Over a month ago, my mother brought home Chinese food from a certain restaurant in Binondo, Manila. When my brother and I had a taste of what she got for us, we were shocked at how good they were that I vowed to dine at that restaurant as soon as possible.

I’ve been a Chinese food lover since I was younger. My grandma and my mother both love cooking pancit (all kinds – bihon, mike, canton, luglog, sotanghon, etc) and so I also grew up eating Chinese food. I also love siopao, siomai and any kind of dumpling. I have tried other Chinese dishes over the years, but I never really appreciated the flavors of China ’til a few years ago.

I just had to mention that after Kien‘s last post. Yes, I’m a late bloomer when it comes to palatability of flavors. I used to just gobble up food without really appreciating the effects of different flavors to my sense of smell and taste. I’m proud to say that now, I’m more adventurous when it comes to tasting different flavors. I’m not afraid to experience bitterness, tangy flavors, and everything in between. I guess that’s why my brother and I love blogging about our love for food now more than ever.

Going back to that Chinese food my mother brought home, I asked my friends (Tomador Inc) if they’d like to accompany me to find that restaurant in Binondo. Unfortunately, my nanay forgot the name of the restaurant, but she swears she knows exactly where it’s located (I had to emphasize on this because of my future post about the restaurant). My friend Chokoy told me he knows a lot of great Chinese restaurants in Binondo. He said I wouldn’t have troubles finding a good Chinese restaurant there because of the wide variety of choices that offer authentic Chinese cuisine at very affordable prices. That got me really excited!

Anyway, I started on planning on our first food trip together as The Burp Society (will blog about this next time – stay tuned if you’re a foodie who wants to join us on our food trips). Some of us preferred to go there for dinner, but someone suggested it’s wiser if we come in the morning or lunch time because it’s safer. We don’t want to end up having to search for insurance quote just to go on a food trip. We want to enjoy food and go home safely so we agreed on going there for lunch instead.

We haven’t finalized the date yet, but I’m pretty excited to have a taste of other authentic Chinese food that I haven’t tried yet. Will post about that soon. For now, I’m doing a li’l research on where else we could go aside from dining in a restaurant. I know Binondo is the perfect place for our first official food trip.

Stay tuned for my post about our (my mom and I) adventure finding that restaurant in Binondo and all the food we ordered. It was really fun!

for the Love of Food…

Image credits: Binondo Church, Ongpin Street sign

After seeing posts from a couple of bloggers who were invited to stay at one of the hotels in Baguio, I am now desperate to go back there for at least a week’s stay. I so miss Baguio because of the weather, the tourist spots, shopping, and, of course, strawberries!

I can have fresh strawberries for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Anytime!!

I love, love, love strawberries. I kinda dislike strawberry-flavored food, but, I love actual strawberries. The last time we were in Baguio, we weren’t able to buy a lot of it ’cause my mom prefers strawberry jam. The next time we go there, I’ll make sure we buy at least a kilo of it so I can enjoy fresh strawberries at home.

Going back to the bloggers who went to Baguio recently, one of the most talked about food amongst them is the Strawberry Sinigang. When I first read it from one of their tweets and on Plurk, I was like, "Seriously?!"

Strawberry Sinigang Photo by EntrepreMom

I love Sinigang. It’s a very popular Philippine soup that’s sour in flavor. It’s usually cooked with tamarind (sampaloc), but, some use green/raw mangoes and guava (bayabas). So, discovering that people in Baguio actually cook their sinigang with fresh strawberries was really something for me. I want a taste of it!

I’m really intrigued because strawberries have a li’l taste of tangy sweetness to it. I would love to make strawberry sinigang at home when I find fresh strawberries in the grocery. I heard from the bloggers that it’s not the season yet for strawberries so I might have difficulty buying some good bunch of them at the market. But, I swear, I want to try it. I might just end up having a taste of it in Baguio when we go there next time so I can really enjoy the authentic taste of strawberry sinigang from people who are already experts in preparing it.

I wonder when we’ll be able to return to Baguio. We’re planning on visiting my mother’s childhood friend, who now lives with her family in Baguio, this December. I know I would need my cashmere sweaters when we do ’cause it’ll be really cold up there. But, definitely, a serving of freshly cooked strawberry sinigang will make me warm in no time.

Have you already tried strawberry sinigang?

How was it? Let me know at the comments section.

In case you’re wondering where you can find or get a taste of strawberry sinigang, I know for sure that Mines View Hotel serves it. Let me know if you know of other places in Baguio that serves this.

Enjoy!

Hot sauces may not be the best choice to mix with your food right now since the weather is still warm. But, it certainly can boost your appetite and that’s why I LOVE it!

Lately, I’ve been mixing my food with hot sauces. I don’t know why, but, I guess I just love the feeling I get whenever I’m eating spicy food. You know, just the right spice or hotness that can make me sweat and make me want to eat more. I know, we’re trying to lose weight so the eating more may not be a good part, but, I’ve read that eating spicy food can speed up your metabolism. So, it’s all good, I guess (lolz).

Here at home, we actually have three (3) brands of hot sauces – UFC Hot Sauce, Mother’s Best Hot Sauce and Jufran’s Red Hot Chili Sauce.I’m actually disappointed with UFC and Mother’s Best hot sauces. Considering that the latter is claiming they’re the World’s Hottest, as you can see on the label on their bottle, it’s really quite a disappointment. I mean, they’re not hot at all, even to Mhel’s standards (she doesn’t like spicy food). Heck, I almost consumed half of their bottles, as you can see, but, I didn’t feel any spice at all. Seriously!

Jufran’s Red Hot Chili Sauce is okay for me when it comes to the hotness. But, when it comes to the overall taste/flavor, my favorite is Pizza Hut’s Hot Sauce. You know, the ones they include when you have pizza delivered from them or when you dine at their restaurant.

So, here’s where I need your help…

Do you know of any brand that is as hot and

flavorful as Pizza Hut’s hot sauce?

Please, please, please. Let me know!

Itadakimasu!

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