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Food Trip Tayo!

• Have a Break. Have a KitCake

  21Aug
  Categories: Desserts Comments: 1

  Now here’s something I came up with one rainy afternoon and I’m craving chocolates and hotcake at the same time.  Since I cannot go out because of the rain, I checked the pantry and looked for something that could satisfy my cravings.

  I’m going to call this one KitCake, short for Kitkat and hotcake.

  

  This is very easy to do.  All I needed are:

  • A cup of ice cream (in the photo, I used cookies and cream ice cream)
  • hotcake mix (I used up 1/3 of the mix or just enough to form a medium thick pancake; just follow instructions in the box.  Usually, all you need to do is mix 1/3 of the mix with 1/2 cup of water or more, depending on the thickness of the hotcake that you want, mixing it until all the powder has been dissolved)
  • A Kitkat bar

  After preparing the hotcake mix, I heated a Teflon-coated pan.  I prefer to use butter instead of oil, because it only takes a minute amount to be able to cover the whole pan.  When the pan is already heated, I poured the hotcake mix, tipping the pan from side to side and in circular motion to spread the mix evenly on the pan.  Make sure you’re only using medium heat, as using higher temperatures will guarantee that you’ll end up with a burnt hotcake.  One would know if you can already turn the hotcake if there are already bubbles on the surface and if the edges are already lightly brown.  Flip the pancake carefully by using a spatula designed for a Teflon-coated pan (as you wouldn’t want to scratch it).  Cook the second side half the time that you cooked the first side, so at the end, you’ll end up with a pancake that is lighter in color on one side.  Remove the pancake.

  Take the Kitkat bar and crumble it on the pan.  Again, use low to medium heat.  Aim to only slightly melt the chocolate-coated wafers.  When it’s done, you could put 3/4 of the melted chocolate at one side of the pancake and then fold, so that the melted chocolate-coated wafers are inside the pancake.  Get your favorite ice cream flavor and put generous amounts on top of your KitCake.  Put 1/4 of the melted chocolate-coated wafer on top of the ice cream.

  Enjoy!  But remember to share, because this dessert can serve up to 3 people.  Or maybe just one person, if he’s hungry and doesn’t want to share his blessings.  Haha.

  Tags: kitcake

• A Visit to the Kitchen

  16Aug
  Categories: Pasta dishes, Western cuisine Comments: 6

  As part of Friday’s Plurkfiesta, fellow plurkers and I had dinner at Kitchen Restaurant in Greenbelt 3.  It was my first time to be there and the first time I’ve noticed that it has a branch in Greenbelt.  Plurkers told me it’s been there for a while and I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that I didn’t notice it that much because it’s sandwiched in between two other establishments (one of which is Seattle’s Best coffee shop; the other establishment, I already forgot the name).  It’s located at the ground floor of Greenbelt 3.

  

  Bloggers busy taking photos…of each other

  I love that we ate at a long table, which could have easily sat 8 people.  It rather encourages big groups to eat at the same time and have lively discussions.  Elaborate mini-chandeliers hang above each table, lending to an ambiance that one is just eating in one’s dining room at home.  The other tables are lighted with long fluorescent lamps that are housed in colorful light covers.

  

  Utensil Box

  And I just found out how big the utensils are at the Kitchen Restaurant.  Maybe for people with big appetites?  Hehehe.  But I love the box that it comes in with.

  

  Green-minded Salad (P195.00)

  I ordered as a starter Green-minded salad.  One just have to laugh at the names of the entrees, though.  Hehe.  The salad is made up of lettuce leaves, grapes, white cheese, and (I think) cashew nuts and it comes with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  Be warned that, like all other dishes in this resto, the servings are big enough for sharing.  But then I’m a glutton so I ate all the salad, leaving behind just some lettuce leaves.  Hehe.  I love the combination of the white cheese and grapes.

  My rating:

  

  Wild Spice (P160)

  Definitely the name tickles the imagination.  And I’d say it is appropriately named.  The dish is made of penne pasta with olive oil, basil, chili, fried sweet potatoes, and cheese.  It is moderately spicy and if one isn’t very much tolerant of spice, it’ll be better to eat this with a nice sweet cooler to counter the spicy taste.  I wish, though, that there would be more cheese and that it’s crumbled.  But definitely a must have during a visit to the Kitchen.

