arabela

arabela cafe came highly recommended as the place to dine in liliw by tahanan ni aling meding's helpful and friendly desk clerks. so what are we to do, but to take their word for it?

the interior of arabela is a delightful sight to behold upon entering. lovely paintings and vintage photos decorate the walls, kitschy items adorn the tables and ice cream counter (you just gotta love the cute stuffed gingerbread doll topper and the carousel!). sorry no photos of them because at this point, we are more interested in the eats that we're going to... well, eat. ;p 

it was love at first bite.

seafood pasta

cute decor. just gotta love that gumball bottle topped with the stuffed snowman. :)

pasta pancetta. pasta with just enough pancetta to fill the palate, and parmesan that doesn't overwhelm the overall flavour. basil gives it a cool contrast to the light saltiness of the dish.

green salad with pecan crusted chicken served with caesar dressing

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four-cheese pizza. nice thin crust pizza with just the right crunch to it. i like cheese, but sometimes it can be overwhelming so i put some hot sauce. arabela's hot sauce (the one pictured with the snowman) has a hint of lime. dee-lish!

the prices are very affordable; they range from 100 to 250 at most. the pasta is good for at least 2 people, and the salad good for 4.

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arabela
503 rizal st. liliw, laguna
proprietors: bobby and tonet camello
tel. nos: (049) 5632495 / (049) 5730692
closed on mondays except holidays

southern comfort: the viaje del sol experience

this post kicks off the series of the awesome road trip down south. 

whenever i think of laguna, the hot springs (los baños and pansol), jose rizal's house (calamba), uplb and mount makiling immediately come to mind. i've been to these places many times before, so i felt like there's nowhere else to visit in laguna that's exciting. i mean, yes, there's also paete, the lakes of san pablo, and liliw which i haven't visited yet, but aside from those... um, laguna? honestly i hardly consider going there an "official" out-of-town trip due to its very close proximity to metro manila, and the only thing there that gets me excited is a visit to the dairy at uplb where they sell carabao's milk (i LOVE the chocolate flavor) and kesong puti (fresh white cheese). hoh-kay, before throwing me in the boiling mud pits of mount makiling, please do read on. :)

that kind of ho-hum thinking changed drastically when some friends and i recently went on a road trip to san pablo city with side trips to liliw and tiaong, quezon. little did i know that it was going to be one big culture and food tour which i would be very proud to recommend to everyone. it is just the beginning of this series, but i'll say this right away: near, far, wherever you are... visit laguna!!! 

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we arrived at san pablo city 4 1/2 hours earlier than the designated check-in time at our hotel (2pm) and hotel policy being hotel policy, we opted to visit liliw first, a 40-minute drive from san pablo. on the way to liliw though we passed by the underground cemetery in nagcarlan so a short visit there is in order.

the nagcarlan underground cemetery was built by franciscan missionaries in 1845, and in 1896 the rebels of the revolution against the spaniards used this for their meetings. in 1973 the underground cemetery was declared a historical landmark. burials in this cemetery continued up until 1981. 

the gate to the underground cemetery. at the dead smack center of this photo is a small chapel where visitors sign their names on the logbook. the visitors are also given a short, interesting history lesson of the place.  

down once more to the dungeon... err, i mean to the underground cemetery.

just some of the niches above ground. they're very similar to that of paco park in manila.

the underground cemetery is really quite a small place, so the visit was a short one. based on photos i've seen of friends who have been there before, i thought it was big. it turns out that thirty minutes is a long enough visit unless you decide to have lots of photo ops. by the way, this last photo shows just a very tiny sliver of the grounds, but i can assure you with conviction that the whole place is very well-kept. :D

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everyone knows that marikina equals good quality footwear. but in laguna there is a town that is also synonymous to shoes, and that is liliw. liliw is a quaint town that is a shoe maven's haven; it has a whole street dedicated to all kinds of footwear, and one will go gaga over the different designs and colors. yours truly didn't buy a pair though. too lazy. heheh. 

