Korean Fried Chicken (Bon Chon Style)

This was my first attempt to try this famous Korean food. 

I really love its sweet-spicy flavour plus the crispiness in every crunch.

Here’s my own version.

Ingredients:

1 kl. Chicken wings

1/2 cup all purpose flour

½ cup corn, rice or potato starch

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

3 tbsp. chilli pepper paste

1 tbsp. chilli flakes

1/2 cup corn syrup or honey

2 tbsp. sugar

5 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup Tomato ketchup

1 tbsp. garlic powder or 4 cloves minced garlic

Olive or canola oil

Sesame Seeds

Instructions:

Wash chicken in cold water and drain to dry.

Marinate chicken with salt and pepper then dredge with the mixture of flour and starch.

Heat oil in a frying pot or fryer.

Fry chicken parts in medium heat for exactly for 10 minutes.

Drain then cool for 2 minutes. 

Then re-fry chicken parts for another 10 minutes. (This is the secret for its crispiness)

In a pan, mix garlic powder/minced garlic, chilli pepper paste, chilli flakes, corn syrup/honey, sugar, apple cider vinegar and tomato ketchup.  Let it simmer in low heat for 5 minutes.  Brush the mixture to the fried chicken.  You can also use a zip lock or non-spill container to coat the chicken with the sweet and chilli mixture.

Arrange chicken in a plate then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Bulalo Haven: Mahogany Market Tagaytay

Last Sunday, my friends and I went to Tagaytay to celebrate our 7 years of friendship.  Of course, celebration is not complete without food. We chose Tagaytay  because of it's cold weather and all of us were craving for the  famous soup in town, the Bulalo (Beef and Bone Marrow Soup). Though most of us have health issues and we knew for a fact that Bulalo is synonymous to cholesterol, we grab the opportunity to experience as per many  people are suggesting the best bulalohan (canteen/eatery that sells bulalo soup)  in Tagaytay which can be found at Mahogany Market Tagaytay.

The Bulalohan were located right in front of the market.  Mahogany Market is where you can buy the freshest beef and that's the reason why the bulalohan in Mahogany Market were quoted as the best bulalo in Tagaytay.  They use fresh beef and bone marrow every time they cook to result a flavorful bulalo soup.

Aside from Bulalo, the stores also offers other Filipino dishes. I took some pictures of the food we ordered and their corresponding prices will be posted as captions.

Adobong Pusit (Squid) Php 120.00

Crispy Tawilis (one of my favorite, best with Bulalo) Php 100.00

Bulalo Soup (good for 2-3 person / Php 300.00)

Nilasing na Hipon (Shrimps marinated in salt, pepper, Sprite/7Up or Beer then fried.) Php 150.00

Sisig (Sizzling Pig ears or mask) Php 250.00

According to the food attendant, the serving size of Bulalo is for 2-3 persons but in my opinion it's good up to 4 persons.  Tawilis was really crispy, comes with their seasoned vinegar.  Adobong pusit and the nilasing na hipon were usual. Sisig was a disaster. I could say that the price of Bulalo and Tawilis were fair due to their serving size and taste but the others were overpriced specially the Sisig. And also consider the fact that the canteen were located in the market.  Sisig in Metro Manila costs around Php150.00-190.00 in most restaurants. Anyways, what's important was we're satisfied with the Bulalo.

If you want to give this a try, the Mahogany Market is located at Mahogany Avenue.  From Tagaytay Rotonda, follow the road going Nasugbu.  When you reach the Y-road with a Petron station in the middle, turn right and just follow the road going to Amadeo and Mahogany.   

Pipino Vegetarian : Where Healthy Meets Delicious

Last Saturday, my hon and I was looking for a place to have dinner but we do not want  the usual fast food or local resto that serve almost the same thing.  While browsing the net the other day, I found out that Pino Resto Bar in Teachers Village added a new joint to the family which they named Pipino Vegetarian Restaurant (Pipino is Cucumber in English).

We decided to give it a try.  Pipino is located at the 2^nd floor of Pino Bar and Restaurant.  The ambiance is quirky, well-lighted with a classroom feeling.  They used blackboards for their menu lists.

