Round 4 - Sunday Lunch with Jing

Today was my 4th time at Golden Bay Seafood Restaurant on Macapagal Ave. near DFA.  Jing and I enjoyed a dim sum lunch.

We ordered 2 dim sums we have not tried before.....

Seafood Salad


 and

Steamed Abalone with Asparagus





We HAD to eat our favorites.....

2 baskets of Hakaw... we already finished one then we ordered again.



2 orders of Steamed Chicken Feet . One was not enough for us.



Siomai



Taro Puff



We were just taking advantage of the 50% off Dim Sum promo up to June 30.

For dessert .... we went to Sebatians at MOA.

Blueberry Cheesecake for Jing....







and

Up All Night for me......





The other flavors ........

* Pictures of the ice cream are not too clear because of the glass cover of the freezer.

Annual Retreat at The Mandarin Oriental

Mona and I attended the annual retreat of the KST Facilitators sponsored by Barangay Bel-Air at Mandarin Oriental.  We were so looking forward to the lunch at Paseo Uno.  Bishop Mylo Vergara said, as soon as the small group finishes its sharing, they could head to the restaurant.

We were the first group to finish!  There were 5 of us ... Mona, Tita Linda Floro of Buon Giorno and one of the best food stylists, Tita Juda of Costa Brava, Tita May - my neighbor and myself.

Paseo Uno is celebrating the flavors of Iloilo.  The first thing I saw when I entered was my BFF!!!!!  I immediately got all the crispy skin I wanted.  I also got the Binagoongan Alimango,



the crabs came from Roxas City and Steamed Oyster from Aklan.



I also got Prawns with Aligue Sauce



and

Fresh Lumpiang Ubod.



A bowl of Batchoy but I did not add the meat anymore... I only wanted the hot broth.



There was also a Tempura station (there were regular Continental food for the foreign guests) and got a few pieces.



My dessert was just assorted goodies and cheese.



Tomorrow is the 2nd day of the retreat.  Mona and I already plotted our food itinerary at Paseo Uno.

FUNNY story ..... I told a friend about the retreat and the food we ate and the friend said .... was the topic of the priest Gluttony?!?!?!?!  Hahahahahaha.

Lechon in Exchange for Lumpiang Shanghai.

I promised Kiel that when he comes home from the US, I will make him Lumpiang Shanghai.  He arrived yesterday and today I delivered on my promise and brought just 20 pieces of Lumpiang Shanghai.

When the mom of Kiel, Joy, heard about it, she ordered a whole Lechon!



WOW!!!!

LOL Well ... that is the story we are circulating why we had lechon tonight.

They also prepared ....

Grilled Prawns



Grilled Liempo



Grilled Tuna Belly



Grilled Vegetables



Prawns Sinigang



Pancit Sotanghon



Lumpiang Shanghai for Kiel



They also had other guests......



Hehehehe Had my picture taken with Arnel ... he is such a nice person!!! 



His wife and kids were also at the Alonzo house.

As usual .... I had a great time and they were all *ribbing* me while I enjoyed nibbling on my plateful of Lechon ribs!!!!

I have to confess though ... it was my second lechon for the day.... this morning... my Kuya bought from Leonardos and asked me to get as much as I want.... I only got a little plateful.

Another day spent with good friends and good food and my BFF LECHON!

PS.... Do not worry about me ... my cholesterol is not high, that is why I can indulge in my favorite food all the time.

Round 3

Round 3!!!! Mona, Jing and I went to Golden Bay Seafood Restaurant today. 



It is already my 3rd time this week!!  I like the dim sum there, it is better than your run of the mill teahouse dim sum.

We ordered a few I have not tasted before.

Yuan Yang Dumpling - Baby Abalone and Crab Roe atop Fish Fillet



Asado in Rice Roll



Giant Meat Pao





Steamed Spareribs



Pan-fried Radish Cake



Then.... my favorites...

Hakaw



Sio Mai



Steamed Chicken Feet

Taro Puff



Machang



Whew!!!!  We loved our lunch!!!!  Hmmmmm who wants to accompany me next time???!?!?!

Pork Barbecue

I have been having problems with my PLDT broadband connections lately, so this post is a bit late.  I am here at the house of Joy Alonzo for dinner.  Good thing, I brought my laptop and I can catch up on my postings.

Last Saturday, my family and I had our usual lunch. 

I have not made my all time favorite Pork BBQ in a while.  When Maya thanked me in FB for the recipe I shared with her 10 years ago, I decided to try it again.

