Cravings satisfied

I know... I owe you guys some good food and a little bit of story-telling.

I haven't been blogging because work has taken over my life... Like literally, I just go home to take a bath, sleep a little, and then off to work again.

Let me start with what we ate a couple of weeks ago.  Mom was craving pizza, but the one with vegetables in it and "you fold it".  In Pampanga, you have alot of choices, aside from your usual "Dear Darla" pizza.

So, since it was my anniversary, fifth year as managing editor (imagine that!) i told my mom and sister that it'll be my treat.

We went first to a bridal fair.  Coincidentally, my sister's suppliers kept on asking if i'm getting married next. Oh dear! I just came there to say hi and eat...

We're all not familiar with SM Clark, so when we saw New York Supreme, we decided, why not? I honestly just want one of their Zippolis (round doughnuts).

But we're so hungry so we ordered their pizza roll

Pizza Roll

This was really satisfying.  We usually order 2 of these when we're with our dad, but since it's just us girls, we managed to eat just one... Diet eh?!

If you're from Pampanga, don't compare this to 'C, because they're 2 different entities. I mean, 'C's panizza is really out of this world.  Just think of New York Supreme's pizza roll as the poor man's version of the real thing.

We love the freshness of the Alfalfa sprouts and the arugula.  I honestly wanted more, of the alfalfa sprouts but that would mean eating more than 3 slices of the pizza...haist! I don't like the concept of diet... :)

then we also had

Seafood Pasta

I think I was the only one who appreciated this dish, except for my mom who devoured the twisted garlic bread.

My sister chose to focus on the pizza and the chicken... she had 1/3 of the pasta, and i had the rest.  It was creamy, but not too overpowering.  The sauce was tangy, sweet, playful in the mouth. 

Buffalo wings

Buffalo Wings

Pardon my fingers, was just trying to be artsy.  These were not spicy at all.  I mean maybe my tolerance for spicy food is different, but haller!!!Buffalo wings... I just want something spicy...but again, they're not bad...not bad at all.

The fries were bland though.  I had to put salt and pepper several times.  I don't wanna dip them in the excess sauce coz eewww... I don't do stuff like that.

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.