MANILA, Philippines?Shopping at Cash and Carry brought my best friend, Myleen Huenefeld, and me to Mile Long where she claimed to have had a delicious Japanese Chili Burger?actually it?s double patty Master Burger loaded with meat sauce and Jap mayo. ?It?s so good, Reg!? my friend said. ?It?s stuffed with everything that?s bad for us!?

When My says it?s good, I don?t question. She reminds me constantly that she didn?t get to her size on bad food. Every pound of her is a by-product of each delicious calorie.

Sango is Japan in a soft bun. Its offerings are mainly burgers of Teriyaki, Tonkatsu and Yakiniku Rice.

Believe me, we sampled them all. It was a hen lunch, pig-out style! I loved the Chicken Curry Burger the most.

We took crisp-fried fillets of chicken that stayed crisp to the last bite, laden with thick Japanese curry sauce with lots and lots of onions, Jap mayo and crisp-shredded lettuce on a melt-in-your-mouth bun.

Tip?If you decide to share the burger, let your friend have the upper half and you take the bottom piece, the one soaked with sauce! Mmmmm!

Their French fries were crisp on the outside, but like mashed potatoes on the inside.

Sango has outlets in Makati and Ortigas. They deliver. Call 6361991, 8300391.

Sea bass and mahi-mahi

May I please inquire where I can buy the freshest fillet of sea bass and mahi-mahi in Manila? ?John Cesar B. Santos, Ortigas Center

Bass? Asian sea bass, aka apahap and barramundi, that?s real fresh? At Farmers but it?s ?suerte-suerte.? I?ve also seen some in Aranque and they say Suki Market close to Dapitan has it.

Chingling Tangco of Mida Foods, the woman I playfully tag as Aqua Woman (she?s a seafood importer, wholesaler and distributor), is quick to point out there are two misconceptions about this fish: Neither is it bass nor is it from Chile, she said.

It is, in fact, a Patagonian toothfish.

Since it is caught in the Atlantic, chances are they will land in fishing ports in Chile, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

It is given the honor of being labeled as Chilean since the fish was said to have been discovered and first sold commercially by the Chileans.

The best mahi-mahi, Tangco says, comes from General Santos City, though it?s ?seasonal.?

For a steady supply of fish?frozen fillets of anything from the sea?call Midas (5240006) and look for Chelo. Good news! They now carry a very lightly salted bacalao. No need to soak overnight.

Cake recipe

I?ve been trying to look for a mocha chiffon cake recipe, particularly one that would approximate Goldilocks? ?lady from Canada

I haven?t done a chiffon cake since I was in high school so I asked Dorothy Ferreria for her recipe. Dorothy offers cooking, baking and cake-decorating classes and accepts orders for her specialty cakes. Her Pistachio Symphony was featured as one of the ?Yummiest Privately Baked Cakes? by the Inquirer. Call 7063541.

Mocha Chiffon Cake

1 c + 2 tbsp cake flour

? c sugar

1 ? tsp baking powder

? c corn oil

3 egg yolks

1 ? tbsp coffee powder

1/3 c water

? tsp salt

4 egg whites

? tsp cream of tartar

? c sugar

Preheat oven at 350?.

Line 2-8? round baking pans with baking parchment.

In a bowl, combine cake flour, white sugar, baking powder, corn oil, egg yolks, coffee powder dispersed in water and salt. Mix well with a wire whip until smooth.

In another bowl beat egg whites with cream of tartar until egg whites are frothy. Gradually add white sugar. Beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg whites into the egg-yolk mixture.

Divide the cake batter equally among the prepared baking pans.

Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert on rack to cool completely.

Syrup

1/3 c each water and sugar

2 tbsp coffee liquor

Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Mix well.

Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened.

Turn off the heat and stir in liquor.

Brush syrup all over cake.

Buttercream

1 c sugar

1 c cream

2 tbsp coffee powder mixed in 1/3 cup water

2 tbsp coffee liquor or rum

1 c butter

Combine first four ingredients, mix well with a wire whip. Set aside.

Beat butter until light and creamy.

Add the cream mixture a spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fill and frost cake. Garnish with chocolate curls and nuts.

E-mail the author at raspiras@inquirer.com.ph