :))

We were scaredy-cats cleaning and cutting the crabs alive. And believe me this is the wrong way. We were so stressed that we just wanted to get it over and done with. Check out this video of Jumbo Singapore (one of the crab places we love in SG). They cut them alive!!!

I cannot teach you how to do this chili crab mix, but this is available in any toko, asian store here in the Netherlands. In Singapore, you can buy them in supermarkets or Jumbo is selling the pre-mix sauces now. If only we are in Singapore, then we wouldn't bother making this. :)

the finished product after all the hard work :)

with mantou, chinese steamed buns (of course). We prefer fried mantou but after all the eating during the holiday season, we decided to keep it healthy. This is the same bread used for bapao, siopao or hong ba pao. Also available in the toko.

It was a great start for 2012!

HT wife is fulfilled...

and so is Tommie... *wink*

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T13:33:00.002+01:00

The Hungry-Trotting Couple wishes all the foodies out there....

A happy, happy 2012!!!

Cheers to more food, food and food!!!

Copenhagen, Denmark: The Royal Cafe

2011-12-27T22:30:00.003+01:00

Copenhagen is like my 2nd home in Europe :). Thanks to the cool dutch friends of HT couple who has been living in Denmark, it was easy to feel at home in this country.

With our visits in Copenhagen, we always stuff ourselves with ristet polse...check out the previous post.

This time, after stuffing ourselves with polse (hotdogs), we decided to get cozy in this lovely cafe (beside the shop...The Royal Copenhagen) i.e.

I got myself a glass of hot chocolate (50dkk~7 euros) ...to warm myself after walking around the cold and misty Copenhagen

The chocolate was creamy and not overwhelming. It's one of the best hot chocolates i ever had.

Cortado (35 dkk ~5 euro) - after HT hubbie's first sip, he just blurted out "this is how a good coffee should be". I am aware how particular HT hubbie is with his coffee. To be able to say such compliment, says a lot on the quality of the coffee and how Cortado was done perfectly in Denmark even if it's more famous in Spain and Portugal. (Cortado - espresso with a small amount of milk). He hates it when some cafés drown their coffee with milk (whether you order a latte or cappuccino).

if tapas are for the spaniards, Smørrebrød (open-faced sandwich) is for the danish. This smaller version of smørrebrød, known as Smushi is the specialty of this cafe. Only 6 selections, we decided to get 3 of them (it was quite expensive 130 dkk ~17 euro for 3). Indulging into each of them explained the price...the quality of the ingredients used were superb!

Røget Ål med Æggestand og Purløg (Smoked Eel with Egg stand & Chives) - we loved the combination of the smoked eel and the egg which the latter was nicely cooked. Topped with cherry tomato and black raspberry, we get the best of everything in this smushi.

Mørbradbøf med Svampe a la creme (Fillet of Pork with Mushroom a la creme) - carnivorous HT couple, this is a must among the 6 choices. The pork was nicely cooked but was a little bit bland. Until we realized that the mushroom a la creme was very tasty and delicious and should be eaten together with the pork. I loved how such combinations worked unexpectedly.

Juleksinke m/ Cornichonner og Grønkål(Christmas Ham w/ Cornichons and Kale) - from the name itself, it must be a limited edition smushi, so we decided to get it for this yuletide season. I like the colors that were put into this sandwich. The cornichons (pickled cucumbers) were mixed with cream cheese and layered the ham in between. The cream was quite overpowering that you can't taste the ham anymore. Nevertheless, it was still a delightful smushi.

The setting is so cute that it's worth to be posted. :)

Wouldn't you love to stay for a few hours, having a cup of chocolate or coffee with your girlfriends?

or get cozy with your hubby or wifey in this sofa...:) (Taking pictures of food is becoming an "in" thing not only for asians :D )

So don't miss this entrance when in Copenhagen.

The Royal Cafe

(beside The Royal Copenhagen shop)

Amagertorv 6 1160 København

Denmark

Spain, Barcelona Part 3: must-eat, must-do, must eat...

2011-12-11T21:01:00.001+01:00

For the last installation of this trip, we made sure that we don't miss entering one of the tabernas around Barri Gothic.

you're sure that you're in the right place, when you don't mind if a leg of jamon or a few sausages hit your head upon entering the place.

and the first thing that welcomes you, is a cake of anchovies...*yum*

it's a point-point system, point which one you salivates on, and you'll get it. The bread is toasted with tomato pulps and olive oil. You'll get this anywhere even in restaurants as starters. It gives the bread a fresher taste.

locals eat in front of the counters..standing. Little did we know, that there's surcharge if you get a table. (this is typical in Barcelona tabernas. And if you want to sit outside, enjoying the sun and lovely weather of the city, you pay more...nothing is free nowadays. (average is about 10%). Feel free to ask if you wanted your pennies worth.

don't forget to wash down your meal with cerveza

what else do you gorge in Spain? Tapas!!! Check out the galician style octopus(purple) and the black sausage. Don't be shocked when you see in the menu the combination of meatballs(albondigas) and cuttlefish...it's a typical combination there (based on several restaurants/tabernas)

Spaniards eat dinner pretty late. So we "localized" ourselves and jogged into this restaurant at 9 pm...famished!

Arroz negro, paella cooked in squid ink was the best dish that night. It was lovely to the palate and the ink was not overpowering but rather giving a balanced taste to this arroz plate.

our yummy seafood paella! The seafood was abudant and the rice was nicely cooked.

Cochinillo is a must-have especially for Flipinos visiting Spain. It's just like home...our lechon.

One thing that HT couple loves doing aside from eating...exploring as much churches as we can wherever we are!

Barcelona cathedral

Iglesia Santa Maria del Mar

Picasso Museum "wowed" me. The museum was done in such a way for the visitors to see the progress of Picasso from the start when he's art still spoke "anybody can do that" until he has improved and found his own style. It was very interesting...

check out the interesting facade of the museum...it ain't ordinary...

This ends our Barcelona trip...and before ending this post...

credits to my friend, Cindy :D

HT couple wishes everyone...a very Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays guys! Keep the love in the air! Love, love, love...eat, eat, eat!!!

Spain, Barcelona Part 2: Must-eat, must-do, must eat...

2011-12-10T18:46:00.001+01:00

Barca wouldn't be a food haven without their infamous boqueria (market). If you remember, in Madrid, I went to the mercado several times (aside from taking chance if i get my wallet back :D). I just love walking around looking at the items being sold in the market.

i wish we have such market in NL

And for breakfast, go into any cafe and you can get these...

churros with cups of thick hot chocolate. We got ours at Granja Dulcinea (carrer Petritxol). One of the better ones around La Rambla/Barri Gothic area.

enjoying my churros

ensaimada @ Cafe L'Opera (La Rambla)

I made sure that I get ensaimada and churros in Barcelona to compare it with Madrid. I think I prefer the ones from the latter.

Let's take a break from eating and explore the wonders of Barca.

Casa Batllo is a must-see. You're gonna adore Gaudi even more once you step inside. Casa Batllo was a house designed by Antoni Gaudi for an aristocrat family. Now, it's open for tourists to explore the wonders of Gaudi's design. Check out the skeletons and skulls look-a-like in this structure.

just a sneak peek of what's inside...so you still have that excitement when you experience it yourself.

the modern design of the roof (colorful!)

You walk a little bit further from Casa Batllo in Passeig de Gracia, and you'll stumble into La Pedrera. This is now a Gaudi museum.

where all tourists flock, the infamous Sagrada Familia, which is still under construction.

take time to go inside and check out this extremely modern church architecture. He made it look like a forest. Even the way it's constructed is based on the force of nature. He was not be able to finish this church, but the wonderful artists who's completing this church made sure that they continue Gaudi's modernist way.

I'd suggest to go to our next stop only if you're well-rested. From the train station Lesseps, it's a hike up to reach Parc Guell (15 mins).

You'll be welcomed by this colorful lizard.

the HT couple ready to go around.

friends having fun! (we, Filipinos love "jump shot")

The Gaudi's magic design is visible in the park. Even if it's too much walking, it was worth seeing every detail that our "architect idol" had done.

Just a suggestion, explore Gaudi's gems in several days...with other Barca sites in between...or else you might get Gaudi overload.

'till our next visit, sir!

More coming up...in the last Barca post! Stay tune.

Spain, Barcelona Part 1: Must-eat, must-do, must-eat!

2011-12-09T18:19:00.001+01:00

Yes, HT couple is back blogging and we also went back to Spain after a year! If you remember our moments in Madrid, you know that we heart Spain *love*. This time, we set foot to Barcelona which is the capital of the Catalonia region.

Just like Madrid, the food scene in Barcelona is huge. In every step, you can see a restaurant, cafe or shop drawing you to go in or grab something.

Spain is known for its small bites/tapas.

Barcelona is known for its pintxos(pinchos) which is a staple in Basque region that is near to Barcelona.

What are pintxos(pinchos)?

Pinchos as per babelfish are "thorns" in Spanish which signifies the toothpick. These are tapas placed on small bread and stuck with a toothpick to hold them all together. I've read in http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/, that when taking pinchos, hold the bread and support the toothpick with your forefinger as you don't want to create a mess when picking it up.

Usually pinchos have a common price. The sticks are used to count how many pinchos you have upon payment. A friend of mine told me to behave and advise me not to throw the sticks on the floor (*bummer, she knows me well*) :D)

a wide variety of pinchos

We were looking around how many pinchos the locals were having. That night, on average, they had 2 or 3 sticks per person. HT couple had 12 (*wuhoo) :). Yes, we were hungry and thanks to the self-service, they just made it easy for us to grab as much as we can.

This taberna charges 1.80 euro per pincho and is near the Picasso Museum (street~carrer montcada)

Barcelona facing the Mediterrenean Sea is known for its seafood.

Friends of ours were able to get tips from a local on where to get good Catalan dishes with decent prices.

Arroz Bomba (Rice bomb) - a soupy paella starter. Yes, it was pretty big to start with. But i was satisfied that I ordered this. (Ht hubbie had the same :D) It was my first time to try out a paella this watery but i was surprised how delicious and tasteful it was.

For main course, I got kokochas. This traditonal basque dish was inherited by Barcelona having basque as a neighboring region. Kokochas is made of cod pieces and clams (at least in the version I had). The cod is gelatinous because it's taken from the chin part of the cod (which i think is their cheeks already) and the clams were just so fresh and its sweetness and juiciness were inexplicable. The clear sauce is salty and I think with the main ingredients, this was just cooked with oil and garlic(any maybe with white wine). It was amazing how such simple ingredients bring out a great taste of the sauce and of the meat.

It was nice that they show it to me first how it was cooked, and transferred it to a plate. :)

HT hubbie's main dish - scallops wrapped in bacon. Since there were only 3 pieces of scallops, I just let hubby enjoyed every piece of it. He described the scallops as perfectly cooked, juicy and delicious! Even without the bacon, the scallops were very tasty. And the bacon just made this dish more than perfect.

this is not part of the normal menu and was their special dish for the night. Callos which is spanish dish and also a filipino dish (we inherited it from our spaniard ancestors) is a stew of meat and ox tripe (stomach lining). What was amazing in this dish is that there were more tripe slices than meat which in our version is the other way around. This was an order of a friend but i was lucky to get a taste of it. This has more intense taste and quite oily due to the abudance of tripe. It goes well with garlic rice which my filipino friends were amazed that it was available in the restaurant. (Filipinos eat garlic rice usually for breakfast and having it for lunch or dinner is just great).

Fonda restaurant resides in Hotel España. This is in one of the small streets intersecting the famous La Rambla. (street ~ carrer de Sant Pau) and in the Barri Gothic area. The starters cost between 8-16 euros and the main courses are between 12-20 euros.

Outside the hotel, they recognized Filipino's national hero, Jose Rizal. He stayed in the said hotel during his stay in Barcelona during the late 1800's.

You wonder why would Barcelona do such thing? Yes, there is a significant number of Filipinos who lives in Barcelona. In the same street, is where most Filipino immigrants lived. They called this street
"filipinized" .

Filipinos have a special bond among the spaniards, after all, the spanish colonization left traces of their culture, their language and most especially their love for food to Filipinos like me. :)

Netherlands, Apeldoorn: Pizzeria Sardegna

2011-11-25T10:42:00.001+01:00

HT wife is fortunate that she can work from home at her own discretion. She tries to go to the office at least twice or thrice a week.

You might ask the question, why would she bother going to the office if she can work from home the whole week? Aside from saying 'hallo' or 'hoi' to my colleagues, there is a very important reason to go...(definitely not the canteen)

That is...a good pizzeria situated near our office! For foodies, i'm sure your would agree this is worth the travel and giving up few hours of sleep. :)

HT wife and HT hubbie are pizza monsters! We've been eating here for months now and finally, we're sharing our happiness with you.

check out the 2 angels behind the brick oven look-a-like kitchen

Pizzeria Sardegna is the only pizzeria we've been more than once for almost 1 1/2 years living in the Netherlands. We've tried a few places in Utrecht but so far nowhere has touched our hearts as much as this place did.

The place is very casual but they made sure that it still exudes that dining charm that the dutchies love!

Now, i'm featuring the star of all our pizza nights.

