Weekend Food Fest

Vos V brought some spices when he came back from India. I've been meaning to cook some Indian inspired dishes but it was only yesterday that I had the chance to use the spices.

I've never cooked masala before. Beef shawarma, yes. curry, a lot of times. This was my first time, though, to try my hand at cooking chicken masala.

Masala, according to Vos V means "mixed" in Indian. It is a mixture of various spices such as cumin, pepper, ginger powder, garlic powder, capsicum, etc. etc. The result is an amazing blend with an interesting depth of flavor...chilli, earthy, yummy.

I always thought that Indian cooking is complicated. I was happily proven wrong. It was rather easy putting together the chicken masala and I really enjoyed cooking it.

I served it with rice fried in onions, cumin, chilli powder, carrots, and salt and pepper. It was really good. If I say so myself. :-)

To cleanse the palate and to temper the hot, hot, chilli taste, we had some store-bought mango-flavored yoghurt. Yum!

The next day, Sunday, was Fathers' Day. Instead of having lunch out, as what we have initially planned to do, Sis and I went to Bob Marlin to buy and take home some yummy-yummy food. Eating lunch at home proved to be a wise decision since while I was driving along Magsaysay Avenue (where most of the good restos in Naga City are), we noticed that all restos were full and bursting at the seams with people.

Bob Marlin has been one of my family's favorite restaurants. This is where we bring almost all, if not all of our balikbayan friends and family. Serving really tasty native food at very reasonable prices, it is a must for non-Bikolanos and Bikolanos who left Naga and don't get to eat much native food anymore.

Aside from being rendered speechless by the food, my Super Vos, Director J, is fascinated by the restaurant's name: Bob Marlin.

It is not the marlin (grilled or fried), though, that is the main star here. It is the super juicy and super tender yet super CRISPY PATA served with a slightly sweet soy dipping sauce. This has got to be the bestest crispy pata in the world! I've yet to try crsipy pata that is as good or better than the one at Bob Marlin's.

Other must-tries are the Grilled Squid served with Teriyaki Sauce, Grilled or fried tuna or blue marlin, crispy Pork Sisig and crunchy Fried Knuckles.

So far, Bob Marlin has never failed in providing native comfort food. :-)