SHAKING THE SUMMER HEAT IN BORACAY

Summer is an action-packed season…

It’s a time where I love going to the beach… and my favorite destination is… BORACAY!

Some are so excited just to cool their bodies down by just sprawling on the cool sand… others love to swim… go snorkeling, island hopping, jet skiing, and many more activities that you can do in the beach… and I really love doing those things!

But if you were to ask me what is it that I’m so excited about Boracay?

It’s Jonah’s fruit shakes!!!

No, it’s not an ordinary fruit shake… it’s not something that you can buy in the malls or any shops!

IT IS THE SHAKE OF ALL SHAKES!

So refreshing, so smooth and sweet!  You can choose from different varieties of fresh fruits,  and there are choices of combinations of fruits and other dessert s like chocolate and nuts!

Oh, and the best part of it, is you'll get to share a few stories with the fruit shake king himself, whom we fondly call "Kuya Jonah!"

this is what I ordered, ripe mango and banana shake

me and my hubby with the fruit shake king, Jonah

THE BATTLE OF THE PERSIANS

No, I’m not talking about the Battle of Thermopylae which was featured in the movie 300… hey I’m all about food, so I’m trying to figure out which Persian restaurant is the best for me… is it Mr. Kabab? (located at West Ave. QC and UP-Ayala Technohub Commonwealth QC) Or the other Persian restaurant, The World’s Best Persian Restaurant? (I’m not trying to describe the place, that’s the name of the restaurant! Located at Quezon Ave. QC)

Both of them have their own killer entrees and both have their own not-so-good recipes.

Here are the foods that I tried so far…

Mr. Kabab: I really really love their chicken beryani, lamb beryani, falafel plate and their chicken chelo special… they are to die for! But forget their shawarma plate and shawarma sandwich, the beef they used is a little dry and it lacks a bit of that Persian spice…

TWBPR:  I think this is where I’ve tasted the best shawarma ever! Most especially when you top it with hot garlic sauce…. Ahhh, it’s uh-ma-zing! And it goes best with their mango yoghurt shake. But when I tried their chicken beryani, I was quite disappointed since it is quite lacking not just in the serving size but also in taste.

 So who wins? ME!… because each has their own specialty dishes that I can always go to whenever I crave for that Persian taste… like I said I’m all about food!

Mr. Kabab's chicken chelo special 

Array of yoghurt and fruit shakes

Falafel plate from Mr. Kabab Persian Restaurant

delicious Lamb Beryani

really really delicious Chicken Beryani

Mango Yoghurt Shake by The World's Best Persian Restaurant

The BEST Shawarma I've ever tasted is at TWBPR

SIMPLE PLEASURES

Most of the times we want to go to these really fancy and expensive restaurants and enjoy choosing from their over-prized-hard-to-pronounce menu! But still we love the feel of the cozy ambience and VIP treatment we get from the maitre d’ down to the waiter.

Or perhaps indulge in those exotic foods that some provinces or countries offer. Getting accustomed to the different tastes of spices and seasonings in our palate until we come to love the taste of it.

These are some of the GASTRONOMIC PLEASURES I enjoy.

But there is one place that I love to go to and hang out once in a while… and enjoy the simple pleasures of life… it’s the twirled chocolate and vanilla ice cream that you can only buy at Ministop convenience store… it’s like a taste of heaven… only, it is in a cone.

Simple pleasure... heaven in a cone!

CUTE LITTLE COUNTRY-STYLE RESTAURANT

There are many benefits of walking in the park...

Good cardio exercise...

Fresh air for a healthier lungs...

And sweet bonding moments with your hunny!

These are all the things that I enjoyed when Ives and I went to Quezon Memorial Circle. 

But the best benefit I get from walking is the discovery of this dainty restaurant en route our planned destination!

Sunglass Cafe is a cute little country styled restaurant that serves hearty breakfast with unlimited serving of black organic rice, choices of lavazza or starbucks coffee, refreshing juices, cakes, sandwiches and pastas! 

Ives and I decided to try their all-day breakfast.

