Food Trip Monday! Basti's, Mix FM, Bahay

Today, i went on an impromptu food trip. I didn't even plan to eat so much, but they, as long as there is free food, I'm there! woohoo!

So i went to the Press Conference held by Basti's Brew for their 10th anniversary. We were given a little glimpse at the Basti's Brew History. I discovered that they started around october 1999, long before the coffee craze hit the philippines. I also discovered that they were the first coffeeshop in davao to offer free wifi, and a proper smoking area.

They have an extensive menu made up of coffee creations, non-coffee drinks, bottomless iced teas (which most coffeeshops still don't have), pasta dishes and their pizza creations, which are, may I just say, sumptuous to the nth level! woohooo!!

Today however, they were to unveil their new product, available only on October 10 2009: the monster cake! Read on to know more about this truly humongous treat!

Here are the owners, basti's manager and some press people

vanessa and randall ong, two of the owners of basti's brew

i don't know what he was taking pictures of, but i took a photo of him anyway

the glorious monster cake! 4 layers of moist chocolate cake with caramel filling and coated with chocolate syrup. They sell these giant babies for 199 pesos a slice. BUT they only slice the whole cake, four times. I mean, that is one huge slice!

if you are a chocoholic, this just might make you break down

the monster cake with basti's brew's pizza creations. these are all yummy, but i have my favorites.

The spicy sardine pizza was well-balanced and had a juicy topping. it was yum-o! I had three slices. I thought the spicy Hawaiian gambas would be an odd combination but it was surprisingly really good. I had two slices of this even though i was allergic to shrimp. Trust me, it was worth the risk.The sisig pizza was a new experience for me, but it was really yummy. the toppings were mloist and juicy and the sisig was of really good quality. It tasted of really good sisig, and the whole pizza experience just made it more fun. i ate about 3slices of this. i can't remember anymore. The chicken pesto pizza was one of my favorites! it was uberly yummy! i love the delicate flavor of the chicken, the basil and the garlic, all in one bite! Zhaun had 4 slices. Gluttony!

Here is the rest of the spread. the longganisa pizza was delicious but wasnt as exciting as the other flavors so i only had one slice. the teriyaki beef ragu, despite of the nice name (which makes me think that it would taste somehow different), was underwhelming. maybe i expected too much based on the name, but i didnt really like it. it wasnt BAD, but it wasnt good also. i ate only a slice, and even had to force myself to finish it

this was a favorite: garlic chicken pesto. pure pizza perfection

the sisig pizza was also extra-yummy! i appreciate this a lot. try this the next time u head on to basti's

paul, the manager of basti's rew, slicing the monster cake

here it is, in all its chocolate glory

they even gave me free drinks! i had a strawberry shake, because caffeine after lunch does not do me well

the server was extra-nice today. Roan, pretending not to know that i was taking snapshots.

plus, they gave me a diary, a memo pad and a tshirt (not in the picture) and i won a 200 peso gift certificate! coolness!

the people whoa attended the press conference, chatting with the owner after all the hoopla
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after i ate all that plus two glasses of iced tea (all for free), our station manager asked us (wacky and I ) to finisht he strawberry cheescake she made. Im telling you, it was soooooooo good! Yum-O!

looks gorge even up close

the last morsel of cheesy cake

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And then as i arrived home, i found some moon cake, and everybody loves mooncake, right?!? so i had some.hehe. this was too expensive though. so i ate it slowly, even though mama paid for it. haha

this had munggo (mung beans), salted egg and pumpkin seeds

And that was everything i ate today.oh, plus i had pork bbq for dinner! hahaha

but thats a whole different story! Woohoo! :D

All these pictures were taken with my SOny Cybershot W290. Thank you SonY! W00t!

Party Food: Baked Rosemary Dory

You can still party while trying to be healthy! Just tweak some recipes and think out of the box. better yet, create new recipes that use less oil and have healthier ingredients.

I came up with this recipe on my own after eating fried fish steaks with toast and orange marmalade. The combination was heavenly, but I thought I could make it even more healthful! So here's a new recipe: Baked Rosemary Dory with Orange Marmalade

Ingredients: Dory Fillet, Bell Pepper, Onion, Salt, Pepper, Orange Marmalade, Water

Slice your Onions and Bell Peppers. It doesn't matter how big or small you slice them, but i like to cut my Onions and bell peppers like this ^

Grab a baking sheet and cover it with aluminum foil.

