Temaki Sushi

One of the really cool things about living in the Bay Area is that one gets to meet people from many different parts of the world, and learn about their unique language, customs, culture, and of course... their food!

We are very fortunate to have some very good Japanese friends, who invited us to their home for a roll-your-own-sushi party. They taught us how to make temaki-sushi (hand-rolled sushi). It's easy, fun, and very delicious!

To start, we laid out all the ingredients on the dinner table. There were the mandatory thin sheets of nori (seaweed) which serves as the outer wrapping of the sushi. And then there was a wide assortment of fish, vegetables, egg, tofu, and rice to act as filling.


To create your own sushi, simply take a sheet of nori and add a little bit of rice plus your desired filling. It is very tempting at this point to really load up on the filling. But as we soon learned the hard way, this is not a good strategy...


The next step is to simply roll up the seaweed into a conical shape (or in my case, as close to a conical shape as I can get ;-) and presto! - you've got sushi! If one got too carried away in the previous step and used too much filling, then it will be very hard to roll the sushi without the contents spilling (maybe even squirting ;-) all over the place.

After a few embarrassing attempts I kinda got the hang of it:


From there it's simply a matter of chomping away at your creation until it's gone...


We also enjoyed some great home-made miso soup:


Our friends told us that kids in Japan love temaki sushi not only because it's delicious, but also because of the extra added fun factor of rolling one's own sushi. Judging from our own temaki sushi experience, looks like that statement holds true for us "big kids" as well.

(You can find more recipes using nori - the seaweed used to make sushi - at Foodista.com. Just click on the image below:)

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)