Kulinarya Antipolo

I've always known Antipolo to be the pilgrimage capital of the Philippines, or the place where one would bring his new vehicle for priests to bless. As a child, my family would visit the place once a year to pay homage to the Shrine of Good Voyage and attend the 7AM Mass. Afterwards, we would go around the food booths selling various suman, "kalamay" (sticky brown flat rice cakes) and roasted cashew nuts to bring home as pasalubongs.

Admittedly, I didn't expect much from this Kulinarya Antipolo tour. I pretty much depended on the recommendations of our food and travel guide Anton Diaz for the sites to visit. While this tour had more stops compared to our previous tours, it was a wonderfully balanced tour of food and art appreciation.

Rizal Dairy Farms

First stop was Rizal Dairy Farms of Jackie Hassig Alleje. Her organic farming methods and artisan style of production sets her milk, yoghurt and cheese products apart from the rest. Her products are mainly for the food service market though due to public demand, she has decided to offer her regular products in a few retail establishments such as Salcedo Market in Makati and Market, Market! at Fort Bonifacio.

Vieux Chalet

Next stop was Vieux Chalet which is found at Taktak Road, Antipolo City and is a small quaint place that is perfect for quiet dinners.


The place is right beside a bed and breakfast complete with Spa services which you may avail of. Chef Florence, a rather young chef and charming at that, served us her Swiss specialties, among them, my favorite which is the Osso Buco and their Homestyle Smoked Ham.

Casa Santa

After a rich and bountiful brunch, next stop was Casa Santa. Here, almost 3000 pieces of various Santa inspired items are on display. The house was converted to a sort of Santa Museum and is open to the public for a minimal entrance fee. Take all the pictures that you want while there.

Crescent Moon Cafe
Grab all the ceramics plates, pots and vases) you want at the Crescent Moon Cafe where you will also find Lanelle Abueva's Pottery. They sell ceramic creations by the kilo. I was able to get a couple of teapots for the price of one!

Benji Reyes' Home

For wood furniture aficionados, Benji Reyes' home is a showcase of sorts. His house is a fantastic representation of the Filipino artists' version of the finest wood furnitures and functional Pinoy architecture.

Dumalaon Bakery

Antipolo is also known for the Dumalaon Bakery. This is your not-so-typical neighborhood bakery as it sells sweet dough breads shaped into crabs, turtles, alligators and the famous Lechon. At Php10 per, one would think twice about eating the bread since it is just too pretty to be consumed.

Laya Private Dining


The final leg of our trip was a 5-course dinner at the Laya Private dining place run by young couple Irene and Ricky. This place boasts of a fantastic view of city lights and the cuisine is a mix of modern Pinoy and Asian fusion.

Find the time to visit Antipolo sometime. There is truly more that this place has to offer.

Spiced, Battered & Fried

When I see the word "fusion" in an establishment's name or tagline, I somehow try to keep as far away from it as possible.

However, as they say, when in Rome, eat the way the Romas do.

I was in Cebu recently and decided to give Spice Fusion a try. This one came well recommended by no less than Chef Rosemarie Lim, Cebu's Culinary expert and owner of Caro and Marie culinary school.

Spice Fusion serves Asian Cuisine and most likely, you will your favorite dishes from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia in their menu offerings.

Chef Rose's referral did not fail us. We only ordered three items on the menu as portions are good to share; Radish cake, Battered Prawns and Char Kwey Teow.



Char Kwey Teow

These flat rice noodles came perfectly seasoned with bits and pieces of tofu, shrimps, leeks and bean sprouts and was delicately fragrant with just the right amount of sesame oil. Unlike what I have tried in some restos before, this one's neither too oily nor too salty.

Radish Cake

Perhaps the best radish cake I have ever tasted. It was crunchy outside and moist inside. I could detect a mixture of dried shrimps, carrots and dried mushrooms in each and every bite. This was served with a sauce made of sweet chili, oyster and hoisin.

Battered Shrimps

This ain't your usual "buttered" shrimps that is served skin on and swimming in sweet buttery sauce. This one's coated with a batter made with flour, cornstarch and egg then sprinkled with sesame seeds prior to deep frying. The shrimps are served skewered with crisp spinach fritters (ukoy). Delish!

You will find Spice Fusion at the North Wing of SM Cebu.

Delightfully New Bites at New Bombay

Visiting New Bombay at the Podium Mall was long overdue, with all the recommendations coming from friends. I'm not one for Indian cuisine, but I am an explorer when it comes to food and so when a lunch opportunity came, I purposively chose this place for a bit of wonderful change.

Naan Bread


Since it was our first time, we were at the mercy of our server's recommendations. A staple when in comes to Persian cuisine is the Naan bread and is best eaten with curries and other stews the place had to offer. This flat bread is typically made with flour, salt, yoghurt and leavened with yeast. It is traditionally cooked in ghee (clarified butter) or butter in a tandoor (clay) oven.

Nargishi (Vegetarian)Kofta

Other items we enjoyed in the menu is the Shrimp Curry and the Nargishi Kofta (vegetarian kofta). These highly seasoned items are surprisingly not hot and spicy as we would have expected, but is delightfully flavorful with a balance of fragrant spices New Bombay is known for.

Shrimp Curry

Chicken Tikka Masala



The Chicken Tikka Masala might surprise you with its bright red color - almost like the color of Chinese Champoy. These are boneless pieces of chicken that have been marinated in yoghurt and spices and cooked in the tandoor oven, then stewed in a blend of coconut cream, tomato sauce and masala (a variety of spices). It was said that this was created by a chef in Glasgow, Great Britain, as the locals found the Chicken Tikka too dry for their tastes thus they created a gravy to go with it.

