Weekend Snapshot #8: Lanzones

My first entry for Weekend Snapshot is a photo of lanzones taken Sunday at my aunt's fruit farm in Laguna where we spent the long weekend.

The lanzones is a fruit native to Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia (where it is known as 'doku'). The flesh underneath the thin skin is soft and translucent and surrounds a very bitter seed which you would want to avoid biting into. But the fruit, when ripe is luscious and sweet! Absolutely one of my favorite fruits in the world. The most sought-after variety of lanzones is that from Camiguin where harvest season is celebrated during the Lanzones Festival held annually in October.

See the other entries for this week's Weekend Snapshot here. And if you'd like to learn more about WS and hopefully join the fun, click here. :)

Everybody loves weekend, it is the time for leisure, recreation and other religious activities. And when everyone is having a grand time, you want to capture it and share it with others. That’s why Weekend Snapshot is here for you.

As the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words, let me invite you to participate every MONDAY in my photo meme to get interaction and connected with one another with our Weekend Snapshot. No theme needed your pictures explain it all.

Reggie's phone book

(Edited to include last of 3 installments)

To celebrate National Thank You Day (Oct. 20), Reggie Aspiras shared the precious contents of her phone book with the readers of her column, Kitchen Rescue on PDI. The list includes contact details for food, cooking and entertaining needs from suppliers mostly within Metro Manila. It is a very extensive list which I will surely be referring to often. So to you Ms. Aspiras, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for sharing this with us. :)

So I'm posting it here for safe-keeping and also for the benefit of those of you who might have missed the 3-part article in which the list was published. Those I've highlighted in bold are ones that I can personally vouch for; additional info or comments in parenetheses after the phone number are my own. I've also included a short list at the end from my own personal phone book of food-related contacts (that wasn't already mentioned by Reggie). This does not yet include contacts from the various leaflets and business cards I've collected through the years, so I'll be adding to this soon and continuously updating.

Part 1:
Acoustic Strings 0917-8915865
Mang June, aircon repair 8681073 (0917-2470700)
Arnaldo Zamora, party props 6696641/0927-7201968
Spices, Assad 5261349 (Makati branch - 897-2543; great samosas & gulab jamun)
Bailon’s Lumpiang Bacolod 8436673
Sweetcraft, baking supplies 5321595
Claudine, specialty olive oils, salt, fruits 0917-8958191
Food order (reasonably priced), Boots Salas 0916-5265284
Food boxes (packaging), RM 7138547
Brazo de Mercedes, Butter Cake, Chocolate Icebox Cake 8107529 (Vargas)
Frozen Brazo 8438086 (Dimpy Camara)
Bordadoras 7180901
Best Buko Pandan 045-9616817
Coffee caterers, Cafe ni Juan 0917-5277141
Beautiful yet reasonably priced cakes, Sasa 0917-5339275
Candy cart rentals for parties/candy importer 0917-5220495
Catering equipment rental 8890268/8431960
Gift Packages―food and nonfood 6471054
Importer and distributor of all seafood, Midas 5240006
Chocolate cupcakes with caramel centers, chocolate chip cookies, Roshan 0917-8336286 (631-7786)
Best pan de sal, San Antonio Bakery (Nora) 4338128
Delicious chocolate cake, Fortune 8443663
Lace cookies, Dentelle au Chocolat 0917-6220427
Virgin coconut oil ice cream 0917-8966581
Aklan crispy shrimps 0918-2390038
Ensaimada, Cunanan 6310798
Hula/folk dancers 0917-6253783
Best date bars, Lorenzo’s 8527798
Ostrich meat; local feta, blue and goat cheeses; Olive 0917-7001205
Hand-carved dayap and long-tail pastillas wrapper, Luz 044-7915657
Personalized gift wrappers, De Veria 9395468
Dessert buffet, Strawberry and Mango Charlotte, Cristina Santiago 844-0680 (844-9905 )
Yummy White Salad and Pastillas Cheesecake, Doreen Tayag 0917-5312712
Dragon dancers 0917-8911861
Elar’s Lechon & Catering Service 7325125
Giant siopao, Emerald Restaurant 5238510
Carpet cleaners, Esling 0906-2093158/ 0918-5713723
Fireworks 0928-7983636
Tilapia chicharon 045-8887906
Food for the Gods, Livy 3722740
Food packaging, Detpac 5326368
Food technologist, Tess 0922-8119827
Super moist mini cupcakes, Fudgy Bonbon 6331513
Icon chopping boards (great as gifts), Fr. Dennis 0917-8312570
Pickled gherkins, Sr. Mary Raphael 0927-9992028
Beautiful party invitations 7229842
Jumbo pastillas 7290325
Blinds Black Out, Jo Chan 0917-7955667
Packed lunch and food orders, Joel 0917-8016608
Joy Charcoal Stove 0920-9543425
JT’s Manukan-Inasal catering 7219025
Pandan cake, Judah 8966872
Kitchen cabinets, furniture 0917-5555222
Kakanin, San Vicente 044-5114382
White kuchinta, Ninay 0919-2425081
Puto Batangas 0910-2482385
Chocolate Ganache and sugar-free cakes, Karen 8982280 , 0917-5394968
Vanilla bean, Karin 8928286
Flower wholesalers, ornamental cabbages 9294110
La Comida, reasonably priced caterers, puto bumbong and bibingka 4260471
Lamb lechon, Robert 0906-8404323
Leggerio Strings 0919-3169252
Flavored lechon 0917-8975966
Pest control, Mario 0917-8173680
Beautiful cakes, Marta Matute 0917-8409984
Meat processing (classes, materials, spices), Lou Rivera 7420826/4111349
Local meat supplier, Ding 0917-8531269
Sausage casings and curing mixes, MGM 7184278
Reasonably priced restaurant designers, Mike Pizarro 0917-8941467

