A night out at BARCINO'S WINE and RESTO BAR

I attended the exhibit of INVISIBLE PEOPLE at M Cafe where my daughter-in-law, Cris, was one of the three photojournalists who documented American environmentalist artist Ann Wizer who taught the women of Malibay, Pasay how to create art and other profitable items from garbage.

After the opening ceremonies of  INVISIBLE PEOPLE at M Cafe, Iggy suggested that we try out BARCINO'S WINE AND RESTO BAR at Greenbelt 2.

I wanted to get a table outside since it was a cool evening and I heard that they would have some salsa dancers performing. There were no al fresco tables available --- so we ended up sitting inside.

HAWKER 101 FOOD HOUSE- A hole in the wall restaurant in Makati!

My son, Tommie, has been telling me about Hawkers 101 ( or Hawkers for short ) for some time now... He said that it was located at the Campos Rueda Building in Makati, where he together with his officemates would  frequent this place for lunch where they would have quick and reasonable meals. His restaurant review on Hawkers sounded nice and made me want to try out the place. He also told me that Hawkers 101 is also a " hole-in-the-wall "  Singaporean restaurant that caters to the working crowd of Makati. He suggested that we should try the Hainanese chicken.

I decided to go and check out the place with Iggy and Cris the other evening. Upon entering the place -- I noticed how clean it was. Posted on the walls are photographs of Chinese natives. After taking a few minutes browsing their menu... here was what we had:

Hainanese Chicken ( 150 PHP )

Seafood Curry (  170 PHP )

Chili Prawns ( 320 PHP )

Hawkers also serves rice bowls that are reasonably priced for 100 PHP ( which is served with soup and juice ).

I liked it!!! If you work near the area and you want a quick and reasonably priced meal, Hawker 101 Food House is the place to go!! Believe it  or not, Hawkers 101, that little hole-in-the-wall restaurant is not that bad restaurant after all!!!



HAWKER 101 FOOD HOUSE


Unit 102 Campos Rueda Building
101 Urban Avenue, Makati 


Tel. nos. 886 7329

Celebrating Valentine's at HAI SHIN LOU Seafood King Restaurant

Hai Shin Lou is not a new Chinese restaurant... and a lot of people have already eaten here at least once for a meal... This is my second visit to this Chinese restaurant...My first time to go to this restaurant  was last month with some friends for dinner. I enjoyed what we ordered for dinner so I decided to treat my family to dinner and celebrate Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day at Hai Shin Lou. I found out later ---  that Hai Shin Lou is managed by Ben Chong-- the same guy who managed another favorite Chinese restaurant of mine....  the original Jade Garden in Greenbelt 1. I wondered--- will Hai Shin Lou live up to my expectations of what Jade Garden was a long time ago???

Hai Shin Lou Seafood King,  according to my friends,  is a surprisingly popular Chinese restaurant here in Makati located along Arnaiz Avenue ( formerly Pasay Road ).  I have been hearing nothing but positive reviews about this restaurant but I never thought of eating in this restaurant because .... every time I would pass by the restaurant on way way to work-- I would see so many cars parked outside....so I would advise that you call and make reservations early.

The ambience of the place was OK... not too grand like other Chinese restaurants I have gone to... but their service was exquisite. The furnishings at this restaurant had a less environmental flair than that of Peking Garden and Choi in Greenhills. In each of the big tables had a simple lazy Susan, plain white walls and aquariums in the background.

JAPANESE SEAFOOD MIX RECIPE

Seafood is the most delicious food consumed in Asia, if it is fresh. For this reason we must choose a fresh fish from wet markets. Most of the groceries will store the fish for a few days before they sell it. To buy fresh seafood, like crabs, squids and fish, I would advise you to choose carefully and avoid buying it in the evening.

There are a variety of seafood, which we can have it fresh just like in Japanese restaurants. In this page I will share with you some of the best ways to choose fresh seafood items. Fresh seafood produces better results and provides the consumer with delicious food when it is cooked. On the other hand spoiled seafood will distort the outcome of our cooking.

Some tips to know on how to identify the freshness of your seafood:

SQUIDS

Just by touching the squid you can find out its freshness, If the squid is soft and there is a change of the color in the skin and has a fishy smell, this indicates that the squid is not fresh anymore. Fresh squid is when the skin is slightly harder and looks fresh.

PRAWNS

For prawns we must look at the head of the prawns. They must be firm. Look at the head if it is still intact with the body. Normally for fresh prawns the head will be intact with the body, if not... we can identify it by the smell.

CRAB

It is the easiest item to check its freshness, Just smell the crab and if it smells then it is not fresh anymore. Another way is to touch the claw, if it moves then the crab is still alive and still is fresh.

Let me share with you my recipe of mixed seafood teppanyaki...

SEAFOOD MIX @ KIMPURA from asunta rufino on Vimeo.

