Food Delivery Favorite: Candishhh Bakes' Focaccia

I have a weak spot for bread. I find freshly baked bread so irresistible that I could never say no to it. And when I was asked by D if she could send me some of her focaccia bread, I quickly said yes! 

Hello, Candishhh Bakes!

You may have heard of Candishhh if you are actively reading food blogs. She has been blogging since 2005! Yes, she started more than a decade before the word influencer became a widely used term. She has always been one of the bloggers I trust.

First Bite: Poke Shack

I have this insatiable appetite for salmon. My family and friends know this and it's a great way to know how I see you as I only share my plate of salmon sashimi with people dear to me. But one poke store made it easier for me to share as it offers generous serving of this delectable seafood in every order!

Hello, Poke Shack!

Poke Shack has been around for quite some time now. Located near Tiendesitas, it serves as a great dining option for people working within the area. It even offers free delivery for foodies at Tera Tower where Poke Shack is located.

Beat the Heat 101: Honey Lemon

Living in the city could take a toll on the body. With traffic seemingly getting worse each day, I often find myself going for the short route when it comes to grabbing meals. Fast food, canned goods, you name it. As long as it's just a call or few clicks away, you got my attention. But I end up compromising health with convenience. However, not everything off the shelf is bad. In fact, a new product found its way to our shores and would make summer extra fun and healthy.

Hello, Honey Lemon.

R and I are big fans of honey. We'd often drink honey water to start up our day and to help boost our immune system. Though we'd enjoy honey with a wide variety of beverages (even food), we hardly have it with lemon. But who knew it is a winning combination and a very healthy one at that? 

When in Iloilo: Tytche Grill & Seafood Restaurant

Tagging along R's local trips are tiring and fun at the same time. I get to see the Philippines in a different light, seeing places that are not exactly what you'd consider touristy. And at the same time, I get to experience the local life and savor the different cities' rich flavors. One of my favorite places for seafood is Iloilo and a top contender for the best seafood restaurant is Tytche Grill & Seafood Restaurant in Dumangas. 

Hello, Tytche Grill & Seafood Restaurant. 

This restaurant is a bit far from the city center and definitely a place I wouldn't consider going if I was traveling Iloilo on my own. Situated near the Iloilo port, it would be hard to visit this place without a car as there are not much public transportation that pass and stop by this area. 

Love at First Bite: Papas

POTATO. Think of Gru's minions saying this word and you'd get an idea on how crazy I am with anything made with potatoes. And when I spotted this kiosk that sells fresh fried potato chips, I just have to give it a try. 

Hello, Papas!

I was walking around the south side of SM Mall of Asia looking for something to snack on while waiting for a friend when I saw this unfamiliar kiosk. The first thing I noticed were the cone containers on the counter which I figured would be for some small bites. And to my delight, it was for potato chips! I love potato chips!

Soban Launches its Meatiest Set Ever!

The insane number of Korean BBQ places is enough proof to prove that we are not just hooked with KDrama or those catchy K-Pop songs. Most of us are also in love with its mouthwatering dishes, especially Korean BBQ. Though several restaurants offer tempting promotions, only a few stood out in terms of taste. And one of my favorites is Soban K-Town Grill. 

Hello, Soban K-Town Grill.

Soban is one of the few restaurants I fell in love with at first bite. Its delightful Korean BBQ meats were well-curated and each one was fresh, tender and flavorful. Aside from that, Soban also offers great kimchi fries and Dak Ganjeong (Korean Fried Chicken) among others.

Taiwan in Manila: Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea

I am a big fan of milk tea. I always lose the ability to say no whenever someone asks me if I'd like to go for a milk tea run. But lately, due to slower metabolism and fats crawling and hibernating in places such as hips, belly and other parts you wish would never turn lumpy, I try to avoid sinkers and go for healthier alternatives such as fruit teas. And thank goodness for Yi Fang!

Hello, Yi Fang.

Yi Fang is the newest addition to the ever growing brands of milk tea in Manila. But one thing that sets Yi Fang different from other players is its use of real fruits! 

Love at First Bite: Tra Vinh

I've been hearing a lot about this Vietnamese restaurant near Banawe for months. I couldn't find the time to visit this restaurant though given that it's very far from where I live. Thankfully, after several attempts, I finally found myself around the area and decided to do a side trip to Tra Vinh. 

Hello, Tra Vinh. 

Since its opening last year, Tra Vinh has been receiving recognition from several media outlets and food apps listing it as one of the top Vietnamese restaurants in Manila. And I was so giddy when I finally had the chance to try its dishes. 

I got the chance to meet its owner Michael Ang who gave me a brief background of the restaurant. Tra Vinh is a brand that started in Australia and founded by Mr. Van Chien Ho, a native of Vietnam who specializes in Southern Vietnam cuisine. Mr. Ang also told me that the dishes I was about to taste are not the usual flavors I'm used to as the popular Vietnamese dishes here in Manila are mostly from the Northern part of Vietnam. 

