beating the heat: swim!

the family just had a swim at a nearby province to escape the heat. we headed to bulacan, a nearby province of pampanga. bulacan is becoming a resort haven as it now have a number of water theme parks.

together with the swimming escapade is the fun food that flavors the feast. we had a good mix of everything all bought from nearby market and anything found in ther ref. charcoal grilled pork belly is always in the list on every swim trip,

tocino, a famous kapampangan processed food is included. we just bought these from the supermarket and fried straight in a hot pan. sometimes, they boil the tocino before frying to remove some of the preservatives from the meat.

chicharon and danggit. danggit is a small fish usually butterflied and dried. this danggit was given to us by our friend from the province of cebu. danggit is famous for its taste and aroma. it's either you hate it or you'll love it.

the fried foods served is best with mango ensalada. this is a mix of julliened mangoes, chopped tomatoes and salted eggs. salted eggs were already invaded by the hungry honchos before i got the chance to shoot this pic.
this pork and chicken asado in a box was made the day before the swim. stew mix varies. usually, it ends up with just about a mix of soy sauce, pepper and anything you find in your food cab. i think they added some tomato sauce and vinegar into the stew. yup. best eaten wehn day old. sauce seeps into the meat giving glorious time to develop its flavor.

chicken in a bag. fried chicken breaded in flour, salt, pepper and tons of garlic. the old plastic bag and the used newspaper makes this meal very rustic. our province is not the best place to find high end space age food preserving containers.

korea quest: korea garden restaurant

on my hunny's birthday, we had dinner at a korean restaurant not far from where we work. we had a craving of korean food while watching tons of korea-novelas.

we walked around jupiter street, makati. this area is in full blast during night time. this is also the place where young pros go after a hectic day at work. restaurants, bars and even karaoke shops are within the area.

we stopped at korea garden restaurant. the restaurant was established in the 70s and it was only now that i entered the place. the restaurant's interiors has no interesting feature except for its cleanliness.

placed in the menu are their specialties with pictures beside it. a nice touch for people like me who doesn't really know all the korean food names.

we got a safe restaurant favorite. a generically named: korean dinner. for about a little over a thousand pesos, you would get about a dozen appetizers, a korean bbq on a hot grill, some glass noodles in sesame and soy based sauce, pan fried gyozas, seafood soup and different kinds of kimchis.

this is probably the best option when going in there for the first time. everything from kimchis, seafood, some pork stuff and a good serving of korean bbq is prepared.

size of the serving is good for 4. although the appetizers are not refillable, the quantity is good for hungry stomachs.

the restaurant's ambiance is very pleasant and you would see the korean owner wait for guests at the doorway. you now seldom see owners greet guests.

this is a nice place for good korean food and a quiet area to eat. ample parking space is available.



korea garden restaurant
jupiter street
bel aire
makati city

korean quest: dong won 2 - the grill

on the second time we visited the dong won restaurant, we tried their grill. the table setup is somewhat similar to shabu-shabu.

an open grill is molded at the center of the table. fire used is from burning charcoal. fans feed oxygen to the flame and suck up the smoke from the grill which prevents you from being suffocated by white smoke.

mich rosales, a pioneer of the restaurant who knows what she's doing, assisted us on the grilling.

when going there, ask for mich. she will introduce you to the good food they serve at a layman's language.

grill is in stainless steel. no oils were added. good quality pork is placed on the grill. grill is dome shaped. similar to the cast iron korean bbq grill. oil will drip at the edge making the pork a little less sinful.

fresh garlic and onions are placed beside the pork. big lettuce leaves are served together with scallion kimchi and a red pungent sauce.

preparation is similar to peking duck. with your bare hands, get a good, big lettuce leaf. place a piece of the grilled pork. smudge it with the red sauce. pick some of the scallion kimchi and place it on top of the pork. roll the lettuce leaf gently forming a bite size veggie pocket.

this dish comes with dong won's unending appetizers of kimchis, tofus, mussels and other veggies.

price is superb. it is just like getting two mcdonalds happy meals. but this one is incomparable to the fat saturated gleaming burgers of mcdonalds.

dong won restaurant and grill

jupiter street corner polaris street

bel aire

makati city

korean quest: dong won restaurant

one night, we craved for korean cuisine. we only see korean food in korea-novelas. the meals are very interesting as they usually show several appetizers in one regular meal.

near the office of my hunny, we crossed one korean restaurant. outside, you would only see a bungalow with an old and faded restaurant sign.
you need to have guts to check the place as it does not have all the glitters you expect in a restaurant.

