another collective of kitkats.

so, this year's h'ween attendance was middling, but it's not like these were ever in the candy cauldron anyway: a plethora of kitkats for your perusal.



from indonesia: white kitkat, and cappuccino flavour. both quite rightly avoid the word "chocolate" on the packaging. about one-third smaller than the american sized bars, and both with an almost grainy, malted aftertaste, much like milo. what is milo, anyway? a malted grain drink? there you go. sort of plasticky, but not unpleasant. candyblog has a better review of the cappuccino one.

from the united states: kitkat minis, in milk, white, and dark chocolates. i rather like these individual two-bite bars. the chocolate coating used in american kitkats has always bothered me--it's too sweet to the point of harshness--but the dark chocolate's earthiness seems to compensate for that. the dark ones are always the first to go. the white ones taste, um, white. milky, sweet, like condensed milk. the milk chocolate ones are basically mini versions of the traditional american bar, the one i've come to dislike, but somehow in mini-form, they seem benign. maybe it's because they are in pink wrappers.





the kitkat extra crispy is one of those large single bars, and isn't so much extra crispy as super crunchy. when i think of crispy, i think of light and somewhat wispy, but biting through one of these is like inviting a marching band into your head-- CRONKBOOMSHAKALAKACRONK. errrr. the ratio of chocolate to wafer is different, with far more wafer, which actually works in favour of the bar. however, you could make yourself deaf. teresa so kindly sent me a milkshake bar, which i actually liked quite a lot--it was like eating the cookie/biscuit equivalent of a malt ball, only less sweet and more malty. so far the only american bar that i really like.



mon kitkat aussie: the chocolate used in the australian bars is better than the american bars, imo, much smoother, creamier, and less cloyingly sweet. the kitkat bites, which were like biscuitty pellets with chocolate coating were very good, just enough per bite for it to actually taste like chocolate, just enough crunch. there is a line of kitkats called temptations, and in this particular version of that, there are humps, my humps, lovely non-lady humps of filling like hazelnut praline, coconut, and caramel fudge. i think in theory it's a genius move, but in practice, it's just sort of okay. like eating a two candy bars at once, only one of the bars is way better than the other and dragging the good one down.



she who eats is she who sent these lovely japanese bars to me: strawberry, white chocolate/maple syrup, and wine, from patîssier takagi. there's a particular fake strawberry flavour i associate with japanese candies, and this strawberry bar has it. it's not unpleasant, but it tastes less like berry than it does like pink. this bar tastes pink. the wine bar is almost indistinguishable from the strawberry bar, the only difference is that it has a very subtly grapey aftertaste. however, as one of the limited edition patîssier takagi 'kats, the couverture coating is a higher grade than the typical japanese kitkat, which can easily be described as either plasticky, greasy, or if you like it (like i generally do), extra creamy. the white bar has a very pleasant lingering maple note that doesn't add too much extra sweetness to the white chocolate.



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i just want to let you know, i didn't try all of these at once, they were sampled throughout the year....also, how long does it normally take you to write a post? because this one is taking ages.
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where was i? ah, chestnut. was chestnutty. very sweet. green tea maccha. i defer to candyblog. bitter (dark chocolate), and white (milk). havena tried them yet, will get back to you. uji-kintoki, not green tea, but with green tea as a component, along with red bean, condensed milk, and presumably not shaved ice. well, at least i didn't taste it. verrrry subtle, more beany that tea-ey. very sweet.



and oh, yes, the pumpkin kitkat (photo at top of post). hm. how do i put this? at once completely repellent, and compelling at the same time. NOT to be mistaken for pumpkin pie flavour, the smell of pumpkin assails you the minute you rip open the wrapper. the flavour tastes like real pumpkin, not artificial, but is so strong and so unspiced, it's like eating raw pumpkin covered in chocolate. only not as pleasant. it reminds me of kabocha squash tenpura. wrapped in greasy chocolate. mmmmmmMMMM. and the lingering squashy taste only makes me crave it more. gaaaaaah.

and finally, another patîssier takagi creation, noir: tiny half-sized fingers wrapped in a quality dark chocolate and dusted with unsweetened cocoa. dirty and decadent.



