The banner depicts my favorite food of all time ~ my comfort foods, the foods that will never fail to satisfy my gastronomic cravings, whenever and wherever. As you will notice, they are a hodgepodge of delights, varying from Italian, Mexican, Japanese, and of course, Filipino.
They are (from the top, left to right, by row):
(1) salmon sashimi ~
I don't have a favorite restaurant that prepares sushi. For as long as they're fresh and clean, and I have a small bowl of soy sauce and calamansi and/or lemon slice to dip the fish in, I am a happy girl. I would, however, suggest a visit to Kimpura. :)
(2) chocolate cake ~
It's really actually cakes in general and not chocolate cakes in particular, because of my sweet tooth and a variety of bakeshops that I patronize for their sumptuous creations. My current favorites are the Dulce De Leche Cheesecake from Forget Me Not, a small, specialty-cakes shop in New Manila that makes and sells cakes on a by-order basis; the Swiss Chocolate from Becky's Kitchen, and; the Mango Bravo from Conti's. YUM.
(3) lugaw/ arroz caldo~
My favoritEST comfort food of all time. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I craved for it the whole 9 months, so I guess it would be safe to say, in the vernacular, that pinaglihi ko sa lugaw ang anak ko. :)
(4) vongole pasta~
Pasta will always be a favorite, but after having tried so many, I think I can finally settle on vongole as the one for me. The clincher? The vongole from Buon Giorno in Tagaytay. The best, ever.
(5) coffee~
I love coffee. Freshly brewed from UCC, peppermint mocha from Starbucks, Jimm's 5-in-1 - I love them all. Not a day goes by without me having a cup.
(6) fresh tomato bruschetta~
Again, another favorite from Buon Giorno. The ones they make at Italianni's are also good, but Buon Giorno prepares the best tomato-basil topping, in my opinion. My bruschetta cravings also give my family good reason to drive all the way to Tagaytay. :D
(7) ginataang tulingan~
A Filipino dish that always makes my tummy (and heart) full, especially when paired with a hot cup of steamed rice. Tulingan is skipjack tuna, FYI, and for purposes of cooking it with coconut milk (i.e., ginataan), the smaller the fish, the more tasty and delicious the dish is. My mom, although an Ilocana (not a Bicolana - Bicolanos are famous for cooking the best coconut milk-based dishes), prepares it with lots of coconut milk and ginger. Just the way I like it.
(8) monggo~
Another local favorite of mine, which gets better, in my opinion, with fried galunggong (mackerel scad). People cook monggo (mung beans) in various ways, but the "version" I like is the one with a fair consistency (not too watery, not too dry) and cooked with small bits of smoked tinapa, or dried fish, and crushed chicharon (crispy fried pork rind). For some reason, Fridays in the Philippines have become associated with monggo, and my own family observes this silent tradition.
(9) burritos~
I love wraps - soft tacos, burritos, enchiladas - but I love burritos most of all, with glops and glops of tomato salsa in it. My favorite burritos are those made by Tia Maria's.
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There goes the list of my favorite food of all time, neatly arranged in a collage and proudly displayed on my blog banner. How about you? What is your favorite food of all time? :)
