i l o v e f o o d i e s

Mickey Mouse Themed Cupcakes

2011-07-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

These Mickey Mouse cupcakes were made for the fourth birthday party of the son of one of our past tenants. I'm glad his favorite character was Mickey... it gave me some space to do something other than paper cupcake toppers since his head is relatively easy to make.

The cupcakes are red velvet with cream cheese frosting and the Mickey Mouse toppers were made with mint chocolate molding chocolate. The main part was molded with a lollipop mold and the ears were hand piped (obviously haha).

My logo is will soon be finished, along with a website , yay! (Still can't believe someone else has the name Cupcakes by Coley... like, really?!)

Uploaded by nicolegoes.

UCC Coffee

2011-06-07T00:38:00.001-07:00

UCC Coffee, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Coffee. After years of hating it and trying to keep people away from it, it finally got to me.

Tried this for the first time from kuya in Japantown like a month ago and I've been stocking up on them ever since.

It's cold, refreshing. Not bitter, neither overly sweet. No need to prepare it or clean it up, just toss it in the recycling bin.

Low maintenance + sweet + rush of energy = my kinda drink. It's cheap too, $1+ at your local Asian grocery store.

Strawberry Vanilla Cream cheese + Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-05-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

So the other week I made cupcakes as a 'thank you' for hiring me.

Tired of red velvet. Tired of chocolate in general. And plain vanilla... And boring looking ones.

I wanted them to know I spent an extra... minute making them (haha...).

The mini ones: vanilla cupcake with strawberry cream cheese, freshly cut strawberry and melted white chocolate on top.

IMG_0405, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

The bigger ones: Same as above except the strawberries were first dipped in milk chocolate.

IMG_0416, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

These were one of the only cupcakes I've made that I enjoyed eating.

Sweet & tart. Mostly sweet :) But the strawberries did lessen some of the guilty feelings I guess haha.

Cupcakes by Coley: Mini Red Velvet - Winter Edition

2011-01-03T00:17:00.001-08:00

Mini Red Velvet: Winter Ed., originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Mini Red Velvet: Winter Ed. 2, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

2010 was the year of the cupcake for me. I think I made about a couple thousand of 'em. From mini cupcakes to big cupcakes, red ones to yellow ones, burnt ones to.... yummy ones? Haha, I hope so. In short, it was a cupcake making spree!

So today, mom asked me to make some red velvet cupcakes for a Christmas party. Mom loves the bite sized ones coz they're easier to eat, you feel less guilty coz they're small and in the end, you really won't know how many you've eaten coz you'd have lost track by then haha.

I love making cupcakes and if ever you'd want to try 'em, let me know and I'll make some for you!

Red velvet/vanilla lemon/nutella/anything you can think of.

(Also, they're great for parties and get togethers or just for dessert.... meaning, they're for sale too! haha)

Caffe Mezza Luna - Half Moon Bay

2010-11-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Went out early in the morning on Saturday with Mom and Dad,
and visited the Point Montara Lighthouse where I sent out my
message in a bottle... (photos will come soon as they were taken
for my B+W photography class, so.. they have yet to be developed).

We continued along HWY 1, stopping over at a farmer's market and
then going to Caffe Mezza Luna - an Italian cafe/restaurant/bakery.

Started off with some hot choco, not the typical super sweeet kind...
Had whipped cream and chocolate powder to top it off.

Italian Hot Chocolate, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Mom and I shared a prosciutto and brie panini with a small side salad.
First time I've eaten a panini made with flat bread. The dressing was olive
oil and some type of vinaigrette.

Prosciutto and Brie Panini, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Dad had a ham and egg and cheese crepe with hash browns.
Square hash browns! Haha.
The crepe was good, loaded with cheese.... :)

Ham + Cheese + Egg Crepe w/Hash Browns, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Dessert: Gelato, of course!
Oreo cookie + creme.... mmmm..... If only McFlurry's were this good....

