Chrysanthemum tea.... anyone?

Foobu Gold was in Hongkong last week for a vacation. Before she left Philippines, I asked her a favor if she could observe how people in Hongkong make coffee. Since we're setting up our own coffee shop, HEALTHYLand, I thought probably in the future we can infuse some international coffee blends.

She promised she'll bring home some coffee pasalubong and she did! It wasn't coffee though but tea.

I consider myself a tea drinker but my tea is limited to the bottled green teas and the usual tea bags like jasmine, chamomile, papaya, ampalaya etc. but chrysanthemum tea, as pasalubong, is really something new for me. It made me think, probably every edible plant can be made into tea. Hmmmmm.

Tea is served more than coffee in Hongkong. And tea in Hongkong tastes good,she said. I was excited to try. And I did.

Surprisingly, chrysanthemum tea doesn't taste much like tea. Its sweet and has a mild flavor. Its very aromatic but I can't tell whether its like the smell of the flower since I don't get to smell a chrysanthemum that often..only during All Saints Day and All Souls Day and probably in some occasions like funerals.

Plus its not in a tea bag. Its packed in a foil (just like the flavorings of an instant pancit canton) and its in granules. When dissolved in water the granules disappear and water turns into a dark solution less the dried leaf flavor of other regular teas.

According to research, chrysanthemum tea helps lower blood pressure, helps in the treatment of colds, headache, fever, flu and can even contribute to clear vision and alertness and many more.

Well, all those are given. In a country where tea is not as popular as soft drinks and coffee, there are a lot more to discover about its benefits. Gladly, we now have bottled green teas that set a revolution on tea consumption.

Sweet and spicy Malaysia served through the plates of New Malaya

Three o'clock in the afternoon and I haven't had lunch. I was glued on TV for most of the morning because I wanted to witness the historic inauguration of President Noynoy Aquino. After which, I did some internet research.

I felt hunger and I've been dying to try out a not so new restaurant along Lopez Avenue that offers Malaysian cuisine. It occupies a two-unit duplex commercial space opposite PS Bank and about a hundred meters away from Robinsons Townmall Los Baños.

For those who walked the streets of Grove and Lopez Avenue, Los Baños, Laguna seven years ago, a veterinary clinic and a boutique formerly housed the commercial space. But the vet clinic was moved to a different location and the boutique had shut down. Now, its New Malaya, that occupies the space.

What intrigued me to try out the place, aside from me wanting to experience a different flavor, is the engaging view from the outside. Its a very small restaurant with transparent glass doors where bamboo benches partner with bamboo tables draped in batik cloth as mantles.

The restaurant started operation in September of 2009. As I took a seat in one of the bamboo benches and laid my stuff on the table, the attendant was gracious enough to share what they had in the menu from fried tofu to Malaysian fried rice and many other weird sounding dishes. I asked for the bestseller and house favorite and the waiter offer the Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang and I opted to order the cold Teh Tarik for a drink. Its 3PM and its hot.

As a complimentary drink while waiting for the meals, they offer free hot tea. I am a tea drinker so I accepted the offer. Jasmine tea was served, well yeah, its one of the tea bags you can buy at a grocery store. Nonetheless, I tried, let it cool down for a couple of minutes because I like my tea lukewarm.

On a second thought by a first time diner, the place is engaging. The place is kept cool by a wall fan and its not enough. Its very oriental, from the green linoleum floor to the wall decors.

Then the food. I was surprised that the food was served quick. However, it was not very aromatic nor flavorful and the plating was that of a regular binalot restaurant.

The nasi lemak with chicken rendang is like a three dish in one plate...with a bonus muncher-peanuts. Its served with rice cooked in coconut milk, sauteed sweet and spicy anchovies (dilis), half of a medium boiled egg and a two-piece chicken rendang. I can't remember what rendang means but its like a combination of lemon grass and ginger. Not like the visual effect, the taste  broke the first impression.

I love the dilis, the spiciness and the sweetness. Its also probably a trick. I had to taste the dilis first and for the rest of the meal, you really can't enjoy the rest of the flavors in the place. But even so, the chicken gets a rating of 1.50 by the standards of the UP system.

The cold teh tarik (milk tea) is also a surprise. Had it been coffee-based, its going to be the closest competitor of the ca phe sua da of Ba noi restaurant. I love the strong tea flavor mixed with milk-creamy and leaves an after taste that washed out the sweet-spicy flavor of the dilis.

