The Gourmande conquers the kitchen with the best lasagna recipe

I've always known how to appreciate food. But cooking it hasn't really been my expertise. My mom has always been bugging me to take lessons, but my age-old comeback of "I don't have time" indeed never got me anywhere.

And so when C challenged me to cook for him (he's a really good cook, by the way) during the long weekend, I just had to give it a shot. Nothing to lose anyway, save maybe for my dignity. I exaggerate. :)

So anyway, I decided to take a break from featuring good food that others have cooked to give you a sneak peek into a dish that I cooked myself.

I chose to make Lasagna, which incidentally is C's favorite food. And that just brought the difficulty of this entire challenge to a whole new level. My critique will definitely be hard to please. So I made sure to find the best lasagna recipe to copy and tweak a little so I can make it my own. One google-second later, voila, I found treasure! The No. 1 Best Lasagna Recipe is in the world wide web!

The three crucial elements of the recipe were the meat sauce (made of Italian sausage, ground beef, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, parsley, ), the cheese filling (the recipe asked for ricotta cheese but I made do with cottage cheese, which was more affordable, plus eggs, nutmeg and parsley), and of course the lasagna noodles (C taught me that pre-cooking them well in boiling water was crucial. You don't want semi-hard, starchy noodles.)

The meat sauce, the cheese filling, and the lasagna noodles

Because I needed to keep to my budget, I had to replace other ingredients with less expensive ones. Case in point: the Parmesan cheese. Why spend 3x more when you can get almost the same effect with quickmelt? :)

Quickmelt cheese in place of Parmesan

After around 2 hours of preparation, it was judgment time. This was the most stressful part for me. Good thing the lasagna looked pretty good fresh out of the oven.

Fresh from the oven!

 

To complete the meal, C made an effort to set the table and add a few more items like his very own Chorizo and Tomato Salad, and a box of Handuraw Pizza (which is a must try! I'll post a separate entry on this restaurant from Cebu). More on these two later.

Our gorgeous-looking lunch

For now, the true test begins. As I sliced through the soft bed of meat, cheese and noodles, I felt slightly worried that the layers were too loose and wouldn't hold. But that was the least of my worries as I had to make sure my customer would give me a passing mark for the taste.

C took a bite, and as soon as I saw that familiar, thoughtful look on his face as he studied every taste in his mouth, and heard him mutter "this is very, very good" while still chewing on the lasagna, I breathed a strong sigh of relief. SUCCESS!!! Plus, it turns out, the consistency of the pasta was just perfect.

Then it was my turn to taste. All biases aside, I think I did a pretty good job with this first try. The combination of the Italian sausage and the ground beef worked really well to make the chewing experience tons more interesting. And of course the sausage added more flavor to it. The mixture of the 3 different kinds cheeses (cottage cheese, for the win! Plus mozzarella and quickmelt) gave the dish that extra kick as it complemented the meat. I think we cooked the noodles quite well in that it was hard to tell just by looking which one was the noodle and which one was the cheese.

The Chorizo and Tomato salad that C made (on the spot, mind you) went perfectly with the pasta. It was a very simple but tasteful combination of chorizo slices, fresh tomatoes, fresh lettuce and sweet vinaigrette.

Chorizo and Tomato Salad

Nothing else goes better with pasta than pizza, we gourmandes know that. And Handuraw Pizza did it again for us, this time with their Four-Cheese and Anchovy Lovers pizza (we decided on these two since our lasagna had a lot of meat already). C and I are growing very fond of this pizza place from Cebu, which opened its newest branch in Merville a few months ago. They have a wide variety of thin crust pizzas that can go from sweet to salty to spicy.

And the best surprise from C was a creatively-conceptualized dessert (which I think was inspired by the Marinated Strawberry Balsamico dessert we tried in Va Bene) made out of strawberry jell-o, grapes, vanilla ice cream and caramelized pop corn. I think the popcorn was the highlight of the dessert because of the sort of burnt taste of the caramel plus the crunch. The slight sourness of the grapes balanced out the sweetness bursting out of the jell-o and the ice cream.

