Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Magic Sarap Banned in USA?!

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| Posted in , , , , , | Posted on 8/11/2015 10:00:00 AM

Magic Sarap is an all-in-one food seasoning granule that is widely used by Filipinos in their kitchen. It is endorsed by Kris Aquino, Judy Ann Santos and Ai Ai delas Alas.

There is a post circulating in Facebook and other social networking sites claiming that Magic Sarap is banned in United States of America. 



“Reports that this product will be banned in the United States due to cardiovascular health problems and other related diseases as a result of the ingredients in Magic sarap. I threw half of my drawer full of Magic Sarap packets which I brought home every year from the Philippines as a precaution. –Klimmy Gaviola.

So, I searched for the person who is responsible for the said allegations and found out that he is real, but the screenshot of the post, dated January 16th, that was being shared is nowhere to be found on his Facebook page.

With a desire to learn the truth, I did a little “investigation” (just a normal search on the web LOL) and came up with this certain “Viral” website called Unique Facts. 

The website quoted the original poster, Klimmy Gaviola, but failed to prove the truth about the alleged ban in USA. All I read was a list of “Why You Should Never Cook with Magic Sarap”. I advised you not to visit the website since it keeps on redirecting me to other websites even when I’m not clicking any link.

Another search lead me to a forum in the website called Visa Journey. A member posted “As I went through US customs at SFO, the Filipino woman checking food in the luggage asked if I was bringing any Magic Sarap additive or chicharon (pork skin cracklings). I said no. She then said those are banned food products. Any other foodstuff from the Philippines that's banned? Is bagoong banned too?” To which another member replied “Magic Sarap contains chicken, chicken is not allowed. You can bring personal amounts of dried fish though.  Bagoong can be brought, but its pretty easy to buy in the USA and you don't want it getting broken in your bags!”

Again, not proving if Magic Sarap is to be banned in the United States.

And finally, my search leads me to a statement by Maggi in their website www.maggi.ph.



“The safety and quality of our products and the welfare of our consumers are always the top priorities for NestlΓ©. We assure our consumers that MAGGI MAGIC SARAP is safe to consume.

Like any food product that is not registered for sale in the US, MAGGI MAGIC SARAP may face restrictions from Customs authorities if the quantity suggests that the product is being brought into the country for re-sale or for commercial purposes.

MAGGI MAGIC SARAP is not associated with any health issues and complies with all food safety, quality and regulatory standards of the Philippine Food & Drug Administration and that of NestlΓ©.

For 149 years now, NestlΓ© has been manufacturing and distributing food products to meet the nutritional needs of consumers all over the world.  Throughout our long history, we have never compromised the safety of our products and the integrity of the ingredients from which they are manufactured.”

Conclusion: I doubt that Magic Sarap will be banned in the United States, but who knows… I also believe that excessive consumption of food seasoning regardless of brand is bad to our health. Not that I don’t use food seasoning when I cook, but I just use a minimal amount whenever I do so. The moral of the story: Don’t believe anything that is posted in the Internet, get your facts first before reposting, liking or commenting. 

KaLui Restaurant Puerto Princesa, Gastronomic and Visual Feast

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| Posted in , , , | Posted on 10/05/2011 11:25:00 AM

If you’ll ask the locals of Puerto Princesa “What is the best place to eat”, most likely you’ll be given 2 options, Badjao Seafront Restaurant and KaLui. We tried both places and they are both superb. But if you’ll ask me to choose only one between the two, I’ll say go to KaLui.

KaLui is more accessible between the two, located at Rizal Avenue, especially if you don’t have a car with you. From The Legendary Hotel, it took us only around 15 minutes ride and an 8 PhP via a tricycle. By the way, you need to phone in for a reservation because the place is usually full of tourists and locals (we asked the hotel to make a reservation for us).

Kalu -where?!

We got a reservation for 9:00PM and got there 10 minutes early but we were allowed to get in because there are vacant tables that time. Nothing special about the outside look of the place, no parking area and you’ll just see a sign bearing the name of the place made of wood and a “bahay kubo” behind it. But wait till you get inside, the bahay kubo transforms into a very different place. You’ll see paintings, art installations with cool lights and a very nice ambience (the comfort room is uber neat too!). You’ll be asked enter the place barefoot, you have to leave your footwear on baskets at the entrance. 

Barefoot for that "parang nasa bahay lang" feeling.


Those fruits are real.

Resto or art exhibit?
Japanese style.

Most on the menu are seafood and prices are not too expensive. The presentation of the food is great and you don’t have to wait too long for it to arrive. We ordered KaLui Special of the Day Set, composed of Fish Steak, Prawns, Veggies of the Day, Steamed Fish with Black Beans Sauce, Rice and Starters. I also asked for the Kilawin and a bottle of my favourite beer. 