More than the menu and the simple yet accommodating and really hot interior, I'll give the service plus points. The friendly staff (hopefully it was not just for that day) showed familiarity by expertly explaining the menu. I felt she wasn't someone pretending to be an expert on Malaysian food.

Eating must be enjoyed to the last of its flavor. And there are quite a number of food flavors still left untasted. Every culture has its unique flavor, spicy (Vietnamese), spicy and nutty (Thai) and probably sweet and spicy for Malaysia. Its a first time for me, and I'll definitely be back to try out the other dishes..and I want my wife to share it with me.

Cafe La Bonne Vie: Living a Good Life

We are at the planning stage of setting-up our own coffee shop in Los Baños, Laguna with a business partner. Its a weekend and we've been deciding for a place to discuss the business details but no place meets our preference. We wanted a coffee shop for us to get ideas of how a place would look like, we wanted a place where good food is served, and we wanted a quiet place so we can talk about details. Our initial plan of having it at Boston Cafe along UP Grove had to be canceled since it was too crowded.

Knowing that there are quite a number of coffee shops in Los Baños along Grove, we decided to try out Cafe La Bonne Vie (Good Life). Its located about a hundred meter or so away from UPLB gate opposite Anest Tower that also houses another dining place, Cafe Maquiling.

The place is decently clean and looked good from the outside. This cafe, for me, has the most appealing exterior among all the coffee shops and cafes in Los Banos

My wife, Lorenz, and I decided to try this place while waiting for our business partner, Shervi, a brother (brod) from our academic organization and who used to be Lorenz's former employer. He was late, so while we were in the waiting, we had the chance to examine the place, check out the interiors and be critics for twenty or so minutes.

The inside was small and only has four tables, that can accommodate a total of 12 diners at a time. The tables and chairs are made of hardwood,unlike most coffee shops that use glass or metal tables. We had the impression that the place was not made just for coffee drinking but for dining as well. The menu offers pasta dishes, sandwiches, rice meals and some pastries.

We felt that we've been waiting for almost an hour already so my wife ordered the brewed coffee. 

Being the coffee drinker that she is, she knows how to differentiate a good coffee from an ordinary one. And she was utterly disappointed with the brew. She said, it tasted bland, and would have opted for the commercial 3-in-1 coffee instead. Also, while sipping her brewed coffee, a friendly fly kept buzzing around and was gracious enough to share a moment with my camera.

When Shervi arrived, he ordered the Chicken Club sandwich. Like any other club sandwiches, its a double decker and had generous serving of egg, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato plus a grilled chicken fillet. Thus, Chicken Club. The club was served with wheat bread and was big enough for two persons. I did not have the chance to taste it, but it looked delicious.

We were at the middle of our meeting when I ordered Forest Ham sandwich and Pesto.

The Forest Ham sounded cool. I was expecting a sandwich that would have some special stuff in it. I was hoping I could see leaves, herbs and others aside from the usual tomato, pipino and lettuce. But I was disappointed, It looked like an ordinary sandwich, served with more ham and more cheese than the usual. Probably, it was the bread that made it different. It still tasted good though, but was much saltier because of the cheese.

As for the pesto, it was non-arguably the biggest flop of the night, with the brewed coffee close at second. Other pasta dishes served was puttanesca and spaghetti with meatballs, but I decided on the pesto to build a comparison to that of the Asian General Hospital pantry.

The aroma of basil was enchanting while the food was being prepared in the kitchen. I was excited because the aroma was so fulfilling. Simply put, the pesto smelled good. But the story completely changed when the food was served. It looked pale, paler than an anemic spaghetti, and the taste...'crap' is an understatement.

My wife who loves pasta dishes pushed her plate aside with just a single taste with the commanding "ayoko ng lasa". And I understood why. Eating the pesto was like eating your pasta in olive oil with the slightest taste of basil. I probably won't recommend this to a diner, nor even try out this dish again in the same cafe. But food concerns were just secondary. We where there for a meeting.

We ended the night in high hopes of opening our coffee shop soon. The partnership finally took its form and where going somewhere with the plans. Where heading for HealthyLand Coffee House, a place where healthy food tastes good.

Discovering good food in an unlikely place...hospital

An unplanned visit and an impromptu trip turns out to be an underlying reason for an exciting food trip.

A few days back, food buddy Aida was at the Asian General Hospital and Medical Center in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, when I received a text message asking if I could drop by our HR office and get PhilHealth forms for her pending laparoscopic operation. She also asked if I could drop the forms by her house but I instinctively decided to visit and accompany her at the hospital.

