Cebu Food Spot

Everything Yummy Food + Love

2012-01-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

Last week my Dad asked me about a restaurant at Talamban and if I tried dining there. He told me he read an article at Sunstar about a new restaurant which specialized on tasty ribs. After reading the article on the newspaper, I was intrigued about this restaurant and scheduled my next food trip there.

The other night I had the chance to finally visit the place. After a very hectic new year, I hadn't got the chance to explore new restaurants. When I arrive at Piazza Elesia at Talamban I was astonished to find there were various restaurants and cafes there. It was hard to spot the place since I went there during the evening and their signage had no lighting. We parked the car and roamed around the Piazza and eventually found the place.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the restaurant was the small area they occupied. The restaurant can barely accommodate around 12 customers inside and another around 4-6 people outside. Even though the place was compact the interior was well laid out and designed. They used wooden furnishings, large mirrors and warm lighting to enhance the ambiance of the interior. The framed photos of the dishes they offer also gives the customer a glimpse of what to expect.

When the waitress presented us with the menu I didn't find any appetizers, salad or soup in it so we decided to just order their main entrees. We ordered the Baby Back Ribs(quarter) and The Lemongrass Inasal. I also ordered an additional mashed potato. Our food was served within a reasonable time, maybe it also had to do with the fact that we were the only customers at that time.

Rib Quarter (Spare Ribs) - P 185.00

Presentation of the dish was very basic. It was served with rice and their special bbq sauce. The serving size for the Rib Quarter was adequate for one person although it is not as big as the ones served at other restaurants, it is also a bit cheaper compared to those restaurants. If you want a bigger serving size they also have a half slab (P 425) and a whole slab of ribs (P 700). One thing I liked about this dish is that the ribs were thoroughly cooked and the meat was very tender. The meat easily separated from the bones and even though the meat was thick it was still juicy on the inside.

Lemon Grass Inasal - P 180.00

We picked this dish since I was curious why they named this dish lemon grass inasal. When the waitress served this I didn't expect the serving size for this dish to be two quarter cuts of chicken. I liked that they used the leg and thigh part of the chicken since these were my favorite cuts of the chicken. The presentation for this dish was similar to the ribs which was very simple.

What made this dish stand out was the taste. I liked how the lemon grass enhanced the flavor of the chicken. The chicken was thoroughly and evenly cooked. The closest thing I could compare to the taste of this dish is the part of the lechon manok where there are herbs to add flavor to the chicken. Unlike most lechon manok wherein the flavor of the herbs are only present on the rib parts of the chicken, this dish had the flavor both on the inside and outside of the chicken. If you love lechon manok you will certainly enjoy this dish.

I enjoyed my first dining experience with Everything Yummy. I loved their food and liked the ambiance. I didn't mind that the place was small since they were able to accommodate all their customers when I was their. The service was good and fast and their prices were very reasonable. This is another good place to try and discover since it is located just within the city. My only comment is the limited choices of dishes on their menu. It would have been great if they served appetizers, soup, salad and desserts. We would have ordered appetizers and dessert had they offered it on their menu.

Everything Yummy is located at Piazza Elesia Gov. M Cuenco Ave Talamban

Tingnan ang Mas Malaking Mapa

Winner For The Dong Juan Cheese Burger Contest

2012-01-04T00:27:00.000-08:00

Based on the Random number generator the winner for the Dong Juan Cheese Burger contest last month is Miss Presa Mae Olayvar. Congratulations and Happy New Year!

Simply J's simply fantastic dining experience

2011-12-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

Ever since I read a review about Simply J's from Babe for Food, I have been trying to find find ways to dine there. On our first attempt we weren't able to locate the place, so we ended up dining at Charcoal grill since we were already famished. We eventually found the Simply J's while heading home and thus my second attempt was a week after. I was with a couple of friends and when we arrived there only to find out that the place was already full. There was only one vacant table for two and we were a group of seven, so we decided to dine at Cul-de-sac instead. My third attempt was last night. Finally! After three attempt I got the chance to dine there!hehehe

First thing you'll notice about Simply J's is the ambiance. The chandelier, wooden furniture, paintings, picket fence and large fixed windows add to its uniqueness. The use of warm lighting from the chandeliers and lamps create a perfect ambiance for a restaurant. Since warm lighting enhances the how you perceive your food this is definitely important in a restaurant.

The service there was great. Even though they were still full, the waiter immediately entertained us, presented us with the menu and got our order. One thing noticeable on there menu was the absence of photos of their various dishes. Although they provided a good description of the dishes they offered, it would have been great if they placed some photos of their best sellers in order for their customers to be visually stimulated with the choices of food they offered. The photo on the menu would have been great since their dishes were very pleasing to the eyes.

While I was taking some test shots to compensate for the warm lighting of the interior, the waiter suddenly arrive and served our first dish. I was surprised on how fast they were able to prepare our orders. The first dish they served was the Taco salad.

Taco Salad - P150.00

Based on the description on their menu, the ingredients for their Taco Salad are Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, seasoned ground beef, topped with taco chips, whole kernel corn, cheese and taco dressing. Serving size for this dish was good for two persons.

When I dine out with my family we usually order salad for starters and so far this has got to be one of the biggest serving size for salads I've seen. Another positive thing about this dish is that they also didn't hold back on the ingredients. Asides from the fresh lettuce, there was an abundance of ground beef, taco and other ingredients. Despite the myriad of ingredients, the amount mixed for each ingredient was well balanced.

Another thing I liked about their Taco Salad was the effort they made to make this dish presentable. The salad looked good and it didn't looked liked it was hurriedly done. The taste was certainly unique to me since I have never tried having tacos on my salad. I'm not sure what type of sauce they used, what mattered to me was that it perfectly complemented the salad.

Taco Salad - P150.00

A couple of minutes later they served the main entree which were the Hungarian Sausage and Grilled Chicken with Citrus Marinade. Both dishes were well prepared and each dish has their own side dish. The Hungarian Sausage had a salad side dish which was basically lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

Hungarian Sausage - P120.00

The second main course dish was the Grilled Chicken in Citrus. This dish surprised me since they served it with two quarter cuts. When I ordered this dish I wasn't expecting that the serving size was half a chicken. It was served with rice and a side dish of steamed vegetables. I liked the presentation of this dish and looking at while taking photos at it only me made me hungrier. So I hurriedly took some shots and then proceeded on chowing down this dish.

I liked how the citrus marinade enhanced the flavor of the grilled chicken. The chicken was properly grilled and I didn't notice any blood or raw part on the inside. It was tender and juicy although there were some minor parts that looked charred it was understandable since this was a grilled dish. The Grilled Chicken in Citrus Marinade was my favorite dish of the night.

Grilled Chicken in Citrus Marinade - P180.00

After consuming the Grilled Chicken in Citrus Marinade we decided to give their desserts a try and ordered the Banoffee. The presentation of the Banofee was excellent. They took the time to make the dish appealing to the eye, which is a hint on what this dish tasted like. The main ingredients for this dessert is molded graham crust glazed with caramel sauce; topped with fresh bananas and cream. The different textures for this dessert made this dessert very interesting. I liked that it wasn't too sweet and how the different flavors of the ingredients harmonize with each other.

Banoffee - P80.00

Before my first visit to this restaurant I was expecting this place to be a secluded quiet place. I thought that this was a new restaurant that still needs to be discovered by the public. After my three attempts to visit Simply J's, I realized that a lot of people are already familiar with this restaurant. I think people have noticed this establishment for its reasonable price, good service, ambiance and most importantly their tasty food. For those who haven't tried dining at Simply J's it is located at Apitong St. cor N. Escario, 6014 Cebu City. It is beside Diamond Suites and Across Grand Cenia.

Visit their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Js-cafe

Tingnan ang Mas Malaking Mapa

Anya's Place - Studio + decor + bistro

2011-12-20T20:41:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I was exploring new dining spots in the city. After my last food exploration at Cadi Shack Diner, I happened to pass by this intriguing restaurant at the same area. So last week I decided to go back and visit Anya's place and see what they had to offer.

When I arrived at Anya's Place I was surprised to see that we were the only ones there, maybe it was because it was during the week days. My initial impression was it was a bar and probably didn't have good food. The tables and chair in front and the videoke room only strengthened my initial impression.

Upon entering the establishment the waiter entertained us immediately and showed us the menu. Unlike the exterior, the interior had a different atmosphere. The fabric covered walls, wood flooring and wood furniture gave the interior a homey feel to it. The place had its own unique ambiance, although I wouldn't compare it to the interior of other expensive restaurant, for its price range the ambiance of the place is good.

Since this was my first visit to this restaurant, I usually look for unusual dishes from their menu. The first thing I noticed was the pork chop with lemon butter sauce. The dish sounded unique and I was curious what the dish looked like since it sounded different. Most of the other dishes on their menu were common to other Filipino restaurants, so I asked the waiter for his recommendation. He recommended us the mixed vegetables with seafood and since we were in the mood for sea foods we also ordered the fish fillet. The food was served within a reasonable time of 15-20min. I wasn't expecting our food to be served immediately since this isn't a fast food restaurant.

The first dish that was served was the mixed vegetable with seafood. Basic ingredients are cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, corn, onion, shrimp, and squid. I loved that they didn't hold back on the sea foods in this dish. I'm not familiar with the sauce but I liked the taste of this dish. The ingredients were fresh and the serving size was good for two persons.

Mixed Vegetables with Seafood - P120.00

The second dish that was served was the fish fillet. I think the fish they used for this dish was cream dory. Anyway the fish was covered with flour and deep fried. The fish was properly cooked and I liked the sauce that came with the dish. Serving size was also good for two persons.

Fish Fillet - P125.00

The last dish that was served was the pork chop with lemon butter sauce. Since the name sounded different I was expecting a unique looking dish with some sort of presentation. I was surprised to see that the dish they served was grilled pork belly with a sauce on the side. At first I thought the waiter might have served us the wrong dish. I asked him what that dish was and he confirmed that this was the grilled pork chop with lemon butter sauce. Among the dishes we ordered I think this one was a bit pricey. This was basically grilled pork belly with a lemon butter sauce placed on a saucer. Serving size was good for two and presentation was basically chopped pork belly with some small garnish and coupled with the lemon butter sauce. One thing I liked about this dish is the sauce. There wasn't anything special with grilled pork alone, but dipping it to the lemon butter sauce gave it a different flavor. I guess this was the reason why they didn't add too much flavor on the pork.

Grilled Pork Chop with Lemon Butter Sauce - P185.00

Overall I had a nice experience dining there. There food had big serving sizes and the price was actually affordable. The place was good and the staff was accommodating. A couple of days after my visit there I brought my friends there since I wanted to try their videoke room. Although we didn't dined there I brought my friends there cause had a good experience there and I wanted to try their other dishes. The videoke room was also the another reason why I came back.hehehe

View Larger Map

Anya's place is located at #39B President Roxas street corner Congressman Noel Street Villa Aurora VKasambagan, 6000 Cebu City. You can also visit their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/anyasplace.

Maki Feast at Red Kimono

2011-12-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

Japanese food has always been one of my favorite cuisine. Ever since my dad introduced me to sushi, sashimi, maki, and wasabi I regularly crave for these dishes. Although I haven't made a lot of posts about Japanese restaurants here I often crave for Japanese food whenever I am at the mall. When I passed by the ad at Red Kimono last Sunday I noticed a poster that stated 40% off for Metrobank card users. Upon seeing the sign I immediately told my brother that we will treat our parents to some Japanese food.

The catch to the promo is that it will only be valid if our bill will reach at least P3,000. At first I thought that it would be easy to reach that amount since I knew that Japanese restaurants are pricey. The only challenge that time was that there was only four of us that time. My brother ordered the usual dishes and I ordered the Maki sampler and Yakisoba noodles. After the waiter repeated our orders I was confident that our bill would definitely reach P3,000. Below are the dishes that we ordered.

Beef Tepanyaki - P385.00

I may be biased when it comes to Japanese food but to me I think that their food was great. Among all the dishes we ordered I especially liked the Chicken Teriyaki, Tempura and all the Maki.hehehe I liked how they managed to make the Maki Sampler looked presentable. One thing I really like about the maki or sushi dishes is that these dishes are very pleasing to the eyes. The chef who prepare these foods always place some effort on making the dishes presentable. It is one thing to eat tasty food and its a whole another experience to see and taste delicious and presentable dishes.

Chicken Teriyaki - P225.00

As for the Teriyaki and Tepanyaki dishes, all three were cooked perfectly. The beef was tender and was served with bean sprouts. The Prawn tepanyaki was also delicious, too bad they only had five prawns on this dish. The Chicken teriyaki was perfect, I really liked that they just used the right amount of teriyaki sauce in it and the chicken was very juicy.

Prawn Tepanyaki - P325.00

Yakisoba

Tempura - P295.00

The Tempura and Yakisoba were great. Since I love tempura, I am a bit discriminating on the flavor on this dish. So far I only have positive experiences with their tempura. The prawns used on their tempura was just the right size and they didn't used to much flour and bread crumbs to disguise the size of their tempura. I wouldn't say this is the best tempura that I have eaten, but to me it is one of the tasty tempura that I have tried.

California Crunch - P215.00

Service on this place was typical for most Japanese restaurant. For the cooked dishes it only took around 15-20 minutes for them to serve our food. Even though the restaurant was full in both occasions that we dined there last week, they still managed to serve most of our food within a reasonable time. The raw dishes on the other hand took them awhile to serve. On both occasions that we dined there last week the Maki sampler was the last dish to be served. I really didn't mind the delay since I knew that those dishes took time to prepare.

Maki Sampler - P595.00

The ambiance of the place was ok, it was presentable and wasn't noisy. The only issue I encountered there is that their air-conditioning system wasn't functioning properly. Price is typical for Japanese restaurants which is a bit high, it was a good thing though that they had the promo and we ended up with a very minimal bill for the dishes that we ordered. Since we enjoyed dining there last Sunday my dad decided to treat my cousin from Surigao to dinner there the following day. I definitely recommend that you avail the promo from Metrobank since it is only upto December 15. It is definitely worth dining there with or without the promo. Total bill paid was P1809 which is 60% of P3015. Red Kimono is located at the second floor of Ayala Terraces.

