Rajo's Blog | StyleBible.ph » food

Lobster Macadamias

rajo — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:31:30 +0000

I just want to share with you something my client gave me. It is one of those things that seems so odd but after giving it a try it actually tastes yummy! I love macadamia nuts but they are really so full of fat that you have to eat them sparingly. I also love lobsters! Lobsters conjure luxury, celebration and fine dining. Imagine when you mix the two and this is what you get? I just wanted to share this with all of you as I have never eaten anything like this before! Tee hee!

I have never tried this before? It was really fun and interesting to try.

This is how it looks inside! The powder flavoring makes the nuts really taste likes lobster.

HUGS!

RAJO!

TJ’s Tijuana Mexican Grill

rajo — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:11:10 +0000

Leave it to my dear friend Malu Gamboa to sniff out one of the best Mexican cantinas we have in the metropolis! After our Legally Blonde show we all were famished! Malu loves Mexican food! So I really trust her when it comes to this cuisine. The place was really close to the Ortigas area and we gave it a go.

Looking at this just makes me hungry!

The place is called TJ’s Tijuana Mexican grill! It is a quaint little place located in a corner of the City Golf Plaza ( weird name?! LOL!) Our waiter was one of the best that I have ever experienced. Well informed, gracious and quite charming. A rarity now a days! Come to think of it, the entire staff was pretty good! We Pinoys have the best smiles!

The quaint interiors! They open late till 3am!

We ordered immediately! Some Nachos, Burito’s ,chicken tenders and a fish taco! Then we had some lovely frozen margaritas to go with the meal! The meal arrived within minutes! Everything was excellent except for the Chicken Tenders which were drenched with fat and the oil oozing out of the basket! NOT PRETTY!

: Nix ready to dive in! LOL!

: Our lovely Margaritas

: Cheers!

The rest of the meal was wonderful and we all really enjoyed it! The waiter gave us extra nachos to boot! I love this place because when Nix’s margarita was not to his liking the waiter changed it immediately without hesitation. You don’t get that in Manila too often. Making this place a winner to me! If you’re all looking for your Mexican fix then head on over to TJ’s. I hear they have a branch in Makati, but I forgot the area.

This was a bit hard to eat! Double fried chicken skin with a ton of oil! Avoid this at all cost if you wish to live longer! LOL! I am sure it tastes great but it will clog up your arteries big time!

A yummy and healthy alternative, a grilled fish taco.

This is their regular burrito! It was nicely done.

HUGS!

RAJO!

TJ’s Tijuana Mexican Grill

City Golf Plaza Ortigas, Pasig City

Brngy Ugong

tel. 02-4706179

email joselleus@yahoo.com

A Hunan Hole in the wall

rajo — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:59:02 +0000

I love discovering tiny hole in the wall restaurants that serve fantastic meals at unbelievable prices points. These food adventures does not happen very often and when they do I feel compelled to share them. My dear friend Joey Campillio and I made dinner plans for the weekend and he was raving about this little chinese hole in the wall near Rockwell. I got equally excited and reserved our Saturday night for this. We easily found the place as I am familiar with the area, but if your are not it might be tricky to find. The restaurant is called YOU JIE XIAO CHAO. There is no big signage but at any given time there place is buzzing with people. Mostly Chinese nationals looking for authentic Hunan cuisine.

This is the entrance of the restaurant.

Hunan cuisine to my knowledge is a region in China that serves medium to spicy dishes which features lots of saucy stews, tofu and the famous Kung pao chicken. I was able to try Chinese Hunan in Shanghai once and I remember really enjoying it. You have to manage all your expectations when eating at this restaurant. The ambience is really genuine chinese! LOL! Bright lights, simple furniture and laid back service. The star of the restaurant is its food and that’s why so many people come here. The place is always full and you have to wait a few minutes to get a table.

The ambience inside. The place must be doing so well that I noticed that the next door was being renovated to accommodate more patrons.