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in its honour, a man that cooks creation, kitkat noir:

I knew the wrapper would come off and I was mad for trying but something about that chocolate just said yes. When I came around Benny the Fink's goons were making with my jaw like it was their step-kid.

...and there she was, that beautiful dame with the gams that went up to her elbows, laughing like a drain. at me, and my kisser filled with blood, and 71% dark cacao. it was revenge for tooting the wrong ringer, as bittersweet as the dusty layer of cocoa, smeared on my rearranged map, courtesy of benny's trouble boys.

feel free to continue the flickr fiction in the comments. or not.

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last year's kitkats!

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tech tags: kitkat candy chocolate japanese

happy hallowed weiners.

ah, halloween. this year was a little slow for us, only about 1500 kids showed up compared to last year's estimated 2500; perhaps because it was a school night. despite the "low" attendance, we still had to hire several neighbourhood kids to come and direct the flow of traffic and hand out the sweeties. and what did we feed these constantly hungry teenagers? charcoal-grilled bacon-wrapped hot dogs with grilled onions, sweet peppers, chili peppers, and korean spicy pickled radish (daigo). doin' streetfood guamish-style, and making all the kids happy this year.

tech tags: halloween

slather me in sugar and cinnamon, then let's just call it a day.

remember that photo above? i've gotten quite a few requests for the recipe for those cinnamon rolls. although i have a preference for a more restrained product, sometimes you just gotta go with the gooiest, carbiest roll on the block, so i chose this recipe, which purports to be the clone of a popular chain brand's product. i wouldn't know about that, as i haven't had that particular roll in quite awhile. however, the recipe is quite good in a solid, no nonsense sort of way: lightly sweetened not-too-fluffy dough, with a nicely spiced innard and lots of sweet, creamy frosting on top. the only modification i did was to omit the vital wheat gluten, used a supermarket-brand yeast, and vietnamese cinnamon. also, i kneaded it by hand, and instead of putting five rolls per pan, just four for extra spready goodness.

i also made a sticky buns version of it with lots and lots of chopped pecans, and a brown sugar honey sticky topping. i still used the dough from the cinnamon roll recipe, but added elise's cinnamon sticky buns topping (follow steps 4 and 5), only with roughly a third more pecans than specified. obvs the cream cheese frosting was omitted, but otherwise the recipe worked out quite well, and didn't seem overly sweet. well, you know. not for a sweet sugar sticky bun.

i did intend to try and make a -cough- healthier version of this roll just for the heck of it. i bought what i thought was a ten-grain flour, along with some neufchâtel cheese, which is supposed less fatty than cream cheese (farmer's cheese is supposedly lighter as well). however, i inadvertently picked up this product, which is actually a bread mix and has yeast and other stuff thrown in. so, i followerd the directions on the label, added 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and 1 egg to the mix, and came up with a lovely, springy, multigrained sweet dough. for the filling i used the cinnamon roll recipe's filling, i used 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls each of chinese, vietnamese, and ceylon cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of unsalted sweet butter. the mix of three cinnamons wasn't necessary, but it definitely added a more complex spicy taste--it was a little citrusy, a little peppery--that held up well against the grainier dough. that, along with the lighter creamy cheese frosting, made for a rather fine alternative for its more indulgent cousin.



a lighter creamy cheese frosting

4 oz. neufchâtel or farmer's cheese, softened
2 oz. unsalted sweet butter, softened
1 teaspoonful vanilla extract
1 squeeze of lemon juice, and/or 1 1/2 teaspoonfuls of lemon zest
1 cup powdered/confectioner's sugar, measured then sifted

beat the cheese and butter together until well incorporated. add the extract, juice, and zest. beat in the sugar until fluffy. slather on top of warm cinnamon rolls.

tech tags: baking cinnamon+rolls breakfast recipe

the devil's food made me do it.

