Malagos Farmhouse's Blue Pepato Cheese

Olive Puentespina of the Malagos Farmhouse in Davao City has been producing cheeses using cow and goat milk for the past six or so years. Her products - Blue Pepato, Aged Pepato, Fromage frais, Chevre, and other gourmet cheeses and products that are "natural, farm fresh from their gardens, and prepared by caring hands."



I was able to try Malagos Farmhouse's Blue Pepato cheese thanks to Director Art Boncato, Eden, and our friends from our Tourism Office in Davao. It's mildly aged cow's milk cheese with whole green pepper corn. Available in approximately 130g tumblers.



I tried scraping off some of the cheese and placed it on top of my spaghetti/pasta. It was really good :) I think Filipinos aren't that acquainted with different kinds of cheeses. I, for one, just had Blue Pepato the first time. I never knew there was such a thing before.

Also, I don't know if these kinds of cheeses are for everyone given that they're aged and fermented, and do not really smell that good. But frankly, I do not care because it tastes good to me. We should have more cheese appreciation opportunities.

Malagos Farm is a sprawling, eight-hectare property in the Baguio District of Davao City. At an elevation of 375 meters above sea level, it is the ideal location for growing the most breathtaking Vandas, Dendrobiums, Mokaras, Oncidium Grower Ramsey, and Phalaenopsis, as well as exotic landscape plants. It produces approximately 20,000 dozen sprays of Oncidium Grower Ramsey and 60,000 dozen inflorescences of Dendrobiums. Adjacent to the farm is the family’s famous Malagos Garden Resort, which serves as a hotel, park, function area, and public stage where the family can share its love and knowledge of indigenous Philippine flora, and, occasionally, even the country’s rich avian life.

Danne: Alchemy Baking Magic

In no other month does the sale of chocolates, greeting cards and roses peak other than February. And in this month of love, what better way to show your loved ones a simple gesture of love than giving them a simple macaron treat?

My friend Meryl, owner of Alchemy Baking Magic bakes awesome macarons which comes in different flavors. I personally have tasted her delicious and colorful home-baked macarons, and I could not get enough!

She personally bakes them. My personal favorite is Passion Fruit Milk Chocolate (5th from top). My second favorite is Coffee Caramel Ganache (2nd from top). I actually like them all, I had trouble deciding.

I really liked the crunchy texture upon biting these macarons, followed by the flavor of the filling.

Meryl commissioned me to design Alchemy's packaging for this season. Being an artist and a foodie, I was thrilled to be part of something that would combine my interests in graphics and eating. Ha ha!

So this was the design I drew! I tried to merge ideas related to baking and love, like sugar and sweet things.

These come in boxes of 4 or 6. To order, you may contact Meryl at 0917 896 3795 or call (02) 330-9229. Alchemy is also on Facebook! Click here!

Happy Valentine's day!

Danne

Congo Grill Tomas Morato

Congo Grill Tomas Morato
by Nicole


My folks and I had our late lunch one Sunday in Congo Grill Tomas Morato. It's my second time to eat in this restaurant and their food has never disappointed me.

Congo Grill is a Filipino grille restaurant which offers a wide selection of Filipino dishes. They serve almost 154 items including appetizers, seafood, soups, chicken, pork, beef & steaks, specialty drinks, sodas, wines, desserts, and other native favorites. Their menu is indeed diverse!

So now. . . the food that we ate:

First, we were served with this ampalaya. Oh I really like this! The ampalaya was crisp and it was not too bitter. Also, I liked how there were only few slices of meat in it.

Ampalaya con Carne (Php 145)

It's my second time eating this tofu. It was not super delicious - it was just okay. Maybe because I was thinking how much better the tofu is in Bodhi.

Sizzling Fried Tofu (Php 105)

This sizzling stuffed squid is the bomb! It sizzles deliciously! The squid was perfectly cooked! Stuffed with lots of onions, tomatoes, green long peppers and with special sauce, no wonder this stuffed squid is one of their best-sellers. A MUST TRY.

Sizzling Stuffed Squid (Php 320)

This is my Pop's favorite - the tuna belly. It's really  good too! It has a hint of sweetness and a dab of sourness - I totally liked the combination of flavours (and I'm sure you will too - once you taste it :)).

Tuna Belly 300g (Php 300)

We were all fully satisfied with the food and the fast and friendly service. Before we finished, one of the crew asked us if we would like some dessert. We're not a family who's really into dessert but since I've got two siblings who are still kids, my Pop ordered a  banana split. I tasted it and honestly, there's nothing special about it.

Banana Split (Php 120)

It was my Pop who introduced the family to Congo Grill. My family including me, of course, now like this restaurant because it's affordable (really ideal for big families or any kind of group), the service is two thumbs up and, the food is GOOD! I indeed found a  DELECTABLE  Filipino restaurant!


Address and Telephone Number
Congo Grill Tomas Morato
Tomas Morato, corner Scout Limbaga
332-2194 / 332-2193
http://www.congogrille.com

Danne: Chef Laudico's BFast

Ayala Triangle is one of the few parks in Manila where you can stroll and hide from the city bustle. For all those part of the Makati workforce, I'm sure this place is a familiar lunch or dinner area for you.

One day at Ayala Triangle, we got to eat in a restaurant called Chef Laudico's BFast. It's an all-day breakfast cafe, where they serve one of the most famous kinds of morning meals for Filipinos, the silog (sinangag, which is fried rice + itlog or egg).

Here's their menu, showing specifically the silog meals.

I still had hangover from Christmas so I got Christmas Ham Silog (PhP 148).

They had a unique version of the classic Champorado. This had rice krispies in it. 'Twas really

good.

I like how they made usual Filipino dishes unique.

Try BFast, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

:-)

Good morning?

Danne

Chef Laudico's BFast

Telephone number: (02) 621-6100

Address: Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati Ave, Bel-Air, Makati City