I was hungry and I was feeling tired from a toxic workday. After her consultation, she offered that we eat at the pantry located at the lower ground floor of hospital. I admitted that I was short of cash and I only had a few hundreds to get me through the week. She offered to pay for it...so I did not decline. Libre eh!

The pantry looked like a mid-class restaurant. It looked liked a food court but not quite much because there was only one concessionaire as I had observed.

She ordered lumpiang ubod while I chose to have spaghetti. Then, we saw the pasta area and we ordered another. We were choosing from a fettuccine or penne pasta and the pesto or alfredo sauce. We settled for the pesto in penne pasta.

Orders are made and we've settled on a table. Its eating time!!! We first tried the lumpiang ubod and I was surprised how good it tasted. Foobu Aida had said it before that the ubod was great and yes it was indeed. It was made of the tender young coconut wood with bits of vegetables. Its a highly recommended must-try food, plus its healthy.

Then we tried the spaghetti. She confessed that she liked her spaghettis sour while I prefer the sweet ones. Gladly, the spaghetti was served sweet with generous serving of ground meat and a few hotdog slices. She said that its only in the Philippines that spaghettis are served with hotdog. It didn't matter for me, but if its a testimony..then I'm a proud Filipino for that.

I can say that there are better spaghettis out there; for one, foobu Aida's version of spaghetti with meatballs and herbs are far better, and my wife's choice of sweet blend Del Monte ketchup and original blend spaghetti sauce also makes a better serving.

Then came the pesto. I didn't know pesto is green. According to wikipedia, "the name is the contracted past participle of pestâ ("to pound, to crush", from the same Latin root as the English word pestle), in reference to the sauce's crushed herbs and garlic."

In all due fairness, the pesto tasted good and its an enjoyable treat. The penne pasta added structure and form to the food, while the dominant green crashed herbs provide a texture that is pleasing to the eyes. The herby taste less that goaty feeling (kambing or goat because you have to eat leaves) and the strong flavor of basil made it a delectable treat.

Lastly, the dessert and its my choice of the blueberry cheesecake. I opted for the blueberry cheesecake because I have not tried one. On the rack were my favorites; chocolate cake and black forest but I chose this one.

Foobu Aida who bakes cakes shared that the based is just a diluted cream cheese and the bottom part are graham crackers while the blueberries can be bought in stores. So pretty much, making blueberry cheesecake is just stuffing the cream cheese on top of the graham crackers and topping it with the blueberries. Its that easy.

The sweet tooth me liked the cake, but not quite as much as I do with chocolate cakes.

Food can be found in many places and sometimes you can discover the best in places you never expect. This time, I discovered a good spot to try out lumpiang ubods and pesto pastas...and I found it in a hospital.

From a Coffee Bean to a White Chocolate Dream

Coffee drinking is a lifestyle. How you make your coffee, what coffee you drink, where you drink it and who you share it with determines the coffee experience. Drinking coffee is an evolved interest. As a matter of fact, three of my previous blogs from www.quadradikus.blogspot.com is about coffee or in part coffee: Bona coffee, Ba noi and Beraldi. Not to include the many trips I had to Starbucks and Boston Cafe (which I see only in Los Baños, Laguna so far).

After a fulfilling Amici experience, and with my craving for more food, me and food buddies Aida Desalisa, Gold Gutierrez and Grace Raymundo, dropped by The Coffee Beans and Tea Leaf at Alabang Town Center (ATC). Its my first to try the place, and I need all the comparisons I can get experience, as I search for the best ice-blended frappuccino in town.

As we entered the place, it was cozy and the smell of coffee fills the air. It also has the look and feel of a high-end coffee shop, and it is!

I ordered the white chocolate dream ice-blended coffee while foobu Aida opted for brewed coffee and Gold had The Ultimate frappe.

Foobu Aida offered me to take a sip on her brewed coffee. It tasted good, bitter (as most coffees are) yet very flavorful. But again, I'm not into brewed coffee but this one is far better than the other regular brews I've tried.

As for the white chocolate dream, it was a different flavor from my favorite green tea frappe of Starbucks. And unlike Starbucks, the Coffee Beans and Tea Leaf has very few selections of frappuccinos. But although it may be few, the flavor was not short of expectations and I must compare it with the white chocolate milk and vanilla (not quite sure of this) of Boston Cafe and far better than that of Beraldi. It has the right blend of mild sweetness and the strong flavor of chocolate.

I like the green tea frappe, but I also like the white chocolate dream. Again, coffee drinking is an evolved interest and its a lifestyle. Never experienced this growing up in the province. Damn, coffee is addicting, and I'm not gonna stop drinking.