food trip at mr. kurosawa

11.27.09
eastwood mall


met with sir bubuy to have an album printed at picture this! in eastwood mall. I got there early and caught side A band's mini-concert and album launching. after our OB (official business).... it's food trip time!!!


a good friend of mine recommended me to try mr. kurosawa.




i've been craving for edamame for weeks now.... even went to market market to buy raw ones but they're out of stock.... wala daw harvest.



here's what we had that night.....



first course...... my favorite appetizer.... edamame!



crunchy spicy tuna roll for me.....




tuna sashimi for sir B....




ordered one more appetizer...... agedashi tofu..... so yummy! parang taho.... minus the sweet syrup.





main course for sir B..... katsudon.


to think i had dinner before i left the house..... i still have room for these.... no wonder i got so sleepy after eating.

going japanese

11.08.09

It was supposed to be a Thai dinner with friends Gino, Paul & Let. But something happened at my event in the morning. Gino came to help me out. We finished shooting at 2:30PM… too early for dinner. I didn’t get to eat properly during my event, but I wasn’t so hungry. I just want to relax after having a stressful time. And it has been a ritual for me & Gino after every shoot to have coffee, unwind, talk, and check our shots.

I first saw Kozui when I had a meeting at Mocha Blends Tomas Morato a few weeks back. It was just across the street. As we entered the Japanese themed café, I felt immediately relaxed. The cool lime green and white color motif is soothing – my favorite color too!

Lime Green Christmas tree! I like!

I wasn’t craving for something sweet so we ordered hummus.... hummus? In a Japanese themed café? May black & white sesame seeds naman eh. ;-)

Not coffee this time but green tea. We had Matcha Korichio – butterscotch for me and melon for Gino.

i heart hearts........

I was having a nap when my phone rang. it was my mom asking me to go their house (30 minutes jeepney ride away) to get some stuff that my brother sent. I waited for my other brother to pick me up after work. the first thing that i noticed when we arrived at mom's house were the stack of magazines on the dining table.... wow! archi mags! hmmm.... then my mom told me that a box had my name on it. It was wrapped very well, i couldn't tell what it is. As I unwrapped it, I saw my name and the word... "artichoke"..... huwaw! ARTICHOKES! Em (my SIL) sent artichokes for me again!!! yipeeee!!!!



I thought, this couldn't be fresh for it would not survive a balikbayan box trip. but i was hoping fresh sana or frozen (the last time Em came home she brought me FRESH artichokes!)



As I opened the box, here's what greeted my eyes!!!!


carefully cushioned with peanut styros & inflated plastic bags...

a big, big bottle of artichoke hearts in oil!!!


all 1.8 kilos of hearts!





my mind was busy thinking of the dishes I could make out of these precious little hearts! - pasta with hearts ala mario batali (with balsamic vinegar and lemon), spinach artichoke dip (with lots of parmesan cheese! yummy with nachos), grilled vegetarian sandwich - eggplant, peppers, zucchini, hearts with balsamic vinegar & parmesan.... and the list goes on.... have to search for more artichoke heart recipes.... HUWAW!!!!

The first time I had artichokes was 10 years ago when we visited HM's sister in Illinois. Before that, sa cookbooks ko lang nakikita. I saw some fresh ones in the grocery and bought them. I just took off the outer leaves and cored the fuzz sa hearts and boiled them with some lemon and ate it plain (with a touch of butter). It was love at first bite. Since then, whenever I had the chance to get some canned ones (pag may extra 150 pesos ako; it cost 100++/can sa rustan's) i'd make spinach artichoke dip, or add it with pasta. Sa sobrang mahal nya, special treat sa kin to.


hay... can't wait to go cooking.... hayz.... kelan kaya? Busy ako this weekend.... ahahay....


To my brother marc & sister em..... super, super thanks! this bottle is the best one of all....
XOXO ;-)

a taste of heaven

May 13

M just came home from Davao last night bearing a boxful of pomelos. My daughter's favorite fruit.
When I came down for lunch a while ago, I saw a plastic tub of Durian fruit! Wow......... I miss that. It was heaven on earth.... BLISS! I used to abhor durian because of the smell and the way it makes its presence felt on your gut and throat long after you eat them. But like what they say, it's an acquired taste. The love for it gradually developed... now, I get cravings every now and then. I like the creamy variety.... the ultimate food for the gods.... [and goddess ;-)]

ano ang secret sa secret recipe?

May 9...
These eating out is putting a toll on my hips and tummy...
Gino & I had a kiddie party coverage in Fun Ranch. As what happens during my event projects, I cannot eat properly. By the time it's time for us to eat, wala na ako gana. Or I'm too tired to eat. The meal they served us during the party was slightly touched. After the shoot, we went to meet up with Paul & Let in Megamall. I wanted to have coffee na lang kasi I wasn't in the mood to eat... and maybe dessert (I'm a dessert fan!). We chose to have dinner in Secret Recipe (atrium, megamall). As usual, makulit nanaman si Gino... he asked the maitre d' kung ano daw secret.... hayz!!!


