It was my first time to eat at Pepper Lunch today.
Considering the no-seafood, low-salt diet I am in, I was in no mood to enjoy meals outside home. But the pictures posted outside the restaurant looked enticing, my friend and I had to look closer before we finally gravitate to the counter. It wasn't fast food exactly but orders are done over the counter. Afterwhich, the counter girl assigned us a table instead of us trying to find the table ourselves.
It took some time for food to reach our table. Enough to read a few pages of a pocketbook or probably write a blog. While waiting, I amused myself by watching the instructions on how to properly mix the food that was about to come. By the time the food came, I know exactly what to do.
I am used to being served a well done meal but I certainly do not mind mixing and stirring my food a bit. Their serving is just enough for me and comes with instructions on a paper placed around the sizzling hot plate. The sizzling sound is enough to make you salivate and if you went there dead hungry, you will probably be risking a limb to flip your meat (I ordered chicken).
I started flipping the chicken I ordered with smoke going up in all directions. I started stirring the rice topped with corn and lots of pepper, of course. Two options to flavor it up a bit are given to customers and I had to choose the one with honey over the other sauce that sounded salty for my taste. I poured it in forgetting prudence before starting to mix everything again. It took a while before I got my first bite for I have to let it cool down a bit.
It was truly satisfying. The food was nothing special. It was just chicken breast, fried without breading. No gravy to flavor it. But the experience of seemingly cooking it on your own, pouring the sauce just to fit your taste made everything good. If only for those, I want to come back once my diet is over. I have to try the seafood and of course, the other sauce they offer. For now, I have to wait....:)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Fish and Chips
I hated eating fish. There is always that taste straight from the sea or probably it is just my imagination running wild. But since, one brilliant chef coated fish with flour, eggs or even beer, combined with crunchy fries, I can't get enough of it.
I tried making it on my own several times. I said, how hard could it be? It is just fish, filleted and dipped in a batter of what-ever and what-nots. But failures came after another. It tasted funny most days. I can smell the sea everytime I take a bite, while others simply lack the crunch of the crust I was looking for. Soggy, in fact. Neither a good texture nor an appetizing sight. I had given up on fish and chips, deciding to order it whenever I get the chance.
I love Gumbo's fish and chips. Should I start with the fries? No other restaurant has such tasty fries. Is it cayenne powder? Is it garlic salt/ powder? I can hardly tell. But their fries are huge yet crunchy to the core. Quite rare for that size. The taste is undeniably addictive. You try to limit yourself to 5 pieces and the next thing you know, you have eaten the entire plate.
The fish is quite humongous. Intimidating at first sight owing to its sheer size. You slice it with a knife always thinking you are going to take home the rest. But wow! The crust is just perfect. Crunchy but not hard to the bite. I remember the crusts that are just too crunchy for my mouth. Painful to eat. This one isn't. Biting its crust is how I imagined biting a cloud would feel like. But the most important thing is the coated fillet. Juicy.. perfect...succulent. I can eat it with rice but when eaten on its own, it is even more satisfying. Suffice it to say that they paired the perfect fries with the perfect fish fillet. Hence the perfect fish and chips.
Then there is superbowl's cheesy concoction - cheesy fish fillet. Forget the fruit salad that comes with it (with all due respect, other salads could have worked but that!). Focus on the fish, with its light and fluffy coating. A bite so good you feel the essence of fish less the sea flavor in your mouth...with an added twist. The cheese just flows out of the fillet giving it a flavor reminiscent of a children's party. Combine that with a juicy fillet reminiscent of an expensive dinner by the harbor. You don't need much and the serving size is just perfect. The cheese will always remind you to stop eating soon. But the again, a few minutes of rest and its very sight, makes you crave for more.
Yes, I had given up on making my own fish and chips. But thanks to the lifestyle channel, I made myself try one more time. I used beer instead of water. I used simple salt and pepper. I did not fillet my own fish and got it out of the grocery, frozen. I said one more try won't hurt though it would cost me a few bucks. And so I did. To my surprise, it actually worked. I am not sure if it is because of the beer or the filleted fish out of the grocery but it was really good. Fried to perfection - crunchy on the outside, flaky and juicy inside. Yummmm. Suffice it to say that I had it for lunch the next few days since the filleted fish came in four pieces to say the least.
Then again, I still prefer Gumbo's. I can never copy it - not that I tried. As for Superbowl's cheesy fish fillet, it is a welcome variation...well...everyday. :)
I tried making it on my own several times. I said, how hard could it be? It is just fish, filleted and dipped in a batter of what-ever and what-nots. But failures came after another. It tasted funny most days. I can smell the sea everytime I take a bite, while others simply lack the crunch of the crust I was looking for. Soggy, in fact. Neither a good texture nor an appetizing sight. I had given up on fish and chips, deciding to order it whenever I get the chance.
