tempura japanese grill

Tempura Japanese Grill is around for quite some time now. Name sounds very generic but it packs some surprises. This is a bit different as the japanese restaurant is purely filipino owned. Some authenticity might be amiss but i see it as japanese food with pinoy ingenuity.

Branches are now all over the metro. we tried the one at makati avenue, bel-air, near my hunny's office.

my hunny likes anything asparagus. we got their tepanyaki. asparagus spears, scallops, shrimps and bell peppers are teppan fried on a soy based sauce.

we also got a sampler dish of different makis. the unique thing here is that the maki is rolled in balls and that there are bits of crispy fried salmon inside.

another maki was given a different appraoch. they quickly deep fried the roll creating a thin crisp crust on the outside. philadelphia cheese inside the maki made it extra rich and creamy.

food is great and price is very reasonable. you might not find real hardcore japanese food in here but their versions appeal to the masses. for a japanese fast food chain, this is rated A1.

my first kosher salt

salt is everywhere and salt is available all year long. i grew up in paranaque, a city south of manila. it's a place whose primary industry is salt making. they get good salt water from manila bay and have them dry up in salt beds. but that was decades ago!!!

i grew up using sea salt. sea salt sea salt sea salt. they come in very cheap. from time to time, i see a different type of salt on foreign cookbooks. kosher salt. hmmm.... years went by and i didn't even bother knowing what's kosher salt.... or who or what is kosher. googling through, i had a taste of history as kosher has something to do with jewish food ideas.

when my cuz k was here, good thing her dad accidentally packed a box of kosher salts!!! now, i get the chance of using and tasting its difference from common sea salt or iodized salt. yay for cuz k's dad!!! i hope he accidentally packs more stuff when they visit manila! wooooohoooooooo!!!!!!!!

I had my first kosher salts in a big tub of home popped pop corn. i added dried rosemary together with the unpopped kernels into the hot oil. after popping, kosher salt is sprinkled happily.

my first fried ice cream

we went to WOFEX - world food expo here in manila. this is where they introduce new products before they go out to the local market. you'll find interesting items from food products to packaging equipment. everything is sold at a trial price.

this is where i got my first fried ice cream. i wasn't much expecting any flashy experience. well... i was just curious on how it works.

the icecream is wrapped in a thin pastry dough, ball-shaped and frozen hard. on the cart, it has a freezer and a deep fryer.

the frozen ball is dipped in a white gunk. i guess it is made up of sugar syrup, flour and milk. freezing through the wet batter, the ice cream is then transferred to the hot deep fryer.

for about a minute or so, or until the pastry changes color, the fried ice cream is fished out from the fryer and served on a stick.

first bite is hot. but the ice cream inside cools your lip immediately. you have to finish the ice cream fast as it has the tendency to melt because of the frying.

as an ice cream buff, the frying killed the purpose of enjoying a frozen ice cream. i never liked the obscure combination. but i wouldn't mind if someone would treat me for my second fried ice cream.

otap: resurrected

otap: a cookie delicacy from cebu. made from sweet pasry, flattened thinly, rolled, cut lengthwise and baked very crisp. sometimes called as tsinelas, or slippers, as it resembles the shape of a slipper - very similar to the woven slipper espadrilles.

it is very common that i get these cookies from the south. so common that i usually fake my enthusiasm in getting them.


i recently got one threw it at the farthest back side of our ref. several days have passed and forgotten all about it. i then got a craving for some dessert and went checking the ref. i found my savior!!!! hidden behind all the stuff is the gleaming bag of otap!

still looking around, i got cream and milk. ok, this is enough to get me going.


otap cream bar

24 pieces otap (1 bag is ok)
1 cup all purpose cream
1 cup condensed milk
vanilla
choco chips for toppings

mix together the all purpose cream and the condensed milk. add vanilla to taste. in a deep dish, evenly arrange the otap biscuits in layers. it should be about 2 inches thick or 2 to 3 layers of otap. this will hold the structure of the bar.



add the cream mixture on the otap just enough to cover the layers. top with generous chocolate chips and refrigerate overnight.



the dry otap cookies will gently absorb the cream mixture and will form into a nicely textured subtle bar.

new street food fad: calamares

around makati and now spreading all over the provinces, the new fad for street food is the calamares. maybe the yuppies of the makati district are fed up with the squid balls on the streets. they might be going into real meat to bite into.

the cart vendor told me that the squid are all imported. hmm... i wonder getting them from the pacific ocean is considered imported... or it's just a trick for me to be convinced that he's using quality squid.

anywayz, the squid is tender. i know there is a big squid variety here called "lumot" that even if you grill or fry more than what is needed, it would still remain tender. but the vendor still insists that it is not the local variety "lumot".

well, squid is simply dredged in flour with salt and pepper. maybe, tons of msg is added and was hidden within the flour mixture... but i can't tell.

you have the free will to select the squid part you like. definitely, go for the big parts. a small plastic cup is used for you to put the squid into. you then generously drench your calamares with the pink colored vinegar.

this is a nice alternate for a noontime snack as you get 3 pieces for 10 pesos or 7 pieces for 20 pesos.