wagyu – Jellybeans in the City

Homemade goodness from Baba’s Kitchen

Want to jazz up your mealtimes without slaving all day in the kitchen? Or have tasty munchables ready whenever you get hungry for a midnight snack or get in the mood for a Tv binge?

Well, you won’t have to do hard kitchen labor because you can get your hunger pangs and cravings catered to by Baba’s Kitchen!

Yep, my cooler bag from Baba’s Kitchen is chock-full of tasty homemade goodies that opens up a world of wonderful gustatory possibilities.

I’ll tell you more about these but first, let’s check out the bag’s contents.

These include ready-to-cook viands such as Breakfast Patties, Spanish Chorizo and Wagyu Tapa, snackable dips such as the sweet and spicy Mango Jalapeno, the tasty Garlic & Herb and Chicken Rum Pate, the highly snackable Beachcoast Crisps: Cranberry Edition, as well condiments such Baba’s BBQ Sauce and Baba’s Spicy Bitchin’ Sauce.

With so little time for food prep after a hectic workday, I had to get a bit more creative when coming up with a dinner that the kids will get excited for.

So, I whipped up a batch of Cheesy Peppery Burgers using Baba’s Kitchen’s Burger Patties!

We paired our meal with some crackers, Baba’s Kitchen’s Beachcoast Crisps and Baba’s Kitchen’s dips!

With much of the prep work of the meal already done by Baba’s Kitchen, I had more time to enjoy dinner time with the kids!

This meal-in-minutes sure seems like a resounding success, wouldn’t you say?

UPDATE:

I also whipped up a quick lunch for the family: Tapsilog using Baba’s Kitchen’s Wagyu Tapa!

So, now, what can I whip up with the other items from Baba’s Kitchen? Use the Spanish Chorizos for some Deviled Eggs? Use the BBQ Sauce as a Chicken Teriyaki Marinade? Let me know if you have more ideas.

If you want to have more fun mealtimes with the fam while feasting on great food (with little effort!), check out Baba’s Kitchen!

Order now from Baba’s Kitchen’s website. To stay updated on Baba’s Kitchen’s products and offers, follow it on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature.

At home at Ome Japanese Cafe

Don’t you sometimes just want to be in a place where you feel right at home? Somewhere that you can be with family and friends while enjoying good food and good company?

Well, located in a family-friendly neighborhood in Quezon City ii a quaint and cozy Japanese eatery that brings comfort and happiness through its delicious and affordable Japanese comfort food.

Ome Japanese Cafe prides itself on its fresh ingredients and meticulously crafted dishes. These culinary creations were honed from the extensive experience of its chef/owners Christine Ramos and Gerivic Orocio in restaurants both here and abroad.

During a recent foodie meetup with my foodie friends from #WeLoveToEatPH, I was able to experience Ome’s signature dishes as well as new menu selections.

Hand-crafted sushi

Ome’s chefs demonstrated their considerable skills with these beautifully assembled sushi rolls.

Ome Signature Roll (Php285). House-cured Norwegian salmon, cucumber and cream cheese topped with crab, masago and Srirach aioli.

Embassy Roll (Php260). Shrimp tempura, crab, cream cheese, tempura flakes, tobiko and sweet creamy sauce.

Tokyo Roll (Php385). Shrimp tempura roll topped with unagi, mango and eel sauce.

Crispy Spicy Salmon Roll (Php230). Spicy Norwegian salmon with cucumber, mango and tempura flakes.

Cucumber-wrapped Shrimp Tempura Maki (Php350). Shrimp tempura, romaine lettuce, crab and mango wrapped in a wafer-thin, katsuramuki-style slice of cucumber.

Hearty and heart-warming Ramen

Filling and tasty ramen will surely satisfy hunger while appealing to the need for tasty comfort food.

Chicken Paitan (Php385). Roasted soy chicken, mushrooms, soft-boiled egg and black garlic oil top ramen noodles in a rich and creamy broth made from pressure-cooked chicken bone broth with bonito salt and kombu.

Tan-Tan Men (Php350). Sauteed ground pork, corn, bok-choy and sesame egg in sesame broth seasoned with chili oil.

Partnership with Real California Milk

Collaborating with Real California Milk, Ome Japanese Cafe developed a tasty selection of viands that was incorporate high-quality cheeses.

Udon Carbonara (Php380). Hearty udon noodles topped with thick-cut smoked bacon, poached egg and mozzarella ina tasty carbonara sauce.

Japanese Omurice (Php340). Creamy omelet spiced with a bit of Pepper Jack Cheese on top of Japanese fried rice and drizzled with Hayashi demi-glace sauce.

Chicken & Cheese Katsu (Php320). Panko-breaded chicken cutlets wrapped around oodles of cheese, accompanied by shredded cabbage and katsu sauce.

New menu items

Pretty soon, Japanese food lovers will be able to enjoy these newest culinary creations.

Tepanyaki Wagyu Beef Cubes (Php485). Tender beef slices smothered with Hayashi demi-glace accompanied by seasonal veggies and creamy mashed potato.

Shrimp and Seasonal Vegetable Tempura (Php295). Deep-fried shrimp and veggies covered in batter enriched with dashi broth, making the resulting tempura crisp, light and airy.

Sweet endings

What better way to end the meal than on a sweet note with these scrumptious desserts?

Matcha Panna Cotta (Php180). Mango puree and muscovado sugar on creamy matcha-flavored panna cotta.

Mango Pudding (Php180). Succulent slices of fresh mango top a rice pudding enriched with coconut milk.

