About Me

A former Bo's Coffee Club barista now doctor going for the sights and tastes of her beloved Cebu with the occasional segue on experiences.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Trekking in Heels

Experienced:  Aerosoles

I've been following a friend's blog for several months already.  His work is so candid and "in your face", funny, vivid and could just get me out from the occasional slumps that I get in.  Suffice it to say the he has inspired me to keep on writing in my own blog and it's a real compliment to have him follow my blog, ugh!  So several days back, I read his latest post and there it was, another contest wherein the price is a Starbuck's 2011 planner and he decided to throw in a bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila.  My eye was on the planner since I got the 2010 planner last year but alas, I not only gained the planner but a few pounds as well after drinking those Christmas drinks, fraps, and what have you.  So I labored religiously to find the right answers to the questions in order to win.

Lately I have been "down with luck" regarding party raffle draws.  I couldn't even win a Cetaphil Restoraderm body moisturizer, huhuhu.  So I gave this raffle a try.  And what did you know?  I managed to get all the right answers and posted it and voila!  The prize is mine, all mine (insert evil laugh), without the extra pounds.

So I set up the date and time to meet up with my friend to claim my prize.  I was not fated to drive my car today since I happen to incur a flat tire from God knows where (unfortunately I have an inkling) which was not noted by yours truly yesterday.  I had my dad drive me to work and so I had to find my own ride in the afternoon.  Lucky as I am, no taxi was in sight at 5pm.  I had to get to Cakewalker's Cafe so I did some trekking in my Aerosoles.


I walked 4-5 blocks in these but my feet didn't hurt at all.  Worth every peso I spent and I got this on on sale at Rustan's.

Maybe I should try this on the treadmill?
Anyway, I got where I wanted to be and claimed my prize from The Lead Character in just 15 minutes wearing this baby!

Gluttonous (S)Iam

Tasted:  Siam

One day, our family just headed over to Ayala Center Cebu Terraces for a thanksgiving meal care of my aunt in the US.  It was her birthday but since we couldn't be present at her shindig, dinner at Siam was on her.

So taking advantage of this treat, we ordered whatever took our fancy.  For starters, we opted for the Tom Yum soup.  We had to tone down its spiciness for our mom's sake.

Tom Yum
 It's not our first time at Siam but still we usually prefer to order our favorites. So to sample other food fares, we tried the sampler.

Spring rolls, beef, pandan chicken and breaded pork
 Then came the all time favorite, paying no heed to hypertension...the bagoong rice!


From the photo above, you could get a preview of another dish that we ordered, their version of the crispy pata.  I have mixed reviews on this though since I've tasted this thrice.  Twice it came out too moist for my taste.  Pinoy crispy pata tastes much better.

This one has seen better days
 Up next is the phad thai.  This could be the more authentic version that we have in Cebu but I still go for Lemon Grass's version.  This one is too sweet for my taste.

Sweet
 Lastly to put a cap to our appetites, we ordered their version of the halo-halo. The first time I had this one, I was amazed at how fine the ice was and the beans tasted good, considering that this ingredient is the least of my favorites to grace the halo-halo. Also, they have a mystery fruit in it, the pear perhaps.

 
The verdict:  All in all, compliments for not being greasy.  Having a really moist crispy pata is an acquired taste.  Regarding the phad thai, I would go for Lemon Grass's version.  As for the Tom Yum, it deserves all the sweat it can get out of you.  Ambiance wise, it's good and meant for groups, so get your friends to chow with you.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Fudge: I Heard, I Went, and I Tasted

TastedFudge at AS Fortuna St., Banilad

courtesy of OpenRice.com
I first heard of this cafe-resto from a classmate in med school, April G.  She went out one time with a bunch of friends and posted it on her Facebook account.  So I was quite intrigued, seeing that the place was cozy and they really had a good time.  So I asked her for the location and her feedback, which were both good.

It took quite some time before I decided to give it a try since I live in one of the south districts of the city whereas Banilad is going up north.  Since my boyfriend was in town, he suggested that we eat at somewhere we haven't tried.  Now a few days back, my bestfriend was in town and he said that his younger bro mentioned Fudge.  So our fate was sealed, we were to dine at Fudge on a Saturday night.

