This and that around the Bay Area

Aside from planning out reservations for new restaurants, nostalgic bites, spontaneous eats and recommendations from locals and friends fill the rest of my eating and drinking time in the Bay Area.

My trips back to the San Francisco area always satisfy my cravings for contemporary American bar food, Mexican fare, and Northern Californian wines and beers.  From dishes I used to have as a grade school kid to new discoveries, it all tastes like home away from home these days.

Fish and Chips at Bourbon Pub
Petrale sole, salt and vinegar tots, tartar sauce

Quality Filipino Feasting

If you're looking for some Filipino food to make your stomach and palate happy while impressing your sense of sight, Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino is the place to go.

The a la cart menu is always available if you're not looking to gain a pound.  But, if you don't mind throwing in an extra workout the next day, the A La Carte All You Can is best option for feasting.  It's a "clean plate" policy, so choose wisely.

My choices for this particular evening included 8 selections.  The appetizer bites start the evening with an excellent first impression.   Smartly plated bites of classic dishes revamped in such a fresh manner.  The subsequent dishes all followed suit.   My eyes were attracted to every dish which made my stomach open up and eager to taste it all.

The menu is quite extensive which encourages me to always go back for more and to try out all of these beautifully crafted dishes.

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If you can't see the slide show here, check out m

Traditional Filipino Feasting at Mesa Filipino Moderne

"Filipino food" and "feasting" go hand-in-hand, especially when you're with family.  Without a doubt, your stomach will be filled for the night.

At Mesa Filipino Moderne, you get traditional plates of Filipino food in a pleasantly casual setting with affordable value pricing.  It's no wonder that I've never seen this place empty on any day of the week.

Some of the dishes are modernized with appealing plating.  Every dish has strong flavors, many with fun sauces like shrimp paste or tamarind sauce.

If you're looking for an affordably priced Filipino restaurant that serves good tasting selections, this is a great option.

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If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Mesa Grill

Floating Resto-Fun Park!

There are some birthdays when you celebrate with family in a fine dining restaurant, complete with amuse bouches, wine pairings, and an indulgent feast.

Then, there are those birthdays when you dress down and get out of town.

Something new, something fun, and something random. Where does that take you? Isdaan in Laguna, about an hour and a half away from the city.

Isdaan is a "Floating Resto-Fun Park" brought to you by the owners of Barrio Fiesta. All that classic Filipino food in a truly unique setting. The setting completely takes you for a random ride.

Diners enjoy private floating huts while surrounded by statues and mega statues ranging from Buddhas to Planet of the Apes to Angry Birds.. and the Obamas.

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

The menu is extensive with all the classics. If you want something new and something really different while feasting on your favorite Filipino dishes, this is the place to go.

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

Filipino Cuisine with the Tayag Touch

When I first moved to Manila it took me a few months to fully appreciate and endorse the food scene in the Philippines.

That full appreciation came with an epiphany moment...well, more like an epiphany meal at Bale Dutung. So, thank you, Claude Tayag.

A 1-2 hour drive away from Metro Manila into the province of Pampanga, Tayag and his wife, Mary Ann, open their home to locals and tourists to experience Filipino and Kapampangan cuisine.

Tayag offers a Lechon Five Ways menu (which we had twice already), a Kapampangan menu (which we enjoyed this time around - check out the pictures below), and an Anthony Bourdain menu (which will be our next visit). The food represents the Philippines, with Tayag's touch.

His food reflects tradition, talent, technique, and his travels.

Two years later, I can now properly host visitors to show them the great eats around Manila and beyond. I have a growing list of restaurants, markets, and food adventures (Bale Dutung is definitely on that list).

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: Bale Dutung

Filipino Surf & Turf at Home

After a series of long trips, it's so nice to come home to your family's home cooking. To celebrate home life and home food, how about some Filipino surf & turf!

The Surf - Bangus Bistek Tagalog
Steak slices of bangus (milkfish) pan-fried with onions and topped with a soy sauce and calamansi mixture.

The Turf - Kare Kare
Oxtail peanut stew with long green beans and eggplants. This is my favorite home cooked meal. My mom makes it with love with all the tedious steps that really make the difference for extra deliciousness.

