5 Comfort Food for Rainy Days

Wazzup Pilipinas!

June marks the start of the rainy season in the Philippines. It’s also a strange time that makes us feel like cozying up at home and grabbing a bite of our comfort food. Luckily, Filipino food culture is booming with delicious meals that will surely satisfy you during the La Nina season.

Craving for comfort food? Check out these foods below!

Lomi

Nothing warms up the belly like a hot bowl of Lomi. Lomi is a kind of Filipino soup that shares its origins in Batangas. It is best known for its thick and rich broth that goes hand in hand with egg-based noodles and other savory toppings such as chicharon or liver pieces. Other provinces have made their own versions, but either way, it’s a must-have for the cold weather!

Arroz Caldo

You can never go wrong with ordering Arroz Caldo any day. It means warm rice in Spanish and is a bright yellow congee flavored by ginger and chicken stock. Arroz Caldo has shredded chicken meat that will surely fill up your tummy with delight compared to plain porridge. Garnish it with toasted garlic for an extra crunch or pair it with fried tokwa for a complete meal!

Sopas

Sopas is one of those meals that you can get whether you’re sick, craving, or just hungry. Originating from the Spanish term sopa, our rendition of chicken noodle soup uses elbow macaroni swamped in a creamy, broth-infused soup. Its main ingredients are usually choice vegetables and shredded chicken breast. Some would also use hotdog slices or corned beef as their choice of meat.

Ginataang Bilo-Bilo

Sweet and creamy bilo-bilo is the perfect dessert, especially on sweater weather. Inspired by the Chinese treat Tang Yuan, this snack is mainly composed of glutinous rice balls and sago pearls swimming in warm, coconut-flavored soup. You can also add taro, sweet potatoes, jackfruit slices, and saba to spruce up your bowl!

Nilaga

You can’t mention comfort food without Nilaga in mind! Probably the best companion for the rainy days ahead, this is a simple beef stew that uses choice cuts of beef and crisp veggies with some spices thrown in for a hearty meal. It is also commonly paired with fish sauce for dipping to balance out the flavor.

There’s still more meals that we can cover, but these dishes are by far some of the people’s top choices for the rainy weather.

Is your comfort food on the list? Share us what your top rainy-day meals are down in the comments!

Plan Your Father’s Day Feast with Sheraton Manila Bay

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Bring home the flavors of Sheraton Manila Bay to your tables this Father’s Day.
Good food, as the saying goes, is the key to a man’s heart. With that in mind, our team of culinary experts have come up with a set of gourmet offerings to go and interesting dining treats for the family in celebration of Father’s Day.

Gather your loved ones and share a sumptuous five-star feast with our home-cooked goodness selection which includes Pot Roast Beef, Lengua Estofado, Pepper Roasted Pork Loin, Whole Spanish Roasted Chicken, and “Buchon” Pork Belly Roulade. All order comes with steamed rice good for 4 persons.

For a truly leisurely and sentimental celebration, gift dad with a one-of-a-kind Customized Grand Marnier Chocolate Cake with a personalized edible greeting for only Php 1,500 net. Another delightful treat is our 6pcs Alcoholic French Macarons laced with liqueur and available in a myriad of flavors such as Kahlua Chocolate, Grand Marnier Orange, Amaretto Almond, Baileys Ube, and Chambord Raspberry for only Php 400 per box. For a sure-fire hit, our extra cheesy Papa's Ube Cheese Ensaymada available for only Php 250 per piece is a must try for those looking for local indulgence.

Gourmet takeaways is available for pick-up daily from 9am to 6pm and features more delectable cuisine including salads, pastas, sandwiches, breads, pastries and cakes. Advance order is required. Please allow 1-day lead for all orders. For a full listing of gourmet takeaways menu and other terms and conditions, please visit https://bit.ly/ccmnlsb.

#DiscoverDeliciousDelivery and bring home the familiar Sheraton taste and flavors, from our kitchen to your tables. For orders, please call +632 5318 0788 or email sh.mnlsb.fnb@sheraton.com.