Answer the question and get a chance to win a free Dong Juan Bacon and Cheese Burger

2011-12-01T05:29:00.000-08:00

December has finally arrived. In celebration of the yuletide season we will be treating someone at Dong Juan for a sumptuous Bacon and Cheese Burger meal provided that he/she can answer the question and fulfill the small requirements.

Here are the requirements:
1. He/She Must be from Cebu since I am based in Cebu.

2. Must answer the question "Name one branch of Dong Juan?"

3. Place your answer and name on the comment.

4. Last requirements is to like us at facebook.

Once you fulfill all the requirement we will pick a winner using an online random number generator. Deadline for your answers will be the last day of December. If you will be picked as the winner we will publish your name here and at facebook so that you can claim your price.

Spread the word and keep the Christmas spirit alive.
Merry Christmas and Good Luck

A Huge Slab of K. Ribs

2011-11-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

Last week I asked the people from istorya for suggestions on hidden restaurants within the city of Cebu. I found a few interesting places which intrigued me. One particular place caught my attention since I have been passing by this place numerous times. I always wondered why the place is usually full of people every time I passed by.

Last Friday I finally decided to dine there and try their dishes. First thing you will notice about the place is its simplicity. It is a no nonsense diner with a ample choices of dishes. They also serve alcohol and have a beer tower.

Unlimited Iced Tea - P30.00

I browsed through their menu and ordered their fish fillet dish, shrimp, garlic mushroom and their specialty their ribs. After the waiter got out order he told us that their fish fillet and shrimp wasn't available. So I ordered their kinupusan and pork belly instead. The waiter informed me that their kinupusan was actually a small serving size and wasn't the same as the one in the picture. I was surprised that he even mentioned that to me. I told him that it was ok and that I will still order the dish.

Garlic Mushroom - P45.00

After 10-15 min our food was served. The first dish they served was the kinupusan. After what the waiter told me I was expecting their serving size to be small, I was surprised to see that it was just the right portion size. Although there was totally no presentation on the dish I wasn't expecting it to be pleasing to the eyes since it had a low price. The dish was exactly what they advertised which is crispy pork fat. My only remark on this dish is that it was served cold.

Kinupusan - P75.00

A couple of minutes after serving the kinupusan they served the rest of the dishes. I think the belly was ok, there was nothing extra ordinary with it. It was just like any pork belly from other grill restaurants. The garlic mushroom was more or less like a side dish and was also exactly as advertised. What really caught my interest was their ribs. When they placed they dish on the table man was I not disappointed. The ribs was huge and while I was taking pictures at it, the anticipation only made my mouth water.

Pork Belly - P95.00

After I took the photos I finally tasted the ribs. I really liked the sauce of the ribs. It was also thoroughly cooked and did I mention it was huge. For the price you can't go wrong with their ribs. Although I noticed that their ribs wasn't like the ribs from other restaurant wherein the meat is easily separated from the ribs. The meat on their ribs is pretty much attached to the bones. This is actually not a huge problem especially if you chew on the bones of the ribs like I do.hehehe

K Ribs Special - P135.00

If ever you'll decide to dine at K Ribs I suggest you go try their ribs. I can't offer any advice on their other dishes since there wasn't any available when I went there. As for the kinupusan and pork belly I would suggest the kinupusan for pulotan when you decide to drink and dine there. The low price and good service coupled with the huge serving made my first visit there a good one. I recommend you dine at K Ribs if ever your craving for ribs at an affordable price.

Total bill paid for a belly full of ribs is P430.00

K Ribs is located at Banawa at R. Duterte Street.

Carlito's Way Diner

2011-11-21T23:28:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I visited their new restaurant at the Persimmon. I was impressed with their new restaurant since there was a huge improvement from the previous one. The ambiance of the new restaurant is definitely better than the previous one. Their service was very good and I've noticed some changes on their menu. Another thing that I noticed is that they changed their name from Carlito's Way Steakhouse to Carlito's Way Diner.

As far as I could remember their old menu wasn't as wide arrayed as their current one. I am not sure since my last visit on their old restaurant was a couple of years back already. The additional dishes on their menu is another great improvement on their service.

As for their food I ordered the Carlito's Way Steak and man was I surprised. The last time I ordered this dish I noticed that they didn't place any effort on the presentation of this dish. I was surprised to see that their price actually became lower compared to their price a few years back. Even though they lowered their price a bit they introduced a lot of improvements on the dish.

Unlike the previous dish they added a pumpkin soup to my steak and some steamed vegetable sidings, this really improved the presentation of the dish. The serving size for this dish was more than enough for me. I got to hand it to the owner for making this minor tweaking on the dish. I already enjoyed their steaks and it is a good thing that they made it better. Not only is it tasty, it has also become very pleasing to the eye.

Carlito's Way Steak - P190.00

My friends ordered the Teriyaki Beef Belly and the Teriyaki Pork Belly. They really liked the taste of their dishes, their only complain was the pork belly had a lot of fats in it. I personally think that both dishes were okay. I also liked how they managed to create their own version of the Teriyaki dishes.

Teriyaki Beef Belly - P160.00

Teriyaki Pork Belly - P120.00

This is actually an update from my previous post of Carlito's Way Steakhouse. The new Carlito's Way Diner is definitely better than the old one. The new improvements had only made dining there more enjoyable. You can experience great service, good ambiance, tasty food and affordable prices at Carlito's Way Diner. I will definitely be dining their regularly. Thumbs up to the improvements.

Cadi Shack Diner

2011-11-21T05:57:00.000-08:00

Last week I was in the mood for exploring new restaurant within the city. My plan was to drive around mabolo until I pass by any interesting restaurants that I haven't tried. When I arrived at mabolo I was stuck at justr traffic just in front of Sarrosa Hotel. While traffic was moving slowly I noticed a sign at the corner of T. Brezlin Street. The name of their restaurant "Cadi Shack Diner" caught my attention. My first guess was that it was probably a diner for caddies, when I arrived at the place I was surprised to see that their restaurant was centered around this classic Cadillac. This was actually a diner that featured a vintage Cadillac.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the diner was its unique design. More than a third of the area was occupied by the vintage Cadillac. Even though a huge area was used for the Cadillac, the place was still well designed. The layout of their tables and chairs was enough to comfortably accommodate around 30-40 persons. The displayed Cadillac was definitely added to the ambiance of the place, in fact I took more shots of the Cadillac then shots of their food. Prices of their dishes ranged from P100-P200 and their menu offered a broad range of dishes.

Since this was the first time we dined their I asked the waitress what dish she would recommend to us. Her recommendation to us was their pork steak and their new dish the beef nacho. So we ordered their Beef Nacho, Pork Steak and the Fish w/ Tomato & Onions.

Beef Nachos - P140.00

We had beef nachos for our appetizer. I liked that they spent effort on the presentation of this dish but what made it great was the toppings. It was full of beef cheese, letuce, tomatoes and other ingredients. The toppings were more than enough for the nachos they placed in the dish. Serving size was enough for two persons for appetizers and I liked the taste of the nacho with the toppings.

Fish with Tomato and Onions - P210

The fish dish that we ordered was ok, I think they used Tangigue for this dish. Serving size was ample for one person and the tomato and onions added to the presentation of the dish. I'll try to order the other fish dish that the waitress suggested the next time I'll dine their.

Pork Steak - P210

The last dish we ordered was the Pork Steak. The pork slab was huge and was cooked perfectly. The steak was juicy and the gravy enhanced the flavor of the pork. The steak was so big that after finishing it I didn't have any room for desserts anymore.

My first visit at the Cadi Shack Diner was definitely a good one. Asides from the good food, the place was quiet and the ambiance was great. The service was also great since our food was served within a reasonable time. I also like that our food was prepared properly and was not hurriedly done like most busy restaurants. I would definitely recommend Cadi Shack Diner if you are planing to go out on a quiet date or hang out with your friends. This is definitely another hidden diner worth exploring.

Cadi Shack Diner is located at Pres Laurel St. If you are coming from Paseo it is the next corner on the right from Sarrosa Hotel, the corner where GE home is located.

http://maps.google.com.ph/maps

Yayoy's Grill and Resto Bar

2011-11-21T04:07:00.000-08:00

Cebu has a huge array of grill restaurants. Most of these grills are found at the heart of the city. Popular grills such as AAs BBQ and Cheaverz have numerous branches around the city. A couple of day ago I wanted to try a different grill and decided to dine at Yayoy's.

Unlike other resto grill, Yayoy's has a lot to offer asides from good food and great ambiance. They regularly have live bands playing while you dine or have drinks with your friends. They also have an area allocated for people who would like to play darts.

The service was quiet good when I visited there. The waiter entertained us right away and there was ample space for us to get a table immediately. The food was also served fast, around 10-15 minutes. As for their menu, they had a wide array of dishes to choose from. The prices of their dishes were very reasonable and had large serving sizes. Below are the dishes we ordered.

Pinakbet - I usually order vegetables whenever I dine out. This is actually my attempt to live a healthier lifestyle. The serving size is good for two and the taste if similar to most pinakbets found at most filipino restaurants.

Pork Belly - This dish is what I usually order when I dine at any resto grill. The pork was cooked well and the pork was still juicy when they served it. Serving size was enough for two persons.

Baked Scallops - Their scallops was tasty but there wasn't anything extraordinary with it. It was similar to other restaurants offering this dish.

Sinigang Tangigue - I think this dish is very subjective. I know not everyone likes the taste of sour soup like sinigang. I on the other hand enjoy the taste of sinigang. This dish has a strong sour taste in it and that is totally okay with me since that is why I like this dish. Serving size is good for 2-3persons.

Although I haven't tried their specialty I was very satisfied with my dining experience their. Our food was served fast and the waiters were very alert in taking and serving our orders. The price is also affordable and serving sizes are adequate. I would definitely be dining here again since this is a great alternative resto grill within the city.

Yayoy's is located at Orchid Street Capitol Site.

Bob Marlin a Reggae Dining Experience

2011-10-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what it would be like to dine at a reggae restaurant? Well you no longer have to imagine it. Bob Marlin, a reggae inspired restaurant opened a new branch at the park mall. The whole theme of the place revolves around reggae and the famous singer Bob Marley, from the sounds to the and ambiance of the place.

While skimming through their menu I noticed that there were a lot of Filipino dishes in it. At first I was not sure if we had a lot of similar dishes with Jamaican cuisine but once I saw those uniquely Filipino dishes I knew that their menu wasn't Jamaican. Initially I was expecting an all Jamaican menu but it seemed that the only thing Jamaican or Rasta about this restaurant was the ambiance and appearance of the restaurant.

Since this was the first time I dined at Bob Marlin I wanted to try their specialty dish, and based on the name of their restaurant my guess is that they specialize in marlin dishes. We also ordered the beach bilao which consisted of java rice,lumpia, pork and laing.

When we visited the place it was already almost eight in the evening. We were already famished and at that point I really didn't want to wait too long for our food to be served. It was a good thing that their kitchen was quick in preparing our food. Our order was served within 10-15minutes.

The first dish they served was the Beach Bilao. The huge serving size of this dish surprised me. It was enough to feed 3-4 persons. It had around 10 lumpia, a chopped fried pork and a generous serving of laing. The rice in the center of the plate to my estimate was around 4-5 cups.

Beach Bilao - P309.00

The first thing I consumed was the lumpia an I noticed that their lumpia had a distinct pinoy flavor. It wasn't anything close to the chinese lumpia or shanghai roll found in many Chinese restaurants. Although its basic ingredient is still pork it lacked the other ingredients found on other lumpia.

The pork on the other hand was basicly deep fried and then chopped. The laing was also more or less the same as the other laings on other filipino restaurants.

Although the flavor of the dish wasn't special, I liked how they presented the dish. They placed the rice on the center and surrounded it with the lumpia, pork and laing. Even though there was nothing extra ordinray with their manner of presentation I still find it appetizing to look at.

Marlin Slab - P119.00

The next dish they served was the marlin slab. The marlin slab was served on a sizzling plate smothered with their gravy like sauce and topped with chopped fried garlic. The first thing I notice with this is that they didn't even consider placing anything to enhance the presentation of the dish. There was no garnish or sidings to make the dish more appealing to the eyes.

Although I was a bit surprised on how plain the dish was, it really didn't bother me that much. The most important thing in a dish is its flavor. After taking a bite of the marlin slab I realized that their marlin slab didn't have a unique flavor. It was just like any marlin steak found at other restaurants. Although the thick sauce and deep fried garlic was a plus I would still pick the first dish over this.

I have to say that my first visit to Bob Marlin was a good experience. I enjoyed the Beach Bilao more than the marlin slab. At the end of the day I went out having a full stomach and had a satisfying dinner. The staff was also great and our requests were immediately accommodated. Since I had a good experience at bob marlin, I will visit that place again and explore the other dishes on their menu. Bob Marlin is located at the ground floor of Park Mall.

Mandarin Tea House

2011-10-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

Sundays has always been a family day for me. After church, we usually dine out at the usual restaurants in the mall. Last Sunday my dad wanted to try a different restaurant that we never tried. We strolled around the mall and passed by Mandarin Tea House. Although the restaurant has been operating for a while now we never tried dining there.

Curry Fish - P130.00

Upon entering the establishment the staff were very accommodating. They brought us to our table and showed us their menu. As I was browsing their menu I noticed that most of their dishes are common on Chinese restaurants. I tried looking for dishes that I haven't tried yet and found the curry fish. My parents and brother ordered the usual Chinese dishes.

The first thing I noticed after they served the food was most of their dishes were served with little presentation but in adequate serving sizes. Most of the dishes they served were good for 2-3 persons. Below are the dishes we ordered.

