#i had beef noodle soup and sesame noodles and scallion pancakes and a tea egg and coconut jelly and boba and-

[bioelectriccorporation]

god when i have a crush on someone its so embarrassing like i can't even look at them or talk to them but i will be so so happy if we're even at the same table holy shit

[thehungrykat1]

Paradise Dynasty Opens New Outlet at the Podium

I often dream about the Signature 8-Flavor Xiao Long Bao of Paradise Dynasty and how I would love to eat a basket of those Black Truffle flavored ones, but it’s so hard to go all the way to Mall of Asia to satisfy my cravings. Thankfully, my dreams have finally been answered as Paradise Dynasty opens its second branch at the Podium in Ortigas Center.

I live in Quezon City, so this new branch is really a great location for those who live near the northern part of Metro Manila. You can find Paradise Dynasty on the second floor of the newly renovated Podium. Paradise Dynasty is a popular international franchise which originated from Singapore. They specialize in serving awesome Xiao Long Bao and other delightful Shanghainese dishes. I was able to try their rainbow-colored Xiao Long Bao for the first time last year at their branch in S Maison at Conrad Manila (Read: Legendary Xiao Long Bao at Paradise Dynasty) and now I’m sure I will be back more often with this new branch that is closer to home.

It was also just my second time to visit the new Podium and guests may not even recognize it from the original mall. This is because it is actually a totally different building located just beside the first Podium, which is now being renovated for another purpose. The new Podium is elegantly spacious with lots of natural lighting and sleek architectural curves.

The new Paradise Dynasty is just as classy and elegant, with interiors that remind me of those golden palaces in China where emperors and dynasties used to live. The interiors may be a little less opulent and intricate than their Mall of Asia branch (see here), but the ambiance is still as enchanting.

The restaurant also has an open kitchen and diners can see a live theatre of chefs preparing the star of the show at Paradise Dynasty, the Xiao Long Bao. These bite-sized bundles of flavor are meticulously prepared by hand, one by one, and only upon order, so it takes a lot of training and skill to properly finish these dumplings. 

The new branch also has its own VIP rooms which are actually bigger than the one at the Mall of Asia outlet. This is where my friends and I will be having our exquisite lunch featuring the restaurant’s specialties.

I started with some Homemade Barley Water (P80) which can be ordered hot or cold. This refreshing and healthy beverage is the best to pair up with your baskets of Xiao Long Bao. Diners can also choose to have hot tea served in this golden tea pot.

The Signature Original Xiao Long Bao (P188-6pcs / P298-10pcs) is always the most popular item at Paradise Dynasty. These soupy pork dumplings are carefully made using thin dumpling wrappers that should not break easily when you pick them up with your chopsticks. Paradise Dynasty makes sure that each dumpling weighs around 25 grams and has exactly 18 folds, so you get the same experience from your first to your last bite. Many other restaurants offer Xiao Long Bao but it takes an expert to prepare them the way they should be. 

There is also a proper way to eat your Xiao Long Bao. First of all, do not just pick up and swallow the dumpling in one whole bite because you will definitely burn your tongue and mouth if you do so. The Xiao Long Bao are filled with hot soup so you should nibble a small hole first to let the steam out and take a few sips of the tasty broth. That’s when you can then eat the entire dumpling and enjoy its flavors.

What sets Paradise Dynasty apart from all the rest is their Specialty Dynasty Xiao Long Bao (P388). This basket contains eight different flavors of Xiao Long Bao which are color coded for easy reference. Paraside Dynasty is the first restaurant which offered this kind of colored Xiao Long Bao set and while some establishments have already tried to copy it, they remain the pioneers and will always be remembered for putting their legendary Xiao Long Bao on the global foodie map.

