Puto from Laguna

On the way back from Tagaytay, we decided to have lunch at one of the stops along the SLEX. After our quick meal, we went to check out stuff for pasalubong. We had only bought pineapples by the roadside in Alfonso, Cavite but not everyone likes pineapples as pasalubong. Instead of pasalubong, we ended up buying some snacks and puto for merienda when we reached home.

The rice cake (puto) came in a box. Puto sold in markets usually come in a paper tray wrapped in cling wrap. In some, they are wrapped in banana leaves.

Here's a look at the puto, which is a "putong bigas" meaning its made entirely of rice. Note that other puto can be a mix of rice and regular or typical flour.

Close-up of the puto

The puto was okay but I do have my suki for puto at the Antipolo Market where I can also get the "putong bigas". I would say that the one we get at the market in Antipolo is of the same if not better quality. I wouldn't mind buying this for personal consumption especially when on travel.

 

- 

A quick snack at Dunkin

For some reason, I had a craving for some donuts. If I had the time and money, I would probably get the old-fashioned donuts from Wild Flour. Unfortunately, this was a sudden craving and some less expensive options would suffice. Dunkin Donuts or Dunkin, as they prefer to be called now, is quite accessible and I like their butternut donuts (the regular and chocolate variants). And so I got me a couple of donuts and some iced coffee.

Butternut donut and iced coffee 

 

- 

Cravings for Mango and Sticky Rice

Last week, as we purchased some Cha Yen or Thai Milk Tea at our favorite stall at a nearby mall, I saw their sign stating they had mango and sticky rice for sale. I didn't hesitate to confirm if this was available and ended up ordering one to take home.

The set included sticky rice (malagkit), slices mangoes and a pack of reduced coconut milk (latik).

Mango and sticky rice ready for eating! 

Mango and sticky rice actually directly translates to suman at mangga in Filipino. This is a common food across Southeast Asia. I have enjoyed this while residing in Singapore, and while traveling in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. I assume there's a version in Vietnam, too. I just have yet to try it. I crave for this from time to time and usually get some from Thai restaurants.

- 

Sourdough snack

We usually look for some 'good' bread that we can eat anytime including for afternoon snacks or merienda. For 'normal' bread, usually have a loaf from Fuwa Fuwa. Their breads are better than Gardenia or Marby, which we usually bought at the supermarket. Occasionally, we can get some ciabatta or focaccia. The latter we usually can get from a supermarket selling Village Gourmet breads. Both we can get from the French Baker. While The French Baker is a reliable source of bread and pastries, there are other sources of really good bread. That includes Lartizan, Italiannis and Nono's.

A slice of sourdough for breakfast with a dip made of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The latter mix, of course, was inspired by similar dips restaurants like Italiannis provide as appetizers or starters.

 

Lartizan is a reliable source of breads. There's one at Ayala 30th where we regularly go to because of our daughter's music lessons. And recently I discovered they have a stand at a supermarket branch near White Plains.

More on breads in future posts.

- 

Dessert cum merienda at Mary Grace

We are patrons of Mary Grace Cafe. We are regulars of the branch at the mall near our home but also found Mary Grace as a go to place for when we want to have a good familiar meal and we don't want to risk having a bad one. Whether its a full meal like breakfast, lunch or dinner, or merienda, we have our favorites in the menu. Here are a couple of items we like for afternoon merienda.

Three-cheese ensaymada

Brownie a la mode

 

-

Roberto's "Jumbo" Siopao, Iloilo City

During our meeting at city hall, we were treated to a nice snack by our hosts. The siopao (steamed pork bun) from Roberto's was a welcome snack after a very early breakfast at NAIA Terminal 3 prior to our morning flight to Iloilo. Theirs is supposed to be the best siopao in the city and it certainly did not disappoint.

Roberto's is supposed to be the best siopao in the city

The siopao is revealed

Inside is a savory meat with egg

The siopao was definitely good and did not disappoint. I am not so sure it is the best siopao I've tasted but perhaps it is the best in Iloilo so it should be added to the must eats in the city recognized for its gastronomical delights.

-

A quick snack at Pound, Robinson's Place Manila

We arrived early last Monday for a wedding at one of the hotels in the Mabini area. As we were very early, we didn't want to hang out at the hotel while final arrangements were being made at the venue where both ceremony and reception will take place. Since we were near Robinson's Place Manila, we decided to drop by and have a snack. We had a couple of hours to spare so we had time to go around and see where we can have our merienda. We didn't want to eat a lot because of the dinner that would follow the wedding ceremony. I haven't been to this mall and the wife was there only twice before but for meet-ups with friends over lunch. And so we were both surprised to see a lot of options, a lot of places to eat at that we haven't seen in other malls that we went to before even prior to the pandemic.