just some of the numerous shoe stores. 

shoes, sandals, espadrilles, etc, etc.

bags!!! and of course slippers and sandals. 

it was a nice surprise to see that old houses still abound in liliw, which reminded me of taal town in batangas where a lot of the bahay-na-bato still stands proud and graceful. while some houses are solely for family use, a lot of the businesses in others are conducted on the ground floor of the house; the proprietors live on the second floor.

i call this the sans rival house. this is in front of arabela, the cafe where we had lunch. 

a beautifully maintained house. 

if only we had more time i would make all of us walk around town checking out more of the beautiful old houses. bwahahaha~!

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oh. here's a very useful tip when going on a road trip: if you are riding a car and you and your companions are not sure how to get to your destination, it is always best to ask the locals. don't be too proud to ask for directions shy. compared to most city folks, people in the provinces are generally friendlier and more helpful especially when giving directions to hapless travelers. amazingly, even if majority of the directions went like "derecho lang kayo" (just go straight) and "tapos kanan sa x na kanto" (then turn right at the x corner), we got to all our destinations with very little problem.

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thanks L for letting me use your photos (paco park-like niches, shoes and bags photos)

next up: our lodging, and a gastronomic tour of the south. what are they? stay tuned. ;)

foodtripping: eat fresh

nestled in one of the buildings along masangkay st. in tondo, manila, is this small eatery called eat fresh. this place has been serving stir-fried noodles before all the other stir-fried noodle stalls sprouted all over the metro a few years back.

along with stir-fried noodles, eat fresh also offers noodle soups, dimsum, squid balls, kikiam and stuffed tofu (which i so, so love). also a must-try are their XL white and black gulaman for only P28 and their curry siomai at P12/3 pcs. (thanks P for the recommendation!)

a large serving of stir-fried noodles costs 38 pesos. here's the lady's hand in action, preparing my and a friend's stir-fried noodles with bean sprouts and green onions.

top: stuffed tofu (pork), P15 each. middle rack: dimsum, lumpiang shanghai, squid balls. bottom rack: more dimsum

lotsa bowls waiting to be filled with delicious stir-fried noodles

stuffed tofu frying

a selection of sauces: (l-r) oyster sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, sweet chili, sweet and sour, peanut sauce, sweet sauce, hot sauce

in true miss lamon tradition (?), any food trip i go to would not be complete without a scrape or two. heheh. well, i just thought that i would like to have a bit of spice for my noodles so i also added chili sauce aside from the sweet one. little did i realize what effect 2 teaspoons of that chili would have.

l: stuffed tofu. r: stir-fried noodles. i declare temporary insanity when i took this pic. cos after taking one bite of my stir-fried noodles the heat seared through my throat down to my chest. man, was that spicy or spicy? only one remedy available at the moment: ice cream! :D

btw, eat fresh does not franchise so if you would like to try their yummy treats, go hie yourselves off to masagkay street :D

eat fresh food deli

1278 masangkay st., tondo, manila
in front of st. stephen's high school

miss lamon's top food trips for 2009

posts were very rare in this blog last year, except for some adventures and misadventures around metro manila and in a couple of provinces. food trips were not posted here for lack of time and brain cells (lol) but thank heavens the whirly-girdy of last year has subsided a bit. there are some restos i still intend to write an individual post on but for now, i present my top food trips and discoveries for 2009. listed in no particular order. :)

- creamy chicken crepe served with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, new horizon hotel. (29 juin 2009). this one is a winner. flavorful creamy chicken wrapped in a delicate crepe AND topped with more creamy sauce. (just the way uh-huh, uh-huh i like it!) the light flavors of the mashed potatoes and steamed veggies complement the dish. this is one of the full-course chef's specials in new horizon; it comes with the soup of the day, potato lyonnaise salad and dessert. all for P295. yeah! ♥ (thanks beng for suggesting the place!)

