Tag: New Finds

“Why Taiwan?”

Most would ask when I tell them a trip to our northern neighbor was brewing.  “Why not?”  Truth is, Taiwan was never really on my radar until Fun Taiwan, a travel show featuring fun things to do in… you guess it… Taiwan.  So yeah, these shows can entice.   As an aside… can someone please produce a more quality shows about the Philippines?

Taiwan, I discovered, has marvelous natural landscapes and that is why we found ourselves one day

walking around Yong Kang Street, absorbing the sights and smells of this interesting, trendy street

where snack stands of all kinds, coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques

and even a park share space and voice.

The best Xiao Long Bao — in my opinion.  On the right a new dish: Shrimp and Pork Pot sticker.

It is also where the first Din Tai Fung outlet is still found and to this day, lines are long so being there early is wise.   (We had an early dinner there on our last night in Taipei so we would not have to wait for a table — more on why this is a top choice here).

Dandy Hotel — uses simple lines, white walls and bleached furnitures giving an uncluttered feel to a small space.

Just a short walk from our trendy boutique hotel at the Da’an district, we set out to Yong Kang for some happy hour and dinner after.  After a full day, we deserved it to unwind and to finally savor our first day in Taiwan.

Taken from Baskin and Robbins on the 2nd floor of the station where an array of restaurants and shops are found.

At the Taipei Train Station earlier that day, we got by with the simple mandarin tucked away in my brain somewhere and managed to buy train tickets for our journey east the following day.  We decided to explore the station first to find our way around before tomorrow’s journey.  It’s a huge station, getting lost or worst, getting on the wrong platform or train is a possibility… especially since many still speak very little English.  So our game plan was to always be one step ahead.

With that out of the way, we headed to the second floor and devoured our first meal in Taipei – Beef Noodle Soup at the food court.

A glimpse of what was to come (food-wise) in the next few days… actually in the next few hours.

Wonderful staff helping us find our way around.  That’s our map that they were trying to figure out for us.

Walking around Yong Kang, we entered a bar thirsty for some cold beer.  We made friends with the servers while downing our Asahi and a side dish of shiitake mushrooms.

About an hour later, we walked the street again looking for a place to dine.  When it started to pour, we entered the first restaurant we fancied.  In a small alley off Yong Kang Street is Sit-Fun. The photos at the entrance and the glassed-in kitchen screamed, “Come in!”

Clockwise: a succulent Pork braised in Brown Sugar; tender, crispy Fried Squid with Garlic; a very tasty Fried Oyster with Soy Sauce; interior.

Our default restaurant turned out a winner of a choice.  By no time, the place was full and all the food we ordered were excellent.

Famous not only in Yong Kang but also all over Taipei is this shaved iced dessert (like Ice Monster) and the sweet tooth in me just couldn’t resist.

Before calling it a night, we stopped by Smoothie House and I convinced A to share this huge bowl of shaved ice filled with strawberries, condensed milk and topped Panna cotta with me.

So what say you?  I say a perfect end to a long fruitful day.   🙂

Useful Info:

Dandy Hotel
No. 33 Sec. 3, Xinyi Rd., Da’an District
Taipei City 106
Tel: +886-2-2707-6899
Fax: +886-2-2706-5777
 
Sit-Fun Shih Tang
5, Lane 8, Yong Kang Street 
Tel: +886-2-2322-2632
 
Din Tai Fung
194 Sec 2, Xinyi Rd., Da’an District

Posted on by Jenn 6

Swim. Snorkel. Fish. Eat.

Around Port Barton, San Vicente – a small fishing and farming village blessed with so much unspoiled beauty and the best way to catch a glimpse and have a feel of the island is to book an island hopping tour.

Tour comes with food and drinks — in this case fresh buko juice.

The first agenda was Bigaho Waterfalls. A charming enough waterfalls that cascades to a pool that is big enough for swimming.

From Bigaho town, it is a 10-15 minute walk that started flat and even and gradually turns into rocky (and a bit slippery) steps leading to the falls.

The water was refreshingly cold and on a hot summer’s day, it was a welcome treat.

Beautiful despite the rains.

The most part of the island hopping tour (which we booked with the resort) was snorkeling and rightly so.

