Tag: food

About food

Subscribe Feeds

24 & 2 Part 1: Little Miss Funnel Cake

Posted on by xerox

How ya’ll been doing? I hope everyone enjoyed the summer. As for me, I am still in disbelief that May is almost drawing to a close because I don’t want it to end. So far, this month has been the greatest! I just turned 24 and my boyfriend and I just turned 2. All is good super awesome!

And in celebration of my 24th birthday and our 2nd year anniversary, we went to CDO for a food trip and first on our itinerary was Little Miss Funnel Cake.

image

Little Miss Funnel Cake is a cozy dessert shop located at AB Santiago Building, Velez and Gaerlan Streets.

As the name suggests, they are known for their funnel cakes. Frankly, I had no idea what a funnel cake was and so I did my homework… And it’s actually just batter poured through a funnel and deep-fried onto hot cooking oil until it turns golden brown. I learned that by watching this cooking video right here.

I’m all about good food at great prices… 

image

So this is the place to be! Nothing above 70 pesos! Ridiculous.

image

Mango Caramel Funnel Cake and Deep-fried Oreos were calling my name so that’s what we both had.

I really like watching how my food is made 🙂

image

Oh, did I mention that I dyed my hair pink? What do you guys think? 🙂
I digress.

Now to the delicious part of the post…

image

Mango caramel funnel cake, topped with tidbits of fresh mango, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a drizzle of caramel syrup. Although I do wish I had a bigger scoop of ice cream but it doesn’t matter… T’was gooood.

image

Deep-fried Oreos, also topped with powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream then drizzled with some chocolate syrup. Now I know these deep-fried Oreos look rather unappealing in this photo as the ice cream has already melted into a sticky soup here… But I swear that it is an artery-clogging treat that you should not miss!

While I would not want to have these everyday myself for health concerns but they’re really good to have every once-in-awhile.

I highly recommend that you visit Little Miss Funnel Cake and try these goodies especially the deep-fried Oreos! And I guarantee you that you will not regret it!

Prawn House Seafood Restaurant and Suites

Posted on by xerox

Last year (this is another backlog entry apparently), my boyfriend and I were invited to a wedding party in Cagayan de Oro and since it was going to start late in the afternoon (and would most likely continue late into the night) we looked for a place to stay…

image

After spending some time on research and much deliberation, we finally decided to stay at Prawn House Seafood Restaurant and Suites. As obviously implied by its name, It’s not only a hotel but it’s also a restaurant that serves seafood. And because I really love seafood, it’s a double win for me!

image

The best part is, it’s only a walking distance from SM City! And for those of you who want to know, it’s only just a few minutes away from the Lumbia airport too.

image

There’s my boyfriend checking out their menu… Food prices range between 200 to 300 pesos.

image

Yes, they have aquariums that contain live sea creatures just like in Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant.

image

And then there’s my boyfriend again, enjoying his fresh buko juice, or as Americans would like to call it, coco water.

image

Forgot what this is called but it definitely looks like steak. I remember to have enjoyed it. The gravy went really nicely with it and so did the vegetables on the side.

image

Sizzling sisig. One of my favorite Filipino food of all time. Pairs perfectly with ice-cold beer. 

image

Of course, no Prawn House trip is ever complete without having to try any of their seafood, especially their prawns! Their Prawn Thermidore is a definite must-try! 

And here’s a preview of the room we got…

image

This is the Standard Room. Can you believe that this only costed us 850 for the night? It’s neat, tidy and cozy. The linens and towels were fresh. And they provided complimentary bathroom products too! Believe me, not all budget hotels here in the Philippines do that. And with this note, I am impressed!

So for those who want to experience quality service but are on a budget, I highly recommend this place!

For more information about Prawn House Seafood Restaurant and Suites, please click on this link.

Let Sprockets Cafe Color Your World

Posted on by xerox

In two separate occasions, I invited my friends and family to a restaurant that my friend Rachel owns…

image

Introducing Sprockets Cafe, a colorful restaurant that exudes fun, creativity and positive vibes in Cebu City!
I can’t think of a better place to just chill and camwhore all day. 

