House of Silvanas - Buttery Goodness

Shop: House of Silvanas
Address: 2055 Gellert Blvd, Suite 3, Daly City, CA
Phone Number: (650) 878-8700
Cuisine: Filipino desserts

Oh, what a lovely cake you have there, Jo. Ain’t it purty? It’s one of my favorite cakes made with “ube” - a purple yam.

For my birthday this year in March, we did a #FILdishcrawl at Sinugba and for dessert, we had Crissy from House of Silvanas bring us some awesome sweets from her family-run bakery just two doors down. The ube cake and ube silvanas she provided wowed the crowd…what was that?

You’ve never heard of a silvana before?


Don’t feel bad, I’m Filipina-American AND this shop is about 2 driving minutes from my house, and the first time I had one was probably summer 2010. Yes. I hang my head in shame.


The Silvanas Are Kept in a Cooler to Keep the Buttery Filling from Melting
What Crissy calls “the baby version of sans rival,” a silvana is cookie sandwich of two meringue wafers (made of egg whites and ground cashews) hugging a layer of buttercream that is coated with fine cookie crumbs. You can actually see the "sans rival" in the picture. It's in the box on the right of the silvanas. The silvana can be described as the “Filipino macaron,” with the main differences being the silvana is made with cashews instead of almonds and that the silvana is kept cold. I remember the first time I had one. I was amazed that 1) it was just so good and 2) I had never had one before. How was this just 6 blocks from my house and I hadn’t made the trip here before? Honestly, the shop is in a funky area that cannot be seen easily from the road. If you get lost, don’t give up! These are worth it!


Tower of Silvanas
Top: Strawberry, Middle: Mango and Ube, Bottom: Buko-Pandan and Original
I was actually tickled that Jon Kauffman of SFoodie wrote about these addicting desserts just a few days ago calling them “magical.” They are indeed addicting...and magical. Once you taste one flavor, you want to try the next and the next. My favorite flavors are most definitely the buko-pandan (green) and ube (purple). Those two are probably the most “Filipino” flavors on the list which also includes strawberry, mango, mocha, chocolate, and the original cashew. I love these things. The lightness of the meringue paired with the cold buttercream is perfect. Sometimes I let them thaw out a bit so I can lick the buttercream. Either way, they are awesome. I am just waiting for the moment they just blow up in the atmosphere and people are RUSHING to House of Silvanas. There is no other place in the Bay Area like it! This is a gem in the rough. A needle in a haystack. Look for it! You won’t be sorry. After all, there are other things you can grab at House of Silvanas, like their…


Lenguas de Gato!
“Cat’s Tongues”
These have got to be the lightest cookies I have ever had. These crisp and buttery cookies just melt in your mouth. You can easily eat the whole container, but imagine how good these would be with some vanilla ice cream or a cup of creamy coffee!


Ensaimada Ready to be Ravaged
I love Crissy’s bakery because everything has butter in it. An ensaimada is described as “A sweet brioche that is incredibly soft, light and luscious. Topped with butter, sugar, and grated cheese.” Now doesn’t that sound irresistible? These, too, melt in your mouth and is perfect as a snack or after dinner treat. Just inhale and it’s gone. Have one…or two…


Oh No, She Di-Int!
Photo by: Ivan Marcin
Yes, I did. I just remembered about a photo shoot I did last year with Ivan Marcin and Amethystlune. The “models” were asked to bring their favorite food. I brought some of the treats from House of Silvanas because I was hooked with them at the time. Here I am with the yummy ensaimada.


Posing with Delicious Black Bottom Cupcakes
Photo by: Sandra Rosa of Amethylune
Black bottom cupcakes aren’t terribly Filipino, but they are hot-sellers at the bakery. The chocolate cake is baked with a decadent cheesecake-like layer on top and sprinkled with your choice of walnuts or chocolate chips. I’m partial to the chocolate chips, as you can see.


