A Mediterranean Affair at Gusto Urban Cafe + Wine Bar

One of the things I love about blogging is creating and meeting new friends from different walks of life. Last Friday night, we had a blogger meet-up at Gusto Urban Cafe + Wine Bar. I was with a couple of blogger friends and we met Joann, one of my favorite bloggers in Cebu.

It was a fun night full of fun, laughter, food, conversation, and yes you guessed it, pictures!

Here's a groupie:

Cebu Bloggers (Allen Zan, Fred Aries, Joann and Shee)

Having declared myself a food and "lifestyle" blogger sometime ago, I decided to post outfit shots and not talk about the food. If you want to know what we think about the food and everything we ordered, head on over to Fred Aries' blog by clicking HERE.

Now, for the outfits. Girls' pictures were taken in the restaurant, while boys' pictures were taken somewhere else.

First off, Joann of Food Wanderings in Asia:

 striped peplum top, straight cut denim, turquoise flats

Next, Allen of The Allen Zan:

Blazer, graphic tee, skinnies, quirky shoes

 Fred Aries of The Exaggerated Zeal was also there:

Striped Bossini top, Orange jeans, loafers

 And then there's me:

LBD with cherries, gold and brown flats

Obviously my dress was a little too big for me, but I don't mind. I bought my dress online and I can't find it anywhere now. I bought my pair of shoes from a thrift mall in downtown Cebu.

See you soon and God bless! xx

Skydreamer Eats: Tuna Aglio Olio Pasta

One of my goals last year was to learn how to prepare 12 dishes - that's one dish per month; however, because of my demanding schedule I wasn't able to fulfill that. This year, instead of being specific about this goal, I just placed a line - "try my hand at being a domestic goddess like my mom." Already halfway of 2013, I can't say if I am on my way to being a mommy wonder but I'm definitely more confident in the kitchen now than last year.

Today, I'm sharing a recipe that's super easy - even first time cooks, wannabe chefs and instant-ramen cooks can make this without fail. You only need four main ingredients - your pasta of choice (obviously), a can of tuna, 5-7 cloves of garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

First, cook 200g of pasta according to package instructions. Once your pasta's cooked and ready, drain and set aside.
Next, and here's the easy part. Mince your garlic, and saute it in a non-stick pan with about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Wait until your garlic is fragrant (always love the smell of garlic and oil). Add your pasta and toss. Add your can of tuna (I used Century Tuna) including the oil. Toss until all your pasta is covered in all its oil goodness. Taste.
Check if it needs salt and pepper. Sprinkle some to taste.
Turn off the fire at this point and serve to your family.
Don't forget to add some shredded parmesan cheese (you can get some at Metro Gourmet in Ayala Center Cebu); or you can shave some fresh parmesan if you prefer. Either way, try to use real and fresh parmesan instead of the ones sold in green bottles at the supermarket. There is a huge difference in taste, trust me.
I'm not a cheese snob, but I cover the basics - parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, gouda, emmental, etc.
Anyway, back to the point.
The best thing about this recipe is that it's so versatile. Do you want to add more garlic? You can definitely do that. More tuna? Some chili flakes? You want to add a few basil leaves? No problem. Really depends on the taste you're aiming for.
Here's a picture of my finished product:

Tuna Aglio Olio Pasta

Try it and let me know what you think! xx

Skydreamer Eats: For the love of Avocado

Over the weekend, I bought a kilo of avocado at a nearby fruit market because they were selling them for only P30 per kilo (that's less than a dollar!). Avocado is one of my favorite fruits, and I love mixing it with sweetened milk and shaved ice.

Me being me, I checked other avocado recipes out there, and I found a couple that I wanted to recreate.

First, I tried making avocado pasta.
I first read about it in Rosie's blog and found other variations in Pinterest (which is my new addiction).

For my pasta, I used Del Monte's Pasta Italiana in Merienda Pack (175g), one big avocado, one strip of bacon, parmesan, juice of half a lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.

First, I cooked my pasta. Once done, I set it aside and sliced my bacon into smaller pieces. I then cooked it in a non-stick pan without oil to let all the oil out. While my bacon was cooking, I took out my avocado, opened it and mashed the avocado meat in a bowl.

