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Sunday, January 31, 2010
Memoirs Of A Gyoza
Murasaki invited "Poca" and I to an afternoon of Gyoza at her home.
Did you know that Gyoza originated in China and became popular all over Japan? Gyoza is a dumpling that can have a variety of fillings - pork, vegetables, seafood, etc. In China, they eat it either steamed, fried or added in a soup while in Japan, it is generally fried.
In making Gyoza the tedious part is making the dough. However, you can buy pre-made dough pieces at the supermarket to save time and use a Gyoza Maker instead of folding it by hand.
This Gyoza Griller/Cooker was personally shipped from Japan by our dear hostess, Murasaki.
I am a sucker for Japanese food/cuisine. I adore anything and everything Japanese. Murasaki started with this okashii (snack), Calbee. This is made of vegetables.
Our okashii was accompanied by a drink specially blended by Poca. Poca, by the way, brought lemon grass, boiled it in water and incorporated this orange-flavored tea.
Our lemon grass + tea drink! Surprisingly, the flavor was not too strong and over-powering. Totally mild and perfect for our afternoon merienda.
Murasaki started by heating up the gyoza griller/cooker. It must be very, very hot before you fry the gyoza.
After two or three minutes, she pours water in the fried gyoza...
and covers the gyoza to complete the cooking process.
And after another minute or so, she removes the lid and checks the gyoza and made sure that it's not burnt.
Voila! That's how easy it is to prepare the gyoza. And we're ready to eat.
And here's our dipping sauce. It is a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili flakes and grated ginger. You can be creative with your dipping sauce. Depends on your taste. But we HEART this one!
Murasaki served Suntory Diet Beer. This 500ml beer is only 110 calories. It taste really light and glides down your throat. It was my first time to try it and I fell inlove with it. I doubt if it's available here in Bacolod City yet. I wish it will be... soon! Love. Love. Love!
Our dear hostess, Murasaki: Thank you for a wonderful afternoon of gyoza-eating and chatting.
And of course, Poca! How can a party be complete without Poca?
Murasaki sells Gyoza. It comes in two flavors: Pork and Vegetable. Frozen Gyoza (10 pieces) Php120.00 only. Cooked Gyoza (10 pieces) Php150.00 only. For orders please text or call Murasaki (Tin-Tin) at +63-915-7162316.
And how about this flavored collagen drink for Php1,500.00 per pack?
She also has this plain Amino Collagen for Php1,800.00 per pack.
Did you know that Gyoza originated in China and became popular all over Japan? Gyoza is a dumpling that can have a variety of fillings - pork, vegetables, seafood, etc. In China, they eat it either steamed, fried or added in a soup while in Japan, it is generally fried.
In making Gyoza the tedious part is making the dough. However, you can buy pre-made dough pieces at the supermarket to save time and use a Gyoza Maker instead of folding it by hand.
This Gyoza Griller/Cooker was personally shipped from Japan by our dear hostess, Murasaki.
I am a sucker for Japanese food/cuisine. I adore anything and everything Japanese. Murasaki started with this okashii (snack), Calbee. This is made of vegetables.
Our okashii was accompanied by a drink specially blended by Poca. Poca, by the way, brought lemon grass, boiled it in water and incorporated this orange-flavored tea.
Our lemon grass + tea drink! Surprisingly, the flavor was not too strong and over-powering. Totally mild and perfect for our afternoon merienda.
Murasaki started by heating up the gyoza griller/cooker. It must be very, very hot before you fry the gyoza.
After two or three minutes, she pours water in the fried gyoza...
and covers the gyoza to complete the cooking process.
And after another minute or so, she removes the lid and checks the gyoza and made sure that it's not burnt.
Voila! That's how easy it is to prepare the gyoza. And we're ready to eat.
And here's our dipping sauce. It is a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili flakes and grated ginger. You can be creative with your dipping sauce. Depends on your taste. But we HEART this one!
Murasaki served Suntory Diet Beer. This 500ml beer is only 110 calories. It taste really light and glides down your throat. It was my first time to try it and I fell inlove with it. I doubt if it's available here in Bacolod City yet. I wish it will be... soon! Love. Love. Love!
Our dear hostess, Murasaki: Thank you for a wonderful afternoon of gyoza-eating and chatting.
And of course, Poca! How can a party be complete without Poca?
Murasaki sells Gyoza. It comes in two flavors: Pork and Vegetable. Frozen Gyoza (10 pieces) Php120.00 only. Cooked Gyoza (10 pieces) Php150.00 only. For orders please text or call Murasaki (Tin-Tin) at +63-915-7162316.
And how about this flavored collagen drink for Php1,500.00 per pack?