The menu was interesting and sounded appetizing.  I’m really a carnivore type so this was a new experience for me. We ordered the Veggie Lasagna and Eggplant & Tofu Miso with Rice, home made lemon iced tea and vegan chocolate cookie. 

The food really tastes good.  Since I love tofu, I really enjoyed the Eggplant and Tofu Miso with Rice.  It actually tastes like it was cooked with coconut milk.  The Vegan Lasagna is awesome as well.  The diner stands that all their dishes are plant-based and do not contain any animals or animal by-products. I tasted cheese on the lasagna but it’s not actually cheese.  I think it’s made from soft tofu. Home made iced tea was ok but a bit sweet.  The cookie is just fine. I’m wondering how they baked it without butter?

Vegan Lasagna (Freshly cooked that's why it's still not firm)

Eggplant and Tofu Miso with Rice (not as presentable like on their  website but it tastes good)

The food experience was refreshing.  We enjoyed it.  Since I need to be more health conscious due to my condition, I think I’m turning vegan.  ( But I don’t know for how long. Hihi!)

If you would like to give this a try, Pipino is located at 2^nd flr. 39 Malingap St., Teacher’s Village, Quezon City.  If you can’t live without meat, Pino Restaurant is just at the ground floor.

For more info. ('bout the store, menu and map direction), you can visit their site at:

http://pipinovegetarian.com/

http://pinopinopino.multiply.com/

Sagada: Paradise of Mt. Province (Day 3)

It took me some time before I post this part 3 and I apologize.  Actually, day three of our journey is just free time for us to roam around the village, buy some souvenir items and some goodies.  Since we were really tired about Days 2 Itinerary, we woke up late around 8am (It’s late because our bus from Sagada to Baguio will leave at 1pm and we still need to do a lot of things.)

1^st, we packed our things and took a shower.  We headed straight to one of the cafes to have breakfast (I forgot the name but this one is located near where the mini busses were parked.)  We ordered ham & cheese and veggie omelette with toasts and this time we tried the Sagada coffee.  I liked the veggie omelette more than the meat omelette.  The vegetables were really crisps.  With added tomato ketchup on your toasts it really tastes like a veggie pizza.  The Sagada brewed coffee is amazing.  The aroma and flavour is strong just like the Barako Coffee from Batangas.  

After breakfast we headed straight to the store for souvenir items.  Sagada is famous for wood carving so we bought a set of wood carved spoon and fork for our co-workers ands accessories for ourselves.  They have street market during that day.  So we decided to peak to see what local produce are they selling.  The market sells their vegetable harvests, meat and poultry, coffee beans and local tea.  Since we love the tea and coffee, we bought some fresh tea leaves and ground coffee beans.

Around 11:30 am, we went around the church area again to shoot more pictures and then headed back to the inn to get our things.  Before heading to the bus station, we dropped by to Yoghurt House to order yogurt for take out.  The café is jammed pack with a group of Brits that’s on a tour. It’s already 12:45pm and if we were going to wait for a long time, we will be late for our bus and the last trip is at 1pm (no 2 pm schedule on that day only).  So it ends up that we haven’t tried the famous yogurt of Sagada and until now, my girlfriend blames me for that.  But I thought it would be enough reason for us to return to Sagada. 

To sum it up, we enjoyed our stay at Sagada.  We want to stay for 2 more days but we have work to do.  My advice, if you’re planning for 3 days 2 nights stay, allot 5 days for your trip if you’re coming from Manila. 2 days is for your travelling time.  Surely, we will be back to Sagada.  Fresh air, fresh food, breathtaking sceneries, peaceful and quiet.  A place you can not find at the metro.

St. Theodore Hospital

Inside the church

Outside the church

Can someone tell me what's this fruit?

Sugong Coffins

Rice fields going to the falls

Bokkong Falls

The road to Sumaging Cave

Shot from inside the cave

Ghost?

Our tour guide and my hon in action.

Inside Sumaging Cave

Sagada: Paradise of Mountain Province (Day 2)

June 4, 2006 – Sunday

It was a good weather when we woke up.  Sunrise was at its best.  Fog covers most of the plain.  Today will be our most exciting day at Sagada, our sight-seeing tour.  Our call time was 6am but we woke up around 7:30am.  Meaning we were an hour and a half late on our itinerary.  Our tour guide was already waiting for us outside the inn.  We hurriedly changed clothes and requested him some time so we can have breakfast.  He agreed to meet us around 8:30am at St. Joseph Convent where we will have our 1^st meal of the day.