Pizza tarantina - Looks can be deceiving. The bolognese sauce with minced meat and the tasteful parmesan are the only ingredients on it. But once we sink our teeth on a slice, we were brought to paradise. There's something with the bolognese sauce that we can't explain. It was heaven!

now, how can you resist such pizza...(*drooling*)

Pizza Grandiosa - ironically from our first pizza, this has EVERYTHING on it! From bell pepper slices, mushrooms, asparagus, artichokes...this pizza sounded healthy...until we read the meat selection...ham, salami and bacon!! Every carnivore like me will have a big grin reading this. This pizza had been accompanying us for our several pizza nights and it never failed me. This time, I asked for zonder uien (no onions) and i'm loving it even more!

check out the abundant meat, meat, meat!!! (*happy*)

HT couple might not be actively sharing our hobby lately but we're still the same old HT couple who still loves to eat, eat and eat.

Ta ta! Now heating up the left over pizza from last night!

HT Couple will be back in the travel scene. Watch out for our food journey...only here...The Hungry-trotting Couple goes...Anywhere!

Tot zo! (See you!)

Pizzeria Sardegna

Van Kinsbergenstraat 7 7311 BL

Apeldoorn Nederland

60+ pizza selection

10 euro - 12 euro for a big plate

Bambini (small sizes) are available

TIME OUT: Wine and Cheese

2011-10-30T16:22:00.001+01:00

In this time of the year, when the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder, people in this side of the world tend to be less active and less outgoing. HT wife confesses that she'd rather stay at home, be a couch potato, hide under a blanket and stay warm. It ain't healthy though.

One night, friends of HT couple changed the gloomy season into something interesting and (healthy...ahem!). We ended the daylight saving time with a blast...

A wine & cheese party!!!

Brie, goat cheese, blue cheese, etc.

Cheese wouldn't be as healthy as it looks without these..

Bottles of red wine from Australia, Italy, France, South Africa, Chile and of course, from our very own...the Netherlands!

HT wife is not a wine connoisseur. But she drinks 1 glass of red wine every night (she has a mindset that a glass of red helps to keep her doctor away. :D). HT hubbie goes along with this healthy habit.

As a tip from the connoisseurs, we drank the wines from the lightest to the strongest. This is a good way to savor each drop from the bottle without overpowering each other. I learn from a French friend who loves wine next to his wife, that when you take a sip of the wine, let it roll all over your tongue up to the back of it so it goes through all your sense of taste. I saw a few of them looking at their glasses too, but I skipped that for my next wine and cheese *wink*.

This quiche made of pear with gorgonzola and walnutswas a good complement for the evening's event. It was simply delicious!

to go with our dessert wine, we had smurf popsicles to go with it. :)

We planned to do this every 6 months...to keep us warm at the start of our gloomy season and to celebrate the sunny beginning of the year.

'Till the next 6 months! Cheers! (Proost!)

Thanks again for the wonderful evening guys (you know who you are!)

Netherlands, Utrecht: De Goedheyd

2011-10-09T16:46:00.002+02:00

Who would say no to save a few euros or dollars for a degustation? Not us! Restaurant week have been in the scene for quite sometime and for 27,50 euros for a 3-course meal, HT couple decided to try out for the first time the restaurant week here in the Netherlands.

After choosing from a number of restaurants, we decided to go to De Goedheyd.

When we arrived, we were informed that their restaurant week menu is a surprise menu unless we have dietary requirements. Sínce we eat basically almost anything...here's the standard menu we got:

Starters/Voorgerecht: roasted beef on a bed of quinoa with truffle sauce

Main Course/Hoofdgerecht: Seabass in saffron sauce

Desserts/Nagerecht: (from left to right) Mango cheesecake, fruits(pineapple, strawberries and grapes) and mango sorbet

Overall, it was a good 3-course meal. They provided a few pieces of fries on the side (excluded from the set menu) to fill you up.

Will we go to this place again for another restaurant week offering? Hmm, maybe. I think it was not enough (maybe i was just hungry :D). I also can't help but compare what was offered here and that in Singapore.(check out:Brasserie Wolf). I just think Singapore takes restaurant week more seriously(I maybe biased :D) but I guess it's a factor as well of how the residents take part in the event.

PS: HT wife is (finally) busy with work. So, i'm apologizing for having no updates for a long time. Nevertheless, I am still around to share with you HT couple's love for food and the wonders of their travel with their hungry tummies.

Enjoy eating (Eet smakkelijk!)

Philippines, Manila: Casa Armas

2011-09-15T14:58:00.003+02:00

Spanish food is an all-time favorite of HT wife. So I just wanted to share with you my all-time favorite spanish place in Manila.

Even though a number of Spanish restaurants sprouted in Manila, my love for Casa Armas never fades.

My usual order: gambas al ajillo. The chunky bits of garlic are so tasty and it's not overcooked so no trace of bitterness. The gambas were cooked just right. It was juicy and flavorful. I haven't visited Casa Armas for years and I'm glad that the quality in this dish remains.

Still al ajillo (garlic and oil sauce), their beef salpicao always wins my heart. The tenderness of the thick beef cubes is what I loved the most. Each piece of meat absorbed the garlic pretty well but still leaving the meat succulent.

The free bread loaf was fresh and was a good companion for the tapas.

Paella Valenciana - this is not excellent but one of the good ones around. More chorizo, more taste on the small chicken pieces, more salt, more aroma of saffron and maybe a few strips of jamon iberico suits best for HT wife. :D (haha, it's just what I like my paella to be). The rice was cooked well and we have to wait for almost an hour for the preparation. It was worth the wait.

Don't be conscious when these are looking over you and your plates. They just wanted to make sure that everything is in order. :) So enjoy yourselves!

I didn't become a HungryTrotter if i didn't come from a family of one. So introducing...my HT sisters! They were my partners in crime before and they're still are everytime I go back. :) So HT sisters, be prepared with those tummies when I'm back. 'Till our next indulgence!

Price Summary:

Tapas - range from 250+ - 500 pesos~15 sgd ~7 euro

Paella - 800+ pesos~30 sgd~17 euro (good for 4)

Casa Armas

*with all these years, they didn't expand so fast and they didn't dream of becoming a common restaurant chain. That proves the consistent quality they're offering until now. So keep it up!

Greenbelt 3, Trinoma, Jupiter St. Makati, Podium

Metro Manila, Philippines

*For a finer Spanish cuisine indulgence, check out my posts when i was in Madrid with HT hubbie. :D

Philippines: Cintai by Corito's Garden

2011-09-14T16:05:00.001+02:00

With my 3 weeks stay in Manila, I just can't help but to look for a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the metro. Luckily, for Manileños', like HT wife, it was easy to bring ourselves out of town in just 2 hours drive.

We wanted something new...something different...a place we've never been...

The centerpiece of Cintai by Corito's Garden parking area in Batangas City.

An entrance to one of the gardens.

their carefully decorated villas (maximum 9 pax)

the beautifully carved walls separating the villas.

the detailed interior and exterior of our villa. Every space was made with lovely designs and from natural resources.

the exterior of their biggest villa...your own bar and your personal jacuzzi...perfect for getaway parties.

The place has 4 swimming pools - just enough to accommodate the bakasyonistas (vacationers). This is their biggest swimming pool with wonderful fountain facade.

A lounge area beside the pool is also available where you can take your afternoon nap or after-swimming snooze. Love that big buddha head at the background. The eyes give a mysterious look. :)

I love every details they put in this 5-hectare garden. It took 5 years to get this look and is still in progress.

one of the smaller pools which was designed similarly from the others

Open and roofed pavillions are also available. I think this place would be great for weddings!

They have several huge cages spread around the garden. And with the size of a mansion, only 1 animal lives in every cage.

Dad enjoyed playing with the fauna.

The concept is bali-inspired. I've never been to Bali so tell me if it is. :)

the landscaping of the area was perfectly done. You'll see something interesting wherever you go.

and they said if you can't beat them, join them. :)

they provide buffet meals if the guests chose to dine-in. Guests are ok to go out and get food from outside. There are a number of restaurants which was not too far from the garden.

no-frills comfort asian food. They did mix-and-match dishes around Asia such as lumpia, tom yum soup. grilled fish, mapo tofu. The food tasted good. But for 450 pesos/pax, i think the quantity and the selection needs some improvement.

I enjoyed this jelly-fied water chesnut dessert. It was unique and refreshing.

The dishes were prepared and whipped up by some of the owners themselves!

No internet or data signals are available. So stay away from your laptop, ipad or wifi phones as this place let you experience and enjoy every minute with your loved ones personally.

trivia: this place was built by the love (cintai) within the family. The garden was named after the mother. More story in coritosgarden.com

Cintai by Corito's Garden

Batangas City, Philippines

Philippines, Manila: Vikings

2011-09-09T22:43:00.000+02:00

HT wife is still raving on Manila food scene! I just can't stop indulging and trying out the all these new restaurants in Manila for the past 6 years that I was not living there. Somehow, it makes me feel that it's time to move back (all for the love for food :D). Of course, if only HT hubbie goes with me. (HT hubbie and food goes together in my dictionary :D).

There's been a craze on this huge eat-all-you-can place, facing the Manila bay. Reservations should be done in advance especially on weekends or else you end up going there being disappointed. As a family of food lovers, we booked weeks in advance. :)

I'm not a fan of eat-all-you-can as quality is being sacrificed. But i've been reading a lot about Vikings and it was considered a luxurious buffet. There's only one way to figure out...I just have to try it!

A good parking area was provided and as soon as you see this pirate-looking chef with a sneaky smile, you know you're up for the unexpected.

The place was huge! I just have to spend 10 minutes going around to check out every buffet section without getting lost. I like the idea that the buffet tables were laid out all over the whole area making sure that everyone doesn't squeeze and not too much in each other's face.

What amazed me was the huge variety of selections they have. You name it, they got it.

After going around, i started with this...

sashimi is included! :) Both the sushi and sashimi were cut and done fresh respectively. It was an entertainment watching the chefs making it if you wanted to take a break from stuffing yourself.

Cold cuts section was consists of western cold cuts of ham, cheese and other small bites. I chose to get the chinese cold cuts such as century egg, jellyfish, marinated pork (simply anything you can get on the 1st plate of a lauriat).

We were sitted near the dimsum area and i love those mirror panels on the ceiling as you can see what the section offers you. Chawan mushi, herbal soup were present as well. I love that they still considered the presentation of each dish.

Imagine yourself in a market of fresh seafood around you. Point which one you like and hand it off to the staff for immediate grilling. And after a few minutes, it will be served to your table. And for those who's impatient, grilled items are also available. :)

a row of hot dishes showcasing Western, Chinese and of course, Filipino cuisine.

Shabu Shabu Plain and Mala Tang works well for the kids. :)

The dish for the day...peking duck wrap with hoisin sauce. This changes every week. The pig's trotter (teer-mah) I got on the side was good.

the all-time favorite seafood was the choice of the night of HT wife's family. The shrimps were big and the crabs were meaty.

Baked oyster delivered to our table...my brother was an expert. He knew where these aphrodisiacs were hiding.

more grilled items...whew...i wonder if i can stuff myself more...

A buffet in the Philippines would never be complete without our famous roasted pig, lechon.

Lamb and tenderloin were also served for non-pork eaters.

Even though, I was so full, I made sure that I can still enjoy the desserts. I indulged more on Filipino delicacies (upper left). Oh my, I miss them so much!

Free flow of juices, sodas, fruit shakes, beers, coffee and tea are included in the buffet for 888 pesos (~30 SGD~17 euro) per person. This September, they have increased their weekend price to 1088 pesos but i heard Angus beef came to the scene.

Overall, the food was ok. You wouldn't reach to the point that you'll be shouting...you're in heaven but with the price, wide variety and decent serving (they don't scrimp), this is one of the the worthy eat-till-you-drop place in town.

What made this dinner special was celebrating my birthday again (after 6 years of being apart) together with my sister. It was a month late, but who cares? :)

Vikings

Seaside Blvd, Pasay City

Philippines

*you can even make reservations on their facebook page :D

www.vikings.ph

Philippines, Manila: Chef's Table

2011-09-07T12:10:00.000+02:00

Chef Bruce Lim, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate might be familiar to Asians who watches AFC (too bad it's not available in Europe). He's a Filipino by blood but grew up in the US. He was more exposed to western cuisine growing up but he never forgot to trace down his roots.

I remembered that he had a private dining which you have to be in a group of 10 or more and reservations only. 3 years ago, the concept of having his own restaurant pushed through, showcasing the best of Filipino cuisine giving it a fine twist which appeals to the palate of everyone. HT wife have been wanting to try it out and finally, she got the chance...

love this concept of open kitchen that gave the diners the dining experience from the moment they enter the place. We were at the 2nd floor and they still made sure that everyone can see what's going on in the kitchen with their full glass panel wall overlooking the clean busy area. Check out the bald chefs...hygienic, isn't it? :)

Aside from food, they made sure you can get their house cocktails with something Filipino in it...

Grape Gaudinez - made of grapes, cranberry, spring onions and lambanog (alcohol made from coconut - local wine). The drink was very refreshing and light. The spring onions were not overpowering and complemented the lambanog. My best friend's choice.

NCR (No one Can Run) - NCR stands for the national capital region in our country and they used the acronym for this special drink. From the name itself, I made this as my choice for the night even if I haven't read what was in it as the name made me curious. It was a mixture of everything, gin, brandy, lambanog, orange and mango juice. What made it unique was the chili extract which gave the drink an after-sip bite. Don't worry about the chili decorated on top, the drink was pleasant and it wouldn't burn your tongue. It was a strong cocktail but delightful to drink for a long evening chatting with your friends. No worries, I was still able to run after a glass :). And this goes to the top of my favorite cocktails list.

