Daiso Store (Manila, PH)

by Dory on May 5, 2013

in Manila

2013 Manila Series

Have you been to a DAISO store? I see it as a Japanese version of the American dollar stores..but MUCH better. They are not just cheap in price, but they are also cute and usually colorful items that are practical for our homes. I’m sharing some of the cool kitchen goodies I saw while shopping in Robsinsons Galleria Mall in Metro Manila.

Oil splatter guard. Ingenious. I love cooking Chinese food, especially with lots of “wok hei” or high heat. But “wok hei” usually means LOTS of splatters too. This is a cool product, although I think the manufacturing company should come up with nicer designs that matches home kitchens in America.

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Pasta Ruler. I’ve done it many times and I’m sure you must have too.  I’d cook too many pasta when I’m only feeding one. Then, because I am raised not to waste food, I’ll gobble them up anyway and feel stuffed after the fact.

I’ve never seen one of these before, but I think this pasta ruler is perfect for measuring just the right amount of pasta. No more wasting of good pasta! The numbers indicates the number of people the quantity can serve. Loveee it!

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Bento boxes. This DAISO branch carried a variety of lunch boxes too.

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CUTE Erasers. Let me repeat..CUUUUTTTEEE. These mini-erasers are too pretty. They came in a variety of food designs that looks so real. It is almost a waste to really use them as erasers.

Below is little dessert on a stick, some nice warm green tea.

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Juicy Fruit Pencil Cases.  Oh my. These gums bring up memories. I used to buy singles of  Juicy Fruit gums from street vendor outside my school in middle school.  I’m not even sure if Juicy Fruit is sold here in the States…

These pencil cases are adorable. I probably would own one too if they made these back then. He he..

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I can’t wait to visit other DAISOs.  Have you been to one? Which one is your favorite?

 

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2013 Korea series

One of the things I miss most about living in Asia is the access to countless variety of yummy snacks from street vendors almost any time of the day. I literally felt spoiled while I was there. I guess that’s why I love New York City so much, good food is always available 24 hours a day.

Here are some of the street foods that I tried in my 2013 Korea visit.

Poop “Dong” Bread in Insadong. There’s a medium sized 3 level- shopping center in Insadong area called Sam Sie Gil where you can find cool artsy knick knacks, jewelries, decorations and other trinkets to buy.

This “poop” bread is made served hot and is filled with sweet red bean paste inside.  The bread is very  soft and the sweet filling adds a nice  flavor to it! Cost is about $1 each.

My friend, Hyelin, enjoyed this “poop” bread with me!

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Close up view of the poop!

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Seafood Pancakes. I’ve only ordered seafood pancakes in Korean restaurants so I was surprised to see them sold as street food in Seoul. I took this picture in what they call the baking street.  The seafood pancake was about $10 each.

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DokBokki.  Koreans and many tourists area in love with this sticky rice cake snack.  I had mine in  MyeonDong.  The spicy sauce is very addictive and I liked it a lot with the fish cakes that came with the order, but I’m still really not a fan of the rice cake itself.  The sauce does not sip into the rice cake itself but it was overall okay. $3-4

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Yellow Bean Pancake. The vendors use a stone grinder that slowly ground the yellow bean into a mushy paste. The paste is seasoned and shaped into a disk and deep fried until cooked and crispy.

Personally, I think the pancake tasted good but too greasy for me.

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Grilled Squid in Myeondong. This squid is a must try! It’s so delicious.  It tastes savory and spicy, plus it’s crispy.  $2 per order. These are also available in packages in many Asian groceries stores in America, but trust me, these are faaaar better!! :)

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What our street foods in Asia have you tried and recommend?

