Monthly Archives: August 2012

Flashback to Kinabuhayan B&B and Cafe

29 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Come Taste My Philippines, Flashback

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By the end of 2012, the Multiply community site will be closing down. Which means we members will lose all our posts, photos, albums, blogs, etc IF we don’t back them up now. As in now na now na! Since there are precious memories and special experiences chronicled in that site that I simply do not want to lose, I am reposting some of my favorite pieces here, starting with my trip with the family to the town of Dolores in Quezon province one weekend in May of 2005. We stayed at…

Kinabuhay B&B and Cafe, owned by production designer Jay Herrera and his friend Winston Herrera. Here was my original piece about it:

It’s not at all your typical touristic B&B. Of course, each cabana — or kubo, if you will — has its own ensuite toilet & bath and a loft as sleeping quarters, complete with mosquito net. You can even choose to stay in the 2-storey treehouse! But don’t expect the usual “hotel” amenities like air-conditioning, etc. Think RUSTIC, although I did hear that they now have cable TV in each cabana. There was no such thing when we were last there. Kinabuhayan is for people who don’t mind roughing it a little (just a little) and are open to taking in unfilteredly clean and cool mountain air and communing with the great outdoors (and its denizens, too, if you’re “open” enough). It can be as close to nature as you can get, albeit comfortably. If you are open to trying the place, I suggest you bring insect repellent, though, unless you want to be THAT close to nature and have bites to prove it. Don’t worry, there are mosquito nets provided in each kubo, whether you like to sleep up in the loft or downstairs in the veranda/lounge area. And you will sleep. Soundly, deeply. The dark of night is very dark. And you cannot help but be lulled by the slumberous sound of swaying bamboo trees that surround you.

But the “roughing it” is more than compensated by the amazingly delicious gourmet meals that Jay Herrera whips up from his own secret recipes. He describes his dishes as “Pinoy food with a European twist”. This was the first place I had discovered the delicious combination of pasta with classic Laing (fresh taro/camote leaves cooked in spicy, coconut-creamy sauce)! And breakfast? OMG, the breakfasts! Divine!!! So good that even if you’re not a breakfast person, you’ll eat it all up, especially if you intend to go hiking, trekking, exploring, photographing, biking, jogging, etc.

The hostel looks pretty plain and ordinary outside. But inside, it’s like entering another world. Unstudied bohemian. Quaint in an offbeat, very artistic way. Faded photographs of family. Antique chairs and tables and decor. Imaginative and well-selected dinner ware. A broken blue vase lying on the pond. Ducks and dogs strutting aimlessly everywhere. And especially at night, the place feels as mystical and mysterious as the magic mountain of Banahaw that it looks up at. Do not be perturbed if you hear footsteps and laughter in the dark and find no one there. Just say “good evening” to the darkness and go back to sleep.

“You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?”

To this day, Mt. Banahaw is still closed to trekkers and pilgrims. It has been closed and guarded since 2004. To help the mountain cleanse itself and heal from the desecration, destruction, and indignities wrought by negligent, irresponsible, disrespectful, and litterbug visitors. But we did manage to get to the “first level” at the foot of this mystical place, which remains open to the public. It is called Santa Lucia. One just has to climb up and down the 259 steps that have been roughly and unevenly carved onto the mountain to get to the streams. Hell on the thighs and calves, but my mother (who was 78 back then and considered the oldest city-lady to make the arduous trek) managed it, with the help of a swig from water drawn from Santa Lucia’s springs every now and then. The people at the entrance to the mountain applauded my Mom when she finally took her final step onto level ground at her return from Santa Lucia, unscathed and unfatigued.

I did discover, to my dismay though, that my photographs of the various puestos (sacred prayer spots) were all blanked out, except for one. I remember the Banahaw people who watched me take shots had looked at each other knowingly but I just shrugged it off as the indulgent amusement of rural folk. Now I know they knew something I didn’t.

Come Taste My Philippines — Talbos Ng Kamote

24 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in Come Taste My Philippines

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Talbos ng Kamote

The ubiquitous camote plant. Everywhere I walk in our neighborhood, chances are I will always come upon a patch of camote plants, either growing wild in an empty lot or deliberately planted in a home-style garden for that household’s consumption. It’s just like the kangkong — also called swamp cabbage or water spinach — which grows year ’round and grows lush in wet areas like swamps, marshes, and waterways. But with the camote or sweet yam, you can dig up the rootcrop and enjoy it many ways. You can caramelize it for dessert (with a dash of Tanduay Rhum maybe, if you prefer a little kick), boil and dice for halo-halo, fry it as chips, cook and eat it as part of a viand, or even bake bread or a pie with it.

