yes, here it is

The blurb inside the ice cream tub cover says:

"One bite of our Macaroons and we're confident you'll agree they're one of the best. Moist and very chewy, they're made with lightly sweetened milk and mixed in with tender grated coconut shreds oven-baked to perfection. Scattered in a light , buttery classic vanilla ice cream, and swirled with rich caramel fudge, Macaroons in Vanilla ice cream is a combination that's classic and romantic.

We put our ideas where our taste buds lie. That's why at Selecta, we are committed to bring you an exceptional ice cream experience. We lavishly use only the finest milk, chocolates, nuts, and the choicest fruits that nature has to offer. This ice cream is made exclusively for your pleasure, from source to scoop. Created with so much passion, you can taste it.

This paper lining assures you of ice cream that is safely packed and handled with care. Enjoy!"

Wow. I think this is the first time I've actually read what's written on the paper covering the ice cream in the container. As I keep saying, I'm not much of an ice cream person. That's why I'm wondering why I have vivid mind images involving ice cream.

Like:

Driving out to Blue Bell Creameries in Brenham, Texas, in a van full of assorted relatives, having our picnic lunch in somebody's driveway, then laying down among the bluebonnets blooming on the hillsides, to have our pictures taken.

Savoring the absolutely fabulous three-layered chocolate parfait at the Broadway Centrum, in Quezon City, just a few minutes away from my post-grad dormitory.

Eating ice cream with peanut butter at the Insular Hotel in Dumaguete with someone who doesn't even remember that memory.

vanilla and macaroons, by Selecta

I am a cake lover and not an ice cream girl, meaning I can skip a meal just to eat cake and I can be perfectly happy not eating ice cream for a year. Until last Monday, at Jean's birthday dinner, where for dessert we had Selecta's latest flavor, Vanilla and Macaroons. Vanilla is too bland and blah for me, macaroons too oily, but the combination of the two just hit the right spot and I found myself repeatedly digging into the ice cream tub searching for the elusive macaroon, which reminded me of creme brulee and the heavy cheese cupcakes of yore. It was sickeningly sweet, of course, but -_- .

Surfed the net for a pic of this sugar spiking concoction but could not find one! Darn, I so wanted for you to see a picture of it. Now I have no other choice but to get a tub myself, for documentation purposes. ::slurp::

dgte food goes a long way

At this rate, it won't be long before I get really fat.

Last night we were at Nerisse to savor their delish kare-kare and bagoong. With plenty of rice, of course.

And tonight we were at Ka Waway and had one plate of sizzling sisig. Each. The sisig was so spicy hot, a lot of rice was needed to balance the taste. Of course. ;p

So tomorrow, I need to do many pool laps. Some of those laps will be agonizing ones, holding on to a kickboard to make my leg muscles stronger. Agonizing because it is very, very kapoy to swim using ones legs only.

Here, see my very own brand-new kickboard. Between the Spiderman and the Dora the Adventurer designs, it wasn't a difficult decision at all. Besides, when I'm all out of breath and want to quit, I tell myself, persevere and one day you might actually get to swim with the honu in the crystal waters of...

eating durian

and loving it.

The people I know who like to eat the controversial durian do so with an intensity and gusto that border on well, ecstasy. No matter how naysayers try to dissuade them from partaking of the evil-smelling spiny fruit, the durian aficionados just smile their knowing smiles and dig in with alacrity. They claim that whatever (minor) discomfort brought about by the strong smell of the fruit is quickly dispelled by its exquisite taste. So much so that after a while, you'll say, "Smell? What smell? Durian tastes and smells heavenly!"

Here are Abbe, Lai and Chona. Bon appetit!

on your mark...


get set...

a-ha-ha-yummmmm!

Now for the next round

_________________________

p.s.

Just don't get caught with this fruit in Singapore's public transpo system, ok?!

Asa ta mokaon ron?

There's been quite a spate of new restaurants opening in Dumaguete just this past month: there's the newly renovated Kamalig Restaurant that has relocated down the same street but this time very near the Boulevard; there's Chicken Dinagyang which took over the place that Kamalig left, also along Katada Street; there's Sultan's Place beside the newly opened Hotel Nicanor along San Juan Street; and just this week, Ka' Waway along Ma. Cristina Street, just a few steps away from popular FoodNet and Boston Cafe. Italia is also just around the corner but Italia's prices are just too steep for Dumaguete that's why the place is nearly always empty.

