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Chinese New Year Fireworks

Yes, they did it. Aside from the fear of fully-reserved restaurants come the big day of  Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day combined, they also made heart-shaped tikoy (glutinous rice pudding ).

Tikoy‘s literal translation in English is “sweet-cake.”

Going back, the maker of this heart-shaped ‘tikoy‘ in the picture is Polland bakery. They’re known to be innovative and creative with their products. The packaging alone (of all its product line), uses loud color to attract more buyers.

With the upcoming Chinese New Year this Sunday, Feb 14, 2010, expect the traditional ‘Tikoy‘ gifts to overflow once again from our friends  in the Chinese-Filipino community. This symbolizes prosperity and is said to make the blessings ‘stick‘. 🙂

Chinese Ang-Pao / Ampao (Red Envelope)

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Happy Chinese New Year!

With the Valentine season just around the corner,  Valentine’s Day promo are everywhere. And this article will serve to confuse you all the more – haha!  (just kidding).

Valetine's Day Food Spots

I actually posted a little survey a few weeks ago through a NomNom Club social networking thread and one of the resulting recommendation was Chateau 1771.

The Chateau 1771’s Lunch Box is available even on weekdays for lunch. The price is about 500+ according to the suggestion. This is actually a good deal given that it’s Chateau 1771 and it already includes appetizer and dessert.

Jozu Kin, Burgis Circle in Fort Bonifacio

Melo’s along Jupiter street in Makati and Florabel in The Podium were also mentioned. The Podium is a small upscale mall located at  the back of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong.

Jozu Kin along Burgos Circle at Fort Bonifacio is another. They serve Japanese dishes with a contemporary twist. The tranquil ambiance is also suitable for a private Valentine’s date. 🙂

Lolo Dad's Brasserie Valentine Music

Another alternative for those in Makati would be the Lolo Dad’s Brasserie at 6750 Ayala Ave. near Shangri-La Makati Hotel.

Although the price range is above average, food quality and ambiance matches it. Lolo Dad’s will also host live string music on the 12th, 13th, and 14th entitled “Strings Attached on Valentines.”

Check out Lolo Dad’s Australian Lamb dish as well where upon ordering two, you get a limited edition “All You Need is Lamb Planner“.

Lolo Dad's Australian Lamb

Reserve now in your favorite romantic restaurants! With the Valentine’s colliding with the Chinese New Year, I hope there are still slots/spaces for your dates. 🙂

A Slice of Chocolate Heaven

Just in time for the valentine season, Red Ribbon releases its newest, richest, and chocolatiest chocolate cake ever – the Chocolate Heaven.

Promising a taste of heaven with its creaminess and combination layer of chocolate brownie at the bottom and chocolate mousse over it. It is then covered by rich dark chocolate icing and topped with chocolate shaven curls.

That’s four times a chocolate!

Red Ribbon Chocolate Heaven Cake

The verdict: Yes! It’s the chocolatiest ever! Stop reading this and taste one for yourself. 🙂

The junior size is priced at P335 while the regular size is P560. It has been available in select stores since early February but will be is available nationwide in all Red Ribbon branches today since yesterday.

Wait, there’s more! Join the Chocolate Heaven Photo Contest today! See mechanics here!

The house-helper left the house quite late today for her Sunday grocery. The rest of the relatives were somewhere else and I was left all alone. It’s 11:30am. Time for lunch and I had to summon my secret impromptu cooking skills. 🙂

The result: sauteed squash (ginisang kalabasa) and a set of fried fish lumpia. 🙂

The fried fish lumpia was fairly easy. It’s a ready-to-fry lumpia pack from the grocery. 🙂 Ah, the convenience of instant food (in exchange for preservatives) 🙂

I cooked it first as a strategy I learned from mom way before.  It saves on cooking oil since you could use the left over cooking oil from the pan for sauteing the next vegetable dish — Sauteed Squash.

NomNom Recipe for Sauteed Squash:

Suateed Squash & Fried Lumpia

Ingredients:

• 1 medium squash/pumpkin; sliced into cubes
• 1/2 garlic bulb
• 1/2 onion bulb
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• cooking oil

Procedure:

1. I first pan fried some crushed garlic and slices of half a bulb of onion.
2. This was followed by slices of squash cubes; mix well.
3. Heat for a while (1 minute) and add a cup of water.
4. Add two tablespoon of soy sauce and mix again; you may add salt and other spices to your liking.
5. Let it boil or simmer until the water left is just enough to cover the base of the pan; stir from time to time.
6. Serve while hot.