I was really lucky because I met some kind readers of my blog (NAKS! LOL) on the way out of the restaurant and I asked them what to order. They suggested the Fish soup, the Kung Pao chicken and the dumplings. Joey has been here 4 times already so he knows what is good too. The food came fast and it was fresh and tasted really authentic.

I loved the picture-menu which makes it so much easier to order.

So many dishes to choose from.

When your in this restaurant you somehow instantly feel like your in China! Everyone in the restaurant with the exception one or two tables were Chinese and I saw this as a good sign. They also had Tsingtao beer which goes so well with this kind of food. The verdict?! I ENJOYED IT! I would definitely come back and try other dishes. Since the portions are quite big it is best to come here in a group so you can order more, The unlimited rice is also a plus.

The meal comes with unlimited rice which you serve yourself in a rice cooker in the back.

I loved the spicy fish soup and the Kung -Pao chicken was amazing! the dumplings though were really bland so you need to create a rich dipping sauce to fully enjoy this. We also ordered some eggplant which was also good but it came with so much oil that you get a bit turned off by this. I looked around the other tables and there were still so much beautiful dishes to try like the Fish head soup and the crispy ribs. So I vowed to come back and try this.

The spicy fish soup! It was really yummy!

The Kung-Pao Chicken was a real winner! We all practically inhaled this!

: The hot-pot eggplant which was good but was so oily!

The dumplings were not good so pass up on this one.

If your looking for a fun and delicious food adventure drop by this HUNAN gem. ENJOY! Write me back and tell me what else was good.

Thank you Joey for taking us here! We had the best time!

HUGS!

RAJO!

YOU JIE XIAO CHAO

6404 Camia st. Guadalupe Viejo

Makati City ( it is very near rockwell and just behind the Metro club)

0927-7876999

0915-4252972

0922-8698887

Antonio’s revisited!

rajo — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:06:12 +0000

My best friend Bob paid me a visit over the weekend. I was so excited to have him over and take him around. He took along his partner Kelvin. Bob and Kelvin live in Shanghai and it was Kelvin’s first time in the Philippines. Every time I have visitors I always take them to Antonio’s in Tagaytay. It is simply the best restaurant in the Philippines!

I love what they did with the entrance foyer. The pale blue walls are just soothing and the photos on the walls gives this place a sense of heritage. It is like going to a house of a wealthy haciendero!

What a great idea! I love it!

Bob and Kelvin pose in front of a really large lamp.

I love the fact that we can make a day trip to see the volcano and end up having the most splendid meal! I have not been back to Antonio’s for what seemed to be like forever and so it was really such a treat! What I love about this place apart from the excellent food is really the impeccable personal service that each and every person there selflessly offers their clients.

The best place for a romantic date! I have known several couples getting engaged here.

: Kelvin and Bob await our meal.

: The view from where I sat.

Beautiful details.

: The main dining hall!

Don't you just love the tiles?

: Bob and Kelvin pose in front of the new breakfast place, which will open very soon.

Bumped into the FASHION TRIBE of Daryl and Andre Chang! I love seeing them as they always make me smile!

Your heart just fills up when Tony Boy ( The chef and brains behind Antonio’s) comes out and says hello. He does this to all his guests. If you’re in the mood for a really amazing food trip then I suggest you make plans to go to Antonio’s. The experience is mind blowing!!!!

The meal began with the house salad and the most plump scallops with watermelon! It was so refreshing!

I think I will try to do this in my next kitchen adventure.

Then our sea food sampler arrived which was just DIVINE!!!! I loved how TonyBoy played with subtle paradoxes of crunch and creamy with sweet and salty.

The boys and I decided to take on a full proper porter house steak! It was absolutely beautiful!!!!!

: My plate! Pa-demure muna!

Dessert came in 3 forms but only manage to take a photo of the profiterole. The rest magically disappeared! LOL!

Kelvin and I hug it out! LOL!

Please call to make a reservation and have them give you a detailed description on how to get there because you might get lost, however I think that is part of the charm and the fun. Call Antonio’s Restaurant 046-4130975 and +63918-8992866. NOW NA!!!! LOL!