Sheraton Manila Bay is located at M. Adriatico cor. Gen. Malvar Streets, Malate, Manila. Like us on Facebook and Instagram @sheratonmanilabay and Twitter at @sheratonmnlbay.

The Culinary Courier: Sheraton Manila Bay launch gourmet takeaways

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I'm sure many are missing dining out at their favorite restaurants and hotels. But since this Covid-19 pandemic is still posing a danger for everyone, many are settling for take-outs and deliveries. It's great news that many are already incorporating these options in offering their food so that we could still avail of their culinary delights, even if it means just eating them in the comfort of our own homes.

Sheraton Manila Bay is one of the hotels in the metro that now offers signature menus and local cuisine to go. Imagine ordering specialties to be conveniently delivered to our homes just in time for lunch or dinner. We get to taste their lip-smacking dishes while safe at home from the deadly virus.

I've had the opportunity to try some of their dishes, and I must say that we couldn't get enough of them. Though nothing beats eating at the lavish ambiance of the hotel, it is already satisfying to be able to fulfill some of our cravings for a good meal - from salad like their Mango Kani, to main meal like Pepper Roasted Pork Loin, and to dessert, or even a taste of their Ube Cheese Pandesal that is good not only for breakfast but anytime of the day.

Sheraton Manila Bay continues to be the world's gathering place as its seasoned culinary team assemble a delectable array of signature recipes, refreshing healthy options, and the comforting taste of authentic local cuisine to satiate diners and families at home.

Gourmet takeaways is available for pick-up daily from 9am to 6pm and will feature home-cooked goodness good for sharing, rice specialties, salads, pastas, sandwiches, breads, pastries and cakes. The home-cooked goodness selection includes Pot Roast Beef, Lengua Estofado, Pepper Roasted Pork Loin, Whole Spanish Roasted Chicken, and “Buchon” Pork Belly Roulade.

Power up with the tastiest and freshest sandwiches such as Beef Shawarma, Chicken Shawarma and our bestseller Pulled Pork A la Cubano. For healthy options, delight in a selection of four which include Mango Kani Salad, Vegan Aubergine Salad, Caesar Salad, and our new Caesar By The Bay.

Epicurean diners are in for a treat with Sheraton Gourmet Rice Box or Seafood Paella perfect to pair with side order of choice such as garlic mashed potato, ranch fries, rustic herb sautéed potatoes, Asian fried rice, and steamed rice. Foodies on the look-out for lighter variety may indulge in pasta specialties of Spaghetti Shrimp Scampi, Fettucine Carbonara, and Penne Puttanesca with Blackened Chicken.

Perfect for breakfast cravings are freshly baked Dark Chocolate Brownies, Homemade Banana Bread, Farmer’s Bread Loaf, Hand Crafted Doughnuts, Assorted Muffins, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Soft Rolls, Hard Rolls, and our newest creation Ube Cheese Pandesal. Make celebrations at home sweeter with pastries and cakes-to go including the hotel’s Signature Mango Tart, Dalgona Tiramisu, Dark Chocolate Supreme, and Mango Cheesecake.
Advance order is required. Please allow 45-minutes lead time for salad, sandwiches, pastas and rice dishes and 1-day lead time for breads, pastries, cakes, and home cooked goodness. Diners shall arrange pick-up with their courier of choice. Cash and credit card payments are accepted. The hotel will strictly implement a No Mask, No Pick-up Policy and has designated a pick-up point at the hotel main entrance canopy area to ensure social distancing measure are followed and health and safety precautions are met.

For a full listing of gourmet takeaways menu, please visit http://bit.ly/theculinarycouriermenu.
#DiscoverDeliciousDelivery and bring home the familiar Sheraton taste and flavors, from our kitchen to your tables. For orders, please call +632 5318 0788 or email sh.mnlsb.fnb@sheraton.com.

Sheraton Manila Bay is located at M. Adriatico cor. Gen. Malvar Streets, Malate, Manila. Like us on Facebook and Instagram @sheratonmanilabay and Twitter at @sheratonmnlbay.

ECQlinary Delights: Cheap Yet Healthy Dishes During the Pandemic

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We know it is quite difficult to go out and buy food for our viands. The queue at supermarkets are always long, and not all the usual food are available on a regular basis.