i haven't made a cupcake in awhile, and had a bit of an itch. unfortunately, i didn't have enough butter on hand, so i just went googling for a devil's food cake recipe, and went with the first one, which happens to use shortening. the cupcakes were beautifully domed, and the texture fine, but they were quite dry. although the flavour was good, it was nothing...to write a blog entry about. soooo...a little whipped cream, a double dipping of ganache, and a squiggle of vanilla buttercream made the cupcake maybe not totally blogworthy, but tasty to eat. the whipped cream added much needed moisture, and the mild cocoa taste only complemented the gooey ganache. and of course, the blatant homage to the hostess cupcake (down to the signature seven loops across the top, natch), may not be the prettiest thing on the blogs, but oh, the charm of it :)

scotch eggs

the portable provision: scotch eggs--hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage meat, rolled in bread crumbs, then deep-fried. a traditional scottish breakfast item, ideal picnic item, and plastic-packed staple of petrol stations around the UK. for those of us who won't be cruising down the M1 motorway anytime soon, these are easy enough to make, they store in your fridge quite well and are very suitable for your bento or lunch box. unless you've got one like this one which pieman so thoughtfully rolled out for me....probably with a forklift.

i'm assuming that back in the day these were made with small or medium-sized eggs, which are near impossible to find in your average supermarket; if you use large-sized eggs, be careful with the amount of sausage meat you use, as you can end up with a brobdingnagian baseball of meat. also, try and find organic eggs for this, as they are tastier than your average cold-storage egg. you can use store-bought sausage meat, seasoned to your preference, or you can do what i did and make your own--i just bought ground turkey meat, seasoned it with dried sage, white pepper, salt, and the tiniest bit of maple syrup, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. although these eggs are quite delicious once fried up, oddly, they are almost irresistible at room temperature or even cold. hm. sounds like a scotsman i once dated. but that, nenes, is not for public consumption :P


scotch eggs

6 large or 8 small/medium hard-boiled eggs, well chilled (i try to cook them to just past soft boiled stage, then stick them in the coldest part of the fridge to firm up)
1 pound good quality sausage meat, homemade or store bought
1/2 cup AP flour
1 to 2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko-style bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

peel eggs. divide sausage into 6 portions for large eggs, 8 for small/medium eggs. roll each egg in flour then shape a portion of the sausage by pressing it gently but firmly around each egg. dip sausage-wrapped eggs into beaten egg and roll in panko. at this point you can refrigerate them to make them easier to handle or to fry at another time (up to 24 hours ahead of time). heat oil to 350˚F . cook each egg for 4-5 minutes (4-5 min on each side if shallow frying) or until sausage is cooked and browned.

manila: merienda.

much like siesta is considered an integral part of spanish culture, merienda--a mid-day snack--is integral to filipino culture. yes! how i heart a land where food is so important that 3 meals are not enough. traditionally, merienda is taken as a mid-afternoon repast, but a mid-morning snack is equally as acceptable (or as bowb or saffron might put it 'the second breakfast.') merienda can be anything from a small item to a full-fledged meal; there is nothing unacceptable as a merienda item, although some foods are traditionally considered so, like freshly baked bibingka or a hot pandesal bun--literally "bread of salt," (but really, much, much more than that)--straight from a pugon, a wood-fired clay oven, along with a cup of hot coffee or tsokolate. also, to some people, if there isn't a pile of steamed rice involved, then it's just not a meal, it's merienda. on this last jaunt, i definitely had my share of merienda, which ranged from the traditional to the not-quite-so, the snack-sized to um, a full fourth meal. shhhh.

one of the 'second breakfasts' i had was from an omnipresent coffee house chain, seattle's best (i have more or less abandoned the 'bucks because they no longer carry coffee jelly--although, fabulously, wendy's offers it as an add-in to their frosties). this SB has coffee toddy--cold-brewed coffee--which imo, is the best kind of iced coffee. if made correctly, it is smooth, rich, without the usually bitterness and not as acidic (as i mostly drink stupendous amounts of coffee black, this has saved my stomach from eating itself alive). this was accompanied by a somewhat filipino-ized coconut macaroon, which was more like a cupcake made from dessicated coconut, condensed milk, and the barest minimum of flour. the cake was quite moist and achingly sweet, but very coconutty and also surprisingly light in texture. its sweet milkiness complemented the strong black coffee nicely.