The Signature Original (white) in the middle is surrounded by seven different variants such as Ginseng (green), Foie Gras (brown), Black Truffle (black), Cheese (yellow), Crab Roe (orange), Garlic (gray), and Szechuan (red). First-timers should always try this basket and see which flavors they like most. My favorites are the Cheese, Foie Gras, and most especially the Black Truffle Xiao Long Bao. Once you know your favorite flavors, you can then order each Xiao Long Bao basket with just one type of dumpling (P230/P330-6pcs).

Paradise Dynasty also offers an extensive menu featuring other appetizers, dimsum, and hot dishes that should complete any grand feast or celebration. The Pork Dumpling in Hot Chili Vinaigrette (P168) is another version of dumplings that will give a spicy and garlicky kick. This should also serve as a great appetizer.

One of the new items at Paradise Dynasty is the Charcoal Custard Lava Bun (P188). This Darth Vader-looking bun is actually quite heavenly with its gooey salted egg yolk custard that just oozes out when you bite it. The custard has just the right amount of flavor, not too rich or salty, so you can finish all three pieces in one sitting if you don’t want to share. I actually prefer having my custard bun as a dessert instead of an appetizer.

A healthier option would be the Lettuce Roll with Homemade Sesame Sauce (P288). You can take a bite of these very crunchy lettuce rolls after you dip them into the roasted sesame dressing. It’s more like a deconstructed salad with better presentation.

The Radish Pastry (P138) is one of their recommended items with its regal appearance and texture. Open the crusty outer layer to reveal the warm shredded radish inside. You can also try the Steamed Glutinous Rice Stuffed in Red Dates (P238) with its sticky rice wrapped inside the sweet red dates. These are very popular in China for their health benefits.

Other interesting appetizers you can order include the Stir-Fried Shredded Pork in Black Bean Sauce (P388) which are served with Chinese Crepes. Place the savory shredded pork inside the crepes and bite away. Another new item is the Chilled Baby Spinach with Vermicelli (P288) which is another healthy alternative. We also tried their Scrambled Egg White with Fish and Conpoy (P328) which is similar to a rich egg drop soup, or have some Chilled Jellyfish and Seafood in Vinaigrette (P328) if you love jellyfish and shrimp.

Paradise Dynasty is also popular for its La Mian or hand pulled noodles which originated from China with a history of over 400 years. It used to be just a local street delight before a Ming Dynasty Emperor gave it a culinary title with its graceful and majestic hand pulling preparation. We had the La Mian with Scallion Oil (P200), combined with their Signature Pork Bone Soup with its high level of protein and collagen, simmered under slow fire for twelve hours.

One of their Szechuan specialties is the Poached Sliced Fish in Szechuan Chili Oil (P788) which is really as powerful as it looks. You can choose from less spicy to very spicy, but it will still pack quite a strong kick. This bowl is good for up to four adventurous persons.

One of my favorite hot dishes at Paradise Dynasty is the Stir-Fried Beef with Scallion (P388). These tender slices of beef are cooked in oyster sauce resulting in a rich and very flavorful dish that would really go well with fried rice.

They also have two new hot dishes that scored very well with my taste buds. The Kung Pao Chicken (P298) is a classic Szechuan dish made with spicy stir-fried chicken together with peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers. The spiciness is just right and the flavors of the chicken are really highlighted.

I love prawns so I really liked their new Crispy-fried Crystal Prawns served with Salted Egg Yolk (P588). Like the Charcoal Custard Lava Bun, this dish is only available in the Philippine outlets of Paradise Dynasty because we Filipinos all love salted egg. I don’t mind having this entire plate for myself because it also has balanced salted egg flavors without being too rich.

For desserts, we had the Pan-fried Pumpkin Pastry (P138) and the Pan-fried Pancake with Red Bean Paste (P168) with their crunchy texture and soft fillings to end our meal on a high note.

Each visit to Paradise Dynasty has always been a delightful experience and now it will get even better since I don’t have to travel all the way to the Mall of Asia complex. I am glad that they have opened a branch in Ortigas, so I’ll be back really soon with my family to satisfy all our Xiao Long Bao cravings.