 

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Star Cafe Miss Lee (Seoul, KR)

by Dory on April 28, 2013

in Seoul

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2013 Korea series

On Day 2 of my 2013 Korea visit – I went to checkout Insadong again. Insadong area is an area in Seoul where it’s always busy with tourists hunting for anything Korean and traditional as souvenir or gifts.  I’ve been to Insadong sight seeing on my own before. Today, I’ve come to discover more interesting things to check out at Insadong with Hyelin as my capable interpreter and tour guide. :)

“Star Cafe Miss Lee”
If you are looking for an interesting fun place to take a date in Seoul,  “Star Cafe Miss Lee” is worth checking out. This place is often very crowded and often visited by Korean pop followers ever since it was featured on a Korean drama, “We Got Married”.

This cafe atmosphere reminded me of small cramped restaurants in New York City. It barely has  enough legroom and ceiling space for an average Asian.

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I find this cafe quite cool.  Although the spot where we were seated at is very cramped, there’s so many cartoon pictures, doodles and colorful posters to look at around the restaurant.  It kept me looking around a lot!  At the center of the room, is a gigantic collection of notes. There must be like at least 10,000 pieces of notes hanging in there! Customers from Korea and everywhere around the world leaves a note in the restaurant as a remembrance.

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According to my friend and tour guide, HyelinStar Cafe Miss Lee‘s ambiance and food serving style is same as that of the 70s in Korea.

The menu is simple and food is cheap…about $7 per item.  I ordered the most popular item on the menu list – kimchi bibimpap lunchbox. Guess what? It is eat all you can!  

What’s most attractive about this cafe is not the food. It’s the experience that the restaurant gives to their customers. Aside from writing special notes, customers are given instructions on how to eat this kimchi bibimpap.  During my flight, I overheard a Westerner saying that eating bibimpap is too much work. LOL. (He went with the roast beef  meal instead).  So Star Cafe Miss Lee’s  concept may not work for a Western customer, but it seems to work for the Asians customers.

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The instruction given is that you grab a spoon and mix your lunchbox thoroughly after which you cover it with the lid and SHAKE IT.

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The restaurant is good! Even Bruce Lee says so…

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What I love most about this place is that you can sense that the owners want their customers to have fun while visiting their cafe – whether its the decors, food, music – the overall ambiance is just fun!

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Here’s a good video of Star Cafe Miss Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45V0r1T6rb4

Check out more awesome pics of Star Cafe Miss Lee from SleepWalkinginTokyo.
Official website of Star Cafe Miss Lee – http://www.missleecafe.com/
Please leave comments if you’ve been to Star Cafe Miss Lee in Seoul or if you are planning :)

 

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Chewisty Donuts (Seoul, KR)

by Dory on April 15, 2013

in Seoul

2013 Korea series

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It does not matter how many times I’ve had these donuts. I’m still absolutely in love with these chewy donuts from Mister Donut and Dunkin Donut shops in Seoul! Mister Donut calls them “Chewisty Donuts” while Dunkin Donut calls them “Pon De Ring”. Whatever they call it is fine by me…the combination of the bread’s chewiness, tasty variety of flavors and non-greasiness makes it very addictive for me. In fact I tried to make my own version of Chewisty before. I even made a pumpkin flavored Chewisty Donuts for Thanksgiving years ago.

Once my flight landed in Incheon Airport for my connecting flight to Philippines, I made a quick stop to gate 44 area to stop by Mister Donut for a Cappuccino and Green Tea flavored Chewisty donut. I brought some for my best friend, Al to try. He’s heard me talk about it on several times so I was excited to share it with him.

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Al agreed that they are very good. He said it’s much better than the ones they sell there in Manila.

After my stay in the Philippines, I went flew back into Incheon Airport to continue my vacation to Seoul, Korea. During my 7 days in Seoul, I took every opportunity to have these amazing donuts. The most common flavors are green tea, olive, cheese and cappuccino. I miss the pumpkin flavor that I’ve had in Itaewon back in 2011. It was probably a seasonal flavor.

Mister Donut in Sukdae:
Soyeon and I went to an optical shop in Sukdae, her old stomping ground. While I wait for her I made a quick stop to Dunkin Donut across the street. It was already 9 pm at night. So there was only a few items available. I bought the last piece of donut for that day – cheese flavored.