as i was out and about for most of the weekend, i ended up having afternoon merienda instead of full luncheons; one of my favourite things is fresh lumpia ubod (pictured above), made with grated and sautéed fresh hearts of palm, wrapped in an eggy rice flour crêpe, and served with chopped peanuts, a generous amount of minced raw garlic, and a sweet soy-based sauce. the flavour of the lumpia itself is delicate, and is more or less a spectacular vehicle for the raw garlic and sauce, but the crêpe and palm heart filling more than substantial for a light meal. try eating one of these, then shopping at a beauty counter. the saleswoman you breathe on will never forget you.

far more filling is a chinese-inspired staple, lugaw, or rice porridge. i went to a rather old-school café, via mare, which served up this behemoth bowl of rice porridge topped with fried tofu, fried wontons, pig's ears, tripe, salted egg, adobo flakes, green onion, and served with patis (fermented fish sauce) and fresh calamansi lemon. mix everything together, and be prepared to spend the rest of your afternoon wondering what might be in the next bite.

along the way, i'd pick up a couple of smaller items, like polvoron, which are a little crumbly biscuit made from toasted flour, dried milk, sugar, and a variety of different flavourings--anything from butter, toasted rice, to coffee and cookies and cream. these are odd little things that are not unlike that cosmetic powder that turns into cream; they crumble like dust on your tongue, but are smooth and moist all the same. freakishly addictive.

also freakishly addictive is baye-baye, a regional specialty made with coconut water, coconut, and sugar. and um, something. these are both grainy and chewy at the same time, and neither particularly sweet nor coconutty. i cannot figure them out. i'm not sure i like them, but i ate more than one of them, and not just for curiosity's sake. i picked these up from the salcedo market, along with some chicken-filled empanaditas that were so tasty i ate them before i had a chance to take a photo. the little turnovers (you can just see a peek of them on top in the cardboard box) were the thinnest, flakiest pastry surrounding a fine paste of chicken, carrot and raisin, a sweet and savoury combination often found in the philippines. some people (like myself) get to hate it after awhile, but then sometimes begin to miss it when the whole raisin issue no longer becomes one. the empanaditas were very, very good and worth seeking out.

little turnovers seemed to be a theme as we picked up more empanaditas at the blue kitchen later in the day. although i have passed by this food shop many times, i had never stopped until i read marketman's profile. true to their idea of using native products in western culinary traditions, there were quite a few old-fashioned baked goods with tropical fruit incorporated. we tried a mango shortbread bar and mango-filled empanaditas, both of which used a buttery short crust and lots of dried mango (for a more intense flavour). a little too sweet and rich for me, but that's why they are little :)



i am not a big fan of the whole kettle corn thing (or popcorn overall, actually), but let me tell you, chef tony's popcorns are seriously. THE. SH*T. so good it's profane--always crispy and light, not too sweet, not too salty, not covered in gloopiness nor oiliness. all the flavours seem to be based on the kettle corn sweet and salty concept, even the pesto popcorn. yes. sweet pesto. sweet jeebus, you are saying, is this one of those girl things? yeah maybe. so what. is it really a merienda item? when you eat a whole bucket of it, it is.

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dang, this is a long post.