I wanted something light so I opted for the Noodles in Tom Yung Soup.


Gino, who is not so adventurous when it comes to food, got the lasagna.




Paul got the Chicken Cordon Bleu .....



and Let, a beef dish, the name of which, escaped my mind.... hay... i should keep notes next time.


Dessert.... not to be missed!

I wanted sana my favorite Caramel Cheesecake... but Let ordered the Oreo Cheesecake. So I asked for the Almond Cake, but unfortunately, walang stock... I ordered the sinful Chocolate Indulgence instead.



which went well with my cup of capuccino, while the rest got the Flat white, cafe americano with milk.


There were more food trips that followed like my night out with my sisters-in-law in Oyster Boy where we had Crispy Pata and Gising gising (a veggie dish in gata) and my food jaunt with my kids yesterday at Piazza Pazo, which deserves a separate rant entry.

Till next time!

Of crabs, pinakbet, bokeh, avant garde & more....

May 8...
A dinner meeting with my mentor/friend/wedding photobuddy, Sir Bubuy. I first met Sir Bubuy in my first formal photography lesson last year using a point & shoot camera. From then on he has been teaching and mentoring me in photography. Last night, with him, i found a food trip buddy... you could just imagine the scene.... food + photography + good conversation. Sa kwentuhan pa lang dami ko na natutunan. Laugh trip din, kasi we laughed at how some photography terms came about... me halong okray hahahahaha.... we now have our own photo private jokes tuloy hehehe...

Dinner was at dampa metrowalk. I didn't know may dampa pala dun. Humaygad!!! (tristan paborrow your term) I should go out a lot more ....lessen my trips to the mall and explore more.... We had chili crabs (which before we ate, asked each other... okay lang ba last medical checkup mo?... hehehehe... let's not go into this age thing...hahahahaha) and pinakbet. Then transferred to Starbucks after for coffee and dessert.



A tribute to our roots.... Sir bubuy is from Ilocos.... my parents are from Pangasinan



Crabs in Chili and Garlic..... not the same as the one in Singapore but yummy pa rin!



Starbucks Banoffe Pie ........... our dessert with coffee and capuccino


And the piece de resistance..... he showed me his babies.... the newest one being the D90.... hehehe yup Nikonian.... and his 50 mm 1.4. kahit manual focus lang sya ang ganda ng BOKEH [hehehehe...;-)]

More enlightening topics includes - black & white photography, film photography, and the zone system which ngayon ko lang naintindihan ng maayos.... hehehe.... I have to train my eyes so I can "see" in black & white .... galing talaga! If you become an expert in black & white photography... sisiw na ang color.... ;-)

One more fact I learned.... He worked in Filcartoons (1988) as Inbetweener.... kasi he explained the video capability of the D90... the same way cartoons are shot.

I'm really excited na about the coming prenups. With your guidance, I'm confident (I think) na I can pull this off on my own.... good luck sa kin hehehehehe.... ;-)

Thanks! thanks! for the wonderful and informative conversation... for the good meal and the laugh trip... great company.... sobra nag-enjoy ako... this goes to the list of one of my most memorable birthday celebrations. Next stop.... Baguio! Yehey! Ikaw mag-golf.... ako magpeektyur peektyur ng nature.... got to have that ND filter soon! ;-)

till the next food trip!

My birthday treat

My birthday week has been a series of food trips .... from Dencio's during Mom's birthday (we're one day apart) to Oyster Boy with my SILs.... here are some of the eating escapades I had....


May 7....
I promised my friend, C (my co-photographer in a food shoot a day before), that we're gonna dine together after the shoot. But since my brother made plans for mom's birthday... cancel yung dinner... besides, we had coffee and pizza during the shoot na rin. We met the next day for the CDs and that's when we indulged again on another food trip....@ Krokodile Grille in Trinoma mall.... My first time to eat frog's legs hehehehe... tasted like chicken nga. Our lunch consisted of halaan soup, sisig syempre, frog's legs and garlic, and bagoong rice with chicharon.... I didn't bring my camera with me.....ACK!!! SAYANG.... but C brought his pentax.... again no photos.... kasi busy sa chikahan about using ND filters, lighting, photo stuff.... after krokodile grille, we transferred to Cafe Breton for coffee and dessert! eto may photos na... hehehehe... C got the la pinay and I got the deja vu crepes.... so yummy!!!!


C's pick..... La Pinay
photo credits: C. Castellon




My choice...... Deja Vu
photo credits: C. Castellon

Praline Vanilla Ice cream ala Jo

12:45 AM

I had a sudden craving for something sweet. I wanted to have coffee, but my stock needs replenishing... which is a good thing at this point. My insomnia has gotten so bad. Even if I'm sleepy and tired by 11PM, i just can't get myself to sleep. And having coffee at 12 midnight would make it worst.

