Food Trips | Pho Hoa Noodle Soup, A Healthy-ish Cravings

sticky rice w/ ice cream

Healthy lifestyle is a big thing nowadays, especially since the pandemic. Almost everyone became aware of their lifestyle, particularly, the eating habits. Everyone tries to live and eat healthy, myself included.

However, I’m not fond of those strict/focused diets out there. I believe in eating a balanced meal. But as much as possible, I avoid or minimize intake of deep fried foods and junk foods. Since I'm mostly work-from-home (before the dreaded retrenchment happened), I normally eat home-cooked meals, veggies and fish mostly; lean meats for meat products. I also usually cook sinigang or nilaga for meats, bulanglang for veggies so it’s less fatty/oily.

But of course, we do eat out too, usually during weekends. And one of our weekend go-to restaurants is Pho Hoa. BFF and I usually go to Pho Hoa for healthy-ish dinner. I like their noodle dish as it’s light and is healthier, compared with other noodle dish like ramen which so heavy and creamy and usually greasy. BFF loves their "grilled pork with shrimp" because he likes their fried rice, and it has meat and seafood (grilled shrimp) to.

Following are our usual orders at Pho Hoa. Please note that these orders were made in several visits, not just in one. 😜 I added captions on every photos for my short take on the dishes. For the "mango sticky rice with ice cream" (photo above), it was okay because of the sweet mango and creamy ice cream but wont order again. The sticky rice is kinda bland although the quality of the rice is good but I like our own "suman" (sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf, sometimes coconut leaves) better. Ours has a hint of salt (makes desserts (or sweet dishes) taste sweeter) and when taken w/ sweet mango, just yum! 😋

chicken pho

light but tasty, with lots of pulled chicken,
a very good companion on a gloomy weather

Goi Cuon
fresh rice paper rolls

this one I usually order for take home,
and eat the next day, for my breakfast 😋

Com Ga Nuong Cha Gio
grilled chicken with fried rice paper rolls

this is one of BFF's favorite,
anything with fried rice, actually 😁

grilled pork with shrimp

another of BFF's favorite,
it's the vinegar dip that makes him like grilled dishes from Pho Hoa

Pho Chin, Nam, Gan, Bo Vien
brisket, flank, tendon meatballs pho

fresh and aromatic, flavorful (yet not greasy) soup,
with lots of beef brisket (not fond of tendons, though)

Chien Ga Ot Sung, Dau Phung
kung pao chicken

this I just ordered last week,
it's okay but I'm not gonna order this again,
actually, it's just the peanuts that makes this dish okay for me

mango crepe

love the crepe but not the mango, asim!

~oo00oo~

"for every minute you are angry,

you lose sixty seconds of happiness." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

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Food Trips | A Taste of Mary Grace

dory and saffron cream - Php 430

I see Cafe Mary Grace as one of those restaurants that’s  frequented only by  the ‘can-afford’ middle-age (or older) adults. I seldom see young adults whenever I pass by this restaurant. For me, it has this “sosy” vibe which makes me somewhat uncomfortable. That’s why I’ve never tried it, not until last week.

What changed then? Nothing actually, it still has that ‘sosy’ vibe for me. But BFF and I are tired of Gerry’s and Mann Hann (our weekend go-to restaurants) so I decided to become ‘adventurous’ somehow and tried Mary Grace for the first time. And so we went to Mary Grace’s Trinoma.

When we got hold of their menu, BFF’s first reaction was ‘ang mahal naman!’ 😂 He’s better off than me actually but he’s the type who always check the price. Anyway, we ordered toasted Vigan longganisa meal (with rosemary fried rice and scrambled egg) for him, dory and saffron cream (pasta) for me. We also had mango bene for dessert.

