Initial Food Tasting: K by Cunanan

I was telling my friend Anj that we needed a caterer for our wedding that can pretty much meet my standards. She highly recommended K by Cunanan after her cousin's wedding a few years back and one of the AEs is her friend from high school.

I've heard about K by Cunanan from almost every corner in this country when it comes to weddings. I have always seen how good they are in styling based on different pictures I've seen from past weddings that includes celebrities like Patty Laurel-Filart. Her wedding really caught my attention seeing how simple, elegant and classy everything was. Pretty much sums up what I wanted.  I thought I just wanted them as my caterer.

My initial complain about K by Cunanan was the time it takes them to reply to my emails when I started planning. It took weeks to a get a menu. I could not get an appointment for food tasting. So I was about ready to give up on them and have already started inquiring with other caterers and have shortlisted two others already and waiting for food tasting.

Then came a twist of fate. Anj and her friend met at a wake. Yes I know the circumstances are quite sad but they ended up talking that my emails are not being answered at a pace that I wanted (yes corporate stuck-up girl here with high levels of expectations in answering emails). So Anj got her contact and voila--food tasting here we come.

I brought Anj and my sister Tin with me as they are both available for lunch on a weekday. We headed to their Greenmeadows office and were immediately seated. Anj then introduced me to her friend who is going to be my AE, Monique.

She explained to us how the food tasting goes and provided the menu for the day then left us while we eat so we can freely discuss.

We started with the  appetizers--mini eggs benedict, chicken tortilla with arugula and caramelized onions, portobello fries with wasabi cream.Each dish looked very appetizing and we decided to try each then deliberate before moving on to the next.

Mini Eggs Benedict--we loved this! Prosciutto, toast, basil topped with a poached quail egg. Flavors had a really good balance and easy to eat. Just one pop in your mouth and you're all good. Of course you would want seconds though.

Chicken Tortilla--this was good too with a touch of sweetness from the caramelized onions and bitterness of arugula. I'm just worried that this will be too messy for our guests.

Portobello Fries--mixed reactions on this one. Titit thinks its perfect and wanted it to be included in the final menu. Me and Anj wanted a more distinct wasabi flavor. Since its served on a shot glass, it seems inconvenient for our guests during cocktails.

Next item--soup. We were served Broccoli and cheese soup. Common consensus is we want more cheese! Or better yet, mix in the cheese.

Melon and Prosciutto, Bleu Cheese and Raspberry Vinaigrette--this was really good and a well balanced salad. Salty from the prosciutto and bleu cheese then sweetness from the melon and dressing. And I forgot to mention the candied walnuts that added crunch--everything was so good and perfect. Sad thing though--its going to be an upgrade.

On to the main course.

Honey Nut Prawns--probably their best-seller from forums and any bride who got them as a caterer and blogged about it. Nice crunch, succulent, balanced flavors and textures but not all of our guests can eat it due to allergies (including the groom who will never improve this upgrade). I would still recommend this dish.

Pasta is Mixed Seafood, Tomatoes and Capers--glad this was an oil based dish which I am a fan of. I like capers on seafood though since it takes out the slimy taste. 

Baked Fish in Cream with Slivered Almonds--I didn't expect much from this dish but I was wrong. I liked how delicate it was with just the right richness of the cream. Nothing too fancy but definitely a good change from the usual fish fillet with tartar sauce or salsa.

Slow cooked beef--loved this. Tasty and tender.

They served us carrot rice that day and I totally forgot I'm not supposed to eat rice.

On to desserts--we were served with three items that day.

Flambeed Mango with Vanilla Ice Cream--everyone loved this. Perfect sweetness with a touch of caramel for the mangoes.

Picatostes with Tsokolate--this generated mixed reviews. Anj and I liked this because the tskolate was dark, semi bitter and not too sweet. Titit did not like it for the exact same reason. She prefers her chocolates in milk or white. The picatostes itself was like a churro. Crunch outside, then nice and fluffy once you bite into it. Not as buttery as a churro however.

Quezo de bola cheesecake (not in photo)--the name was the most promising but under delivered. Or probably it was a bad batch that day as this is one of the best sellers. Consistency was a bit too gelatin-y  which we didn't like.

Afterwards Monique came over and discussed the dishes and answered our questions. Looks like my caterer woes are over.

Here's a sample of one of their table setup during our food tasting. Isn't it lovely?

Geisha

We decided to have a catch up with our friend Yna. We decided to try Geisha at BHS. Their menu looks interesting and we wanted to have drinks with our dinner.

Geisha had a nice and cozy ambiance but I felt under-dressed with its posh interiors--yeah it was one of those days where I think I need to update my closet. Given that it was a little early, we were seated right away and offered menus.

We started with the Geisha Carpaccio (PHP 295) The tuna and salmon were fresh with a little earthy taste from the olive oil. I would want another plate of this if I can still manage.

