last june 4, 2013, my friend and i dined here at The Dining Room of Castle Peak Hotel. Castle Peak Hotel is located at Mabolo Cebu City. the dining buffet will only cost you Php 350.00. 

With this price, you'll get to taste their grilled goat meat and boneless roasted pork, and etc. here's more of the dishes they offer when we dined. :) 

with all due fairness, the set-up of the buffet venue is very homey and relaxing. the buffet dishes were pretty decent. enough to say that for its price, you can't complain. here's the peg of venue.

they have lighted chairs outside of the hotel, just below their signage. i took the opportunity for a photo ops there. kakaaliw and lighted chairs. hehe :)

if you're looking for an affordable dinner buffet, consider this place to your list. food is decent enough.

tight hugs,
AC

i discovered a resto that serves chicken bacolod style of inasal. the name of the resto is "chickenamit". "namit" is an ilonggo term which means "masarap" or "delicious" in english. located at F. Cabahug St., Mabolo, Cebu City. this is not a high end resto. when you get in, the ambiance has a homey feel, its just like you're dining at home, nothing fancy really. i ate there alone! hahaha.. and here's my ganap :)

below is their menu. so you'll have an idea how much you'll spend if  you want to check this place out.

the chicken was really good. i have tried chicken bacolod before and this i must say, they really serve authentic chicken bacolod inasal. i'm happy with my dining experience here coz of the following reasons: the chicken inasal was really yummy, the price is very very affordable, and very friendly customer service. i'd definitely recommend that you guys try this out. :)

also, one piece of advise, drizzle your rice with their homemade annatto oil, its HEAVEN!!! :)

tight hugs,
AC

my friends and i decided to dine at Penong's Cebu branch last night at Escario St. in case you don't know, Penong's is a seafood and barbecue grill resto which started in Davao many years back. widely known for their best tasting chicken barbecue. now, someone bought a franchise and brought it here in Cebu.

i'm in a group where 3 of us are from Mindanao. so, we are very familiar with the "TASTE" of Penong's chicken barbecue because we are avid fans of this resto way back our college days. we were just so eager to dine because we've missed this so much! haha! anyways, before i share to you my review of this resto, allow me to share to you first their full menu with price lists, so you'll have an idea. :)

and then, we took our orders of their chicken barbecue coz that's what they were known for. we also ordered kinilaw. by the way, their rice is unlimited, nakakaloka! haha! :)

as we started devouring our respective chicken barbecue, the 3 of us who are very familiar with the taste of Penong's chicken barbecue, started to look at each other and slowly frowned our face. we all agreed, "this is not the taste we are looking for, iba ang lasa ng Penong's chicken barbecue sa Davao!!!"... nakakaloka! :(  ... we all find the barbecue dry, which should not be the case coz in Penong's Davao, their chicken is very juicy. maybe because its pre boiled or it was boiled too much that it left the chicken dry. plus, maybe the addition of honey as one of the ingredients in their marination, made the chicken dry. from a scale of 1 to 5, i rate their chicken barbecue a 3. the taste was really just average. the pork barbecue was also dry. their side dish, the "atsara", was also very dry. it lacks sourness. it didn't impress me and my friends. we wonder, why was the taste different when its a franchise? shouldn't it be the same? well, we leave this up to the owners of Penong's Cebu. if you ask me if i'll ever come back for the chicken barbecue, its a resounding NO. by the way, be careful of the bloody chicken coz my friend's chicken barbecue (breast part) still has blood in it, and he requested to have his chicken grilled again. lol... on to reviewing the next dish. their kinilaw was superb, in fairness... i really love it... i'm not so sure to come back to taste their other dishes but i may out of curiosity, especially their grilled bangus. hehe... not sure though if its a boneless bangus. i forgot to ask! lol... to add, their waiters are also very accommodating and very responsive. here's more of our ganap at Penong's Cebu and how their establishment looks like. :)

they have reminders posted on all posts of the establishment! here's some of them. :)

tight hugs,
AC

today i had lunch with aki (whose pic is not available on this blog coz he said he didn't look good on the pics we've taken earlier at the resto! hahaha) at Metro Gourmet. its location is fronting the Metro Ayala Grocery. i love gourmet dish because its always served with sophistication. aside from the sophistication, when its gourmet, it would mean that its prepared with only the finest ingredients there is, diba? hehe :) aside from being a resto, they also sell imported ingredients, from meat to cheese and etc. here's our ganap.

