Nothing but Food: Experiments and More

A Very Late Review of Mr. Jones

2010-01-27T09:15:00.025+08:00

I procrastinated and now I've decided to write-up about this diner. I've eaten at Mr. Jones twice and I had a wonderful experience.

The first time was for my Dad's 51st birthday celebration. We went there at 2:30 pm on a Sunday, and we were still #7 on their list! Since we were all hyped up about this restaurant, we decided to wait. We left them our contact details and strolled around the stores at Greenbelt 3 and 5. After almost an hour of walking, we went back just to check (we just want to make sure). Looks like, they were about to text us when we got there. And so, after the long wait, we were seated!

I somehow have an idea of the food that we will be ordering, thanks to all the food blogs out there! :D

I love soups and decided to order their tomato soup. I must say, I love the tanginess and creaminess of the soup. The alphabet noodles are too small to have fun with. But I think the taste of the soup made me love this dish. The grilled cheese sandwich added a balance to the meal. I tried dipping it in the soup and it tasted great. I'll definitely order this again.

Old Fashioned Grilled Cheese & Alphabet Tomato Soup (Php 195)

Roasted Tomato & Herb Topped with Creme Fraiche with a Triple Decker Grilled Cheese on Sourdough

Since my mom's not a fan of any beef dishes, she decided to go with their Crab & Dory Thermidor. Its very cheesy but thanks to the brown rice, it evened out. If you're not a heavy eater, I'd say most of their dishes are good to share. My mom just finished half of this because she was really full from the cheese, fish and rice!

Melted "Old Bay" Crab & Dory Thermidor (Php 350)

Hollandaise & Mornay Sauce, Wilted Spinach, Herb Rice Pilaf & Fresh Lemon

My sister ordered their bestseller (well, at least according to the blogs I've read). I must say that for Php 295, their tapa is not a bad deal. It tasted more of a longganisa rather than a beef tapa. Its also extra salty for my taste. You really need to eat the tapa with the rice for the taste to be appealing.

U.S. Beef Ribcap "Tapa & Garlic Overload" (Php 295)
Topped with a Heap of Crispy Garlic Chips, Garlic Fried Rice, Our Special MoMo! Atchara & 2 Eggs, any style

I'm a cheese addict which means I need to order their Mac and Cheese. I'd say I wasn't really that satisfied. This dish didn't stand out for me, I added the tapa to add more taste to the dish. This was bland and not cheesy enough! I didn't feel the 4 cheeses that they mentioned in the menu. Mr. Jones, I'm disappointed. :-(

Wicked Truffled Mac n' Cheese (Php 350)
Baked with 3 types of Macaroni, 4 Cheeses, "Canadian Style" Double Smoked Bacon, Baby Portobello Mushrooms & Green Peas... drizzled with Truffle Oil

When the fish and chips came we were surprised. We thought we have canceled that order in exchange for the crab and dory but seems like the waiter forgot. But I think, this is the best mistake. We loved their fish and chips! The batter used, the way it was fried, the dips, the fries, the serving size! Man, we loved this dish! :D

Fish N' Chips (Php 320)
Old Fashioned Beer Battered served with French Fries, Old Bay Tartar Sauce, Spicy Cocktail Sauce, Malt Vinegar & Homemade Coleslaw

Being the chocoholic that I am, I ordered a milkshake. It was yummy! Creamy, chocolate-y goodness.

The Classic Chocolate "Malt" (Php 175)
The "Other" Milkshake with Chocolate Syrup

The late lunch/early dinner was a blast. And oh, we got this berry cake for my dad's birthday. :) Thanks Mr. Jones!

Berry Pie (free!)

Part 2

A few weeks after, I was back at Mr. Jones. I just wanted my officemate to try out their food. We came from a Google Tech Users Meetup. The pizza's kinda limited, so we decided to have a "light" dinner. We were so wrong! We were actually able to take home almost half of the food we ordered.

We ordered from the "light" section of the menu. She got a triple appetizer combination. We thought its just going to be 3 small portions of their appetizers but what we got was these 3 sundae cups with full to the brim appetizers! I'd say this was a fun ride.

The Threesome (Php 395)
Sweet & Creamy Pineapple-Apricot & "Canadian Style" Double Smoked Bacon Macaroni, Old Bay & Fresh Dill Prawn "Louie" with Caper Berries & Truffled Egg Salad with Black Caviar... Our Specialty!

