Ochi In The City

Food Diary : Shorthorn Pares

It was earlier this year when I first saw it. The mouth-watering Pares with a humongous cholesterol-inducing bone marrow. I mean sure I'v ad Pares before, but never with a humongous bone marrow paired with it. I love bone arrow, in case you didn't know. If you follow me on Instagram, you know the only reason why I order bulalo is the bone marrow. Lol, kidding. Of course I love bulalo in its entirety but the bone marrow is that golden cherry on top that seals the deal for me. So when I saw this Pares place with bone marrow on the Facebook group 'What's your ulam, pare?', I knew I had to try it.

It's inception started earlier this year and I saw how long the queue was. I'm a huge foodie but I will not waste my time lining up. Some accounts of trying Shorthorn Pares mentioned they had to wait for an hour or 2 just try the dish. Just like all of the food hypes that happened this year, I waited it out. Made sure the hype cloud was over before trying it.

THE PLACE

While on our way to the joint, we noticed 2 locations on Waze. Apparently, the original location is temporarily unavailable due to expansions and renovations. The location we visited was a temporary location. When we got there, the place was practically empty; there was only one couple dining at that time. Parking is scarce since it is situated in a residential area. Most residents usually park their cars along the road so the only parking you every really get is the one in front of the temp location which is about 1 or 2 slots at most.

FOOD

Of course I had to order the famous HB (Highblood) Pares P180.00. When I saw the serving size I was pretty disappointed because it only had a small amount of Pares in it. I meansure the bone marrow was huge, but really, that tiny serving is the right amount for this mountain of rice? Anyway, let's go to the taste. The rice was served cold but props to all the toppings. I mean, it would've tasted better if it was served hot. The Pares was okay, nothing special. Most of the Pares that I've had tasted the same; I've tasted better. Now let's go to the bone marrow, This is where all my disappointment seems to stem from.

I grew up under the assumption that bone marrow tastes the same regardless what the dish is. I've tasted it in Bulalo, Nilagang Baka and just plain roasted marrow. I always fall in love with the creamy, buttery umami taste you can't quite describe. But when I had their bone marrow, there wasn't any flavor at all? I don't know why. I mean sure it tasted fatty but it doesn't have the usual umami taste I fell in love with. I was sorely disappointed. I wanted it so bad and waited for it for so long. My expectations weren't high because I know what bone marrow tastes like, but it fell short even with that. And you know me, I'm a rice person. But would you believe me if I said I didn't even get to finish my bowl of rice? It was a pretty small bowl but I didn't even finish it.

I don't mean to demean this food joint in any way but I just wanted to express my dissatisfaction. I don't get what the hype is all about :( I hope this was an isolated case and it isn't the same for everybody because I love supporting small businesses. Too bad my experience with them wasn't so good. Would I go back? Probably not. The taste didn't exactly prove to be travel-worthy. But if I happen to just really pass by the place and I'm hungry, I might give it another chance.

SHORTHORN PARES

Budget : P500 for 2 people

Monday - Sunday 12PM - 12AM

3 Shorthorn Street, Project 8, Quezon City (Main) 24 Road 11, Project 8, Quezon City (Extension)

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, by Ochi Bernadas

breakfast food

Food Diary : Rustic Mornings by Isabelo

One fine Sunday morning, I was bored and didn’t really have anything better to do at home. Since I was already prepped after church, I decided to visit Pinto Art Museum so I can give myself a dose of artistic sense. Since I usually go to church early in the morning, I was already hungry by the time this idea hit me so I thought this is an amazing time to explore some of the hidden food gems along Marikina since I’ll be passing by on the way to Pinto Art Museum.

A quick google search on breakfast places in Marikina led me to Rustic Mornings by Isabelo. The placed looked so pretty and it seemed like the perfect place for Sunday brunch. It felt like the perfect place to emancipate my Tita-ness to a whole ‘nutha level.

PLACE
When we arrived, I was surprised by the queue. We arrived a little over 9AM and we were 7th on the list. I didn’t make a reservation the night before because nowhere did it say that they usually get an influx of people during Sunday mornings, but I guess I should have known better. We were waiting for over an hour until we got seated. By that time I was already starving. I used the waiting time to take photos and videos of the place but I couldn’t really explore the other corners because each dining place is sort of exclusively separated so it would seem like I was barging in if I just took videos lol.