Surprisingly, there were already a handful of patrons in the establishment, and I could tell that most of them were not newbies.  About half of the patrons were photo enthusiasts below 21 years of age with their SLR cameras, converging to show their latest shots.  Anyhow, the late 20's patrons were usually couples out for dinner, who also wanted to try Fudge.

CMC (Cucumber, Melon, Calamansi)
 So we started our order with this drink, the CMC.  It stands for cucumber, melon, calamansi.  Well, I might be wrong with what the "M" stands for since I'm about 2 weeks late in posting this one.  I couldn't really taste the melon, but then there's some lemon in this drink and cucumber is the main ingredient in this one.  It tastes herb-y, pulpy, and slushy at the same time but it tastes good nonetheless.  Not too sweet and not too sour, and reminiscent of the citrus and herb drink from The Lemongrass.  The table also comes with complementary garlic bread (sorry no photo, but they do have one in the Fudge Facebook account).  The loaf is similar to the one served in Grand Majestic for the patatim.  The garlic is served on the side, a complete head that is.  It has a buttery consistency so you just spread it on the loaf.  I had some apprehension at first, seeing that it was a complete head of garlic.  But it did taste great and not overpowering or salty at all.
Chicken Cordonbleu
This is what my partner ordered for himself.  It looks like your regular chicken cordonbleu but the surprise comes when you start getting a portion of it on your fork.  It's crispy on the outside but not dry at all.  They have some sort of a secret sauce or marinade that oozes out once you stick your knife in but it tastes real good.  It's the best cordonbleu that I have tasted to date.  Kudos to the chef!

Z something... (my bad)
And this is what I had, it started with a letter Z.  Too hard for me to remember but it was quite long.  It's pork tenderloin in a creamy sauce with mushrooms and hash browns on the side.  The hash browns were really good, the pork really tender and the cream was not overpowering and did not leave any aftertaste.  Their entrees don't usually come with rice so you have to order it as an add-on.  They also serve pasta, they have a wide array of cakes and pastries, and most of all, they have an all-day breakfast.  I didn't have any space for dessert so I decided to skip it and try some the next time I drop by.

Price wise, it's within Bigby's range and less, and anybody can find something for themselves be it chicken, beef, veggies, pork, pasta and sandwiches.  So I definitely recommend this place for your dates, family meals, and a place for your downtime.  They also have free wifi connection for customers.  So tucker in to your heart's content.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Contenencia de Su Apetito con Peliculas (Curbing Your Appetite With Movies)

Uh-huh Girl realizes that she has made a few pieces on movies with her blog.  Digging through the movie archives at the back of her mind, Uh-huh Girl has an epiphany.  She decides to put out this category, which names the 3 movies that had a profound effect on her appetite.

(Note:  Uh-huh Girl prefers not to eat while watching a movie.  She has staunch convictions that munching on your crunchies can impair your auditory abilities while watching, therefore making you ask the most annoying question while watching a movie:  "What did he/she say?")

Carnosaur (1993)
Plot:  A female mad scientist working for a food company manages to engineer dino DNA with chickens, giving them a comeback in the 20th century.  Said mad scientist also created a virus that infects females causing them to give birth to dinosaurs.  Mayhem spills across the movie as the chicken-dino eggs get transported out from the lab to nationwide consumers.
Gross factor:  Chicken-dino eggs  and crazy, live infected chickens are supplied to KFC!

Uh-huh Girl was a zit-faced, lumpy child of ten when she watched this movie from a rented Betamax tape.  She couldn't even finish the entire movie due to massive chicken genocide and mutated chicken-dinosaurs contaminating KFC.  (In retrospect, Carnosaur might have been Barney's evil sire.)  On that same day, Uh-huh Girl's parents took her and her sister out for dinner after hearing mass at Redemptorist Church.

Mother:  Where would you like to eat?
Uh-huh Girl:  Not KFC, anywhere without chicken.
Father:  What's wrong with chicken?
Uh-huh Girl:  I just watched Carnosaur this morning, the one you just rented.  It was gross, those were really sick chickens.
Sister:  Yeah, let's eat at Ding Qua Qua instead.  I love spring rolls and siomai as always.

