nomnom obsessions

I don't know what it is about me but when I like a dish, I eat it until I get sick of it. True story.

There was the CocoIchibanya Japanese curry phase.

Good Smell, Good Curry. I couldn't agree more.

 I was hooked on this for a month. The smell of the curry haunted me in my sleep.

The Sunrise Tacos Grande Taco Salad phase.

In an effort to be healthy. Ha! The crisp taco bowl defeats the purpose of eating a salad. But it is, in my opinion, the best part.

The Greyhound DIY Nachos with Grilled Chicken phase.

I like the idea of piling stuff on the tortilla chip, creating the perfect bite.

And the more recent (and ongoing!) Kenji Fish Taco and Vegetarian Quesa phase.

Korean food with a Mexican twist. The spicy/tangy sauce kills me every time.

Roasted eggplants, caramelized onions, crunchy carrot and cabbage strips, so G-double-O-D good. 

Oh and of course (although not a dish but just as obsessed), the Dakasi Milk Tea phase.

The best milk tea in town. 'Nuff said.

But out of all the food obsessions I've had and will have in the future, one thing stands true: I will never get sick of eating bacon.

when in penang...

Guess what? I'm in Penang again. Staying in the same hotel, eating in the same Indian restaurant, and still locking myself in a hotel room with a big bag of Skittles. Oh and still reading White Teeth (Sadly, I don't read much these days. Internet TV has amused me way, way too much. I love hulu and Netflix! Ok, ok. where was I?)

Yes. Old habits die hard.

But before you call me a complete bore, I did venture out earlier today to grab a bite (and then walk off what I ate) and stumbled upon this.

Who in their right mind won't enter this place?

Well, I'm glad I did because I got to sample every piece of chocolate they have, and coffee too! I'm a sucker for free tasting.

I really liked the tiramisu and almond milk chocolates, the chestnut milk chocolates, the mint and dark chocolate (still mad at myself for not getting a pack), and the chili dark chocolate, though with a kick, wasn't bad at all. But really, who am I kidding? It's chocolate! Sadly, no pictures of the chocolates because well, I was busy tasting all of them. Ha!

Anyway, I was dead set on getting a pack of the mint and dark chocolate but somehow ended up with a box of assorted chocolates and a pack of peppermint flavor white coffee.

Excited to try the peppermint flavor white coffee. The chocolates? I'm not sure. It's hard to be excited over something that can cause a lot of damage to your waistline. Tss.

Penang, Berlin, brie and maple bacon

Before I left the office yesterday, my boss told me to be safe and have a relaxin' good time. I took her advice to heart and I now find myself in cool hotel room, on a comfy bed, exploiting the hotel's wifi and downing a bag of Skittles. Now, this is what I call a relaxin' good time.

More often than not, this is how I end up when travelling alone. I end up locking myself in a hotel room. It's such a waste, I know. But sometimes I just can't be bothered to go out, especially after the madness that came with the wedding and diving right back to work; not having enough time to breathe. So this is me breathing. Let me get away with it, just this once.

I did go out earlier today to explore Georgetown, have a cup of coffee and grab a bite. I took Diana with me and took some shots. Penang is gorgeous. A perfect mix of old and new. A melting pot of cultures. A fusion of people. And although I haven't seen much of it, I am already in love. I know I want to go back. Hopefully, with D tagging along.

Speaking of D, he's now in Berlin. The time difference is a bit of a struggle. The highlight of my day usually consist of a call or an email from Germany. In his latest email, he wrote of his first experience of deep fried Camembert (which was "da bomb") and drinking in a 200-year old building with 20-foot ceilings and mismatched furniture. Sounds like my kind of place. I picture him having a good time, and wish I was there with him.

Maybe someday.

Sorry, I'm rambling again. Anyway, I think I'm going to give this 'explore Penang' thing one more shot. Maybe I'll fall for it some more.

For now, I leave you with this mouthwatering shot of an egg sandwich with melted brie and maple bacon. Melted brie and maple bacon. Yes, I just need to emphasize that.

[Photo via Framed Cooks]

omnomnomanila

I know, I know. I've neglected this blog far too long but work and travel has gotten in the way. So let me make it up to you by posting food shots from our recent trip to Manila.

 Gyu Chisu Maki from Omakase

American Dream from Omakase

Jurassic Maki from Omakase

Sisig from Gerry's Grill

Grilled Squid from Gerry's Grill

Grilled Seafood Platter from Josephine's Tagaytay

 Pork Binagoongan from Josephine's Tagaytay

This trip wasn't good for my diet. Not at all. But as expected, my belly was very happy. I'll post more pics soon. Hang in there!


P.S. Merry Christmas everyone! Hope yours was spent with your nearest and dearest. Mine was spent with friends that I consider as family. Enjoy the holidays!

taco night

Remember the Mexican feast I mentioned yesterday? Well, here's some proof of our hard work.

The spread!

 Mango salsa and guacamole success!

Yum-o!

I'm not going to kid myself into believing I can take photos of food and make them look yummy. You would just have to believe me when I say it taste good!

Just a quick tip for you guys when handling chilies/peppers: Wear gloves when cutting them! Last weekend, I had to learn it the hard way when I went ahead and cut the Serrano peppers for our homemade salsa. Worst chili burn ever! I had to rub my hands with salt. And when that didn't work, I had to soak my hands in a strong alcoholic beverage - vodka and later moved on to tequila (tequila did the trick, in case you were wondering).