Oreo Cookies + Cream Gelato, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Stone Korean Kitchen: Embarcadero

2010-09-11T04:33:00.000-07:00

Kimchi Appetizer, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Complimentary appetizers - Kim chi and other plated dishes consisting of various vegies (some also pickled).

Jap Chae, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.
Glass noodles with marinated rib-eye and seasonal vegetables

Deep fried Potato with Seared Ahi Tuna, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.
Mashed potato and some corn balled up and deep fried in a thick batter topped off with savory/spicy sauce.

Seared Ahi Tuna, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.
Appetizer deal of the day. $5 Seared Ahi Tuna.

Bulgogi Wraps, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.
Marinated rib eye with accompanying sauces/pickled vegies to wrap in lettuce.

Seafood Pa Jun, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.
Savory pan-fried korean pancake filled with shrimp, calamari and scallions.

Metallic utensils, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.
Ultra-modern look.
Heavier than your usual wooden/plastic chopsticks.

Tapsilog

2009-06-04T01:21:00.001-07:00

Tapsilog, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Thin beef sliced and marinated and served with garlic rice and egg. Sunny side up. Ordered this for breakfast when we were at Batangas, but it wasn't the best I've tasted. I like the one they serve at corner better, at the 24hr pares place.

I'll eat garlic rice with anything... nothing is better than a huge serving of hot rice filled with tons of garlic... and egg! haha. (+ ketchup?)

Chicken Goto/Arroz Caldo

2009-04-10T23:48:00.001-07:00

IMG_6409, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

In other words, chicken rice soup.

On Wednesday we went to Tarlac to spend Holy Week there. Our first stop, this eatery near Ate Kit's place. Only P20, less than $0.50...

On top, that's fried garlic. I usually don't like these type of meals, but this was the exception. Gosh, I don't know what made it so good, all I knew was that I couldn't stop. It was so hot outside, and this is just a roadside eatery, so there was nothing but an electric fan, pointed towards Hugo, our dog... But it didn't matter that this only made hotter coz it really was so good. It was thick and the flavors were strong. Full of garlic and green onions and chicken... mmm....

We were supposed to eat here again on our way back to Manila, but it was closed. It's open 24hours, but they closed for Good Friday.

Tempura at Seaside

2009-03-01T22:15:00.001-08:00

tempura, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Crispy, a bit flakey, golden brown and delicious. The batter has the perfect amount of butteriness and thickness.. covering those large shrimps. Three bites and you're good to go, with double dips in the tempura sauce of course.

Like the sauce, it was the best! I even poured some onto my warm rice. It was sweet and all that. I could eat like 9 of them... if it was just by itself though..

Buko at Seaside

2009-02-26T08:12:00.001-08:00

buko at seaside, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

My ultimate favorite.

I love coconut, anything coconut, especially when its fresh from the tree. This buko only cost P25 at Seaside, and only P15 at the street corner near the house. The guy selling them just cuts the top at 4 places to make a square shaped opening, then just stick in your straw and you're all good to go. There's meat all around the inside too, like just dig it out with your spoon.

Chyeah!

Scallops at Seaside

2009-02-24T07:17:00.001-08:00

scallops, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Tender, filled with butter and cheese. Hot from the oven...

Creamy and soft, baked scallops at Seaside are the best.
Bought near the restaurant from seafood vendors and baked
fresh.

Love Seaside.

Chixican Beef Tips

2009-02-04T19:16:00.001-08:00

chixican beef tips, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Chinese-Mexican fusion dish, made by Lolo Freddie.
Beef tips cooked Chinese style, with red and green bells pepper and onions. Burnt to a crispy sweetness to accent the beef.

Good, good. As yummy as it is colorful.