According to the waiter, Ka' Waway is named after the owner's son. The owner, by the way, also owns two other restaurants in Dumaguete, Highway 10 and Chicken Ati-atihan. A special feature of Ka' Waway and Highway 10 is the unlimited rice for some orders, a sure hit with rice-loving Dumaguetenos. Chicken Ati-atihan looks kind of run down, though, while Highway 10 and Ka' Waway are noticeably well attended to in terms of interior decoration. Highway 10 is airconditioned and reminds me of a restaurant in Manila (forgot its name) where the floor was checkered black and white vinyl and the food servers were on roller skates. Ka' Waway is an open air place, with a fiesta atmosphere, lots of lights and ceiling fans. I liked the native thingy (was it very thin bamboo?) they wrapped around the posts and some walls.


This is a blurry cellphone photo of Ka' Waway's menu cover. It says "Native Pala-Pala Resto" which reminds me of a saying in Bacolod that goes, "Sa Bacolod ang pera ginapala-ginapiko" alluding to the abundance of wealth in Negros Occidental. I think this is not what is meant by a Pala-Pala Restaurant but when I asked two waiters what pala-pala meant, they didn't know either.

One waiter said it had something to do with having a big fishpond, or a big sea-pond perhaps, as a lot of seafoods were featured in the menu. They have tuna, tangigue, tarugho, bangus, mamsa, maya-maya, lapu-lapu, blue marlin, tuna belly, et al, which you can order su-to-kill, which means sugba-tola-kilaw, or you can have it deep fried or sizzling. They also have nilasing na hipon and squid something together with talaba.



Another interesting feature in their menu is that they have specialties from all over the Philippines like Native Fried Chicken ng Davao, Native Fried Chicken ng Tayasan ( a municipality in Negros Oriental), Pochero ng Bukidnon, Kare-Kare ng Cavite, Bistek Tagalog, atbp. We had the sizzling Pampanga Sisig (without egg please). It was hot, oily and crunchy/rubbery, as sinful sisig should be.

It was a busy night for the waiters who were practically running as the place was jampacked. I am amazed. Dumaguete is changing indeed. Time was when Dumaguetenos preferred to eat at home, as it is so much cheaper than eating in restaurants. Buy fresh and cheap produce from the wet market, cook it at home and voila. Gastric needs satisfied.

I like change. So I'm wondering, where to eat next Sunday?

_________________

Update:

Tried to google what 'pala-pala' means but it was to no avail. Thankfully, there's Facebook and my foodie friend, Carla G., who enlightened me, "It's where you pick the fresh fish and other seafood you like and have it cooked the way you like it done." Ahh! Ok, now I understand! Thanks, Carla. :-)

bountiful harvest

Lots of rambutan fruits from our rambutan tree!

Well, technically it's our neighbor's tree. But since our neighbor is Tita Mary and the fruit-laden branches lean heavily over our yard, then it's practically our tree as well. Heheheh.

red rambutan

open and ready to eat rambutan

sweet dates

Mike's friend gave us a packet of candied dates from the Middle East.

Now unwrapped and ready to yum.
I love the caramel crunch.

Enting's Special of Sagay

We had Father's Day dinner at the popular new restaurant in Tubod, Enting's Special of Sagay. Tonight was the third time that we went there but it was the first time that we were actually able to get seats, because previously, the place was always jampacked. My siblings made sure we had seats by going there early in the evening.

What's so attractive about the place?

grainy signage, by my Nokia
(Sagay is a city in Negros Occidental)

Probably not the name because the first time I heard it, I wrinkled my nose, thinking, wala na bay lain sila mahunahunaan? Then when I saw the signage, I winced, ouch, it's so Bisaya, and the old colonial mentality was perhaps wanting to hear something like Luigi's or Mario's in provincial Dumaguete.

Maybe it's the food. Their food is good, an assortment of fresh raw fish, shells, lukot seaweeds that they'll cook to your specifications, as well as pre-cooked food like kaldereta, nilagang baka, sisig and the like, displayed in big woks with black lids. I wouldn't recommend their chicken barbeque though, as it was quite dry, compared to my most favorite of all, those from City Burger, which are always juicy and savory.

Or maybe it's the price. Sixty to ninety pesos per dish may not be too steep a price for the quality of the food and most especially for the place.

lobby decor: dried flower arrangement, stones in wicker baskets

The Place, which I think is the most attractive feature of the restaurant. There's a big guarded parking lot, which is always full, by the way, and the dining areas are airy and well-lit. There's
visible effort exerted to make the place interesting and pleasing to the eye. I am no good at interior decoration so I don't know if the decor is classy or chic or tacky and kitsch. What I can sense is that the ambiance of the place is a good one. It was a busy night, as usual, and there were some ladies who who were not wearing waitress uniforms but were bussing enthusiastically as well. Maybe they were friends or relatives of the owners, if not the owner's daughters themselves.