Strawberry jell-o with grapes and vanilla ice cream, topped with caramelized popcorn

All in all, this was really not bad for my first attempt at cooking. Coupled with a great cooking teacher who makes even better company, this was certainly delicious way of ending this long weekend.

Breakfast at Kenny's

Yes, you read it right.

I was pleasantly surprised myself when I discovered that Kenny Rogers Roasters is now offering a breakfast menu. Maybe I just haven't been along Katipunan Road for way too long to notice that along with the physical renovation of the old Kenny Rogers and Seattle's Best came a revamped menu that would cater to early morning joggers and students that were up and about as early as 6:30am. (I'd later on find out that they've had this on their menu for over a year now. Has it really been that long?)

My lovely kabarkadas and I enjoying our breakfast

When my friend Ziggy texted us for a last minute breakfast reunion before her flight back to Singapore, I instantly thought, "Wow, we must be getting old". What used to be night-outs and parties that would last up to the wee hours of the morning have now become relaxed and mature conversations exchanged over a plate of Kenny's Big Breakfast #2 consisting of grilled Schublig, scrambled eggs, crisp and almost toasted slices of bacon, and two pieces of pancakes with a roll of butter and some maple syrup. It comes with a cup of Seattle's Best classic brewed coffee, too.

Kenny's Big Breakfast #2 (P170)

Why is it labeled #2, you might ask? Well, #1 consists of three mini-franks instead of one Schublig. That's pretty much what makes the difference. Although I think this set gives the best value. They cooked the Schublig just right, slightly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. The scrambled eggs were nice and fluffy, just the way I like it. Although it could have used a bit more salt. The pancakes were as expected. I hope they can offer strawberry jam to go with the syrup and butter. They scrimped on the bacon a little (just 2 pieces, although they were crispy and not too salty), but the entire meal took more than enough space in my tummy so I really couldn't complain.

In fact, #2 was so promising that three out of four of us just had to order the same thing. It was only Ziggy who opted for a more modest, a little healthier plate made up of a generous serving of ham & cheese omelet, two slices of toasted wheat bread, and some sliced fruits. It also comes with Seattle's Best Coffee (or iced tea for those who are not coffee drinkers).

Ham & Cheese Omelet (P 135)

Other items on their breakfast menu include the Quarter Chicken Plate (P135), Baked Bangus Plate (P150), Beef Strips Plate (P150), Corned Beef Plate (P135), Pancakes and Bacon (P120) and Corned Beef and Cheese Omelet (P135).

In the course of our chismisan-filled meal, a wave of nostalgia hit me as I suddenly remembered the four years that I spent as a college student. The old Kenny Rogers and Seattle's Best restaurants used to be THE place for me and blockmates to spend hours studying for long tests, solving Math problems or sometimes discussing mind-boggling topics in Philosophy. But most of the time it was really Math. 

Now, more than six years down the road, it has become more than that. It has changed into a rather pleasant dining experience for early bird students, yuppies, couples old and young, and even sports enthusiasts and health buffs who love breathing the early morning air.

Most especially, on the morning of August 30th, it became a venue for old girlfriends who have not seen each other for almost a year now to come together, catch up, laugh, talk about boys, and laugh some more, just like our good old high school days.

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 4 out of 5 

Circles got me goin' round in circles

I looooove long weekends.

It's always a chance for me to relax and not think of work, and of course to find a new place to "gourmandize" (yes, I believe that's a word :D). My family and I decided to spend half of the four-day weekend in Makati Shangri-la  to culminate my mom's birthday month. When I heard the news from my dad, my heart skipped a beat from the excitement starting to build up. This only meant one thing: it's time to try Circles for the first time.

One of the sous-chefs is my brother's friend and he had told him that if ever we decided to eat in Circles, he can make special dishes for us that are not available on the buffet table.