The way to your love’s heart is through their stomach…
Photo by: Ivan Marcin
This is one of my favorite pictures ever. Pretty self-explanatory. During our session, a couple of the other models tried the silvanas and they said they “crack.”

I concur!

Straight crack.

Do yourself a favor and go to House of Silvanas, find Crissy (You can’t miss her. She is friendly and bubbly and ready to answer any questions you may have.), order a dozen assorted silvanas, and peruse the next case over which houses the ensaimada, cupcakes, and brightly-wrapped candies like “Food for the Gods,” polvoron, and mango bars. If you have the time, order a layer cake for next week, like my ube birthday cake or even the “honey cake,” so that you can come back and do the same regimen you just did.

Trust me. =)

I am so happy we have a place like House of Silvanas in Daly City. It is truly unique and hits the spot each time!

xoxo,
Jo

Straw - For the Child at Heart

Restaurant: Straw -Carnival Fare
Address: 203 Octavia Blvd. b/t Page and Lily St.
Phone Number: (415) 431-3663
Cuisine: New American
Date Last Visited: April 8, 2011
Dining Partner: Keat aka the Husband aka @phatpanda650 & Abe aka Lumpia Cart Guy aka @nostalgicabe

I love trying new restaurants and I have the perfect friends who steer me in the right direction. This time it is Abe of @lumpiacart, but you can follow him at @nostalgicabe, his personal Twitter. We met almost two years ago at one of those random street food cart gatherings at Precita Park. We traded an mp3 for lumpia. (Don’t you miss those times, btw?) I have been kicking myself for not posting this earlier because there is no restaurant like it in SF. Located in the City’s Hayes Valley, Straw serves carnival food that kids and adults can enjoy. I pass Straw every time we drive to work, but we never stopped in until this day in April. Mind you, since this was in the Spring, some of the items in this review are no longer on the current menu, but it will show you what goodness they served then.


Believe it or not, this is the menu.
So carnival fare: it’s whimsical, it’s kitschy, it’s fun. Don’t come here if you are going to be negative. You’re just ruining it for everyone. Straw is light-hearted and it wants to conjure up childhood memories or awaken the kid in you. I am a sucker for theme restaurants. Anyway that I can escape the normalcy of the outside world, I am all for. First they present you the menu - which is actually put inside an old children’s book. I was lucky to get Raggedy Ann this time. The menu is pretty big, complete with apps, salads, sandwiches, and entrées.


We ordered a few appetizers, starting with these Sweet Tots. They are served with a blackberry bbq sauce which was absolutely fantastic. A bit sweet and a bit smoky. Whenever I think tots, I think of Napoleon Dynamite or Mercedes from GLEE. They like the ordinary potato tots. Have you had sweet potato tots? They are addictive.


Next came Mary’s Free Range Cinnamon Sriracha Buffalo Wings served with a Cinnamon Cream. Before I go any further, I love LOVE the quirky names they gave the dishes. Like this one, for example, fireball. Fireball from a fire eater? Ah-ha! Liked the spice from the chili sauce and the warmth from the cinnamon. Great rendition of the classic buffalo wing.


Garlic Fries - can’t go wrong. They were indeed tasty, but I adored the presentation in the little fryer basket! It was too cute!


Abe suggested we get the parmesan corn fritters and I am glad we got them. It is served with a cayenne crème fraiche which is nice because there was a sweetness to the corn and the spice from the dip complemented well. My only critique was that I wished they were a bit more on the crisp side because they were a little gummy.


Yes, I was the wimp who ordered a SALAD at a carnival restaurant. I am going to explain why I did in a bit, but when I got the salad, I didn’t see anything “dark and gruesome” about it. It was actually quite refreshing and tasty. Mixed greens are tossed in an apple cider vinaigrette and sprinkled with bleu cheese and caramelized walnuts, then topped with sliced apple, Niman Ranch maple-glazed bacon and Mary’s free range chicken. Yeah, there is a lot going on in there, but I like it. You got the tang from the dressing and the cheese then the sweet from the fruit and nuts, and then the “aminal” from the chicken and bacon. If you can take what Joanne thinks of the perfect salad in her head, you would get this. Shoot, is there a MIND-effin’-READER in this restaurant? LOVE. The portion is ginormous too. I didn’t even finish it!


