SOUL SEARCHING INCLUDES EATING GREAT FOOD

I jump from places to places around the world and landed just where my heart is and that is in MANILA…I heard there is a new mall open, a bit upscale than usual which is at SM AURA THE FORT. Of course I came there to find great restaurants that I can include in my different phases of SOUL SEARCHING. I happened to crave for some RAMEN which seems to be the latest craze in MANILA.

People have been talking about RAMEN NAGI which is said to be hailed as the best RAMEN version in TOKYO JAPAN. Rumor has it, that RAMEN NAGI also have a branch in HONG KONG which is known as BUTAO where people line up for hours just to get a taste of their RAMEN.

Well lucky for me, I don't need to go to HONG KONG or JAPAN to try this RAMEN PLACE as it is already in the comfort of my own home MANILA VANILLA. =)

I've always been fond of creamy and rich ramen, and I've heard (again rumor has it) that they do have a squid ink RAMEN at RAMEN NAGI. So I was dying to try it.

The waiters were very attentive, and explained to me in detail the kind of RAMENS that they have, their restaurant history and future branches as well. I was impressed, the waiter were very informative and the place was clean as well.

Well of course I will try the BLACK KING (kuroo) Ramen which is made of squid ink plus pork toppings. I DONT LIKE PORK, so I requested the waiter to have NO PORK PLEASE ramen. And they were kind enough to just put it on the side (just in case I change my mind).

My mom (which is my food buddy) ordered THE RED KING (Akao) RAMEN which is their version of spicy yet creamy RAMEN with PORK of course.

The waiter will give you a paper to fill out, how you want your RAMEN, If you want the noodle to be AL DENTE or Soft? etc… what kind of vegetable to put, either cabbage or spring onions?

I like my noodle to be al dente and my soup to be extra rich.

I like their idea where they let their customers have control of how they like their RAMEN, because different people have different taste and preference. Always a WIN/WIN choice to ask them.

I made the right decision of not putting the pork meat, as the pork meat was too salty which if mixed inside the RAMEN makes the taste salty as well.

My mom complained later on, the saltiness of her RAMEN and later found out because of the pork meat.

Per table there was a pitcher of cold tea for free. Enjoy it with your RAMEN.

They have some condiments on the table that you can have. Some extra Garlic or some BEAN SPROUTS that taste like soaked in kimchi sauce. The waiter told me its better to eat the bean sprouts on the side, and not to mix it with the RAMEN just because it taste better.

I took his suggestion well and enjoyed the Bean Sprouts so much, the waiters kept on refilling their condiments until I get full. EXCELLENT SERVICE, I must say.

I'm a lover of eggs so I ordered a TAMAGO (egg) (extra 50 PHP) to put on top of my RAMEN.
BEAUTIFUL TASTE!

A very delicious and satisfying lunch.

They don't serve dessert and my SOUL SEARCHING for food is not complete without a great coffee plus yummy dessert..

So I walked again around SM AURA and saw another delicious discovery that will make me want to come back again and again.

 CHECK OUT MY NEXT FOOD BLOG: SOUL SEARCHING PART 2: EATING GREAT DESSERTS PLUS COFFEE

Early Bird Breakfast Club

What an awesome way to start your day with a nice jog around THE FORT area. You can bike, you can jog or even rollerblade without the worry of so much pollution all around you.

But after 1 hour of endless jogging, biking or rollerblading, you have the sudden urge to eat breakfast although it is no longer breakfast time as it is 5 pm already. Where do you go?

Breakfast foods are no longer limited for breakfast, head down to one of my favorite restaurant, The Early Bird Breakfast Club. They serve not just breakfast foods but they put excellent presentation as well.
The Vision of the restaurant is to give high satisfying meals to people that will start or re-start their day right no matter what time their day start.

Created in 2012 by group of friends who loves breakfast foods. This restaurant was opened January 2013.

Armed by Chef Mattew Lim, a Filipino Chinese chef whose expertise is Filipino breakfast and Chef Mattew Bates , a British chef specializing in Western European breakfast.

They bring art into the ordinary.

Champorado made into a Yin yang?

I brought my dog along with me, and the manager gently stopped me. She asked, let me call my boss ma'am as dogs are not allowed here usually especially if they are not inside a stroller.

I pleasantly waited and finally allowed my dog inside even just on a leash.

Looking for a restaurant who can allow my little boy!

We sat down on a corner table and the place is quite small but cozy with high ceiling. They have free wifi. The waiters were very attentive to their customers needs.

I started with a yin yang champorado and Puto bumbong pancakes. I love it. These 2 dishes are a must try when you go there.

