The hunt for the yummiest burger is on Part 3: Chili’s Big Mouth Burgers

I tried Chili’s Big Mouth Burgers two months ago when I met up with my friend Candy at Chili’s Greenbelt 5.  She was raving how delicious these little burgers are.  Like most friends who haven’t seen each other  for quite some time, it was non-stop babble as soon as we sat on one of the restaurant’s booth.  Food wasn’t on the agenda that time.  But I remember the burgers were really yummy.  

Last Wednesday, after Zumba class, I walked to Greenbelt 5 to try the Big Mouth Burgers once again.  I was on my own.  It was “me” time and I know I couldn’t finish one order. But I was really starving, I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast and it was already 2PM.  

Chili’s was a full house when I entered the door. To think it was already 2PM.  I placed my order – Big mouth burgers and root beer.  If the server was surprised about my order, it didn’t show.  

I like the Spanish tiles on the table.  ^_^

Then my order came.  Four mini burgers surround a huge pile of homestyle French fries, topped with onion bloom pieces, bacon bits,  green onions and ranch dressing.   I wished Pipay was with me to eat the fries.  She’s such a French fries monster. 

Just as I remember,  the burgers were really tasty. Well seasoned fresh beef patties.  I noticed they’re not really ground, more like minced beef.  I asked for medium well done patties, with traces of pink in the center.  It’s slightly dry maybe because of the fat to meat ratio. The patties were really meaty.  They were served with melted American cheese on your choice of sesame seed  or whole wheat buns.  I should have specified the latter.

I love the Ranch dressing.  Spicy, with pickled jalapeno bits.  

I ate two burgers and had the rest of the burgers doggy bagged.  They were really meant to be shared. 

Time for tea at Chatime

Tea shops have been sprouting all over metro manila recently.  Two years ago, I had the chance to shoot for Serenitea.  It was still in its infancy stage.  From the samples I had then, they’re good.  I love teas. I was more of a green tea drinker than coffee drinker years ago.  But milk tea is another story. I don’t like drinking milk.  Much more, putting milk or cream in my tea.  

 

This was my consideration when Pipay & I visited Chatime at Pioneer Center.  The little shop was packed.  There was a long line for ordering and more people waiting for their orders.  

 
I scanned the Menu on the wall.  The list was long and there were so many varieties.  Since it was our first time, we limited our choices to those with the leaf icon which means they’re the most recommended.  Inspite of the long line, service was prompt. 
 

After I placed my order, I was given a disk.  It lights up when your order is ready.  

 

While waiting for our teas, Pipay and I went upstairs to the dining area.  White walls and ceiling with purple mood light, white tables, purple couches and deep pink ottomans, white flimsy curtains on windows diffused the light, make the place so relaxing.  As a friend described it, “Kulang na lang manicurista!”.  I could imagine myself semi-prone on one of those purple couches, having a mani-pedi while sipping my tea.

 On one side of the room is their training lab and quality center, ensuring the teas served were of high quality, a nice effort by the owners. 

I chose the Chatime Specialty Mix Passion Fruit Green Tea (P70 Regular, P80 Large) plus pearl balls (additional P15).    

While Pipay chose the Mango Slush from the Smoothie Series. 

My tea is refreshing, but nothing extra special.  I like the passion fruit flavor though. I like Pipay’s choice better.  We were not very adventurous  and we had a hard time choosing. 

I’ll be back this weekend to try the other flavors and this time I’ll be bolder… I’ll try the Matcha Red Bean Smoothie.

excited much!  ^_^

Osso Buco ala Milanese

Suddenly, I missed slow cooked dishes like stews.  Nothing is comforting than a good, rich and flavorful stew.  Last night, I happened to come across a photo of osso buco.  Now, if I can only grab a bite out of my computer screen… 

For tonight’s dinner, I cooked osso buco.  

 

Osso buco is a Milanese dish of veal shanks cut crosswise, braised in vegetables – onions, celery, carrots (the trinity in the culinary world; the French call mirepoix), white wine and broth.  It is traditonally served with Risotto ala Milanese (saffron risotto). Braising is done for tough cuts of meat.   It usually take hours to break down the tough connective tissues and tenderize the meat.  Braising brings out the rich flavor of the meat, most especially if using bone-in cuts like the shanks.

