Forget My Fries Not

Fast food is everybody's go to food stop anytime that they are hungry and could not decide what food to eat. So, I guess it is only right for me to commend these establishments which have been working on their customer service.


Earlier on during the day, I met my friend Ms. Lulu at a Jollibee near our house. Sitting waiting for me, she was already done eating. But before I can take a seat next to her she diverted my attention towards a piece of paper on her table. Apparantly it was a survey form of the fast food chain aimed at improving their services. However, Lulu did not want to answer it as it contained personal information such as: Saan ka nangaling? Saan ka pupunta? How is my answers going to improve their services, she asked. Well, I thought it was more a marketing survey for the company to know what type of market are they catering to. Somehow the answers would lead for the comapny to find out about its customer's financial situation. Still, she refused, leaving it unanswered and gave back the paper to the one in charge when he checked on her.

Also, during the day, my mother was surprisingly asking me if I wanted some burger mc do. Of course, yes. I also loved the cheeseburger, I mean who wouldn't as my brother did say Mc Do's cheese burger is the best. Apart from the cheese, it has pickles on it. But, this is not about the cheeseburger. Why of all a sudden would my mom ask all us if we wanted some McDo?

Apparently, she's going to send my little sister on an errand at this fast food joint. My sister is not just going to buy us food, she's going to pick up something which is some forgotten fries.My mom went to Mc Do , yesterday or the day before that, and had her meal upsized. According to her she asked the girl for some extra ketchup, which the girl said, meron na daw.
The girl may not have forgotten this condiment, but she sure did forget my mother's fries. So my mom called up the customer service( not 8mcdo), the number found in the receipt and reported the incident.

The Customer Service Assistance was very apologetic about the situation, as my mom said they even offered to have that certain fries delivered. But, as you know my sister picked it up.

Pizza secret

by Ana Valenzuela
Published Manila Standard Today August 17, 2011

Being a pizza junkie, I yearn for nothing but the taste of this palatable Italian dish. Sometimes at home, I would make one for myself using leftover pasta sauce and spread it on pita or even Pullman bread, top it with slices of cheddar cheese, then heat it in the oven toaster. My own rendition of pizza is enough to fill my appetite.

However, after all the pizzas that I’ve tried—from my homemade specialty to different bars , cafés and restos— there would always be certain pizza joints that I always go back to, and wish that I could eat my favorites as often as I want— if not to commit the sin of glutton, at least know what makes their pizza delectable. We all know that some secrets are meant to be shared, right?

So, imagine my excitement, when I was recently invited to tour Yellow Cab’s kitchen at Megamall. Yellow Cab has always had an open kitchen setup, where there in front of you, are the cooks and chefs, carefully rolling the crust, grating the cheese, measuring the onions and mushrooms, and spreading other toppings. But, it still makes you wonder what makes it Yellow Cab’s pizza a favorite of many Filipinos.

Genelyn Bermudo, marketing officer of Yellow Cab Pizza Co. answers this question during the tour. “Pizza is known for its tomato and cheese, these are the soul of the pizza,” she says. “So we depend on all natural, all fresh ingredients. This is what makes our pizza tastier. Yellow Cab uses fresh garlic, fresh mushroom, fresh vegetables as well as natural and fresh cheese.”

So, from Four Season’s to New York’s Finest, Yellow Cab works only with fresh ingredients that are delivered daily. With Yellow Cab’s innovative menu, like the Barbeque Chicken Pizza and Roasted Garlic and Shrimp, these do not use tomato as base, like the usual pizzas they do however have cheese. Maybe apart from garden fresh vegetables, the secret is in the cheese.

“We depend on the quality of the cheese—our cheeses are supposed to be fresh also,” Bermudo affirms. That certain cheese which Yellow Cab has been filling our appetites with is no less than Fonterra’s parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Since Yellow Cab started and opened its first branch in Makati Avenue on April 2001, Fonterra has been supplying them with the cheeses and creams (used for pasta).

“It’s perfect to partner with Yellow Cab because they stress on the freshest ingredients,” says Pauline Lagdameo, Fonterra Brands Philippines chief advisory chef says. Fonterra locally distributes brands such as the Anchor butter, Anlene and Anmum.

Fonterra assures pizza lovers like me of the quality of the cheeses that they provide Yellow Cab. The cheese goes through a process of aging and adding flavor. The cheese are made from fresh New Zealand’s cow milk using natural cheese resulting in excellent stretch for mozzarella and rich, strong flavors for Parmesan. “The distinct characteristic of mozzarella is that it is stringy. They knead the curd—like kneading dough, which is where you get that distinct is stringy characteristics. The other one is parmesan cheese. Parmesan would not go through that kneading process and it is harder, stronger in flavor because it is preserved for a longer period of time,” explains Lagdameo.

Now that I know what makes Yellow Cab’s pizza, I would definitely try this at home. Hmm, maybe. But, for now I’ll just a call the Yellow Cab.

Travel and taste

by Ana Valenzuela

Published Manila Standard Today

July 27, 2011

The Philippines has a rich culture, and this is reflected in our cuisine.

“The international media has long been saying Philippine cuisine is Asia’s best kept secret, so it’s time to discover the taste of Philippine flavor,” says Ryan Sebastian, project coordinator of the Department of Tourism during a recent tie-up of the DoT with the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) in promoting Pinoy culinary delicacies.

With 7,107 islands, the Philippines is rich not only in marine and natural resources and seas but also in recipes. DoT is encouraging people not only to visit the sites and see the attractions, but to taste the food as well to really enjoy the Philippines.

