Kubiertos

I try not to pass up an invite for coffee on any day. Couple that with a trip to a famous mall that I have been longing to go to and I have an excuse to wake up early on a saturday and drive all the way to Trinoma in Quezon City.

It was a glaring hot saturday when my husband and I went for coffee at UCC Cafe Terrace in Trinoma. This is I think the third time I went to UCC. I can clearly remember the two other times I did. One was during an office meeting and another for a team lunch. Both in the Paseo Center branch in Makati. Both times were truly enjoyable and I recall - I thought, expensive.

I learned that UCC grows their own coffee beans which is the source of the coffee they serve in their cafes. They have plantations in Indonesia, Hawaii and Jamaica where they also have their own classificadores or cup tasters. Imagine total control over the creation of a unique taste for coffee that remains consistent in every branch. Now I understand why their price is way higher than CBTL or Starbucks.

First on the agenda was some coffee tasting. We were first made to try UCC Blend which is the house coffee made with a variety of beans and different types of roasts. It came in siphon apparatus that reminded me of my old high school science lab. Although I am a coffee drinker, I rarely drink my coffee black. So I put some muscovado sugar and special cream. I was told that they offered a cream specially made to compliment their coffee. I observed that the cream was not smooth and silky like those you would commonly see in other cafes. I cannot say exactly if the cream really made a difference as I have never tried UCC coffee with another brand of cream. The UCC Blend though was milder than what I am used to. The cream and sugar actually overpowered the taste and aroma of the coffee. Hmm. I was looking for something a bit stronger.

The second one we tasted was the Sumiyaki. This coffee blend is made from charcoal roasted beans. Not that it was roasted using charcoal but rather roasted until the beans turned charcoal in color. Ok ok, youre not stupid. Hehe. Just by the smell coming out of the small cup excited me. It was so aromatic. The taste of this blend was sweeter, bolder and fuller in flavor. I loved it so much.

The last cup served the famous and expensive Blue Mountain coffee. Of course I have heard of this type of coffee before although I have always wondered why it was so expensive. I learned that Blue Mountain coffee is expensive because the coffee beans come from only one place, in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The climate and soil in that area is very much ideal to producing the perfect coffee beans. So perfect that this type of coffee has to be certified by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica before it can carry the name Blue Mountain. The taste is less bold than Sumiyaki but more compatible with my coffee tongue (did I say that right?).

After waking us up to three tiny but strong cups of coffee, we were served our choice of breakfast. Hubby got the Sausage and Waffles and of course I got the American Breakfast with Bacon. I don’t have to elaborate on the sausage or the bacon but let me just say that their waffles and toasted bread are unexpectedly good. Unexpected because both were packed not light that you truly get a full one for every bite. I usually get bread that is light and airy that you really can finish two slices in one sitting. This time, I finished two slices not because I could but I was so enamored by the taste and texture of the bread.

It was interesting to note that UCC serves dishes by the book. Meaning their food is cooked from tried and tested recipes that apparently even a five year old can follow. This makes it easier for them to rotate the staff from serving, to bussing, to cooking. The staff you will notice will be mostly female as the company banks on the fact that women are more naturally nurturing and would make good cafe staff. Hmm.

If the food was scientifically conceptualized, the dessert definitely was not. This is where UCC in Manila become different from the other franchises all over the world. The desserts served at UCC is the creation of a famous baker who happens to be the wife of UCC’s owner Hubert Young. Hint hint. Think Xanadu, Frozen brazo de mercedes. Karen Young is the baker behind UCC’s delicious desserts that make the coffee experience go up a notch.

A unique dessert served was the coffee jelly. Sounds totally unoriginal and looks harmless and tame right? But what appears to be a simple dessert made of gelatin is actually part of a complex process of cold brewing their signature coffee blend using a dutch machine and then frozen into coffee jelly. What you get is real coffee tasting jelly which is sweetened by the whipped cream it came with.

Of all the desserts served, I like the Kitkat mousse the best. The chocolate mousse was encased in shell made with ground chocolate kitkat wafer. It was not too sweet and the wafer shell provided the texture to the whole cake. I did not like the blueberry cheesecake because it was too sweet and rich. I imagined it to be a whole chunk of cream cheese out of the box placed on top of a graham crust and topped with blueberry. If it wasn’t that was what it tasted like.

I think UCC offers a different coffee drinking concept than what most people are used to. It makes you sit down and enjoy your coffee by enticing you with the many dishes they offer. It certainly makes you stop and smell the aroma of delicious coffee which is totally different from the fast paced life other cafes cater to.

