The House Lounge London: A Review of the New Premium Lounge by Etihad Airways and No1 Lounges

The House Lounge, located at London Heathrow Terminal 4, is a new lounge by Etihad Airways on partnership with No1 Lounges. It opened its doors on October 2018 and I was lucky enough to visit just a few months later. Complimentary access is provided to Etihad Airways Business Class and First Class passengers but you can also book at the No1 Lounges website.

The lounge is amazing - no other words could adequately describe how I felt when staying at the lounge. It's an exquisite haven where you can enjoy privacy and a la carte dining while waiting for your flight. The House offers the following amenities: 

• full waiter service
• a la carte dining
• open bar
• showers
• unlimited wifi
• magazines and newspapers
• comfortable seats
• charging stations
• children's area

Please note that the dress code is smart casual. Let's take a look at the lounge...

Wine Story Academy: Learn the Fine Art of Wine Tasting With Wine Story Academy's Wine 101

For so many Filipinos, wine is intimidating and reserved only for special occasions and celebrations. I used to believe that wine was only for the wealthy, and people who weren't as well off drank beer or any other affordable glasses of alcohol. But the reality is that wine is for everyone and you don't have to wait for a special occasion to enjoy a glass...or two...or maybe three. 

Wine Story Philippines believes that within each wine bottle is a beautiful tale that is meant to be told. They have been educating wine lovers, enthusiasts, and wine practitioners on the many intricacies of wine through Wine Story Academy - so that many more Filipinos would come to better enjoy wine from around the world. 

To kick-off one's wine journey, you start with Wine 101 - a bootcamp to the basics of wine tasting.  

Karton.ph: Artisan and Gourmet Food Right at Your Doorstep

It's often difficult to get our hands on artisan or gourmet products made by fellow Filipinos. We would often find these products at either bazaars or weekend markets across the Metro, but it's sometimes it takes a bit of effort to get there. Karton.ph has an entire shop full of Manila's finest artisan products that you can have conveniently delivered straight to your doorstep for a flat delivery fee of Php 99 - a lot cheaper than gas money or an Uber ride. 

Karton.ph is a one-stop shop for anything and everything artisinal, having all of your favorite Filipino gourmet finds. Enjoy artisan beer from Craftpoint Brewing Company or Nipa Brew, Snacks from Spud Buds and Sikat Potato Chips, or even healthy delights from Greenola or Healthy Monsters. You can read more about all their artisan or gourmet sellers here. 

The best part about Karton.ph is that all their products are 100% Filipino made, and all carefully curated to be part of their exclusive catalog. 

Sea Salt: Where Can You Get It in the Philippines?

In the past, I had a really hard time looking for a place that sells affordable Mediterranian Sea Salt in Metro Manila. Sea Salt is what world-class chefs use in their kitchens because it is said to taste better then regular iodized salt. I went to a number of supermarkets and it was a bit frustrating to find out that they either didn't have any sea salt or I found it too expensive.

These supermarkets were Rustan's supermarket, Cash & Carry, Landmark, and SM Hypermarket. I finally found a great place to get sea salt in the Philippines, and here's here I found them. 

Thank You for Voting Chef Jay's Kitchen as #2 in the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2015

Food is such an exciting topic to write about. We eat at least 3 times a day (most people are guilty of more) and food never gets boring. There is just so much variety in food that there are so many thing we would like to share with you. I started this blog back in September 2014 with the goal of having honest, objective conversations about food with all of you. I'm amazed that in a span of a year, this blog's readers have grown from 0 to over 10,000 per month. Amazing, isn't it?

See You All at the #Bloggys2015 Gala Night on November 21, 2015

I'm quite happy to say that Chef Jay's Kitchen was invited to be one of bloggers invited in the Gala Night of Bloggys 2015! The event will showcase some of the most influential bloggers in the Philippines today from a variety of niches.

I can't wait for the event. If you want to nominate your favorite blog, you can still do so until September 30, 2015 by filling up this form. Your favorite blogger deserves recognition for all the hard work that they've put in the blog, so go ahead and let them know how much you love them. 