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

2nd's makes you want to come back for more

As Fort Bonifacio continues to develop, new restaurants are constantly popping up. One of my favorite places in the Fort is High Street - lots of shops and eateries. A great place to walk around on those rain-free days and nights.

2nd's which is located on the second floor is a great new addition to High Street. It has the atmosphere, the food, and the service. The branding and concept are smart and well-executed. If you want a twist on Filipino food, American favorites, and basically modern International cuisine, this is definitely the place to go. Go once, and you'll definitely want to go back for seconds (again, great branding and concept!).


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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: 2nd's

Classic Filipino Dishes at Fely J

There are some Filipino dishes that are best eaten in restaurants. For me, these are dishes that will make a mess in the kitchen, particularly fried dishes. So when I'm craving for these fried foods, it's so easy to find them in nearby Filipino restaurants that serve these classic dishes, like at Fely J.

Fely J in Greenbelt 5 is a place for locals and visitors to go to enjoy classic Filipino dishes. It's definitely a place to share and eat family style. That's the only way to go with Filipino food.


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

Off the Grid at Golden Gate Fields

When I'm planning my trip back to the Bay Area, I always look at the schedules for concerts, Giants games, Niners games, Sharks games, and food events. One such food event caught my eye. Off the Grid was having an event at Berkeley's Golden Gate Fields. The poster totally sold me: Food Trucks, Racing, Big Hats, and Bloody Marys. What's not to love?!

The food truck spread had a pretty good variety with a nice Asian representation. It was really great to see some creative Filipino trucks, too. I tried some Sisig Fries from Senor Sisig. Totally not the real deal for sisig (which consists of pig head parts), but it's a clean, fun version. It's basically tender cuts of pork meat diced and really well seasoned. You also have a choice of chicken or tofu. It's all put together with a very Californian influence. The Sisig Fries are basically like San Diego's Carne Asada Fries.

The Bloody Marys were a bit weak and not as good as a bar, but it's was still fun to drink a huge cup during the event.

As for the races, it was a memorable afternoon at the tracks. We were fortunate to meet the marketing manager who gave us a front row tour of the tracks. We were able to get right up to the rails to get a great view of a photo finish. We even took pictures with the winning jockey (who's height matched our Asian lady height).

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

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

Briefly Back in Manila

Back home in Manila between trips. That means a little eating out and a little home cooking. It also means enjoying the sights and tastes of home.

One of my favorite things about Manila is the sunsets. It's a different scene every night.

On one weekend, my best friend came in town from Hong Kong for some feel good Filipino food. And, of course, that includes the desserts! Here are a few pictures of some of the desserts we enjoyed. We visited Chef's Table for the Buko Pie Martini (where you have to order one person - it's that good). And we also enjoyed my mom's desserts at home. From one batch of plantain bananas, we enjoyed 2 different desserts. So yum.

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

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

Home Cooked Asian Meals

After traveling so much, it's so comforting to eat home cooked food at home. Even though I've been traveling around Asia, I still always find myself craving for Asian food. Here are a couple meals that I made and my mom also made during our down time at home.

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Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slide show here.

Chef's Table at The Fort

Despite being in Asia for most of this year, I still get really homesick for the Bay Area. I miss my friends, the beers, the bars, the restaurants... So when I find restaurants where it feels like it belongs in San Francisco, all my emotions of being homesick quickly disappear.

At Chef's Table, I felt like I was back in the Bay, and yet the type of food is better here than any I've encountered in the Bay Area. Chef Bruce Lim is a food television personality on the Asian Food Channel. I'll admit - I came into his restaurant with a bias to really like him. I mean, the guy wears San Francisco Giants jerseys on his TV show. (Go Giants!! - Yes, I'll be on a World Series high for awhile.)

His food, the presentation, the atmosphere of the restaurants, and his cocktail menu are all so refreshing and contemporary. It all beautifully shows diners that Filipino food can really successfully be modernized and in a nice restaurant setting. I like his concept of the chef's table. The kitchen is completely open to see the chefs working. I loved seeing the chefs pay attention to our table and when to fire up our next courses.

