Gluttony

Posted by jepoyzter under Food, Random Post

Yesterday was Michelle’s last day in Taiwan. For her, it wont be a complete and satisfying stay if she didn’t had a Meat Sauce Spaghetti at Swensen’s. So I agreed to have lunch with her at Swensen’s the night before.

So the next day before we left home. I told her that theres another branch we should consider visiting and its just 2-3 km away from Swensen’s in RenAi Road and also along DunHua North Road. Since we have this miss communication problems and hunger had overcome our sense of direction, we end up eating at RenAi Branch instead of the one in MinSheng Road.

While I’m looking at menu. Michelle was already decided to have a meat sauce spaghetti, and after a few minutes I chose to have a mushroom cheese burger. I know that their burger is served quite big for my small appetite (sorta kinda) and I doubt myself that I can finish the whole thing. But were still kinda undecided whether we should order an appetizer or not. I kinda like to order a plate of calamari but the problem is Michelle don’t eat squids. So she ask me if we can order a house sampler instead. I would ate the calamari and the buffalo wings, and she would take the potato skins and the mozzarella cheese sticks. That fine with me. When our order came we didn’t see any calamari on the plate. I didn’t also bother to read the description on the menu since I take Michelle’s word for it. So in the end we end up sharing everything whats on the plate and we were both almost full after finishing the whole dish, and our main course haven’t arrived yet.

So when her spaghetti and my burger arrived, were both full. I am staring at my burger and didn’t know where to start. Should I just eat the beef patty with melted cheese and mushrooms on top plus the veggies and wedge fries on the side ignoring the bun? or should I stack everything into one and start piggin on it? Well in the end, I end up with option 2 and little by little, slice by slice I finished the whole thing. Thats one hell of a burger I should say, and no burger for me for the meantime.

So after a big meal, and tummy is as big as a watermelon. We decided to walk down to Eslite Bookstore and check out some books and magazine. Since Michelle couldn’t find an issue of Entertainment Weekly featuring Christian Bale we headed out the bookstore and upon passing one shelf along the way to the door. There’s a book titled in big bold letters “GLUTTONY” staring at us. Hahaha…

Farewell Party

Posted by jepoyzter under Food, Random Post

Last Tuesday, my officemates from my previous job gave me a farewell party after leaving for 2 months. I am very thankful having friends like them. Though just for a very short time, I connected with them and felt very much welcome when I was just starting back 1 and half years ago. Though we all don’t belong in the same department, still we have the same vices. FOOD.

Here are some photos we took that night.

The gals and me:

Jennifer, Diane, Erica, Sylvia, Claire, and Me.

Jennifer, Sylvia, and Claire like me don’t work for the same company anymore. While Diane and Erica, our dynamic duo accountants still loyal and still doing a great job back there. Thanks for keeping my pay roll confidential for the pass 1 1/2 year.

George and Iris on the background, while Steven was behind Jennifer doing the lion’s attack post on her. These two guys are crazy.

Steven and Jennifer pushed it to the limits. See how they eat their burgers? Thats the way you eat it. I guess Jennifer beat Steven in this round. She really has the appetite. Steve still with poise. Hahaha!

Now Allie and Iris, also wants to show all of us they can also do what Steven and Jennifer can do. But theres a lot of people inside the restaurant so they compete who’s burger has the most cheese melt on it and who has the more fries. Hahahaha… Thats the way the girls does it.

Both of them are also no longer working for my previous company.

I say Claire is my big sister in the group. Really an easy going person.

As far as th night goes, I really had a good time. Steven and Claire talked about their vacation on the beach kept me laughing and laughing with their funny stories of boats rides and unusual experiences at the night markets. I never felt bored around them, though some words they used haven’t really registered in my mind. Though I get what they are talking about.

Thanks a lot for a wonderful evening.

Thank God its weekend

Posted by jepoyzter under Food, Random Post, Sport

Let me just start by thanking Gina (Saturday) and Aunt Julie (Sunday) for treating me out for dinner. Thanks Thanks.

