Category Archives: Food

Channeling ze inner goddess

November 28 12:20 pm ,
Nurtured

Nurtured

Hubby went away. Will be away for 20 days. He is the resident cook. Heck, not just the resident cook. He is cordon bleu, a cooking superstar, with legendary chef-like prowess.

Many have passed through our door, the invited – and those who invited themselves – testing him, and finding themselves impressed. Always.

So I was naturally apprehensive. With him away, we might grow hungry.

In panic, I sat down to list all the places in Vancouver we could eat at. Then I stopped. Frowned. Led to a different path by my thoughts.

I started to list down all the food I loved to eat as a child, food my mom would cook, food that I missed. Food from a time long ago, comforting, heart-satisfying. From memories that have not been a part of my recent life.

The life starred in by the hubby-chef.

As I listed down my favourite food from my childhood, I was seized by an idea. Why not cook them while hubby is away? With no one to critique my cooking, I should be okay.

Right?

Read More →

Posted in: Food, Life Stories, Recipes for Frugal Nights , Tagged: , ,

A Discovery In the Culinary Capital

March 13 9:48 pm ,

Bliss

Photos courtesy of Madelene Uyehara

Cross-post from MoneyDoctors Blog.

Pampanga. The birthplace of many chefs extraordinaire. So it is no wonder that there are some great restaurants in the province. But only some. Hubby and I wondered about this and surmised that because every other Kapampangan is a cook, every Kapampangan is a food critic. I mean, the standards are set so high! Before you can entice a Kapampangan to come hither to a restaurant – the cuisine has to better than what their mothers and lolas cook. And that is a tall order.

One brave soul is Araceli Timbol, a graduate of the Center for Culinary Arts, Manila, who also trained at The Blue Elephant, Bangkok and Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. Tucked away in what was once the neighborhood of the rich in metro Pampanga is her The Village Chef.

We heard about The Village Chef from hubby’s sister and brother who were raving about it. It was hubby’s birthday and we thought, what a great excuse to splurge!

And so we did. (splurging is allowed some of the time)

Read More →

Posted in: Food, The Philippines , Tagged: , , , ,

Sunday Buffets and A Birthday Celebration at Dusit Thani

December 23 12:37 am ,

Sunday Buffet: A Comparison

We broke the bank.

Of course we did not.  But, well, the day was certainly not one of our frugal days. (we try to be frugal some of the time and fail some of the time)

It was my birthday and usually, we go overseas.  But, as they say, a baby changes everything (everything) so this year, we had to stay put.   I am not complaining, though.  I am so in love with baby.  With him and our daughter in tow, we headed straight for Hotel Dusit Thani for their Sunday Crossover Brunch.

We love buffets and are partial to Sofitel’s Spirals.  But we were ready for a change.  There were rave reviews about Hotel Dusit’s brunch.  It was a restaurant tour concept and there were four cuisines we can feast on – Thai, Japanese, Italian and an-around-the-world offering.  It all sounded very appealing.

Read More →

Posted in: Food, Life Stories, The Philippines , Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,