Kitchen MIshaps and Victories, Restaurant Rants and Raves and a whole lotta wanderlust!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Kitschen Chaos: Comfort Food, Gourmet Kitschen style.

Roasted Tomato soup with cumin cream and paprika-parmesan crisp

Braised beef shank with kamote-potato mash

              More experiments this week. I have another great soup idea I'm dying to try out!!!!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Kitschen Chaos: Healthy Livin'


Actually not really. After these 2 relatively healthy starters, I gave my guests these burgers I've been experimenting on. Read on to see what was in them :)


I hate eggplant but I love Baba Ganoush- specially my version, which of course has the usual Gourmet Kitschen additions!


Followed that started with a roasted tomato salad with basil and vintage cheddar


Healthy part of the meal done. This first burger is an adobo chicken burger with adobo cream sauce, fried onion and basil.


and this second one is a breaded adobo patty with garlic parmesan cream cheese and onion jam :)

Monday, January 23, 2012

It's more fun in the Philippines:Traveling Tummy: VIGAN!

No drug can beat the high of realizing you are above the clouds!

We stayed at a Heritage house called Villa Angela. At first I was a bit creeped out but it wasn't scary at all!


It was actually quite homey and really beautifully preserved.

Haunted Houses-more fun in the Philippines!


Vigan Longanissa rice at Cafe Leona

Abdul couldn't have any so he got the 2 pc chicken meal

If you love antiques, you will adore Calle Crisologo!

I love how they really kept all the old structures in Vigan. Pwede naman eh. Manila?

Traditional woven blankets (called Abel I think)

The ever present Bagnet. I brought some home. Have yet to try it.


Yes, you read right. This, my friends, is a club. Through these doors you will find a modern, spacious club. It's their version of Republiq, but hardly any people.

The confusing American looking, peso bills issued by the Japanese governement

WAAAAHHHH :( I hate frogs.

Irene's Empanada. Said to be the oldest empanada place in town.

Turkish pizza

Yeah, Ive been working out ehehe


Think we grew a little bit too!

At the weavers a few towns away from where we were. Took a video of this, will post next time!

My boyfriend now wants a kalesa.

Hidden Garden: Sinigang na Bangus (with belly floating around, yum my favorite part)

Okoy. Too thick and it was cold so it was more like a pancake or omelet. Too bad.

Another empanada---this time vegetarian. It was actually pretty good even without meat. I liked the shell of this one more than Irene's.

Dirty ice cream on a hot day. The sorbetes carts are everywhere!

Last minute find: "Bibingka" I was expecting a fluffy cake but instead it was like a sticky, buttery tikoy! Either way, yummy!
Visit more of our country this year! It may not have all the trimmings of a first world country, and sometimes the bathrooms don't work (sigh), but seeing historical buildings still looking exactly the way they did in the past like in Vigan, or getting a traditional tattoo in a mountain that takes almost a whole day to get to (where Abdul is now) is such an enriching experience that really allows you to get to know yourself more- where you came from, who the people are in our history. My Philippine travel wish list includes: Cotabato to see the dream weavers, Zamboanga for the vintas, Marawi for the awesome chests and trafdtional houses called torogans (although I don't think there's much of hem left sadly) and Batanes--heard it's a different world out there! Fingers crossed!

What's on YOUR Philippine travel wish list?

Friday, January 20, 2012

Traveling Tummy: Melbourne

Ananda at the Melbourne Aquarium

Ananda and Erica's accidental Melbourne adventure!

Degraves street

Hosier Lane (I love that my daughter picked graffiti over the toy store)

Can't remember what this was called but it was stuffed with haloumi and feta (at Rumi, Lygon street)

And this quail with toum. HOLY!!!!

Thanks for the lovely meal Karla!

Queen Victoria Market. The dairy section is my fave. It has all this cool stuff.

Free cheese!! (tasting!)


More street art in Fitzroy

The sound of this face? "KKKKkkkkkkkkhhhhh"

Balinese pork belly from Eat Drink Man Woman along Brunswick street

My baby and her mussels

Cute bench!


Little dog lost



Little Monkey


                                          See you again soon Melbourne! Always a pleasure!!!