SHARE EAT, An On-the-spot Photography Contest and Interactive Cooking Demo by Clara Olé

Calling all food and photography enthusiasts!  Clara Olé would like to invite you to

SHARE EAT, An On-the-spot Photography Contest and Interactive Cooking Demo

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The event will be held on Sunday, July 10 2011 at Mercato Centrale, registration starts at 9AM.  The contest will have two categories: for food bloggers and other guests (non-bloggers and Mercato goers). 

Join Chef Eugene Raymundo and Appetite Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Nina Daza-Puyat as they share ways to enjoy simple meals through interactive cooking demo.

Snap and share your event’s photos depicting “Joy of Eating” and get a chance to win up to 10,000php. 

Mark your calendars and be ready to showcase your talent and appetite while enjoying everything that is good at Mercato Centrale with Clara Olé.

Omakase

I have this friend whom I consider the most frugal of foodies. He introduced me to most restaurants which serve delicious food at a very low price. So far, his recommendations do not disappoint. Although he’s one of my friends who earns well, he’s very particular in getting his money’s worth when dining out. So whenever I succeeded in introducing him to some restaurants which serve good food at a reasonable price, it’s like getting a seal of approval from the most discriminating of palates.

My favorite restaurant Omakase is one of those restaurants I recommend which my friend appreciates. I have a lot of favorites on their menu, but it’s going to be a long post so let me just share with you first what my friend and I devoured during that first time he met my beloved Omakase.

Sushi Sampler

This sampler consists of salmon sashimi, tuna sashimi, salmon, tuna, and ebi sushi. Although I my palate favor salmon, everything on this sampler was good. The freshness of taste reminds of the peaceful sea in an afternoon of a beautiful vacation.

(salmon and tuna sashimi, salmon, tuna, ebi sushi)

Mt Fuji Roll

This roll, what you see is what you get, but the play of flavors in the palate is impeccable. The rich flavor of unagi and the creaminess of cream cheese blend perfectly, while the tuna add a kick of freshness to the roll.

( tuna inside, unagi and cream cheese on top)

Seafood Dumpling

I cannot count how many favorite dish I have at Omakase, but Sea Food Dumpling stood out from the rest because upon contemplation, I know in my heart that it’ll be one of the many food that I would be thinking on my death bed. It’s a combination of different sea food wrapped in nori, deep fried then smothered with Omakase’s special mayonnaise and soy sauce.

(variety 0f seafood wrapped in nori)

American Dream Roll

This is the first roll I have fallen in love with the first time I ate in Omakase way back. Combination of salmon, kani, and cream cheese in a roll, then deep fried in tempura batter. Every bite with its crunchy sound is a beautiful music to my ears, and a glorifying treat to my palate.

(salmon, kani, cream cheese wrapped in tempura batter)

Baked Oyster

Baked oyster maybe a common fare but what makes Omakase’s Baked Oyster stand out is that the oyster were really big and the cheese smothered on it were generous. I also love how fresh tasting the oyster were it screams for beer as accompaniment, well, in my opinion.

(big baked fresh oysters topped with melted cheese)

These are just five of the many dishes I really adore at Omakase. There are several more and I will be dishing that out with you in the coming days.



When I asked my friend if he’s happy with what we have feasted on, he flashed a big grin on his face, and I knew then that clearly he was pleased. There are other good Japanese Restaurants out there, some I have already tried, while the others I have yet to explore. But Omakase will always remain close to my heart. It is one of the restaurants which made me feel that indeed, I always get my money’s worth.



Omakase
Greenhills Shopping Center
Connecticut Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center
San Juan City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 470-9807



Photo credits to my good friend and foodie buddy, Ern Raymundo

The Fruit Garden Homemade Luxury Jams

The warm rays of sun were already apparent but the cool breeze of the morning greeted my cheeks and embraced my body with its comforting serenity, an aftermath of the calm night that was. The smell of freshly baked bread and brewed coffee wafted through the air cradling my nasal faculty.

A small chunk of butter slowly melted into gorgeous shade of translucent yellow liquid spreading through the warm bread. When every morsel was penetrated by the melted butter, I slowly spread a dollop of Pineapple Coco Rhum from The Fruit Garden’s Homemade Luxury Jams on top of it. Its luxurious taste teased my palate, making the morning even more exciting and beautiful.


I’ve had my first taste of The Fruit Gardens Homemade Luxury Jams when I attended Yummy Eats at the NBC Tent. As a bread lover myself, I know that their fruit jam collections would add zest to my coffee and bread rituals. I grabbed myself a box which contains 6 different flavors of miniature (120g jar) fruit jams. Each flavor has its own characteristics which makes it uniquely delicious.

