Truffle Degustation Dinner at Red

Every now and then, Red at Makati Shangri-La has special tasting menus for certain occasions or for certain ingredients.

Recently, Red had a special Truffle menu for a limited time. Degustation and a la carte truffle selections. For a little splurge, we tried the 8 course degustation menu. Each course had black truffles shaved on top of it. Some had truffles cooked into the dish. For the most part, the truffles worked really well with each of the dishes. They maintained an earthy taste, while not overpowering.

The entire meal had a total of 14 grams of black summer truffles. If we had this meal in the states, or almost anywhere not in the Philippines, it would have been well over $100 per person. Here, it was $85. $85 for 8 courses with truffles. Pretty good for all that you get.

Overall, the meal was enjoyable as it always has been. Whenever there are menu changes, it's nice going back to Red to see what else they can create.

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check our my Flickr album: Red

More from Makati Shangri-La: Inagiku

These days, when I crave for Asian food my stomach is either thinking about Japanese or Thai cuisine. Lately I've been really craving sushi and sashimi. My body must be needing some refreshing omega-3s.

To enjoy some fresh, quality sushi, we returned to Makati Shangri-La. This time, we went to Inagiku.

It's not a place to expect value for your money. The prices are hotel high, and for some orders it kinda feels like they are charging even more than hotel high. The quality of the ingredients are excellent, though.

The one real downside about the restaurant is that the smell and oily feeling from teppanyaki frying station which spreads throughout the whole restaurant. You leave the place smelling like you ate Korean BBQ. When you want eat sushi, the environment is supposed to feel clean.. as clean and fresh as the sushi you are eating.

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Inagiku

A La Carte Dining at Circles Event Cafe

Now that I'm back home in Manila, I've been in the mood to visit restaurants that are old favorites, and to discover new favorites. For this week's Monday, Wednesday, Friday entries, I'm revisiting a few restaurants from the Makati Shangri-la Hotel. Every time I'm in town, I frequent the restaurants in the Shangri-la because of their proximity and because they use quality ingredients.

First up this week, Circles Event Cafe. This is the international buffet for the hotel. They also have themes for certain nights. Wednesday nights are Filipino Nights, with a great Filipino spread and some cultural music and dance.

Coming from the U.S., we always face some jetlag for the first few to several days. That also means our eating times are all messed up. So a hotel cafe is a great place to enjoy all day dining. Instead of indulging in the buffet, we ordered a la carte off the menu.

The menu items can be hit and miss. We learn from the "misses" like the pizza and avoid them on our next visits. It's the "hits" like the pancit, and the hotel atmosphere, that encourage us to keep coming back.

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Circles

Favorite Travel Photos

Apart from my collection of food photos, I also have a growing number of travel photos. It's truly been an incredible year and a half of almost constant travel. There are so many beautiful sights in this world to discover.

I loved living in the U.S., but travel around the states can become..boring. I mean, each city has its beauty.. but everything and everyone is American. You travel 1 to 6 hours, and you get the same culture, more or less. Here in Asia, you travel less than 2 hours, and you're in a completely different culture, language, everything.

Here are some of my favorite travel photos from the past year and a half. I can't wait for the next months and years of more travel!

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Favorite Travel Pics

Favorite Food Photos

Can you believe that more than half of the year has already flown by? It feels like I arrived in Manila just a few weeks ago... Well, I sorta did. I did just come back from the states for the third time this year. Traveling makes time fly!

It's been an incredible year and a half living in Manila and traveling to new places. The food everywhere has been amazing! I can't wait to travel some more to discover new foods and to travel back to my new favorite cities to eat more of the good stuff.

Here's a look back at my favorite food photos from January 2010 to the present day. On Friday, I'll be posting up my favorite travel photos from the past year and a half.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Favorite Food Pics

Too many bananas and they're already so ripe? Bake with them!

One of the best things about life in Asia.. the fruits! There are so many varieties of tropical fruits that you'd never find in the states. And if you do, they are ridiculously overpriced.

I've been really into the local variety of Filipino bananas lately. There are three kinds: Lacatan, Latundan, and Senorita.

In the past months, I've tried all 3. After eating these, the bananas in the states taste like potatoes. The ones here are packed with flavor. It's like they have been infused with banana liquor.

The Senorita bananas are fun to eat because of the tiny size. You can have it in 2 bites.. ok maybe 3 if you want mind your eating manners. The Lacatan and Latundan bananas are a bit bigger. I prefer the Latundan variety because the bunches I've eaten have been the sweetest and boldest with banana taste.

The only problem with the bananas is that they ripen so fast. It's like a race to finish it, while trying not to gain weight from overindulging in bananas. So one of the best solutions to this problem is to bake with the bananas!