I love menus with uncomplicated choices.:)
Thank God for antihistamines!
Kila-WIN!

Mixed fruits for dessert.



Mango with bagoong and seaweeds.

You'll never guess what this is. It's an eggplant...
I’ll definitely suggest KaLui to my friends. If you're in Puerto Princesa, just ask the tricycle drivers to take you to KaLui. Trike drivers there are friendly and serves as tourist guide too. KaLui is a great place to feast both for your stomach and your eyes.

Kinalas in Metro Manila

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| Posted in , , , , , | Posted on 8/30/2011 11:44:00 AM

A friend of mine told me about this new place that serves Bicolano dishes. That was a couple of months back and I said I’m going to visit the place. But because the conversation went on between buckets of my favorite beer, I forgot about the plan of trying out the place. If only my friend mentioned the place serves one of my favorite food in the whole wide universe, Kinalas, I would’ve paid the bill and left the bar we were at and transferred to Spicy Tongue located at Timog Ave., corner Scout Tuazon. 

Photo from their Facebook Page.
What is Kinalas and what makes it special? Kinalas is a mami version of the Bicolanos. Actually, it’s a better version of mami. They are made of fresh noodles (preferably pancit loglog), a very flavorful broth, thick savory sauce and meat pieces from a cow or pork’s head. The broth is made to perfection by boiling the cow or pork’s head. And it’s better if served with siling labuyo (native chilies). If you want to read on about Kinalas, visit this link.

The nonstop rain this past weekend triggered a sudden craving for a hot soup. I was thinking of trying out a noodle place that was featured in Yahoo Philippines a week ago. But deep inside, I know that a bowl of steaming Kinalas will be perfect for the weather. So I searched the web and try my luck if there’s indeed a place here in Metro Manila that serve Kinalas. After reading blog posts I decided to visit the Kinalas Facebook Page I “liked” months ago and there I found in one of the uploaded picture, a map of Spicy Tongue. And I suddenly remembered my friend telling me he did tried different Bicolano dishes in that place. Without second thought, I asked a friend of mine to drop by the place later that night.

Spicy Tongue is located at the corner of Timog and Scout Tuazon, Quezon City, which is a 10 minutes ride from my place. They open around 6:00 PM, I’m not sure what time they close but that night (Sunday), they close around 1:00 AM. Spicy Tongue’s version of Kinalas, though not par with Cha Kamot’s, Tiya Cely’s or Kinalas Twins’ standard (those from Naga City will surely agree that these 3 places are the best), did not disappoint my expectations. The moment the bowl was served, I knew that it is the real deal. The familiar taste of the broth and sauce proved that it is indeed made from someone that knows how to cook one. One thing that I noticed is that they are using a different kind of noodles (certainly not Pancit loglog). But the broth and sauce surely satisfied my taste. A major plus was it was served with siling labuyo, not those long chilis served at carinderias around the Metro. 

Perfect on a cold weather with a bottle of beer.

Funny thing is that my friend told me that a good indicator of having a good bowl of Kinalas is when sweat forms and drizzle on your forehead, which I completely agreed with. We both experienced that familiar feeling of satisfaction after eating a good bowl of our favorite noodle dish.

Spicy Tongue also serve other Bicolano dishes like laing, kinunot, Bicol express, baduya, etc. and other Filipino dish. They serve beer by buckets or below zero and usual pulutan like sisig, chicharong bulaklak, etc.

If you happen to try Spicy Tongue’s Kinalas, please don’t hesitate to hit the comment button.

Road Trip to Vigan City.

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| Posted in , , , , , , , , , | Posted on 7/06/2010 01:41:00 AM


On a lazy Sunday morning a friend asked me if I want to join for a road trip to Vigan that same day. I hesitated at first for it’s going to interfere with my pending tasks at hand. But I changed my mind and grab an extra set of clothes, money and some things I need for the trip.

A group of four, we started the travel by car at around 10:00 PM. The road is fine, just a few bumps from here and there but it’s smooth most of the way. We even took a wrong turn and was in Benguet for a short period of time. But that’s what road trips are, some bloopers and wrong turns. I slept most of the trip, just woke up just to blurt out some stupid funny remarks. We stop occasionally for change of driver and a gas refill. There’s no stopping for food as the car is loaded with snacks and drinks. The travel to Vigan just took 6 hours, including the wrong turn to Benguet. 

Wrong turn to Benguet

At 4:00 AM, we are already in the heart of Vigan City, the Plaza. We rest for some time. Watch the early joggers pass by and just enjoy the silence and beauty of the place. And then we got hungry. All the major food establishments are closed. We asked the people at the Inn besides the church if they serve breakfast but they told us that they serve breakfast at 6:00 AM. So we waited, strolled and take pictures to waste the time.


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