After it's all nicely mashed, I added my hot pasta to the avocado and mixed them up. I added all the bacon, and tossed in a pinch of salt and a little bit of pepper. I also added just a little bit of the bacon's oil for flavor. Lastly, I added shredded parmesan and lemon juice. I gave it one more toss, took a not so clear picture from my ipod touch and served it to my son - and me.

Here's what it looks like:

A non conventional way of eating avocado

Second: I tried making avocado salad based on Pinterest inspiration, but did not recreate it from any particular recipe. This is very easy to make and the entire preparation will literally take you less than 5 minutes!

I used one avocado, one tomato, a little bit of lemon juice, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

First, I sliced an avocado into thick strips, and sliced my tomato the same way. I placed that it a bowl and mixed it with shredded parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Check and see if it requires more parmesan or lemon juice and eat it all.

Here's what it looks like:

Avocado Salad

Now, if you ever do try any of these two recipes and you've never eaten avocado other than with sweetened milk, it will definitely taste different, and for some it may be an acquired taste. But for avocado lovers out there, I'm sure you will embrace these recipes as I did.

Skydreamer Eats: Chili cheese pork rolls

It has been gloomy the past couple of days with rains and thunderstorms. There's no better way to perk up in this cold weather than a bowl of hot soup and chili.

To make a batch of these awesome chili rolls, you need some type of meat. I used ground pork, but you can also use beef or chicken. Whatever you fancy.
You also need spring roll wrappers and chillis.



Chili Cheese Pork Rolls

 
First, heat up your non-stick pan with a splash of olive/vegetable/canola oil.
Add meat, and season with salt and pepper.
Once your meat has browned, set that aside.

Prepare your chili by taking out the seeds.
Put the meat inside your chili and wrap it, along with mozzarella cheese, in a spring roll wrapper.

Fry it again in a non-stick pan with your preferred oil.

Serve with a hearty bowl of tomato soup. Recipe found HERE. xx

Skydreamer Dines in Cebu: Lemon Grass

Fancy a Thai or Viet food fix? If anyone asked me that, I'd be the first to raise my hand. A few weeks ago, we went to Lemon Grass and I loved what we ordered specially their Pad Thai (it can definitely give Siam's version a run for their money).

Everything we ordered was really good, but their Jasmine rice was too dry.

Their prices are reasonable for the gastronomic adventure you will be able to take. The staff is attentive and polite. And did I mention their food is great?

Go and check them out at Level 1, The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu if you haven't already.




Jasmine Rice - it was a bit dry

 




Pad Thai - yummy (better than Siam's and Krua Thai's version)

 




Gai Pad Graprow (Chicken Stir Fry with Holy Basil)

 




Suon Nuong (Grilled Pork Spare Ribs)

 

Skydreamer Dines in Cebu: Classic Savory

Today, we had lunch at Classic Savory's SM City Cebu branch. It was our first time to eat at this restaurant, and we chose it because at lunch time, it was the only place that wasn't full. There were only 2 other people when we went in. We just really needed a quiet place where we can eat in peace and savor our food, and most specially - a restaurant that has a kiddie high chair!

We ordered plated or combo lunches because we wanted to try several dishes without overspending. While waiting for our food to be served, baby boy got fussy and decided he wanted to play with the tablet. He got bored with it a few minutes later, and started playing with the paper placemats. Good thing our food arrived before he could throw a tantrum.




Savory Chicken with Crispy Fish Fillet




Quarter chicken, spareribs, turon




Savory chicken with chopsuey





Pictures of old Philippines on the wall - great conversation starter!


Classic Savory Information:

Located at 2F SM City Cebu, beside Pan de Manila

Their website: Classic Savory

Skydreamer Eats: Ham and Cheese Sandwich

One hot afternoon, after watching BFF (Babe for Food - a Cebuana food blogger) make Croque Monsieur, I decided to make one without the oil. I'm pretty sure BFF's version is delightful, and you can find her video about it HERE.