I chose their pork longganiza meal. It comes with black rice, egg, and coffee or juice.

While Ives decided on his all-time favorite breakfast, pork tapa meal.

The food was great! The unlimited black rice was a big plus to the greatness!

The price was so reasonable! 

The servers were friendly.

The place was really cozy. (too bad I wasn't able to take many pictures of the place and their country displays, both Ives and I were already starving!)

Even the restroom is so cute! The light switch displays the classic small coke poster a-la Norman Rockwell!

I promise to take pictures of each and every corner of the place once I go back there... 

For sure I'm going back to that place!

Ives' all-time favorite breakfast
Beef tapa and scrambled eggs

hearty breakfast
he's enjoying his 88-peso meal!

my pork longganiza and scrambled egg... plus the unli organic black rice!

pose before my dose :)

refreshing melon and strawberry juices

I just adore this small sachet of iodized salt

see how small this is?!

BAGUIO FOOD TRIP

It has already been two months from today when Ives and I had a grand Baguio vacation... Ives had been bugging me since we got back home here in Manila to update my travel blog! I have been pretty much occupied since then, that is why this blog had been halted for a little while... But here I am once again! The problem is, how will I start my blog... should I do it chronologically? or should I just write whatever comes out first from my brain? I think I'll go with the latter.

The first thing that comes out of my mind are the foods!

I think one of the best food trips that Ives and I have indulged to, are the ones we tried during our stay in Baguio.

Why did I say that?

The following photographs will say it all...

I told myself I'll be more adventurous this time...
This is the most daring food trip that  I've ever done!
believe it or not, it took me a few attempts to bite into this whole quail!

this is the first time that I've seen a cooked quail...

CRISPY PORK BINAGOONGAN
One of the reasons why I'm going back to that resto!
This is a must try at Point and Grill Restaurant, SM Baguio

mongolian bowl, Ives ordered this, ahm... mediocre 

I think this is the spicy squid... tastes ok... although, I was not jumping up and down with it

sinampalukang manok
my ULTIMATE FAVORITE!
I think I ordered this dish everyday!

the gigantic burger in this cute little diner at Jim's Retro Diner, Session Road

this burger is sooo big! some of the stuffs inside just come off!

this is my 77-peso meal!
one of the many reasons why i go back to Toppings and Treats!

for me, this is the BEST turo-turo there is in Baguio!

Extra Caldo Please!

Iloilo… the city of warm, friendly people… but most of all… the home of the famous BATCHOY!

If you’re wondering what it’s like… it a hot noodle soup with pork meat and liver, strips of beef, and ground chicharon (crispy pork skin ), and lots of toasted garlic… such a delish dish!

here's what a batchoy looks like

So when you find yourself in Iloilo… after checking out their parks and museums… you’ll surely be hungry… go find their most famous Ted’s Old-Timer La Paz Batchoy restaurant… and indulge yourself with their deliciously satisfying  bowl of steaming hot extra special batchoy combined with puto… the next thing they’ll be hearing from you are your burps! Oh, and don’t forget to tell them “Extra caldo please!” and they’ll gladly fill your bowl with unlimited supply of hot soup!

 Fortunately for those who are stuck in the city, you can still enjoy that authentic Ilongo specialty even without going to Iloilo, there are now many branches of Ted's Old-Timer La Paz Batchoy restaurants here in the metro!

More Than Just Fruits and Shakes

Some healthy alternatives.
Here at Fruit Magic, you'll get to enjoy not just the healthy fruit shakes and juices, but some really delicious pastas, wraps and sandwiches. And the soya drinks with different flavors are really great!... My favorites are their spaghetti with meat sauce, spaghetti with tuna in red sauce and their chicken broccoli pasta. You can find them anywhere inside the malls, but the ones that serve pastas and sandwiches, like this one, are usually found inside the Fitness First gyms.

Refreshments and Thirst Quenchers

I used to love drinking really really cold soft drinks... but then, I thought of shifting to a lesser evil thirst quencher... Two of my favorite refreshments... ice cold nai tsa and black gulaman... always available at Chowking! Now what other local drinks can beat these two?