The Spicy Tuna Crisps (PHP 180) were deliciously seasoned and the crisps added a nice crunch texture as you pop the entire thing in your mouth.

Yna had the "un-chicken" yakitori (PHP 360) which was a mock chicken (veggie meat), served with vegetables and soba. She said it was good and didn't even notice that she wasn't eating chicken.

Chryssie being a soup lover had her bowl of Roast Pork Ramen (PHP 290) which was delicious also.

I was not adventurous and was craving for Katsudon (PHP 280), so I had a bowl. The pork was tender with a good balance from the sauce. I wish the serving was bigger though.

We all enjoyed out sake based cocktails which is reason enough to go back to Geisha. We had Sake Sour (PHP 140), Sakerita (PHP 140) and Lychee Saketini (PHP 140). Of course I had the lychee and a coco-lychee martini is usually my choice of cocktail. Each drink had a good balance and generated the right amount of buzz.

We enjoyed the drinks and appetizers to Geisha the most. I think its reason enough for me to go back.

Geisha Modern Japanese is located at the Upper Ground Floor, West Superblock, BHS Central, BGC.

Tsumura Sushi Bar & Restaurant

Craving for Japanese food lead me to discover there's one near my office. I can always smell the katsudon kind of smell whenever I pass by Valero going to Paseo Center but I can't find which restaurant the smell is coming from. 

Turns out, in the 2nd floor of a building lies one of the best sushi places in Manila. 

So I sort of tricked my sister Choking to join me for dinner one time. The pictures online looks so good that I wanted to try this hidden gem (well a lot of people know about it except me).

We were seated right away and decided we want sushi. Hot towels were provided to prepare us for a good meal. The trick is knowing what kind of sushi do you want. I usually order just maguro or salmon but decided its time I try uni. Yes! This is my first time.

We were served appetizers of marinated mackerel. It was slightly sour and resembles ceviche or kinilaw. We had a good start.

We had the Sushi Nigiri Kiri (PHP 650) to share. This plate had the freshest sushi in Manila. The salmon and maguro were melt in your mouth with a slight hint of wasabi. Each piece was perfection with not too much rice so your can really savor each. The set came with a bowl of miso soup with clams.

We loved the sushi a lot that we had two extra orders of maguro sushi (PHP 65 each) and uni (PHP 80). The uni was so fresh and makes you long for a trip to the beach.

Choking had the Maguro Nuta (PHP 230) as she wanted something light only.

I had the Katsu Tama Ju (PHP 390) which is usually my staple at Japanese restaurants. It came  in a cute painted box and a bowl of miso soup with clams. The pork was tender but something that was just ok for me. It wasn't something that I'm crazy about.

The small Chawan Mushi (PHP 190) was so light and fluffy that this is the best one I had ever. 

They served us fruits to finish our meal.

I had the best sushi at Tsumura. It is pretty steep but I'm willing to spend for sushi that good. I will definitely come back...on payday!

Tsumura is located at the 2nd Floor Corporate Center, Valero cor Sedeno st. Makati City.

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

My sisters are Ramen Freaks. I'm more of the sushi type of girl. When they tried Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen without me, I was disappointed though even if I'm not that fond of Ramen. Titit was nice enough to eat there again with me this time around.

 

As she was sad for not being able to buy the shoes she wanted on time, we drowned her sorrows in bowls of Ramen. We were able to get seats right away as it was quite late already when we finished browsing different stores in Shangri-La (plus the fact I finish work really late).

I had the Ajitama Tonkotsu Ramen (PHP 330) with hard noodles. Tonkotsu broth (not tonkatsu) is from boiling pork bones over high heat for many hours and resulting to a milky like soup. The broth was very flavorful but not overwhelming like some of the ramen places in Manila. The noodles (hard type) had a nice firm bite. I think this would be better if there was another piece of sliced pork (chashu) in the bowl. One slice was not sufficient for us pork hoarders. My favorite element in this bowl is the egg. It has a firm white with a light brown tint from being marinated in soy sauce. The yolk is not dry however but somewhere halfway between a soft boiled and a hard boiled egg. The yolk absorbs some flavor from the broth that makes it extraordinary where I am a lost for words.

Titit had the Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen (PHP 380). This ramen has oil extracted from roasted Black Garlic. It has a nice kick with that garlic flavor. One thing that should be in this bowl is the egg. She had to order extra for PHP 50.

We were enjoying our ramen so much we forgot that we ordered Gyoza (PHP 150). One side had a nice crunch to it. The meat inside was so juicy that it was dripping on the side of my mouth when I was eating.

I also loved the touch of lined wooden panels painted with Japanese characters. It was screaming "visit Japan now" to me.

