kare kare – Page 2 – Jellybeans in the City

Former OFW pays tribute to family recipes at Las Pinas’ Cafe Tribu

When OFW, nurse and new mother Krishna Torres – Pagarugan returned home to the Philippines to raise her daughter, she decided to become a franchisee of Cafe Tribu, a coffee shop specializing in Philippine-grown coffee beans.

However, her coffee shop soon turned into a family affair.

Her sister and business partner Kathleen Torres-Bell turned their premises – formerly occupied by a beauty salon – into a bright and cheery haven for relaxing and conversing with friends. A colorful array of furniture and decor are mixed and matched into an eclectic yet tasteful combination: from the flowers and wire lamps hanging from the ceilings, her father’s paintings and mural taking pride of place on the walls, to the various chairs, tables and throw pillows that make one’s stay here quite comfy indeed.

The cafe’s sprawling premises can accommodate up to fifty people for a party or office function, but can also serve as a cozy venue for an informal art exhibit or crafting workshop.

A wide spectrum of diners comfortably pass their time in this space – from local businessmen taking a break from their morning walk, to students of nearby schools and colleges meeting up with friends.

Her mother, a cooking enthusiast, helped her expand the store’s menu to include classic Filipino dishes – affectionately dubbed Naty’s Specialties after her late grandmother – some of which I was able to sample, among others, when I visited this place for a much-awaited get-together with two of my closest college friends. These are dishes made-to-order at least two days prior, and are good for three to four persons, which include:

Kare Kare (Php420). To be honest, I’m still loyal to my mom’s Kare Kare in terms of flavor and mouthfeel but this does come close. The meat, slow-cooked for hours, is tender and can be easily pulled apart by my fork. Together with crisp, lightly cooked vegetables, it is submerged in a thick peanut sauce. When eaten together with rice and the cafe’s slightly spicy homemade bagoong (shrimp paste), each mouthfull is an explosion of flavor.

Laing (Php240). Bicol’s signature dish of shredded taro leaves and meat bits cooked in coconut milk – and accompanied by a hefty serving of sliced chilis – is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I took some home for his dinner which he loved. (Ganda points for me, huh!)

Chicken Barbecue (Php350) and Liempo Barbecue. Another set of Pinoy classic dishes, these are comprised of large pieces of chicken and pork belly marinated in a sweet barbecue sauce and grilled to tender and juicy perfection.

Beef Tapa (Php130). Why, oh why, do strips of tender fried marinated beef become irresistible when accompanied by fried egg (sunny-side up, please!) and garlic fried rice?

Alas, too bad for my #dietgoals, Naty’s Specialties go so well with rice, lots and lots of it. (Our nanays and lolas seldom thought about carbs when these recipes are being developed, I guess.)

Meanwhile, to address the hunger pangs and limited budget of the students who frequent her cafe, Krishna also serves snacks that are easy on the tummy and on the students’ wallet such as:

New York Hotdog (Php115). A hefty Frankfurter rolled in oil, topped with caramelized onions, salsa, spicy mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup and bacon bits.

Club House Sandwich (Php100). This double-decked sandwich has layers of ham, tuna and veggies, served with crisp potato chips.

Want something hot to accompany those yummy snacks? You can’t go wrong with the drinks whipped up by the cafe’s Lebanon-trained barista such as the Hot Chocolate Velvet (Php90), White Chocolate Latte (Php105), Caramel Macchiato (Php105) and Oreo Latte (Php120).

How about something refreshing to cool yourself down when the hot summer days come along? Check out the cafe’s icy frappes such as the Matcha Green Tea (Php140), Strawberries and Cream (Php120) and White Mocha Frappe (Php120). But really, don’t leave the store without a taste of the cafe’s specialty, the Coffee Peanut Butter Avalanche (Php150), truly a heavenly concoction!

This day was memorable because three friends were able to come together for good conversation over good food and drinks, amidst beautiful surroundings. So make your own beautiful memories with family and friends here at Cafe Tribu!

This Cafe Tribu branch is located at 136 Gloria Diaz Street Corner CV Starr Avenue, BF Resort Village, Talon, Las Piñas City. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 3563971 or +63 995 2740204.