(Ding Qua Qua used to be located in Mango Avenue, across the old Rustan's .  It's now a videoke place.)

As we were seated, a waiter stops by our table with his trolley of steamed food.

Waiter:  Would you like some siomai?  We have the plain, the quail egg, mushroom and empress rolls.
Dad:  We'll have the quail egg and the mushroom please.
Waiter:  How about some bacon?  Or the steamed chicken?
(Uh-huh Girl goes pale and can taste the bile in her throat.)
Mother:  No, no, not that one!  My daughter won't be eating chicken for a while.

Uh-huh Girl went chicken-free for a month.

Ravenous (1999)

Plot:  The movie goes with the premise of you get power from what you eat.  It exploits cannibalism, and man's greed to the extreme that man devours his fellows so he could become stronger.  (Come to think of it, this is just like The Highlander!  But the power transfer is by way ingestion rather than electrical conduction.)

Gross factor:  According to the movie, cannibalism is present in every culture and religion, even those postdating the pagans.  Christianity wasn't even spared.  "The body of Christ" and "holy communion" were implied in its literal sense.

Uh-huh girl was already in college when she saw this from a rental VCD.  She was attracted to the fine actors in the movie which includes Guy Pierce, David Arquette, and Robert Carlyle from the Full Monty.  Uh-huh Girl was called to eat lunch in the last 20 minutes of the film.  She decided to delay her lunch and see the movie till the end.  The movie had a good ending since good overcame evil, yada-yada.  But Uh-huh Girl's ending was tragic.  As soon as she sat down for lunch, she got served with beef stew...which had the same look as the cannibal stew served in the movie.  Uh-huh Girl went white-meat only for a month.

Hannibal (2001)

Plot:  Hannibal Lector decides to come out of hiatus and taunts Clarice Starling to catch him if she can.

Gross factor:  "Hello, Clarice..."  Hannibal's raspy voice sounds as if she is to be his next meal.  Hannibal performs lobotomy on Ray Liotta's conscious character, makes shabu-shabu with pieces of his brain and eats it.

Uh-huh Girl at present, is not fond of liver, nor is she interested in foie gras.  Why some people insist on eating pig's brains, she doesn't care to find out why.  

Comer bien! (Eat well!)  After all, you are what you eat.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Lull Me to Catatonia

After a day's work, Uh-huh Girl shifts to couch potato mode and turns on the telly.  Unknown to most, Uh-huh Girl's father instilled in his two daughters' minds that Tagalog television dramas were not worth watching since they all have the same formula.  Rich girl/boy falls in love with a poor boy/girl, the rich parents go berserk and do everything to break them apart.  Then the lovers elope, the girl gets pregnant but little do they know that the rich parents still keep a tab on them.  Once the girl gives birth, some switching was done at the hospital so two couples end up having the wrong baby.  By now, you already know how the story goes.  But in spite of their father's prejudice, he did cut his daughters some slack by allowing them to watch Anna Luna, Eat Bulaga and That's Entertainment.  This is why Uh-huh Girl watches television the way she does now.  Her fingers would automatically press the remote for  Sky Cable channels 24, 27, 29, 30, 31, 40 and 41.

Uh-huh Girl noticed that often times than not, the movies being shown are crappy B movies.  She is not in the mood for more Facebook after doing her rounds on Cafe World, Farmville, Fashion World, Mall World and Retail Therapy.  She is even too tired to sleep.  So she decides to be benevolent and try to see some good in these movies only to find out that these movies were an overkill to boredom that Uh-huh Girl couldn't even bury them in her subconscious.  While she was watching these movies, try as she might, her limbs were immobile.  Uh-huh Girl has been lulled to catatonia.


Considering that this movie was based on a novel by Scott Smith who was praised by Stephen King, Uh-huh Girl expected to be terrified and be compelled to sleep with the lights on.  Instead, Uh-huh Girl was left wondering about the history of the ruins, what kind of creature was in the ruins, and wished she could have understood what the Mayans were saying.  Maybe that would have cleared everything up. 