Yin yang Champorado

Puto bumbong pancakes

I tried the butter beer as my drink and it was excellent. It taste like root beer float to be honest. (There is no beer in it mind you)

We tried a few best seller dishes which are:

The Early Bird full English cost 495 pesos
  1 English banger, 2 strips of bacon, mushrooms, ripe grilled tomatoes, 2 scramble eggs, early bird hash potatoes, baked beans and a choice of either 2 pieces of fried bread or 2 pieces of toast.

 

                It taste okay, pretty mediocre but
                     good enough to share for 2.

Ultimate Grilled Cheese with roasted Tomato soup 295pesos.  a must try!

I love the taste of the tomato soup. It's thick and semi sweet with sour cream. Perfect combination with the grilled cheese sandwhich that is a combination of cheddar, mozzarella and gruyere.

Breakfast Sausage Tart 285 pesos


A combination of Sausage, egg, bacon, mushrooms and ripe tomatoes with a tomato and pepper salsa

For a simpler choice go for:

THE EARLY BIRD TOAST
 
   A 2 sunny side up eggs inside 2 toasts.

Simply good

For drinks a must try are the 

BUTTER BEER

And the NUTELLA HOT CHOCOLATE 

So if you are nuts about breakfast, try The Early Breakfast Club! It will be worth your visit.

Unit C, Ground Floor, Fort Pointe 2 Bldg. The Fort Complex, 28th street, Bonifacio Global City

Tel. +632 4708847
Operating Hours: Sunday to Thursday 7am to 12pm
Friday and Saturday: open 24 hours

Best After Golf Activity..DRINKING

Happy 2014 everyone! I am sure everyone had a great holiday break and not to mention a great holiday food trip! But I want to know, now that holiday is over, what do you do to lose the extra budge? Are you fond of exercise? Do you go on diet? A great detox perhaps?

For me I go for my yearly golf game with my Aunt Cora. Every January, the first month of the year we always play golf in the Philippines.  Yes a good 4 hour walk in the golf course is my idea of perfect relaxation.

But after 4 hours of walking under the sun you will feel dehydrated...not to mention very hungry. The last thing you want to talk about is dieting or detoxing.
 So let's not talk about being healthy today as I have some drink suggestions for you.

I have enlisted my best post golf drink for "dehydrated" individuals. This can be applied in any sport as well.

Beer - some say adults only play golf because it is nice to drink beer in the golf course.  I couldn't agree more.  Beer has this magic that taste so good when you are tired.

My 2 favorite beer suggestions are:

                        Hoegaarden

                     

Known as the original Belgian wheat beer. It's refreshing, with spicy coriander taste and curacao orange peel with a surprisingly smooth taste.  A MUST TRY!

Cerveza Negra

A full bodied dark lager made in the Philippines with a rich caramel flavor with the right balance of sweetness and bitterness with a creamy, frothy head. I compared the taste of Guinness beer vs Cerveza Negra and Cerveza Negra taste so much better for the reason that it is not bitter but more of caramel taste.

My Best Cocktail Bet after golf:

Gin and Tonic

Classic, easy and light. A very refreshing drink indeed after a hot afternoon of golf. The best Gin and Tonics are made with the best Gin like Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray Rangpur. 

Sangria

A very common drink in Spain, this is a huge hit even for those who are not into wine because it is fruit based made with red wine, seasonal fruits, sweetener and brandy. Served cold.

If you were in my shoes, which alcoholic drink would you pick after golf or any sport that you do?

 Share me your thoughts 

Hatch 22

I had a few days stay in Manila and had the opportunity to try this cafe at Rockwell Mall Hatch22.

It was OK, it really didn't give me that WOW experience on food.

The place was quiet small. I am naturally claustrophobic, confined places and people sitting close to me makes me feel so uncomfortable. The tables and chairs are very close to each other that you can hear the secret conversations of the table next to you.

I admire the customer service though as the waiters were accommodating and flexible when it comes to adjusting to their guest preference. I love restaurants that know's how to adjust to their guest needs. They don't get locked out with just what's on the menu.

NYOB (not your typical eggs benedict)

Like for example I ordered NYOB (Not Your Ordinary Benedicts) which consists of freshly baked rustic muffins, portobello mushroom, sous vide eggs, Italian ham, chilli orange hollandaise sauce.

I am Pescatarian, I don't eat meat but does eat fish. So I asked the waiter if the chef can change the Italian ham to salmon for my Eggs Benedict, and he agreed. Some restaurants won't.

The NYOB (Not Your Ordinary Benedicts) came and it's totally opposite from its name because it taste like any typical eggs benedict.