As for his cocktail menu.. I've totally been missing good quality mixed drinks. I've gone to too many restaurants and bars here where the drinks are painfully watered down or simply tastes like juice. I guess you can argue that I should just order liquor straight up. But there's so much fun ordering cocktails in which the flavors contrast and balance out in each refreshing sip. And finally here at his restaurant, the cocktail menu does just that. There's so much creativity in his menu!

After our complete and satisfying dinner, we're definitely coming back to try out the rest of the menu and his cocktail list. This place can definitely shine in the metropolitan cities states. It's great to know that there are quality and fresh places like this here in Manila.

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Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slideshow here.

Banana-Que

A classic Filipino street food find! It's a banana coated with brown sugar, and then shallow-fried. They are typically on skewers when sold by street vendors. It's best eaten freshly made because you get that crisp from the hardened sugar coating. This is definitely one of the best ways to eat bananas and plantains!

Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slideshow here.

Home-Cooked Asian Food

Sometimes when I consume too much meat, or fried foods, or eat out too often, my body craves for a healthy night in. So for a detox night, we cooked some Filipino Pancit Sotanghon Guisado and Thai Green Vegetable Curry. It was a vegetarian night that was satisfying, comforting, delicious, and healthy all at the same time.

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Check out my Flickr album here if you can't see this slideshow.

Comfort Foods at Home

Comfort food at home can help ease the stress from during a long week. For me, comfort foods are any foods that warm you up inside, like a bowl of soup or a mom's cooking.

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Home Cooking after a Trip

Whenever I come back from a trip, I always spend majority of that week at home with some comforting home cooked meals. I always crave a lot of vegetables! I guess I consider these meals to be my "post-trip cleanse", even though I try my best to eat healthy during trips.

I really enjoy eating at home because the food that is made, whether by myself, my parents, or my brothers, is as good as in any quality restaurant.

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Unfortunately, this slideshow doesn't appear on Google Buzz/Reader (Click here) or on iPhones (Adobe...Check back when you're at a laptop or desktop)

A Night with Ernst Loosen at Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino

After receiving another email about a wine night, we again jumped at the opportunity to dine at Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino. This time, we would get to meet the winemaker, Ernst Loosen! We first tasted Dr Loosen Wines when we ate at the Peninsula Hotal in Shanghai. We instantly fell in love with the wine, and we had high hopes for this evening.

Overall, we left more than impressed with both the food and the wines! Chef Laudico's cuisine can easily make waves, and even bring Filipino cuisine to a respected mainstream, if it were in food cities like San Francisco or Manhattan. Loosen's wines paired so well with the food! It's great to find wines that can be paired with Filipino cuisine. And, it was so great spending time and conversing with the winemaker himself. We were so impressed that we even made plans to visit his wineries in Mosel Valley in Germany.

Here are pictures of the wines and the cuisines. Place your cursor over "Notes" to read more about each picture.

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Wine Pairing Night at Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino

Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino has definitely turned into one of our favorite restaurants. We received an email from their mailing list regarding a Wine Pairing Night. We jumped on the opportunity! The wines were all French, a part of the Sommelier Selection. The food was excellent, as we had a nice variety with the four course pairing menu; and the wines paired nicely with each course.

Here are pictures from our Wine Pairing Night. Don't forget, place your cursor on "Notes" to read more about each picture.

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Brunch Buffet at Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino

For a weekend lunch, my parents and I went back to Chef Laudico's Bistro Filipino. Each time we go, we get more and more impressed with the creations, the taste, the presentation, and the execution. In my opinion, he's like the David Chang of the Manila. He's setting the trend and inspiration for modernized Filipino cuisine, much like how Chang has been in the forefront for modernized Asian bites these days.

The brunch buffet is so generous for 788PHP. You get to order (as in a buffet, but it's made fresh to order) from the menu which puts together most of the main menu in half portions. Plus, there are silogs (Filipino breakfast that has meat or fish with rice and an egg). The portions allow you to order a lot and have a variety of plates for lunch. I can't wait to build up an appetite again and go back!

I just took a picture of the silog and the desserts I ordered. If you want to see examples of the other dishes, click on the first link in the paragraph above. Also, place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about each picture.

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