Toki Q in San Juan, The First Rotating Barbecue in the Philippines

I have mentioned here on my blog several times before how I adore San Juan City because of the numbers of restaurants sprouting everywhere. If you are a foodie like me, you know how things like these matters. New addition to what I consider foodie haven in the metro is Toki Q. Boasting of being the first Rotating BBQ Grill food spot here in the Philippines, Toki Q is a fast served yakitori restaurant one should not miss.

While Yakitori is defined as grilled bite-sized marinated chicken pieces on skewers that is of Japanese origin, Toki Q also offers other skewered meat which can be grilled on the rotating bbq griller. That is what I have found out when Zodio Philippines invited me to try and see what Toki Q is all about.

Located right smack in the corner of Wilsons and P.Guevarra St. in San Juan City, Toki Q occupies a small place which can accommodate around 15 diners.  Although small, with its dominant colors of red and black, the place exudes a vibrant feel which I find rather inviting.

Chocolate Tart: A Recipe from Around The World in 80 Plates

One of the best things I love about long weekend if I do not have a scheduled travel is the ample time I can spend in our kitchen.  Owing to the crazy schedule I normally have, rarely do I have the time now to create a decent dish I could share here on my website. Luckily, the past long weekend that transpired gave me the freedom to finally get my hands dirty in the kitchen.

Inspiration came from a recipe book which my mother gave me last year, Around the World in 80 Plates.  It is a recipe book published by Hinge Inquirer which boasts of a flavorful collection of recipes from expert chefs around the world. Having forces such as F&B World and Unilever Food Solutions behind the book, it is a perfect book for people who want to get their hands on trying recipes hailing from different parts of the world.

One recipe which got my attention immediately while browsing the book was Chef James Antolin’s Chocolate Tart.

California Crunch Cassava Chips: Healthy Alternative to Potato Chips

It may sound weird that I am starting this post by telling that I love potato chips. Potato chips rule the world in terms of food snacks, well at least for me. Truth be told, I cannot live without it. Yet, a bagful of extreme indulgence to such would always send me into a mental sparring with an imaginary cardiologist named Dr. Guilt. It isn't always a good experience, I tell you.

Good thing that someone introduced me to a healthy alternative to my well loved potato chips, California Crunch Cassava Chips. While it is made out of cassava, in terms of taste, it is by far the best substitute for the usual potato chips we all grew up with.   

I have been impressed with how well cassava (Kamoteng Kahoy) fairs well as an ingredient for some of the best local desserts we all loved.  Now, I am equally impressed that it is now used as a healthy snack with benefits to boot.

Chef Gene Gonzales Partners with Cookworks and Maxim

Last July 27, renowned celebrity chef Gene Gonzales has once again sealed the deal for continued partnership with Cookworks and Maxim through a contract signing held at Café Ysabel in San Juan City.  The event was further highlighted with Chef Gene’s cooking demo using his trusted cookware brands and a festive lunch.

The force behind Café Ysabel and The Center for Asian Culinary Studies (CACS), Chef Gene was in constant search for a perfect cookware that is at par with the one he used during his culinary stint in France and Italy. During the time when Chef Gene together with his junior protégés Chef Gino (Café Ysabel executive chef & CACS head instructor) and Chef Giannina (resident food stylist and CACS school administrator) was mapping out the fate of their new restaurant, Buenisimo, they discovered the two cookware brand which finally met Chef Gene’s standards in terms of reliable cookware.

Pepper Lunch with The Breakfast Club

I have heard about Pepper Lunch hailing from the Land of the Rising Sun from friends who had traveled and eaten in Japan way back even before it was brought here in the Philippines.  While the food, they said were crave-worthy, it was the cooking of your chosen dish that can make the experience quite a ride.  I made a mental note about Pepper Lunch when I was contemplating on traveling to Japan but as luck would have it, it was brought here in the country way before I managed to save up for a plane ticket.

A while back, I had these episodes when Pepper Lunch cravings wouldn’t let up that I made several trips to Pepper Lunch in Shangri La alone just to appease my cravings.  The distinct flavor of their pepper rice and the sizzling thin slices of teriyaki beef mixed together with the bright wobbly egg was my default fare.  Loyalty to the dish got the better off me that the only dish I tried aside from Teriyaki Beef Pepper Rice with Egg was the Rib Eye Steak.  What a bore, I know.

Good thing though that our friends at Breakfast Magazine invited several food bloggers at Pepper Lunch through their Breakfast Club to learn something about this restaurant and to sample some of their dishes.  This gave a chance to reacquaint with an old favorite and to check on what I have been missing all these years.