Century Egg - P26.00

The century egg has always been a regular appetizer of my dad. He usually orders this together with the cold cuts. Unlike the cold cuts from Majestic, the century egg at Mandarin Tea house doesn't offer much in its presentation. What it lacks in presentation though, it makes up for its price. It is a very affordable appetizer and for me it really doesn't matter on how they present it since the taste will always be the same.

Crispy Spring Roll - P52.00

One of the common dish we regularly order at any Chinese restaurant is the Spring roll or Lumpia. I wasn't expecting much on this dish to tell you honestly, but once I tasted their spring roll I was surprised with its taste. I really liked the balance of the meat and other ingredients on their spring roll. I wasn't able to really look at all the ingredients since I was too busy munching on most of it.hehehe I will definitely order this on my next visit.

Quail Egg Siomai - P54.00

Steamed Shrimp Dumpling - P65.00

The Quail Egg Siomai and Steamed Shrimp Dumpling was a different story. I really don't know what went wrong or maybe I was just used to the juicy steamed siomai that are found on most Chinese restaurants here in cebu. I was surprised on how dry their siomai and dumplings were. Maybe they forgot to steam them or something, I'll never know until I'll order this again. I really didn't enjoy these dishes since I had high expectations on these dishes.

Lomi - P120.00

Yang Chow Fried Rice - P150.00

Lemon Chicken - P165.00

We had mixed opinion on the Lemon Chicken. My mom was ok with it, My dad didn't like it and I on the other hand kinda liked it. One thing that made their lemon chicken stand out among other lemon chickens out there was the strong lemony flavor. It had a slight sweet taste and a strong lemon flavor in it which would sometimes over power the taste of the chicken. Even though it wasn't my favorite dish among everything we ordered, I still managed to chow down on a number of pieces.

Beef with Broccoli - P185.00

The beef with broccoli was the only dish where we all agreed that it was okay. There was nothing special to it, we ordered this dish since it was something we were all familiar with and we all liked to eat.

As for the dish that I ordered, the curry fish. It was served last and I was almost done eating when they served it. I really don't know if curry is a common on Chinese dish but I ordered it since I wanted to try it out. The only problem was that I was too full to really appreciate the dish. Maybe I'll order it the next time I visit the place.

Overall the dishes we ordered were different from the other Chinese restaurants here in Cebu. Another thing I noticed is the lack or unnoticeable amount of MSG on their dishes, which to me is a good thing. The prices are very reasonable and the serving sizes are adequate. Ambiance is a like any typical commercial restaurant and the service is great. If you want to try a different taste of Chinese cuisine this would be another alternative. I will definitely go back there and since their dishes aren't that expensive their is no harm in trying their other dishes. Mandarin Tea House is located at the second floor of SM City Cebu.

Kaona Grill

2011-10-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started this blog I have been a regular customer at Kaona Grill. I've always dined there every time I have an urge for grilled food and nice ambiance. Since my first visit at Kaona grill, the place has had some improvements and renovations. I especially like what they did on their open garden. Even though it is located right at the center of one of the busiest streets in Cebu you still get to experience some quite and relaxing ambiance inside except when they have a band playing.

What keeps me from returning there often is there food and great ambiance. I am really picky on dishes and I don't mind paying more as long as it is worth the price. I also don't expect much from dishes that are affordable especially on the presentation department. Anyway what really matters is the taste of the dishes and the uniqueness of the flavor of the dish.

Adobong Kangkong - P58.00

Sisig with egg - P130.00

Whenever I decide to dine their my usual order would be the adobong kangkong, sisig and pork belly. These three dishes are found at most filipino restaurants and there is nothing extra ordinary with these three dishes. I usually order these since these are the dishes which are familiar to me.

Tuna Belly Kinilaw - P110.00

The other dishes that I commonly order are the sizzling gambas and the tuna belly kinilaw. I love kinilaw so this is also a staple on my order list. The only problem with the kinilaw is, the last time I dined there the tuna belly was still frozen. The inside of part of the diced fish had some ice in it. This ruined the dish a bit.

Crispy Kare-Kare - P275.00

On my last visit, one thing I noticed in their new menu was the Crispy kare kare. Although I am not a big fan of kare-kare I was curious what the dish tasted like. The dish was basically lechon kawali topped with kare-kare sauce. I am not sure if this is suitable to every ones taste but I think the dish was ok.

Pineapple Slush - P40.00

As for their service, the food is usually served within 15-20 mins depending on the number of customers. Ambiance of the place is great. The price is a bit higher compared to the other neighboring grills on the area but they also have a wider array of dishes on their menu. Kaona grill is located at corner of AS Fortuna Street and Hernan Cortes St.

Fudge

2011-09-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Last week me and my colleagues at work decided to tryout this restaurant near our office. Although I have already dined there once , I only tried there dessert and coffee on my fist visit. This time I intended to order their meals or snacks.

After reviewing their menu, we decided to go order their sandwiches. I ordered The Army Navy club sandwich. My colleagues ordered the Bacon and Mushroom Cheese, Humba Saucers and Cheese Cake delight. After our orders were served I was so busy taking photos of their sandwiches that I forgot to picture my sandwich. It's a good thing they have their own facebook page

The Army Navy P190.00

The army navy sandwich is a club sandwich with a twist. It has all of the ingredients found in a club sandwich but it is topped with melted cheese. Since I love cheese I found it to be very delicious but I had a hard time eating it without making a mess since the cheese is everywhere.

Bacon and Mushroom Cheese

Humba Saucers

Cheese Cake Delight

Service was ok and serving time was decent. There were only a few customers that time, I am not sure if it is the same if the place is full. Prices range from P100 - P350 on their sandwiches and main course dishes. For me the prices for some of their dishes are a bit pricey, but since this is not a fast food chain I think that the prices are acceptable. Ambiance of the place is similar to most cafes where you can find a sofa set and some dining tables.

I believe that the specialty of this restaurant is their cakes and pastries. I've only tasted two of their cakes and so far I haven't been disappointed. One thing I noticed on most of their dishes is that they take their time on making their dishes presentable and pleasing to the customer. Fudge definitely has their own taste and specialty.

Fudge is located at AS Fortuna St. across Jovens Grill and beside BPI.

Abaseria filipino native restaurant and shop.

2011-07-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

Most people dine out to eat delicious food and taste dishes which are unfamiliar to them. Some people go to restaurants because of the ambiance of the place. A lot of restaurants have their own way of creating ambiance which would fit the kind of cuisine they serve.There are a few restaurants who manage to create an ambiance which stands out among others

Abaseria creates an ambiance unlike what we commonly see on other restaurants. It manages to incorporate a store for native small item accessories and processed food into their restaurant without ruining the ambiance of the interior. The motif for the restaurant is native Filipino and most of the furnishings used and accessories are clearly native. The ambient lighting used are warm colors coming from the pendant lights and lamps and creates a warm welcoming feeling to the restaurant.

Service was very good and we were immediately entertained by the waitress as soon as we entered the restaurant. Even though the place was almost full they still managed to get our order and serve it quickly. Most of the dishes found on their menu are named differently but are most likely found on other filipino restaurants such as Chikaan or Golden Cowrie. Prices are a bit more expensive compared to the mentioned restaurant and serving sizes are a bit smaller

We ordered the Chili Adobong Talong, Garlic Prawns and Crispy Roasted Pork.

Crispy Roasted Pork (P320.00 Half order) was exactly what its name described. It was basically a pork roasted until it became crispy. Although not all parts of the dishes were crispy there were some parts which were pretty much crispy. The taste was a bit bland for me, maybe I am just used to the usual Filipino dishes where the flavors are very strong. This is different from the lechon kawali wherein they deep fry the pork. Presentation was simple and straight forward wherein they chopped the pork and served it with a small plate of vinegar sauce on the side.

Chili Adobong Talong (P175.00) is just egg plant with their sauce. I was expecting this to be a bit hotter, although I really couldn't taste any chili on this dish I enjoyed this dish since I like eggplant.

Garlic Prawns (P295.00) to me was the best dish we ordered that night. The dish consisted with deep fried prawns covered with flour and covered with melted butter and fried garlic sauce. The prawns used in this dish are not the same used on the prawns of Japanese tempura. It is a bit smaller but was cooked perfectly. I especially liked the butter and garlic sauce which complemented the deep fried prawns.

Abaseria has a wide variety of dishes on their menu. Some are reasonably priced and some are a bit expensive. They also serve snacks which I browsed on their menu and are very affordable. I am not sure if the serving sizes of their snacks are adequate. I will try and visit the place again and try their other dishes.

Abaseria is located on President Quirino Street which is the street along Sarrossa Hotel. Once you enter President Quirino Street just go straight ahead until you reach a wall ahead. The restaurant is located on the corner of the dead end.

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Tandoori a feast of Persian Kebab

2011-07-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had a chance to try out some restaurants on my own. Most of the time when I dine out with someone I usually only have a limited choice of restaurants to choose from since they aren't too fond of cuisines that they aren't familiar with.

So I decided to try out Persian cuisine at Tandoori Park Mall. Even though I have already tried Persian dishes at Persian Palate I haven't tried dining there at Tandoori. I have often passed by that placed and wondered what other Persian dishes they had in their menu, so I browsed through their menu and saw that the prices were within my budget.hehehe

They had a wide array of dishes and after skimming through the menu I was a bit confused on what to order. There were a lot of unfamiliar dishes in the menu so I decided to order their specialty which is there Kebab dishes. I ordered their Chello Kebab Special.

Chello Kebab Special - P185.00

The Chello Kebab dish consists of two big beef kebabs topped with a slice of butter and two whole barbecued tomatoes. The only difference with the Regular Chello Kebab and the special is the rice. The special is served with tomato rice. I didn't notice a huge different between the regular rice and special rice. Maybe it is because I focused my taste buds on the flavors of the kebab and the barbecued tomatoes.

Compared to the kebabs on Persian Palate the Tandoori kebabs are bigger in serving size and much tastier. The whole plate was almost filled with rice and they also provided me with two sauces which I had no idea on how to apply it on my food.hehehe I wasn't sure which sauce was for which so I decided to try both sauces on the kebab and the tomatoes and was pleased with the taste.

The service was good and fast. Unlike my previous experience on Persian Palate which took around an hour to serve our food, it didn't take them a long time to serve my dinner. It only took them around 5-10 mins to serve my order. My only issue with the restaurant was their indoor restaurant which was scorching hot, maybe there aircon malfunctioned during my visit.

Although their kebab meal are a bit more expensive compared to other alternative restaurants at park mall, I think it is worth spending extra for their dishes. Their dishes have a distinct kind of taste which you can only find on Persian cuisine. I would recommend this restaurant to people who are fond of food which doesn't have a strong sweet or salty taste which are found on filipino and chinese cuisine or for people who want to explore different types of cuisines.

The Ranch, a huge sumptuous meal

2011-07-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ever since I passed by that large woody cutout in front of the ranch, I have always wondered what their food tasted like. I became curious on their exotic food since they also offered ostrich in their menu. Every time I pass by their parking lot it is usually full.

Last week I finally had the chance to dine there. Even though the place is a walk away from the office I never tried dining there. After we entered the place I noticed that the place looks different during the evening. The place had better ambiance during the evening.

We decided to dine outside since the weather was cool. After the waiter presented us with their menu I asked her if their serving sizes were big, her reply was that each order is just adequate for one person. After hearing her advice we decided to order a meal each and an appetizer.

For our appetizer we ordered their fish finger. It is basically deep fried fish fillet coated with bread crumbs. I am not familiar with the fish they used for this dish but the fish was cooked pretty well and the coating was crispy. I was surprised to see the serving size for their fish fingers since it occupied most of the plate. After consuming most of the fish fingers I already felt my stomach starting to get full.

Fish Fingers - P 180.00

For our main course we ordered the large pork steak and lemon chicken. I was shocked when the waiter placed the large pork steak on the table. I didn't expect that their large pork steak was actually huge. It was bigger than my hand. and was quiet thick. Don't be fooled by the photo since the plate they used was also big hence the appearance of a smaller pork steak in the picture. As for the taste, I really liked the taste of their steak and the steak was cooked thoroughly since I didn't noticed any raw part in the middle of the thick slab of steak. I also enjoyed the mashed potato and side dish.

Large Pork Steak - P 290.00

Serving size for their lemon chicken was also huge. I don't know how they manage to get a huge piece of chicken fillet but it was also as huge as the large pork steak that I ordered. The chicken was thoroughly cooked and crispy coating was also crunchy. One thing that I wasn't really that fond of is the amount of sauce they placed on top of the chicken. It was just too much for my taste buds and I think I would prefer to separate the sauce from the chicken next time. Overall I still think that the chicken tasted good.

Lemon Chicken - P 260.00

I think that The Ranch is a great place to dine when you want to eat tasty food with large serving sizes. If you take into consideration their serving size I think that their prices are very reasonable. Asides from the dishes we ordered they also have some high grade steak and large selection of other dishes on their menu. I think the only way for me to finish one order of their dishes is if when I am really hungry. We ended up taking out a third of what we ordered since we weren't able to finish everything. If you don't have a big appetite it would be probably best to share your order with someone. I will definitely be dining back their soon.

The ranch is located at Gov. Cuenco Ave. Banilad, Cebu City. If you are coming from the city it is located on the right side of the road beside holy family village just in front of the Skywalk and across Barangay Banilad Sports Complex.

The Old Cul-de-sac

2011-06-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been searching for secluded restaurants to add here in my blog. I have already compiled a handful of restaurants to dine and this has been in my list for quite some time. Although I only knew of the place I just recently learned of the name of the place from my friend who asked of the location of this restaurant. It is located inside Sto Nino Village at Maya street, the first right corner once you enter the village.

When I first stopped by this restaurant I was a bit hesitant since most of the cars parked outside were luxury cars. After seeing those expensive cars I immediately made a conclusion that the place must be expensive and decided to eat at a different place.