Now, it's time for food!!!

For appetizer, we decided to get Hot Rock Pusit (squid) - beer-marinated squid grilled between hot rocks. It was very tasty and the squid was cooked to its perfection as it was very tender and juicy. It can go well with rice too. I think a fancier presentation as per the description would make it more enticing.

Calamansi Tuyo Spaghetti - Tuyo, salted dried fish, a favorite of most Filipinos that goes well with rice and can be eaten at any time of the day. Usually eaten with a vinegar dip, to smoothen out the saltiness. This version was served with spaghetti and calamansi. I love this idea as it makes the dish less boring. It's easy to make this at home as you don't need much ingredients as the tuyo is flavorful itself. If you're a pasta lover like HT wife, you're gonna love this dish.

Kare Kare - a very Filipino dish, ox tail in peanut sauce. This version is drier than the normal but the richness of the peanut sauce remains. The ox tail were soft and delicious. What made this dish different is the eggplant caviar on the side. Kare Kare is always eaten with fish paste (bagoong) for salty kick. I love chef's table's bagoong twist i.e. the eggplant caviar as it's sweet salty taste is not too fishy but still giving the its Filipino authenticity taste.

Chicken Sat on Salt - their version of slow-roasted chicken served with atchara, pickled unripe papaya and a spiced-oil dip. The chicken was placed on top of a bed of salt when cooked letting the salt absorbed into the chicken meat. I'm not very fond of this dish as i prefer my white meat very salty just like most Filipinos :D. I used the eggplant caviar to give my chicken more taste.

Overall, it was a great dining experience. The waiters were very knowledgeable of what the restaurant offers and were very helpful. Before we left the place, we made sure that we end our dining experience the best way...

a remembrance with the chefs at their table. :)

Cocktails cost 150-180 pesos~6 SGD~4 euro

Dishes cost 200-600 pesos~20 SGD~12 euro

Chef's Table

The Infinity Tower

26th street

The Fort Global City

Taguig Philippines

Philippines, Manila: Mesa (Filipino Moderne)

2011-08-27T02:57:00.001+02:00

I'm just so proud how Filipino restaurants are developing and catching up with the modern style of the food scene in Manila. Filipino cuisine is considered unpretentious, simple and no frills. It's more of comfort food that you can enjoy in your home. But nothing is impossible for Filipinos :) (i'm proud to be one :D)

Check out some of the Filipino dishes with a twist...

Crispchon - Philippines' table is famous for its lechon - roasted pig. It's usually eaten alone or with rice with liver sauce (right most). This concept of adapting how peking duck is being eaten was a pretty good idea.

just like peking duck, lechon's skin shouldn't be missed out. The skin was juicy and crispy, just how a lechon should be.

ta-dah! The finished product...we're ready to dig in! :) They provided 3 sauces: Garlic mayo, Hoisin sauce and the original sauce of lechon. I still prefer the original.

the remaining crispchon was tossed in garlic. It was pretty oily and salty. I suggest to enjoy your crispchon and have it chopped as is.

Sisig Pouch - sisig is usually served on a sizzling plate but hey, why not put it in a pouch like this! I'm not fond of pork sisig but i'm sure sisig lovers wouldn't mind this twist. Check out my previous post of how a normal sisig dish is served and read more about it.

Tinapa roll - We usually eat smoked fish just like fried fish. This one was shredded, wrapped and deep fried. It was meaty. It was a good start up.

Adobong baby squid - adobo is our national cooking way (soy sauce, vinegar with a little bit of sugar and bay leaf). We use it basically with anything even with veggies (adobong kangkong). This was my dad's choice. The squid ink seasoned-like adobo was very tasty and the baby squids' tenderness works well for this type of dish.

A Filipino table is not complete without a good serving of rice. We're rice eaters. It's our staple for every meal of the day. We ordered Bagoong rice. Bagoong is made of fermented fish and made into paste. We love eating it with green mangoes and of course with rice. I love this bowl because it combined both which complemented all the ingredients in it. It was not too salty and the fish paste was not too overpowering so it was great with the dishes we ordered.

The place behind this modernity of Filipino cuisine is...

the restaurant MESA - which is a Spanish/Filipino word for table. They have several branches across Metro Manila and their branch in Greenbelt 5 is doing pretty good. For a bigger group, I suggest to make reservations to avoid not being accommodated. The staff were all very attentive and friendly.

And this time, HT wife enjoyed dining here with HT parents. :) Guess from whom i got the genes of eating and enjoying good food? :)

Price Summary

Appetizers starts from 140 pesos ~ 5 SGD ~ 2.5 euro

Crispchon (1/6 size with 2 ways of cooking i.e. wrapped and tossed garlic) - 999 ~ 30 SGD ~ 15 euro

Main dishes is about 200 and above ~ 6 SGD ~ 3 euro

Bagoong rice ~ 150 pesos ~ 5 SGD ~ 2.5 euro

*All plates are good for sharing ( 2-3 persons)

Mesa (Filipino Moderne)

Ground floor (outside court)

Greenbelt 5

Philippines, Manila - Ramen Bar

2011-08-25T12:01:00.003+02:00

I grew up having the knowledge of just eating a piping hot bowl of ramen from instant noodle packs. So when I moved to Singapore, which is still the best food haven country for me in terms of variety, it was not difficult to appreciate a more authentic ramen bowl.

Manileños nowadays, are so lucky as we are catching up in terms of restaurants offering different cuisines and meals with twist. I was just away for 6 years, and every time I go back home, I can't help but be amazed and how much new restaurants are sprouting here and there. I wanted to try them all, maybe when I decide to stay for a year. (though HT hubbie might spank me LOL :D)

Ramen Bar had been in the food scene here in Manila for quite sometime. They have 2 branches: one in Eastwood and one in Piazza in Mckinley Hill which are both not too accessible from where i live.

As a ramen addict just like HT hubbie, i just have to try this.

Super Chasyu Ramen - my first impression of the bowl was pretty good. Though i was expecting a more milky and thicker soup, nevertheless, this was not too watery. The chasyu pieces were abundant and the tamago (egg) was marinated for 10 hours. The soup was very tasty. However, it was not served hot.

and with the abundance of the fatty part of chasyu, the soup gets oily easily that makes it tiring to eat. They could do better of less fats in chasyu as other countries do.

Though i prefer a thicker noodles (different version), I really enjoyed this noodles. It's thin, chewy and creamy. There were a few strands that got stuck together, but just a few loosening up during the cooking can do the works.

If only I had the time to return the bowl to make it hot, I would be very satisfied. I will let them know so they can improve.

A super chasyu ramen costs me 380 pesos~10 SGD~5 euro. You can get a cheaper bowl for 280 pesos. It's quite affordable.

Too bad, my tummy was not cooperating that day, that I have to skip the Tempura Ice Cream. :( Next time, i guess. :)

check out my previous posts in Singapore and Australia for our love of ramen.

Utrecht: Theehuis Rhijnauwen Pannenkoeken

2011-08-08T17:29:00.001+02:00

When the weather cooperates during the weekend, "de Nederlanders" including HT couple would take advantage of the sun's big smile. We decided to shed off a few calories by cycling into the forest. And this is one of the things I love in my 3rd home...being close to nature.

It's been awhile since we've done this so we got lost. It was like unending path. We just kept on following the light which was visible at the end...and little did we know that our so-called shedding off a few calories activity will help us gain...

MORE...:D

We didn't let the opportunity passed by, so we immediately parked our bikes and started walking towards this theehuis (teahouse) at Fort Rhijnauwen.

This pannenkoeken (pancakes) place is pretty popular here in Utrecht. They don't only occupy the house but if you walk further, you can get tables outdoor. It was a very busy day, but with the wide area, it's quite easy to secure a place. Over the weekend, it's popular to families with small kids. Pancakes and kids...what can be the best combination?

I love these chill-out chairs when you just want to have a drink and small bite overlooking the river and just letting the time passes by.

And after getting our table, it's eating time...guess what we got? :)

Pancakes of course! Dutch are proud of their pancakes. They used their creativeness to make a simple dish into something exquisite. Both sweet and savory pancakes are available.

I went Dutch-Italian and ordered their Pancake Fortissimo. This plate was pretty healthy as the pancake was not oily at all. The generous amount of salad, tomatoes, pastrami and goat cheese with honey made this as full meal. I love the dressing but it ain't a pancake without the pancake syrup so I used quite a good amount of it (besides, the syrup here in the Netherlands has this natural taste...I can't explain it in words, so you have to try it :D)

HT hubbie's choice was Reus van Rhijnauwen. I knew that this would be his meal as this is what he likes in his pizza...numerous ham and bacon with cheese and lots of onions. :) They were very generous with their meat.

I got half of each pancakes and they were both lip-smacking. It was heavy as well in the tummy.

Both full and lazy, it was nice seeing animals around and watching them instead of snoozing into our seats. These donkeys were not scared from people at all.

Goats and pigs are on the other side. HT hubbie gave his hand to the goat and he got a very welcoming lick.

And it's time to hit the forest again and get back to our purpose of shedding calories. I guess, next time we have to take a long detour as this kind of place is difficult to resist.

Price Summary

Pancakes vary between 9-15 euro.

Gluten free are available upon request :)

Theehuis Rhijnauwen

Rhijnauwenselaan 16

Bunnik

(they're open 7x a week)

Egypt: Part 3: How to live like a pharaoh

2011-07-29T13:49:00.000+02:00

Luxor houses several important valleys of the VIPs before and during the antiquities. It's less than an hour flight or several hours via train from Cairo. This is a must visit in Egypt and recommended if you're inclined to know about pharaonic history.

The Avenue of the Sphinxes which connects Karnak and Luxor Temple. They're trying to recover this whole stretch but only the side near the Luxor Temple has been recovered...for now.

first stop: Luxor Temple - it's worth visiting this place around 5 pm and stay until the sun goes down. You can see the transformation of the place under the sun and under the dark sky. There are no extra fee coming here at night. And besides, Luxor weather is like hell between 12 pm - 3pm for the month of July. You would feel how a chicken gets barbecued.

The colonnades in Luxor Temple. See what i mean?

It's better to do one temple a day as it might be overwhelming and you might not be able to appreciate the succeeding sites.

We stayed in Nefertiti Hotel, a budget place situated in the Al Sahaby Lane. No frills - clean bed, they changed sheets and towels everyday, very small tv, the shower is not luxurious but hot water worked pretty well and the air conditioning was superb, which had been our best friend during mid-day. (we got the room for less than 20 euro a day)

the staff was also creative in making the bed. Be surprised when suddenly there's a scarecrow on your bed wearing your shirt and eyeglasses.

The hotel also offers affordable tour around Luxor. HT couple did their homework so we again said...La Shukran.

Another factor that convinced us to take this hotel, aside from the location and value (5 mins walk to Luxor Temple), is the overlooking view of Luxor Temple and Valley of the Kings (at the west bank). Most hotels, including the one we stayed in, are at the east bank.

Valley of the Kings from the rooftop

Luxor Temple taken from the top

The following day, we decided to hit the west bank. We were at the Valley of the Kings before 8 in the morning. We don't have any photos of the place as cameras are not allowed. Once you're inside the building, there is a wooden panel where there is a list of the tombs that are open. The normal ticket allows you to go to 3 tombs. So i suggest to plan ahead which of these tombs appeal to you. There's also a computer available to look online about the details of the opened tombs (during our time, there were 10). Oh, there's somebody hanging around in the building and was gladly to help you browse the computer. We grumped at him that we know how to use a computer. Sorry, but after more than week, we tend to be suspicious and just ignore as much as possible.

King Tutankhamun's tomb is the most famous in pharaonic history. He was not famous during his time but after discovering his tomb which was intact and full of wealth, it made history. His tomb is not included in the regular ticket and you have to pay extra to see it (more expensive than the normal ticket of 3 tombs). Most of the wealth is now in Egyptian Museum in Cairo. We didn't go in as we followed Lonely Planet's advice that it's not as impressive as its famosity.

Each tombs has its own guard. But don't look for a security guard uniform. Be careful as well as these guards, started pointing to you stuffs in the tomb (pretending to be tour guides), gives you a fan or a flashlight...all these are not free. Kindly say no several times, and they'll leave you to enjoy appreciating the tombs freely.

Also at the west bank, is the Valley of the Queens. Do take short breaks under the waiting shed for a gulp of water or reading your lonely planet or rough guides before entering the tombs.

The famous Temple of Hatshepsut is a must see. This is one of the hottest spots in Egypt so be here as early as you can. There's not much shade as well so you can really have a good tan here.

Hatshepsut is one of the famous female pharaohs. She built several landmarks including this huge complex.

Hathor, the goddess of love can be portrayed as a cow or a female. The head horns is the distinctive symbol.

Am i good enough to be a female pharaoh with my hat?

We also visited the Temple of the Nobles. This is what you can see in the valley of the kings and queens except this is smaller and the colors were kept intact. Those carvings and paintings on the wall depicted offering to gods or their celebrated festivals.

the only remains of Colossi of Memnon. (stop by and take a few pics - no entrance fee)

not only tourists stop by to check this out, the birds love to stay at its head.