I’ve seen residents and their household helpers walking the streets carrying a bunch home! Many times I myself am tempted pull out and harvest a handful or two of the humble talbos ng kamote (camote tops or the shoots and leaves of the sweet yam) to bring home and have for lunch or dinner as a salad.

To make a simple salad, I steam or poach the talbos for a few minutes. And rinse them immediately in cold water and drain afterwards. Then I mix some diced raw onions and tomatoes. Then for the dressing, just a balanced blend of kalamansi and bagoong na isda (I prefer the ones from Pangasinan, rather than from Balayan). The salad is a perfect partner with crispy danggit maybe or daing na bangus or any fried or grilled seafood.

So down-home simple and easy yet so good!

Why the Mona Lisa makes me smile

19 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by in Restaurants

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Signor Niño’s Amoroma had moved all the way from Alabang to Tagaytay and, sadly, Signor Niño himself had gone on to that Grande Pizzeria in the Sky. Chris Locher’s first ristorante, C’Italian, was far far away in Angeles, Pampanga (although, to date, Chef Chris has opened his Kitchen in Paco, Manila, and will soon be opening a branch in Makati, but both still require some traveling and toll fees). So, grazie a Dio for the Mona Lisa!

When the Mona Lisa Ristorante opened in July 2010 at Filinvest Westgate, the Alabangers rejoiced! In the suburbs where proper dining restaurants which served authentic Italian recipes were few and far between, the Mona Lisa was a most welcome arrival. It is owned by Michael Grandinetti, an Italian-American from Seattle who traces his roots to Calabria, at the southernmost part of the Italian peninsula. Mike is married to his Filipina wife, Belle, who is also the Executive Chef. Chef Belle had stayed awhile in Italy and studied Italian cuisine there. They both also happen to be dedicated triathletes.

The ristorante is located on the 2nd floor of the Commerce Center along Commerce Ave corner Filinvest Drive at the Westgate, Alabang. In fact, if you look up at the building, you may see La Giaconda herself smiling down at you. 😉

The interiors are modern and comfortable, with Michaelangelo-esque frescoes on the ceiling as if to underscore the Italian theme. Some kitschy touches here and there, but hey, this is the ‘burbs. I love to sit by the large windows, with a view of the Westgate traffic below. Most of the time, especially on weekend nights, Mike Grandinetti himself will welcome you to his restaurant in his warm and hearty Italian way. And you can count on very good and hearty Italian food here — perhaps not quite alta cucina, but definitely dependably delicious cucina casalinga, or traditional home cooking. My favorite dish here is the umami-yummy Gnocchi al Funghi e Porcini, washed down with a glass of excellent red wine! And, of course, there’s the Cannoli! Who can resist the sweet and crunchy cannoli filled with creamy ricotta, pistachio nuts, and other good stuff, paired with a scoop of syrup-drizzled gelato? I’ve found myself smiling like the Mona Lisa each time after a meal here. Definitely, my bouche is amused every time.

It’s a popular dining destination in the South, so be sure to reserve a table first. You may call 556-0708 or +63917.8365472 or email monalisa_1623@yahoo.com.

Julie & Julia

18 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by in Foodie Films, Hail to the Chef

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This August 15, 2012 was Julia Child’s 100th birthday! In acknowledgment and in  celebration of this trailblazing foodie and oh-so-remarkable woman, I watched the movie Julie & Julia all over again.

In a nutshell, Julie & Julia is a tale of two parallel lives — one of an aspiring writer slogging away in a boring job and living in Queens with her husband, the other of Julia Child who, during the late 1940s and 1950s, felt restless and intellectually adrift while living in Paris with her husband. Child then discovered her true calling when she decided to learn how cook the proper French way at the famed Le Cordon Bleu. Powell, on the other hand, needing some creative direction and fulfillment in her life, also challenged herself by cooking ALL 524 recipes in Julia Child’s famous cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, every day for one year and chronicling her attempts in her blog.

Written and directed by Nora Ephron, it is based on Child’s autobiography with Alex Prud’homme, “My Life in France” and Julie Powell’s blog-turned-book entitled  “Julie & Julia : 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment“. It stars the magnificent Meryl Streep, masterfully portraying the inimitable Julia Child down to her fluting drawl to a tee, and Amy Adams as author and amateur cook Julie Powell. The extraordinarily talented Stanley Tucci, one of my most favorite actors ever, plays Julia’s husband Paul Cushing Child with a brilliance and a strong yet subtle presence that complemented and stood up to Meryl Streep’s dazzling cinematic charisma.

