I remember eating pretzels while walking along the streets of New York. Pretzels are the perfect nosh food. Most New Yorkers like eating them slathered in mustard, and Philadelphia is so famous for their pretzels that the city is nicknamed the “Big Pretzel.” In Europe, pretzels are hard, salted bread snacks suitable for dunking into a cold glass of beer.I prefer my pretzels plain, with the customary rock salt sprinkles. Here in Manila, I buy my pretzels from French Baker, where I can choose from large pieces of twisted dough or balls of dough, which I call “pretzel middles.” Pretzels are actually small classic yeast breads, whose family members include bagels, bialys and English muffins. These breads all come from the same dough, but depending on the proportion of ingredients and how they are shaped is what gives them their unique crumb and crust characteristics.Pretzels come in two types – hard and crisp (good for dipping into chocolate, that sweet-salty combination is hard to beat), and soft and chewy. Most commercial pretzels are dipped in lye, which gives it that nice sheen that begs to be licked. Homemade pretzels ...

THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED. This past weekend, I attended a book launch and then K invited me to a food tasting of Chef Ed Quimson’s new restaurant. It’s called Filos and is located at the Fort, across from Go Nuts Donuts. Pronounced “FEE-los,” it’s short for Filipinos. Obviously, the cuisine served here will be Filipino and it will be Filipino fine dining.I’ve known Chef Ed since 1995 when he was working at the Makati Stock Exchange. I was served a pie called Triple Chocolate Silk, a dream of a dessert that took my breath away. I insisted on meeting the genius who had made it, and since then, I’ve been a great fan of the man. Chef Ed has an astounding taste memory bank – he’ll remember tastes of years ago and pair them with flavors he’s tasted last night. It was from him that I learned that white chocolate harmonizes well with mango and that honey and patis (fish sauce) make a good dipping sauce for lumpia (spring rolls). While we were there, he was waxing rhapsodic about lamb marinated in a combination of coffee and guava ...

Myrna Segismundo has a big, gusty laugh, a laugh that I associate with a person who loves life and lives it to the hilt. Now that I think about it, most of my passionate food-loving friends are like that. Whenever Myrna and I are seated at the same table at any of the food events we attend, I know that my sides will be hurting from all the jokes and comments she makes. The woman is a natural comedian. When she’s with Michaela (Micky) Fenix, another food writer, the night becomes a veritable giggle-fest.Last Friday, I attended the book launch of Myrna’s latest offering, a cookbook entitled Philippine Cuisine: home-cooked recipes wherever you may be. It’s a simple yet substantial collection of recipes of food that practically every Filipino grew up eating – good stuff that one never forgets, even though home may now be thousands of miles from the Philippines. Myrna is the managing director of Restaurant 9501, an exclusive corporate dining restaurant of ABS-CBN, one of the country’s leading broadcasting companies. Its chairman, Gabby Lopez, thought of having a cookbook for overseas Pinoys, and this is ...

mango torte Originally uploaded by southeast star.Conti’s is just a short trot over from A.C. Rumpa. Its fame extends not just to its desserts but also beyond the confines of Parañaque. Almost everyone I’ve asked has at one time or another eaten here or knows someone who has.I guess you could call this place your neighborhood bakery, although it’s far from the typical. For one, the place is always, and I mean always packed, whether it be a weekday and especially on weekends. People come here for the signature Baked Salmon (which I have not tried), and the plethora of desserts. Conti’s large menu spans the globe from classic Filipino, Japanese, American, and Spanish, with plenty of appetizers, soups, salads, and pastas thrown in. Satisfying your monster of a stomach would not be a problem here.Conti’s also has a deli for take-home food and quick throw-together parties. Food includes frozen chicken a la kiev, embotido (meat roll), roast beef, and plenty of dips, dressings, sauces, and spreads. They also offer catering services. So basically, they’re all around....

I hardly ever go to the south, meaning Bicutan, Sucat, Alabang, and the surrounding locales. Since I live in Makati, there’s hardly any reason to go in that direction, and it’s hell to drive to the south if you don’t have an E-pass (which I don’t). There are however, some very good eats in the south, and I am just the type of person who will drive the distance for just that reason alone. In stark contrast, my dad, prefers to dine in restaurants that are within two kilometers from where he lives in Makati. Going to Glorietta is already considered far for him. (!) I spent half a day in Parañaque recently. My sister lives in the area and she knows it well. We had lunch in A.C. Rumpa, an acronym for Angeles City Retired US Military Personnel Association – (isn’t it cool how some acronyms just fall together). Angeles City is in Pampanga, an hour and a half drive away from Manila. The restaurant originally opened in 1968 and was jointly owned by US servicemen stationed at the American base within Angeles. Of course that ...

apples2 Originally uploaded by chotda.It’s a shocking statement, but I find the apple quite a boring fruit. I’m never really happy eating it by itself, it always tastes better when coupled with some wedges of sharp cheese. Baking with apples however, is an entirely different matter, since apples are my favorite fruit to bake with.Foreign cookbooks always specify which apples are the best for baking, but since I’m not exactly spoilt for choice here in Manila where apple varieties are concerned, I stick to three: Fiji apples, which are my favorite; Washington apples (the ordinary red ones that abound in supermarkets; and the green ones usually under the brand name Granny Smith.A few days ago, I bought some apples for a pie I wanted to give a friend as a congratulatory gift. My sister T, was in the house and said, “Since you’re making a pie, could you make me a cobbler too?”A cobbler can be made out of any fruit and is a deep-dish ...

Cooking contestant doing prep work It was intoxicating: the idea that I could be a judge at a cooking contest; the idea that I could taste food and then deem it worthy enough to be given a prize. Woohoo, what a trip!I didn’t think about the hard work, but the job did have its perks.I was asked to be a judge at the recently held Chef Showdown that took place at the fountain area of Market! Market! My co-judges were Chef Gene Gonzalez of Café Ysabel fame and Jeremy Malcampo of the Manila Bulletin’s food page. The competition was for those who had attended or were currently enrolled in culinary school. Each participant prepared one plate consisting of a main course with accompanying starch, vegetables, sauce and garnish. The dish also had to include at least three Knorr products (a variety of seasonings, bouillon cubes, sinigang mixes, and instant soups), one Alaska milk product, as well as Monterey beef.I got to the ...

It was a dream brought to life: ten of the best desserts in Manila in one room for me to try. Or I wished it had turned out that way.The food magazine I write for along with Philtown Properties Inc. presented the ten best desserts made by home chefs, specifically those who are home-based (although there were some exceptions as you’ll see later).Of course I ate lightly the whole day and my trainer at the gym slammed me through a heavy weights routine in preparation for what I foresaw to be a no holds barred sugar high. Sigh. Sana. (I wish).Got to the venue an hour early intent on shooting good photos of the desserts, which each had an enchanting table set-up complete with flowers and cake stands. It was more than enough to send my appetite into overdrive. From here on in there was no turning back.In an hour and a half the venue was packed, with most people oohing and aahing over the sweet treats and pocketing the appropriate contact cards for future orders. I noted with some satisfaction that I had already encountered and partaken of eight out of ...