Since my boyfriend already wrote everything about our Intramuros adventure in a nutshell here, I’ll skip writing about it and just share some of our photowalk shots instead.
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Double date at BBQ Chicken
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.
Once a Promdi, Always a Promdi
I don’t know if you can remember but I did once mention in one of my previous posts that I was cutting back on unnecessary expenses because I was saving up for something “grand”. And that actually meant another vacation for my boyfriend and I!
Can you guess where we went? I’ll give you a clue…
Is the clue not helping? Okay, squint your eyes real hard for the next clue…
Still not helping at all? Okay, okay, it’s…
Manila! This was when we just arrived at NAIA.
Just look at my face. Absolutely packed full of excitement! Maybe because it was my first time to be in Manila. But don’t get me wrong, I didn’t go to Manila so I could instantly feel higher than other people on the social ladder. It’s just that I’ve always wanted to set my foot somewhere in Luzon and this was a total dream come true for me! And yes, being a “promdi” is no shame!
Till my next post, keep on following me for more of our Manila adventure!
Tarakumain sa Tadakuma
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!
The Aviatrix
The Aviatrix is a project that is inspired by the legendary Amelia Earhart. It is a collaboration that I have done with Jed Reyes, Jims Oga and Gio Atinen.
To say that I am honored to have worked with such amazing people is an understatement.
Before anything else, I would just like to disclose that I am by no means a professional model nor am I making claims that I am even close to being one.
It is only upon the request of my friends that I will pose for photos and this is something that I have been doing for FUN since I was a college sophomore.
Please click on the photos for a higher resolution and enjoy!
Concept, Photography and Post-processing
Jed Reyes is an MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) graduate (MSU-IIT is one of the top universities of the Philippines) and is a graphic designer by profession. Even with only over a year of experience in photography, he is already starting to make a name for himself both in Iligan City and his hometown General Santos City. His strengths are street, glamour and fashion photography.
Hair and Makeup
Jims Oga is one of the most sought-out freelance hair and makeup artists in Iligan City. He is also the image stylist of Dance Impulse Production (DIP).
Photo Assistant
Gio Atinen is an art enthusiast from Iligan City who is into sketching, drawing, graphic designing and, just recently, photography. He was also a part of the prestigious Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) as a musician and has toured all over the Philippines.
Model and Stylist
Yours truly
The Niagara Falls of Mindanao: Santa Cruz Falls
After the Cathedral Falls trip with my boyfriend, my father was talking about the mysterious Santa Cruz Falls incessantly.
And so last weekend, we embarked on a family (mis)adventure to Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte. Yes, my boyfriend and I was back to Kapatagan much sooner than we originally expected.
Totally unprepared for what we were about to get ourselves into, we braved practically into the middle of nowhere (Santa Cruz cannot be found on Google maps mind you) with nothing but ourselves.
And when I say nothing, I mean no water, nosh nor sunscreen. And that’s because our house helpers and “habal-habal” drivers (who served as our guides) said that the falls was just “near”.
On that day I learned that the meaning of the word “near” is only relative to the speaker. And so if you come from the city, please don’t trust anybody coming from a rural area telling you that this certain place is “near” because…
To get to the mysterious waterfalls, we had to climb up and down a series of boondocks…
We had to take off our footwear and walk barefoot to cross river bends…
Okay, we had a quick break here from hopping from one fiery hot stone to the other…
Carrying on, we had to trek “for days” through very dense native flora until…
Finally! The mysterious Santa Cruz Falls is a mystery no more! It was an adventure definitely worth my severe t-shirt patterned tan line.
And to cap off this post is a closer view of this beauty dubbed as the Niagara Falls of Mindanao. Be at awe with another marvelous God-made creation!
Kagay-anon Restaurant – A Sooo Pinoy Search for the Ultimate Food Blogger Round 2 Entry
This beautiful solid wooden staircase directly leads up to Kagay-anon Restaurant, a restaurant that serves great and delicious Filipino dishes. It is located at Rosario Strip, Lim Ket Kai Complex, Cagayan de Oro City.
This restaurant was actually selected as one of the top ten restaurants in the Philippines with the best “Pinakbet”.
