Posts Tagged ‘noodles’
Seafood Linguine
This is my finalized recipe for the Seafood Pasta I posted earlier. Remember that one? I’ve been toying with making good seafood pasta ever since I found those mixed seafood packs in Rustan’s. This time around I used Linguine noodles. If you want to make a pasta dish with seafood, the best kind of pasta would be spaghetti or linguine.
Saigon Quan
Saigon Quan
Saigon Quan opened less than a year ago in Parkmall. Weeks after it was opened, I wanted to try it out and see how it would fare out compared to the other Asian restaurant such as Lemongrass (a personal favorite), Siam, and others. Our first try was great and I remembered we were served the best spring rolls ever. This memory made me want to come back at Saigon Quan last Friday.
We arrived at Saigon Quan at 7:00pm and about 2 tables were occupied so we were able to choose a table we were most comfortable to stay at. I wonder if they are ever fully booked. We asked for a baby high chair which was brought within seconds. Restaurants with baby high chair are a big-plus in my book.
The menu looked pretty much the same way it did the last time; no additions or new dishes. We decided to get the fried spring roll with shrimps and pork because they were really good the last time. We ordered the 8 pieces. I also wanted to try the fresh version so we ordered 4 pieces of the fresh spring roll with shrimps and pork.
Fried Spring Roll with Shrimps and Pork (P215)
The fried spring rolls were unfortunately not as good as I remembered them, which is a shame, but they were still very good. They were served very hot (a big-plus!) and served with nuoc mam sauce which I prefer over the sweet chili sauce other restaurants serve. The spring rolls were good and the oil did not smell bad which means they were most probably deep fried with new oil. The weird side was that the 8 pieces fried spring rolls were small and looked as big as the 4 pieces of the fresh spring rolls. I wonder what’s up with that.
Fresh Spring Roll with Shrimp and Pork (P135)
The fresh spring rolls with shrimp and pork were served with a spicy peanut sauce. They were very fresh and very good, almost as good as Lemongrass’s ones. Although, I might have to try the ones at Lemongrass soon to make a better comparison. As you can see in the pictures, they were huge!
Rice Noodle with Beef Soup / Pho Bo (P210, good for 3-4 persons)
single bowl of pho bo
I wanted a good soup for Baby so I ordered a Pho Bo (Rice Noodle Soup with Beef). Hubby and Dad wanted to try it to so I got the large one. It was served very hot and again, this was delicious, although I prefer the one I had in Manila at Pho24. I guess maybe because I thought the condiments were disappointing. Too little sprouts and just 1/2 a calamansi for 4 diners. Not enough.
Fried Chicken Legs with Fish Sauce (P280)
Dad wanted to order the fried chicken leg with fish sauce. We ordered this the last time and it was very good. Dad is a huge fan of nuoc mam sauce which I believe is Vietnamese fish sauce. This was a very simple dish but so flavorful. If you look in my archives, I believe I made a version of this myself.
Prawns with Green Rice (P280)
Our last dish was something new. I wanted to order something we’d never tried before and this was the Prawns with Green Rice. I don’t know what green rice is but when I asked the waiter what this order was, he said it was the Vietnamese version to the Japanese Tempura. Like the other dishes, this was served hot and it was very very good. This was definitely the highlight to my meal and it was very generous! It came with a sweet chili sauce but I dipped my prawns to the nuoc mam sauce that came with the fried spring rolls.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee (P60)
To wash down all this amazing food, I had a Vietnamese Iced Coffee. This did not fail me. The coffee was strong and the drink was creamy, cold, and not too sweet, which is perfect for my taste bud.
The total bill amounted to P1,645 (aside from the food I mentioned, we had 3 orders of plain rice, 1 bottomless iced tea, and 1 mineral water), but I guess you can tell we had an amazing time! How I wish Parkmall wasn’t so far away from where we live!
Siagon Quan Restaurant is located in Parkmall, 168 Ouano Avenue, North Reclamation Area, Cebu. Telephone number is 032-2387325.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Okay, so dinner tonight was a major disaster. D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.