It also pays to visit Karnak Temple (east bank) as early as 6 am. It's like having a private tour. You would spend about 2-3 hours as the place is really huge!

Just on the side, I decided to be in my Indiana Jones outfit in touring the temples. :)

It's not necessary to be serious all the time when appreciating history.

goofed around to lighten up the mood. I'm surrounded by 138 humongous colonnades.

this is how HT hubbie wanted his statues to be

love this papyrus colonnade peaking in one of the rooms of the temple.

you should really looked into every details on the wall

and posed like a model in the ancient ruins

Look above you when you're standing under the colonnades. Look how the colors were maintained after thousands of years ago. That symbol in the middle is an ankh which symbolizes eternal life. During the ancient Egypt, the VIPs spent their lives in building tombs, temples for their after life which they believed is much important than their temporary current lives. There were few cases wherein their tombs were not completely done yet but they have already passed away.

scarab beetle is a protector symbol during the ancient times.

Check out the cartouche, hieroglyphs enclosed by an oval shape. We don't know how to read hieroglyphs but we know that cartouches are very important to pharaohs to protect them before and after their lives. Some have the names of the pharaohs (which i can't find) which helped the archaeologists to determine who built this temple or which pharaohs the tomb belonged to. We made up stories and thought like pharaohs while looking at the cartouches. HT couple's hieroglyphic way of reading involves donald duck and other cartoon figures. :D

This ends HT couple's adventure in Egypt. High five for the DIY trip and for surviving Egypt! (check out the guy with a kid on the left, he approached us as he wanted his kid to have a picture with HT hubbie. It was deja vu as it happened as well in Jogjakarta. HT hubbie almost asked baksheesh for that! :D)

Egypt: How to conquer the pyramids and the desert: Part 2

2011-07-27T22:52:00.001+02:00

Never leave Egypt without these:

from left to right

Conquer the Great Pyramid of Giza of King Cheops - look how small i am in the pic and the shot was only half of the pryamid. The Great Pyramid of Giza was inspired by the steps in Saqqara (which we didn't include in our trip as 3 pyramids are enough to look at :D). The architect of the great pyramid slightly miscalculated the angle so you can see the difference after 20 steps, that the angle suddenly changed. (this was informed to us by the tour guide, i'm not really the archaeologic type :D). And looking at the pyramids, it's made of big blocks of stones (some in limestone). It's a bit boring if you don't imagine how it was built and how the blocks were carried here. Do take note that this was 5000 years ago so technology doesn't exist. Amazing, isn't it? :) There are 2 more pyramids and what I remember is the 2nd biggest which belonged to King Chephren which made his pyramid shorter than his dad as a sign of respect.

Have you sat on a camel's back before? If not, do this in the Pyramids of Giza! You would have a nice background of one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world with this cute beast. But you might be disappointed that camels here only have 1 hump :(. (i thought every camel has 2). The camel sits when you're ready to board on his back (way too tall). I was a bit scared so HT hubbie and I shared one. Once you're ready, the camel stands by balancing you and you by leaning back or else, you'll be falling in no time. (I felt like I was at the peak of the roller coaster and it's about to swoosh down).

The ride was pretty smooth and our camel guide took a lot of pictures for us and he kept on asking if we're having a good time (at some point i want just to put a big YES on my forehead). When we were quite far from where we started, i suddenly realized those questions of having a good time has meaning in it. He wanted baksheesh (this word shouldn't have been invented). We gave him Egyptian pounds but he demanded for Euro (sneaky bastard). I was irritated and told him that we were informed not to give (but we weren't ) and he got scared that his boss would came to know so he asked us to keep our money. Ai yoh...anyways...

20 mins of a camel ride is enough. Make sure to inform your camel guides that you want 20 mins going and coming back. And be clear with how much you are paying. Don't just say the amount but make it clear it's in Egyptian pounds (this applies for all money matters in Egypt). So you won't be shocked that suddenly what he meant was British pounds.

Kiss the Sphinx! If you can't beat them, join them. Everyone was doing it so I did too! This sphinx which has the head and image of King Chephren (who asked to build this) with a lion's body. This signifies the intelligence of a man and the power of a lion. Nah, I prefer HT hubbie's kiss :D.

Oh, i forgot, watch out for those guys holding shirts and trying to sell postcards. They welcome you to Egypt (and you might think how nice of them) and after a few exchange of chats, they'll hand off tshirts to you as a sign of the Egyptian hospitality = Baksheesh. Make sure to say no and don't take anything unless you wanted to return that hospitality in $$$. :D

Beware of taking pics of people on camesl. They'll lift their arms and ask you to take picture of them. And you know what's next....Baksheesh (again). We went local so we also decided to ask for tip, but nobody bothered taking picture of us...hmph!

We can't get enough of the heat...so we decided to continue our trip to:

Black Desert - chunks of volcanic rock and you can imagine how big the eruption was.

White Desert - unique rock formation that nobody can explain why.

Hot Spring - this is the least i wanted to do when i'm in the desert. I don't get refreshed but dehydrated.

Crystal Mountain - those rocks are made of crystals! I excavated and took a few pieces back home.

nice, isn't it? :D

rabbit rock formation in white desert

Make sure to walk like an Egyptian before leaving the country

This 4X4 was our savior driving around, to and from the desert

After a few fix here and there, ta-dah! Here's our cozy spot for dinner with our ultimate Bedouin guy! He's a good cook too!

While having dinner, there were small foxes who weren't shy. In the middle of the sumptuous supper, we were surrounded by 20.

We also had Bedouin entertainment and HT hubbie can't stop shaking his booty that night.

See what i mean? :D

Then off we snooze...yes, in the desert.

It's even more traditional than the usual camping with tent. We were just given thin mattresses and blankets...that's it. It was difficult to sleep as the moon was shining so bright and I imagined being attacked by those small foxes or snakes crawling on us (thanks to the Bedouin guy who mentioned that before we hit the sack). It can be pretty cold in the middle of the night so blankets are life savers...even in the desert.

this was the most luxurious toilet we had. You can choose your own rock where you can hide and pee. You can even have two or more toilets for a night. We decided to share one.

It was a great experience. But, i'll never do it again...HT hubbie agreed.

Ok, i'm taking back what i've said of not going to the hot spring. On our way back to Cairo, i just have to take a dip as spending a day and night in the desert with no water to wash yourselves with, hot spring was heaven! We just drank litres of water to replenish our body fluid.

Ah! Back in Cairo...suddenly our not-so-5-star-hotel gave us the feeling of a 6-star. Water, water, water for a good shower, air conditioned room, thick bed mattresses...it was a good way to end our desert and Cairo tour.

My envisioned of Cairo...it's like Manila with older aura. Traffic is the same and the drivers have the same crazy way on the street. The Manilenos will be able to adapt easily in this city.

Whether you're at the desert or at the Red Sea, watching how the sun sets will tell you that tomorrow is another day of exploration in the land...where it all begins.

Part 3...Luxor...here we come!

EGYPT: How to survive and enjoy : WHERE IT ALL BEGINS Part 1

2011-07-26T19:19:00.000+02:00

If you have seen the tourism commercial and ads of Egypt...you won't miss out this phrase "Where It All Begins". It's up to your wildest imagination : ancient civilization, political chaos, baksheesh (i'll talk about this later) or the dishes that are available in Arab and Meditterenean countries: ...Curious? Go visit Egypt! :)

Egypt is a country wherein you have to study, research and understand before doing your first step unless you're booking your holiday via travel agencies and just follow those flags or umbrellas of your tour guide. In HT couple's opinion, if you don't know the language, prepare thoroughly. The only Arabic phrase i learned was Thank you (Shukran) and No, thank you (La Shukran). And learning these were essential.

Where to start:

Start by looking out of the window of the plane. Desert, Red Sea, Desert..oh and Nile river...that comprises Egypt :) I haven't flown above this continent, so this was something unique. It was my first time not to fall asleep during landing (I usually fall asleep during take offs and landings..it's like sleeping pills to me)

If you're a dive enthusiast, do visit the Red Sea together with your dive gears and excitement.

The Red Sea is known for it's abundant water species and it didn't failed me! I was so happy that Red Sea is very comparable to the dive sites in South East Asia (Indonesia and Philippines being my favorites). During summer, wearing 3mm dive suit (same as in Asia), is good enough and diving from September onwards, a thicker (5mm) dive suit might be handy (especially if your freezing tolerance level is as weak as mine).

Take liveaboards! I can't remember when was the last time i dive via land. I just enjoyed staying in the boat, sleeping there for a week while being rocked by the sea waves (with seasickness pill) and of course, the unlimited food!!! HT hubbie booked BlueOTwo for our dive trip to the Red Sea. It was the best liveaboard that we've been to...here's why...

We had spacious, clean room (and our own tv with media player...beat that!) and private bathroom (which was wide enough and for the first time, i didn't get bruised while taking showers), good dive deck, 2 huge saloons where you can read a book, watch a movie or play games (rummikub!) with the other divers.

wide selection of books, huge sunbathing deck (be careful being friendly with the sun in Egypt, it's atrocious!), unlimited snacks (cookies, breadsticks, chocolates and softdrinks!) and those bean bags where I sat on was addictive. I was supposed to study some dutch in between dives, but with this beanbag seat, snoozing is inevitable. Sleep, Eat, Dive, Eat, Sleep, Dive...yes this is what i called a getaway!

This boat fed us pretty well. I had all types of Egyptian food prepared just like they do at home (It was the best Egyptian dishes I had in the whole Egypt trip), plus, there was one dinner wherein we had a huge roasted turkey with gravy! Our room was beside the kitchen so i've sneaked out this photo of this big bird before it was served. In this boat, you don't have to be considerate to others as they have more than enough food for everyone and there was a point that we were all shouting for mercy to stop OVER feeding us.

The dive sites were fantastic! Big drop offs, wall and deep dives were the majority. It was my first time to see hammerhead sharks (http://www.google.com/imgres?q=hammerhead+sharks&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=L-YBvOQ-nWJWBM:&imgrefurl=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6661795/All-seeing-hammerhead-sharks-could-have-the-best-vision-in-animal-kingdom.html&docid=1XOWQJtfFZXM-M&w=460&h=288&ei=7uIuTqj3Os3NswawuND-Bg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=111&vpy=261&dur=100&hovh=178&hovw=284&tx=178&ty=133&page=1&tbnh=89&tbnw=142&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0&biw=1152&bih=558)

Not only 1 but 6! We were pretty lucky but i heard the week before we went diving, other divers saw 50+! It was mating season so they're all over the sea. The dive crew was very helpful. They don't speak English but sign languages worked well.

BlueOTwo is a British dive company therefore, it's not surprising that majority of the divers and instructors were British. I haven't been to the UK nor dealt with a group of British before but it was nice to hear your name being pronounced correctly (Trivia: my mom chose a british name for me, but she removed one of the R's so that my name will still be unique and my grandmother of chinese heritage wouldn't have more difficulty in pronouncing the R's. One is complicated enough so why make it 2? :D). And every morning, they would ask me "How did you sleep, ?", with an accent that sounded like a royalty and I was so tempted to reply "very well, sir" with a good curtsy (no worries friends! I decided not to, as I don't want them to think that Filipinos are not in their right state of mind :D)

We would definitely be diving with them again...the only concern is where...but we'll take a break for now. :)

In Cairo...

from left to right: Don't miss the Egyptian Museum and be amazed of the artifacts. Go early as the group tours are quite irritating as they blocked your way. There are freelance tour guides standing outside the museum, who can be friendly with you by asking " where are you from? , etc" and later on convincing you to get their tour guide service. Don't pretend that you don't know English as most of them are multi-lingual. (I heard they don't have much chinese or japanese tour guides...so we Asians can pretend if they started to be annoying...and believe me, they are). To shoo them away, just say " La Shukran". No cameras inside. The Royal mummies are recommended if you want some few goosebumps here and there.

Visit the Coptic or Old Cairo. This showcased catholic churches and a synagogue bringing you to old times when majority of the citizens are Christians.

Coptic Christians don't have statues of saints. They have pictures of saints and I saw the locals kissing portraits or hand-sewed image on carpets.

Visit Citadel where the mosque of Mohammed Ali lies. They asked us to remove our shoes and go barefoot. Check out how i have lifted my toes. There's a vendor who's selling throw away socks but I was stingy to buy a pair. I had wet ones with me so I cleaned my feet before wearing my shoes again. :)

We were in one of the main roads in Cairo. Only in Egypt! These camels are cute!

Stroll along Khan El Khalili Bazaars. I love seeing herbs and spices being sold as well as bread being carried by vendors around.

There are a lot of vendors trying to sell you herbs, souvenirs and even revolution shirts...and if you don't want any...just say 'La Shukran' or if you want to buy something, put in mind that they see you as a cow that they can milk so during bargaining, it's reasonable to bring it to 1/3 of the price. You'll still get ripped off, but at least not much :). And if you have space in your luggage, take home one of the seeshas.

Take some Iced Karkadai (hibiscus tea drink) at Fishawy in Khan El Khalili while watching the tourists and locals passing by.

While sitted in Fishawy, lots of vendors are going around and trying to sell items. There's one guy who wanted to sell sunglasses to HT hubbie and even if he had said no several times, he was really pushy up to the point of annoying. As a good loving HT wife, I told the guy nicely 'La, Shukran' but i was shouted and informed that he doesn't talk to women only to men. Fine! Then why bother reacting to me then? I was irritated but decided not to stoop down to his level and just accepted that that is their culture.