There is also the need to save up for the budget constraints since many of us are out of work due to the quarantine implemented by our governments. We also fear going out for so long or getting close to people die to possibility of getting infected with Covid-19.

Thus, everyone is doing their best to buy only the necessary and most affordable to get through this pandemic with still the funds to sustain our needs  for sustenance.

What are your ECQlinary Delights or Delicacies aside from sardines-based dishes? Cheap and easy to cook to make use of our relief goods normally composed of a few kilos of rice and mostly canned sardines and packs of noodles.

Try cooking dishes with tofu or tokwa, kangkong or kamote tops, saging na saba, monggo or togue, mga pwedeng dagdagan ng itlog, lahat ng pwedeng ginataan, almost everything you could put inside lumpia wrappers, malunggay leaves na pwedeng ihalo sa napakaraming lutuin.

Huwag puro prito o fried during ECQ. Be creative to use available ingredients that can be harvested from our veggie garden or neighborhood sari-sari stores.

Favorite mo yung mga ginataan like tulingan, kalabasa, at kung ano-ano pa.

Yung sardinas pwedeng haluan ng miswa, patola

Yung tokwa pwedeng lagyan ng togue o pechay,

Always naman namin niluluto yung ampalaya with egg

Ngayon ko lang nalaman na pwede palang kainin ang balat ng saging na saba

Pwede maging burger patty kapag nilaga, then hiniwa ng maliliit at hinaluan ng harina, bread crumbs, onions, cilantro, etc. at timplahan ng iba pang pampalasa at gawan ng gravy sauce parang yung sa burger steak. Pwede ring ketchup Ang sawsawan...o gawing bola-bola o meatballs sa spaghetti.

Kapag nagtitipid, nagiging resourceful. Nag-iisip o nag re research sa Internet  or chat with people of similar interest.

I hope makakatagal tayo sa pandemic na Ito bago maubos ang upon para makabalik na muli sa trabaho at maging normal na muli Ang everyday lives natin.

Ngunit baka ang new normal ay magtagal pa. Kung sabagay, Ang makikinabang ay Ang planets dahil the less people going out, the more chances for the Earth to heal.

#ECQlinaryDelights #ECQlinaryDelicacies

A Delectable Catfish Feast at Hito-Go in Valenzuela

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The farthest in the North that I got for a restaurant review was in Malabon to try one of their food parks, but now I could say that I also made it to Valenzuela for a similar reason. It seems no matter where we go, there will always seem to be some rare foodie finds to please our taste buds, and for this one, bring back memories of my childhood.

Our special lunch of catfish at Hito-Go in Valenzuela truly brings back some fond memories of my youth when I used to enjoy my mother's "hito" cooked in "miso" or soybean paste, then added with mustard leaves, and okra, plus some tomato and onion slices. And just like every sinigang, add enough tamarind mix as the final ingredient.

I do hope they add that particular dish to their catfish menu, and maybe also "ginataan" because anything with coconut milk is good for most of us, especially if you add a hint of spiciness, to make it just about perfect. Don't forget the rice, our staple food, to complete the dining experience. Now, this is where you could also go "unli-rice" until you drop! Lol!

But speaking of rice, the Boodle Bilao let's you sink in to a festive feast perfect for groups. By the way, you may ask for their special sauce with secret ingredients to really perk up the hito dining experience.

They also have other dishes where the catfish is the star, like the Kinilaw na Hito and the Hito Sisig, and the pultun-perfect Chinicharong Tinik ng Hito, aside from other seafoods like Calamari, Cream Dory Fillet, Bangus, Tilapia, and their Bilao Boodle available in three sizes where they also offer pork, chicken, salted egg, tortang talong and some steamed vegetables like okra and sitaw, also bagoong.

What makes Hito-Go special is that the owners have hectares of farm (excited to visit it soon) where they can conveniently harvest (or should I say catch) these catfishes to guarantee clean, fresh and plentiful supply....Thus, more affordable as well.