Lay your onions on the pan

Place your dory fillets on top of your onions, using your onions as a "bed"

season with salt and pepper. Make sure not to go overboard with the seasoning, as this will still shrink. Plus, dory has a delicate flavor to begin with

Top your fillets with your julienned bell peppers

Drizzle with a generous amount of dried rosemary. Make sure to rub the rosemary pieces between your palms to release the oils. Rosemary has an herby, lemony flavor.

Cover the pan with another sheet of aluminum

and bake until the bell peppers and onions have turned soft. The fish, and everything else will shrink

You could serve this as it is. Most filipinos would want to have this with soy sauce, but i don't think it works well with the rosemary taste.

Like me, you could opt to top your dish with some orange marmalade. Since i was trying to eat healthier, i used sugar-free, fat-free, no-calorie orange marmalade. It works real well with the rosemary taste.

For something healthy, it tastes sooooooooo good!

Serve this on your next house party, and the guests will be impressed! the clean, fresh tastes, coupled with some interesting flavors will make this an instant party favorite!

All these pictures were taken with my Sony Cybershot W290! Thank you Sony!

October 5 is Do Something Nice Day

Gather all your friends and do something nice. This is very timely, because pour brother and sisters in Luzon need some niceness and good deeds. So, gather all your partyphile friends, and look for nice things to do today, because October 5 is Do Something Nice Day!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Grant Hill, Bernie Mac, Kate Winslet and Nikki Hilton! IS it a coincidence that they are one of the best in their fields? Come on, Nikki is a great handbag designer!

Party Food: Deconstructed Cali Maki

Here's one VERY QUICK recipe. I personally do not eat this (because i hate mayonnaise), but everybody says it tastes great, and is refreshing to the palate. So I decided to share our recipe. :D

This salad has Kani and Mango, just like a regular California Maki roll, but without the rice. Because rice with salad is...well, Chopsuey! :d haha

Ingeredients: Lettuce, Mango, Kani (check the frozen aisle in your grocery), Salmon Bits (optional) and Japanese Mayo

Tear your lettuce and make a bed on a wide plate.

Top with cubed mangoes and sliced Kani. If you like, you may also add some Salmon bits, like in the picture above.

Squeeze some Japanese Mayo and you are done! Voila!

Serve this on your next Japanese-themed house party, and wait for your guests to scream "Oishi!"

Thank You to Sony Cybershot W290 for my new Camera! I shot all these pictures with my new W290! My food pictures have never looked so good! YThanks for putting a "gourmet" function!

Party Food: Lazy Fish Pasta

So we all go through days when we don't really feel like cooking anything, and then our friends call us up for an impromptu house party. what are you to do? Easy. Prepare some Lazy Fish Pasta. If this dish isn't easy enough for you, I don't klnow what is.

Ingredients: any type of pasta, butter (or oil), tomato sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, canned fish (I used Bangus or milk fish for this one), Herbs and Spices, Cheese

Prepare your ingredients and begin. (note that this is for Lazy people. you dont even need garlic or onion)

Cook pasta as directed in the package. While waiting for your pasta to cook, yopu may begin with your sauce.

Melt some butter in a saucepan

Open your canned fish, and drain all the liquid out. Dump the pieces of fish in your saucepan and crumble to make flakes. For this recipe I used canned Bangus (or milkfish) but you may use any type of canned fish (e.g. tuna, salmon, or even sardines)

Pour in some tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper and sugar (i use brown sugar). I think sugar is an important ingredient to balance out the tartness/sourness of the tomato sauce

Add in some herbs! I put some Rosemary, Basil and Oregano, but you could put in anything you want, or have at hand. Try BAy leaves, Paprika, or maybe even Curry.

Dump in some grated cheese. it doesn't have to be quick-melting cheese. Just grate it and dump it in the sauce until it melts and makes a thicker sauce.

When your pasta is ready, dump it into your boiling sauce. I know your Mommy always turned off the heat and added the Sauce to your Pasta in a bowl, but i find that THIS technique makes the sauce bind better to the pasta.

And there you are! Easy as pie!

Serve this on your next impromptu house party, and make your guests think you've slaved for hours on this one!

Phtos taken by Sony Cybershot W290! Thank you Sony!