Here are some food discoveries that I had lately:
When I feel a craving for street food, I go to this food stall called Egg Station for its five pieces of orange-hued kwek kwek dipped in chili-laced vinegar. I sometimes ask the vinegar to be separated if the sales clerk is willing because there is the tendency for the outer orange crust of the kwek kwek to become detached when immersed in the sauce for too long.
I like it when the kwek kwek is newly-cooked because the crust has a little crunch to it and once dipped in the vinegar, the richness of the quail egg coalesces well with the tartness and spiciness of the vinegar giving you a burst of flavors. So simple yet so tasty.
But I guess nothing beats the ones sold in the streets where the vinegar sauce is a little stronger and fuller in flavor. Still, this Egg station stall still satiates one’s craving for kwek kwek.
And after the rich and spicy flavors of these fried quail eggs, I would often wander to this other stall in SM Bicutan, the Famous Belgian Waffles for some comfort food. Here, I like to order their Peanut Butter Belgian waffle. A bite from this freshly cooked warm waffle with their own blend of peanut butter feels comforting to me.
Maybe because it brings back memories of childhood when I used to delight in a spoonful of peanut butter and savor it secretly. Maybe peanut butter does that to you bring back memories of carefree times, of pigtails and cartoons, of playing patintero and taguan on the streets (which sadly, kids today may never experience) and all is lacking is a glass of milk. Anyway, I consider this as one of my comfort foods. 🙂
Another new food discovery I had was this Bangus sisig of Reyes Barbecue which was a surprising treat. I love sisig and to have an alternative to pork sisig is great. This sisig was topped with raw egg and a drizzle of mayonnaise. It also had slivers of green onion and pieces of bird’s eye chili or siling labuyo to give it some heat.
Though some people may not like fresh egg or mayo on their sisig, me, I embrace it. There is something so indulgent with the mixture of egg and mayo on top of a sizzling plate. It is almost sinful yet it creates a combination of flavor that is sumptuous. It almost tastes like the real pork sisig minus the guilt.
That being said, one java rice wasn’t enough for me the first time I tasted this dish. Okay and the next time too 🙂 Good thing, it had bangus meat on it not pork because I only had to contend with having eating more carbs than extra fat. Hay, bangus sisig I can’t resist you.
And lastly,there’s this plastic jar of cookies that made such an impression on me despite the fact that I‘m not fond of cookies. I don’t have a sweet tooth but this one is something unforgettable.
This jar of almondine cookies of Conti’s, this unassuming lot of thin off-white colored cookies hid a tasty texture of almonds embedded inside them that is hard to resist. It looks so ordinary yet it tastes good. It leaves you fighting the urge to get one more cookie from that small plastic jar. I know the fight to resist carbs had been futile to me lately.
There is something about this almondine cookie that resonates to me. Maybe its simplicity, its lack of trimmings, that beyond its smooth surface lay a hidden surprise, one that makes you sit up and say to yourself, “Whoa! this didn’t look like much yet this is something different but good”. It’s like your bigger piece of smooth lengua de gato that has short almond slices inside them. Indeed, never judge a cookie by its appearance. You can be surprised 🙂
It had been awhile since my last post and I hope to make it more consistent. I had been attending some SPED classes lately and my days had been hectic. But I miss writing, I miss posting pictures so I’ll try to give it more time. And one thing I’m excited about is posting more food adventures with my son who has autism. I think this would make this blog more meaningful to me.
Thank you for reading and here’s to more food adventures and discoveries 🙂 Chow! 🙂