Pork BBQ



1 K. pork kasim, sliced thinly
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. soy sauce
1/2 C. 7 up
1 T. MSG (Maya uses 1/2 Knorr Pork Cube instead)
1 t. black pepper
1-2 pcs. sili labuyo

Marinate the pork overnight in the refrigerator.

Sauce for basting:

1/3 C. cooking oil
1/3 C. UFC ketchup
3 T. marinade

Mix all the ingredients with a wire whisk.

* Some people do not use the marinade for basting since it is uncooked.  My instructions to Hermie was not to baste the pork in the last 5 minutes of grilling.

Our Soup for the day was Chicken Mami.

Chicken Mami



1/2 K. chicken
chicken broth
cooking oil
garlic, chopped
onion, chopped
2 T. fish sauce
1/2 K. fresh mami noodles
green onions, chopped

Boil chicken in water with salt and pepper.  When cool, flake and set aside.

Saute garlic and onion in oil.  Add the flaked the chicken. Continue sauteing then season with patis.  Add the reserved chicken broth and season to taste.

Pour boiling water on the fresh mami noodles, then rinse with cold water.

Add the drained mami noodles to the soup and boil for a few minutes.  Top with green onions.

We also had Baked Tahong.



The favorite of everybody.

Hermie was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  bad!!!!  I asked her: Are you trying to kill Tita Portia?!?!?!?!?!

She made two sticks of pork FAT bbq!!!!  And that was what Tita Portia ate!!!!

BAD! BAD! BAD!

My secret tip:

I used to have a pork barbecue business, well, I still accept orders but it has to be 3 days in advance.

I tried using the ordinary pork kasim from Rustans but it was still a bit tough on my opinion.  The pork I use for my business is also from Rustans but special order.  I ask the butchers to prepare it for me,  more expensive but it is really super tender.  If you grill the pork in the morning, it will still be tender up to the evening or even when you reheat the next day.

Getting to know my neighbors

I have been living in Bel-Air since the late 70s and I still do not know most of my neighbors.  I see them often in Rockwell, we would say Hello or smile at each other and that was it.

Good thing Tita Menchit, Cindy and I decided to get together for chismis and lunch!

I just cooked my Simple Paella and Baked Tahong.
http://liasfoodjourney.blogspot.com/2010/04/lias-simple-paella.html
http://liasfoodjourney.blogspot.com/2010/07/dinner-for-tita-portia-and-her-guests.html



Tita Menchit gave me organics cookies!  They wanted to bring dessert but since I am diabetic, they just opted to give me other things. Cindy gave me a BIG folding fan! Perfect for this hot weather and an Alice Blue scented candle - Boracay Shores!!!  Thank you!

We had so much fun talking about a lot of things ... from Politics.... to sports.... American Idol .... chismis about our neighbors ... the 60 story condo Rockwell is going to build... old people dying.... in-family squabble re: inheritance  .... LOL ... we definitely talked about the topic of the week - impeachment hearing of CJ Corona.... food ... Boracay and so much more!

I am glad I got to know my neighbors.... lol even if they are 4 streets away from me.



We discovered little things about each other... I especially loved the story of Tita Menchit who punched her classmate when she was in Grade One.  Said classmate called her *fat piggy*!!!!  But if you see her now ....  wow she looks so fit and trim .... she goes to the gym everyday.

Cindy and I both agreed that Boracay is such a wonderful place .. where nobody judges you because of your color or size.

I hope they also enjoyed themselves as much as I did!  Our lunch lasted for almost 5 hours!!!  Well ... when you are having fun ... you do not notice the time.

Lee Kum Kee Sweet and Sour Pork

A very easy Sweet and Sour Pork recipe .... it is actually almost like cheating.



I just bought the Lee Kum Kee Sauce for Sweet and Sour Pork/Spare Ribs and followed the instructions at the back of the pack and tweaked it just a tad.



150 gr. pork, sliced thinly
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1 egg yolk, beaten
2-3 T. cornstarch
pineapple tidbits, drained
1 T. pineapple juice from the tidbits
red and green pepper
Lee Kum Kee Sauce for Sweet and Sour Pork/Spare Ribs

Marinate the pork in salt, sugar and egg yolk for 20 minutes.  Dust with cornstarch and deep fry.  Set aside.

In 1 T. oil, saute the pineapple tidbits and peppers over high heat. Add about 1 T. of pineapple juice, when it evaporates add the Lee Kum Kee sauce and the fried pork, heat through and serve while hot.