Disclosure: Together with my college friends, I was invited to a food tasting held at this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by my companions nor myself.

Have an Instant Party at Alex III, Tomas Morato

With the approaching holidays comes the much-awaited season of parties and get-togethers. Pinoys, in particular, love to celebrate with food, lots and lots of it. I recall my mom and titas slaving away in the kitchen, preparing their signature dishes for our family gatherings.

While I’m passionate about food, I’m not too keen on stressing myself out in the kitchen. Fortunately, thanks to a Foodie Meet-up held at Alex III’s Tomas Morato branch, I, together with my fellow foodies, discovered that I can treat my loved ones out to a feast of classic Filipino favorites, thanks to its Instant Party Menu.

Alex III’s Instant Party Menu consist of two sets of dishes. Both priced at Php2995, these feature home-grown Filipino party food enough for a group of five. These are all prepared and cooked with the same love and tradition that goes all the way back to Aling Asiang (or Mrs. Engracia Reyes), the matriarch of the family behind the Aristrocrat restaurant of which Alex III is an offshoot, being a business started by one of Aling Asiang’s grandsons.

Set One

This set includes:

Choice of 1 viand among Chicken Barbecue, Pork Barbecue, Barbecued Pork Belly and Whole Fried Chicken
Special Pancit Canton
Fresh Lumpiang Ubod or Lumpiang Shanghai
Kare-Kare
Crispy Pata
Steamed Rice

Set Two

This set includes:

Choice of 1 viand among Chicken Barbecue, Pork Barbecue, Barbecued Pork Belly and Whole Fried Chicken
Whole Fried Chicken
Whole Crispy Lapu-Lapu with Sweet and Sour Sauce
Camaron Rebosado
Special Pancit Canton
Shanghai Rice

Each set is served with garlic peanuts, a sushi sampler, your choice of soup (of which we sampled the Hototay and Sinigang na Salmon), bottomless iced tea and your choice of dessert (of which we sampled the Leche Flan and the Pandan Jellied Tapioca).

Both sets present diners with a combination of flavors that are dearly familiar, being dishes that were served during family reunions and fiestas when we were growing up. They also serve as a way for working moms like me to reconnect our present-day celebrations with the warmth and traditions of our childhood: that despite the hectic schedules and fast-paced lifestyles, we have a way to get together with our loved ones to exchange old memories and make new ones, while enjoying good food and good company.

With Alex III’s Instant Party Menu, the tradition of fun family celebrations with good food is made even better.

This branch of Alex III is located at Tomas Morato Avenue Corner Scout Bayoran, South Triangle, Tomas Morato, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 11pm. For reservations and queries, call +63 2 3711414 or +63 2 3711415. Its spacious, tastefully appointed and well-lit interiors make it a great venue for large family gatherings or office parties.

Other branches are located at:

201 Wilson Street, Little Baguio, San Juan City (open daily from 11am to 11pm | Tel Nos: +63 2 7240882 or +63 2 7264444)
29 Matalino Street, Diliman, Quezon City (open daily from 11am to 10pm | Tel Nos: +63 2 9261266 or +63 2 9268942)
53 Pontiac Corner Chevelle Street, Fairview, Quezon City (open daily from 11am to 10pm | Tel Nos: +63 2 3766286 or +63 2 3765179)

By the way, did you know that for your parties at home, you can have your favorite dishes from Alex III delivered right to your doorstep? Minimum order for delivery is Php500. For more details, contact the Alex III branch nearest you.

Disclosure: I attended the Bloggers’ Day held at this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Zomato Tagaytay Food Crawl Third Stop: Siglo Modern Filipino

The last and final stop of our Zomato Tagaytay Food Crawl was held at Siglo Modern Filipino. Located along the Tagaytay – Calamba Road beside the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) and right across Picnic Grove, Siglo is the restaurant attached to the View Park Hotel Tagaytay.

Siglo (which translates to “century”) is so-named in honor of 100 years of evolution of Philippine food, from the Spanish and Latin influences brought by the colonizers, as well as flavors from China, America and Southeast Asia which found their way here via trade.

Siglo synthesizes a century’s worth of Filipino culture and cuisine from all over the country, and supports the local economy by using ingredients sourced from local farmers.

