We didn't start the Fire... Amazon did.

So the battle has now shifted to the tablets. A couple of tablets already came out running on their respective operating systems since Apple came up with the Ipad in 2010.  But the latest one which is met with much anticipation is the Kindle Fire which would be available by November 15th.

The Kindle Fire runs on a forked (customized) android OS running on a 1 GHz OMAP 4 dual core processor by Texas instrument.  It has 8GB of internal storage good enough to store 6,000 books.  It has Wi-Fi and micro USB 2 connectivity.  While it is still primarily an e-book reader it can play movies, TV shows, songs and of course games like the very popular and addicting Angry Birds!  The price point comes at a low $199 which makes it one of the most affordable tablet around. Wow, imagine checking out an online cookbook or watching cooking videos right at your kitchen.

And since Executive Lunch is now an Amazon Associate you can pre-order the Kindle Fire or the new Amazon Kindle (at $79 dollars! That is a great deal!) just by clicking the banner at the top of this page.

Ciao! 

The Champ is Here!

One of the most scrumptious of Pinoy comfort food is the Champorado.  It is glutinous rice cooked in cocoa.  It is sweet and served with a swirl of evaporated milk.  It goes well with tuyo, dilis or even salted egg (itlog na maalat.)  For some reason this food reminds me of rainy days as champorado never fails to keep my tummy warm when I was a kid on cold rainy days.

I usually get my champorado fix from Tapa King and Max's restaurant where they serve this as part of their All day breakfast line up. You got to try the Max's variety as it is called the Triple Chocolate Champorado and boy does it live up to its name!  It tastes like a bar of milk chocolate was melted into each bowl :)

For my mom's recipe here is how we make this in the good old days.

You need:

8 Tablespoons of Ricoa Breakfast Cocoa

1 cup of glutinous rice or malagkit

4 Tablespoons of white sugar

3 cups of water for cooking the rice

1 cup of hot water for the cocoa

evaporated milk

To cook:

Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil and add the glutinous rice  Cook until the water boils again.  While waiting for this, mix the cocoa with one cup hot water and let the powder to be completely dissolved.  Add this mixture to the boiling rice and stir constantly for another 15 minutes.  Add the sugar and cook for another five minutes but t don't let the water dry up.  Serve with a swirl of evaporated milk and enjoy!

For the Love of Cheesecake 2: House of Silvanas Takes the (mini) Cake

September has come and gone (here in the Philippines at least but it is still September in the US as of this posting.)  First of all, there are a few things to be thankful for the month of September.  As I have mentioned a couple of days ago I just reached the big 4.0 and September also marks the first year of my blog.  Time does fly so fast.

Some of my favorite posts where my take on the best blueberry cheesecake I have ever tasted.  (See For the Love of....Cheesecake!  and "Unboxing" a Becky's Kitchen Blueberry Cheesecake.)  Since then I have been on a look out for places that offered blueberry cheesecake as well as revisited some old favorites.

This one is from Yakimix.  Like every buffet the serving of the cakes are bite sized so this one is just a teaser. The cheesecake is more on the sweet side and the graham crust is too thin.

This came from my favorite Italian restaurant Italianni's.  As you can see I tasted it first before I can even take a picture :)  Well even though this is one my favorite places the cheesecake was a little bit of a let down.  This is the same cheesecake base as their sister resto FlapJacks but as you can see there is no real blueberries in it but just syrup.  The serving size is a bit big and it would take two to three persons to finish it.

This hefty piece is from Bob's a famous cafe in Bacolod.   This cheesecake is screaming CHEEEEESE!  And is a bit on the salty side. Also the crust is not made of graham crackers and a bit nutty . Bob's now has a branch in Makati along Dela Rosa St.

This one is from Market on the 5th at St Luke's Medical Center.  It is on the sweet side but it was quite OK. A bit expensive though for the serving size.  I think I was paying part of the hospital with it :) And I didn't come there for a check up either.

But if you are looking for value for money as well as being yummy then try out these mini blueberry cheesecakes from House of Silvanas

I was very careful with it because I thought that the cheesecake base might be too soft but lo and behold the base is more cake than mouse.