My mom tried the Hatch Farm Omelette that has country ham, smoked bacon, tillamook cheddar and monterey jack cheese inside the omelette along with spicy pork sausage, potato haystack and toast.

Again the dish was OK, very typical but I love the presentation and serving size though. My mom wasn't able to finish it as they use 3 eggs for the omelette. Very filling.

As for their coffees I tried the Hatch 22 blend for americano. It was OK.

We also tried the Bread Basket #2 as what they call it. It consists of pandesal epi, pan de month, Spanish bread, chicken empanada, ensaymada, queso de bola butter and hot tsokolate.

BREAD BASKET #2

I love their bread basket!! One thing I enjoyed at Hatch 22 are their freshly baked breads. My favorite is the Pan de regla with the funny red color coconut inside. (I don't know how they made it red though, must be the food coloring). Beautiful taste.

My humble suggestion with the bread basket is that the hot tsokolate is very thin. I was expecting a thick, creamy and native local hot coco but it's not.

And the waiters could have reiterated the Queso de bola butter while serving it because otherwise people will just assume it's just an ordinary butter.

I tried one of their craft cocktails named inner child. If I remember it well, it's made of Rum, almond syrup etc.. It's OK. Nothing special. I still prefer the cocktails at Niner Ichi Nana their sister company where the baristas are more enthusiastic in making unique cocktails.

Rating this restaurant from 1-5. 

5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest, I think I will rate it as 3. Because I still find it a typical median cafe/bakery. 

But their freshly baked breads is a must try though.

I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE DIFFERENT…BE UNORTHODOX

MONTE CARLO BEACH CLUB in ABU DHABI

Do you know that what happens on your weekends or off days affect your performance at work? Studies have shown that a person with a constructive off the job life is always  more successful than the person who lives in a dull, dreary home situation. 

Many refreshing activities done on your off day gives you plenty of psychological sunshine that keeps boredom locked out. 

My humble suggestion is to get out of your shell and do something different every now and then. Be unorthodox.  

I recently arranged a different meeting place for my book club. We usually have our meeting at a coffee shop. But since my new principle is be UNORTHODOX, I suggested we held our book club meeting at Monte Carlo beach club. We all got very excited for the meeting because we all broke patterns that are usual and expected.  Even when I was still at work, I was already looking forward for our book club meeting. New place, different activities but same people who have big ideas that doesn't talk about work but only on our spiritual lives and our growth.

I went straight after my flight and because I was tired, I was craving for a refreshing cocktail that is sweet, with a touch of refreshing citrus and mint perfect for drinking on the beach so a MOJITO suddenly comes to mind.

You see, I drink Mojito every now and then to different bars. Some mojitos are more bitter than usual, some are just sweet and nothing else but the Mojito at Monte Carlo Beach Club in Abu Dhabi is just perfect. Not too bitter and not too sweet nor icy just the perfect blend with a touch of mint. You won't even feel that you already have a buzz (feeling tipsy) by the end of your drink. Its like killing you softly.

DELICIOUS MOJITO at MONTE CARLO BEACH CLUB

If you want something "desserty" kind of cocktail head down to SHO CHO in Shangrila Hotel, Souk Qaryat Al Beri in Abu Dhabi. They serve great Japanese food and a fabulous bar scene in a ultra hip setting. 

SHO CHO in Shangril Hotel SOUK QARYAT AL BERI in ABU DHABI

My favorite cocktail that I would definitely go back to is their Peanut butter chocolate Margarita. Amazing peanut butter taste with an Alcohol. I know it doesn't taste well with sushi but lets go back to being UNORTHODOX here. 

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE MARGARITA at SHO CHO SHANGRILA SOUK ABU DHABI

So let's go back to my suggestion of having a healthy psychological environment.

1. Circulate in New groups especially with people who have different proffessions. Become an expert in understanding people is a requirement to success. Restricting yourself to small group produces boredom, dullness and dissatisfaction. Having a wide variety of people adds spice to your life and is a good mind food.

2. Selecting friends who have different views from your own. In this modern world, a narrow individual doesn't have much future. Associate with the opposites. If your a Democrat, make sure you have friends who are Republican or vise versa. Get to know people who have different religious faiths because it gives you a better perspective about life. We need to be able to see the different side of the coin. But be sure they are a person with real potential. 

3. Select friends who stand above petty, unimportant things. Guard your psychological environment. Select friends who are only interested on positive things, who breath encouragement into your plans and ideals and those who really want you to succeed. Because we do meet people who are more concerned with the things we have or don't have and these conversations are more inclined to be petty.  

