Salmon Sashimi

My modelesque uncle Bing

Ate Teyet and my brother Kyle

Practicing a new dance move that involves...crab hands.

Miso Ramen (P200) Miso based soup with minced pork and vegetables.

I rarely order noodles when I got out to eat mainly because I often opt for rice or bread. For some reason, I had a rumbly in my tumbly that day, and it was rumbling for a big serving of warm, thick-noodled ramen. The serving would feed 2 to 3 people, but if you don't like sharing really good food (like me sometimes) you can be a little selfish and have one all to yourself. The soup was creamy (First the salmon, now the soup. I'm beginning to think Kimono Ken was a creamery before they put up this establishment) and bursting with flavor. I was surprised to find myself eating the vegetables in this dish. I mysteriously felt inclined to do so. The ramen must have put some sort of spell on me.  Sakura Roll (P150) Fresh salmon, unagi and takuan Oh how I love Kimon Ken's maki selection! Not only do they offer a variety of rolls, but they also come in big portions too. One bite wouldn't be enough to finish one piece of this wonderful rice roll. The crunchy exterior complemented its center stuffed with salmon, freshwater eel and Japanese preserved vegetable made from radish. Dynamite Maki (P200) Contrary to the use of spicy salmon as one of the main ingredients of this maki, it was hardly noticeable. Perhaps we were all too focused downing all the other food that the expected "hot" taste escaped our taste buds. Fish roe, another element to this making this maki what it is, has a natural golden brown color to it. Although as they clump together, it appears orange. That explains the color of the topping.

Kani Salad

Chicken Teriyaki (P195) Chicken thigh with teriyaki sauce

Ebi Tempura,  5pcs (P300) One of the best things about eating tempura is the crunch that comes after the munch!  The shrimps were big and juicy, which made it even more enjoyable to eat. There's a slight change in the taste of the batter they used, something I normally don't have. Nevertheless, it still brought me straight to tempura heaven!2

Chahan (P65)

Japanese rice is something I really enjoy eating, especially their fried rice. It is flavorful, colorful, short-grained and its sticky texture makes me feel like I'm ingesting more since the grains are all clumped together.

Coffee Jelly (P90)

Uncle Tony & Auntie Rachel

Mango Tempura A la mode (P120)

When I came across this item on the menu, I found the idea of dipping mangoes in tempura batter quite peculiar. Some might even think of it as gut-churning. But worry not! No gastronomic nightmare took place in the eating of this dessert. It was pleasant to eat, given the crunch element of the tempura batter, the tanginess of the warm mangoes and the sweetness of the ice cream. The different flavors and textures kept me guessing as I spooned each serving into my mouth.

I mentioned in my previous post how I would be collaborating with REVEL magazine and for the month of September, I've submitted an article and now it's up! Check out the link below to find out more. :)

The REVEL Magazine contributors for the month of September have been revealed. And yeaup, that's me on the bottom leftmost part of the photo. 

Roast pork

My little big cousin

Auntie Binky and Pau

Patchy, Auntie Binky, Pau, Neo and my Uncle Bing Not to worry, no children were harmed at the time this photo was taken. This is what my cousin Neo looks like on a daily basis, happy or sad.              Little Willow

Red Velvet Cake My auntie Jackie, another great cook and baker in the family, made this red velvet cake after I requested for it...lovingly. At least, I like to think of my approach as such. It turned out to be a pink velvet cake! Although my aunt was disappointed with the outcome of the cake's color, I thought it was an even prettier version of the sought-after dessert. My aunt covered the cake with buttercream and sandwiched some of it in between two chocolate layers. Definitely a yummier twist to the usual red velvet cakes out there!

           Eloquent, elegant and well-crafted – these are the words I would use to define Cinq’s sugared luxuries. Angela Villoria, owner and an interior designer by profession, does an exceptional job at making desserts look too beautiful to eat. It’s no surprise her creations are executed with such technique and grace – almost like a ballerina. I chanced upon Cinq online while I was looking for desserts to fulfill my nightly visual cravings. I had a lovely time talking to Angela herself and we spoke casually about why she chose the name Cinq and what made her decide to apply her skills of precision in food. At first I constantly repeated the name in my head as “sink”, wondering if I was pronouncing it right. But after meeting Angela personally, it put a halt to this mental guessing game of mine and affirmed that her dessert line is actually pronounced as “sank”. Of course, it is said with a bit more oomph than you think. Cinq, which translates to the number five in French, represents the 5 basic ingredients that are often used in baking – flour, sugar, eggs, milk/cream and butter.  Her desserts are also very French-inspired and each cake is made meticulously, making sure that the level of sweetness and flavors are balanced. What started off as a few Saturday baking lessons in 2007 turned into busy days participating in bazaars and taking care of orders made by many.  Realizing that she had a passion for baking, Angela went to France in 2009 to learn more about baking and then to the USA in 2010 to further her training. It was all about precision, balance, symmetry, scale and color. Now I understand how the shift in career path was a clever choice!

         When I first set eyes on Cinq’s desserts, I couldn’t help but stare at them in fascination and wonder how they were made in such a delicate and intricate manner. I felt that it was almost a sin to consume them. I started off with the Lexi cakes (P150), which comes in two flavors, Strawberry and Exotique: Mango & Passionfruit. It is made of a cheesecake base, fruit coulis, diced fruits, cheesecake mousse and almond dacquoise. Just a quick side note, Angela makes EVERYTHING from scratch. So if you think you’re going to get some store bought fruit puree on your cake, then you are mistaken. The Lexi is light in flavor and has just the right amount of sweetness to it. I’m more of a strawberry kind of gal when it comes to fruit flavored cakes so I’ve got my taste buds set on the red number! 

        The next dessert Aurore (P150) is a chocolate tart with caramel and macadamias. The marriage between chocolate and nuts is one of my favorite things ever. Smooth chocolate coupled with that crunch and a delicious crust is all I needed to give this bestseller a thumbs-up! Actually, if I had a hundred hands, I would lift all 200 thumbs to show how much I enjoyed eating this cake. 

         Pascale (P150), shaped like a dome, almost looks pretty intimidating to eat cause you never know what kind of tasty surprise it holds. The sweet and zesty tandem compliments each other and although the cake is made up of mostly chocolate mousse, the tanginess of the oranges are enough to make its presence known. If chocolate and nuts isn’t your thing, then perhaps chocolate and orange mousse cake will be more to your liking. 

        Another bestseller on the Cinq menu is Louise (P150). Generously loaded with pecans and a sticky syrup that holds everything together on a crusted base is something nut-lovers would really find heavenly. Again, there’s so much crunch in this tart with just the right amount of sweetness to it. 

           Of course, a cake menu isn’t complete without a tiramisu. At a glance, I almost thought that it was a chocolate capsule atop the tiramisu. Well, it really was chocolate but Alessandra (P170) is so light, it made me feel like I was eating sweet clouds minus the bumpy texture. The mascarpone cheese was mild and toned down the flavors of the liquor in the cake. Now, Patti (P120) is something you don’t see every day. I mean sure, it’s a chocolate sponge cake with chocolate buttercream, but how often do you come across a chocolate topping with star-like glitters? It’s almost like I was given a sneak peak as to what chocolate skies would look like if a place where desserts ruled over the land existed. Two layers of chocolate sponge cake glued together with chocolate buttercream is easily another favorite of mine.