There is even an ample graham crust.  But the only one let down on this version is that there are no whole blueberries on the topping.

And since it is my birthday month what would be more fitting than to have one whole box of Becky's Kitchen Blueberry Cheesecake for my birthday.

This is truly a little piece of heaven here on earth :-D

Happy Birthday Executive Lunch!

Jollibee acquires major stake in Burger King

Jollibee acquires major stake in Burger King | ABS-CBN News



Wow! This bit of news is amazing but a little bit misleading.  It should be noted that they only bought 54% of the stake of the Burger King local franchisee not BK US.  Do we expect The Champ to be exported to Burger King then?  Let us wait and see.

Life is Like an Elevator

Life is like an elevator, it has its ups and downs.

It's been 40 years to this day that I have existed in this world.  And if someone would ask me what I have done all my life then I would say "I have loved."

You see, it was my love for my parents that I have allowed them to track the course of where my life would lead me and influence one of the most crucial decisions I have ever made in my life, which is a choice to take up Accountancy.  The year was 1987, I have already passed the UP entrance exam and I would have had the opportunity to take Organizational Communication, which was the non-quota course that I have ticked in the application form.  Honestly, I really had no idea what that course was.  And a funny twist of fate as it would seem that later on I would marry somebody who graduated with that course.

I was already losing options at that point but my friends from Manila Science High School told me that they are enrolling at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, so I gave it a try.  It was the last exam which was held in the month of April.  From what I have learned there was a low passing rate from the previous batches that is why the university opted to hold a special batch to accommodate late enrollees.  I consider myself lucky to have passed that exam.  Not only was I able to enroll in Business Administration as what my parents wanted me to take but on top of that I have also had the chance to meet the people who are now my closest friends and still get to see some of my old friends from Masci.  After 4 years of hard work, pains and often times fun and laughter I was able to graduate from PLM but not "With Honors" as I have wanted it to be with just a few points away from the 1.75 mark.  (The reason for that is a different story all together but I would rather not delve into it much deeper.)  But that incident made me work so much harder during the review and when I took up the CPA Board on October 1991, I passed - not bad for a reluctant accountant.

I have never really dreamed of being an Accountant.  I would have wanted to be a Systems Analyst, a Chef or even a Singer/Songwriter.  But since my mother have always wanted at least one of her offspring to become a CPA (since most of my cousins are CPAs), I gladly obliged.  That is why up to this day of all the hundreds and so staff that I have interviewed I always ask the same question "Was Accounting (or whatever course they graduated from) your first choice for a course?" And it makes me smile inside to know that somehow I am not alone.

But I believe that all of these things are interconnected like a web or neurons in the nervous system.  If I didn't take up Accounting I wouldn't have met all the wonderful people from PLM and all the nine (yes, nine!) companies that I have worked for in the past 19 (almost 20) years of my career.  But most importantly, I wouldn't have met that young lady working in the Advertising and Sales Promotion Department of Ayala Plans Inc.  She would later turn out to be the missing part of my heart.

Our love story is not without the tele-novela twists too.  A year after we became a couple I have decided to propose to her on her 26th birthday.  I have made a webpage that I showed to her after dinner and of all places the marriage proposal came in an internet cafe :)  With me explaining how I made the page as I pull out the ring and proposed.  It was one of the happiest moment of my life.  But things turned out not quite as planned a few weeks after.  We have not told her parents yet that we are getting married but decided to tell it first to a group of our closest friends.  It was announced to our friends on that fateful Fathers Day of 2001.  Fateful because on our way to a restaurant near the bay area we received a call from her house.  My mother in law met a traffic accident a few  meters from where we are going.  When we reached the hospital, she already passed away.  After a few months, we did tell her father about our plan to get married but it would be after the first death anniversary of my mother in law.

That union brought about the third reason my life has been guided by love and that is in the form of my daughter, the bringer of joy.  She is the reason why I persevere to work hard every day. To give her our wholehearted love and undivided attention.  Yes, I am on the other side of the track now and I understand why my parents have always wanted me to follow what they believe is good for me.  But I have also learned through that experience that I shouldn't control my child's destiny.  She has the capability to shape it on her own.  And while we always keep her under the mantle of our protective love I know that someday she would grow her wings.  And I wanted her to experience a life without resentment.