A local told us that they're a bit disappointed with the backward attitude of some of their citizens which drives away tourists. There was a guy who tried to pull my arms to draw to his stall and I told him not to touch me and he said something in Arabic but definitely not a sorry. A local also mentioned that it's safer to be with guides especially if the group is all ladies to avoid this situation. They still have this notion that women are not equal to men. And as tourists, you have a big dollar or euro sign on your forehead to some of the vendors and taxi drivers so beware. Make sure you have enough small change with you as drivers always pretend they don't have change for you. Don't be scared to ask a local to exchange money so you can give the driver the exact amount.

Here's a taxi fare guide from our hotel. We stayed in Zamalek area and not downtown in Cairo, due to the political instability. We wouldn't want to get stuck in riots and protests so Zamalek was a good choice for a quieter, peaceful and a few minutes away from downtown.

Baksheesh - tips you give in restaurants or to the people who helped you out. What's irritating is, they see you as a baksheesh giver before they help you. No baksheesh, no help. A guy helped us crossing the street without asking for help and we thought there's still hope in this country until he started asking us " Where are we from" and followed us. We just ignored him and he got tired anyway. So much for the hope.

There can be a lot of touts. You just need to be aware and be cautious. Make sure that at the end of the day, you're on vacation, have fun and don't let touting ruin your holiday.

Part 2...up next!

Egyptian Food Guide by HT Couple

2011-07-21T18:53:00.003+02:00

We wanted a getaway. We wanted to eat something different. HT wife wanted to go to a continent that she hasn't stepped on to. We wanted to dive in tropical water. And now, we are in Egypt.

Inspite of the political chaos and mini-protests are still present once in a while, we bravely flew to this super hot and sunny country to suffice our wants.

Bordered by several countries, Egypt's table has been influenced by its neighboring fellas. And as tourism is one of the countries main sources of income, international fare is not uncommon. From pizza, burgers to curries, name it, and they'll have it.

For almost 2 weeks of expedition in this side of the world, HT couple has been stuffing themselves with the Egyptian staples.

The main staple is the flat Egyptian bread ( a softer lebanese bread). Whether your meal goes with rice, expect to get a basket of bread. The locals used it to scoop dips, mezze and tagins. Carbo loading as it may sound, you'll be needing it exploring this 40 degrees Celsius land especially in the month of July.

We've been eating like pigs and here's a list of our tummies' faves:

Koshari - a bowl of pasta look-alike topped with bountiful fried onions which may look simple but the first scoop really made me want to eat it over and over again. Different carbs mixed all together in tomato sauce, chili sauce and the special ingredient which gives the bowl its wonderful flavor is the garlicky vinegar. Give the bowl numerous drops and you're up for a delicious treat.

And what made this apart from pasta is the combination of macaroni pasta, spaghetti, noodles, rice and chick peas. It's not koshary if you decided to skip one of these main ingredients :).

A famous koshary shop in Cairo is Abou Tarek. But beware when walking into the street going to this shop as you might end up in another koshary shop claiming that they're another branch and treat yourself with a few good hours in the toilet :D. The shop has its English name on it so if you only see Arabic name, walk further. (80 euro cents for a decent serving)

Molokhiyya soup - is made of green leafy veggies that is slimy in texture. I was curious. It was considered as the most popular dish of the country. I dipped my bread in the soup and had my first taste. It reminded me of saluyot a Filipino veggie that we also make into a vegetable dish and has the same texture but ours is more salty and we eat it always with rice. This was prepared in the house of a Bedouin family, an ethnic group living in the desert.

Ta'amiyya or Felafel - deep fried and shaped into balls which is made of mashed beans with some spices giving its taste. It's addictive even if there's no meat in it. You would see this typically on breakfast tables of the locals. This is also available as mezze.

Fuul - mashed beans slow-cooked in garlic, cumin and other spices sprinkled with lemon. Also a staple for breakfast, locals eat in bowls more than this in the picture (i just took a spoon to taste it :D). Unfortunately, this didn't suit HT wife's palate but HT hubbie made this his breakfast must-have. :) This is considered their national dish. (Lonely Planet)

Just like Greeks, Egyptians take their mezze seriously. Here's plate-like table with a number of appetizers. This was ordered by an Egyptian friend of mine living in Cairo. And after polishing all the plates, there's no more room for main courses. Here are the must-haves (dishes from the pic are represented as time clock):

Mahsi (greens at 10:00) - stuffed vine leaves usually with rice and herbs but some places you can get it with meat...Baked and served hot. (similar to Greeks' dolmades)

Tahini (6:00)- made of sesame. Used as a bread dip and seems to be the locals favorites among their wide variety of dips.

Felafel/Ta'amiyya (3:00) - a big version

Stuffed sausages (10:00 - beside Mahsi) - intestines cleaned and stuffed with rice and herbs

Chicken liver Alexandrian style (middle) - cooked in cumin, garlic lime and coriander. It's cooked in wok style but with herby taste.

Baba Ghanoug - mashed eggplant paste with garlic. I'm not sure if this originated from Egypt or Greece, but nevertheless, it's always available in the Egyptian menu. I love the one prepared in the dive boat, the eggplant has a smoky flavor and still has good chunks in it. They spiced it up which burnt the tongue of the other divers, mostly British but HT couple indulged it with full pleasure :).

Hummus - mashed chick peas and this version we had was thick and creamy making it a very good dip for the bread. (As Sahaby Lane Restaurant in Luxor - 1 euro)

After the vegetarian varieties, it's time to replenish ourselves with meat proteins. :)

Hamam - pigeons stuffed with rice and frik, green wheat as well as herbs wherein coriander was dominant. I always love pigeons served in chinese lauriat during parties and it was already difficult to eat but Egyptians made it more complicated and messy by stuffing it. I'm not complaining as it was super delicious!

Abou El Sid was recommended by lonely planet and several travel forums that i've read. And this place didn't fail us. It served Egyptian food just like how it's being served in Egyptian home. A friend of mine who's a local in Cairo loves this place. Most diners are Cairenes than tourists. We went their twice for dinner and the place was packed. They have a few branches around Cairo. The mezze and hamam are both from this restaurant. Highly recommended by HT Couple. Mezze ( about 1-3 euro per serving) and Main course (5-7 euro)

Egypt is also known for their Tagins just like Morocco. Tagins are earthware where the dishes are cooked long and keeping all the taste and flavor intact. It's the old version of pressure cooker but the conventional way has always its own charm.

Camel Meat Tagin - HT hubbie was curious how a camel taste like so he got this in one of our dinners in Luxor. It was less succulent than beef but still tender enough. Stronger taste than beef but lesser taste than mutton. We liked the meat very much but just the thought of the cute face of a camel...we wouldn't order it again.

Isn't he cute? Now, tell me, would you eat his meat? :D

Tagin Bamya Bil Mozza - Stewed lamb shanks with okra, tomatoes, onions, garlic and cumin was such a delight and heavenly. It was a bit on the oily side but it was full of flavor and goes well with rice and bread. The meat was so tender that it just melted in our mouth. Okras are typical ingredients in tagin dishes in Egypt.

Mixed Kebabs - just like the Turkish, Egyptians like grilled items too. The most famous is Kofta, minced lamb and shaped into sausage and grilled. Herby and smoky taste combined can never go wrong.

Get this delicious bowl and kebab plate in Sofra Restaurant in Luxor (about 4 euro and 5.50 respectively).

For the sweet tooth, Egypt is the place to be. All their desserts are very sweet. This one was recommended by a local friend.

Fetir - egyptian pancake which is made of layers of filo topped with nuts, tasting similar to Greek Baklava. This is usually eaten with honey (the normal honey or the famous black honey in Arab countries) and cream. We were recommended to mix the black honey with the tahini (see dip from above), to give the pancakes its sweet and sour taste. I love the softness of the layers and how well it absorbed the natural taste of honey. I prefer just the honey instead of the mix.

Other famous desserts are Ruz Bi Laban - sticky rice in milk cream aka rice pudding - I had it in the dive boat but forgot to take pictures :D and my favorite Omm Ali - layers of pastry soaked in cream and milk sometimes with nuts and baked in the oven. A friend of mine when she was still living in Belgium, would use croissants to make this dessert, it's not exactly the same but similar. I would try making it too. :)

Drinking tea (shai) is a past time here in Egypt just like in Turkey. Hot tea with mint is popular but you can washed down your throat with Karkadai, hibiscus tea which is served either hot or cold. With the weather here, a cold glass is a must.

You want to dine like locals? Smoke seesha after a meal (well, they do it even before breakfast :D). Apple flavor is the best seller but HT couple decided to just eat like locals and then look for a shop that sells beer. :D

Most restaurants add 10% sales tax and baksheesh, a tip of few egyptian pounds wouldn't hurt.

Credits to Lonely Planet and Wikitravel for helping HT couple for this extensive food expedition. :D

TIME-OUT: HT wife...little did she know

2011-07-02T11:09:00.003+02:00

Life is really full or surprises. HT wife moved to this side of the world only knowing she'll be with HT husband freezing together in the land of milk and cheese...and windmills and clogs.

She had complaints. She was almost at the point she wanted to go back to Asia. Until, she slowly accepted that she is where she is now.

Little did she know that it's also a full turn of her life.

She wanted to learn to drive. She wanted to be independent. Fate answered her prayers. Little did she know that she learned how to drive but only with 2 wheels. And for sure, she can handle 2 more wheels soon.

They said you learned a lot of words when you read books. Carl Hiaasen and Stephen Clarke make her laugh. Those chick lits( literature) brings out the woman in her. Little did she know that at this side of the world, she wouldn't be spending any dime for more books, as she haven't finished her favorite book for a while.

HT wife has difficulty in saying NO. Little did she know that this would be her most frequently used word. With the dutch "no"....Nee (ney), it became more subtle and rejection suddenly is a song to one's ears. And at this side of the world, you can even say 'Nee' several times with up and down tone...just like singing.

Little did she know that she would still be in Holland...after a year.

But one thing she knows, she would be with HT hubbie...freezing again together for another year.

Yes! It's been a year...sinced I moved myself to Holland. I survived!

HT couple in their first night of moving to this side of the world (thanks Poepels)

Turkish cooking lesson : Borek

2011-06-21T13:30:00.002+02:00

I was invited by a friend to join a cooking lesson just around the neighborhood. I knew it would be fun until I found out it will be conducted in Dutch (boo!) haha. Well, i'm almost 1 year now in NL, and i would say i'm comfortable understanding de Dutchies. I am still a bit shy to show them the-dutch-in-me but i am getting there *wink*. And just like love, FOOD doesn't speak any language. (i'm sure you fellow foodies would agree :D)

The class was run in a building in Utrecht where a worship room stands and a mini grocery where you can buy Turkish goodies. And before we started cooking, we went shopping in the mini grocery to grab the ingredients for the day.

The dish was called Burek/Borek whatever it's real name is, it sounded good. :) I've read in wikipedia about this dish but i was surprised with the different varieties of it.

And here's our Utrecht-style Borek

yummy-looking, isn't it? read on to know how to make it.

I'm sure just like me, mostly everyone who's not well-versed in the kitchen, middle eastern or meditterenean cuisine sounds intimidating but be-scared-not...

What made this dish easy to make is the ready made thin dough, Yufka or Phyllo, unleavened flour that is oftenly used in the middle east. You can get this in turks shop or anywhere in Lombok area in Utrecht (i'm not sure where you can get this in Philippines or in Singapore though)

brushed oil on the rounded oven pan. Ok, see that bottle of oil, we got that new and full, and see the amount that was used? haha Shocked! During the course, i noticed that it's normal for Turks to use a lot of it or better yet, they're fond of oil :D. The phyllo was so thin that it's difficult to maintain it in one piece. (check out the mess we did)

HT Hubbie loves borek. But of a different kind with (gehakt or minced meat). For the filling, we used 2 types of sausages (one that is similar to those you can get in cans and a fresh one), grated cheddar cheese and lots and lots of coriander.

just throw everything on top of the pan (easy, huh?) and more oil...whew!

we forgot the cheese but it was never too late.

if you think the thin phyllo makes this dish a light meal, think again...add more oil, then pour a cup of milk with flour all over...hmm..

use the remaining dough on top. We cooked it on the fire instead of using the oven. Our teacher, Fahtma, likes the conventional way :). What's difficult with this method is you have to keep on turning the pan around so the dough is cooked evenly and it doesn't stick to the pan. When the outer layer is a bit burnt, this was placed in the oven for 200C for about 10 mins.

it might not be appealing to the eye, but the taste said otherwise.

This was divided into 8 and i had a slice but it stuffed me like i had 2 slices of pizza or a hearty quiche. And there's something with the deeg or dough that made this borek so tasty...whatever it is, i have to learn to read in Turks but since food doesn't speak any language then i'll stick to the ready made. :)

Have you done any unusual dish or attended any cooking lessons? :) Share your experience here :)

Prague, Czech Republic : HT Couple hits Praha!

2011-06-15T22:32:00.003+02:00

Netherlands has a little over 5 days of public holidays and whitmonday is one of them.

HT wife: "hey, whitmonday is a holiday in NL"

HT hubbie: "yeah, so?"

HT wife: "Time for a short holiday!"

HT hubbie: "Ok..."

TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK...