I wanted to order this the 1st time we went to Mr. Jones, but they were out of chili during that time. So when I learned that they have chili that night, without second thoughts, I ordered their Big Bowl O' Chili! Its really big! And the chili is just great. This is the first time that I was able to eat chili with beef chunks. The chili's that I usually get to eat use ground beef. The one that I make uses ground beef as well. I'd love to have this again, any time of the day. *swoon*

A Bowl O' Chili (Php 250)

Slow Cooked Sirloin Chunks with Cumin Scented Black Beans... Topped with American Cheddar & Jack Cheese, Sour Cream, & "Salsa Fresca" served with Crispy Tortillas & Jalapenos

Truly, Mr. Jones is a must try restaurant when you're in the Greenbelt area. Mr. Jones I'll be back soon!

Mr. Jones
Greenbelt 5, Makati City
+63 2 501 3682 to 83

Experiment 5: Bicol Express

2008-08-25T18:39:00.001+08:00

You need:

pork stroganoff
green chili
siling labuyo
onion
garlic
coconut cream
coconut milk/plain milk

Cook this way:

Chop the chili, rinse and set aside.
Heat some oil and brown the pork.
In another pan, saute the onion and garlic.
Add the browned pork.
Add the milk first and bring to a boil.
Add the chili and coconut cream then just let it simmer for a while.

My chocoholic side: Love for Xocolat

2008-08-07T10:47:00.001+08:00

YES... I AM IN LOVE WITH CHOCOLATE.

I just love eating chocolate, especially dark chocolate. So when I heard about the good reviews of Xocolat, its definitely a go for me.

Below are the pictures of the food we got from Xocolat.

Taza Xocolat - P160

Taza Xocolat - Side view :P

Xocolat Lava - P140

Fondue!

Barquillos, marshmallows, bananas and butter cake!

Restaurant: Xocolat @ Serendra
Date: July 23, 2008

Experiment 4: Paella

2008-07-30T16:53:00.001+08:00

I love paella! Satisfies my taste buds and is very filling. So this is my own Paella version.

You need:

chicken (I prefer using thigh fillet for this)
cubed pork kasim
shrimps
ham cut into square pieces
chorizo de bilbao sliced into rounds
calamansi juice
diced bell pepper
paella mix
tomato sauce
rice
oil
water
garlic
onion
salt & pepper

Cook this way:

Marinate the pork and chicken in the calamansi juice, overnight.
Cook the shrimp in a pan with some water.
Peel the shrimps and on a separate container, marinate it in calamansi juice a well.
After marinating the pork and chicken, fry them for a while or until a little brown.
On a separate pan, saute the onion.
Add the tomato sauce, ham, chorizo, and bell pepper. Let it cook for 10-15 mins.
Strain the sauce from the paella filling and set aside.
On a wok, I used this since I don't have a paellera on hand, heat some oil and saute the garlic.
Add the rice, paella mix, and water.
Stir the rice to let it cook evenly. Add the paella sauce and water every now and then.
Once the rice is cooked, add the paella filling.
Top with the shrimps and serve!

Tina and Joemar with the Paella

Experiment 3: Leche Flan

2008-07-30T16:26:00.001+08:00

I've always wanted to learn how to make leche flan but never had the guts. Finally, I was able to get the courage from my dinner buddies to try and make it. For a first time, its a success! :D I'll probably update this recipe because I want a creamier leche flan.

You need:

8 egg yolks
1 can evaporated milk (370 ml)
sugar (up to how sweet you want it)
vanilla
sugar to be caramelized
2 oval metal containers (llanera)

Cook this way:

Place sugar in an oval container. Caramelize sugar on stove. Make sure that all the bottom of the container is covered with the liquid sugar. Don't let the sugar burn or else your leche flan will taste bitter. Do this with the other container. Set aside.
Beat the egg yolks. Don't over-beat the eggs or this could cause bubbles in your flan.
Add the milk, sugar and vanilla. Continue stirring.
Pour the liquid in the containers and cover with aluminum foil.
Steam for 30-45 minutes.
Let it cool and serve!