So in my 40 years there are still a lot of questions in my mind if I decided to get off a different floor in this elevator ride.  But as I try to look back those were really the reason why I am what I am right now.  Everything happens for a reason, and no matter how I try to think how my life would have been different if I decided to take a different direction, it wouldn't matter anymore because those things already happened and is now part of the past. And much like we wake up every day, it also gives us a new day to shape our destiny.

So on this day, after forty years of my existence, like any other day, MY LIFE BEGINS, TO BE ABLE TO LOVE AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Here's to the next forty years and beyond...

Pancake House buys Yellow Cab pizza chain | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features

Pancake House buys Yellow Cab pizza chain

It is with great pleasure receiving the announcement of the union between Pancake House and Yellow Cab. Pancake House which sells uhhh...pancakes buys Yellow Cab Pizza for P800 million pesos. That places Yellow Cab on better footing to compete toe to toe with Pizza Hut of the Araneta's (owners of the Dairy Queen and Taco Bell franchise in the Philippines) and Greenwich of the Jollibee group. Wait is Shakey's part of any group? Cowboy Grill? OK, forget that.

What I mean here is that you should have a big brother to back you up financially especially during these times of economic uncertainty.  Take the case of Domino's Pizza, they are a global brand but this was not used to their advantage.  Domino's is still stuck with limited branches and a minimal fan base.  Although in terms of flavor and price, Domino's can still compete and grab a share of this Pizza (Picha-pie according to some old folks) loving nation.

Yellow Cab is one of my favorite pizzas, with the Four Seasons flavor on top of the list.  It's generous amount of garlic and the use of dried chili as condiments is such a hit that I would prefer it over Pizza Hut, Shakey's or  Greenwich anytime.

One thing that I am also looking forward to is the inclusion of Yellow Cab to the Orange Card (which I really hope the Lorenzo Group does.)  That is one good reason to get an Orange Card now.

Pasta Alfredo with Salmon

Happy Easter everyone!

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe (come to think of it, it's been a while since I've blogged, but that's a different story) so I've decided to share with you a pasta dish that I have prepared for the meatless days of the Holy Week.  It's my version of the Pasta Alfredo and I have used a can of pink salmon that I've bought from the grocery as a variation from using chicken strips.

Ingredients:

1 can of Pink Salmon (Century, yes the Tuna brand, got a good Pink Salmon that is just right for this recipe but you can use fresh Salmon fillet if you want to but you may have to cook it a little longer)
2 tablespoon of pitted black olives halved
1/2 bottle of cream cheese
1 all purpose cream
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
butter
powdered garlic
oregano
salt
pepper
175 grams of Pasta pre-cooked according to package instructions

First, sautee the salmon with 3 cloves of garlic on about a teaspoon of oil or you may use the water of the canned salmon.  Sautee for about 3 mins.  Make sure to take out the skin and bones.  Salmon normally only has one piece of bone in the center.  The canned salmon already has salt so it is not necessary to add some more if you have used this. Separate the garlics, place on a plate and set aside.  Aside from Salmon, Tuna is also a good alternative.

Heat about a tablespoon of butter on a non stick pan once dissolved put in another tablespoon of olive oil this prevents the butter from burning.  Put in 2 dashes of powdered garlic and then the pitted black olives.  The aim here is not to burn any of the olives as the Alfredo sauce should have a consistent white appearance and the olives should not taste bitter.  Add in the cream cheese until it melts, stirring constantly.  Add in the all purpose cream and stir to blend all the ingredients together.  Add a dash of oregano, some more powdered garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

Toss in the pasta and make sure that all of it are coated with the Alfredo sauce.  Top with the cooked Salmon, toss some more and transfer to a serving dish.  It is best to serve and eat this immediately as the Alfredo sauce is known to harden at room temperature because of the cheese.  This serves 2 to 3 people and probably just for one very hungry dude!

Here is what I have cooked last Good Friday.  I have used spaghetti for my pasta but Fettuccine also works well.

