My Messy Merienda

I just made myself a huge, messy sandwich. No pictures, 'coz it really ain't pretty.

2 thick slabs of lightly toasted 5-grain loaf (alas, no butter! and croissant or ciabatta tastes heaps better than healthy, brown 5-grain)
a mixture of diced shrimps sauteed with Knorr seasoning, shredded crabstick, light mayonnaise, salt and pepper, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
some baby spinach and crunchy cucumber

Cooked baby shrimps, crabmeat (in the black can, available at Great but expensive) and dill was the real shrimp louie sandwich I was hoping for, a thick mound of which would have sat regally on half a ciabatta toasted with butter, salt and chopped fresh herbs, while globs of basil mayo would fight for supremacy on every square inch of bread. Yum!

Anyway, I just gobbled up the last irregularly shaped mass of bread and filling on my plate. Burp.

A Fine, Fattening, Filling Dinner

Last Saturday our sideboard was converted into heart attack central, with my tiny yellow kichen cheerily churning out dish after dish of cholesterol-laden, crisp fried goodies. We had guests over for dinner, and one of them, hubby's officemate from way back and a current client, requested the best of Lokal dishes. Since he hosted a muy delicioso dinner for us a few weeks ago at his place, how could I refuse?

Normally I would serve the top three Lokal bestsellers on different occasions, simply because the ingredients involved and the manner of cooking can put anybody's healthy heart and low blood pressure to the test. Needless to say, we were all dizzy that night from the fat overload and sensory overkill, but we were replete, and happy.

Appetizer (the only concession to health on that night of gluttony and tastebud debauchery):

Mixed Salad Greens, Roasted Marinated Bell Peppers, Eggplant and Butternut Squash, Herb and Oil Drizzled Honey Tomatoes and Feta Cheese with Green Olives, Roasted Bell Pepper and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Mains:

Crispy Tadyang ng Baka with soy-vinegar dip (Melt-in-your-mouth tender beef ribs, simmered for hours, drained well, chilled overnight, fried till tostado)
Chicken Fingers with honey-mustard dip (Strips of chicken breast marinated overnight, dredged in flour, egg and coated in crushed cornflakes)
Aligue Pasta (Garlic and butter sauteed crab fat paste garnished with chopped green onions and served with calamansi)

Rice:
Green Garlic Parsley Rice

Dessert:
Marble Cheesecake from La Rose Noire

All these washed down with a light white wine and a fizzy orange-wine cocktail drink.

I can still feel the effects of that night in my jiggling belly and rapid heartbeat.

Ihaw-Ihaw

Why does food cooked inihaw (grilling food over hot charcoal) style, always taste better when done by a large group, in an outdoor setting such as the beach, a mountaintop camp, or by a poolside? It must be the activities involved with being so close to nature -- swimming, frolicking and hiking always makes one hungry; the thought that with a big group comes competition: more mouths to feed, less food, who will grab that last piece of inihaw na baboy or chicken bbq?; and the fun in eating with other people who obviously enjoy their food, in a merry, relaxed setting.

We had a feast of marinated pork neck, grilled pampano, chicken and pork adobo, roasted tomatoes, grilled cocktail hotdogs, corn on the cob, semi-ripe mangoes with bagoong and homemade atsara when The Thursday Group hied off to Chung Hum Kok Beach last Tuesday. I have pictures of happy, sun worshipping kids and adults, but none of the grilled wonders. They disppeared fast. Maybe if cameras could take x-ray pictures of our stomachs, I could recapture that wonderful lunchtime smorgasbord. Food served in paper plates -- eaten while standing or sitting on concrete slabs, with the sun shining brightly overhead, the sea and its gentle waves a few meters away, and the wind in our faces -- never tasted so darn good.

A Night in Arabia

Dinner at La Kasbah was, in one word, otherworldy. I've never been to Morocco, or Tunisia, or set foot anywhere within a few miles of Africa, so I can't trumpet to the world how authentic it is in terms of cuisine and ambiance. Suffice it to say that for an Asian like me who is so used to the mysticism of the orient, I was bowled over by the sensuality of the music, the warmth emanating from the copper, mahogany, wine and rust-colored walls, and the "Arabian Nights" setting of this little basement restaurant in a busy part of Soho.
I was too entranced by the decors that I forgot my main purpose in bringing the camera - to capture our unforgettable mezze platter appetizer and dinner of lamb tagine and lamb couscous. Good thing I got some pictures of the colorful hanging lamps, brassware, pottery and wall hangings. I even took a picture of the charming braided red lamp in the ladies' room. It looked like an inverted flower pot with red dreadlocked strings attached.

We started off with the mezze platter, a way of ordering that ensures you get to taste at least 4 or 5 varieties of the hot and cold appetizers. The servings are perfect, small enough to tease the taste buds and leave you craving for more, but after finishing it off, you feel relieved you didn't order the bigger plates, or there would be no room for the main course. The platter consisted of Zaalouk (a compote of aubergines, tomatoes, shallots, coriander, chives and cumin). It had the texture of pureed beans, and the cumin and coriander gave it that whiff of middle eastern/mediterranean. The Hummous (puree of chickpeas, sesame seeds, fresh lemon and olive oil) went perfectly with the warm, round bread (similar to pita) we couldn't eat enough of. It wasn't too garlicky, unlike supermarket brands, and tasted fresh and smooth, much like a spread should be. Little pieces of phyllo-wrapped minced lamb with diced apricot and roasted almonds (Boureck) were the bestseller of the bunch. The nutty almond flavor, sweetish apricot and tender lamb meat exploded in a cacophony of flavors after one small bite of the pastry. The serving was literally bite-sized, 2 small pieces of lamb goodness. In the middle of tha platter was a leaf of lettuce with marinated feta cheese, grape tomatoes and olives, which I popped into my mouth liberally.

There were many main courses to choose from, but first-timers should try the tagine (stewed meat served on a clay pot with a funicular cover that keeps the heat in). I tried the lamb tagine, chunks of tender meat coked with apricots, prunes, almonds, glazed olives and potatoes. Delicious! Imagine the crunch of slivered almonds, the chewiness of prunes and apricots, the bursting saltiness of olives and the neutrality of potatoes in one spoonful. I ordered couscous on the side, and the tiny grains thirstily absorbed the sauce of my tagine, making it virtually impossible to resist that last scoop. It was a hefty serving of couscous and should really be shared by two. As much as I enjoyed it, I would prefer savoring the sauce with the Morrocan bread next time, much as I always opt to eat Indian curry and lentil dahl with warm garlic naan instead of pullao rice. On my next visit, I will be sure to try the chicken tagine, which is cooked with lemon confit. Ooooooh, I love lemons. Hong kong always does wonders for my craving for exotic cuisine. Next stop: FINDS (cuisine from Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden) and Ivan the Kozak (Russian and Ukrainian cuisine).