Part 2:
Park Avenue Desserts— Mango Napoleon/Climax 8346636
Mida Foods (wholesale seafood suppliers—everything that swims), 5240006
Truffle-stuffed Mochi, 7271229
Mrs. Howard’s (Sandwich Crabstick on Cheesy Onion Bread) 4121682
Indian food order, 8192892
Personalized plates/initial/ logo-stamping, 8330003
Maids uniforms (home service—Japan) 6798837, 0919-8493019
Food order (Sushi Platters, Omakaze) 6376013
Made-to-order beautiful dining tables and furniture in wood (Omeng Esguerra) 7766394
Gift wrapping/ made-to-order packaging (Ruby Limjap) 0920-9506025, 6367547
Dessert buffet and banana cream pie (Baba Ibazeta) 0917-5245892 (Nono's chocolate oblivion)
Cinnamon-flavored pancake mix 0919-3123530
Fried milk/pinsec frito (San Jacinto) 6715942
Noel Bernardo, best restaurant designer 6332433
Nice baby clothes (overruns) 8964802
Photo books (your picture album in book, Paolo) 0917-8110393
Children’s party packages and best party host (Peps Avecilla) 0917-8437377
Signage (Paul Yap) 0917-8133220
Best fondant cakes (Penk Ching) 0917-8122676
Gelatin, flavorings, extracts, baking supplies (Peter Co) 2515302-06
All types of kitchen gadgets/ food machines (popcorn, slush, nachos, French fries, soft serve ice cream, cotton candy), Pfescorp 5312810, 5311990
Cheapest source of exotic flowers, potted bromeliads, lotus (Insular Botanical) 042-5407822
Tarta de Madrid 3732789
Quimson’s Kitchen (Iberian chicken, lengua de gato) 8188077
Gooey toffee bars 5251648, 6717606
Food photographers Mark Floro 0917-5258143 ; Ernie Rubia 0917-5318309
Home-service pilates (Josan) 9333522, 0917-3590888
Giant chicharon, best baked Virginia Ham, boiled corned beef (Plaza) 0917-7182200, 8908391
Flavored popcorn 0922-8791317
Lechon bake by the slab and affordable steaks (Vinia) 9265647, 0918-9104913
Fruits, vegetable, herb and flower seeds 3713482
Piglets (suckling pig) 5249948
Jill’s Yummy Pistachio Sans Rival 7217022 (Jill Sandique)
Acoustic trio (very good, old songs), Rox Puno 0920-9137003
The Bloomfields band (songs from the ’50s and ’60s) 0920-9032320
Art Manuntag (Tony Bennett of the Philippines) 0920-9209051
Saxophone (Vince) 0915-6412407
Steak bangus belly (wholesale) 8179497
Wholesale Australian and Spanish wines, wine seminars (Sherwin) 0917-5259887
Wholesale wines California, Happy Living French, Sommeliers 8994699 8404211
Affordable silicone baking pans (wholesale) 0917-5265604
Food bottles all shapes and sizes (SMC Bottling) 2427458
Yeast, chocolate baking products (wholesalers, free baking consultation and seminars), Sonlie 0920-9080248
Diet food delivery (Sostanza) 4390603
Stainless-steel contractors (Ghie) 0917-8123951
Coffee, coffee machines and flavored syrups for coffee (EQ) 8684168
Flavored syrups for cocktails (Monin) 0918-9701766
Flavored taho by the bucket 0917-8141200
Delicious tapa 5236281
Excellent lumpiang hubad with peanut sauce 6330205
Glitter tattoo 0922-8027070
Mama Rosa Catering (pako salad, fish roe and scallop noodle), 0917-5326900
Pumpkins, ornamental gourds, flowers (wholesale) 9299306
Wagyu beef and US meat (wholesale), Anna 6317228-30
PTC (wholesalers of US meat, turkey, lamb, seafood) 2568831-38 /2564430