Abe ordered the Portobello cheesesteak which looked like a winner. I didn’t get to try it because I was getting too full, but they have great options for vegetarians or for those who just want to skip the meat. It’s served how a Philly cheese steak would be served - with peppers and cheese on a roll.


Here we go…ladies and gentleman, boys and girls of all ages…this is The Ringmaster. The computer screen ain’t tryin’ to fool you either. It is a Niman Ranch chuck burger with cheddar on a house-glazed donut…to add insult to injury Keat opted for some maple-glazed bacon on there too. Are you flippin’ kidding me? A donut cheeseburger. Who thinks up these things? People will most likely order it because it is what it is. I cracked up when it got to the table and cracked up Keat trying to eat it. If you know Keat, you’ll know he’s buff and can eat anything. He only ate half. It was probably too rich for his blood. Literally. I think he popped a Lipitor in the car. Kidding aside, you really cannot find this anywhere else in the City. I took a bite and it is indeed really sweet and quite decadent. You got meat and cheese and maple and glaze. Dizzy just thinking of it, but if you have the stomach…and the courage to take on The Ringmaster, go for it! It epitomizes the whole spirit of the restaurant - fun and fanciful...and that my friends is why I got a salad. I knew Keat was going for this thing!


I am glad I got the chance to come to Straw, especially with great company in the form of Keat and Abe. I regret not taking pictures of the rest of the restaurant, but it is really quite small and it fills up quickly. There is a bar area and in one of the window sections, there is a carnival ride seat made for diners to sit in while they eat. There are cool vintage signs and photos hanging on the walls which adds a great nostalgic feeling. It’s just fun…It’s been a few months since I have been there, and I am sure there have been changes in menu and services. I hope to make it out there again to try out their other specialties like their fried chicken-n-waffle monte cristo (omg…) and mini corn dogs which are called “Great Expectations.” I cracked up at that name. Seriously, check out their menu…the names of some of these dishes are genius, but Great Expectations is my favorite. It’s so bad in a tasteless and sleazy way that it’s brilliant. Oh dear…hahaha…

Oh yes, dessert!

Almost forgot…


Cotton candy! I mean, what else would be better?

xoxo,
Jo

In the Philippines!

Hey everyone!

I'm in the Philippines right now and it's been great thus far.

Our flight got to Manila 3 hours ahead of schedule (since we didn't take a scheduled stop-over in Hawaii)and my family wasn't there to meet us! Consider me scared! I know no Tagalog and had no phone haha! Fortunately, my family found us after a phone call to Momma at the Marriott where she was staying.

Right after, we got in a van and drove to Umingan which took another 6 hours. I finally got to see my Inang and it's bittersweet knowing how we are all aging...

Anywho, we are here in SM Rosales at an Internet browsing place. I won't have any access to the Internet for quite some time, so sorry. It feels weird because I feel like I should be marketing something or working on a project, but I gotta remember that I AM on vacation.

Oh yesh, by the way...the food stalls at the Philippine malls totally kill the ones in the US. Yes...

So far, we have had Chow King, STARBUCKS (har har), and Jollibee...hahaha...the supermarket is selling potatoes on a stick, liempo maki, and hella big ass turon. Best believe there are going to be pictures...

=)

See you on the 16th...

xoxo,
Jo

PS: the house mom is building in Umingan is GORGEOUS! She basically tore down the house that she grew up in and built a new one with the urging of my Inang and Tatay. It is so different here without Tatay. It still hasn't totally hit me that he is gone...

='(

Oh yes...even though we have a beautiful bathroom (it looks better than mine in the US) with a running shower, the best way to bathe is with the good ol' tabo! Yes...

OKAY...goodbye for real!

*muah*