That’s right, female.

Are you familiar with Etude House, the Korean cosmetics maker? If someone decided to make an Etude House restaurant, Caffe Dolce would be it. It’s pretty. It’s oh so pretty. The flowered wallpaper. The faux garden. The waterfall glass pane. The pinks and oranges. The clear chairs (from Dimensione, I heard). The smiling staff at the counter, and the pretty, can’t-wait-to-eat-it pastries. The free WIFI. It’s the perfect watering hole for women.

Yet the food appeals to me, a meat-and-potatoes guy. And this is ironic because Caffe Dolce doesn’t serve meat.

That’s right, it’s meatless.

The lamb? The chicken? The pork? The beef? All items on their menu are veggie meat. But oooooh they’re good. And not just good, they’re presented just as prettily as the restaurant. Caths ordered an eggplant with dragon fruit (almost typed dragonfly, oops!) sauce, and it was different and delicious. I had this incredible ice cream cake that had bread around it and cream in the center and fruits all around…

It was pretty.

And it was delicious.

They had a fruity iced tea that was ridiculously refreshing.

They had a whole bunch of chocolate cakes I wanted to try. And “lamb” dishes. And “fish” dishes. And pastas.

It’s a mouthwatering menu. Every dish looked good. Burgers and patties are all house-made and are 100% veg. Presentations are lovely. The staff was extremely friendly, like people out of Coffee House, a Korean romantic comedy that aired on TV a few years back. We could totally produce a TV show around these kids.

Wifi, baby. Wifi. And a smoking area outside.

Prices were okay. You’re not paying for McDonald’s here, folks; you’re also not getting the run-of-the-mill food types that people normally eat, so it’s a nice place to try something different.

If I had to recommend a restaurant for folks wanting to try out vegetarian cuisine, I’d recommend they go to Caffe Dolce, because it serves good food. And it’s pretty. Oh so pretty. Guys, guard those man-cards and take your girls on a date there. You’ll enjoy it. And even if you don’t, I’ll bet your girl will.

Caffe Dolce | 848 Banawe Street corner Linaw Street | 11am-11pm | Web | Cash only

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Guess what? I actually liked Caffe Ti-Amo! I ordered two scoops of ice cream – the dark chocolate and the milk cheese – while Nathan and Caths ordered a half-waffle with milk cheese and dark chocolate. (Yes, we chose the same flavors. Nathan sampled some of the other flavors, including the chocolate and the ube, but Caths and I decided to go with what they said their bestsellers were.

Caffe Ti-Amo’s milk cheese gelato is arguably the best gelato I’ve ever tasted. Rich and creamy, with little bits of cheese. It was light, yet creamy. Heavenly little thing. I’d order a pint of that if I could. (Oh, wait… I can. Mental note to return.) The dark chocolate was rich as well, but paled – see what I did there? Dark chocolate? Pale? – in comparison to the milk cheese. We’d come back in a heartbeat just for that milk cheese gelato.

Was it as good as Sebastian’s? For me, no; I still like the creaminess and indulgent texture that Sebastian’s has to offer, but overall, Caffe Ti-Amo is my new favorite ice cream hangout place. (Because 1) Sebastian’s isn’t really as comfy as Ti-Amo, and 2) Oftentimes, I take out my Sebastian’s.)

If you hie by Caffe Ti-Amo at SM North EDSA, try the milk cheese. Mmmmmm.

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Cathy and I were pleasantly surprised with all that Seoul Garden had to offer. There is a salad spread, with various fresh vegetables and, more importantly, a variety of Korean banchan (appetizers), which meant one thing for the first time in my dining experience: bottomless kimchi! (Cathy wasn’t too happy with the kimchi because it was sweet; I think they adjusted it to the Filipino standards, but as Cathy says violently, “You don’t adjust kimchi! You adjust to kimchi! It’s a disrespect to the national food of Korea!”) There was a spread of several marinated meats from which to choose, including an incredible black pepper beef, a playfully spicy chicken curry, and kalbigui ribs (which were kinda tough). There were shrimps, dory, mushrooms, tofu, asparagus, bangus belly, and bottomless broccoli! (I love broccoli! For the bottomless kimchi and broccoli alone, so worth it.) We chose a ginseng chicken broth for our hotpot (because the kimchi broth wasn’t available; we just put kimchi into our broth, and voila! Kimchi broth. Necessity is the mother of invention). The Seoul Garden staff were accommodating and knowledgeable. Plus, they cooked us beef bibimbap as part of the buffet!

