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).
Le Bistro Vert: Eating Green
THE SETTING: Located in the heart of the Makati business district, just a few flights of stairs from Valero Street upwards to Fraser Place Building at Streetside. Le Bistro Vert is a welcoming place, with its high ceiling, cool colors and large windows lending a feeling of being inside a greenhouse. There is a loft for private dining and special occasions and tables outside for al fresco dining.
Adarna Resto: Food in Culture, Culture in Food
“I wanted the people to be revitalized after eating” said Chef Giney Villar, much like how the legendary bird Adarna, where the restaurant’s name came from, would revitalize and cure people of their illness. Chef Giney traveled around the country and brought back the historical and heirloom recipes that date back to the early 1900s and recreated them for people to enjoy now. Just the thought of trying out recipes that probably our lolas used to make was enough to feed my curiosity. And the interesting twist is that Chef Giney’s a vegan. So how would those meat dishes taste without her actually taste-testing it first?
Bale Dutung: Feeding the tummy, filling the mind
When traveling to the north, making a stopover in Pampanga is always a sensible decision. And why not? Kapampangans are really known for their rich food tradition. But eating takes on a deeper, and should I say cultural, meaning when you make a stop at Bale Dutung. Tucked in a residential village, the place looks more like a house than a restaurant which it actually is, being the abode of chef/cook/artist Claude Tayag and his wife, Maryanne. That said, the treatment we got was more akin to dining in a friend’s house.
A Taste of Nyonya Heritage at Seroni
Malaysian food is as rich as its history. In between our exploration of the heritage sites in Malacca, we got a chance to experience Peranakan Cuisine where it originated — Malacca. Recipes dating as far back as the 15th century still exist, evolving to what is now known as Nyonya Cuisine. In a restaurant tucked beside the hidden side street of Taman Melaka Raya, we found Seroni Nyonya Cuisine Restaurant. The establishment is owned by one of the last descendants of the Baba-Nyonya family, so we’re expecting to taste authentic Nyonya Cuisine.
Nam Heong’s Age-Old Hainanese Chicken Rice
When in Malaysia, mention Chicken Rice and locals would definitely say Nam Heong as it’s equivalent. It’s an institution known for cooking Chicken rice using age-ol recipe spanning more than 70 years since the establishment started. Now there are a number of franchises in Kuala Lumpur but have they consistently serve the same quality? We trooped to one of their branches in Sungai Wang Mall to try out their famous Chicken Rice as well as some of their other offerings.