Craving for Dessert in the Middle of the Night

2008-07-25T16:25:00.001+08:00

I've always wanted to try out Apartment 1b because (1) its near our office, (2) the place looks cozy, and (3) I've been hearing a lot of good things about it. After more than a year of wanting to try it, I was able to drag someone to try out their desserts. Well, I also had their buffalo wings just because I want something salty.

The buffalo wings are at Php 360+ for 6-8 pieces. Its kinda expensive but the marinade used for the wings is delicious so its still worth it for me.

For the main event, its the dessert! I'm not really that adventurous with desserts. I'm not that much of a berry and cheesecake fan so it was really hard for me to choose. I ended up choosing the frozen pie (Php 180+). Its actually good for 2-3 people, we even had this to take out because we weren't able to finish it. Nothing special for this dessert, its just vanilla ice cream in Oreo crusted pie with chocolate and caramel syrup topped with walnuts.

The other dessert that we ordered was their white Toblerone cheesecake. We had this for take-out for my other friend. According to him, it was nothing exceptional. Will try it sometime still.

I think I need to try Apartment 1b again, maybe for lunch. But I really like the ambiance of the place plus their service is great! Its good for long talks with friends and the such.

Restaurant: Apartment 1b at One Lafayette Square G/F 132 L.P. Leviste cor. Sedeno St., Salcedo Vill., Makati City
Date: July 18, 2008

Experiment 2: Chili con Carne

2008-07-18T14:12:00.001+08:00

I love Soup Kitchen's Chili. Which made me try this one.

You need:

oil
onions
garlic (chopped)
lean ground beef
whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped
tomato sauce
salt and pepper
ground cumin
chili powder
whole garlic cloves
red kidney beans or black beans
cheese

Cook this way:

Saute onion and garlic on oil.
Add ground beef and wait until it has browned.
Pour in peeled tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and whole garlic cloves.
Let it cook for 30-45 minutes.
Add the beans, and cook for another 20 mins.
Serve and add cheese if desired.

Chili on Rice

Chili on Rice with Cheese!

Experiment 1: Pakbet or Pinakbet

2008-07-18T10:38:00.001+08:00

I'm not a fan of vegetables. Yet I agreed to do this dish for my officemates. Probably because I just want to learn how to do this. :)

Note: I just taste and add stuff. I know the ingredients but I don't know the portions :P

You need:

pumpkin (cut into cubes)
eggplant (cut into bite size)
okra (cut in 2-3 parts)
string beans (cut in a size of 2" each)
bagoong/fish paste
minced garlic
chopped onions
oil
water
salt & pepper

Cook this way:

Saute garlic and onion in heated oil. Wait until garlic is slightly browned and onion is almost transparent.
Add the bagooong and stir for a while.
Add some water.
Put all the vegetables in the saucepan.
Wait for the vegetables to cook.
You may add more bagoong or water when trying to get the taste that you want.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Its just as easy as that. They liked it. It was a very simple dish yet very filling!

La Pinay with Nutella is Love

2008-07-15T09:30:00.001+08:00

After a fun workshop and some swimming, my officemates and I went to Cafe Breton to have dinner. Its supposed to be dinner but I'm really not hungry. I just want to have my dose of La Pinay with Nutella. Yes, I always add Nutella to my La Pinay. It tastes better that way for me since I'm a chocoholic. I have to say I really enjoyed it because the mango that was included was really sweet. :) One of my officemates, Redge, despite it being the third course that he has ordered, he still got a La Pinay with Nutella. :D

La Pinay with Nutella

Too bad I wasn't able to take pictures of the other food because I needed to meet somebody else first. But they still ordered food when I got there. Franz ordered Galette Americain. I tasted it and the burger with the mushroom is really good. Though the tomato is too sweet for me.

Galette Americain

For dessert, Donard ordered Nutella. Nutella and crepe goes well together but this one is a little too expensive for me.

Nutella

I like eating at Cafe Breton, food is great and the ambiance is nice as well. Though for me it is still best left as a dessert cafe. :)

Restaurant: Cafe Breton in Greenbelt 3
Date: July 12, 2008

Long over due

2008-07-09T17:10:00.000+08:00

Hi!

Welcome to my food blog! I'm Jo and I just love eating, trying new restaurants, cooking and experimenting. This blog would contain my recipes, food trips, and restaurant reviews (if i feel it).

Hope you'll enjoy! :)