Feast on these dishes with your nears and dears at Ome’s well-appointed cafe or have them delivered to your home.

Ome Japanese Cafe is located at Chimes Square, 77 Congressional Avenue Extension, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 8pm.

For inquiries, reservations and delivery orders, call +63 2 70886066 or +63 917 6293212.

It also accepts delivery orders via BeepIt.

To know more about its latest promos and offers, follow Ome Japanese Cafe on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: I attended a food tasting held at this restaurant wherein the food items served were not paid for by the participants, including myself.

Japanese-style burgers and more from MOS Burger

With a burger joint practically at every street corner, the Philippines may well be a Burger Nation.

Those proliferating burger outlets, however, are mostly Western-style, largely because the burger was introduced by the Americans to the country.

One of the few bright spots of 2020 is the introduction of new, Japanese-style burgers to widen the culinary horizons of Pinoys, thanks to the opening of MOS Burgers first store in Robinsons Galleria.

This outlet joined the brand’s 1,300 stores in Japan and almost 400 stores overseas. Pretty soon, new branches sprouted up such as in Megamall, Glorietta and Kapitolyo.

My daughter, who’s a serious fan of Japanese food and culture, has always wanted to eat at one of MOS Burgers’ local branches ever since the first one opened but the lockdown due to the pandemic precluded me from taking her.

Thankfully, with the recent loosening of quarantine restrictions, we were able to visit the Robinsons Galleria branch where we enjoyed some of its celebrated offerings.

MOS Cheeseburger (Php169 solo | Php269 set with iced tea and sides). I got this Japanese-style cheeseburger that comes with MOS’ special meat sauce poured over a pile of beef patty, tomato, onion, and cheese. It was well complimented by an order of Chicken Karaage (Php160).

Wagyu Burger (Php309 solo | Php409 set with iced tea and sides). My daughter ordered this Japanese-style burger made with flavorful Wagyu beef. It’s excellent when enjoyed with a side of Japanese House Salad (Php90).

Hash Browns (Php60/3pcs | Php90/5pcs). Crispy and golden-brown grids of fried potatoes.

Strawberry Cake (Php129). Fluffy chiffon cake layered with cream filling and slices of candied strawberry.

I’m glad that I was able to experience MOS Burgers again as it’s been quite a while since its Grand Opening when I last had a taste of its menu items.

A few days later, the fam was able to have another MOS experience – at home, this time – thanks to a food truck making its rounds in BGC which Hubby happened to pass by on his way home.

Of course, he brought home the MOS Cheeseburger in a Family Pack (Php499/3pcs).

But he also added two MOS Garlic Rice Onigiri (Php79 each): Chicken Karaage Mayo and Ebi Tempura. These are balls of Japanese rice flavored with garlic chips and wrapped with nori along with their fillings.

With its unusual burgers and sides, MOS Burgers surely is a welcome addition to the local food scene!

MOS Burgers outlets are located in the following areas, now open for dine-in, takeout and delivery:

Robinsons Galleria
Kapitolyo
SM Megamall
Robinsons Place Manila
Glorietta

Luxury Wagyu at Miyazaki Gyu, BGC

Just when you thought that you’ve tasted all there is to good ole’ steaks, here comes Miyazaki Gyu introduce us to a truly luxurious steak experience.

The restaurant got its name from the Miyazaki Prefecture in the Japanese island of Kyushu. It is the word’s second largest producer of beef from Japanese black cattle – referred to as miyazakigyu – which is known for having a high level of marbling, making the meat as tender and flavorful as can be.

The restaurant not only sells high-grade beef but also treats its diners to the optimal preparation of the meat, thereby maximizing flavor and texture. That is actually the driving force behind the resto: showcasing to local diners the full potential of miyazakigyu, as envisioned by its executive chef and youngest Iron Chef contender Kensuke Sakai.

Hubby decided to treat the family to the experience of eating such high-quality beef so we spent one of our weekend lunches over the holidays checking out its offerings.

The restaurant embodies a combination of Japanese simplicity with its clean lines and bamboo accents, and of luxurious opulence with its gold and leather interiors.

A display of its various meat offerings takes pride of place, giving diners the option to take some home.

For our luxurious miyazakigyu lunch, we had:

Beef Sushi (Php650). Slivers of tender wagyu draped over sushi rice and lightly doused with ponzu sauce served as our appetizer.

Hubby, my daughter #ExhibitA and I split orders of various beef cuts – Chuck Roll or Premium Steak (Php22/gram), Habaki or Special Part Steak (Php25/gram) and Top Round or Prime Marble Steak (Php32/gram) all cooked to medium doneness so we can savor their taste, juiciness and tender texture.

Hamburg Steak (Php900). Our little boy #ExhibitB, on the other hand, was treated to this tasty grilled ground beef burger patty.

All of these meat dishes are preceded by a light vegetable salad and a steaming hot soup with slivers of wagyu beef.

The steaks were served with sauteed bean sprouts, minced herbs and a bit of salt to bring out more of their flavor.

We also upgraded to the House Special Garlic Rice that went so well with the wagyu steaks.

Given its price range, dining at Miyazaki Gyu is really not for everyday enjoyment; for me, it’s for those rare occasions when you feel like you deserve a break from the ordinary. Its premium-grade wagyu surely takes you to a whole new level of experience.

Miyazaki Gyu is located at Podium Level, One Mckinley Place, 26th Corner 4th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, open daily from 11am to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 8296167 or +63 917 166 6673)