For the love of food

Blame it on the rain. I am always hungry nowadays. Rain and food, they must be cousins or something. My already healthy appetite is all worked up and I cannot help but surrender to my cravings. That said, there just had to be a part two of last week’s column. After all, a good source of yummy food is always a delicious secret to share, a treat meant to be enjoyed by many.

So here it is.

FOOKIEN LUMPIA FROM KING CRAB HOUSE. When I was a college student in Cebu my sister Caren, my cousin Johanna, and I would frequent Foodarama on Mango Avenue where we would make a beeline for a little nook tucked in this supermarket. I cannot even remember if it had a name; all I know is that this was the source of delicious Chinese fast food, our favorite of which was what we simply knew then as Chinese lumpia. Together with the barbecue from Larshan and the food from Café Laguna, the Chinese lumpia is one of the things I miss about Cebu.

Heaven really has a way of springing unexpected surprises because one night Richard and I came home to a scrumptious surprise. The Chinese lumpia that I was longing for was staring back at me, all chubby and fresh. And yes, it had "eat me, eat me" written all over it.

It tasted just as I remembered it, and it was only then that I realized that in this part of town it is called by another name – Fookien lumpia. The better part about enjoying it this time was knowing what the source was and that we did not have to head south to enjoy it. It was readily available, and in one of my favorite restaurants, no less.

The only reason I did not know of its existence during my numerous forays into King Crab all these years is that their Fookien lumpia is made fresh only in their branch on Ongpin St. in Sta. Cruz, Manila, and I only frequented their San Juan branch. If Ongpin is too far for you (as it is for me), my favorite waiter, Steve, who is assigned to their San Juan branch, told me that you can place your order in their San Juan branch a day in advance and although it still has to be made in their Ongpin branch, you can pick it up in San Juan. How’s that for yummy convenience?

While you’re at it, be sure to try their excellent crab dishes. My favorites are their king crab rice and their spicy chili crab. Choose the male crabs – somehow they always have more meat and less but more delicious fat.

King Crab House is located at 327 P. Guevarra St., San Juan, (tel. no. 723-882021, 723-8823). They also have branches in Makati and Manila.

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UCC. Every time I’m there I always order, for my main course, one of only two things: Yakiniku rice or the seafood curry rice. Not to say that their other items are not delicious, those two simply happen to be my favorites. Their yakiniku beef is sliced very thinly, seasoned oh-so-perfectly and it lies on top of Japanese rice layered with mayonnaise. This dish is consistently good each time I order it. When I’m really hungry, I order double yakiniku beef.

Their seafood curry rice is saucy and has an unexpected sprinkling of almond shavings. They also have good seafood soup spaghetti, tempting salads, and enticing desserts. My favorite dessert there though is the cinnamon french toast. It’s nothing fancy but it’s really delicious. Oh, and don’t forget to try their sumiyaki coffee, with the cream, please. I think the secret is all in the cream.

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ALMOND BISCOTTI. This version is a definite must-try. It is the most delicious I have ever tasted. Each bite will tell you that the person who baked it did not scrimp on the ingredients; you can really taste the cinnamon and bite the almonds. It is just the right sweetness and you don’t lose your teeth or your poise when you bite into it (some biscotti are so tough it feels like biting through hollow blocks and you might even lose or break your teeth). This version is how biscotti should be.

From the same kitchen also comes good whole-wheat bread that will keep in the freezer if you can’t consume it all at once – but it tastes so good I’m not sure it will even find its way there. The healthy, hefty rolls come in packs of 12.

For orders, call 809-1842.

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MS. POLLY. She is famous for her chocolate cake (it comes in three different sizes and three variants – regular, with caramel filling, or with white icing) but she has even more treats up her sleeve. Her bread pudding with Spanish cream sauce and her apple crisp are heavenly. She also has Danish apple pie, food for the gods, lemon squares, double chocolate with walnuts, mango cream layer cake, chocolate cake with peaches and cream, fruitcake, prune bars…..the list goes on and on. Hers is a veritable one-stop shop for a wide variety of sweet treats, each one as good as the next. Order now and you can start your own personal list of favorites from Ms. Polly’s Specialty Cakes and desserts.

Call 824-7612 for orders.

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SWISS GOURMET DELI FOOD. With a product line of 16, they offer a wide variety of processed meats developed by a seasoned Swiss butcher. I very much enjoy their sausages, specifically the Hungarian sausage, frankfurter, schublig, and veal bratwurst. Their cold cuts are also very good and I have heard good things about their smoked blue marlin.

The processing plant of the company is located in Davao City and they have equipment and facilities that conform to European standards. The company also happens to be an accredited AA meat processing plant and is a supplier to a number of five-star hotels, first-class restaurants and Triple A resorts nationwide.

In Manila, Swiss Gourmet Deli Food products are available at All Day, All Nite on Eisenhower St., Greenhills, and Metro Gaisano Market! Market! at The Fort in Makati.

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THE PROMENADE IN GREENHILLS. When you’re hungry and can’t decide where to go, drop by the Promenade. You will find lots of good choices there. There is a very good Malaysian restaurant, Penang Hill, where they also serve very good cocktails and desserts. There you will also find Teriyaki Boy (I love their teriyaki chicken and the hip interiors), Kohikan (try their congee), Cibo for reliable and consistently good Italian fare, Bizu (great food and heavenly pastries), Beard Papa for unbeatable cream puffs, and Via Mare. There are lots of other restaurants that have just opened and much more to be enjoyed and discovered.

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To round off my list, there always all those dependable favorites, places that you will go to in a heartbeat, knowing that they will never disappoint: Prince Albert, Mi Piace, El Cirkulo, Sugi, Haiku, Zhongnanhai, Circles, Summer Palace, Bellini’s, Hossein’s, Inagiku, and Kimpura.