She also has this plain Amino Collagen for Php1,800.00 per pack.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Castelo de Sao Jorge - Lisbon, Portugal
My very good friend who is currently based in Vienna, Austria made a side trip to Libson, Portugal. He sent me some photos via email and I am sharing them with you.
Lisbon is situated on the western most part of Europe. It is the capital and the largest city in Portugal.
Pete relaxing inside his Marriott Hotel room
Lunch at the hotel: Bacalhau Lagareiro
After Lunch, it was off to Alfama District. The Alfama is the oldest district in Lisbon. In this photo you will see the steep and narrow alleys of Alfama.
One may take a taxi going up to the Castle and take a mini-bus coming down. It is not highly recommend to walk unless your a physically fit. :P
Azulejo tiles at the Facade of a Public Bath in Alfama.
Azulejo tiles are painted ceramic tileworks which has become part of Porteugese Culture. These tiles not only serve as artwork but are used to control temperatures of homes.
Houses decorated with azulejo tiles in Alfama.
Entrance to Castelo de Sao Jorge (St. George Castle)
The figure of St. George at the Entrance of the Castle. The Castle was named after St. George, the Patron Saint of England commemorating the Anglo-Portuguese pact in the 14th Century.
Behind Pete is the mellenium old walls of the castle
This photo, for some strange reason, reminds me of the movie Sleepy Hallow. :)
Peacocks, geese and ducks roam around the gardens of the Castle.
The Casa Do Leao Restaurant inside the Castle is the most exclusive location in all of Lisbon
Aerial view of the city. The Castle have many towers. One of which is the Tower of Ulyesses which houses a periscope that can project a view of the city on top. I am just guessing that this shot was taken from the Tower of Ulyesses, is it?
Se Cathedral or The Lisbon Cathedral is the oldest church in the city.
Main door of the Se Cathedral
Cloister of the Se Cathedral
And this must be dinner. Shellfish rice with mixed salad at the Cervereijera Brilhante
That's all folks. You may now go back to work, thank you very much. :)
Lisbon is situated on the western most part of Europe. It is the capital and the largest city in Portugal.
Pete relaxing inside his Marriott Hotel room
Lunch at the hotel: Bacalhau Lagareiro
After Lunch, it was off to Alfama District. The Alfama is the oldest district in Lisbon. In this photo you will see the steep and narrow alleys of Alfama.
One may take a taxi going up to the Castle and take a mini-bus coming down. It is not highly recommend to walk unless your a physically fit. :P
Azulejo tiles at the Facade of a Public Bath in Alfama.
Azulejo tiles are painted ceramic tileworks which has become part of Porteugese Culture. These tiles not only serve as artwork but are used to control temperatures of homes.
Houses decorated with azulejo tiles in Alfama.
Entrance to Castelo de Sao Jorge (St. George Castle)
The figure of St. George at the Entrance of the Castle. The Castle was named after St. George, the Patron Saint of England commemorating the Anglo-Portuguese pact in the 14th Century.
Behind Pete is the mellenium old walls of the castle
This photo, for some strange reason, reminds me of the movie Sleepy Hallow. :)
Peacocks, geese and ducks roam around the gardens of the Castle.
The Casa Do Leao Restaurant inside the Castle is the most exclusive location in all of Lisbon
Aerial view of the city. The Castle have many towers. One of which is the Tower of Ulyesses which houses a periscope that can project a view of the city on top. I am just guessing that this shot was taken from the Tower of Ulyesses, is it?
Se Cathedral or The Lisbon Cathedral is the oldest church in the city.
Main door of the Se Cathedral
Cloister of the Se Cathedral
And this must be dinner. Shellfish rice with mixed salad at the Cervereijera Brilhante
That's all folks. You may now go back to work, thank you very much. :)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Hoshii: My Favorite Japanese Restaurant
My good friend from Singapore flew in for a quick vacation and invited me for dinner. He asked for suggestions as to where we can have a relaxed dinner. He wanted to go to L'Fisher Chalet. However, with all the bad reviews on their food, I wont sacrifice my dinner. So, without hesitation, I suggested HOSHII JAPANESE RESTAURANT.
HOSHII is one of my favorite Japanese Restaurants in Bacolod City. That's in terms of taste, service and price. If I'm not mistaken the owner used to work in Japan and now resides in the City of Smiles with her Japanese husband. The inside is very casual, no pretentions, in-your-face type of setting. You can even wear slippers and still feel over-dressed. hahaha! I'm kidding! :P
I suggest you drop by Hoshii and try them out yourself. Hoshii is located along Lacson Street (going to Robinson's Place), Bacolod City.
