Nomnomnom, Eat, Nomnomnom, Eat, Nomnomnom

This article was created in response to the recent Philippine tropical storm Ondoy (International Name: Kestana) which intensely hit Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

These are the times when you are caught unaware or unprepared. Typhoon Ondoy hit the Philippines Sept. 26 and in a few hours, most of Metro Manila is in deep water.

It received more than a month’s amount of rain in less than 24hrs.

Either you were stranded in school, in the roof of your house or simply can’t get out of your house due to floods (like in my case), you would want to have enough supply of food nearby while waiting for rescue.

I always advise my relatives to stock up on extended-perishable goods like canned goods, biscuits and bottled water or juices.

I grew up with my over cautious mom who would stock up more than a month’s worth of grocery at home; always. Our cabinets were always full of powdered canned milk, canned goods, instant noodles, supplies, and the likes.

She was like that because she went through World War II in the Philippines. They experienced how be frightened amidst bombing and soldiers’ guns. Situations where you would not want to get out of your house. Food is one of their blanket of security.

Stock up in your Homes

Going back to the main topic of this article, you should also learn how to stock up food in your house. Since we know food is perishable, we can store products with a longer lifespan such as canned goods (meat loaf and sardines), instant noodles, biscuits (crackers), bottled water, and juices.

Most of these products might not be as healthy as fresh cooked food, but in times of calamities where electricity is out and your cooking gas supply is running low, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Others may argue that these storms usually just last a day or two. With the ongoing climate change, who knows?

Or perhaps what if a war breaks up. Less likely and hopefully not, but nonetheless possible.

Just remember to check the expiration dates of the products at least about once a month since these are still perishable goods. Use them up and replenish with new ones when necessary.

Stock up in your Cars

The Philippines is known for its heavy traffic in the metropolis. Aside from these, you would be thankful for a ready food when you are stuck in your car during flood for an extended amount of time.

The same items are applicable for your storage in cars like biscuits and water bottles. Just note that the plastic water bottles do expire; and the chemical reaction with the plastic occurs much faster in heat (since cars are usually exposed to daytime heat especially when parked). You just have to change them in shorter spans of time.

Canned goods are a definite no-no in cars. The metal encasement will react with the food, hence, “do not expose to direct sunlight”

Others may complain that it’s hard to maintain. But when the time comes that you need one, it’s better to have food than none.

In another note, click here for Emergency Numbers and Current Relief Operations.

These kinds of storms and calamities will happen again. And it can be stronger and worse than what we just experienced. I hope that is enough of a wake up call to all who pollute the environment and abuse mother nature.

Texas Roadhouse Grill became one of my top choice in steak restaurants since I discovered their Bonifacio High Street branch back in April of 2008. Their grill menu is made of win and their steaks are imported from the US.

All the while, I didn’t know until a few weeks ago that they have an Ortigas branch at El Pueblo as far back as November 2007.

Anyhow, as I expected, dinner was awesome. I don’t really eat that much during dinner but this one is irresistable. It’s good that I was with friends to share the large servings. Allow me to share the three main stars of that night:

Shrimp and Salmon Skewer

Shrimp & Salmon Skewer

Three skewers of shrimp and salmon. Three medium shrimps and two chunks of salmon on each stick to be exact.

It’s good that the salmon was still juicy, despite being grilled; coz others fail at that.

Herbs and spices are visibly sprinkled on top. Texas rice, the sauce, and some veggies complete your serving of Shrimp Salmon Skewer.

Priced at P420 (US$9), it is also a ‘Sheriff’s Recommendation.’

Jesse James Sampler

Jesse James Sampler

Texas Road house Grill’s Jesse James Sampler is a combination of three starters : Chicken Tenders, Buffalo Wings, and Wild Cheese Fritters.

I love the cheesy-ness of the Wild Cheese Fritters, the other two are so-so. The serving size is not that much also since it’s just a starter and the three had to share plate space; not to mention the three types of dips/sauces occupying the middle area. :)  P375 (US$8).