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it was only when i started to listen to a lot of older ska and rocksteady records when i realized how many chinese immigrants had settled in jamaica. chinese workers began pouring in during the 19th century, and many of the esconced families have been in jamaica for generations (hey, naomi campbell's dad is chinese-jamaican. i had no idea.) a decade or so ago, a prominent chinese-jamaican family, the chan/chin fees, brought to manila their version of the empanada, the patty/pattie, a savoury turnover of flaky crust surrounding a spicy beef filling. there are several shops that sell these, but i think the best are from the original, quite aptly named de original jamaican pattie shop. they are easily portable, and actually perfect for the 'foodwalk'--although the spicy filling is quite juicy, it is thick enough not to drip out, and as you walk, the tender flaky crumbs fall to the ground.

speaking of portability, mcdonald's is encroaching onto mos burger territory and offering rice burgers--beef patties or fried chicken fillets sandwiched in between two grilled rounds of pressed and formed rice, and brushed with a soy sauce and sprinkled with black sesame seeds. do you know i'd never been in a mcdonald's in the philippines until that week? there are so many food options, that scottish restaurant (as man that cooks sneers) was never really a priority (speaking of local options, does that hamburger place, tropical hut, still exist?). however, i am a fan of the mos rice burger, so i wanted to check it out. this one doesn't quite compete, but it's decent enough. the chicken version is much better than the beef burger, and is the only product on the menu that uses whole pieces of chicken instead of processed extruded chicken, or whatever it is that they normally use. the rice is a bit mushy but holds together well--perhaps it could benefit from some extra whole grainy-ness or even brown rice. however, there is a nice little bundle of lettuce and red cabbage thrown in there for texture and colour.

wow. i am getting sort of hungry now. and, hm, it's right about merienda time here, i wonder what i can scrounge up this time....

update 24 october: hey, hobbits and bavarians know of the second breakfast!

name that fruit!: rambutan.

a bonus name that fruit!: rambutan, nephelium lappaceum, a native of the southeast asia region that is related to the lychee (litchi), longan, and guarana. it looks like a takashi murakami vision realized: bright red, with chartreuse spikes, encasing an opaque eyeball with a black pupil of a seed. the name, rambutan, comes from the malay word for "hairy" which of course refers to its little fuzzy spikes. it, however, is not prickly nor sharp, but instead not unlike latex toy that...whoops. i just realized what it's just like, and i can't tell you, it was passed around at a recent bridal shower i attended. anyway, the spiky rind is latex bendy and once cracked through, the fruit is similar to the lychee in appearance--somewhat opaque flesh surrounding a large black drupe/seed, with a sweet, sticky juice--and similar in flavour, but not quite as delicate. well, with an exterior like that, would you be?

name that fruit!: atemoya.

sometimes i feel like i could be perfectly happy not ever eating another washington apple nor california grape again, as long as i had an abundance of tropical fruit available. sometimes, especially when i see the variety available in the markets and shops in the philippines. i am a little sad to see that more tropical fruit is being imported in from malaysia and thailand at a cheaper price than the local crops, and while i appreciate the availability, i hope local farmers do not suffer because of the competition.




i haven't really taken the time to figure out what fruits are in season each month, and i most certainly haven't tried all the different kinds. however, i do try to taste a fruit unfamiliar to me every time i go.



this time around i tried an atemoya, a hybrid between a sweetsop, otherwise known as atis (annona squamosa), and cherimoya (annona cherimola). both are members of the same family of fruit, annonas, and all the fruit are similar in colouring--a pale green, lightly textured thin skin covers milky white flesh flecked with large black seeds. the flavour is milky, sweet, and very delicately tart.



the only difference that i can discern between this and atis is that the bulby protuberances are a bit spikier, and the fruit seem capable of growing larger. the flesh a little denser, and somewhat "fruitier" in taste, with a bit of a latex-like aftertaste. almost as if it was a cross between atis and a piece of juicyfruit gum. not really a good selling point, but maybe intriguing enough for you to try one.

manila: something fishy.

one of the things i love about the philippines is the variety of seafood available throughout the year. freshly caught fish and shellfish is available in almost every market, but there is also quite an array of dried and preserved fish-based items that are often specialties of a particular province. i try to indulge in as many fresh items as possible when i'm in town, but find some of the dried delicacies quite alluring (and of course, some quite stinky, albeit tasty).

