Lido Cocina Tsina

Lido Cocina Tsina has become one of our go to places for quick, affordable and tasty Chinese food.  The nearest branch is just a few minutes drive from our place.  Here's a rundown of what we have tried so far.

Bugsy's Bar & Bistro

Ever since I stumbled upon DCF's post on the Unbelievably Good P595 Steak, I've been lusting over it.  I place Bugsy's on my list of must try restaurants and it moved up to the front of the pack when I snagged a Groupon deal for food and drinks at Bugsy's for half the price.

Beef Lok Lak

I finally tried one of the Cambodian spices my sister brought home for me.

Kabisera ng Dencio's

Kabisera ng Dencio's is a more upscale version of Dencio's which we used to frequent in our younger years for our sisig fix.  

We skipped the sisig this time around since our desire for the Malaman na Krispy Pata was stronger.

Malaman na Krispy Pata P670
Crispy and meaty pork pata served with a tangy sauce.

Chopsuey

Another chopsuey version minus the meat.

Il Mercanti Food Bazaar

We stumbled upon this food bazaar at Metrowalk a few weeks ago.  We made a quick survey of the food stalls and went with the not so healthy choices (I'm sure my mom is shaking her head if she is reading this).

The Crispy Sisig with Rice was very crunchy and the sauces were very rich.  It was sooo good but I shall never order this again.  It felt like a heart attack waiting to happen.  There is rice underneath all that and some cucumber slices.

Beef Massaman Curry

This is one of the many mixes we purchased at a thai exhibit.  Simple instructions were printed at the back of the pack but I didn't follow them to the letter.

Sweets from Chicago

Relatives from my husband's side came home from Chicago for 2 very short weeks.  We were showered with tons of chocolates and most of which were mint flavored ones.  I ended up eating most of them especially the dark chocolates.

Ling Nam

We wrapped up our Good Friday get together in Banawe.  Since we were a large group, we settled for the first restaurant that had ample parking space.  We had a hearty dinner in Ling Nam.  

My only memory of Ling Nam was a fastfood joint in the basement of Shoppesville in Greenhills.  I may have eaten there just once or twice and I can't recall what we had.  We ordered up a storm of Chinese fare.  

My favorite was the Eggplant Ala King (P240/8pcs), a breaded eggplant and seafood dish served with a creamy dip that tasted like mayonnaise.  This fried creation was good even without the sauce.

Seafood Lunch on Good Friday

I see my dad's side of the family about a handful of times a year and we have added Good Friday to the list of regular meet ups.  

Check out our lunch spread minus the desserts.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

One way to trick picky veggie eaters to get more servings of vegetables is to mix in some meat with the vegetables.  In this case bacon made asparagus more appealing.

Carmencita Spanish Paella Fish and Seafood Flavor

My first try at Paella turned out ok but sure could use a lot of improvement.

Panciteria Pon Lo Tai

We have been patronizing Panciteria Pon Lo Tai since they opened their Taytay branch last year.  We usually have food delivered when we don't feel like cooking.  We dined at their store for the first time and it was a tight squeeze.  Their main thrust is food pick up and delivery so their store seats about 8 people inside and another 8 al fresco.  I wonder how they prepare their food.  It seems like the kitchen is too small for their extensive menu.

The Mike Bihon with Lechon (yes the menu really says Mike) was tasty and filling as always.  The dish may be overflowing with sauce but they did not scrimp on the noodles, lechon and vegetables.

Fish Fillet, Tofu and Eggplants

Fish, tofu and eggplants in a rich flavorful sauce thats mostly salty and a bit sweet.

Abe

It's been ages since I've eaten at Abe and I was pretty happy that the Binukadkad na Pla Pla and Paco Fern and Tomato Salad were still as good as when I first tasted them years ago.

The well seasoned fish was good on its own but when wrapped in the mustasa leaves and combined with the shrimp paste it was a whole new experience in my mouth.  I ate most of my fish with just the shrimp paste and rice and it was really delicious.  We were so amazed by the butterflied fish that mom said she would try to recreate it at home.  

Binukadkad na Pla Pla P395
A Bistro Remedios original, overgrown tilapia butterflied and fried to delightful crispiness, served with balo balo relish (Capampangan delicacy of salted rice and shrimp paste) and mustasa leaves

Jim Bean Bacon Barbecue Sauce

I'm a sucker for prepared sauces and quick meal fixes.  I used the Jim Bean Bacon Barbecue Sauce on 2 occasions.  I cooked the pork pieces in a stovetop grill pan while constantly brushing more sauce and flipping them over.

Although I marinated my meat for 24 hours, I still dipped them in the sauce before eating them.  The sauce was a bit sour and I couldn't taste the bacon.

Burgers with Mushrooms and Gravy

Here's another version of the Burgers with Mushroom Gravy recipe from a few months ago.  I served them with a salad of lettuce, carrots and cucumbers with store bought blue cheese dressing or garlic ranch dressing.