Fragmented Northern Adventures: A Stop at the Golden Gate Bridge

Just last March of 2015, I finally traveled to the other side of the world, where they say the grass is always greener and call it the land of milk and honey. Aboard Philippine Airlines in a 12-hour non-stop flight headed SFO International Airport, it was a little hard for a neurotic like me to relax as I was feeling anxious--happy, nervous, and excited. I admit, coming to USA used to be a distant dream, until last year when I was approved of a tourist VISA (which was something a first-time VISA applicant like me wouldn't expect). Whatever the feelings were, I knew deep down it was really excitement that dominated my system. I felt comfortable being in the plane after some time, PAL had every reason to make their passengers comfortable after all--great service from the staff, tasty meals and treats, and a collection of relatively new movies on their tv monitor. Soon as the plane touched down, excitement won me over. Very vividly, I recall the poker-face lady immigration officer who welcomed me with a series of questions at the port of entry--her questions were reasonable (so much for the US Immigration POE horror stories) and answering those came like a breeze. Soon as she stamped my visa and uttered the words --congratulations, welcome to the United States of America, I giddily exited the counter and smiled from ear to ear, then at the arrival area, awaited the warmest, sweetest welcome that made the 12-hour trip all worth it--a big hug from my mom.

Me and my momma at the San Francisco International Airport

First-Time High

Inexplicable. Unbelievable. Surreal. The feeling was just--wow. For someone who got used to seeing California only on television, movies and pictures, man it was a big deal getting there. The freeways, fast food joints, transportation system, the sunny-but-still-a-jacket kind of weather, even the smell (amoy Stateside, I swear!)--it so depicts America. I was truly amazed. Having a cool and comfortable weather made it all the more possible for me to suit up or dress up in any way I want.

Seeing San Francisco, California, reminded me so much of those wonderful calendar lay-outs from the '90s that showcased a lot of amazing US tourist spot photos. One of those was the iconic, Golden Gate Bridge. It was part of my itinerary nonetheless and a good family friend, tita Agnes along with her husband and daughter, took me and my mom out for a good ride around the area. Before heading there though, they decided to take us at Point Lobos Avenue--which I consider a prelude to the Golden Gate Bridge. The area basically gives you a good pan shot of the bridge.

Point Lobos Avenue with Mommy

It's a given, when you are a tourist who visits San Francisco, you MUST pass (either walk through, bike around or drive by) the Golden Gate Bridge and take pictures. A recurring thought came to mind though--why have they called it golden when the bridge was actually painted  red? Truth of the matter, neither was it red--it was a color they called international orange (which was often mistaken as red). According to some online trivia sites, the name was inspired from a remarkable Istanbul harbor, the Chrysoceras or Golden Horn (for more accurate info, feel free to wiki this lol).

At the Golden Gate Bridge

We visited the place on a Sunday, it was my second day in San Fo--Tito Noni was having a hard time parking around the area. Sure there were tons of tourists especially on that day and cars were racing around to get a parking space. One car even got ticketed by a traffic enforcer for parking at the pavement. Oh the things that people do to get a good view of the bridge and a photo at that.

Better and closer view of the Bridge

Consequently, as I was feasting my eyes with the exhilarating view, I was mentally crossing out a tourist spot off of my bucket list. Happiness unlocked.

Gone Seoul Searching in South Korea the 2nd Time Around

It's been a friggin' while. I have been so busy planning my life out reason that I was on a pretty long hiatus.

Anyway, I am back and I am hoping to be on regularly. Well I'm finally home after my 2nd trip to South Korea, the country I dub--the land of cuteness (yes, Seoul specifically is a really cute city). Gee the place just never fails to astound me. This time though, we got to experience the Autumn season and it just couldn't be any less perfect, I tell you.

So with no further adieu, I would like to share to you a music video I have edited and shot (pardon the shaky shots). This video basically captured everything that me and my family did during the blissful trip. Thank you so much vimeo for not being such a pain in the butt unlike youtube who kept on flagging us because we used the song Best Day of Our Lives by the American Authors.

Here is the link.
https://vimeo.com/111959048

Enjoy! Thank you. :-)

Chinn-ito in Town

Yesterday was the most unforgettable and luckiest Friday the 13th I have ever had. Who would've thought right? Well, this lucky lass, just had the chance to meet, in the flesh, the travelling chef of World Cafe Asia, ehem, drum roll please---Mr. Bobby Chinn! Mahgoodness, it was just last year that I started visualizing meeting and shaking-hands with him, but yesterday, not only did I get to shake hands with and meet him--get this, I got the friggin chance to hug him. Coolness.

How in the world did that happen? Why was he here?

Well, thanks to Facebook, I can now follow my fave celeb chefs. A week ago, I saw his post that he was gonna come over to the Philippines, and just last Thursday, the day before the event, he was at The Farm, San Benito, Batangas. Pinoy fans messaged him and he arranged a meet-up the next day. Next thing I know, I was at Cafe Ysabel with my sister and a friend, waiting for his arrival. I was, as always, filled with anticipation. Needless to say I was giddy and excited. Hahaha!! The event was gonna take place at a basement area that was converted into a cabin-like kitchen of the rustic resto. The waitress advised us that he was already down there so we left our food right away and rushed downstairs. 