Vigan longganisa was cooked the way we like (we shared our meal so we can both have a taste of each other’s orders) our longganisa, well-done, that is. It’s good and garlicky but kinda salty for our taste (probably because we’re used to LSLF diet) but the rosemary rice was superb, I’d probably try it at home some other time. For the price: it’s 502 PhP, pricey indeed for a 4-piece longganisa meal but the menu says it's homemade, fresh and without preservatives so...🤷‍♀️

Dory and saffron cream pasta on the other hand is worth the price for me (costs 430 PhP). The pasta is al-dente, white sauce is creamy and tasty (though still salty for our taste), cream dory tasted fresh. I’m not familiar with how saffron tastes like (but I read it’s the most expensive spice) so I can’t comment on its taste but at least, somehow I tried a dish with saffron in it. 😜

mango bene - Php 278

Having a sweet tooth, mango bene is yummiest of course. I’m actually tempted to buy a whole cake for take out but we’re also on low sugar diet so a slice is enough. Mary Grace is known for its cakes and pastries so no wonder mango bene tasted very good (better than the popular mango bravo of Conti’s, in my opinion). A slice of mango bene is priced at 278 Php, by the way.

Overall, Mary Grace is worth a try; foods taste great, ambience is good, staff are efficient and responsive. Are we coming back again? Probably yes, but most likely, not as frequent as the other restaurants we go to; because you know, we are puritas. 😁

That’s it for our taste of Mary Grace, Happy and blessed Sunday everyone. 🙏

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Food Trips | Batangas Lomi

 

Being a Batangueña, a visit to my home province would not be complete without visiting a lomi house and having a taste of pancit lomi, or simply lomi to most Batangueños. Lomi is an egg noodle dish in thickened soup stock with meatballs (sometimes squid balls) and slices of kikiam, pork and liver as toppings; sometimes, with chicharon and hard-boiled eggs, too. But definitely, no vegetables! That's what sets Batangas lomi apart from other lomi variety.

Lomi was made known in 1968 by To Kim Eng, a Chinese immigrant in Lipa City who served this dish to his mah-jong friends. Because of its good taste, he then started getting orders of lomi. Soon after, he, together with his wife Natalia, started their own Lipa City Panciteria, the first lomi house in the city. From then on and due to the dish' sudden popularity, more lomi houses sprung up around the city and the neighboring towns as well. (history source) Nowadays, most (if not all) local eateries or restaurants has lomi in their menu. It is a recommended dish for travelers and food-trippers alike. And, it has now become Batangas' icon, aside from Batangas bulalo, and of course, the famous kapeng barako.

Lomi is usually served with soy sauce, calamansi and chili pepper. It is the customer who then prepares his own seasoning mixture, depending on his preference. It is typically served in a medium-sized bowl filled almost to the brim. Non-Batangueños and first-time eaters of Batangas lomi were usually astounded by its serving size and often wondered how they would finish it. But for some Batangueños, the serving size is just enough because it serves as a substitute to their regular meal, what with its carbo- and protein-rich ingredients. It's a heavy snack-cum-meal at a price that's not heavy on the pocket. An order of lomi usually costs around 50PhP to 100PhP, depending on the toppings (regular or special) and the location of the eatery or restaurant.

 

Curious about this hearty and delicious noodle dish? Go food-tripping in Batangas. Try a steaming hot lomi with a super spicy calamansi-soy-sauce-chili-pepper seasoning and you'll have that sweat-and-mucus-dripping but definitely tummy-filling experience. Enjoy! ^_^

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Food Trip | TPW's 5 Best Milk Teas in the Metro

FRNK's cinnamon miruku

I'm not really a fan of tea, especially those hot tea varieties. I usually only have them if it feels like I'm gonna be having a sore throat or if I'm not feeling well. Hot drinks, tea included, sort of make me feel better afterwards. But cold teas and milk teas, for that matter, is a different thing. I've grown to like them as time passes by. Probably because milk teas are more of milk than tea actually. And they're creamy and sweet (hello diabetes 😀).

Anyway, I've tried several milk teas from several tea shops. Whenever there's a new tea shop nearby my previous work or in the mall, I'll try them at least once. Since it will be my first time to try the new tea shop, I usually order whatever their bestseller is. And I've tried many, so many that I wasn't be able to post everything in my other account. Of the so many shops and milk tea flavors I've tried, here are my top 5 best milk teas in the Metro.