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Dunkin Donut in Myeondong:
I enjoyed a nice afternoon coffee time with my friend Soyeon, who never had Dunkin Donut’s Chewisty bread until I introduced her to it. Soyeon took a few bites, nods her head…”Wow Dory! I never knew Dunkin Donut make these kind of yummy donuts! I always wonder why people still keep coming to Dunkin Donut“. Looks like I converted another one. She also had the green tea.

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Dunkin Donut (Departure area) in Incheon Airport:
It seems like a tradition now for me to buy a few Chewisty donuts to take with me on my flight back to the U.S. Airplane food is hardly appetizing so these donuts are great to have.They kinda help me feel an extension of my vacation while on the plane.

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Halo Halo (Manila, PH)

by Dory on March 26, 2013

in Dessert, Manila

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2013 Philippines series

What’s the most popular dessert in the Philippines must I try? if you ask this question to any Filipino, you are bound to get one unanimous answer – Halo Halo. The word “halo” literally means “to mix” in Filipino. Repetition of the word twice to Halo-halo means a mixture of sorts.

Halo halo dessert is a mixture of sweets like boiled kidney beans, sugar palm fruit (kaong), coconut and plantains caramelized in sugar, jackfruit (langkâ), flavored jellies, tapioca pearls, nata de coco, sweet potato (kamote), cheese, pounded crushed young rice (pinipig). For toppings, a scoop or spoonful of the following are good choices – purple yam, flan, ice cream, and evaporated milk.

Two hours after I landed to Manila, my buddy Al took me to eat Filipino food at the famous Aristocrat Restaurant in Roxas Boulevard. After inhaling the Chicken bbq with rice and lumpiang ubod, I finally got to enjoy my first halo halo in two years. Topped with ube flavored ice cream.

My second halo halo was at Heat Buffet Restaurant in Shangri La Hotel. I got to enjoy seeing our server, Paul , prepare it meticulously to create a sumptuous looking halo halo that is fit for a food magazine shot (above).

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So when you plan to visit the Philippines, make sure you try some of this refreshing and sweet dessert!

 

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Snake Bake Goods

by Dory February 25, 2013

Kung Hei Fat Choy! Sorry for the late posting! Can’t believe it’s lunar new year celebration time again! It’s unbelievably warm around this time of the year at 40s to 50 degrees, I sure hope it stays that way. Here are some ideas on how to bring the lunar new year festivities to your dining [...]

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Pan Fry Herb Chicken White Wine Sauce

by Dory January 30, 2013

I bought a bottle of white wine from Trader Joe’s  yesterday. Lately, I’ve been wanting to experiment cooking with wine more since I had a smashing success with the Chicken Madeira Wine recipe.  Reducing wine in cooking with medium to low heat generates tastes that add depth to a dish’s flavor.  So I decided to [...]

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Buttery Soft “Snake” Pretzel

by Dory January 28, 2013

I really enjoy freshly baked pretzels, especially when they are stuffed with good sausage or hotdogs. For the Lunar New Year celebrations, I wanted to make a snake shaped pretzel..I found lots of inspiration online and ventured to make my own. This recipe is from AllRecipes. It’s fairly easy to make for a new bread [...]

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Roasted Garlic Thyme Potatoes

by Dory January 27, 2013

This recipe is my fool proof recipe that I go to every time I am hosting a dinner. It’s easy to make but tastes flavorful. Your guests will think you took culinary classes! Olive oil, good quality sea salt and garlic when combined together creates strong wonderful flavors, adding the herbs just makes it earthy [...]

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Apple Pie in a Jar

by Dory January 6, 2013

Happy new year! Like many people around the world, losing weight is one of my new year’s resolution. I cannot imagine sacrificing all the good food out there that I’d yet to discover and taste. I guess it simply means I will have to work out more and control food portions or maybe save all [...]

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