The dish itself was delicious and far from being forgettable. So, what went wrong, you might ask?
Let me paint a picture of my life. I grew up with a French dad that is stubborn, close-minded, and refuses to admit he’s ever wrong. I used to ask myself how he ever got through life with these negative traits. I still wonder to myself if he’s always been that way or maybe he’s acquired it through time because I don’t know how you can travel around the world and still be close-minded. Anyways, a couple of years ago, my Filipina mother passed away. And a couple years after that, I got married to a wonderful man. Days before my wedding, I could not help but think about my new life. I was becoming someone’s wife and I thought of my dad. What would happen to him? Would he live alone? We’d never talked about it in the months of wedding preparation. How did that topic never come up? I was seriously getting depressed. I loved my husband but I could not grasp the idea of letting him live alone at 75 years old. On my mom’s death bed, he promised he would never love another woman, and he never did after that. Could I leave him then? No I could not. I was torn.
Spaghetti Bolognese
I don’t know why but for some reason I always thought Bolognese sauce was a simple tomato sauce sometimes served with meat. I realized my mistake when my girl friends and I went to an Italian restaurant and found pieces of carrots and celery in my plate. And that’s when I thought, “hmmm…what have I been eating all this time?” Turns out, I was confusing Bolognese sauce with Marinara or Pomodoro sauce.
Chicken and Veggies Noodles
I had bought earlier that day a pack of prepared and cut vegetables (the ones specifically used to cook Chopsuey). These packs are very convenient when you have little time in the kitchen. The only disadvantage is that you have to use the pack as soon as possible since the vegetables are already cut. On that night, I did not particularly like to cook or eat Chopsuey; I was in the mood for something more adventurous. I wanted to try my own thing. I thought to myself why should I use these vegetables for Chopsuey only, yeah it says on the tag “Chopsuey Mix” but there’s must be something else I can cook with it. And so came the dish, Chicken and Veggies Noodles (not a very original name, but I didn’t know what else to call it).
Misua and Sardines
Misua noodles, sardines, egg, lots of garlic and onion
Hubby made this dish several times for us during the lent season. I especially like it when hubby puts whole crushed pieces of garlic. Misua is a very thin variety of salted Chinese noodles made from wheat flour. Misua takes little time to cook so make sure not to overcook it otherwise the broth will be completely absorbed and the noodles will disintegrate and turn into paste.
Pasta a la Fresca with Pan-Seared Salmon Fillet
I saw the recipe for the pasta on a local TV show a couple of weeks ago and as the woman was finishing cooking, I couldn’t help but notice how easy and appetizing this recipe is. I promised myself I would try this soon and I finally did last night. I haven’t been feeling well these past few days so I really wanted to cook something in a flash for dinner. I immediately thought of this recipe. It’s so simple that I had it memorized in mind for weeks now. Hubby bought salmon fillet in the morning and I thought they would make a great accompaniment as long as I held off the sauce and just pan-seared it. Salmon is one of my favorite fish. I like it even better when raw.
- Pasta a la Fresca
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
Happy Chinese New Year and Welcome to the Year of The Ox!
Technically, our family isn’t really Chinese. Hubby’s great-grandmother was but they never stuck to the traditions. Lately, I kept seeing on TV the type of food you’re supposed to cook and its symbolism. I got interested. I’ve never cooked for the Chinese New Year so this was exciting for me. Plus, I had nothing to lose. I get to cook a great dinner for my family while supposedly attracting luck into our home. Basically, a win-win situation. Here’s what we had on our dinner table that night and its symbolism:
1.) Shrimp Cocktail with Sauce (recipe can be found in the recipe collections)-Stands for liveliness and happiness.
Shrimp cocktail with sauce
2.) Lechon Manok (Roasted Chicken)-happiness and marriage; family reunion. I actually served this wrong. It’s supposed to be a whole chicken, with its head, tail, and feet. Hubby bought this lovely chicken already cooked at Sr. Pedro for P145. I have always loved Sr. Pedro’s chicken since my childhood days, although through the years the prices has gradually increased. I can still remember when they used to sell it at P95.
