Trying out something Korean

Years ago, two aunts who lived in Cainta had a Korean neighbor whom we fondly call Oma.  Oma was such an excellent cook, and how she loves to have others sample the fare she whips out from her kitchen.  I had a grand time finishing off her kalbi chim, bulgogi, Korean beef stew, and the like, until Kimchi turned me off hehehe :-p

It's been a while since we last sampled something authentically Korean.  I'm really crazy over their Korean beef stew and I don't remember what it's called but there's a Korean-style pancit which I love, love, love.  So imagine my happiness when we found this Korean resto in Antipolo:

Icheon it is!

I can't read Hangul but it's probably the name of the store engraved there.

They eat like the Japanese.  You sit down on the floor and a low wooden table serves as your dining table.  They have about 10 booths like this.  But we chose to eat Pinoy style hehehe :-)

That's my family waiting for the food to arrive.

Too bad, I never learned how to eat using chopsticks. :-(

Each table has a buzzer.  Cute.

The kids try out the iced house tea.  Bland.  Nothing like our very own Lipton or Nestea.  Or maybe I like my tea to be sweet.

Enrique plays with the steel chopsticks!

This is the Korean-style pancit I was talking about.  Don't be fooled by the picture.  It has looooots of meat and veggies in it, it's just that I consumed them by the time I took this pic. 

Oh la la!  Yummy Korean beef stew

Here's a sample of what we ate.  We got so excited when the food arrived that I forgot to take pictures before we started munching away.

This was a winner but so sorry, I forgot the name :-(

This tastes similar to nilagang baka but it's very tender.

Spicy dilis!  

Another winning entry but whose name I forgot.  Sorry. Let me come back and tell you the names of the dishes hehehehe :-) 

Surprisingly, food at Icheon was relatively affordable.  A family-size platter of their authentic Korean-style pancit is only Php 300, while the Korean beef stew I was raving about was only the same amount.  We were five adults and two kids at that time, and our bill was under Php 1,000.  It was definitely worth it.

Will I go back to Icheon in the near future?  Y-E-S.  It's highly recommended!  Try it!

(Foodie) Lovers? Yes, We Are!

...and I think the fact that my waistline is getting bigger is enough of an indication.

(Note to self:  must start hitting the gym really soon.)

Sweetie and I tried out Chef's Quarter two weeks ago with my mom.  We all worship at an evangelical church right behind SM Megamall, so scouring the humongous store for good food at lunch time comes naturally for us.  We three agreed to try out all the restos and fastfood chains at Mega, since we don't like repeating whatever we've eaten the previous week.  Some weeks we come across some lucky "food deals".  Other days are just...well, let's just say that's going to be my last visit.

Would you care for an entree?

Steak, steak and steak!

Pasta, anyone?

I'm loving the old-world charm of this mirror and vases.

Nice lighting.  But the air-con wasn't working properly.

Mom and I both ordered cream dory in a sauce that I forgot, while my Sweetie Pie got himself fish and chips.  The food was great, but the serving was just too small, even by women's standards.  It took them too long to serve the food too, plus the air-con was awful.  

I would want to come back since the food was good, but I think it'll take me a while -- maybe a year -- to set my feet on this resto.  

We walked out feeling a bit disappointed with CQ, especially comparing it to our previous week's euphoria with our last foodie find.  But then I remembered that I was supposed to treat the three of us to Tutti Frutti, so we hurriedly left and proceeded to TF's tiny outlet.

Don't be fooled.  Yes, Php 20 per oz but since you just pile and pile....

pile and pile all sorts of chocolates, fruits, nuts.....

This cup cost me around Php 130!  Whoa!

TF has many yogurt flavors to choose from:  original, mango, peach, green tea, choco-raspberry...

blueberry, pomegranate, death by chocolate....but my favorite is peanut butter!

Tutti Frutti is one of our most visited stores at the Atrium, and we can't get enough of their wide selection of yogurt and toppings.  Sarap!!!!!

Last Sunday, fresh from reeling about our Chef's Quarter lunch, we proceeded to HK Choi for some Chinese dishes.  I thought it's run by the same owner of Mr Choi at Galleria, but they're different.  They may make the same meals, but each one is good.  And yes, I'd love to drop by again for a visit. 

Chinese style!

It's much like Savory or Super Bowl, but the food was great.

My supermom took this photo.  We're happy about the food, as the smiles show  :-)

I'm loving the Chinese decors too!

This was my plate before they seved the food.  Guess what it looked like after we left the store.  :-)

The food was fantastic at HK Choi.  We ordered chicken and pork rice bowl, while Sweetie Pie ordered chicken rice bowl. It was absolutely mouthwatering.  We added siopao to the list, and boy, I just had to have tea thrice over from everything I put inside my mouth!  This weekly foodie gimmick is becoming too hard to resist, I'm surely gaining more inches and all in the wrong places!

Do drop by HK Choi Megamall,  and if you have the space, throw in a visit to Tutti Frutti.  These are the simple pleasures that make our Sundays doubly fun and exciting.

Cajun

I've mentioned in one too many posts that Sweetie and I love to eat.  No, we love to gorge on just about anything that comes out of the kitchen.  (Whew!  Mental note to self:  start hitting the gym before it's too late!).  From appetizers to main courses to desserts...wow, in the one year I've been with Sweetie, I can not name the many different places we've been to during breakfasts, lunches, meriendas and dinners.

Anyway, this post is all about this American foodie outlet in SM Megamall we visited last Sunday, and we just loved it!  I still think about that special spaghetti and chicken combo in white sauce.  Sweetie and I have been to a couple of places, and sometimes we leave commenting that the food was too salty, or that it was bland, or that the servings was just not right, or that the food was exhorbitant and that the staff weren't friendly, and so on.  I am so glad that for Cajun, the food was fantastic, the service was excellent, the ambience was just right, and that the price was affordable considering that every food ordered is already good for 2-3 persons.  Great deal really.

Do try out Cajun.  It's worth your every hard-earned penny.  :-)

It's Cajun this time for a food tripping couple...

See?  It's affordable, isn't it?

I think the pictures do the store "injustice" because the food tastes 10X better than how the photos project them to be!

So yummy!

Fish coated with a kind of cheese I forgot...Fried and served with fries...my favorite!

Shrimp and prawns...

I just can't get enough of this.  Mouthwatering chicken pasta by Cajun....

Chicken Trippin'

Everyone who knows me knows that I love chicken.  As in I can eat chicken for lunch 3X a week!  We often eat at Kenny Rogers', so I decided, well, why not give it a little twist?

It's very simple. You just need the following:

• 1 whole spring chicken
• 3-5 pieces calamansi
• 2 pcs medium size white onions
• Ground pepper
• Real Magic Sarap (optional)
• Tanglad (the secret to making this a delectable dish!)

And here's how to cook this mouth-watering meal:

Smother the chicken with calamansi juice. Remove the seeds. Then, even out Real Magic Sarap (optional) and pepper all over the skin.

Insert the tanglad and sliced onions inside the chicken. Turbo-broil for 30 minutes on one side, then 30 minutes again for the other side.

Serve! (Oops, in this case, I already took a teeny weeny slice off the skin. Yummy!)

Enjoy the meal with Mang Tomas!

The dish didn't taste the way a Kenny Rogers' meal would, but it's a lot closer to Andok's. Ang sarap!

I have to thank the original chef among our batch, Enchie, for inspiring this entry. She maintains a recipe site, and I must admit, if I could be half the cook she is, my, my family would be so happy! Please visit her page for more great cooking ideas.

Have a great week end, everyone!