After a couple of weeks me and my office mates decided to dine at a new restaurant and it just so happened that cafe Cul-de-sac is just a stone throw away from our office. Before I suggested we take our lunch there I did a little research about the place and the prices of their dishes. I was surprised that a lot of the reviews and comments about the place were positive and affordable. So we agreed to go there.

Once we arrived at the Cul-de-sac I noticed that the ambiance was different from when I first visited it during the evening. Maybe it had to do with the parked cars or the lighting but the place seemed to look expensive during the evening. I was surprised that the place was empty when we entered the place. The waiter was very accommodating and provided as with the menu.

There a few choices on their menu, they had salads, soup, seafood, meat, vegetable, pasta, filipino dishes and dessert. Their meat dishes are already served with soup and ice cream for dessert. We ordered Pumpkin soup and Mushroom soup for our appetizers and the Chicken curry and The Pork chop in Mushroom for our main course.

Pumpkin Soup

Mushroom Soup

Pork chop in Mushroom

Chicken Curry

Ice Cream

Serving sizes for the soup was a bit small, the bowl was only half filled. They did make up for the small serving size on the soup with a large serving of their main course. I ordered the chicken curry and I think their was nothing special about it. The pork chop in mushroom on the other hand looked very appetizing. I think I'll order that dish on my next visit. The dishes were presentable but their wasn't anything special done with it to make it more pleasing to look at.

One thing I really admire about the place is its ambiance. I think the place will look better in the evening and it is a perfect place to have a nice quite dinner. The service is also great and the prices are very reasonable. I definitely recommend you try this restaurant.

10 Dove Street

2011-05-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

10 Dove Street is located inside Sto. Nino Village. The name of the store is its address inside the subdivision. My first impression of the place was that it was an expensive exclusive restaurant. Although the place is quite small, it has a unique ambiance to it.

Soup

Crab and Corn Bisque

French Onion Soup

One perk to the place is definitely its ambiance. Another thing that makes it a great place to visit is the affordable price. Instead of paying for each dish you order you only have to pay P199 pesos for a full course meal.

Harvest Apple

This includes a single serving of soup, salad, main course and a slice of cake of your choice. They have a broad choice of soup, salad and main course. I've been there a couple of times and every time I have always gone home with a full belly.

House Specialties

Sausage and Slaw

Chicken Parmesan

In my first visit there, I really thought that the full course meal they served wasn't enough. I thought that their serving size were small, it was when they started serving the soup and salad that I began to realize that I underestimated their serving size.

Cake of the day

In the times that I dined their I always see to it that I try a different set of meal. Each time I tried a different course I always ended up full and satisfied. All of the dishes I've ordered are tasty. Although some of the dishes lack presentation, but for the price you pay they certainly give you more than your moneys worth.

If your looking for an affordable place with great ambiance I would definitely recommend 10 Dove Street. If you decide to visit this place, just tell the guard in front that you are going to dine at dove street. They will just ask for an id or license. Hope you'll enjoy dining there. I have been dining there a lot and I am definitely going back there. The only downside I can tell you about this place is that they are not open during Sundays.

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Remo's Cafe

2011-04-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Remo's Cafe is located at Pres Quirino Street across Sarrossa Hotel. Although at first glance you'll realize that there isn't anything extra ordinary about the place. The glass facade is full of printed text of their dishes and the interior isn't designed for great ambiance. From the outside the place looks a little bare since they have quite a huge area.

The service there was quite good. Even though the place wasn't full when I decided to dine there, I was entertained by the waiters upon entering the restaurant. The food was served quickly and the waiters were very accommodating.

Remo's Fried Rice - P 95

Most of the dishes they offered are very familiar and can be found on most filipino restaurants here in Cebu. They are reasonably priced but some of their dishes they served lacked presentation but they make up for it on the portion sizes of their dishes. The flavors of the dishes aren't extraordinary but I have to admit I enjoyed their Bulalo Steak.

Bulalo Steak - P 160.00

Chicken Finger with Honey Mustard - P 105.00

The Chicken Fingers tasted alright and their Fish Fillet was similar to those found on Chinese restaurants such as Big Mao or Flavors of China.

Fish Fillet with Garlic Overload - P 155.00

Overall I would have to say that the food was good. The price was affordable and serving sizes were more than enough. The service was excellent but the ambiance of the place wasn't great. Dining here would be an option if your fed up with the restaurants found at the mall or if you prefer places that aren't very crowded. If your only interested on their food then it is definitely worth the price.

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Leonardo's

2011-02-12T06:07:00.000-08:00

Cebu has a lot of hidden places to explore. From hidden beaches and resort to restaurants tucked away deep on those numerous small streets away from the main road. A couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to explore one of these hidden restaurants. Even though I have passed by that area a lot of times I never noticed that there was a restaurant on that area.

I was hanging out with a friend when we couldn't decide where we would have our dinner. She suggested that we go to Leonardo's since their lasagna tasted good. After hearing the things she mentioned I was excited to try another new restaurant.

Once we arrived at the place I was astonished to find out that it was located at the back of my friends house. My first impression of the place was good. The ambiance was ideal for a date. Even though my visit there was a bit noisy my second visit was very much serene.

One factor to consider whenver you dine out is the price range of the dishes served at a particular restaurant. I wouldn't mind paying a high price so long as the food is worth every penny. So far I have only visited the place twice and here are the dishes I have tried as of now.

Chef Salad - P90.00 A combination of sliced cold meats and cheese, served in a bed of greens in Thousand Island dressing.

The salad was just lettuce, sliced cucumber, tomatoes, boiled egg and ham. There weren't any seasoning or special sauces to enhance the flavor of the salad. I wasn't expecting to be served with a salad which I could easily prepare at home. Its a good thing that this dish wasn't that expensive and it is served in sufficient sized portions.

Pizza - The best description I could provide for their pizza is that it is at the same bracket as JCA's pizza or MB's Pizza. Since there are a lot of pizzas available here in Cebu I think there isn't anything special about their pizza. If I were in the mood for pizza I would pick Davinci's or Alberto's over their pizza.

Lasagna - P185.00 Alternate layers of pasta and bolognaise in creamiest tomato sauce.
I have no complains about the taste of their Lasagna. I guess it would have been better had they priced it a little lower or increased the serving size. There are a lot of other restaurants which serve lasagna at a lower price, but if ever I would go back there I wouldn't hesitate ordering this.

Chicken N' a Basket - P175.00 Large chicken cut into 6 pieces, seasoned hand breaded, and deep fried, served in a basket.

When it comes to fried chicken I am a bit picky. I really don't care if the fried chicken comes from a fast food chain or a fancy restaurant. What really matters to me is that the fried chicken is properly cooked and that the coating is tasty and crispy. The chicken they served us wasn't properly cooked. I also didn't like the taste of their coating. I wouldn't order this dish the next time around.

Sizzling Pork Steak w/ Garlic Herbed Butter - P180.00 Pan fried slices of pork fillet marinated in lemon and soy sauce served with garlic herbed butter
I was expecting a large thick slice of pork chop to be served but was disappointed with what I saw. I could have gotten the same serving size with rice and drinks at half the price. Another disappointing thing is the lack of presentation on this dish. The pork chop didn't look appetizing to me.

It took approximately around 15-20 minutes to serve the food. Service was also very good. The waiters were quick to take our orders, even during the time when the place was full. Now for the not so good comments about the place.

I personally have mixed opinion about their food. Most of their dishes particularly lacked some presentation. This would have been understandable had they priced their dishes a bit lower. Serving sizes were small and pricey. For the same price range you could get better prepared dishes.

Even though I had some issues with there dishes there were some good things I mentioned about the place. I would still go there once in a blue moon but it would only be for drinks. The ambiance and service was ok but after my experience with their dishes, I would rather dine at other restaurants serving the same dishes.

Joed Lutong Hapon

2011-02-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago my friends went out on a food trip. A friend of mine told me that there was an affordable Japanese restaurant at Mabolo. After hearing his discovery, I have been itching to go there.

When another friend told me that he knows the location of that restaurant and that he is planning to go there, I told him that I wanted to go with him on his food trip. When we arrived there, I never realized that Joed's Lutong Hapon was right under my nose and I have been passing by it a lot of times but I just didn't notice it.

There was nothing extra ordinary about the place. It was just like any other local dinners with mono block tables and chairs. The ambiance wasn't extra ordinary. What made it stand out among all other dinners was the fact that the food in their menu were Japanese dishes.

If you have been reading my past posts, you'll notice that I love eating Japanese dishes. So after browsing the menu we decided to order our food. Most of the food we ordered were not the typical food we would order at a Japanese restaurant but we decided to try them out. I guess this was one advantage of eating at an affordable japanese restaurant.

My friends and I decided that we should share our food so that we could taste more dishes instead of just one. I enjoyed most of their food and I have no complains about it. Although I would admit that their dishes are not in the same league compared to those popular Japanese restaurants.

Chicken Teriyaki - Breaded fried chicken with a thin coat of teriyaki sauce

Currydon - P65

Ebi Tempura - P120 Breaded Fried shrimps. Unlike most japanese restaurants, Joed's Ebi tempura uses smaller shrimps for their tempuras compared to the prawns used on most on most tempuras found on commercial Japanese restaurants.

Karagedon (Chicken) - P65 Breaded fried chicken with egg rice topping

Katsudon (Pork) - P65 Breaded porkchop with egg rice topping

Sukiyaki Don (Beef) - P95

Tuna Sashimi - Thinly sliced tuna sashimi served with cocumber

Tyahan - P55 Japanese Fried Rice.

I would say that eating at Joed's has some advantages and disadvantages. The advantages would have to be the price of their dishes. Although the taste and presentation aren't up to par with the commercial restaurants. The price difference is also quite huge. The disadvantages is that most of the time the place is full and it takes time to serve your dishes since they can't keep up with the number of customers they have. As I mentioned earlier you shouldn't expect dishes to be the same as the ones served on commercial restaurants. For the price I think it is worth trying out some of Joed's dishes.

Joeds is located onIt is just across the elevated basketball court corner of Regla St. and Juan Luna Avenue.

UPDATE:
I visited the place again I am glad to say that their service has improved. The serving time has drastically improved and dishes are served much faster. Thumbs up to the owner for the improvements of their service.

Cyma Greek Food Experience

2011-01-30T06:30:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered what Greek cuisine tastes like? Every time I passed by Cyma at Ayala Terraces I was always curious what Greek dishes tasted like. Even though I was very curious about their dishes I never tried dining there since I prefer eating at restaurants with familiar dishes.

A couple of days ago I finally had the courage to venture out into unfamiliar cuisine. I also convinced myself not to think too much about the prices of their dishes.hehehe
After entering into the restaurant I was starting to regret my decision to dine their. I kept on thinking about the other familiar dishes I could have eaten at the other restaurants but alas we were already entertained by the waiter and it would be rude to get out after the waiter gave us the menu.hehehe

So instead of thinking about buying a nice juicy steak at Casa Verde I distracted myself with the menu. After browsing the menu I was a bit confused on which dish to pick. Most of the name of their dishes were in greek and I had no idea which ones were good. So I asked the waiter for advice about the dishes that caught my attention.

We decided to order theses dishes

Eggplant Moussaka - P250.00
What made me curious about this dish was that the photo on the menu had a close resemblance with lasagna. I asked the waiter about this dish and his response to me was it was similar to lasagna but had a different taste to it. He was totally right. It was definitely similar to lasagna but it was topped with a very thick cheese layer. At first it tasted fine but as I was finishing my meal I noticed that I the cheese layer overpowered the taste of the other ingredients. The cheese also had a different texture to it. I would only recommend this dish to people who love cheese. Serving size is adequate for one person and I would categorize this as heavy meal.

Marlin - P250.00
Among the three dishes we ordered I liked this the most. It is probably because I was familiar with this dish. It was basically marlin with some citrus sauce and some herbs sprinkled on it. The fish was also perfectly cooked. I guess the only difference I noticed about this dish compared to other restaurants version of this is that the citrus flavor is more powerful in this dish.

Yiouvetsi - P450.00
This dish, according to their menu, is comprised of pasta and lamb. To my surprise it looked more like a rice topped with lamb to me. When I ordered this dish I was expecting a spaghetti liked dish with some lamb on it. Another surprise was the huge serving size. I didn't expect a large mound of rice like pasta on a large plate. The taste was definitely new to me. It wasn't anything close to any pasta that I have tasted. It was something new too me and honestly don't like the taste. Although I liked the lamb I couldn't describe how the pasta tasted like. The only description I have for the pasta is that it lacked some flavor.

After looking at the dishes we ordered I suddenly realized that we ordered more than we could consume. This would be one mistake I wouldn't repeat the next time around. As for the service and ambiance of the restaurant, I have would have to say that their service and ambiance was great. The waiters were very accommodating and the dishes were served within reasonable time.

The prices for the dishes were on average P200.00 above. Although there prices are well above the prices on most restaurant at the terraces, it is totally understandable since there aren't alot of greek restaurants here in Cebu and some of the dishes they serve are quiet heavy and are in large serving sizes.

Even though I have mixed opinions about there dishes, I think it could have been avoided had we asked some opinions from people who regularly dined at that restaurant. I guess I will just have to charge this too experience. Maybe next time I would ask the waiters opinion whenever I need to quench my curiosity on new and unfamiliar dishes.

Don Merto's Restaurant

2010-09-13T08:38:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday was another chance for me to explore some of Cebu's restaurants. I usually spend lunch together with my family and most of the time we explore different restaurants so long as its within the city and fits their taste.

After trying to convince my family to eat at Ching Palace at Lahug, my efforts useless since the place was already full when we got there. After we passed by Ching Palace my dad suggested we eat at Don Merto's since he was in the mood for some steak.

Although there are three branches of Don Merto's here in Cebu we opted to eat at their SM Northwing branch. When we arrived at the restaurant I was shocked to see that there was no one there. We were the only customers in there and all the adjacent restaurant were already full. This usually is a bad sign for me, especially if its during the weekend and all the other restaurants are full.