the photos above and directly below are from a favourite stall at the weekend market at the FTI (food terminal incorporated) complex in taguig; although it is somewhat out of the way for a casual visitor to the islands, it is worth the effort to seek it out if one is interested in all the local produce and comestibles available. when i say this is one of my favourite stalls, i can't actually admit to trying any of the goods--i just really like the selection of goods: bags of sea salt, dried beans, rice, and every manner of dried and smoked fish. i also quite like the animated vendor; she and her stall are very photogenic overall.



while at FTI, i passed a stall selling halabos na hipon, tiny smoked shrimp, still quite corally pink and juicy looking. i have never tried them, but have been interested in the idea of smoked shrimp since reading about it in a post by marketman. they are really quite small, no bigger than a joint on your pinky finger. i'm not sure how one would prepare them--has anyone tried them and have any hints?



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later we stopped by another favourite saturday market at salcedo village; this one also has fresh and dried fish available, but as it caters to much of the surrounding neighbourhood of urban professionals and rather well-to-do folk, its specialty is cooked foods to take home or to eat there. we picked up a fat slab of freshly barbecued tuna belly and some beautiful whole tilapia, stuffed with fresh tomato and onion, then barbecued over hot coals and wrapped in banana leaves for you to take away.



we had, on previous occasions, picked up some other interesting fare such as this fairly decent paella negra--rice, prawns, squid and chunks of fish cooked in squid ink, and served in a giant, shallow paella pan. portions are scooped out and then drizzled with a basil pesto for extra flavour.



however, we didn't see the vendor, nor did we find the european gentlemen who sell a lovely pissaladière (a sort of french pizza with caramelized onions, anchovies and olives), and white (?) bouillabaisse, a stew filled with mussels, prawns, and chunks of firm-fleshed fish. ah. perhaps next time.

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as i am typing this, my cousin and i are discussing the different types of preserved fish in the philippines. there are three main styles of preservation: salted and air/sun dried (tuyo), salted and cured with vinegar and garlic but not necessarily dried (daing), and salted and smoked (tinapa). however, almost any variety of fish or shellfish is preserved in this manner. the one above is a salted and smoked cabasi, which is from the province of bata'an. i can't find much online about the fish itself, but it is roughly palm-sized, with a very tender flesh, and lots of sharp, little bones; despite the bones, it is one of our family's favourite forms of tinapa--there's lots of sweet, smoky, milky meat, and it's not too salty nor stinky. my cousin is telling me about these smoked tilapia and bangus (milkfish) that she used to get in her village, freshly made by the neighbours; they would arrive at her doorstep, freshly smoked, still warm, ready to be eaten with platefuls of rice and a salad of fresh tomatoes, onions, and salted eggs. i'm salivating at the thought.



however, there's little chance i'll come across smoked tilapia in the near future. i am consoled by the fact that i have a small cache of tiny dried shrimps, freshly caught just a few weeks ago in the waters of southern philippines in zamboanga. immediately after netted, they were spread out on tarps to dry naturally under the sun. they are brilliantly corally orange in colour, slightly chewy but not hard like commercially available dried shrimp, have a concentrated prawny flavour without being too fishy, and still smell like the sea. i know i should be using these to enhance many of my cooked dishes, but they are so good on their own, i can't help but pop a few in my mouth and savour them slowly. they taste of hot days on the beach, and open waters, off the shores in a land not so far away.

manila: cupcakes by sonja.

halloo poppets, took a v. short weekend holiday to manila, basically to wait for my mohawked precision haircutter from münchen to get over his hangover and spend two hours cutting my hair so it looks like it was never cut. ergh. whatevs, it was good to see everyone in the family okay after the storm, and not-so-good to breathe in some heavy, sticky, dirty air. o, metro manila, how i heart your asthma-inducing air! it's so cosmopolitan.

of course, i did have my foodie moments, one of which was a quick trip to fort bonifacio, to the somewhat open serendra piazza complex across the street from market!market! (or, as the typhoon damaged sign reads: arket!market!). we visited cupcakes by sonja, which i read about in anton's, christine's, and ana's respective blogs. although i am quite happy to make cupcakes, i'm not particularly interested in eating them; still, i was curious to see the shop as the owner, sonja ocampo, is a former employee of magnolia bakery in nyc, and it seems like almost every cupcake shop in new york was spawned from there. i thought oh heck, why not; i'm already dreaming about shoes.

