let's try another one

It was a not planned Monday morning when we found ourselves in SM Sucat. Since it was almost lunch time, we decided to stay and check out the food court. So much of the stall were all so familiar to us and so we tried the newest one that we saw, Mr. Kimbob, a Korean Health Food. The concept is to stir all the veggies and meat together in a sizzling plate while still hot and enjoy the meal like Mongolian style. Veggies include strips of carrots, cucumber, slices of onion chives, bean sprouts and a small portion of kimchi. On the center is a portion of rice and on one side is the ground meat, topped with a sunny side up egg.

 

Beef Bibimbob

Since we were only two at that time, we ordered their best seller Bibimbob, chicken and beef flavors. We ordered the large size, Php119.00 each. The serving size was fair enough, I almost did not finish it but I had to, or I cannot leave the place. J

We were not a fan of the concept of having ground meat on a sizzling plate as the meat was too dry, not having other sauce than that of the one that was already on the plate, it tasted blunt and almost feel like you are only having the veggies with the rice.

Chicken Bibimbob

On the side, we tried their Jumbo Korean Dumplings, 4 pieces for Php50.00. This was served fried with the conventional sweet and sour sauce. I was hoping it was crunchy as it says fried, but it seems they were pre fried and were placed in heaters until ordered.

Jumbo Korean Dumplings

We have lined up several places to eat, and we are still excited in finding the best one J

Happy eating!

Restaurant: Mr. Kimbob

Place: SM City Sucat, Second Floor, Foodcourt

Date Visited: August 18, 2014

Average cost for 2 people: Php300.00

Overall rating (5 as the highest):  J J

food journey begins ;)

In search for our most favorite food hang out in town, we have started a food journey that did not only delight our palate, but also brought our gastronomic experience together. We decided to try out new places and new tastes, and we agreed never to cease this adventure until we find the one that we can call our “food haven”. J

We first went to the nearest place we can think of, the SM Mall of Asia and found the Big City that serves the typical American menu, grilled hotdogs, sausages and burgers. They also serve pasta and breakfast combination. We were there on a Sunday lunch time, not much people are in, like what we have expected. The interiors are so simple, with chairs and tables typical of that of a cafeteria. 

Their menu was enticing but most of the items that we were interested to try were not available, too bad for our first try. Since they specialize in sausages, we tried their Sizzling Brats and Burger Steak, which came with rice and sliced string beans. The serving portion is well worth the price (Php180.00), but although we were satisfied with the taste of the Bratwurst, the burger patty did not compliment the meal.  Although smothered with the gravy sauce, it was blunt and dry.

We believe they are using the same burger patty so the Bacon Cheeseburger that we ordered was also dry. This was served with fries and 12oz. iced tea (Php195.00). My girl however finished it just the same as she’s a real fan of burgers  J

Bacon Cheeseburger

Sizzling Brats & Burger Steak

Since my guys are not fond of cheeses and white sauces, I had no choice but to be the one to order the white pasta. I tried to order the Seafood & Sausage Pasta, but was not available so I had to try the Sausage Carbonara. Although it was a bit oily, because of the sausage, it was tasty and you can really taste the cheese on the sauce.

Sausage Carbonara

Wing Sampler

We also ordered their Wing Sampler, an 8 piece combination of their chicken wings with the usual flavors like buffalo (which were not spicy enough), garlic Parmesan (which lacks the Parmesan) and barbecue (which came in as the tastiest). This was for Php180.00.

Our experience were not at all bad, the best thing that we had at Big City may have been their French Fries. For Php60.00, they served bigger cut fries and were also tasty and crunchy. These were served hot but we were able to finish it in less than 10 minutes J

Well, this is just the beginning and we swear to go on and on until we have reached our haven J

Happy eating!

Restaurant: Big City

Place: SM Mall of Asia, Ground Floor, South Wing       

Date Visited: August 17, 2014

Average cost for 2 people: Php500.00

Overall rating (5 as the highest):  J J 

it's more fun with shrimp..

