It’s not everyday that you get a surprise, mystery box from Jollibee. Hmmm, the wrapper is emblazoned with the familiar “Langhap Sarap” theme interspersed with “Crispy” and “Baked”.
After the wrapper comes off, the mystery deepens. Inside I found two large potatoes, a potato-powered clock science experiment, a toy cow, a block of toy cheese complete with a white mouse and a luggage scale. So add these keywords to the clues: “Potato”, “Time”, “Beefy”, “Cheesy”, and “Hefty”.
We came to Sagada on a weekday to explore the foodscape as much as the landscape. The weather, as always, was conducive not only for hiking but also for good eating. In the limited time we stayed, we found either newer places or newer offerings from the old reliables. Here we share some of our favorites.
Honestly, I was half-expecting the instant dinner to be, well, like the usual instant food stuff — tummy fillers that are short on flavor. So it came as a pleasant surprise to find Almost Gourmet tasty, hot off the microwave oven. Not a bad idea for home dinners especially for households that are short on cooking prep and time (what household still enjoy that luxury, anyway).
The shop is small with only four tables and save for some huge prints on the wall, it was rather nondescript, resembling the hole-in-the-wall eateries in Binondo. The two aircon units look fairly new but on several visits, they were never on. Not even the Binondo eateries were this hot. If you close your eyes for a moment and take a sniff of the air, you can imagine being in a Chinatown restaurant instead of a Makati hole-in-the-wall.
The steady stream of Chinese patrons coming and going seems like a good indication of how good (and authentic) the food is. Diners brave the stifling heat at Peace and Happiness Dumpling House so the food must be that good, right? That takes a taste test to find out.
The facade looks so much more welcoming with the clear floor-to-ceiling glass covered this time with bamboo slats in lieu of heavy drapes. Stepping inside, the interior is light and airy. The last time Happyfoodies was here was two years ago. A lot can happen in that span, in fact, a few of the restaurants we reviewed has sadly come and gone. Happily, Aquaknox has stayed on, reinventing itself along the way.
I couldn’t resist the temptation of opening the bags so I went ahead and opened one. The unmistakable smell of sour cream and onion chips wafted into the air inviting me to dig in. The flavor was very sour cream & onion-y. The mouth feel was spot-on crunchy. Not that I would mistake it for potato chips (the slightly thicker slices and wee bit starchy) but it’s close. The chips are from California Crunch and these are cassava chips. But it ain’t the same ole kamote chips we are accustomed to.
