Claudette’s: A Sweet Escape

Forgive me father, for I have sinned. The last cheesecake I had was not so far away.

It was a typical Wednesday. Workload was phenomenal. Bugs were appearing out of nowhere. And there was no progress in my documentations. At around 15:00h, my manager went out to have a meeting with the other managers. I took that opportunity to get away from it all and have a food trip. Will it be considered a sin when you crave for something without considering the price?

The truth was, I was about to buy something to chow down in 7-11. Unfortunately, there was nothing there to satisfy my craving for something sweet. I then tried to see if there was something that will interest me in Jolli-jeep stores. But alas, my craving was not something that can be satisfied by a full stomach.

As I was about to go back to the office. I saw an officemate of mine standing outside the office. I asked what he was doing there, he promptly answered “I am waiting for someone”. And then it hit me, I had a friend who referred me to a bakeshop a few blocks away from the office. I then excused myself to go re-visit the shop to satisfy my outrageous cravings.

As soon as I got there, there was only one thing that was ringing in my mind. Cheesecake! I entered the shop and viewed the glass display and browsed what they had to offer. They had a wide range of cakes and brownies which had me thinking, shall I go for something daring? Or should I do what I intended to do?

The date was July 18, the day before my brother’s birthday. I don’t think I have the time to buy him a nice shirt! I remembered my birthday last year. It was my first birthday out of the country. I felt so sad to celebrate a birthday alone, no parties. Then I decided, wouldn’t it be nice if I gave my brother a cake for his birthday? Now that I have a reason to try out their cake (even if it’s for my brother), I then bought the blueberry cheesecake, sitting there, ever so lonely, teasing me to take a bite.

On my way out, I saw that the rain was pouring. It was not your regular drizzle, it was raining big droplets. Across the street, another 7-11 is open for business. I ran across the street to buy an umbrella. To my surprise, the rain stopped the moment I stepped out the door.

A few moments later I was back in my workplace, unwrapping the cheesecake. It would be saf to eat a cheesecake alone. I called some of my officemates to help me eat the cheesecake. Hey, this method is great for those who are on a diet. Eat little by sharing the big part of your cake with your friends.

As you must know, good food starts with the package. Before eating, the client first looks at the presentation of the over-all design of the food. In this case, the cheesecake was placed inside a Styrofoam container. It looked no different from the food you buy from the Jolli-jeep stores.

Looking at the cake itself, you can say without a doubt that, what lays in front of you is a cheesecake. The blueberry slowly drooping of from the top of the cake, cascading downwards passing through the cream, teasingly running down to the crust. The sight of that was already mouthwatering. I cannot wait for the cake to touch my lips.

The taste of the cake was far from average. You can taste the distinction of the crust, cream, and blueberry in syrup. There were no side crust in the cheesecake which bring emphasis on what the cheesecake should really be. One good word to describe the sensation was: delectable.

After chowing down of the cheesecake, I was really pumped up on buying a cake for my brother. A few hours later I was walking home, holding a chocolate cake in my hand. Oh, I can’t wait to taste that cake. Maybe a different story for that cake is necessary?

A reminiscing taste of Japan: Rai Rai Ken

It has been a while since I wrote a new post. Luckily, I now have time to write a new one. Give a big whoop whoop to Vacation Leave.

2 weeks ago, I had to experience my first ever Overnight-Overtime in the office. And guess what, the next day was a Friday, therefore, it was a wash day. Imagine me, the only person in the office wearing a uniform. Such depressing times calls for a food trip.

So, it was a Saturday, the day after I got home. Unfortunately, our manager has great “Management Skills” that she was able to “convince” me to work that day. Well, I had the chance to take a bath and change clothes. That was a good thing, right? Unfortunately, the thing she was expecting did not come. Well, let’s just say that my efforts did not go to waste. I had to file it as OT so that I get paid to linger in the office.

