I'm a big fan of anything with sinangag and itlog (fried rice and egg) and if you're going to ask me if I could only eat one same set of food for a year, I'd choose the typical Tocilog (Tocino with sinangag and itlog) or Tapsilog (Tapa with sinangag and itlog).


Fun fact: Salted egg is also known as "itlog na maalat" here in the Philippines. It tastes very salty and the shell is tinted purple or maroon (to distinguish it from that of a chicken's egg, since salted eggs are duck eggs).


For more information about salted duck eggs, check out this article on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salted_duck_egg

The last time I tasted Tocilog was in October 2011 when we had our Food Fair in my former school, O.B.M.C.I. Sta. Ana. It's the same event where I bought my fave potato salad. The Tocino meal sold in the food fair is composed of pieces of Tocino, white rice, slices of tomatoes and salted egg. Then, the sellers wrap these in fragrant bamboo leaves and a brown paper bag. As far as I remember, it costs 60 pesos.

My good friend, Mommy Veka, introduced a word to me when I was still in high school: NODDLES. Yes, not noodle but noddles. And I'm sharing this quirky word because this post is related to noodles... or pasta. 

I went to my future school, DLS-CSB to reserve my slot last April. After going around the campus and waiting in line, I passed by the University Mall beside DLSU to check out the restaurants and fast food shops there.

 I haven't been to this store called Goodles but I already saw an article about  it on Total Girl magazine. It's a pasta and noodle shop with an on-the-go or take-out concept. Yes, you can surely dine in there but isn't it fun to eat pasta on the go? The fun and most important side of take-outs is convenience (and the cups that they use are super cute and large too).

 The shop is also eco-friendly. It's summer but I appreciate that they aren't using air conditioners that much. They are also using tissue papers made from recycled materials and the lighting of the shop is just right. 

*The images were shot at the storage room of our family store and please excuse my hand*

Pictured below is the Creamy pesto with shrimp. The pasta itself costs 135 and the additional shrimp costs 35, so it's 170 pesos all in all. Oh, by the way, everything in Goodles doesn't exceed 180 pesos! Affordable, right? :D

Again, sorry for the bad quality of the photo. Anyway, pesto is my favorite pasta sauce and Goodles made pesto taste a whole lot better because they made it creamier and it's not too oily. It's thick and the flavors are tangy, sweet, salty, and minty combined. The Parmesan cheese used is also crumbly, and that's my favorite texture of the cheese used in pastas. The shrimp is well-cooked and the pasta is cooked al dente. I didn't get a shot of the garlic bread but it tastes so savory good as well (and the bread itself is cut thick). Give it a shot, guys! I'll try the other pasta there as well. :D

Hey guys! I hope you’re having a great summer ‘coz I’ll be going to school on the twenty-first of May… yes, my summer is nearing its end, LOL. Anyway, I would like to share a special food that I’m always craving for when we’re having our annual food fair in our school. This special food that I’m talking about is a potato salad. Yes, you read that right: potato salad. There might be nothing really special about this, but there are a few factors that consider the potato salad as something special:

• The potato itself has the right amount of tenderness; not too soft, not too tough. Who would like to eat potatoes that has a rubbery texture, anyway? Just kidding!
• The carrots are soft at the center and caramelized at the edges.
• The cream is neither too thick nor runny. It has a combination of tangy, spicy, and sweet flavors.

Yes, it may be ordinary but I’m literally going crazy over anything potato… and this is my second favorite potato dish. The first one is French fries, of course.  Check out the picture below! :)

Sorry for the bad photo quality. Anyway, feel free to share your own versions of the classic potato salad, just send me a message here: http://laninadedoscaras.tumblr.com .I'm planning to make my own with a zing soon! I'll be happy to post your own recipes besides the potato salad here in my blog (and I'll give credits, of course). Thank you very much and God bless! XO <3

A few days after my graduation, my mom and I had a lunch at Brasserie Cicou in Greenhills, San Juan. It's a French restaurant owned by Chef Cyrille Soenen. It was formerly known as the Italian restaurant, Ristorante La Dolce Fontana. However, my former school (O.B. Montessori Center, Inc.) is still affiliated with this restaurant. :)

We ordered a set lunch (can be shared with two to three people, depending on the menu) that comes with a salad or soup, the main course, and a dessert. After finishing the set lunch, a plate of Onglet Poele (onglei-po-lei) came next in line, then the homemade fries and a plate of Kouign Aman (kween-aman). 

Everything might seem a bit overpriced but when you start on slicing the meat or having your first bite at a certain piece of food served, you will think that everything that you paid for is worth it. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to take pictures of everything we ordered because my mom immediately sliced the slab of meat in the Onglet Poele and the one in the set lunch but it's okay. Instead, I took a picture of the last one we ordered: Kouign Aman. 

When you dig your fork into the Breton, a thick and sweet cream will ooze out of the puncture and you will surely savor the balancing of the sweet and spicy (because there is a strong hint of cinnamon in it). It's actually the usual description of the perfect fries to the majority: crunchy on the outside but soft and tender on the inside. The salted caramel ice cream feels good on the mouth and the rock salt embedded in it enhances the rich flavor of the surprisingly cold but NOT FROZEN concoction. Now for the caramel disc- it is crunchy and also has the right amount of sweetness in it. 

If only I get another chance to visit Brasserie Cicou again, I am definitely going to take a picture of everything we ordered so that I could show you how beautifully they presented each food that also has the same beauty that accompanies its taste.

Let me explain the mystery behind the name. It's a sweet treat composed of two discs of Breton (a warm, cream-filled butter cake) topped with a salted caramel ice cream and a crystallized sugar or a caramel disc (or whatever you call it). It's a hot-and-cold dessert and for your information, it only costs 310 pesos. Sulit! :) You'd be craving for it over and over again once you try it. Bon appetit! 

We Filipinos really love to eat noodles, don't we? Especially those with soups, most commonly called "mami" here in the Philippines. This Filipino-Chinese food warms up our bodies and makes us feel good. 

My family went to La Union for summer vacation and this was indeed the best summer vacation so far because of the nice people, cool breeze, awesome scenery and of course, good food! My grandmother treated us to the noodle house located near the trading center of Bangar, La Union.  The one pictured above is the special beef wonton mami for only 27 pesos.  Oh yeah, I missed this mami so much and the trip is totally worth it. We're literally going back and forth the noodle house as often as possible. Sometimes, we order a bowl of the traditional Filipino summer food: Halo-Halo! ♥ Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera with me so I didn't have the chance to take a picture. My cousins and I even asked for an extension to stay a few days longer just to try the different Ilocano delicacies! Haha! Try it for yourself when you go there! You may leave a comment and I'll give you the address. :)