HOSHII is one of my favorite Japanese Restaurants in Bacolod City. That's in terms of taste, service and price. If I'm not mistaken the owner used to work in Japan and now resides in the City of Smiles with her Japanese husband. The inside is very casual, no pretentions, in-your-face type of setting. You can even wear slippers and still feel over-dressed. hahaha! I'm kidding! :P
I would like to apologize for the poor photo quality. These were taken using my iPhone which doesn't have flash.
Kani Salad: Mixed vegetable with synthetic crab meat. This is always refreshing and the sauce states heavenly! Delish.
My trip to Hoshii will never be complete without ordering their vegetable tempura.
The classic ebi tempura which disappeared in a blink of an eye! The only sad thing about this tempura is the size of the prawn errr the shrimp. It's very tiny. Nonetheless, we always get what we pay for, right?
Kani Tempura or the Crab Stick Tempura
California Maki Special: This was a let down. The kani at the center is very thin now and they included cucumber apart from the mango. I was expecting a large kani at the center. Total frustration.
Beef with mixed vegetable: This was a hit. But the photo does not justify the dish. :(
And my friends looking happy and contented (figuratively and literally speaking). :)
I suggest you drop by Hoshii and try them out yourself. Hoshii is located along Lacson Street (going to Robinson's Place), Bacolod City.
Last Night in Paris
Louie treated me (as always) for dinner at this posh vietnamese restaurant in Paris the night before I am scheduled to depart. I forgot the name of the restaurant! Senior Moments for the Nth time.
Louie still working via his mobile phone
I am not fond of raw meat. I always have my meat cooked well-done. But this one was an exception. Stellar! YUMMERS!
Louie's Sate' Platter, was it? And I think I need memory enhancers. I forgot what he had.
After dinner, we headed straight back to his apartment. We relaxed a bit and strolled outside to get one last glimpsed of her majesty beauty - The Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is a mere 10-minute or less walk from his apartment.
The following morning was our flight out of Paris. I was going back home to the Philippines while he was going to Bremen, Germany. And since our flight was in the evening still, we opted to visit the Sacred Heart (Sacre Coeur) Church before heading to the airport.
The Sacred Heart Church or The Sacre Coeur Basilica is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. This very popular landmark is situated on top of MontMartre Hill which is the highest point in the City of Lights!
It took us forever to find a parking space around the area of the sacred heart church. It was a crowded afternoon. Finally, the face of relief! :)
Along the way, you will find struggling musicians playing along.
And a female artist - what do you call this type of artist again?
Souvenir shops, paintings and restaurants are scattered all over the area.
It's no joke to walk up to the church. I stopped a gazillion times to catch my breath. I am not as athletic/physically fit as Louie is, thank you very much!
View of Paris from the Hilltop. Breath-taking view of the Paris skyline. Isn't it gorgeous?
Going down these stairs from the Church, will bring you to Pigalle - Paris' Red Light District.
Pigalle is a tourist destination with many sex shops and prostitutes working on the side streets. This area was named after the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle.
The most famous cabaret built in 1889 where the can-can dance originated - Moulin Rouge.
It's time to say adieu. Here I am at the Charles De Gaulle Airport waiting for my flight back home. *sob*
Louie still working via his mobile phone
I am not fond of raw meat. I always have my meat cooked well-done. But this one was an exception. Stellar! YUMMERS!
Louie's Sate' Platter, was it? And I think I need memory enhancers. I forgot what he had.
After dinner, we headed straight back to his apartment. We relaxed a bit and strolled outside to get one last glimpsed of her majesty beauty - The Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is a mere 10-minute or less walk from his apartment.
The following morning was our flight out of Paris. I was going back home to the Philippines while he was going to Bremen, Germany. And since our flight was in the evening still, we opted to visit the Sacred Heart (Sacre Coeur) Church before heading to the airport.
The Sacred Heart Church or The Sacre Coeur Basilica is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. This very popular landmark is situated on top of MontMartre Hill which is the highest point in the City of Lights!
It took us forever to find a parking space around the area of the sacred heart church. It was a crowded afternoon. Finally, the face of relief! :)
Along the way, you will find struggling musicians playing along.
And a female artist - what do you call this type of artist again?
Souvenir shops, paintings and restaurants are scattered all over the area.
It's no joke to walk up to the church. I stopped a gazillion times to catch my breath. I am not as athletic/physically fit as Louie is, thank you very much!
View of Paris from the Hilltop. Breath-taking view of the Paris skyline. Isn't it gorgeous?
Going down these stairs from the Church, will bring you to Pigalle - Paris' Red Light District.
Pigalle is a tourist destination with many sex shops and prostitutes working on the side streets. This area was named after the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle.
The most famous cabaret built in 1889 where the can-can dance originated - Moulin Rouge.
It's time to say adieu. Here I am at the Charles De Gaulle Airport waiting for my flight back home. *sob*
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