Paradise Dynasty

2/F, The Podium, 18 ADB Ave, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City

682-3333

www.facebook.com/paradisedynastyph

www.paradisegp.com

[mostly-plants]

Week 4 of eating vegan

Day 22: Bakesale day! Over the course of the weekend I made about 85 earl grey & orange cookies, 45 coconut raspberry macaroons, 32 bagels, 24 chocolate cupcakes and 12 lemon blueberry muffins (all vegan). And thanks to my lovely friends, we raised $330 to support Oxfam’s work in addressing the current food crisis in eastern Africa.

Other than catching up with a few friends and feeling happy that we were able to raise some funds, one of my highlights of the day was eating a fresh bagel with nigella seeds, topped with Tofutti Better than cream cheese, fresh tomato and black pepper. It was delightful! I will definitely be making more of these bagels soon! I used a recipe from YouTuber NikkiVegan and just added 100 grams of sourdough starter to each batch for extra flavour and rise. My favourite bagel toppings are sesame seeds or nigella seeds. So good! After a full weekend of baking we were both pretty exhausted, so ordered some Vietnamese food for dinner from Paper Plate. It was pretty tasty, but a little bit expensive for what it was. Also, although the veggie rice paper rolls we ordered had some really enjoyable and interesting flavours, they came with both ends open instead of the traditional enclosed wrap. This made them much harder to eat, because every time you took a bite, the fillings would slip out the bottom. There’s nothing wrong with being creative, but also... sometimes there’s a reason that the original is the best. For dessert I ate 2 more cupcakes because I was tired and hungry and they were full of sugary chocolatey-coffee goodness. I then experienced #cupcakeregret because 2 cupcakes is 1 too many. You win this time, cupcakes. Lesson learned.

Day 23: I was pretty exhausted after baking all weekend, but I had some toast with Tofutti cream cheese and tomato / peanut butter and raspberry jam for breakfast, and then headed off to work. I had leftover Pho for lunch, plus some fruit and coconut raspberry macaroons for snacks, and then (again) leftover black bean tacos for dinner. I also had 1 (and only 1) cupcake for dessert.

Day 24: I was still exhausted this morning, so slept in a little bit and had black bean tacos for brunch (yes, I am just really feeling the love for Mexican food right now!). Morning tea was coffee (of course), a couple more macaroons and a chocolate brownie. Yes, very indulgent, but dinner will be mostly greens.

I was really tired in the afternoon so a had a little rest and then made a “use up what’s in the fridge” stir-fry for dinner. I had a slightly wilted green cabbage, some broccoli and bok choy, and some firm tofu. I mixed up a few tablespoons of peanut butter with about half the amount of sweet soy sauce and a bit of sriracha to make peanut sauce, and cooked up all the veggies and tofu before mixing in the sauce and some pepper. It turned out pretty well! I’d shredded the cabbage into strips and once cooked they were kind of like noodles.

Day 25: Toast for breakfast again - the classic PB and banana on toast with a tablespoon of chia seeds and maple syrup for extra healthy fats, minerals, and, let’s be honest, the maple syrup was there because it’s delicious. :d

Work was hectic so I ended up having lunch (left-over stir-fry) really late, but then by the time I got home around 7pm I felt like doing some cooking to wind down. I’d wanted to try making some seitan, so I attempted this scallion (aka spring onion) sausage recipe from Mary’s test kitchen. I think I underseasoned the mix a little bit, because although they turned out ok, they tasted a little bland. In fairness, I’d used chives instead of spring onions because I didn’t have any at the time, and it may have been a mistake to substitute the key ingredient named in the recipe title! XD I also managed to cut my finger on the edge of some aluminium foil while rolling the sausages up (so talented, how DOES she do it?) Oh well.. You win this time, seitan, but this isn’t over yet!

