Archive for February 2021
Ushering in the Year of the Ox
Ahead of this year’s Lunar New Year celebration, brought out the panda plush I bought during a layover at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. He’s been the official house mascot for the holiday over the past couple years. I spotted him wearing a brilliant red changshan while browsing one of the terminal’s souvenir shops. He was an impulse buy after picking up some refrigerator magnets and a t-shirt.
In the days heading into the celebration, brainstormed ideas on what should be served to ring in the Year of the Ox.
First and foremost, there needs to be a noodle dish. Noodles on Lunar New Year represent longevity and prosperity, and decided on pansit. Then, after digging through the refrigerator and freezer, went with deep-fried pork belly and dumplings.
Set the table for the day’s feast and ensured there was enough space for everything.
As with every meal, a plate of kimchi was put down first to accompany the meal.
The first dish completed was the pansit.
The traditional Filipino noodle dish was tossed with pork, sausage, and shredded cabbage. The noodles are a favorite regardless of the day and always welcome when present on the dining room table. Honestly, always love any noodles, but these are especially savory.
To accompany the fried dumplings, put together a simple dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. In the end, sprinkled sesame seeds on top.
The dumplings, as usual, came out perfectly crusty on the outside and hot on the inside.
In our house, the deep-fried pork belly first came as an experiment while making fried chicken. After cooking up a batch of crispy fried chicken, battered up some sliced pork belly and it was a hit. So, when trying to come up with an idea for New Year lunch, it was definitely on the mind.
The meal was a welcome greeting for the new Lunar New Year.
Hoping all readers enjoy prosperity in the new year (we all deserve something wonderful to make up for the previous year). 恭喜發財!
Not the average all-you-can-eat wings place
Early morning workouts usually end with strolls through the building where the gym is located. With the gym situated on the third floor of the Villa Angela Hi-Strip, I typically walk back-and-forth between levels scoping out the various businesses in the area. Aside from the gym, there are spas, shops, and cafes.
On the floor below, one place in particular stood out on these walks, a restaurant called Sneakerhead Café & Resto. At the time, they had these large posters advertising unlimited cheeseburgers and unlimited chicken wings promotions. The prospect of either one looked and sounded very intriguing, especially after the gym.
While both options were appealing, what made this place special was the inclusion of unlimited french fries. All-you-can-eat chicken wings continue to be one of the biggest food trends in Bacolod City but every other place only offers unlimited rice (which this place also provides). Locally, rice is a staple and goes with every meal; however, in the west, wings are usually a standalone meal with fries always a welcome addition. The old days (before moving to the Philippines), a big serving of wings and a pitcher of beer always made for a good time.
However, on that first visit, had to see how far I could go with the unlimited cheeseburgers.
Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was the place is bigger than imagined. There is a café area in the front with a nice-looking coffee bar, a main dining area, and a full bar at the end. The restaurant is set up very well and, given current times, there is enough space for social distancing.
The first cheeseburger arrived and it was a sight to behold. It was served piping hot, topped with well-melted cheese (a lot of local cheese products don’t melt), on a uniquely-colored bun, and accompanied by a heaping pile of fries. The burger was great and the fries were perfect.
Managed to take on a second order, along with a third helping of fries.
The visit also happened to take place just at the right time because, towards the end of the meal, was informed the promotion was nearing its end. If Sneakerhead Café brings back the cheeseburger promotion, I would definitely take them up on the offer again!
In addition, also spotted a familiar item on their menu, an onion blossom (aka “a blooming onion”).
After that first trip, I already knew the wings promotion deserved a try.
Among the several flavor options, I ordered the spicy wings and they were delicious. The wings came out fairly quickly and were served hot. Plus, the fries, just like with the cheeseburgers, were perfect.
The promotion also includes bottomless iced tea.
With all-you-can-eat wings restaurants popping up across the city, along with existing places adding such promotions to their menu, Sneakerhead Cafe & Resto is one of the best. Not only do they have flavorful wings at a competitive price with refills that arrive at a good pace, the unlimited fries definitely sets this place apart.