As with last year's Father's day outing, there was a booboo again tonight, a minor one though. They ran out of rice so some of us had to go low-carb until towards the end of the evening when the waiters brought in steaming cups of rice, for an upside down dinner of ulam-now-rice-later. A special treat tonight, though, was the surprise candy give-aways they had for all the dads.

Would I recommend the place? Most definitely. Everything but the barbeque. According to the story printed on their disposable placemats, Enting's specialty is really seafoods, which is what I will have next time.

suggested lenten menu

sayote ni manang

bulad pinikas

sari-saring gulay

Edelweiss

One day, one day, I'm going to Europe and see and smell and touch and taste all the amazing things, places and food there!

But that's not going to be happening very soon so while waiting for the perfect time, we just went to this newish restaurant down the street that has fascinated us because of its colorful decor and very foreign-looking ambiance. It is named after the national flower of Switzerland and Austria, the edelweiss, which they claim is the most beautiful flower in the Alps.

Everything about the Edelweiss Austrian Restaurant proclaimed foreign, foreign, foreign. Take for example the subdued lighting, the scalloped checkered curtains with ribbon loops, , the cathedral window lampshades, the upholstered sofas, the wine bottles prominently displayed, the food servers costumed as little milkmaids, and of course, the numerous Caucasian customers. On the scale of 1-10 I'd give the place a grade of 8 for interior design and atmosphere. Not that I'm any good with interior design, I just like the way the place looked. As for atmosphere, maybe it was pleasant because we came early and there were not that many smokers in the room yet.

Their menu was half Austrian and half Filipino and we had some of both. The verdict: the next time we go there we'll be sure to order a Filipino dish, which sort of defeats the purpose of going to a European-themed restaurant if you're going to order Filipino food, right. So maybe we won't go there again, unless we really, really want the "ambiance." Their new milkmaid waitress who attended to us made a blooper. When we asked her if the salad bar was "unlimited" meaning could we go again and again, she said it was. But just to be sure, before we went for the second time to the salad bar, we asked her if she was sure that it was a salad bar buffet and she sheepishly said sorry, dili diay, she made a mistake, that she was just new there. Tsk tsk.

But what I really found delightful about that place was that on the first page of their menu was, in charming, broken English, the legend of edelweiss, the flower of the Alps. The legend goes that (from what I can recall)...

Once upon a time, there was a Snow Queen most fair who lived in a cave in the Alps together with her gnome subjects. One day, a shepherd mistakenly wandered into their cave and heard the Snow Queen singing. He was so enraptured by her beautiful voice that he came day after day and just sat there listening and admiring the Snow Queen. As the menu book said, "they had their love."

Soon the gnomes noticed that their beloved Snow Queen was spending more and more time with the handsome shepherd instead of attending to their needs and they did not like it one bit. So the gnomes planned a rebellion of sorts (I forgot exactly what they did) where the Snow Queen had to make a choice whether to go with her beloved shepherd and become a mortal and plunge her dependent gnomes into orphanhood or give up her forbidden love and face her duties as mother and leader of the gnomes.

And so it came to be, that when decision time came, it was duty first before pleasure and the ill-fated lovers had to part. The Snow Queen's heart was wrenched just so that a single tear fell from her forlorn eyes and when the tear touched the Alpine snow, voila!, the edelweiss was born.

Awww. I love this legend!

coming to fruition

from our (neighbors') yards.


okra flower and fruit. from jovitt's yard. not a lot of people like okra because of the slimy goo inside. just think this way: good for my intestines, good for my skin, vitamins and minerals, kaboom!



green bananas. a.k.a. bulungan variety. from the vacant lot on our right. did you know we have lots and lots of banana varieties in the Philippines? the bulungan banana remains green even when ripe. this used to be my favorite variety when i was a kid. now my favorite is the banana-cue variety. just love all that caramelized sugarrrr.




ze golden coconut. from tita mary's yard. these golden globes are so low lying i can almost reach them. dunno if they can be eaten or if they are just for display. i will ask tita mary tomorrow.

Thai Street Food

Kebabs: pork, pepper, tomato, pineapple chunk. Repeat.

Hotdogs, fishballs, at iba pa on-a-stick

Oodles of noodles for pad thai making. Matatabunan ka sa dami nito.

Sugba-sugba sa kalsada

Thai fried rice in a wok by the sidewalk

Ano kaya ang mga ito? Chicharon chips? Di ko na lang tinanong kasi baka "worms" ang isagot.

Ooops. Thai food seemed to be too spicy for breakfast so some cowards opted to have "safe and familiar" food instead.

this is not a food blog

So I don't know why I keep posting about food and/or drinks. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of perhaps?

Would you like to join me for a surreal garden breakfast of hot tsokolate, red mountain rice puto and malagkit white rice puto?

Mangaon ta!

Berley's

This is an antique house in Dumaguete.

