Persia Grill

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Restaurants
Cuisine:	Middle Eastern
Location:	Sky Garden, SM North Edsa

Persia Grill is my new date place with Brandon. I chanced upon this resto in one of the episodes of Us Girls where Angel Aquino ate with gusto. She was right! The food there is really, really good. We've been there twice, and everything we've ordered so far was delicious (except for the yogurt shake). We just loved their chelos and beef shawarma. Wondering why I just gave it 4 stars? Service and restaurant amenities need improvement.

Discoveries of all sorts

Last weekend, I discovered a new variety of banana that we bought at Batangas on our way home from Punta Fuego.  Nobody knows what type of banana it is, but it's a cross between latundan and saba.  The skin of the banana has a smooth velvety feel and the flesh is so meaty and sweet.  I loved it so much that I ate three bananas a day for two straight days, then I discovered that overeating that unknown type of banana led to indigestion.  I've never felt that bloated and nauseous before; I even thought I was pregnant!  Thanks to another discovery--- brown rice tea.  Just a cup made me feel better right away.  No need for alka seltzer anymore, which was long discontinued--- this we found out too in our search for a cure for indigestion.

I discovered a new twist to tinola.  Add buco water and buco meat at the last few minutes of cooking for a fresh, sweet flavor.  The Tinola magically becomes Binakol.

I discovered this week that Trixie cannot speak Tagalog.  Well, she calls it "Pagalog."  See what I mean?   In an effort to verify this, I asked her last night, "Marunong ka bang magsalita ng Tagalog?"  She answered, "Hindi."  She continued, "I only know 'Hindi' and 'May ipis'."  This one's priceless.

Trixie also has a new discovery this week.  While watching Dora the Explorer, she looked at me and said, "Mama, Dora looks like me, right?"

In search of a good oyster cake in the QC area?  Try Maki House's Oyster Cake, located along Scout Tobias.  This one's really good--- with just the right amount of bean sprouts and chives.  Discover this one soon. 

 

Pollo con Peperoni

Description:
Or Chicken with Peppers. I got the recipe from a vintage Italian cookbook called "Italian Cooking" by Moyra Fraser, that I tweaked based on the ingredients I have on hand. (I got the book at a bargain price at Books for Less). This chicken dish happens to be the picture on the cover of the book, and it was delicious. It took a while to grill the peppers and blanche/peel the tomatoes, but it was all worth it. This dish is light but very comforting. I must say it is now one of the family's favorites.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 large chicken leg quarters, chopped
2 large bell peppers (I used one green and 1 red for a nice contast in color)
3 large red tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup basil, chopped


Directions:
First, roast peppers over the fire on the stove until the skins have turned black. Place peppers in a bowl then cover; leave for about 5 minutes. This will allow steam to make the charred skins easier to remove. Remove skins and seeds, then slice peppers into thick strips, around 1 inch thick. Set aside.

Next, the tomatoes. With a knife, cut a small "X" at the bottom of a tomato and remove the top core. In a pot of boiling water, submerge the tomatoes for about 30 seconds. Remove tomatoes then submerge in cold water. Drain the tomatoes. Remove skins, chop the tomatoes, and remove the seeds. Set aside.

In a medium stock pot, add olive oil and butter. Saute the onions until wilted. Add the chicken pieces and cook until brown, turning the pieces once in a while. Season with salt and pepper.
When the chicken pieces have tuned brown, add the white wine and simmer until the liquid evaporates. Add the peppers and tomatoes, and season again with salt and pepper. Add the broth. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring once in a while, until chicken is tender. Remove from heat and sprinkle with chopped basil.

Creamy Prawn Pasta

Description:
This one is very creamy and satisfying. The white wine lends a nice flavor which differentiates it from carbonara. Thanks to my baker friend Johanna for sharing this recipe with me. Next time, I'll put a splash of lemon juice before serving.

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. chili flakes
1/2 kilo prawns, shelled and deveined (You may opt to cut it in half horizontally for a nice cute curl when cooked)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup all-purpose cream (or more if sauce becomes too dry)
Parmesan cheese or mild cheddar cheese, grated
Linguine, cooked according to package directions (I used around 350g uncooked)
Parsley flakes


Directions:
In a large saute pan, add olive oil to coat the pan. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, then add chili flakes. Add prawns and cook until pink. Add white wine and allow to simmer for a minute. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper.
Toss in cooked pasta, then add grated cheese and parsley flakes.

Summer Tomato Salad

Description:
This is super easy but so so good. Be sure to use salad tomatoes and good quality extra-virgin olive oil. :)

Ingredients:
1 large salad tomato, sliced about 1/4 inches thick
150 g fresh mozzarella, sliced
3 tbsp. sliced basil leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Arrange sliced tomatoes on a platter.
Top with mozzarella slices and basil leaves.
Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (not too much).
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve at once.

First Coinbearer Stint

Seeing Brenzie "perform" so well as a coinbearer was truly one of my proudest moments. He really enjoyed all the attention; he even stopped in the middle of the aisle to dance!

Call me Mr. Charming

Brenzie is loving the camera! He is growing to be a charming boy- always smiling and dancing. He is so cute in his suit too!

At Ville Sommet

We were at cool Tagaytay over the weekend for Arnold and Melissa's wedding. Here are some of our family photos.

New hair

Yup, I cut Trixie's hair today, but that didn't change her one bit.  She is still so "makulit" and ever so curious.  Here are some of her most recent questions...

Yesterday afternoon, Trixie asked me this about our maid, "Mama, why is Juvilyn brown?"  "Why she have pimples?"

We don't have cable at home (we decided not to get cable to control tv time), so Trixie looks forward to going to our uncle's house every Monday night so she can watch Playhouse Disney.  She kinda figured it out already, so she asked me, "Mama, why we don't have 'Animal Mechanicals' at home?"  I answered, "We don't have cable at home eh."  Her next question, "What is cable?" 

Brandon was bitten by a mosquito yesterday.  On our way home, she asked me, "Mama, why did God make mosquitoes?" Still about God, "Mama, what is God's number?  I want to call him, eh."

She asked me this after dinner, "Mama, why do giraffes eat grass?"

 

 

What he wants

Brandon was able to capture this moment during mealtime, where Brenzie was trying to tell me what he wants to get from the table. He can be so persistent!