Seriously, no Sprockets trip is ever complete without an obligatory photo op with the rainbow lomo wall, camera cardboard menus and pillows!

image

L to R: Ferocious Brent, Bombshell Erica, Quirky me, Drop-dead gorgeous Rachel

image

Oh hello there, Gluttony. Nice to see you again.

By the way, I accidentally spilled my wintermelon tea so… Let’s just rave about their food, shall we?

image

Moby Fish and Chips. Don’t belittle this seemingly simple dish. I enjoyed it very much! And yes, the dips do go very well with both the fish and fries.

image

Crispy, crunchy nachos topped with savory salsa. I swear I could finish a bucket of this deliciousness. Yum yum yum! 

image

Fettupasta in Pesto Cream. One word: NOMS. Pesto cream sauce is, well, creamy and the pasta is al dente. *finger kiss*

image

Oreo Crepe on the house! Crepe topped with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and then drizzled with caramel and crushed Oreo cookies. There is nothing else I can say except that this is, by far, the best dessert I’ve put in my mouth! ‘Twas gone in a flash! 

I am a self-proclaimed certified Sprocketeer and I highly recommend that you try any of the dishes I mentioned above. I promise you’ll thank me! 

*My boyfriend took the first photo
**Not all photos here are taken on the same date

Zubuchon’s Boneless Lechon

Posted on by xerox

If there’s one thing not a lot of people know about me that would be how much I abhor lechon baboy (roasted pig). 

I do eat pork, okay? But that “distinct smell and taste of lechon” is just something I can’t quite take because it makes me a bit sick in the stomach. 

Yeeeeah… I know, I’m weird like that. I can’t really explain myself why. How I wish I could though. 

image

Yet, surprise surprise! Many moons ago, I suddenly found myself standing in front of Zubuchon (Escario Central branch) and walked right in with my family and plus-ones.

image

L to R: 
Angelito (Genelyn’s boyfriend fiance), Genelyn (my maternal 1st-degree cousin who is like a sister to me), me, Yobz (my boyfriend), Nadyn (my sister’s friend), Anna (my sister and only sibling), my mother and my father

And yes, that is a meme photo you see superimposed on my cousin’s fiance’s face. Because I hated looking at his grim face (he totally looked like he didn’t want to be there with us plus I just don’t like him in general), I had to do something about it by plastering a happy face. Ta-da! Problem solved!

I digress… Zubuchon is known for their most sought-after dish, a.k.a. “best pig ever”, boneless lechon. Instead of preparing lechon the traditional way, they take the best part, season it with herbs and spices, spray it with some fresh coconut water and then roast it over charcoal with bamboo poles. 

Does that sound good to you my pork lover readers? I believe I heard a resounding “AMEN”! 

But for those of you who do not eat lechon like me, worry not! They have other things in their menu like… 

image

FRUIT JUICE! HAHAHA! Kidding! Of course they have other food like… 

image

Kalabasa soup (pumpkin soup). With all honesty, it’s the best pumpkin soup I’ve tasted so far. It’s rich, creamy and, of course, delicious! You guys have got to try it yourselves! We kept fighting over the last drop. Trust me.

image

This is also a very interesting dish. It’s fries topped with crushed chicharon (pork cracklings). Nothing extraordinary. But definitely not your usual fries I say.

I believe we had more food on the table but I was too hungry to take photos of them… Sorry. You can check what other food items they serve by clicking here.

image

And finally, the V.I.P. (“very important pork”), boneless lechon.

I was definitely hestitant to give it a try but after a few sniffs and not detecting that “distinct lechon-y smell” which I find foul, I digged in. You know what they say, “Never say never!" 

As I was prodding it with my fork, I observed that it has passed the ”lechon standard test". Crispy skin, check. Tender meat, check. Juicyliciousness, check. 

They may say it’s a different spin on the traditional lechon but I could almost say it’s just glorified liempo.  