HUGS!

RAJO!

Empanadas

rajo — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:12:14 +0000

Food is integral to my joy of traveling. In Argentina they have two major things that you must try. One is the beef at a Parilla and the other is the Emapanada. We were going to have a Parilla feast later in the trip so when we were told that it would be an empanada pit stop for lunch, my hear skipped a beat. LOL! We were going to one of the most beloved empanada shops in Beunos Aires it is called “El Sanjuanino” it is around 50 years old and the whole place still gets packed.

Look for this sign! The address is Posadas 1515 Recoleta, Buenos Aires tel. 4805-2683/4804-2909 the website is www.elsanjuanino.com

The whole place was quite full. I saw this as a good sign.

The menu on the wall!

We had to wait a couple of minutes before we could get a seat and it was certainly worth the wait.

Tina Bonoan, Tita Chita, and Tessa choosing what to order. Well we ended up ordering everything on the menu! LOL!

After a few minutes we got a table in the basement, which was also quite full!

We tried all the varieties of the filled pastry treat from Beef Picante, Chicken, Lamb, Corn, and Verdura, which is vegetable. I liked the verdura the best! I think this place is a must visit when you get to go to BA as you really get a real taste of Argentine culture!

Our freshly baked empanadas! Everything was really good and piping hot! Looking at this now makes me hungry!

The empanadas taste better if you add some chimichurri. Each place we ate at in BA had their own version, each giving the dishes some zing and zest!

HUGS!

RAJO!

RANDOM SHOTS!

rajo — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:08:02 +0000

I have been busy working here in NYC and in my spare time I come to a couple of places that spark my interest.

Very cool interiors from the indoor Market

My friend Mike Ching enjoying the winter sun!

Most of the time these center around the food or the restaurant that I like to try of my friends recommend. You all know I love brunch and this for me works because I end up eating two meals a day instead of one! However I know this is not the healthiest way to live but I still love it! Will just work out more- in this case take less cabs and just walk more! LOL!

Well my friends started working on the area where we would love to be in and then have brunch in that area. I always love the Meat packing district because the stores there are really nice and they are just really interesting. We walked through the Market are which was always cool and ended up in the old FLORENT…which was one of my favorite diners when I was a student! It is now called GANSEVOORT 69 named after the address it is at with Telephone number 212-6910069.

The Gansevoort interiors. Its a cleaned up version of florent but I miss the grit and I definitely miss the food!

More interior shots!

The bar!

Honestly, I would not bother making a reservation because it was not really that great! I mean the food was normal and nothing really to blog about! LOL! Although the staff were really nice but the food was a waste of time.

My Huevos-Rancheros! Pwede na! But I had much better versions in the city!

Our Brunch!

Good thing the shopping put us all in a better mood! LOL! Shopping does that all the time doesn’t it?

The Alexander McQueen store was near by! Naiyak ako!

I actually felt so bad when he died! I cried when I saw the video of Bjork at the Fashion Rocks! We really lost a GENIUS! Rest in Peace!!!

After that I had a drink at the St. Regis bar called The old king cole! I liked it there! They shot several movies in this bar and It is a great way to cool your heels after a long day of shopping! er....Working pala! LOL!

HUGS!

RAJO!

Loving LU!

rajo — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:36:07 +0000

My girls Leica, Kitty and Amanda decided to have a long Sunday brunch. I took this opportunity to finally try out LU at Rockwell! I was so excited because a couple of my readers (NAKS!) wrote me their suggestions on what to order.

When I walked in, I saw that the place was abuzz with customers and we were led to our table. The owner Luis Terry was there to greet us and gave us a big hug! I really appreciate it when the owners of restaurants are their because this really makes a huge difference. After Luis explained the menu, we decided to have a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the holidays! (As if we needed any other reason?! LOL!)

The menu was well conceived and very tempting! It's all like foreplay!