One of the merits of this film was when Laura Ramsey 's (The Covenant, She's the Man)  character self-mutilates to get the vines out.  There are a lot of pretty AND annoying actresses out there that Uh-huh Girl gets satisfaction from seeing their movie characters harmed or killed.   And Laura Ramsey is just one of them.  A fitting end it was for Jena Malone when it turns out that the vines got to her.  Uh-huh Girl blames the entire tragedy on Jena Malone's character.  It if weren't for her getting too close to the ruins and taking those stupid photos, then no harm would have befallen them.  Uh-huh Girl thinks that Jena Malone's character got what she deserved.

At one time, Uh-huh Girl found herself watching CinemaOne, a Tagalog channel.  She stumbled across a horror flick, a genre which she enjoys.  She also learned that the movie was Pa Siyam which starred Roderick Paulate and Aubrey Miles (another actress that Uh-huh Girl finds pretty and annoying).
The story revolves around siblings who came home to the province for their mother's death which they deemed as unusual.  The spookiness starts to unravel as they observe the 9 days of prayer for the dead, and the town's spiritista decides to lend them a hand.  She then proceeds to tell them that their mother suffered which led to her death.  Uh-huh Girl anticipated the climax.  It was the 9th day of prayer and their mother was to appear.  And she did in a ghastly form.  She then proceeds to narrate to her children how she was treated for the past few years.  The caretakers of their property who also served as her companions maltreated her, leading to the deterioration of her health and eventual death. When Roderick Paulate's character asks who killed her, she replies in a voice of fury that it's her children who killed her.  Had they not left her alone, had they visited her often, she wouldn't have suffered under the caretakers' hands.  So as a means of reparation, she proceeds to take Aubrey Miles (whose character was mentally challenged) to the grave with her.  Talk about making your children guilty.   Uh-huh Girl regrets having stayed up late for this movie.

Uh-huh Girl expects that Friday night movies on cable channels would be interesting.  After a few minutes of channel surfing, Uh-huh Girl stumbled across an Anne Hathaway movie.

The story unfolds when Anne Hathaway's character (a psychotherapist) is being tasked to help the survivors of a plane crash.  One of the survivors (Patrick Wilson) behaves differently from the group since he refuses to be depressed.  He even develops a romantic relationship with the psychotherapist.  Uh-huh Girl is bored, but wants to find out why this creepy guy (David Morse) keeps on stalking Anne Hathaway.  Soon, the survivors start to disappear one by one.  Still the creepy guy continues to stalk.  Anne Hathaway tries to find out the real cause of the crash, only to realize that she died in that plane crash, and so did the "survivors".  The cute Siberian Husky and the old man in pyjamas who appeared at the crash site when Patrick Wilson's character decided to take a look at the fuselage, were actually his dog and his grandfather who both died when he was a kid.  Uh-huh Girl realizes that this movie was a poor cross of the horror flick "Sundo" (sans the evil element) and "The Sixth Sense". 

Sometimes, Uh-huh Girl is a glutton for punishment.  

Saturday, October 16, 2010

What You Don't Know About Leona

Tasted:  Leona Cakes and Pastries

In no way was I referring to bleeding Leona Lewis. I meant this Leona.
Leona has been around for some time and has opened a branch on the second floor of the SM City  Cebu Northwing just between Chika-an sa Cebu and Powerbooks.  Probably their largest outlet in Cebu, they have several tables for you to have your cake and eat it. It serves as a great marketing ploy that they have decided to offer some of their cakes in slices that are just a bit over Php 20.  If you loved a particular morsel, you certainly will consider buying the entire cake.

My bad for the fuzzy photo but this is the centerpiece and display of their cake slices.
Famous for it's yummy cakes like the uber tasty carrot cake and the elusive guava cake, chances are, you don't know that they're serving this unexpected item.

Tada!  The vegetable siopao.
The pao is made up of wheatened flour.  So it's healthy right from the outside.  I took a bite and this is what it's inside looks like.

The filling is made of mushrooms in the traditional sauce with some carrots and peas, i think.  Forgot what that small piece of veggie green was.  I washed it down with a cup of brewed coffee.  (I'm a sucker for coffee so I didn't mind the odd combination).