Here's a batch of banana cupcakes that my mom recently baked. In the past, she'd make banana bread. Then she moved on to banana muffins. Now, it's banana cupcakes. They are so light, fluffy, moist, and full of banana flavor. Plus, they are topped with my favorite cupcake icing: cream cheese frosting!

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Banana Cupcakes

Dinner at home after a long trip

After a long trip, it's kind of nice to spend a couple days laying low. There's lots to do around the house, too. Laundry and catching up with work, all the while trying to beat the jetlag.

This down time also calls for some good meals at home. On my Facebook page, I occasionally post up pictures during my dinners at home, entitling them, "Daily Dinner." They are just ordinary days and ordinary dinners. But, because of the table setting and the food prepared, a daily dinner becomes a feast.

Here are some pictures from one Daily Dinner just after our arrival back home.
- Fresh local lapu lapu, roasted on a bed of tomatoes and onions.
- Paella topped with green beans, lima beans, whole shrimps, and squid. With aioli.
- Paired with a Rioja

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Dinner at Home

All Nippon Airways - Japanese Culture in the Air

For the past year and a half, I've been a frequent flyer around Asia and the states. I've mostly flown Cathay Pacific, as they have quality facilities and service. Plus, Hong Kong is a great hub.

On my most recent trip to the states, I tried another airline because CX was at its peak season. Flights were booked and I had to get to the states on a certain schedule.

All Nippon Airways, ANA. While the seats in business class are not as luxurious as CX, ANA makes up for it in cleanliness, service, and the food. They are constantly cleaning the bathrooms. The service is full of Japanese manners. And, the food is a great change from CX's usual selection (and after traveling frequently on CX I got soo tired of the same choices).

Of course, one of the biggest perks of flying this airline is the stopover in Narita Airport. An opportunity to enjoy the lounge and purchase some Japanese goodies.

Here are some pictures of the meals I had to and from the states.
Place your cursor above "Notes" to read the captions for each of the pictures.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: ANA.

Camera Shots

Camera phones are so convenient to use. To minimize the bulk in my purse, I sometimes prefer to just take my phone.

During my few weeks in the states, I had my camera phone next to me to take a few pictures of food related scenery and products.

Place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about the photos.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: iPhone Randoms.

A Todd English Classic

If there's a celebrity chef in a city I'm visiting (or living in), I eagerly try to go to all of his or her restaurants to get a fair sense to see if the chef is really a chef or just a celebrity.

One of the my favorite chefs is Todd English. He makes fun, comfort foods. From his restaurant in NYC to Boston, to his Food Hall, and across the states to his restaurants in Las Vegas.. They are all quality and repeatable. The service is friendly, and the food is always surprisingly good with bold flavors that you'll remember.

After coming from the east coast and visiting his places in Boston and NYC, I really wanted to try the place that started it all - Olives. Olives serves Chef English's signature flatbread pizzas. If you're a Todd English, it's a place you have to check out. It's a great, memorable flatbread.

Place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about the food photos.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Olives.

Great Eats off The Strip

Aside from the celebrity chef restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip, there are also a number of great restaurants off The Strip. The Spring Mountain area has a lot of quality Asian eats. Ichiza and Monta are authentic, cheap eats.

If you feel like spending a little more, Raku is another great place for Japanese izakaya, or small plates. This place is known among chefs in the area as the place to go to after work. You have to call ahead for reservations because it's almost always fully booked, especially late at night.


Place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about the photos.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Raku.

Wolfgang Steakhouse in NYC, A New Favorite Restaurant.

When my family buys high quality steaks and my dad has the ability to grill it up better than an average or above average restaurant, it's so hard to eat a steak outside of the house. It's a rare find for us to enjoy a quality steak in a restaurant. But, I think we finally found a place that makes it as good as home.

Wolfgang Steakhouse in Manhattan. (There are 5 locations in the city. We visited the Midtown East location.) Wolfgang Zwiener is the former maitre d' of the infamous Peter Luger Steakhouse. His steakhouse is very similar to Peter Luger, except you get a Manhattan steakhouse experience. At Peter Luger, you get Brooklyn service in a very casual and old setting. Here at Wolfgang, you get white table cloths with a pleasant surrounding and friendly service.

The whole experience was so memorable.. that we drove into the city from Connecticut the very next night to eat another steak dinner. Yes, it's that good.

And, on our 2nd night, Wolfgang, himself, came up to our table to greet us and take pictures! (I'm not posting the picture because it's a whole family shot - you know, privacy reasons.) He's quite the charming old man and is well dressed in a suit every night. What a fine job he's done with his steakhouses! I can't wait to go back.

Place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about the photos.

The slide show here runs of Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Wolfgang.