Wooden Spoon by Chef Sandy Daza Katipunan: Restaurant Review

photo from selwynuy.com

This restaurant along Katipunan Avenue is very unassuming. It can easily go unnoticed, tucked between two other establishments with screaming boardsigns. It is this simplicity that makes Wooden Spoon popular among Pinoy diners, because really, even after all that burgers and pasta and kimchi you had, you will still crave for that food you grew up with.

My foodie partner and I went on a Sunday and ordered Crispy Crab Pancit, Salmon Belly Sinigang, Shrimp Pampango, and Rice. They served the sinigang first, I assumed it's because they categorized it as soup (thus, served first). I really wanted to try it with rice but they served it much later, even after I told the waiter to serve the rice already. But, I must say, trying the sinigang without rice was a refreshing experience for me. I was so used to eating sinigang with rice, that I forgot how sinigang tasted on its own.

Salmon Belly Sinigang at Php 245.00 / Good for two

The Salmon Belly Sinigang was good. Ingredients were basic: tomato, onion, kangkong, and finger chilis. And of course, the salmon belly. There was a balance between sour and spicy. My stomach did not have a negative reaction with the sinigang, unlike the sinigang from other restaurants which are too sour you can expect to have hyperacidity attack immediately after the first spoonful.

The Salmon Belly Sinigang was perfect with Patis

Next served was the Crab Pancit. Said to be an original recipe by Chef Sandy's mother Nora Daza and a french chef, this dish tasted way better than how it looked.

Crispy Crab Pancit at Php 165.00. Good for two or three

This was supposed to be an appetizer (according to the menu) but they served it after the sinigang. I know it's shallow, but it really confused me. Anyway, the crispy crab pancit was deep-fried sotanghon noodles topped with creamy sauce made of crab meat, crab eggs (aligue), and egg. The presentation (plating) was underwhelming, since you know, it's supposed to be made by THE Chef Sandy Daza of Del Monte Kitchenomics fame (which I followed/watched as a kid) so I really didn't understand why the food reminded me of a baby's puke. But once I tasted the pancit, all the negative feelings I had toward the food evaporated. The pancit was soooo good.

It's perfect as an appetizer - which means that you only have to eat a small portion of it. The crab pancit was delicious but it was also creamy and savory that eating too much could be nakakaumay. Also because it's heavy on the stomach and when you have eaten a lot of this, you'd have no more room for other dishes!

Lastly, we were served with Shrimp Pampango and the rice (finally!).

Shrimp Pampango @ Php 225.00 / Good for two or three

Bite-sized shrimps which were breaded and deep-fried, this dish came with a positively sinful dip made of aligue and some other ingredients I cannot figure out but would love to know so I can make my own version of this at home!

Miracle Dip!

I must say that without this dip, the breaded shrimp would be just an ordinary dish. The dip was an explosion of salty, sweet, and savory tastes. If there's one dish that Wooden Spoon should be known for, it should be this!

Wooden Spoon Katipunan is almost always full-packed so don't come super hungry and during lunch or dinner hour, you will only get frustrated as waiting time can be quite long. Also, be sure to bring cash because they don't accept credit/debit cards.

Kain na!

Ratings:

1. Food Quality - 4.5 (out of 5) Shrimp Pampango is the king!

2. Price - 3 (out of 5) pretty reasonable, considering its famous owner and  its reputation. You and your date can enjoy a good meal for Php 300.00 (ex. 1 Shrimp Pampango + 2 rice + 7 % service charge).

3. Ambience - 2 (out of 5) too cramped for big groups, comfort room too close to dining area, spiral staircase could use a makeover - also don't go upstairs if you are wearing short skirts because everyone below can and will see your vajayjay!

Wooden Spoon is located at 329 A Katipunan Road, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

Traipsing in Singapore: Part 2

Day 2 of our Singapore trip was mostly spent in Sentosa. We rode the MRT again, this time we were more confident about riding the complex train system of Singapore.

We got off the station near a mall. We couldn't resist taking pictures of the installations outside the mall.

Functional Art!

We bought the train ticket to Sentosa, which also served as our gate-pass to the famed adventure island!

We decided to go the beaches of Palawan and Siloso. I must say, despite the name, Palawan Beach is nothing compared to the beaches in Palawan, Philippines. The Sentosa beach is a mere 2 kilometer (or so) stretch of reclaimed land. The first thing we saw at the beach was this "No Swim Zone" sign. There were many sun-bathers, they seemed happy. We were underwhelmed. 