If you're a blogger and you would like to be a part of the event, you can still reserve a ticket here. You better hurry, tickets are running out fast!

See you  there!

Cheers, 

Chef Jay

Learn How to Take Amazing Food Photography with These 5 Skillshare Classes

Captured by Adam Goldberg

If you want to learn how you can capture beautiful food photographs, then Skillshare has you covered. Skillshare has a wide array of photography classes, but they also have some amazing classes that focus primarily on food photography. Whether you're trying to capture beautiful food moments for Instagram or composing photographs for a recipe you would like to share, there is a Skillshare class for you.

Here are Skillshare classes you should take to take your food photography skills to a whole new level.

Muni's Kickstarter Campaign Hopes to Bring You the Finest Coffee from the Philippines

Philippine coffee has been improving by leaps and bounds in both taste and quality over the years to cater to the booming local specialty coffee scene - and world is beginning to take notice. It started out with Kalsada's successful Kickstarter campaign where they were able to raise $18,056 to bring Philippine coffee to the international stage.

Personally, I love Kalsada's Baldino Family (Pineapple Papaya), Mang Jose (Chocolatey- nutty), and Auntie Asthrine (Bell Pepper and Cocoa) coffee beans because of the bright, unique flavors they provide in a tasty cup of coffee. These are really some of the best Philippine coffee beans and I'm sure business in Seattle is booming for Kalsada right now. In the same manner, Muni Coffee Shop is planning to bring some of the finest Philippine specialty coffee to the London coffee scene. Pretty exciting, right?

With Zomato, You'll Never Have a Bad Meal Again

Zomato has taken over the food industry since it first began its operations in 2008. It is currently in 22 countries and has over 62.5 million users, making it one of the most popular food websites worldwide. You can't say you're a foodie and not use Zomato. The website itself has a number of handy features that allows you to discover restaurants and have a holistic experience by giving you the option to order online, pay cashless, and make reservations.

If you're not yet convinced, here are a number of other Zomato features I love.

The Movement That Is Specialty Coffee

The third wave coffee movement has one purpose - the pursuit of deliciousness. There are now thousands of specialty coffee shops worldwide dedicated to serving high-quality specialty coffee. Coffee shops that elevate coffee to artisan levels by offering rare, single origin coffee from individual farms halfway across the globe. They understand that each cup tells a story. The story of how the coffee you hold came to be. 

We are part of this movement. Coffee is our drug.

This documentary gives you an inside look into the passion that goes into each cup of specialty coffee. Watch how these specialty coffee roasters strive to serve you perfection. Enjoy!

If you don't know where to begin, start here.


Further reading you might like:

• Coffee Gear That Every Serious Coffee Drinker Needs to Have
• Let Michael Phillips from Blue Bottle Coffee Teach You How to Brew an Amazing Cup of Coffee
• Eight Brewing Parameters You Should Tweak to Make That Cup of Coffee Even More Delicious

Don't miss out! You can follow me on Facebook or subscribe to Chef Jay's Kitchen by email to get updates on new articles. To check out my restaurant reviews, follow me on Zomato.

Cheers, 
Chef Jay

Speak Up: The New Restaurant Critic Is You

What you say matters. With the advent of social media, it's very easy to share each and every dining experience with everyone you know. If you eat at a new restaurant and you find out that you were served raw chicken, you can easily share this experience on Facebook, Twitter or Zomato. This sends your social circle a signal that the food isn't good and they shouldn't waste their time dining at that restaurant. This might prompt them to tell their friends as well, so it's a domino effect that comes from just one bad review. In today's culinary environment, restaurant perception is everything.

What 200 Calories Look Like and Why You Should Care

Obesity is a serious problem. We often eat food that's bad for us, packed with fat and sugar. Even though we eat too much, we still don't get enough of important nutrients that our body needs to function properly. The average person's diet today consist of either canned food or fast food, due to their promise of 'tasty and convenient' food. So we buy this garbage over and over again, even if we know it's no good. But do we really know the extent of damage caused by these bad habits?