My cousin made an odd comment about how the boneless lechon reminded her of Century Tuna. When she said that, I can’t pretend to disagree. Funny but true!

Just to clear things out, it does NOT tastes like tuna but somehow Zubuchon’s boneless lechon and Century Tuna have similiar seasonings I should say. 

My verdict? Well, Zubuchon has made me a reluctant convert. I can now, in fact, withstand the taste of lechon once again. Even for just a-teensy-while. And coming from someone who abhors lechon, that means a lot. I have to give them props for this. 

So is Zubuchon the best lechon then? Nah, I don’t think so. But it is more than your average lechon and, does in fact, deserve a try!

Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant

Posted on by xerox

I never realized how much I missed blogging till now. Please excuse my month-long absence. It’s been the holidays. A belated Merry Christmas by the way to you my dear readers (if you don’t celebrate it, Happy Holidays) and have a Wonderful and Prosperous New Year ahead of you!

Anyway, I have been to Cebu twice this year actually but I never really got around to blog about it. Why? I really don’t know. 

Now, since I haven’t been posting a lot of food stuff lately (in fact, I haven’t even blogged about some of the food that we had in Manila)… I think it’s about time to share to you again some of my food adventures.

Without further ado, as the title of this post suggests, I’ll be talking about Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant. 

This Cebu-based restaurant serves you the freshest selection of seafood. And when I say fresh I mean swimming-in-front-of-your-face kind of fresh. 

image

image

You can just point at what you want to have for dinner and they’ll prepare it for you. That easy.

image

Normally when I look at any live creature I don’t think of them as food but these crabs… HO HO HO *tents fingers*

Kids will love it here! My two nieces were gawking, smiling ear-to-ear as they were pointing at all the food, urm, fishes…

image

This is one of my two nieces, ‘Lienne. This was her first encounter with eels. You can definitely sense the amazement in her eyes.

Also, you can feed sharks. Pretty amazing right? 

image

That’s my cousin Gen on the left and my sister Anna on the right by the way.

image

Feeding is free of charge. Without even asking, we were given a bowl full of fish to feed the sharks with. 

image

Look at me! I’m feeding! Those two tiny “shadows” you see in the water are the sharks. Oh, I’m sorry. Were you expecting this? 

image

Dinner time with family, relatives and the boyfriend! Click here if you want to find out what’s on their menu.

image

We had two servings of nicely seasoned steamed oysters served with a slice of lemon and topped with a sprig of parsley. The texture of the oysters were very soft and almost creamy. I could never have had enough of it. Really, really good! 

image

Here’s is a small tray of crunchy Chicharon Bulaklak. Basically, it’s pork rind that has been cleaned, salted, dried and then fried. I don’t think it was the best chicharon bulaklak that I had but it was also good nonetheless.

image

This is a dish of fried soft-shelled crabs. Both delicate and crunchy. I enjoyed it very much. From the photo above, you can tell that at this point the table was getting crowded (you can see a piece of cutlery peeking at the left hand corner). And since everybody was getting hungry (me included), getting “artistic” food shots was the least of our concerns. 

image

Delectably fluffy crab omelette. I was never a fan of omelettes but this has made me a convert.

image

And finally, “Kinilaw na Tangigue”. That’s Mackerel Ceviche in English (I think). I love how it had a refreshing twist on the traditional kinilaw. The freshness of the fish, sweet notes of the vinegar and citrus flavor of the calamansi blended perfectly together with the other ingredients. I’ve never had kinilaw like this before and I think, by far, this has got to be my favorite! 

Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant isn’t only a great place to enjoy a great meal but it’s also a perfect place to just hang out and chill.

image

image

Três Marias reunited once again.

image

Please don’t mind the photobomber behind me.

image

Same spot. And yes, that is sand.

image

I invite everybody to come and try the food here at Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant! Located at Bridges Townsquare, Plaridel St., Alang-alang, Mandaue City, Cebu. Great dining experience is definitely guaranteed!