FRNK Milk Bar's Cinnamon Miruku

FRNK's Cinnamon Miruku is my top favorite when it comes to milk tea. Unlike other milk teas that almost always taste the same no matter the brand, cinnamon miruku tastes really different, probably because of the right blend of tea and cinnamon and dark sugar and whatever spice they put into it. I also like the added sinkers (basil drops, a clear jelly-like pearls that looks like bloomed chia seeds) that feels like exploding in your mouth when you chew, not the usual chewy pearls. My only issue with this tea is its size; I find it pricey compared with other milk teas.

Macau's Cheesecake and Pearl Milk Tea

When I first try Macau's cheesecake and pearl milk tea, I was put off by the strong taste of the tea. But I realized now that it's probably because I didn't shake and mix it well that time. Now that I usually buy it for take-out, it somehow got blended/shaken on my walk home that a minor shake before drinking it is okay enough. It still has strong tea taste compared with other brands but it's more tolerable now that it becomes my go-to milk tea whenever I like a bigger size one, as opposed to smaller-sized cinnamon miruku.

BaaBaa's Thai Milk Tea with Cheese

I've been to Bangkok once but because it's almost 2 decades ago, milk tea isn't in my radar yet. When I heard of Baabaa from a colleague last year, I ordered other milk tea flavor that they offer instead of the Thai milk tea. It was just an ordinary milk tea for me so I forgot about it. But I few weeks ago, I was able to try Baabaa's Thai milk tea, not the regular one but the premium Thai milk tea with cream cheese in it. And I love it! It's almost like Macau's cheesecake and pearl, only that it's just the right blend of tea and milk and cheese, not with the strong tea taste like Macau's.

Alishan at The Alley's Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea with Cheese Brulée

My first try of Alishan is their brown sugar boba milk with cheese brulée. It's too sweet that I think I didn't get dinner that day that I had it for merienda. The next time, I tried their brown sugar boba milk tea with cheese brulée. This one I like better because of the tea contrast, unlike brown sugar boba milk that somehow has "umay" factor as you drink it.

Tiger Sugar Brown Sugar Boba with Cream Mousse/Dakasi's Creme Hokkaido

When brown sugar milk tea becomes a hit, Tiger Sugar is my first try. Originally, this is my top pick for milk tea but I realized that what I'm having from Tiger Sugar is not really a milk tea but rather just a milk-based brown sugar drink. But even if this isn't a milk tea, I still love it. It was of the right blend with the right sweetness to it. And their bobas are sweet and chewy, which I love!

Another milk-based drink that I came to love is Dakasi's Creme Hokkaido. The thick and rich creamy blend of milk, brown sugar, salted cream cheese and oreo in creme hokkaido will make you feel full even with just half of the drink. It is so filling that you'll skip next meal or forget that you haven't had a meal yet. It is a very filling drink and has bigger size that I consider this drink worth my money. Creme Hokkaido is also one of Dakasi's bestsellers.

 

~ oo00oo ~

There you go, my list of 5 best milk teas in the metro. If you'll notice, except for cinnamon miruku, all else has cream cheese or similar item on their ingredients. I love milk teas with cream cheese because it makes the milk tea more flavorful and creamier. I like the contrast that cream cheese or mousse or brulée (or whatever they call it) gives to the sweet milk tea. How about you dear readers? What are your 5 best milk teas? Share your list in the comment box below. 😊

 

~ oo00oo ~

Our government loosen its rules on public transportation but be safe still my fellow Pinoys, keep your face shield and face mask on. And don't forget to always clean/sanitize your hands. Keep safe everyone. 😊

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Food Trip | Viewsite Restaurant Tagaytay

Tagaytay has been our in-between stop whenever going home to Batangas. Traveling home is longer via this route especially considering the traffic and distance but it has lots of dining places to choose from so I normally urged BFF to use this route. In one of these trips home, I noticed Viewsite billboard and decided to try the restaurant for a new experience.

