Gefseis Greek Grill

Finally found a Greek restaurant!!! After a great day in the beach, Gefseis Greek Grill is definitely the place to have a hearty dinner. All I can say is, food is awesome... in fact it's beyond awesome. Can't find the right words so here are some snap shots. Don't be deceived by the simplicity of its presentation, coz every bite bursts flavors I can't pinpoint.

The Food

Let's start with the appetizers:

The Greek Salad is so refreshing. Tomatoes, thinly sliced white onions, cucumber, olives, and feta drizzled with olive oil.

Greek Salad

Fried Saganaki is fried cheese. Squeeze the lemon to neutralize the saltiness. FRIED CHEESE!!! Need I say more?

Fried Saganaki

Main entree:

Moussaka is made up of eggplant and potatoes smothered in richly spiced tomato sauce. I was so fascinated I didn't dissect my meal to see what's more in it.

Moussaka

Souvlaki Mixed Platter, I got the lamb/chicken/beef just to have  an idea what lamb tastes like. This plate is for sharing, though it looks not that much it's really filling. 2 pieces of pita topped with chicken, lamb, and beef,  smothered in rich tomato base which I think has olive paste or something. Comes with thinly sliced white onions with finely chopped cilantro, tomatoes, fries, really strong garlic sauce and hot sauce. Eat them up together and BOOM!

Souvlaki Mixed Platter

Yummy desserts:

Baklava. Lots of walnuts under thinly layered pastry, cinnamon powder, and honey to kick the sweetness. Great, simply great!

Baklava

Lemon Cake. I bet you're expecting something zesty and a bit sour to be served, not this one. It's off the menu so the chef was the one who suggested this. And I'm glad we had it. Refreshing, simple yet heavenly. It has been a long time since I had something really good as this.

Lemon Cake

Cold water for drinks is fine so you can savor every flavor that their menu has to offer. A picture of the flyer is at the bottom, just zoom in to see how worth it is to stop here for a meal. Still working on the photo quality but here's some snaps of the dining area with a visible kitchen.

The Place

better enjoyed scene on the day time

the room is a bakery of some sort, yeah they serve it fresh!

Some flowers and light under the glass table

Store Info

Location

Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union, Philippines (in front of Sebay Surf Central)

Store Hours

Monday to Sunday 9:00 am to 12:00 am

Contact No.

0917 711 0419

My Satisfaction Level 

Palate Happiness: 5/5
Tummy Loader: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Budget: Php 70 - 350/ person

(Red Green Pepper) Taco, Burrito

Taco, Burrito is located at SM City Baguio's top floor fronting the cinema which I really don't remember coz I just take the turn to the direction OPPOSITE of Quantum -- if Quantum's on the left, I go to the right (yeah I need landmarks coz I can't remember little details). It's a food stall with a small dining space, lemme know if there's a certain term for this please :)

It's a great place to grab some Mexican food. Food is great, really affordable (and I mean REALLY), and just right to fill the tummy. The pictures aren't appealing but believe me, it's yummy. Here's what we got:

The Food

Grilled Beef Cheese Steak something. The name's so long I can't remember every word!

Beef, sauteed tomatoes and white onions, and cheese wrapped in soft tortilla. Sour cream is given upon request, don't forget to ask for this coz it would give the "boom" in every bite. Had it with their superb iced tea. I like Army Navy's Libertea but this I love. I can taste the brewed tea and some honey-lemon tasting stuff which makes it so perfect, plus sweetness is just right.

Bacon Chili Hotdog is very flavorful. Franks with chili beans and 2 strips of bacon wrapped in soft tortilla. Food for only Php 89 was never this worth it. Best eaten with their self made chili sauce, also available upon request.

Personally, the only down side for them is the packaging. Foil for tortilla wraps and styro for to go meals.

Here's our meal worth around Php 220

My Satisfaction Level 

Palate Happiness: 5/5
Tummy Loader: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 1/5
Budget: Php 39 - 120 (for this meal, Php 110/ head)

Grumpy Joe Restaurant

Grumpy Joe is one of the newest food joint in town. It is located along Leonard Wood Road, Baguio City. They serve pizza, pasta, and sandwiches among others. 

You'll definitely love their food IF you are a fan of Jollibee-tasting-spaghetti. Personally, it was a disappointment for me coz I'm not into the FIlipino style kind of tomato sauce/ base (especially the flavored ready-to-cook type of tomato sauce which was obviously used on their food).

We went here mid afternoon, ambiance wasn't that inviting. Staff were friendly and attentive to their customers though.

I find the food really ordinary and pricey as to the food's quality. On the right is their "Grumpy Joe Fried Chicken with rice and potato salad". Being one of the resto's signature dish, I was expecting way more than what was served.

"Chili Con Pizza Wrap" which I find weird coz it's stuffed with  ham, bacon, onions, cream, and some cheese. Not to mention that the dough inside was not cooked. They claim it's mozzarella however, I cook pastry and I sure know what mozzarella tastes and looks like; I surely know how to differentiate cheese from uncooked dough. Cut the story short, I ended up eating 1/4 of the thing and didn't pay for it.

Still would recommend coz you might like it. Plus, I might have ordered their wrong specialty. I won't give my rating on this one, I'll just leave it to you guys.

I came in really hungry expecting for a great dining experience but unfortunately went out grumpy.    

  

Home Cooking: Jamaican Style Chicken Curry and Chapati

Since Baguio City has limited restaurants, I always look up for recipes that will satisfy my cravings for different flavors.

For this stormy day (BTW, this was done last Sunday), I decided to cook some chapati and Jamaican style chicken curry. I don't accurately follow the measurements coz sometimes, it's better to make some revisions to get the taste and texture I really like. So I just listed the ingredients (with my revised measurement) and procedure in case you wanna try it.