Boracay clams

2009-01-27T05:52:00.001-08:00

Boracay clams, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

On our last night at Boracay, we went to eat at this restaurant called "Plato D' Boracay." First, Ate Gi and them went to the wet market near the restaurant and picked out which seafood they wanted to be cooked. Then brought it over, told the waiters or whoever how they wanted it and then... ate it. This was the first batch of clams that was brought out, and when Ate Gi tried them, she went out and bought some more. The second time, they baked the calms with butter and cheese. Shucks they were so good. Melted, hot cheese smothered over these huge pieces of clam. They didn't have that seafood/ocean taste, and like their chewiness was perfect and all...

Boracay foodies - Pork chop

2009-01-22T04:13:00.001-08:00

boracay foodies, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

We walked up and down the strip of white sand at Boracay, like over a mile worth, going back and forth carrying freaking heavy bags looking for our room. Finally, after the longest time when checked in at a different resort and... ah, went to eat.

This is pork chop with egg and tomatoes and fried rice. I don't know how it tastes though coz I ordered beef steak. It was good, the sauce of it was sour and the meat was pretty tender. I didn't take a picture of it coz it didn't look too pretty. Ha ha.

Well... More Borcay foodies to come.

mani!

2009-01-16T10:41:00.001-08:00

mani!, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Everytime we are at PRO-GIG (Ate Gi's band rehearsal studio), I can't help but walk to the next block and visit the lady selling these. She has a small space on the corner in front of 7-11, with just enough space for her to cook the peanuts and display her foodies. She cooks peanuts like this, peanuts without the dark brown "skin" or whatever you call it, and also cornicks.. You can buy P5, P10, P100... or anything in between. she scoops them up with a shot glass and places them in a small brown bag.. then into a plastic bag about the size of a sandwich bag.

Man.. I love peanuts...

Terrine

2009-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Ate Gi's dad was watching television about a month ago, the food channel, and we saw this chef create this meatloaf sort of dish, wrapped in bacon. Then, a couple week later, there is the same dish on the table, with bacon around it and all.

It is served as a cold cut, and its good when eaten with bread. I am not to sure what goes in to making this dish but I know its a lot. So... I guess it'll just remain a surprise.

Ketchup Please!

2009-01-05T05:41:00.001-08:00

green eggs and ham, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

This was another breakfast meal in Sagada. I love sunny side up eggs for breakfast, better with toast though unless you pour ketchup all over the rice too. I love eggs with ketchup, it's like ketchup was made to be put on eggs. One time when I was in like 7th grade or something, I ate nothing but a sunny side up, full of ketchup, and a piece of toast for breakfast every morning for months.

Is that spam?

2009-01-03T00:50:00.001-08:00

Is that spam?, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

We brought a couple cans of spam with us when we went to Sagada. This is right after the bus dropped us in Banaue and they were about to eat it straight out of the can. I was like whaa?! Can you do that? And I guess... you can. But anyways, I love spam. Actually, I loved spam, until I started making musubi (spam sushi) then I hated it, even the smell. I didn't eat for almost a year.. til this plate of spam.

feeding 12/28

2008-12-30T20:53:00.001-08:00

They had some sort of meat ulam with rice and pancit, which they cooked here at the house and served on plastic trays.. The sad part about it is the kids ate the rice first, leaving the pancit and ulam almost untouched. Ate Gi's brother told me that it was like that because these kids aren't used to eating anything much else except for rice and salt, or maybe rice and noodles. At their house, that's usually all they got.

Chick'n Pie

2008-12-09T00:26:00.001-08:00

chick'n pie, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Made by Ate Gi's dad in their uh, I don't know what kind of oven.

Savory chicken pie,
with a flakey crust... mmm I love flakey anything.

The first of many variations of pie that Ate Gi's dad will be baking.

Jollibeee Chick'n

2008-12-03T02:23:00.001-08:00

Jollibeee Chick'n, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

What's the point of going to the Philippines if you don't eat at Jollibee, right?

Aside from every other fast food chain here in the Philippines that serves fried chicken with rice and gravy, Jollibee chicken is actually pretty good, considering it is Jollibee. The skin is extra crispy and yeah...