After a grueling stay at the office, I had the chance to take a leisurely solitary walk around “Market Market”. I planned to have my Food Trip there. Alas, I did not have the courage to dine-in alone in their “interesting” restaurants. I guess I had to have a try at some other place for my food trip.

The next day, I had the chance to re-visit SM Southmall. My itineraries were: look for office shoes, have an ID pictire taken, pay for membership in FF (I had to unfreeze my account), and of course, make-up for the lost Food Trip.

That day, I saw a sign written in Japanese (irrashaimase) and the recycle bins which is categorized in different trash types. That reminded me of Japan. Because of that, a craving for Udon was overpowering me. Thus, Rai Rai Ken. It wasn’t my 1st time to eat there, but with that previous experience, it was Food Trip worthy.

So, I sat there and ordered seafood ramen (far from udon) and French Maki. The place has a great ambiance. It has a warm feel, and that feeling did not come from me eating alone. Too bad their service was a little bad. Just imagine, I was already seated, my food was served, yet there were no chopsticks, spoons and forks. That was a category for me that entitles them to “No Service” tip.

Going on the food part, I liked the French maki. It was a breaded shrimp presented as a Maki. You can see that the presentation and the creation of this dish wasn’t taken fore granted. They used Japanese Rice and had it well compacted to the point that it did not break down when I used chopstick. Moving on with the Ramen, I must admit, it was far from what I had tasted back in Japan. However, it was more suited for Filipino taste. I suggest that when eating ramen or udon type meals, do not order any drinks aside water. Not only is it healthier, but also, it won’t ruin the taste buds by giving a stronger taste over the dish.

If asked, if I wold come back again. I will answer without hesitation: Of course!

Good To Go: Chap Chae

It was a Wednesday night and it seems like there was no stopping the rain. It was around 7:30 and the line for the shuttle was a little long. Well, I think it will be a waste of opportunity to let time pass by while I wait in line for the shuttle to arrive. Why not do something more interesting than waiting in line.

I always walk from our office to the shuttle station everyday. And everyday, I get to pass by the Good To Go shop and always end up asking myself when I will be able to try out their cuisine? Yesterday, I had a chance to visit the shop and found out they have several interesting products. What caught my eye was their food section. It was a collection of sandwiches, steaks, pasta dishes, and other sorts. At first, I wanted to play safe by selecting a regular pasta dish such as the lasagna or carbonara. In the end, I decided to go for the Chap Chae.

I approached the counter to pay for the meal I just took, they offered to have it fo dine-in. Since I was not in a hurry to go home, I accepted their offer and waited as they re-heated my meal. When your alone and waiting a few minutes before your meal arrives, what can you do inside the store to pass by the time? Well, you can enjoy the view. They have a big window which overlooks the open-area side of Greenbelt. I found it relaxing and makes me forget the terrible day I just had. That is certainly a plus point for having such a wonderful view while in the middle of a big city.

A few minutes passed, finally, my food arrives. To my amazement, the take out container was served over a black square plate which comes with tissue and chopsticks. It was certainly a presentable way of serving something for take-out. I just had to take the picture because it was the first time I enjoyed looking at a take-out item.

Now comes the part of actually criticizing the food item. For the looks of the noodles, think of a thick version of the sotanghon noodle in a pancit dish. Well, some may find it a little weird because it has a dark color for a sauce. Sometimes, it kinda looks like earthworms noodles with veggies and some meat. As for the texture of the dish, it is expected that the dish will come out a little dry because it was re-heated in a microwave. The taste, for me, it was a little disappointing. The noodles didn’t hold a lot of flavor, the vegetables tasted like adobong kangkong and the meat is a dry cooked meat with Soy sauce. Overall, the Chap Chae like a adobong pancit, Personally, it would make a significant change in the taste if they added Roasted Sesame seeds.

Here comes the ratings: Location is a 5/5, Dish preparation/Serving 5/5 -> Expected that these are take-out foods, there was no points for the food preparation. Lastly, the taste 3/5, nothing special and a little expensive. It didn’t hit anygood spots for me.