Pineapple Coco Rhum

What I love about The Fruit Garden is that they use local fruits and use French recipes to create these delectable jams. According to Pierre, owner of The Fruit Garden, they try to enhance the fruity flavor of their jam by minimizing the sugar content and infused variety of all natural flavors and spices instead. No preservatives and artificial flavor added.

Mango Chocolate

Their Jam collections composed of Strawberry, Mango, Pineapple, Orange, Seasonal Fruits, and Chutney. Aside from that, they also offer Pure Philippine Honey from Abra. Although I love all the flavors I have tasted, my personal favorite is their Pineapple Coco Rum Jam. It reminds me of our local Coco Jam, only it is less sweet and has a finer taste. Also, the tiny shreds of pineapple add texture to it, making it more pleasing to the tongue.

Orange Marmalade

Another favorite was Mango Chocolate. Trace of chocolate was not that apparent as it looked just like any other mango jam in its appearance, but once you tasted it, you would know that it is there to surprise your palate. Their Orange Marmalade was also delicious. The blending of sweetness and citrusy flavor compliments each other unlike some orange jams I have tasted before which is either too sweet or too sour.

Strawberry

The Strawberry Jam reminds me of the delicious strawberry jams we usually purchased in Baguio. The Strawberry Banana Jam had an interesting taste to it. It reminds me of milky fruit shake, so I tried adding it to plain yogurt, and it was really yummy. Mango Lavander also had an interesting flavor. Since it is infused with lavender, you’ll fall in love with its smell first before you’ll be smitten by its flavor.

Strawberry Banana

These jams are not just good accompaniment to our bread, but just like what I did with the Strawberry Banana Jam, you can also add it to your yogurt, cakes, vanilla ice cream, and anything you can think of which call for added flavor.

Mango Lavander

Next time I will definitely buy their Chutney Collections. They have Mango, Orange, and Tomato Chutney Flavors. I have tasted the Tomato Chutney and I know it’ll be lovely to add it to some pasta and savory dish I love to cook.


The Fruit Garden Homemade Luxury Jams are available at Legazpi Sunday Market and Alexandre. For more details, you can contact Pierre Marmonier at 0920 9453565 or email him at pierre@thefruitgarden.net. You can also visit their website here.

Sunday Brunch at Restaurant 101

Who doesn’t love Sunday brunch? Most of people I know love Sunday brunch. I for one am a Sunday-brunch-kinda-girl. It is always comforting to know that despite the stressful week that was; there is always something to look forward to in the most relaxing day of the week, Sunday. Whether I am nursing a hangover from partying the night before or not, it is the time where I could spend bonding moments with my loved ones while feasting on good food.

That is why when I learned that Enderun's Restaurant 101 offers a Sunday Brunch Buffet now, I know it must be on my list of Restaurant to visit again soon with my loved ones. I’ve been to Restaurant 101 before and I know how good their foods are, so I am confident that you my readers would love it as well.



Every Sunday at 11:00am, Enderun’s Restaurant 101 will be open to serve us leisurely Sunday Buffet which features appetizers, dessert buffets, and main course served a la carte. For 1,280php per person and 680php for children 6 to 12 years old, you and your loved ones will get to experience a gastronomical fare that only Restaurant 101 can offer.

Restaurant 101 is located at Enderun Colleges, 1100 Campus Avenue McKinley Hill, For Bonifacio, Taguig City 1634 Philippines. For inquiries and reservation, you can contact them at (632) 8565000 local 101. You can also visit their website at http://101.enderuncolleges.com

Watermelon and Lamb Salad by Cyma

I don’t know if it’s just the occasional weirdness in me or if my palate is just playing anti-mainstream but when everybody around me is crazy over Cyma’s Roka Salata, my heart is set on their Watermelon and Lamb Salad. At first I thought it was a weird combination. Little did I know, it’s a happy marriage. Until now, it is still my favorite salad at Cyma to devour.

Watermelon and Lamb Salad

Sweet watermelon and grilled lamb comes with olives, capers, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, fresh mint leaves, and drizzled with Cyma’s summer herb vinaigrette. I love how the smoky flavor of the grilled lamb and the saltiness of the feta cheese compliment the sweetness of the watermelon. While the distinct flavors of olives and capers give a subtle spunk to the entire dish only to be tempered by the vinaigrette and the juice that comes from the watermelon.

This salad is quite filling, so, I normally have a light meal that goes with it. Greek restaurants like Cyma are known for its festive size in servings, but I particularly like Cyma Estiatorio in Greenbelt because they provide hefty servings of grilled lamb on my salad compare to other branches I’ve been to. This salad is one of the many reasons why I keep on coming back to Cyma.



Visit Cyma Restaurants' website here.