Just a few days after our dinner at Spice Market. Michelle told me that Gina is inviting us for dinner. It’s either we go to Swenzens or TGIF. Since its food, nothing will stop me. So  I told Michelle “I’m in” but suggested that we should try other restaurants. I was try to convince her to try OUTBACK for a change. I’ve been to TGIF and Swenzens for many times, and OUTBACK just once plus I was craving for a rib eye steak. Hehehehe… Since my convincing powers didn’t work we headed to TGIF last Saturday and meet up with Gina.

That saturday, I didn’t had lunch nor breakfast. I woke up around 1 in the afternoon and leave the house around quarter to 3. Still sleepy, but tummy is grumbling like a lion’s roar. So we headed to TGIF at DunHua North Road branch, while waiting for Gina. We were browsing through their menu, then I saw a rib eye steak that I was craving for. That thing that only resists me for from ordering a steak is it pricey tag. So it again took me another 5 or 10 minutes flipping through their mmenu. Then Gina came and I already  decided just to go for a Sizzling Chicken and Shrimp which is $300 cheaper. When my food arrives I smell the baked melted mozzarella cheese that triggered my appetite. Everything is tasty, the chicken, the shrimp, the rice, all are seasoned well. I felt the serving is quite big so I have to share.

After a full meal, a long conversation, and we’re about to leave the place. Gina insist on paying the bill, but we tried to resist and failed. See how spoiled I am when it comes to food hahahaha. Still thanks again Gina! I promise will cook Sizzling Chicken and Shrimp when we invade your house.

Sunday. I was really in the mood going to church that day. I slept early and still I didn’t make it to woke up on time. I called up Christian and asked what are his plans. He says he’ll be going to Daan Park park and attend the Philippine Independence Day Celebration held by Filipino communities here in Taiwan. So I guess it will be crowded. So I just told him just call me if he had other plans after the event. Then minutes passed by and he called back and says he’ll be going to practice golf at a driving range in NeiHu. So I went and watch people practice their swings. It’s my first time being in a driving range, and I find golf interesting. But I must say it’s a very expensive sport. Christian showed me some techniques, and I tried swing and hit some balls. Though I really didn’t want people looking a me (a first timer) like a fool, didn’t know what I was doing. Still, it’s a very nice experience and will go back next week. (My hips are aching right now!)

Dinner. Christian invited his Mom over for dinner at a sister’s restaurant in RuiKwang street in NeiHu, JS Lounge 喜悅餐飲. The place is huge enough to host a party, not a typical size for a Taiwanese restaurant. I’ve been invited here by fellow church members several times, but I wasn’t able to make it. Now’s my chance to taste their food, and I ordered a Japanese pork cutlet (Tonkatsu) in curry sauce as recommended by Sis Josie which is her favorite.

While waiting for our food I took just 2 pictures of their interiors, too bad I wasn’t able to take a shot of their reception area.

My dish arrives and the first thing I noticed is the rice, its an organic brown rice. I like brown rice and its good for me.

The pork cut is quite big for one person, even I felt that the portion is big. Still, I managed to finish it till the last curry sauce I can smudge my pork on to. Yum yum

Could there be more weekends like this? hehehe…

泰市場 Spice Market

Posted by jepoyzter under Food

It’s been already a month ago when I receive a discount coupon to Spice Market, courtesy of PC Home. I already told and invited several people I know about it. A month past by and the coupon is about to expire yesterday. Oh well the coupon is not that inviting at all, I have to invite 3 more person to be able to avail the discount so one of us can eat for free (4 persons 1 person free). That’s the deal. One more thing is, you can only use it on weekdays, so weekends and holidays are an exemption. So, since only there were three of us and yesterday is Saturday, we didn’t have the chance to have a discount. But the manager who accommodate us at the counter was very much delighted with my accent (which I always get) and offered us a 10% discount. Well, better than none.

Spice Market is located at 6th Floor of Eslite Bookstore in XinYi District, Taipei (near Taipei 101). This restaurant is the one and only Thai buffet style seafood restaurant in Taipei. With over 70 mouth-watering courses ranging from appetizers, hot stir-fry dishes, soups, curries, satays, milk tea, Thai ice cream, to desserts, and a 100% Thai style atmosphere with timber, Thai silks, spices, and cannaceae, Spice Market is an indulgence for all the senses. According to their site which is very much TRUE. Rated as 5 star restaurant. You’ll really enjoy the food.

