Red Velvet Cupcakes, Jalapeno Cheetos, Chipotle fries, Matcha Panacotta, Cronuts to Salted Caramel Ice-cream and the list goes on. Everybody went crazy over them, no matter how long the lines were and no matter how high the prices reached. All simply wanted a taste. So, what's hot now in 2016? My sister flashed us a picture of these Salted Egg chips, a recent find during one of her client visits. This somehow confirmed my thinking that this was now the "In" thing, having tried the Din Tai Fung dessert last month. She couldn't stop talking about it and was telling us how good it was but how deadly (in terms of cholesterol) at the same time. She finally convinced me to get one for myself. Knowing the "gaya-gaya" (imitator) mentality of the Filipinos, I know it would soon be available everywhere. To my surprise, it was a hard to find commodity. I couldn't find it in the grocery or in any specialty store I knew of. So, I totally forgot about it and just carried on with work. Until one day, a client of mine asked me to develop a Salted Egg dessert. I immediately asked for the number of the supplier selling the chips. When I called the supplier, the lady asked me to fill out a form before I could order because she would not be able to entertain me. She receives 100 calls a day just for orders. I told her I only needed one and that my driver will pick it up. Finally, my goodie arrived. At first bite, I was disappointed not only because it was pretty expensive for Php 250, but also because it tasted like ordinary potato chips. So, I kept on eating hoping to find the flavor I was looking for. It was so unfair because before I knew it, I was already half way through the jar. The chips grow on you. And true to its advertisement, it's really addicting! The chips reminded me of the Cereal Prawns I make for my clients. The chips, in my opinion, seemed to be tossed in a buttery-salted egg crumble. It was sweet, salty and had a bit of heat. It was also very aromatic probably because of the curry leaves that was included in the mixture. I was very happy after and contented too, but the question is, will I buy it again? Mmmmm, it really depends. If I'm not too conscious about my health, I would definitely indulge. Given my age, I would think twice. However, for all you young ones (or feeling young) out there, I recommend you give this a try. Should you hurry up and buy these chips? Maybe you can relax for a little bit. After all, this salted egg trend looks like it won't be going away any time soon.
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The last time I went to Lipa was in 2014 when I did a presentation in Soro Soro, Batangas. I asked the driver to pass by my hometown to buy a couple of my favorite snacks. It was a good 29km drive. I don't know if it's just me or what but I love to daydream about the stuff I'm going to eat on the way home to Manila. I contacted my family friend and asked her to buy me Bonete (a chewy, dinner roll type of bread shaped like a mushroom), suman, Paho and most especially, Lomi. I was happy because at least I got to take home my favorite bread "Bonete" but also sad at the same time because I was not able to eat Lomi. Two years after, now that I'm doing a project in Lipa, I made sure that this time I'll be able to eat my favorite noodles, Lomi. I had lunch at my cousin's house and truly, after consuming a bowl full of comfort, I wanted to cry out of happiness. It is typical for chefs to highly regard dishes that are more complex, more complicated. It's unfortunate that the "Lomi" is somewhat taken for granted. We have a potential winner here. If marketed well in the world, it will be at par with the Ramen of Japan. What is Lomi anyway? What's in it? It is a hearty, heavy soup made with thick egg noodles with a variety of fillings such as kikiam, meatballs, chicharon, pork liver, pork slices, egg etc etc. What makes this dish ultra special is the way the caldo(broth made of meat, meat bones and spices) was prepared because of the intense flavor it gives. There are many versions of Lomi found all over town. But the best Lomi is from Panciteria de Lipa aka Lomian ni Kang Quiming found in the palengke. Now, with his children managing the family business, Kang Quiming's Lomi became Lomi King. After an exhausting day of meetings and research, I couldn't wait to go home to my kids with 3 orders of Lomi King's regular. At dinner, I was not surprised when they said: mom, this beat Shabu-Shabu, Ramen and the noodles in Chinatown. If you're craving right now, you have a good enough reason to drive at least 1 hour to try the Lomi in Lipa. |
AuthorIm Chef Peach and it's obvious that I love food. In fact, I love food so much that I decided to make it my profession. You know what's ironic, I was a Finance graduate! Archives
January 2021
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