Shrimp is one of my favorite seafood recipes, and this is why I would like to share more of my recipes for shrimp (or prawn). These may be too simple for some but for those beginners who wanted to have a sumptuous meal in no time, I would recommend these two very simple shrimp recipes.

The first one is actually a menu from the Cohen diet. I was so happy to find this because dieting has never been fun with foods like this.

SPICY SAUTEED SHRIMP

1lb. Shrimp meat, cleaned and deveined ( I actually used tiger prawns)
3 green finger chilies, sliced into small diagonal pieces
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat cooking oil in pan and place garlic and chilies. Cook for 3 minutes. 

Add prawns and cook till they turn pink in color

Add salt and pepper and cook for another 8 minutes

Place in small platter and top with chopped red chilies for presentation. Serve hot and enjoy! 

This second recipe is inspired from one of the cooking shows I am watching on TLC Channel, specifically from Bobby Chinn's, World Cafe Asia.

PRAWN TEMPURA

1lb. Prawns meat, cleaned and deveined, shelled, leaving the tail

Salt and pepper

1 1/2  cups flour, sifted

1 egg beaten

3/4 cup cold beer

Panko bread crumbs

Season prawns with salt and pepper, set aside. Combine 1 cup flour, egg and beer. Mix well until smooth and free from lumps.

Dip prawns first on the remaining flour. Dip in the beer-egg -flour mixture and finally dip in Panko bread crumbs. Deep fry in a very hot oil for about 3 minutes. 

Serve hot on a platter and enjoy with tempura sauce!

happy eating! J

Shellfish me…

Crawfish

During my childhood days, my family were not so lucky to eat some “luxurious” foods like steak, lobsters and shrimps or prawns. Me and my sisters would see these foods on TV and in the restaurants but those are not usually part of our order. I guess that is why when my dad had the shrimp exporting business with his Korean friends, we were so excited to see a lot of prawns being brought to our house and packed for export.

This was also the time when my mom started to try out different  recipes for prawns and she was successful . On our constant trip to the market, she showed me different types of seafood and later on, I have learned they are categorically known as “shellfish”.  I got interested in studying different types of shellfish and in some of my dining experiences, I encountered the most common types of shellfish; and discovered that they are one of the most expensive cuisines anywhere you go.

Shellfish are aquatic animals protected by some sort of shell. Based on skeletal structure they are categorized distinctively as: 

UNIVALVES  or the single-shelled mollusks like:

Abalone

Conch

Snail or Escargot

BIVALVES or mollusks with two shells joined together by a hinge like:

Clam

Mussel

Oyster

Scallops

CEPHALOPODS or those with tentacles attached directly to the head like:

 

Octopus

Squid

CRUSTACEANS or mollusks with joined exterior skeletons or shell like:

Crab

Lobster

Shrimp

 I also learned that when buying shellfish, we should always look for signs of movement. While lobsters and crabs should move about, clams, mussels and oysters should be tightly closed, or close when touched. As they age, they will begin to open. Any shells that do not snap shut when tapped should be discarded; this means that the fish is dead.

Below is one of mom’s shrimp specialties, Prawns in Garlic and Sweet Chili Sauce. Learning it from her is like learning it from  a pro. 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb fresh prawns

4-5 cloves garlic , chopped (more if you want )

1 red onion, chopped

2 tbsp. Oyster sauce

1 tbps. Hot sauce

2 tbsp. Tomato catsup

2 tbsp. Oyster sauce

1 tsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE

Clean and devein prawns. Place in a pan with ¼ cup water and add 1 pinch of salt. Cook until prawns turn pink. Remove from heat and set aside.  Heat a tbsp cooking oil and butter. Sauté garlic and onion for about 2 minutes, and add in the cooked prawns. 

Mix in the oyster sauce, hot sauce and tomato sauce. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. 

Place on platter and serve while still hot. Enjoy!

Happy eating J