Tuesday, August 30, 2011

DOLORA'S HAUZ OF PANCIT MALABON



Originally known as "Dolor's" to Marikenyos, "Dolora's" continues to serve a family gathering staple: Pancit Malabon. It is a type of local noodle (pancit) that originated from the city of Malabon, with a sauce in orange-reddish color which has fish sauce or paste as its ingredient. Dolora's Pancit Malabon, of course, has a distinct taste, owing it to a secret recipe guarded by the Buntan family.


We usually buy our pancit at the Sto. Nino (J.P. Rizal branch):



The biggest bilao of pancit costs 850 PhP, good for 32 to 34 people, and the smallest is at 120 PhP, good for 2 to 4 persons. To ensure freshness, it is recommended that you consume the pancit within three (3) hours from purchase. I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem, would it?

 The pancit - still untouched...


The pancit is topped with boiled eggs, shrimps, spring onions and homemade chicharon. The chicharon is not your usual pork crackling - it is fatty, chewy, and salty - such sinful goodness.

The pancit just after 10 minutes :D

It is best to order in advance so you wouldn't have to wait as they prepare your pancit. A perfect food to share in parties - in case you run out of ideas, Dolora's Pancit Malabon won't let you down.


DOLORA'S HAUZ OF PANCIT MALABON
394 J.P. Rizal St., Sto. Nino
Marikina City, Metro Manila
With branches in San Roque/Kalumpang/Barangka/Parang
Tel. No.: (02) 942-3485 / (02) 407-4533
Munching Budget per person: starts at 120 PhP


Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

More Reasons to Love QIZIA CAFE


"Qizia what?"

That was my initial reaction when my Mom mentioned that her officemates were raving about this cafe located behind SDS Medical Center, and that I should check it out. I didn't even know how to spell Qizia then! I've been to the cafe only once, and vowed to try their pastries on my next visit.

And on the next visit, not only did I get to try their pastries, I also discovered what QIZIA meant, too. Lifting this off from a page of their menu: 
"QI is believed to be part of every living thing that exists, as a kind of life force or spiritual energy. It is frequently translated as "energy flow" or literally "air" or "breath". ZIA is a sun symbol which originated with the Indians of the Zia Pueblo in ancient times. Its design reflects their tribal philosophy, with its wealth of pantheistic spiritualism teaching the basic harmony of all things in the universe."
So there, QIZIA is a combination of QI and ZIA, meaning the energy of life and harmony of all things. Cool!

Now we go to even cooler things, which is the food that we ordered:

I tried the ham and cheese French toast with potato chips sprinkled with cinnamon, served with strawberry jam (I remember reading maple syrup on the menu, however. Oh well.)

Because I miss Sagada's Yoghurt House so much, I immediately consume the ham part, and ate the cheese part with the strawberry jam - reminiscent of Yoghurt House's strawberry and cheese toast (Except in Sagada I had real strawberries, hihi)

Sweetie ordered the Grilled Fish plate - a dish with a big fish fillet on a yummy garlic sauce, served with (again, a big) grilled prawn and tomato salsa.

For sharing we ordered the grilled chicken pizza - with loads of cheese, peppers and corn kernels. Yum!

Our dinner

Then comes my favorite part as usual: DESSERT!

One of my readers suggested I try the Brazo de Mercedes of Qizia, so this time I made sure I ordered it.

Verdict: It was sooooo yummy! With lots of filling! One of the best I've had, really!

Their chocolate cake is really good too! The chocolate studs at the end of the cake make this treat even sweeter.

And the reason why I'll keep coming back to Qizia? THE CARROT CUPCAKE! The muffin is chunky-full of carrot and raisins, and the frosting is really good... Perfect for my sweet tooth! (Or teeth.) You can also order this as a regular cupcake, or its sugar-free version!

Good food at very affordable prices. Have your energy balance checked + food craving sated at Qizia today!


QIZIA CAFE
SDS Medical Center Compound, Katipunan Ext. cor Pio del Pilar St. Concepcion II
Marikina City, Metro Manila
Tel. No.: (02) 489-0760
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP


Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Monday, August 15, 2011

More Reasons to Love CAFE KAPITAN


Finding ourselves once more at the cafe with lovely interiors: Cafe Kapitan, to have lunch with Sweetie's balikbayan Aunt (Hi Tita! hihi).

