Don’t judge the cookie it is not a book

The Fujiya Chocochip Cookie Cocoa broken in half. Look at that chewy, chunky center!

CHOCOLATE IN its many incarnations can sometimes leave me dulled by surfeit.  And just when I had found myself staring at the precipice of getting jaded, along came a cookie so redundantly named it rendered my defenses helpless.

Unassuming in its varying dull hues of brown, the wrapper simply said “Fujiya Chocochip Cookie Cocoa Country Ma’am” and didn’t appear to be trying enough to whet my appetite.

But once I tore the foil package open to reveal the cookie, I chided myself for rushing to judgment.  After all, what right have I to judge this cookie by its cover, after all it is not a book?  Hahaha!

Seriously, this chocochip cookie was not what I’m used to when it comes to chocolate cookies.  The closest I could compare it to will have to be Martha Stewart’s very own Mudslide cookies.  But this Japanese creation boasts of a number of things beginning with a pretty exterior – a tender crust – that looks like it has a thumbprint on top.  I found the indentation to be quite cute.

I broke the cookie in half and that was when the very chewy center ensconced by the tender crust revealed itself.  It was a mildly dark overload of chewy cookie goodness dotted with firm, yet smoothly textured, mini chocolate kisses (instead of the usual “chips”).  The cross section brought to mind Ms. Stewart’s mudslide cookies which I have loved, as well as the image of hot chocolate lava cascading down until it got frozen still.

Anybody who loves me can stuff lots of these in my Christmas stocking.  Hahaha!  I’ve only had two and they’ve proven to be unforgettable.

The unassuming wrapper

 

I found the indentation on top to be cute. Get into the groove!

 

Super YUM-O!!!

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Special crab for the crabby me

The curacha

THESE THREE musketeers came knocking, begging to be part of dinner.

Save for the lone lobster, I’ve never had these – the curacha – in my three decades of existence.  My first encounter with them was by way of a photograph on the pages of Mabuhay magazine on board a Philippine Airlines flight to Tokyo.

I gathered that these are gifts from a friend who came back from Zamboanga where these funky crabs claim provenance.  They look like a cross between the (usual) crab and the lobster.  With a shell that huge, I have high expectations that they are really meaty.

I’ve yet to try them.  They scared me a bit the first time I saw them – I know, pathetic! – and my knee-jerk reaction was to throw them in the freezer.  But I love crustaceans anyway.  That’s a given.

Two curachas and a lobster.

 

Crabby & Lobsty

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Two presidentiables and confusion

I CAME to work wearing this today.  I won’t charge this ensemble to nueral traffic gone haywire because I guess, I actually thought about balancing everything out.

The shirt I’m wearing is for Mr. “Sipag at Tiyaga” (industriousness and perseverance) while on my wrist are baller ID bands for Mr. “Hindi Ka Nag-Iisa” (you are not alone).  And oh, the blue is for Mr. “Padyak” (pedicab).

Gosh, I’m confused!

Sipag at Tiyaga... Hindi Ka Nag-Iisa... Padyak... all rolled into one!

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Keeping score

WHILE MOST people “people watch”, I “wristwatch watch.”

And one of the best places to do this really subtly is at the supermarket.  Last Saturday I went to one at the Southern tip of Metro Manila.  I didn’t go there just to really do my “wristwatch watching” because I had a battle plan – a list I took down on acid-free Moleskine paper (thank God for the perforated pages!).  I love this supermarket so much because eventhough its size is not prententiously imposing, its shelves are full of groceries that can put humungous establishments to shame.

But I’m shelving my adulation of this supermarket for now, saving it for a later post.  What I want to share with you is the result of my very subtle observation on what were strapped on shoppers’ wrists!

I was totally so into my grocery list but when a gentle, mild-mannered lady reached out for the roll of plastic bag at the produce section, I couldn’t help but squint when the light reflected on the sapphire crystal of her wristwatch hit my eye.  Omega Constellation!

I got distracted and ended up “wristwatch watching” as I moved from aisle to aisle.

The tally?  Omega – 3 (2 Constellation, both ladies’, and 1 Seasmaster, gents’).  Rolex – 5 (but none was the Milgauss).  Technomarine – 2 (both ladies’, with one of the wearer treating her wristwatch-less boyfriend like an “alalay”…  Here!  There!  Get that!  No, one more!).  Gucci – 1 (ladies’, leather strap).  Philippe Charriol – 1 (ladies’).  Casio Databank – 1 (I used to wear one in high school).  Tag Heuer Aquaracer – 1.

I didn’t espy anybody wearing a Philip Stein except myself.  (Batman, I can hear you laughing!)