Now for my version, I used the following:

Sweet Ham (cut in quarters)
Ham Sandwich Spread (I used Lady's Choice)
Cheese (I used Eden)
White Bread (I usually go for wheat bread, but did not have those at home last week)
Homemade Pesto (optional) - for my homemade pesto recipe, click HERE.

*Now, if you're anything like me, homemade pesto is the bomb! If you haven't tried it yet, just once - go and make your own - it will change your life! :D

1. First, cook your ham in a non stick pan without oil, about 1 minute or so.
2. Take out one slice of white bread, and put a layer of ham sandwich spread. Add 3-4 ham slices.
3. Take another slice of white bread, put a layer of ham spread and pesto. Add 2-3 slices of cheese.
4. Take out your sandwich maker, and heat your sandwich until they're quite hot (usually, they will turn a golden brown, but I made mine a little bit underdone, hence the white bread in the picture below looks pale).
5. Cut the sandwich in half.
6. Serve to your loved ones and enjoy!

A really easy afternoon snack, and it won't take you 5 minutes to make!

Thanks BFF for the idea. :)





Ham and Cheese Sandwich

 

Try it and let me know what you think! :D

Skydreamer dines in Cebu: La Vie Parisienne

Read all about my wonderful time in La Vie Parisienne by clicking HERE.

La Vie Parisienne is the newest place in Cebu where you can find french macarons. La Vie Parisienne means The Parisian Life in English, and they also sell french breads, cheese and wine. Now, I haven't actually been there, but my husband and baby boy went there a couple days ago to get some macarons for me.

The flavors he got for me were mango, pistachio, caramel and chocolate. Their macarons are, in one word - amaaaazing. Finally, I understand the rest of the world's fixation of these delicate sweets. Finally, I can say that my P40 for one small macaron is worth it. It was very rich, almost fudgy in the middle and it wasn't too sweet. From the flavors we picked, I loved the caramel and chocolate the most, and mango the least (I didn't get to taste the pistachio flavored macaron).




French Macarons from La Vie Parisienne




La Vie Parisienne's Box of Four 

                                          

La Vie Parisienne Information:

Address: Gorordo Avenue, next to La Maison Rose
Operating Hours: 7AM - 12MN
Contact Number: 260 4388

Try it, and let me know what you think! :D

Skydreamer Eats: Pesto Butter Porkchop

One of the best things in life is pesto butter porkchop. I used to eat this a lot in Brown Cup, a coffee shop in IT Park; however, there are times when they don't have pesto, and when they do, the ones they use are store bought. Since we had pesto at home, Moses decided to make some for us.

I don't exactly know how he made this, but based on what I know, he fried some pork chops and when it was done, he added butter and homemade pesto.

It tasted great - even better than the ones sold in Brown Cup. It's a lot cheaper too, because we just made them at home. :D

To make your own homemade pesto, click HERE.




homemade pesto butter porkchop

 

Try it, and let me know what you think! :D

Skydreamer Eats: Korean Soy garlic chicken

One of my fastfood guilty pleasures is Bon Chon's soy garlic chicken. I love it so much, that I researched online how to make it. At first, I used Mccormick's ready made Korean soy garlic mix. It was ridiculously easy to do, but tasted nothing like Bon Chon or Chosun Chicken (that Korean place in Mango).

So I searched around the net and found a relatively easy recipe from James Strange:

I asked my husband to cook for us since he's better at it than me. One of the ingredients listed is mirin, which is a form of Japanese rice wine, but has less alcohol than sake (definition from Wiktionary). Since we couldn't find it here, hubby substituted it with apple cider vinegar; we followed everything else in the video. Also, we used Kikkoman soy sauce. 

Here's the finished product:




Korean Soy Garlic Chicken

 

So, how was the chicken? I'd have to say that the homemade version is a lot better in taste, and although our chicken wasn't as crispy (even though we deep fried them twice), the meat was definitely more tender and juicier than Bon Chon's. I love our family's version and we make a batch of this at least once a month.

Try it, and let me know what you think! :D

Skydreamer dines in Cebu: Vanille Cafe and Patisserie

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to all the mothers out there!

To celebrate that, I have a special post about french macarons. After all, who doesn't like to have a taste of la vie Parisienne?