“We have a lot of recipes including cooked or barbecued innards (like small intestines, heart and gizzard of chiken) which are popular treats among Pinoys and is also gaining popularity among foreign tourists. In cooking, we usually season it with the usual herbs and spices that we use at home (like onions, garlic, laurel leaves and black pepper),” says CCA instructor, Chef Ojie Reloj of Filipino food.

"Foreigners enjoy these treats because for them, it's like like being in a Fear Factor challenge that is taste--rewarding. These aren’t the only gastronomical fare that we can be proud of. There is also our popular Adobo and Lechon, which are doing really well in the international market,” adds Chef Reloj.

What also makes Filipino recipes special is that it doesn’t have only one interpretation. This is evident in the different variations of adobos, sinigangs, pancit, and other dishes that we have grown to love. Chef Ojie even related that he would go as far as Cebu just so he could eat their lechon, even if there are numerous lechon outlets in metro Manila. What's more a dish may be interpreted in several different ways depending on the region.

For example, Chef Ojie shares, the La Paz Batchoy he grew up with in Manila is quite different from the original one. “I grew up with a family of food lovers and cooks. I grew up eating a version of La Paz Batchoy that does not have any noodles. But, when I went to Bacolod, Iloilo, that’s where I realized that they put noodles in it, the miswa. It is an entirely different-clear soup. They just put certain veggies, like kutchay. Per region, they have their own interpretation,” he says.

For foreigners or balikbayans wanting to learn to cook the dishes that have left them in awe, CCA offers a half day course. “One thing nice about the CCA is their facility is within the market. So that tourist would familiarize themselves with the ingredients needed on how to cook as they have already seen for themselves the available ingredients,” notes Ryan.

“Ten to 15 years ago, what was being served to foreigners were continental dishes.Now they when there is awareness, they now serve the likes of danggit, tinapa in a buffet breakfast. Now everybody is aware, that what they should serve is unique,“ says Ryan.

Seems like, more and more people are uncovering the secret that is Philippine cuisine. They have not only seen the sights, strolled in the beaches, swam in the seas, gained new friends, but also savoured a unique Pinoy travel experience as they’ve tasted our local dishes.

A Different Halohalo

Razon's started out as a resto in Pampanga but then, the number of branches in Manila are suddenly growing. They cater Filipino food.


Here's our (my friends ans mine) take on some of their food.


When it comes to the pinoy's favorite summer treat,..Halohalo,. we always think about sago, ube, ice cream, langka, and other colorful ingredients that make it sweet and just as yummy.

however, Razon's take on the famous merienda is quite different as it only has several ingredients and is paler in comparison.

so for me it is yummy, but its a different halohalo,. more like a cousin?

On their sizzling Bulalo:


My friend Khay says: " sobrang sarap, pwede bang huminig ng extra sauce?" Which she did, in case you are wondering.

My other friend Tin: Hindi Ganoon ka sarap
My take: okay! Tender


On their Sisig


Tin: Hindi ganoon ka sarap
Mela: Lasang sunog




Dinuguanno review, as our friend who ate this did not say anything, so you decide


Where we ate: Razon's Timog (March 2011)
Ambience: Clean
Service: Fast

Rating ***/5 stars

Stolen French Fries

Which fast food has the best french fries? Is it Jollibee's crispy you could hear it in your ears cackling as you bite in to the thinly cut "potatoes? Maybe McDonald's salty goodness that you don't care if its only 2% of real vegetable. Maybe KFC thickly cut fries covered with breading that that only Col. Sanders knows

OH french Fries, its like a cycle you grab a piece or two from that the nest of fries then dip into the ketchup then finally to your mouth. It's repetitive cycle that you just can't abhor until you run out of those fake oil-dipped potatoes , you just cant' get enough its tempting.

Maybe, the best question, is which fries are worth stealing?
He was getting us fries! OMG!

quietly freaking out, i could feel my eyes popping out of my face. I couldn't face the counter nor the one assisting us, who seemed to be going for it.

I couldn't believe it! Joimz, my cousin was getting away with it. All he really did was show the staff the card and Presto! Free Fries! Gosh! I was not gonna eat that, and I told my cousin just that.

It was something like Phoebe Buffay's stolen shoes going every time she walked, "not mine, not mine". I could imagine with each bite sounding "hin-di sa-yo, hin-di sayo"
Ay naku!

It was an ordinary sunday afternoon, just the two of us discussing future business plans, so we both went to a Tito's house. Then decided to grab a bite at a nearby fast food, which was KFC. He ordered the newest thing on the menu, the KFC SNACKBOX, while I went for something ordinary, a burger and fries.

A slow day for the resto, because there were only us and two tables occupied. The reason why, maybe there were no waiting chicken nor fries for us. So the cashier gave me a card for my waiting fries.

We took our seat at a nearby table. And i left Joimz to get a few condiments, ketchup, gravy, water that sort of thing. And as i had my tray of nearly everything i wanted, the cashier gave me my fries.

So we had everything then , right? We were about to finish our meal, when we noticed that we still had our card which would signal the staff to bring us something.

So my cousin and I thought of a dare. He said he could do it!

If no one notices, I'm gonna treat him to a movie, but if someone does,ah, he'll have to pay for my ticket.

So he called on the nearest staff member, the one clearing the table next to ours and brought to his attention that we were still waiting for something. FRIES!

Joimz eyes were focused on the guy, but then.
Yes, but then.

Phew!

The cashier who took our order asked the staff what it was for, then she approached us.

She and Joimz had a little discussion.

i couldn't bare to look, much less my deaf ears couldn't eavesdrop on what they were talking about? Were we gonna get our fries? Was he gonna get away with it?

And then, I found the cashier nodding and smiling towards my cousin.

Okay, cool it!

Nagpalusot lang pala ito, wahhahaahhaahha!!!! akwakakakak!!!!! He only asked about the snack box and not anymore the fries!

Bow!