Bag of Beans Coffee Shop, Restaurant and Bakery

Posted on by xerox

After our lunch at Hellenic Tavern Hotel, we took a jeepney and headed straight down to Bag of Beans to find out why there’s so much rave about it…

And when we got there, just judging it by its quaint entrance, I knew I was going to love the place right off the bat.

They have a shelf chockful of excellent quality coffee beans and some delicious pastry goodies.

If you can afford to try their expensive and globally-famous Coffee Alamid, I suggest that you give it a go. I heard this unique coffee blend has a sweet and dark chocolatey taste to it and it’s the best one they have. 

My boyfriend and I decided to have our coffee at the balcony (you too can read what’s on their menu here)…

Overlooking at their beautiful lush garden below.

Get it while it’s hot 😉

Chocolate mousse for dessert. It was gooooddddd.

Clearly, my boyfriend enjoyed his mug o’ coffee very much!

I say that no Tagaytay trip is ever complete without making a stop at Bag of Beans. Its cozy and homey atmosphere is the perfect place to retreat over coffee and dessert on a chilly afternoon. Located just along Aguinaldo Highway near the Mendez intersection, I promise, you wouldn’t miss it!

Lunch at Hellenic Tavern Hotel

Posted on by xerox

Emmanouel Sapountzakis, owner of Hellenic Tavern Hotel, brings a piece of his birth place to Tagaytay with his Grecian-inspired hotel and restaurant which he manages with his Filipino wife.

Hellenic Tavern Hotel is fairly easy to spot as it is located just along Aquinaldo Highway, opposite of Lourdes Church.  

Now, before I carry on, let me just ask you… 

How would you feel sitting on a balcony (away from all the hustles and bustles of a metro city) facing a ridiculous breathtaking view of Taal Lake surrounded by pristine mountains and several clusters of mist? 

Well, let me answer that question for you…

Awestruck. That’s it. You’d be just completely awestruck and lost for words like I was. Photos don’t do justice to this God-made beauty.

I never thought that I’d fall in love at first sight but there I was… totally captivated by such refreshing scenery.

Who knew having lunch with my boyfriend while overlooking at lush green pastures in broad daylight could be quite romantic?

Speaking of lunch…

We had delicious Elleniki Salata (Greek Salad) as our appetizer. Let me just say, I never had salad that good! Everything was absolutely fresh! Not to mention that most of the ingredients are home-grown! Cucumber, onions, lettuce, tomatoes… 

I loved the tomatoes! I never had tomatoes like their tomatoes. If I remember it correctly, they were more sweet than sour. And would you believe me if I say that they actually made their own feta cheese?

Now I’m starting to miss the salad all over again…

We also had Shawarma. A Mediterranean take on a Middle Eastern cuisine. Toppings include lamb shavings, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, potatoes and a dollop of tzatziki. All of that wrapped in home-made pita bread. 

For our main course, we couldn’t resist trying out one of their best-sellers, Moussaka. It’s basically an eggplant casserole topped with Bechamel sauce. It’s a tasty mix of eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, minced beef and Parmesan cheese. If only I could have this everyday, I totally would even if it means having to clog my arteries! 

And lastly, for our dessert, we had Baklava. Basically, it’s made of filo pastry layers filled with chopped nuts and then bathed in (again, home-made) honey.

Dining at Hellenic Tavern Hotel is definitely one of the best dining experiences I’ve had ever. You can check out more of their food and prices here.

And in case you’re looking for a place to stay there, they also have rooms with scenic views at reasonable rates! 

With Mr. Sapountzakis himself. Yup, he’s 100% Greek. LOL at the hover hand!

Anyway, when in Tagaytay, don’t ever miss to drop by at Hellenic Tavern Hotel! Truly a magical piece of Greece in the boondocks! 

Double date at BBQ Chicken

Posted on by xerox

Upon arriving in Manila on the 31st of August, my boyfriend and I were able to meet up with two of my friends (a couple) for lunch.