Viewsite Restaurant Tagaytay

Viewsite Restaurant used to be located along Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway facing the Taal Lake and Volcano, hence, its name. Now, they are located on the other side of the highway with no view at all. ;) I haven't been to this restaurant before so I don't know how it looks like back then but I suppose their transfer is for the better, considering the open area parking that can accommodate a number of vehicles and the spacious dining area in the new location.

spacious dining area with high ceiling, good for events

Coming in, you'll be greeted by an all-smile staff that will help you get a seat. The place is quite huge with lots of tables so we got seated at once and placed our orders immediately. For our lunch, we ordered bulalo, crispy tawilis, sizzling squid and kinilaw na tanigue; melon juice for our drink. We were served with our food 15 minutes later, the usual waiting time in restaurants.

grilled stuffed squid: tender and tasty but pricey (300++ Php, if i remembered it right) for its size

kinilaw na tanigue (350 Php): small portion, not enough even for the nephew
crispy tawilis (200 Php): very crispy, you can eat the whole fish

bulalo (550 Php): tender meat, lots of veggies with flavorful soup

We were all hungry but I still managed to get some photos before we dig in. I tried their bulalo first because of the soup and I would say, good but not extraordinary. I now prefer Josephine's bulalo ever since I tried it. I used to like Rose and Grace's bulalo but had a change of heart since I've tasted Josepehine's. Overall, the foods were okay and the experience was good except for a not so clean restroom. We spent almost 2000 Php here including drinks, quite pricey for a 3-person meal on a budget. :P

 

Pros:

• Ample parking area
• Road trip-friendly (along the highway) 
• Spacious (good for large events) and clean dining area with high ceiling
• All-smile accommodating service staff

Cons:

• Credit card not accepted (heard from a customer inquiry)
• Comfort room is not clean with wet dirty flooring :(
• Small serving given its price

Viewsite Restaurant

Tagytay-Nasugbu Road, Tagaytay City 

(right side along the highway going to Nasugbu)

Date of Visit: May 2018

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Food Trips | Buffet Lunch at Festival Cuisine - Lubao

Festival Cuisine - Lubao

Road trip is synonymous to food trip for me and my friend. We usually look for a place to eat on our way to our destination and for our Araw ng Kagitingan (Filipino Day of Valor) road trip, we ended up at Festival Cuisine in Lubao, Pampanga.

We left Quezon City late in the morning so we were just in Pampanga during lunch time. We were looking for a place to eat and were resigned to the idea that we'll end up having our lunch in one of the fast food chains available in the area when we spotted Festival Cuisine's poster ads along the road. We saw from the ads that they're offering buffet lunch for 199 Php so we slowed down a bit and look for the restaurant. The restaurant is located along Subic-Olongapo Road in Lubao, beside Lubao's stopover terminal. It offers mainly Filipino dishes like adobo, sinigang, kare-kare and the likes. 

The restaurant has no air-conditioning but the wide screened windows give the diners a fresh feel. And the dining area is big, going to and fro the buffet table is easy. I also noticed function rooms adjacent to the restaurant so I guess it caters to special events, too.

the restaurant's interior

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Food Trips | Where to Eat in Tagaytay

Taal Lake and Volcano - from Tagaytay Picnic Grove

Tagaytay is a favorite weekend getaway destination for families and friends from Metro Manila. And why not? It's just two hours (moderate traffic considered) from here in the Metro; its climate cooler; with lots of activities to spend time with friends/family, especially nowadays. But it's not just the cool weather and activities, of course; Tagaytay is a place for food tripping, too.

Here's the list of restaurants we've tried over time during the several road trips we've made to Tagaytay.

Mushroomburger

Mushroomburger, I guess, will always be in the list of restaurants/food joints to try in Tagaytay. It's famous for its mushroom-mixed burgers but it also has branched out its products, most of which, still mushroom-based, of course. I've tried several of their burgers in the several road trips we've made in Tagaytay but these are the only photos I have from them: mushroom sandwich with cheese and mushroom fries. I like this sandwich since its lighter compared to other burgers and the mushrooms in it tasted fresh really. Mushroom fries is okay, too; a nice variation from the usual fries that we're all familiar with. ^_^

mushroom sandwich

mushroom fries

Mushroomburger

Km. 60, Brgy. Kaybagal

Tagaytay City, Cavite

Tower Ground Bulalohan

If you've been to Tagaytay, you'll notice that most of the restaurants and eateries are lined up on the side where you have the view of the Taal Lake and Volcano. One of these restaurants and/or eateries is the Tower Ground Bulalohan. Its specialty: bulalo. But we just had bulalo from Rose and Grace the day we were there so we opted for their kare-kare and crispy tawilis instead. Kare-kare is good but it's the crispy tawilis that got me. It may not look that good but it tastes really good; it's so crispy we ate everything, even the heads, fins and scales...hehe!

