Kubiertos

In my Good Eats post, I had listed that for me the Best Crispy Sisig could be eaten at Gerry’s Grill. I had struck it out from the list later on in the part 2 of that post. The reason being, I was disappointed a few weeks ago with the sisig that I had eaten at Gerry’s Grill @ Blue Wave. The sisig they served was first of all - not sizzling - and second it wasn’t crispy at all. The chicharon bits sprinkled on top were more “makunat” (tough) than crispy. The pork half-cooked by the hot plate so it turned out really “malansa” (term used for fish smell). The experience was so bad for me that I swore to take it off my Good Eats list and so I did.

Yesterday, a it was the last day of one of the members of my team so they decided to have a farewell lunch at none other than Gerry’s Grill (@Insular Life). I wasn’t the one paying so it was not my choice. Of course we ordered the sisig (among others). I waited in anticipation if I would be in the same ordeal. We ordered crispy sisig, grilled squid, baked tahong, molo soup and sizzling kangkong. Ok, so the sisig was crispy but it was just not enough to make up for the past so it remains deleted from my list and that category open for another great eating encounter.

A few months ago, I was looking to buy some lunch and I did not fancy eating at the office canteen. I was already on the walkway going towards Landmark Dept Store when I noticed this little coffee shop just beside IAM shoe store. At that time, I knew it had already been there for a long time but I just didn’t notice. My hunger made me extra sensitive to anything remotely resembling food. So I went in and was prepared to stay a minute as I initially saw that aside from coffee, all they had were candy, chocolates and chips. As I was turning to leave, some microwables caught my eye and. True enough, they were selling take out food. There were many choices: baked macaroni, chicken adobo, pork chops, beef sukiyaki, salads etc. And it all costs a mere P99! Talk about value for money. Since I am a pasta addict, I tried their lasagna. It was the right choice as since then I have kept coming back.

Yesterday, my lunch appointment (with free lunch) got cancelled so I headed that way again. I wanted to try something else this time so I took a few moments in front of the chiller musing. Some kind of pork meal caught my eye. I looked closer and the label said “Crispy Pork Binagoongan”. One of the store ladies approached and asked if I was interested to buy any of their lunch meals. I said of the pork meal – “di kaya makunat na to?”. The lady said no in such a pleasant encouraging manner that I immediately thought – sold!. The food was heated in the micro and I brought it back with me to eat at my desk.

My first bite was unexpected. The meat was not tough at all! It was still crispy on the outside yet, it wasn’t dry and starchy on the inside. Due to my hunger and surprise of the unexpected tenderness of the meat, it took me 3 spoonfuls to remember I wanted to take a picture and write about it. As you will see from the image below of the “can’t wait to be eaten pork binagoongan”.

This dish has cemented my relationship with Good to Go store. I’m definitely coming back for more… maybe next time I’ll add a box of Whitman’s chocolates to my purchases.

So Makati office peeps drop by now for a taste of affordable lunches which will give you more than a burger meal at the local fastfood.

Good to Go is located at 2/L Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center Makati.

While my husband was wolfing down the apple-pie, I was relishing the hot and yummy cinnamon and raisin bread. I did not plan to eat anything since I was saving my stomach for dinner at a wedding reception (which I was not able to get to by the way). Yaya, who was not able to eat lunch that day, was the one who ordered it.

When it came, I couldn’t resist the smell of freshly baked bread with a hint of cinnamon. The loaf came with bread and what looked like homemade strawberry jam so while Yaya was still busy feeding my little kid, I took a slice. I spread on the butter and jam and voila - it really was fantastic. The bread had a crispy outer layer that had a consistency similar to a croissant without the crumbs. The bread itself was very soft and rich but did not feel heavy to the stomach. I am not sure how they cooked it but an hour later, the bread was still hot that the butter still spread easily on it.

I have made some additions and deletions to my Good Eats list:

Best Apple-pie: Bag of Beans (Tagaytay)

Best Chocolate Eclairs: Dulcinea

Best Chocolate Crinkles: Hungrypac (Glorietta foodcourt)

Best Donuts: Krispy Kreme

Best Halo-halo: Icebergs

Best Japanese buffet: Saisaki

Best Risotto (that I’ve tasted so far): Capisce (Metrowalk)

Best crispy sisig: Gerry’s Grill This would be another post altogether as to why I have decided to remove this from my Good Eats list. Watch out for it.

Situated nearly at the end of Tagaytay, and just a few minutes away from the “Welcome to Nasugbu” [Batangas] arc is a quaint little bakery and coffee house named Bag of Beans… here, they sell breads and pies, and here, too, is the only place where i can find my favorite pie of all, Apple’s Apple Pie…

sure, i’ve had my share of eating apple pie, even from famous bakeries here in the metro… but nowhere have i tasted THE apple pie, except here at Bag of Beans…

The taste of cinnamon, the apple strips found within the pie, the hot and crunchy crust, all contribute to a very delicious experience… i cannot exactly describe the taste [i am no cook, all i know is how to eat... go ask my wife...], you just have to go there and experience it for yourself… and partnered with their brewed batangas coffee?? aysows!! i tell you, if you haven’t tried that combination yet, go ahead and have your piece of heaven…

Ciao, sweetie…