Rock Salt restaurant in Timog satisfies

In a nutshell: This a review of a new restaurant in Timog called “Rock Salt.”

Last night, after a fruitless attempt to get into Trinoma for its Green Light Sale – luckily, we were also there the night before, where we were able to secure a 15% discount on iPod earphones (with remote and microphone) – Cathy and I decided to drive along Timog Avenue looking for a restaurant in Quezon City to eat in. Because I had kare-kare for lunch, I didn’t feel like eating at Jay-J’s Inasal, which is usually where we eat when we’re in that area, so we decided to look around.

We then saw a Timog restaurant nearby, right beside Savory Chicken (which is another delicious place to eat). I gotta admit that the font of its name was what attracted me to the restaurant, which called itself Rock Salt. We walked in and were pleasantly surprised to find out that 1) the first level was a lounge for customers to wait if the second floor was full of diners, and 2) it’s a hatchery for a culinary institute! “Eh, eat food cooked by students?” was my first thought. Then again, my wife does do work for DLS-CSB, and I’ve had good food cooked by the kids over there, so I figured what the heck.

Rock Salt was decorated tastefully, with mostly creamy-white furniture and new art. Deciding to eat there was a good decision, because the food at the Rock Salt restaurant in Quezon City is awesome! Pics – grainy ones shot with my Nokia 5300, sorry – follow with my comments on each item.

The angry shrimp cakes were perfectly cooked. Just the right amount of crispness. The side chili sauces come in two variants, mild and hot. Delicious, guys!

This nice little collage of various food-related pictures and images decorate the stairwell leading to the dining area.

Notice the pretty girl, then the pretty wire bowls hanging on the wall.

Some of the students hard at work.

This is their Cheese Steak Burger, obviously based on the Philly Cheese Steak premise. I wasn’t expecting it to be so large. And delicious. Panalo to. I asked for it well done, but it was delivered, at best, medium well, which wasn’t half-bad. The cheese steak was ridiculously good. Hindi ko naubos in one sitting. Plus the side salad was great.

This is the pan-fried salmon with asparagus and dill cream. It’s larger than it looks. Flaky goodness, check. Well-cooked fish, check. Breadcrumbs on top, check. Dill cream, check. Sarap sarap? Check.

Another shot of my burger reveals the bottom of the buns were toasted, arguably in butter. Forget your diets this one time if you go for this. Plus, the fries are barbecue-flavored, which is great for the kids, but I found ‘em a wee bit salty.

Their bathroom set-up is unisex, but it’s clean and large.

Cathy and I really enjoyed our meal at Rock Salt. She’s already planning which friends to bring. I, since I have no friends, will tag along and eat another cheese steak burger at another table.
Ironically, I forgot to take photos of the outside, but trust me when I tell you the font’s cute, kinda old-school with a touch of Rockefeller class.

Three terrific foods to stock up on

In a nutshell: There are many great reasons to love healthy food. Here are five terrific foods that you may not know offer great health benefits.

If you’re like me and love to eat, often you may find difficult the challenge of selecting between healthy food and drink that taste like cardboard and food and drink that taste terrific but will kill you shortly afterward. (That’s right, vodka, I’m talking to you!) There are many, many great foods out there, however, that are actually delicious and deliver a powerful health punch to keep you in terrific shape. These are five of my favorites:

1) Quinoa. I love quinoa, and can’t resist anything with quinoa in it. My wife usually makes it into a minestrone soup with tomatoes and beans for a delicious, high-fiber dish; she also sneaks it into Nathan and Nicki’s creamy macaroni soup. (You can click here for three terrific quinoa recipes from Patricia Green.) Its health benefits, according to this website, include the following:

• It has high protein, calcium, iron, vitamin E and B vitamin content;
• It has an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans;
• With 12% to 18% protein content, quinoa has more protein than barley, corn, and rice. Half a cup can provide a child’s complete daily protein requirement.
• Its 6-7% fat content may be higher than other grains, but it’s low in sodium and high in starch and fiber.
• Quinoa is gluten-free, which is great for folks who suffer from high uric acid, arthritis, and gout.

2) Mustard. Mustard is a must-have on my sandwiches and salads. My favorite mustard-based dish is a simple tuna, mayo, and mustard mix that one can put on whole-wheat bread, salads, or even quinoa! LOL According to this website, mustard has the following great characteristics:

• Mustard is great for your digestion and helps speed up one’s metabolism.
• Mustard seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, dietary fiber, iron, manganese, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, protein, selenium and zinc.
• Mustard can stimulate digestion by increasing your saliva production by as much as 800% percent.
• Studies have shown mustard can inhibit the growth of certain types of cancer cells.
• The anti-inflammatory properties of mustard reduces the severity of asthma attack; arthritis, and migraines.
• Mustard soothes sore throat!

3) Kimchi. Kimchi is one of my favorite foods, a spicy, delicious, and healthy alternative to rice and bread. According to this website, the benefits of kimchi include:

• Kimchi is low in calories and high in fiber, vitamin C, carotene, vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium, and iron.
• Its characteristic marinade contains lactic acid bacteria, which aids in digestion.
• Some studies show kimchi can reduce growth of certain types of cancer; however, excess consumption can be a risk factor in gastric cancer. (South Korea has the highest occurrence of gastric cancer in the world.)