San Vicente (or Palawan for that matter) is blessed with beautiful underwater landscape that one could end up a like a prune (texture and color) delighting in its wonderland if you do not watch it. Here’s more proof:

The next day, the kids still wanted more, and more was what we got. We set out to a different area and snorkel some more.

The second day was better in terms of fish spotting as we saw a baby eagle ray (bottom-middle) and a stingray (bottom-right).

Today’s lunch venue was a far cry from yesterdays.

Privately owned and a friend of Mark’s, we got to step foot in this beautifully landscaped lot, tempting us to take our sweet time over lunch.

Before the end of the day, we also tried our luck on fishing. Caught a handful of tiny besugo (sea bream), which we devoured over dinner. Fried Besugo. Yum!

Since the ’80s, I’ve heard about the rustic beauty of Port Barton… I wish I had not waited 2 decades.

Posted on by Jenn 5

A Secret Hideaway… Not for long

Credits:  Papers from Me Designs Christmas Treasures mini-kit (berry, light holly and light holly pattern);  Elements from Moninda Fall Mediation kit; Ribbons by Traci Brennan of Prairie Woman Designs

By some fortunate stroke of serendipity, we came to learn of a cove somewhere in Palawan that evokes nothing but serenity.  I got a call from A, “cancel your holy week trip, we’re going to Port Barton”, he insisted.  At a bar in Puerto Princesa early this year, he strike up a conversation with an Englishman who owns a resort off Port Barton.  It’s a “private, protected bay”, he said.  And with that, I canceled my Easter break dive trip.

Secret Paradise Resort is a 52-hectare nature reserve situated between Sabang and Port Barton in Palawan.

Close to Cacnipa Island (another destination bookmarked for the future), the bay has crystal clear blue waters that are as placid as a lake.

Mark Worsdell met us at the airport.  A kind enough fellow who gave in to our request to have our fill of Pho and Ban Mi at Rene’s Saigon along Rizal Avenue, before heading to the island.  A must when in Puerto.

Full and happy, we ventured northeast to Port Barton, a 3-hour (about) trip by van.  At Port Barton, we took another 45 minutes by boat to the island.

Approaching the resort, I can see why it is called a secret paradise.

Unspoiled, secluded and surrounded by tropical forest with calm waters that invites for a dip right there and then.

There were 10 of us and we had the resort all to ourselves, occupying all 3 cottages and a bedroom at the main house – that private.  Mark has plans though of putting up more cottages in the future to accommodate more guests.  The place has more than enough space for that!

An Eco tourism resort, it is committed to protect the bay and its marine life, especially the marine turtles that goes to Turtle Beach, one of the 3 beaches of the resort, to lay their eggs.  On our visit, the eggs were buried under the sand still, to the disappointment of my nephew.  The 2 other beaches are Hideaway and Sunset beach – all within walking distance from each other.

One day, we hiked to a quiet fishing village on the other side of the island – the hike took less than an hour over a rainforest.

At the highest peak, one could have a nice view of the bay.

The village, also a pretty beach minus the tranquil shelter of a cove.

The full moon left the fishermen with not one fish to sell.  We contented ourselves with giant squids instead.

They were off to town to sell their catch but we intercepted and they were happy to sell all their merchandise to us (us includes the resort).  Suffice to note that we had squid for lunch and dinner.

Notice the recycled straw made into curtains —   🙂

The village folks are mostly fishermen and their families hailing from Ilo-ilo (if I remember correctly).  They say that they live a simple but abundant life with little to worry about.  Some of them works for Mark at the resort.

Turtle beach, where the cottages are, has a walkway that connects to Sunset beach where the main house and restaurant is.  Everyday and every night we walk this path back to our cottages,

in between we were in different snorkeling spots of San Vicente and when at the resort,

Mark chatting and drinking with ladies while the boys play billiards

we’d hang out at the restaurant chatting or playing billiards till before midnight… when the generator goes off.  There are only 5 barangays in San Vicente, which are partly served by electricity; the rest has to still make do with generators.  But despite being on generator, Secret Paradise Resort provides free Wi-Fi and hot showers – I’ll give them an A for that!

Secret Paradise Resort is definitely worth checking out if quiet and calm is what you’re looking for.

Quiet and simple with a few modern amenities, endowed white sand beach, calm blue waters… it is indeed quite a paradise on earth.

