rasta pattie posted by imani , Friday, January 27, 2012 at 8:55 AM, in Labels: culinary curiousities

i took a leave from work today, hoping to get a bit of rest, only to end up cleaning my room again. blame it on my mom - she somehow managed to procure a can of pledge furniture spray. that was more than enough to send me to an involuntary bookshelf-dusting frenzy. so most of my afternoon was spent re-doing the exact same thing i did the other day.

later this evening, i decided to go to the mall to pick up a few things (i.e.: plasticware to keep my stuff tidy, a retractable mouse, a 4-port usb hub). i decided against the mouse and the usb hub all because one was expensive and the other - won't be much of a help at all since i cannot use it for my external hard drive or my broadband stick and they don't have a stock of what could actually do all that for me.

after nearly an hour of scouring for what's on my list store after store, i got hungry and went back to the first floor and got myself some jamaican pattie. i have always ordered cheez n' beef for apparent reasons, but if there will be a shortage of it, i go for beefy mushroom or something tomato (i cannot seem to recall the name). the picture you see above was the cheez n' beef pattie when i was halfway through it.

i was looking forward to a meal that really did not involve a plate of rice this time, as i knew i had to go around a bit more and canvass for a chair i could use in my room. so i started to eat. or shall i say - i started to try to eat. the pattie was scalding hot i could not get to the most important part of it - the beef and the cheese.

do not get me wrong. i have always loved jamaican patties and it's a great tasting snack but this one nearly killed what passion i have left for its kind. i totally did not mind the thick chili paste i put all over it. it was the temperature of the food. it was smoking hot.

and even after several mini-bites, it was still smoking hot. literally. i was probably eating it for about 20 minutes and it never changed. every bite on the pattie led to a sore in my tongue. well, there weren't any actual sores but it did feel that way. for the entire time, my tongue really did not feel or taste much.

i would not say it was a disaster, maybe it is a call for me to exercise more of the patience i thought i had. i will most definitely go back to jammin jamaica and get myself some more patties and this time, tag a fire hydrant along.

not just sandwiches posted by imani , Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 10:14 AM, in Labels: culinary curiousities

early this afternoon, nosh and i went to glorietta (after my shift) to 'search' for a gift for my sister, whose birthday we celebrated yesterday. we went around for hours and hours but failed to 'secure' one before we felt the need to nourish our ourselves. and since we cannot seem to decide on what to eat, we went to the one place that offer variety...subway.

subway actually refers to an underground path but this subway is a haven for those who seeks the freedom to satiate their craving. as we walked in, we cannot help but feel that it is like walking into your own pantry - with only the best, freshest ingredients to make one hell of a good sandwich.

nosh picked the tuna sandwich while i devoured a steak and cheese sandwich. aside from the many fillings you can choose from, you also have the option to put them all in either italian, wheat, honey oats and parmesan oregano bread.

the tuna sandwich makes for a very light and healthy meal (despite it being served on a six-inch bread). nosh opted to have all the veggies (except jalapenos) and a drizzle of vinegrette. i took a bite and knew right on that she made an excellent choice.

i, on the other hand, am a true 'carnivore' by heart...so i went for the steak. i asked the sandwich guy to put only onions, tomatoes, pickles and (a lot) of jalapenos on the loaf. it was a treat for my palate! that particular sandwich goes well with barbecue sauce (in case anyone of you wanted to try). by the time i was done eating, i was perspiring and felt like i just gave all my taste buds a death sentence.

despite this, i didn't feel queasy at all - i was happy with what i ate and i can't wait to get myself a sub again.

persian delight posted by imani , Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 9:52 AM, in Labels: culinary curiousities

nosh and i are at zaitoon right now. the surprising thing about my neighborhood is that it is a melting pot. the number of foreign nationals here increases every...i don't know...nanosecond.

zaitoon is a persian restaurant that sits comfortably right in the middle of leveriza street. we have always wanted to try their food but only found the time to do it tonight.

the restaurant offers a number of surprises: one, the kebab is really, really great. i actually think 'great' is an understatement. we just finished eating a wonderful dish which consist of heaping plate of jasmine rice, grilled tomatoes, hummus and beef/lamb kebab. two, the serving is so hefty that two people can share it...or you can choose to eat it alone if you are really famished. three, the staff is really nice - they are quick to attend to their customers' need and they know what each dish has in store for your curious palate. four, it's a cozy place - and with cozy i mean you get to nosh on your dinner peacefully without anybody attempting to bother you. being here transports you a different place - they have persian programs on the television. at first, the interior might confuse you as it calls to mind an amalgamation of old english, asian, industrial, fast-food set-up, but the authenticity of the persian atmosphere start to foam as mid-eastern patrons come in. fifth, according to nosh, if you are looking for a quick fix to alleviate your persian craving without having to spend so much, then zaitoon is the place you go to, however, if you want to try champion persian food, we suggest that you visit hossein's - they have three branches in metro manila (trinoma, makati avenue and serendra). lastly, i get free wi-fi ehehe.

we are having such a great time tonight and we are sure to come back here to taste the other dishes. one of the best things about zaitoon is that it's only about five minutes away from where i live.

i feel soooo full as i type this. i resolved to write on my blog because i can't seem to update my facebook shoutout.

i feel stuffed i bet i can be served for a thanksgiving dinner with cranberry sauce (that is if you are looking for a substitute for turkey) ahaha.