Ate Gi's been killing all the fried chicken at Jollibee fer a while now, but today... it was Wendy's fried chicken. I don't think they have that back home.

Hanging Fig

2008-11-27T23:30:00.001-08:00

Hanging Fig, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

On our way to Sagada, we passed through this mountain province called Bontoc where I saw this hanging. They butchered p some pigs and just stuck out on a rack for people to pick out and take home. I really hated seeing this, and Kuya Thyne even pointed out the pig's head, which was hanging on the wall of the meat shop. Ah man was I sad.

But we ended up eating at the restaurant across from here, and I ate vegies and... fried pork.

The vegies. Shoot, crispest and greenest and the best freshest vegetables someone could ever taste.

Rice Puddin'

2008-11-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

I think we all have that one food which we think we could live on.

Like, I could eat rice pudding everyday for the rest of my life and I'd be content
until I die from the fat content, haha. No, but I really love rice pudding. It is in
fact my favorite "food." One of them at least.

This is a pic of the rice pudding that was served to us on Phil Airlines, on the way
here.
Man when I saw that they were serving this, I didn't care anymore how much
my ears were hurting from all the air pressure.

Burger Machine

2008-11-14T19:01:00.000-08:00

Burger Machine the cheaper, less franchised version of.... let's say Burger King. They have small stalls set up on street corners, gas stations and places like that, that are easily seen by pedestrians. They serve hot dogs and burgers obviously. They have different combos, like with coleslaw and cheese, or triple patties, or spicy, sweet, or whatever sauce you like. They grill the burgers right in front of you along with the buns.

The bread of the burgers is good, it tastes wheat-y and although the burger patties are kind of small, it doesn't really matter because it tastes good.

I'd say its a really good deal, the last time guardian bought, she bought 6 of them for like P120. Or maybe each one was P30+, but its buy one, take one. Good, good. They're pretty yummy.

Last night I had a Whopper Jr, shoot. Haven't eaten one of those for like over a year, or maybe two even.

OKK! krispie

2008-11-12T05:43:00.001-08:00

okk krispie, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Meet the greatest rice krispies this world has ever seen.

My new modified recipe uses rice krispie cereal made right here in the Philippines, the margarine has a taste of buttermilk and the marshmallows are just the right sweetness... and the chocolate... the creamiest and best tasting chocolate I've tasted. It even comes in a 2.2lb block, imagine the sweetness of that.

My OKK's now have a bigger crisp in them, a creamy sweet taste and a semi-sweet chocolate topping.

I sell boxes of 8 pieces for P90. Soon I'll put up more pictures of the ingredients, process and the final boxed up and ready to eat stage.

When I used to make these back at home, I never used to eat the extra's... I got sick of the marshmallow smell and taste for such a long time. But when I made these, I couldn't get enough!

I guess you could say I'm the biggest fan of my own product. Ha,ha.

Ribbin - Home Cooked by Lolo Freddie

2008-11-06T22:01:00.001-08:00

Hand Picked spices slathered on a stack of ribs and cooked on a custom made grill.

Step 1: Cooking.

Step 2: To the Table.

Step 3: To the mouth.

Ribbin, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Authentic Curry

2008-10-30T09:31:00.001-07:00

curry, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Ate Gi's dad, Lolo Freddie, makes a different kind of curry. Not the usual curry that you make from pieces of chicken and a box of store bought spices. He mixes the spices together, being particular with which ones to add and which ones not to. They are so fresh that he must use it all up, the spices he mixes, within a couple of days.

The potatoes are only mixed in with the chicken right before it is served.

The sauce is a lot thinner than all the other curry sauces I've eaten before. The spices are strong and you can really taste how well they mix together. It smells really great too.

Garam masala is translated to hot spices and this is also what Ate Gi's dad uses.

Yellow Cab Pizza: New York's Finest

2008-10-24T05:30:00.001-07:00

Yellow Cab Pizza: New York's Finest close up, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

A couple night's ago was the third time we went out to eat at Yellow Cab. Cheese pizza and pasta the first time, then New York's Finest pizza with tomato/tortilla soup the second time, and then New York's Finest again the third time.

