Milano – Italian Cuisine and Coffee 101

In contrast to my disappointment at not being able to explore more of the city, I found that the most tastefully satisfying meal I had during this trip was in Milan. An Italian colleague brought us to this slick ristorante where I had my dose of seafood pasta and my first formal instruction (later to be consistently stressed, reminded and added on by dozens of other after him) on the DO’s and DON’Ts of Italian cuisine:

1. DO follow the order of when you should be having your anti-pasti, pasta, secondi, etc. DON’T have things mixed up like having your main dish served with your salad, very much unlike us Asians (consistent across countries) who like everything all in the ‘middle.’ This explains the discrimination, I mean, the dagger looks we sometimes got from waitresses in the earlier cities we visited. They must have thought, “What barbarians!”
2. DO have coffee after dolce (desert), pure and unadulterated (espresso as we foreigners call it) unlike the kind you find in Starbucks --- that coffee Italians call “Americano.”
3. DO finish every platter of food you’re served. It is an insult to the chef (usually also the ristorante owner) if you DON’T. Again, unlike this Asian trait where we often leave a piece of every dish (served in the ‘middle’) --- aka in Filipino as the hiya (shy) piece --- and bashfully ask the others if no one is taking it before finally consuming.
4. DO take coffee (espresso) at the right time which is after 10 am. DO take capuccino during breakfast before 10am because you still have the rest of the day to digest it since it’s relatively heavy (with cream) compared to the typical coffee
5. DO have the option to take coffee with milk --- this they call macchiatto.
6. DO enjoy your meal slowly. Every delectable piece (and they are delectable) is prepared very carefully by the chef or the cook (who would oftentimes be their mother, wife if not themselves). That’s why, as practically every Italian I talked to professes, McDonald’s or Starbucks DON’T and will not work in Italy (ok, might work for the really unfortunate masses, they say) because fastfood, to them, is simply anti-culture.

Taray!

Overcoming shopping jitters and more food finds

Shopping. Thanks to friends who insisted that Jatujak (or JJ or Chatuchak) was an absolute must for them to come over to Bangkok, I wouldn't have re-discovered the wonders of this shopping destination. Recent reviews (and personal experience), have led me to believe the Weekend Market is starting to lose its plebeian appeal.

And for a non-shopping enthusiast like myself (notice, this is the first time I've written about shopping...in a place like Bangkok!), I felt brushing sticky shoulders through sweltering heat and a confusing mixture of incense, salted fish scent and exotic fragrances was not worth all the trouble.

Fortunately, Marla, whom I consider to be the shopping expert amongst us girls, managed to make it a rule that we get ourselves to Chatuchak during the first hour, ensuring we're out by noontime. Needless to say, the results were as fabulous as most tourist guide literature promise: great finds at great bargains.


Likewise, I finally discovered MBK (Mah Boon Krong) to be a good place to find, as most testify, clothes, bags, etc. I usually go there for home stuff but now know I can get more than that. Yes, after half a year in this city!

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Food. One of the greatest highlights of my friends' trip here is the food tripping. Are you even surprised? From trying out different supposedly "high-so" (local slang for sosyal) places, according to Thai locals, like Baan Kanitha...
...to simply hanging out at my place. Fortunately for us, Roy loves to cook and cooks well, too. This was the first time I actually saw my friends wash dishes. Nice to see their more domesticated side. But sorry, Heids, we didn't get to try the street food. Next time.

Back in Baipai...

Yes, my parents and I immersed ourselves deeper into Thai cuisine at the Baipai Thai Cooking School. I mentioned before that I was pleasantly surprised at how they were such troopers during their entire visit --- expected this from my Dad but I have to give my Mom a lot of credit. In the midst of complaints to our Thai teacher that she'd rather be eating the food we're supposed to be cooking (when the dishes started to get more 'complicated'), not only did she manage to cook her own set perfectly but is, as of this writing, already recreating it now that she's back in Manila. My Mom would have most likely graduated valedicatorian in Baipai if we were graded! Good thing we weren't. She rose up to the teacher's challenge: "This is not a restaurant but a cooking school. You're not here to eat. You're here to learn to cook." Taray.