Useful Info:

Getting There:

San Vicente is accessible by bus or shuttle vans from either Puerto Princesa or via Roxas.

By Public Transfers:

From Puerto Princesa to Port Barton – public jeepneys leave between 8-9AM daily from the public market in San Jose.

From Roxas to Port Barton – there is only 1 jeepney that leaves at 12nn to Port Barton.

From El Nido or Sabang to Port Barton – take public transport to Puerto Princesa and ask to be dropped off at Roxas, there is however only 1 jeepney that plies to Port Barton so make sure to arrive at Roxas before 12nn.  Alternatively if you miss the bus, ride all the way to Puerto Princesa and hire a motorcycle to take you to Port Barton.  You can also rent a vehicle with driver from the airport.

From Port Barton – hire a boat from the tourism office or book a boat from the resort 2 days in advance.

Secret Paradise Resort
Turtle Bay, Port Barton, San Vicente, Palawan
Contact Nos: +63 928-339-9446; +63  926-490-8899
Email Address: inquire@secretparadiseresort.com
Posted on by Jenn 6

Tian Zi Fang: The Hippest Neighborhood of Shanghai

“It is amazing on the 2F” it says on the door.   We walked in and were greeted with nothing but stocks of coffee and a stairway.

We walked up and the steep flight led to an amazing albeit crowded 2F indeed, wrapping us with the wonderful scent of roasted java.

It is an unpretentious charming little café that has a wide choice of coffees and serves Japanese comfort food.

A Japanese guy mans the bar, he is said to be the owner of Café Dan, this hip café restaurant in Shanghai’s hippest district, Tian Zi Fang.

Taikang Road, used to be Shanghai’s “old” art district where one would find a range of Chinese calligraphies and traditional ink paintings. Now also known as Tian Zi Fang is a hip new assortment of design and art enclaves and cozy cafe and bars.  It is a maze of old residential shikumen that got invaded by artists and local designers.

Many of the little shops here carry original designs and a myriad of small art galleries are scattered all over this artsy compound.

A typical boutique.

Tian Zi Fang integrates heritage, the arts and urban amenities.

Many of the houses in this 1920s commune rented out their ground floors to boutiques & restaurants and it is not unlikely to see locals going about their business like doing laundry, cooking etc. as you are to see yuppies sipping lattes.

The place is particularly busy in the weekend when people come to have coffee and indulge in some healthy window-shopping or even some real shopping.

Useful Info:

Cafe Dan
Back street 41-248 Taikang Lu
Tel:  021-64661042
Website:  www.idancoffee.com
Park in:  Riuyue Parking
Posted on by Jenn 3

Rustic Italian in Sausalito

My mom once told my dad while driving around Sausalito that it would be lovely to own a house there — overlooking the marina would even be lovelier.  Gulp!   😯   I want one too.   😛  Its neighborhood oozes with charm, the steep wooded hillside on one side and the water on the other faintly reminds me of the Mediterranean, although Positano it isn’t.

With the wide choice of restaurants from charming outdoor cafes and bistros to chic dining right on the waterfront, this endearing city of Marin County has captivated my heart since long ago.

Yes, the food and the quaintness played a big role in endearing me to this town.

We had a few days to spare before heading home to Manila and we decided that a beautiful lunch in a beautiful city is the best way to spend our last day with our chef-brother and Sausalito it was.

We got a table at Poggio, a classic Italian restaurant at the Casa Madrona Hotel and Spa overlooking the bridgeway and the Sausalito marina.  Chef Paul McNee’s menu featuring Northern Italian classics, changes daily.  Rustic and soulful, he uses local ingredients and prepares nearly everything in-house from cured salami and prosciutto to fresh pastas.

For our starter, we had this beautifully prepared Octopus with Pork Belly confit, frisée, french beans and poached egg.  What an array of texture and flavor.

I had this light potato gnocchi tossed with a rabbit ragout – comparable in taste to our Chicken Adobo and the rabbit taste so much like chicken too.

I wish I had ordered this.  Tagliatelle with crispy pig face.  A winner I tell you, I wanted to devour the whole plate, except that it wasn’t mine.  Imagine large chunks of crispy pork with the fat melting in your mouth.  And the olives and the chilies added more levels of goodness to this excellent dish.