This is the 10" pizza with red and green bell peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, and ground meat. The crust of Yellow Cab's pizza'a are really thin and crispy. The vegie's are sweet and crunchy and the cheese is all melty and hot.

That's some good pizza.

Yellow Cab Pizza: New York's Finest, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Their delivery Vespa's:

yellow cab vespa, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Takoyaki Yo!

2008-10-21T01:20:00.001-07:00

A Japanese dish comprised of octopus, cabbage, batter, fish flakes and sweet, brown sauce. The octopus balls are cooked in a batter then sweet sauce is added to the top and the fish flakes are like the sprinkles. They're super hot when they come out and it's like you want to spit it out because it's so hot, but it tastes too good that you keep on chewing anyways. Watch out though, when you put them in your mouth, the flakes might go straight to your throat, like Ate Kit almost died. JK Ate Kit!

Its sweet outside then there's small pieces of octopus inside with cabbage.

KKK?

2008-10-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Normally, you wouldn't see a place in the States named like this, esp a restaurant, or else people would think you are White Supremacists. But here, KKK has a whole different meaning. It stands for Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan. It is or was a Philippine organization founded by Revolutionists in 1892, during the rule of the Spainiards.

I haven't eaten at this restaurant yet, but I've read that they serve traditional style Filipino food with a twist, or updated versions.

You know, like Adobo on a Stick or Tilapia Shake. Nah, joke.

Grapes or... Seaweed?

2008-10-16T21:13:00.001-07:00

seaweed, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Aright so it's seaweed. I am not sure how they cooked it, if they cooked it at all. I'm guessing they didn't since it is seaweed, but they did serve it with onions and... I forgot. There were tons of these small, grape-like things on each strand and when you bit into it, they would burst. They were tiny and popped when you chewed them, and the inside was filled with sea bacteria, nah just kidding. It was kinda salty.

At Seaside: tempura

2008-10-15T18:13:00.001-07:00

At Seaside: tempura, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

From the market to the deep fryer, this is the tempura we ate at Seaside. It was a small basket full of hot, batter coated shrimp that was served along with dipping sauce. The shrimps were crispy and crunchy because it was served quickly, the shrimps were fresh and the meat was thick, and the batter was buttery and full of flavor. The dipping sauce was really sweet and the taste kind of stuck to your mouth. Best tempura I've tasted so far.

Sizzling Beef Teriyaki

2008-10-14T02:41:00.001-07:00

Sizzling Beef, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

After Ate Kit worked at Chinese General Hospital, we went to eat at Sizzling. The place was just a small house, upstairs and downstairs, the downstairs was open and that's where they cooked the food, and the upstairs had enough space to seat a little over 20 people.

I ordered Beef Teriyaki and they were quick to cook it, less than 10 min. The gravy was poured over the meat and rice after the plate was set in front of me. And as soon as the gravy hit the hot plate, it started to bubble bubble and sizzle sizzle. The rice was yellow and I guess the color made me think it tasted like butter. The beef was sliced thinly and was... the taste was kinda covered by the hotness and the gravy. But it was good. Ate Kit paid like less than $3 for three plates.

Bontoc: pork and vegies

2008-10-09T04:18:00.001-07:00

bontoc pork vegies, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

I know, I know... more vegies?! Well, first let me start off with Bontoc. It is a small mountain province that we passed through between Sagada and Banaue. These vegies also look fresher than fresh right? They were cooked minimally as to keep all the nutrients intact and blah blah blah. In short, another killer meal of broccoli, carrots, cabbage and green beans? I can't remember what was in it exactly. The pork was deep fried I think because it had a crunchy, crusty, whatever coating it. It was good, but it didn't have much taste alone. I finished all of that btw...