St. Joseph Convent is located near the bus station and the local hospital.  The convent has a café named Café St. Joe.  They offer mostly Filipino breakfast and dishes.  Since this will be a tough day, we ordered heavy breakfast. 

(Corned beef, scrambled egg with rice and Sausage, egg with rice)  We want something organic so we ordered their local tea for our beverage.  We ordered Sagada tea with basil and Sagada tea with peppermint.  Our breakfast damaged us around php300.00.  It’s your option if you’d like to take your breakfast inside the café or in their garden.  We ate at the garden to breathe some fresh air.  We were surprised when they served us the tea.  We thought it’ll be served in a cup but instead, they served a kettle full of tea.

We were already stuffed so we begin our tour.  First on the list is the Echo Valley since it’s the nearest.  We passed the church and the local cemetery to get there.  On the valley, you can view from afar the famous Hanging Coffins.  It’s the traditional way of the local Sagadians to bury their loved ones.  They mummified the body before hanging them.  Also on the vicinity are the Sugong Coffins.  Of course, the best activity to do at Echo valley is no other than to shout at the top of your lungs while the valley echoed in return whatever words you shouted.  It’s a wonderful experience.  It brings out the child in you.

Next in our itinerary is the Bokong Falls (Twin Falls).  It’s an hour of walking to get there from the Echo Valley, passing through fields.  The sun is shining brightly so it’s advisable to bring bottled water with you to quench your thirst.  Bokong Falls is just a small falls.  There’s a bigger falls (Bomod-Ok Falls) which can be reach by 2 hours of trekking or 15 minute vehicle ride plus 45 minute trekking. This should be part of our itinerary but we were way behind the schedule. It’s almost 11am and we need to start spelunking at Sumaging Cave by 1pm.

On our way back from Bokong Falls is the Underground River.  The underground river is just a stretch of river inside a small cave.  The cave has its entrance and the river is quite dry for it haven’t rain that often. 

After the underground river, we headed back to town to prepare for Sumaging Cave and to have lunch.  We took some pictures of the rice fields we passed.  Our tour guide told us that the view is magnificent when the rice crops were still young and green. 

We went straight to Masferre Restaurant to have a quick lunch.  We don’t have enough time and we need to start our way to Sumaging cave by 1pm.  The spelunking will take around 3-4 hours, depends on how fast we can finish the trek inside the cave.  Caving is no longer allowed after 5pm so we need to get out by that time.  We met our tour guide in front of our hotel.  The road to Sumaging cave is the same road where our hotel is located.

Sumaging Cave is a 30 minute walk from our hotel.  The road was made of concrete and some were still dirt.  On the way to the cave, you can view from a far the Bomod-Ok Falls (Big Falls).  From the cave entrance, you can already imagine how huge the cave was.  There’s a carved stairs from the stones on the entrance.  It was dark inside so we used a lamp to move around.  At the entrance, you can hear the cry of thousands of bats and it’s quite slippery due to bats poo.  As we descend inside, we were able to see those amazing rock formations, stalactites and stalagmites.  The cave was simply beautiful.  Cold water flows everywhere so prepare to get wet.  To conquer the cave, we need to be flexible and strong enough.  There were instances that we need to crawl on holes and climb rock formation to move on and finish the trek.  We finished the trek approximately 3 hours and it was raining outside when we got out.  Bathing at the rain brings a lot of childhood memories.  Outside I noticed that there’s an important message and reminder painted on the wall.  It says,

“These caves are Kabunyans (God) gift for Sagadians and all lovers of beauty and nature.  Remember these wonders are millions of years old.  Man was born only yesterday.  We therefore have no right to destroy these legacies, only our duty to protect and preserve them.”

We arrived at the hotel around 4:30pm, took a quick shower and rest.  Our feet sores due to endless walking.