I love Gumbo's fish and chips. Should I start with the fries? No other restaurant has such tasty fries. Is it cayenne powder? Is it garlic salt/ powder? I can hardly tell. But their fries are huge yet crunchy to the core. Quite rare for that size. The taste is undeniably addictive. You try to limit yourself to 5 pieces and the next thing you know, you have eaten the entire plate.
The fish is quite humongous. Intimidating at first sight owing to its sheer size. You slice it with a knife always thinking you are going to take home the rest. But wow! The crust is just perfect. Crunchy but not hard to the bite. I remember the crusts that are just too crunchy for my mouth. Painful to eat. This one isn't. Biting its crust is how I imagined biting a cloud would feel like. But the most important thing is the coated fillet. Juicy.. perfect...succulent. I can eat it with rice but when eaten on its own, it is even more satisfying. Suffice it to say that they paired the perfect fries with the perfect fish fillet. Hence the perfect fish and chips.
Then there is superbowl's cheesy concoction - cheesy fish fillet. Forget the fruit salad that comes with it (with all due respect, other salads could have worked but that!). Focus on the fish, with its light and fluffy coating. A bite so good you feel the essence of fish less the sea flavor in your mouth...with an added twist. The cheese just flows out of the fillet giving it a flavor reminiscent of a children's party. Combine that with a juicy fillet reminiscent of an expensive dinner by the harbor. You don't need much and the serving size is just perfect. The cheese will always remind you to stop eating soon. But the again, a few minutes of rest and its very sight, makes you crave for more.
Yes, I had given up on making my own fish and chips. But thanks to the lifestyle channel, I made myself try one more time. I used beer instead of water. I used simple salt and pepper. I did not fillet my own fish and got it out of the grocery, frozen. I said one more try won't hurt though it would cost me a few bucks. And so I did. To my surprise, it actually worked. I am not sure if it is because of the beer or the filleted fish out of the grocery but it was really good. Fried to perfection - crunchy on the outside, flaky and juicy inside. Yummmm. Suffice it to say that I had it for lunch the next few days since the filleted fish came in four pieces to say the least.
Then again, I still prefer Gumbo's. I can never copy it - not that I tried. As for Superbowl's cheesy fish fillet, it is a welcome variation...well...everyday. :)
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Frostings Cupcake
This is something I can eat during my diet month - cupcakes.
Thanks to frostings cupcakes for giving it just the twist I want. It is as if the cupcake was designed to satisfy my every icing craving. It has just enough icing on top, not too much and not too thin either. It often has a sweet surprise inside, a black hole, as I call it, overflowing with the yummy cream on top. Of course, the cake itself is moist enough to make me crave for it often.
Variety is never a problem. A few boxes after and I still haven't tried all of their cupcakes. I often keep coming back to my usual, I admit - the red velvet, tiramisu and mocha crunch. I love the lava cupcakes as well, but I often stick with the first three. Funny thing is, while I want to try the rest, I have yet to let go of these three flavors.
I am not a cupcake lover. But I have searched high and low for that perfect cake that will keep me asking for more. It is not about the sweetness but the texture. It is not about the brand but the taste. Moreso, it is more about me wanting more of it for reasons that you will understand if you try one. Just try one....:)
Thanks to frostings cupcakes for giving it just the twist I want. It is as if the cupcake was designed to satisfy my every icing craving. It has just enough icing on top, not too much and not too thin either. It often has a sweet surprise inside, a black hole, as I call it, overflowing with the yummy cream on top. Of course, the cake itself is moist enough to make me crave for it often.
Variety is never a problem. A few boxes after and I still haven't tried all of their cupcakes. I often keep coming back to my usual, I admit - the red velvet, tiramisu and mocha crunch. I love the lava cupcakes as well, but I often stick with the first three. Funny thing is, while I want to try the rest, I have yet to let go of these three flavors.
I am not a cupcake lover. But I have searched high and low for that perfect cake that will keep me asking for more. It is not about the sweetness but the texture. It is not about the brand but the taste. Moreso, it is more about me wanting more of it for reasons that you will understand if you try one. Just try one....:)
MY FAVORITES
I go on a low salt, no seafood diet one month in a year owing to my condition. In order to further torture myself, I am going to start writing about my favorite food throughout this month. I hope it would be a fun read... or at least, leave someone salivating. :)
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