Jollibee Milpitas

It was with great excitement and anticipation that I awaited the opening of Jollibee right here in my town of Milpitas. So naturally, I was deliriously overjoyed when it finally opened in the Great Mall, which is very close to where I live. At last, I get to enjoy a taste of the Philippines' most popular and beloved fast food chain as often as I please!


I headed over there soon after the grand opening, and saw that their business was going briskly:


I was greeted by a familiar sight - the Jollibee mascot cheerfully welcoming customers:


The convenient location really comes in handy during times when I want some quick take-out food (which saves my lazy ass from having to cook ;-) On this particular occasion, I bought a mini-feast for myself comprised first and foremost, by the venerable Jollibee Yumburger:


The Yumburger is the product that skyrocketed Jollibee to the top of the Philippine restaurant food chain. It has a unique flavor that appeals to the Asian (and in particular, Filipino) palate. I remember many years ago Jollibee ran an ad campaign touting their burgers as "not bland like those other burgers" - a slogan that reflects the Filipino perception of foreign burgers like McDonald's. The ad campaign worked because it echoed the sentiments of Filipino consumers, and Jollibee went on to totally trounce all other burger chains in the Philippines.

In addition to the yummy Yumburger I got their tasty palabok (a Filipino noodle dish):


...and also their deep-fried Chicken Joy:


Happily, I found that everything tastes the same as it does in the good ol' Philippines. I'm happy now. My favorite Filipino fast food chain has come to my town, it tastes great, I get to enjoy it as much as I please, and all is right in the world...

Thanksgiving in the Philippines - Part 3 (Conclusion)

(This is a continuation of my earlier post about our Thanksgiving holiday vacation in the Philippines)

For me, one of the great joys of visiting the Philippines is to eat at my favorite Filipino restaurants over there. And we certainly did that (a lot!) One of the most memorable such experiences was at the Krocodile Grille at the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.


In keeping with their name, the Krocodile Grille has toy crocodiles of various shapes and sizes scattered throughout the premises. One branch that I've been to even had a live (baby) crocodile.


We feasted on goodies such as deep fried balut (duck egg):


...pinakbet (a vegetable stew seasoned with shrimp paste):


...inihaw na liempo (grilled pork belly):


...chicken sisig (finely chopped bits of chicken, fried and served on a sizzling plate):


...tinumok (fish wrapped in sweet potato leaves, seasoned with coconut milk):


...crispy tadyang (deep fried beef ribs):


Of course, for me, no trip to the Philippines is complete without a visit to Jollibee. We went to the one in Greenhills, San Juan...


... where I enjoyed their longganisa (Filipino sausage) breakfast:


...and their awesome peach mango pie with its thin, crispy crust and tender, creamy filling:


Another mandatory trip was to one of my favorite restaurants - Max's restaurant in the SM City Mall in Santa Mesa, Manila:


...where we enjoyed their great barbecued and fried chicken platters:


Well, there you have it. Those were the culinary highlights of our trip. It was great fun and I fondly look forward to our next visit to one of the loveliest and friendliest places in the world.

Thanksgiving in the Philippines - Part 2

(This is a continuation of my earlier post about our Thanksgiving holiday vacation in the Philippines)

When we were in the States, I kept telling my wife about the absolutely divine paella (a savory dish made of rice, meat, and seafood) that they make in the Philippines. Paella is not a dish native to the Philippines, but arose from the pervasive Spanish influence in Philippine culture (the Philippines was a colony of Spain for over 300 years).

Because of that strong Spanish influence, there are a good number of fine restaurants in the Philippines that specialize in Spanish-Filipino cuisine. One of the most memorable of these (whose delicious paella has delighted me since my boyhood) is the Alba Restaurant in Quezon City.


We went for the lunch buffet, which offered numerous scrumptious dishes like: Callos Madrilena (beef tripe in tomato sauce), Costillas de Vaca (beef spare ribs), Pescado Polaris (fish with garlic & chili sauce), and many, many more...


To discourage waste, this restaurant has a "no leftovers" policy - which means they will charge an additional 500 pesos (about 10 US dollars) per table if diners don't finish off everything they put on their plates. There is an ominous-looking sign stating this policy right next to the platter of delicious Cochinillo (roast suckling pig). Click on the picture below to enlarge:


All the above dishes are great. But for me, the real star of the show is the splendid paella, which I've been hankering for while I was in the US. The fragrant aroma and zesty tang of the seasoned rice, combined with the fresh, tasty seafood, was every bit as heavenly as I remembered it to be (and my wife agreed that I wasn't exaggerating in my praise for Alba's paella):


All these great ingredients allowed us to whip up our own lavish concoctions:


As a perfect finish to this great ensemble, we had some refreshing dessert. Pictured below - leche flan (custard), canonigo (meringue), and chocolate cake:


I left Alba feeling deeply satisfied. An experience that I had been looking forward to for a long time, had come to reality and totally lived up to my expectaions. Aahh, what a feeling ... ;-)

(To be continued)

Thanksgiving in the Philippines - Part 1

My wife and I had the good fortune of visiting the Philippines during the Thanksgiving holidays. We had a jolly good time reconnecting with family and friends in Manila, shopping, sightseeing, and of course, indulging in some seriously good eating along the way.

