Pho Hoa Vietnamese Noodle House @ Shangri-la Plaza

It was a packed Friday night at Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong and with aplenty of restaurants to choose from, my friend and I opted to try Pho Hoa, which was located at the 6^th level.

I’ve passed by Pho Hoa (this particular branch & other branches as well) a lot of times but I’ve never tried it (Vietnamese food is not really on my “likes” list).

This branch of Pho Hoa has a small dining area. I noticed that their tables, chairs and interiors are simple, no fancy design whatsoever.

Since I’m craving for “comfort” food, I ordered their Beef Stew with Bread. The soup is rich and flavourful with generous pieces of tender beef. Even though it was just a stew with bread, my tummy was full. (Vietnamese food now added to my "likes" list!)

Beef Stew w/ Bread, PhP 240

My friend, on the other hand, ordered Grilled Pork and Fried Rolls with Rice. It's grilled slices of pork, their signature fried spring rolls and fried rice.

Grilled Pork & Fried Rolls w/ Rice, PhP 280

Maybe because there is no service charge, but I find their menu a bit pricey (for a "small" restaurant) and servings are usually good for one person only.

Filipino Classics at C2

C2 Classic Cuisine is among those restaurants lined up on “The Ledge”-part of Shangri-La Mall, sharing the mall’s spacious “hallway’ space as dining area.

It was a Tuesday, lunch time and I’ve noticed that C2 has not that much customers, same as with other restaurants in the area.

Here are what our group had:

-          A medley of tokwa (fried tofu cubes), crispy dilis, fried fish, crispy squid (tender squid rings), etc:

-          Another “bilao” of chicken pork barbeque, boneless crispy pata, etc:

-          We also tried their “famous” Tinolang Binakol, your regular tinola with coconut meat twist! I’m not really a fan of binakol (even in other restaurants). The sweetness of coconut meat somewhat tastes weird with ginger soup. Anyways, they served it in a coconut shell which is a plus point for presentation.

-          

              From all the dishes, what I really liked was their Sotanghon Guisado. I never thought that scrambled eggs will go well with vermicelli. It is also flavorful and has generous servings of pork and chicken strips.

Taste-wise, price-wise and service-wise, it was just okay.  For the same price-level, I think Namnam’s dishes taste better and Namnam really put that “twist” on the usual Filipino food. Maybe I’ll come back and try C2’s other offerings and perhaps I’ll be more satisfied.

For more information, you may visit their website:

http://c2classiccuisine.com/

Philippine Holidays for 2015

As early as now, I'm posting the list of nationwide holidays for 2015 as announced by Malacanang
(based from the Official Gazette):

January 1, 2015, Thursday – New Year’s Day (Regular holiday)

January 2, 2015, Friday - Additional special non-working day (Special non-working day)

February 19, 2015, Thursday – Chinese New Year (Special non-working day)

February 25, 2015, Wednesday – EDSA Revolution anniversary (Special holiday)

April 2, 2015, Thursday – Maundy Thursday (Regular holiday)

April 3, 2015, Friday – Good Friday (Regular holiday)

April 4, 2015, Saturday – Black Saturday (Special non-working day)

April 9, 2015, Thursday – Araw ng Kagitingan (Regular holiday)

May 1, 2015, Friday – Labor Day (Regular holiday)

June 12, 2015, Friday – Independence Day (Regular holiday)

August 21, 2015, Friday – Ninoy Aquino Day (Special non-working day)

August 31, 2015, last Monday of August – National Heroes Day (Regular holiday)

November 1, 2015, Sunday – All Saints Day (Special non-working day)

November 30, 2015, Monday – Bonifacio Day (Regular holiday)

December 24, 2015, Thursday - Additional special non-working day (Special non-working day)

December 25, 2015, Friday – Christmas Day (Regular holiday)

December 30, 2015, Wednesday – Rizal Day (Regular holiday)

December 31, 2015, Thursday – Last day of the year (Special non-working day)

Wow, plenty of holidays for next year! So what are you waiting for? Take something off from your bucket list. Go, Taste & Blog!