  My rating:

  And I believe the Carrot Cooler is a nice drink to go with the Wild Spice:

  

  Carrot Cooler (P70)

  I love how I can still taste the carrot fibers in this drink.  And I think it’s the right serving size for me, just enough to counter the spicyness of Wild Spice pasta.

  My rating:

  Now here’s another wonder:

  

  Live or Plastic?

  It’s actually water, but I’m wondering what’s that they’ve put inside the bottle.  One of the plurkers even joked that it could be a hydrophonics experiment.  Haha.  Seriously, I’ve got to try this one out next time.

  The Kitchen is located at:

  • Greenbelt 3, Ground Floor, Ayala Center, Makati City, 757-4565 to 66
  • SM Megamall, Lower Level Bldg. A, Megastrip, Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong City, 637-8025, 637-4232 (I’m not too sure about this branch is still there, though)
  Tags: the kitchen restaurant, the kitchen restaurant greenbelt 3

• My UCC Cafe Discovery

  07Aug
  Categories: Coffee, Japanese Food Comments: 4

  You know what?  For the number of times (that can still be counted using my fingers) I’ve come to UCC and buy coffee, I just didn’t realize that THEY’VE ALSO GOT FOOD IN THERE BESIDES PASTRIES.

  I dunno.  The first time I’ve been there I ordered the same coffee and cake that my friend did.  It’s a wonder why I didn’t further browse the menu.  Either it was because I thought of food in a coffeeshop as weird enough or that I don’t really want to order more because items are a bit pricey.

  Yeah, but didn’t they say we can choose to pay attention (and money) to quality over quantity (or popularity)?

  It was only recently that I realized that UCC offers different Japanese fusion dishes too.  And damn, they’re tasty I’m already craving just thinking about it.

  I think one of the most striking things that I find at UCC Trinoma (which has just opened last July 26) is that the whole place seem to bring a whole lot of fresh air.  It’s not an al fresco coffeeshop but, perhaps, it’s due to the fact that people don’t really crowd this area much, unlike in other more frequented coffee places.  And for people looking for peace and quiet (or a place with a decent amount of noise level), it’s a place to go.

  

  It looks so sparkling clean!

  

  Beyond the sliding glass door is the smoking area

  

  It’s nice to be able to actually see people walking outside, sweating out (or soaking wet), while I’m so dry and cool inside the cafe

  Also, UCC Trinoma’s temperature is absolutely perfect for someone like me who thrives on a cool (note: not cold) environment.  I like to sip my coffee and read my books in comfort.

  This particular UCC branch is particularly different from it’s other branches because different stores carry different concepts.  UCC Vienna Cafes (like that at MOA and Greenhills) have the “hotel coffee shop outside of a hotel” feel, with a more sophisticated ambiance.  UCC Park Cafe usually are nestled in a plush landscape, like the one found in Glorietta.  UCC Coffee shop (like the one at SM The Block) has sophisticated interiors but, is more fresh and youthful compared to the Vienna cafes, which were made to seem more suited for business-related visits.  UCC Cafe Terrace, like this one at Trinoma, resembles a contemporary country club setting with the huge glass windows, and wooden furniture.  I actually like the more vibrant colors here, compared to that of the UCC coffee shop located at the Block.

  And the food is just as colorful, varied, and interesting.

  

  Japanese Seafood Soup Spaghetti (P395)

  It’s weird to be seeing spaghetti noodles used in a soup.  But I kinda like the tomato-based soup.  I love tomatoes and in this dish, I liked how it made the soup sour-sweet.  It can be a comfort food.  Too bad there isn’t a UCC near my place.

  Seafood Spaghetti can come with a choice of tomato, white, or curry sauce.  I think I want to try the curry sauce next time.

  My rating:  Read more »

  Tags: UCC Cafe Terrace, UCC Cafe Terrace Trinoma, UCC Coffee