Bine-Bertdey!

Estrell's Caramel Cake

I celebrated my birthday during the last week of August. Though it fell on a weekend, I took the Friday prior to it as my celebration day with my Culinary Center team - a chance of using this day to my advantage - order food which I didn't cook and just enjoy the day amidst friends and delicious food.

Of course, the ever reliable Mrs. Manalili of Patricia's catering didn't fail me. I ordered lunch for the group - it was a busy day for all of us, simultaneous projects which cannot wait and did not allow us to go out and have lunch. The solution? Order food in! I didn't care about a theme - I just wanted to eat what I liked and craved for that day. Simple, straightforward comfort food. So I chose Shrimp Tempura, Baked Salmon, Pancit Sotanghon. She even added a bonus of Lengua Pastel and Kat of Monterey added in some pork barbecue. Surely, this was one delightful and thanksgiving feast which everyone enjoyed. Kai was also kind enough to get me Estrell's caramel cake which everyone raved about.

The celebration didn't stop there. That weekend, our family decided to stay overnight in Tagaytay. Luckily, our first day was a beautiful one, but we weren't so lucky the second day. It was drizzling and all we could do was stay indoors. On our first night though, which was another of my birthday-celebratory-meals(yup, another excuse to eat much), we chose Tootsie's which is a new restaurant in the area. The owners who's roots are from the Visayas added an Ilonggo touch to some of the dishes being served, while others have been inspired by the Spanish-influenced dishes that Chef Ed Quimson is known for.
Some of the dishes that I particularly enjoyed are the Kansi Bulalo (Beef shanks cooked in batuan-soured broth), Grilled Maliputo that is supposedly found just in Taal lake and Pancit Buko.

Kansi Bulalo - expect a huge bowl of this when you order, good enough for 5 pax

Grilled Maliputo (quite expensive, this costed us +/-Php1000)

I can't help but smile everytime I remember seeing Eric's face squirm at the idea of this dish.

Tootsie's Pancit Buko {with noodles and buko strips)

Surprisingly, we all loved it.