The Great Ribeye

The Great Ribeye

This is it. It’s not called The Great Ribeye for nothing.

The Great Ribeye is a 10 oz. US ribeye steak seasoned with herbs and garlic. You have the option to have it cooked rare, medium rare, medium, medium well or well done. We had ours at medium well. The meat was so tender and juicy; but of course we already know this.

The chef generally advised to shy away from ordering well done steaks to be able appreciate the tenderness of the meat.

Texas Roadhouse Grill in El Pueblo, Ortigas

The large serving took the three of us to shared it and almost had leftovers. However, with a big size also comes a great price (it rhymes!). 🙂 P1100 (US$23.50) might sound expensive but the size and quality of the beef makes it worth it.

It also comes with a serving of mashed potato and veggies; another ‘Sheriff’s Recommendation.’

Texas Road house Grill in Ortigas is open daily from 11 am to 12 mn Sundays to Thursdays but until 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays (Tel. nos. 635-6715 to 16).  The Bonifacio Global City branch in Taguig can be found at Bldg 1, Bonifacio High Street. They have the same operating schedule.  (Tel. nos. 856-1547 to 48).

It’s ‘yeehaw‘ time at Texas Roadhouse Grill. nomnomnom 🙂

Balut is a Philippine street fare which is rarely welcomed by foreign tastebuds, especially when they are oriented on what it is.

Philipine Balut

Balut is fertilized duck embryo, cooked, kept warm, and usually sold as street food.

The concept is generally a taboo in western countries but also available in other south east asian neighbors like Vietnam and Laos. A famous source of balut in the Philipines is Pateros where incubation and selection of the eggs are carefully done.

NomnomClub.com @ WordCamp Philippines 2009

Eating balut has also been featured in a number reality-TV series as part of daredevil tasks like Survivor, Amazing Race and Fear Factor. It is also considered an aphrodesiac.

In a WordCamp Philippines 2009 conference held last Saturday, we had Beau Lebens and Seth Bindernagel as guests speakers from WordPress and Mozilla, respectively.

WordCamp Philippines 2009

On a gathering at the night after the wordcamp conference, a balut vendor passed by Whistlestop where we were having our dinner. And being foreigner and guests, we dared them to take on a balut-eating challenge. Seth was game and ready, although Beau needed a little more convincing.

The Japanese guy, also from Mozilla, was tough. He compared the probable experience to Japan’s serving of fish sperm. This totally deserves a completely separate blog (perhaps next time). 🙂

Seth Bindernagel

Anyhow, it was Autralia versus the USA with Seth on the right corner and Beau on the left. The Wordcamp organizers, volunteers, and friends taught them the step by step procedures as to how to eat a balut and proded them on in the process mentioning “don’t look” (at the embryo) so as not to visually discouraged them. LOL.

How To Eat A Balut

1. Lightly tap the tip of the egg shell on any hard surface just like a hard boiled egg. This is done with caution so as not to spill the young duck’s juice.
2. After a hole has been punctured, one could immediately sip the warm juice. The broth essence is full of protein.
3. Peel off the rest of the eggshells to reveal most parts of the yolk and the young chick.
4. Give it a dash of salt to enhance the flavor. The embryo is slightly moist as some of the juice still remains. This is perfect for the pinch of salt to mix with.
5. Eat while still warm. Swallowing it whole is possible but bite-after-bite is recommended. (do not forget to remove the “white part” which is hard and rubbery – this part is not eaten as it is hard to digest).
6. Congratulations! You have just proven that you are as tough as the Survivor, Amazing Race and Fear Factor contestants! 🙂

Peel off the Balut Shells

Add a Pinch of Salt

Chew Away 🙂

With the recent interest in balut, the delicacy has found itself  served in different ways including as appetizers in restaurants, preserved in bottles, or cooked as adobo. Unsold balut in the streets are eventually fried and sold as a different delicacy alltogether.

Here’s a video of the “How To Eat Balut” incident.:

A good tip is to choose your balut young, with the embryo as undeveloped yet as possible. This means that the young chick is “not yet” a chick. Otherwise, you’ll feel some feathers/hair in your tongue or end up chewing out the balut‘s “beak“. Eeewww. LOL. 🙂 Nomnomnom.

