Palawan - Totally worth the risk! - Bacuit Grill

Just got back from Palawan! safe and sound…

With the weather’s continuous pour and blow, curiosity might’ve urged you to ask- “Were you able to enjoy the splendor of Palawan despite the bad weather?”

The answer is actually “YES!” (including the rainshowers!!!)

Most beach-goers might claim to disagree, as rays of sunlight are usually inherent for a perfect beach experience.- I’m not in contradiction to their belief, just appreciative to have enjoyed the beauty of sun and rain against the clear waters of the island.

Now, let’s talk about SEAfood!

The word itself “Seafood” got us to walk through the dimly lit shore towards the far end of the bay… reaching an isolated restaurant- Bacuit Grill Bar and Restaurant, decorated with a native interior that exudes a tropical ambiance.

Perfect Dinner = Warm Ambiance + Flavorful Dishes! 

Seafood Chowder

• Rich and Creamy, with strong flavors of shrimp, crabs, and clams
• Accentuated with chunks of seafood
• Lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

Kinilaw na Tanigue

• Filipino favorite at its best!
• Fresh tanigue marinated in spiced vinegar 
• Uniquely served in wine glass

Seared Ahituna with Bacuit Sauce

• Though the fillet was cooked dry, it was complemented by the richness of the tomato sauce
• Perfectly plated

Bacuit Grill, Bar and Restaurant

El Nido Beach, Palawan

Foodnotes:

> Kinilaw - a Filipino raw-fish salad that's extremely popular in the Southern Visayas region

written by: Atchi

Sunday Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs

I usually skip breakfasts, but never on a Sunday.

Sunday is my favorite weekday, as it is the perfect day for breakfast! Also, it is the only day of the week wherein you could actually hear the entire household in chorus, making it ideal to make a BIG breakfast for the entire family (a family of friends). Our typical Sunday usually starts with me and my sister chopping/ slicing/ sautéing/ mixing/ baking/ (whatever it is you actually do in the kitchen) as early as 6am, filling the kitchen with the aroma of fresh ingredients and spices… Then, one- by- one, members of the household gather around the kitchen table, chatting their way through us- to prepare them a scrumptious meal.

When it comes to breakfasts, eggs are definitely one of the basic staples; as early meals are incomplete without Scrambled Eggs!

* The most important thing to remember when making scrambled eggs is too prevent them from over- cooking. The perfect scrambled eggs should be light and fluffy in texture, and bursting with the simplest flavors.

Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

3 pcs Eggs

A knob of butter

1/2 tbsp of heavy cream

1 tsp sour cream (optional)

Pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 tbsp of chopped chives

Procedure:

1. Crack eggs on the pan 
2. Add butter
3. Under high heat, stir the eggs using a spatula. (Technique: put it on the heat and off the heat to avoid overcooking; treat it like a risotto – continuous stirring )
4. When texture is creamy and fluffy, turn off the heat, then put in heavy cream and sour cream
5. Season with salt and pepper
6. Fold in chopped chives
7. Serve hot with toast.

Foodnotes:
> Don't whisk the eggs in a bowl before heating. It will break down the eggs - causing it to be watery
> Put the butter early in the process to add a velvety texture
> If heavy cream is not available, fresh milk can be used as a substitute for this recipe
> Onions are great in adding flavor

written by: Shobe

Deli-in-a-CAN! - Delimondo

After two years, I’ve grown used to walking home with shobe, enjoying the afternoon breeze… as it soothes the mind and emotions after a looong day at work, a plus—it keeps us physically fit!

Sadly, today was unlike the others, as I marched home- Alone!

What really bothered me was the idea that—while I’ve spent 8 hours working in chaos, shobe was taking trips around Metro Manila- enjoying the pleasure of eating good food!

Being my envious self, I pretty much pre-occupied myself with devilish thoughts of getting even… wait till I get home!

Upon opening the house gate though, the smoke and scent of corned beef cooking in the kitchen welcomed me, immediately extinguishing all plans of mischief…

Delimondo Ranch Style Corned Beef!- a premium corned beef made the old fashion way with 100% pure beef cut in long shreds. Cured with spices through a special process to ensure the distinctive flavor that goes well with your favorite corned beef recipe.