And then, bygolly--I saw him there wearing his signature fedora hat. Oh dear. It was surreal. And to make things even more special, there was just a small crowd--it was very intimate. What else could I ask for? 

So I came up to him, introduced myself and asked if I could hug him. He was tall and fit. With arms wide open, he gave me a warm hug. He was the sweetest guy at that very minute. Gee. I was inexplicably happy. I never cared if the moment was very avid-fanny hahaha. What the heck I am a fan after all. My sister too was soo happy. We both were close to shrieking out of excitement. We were literally holding our "shrieks" in. Hahahaha. Bobby was just super nice. So while we were at it, we took the opportunity as well to have a photo with Cafe Ysabel owner and seasoned Chef Gene Gonzalez. The old guy was just as cool as Bobby Chinn. 

From the way Bobby and Gene interacted, they seemed like they were long-time friends. As a matter of fact, Bobby actually has a dish on the Cafe Ysabel menu. 

The night was a complete offering for a cook like me, food enthusiast, culinary student or a TLC viewer [lol] because he had a cooking demo. He made some Seafood Ceviche and Tuna Tartare.

Watching him was more than being entertained. He was just as how I see him on TV--full of antics, animated, very frank, and cool. I had the chance to sample his tuna tartare too. And boy oh boy, it was real good. :)

While Bobby was babbling the night away, I realized that most travelling chefs are great story tellers as well. They get insipiration from people, culture, mundane events of their lives and whatnot. He's got this sense of youthful exuberance when he told his stories as he went on chopping and mixing ingredients. Not bad for a 50-year old man. Made me want to be just like him. But then... of course cheffing is not a walk in the park. That said, he left his eager audience with this--

"A good kitchen is a clean kitchen. It has to be organized. A good kitchen has no waste, the chef is always right and nothing comes to a boil." 

The fan that I am... I just had to let him do that too. Good Bobby. :)

An Inspiration from Nong

I have always wondered how Hainanese Chicken Rice and its addicting spicy ginger sauce is prepared. I have also told myself several times that I would try making it. You see, I did plan on cooking it one time so I looked up some Hainanese Chicken recipes online and most of them required me to shock the chicken. And because I am a novice cook, I shrugged the idea off--until I saw this Thai lady who owns a food cart being featured on #Andybatesstreetfeasts. Her humble food cart is called Nong's Khao Man Gai. 

Khao Man Gai is actually Thai Chicken Rice. I do think that this was the closest recipe that I could get to be able to replicate that Hainanese Chicken Rice. I was amazed as how she's made the process for this dish 2 times simpler. I wouldn't say it was easy, but it was uncomplicated. It was simple, but I bet was very tasty. Her food cart is actually part of Portland's top 10 must visit food carts. I like her. I like her style, the attitude and the simplicity. That said, I finally did try to make Khao Man Gai. 

The process was a little tedious and meticulous but it turned out real good, says my sister. Haha. The best part of this food was the broth and the spicy ginger sauce. I am not gonna put the recipe on here for the reason that this wasn't really something that I "deconstructed" or anything. Deconstructed wow big word for a novice cook. Now that was funny. Lol. :)

A Taste of Crepe

Man it's good to be back! :)

So for my very first 2014 entry [yeah yeah yeah I know it took me almost 3 months] is a dish inspired by a hot Australian chef, Curtis Stone, the chef you'd want to take home or for this matter, I want to take home. Hehe. Anyhow, every month I seem to favor on a specific ingredient or, specific condiment or an add-on or a part of a dish. I really don't know how you'd call it. For example, last January I was so much into making dips. I would usually put it on every dish I'd make. Now, for the month of March I am dabbling on crepe. Hells yeah. The crepe batter is actually very easy to make and crepe can be a good replacement for rice.

So I did get this from Take Home Chef and I am tweaking this dish making the ingredients Filipino friendly. This is my local version of Prosciutto Crepe with Red Wine Vinegraitte so by local I mean---Bacon Tidbits Crepe with Apple Cider Vinegraitte. :)

Note: When I say local I only mean by ingredients you can easily find and afford in the market. 

Ingredients:

Fried bacon tidbits

Diced Cheddar Cheese

Sweet Basil

Chopped Black Olives

Crepe

Apple Cider Vinegar

Honey

Ground Black Pepper

Lemon Lime

Olive Oil

Procedure:

1. Prepare the crepe batter. You may find some easy recipes for this online. Trust me it's as easy as  making pan cakes.

2. When the batter is ready, scoop it on a ladle and pour it on a non-stick pan.

3. On the crepe, put in your sweet basil, diced cheddar cheese, and olives.

4. Fold the crepe into a triangular shape.

*Apple Cider Vinegraitte:

1. In a bowl, mix in your 2 tablespoons of lemon lime juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, and put some olive oil and a dash of black ground pepper. 

2. Give it a whisk.

3. Pour a teaspoon or two on your crepe.

So here it is, very easy and very delicious. Yeah, coz my sister says so.

