STK, ta bai!!

Cebu, Philippines

I know I have been fed with mostly seafood from my previous trip in Iloilo but I could not help not checking out this place. STK means sugba (grill), tula (broth), kilaw (raw/ceviche), it's a typical fish serving in Cebu and most Visayan cities in which a fish is cut and prepared in three different ways as grilled,  soup and raw or dipped in vinegar like ceviche as appetizers. But apart from fish they also serve other fares us crabs, squid, scallops, and meat and poultry dishes even goats meat.

What adds charm to this place is their interesting  showcase of antique wares and furniture. The restaurant is located in the ancestral house of the Alcovers. From all over the cozy interiors you can find memorabilia and stuff used and kept by their grandparents. This is actually the house where they grew up and still resides and we even saw one of the owners' children running around the restaurant in house clothes, cute!

We had a great time taking snapshots as they allowed us to check out their mini museum with displays of more stuff from the olden times. It's like being transported to a scene in Somewhere in Time or that local movie, Moments of Love. :p

We tried out their fish kinilaw, raw fish in vinegar, several spices and coconut milk as some dressing.

The baked scallops at 130 pesos per order was divine as well.

This crab dish costs 195, good enough to feed 2-4 persons, such a treat!

I loved the place so much i went there twice in my 4 days stay in Cebu, teehee!

STK, ta bai! is at # 6 Orchid St., Capitol Site. Most taxi drivers know about this place though, in fact i first discovered this place through the recommendation of one. Kaon na! ;)

Feasting in Iloilo

(Oct. 19-23, 2011)

I am a regular visitor in Iloilo because of my work assignment. Sometimes i'd merely let the time pass while i do my business and leave. Sometimes I would do something special like that one time i went church-hopping. This time though i went restaurant hopping, dear, food in Iloilo is always good especially if you check out the best places.

Home as always is at Century 21 Hotel along Quezon St. It's a short walk from SM Delgado and St. Paul's Hospital and public jeepneys ply the nearby streets and taxis are always around making it reall accessible. Best of all, they had a promo that time offering a much affordable price of 750 per night!

(

But going back to the main agenda, foodies, our first stop was at Bauhinia in Smallville.

I've heard about Bauhinia from this blog. I've seen this restaurant in Smallville but I have never tried it before till i read about its rather tasty reviews. They serve Filipino/Spanish food but in stylish platings and presentations. For starters, we ordered the fish kinilaw (ceviche) with side salad and a few slices of what looked like salted smoked salmon. The salmon was pretty salty complimenting the sour-sweetish taste of the kinilaw, yum! It was artistically served in shot glasses.

For soup, we had the pink salmon in sour broth (sinigang). The salmon was pan fried and the broth was served to us just right before eating leaving the fish still a bit crispy and not all too soaked by the soup. Very interesting indeed.

We also tried the pork roulade, it was deep fried making it really crispy like lechon kawali. And i like it that there's the right combo of crunchy skin, a bit of succulent fat and well marbled meat.

The star of the table though was the shrimp slathered with what seemed like crab fat with coconut milk, sinfully creamy and delectable!

Everything was a winner and i so love their fancy presentations without sacrificing the taste a bit. It was quite a memorable experience I would definitely love to go back there once I am in the area.

The following day we were brought to Breakthrough for lunch. Breakthrough has to be the fastest growing seafood restaurant in the area. The first time i was there they only have a few tables, when I got back however they have already extended their property up to several more long tables accommodating more groups and families who are the usual diners.

We feasted on their native lechon manok, sizzling crabmeat, crispy crablets among other seafood fares. Namit guid! Breakthrough is located in Villa Beach and is accessible via taxi or jeeps to Villa.

I met up with a college friend who is now based in Iloilo and she brought us to this place which is known for serving what they proclaim as the "best baked talaba in town!"

Allan's Talabahan is in Oton, the place looks simple and very unassuming but indeed, the baked talaba with powdered cheese is amazing!