A proper bakery
As a child on visits to the Philippines, my cousin had a bakery where we would visit the kitchen early in the morning and grab some bread, hot and fresh out of the oven. Those memories still stick with me to this day because there really is nothing like fresh baked goods. Moving here as an adult, things have changed, my cousin no longer has the bakery and it is difficult (if not impossible) to find a place that sells fresh quality bread in the morning.
There are corner bakeshops that are usually stocked with bread in the morning but there always seems to be something missing in terms of quality. Many times, once it begins to cool down, the bread becomes excessively crumbly—with every bite, a piece of bread that is supposed to be thick and doughy, is just spilling heaps of crumbs with very little left in the actual piece of bread. Not sure what causes it but would guess the shops are forgoing some ingredients.
On one occasion, had some delicious pan de siosa, a type of pull-apart bread, from a nearby market. When visiting the stand one morning, they informed me the bread they had available was from yesterday and a fresh batch would be ready by that afternoon, around 4:00 p.m. While the honesty is appreciated and, yes, bakeshops should be putting out fresh goods all day long, a fresh morning supply should be a priority.
Are most local bakery owners unwilling to wake up early for their customers? It would explain why so many places serve “all-day breakfast” but aren’t even open until after traditional breakfast time.
Browsing the internet for nearby places to eat, stumbled across the page for a place called Firehook Boulangerie et Patisserie, which is located within the Mountainview Subdivision. Now, upon reading the name, was skeptical since a lot of places give themselves such monikers but sell the same typical baked goods. However, decided to stop by one day and, upon entering, already knew it was different—in a good way.
It’s a small place. On one side, there’s an area where customers can place orders for various items. As for the ready-made stuff, there’s a display with the day’s goods.
Firehook opens in the morning and, despite popping in mid-afternoon, they still had a number of fresh goods available.
One of the items that got me really excited were the cinnamon rolls. First off, they were huge. I can’t recall seeing fresh cinnamon rolls anywhere in the city (although there are certainly pre-packaged ones). The rolls were delicious, flaky, and sweet.
Above the main display, there was an elevated tray under a glass cloche with some yummy-looking brownies. Ordered two. These were chewy and dense with a strong chocolate flavor. The nuts added a much-needed crunch to the richness of the brownie.
The chocolate croissant is very dear to me. A chocolate croissant was enjoyed at least once on each of my several visit to Barcelona. There was a vendor in the city’s famous La Boqueria market that sold fresh chocolate croissants; so fresh that the chocolate was still soft inside, resulting in an amazingly delicious and gooey breakfast.
In addition, have tried a variety of chocolate croissants from an array of locations while working in New York City.
Despite the history with the chocolate croissant, Firehook’s offering was delicious. The croissant was well-made with a generous helping of chocolate throughout the interior (better than some of the ones I’ve had overseas).
Dropped by on another occasion, where I was able to partake in more brownies and another chocolate croissant. Luckily, they had some other treats available this time as well.
The most eye-catching item in the display case was the tray of croissants.
The classic croissant. I have to say, Firehook’s is one of the best. The pasty was perfectly flaky and very buttery. It tasted exactly how it should and, after buying two, had the other one a day after and it was still soft. A really well-made croissant.
On this trip, they also had fresh-baked bread on display.
Decided on a loaf of sourdough. Bringing it home, had to give it a try and that first slice was fantastic. For me, the sign of a really good piece of fresh bread is if it palatable plain, and this fit the bill. The next day, cut a few slices and toasted it with butter, the crust was crispy and the interior had that signature tangy sourdough flavor.
Finished off the loaf by making a breakfast toastie. The toast provided enough support for the sandwich along with providing a welcome crunch.
I am immensely happy to finally find a shop in Bacolod City that provides quality baked goods beyond the standard fare, products with some depth of flavor, and a place that isn’t just following current trends but serving the classics.
DoesThatHelp 