Michal Ansky: The Intimacy of Food on Our Plates

I'm a huge fan of TED talks. I'm one of those that believe a healthy dose of these talks can be good for you because they help you make better decisions in life. I previously shared Jamie Oliver's TED talk on the importance of food education and on better nutrition, and here I am sharing another talk that I hope you will like - this time by Michal Ansky. 

Three Great Benefits of Induction Cooking That You Need to Know

A couple of months ago, I used to cook my meals using a gas stove just like everyone else. There's something about cooking with fire that made you feel like a real chef. This summer, however, I had to move to a new (and empty) condominium unit. I was faced with the dilemma - what new toys should I get for my new kitchen? The first thing I need is a stove, but should I stick with the familiar gas stove or should I foray into the unknown with an Induction Stove? 

Three Reasons Why Escoffier Cook's Companion is the Perfect Kitchen Partner

There are a couple of really great apps out there that make life in the kitchen a whole lot easier and one of which is the Escoffier Cook's Companion - named as one of the best cooking apps for new and seasoned chefs. This simple app is packed with a number of very useful features ranging from a kitchen converter to a full glossary of kitchen lingo. The best thing about it is that it's FREE. Yes, I love free apps a lot!

Scroll down to find out the top 3 reasons why you should download this app, or you can just watch the video on top to see what it can do.

Find Recipes for the Ingredients in Your Kitchen With Supercook.com

Supercook.com is a really amazing website and I think every home cook should get an idea of how much of a lifesaver it can be. Supercook offers home cooks something valuable - the ability to find recipes that you can cook with just whatever ingredients you have lying around at home. You don't have to go out and buy ingredients because the website already gives you recipe ideas based on what you already have. It's certainly useful if you want to try out a new recipe, but are too lazy to go out. It happens.

The video above shows you the new supercook website, but while testing it out I found it to be a bit buggy. I entered in the ingredients I have in my pantry (using my old supercook account) and it didn't show me any recipes. So, in the meantime, you can just use the old website to get started. It's less pretty, but it's just as useful.

Great Grocery Finds at Cash & Carry Supermarket

Cash & Carry Mall at Makati City

As the 'chefs' of our home kitchens, we would like to cook with only the best quality ingredients. Most of the time, quality also means pricey. The common belief is that we can only cook with premium ingredients if we are willing to pay a hefty price to get them. I'm here to say that it's not always the case, and you can find good quality ingredients at an affordable price if you know where to look.

What are Chicken Oysters and How Do You Find them?

Chicken Oysters, which are also sometimes known as the 'Chef's Reward' when cooking with chicken, are arguably the best part of the chicken because the oyster is soft, tender, moist, and very flavorful. They are small, dark, and oyster-shaped pieces of meat - which explains why the part named after oysters. 

Where to Find Specialty Coffee Shops in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Around early this year, a new trend began to emerge. Coffee-lovers from all over the Metro started to hang out in small, boutique coffee shops that had excellent ambiance and far more delicious coffee than our usual Starbucks Coffee or The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. These are coffee shops and baristas that were just crazy about taste, flavor, and perfection in every cup. Alas, Third Wave Coffee caught fire and is now one of the hottest trends in Metro Manila today. 

Kitchen Updates: ChefJaysKitchen.com

Hi everyone, 

I just wanted to give everyone a quick kitchen update. So, I am currently in the process of integrating the old website (www.chefjaykitchen.blogspot.com) to a new domain (www.chefjayskitchen.com). I am really optimistic about this move since I hope more people will get to discover the site because of this. I'm crossing my fingers that the transfer will be very smooth, but we can never be too sure. 

If you have any difficulties with any portion of the website, please let me know by either filling up the contact us page or comment on this blog post. 

Thank you and have a pleasant evening. 

Don't miss out! You can follow me on Facebook or subscribe to Chef Jay's Kitchen by email to get updates on new articles. To check out my restaurant reviews, follow me on Zomato.

Cheers, 

Chef Jay