Taal Vista Lodge, Tagaytay City, Philippines

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Salad

Savor the best in center table offerings amidst shivery atmosphere,
crisp refreshing inhales of oxygen, atop views of world acclaimed Taal lake, greeneries
and hmmmmm re-invigorating breeze.
Join me as we delve into their “bragging rights”.
One sunday, was in my usual “alone again naturally” state,
my legs and driving acumen led me to, once more, dive into adventure and gear up to Tagaytay City,
the fave destination of many for food, sights and weather.
About 80-90 kms from Manila and 15-18 kms from my place.
Lunch time that was and found me seated by the buffet area.
Oh OK go for it…murmured to myself.

VERANDA

COFFEE SHOP & BAR

Create Your Own FIA Salad

Create Your Pinoy Salad

CEREALS & CAKES

HAM
Sisig Area

Dessert

First Batch

My second take post salad.

My 2nd batch

 …third

MY DESSERT

…dessert.
That’s about all. Am full. I am just the “tikim guy” anyway and shelled out Php1,300++ for such.
BTW, “tikim” means mainly savouring/taste test to find out whether outstanding
or should be delegated outside the mess hall for their ain’t appropriateness
…due to rancidity or blandness or toughness to wrong process utilization plus the other heck of criteria.
Seriously, for the food preps, I will rate Veranda 8 out of 10.
More so the overnight marination of grilled boneless chicken in honey, lots of honey,
soy sauce, brown sugar, ground black pepper, chili powder,
very subdued acidity of lemon (I think) or vinegar though gas grilled bit well done is a “must try”.
That prep caught my attention.
Did not show here the shot of roasted beef as some non-rare to mid-rare eater readers
might be horrified in sight of leaking off reddish-pink blood when sliced
…but they do welcome roasting further to medium-well to well-done.

Ham’s curved pork skin-brown seared to simulate “Hawaiian Style” was really tough.
Lean tasted sugar sweetened with hints of I don’t know. But “curing” is well attained.

The views worth staring at to re-charge:

BACK SIDE

BACK VIEW THRU THE GLASS SHOT OF LAKE

VIEW OF PENS

Rooms to stay-perfect site, function and event halls-ideal
and wide play ground awaits kids’ run and about.

Did not take shots of rooms and other facilities as I was not on pre-approved blog writing visit.
Anyway, here’s their link:
http://www.taalvistahotel.com/

Thumbs up.
Highly recommended to visit.

BACON INFUSED ROASTED POTATO

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Bacon Infused Roasted Potato

BACON INFUSED ROASTED POTATO
(Potato Wedged With Bacon Slices To Spread Flavor Thereof While Roasting)
Again, a different approach this time.
Instead of wrapping potatoes with bacon, slices of latter are infused/wedged in between slits to spread their smokey-salty flavor while potatoes are roasted.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Cooking media: range oven, basting brush, roasting pan
INGREDIENTS:
8 pieces medium skin-on potatoes, fully cleaned, 3 X ¼ inch slits each-leaving about ¼ inch to the bottom
24 slices of round bacon (any brand)-each slice can easily be inserted unto slits
120 grams melted cheese blended with 20ml. full cream milk, 3 grams garlic powder and 10 ml. honey
30ml. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
OPTIONAL 2 grams fine MSG
PROCEDURES:

  1. Pre heat oven to 320deg.F (160deg.C)
  2. Brush EVOO to all sides of potatoes, sprinkle with OPTIONAL MSG and pop-in unto mid section of oven. Roast for 5 minutes.
  3. Withdraw and let cool. Insert 3 bacon slices unto slits.
  4. Back to oven-roast for 8-10 more minutes. Time will depend on the type bacon you have. Play it by sight.
  5. Withdraw and drizzle with cheese-milk-honey-garlic solution.
  6. SERVE and witness your loved ones’ eyes go wide open saying…WOW! 

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

TENDERIZED DEEP FRIED “LIEMPO”

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Liempo

TENDERIZED DEEP FRIED “LIEMPO”
(Parboiled Pork Belly Deep Fried To Crunchy Outside-Juicy Inside Bite)
As mentioned in my other post re “Liempo”,
pork belly is one of the most modifiable parts of pig meat.
Be it roasted, grilled, fried, BBQed, be processed into bacon strips, “sinigang” (tamarind soup base with veggies), “nilaga” (plain boiled and dumped with vegetables different from “sinigang”) and countless more divergence.
For now, we’ll dive into something simple.
Seasoned, tenderized in spices-filled boiling solution then
deep fried to “crispiest skin to juiciest meat bite”.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours
Serves: 4
Cooking media: suitable parboiling casserole, big frying pan with cover OR suitable deep fryer.

INGREDIENTS:
1 kilo fully cleaned, de-haired, nicely sliced “liempo”
enough tap water to cover meat
80 grams fine salt
15 grams ground black pepper
OPTIONAL 10 grams MSG
20 pieces crushed fresh garlic cloves
3 pieces small onion (white or red), sliced
a small bunch of “tanglad” (lemon grass)
500 ml palm olein (if available) or soya/palm oil if not

PROCEDURES:

  1. Pour water and all other ingredients in casserole. Whisk a bit to dissolve granules faster.
  2. Add in “liempo slices” and, under medium heat, boil for 1 hour or until meat exhibits full tenderness when forked.
  3. Scoop out. Pat dry skin. Set aside.
  4. Heat oil in pan or deep fryer. When smoke is emitted, slice tiny bit of meat and throw unto hot oil and if small spinning bubbles from thrown meat going up are seen-then heat more. But if throwing the tiny piece of meat into hot oil produces BUBBLES…rumbling BUBBLES, then oil is ready.
  5. WITHOUT BRUSHING ANYTHING UNTO SKIN, deep fry the meat to desired done-ness and/or crunchy condition of skin.
  6. NO NEED TO SPRINKLE WATER UNTO HOT OIL to supposedly make the skin crispy. THIS IS A MYTH. Doing this will just make the oil VERY ANGRY THAT SPLATTERS occur.
  7. You’re DONE.
  8. Slice and garnish as desired. Serve with gar-vin-soy dip (garlic-vinegar-soy sauce mixture)

For more of “LIEMPO” preps, click here.