Part 3:
White Ware—Plates /Platters DST—4140928 / Tess—0917-5310693
Best rum cake 8260552, 7275013
Cheap videographer/ Photographer 0920-7388702
Yema and giant ensaimada 8965523
Vegetables, mushrooms, herbs—Lolita’s 9128137Zeny—9112101
My favorite chocolate-chip cookie - 8911784
J’s Cochinillo asado, paellas, sandwiches 8108735
Decadent chocolate cake Wendy— 0917-8106414
Frozen dimsum - 0917-8400258
Pork barbecue Rudy— 0917-84407150;
Michelle— 4218212
L’Artizan—delicious sour dough, ciabbata, muffins 8996923
Phad Thai cooked on the spot 0920-9047459
Free-range chicken, eggs 0917-8041101
Key lime pie—Apples 0917-8557805
Food order—Susie 0918-9094115
Lemon squares—Tippi 0918-8118088
Upholstery/curtains —Gari 0920-9082969
Give-away designer (beautiful)—Via 0917-8552729
Party food booths— corn dog, fries, etc.—Happy Team 0926-6917291
Cones—all kinds of ice-cream cones and waffle bowls 0920-9568488
Best belly dancer—Ivy 0905-2468133
Caramel Cake—Estrelle’s 3722965
Reni—Spanish chorizo (real imported Spanish spices used) 0917-8550215
Chorizos, large—Alexie 8544716
Tempeh 0917-8213484, 9297790
Davao lechon, Porquitos 0917-7047303
Delicious marinated pigeon, ready to fry Mely—8193862
Myrna’s delicious adobo pate with foccacia 4111434
Rare vegetables— chard, kohlrabi, spaghetti squash 8867779
Chefs uniforms— Humphrey 0927-5126912 0917-8906865 0917-5347064— Lex
Christmas bread—Jon-jon 0915-9045771
Moon cake and roast duck—Mr. Lu 5252720
Restaurant equipment and gadgets/gourmet ingredients wholesale—Werdenberg 8403771
Restaurant equipment and gadgets, KLG 8332288;
Sen Kian Heng—7332133, 7332129
Bacchus— Le Creuset Cookware 6347303, 8181809
Asian Ingredients— Chef’s Nook 7245812
Taste of Italy—Pasta Machines 09163552197
Beautiful Candles—all shapes and sizes 0917-8990306
Cassava—Castañeda 0917-5301213
Ovens, baking and food equipment—Gomeco 2924421/2924578;
Ruey Shing— 4114232, 7279648;
Besterm—8329231-33;
Well-Done Industries, Mr. Willy Capule—539535, 2932090;
Bakerex—6374815-16;
Middleby—5208170;
Fabtech— 4133333
Wholesale ingredients: Killion Merchandising 7338221,7337036.
Baking ingredients, powdered sugar—Peotraco 3658221
Sugar, gum paste, cold porcelain flowers, wedding cakes—Mrs. Florendo 9132527
Home-service art lessons, watercolor, oil and acrylic—Ballada 0916-6586898
Kwong Bee special pork “Macau”-style sausage 2414608
Danish rolls 6712498 0918-9422268
Fortune cookies 6565801
Licor de Crema Catalana (Cream liqueur, a take-off from the famous dessert Crema Catalana) Red Wine Valformosa Rioja Tinto Joven 0917-5217500
Saint Mary Dairy—fresh carabao’s milk, low-fat yogurt drinks, low-fat cottage cheese, quesong puti and low-fat pastillas 8232835, 09172041952.
Delicious lechon, Aling Loring 7242867
Fruit cake I love to eat— Costa Brava 8966872
Maja pandan, more like A Thai Tako!—Rose 8107533
Dulce de Leche—Pixie 7232776
Disposable plastic containers in every conceivable shape, size and form 3651869 / 4126987 Teflon recoating—Altech International 8200757
Desserts delivered to your door step —Diamond Hotel 5262211
Made-to-order giant cookie cakes—Mrs. Field’s 8441241
Best halo-halo, palabok, mochi, gatas ng kalabaw, maja—Fe Guarin of Corazons 0917-8963960, 045-8882527

