Monthly Archives: April 2014

Lunch buffet plate – Villa Escudero

Posted on by
21

Lunch buffet plate - Villa Escudero
Grilled fish, pork and chicken, pork apritada (stew), kangkong (water spinach) with shrimp paste, pinakbet (calabaza squash and string beans), pancit, and banana cue (deep fried banana coated in caramelized brown sugar).
Villa Escudero, San Pablo City PHILIPPINES

I was amazed at the variety of food they had especially since the service area was directly in the water! They also kept everything nice and warm, and had servers bring drinks to your table. This was a really fun, new and exciting dining experience. Everyone was just really happy and thankful to be eating at such a great location. And the food was really good too!

Villa Escudero waterfall dining area
It’s SO cool that you get to eat lunch in the water from a waterfall!

Villa Escudero waterfall dining area
The stream flows down through the entire dining area.

Villa Escudero waterfall dining area
You have to be careful though because some of the rocks can be slippery especially closer to the waterfall. Everyone is taking pictures of their experience. 🙂

Villa Escudero waterfall dining area
I would go back just to eat in this amazingly beautiful setting again!

Seafood chowder – Bar Crudo

Posted on by
2

Seafood chowder - Bar Crudo
Fish, mussels, squid, shrimp, potatoes, applewood smoked bacon. Happy hour $6
Bar Crudo, San Francisco CA

Omg, I loved this chowder! It was probably the “meatiest” version I’ve had a long time. It had SO much flavor and the most perfect, silky smooth texture. The seafood ingredients were delicious and abundant – I loved everything about it. NOMS!!!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2012, 2013, 2014

Bread and butter - Bar Crudo
Bread and butter. Complimentary

Sutro Tower
View of Sutro Tower from the Castro.

Stir-fried seasonal vegetables – Panciteria Lido

Posted on by
Reply

Stir-fried seasonal vegetables - Panciteria Lido
With broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, carrots, and celery. 185 PHP
Panciteria Lido, Manila PHILIPPINES

This was ok, nothing special. I’m not sure which vegetables were “seasonal” though. All of them are available year-round! Anyway, I wouldn’t normally order a boring plate of vegetables, but we felt like we probably should have something “healthier” during the trip. 😦

Garlic rice - Panciteria Lido
Garlic rice. 45 PHP
Mmm, I love me some garlic fried rice. And it’s really hard to mess up!

Jose Rizal Monument, Rizal Park
Jose Rizal Monument, Rizal Park.

Dark chocolate ice cream – Caffe Fresco

Posted on by
7

Dark chocolate ice cream - Caffe Fresco
Served with a sweet rolled wafer cookie. Single scoop 55,000 VND
Caffe Fresco, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM

I liked the presentation of this ice cream and that it was served in chilled dish ware. I also liked how they sprinkled a few mini dark chocolate chips on top. I appreciated the details so I didn’t mind paying more than I should have for a single scoop of ice cream.

Single shot iced lattes - Caffe Fresco
Single shot iced lattes. Each 59,000 VND
These were ok, but kinda expensive!

Love sign
Cute “Love” sign in front of the cafe.

Colorful dragon statue
Colorful dragon statue, Cong Vien Cuu Long Park, Cholon (Chinatown).

Peanut adobo – Villa Escudero

Posted on by
1

Peanut adobo - Villa Escudero
Fried peanuts with fried garlic cloves, salt (I’m sure it’s MSG).
Villa Escudero, San Pablo City PHILIPPINES

Omg, these are SO addictive! I think it’s probably the MSG. Thank god I’m not allergic (to either the peanuts or MSG)! We munched on these and drank beer while watching the Filipino dances on stage at the Villa Escudero.

Bamboo raft and water lettuce
Bamboo raft and water lettuce. We rafted in one of these around the lagoon and it was really fun!

Palm leaf bird
Palm leaf bird handed out during their cultural performance.