HT wife: "booked"

Yes...we try to travel hard while we can still walk long distances and when age is not yet a concern. And this time, we decided to go East in Europe and we didn't think twice but to explore the beautiful Prague.

Prague has maintained its charm despite of wars and floods. And if you love Paris, think of Prague as a cleaner Paris (volgens mij - according to me). And Prague is a place that wherever you stumble and whatever time of the day, you can see something interesting and beautiful.

Tyn Church at night

Municipal House

Prague Castle

St. Martin Rotunda in Vysehrad

even Vysehrad cemetery made sure they're truly Prague

Being a walkable city, comfy shoes is a must and few stops here and there are necessary. And Prague made sure that in every few steps, you have a place to hang around.

We arrived pretty late in the beautiful city, and the first thing we did after dropping our bags was...

to gulp glasses of beer (I had the Kozel, which is dark but light in taste which was favorable for me). I don't really like beers, but hey, i'm in Prague...I will drink beer :). For touristy area, you can get -0.5l Pilsnr for about 60-80czk~3.80 euro. If you're adventurous enough and wanted to save a few kroners, check those small streets which serves the same beer and size for 35-40czk ~1.68 euro. Drop by during happy hours...it does exist in Prague!

And you can never go hungry...

you can get ham in old town square and watch how it's being smoked

or this foot long inside the Prague Castle when your tummy starts growling...for food while walking around the area - it's better to have your tummy full before you started exploring the place if you mind being ripped off. This foot long costs 120 czk~ 5.80 euro

HT couple, as tourists, ate like tourist so we made sure that we visit this raved cafe...

old cafe louvre building

with their famous hot chocolate

one thing i noticed in Prague, almost all menu, have measurements of what you order...the no. of grams, the no. of liters...i guess, right expectations are quite important here.

aside from beers, start your day right with MEAATTT...and that's what i did though i skipped the beer...(a good variation of Moravian ham, salami, chorizo and ham with pickles) 100+czk~5-7 euro

the bread is served to everyone with cover charge of 12 CZK whether you order it or not. And expect additional few czk if you want milk with your coffee.

Czech cuisine is not very famous to locals. But when you're a tourist, you should try it at least once. But the gauge is more of, which place serves good or unique beers or cheap beers then you eat it with a Czech plate instead of the other way around. :)

and this is what made Pivovarsky Dum famous in Prague (beer sampler- consisting of 8 - 0.1L and uniquely served in this restaurant/brewery in one...do follow the arrow to savor each beers correctly) - 130czk~6 euro. My favorite was the banana beer and HT hubbie settled with their wheat beer.

color wise, i love this green beer (made of nettle)!

Czech cuisine is similar to Germany or Austria. HT hubbie indulged in this beef goulash with all types of dumplings(meat but starchy, bread and potatoes) 200czk~10 euro deluxe . Nothing special other than the dish was pretty salty. Gulp down a big glass of beer to wash out the salt from your body.

and i hate those advertisements or banners...it made me ordered pork knuckle (200czk~10euro/kg) that is almost half a piglet. Good thing there's no side dishes other than horseradish and mustard sauce. The meat was bit dry but i guess that's usual for roasted pig and it's bland without anything with it. So if you don't fancy the pickled veggies and mustard sauce, i wouldn't recommend this plate. (trivia: I finished it...whew!)

What's funny is that this restaurant stood just across the boutique hotel we stayed in so drinking too much and crawling home was possible.

We also tried the locals favorite hang out places..

Kozicka meaning little goat is an unpredictable place. Peaking inside, you would only see wine cellars and bottles unless you really know the place, you wouldn't bother going in. The actual dining area is at the basement and it's not just a wine and cheese place but serves real food! Thanks again to Dahlia Inn's owner for his suggestion.

HT hubbie sticked to his principle that he's in Czech, he would eat only Czech food. Kozicka, only has 3 different type of Czech cuisine and only the beef goulash sounded enticing. And HT hubbie got it right this time, the beef was so tender that it melts in your mouth and the sauce was so tasty and well-balanced. To top it off, this interesting potato pancakes were lovely and not oily.

and without much czechy choice, i settled to this rump steak (200g) but kozel style. Topped with baked blue cheese with almond and chili sauce, i was scared that the chili sauce might overshadow the steak itself but it didn't! I was surprised how it blended well with the saltiness of blue cheese and the aroma of almonds. It was a perfect steak and a must-have! (side dishes are ordered separately). I got the goat potatoes, in onion and garlic cream.

even though they forgot to ask me how do i want it to be cooked, they still know what medium rare is.

Check out the blue cheese and almonds with oozing chili sauce? :) Unique, isn't it? :) It was so delicious that I can't sleep that night despite of complementing it with a bottle of Moravian wine (Czech wine).

And after 2 days of eating meat and more meat...on our last lunch in Prague, we decided to go green.

tucked in a small street Borsova in old town, which is not visible to tourists' eyes. (Thanks again Dahlia Inn owner!)

once you enter the place, it has a different ambiance from outside. We got this small table on one side as most tables were reserved. We were pretty early there so we were able to have photo sessions but after an hour, the locals started coming in. (Lunch is very important in Prague)

Soup of the day - spinach soup with champignons, quinoa (a type of grain) and cream.

Pinto salad was HT hubbie's choice - healthy but tasty salad with sour cream, eggplant and tomato puree with nachos. It was refreshing andlight...it was nice to have something different yet tasteful after being TOO carnivorous.

I took the oriental fry as i've been craving for something Asian. We were supposed to try Malai Buddha near the Strahov Monastery but it's closed on Mondays...bummer. But this plate was pretty good and tasty despite the lack of meat. It was a bit spicy and was a good partner of rice.

They have daily menu - soup and main course for only 108czk (5 euro). And the drinks were all refreshing (55 czk - 2.50 euro). I got a fresh glass of aloe vera. It's still a restaurant in czech, so beers are available!

We left Prague with full tummy. We went to more places but I let you guys discover it yourself. One thing is for sure, you can never go hungry nor thirsty there...even if it's beyond midnight!

And the place we stayed was worth mentioning. It was situated just a few blocks from the main square - Wenceslas Square and run by the owner himself. He's very hands on and treated us, and the other guests with trust. He gave suggestions that are not easy to find via internet and let you check out places where locals usually hang out. The rooms are what you see in their website (unlike other hotels where the pictures all over internet was so pretty and clean but staying there says otherwise). If ever, i'll be back in Prague, I would definitely stay in Dahlia Inn again. And for 50-60 euro, with decent beds, clean rooms and a good guide...this was really cheap and worth it.

http://www.dahliainn.com/

Just like Rome and Madrid, Prague will be a place where i can visit over and over again...and will never get tired of appreciating its beauty.

ADDENDUM:

I forgot to post this traiditional Czech bread which i also love. You can choose between almonds or cinnamon.

i chose the one with almonds

the fun part is watching how it's being made

Utrecht, Netherlands: LE:EN

2011-06-04T19:14:00.001+02:00

HT Couple is still looking out for unique restaurants in Utrecht. If you have read our post about BADHUIS, then you can see the similarities of this place but focusing on different cuisine. And I came to know later on, that Badhuis and LE:EN, are sisters. :)

How did we stumble into LE:EN? They said couples get along if they enjoy simple leisure TOGETHER. And if we're not underwater or outside the Netherlands, we love cycling or walking around Utrecht over and over again. Even with the same routes, Utrecht never failed to amaze me with hidden eating places that as soon as I get the sight of it, I know that I would be back there soon...sometimes too soon.

This was the scene that we stumbled just cycling around. They have a small terrace in front where you can enjoy their unique cocktails and drinks.

the place has the same unique character as badhuis. But this place is more laid back and has that oriental feel.

And they stick to being oriental/asiatic by serving plum wine and lychee wine which HT couple didn't think twice of ordering. :) The lychee wine was nice but we preferred the plum wine.

The menu kaart, same as badhuis, you're given enough choices where you can tick off and order what you fancy. In Asia, this way of ordering is famous in HK food places. I love the concept. It saves time for the waiter and saves energy for the diners of saying 'no, i'm not ready to order yet'. Neat, he?

And...what have we ticked off in the list?

The only item in the breads and dips. This is a combination of Indian naan, which was a disappointment as naan but good as bread, Surinamese papadum and cassava chips but to me the latter tasted like prawn crackers which went well with th Pakistan bengan raita dip and Indian coriander chutney, which HT hubbie is addicted to. (He's a coriander monster! Shh...)

Ever since i've decided that I would be in Europe for good, I always fancy for peking duck. and I don't think I've eaten much duck back in Asia as much as i've eaten here. I guess, it's true that absence made your heart grow fonder...and mine is for the duck. This peking duck roll was pretty good with hoisin sauce on the side. The minced duck filling was tasteful enough but i guess i am missing the duck skin and the oozing oil running through my mouth. For a little over 5 euro, i'm not complaining.

We ordered this Japanese Takaki Sashimi, when it made me mouth-watered when I saw it on another table. I haven't eaten beef this raw before but the dip played an important factor in this dish that gave the beef slices it's ooh...la...la!

we loved this fish roe dip! We enjoyed popping the roe in our mouth.

For something warm, we had Japanese Kare Udon - Curry with sake, calf meat, veggies and maybe 5 pieces of udon streaks! (yes, I counted it! but it's under soup section, so it's understandable)

We also didn't want to miss anything on the sticks, so we got ourselves this Indian vindaloo which was a delight as well.

This was the last dish that came but it was worth the wait. This goat rendang was tender and smackingly delicious. We were not planning to eat much carbs, but with this dish, we forgot about that plan.

And this place ddidn't burn our pockets as most items were priced around 3-7 euros.

After a nice dinner here, HT couple went back home and continue with their other simple leisure together...watching TV while they're cuddled up on the couch.

Have a great week allemaal!

LE:EN

Westerkade 37

Utrecht

http://www.leen-restaurant.nl/

(check out their website as they're moving soon!)

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Satellite Sports Cafe (eat-all-you-can spare ribs)

2011-05-30T15:48:00.005+02:00

If you've been to Amsterdam, i'm sure you did notice the abundant signs of eat-all-you-can spare ribs around. Did you find it very inviting? Were you one of those innocent tourists who after a long day of walking around and sightseeing, all you wanted to do is to stop somewhere rest those legs and feet and fill up your stomach with food up to your neck? Though Europe is not the best place to commit gluttony without damaging your pockets, but there are exceptions. Amsterdam, which still amaze me until now, offers you a good deal for your every euros. (It might sound a very good advertisement...thank you...but this is not an advertorial or sponsored post *wink*)

It's not that spare ribs is the national dish of the Netherlands but there's something with these ribs that draw big crowds. And i've tried a few of these "eat-till-you-drop" spare ribs, and some were disappointing but one did stood out...

This was introduced by a friend of mine, who shares the same passion for food! (Thanks Rei!)

A small bucket of fries (or baked potato), and the well-seasoned RIIIIIIIIBBBBSSS! They do give huge portion (check out another half slab underneath!) And you can choose between garlic or bbq sauce on the side (both were very good) :) You can change sauces if you manage to have several rounds (You'll be very disappointed in me, so far, i haven't ordered my 2nd plate..ever). A friend of mine did but i wouldn't mentioned her name (you know who you are :D)...but take note that you only get half slab for every succeeding rounds.

What made these ribs stood out? They were full of taste! You don't even need the sauce for it so you can use somewhere else maybe as your fries dip or salad dressing. I've been here several times and I never failed not to lick my fingers and the bones, of course!

And the best thing is, it's less than 10 euros! Fabulous, huh?

To those Filipinos and maybe Singaporeans who had been to Europe would share the same sentiments as me when it comes to drinks. Coming from the other side of the world that's used to refillable iced tea or bottomless coke or huge size of drinks, i was shocked when i got a glass and super EXTRA small bottle of coke for 3 euros during my visit here in Europe. Yes, the itsy-bitsy bottles that got extinct in the Philippines when my favorite drink was still milk and I don't think i've seen it in Singapore as well. Anyways, this place begs to differ. It might not be bottomless but you get this HUGE glass (yes, they do exists!) for less than 5 euros. And it can last until your next round of meat-chugging.

Since it's a sports cafe, don't expect a serene environment. Whether it's soccer or ice hockey, expect the place to be full! We were a few minutes early before the game started...so we were lucky to secure a seat.

Try it out when you're around the area! It's in one corner of Leidseplein in Amsterdam. A big banner of eat all you can spare ribs is displayed in front of the restaurant and it's difficult to miss.

Ok, HT wife needs to shed off those calories i've accumulated these past few weeks. Stay tune for another Utrecht eating scene and soon...Prague! Ta ta!

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Pancakes Upstairs

2011-05-24T20:42:00.004+02:00

Before crepe even existed in the world, there is the so-called Dutch Pancakes and it still exists in this side of the world.

And being one of the national food of the land of clogs and tulips, you can find this famous pancakes in every corner of Amsterdam. But if you want your journey to pancakes be more exciting, then look for this...

Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs

and here's the journey going up...

it ain't your ordinary dining place...it's fuss-free and homey (i blurred the faces of my friend and her sister as I didn't ask their permission:D)

teapots everywhere (i'm sure they wouldn't notice if you try to steal one) and a portrait of the dutch royalties...gezellig, huh?