Light finally shed on the drumbeat on the recent “Let There Be White,” today. It was Red Ribbon‘s newest cake – the White Forest.

Inspired from Black Forest

It was named so as it was inspired from the Black Forest Chocolate Cake of which Red Ribbon has been greatly known for and has become a classic cake through the years. With the release of the White Forest, it aims to tap the white chocolate lovers out there in a similar way.

The White Forest is a light combination of white chiffon layers and cherry bits filling. Covered with light cream all-over and held by sweet wedges of premium white chocolate, the White Forest is also adorned by whole red cherries on top.

It is one of the softest and lightest cake I have ever tasted. In Filipino, “Hindi siya mabigat.” (It is not heavy)

Unlike other cakes, the White Forest is both light and soft which does not overpower the meal you just had. A friend remarked that it does not have the “liquor after-taste” apparent in the Black Forest; which she liked.

White Forest - Red Ribbon

Price

A junior sized cake is priced at P335 while the regular one is at P560.

In summary, I think the White Forest is perfect for the white chocolate lovers out there; or simply those looking for a soft and light cake that would deliciously cater to their sweet desires. Nomnomnom. 🙂

Nomnom is 1-week old! And for your support since 09-09-09, we are thankful! Thank You! 🙂

Nov.12 UPDATE: Check the winners here!

With the upcoming National Thank You Day on October 20 November, 2009, NomnomClub, with the support of Toblerone and GeiserMaclang, is sponsoring a “Thank You” themed online photo contest for Nomnom readers. 🙂

1. 

   Thank You Day

   Simply submit a photo shot by you which answers ‘How do you spread the sweetness of gratitude?‘ (1 Photo is 1 entry).

2. Upload your entries in your own sites (facebook, multiply, blogs). You may link to this blog contest entry.
3. Post the link of your photo entries/article in the comments section below so I can check them out.
4. Register in www.thankyoudayphilippines.com and post your photos in the gallery section as well. (read site competition mechanics).

It’s that simple!

This contest will run until OctNov.10. By OctNov.12, I will select my 5 winners who would each receive a TY kit.

The organizers would then choose their Top 3 from all who will submit in the website.

On October 15November, 2009, the Top 3 winners will be announced in thankyoudayphilippines.com and receive a Toblerone gift pack each. They will also be recognized during the TYDay awards 🙂

National Thank You Day with Toblerone and Nomnom

Lastly,  join Toblerone and Nomnom as we celebrate the National Thank You Day Awards on October 20 November 20, 2009 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

For more information on the National Thank You Day and Toblerone, visit www.thankyoudayphilippines.com HERE or the Thank You Day Philippines Facebook page here.

The Peninsula Manila turns 33 this Monday, Sept. 14, since it started in 1976. They decided to commemorate their roots by going back to it. The old prices, that is.

From 12:01pmam to 11:59pm, The Lobby of The Peninsula Manila brings back the prices of their signature Halo-halo Harana to P33 only – just as it was way back then!

Other than their Halo-halo Harana, they are including Pancit Luglog, and Schueblig from its menu as these three represent the hotel’s iconic items. Nomnomnom!

Halo-halo Harana, Pancit Luglog, and Schueblig has been offered in the Hotel since 1976. You could say that these are their classics.

“It’s what keeps our patrons coming back year after year. It’s actually an extensive list but we wanted to keep things simple so we decided to trim it down to something more manageable.” adds hotel food and beverage director, Laurent le Deu.

Pleas do take note thought that:

The Lobby 1976 Price Rollback promotion accepts reservations but will be on a first-come/first serve basis. Added conditions to the promotion: drinks and items not on the rollback list will be regularly priced; transactions will not accept marketing tie-up discounts, there will be no takeout; all three items must be ordered and consumed at The Lobby, and orders will not be shared.

News Source:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/219814/rollback-1976
http://www.tribune.net.ph/life/20090912lif6.html
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=503743&publicationSubCategoryId=81
Thanks to Arvin for the heads up.