But the cleanliness and the facilities in the area made up for its shortcomings.

We had grilled chicken with peanut butter sauce for lunch. We also lazed around the beach to siesta!

To be continued...

Traipsing in Singapore: Part 1

Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay

Singapore may be a lot of things, but it definitely is not boring. One can do and explore so many things in this tiny island-country. Let me share with you what I and my gang did when we went to Singapore a few months back.

Singapore's Changi International Airport is very tourist-friendly, especially to first-time tourists. There are big signboards in English everywhere. There is free wifi and there are surfing stations which anyone can use. The airport itself is pretty big and they can afford staging exhibits to entertain visitors or travelers. When we arrived, there was an exhibit about the Porcelain Trading History of Singapore.

Singapore's transport system is super efficient, everything is interconnected. We rode the train from the station inside the airport and did not get lost (thank heavens!) because of the large and numerous signs everywhere. We arrived at Bugis Station, which was connected to a mall where we had lunch.

Noodle lunch for 3 Singaporean dollars each

Everything is super spicy!

And then just as we were about to leave the mall we saw this:

Hilarity ensues!

We checked-in at Backpacker Cozy Corner Guesthouse and were lucky to have had a room-for-four all to ourselves. It's a dormitory-type guesthouse and strangers sharing rooms, toilets, and washrooms is a common sight. We rested for a little bit and in the late afternoon we wandered around the area. The old colonial houses were a treat to the eyes.

There were a lot of hole-in-the-wall shops and restaurants with cute interior/exterior designs and decorations we could not resist taking pictures:

We walked further down the road and reached the famous Raffles Hotel.

Old-world Charm

There were shops and restaurants across the Hotel. Owners reside just above their shops.

We walked further and passed by this memorial spire for the victims of the Japanese Occupation during WWII:

We were already tired but we had a glimpse of two Singapore landmarks and got excited to walk some more.

Finally:

The Singapore Flyer is actually a restaurant. It rotates very slowly. A full rotation takes about 60 minutes which would give the diners time to eat properly and at the same time take in the 360-degree view of downtown Singapore!

From where we sat, we could see Marina Bay, home of Singapore's Gardens by the Bay (Flower Dome and The Supertree Grove) and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino.

And yes, we walked!

You can walk up the man-made tree towers, there are restaurants in some of the 'trunks'. The trees are connected by a bridge so you can walk from one tree to the next. The giant trees experience was both awesome and post-apocalypse-freaky for us.

After going around the area, we decided to go back to our hotel. It was almost dinner time. Since we didn't know how to go back to our hotel via public transport and there were no taxis in sight, we decided to walk again! The way back was harder since we were already tired and hungry. 

The black line marks our walking adventure

I'd say we walked at least 40 kilometers back and forth. We ate at the Indian restaurant beside the hotel and bunked down immediately after.

Legging in Legaspi City: Hotel St. Ellis

I don't know if I was lucky or there was a promo or the receptionist made a mistake (or maybe I got confused?), but I only paid for almost Php 2,000 per night at the Hotel St. Ellis for a deluxe room, which has a published rate of Php 3,200.

Hotel St. Ellis is a quaint hotel in downtown Legaspi. It is near most establishments like banks, malls, and restaurants.

With minimalist interiors in warm earth tones. 

On my first night of stay, there was reeking smell of cat urine coming from the aircon. Got paranoid that I peed on my bed when I first arrived and napped but luckily the smell went away the next day.

The bathroom's pretty decent. I like the big ass shower head and the consistent water temp. I just have a bit of a problem with the toilet because it doesn't have a tabo. Yeah, yeah call me probinsiyana or backward or whatever, but we Pinoys cannot poop without a tabo (or dipper/water dipper). How do you clean your butt without a tabo? It's such a hassle. I don't wanna tell you how I cleaned up! Nakakahiya, what I did! :P

The pool which I never swam in.

The complimentary buffet breakfast. Menu was simple. Their ginataang kalabasa was divine. Their daing na bangus tanked, it tasted like mud. And there was this rude restaurant attendant who kept on ignoring me asking for coffee. Or maybe she was just busy attending to the other visitors. 

All in all, my stay in St. Ellis was good! I have to research though, why they named it after St. Ellis (who is St. Ellis anyway?)