Dining by the sea at Maxine

They say that when you are Alaminos City, Pangasinan, dining at Maxine by the Sea Restaurant & Lodge is a must. And I must agree! Though the food is just typical, nothing beats al fresco dining with a view of the Hundred Islands.

Only a few minutes walk from where we are billeted, we arrived at Maxine, which is conveniently located in Lucap Wharf.  We headed towards the upper deck section of the restaurant’s roof-over patio nestled over the water. It was evening and raining hard, only the tiny light from the nearby parola can be viewed outside from where we were seated. It was both frightening and exciting as we can hear the roaring waves below us and the cold, strong wind gusting towards us.

The busy reception area

Stairs leading towards Maxine Rendezvous' upper deck

Finally, dinner is served!

All the dishes taste okay. The servings are satisfactory also. Price is average. What mattered was the experience of dining by the sea-- a perfect way to cap our last night in Hundred Islands.

For more details, visit their website at: http://www.maxinebythesea.com/

Surprising Bolinao

Coming from Alaminos, we drove further up north to Bolinao, Pangasinan. I wasn’t really expecting much since this Bolinao Day Tour was just part of the Hundred Islands Tour package we got. To my surprise, Bolinao has a lot to offer--even if it is not too popular like its nearby destination place, Hundred Islands.

First stop: Bolinao Falls

the trek going to Bolinao Falls 2

After a short trek on what looks like a countryside or a farm, we arrived at the Bolinao Falls. You have to manoeuvre on the makeshift bamboo bridges to be able to get to the wooden cottage of your choice. This cottage, of course, comes with a rental fee. If you weren’t able to bring food, you can buy cold bottled water or softdrinks and snacks like bananaque.

Word of caution tho—be very careful when approaching the falls because the stones you will be stepping on are really slippery (Well, I actually slipped and made a spectacle!)

Bolinao Falls 2

The locals told us that we should see “the other falls”. But after hearing that is a more difficult and a longer trek than what we’ve already done, we just decided to stay where we are.

After a while, we headed back to where our van was parked. There was a table selling halo-halo (PhP 15 for a small plastic cup). We ordered because the driver said that going to Patar Beach would take a while and it was already lunch time.

Next stop: Patar Beach

As we are nearing Patar Beach, I noticed that there are plenty of resorts along the way to choose from--to the luxurious accommodations up to budget lodges.

We settled on the “public beach” area where you can rent a cottage or a picnic table. Souvenir shops abound. The pay restrooms however are disappointing. Aside from the long queue, it’s not that clean.

Since it is a Saturday, plenty of families are having their picnics here. We didn't bring any food so we had our super late lunch in the carinderia near the entrance.

The creamy sand beach facing the West Philippine Sea is not yet that commercialized. There’s no mobile phone signal here. Nobody from our group attempted to swim because it was too hot (it was already mid-afternoon). I wasn’t able to take a photo of the beach because i was too busy looking at the fresh catch that was just brought in by the fishermen. 

fresh catch!

We were advised to wait for the “famous sunset” but we were in a hurry as we have to go to Cape Bolinao before heading on a long drive for Manila.

Last stop: Cape Bolinao

Just some minutes of uphill walk on a Bougainvillea-lined pavement from Patar Beach is Cape Bolinao, the second tallest lighthouse in the Philippines. Unfortunately, you can’t go inside or climb to the topmost portion of the lighthouse. I just contented myself at the overlooking deck with the paronamic view of the sea while the sun is about to set.

with the sun about to set!

Definitely a day is not enough for what Bolinao has to offer. Other must-see places like the caves, rock formations, more falls, etc are enough reasons to be “surprised” and stay here for another day. 

Hopping the Hundred Islands

The Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos City, Pangasinan is actually composed of about 123 islands and islets. 

Here’s a rundown of some of its islands that we were able to visit in a 2-day period:

Governors Island

It is famous for the 360 degrees view of the Hundred Islands that you mostly see in brochures and websites. However, you must first take the 100+ steps before reaching the view deck but it will all be worth it, I tell you.