A cup of coffee
Not the drip-type brewed coffee, it came from the fully automated machine and that's why it has some crema on top.  Thank God they didn't call this one cafe americano or I'd be seizing, lol.

The vegetable siopao is a must try.  It's healthy and tastes good, and priced at Php 26, it's good value for nutrition.

Please Posh the Pizza

Tasted:  Pizza Hut Bistro

This isn't my first time to eat at this resto but it's my first time to say something about it.  The resto is located in SM City Cebu Northwing in between The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Spice Fusion.  

I saw the sign...
They could have changed the font of their signage to a posh one as an upgrade from the regular fastfood version.
So what's the difference between Pizza Hut and Pizza Hut Bistro?  Passing by the resto, you can see that it's more spacious and they have wine bottles on the table.  I guess the Bistro's location in the Northwing is a dead give away that it's Pizza Hut++.  So if you're thinking that it's your regular Pizza Hut fastfood, throw the thought away.  This is Pizza Hut jumping off from the burgoise wagon.

The restaurant's agenda is that aside from giving you their usual suspects for pizza, they also have provided their own upscale milieu such as several salads, appetizers, pasta, entrees and of course the wine selection which are not available in the regular Pizza Hut.  To break the monotony of their menu, it changes from time to time depending on the availability of the ingredients as well as whatever new product that they have come up with.

Exhibit A: Waldorf Salad
Surprisingly the salad is more than ample portioned so you can share with a group.  Unless of course, this serves as your lonely (and sad) meal. 

Exhibit B:  Texas Bake Pasta
The Texas Bake pasta ordered by yours truly was just right.  It had melted cheese on it and the sauce wasn't dry at all.  However, they could have made it a bit spicier to give it a Texan oomph!

Exhibit C-1:  BBQ Pork with Rice (in low light)
Exhibit C-2:  BBQ Pork with Rice (in bright light)
I couldn't decide which picture looked best so I posted both.  BBQ Pork with Rice...wasn't too happy looking at it because their entrees have shrunk indeed!  No price increase but alas!  They have sacrificed the portions, my friends.  I looked over at other tables and the entrees were all about the same portion.  For the pasta dishes though, the portions are also good for sharing and are comparable to Bigby's pasta portions.

The summary:  If you want wine with your pizza, then this is the place to go.  I can't say about the taste and quality of their wine list since I'm not a wine drinker and I haven't tried any of their wines.  Forgot to browse the menu if they serve beer.  Price range is similar to that of Bigby's but there can be differences in portions when it comes to the entrees.  No all you can drink iced teas or softdrinks. I guess this one negates the concept of a Bistro.  They only have one size for bottled water, a 330 ml Viva which is overpriced and is hardly enough to distend your bladder.  Now I had to Google Viva to know the exact volume of the smallest bottle they have (330 ml) only to discover that Viva is a Coca-Cola product.  Wouldn't you think it's odd considering they only have Pepsi products as their main beverage?  Among their food, the salads and appetizers are commendable for their portion and variety.  As for the pasta, it comes in penne, fettuccine and spaghetti, with sauces such as pesto, tomato, alfredo and marinara.  They also have pasta with tuna, meat and sausages, chicken, and seafood.  You won't hear the angel choir burst into song when you eat here, but this is a place where your vegetarian, carnivore, and white meat only friends can all have a meal together.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Yansoy/Wansoy

Tasted:  The Coriander

Asian cuisine is known to favor light meals over heavy ones like those of European cuisine.  There have been lots of fusion cuisine that have sprouted all over town and my now health conscious partner in crime would jump at the opportunity to try it out.  So off we headed to Banilad Town Center after hearing mass.

Thanks to Facebook, I saw this restaurant featured in one of my friend's wall.  She attended the opening and is friends with the chef and proprietor.  I'm a big fan of Vietnamese and Thai food so I didn't need much prodding in wanting to try this place for size.


Now there's some confusion as to what the herb coriander is in the local dialect.  Some say it's kinchay, while others say it's yansoy (Bisaya) or wansoy (Filipino).  I did some research and yansoy is the apt equivalent.  Here's the link to my source:  Filipino Food Glossary

view from my seat
stairway leading to the 2nd floor
My boyfriend was looking for rotti which they don't have.  In its stead, they serve nan with curry.  If you're used to the rotti from Spice Fusion, you might experience a let down.

