Halal Food Buffet at The Manila Hotel

ews flash: Halal food is not just for Islams or Jews, it is for everyone. This is what I learned at the launch of The Manila Hotel's Halal Kitchen. The first of it's kind in the Philippines for a 5 star hotel.



Halal involves food experts, food technicians, scientists, and more to reach the quality of food that is fit for the health conscious and discerning when it comes to food hygiene and sanitation. The Manila Hotel received their Halal Certification from the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board last August 1, 2012.

Beginning this September, Halal certified food will now be offered in the Ylang Ylang Cafe lunch and dinner buffets, and also to room service orders. Here's what to expect at the Halal food spread. Let's start at the Salad section:



This is called Taboulleh which is minced parsley mixed with spices. It's a good companion for Babaghanuj.



Babaghanuj is made from roasted eggplants mixed again with delicious spices. It was my first time to try this although I've heard about this so many times. I love Indian and Middle Eastern food but haven't had the chance to explore their salads and appetizers until Manila Hotel.



If you're looking for an alternative to your daily western salad, here's a killer salad spread that shouts Middle East.




I was clueless until one of the helpful chefs approached me. Chef Hanna Usman helped me create my salad plate. It was delicious and the variety was a feast to my tastebuds. Greens were smothered with garlic-lemon olive oil dressing.

That creamy white dip is actually hummus which is made of garbanzos aka chic peas. Hanna told me I should try it, especially if I saw the movie Zohan haha :) I am now in love with hummus, it's so creamy and it's true you can dip anything in it!

Let's cross over to the breads



A variety of Samosas, Papadums, and Nan.  It's hard to decide whether these are appetizers or desserts. Especially when you dip them in chutneys. As you can see, I had papadums with my salad and hummus.

Main entrees

 

Chicken Biriyani is the foundation of your Halal feast. It's great for all the forthcoming dishes. This rice is great with some yogurt. You'll really learn a lot from this Halal buffet - don't be afraid to experiment and try new food.



Roganjosh Lamb is a famous Indian dish which you'll normally see in other restaurants. This one has five star quality though. There's generous lamb cutlets which are all very tender. The spiciness of all food items are friendly for everyone.




Beef Rendang is rubbed with sweet and chili spices. I lean towards dishes that are saucy so I skipped this one. My date says its incredible though.




Fried prawns are great to dip in hummus, or it could be just me. I'd dip anything in hummus now.


Here's my plate for the main entrees, in case you want to compare notes later :) I had to save a lot of room for my favorite curries and masala.



 

I loved all of these and wish I had more than one stomach. Here's my tip, don't pour all dishes together on your plate. Use the small bowls or saucers for different dishes.This way, the flavors don't mix and you can decide later on which your favorite Halal food is.

 
 

To end my Middle Eastern exploration, I had vegetable samosas and more papadums with chutney. I also thought our local dessert, guinataang halo-halo should join the coconut based curries in my tummy.



I asked for hot water afterwards so everything is digested well. We were very much satisfied with the Halal food selections at The Manila Hotel. They have over 11 food stations at Cafe Ylang Ylang but that day, my focus was on their Middle Eastern fare.




Can't wait to go back, I shall call this place curry heaven :) Enjoy the Halal Buffet and the rest of  the 11 food stations at Cafe Ylang Ylang for P1,800++

P.S. This cake puts the Cake Boss to shame.



The Manila Hotel Centennial Cake.

Shopping day at SM Manila's 3 Day Sale

Oh Manila, my SM Manila! Last Friday, my husband and I happened to be in the veins of Manila and decided to try our luck at SM Manila's 3 Day Sale. We've been watching too much TLC shows like Extreme Couponing that we are now self-pledged bargain hunters.

And Manila is the home of flea markets that it's not hard to imagine how the bargain culture can transverse into a shopping mall like SM. Especially when the sign is as big as this:



We were greeted by a flock of shopaholics, window shoppers, and the loud fiesta-like boom box SM has setup near their entrance.




It was the 31st of August, a day before the first day of the first 'ber' months. We heard our first 2012 Christmas song inside the Department Store.

Onto the Department Store where famous fashion bloggers have collaborated with SM to bring new collections like this to life. Fashion fit for it girls, we're so lucky this A-level fashion is accessible in a jiff.




I liked this Betty cardigan which was also on sale. 50% off from P649. What do you think? Excuse my hair, I rode the jeepney to SM :D



Almost all the shops were participating, including Solo. I read they released Pupung Comics shirts and just had to go in. I wish I were early because choices were already limited when I arrived.



They have loose shirts like this on sale though. From P645 to just P349. Plains and soft cotton blouses are great for anything.