Some additions from my own phonebook:

Amber - Best pichi-pichi ; also for lumpiang ubod and BBQ - 816-1313
Banana Toffee Pie - Roselyn Tiangco - 812-0908/0917-8947477
Miniatures - cream puffs, mini hotdog & mini hamburger sandwiches - Jonah - 724-2125
Becky's Kitchen -525-1648
Brooklyn Pizza - best white pizza - Mkti - 896-9696 ; Pque - 821-0000, BF - 7757575
Charlie's Pritchon - 921-0405, 921-0415, 426-5501
Sebastian's Ice cream - 0917-4643397
Best butter cake - Costa Brava (Mrs. Liew) - 896-6872 / 896-1267
Best mango torte - Cuerva - 850-9182 / 8170200
Desnudos - best chorizo, chori burger patties,longganisang hubad, Poch Camahort - 0917-5409980
Polly Garilao's chocolate cake - 824-7612
Gil Carandang, herbs and organic veg - 0920-5445439 , 0920-9125850
Lechon - Genevieve Hing -0922-8588080
Nothing Like Homemade - longganisa roll - 896-0396
Cupcakes by Sonja - 856-0308
Rico Renzo applie pie - 898-2542
Baby Yulo's strawberry shortcake - 812-4961 / 810-8078
Iya's Jumbo Pastillas (tostado and ube flavors also avail.) - 843-9066
Frozen brazo de mercedes (the other one) - Ange - 0917-8238198
Foie Gras - Farah Ylagan - 722-4234, 0918-9264671
La Cuisine Francaise - Michelle - 893-2072 , 0918-924 64 05
Tierra - chorizo, pate, other Spanish deli goods - 807-5197; Tinchu - 0920-9283564
Oriental Merchants - Spanish food products & colognes - 568-5777 to 70, 568-5750, 772-1020
Terry's Selection - Spanish deli - 844-1816
Spanish wines - Woody - 0918-9942359
Ingrid's Sweet haven - cakes & bakeware - 641-2561
Guava jam & mango jam - Vicky Maniquis- - 842-1375, 842-1374
Chocolate Carrot Cake - Melissa Lim - 911-2329
House of Silvanas - 890-8493, 895-3492, 823 - 4160
La Tasca catering -897-9749, 896-5543, 897-6056
Mrs. Valera catering - 824-5179, 821-3797
Packaging, Scala -532-2020, 532-1628
Lace Cookies from Cebu- Sandra - 0917-8555502
Concorde cake - La Nuova Pastelleria San Antonio - 817-8568 , 867-2370
Spices & Flavors -831-0449, 833-0905, 0922-8330905
Patty Cake - sans rival chips - 889-1609; 0920-9544960
Blue Leaf Events Pavilion - 8872175,8875687 , Michelle 0917-6268437
Lorenzo's Date Bars - 852-7798
Kaye Cunanan catering - 0917-8986919, 711-0940
Confetti Effects & pyrotechnics - 563-6638; Freddie - 0920-9005601
Inflatable games, jumping castle, slides, - 821-8510, Dong 0917-8157104
Porcelain, ceramics, restaurant wares - DST - 414-0928, 0917-4557292
Red Velvet Cake - Cookbook Kitchen - Eliza - 724-3595
Chef's Nook - baking & cooking supplies - Imelda , 724-5812, 0917-8485228
Wholly Cow lechon baka - 0917-7911008 / 0917-8806168
Mini Tiramisu - Gina -811-6702 / 0922-8828836
Carabao Milk & other dairy products - Pia Lim-Castillo - 729-3265/5413
Blue Kitchen - 898-0931
Muscle Beach corn dogs & lemonade - 757-4969, 837-2747
Dulce de Leche cake - Tina 0920-9046573

