Incredible Edible ink.

We went to ink. about a month ago and I didn't get to write the blog right away, hence the foggy memory but I must say that I can still call it the "incredible edible ink".

I have eaten there numerous times and have never been disappointed. We started with appetizers for the table and then ordered numerous plates to share. The menu was as interesting as ever. Some of my favorites were no longer there but were replaced by new ones.

The Oysters Mignonette were not only pretty to look at but refreshing and delicious as well.  We always have to order the Salt & Charcoal Potato with sour cream. I always get a kick in pretending to eat charcoal briquettes. The Beef Tartar with hearts of palm was very good. The Corn with house made Doritos was exceptional. I could have eaten a bowlful.

We also had Beef Short Ribs, Fried Chicken Oatmeal with sunny side egg and Potato Polenta with bone marrow, sour cream and chicken. Pretty soon, we lost track of what we were eating as it just kept coming.

We had several desserts we shared and devoured.

One think about ink., you have to be adventurous and keep an open mind. Prepare to have your taste buds captivated like this future fan who kept salivating watching her elders!

Philippine Airlines Lounge

I was disappointed when I got to the business class lounge in the new Tom Bradley Airport. It is shared with other airlines therefore it is not even close to the one in the Philippines. In fact, it was terrible! A few sandwiches which looked like it came from a vending machine, two kinds of cheap wine, some fruit and a large amount of packaged ramen soup; and some potato chips.

The business class lounge in the Philippines is a good enough reason to fly Philippine Airlines. They have traditional desserts like Brazo de Mercedes, cream puffs, puddings, yogurt (for the health nuts) and best of all, fresh mangos!

From the bakery department, they had an assortment of crusty rolls and croissants. They also served Sauteed Mushroom with cheese, Grilled Chicken ala Pobre with mushrooms and Corned Beef Pandesal. A cookie jar was filled with delicious looking cookies.

For entrees: They had the usual eggs with bacon, fish, beef and garlic fried rice. I did not try any of these as I wanted to concentrate on something no other restaurant can do better and that is the "Arroz Caldo" which is a rice porridge. This is guaranteed to make anyone a lover of this native dish. It is cooked with chicken and has a variety of toppings: eggs, dried fish (salty), green onions, fried garlic, etc. etc. etc. You can put as little or as many toppings you wish. FYI: when you fly Philippine Airlines (PAL) you can ask for this anytime between your meals. I did get hungry before breakfast so they served me a small bowl. Several people had it and I could always smell the wonderful aroma that made me even hungrier.

A flight attendant later told me that she knew this one passenger that always took PAL because of their Arroz Caldo. The flight attendants are not bad either. They are unlike most American flight attendants who are there because it is their job and they do not necessarily have to like what they are doing. The PAL flight attendants are courteous, respectful, and will do anything (almost) with a smile to cater to your needs.

So I say "Mabuhay" to PAL and their staff.

Kimono Ken

Though this restaurant has been around for a decade,  I have never been there. Kimono Ken: it's quintessence states: Enticingly Japanese...for less. On my recent trip, I invited my nephew Andre, his wife Ela and daughter Sab for dinner.

We were all hungry so we didn't waste much time dissecting the menu. We ordered the Shrimp Tempura, Crunchy Chicken Teriyaki and the Agedashi Tofu. All of them delicious.

Eating out in the Philippines as a rule was always cheap though I have been told by a few that this is longer the case. I found that to be true. This simple meal ended up costing $46.00 which may not seem a lot by U.S. standards but for the Philippines, that is quite expensive for a simple Japanese meal. Times have indeed changed.

Of course, there's always good old "McDo".

McDonald's Overseas

Not all McDonald's are created equal especially overseas. In the Philippines, everyone refers to it as "McDo". You'll be surprised with their menu. They have spaghetti, fried chicken which you can order with rice as everyone eats rice. For breakfast, aside from the McMuffins or Pancakes, they have the typical Filipino breakfast dishes like: Sausage Platter, Longganisa (pork sausage) with rice and egg and Hamdesal which is a ham sandwich on a pandesal bread.

While I was in the Philippines, my mom had some delivered to us. We had the Longganisa with rice and egg. My only complaint was the egg. It's supposed to be a  fried egg but it looked more like a flattened hard boiled egg. Nevertheless, it was still very edible especially when we dipped the sausage in vinegar. This is one case wherein the food tasted better than it looked.

The funny thing is the following day, my mom who was feeling better after a 3 week stay at the hospital for a ruptured appendix, had a craving for pancakes so she had 1 order of pancakes delivered which we split. McDonald's will deliver anything and there is no minimum order.  

So you see, we always make fun of McDonald's but I suggest you try them when you visit another country as they are not your regular McDonald's.

Yabu - House of Katsu

Katsu is short for katsuretsu which refers to cutlet; sliced piece of meat that is breaded and deep fried. In the beginning, only beef was used but now the pork is just as popular giving rise to dishes called Tonkatsu ("ton" meaning pork).

As soon as we sat, they presented us with a bowl of white and black sesame. We were to grind it with the pestle until the it released the aroma of the sesame seeds. Then we were to pour the katsu sauce over it. Dino and I decided to share pork and a chicken katsu. It came with a cabbage salad with your choice of dressing. We used the "goma"  dressing which was the best and quite addicting. Both pork and chicken katsu looked appetizing; it exuded a bright, crisp golden color and was not greasy at all. I was informed that the katsu is cooked at precisely 165 degrees Celsius and allowed too rest properly. The rice they use Koshihikari which is supposedly the finest rice in Japan. Some may not like it as it was a bit mushy.

Yabu is honored to have Chef Kazuya Takeda as Yabu's partner on all things katsu. As the head chef of Tonkatsu Takeshin, a popular tonkatsu restaurant in Tokyo, he has graciously passed on this knowledge of katsu to their chefs.

Yabu is located in the ground level of the Robinson's Magnolia Building in Quezon City in the Philippines.

Champetre

A French restaurant located at "The Fort" in the Philippines. This was recommended to me by Ana and Gonz so when the opportunity arose which was a spur of the moment, whoever was available was invited.

All I know was no matter what, I had to order the Foie Gras Terrine so I did just that.  I also ordered the Steak Tartare for our appetizers to share. One thing about steak tartare, no matter which restaurant you order it from; it never looks appetizing and I've had very good ones. It is because of this that it's always hard to introduce someone who has never had it to get to try it. I practically have to have a gun on their head for them to have a bite! Luckily, everyone at our table enjoyed both appetizers.

The restaurant did not have a kid's menu so they presented my nephew Andre and his wife Ela with the lunch menu. They had smaller portions there so they ordered Sab, their daughter a bowl of pasta with shrimps, scallops and bacon. She seemed to enjoy it and so did everyone else.  Andre and  I ordered the Lamb Chops which was delicious though it could have been a bit more tender. This was served with a nice mushroom risotto. Ela had the the Salmon with eggplant. I had a bite of it and was impressed with it's freshness and flavor. Brian chose the Rib Eye with french fries which was also delicious. My brother Dino had the Linguine with a Trio of Seafood. I have no idea how good that was as I didn't get a chance to try it.

We ordered 3 desserts to share.  Nelusco Mousse for the chocolate lovers at our table; Grand Marnier Ice for the ones that wanted something light and my choice which was the best....Mango Mille-Feuille which was absolute heaven. It was even better than the picture below if you can imagine. Philippine mangoes are unlike mangoes in the U.S. or Mexico or anywhere else. They are not fibrous and they are smooth and sweet when fully ripe.

We were all happy at the end of our meal. The restaurant lived up to my expectations. Thanks to Ana and Gonz.