Siniguelas

Siniguelas.

Also known as jobo, Spanish Plum, and so many other names that you should probably just call it by its scientific name. They are about the size of a large grape, but they are much firmer — making them quite pleasant to bite into. When ripe, they turn a deep purple and they have a juicy, yellow flesh.

Santos of the Scent of Green Bananas did a post on these fruit and mentioned that the seed can be cracked open and eaten. That’s a surprise to me, since the seeds are practically like wood! Very hard and I imagine they would be tough to crack open.

The siniguelas tree is an odd one, by the way. When it comes time for it to bear fruit, all the leaves fall off. No flowers appear at all, but soon enough.. the siniguelas fruit will appear all by itself!

Siniguelas is the name the fruit is known as in the Philippines, where they are not hard to come by. With the amount of Caribbean names, it seems they are also common in the Caribbean. You probably won’t be able to find them on the mainland, but for those in Hawaii.. check out swap meet and the more low-key farmers markets.

Today’s Bento (7)

Japanese vegetable curry with white jasmine rice and cucumber happy face. Blueberries in a lettuce cup.

Instructions: eat the cucumber and lettuce with the curry.

Mmm.

Today’s Bento (6)

Nutella sandwiches and homemade strawberry jam sandwiches made with wheat bread. Bing cherries.

Chocolate/strawberry/chocolate/strawberry…

No, no. Wait. Save the best for last.

Strawberry/strawberry/chocolate/chocolate.

Today’s Bento (5)

Somen salad.

So good! Just not very filling. I was wishing for more somen two hours later.

This is a simple option for making lunches. Chop the vegetables while boiling the noodles. Drain the noodles and mix with sliced vegetables. You may also add cucumbers, kamaboko (fish cake), etc. Carefully pour bottled somen sauce into cute liquid container of choice.

Ta da!

Today’s Bento (4)

Spinach and cherry tomato salad with balsamic dressing and pepper jack cheese star. Snack bento of Milano cookies, chocolate wafer cookies, Quakers Oatmeal Squares cereal, freeze-dried pineapple, and azuki bean mochi.

Note to self: Put balsamic dressing on the side, dress when ready to eat salad. Especially if forgetting to put the salad in the fridge.

D’oh. Wilted leaves.

JJ Bistro & French Pastry

I had lunch today at JJ Bistro & French Pastry. Although described as French-Laotian fusion, there is really no way to accurately describe it. French-Laotian fusion is a good guideline to go by, but I’ll settle with describing it to you as eccentric.. delicious.

When you first walk into JJ Bistro, you are greeted with a display case of all their available pastries.

With Chocolate Pyramids, lemon honey cake, chocolate tarts, fruit tarts, banana haupia cake… You will want to have one of everything!

But, patience. Because the entrees are just as delicious, presentable, and mouth-watering as the pastries. While many cafe/bakery combinations either exceed at one thing and do so-so at the other, JJ Bistro offers equally delicious and interesting entrees and pastries.

Asparagus soup — part of the $24.70 4 Course Meal “B”

Baked Lobster Avocado — part of the $24.70 4 Course Meal “B”

Laotian Rock’n Roll ($7.95)
“chicken Lemon grass curry seasoning roll”

Bake Classic Hen — part of the $24.70 4 Course Meal “B”
(but available a la carte for $9.95)
“Marinated Laotian herbs & French potato, red bell pepper served with Rosemary sauce”

Seafood Khao Soi LUANGPRABANG ($9.95)
Veggie ($6.95) and Chicken ($7.95) also available
“A combination of Fettuccine & Crispy noodle, carrot, potato, sour cabbage & Quail eggs in lemon grass curry sauce”

Clockwise from left: Chocolate pyramid, tiramisu, frou frou au chocolat, almond tart, honey lemon cake and creme brulee.

the Lemon Honey Cake and the Creme Brulee
4 Course Meals come with a dessert and creme brulee

Is there anything more I need to add? I think the pictures say it all.

The service was prompt and friendly. The food was delicious. Parking is easy. The room is cool, bright, and airy.

What else is there to say, except.. Go!!

And enjoy. :)

JJ Bistro & French Pastry
3447 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 739-0993

Rainbow Cake from Dee-Lite Bakery

I ordered a cake today from Dee-Lite Bakery because it was a co-worker’s birthday. Another co-worker and I decided we should have something light — a fruit-flavored chiffon. It ended up being a guava chiffon cake, mmm…

Although I salivated all morning, hoping to taste a slice of such a luscious-sounding cake, I left the office before the cake was cut. So, on my way home I dropped by Times Supermarket, which carries Dee-Lite cakes.

And I knew exactly which cake I would get:

The wondrous Rainbow Cake.

With layers of lime, guava, and passion fruit chiffon, the Rainbow Cake is smile-inducing in color and taste. It is an embrace of local flavors.. which are well-balanced, so you can taste each flavor — but they are complimentary to each other, not clashing.

The layers of chiffon cake are separated and covered by white icing, then decorated with sprinkles and a sort of guava sauce.

Delicious. It put the original guava cake out of my mind. :)

Dee-Lite Bakery / Saint Germain’s Bakery
1930 Dillingham Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96819
(808) 847-5396
5:30am – 9:00pm

Also at Waimalu and Waipahu Times Supermarket.

Today’s Bento (3)

Redondo’s hotdog, rice with shiso fumi furikake, slices of cucumber, strawberries, freeze-dried pineapple.

Freeze-dried pineapple = unsweetened, unsulphered. I don’t like the crunch and grainy texture (from the sugars) of it, but when it sits in the bento box for a bit and absorbs some moisture, it softens up perfectly.

Or you can just leave the bag open.. Oops.

For non-Hawaii residents, Redondo’s hotdog is a brand of hotdogs made in the islands. It is dyed red (eh..) and may be referred to as “the scary red one.” That may be off-putting, but its unique, spicey/peppery taste is well-received here.

For Hawaii residents…

Did that Redondo’s hotdog make it really obvious that I’m Filipino?

:)~

Today’s Bento (2)

Spinach salad and grape tomatoes with cranberry vinaigrette. Bing cherries and blueberries.

I figured I wouldn’t be in the office for long today, so I just packed a light lunch. Mmm, fruit!

Today’s Bento (1)

Onigiri with nori komi furikake, cucumber slices, and corned beef omelette.

My lunch today was missing a second container, which should have been filled with fruit, but I used it to pack lunch for my sister. This was filling by itself!