My Healthy Fix: llaollao

We live in a world where eating healthy could be challenging. With so many tempting and sinful products in the market, most of us fall in the trap of unhealthy diets. Thankfully, more and more brands are finding ways to help us stay on track by offering healthy dishes and snacks are not only delectable but also pocket friendly. 

Hello, llaollao!

It's amazing how fast this well-loved brand from Spain has grown. Now with 5 branches, it now caters to foodies from the North down to South. 

When in Bohol: Virgin Island, Panglao

I always look forward to island hopping whenever I'm in Visayas. I enjoy bringing out the Ariel of The Little Mermaid in me with snorkling gear and life vest in tow. And one of my favorite spots to date is the Virgin Island in Panglao, Bohol. 

Hello, Virgin Island, Panglao. 

This small island is far from the Virgin Island of Bantayan Island. It doesn't have the hipster vibe of the latter. There are no hammocks, cottages, washroom, benches or tables in sight. It is indeed what a virgin island should be... pure. 

Several visitors will drop by to be immersed in a place untainted by civilization. 

Aside from the Virgin Island signage, there are only two vendors selling seafood and fresh buco and a handful of vendors selling pearls. Since I'm not fond of jewelry, I zeroed in on seafood. 

Only a handful are available--sea urchin, sea cucumber and a bunch of shelled fish-- which they could cook adobo style for you.

And one of the things I love about the province is that sea urchin's super affordable. We got five sea urchins for just PHP100 or PHP20 each! Not bad at all. 

We also got abalones for PHP50 a piece and had it cooked adobo style. But we realized that it would have been better raw and just drizzled with calamansi. 

We also got one fresh buco for PHP50.

Since we came in a small boat, we decided to eat our roasted chicken and steamed prawns there. And the seafood vendor was nice enough to let us use a portion of his prep table.

Though this is often visited or included in island hopping, I was impressed with how the locals keep the place as clean as possible. And the vendors sure know how to speak Chinese! This is enough to prove that several Chinese tourists visit Panglao. (I have to admit, I was a bit envious because I could only say three phrases in Chinese.)

True, there's nothing much to see in this island and all you can do here are to eat and buy pearls. But there are times when I just want to spend time in places like this... away from the chaos of Manila. My short stay here definitely recharged me and I'd love to drop by again for more sea urchin and abalone. 

Till next time!

Life Hack 101: No More Thawing with Panasonic’s Prime Fresh

Gone are the days when I can't wait to head out and search for new places to visit and interesting food to indulge in. These days, I like staying in a lot. I get to avoid the insane traffic and get to spend time experimenting in the kitchen. However, when the lazy bug bites, I find myself eating the usual hotdog and bacon. There's one thing I hate though... thawing. 

I hate how my freezer turns my meats into popsicles! 

There are times when I have to remove my bacon or pork chop from the freezer at least two hours before dinner just to be able to thaw it properly. Though I could just pop it too in the oven, I prefer doing it the "natural" way. Thankfully, there's Panasonic to make cooking a lot easier (and quicker) for me. Its latest models are now equip with Prime Fresh. 

First Sip: Tom N Toms Coffee

It is interesting how many Korean brands are entering the country. From cosmetics to food brands, these things we used to only see in K-Drama are now within reach. And it wasn't surprising to see this popular cafe brand to enter the local scene as well.
 
Hello, Tom N Toms Coffee!

Love at First Bite: Lobster King

I hardly get to explore the Philippines so when R asked me to join him and his friends to Coron, I quickly said yes. (And I have not met his friends then.) It was a fun trip and I got do things for the first time such as jump off a boat, climb a mountain (towards Kayangan Lake), and enjoy Coron. I have to admit though that one of the highlights of our trip was our stop at Lobster King.

Hello, Lobster King!

J, the wonderful local who helped us with everything while we were in Coron, raved about Lobster King and that we should prepare our tummies. It wasn’t hard to do so when all we did for hours before dinner was jump off the boat and swim.

The girls took charge of ordering for the whole group and they went crazy over lobster. We had 8 plates full of lobster! Other dishes that were ordered were oysters (in cheese and in butter garlic), sisig, roasted chicken and clam soup. (I forgot to take photos of the soup, sisig and roasted chicken as these were placed far from me and everyone was hungry.)

The oysters were huge! R was disappointed that the cheese on the oysters did not melt and was just grated cheese on top of grilled oysters. But it was still pretty good as it was fresh!

The butter garlic version was better though as it was more savory.

Now for the star of the night… lobsters.

IN goes the burger N a burp comes OUT

“Go to In N Out!!!” was what my friends told me when I told them that I will be visiting L.A. soon.

Day 2 in L.A. means In-N-Out trip. 

We made sure to eat inside as the drive thru queue was quite long. “It was a craze that people haven’t gotten over… yet” was what our American companion said.