Exactly 6 pm, we arrived at Log Cabin Café for our scheduled dinner.  Since the café was closed to public on that day, the café appeared like it was reserved for us.  We had our dinner near the fireplace which I found romantic.  The pastas we ordered were mouth watering especially the penne with sausage and wild mushrooms.  It’s fantastic. It overflows with Hungarian sausage, mushrooms and you can actually taste the fresh herb used.  Each order of pasta was actually good for sharing.  To sum it up, in my opinion, Log Cabin is the best restaurant in Sagada in terms of ambiance, price and food. 

We headed back to our hotel and we boozed ourselves with a bottle of beer.  Since we were really tired and have body pain, we didn’t notice that we've fallen asleep.

Sagada : Paradise of Mountain Province (Day 1)

If there is one place that I would like to return to for relaxing, meditating and experience nature at its best, it’s no other than the village of Sagada.  Sagada is a village of Mountain Province located at the northern part of the Philippines. I want to share my experience with you when I first visited the place.  It was June 2006, together with a friend (which is now my girlfriend), when we explore this amazing place.  We have researched a lot about Sagada before we depart because it’s our first time and we are not familiar on how to get there.  This is how it goes.

Sagada is approximately 12-14 hour land trip from the busy Metro Manila.  There are 3 routes from Manila to Sagada.

• Manila via Baguio City – Sagada route
• Manila via Banaue – Sagada route
• Manila via Bontoc – Sagada route

We chose Manila via Baguio City-Sagada route because we were familiar enough around Baguio City.  There are buses that will take you to Baguio from Manila but we preferred Victory liner (Pasay Terminal or Cubao Terminal).  Travel time from Manila to Baguio is around 6-8 hours for regular trip and 4 hours for deluxe trip.  Prior to our departure, I already reserved seats for the 12 midnight deluxe trip.  (Departs at 12 midnight, Saturday morning).  The fare from Manila-Baguio special trip costs php440.00 during that time. (Click the link for updated rate and schedule: http://www.victoryliner.com) We chose this schedule because the 1^st trip from Baguio City to Sagada starts at 5am.  

Mini Bus to Sagada : Dangwa Terminal

We arrived at Baguio around 4:30 in the morning. We stayed at the terminal for 20 minutes to eat then took a cab directly to Dangwa Terminal where the mini buses to Sagada were located.  We arrived at Dangwa Terminal around 5:15am and unfortunately, the 1^st bus departed already so we have no choice but to take the 6am trip.  The mini bus is non-aircon and the fare per pax is php220.00.  According to my research, today the schedule trip from Dangwa Terminal to Sagada starts at 5 am followed by every hour and last trip is at 2pm.

Travel time from Baguio City to Sagada is approximately 7 hours and there is 2 stop overs.  What to expect on this route? Rough road but breath-taking sceneries.  Rice terraces, rivers, mountains were a few sight to behold.  Make sure the batteries for your gadgets are well-charged or better, have some spare batteries with you.  7 hour of travel is long enough just to sleep. Also, bring food and water if you don't want to get starved. 

We arrived at Sagada around 1:30pm and we headed directly to our hotel.  We booked our stay at George Guest House located at Dao-Angan Sagada. The room is good for 4 pax and costs php900.00 per day. It’s a 5 minute walk from Sagada Municipal Hall.  The hotel is simple with the amenities just needed for this trip. Each private room has 2 queen-size bed and hot & cold bath.  No television and no aircon which is fine with us.  The weather is cool in Sagada especially at night time.  Sometimes it’s good to be totally isolated and no contact to the real world.  The rooms are located at the 3^rd and 4^th floor.  They also have a gazebo at the rooftop where you can take your breakfast or do your grill.  They also have a mini grocery store at the ground floor and an internet café.  For updated information on George Guest House, you can click on the following links.

http://sagadageorgeguesthouse-labanet.blogspot.com

http://sagadageorgeinn.bravehost.com

Since it’s already 2pm, we were really hungry.  For our 1^st meal at Sagada, we took our lunch at Masferre.  The ambiance of the restaurant is homey, cultural and a great view of the village and the church.  There were black and white photos posted which is taken by the owner.  One thing that disappointed me was the signage saying "Taking picptures is not allowed".  But of course, I didn’t follow that instruction.  I secretly captured some photos.  Every experience needs to be documented. lol.  The restaurant offers Filipino and American food.  As far as I can recall, we ordered mixed vegetable and grilled fish/pork.  The price was a bit pricy for a simple meal and the taste is just usual.  But we heard that they offer good breakfast which we haven’t tried.