Sept 14 12:01am Update: I just called up Manila Pen and there are a number of people right now (start of the  promo). The one who answered also confirmed that there is no phone reservation as of that moment and solely on fist-come, first-serve basis. The P33 halo-halo would total to about P40 including tax and service charge.

Manila Peninsula

*Halo-halo photo is not actual product. For illustration purposes only.

Reserve now! For any inquiries on The Peninsula Manila P33 promo, you can reach them at, 887 2888 extension 6694 or email diningpmn@peninsula.com.

“Let There Be Light,…and There Was White.”

Come and join Red Ribbon‘s Blogger Event this coming September 17, Thursday, and discover a deliciously memorable dessert experience to delight those you care about the most.

Be the first to see the television commercial (TVC) of Red Ribbon‘s newest darling. She’s as light as the White clouds in the sky on a sunny day.

Please register below and receive a ‘White Ticket’ in your indicated email inbox within the next 12hrs. Please register early as slots are limited.

It will serve as your pass and raffle stub to the blogger event on September 17, 2009, 7 o’clock in the evening to be held at the Function Room of Red Ribbon Libis branch.

Are you a Mommy Blogger? You might want to attend this instead.

Sept 14, 2009 Update:
For the 7pm blogger event, the registrant uptake was way faster than expected and the 40 slots are now filled. If you haven’t registered, you may still do so but you will not receive a ‘white ticket’ just yet. You will also be listed under the ‘waiting list.’ When a slot becomes available, you will be notified by email together with the ‘White Ticket’ to confirm your slot by the afternoon of Sept 16, Wednesday.

Sept 16, 2009 Update:

Registration has closed

Here’s the map to help you on your way (click image to enlarge):

Red Ribbon Libis Map

For any inquiries, please feel free to send an email to admin@nomnomclub.com or contact 0922*8*JONEL*3.

See you there!

When I discovered Ravioli early last week, I knew I found my first feature-to-be for my new and yet to be created food blog – Nomnom Club. Similarly, Ravioli is new having just started mid of this year.

Ravioli

It prides itself in serving fresh pasta even with the fast-food serve set-up amidst Robinson’s Galleria foodcourt. And indeed, serving freshly made pasta matters in the taste and the resulting firmer texture (al dente).

This was particularly true for the Chorizo and Tomato Ravioli that I had. It was a chorizo-stuffed square-shaped ravioli in tomato sauce. It’s their best-seller and I knew why. 🙂

A bite on the first piece of ravioli reveals the juicy spanish chorizo and the subtly soft pasta. The tomato sauce was good as well.

At P130, it certainly was worth it.

Chorizo and Tomato Ravioli

A trivia about the Chorizo and Tomato Ravioli– the number of pieces is counted as standard for consistency in serving. 🙂 The non-ravioli  pasta are weighed. This includes the spicy Shrimp Diablo (P95) and Bacon Carbonara (78) which I also was able to try.

Ravioli's Shrimp Diablo

Ravioli in the Making

One would also notice  top of the line cooking equipments in their open kitchen. My friend said that this is so because one of the owners is actually a chef who would settle for no less than quality equipments.

Bacon Carbonara

With the minimal and humble space, they churn up the freshest of pastas around.

The order is served fast but their food is prepared fresh and only cooked as ordered.

The tasteful experience was just far from foodcourt standards.Surely, I’ll be back to try the other interesting menu items.

The Mushroom & Mozzarella Ravioli on the menu board looks good. 🙂

Mushroom and Mozzarella Ravioli

Lastly, good news for people from the south where Robinson’s Galleria is just too far, Ravioli is opening a bistro in SM Mall of Asia come December 2009!

They’re even expanding their menu to include Pizza de Pugon. Nomnomnom! 🙂

Goodness of Fresh Pasta

Jeff, Ravioli's Pasta Maker

Business looks good and growing for Ravioli. Hopefully, same bids for Nomnom Club. 🙂 Woot! for my first feature post! 🙂