Birthday Buffet at Vikings Marikina (Photo Heavy!^^)

With the wide array of enticing and delicious food all in one place just waiting to be devoured plus the freedom to eat as much as one wants... BUFFETS are always a treat to the senses and provide one helluva gastronomic experience to just about anybody.^^

But not all buffets are created equal. Some have limited food choices, probably 2-3 main courses only. But some have selection vast enough to create a "where-to-begin" sort of panic to any diner haha.

That sort of panic was what I felt the moment I stepped into VIKINGS (A Feast From The Sea) Marikina, the buffet place where we celebrated Hubby's birthday last February (my surprise for him, actually ^^). There was a loooooong queue of everything edible and yes, there was indeed a feast going on! Mind you, it was not my first time to dine in Vikings and yet I felt tremendously excited just the same.^^

RESERVATION and BIRTHDAY PROMO

Prior to our Vikings date, I had to reserve in order for us to be assured of seats. I called this mobile number for such purpose: +639178766888. It took me a few dials before I was able to get through, securing 2 seats for Sunday dinner, a day after the Hubby's actual birthday. 

I also informed Vikings during the call that my Hubby would be availing of the Birthday Promo aka FREE DINNER!:) Yeah, any celebrator can dine for lunch or dinner WAIVED OF FEES 3 days prior, on his birthday and 3 days after! Weeeeeeeee!^^ 

The call ended with some instructions: to be at the restaurant between 5:00 pm to 6:30pm or else the reservation will be forfeited and to bring the Hubby's ID with birthday indicated on it.

ON WITH THE BIRTHDAY FEAST

Upon entering the restaurant, we were led to what I would dub as the "couple's area" or the row of 2-seater tables. The tables were so close to each other though that I had to be very careful in navigating, lest the risk of bumping into the tables of the diners to our right and left.I bet the tables were arranged that way to maximize the space but somehow, it brought about inconvenience to a certain degree. If I would have something to complain to Vikings, this would be it. Anyway, the buffet itself proved to be enough compensation for such hassle.

Moving on... it took me about 15 minutes to survey the overwhelming stretch of "tastebud-delights" before zeroing in on my first batch of tummy fillers haha. Here are some of the photos I took during such deciding period which would more or less give you an idea on the buffet's awesomeness. 

BREAD AND PASTRIES

CANAPES AND SALADS

CHINESE CUISINE

FILIPINO FARE

JUST JAPANESE

K-FOOD (KOREAN)

GRILL STATION

OYSTERSSSSS!!!!!!

FOR KIDS AND FEELING KIDS HAHA

MEAT GALORE

PIZZA

SWEETS...

MORE SWEETS...

MORE MORE SWEETS...

MORE MORE MORE SWEETS!^^

THE STUFF THAT MADE MY TUMMY HAPPY ^^

Yep, ALL MINE!^^ (I wasn't able to document Hubby's dinner LOL)

FIRST BATCH OF TUMMY FILLERS

SECOND BATCH OF TUMMY FILLERS

CHEERS!
STRAWBERRY AND MANGO JUICE + SAKE

MY DESSERT PLATE

The AVOCADO ICE CREAM was a big hit for us that we weren't contented
with just a serving. We had to wait for about 5 minutes before the
 "best-selling" ice cream for the night was replenished.^^

The Hubby was given a cute birthday cake, compliments of Vikings. Birthday singers were supposed to sing "Happy Birthday" to him as well but he opted not to be serenaded as he did not want to draw attention haha.^^

Needless to say, Hubby and I died and went to food heaven that night haha!^^

There will surely be a next time for Vikings Buffet!^^

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VIKINGS BUFFET Marikina Branch

2nd Floor SM Marikina

For rates, branches and and other info, click here.

Leftover Makeover: Hotdog "Paella"

The other night, it was just Jiggly and I at home so I felt too lazy to cook dinner. There was still some rice left from the previous meal so I scanned through the few ingredients in the fridge waiting to be noticed haha. 

The result is another delicous, albeit lazy, leftover experiment inspired by the famous Valencian rice dish, PAELLA, with an Italian twist.:D

HOTDOG PAELLA

Ingredients:

Leftover Rice

Hotdog, cut in bite-size pieces

Butter

Spaghetti Sauce

Water

Cheese, grated or cut in small pieces

Seasoning

Directions:

1. Pan fry hotdog with a scoop of butter.

2. Pour in spaghetti sauce and some water.

3. Add cheese to the mixture.

4. Stir and let it simmer.

5. Season to taste.

6. Mix leftover rice until well-coated.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Other ingredients may be added such as carrots, peas and bell pepper. The possibilities are actually endless.:D

Taraaaaaaaaaaan!:D INSTANT MEAL! 