We started wit this yummy appetizer sampler plate which was really good! The hummus with the eggplant was divine!

We ordered up a storm! We started out with 2 appetizers which were DELISH! Then we decided to share 4 entrees and two desserts! The experience was really beautiful! Lu is still on its soft opening so you can forgive a few service hiccups, but other than that, I think I found a fave eating destination. If you have not been to LU, I suggest you guys hop on over for a really comforting experience!

Then we had fried courgettes with a cream stuffing! The plate was simple and beautiful. It's the kind of honest cooking that I really appreciate.

Fish and chips! I found it a bit too oily but the sauces were amazing! I would dab it with tissue first to absorb the oil. The fries were spicy and very tasty.

the Grilled Chicken was moist and very well flavored! It was perfectly cooked! I always order a chicken dish in new restaurants and this was a winner! Simple and satisfying!

Oooh...I forgot we also ordered some eggs benedict! It was really as in REALLY GOOD It was light and the hollandaise was absolutely perfect!

This for me was the star of the meal! The lamb shank cooked in yoghurt! It was a really pleasant surprise because it was light and very subtly flavored the meat just fell of the bone and the rice/noodle accompaniment was just sublime! It was like nirvana with every bite! This for me was the best of what we ordered!

Me and the girls! Kitty, Amanda & Leica!

BFF for life! Leica and Kitty!

We all decided to do some window shopping and see the new HERMES store! It was amazing how the Hermes store has like zero bags in stock! I mean they were all sold out! LOL! I spotted this leather bag in PRADA and it was really tempting me! The bag is on sale and I am seriously considering it? The practical side of me says..Hello do you really need another bag? While the other side of me says....GO GET IT! I am so torn, so what do you think? It's not cheap so I really have to think this one through very carefully.

Leica holding the bag that I want up. Hmmmm....I am still thinking about it.

HUGS!
RAJO!

Noel’s Homecoming!

rajo — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:44:08 +0000

What I love about Christmas is that so many friends from all over the world come home to celebrate Christmas. There is nothing like a Filipino Christmas! We just know how to celebrate this important holiday like no other race on the planet!

I recently had the pleasure to join a super chic homecoming dinner for one of our dearest friends Noel de la Rama! Noel has not been home for more than a decade. He resides in New York and is a personal chef for super famous people. Currently, he is the personal chef of Mr. Dustin Hoffman! Noel is like my own personal Zagat guide, giving me tips on the latest, hottest, best eats in New York City! Apart from that, Noel is really one great guy! We all love him!

He decided to surprise his best friend Junie Rodriquez with his home coming! Tita Fe (Junie’s Mom) was in cahoots with the whole surprise! The evening was an immense success! The meal was lovingly prepared amidst the most chic environment! Tita Fe & Junie are really my personal lifestyle heroes!

The Rodriguez's Christmas tree!

Junie was visually surprised with Noel's arrival.

It was a homecoming of sorts too for friends Rone( Barcelona) and her sister Tish with her boyfriend Nave. They reside in New York.

The best friends photo opportunity! Apparently they have not taken a photograph together in like forever! Rico, Noel, Junie and Anton!

I love this shot!

Junie taking into the dining table the star of the dinner....Cuchinillo! ( baby lechon!)

The super gorgeous Tita Fe! Her ear chandeliers are by Pepito Albert!

The lovely tablescape!

Maryfe, Rone and Tish pose for a shot.

The dinner was really fantastic, filled with memories and hopes for the future.

Anton, Tita Fe and Rico, relaxing after the dinner. Those chairs are so comfortable, I really want one of those! LOL!

HUGS!
RAJO!

Ballet-Barbie-Bulli!

rajo — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:37:14 +0000

I just had one of the most incredible dinner experiences last night! I was invited to an intimate dinner last night by Ms. Margie Moran Floirendo, otherwise known as Ms. Universe! LOL! I was very much intrigued as the invitation read “Ballet, Barbie, Bulli”. I mean…I HAD TO GO! Right!?