You can wear them as they are or add accessories if you need to go somewhere important. I wear my plains with just shorts because I'm now fashion lazy like that.


I didn't forget to shop for the little boy. At SM Department Store, I look out for Disney apparel for my 2 year old. Lo and behold, I found rows and racks of discounted kiddie wear.



Lightning McQueen shirt for just P250 from P500 at 50% off.






And more shopping for the big boy (my husband). These polo shirts now retail from P300-P250. Perfect for his daily activities and I love how flexible collared polo shirts are.



It's not hard to imagine why we spent so much time in the Department Store. I found Maybelline was also having 20% off discounts. Just had to try new eyeliners :)





To cap off a successful shopping day, we tried a new and exciting joint in SM Manila called Kung Fu Kitchen. This restaurant deserves a blog post of its own.

Here we are finding comfort in Asian cuisine.



We loved the 3 Day Sale at SM City Manila and can't wait for our next SM adventure!

The Big Sale at SM Southmall starts tomorrow!

It's the end of August and start of the 'ber' months, I can't be more excited for the holidays! And we all know what this means, it's the start of the holiday shopping season. What better way to start than with a BIG sale.



SM Southmall has been our go-to mall nowadays, it's nearby for us who are in the south area and we don't even need to pass by Coastal road or EDSA to get to it. I have time off tomorrow so I will spy what's on sale.

The Department Store at SM Southmall is worth the mention. I don't know why but I always think they have the nicest racks of casual dresses. I always come home with a decent yet practical find for the closet.

Note to self: Don't forget my SM Advantage and Global Pinoy cards :)

Check out their Facebook Page or follow them on Twitter to get updates on the BIG sale.

Weekend at the SM Megamall Food Sale - Pepper Lunch

I've never really heard of major shopping malls having a 'food sale'. Until last Saturday, we trooped to SM Megamall to satisfy our curiosity and bellies.




They've got posters and flyers about the 3-day Food Sale. A great way to help guide shoppers on participating restos - more establishments should copy this. The fun started when my date and I argued which restaurant to try.

Our top choices for lunch were Yabu, Masuki and Pepper Lunch. I won the debate with this deal:

 Beef Garlic Pepper Rice for only P168 (original price P215).

It's been a while since we ate at Pepper Lunch but I remember we always had fun cooking our own food. Plus, I always have an inner battle on whether to use the special honey brown sauce (Amakuchi) or the garlic soy sauce (Karakuchi).

The discount was an encouraging invitation for us to try new menu items too, at a fraction of the bill. Plus, a good spacious table was available for us food monsters to occupy. It pays to be early!

On our table we enjoyed sharing:


 Kani Shake! Shake! Salad

Simply the best Kani Salad I have ever tasted, ever! I know it's weird how the best kani salad will come from a fast food - but it does. It's far from mediocre Japanese salads I've had. It had authentic Japanese Mayo, Sesame Oil, and fresh Udon noodles at the bottom.



Although the salad came in a plastic cup, I was surprised how much greens could fit in a Shake! Shake! salad. Really the Udon noodles was a great surprise, it soaked up all the delish dressing like it read my mind.


Spicy Tuna Shake! Shake! Salad

My partner had this. We were both selfish with our own salads that we never shared. As far as I know, he loved it to bits and I just had to point out the Udon noodles at the bottom of the cup.

I wish Pepper Lunch could have Shake! Shake! Salads in XXL sizes.



Beef Garlic Pepper Rice

We love the addition of garlic flakes from the usual pepper rice. The wait staff was helpful in re-orienting us on how to prepare this. You should season the dish with Amakuchi or Karakuchi after the meat is cooked. Plus, mix mix mix to get the best pepper rice.


Combo Chicken and Angus Beef Pepper Rice

I am always bitin with meat at Pepper Lunch because they are so tasty. So I had a double whammy of meat chicken and beef. This dish has lots of veggies too, the rice comes as a side.

So again, cook the meet first by mixing well. I loved the Amakuchi on the chicken and the Karakuchi on the beef. Oh when will I see you again...

Vanilla Crepe Cake

If you don't like eating messy crepes, this is for you. A crepe cake is, you guessed it, made up of many layers of crepes. You can fork it once and you get a mouthful of crepes. Follow it soon after with a spoon of vanilla icecream with caramel sauce. Et voila! Delicious crepe fun with more poise. More than convenience, we love how sulit this dessert was (read: not filled with air). Perfect to share and to cap your Pepper Lunch experience with.

We wished our son was there to enjoy eating with us. But this was our couple 'date day' after all. We just got him this toy sizzling plate from Toy Kingdom (also on sale).