The indonesian staff was very nice to us. We even exchanged our experiences learning the dutch language and he's taking his state exam for dutch proficiency this week so good luck to him. :)

What is nice about dutch pancakes is its thin crust (crepe in texture) as it let you savor the toppings and the fillings at its best. And, i love its versatility. So i went hawaiian with bacon, cheese, tomato and of course, pineapple slices.

My friend chose apples on top of her bacon and tomato pancakes. She was sure that apples are always a perfect companion with anything savory.

Her sister got the same as mine but with an exotic topping (caramaelized gember - ginger)

Even though these were savory pancakes, the syrup-stroop still blended well with it (check out that Van Gilse bottle). We love the stroop on our pancakes!

The serving was pretty huge and it was difficult to finish. At some point, my friend and I poked all the bacon strips in the pancakes. haha

Did you notice we all ordered pancakes with bacon? Because, you can never go wrong with bacon in any dish or having it alone. It is super! (dutch expression).

Try it out when you had the chance to visit Amsterdam whether you're a local or not.

Pancakes are priced around 8-9+ euro. If you're not a big eater, I would suggest to share it with your travel mate or your partner in crime.

Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs

Grimburgwal 2

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Blue Cheese Burger with Portobello Mushroom

2011-05-15T20:36:00.004+02:00

HT wife had a craving...she needed it ASAP. HT hubbie was in a panic...he's thinking where to get HT wife's request...he can get it from a fast-food-chain-which-must-not-be-named in HT couple's dictionary but nah...until "ting...!"

What beats a good burger that is made with love? :D Cheezy...

He got a quarter pounder in the grocery, melted gorgonzola pieces on top...

Just the way i like it.

The yummy portobello mushroom shouldn't be left out. This can serve as the burger patty if you're the vegetarian...but HT couple take their being carnivores seriously.

soaked in a mixture of garlic, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, soy sauce and olive oil..

leave it for an hour or so to let the mushy's absorb the marinade and sear it in a pan.

sautee'd veggies on the side (zucchini and bell peppers). HT hubbie melted gran padano when the veggies were almost soft.

Voila! Tasteful burger, nicely glazed mushrooms with healthy veggies...

and a satisfied HT wife. Lucky her...isn't she? :D

Belgium, Brussels - Seoul Korean Grill

2011-05-03T19:21:00.001+02:00

Once you see these...

flat chopsticks

healthy knick knacks on the table

clear, spicy soup

gyoza with chili oil (though in the menu, it's called ravioli :D)

raw marinated meat

and being cooked in front of you..

until it's chow time!

We really had a nice korean treat!

And of course, we didn't end the night without dessert.

It's always nice to be in an asian restaurant serving authentic cuisine at this side of the world.

Price Summary (in euro)

This set menu cost 31 euro

Seoul

1050 Ixelles Brussels

Belgium, Brussels - a guide for the sweet tooth

2011-05-02T22:38:00.000+02:00

HT couple visited a friend who will be living in Brussels for 18 months for work! Imagine being surrounded by life's greatest...chocolates here, beers there and more chocolates on that side and beers this side! It's almost a few steps away to heaven. :) Though she's not fond of chocolates (bummer), but beers are to her liking (belgium is not bad for her after all :D)

HT couple loves chocolates. It's not our routine to have desserts everyday but a piece of chocolate everyday is a must! There were a few times that we just can't sleep as we didn't had our chocolate dosage. And for a couple having the same passion for chocola (dutch), that can mean war. Luckily, we have our own preferences, HT hubbie is into milk chocolates and i'm into the dark ones. So, all is fair in love and chocolates. :D

Brussels isn't my favorite place (as what my friends said, i should go there on days when I seem not to appreciate The Netherlands :D ) except for the chocolate shops every corner. I have my favorites, of course...

Pierre Marcolini

4 years ago, i first landed in this shop in Sablon area at the center of Brussels (so expect that it is a tourist trap). Acclaimed to be the world's best chocolate, it wouldn't hurt to try once. I got their sampler box (i think about 30 pcs for 'effin 20 euros) which my wallet didn't like the price tag but tastebuds came knocking on the door not to bother about the numbers. I can still remember, that their pralines were nice but what i can't forget are the grand cru's thus, this 2011, PM chocolates and I got reunited. But this time ( i settled down with Saveurs du Monde- 16 pcs for 12 euros). I just prefer my chocolates, simple with that good cocoa kick and no flavors added. Equateur is my favorite.

I'll be honest that I forgot to consider HT hubbie's milk chocolate preference (oopsie), thus i have to get this superman's kryptonite-looking chocolate which name has "tiramisu" in it out of guilt for being a selfish chocolate addict.

It was difficult to resist....

It's made of cream ganache covered with nougatine and mild dark chocolate. Harmoniously done, each ingredients went well together but for 3 euro for this small piece, it's a bit overpriced. But still, it's nice to try their new creation once in a while.

I did notice that the chocolate sizes were smaller. I guess, with the economic crisis, putting up the prices (higher than 20 euros), for a box of chocolates, is not a good idea thus, de-sizing is the only option. Also, i've read somewhere that Nestle has bought more shares to sustain this infamous PM. And with it's availability in Japan, expect more expansion in Asia and who knows it might just be across your doorstep. Then make sure to try it!

Next favorite is Wittamer, which is a few blocks away from PM. A small fact: Pierre Marcolini worked in Wittamer and was trained here :).

We didn't buy chocolates there anymore as we also got a few at Leonida's (where truffles are nice for 6 euro a box i.e.250 g - 1/4 of the price of what is being sold in Wittamer).

this can be finished by HT hubbie in one seating...so HT wife supervision is much needed :D

We decided to stay indoors where we got the peace and quietness as outside seating was fully occupied by residents and tourists (as the sun has been visiting us for days now). We just wanted to relax a bit before we go for a walk again.
And with the warm weather...nothing else came into my mind but a good glass of ice cream and a good dosage of caffeine so I can walk the next stretch.

Cafe Liegois (10.50 euro)- glace (ice cream) with cafe Costa Rica and chantilly. It was perfect! The sweetness of the ice cream was a good complement of the bitterness of the coffee. It was refreshing!

My friend, Cinderella ordered Dame Blanche ou Noire (10.50 euro).

Cinderella poured the thick chocolate over her ice cream even if she's not fond of it to give it a try. She thought it was ok. I don't know if that circular meringue beside the ice cream went well with all the fancy ingredients.

They don't have an English menu so either you wanted to be surprised or to be sure, bring out your iphone for translation :D. Also, everything is quite expensive, even though it is good, i don't think it was worthy from what you get..

See that big smile? Somebody was successful with her chocolate shopping :D.

TIME OUT: Me, myself and HT hubbie in Singapore (2011)

2011-04-25T23:30:00.001+02:00

There is a saying, it's better late than never...HT couple wanted to greet everyone...

a Happy Happy Easter!!! :) A friend of mine handpainted this herself (thanks renza!)

Here in the Netherlands, we have the so-called Easter Monday or Tweede Paasdagen(2nd day of Easter). Yes, you guess it right, it's our holiday for the whole holy week.

And the weather also gave us a very nice Easter warmth. :) (Trivia: This year was the hottest easter in the Netherlands since 1901) How lucky can I be? :)

And blame it to the nice weather, I can't resist of being out in the sun so blogging at home became a second priority. (You'll understand how sun is important when you live at this side of the world :D)

And with everything nice, I can't help but think about what I've enjoyed during my short trip in Singapore 2 months ago. My 4-day trip became like 2 1/2 days as I was not feeling well due to the virus i got...thanks Phily. :) Thinking about it might take a year before I get back to SG ...hmm..I just have to do these...

get up, close and personal with chili crabs ( i know you guys miss me too!)

klang style bak kut teh and pig's trotter - since this is situated near to our ex-home in SG, we paid the surrounding a visit and all the good memories came back...

since we're missing the restaurant week in NL, our friends (who's used to the virus in Phily), reserved this dinner @ Brasserie Wolf (HT couple's first time to try a restaurant week menu). Thanks Majel!

of course, i wouldn't forget my favorite hokkien mee...(dream, drool, dream, drool, drool, drool) If only there is an eat-all-you-can hokkien mee...I would be a good customer.

And HT hubbie made sure he gets a few pics with his love (after me, of course)...

this one showed his side of gluttony. Having chicken rice and bak kut teh meal in one seating.

HT hubbie thinking: " Come to me baby" (showing off as well his chopsticks skills)

And even with the sore throat, I just can't leave this country without this...

suddenly i felt better.

We will surely be back my beloved Singapore! And next time, i'll make sure i get a good dose of Vitamin C...or a huge bucket of Tom's palette salted caramel ice cream.

And this ends our asian vacation for 2011! Now time to explore again NL and Europe food scene again...'till the next post!

Philippines - Antonio's Tagaytay - a one-of-a-kind

2011-04-15T16:14:00.002+02:00

Have you ever heard of a place that you're so eager to go but you told yourself that one day you'll be there with your "THE ONE"?

And this 2011, my dream for almost a decade has finally came true.

it all started passing by at this sign.

This mansion look-a-like from the front gate makes you already feel at home. And aside from the staff, this happy elephant greeted us at the front door.

Before we were lead to the dining area, we passed by at this section, where lots of memorabilia of the owner are displayed. I am in love, it's so homey.

Antonio's setting is just like home. You can eat outside and be closer to nature or you can sit inside with big chandeliers and still be in contact with nature. Big windows are open and Tagaytay, where this restaurant is situated, has this fresh air and coolness that we Manilenos love going to when we want an escape from the pollution and busy-ness of Manila.

We were given this bread...while still deciding for our orders.

freshly made bread with well-balanced squid ink infusion...just lovely!

For drinks:

freshly squeezed pineapple juice (refillable or drink all you can) - $7 sgd or 3.5 euro

when you order this fresh mango juice, you get the same mango ice cubes to complement with it :) good idea, isn't it? - an order is about 2 glasses - $7 sgd or 3.5 euro

We were given only the main course menu, and each main course comes with...

raspberry vinagrette salad with blue cheese - greens were fresh just like all their ingredients

soup of the day

*They also offer other starters and salads but this is what is served in their standard menu (i'm sure upgrades are welcomed)

For our entrees...

this was my order and every single bite was so tasty. Even though it's a bit burnt outside, it gave the tenderness of the meat that crunchy bits. I picked pumpkin sage risoni as my side dish and it was heaven!

boasted that this organic free poultry came from Antonio's farm...the bourbon tomato complemented well to the chicken, giving its wonderful taste.

And they catered this sampler for those who can't decide what to order in their seafood specialties(just like my sister LOL). from left to right: Pan-seared scallops on truffle cream sauce, prawn thermidor and the chilean seabass baked with tomato, olive, parsley, pine nuts on mashed potato. Looking at this in the menu may not be enticing, but trying it out says otherwise. A light entreé but exquisitely heavy in taste.

I chose this for dad and i'm so glad i made the right choice for him. I think this was the 5-star plate of the day. From left to right, grilled beef fillet gratinated w/ wild mushrooms on mashed potato, honey glazed lamb loin gratinated with goat cheese (HT wife's choice!) and beef fillet on plancha with black pepper sauce. Each piece was nicely cooked and the taste is just inexplicable. It really deserves having Antonio's name (period).

A wonderful meal wouldn't be complete without...

desserts!!! I'll be honest that the desserts were just ok, or i guess i made high expectations after tasting all their entrees wherein negativity was out of my vocabulary. I love the chocolate terrine among these sweets.

After everything, the Tarragon Tea still impressed me...

What i like about Antonio's is not only the food but the whole dining experience. We didn't even notice we were there for almost 4 hours! We were just enjoying every moment of our stay.

And the best part of the story is: It was worth a decade waiting to experience Antonio's being with my..

"THE ONE". :)

Happy weekend! - from your always hungry-trotting couple!

Price Summary:

*depends on your main course

on average 2200-2500 pesos (80 sgd or 40 eur)

Antonio's Tagaytay

Purok 138 Brgy. Neogan

Tagaytay City, Cavite

Philippines

*for dinner, reservation of at least a month before is a must!

Philippines-Puerto Princesa, Palawan: Another food haven

2011-04-07T22:33:00.001+02:00

I've been missing HT hubbie. He's somewhere out there ...and might be having his cup of Guinness beef stew. To overcome this missing syndrome, I reminisced our times together...
And i still can't forget our Philippines' trip that made us difficult to come back to reality...

Palawan is about an hour flight from Manila. This is my 4th time in the island and I wouldn't mind going back there for a millionth time. There is something in the island that makes me feel at home and relaxed.

I just love those rocky mountains...

it is the home of the the famous Underground River (finalist of the 7 wonders of nature) - please vote if you think it's worth to visit http://www.new7wonders.com/

A paddle boat will be waiting for you at the site with a tour/boat guide. Thinking of just a cave, with stalagmites and stalactites, i thought i would get bored easily. But the tour made our trip entertaining and letting us imagine what those mineral formation looks like. Expect to laugh a lot but hold on to the boat so you won't topple over and don't look up while laughing if you don't want some bat poop inside your mouth. :)

I won't elaborate more...as I want you to experience personally this wonderful nature...highly recommended by HT COUPLE (Promoting Philippines' Tourism *wink*)

This underground river can be the best pride of Puerto Princesa. But what other people didn't know, this city is considered a food haven! We enjoyed our every bite and slurp here. Come and join us as we tour you around Puerto Princesa through our appetite.