At first I was looking forward to trying out their buffet breakfast. He did say, though, that what makes Circles special is really their dinner buffet because hotel breakfast buffets hardly differ -- you have your usual breads and spreads, cereals, bacon, fried rice, etc. The man does make a good point, you know.

And so dinner it is. I think we all deserve a pat on the back for choosing well :)

A beautiful landscape of seafood screams "Eat me!" as you enter

As the name suggests, the Circles buffet menu allows you to come full circle with the wide variety of cuisines they offer to their customers. You can go from Japanese, to Chinese, to Western, to Italian, to Indian, and then back again, if you wish. And you would.

Nope, these definitely are not crabs like we thought. These are curachas.

I had expected the Japanese area to have more variation, but at least my favorites, salmon sashimi and spicy tuna maki, were present. I didn't see any tempura, though. Which was okay. More space for the other good stuff. :)

The Japanese section

The rest of the sections were just long tables of mouth watering dishes that literally made me so confused -- in a good way. Because I seriously didn't know where to start!

Salad bar with different kinds of cheese, nuts, and cold cuts on the other side

This is where all the meat is housed.

Shawarma anyone? Spot the layers of pyramid-shaped powder on the left!

For a split-second there, I actually considered starting with dessert

.

I decided to visit the salad bar area for my plate number 1, not to get salad, but to sample the cheese. I figured this would be a good way to start.

Say cheese!

But my brother thought otherwise. Being a gourmande himself, he ran straight to the meat section and took everything that spelled C-A-R-N-I-V-O-R-E. Medium-cooked prime rib with wine sauce, lechon, lamb shank, roasted chicken.

My brother's plate #1

When it was my turn to sample the meat, of course I didn't let myself get left behind. :) And no, the asparagus wasn't just for decoration. I did eat that.

Meat galore!

My entire family adores seafood and we couldn't let the night pass without having some curacha, mussels, shrimp and oysters baked in cheese and garlic. The oysters were a bit small, we could mostly taste the cheese but not so much what was under. The mussels, curacha and shrimp were the best!

Oyster Rockefeller and Baked Mussels

Shrimp, Curacha and more Mussels

And hey, I even found myself a new friend.

Baby octopus

My sister-in-law was a little queasy about trying this but I was able to convince her. Told her it tasted just like squid :)

In the pasta section, you could ask the chef to make the kind you want, with your choice of pasta, sauce and toppings. I chose the spinach ravioli with cheese and cream sauce.

Spinach ravioli with cheese and cream sauce

We were so grateful to Chef Paolo for preparing some custom-made dishes for us. He made for us a 12-inch pizza, half pepperoni, half four-cheese. It was light on the stomach and the crust was crispy and soft at the same time.

Pepperoni and Four-Cheese Pizza

As if that wasn't enough, he came back with a plate of tuna on top of watermelon, topped with cream and fish eggs. The watermelon made it very refreshing.

Tuna and watermelon - an odd combination that works!

And now, on to my favorite part of any meal. At this point in the evening, my stomach was already ready to burst any time and so I made sure I chose my desserts well. I didn't want to waste any of them, for that would be a mortal sin. I decided on my favorites -- creme brulee, mangoes, and marshmallows, which I very much enjoyed dipping in the chocolate fountain. I felt like a 3-year old girl next to my 3-year old nephew, who was doing the exact same thing with a sheepish grin.

My dessert choices

While I decided not to try the rest of the desserts, my sister-in-law did. And because I was too full to eat any more, I was happy just to take a photo :)

Cakes, cookies, and more

Her face was enough to tell me her choices were good :)

After three hours of gourmandizing, we finally raised the white flag. Excessively full would be an understatement. But we were all happy and content. My brother most especially :)

Aside from the obviously more-than-satisfying dining experience, I enjoyed the family bonding most. All throughout dinner, we re-lived our childhood days, talked about our plans for the future, and discussed the next family bonding escapade we were going to embark on.

