What Can a Vegetarian Eat in a Buffet?

Queen J's ninang and I used to share a love for seafood and lamb chops. She asked Ma if I will stay a vegetarian forever, but my mom doesn't really know, neither do I. As I won't be indulging in anymore fresh seafoods and grilled lamb chops, I'm glad I was still invited to her birthday celebration at Spiral in Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

Here are what I ate:

Indian and Japanese

Salad, pizza, and lots of cheese

Indulging my sweet tooth, Dessert part 1

Dessert part 2: I traded my old favorites, lamb chops and sea bass, for papaya and honey dew melon

Dessert part 3

Decaf coffee so I'd be able to sleep soundly

My doc prescribed some medicine for my ulcer and I think it made me lose my appetite. I'm glad he did not forbid me to drink coffee and only advised me to lessen my intake. Ma has been bugging me to stop drinking coffee. Then I will have to change this blog from a coffee to a food lover's blog, which is probably what this is already.

It was a weeknight but Spiral was packed, another testament to the Philippines' booming economy. Among the guests was Former First Lady Imelda Marcos garbed in her classic baro't saya in navy blue and her hair in her signature up 'do. On the other hand, former President Cory Aquino is bravely fighting her battle against colon cancer.

And on to more self-indulgence...

Queen J helped me take this pic. I think she'll make a good photography director or a boot camp counsellor. "Okay ready suck that stomach in..suck it in!" -I'm already sucking it in. "I can still see it. suck. it. in."

Mr. Shin Is Back!

Mr. Shin fans come and rejoice for the master "perm-er" is back. Formerly of Ark Salon, he was the go-to person for the sweet-looking soft curls which was the trend a few years ago. I used to go to him for my haircuts and some coloring jobs.

Before I went to HK and switched to Japanese salon Hair Do, he did a wonderful job turning me into a brunette. According to Mr. Shin, my hair is too thick so the normally half-an-hour dye job took 2 hours on my hair for the color to take.

He charged me Php 2k for my shoulder-length hair (perhaps cheaper for those with finer hair), and he would normally throw in a free haircut, which used to cost Php 400, with a hair color/perm/straightening service.

I know a few who were devastated when he packed up and left the Philippines, but mourn no more for he's back and hopefully with some new tricks.

CPK Phil. - What Happened?

Warning: The next 2 paragraphs contain rants and may be dangerous to one's mental health.

Location: California Pizza Kitchen, Edsa Shangri-La Plaza Mall

Why was there: a lipstick mark on my sister's fork even before she used it? a shred of aluminum foil stuck to my ready-to-eat tortilla roll? a pitcher left on the ledge exactly behind where my ma was seated - what if someone accidently tipped it over and the contents spilled on my ma's head? Why did the server have to lean over so much, while explaining why so many items on the menu were not available, he had to lay his hand on the middle of our table to support himself - it is flu season and this is not hygienic?

To be fair, the food was great.

Mediterranean tortilla roll

Thai style noodles

Five cheese and tomatoes pizza

On another note: Why are there no sidewalks on the streets here? Why are there no streetlights? Why don't drivers give pedestrians walking along the zebra cross the right of way? And I could go on and on and on...

I was so disappointed with dinner that I felt so drained afterwards. Then Queen J took this pic of me and it made me smile...

It's not much, but it's my first full body shot.

My jeans and shoes upon closer inspection

And then I remembered I took this shot when I scanned my pic folder and it made me smile some more. The bucket hat is from the Albertus Swanepoel for Gap's CFDA Vogue 2009 collection. I think it's cute but I'm not really a hat person, Queen J is, so I modeled it while Ma and Sis were busy trying on the stuff they found.

Eastwood, Cyma, Bizu

The last time I had been to Eastwood was in 2006, 3 years ago. City Walk was not one of my favorite malls because I felt the low ceiling to be very constricting, so I was awed when I saw the newly constructed Eastwood Mall last night.

This is the Las Vegas/Macau-ish view when dining al fresco. The fountain is sound sensitive and follows the beat of the music being played. Cool.

The wide and spacious aisles and the yellow lights give the mall a relaxing atmosphere.

I like the cute chandelier.

Then this is me after changing the settings on my cam. The place looks even better. I wonder what a nice DSLR can do.