Bacon Tidbits Crepe with Sweet Basil, Cheddar Cheese, Olives and Apple Cider Vinegraitte. :)

Wow that was one quick entry just like the recipe. :)

TBT: Malafreakinsimbo

March---the time of the year when that underground, free-spirited bunch, 20-30 something foreigners, musicians and music-enthusiasts flock into that part of Mindoro island, to get away from their mundane activities and experience a very different vibe for 3 days (at the most). I repeat--3 friggin days is all you need to fully enjoy the Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival. See, I have been lucky enough to attend the event yearly free of charge (hoping that my lucky streak would continue til 2014 hehe) and year after year I've had some really great experiences with some of the coolest bunch--the go-getter and funniest friends who have made this yearly trip monumental. :) It's always a different feeling every year. 

Flashback: Malasimbo Music and Arts 2012

Aside from the fact that Malasimbo was not as sell out as it was this year, it was the time that they launched the Malasimboat. Very vividly, I could recall how excited we were when the motorboat that took us to the Malasimboat was docking---it was like a toned-down version of Spring break party boat;  we were like taken to a different part of the world; it was refreshing at that very, very moment. And sure enough, as we have hoped for, a lot of unexpectedly fun things have happened in that trip. The experience was very personal that I couldn't find the right words to describe it actually. It's like everything is an understatement. Good thing that I caught glimpses of this memorable trip on my flipcam and turned our Malasimbo experience into a music video. :) 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FEBg4SUIfOo

No matter how 90s the adjective 'freakin' is, it always seemed to have worked for Malasimbo introduction spiels---so don't fret, when you hear the emcees go 'Mala-freakin-simbo', you are never lost nor late coz you know when they say it-- the music fest has just started. :)

Craving for Takalbi

One of the many things I had to do in my brief trip to Seoul was to check out their food. Indeed, in travelling, the closest way to know a country's culture is thru their cuisine. So while in Naminara Island, our amazing tour guide Ju took us to a quaint Korean restaurant for lunch. 

She had us tried their famous chicken dish Takalbi. Kalbi basically means grilled but when you add the prefix 'ta' I guess it becomes grilled chicken (I still stand corrected :D). Here is a photo of that meal in Naminara Island.

I took this photo while the waiter was in the middle of cooking our dish. This actually looks stir-fried to me but, actually, it is grilled. I bet you know how most Korean meals are prepared. A Korean dining room actually has a grill and a grill pan right at the middle of the table where they cook their kalbi dishes, which brings me to my next recipe--my take on the Korean Takalbi. 

As I have said earlier, Takalbi is a grilled chicken. But unlike, the usual grilled chicken that we usually just cook over a grill, seasoned with salt and pepper or marinated--Takalbi is different. In this dish, Koreans add in garlic, onion, toppoki, cabbage, nori, bell pepper and of course the chicken chunks... Sounds like a stir-fried dish right, but it is, indeed, what they call grilled chicken. And you know what makes it so distinct---the Korean Chilli Paste. Oh, that Chilli Paste is like a trance---it just takes me back to that Seoul vacay. Sometimes I find myself craving for it. Good thing, I know how to cook and with a help of that Korean paste, I almost get to pull off the dish. :) Emphasis on the word ALMOST.

DISCLAIMER: If by any chance you are a Korean who gets to read this entry, please note that by making my own version of your delicious Takalbi means that I really like your food and that this is for home cooking purposes only. Kamsahamnida. :)

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken strips or chunks (breast part marinate it with salt and pepper)

Chopped Garlic

Thinly sliced onions

Enoki Mushrooms

Nori

Sesame Oil

Salt

Pepper

1 Red Chilli (chopped)

Brown Sugar

Korean Chilli Paste

Cabbage

PROCEDURE:

1. On a pre-heated pan pour in about 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. 

2. Put the onions and let it sweat out. Then add in the garlic.

2. Add in the chicken chunks. And let it cook for about 3 minutes.

3. When the chicken turns white you may now add the Korean Chilli Paste. The measurement will actually depend on the serving of the dish you are preparing. But on here, I put 3 spoonfuls of the paste.

4. Slowly stir everything.

5. For my version, I put in some Enoki mushrooms. However, traditionally, they add in toppoki and bell pepper.

*Enoki mushrooms are very delicate and I suggest that you add it when everything is almost cooked.

6. Add in the chopped red chili. Ideally, Takalbi is somewhat spicy and sweet so here is the trick, you can add a little of brown sugar if it is too hot. Add in a little of salt and pepper to balance the favors. It actually depends on your palette. Bu it has to taste spicy and sweet.

7. Then add in the cabbage. Stir everything.

8. Again, traditionally, Koreans mix in the rice, but I opted to serve this as a separate dish. 

9. Add some crushed nori for garnish. 

*You may also prepare a shrimp soup and stir-fried bean sprouts on the side or a bowl of kimchi. You know Koreans eat a lot of appetizers. :)

So here it is--my take on the Korean Takalbi. :)

Differently delicious and yet easy to make.

(Ooh yeah, I think I am turning Korean. :D)