l-r: royce, calamansi dacquoise, strawberry chantilly. (patisserie caroline, 17 m. paterno st., san juan). these three are just some examples of patisserie caroline's selection of yummy cakes and pastries. they are not too rich and the sweetness is just right, which is why my cousin b and i keep coming back for more when we crave for sweets. patisserie caroline's mini cakes are good for 2 people and at P85 per cake (or higher depending on the type), it's already a steal. :)

fro-yo!!! (any frozen yogurt from californiaberry, white hat, red mango, etc.). whether eaten plain or with toppings, frozen yogurt never fails to delight my palate with its cool tangy-sweet flavor. this is something i treat myself to on rare occasions that i go to the mall.

the next three fotos are from jack's loft. (any branch around the metro: wilson st. greenhills, robinson's galleria, eastwood, tomas morato). known for its delightfully sinful desserts, jack's loft also offers a selection of sandwiches, pastas, entrees, smoothies, etc. twice i've eaten at jack's loft and twice i wasn't disappointed. large servings at affordable prices rank high on my priority list along with great taste, of course.

vegetarian panini. i am not a fan of veggies, but with this one i'll make an exception.

steak and mushroom gravy sandwich. i was quite apprehensive when i ordered it, as it might not meet my expectations. one boo-boo was enough. anyways, i so love this sandwich coz the steak slices that are slathered with rich mushroom gravy are tender and juicy and absolutely have no litid. the side of potato chips are sliced thinly, adding that crunch which complements the sandwich. each bite is relished up to the last.

next two fotos are from max's restaurant. for the longest time the only items i ate at max's were the chicken (of course), lumpiang shanghai and pansit canton. so these next two items are definitely new for my palate. many thanks to my friend M who introduced me to these.

veggie lumpia bites. light, crispy pillows of veggies with mayo mustard dip. again, no fan of veggies here but this dish sure is a fun way to eat my vegetables.

bangus spread with pita chips (31 mai 2009, dimanche). the pate has a nice smokey flavor that will make you come back for more. goes really well with the light, crisp pita chips. winner. winner. winner.


these next two behemoths were featured in my subic road trip post june of last year. both are served in xtremely xpresso which is located in sbma.

big ben pizza. a 22-inch thin crust pizza loaded with sausages, ham, olives, onions, green bell peppers, mushrooms, and cheese :)

ben's delight burger: one kilo of beef patty in a huge bun served simply with lettuce, tomatoes and bacon. for only P280, this burger is really easy on the pocket.

curry siomai, wai ying (benavidez st. binondo, manila). F introduced me to this intriguing combination of fried siomai semi-drowned in rich curry sauce. hmmm, i want some more.

sit-ka-long (sitaw, kalabasa, longganisa), 1521 restaurant (547 shaw boulevard, brgy. wack-wack, mandaluyong city). this is just one of 1521's delectable filipino dishes which are served with a twist. the longganisa which is fried to a crisp gives a new texture to the ginisang kalabasa at sitaw (sauteed squash and string beans). the sauce is thick and rich, with a touch of bagoong.

cheese steak sandwich from a sandwich vendo machine. no joke! it is such a unique way of getting a sandwich, my friends and i got a big kick out of this. imagine, one can now get a sandwich this way. just put in some money in the slots, press the button for the sandwich of your choice, wait for a few minutes, and voila! you got yourself a nice, hot sandwich. who knows, maybe next time there will be a vendo machine that sells sinigang in cups. hahaha.

yummy cake with strawberry and cream filling and buchi with sweet bean filling and topped with desiccated coconut from gduho bakeshop in manila. gduho is a new chinese bakery located in 1113 narra street, manila. just make sure you can speak chinese or you have a chinese speaking friend with you just in case your curiosity is piqued at the items.

soto ayam (makansutra asian food village at manila ocean park). nice refreshing and mildly spicy soup with thick noodles, bean sprouts, shredded chicken and fried potato. garnished with fried garlic, scallions and cilantro leaves. the soup was hot but it became cold quickly due to the noodles which weren't even warm. the flavors are meshed just right, though, and the bean sprouts give a nice crunch to the dish.