Naturally, my boyfriend and I don’t want to miss out on any of the best foods that the Philippines has to offer and so we really had to scurry on our way there to see it for ourselves.
Because of the vibrant colors of the vegetables, I can absolutely tell that only the freshest ingredients were used for this “pinakbet” .
The presentation of the “pinakbet” was definitely something new to me. I love how this dish of mixed vegetables with bits of pork meat and a decent amount of “bagoong” was carefully and uniquely presented inside of a fresh squash gourd.
And for someone who isn’t really a big fan of vegetables, I am surprised that I like it. It’s really good actually. No wonder why it’s the best!
Another item that we picked out from the menu was sizzling “sisig”.
Oh my goodness… I’ll tell you what, this is the BEST “sisig” I have ever had!
I don’t know how they managed to elevate the taste of what seems to be just an ordinary dish (popularly known as a “pulutan”) but this is certainly how “sisig” should be done!
Notice that even after we mixed the egg in, you can tell from the photo that the “sisig” still had that creamy texture even after the carryover cooking was done. Really a delight!
A plate of grilled prawns with lemon-butter sauce was another thing on our table. I was absolutely guilty of having most of the prawns. I wasn’t able to stop myself.
And finally to top off this feast for two, we had this stellar “halo-halo” for dessert. Served in a carved coconut shell, without a doubt, this monster is a head turner. This had almost everything that a “halo-halo” should have; The cherry on top was just a bonus. Absolutely irresistibly stunning!
I do recommend this place and I can’t wait to go back there to try all of the good stuff that I missed!
A Two-day Pre-Valentine’s Day Celebration: Ramen Tei and More
Remember this blog post that I once submitted as an entry for a food blog contest?
Well, I am very proud to announce that both my boyfriend and I made it through the first round of the Sooo Pinoy’s Search for the Ultimate Food Blogger Contest!
Just imagine how ecstatic and excited we were when we found out that we are actually contenders for the second round! The moment we got hold of the news, we immediately prepared our own food trip itinerary set for the weekend.
So fast forward, Friday came and off we went to Cagayan de Oro as planned. After what seemed to be an eternity in the bus (the ride was wayyy longer than usual due to road repairs), we were finally able to take a taxi from Bulu-a Bus Terminal to The Mallberry Suite Business Hotel so we could leave our bags and book us a room for the night.
FYI: Our food trip was actually a two-day thing because that’s how we roll and, also, we wanted to experience the “Night Cafe” together so that explains why we had to stay for the night because it’s more convenient that way (sadly it wasn’t until later on that night when we found out that it has actually been discontinued since Sendong which is pretty disappointing).
It was already way past lunch time by the time we were able to secure a room. Absolutely famished, we decided to put something Filipino on hold for lunch because we wanted something that would really make both of our grumbling tummies happy. Through a friend’s recommendation, we had our lunch at Ramen Tei.
Ramen Tei serves authentic (and I must add really awesome) Japanese food. The place is really consistent with the Japanese theme. Even the waiters kinda look Japanese! Insane! Bet Ramen Tei’s management screens all of their staff members aesthetically first before proceeding to hire them…
Nothing but a tray of Japanese condiments. There’s something different about their vinegar. It has some sweet notes to it. It’s the kind of vinegar that doesn’t have an overpowering taste; Instead, it complements the food perfectly. I wonder where I can get that…
A dish of assorted mind-blowing sushi. The best sushi I had ever!
A delicious battalion of mixed maki. I couldn’t stop helping myself to these! They were just really, really good!
A closer look. Gah, I am missing them right now!
I hate to abruptly end this post right here but… Surprise! This is just sort of a teaser of what we had. Expect another post within two days.
In Transit Teaser
Let me start this post by saying that I feel more than blessed to be in a relationship with someone who is more than I truly deserve. Not many know that I was away from home for more than week for a short vacation with my boyfriend… Who, by the way, paid for almost everything. Transportation, food, hotels and everything else. It was his way of celebrating my graduation and I guess our 7th month of being together.
Here’s a sneak peek of where we were about a week ago on our first day in Iloilo.
Iloilo is such a photogenic place! Just perfect for photo walks given on any day at any time. More about the trip in the next post!