It had all my favorite things in this world! I love the ballet! I love as in I LOVE BARBIE!!! LOL! I think I am a fashion designer now because of the doll. As a young boy, I would steal my sisters’ Barbies and give them makeovers! I even saved my allowance just so that I could buy Christy! The first black barbie!

I also love Bulli; El Bulli is the super famous restaurant of Fernand Adria, the world famous chef who champions molecular gastronomy! His restaurant is located in Bilbao, Spain. Having a meal there is a once in a lifetime experience! Well…..When you get an invitation from Ms. Universe, you just have to go! LOL!

These were the invitations! I just had to go! I could not help myself!

The dinner was just AMAZING! Our hosts Mr. and Mrs. Liechenstein were incredible! The degustacion meal was lovingly prepared by Mrs. Kathleen “Maymay” Liechenstein with so much BRAVURA that I could not help clap my hands with each plate that arrived! My photos might not even do justice! The dinner was an invitation for us designers to create special limited edition Barbies to be auctioned off next year, in order to raise funds for Ballet Philippines scholars! Without hesitation, I said YES! I AM IN! The event will be this March, so for the next 2 months, I will be working on 10 Barbies and dressing them up!

I am not alone in this wonderful endeavor. The Philippines’ top fashion designers are in FULL force to create and help out the Ballet Philippines! I am so happy to be part of this! Will definitely keep all of you posted as I create my Barbies!

When I entered the home of Mr and Mrs Liechenstein , I was like in a trance! It was like a shrine to the artist Gabby Barredo! Gabby Barredo is a very famous Filipino sculptor and his works are just mind-boggling! This sculpture had like moving parts with an LED light detail.

My good friend Patrice Ramos-Diaz drove up to Alabang with me and when we arrived we saw other designer friends already enjoying the evening. Joey Samson, Patrice with Ballet Philippines Ana Singson and James Reyes.

We had pre dinner cocktails in the study and the whole room was filled with the most incredible art by Gabby Barredo!

I was drawn to this sculpture. According to Mr. Liechenstein, it is a sculpture inspired by all things female.

A close up of the art piece showed us a pregnant woman.

That is the baby.

Joey and Louis Clapariols enjoying the art and the evening!

Even the champagne flutes were designed by Gabby Barredo!

This piece was moving too! I wish I took a movie, so all of you could see the kinetic energy of the sculptures.

This console table was also created by Gabby Barredo featuring bobbing heads exposing their lit brain! I love how bizarre and strangely beautiful it was. LOL!

I spotted Mr. Pitoy Moreno talking with Margie Moran in the corner! Mr. Moreno is still so energetic after all these years, I see him everywhere!

The table centerpiece...by Gabby Barredo!

The chandelier.. by Gabby Barredo!

Mrs. Margie Moran Floirendo is now the president of Ballet Philippines! Here she is inviting all of us to participate in this super fun project!

This is Myrna Yao of Barbie Philippines! She brings in all things Barbie in the country! How fun is that?

The dinner started with this Tomato and Watermelon salad. Each dish came with a really dramatic plate setting! I could not decide whether to eat or to take photos?! LOL!

Then the soup arrived like a gift from King Neptune! I loved the taste of the soup and it was very hearty!

Each dish came with its unique presentation, this was my soup...I am 100% sure that this charger is also by Gabby Barredo.

My dinner seat mate that evening was non other than Cary Santiago! This man is a GENIUS! I mean he is really an incredible designer with such a fun personality! We all had an incredible time listening to all his wonderful stories! Salamat kaayo..kay sige gyud kami ga katawa gabii tungod nimo Cary! Oh..My Mom is from Dumaguete so I speak fluent Cebuano. LOL!

The third course came and it was literally blooming!

Patrice and I really had a super fun time! I wish there were more evenings like this!

This was my plate!

A close up of the beautiful dish... Smoked duck on a bed of dark rose bud aspic ( which is like Jell-o but sounds more chica!) accompanied by a slew of other exotic ingredients like cacao nibs, pomegranate seeds, micro greens, a tip of an asparagus, tiny mushrooms and what looked to me like SAMPAGUITA! AMAZING NO?!