happy new year, people! :)

recycle, reuse and reduce

the sign says it all. =)

note: this photo was taken in a school in antipolo. there are other signs like this around the campus, signifying that the students are being taught to save the environment at an early age. i hope that not only the students of that particular school will be active in saving the environment, but all of us, even in our own little ways. throwing a seemingly insignificant candy wrapper in the trash is a good start. =)

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by the way, folks, a friend gave me a link to a really cool food website called food porn daily. notwithstanding its kinky name, it's looooove at first click, if not drool, i tell you!

want to see photos of luscious gooey double chocolate cheesecake swirl brownies and other drool-licious food? want to learn some new recipes?

then click here, people! =)

fisherman's grill, san fernando

this is where we stopped over at san fernando for brunch.

fisherman's grill is located on lazatin road just after the flyover from san fernando exit in pampanga.

aside from the obvious fact that it's a seafood restaurant, fisherman's grill also offers a variety of dishes made from beef, pork, chicken and duck. (kaldereta, adobo, pinaupong manok, etc.) yummy, yummy, yummy food!

food selection. in true filipino style, we call it turo-turo, which means you point at the food you want and they serve it to you. then again, the resto also has menus if you're too lazy to come up to the counter. ;-) anyway they have other selections which are only found in the menu, just like this one ;-)


camaru!!! (native crickets) this is a delicacy found only in pampanga. too, too bad, i wasn't able to order camaru as i already got my order (crispy crablets) when i learned that the resto serves it.

crispy shrimp!!!

longganisa!!!

crispy crablets!!!

me and my family were probably the first customers there. even with dim lighting, the ambience of the resto is very homey. it looks old as well, which of course is a good thing.

the emerald hall. no, the wizard of oz ain't inside. just us family and the food attendants. hehehe:-) by the way, there are two other halls on either side of emerald hall.

chandelier. the only lighting here comes from the big window on the side.

there are two staircases in the restaurant; one from the outside as pictured here, and another inside. i just love staircases. and btw, those yellow, green and red tiles are similar to the ones in my lola's house, only much older.

goin' up...

and down. :D

to all the chocolate lovers

i saw this sign at bubba gump in trinoma and nearly laughed out loud. anyway, i wholeheartedly agree with this statement. don't you? ;-)

saturday night dinner

my cousin and his family went to our house for dinner tonight. it's been quite a while since we last saw them, so our creativity in the kitchen went on full blast. ;-)

menu:
pasta alla carlotta ;-)
roast chicken alla teresa
green salad alla josefina
pineapple butter cake (which i made from a wonderful mix; just added pineapple tidbits to it)
decadent cake (bought in a grocery store--yummy too!)

for pasta alla carlotta, what i did was to stew whole tomatoes then just sliced them to get the seeds out. unfortunately i overstewed them so the insides of the tomatoes became quite mushy. scraping the seeds out was quite a messy job, but scraped them off i (and my mum) did. then i minced two heads of garlic and browned them over a generous amount of olive oil, after which i added the stewed tomatoes, dried basil and salt. simmer for about 20 minutes. for the pasta i used angel hair, which only takes all of two minutes to cook. mix the sauce and pasta, sprinkle some parmesan cheese, and voila! a very delicious pasta, if i do say so myself. (despite the mushy tomatoes at the beginning--it wasn't obvious at the end result though) =)

the two roast chickens, (although the bigger of the two roasts was a wee bit undercooked the first time it was served) tasted good as well. my tita used fresh thyme and lemon wedges which she simply stuffed into the cavity of the chickens, added sliced carrots and potatoes into the pan, and roasted in the oven for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours at 350 degrees fahrenheit.

the simplest recipe of all: salad alla josefina: just take some mixed salad greens and arrange them nicely in a big bowl. then just add some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and parmesan cheese to your liking.

needless to say, everyone had a great time together. =) i hope there'll be more times like this in the future.