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 5 out of 5

Simple yet thoughfully-cooked dishes in Va Bene Pasta Deli

I learned about Va Bene Pasta Deli while reading an in-flight magazine on the way to Boracay. Being the curious cat that I am, I searched for it immediately and saw that it's conveniently located in Petron gas station along EDSA (near Dasmarinas Village). It's right beside that huge UCC Express that greets you when you're North Bound from Magallanes. That place is soon becoming a happening place for gourmandes.

The restaurant is always full. All tables were reserved as early as 6pm.

Some of their magic ingredients are on this shelf

Anyway, C and I have been wanting to go here for the past how many months but for some reason we never got around to doing it. Ironically, when we were finally able to schedule it a week before this visit, we tried walking in without a reservation. Unfortunately, there was a function inside and we had to occupy the tables outside. We didn't really mind, except that after giving our orders, the waiter came back to us, informing us that our orders would take 40 minutes to arrive. So we had no choice but to find someplace else to eat.

A week later, we tried again, but we were smarter this time! We called in at around 5pm and got a reservation at 6! Even then though, the tables were all reserved already.


Around 5 minutes after we ordered, a wooden plate of crostini with salsa dip arrived. You know the food in a restaurant is good when their complimentary dish is already delicieux (or, well, delizioso in Italian).

Crostini with salsa dip

For starters, we ordered the Buffalo Mozzarella Salad. It was a simple, yet perfect combination of lettuce, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cubes, and I think I tasted some arugula, too. Another one of those salads that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Buffalo Mozzarella Salad (P310)

For entrees, we ordered an awesome twosome--the Rolled Spinach Canneloni and the Black Ink Seafood Marinara. The Spinach Canneloni was swimming in creamy tomato sauce and it was perfectly cooked to give that nice, soft, slightly chewy texture.

Rolled Spinach Canneloni (P 300)

The Black Ink Seafood Marinara was definitely the highlight of our dinner. I was pretty excited about this dish simply because it's black ink pasta. I love pasta and I love seafood, so this was spot on, but what made it more special was its simplicity and character, which you can taste with every spoonful (or forkful, rather). It was a very generous serving, too. Great for sharing :) As C said himself, "favorite marinara ever!". And that's saying something.

Black Ink Seafood Marinara (P350)

A salad and two entrees later, C and I had beaming smiles on our faces. We were so happy because in our heads, we were thinking that we just had one of the best meals we've had in a while. I definitely wanted dessert and I was already eyeing that yogurt place just below Va Bene, but the lovely waiter came up to us and offered dessert. We took that as a sign. We just had to try their dolci!

We chose the Home-made Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream and the Marinated Strawberry in Balsamico with Ice Cream. The strawberries were sweet and crunchy. Dessert heaven, indeed! And they get an A+ for presentation, too! How about I just let the pictures speak for themselves?

Home-made Profiteroles in Chocolate Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream (P140)

Marinated Strawberry in Balsamico and Ice Cream (P180)

I believe there was a reason why I've been itching for C and I to visit this place. Va Bene offers an authentic Italian dining experience that, in my opinion, is pretty hard to find somewhere else. From its kind of modest hole-in-the-wall location, to the homey feel inside, to the lovely service crew, it's something I know would be unique to this place.

If there was something I'd improve though, it would be to increase the space. I witnessed the waiters having to politely shoo away a number of customers because the place was packed. I appreciate though that they were honest from the start. I guess they'd rather tell them upfront that they cannot be accommodated, rather than make them end up regretting their visit altogether.

Needless to say, we gave a very good tip to our server after our dinner :) Go ahead and visit Va Bene Pasta Deli, my dear gourmandes! It's an experience worth sharing with your friends and loved ones. Don't forget to make a reservation to secure your spot!