Nan with Curry
For his main course, my partner ordered fish tandoori.  Unfortunately I couldn't take a decent photo of it since he keeps on sticking his fork in the dish and a big chunk was gone in a few seconds.  So this is the closest thing that I could find online.  (Photo courtesy of Mystygal)

Fish Tandoori
The Coriander's version doesn't come with rice.  But the fish served is meant to be shared.  I'm not an expert on Indian cuisine but the flavor was quite mild than I expected but the fish was flaky but not dry.  So plus points for that.

Hainanese Chicken
This one I've been waiting to try.  I made this once at home, but wasn't sure whether it tasted authentic.  So I picked it right out of the menu to find out for myself.  I didn't get the buzz that I was anticipating since it arrived cold and I was expecting it to be piping hot.  The chicken wasn't overly done and tasted quite bland to me.  You really have to rely on the condiments that come with this dish such as the sweet soya sauce, chili sauce and ginger to amplify the taste.  These three sauces are just right behind the curry in one of the pictures above.

For the drinks, we had this citrus drink made from 3 kinds of lemons.  So it's something similar to the citrus and herb drink from The Lemongrass except it's more concentrated and leans to the sour spectrum.  Sorry, no photos here.  At this point, hunger has taken priority over taking good photos.

In a nutshell, The Coriander caters to fusion cuisine in a sense that Asian food is married to a wide selection of European wines.  They serve the famous Singaporean Chili Crabs and some prawns and Hainanese chicken as well as Malaysian dishes such as the famous satay.  But what you can see in the menu is more of the Indian food staples such as chicken and fish tandoori, chicken masala and chicken curry just to name a few.  Service wise, their staff could improve on their knowledge of the menu.  A group of Indian and Singaporean tourists were dining and asked several questions regarding the menu but their staff had to make several trips to the head waiter to ask questions.  Considering that most of their food is Indian, they should have a steady supply of nan since it is usually eaten while waiting for the main course to be served.  Price range is more or less similar to that of Spice Fusion but there's a big difference when you let your taste buds do the talking.  Would I be willing to give it a second try?  It's a MAYBE....

In This Corner...(of Sto. Nino Village)

Tasted:  Cafe Cul-de-Sac

courtesy of Cecille Anne Corazo via Facebook
 I first got a whiff of this resto on Facebook when an old classmate of mine from St. Benedict's posted a picture of what they ate on her wall.  When I asked her where this place was, she told me that it's a place called Cafe Cul-de-Sac at Maya St. in Sto. Nino Village, Banilad.  Now being a girl who hails from the south, it's not a common route for me to travel in that area.  So I shoved the idea aside until a sister of my classmate during my Science High years featured the same resto on Facebook.

The best way to fuel my interest is by testimonial account that this place is satisfaction guaranteed.  So my next thought was when to give this place a try.  It just so happened that my boyfriend was in town.  His usual question prior to arranging his weekends here would be where to eat.  And preferably some place we haven't tried.  

It's a small but quaint cafe, understated in fact.  Approximately 12-14 persons can be seated inside but you can have the option of dining by the veranda.  

Now on to the food...

Pumpkin Soup (courtesy of Cecille Anne Corazo via Facebook)
My boyfriend ordered the pumpkin soup and the cream dory and spinach rice.  The rice looked liked an Italian risotto and the fish was seasoned to perfection with a healthy squeeze of lemon.


Cream Dory and Spinach Rice (courtesy of Cecille Anne Corazo)
And for myself, I ordered the cream of mushroom soup and the osso buco.  My first sighting of the osso buco was on the Lifestyle Network with Giada de Laurentiis making it.  It's made from beef shanks with the bone marrow which is cooked for a few hours until it's soft and the flavor of the herbs have canceled out the distinctive taste hoofed animals have.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
Osso Buco
Drinks on their menu include the typical sodas, Illy coffee, and their flavored iced tea.  I opted for the apple-flavored while my partner tried the strawberry-flavored iced tea.  Other flavors include lemon, peach and raspberry.  The best part of their service is that once you order the main course, it already comes with soup and dessert consisting of a scoop of ice cream.  Other desserts in the menu include cakes which we didn't try anymore since they have more than ample servings.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this place.  The ambiance is intimate which makes it perfect for dates, or you can rent out the entire place for a nice cozy celebration.  The service is fast, the staff is courteous, and you get your money's worth. 