One of those was Pound, which had a simple enough menu (for us). And so we ordered some sliders (basically mini burgers) and truffle fries. And we had their house brewed iced tea to wash it down. There were only a few customers when we ate there but eventually more came just as we checked out and decided to start walking back to the lobby for a ride to the hotel.

Sliders and truffle fries

The sliders were good and satisfying. The truffle fries were okay. We probably will eat there again but there's just many other restaurants to try out especially if we'll be back at Robinson's Manila. We'll see...

-

Fluffy mamon by Weekend Whisks

It's almost the weekend and this is sort of a follow-up to a recent post about a friend who started baking during the pandemic. This time, I am featuring the fluffy mamon from Weekend Whisks. Unfortunately though, by the time I came for merienda, the mamon had been depleted so I have no photo of the unopened box.

What remained in the box when I came down for merienda

The mamon when you open the wrapper

 

Contact information

-

Homemade puto (rice cake)

Our daughter usually can't stay put and always is on the lookout for things she can do. Last week, she helped make some puto or steamed rice cakes. It was not from scratch but from a mix I bought months ago at the supermarket as part of the supplies we got for the lockdowns.

Puto of different sizes and shapes

She experimented with the puto dough; producing a cupcake, a ball and what she thought was her version of bibingka (another popular rice cake that's usually made using an oven).

She brought this up to her room where I was in an online meeting. We made her room the best place for online classes (and meetings) so I usually work there in the afternoons after she's done with her school.

 

We thought the puto was good and look forward to more of this in the near future. I was reminded by my daughter to get a box of mix the next time I did our groceries.

-

Soup for the day

I went out on a "date" with our daughter one day after school weeks before this quarantine and she told me on the way to the nearby mall that she was hungry. She said she wanted to have some soup after I told her we'll be getting some bread at French Baker. She likes their pandesal and brownies and likes watching the staff working on the breads and pastries while I paid for our purchases. I was actually surprised when she said that she wanted to have the soup that's inside the bread! She remembered the soup in a bread bowl that we had the last time we had lunch at French Baker, which was months ago.

The soup of the day in a bread bowl

The soup of the day then was chicken noodle soup. We shared the soup and the bread and ordered pasta to share. She said she preferred the pumpkin soup but chicken noodle soup was also her favorite. Our 6-year old has developed a somewhat mature and sophisticated taste (she also like sashimi and pesto). She's also not so picky with food (e.g., eating her vegetables) and has a very good appetite.

-

Morning meal at Changi Terminal 4

I was looking for a quick morning meal when we arrived at Changi's Terminal 4. Fortunately for us, we had a more than 4 hours layover and could have a second breakfast (we had our first on the plane between Manila and Singapore) and lunch before our afternoon connection to Colombo. And so before taking a bus to Terminal 3 for us to check-in to our Sri Lankan Airlines flight, we decided to take our time and have nice warm meals at T4.

I was delighted to see this sign at a restaurant in Changi Terminal 4

My favorite ripe mango with sticky rice with the coconut milk on the side

While this appears to be a snack to many, it is to me a full, light, vegetarian meal. The mango variety in Singapore (and in Thailand where I've also enjoyed this at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport) is different from the ones we have in the Philippines. Of course, I prefer the Philippine mango varieties but there's something about the combination and the freshness of the coconut milk that makes one crave for more of this.

-

The Gardens, The Grove, Pasig City

I was going to go to the airport to fetch the Clairvoyant who was arriving from Hong Kong with her parents. Instead of doing so, however, we decided to just meet up midway as our driver would be the one to fetch them all to the airport. My wife will just be dropped off at our designated meeting place before our driver proceeds to take my in-laws to their home. We agreed to meet up along the route to Quezon City, which was mainly along C-5. The Grove presented itself as a good option as it was near our usual route to our home in Rizal. I thought at first to go to Starbucks to have my drink and some snacks. I found it to be crowded so I checked for other options where I could have my merienda. One place that already got me curious from our previous times there was a quaint restaurant we always say we'd eat at but haven't.

The interiors give you a relaxed feeling. I thought this was a good venue for long conversations or catching up.

The bar is interesting with bottles of a variety of stuff including spices, sauces and beverages.

Orange Julius to cool off on a Sunday afternoon

Fluffy pancakes for merienda while waiting for the wife. Those are maple syrup, bananas and a couple of sausages on the side to make the merienda more satisfying.

I had a good meal and the service is good at The Gardens and will likely eat there again soon. But that next time will be with the wife and our little one. Browsing through their menu, they have a lot of variety and seem to be child-friendly, which is an important feature we look for in restaurants these days.

