Food Adventure | Xoi Vietnamese Kitchen

A couple of weeks ago, Ate Ria (my other sissy in law who lives in vietnam) came to visit us and (ironically) the first thing she started craving for when she got here was Vietnamese food. So we decided to hit Xoi Vietnamese Kitchen. I'm going to start organizing thoughts a little more with reviews here, so let me get to a more orderly start than usual.

Restaurant: Xoi Vietnamese Kitchen

Location: Corte De Las Palmas Extension, Ground Floor, Alabang Town Center

Price Range: P300-400 (Around P180 per dish)

Over-all rating: 3/5 stars

Goi Cuon This is basically the Vietnamese version of Lumpiang Ubod x the mexican burrito. It's delicious and definitely refreshing--the steamed shrimp goes very well with this too. 

Cost: P100

Kropek appetizer! :) Always delicious and absolutely free.

Pho Hai San Pho is a Vietnamese staple, so of course we had to order this. The most delicious part of this dish were the mushrooms. This was very, very yummy! You can get this for P 180.

Pho Ga This is their Chicken Pho. Very, very delicious! :D This was the dish that we ordered for Dad--who we try to keep on a healthy, healthy but yumm diet! This dish was for P 175.

Spring Rolls. Definitely a favorite. This costs around P 150 and is very worth it. The sauce is delicious as well.

Bun Thit voi Cha Gio This is a combo satay and crispy roll. It was delicious and very refreshing! Somehow, the vegetables tasted really good and not overly leafy (if that makes sense haha). This was P220.

Thit Heo Nuong Xa This is grilled pork belly with lemon grass. While this sounds delicious, Mike had this and it wasn't too good (he should know because he loves pork). Nothing beats grilled pork liempo! This was P175. 

Canh Ga Chien voi Toi Basically, your chicken lollipop. This was very good and worth the P175.

Overall, I'd say Xoi was an okay restaurant. It isn't the best--they have a lot of dishes that seemed a little overrated. Also, being from Vietnam, Ate Ria didn't seem to impressed; she said there were other more authentic places to eat Vietnamese here. Not bad, but not great either. :)

Hope everyone is having a good Friday! TGIF!!!

Home-made Burger Steak & Chicken Chowder

A couple of weeks ago, I made Home-made Burger Steak with home-made mushroom gravy (unfortunately, there was no photo of that) and Chicken Chowder with Bacon on top. The family really enjoyed it! And while it wasn't (admittedly) the most healthy of dishes, it was a treat for tastebuds. :) I find that so long as you don't cook something this decadent everyday, it's alright to deviate from the balanced diet once in a while. ;)

I'll post up a recipe for this soon!

Audrey Cooks: Tacos!

Since today is baby bro-in-law Jo's birthday, we're having an intimate shindig here at the house and as is usual during these gatherings, I've decided to cook my specialty: Tacos! I first fell in love with this recipe last year, during Christmas time; I made it both for Christmas and for Wina's birthday party.

Anyway, this recipe is simple but delicious: I've heard it compared to Pancake House's taco salad, but please--don't take my word for it. :) Try it at home and tell me how you like it!

Ingredients you'll need:

(Good for 20-25 people)

2 kilos ground beef
2 packs Mcormick taco powder

3-4 packs of Molo wrappers

3 pcs of lettuce
1 kilo tomatoes
5 pcs white onions
Sweet chili sauce
Cheese

Defrost the beef for at least hour before you start cooking to ensure that the meat is tender and fries properly.

Step 1. Dice the tomatoes and onions. Leave them in the refrigerator so as to keep them fresh.

Step 2. Cut the lettuce into strips, wash and put in the strainer to drain water. Put them in the refrigerator so as to keep them fresh.

Step 3. Saute the ground beef. After the ground beef has attained a crisp (but not burnt) texture strain the excess beef oil before putting the taco powder (follow the direction at the back of the label)

Step 3. Prepare a deep dish cooking pan (or any pan or pot that isn't shallow) and pour vegetable oil into it--until there is about a centimeter of oil from the base of the pan.

Step 4. Put the fire on low and wait until the pan is hot (tiny bubbles will form near the surface of the oil.

Step 5. Dip the molo wrappers into the oil. Fry until they turn a light, golden brown. Use tongs to keep them from sticking together.
Step 6: In a serving bowl, combine tomatoes and onions and put enough sweet chili sauce

Step 7. Serve the tomatoes/onion mixture, lettuce, ground beef, cheese & molo wrapper tacos in separate containers for your party-goers to put together their own molo wrapper tacos and enjoy.

This is recipe is perfect for buffet parties and merienda get-togethers!

I hope everyone enjoys this! :) More soon!