After my very yummy lunch experience in Cyma, Shangri-La Plaza the last time I was in Manila, I especially requested JT and JU (I never noticed this before, but when they get married they will have the same initials. Hehe) to take me to Cyma. Then I found out they just dined there this week so I love them for agreeing to take me there!

We shared the Spinach and Artichoke Fondue and Roka Salata (fresh romaine and arugula salad with sweet walnuts and cheese), and I ordered the Yemistes (rice pilaf with tomatoes, raisins and pine nuts served in a gigantic green pepper). I was a little disappointed that the food in Eastwood Mall last night was not as good as the meal I had in Shangri-La Plaza. The cooking did not bring out the flavor of the pine nuts in my Yemistes, while the fondue didn't have artichoke chunks which I loved the last time I ordered it. According to JT and JU, the Roka Salata, which they always order, was not consistent with their last Cyma meal in Greenbelt, too. Hmm different chefs I guess.

Grilled chicken

Grilled salmon

I have been reading a few fashion blogs lately and I was inspired to take some full body pictures of my outfit last night. I didn't realize that taking a full body pic that doesn't look like one is cam-whoring involves a lengthy thought process. Needless to say, my efforts was nothing compared to the ones in lookbook.nu. Haha

After a late night watching Public Enemies, which according to JT was "ang pangit" (very ugly), Ma woke me up at 745 am today to have breakfast at Bizu, my no. 1 favorite breakfast place here. While waiting for my turn in the toilet, I read Bizu's mission statement, which was laminated and posted outside the kitchen. It went something like "to be an innovative pastry shop that offers quality service to sophisticated and discriminating Filipinos." (The words and phrasing were altered based on what I can remember from what I read. I doubt the staff would allow me to take a pic.) In addition to this, there was a step-by-step guide on how to wait on the guests. I was impressed; I have always found Bizu's customer service commendable. Now I know why.

I heart Bizu's very sophisticated interior design and choice of color. Queen J was very reluctant to wake up to have breakfast with us so I played some Rihanna songs to perk her up.

The bestselling Bizu wheat bread and very strong Bizu coffee.

I ordered my favorite wild mushroom omelette with focaccia bread and bottomless coffee. Yum!

A Mt. Pinatubo discussion was brought up last night. I really hope we push through. I saw some very surreal pics posted on Facebook, and I want to see this out-of-this-world place for myself. If you have any info, pls send me a message!

The Bomb

The Bomb from Tender Bob's is a baked side dish made of thinly sliced skinless potato with cream and mayonnaise. Discovered by accident a few years ago, The Bomb is a uniquely simple but undeniably sinful side dish with an interesting name, and it remains one of my favorite side dishes of all time.

Enjoy and indulge!

Vegetarian - 3 Months On

Today marks the end of my third month as a vegetarian. No cheating. Except on the few occasions that I ordered a vegetarian dish without verifying first with the server that the dish didn't have any meat in it.

I must say I'm more successful now than my first attempt to go veg 2 years ago. Inspired by my mom who became visibly slimmer after turning vegetarian, I followed her footsteps and traded meat for salad. But after relapsing many, many times during the following months and eventually settling as a pesco-vegetarian (fish-eating vegetarian), I finally went back to my meat-eating habits. Looking back, I now know what had caused me to fail as a vegetarian then.

First, I plunged into the whole idea without doing some research first. Meat represents the protein and fat in my diet. Without meat, I was eating mostly carbs and fiber which caused me to constantly feel unsatisfied and hungry. Next, my reason for turning veg was not convincing enough to myself. While I wanted to slim down, I enjoyed eating more. Finally, my friends and family all seemed to have an opinion about being a vegetarian, and I allowed them (mostly old family friends) to convince me to eat meat when I ate out with them. In the end, I was simply not ready.

Now, I know that beans and nuts are a good source of protein and fat. I turned vegetarian without a lifelong promise. I first tried it again for a week to support Earth Day on April 22 and continued from there. Finally, I didn't announce my conversion to everyone to keep non-supporters at bay.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend asked me what the advantages of being a vegetarian are. Unfortunately, I had never thought this question through and I'm afraid I didn't answer the question properly, which made me a poor advocate of a vegetarian lifestyle. (Don't worry, I don't preach about the advantages of being a vegetarian.)