The waiter gave us the menu and I skimmed through their whole menu. I noticed that they offer a wide array of steaks in their menu. They also have some affordable dishes which we ordered. While ordering we noticed that my brother could avail their free appetizer using his card which is the dish below.

I really don't know the name of this dish since this was the free appetizer we got but basically this is an eggplant salad

Ceasar's Salad

Pork Back Ribs - P175

Boneless Short Rib - P255

Uno Fried Chicken - P155

I will be updating this in couple of days since its really late already. Anyway as for now my initial judgement for their food is great and well prepared and the service is ok since the place was't full.

Dong Juan

2010-07-12T09:31:00.002-07:00

Located on Emilio Osmena Street. Dong Juan is located at the heart of Cebu City but is situated outside the main road. People who are familiar with Mooon Cafe will easily find this since it is just a few meter ahead of the place.

Even though Dong Juan occupies a small area, the place isn't crammed and has ample space. The restaurant is fully air conditioned and they also have additional space outside.

Salad - P89.00

The salad had a mix of Lettuce, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Cheese and Crackers, it is accompanied with a Caesars dreassing.

Calamaris - P129.00
Squid covered with flour and bread crumbs deep fried to a crisp which is well complemented with their sweet and sour sauce. The coating is mixed with some other ingredients which enhance the taste of the squid.

Pizza - P229.00

Thin crust pizza topped a layer of tomato sauce, ground beef, sliced green bell pepper, olives, ham and sprinkled with black pepper. Unlike most pizzas found here in Cebu the dough uses less oil to bake it hence it is less greasier compared to other pizzas.

The service was good when I was there since their were only two customers then. The food was served in a couple of minutes and was cooked perfectly. I'll try visiting the place again during peak hours and see if their service will still be the same.

If your ever in Cebu and want to go out and eat somewhere outside the malls without spending a lot I would definitely recommend you visit and try Dong Juan.

Canvass Bistro Bar and Gallery

2009-10-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

Located at the second floor of the terraces Ayala. This restaurant offers Cebuanos a different taste of flavors straight from Australia. The restaurant recently opened its door to the public and offers sumptuous dishes both to the taste buds and your eyes.

Upon entering the place the first thing you will notice is the modern interior, open kitchen and lots of paintings. The open kitchen gives the customer a complete view of what is happening at the kitchen. This type of setup is advantageous to the customer, since it assures them that their food is properly prepared and that cleanliness is important to the establishment.

The service of their staff is good since we were immediately attended upon entering the place. The only problem was their serving time. It took them more than an hour to serve all of our food. My brother and dad were the last ones to be served and they were already irritated, waiting for their food to be served. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they just recently opened, but they should solve this problem if they want people to return to their restaurant.

It was a good thing that their food tasted great. After my dad and brother tasted their food they began to cool down. The presentation of their dishes is quite good. They value presentation as much as taste in their dishes. This is also why it took them a long time to serve all the orders from their customers.

The dishes have distinct taste compared to other style of cooking. One thing I noticed is that they use oregano on almost all their dishes and that the flavors are not as strong compared to Filipino and Chinese cuisine. The pork and chicken meat is also tender and the flavors of their food perfectly blend with each other.

The prices are higher compared to most restaurants in the terraces but their servings are also bigger. You will also notice that the dishes you eat there are prepared by chefs and not any ordinary cook. The chefs have different uniforms since they come from different culinary schools.

Even though it took them a long time to serve our food, I enjoyed their dishes. I just hope that this wouldn’t happen the next time around. The only consolation for waiting over an hour for our food is the complementary dessert.

Pesto and macadamia nut encrusted parrot fish with potato wedges and green salad – 365

Pork fillet medallions and grilled prawns with grain mustard sauce and pesto spinach fettuccine – 275

Chicken breast wrapped pancetta on thyme garlic juice with corn sprouts and vegetable cous cous

Barbeque rum and honey baby back ribs with charred corn wedges and green salad 320

Blueberry date and chocolate chip crumble pie with vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce

Lamesa Grill

2009-09-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

Lamesa Grill is Located at the Northwing In SM City Cebu. They offer a wide variety of filipino foods to cater the cravings of your taste buds. Although I have visited the place a couple of times, I only had the time to write this post now.

Some of the food in their menu are found in most restaurants here in Cebu but there are some dishes which are totally new to me. The flavors of their dishes have also some difference compared to the some of the filipino restaurants found here in Cebu.

Scallops - we ordered this for our appetizers. This is one of the few dishes found in almost any filipino restaurant here in Cebu.

Pinabarog nga Manok - I've tried ordering different kinds of fried chicken in a lot of restaurant here in Cebu and so far this is one of the dishes that has caought my attention. The presentation of this dish is totally different and something that I haven't seen before. The presentation of this dish definitely made it more appetizing. The dish also lived up to my expectations and was delicious and juicy.

Pancit Canton - another dish common to all filipino restaurants. This is a staple dish whenever we eat at a filipino restaurant cause this is one of my brothers favourite dishes.

Minced bangus with dried mango - I wasn't able to taste this dish, my mother ordered this dish and I am really not a fan of dried mangoes.

Kangkong

Sisig Lumpia - a different way of combining two dishes into one. We ordered this dish out of curiousity and ended up loving it.

If you are in the mood for a different experience of filipino food, you should definitely consider trying Lamesa Grill. The food taste great and the service of their friendly staff are excellent.

Vanille Cafe & Patisserie

2009-09-10T03:49:00.000-07:00

Located at the Second Level of the Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu, this pastry and coffee shop offers a wide variety of drinks and pastries which are delicious and appealing to the eyes. The pastry shop has a unique chic design which will only enhance your curiosity to the shop.

Their violet furniture are perfectly matched to the interior and gives it a unique ambiance compared to other coffee shops.

What makes this cafe and pastry shop stand out from the rest of its counterparts are the pastries and drinks that are found in their menu. Most coffee and pastry shops have more or less the same products with minor difference in terms of flavor.

Mocha Mint – P100.00

Vanilla Blue – P105.00

Vanille offers an whole new different set of pastries and drinks that are not found in most cafe and pastry shops. The first impression that I had in mind when I saw their pastries is that these are the pastries found in fancy restaurants.

Calypso – P75.00

Lopera - 85.00

Giligans

2009-08-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Giligans is located at Ayala Terraces and is a good place to eat some grub and have a few drinks. They have a lot of group meals which could serve a number of persons with different dishes. It is usually cheaper to order their group meals if you are with a lot of friends, the only problem with this is you won't be able to choose the dishes you like.

We ordered the group meal and here are the dishes that were served to us.

Fish fillet - at first I was a bit confused if the dish I was eating was fish or chicken. I really couldn't distinguish it cause flavor of the sauce and the flour prevailed over the fish. The presentation of the food is also not very

good.

Lechon kawali- tasted good and perfectly deep fried to a crisp. This was one of the dishes I liked on their menu.

Sisig - was not that good. It tasted more like chicharon mixed with some spices to make it look like sisig. I wasn't able to take some pictures cause this was the first dish that was served by the waiter and my brothers immediately attacked it.

Baked pork belly- the pork belly tasted like patatim, and the sauce was good.

Grilled chicken- really had nothing special to it. If your a big chicken fan, I wouldn't recommend this.

Sizzling gambas - the dish tasted great except for the fact that there were more vegetables and egg present on the dish than shrimps.

Squid - was cooked well. It was juicy and the flavor of the vegetables perfectly complemented it.

What ruined my experience at Giligans was their beer promo. The poster advertised a 4 bottles for 100 and that was the main reason why we ate there. When we ordered our drinks the waiter told us that they had had a cut off. Apparently the ad had a fine print on it and we weren't able to read it.

-- Boy

Sexy Baboy

2009-03-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

If your ever in the mood for grilled filipino food at a very affordable pirce, Sexy Baboy is the perfect place to be. Their food is delicious and has the perfect filipino flavor. Their dishes are mostly filipino dishes and their rates are incredible affordable

The ambiance of the restaurant is also good since they have an outdoor dining area with some accoustic music and an indoor area which can also be used as a function room. The service is also good and the place is also very spacious.

They have ample parking space and a large dining area. Sexy Baboy is definitely a good place to spend time with your friends and family.

Pork Belly

Bicol Express

Sizzling Boneless Bangus

- just an update this place has been converted into a ktv bar and no longer serves the dishes mentioned above.

Ocean Garden

2009-02-22T22:40:00.000-08:00

If ever your in the mood for some seafood but you don't have enough money to eat at a fancy seafood restaurant, there is always another option where you could find good tasting seafood at a very affordable price. I kinda sound like an advertisement for this restaurant, but the truth is Yaya and me always enjoy eating at this place. We always get surprised with their large servings and affordable prices.

Slipper Lobster - P256.00

I'm not sure whether their are a lot of people who have been to that place cause the location of the restaurant is a couple of meters from the main road. It is located in a subdivision behind Fisherman's Net. Once you arrive on the intersection of JY square and I think its a Caltex gas station. Go inside the road Just all you have to do is follow the signs.

Pork Belly - P100.00

Another thing I really like about this place is the ambiance. It's location is within the city but is far from the noise and traffic from the city. It has a large outdoor dining area with a lot of plants and trees and ample parking space.

Baked Scallops - P80.00

Unlike most of the restaurant we dined at, everything we ordered here were seafoods. Even though I'm a meat eating person I was so in the mood for seafoods that I forgot to order any meat.

Sizzling Squid - P 210.00

The first dish we ordered was a blue marlin. We were how we would like them to cook the fish and I told Yaya that it would be better if we tried a different style for everything we ordered.
So we decided to have the Blue marlin sizzled and topped with their gravy sauce. The first thing you'll notice once your food arrives is the lack of presentation of their dishes. I think they really need to improve on the presentation of their food. Although the flavors of their dishes are good, the presentation of it enhances your appetite and will eventually make your mouth water.

The Sizzling blue marlin with gravy sauce was the least of my favorite of all the dishes. It was probably because the sauce didn't match with the fish. One thing I got to hand to them was the fish was fresh and delicious.

We also ordered a lot of lobster and we asked them to cook it in too different styles. I enjoyed the lobster dishes the most, both of the dishes were very tasty. Although I was not used to eating a lobster with out its shell, the dishes were really tasty. I especially enjoyed the lemon butter and garlic sauce. The lemon butter compliments perfectly with the lobster.

Lobster with lemon butter and garlic sauce

Lobster with asian sauce

The Scallops with mixed vegetables was Yaya's favorite. She enjoys eating vegetables and seafoods. I also like the balanced mix of the vegetables and the scallops. They also placed the right amount of sauce which enhances the flavors of the vegetables and scallops. I really liked the mixture of the broccoli, onion and scallops.

I would definitely suggest this restaurant if you love to eat seafoods. The only thing that I could comment of this place is that the food is not served as fast as other restaurants, for the reason that they have to prepare and cook the dishes once you order it.

-- Boy

Krua Thai Authentic Thai Restaurant

2009-01-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

The first thing you'll notice upon entering Krua Thai is the authentic feeling of a Thai restaurant. The interior is filled with Thai ornamentations, painting, decors, fabric and utensils. The Thai theme is not only limited to the place, its best asset is its food. When we browsed through the menu I noticed a lot of different choices of dishes.

Even though I have been trying out a lot of their dishes, every time I dine there I always have a different dining experience. I've tried eating an insanely hot seafood soup and a spicy stir fried rice which eventually made me consume 3 bottles of water, but I'd say its worth trying.

The first thing you should remember when ordering food in this restaurant is to be careful with what you order and if you are unsure always ask the waiter. Although their food tastes great, some dishes are most definitely not for the faint hearted.

Since yaya and I usually order their spicy dishes we decided to try some of their mild dishes. We ordered the spring roll for appetizers; yaya told me that whenever I see spring rolls or lumpia in the menu I just couldn't resist ordering one. There might be a little truth to that, but at least I didn’t regret ordering it.

Their spring roll was a bit different from what I’m used to in Chinese restaurants. It looked the same on the outside but had different fillings in the inside. I noticed a noodle like filling inside it but I couldn’t distinguish the ingredients since I was already very busy eating the food. The taste was also different, unlike the Chinese spring rolls, the flavor of the meat is not really that strong and although it is deep fried, they still managed to keep the flavor of the ingredients inside. It is also less salty compared to its Chinese counter parts.

Yaya ordered the sautéed broccoli with prawns. Although I eat a lot of vegetables, the sight of it doesn’t always boost my appetite. I consider myself as a meat eater, but after I tasted the broccoli with all its other mixes and sauce it increased my appetite. The sauce and prawns perfectly complemented the broccoli. The sauce enhanced the flavor of the broccoli.

The fried garlic squid was also a treat. You could definitely taste the garlic in that dish and the squid is fried to crisp.

Another thing I noticed was their garlic rice. Unlike other garlic rice on other restaurants their rice really tasted like garlic.

The service was definitely fast. We didn’t have to wait very long before our food was served. Their staffs were also very friendly. The price is not that expensive, but I wouldn’t suggest you treat a lot of people there; you might have a little problem with the bill.

Thank God It's Friday

2008-12-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

Ever since terraces opened yaya has been itching to dine at tgi Fridays. Our officemate has been telling her that the food there is superb and that their burgers are simply the best. So after yaya and I were done with our Christmas shopping
we decided to eat at Tgi Fridays. When the waitress gave as the menu I was a bit confused on what to order. Yaya wanted to try the burger and at the same time she wanted to taste the fish fillet. I on the other hand couldn’t decide whether to order

baby back ribs or their chicken meal. While I was deciding what to order, the table across us was served with a large burger and the sight of it made my mouth water, so I decided to order their burger instead. Yaya on the other hand ordered the fish fillet.
A few minutes after we ordered, our meals were served. I got to hand it to their staff, despite their numerous customers they still managed to serve the food fast. Their staffs were also very friendly and welcoming. Service in this restaurant is definitely
not a problem.
Right after our food was served I then realized why the prices for their meals were a bit high. Their serving sizes were huge compared to others.