Cheese Omelet in Sagada

2008-10-08T07:30:00.001-07:00

cheese omelet, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

We ate breakfast at another inn/restaurant in Sagada. I ordered a cheese omelet with bread. I thought the cheese would be mixed in with the eggs because that's how I grew up with my dad making omelets, but the cheese was grated and tucked inside the eggs. It was a lot of grated cheese. I noticed that the cheese here in the Philippines is a lot creamier than in California, maybe the cows aren't that happy there... Joke. It was a good, cheesy omelet. The three pieces of bread I dipped into my hot chocolate... it made the bread soft and sweet.
Cool thing about this place is that there is only one lady who operates it and she was the waitress, inn manager, chef, and all that. She cooked like 6 meals for us by herself.

Mountain Vegies

2008-10-07T04:33:00.001-07:00

Mountain Vegies, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

The best vegies I've ever eaten. There were carrots, green beans?, and this other vegetable that they "potato fry" cut. Cooked chop suey style with sauce thickened by flour. The freshest vegetables ever. The colors were so bright and you could really tell that these were straight from the ground and onto the plate. No long distance traveling, or handling, its as if they were just picked in the morning... which they probably were. The taste was so, so... like, how a vegetable is supposed to taste. Any vegie you eat after eating these will just seem... boring and bland.

Chicken Adobo in Banaue

2008-10-06T08:28:00.001-07:00

Chicken Adobo in Banaue, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Also ordered at the same restaurant in Banaue, this chicken adobo was made from local, stress-free chickens. Potatoes and red somethings added made the meal all the more filling and pretty.

Native Rice in Banaue

2008-10-06T08:23:00.001-07:00

Native Rice in Banaue, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Before reaching Sagada, we went to Banaue. Also known as the eighth wonder of the world for its rice terraces. For lunch, we ate at one restaurant that served us their native rice. Its color is a deep purple, which would turn black if it was not mixed in with white rice.

Cyma's Greek Restaurant

2008-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Mixed Meat Gyro.
Wheat Greek pita bread, pork and beef, tomatoes, onions, and others...
Big and so filling...

Roasted Potatoes.

Wendy's

2008-10-01T01:39:00.001-07:00

wendy's side salad, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Meet Wendy's Side Salad. Made from macaroni, cheese, cucumbers, red jello and green jello. It caught my attention because I've never seen salad before that had jello in it. This salad may seem like a mix mash of different flavors all from different parts of the food pyramid, but it was good. I like anything with cheese, so there. Bought at a hospital cafeteria while Ate Kit was working.

Eggo planto

2008-09-28T04:33:00.001-07:00

eggplant, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Some say it looks like a dead bird. Others say, a couple dead birds. I say, I don't care how it looks, it is one of my favorite foods that is cooked here at the house. An eggplant dish, that was photographed so incorrectly. Anyways so yeah, it's eggplant and its good. I don't know how they make it, or how its cooked, or whatelse is in it. All I know is that its good eggplant. Ha ha, sorry! BTW, next to it, on the left, that's KFC. Killer Fried Cheeckin.

Lucban Longganisa

2008-09-21T16:36:00.001-07:00

lucban longganisa, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Yup, I know what you are thinking. It looks so good, right? Straight out of Wendy's chili... Its the other 4 fingers that haven't been found. Ha ha, not really.... Sorry about that.
Lucban is a type of longganisa, just another variation of the Filipino sausage. It is made from a lot of natural ingredients and extra oregano. Its red from food coloring, I think. Look at the reflection of the sausage in the plate... Whoa. Its good. A lot better than it looks in this picture
I took.

Baguio Peanut Brittle

2008-09-18T06:06:00.001-07:00

Baguio Peanut Brittle, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Peanut brittle straight from Baguio, Philippines. The cool, cool place, literally. Who could go wrong with peanuts and caramel. Its just a small bottle, but loaded with... peanuts haha. Flat, broken pieces of sugar and nuts. Its sweet, peanuty, and they complement each other very well. Its good, but I love anything sweet. Its crunchy, maybe thats what the "brittle" is for, jk. Nah, but its good. Go to Baguio and pick some of these up.