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Light Bulb Moments (That Went Dim)

It was a Saturday, Valentine's Eve, that I went with my boyfriend to watch a movie in Ayala. The top two picks were"Valentine's Day" and "The Wolfman". Having heard mass prior to going to Ayala, we were not fortunate to make it to "Valentine's Day" and settled for "The Wolfman" instead.

So in we went to the cinema and carefully made our way to our seats. Then I noticed that somebody was sitting on my designated seat so I asked that girl what was her seat number. Anyway, she moved to where she was supposed to be seated and was twittering away with her bunch of friends.

And since she was right beside me, it was hard not to have heard her statements.

Girl1 (beside me): Sus, abi gyud nako na ang Twilight kay horror or kanang patay-patay ba. Naghuwat gyud ko until the end kung naay paakon. Wala man diay. Wala gyud ko kahibaw na love story ang Twilight. (Oh, I really thought that Twilight is a horror flick with lots of blood and gore.  I waited til the end for somebody to get bitten.  It turns out there was none.  I didn't know that Twilight is a love story.)

Me (just thinking): Haler! From what rock do you live under?!!! I haven't read the book but I sure know that it's a love story. Ok ra unta kung lalaki ka na wala ka kaila ug Twilight, duh! (It would have been ok if you're a guy and have no idea what Twilight is, duh!)

Girl2: Libro mana ang Twilight, series mana sila. Ang girl kay love interest niya ang vampire pero kato iyang kababata na werewolf kay ganahan pud niya. (Twilight is a book, a series in fact.  The girl's love interest is a vampire but her childhood friend who's a werewolf also likes her.)

Girl3: Lawas na kaayo si Taylor Lautner noh? (Taylor Lautner is so buffed, right?)


Then the trailer of Iron Man 2 was being shown on the screen.


 (See this link to see firsthand what the girl is talking about in the next line. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6Olpjl_IrE)

Girl1: Hala, naa diay na movie na "Iron 2 Man"? Karon pa lagi ko ana na movie... (Hey, there's a movie called "Iron 2 Man"?  It's the first time I've heard of it...)

Girl3: Iron Man 2 ba...  (It's Iron Man 2...)

Girl1: Ah, Iron Man 2 diay! (Oh, it's Iron Man 2 after all!)  Hehehe....

Me (thinking): I swear this girl lives under a rock!

Girl1: Kaning "The Wolfman" ba, werewolf-werewolf ni?  (This movie "The Wolfman", is this about werewolves?)

Me (thinking): "The Wolfman" ang title gani! Alangan man aswang or vampire ang mo guwa na bida aning salidaha! Angatch oi.  (The movie is titled "The Wolfman"!  It would have been titled otherwise if it turns out that a vampire is the lead character of this movie.  What a dummy.)

Good thing the movie started. I didn't want to hear any other thought she has on whatever!

Rrrraaaarrrr!!! Somebody please help this girl and others who are just like her (I hope there aren't a lot!). 

This was written in my Facebook Notes last March 29, 2010.

Dark Chocolate It Is!

Tasted:  Tablea Chocolate Cafe

Tucked in the corner near Home Depot and ATM machines in the Northwing of SM City Cebu is a tiny place where you can gorge on chocolate called the Tablea Chocolate Cafe.  It boasts of goodies made from local chocolate whether it be the usual chocolate or white.  


It's actually my second time to try out their sweets but silly me, no photos were taken during the first try.  My accomplices during these two invasions were my mom and her friend.  So far I haven't tried eating more than two of their products at the same time.


So these are the photos of their products.  From left to right: Choco Frio, Fondue, Choco Banana Crepe, Chocolate con Churros, and the Choco Latte.