The burger that I ordered came with a lot of fries and the burger was almost twice the size of the large burger's I tried so far. Their meat was 100% real beef and it was stuffed onion rings tomato and cheese. One noticeable thing about their burger is the distinct taste which is very appealing to Americans. Although I consider it delicious it doesn't have the same flavors in which Filipinos are familiar with.

The fish fillet on the other hand was very delicious. The fish is covered with a thin layer of crispy coating. Inside this crispy coating is the tender fish fillet. It is then topped with minced tomato and onions. Yaya wasn't able to finish her meal since the serving size for this dish was also big.

I would definitely return to this restaurant and try their other dishes. Next time around I'll be careful not to order too much or we might end up not finishing our meal again.

--Boy

Chika-an sa Cebu

2008-12-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

Chika-an has been serving delicious dishes here in cebu for a very long time. As far as I can remember we usually eat at there branch on century plaza back when I was still a kid. Cebu was still a small place back then and there were still no malls or commercial establishments around.
Chika-an was one of the most popular filipino restaurant back then, we used to bring our guest there, the only problem then was there prices were a bit expensive.
After malls and commercial building began sprang out everywhere with different new restaurant, Chika-an began to adopt new strategies in order to compete with the market. The prices for their dishes also became competitive.
Even with all those changes, they still managed to maintain the quality and taste of their food.

Baked Scallops
A perfect appetizer to start your meal. Each plates serves 7 Scallop topped with butter and other ingredients. I'm not really sure what they place on top of the scallops but my guess is butter or cheese. Either way it's always a regular dish when we order filipino food.

Mongo soup
The mongo soup is probably one of the most common Filipino dish you wouldn't want to order in a restaurant. Asides from the fact that it is very easy to cook there is nothing extra ordinary with this dish. Anyway my mom ordered this, so might as well eat it.hehehe

Sizzling talong with spicy sauce
This dish is definitely a different way to cook an eggplant, it has the right blend of sweetness and spiciness in it. Although it lacks presentation, it certainly makes up for it in its taste. This dish is one of my new favorites.

Pancit Canton
Another common filipino dish. This is always a constant on our orders since this is my brothers favorite dish.

Boneless bangus with coco milk
Bangus is pretty much a very common fish here in the Philippines but what I like about this dish is that it is cooked in a different way. Sizzling boneless bangus can be bought in almost any filipino restaurant or fast food chain. What is special with this recipe is that it is sauced with coco milk.

Squid

Lechon Kawali
Another common filipino food, pork belly deep fried to perfection.

Grilled Pork Belly

All in all I recommend chika-an if your in the mood for filipino cuisine. The food is delicious and affordable. Their service is good and the food is served fast. The only problem is this place is usually full during the weekends.

--boy

Kopiroti

2008-11-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

There was a stirring hubbub about Kopiroti. The day before Boy and I went there, I read it in some blog. Then when I visited istorya, I saw a really good recommendation about Kopiroti and how their coffee was comparable to Starbucks. What really pushed me to practically drag Boy to take me to Kopiroti was when my backpacker friend, Bar, gushed about how their bun was the tastiest bun he ever had. My mind was practically screaming, "I need to be there!".

Needless to say, we went there after we had dinner at Boy's house (I have strong convincing powers over him). When he had to take me home that's when we stopped by at Kopiroti.

We all know that there are already a lot of coffee shops scattered all over Cebu however Kopiroti really carved a good niche. For one their coffee is different. They don't give you the usual presentation. The coffee is brewed and before they pour the coffee in the mug, they pour a dollop of condense milk first. The condense milk doesn't make the coffee too sweet, even when you do stir it. Their coffee is strong and it is a perfect beverage for one cold morning. Their tea tarik was surprisingly good as well. I'm not much of a tea person and I enjoyed their strong brewed tea with condensed milk (this is the tea tarik) very much.

Kopiroti Coffee and Tea

Most of Kopiroti's dishes are for breakfast. I would just love to go to Kopiroti one morning and have a bite of their Kaya toast and their bun.

The kaya toast is a toasted bread which has butter and coconut paste as filling. The bun tastes bland but then it was my first time to ever bite into a bun wherein it's almost rock solid on the outside yet very soft on the inside. No wonder Bar was bragging so much about it.

Kopiroti's Infamous Bun

Kaya Toasts with a view of the Soft Boiled Eggs
on the upper left

I also tried their soft boiled eggs. Just by looking at it, you get intimidated at first but when you start to slurp the liquid slime, you'd be surprised that it's not as bad as it looks. In fact it's actually good. The soft boiled eggs were swimming together with black soya that definitely lessened the almost raw taste of egg yolk which usually stimulates my gag reflexes. When visiting Kopiroti, your visit wouldn't be complete if you don't sink your taste buds in these.

You know how in most coffee shops we just love to lounge around, well not in Kopiroti. For one their furniture is not made for lounging since their chairs are stiff and are not that comfortable. They expect a quick turn-over of their tables so that they can serve more customers. They don't serve comfort food such as cakes, they serve breakfast at any time of the day.

One of the greatest thing about Kopiroti is the price, I only paid Php 285 for the tea, coffee, Kaya toast, bun and eggs. Their coffee is really cheap especially if you start comparing it with other coffee shops.

I know I got you started and I almost forgot to tell you where Kopiroti is located. Their shop is located at the Gallery, its the new building located right in front of the San Carlos Seminary at Mabolo. Kopiroti is opened from 7 am to 1 am and till 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. They also have a free wifi.

Manila Food Shop

2008-10-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

Manila Food shop has been around here in cebu for as long as I could remember. Lately they have been expanding and improving their restaurants.

Although I have always passed by this place, I never tried eating at their place in Osmena Blvd because of the lack of parking space.

When they opened their branch at the Park mall last year, Yaya and I decided to try dining there. We were curious cause every time we passed by the place it was usually full.

We ordered three dishes to try out their dishes. I ordered the lumpia shanghai

Yaya Ordered the Chop Suey Rice Topping

and an additional Quail Egg Siomai

Here are some of the comments I have for this Restaurant

The service is not that good, it took them a long time to serve the food. Maybe because we ate here during their peak hour and they had a lot of customers.
The taste of their food is a little bland. I'm not sure if that's applicable on the other dishes on their menu. Compared to other restaurants of the same price level, I would have say that their are a lot more restaurants which have better dishes than them.

I would have to give them a 4/10

Cafe Volere

2008-10-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

A lot of Coffee shops are popping up everywhere in Cebu. Most of these are already established coffee shops and need not any advertisements, others on the other hand are still new at it.

Even though these coffee shops are new to the business they still provide the same quality and service compared to there established counter parts and what makes these coffee shop better are there cheaper prices.

These cafes are great alternatives to the crowded and expensive established coffee shops, Cafe Volere is one good example of such shop. It is located at North Road Plaza in Basak, Mandaue city.

The cafe has a different ambiance to it and the adequate lighting of the interior is perfect for studying or having a business meeting. The place is quiet and usually has a few customers at a time. The service of their staff is also fast and are they very accommodating.

There coffee, smoothies and pastries are delicious affordable and unlike most coffee shops they also have full meals in their menu. Here are some of the food and drinks we ordered there.

Caramel & chocolate smoothies - P80.00 each

What I like about their smoothies is that it has a different taste to it and is not too sweet. What I noticed on most coffee shops is that their smoothies are full of sugar that there is a big chance you'll get diabetes if you regularly have those drinks.

Lasagna - P65.00

This cheesy meat filled pasta is served hot and topped with some oregano seasoning. It is served with two slices of french bread and is heavy on the stomach.

Pizza slice - P35.00

A large pizza slice topped with some ham, onions, pepper, mushroom and a thick layer of cheese.

Choco Cream cake - P25.00

Whipped cream sandwich between two chocolate bar.

The only thing negative remark I have for Cafe Volere is the location. It is located a bit far from the city and the cafe is not located in the front of the building, and due to the limited customers they usually close early compared to other coffee shops. All things considered I would have to say that Cafe Volere is definitely a nice place to visit. I would have to give them an 8/10.

--boy

Red Ribbons

2008-10-22T04:21:00.000-07:00

I have always favored Red Ribbon against Goldilocks since then. My brother and I just love their cakes and I also know a few more people who share my preference. I would just like to add that among all their cakes my personal favorite is the chocolate mousse. It's creamy and very chocolaty - seriously I will have to stop there since my tummy is starting to churn, craving for some of those delectable, mouthwatering chocolate mousse. *Stop*

One lazy and "economically critical" weekend, Boy and I were both up to taste something entirely different for that particular SM trip. We just happened to pass-by Red Ribbons while carefully searching for affordable yet gut satisfying place to eat. Then there it was, beside KFC, beckoning us to come in to taste their wide selection of cakes and other truly delectable dishes. We couldn't say no and so Boy stood in line among the many people who have been called while I raced to claim a small dainty table for two.

Our Order

Creamy Carbonara Meal (Php 120) - The meal comes with a mocha caramel cake.
Petit Carbonara with Chicken Lolipop (Php 118) - This meal also comes with a tasty cake, mango creme roll.

The carbonara was really good. I really enjoyed it however Boy regretted that we both had Carbonara since he also wanted Red Ribbon's Palabok which is quite popular to be delicious recipe. Nonetheless he also liked the Carbonara but he felt that he would have enjoyed his meal more if it was the Palabok since also it has a bigger serving than the carbonara. **grin**

Creamy Carbonara Meal

Mocha Caramel Cake (cake of the day)

The carbonara serving of Boy is bigger compared to mine since I have two chicken lollipops which by the way were very delicious. I will vouch for that chicken lollipop of theirs. Absolutely tender and flavorful.

Carbonara with chicken lollipop meal

Mango Caramel Roll

The Verdict:

For their cake alone, I would have to give them 10 however over-all as a food spot - I will give them a 9 since I enjoyed my meal so much however I don't really dig the place. For me, I think they should opt for a homey feel instead of a fast-food chain feel.

-- Yaya

Chowking

2008-10-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

Chowking is probably one of the fast food chains yaya and I often eat asides from Andoks. The prices for their meals and snacks are very affordable and their Lauriats are packed lots of food. I usually order their lumpia lauriat or the sweet and sour lauriat. Got these very nice shots from Chewy Chua's photostream.

Their Halo-halo is one of our favorites in their menu. We usually stop by Chowking after a hard days work and order Halo-halo. Although this is a fast food restaurant they still make sure that the food they prepare is presentable. Nothing is better than tasty food that is also sumptuous to the eyes.

There Chicharap has also been one of my favorites. I cant help it, I seem to have this thing with crispy food.hehehe Although this isn't their specialty and there are a lot of restobar who offer kropek as a pulotan, I still like their chicharap cause this is where I first tasted this when I was still a boy.

Another dish we regularly order is the Kangkong with bagoong. Yaya has an addiction with kangkong, she can't resist ordering Kangkong in any restaurant if she sees it in the menu.

The King Congee is perfect whenever you are in the mood for a satisfying meal. It is filled with lots of toppings and is heavy on the stomach. I like the taste of their congee but yaya didn't like the century egg. Maybe she will get used to it in the future.

I would definitely recommend Chowking whenever your at the mall and your a bit short on the budget. Their service is fast and the serving size are large. I give chowking a 9/10.

---boy

UPDATE 10/20/2011:

Chowking has made some drastic changes on their dishes. So far I have only noticed their Pancit canton and sweet and sour pork has been changed. I used to love their pancit canton but they decided to change it to another type of noodle which is similar to instant noodles. At first I thought this was a fluke in a particular branch but it seems that all of their branches has adapted this.

Another dish I really liked before was the sweet and sour pork. I really liked this dish and I usually ordered this as a lauriat. They changed the sweet and sour pork into something different. I noticed the pork became too dry and thin and you couldn't taste the pork anymore. I really don't understand why they decided to change something good. I won't be returning to Chowking anytime soon after this experience. It is really disappointing since I had a lot of good dining experience at this fast food chain.

Crazy Crepe

2008-10-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Like most of my posts, this has been waiting in my blogs edit section. Boy have uploaded these pics and have been constantly reminding me to finally make the write-up so that we can publish this. By this time, most of you have already seen or tasted the Crazy Crepe located at SM's Northwing. **grin**

One fine evening, after our heavy dinner, my sweet tooth was at it again and this time it was aching for those truly inviting crepes. Depending on the flavors and the toppings, the crepe can cost from Php 70 to a Php 100, I think (I lost the receipt). It can be pricey but I tell you, it's worth it. You truly get what you pay for.

The shop is pretty small since primarily their crepes are bought for take out. The staff is okay and I like watching the crepe guy preparing the ordered crepes. You get to see if the preparation is sanitary or not which it is.

Boy ordered the very rocky road (not so sure if thats the name, I lost the receipt you see) while I ordered the one with peaches and mangoes. I like Boy's crepe better though. I like the mixture of nuts, marshmallow, chocolate ice cream and banana. The mangoes and peaches can get too sweet at some point but nonetheless both crepes have overly satisfied my sweet tooth for that night.

Some Shopping Bags and our Crepes

Boy's Crepe. Love the Marshmallows.

Mine. Mangoes, crushed graham, whip cream and peaches.

I would advise not to eat these crepes on a already full stomach. These crazy crepes are also heavy crepes and you know what happens when you eat too much. You have various crepe selection to choose from. Just a tip though, Boy's crepe is one of their bestsellers.

---- Yaya

Carlito's Way Steak House

2008-09-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I made a post in this blog. Although I have a lot of pending post to make I was very busy the past few days. So I'll just start with the most recent restaurant yaya and me ate.

Last week we had dinner together to celebrate our monthsary and I wanted to treat her at some place with good food. Although this wasn't the first time we ate at this restaurant we rarely eat there since the branches they opened were far from both our houses. When I learned that they opened a new branch at Paseo, I thought that it might be a good idea to eat there.

The first thing I noticed there was they had a very friendly staff and that they had very few customers. It was probably because it was Sunday when we ate there. Their accommodating staff is a plus factor considering the price you pay for a meal there.

