your feast awaits you It’s deliciously daunting to think that I could face a feast of a thousand pleasures. Even I, with the seemingly bottomless pit that is my stomach, would have to concede defeat. But face it I did, though not quite in the way that you think. a setting for you at Senju Senju is Japanese for “a feast of a thousand pleasures,” or “ a thousand happiness.” The two are quite synonymous, wouldn’t you agree? A former life as Nishiki, EDSA Shangri-la’s premier Japanese restaurant, Senju is an updated take both in look and cuisine. seating at Senju tatami room at Senju Inspired by the Japanese performing art called NOH, Senju’s interiors feature a panoply of textures – from twine screens gently filtering in the light, brightened timber posts, a bamboo air well, backlit origami walls, and other interior accents in straw, stone, and ceramic. Choose to dine at the regular tables ...

lose yourself We were driving around the back roads of Mandaluyong looking for I-don’t-remember what-now. I was in the back seat craning my neck, my eyes peering out into the darkness. Suddenly a large blue and white sign appears on the left with letters that I could just make out: Chefs’ Nook. “Hey, that looks cool!” I remember pointing and yelling to my two friends up front. “Quick! What street is this?” “Pilar,” my friend, Mari mumbles distractedly, too intent on her driving. that fortuitous blue sign That was way back in 2003. I remember coming back to the exact same street a few days later, this time on my own, to check out what this “Chefs’ Nook” was all about. I found a store crammed full of the widest variety of Thai ingredients and even better, baking ingredients (yippee!). So enchanted was I with Chefs’ Nook that I immediately pitched the idea to my editor (of the food magazine I was writing for then) and I didn’t stop pestering her until she gave me the go-ahead to feature it. There’s ...

Warm desserts are just the thing to have when it’s raining and cold outside. Butterscotch pudding and champorado are two of my favorite cold-weather foods, but when it’s time for dessert my thoughts turn to chocolate chip cookies, among other desserts, of course. Now, chocolate chip cookies freshly baked and straight from the oven into my gaping maw are just the thing, but when I want something a little fancier, kicking up the cookie is the way to go. For that, it’s best to combine elements of cold and hot. I’m a big fan of dual-temperature desserts: there’s something incredibly sensual, feral almost, about two contrasts happening simultaneously, and in my mouth, at that! I recently had two desserts that are a play upon the chocolate chip cookie, one at Bubba Gump’s and one at Chili’s. Both restaurants use an enormous cookie as their playground but it’s there where they diverge. I want that pan Here’s the one at Bubba Gump’s. Called a Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae (P250), it’s a warm chocolate chip cookie topped ...

Of course I’m talking about myself, but in this case the title of this post just happens to be the name of a bakery-café hidden within the corporate jungle that is the Makati Business District. Nobody I’ve talked to seems to have heard of it but the name is so compelling that it practically screams to be visited by dessert lovers. A diversification effort by furniture company Play & Display, In Love With Sweets (ILWS) is a showcase of the company’s wares, (i.e. plates, sofas, cutlery, etc.) While ILWS is a coffee and dessert place with an occasional pizza and pasta thrown in, its sister restaurant, Salt & Pepper, which is situated right beside it, is the casual dining restaurant serving Western, Asian, and Mediterranean cuisine. The beauty here is that you can sit in either restaurant and enjoy food from both places. Of course Miss In Love With Sweets herself – ahem, me – chooses to plop herself down in front of the pastry display case at ILWS; it’s the best seat in the house, wouldn’t you agree? I’m having lunch here with Jennifer, the person responsible for ...

buttermilk scones Sometimes my urge to bake is triggered by conversations I have with people. In this case, while my good friend Kaie and I were pigging out over pizza, she happens to mention scones. “I remember the scones that French Baker used to sell,” she says almost wistfully, her eyes getting that faraway look people get when reminiscing about something. “They were soft and flaky.” I almost choke on my pizza. “No, French Baker’s scones were hard,” I complain. “Yeah, they seemed to have changed. But I tell you before they became hard, they were just heavenly.” Kaie replies. Fast forward to 1:00 am today. My conversation with Kaie echoes in my head and before I know it, I’m wide-awake. I think I see scones on the ceiling, and I’m half-expecting to be counting scones soon instead of sheep just to get to sleep. So as soon as daylight cracks through the horizon, I’m out of bed and headed to the kitchen. The scones that I make today are simpler and fluffier than the ones I made before. I also omit the chocolate chips this time, opting instead for the hominess ...

Of course the anchovies that I’m talking about are not the ones pictured above, which are fresh marinated anchovies from Spain. I just wanted to share this photo that I took at a Spanish food fest. These are really quite different from what I know to be anchovies, which are brown and flat and come in a can. They’re magnificently salty and are the perfect burst of flavor in pizzas and pastas. When I’m aching for anchovies, I go to A Venetto. This pizza place has been around for a while now. The specific branch that I go to in Glorietta attempts to evoke a New York-slash-Hollywood look. There are photos of New York scenes hanging on the walls, most of which are in black and white, while one wall has sketches of male Hollywood stars (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, et al.) sitting on a bench – or is it a fence? – clad in construction-worker attire. Quirky, but it works. There are tables with tiled surfaces or if you prefer, the booths situated right beside the large glass windows, which I avoid when I’m feeling anti-social. Sometimes I just don’t ...

Fleur de Lys (fleur-deh-LEES) was my go-to dessert place when I was living in Quezon City (QC). Being so near it made me feel prepared to take on any sugar craving that might creep up on me in the middle of the night or day, since it opens early and closes late. Now that I don’t live in QC anymore, I miss Fleur de Lys terribly, so I make it a point to drop by whenever I’m in the area, that is if I don’t make it the excuse to drive all the way to QC. My favorites include the strawberry pie, and now their waffles. cross-section of a yeast-raised waffle Making their debut just last May, the waffles offered at Fleur de Lys are unlike anything that can be found locally. Owner and pastry chef, Jackie Ang-Po, has outdone herself making a waffle that’s unique unto itself. For one, it’s yeast-raised instead of relying on the common leaveners like baking powder and/or baking soda. There are sweet and savory waffles. In addition, her waffles are sweetened with ...

egg well Friday It begins with an unappeasable yearning for gnocchi, those doughy little Italian dumplings. Try as I might, my brain refuses to cough up info on where I can partake of those gooey balls, and frenzied texts to my foodie network spew only lots of Italian restaurants with plenty of “???” attached at the end. An Italian chef-acquaintance offers to make them for me if I book in advance, but I’m a bit embarrassed to take him out of his busy schedule. Besides, I start to have delusions that perhaps I can make gnocchi on my own. Pronounced (NYOH-kee; NOH-kee), I used to call them (NOH-chee), that is, when I used to have them at the now defunct Angelino’s, a place that I remain in an active state of mourning for. Chewy and slathered in a creamy sauce, I remember thinking back then that they were just the most delicious things my little high school palate had experienced. gnocchi must haves: a ricer and a rolling pin Gnocchi is a simple affair of flour, eggs, and water, though I decide ...