While the food at New Bombay is not something I see myself having on a daily basis, the food is exceptionally interesting and is surely worth a try. Check it out sometime.

Heaven in Baguio

Food Showdown: Desserts
More from Baguio: While there, we also got to visit the Food Showdown at the Baguio Country Club. Dessert preparations were plated and presented and while not every entry was perfectly done, there were those who stood out. Here's sharing with you some of those;







Cafe by the Ruins: Never disappoints
Lunch with the team brought us to Cafe by the Ruins. My visit to this city will never be complete without having their delicious coffee and pastries. More than that, we sampled and savored not just the sweets but also their other delectable offerings.

Taho Soup

Imagine Taho served with dashi broth and made more rich with an egg. I personally call this the confused sukiyaki and miso soup in one. I like it though.


Tortang Talong

Anything with cheese always, always tastes better.


Gado-Gado

Sweet and salty, this dish was inspired by the popular Indonesian salad, but Ruins' take makes it a healthier bit with tofu served as its main protein.

Pinikpikan

This is one dish you shouldn't miss. Soft, tender and flavorful chicken pieces that is served with sayote leaves. Absolutely heaven.


Signature Red Rice


Lemon Chiffon Cake

I love this dessert with all its blissful textures - crunchy & spongy mouthfeel from the cake and sweet & slimy from the mango julienne pieces; a beautiful ending to a wonderful meal.


Ruins' Coffee

Served with Tira Tira, what more can you ask for?

Baguio's Giant Pizza

I was there. Surely, this one isn't just another handheld treat. It measured 28 feet in diameter and an inch thick. It's enough to feed thousands! Witnessing that great big pizza, my nostrils stimulated by the strong cheese and toppings aroma, being there was one great experience when over a hundred kitchen brigade worked together in order to make such a magnificent pizza.

We were there even before mall opened, the event being held at SM Baguio. With my team working with one of our big pizza clients, the assembly was done on the spot to ensure that everything would be perfectly done, up to the last piece of the pizza puzzle.

Media was early, covering each and every part of the preparation. The other teams brought in their pizzas piping hot, already baked in their respective kitchens.







We were the only ones who baked on the spot- which was a good thing, since the attention was all ours early on - as they all witnessed us putting the sauce, sprinkling the cheese and putting the toppings. After subjecting it in the pizza oven, (yup, we brought in one) it was like putting together one big puzzle. Piece by piece, it was arranged on the slice mold provided by the organizer - that is HRAP Baguio.

Prior to putting the pizza on the slice plate provided by the organizer, the plate was covered with foil and drizzled with olive oil to ensure that the crusts won't stick to the pan.


The pizza pieces are then put together to form the giant slice - each participant was tasked to form a slice with a size of about 11feet long and 8 feet wide.


When all the pieces are put together, the chefs re-heat the pizza using a blowtorch to ensure that the additional cheese and toppings are properly melted and heated.


It was then covered with cling wrap to ensure that it doesn't dry up while waiting for the unveiling.



Some of the participants were able to finish immediately, while some took time in finishing their creations. At the end of the day, it was not really about speed, but all about ensuring that the finished products were done perfectly - safe for consumption, full of flavor and of course, bursting with freshness.




When all participants were done with their slices, each slice was pushed to the center to create one magnificent pizza. The pizza featured 10 different flavors and was consumed in 10 minutes by residents of Baguio City. The feat is Baguio's way of celebrating its city's centennial.

What the Masters did in an afternoon

I was fortunate to be part of a team who put together an afternoon of culinary solutions to our existing food service customers. That afternoon, the likes of culinary masters such as Chef Ariel Manuel, Buddy Trinidad, Rob Pengson and Heny Sison graced our humble demo kitchen to share new trends, recipes and tricks.

Here's a photo journey of what they have done with our products in such an innovative manner.

Tapas

Chicken & Mushroom Roulade in Adobo-Mushroom Sauce

Chef Rob was tasked to come up with Tapas - small plates of dishes meant to be enjoyed with your favorite drink. A simple roulade was done with chicken and mushrooms, very simple but it gave an interesting twist to the regular adobo.

Corned Beef Croquettes

Done the bechamel sauce-style, this is quite a tricky one since the mixture will be quite messy to work with. The secret; freeze the mixture prior to forming and breading.

Anything Hand-held

Pizza Roll

This pizzaroll by Chef Ariel used a thin pizza crust and used a white carbonara sauce and mixed it with various sausages and greens.

Sisig Pizza

While Sisig is any Pinoy's ultimate favorite drinking buddy, this one is served with a crust and topped with egg for that fabulous finish. Imagine your pizza crust as the sizzling plate; but this time, in an edible format.

Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Stack

Honeycured bacon that is baked and sliced mozzarella cheese was stacked in between slices of baguette; Paired with various crisp and fresh vegetables to make this hearty sandwich, it somehow balances the calorie guilt.

Desserts that conquered

Banana Brownies

Heny shared what Banana Schmutz is - a pureed mixture of fresh bananas with sugars and butter; and this heavenly mixture was used to ensure that the sliced bananas are securely placed on top of the round brownie base.

Russian Pancakes

Imagine your favorite pancakes cooked twice. This one's done ala french toast.
This version is cut up and cooked in butter(oh my!) and sugar and served with cooked strawberries.

Baked Blueberry Cheesecake

Who would have thought that this light and airy cheesecake is made from a base of pancake mix? This is sooo Heny as it is plated beautifully with functional garnishes - all edible up to the last piece!

Choco-Peanut Butter Brownie Parfait

Chef Buddy pleased us all with this brownie made extra special as it was served with peanut butter ganache and topped with ice cream. Absolutely not for the faint hearted.

Life's good. Food's never been better.