I’d soaked some barley the night before, so I chopped up some onion, carrot and celery and cooked it along with some veggie stock and bayleaves, then added the barley. For extra veggie goodness (and to clear the last scraps out of the veggie crisper) I threw in some kale and some asparagus. This turned into a really nice hearty soup, and the sliced seitan sausages made a nice chewy addition scattered atop. 

One of the perks of this month has been learning how to cook new things, and in particular, I’m finally starting to understand kale. Yes, it’s super nutritious and a good source of calcium and other vitamins, but because I had no idea how to cook it before I was like “Why does everyone love this tough, bitter thing??” Soooo apparently you need to remove the stalks (at least the thicker base parts), or if you want to eat the stalks you need to cook them for a really long time because otherwise (as I found out) they are really fibrous and hard to eat. I now know how to cook kale so that it’s actually edible. Thanks, internet!

Day 26: There were heaps of leftovers from all my cook-ups this week so I just foraged from the fridge for the day - I feel like I’ve definitely got the hang of making a few meals ahead and having a few key ingredients that make for easy and relatively healthy snacks. I’m finding that even on the days where I don’t think I’ve been as conscious of trying to balance my meals, I still seem to be getting almost 100% of my RDIs for protein, iron, calcium and other vitamins according to the tracking I’ve done with Cronometer. That said, I’m sure it’s not 100% accurate, because it makes assumptions about things you enter - like thinking my soy milk is fortified with B12 when it isn’t.  Cronometer (or any app for that matter) is not going to be flawless, but it’s definitely a helpful guide in making sure I’m not accidentally very deficient in anything.  Now that I’m more familiar with the kinds of foods that are going to provide the range of nutrients I need on a daily basis, I feel comfortable that I can make good choices and achieve a good balance of nutrition myself, but it’s still handy to be able to check how things are stacking up on occasion.

Day 27: I woke up feeling like pancakes for breakfast, and because I was working from home I had the flexibility to cook this morning. I found this recipe for apple pie pancakes from NikkiVegan and decided to give it a go. I didn’t have the chickpea flour she used in the recipe, so I just went with 1 cup whole wheat flour, and 1 cup white wheat flour. I also added a little bit of dark brown sugar and maple syrup to the pancake mix, along with a pinch of salt. I reduced the amount of baking powder to about 1 tablespoon, and used less maple syrup with the apple compote (probably about 1/4 cup instead of the 3/4 cups in the original recipe). Since I had added a little bit of sweetness to the pancakes themselves, I didn’t feel like I needed to use so much syrup in the topping. These turned out AMAZING! They were seriously the fluffiest, tastiest pancakes I’ve ever had! Just look at them!!

SO. FLUFFY. This is 3 small pancakes stacked on top of each other, but it literally looks like a slice of cake. I mean technically it is cake, but I have never seen a pancake this fluffy before! The flax eggs worked very well, and added some bonus ALA/Omega 3 goodness. I’m not oil-free so I did add a dash of canola oil to the pan, and cooked the pancakes on medium-low heat so the middle had time to cook through before the outside got overdone. These were really filling, so 3 pancakes turned out to be one too many for me. The good news is they keep great, I just covered the cooked leftover pancakes and put them in the fridge, then heated them for 1 minute in the microwave the next day and they were just as good. FYI our microwave is weird so if you have a normal microwave 30 seconds might even be enough. Or you can probably reheat them in a pan on low-medium heat for 30 seconds to a minute on each side.

Friday night I did some shopping in the city for a birthday present, and then we went to a friend’s farewell drinks. On the way home the boyfriend spotted a pop-up van at QV, so it was DOUGHNUT TIME! They have vegan doughnuts, so we got a Fairy Godmother and a Pump Up The Jam. Both were very yummy, but hooooooooooooooooly heck! So. much. sugar! Starting AND ending the day with cake is probably not a great strategy for health in the long term, but in the short term it was very enjoyable. Just goes to show you can eat healthily or unhealthily as a vegan, so it just comes down to making the choices that make you feel good in the long run.