Oh, before I finally made my turn for the checkout counter, I almost bumped into a nice American expatriate lady toting a Birkin in the supplest black leather.

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

I heart kutchay

Mongkok's Kutchay (Garlic Chive) Dumplings

TO FEEL the love of the people whom we love is a fire that feeds our life.  Pablo Neruda said that.  (And Summit even posted it on facebook.)

But when all else fails, there’s always food.

After self-control won over the debate on whether or not I should get the Chotovelli I’ve been eyeing for months now, I figured that only food could give me comfort.  There were too many voices in my head – the kind that would make the House of Tudor send me to be burned at the stake – that I realized only a familiar taste to the palate could calm me down.  Oh yeah, and tell me that I made the right decision to put off yet another wristwatch purchase.

I gave T750 at Glorietta 5 a final heartbroken – almost longing – glance and then I went on my way to dinner.  There, my choices would always be a toss up between The Soup Kitchen and Mongkok – funny that these two are actually across each other.  Mongkok won me over by virtue of having booths.  I thought that I could just get slumped onto the cushioned seat in a sulk.

At Mongkok I already have my usuals.  So I would politely motion with my hands that I don’t need the menu anymore.  But this night being an unsuccessful shopping night, I thought about asking for something new to me.  I guess I just wanted something new.

So after asking for Stuffed Tofu (partially hollowed out tofu squares stuffed with a ball of siomai ham) and Beef Tendon Noodle Soup (extra-thin Hong Kong-style egg noodles in a steaming hot beef broth with braised gelatinous beef tendon and fresh vegetables), I finally decided to try the Kutchay Dumplings for the first time.

Stuffed Tofu in a yummy brown sauce

 

The tofu is partially hollowed out to accommodate the siomai ham stuffing.

 

Beef Tendon Noodle Soup

 

I loved the very crisp baby bok choy!

And boy was I glad I did!  Each plump dumpling – a serving has three – was encased in translucent rice paper wrapper, teasing my eyes with the mosaic created by the deep green kutchay (garlic chive) leaves, minced pork and shrimp.  The perfectly steamed slightly thick wrapper wiggled as if mirroring my own excitement, as I took one dumpling in between my chopsticks.  I dunked it in the sauce I made out of calamansi, chili and soy sauce, and bit off half.  Though it was a huge dumpling, I could fit it in my mouth!  But I exercised self-control yet again because I wanted to see how the inside looked like.

My new-found love – Kutchay Dumplings!

Mongkok’s kutchay dumpling was a study in contradiction.  Kutchay being garlic chives, I expected to be assaulted with a really intense, almost pungent flavor, totally relying on my dipping sauce to temper the sensation.  Instead, what I savored was a subtle fragrance that brought hints of celeriac to mind.  The greens were still a bright green, with a give to the bite – not mushy at all.

I enjoyed the dumplings so much that one serving was not enough.  While I chewed, I felt a calm wash over me.  Best of all, they prevented me from doing what I intended to do to myself for being so indecisive about Chotovelli.

That is, get a plate and bust it over my head.  Hahaha!

I washed everything down with Pineapple Juice! I love it for the fiber!

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

I didn’t even have to activate the searchlight

I WAS about to shine my Bat-signal into the sky of Thursday’s cold and breezy December night when my cellphone broke the quick swinging action I was about to give my searchlight.

I picked up my squealing electronic gadget and the text message sender’s name put a smile on my face as I snatched the thought that formed in the bubble atop my head.  Batman always knows whenever I need him.

I was having a crappy day – there’s always one from time to time – and nothing like a surprise from a really great friend made for a wonderful pick-me-upper.

Batman said that he sent over some things for me through the kindness of my officemate he’s classmates with in MBA.  And we’re not even in the twelve days of Christmas!

I can’t wait to get my hands on them today.  Thanks, Batman.  You made my week!

Batman, the Joker and eNTeNG c”,)™©

 

Superman and Batman

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Meaningful five

FIVE HAS always been a special number to me.  All the time I was in school, I was always – ALWAYS – seat number five, arranged alphabetically by surname.  And my nickname begins with the fifth letter of the alphabet.

The number has again managed to reveal its meaning to me when I realized that there are that many wristwatches that have come to mean much in the course of the past year.  And before 2009 comes to an end, I thought it’d be nice to look back.

Tag Heuer Aquaracer

Tag Heuer Aquaracer in all stainless steel with a brushed silver dial.  The thing about Tag Heuer is that it is really strong, they being proud about carving each wristwatch from a solid block of stainless steel.  To be given something like this could only mean strength.

The one on the upper right corner is the Raj by Karim Rashid for Alessi.

