Big Mao @ Ayala-Cebu

Big Mao is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Cebu--it's hip, modern and good value for money.  A Cebuano friend brought me to Big Mao at the Crossroads a couple of years ago and I'm hooked since.  On my recent trip to Cebu, I took two friends to lunch at Big Mao in Ayala.  We got a couple of dishes---my favorite appetizer, cold jellyfish salad, mixed vegetables, yang chow fried rice, a chicken dish and this beef dish.  I tasted oyster sauce, it has strips of beef with cheese and asparagus on top.  The beef was a bit tough, and the cheese didn't blend well with the flavor.  Unfortunately, this was not as delicious as it looks.

Linking to Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Scallops with Broccoli

I posted the appetizers last week, was lazy to post the rest of the photos.:p  So here's the second installment of our meal at Mongkok-Santana Grove.

The mixed vegetables tasted as it looks in this photo, just blah.  The vegetables were fresh but the flavor was lost on this soupy dish.

In an effort to eat more veggies, we chose yang chow with vegetables.  It was alright.

I was excited when I read scallops on the menu.  It's been a while since I had scallops.  But I didn't expect baby scallops---they were microscopic! I wondered if the scallops were harvested too early.  The dish was also totally bland...the delicate flavor of scallops was wasted on this dish.  Scallops probably taste better when baked with butter, or with cream sauce because this one didn't make the grade.

We left the restaurant unsatisfied, and mind you, our taste buds are not hard to please.  It was one of those meals that you feel sad after paying---what a disappointment! :#

 

Linking to Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

Appetizers @ Mongkok

I had a meeting near Santana Grove last week and decided to have an early dinner there before driving home.  U haven't been to Santana Grove and decided to join me for dinner.  Santana Grove is a cluster of restaurants and cafes along Sucat Road right beside Max's (if you're coming from SSHW) and ShopWise.  I remember there was a Starbucks, also a Yellow Cab Pizza, Tapa King, Jollibee, Chowking, Serye, Behrouz, Ice Monsters, Mongkok, plus a few others. 

We were walking towards Behrouz, a Persian restaurant, when U noticed Mongkok and asked if I have been there--I said, no.  My craving for jellyfish salad a few days before suddenly kicked in as U pulled me towards Mongkok to check out the menu.

Mongkok serves jellyfish salad so we decided to eat here.  We also shared a dimsum--tofu with shrimp puff, which was very good.  I love the cold jellyfish salad with century egg---couldn't get enough of this stuff!:p

More about Mongkok next week...getting hungry again!*LOL*

 

Linking to Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

Fish Fillet in Crab Meat Sauce

One of the dishes U and I had at a restaurant along the Baywalk at the Mall of Asia--still racking my brains for the name of the restaurant.:p  This was a delicious fish fillet in crab meat sauce.  You bet I'll be cooking my own version soon.

 

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King Dao Spareribs

Did you stick to your no-meat diet during Lent?  If you did, like any serious carnivore, I'm sure you've been craving for meat.  This  week alone, I've been wallowing in pork dishes (sorry, vegans)---like this King Dao Spareribs at Kirin's that U and I devoured breathlessly.  This was simply delicious with garlic fried rice!

Linking to Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Lunch @ Mey Lin

Kangkong with Garlic

Met a girlfriend for lunch after Christmas to shop for our wedding gift for our friend's son.  I skipped breakfast that morning and I was starving by 11 am.  Our first choice was Man Hann but it was full, Mey Lin was a good second choice.  Besides I have been craving for clams in oyster sauce, and I got my wish.  The fried salted spareribs was a compromise.:p

Fried Salted Spareribs 

Clams in ginger and oyster sauce

Linking to Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Nanking Beef and Tendon

My favorite hot pot dish at North Park---Nanking beef and tendon with radish.

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Comfort Eating? [T2Q]

@ mirandablue

It was one of those days when I wasn't really hungry but wanted to munch on something.  I was not tense or stressed, just bored.  My first instinct was to get a fully-loaded burger and fries at Wendy's but as I thought of calories and high blood pressure, I made a beeline for a Chinese restaurant.  At least, it would give me better choices.:p

The chicken and corn soup was really hot--it forced me to concentrate and kept me occupied for a while.

