Chicharon, a cold bottle of Sparkling Apple Juice, and Dave Matthews Band

Found two bottles of Appletiser Sparkling Apple Juice in the fridge. Cool. (Thanks to my cuz Teresa for the Christmas basket and Appletisers!). And hey, got some chicharon to go with it. Perfect. The dude's other cuz handed over a small pack from his recent trip to Cebu, and it's not just any chicharon, but Zubuchon Chicharon. 

The same Zubuchon whose famous lechon (roast whole pig) was hailed by Anthony Bourdain as "the best roasted pig in the world."  

Spreading Some Cookie Love with SweetLeaf Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

What's Christmas without cookies? There are cookies, and then there is the cookie. I recently read a post on SweetLeaf Soft Batch Cookies from fellow blogger Yedy at http://yedylicious.blogspot.com/ (see Yedy's post on SweetLeaf Soft Batch cookies at http://yedylicious.blogspot.com/2011/12/sweetleafs-triple-chocolate-chip-mint.html) and I knew right then I had to try it...

I decided to go for the traditional Chocolate chip cookies and placed an order via Facebook, and here they are...pretty cool packaging, nice touch with the Kraft bags, perfect for gift-giving. And the Chocolate Chip Cookies?

A Late Lunch at Romulo Cafe

It was way past 1:30pm, and the place was still packed. Still, it's a good sign that the food must be worth the wait. Romulo Cafe is run and managed by the family of the late statesman and ambassador Carlos P. Romulo,  and traditional Filipino cuisine is its specialty. The cafe is built on a former residence, and the transformation of the space to a modern and contemporary restaurant is pretty cool. Clean lines and dramatic black & white graphics give the place an edgy yet casual feel. And the food?  Definitely worth the wait.

The food is traditional, yet subtle and modern updates are tweaked into some of the dishes. We decided to have a light and healthy lunch, and with the coming holidays and its tempting "unhealthy" temptations, this seemed to be the right move... 

Getting your Sugar Fix at Naci

"Comfort food & dessert bar," seems like the perfect place for a quick sugar fix. After picking up some family photos which I had framed at Fox Square, I noticed a cake display which, on a late afternoon, is pretty hard to resist. Phil, one of Naci's friendly staff, highly recommended a slice of the Caramel Cream Cake, and I agreed. And Phil didn't disappoint.

Rich, creamy, but not too sweet, great with coffee, and a great way to end a busy afternoon.

Going Mongolian in my Aunt's Place

Sundays are always special at my Aunt's place. Once a week, everyone gets together to share fun times and great food. And the Dude's nephew just arrived from Australia to spend the holidays here, enough reason to celebrate and spend some good times and good food. And for this Sunday, the Dude's aunt goes Mongolian. Very cool.

What can be more fun than creating your own bowl, selecting your own ingredients and then cooking it? Mongolian barbecue involves stir-frying meat, seafood and vegetables on a super-heated cast iron griddle or pan, allowing all the ingredients to cook evenly and blend all the flavors.

Chef Dogan's Turkish Grill

It was a rainy Saturday evening, and I noticed something unusual along Katipunan Avenue...a vacant parking slot at Chef Dogan's Turkish Grill and Restaurant. I immediately made a right turn to claim the slot. Tonight is kebab time, thanks to the vacant parking slot.

Chef Dogan's kebab platters.

What's in the Pantry...Iberian Pork Liver Pate

Raided the fridge earlier, and found...nothing. Checked the pantry and yes, something interesting, a yellow tin.  La Charra Pate de higado de cerdo Iberico sin aditivos. Quite a mouthful, but this simply means the very best Iberian pork liver without any additives. I see the making of another perfect weekend afternoon.

Made in the province of Salamanca, Angela Garcia Curto has dedicated the past thirty years in making the best Iberian pork liver pate, and you immediately feel this with just one bite.

Razon's Halo-Halo: Less is More

Craving for a sugar fix? Here's a regional variation on the classic Halo-Halo from Pampanga. Unlike the more traditional halo-halos which have several ingredients (check out the previous post on Milky Way's Halo-Halo here at http://dude4food.blogspot.com/2011/09/halo-halo-mix-of-cultures-in-glass.html), Razon's uses only three:  Macapuno (shreds of young coconut in syrup), Saba (plantains in syrup) and Leche Flan (caramel custard). And it works pretty well. Less is more. 

Finely shaved ice and evaporated milk are then added, and topped with Leche Flan. 

Healthy Shabu-Shabu at The Podium

The cool weather and early evening rain means it's time for shabu-shabu. And with a name like Healthy Shabu-Shabu, how can you go wrong? 

Shabu-Shabu is the Japanese version of the hot pot, and the name comes from the swishing sound of cooking meat, vegetables and other ingredients in the pot. Each table is set up with individual hot pots with its own set of controls. Your very own hot pot. Very cool. No chop stick duels for the last piece of shrimp. On the  left is the Chicken Breast Set (P295) and the Mixed Seafood Set A (P 505) with large shrimp, squid, fish and mushrooms.

Not Just Any Can of Tuna

The Dude's cuz dropped off a package recently. Wondering what it was, I opened the package revealing cans of tuna. Hmm...more stuff for the pantry, cool. Until I read the label...very cool! 

The Liebster Blog Award...Awesome!

This is definitely a season for thanksgiving. Ever since I started blogging early this year, I never knew that I would meet such an awesome and supportive community that continues to inspire me to keep blogging. And since I can't really cook much less bake, except maybe scrambled eggs since everything I do turns scrambled, I am continuously inspired by the amazing creations shared by the community. This morning, I was surprised and elated to receive the Liebster Blog Award from Ramona of Curry and Comfort (see Ramona's awesome blog at http://curryandcomfort.blogspot.com/), and well, what an amazing way to start the day! Thank you, Ramona, for the support and recognition, and for being such an awesome friend! Yeah, I know, I mentioned "awesome" three times already.

The Liebster Blog Award comes from the German word meaning "dearest" or "beloved" and is given by fellow bloggers to new blogs with 200 or less followers, with the aim of encouraging new connections. And there are interesting rules to follow:

1.  Show your thanks and appreciation to the blogger who gave you the award with a link back to their blog. And I have to say it again, Ramona, you are awesome!

2.  Copy and paste the award on your blog.

3. Share the love by picking 5 other blogs with 200 or less followers that deserve the support and recognition, and let them know by leaving a comment in their blog.

4.  Keep the love and good karma going...and have fun!

I will start spreading the love by sharing this award with five special blogger friends who deserve the same recognition and support:

• Bake Me Blush: An amazing blog by a young baker and true artist in the kitchen with awesome photography. See Nicole's beautiful baked creations at http://bakemeblush.blogspot.com/.
• Fire and Food: Nothing more natural and tasty as grilling food on real wood. See more of firefoodie's awesome cooking at http://firefoodie.blogspot.com/.
• All That I'm Eating: See the best local, seasonal quality ingredients and recipes in a well-written blog at http://allthatimeating.blogspot.com/.
• Masala Herb: Exotic food and other culinary creations frome Helene, an Austian/French woman living in Goa, India. See more of Helene's amazing culinary adventures at http://masalaherb.blogspot.com/.
• Hungry Ducky: Fun blog featuring great restaurant reviews as well as excellent recipes. See more of Ducky's adventures at http://hungryducky.blogspot.com/.

Again, thank you Ramona! The Dude thanks everyone for following and supporting Dude For Food, and looks forward to learning more great eats from all of you!  Yeah, it's an awesome day...