ONG's MAKI HOUSE - Rizal Ave, Puerto Princesa

Maki Mee - most Filipino-Chinese even Filipinos know this bowl. Ma means meat and Ki means sticky, the soup is starch-based making it very thick with some chewy beef balls or pork balls. Their version is only with beef. (while i'm writing this, i'm starting to drool). This is similar to Lor Mee in Singapore or Malaysia but I prefer this Maki Mee in the Philippines as it is not sour as vinegar is not used. The soup is well seasoned and you can order this without the Mee (noodles). I grew up eating this bowl from a fastfood chain that was really close to my family's heart. And what was great here is that the chinese family who owns the maki house uses the same recipe for years...no frills added...just authentic chinese meal in front of you.

Now a dutch loves this bowl too!

Homemade Siomai - packed with meat and a must-have on your table.

Wanton and Beef Mami - generous serving of meat, noodles and wanton(they used the same as their siomai) and the beefy soup was delicious with a tinge of sweetness. My smile was up to my ears as this made me remember my younger years when I would help out mom at work and get a bowl of this as a reward after a long day. :)

Now, me and my siopao! In the Philippines, we usually get it big! (Ta pau) And there would be a sweet sauce on the side that you smothered on it just like ketchup on burgers. (This was the smile that I was talking about :D)

Ka Lui- Rizal Ave, Puerto Princesa

You should never leave Puerto Princesa without dining in this place. And every night, only reservations are accepted as they're always fully booked! I suggest to book 2 days in advance to secure a table. And if you're lucky, you'll get a table as cozy as this.

they don't allow shoes or slippers but don't worry they have nice cabinets if you're wearing Louboutins :D)

Any misses in their food? The answer is a big NO!!! Every dish was cooked well and very tasty. They change menu like every week but they have a few homegrown dishes that is available daily and they're unforgettable!

Adobong Pusit - squid simmered in soy sauce, vinegar with bay leaf (adobo style). Adobo is like our national dish, we use this style with pork, beef, kangkong..name anything, we can do it the adobo way! The squid was well-cooked...it was tender and not bland. Usually, it's difficult to have squid absorb the sauce or marination, but Ka Lui made them lip-smacking good!

Seafood Sisig - I don't usually eat sisig as originally it's made of pig's ears, cheeks and some internal organs. It's delicious but just thinking of what was in the plate makes me say NO to it. But as creative as Filipinos can be, if we can cook anything the adobo way, we can also do anything the sisig way! Sisig is seasoned with lime, salt, pepper, garlic and is usually served in a sizzling plate. Usually with an uncooked egg on top that you mix with the meat while it's still sizzling hot! And so far, sisig never disappointed anyone who has tried it (even Anthony Bourdain ate it as sides with beer - the very Filipino way). For those in Singapore, check out this post when i brought 2 fellow foodies who loved the sisig BONIFACIO. And if you're somewhere around Marina Bay Sands, you can get this, in the Rasapura Master Food Court, Gerry's Grill stall (this is a restaurant in the Philippines that serves good Filipino food).

Let's now explore Palawan's delicacies

Lato - is a type of seaweed in Palawan and is served in every meal as your veggie for the day. Those poppy greens are kind of fun to eat but it is very salty. People in Palawan eat it alone or with rice without anything else.

I was a bit disappointed that I have to say goodbye to Palawan and I was not able to try their Tamilok. I conditioned myself for days to try it...and when I was ready, it was out of stock :(.

What is Tamilok?

It's a mollusk living inside rotting mangroves. It's also called "wood worm" as it's in a form of a worm. But as per any locals, if you can eat oysters, you can eat tamilok (i'm ready to try the ones soaked in vinegar). You eat it like herring in the Netherlands, you pick up one of the ends (except this one is slippery) and let it slide thru your throat. Then a good way to digest it is with a few sip of alcohol.

photo credits to Rita (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rietje/4631747412/in/photostream/) - it's your own discretion if you want to see an enlarged version by double clicking the pic.

I guess Tamilok and I are not meant to be...maybe next time.

And that ends our trip in Palawan...and another good thing is...HT hubbie will be back soon! Enjoy the weekend everyone! 'Till the next post!

TIME OUT: Philippines - Tubbataha Reef - worth diving for

2011-03-27T22:56:00.003+02:00

Aside from eating, HT couple loves diving. Diving had played a significant role to HT couple's road to love. From our first out-of-town date, the underwater marriage proposal up to our honeymoon, sharks and fishes were our underwater witnesses.

We were lucky to have the opportunity to dive in tropical waters again after almost a year. And we didn't think twice where to go and immediately booked The Tubbataha dive trip in the Philippines.

Tubbataha reef, for your information, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the Sulu Sea of the Philippines. This is one of our country's pride. The only way to get here, is by taking a boat, spending days and nights in the middle of the sea with big waves.

There are several boats that goes to this marine park between the months of March to June. We took Expedition Fleet's Oceanic Explorer first trip for the year to Tubbataha.

this was our home for 6 days

our dive suite...the best room we ever had in liveaboards

this is what i like about liveaboards, no fuss but comfortable living (from left to right - the dining area, dive baskets for each divers so we don't mix our stuff with others, a library and a bar area where we can get our dose of beer or cola after a long day.)

the marine park is well-protected...no fishing, no anchoring thus, we used these chaser boats to go to the dive spots.

What I hate in diving?

Wearing the wetsuit is such a pain. It already consumes half of my energy. I'll start sweating to death just gearing up. Then the remaining energy goes to carrying the tank before going underwater.

But as soon as I see this...

the breathtaking view just makes me feel light and naked

And seeing these sea creatures...i almost forgot that I need to breathe

aside from fish watching, i love dancing underwater too...

And what i love the most in diving? Every after dive, I am able to do my other hobby...

we were well fed in the boat - which contributed to the 2 kg i gained from my vacation...but it was worth it.

I haven't seen much pelagic fishes and sharks in my dives around Southeast Asia until this trip. So this is definitely recommended by HT Couple.

Try diving...where else can you have an eye to eye contact with nemo? :)

*Thanks to Mark for lending us his underwater camera case for the whole trip. :)

P.S. In this trip, HT wife reached her 100th dive and counting 'till her 200th :). Hurray!

1 year - a facelift of The Hungry-Trotting Couple...

2011-03-26T16:42:00.002+01:00

During the vacation, there were days when i'm just sitting under the sun, doing nothing, I realized that our blog is now a year old and decided to give it a simple facelift. A fresh aura that still signifies how Hungry-Trotting Couple enjoys exploring the world of food.

There were times we thought of letting The Hungry-Trotting Couple goes to sleep...forever. But everytime we read the posts, we remember the joy of eating, taking pictures, writing about food and the friends that we connected with through this blog, inspires us to write more and more. So i guess, you still have to hang on with us for another year. :)

HT wife is almost a year in Holland now, and "The Hungry-Trotting Couple...goes Dutch!" are already "dutch-adjusted". And for a new feel of this blog...I present to you...the same couple you love...

"The Hungry-Trotting Couple...goes ANYWHERE!"

Whether, it's in Philippines, Singapore, The Netherlands, or other countries...near or far...HT wife and HT hubbie will be ready to go anywhere and bring their same appetite with them. Definitely, the HT Couple will continue to share their love for food to you...wherever they may be.

Come and join us as we explore together the world through

THE ART OF EATING...

'Till the next post...ta ta!

TIME OUT: Where's HT couple?

2011-03-18T02:30:00.002+01:00

under the sea...

outerspace?!?

in a barrio...

in a nice resort...

wherever we are....we'll be back SOON...stay tuned!

Manila: What HT couple have been enjoying back home

2011-03-03T14:34:00.002+01:00

Our first few meals in PH...

Max's Fried Chicken - look how happy HT wife was, holding her first meal in PH. Max's Fried Chicken for Filipinos is no-ordinary poultry. It has taste almost similar to crispy pata (fried pork knuckle) which is very tasty compared to white meat and with its goodness, their slogan is deliciously good up to the bones...and indeed, if you can eat the bones, you would polish your plate like it was newly washed.

Banana ketchup with worcestershire sauce goes well with this chicken. Banana ketchup, well-known in PH is made of mashed bananas instead of tomatoes. It give lighter and sweeter taste. This is also being used for pasta dishes. If you see a sweet-style spaghetti sauce, that is inspired by this banana ketchup and for sure you'll have a sweet, tangy flavor pasta...a Filipino recipe.

Fried Pork Knuckle aka Crisy Pata -We, Filipinos love our pork and treats it very well. A dish served on Filipino's table during parties and festivities. The crunchy skin, dip in the special made soy sauce was worth every crack and even though it's fried, the meat remains tender and tasty. What I don't like in this dish is the process of scraping out the fats from the skin and from the meat, but otherwise, eating it, is like in heaven.

A true blue Filipino, HT wife enjoyed her chickenjoy! All Filipinos know how much this chicken gives joy to Filipinos going home from abroad. Jollibee, the store that serves this poultry, is our Filipino version of McDonalds. Its crispy skin, oozing oil and tasty gravy are unhealthy but coming home after 7 months, makes this calories intake worth it.

This might not be exclusive in the Philippines, but Green Tea Frappuccino doesn't exist in the Starbucks' european scene. My favorite drink if I'm not in the mood for caffeine. Aside from loving its color, i just love green tea per se.

Biko - is a Filipino delicacy made of sticky rice and coconut. This sweet rice cake is such a delight. I took this for granted when we would have it at home when I was young. I guess, absence really makes the heart grow fonder. I enjoyed every bite of this chewy and lip smacking good biko.

If HT wife had her cravings, HT hubbie sure has one for himself...

Tempura Tuna Sashimi Tartare - A mixture of tempura skin, tuna sashimi pieces mixed in a special mayo sauce. Teryaki boy, a Japanese chain in the Philippines has introduced this dish a few years ago and became a hit. It hit HT hubbie's heart too! The special sauce was a mixture of zest, spicy and sweet taste which goes well with bland raw tuna pieces and the fried tempura pieces added flavor to it.

HT Hubbie didn't think twice of having his picture taken with his favorite dish...he can't wait to have his first bite!

I noticed, being in Manila, is a very good weight gain program. It's time to take a break...so off we go to Apo, Tubbataha Reef and Puerto Princesa for our dive expedition and going-around-other-than-in-manila trip...and for sure, food would be a part of this journey. Ta ta for now!

Utrecht, Netherlands: Tai Soen - a prelude

2011-02-23T19:33:00.001+01:00

It's funny how ironic HT couple was the past few weeks. We've been cooking asian dishes, dining in asian restaurants and unknowingly, we were starting to express our excitement for our 1-month vacation in PH and SG through our palates.

And aside from eating, I noticed these past few weeks, i'm being surrounded by my friends here. It's like a feel of how I will be spending time with my friends and family back home.

Tai Soen is yet another chinees-indisch restaurant (chinese-indonesian) in Utrecht which has been standing at Hoog Catharijne, the mall connected to the train station, Utrecht Centraal. It's difficult to miss this place when walking around especially on a Saturday noon, this place might not have long queues from outside, but once you get in, it's definitely crowded with a mixture of Europeans and Asian diners.

We met up with a friend who suggested this place to us. She had been here several times even though she's not living in Utrecht. And she vouched for the dimsum here...

Chee Cheong Fun - our friend was craving for this. We even can't find it in the menu and she thoroughly explained it to the waiter to make sure we're getting the right dish and then I learned that she was looking for cheong fun. I was not a fan of this dimsum as the impression to me that it was just skins. We got the shrimp filling, which were pretty big and tasty. The skin was smooth and it was not too thick nor too thin. I actually like it so I will definitely have one in SG.

It's funny, but as far as I can remember, i think this was my first cheong fun in my life...and I got it in Holland. :)

Har Gaw - an all-time favorite...steamed shrimp dumpling. I learned this even before i learn to talk. Just like how dutch learned to cycle before they can even walk. :)

Pork Siomai - I love siomai if they're not dry and packed with more meat than fats. I get goosebumps when I accidentally chew on pork fats. My mom trained me and my sisters pretty well not to consume fats to the fact that we dislike eating them. But my dad was a good father to my only brother, he taught him how to eat fats smackingly and letting us feel that we're missing something.

Spareribs in black bean sauce - This was so-so and bland. I thought the taste would be the same as chicken feet but I guess nothing beats slurping the sauce, skinning the feet and leaving bits and pieces of small bones and finishing a plate is considered an achievement. :)

Babi Panggang - an indonesian dish, typically seen on indonesian-chinese table, is made of pan fried pork (similar to lechon kawali in PH), smothered with tomato-based sauce. It was my first time to try this dish and I was surprised it looks simple but taste was amazingly good! The pork was not to dry yet crispy and the sweet tangy sauce went well with the meat. Ask any Netherlander, for sure, they know what Babi Panggang is (they even have Lay's Potato Chips in Babi Panggang flavor :D). This is easy to get around Netherlands, as every chinese-indonesian restaurants for sure, serves their own variety of this babi. (according to wikipedia, this is indo-chinese version of char siew)

I would recommend to try this place when you're around the neighborhood of Utrecht. Thanks Rei for the recommendation and for stopping by.

Now, do you think HT couple are ready to fly back to Asia? Yes, we are!!!

Price Summary(euro)

Dimsum - 3+ to 5+ euro per plate

Babi Panggang = 12+ euro (includes rice, i think)

Tai Soen

275 Godebaldkwartier

Hoog Catharijne

Utrecht,