If there's anyone, however, who seemed to have had the most fun, I would think it was my Dad. This was the first time I saw him smiling ear-to-ear out of all the snaps I took while they were here. Here are my proud parents with the Goong Sauce Ma-kam (Prawin in tamarind sauce) they cooked:

Other dishes we learned to cook that day: Gai Hor Bai Toey (Chicken wrapped in Pandanus Leaf)

Som Tam (Papaya salad) --- Very different from our own achara (pickled papaya). This is one of my favourites. I could eat it everyday!

Gang Pehd Ped Yang (Roasted Duck in Red Curry) --- lives up to its being Royal Thai food. Not the easiest thing to make because there's just so much that goes into it.

Meeting prehistoric ancestors in Jakarta

Couldn't help remembering my history classes here in Jakarta. It offered living proof that we Filipinos are truly descendants of Indo-Malay people (who walked on landbridges long before we could recall the name of our oldest forefathers)!

Skimming the surface. Apart from a closer semblance to Indonesians compared to other Southeast Asian cousins (from Thailand, Vietnam, etc. who seem to have stronger Chinese influence), we are very much prehistorically related to Indonesians in terms of our positive disposition (friendly, extremely hospitable), food (greasy) and language. In fact, one of the highlights of this trip was figuring out some of the Bahasa words I encountered. Dig this:
BAHASA / FILIPINO (DIALECT ) / ENGLISH
dua / duwa, dalawa / two
pitu / pito / seven
walu / walo / eight
libu / libo / thousand
pintu / pinto / door
gunting / gunting / scissors
balut / balot / wrap
anak-anak / anak / child
mura / mura / cheap
mahal / mahal / expensive
makan / mangan (kapampangan) / food
babi / baboy / pig
kambing / kambing / goat
krupuk / kropek / some crunchy fishy-smelling snack

I even found this dish that closely resembled our bulalo (bone marrow soup) except it tasted more like beef sinigang and they had a different way of taking out the marrow. They suck it out with a straw! Eeeeyyyummmm...

Trang and Rahul marvelling at this thing called the krupuk, found in almost every market stall --- in different shapes and colours, too!
And just when I thought that the kulintang was originally ours, I find that they have it too! Either they invented the musical instrument or we did! Does it matter?!? :) This isn't exactly the kulintang but I saw a lot of it in the souvenir shop as well as the sungka!
Under our skin. Both our nation's histories share a similar pattern. Our culture has some Chinese influence the same way that theirs has traces of Indian culture. Our countries were both colonised by European nations for several centuries and somehow been bruised by that experience. In spite of this we both seem to carry on a deep sense of religiousity. Indonesia is about 80% Moslem, 20% Christian while the Philippines is about 80% Christian, 20% Moslem.

This one's for Marla...

Fondue.

Good cheese (priced reasonably) is not the easiest to find here. Just when I had thought of giving up my search, I was encouraged to find a place that actually serves fondue. Thanks to Judah Ruiz who has lived here long enough to know where these secret places are!

Address: "Fondooz" in Central World Mall on Ratchadamri Road (short twenty-minute walk from where I live).

Admittedly, "Fondooz" is nowhere in the vicinity of our own "Old Swiss Inn" (Manila) but nonetheless satisfies the craving for this gustatory experience.

Chocolate fondue, strawberries and butter cake with Jolina and Judah.

Continental Dessert.

Likewise with cheese, my search for fine continental dessert (cakes, pies, pastries) has been wrought with a fair amount of frustration. Don't get me wrong, this country abounds with some of the best-tasting local desserts I've ever had but every now and then (for me, more often than most non-locals) one's sweet tooth craves for what's familiar: chocolate cake, cheese cake, rhum butter cake, brownies, cinnamon roll, ensaimada, churros, cookies, crepes, etc. Or...maybe...what I considered nondescript back home suddenly took on a special turn and became novel here where I live. There you have it. The paradox of the human heart: We desire what we cannot have!

