13
Nov 09

Chef’s Table by Chef Bruce Lim

It was my first time to experience a private dinner. At first I thought we would be the only customers in the restaurant because it is “private”. I was dead wrong. But nonetheless, it still was a small group – only 18 of us.

We arrived early around 6:45pm and Chef Bruce was already in the kitchen doing prep work. Dinner usually starts at 7:00pm. The kitchen of the restaurant is the the actual place where they shoot his TV shows like Tablescapes. He greeted us and asked us about how we heard about the place. He was, by the way, trained by Mr. Kitchen Bad Boy himself – Gordon Ramsey. Ramsey actually kicked Chef Bruce’s butt (literally). Poor guy.

So blah blah blah, we were so hungry, harassed and couldn’t wait to taste his cooking. We were in it for a set meal of 6 courses and had the best seats in town – just a few inches away from Chef Bruce’s work area.

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22
Sep 09

Hickory Chicken Pizza

I first saw this recipe in my friend’s cellphone. It was a 3gp video clip of a cooking show. I modified his recipe because I was looking for a different taste. But the overall process is pretty much the same. My oven is broken at this time so I used an oven toaster as a substitute.

Remember, since we’re using an oven toaster we can’t use a large pizza crust. It wont fit for sure. Let’s get down to business.

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22
Sep 09

Mango Salsa

Great with grilled pork chops or sticky baked ribs.  Mmmmmm….

Ingredients:

  • 2 mangoes
  • 1 medium tomato
  • 1 medium white onion
  • 5 sprigs cilantro
  • 1 celery stalk
  • zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Mise en Place:

  1. Wash and sanitize all ingredients
  2. Slice mangoes and tomato into cubes
  3. Chop onions finely
  4. Chop cilantro coarsely
  5. Chop celery

Method:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except the lemon zest and cilantro.
  2. Season to taste. Adjust to your liking. Add sugar if it’s too sour.
  3. Garnish with cilantro and top with a generous amount of lemon zest.
  4. Serve cold.

Jon


22
Sep 09

Rumaki

Rumaki is surprisingly a Hawaiian appetizer alternatively called Bacon-Wrapped Livers. All along I thought rumaki sounds Japanese. But then again, Hawaii has a lot of Japanese influence, even in food. This appetizer is very easy to make but tasty and has an interesting contrast of the crunchy sweet bacon and the almost tarty feel of the liver.

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22
Sep 09

Lemongrass Iced Tea

Lemongrass is an essential ingredient in Thai or Vietnamese cuisine. You can easily associate its aroma with a refreshing feeling. Iced tea is very common in Philippine restaurants and fastfood. This version gives a twist to this usual drink.

You can even make ice cubes with lemon zest inside to give it a beautiful look and added punch.

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9
May 08

Making Food An Adventure

Bread PizzaKids are sometimes hesitant to try new food, especially when you say it’s good for them. Either they would think that it’s not tasty or perhaps there’s vegetable hiding in there somewhere. But demystifying a new dish can be easy, so long as you involve children in its creation – from doing the grocery list to purchasing the ingredients to helping with the cooking. Kids love to play pretend so allow this to be the opportunity for them to be chefs. Take them to an outdoor market to be familiar with the different local produce that many of them might not know, especially if they grew up in the city. Alternatively, bring them to the grocery store and have them pick one new item to try. Continue reading →


9
May 08

Hello world!

Hello World, indeed!

Three siblings are about to embark on a tasty quest. We’ll be traveling together (or individually) and will make it our mission to visit local markets, eateries and specialty stores and find new flavors and fascinating stories. Then we come back to our homes, sample our gastronomic finds and perhaps whip up something in our kitchens.

All these, we are extremely excited to share with you. Hope you hop along and enjoy what we consider the ultimate ‘food trip.’

Xxx

Mara, Jon & Karima