the shop itself is quite precious, very cute--pink and white scalloped awnings hang over large picture windows against a matte black and white shopfront; the interior is pale pink and yellow striped, with white cabinets and fixtures (including a much coveted smeg refrigerator--although i kinda really want this one), and vintage tea accoutrements artfully scattered about. jazz floats gently through the narrow shop, and the sweetly spiced scent of freshly baked cupcakes drifts out the front door, enticing passersby. the shop isn't officially open--it's going through a dry run--so there were only six varieties available of the two dozen that were listed on the menu. along with the cupcakes, there is a short list of plated desserts and a full complement of coffee, tea and other soft drinks available. we decided to try the bunny hugger, chocolate surprise, and berries and cream cupcakes.



the bunny hugger is a lightly spiced carrot cake topped with a cream cheese frosting and a dusting of cinnamon. it was moist, lightly sweet, and filled with carrot, although the shreds didn't seem particularly well-mixed in and clinged to the sides of the cupcake. the cream cheese icing was perfect--smooth, silky not-too-sweet, and not cloying. i thought perhaps that the cake could have benefited from a bit of "aging"--maybe an overnight rest--to help develop and meld the flavours before frosting and serving, but otherwise, this was quite nice. sadly, i think the surprise in the chocolate surprise (chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream) was that the cake was quite dry, and somewhat lacking in flavour. the buttercream frosting was not as smooth as it could have been--although gritty would be overstating it--but the flavour was better than the cake, albeit still lacking depth.



we also had a berries and cream cupcake with a vanilla cupcake base (i suspect it's the magnolia bakery recipe), sliced fresh strawberries, and a whipped cream frosting. the flavours on this one were quite good--the strawberries were sweet, the vanilla cake not overpowering, and the whipped cream frosting not too heavy, but still silkier than just plain whipped cream; everything blended together well. i was a little disappointed with the cake--although the cupcake is faithful to the recipe, it's just not my personal favourite when it comes to vanilla flavoured yellow cake. also, the whole cupcake was in a chiller case, which helped keep the frosting in shape without making the whipped cream too hard, but also made the cake seem heavier and less flavourful than it would be at room temperature. however, i don't know how they can address this the future--perhaps just frost them before serving?

the only other thing i ordered was a cafe americano (espresso with hot water added); it was one of the best coffees i've had in manila--a dark roast that wasn't burnt tasting, not too acidic, and a nice crema on top. although i drink my coffee black, i think some people might be disappointed that it was served with powdered creamer instead of milk. the other cupcakes on offer that day were a flourless valrhona chocolate lava-type cupcake, lemon drop--a vanilla cake/lemon buttercream combo, and red velvet vixen--red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

overall, i was pleased enough, but found the cupcakes to be somewhat small for the prices they fetch--from P45 to and whopping P98 for the flourless chocolate one (possibly more for others); i understand that they are made from quality (and often imported) ingredients, but hopefully the prices can come down slightly so more people can enjoy them, and more often. also, whilst it is in a new building, the façade is showing signs of wear--the scallop on the awnings doesn't look finished, the light bulbs have burnt out, and the matte black paint looks a bit uneven. however, i think this dry run will help them work out the kinks in the space and in the cupcakes. i shall return to find out!


cupcakes by sonja
1C03 serendra piazza, 1st level
fort bonifacio, taguig.

lunch at issin: a quick note.

for any guambats on island, just a notice: issin at the westin hotel is celebrating its 20th anniversary by offering a 30% discount on all items from the sushi bar. imo, issin is one of the best japanese restaurants on island, so i'd take advantage of this almost cheapness before it goes back to being über-pricy. we indulged today with some of their regular lunchtime specials: the issin bento pictured above, which includes prawn tenpura (tempura), grilled salmon and sashimi, and also the prawn tendon-six fat prawns on a bed of rice.



