A Creature of Habit's Go To Places

It feels like wherever PIC and I go, we always end up with a few favorite haunts. And this is normal, right? I sincerely believe we are innate creatures of habit. Unfortunately, couple that with my OC tendencies and you're in for a habit on overdrive.

Homemade Baked Tahong that remind me of Fave Haunt #1 -- Dampa! Mmm baked tahong and butter garlic prawns...

Particularly with food, I can literally go to the same place and order the same meal several days straight -- only broken by PIC's complaints and pleading to try something else. I'd do this over and over and over until I myself reach my breaking point and decide that I've had enough and its time to move on. Now, if only it didn't take me months and years to progress into this state of ennui....

Yes folks, months and years. You can imagine PIC's devotion to our marital harmony through all this as he voluntarily endures the same menu with me LONG after his palette is already rejecting the stuff we order. The funny thing is, I actually consider myself quite adventurous when trying out new things and new cuisine (I draw the line at anything offal related). I guess after all the trying and testing is done, I can be pretty determined in digging my heels and sticking to the familiar. It just works.

So what makes me come back again and again? It can be so many different things, something as small as a lowly side on the menu can even do the trick. As I go down memory lane, here are a few of our favorite haunts over the years from Manila to Dublin, to Auckland. I wonder how many of these were your haunts too?

BROTHERS BURGER used to have a branch just outside the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati that PIC and I would go to after work almost every day. While their burgers are yum, the main thing that draws me to this place is their onion rings. Mmmm... Unfortunately this branch is now closed and having tried the more recent versions of onion rings from other branches, I would have to say that its not what it used to be.

GERRY'S GRILL is a good go-to place for simple Filipino food a few notches above fast food. While I'd happily have dinner here, the piece de resistance for me is their spicy sashimi. Before, I didn't like sashimi at all. Then I tasted these babies, and have since been converted. I am so addicted to the stuff that I have driven to the Glorietta Gerry's a couple of times, waved at the security guard to send a server over and order my spicy sashimi on the go, drive around Glorietta once or twice and be back to pick up my order. I have even gotten to the habit of asking, if they had it on stock (as they don't always do) before I walked into the place. If they didn't? Then I turned around and walked away.

I wouldn't be truly Filipino if I didn't have JOLLIBEE on the list so here it is. Growing up, I've always preferred McDonald's over Jollibee but at some stage while dating PIC, I suddenly discovered how much I loved the champ burger.Its not that I've never had it before, I guess it just needed to grow on me. And grow on me it did! It was my go-to late night dinner take out. Oh my, I can almost close my eyes right now and imagine those juices running. Yum!

Talking about Jollibee just reminded me of another member of their franchise -- RED RIBBON. I've had cake and pastries from so many places but I find myself always coming back to Red Ribbon. Maybe its that homey feel or just the comfort of going back to something you grew up with, but Red Ribbon is hands down my favorite bakeshop of all time. I love, love, love their mocha cake (yes even more than I love Hizon's), their increasingly rare blueberry cheesecake, their now discontinued strawberry shortcake (I grieved when they removed this from the line-up), and their original version of the mango cake. Oooo! And let's not forget that lunchbox "staple" that never survived Sunday night to make it into our lunchboxes, the taisan loaf and their chicken empanadas.

Exit Manila and we move onto Dublin. Did I ever mention I'm a big pasta nut? The thing about me and pasta though is I only ever order white sauces when outside. This is because I THINK that I make a mean enough bolognese on my own so wouldn't really feel the need to pay for something I can cook better (ha!). Enter BROADWAY PIZZA PARLOR on Custom House Square in the IFSC. I have probably tried every white pasta sauce offering they had on their menu. The whole thing started as an after gym habit as it was just across the street, but then we ended up having more evenings there having dinner than we did going to the gym. The lovely couple that owned and watched the place knew us so well that they'd have our drinks ready before we even asked for them. Privately, we've even started calling the lady of the house "Mommy" (although she's certainly not old enough to be our moms) just because the place felt like a second home. This is also the only place PIC never complained of going to, because they had so much on their menu to choose from -- not to mention the only bowl of buffalo wings in Dublin that passed muster!

MARCO PIERRE WHITE on Dawson Street was another favorite haunt. We were there within their first week of opening and have gone at least once or twice a month since. Their steaks are just divine. Now, I still wouldn't say they're the best I've had (I think that honor still goes to Shanahan's On The Green) but there is something about the feel of the place that keeps drawing us in. Its simple, excellent food, without the ridiculous price tag. My favorite habits here are the fresh crab with herbs to start and a fillet with Au Poivre Noir, Raisin Sec a l'Armagnac.

GBK was another favorite haunt for their amazing burgers. I was actually hoping I'd find them in Auckland when I moved over only to be heavily disappointed. Apparently this burger chain is only available in the UK and Ireland after three Kiwis living in London decided to make a venture of how much they missed food from New Zealand. I would say though that their onion rings were just a bit better than my old Brothers Burger habit and if that wasn't enough to keep me coming, their burgers are to die for. My GBK habit was the Avocado Bacon Burger followed by the Garlic Mayo Burger. Drool.

From almost Kiwi to the real thing. Strangely enough, our two Kiwi haunts aren't representative of the true Kiwi cuisine. Partly because we're still in the discovery phase and its always easier to start with food you know so surprise, surprise, we started with Chinese food.

Ding Hao or No 1 BBQ Restaurant is fast becoming an easy haunt for PIC and myself and I always, always get the Roast Duck on Rice option. I take from my dad in being an absolute Peking Duck fanatic. There have been occasions in the past where we'd be in Hong Kong, order a full duck at the end of the day and share it between the two of us back at the hotel as a midnight snack. Yes, we were ridiculously addicted to the thing. So having the Roast Duck rice topping is pretty much a no brainer for me. But when have you heard of food loving people ever stick to just one meal choice when eating out? This is why you'll always find Fish Fillet hot pot and an order of Beef Ho-Fan on our table. 

Last but not least, is our Sashimi option. Finding Tuna sashimi has always been a bit of a challenge for us while we were in Dublin and I was about to come to the same conclusion here in Auckland until we discovered GENZUI at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in the heart of Auckland CBD. Its a small ramen bar with real Japanese caterers rather than the usual Chinese folk manning Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese restaurants. I was so happy to discover they served fresh, proper tuna sashimi without the exhorbitant price tag! Not to mention, they had really good ramen too. PIC has also declared their gyoza the best he's tasted, so might be worth a visit just for those two nuggets on their own. If you'd like to try their ramen too, I recommend the Sukiyaki ramen to start.

Whew! Now apart from being a bit nostalgic, I'm famished! Am off to dinner folks, hope to hear about your haunts some time too!

My crab starter from Marco Pierre White

Hello Fillet

My Tuna Sashimi from Genzui

Ramen Mania!