Everything was made from scratch, which makes it more yummy! Here are some shots during the process. I was able to take only a couple of snaps since the chapati making was kinda messy on the hands.

I really enjoyed doing the chapati - from start to end. It's rewarding seeing your hand-made chapati fresh from the pan. Plus, it's highly addictive!!! Don't worry if you don't have the right materials. Just improvise. The one I used for kneading is actually a chopping board. If you don't have a rolling pin, use a bottle. It will do the trick ;)

Chapati (unleavened bread)

2 cups flour
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons oil

1. Mix all the ingredients.
2. Knead until you get that elastic dough. Gradually add flour if mixture is too wet, water if it's too dry.
3. Let it stand for 10 minutes before shaping and cooking it.
4. Cook on a non-stick pan over medium heat, less than a minute or so. It's done when brown spots appear.

*Hint: You'll know you got the right texture if the mixture doesn't stick to your hands when kneading.

if it's ready, it should look like this

flatten small circles but not too thin coz it will turn out like a biscuit when cooked

this is the part when my internals go goo-goo-ga-ga (WIDE smile)

Jamaican Style Chicken Curry

Chicken parts of your choice

Potatoes (optional)

Tomatoes

Garlic 

Onions

Curry Powder

Thyme

Salt

Water or chicken stock

oil

1. Fry chicken. you can remove the skin if you wish.

2, Saute garlic, onions, and tomato. Add chicken; then season with curry powder, thyme, and salt.

3, Add water or stock. 

4. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

*If you want to thicken the sauce, add a bit of flour dissolved in cold water.

if you want to eat your usual fried chicken, this is how boring it is

here's the simmering Jamaican style chicken curry to be

And here you have it :)

 Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour

This duo is worth trying! It will surely tickle your taste buds.



**I'd like to acknowledge Grench for helping me out on this. 

Part 2: Celebrating Life @ FIC (Fruits in Ice Cream)

So this is the dessert part of my previous post. Fruits in Ice Cream aka FIC is also located at Techno Hub in Camp John Hay. It has a small dining area that has a great view but you will surely have a big smile after slurping up to the last drop of your yummy ice cream.


Creamy, full of flavor, fresh taste PERIOD. You can actually feel its natural flavor magically exploding  in your mouth. I can recall the happy feeling while describing it. Enough said, here's to let you crave for a scoop or two.

Blueberry + Durian (yeah, a weird combination made by my Mom)

Raspberry

Pistachio

Blueberry

Green Tea

 More of the interior:

You can also choose from other varieties like banana split, sundae, and mochi balls among others. I can say that it's the best treat after a hearty meal..

How about you, do you love ice cream?

My Satisfaction Level

Ambiance 5/5
Palate Happiness 5/5
Service 5/5
Budget: P75 - P200

Part 1: Celebrating Life @ Seafood Island

This is my first blog entry after a year that my blog page has  been stagnant. I'm really excited, so here it goes...

July 14 is a very special day because we are celebrating two birthdays in our family. We wanted to eat in a restaurant that we haven't tried before so Seafood Island in Techno Hub (Camp John Hay) was our pick.

We arrived at around eleven in the morning so there were just a number of occupied tables. But the place was fully loaded when lunch time struck, which is something really typical during a Sunday. Good thing I was able to get some snaps while it was still roomy. 

The interior gives you a feel of eating in a restaurant by the beach. Put it together with the crew who are dressed in a Hawaiian themed outfit, yup it's like dining somewhere out of Baguio. 

I really love this wall art.

With all the wall art and accessories, you won't get bored while waiting for the food.  Here are some of the shots.

    

If you eat at Seafood Island, choose the boodle fight set meals so you can entirely get the feel of the place. A set is good for 3-5 or 5-7 persons, as said in the menu. We got the set that's good for 7 people. I think the rice was good for seven but the viand was only good for four. But this depends on your portions. I eat more viand than rice. The boodle fight was worth the experience anyway. 

Menu is right about the "SEAFOOD BONDING"

We got the DAVAO GULF

This went in after a couple of minutes of ordering

Pork BBQ + Bagoong Rice

Grilled Imbao, Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Salted Egg

Lato Salad (sea weeds, dilis, tomatoes, and onion)

Grilled Baby Squid & Steamed Shrimps + Crispy Dulong Rice

(Top left:) Pomelo &  Shrimp Salad (Right:) Grilled Tuna + Kalkag Rice

Kinilaw na Langka sa Gata

Don't mess with hungry people ;)

*Desserts will be featured on the next blog entry.

My Satisfaction Level

Ambiance 5/5
Palate Happiness 2/5
Service 5/5
Budget: P2000 (really depends on the capacity and no. of diners, given's for 6)


Here are the two precious celebrants for July 14: my mom (left) who just turned 6* and my grandma (right) who celebrates her second birthday as a star...

Egg Roll: My Way

Not much of travelling and going out this coming days due to the weather. So I'll just talk about some personal recipes and maybe window pictures.

This is a really affordable and tasty breakfast to kick off your day. Easy to prepare and can be achieved in just a few minutes. Egg Roll!!!

Ingredients:
Eggs
Tomatoes (or any filling you wish, can also be plain eggs)
Herbs
Cheese (optional)
Salt

Procedure:
1. Dice tomatoes, mix with grated cheese and herbs, then set aside.
2. Beat eggs, add a pinch of salt.
3. Check out how to make an egg roll in youtube (to get a glimpse of how it is done)
4. Alternate the egg and tomatoes in every fold. Just place small amounts of filling for every fold so it won't destroy the roll.
5. Serve and enjoy.

The cheese will give a bit of saltiness and creaminess to the egg roll.