If you find that one of the numbers here no longer works, please let me know so I could update this list. If you have some of your own contacts you'd like to share, I'd love to add it here as well. :) Just leave me a comment or email me. Thanks!

Degustation Menu by Chefs Sunshine & Rob II

Just three months after the first menu degustation hosted by Chefs Sunshine and Rob, I was back for another delicious adventure. This time I took my sister Ginny and treated her to the experience as an advanced birthday gift. She had never been to anything like this before so she was really excited when I picked her up for the dinner nearly two months after I made our reservations.

We shared a table with a couple of other friends at the AICA (the Academy for International Culinary Arts) where this month's degustation menu would be served. The soft lighting and stone wall lent the place a warmth and charm which the other venue sorely lacked. Every plate brought to our table was accompanied by a brief explanation from either Sunshine herself or one of her sous chefs, while the well-trained waiters who had taken our bottles of wine when we arrived made sure our glasses were never empty. My friend brought 2 reds, my sister brought the white and I brought one of the sauternes I was saving for just this occasion. (Wine isn't served but you are welcome to bring your own, they don't charge corkage).

Once again, Chefs Sunshine and Rob exhibited their culinary genius with what looks like effortless grace. To say that I enjoyed the play of flavors from every dish would be an understatement, especially when speaking of those made with foie gras or infused with truffle oil.

My favorites in no particucar order: the 21st Century Eggs Benedict - a strip of bacon embedded in crunchy toast dipped into a poached egg topped with a truffle hollandaise; the Foie-lipops - an old childhood favorite with a twist except this time it's decadent cubes of foie gras instead of candy dipped in pop rocks that pop in your mouth; the Prosciutto and Brie de Meaux roulade - my favorite cheese in the world rolled with prosciutto in a flaky wrap was delicious by itself, but was brought to a whole other level with the sweetness of the raspberry coulis; the balsamic reduction and truffle-honey beurre blanc that went with the Chilean Sea Bass and spaetzle was divine; the super tender and flavorful duck breast with its crackling skin was excellent as well. And then there was the chocolate hazelnut cake, yum!

Here are the photos I managed to snap and the complete menu:

Amuse Bouche:

Foie-lipops with Pop rocks (pic above left),

Potato Chips wrapped in a paper cone with Anchovy Aioli (not shown)

Lychee Jell-O Martini (not shown)

21st Century Eggs Benedict with Truffle Oil & Fleur de Sel (pic above right)

Ponzu Scallop Carpaccio, Mesclun Salad (above left)

Prosciutto and Brie de Meaux Roulade, Raspberry Coulis
With Hot Foie Gras Cappuccino and Cold Sweet Corn Foam (above right)

Roasted Vegetable Tart (above left)
Chilean Sea Bass, Truffle – Honey Beurre Blanc, Spaetzle (above right)

Intermezzo

Duck Breast, Tart Tatin with Port Wine Reduction (above right)
Duck Confit & Foie Gras Croquette, Green Papaya Salad, Plum Sauce (above left)

Cold Peach Soup with Fromage Blanc Sorbet (above left)
Mint Chocolate Hazelnut Cake & Lemon Meringue (above right)

Our wines:

Tahuna Sauvignon Blanc 2007
2002 Chateau La Fleur Saint-Christophe
2002 Chateau Haut-Bailly (Pessac-Leognan)
2002 Chateau Rieussec (Sauternes)

If you'd like to sample a degustation by Chefs Sunshine and Rob, you may call AICA at (632) 672.2271 for next month's schedule. But call right away, seats get filled fast!