I first tasted these delicate sweets a couple years back and although I feel like it's too sweet sometimes and a bit on the expensive side, I still get a couple of macarons every now and then.

In Cebu, I love Vanille's hazelnut and pistachio macarons. I take them with coffee to balance the sweetness. It's also great with hot tea.




Hot Cafe Mocha with hazelnut and pistachio macarons

  Vanille Patisserie Information:

They have a branch in SM Northwing
and a stall in Ayala Center Cebu
Facebook Page: Vanille

Skydreamer dines in Cebu: Royal Krua Thai

Ever since Thai food was introduced to me more than six years ago, our family has always celebrated birthdays, celebrations, out-of-town visitor lunches/dinners and everything in between in Krua Thai SM and sometimes Siam in Ayala (when we're too lazy to go all the way to SM).

A few days ago, we had dinner there and as usual, their food did not disappoint. For appetizer, we had fish fillet. For our main course, we had their Thai Crispy Pata, Chicken in Yellow Curry Paste, and Pork in Oyster Sauce. And we also had a platter of jasmine rice and bagoong fried rice.

I know that a lot of people say that most Thai restaurants here are not authentic and most of the food are fused with Filipino taste, but it's ok with me. I'm not very high maintenance when it comes to food. As long as it tastes great for me, that's fine. Royal Krua Thai will always be our go-to Thai restaurant.





Thai Crispy Pata





Bagoong Fried Rice





Pork in Oyster Sauce





Our appetizer: Fish Fillet (Dory) - it was in my opinion, a bit dry





Chicken in Yellow Curry Paste - YUMMM!!!

 Krua Thai Information:

I cannot find their website, but this is their Google Plus link: Krua Thai

Skydreamer dines in Cebu: Leona's Cakes and Pastries

If you regularly read my blog, you would know by now that I love all kinds of unhealthy food and great desserts. One of the most under represented dessert house in Cebu is Leona's. It has a great following, but because of competition, some people would go to other cake houses.

For me, most of Leona's cakes are not just good, they're great. Our family's favorite for about five years now is their Choco Fudge cheesecake. It's creamy, smooth and chocolately. It's a staple birthday cake in our home.

They also have Banoffee Cream Pie that's so rich and fresh at the same time, that I could eat it any time of the day.



Choco Fudge Cheesecake





Top (L-R): Choco Mocha Mousse and Japanese Cheesecake
Middle (L-R): (I forgot the name) and  Choco Fudge Chessecake
Bottom (L-R): Cookies and Cream Cheesecake and Banoffee Cream Pie (YUM!!!)

 I totally forgot the name of one of the cakes we ordered (I'm sorry). If you know what it is based on the picture alone, do let me know!

Also, do try any of their cheesecakes and the banoffee cream pie - they're out of this world! Next time I go there, I'll try their tiramisu. I heard it's one of their bestsellers.

Leona's Information:
They have three branches:

• Juan Luna Ave., Mabolo
• GQS Bldg., Banilad
• GF Northwing SM Cebu

Skydreamer dines in Cebu: Italian Coffee Affogato Ice Cream

Nestle has new ice cream flavors out in their Temptations line: Italian Coffee Affogato, French Salted Caramel and Belgian Chocolate Praline. If you know me, I tend to gravitate towards coffee based sweets.

Their Coffee Affogato flavored ice cream is really creamy, and it tastes like FIC's (Fruits in Ice Cream) cappuccino.

One 800ML tub costs P240 at Rustan's.

Try it and let me know what you think! :)



Italian Coffee Affogato



Skydreamer dines in Cebu: Sweet Little Things

Sweet Little Things is my favorite cupcake house in Cebu. The first time I tried it was last year when we had dinner at Simply J's in Escario. We were on our way to Sprockets for after-dinner milk tea, but gravitated towards a new cupcake place - SLT (Sweet Little Things).

Now, they have expanded to SM Northwing and that's where my li'l sister bought the three cupcakes in the picture below. One cupcake costs P68, but if you want to eat more and save more (who wouldn't?) then you might want to get a box of three cupcakes for only P158.