For the fondue, you can dip mallows, bananas and something similar to a breadstick.  Sorry up close photo of this one but their Facebook page provides ample visual as well as for their other products.  Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tablea-Chocolate-Cafe/142175245799021?filter=2#!/pages/Tablea-Chocolate-Cafe/142175245799021?v=photos

On my first taste, I had the Chocolate con Churros which tasted good.  The chocolate is really thick but the sediments are really fine so it goes down smooth.  Still, don't forget to chug down some water later.

Choco Frio
This is the Choco Frio that I ordered.  My mom lopped off some segment thinking it was ice cream, that's why it looks like this.  This one is served in a tall but thin glass.  I was actually full when I finished this one.

Choco Banana Crepe
This is what my mom had for the second time.  I tried a forkful and it tasted good.  It comes with a dollop of whip cream and a smothering of choco syrup.  Hmmm...I kind of doubt whether the choco syrup came from their tablea though.

Empanada?
Hmmm...not sure what this one was called since it didn't come with a display tag.  My mom's friend just picked it out.  The filling is made of ground meat which was spicy and hot, like that of a chili con carne sans the beans.

Now here's something uncommon that they're selling.  It's the Mexican version of our local batirol.  It's called a molinillo.  This one costs around Php 600.

This joint is well-priced and the food tastes really good, so choco addicts should give this one a try.  They also provide quick service and their staff are quick to suggest which of their treats would suit your tastebuds.

I'm Going Back to the Start

Destination:  Moalboal
Moalboal Sunset
My first out of town trip was with my groupmates during our post graduate intership.  We had the weekend off so we decided to take a trip.  So we researched some good places to go where the beaches are.  The group's top pick was Moalboal, where we arrived on a Saturday afternoon just near sunset.  To make things affordable, my 2 groupmates who had their birthdays without a pary, and I who was a week short for my next birthday, decided to shoulder dinner.  Our all-you-can-eat buffet consisted of CnT lechon, ngohiong and puso from Domeng's located just near Fairlane Village in Guadalupe, Sr. Pedro lechon manok and of course, softdrinks.  Actually, we had to sneak our food in the resort.  Ssssshhhh!

Club Serena, Bas Dako Moalboal
So we stayed in this beautiful but small resort called Club Serena.  Their cottage with 2 rooms can accomodate up to 4 persons, for Php 3,200/room while the beach front cottage costs more but can accomodate 5 to 6 people if my memory serves me right.  
The Cottage
 This is the cottage where we stayed.  It actually has a honeymooner's ambiance.  It was really cozy, clean and spacious, well worth every peso.  One sweet feature for these cottages is they come with a sitting area such as this one.
the swing


Beachfront Cottage
This is the beachfront cottage that comes with a small dining area and sink, a lounge area with television.  We actually brought a Magic Sing with us for fun.  I guess that one broke the honeymoon ambiance.  Our apologies for disrupting the magical moments of couples nearby.  Among the resort's guests, we were the ones who came in a group.  Other cottages in the resort are the tree house cottages which are at some distance from the beach.

One of the interesting things that the resort advertises is their pool.  According to their website, they use ionized water for their pool which won't hurt your eyes.  So we tested it and they weren't kidding.

Poolside
The Beach
 The beach of course doesn't come with sand as fine as that of Boracay's.  At this time of the year (-ber months), expect some kelp and seaweeds clinging on you after you take a dip.  As always, Moalboal can rightly boast as one of the top diving spots in Cebu.  They actually have a dive master in the resort so you can arrange for some lessons during your stay.

The spots in the resort where you can just laze around are the cabana and the lanai area where you can arrange to have a massage.

The Cabana (my favorite spot to doze off)
Lanai
You can actually have a reception here at the lanai for about 30 people.  Not bad, huh.
The Restaurant
Adjacent to the lanai is the restaurant.  They serve continental and Filipino dishes.  The bonus here is that they sell gelatto (I forgot the brand though).  Prices aren't overblown so the taste and value won't be an issue.

All in all, it was a good experience and would definitely recommend this place.  It's much more suited for a romantic get away than a barkada trip.  The resort is not that big but provides a lot of privacy and is placed at some distance from other resorts.  The staff is courteous and the place is well maintained.  Just book in advanced especially during the summer months as well as during February.

I hope I can make a second trip to this place.
Outdoor Wooden Swing