crispy tawilis

kare-kare

Tower Ground Bulalohan

Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway

Tagaytay City, Cavite

Kaye Ryan Grill

Kaye Ryan Grill is the restaurant we've tried on our very first road trip to Tagaytay. My friend and I went on a road trip without researching on where or what to eat. We just spotted it, we stopped, we ordered foods. What we had: sizzling seafood and fish sinigang. Foods tasted good but a bit pricey, even at that time, a few years back.

sizzling seafood

fish sinigang, forgot what kind of fish hehe...

Kaye Ryan Grill

Tagaytay Road

Tagaytay City, Cavite

RSM Lutong Bahay Seafood Restaurant

After our Batulao adventure, my friend and I stayed overnight at The Overlook Inn, a budget hotel in Tagaytay. On the next day, we explored some of the attractions in Tagaytay and then went to this (RSM) restaurant for lunch. My words for RSM: very expensive, slow service, lots of waiting time! The foods are just okay, at least the ones we've tried but I don't think it's worth the money. For me, RSM is an overrated restaurant. I guess it's just popular because of the nice view it has of Taal Lake and Volcano. RSM: Lutong bahay, presyong hotel! :P

stuffed tilapia, ginataang kuhol, rice and iced tea for almost 900++ Php - very expensive, right?!

RSM Lutong Bahay

Aguinaldo Highway

Tagaytay City, Cavite

Rose and Grace Bulalo Restaurant

This restaurant is actually not in Tagaytay but rather in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It's along the highway going to Tagaytay, though, so this usually is a part of foodies' and families' destination when they go to Tagaytay. Our favorite from this restaurant: bulalo, their bestseller! Rose and Grace is my friend's favorite bulalo restaurant ever since we've tried their bulalo from their branch in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. We've been here several times because we love their food; it's great and the price is reasonable, unlike that of RSM! :P

Rose & Grace's famous bulalo!

crispy crablets

grilled tuna with mango salad

not-so-Crispy Tawilis

Rose and Grace Bulalo Restaurant
Tagaytay Road, Sta. Rosa Estates

Sta. Rosa City, Laguna

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Ilocos Norte | Carrot Cake: My Precious Find at La Preciosa Laoag

La Preciosa - Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

This food trip is still part of my Ilocos Norte travel late last year, before I started working on my new job. Oh yeah, this post is "uber" late and ancient, almost a year after the fact but I will still share it here to at least preserve the memories of my first trip to Ilocos Norte. ;)

~ oo00oo ~

I've read a lot of travel posts, watched several local travel shows too; and whenever the trip is in the Ilocos Region, particularly in Ilocos Norte, food adventures will always be part of the trip. We had our share of food trips there too; more of street food trips actually since they were on small eateries but of course, I'm still glad as I was able to taste authentic Ilocano dishes. But it's not all street foods that I was able to try, I've had a try of fine dining in Ilocos Norte too, and that's in La Preciosa.

La Preciosa is said to be a fine dining restaurant in Laoag City but it doesn't mean people in casual outfits couldn't get in. We saw several customers dressed up for the place but there were also those like us wearing casual clothes, in denims and shirts, so yeah it's open for everyone, as long as you're decent and have money to pay for your orders...hehe. :P

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Ilocos Norte | Street Food Trip Up North (Empanada, Longganisa, Pakbet, Etc.)