picture, picture! (finally... hehe)

first plate

second plate (with the pineapple butter cake and decadent cake)

a (re)new(ed) endeavor

i just recently bought this lovely boxed set of larousse gastronomique (in three easy installments ;-p) from my cousin N, who is a certified foodie herself. from the moment i saw it on her multiply site, i knew i had to have it (talk about impulse buying). impulse buying or not, larousse gastronomique is considered to be the encyclopedia of gastronomy of professional chefs since its first publication in 1938. (now i ain't no professional chef but i can cook pretty well, if i do say so myself.)

this edition of larousse gastronomique is divided into four parts to make the recipes easy to follow: fish & seafood; vegetables & salad; meat, poultry & game; and desserts, cakes & pastries. each book has basic recipes for the sauces, pastries, garnishes, etc... another great thing about this is that it includes all the different measurements for wet and dry ingredients and even for the oven temperature. for someone who shudders at the very thought of conversion like yours truly, this is heaven-sent. basically, most of the recipes in larousse gastronomique are french (duh!) but over the years recipes from different cuisines have also been incorporated into it whilst retaining its very essence.

when there's the time and opportunity, i will post here the dishes that i'd have tried cooking already. to try and cook the recipes presents a challenge to me as i haven't cooked that much in a long time--except for my spontaneous cooking inventions and the obligatory holiday meals which are far and few in between. now the question is, do i have the guts to try and cook these wonderful recipes?

oh, yes. i do.

who knows, maybe this impulse will pay off.

wish me luck!

food meme

interesting meme i got from ruy of a taste of (married) life. really says something about one's eating habits hehehe.

What were you cooking/baking 10 years ago?
rice, eggs, hotdogs, spam, instant noodles--pathetic ain't it? i didn't cook much then lol

What were you cooking/baking one year ago?
any kind of pasta alla carlotta and roast chicken

Five snacks you enjoy:
1) pizza
2) double cheeseburger!
3) potato chips bbq flavor any brand
4) shredded cod from aji ichiban or any other fish sticks in the grocery (forgot the name)
5) corn on the cob slathered with butter and a dash of cayenne pepper

Five recipes you know by heart:
1) pasta alla carlotta ;-)
2) roast chicken
3) roast beef
4) fish fillet alla carlotta
5) beef alla carlotta
("alla carlotta" -- recipes i invented. i know, how creative. üüü)

Five culinary luxuries you would indulge in if you were a millionaire:
1) steak
2) prawns
3) lobsters
4) pannacotta
5) rack of lamb

Five dishes you love to cook/bake:
1) brownies
2) chocolate chip cookies
3) banana bread
4) lasagna
5) other dishes alla carlotta

Five dishes you cannot/will not eat:
- cannot write anything here as i might change my mind after. =)

Five favorite culinary toys:
wire whisk
mortar and pestle (i pound the garlic to the beat of the music. try it, it's fun! ü)
chopping board
set of knives
electric chopper (only when i'm too lazy to chop onions and garlic, which is rare)

Five dishes for your "last meal" menu:
1) super supreme pizza with extra extra cheese
2) double bacon cheeseburger with all the trimmings
3) hot, steaming sinigang na baboy with rice
4) a big platter of sushi
5) joey's new york cheesecake

Five happy food memories:
1) eating dinner (which we bought the ingredients from the market and cooked the dishes ourselves) outdoors with friends on one holy week outing in san fabian, pangasinan. we ate in mismatched plates, lacked utensils so we ate with our hands. and yeah, got rice straight from the bamboo leaf. this is the best dinner i've had.
2) at cyma (greenbelt branch) where me and me friends heidz, lay and jeng ate the fastest dinner but not without savoring what we ate--swordfish kebab (really tender and juicy without the malansa taste), moussaka and roka salata... we were the last to get a table at the time and the first one to leave the restaurant--that's how hungry we were (and we forgot to take pics of the food!)
3) tapsilog at rodick's in UP then cheesecake at chocolate kiss after (if we still have dough). =)
4) baking fruit cake with my lola
5) spontaneous food trips with friends