 Day 28: It was Saturday so we slept in and had leftover pancakes for breakfast, then went to our friend’s birthday party and had fun exploring Brimbank Park. I like their random giant animals and vegetables, and their Auslan and Braille Alphabet signs:

I wanted to do another batch cook for the week this afternoon, so I made a brown lentil shepherd’s pie with a base of onions, carrots, celery, fennel and vegan beef-style stock. I added tomato paste and dried porcini mushrooms for extra flavour, and it turned out really well! It was also a very good way to use the bag of potatoes that had been sitting in our pantry for the last couple of weeks!

 I also made some vegan pizza, using a quick, no cook pizza sauce recipe I originally saw on America’s Test Kitchen. You can find the quick pizza sauce recipe with notes here - it uses a blender or food processor, but you could also just use diced/crushed tomatoes instead, or cut up the whole peeled tomatoes and mash them together with the other ingredients. To top the pizza I caramelised some red onion, scattered on some chopped olives, and made a batch of fresh moxarella using this recipe from Vedged Out. There’s also a full recipe for vegan margherita pizzas at this link, so you’ll find a dough recipe and another (cooked) sauce recipe there too. The pizza was awesome - the moxarella gives you the stretchy gooey texture that makes melted cheese so enjoyable to eat, and it’s also very quick and easy to make if you have a blender. Just look at this cheezy goodness...

 And that’s it for week 4! Even though there’s only a few days to go of my month-long vegan challenge, I’m honestly not holding out for anything, because I really don’t feel like I’ve been missing out at all. I’ve really enjoyed being able to experiment and cook different foods, and overall I’ve felt really good. Although this weekend was pretty junk-foody, overall I’ve definitely been eating more vegetables and wholegrains than I previously was, and my energy levels and digestion have been pretty great. Those are probably the main changes I’ve noticed so far health-wise, but I’ll do a proper wrap up at the end of the month. Bye for now!

[theexploringegg]

Day 2: Jalan Jalan, makan makan! 