UCC Cafe Terrace
Lobby Level Trinoma, North Ave. cor. EDSA
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Tel No: 900-6518

The Secret Recipe is an award winning global cafe that was first formed more than ten years ago. Although several of its awards include Best Restaurant or Best Casual Dining establishment, the place is more popular for their selection of desserts especially their famous cheesecakes.

Their chosen name makes me think of a homey place that serves comfort food that will make you keep coming back. This thought though stops with the restaurant’s name.

I admit that it was my idea to have our high school "barkada" (a.k.a girlfriends) reunion at the Secret Recipe in Shangri-la Mall. I grabbed at the opportunity for lunch out with my friends plus the chance to try out this much talked about place.

My first thought as we entered the place was actually impressive. The colors and decoration were funky in a splash of red and white. The vibrant ambience created a feeling of youth and life to say the least. There were pictures of the food they offered that hung on the walls and my mouth watered at the thought of subjecting my taste buds to the dishes that my eyes feasted on.

I was debating between ordering the pasta carbonara and the dory with lobster sauce when I heard the server say they did not have both prawns and lobster sauce in stock. That made me scramble to pick another dish which took me another 30 minutes as I could not find one that really catered to my mood at the time. I settled with the Caribbean style sea bass in cream sauce thinking that at least I was getting premium quality fish. I ordered Spaghetti Bolognese for hubby and kid’s portion of it for my eldest son.

Bolognese Pasta Php 180.00

The Bolognese pasta was described to be butter spaghetti noodles topped with minced beef (or chicken) and mozzarella cheese. It appeared as described when it was laid down in front of my husband. His expression after the first forkful contradicted the assumption that it was good. Thinking my hubby was just being picky, I urged my kid to eat his. He put a big portion into his mouth with excitement. And then he looked at me and crinkled his nose. Uh oh. My kid obviously did not like what he was eating. He reached out for the fries that we had earlier ordered and stuffed his mouth full with it.

I was surprised because kids always like spaghetti. Ok, I braced myself and spooned the sauce inside my hesitant mouth.  Hmmm. Ok. Weird. I could not tell what I was tasting. Sure there was the beef, and definitely some tomato sauce, but I could not pinpoint why it did not taste at all like Bolognese. I looked closer and saw some bits of what looked like carrots mixed in with the ground beef. I tried to look for other stuff that would have altered the traditional ragu taste but it looked like the normal red sauce to me. Whatever it is, it did not work for me, my hubby and my kids (oh even yaya hated it).

Caribbean Sea Bass Php 350.00

The fish was unceremoniously lacking in any kind of presentation. My first impression was bland and lifeless, not even ordinary. The size of the fish smothered in pesto cream sauce overwhelmed the small plate that I wondered how the big leaf of lettuce managed to fit in. I meant, the big leaf of wilted lettuce softened by the dressing it was dipped in. For 300 bucks, I expected more. I did not get it. Although what it lacked in presentation it certainly made up in taste. The pesto cream sauce was unusually light but tasty. The sauce made the dish bearable as I hardly tasted the fish which disappeared underneath all the sauce. I could tell hubby loved it as he finished almost half of it (or maybe he wanted to get the Bolognese out of his mind and mouth).

Not wanting to end the experience with such disappointing fares, I convinced my friends to order dessert. I personally selected caramel cheesecake. The cake looked so smooth and pristine inside the glass display together with all the other seemingly yummy dessert selection. It did not disappoint. Our frowns turned into grins as my kid and I tried not to finish the whole slice of cheesecake as we promised everyone we would share the desserts. I was forced to take home a slice as I could see my kid was still salivating over the leftovers.

I wish that Secret Recipe would evolve into truly the award winning restaurant it so clearly boasts of. Although their desserts were top quality, they marketed their place as a restaurant rather than as a dessert place. And really if you came for the food and found it inadequate, do you think a good dessert will make you forget it? I don’t think so.

Secret Recipe
Level 5, Shangri-La Mall,
EDSA corner Shaw Blvd.,
Mandaluyong City
Tel. no: 637-0367

You would be surprised to know that although I love to eat and I mostly eat anything or at least try anything, I am extremely hesitant about anything that appears to contain a variety of spices I am not familiar with. Take Indian food. It would probably be the last food I will try, personally. Not that I have had the opportunity to try it but I have seen and smelled the spices that they use in their dishes that I have learned to stay away from it (my loss truly).

So when I was invited to eat at a Greek restaurant, I took a deep breathe before saying yes. I was promised a different and delicious dining experience that it was not long before I became convinced. 