After Pepper Lunch, we enjoyed trying other restaurants who were participating at the Food Sale like Masuki.

Major thanks to the Pepper Lunch staff who were all attentive. I almost forgot my favorite Starbucks tumbler on the table until the staff run towards us with my tumbler in tow. Whew! 

I was still hooked on a Japanese theme (but we agreed not to eat at our usual Japanese spots). So we had Royal Milk Tea, Ice Coffee, and Okonomiyaki at Jipan.



Le Coeur de France also had their breads outside. It only means one thing and that these were also on SALE and buy 1 take 1's. I hoarded lots of Rice Loaf, Egg Tarts, Vanilla Mamons, Chocolate Croissants, and Ensaymadas.

I can't say how much I love the SM Megamall Food Sale experience! When is  the next one? And next time, I will make sure to bring the little food monster :)

TGIF and it's the SM Megamall Mega Food Sale

If this doesn't make you want to go, I don't know what would!



I am not going today but tomorrow, I wish it will all be sunny and crisp :)

What's your favorite joint in SM Megamall?

Surprising & Delicious Cabalen - SM Mall of Asia

Buffets are becoming the norm these days. Smorgasbords of international cuisine and desserts have never been this accessible. After trying out so many buffets from hotels to restaurants that take our taste buds into flight, it's normal to feel tired of the gastronomical jetlag. It's a good time to come back to where we came from.
 

Filipino cuisine. In Anthony Bourdain's trip to the Philippines, it's evident we've adapted to so many cultures and tastes. It's hard to find authentic Pinoy food. Even so, we've memorized Filipino buffets and can readily name three (and only three) - Kamayan, Barrio Fiesta, and of course, Cabalen.

Honestly, we know these restaurants but have chosen to forget them. I had a horrific experience (not with Cabalen) but from a similar restaurant where food were swimming in oil. No wonder no one was coming back to the buffet table!

So one night my partner invited me to dine with some friends and trial Cabalen's buffet, I felt hesitant, excited, and anxious at the same time.

Filipino Cuisine According to Cabalen

Their salad choices - steamed okra, sitaw, talong, and pipino with an array of 100% Pinoy dips like burong hipon and bagoong.

A breath of fresh air from the usual water lettuce!

This is the beginning of the many praises I will sing to Cabalen. First, all dishes are interestingly Filipino. Except for the very petite Asian section. Where else can you find a dish made from balut and kalabaw among many others?

  Not your usual balut - Balut ala Pobre

I've read write ups about Cabalen's limited food choices. But I also believe in quality outweighing quantity. Expect that dining in Cabalen is like attending a  Pinoy family feast - you don't expect Japanese sashimi or American ribs. But you can bet there's kaldereta, lechon, seafood, and many more dishes close to home.

Lechon Paksiw

And occasionally, those from foreign lands that left a mark on our hearts. Blame the Japanese.

 Tonkatsu

 Vegetable Udon

 Oh yes, Tempura

You're not dreaming, there is tempura in Cabalen. Many diners thought and wrote there's none but ask and you shall receive. Cabalen has a thing for crispiness (check out their fried Kangkong) and to maintain the quality of Tempura - they are cooked as you order. No additional cost, totally included in the buffet, just ask.

Other cook as you order meals, included in the buffet

 Pinoy sisig, Lechon sisig, Tofu, etc.

 You can also ask for the lechon to come to the table

Cabalen's OC-ness in crispiness goes beyond to their quick refills, wait service, and their fast removal of used plates. This is an advantage of smaller, cozier buffets. You get noticed quickly and don't have to do much to ask for something.

More importantly, the quality of their dishes are that of home-cooked meals. So many of the dishes I tried reminded me of my mother's cooking. She is a great cook and I sing alleluia when she comes home and cook for us.

At the end of plate number 3, I am disappointed at how small my gut is. I wish I left more space for seafood like inihaw na hito paired with dinuguan and more lechon.

I was determined to sample their desserts though. I had guinataan which in Pampanga they call Sampelot. While my mates concocted their own Halo-Halo.

Guinataan aka Sampelot

 Halo-Halo

Cabalen sure felt like home and it was hard to leave (especially with all the Lechon). It's not everyday that we find a good old restaurant that remained loyal to their patrons and only serve good, quality, and honest to goodness food.

All of us on the table rekindled our love for Filipino cuisine, talked about true Pinoy journeys of family and work, OFW talk, and so much more we all could relate. That's how good company Cabalen is.

Cabalen is at SM Mall of Asia, Glorietta, SM Megamall, and Trinoma. Dinner buffet weekdays is P468.