Well, this might not be perfect, or something, but this is how NomNom does his no-fuss Sauteed Squash and tricky fried lumpia. 🙂

It’s the season of commercial love. Yes, a market-driven one characterized by candies, chocolates, flowers, gifts, and occasional greeting cards, to materialistically symbolise one’s love and affection for another.

But whatever the Valentine’s Day critics say, it always feels good to receive a chocolate, a bouquet of flowers, and a cake from your loved one, be it your relative, parents, kids, or special partner.

Roses & Kisses Cake

So Red Ribbon made sure this becomes easy for the gift giver with their seasonal Roses and Kisses Cake which is now available for pre-order until February 9, 2009

It’s a chocolate pound cake shaped as a lovey-dovey heart and decorated with edible sugar roses and Hershey’s milk chocolate Kisses on top. Made beautiful inside-out, it is made with layers of chocolate fudge filling sprinkled with chocolate chips.

Looks and sounds lovely, doesn’t it?

So what about the taste? I like how it tastes different from the usual sweet cakes we usually have. It isn’t tiring to the taste buds, so I believe a couple can finish a whole cake in one sitting. 🙂

Truly a seasonal cake just for this valentine season, the 6 diameter white heart is priced at P330 and is customizable with a total of 14-character text before and after the “Happy Valentine’s Day” box for your special message for him/her.

Red Ribbon's Valentine's Day Cake - Roses And Kisses Cake

Read this blog post too late? And it’s Valentine’s Day in a day or two? Red Ribbon’s Valentine’s Cake – Roses and Kisses is available off the shelf in all Red Ribbon branches nationwide from Febraury 12-14, 2010.

As promised, we’re bringing back Food Foto Fiesta.

I had a recent surprising discovery of a Filipino restaurant called Serye. It’s related to the classic Aristocrat restaurant that anyone above 20, and residing in the Philippines, would be familiar with.

Actually, Serye have been around for sometime but is currently re-branding from Serye Restaurant and Cafe, to Serye Cafe Filipino; but that story deserves a separate article altogether. Stay tuned for that in the coming weeks.

For now, feast on the 10 photos I recently took from their Eastwood Libis branch.

Gambas

Pork Spareribs

Kesong Puti Puttanesca

Pork Binagoongan

Arroz Ala Cubana Pandesal

Tuna Sisig

Kesong Puti Salad

Dinuguan and Puto

Boneless Crispy Pata

* Food photos taken at Serye Cafe Filipino Eastwood Libis Branch.

The Food Foto Fiesta is a regular section from an affiliate food and travel blog LetsGoSago.net. Since it now focuses largely on travel (although still with some travel-related food write-ups), NomNomClub.com now revives a similar section here.

No explanation, no stories. Just dish labels and scrumptious images enough to make the onlooker drool, just enough to let your stomach grumble and make you want to go there and eat.

It’s roughly defined as a mob of food pictures from a focus dining place. 🙂 I hope you would enjoy our upcoming Food Foto Fiestas!

Silangan Elementary School

A follow up to the earlier Christmas hangover post is a charity-related event where Jollibee‘s Christmas Caravan went to Silangan Elementary School in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

This is part of Jollibee‘s “MaAga Ang Pasko” program where they collected children’s used toys through theor Christmas boxes in all Jollibee branches nationwide.

After the collection period, the toys were cleaned and washed in partnership with a commercial laundry group and some volunteers.

Then from hereon, they selected a number of public schools from different locations around the Philippines. One of which is the Silangan Elementary School.

Celebrity/Actor Aga Muhlach

Jollibee MaAga Ang Pasko

A school ravaged by last year’s typhoon Ondoy (Internaitonal typhoon Ketsana), Silangan Elementary School was still in the process of recovery when we went there last December of 2009.

Interestingly, this event opened the first day of their classes as well. (School operations stopped while the school was under construction and rehabilitation from the typhoon).

In line with this, Jollibee will be assisting the school in its recovery efforts.

All the students gathered at the school gym with its stage prepped-up for the program.

More Photos as a movie:

And of course, the celebrity model for the Jollibee MaAga Ang Pasko program is none other than Aga Muhlach. Aga spearheaded the program after two stage presentations from the school’s student representatives. Aga Muhlach went around the school as well before helping in the distribution of the Jollibee MaAga Ang Pasko toys and gift packs to the students.

Jollibee Christmas Caravan

The Jollibee Christmas Caravan was a long trip from Manila to Laguna but it was all worth it having seen the happy faces of the children and students.