Welcome To My Personal Food Blog

Now this is a blog that I should have been writing about from the very beginning- a personal food blog.

After all, I love eating, I love cooking, I love sharing stories about eating out and cooking at home, I love recommending restaurants, I love discovering new out-of-the-way food places- you get the idea.

I suppose it all made sense when I got me a new DSLR- a Canon EOS 400D Digital Rebel XTi. I bought the camera in Los Angeles, during my second visit last June, and pretty much everywhere we went, there I was snapping pictures- and a big part of those pictures were food pics!

I thought it was a great way to immerse yourself in the culture of the place. While I was in Los Angeles- I always wanted to try out all these different not-so-commercial neighborhood food spots- to see what Southern California had to offer. So my sister would take me around to her favorite food places, and tell me a little about the restaurant, and the more popular food items on the menu- it was all fun.

So when I got back from my trip, I realized I had all these great food photos while I was sorting out my stuff. Shortly after doing some editing, uploading and sharing, I thought a food blog would be just the thing to talk about all my various food adventures during my travels, and to share photos as well as stories about the places I've visited, and plan to visit.

I also skimmed through my other, more established blogs, and decided to throw in all my various food-related posts in here as well. The result is pretty much what you have here in front of you- a labor of love, a reminder of how we should appreciate the simple joys of life, a journal I dedicate to all food enthusiasts, professionals, entrepreneurs and artists.

So what's there to see in this blog?

• Restaurant Recommendations. From food establishments of all kinds all over Metro Manila and the Philippines (it's where I'm from!) as well as from other places I've visited- such as in Los Angeles and Singapore- but there will definitely be more as I add more stories from my future travels.
  
• Easy-to-do Recipes. I like cooking from the comfort of my own home, but I ain't no top chef. If it's something a regular schlub like me could cook, then you could do it too.
• Food Preparation Tips and Kitchen Ideas. "Eat better, live better", I always say.
• Food Stories from my Friends. A lot of em do a fair bit of traveling as well, and also appreciate a great food establishment when they see one. It's always interesting what they have to share!
• Lots of Food Photos and Pics of Food Places. Still learning how to take better pictures. I'd love to hear from you guys on tips and all that.

So there you have it. I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I put it together. Leave a comment, join in on the discussion, and share whatever food stories you have. I'd sure love to hear from you.

Cheers, everyone!

Renzie Recommends: Banapple

Shortly after arriving from Los Angeles, my friends suggested we all get down for some coffee and cake and swap stories. Banapple had always been a favorite place of ours- since Tish (one of my friends) recommended we try the place out.

At the time I had heard about Banapple, it was already having quite a deal of good word-of-mouth. The cakes, I heard, were excellent, and so was pretty much everything else in there. The hype at the time (around August or September of last year) was such that even if it had a sole branch down Katipunan Avenue (near where all the other drinking spots, nightspots and restos are located), it's definitely worth the effort.

We come back to it everytime, at least whenever we could manage.

Banapple's name comes from their two specialty treats: The Banoffee Pie (pictured above; forget that commercialized crap they make at other bakeshops- this one's the real deal!), and their signature Apple Caramel Crumble.

This quaint little coffee shop/bakery started out in 2000, at first churning out nice little pies and cheesecakes for family and friends, but now it's gained an impressive legion of devotees- loyal patrons- who stop by for a quick take-out or to even stick around for a hearty meal and dessert.

Banapple is a rather small place- which can only accommodate about 20 sit-down customers at a time. But it does have a certain appeal- welcoming, pretty much like home- even when there's a line of people out to get some muffins, slices of pie or sandwiches to-go.

What To Have at Banapple

You know you have to leave some room for those much-raved about pies. Banapple has enough to offer you- whether you're looking for a sandwich, a pasta dish, or a rice meal.

If you feel like having something light, ClickTheCity.com recommends you try Banapple's Terrific Tuna Sandwich, or you can also go for the Awesome Blueberry Pancakes (a stack of three mean-looking flaps which are indeed, awesome!) or have the Creamy Chicken Pie- which comes with a generous side of coleslaw.

Banapple also has a selection of must-try pasta dishes: slightly heavy, but you don't exactly go to a place like this to watch the calories, right? Check out their Fettuccine Jacintha- their own version of creamy carbonara, or you can also try the Pasta Verde- which is a penne dish with their special pesto sauce. Both dishes come served with bread which they made themselves.

For dinner, you may want to try their Salpicao Rafael- essentially rib-eye beef cubes stewed in a special sauce of garlic and mushrooms, and then served with rice. For your next visit, you can try their Chicken Breast Parmigiano- tender chicken breast fillets in a parmesan-crusted breading, then smothered in a chunky tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella.

For your dessert, you can also try some of their Chocolate Chip Walnut Pie, the Cadbury Old Gold Oreo Cheesecake or another customer favorite, Banapple's own Blueberry Cheesecake. Grab a slice, and you're guaranteed to bring home an entire box home- unless some other customer beats you to it. Yes, they run out of pies sometimes- so you know it's real good.

Speaking of take-home, consider raiding their shelves for the Banana-Apple Sweet Bread, my personal favorite. Help yourselves to some of their muffins, meat pies and cookies- which is great if you want to bring some Banapple goodness into the office, take it out-of-town, or just have a ready stash of goodies at home.

In our next post, we'll talk more about the legendary Banoffee Pie.

Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes is located at 225 Katipunan Avenue, in Blue Ridge, Quezon City. They're open Monday to Sunday from 7:30am to 11:30pm. For advance orders and inquiries, give them a call at (+632) 439.2675 .

Some pictures are from ClickTheCity.com. Check out their very own review of Banapple here, and their own gallery of Banapple photos here.

Renzie Recommends is a continuing series of personal reviews on this blog, Renzie on Food, featuring restaurants, food items and other dining experiences I personally think you should try out, given a chance. For me, eating is one of the simpler pleasures we enjoy, wherever we go- and good food is definitely the the way to go.

Cheers, everyone!