UBE-fever invades dream cake

It's been awhile since I created a post... been too busy with life and work, but I never really stop eating. 

In the coming days will be posting more...promise! 

Alot of my friends and family know that i'm very picky with my cakes; like i prefer certain brands not because of their name or price, but because it's the only cake that I like. When dream cakes started going viral, i automatically joined the bandwagon and tried almost all "branded" dreamcakes available in the market. 

I got too tired easily though coz of the "umay" factor in most of them, and yes, some of sponges they use are not that great either...they're either too moist or dense that after being in the fridge for awhile, it just tastes argh...

However, someone gifted my mom on her birthday an Ube dream cake-ish.  Hesitant to try it, coz I dont really like Ube being something else aside from Halaya and putting it as a topping on Halo-Halo... 

But my mom insisted that I should try it coz it came from the same dessert shop where we got one of the best carrot cakes in town.  

True enough, the Ube cake didn't disappoint.  It wasn't exactly a dream cake as they used regular icing.  It wasn't too sweet, neither the taste of the Ube was overpowering.

You can also taste the Ube in the cake, but not overbearing.  I love how it melts in your mouth, and you can eat a big chunk of it, because it's just your typical cake placed inside a tin can.

I'm beginning to think that this dessert shop has potential...hehehe... I already like 2 of its products, carrot cake ( which I'm not really a fan of) and this Ube in a tin can cake...

Honestly, I would like to promote this cafe since i'm all for supporting locals.  And who knows, when this pandemic is over, I could try their other products as well.

My disappointing experience with Kuya J's

photo credit: ebusinessfoodies.wordpress.com

It was our usual Sunday brunch.  We didn't wanna go anywhere far because of traffic and we're actually too lazy to even dress up, so decided to just pick a restaurant inside SM Pampanga, since we have plans of doing some shopping afterwards anyway.

I picked Kuya J's...I've heard some good reviews about this Filipino restaurant and since it was relatively empty when we got there; we thought, "ok, why not?"

Mom wanted Crispy Pata... Sister said she tried the dynamites here once and she liked them, and dad...well, dad will eat anything...

So, we ordered Crispy Pata, Kare-kareng Bagnet, Pinakbet and Relyenong Talong... The Dynamites I asked them to serve first. (sorry, i forgot to take pictures of them)

We all loved the Chorizo Dinamitas... They're sweet, not too spicy but definitely had some kick into them... The mayo dip wasn't too overpowering...but even without it, you can still enjoy the dinamitas.

Then came our entrees...

Pinakbet

Why would you waste such fresh vegetables?  Seriously, the sauce, which was supposed to be infused with bagoong was way too bland... (walang lasa)... the vegetables were well-cooked, with still a bite into them.  I just dont like how the calabasa (winter squash) were so thinly sliced... are you kidding me?

Relyenong Talong

We were wondering what's inside the talong aside from the meat? Definitely it's not cheese, but it's creamy and it was well-incorporated with the meat.  We suspected it was mayonnaise but we couldn't ask the waiters, coz by the time we started eating, the place is slowly getting full.

Kare-kareng Bagnet

Kare-kare is my all time favorite dish... I can eat it everyday; I like it with pork knuckles, I love it with ox tripes, with oxtail, with seafood, with pork belly, or even with just vegetables....That's how much i love Kare-kare...So when I saw that their Kare-kare has Bagnet, argh!!!order it!!!

Disappointed will be an understatement!First, the good part: The bagnet was well-cooked.  It was crispy, not too oily...But even that couldn't save this argghhh disappointing dish.  The peanut sauce, there's nothing peanut-ty about it.  The moment they served it at our table, when I saw the color of the sauce, I didn't say anything, but I knew then that I wouldn't enjoy it.

My mom didn't even touch it.  She settled in with the other food on the table...