Yes, my trip to San Francisco is indeed a trip full of feasting.  I’m happy to say though that hours of slaving away at the gym during lunch break have helped me shed most of the pounds gained on this trip by now.   😀

Useful Info:

Poggio
777 Bridgeway ,
Sausalito, CA
(415) 332-7771
www.poggiotrattoria.com
Posted on by Jenn 1

Incanto and Offal Cuisine

Incanto is a rustic Italian style restaurant in Noe Valley, an upscale neighborhood and home to many urban professionals with young families.  It is not your ordinary Italian restaurant serving only Italian classics; there are always options on Incanto’s menu for the more adventurous gastronome.  Executive chef Chris Cosentino of “The Next Iron Chef” fame is known for his “Offal” cooking as seen on his blog.

And what is offal cooking, you may ask?  It is a word derived from the slaughterhouse phrase “off fall” or the pieces that “fall off” a carcass when being butchered – Not limited to entrails but also includes the heart, liver, brain and lungs.  In Filipino, laman loob and although not that uncommon in our cuisine, it has however only recently become recognized in the “foodie” community of America.

Known to often feature unusual ingredients such as lamb tripe and beef hearts in his menu, Cosentino is heard to still refuse balut!  That says a lot about our delicacy, doesn’t it?   😯

A restaurant find like this is not unthinkable especially if planned by my chef-foodie brother.

A lighted showcase of Boccalone goodies greets you as you enter the cozy, rustic restaurant, which instantly stole my attention and eventually my heart.  We were early for our reservations so I had time to study the menu and noted that they had more Italian classics than offal offerings, which is probably more sensible in the end as adventurous gastronome, albeit growing, is still just a small population and probably more so in the US.

We started with these beautiful breads, which are wonderful with the tapenade.  Anyway, for our starters, we ordered a Boccalone Salumi Platter in Boar.

Not really understanding what “boar” stood for until we saw this huge platter in front of us.  The options on the menu were Piglet, Sow and Boar; apparently it was describing the size of the platter.  Hearing so many good things about Boccalone Salumeria, I wasn’t worried about it.  The 4 of us devoured almost everything on the platter.

I loved it so much, on my last day of this trip, I went to their store at the Ferry Building and brought home some Nduja and Brown Sugar & fennel Salamis.  Needless to say, they’re awesomely good!

My brother had this Handkerchief Pasta and Rustic Pork Ragu, which I found delightful.  This is the classic dish while mine was more offal.

It’s Oxtail, Sweetbread with Rutabaga and Dandelion Salsa.  Oxtail is pretty common in my part of the world and as one would expect, I enjoyed this dish a lot.  It was tender, the salsa added crisp texture to the sweetbread, which is not a favorite if truth be told and I’ll take kidney or even brain over it.  Sweetbreads are the thymus and the pancreatic glands of young cows, lamb or pigs.

And then there was dessert!

Chocolate-Nduja ice cream and almonds – my choice as I am so into ice cream (or anything sweet for that matter) infused with some sort of savory flavor nowadays.  Nduja (en-doo-ya) is a spicy spreadable salami.  I have to say, the spicy, salty salami brought this chocolate dessert to another level.

Quince, Pecorino, Moliterno and Hazelnut butter.  

Myrtle Panna Cotta and huckleberries.  Two-thumbs up!

At one point through our course, a waiter knocked off a glass of wine – good thing our friend was wearing something dark – and this came on the house.  I’m liking this restaurant all the more.   🙂

If you find yourself in the neighborhood or somewhere near the neighborhood and if you want to add to your gastronomic adventures, include Incanto and/or Boccalone in your list of must-tries.

Useful Info:

Incanto
1550 Church Street,
Noe Valley, San Francisco, CA
(415) 641-4500
Website:  http://incanto.biz/
 
Boccalone Salumeria
1 Ferry Building #21
San Francisco, CA
(415) 433-6500
Posted on by Jenn 0

Incredible Lightness

Credits: Quickpage by Jessica Griffin

The new donut craze in Southeast Asia that is soon coming our way (hopefully). Incredibly light and airy with good java to boot.  J.Co, originally from Indonesia has entered the shores of Singapore, Malaysia and most recently Shanghai.

