on trying things

Last Sunday, I went to SM North EDSA with Gus and his good friend, Bruce. We checked out some stores before heading to The Block to eat. Earlier that week, Gus and I stumbled upon this seemingly fair-priced coffee shop on the top floor so we decided to give it a shot. I can't remember the name of the shop because I really wasn't paying attention to it. What caught our eye was that they had a kaya toast and brewed coffee combo for just P75. Uh-huh, a treat! The only kaya toast combo we've ever had the pleasure of tasting was that from Kopi Roti's and it certainly wasn't less than a hundred, so this definitely surprised us. I ordered one combo, just to taste.

Unfortunately, it wasn't as I expected. My kaya toast was made of thin, brown slices of bread, with thin blocks of butter and kaya jam in between, Kopi Roti's version of the famous treat. Theirs was more like, a sandwich. Two slices of Gardenia bread with melted butter (not softened) that seeped through the bread and into the wax wrapper. The kaya jam wasn't as flavorful too but it was okay, if you haven't tried any other kaya toast in the past. Had I known it was as thick as a regular sandwich, I probably would've gotten a real sandwich. It was sloppy but hey, maybe their other products are worth trying.

Expectation

(The photo is not mine. I got it off the internet.)

Reality

The boys, on the other hand, decided to eat at this other place we discovered the same time we saw the coffee shop: The Soya Bar. Gus told Bruce about it on our way to get my toast and they decided to eat there. They had their own version of milk tea with, you guessed right! Soy milk. :D 

Bruce got soya milk tea and hot taho. Gus tried their Spicy Tuna Pasta and got an original soya milk tea (no pearls) for us to share. I also wanted some cold taho but the lady said they were out. Their soya milk tea was actually good. We got the best of both worlds: soya milk for Gus and milk tea for meeeee! Their pearls were bad though. They weren't chewy at all. It felt like biting through soft rocks (weird analogy). Soft on the outside, hard on the core. Their pasta wasn't something I'd try again, too. The tuna tasted different (I'm pretty sure it came from a can but it didn't taste like canned tuna nor did it taste like fresh tuna.) The red sauce itself was a bit off too. It didn't taste garlicky at all. The worst thing, though, was their service. The cashier/order taker was so confused. She didn't know how to deal with the customers. She wasn't sure whose order was for who. She didn't have change. She was a bit of a mess. It's a good thing their main product line was good. Their soya milk tea was something I'd definitely go back for. :)

Yummy Alternative: Soya Milk Tea

2 out of 5 for Caffino

3 out of 5 for Soya Bar: The soya milk tea was definitely good.

Soya Bar

The Block, SM North EDSA

Quezon City, Metro Manila

Philippines

Contact details courtesy of: http://www.munchpunch.com/9916/soya-bar-sm-the-block

tiny chef 2.0 -- edited recipe

After weeks and weeks and weeks of craving for some Chicken Tikka Masala (no thanks to you, Tiny Chef!), I finally got to taste it. Since all supermarkets and food establishments will be closed tomorrow, and mother's erratic schedule didn't help at all, we had to do an emergency grocery shopping earlier. Yes, emergency grocery shopping since we didn't have any food left for dinner. My siblings, Gus and I ran to Hi-Top and SM to grab some dry goods and fresh produce for the Holy Week weekend (and tonight's dinner). While my siblings picked which type of meat and fish they want to have for the next few days, I saw a packet of tikka masala sauce. I immediately grabbed two packets and read the directions. Unfortunately, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. Still, I grabbed two of them and asked my sister to grab some chicken.

When we got home, Gus prepared some corned beef (since we were craving for it earlier) while I prepared the tikka masala for dinner. The directions were so boring that I decided to spice it up a bit. (For those of you who are curious, the packet simply said marinate chicken for 10 minutes and stir-fry including marinate. Add water and bring to a boil. BOOOOOH-RING.) While I was preparing the extra ingredients for our spiced up CTM, Gus cooked the corned beef but decided to eat with the chicken so he went back to the outer kitchen to help with the CTM. After it was cooked, we headed back to the dining area to enjoy another hearty meal. So much for trying to cut back. :| 

But this is what we do best! Love you, fluff!

So here's Coleen and Greg's version of Chicken Tikka Masala. :D

What you'll need:

1 kg chicken breast fillet, cubed (We didn't cut it beforehand so we highly suggest that you do. For convenience and aesthetic purposes.)

1 packet of tikka masala mix

2 separate mixtures of 2 tbsp coconut powder + 5 tbsp water (mix them!)

2 medium potatoes, diced

1 large carrot, sliced

2 medium bell peppers (1 green, 1 red = make it colorful :p)

half a small piece of ginger, sliced thinly

2 medium onions, quartered

1 1/2 chicken bouillon (or 2 cubes, depending on how tasty you'd like it to be)

3 pcs red chili, stem cut off

a camera! (to document the experience)

How you do it:

First, open the packet of tikka masala mix. Add the coconut cream mixture to it and mix well. Marinate chicken for 20 minutes.

In a shallow frying pan, heat 5 tbsp of oil. Saute the onions until translucent, add the ginger until you can smell it (yes!) and.. For this one, I recommend you add the bell peppers after the chicken is cooked. We added ours right after the ginger. It ended up soggy. :(

Add the chicken, including the marinate, after sauteeing the onions and ginger. When the chicken is cooked, add the second coconut mixture. Bring to a boil and then add in the potatoes, carrots, chili and chicken bouillon. Wait until the vegetables are cooked and then add the bell peppers.

Done! Take pictures of your successful Tikka Masala Dish and enjoy. :)