Condemnation

comdemnation
 

comdemnation

Dont’ ever waster your money here. So pricey and culinaristic sounding but… but…OMG! Trying to imitate the THEN Tropical Hut (not now ha?-coz now is worst). Patty was bombarded with loaf bread soaked in full cream milk thus resulting in a creation so milky (not creamy) crumbling each time bitten-lacking the bit flesh-toughness of real beef. You will scout for the patty itself as it is topped with plenty of ek-ek. Bacon was basted with either honey or inverted brown sugar that it came out to be like “turon” (fried wrapped banana sweetened with brown sugar). Lacks the smokey-salty-meaty pleasure of a bacon.
The marinated fries was ok. Coffee swirl? AYAW! So mahal lahat ala namang dapat i-mahal. (I don’t like. Pricey but I don’t taste a bit to demand such a price)
Clue: in the Philippines’ posh commercial community called BGC.

 

 

A lovely “usual daily grinding” day…and my breakfast.

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With the morning sun, my coffee.
High glucose content drives me to create my own:
* A tablespoonful of instant Robusta granules (or any instant one you have)
* 1 & 1/2  sachets of Splenda
(I refrain from Aspartame & Acesulfame-K)
Blend well first above 2 ingredients.
This way, a bit of coffee’s burnt taste will be lessen.
(un-achievable if you’ll mix coffee & milk first)
Then, add in:
* 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of kids’ instant full cream milk powder
* 1/2 teaspoon of Milo instant choco powder
Blend well.
Mixing ingredients first into a uni-mass
will yield the best results for variety of food products.
Pour in your boiling water.
Stir. Sniff the rich aroma of Robusta.
Taste the difference of your own blend.
My carbo.
Raisin bread from The French Baker,
an approximation of the famous-widely patronized-original version
of Baguio Country Club.
Ooppss…I just remebered. Way back 1995, as guest, after a round of golf
at this club’s par 61
(hey, this ain’t easy course-tight fairways and rolling hills all the way)
I wanted to bring home to Manila loaves of their famous raisin bread.
Lined up and waited for my turn to buy.
Approaching the desk, this voice shuttered me down
…”sir what’s your membership card number” asked the saleslady.
“What? Why? Is this for members only?”
“Yes sir”.
OMG, my face turned pale.
“Kahiya to death” (shy to death)
Anyway, no hurt feelings. My bad.
And so each time fam is in Baguio-I ask a member to buy for me.
I still like and love that of Baguio’s version.
It’s not packed with lots of raisins but the cinnamon-like (or allspice) taste is dominant.
Raisin variety may have been best.
An ingredient or two could be absent in the French baker’s style.
Although other bakery products of French’s are our usual take home.
I will rate Baguio’s as #10 and French’s #9.
Should you happen to be here, then below are their location details:
BAGUIO COUNTRY CLUB
THE FRENCH BAKERNow, my side…
or my main…I miss this which we used to produce every Christmas season only.
Honey-Cured Hickory Smoked Porkloin Ham

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Just 3 slices and off to work table.
I may be issuing recipe for this type of ham soon.
Let me go through my formulation which includes spice-blends & Oleoresins
(oils of different spices, herbs, condiments and USFDA approved food chemicals)
that I have to convert into grammage-powder so it could be produced on per kilo basis.

YABU the royalty of “katsu”.

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Staff handed and explained the white & black sesame seeds that we had to pulverize
using the provided small ceramic mortar & wood pestle then pour in “that sauce” in my plate
which I had to taste first separately-to know what it’s a mix of.
Sniffed, tasted oohh it’s made of blah, blah, blah.
The beer is in stand-by for any eventuality like the piquant yellow mustard
that I believe was generously mixed with “wasabi”
(check the yellow thing below 2 o’clock of rice in bowl).
Whew, the heat went up to my head…but I loved it.
Pangs & I, whenever in the look-out for “real” food, never…as in never…will consider
any Japanese site. Why? We’re not fond of their dishes.
Another why? Here:
1. we manufacture high-end “Gyoza”, dimsum and dumpling thus supply some of them.
We see, smell, taste them day in-day out.
2. we do not go for raw meat like the different “sashimi” (do you call them so?)
3. had tried no less than 4 that served “RANCID katsus”
4. can’t control the temptation of eating a lot due to our ecstasy of using chopsticks.
But for heaven’s sake Cha, my daughter, imposed on us last Wednesday
that we dine at YABU-Glorietta 5 (Makati City) saying their “katsu” is the best.
Familiar name mention &  praises from friends, me anxious.
Eager to try if it will pass Pangs’ & my smell-taste-digest-smell-taste routine.
To scrutinize varieties, Pangs got Kurobuta Premium Set,
I had Chicken and Seafood Katsu Set,
Cha and fiance Anton ordered Katsu Curry Set.
My serving.
A-plenty, in seeming dis-array, but OMG never mind. It’s worth every space.
Finished my fave “miso soup” first then attacked the “never-ending” thinly sliced organic white cabbage.