Bon Apetit!

Fastfood chain suspends ads on 'Willing Willie' - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Fastfood chain suspends ads on 'Willing Willie' - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Yes! Mang Inasal I'm happy that you are sensitive to the Filipino people's sentiments and for standing up for what is right.

"Unboxing" a Becky's Kitchen Blueberry Cheesecake

The term unboxing has usually been reserved for new high tech computer products.  I came across this term during the launch of the iPad where first buyers (those who usually waited in line for long hours for the store to open) made a vlog of their unboxing of the new gadget.  According to Wikipedia, unboxing has been labeled as a new form of "geek porn."

So now I am "unboxing" not a tech item but as I have promised in my review the Becky's Kitchen Blueberry Cheesecake which I have judged in my recent post as my favorite cheesecake by far.  http://execlunch.blogspot.com/2011/02/for-love-ofcheesecake.html

So you have to take out the tape off the tape on each side...

Are we ready for this?

And here you go my friends.  Our first look at a Becky's Kitchen Blueberry cheesecake.

Yup, I just bought a half cake this time since we are celebrating...uhm...err... Earth Hour!  That's right we are celebrating Earth Hour so that is why we are having blueberry cheesecake :-p

Ready to have a big slice...

Don't worry I am not having this slice just for myself I am sharing this with my wife :)

And the verdict, I really love Becky's Kitchen's Blueberry Cheesecake I believe most of the fine qualities of the cheesecakes that I have sampled in my previous blog entry were combined with this one.  And the price is very reasonable too.  Aside from the store located at Bautista corner Pablo Ocampo St (Vito Cruz) where I bought this cake there is a branch at Community Center Suha St Valle Verde I Pasig City so people from the Eastern Metro wouldn't need to travel that far to sample these.

Bon Appetit!

Tried Recently: Guilly's Island Buffet

Buffets has been a constant crowd drawer for us Filipinos. I have tried some of the best buffets in town (see my entry on-buffets here.) And in my recent trip to Davao, I have also learned that the buffets fever (much like the Bieber fever) has also hit that city with lunch buffets as low as P 145 pesos per person.

Well another restaurant has jumped into the buffet bandwagon following the footsteps of Cabalen, Hard Rock Cafe and Kamayan. Guilly's Island Resto Bar a known gimik place is now offering lunch buffets at P239 while the dinner buffet is at P300. The dinner buffet comes with a grilling station with choices of meat and seafood ready to be grilled and served at your table. The selection is not bad either with good filipino dishes like the sinigang na baboy, lechon paksiw and kare kare. There is also pasta, Mongolian barbecue and dessert stations. The buffet comes with a glass of iced tea too.

One the best part about Guilly's buffet is that there is still an ala-carte menu that is good for my little princess who is a picky eater. Although kids can also partake of the buffet for half the buffet price.

Try the Guilly's buffet in their Glorietta 5 branch.

For the Love of....Cheesecake!

I love Blueberry Cheesecake!  I first tasted this heavenly dessert about 19 years ago.  It was at Sugarhouse back when they have their good old branch at Greenbelt.  At times I ate this dessert at Cafe Rizal and if I am looking for a budget variety I would buy a whole box at Red Ribbon.

The landscape of GB has changed through the years, Cafe Rizal is now gone and Red Ribbon has stopped selling Blueberry Cheesecakes (a pity!  Bring it back!)  So here are a couple of restaurants where I have tried their variation of the blueberry cheesecake and my take on them.

This one is from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.  This is quite good as the crust is just semi creamy which makes sure that the base is intact, the blueberries are whole and full and every time you take a bite each piece bursts with blueberry juice.  The downside is that this one of the priciest of the lot in proportion to the serving size.

This one is from Flapjacks.  It is not too creamy (more flour on the base) and the graham crust is not too sweet.  The serving size is proportionate to the price so it is best to have that special someone to share this cheesecake with you (yihee sobrang cheezy, lol!)

The picture above is Cheesecake Meliza's version of the blueberry cheesecake.  This cheesecake is also more flour based and what I have noticed is that the topping is too sweet.  And the whipped cream didn't really help the cause either.  For a cost of 76 pesos the serving is quite small.