Crispy Pata

This was the saving grace of our meal...aside from the Chorizo Dinamitas.... It was "sarap to the bones" (shoutout to Max's)... The balat was so crispy and yet the meat was tender.  Having two senior citizens, they didn't complain about eating the pata... Actually, they ate most of the Pata...It was well-seasoned.  You dont need the toyo-sibuyas-sili...it's like, "one more rice pa kuya!"

My sister before we ended our meal, ordered the baked scallops... I thought I took a picture of it but apparently, i was too disappointed with the Kare-kare that I just ate in silence...

But the scallops weren't bad.  They were delicious actually. the velvety texture of the melted cheese, hint of garlic and butter, oh cholesterol...

Would I want to eat again at Kuya J's?  I dont know... Maybe just an order of Crispy Pata for take-out.  But who knows, there are other dishes on their menu that I would still want to try.  Let's see...

Of family affairs and good food

Denlim's Kitchen

Denlim's Kitchen is the "IT" restaurant in Pampanga since early 2015.  What's neat about this place is that it's not even a real restaurant, just a part of a house wherein they put up a massive chunk of table with Den Lim (owner) cooks in front of his guests.

Reservations here take a while.  So if you plan on having dinner here in December, I suggest you better make a reservation as early as, last May?! 

My sister set up our reservation, i think 3 months in advance.  Her boyfriend was coming in December, and she wants the family to have a formal meal before we send him off to San Francisco again.  (This is my long-overdue post regarding our dinner)

I already mentioned in my previous blogs that I don't easily get amaze by high-priced food...especially if it's Filipino cuisine... Just coz I know how to cook it, therefore I have high expectations about it.  "mahal" doesn't necessarily equate to good food to me.

Our menu for the night:

Bread and Spread

The bread... I think it was ciabatta and cheese pimiento.  Each guest gets one bread, fair enough.
Because I don't think i'll stop eating them and end up spoiling my appetite for the rest of the meal. The spread, argh!!!i'm a sucker for cheese pimiento...Den told us that it's your typical cheese pimiento dip, I'm like in my head "I dont think so!"...

Mussels in white wine and garlic oil

Some people would shy away from eating mussels at night.  However, my family, especially my sister, loves mussels.  These mussels are plump... They tasted fresh, like fresh out of the ocean.  The white wine reduction combined with the garlic oil, just perfect.

Pasta Aglo Olio

I'm a certified chef, if I haven't mentioned that in my previous blogs, well, i'm saying it now.  Some dishes, the less the ingredients are, the more I'm afraid of cooking them.  Take this Aglo Olio pasta, each chef can tell you that they have their own version of this dish.  It's simple to make, with what, around five ingredients only?!...But I tell you, not all have perfected this dish.  It's a matter of a perfect blend of the olive oil and garlic.  This one, one of the best Aglo Olio i've had in recent years.

Oriental Cashew Salad

This is definitely my favorite!!! It's so refreshing.  The picture do not give justice to it.  As they say, in food, your eyes eat first before your mouth.  You get satisfied aesthetically, with all the vibrant colors from the vegetables; then you bite into it and its like you're eating a garden.  The bell peppers, lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, peanuts and cashew...I can just go on and on...

Classic Chicken Roast

If you want your guests to enjoy their meal, always have chicken.  Chicken is like a staple in every meal we have as a family.  Whether it's fried, roasted, b-b-q, that's how much we love our chicken.  So, my sister decided to order the classic roasted chicken.  It tasted sweet.  I had to make a double, triple bite into it because I thought it was BBQed, but it's roasted. I assumed there's some aged balsamic vinegar involved in marinating this dish.

Shrimp Scampi

This I had to order rice. Hehehe!!!We were all trying to control ordering rice because there's just so much food in the table, we thought, skipping rice will lessen the guilt.  But I just couldn't help it.  This dish deserved rice.  Well-cooked shrimps sauteed in garlic, a little bit of butter and olive oil, and a splash of white wine, reduced to perfection.  #ricepamore!!!