Raj by Karim Rashid for Alessi in black.  This is one of the time pieces Alessi created in partnership with the foremost names in innovative and cutting edge (interior) design.  The stark simplicity of this wristwatch is what I find really attractive – arrestingly so.  I think only someone with an equally commanding presence could strap this on their wrist.

ToyWatch chronograph, as featured on the last page of US Men’s Vogue magazine.  This wristwatch got major backing when Oprah put it on her Christmas Favorite Things list.  But what I love most about it – aside from its ingenious use of plastic and other lightweight materials – is the fact that it comes from Chicago, one of my most beloved cities in the whole wide world.

Philip Stein Teslar Signature dual time zone wristwatch in black dial with gunmetal steel face.

Philip Stein Teslar Signature dual time zone wristwatch in black dial with gunmetal steel face.  Another wristwatch that got the blessing of the Oprah.  But for me, what I love about this is the fact that it is the perfect gift for someone who doesn’t really drool over something that it thought of as trendy or “in the moment” but may give something that has health and fitness benefits a consideration.

Philip Stein Teslar Signature dual time zone wristwatch in white dial with white face.

Philip Stein Teslar Signature dual time zone wristwatch in white dial with white face.  This is the one I’m wearing right now.  And this early, I can vouch for its purported benefits!  It’s a great plus that everytime I glance at it to check the time, I get reminded of someone.

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

A year – or so – in wristwatches

AS HAS always been the case with me, if I will have to express my highest regard for another human being in terms of something tangible – an actual material thing – it will have to be thru a wristwatch.

A few days ago, I finally felt it was high time to accord my own self with that same regard.  The one wristwatch that I have been pining for for months now, I finally got.

That's my gift to myself – the Philip Stein Teslar wristwatch! It works wonders!

And in a year – or so – that blitzed through hell and high water, natural and man-made disasters, I look back to five other wristwatches that have come to mean so much in my life.

I can’t help but feel thankful for some things that we can hold on to.

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Buying with your eyes first

A COUPLE of display windows at the malls caught my eye.

In its simplicity, one evoked images of Parisian haute couture.

In its brilliant splendor, the other conjured up images of Christmas past.

The very classic intertwined Cs of the house of Chanel.

Louis Vuitton – the best play of lights I've ever seen in many years.

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

All about loving myself

SATURDAY TURNED out to be all about loving myself.

For one, I made good on my promise to treat myself to Cibo’s Panna Cotta Ciccolato (Php 143.00).  But that’s getting ahead of myself.

My table for one at Cibo in Glorietta.

The night before, I had a great dinner with Kakel at Cibo in Town.  On Saturday night, I went back to the same restaurant, but at their Glorietta branch.  While I enjoy being in the company of family and friends over good food, I don’t have even the faintest hint of hesitation – even an iota of indecision – to dine on my own.  When the very comely wait staff welcomed me by saying, “Sir, table for…”  I cut him short with, “For one, please,” before he could even finish his question.  It wasn’t a curt reply at all.  I do remember beaming from ear to ear.  Especially since I was already toting in my hand my Christmas present for myself.  Hahaha!

Crema Di Zucca

This particular dinner was all about comfort so I asked for my usuals – the zuppe di Crema Di Zucca (soup of summer squash, cream, and slab bacon, Php 185.00), the Spaghetti Alla Romana (spaghetti with sardines in oil, extra virgin olive oil, fennel, chili peppers, and red pesto, Php 225.00), and the Panna Cotta Ciccolato.  Of course, my drink could only be Tomato Juice (Php 90.00).

Spaghetti Alla Romana, my favorite!

 

That fennel frond on top was just so tempting I munched it first! The sardines were perfect, a far cry from the usual bottled variety at the grocery (though there's one brand I hold dear!). And the shredded fennel bulb was just the right sweetness!

The star of this dinner was the pasta, to which the kitchen generously added extra fennel.  I was so excited to get my fork into the dish but not without first snatching the fennel frond that prettily sat on top of the mound.  As I played with it in my mouth, shredding the pin-like succulent foliage with my teeth, I got an arresting shot of an almost-licorice essence.  It was all good.

Each strand of the al dente spaghetti was perfectly coated with the glorious melding of extra virgin olive oil and the oil in which the sardines marinated.  The chili peppers and the red pesto provided a pow-wow layer of heat that developed as I savored the dish.  But the shredded fennel bulb – the white part – provided the perfect counterfoil to this spiciness.  I couldn’t think of anybody else delivering such a great pasta creation for the discriminating Filipino palate.

I started harping about panna cotta ciccolato and ended up raving about the pasta.  Oh, life!

The Panna Cotta Ciccolato that I love!

 

Two receipts from two wonderful dinners!

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.