So I will try to answer the question again. The first thing I noticed was my skin became glowing, and a friend who I hadn't seen for 2 months also told me so. My digestion and eating habits improved immensely. By eating natural foods like fruits and vegetables, I was finally able to let go of my addiction to salty junk food. I also discharged regularly and easily. Finally, I had been told by a few people that I looked slimmer. *big grin*

A Trip Down Memory Lane

N and I and met last night to dine at our all-time favorite restaurant, Cibo, and to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

During our uni days, N was my default date as we had almost all our classes together, and we both enjoyed eating out and watching movies. I remember discovering and getting addicted to the trial McDonald's rice burger and telling him about it and him getting addicted to it as well. N was also the witness to my many mishaps involving slippery floors and accident-prone flip-flops.

Going back to last night, N ordered our favorite dish in Cibo, shrimp pasta with tomato sauce and cream. Unfortunately, I cannot share this with him now, so I ordered a Farfalle Genovese or pasta with creamy pesto sauce and mushroom, and potato chips for starters.

I think the meal was pretty good. The potato chips with mayo dip was as good as I remembered, but with my current taste for healthy dishes, I think it can be a little less salty. The pasta was "al dente" and Queen J would love it, but with my Chinese food-trained taste buds, I would like to have pasta that's just the slightest bit overcooked.

We headed to our movie, which was good (a great accompaniment to the book but definitely not a replacement), with the heaviest of stomachs from our filling dinner. On the way up the escalators, I almost lost my footing and had to grab on to N for support. I guess some things really never change.

Bibimbap Fest

Last night, the parents took Queen J and me to the main branch of Kaya Korean Restaurant at 62 Jupiter Street in Makati. This Kaya is the mother of all other Kaya branches around Manila, but unlike its franchises, the main branch has a more fine dining atmosphere in terms of quality of food and service. The main Kaya also offers Korean barbecue not available in the franchises.

The main Kaya serves free Korean appetizers, which last night included kimchi, lettuce kimchi, spicy squid tentacles, radish kimchi, boiled bean sprout, and boiled kangkong. We all loved the bean sprout and kangkong and asked for multiple refills.

Being vegetarians, Mom, Dad and I all ordered the Dolsot Bibimbap with the meat requested to be removed. I learned that a Dolsot Bibimbap is similar to a Bibimbap, which is simply rice topped with assorted vegetables and fried egg, except the Dolsot Bibimbap is served in a hot stone pot. Queen J ordered a beef dolsot bibimbap.

(My Dolsot Bibimbap as it was originally served.)

(My DB after mixing it up.)

We also ordered a kimchi pancake for sharing. The kimchi pancake here was made with very little flour so the pancake was thin, crunchy and tasty.

The complimentary barley tea also deserves to be mentioned because it was both fragrant and full of flavor. I was delighted to learn that they serve a cold version of the service tea, which was also free. This is great for those who, like me, love a cold glass of tea minus the heaps of sugar normally added to iced tea served in most restaurants.

For dessert, we were served a slice of complimentary pineapple and a cinnamon drink served in a tiny bowl. The drink is a staple in most fine dining Korean restaurants, and it is for drinking and NOT for washing greasy fingers as I first thought when I was at a Korean restaurant in HK. *embarrassed*

The service in the main Kaya was wonderful. Everyone was friendly, courteous and attentive, from the parking attendants to the servers and managers.

Finally, the prices of the food here is already inclusive of the 12% VAT, so while an order of the Dolsot Bibimbap costs Php 310 plus 10% service charge, this already includes free appetizers, drinks and dessert, making the whole meal totally worth it.

(A very satisfied me after the meal, which I did not finish but took home in a doggy bag.)

The Unadventurous HK-er

On Sunday, July 5th, DJ, M, J, F, H and E came to Hong Kong, and I tagged along with them for most of the last 4 days. While I have been living here for 2 years now, I still had a lot of firsts during their trip.

My first time to try Din Tai Fung (DTF) in HK - Originating from Taiwan, DTF is famous for its xiao long bao or soup dumpling. Apart from the XLB, DTF serves dumplings with different fillings such as chopped green leafy vegetables, red bean, and sticky rice. DJ, M and I first tried DTF in Taiwan during our 3-week Taiwan tour in 2006, and as I recall, we were all very satisfied with the meal. (http://footprintsacrosstaiwan.blogspot.com/2006/06/very-vertical-day.html)

DTF in HK is located in Silver Cord along Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Luckily, we got there early because the line was really long when we left after an hour. I ordered the only vegetarian dumplings (HKD 50) in the menu and shared the red bean dumpling (HKD 33) with DJ. I loved both orders but found the skin of the dumplings a bit dry and therefore a little hard.