These steamed vegetable dumplings with shrimps were delicious, love the dipping sauce!  Too bad, I was already burping after finishing the soup and wasn't able to finish the dumplings.  I had the remaining pieces bagged for takeout--my nephew finished it off.

My questions for Thursday 2 Questions - you are invited to answer and join.

1)  What are your favorite comfort foods?

2)  Do you or do you not believe that people resort to comfort eating when times are hard?

@ mirandablue

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Shrimps with cashew nuts

@ mirandablue

Show me a menu and I would instinctively check out the seafood section first.  And 90% of the time, I would order a shrimp dish.  Yes, I am that predictable when it comes to shrimps.  I am probably Bubba Gump's soul sister.:p

Enjoy this stir-fried shrimps with celery, carrots, cucumber julienne and cashew nuts.

Posted for Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

Kingdao Spareribs Salad

@ mirandablue

There was some gentle arm-twisting before I agreed to order this Kingdao Spareribs Salad at Hong Kong Emperor Seafood Restaurant in MoA.  With a wide selection in the menu, there were lots of seafood dishes to order but my pork-loving-friend needed her fix.  But I was pleasantly surprised at the first bite---the spareribs were crunchy outside, it's tender and tasty inside.  I also like the sweet sauce and the lightly drizzled Japanese mayo.  Not a bad choice, after all.:p


To celebrate with the rest of the Friday food-trippers, I checked my tags and this is my 88th FTF post.  My first FTF  was posted on May 22, 2009.  Now that's quite a lot of food.  No wonder I keep on gaining weight!*LOL*

Posted for Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Steamed fish fillet

@ mirandablue

Light and delectable steamed fish fillet in garlic and soy sauce.  My usual dish when I am minding my diet, or when I'm a little pressed for time.  Needless to say, this is best eaten with yang chow fried rice.

Posted for Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

I Love Appetizers

@ mirandablue

I love appetizers--both warm and cold.  Appetizers assuage hunger, and the small servings are designed to be savored, to be lingered on.  When I have time for an appetizer, I relish every morsel.  Loading up on appetizers is also my way of cheating on rice.:p

Before the main course was served, I munched on fried beancurd and jellyfish salad with century egg.  I love this beancurd at Mey Lin Pot and Noddle House---the texture is so fine, I thought they were mushrooms.  And the aroma and flavor of cilantro enhanced the vinaigrette sauce. As always, the contrasting flavors of this chilled, crunchy jellyfish salad and the rich creaminess of century egg are delectable.

@ mirandablue

Posted for Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Anything Shrimps

@ mirandablue

When ordering food, my motto has always been "anything shrimp is good".  My family and I love shrimps in any form and it tastes soooo good no matter how we eat it---raw, fried, sauteed, breaded, steamed, boiled, roasted and grilled.  

This shrimp dish from Mey Lin is originally listed in the menu as "squid with special sauce".  But when the waiter said shrimp is an option I opted for shrimp.  I couldn't figure out what's in the "special sauce" but it was spiced just right with dried chili peppers and bay leaves.  I loved the crunch of radish and whole peanuts.  A succulent shrimp dish I'd like to return to.

Posted for Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

Aniseed Beef Tendon

@ mirandablue

One of my favorite dishes at North Park is the Nanking Beef and Aniseed Beef Tendon.  I love beef tendon, especially when it's tender and melts in your mouth.  And the distinctive flavor of aniseed was just perfect, not overwhelming.  I would buy beef tendon every week if not for my mom's uric acid level.:p

I was in San Juan last week and made a wrong turn at a one-way street.  I almost made a U-turn at a gas station when I noticed a North Park along P. Guevarra.  As usual, it was way past lunchtime and the place was almost empty (which I prefer to a lunchtime crowd).

I got these shrimp dumplings (hakao) for appetizer.  It was a delightful lunch.

@ mirandablue

More mouth-watering servings at Food Trip Friday and Food Friday