We ordered tossed salad for our appetizer and each had a different dish.
I would have to say there is nothing extra ordinary with their tossed salad. In fact I could easily make the same salad which is tastier than what we ordered. I wouldn't expect much from this probably because this is not there specialty. All of the ingredients can be bought in the supermarket and they didn't place anything special to add to the flavor of the salad.

Tossed Salad - P 70.00

Yaya ordered their pepper steak and it was really a mouthful dish. Even though they served large portions for their meals, they lack presentation for their meals. Presentation is really important in order to entice the senses of your customers and enhance the pleasure of eating the meal served. A meal well presented will make you salivate for that tasty meal and will make that meal more enjoyable to experience.

Pepper Steak - 195

I on the other hand ordered their house speicalty, Carlito's Steak. Although it looks almost exactly the same as the dish yaya ordered it is quite different from that dish. I will have to say that due to the lack if presentation of their dishes, the customers can't differentiate one meal from the other. The customer won't have a different experience for every meal. The lack of herbs and the corn kernel side dish without any other vegetable makes this dish look like its un finished. One goog thing about their food thoug was the size of there servings. They also have tasty steaks and excelent service to their customers.

Carlito's Steak - P195.00

The location of their branches is very accessible. The friendly and accommodating staff makes your experience there enjoyable. The large servings of their dishes is worth the money you spend, but due to the lack of presentation of their dishes and the price of their food I will have to give them a 7/10

--- Boy

Update as of 11-22-2011:

http://cebufoodspot.blogspot.com/2011/11/carlitos-way-diner.html

Flavours of China

2008-09-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

This is probably the newest addition to a long list of Chinese restaurant found here in Cebu. In order for a Chinese restaurant to stand out among the rest here in Cebu is the flavor and prices of their food. Flavours of China adds a new taste compared to the other Chinese restaurants here in cebu.

The first thing you'll notice with their food is the minimal use of bitsin which is commonly used in chinese restaurants. With the exception of the honey lemon chicken they have a well balanced mix of sweetness, saltiness and sourness to their food and have different sauces for their dishes.

Their Spare Ribs is one of my favorites. The meat is soft and it is easy to remove the meat from the ribs.

Scallops & brocolli - I forgot the exact name of this dish but the combination of the scallops and brocolli produced a very delicious result. What makes this dish even better is it is also healthy

Tofu and Fish - this was ordered by my parents, I'm really not a fan of tofu so I only ate the fish and it was good. If I were to choose another fish dish I would rather order their steamed fish fillet.

Honey Lemon Chicken - The chicken is deep fried to make the coating crispy, while maintaining the juiciness of the chicken. It is then topped with a thin layer of honey and lemon which adds to the flavor of the chicken.

So far they only have one branch here in cebu and it is located at the Northwing at SM City.

update:

As of May 20, 2011 The SM northwing branch of Flavours of China is closed.
-- Boy

Bigby's

2008-08-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my aunt visited us here in cebu and my mom wanted to treat us out for dinner. After we toured my aunt around the northwing of SM city Cebu. We went to bigby's for dinner.
I must say, I love eating their cause their food tastes great. The only problem is that their prices are also a bit expensive. Maybe it is because their are a lot of restaurants which offers the same food at almost half the price. Well anyway my brothers were the ones who ordered our food and it wasn't a surprise to me that they ordered a lot of dishes.

It was a good thing though that when we ate their, the restaurant had a promo. We got a free salad cause our order was more than what they specified in their promo. The salad was made up of lean chicken, lettuce, toasted bread, and Parmesan cheese. It was just an appetizer and what made it tastier was the fact that it was totally free.

The next dish that was served was the calamaris or squid rings. The squid was tender in the inside and the covering was crispy and delicious. It also had a large serving and would probably satisfy about 2-3 persons in our case.hehehe

The pasta was served together with the squid and is definitely different from most pastas found on fast food restaurants. It is served with garlic bread and the sauce is packed with meat. The sauce has just the right blend to it is topped with a touch of cheese and herbs.

My mom ordered this fish fillet dish which i wasn't able to get the name on the menu. I think this dish was on of the tastiest in all the dishes we ordered. Although I am not a big fan of fish dishes but I got to admit that this was very delicious. The fish was very tender and the sauce enhanced the taste of the fish. It was topped with some deep fried potatoes which were more like thin small fries on top of it. The mixture of the sauce, fish and fried crispy potatoe was superb.
Some of the most commonly ordered dishes in Bigby's are the buttered chicken and their famous baby back ribs. The chicken is ok with me but I would have to say it is not the tastiest fried chicken here in Cebu.

The baby back ribs on the other hand is what I would recommend in this restaurant. The meat is grilled to perfection and the meat can be easily cut off from the bones. The barbecue sauce also complements greatly with the ribs.

All in all I would definitely recommend this restaurant. I would have to give it a 8 out of 10 though. The ambiance of their restaurant are good. The presentation of their dish are also ok. Service would also be ok. The serving of their dish a big which would really be sensible since their name tells it all. The only problem is that although you usually leave this restaurant with a full bulging stomach you also go out with an empty wallet, well maybe that only usually happen in my case. The prices are a bit high, but I guess for me it is worth eating their every once in a while.

-- Boy

Photo Update:

Belly Buster

Cafe De France

2008-08-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

When Boy was in the mood to just lounge around and study, right after our hard work, the most accessible coffee shop in Mandaue is Cafe de France. Located right at Mandaue Hi-way, Cafe de France occupies the same building as Andoks', the North Atrium.

Cafe de France is a wifi-zone and the second floor is an internet cafe. Boy even said that their internet cafe is more salable than their coffee. They offer full hearty meals, a variety of cakes and pastries, a so-so selection of coffee blends, and smoothies.

Our order:

Braso de Mercedes
Strawberry and Banana Smoothie
Cafe Mocha

The cafe mocha

The pastries are affordable however the coffee prices were surprisingly almost similar to Starbucks. "Suprisingly" because the taste is not at all that satisfying and it certainly tasted a lot cheaper. One of my officemates even said before that their cafe latte tastes almost the same as Nescafe's instant 3 in 1 mix coffee; and I'd have to agree.

Our total order costs us around Php 280. Yes, Starbucks can charge a bit higher especially when I pair my coffee with a cake however its all worth it.

Braso de mercedes

Location and Staff:

There are several Cafe de France branches in Cebu and you can barely see certified coffee addicts flocking inside it. The location is good and I would have to add that the internet bit is a good one to pull the business through. The chairs are not that comfortable and the framed tarpaulins (of digitized paintings) are not adding any aesthetics either. The staff are not at all accommodating albeit they are fairly fast at serving your orders.

Verdict:

I'd give Cafe de France a grade of 4. I guess from the start of this post, you could already tell that I didn't enjoy my Cafe de France experience (I already voiced out my verdict to Boy that night, he only smiled nonetheless since he enjoyed the sight of how bumbed out I was after I took a sip of his cafe mocha). I love coffee and the feeling after drinking their blend was, "I can make a better cafe mocha than you".

-- Yaya

Photo Updates:

Braso de mercedes

Cafe Latte

Red Moon Chinese Cuisine and Delicacies

2008-08-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my family and I spent some quality time together. It has been a while since we had lunch together, things has just been busy the past few months. We decided to eat at the Red Moon restaurant at the paseo arcenas.

When we arrived there, the place was full inside so we decided to eat outside. The place is quiet small considering they usually have a lot of customers, but its a good thing they have extra tables outside. There outdoor tables are nice during the evening and is okay during the day as long as its not scorching hot outside.

After we were accommodated by their staff, we immediately ordered the usual dishes such as siomai, lumpia, pancit and my dad ordered the rest of the dishes. I got to hand it to them, the service there is fast and it doesn't take long for them to serve your food.

Siomai - the first dish to be sereved was the siomai, which was different from most of the siomai's here in cebu. Anyway just a small insight regarding siomai, this dish is already very common here since the "Siomai sa Tisa" has been spreading like wild fire in every corner of Cebu.
Anyway back to my topic, what made their siomai unique is they used mostly lean meat compared to other siomais which is rich in fat. Their hot sauce is also good since it is spicy but not too hot. Me and my brothers really loved it that we made an additional order in the middle of our meal.

Price : P42.00 per 3 pcs

Pancit- was the second dish which was served. This dish was okay, there was nothing really special to it except that its really packed with meat and vegetables. If you can you take a look at the picture you can hardly see the noodles in it.hehehe
Price: P 95.00

Fish Fillet & Lumpia Shanghai - were the tastiest dish we ordered there. The fish fillet was delicious and fulfilling. It is crispy on the outside and soft fish meat in the inside.
The lumpia shanghai which is my favorite Chinese dish was also very delicious. In fact we also made an additional order since my younger brother and I ate most of it.
Price:
Fish Fillet - P100.00
Lumpia Shanghai - P 70.00

Yang Chow Fried Rice - it taste just like any normal yang chow fried rice.
Price: P80.00

Chao Pa Chien - it is good and has the right mixture of vegetables, meat, squid balls and the right mix of flavors.
Price: P120.00

Pata - this dish needs a little improvement. If I have to compare it to the other chinese restaurants, this would be at the bottom of the list. It lacks taste and the meat is hard to cut of from the bones.
Price: 180.00

Overall I would give Red Moon a 7/10. Most of the food are delicious and affordable and some are just not worth the price. Their service is good but the ambiance is not conducive for a dating or a romantic dinner.

--boy

Ngohiong Express

2008-08-10T19:48:00.001-07:00

If you are on a tight budget and you want to have a cheap yet satisfying meal go to Ngohiong Express. They have a wide variety of foods to choose from. Their specialties are Ngohiong, Siomai, Tempura, and Squid Roll.

They also have a wide variety of meals which you can order, ranging from tapsilog to sisig. They have a lot of branches and some of their branches are open for 24 hours.

Yaya and me usually stop by at their North Atrium Branch after she gets off from work. This is a fast food restaurant and self service is pretty much what you expect out of this restaurant.

.

Siomai, Ngohiong, Chicken & Squid Roll

The photos above were taken about a year ago and I'll be updating it with better photos soon.

--Boy

Dessert Factory

2008-08-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

This post has been sitting at the dark nooks of my computer since last June. Boy has been urging me to write my very first post then; was never really convinced since I was busy with my other blogs and, of course, with work. Anyway, since I enjoyed my Tokyo Joes review, for this post I will be objectively dishing out my criticism when dining at the Dessert Factory.

Well to start with, the Dessert Factory is for people with a sweet tooth. There are all kinds of cheesecake, crème brulée, mango cake, chocolate cake, flourless chocolate cake, banana split cake, carrot cake, chocolate mousse and strawberry truffle. Their split ice-cream cake is an affordable treat of Php 65. You can also sink your taste buds in palatable smoothies and coffee of different kinds.

Our order:

1 Beef Ribs Adobado for Boy
1 Curry Pork Adobo for Me
1 order of Mash Potato for us to divvy up
1 Split Ice Cream cake
1 Hot Calamansi Juice for Me
1 Pineapple Juice for Boy

Boy and I definitely enjoyed our beef and pork; it is not only flavorful but quite tender. We also enjoyed devouring the mash potato. I have to say that their mash potato happens to be one of the best that I have tasted. It is thick, creamy and certainly delightful; a side dish worth my recommendation. Every after meal Boy and I like to drink pineapple or calamansi juice since it helps with the digestion (we are, after all, health conscious). After our hearty meal we guttled the cold split ice cream cake and tasted a hint of strawberry, banana and nuts.

Total Cost of our dinner is Php 535.00 - I'd have to say, a good price for a good meal.

Location and the Staff:

You can find several Dessert Factory restaurants in Cebu, with SM and Ayala (Ayala being the most noteworthy and full of customers) being the most accessible. I have to hand it to their staff for being so accommodating.

The moment you enter, their staff will greet you with a smile and accompany you to your seat; very welcoming.

And you just have to love the Jester’s Hat; it denotes fun and comfort (at least in my opinion).

The Verdict:

I’d give Dessert Factory an 8. The food is excellent, especially the desserts, and I just like the lively and colorful interior. The Jester’s hat is their icing on the cake.

--Yaya

Tokyo Joes

2008-07-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Photo Updates:

Miso Soup

Lovers Meal

Spicy Tuna Roll

Tuna and Salmon Sashimi

Tuna Sashimi

Boy and I love eating at Japanese restaurants when we have the money to splurge. I was not quite a fan back then since my chopsticks skills weren’t that good. Now, my taste buds are occasionally seeking to consume some fresh Tuna Sashimi. There are several choices in Cebu, one of my personal favorite is Tokyo Joes. The name might not be as popular as Rai Rai Ken but the food is really good and a bit affordable when you compare it to other Japanese restaurants.

Our Order:

1 Chicken Termpura Bento Meal

1 Beef Tempura Bento Meal

1 Tuna Sashimi

2 Red Ice Tea

Soup and the Sashimi

The Bento Meal comes with two tempuras, a soup, mixed vegetables (that yummy mongo sprouts), the Teriyaki of your choice (you have option of Chicken, pork or beef), and a slice of this steamed sweet scrambled egg. The service is fast. They first serve your drinks, next the soup and the appetizer, which in our case is the Tuna Sashimi. Shortly after the Sashimi, our bento box is dished out.

Chicken Tempura Bento

Beef Tempura Bento

I love their tempura; I can certainly feel the prawn rather than munch up a thick coat of flour unlike some Japanese restaurants. I also like their stir fried (I think) mongo sprouts. You can taste a hint of sesame oil and the dish is not overcooked rather a bit crunchy once your teeth break through it.

Total cost of our dinner is Php 545.00

Quite affordable for a Japanese dinner although the bento order did help a lot in reducing the cost. If I could make a tip, order a Bento Meal if you’re not up for exploring more exotic Japanese dishes and if you want to make small savings on the bill.

Location and the Staff:

The location makes Tokyo Joes negligible to the eye. It is located at the lower ground floor of SM just near Golden Cowrie. Personally, I think they would get more attention if they transfer at the North Wing or at the fiesta strip of even just along the side of Goldilocks. The staff is fast and accommodating although not as accommodating as Rai Rai Ken’s.