It also seeks to preserve heirloom recipes – dishes that your great-grandmother might have cooked and using ingredients like adlai and siling labuyo that she might have used – while still innovating on the classic Filipino dishes through modern techniques and added creativity.

The restaurant is quite small (can seat at most 50 diners) but it has a lot of charm. Ethnic-inspired furniture and decor abound, and its advocacy for the appreciation of Filipino cuisine is apparent in the use of traditional materials and design. When you sit down and wait for your order, you can amuse yourself in puzzles and trivia that feature Filipino food courtesy of the placemats used.

My fellow foodies and I were served the Blockbuster Bilaos, hefty servings of themed Pinoy delicacies with dishes representing different locales in the country. These are best shared among a group of 4 to 6 people. Bilaos are flat and round-shaped implement used in separating rice grains from other particles like chaff, dirt and small pebbles. When I was young, the rice that was delivered to us had a lot of impurities so my yaya and I oftentimes had to pick the impurities from the rice (hence the term “nagpipili ng bigas“) that was laid in a bilao.

Siglo Bilao (Php1,800)

This bilao features native Tinola, classic Kare-Kare, Crispy Tawilis, Pancit Pusit and Siglo Salad. These are all heirloom recipes of Filipino dishes collated by Siglo’s team during their travels. For me, the standout among these dishes is the Pancit Pusit; it had the distinctive salty-sour garlicky taste of Adobong Pusit which I absolutely love. I would have eaten more of this were I not afraid of going home with black teeth (it would have been worth it, though!)

https://flic.kr/p/N8f5wW

Barkada Bilao (Php2,200)

This bilao boasts of timeless classics that barkadas (groups of friends) crave for when they’re hanging out such as Regular Bulalo (a staple in Tagaytay), Crispy Sisig, Calamares Frito, Himagsikan Wings (Siglo’s version of spicy buffalo wings in which the chicken pieces are glazed in shrimp paste and honey sriracha sauce) and gising-gising.

Luzviminda Bilao (Php2,400)

Named after the portmanteu of the Philippines’ three major island groups – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao – this bilao features dishes representing bestsellers from north to south, serving as a quick culinary tour of the country. It includes Bagnet Ilocos, Chicken Binakol, Seafood Kare-Kare, Lumpiang Shanghai and Ubod Salad. The standout in this bilao is the bagnet with its savory tender meat and crispy crackling skin.

All the bilaos come with steamed rice and fresh fruits.

We washed down our food with a refreshing Pomelo Amaranth Juice which is not part of Siglo’s menu but is actually the welcome drink of View Park Hotel.

Siglo Modern Filipino is located at the Ground Floor of View Park Hotel, 3500 Tagaytay-Calamba Road, Sungay East, Tagaytay City. It is open Sundays to Fridays at 7am to 10pm and Saturdays from 7am to 12mn.

Disclosure: Together with other Zomato foodies, I was invited to attend a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Zomato Tagaytay Food Crawl First Stop: Mozu at Ming’s Garden

On the way to Tagaytay proper from Sta. Rosa, you would come across this beautiful oasis of blooms and greenery. Ming’s Garden began as the private plant collection of the former Philippine First Lady Amelita “Ming” Ramos, whom the locals call Lola Ming. It has since grown into a thriving business that sells ornamental plants, herbs, vegetables and other gardening essentials.

With 3 hectares of sprawling and verdant space, the place also serves as a venue for events ranging from intimate get-togethers to weddings, ceremonies and full-scale celebrations, with many possible backdrops for that Instagram shot or wedding photo.

Driving the place’s gustatory endeavors is Chef Enzo of its award-winning restaurant and in-house caterer, Mozu at Ming’s. His philosophy when it comes to the Filipino food that his restaurant serves is to not deviate too much from the classic dishes, letting the comfort food remind the diners of home.

Mozu at Ming’s was the first stop in the Zomato Food Crawl in Tagaytay. While surrounded by the lush beauty of the restaurant’s garden setting, my fellow foodies and I were treated to a delectable array of home-grown dishes, which include:

Gambas Al Ajillo (Php310)

In this seafood dish originating from Spain, fresh market shrimps are sauteed in olive oil, garlic and paprika.