My first time to go to Citygate Outlets in Tung Chung - I am amazed to find that CO is set up just like any mall and is very organized. Some brands located in CO are CK Underwear, Coach, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry, I.T., Nike, Esprit, etc. I picked up some really cheap stuff in Nike (HKD 170 for a pair of cropped pants marked down from HKD 319). The Pacific Coffee, situated in the middle of the 3rd level, is a good place to hang after shopping. The ceiling is high and the place is spacious and filled with couches. Novotel Citygate is connected to CO and a Taste grocery can be found at the basement.

My first time to visit Delay No Mall at 68 Yee Wo Street, CWB, beside Regal Hotel HK (http://www.delaynomall.com/shopping.php) - DNM is a new mini shopping mall filled with cute toys, avant-garde clothing, and a small fast food place. The DNM shop, which is run by the same company as G.O.D. (Goods of Desire), sells shirts, shades, bags, pouches, etc. DNM has a line with the "Delay No More" message, which DJ liked.

I tried a mini cupcake called Red Velvet (HKD 13) in Babycakes. The pastel-shaded walls of Babycakes reminded me of the interiors of Cupcakes by Sonja in Serendra. While the cupcake was not too sweet which I liked, it was not really memorable. DJ got a burger in Absolute Burger and I tried their very greasy mushroom fries (HKD 22). There weren't a lot of people in DNM when we were there, and I wondered about the profits that the businesses in it make.

My first time to eat at Ricks in SoHo - Originally, DJ and I were looking for Olympia Graeco-Egyptian Coffee, a famous coffee shop in SoHo, which according to DJ's research is located at "the top." Unfortunately, we did not find the place and only discovered later that the address is 24 Old Bailey Street. We stopped by Ricks to grab some lunch. Ricks is a Greek restaurant located along Elgin Street across Fat Angelo's. All the servers are Filipinos and upon overhearing DJ and me conversing in Tagalog, they then started talking to us in Tagalog. DJ ordered the salmon salad lunch set which came with leek soup, salad topped with a thick slice of salmon, a piece of tiramisu cake, and a cup of coffee (HKD 78 all). I got a baked eggplant topped with tomato sauce and cheese (HKD 68). The food was filling and fresh. The servers were a tad too friendly but I didn't mind as I was given a free cup of freshly brewed Lavazza coffee. DJ said the cake and coffee combination was so French, to which I replied: It's le best.

My first time to take friends to a Dai Pai Dong - DPDs are HK eateries that serve authentic HK food. DPDs are normally messy, noisy and not the cleanest place to eat. Tables are set up along the streets to accommodate the large number of guests, and courteous customer service is not to be expected except from the beer promo girls.

I took everyone to Tung Po, a DPD located on the 2nd floor of the Java Road Municipal Services Building across exit A1 of the North Point MTR station. There are actually 3 to 4 restaurants here but Tung Po, which is packed even on weeknights, is the most popular. Dinner starts at 530pm and TP now has an English menu and an English-speaking maitre d with an afro haircut for its growing tourist clientele.

I always looked forward to coming here whenever I came to HK. The culinary skills of the chefs here is incomparable to anything in HK. Should TP move to a better location and use nicer utensils, I'm sure the price of the dishes will be more than double the current price. The menu offers many different dishes, all of them tasty, but TP's specialty is fresh seafood. My personal favorite before was the fried spareribs with mayonnaise and sesame seeds (sha lat kwut in Cantonese).

My first time to try Lucky Dessert across World Trade Centre in CWB - J suggested the place to us. As I just finished a huge vegetarian lunch in Kung Tak Lam at the 10th floor of the World Trade Centre, DJ and I shared a sweet, steamed banana with chocolate wrapped in crispy crepe wrapper, which was served hot.

It has been a crazy 4 days of non-stop walking both in the rain and under the intense heat of the July sun, culminating in me getting a huge bruise on my poor thigh.

Next stop on my schedule: Hello again, Manila love. Kiss kiss!

*I almost always forget to take pictures. I'm getting better at remembering, though, I now take pics of the food. Hopefully, next time I remember to take photos of the people too.