Louis and Joey peeking through their floral bouquet course.

Here I am trying to see if the other flowers were edible! uhmmm....They were not! LOL!

This was the next course which was called Quadrie AIr....4 air? I think it was inspired by Bulli's famed foam dishes. It was fun trying to figure out how to eat this plate. I loved the mother of pearl charger.

Then the sorbet came...at first I thought yum...blackberries! Then I read the menu and it was a DUHAT sorbet! That is so ingenius!

The main dish arrived! The presentation was really dramatic and we all were like oohing and ahhing.....The beef dish came out with these glass domes! I want one of those! Where can I get those domes! LOL!

One...two..three......

The main dish was a slow cooked beef rib with a red rice-champagne pearls! I loved the color.

I chose the chilean sea bass dish! Which came with its own coral!

plus the sea bass came with a friend too... a real live guppy! OMG!

The pre-dessert nibble was also very cool! I loved the plating. This was a candied pistachio with a gold foil.

Then this was dessert! WOW! That is a chocolate face people! Which she hand painted and created from scratch!

It was too beautiful to eat! I had to take it home to show Nix! Mrs. Liechenstein even created the sugar glass wall that came with dessert! What an incredible dessert plate!

BIG HUGS,
RAJO!

What I did over the long weekend

rajo — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:56:39 +0000

I don’t know about you guys, but I absolutely love long weekends! It just gives me the opportunity to do things that I have been meaning to do or do absolutely nothing and not feel guilty. Although I am the type of person who tries to fill my day with activities, this weekend I had some busy time and some down time.

The first thing I did was take my 90 year old Lola to watch Repertory Philippines Sweeney Todd. I promised my cousin Franco who plays the romantic lead Anthony that I would take our Lola Betty to the play. I was so thrilled to take her and we all had a super fantastic time.

Franco and our Lola Betty after the show!

Another shot with me in it! Isn't our Lola Beautiful?

Then I decided to get some brunch at ESCOLTA in the Manila Pen. After that, I took my nephew Santino out for some shopping as it was his 7th birthday. Since I was already in Alabang, I drove around the village to look at new houses. This has been a habit of mine ever since I was in high school, as I am a frustrated architect LOL! I then spent the rest of the long weekend in bed and had a DVD marathon! I watched 7 movies straight! LOL! SEVEN! That is what I did for the long weekend!

What did you do?

I then had brunch at the Manila Peninsula. Ooooh GInger bread houses! I really like the decor at the Pen it is always so tasteful.

Check out the gigantic tree in the lobby!

The Christmas decor at Escolta.

The Buffet brunch was great! I really appreciated the sushi and sea food portion, really fresh!

YUMMERS!

The meat section was also quite impressive! Although the meats could be seasoned better as I found them under seasoned. This photo is like a lechon style lamb. ANG LAKI NO?

The highlight for me was the dessert station! 5 stars all around!

I wonder where they got this? These would make great Christmas presents!

My first plate! I had like 2 more plates after! JAHE na to show you guys! LOL!

This is my Nephew Santino! He recently turned 7. I am his Ninong and I took him birthday shopping! All he wanted were these game discs for his PS3, I thought OK sure! No worries! Then I found out that they cost an average of 3,000 pesos a game! I was like! HUWAAT?!!! But since I promised him the games I had to get it for him! It's cool though, I love spoiling my Nieces and Nephews! Happy birthday SANTINO!

Ever since I was like 16 I have loved architecture, I am a frustrated architect and I have just as much Architecture and Interior design books as that of Fashion. I spotted this handsome looking home in front of my Lola's house, I hope that the owners do not mind me posting this? I just loved the lines and I like the modernity of the design! It's a beautiful home!

It reminds me of the "mies" barcelona pavillion! I love that house and I love this house too! I was like drooling outside! Using the SECRET now big time!

HUGS!
RAJO!