Broiled Salmon and asparagus in dill cream

My least favorite dish of the night.  Maybe because I'm already nearing my limit or just because I like my salmon plain.  I couldn't fault the caramelization, but it was too sweet for my liking.  The dill cream was too overpowering.  I couldn't really taste the dill, the cream was just too much.

Pugon Liempo Wrap

OMG!!!This is the bomb!!! The star of the night! The queen of the dessert!!!It was ssssooo good!During my days at the kitchen, I always look forward whenever we use the "pugon" (oven) because food tastes better. The crackling on that liempo was to die for.

The combination of the liempo, with the bitterness of the ampalaya and the buro (fermented rice) was just too heavenly for words.  The ampalaya and buro cuts down the umay factor from the fat of the liempo.  We were all quiet when this was served.  Bring in the rice cooker please!!!

No dessert at Denlim's Kitchen, so you're allowed to bring your own.  The food is pricey, that I can tell you.  However, if you plan on splurging once in awhile, consider Denlim's Kitchen. Don't think of it as putting a premium on what you eat, but it's the experience of having good company over some good food is worth that dent in your wallet.

My Cafe Fleur experience

(from Cafe Fleur Facebook page)

The first time I heard about Cafe Fleur in Angeles City was when my sister went there with her friends.  The place is owned by Chef Sau Del Rosario and it serves Filipino cuisine with a twist.

The dishes are actually what you normally serve in your households, but maybe better...and tastier... hehehe...But honestly, I knew from the start that the place is special.

We decided to celebrate my mom's birthday at Cafe Fleur.  The place has enough parking space, and if you don't have a car, it is accessible to public transportation.

We ordered Fried Catfish salad, Swam na Mais (corn soup), Kare-Kare, Okoy, Roasted Salmon in White sauce and Pad Thai. For our drinks, we ordered two kinds of Tsokolateng batirol, I forgot my mom's version but mine was with choknut.

Fried Catfish Salad

This is one heck of a salad. It has the right blend of crisp from the Catfish, sweetness from the onions, tartness from the mango and sweetness from the tomatoes, with the mixture of sweet and sour, it will leave you craving for more.

Okoy

My parents, especially my mom loved this dish. Don't me fooled by the color of the mangoes placed on top of the okoys.  They weren't sour at all.  I guess they were put there to balance the flavors, you know, to avoid the "umay" factor.

Roasted Salmon in white sauce

The salmon was perfectly cooked.  It wasn't dry, and the middle remained pinkish. There was no need for pepper or salt because it was well-seasoned.

Crispy Pork Belly Macadamia Kare-Kare

This was a little disappointing for me. One of my all-time favorite dishes is Kare-kare. That's why whenever we order Kare-Kare in restaurants, i'm very critical about it.  The pork belly is not crispy at all.  Having two senior citizens with us, they weren't able to enjoy this dish as well.

However, the saving factor was the sauce.  We couldn't get enough of it.  I would've ordered extra rice, kaya lang diet ako. (yeah, right?!)

Pad Thai

Cafe Fleur also serves authentic Thai food.  I like how they serve their Pad Thai.  They put on separate containers the sweet sauce, chili flakes and peanuts.  It's up to you how you would want your Pad Thai.  It was one of the best Pad Thais' I've ever tasted; and I've been to quiet alot of Thai restaurants.

Tsokolate Batirol

Don't be deceive by its looks... This is purely sinful!  Imagine if I ordered this hot, I would've died and went straight to heaven.  Their Tsokolateng Batirol can be served both hot and cold ok, so maybe next time, I'll try both. (no one's counting calories and sugar here!)

Sorry I wasn't able to take pictures of our dessert.  I messed up with my phone and ergo, they were already enjoying the cakes before I could take a snap of them.

Cafe Fleur also has a dessert area where you can enjoy their cakes and yes, different drink concoctions.  I heard their smoothies are a big hit too.