Peanut Brittle: Up close and personal

2008-09-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

peanut brittle 1, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Puto

2008-09-15T07:22:00.001-07:00

Puto, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Puto is, according to wiki, a steamed rice cake popular in the Philippines. It is small and has a spongy and slightly fluffy texture. Puto is usually eaten as a dessert but you know, you can eat it whenever. On the top there, the yellowish thing, is cheeeese. Yum, yum. I think I could stuff a couple of these in my mouth at one time.

Churros

2008-09-14T09:47:00.001-07:00

churros, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Another one from Taco Bell. Deep fried churros along with a hot chocolate sauce. By hot, I mean it was melted. A different kind of churro than what I had seen before. They are smaller and more bite-sizeable. The churros weren't sweet, that's what the choco sauce was for I guess, and crunchy with a soft inside. I was so tempted to pour the chocolate into my mouth. I didn't of course, although I have no clue where I found the inner strength to do so. Ha ha, I'm just kidding. I was surprised though, Taco Bell is one pf the few fast food places here that doesn't serve fried chicken.

Taco Bell Chalupa

2008-09-14T08:34:00.001-07:00

chalupa, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

The only difference between chalupas and tacos is the shell I guess. Tacos are crunchy and hard, chalupas have soft, crunchy, bready shell. You bite into it and the shell is warm and thick, with a little bit of a crunch. The lettuce and tomatos are packed into it, and mine happened to have sour cream inside, as oppose to cheese. There are only like 3 Taco Bells here, and so we went pretty far just to get a chalupa. Shoot, they're good!

BBQ!

2008-09-12T16:48:00.001-07:00

bbq, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Meet the barbecue. Its a street food here, meaning you could just go out of the house and walk for about a block and there will be people selling this for Php 15, I think, appox. $ 0.33. Its pork, but they selling all kinds of other barbecued things like chicken intestines? Yeah... I don't think I'm so fond of those. But this bbq is mighty meaty. Nah, when I ate this the meat was really tender, like it fell off the stick. Good when eaten over a plate of rice.

rambutan

2008-09-11T05:35:00.001-07:00

rambutan, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

An exotic fruit. Looks like a rolled up caterpillar to me though. Its like a lychee inside with the seed and all. The fruit itself has like a transparent color and its sweet sweet. The sour ones are hard. My aunt brought over like two bags full of these the other week. I could live off of fruits, and I'd be the happiest person in the world too...

salt and pepper ribs

2008-09-11T04:16:00.001-07:00

salt and pepper ribs, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Guardian celebrated closing a deal by taking us to uh I think its called "Little Asia." I have bad memory sorry. This is salt and pepper ribs, pork I think. Yup, pork. And she also ordered curry. Ah yum! This was good, but I love curry. I didn't take a picture of the curry because I read somewhere that all curry looks like... well you know. Those ribs were good, salty, peppery, and fried.

buko

2008-09-09T06:29:00.001-07:00

buko, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Ice cold, refreshing coconut juice (buko juice) straight out of the coconut. All you have to do is walk down the street and buy buko from one one the many vendors and they will cut it open in front of you, take out the juice and scrape out the meat in the coconut. Healthy, cheap, and yummy.

Crabby

2008-09-09T06:25:00.001-07:00

crabb, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

From a small place next to the bay in the Philippines, near SM Mall of Asia. Garlic butter crab I think... Its loaded with... butter and ...garlic. I watched them enjoy cracking open the crabs and picking out all the meat, then getting what was in the bottom of the dish and pouring it over their rice. Who doesn't love crabs?