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California Maki

Posted by jepoyzter under Food

Yummy self-made California Maki with Michelle’s Help. Michelle whats your verdict? hahahaha

Top Chef: Dale Talde

Posted by jepoyzter under Food

I love watching Bravo TV’s Top Chef. One among the chef contestant is our very own Dale Talde.

Bios via Bravo TV

AGE: 29
HOMETOWN: Chicago, Il
PROFESSION: Sous Chef at Buddakan
CULINARY EDUCATION: Culinary Institute Of America
FAVORITE SIMPLE SPRING RECIPE: Grilled matsutake mushrooms, shaved myoga, spicy truffled ponzu

WINS:
Quick Fire: 1/7
Elimination: 2/7

Dale, a sous chef at Buddakan, one of New York’s hottest restaurants, was born and raised in Chicago, where he helped open the renowned restaurant Jean Georges Vong. In Chicago, Dale worked with distinguished chefs like Carrie Nahabedian and Shawn Mcclain. With his Filipino background, Dale focuses on Asian flavors. “I love the balance that Asian cuisine offers the salty, sweet, bitter and sour and the textures it provides for different experiences in every bite.” One of Dale’s kitchen favorites is a dry aged kobe rib eye. Dale says cooking meats is one of his favorite things to do in the kitchen and the technique that goes into properly searing and basting a rack of lamb or steak shows a lot of love. A motto that drives Dale is “expect perfection , because if you fall short your left with greatness.”

This week’s episode on Top Chef was all about improvising. On the quickfire challege, chef are ask to create a dessert. Most of them don’t do pastries and dessert, so they must improvise a recipe to impress the judge. The quickfire judge Johnny Iuzzini, author and award winning pastry chef. Dale who I didn’t know a filipino (though he look like one) created a dessert which most Filipino people loved, the Halo-Halo. Though it is not the conventional Halo-halo you order at Chowking or at Aling Auring’s Karinderia. The judge being the halo-halo as one of his favorite dessert in the challenge say that the it has a lot of texture and lots of spice. Galing talaga…. But I would prefer if the judge would really taste the real halo-halo itself. I heard that the best Halo-halo in Manila is at Manila Peninsula.

I also remember Mike post on his blog something about halo-halo. So who will treat me for a moth-watering dessert? hehehehe…

So if you’re at the office and reading my blog and wants to have a halo-halo. Call Chowking now!

Cooking…

Posted by jepoyzter under Food

Sauteed Shrimp in Spicy Thai Sauce

did some experimenting in the kitchen hahahaha… I am pleased with the outcome yum yum lalo na yung sauce hihihi… sana dinamihan ko pala.

Let’s Have Lunch

Posted by jepoyzter under Food, Random Post

I remember I posted something on my previous blog on blogspot years ago about what I eat for lunch here in Taiwan. May be I can make a take two about it. In our office most of us goes in groups and more often we go alone for lunch. So today some colleagues ask me if I want to grab a bento-box or what they call them in chinese PianDang or 便當.

Here’s what I had for lunch.

I rarely eat fish. But when I saw it from the glass window, it looks yummy and seems like bought fresh. I prefer steamed fish though, much healthier. And look who’s talking about health. Anyway aside from the very HUGE fish you see on the picture, I also ordered a piece of sausage, bell button mushrooms, toufu, and a cup of rice. The fish really taste great, YUM YUM.

Most foreign peoples comment about bento-box is its oily. Specially when you ordered something fried. But they come  very cheap, price ranges from 40 - 100 bucks per meal. 40 if you only pick veggies and 100 if you like meat. But my fish cost 50 and other all together for 50. So a grand total of 110. Sigh….

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By the way, I have a small plant on my table. I got it from an exchange gift we had here last Christmas. I don’t know what kind of plant it is. They are all starting to sprout. Awwww… that because of too much love and care. Hahahaha

A big guy and a tiny plant.