Ilocos special empanada - with egg, longganisa, and veggies

Recently, Filipino (street) foods made it to spotlight when one foreign travel blogger wrote about her not-so-good food adventures here in our country. Some of her accounts may have truth in it but I'm one with fellow Filipinos in saying that she should have made the necessary researches needed to do some quality food trips here. Anyway, this isn't about her but my street food trip up north, in the province of Ilocos Norte, the land of pakbet, empanada and Ilocos longganisa.

As the title suggests, this is all about our street food trips in Ilocos Norte. Like some other foodies however, I also have some qualms with street foods too, especially here in the Metro. But if it's in the province (especially in the rural areas), I usually give it a try. Most of the local eateries in the province serve home-made dishes and some of them are clean and hygienic, we just have to look and check them out.

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Food Trips | Isdaan: A Floating Resto-Fun Park in Calauan, Laguna

Isdaan Floating Restaurant - Calauan, Laguna

During our road trip to Laguna, we were supposed to go to Nagcarlan and visit the underground cemetery. However, we ran out of time we decided to head back to Manila as it's already getting late. There's still one stop we had to make too, and that is at the Isdaan Floating Restaurant in Calauan, Laguna. Since we already passed by it on our way to Nagcarlan (supposedly), we didn't have a hard time locating it. It's well-lighted anyway, with towering statues and buddhas that can be seen from the highway, you wouldn't miss it actually.

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Laguna | Orient: The Original (and the Best) Buko Pie Bakeshop

@ the Orient: The Original Buko Pie Bakeshop in Los Baños, Laguna

I've known this buko pie brand since the late 90's. My former supervisor (from my first job) used to bring us buko pie from this bakeshop. He told us then that this is the best buko pie in Laguna. And I agree!  At least from the several brands I tried, this is the best so far.

Anyway, we were here last October 15, during our road trip to Rizal Shrine in Calamba. My friend, who is also familiar with this bakeshop, bought three boxes of pies (2 boxes of buko pie and a box of pineapple pie) and two packs of espasol (a tube-shaped rice cake with grated coconut and milk rolled in toasted rice flour) for his family. Me? I bought a box of buko pie and a pack of espasol, too. But before we could get our orders, we had to endure more than an hour, an hour and half I think, of waiting. A lot of people, mostly tourists (see the photo below), were queuing up to buy their famous buko pie. Most of them bought not just a box or two, but five boxes of buko pie, some even more. That's how famous this buko pie is. ;)

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Food Trips | A Taste of Kapeng Barako @ Cafeño

Batangas Tamales with Santan (coco jam)...must-try together with kapeng barako!!!

You might be wondering why my first photo is of tamales instead of Batangas' kapeng barako? Sorry for that peeps! After tasting the kapeng barako from Cafeño Coffee House and finding out that it's good and tasted just like the kapeng barako I used to drink back home, I drank it all I forgot to take a photo of it (just a single shot, by the way). :P Anyway, I came to know Cafeño Coffee House when I'm searching for a place to eat in San Juan, Batangas. It was for our family vacation in Laiya, San Juan last July, when my brother took a vacation from his work as an OFW. And it was my first time going out with family without spending a single cent for it, *happiness*! ^_^ 

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Bohol Food Trip | Dumaluan 1 vs Dumaluan 2

This is what made dining in Dumaluan 2 more expensive...har har! :P

Day 1

We were warned beforehand by our tour guide that food price in Dumaluan Beach Resort (Dumaluan 2) is very expensive; "dollar-priced" he said and suggested that we take our dinner in Dumaluan 1, a few meters away from Dumaluan 2. But since we arrived in Dumaluan late in the evening, we opted to stay in our resort and have our dinner in its restaurant. We were all tired for almost a day of traveling, going around and looking for other restaurant is not in our to-do-list at that time. Anyway, for our first night in Bohol, we have the following from Dumaluan 2's restaurant:

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FoodTrip | Cebu's Lechon and Late Lunch at Dimsum Break Cebu City

Mushroom Siomai

We had our late breakfast at Dumaluan Beach Resort so we didn't bother to have our lunch at the port (Bohol). However, because it was already late,  (was already 2PM when we reached Cebu), we were all starving by the time we reached our hotel in Cebu City. So after checking in and leaving our things at the hotel, we immediately went out to look for something to eat. We were so hungry then we settled on the nearest fast food joint just across our hotel, the Dimsum Break. I know this was our first time in Cebu but having had nothing after breakfast and considering it's a bit late, we just want to satisfy our hunger the fastest way possible first, authentic Cebu dishes later. :P

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Food Trip: Muchas Gracias' Creamy Halo-halo

Muchas Gracias - San Fernando City, La Union

What's the best way to refresh after being exposed to sun's scorching heat? Going swimming is one but what if you don't have time for that? Then having some coolers, like halo-halo, will do; and that's what we did after our noon-time visit to Pindangan Ruins.