and here's one ingredient na ubod ng mahal na hindi ko kinaya - foie gras. foie gras is a duck liver. aside from being known as one of the most expensive dish served in high-end hotels and resto, its flavor is described as rich, buttery and delicate that melts in your mouth. di ko pa kayang i-achieve ang ganitong klaseng dish coz we have monetary concerns as of the moment. hahaha! here's the foie gras.

i suggested to Aki that he should try the hickory smoked ribs. yes, i didn't fail to impress Aki on this particular dish. he loved it to death! hahaha... but then, we ended up arguing if the sauce has curry or none. hahaha... feeling mga foodies kami eh. hahaha.. anyways, this only costs Php 160.00! super worth the price! a must try! :)

i tried their bolognese pasta. i love pasta sauce but this type of pasta dish doesn't have much sauce. instead, the sauce is composed of veggies and meat and a bit of dried tomato sauce. hahaha... but the taste was just ok. a bit sweet and sour. not bad at all though. its paired with garlic bread. :)

so guys, whenever you feel like doing grocery at Metro Ayala Cebu, dont forget to drop by Metro Gourmet and try their gourmet dishes. two thumbs up for this resto. :) the only bad thing about their customer service is that, they don't allow their employees to take pictures of their customers whenever they're asked for this type of favor. their employees will be reprimanded by management. i'm curious though. let me ask their supervisor next time as to why. intrimitida diba? hahaha... well, i just want to know why coz in high-end restos, its totally ok, but for them, its not. weird but totally interesting. hahaha :)

tight hugs,
AC

i chanced upon Mandarin Tea Garden at I.T Park in Lahug, Cebu. i could clearly remember during my college days in Davao that i'm a fan of this resto's beef brisket noodle soup. i never knew that they have a branch here in Cebu, until this day. i also learned that they also have a new branch in SM Cebu, at the old wing of the mall. if you want delectable chinese cuisine at a very affordable price, i highly recommend Mandarin Tea Garden. they serve good chinese dish. unlike other chinese resto whose dish are a bit bland. Mandarin Tea Garden boasts of their flavorful chinese dishes. i went to this resto alone. here's my ganap. :)

and here's a complete pic of their menu! hahaha! so you'll know how much to spend when you're here. basta, try niyo talaga, di kayo magsisisi. :)

i'd like to share to you guys the dessert i had when i dined here. according to their menu, its the tropical fruit salad (papaya, banana, mango and kaong), and its only Php 54.00! very reasonable, diba?! and here's how it looks like. :)

so, what are u waiting for?! attack na sa resto na toh dahil affordable talaga at masarap pa! :)

tight hugs,
AC

ok, last dec 15, after devouring the vegan burger at Vegan's Guild Stall, burnz and i transferred to another stall to try another veggie dish. burnz led me to Toni's, which sells potato croquettes and vegetable rolls. gosh, the best tasting croquettes i've tasted so far. most resto's here in cebu don't offer this type of dish. its mostly mashed potato. but this one is different coz there's a crispiness to it since its coated and fried. so, i met Toni, a japanese, and owner of Toni's. he named his business after his name. very simple. hehehe.. Toni's is open only during saturdays at Banilad Town Center (BTC) Cebu. Here's our ganap at Toni's stall. :)

while burnz and i were happily engaged in interviewing toni, we learned that he lives in Naga, which is very far. he as another store branch in minglanilla, and the other branch is this one, in BTC. Toni also understands a little bit of Cebuano. so, we were really amazed because despite his japanese accent, he is able to adopt to our culture. he was shy at first me taking a pic of him... i dont know why but maybe because he has an issue with immigration. charot! hahahha! or maybe he's not used to being taken a picture. lol... anyways, we had fun chatting with him. here's how his dishes look like :)