Breaking the stigma that catfishes come from unsanitary sources, rest assured that that is never the case if they come from Hito-Go. Though they are survivors that could live at the worst conditions and places, since I did used to see them swimming around during floods in my hometown, nowadays they are a rare sight to behold. I would normally only see these fishes at Muslim-run restaurants offering Halal-compliant dishes. Now considering Halal food are supposed to be processed in clean and sanitary environments, you may think they would stay away from these fishes with whiskers, but catfishes did pass as among their meals. Chef Lucky also told me that contrary to.what I previously knew, the Chinese also are fond of eating catfish, aside from the popular dimsums. Now this is probably not a big surprise since they also enjoy eating chicken feet.

Hito-Go will be opening their brand for franchising so please direct all inquiries to their Facebook page now to become one of the pioneers in this business opportunity.

We would like to thank Chef Lucky for having us at his Valenzuela branch, currently the only one with a dine in option capable of sitting around 20 customers. If you're also lucky, maybe you'll get to see them grill your catfish oders too.

I believe the only suggestion I would give is to make the branch more customer-friendly by adding visually appealing menus on display at their counter. Seeing images of the food convinces customers because we would already get an idea of what we will get to eat. I would also give recommendations on the place, but I believe they will only offer take-out branches for their franchising. Now, that could be a more convenient and with less overhead option since that would mean less manpower requirements if you take away the dine in.

Overall, I was more inclined to come back for the grilled hito not just because it offers a more tasteful dining experience since you would really appreciate its difference in taste compared to other fishes, but I'm also biased against anything fried, thus the breaded and fried version was not a favorite.

Do try this foodie find and let us know if you agree with us on our review.

More photos and videos on our official Wazzup Pilipinas Facebook page.

Bestsellers:
Crispy Fried Breaded or Grilled Hito-Go with Rice Meal: P99.00
Chinicharong Tinik ng Hito: P49.00

Small Bilao Boodle: P349.00
Medium Bilao Boodle: P649.00
Big Bilao Boodle: P1049.00

Bucket of Hito-Go for Takeout
Bucket of 3 - P239.00
Bucket of 5 - P399.00
Bucket of 7 - P549.00

Highly Recommended are the Sisig Hito and Kilawing Hito

Store Location:

#1 Llenado St. Malinta Valenzuela City
(Near Mercury Malinta, beside Gemz Acrylic)
Operating Hours:
Mondays to Sundays
11:00am to 10:00pm

For Dine and To-go
Hito go has a dining capacity of 22 PAX. For advanced orders, please order 1 hour in advance so they can prepare your orders accordingly.

They also have a Take-out only branch in Malabon

Contact Number: 0923-6604438
Mail: info@hito-go.com
Website: http://hito-go.com
Fb: http://Facebook.com/FortiasHitoGo

#HitogoISDAbest# FreshISDAbest
#LetsGoSaHitoGo #Hito #Foodies #WazzupPilipinas #PambansangBlogger #Valenzuela #HitoGo

KPub BBQ Elevates Korean Samgyeopsal Experience with Tiendesitas Branch

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Our Friday dinner got extra-special when we attended the media launch of the newest and largest branch of KPub BBQ Korean Samgyeopsal located just at Tiendesitas in Ortigas East.

Partnered with Samsung for their huge wall display offering audio visual entertainment, plus with Tsingtao beer for several kibds of beer from Light to Premium, then a Korean buffet, the feast at KPub BBQ has elevated to greater heights.

My wife and I enjoyed every minute of our stay, though she had to caution me for over-eating, but I really can't resist the yummy offerings infront of us. It was so tempting to keep on ordering for our meat all you can night.

Ending the night with Melona Frozen Dessert Bar (Mango and Honeydew Melon) as a final hurrah before going home and back to reality, enduring the traffic, and other problems we face everyday, it is somewhat relieving there is a restaurant where you could feel like a king with its unlimited offerings at very affordable prices.

Below is the official press release from the event:

The pioneering K-Pop-themed, meat-all-you-can concept celebrates six years and its 1,000,000th customer with a sprawling, state-of-the-art new branch at Tiendesitas

Marrying Korean cuisine and K-Pop—inarguably South Korea’s greatest exports—in a country deliriously obsessed with anything and everything Korean is just one of the many reasons why KPub BBQ, the biggest meat-all-you-can, K-Pop themed dining concept in the Philippines, continues to be a mecca for Korean pop culture fans and foodies alike.