We pre-ordered a PAELLA for lunch, which we weren't able to try last time. You have to order at least an hour in advance for the paella because it takes quite long to prepare. (Side story: I remember the receptionist asking when I made the call about the paella serving sizes - "how many males and females in the group"? Are males perceived to eat that much rice? :p)

We arrived at around 1 p.m. and the place was quiet and relaxing as usual. We ordered two dishes to go with the paella - sweet and sour fish, and crunchy fish sticks:

Sweet and Sour Fish

Fish Sticks with Tartar Sauce

Ordering these two additional dishes, technically, was wrong. In a food show I watched years ago, the host mentioned that when you serve paella for dinner or for any event, you do not serve anything else. The reason behind this is the paella being so rich in itself that you wouldn't need any other dish to go with it. But hey, who makes the rules for the tummy, right?


Since the paella is full of seafood, this is called the "paella de marisco", one of its most common types. Two other paellas that are popular are the "paella valenciana" (whose complete ingredient list of this era is as follows: short-grain white rice, chicken, rabbit, snails (optional), duck (optional), butter beans, great northern beans, runner beans, artichoke (a substitute for runner beans in the winter), tomatoes, fresh rosemary, sweet paprika, saffron, garlic (optional), salt, olive oil and water. (Poorer Valencians, however, sometimes used nothing more than snails for meat.), and the other one is "paella mixta" (mixed paella). Thank you Wiki for this information!


We loved the texture of the rice and the aroma of saffron infused into this dish. It was indeed a heavy meal that we didn't finish the "small" serving, hehe!

Try Cafe Kapitan's PAELLA (575 PhP small, 675 PhP medium, 775 PhP large) :)

There's also a wishing well inside that is beginning to get filled with different currencies too! Make a wish!


CAFE KAPITAN
Ground Floor, Kapitan Moy Building
Sta. Elena, Marikina City, Metro Manila
Right across Our Lady of the Abandoned Church
Opens daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tel. No.: (0918) 933-7896 / (02) 646-4303
Munching Budget per person: starts at 150 PhP


Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Even More Reasons to Love OGGO AND JULLZ


Yes, we're back at Oggo and Jullz earlier today. This is part 1 of our lovely sister's treat for her *toot*. (Yes, sometimes things are best kept as secrets - oh why do I even write it here? Hehe.)

We ordered dishes that we still haven't tried before - exhausting the menu, as usual. In my previous posts about Oggo and Jullz, we munched on both grilled and sizzling - and of course, we never failed to order THE Banoffee pie.

FREE PEANUTS! (Sometimes they serve chichacorn)

We tried their value meals! Served with rice and iced tea, prices range from 50 to 60 pesos. Cool huh?

BURGER STEAK MEAL. The patties taste homemade and not commercial. The gravy goes well with the burgers too!

 LUMPIANG SHANGHAI MEAL. Crunchy shanghai served with the classic catsup. So simple yet so filling.

PORKCHOP MEAL. Crispy breaded porkchop + catsup = You can never go wrong!

We also ordered some entrees:

Their CRISPY PORK SISIG (They call it C.P.S.) was such nice surprise!! It was very flavorful and very crunchy. I couldn't resist scooping more onto my plate. :D I am including this in my 'favorites' list. Make sure you order this when you visit Oggo and Jullz!

The PINAKBET CON LECHON was also a hit! The veggies were fresh and not overcooked at all, they were crisp and flavorful, the ampalaya (bitter gourd) was cooked right, and the pieces of lechon kawali completed the whole dish.

Even with our bellies bursting with all the food we just ate, we still had room for dessert. I think it is genetic: that small stomach space shaped like a slice of cake - we all have it.

The BANOFFEE PIE! Yum! I don't think there will ever be a visit to Oggo and Jullz that would lack even a slice of Banoffee pie.

Our recent, delicious discovery: THE MANGO RAPSA! Rapsa talaga! Mangoes, cream, graham and syrup. A treat we'll always be ordering from now on along with the classic Banoffee.

Their FRUIT SALAD has a new, fancier look - with tastier toppings too! I remember our first visit to Oggo and Jullz, the fruit salad was served in cups. Good thing they took it up a notch and made this sweet treat even... sweeter. :)


OGGO AND JULLZ Resto Grill
727 J.P. Rizal Street, Malanday, Marikina City
Tel. No.: (02) 227-6869
Visit their website here.
Right across South Supermarket
Munching Budget per person: starts at 50 PhP


Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni
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