of course, we indulged with some spicy tuna rolls and spider soft shell crab rolls. the highlight of the meal, however, was the freshly grated wasabi horseradish that came with our sushi and sashimi. good stuff, that.



if you do go, you can always have an after meal coffee at the not starbucks in the westin lobby. guam lacks an actual starbucks franchise (which is not a bad thing, i don't think), but as the westin serves starbucks brand coffee in all their restaurants, they've got starbucks-esque drinks in their coffee bar. whoot. and cookies the size of your head.



but really, i would just go for the amazing view.




issin and cha cha cha (the not starbucks)
westin resort,
105 gun beach road (x-street pale san vitores)
tumon.
671.647.1020.

the devil wears pirikara.

i have lately been obsessed with these shoes; i don't think i've thought this much about a pair of shoes since my first doc martens in my teenaged years. i don't know what it is--i scoff at the "sex and the city" girls who would rather have uncomfortable, expensively clad feet than pay the rent, i generally only rotate out two pairs of shoes (black, not black) at a time. still, they're gorgeous, aren't they? sexy burgundy patent leather on a honeyed stacked wood heel, i imagine those louboutins are the cobbled equivalent of a very good, very expensive french wine. and at 4 2/5" high (2/5th inches!), i would be TALL. er. however, at US$710, i could also stand on a stack of 710 one dollar bills and be just as tall, only like, richer. maybe i'll just take up drinking sexy, oaky, expensive french wines.

so, i have shoes on my mind; when i saw this bento lunch box on the fantastic e-obento website, i knew i had to completely rip it off faithfully recreate it. these fabulous gams were made with fresh sardines, marinated overnight in a pirikara spicy sauce of soy sauce, sesame oil, ground fresh chilis and grated ginger, then grilled and served on a bed of steamed white rice, and a green salad on the side. the shoes and skirt were carved from a red capsicum pepper. yay. and at roughly $4 for all the ingredients for two servings, i'm still $706 richer.

**

feel the need to play with your food? check out cooking cute (check her links page for other bento blogs).

hm. recipe infringement gone awry?

hm. today i was (rather mildly) admonished for posting what looked to be a nobu matsuhisa-credited recipe for green tea tiramisu, and not properly listing the source. however, on closer inspection of the recipezaar.com-published recipe, it turns out that it is actually mine, which is a mash-up of several recipes i've used over the past few years, including the one found on the mascarpone tub of the particular brand i (used to) use. this in fact, is nobu's recipe.

i have long been suspicious of many of these recipe databases online, as i'm certain that many of the recipes posted are not credited properly, but i always assumed it was more a case of *not* crediting a source altogether, as opposed to mistakenly crediting it to the improper source. i try not to link to these databases so i know that whilst i may not publish a recipe, at least the link i offer is the proper one.

while this little mishap is really no skin off of my nose, how would you feel if someone was trying to pass off your recipe as their own? frankly, i'm rather thrilled that someone would even for a minute think that my recipe is actually something matsuhisa-san would think to create. but i do rather feel for him--does he really want to be associated with my recipe? while the english on his genuine recipe is rudimentary, would he be pleased to find that the "imposter" recipe includes phrases like "obvs also optional" and "creamy stuff?" do you think nobu would ever say "creamy stuff??" also, if you the reader and potential recipe tryer were to attempt the recreate the most likely wonderful version from one of his various restaurants and ended up with my version instead, wouldn't you feel completely gypped? i know i would.

for the record, currently i will not post a recipe where i think there might be an issue of copyright infringement or violation, unless i have altered it--in which case, i will give credit to the "inspiration." i have in the past posted recipes from books but have given full credit, but now i try to find a link to a recipe online whenever possible; when not, no recipe unless you e-mail me nicely, sorry. and, for those of you who know my given name, it's all just a little weird about who posted the recipezaar recipe in the first place, hm? 'cause it wasn't me.

comments, please!