The buffet retails on weekdays for vat-inclusive Php529 (Php585 on weekends), plus a 6% service charge, but get this – that already includes bottomless non-alcoholic drinks… and a halo-halo and ice cream bar! Cathy went with a red iced tea; I chose Coke Light (to heck with you, Ramir!). I must’ve had around six scoops of mocha ice cream with chocolate sprinkles and chocolate syrup. Yes, the diet went to hell that day.

Considering that Dad’s Ultimate Buffet retails for around Php700, and the King One buffet retails for Php600, the Seoul Garden buffet is certainly one of the better Filipino buffets for value. While King One is still my favorite Filipino buffet – for hotpot quality and ingredient variety, you can’t beat King One – I would certainly return to Seoul Garden, and I’d encourage you to try it out. Maybe you’ll enjoy yourselves as much as we did.

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Each bag of the Yummy Earth Organic Vitamin C Pops has three flavors: strawberry smash, tooberry blueberry, and razzmatazz berry. Look at these ingredients: Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, and or Organic Rice Syrup, Citric Acid (from beet sugar), Organic Acerola Berry, Natural Flavors, may contain Organic Black Carrots, Organic Black Currant, Organic Apple, Organic Carrot, and Organic Pumpkin.

I feel better with my kids eating these instead of the artificial flavors and refined white sugar that go into the production of the run-of-the-mill lollipops. How often do my kids eat these pops anyway? At one a day, they get their 100% vitamin C requirement at only 22 calories a pop. I find my kids’ sweet teeth are assuaged with just one pop; they don’t ask for more after that, and snacking is reduced. Sure, it’s pricier – a lot pricier – than other lollipops, but we invest in our kids’ health, we reap the benefits in many, many ways, right? I’d recommend Yummy Earth Organic Vitamin C Pops for parents looking for a yummy candy that’s good for their kids’ health.

There were four items on the nightly “Specials” list, but one item caught Caths’ eye: the “Bug Sandwich.” In a nutshell, the Bug Sandwich is a whole soft-shell crab, coated with cornmeal and served as a burger-type sandwich, with root chips and a tangy-sweet mustard-like dip. (This is what I get for not writing down the actual descriptions.) I was apprehensive, but it was time for something different other than the Cheese Steak sandwich, which I usually get. So while Caths opted for a pan-grilled salmon (served with a dill sauce on asparagus), I got the Bug Sandwich. And you know what? It was delicious! The texture was different, and I have to admit the combination of the crab with the other sides was, well, indulgent. What a novel idea for a sandwich!, I said to myself. It went really well with the bottomless iced tea, which I really enjoyed. Caths hated it; “too sweet,” she said.

After dinner, Caths recommended their Lava Cake, which was different because it is topped with caramel popcorn; on the side, ice cream served on a bed of crumble. So we ordered it, but since it was Mother’s Day, Rock Salt was giving free Lava Cakes to the mothers who dined in. (No signs or anything announcing it, so we were pleasantly surprised.) Yay! Free delicious dessert! (The ice cream crumble, in particular, was terrific!)

With a dinner like that, it looks like we’ll be visiting Rock Salt Restaurant in Timog more often. Special note to those of you considering Rock Salt: Tuesdays, all burgers are 40% off! See you next Tuesday! EB!

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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.

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.)