you should try all the dishes i've mentioned above because its really good. also, its the first time that burnz and i tasted catsup with spicy vinegar. we didn't even know that these two compliment each other! hahaha.... nakadalawang cup of vegetable roll ako at two potato croquette. oh diba, di masyadong masiba? hahaha! :) i highly recommend that you try Toni's at BTC coz he offers another healthy food option for those health conscious people like me. charot! hahaha :)

tight hugs,
AC

after my yoga workshop last dec 15, burnz and i went straight to the food stalls of Banilad Town Center (BTC) Cebu, located at the ground level. hahaha... spell, GUTOM! lol! here, i met Feras, owner of the Vegan's Guild Stall. i met Feras through burnz early last week coz of the vegan burger that burnz ordered from him. and now, im one of his avid customers. his vegan burger is REALLY good! a must try! here's our kembot with Feras! :)

my gad, you should see Feras in person. he looks like Jesus Christ! he is GORGEOUS, literally! i told him that he's really gorgeous and he turns red! hahahaha... ako pa, best in kaprangkahan! buti na lang di ko siya sinabihan ng "yummy"! baka hindi na makapagluto! hahaha! by the way, Feras is vegan. that explains his slim and very toned figure. :)

on the pic above, far right, i was able to convince these two ladies to try Fera's vegan burger using a mouthful of my marketing skills. i told the ladies, you are in for a treat here. this is the only stall where  the chef is very gorgeous and offers good food. i asked them, which do you want to order, the chef or the burger?!! hahahaha! without batting an eyelash, the ladies answered, 'we want to try both!" hahaha... were all laughing and Feras again turned red. he was literally speechless. all he could do was smile! hahaha! :)

below are the dishes offered by Feras in his vegan stall. :)

i told Feras that maybe after i blog about his business, girls and gays would be flocking his stall! hahaha... you know what, this guy is very adorable.. he has no angst in life... very carefree and humble... and most of all, he is SINGLE! so what are you waiting for gays and ladies?!! strut your heels every saturday at the BTC ground level, and check out Vegan's Guild Stall, and meet Feras! the food stall is open only every saturday. :)... aside from the chef's good looks, this stall really offers healthy food options to those who are health conscious. definitely a must try. to know more about Vegan's Guild, see the pic below. :)

happy healthy eating everyone. chos! :)

tight hugs,
AC

after burnz, yen and myself did yoga at citigym waterfront hotel, we then decided to try David's Kitchen in IT Park, Cebu. this resto's interiors are simple. it doesn't boast too much color that would really catch attention among passers-by. their interiors are mostly dominated by toned hues of white, black and brown. i love the part of their wall that was cushioned.. their ceiling were decorated with chandeliers, made of recycled wine bottles but not too catchy for me. the green hue of those bottles are boring. the resto doesn't have an inviting aura when u look at it from outside but once you're settled inside, its cozy. sorry, forgot to take a pic of their loo, of which im very particular with. hahaha... anyways, here's our kembot today in that resto. :)

i took a pic of their menu. i wasn't so interested with their dishes because most of it really commands a whooping price! nakakaloka! it would make u think that for a dish to be this pricey, does this really taste good?! lol... we'll see... i ended up ordering carbonara, burnz ordered the greek salad, while yen ordered callos. :)

so, here's what we've ordered.

they gave us a complimentary dish composed of toasted bread and butter. i ordered carbonara and it was very good. i like the fact that its not like other carbonara's where the pasta is covered in white sauce. their version is white sauce with olive oil. it gives a custardy feel when eaten. yen ordered callos, and it was also very good. the beef was very tender and spicy. luv it! i'll definitely order this next time. burnz ordered the greek salad. this is the worst salad i've tasted! so disappointing! imagine that the ingredients were only these - cucumber, tomato, feta cheese, 1 piece of olive (cut into small circles), a pinch of fresh parsley or coriander and balsamic vinaigrette, and it already costs Php 250 ... my gad! paano naging 250 ito eh walang lasa?!!! kakaloka! another bad thing, they have 10% service charge, tapos pakakainin ka ng walang kwentang salad. nakakastress! :(

