Monday, December 28, 2009

REVIEW: Gone Greek!


The Greek gods have descended and decided to give Greek food for the masses. Go Greek! is a Greek/Mediterranean food stall located at the Glorietta 4 Food Choices near Savory at the far/back side of Food Choices, the first and only branch in the Philippines. With the emergence of Greek Restaurants in the Philippines (Mano's Greek Taverna, Cyma) Go Greek! is one of the more affordable of the lot, being a food stall and all. But that doesn't mean that food doesn't taste good.

Go Greek! offers the usual food you can find in the Greek restaurant menu. Kebabs, the slow roasted meat on a stick with tomatoes and onions; Gyros, the Greek version of the shawarma, by the way is is read as gee-rows, if you thought it was guy-rows then you are not alone. What is a Greek menu without lamb, Go Greek! also offers lamb and you can have it in many ways (Gyros, kebabs or chops).

If it is your first time eating here, ordering is a breeze, you can try out the Greek Kebabs or the Platters on the Menu. You can have the Greek Kebabs in chicken, lamb, seafood, pork, steak or vegetarian, it comes with 2 pieces of pita cut up into 4 a piece and a salad, 2 salad dressings are available the Greek and Caesar dressing the Greek salad dressing is definitely a must try! The real kicker is they add feta cheese to your salad at no extra cost. Feta cheese or more commonly known as goat's cheese is one of the more expensive of the cheese varieties and is most definitely delicious with the salad. The Platters is also a good way to start. Comes in Kebab Platters, Gyro Platter, a Lemon Chicken Platter is also available. The Platters come with Potatoes or Rice, instead of the Pita bread, and it still comes with the salad. Haven't tried any of the Gyros, definitely going back to try it the next time. The Lemon Chicken platter is also a must try, the tangy-ness of the lemon definitely stands out on this dish.




Hummous! I love hummous. Mashed chickpeas/garbanzos is what it is made off. Acts as a dip or spread for pita bread. I don't have a photo of it though, the time when I brought my camera they were out of hummous. Tried the Eggplant dip this one time, when they were also out of hummous, no photo of it again though, but what a surprise that was. The Eggplant dip proved to be quite delicious. Don't try to pronounce the Greek name though it starts with Met...something, didn't bother using its Greek name, just use Eggplant dip to order. Haven 't tried a lot on the menu though, desserts, pies, yogurt shakes, other kebabs. Off course we are going back to try everything out.



The verdict:

Price: Very Affordable, Greek Kebabs go for about a Php 115 to 125; The Platter around Php 150+, The dips are less than Php 100 and already come with the pita bread.

Food: If you like Greek food and are on a budget, this is the place to eat at. If you haven't tried Greek food, a perfect place to start before you go and eat at the more expensive Greek restaurants. For the price the food exceeds expectations. Talk about a healthy choice, if you constantly watch what you eat Go Greek! is perfect for you, everything is roasted and is cooked in olive oil, extra virgin olive oil. For the Platters, you can choose potato instead of rice. Who would think you can find this in a food court.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

RECIPE:Barbeque Buffalo Wings with Ranch Dip


Here's another recipe that will surely be a hit when served to your family and friends. Buffalo wings are usually served at restaurants like TGI Fridays and Chilli's and are quite expensive. You can have the same delicious buffalo wings at home. The truth is my buffalo wings recipe is so easy to make and is not expensive at all. Most of the ingredients are found in your kitchen cupboards. You can serve this during parties as appetizers or as an entree. Or you can just serve this at home during weekends. Serve this with different dips like, ranch, garlic parmesan, blue cheese dip, etc. You can also assemble the chicken wings with nachos, mozzarella sticks, potato wedges, fried calamari and vegetable sticks as an appetizer platter. The buffalo sauce in my recipe is quite spicy but you can adjust it by omitting the cayenne pepper or by adding more, depending on your taste. So try this recipe now and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

* For blue cheese dip, add crumbled blue cheese on your ranch dressing.
* For garlic parmesan cheese, add parmesan cheese on your ranch dressing.


SPICY BARBEQUE BUFFALO WINGS


WINGS

Ingredients:

12 pcs Chicken wings, cut at the joint (*you should have 2 pieces)
3 Tbsp Calamansi juice
1 pack Chicken Breading
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Procedures:

1. In a bowl, marinade the chicken wings with calamansi juice, salt and pepper. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in the frying pan. Dredge the chicken wings with the chicken breading. Fry until golden brown. Drain in paper towels and set aside.


SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1 cup BBQ sauce, bottled
2 Tbsp Sugar

Procedures:

1. In a sauce pan, melt the butter. Saute the garlic until light brown. Add in the cayenne pepper, vinegar, bbq sauce and sugar. Blend well.
2. Let it simmer. Add in the wings. Make sure to coat the sauce well with the chicken. Serve with ranch dressing.

RANCH DRESSING:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Evaporated milk
1/4 cup White vinegar
1 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
220 ml Real mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Procedures:

1. In a bowl, combine the evaporated milk and the vinegar until it curdles.
2. Add the mayonnaise and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

RECIPE:Easy Banana Cream Pie



I am going to share to you a very easy yet delicious recipe of Banana Cream Pie. The ingredients used in this recipe is readily available. You can give this as a gift for christmas or you can just make this as a dessert for your weekend gatherings. I guarantee you that this recipe is very simple and delicious. Everytime I make this pie, everybody asks for second servings. Try this recipe now!


BANANA CREAM PIE

Ingredients:

CRUST

1 pack (300 g) Crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup Granulated sugar
1/2 cup Melted butter

Procedures:

1. Combine all the ingredients until well incorporated.
2. Press the graham mixture on the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
3. Refrigerate it and set aside.

FILLING

1 pack Banana Cream Pie Pudding (Jello)
1 pack All Purpose Cream, chilled
1 can (320 ml) Condensed milk
1 tsp (sachet) Unflavored gelatin (Knox or Ferna brand)
5 pcs Banana, sliced (Cavendish or Lakatan Variety) * slice the banana's just before using it to prevent it from browning. Or you can soak the banana's in water.


TOPPING

1 pack All Purpose Cream, chilled
1 Tbsp Granulated sugar
Caramel or chocolate syrup

Procedures:


1.For the filling, prepare the banana cream pie pudding according to the box directions. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the all purpose cream and sugar. Using a mixer, whip the cream, until stiff. Set aside.
3. For the gelatin, follow package directions for 1 sachet of gelatin. Set aside.
4.Combine the pudding, condensed milk and gelatin. Fold in the whipped cream and blend well. Add the banana slices on top of the crust. Pour the banana cream mixture into your pie crust. Refrigerate it for 4-5 hours or until set.
5. For the topping, combine the all purpose cream and the sugar. Whip the cream until stiff. Spread the cream on top of the pie. Drizzle with caramel or chocolate syrup.

* If desired, you can also add nuts and chocolate shavings.