-

Yellow Lantern Cafe, Antipolo

One afternoon after a trip to the Avilon Zoo in Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal. we decided to make a "merienda" stop along our way home. The Clairvoyant suggested the Yellow Lantern Cafe in Mambugan, Antipolo City. The cafe is located at the initial steep ascent from lower Antipolo to the upper part of the city where there are several establishments offering nice views of Metro Manila. She had eaten there before with an old friend from university and they had a good snack plus the benefit of good wifi.

Tables included those with all seats facing the balcony. Despite the afternoon sun, the cafe benefited from a cool breeze. There were TV screens strategically located around the cafe where they likely show popular programs including probably basketball games or boxing matches.

Staff congregated at the bar for what seemed to be a downtime for everyone. We were told they were busiest after 5PM when people start coming in for the sunsets and later for the cityscapes after dark.

The cafe has air-conditioned rooms for more private functions and I guess you can also have your own karaoke session in those rooms.

We came at a time when there was only us eating there (around 2:30 PM on a holiday). We practically had the entire cafe and staff to ourselves.

Chocnut cheesecake - a definitely "must try" for those eating at the cafe

The cafe offers this view of Metro Manila. It was mid-afternoon when I took this photo so the sun is basically setting towards the west and giving more emphasis on the smog smothering the metropolis. I can imagine this to be a more spectacular view at night when all the lights give a different feel to the cityscape.

Looking at their menu, Yellow Lantern Cafe has good variety and is not your typical "inuman" place. Prices are fair and the selection gives you choices for food whether its for full meals or light ones like the merienda we had. I would say that it is a good place to go to if you want a place to eat at Antipolo without having to go all the way up and to the restaurants further up Sumulong Highway. It affords a great view of Metro Manila, offers good food, and, based on our experience, good service from the staff.

-

Blugre': A Taste of Davao

We were at the Taytay Municipal Hall for a meeting and afterwards wanted to go for some merienda before heading home. We spotted a new cafe at the building just across from the municipal hall. The last time we were here was more than three months ago and this wasn't there before. 

Blugre' Coffee is a popular cafe in Davao City, the hometown of the current President of the Philippines. I haven't seen any branches in Metro Manila and so it came as a pleasant surprise to see this one in Taytay. Here are some photos of the cafe, which opened only last weekend but now enjoys quite a crowd especially municipal hall employees and visitors.

Backdrop, tables and chairs

Counter and merchandise

Beverage and food selections

Novelty drink celebrating the popularity of the current president

We thought their coffee and iced tea were good. I also tried their tuna melt sandwich and it was good, too. The prices are more like Figaro than Starbucks and they do have some unique items on the menu featuring mainly durian. I think the service is good though they are a bit slow to prepare our orders. We thought that this was likely due to their being new so there's definitely room for improvement. We will definitely be back for more coffee, tea and merienda. Maybe next time we will try their meals.

-

Teppanyaki at Somerset

One of the things we missed about Singapore was eating out. After checking in to our hotel, we found ourselves walking to the nearby SMRT station to board a train to Orchard Road. We alighted at Somerset to check out if our old food haunts were still there. We found that there was no longer a Din Tai Fung at the Somerset mall. The old Ramen Play resto was also no longer there. Marche was still there but we decided to go for the teppanyaki at the top of Somerset.

I know its Maundy Thursday but here goes a couple of photos of the set we ordered for our 'heavy merienda'. The Clairvoyant wasn't able to have lunch so we decided to have a heavy enough meal before taking a walk along Orchard Road.

Beef and seafood

Scallops and prawn

The teppanyaki came with a generous serving of salad and a cup of rice. Afterwards, we decided to go around the mall a bit to see what other changes were there before taking our Orchard stroll. More on our Singapore sentimental weekend soon...

-

Snack time at Dunkin Donuts

The wife and I decided to have merienda while waiting for our dog being groomed at the shop beside our vet. Our search for a place to have a snack at led us to a Dunkin Donuts among a bunch of restaurants along Marcos Highway. Dunkin Donuts serves good coffee and the wife wanted to have a cup to go with a donut (we are at a donut shop after all). While looking at the donuts on display, I spotted their sandwich selections and we ended up getting a couple of tuna sandwiches on ciabatta bread.

The branch was made up for Valentine's Day and they had some promos for boxes of donuts

Our sort of a Valentine's date with tuna melt sandwiches, a donut each, coffee for the wife and hot chocolate for me.

The donuts, coffee and chocolate was as expected and satisfying. We were actually surprised that the sandwiches were good. It was a good heavy merienda for us and we had fun talking about how we didn't go on actual Valentine's dates since we got together. It was February the 13th and so we continued with our streak of not dating on the 14th.