They recommended us this place called BBQ Chicken. Funny how it’s a really straightforward, right-in-your-face and no nonsense name. It’s like they completely ran out of ideas on what to call the restaurant and just settled with something that couldn’t be any more obvious.

BBQ Chicken is a Korean restaurant located at Unit A 2/F Pearl Plaza, Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

One of the first things I noticed as I entered the restaurant was the upbeat KPop music playing in the background. Which I love! Really, there’s no use in denying I like listening to KPop because I do. 

The ambiance (I like the cutesy chalk art touch) and service is good. By the way, I have to point out that the photos were actually taken way past lunch time. This restaurant has regular customers and is usually full. It’s not empty as it appears to be in the photos. 

This is my boyfriend’s lunch, Spicy Chicken Barbeque Set. It’s a dish of grilled spicy chicken served with a lump of rice and mixed vegetables at the side. I like how they managed to not let all the spices outshine the flavor of the tender and moist chicken. It’s pretty good.

And here’s my lunch, Grilled Chicken Salad. I love this salad. The chicken tidbits were very flavorful and I can tell that they used fresh vegetables because it had that crunch to it. It’s also worth noting that the dressing was very good as well.

The prices here average around 200 bucks which is not really bad considering that it’s justified by the good food, good service, good place and the lovely sound of KPop music ringing in your ears. I’d definitely go back here whenever I can.

Gelato by Missy Bonbon

Posted on by xerox

Whenever I go to Cagayan de Oro, I make sure to grab one of my ultimate guilty pleasures in life and that is Missy Bonbon’s freshly churned gelato!

Just look at all those sinful choices! I can hear them singing my name. If you feel overwhelmed on which one to pick, don’t be shy to ask for a free taste test.

Creamy, sweet and delicious. I simply can’t get enough of it. Goodness starts at 45 PHP only!

Tarakumain sa Tadakuma

Posted on by xerox

I KNOW. “Tarakumain sa Tadakuma” has just got to be the lamest pun title I ever came up with. And yeah, I just had to kinda force it. I bet you must have rolled your eyes. MOVING ON…

Tadakuma is a Japanese restaurant that just opened at Don Ramon Chavez Street, Cagayan de Oro City.

My best friend’s boyfriend, Miguel took my boyfriend and I there for lunch. Sadly, my best friend, Ritz was not with us because she is currently living and working in London (we miss you!).

Originally, my boyfriend and I planned to have our lunch at Kogi Bulgogi (a Korean restaurant that just opened at Lim Ket Kai). But sometimes, things just don’t go as planned. But hey, who said I was complaining?

Tadakuma is very cozy and modern. Actually, when we got there, it was REALLY busy. All the tables were full and so we had to wait for a table for a little while. By the way, the photo above was taken after everybody else already left the restaurant with happy tummies.

Nothing but a cute random bowl. If only I could take one home as a souvenir. Just kidding. Or am I really?

Oh, before I proceed to talk about what we had, can I ask you a teeny favor guys?

Umm.. can you please not hate me for forgetting the names of what we had? I was soooo hungry that everything just went completely out of my mind. I am crossing my fingers that the photos will just somehow make up for it. Here goes…

This is a bowl of plain minced raw fish on top of a bed of rice. And those two tiny blobs that you see on top are wasabi paste and pounded ginger. To eat this, you have to properly mix everything in together so to evenly distribute the flavor. It has just the right punch of heat and that zing of flavor coming from the pounded ginger. It’s like a different take on “kinilaw”. If you don’t have problems eating raw fish, you’ll definitely love this!

A bowl of ramen noodles with three thin slices of meat, a slice of fish cake, a slice of boiled egg and a few greens. It looked like it could need a little more stuff though. However, the soup is like no other. 

So that’s all we had. Blurred in the background is Miguel’s Tempura Udon. For some reason, I can only remember his order. Shoot me.

Tadakuma is a tad cheaper than Ramen Tei. In average, everything costs around 200~300 PHP per dish. The servings are delicious and quite generous so you do get your money’s worth. To the last peso. Give this place a go and I’m sure you’ll love it too!