So this time around, D and I made sure we picked up some gloves at the supermarket to handle the peppers. 

D showing you how it's done

what a weekend

Bangkok weather has been moody these past few days. We've been experiencing scattered rain showers, leaving the temperature relatively cooler - perfect for sleeping in and cuddling under the sheets. For this weekend, D and I wanted a fair share of sleeping in and enjoying the cool weather while out and about.

Yesterday, we started the day with a hearty brunch at the Wine Connection followed by a meeting with the designer who will make my wedding dress. Then we were off to the mall to find a nice linen suit that D could wear for our wedding. After a haircut for D and a 45-minute facial for me, we were hungry! We had dinner at Tensho Yakitori to end a perfect Saturday.

Earlier today, we did a run to a nearby Carrefour to buy ingredients for a Mexican feast we'll be cooking for dinner. The guacamole and mango salsa we made last weekend was such a hit, we want to do it again tonight. Thanks to the magical world of the internetz, I found excellent recipes from Simply Recipes that were easy to make.

Perfect Guacamole

Mango Salsa

Hope you guys are having a relaxing time. Enjoy what's left of the weekend!


[Photos from Simply Recipes]

a penchant for eggplant

Eggplant Salad Toast

I've acquired a taste for eggplant so I've been on the lookout for easy eggplant recipes. I think I hit jackpot when I chanced upon this Eggplant Salad Toast recipe from Smitten Kitchen. So I bought eggplants this past weekend so I can make these toasts. I'm excited to try them. Hopefully, I do it right so D would eat them.

[Photo from Smitten Kitchen]

lone heart

Such a sweet cake from Bakerella. Speaking of cakes, I can't wait to do some cake tasting for The Day!

[Photo from Bakerella]

for your sweet tooth

I'm off sweets to prep for The Day. And by prep, I mean drop 10 lbs. It's torture. So I resolve to torture myself even more by pinning pictures and recipes of cakes, cookies and cupcakes that I would love to stuff in my mouth if I wasn't on this no sweets (and chips, and fried food, and fastfood) diet.

Hazelnut Crispy Cake

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

Oreo Cupcakes

Cheesecake Bars

Torturous and merciless. I can't wait to get off this diet.

chocolatey and minty

Thanks to Bakerella, my mouth is watering for these sweets.

Dark Chocolate Mint Brownies

Flat Chocolate Mint Cookies

Actually, I want anything that have these in them.

Back home (in Manila), I used to bake quite a bit. Now if only we had an oven at home, I would bake these goodies everyday. Wanna know how to make these? Here's the recipe.

[Photos from Bakerella]

give me some fried chicken

For 3 consecutive Sundays, D and I have been having the best fried chicken in Bangkok. Where? At the infamous Soi Polo Fried Chicken, that's where! It's downright comfort food that you'll crave every day of the week.

Kai Tot Katiyum

Fried chicken with fried garlic on top

Som Tam Kai Kem

Thai Papaya Salad with Salted Egg

Larb Kai

Minced chicken with basil and chili

Yam Pla Duk Foo

Crispy catfish with mango salad

My favorite Thai dish, hands down.

I can have this everyday.

 A very happy (and full) me.

Can't wait for Sunday!

food coma in little arabia

Aaah, I'm craving Naan, Tabouli, Hummus, and a glass of sweet Lassi... at 9 in the morning! This is insane.

You see, this craving is brought about by the memory of the excellent meal we had last Friday. D and I went to Little Arabia after realizing that it's been awhile since we last had Lebanese food. And boy, did we miss it!

I'm ready to pig out now.

Mixed H.M.T.

 10-15 minutes later, I think I'm going into a food coma.

Probably one of the fastest meals we've ever had. I want to go back again this week. Ha!

a big fat juicy cheeseburger salad

These days, I really try to eat healthy, especially now that D and I are doing the weekday veg thing. But sometimes, I get tired of leafy greens and just want to sink my teeth into a big fat juicy cheeseburger.

But now I know that I can get away with both.

Meet the Cheeseburger Salad

This is brilliant! Not to mention, easy to make. Wanna know how? Click here.

[Photo from Curbly]

happiness in a box

I love it when my clients are happy. But I love it even more when D's clients are happy. Because when D's clients are happy, we get free stuff.

Yesterday, his client gave us a box of goodies.

See what lies inside...

Now, this is what I call happiness in a box!

would you like butter or jam on your shoes?

Meet the Bread Shoes by R&E Praspaliauskas

Don't they look delicious and comfy? I feel like I want to munch on them and put my feet in all at the same time. I know, I'm gross like that.

And look, they have baby sizes too!

Gaahhh.

[Photos from Design For Mankind via Dezeen]

dress your own burger

Last week, D and I were invited by a friend to come over to his place for dinner. The plan was to meet up at the grocery, pick up stuff and go to his place to get cookin'. We ended up making Bolognese pasta and smoked salmon salad with Japanese soy sauce vinaigrette. It was pretty awesome so we all thought that we should do this more often. That said, tomorrow is D and I's turn to host the dinner. But I don't know what to cook. All I know is that I want something easy -- easy to prepare and easy to make.

I am torn between a taco night or just a casual BBQ. But now, I am leaning more towards a casual BBQ, especially after stumbling upon burger posts from Pictures and Pancakes. I love the idea of a dress your own burger dinner!

Meet the Greek Burger

...the Pig Burger

...and of course, the All American Burger.

Now, all we need is to do is learn how to work our grill. Hmmm.

[Photos from Pictures and Pancakes]