For this recipe, I used beef shanks.  Veal shanks are expensive and not readily available, often found in specialty food stores like Santi’s.  

mirepoix

I made a lot changes in this recipe to accommodate my limited stocked kitchen. The recipe calls for white wine, I skipped this since I don’t stock up on wines.  My oven and pressure cooker broke years ago and haven’t been fixed and replaced.  I just have to make do by slowly simmering for hours, which in my opinion brings out more of the meat’s flavor.   I also did away with gremolata, a mixture of parsely, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil used to garnish the dish, because my kids might not like it.

 

Here’s my recipe:

3 pieces beef shank

1 large white onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

4-5 cloves garlic

2 tbsps tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups of broth

Flour for dredging the shanks,

Salt & pepper to taste

Olive oil

Thyme sprigs, bay leaf

Season beef shanks with salt & pepper and dredge with flour. Sear the shanks in pan with a tablespoon of olive oil (or butter) until browned on each side.  Set aside.

In a braising pan, heat olive oil.  Sweat the carrots, celery and onions until soft.  Add the garlic. Add tomato paste and continue to stir for a few more minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf.

Add the beef shanks on top of the mixture of vegetables.  Deglazed the pan used to sear the shanks with white wine (I deglazed mine with the broth. )  Add the deglazing liquid to the braising pan.  Add more broth to cover the shanks. 

Let boil.  Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to very low. Cover the pan and let simmer for 2-3 hours or until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender.  Add more broth if it starts to go dry.  Adjust seasoning according to taste. 

Note:  if you want the sauce to be thicker, add a mixture of flour and olive oil browned in another pan (roux). If you can get fresh thyme, the better. but you can use the dried thyme like McKormik.

I served this with rice (brown rice for me) and steamed broccoli.

The hunt for the yummiest burger is on Part 2: Brother’s Burger

BB has been in the burger business for some time.  Whenever I find myself in Greenhills shopping center for errands,  BB is the only place I go to grab a bite.  

After our run at Boni Hight Street a week ago, Pipay wanted French fries (yet again).  Where else can we find French fries that would satisfy my daughter's craving - Brother's Burger of course! I wasn’t keen on eating a lot that night, but the walking and running around Boni High Street stoked my appetite.   As I was scanning the menu on the wall, I heard the man in front of me ordered a wagyu burger. That fired up my appetite even more.  “Forget about diet tonight,  I’m gonna have what he is having!” 

Pipay only wanted to eat French fries.  But when I shared half of my wagyu burger with her, she loved it so much that she forgot about her French fries.  Wagyu beef is meat from a Wagyu cattle, considered a premium cut of beef characterized by  extensive marbling. Fat marbling gives the meat so much flavor and makes it very tender.

And BB’s Wagyu burger is indeed tasty.   It is served with American cheese on top, crosscut fries, lettuce and tomatoes on the side.

Last Saturday, I found myself at Brother’s Burgers (Trinoma) again, when I met up with friends after my event shoot in Bulacan.   This time, I chose the regular burger and added caramelized onions and cilantro cream.  This too is yummy.

I have been on a burger eating frenzy for a week now.  

What’s next on list?  

The hunt for the yummiest burger is on Part 1: Charlie's Grind & Grill

I have been hearing quite a lot of good reviews about the black angus burgers at Charlie’s Grind and Grill. Their Pasig branch is near our home.  

When I got the chance to go, I brought along my food trip buddy Pipay and my eldest son, Jelo (Gabby chose to stay at home to play backyard monsters).  Charlie’s Grind and Grill shares space with a car wash area. You can have a bite while waiting as they clean your car. 

It has been around for quite sometime, judging from the wear and tear of some of the seats.  It’s a bit noisy though which Pipay didn’t like and the wait staff hung around the end portion of the small restaurant.  

