Mio Cucina

On our first night at Los Banos last Holy Week, Michelle and I were looking for a place to eat when we discovered Mio Cucina. We were initially planning to go to LB Square but when we got there, it didn’t look like an appetizing place. So we headed back along Lopez Ave. and just before we reached Halcon St. we saw this small sign that read Mio Cafe though I couldn’t really see a restaurant. I asked the security guard and he directed me to an extremely narrow driveway. I vaguely saw a doorway to my right as I concentrated on not scraping the sides of the car. This is literally a hole-in-the-wall resto.

The place is as small as the sign and the parking area. It looked like it can accommodate only 20 people tops. It was already a bit crowded with a party of about a dozen people who were there ahead of us. But it was well-lit, well-furnished, and very homey. Kinda like a smaller, more upscale, better-lit, and less cluttered Dona Juanita.

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Leftovers

I hate it when good food goes to waste. So I prefer to prepare just the right amount (or even less) for meals. And if it can’t be helped, then have the leftover food for the next meal. When I notice some food in the refrigerator that’s been there for more than a day, I usually get it, heat it, and eat it. This goes whether it’s tinolanilaga, sinigang, pinakbet, roast beef, pasta, or pizza. Leftovers anyone? Guess not. It’s been in the refrigerator for a while already after all. But if nobody else wanted it, then I’ll have it, thank you.

Starbucks VIA “Ready Brew” Coffee

Michelle gave me a pack (Thanks babe!) of Starbucks VIA “Ready Brew” (in other words: instant) Colombia Coffee. She got it for free when she ordered a drink. I wanted to compare it to Italian roast coffee home-brewed with my Bialetti Dama so I bought a pack of Italian Roast VIA (and they gave me another pack for free). As expected, it was no contest. Moka is full-bodied and strong while VIA is essentially still instant coffee: less aroma, less taste, less strength, less coffee, higher price. I’ll stick to my Moka coffee, thank you.

Simple Green Rocks!

Yesterday, I cleaned the range oven and hood. After a few weeks of use, they invariably get coated with a layer of oil and grease or, in some areas (especially the grille of the range hood), sticky gunk. Previously, I have been using dishwashing soap and it would always take a lot of time and effort to get good results. But this time around, I used Simple Green which I happen to have around for bathroom cleaning. Back when Jeanne was born, I decided to get only organic and environment friendly bathroom cleaning products just to be safe. I didn’t realize it’s also an awesome kitchen cleaner. It made short work of the oil, grease, and gunk! In just a short time and with minimal effort I had a gleaming range oven and hood!

The Lenten Diet

It’s Lent again. People are fasting and/or abstaining from meat and poultry as a form of penance. Instead, those who are not fasting are eating seafoods. Fastfood joints are offering fish this, shrimp that and restaurants are seeing a boom in seafood orders. Now isn’t there something wrong here? Not only is seafood healthier, it’s also better tasting! Where’s the penance in that? Is it paying the higher price of seafood? But seriously, it really shouldn’t be about what you don’t eat.