but inside, cubicles are available for a real korean feast. low tables are available for added authenticity where in you sit on the floor to dine.

and best of all, the food is superb! we already went there several times trying all the out-of-the-ordinary dishes they offer.

the good thing is that koreans go there to eat. this sends a good signal that the restaurant is serving real korean taste.

the trick is to go there with a hungry stomach. get one dish...and enjoy the 10 appetizers they give you. different kimchis, tofu, eggs on a different way, veggies of a different kind. each day, new appetizers are introduced. there's a hint of excitement on every visit as you would be served something different each time. an added bonus is that these appetizers are refillable! with no extra cost!!!

and when you get the bill...price is very pinoy friendly!!!

now that your tummy is filled up and ready to go, the friendly receptionist will hand you a complimentary pack of kimchi for you take home. good way to end the night!!!!

ask for mich rosales when visiting the place. she serves well...a pioneer of the restaurant. she knows the food and attends to you alertly.


dong won restaurant
jupiter street corner polaris street
bel aire
makati city

chocolates from pampanga: nanan's chocolates

on our way to manila from pampanga, we usually drop by a pasalubong store where you get native delicacies. "tita's" is a famous pampango brand selling tocinos, langonizas, and tapas. the store also sells turones de casoy, pulvorons, peanuts and other sweets locally made in the province.

one product that got my attention is a chocolate candy. nanan's. so far, this is the first pampango chocolate candy i have encountered. kapampangans, and bulaquenios, are famous for producing sweets. but never a chocolate candy.

i tried a plain chocolate and a one with cashew. i would rather say that nanan's is did a good effort on going into the chocolate business. however, price is a bit high for an average quality chocolate. i might be able to duplicate the candy by buying raw chocolates from chocolate lovers at quezon city.

nanan's milk chocolate

nanan's chocloate factory

angeles city, pampanga

(045) 887-3688

beating the heat: sherbet

every holy week, we go to pampanga to participate in the lenten procession. we prepare our antique carosa for the evening walk around town. part of the event is to absorb all the heat summer has to give. to combat this, we get a nice locally made sherbet at the nearby market. you usually order this a day ahead as it needs time to set and to freeze.

but several summers ago, when the coconut trees are still bearing lots of fruits (or nuts), we make our own sherbet. young coconuts are gathered from the trees. they are cut open with the juice reserved. the meat is then scraped into strips. juice and the coconut strips are combinde together with water and sugar.

the secret to a good coconut sherbet is the dalayap. this is a golf ball sized green native lemon whose rind is used more than that of the juice. the rind has a mellow scent somewhat similar to lemon grass with hints of lime. when mixed with sherbet, the rind's scent will infuse into the coconut mixture producing flavors that will cool you off on a summer's day.

the preparation includes a calapinyera. this is an aluminum cylindrical container where the coconut mixture is placed. then the calapinyera is placed inside another bigger conical wooden case. crushed ice mixed with sea salt is placed inbetween the calapinyera and the wooden case that envelopes the aluminum canister. salt will slow down the melting process of the ice giving it more time to freeze the coconut juice.

once prepared, the calapinyera is mixed and moved in a circular motion so that the juice inside will freeze faster. since it is continuously mixed, the juice will not freeze into one solid piece. instead, it will be in a state similar to finely crushed ice. if ice supply is good, setting will just take 4 hours of mixing....or even less.

variations have evolved on this local sherbet. sometimes they are mixed with milk, fruits of the season, cheese, chocolate and other local flavors available.

beating the heat: samalamig

pinoys have come up with ways on beating the heat. one very simple way is to prepare an ice cold drink from simple ingredients found in a local market.

known as "samalamig", this is a cold drink with big chunks of ice sold on a street corner. this drink is usually flavored with cheap essences. banana and vanilla are popular. sago, or tapioca pearls, are in summer colors. unflavored jello is sometimes added for fun. this is prepared in 3 to 5 gallon plastic jars and sold by the glass.

tapioca pearls may be bought raw or cooked. raw sago is boiled in plain water until soft and translucent. it is easier to get cooked ones as raw tapioca needs time to boil.

samalamig

drops of banana essence
3 cups sago
muscovado sugar (regular brown sugar will do)
big chunks of ice
3 gallons of water

mix the sugar with water. stir till dilluted. others prefer to mix the sugar with hot water to dillute the sugar faster. but using cold water is ok. you just have to mix it longer for the sugar to dissolve. sugar amount will be according to your taste.

add the sago. add prepared and set unflavored gelatine cubes if desired. add about 3 drops of the banana essence. vanilla flavor is a good substitute.

add big chunks of ice to cool off the drink. serve by the glass.