Lumpia

2008-09-07T02:45:00.001-07:00

fish lumpia, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Another dish that probably every Filipino has eaten at least once. It's lumpia, kind of like the Filipino spring roll. This came straight out of the kitchen here, nothing's better than the food made here at the house. Lumpia is usually fried, unless its fresh and this kind also happened to be made with fish.. as opposed to the usual pork lumpia. And it tastes even better, especially when dipped in vinegar or sweet and sour sauce. Its crispy and uh.. more like crunchy.

airplane foodies

2008-09-06T06:31:00.001-07:00

airplane foodies, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

This is what my mother ate on the airplane, longanisa and egg and rice. Longanisa is Filipino sausage. We were flying on Philippine airlines, so I guess you know where we were going. It was ok, not that good. But I will post the food from this airlines I liked...soon.

Philippine Mango

2008-09-05T05:22:00.001-07:00

Philippine Mango, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

The Philippine mango. The sweetest mango in the world. I love fruits, especially one that are sweet. Its available all year round here... so go be healthy with me and grab a mango.

Chocolate covered marshmallows - "Wiggles"

2008-09-05T04:57:00.001-07:00

Chocolate covered marshmallows - "Wiggles", originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

I bought a bag of these to sell at school, but I couldn't resist trying one because they looked so good. Now, they are all gone and they never reached my school...
It has a light chocolate covering and a multi-colored marshmallow inside. Ahh...so good. I couldn't eat just one.
They cost Pph 1 = $ .02 each.

Mr. Kabab's Keema

2008-09-04T10:54:00.001-07:00

Mr. Kabab's Keema, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Another dish straight out of Manila, Philippines from the Arab owned "Mr. Kabab.". Made of ground beef with gravy, with garlic sauce on top and over rice... its killer. It is so GOOD! It is probably my favorite here. Keema can be cooked by stewing or frying, and can be formed into kababs. So i guess its the pre-kebab form of the meat.

Cinnabites

2008-09-03T07:36:00.001-07:00

Cinnabites, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Sweet treat from Mrs. Howard's of the Philippines. Small, easy to pop in your mouth and deliciously sugar-full. Sugar-full? Yup.... Oven baked goodness with icing that'll make you lick your fingers. Its wrapped in plastic by the way.

Ice cream? Nah, rice.

2008-09-02T04:34:00.001-07:00

ice cream? nah, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Rice! I live it, breathe it, and eat nothing but it here in the Philippines. Not really but it is a major part of the meals here. Can't have a meal here in the Philippines unless you have a plate full of rice. The price of rice has actually been going up and my classmates here actually brag about who eats the more expensive brand of rice.

Yellow Cab Vespa

2008-09-02T03:22:00.001-07:00

Yellow Cab Vespa, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Yellow Cab is kind of like the equivalent of California Pizza Kitchen of the Philippines. They use Vespas to deliver their pizzas, pastas, and whatever else they serve. When you want some good pizza, call them up and you'll be lucky to have a pizza delivered on a cool yellow vespa.

Lechon Manok - Chicken

2008-09-01T03:07:00.001-07:00

lechon manok - Chicken, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

A Filipino dish. Roasted chicken cooked like lechon (roasted pig) over charcoal, spun rotisserie style and cut as its served. Juicy . Chickeny. Served with gravy...in a bag. Whoa... PPh 215 = $4.70.

The sauce that comes with the cheekin:

Freshly Cut and Fried Potato chips

2008-08-31T09:17:00.001-07:00

freshly cut chips, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

The potato goes through a slicer and then, long, thin pieces of potato come out. It gets fried, dipped in garlic mayo sauce and then straight to the tummy while its still hot and crispy. A bag costs Pph 30 = $.66.

Hamburger with Cinanmon Bun Style Bread

2008-08-29T07:57:00.001-07:00

California burger, originally uploaded by nicolegoes.

Interesting buns? A California Burger from a small, cozy, hidden corner in Manila called Mrs. Howard's. Looks pretty sweet to me. But, sadly, it really isn't as sweet as it looks. Although, it's filling and cheap, too. Costs about $1.25 = Pph 55.

Intro.

2008-08-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

New places. New food. Let's eat.