And where or who or what is Berley's?

Berley's is the name of a favorite chocolate drink of yore (circa late 1960's to early '70's), bottled in a curvaceous bottle shaped just like the coca-cola bottle. It was the equivalent of today's Magnolia Chocolait. I searched the internet for information or images of this ancient drink, but (incredulously) could not find any. Not very many people remember Berley's and for a while I thought it was just a figment of my imagination.

But this (yellow arrow points to an) ad on the wooden shade (which was folded up, thus you can't see the ad, sorry!) confirmed that indeed that drink did exist. And Karen, over in Iligan where she said the bombings have stopped, texted just now that she does remember Berley's chocolate drink. So now I can go to sleep, satisfied that now my once-favorite-but-now-non-existent Berley's was real and now rightfully on the internet.

Now to catch that wooden shade down, and take a picture so you can at least see what I'm talking about.

slurrrrp

blue crush and choco-mallow milkshake at cafe antonio

They still have the ultra tasty Pasta Alfredo, except that they ran out of bacon bits tonight.

Dumaguete Delicacies

Ivon's baye-baye, from Bayawan

Made from grounded glutinous rice, cooked with shredded coconut and sugar. Except for the shape, this is similar to the espasol in Luzon, particularly Laguna.

Banana Que Foreverrrrr

Fried saba bananas with caramelized brown sugar, skewered on bamboo sticks for easier biting into. Who can resist these?

Nilung-ag nga saging

My number one favorite of all time. Boiled semi-ripe bananas dipped in fish bagoong. You can also do this with boiled camote and with green mangoes. Or you can use uyap/shrimp bagoong instead of fish bagoong. Yummy all the way. Just watch your blood pressure and blood sugar. ;p

These are not my pictures. Thank you very much to the sources, OTOP (One Town One Product) and Market Manila! Click on the images to see where I got them from.

This post was inspired by some people who said that they missed Dumaguete food. Well, these are just some of our old time favorites. As for the other fave foods, hopefully I will be able to take their pictures myself, sometime this year. ;p

spot the not

This is a Saisaki lechon de leche.

This is a Cebu lechon de bakery, lovingly hand-carried by Lalaine all the way from Cebu, where she was on hospital duty on Christmas eve.

forlorn? burnt to a crisp

all i want...

third Christmas party for 2008

Tonight the Pedia Department and the OB-Surgery Departments of SUMCFI had their Christmas parties at the SUMCFI rooftop and at the Cunningham Hall respectively. Are there more of us or did the Cunningham Hall get smaller that's why it seemed pretty crowded in there? Or maybe there was just so much food that the food tables occupied a big part of the place. The food, by the way, was not catered but lovingly cooked by staff members who, well, love cooking.

On display were lechon, pancit bihon, pancit palabok, fish fillet with vegetables, chopsuey, dinuguan, shrimps, and a lot more but I didn't bother about them as I zeroed in on my all time favorite, the humba. The assortment of desserts was too numerous to count, but I will gladly try: chocolate cake, butter cake, brazo de mercedez, mangoes in cream, fresh fruits, buko salad and some other trays that were empty so I don't know what they contained. This is so typical of Filipino parties. There just has to be a lot of food or a wide assortment to choose from. So unlike the parties in American homes I've been to where there is usually only one main entree.

There was a pre-dinner and a post-dinner program but I didn't stay long because I was not feeling too well. Eat and run, that's what its called.

What I ate, among the abundant array: humba forever, pancit palabok, fish fillet with vegetables, buko salad and pickings of assorted other desserts. "Pickings" means "just a little bit, instead of one whole slice." Hohoho. Looks like I'm not that sick as I don't seem to have lost my appetite.

first Christmas party for 2008

The Dumaguete Doctors Medical and Dialysis Clinic (DDMDC) and the Dumaguete Medical Laboratory (DML) had our Christmas party last Friday, December 5, at the new Ang Tay Golf Course and Country Club where there's a new airconditioned function room and a new cook who whipped up an exotic menu for us. The food was really delicious but the names on the menu were rather unimaginative and made the dishes sound ordinary when in fact they were NOT!


Mixed seafood with bean curd soup

Stuffed chicken

Lo hon chay

Fried Lapu-lapu with sweet and sour sauce

Fried chicken with chicken balls

Fried crabs with chili sauce **my favorite for the night!**

Carved fresh fruits

the young once

Ed, Jon, Joe, Me, Agong, Roy, Lynn

the young ones

some of our staff (nurses and medtechs)

'Some of our staff''! This goes to show that I don't know the names of all our employees. DML has expanded so much (four branches in ten years) so that I have not been able to keep tract of our staff, especially those assigned in Tanjay, Bayawan, Siquijor and Guihulngan.