Gising Gising (Php240)

Apparently, the origin of this dish is still not clear with some claims placing it in Pampanga while others in Nueva Ecija. In this dish, crisp wing beans are sauteed in coconut milk, bagoong (shrimp paste) and labuyo (small chili peppers).

Bagnet Salad (Php300)

Air-dried pork belly, a popular delicacy in North Luzon, is sliced and served with slivers of green mango, tomato and homemade

Bangus Ala Pobre (Php340)

Boneless milkfish belly, cooked in butter, garlic and aligue (crab fat).

Ox Tail Kare Kare (Php290)

A stew of oxtail, tripe and beef short ribs in a rich peanut sauce and served with bagoong.

Frozen Brasso de Mercedes (Php165)

Meringue, yema (sweet custard candy) and mantecado ice cream layered on top of each other and served frozen.

Turon Ala Mode (Php200)

Saba bananas, jackfruit and mango rolled in crispy lumpia wrapper and served with a sweet apple sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Our meal was accompanied by refreshments such as local kapeng barako and fresh fruit juice.

Our sumptious meal at Mozu at Ming’s made for a memorable time with both old friends and new.

By the way, Mozu at Ming’s also considers sustainability and support for its local community. All ingredients used are locally sourced (from nearby Tagaytay and Mahogany Markets) and staff are housed in dwellings right on the property.

Mozu at Ming’s is located along Santa Rosa – Tagaytay Road, Silang, Cavite. For reservations and queries, email mingsgarden@gmail.com or call +63 927 6957077 or +63 921 7295462.

Recipe: My Mom’s Kare-Kare

Most Pinoys are fiercely loyal to their mom’s adobo. Not me, though. I can appreciate, even like, versions of adobo other than the one I grew up with.

My mom’s signature dish that remains unmatched in my opinion is her kare kare. Oh, yes! Here is where my loyalties unequivocally lie.

The irony is that when I was a kid, I didn’t even like kare kare. I found the idea of eating parts of animals other than the meat and skin unthinkable (and you should see the ingredients while they were still uncooked!). I also found the orange sauce weird, used as I was then to the brown hued sauces of adobo and mechado and the lightly-tinted broths of nilaga or tinola.

Then the time came, right around high school, when my palate began to mature and I started to develop a taste for the unusual, that I decided to give this dish a try.

Ooh, those bits of meat and cow innards so tender they melt in your mouth! That bright orange peanutty sauce that can already be considered a viand even if just accompanied by veggies (sarsa pa lang ulam na)! Put those together in a heaping spoon with steaming white rice and my mom’s home-made bagoong (shrimp paste) and I’m in heaven.

I recently made my mom give me this recipe (she had long ago given up trying to teach me to cook the more traditional or effort-laden dishes) by saying that her granddaughter, #ExhibitA, should start learning how to make it by now.

Ingredients:

1 kilo beef cheeks
1/2 kilo beef tripe and intestines
1/4 kilo ground peanuts (Note: you can substitute this with peanut butter but try to find one that’s sugarless)
2 tbsp flour
achuete (annato) seeds
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 small onions, chopped
1 small bunch of pechay (Chinese cabbage)
1 small bunch of sitao (string beans), cut into 2-inch slices
4 eggplants, sliced
1 small puso ng saging (banana flower bud), sliced
salt and pepper

Procedure:

Clean and boil the beef cheeks, tripe and intestines separately for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker. Chill overnight in the refrigerator and scoop out the fat that forms on top.
In a small pan, lightly toast the flour, then remove from heat.
In a casserole, saute garlic and onion, then add meat, tripe and intestines. Add a bit of the water used to boil the meat. Add the toasted flour and crushed nuts, then stir the mixture.
Add in the banana flower, string beans, and egg plant.
Soak the annato seeds in hot water. Strain and add to the stew.
Stir the mixture until thickened to your desired consistency.
Add the Chinese cabbage and season to taste.

Serve hot with freshly cooked white rice and bagoong.

This recipe serves 6 at 570 calories per serving. That’s quite a lot but you don’t get to eat this everyday anyway.

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