After taking our lunch, we proceed directly at the Sagada Visitors Centre.  According to our hotel owner, we need to register and record our arrival and target date of departure.  This is to ensure that they track tourists coming in and out of Sagada and for record purposes just in case something happened.  This is also where you can book your tour itinerary.  We booked the Sight Seeing Tour (3 spots: Echo Valley, Underground River, Bokkong Falls) and Spelunking at Sumaging Cave.  1 tourist guide is allotted per 4 pax which costs Php800.00.  Since we’re only 2, we paid Php400.00 per head.  For more information on tour sites and rates, you can visit the link below.

http://sagadagenuineguides.blogspot.com

After booking our tour, we headed directly at the famous Log Cabin Café and Restaurant.  We read a lot of good things about this café especially their famous Saturday dinner buffet.  The cafe is owned by a French chef named Aklay which is already an adopted son of Sagada.  The cafe offered French cuisine and the menu varies depending on the availability of raw materials and what the local market can offer.  Aside from the regular   Saturday buffet, they also have a regular menu which you can choose from.  Pastas, salad and meat dishes are also available but you need to inform them since the chef is busy preparing for the buffet.  Reservation here is a must.  We reserved our seats for the nights dinner which starts at 6pm.  The rate varies defending on the menu prepared by the chef.  Ours costs php180.00 per head.

The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin

Since it was still early afternoon, we took a look and explored The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin.  The church is an Episcopal Diocese of Northern Philippines.  It was founded in 1904 by the Rev. John Staunton under Bishop Charles Brent and became a parish in 1962.  The church has a brick floor and wooden ceilings.  At the altar, you can see a beautiful crafted stained glass.  We took some pictures and around 4pm, we decided to return to the hotel.  The weather is already cloudy and it’s about to rain.  Since we were also tired from our trip and we haven’t got a good sleep, we decided to take a nap.

Log Cabin Cafe

We woke-up around 6:30 pm, just in-time for dinner.  We dressed-up and headed directly to Log Cabin, excited about the food prepared by the Chef.  We arrived at the cafe exactly 7pm.  We entered the cafe and the ambiance was calm and cozy. We noticed that customers on that night were foreigners.  We were the only Pinoys.  We went straight to the buffet table to check the food.  When we approach the table, what's left were salad and some bread.  Dinner started at 6pm so it's pretty obvious that we were late. Another lesson learned.  It saddened us because we were really excited about the food.  We talked to the receptionists if we can make a reservation again for tomorrows buffet but there is one problem.  The buffet is only served on Saturdays.  "How about we'll just order what's on the regular menu for Sunday night?"  She replied, "The cafe will be closed tomorrow (Sunday) because Chef Aklay has some errands to do.  His family will be coming from France."  That's just it, no single spark of hope.  We were already leaving Monday and no chance to try the best restaurant in Sagada.  The lady saw how frustrated and sad we were.  She excused herself  but  told us to wait for her.  On our delight, she told us that she talked to Chef Aklay and he agreed to cook dinner for us before he leaves on Sunday afternoon.  We were like children going crazy on what we heard.  We ordered pasta for tomorrows dinner, Penne in Sausages and Wild Mushrooms and Zucchini Linguine pasta. (not really sure about the name of the pasta but this is what I remembered) We were really happy, thanking the lady endlessly for the favor.  So we left Log Cabin and find another resto for supper.

Yoghurt House

On our way to our hotel, we noticed a café named Yoghurt House.  We decided to take our supper there.  The café offers Filipino and American food but their specialty is Yogurt.  We ordered fried chicken and hash with salad in yogurt dressing and sautéed pork and vegetable with rice.  The price was fair, damaged us around php300-350, and the taste was quite ok.  The fried chicken tastes good but the sautéed pork and vegetable was a bit sweet.  We love to try the yogurt for desert but we were already full.  We decided to return before we leave Sagada to try their famous yogurt. 

After dinner, we return back to our hotel since we’re still tired and we need to take a good rest for our tour the following day.  The tour is more on walking and trekking so we need to regain all our strength.  Call time  is at 6am.

We ended our Day 1 happy and off to bed early.  Excited for what’s in store for us once the sun rises.