The entire place was dreamy-and it wasn’t just a single theme for the restaurant. Every nook and cranny had a different theme and each corner was “instagrammable”! Parking is available inside the compound but once it’s full, you have to park at the nearby Shell gas station and you’d have to walk a little bit.

FOOD
Now, let’s talk about why we’re really here…the food. We ordered the French toast, Bacon, Eggs and Sausage (P350.00), Toast and Soft-boiled eggs with spinach and mushroom (P350.00) and Three Cheese Pizza (P250.00). The food was underwhelming, it was okay. Not bad, not splendid either. I wasn’t completely disappointed, I was just sad that we had to wait that long for food that’s just…okay. Nothing was special about it; it’s something you can get from your friendly neighborhood coffee shop or café. If there's one redeeming factor about the food, it may be the serving size. Most of it says it's good for 2 people, although I downed my plate alone and had another one. Hehe So I guess if you're not someone who has a huge appetite, you'd have to share.

I think one catalyst of my disappointment is that all reviews that I read said that the food is awesome. I mean, I went all the way from Mandaluyong and still waited for over an hour for food that’s just okay. Something that you can make at home. But don’t get me wrong, the place is still lovely if you want to have a romantic brunch or if you want to celebrate something special. The place is cozy and homey after all. I’m just saying when it comes to food, lower your expectations a bit because there was nothing special about the platters that we ordered.

Would I go back? No. Unless it’s a special occasion or I really want a romantic setup for brunch, then no. Some of the factors I considered: the location of the place—it’s pretty far, whether you’re taking your car or public transportation, it’ll take time. Food—again it’s something I can avail at my friendly neighborhood café so if food is all I’m after, I won’t really go that far. Price—approximate budget for two people is P1200 according to Zomato so unless I’m celebrating something momentous, I’m not going to spend this much for breakfast. Anyway, I’m leaving this video and you guys be the judge. Have you tried Rustic Mornings by Isabelo? Let me know about your experience in the comments section!

RUSTIC MORNINGS BY ISABELO

Budget : P1000 – P1200 / person

Reservations at : 02 4258610 | 02 6812461

Weekdays : 8AM – 4PM Weekends : 8AM – 9PM

11 Isabelo Mendoza Street, San Roque, Marikina City

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, by Ochi Bernadas

BaByLiss Pro Perfect Curl

BaByLiss Pro Perfect Curl Review

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, by Ochi Bernadas

chicken caldereta recipe

Kitchen Chronicles : Chicken Caldereta

I've been on a recipe roll, I guess you've noticed hehe. I worked from home for a week so I was able to spend quality time making quality meals for myself. I was able to make an entire recipe line good for about two weeks and now I'm down to my last 2 recipes. The next dish I'm sharing is a household staple. I actually confuse this dish along with Menudo and Afritada but I read somewhere that they basically have the same base, they just differ on ingredients and on the meat being used. So for today, let's proceed to the recipe which is Chicken Caldereta!

I properly learned about this recipe when I was in college. It was my first bout of independence, and while I usually see my Mom prepare this for us, I never really got the chance to try it. One cold Sunday afternoon, I was craving for my Mom's recipe and decided to try it out on my own. Again, just eyeballing the ingredients and trying to mimic how it tasted. My first try was quite a success but I've improved my method since then. Today I'll be sharing the ~improved~ but still easy version!

INGREDIENTS

Chicken (any part of your preference, I used thigh and leg)

Carrots

Garlic

Onion

Potatoes

Green/Red Bell Pepper

Tomato Sauce

Liver Spread

Salt and Pepper

PROCEDURE:

1. Saute garlic and onion until fragrant.

2. Once fragrant, add the chicken and saute for about 5 minutes or until the skin turns brown.

3. Add the tomato sauce. Just eyeball how much you'll need and add more as you go along.

4. Add water, salt and pepper and do you first taste test. Simmer for about 3 - 5 minutes.

5. Once you're okay with the flavor, add the carrots, potatoes, bell pepper and liver spread.

6. Simmer until the carrots and potatoes are cooked to your liking.

7. Adjust seasoning according to taste. Serve with chili and fish sauce on the side.

And that's it! Easy peasy, right? A few notes, don't put the entire liver spread. Just take it one tablespoon at a time. Take it easy on the tomato sauce as well. If you put in too much, it'll be harder to remedy in the long run. It also tends to get more sour which means you'd have to put in more seasoning. But overall, I think you can't go wrong with this dish so goodluck. Btw, other versions have green peas and hotdog, I prefer to have those only during fiesta's (lol) but not when I'm cooking. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy cooking!