As The Vine review said: “Julie & Julia is not a mere celebration of food but a pleasant pair of true stories about the hand that rocks the ladle.” Yes, it is a delightful film. Definitely worth watching, if you like foodie films as I do. BUT, it’s not great — for me, it so failed to resolve satisfactorily the Julie and Julia connection, that it felt a bit anticlimactic.  Most of my favorite scenes were in the “Julia” part of the story. Amy Adams is charming and sympathetic but the lovely shots of Paris, the tour de force performance of Meryl Streep, together with Stanley Tucci, and the colorful character that was Julia Child simply drown out the more prosaic life of Powell/Adams and her husband. In fact, after watching the movie the first time, I actually went out and bought a hardbound copy of Child’s famous cookbook. Not that I would ever attempt to replicate what Julie Powell did. I can’t even master the French omelet (yet?), despite how easy Julia Child makes it out to be.

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P.S. I kept a clipping about Julia Child from a November 2001 issue of Oprah’s O magazine, where she lays out 8 of her favorite books — The Soul of a Chef : The Journey Toward Perfection by Michael Ruhlman, The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller, Kitchen Confidential : Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain, How To Read a French Fry and Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science by Russ Parsons, Stand Facing The Stove: The Story of the Women Who Gave America the Joy of Cooking by Anne Mendelson, The Essential Rilke, Edith Wharton : A Biography by R.W.B. Lewis, and mystery novels by Mary Higgins Clark and Sue Grafton.

TAMPOPO — Raving about Ramen

12 Sunday Aug 2012

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Most of you may perhaps be familiar with the film sub-genre “Spaghetti Western”. Well, I call the film Tampopo by Jozu Itami a “Ramen Western”, that stands bright and unique in the firmament of filmdom. From the exaggeratedly complex depths of the humble ramen to the orgasmic heights of hedonism that food and sex can take you, Tampopo is extremely satisfying. It is one heck of a fantastic and joyful food trip, which includes dizzying detours which sometimes leave you flummoxed but most of the time give you a refreshing break (sort-of like a palate cleanser) from the main course, that you will never want to get off once you get on! As “the master” said, you will appreciate its gestalt.

The characters are distinct and memorable, expertly delineated and endearing — from the delicate but dedicated Tampopo herself and craggy-faced, cowboy-hat-wearing Goro to the white-suited Yakuza gangster to the hobos with surprisingly well-educated and fine-tuned palates. The vision, though complex to the point of labyrinthine, is clear and forceful. Written, directed, and produced by the amazing Jozu Itami, it is a sumptuous cinematic feast that only an extraordinary non-linear mind and brilliant story-telling genius like his can concoct. You will not be able to help yourself. Right from the start, from the very first scene, you will be inextricably drawn to the characters. And you will find yourself inhabiting the many stories that Itami lays before you. What a banquet for the senses! And Tampopo is gratifying to the very last drop … or, I should say, to the very last scene as the credits rise. (You must watch the film to know just what I mean.) When you see even just this one film of his, you will understand why Juzo Itami is one of my all-time favorite directors.

The best review of Tampopo that I have ever read was written by Hal Hinson of the Washington Post, way back in 1987 just after the film was launched in Hollywood — http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/tampoponrhinson_a0c94d.htm. Here is an excerpt: “Jozu Itami, the director of the Japanese film “Tampopo”, may be the most impenitent hedonist the movies have ever seen. As a filmmaker, he revels in sensual pleasure, and the spirit of his film is exultant, orgiastic. The movie has been described elsewhere as “Zen and the Art of Noodle-making”, but its spirit couldn’t be less Zen-like. Itami isn’t interested in detachment. He’s a zesty, immoderate connoisseur of pleasure-taking in all its forms — food, sex, movies — and he jumbles them all together here into a hilarious concoction. It’s half movie, half dessert-topping, a film gourmand’s lusty dream…”

Click on the link, if you want to read more about it. But I suggest you watch the film first so as not to spoil the scrumptious surprises it serves up. And be prepared to be overcome by a sudden craving for a steaming-hot bowl of Japanese ramen, after watching it. I was … each and EVERY time I watch it! This is a film classic that all true food-enthusiasts MUST SEE at least once in their lifetimes. It is simply oishii in every way!