Posted on by Jenn 3

Life’s Simple Kneads

Borrowing from their tagline, The Reflexology Company or TRC has been serving the Singaporeans’ “simple kneads” since 2005.  I’m a sucker for massages.  Doing the mall rounds (on a free day from a business trip) with friend V, I mentioned to her that I was going for a massage at the hotel that evening — doesn’t matter how expensive it is.  I was so in need of a back rub.  She looked at me and said, “better yet, why don’t I take you to where I get mine here and it will cost you half the price?”  Done.  Who needs to shop when one can get a massage instead?   😛  So off we went to Novena Square for that much-needed kneading.

A simple plan shiatsu turned into an hour of invigorating tuina massage.  It brought me back to my first authentic tuina experience.  While my first was a discovery albeit a bit too short, this was absolutely blissful – especially since I went for an hour of full body treatment by no less than their “master” trainer, or so they say.  He had forceful hands and is very precise in his moves – he was without a doubt a master in his craft.

The Foot Reflexology Area

If you find yourself in need of a massage whilst in Singapore, do check out The Reflexology Company in either the Novena Square or the Raffles City.

Useful Info:

The Reflexology Company
Novena Square #03-16
Tel:  6352-2874
Raffles City #03-12
Tel:  6337-7947

 

Posted on by Jenn 2

Dazed by Crab Beehoon

Or something like that.  Anthony Bourdain was all praises, enjoying almost all the dishes set before him at Sin Huat Eating House in Singapore.

I actually didn’t know about this episode of Mr. Bourdain’s earlier show A Cook’s Tour until my friend V insisted that we go there for dinner one night in Singapore.  If it’s good enough for Anthony, it’s good enough for me.

We arrived at a shabby looking eatery in Gaylang Rd. with tables extending almost to the sidewalk.  On one area of the restaurant, there were staffs watching TV.  Known to have a line, the restaurant was unusually quiet that night with only a few tables occupied.   But who’s complaining?

Our friend V, leaving there for a few years now was given the task of ordering our meal for the night.  She did well.

Served first was the scallops in garlic sauce — fresh and simply steamed and then topped with a black bean garlic sauce.  The dark sauce does not make for a pretty sight but is high up there in the flavor scale.

Essence of Chicken I am not fond of but this Essence of Chicken Frog’s Leg was a surprise.

They poured the essence over the dish just before serving, which had me worried for a second.  But there really wasn’t anything to worry about as the flavor of garlic won over the tonic taste.  Overall the dish, albeit not my favorite, came out pretty good.

Winning an award is a good sign, a very good sign for this trademark dish of chef/owner Danny.

The gigantic crab, sweet and firm, was cooked with the beehoon (vermicelli) in a wicked, spicy “secret” sauce that brought Sin Huat to fame.  A definite crab-lover’s paradise, if I may call it that.

As mentioned on the clip, this could be the most expensive restaurant in Singapore.   That said and despite the lack of ambiance, I see myself going back there on my next visit to Singapore to savor more of Chef Danny’s trademark and try his other fresh seafood dishes.  With food this good, who needs ambience?

Useful Info:

Sin Huat Eating House
659 Geylang Road
Loreng 35 Junction
Singapore 389589
Tel. (656)7449755
Posted on by Jenn 1

I’m Nut’s About This Honey!

At the farmer’s market in front of the Ferry Building, I stumbled on this particular stall selling honey.

What struck me was this Honey Mix-ins, which brought about a lot of ideas on application.  So I bought a bottle of the honey & sliced almonds hoping that it wouldn’t break or spill on me on my way home to the Philippines.  Probably one of the best buys I had from the market.  One real treat that I made from this honey (as soon as I landed) was topped a teaspoonful on Brie.

Melted it a bit on a toaster oven and voilà!  Makes a great hors d’oeuvre or an in between meal.  One time I even had it for lunch!  The sweet and crunchy honey mix added depth to the creamy cheese that keeps me making more.  I just can’t get enough of it.  Use good quality baguette or ciabatta bread.

This mix-in is so versatile; it’s also a great topping for my oatmeal, yogurt or ice cream.  Sometimes I just spread it on toast!

If you come across Marshall’s Farm honey selections at your local market, do give it a try.

Or if you’re feeling diligent, you can probably make your own by adding almonds to your favorite honey.

Posted on by Jenn 3