What is your definition of a good cup of HOT COCO

Some like it icy cold, some prefers it to nibble, some like it mint or with almonds but I would rather sip it HOT… Thats how wide variety we can mix and match our dear old CHOCOLATES…Sometimes I wonder it must be just only 0.1 out of 99.9 percent of people in this earth does not like any kind of chocolate. They must have some food allergy to it for them not to like it. But those 99.9 percent of people LOVES IT.

80 percent of you must be like me, prefers a full bodied, thick, nutty and semi sweet hot coco. If that is the case, this one is for you.

So what is your definition of a good cup of hot coco? For me, just like an expert drinking wine, I made my own characteristic of a GOOD CUP OF HOT COCO. 

I like it thick and rich (full bodied), Dark, semi sweet and nutty. If all those characteristics are met, then I am holding a WINNER..haha 

Why do i like it thick? because that is when you will feel that the taste of the chocolate.

Why do i like it dark? because the darker it gets, the purer it becomes. (my personal opinion) Compare it with a cheap powdered hot chocolate, no matter how many powder you put in a cup, it is still so light,  the color doesn't get dark, it just get SWEETER. Why? because 80 percent of those cheap hot coco brands are made of sugar, not chocolate. 

Semi sweet and nutty (optional)… I like it semi sweet because if it gets too sweet, I won't finish the whole cup. I like the feeling after a good cup of hot coco, you would actually want MORE, maybe a second cup? If it gets too sweet, you would feel like you are ready to die of diabetes. That is why SEMI-SWEET is just perfect.

Nutty because i love peanut taste. But most pure hot chocolate have a nutty taste and i adore that nutty taste.
  
 What's for breakfast?

Since we are busy people who doesn't like complicated stuff. I want to share with you how I make my perfect hot coco.

I personally do not like powdered hot chocolate but if you must have one for easy use, try Ghirardelli double hot chocolate (which you can only buy in the US) or head down at Jones D Grocer if you are living in Abu Dhabi and they are selling a chocolate powder named ITALIAN THICK HOT COCO, it taste amazing, just like the hot chocolates in ITALY in the comfort of your home.

 Anyway I have the Ghirardelli hot chocolate now available, so i boiled one cup of water in a pot, and put 2 Sachets of GHIRARDELLI hot coco. (This brand is good because even if i put 2 packs it gets darker NOT only SWEETER) Then I added 1 TBSP of REESE's Peanut butter in a pot. STIR till boil. Put in your favorite cup. VIOLA ENJOY! The simpler it gets the better.

 HAPPY BREAKFATS! haha 

German Food in Manila: Prost Braumeister

I have been to different places but whenever you say Germany, it always reminds you of beer. I had the opportunity to fly back to Manila last October and I had the sudden craving for German food and beer. I find it weird I know. A self confessed  Pescatarian suddenly had the craving for a good old German Sausage (filled with real meat, pork and beef is definitely inside those sausages) plus a tall glass of German beer perfect combination after a long day or night (in my case) of work.

I was not in the mood to dress up and wants a casual ambiance. But where? Where in the world will I find an authentic German restaurant in Manila? Good thing I still keep in touch with a German friend of mine who happens to be based in Manila and (who lucky for me) is one of the owners of this German Pub in the Fort; PROST BRAUMEISTER. He invited me to try it although he had a business trip to Singapore that day, he just endorsed me to one of the main owners of the bar named Dom Hernandez.

Celebrity Hunk Sam Milby being one of the owners of this German Pub

I should say, I really made exemptions that night to eat pork.  Dom was very accommodating to me and my mom and he knows that a hungry person's need is to be fed well. He ordered for me their best sellers. The Bockwurst (very juicy and tasty) best with mustard (350PHP), Truffled cream pasta (320PHP), The Artichoke Flammkuchen flatbread (for pretentious vegetarians like me) plus 2 tall glasses of a Paulaner beer. 

I noticed that the waiters were very attentive to their guests needs. Ambiance is relaxing, casual perfect for an after work hang out for beers and dinner although the place is quiet small, expect to have small spaces in between tables. But customer service is excellent in that place.

I had small amount of time spent there but i will definitely come back with friends to try their DUCK FAT FRIES.

 Perfect place to hold  small parties and get togethers. If you want to experience German Food or even haven't tried one go to PROST BRAUMIESTER at the Fort, it is the new "IT" place to be. 

PROST BRAUMEISTER is located at FORT POINTE TWO BUILDING, 28th street (known as THE FORT STRIP) Bonifacio Global City, Philippines. Call them at 02 8283940

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