Despite arriving the day before, I woke about 9.30amfeeling refreshed and ready for a full day of exploring. Anthony calmly informed me we were eating breakfast with his local friend Weng Po Wu (Patrick), across the city, at 10am. Oh, right. Getting ready was quick (no make-up, or choice of clothes certainly helped), and we greeted our hosts before heading to the street. Our little area was just thriving with a morning fruit and vegetable market; avocados the size of a baby's head and mangoes sweet and juicy. Pig's legs were also on offer, but I didn't fancy. We booked an Uber (a recent advance here in Taiwan), and soon arrived at our breakfast stop for one of the must eats here: fried dough stick and fresh soya milk. Patrick told us breakfast time is typically 6am to 9am, lunch at 12pm, dinner at 5pm, (afternoon meal also: but would skip lunch and dinner), then night snack at the market. We decided on his favourite local spot, rather than queue at the famous Fu Hang breakfast spot, which opens at 5.30amand often sells out before closing! Our orders were fresh soya milk, peanut and soya milk, fried dough stick in bread, salty hot soya milk and an egg roll. Impressions: the soya milks were delicious, sweet and smooth, helping cut through the greasiness of the fried products which weren't as flavoursome to me. The whole experience was great though, and meeting new friends and eating together is always a winner. We walked out in the heat to the nearest subway stop, buying our tickets to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. Rules: no eating or drinking beyond the turnstiles (resulting in the speuakiest, clean subway I've ever set a properly queued foot in), and wait behind the lines! Thank you. I oohed and aahed at the sights towering around me as we emerged from the station: the colourful, elaborately detailed Oriental-style National Concert hall, National theatre and Memorial Hall. Soldiers were practicing their marching, young people urban dancing, and a band drumming in the nearby park. We were privileged to watch the hourly 'changing of the guard': a fascinating, choreographed and articulated procedure.  Hugging our goodbyes to Patrick (not a typical greeting here, a bow of the head will do), we Google-mapped our way to try the famous beef noodle at Yong-Kang. This 54-year family business is still buzzing today, and is a must-do in Taipei. We joined a friendly family of 17, all together for a summer vacation and who let us slip the queue after I took a few pics for them!  We ordered the one and only beef noodle soup and steamed rice with beef tendon and sweet potato. In less than 2 minutes, food arrived, snaps were hastily taken and we tucked in. The rice was glorious, the beef and potatoes soft and sweet. The soup; fattier and less flavoursome than our cheap hole-in-the-wall place the night before. The beef was so soft and melted in the mouth however. We concluded that sometimes, the random, less well-known places can be better than the ones that manage to get publicity and hype: no regrets though. Another tick off the list. On the way to meet our friend Sabo, we spotted a bike-repair/coffee shop and knew we had found a special place! The owner helped us in ordering a 'Volcano Coffee' (a dark roast pour-over and an iced tea drink, originally from Paris. Thanks to Anthony's Cantonese skills, we learned that locals often walk by this place, thinking it merely a bicycle shop, and in fact 'foreigners' seem to frequent it more often. Tea culture is huge here; coffee shops only following in the aftermath. After some moments chill time, we dashed off to join our free 'chilled-out' walking tour, but did get distracted in buying a mango yoghurt milk drink and matcha ice-cream milk tea along the way from a well-renound tea store. Arriving slightly out of breath and slurping our drinks, we met Sabo and our friendly tour group, led my Taiwanese locals Amy and Peggy. American, German, British and Filipino were the nationalities represented, and we were soon chatting, hearing about everyone's travels, and sharing stories. Taking a stroll through Daan park and walking over a path of pointed stones barefoot (reflexology, or merely pain and no gain), we explored side-streets, meandered through an antique market and learned that Taiwan is very open to all cultures and religions. The "Heaven Street" houses a mosque, Presbyterian church, Buddhist centre to name a few.  Making a food stop at Yongkang street, wesplit off to grab the recommended eats:  scallion pancake and mango shave ice. I queued with Lou and Liam from UK, and ordered a pancake with Taiwan basil and egg (like Thai basil, very aniseed in flavour). I opted for the brush of soy sauce and chilli, paid about 80p, and met the others, sharing bites of the mango shave ice (a CNN recommendation according to the sign!). Both the sweet and savoury choices did not disappoint. We finished our tour back at the Memorial Hall, took a few pics and then bought beers at a local 7-Eleven, sitting in the park as the sun set. I opted for a Suntory Tokyo Summer 2017 Edition: refreshing!  After some down-time, we followed Sabo to Jingmei night market. So many eats here so I'll summarise: Taiwan sausage: sweet and smoky: 9/10 Roast swan, with basil leaf and ginger: 9.8/10 Stinky tofu: 2.8/10 (sorry, but smells and tastes like manure. 2nd piece not as bad). Dou hua (soya pudding, shaved ice and jellies/beans): 9.5/10 Octopus and squid batter balls, bonito flakes and mayo: I was too full but apparently by the noises of satisfaction, it was good. (7.8, he says). Sesame mochi: 9.5/10 Sabo took us to a local supermarket and we looked with fascination, buying a few treats (this is always an experience for me in a foreign country). We then hugged our goodbyes (crossing cultural boundaries perhaps), and took and Uber as our 12 hour walking day had taken it's toll! At 10.45pm we got home...to no bag. Mark came and explained there was a taxi waiting with it in a nearby street, so we donned our slippers again and rushed out into the bustle once more. After a frantic telephone call, we met the driver...with my rucksack! So happy and relieved, I put it on my back whilst Anthony pushed me up the 5 flights of stairs so we both flew in the door.  A busy day, but a good one.