I'm sure kids and kids-at-heart will love this as much as I did.:D

Leftover Makeover: Scrambled Egg Con Lechon

Until now, Hubby and I are still thriving on Christmas and New Year leftovers.:) It's not a bad thing though because we spend less on food these days hohoho.:)

Anyway, my post would be about what we had for brunch today. Made out of leftovers (yeah!), it's a very ordinary dish but the taste turned out to be so good that I thought of sharing the idea with everyone.

SCRAMBLED EGG CON LECHON

Ingredients:

Leftover Lechon (cut in strips)

Leftover Quickmelt Cheese (cut in desired size)

Egg

Seasoning

Directions:

1. Beat egg.

2. Add cheese and seasoning.

3. Set aside egg mixture.

4. Fry lechon strips until crispy. (Fat from lechon may be used as cooking oil substitute)

5. Add egg mixture.

6. Cook as you would a scrambled egg.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Sorry for this seemingly "unflattering" photo LOL!

Very simple and easy to do, right? But the taste? Ooooohhhhh, simply awesome!:) 

This dish is perfect for breakfast, lunch too and yes, even dinner. 

Happy cooking and eating!:)

3 Easy to Cook and Healthy Meals

Admittedly, I am no good cook. I would rather eat, munch, devour than whip out delightful dishes unlike the Hubby who really knows his way in the kitchen. :)

Lately though, out of necessity since I do not want to be branded as a useless wife LOL, I find myself tinkering in the kitchen and experimenting on ingredients to come up with easy to cook and healthy meals to feed the household (and that's just me, the Hubby and our dog, Jiggly ^^) 

Hence, I am pleased to share 3 dishes "conjured" out of my imagination (no cook book, mind you!). Preparation and cooking take about 15 minutes only so these are perfect for busy COOK-WANNABE LIKE ME. With vegetables as main ingredients, these dishes are not only healthy but yummy as well, as attested by the worst critic AKA the Hubby and... ehem... yours truly who is a voracious meat/ junk eater.  

Anybody can add/replace ingredients to further develop these dishes according to preference. 

Enjoy!:D (Excuse me if I misused any cooking term^^)

STIR FRIED STRING BEANS WITH LUNCHEON MEAT

Ingredients: 

(Amount is according to one's discretion)

String Beans

Luncheon Meat, sliced to bite-size pieces (Or Canned Tuna)

Seasoning

Cooking oil

Simple steps:

1. Heat the luncheon meat. (In my case, I fry the luncheon meat until crispy on the outside)

2. Add the string beans and stir fry for a few minutes. Careful not to overcook the beans to retain the crispiness.

3. Sprinkle some seasoning.

4. Done!^^

POTATO AND CHICHARO CURRY

Ingredients:

(Amount is according to one's discretion)

Potatoes 

Chicharo
Squid Balls

Curry Powder

Water

Seasoning

Cooking oil

Simple steps:

1. Fry the potatoes until golden brown. Set aside.
2. Fry squid balls until golden brown. 
3. Add the potatoes to the squid balls.

2. Add chicharo and stir fry for a few minutes. Careful not to overcook the beans to retain the crispiness.

3. Add curry powder.

4. Pour in a little water, enough to make a thick sauce sauce.

5. Sprinkle some seasoning.

6. Let it simmer.

7. Done!^^

POTATO AND MUSHROOM IN OYSTER SAUCE

Ingredients:

(Amount is according to one's discretion)

Potatoes (I like using baby potatoes)

Mushrooms (fresh or canned)

Oyster Sauce

Seasoning

Cooking oil

Simple steps:

1. Fry the potatoes until golden brown.

2. Add mushroom.

3. Add oyster sauce.

5. Sprinkle some seasoning.

6. Stir fry for a few minutes. 

7. Done!^^

BON APPETIT!:D

aVeneto Pizzeria Ristorante - Pizza, Pasta, Hero!

Last Fri-"date" night, Hubby and I were supposed to join a some sort of Vegetarian Diners Club but certain circumstance led us instead to a restaurant which I first discovered through my dear friends from work.^^ Since it's located near the office, we just walked hand in hand to the place as the moon smiled and softly sighed, as if we're such lovely sight. Ooooops... the cheesiness ends right there LOL! ^^

Haha, sorry for that.^^ Anyway, the restaurant is called aVeneto Pizzeria Ristorante. 