I think I know where to get a good bowl of Ramen when Marlon craves for some. (Am I the only one not too crazy about Ramen?) I'm not very fond of Ramen still but my friends or sisters can always drag me back at Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen any time they want.

Thanks for dragging me in your sorrow Titit. I enjoyed it.

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen is located at 5F East Wing ShangriLa Plaza Mandaluyong.

Siem Reap

A week after our last day at work, Chryssie and I decided to spend 5 days in Cambodia just to unwind a bit. We arrived late at night through plane (Only one flight from Manila to Siem Reap). We booked rooms at Bou Savy Guesthouse and as soon as we stepped out of the airport their tuktuk driver was happily waiting outside to bring us there. After a refreshing welcome drink, its off to bed as we are getting up at 4 in the morning.

Siem Reap literally means the fall of Siam. Which is the mockery of the Khmer to the defeat of Thailand.

We decided to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat as recommended. Our tuktuk driver Ani was waiting at our door to bring us there. We bought our daily passes first for USD 20 good for a day with unlimited access to all the temples. They took our pictures then viola! Here goes our ID-like passes. 

We settled outside of Angkor Wat to see the sunrise along with all the tourists. We were able to find a good spot until the first part of the sunrise. The Chinese tourists came in and unfortunately we were somehow driven off our spot. Sunrise was not that nice that day as it was cloudy. My pictures were not that dramatic compared to some of the pictures online. The soft light falling on the facade of the temple and our faces was still beautiful.

We headed back to Bou Savy for breakfast. Everyday, we always had a good breakfast of either noodles or baguettes with egg and deliciously strong, milky yet slightly sweet iced coffee. 

We went back to the Angkor complex thereafter and started our temple day. Our first stop for further exploration was at Angkor Wat. Some parts of the temple were closed though as there was a Buddhist event that day. The temple was full of carvings preserved from the Khmer era. Some of the jewels were already looted unfortunately. All windows had seven pillars representing the pillars of Buddhism.

 

Our next stop was Banteay Kdei. We were greeted near the entrance with Buddha's statue with incense lighted. There were these tour guides that wont stop following us and using Manny Pacquiao as a pick-up line to get our attention. This temple offers a nice background for pictures mimicking temple run.

We had a quick stop at Chau Say Tevoda. A lot of parts in this temple is ruined already.

Ta Prohm is popular as Tomb Raider was filmed there. It is characterized by this giant tree growing out of the temple. Maintenance works are being done on the temple.

After a quick lunch, it was off to Bayon, the temple with many faces.This is my favorite as the carvings were intricate and all the faces in the temple were interesting. We were lucky though that not too many tourists were there that time.

The following day we attended a cooking class at Le Tigre De Papier in Pub Street. We paid USD 13 for the class for 1 appetizer  1 main dish and a dessert. The class also included a market tour. It was Chryssie's first time to cook. I thought she was going to mess up big time and had my camera handy but she seemed to manage well. We both picked spring rolls for appetizers where our teacher, Savon taught us the technique of rolling our spring rolls. Chryssie made Chicken with Basil while I did Tom Yum. We were in the class with two more people, Fernando and Amy who made Amok and Chicken with Khmer sauce. We had sticky rice with mango for dessert. They were supposed to email us the recipe but we never received it.

On our last day we volunteered at CDO (Children & Development Organization). The kids were wonderful and they were very curious about the Philippines. We cleaned their rooms, helped with the laundry and also sliced vegetables for pizza. Volunteer teachers from all over would stay for a month or so and will also teach these kids. 

We splurged on dinner at Touich, a family run restaurant. It was my best dinning experience ever. The staff politely greeted us at the door and were seated right away. Their recommendations were actually good. The price tag may seem steep for Cambodia but the size of my steak was huge. Their servers were very attentive and always smiling. They served us water with Keffir lime to wash our hands after the meal. Even if this place is out of the way, having a meal here is worth it.

We explored pub street that night. We had the tomb raider cocktail at The Red Piano were Angeline Jolie would go for drinks during filming. Had a quick foot massage for USD 1 at the Night Market and spent time shopping for souvenirs there.

Before leaving the following day, we stayed the whole day at Blue Pumpkin in Pub Street. Yaay to aircon! They had a good selection of sandwiches, bread, pastas and other meals. The lounges were so comfortable it's hard not to sleep in there.

My trip to Siem Reap was probably the one with the most value for money. Bou Savy charged us USD 17 per night for a big room with twin beds and free breakfast. Our temple tour was booked with them also. We paid USD 12 for the tuktuk that would take us around the whole day. For more information, visit their website here.

Cooking classes at Le Tigre de Papier is probably the cheapest in Siem Reap. To know more, click here.

If I were to come back to Siem Reap, I would spend another day in CDO. They still need donations to take care of these kids. If you want to help, check their facebook page here.

Cebu Pacific flies from Manila to Siem Reap daily.