Conti’s assorted pastries from Spider-man!

When I was walking Spider-man to his car at the office parking lot on his last day at work this year, he kept gushing about the Conti’s pastries he just had.  It was his first time to try them, quite funny since he was the one who brought the pastries to work that day.  You see, he brought at least, I think, eight boxes of these luscious, sinful treats to give away to his engineers.  I was the only one outside his team who got a box.  Hahaha!!!  Thanks Spider-man (and of course thanks to the wifey, Juvy).

 

I haven’t really tried them yet.  All I could tell is that it is an assortment of pastries – butterscotch bars, cashew brownies, choco chip brownies, coffee butterscotch, and food for the goods.  I’m quite thankful to Spider-man for remembering me on his list!

 

I saved them for our holiday dinner at home.  So I’m putting off the ‘review’ for later.  But I do know that Conti’s has one of the most respected names in the pastry industry.  And one of the most memorable birthday cakes I have ever had was the tower that was Conti’s Mango Bravo (I think) that Friendship gave me a couple of years back.

 

But in what could only be called ‘food porn,’ I’m sharing just some of the pictures for now!  Enjoy!  Happy Holidays!

LZM “Lutong Bahay” – gastronomic feast closest to the warmth of hearth and home

On board Spider-man's car on the drive to LZM. That's Chax, and of course, Spider-man!

For quite a while, I’ve been harping about that it has really been looking a lot like Christmas.  I mean, eversince Batman and I saw the Christmas trees being put up in Greenbelt 5, it has felt like Christmas.  Even the gentle breeze already carries the season, as it kisses your cheeks and whispers in your ear.

 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t and can’t still take off early as a lot of work still needs to be done.  Not that I’m complaining, because, as a lot of people know, I love what I’m doing.  I love my work so it’s not really work.

 

True enough, December 23 was still bustling with activity here in the office.  And since a lot of our engineers, especially the new ones, still reported to work, we thought about going out to lunch!  It was a way to reconnect with one another, over none other than the closest to home-cooked meal that we could get.  A couple of generous people helped spread the season by footing the bill – Brother and one of my four new engineers, Dennis.  And for good measure, I just threw in a little more.  Hahaha!!!

 

The bill amounted to Php 7,170.00, plus a generous tip.  Not bad for satisfying 23 really hungry people!  I was joking over lunch that I must’ve starved all of them with too much work (I was department Officer-In-Charge) because each dish was literally wiped out the very moment the serving platters landed on the table!  But I guess the fact that we had to really wait was the more likely reason.

 

But as what we have come to love at LZM Lutong Bahay at their original restaurant in Silang, Cavite, the food at this new branch we went to – the one in the “Magdaragat” Paluto (“Magdaragat” cook-to-order) – was just superb!

 

 

 

 

Of course, there were the requisite ‘giant’ Daing na Bangus (Crispy-fried Milkfish marinated in vinegar and spices, Php 250.00).  I’ve always loved this, though I still maintain that the one at Leisure Coast Resort in Pangasinan is still the best.  The Beef Bulalo (Beef Bone Marrow Soup, Php 360.00) was really comforting.  The essence of beef was well-pronounced in the stock that was so hot, I got a facial!  Devouring the bone marrow Chax served me, I felt like I had a death wish while having my lunch!  The vegetables in the dish were plenty and were left half-cooked, really crisp and brightly colored.  So those couldn’t help but just whet my appetite further!  The Buttered Garlic Prawns (Php 240.00) were really fresh.  The garlic was really prominent and some of it on top were a little raw.  The freshness of the prawns infused the buttery sauce with a certain sweetness that was refreshing.

 

 

 

The Tortang Talong (Omelet of Grilled Eggplant, Php 120.00) was my special request.  I loved the smoky goodness the grilling always imparted to the eggplants.  It was just further enhanced by the sauce I made out of lots of calamansi (Philippine lemon) juice, soy sauce and siling labuyo (Philippine chili).  And the way LZM does their tortang talong, totally left devoid of any other ingredients to enhance the dish, is exactly how I love it.  Added to our vegetable repertoire was the Pinakbet (Mixed fresh vetables stewed in fermented shrimp paste, Php 270.00).  Of the many variations made to this all-time favorite dish, LZM’s is my favorite.  It’s the faint sweetness that you would get from the sauce that married the freshness of the vegetables with the pungency of the fermented shrimp paste that I always found irresistable!