So I went downstairs to raid my kitchen for something sweet. I'm not a fan of vanilla ice cream. I don't like drinking milk. And having vanilla ice cream is akin to drinking milk (nice philosophical view noh?). The only something sweet I found was a tub of vanilla ice cream in the freezer. I remembered I made some peanut sesame seed pralines (or peanut brittle) a day before for my food photography series. And there's chocolate syrup... hehehe... now you know the rest of the story...




so here's how to assemble my sweet concoction...

One scoop of vanilla ice cream. Crush some peanut-sesame seed brittle. Sprinkle over the vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Repeat process, making two layers. add one big chunk of peanut-sesame seed brittle on top.




hay... hay... hay... sweet!

Salmon en Papillote

I finally rediscovered the joys of cooking. Thanks to those food blogs and cooking shows on cable (aside from having food photo ops), I am now inspired to cook. M brought home two salmon steaks. I'm not a fan of salmon for I find them kind of malansa for my taste. But it's such a waste of money to just ask my yaya to fry it. For dinner tonight, I made baked salmon (Italian style)... with a twist... instead of baking them inside the oven, I wrapped the fish pieces in baking paper... en papillote! I popped them inside the microwave... baking the lazy way... hehehe... I'm so lazy to pre-heat the oven kasi...

I'm sharing the recipe here...





Salmon en Papillote

salmon fillets
Olive oil
tomatoes, cut into small cubes
red onion, sliced thinly
garlic, sliced thinly
fresh lemon juice
dried thyme
dried oregano (i substituted basil)
salt & pepper

In baking paper, place a bed of tomatoes, onions, & garlic. Place a piece of salmon fillet on top. Season with salt & pepper, dried basil & thyme and drizzle olive oil on top. add some lemon juice (i added a slice of lemon on top). Add more tomatoes, onion & garlic on top. Seal by folding the edges. Pop inside a microwave oven for around 7-10 minutes.

I made sauteed spinach with garlic to go with the dish.




Note: careful when opening the paper. Steam from the dish can burn...

french toasts

I'm starting to go back to my cooking... the past two days, I've been glued to the AFC (asian food channel) on cable. I plan to slowly build up stocks on my pantry again. Last night, Pipay & I made fruit jello's which I'm going to shoot later tonight. And for my kids' snacks this afternoon, I made french toasts.



One can never go hungry if you have the basics - milk, butter, eggs, bread, potatoes. I could make a meal out of these basic ingredients. Bakit nasama yung potatoes dito? Well... I love potatoes that's why... whenever I go hungry and looking for food at night, I'll just slice some potatoes, pop them in the microwave or grill them on my cheapipay panini grill... dipped in soy sauce, calamansi, sesame oil dipping... and voila! Satisfied na ko... This dipping sauce is a must try pala... got this from my vegetarian Australian boss in Filcartoons. Goes well with everything...specially steamed veggies. You might also want to put some kick by adding chili.

So going back to my french toasts... here's the recipe. as usual, no measurements...

Sliced bread (you can use all kinds of bread - I like mine multigrain)
2 eggs
milk
sugar
butter
maple syrup, chocolate syrup, marmalades, etc... the possibilities are endless.

combine eggs, sugar and milk. add nutmeg and cinnamon (optional; but they really make a lot of difference). Melt a pat of butter in a non-stick pan. Dip bread slices in milk-egg mixture... drain excess; fry in butter. 2 minutes on each side. Serve warm with maple syrup, marmalade/jelly...

How hard can that be?

Food Photography Class

February 4-5, 2009

I was an hour early. Excited to meet the famous Mark Floro, a well known food photographer...excited to learn from him.

Sir Mark looks very jolly and at first glance, you could tell that his class will be one hell of a wacky shoot. I wasn't wrong. It was really FUN...FUN..FUN..FUN!

I learned a lot from this 2 day workshop... food styling... tricks of the trade...lighting (we had three kinds of light set-up). On day 2, we shot for our portfolio.

after a few days, I got myself those DIY lights that were taught to us. Did some practice shooting at home, in our living room...

welcome to my blog

Tablescapes

* the title was inspired from a local cooking & travel show hosted by angel aquino & chef bruce lim.

* basically means anything you put on a table. the possibilities of what a tablescape looks like are endless.

* For me

as a wedding planner, it means table settings, china, flatware, floral centerpieces, etc.

as a photographer, it means food plating, food styling, light, shadows, highlights

as a foodie, need I say more?

I'm not really a writer. I just like putting my thoughts on paper (in this case, typing on my keyboard). I love anything related to food - dining out, cooking, recipes and more. I love photography and it is a dream to be a food photographer.

This blog is all about my two passions - food & photography... and pretty much everything else in between.

Enjoy! =)