MIXED SEAFOOD TEPPANYAKI ( serves 2 persons )

INGREDIENTS:

1 pc. prawn - deveined
1 pc. squid - cut into 5 slices
1 pc. mushroom - sliced
6 pcs. oysters
1/4 kilo tuna - sliced diagonally
1/4 kilo lapu lapu - sliced diagonally
1/2 bell pepper - cut into stips

green onions

white onions and garlic
salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE:

*  Heat wok and grease lightly using vegetable oil. Saute chopped white onions and  garlic.

*  add sliced mushrooms and fish. Mix well. Do not overcook.

*  pour a little mirin ( or dry sherry ).

*  season with salt, pepper and kikkoman soy sauce.

*  serve immediately.

Wasn't that easy to make??? In my video -- it took merely 2 minutes cooking time for this dish... Why don't you try out this dish..

HAPPY EATING EVERYONE!!

Japanese Fried Rice -The Kimpura Way

Here we are again.... in my little section of  my food recipes... I want to share with you how to cook Japanese  fried rice the Kimpura way. I ate at the newly opened Kimpura Restaurant at Greenbelt 5 recently and took a video of the chef cooking fried rice.. and guess what? I was able to get their step by step procedure on their fried rice. You do not need a misono table to cook this dish.... all you need is a WOK...

I would suggest that you dice all the ingredients that needed to be diced first, then arrange it nicely together with the other ingredients in a platter before you start cooking your fried rice...

Here is my Video on how to cook the fried rice which I took in Kimpura.

FRIED RICE @ KIMPURA vdeo from asunta rufino on Vimeo.

JAPANESE FRIED RICE ( makes 4 servings )

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp. cooking oil
white onions ( diced )
green peppers ( diced )
carrots ( diced )
1/2 cup ground pork
1/4 cup shrimps ( chopped )
1 tbsp. Kikkoman soy sauce ( to taste )
a pinch of MSG ( optional )
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups Japanese rice
salt and pepper to taste

PROCEEDURE:

* In a wok melt butter and add the cooking oil. Swirl the wok a few times to distribute evenly.

* Add the chopped, onions, carrots and green pepper.

* Saute until the carrots are soft, onions are transparent over low heat.

* Add pork and shrimps. Cook until the color of the pork and shrimps changes.

* Add the 4 cups of rice and the seasonings. Blend well.

* Add the beaten eggs and continue stirring until eggs turn yellow. Adjust your seasoning according to your taste.


SEE?? wasn't that easy to do?? Now you have fried rice cooked the Kimpura way.... Happy Cooking!!

ENOKI MUSHROOM BEEF ROLL RECIPE

Here is another fun and easy dish you can do at home... If you’re a mushroom fan looking for foreign varieties, there are many options to consider. Among the popular ones are mushrooms from Japan. These are enoki mushrooms ( also known as Japanese golden straw mushrooms ) are mushrooms that are rolled in thinly sliced beef and grilled or cooked. You could also pan fry or bake these mushrooms. These are not seasonal and are available any time of the year..

All of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Manila serve this. Today I decided to make my own version using enoki mushrooms cooked Japanese style.

INGREDIENTS:


14 thin slices of beef ( as thin as the slices of beef used for sukiyaki )
1 package fresh enoki mushrooms ( you can get these in the supermarkets- vegetables section).
coarse salt

DIPPING SAUCE:

6 tbsp dashi ( recipe below )
2 1/2 tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch

To make the dipping sauce:  

* Dissolve the cornstarch in the dashi.

* In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring the dashi and cornstarch, mirin, and soy sauce to a boil.  Then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.  Stir occasionally until you achieve the desired consistency (approximately 2 minutes).  It should be slightly thick when you remove it from the heat.  It will continue to thicken as it cools.  To adjust the thickness of the sauce to your taste, you can add more dashi if it’s too thick or you can simmer it further if it’s too thin.

* Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

After you have made your dipping sauce... set it aside and prepare your enoki and sliced beef.

PROCEDURE:

* Cut off and discard the dark, clumpy roots of the enoki mushrooms leaving them about 2 to 3 inches tall.  Separate them into 14 bunches.

* Working with one slice of beef at a time, arrange the slice of beef so that it is flat on your work surface and that the length of it is running vertically towards you.

* Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt onto one side and place a bunch of enoki mushrooms on the end of the beef closest to you.

* Arrange the enoki mushrooms so that the caps will be sticking out of the beef roll.  Roll up the beef all the way around the enoki mushrooms tightly and set it aside, seam side down.  Repeat with the remaining beef and enoki mushrooms.

* You could cook these on a grill, in an oiled pan, or in the oven.  I used a frying pan over high heat to simulate a teppanyaki griddle.

* Grease your frying pan lightly with vegetable oil.

* Then place the rolls onto the griddle seam side down 2 inches apart.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until the meat is cooked through and carmelized.

* Place the rolls in your serving plate and drizzle with the sauce or serve the sauce on the side for dipping.

ENJOY !!!