 

 

 

The final dish on our table was the one that surprised me the most!  It was the usual Calamares (Fresh squid in rings in a light batter, deep-fried to a golden crisp!, Php 190.00) though what LZM did was probably get the freshest catch, coated them in a light batter and fried them to perfection!  I got the crunch right away, and the coating revealed the most tender, sweetest squid rings I’ve ever had.  I didn’t need any ‘thousand island dressing’.  The calamares themselves alone were super!

 

Right after lunch, I laughed at myself when I realized that I was scratching my tummy – in public!  I guess that was just me unconsciously giving my stamp of approval to a lunch and time well spent.  With great food.  With really great people!

With my engineer, Dennis (generous!) and Spider-man...

eNTeNG loved these – Chocolate Pecan Cupcakes from Betchie Jose

The cupcakes from THE Betchie Jose! I super LOVED this!

One thing nice about the holidays is that it affords you the chance to be surprised.  This week, everytime I left my desk, I would almost always feel a half-hearted anticipation the very moment I was retracing my steps back to my cubicle after meetings.  And rightfully so, because I always found beautifully packaged, wrapped (edible) gifts, short of being festooned for the holidays, sitting on the pedestal table that is my desk, waiting for me.

 

I’m quite thankful for all of them, for it feels great to be remembered.  I was raised to always say thank you for any gift – big or small – and these thoughtful treats are no exception.  Laugh all you want but truly…  it is the thought that really counts.

 

Which was why I don’t really know why my very good friend Betchie Jose was quite ‘apologetic’ about the cupcakes she left on my desk yesterday.  Because not only did she think of me and put me on her Christmas list.  She, more importantly, thought of me well with what she gave.

 

The card said ‘Malen’s Pizza Pasta Bakeshop.’  And inside the bright red-and-gold holiday gift box tied with a wide ribbon in that-other-holiday-color green, and embellished with a gold bell, were eight of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had.

Sitting pretty on my 'The Cellar' saucer is Malen's chocolate pecan cupcake from THE Betchie Jose!

 

You know very well that I swear by ‘Cupcakes By Sonja,’ the authority on cupcakes!  Even Friendship, in an e-Mail to me in the first half of November this year, said, “By the way, there’s this cupcake café in town (Alabang Town Center – eNTeNG), in front of Marks & Spencer…  and the verdict?  Sonja’s cupcakes are still the best!”  And then there are ‘Marta’s Cupcakes’ which I like too.

 

And now, these – Malen’s Cupcakes, courtesy of none other than THE Betchie Jose.

 

I found these cupcakes to be very light – truly what fluffy means.  On my first bite, I noticed just how much these cupcakes were really “small cakes.”  They were like your typical sponge cake, covered generously by the your usual boiled chocolate icing (against the buttercream frosting Sonja has perfected…  oh, with Marta a close second!).  But what really pleasantly surprised me was the fact that these cupcakes were NOT sweet at all!  Yes, the icing glistened under the light.  And the barely caramelized grooves of the pecans that also captured glints seemed like portents of extreme sugar rush.  But no, they were just right.  I actually LOVED the ‘bitter’ hints that I caught with every bite.  The soft cake crumb itself readily gave in to every piercing bite of my teeth.  And the icing that came with every sinful bite was the perfect foil to the bitterness that was teasing my taste buds.

 

Yes, there were eight cupcakes in the box.  And I had four of them just to myself.  Good thing there was still the value of sharing that kept my conscience on check…  And allowed me to share these delights with my family!

 

I don’t know who Malen is.  Or where her ‘pizza pasta bakeshop’ stands.  All I know is that she does a good job on her chocolate pecan cupcakes, no doubt!

All that was left was this paper liner - the silent witness to the attack of the eNTeNG!