For me—it’s my newfound food of forgiveness! Worst- it comes in a can! (Am I that shallow?!)

Many of those who’ve tried it would definitely agree with me- as the description cited in the can was in no doubt the Truth! Every forkful of corned beef was immensely rich with flavor. Add to that the quality of beef! 

Other products include:

Corned Beef (Garlic and Chili)

Deli Luncheon Meat

Badito de Sardinas

Spicy Tinapa in Tomato Sauce

Callos al estilo Morado

Iberian Chicken Mix

Chili and Garlic: Drizzling Oil

Bacalao a la Mestiza

Foodnotes:

>The Delimondo line is available at the Delimondo stall at the Salcedo Village Saturday Market and at the Petra & Pilar restaurant along Export Drive corner Chino Roces in Makati.

written by: Atchi

To fully appreciate food, One must know how it is made

I may have grown up in a family of foodies, yet somehow no one knows how to cook or bake… I guess we were just content with the idea of eating good food. Throughout my younger years, we’ve grown used to eating out, a lot! - Continuously navigating through the city of Cagayan de Oro, in search of delectable bites.

With that as my childhood food experience, I’m proud to share that this year; I’ve decided to make a change!

Just 6 months ago, I’ve enjoyed my first baking experience, with the use of my very first gas oven. As interest in the kitchen heightened, along with a bit of courage and immense support from my sister, a random decision was made—to enroll in Heny Sison Culinary School. The aforementioned school offers a variety of courses, namely; “Lifestyle Programs” –diverse short term cooking/ baking courses that usually take 1 – 3 sessions, depending on its complexity; and “Professional Programs” – courses that usually take 22 sessions, as it covers a wider range of baking/ cooking topics (usually undergone by prospective chefs as foundation in pursuit of careers in the food industry). With intention of taking my interest in food seriously, though having zero knowledge on baking, I enrolled in the Professional Program under Essential Baking and Pastry Series. And mind you, the experience was an unforgettable one. I never thought baking sweet treats would actually bring me much joy…

In the past 22 Saturdays of taking baking courses… I realized that, I got more than what I expected, as not only was I able to learn the proper techniques on how to make breads, cakes, bars, cookies, and many more delightful pastries… but, I’ve also known great people whom I now call “friends”, together becoming part of the Heny Sison Culinary School family.

The experience itself may have brought forth feelings of insecurity and nervousness as I sometimes tend to make mistakes. However, practicing in a school with a warm and friendly environment, I’ve managed to enjoy the process of learning, with my fellow students and professional chefs.

The best part is—I am now able to do it at home, all by myself… driven with passion to continuously develop my skills in perfection of the craft.

July 14th marks the end of my course, my graduation.…

Here’s a glimpse of my 22 Saturdays:

And I will be off doing kitchen experiments and will soon be sharing them with you.

written by: Shobe

Chef Hosoya's Treasure - Tonkatsuya

My Sunday food experience, now just a memory transcribed in words.

“Yay!!!” I shouted, upon waking on a Sunday morning…

Stomping (an adjective seldom used to describe my poised character… Though, in this case, deemed necessary as shobe would surely disagree if I plainly term it as “walking”) down the stairs, everyone asked in chorus—“What’s so special with today?”…

Blushing, I shyly answered- “Tonkatsu…”

That’s how excited I was… to eat Tonkatsu- a pork fillet/ pork loin salted, peppered, dredged lightly in flour, dipped in beaten egg, coated with panko (breadcrumbs), then fried to perfection!

Craving for authentic Tonkatsu started a week ago when I heard numerous raves about…

“Tonkatsuya”, an authentic Japanese restaurant hidden in the basement of a condominium building, situated within San Antonio Village- serving authentic Japanese Tonkatsu. Just so you know, I’ve lived in the same village for more than a year, yet never got to hear bout’ this place!!! It’s that HIDDEN!