I was going to post about Esca, a garden restaurant located is some subdivision there but I was underwhelmed with the place. Or maybe i expected going to a nicely landscaped and decorated place but instead a saw a quite shabby place with stacked up monobloc chairs. I learned that they just wrapped up an event thus the disarray. And there's supposedly buffet lunches and dinners during weekends and we went there on a wrong timing, oh well, next time perhaps.

And it is always nice to cap a great meal with a variety of desserts like the one offered in Nothing But Desserts in Smallville. This could be any sweet tooth's heaven on earth, pastries, cakes and gelatos of different varieties, and they have flavored coffees for your caffeine fix too. ;)

Anyway, I'm leaving you here with a photo of this bunch of kids i chanced upon outside Molo Church, i asked one of them to take my photo and they gladly posed for me in return. I'm tagging this to one of them via facebook. 

Viva, Iloilo! I shall be back!

OMG, Chicken Charlie!

I first tried Chicken Charlie via a take out order of drumsticks and wings in soy garlic sauce which i shared with my office mates. We all enjoyed it and even deemed it better than Bon Chon's. I went back a second time this time for a dine-in experience. I always believe that new establishments should be given at least a second try before judging its quality. And it is almost always best to try the food at once while it's still piping hot and freshly served.

Chicken Charlie is the third new chicken place here in Katipunan that opened fairly recently next to BonChon and Manang's Chicken. I've long heard about this being the better but more expensive one and i was actually expecting for a more posh store interiors. But being in its soft opening just yet I am quite okay with their  simple yet tasteful design fit mostly for kids.

They say it's best to pair the chicken with their Bundaberg so i tried it. Uhm, nothing special really except for its novelty. Though it reminds me of the gourmet soda, Boylan which i loved much in New York. But at 90 pesos i find it pretty expensive. It tastes more like your regular root beer. I'll definitely have local sodas next time. 

The yam fries are good, sweet and crispy. And are they supposed to be healthier than the potato fries? I don't know and I didn't care anymore as i went on munching while i waited for my chicken. 

My only problem with Chicken Charlie is that they don't serve two-piece drumsticks. The minimum order is 4 pieces drumstick which is too much for me. They do serve 4-piece chicken wings for 99 pesos but I'm not much of a fan of chicken wings. Well, i ordered it anyway. 

Dum-du-bi-dum while waiting for my 4 piece chicken wings in sweet and spicy sauce...

I waited and thought that it's okay, Bon Chon is more accessible anyway and their 2-piece drumstick costs merely 145 pesos and I would already be happy with that.

And then came my order....

Oh wow! it was hot and steaming, and crispy,  and tasty...it was spicy alright but not too spicy that it could drown all the other flavors. It was really good, i forgot all i thoughts about BonChon and them not serving 2-piece drumsticks. OMG, this is Chicken Charlie, the best fried chicken indeed! 

i heard about people separating the crispy skin from the flesh, meticulously picking them off the bones and setting them aside, carefully biting onto the chicken part chewing them well and picking unto the pile of chicken skin set aside and slowly biting and relishing the crunch, the crisp, the flavors, wow!

before i knew it everything was gone and i was slowly licking my fingers off with leftover sauces and savoring each taste. the battle is over, lol.

Addicting indeed! :p

Chicken Charlie in Katipunan is located at the second floor of the Oracle Building along Katipunan Ave. They also have branches in Banawe, San Juan, Malate and in Paranaque. I'm just really happy they added Katipunan in their list. ;)

Burger cravings on a stormy day...

 Once you've tasted manna from heaven, why bother with bread from the baker. - (Quickmelt)

I've been craving for a mean burger for the past couple days now but since it has been rainy even stormy and I am currently down with flu i just can't get out of the house. McDonald's delivery service at 24/7 comes to mind but i don't like their burgers anymore. Especially now that i have tried this much more desirable and delectable burgers from Boulevard Diner here in Xavierville.