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

 

Banana Leaves Wrapped Flame Grilled “Talakitok”

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Cropped Talakitok2_1024

BANANA LEAVES-FOIL WRAPPED FLAME GRILLED “TALAKITOK”
(Wrapped-Seasoned Jack/Trevally Flame Grilled to Juiciness )
The height of delectability summoned to be on center stage.
To augment 250 pax’ food line up, due to non availability-in lieu of
“Grilled “Panga” (jaw) ng Tuna”,
quick decision as to alternate was needed.
The best bet-fortunately readily obtainable- was:
“Talakitok” (jack or trevally)
4 hours to deadline.
Got hold of 1 X 5-kilo “Talakitok”
2 x 3-kilo “Kubal Kubal”
( “Finny Scad”-same specie as “Jack/Trevally” but with bit rounded body)
other raw mats and behold…
Simple.
Flavoursome.
Yummy.

Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Serves: managed serving-200 (in combi with other preps)
Cooking media: enough foil, heated banana leaves (leaves become bit pliable when heated and do not easily break apart), large burners, oil brush

INGREDIENTS:
1 x 5kilo “Talakitok”
2 x 3kilo “Kubal Kubal”
Both fully cleaned. Abdomen slitted and on both sides at least 4 x 2 inches apart These will be the areas where seasoning will be applied for full flavor penetration.
60 grams fine salt
100 ml. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
15 grams ground black pepper
15 grams nutmeg powder
10 grams ground oregano
10 grams coriander powder
15 grams garlic powder

PROCEDURES:

  1. Mix all powder ingredients in suitable container. Whisk well. Set aside.
  2. Brush oil on ALL sides of fishes ensuring slits are well reached as well as inside of head and belly.
  3. On ALL parts, by fingers, sprinkle blended ingredients. Ensure inside and slits are filled. If there’s excess, rub on all parts of body.
  4. Lay foil in a table. 1 longer than fish-sized foil up-1 down-1 in the middle.Place banana leaf top of middle foil. Lay seasoned fish atop banana leaf.
  5. Cover top of fish with banana leaf then foil.
  6. Fold along sides ensuring there will be no escape of steam and juices as fish is grilled. If there’s a need to add more foil to wrap, go ahead. Place banana leaf top of middle foil. Lay seasoned fish atop banana leaf.
  7. Repeat for other fishes.
  8. As fish is larger than burner, on medium flame, put wrapped fish ensuring ½ of it is heated. Grill for 7 minutes.
  9. Slide to cook other half. Grill now for just 5 minutes.
  10. Turn fish to other side. Grill ½ of fish for 5 minutes. Slide and grill the other half for another 5 minutes.
  11. You are DONE. Witness your tenderest-juiciest-tastiest creation.
  12. Garnish and see the eyes of diners go wide as they partake on these gigantic sea creatures.

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

Talakitok

CRAB “BIJON”

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Crab Beehon

CRAB “BIJON”
(Sautéd Crab In Lightly Souped Rice Noodles )
Cellophane Noodles (Glass Noodles, Crystal Noodles,
Chinese Vermicelli, Bean Thread Noodles
or “Sotanghon” – Pilipino) denote one and the same.
Processed from mung beans (“monggo”), this type of thin, round,
glassy when cooked noodles is widely used in Oriental cuisines.
Careful not to confuse this with “rice noodle” which is our “Bihon”,
the center of our offering today.
There are different types of crabs.
Check here: https://owlcation.com/stem/types-of-crabs
(thank you owlcation)
A Singaporean Al Fresco street dining site offers this…
my inspiration to innovate such.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Cooking media: suitable pan,
INGREDIENTS:
1 big fully cleaned red crab or swimming crab body cut into 4, shell removed and left intact, legs cut from joint, pinchers cut and pounded for easier hand flesh-retrieving and munching
4 cloves crushed fresh garlic
1 small onion sliced
3 grams salt (any)
3 grams cracked black pepper
OPTIONAL 2 grams MSG
30 ml. palm oil or palm olein
20 ml sesame oil
15 grams oyster sauce
enough bunch of rice noodle (“Bijon”) soaked in water for 15 minutes-drained then set aside
3 pieces green onion (or scallion for lesser intense onion-y output), cut 2” long
4 pieces “wombok” (Chinese cabbage) sliced
250 ml tap water or chicken/meat broth
top garnish of your choice
PROCEDURES:

  1. In a suitable pan, pour in and combine sesame oil with palm oil/olein. Heat.
  2. Very lightly sauté together onion, spring onion and garlic.
  3. Add in crab pieces. Toss and tumble until crab turns light red.
  4. Pour in oyster sauce, salt, black pepper and the OPTIONAL MSG. Continue on tossing for about 1 minute.
  5. Pour water/broth, “Bijon”, “wombok” and tumble-separate sticking “Bijon” and bring to boil. After 2 minutes. DONE.
  6. Garnish. Serve.

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.