Sala Restaurant - European Fine Dining in Makati

Hubs and I were looking for a nice place to celebrate our anniversary in Manila and after reading several reviews, I chose Sala Restaurant -- billed as fine dining a la Europe.  To be honest, after a couple of weeks eating at restaurants where the phrase "too much salt" clearly isn't part of the vernacular, we were just looking for something....normal.  We got that (and more) at Sala.  I wouldn't say I was bowled over by the meals themselves but the dessert - best I've had in a looooong time.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's go back to first impressions. 

Sala is small.  Super small.  Quaint might be a good word.  It's literally a "room" which makes sense given I think that's what "Sala" translates to - at least partially.  There's nothing offputting about the size, don't get me wrong.  We were just surprised.  The restaurant is located off of a VERY busy and cacophonous road but once you're inside, there's not a hint of the hustle and bustle of the world outside.  As many people have said before, Sala would be a great place for a business dinner or (as in our case) a romantic dinner.  

The staff were friendly but not oppressive, as can often be the case in Manila.  Sometimes too much is just too much ya know?  The drinks came quickly and were strong which is always a good thing when you know you're going to pay a little bit more.  

I was trying to be a good little blogger by writing down the descriptions of all of the food but, sadly, I left my little notebook behind and never went back to pick it up.  Long story short, the following is either from memory or from their online menu (which isn't that accurate because their menu is changing all the time).  Anyhoo...here's the little complimentary appetizer the brought us which I'm sure I'll do NO JUSTICE by describing it as a sweet tomato and goat cheese toast thingamajig: 

Our appetizers were fantastic although, again, I forget the lovely descriptions the restaurant used.  Mine was a creamy scallop soup and Z had a meat and cheese plate (I am sorry Sala - truly sorry.  I never said I was a professionally foodie ok?  Stop judging! Ok .... I'm better now.)

I had truffled white risotto with Jerusalem artichokes, sweet shrimp, and blue swimmer crab topped with a crisp tiger prawn.  It did not suck.   Though a fairly small dish, the risotto made it hearty and I finished and was neither stuffed nor hungry - perfectly prepared for dessert :).

Hubs ordered roast sea bass fillet with sweet shrimp, fennel, tomato, saffron and spinach orzo.  He thought it was great but I found it a bit fishy for my taste.  Then again, I'm one of those people who likes her fish to taste either like cocktail sauce or wasabi so maybe I'm not the best judge. 

And now for my favorite part and I'll go ahead and say I'm a bit biased here because I LOVE rhubarb.  I don't know many people who have even had rhubarb outside of my family but my mom used to make this wonderful rhubarb cake.  I'd ask for it all the time but rhubarb can be hard to find in the states.  I've NEVER seen it on a dessert menu but Sala had a dessert called "All About Rhubard" and all I can say is ....I think it changed my life.  It was SO SO SO good.  I'm not a huge dessert person both for health and just a general preference for salt vs. sweet but this was spectacular.  It was a rhubarb flavored crème brûlée, rhubarb sorbet and a warm pecan rhubarb crumble - that last one was like a mini-cobbler and it was so good, I almost wept. 

And here we are .... on our way to fat and happy

Tuscarora Mill AKA "Tuskies"

"Good friends, good food, and lots and lots of good wine..." That's how Zach described our night and I couldn't have said it better myself.  Ok ok, maybe I added that last part about the "lots and lots" of wine but it's my blog...I'll do what I want!!

Turns out there are lots of reasons to be thankful for missing a flight.  One of them happens to be friends who free up their calendars and come up with great ideas like dinner at the Tuscarora Mill AKA 'Tuskies' in Leesburg, VA. 

I missed the first opportunity to say farewell to our friends Andrew and Callie so I was more than a little excited that we had the chance to get together one last time.  Hubs and I had never heard of the restaurant but we've been fed by A&C enough times to know they would NEVER steer us wrong. 

Really great ambience.  It was nice but not fancy smancy.

Any restaurant that has a nickname is alright by me

Zach, Callie and Andrew with their pre-wine beverages

Twas a Dark and Stormy night..ok, not really but that's what my drink was called and it was yummy!

