Hainanese Chicken Wars

i have made it my life's mission to find the best Hainanese Chicken in Manila. like i have anything better to devout myself to.

first let me introduce to you the fabled Hainanese chicken. named after where it began, Hainan, China, but have been made famous predominantly in Singapore. Although other neighboring countries like Malaysia, Thailand and even the Philippines have adapted their own versions of this famous chicken.

the process: the chicken is steeped into boiling water together with garlic and ginger, then the stock will be reused for the making of the chicken rice. for some who are weirded out eating pale, raw-looking chicken (eyes rolling), there's the roasted chicken too.

Tao Yuan and Wee Nam Kee aced the Hainanese Chicken test, comparing it to my encounters in Singapore. both restaurants originated form Singapore, by the way. no surprise there.

Tao Yuan's Hainanese Chicken (whole chicken-880php).

Tao Yuan branches: 

General Malvar St. Malate Manila

Greenbelt 3, 2nd floor, Makati

Resorts World, 2nd floor, Newport City

also try their Mango Lapu-Lapu and Spareribs in Garlic. 

Wee Nam Kee (whole chicken-890php). 

Wee Nam Kee's branches:

Serendra Piazza, Taguig

Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati 

Glorietta 2, Makati

Trinoma, Quezon City

Shangri-la Plaza, Mandaluyong 

Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa

must-try their chili crab!

Both are the melt-in-your-mouth-kinda-chicken. that simple flavor of quality chicken seasoned and cooked to perfection, paired with rice oozing with chicken broth goodness, and an overflowing supply of crushed ginger and chili sauce on the side.

yes, both are worth the drool.

but there can only be one victor in this Hainanese Chicken Wars. 

Wee Nam Kee- 1   Tao Yuan- 0

ramen. bulgogi. paella.

basically, this is me sulking for losing my camera.

it's been weeks since my last post, and it's not because i haven't been busy stuffing myself with blog-worthy grub, my appetite's been pretty busy. my jeans can attest to that. i, too, have been busy kicking myself in the head a few times too many, losing photos of what i can potentially share to my oh-so-many-readers. enough with the self-loathing.

moving on. 

i finally had a taste of the famous Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (G/F Glorietta 4 Mall, Makati). getting a table was pure luck.  i had the Kara-miso ramen (spicy), my sister, the Shio ramen (salt flavor). then some roasted pork, pork gyoza and boiled egg on the side. we were hungry.

the soup was flavorful. just the right amount of spice. i could go for spicier, but that's what the chili powder on the table was for. the pork slices were tender. and the noodles were firm and just right. spicy ramen on a rainy night in manila. two thumbs up.

then there's this new korean barbecue place in Greenbelt 5 Makati, Bulgogi Brothers. not the authentic kind, more of a franchised, mainstream kind. for the life of me, i can't remember the name of which barbecue we had. first was spareribs and the second was pork. lame journalism, i know. if you call this journalism. either way, id stick to my authentic korean restaurants.

had a Spanish brunch with my sister and her boyfriend at Terry's (Salcedo Village G/F One Lafayette Sqaure, Makati). in my moment of third wheeling, i tried the Gambas Al Ajillo and Chorizo Iberico for starters, then the majestic Super-Paella Parellada. Claims it's from an original recipe from Barcelona and might as well be the most recommended in their menu.

paired with a good glass of wine at 11 in the morning, it was like teleporting to spain. i have to admit, the paella at Terry's was close to the ones i've tried in Barcelona, with regards to the taste and it's spices. although my only concern was it didn't use fresh shrimps (same with their gambas). they were tasty and all, and maybe to another it may be just the right kind of freshness. for me it was frozen shrimps fresh from the bag.

i refuse to end my post about frozen shrimps, so let me say i will definitely come back to Terry's, for its' chorizo iberico and wine that i enjoyed. and to try their risotto and jamon serrano that my sister told me about. all in all, it was a great day of eating, drinking (and third wheeling) that ended with a heavenly slice of Flan de la Abuela.

id like to thank my iphone4 and my sister's, for the photos in this blog. back to kicking myself in the head. 