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Took this shot to remind me of the “encounter”
Findings:
1. never tasted any rancidity in the food served
which means that the oil used could be for that day’s production only.
2. “panko” (Japanese breadcrumbs) is perfect. It matches the kind of oil utilized.
3. Japanese rice was perfect.
4. well, I concocted my own dipping sauce combi.
5. I particularly love the cabbage.
5. I don’t know but the overall taste of food seemed “very very clean”
6. STAFF? Utmost courtesy. Accommodating. Alert. Swift.
7. PRICE? Of course, a bit high than the 2-3 star Jap houses but
WELL WORTH THE BUCKS.
Don’t entertain second thoughts…go visit your nearest branch.
Check YABU’s website here...choose what you’ll order before hand.
Line is long. Save time.
YABU the royalty of katsu.

Sweltering afternoon…continuation: beer or juice? (Simple Sirloin Steak)

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…and my best friend won, again,
but this time had to cut off some calories that I shifted to its other presentation
“light” (check left of pic).
Actually, quaffed the juice first then reserved the beer for my to-go-along food
(for steak clashes with sweetened juice, much more melon) 

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Attacked the left over 2 pieces of “sirloin”, baby potatoes, my favorite
“pickled eggs & white onion” and so…
Sirloin was rubbed with combi of:
fine salt 8 grams,
crushed & whole black pepper 3 grams,
nutmeg powder 2 grams,
garlic powder 4 grams,
dried thyme 2 grams,
coriander powder 2 grams
a pinch of Spanish paprika 1 gram.
Post rubbing, marinated unto 200 ml. red wine for 1 hour
turning to other side every 15 minutes.
Unto 170 deg.C heated sizzling plate, in little butter, cook to desired state.
Potatoes were fried with little EVOO
then cooked a bit in left over meat marinade (in the same sizzling plate)
for a “CRUNCHIER” bite (not the soft-to-the-bite boiled ones we’re accustomed with)
(Pardon my grammage measurements. Am not used to teas-table-spoons.
We compute each ingredient in our production line by weight NOT BY VOLUME)
Try it. So simple and easy.
No hussle.

Sweltering afternoon in this “reactive” (never proactive) & most of the times vindictive environment. Juice or beer?

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This refreshing melon juice that Pangs just blendered and poured in 2 teaspoons of honey plus a cup of ice.

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Or, this favorite friend of mine who is with me in all facets of my life: happy, sad, joyous, bliss, tense, harassed, problematic, winning or losing competitions or just plain relaxing…my best buddy.

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Am many years over half century.
Since I became aware of surrounding, way about 3-5 years old then,
I always hear my parents & relatives talk about how warm, humid and hot it is during summer
(Philippines’ summer starts mid March or early April & ends mid May to about June thereabouts)
…while floods turn every street of the metropolis into an open sea on rainy season
(June to about October).
With it goes the “never ending questions of”:
why do dams dry up in summer breaking necks of government officials to call AN ALL OUT
water consumption austerity to prevent shortages…
and dams over-spilling in rainy season, again breaking necks of those officials,
calling for residents of the dams’ water ways to evacuate and jump to higher grounds
as they RELEASE water from the said over-spilling reservoir.
WHEW!
No solutions done?
Since I was 3 years old to now?
This makes our country unique from the rest.
Other nations are pro-active.
We are reactive.
In fact, a lot of times vindictive of the last admin.
Always reactionary no-brainer-simple-minded solutions. Never lasting.
Oh hell.
While this besets me every now and then…
to be more productive than whine by the corner, might as well tinker and decide
under this sweltering 35degrees Celsius reading this pm,
what will I share with Pangs tonight as we attack dinner at home:
Time to head home.
I’ll tell you in next post what happened. Meanwhile…