We bought Dark Chocolate Mudpie, our all-time favorite.
We also had monkey business which tasted great. After all, who doesn't like banana combined with chocolate?
Their latest cupcake is called Peanut Butter Crunch and it was a big hit with everyone in the family.

Try their cupcakes and let me know what you think! :)



L-R: Dark Chocolate Mudpie; Monkey Business; Peanut Butter Crunch



SLT Sweet Little Things Information:

Their main branch is in Apitong Street.

They have a small kiosk in SM Northwing near Cyberzone's iStore.

Skydreamer Dines in Cebu: 10 Dove Street

I recently went to 10 Dove Street with my family to celebrate my husband's birthday. It's a quaint restaurant in 10 Dove Street, Sto. Nino Village, Banilad, Cebu.

They offer a four-course meal for only P220. 

First, you choose your soup. I had corn and potato chowder (not pictured) which is one of the best chowders I've ever tasted. It was amaaaazing! You get to choose from a selection of 10 soups like clam chowder, french onion, tomato, and mushroom monterey.

Next, you choose your salad. I had their chicken mango salad (not pictured) which has macaroni pasta, chicken and mango slices in mayo.

Once you're done selecting your salad, you choose your sandwich (or, if you choose a sandwich with a side dish, they will cancel your salad order). I chose roast beef dylan (not pictured) in wheat bread.  This sandwich is very powerful. Roast beef sauteed with caramelized onions topped with two types of cheese. It's the best sandwich ever!

Lastly, (and at this point honestly, you're all very full and would like to take a little break outside) you choose your cake. They usually have four cake selections out, and all you have to do is choose which one you would like to try. I chose cappuccino (the one in the picture!) and it was great! I have always been a fan of coffee based desserts so maybe I'm a little bit biased. :D



Top Left: Crab and corn soup
Top Right: Chicken Primavera
Bottom Left: Tuna Sandwich
Bottom Right: Cappuccino cake - YUM!



10 Dove Street Information:
Contact Number: 346 0618
Facebook Page: HERE
Additional Information: They also have a private buffet for a minimum of 20 people, for only P350 per person!

Skydreamer Dines in Cebu: Manggahan

Probably, one of our best finds this year is Manggahan in Wilson Street, Apas. If you don't know where that is, it's just a block away from Pino restaurant.

Manggahan is fairly new; it opened just a few months ago, and already they have quite a following. Just think about it: their dishes taste really great and are all affordable.

We ordered 'monggos puno sa subak' for only P28. Their monggos taste really great and can be paired with any of their meat selections.

We also ordered a couple of eggplant dishes: talong ni tatang for P48 and talong guisado for P58. Unfortunately, we didn't eat any of these dishes because of one reason, which is....

HITO! Yes, they serve hito or catfish (a black slippery fish with mustache). I don't think I've ever seen any other restaurant here that serve hito. These are widely popular in Cotabato City, but not here in Cebu. You can order it with tausi; coconut milk; adobo or deep fried. We ordered three deep fried hito fishes -- exactly how we love them. They are the absolute best, I'm not kidding you. But the funny thing was, I think we were the only table who ordered catfish. Everyone else ordered grilled pork, sisig and such. Which is a shame because hito is probably the best tasting fish out there (based on what I've eaten so far). Oh, and one big hito costs only P158.

I'd definitely be back there over and over again for the hito, and their monggos. We will bring relatives to this restaurant, and Cotabato friends too.

Manggahan is just, amazing. Try it, and let me know what you think! :)



their monggos for only P28 - serves two people





guisadong talong (too bad, we didn't get to taste this)





talong ni tatang (really pretty eggplant salad that we didn't get to eat)





the star of the day: Deep Fried Hito - Uber YUM!!





Our third hito - we just could not get enough!

 Manggahan Information:

Hours of Operation: 9AM - 4AM the next day

Contact Number: 260 3300

Facebook Page: HERE

Theo and Philo

Over the weekend, I stopped by Human Heart Nature to get sunflower oil and mosquito repellent for my family and was pleasantly surprised to find Theo and Philo artisan chocolates in the counter, so we got a couple of bars. My li'l sister picked the 70% dark chocolate variety, and I got their 65% dark chocolate with green mango and sea salt. 