We went to Cyma at Greenbelt 2. The place was filled with lunch diners and the atmosphere was bustling with chatter. We had to squeeze between two groups of people - an all male CEO-type businessmen, and a family of sorts. The air was contagious and soon my spirits lifted with the excitement akin to festival fever.

I let them order as I was not about to pretend to be an expert on Greek cuisine. I just read the description of the items they were ordering just to make sure that there wasn’t something there that I did not like.

Saganaki - Is a Greek cheese-based dish that is either fried or grilled. At Cyma it is served at your table with great grandeur by igniting it as all the servers shout "Opa!". I was literally amazed. It was my first time there and it surely beats the usual "Happy Birthday" that is usually done in other places. The Saganaki was served with grilled bread that was a perfect partner with the fried greasy cheese appetizer. Php 180.00.

Spinach and Artichoke Fondue - After my spinach experience at Cibo, I openly welcome the opportunity to try the different ways that spinach is used in dishes. Again, this dish is smothered in cheese that gives it the tangy and intense flavor that you mellow with the garlic bread or pita. Another winner for me. Php 280.

Souvlakia - this is the Greek version of grilled meat that Cyma served on a stick (like a kebab). It came with the grilled vegetables and a sauce made with garlic and yoghurt. The chicken was so tender and tasty absorbing all the flavor that the roasting brought out. The sauce reminded me of a ranch dressing that lacked the bite. Php 240.

All in all, it was an exhilirating and intensely flavorful lunch. Although the place could do with improved airconditioning, and we went out smelling like gyros (pronounced "year-ohs") ourselves, I would definitely go back and eat there.

Cyma
G/F Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila
Tel. No: 729-4837

I am a self-confessed chocolate lover who is not inclined to indulge in desserts that are either pale, pastel or entirely colorless. That means I do not buy vanilla ice cream unless I plan to combine it with chocolate or brownies. I also do not like butter cakes unless they are melt in your mouth or are truly outrageous. I prefer moist chocolate cakes to butter chiffon or even dulce de leche. I make exceptions of course but mostly, I would probably order chocolate first before anything else.

So when I was offered a chance to try frozen brazo de mercedes, I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy. But they promised me I would love it so I obliged.

A small slice of cake on a paper plate was given to me and I first thought, wow, cute. My plastic fork encountered some resistance when I tried to slice through the ice cream. I tasted ice cream, meringue, a drizzle of caramelized sugar and a graham crust. Everything sort of meshed together in my mouth until it eventually melted and slid down my throat. Hmm. Sweet. Addicting actually as I swallowed slice after slice.

Ok I’m a convert. I wanted it. I loved it. Tough, because the small slice was soon gone. Aww. Good thing, I found out where to get myself this delicious dessert. This particular frozen brazo de mercedes is called The Sweet Surrender by Ange of The Sweet Life. She also offers other flavors like Mango, Strawberry and Cheese. I can’t wait to try these. Yummy.

The Sweet Life by Ange
Address and pick up point: 75 Amorsolo Street San Lorenzo Village, Makati City, Philippines
Landline: 815-0188
Cellphone: +63917-8238198
E-mail: sweetlifebyange@yahoo.com

If you ask me, I would definitely say that pumpkin and squash are the same thing except pumpkin is more associated to Halloween (easier to say probably). But I did a bit of internet research and discovered that although they are of the same family, they are in fact two distinct types of vegetables. The main difference being the color and the stem. The pumpkin has a darker orange colored skin (suitable for Halloween) and a thicker, sturdier stem (better handling for trick or treaters). The squash would have more variety in terms of color, stem, skin, etc. What is commonly sold in local grocery stores would be considered a squash of the winter squash variety. I think they also taste different but don’t take my word for it as my only exposure has been to the local vegetable.

I have always been intrigued what a squash soup would taste like given that I love mashed squash in my Pinakbet - a vegetable stew that includes squash cooked with shrimp paste or fish sauce. I also love eggplant and squash cooked in coconut milk. See how much I love squash? It wasn’t too long before I graduated to squash soup so I found myself a simple recipe that would satisfy my tastebuds.

Ingredients:
1/2 of a large squash cut into cubes
2 large onions, diced
2 liters of water or chicken stock
2 tbsp butter
250ml cream
some parsley

Procedure:
Combine pumpkin cubes, onion and butter in a pot. Boil everything in water or chicken stock until the squash becomes fork tender. Pour everything in a blender and puree. Pour cream and blend well for about 1 minute. Put some parsley and serve warm.