Leji Eats Out

My little girl is quite a picky eater.  We make her try everything we eat and her preference varies from time to time.  She used to love broccoli and mashed potatoes as a baby but now she hates baby food.  She loves adult vegetable soup though..I guess that's the trick, it has to appear like normal adult food for her to like it.

Anyway, here were her top three favorites from eating out last month:

1. Nobu King Prawn Salad

Leji loves mildly spicy food! She gobbled up 3/4 of the breaded prawns in this salad delicately seasoned with paprika, cumin, and yoghurt.  She avoided the fresh greens though.

2. Rustic Mornings Artichoke and Spinach Dip

She loves cheese! She also likes the one in Cibo but she prefers Rustic Mornings' chewier bread.

3.  Earth Kitchen's Ravioli

Oh this one is a sure winner for kids of all ages! They craftily hid the chopped kamote tops in scrumptious cheese!  Leji gladly had her greens that evening.

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Insomia Intesifier

As a novice pastry maker, I summoned a lot of courage last night to bake my first ever rice cooker chocolate cake for my hubby's birthday.  I intended it as a surprise.

I'm happy to say it was a success! It's so moist and has a deep dark chocolatey taste. The only problem was it was a huge sacrifice for my daughter (who happens to be my number one fan when it comes to cooking) not to touch the oh-so-sweet icing before her dad arrived.  She got so excited when I finally brought it out for candle blowing when the clock struck 12; we both couldn't sleep for the next five hours after having a slice.

Here's the insomia intensifying chocolate cake recipe I used with my Breville Risotto Maker:

Ingredients:

Cake Mixture
250g all purpose flour
100g brown sugar
150g confectioner's sugar
120g unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
200g unsalted butter (add 50g more if you want it more moist)
100g earl grey tea
3 eggs
60g all purpose cream

Fuss-free Chocolate icing
250g semi-sweet chocolate chips
1tablespoon Coke

Procedure:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Whip up the liquid ingredients in a separate container. Incorporate it slowly with the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour mixture in the Breville Risotto Maker and set it on "High Slow Cook" for 1-2hrs. (You can check if it's done by poking it with a fork or toothpick. It should come out clean) Glide it out with a spatula.

Melt the chocolate chips and Coke in a bowl (I did it in the microwave for a minute on medium heat). Smooth it out on top of the cake. Decorate it with fruit or cream if desired.

Hope you all get to enjoy this as much as we did!

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Little Lady in Little Tokyo

Leji had so much fun in her yukata the other day playing with her toy seal shinkanzen from Tokyo (thanks to her doting Tita Ninang Abby & Tita Lindsey)

So much so, we decided to take her to Little Tokyo.

She was amazed with all the colorful lanterns hanging outside highlighting the clear blue sky. When we went in one of the restaurants that opens early at 4:30 (most of the restaurants open at 6 or 6:30), she carefully observed how tempuras were battered and fried.

She's not yet allowed to eat shrimps so I ate the shrimps while she chomped on some breading. I'm happy she's not scared of chopsticks! hihi

After trying their sushi and yakitori, we capped off our meal with some ice cream in exotic flavors.

We tried Dojo Miso Sake (yes, it has a bit of a kick so I didn't allow Leji to try this one), Seaweed (it's like salted cream cheese; I wish it had more seaweed bits in it), and Black Sesame (our favorite!)

It was really one fine day; wish we can fly to Tokyo with her next time.

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Heaven in Eggs

After our affair with art at Glorietta, Leji declared she was already hungry. We ran to the most colorful restaurant near where we parked-- Heaven N' Eggs!

Famous for its unli steak and eggs, here are other reasons why Baby Leji loved it:

1. Fascinating carvings on chairs

My daughter loves fine woodwork. Our bed's headboard is actually adorned with carvings and anything that reminds her of home is comforting.

2. Mashed potatoes!

She appreciates the sides more than the main entree haha. If only they have unli mashed potatoes :p

3 Discounted coffee

For those on graveyard shift or students reviewing for exams, you could actually take advantage of this! We just enjoyed the scent of it with banana loaf.

4. Grilled Scampi

I ate the prawns, Leji had the bed of mangoes! It was delectable.

5. Pancakes!

For your all-day breakfast fix. We had fun with their Oreo Pancakes with unli syrup. Leji played with the whipped cream after munching on her share--too bad we weren't able to get that on video.

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Zette's Cafe Opening

Even before Filipino Ms Supranational Canada Suzette Hernandez was born, there was already a Suzette Hernandez who was hailed as one of the most beautiful in Bicol. Her list of achievements and socio-civic works continues to flourish as she re-opens her art gallery Kulayara, and aptly named Zette's Cafe, in San Juan.

Nestled in this quaint neighborhood are some of the finest art by contemporary Filipino masters like Hermes Alegre, Fil Delacruz, Romulo Galicano, Raul Isidro, Gig de Pio and Ephraim Samson.

Brass and jazz play in her neatly manicured garden.

Little beings enjoy a dip in her mini fountain area.

Bb Pilipinas queens Parul Shah and Elaine Kay Moll showed their full support as they donned Filipiñana inspired outfits to complement the artwork on display.

I'll definitely come back one of these days; hopefully there will be more parking space on an ordinary weekday. Their chocolate cakes are divine :)

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Soup Monster

My bubbly 8 month old is now comfortable with solid food. I try to mix breastmilk with everything she eats; she enjoys eating broccoli, fish, potatoes, cereals, peas, carrots, squash & ground beef. But when we're out, she loves trying soups in various restaurants. Here are her top picks:

1. Pako soup (from Costa Pacifica Baler)

2. Mushroom Soup (Recovery Room, Tomas Morato)

3. Upland Rice Puree (Antonio's, Tagaytay)

4. Pumpkin soup (Frazzled Cook, QC)

5. Chili Con Carne Soup-- with less spice! (Rumpa, Pampanga)

Basically we just mash everything up. I try it first with my spoon, then she tests it with hers. Eating out is definitely more fun nowadays.

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Bida Balikbayan

This balikbayan season, Daybreak chanced upon a new Filipino fusion restaurant in Fairview that is delightfully amusing. Owned by the quirky loveteam Jolina Magdangal & Marvin Agustin, here one can enjoy his/her favorite comfort food with ease. Here are some of the fun stuff I've tried:

1. Cho Pusit

Squid stuffed with delectable chorizo, it has a bit of a kick that excites the palate. 

2. Crispy Pata flakes

This fused the lovable elements of adobo flakes and crispy pata together. Now we can enjoy crispy pata w/o having to worry how to chop it up. So convenient, you can even have this on your first date.

3. Heavenly Rice

As bright&cheery as palabok, this goes well with anything! As in!

4. White Chocolate Chocnut Champorado-- Jolina's favorite!

Kids of all ages will surely love this. 

5.Sago Gulaman

How can you say no to this charmer?:)

6. Ultimate Loveteam

Nilagang Pares? hot heavenly tenderness. Crispy bagnet? Mouthwatering crunchiness. You have to try it for yourself so you'd know I'm not exaggerating.

Want more? Catch Morning Pick on Daybreak on 9TV (Mon-Fri 7-8:30am)

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