Now this one is a bit of a sorry state as you can see in the picture.  I can not dare say anything bad against this though (c'mon this is cheesecake, if Friends' Joey loves sandwiches that much I consider it a sacrilege to say something bad about the cheesecake no matter what its condition is.  Save the Cheesecake!)   I would let this store to remain to be unnamed as well.  (What's that?  You can read the name of the store in the picture?  Oh well...)

This my friends is Conti's, enough said. No just kidding, well the first cheesecake I tried was a bit frozen but it does taste good.  It has a cream base and the graham cracker crust blends well with the taste.  I needed to have another try before I can say that this is my favorite cheesecake so far so I tried it another time.

Now this one is not frozen at all so I can probably say that Conti's cheesecake is my favorite commercially available blueberry cheesecake thus far.

But wait, a challenger awaits...

This large tray of blueberry cheesecake comes from a friend of mine as a Christmas gift (I understand his brother who is a chef made this.)  The graham crust is not too sweet (a tinge of salt to counter the sweetness of the base and the topping.)   It was simply heavenly, I hope it does become commercially available.

And my verdict, the best place to get yourself cheesecake comes from this place.  

No explanation nor description can do justice.  You simply have to try it to understand why I believe they offer the best cheesecake in town.  And I would tempt you by not showing you the picture of the Blueberry Cheesecake just yet.  I would post my Becky's Kitchen experience one of these days.

Happy Heart's Day!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Welcome the Year of the Rabbit (or bunny, whatever.)  Los Luchador/Executive Lunch wishes everyone a wonderful year ahead.

I recently went to Singapore and they have already decorated Chinatown for the Chinese New Year.

Now this next picture is what I call "who the heck?"  See the girls at the background?

There are Chinese lanterns all around.

And of course, the reason why I posted these here in the food blog and not in Los Luchador (http://www.azicran.blogspot.com/) is because during this trip I tried the food in Chinatown.  And boy was I in for a gastronomic treat!

The place is basically point and cook.  Sa Tagalog, ituro mo at lulutuin ko!   That sounded like a song from VST and Company.

The place is quite packed being a Friday night and the only table we were able to sit on is beside the stall where we ordered.  Unfortunately, it is also near the kitchen so we smelled like barbecue all through out the meal.  But then again it is worth it since the food were really great.

These sauteed kangkong are wonderful.  See the red chili smothered together with it?

Barbecued shrimp, yup you can't go wrong with these barbecued shrimp. Yummy!

But are you ready for some fried STINGRAY!

Actually, stingray tastes a lot like tuna.  Don't let the garlic fool you, there are still more chili together with that brown layer.  And that red side dish there is their version of the atchara.

And of course you need a fire extinguisher for those hot chili.

Again our location was very good since we are beside the beverage store too.  so once we are settled down the lady arrives and offered us two bottles of beer.

The sizes of the beverages there are weird, this one is actually 650 ml.

The only downside is since it is al fresco dining you also attract the street peddlers who sell you wet tissue, candies and other stuff.  

Since this is in the heart of Chinatown the shops are just near by.  Here is a video of my walkabout in Chinatown.  I am not that tall nor the Singaporeans short i have to raise my JVC Picsio camera above my head since there are a lot of people.

It's been some time since I've been to Binondo but probably that would my next stop and the subject of another post in the future.

Favorites: Burgers!

One of the best sandwiches that was ever invented is the burger. Actually, I think it is a sacrilege to call it a sandwich, a hamburger is a whole different category all together.  That is just how I love burgers.  In fact, whenever I would go to a different country I would always try the McDonald's Quarter Pounder there just to compare.  And the results of my experiment is that there is no difference with the burger in the US, Singapore, Japan, etc. with the burger that our local "Mcdo" offers.

I usually have a burger craving that can not be satisfied with the offerings of the bee, the clown, the girl or the king.  So whenever I would like to eat a burger there is only one place that I go to fill that void.

I think that the stripes is already a give away on the what place this is.  Yes, for me the best burgers in town could be found at TGI Friday's.  Featured in the photo above is the Bacon Cheeseburger, it is served with yummy fries.  And it is best to pair this with a strawberry milkshake.