We were supposed to try halo halo from Halo-halo de Iloko but the trike driver mistakenly brought us here at Muchas Gracias instead. Outside, I was wondering if Halo-halo de Iloko changed their name. I've seen several photos of the resto when I was browsing the internet so I knew this wasn't the one I'm looking for. But instead of asking the driver to bring us to Halo-halo de Iloko, we decided to try Muchas Gracias; it does have halo halo too, anyway. Later, I found out from the owner/manager (I assume the lady manning the cash register is the owner/manager) that Halo-halo de Iloko used to be situated here and that she's a former part-owner of the said resto, may be that's why the trike driver brought us here. ;)

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In and Out of La Union in One Day!

Filipino - Chinese Friendship Pagoda

Last 2011, I visited La Union for the first time. I was with a friend then who went there for some family matters. Last year (3rd week of November), I again went with them. But instead of a road trip as was before, we rode the bus this time. It was just a 1-day trip, a really short stop (our travel time is way longer than our stay here) but I was still able to enjoy the day and visit several places which I haven't seen on my first visit to La Union, San Fernando in particular. ;)

How to Get There | Viron Experience

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La Union Food Trip: Midway Grill

Midway Grill and Restaurant

Tired and starving because of the seven (7) hours of butt-numbing trip to La Union (I went there with a friend who's attending some family business then), we decided to stop by San Fernando City and had our lunch there before we proceeded to our destination. We headed to Midway Grill and Restaurant, one of the restaurants I remember was mentioned and suggested in some blogsites.

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FoodTrips | Lomi: Merienda ng Batangueño

Batangas Lomi - 50 pesos per order

After our day-hike at Mt. Maculot Rockies, the group agreed on going to Tagaytay for food tripping. So from Cuenca, we took a jeepney going to Lemery. From Lemery, we were supposed to take a bus or van going to Tagaytay but the driver and the conductor of the jeepney told us that there are no more buses or vans going to Tagaytay at that hour, it was almost 7PM then I think. So instead of alighting from the jeepney to look for a ride to Tagaytay, we decided to go back to Lipa City (the driver told us that they'll head back to Lipa instead of going to the jeepney terminal).

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Food Trip: Kamayan sa Palaisdaan in Tayabas, Quezon

Kamayan sa Palaisdaan - Tayabas, Quezon

After climbing more or less 300 steps in Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, we heard our stomach rumble so we decided to have our early dinner at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan in Tayabas, Quezon, a floating restaurant along the highway going to Lucban, Quezon. We pass by this restaurant on our way to the Shrine from Lipa City. The restaurant, which is just a few minutes away from the Shrine, features a dining experience (with your bare hands, if you so desire) in a floating nipa hut.

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Food Trips | Alamarius Grill's Bulalo

Almarius Grill's Bulalo (PhP320.00/serving, good for 2-3 persons)

Bulalo is one of the famous dishes of Batangas, one of the reasons being the province as one of the major cattle producers in the country. And if you search the net for the famous bulalohan in Batangas, Almarius Grill would come up as one of them.

A few weeks back, me and my friend went on a road trip to Lucban, Quezon to visit Kamay ni Hesus Grotto. But instead of taking the shorter Laguna route, we opted for the much longer (I think) Batangas-Lipa route because of just one reason - to satisfy our craving for bulalo. We've tried bulalo from Rose and Grace's Restaurant in Sto. Tomas from our previous road trip and we liked it very much but we want to try other variety so we went to Almarius Grill in Lipa City.

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