-

Off-season delights: puto bumbong

Two Sundays ago after Mass, we decided to pass by the food stalls beneath the church to get our Ally some treats. There are usually home-baked cookies available in at least one stall and these are the chewy kind that are a pleasure to munch on. There is a very popular stall that offers bibingka (grilled rice cakes) and puto bumbong, which are steamed rice cakes cooked in small cylindrical containers (bumbong)that give them their characteristic shape. Puto bumbong is usually something that was sold during the Advent season during Simbang Gabi (night or early morning masses) but now is sold in many places and not necessarily at churches on Sundays. I got a couple of orders of puto bumbong for merienda at home.

Puto bumbong just the way we like it - with grated coconut, butter and sugar

Puto bumbong is among those that I categorize under comfort food. The ones I get at our church are good and definitely brings back a lot of memories when I was young and going to simbang gabi with my friends. I associate such food with Christmas, which is always a happy season for me. It certainly does not hurt reminiscing about Christmas any time of the year.

-

Puto at kutsinta

I always remind myself of our relative proximity to Antipolo's new public market. It is where we get our fresh seafood and vegetables on weekends. We also found good old kakanin or rice cakes being sold there and we quickly made sukis out of some vendors of puto, kutsinta and sapin-sapin.

I prefer "puto sa bilao" or "puto manapla" than the other types of puto that you can buy from the leading bakeshops. The latter are not really puto since many use flour and not rice for the doughs. I prefer the classic puto that you can buy at the market or at shops that specialize in native kakanin. There are still many of these shops around Rizal especially in Cainta, Taytay and Antipolo.

Puto and kutsinta are traditional rice cakes or kakanin. In the photo is puto sa bilao, which is sliced from a giant rice cake on a flat basket (bilao).

Kutsinta is made of glutinous rice and goes very well with shaved coconut.

-

Toasted siopao

There's a current rage for toasted siopao. I first tasted one earlier this year when we purchased a dozen from Balai Pandesal along Commonwealth Avenue in the Fairview area. Customers have a choice between asado (a kind of stew) and bola-bola (meat balls or ground beef/pork). My father-in-law enjoyed the toasted siopao and told us that they were popular in his hometown of Naga City in Camarines Sur. 

We found another bakery, Bicol's Best, near our home and bought a couple of boxes for when we entertained the wife's office-mates one evening. One of her office-mates mentioned that there was another bakery located along Marcos Highway in Antipolo that's become popular with its toasted siopao. I decided to check this out one time on my way home and purchased a box for us to enjoy over merienda.

An acquaintance mentioned TatyStar Bakery located at the commercial center near the Filinvest East main gate along Marcos Highway. It is within the compound and is not visible from the highway.

The box contains 12 buns

A hot toasted bun doesn't look like siopao at all.

Inside is the prize - savory asado with egg

This toasted siopao is certainly something that should weather the fad tag. Of course, there will be those who would quickly join the bandwagon but I guess the really good siopao will eventually survive and outlive those who only wanted to make a quick buck from this trend. Others will perhaps just go back to the steamed original.

-

Balai Pandesal

There is a pandesalan along Commonwealth Avenue in the Fairview district that's been highly recommended by friends residing in the area. Their pandesal is not marketed as "pugon" pandesal, referring to the earthen ovens that use wood as fuel for the fires. However, their pandesal is very tasty and one will surely remark that eating it doesn't require palaman. Since we are usually travel to Novaliches to lunch with my in-laws on Sundays, we quickly became regulars of Balai Pandesal. They also have other bread products like bread loafs, ensaymada (pastry usually topped with cheese or margarine and sugar) and pan de coco (buns with coconut filling). I like their "kalihim" that is basically a roll with a sweet red, blue or mixed sweet filling. These are perfect for merienda with whatever drink on the side.

Balai Pandesal is located along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City in the Fairview area.

Also popular at Balai Pandesal are their toasted siopaos. My father-in-law tells us that toasted siopao is very popular in Bicol and that they enjoyed these during their childhood years back in Naga City. I've seen some shops sprouting around Antipolo selling these toasted siopao claiming theirs to be "Bicol's Best." I have tasted a couple of their asado but I think Balai Pandesal's version is tastier.

Their toasted siopao is good and you have a choice of bola-bola or asado just like the conventional siopao.

So whenever you happen to be in the Fairview area and traveling along Commonwealth Avenue, be sure to try out Balai Pandesal. It's along the northbound side of Commonwealth and right after the Mercury Drug branch across from Puregold. You won't regret it!

-