Crudo sampler – Bar Crudo

Posted on by
2

Crudo sampler - Bar Crudo
(Left to right) Arctic char: horseradish crème fraiche, wasabi tobiko, dill. Scallop: pineapple quince, roasted parsnip, lime caviar yuzu vinaigrette. Butterfish: roasted tomato aioli, asparagus coins, castelvetrano olives, citrus. Yellowtail: grapefruit, fennel, black garlic aioli, meyer lemon. Crudo for 2 $28
Bar Crudo, San Francisco CA

I’ve had this sampler before and it wasn’t as good this time around. The fish didn’t seem as fresh and they were a bit clunky on the plate. The flavors were really complex, interesting and very different between preparations. My favorite was probably the arctic char which is surprising because I’m not a huge horseradish/wasabi fan. I just thought this portion ate the cleanest and was refreshing.

Bon Tempe Lake
Bon Tempe Lake.

Fresh spring rolls – Barbecue Garden

Posted on by
3

Fresh spring rolls - Barbecue Garden
Goi cuon tom thit heo. With shrimp and pork, vermicelli noodles, assorted greens, cucumber, green onion, served with peanut sauce. 24,000 VND
Barbecue Garden, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM

These spring rolls were pretty good and tasted fresh. I was really intrigued by the peanut sauce though. It had so many cool things on top including fried garlics chips. It tasted great, but it was a little on the thick side for my taste.

Tiger draught beer - Barbecue Garden
Tiger draught beer. 330 ml 27,000 VND
Aahh! These beers were SO refreshing and so were the mister fans blowing throughout the dining room.

Barbecue Garden outdoor dining area
Barbecue Garden outdoor dining area.

Cholon Chinese Market
Cho Binh Tay Market, Cholon (Chinatown).

Green ice flake ice cream – Philippine Airlines

Posted on by
4

Green ice flake ice cream - Philippine Airlines
Milk ice cream with toasted coconut. Complimentary
Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to Manila (MNL), Philippine Airlines

Green ice flake ice cream - Philippine Airlines
I don’t know if this frozen dessert would technically qualify as ice cream, but it’s not a big deal. I still enjoyed eating it. It surprising didn’t have that much flavor probably because it was just milk flavored. The toasted coconuts were great for adding both texture and flavor though!

Betelnut and betel leaves
Betelnut and betel leaves, Cholon (Chinatown).

Bbq pork – Hai Lua Food Countryside

Posted on by
Reply

Bbq pork - Hai Lua Food Countryside
Served with rice, tomato, carrot, cucumber, and sweet chili fish sauce. 62,000 VND
Hai Lua Food Countryside, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM

I’ve eaten a lot of Vietnamese grilled pork in my life and I’ll have to say that this was one of the best I’ve had. The pork was juicy and had SO much flavor, but wasn’t too salty like others I’ve tried. Noms!

Moist towelette - Hai Lua Food Countryside
Moist towelette.

Dining area at Hai Lua
Dining area at Hai Lua (aka the middle of the street). 🙂

Xa Loi Pagoda
Xa Loi Pagoda, Temple of the Buddha’s Relic.

Tinola soup – Villa Escudero

Posted on by
2

Tinola soup - Villa Escudero
Chicken, chayote, and chili pepper leaves.
Villa Escudero, San Pablo City PHILIPPINES

I always forget the names of Filipino dishes partly because I don’t remember but also because every dish has multiple names depending on the region. Tinola a very familiar soup that I ate a lot of growing up and it was great to have a nice warm bowl of it during this trip.

AERA Memorial Museum
Inside the AERA Memorial Museum.

AERA Memorial Museum

Pickering Passage oysters – Bar Crudo

Posted on by
Reply

Pickering Passage oysters - Bar Crudo
From Washington state. Served with a mignonette and cocktail sauce. Happy hour $1 each
Bar Crudo, San Francisco CA

Wow, these little oysters were SO tasty! (And SO cheap during happy hour.) We liked them so much that we ordered another half dozen. They were perfect, and I liked that Bar Crudo still had a classy presentation even for happy hour. Loved the seaweed decoration on the plate.

Wines - Bar Crudo
Syrah blend, Chateau de Vaugelas, France, 2010. Happy hour $6
Tariquet, Cote de Gascone, France, 2012. Happy hour $6

Fort Funston
Walking the dog at Fort Funston.