To exhaust curiosity, we altogether decided to have an early dinner—

“just for tonight” shobe reasoned..

Dinner took place a little after 4pm- with these overwhelming sights on the table:

Tonkatsu (ala carte)- P170

The best-seller.

Well- seasoned pork fillet, with just the right crisp…

Slightly better than average

Katsu Curry Rice- P220

Personally, I prefer this over the plain Tonkatsu.

Fushion of Asian flavors- the rich aroma and spice of the curry sauce complements the subtle taste of the pork fillet.

Sukiyaki set- P240

“The best Sukiyaki I’ve tasted”—as exclaimed by shobe

Sweet and Tangy! With tenderly cooked beef strips immersed in broth.

Tonkatsuya

Palm Tower B, St. Paul Rd., San Antonio Village, Makati
(02) 896 1990

Foodnotes:

> Set meals can also be ordered as ala carte – less 20 pesos

> Wasabi – in yellow color

written by: Atchi

The Blueprint

If you’ve read the previous entry, you just witnessed the literary work of my sister. My ever so proud sister, who never fails to announce my achievements in public- usually WITHOUT consent.

“We should have this entry…” I pleaded… “just to… set boundaries”

In most cases, blogs are personal, solely written… But, in this case—“FoodiesFoodNotes” will set it a level higher, as two of us (my sister and I) intend to continuously post entries- though, abiding by a looong list of rules (just enough to hold back conflict, as I’m usually on the loser’s end) wink*

Here are the rules:

Rule number 1- “Thou shall never delete or edit another person’s blog entry”. For checking, each of us should have a copy of every entry in file.

Rule number 2- “Thou shall never re- blog the same topic, unless the additional information is substantial, thus worthy of another post”- this applies to restaurant assessments, tutorials, recipes, etc.

Rule number 3- “Thou shall respect each other’s perspective, taste and suggestions”- never post with comments on previous entries, unless for reference.

Rule number 4- “Thou shall seek approval from the other, prior to posting any entry”

*As for other rules- such would be discussed by the two parties (privately), hehehe!

For our dear readers: to identify who posted a particular entry, we will provide a signature, “shobe” (me) and “atchie” (my sister) - cited after each posting.

Over the years, we’ve travelled through different places- experiencing different cultures, and trying out different cuisines- where we learned a few tricks of the culinary craft. Throughout our journey towards discovering food, appreciation and fascination towards it grew into love. This love has now caused us to continually explore and enjoy food—with heightened desire to share it to everyone who loves food.

In Foodiesfoodnotes, we aspire to share everything we know about food—through recipes, kitchen tips/techniques, restaurant experiences, food discoveries - bringing you along with us on our gastronomic adventures. You just have to remember one thing-- "You could eat whatever you want, just don't OVEReat".

Herstory

"Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure in the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative & imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood-carving, or music"- Julia Child

The words quoted by Julia Child is the perfect composition capturing the childhood my sister and I shared- and pretty much enjoyed!

Our interest in the kitchen started early, with me at age 8 and her at age 6, as we used to play cook-off competitions (now, famously aired as 'junior master chef')- usually having eggs as our main ingredient. Such fun!!! Seasoning the eggs with unknown ingredients was only part of the fun, the best part was getting to eat our very own culinary masterpieces- and having our parents eat them too! Well, I must say that-- throughout our cooking experience, we've never heard them complain... Maybe we're just that great at mixing stuff?! hahaha!

As years passed, our love for food deepened, yet our kitchen skills remained umm... satisfactory..? You need not guess that this meant we outgrew our childhood dreams of becoming chefs- I graduated with Economics and Finance as majors, while my sister graduated as a Software Developer with.. ahem! honors- Magna Cum Laude!

Love for "Everything Good to Eat" has been our childhood motto. However, with our frugal lifestyle throughout the college and working years, such motto was no longer practiced, nearly forgotten. Reminiscing those years,... happy memories were relived, bringing back our desire for good food. Thus, we've finally decided to carry on with our life's passion, that is-- To Live, Love and Eat!