One of the first places we visited shortly after arriving in Manila was the SM City Mall in Santa Mesa, Manila. This was one of my favorite places to hang out back when I still lived in the good ol' Philippines. Just a 5 minute drive from our house, it's a very convenient and comfortable place to shop, watch movies, eat, and just relax while escaping the hot and humid weather in Manila.


The gay (meaning happy, not homosexual ;-) Christmas lights and decorations, and throngs of people scurrying about, told me for sure that the Christmas shopping season was in full swing at the mall. (With over 80% of Filipinos following the Roman Catholic faith, Christmas is the most anticipated and beloved celebration of the year in the Philippines.)


We experienced the exceptional warmth, friendliness, and hospitality of the Filipino people while shopping at the mall (and everywhere else we went, for that matter), where we received excellent customer service. There were some good bargains to be had, too. My wife bought a very nice pair of jeans for 900 pesos (about 18 US dollars). The same thing would probably cost over $35 in the States.

After a full day of shopping, my mom suggested that we have dinner at one of her favorite Chinese restaurants - Luk Foo in Quezon City. So off we went.


We enjoyed delectable morsels like barbecued pork:


...and roasted duck (my mom's favorite!):


...fish fillet with sweet and sour sauce:


...fried prawns:


...and some xiu mai (pork dumplings) thrown in for good measure:


After our appetites were sated, we headed home for some much needed rest.

(To be continued)

Mitsuwa Marketplace

There's a small slice of Japan in San Jose, on the corner of Saratoga and Moorpark Avenues (just off the I-280 freeway). There one finds a little mall that features a variety of shops that specialize in Japanese goods - like the Kinokuniya bookstore and the Mitsuwa Marketplace, as well as Japanese restaurants, and a Japanese video store.

I would sometimes spend many blissful hours immersed in the endless rows of manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese cartoons) DVD's at Kinokuniya, and then swing by the food court at Mitsuwa for a quick bowl of udon (thick wheat noodles) or some other Japanese treat.


To me that's where the Mitsuwa Marketplace food court shines - as a convenient place to stop by for a quick, inexpensive bite of something authentically Japanese, whenever cravings for such goodies occur. It was precisely those cravings that drove us to Mitsuwa's food court for a quick lunch one fine afternoon.

Those in a big hurry can grab a bento (boxed lunch containing rice and meat), stick it in a microwave, and be on their way in snap.


Others who prefer a more leisurely pace can get something cooked to order by Miyabi-Tei (the food court's vendor). The choices include: ramen (a Japanese noodle dish of Chinese origin), donburi (a big rice bowl topped with meat), tonkatsu (breaded deep fried pork cutlet), kare raisu (curry rice) and many others.


We definitely belonged to the more leisurely category. I haven't had udon in a while and was hankering for those thick, chewy noodles immersed in savory broth, so I ordered a bowl of beef udon:


For me the real heart and soul of udon is the broth, and although Mitsuwa's broth was not as flavorful as that of other places, it was still okay. "What do you expect? This is fast food. It's good enough for that price" my wife astutely pointed out.

My wife had a box of assorted sushi. It was so-so. The rice wasn't as soft and fluffy as we would've liked but the overall result was still okay. My wife's earlier words rang true once again: "What do you expect?..."


Still feeling hungry after my bowl of udon, I got an order of takoyaki (octopus balls). The outer portion of each ball was very soft and reminded me of marshmallows. Chewing diligently to the core of each ball revealed only a very small fragment of actual octopus meat, which kinda left me wanting more. (Everyone say it with me now: "What do you expect?...")


The most delightful part of the meal was an Okinawan dessert known as sata andagi, which are deep fried balls composed of egg, flour, and brown sugar. These were really delicious as the crust was delightully crunchy and the inside had a light, refreshing sweetness.


The sata andagi is made by the mom of one of the Miyabi-Tei employees, and only a limited quantity is sold each day. On a subsequent visit to Mitsuwa, we were not able to buy more sata andagi as it was sold out (reminds me of that time-honored marketing slogan: "Hurry, while supplies last!") People know a good thing when they taste it.