It is really just a tiny space with a modern minimalist look. It is cozy and pretty cool to hang out in with your friends. And since i always dine in solo i don't mind plopping myself in a corner and enjoy my burger.

Just me and my burger.

My first visit there was a couple of weeks back and the taste of the burger i had there is making me sleepless, listless. This is the Gorgonzola burger, it has a 1/3 lb. beef patty, lettuce, tomato, white cheese, sauteed oyster mushrooms topped with their special Gorgonzola sauce in a poppy seed bun, phew! I had it sliced into two knowing fully well that i could not consume a whole burger in one sitting.

The beef is truly juicy, the veggies fresh and crisp and the Gorgonzola sauce that could sloppily slide off your chin is just too good to let slip off. Ahh, i just can't stop dreaming about it now!

They have other interesting burger creations that are worth trying like the Crazy Cajun, Larry Lanai, etc..

And you may want to challenge and rate yourself with the spice level of their wingerangs aka buffalo chicken wings. ;)

Boulevard Diner is located at 91 Xavierville Avenue, Loyola Heights, QC. And their front door sign says they could deliver around Katipunan area if you call them at 504-5634, hmmm maybe i could just try that. ;)

EDIT: They deliver for a minimum of 500-peso order, oh well...:)

another manang is in the neighborhood

Manang, no, not the Manang we have in the Ateneo campus who serves great pork chop, is also now here in Katipunan just as eager to feed us this time with her own chicken recipe. I have heard about this from fellow food hunters and the reviews have been nothing but awesome. Imagine my excitement when i saw a signage weeks ago. 

Their tiny place opened today, Monday and even the rains brought about by Typhoon Pedring did not deter the flock that wanted a taste of Manang's Chicken. And oh, everyone of us got a free sundae cone as their opening day promo!

I ordered their two-piece choice cuts for take out and it costs P154.00 which already includes a regular drink. They will let you choose what type of sauce you want for your chicken that is, regular, mild, spicy, extra spicy. i wanted to play it safe so i chose the mild sauce. I shared my meal with my office mates and they all like the chicken. i like it's crunchy skin and the size of its cuts are satisfying enough. but the meat seems to be tasteless, uh-oh. 

An extra order of their regular potato chips costs P30.00. I am quite used to having fries but this one's addicting, it is crunchy and crisp and it seemed liked they were baked since it is not too oily. 

I'm not too sold on this just yet but I'd definitely like to give them a chance.

And contrary to popular complains, this branch uses real plates for their dine-in customers (I got this photo on the counter while waiting for my order hehe)

Manang's Chicken Katipunan is located at the ground floor of the Burgundy Plaza just beside 7-11. They also deliver around the area with their number 9215907.

good morning!

it was just about 9am on a Sunday morning, i was still sleepy since i had a late night gimmick the previous night but i had to head off to Antipolo to work. yes, work on a Sunday morning.  I was running late (as usual) and could not think of anything but my bed and catching more zzzzs

then my officemate sent me a text message,

  "hintayin ka namin dito sa Starbucks".

ahh, that just jolted me up.

Starbucks. 

in Antipolo.

WOW!

Starbucks in Antipolo opened a few weeks ago and is located at this new mall right in front of the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage or simply known as the Antipolo Church.

My current favorite drink- a hot cup of creme brulee macchiato...what a good morning indeed!

So what is a winter melon?

i first encountered winter melon as drink when i went to mercato last summer. it was served as winter melon iced tea with its chunks of ice and sweet flavor thereby reminding me of, er winter.

 a quick search on google tells me that winter melon is also called the white gourd or more popularly known as kundol here in our country. yes, that sweet candy you love when it is sugared and dried.

winter melon is also a current favorite flavor among milk tea patrons, ahh there, i believe it's time i compose my milk tea blog post soon. teehee!