Theo and Philo is the only bean to bar chocolate from the Philippines and they have six varieties in their chocolate products, ranging from the usual (milk chocolate) to the unusual (dark chocolate with candied calamansi). 

My li'l sister's 70% dark chocolate was insanely good - it tasted fine and smooth that it can rival any European chocolate brand. It was clear that the chocolates were made with the finest cacao beans in the country; and if their 70% was good, then their green mango variant was even better. I loved how the tangy taste of green mango blended well with the bittersweet chocolate and salt. Eating it was like having an explosion of different flavors bursting all at once in your tastebuds. Try it, and you really won't regret it.



Dark Chocolate with Green Mango and Sea Salt - YUM!





Theo and Philo Artisan Chocolates

 
*Human Heart Nature information:
located in - Unit 3, The Strip, Osmena Blvd.
contact number - 032 412-9696
Facebook page: Click HERE

Skydreamer Eats: Homemade Tomato Soup

One of the things I love about blogging is reading other people's blogs and learning a lot of new things. One of the blogs that I used to read a lot, is Erica Paredes' blog, Gourmet Kitschen. She's Jim Paredes' (APO Hiking Society) daughter and she's mean and adventurous when it comes to food, and I'm just really sad that she has stopped blogging.

One of things that got my attention was her tomato soup recipe. It's so easy and affordable yet so hearty and filling!

So here's my take on her tomato soup recipe with a little tweak:

You will need the following:
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp Dried Thyme (I'm using McCormick)
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (Marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 slice of bread
100 ML All Purpose Cream
a handful of basil
shredded parmesan
salt and pepper

First, you would want to saute your garlic cloves, thyme and Italian seasoning in 1tbsp of olive oil.

Once fragrant, add your can of stewed tomatoes and let it simmer. Then, add 1 slice of bread ripped in small pieces to thicken the soup. Add 100 ML all purpose cream and parmesan cheese. Let it simmer again, then add basil.

You may want to add salt and/or pepper to taste.

I guarantee you that it tastes really really amazing! Try it and let me know what you think! :)



Tomato soup with shredded parmesan cheese



Skydreamer Eats: Homemade Pesto Pizza

I've always loved pesto - ever since I tasted pesto pasta, pesto porkchop, pesto spread OR anything I ate that had pesto on it. I started to incorporate it into some of the meals I cooked at home, but I was using store-bought pesto - I was fine with it, until...

Last year, as I was reading Rosie's blog (the famous blogger of The Londoner), I read a post about making your own pesto, and that it punches in more flavor than any store-bought variety. I was intrigued, but couldn't find pine nuts anywhere here. 

Just this week, I tried looking for pine nuts again, and we had them in Ayala but they were expensive - one big pack costs P1340 which is about $35. There were no small packs so I didn't buy it.  I read somewhere that you could substitute almonds or walnuts so I bought almonds instead. One small pack only costs P40 or $1. Now that I had all the ingredients, I made my pesto.

Here's my basil pesto recipe (patterned from Rosie's blog) but I tweaked some of the measurements too:

You will need:

A handful of basil

1/2 cup grated parmesan

30 grams salted almonds

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 small clove of garlic

First, you would want to toast your almonds. Slice them unevenly, and place in a nonstick pan without oil. Slowly toast them in slow fire. Once the almonds are glistening with its own oil, you can stop.

In a blender or food processor, add all of the ingredients. Blend until you get the consistency that you want. 

You can add more olive oil or parmesan to suit your taste.





My homemade pesto - first attempt



Now, for my homemade pesto pizza:

You will need:
Tortilla wrap or Pita Bread
Pizza Sauce (I used Del Monte Sweet Blend)
Mozzarella cheese
Homemade pesto

Bake in the microwave for 1 minute. Enjoy!




Homemade Pesto Pizza


I would've really wanted to make my own pizza dough and tomato base but I don't have resources for that. Right now, this is what I made and I can definitely vouch that homemade pesto - added into my very own pizza is really really great! My 1 year old toddler loves this pizza and would even eat this over chocolate cookies.