The Verdict:

I’d give Tokyo Joes an 8. 5. The food here I can recommend but, then, they lack the ambiance. Tokyo Joes is very low key when you compare it to most Japanese restaurants such as Rai Rai Ken or even Nonki.

-- Yaya

Filipino Food Quiz

2008-07-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Think you know Filipino food? Test your recognition skills. Type in your answer in the comments section. Whoever gets all 5 correct, I will link to your blog.

Food no. 1________________

Food no. 2 ________________

Food no. 3: ________________

Food no. 4: ____________________

Food no. 5:_____________________

-- Yaya

Grand Majestic - A whole new chinese cuisine experience

2008-06-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I've written a new post in this blog. I've been busy the past few weeks I never got the chance to write new food reviews for this blog. A couple of weeks ago my family had a small gathering, we ate at this Chinese restaurant which has already established there name here in Cebu.
The Grand Majestic has been around for more than a decade and as a child we usually eat here on special occasions and during the weekends. Maybe because during that time Cebu didn't have many restaurants for us to choose.
Anyway unlike out previous visits in that restaurant, this was a bit different. Our food was really hardcore Chinese food with the exception of a few dishes, that even I couldn't understand what I was eating. It was a whole new experience for me and my cousins.
The image above is the appetizer they served us. Its a dimsum sampler and most of the samples there I frankly have no idea what they are or what there made of. Except for the siomai which is the only familiar dish in that sampler.

The next dish they serve was chicken but in another style, I even thought that it was a chicken from another planet. hehehe I never saw a black chicken before thats why I asked my aunts, who are familiar with chinese food, what that soup was made. They told me its a black chicken soup and my grandfather used to cook this soup for them while they were young. If only I saw my grandfather I would have learned a lot from him since he was a pure Chinese. I could have tasted his delicious cooking.
The next dish that was served was something I mistook for a familiar dish. I thought these wear fried lumpia shanghai but it turned out to vegetables. I think they told me its made out of radish.
Another dish which I mistook for pancit bihon or noodles was in fact another type of dish. This dish was totally out of my vocabulary of Chinese foods that even my aunts didn't know what it was made of.heheheLuckily the next dishes they served were familiar dishes. This one is a deep fried prawns.
They then served the Crabs, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to take a picture of the untouched version of the crabs. My cousins were really hungry at this time and they never gave me a chance to take some shots on the crab.hehehe
This one was supposed to be a roasted piglet but I don't know why in the world they decided to chop it in to tiny pieces.

--Boy

Cafe Begote

2008-05-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

There's this new cafe at The North Atrium Mall in Mandaue City. We visited there just days after they had their grand opening. The cafe has a large area and they also have a function room for meetings or gathering. What's sets this place apart from the other coffee shops in Cebu is their very own Karaoke machine where customers can sing to whenever they are too stoked with coffee.Cafe Begote, calssified as a bar/cafe/restaurant, have acoustic bands during the evening as well. The ambiance of the place is perfect for studying (do this in daytime), business meetings or just plainly hanging out.

We tried their coffee and its really quite good and the best part of it is the affordable price. The pastries were also tasty, Yaya was too excited to eat the mint bar I wasn't able to take a picture of the un-eaten mint bar. Luckily for me I know a little about photo editing.*grin*

I have to apologize for the photos I posted. Since Yaya and I don't have the money yet to buy one of those 8 mega pixel cameras, I just used my phone camera in taking these (yeah, we can afford a camera phone).

-- Boy

Andoks

2008-05-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Yaya wanted to eat outside, she couldn't eat the food they had for lunch because of allergies. We decided to eat at our favorite place in times of crisis. We went to North Atrium, a mall near her place and ate at Andoks. This used to be a take out food stop, but recently they converted it to a fastfood restaurant. We regularly eat here because the food here is cheap, tasty and their servings are big. We usually spend half here compared to other restaurant and every time we eat here we always go out with our bellies bulging and our pants tight.

Their specialty is there Liempo, which is basically roasted pork belly. Its really tasty but I suggest you don't eat this dish regularly since it is packed with fat and high cholesterol. One dish can serve two persons so we ordinarily order one.

Next is a little veggies to counter the cholesterol. We usually order the chopsuey, aside from the reason that Yaya loves it, they have no other vegetable dish in their menu. *grin*

I also ordered an additional spaghetti cause I felt my gluttonous mood kicking in. Another specialty of Andoks is there very famous roasted chicken. Its a little obvious from there logo. *smirk* We didn't order chicken cause that was the food Yaya avoided at her house because of her allergies. hehehe

I would recommend this restaurant for people with a tight budget and big appetite. This wouldn't be a perfect place for a date but it sure would be a perfect place to grab a bite. Another thing you would notice is the lack of diversity of the menu. In due time I think they're going to introduce more dishes in their menu. After all they're still new in the fast food industry so let's just wait and see.

-- Boy

Tempura Japanese Grill

2008-05-22T07:27:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday Yaya and I celebrated our anniversary. I originally planned to eat at The Port but when we got there I was surprised to see that they were already fully book for the night. So we decided to go to a different restaurant. There was a new japanese restaurant that opened a couple of weeks ago so we decided to eat there.

As we were approaching the entrance their staff immediately accommodated us, maybe it was because they only had a few customers that time and competition in that part of the mall is just intense, since there are a lot of restaurants in that area. Anyway when I saw there menu I noticed one thing different with there menu. Unlike most of the Japanese restaurants here in Cebu they didn't have any bento meals in their menu, which is what I would usually order. So I decided to order one of my favorite japanese dishes which is chicken teriyaki. Yaya on the other hand had rice toppings with tofu and pork, I didn't quiet get the name but that was the ingredients. For our appetizer we had tuna sashimi and ordered an additional ebi tempura which is shrimp tempura.

Another thing good about this restaurant was the food was served fast, except for the fried rice which the waiter forgot to tell their kitchen. Anyway Yaya didn't expect that the rice toppings was that huge. I think that was good for two persons, its a good thing I was hungry that time.hehehe There sashimi was also good, but its nothing extra ordinary. The chicken teriyaki was tasty and it was also a dish which was good for two persons. The rice toppings that Yaya ordered really caught my attention. It had a distinct taste and it was really good, they were able to blend the taste of the pork and tofu with an added spice to it. It was actually really good. So good.

For their food, price and service, I would actually recommend this restaurant since they also have a complementary free tea. They also have this Yakiniku table wherein you cook your food on a grill in the middle of the table. They also boast that their tempura is healthy since it contains omega 3 which is good for the heart. I suggest you drop by and try their food.

Mooon Cafe

2008-05-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

The other night Yaya and I spent time together after work. We were in the mood for good food but there was just a tiny problem. We didn't have enough money to spend for a fancy romantic dinner together. That night we were so hungry we had an insatiable appetite for a large meal.

I kept on pondering where would be the best place to eat. While I was thinking I couldn't stop thinking about a tasty dish of Baby Back Ribs. Then I remembered that there was a restaurant on the next corner which Yaya always wanted to go.

I suggested to Yaya that we eat at Mooon Cafe, yes Mooon with three o's. It's actually an old house which was renovated into a restaurant. There menu consist mostly of Mexican Dishes ranging from Taco's, Tortillas, Chimichanga and Quesadillas. They also have meals which have large servings and are very tasty. There customers are usually student's and yuppies since the place is affordable and has a really good ambiance especially during the evening.

When we arrived there the waiter handed to us the menu and I really didn't need to look at there menu. I instantly told him "one baby back ribs please". While we were waiting for our order to arrive I was already anticipating for that mouth watering baby back ribs. When our order arrived I was in for a shock, I never expected there servings to be that huge. The steak occupied more than half my plate. No wonder there place was always full even during week days. After that sumptuous meal, Yaya ordered dessert which was also a large serving. At the end of the night we both got what we wanted even within the limits of our tight budget. A romantic dinner together and a full stomach.hehehe

Here are some recent photos I took from their branch in The Walk

Cream of Mushroom soup

Salad

Grilled Tuna - (a bit overcooked)

Sisig

Baby Back Ribs

Spaghetti Ala Gambas

Beer Tower
--- Boy

Big Mao

2008-05-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

If ever your in the mood for Chinese food, you'll have no trouble finding one here in Cebu. Cebu is abundant with Chinese restaurants and you'll have lots of choices to choose from. Each of these restaurants have different food tastes and prices. It actually depends on what you want really want.

One of my favorite chinese restaurant would have to be big mao. Here are the reasons why. There place is presentable, my first impression with this restaurant was that it was another expensive restaurant. If you look at the ambiance of the place you'll easily be fooled that its not an affordable restaurant. Contrary to what I thought, the prices for there meals are quiet affordable. The food here is great, they have a distinct taste compared to other chinese restaurants and staying true to there name, there servings are big. The service is also fast, it only takes a while for them to serve your food. The only disadvantage that I can say for this restaurant is, during weekends they are usually full and you have to wait before you can get a table.

-- Boy

Lai Garden Tea House

2008-05-11T03:07:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Mothers day by treating my mom out for lunch. When we arrived at the mall we haven't decided where to eat so we took some time looking for a restaurant which was not full. I was amazed that all the restaurant where we usually don't have that much costumers were actually full. Anyway we decided to eat in Lai garden, when we arrived there we had to take a priority number since it was also full.

While waiting for any vacancy, my brother and I took a look at there menu. I thought that they had the usual chinese restaurant menu, to my surprise they had a lot of different recipes that I haven't seen in other restaurants. I told my brother that we should try some of the dishes that we haven't tasted yet, but he was hesitant since he doesn't wants his moneys worth since the both of us are paying for it. Anyway we ordered the usual dishes Chao Fan Fried Rice, Lemon Chicken, Spare Ribs, Spring Roll, Cold Cuts, Spicy Fried Squid and some kind of soup that I haven't got any clue.

There food tasted ok except for some dishes, but the service was a little bad. Maybe its because the place was crowded because of the occasion but that was no excuse for the bad service. We had to stand and wait for more that 20minutes in front of our table for our seats. The consistency of there food was also affected due to the overwhelming customers. I guess there service will be better during the regular days.

As for the prices of there food here's the breakdown:

Special Roasting Cold Cut Whole - P350.00
Minced B. W/ Po. Chay Soup - P180.00
Lemon Chicken - P 200.00
Lumpia Shanghai - P 160.00
Spicy Squid w/ S. & Pepper - P 180.00
Lai- Lai Chau Fat Chin - P 180.00
Spareribs W/ S. Sauce - P 160.00
Yang Chow Fried Rice - P 130.00

Its a good thing I still have the receipt.hehehe

Anyway all in all we spent P1905.00 including the drinks. Overall the price is fine since this is not a fast food restaurant. This would be a good place to have lunch or dinner together with your family.

-- Boy

Sunburst Fried chicken

2008-05-11T03:05:00.000-07:00

Every week my girl and I usually go out on a date, we usually hang out on the mall and when it comes to deciding where to eat, we always have a hard time picking a restaurant. Maybe its because mai and i have different cravings towards food.hehehe Anyway if on some occasions we want to eat some delicious fried chicken we always end up at sunburst fried chicken.

They have the best fried chicken in town and their price are within the budget. I usually order the double thigh, this meal comes with a rice coleslaw and some potato sidings. Their unique recipe and affordable price makes me one of their loyal customers. We usually spend between P300.00 - P500.00 for the both of us depending on the circumstances, cause sometimes we just want to pig out if we are really hungry.hehehe

Asides from the chicken they have other tasty food such as their sizzling squid, bihon guisado, and many more. Hmmm talking about this has made me feel hungry and want to visit them right now.hehehe That wouldn’t be any problem since they have at least 5 branches here in cebu. Anyway, with all the good things I’ve said I think its time I talk about time i make some constructive comments for this restaurant.

My first advice for those who haven’t eaten here is, if your really hungry and you want your food served fast you will be better off on a fast food restaurant. There service differ from their different branches and it also depends on how many customers they are serving, but so far there best branch in terms of service is on A.S. Fortuna. Maybe it’s also because they really don’t have that much customers.hehehe If your planning to have a quiet dinner with someone special i suggest you go to their branches other than that in SM. Overall I would give this restaurant a good rating for their good food, diverse choices of food in their menu and for the affordable food.

-- Boy

The right wine to buy

2008-05-08T08:23:00.003-07:00

The past two days was like de javu for me. The other night I was having trouble choosing the right wine for Yaya's birthday. I was totally dumbfounded when I reached the wine section of the supermarket near my house. I saw a couple of racks of wine sorted by the different types of wine they are selling. I never realized that there are a lot of variations of wine ranging from the places where they are made to the type of grapes they use. I realized that I was so ignorant regarding wine, maybe its because my choice of alcohol consist mainly 70% beer, 10% rum, 10% gin, 5% tequila, 4% vodka and a tiny 1% of wine.hehehe Ok ok maybe thats just an exageration. My point is I really have no knowledge in choosing the right wine, hell I can't even differentiate the taste of different brands of wine. *LOL* Going back to my story, that night it took me around 30 minutes to choose one bottle of wine most of that time i spent staring at the rack walking back and forth and i ended up arriving late for her birthday. After that traumatic experience last night, my dad called me this afternoon and asked me to buy some wine for my uncle. It was just like fate was trying to tease me and put me to that ordeal again. So when I left for work I went to the mall near my office and looked for a wine shop. Luckily for me their wine shop was a lot smaller compared to the one I visited last night. But even with the few choices that was presented to me, there I was again staring at those racks. I decided that I will choose the wine the way I choose it last night. That was to buy the wine which is within my budget, so i picked one which i think was not cheap and not so expensive. After I picked the wine my dad suddenly called me back and told me to cancel the wine cause they were just going to buy cake instead. At the end of the day i finally learned how to choose the right wine to buy.hehehe All I need to do now is to learn how to buy a good wine and learn more about wine. *grin*

-- Boy