Anyhow, my Thai officemate brought me and my boss to the "Secret Garden" two weeks ago. It's a Thai restaurant that has a portion devoted solely to serving dessert (cakes) with coffee. Not as wide an array as I would have hoped but it's feel and spread is the closest sweet haven I can find for now.

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Speaking of ensaimada, I was fortunate enough to receive several "Mary Grace" cheese rolls straight from the daughter (Chiara Dimacali) of the Mary Grace. Chiara was here last week to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday, Vic Hugo.

Half a Day at a Cooking School

Last Sunday, I attended a half-day session at the Baipai Thai Cooking School to learn how to cook a sampling of some of the most popular Thai dishes. Suffice it to say, it was fun!

As a format, the teacher first demonstrates how to prepare a particular dish after which each of us get to create the same dish from scratch! It all seems very complicated at the start but part of the fun really comes from the amazement of being able to replicate what our teacher had taught us. Following are photos of what I cooked myself:

Tab Tim Grobb (Water chestnut in coconut milk)

Tom Kah Gai (Chicken and galangal in coconut milk soup)...surprisingly delectable, a worthy rival to the more famous Tom Yum Goong!

Pad Thai (Stir fried rice noodle, Thai style)...star of this course menu.

Tod Man Pla (Fish cake) and Baipai Cooking School's recipe:

Ingredients: Makes 5 pieces
80 grams Fish fillet, boned
2 teaspoons Red curry paste
30 grams Winged beans, shredded (aka sigarillas)
2 Kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded (the closest I would suggest is dayap leaves)
1 tablespoon salted water
2 cups Oil for deep frying

How to cook:
1. Mix and mash fish fillet whilst adding a little salted water for about 5 minutes.
2. Add in the curry paste and mix to combine well.
3. Add winged beans, kaffir lime leaves and mix to combine well.
4. Scoop some fish cake mixture into your hand and roll to form a ball about 1 inch in diameter.
5. Then flattern the ball to form a fish cake patty.
6. Bring the cakes to deep fry over medium heat, turning regularly until the ckaes are cooked and golden brown.

There were only 7 of us students so we really received a lot of instruction from our 2 teachers. All my classmates though were either tourists or on business capping off their visit with learning how to cook Thai cuisine. For those of you planning to come here and are interested to go beyond shopping or sight-seeing, you can visit http://www.baipai.com/ for a different taste of Thailand. For more recipes, let me know...

Elephants...one blue, others straying like cats

The Blue Elephant. Recently had the pleasure of dining at this famous Thai cooking school and restaurant specialising on Royal Thai Cuisine with Elaine Limbaco and Roel Hernandez (aka "Coach" by Unilever Pinoys...in Bangkok for a workshop). We found the food to be aroi (delicious) but my opinion must have been influenced by its delicate and meticulous presentation - fit for kings, as Coach wisely pointed out. Photo below is just appetiser.

I was so delighted to explore this "100 year old mansion." It's rare to see an old colonial-style structure in Thailand. At the top floor of the building is the cooking school. One room is for "theory class" where the students get to watch the kruu (teacher) do a live demonstration of how to cook the dishes to be learned that day. The other room is a big kitchen with individual stoves for each student. For me, The Blue Elephant was reminiscent of Casa Manila and Chef Gene Gonzalez' Cafe Ysabel. Suddenly missed evaluating the occasional full-course meals prepared by his graduating students! I hope we have more of this kind of novelty back home.

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Stray Elephants.At the start of the year when everyone else had gone back from the holidays, I was so stunned to see not just one but four elephants on a vacant lot outside my office window! I remember my Dad remarking, when I texted him, if the elephants I saw were "ceramic or live ones!" Well, they were live enough to loiter near our parking lot for more than half a day. Learned later on the elephants were part of a parade that evening for the 100th year celebration of the resident bank in our building complex (Siam Commercial Bank) where apparently some royalty had graced the affair. Of course, how could anyone have missed that!