Would you believe me if I tell you that I've never been to Taco Bell before? Well, aside from it having few branches in Manila, I'm always more inclined to visit a non-fast food Mexican joint for my taco fix. I'd find myself just walk past its purple and yellow facade without any second thought. But last week was different.
Hello, Taco Bell.
I was at Trinoma last week for the opening of my favorite yogurt, llaollao. I came in a bit too early for the VIP party so I decided to look for a place to have late lunch instead. I was leaning towards getting Turks Shawarma but I bumped into a friend who wanted to go for Taco Bell. Since I've never been to Taco Bell, I figured that it's not a bad idea.
We saw this meal for two that includes nachos, fries with sour cream, tacos, churros and drinks priced at less than PHP400. Sweet deal right?
One of the perks of having a local contact in Bohol is that they'd know the best places to visit in the area. And if they have their own boat, you don't even have to worry about transportation. And that was pretty much what happened when R and I visited Panglao. It is still one of my favorite vacations to date as everything was well prepared by R's dealer, I. And for our second and last stop for island hopping, we went to Isola di Francesco.
Hello, Isola di Francesco.
Isola di Francesco is located at Pontod Island and owned by St. Pio devotee, Mr. Ramon Rodriguez. Designed to be a place suitable for retreat and reflection, the place is adorned with several religious sculptures. It also holds regular mass in the island's chapel.
Italians are known to be particular with what they eat and drink. To some extent, they can be what millennials describe as savage when they eat anything non-Italian. I can't blame them though as they have been spoiled by the finest ingredients. However, not everything that Italians love and rave about is well received by the local market. But for something universal as coffee, it's a different story.
Hello, Cafè Barbera.
This Italian cafè has been around for over a century and has grown from a small street coffee vendor on the streets of Naples to a global franchise. You'd think that this place would most likely have the best coffee. After all, espresso is something deeply rooted into the Italian way of life.
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!
Ensaymada has been a staple merienda dish in the Filipino food scene. The fluffy bread topped with generous serving of butter and sugar on top can be bought in local bakeries and chains like Goldilocks and Red Ribbon. The growth of the market with discerning taste gave room to premium ensaymada offering more than your usual buttered pastry. We have the famous ensaymada of Pampanga hitting food bazaars like Yummy Eats and Ultimate Taste Test and we also have the like of Pastry Armoire. And I was lucky to be one of the guests of the later to its food tasting at the Instagram heaven, The Wander Space.
Hello, Pastry Armoire x The Wander Space.
I was carrying several shoot items with me to the event and I gulped with cold sweat dripping down my temples when I saw The Wander Space on the third floor of a building along Maginhawa. With the elevator out of order, I took three flights up to get to the beautiful shop + coffee shop. And I was warmly greeted by Raymond of Pastry Armoire and Kim of The Wander Space.
I always look forward to a Kumori branch opening as it always mean that a new product will launched. I went crazy over the apple cheese tarts which was released during the opening of Kumori's Robinson's Manila. The lovely crunch of the apple bits, creamy cheese tart filling and cinnamon on top made this an addicting snack. And when Kumori launched its Ube Hanjuku Cheese in celebration of its SM Mall of Asia store, I promised myself that I will swing by and try it asap. But given that SM MOA is in a faraway land, it took me a long time before I managed to drop by.
Hello, Kumori!
Unfamiliar with SM Mall of Asia, I asked several guards its exact location. And I was pointed to different areas. One of the guards said that it's on the second floor while another said it's on the ground floor. One said to turn left while another told me to go straight. In short, I ended up circling the main mall for two hours. (And I ended up spending a few thousands at Forever 21.)
Mindanao used to be a place I was afraid to visit. With media and elders saying that this part of the Philippines as an unsafe place, I didn't even consider to travel and spend my vacation down south. Sure, there are cities that are considered safe like Davao. But it being a few miles away from NPA surrounded areas and even a war zone made me feel even more afraid. But all that changed this year when I visited President Duterte's hometown not just once but thrice. And for this trip, I got to enjoy Paradise Island.
Hello, Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort.
I've been eying this new Japanese restaurant franchised by Suyen Group for quite some time now. Sadly, my uncooperative schedule keeps me from visiting High Street. Hence, when my client requested for us to meet in Marugame Udon, I quickly said yes.
Hello, Marugame Udon.
I dropped by the newest Japanese udon joint around 1pm so I was able to avoid the lunch queue.
I love scoring deals as much as food and combining the food makes me giddy like crazy. With the food scene becoming more and more competitive, eating out has never been this fun and affordable. There are several apps and websites offering attractive deals that slashes at most 70% off your bill. Lately, I'm hooked to Booky's Buy One, Get One (BOGO) deals. And I've recently claimed another deal from Auntie Anne's.
Hello, Auntie Anne's.
I dropped by its Greenhills branch before heading to my meeting in Promenade. Since I haven't had lunch yet and needed some serious thirst quenching drink, I decided to claim two of Auntie Anne's BOGO deals, Large Lemonade (PHP80) and Two-Cheese Pepperoni Nuggets (PHP99). My total bill was PHP179 instead of PHP358. Not bad at all!
With Manila's crazy heat getting worse and worse, it's not surprising to see milkshake shops and ice cream parlors to pop here and there. Though I've had my fair share of horrible experiences with new dessert places, I always keep an open mind and tummy for new ones. And this time, I tried Up in the Clouds Ice Cream & Milk Bar.
Hello, Up in the Clouds.
I decided to reward myself after a smooth shoot with something sweet. Given that I haven't had lunch yet and it was already past 6 p.m., I figured that ice cream will just cause an upset stomach. I then zeroed in on the shop's iced tea variants.
I think Izakaya Sensu is out to make me fat. It wasn't enough for them to rollout delicious and bang for the buck rolls so they released its mouthwatering wagyu sukiyaki. And now, they released an unagi line for its Unagi Festival. Izakaya Sensu, you have already won my heart and tummy so why do you keep making me drool?! Well, not that I'm complaining or anything close to that.
Hello again, Izakaya Sensu.
I got an email from the lovely Mela of Raintree Restaurant inviting me to its Unagi Festival last August but I was out of the country that time so I missed its launch. Thankfully, the unagi festival is until the end of the month so I got my unagi fix as soon as I got back in Manila.