What KPub BBQ brings to the table is not only unlimited heaps of thinly-sliced, gloriously marbled meat, grilled to perfection on a built-in grill and refillable plates of Korean side dishes, also known as banchan.

It offers an unlimited K-Pop experience that triggers happy memories of your first-ever trip to Seoul, bouts of nostalgia for your all-time favorite K-Drama, and the mild hysteria you feel when you watch your fave K-Pop music videos and K-Pop idols performing their top songs from a full HD LED video wall display. Surely, for any K-Pop fan, a Korean barbecue lunch/dinner can’t get any better than this. Unsurprisingly, however, it actually can.


A Pioneer in Korean Barbecue Dining

Since opening its iconic first restaurant at The Fort Complex in BGC in 2013, KPub BBQ continues to push the envelope in providing the best Korean food and the most advanced music entertainment to its growing clientele.

In celebration of its sixth anniversary and 1,000,000th customer mark, KPub BBQ is introducing new dishes, new amenities, a soon to be announced a loyalty program, an exciting new partnership, and an even more impressive video wall display in its biggest, most state of the art branch yet—KPub BBQ Tiendesitas.

The sprawling, 500-seating capacity Tiendesitas branch introduces a “Korean Favorites Festival” buffet where guests can sample some of the best known Korean dishes to complement KPub BBQ’s unlimited servings of quality cuts of beef, pork, and chicken. Apart from the usual plateful of kimchi and assortment of Korean barbecue sauces, a special cheese dip for meats, which is all the rage in dining concepts in Seoul, is also available here to delight the cheese-loving set.


A Korean Entertainment Mecca

Thanks to mega idol group BTS and fast-rising female groups like Blackpink and Twice, K-Pop is taking the world by storm, one Billboard hit at a time. The social media-fueled, second-generation Golden Era in K-Pop can be felt reverberating off the postered walls of KPub BBQ Tiendesitas and seen, so clearly it’s as if you’re at a K-Pop concert, on a massive Samsung 4K Ultra HD video wall display—the biggest video wall in the Philippines.

For non-K-Pop fans, there will be live performances, from Mondays to Sundays, where you can sing along with different local bands live on stage. For big groups and private parties, there are two VIP rooms in this branch.


The Great Wall of Tsingtao

Another exclusive feature in KPub BBQ Tiendesitas is the Tsingtao “wall,” a wall of refrigerators filled with bottles and cans of Tsingtao Beer (a German style Pilsner using traditional German technique, high quality European raw brewed with mineral water from Laoshan spring), the number one beer in South Korea.

Just walk over to the “wall” and grab any of Tsingtao Beer’s six variants that you would like to try: Tsingtao Lager Beer, Tsingtao Pure Draft, Tsingtao Wheat Beer, Tsingtao Strong Beer, Tsingtao Light Beer, and Tsingtao IPA Beer.

All these in one satisfying, affordable fixed price Korean barbecue pass. Indeed, when it comes to jjang food and daebak K-Pop experience, there’s only one place that hits the spot. And you still wonder why it’s so hard to resist your KPub BBQ cravings.

Get your Korean barbecue fix today at KPub BBQ Tiendesitas is located at Building B, Level 2 Food Village, Tiendesitas, Ortigas East, Pasig City. Operating hours are 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 12:00 MN. For reservations and other inquiries, contact 0917 866 8346 / 234 9943 / 234 9953 or email us at tiendesitaskpubbbq.2019@gmail.com.

For more information, follow @kpub_bbq_tiendesitas on Instagram and @KpubTiendesitas on Facebook or visit https://www.kpubbbq.com/. Other branches can be visited in Top of the Glo in Glorietta, Garden Restaurant in TriNoma, The Fort Complex in BGC, and The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu.


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On Sunday, July 21, watch the livestream of the Pacquiao versus Thurman Welterweight World Championship fight for free when you dine or avail of the unlibeer for 2 hours.