Governors Island's beachfront

panoramic view of Hundred Islands

Also in this island is the Pinoy Big Brother transient house used during the 2006 Teen Edition. There’s also the Governors Cave. It is small and quite cleaner than the other caves.

PBB house

Governors Cave

Quezon Island

It is one of the three developed islands, along with Governors and Children’s islands. It has plenty of cottages and grilling area. We were supposed to have our lunch here but it is too crowded.

Lopez Island

For our lunch venue, we settled with this not-so-popular island which is just across Quezon Island. Good thing there were also some picnic tables and monobloc chairs.  It’s a small island with fine sand and clear waters (plenty of jellyfish though). It’s not crowded and we actually loved it here and came back the following day for lunch again.

Century Island

This is my favorite, despite the stinky guano smell.  After a forest-like short trail, you will come face-to-face with a huge dome-shaped cave with massive stalagmite and stalactite formations. Countless bats are either flying around or hanging at the ceiling of the cave. I climbed the steep and slimy formations just to have the photo-op at the left:

Bats hanging on the cave's ceiling

Marcos Island

Another must-visit island is the Marcos Island, famous for its cliff-diving spot. For thrill-seekers, one can go to the top part of Imelda Cave and plunge into the deep water below! I wanted to try it but I just didn’t have the guts, maybe next time. With its fine, white sand and clear waters, we rested here for a while.

Imelda Cave

Cathedral Island

Named as such because it looks like an ancient rock cathedral. It is actually an island-cave with massive and rugged limestone formation. We weren’t able to come closer, but I was able to take some shots of it:

close-up shot at the mouth of the cave

Crocodile and Turtle Islands

We just passed by these small islands. Crocodile Island looks like a crocodile from afar and Turtle Island looks like, well you guessed it right, a turtle!

Look! a crocodile!

Turtle Island

For more information, visit http://www.hundredislands.ph/

The Love Shack @ SM Aura

My friend and I were looking for a place to have early dinner while wandering around SM Aura Premiere and “Love Shack” caught our attention. Well, aside from its name—what attracted us was its modern yet simple interiors, giving it a cozy ambiance. Plus, the menu suits everyone—whether burger, pasta or rice meals—they have it.

I don’t really like soups, but their Pumpkin Soup made me crave for more. The pumpkin, onion and fresh herbs are flavorful. Same thing with their Love Shack Salad, I’m not also into vegetables, but this one's a winner! It consists of lettuce, bacon crisp, croutons and caesar dressing. I really enjoyed nibbling on the parmesan crisp that comes with it.

Pumpkin Soup (PhP 150) and Love Shack Salad (PhP 210)
with our drinks

We tried the Chicken Steak (PhP 390)--It is cooked in caramelised onion, shitake, truffle oil, button mushroom and demi-glaze gravy, served with hash brown. We also had Pesto Pasta.

Chicken Steak (PhP 390)

Pesto Pasta

The staff are friendly and accommodating to our requests. It was also not crowded at that time—perfect for enjoying a meal while chatting with friends.

For more details, visit their FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/loveshack.SMAura

Balai Ilocos: Na B.I. na ako!

With numerous restaurants thriving inside BF Homes, Paranaque City, having a newly-opened Ilocano-specialty restaurant is a breath of fresh air. Just this March, Balai Ilocos opened along Aguirre Avenue.

As its name suggests, Balai Ilocos serves authentic Ilocano dishes. The place is quite small and exudes a homey ambiance. Plus, the owners and staff are really friendly.

To taste the best of Ilocos, my friend and I tried the Balai Ilocos Platter. It is a medley of igado, longganisa and bagnet. It is served with each dish’ corresponding sidings or sauce. 

Balai Ilocos Platter, PhP 286

All the three dishes are flavorful but I loved the longganisa best! I remember the owner telling us that it is a family original recipe (home-made from Ilocos). Honorable mention goes to the bagnet.

Of course, we also tried the pakbet to compliment the meat dishes. The servings are priced just right.

