I’m a certified coffee addict! I can’t start my day without coffee and I also have a coffee break before my day ends. It’s actually weird how the rich aroma of a steaming mug of coffee can relax me and, at the same time, keep me alert. I love coffee, period. My husband’s a different story, though. He’s hyperacidic and has problems drinking too much coffee. There are even days that he won’t drink coffee just so his tummy won’t get acidic. Thanks to Kopiko L.A. Coffee, we now both enjoy drinking coffee without worrying about hyperacidity.

When I first visited Singapore in 2004, I wasn’t really able to enjoy going around the city and dine in the famous hawker centers. I was just there for a night, a quick side trip that I made before going back to Manila from a business trip. So there’s still this craving for authentic Singaporean food inside me that’s still waiting to be filled.

Located at the 2nd level Bridgeway of SM Megamall, My Singapore Food Street, is the newest restaurant in town offering its customers a taste of authentic Singaporean food. The restaurant is a partnership of business entrepreneur Jean Henri Lhuillier and Asian TV personality/celebrity chef Vivien Tan.

Viven Tan and Mauie

My Singapore Food Street carries a wide selection of signature meals such as the Hainanese Chicken and Laksa, appetizers such as Spiced Tofu, stir fry dishes like the Char Kway Teow, and uniquely prepared Singaporean beverages and desserts.

Last week, we harvested our first batch of home-grown labanos (radishes). Of course, we were so excited at first that almost every meal we had had fresh labanos salad until each of us didn’t want to even smell a single radish, LOL!

This was the Instagram shot I took before we pulled out the radishes.

Nothing beats fresh and organic veggies!

We obviously had excess radish and the boys didn’t want to eat a single radish anymore. But I didn’t want it to go to waste and I thought, well if they don’t see the radish, they’ll eat the dish. What better way to hide radishes in a dish than to make burgers! Anyway, I already tried mixing in turnips and carrots when I make burger patties or lumpiang shanghai filling so I knew it would work. To make the burgers yummier for ulam, I then thought of mixing the grilled burger patties with mushroom gravy.

And so, my  very own creation, Labanos Burger Steak, was born!

Labanos Burger Steak served with Buttered Rice and a siding of Corn and Carrots

College students taking up Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) and Nutrition from various universities and colleges in Metro Manila will once again meet  and showcase their cooking skills in this year’s AJINOMOTO® Umami Culinary Challenge.  Now on its 4th year, the AJINOMOTO® UCC will be held at the Hall 2 of the SMX Convention Center on February 2, 2013.