Rio Wonderland

im still in my Rio hangover. not because i've had too much caipirinhas, simply because i can't move on from it. Rio is paradise.

and the food, complements that paradise.

breakfast. Cafeina have several branches around the city. some in Ipanema and in Copacabana. i went to the one in Leblon I at Avenue Ataulfo de Paiva, about 10 minutes by walk from my hotel. cafe opens at 8am.

the area is a bit upscale to what i can see, and the customers mostly families, with their baby strollers parked by their tables. the location and set up was more relaxed as compared to the rest of Rio. i liked it.

they have an english menu, which was very helpful. their staff can hardly speak it. i was making do with my limited spanish knowledge like leche and my uno, dos, tres. assuming (and hoping) the spanish and portuguese language are almost the same.

they have set breakfasts, also some made for twos. i ordered the Natural option. came with fresh orange juice, your choice of hot drink (in my case, tea with leche), half a papaya, white cheese and turkey breast, yogurt and granola, wholemeal bread and cereals mini baguette with jam, butter, cream cheese and honey on the side.

it was quite a spread. i was impressed. everything was fresh and well, natural. i've been very good trying to stay away from carbs, but not even that stopped me from finishing almost all my bread. the papaya was ripe to perfection. and the yogurt with the granola was divine. it was exactly how i wanted to start my day in Rio.

after a morning pick-me-up like that, i decided it was a great day to walk down the beach. see a bit of Rio when everyone else was still sleeping, recovering from their cachacas last night. and a chance for me to burn all the bread i just ate. there's wishful thinking.

some emo moments by the beach, and occasional people-watching. and by people i mean men in speedos. i guess i've burned enough calories, moving on.

if you're by Ipanema, might as well drop by Barraca Do Uruguay near post (lifeguard tower) 9.

it's basically a beach bar, serving sandwiches and drinks. there's plenty of them scattered in Rio's beaches. but what makes this place special is, Anthony Bourdain ate here. twice! once in A Cook's Tour, then 10 years later in No Reservations. naturally, i have to eat here too.

i ordered the carne (beef) sandwich.

i was in awe to see the large chunk of steak she was slicing. i was already drooling as she prepares our sandwiches. she puts some fresh onions in there and a special sauce. you have a choice of having it spicy or not. i like everything spicy.

the spice and the sauce goes well with the flavor of the meat. i enjoyed it too much i went for seconds. and same goes with my friends! there goes my low carb diet again.

one can't go to Rio and not have caipirinhas. after all, it's brazil's national cocktail. it's basic ingredient is cachaca (sugarcane hard liquor) which is very common in brazil. mix that with lime, sugar and crushed ice, and you got yourself a refreshing, yet lethal drink. uma caipirinha, por favor!

i heard one of the best place to get the best caipirinhas (and caipiroskas) in town are in Academia Da Cachaca. there's one branch in Leblon, by Rua Conde Bernadotte.

the place was spacious. i especially loved the brazilian flag design on their ceilings. and their display of cachacas and other liquors was astounding.

decided to try their escondidinhos, mashed sweet cassava and shreds of jerked beef covered in melted cheese au gratin. which reminded me so much of corned beef when i had my first bite. throw in some chili oil and olive oil in there, a great caipirinha on the side and it's as sublime as it is equally sinful. usually is, in every case.

im thinking it's much like Rio, sinful and sublime.

just the way i like it. 

Hungry in Bangkok, the sequel

i can have several sequels to this hungry in bangkok and it will never end, truth is im always hungry in bangkok. or maybe, bangkok makes me hungry. or maybe both.

i find myself at Maha Chai road, by Samran Rat once again. it was a struggle since i was trying not to look to Thip Samai's direction and ignore the smell of the pad thai sizzling in their woks that might as well be bait. instead, i landed at Jai Fai, right next door to Thip Samai.

why Jai Fai?

if CNN travel featured it in it's top 10 best food stalls in bangkok, or some of the best food bloggers and foodies, or locals tell you to go to Jai Fai, you go to Jai Fai. no questions asked.

there's no sign to know you're the right place, at least not in english that i know of. and the crowd in Thip Samai overshadows that of Jai Fai. but ask around and people know where it is.

they are known for their drunken noodles (rice noodles with mixed seafood and basil) and the crabmeat omelette.

i have to admit, for bangkok pricing standards, it's a little more than others, considering it's a street-side eatery. but i guess people won't complain as long as you give them something good on the table. i know i won't.

i was torn whether to get the drunken noodles or the crabmeat omelette. everyone else around me were having the noodles. the serving was big, they weren't stingy with their seafood. by the looks of it, 360 bhat well spent.

but i decided to try the crabmeat omelette. sounds plain, especially for dinner. but people can't stop raving about it. i have to try it. im gullible like that.

mad props to this lady chef, she's a machine. it was an added treat for me to watch her work her magic in the open kitchen, while i wait for my food.

crab omelette sounds boring. but this one is not your usual boring crab omelette. i don't even think it's your usual crab. the meat chunks are monstrous. and i use monstrous because it really is. and that's a good thing.

for a girl who doesn't know how to eat crab even it means saving her life, this crab omelette is bliss. i can just devour it without having to wait at someone's mercy to de-shell the crab for me.