I like Friday's burgers because of the large servings and thickness of the patty.  It is really very filling that if you eat it in the afternoon you are still filled up till dinner time.  I like my burgers medium well which you really can't ask from a fast food chain :)  Sige, try natin minsan sabihin nyo sa Mcdo na gawing medium well ang chesseburger.

Second honor goes to a gourmet burger place that has been in existence through the years - Hotshots!

Hotshots uses only flame grilled burgers which is great if you want to be sure that there are no lards used to fry the burger.  There are also other variety of burgers to choose from like the Garlic Cheese, Chicano and Mozzarella.  Good thing that Hotshots is back in Ayala Center.  They are now located at Food Choices 3rd floor of Glorietta 4.

So I just indulge in burgers over the weekends since I go to a strict low carb diet on weekdays.  And when it is weekends as I say on my tagline above the mantra is "the diet starts (again) tomorrow."

Favorites: Japanese Food

This year, I was able to sample a lot of good Japanese food being employed in a Japanese company.  There is (in order of preference) Tsukiji -which I have featured a few months back, Saisaki (still one of the best buffets), Isshin (where you can find great ramen,) Teriyaki Boy, Tokyo Tokyo and Chote Shop in Little Tokyo.  I have even tried Japanese burger in Sango! The Burger master. (No, I was not yelling that is how they call themselves.)  The burger is not exceptional though, mas gusto ko pa ang Hotshots.

But my favorite Japanese Restaurant is not entirely Japanese - it's actually Euro-Japanese and this place is called Mr Kurosawa.

Named after acclaimed director and Asian of the Century - Akira Kurosawa, this restaurant is a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine.  They pay tribute to the exemplary works of Kurosawa the artist by making the menu cinema inspired like I'm The King of the World, Crunchy Hollywood and The Poseidon Adventure.  There are also those named after famous celebrities like Beef Di Caprio, Denzel Tuna Sashimi, Coppola Couscous, Smoked Salmon Spielberg Pizza, and Wild Mushroom Tarantino Salad.

Do you think those frames are hanged on the wall? Nope they are actually attached to the ceiling!

The branch where my family and friends had our Mr Kurosawa experience is at Resorts World Manila.  We came in early which was a good thing since the place was packed by lunch time.

The Iced Teas are in a variety of Red, Green and Blue (yup, the RGB color model.)  I was faithful with my Red Iced Tea while the ladies in the picture above had the Blue Iced Tea.  Except for my daughter who enjoyed her favorite Mango Shake.  There was even flavored Yakult! but I dare not try since Yakult gives my tummy an oil change :-)

We had the Tuna Sashimi to start off and while waiting for our entrée.  The sashimi was quite ok though I may say not the best sashimi I had tasted.

My daughter being a fan of cheese based pizza had the Four Cheese Yamamoto which is Pesto based and composed of 4 cheeses (mozzarella, che-vital, provolone, parmesan) we had the jalapeno and nori strip taken out which the unsmiling waitress faithfully complied.

But the one that took the cake is the big platter named "I'm The King of the World" which is composed of Tuna and salmon sashimi (again), green chicken (deep fried bite-size chicken, sprinkled with aonori seaweed,) chicken and ebi japaella (japanese-paella rice,) mixed tempura, oyster teppan and house salad.  Everything we ever wanted to order!

There is one dish that stood out from here and that is the Japaella.  Mr Kurosawa have hit a home run with that one.

We didn't have dessert there as we need to walk off all the calories gained first.  Next time, I might try their ramen.

All in all, good food and even greater concept!  And to our waitress if this post reaches you, please try to smile :-)

P.S.

Tip: For me, one of the best if not the best Ebi Tempura in town can be found in Buma Seafood Market and Restaurant at the Hobbies of Asia right there in Macapagal Blvd. Pasay City (you'll pass by it when going to MOA if you come from Buendia.)  Just choose from the fresh large shrimps at the mini market and ask the server to have it made to tempura.  Best partnered with Sinigang sa miso with mustasa and big bowl of rice.  Yum!