The burgers, however, is another story.  Since I plan to have a series of food trips that day, I ordered only the Charlie’s sliders, 3 mini burgers with grilled black angus patties topped with cheese, pickles and caramelized onions and French fries with truffle oil.  I love flame grilled burgers.  They have that smokey flavor unlike those seared only on a griddle.

The burgers were delicious.  Pipay loved it, but removed the onions and pickles.  

The gourmet fries, Truffle French fries, came with bits of something fried.  When I asked what were those, the waiter said they were fried chicken livers.  Ack! I don’t eat liver  whether pig, cow or chicken.  The fries taste good though, I just picked out the liver bits.  But Pipay wasn’t happy.  “It doesn’t taste like real French fries”, was her comment.  Her benchmark being the fries of Mcdo & Jollibee.  ^_^

Charlie’s also serves beer.  Their chillers have an array of imported beers.  That’s why I felt the place has a  kind of masculine feel – cars, burgers, beer.

Chocolate overload at Café Breton

 09.05.11

I went looking for that perfect swimsuit today.  Sad to say, I haven’t found it yet.

After 3 hours of walking and window shopping, I met up with M in Trinoma for snacks at Café Breton before going home. 

 

My favorite Café Breton crepe is La Pinay, crepe filled with mango, topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.   But this time, I ordered Fantastic Pinay and a cup of cappuccino.  Fantastic Pinay is La Pinay crepe minus the vanilla ice cream but with the addition of Nutella. 

I got a chocolate overload!  The chocolate taste was too overwhelming for me.  There’s even some cocoa powder on top of my cappuccino (even on the cup’s rim.  Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not so enthusiastic about chocolate lately.  I’ve been craving for something fresh like fruits. 

Next time, I'm getting the DIY crepes. 

For the chocoholics, enjoy the food porn though.   ^_^

A taste of Italia from Australia

When you say gelato, one would immediately think of Italy (think Eat, Pray, Love).  But, as written in their  website,  Gelatissimo Cafe  is made in Australia with Italian heart.  

I got attracted to Gelatissimo Cafe's charming store in Serendra last Tuesday when I met up with friends for a run around BGC.  Pipay was with me then and she wanted to eat ice cream but later changed her mind when she felt cold while passing away the time inside  Fully Booked.   

This afternoon, hungry after her school program, Pipay & I headed back to Serendra  to gawk and finally indulge at their unique line of gelato flavors.  They make their gelatos fresh daily from authentic  Italian family recipe.

There are other products as well like coffee (I’ll come back for this soon!), sundaes, shakes, Italian biscotti.

The staff were very courteous and accommodating, especially when I asked if I can take pictures.  If you have a hard time choosing from the wide array of flavors and two varieties – sorbert or premium dairy, they can let you taste first before you order.  You can have as many as three flavors in a cup or cone.

 

Pipay chose the two flavor medium cup in Mango and White Chocolate flavors.  I think the mango is a sorbet, I wasn’t quite sure about the white chocolate though.  But Pipay enjoyed her gelato, but complained a little that there was more white chocolate than mango.  It’s because they scooped out the white chocolate gelato first.

I was drawn to the Mango Tango, a blend of tropical fruits - mango and passion fruit.  When one of the staff let me had a taste, I fell in love!  The passion fruit gave the mango a hint of sexiness on the palate. Very refreshing. The seeds gave a wonderful texture to the smoothness of the sorbet.  I also ordered the two flavor medium cup, opting for the Forest Berries (I assume having two kinds of berries – blackberry and raspberry) as the other flavor.  Fruity, with just the right amount of sweetness to balance the tartness. I also like those berry seeds.  Both flavors were sorbets.  I noticed I have been staying away from the usual chocolate flavors lately.

What I like with sorbets is that they’re fat-free. Gelatissimo’s premium dairy line boasts of being between 90-97% fat free.  Those who are health conscious can now indulge. 

One happy little girl. ^_^

So for the next running session at BGC, I would definitely come back for more.  ;)

Gelatissimo Cafe

Unit 1 CO5, Piazza Serendra
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

www. gelatissimo.com.ph