Qwek Qwek

(Chicago) – There are days that I feel so bloated and I don’t feel like eating full or heavy meal. To a Pinoy, that means a meal with “ulam” (dish) and rice, and most …

(Chicago) – Chicken rice is one of the reasons why I love Singapore. I clearly remember a particular week, when I was still based in Singapore many years ago…

(Chicago) – New Asian is how Sunda claims its presence in Chicago dining scene and it’s aggressively and creatively revamping Asian fusion to American …

(Chicago) – Whenever I crave for Asian barbeque, there is no other place to go in Chicago but Sun Wah. I’m fortunate enough to live nearby…

(New York) – My friend from New York brought us here and I love the food. Vietnamese food is totally different from Filipino flavors but I can definitely relate to it. We’re one big happy Asian family after all. Pho rocks!

(New York) – Dimsum used to be a Sunday ritual to me. Not anymore. With Sunday specialty brunching becoming very popular and appropriate (referring to Bloody Marys, Bellinis and Mimosas that cure hangover, just a personal belief and no scientific claim)…

(New York) -  There must be something about a restaurant if people are cheerfully willing to wait for more than an hour to get seats for dinner. I was forewarned by some of my New Yorker friends about the notorious wait at Momofuku but such warning does not have any impact on me.  It thrills [...]

(New York) – There are probably hundreds of restaurants in Chinatown and to pick a place to eat is an arduous task when me and my travel buddies only allotted one meal to try this famously tumultuous New York area. I made a shortlist of food places and I let the locals pick the topmost. [...]

(Singapore) – During Vergel’s short stint as a cook in a famous Thai restaurant here in Singapore, he learned to cook most of the signature Thai dishes that they were serving. I was never a fan of Thai food, but when he took me for dinner at the restaurant he was working at, I instantly [...]

(Atlanta) -  I thought I can only find a good tasting Pho in Asian neighborhoods such as Vietnamese rows like Buford in Atlanta, Argyle in Chicago or Chinatown. I was wrong.  Right in downtown Atlanta; a block away from my office; beside the fast food chains and counter service sandwich eateries; there is Dua serving [...]

(Chicago) -  I used to love this place.  My first dinner at Sura was about 4 years ago and came back for many more lunches and dinners afterwards. However, a common observation among friends, which I seconded, was that the food dwindled somehow in quality while the price inflated. Perhaps, the people behind the kitchen [...]

(Singapore) – In preparation for my friend’s baby shower, I decided to tag along her husband Chef Vergel for ingredient-hunting as he is tasked to prepare our dinner – as always!  We went to a popular wet market place in Singapore called Geylang Serai Market and Food Center in its new location which renovated in [...]

(Chicago) – When I fancy Asian food and I can’t think of anywhere else to go, my default go-to restaurant is Joy Yee’s.  I’ve been coming to this place for years and I can’t recall an instant when I complained about the food or I left the table unsatisfied. With the hundreds of items in their menu, there [...]

(Singapore) – During my husband’s quick visit (how quick? 18 hours!) here in Singapore, I needed to take him to a restaurant my boss introduced to me during one of our team lunches – The Cathay Restaurant.  According to my Singaporean boss, it is a restaurant which served Chinese Cuisine back in the olden days [...]

(Chicago) – “Bagoong” (shrimp paste) rice is one of my all-time Filipino favorites.  Depending on what restaurant version you are eating, “bagoong” rice is generally salty, a little sweet, sour and savory.  The overall taste is strong, imposing and yet, aromatic and big in all major flavors; Perhaps, we could call it the “umami” rice.  It is hard [...]