For the love of food

I want to share with you some of the delicious treats I have discovered on my many food sorties. I hope you can try them. It was quite difficult to pare down my list because it is quite lengthy.

• Spicy Wings. Tucked in the Libis area is a no-nonsense place called Firefighters and I especially love it for two things – their chicken wings (in original, barbecue, lemon pepper, garlic Parmesan, teriyaki, and honey mustard) and the beignettes, square doughnuts that are so addictively delicious one piece is never enough.

Because each person’s tolerance for spicy fare differs, the owners were thoughtful enough to offer a spice barometer for the chicken wings – you can choose from mild, medium, hot, or suicide. They also have different kinds of dipping sauces like blue cheese, honey mustard, and the chili sauce for the original flavored wings. If you are a group of three or more, I suggest getting all the different flavors of chicken wings. Another plus, they are open until past midnight. Do try to swing by when you can. It is worth a visit.

Firefighters is at Unit 1 JW Plaza, E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Libis, Quezon City. Call them at 633-9956.

• Bread Sticks. Juliana’s ever-reliable yaya Lita came home one day and asked me if I wanted to try what she called bread sticks. They came in flavors like pepperoni, ham and cheese, pesto, Summer Sampler, and cheeseburger. I obliged and asked her to place an order for me. One bite and I was hooked. They taste like pan pizza dough. They are shaped like chubby sticks which are stuffed with delightful flavors. I just stick them in the oven or the toaster for a few minutes, enough to cook the dough and make the cheese inside melt. Really delicious. I have served them to kids and adults and they always earn glowing reviews.

For orders, call Grace at 924-1846 or 0918-250-1186.

• Cakes By Carla. Carla makes gorgeous cakes for any occasion. Check out cbcarla.com so you can see for yourself how nice her cakes are. She once supplied cupcakes and cookies for Juliana’s Nemo-themed birthday party two years back and the treats looked so good I did not want to eat them. I checked out her website and Juliana squealed in delight when she saw Carla’s PowerPuff fondant cake. Her treats look good but they taste even better.

Contact Carla at 854-9300 or e-mail carla_lo@yahoo.com.

• Chichoc And Kobe Krunch. Two guilty treats I always indulge in when I do my grocery shopping. Chichoc reminds me of Maltesers or Whoppers with a twist. It has an appeal of its own and I have thrown them experimentally in my cookie-dough mixture several times. I’m happy to report that the cookies always turned out well, complementing my amateur baking skills in unexpected but very appealing ways. I have also used these cute balls as an ice cream topping.

Kobe Krunch is what I eat on my couch potato days. I usually dip them in vinegar. I have also tossed them in my salad greens for some added crunch.

Both Chichoc and Kobe Krunch are available at leading supermarkets.

• Uncle Phil’s. I love going to CostULess, mainly because they are open 24 hours and we have a penchant for doing our groceries at odd hours like 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. I have to be honest and admit that that the greatest come-on for me in CostUless is Uncle Phil’s. I discovered Uncle Phil’s rib-eye steak sandwich while waiting for our groceries to be loaded into the cart on our way out of the store. I felt an urge to just make a go for it. And with a bit of prodding from my husband, I did. The steak was juicy (no, it was not ground), the dressing and trimmings perfectly complementary. It has become a regular for us after that love-at-first-bite experience. We met Uncle Phil and his charming Filipina wife, Justin. Turns out he used to serve his famous burgers during Formula 1 races. He has other burgers on the menu but I so love the rib-eye steak sandwich. Loyal, I very much am.

Uncle Phil’s is open till 1 a.m. CostUless is along Libis.

• Country Waffles In Greenhills. My daughter loves it there. She loves the waffles and she so enjoys hanging out at the child’s play area. I love Country Waffles on Annapolis St. for their wholesome, cozy ambience and it really makes eating out such a pleasure. Being a creature of habit, I still am partial to their Country Basket (actually a sampler that has buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings) and their Peanut Butter and Banana Waffles. Yum yum.

• Bizu. I love everything about Bizu. The place always looks and smells good enough to eat. It is hard to be in a bad mood when you are in Bizu. I love their macaroons. (I can easily finish 12 in one day.) But I have learned to limit myself to just one a day, every day. Their chocolate mendiants come in a sugarless version. They have three wonderful concoctions that I promptly made into best friends, namely Naomi, Sophia, and my absolute favorite Jolie. They are all sugarless sweethearts that I can never get enough of. Let me tell you about Jolie. It is a sugarless and flourless chocolate Kahlua mousse cake with hazelnuts and special chiboust cream. Each bite is like a beautiful love story with a happy beginning and ending.

A good pastry shop does not always have a good savory menu but Bizu is an exception. My current favorite is their three kinds of mushroom and tomato tartine and their carbonara. By the way, they also have very good wheat pasta and ensaymada and their gift packages are ever so lovely.

Bizu is at Greenbelt Makati and The Promenade in Greenhills.

• Siopao. What can I say? Seven years in Manila and the bola-bola siopao from Maxim’s and Goldilocks still top my list. I have siopao weeks – day after day after day of intense siopao cravings. Come to think of it, that happens more often now that the rainy days are here. I know I sound pregnant, but I’m not, although I truly wish I could say otherwise. I am so addicted to the bola-bola, Chinese sausage, and itlog na maalat combination siopao. Of course, because of the delicious milky-white soft dough, I always buy more than I can consume to keep at home. That way, no siopao craving will ever come by unsatisfied. After all, the best yearnings happen at very ungodly hours.

• Fresh Meat. Here is a source of really good, fresh meat. Their rib-eye goes for P350/kg, porterhouse and T-bone P420/kg, pork pata P110/kg. They also have other cuts of meat in stock, and fresh organic eggs. Call Mike at 0918-904-8718 or call the Philippine Meat Processing Corp. at 681-6584.