Il Mercanti

 Similar, i guess to the Banchettos that have sprouted in the different areas in the metro, Il Mercanti offers the same concept of showcasing a lot of different varieties of food stuff. I have never been to any Banchetto site so i can't really compare, I have been to Mercato and although i prefer their food line up there, Il Mercanto is more airy and spacious not to mention more accessible since it is located just right inside Metrowalk.

spacious halls

a short walk from the main establishments of Metrowalk towards the parking lot will lead you to this...

roast pork loin, pastas, potatoes

just follow your nose, the waft of the different aromas of food will definitely entice you. 

there are different varieties of food to choose from, there's rice and viands combo, or  meats and potatoes and pasta, there's different kids of pizzas...

the Korean food stall

 there's a Mongolian stall somewhere, and this Korean food stall which i personally love, and some Japanese sushi and rolls too.

street food all-you-want

 street food abounds as well, i must have seen two or three stalls in there somewhere. there are also different varieties of seafoods and even lechon!!

desserts table

 there is also a wide selection of dessert items for your sweet tooth.

the spacious dining area

I'm not quite sure if it was just a slow night or word still hasn't gotten around much but there  were but a few people when we got there that we never had any problem getting a table. and several helps were around to clear the tables at once when the guests leave.  we must have spent a considerable amount of time checking out each stall, taking photos and deciding what to sample. we wanted to try different varieties and here's what we finally got:

some Korean dumpling soup--spicy!

 i don't know what it's called, it's sold for 99 pesos per order. it's like a kimchy soup, spicy and sour with some rice/ flour dumplings. it tasted like rice balls hehe...good enough for me.

chap chae noodles (80.00)

 this noodles is part of a combo meal which you could pair with rice and chicken or pork dish which costs 99 pesos. we didn't want any rice so i merely ordered this dish. it is cold but very tasty, i like it.

baked lasagna

 this baked lasagna is so-so...

Smore's bar at Med's 59.00

this smores bar is really good, it's like a moist chocolate bar with burnt marshmallow toppings. too bad we were so full when we got this that we didn't finish everything. i took this home along with other revel bars we bought for 3 kinds for 100 pesos but i ended up giving them to the taxi driver who took me home. i felt too stuffed already and i didn't want more temptations teehee! i hope mamang driver liked it.

steak sandwich, a bit mediocre for 135.00

 the steak sandwich was one of the first stuff that i bought, it's supposed to be beef steak cut into strips and garnished with onions and bell peppers topped with cheddar or blue cheese. i let them take out the onions and pepper because i don't eat them and chose blue cheese as condiment, ahhh it tasted blah. the beef was bubble gummy, the blue cheese tasted different, the bun is mediocre. it's too expensive for me for 135.00. maybe i should just have tried their pulled pork sandwich.

wintermelon milk tea, quite expensive for 90.00

 milk tea!!! i've been on a milk tea frenzy the past days, this was actually my second cup for the day. it tasted alright but i find it expensive compared to Moonleaf which only costs 70.00.

this is a winner, taro ice cream for 25.00, yum!

we capped the night, er morning with this yummy taro ice cream. and it's a steal for 25.00 per small cup. it's so creamy and delicious indeed. we were there from 10:30pm to about 12:30am stuffing ourselves crazy and digesting all the food sights and smells and some sightings of a few celebrities. Reporter, TV personality Connie Sison was there and i just learned that she's one of the organizers for this event. 

OH WAIT!

this was our STAR OF THE NIGHT...

The Juicy Lucy stuffed cheeseburger...

uhm, it's got fried mozzarella cheese hugging the enormous beef patty which has more melted cheese stuffed in it. cardiac delight indeed but it was really yummy! ;)

I'm not sure when we are going back to Il Mercanti, i guess we need more time to digest everything that we ate there that night (till morning). teehee!

Il Mercanti is located at the parking lot of Metrowalk in Ortigas and is open Wednesday to Friday nights at 10pm onwards.