with regard to the customer service, i felt nabastos. the scenario is like this, all the waiters were standing at one spot where they could see all the diners. burnz and yen finished their meals ahead of me. on my last spoonful of carbonara, and right after i placed my fork on my plate, a waiter went straight to our table and asked if they could dish out our plates! my gad! i told the waiter, ako lang ba ang binantayan ninyo na matapos para madish out nyo agad ang mga pinagkainan namin?! the waiter just smiled... buti na lang at galing ako sa yoga that im in good mood coz if it wasn't the case, magmumura talaga ako. i dont like the idea na dinish out agad ang plates namin after ng last subo ko ng pagkain. hindi naman puno ang resto, and daming bakanteng tables, bakit nagmamadali?!!! i hope that David's Kitchen management team would train their waiters to give considerable amount of time before they dish out the plates. hindi pa nga ako nakapagwipe ng tissue on my mouth and drink my water after ng last subo ko, may i dish out na agad agad?!! hay naku, nastress ako!

anyways, this is my first time dining here at David's Kitchen and I'm not sure if i'll ever come back after a bad customer service, and having to taste the worst salad, ever! lol

tight hugs,
AC

last week, Nov 22, burnz and i visited Phoebe's Cupcakery located at Paseo Saturnino Maria Luisa Road Banilad, Cebu City. my gad, i was so amazed by the architecture inside this store. truly an inspiration for people who are about to build their own homes, as in! lavander is not a color that i like but after seeing different hues of such, i now have an appreciation for such color. here's our ganap! :)

burnz and i order red velvet cupcakes (her signature cupcake) from phoebe before, during the time when she didn't have a store yet. now, she has a store na, a very sosyal store! i'm so at peace when i was here. i felt so at home. i could imagine my future abode to have this kind of feel, charot! haha! :)

the comfort room, my gad, super sosyal! its simple but its really very elegant! hay naku, grabe! here's the pic for u to appreciate. :)

here's the most important part of my visit to this store, the FOOD! :)

burnz tried their tuna sandwich. i tried their chicken sandwich. both sandwich passed our taste. its the kind of sandwich that you'd want another order of. hahaha! they use wheat bread and they've toasted it to perfection. i love eating sandwich that's a bit crunchy. its comes with a side dish of potato chips. :)

the warm brownie cup, though most dessert stores have this, phoebe's version of this is very gooey. i love it very much. burnz liked it as well. :)

nuts for nana (banana muffin with nutella frosting) - i'm a fan of banana muffin and i like it moist. this didn't meet my expectation. i find it dry and the nutella frosting was to sweet for me. not a fan of nutella either. lol... burnz wasn't impressed as well.

cinabunny (carrot muffin with cream cheese frosting) - burnz was raving about this that it was really good but for me, it wasn't that good. i find it dry. i'm used to eating moist carrot muffins. well, that's me. :)

they have a lot of cupcakes and other desserts to choose from. i wasn't able to taste all as burnz and i were already very full. hahaha!

if you have time, try visiting Phoebe's Cupcakery. :)

tight hugs,
AC

I spent thanksgiving with good friends last Nov. 22 at Spice Fusion, Banilad Town Center branch. Spice fusion is a resto that cater to asian cuisine. here's our ganap. :)

it was a gathering of friends whom i haven't been with for the longest time. a lot has been discussed on the table - from yoga, to love, to BIR taxes! hahaha! there was a lot to talk about especially when it came to the topic of LOVE. it will always be an issue for us coz its hard for us to find true love, charot! hahaha... i am inclined to believe that its going to be a race for us as we're not getting any younger... hahaha! i won't reveal the real figures as age is only a number, charot! all i can say, we dont look our age, agree?! i am very sure that one of these days, we'll bump at each other at Carmelite, bringing our own petitions! hahahaha! :)

as to the food, we ordered tom yum soup (really good!), radish cake (really good for me but burnz didn't like it! lol), vietnam rolls (good!), mi goreng (not good!). we all agreed that the resto's mi goreng didn't suit our taste. hope they improve their recipe on this particular dish. :)

tight hugs,
AC