First Bite: Café Eight Churrasco-Style Buffet

I can't live without meat. I tried being a vegetarian for six months and it has been absolutely challenging for me especially since I'm part of a beef and pork loving family. I have to admit, eating greens all day long made me feel extra healthy but there's something with feasting on succulent meat that makes me... happier. And when I was invited to a churrasco lunch at Café Eight of Crimson Hotel Festival City, I had to say yes.

Hello, Café Eight. 

Located at the 8th floor of Crimson Hotel, one would quickly understand why this place is named so. 

Southern Chronicles: B Hotel Alabang

I've been curious about B Hotel ever since I've dined in its Quezon City branch a few months ago. The quite under the radar hotel chain by Bellevue delighted me with its delectable dishes and I got excited when I got an invitation to attend the menu reveal of its Alabang counterpart (which I will blog separately). It may have been a crazy long travel given the Manila traffic, but I decided that it must be worth the trip.

Hello, B Hotel Alabang.

I got to the hotel a bit past 5, quite late from my target of 4 p.m., an hour past check in time.

First Bite: Acacia Hotel's Acaci, The Lobby and A Steakhouse

Alabang seems to be a very distant place if you reside somewhere in Quezon City or what we call “North”. This is why I hardly get to explore the serene and posh area of Metro Manila. I was lucky though to be invited by Acacia Hotel to celebrate with them the launch of celebrity chef Boy Logro’s dishes in its Acaci restaurant. 

Hello, Acacia Hotel.

It was my first time to step foot inside this Filipino restaurant and I was impressed by its high ceiling lobby. I was also mesmerized by the beautiful abstract art that adorns the spacious area. 

It was then when Acacia Hotel’s Senior Sales Manager, Jason Dinglasan, mentioned that the abstract art near the elevator is actually a dragon split into different canvasses and the metal art on the wall against the front desk is a bird’s eye view of an acacia tree. 

Acacia is one of the shortest, if not the lowest, hotel in Alabang. So do not expect a striking view from its roof top. 

But what Acacia could offer is its accessibility to the malls and other establishments. It is also located right across the road that gets closed every Sunday to cater to joggers and bikers. 

Ramen of the South: Ramen Yushoken

It has been quite a while since I last did a food trip. I have been super busy lately that I had no time to explore and visit new places. (Goodbye food trip Saturdays! I miss you so much!) But God has been so good to me. On our way to visit my all-time favorite grandma, something caught my eye. MOLITO. It’s the foodie hotspot Molito! As soon as I posted it on Facebook, I got some really good foodie advice.

Right after a quick trip to the Alabang bazaar, we visited our first Molito stop, Ramen Yushoken.

I’ve actually heard of Ramen Yushoken from several people when I tell them that I’m scheduling a south food trip. But it always gets cancelled or end after one stop.  Anyway…

The place is quite small but could easily sit around 25-30 people. I heard that there is always a long wait during dinner. Good thing we came in around 4:30 p.m..

We ordered three ramen bowls: Shoyu Ramen (PHP350), Miso Ramen (PHP380) and Hiyashi Chuka (PHP370). We also ordered two plates of Gyoza (PHP150).

Restaurant Love: The Nest

I am definitely not a South girl. I only go there to visit my aunt and occasionally visit ATC when it’s too hot in their lanai. However, I have been hearing a lot of good word about the restaurants in BF Homes and even those near my aunt’s place. Then N told me that he works for The Nest. After his sales talk, I was sold. Actually, the phrase “pesto stuffed salmon” was enough to convince me.

Two of my foodie friends and I agreed to have a mini South food trip to celebrate their birthdays. We all met at 9 a.m. along Pearl Drive in Ortigas and we were with a bunch of Korean kids who seem to be on their way to the beach. (Not our thing so we were not jealous at all.) After a quick breakfast, we were off.

After 30 minutes of driving, we made it to The Nest.

The place was practically empty with only two tables occupied. So we had all the freedom to take photos of the place. The view was spectacular!

It didn’t take us long to decide what to order. K ordered Pan Grilled Chicken and Garlic Steak (PHP380) while E went with the Salmon and Lapu-Lapu Duo (PHP670). I ordered Truffle Scented Tomato Basil Soup (PHP165) and Pesto Stuffed Salmon Steak (PHP575). I held back with the dessert as I felt shy since my two kuya/ahya/big brothers will pay for my meal. It made me wonder if I am now bound to treat them on my birth month.