The selection of Korean dishes at the New Kopiko Cafe is extensive, although you should probably be warned that the food is a little on the mid-priced level, with dishes starting around PHP250 and up, good for two persons. Many of their dishes looked absolutely irresistible, especially a Korean chicken and ginseng dish that I would have selected were it not for its hefty Php700 price tag. (This particular dish is the gem of the New Kopiko Cafe: its healthful properties are supposed to boost stamina and increase virility.)

Given these, I selected one of their bestsellers, the kalbi gui, beef ribs barbecued with a special sauce and served with lettuce; Cathy chose their yuk gae jang, a spicy beef soup.

Before our meals were served – in a remarkable ten minutes or less! – the waitresses served up a delicious selection of appetizers, consisting of kim chi (the infamous spicy Korean cabbage that tasted so wonderfully fresh!), pickled cucumbers, dried dilis, vegetable egg pancakes, and garlic Chinese spinach (kangkong). They were all so tasty! I couldn’t make up my mind which of the five I enjoyed the most, and neither could Cathy. I regretted not bringing our camera with us, so all I can show you are these photos, taken with my rinky dink Nokia 5300 XpressMusic, that don’t do justice to the food.

Cathy’s yuk gae jang, on the other hand, was equally delightful, served with fermented tofu paste, spicy sour vinegar, and lettuce, to effortlessly deny whatever carbohydrate cravings you may have. It had the right amount of salty sweetness; the garlic on the side was so lusciously roasted that I just ate them all up.

Our Korean dinner was healthy and fresh; it was pricey, too, at a little over PHP600, but worth it. I kid you not, one of our favorite meals in a long time. We’d go back, and I would recommend you try it out too. They accept credit cards, parking is generally okay, and the window table affords you a nice view of the Adriatico Circle and all its trannies. (I kid, I kid.)

Photo credits: Small photos are mine; the image in the Featured Content segment of the Index page is from MelFoodie of ADOR.

Pasalubong from Ps Bernard. This box was literally full of chocolate. 30 people shared it, but they left the spoils with me. Ouch.

See that large untouched plate in front? That’s mine. Round two.

The Dezaato Pan cafe amerikano was delicious (touch of sugar, that’s all). You don’t see the berry bread. You don’t see the choco log.

End result: a life of fat.

How do you combat this? The easiest formula in the world, yet the most difficult to apply.

Burn more than you take in.

Hasn’t happened yet. Need more exercise! Need to eat more sensibly! Come on, Ganns! You did it before! Do it again!!

I just got home from work today. It was a long and tough day; You know that, You were there with me.

You heard my cry and saw my tears as I prayed this morning for forgiveness for my folly. You stood by as I dedicated today to You.

You saw me fall by the wayside when I had my chicken and salsa with a cup and a half of rice and one longganisa. You saw me dig into Crickette’s surprise cake and ice cream. You saw me wolf down those Meiji chocolates. You saw me eat my beef misono at Tokyo Tokyo. You saw me eat two-thirds of the Pic-a. You watched me make a total pig of myself today. I feel like vomiting, Dad. I feel awful, physically and spiritually. I’ve made a mess of myself again, and I’ve let You down.

Is this really my life, Dad? Should I accept that I just don’t have what it takes to be thin?

I’m sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry!

This is all I’m going to say to You on my blog, Dad. I’ll talk to You in a few minutes, just You and me. Please forgive me my iniquities and idiocies; I seek Your mercy and strength to get through this crossroads. I can’t do this anymore, I just can’t.

1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.

2 For your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down upon me.

3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
my bones have no soundness because of my sin.

4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.

5 My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.

6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.

7 My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.

8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.

9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.

10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.

11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.

12 Those who seek my life set their traps,
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all day long they plot deception.

13 I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear,
like a mute, who cannot open his mouth;

14 I have become like a man who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.

15 I wait for you, O LORD;
you will answer, O Lord my God.

16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat
or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”

17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.

18 I confess my iniquity;
I am troubled by my sin.

19 Many are those who are my vigorous enemies;
those who hate me without reason are numerous.

20 Those who repay my good with evil
slander me when I pursue what is good.

21 O LORD, do not forsake me;
be not far from me, O my God.

22 Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my Savior.