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 5 out of 5

Va Bene Pasta Deli is located at the second floor of Petron Gas Station, Dasmarinas Village, EDSA cor. Pasay Road, Makati. Call in for reservations at 556-9442 or (0917) 345-6869.
Open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Back to school in Miss B's Tuckshop

"Good morning class! Please take out one-fourth sheet of paper. We will have a pop quiz."

Miss B's Tuckshop reminded me of my good old grade school days when pop quizzes and recitations seemed to be the biggest life problems I would ever encounter.

The restaurant's interiors were creatively inspired by a classic classroom environment, with the menu written on a blackboard using different colors of chalk. The seats and tables were made out of wood. The concrete walls were unpainted and the floors not tiled, which added a little something extra to the ambience.

Our meal consisted of the Burger Trio + Lechon Salad + Red Velvet Milk Shake (sadly, I forgot to take a photo of this!) + Manila Cheescake deal for 2 that I got from Deal Grocer, which I bagged for P900! Not bad for a satisfying dinner for two!


We started off with the Lechon Salad. I am usually picky with the salads I eat because I am not really a vegetable lover so unless the veggies are dressed well, I more often than not ignore this course altogether. But the strips of lechon, fresh veggies coleslaw style, onions and sweet, tangy dressing of this salad made it an instant hit! And the serving was generous enough to temper the rumbling in our stomachs (we were very, very hungry when we arrived).

Lechon Salad

We were very excited about the Burger Trio because C and I absolutely LOVE burgers.We chose the top 3 best selling burgers -- Beef Burger, Buffalo Burger, and Pulled Pork Burger. Each burger was good for 1 person, but was split in half for the two of us.

The Beef Burger had the minimum requirements for a burger - the patty, the bun, and the dressing. It could have been better with a few pieces of fresh lettuce, tomatoes and maybe some pickles.

Beef Burger

I personally liked the Pulled Pork burger. For one, it had more than just the patty and the bun. The sauce was a little spicy, too, which I absolutely loved.

Pulled Pork Burger

The Buffalo Burger was C's favorite. I was expecting this one to be the spicy one but surprisingly, it wasn't. The sauce was interesting, though, and the serving of the chicken was very generous. We thought we'd need another order of any of the burgers but the trio was more than enough.

Buffalo Burger

We ordered 2 add-ons to our meal - Garlic Fries and Creamy Mashed Potato. I am a lover of both, but I must say that their mashed potato was probably one of the best ones I've ever tried in my life. True to its name, it had an almost pureed texture that had the consistency of thick mushroom soup. Check out the photo below!

Garlic Fries

Creamy Mashed Potato

We were so stuffed at the end of our meal that we didn't have any more space for dessert. You can imagine how full we were because this rarely happens. We ALWAYS have room for dessert. But we did take a bite of their famous Manila Cheescake. It was very cheesy and had a hint of lime. It was alright, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of lime so I may be biased. So we just had it wrapped in a nice paper bag (glad to know they're environmentally conscious), with a bonus note from Miss B herself! :)

Manila Cheesecake

All in all, it was quite a unique experience eating in this "tuckshop". For one, it's not everyday that we head to Jupiter St. searching for a new food find.

The Singaporean chef/owner came out towards the end of our meal to talk to a couple seated across our table. I would have wanted to meet him, if not for the girl who was giving him a lecture about "Fish and Chips" being fish and fries, and not your literal potato chips. It was a pain listening to that conversation and I felt sorry for the chef, really, but well, as they say, the customer is always right.

Anyway, I found it very interesting to know that Miss B is actually the name of the dog of one of the owners :) A tuckshop is the British term for a small restaurant :) Maybe one day they can have a "Meet Miss B" day when the resto is famous enough.

I think I'll visit Miss B's in the coming months to try out the other stuff on their menu. Hope they have something new in store for their customers by then!

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 4 out of 5

Miss B's Tuckshop is located at # 20 Valdecon Building, Jupiter Street, Bel-Air, Makati City
(Beside Distillery)
Tel. 0929 795 9922
Open Mondays to Thursdays, 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.;Saturdays, 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.