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Everyday Gifts

He will bring out the best in you but will still love you at your worst.

I loved the kitchen ever since I was a small kid. But I never took myself seriously as regards to cooking. And to this day, I am still amazed at how we were able to have 'everything yummy' - the restaurant that Hans and I built together.

I was the corporate woman and still am. I thought I was destined to be the boss. It was something I knew I could surely do. There were quite a number of  'Yes!!!' moments in the office when we hit targets or finish a big project. But it was cooking that made me a happier person.

Hans and I have been together for six years. We love food. We eat out a lot. We watch so many cooking and eating challenge shows together. On some days he would ask me to experiment making 'this' using 'that' ingredient or create a certain flavor he likes. But in all the six years we were together, his all time favorite among the food I cook is my Singaporean Pepper Crab. He fell in love with it the first time he tried it. And I loved making his belly happy.

I never really cooked that often in the past. It was Hans who inspired me to cook and experiment. He has a great appetite and is very critical. On some days, I want to bang his head with a pan (kidding) when he gets too irritatingly critical (and I get too 'pikon'). I never give up until we come to an agreement that our different preferences in taste have some sort of compromise and after Andi approves for kid friendliness.

This blog entry is to commemorate the blissful six years of my life with Hans and how he brought out the best gift that I have that brings me happiness everyday.

I used to believe that it was okay not to have a talent, because after all, I was good in mathematics. But I do not deny that as a kid, I sometimes felt sad because I could not sing, dance, nor ride a bike. I was only good in school.

No one is without a gift. No one is without talent. One day, you will stumble upon a person, a sight, or a thought that will lead you to this discovery.

As for me, it was a person. A very special one.

He has seen me at my worst but loves me every day whether I am a monster or a doll on any particular day.

Everyday, my heart is filled with joy.

Food Love 7: Beef Tapa

Have you ever wondered where you can get the best (moist variety) beef tapa in Cebu? Find my personal favorite at Rica's Cafe by the Maria Luisa road in Banilad. Look for the Angus Beef Tapa on the menu, and have your fill of extra flavorful, melt in your mouth beef goodness. I never got a chance to take photos because every single time I realize that, my plate would already be empty! It's that good!

Food Love 6: Jamón Ibérico

Jamón Ibérico, the finest ham in the world, is made out of pure dedication and love for food craftsmanship (The curing process takes two years!). This love affair is one that you will cherish forever... And forever begins right after the first bite melts in your mouth... Check it out at The Tinderbox. Know more about it here: http://www.jamon.com/iberico.html

Food Love 5: Indian Chicken Curry

Indian food is something Hans and I really love. Taste of India is our pick for serving the best Indian Chicken Curry in Cebu. Try their Chicken Boti Kebab, Beef or Shrimp Biryani, and Beef Masala. (This photo doesn't give justice to the goodness of the dish...)

Taste of India's Chicken Curry

Food Love 4: Cafe Latte

Cafe Latte is my cup of coffee. I like it best in two places: UCC and Gelatissimo (yes, aside from their yummy gelati, they do have coffee!).

Food Love 3: Chosun Chicken

I am a proud Chosun Chicken addict! How much I could have in one sitting is a secret summarized in the words ' A LOT'! Hahaha! It is sooo good! Imagine juicy chicken bites encrusted in extra crispy glazed skin... Yum! Yum! Ask for their sweet and sour sauce when you order :)

Andi with our favorite Korean Fried Chicken

Chosun Chicken!

Food Love 2: Olio

Great food coupled with great service is always a delight to have. Such is a regular thing at Olio, where I get to eat the best lamb shank dish in red curry sauce + couscous. Hans' favorite is the Nebraskan rib eye steak. I personally recommend the salpicao, the scallops selection, and the spiced lobster + risotto. Indulge and be happy!

Lamb Shank in Red Curry Sauce and Couscous

Pan Seared Premium Ostrich Breast, Herb Potatoes, Braised Red Cabbage with Apple and Port Pomegranate Sauce

Spiced Lobster with Canadian Bacon Mushroom Risotto, Lemon Sauce, and Lobster Reduction

Food Love 1: The Oyster Bay Crab

Every food lover shoud try Oyster Bay's Crab. It is the number 1 on my list of signature crab dishes! The dish maintains the delicate taste of the crab by rightly seasoning it with simple spices that mixes perfectly with the crab juices extracted after the cooking process. A must try!