I had the "Local Local Local" appetizer (yes, that's really what it was called).  Fried green tomatoes, regular tomatoes, grape tomatoes, goat cheese, and er...crap, I think that was a fried pepper of some sort.  All drizzled in some, you guessed it tomato-y sauce.  It was lovely.

Callie had the Ahi Tuna...really nice presentation, no? 

Andrew had the Creme Brulee for desert

And I had this spectacular coconut ice cream with strawberries and hot rum drizzled on top.  Really??? Yes...really.  The rum made me feel like I was licking the ocean in St. Thomas with every bite.

I think Zach's desert looked the best....Butterscotch Bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream.  It was RETARDED good!

And there we all are.  I think this must have been BEFORE we ate because clearly, I still fit in my pants here.  ;-)

MANY MANY MANY thanks to A&C for a lovely evening!  We owe you big time and will be sure to get you back on our next trip home!  Love you guys!

Healthy Stuffed Jalapenos (sorry Dave)

Ok, first a quick caveat.  My brother is the famed stuffed jalapeno maker o' the family and I ask for them EVERY time I get to home.  Having said that, it's a guilty pleasure and I don't do many guilty pleasures in my own house with the exception of...um..the occasional libation.   So, because I don't get to go home nearly enough yet I crave these ALL THE FREAKING TIME - I came up with a healthier version of my brother's very wonderful Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos.   As always, scroll to the bottom for the Hindsight is 20/20 bullets. 

Healthy Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

• 1 (8 ounce) package of fat free cream cheese (or reduced fat), softened
• 1/2 cup fat free or light mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup rotel, drained
• 1/4 cup fat free or reduced fat Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fat free or reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 1 TBSP Chili powder
• 1TBSP Cayenne pepper (or not...whatever you like)
• Hot Sauce - to taste
• Several jalapenos cut in half lengthwise and seeded with veins removed- leave the stem on if you can.  (between 20 and 30 jalapenos should give you the right amount of pepper/stuffing ratio)
• Enough turkey bacon to wrap each jalapeno

Mix cream cheese, mayo, rotel, Parmesan/cheddar cheeses, chili powder, cayenne and hot sauce.  Stuff each jalapeno with mixture.  Bake in oven at 350 to 375 until bacon looks crisp and cheese has melted(Depending on the size of your jalapenos between 12-16 minutes).

I didn't have very many jalapenos and they were small to medium size at best so I pretty much halved the recipe

I am not sure what that looks like but I can assure you it looks better in a crispy, perfectly cooked jalapeno.

That's a tomato corer.  It works really well in hollowing out the jalapenos.

You can vary the amount of stuffing you use.  Some people like more cream cheese, less bacon/jalapeno or vice versa.

I like some of my jalapenos without bacon so I left some of them nekked

You can use toothpicks to keep the bacon on the jalapeno but if you measure the bacon right, you ought to be able to flap it over without using a toothpick.

Bacon should be crispy but not burnt and any cheese you used should be melted.  Try not to overcook the jalapenos as they'll dry out.

Ready to eat!  YUM!

 Hindsight is 20/20

•  As usual, lighten up on the cayenne and hot sauce if you can't take the heat ;-).  Having said that, if you can't take the heat, best to stay away from jalapenos altogether!
• Some of my jalapenos were too small and got a little overcooked.  It would probably be better to use uniform jalapenos.  I was just using what I had on hand. 
• These were really pretty good.  I could tell they were healthy...the cream cheese mix was not quite as salty and no surprise, the turkey bacon didn't cook quite the same as regular bacon. But I'm ok with that.  I can eat all the stuffed jalapenos I want and still feel like efforts at spin class weren't cancelled out!
• If you're feeling froggy, you could add some shredded cheese on top of the jalapenos when you have about 2-3 minutes of cooking time left.  Just remember, they will be less finger-food-like.  You might actually have to get a fork out....bummer. 
• Speaking of finger food, the stems make the jalapenos easier to handle during prep and easier to eat later on.  Try and leave them on if ya can!