Jai Fai's crab omelette will probably be the best crab omelette you'll ever have in bangkok. but this didn't stop me to get take away pad thai next door. i couldn't resist the bait.

(there's a special feature on Thip Samai in Hungry in Bangkok part I).

i woke up the next day in search for my milk tea. the streets of bangkok always accommodate my cravings.

after some tea and fruits, all courtesy of silom street. my tummy decided it was time for lunch. i was gonna wing it. no prior googling where to eat, no bourdain app on my iphone to be launched. just walk around and see wherever my senses lead me.

at the main road of silom, by the intersection, just at the corner of 7 eleven, a foodcourt was tucked inside the alleyway. it was filled with locals. i knew i was in the  right place.

it was simple. and they basically have everything you want. pad thai, tom yum, and other thai dishes. some pre-cooked and displayed in pots like your usual turo-turo. and some, you just have to wait for it to be prepared.

everything looked good to me. shocker. i ordered the essentials, tom yum, seafood fried rice and this egg salad i saw along the way.

best 150 bhat ever spent! simple. cheap. yum.

bangkok and it's cheap thrills!

cheap and tasty thrills, to be exact.

bon appetit!

Lime Tree Cafe

ive been contemplating moving to Jumeirah. to wake up near the beach, and start my days with lime tree cafe's famous breakfasts. a proof of how crazy i am about breakfasts, and about Lime Tree Cafe.

there's just something about this cafe --it's location, it's interior, it's garden, it's crowd, it's food, that sends you off to another place. a special place where people wake up early and dress up nice just to have breakfast. my kinda place. it has become an institution in dubai, famous for it's breakfasts, cakes, and some organic and fresh options. their food always look, and tastes, fresh and inviting.

breakfast starts at 7:30 in the morning. ends on 11am on weekdays and at 1pm on weekends. we get there on a friday, around 10. the queue was long. as expected. the day's specials were written on the giant blackboard, the rest of the breakfast menu painted on the wall. it was no easy task figuring what to get, everything on the menu looks interesting. the sandwiches and cakes in the chillers are not helping either. there's a reason why the queue was long, gave me time to decide.

the pot of muesli with mangoes were so tempting i was so close to having that for breakfast. but i needed something more substantial.

you'll be mine next!

i decided on the posh one, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast. and the big one for my fiance, which is basically the whole shebang. i guess he needed something way more substantial.

we sat outside, taking advantage of the nice weather in dubai (before it gets almost catastrophic). the flowers and the lime trees out there just completed the experience. but before we experience anything, we had to wait for our food. which was sad to say, took almost an hour. we understand there was quite a lot of people, but an hour? i always believed that good food takes time, but an hour? on second thought, i should've just ordered that pot of muesli and got it out of the way. regrets.

after some time, our food came. the preparation and arrangement of the food was superb. almost made me want to forgive them for my near-to-hypoglycemic-stage.

the eggs were delish. the salmon was perfect. the whole thing was amazing. all is forgiven.

tried the big one, the chicken sausage was yummy that i even forgot it was chicken. the beef bacon was not bad, and i loved the grilled tomatoes. my fiance enjoyed the homemade hash browns, never a fan of those so i can't really say.

if there's one thing lime tree cafe is most famous for, it's their carrot cake. most people say it's the best in dubai, and i agree, without a doubt.

breakfast, check.

cake, check.

ambiance, check.

this cafe easily is one of my favorites in dubai. and that's after they made me wait for an hour to be fed! they must really be that good.

Lime tree cafe branches are in Jumeirah Road (opposite Spinney's supermarket), Ibn Battuta Mall   (China Court), Media city (opposite Royal Mirage Hotel) and Al Quoz (near Times Square Mall). All cafes closes at 6pm, except for one in Ibn Battuta mall that closes at 9pm on weekdays and 10pm on weekends.

Happy Sunday, everyone!