Pakbet, PhP 125

There are a plenty of other interesting dishes on the menu that we wanted to try--definitely we will come back!

For more details, like their FB page: 

https://www.facebook.com/balaiilocos

Say malinamnam at Namnam!

My college friend recommended Namnam Comfort Food for our get-together lunch. Good idea for a restaurant name, I thought. But I kind of got lost looking for Namnam because the last time I went to Greenbelt 2, the occupant of that space was still Masas. Plus, another resto was occupying the top floor of Namnam (BurgerBar).

Anyway, I find their menu quite interesting and new. They serve traditional Filipino dishes with a modern-day twist.  Also, they have small servings (good for one) so that we can sample as many dishes at possible.

What I loved was the Caramelized Patis Wings. It is chicken wings in Palawan honey and patis glaze.Promise, there’s no hint of the patis taste, it’s actually more on the sweet side. I also liked its crispiness.

Caramelized Patis Wings (or what was left of it)
PhP 155 (small size)

Next is the Beef Belly Bulalo. The beef is so tender and the soup so flavourful. It goes well with plain rice.

USDA Beef Belly Bulalo
PhP 298 (small size)

A classic favourite, Adobong Kangkong was good also, as expected.

Adobong Kankong
PhP 100 (small size)

We also tried the Ensaladang Namnam made of bagoong, mango, tomatoes, and—surprise-- tinapa flakes and shredded pomelo! But i find it quite “dry” though.

Ensaladang Namnam
PhP 115 (small size)

And of course, a trip to a Filipino restaurant wouldn’t be complete without adobo and sisig.

I don’t usually order shakes when dining out because it makes me feel too full, but Namnam’s shakes selection is really inviting that I had just to give in. The Ube Sago and Strawberry Camias is too die for! The Ube Sago is like ube ice cream and very tasty and creamy. I was having second thoughts on trying Strawberry Camias but the waiter prodded me—and the sweetness of strawberry coupled with the subtle sourness of camias—turned out to be a refreshing combination.

Ube Sago, PhP 95
Strawberry Camias, PhP 115

Our stomachs have no more room for dessert. We haven’t even tried their popular dishes (more reasons to go back here, haha). Plus, their prices are quite affordable for a restaurant in this row in Greenbelt 2. With their innovative menu and more, I can’t wait to dine here again.

Stackers Burger Cafe at ATC

My church mates and I were supposed to watch Captain America: Winter Soldier at the Alabang Town Center (ATC), but then all the good seats were taken so we decided to just eat instead.

Since it is a Sunday afternoon, most of the restaurants at the ground level of the mall’s expansion wing (“The Garden”) were jampacked, so we ended up at Stackers Burger Cafe, which was not full at that time. It’s good that we were seated in front of their two wide screen TVs which shows foreign movies and trailers.

I remembered that I already tried their burger at their branch in Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila a year ago but I can’t recall if it was good or not. No one ordered a burger this time, we decided to eat “light” instead.

I feel like eating “healthy” so I ordered their Asian Burger Bowl. It is made up of romaine lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, chopped nuts and topped with a quarter pounder burger patty and fried wanton flakes. It comes with an oriental dressing on the side. I was not able to finish it because this is the worst veggie salad that I’ve tasted. What a disappointment!

One of my friends also ordered a salad, the Barbeque Burger Bowl. Angus beef patty is served on a bed of greens with cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, fried wanton flakes, grated cheese and barbecue sauce. It comes with a ranch dressing on the side. I guess her salad was good because she didn’t comment.

The rest of the orders included:

Creamy Carbonara – spaghetti with creamy garlic carbonara sauce with sliced mushrooms and bacon bits

Classic Rocky Road Glacier

Premium Blueberry Cheesecake Glacier – this one looks really tempting! I have to order this next time.

Capuccino with that cute heart design. No, they don’t have biscotti (as shown in the photo below) – that was baked by one of our companions.

Although disappointed with my salad, I think I’ll go back here and try their burgers and baked fried chicken next time.