The Italian-sounding name is very much telling of what the restaurant's specialties are - PIZZA, PASTA and HERO. Not convinced? Go check the signage on its facade haha.^^

Upon entering aVeneto, a waiter led us to a table and handed us the menu. I had a bit of dilemma as I wasn't really hungry yet, with my tummy feeling so full thanks to the two consecutive afternoon snacks (heavy mind you!) we had at the office. But my mind insisted that I cannot not miss any of the delicious offerings in the menu. Needless to say, my mind won over my tummy haha.:)

Mandatory "me" shot haha, while browsing through the menu.

It was actually the Hubby's first time to dine at aVeneto so I had a say on what to order. I purposely limited ourselves to three dishes so as not to tolerate the glutton in me haha.

These are what we "feasted" on for our dinner:

CHEDDAR MUNCHERS (10 pieces)
Php 165

I love anything that has cheese and potato so this appetizer should have been a perfect one. However, Hubby and I noticed that the potato overpowered the rest of the ingredients which made us wonder where the cheese went haha. The dish would have been more appropriately called Potato Munchers .^^ Anyway, I would still recommend it especially as a good alternative to fries. 

The tomato sauce, by the way, added a much needed twist to the usual "fried food" flavor. 

NUT PESTO WITH CHICKEN
Php 275

I remember having this for lunch with my work pals and since I enjoyed it, I had to let the Hubby have a taste of it too. As expected, he enjoyed it for various reasons.

"Pasta's firm, every strand is generously coated with pesto, it's not too oily and serving is good for 2-3 pax, or even more!", Hubby said.

When I asked him what he didn't like about the pasta, well, he merely continued munching with gusto haha.^^ 

No doubt about the Hubby's observation but so far, I still maintain that the best part of this pasta dish is ...(drum roll)...the fried (and I think herbed) chicken topping! It gives variety to the taste of the dish thus, ensuring that it does not become boring, so to speak. Moreover, I believe that it can be a stand-alone fare meant to be savored with or without the pasta. 

Last Friday, I tried dipping chicken pieces into the tomato sauce of the Cheddar Munchers. The experiment turned out to be a yummy one!^^

Concentrating on his meal. :)

CHICKEN WINGS (6 pieces)
Php 175

Of all that I have sampled in aVeneto, this one's gotta be my favorite! I have always loved how each chicken piece retains its crispiness on the outside (and the right tenderness on the inside!) even with the smothered sweet chili sauce. In the menu, it is placed under "Starter" but for just two people, I deem that it is enough to be considered a main course.

That particular Fri-"date" night though, I had a slightly different experience with the said dish. Halfway through the Cheese Munchers and Nut-Pesto Pasta, I thought that the waiting time for the Chicken Wings took longer than usual so I had a feeling that our order was forgotten. When I called a waiter's attention, he advised us that preparation will take a while since they're waiting for the oil to be very hot etc. etc. Just an excuse? Maybe, maybe not... LOL. To be fair though, he gave us an option to cancel the order but we were willing to wait at any rate.

When the order finally arrived, I told the Hubby that the crispiness was not the same as before. Probably due to rushed cooking? I dunno. Nevertheless, it was still an awesome gastronomic fare. 

Generally, it was a delightful Fri-"date" at aVeneto Pizzeria Ristorante. Once in a while, I would stop eating to relax my already loaded stomach. But I would resume because I just couldn't resist what's on our table. I realized then that it's not a good idea to dine at such restaurant with a full tummy to begin with because you won't be able to take as much food as your mind wants. Haha.^^

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A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante is located at 23 Visayas Ave., Project 6, Quezon City; 

Phone Number: (+63 2) 454-2999

For other branches, click here.

Kitaro Sushi: Japanese Food, Anyone?

Irrashaimase! 

Spotlight is on ...KITARO SUSHI!

As the name suggests, it is a restaurant serving fares from the Land of the Rising Sun such as tempura, ramen, sashimi, and of course sushi.

Recently, Hubby and I dropped by one of KITARO's branches (@Emerald Avenue, Ortigas) to satisfy our craving for Japanese cuisine.

There were only a few diners at that time but since it's not fast food, we had to wait for a while before our orders were served. 

Donald playing the waiting game haha :)

Love the oriental lighting fixtures

Complimentary Tea

As soon as the dishes arrived, we inevitably felt like we were caught in a "gastronomic" battle, prompting us to eagerly "attack" on everything that was on our table using our not-so-secret "weapon" - chopsticks! LOL.