Everything Yummy's Food Love Series

Before we even had the thought of having our own restaurant, Hans and I were (and still are!) in love with good food and dining out. On most days, I travel between the islands of Visayas and Manila. There is a bounty of good eats in so many places but I would say that there is nothing like a good meal shared with Hans, the family, loved ones, and old friends. And so Cebu has the most number in my treasure trove of food love.

My list will not be the common top 10s of Cebu or elsewhere. It is specific to my own pleasure and experience. I am calling it The Food Love Series. It will feature our favorite restaurants and the dishes we truly love .

Catch the daily updates here and on the following sites:

FB: www.facebook.com/everythingyummy

Twitter: @everythingyummy

Broken

We went to kindergarten together twenty five years ago, and then grade school, high school, and went separate ways for college.

I have not seen her in a long time. 

Every single time I get a message from her, I cry tears for so many things like memories, and for all the things I have come to realize... 

'That is how the cookie crumbles', she said to me awhile ago.

Somewhere in this city, she is battling cancer. 

I'm broken.

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Inspirations

There is a purpose to everything and everyone in this life.

Last night, I browsed a blog that featured the adventure park in Danao, Bohol http://www.travelfoodfinds.com/2011/02/danao-adventure-park-bohol.html

I recalled my own experience of doing The Plunge in that place... To give you an idea, this is what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1YJ6vXkUnc&feature=youtu.be

Though I am not an adventure seeking type of a person, scary rides excite me. Conquering my own fears gave me a certain high that I cannot explain.

The past months to me have been (quite) like doing The Plunge every single day. Call me the reluctant entrepreneur, the moody kitchen artist, the temperamental investor, who, through the past months survived on kindness, inspirations, and blessings after I jumped into that huge ravine of uncertainties. All I was sure of was that cooking made me happy.

Sometimes it takes some recklessness to go for our dreams. It was more difficult because I was born of precise science, mathematics, books, and rationality. I had a great job (I still do, thank God!). I did not need more headaches. I did not need more things to plan for and organize, analyze and review.

But you know why I did what I did? It was because deep down inside me, I knew that my wonderful, comfortable life was only a portion of what I really, really wanted to do. I knew I could do more. But I knew it was not going to be easy.

Pursuing our dreams is like experiencing the sickening, whole day love affair with body pain after you do The Plunge (imagine doing it every day, okay...). If it doesn't hurt, you probably just got lucky. It will hurt. I guarantee you. But I also guarantee you that it gets better every single day. The pains of the previous day are usually converted to being the strengths of today and the next days.

Today, I have my little restaurant to add to the craziness of my corporate life (and the lives of my partners, Hans and my best friend Cherry and husband Ray). It turned out to be quite different from the initial plan of it being an American diner. It turned out to be a place that one feels at home with, with that warm, cozy feeling of mom's home cooking. And because we are Filipino, mom's home cooking meant a mixture of many things from different places, all done with her special touch...

There is no place like home - that is always a lingering thought in my head as I hop from one airport to the other doing my day job. I'd always want to be home for dinner or just be home to sleep at home. Home is a special place - it forms the soul of my dreams for everything yummy.

Today I remain to be a reluctant entrepreneur because every drop of barbecue sauce passes through my own hands every Sunday. Yes, that is how it is... I cannot begin to imagine how it would be like if other people started to take over some of the things I do (meaning those that i do not delegate). Surely, these will all fall into place without me sacrificing anything related to my principles in good food. I will figure that out... Well, I hope so!

For now I live for the joy of every single day spent in learning (like a grade school kid in this field) from mistakes, amazement of the approving smiles I see around the restaurant, and new found friendships.

For now I will have to live with the demands of balancing the requirements of my day job on weekdays, restaurant duties on weekends, and being a good mom every single day of my life.

I guess I did not do the plunge for no reason.

I guess I did not love cooking for no reason.

I guess I did not get reassigned for no reason.

It was all meant to be.

I like it.

Changes

Today I say goodbye to my catman role in vismin... and say hello to the general trade in the whole of Visayas. What a perfect time it is... His own. I am 31, and just so happy! Life has never been this busy and this good! I am ready!!!

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