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TORI UDON SALAD 

Grilled chicken, rice noodles, wakame on greens with sesame vinaigrette 

(Php 129.00)

Personally, I would eat this everyday if I were on a diet. I enjoyed the sweet-sour-salty-sesame blend of the vinaigrette plus the crunchy veggies. The Hubby did not only share the same salad bowl with me but my sentiments on this dish as well.^^

SEAFOOD RAMEN

Assorted seafood in light shio (salt) broth

Php 229

If only for the generous serving of shrimp, squid and kani, I would give this ramen my all-out approval. However, I did not like the taste of shitake mushroom which was quite overpowering for me. As for the Hubby, the ramen was not that hot for his liking.

TEMPURA PLATTER

12 pieces assorted vegetable and seafood tempura

Php 199

The "crunchy-on-the outside and soft-in-the inside" texture was perfect for me. The ginger soy sauce dip was ok but I actually dipped my tempura in the remaining sesame vinaigrette. And boy, was it sooooo delicious!

In this particular platter, I avoided the onion and eggplant tempura because I never really liked those two anyway. The Hubby happily munched anything away though. I asked for his official statement on the dish, he uttered just a word, "Masarap", meaning delicious in English.^^

GREEN TEA JELLY 

COFFEE JELLY

Php 49 each

Green Tea Jelly was fruity with only a hint of tea aftertaste. It had some nata de coco embedded in it.

The two-layered Coffee Jelly was able to capture the true flavor of the aromatic drink. The firmer layer on top had a stronger taste and can be likened to black coffee. The bottom part was softer and had a milder taste as if creamer was added to the concoction. 

The sweetest part of our meal, literally. Both jelly variants surpassed our expectation in terms of taste.

********************

We left KITARO SUSHI with heavy but truly satisfied tummies.

Me "Cheek to cheek" with a giant sashimi LOL

 Will we go back? Why not?:)

My only complaint though is that KITARO SUSHI has limited branches. I believe more people would be able to dine conveniently in the restaurant if more mall-based branches would be opened soon. But then again, that's just my opinion.:)

For more information on KITARO SUSHI, click here.

Candied Twist...Twisted Candy!^^

I can't help but connect this afternoon's discovery with the following "sugary" quote:

"Candy is nature's way of making up for Mondays". (Author Unknown)

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Maximizing what's left of the long (and rainy!) weekend, the Hubby and I found ourselves in front of this attractive candy store at the 3rd floor of SM North EDSA The Block. The moment we set our eyes on the store, we suddenly felt like we were Hansel and Gretel (except, of course, that we did not become siblings LOL!) who were inevitably enticed by ""confectionery house" so-called Twisted Candy.

What really caught our attention were the candy chefs  kneading, pulling and twisting what seemed to be soft and plump candy dough with some design at the center.

Out of the plump  dough, thin strips were produced, each one bearing the same design as the “mother dough”. ^^ The kneading continued until the strips hardened and then cut into bite-sized  portions to officially look like rock candies :D

Watch the step-by-step process on how twisted candies are done. Click here.

It was truly an amazing sight but having come from a buffet, we did not really intend to buy some candies. However, we graciously accepted the samples handed to us. As I dropped a piece into my mouth, I immediately noticed the intense sweet and sour taste which I totally enjoyed. The Hubby enjoyed the taste even more that he asked me to pick a pack for us to purchase.:D

I opted for watermelon candies!^^

The Hubby "forcefully" took a photo of me holding my first ever Twisted Candy purchase. I also took his photo with the watermelon candies while he wasn’t looking hahaha.

Yeah I know...it was so SILLY of us taking photos with a pack of candies LMAO!

Anyway, before leaving Twisted Candy, I took more shots of  pouches and jars filled with nothing but C-A-N-D-I-E-S!^^

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Back home, as I compose this post, the Hubby and I are happily munching on the candies and guess what, I am just not sure if it's just a psychological thing but it seems that the candies are slowly making it easier for us to finally accept that the long weekend's over and that Monday is just a few hours away hahaha :D

Over-all, I am pleased with Twisted Candy except that I don't think I would be purchasing candies from the store often primarily because of the price. But then...I would surely buy again because of the taste.:D

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TWISTED CANDY Branches:

Robinsons Galleria

SM North EDSA The Block

Prices:

Lollies: Php 35

Pouch 80g: Php90

Jar 70g: Php100

Jar 175g: Php225

Twisted Candy also accepts personalized orders for souvenirs, giveaways, etc.