A colleague from work is ending her assignment in the Philippines for the 3rd time and what better way to do so than with food, drinks, videoke and friends!
Aptly dubbed “Ce n’est qu’un au revoir”, the despedida party was more of celebration of great memories and remembering fun times instead of a sad farewell–promising more moments to be shared in the future!
Continue reading FoodieFriday: Ce n’est qu un au revoir
So, as I may have mentioned here, I now work at Bonifacio Global City, more popularly known as The Fort. And, right across our office is The Fort Strip. It’s basically a complex, perhaps one of the earliest built (I remember coming here for the first time way back in 2008 or 2009 while still working for the magazine) in the now fast-changing BGC landscape.
Anyway, so, there aren’t a lot of food options here at The Fort in the economical side. But, if on certain days you feel like pampering yourself for a job well done, well, there are some really good restaurants at The Fort Strip. And the good thing is (well, at least for me and my colleagues!) it’s just a mere five minutes away now that the road widening has been completed and the barricade (almost) removed. So, truth be told, we’ve visited The Fort Strip quite a number of times now. The most recent one being yesterday, in what was called “Appreciation Lunch” for the hard work of the staff in recent events. Before that, it was a a stress buster, for the same recent events. ;p
So, without further ado, I give you some tasty treats (pictures at least) we pampered ourselves with at The Fort Strip. Hover on the photos for description. As usual, I hope you had food already before reading this. You have been warned! Continue reading FoodieFriday: Anti-stress Goodness at The Fort Strip
My weekends these days are spent sleeping, in an attempt to recover from the toil of long weekdays and quite recently, Friday night parties. This weekend however was a welcomed change to spending time with family–living and the dead.
It was my maternal grandfather’s birthday. Had he been alive, he would have turned 83 years old. Therefore, in true Filipino fashion, we trooped to the Manila Memorial Cemetery armed with food, drinks, candles, umbrellas, and of course, tablets and phones for photos! (That no one has uploaded yet!)
After celebrating Lolo Camilo’s day, we headed to SM Aura to check out what the hype (or bashing) was all about. After getting lost twice, we finally made it! Apart from getting two new pairs of jeans (they’re on sale!!!) at Forever 21 and some lip gloss (realizing the need to look presentable these days!), we headed over to Ikkuryu Fukuoka Ramen and indulge in some Japanese noodle goodness!
Suffice it to say, ramen is the house specialty–the centerpiece of Ikkuryu Fukuoka Ramen’s sleek long black menu. If my memory remained intact after having food here, there were about 15 types of ramen and noodle dishes you can choose from.
We had Kimchi Tonkotsu ramen (the one with reddish soup) that is quite spicy for Filipino palate (twas fine with me after my Indian curry exposure) and this other ramen with the egg which is an-egg-added version of the original Tonkotsu ramen. Both moms (ours and our cousins’) agreed that the flavor was really rich and that it’s very tasty!
We also ordered a fresh tofu salad which was a mix of cold fresh and smooth tofu on top of green lettuce. I can’t identify what sauce was used but it’s yummy, and complemented by the small tomatoes and crisp tofu flakes (I think).
We also had the original yakimeshi fried rice which was so tasty that it really had our moms thinking whether it was cooked in lechon oil or in the karaage fried chicken that we also had. With bits of pork, carrots and greens, I couldn’t agree more.
We also had something that is similar to Yyakisoba but this one is cooked in Tonkotsu soup (imagine chopsuey) and was also very savory. You should try putting it in your ramen soup too, just to savor the last few drops of the soup. This was actually for the rice as advised by the really cute paper table mat graphic but it works with the soup too!
I would say that while the price is quite steep at P380 per ramen order, on the average, the amount of serving and the taste makes up for it. And while the classic tempura and California maki favorites are unavailable, their menu offers you alternative choices that are really great partners for ramen. All in all, for the flavor and the experience, I would say that Ikkuryu Fukuoka Ramen’s value for money makes it worth a visit!
When I was still working on a project for agriculture development, we would, every now and then, hold workshops for project implementors, facilitators, trainers, and such. There was a time when we held our workshops almost consecutively at the same place—Day’s Hotel Tagaytay.
Now, it’s not that we are biased towards Day’s Hotel. Just so happened that of the three choices we can have, their offer was deemed more reasonable. And yes, not to mention the chance to have some R&R after the *ehem* tiring and draining *ehem* workshops!
Even if it’s as simple as staring at the Taal Volcano while sipping an ice-cold beer (and it’s cold in Tagaytay!) or messing with the DJ booth after a full glass of strawberry margarita, or enjoying the food that Day’s Hotel has to offer!
See, this post is not really about the workshops we did but the food that we had over several conferences we held at Day’s Hotel. Have you eaten yet? I hope you had coz I’m betting you’re going to be really hungry after scrolling through this post. Don’t say you weren’t warned!
I purposefully did not enlarge the images as I thought, it would be more merciful. Hahaha And yes, I have tried each and every dish. And, because I hate wasting food, together with Acee, we took on the role of “demolishing” the stuff that other people did not want on their plates. Good thing the Chef at Day’s Hotel cooked really well!
(Disclosure: This post is not sponsored. Meaning, Day’s Hotel Tagaytay did not ask me to write this. Para lang malinaw. Hehehe. But really, Day’s Hotel Tagaytay is a good place to stay for workshops—just haggle for the rates, really hard!)
I love eating and it’s my favorite part of work-related travel. You get to savor sumptuous and delicious dishes like fresh vegetables and oh-so-fresh-it’s-still-moving seafood! So, whenever we go on the field, we make sure to always sample the local specialties of the place and when we were in Capiz, it’s always seafood that we craved for!
You can find almost any seafood in Capiz. For how else can Capiz own the bragging rights of being the seafood capital of the Philippines?! From fish to oysters, squids to clams, shrimps to seaweeds, crabs to lobsters.
You name it, and you’d probably get the seafood of your choice. Unless of course it is of the “illegally for sale” kind. That’s another story.
Located in Western Visayas at the northeastern section of Panay Island (where you can also find Ilolo and Aklan), Capiz faces the Sibuyan Sea in the north and has numerous fish ponds in the locality.
A lot of seafood being enjoyed in Manila comes from Capiz, with the extra hundreds of pesos added per kilograms of course. Here are some of the great seafood dishes I’ve tasted in Capiz. I hope you enjoy the visual chow time! (Disclaimer: I like eating but I am not that good in describing. I’ll try my best but please use your imagination or previous foodie experiences!)
This is perhaps the most famous and the “fanciest but still looks like casual dining” seafood restaurant in the Capiz bay seafood restaurant area. It’s a bit more pricey than the “dampa” choices down the coast. I can’t tell you how much exactly coz I didn’t really pay for the food. Another perk of field work travel! Anyway, Coco Grove is also the place where celebrities and personalities visiting Capiz usually go to for their quick seafood fix. Photos below are what they offer (or at least what we tried).
There were probably other dishes we enjoyed that I forgot to take photos of coz I was already hungry. I think we also had nylon clam soup which is quite tasty! And perhaps some scallops too. Plus, you can order beer or coconut, which you’d drink from the shell itself!
Since we were doing a series of farmers’ training at that time, we also had the chance to go for another round of seafood dinner by the Capiz bay area. This time, we went for the Dampa style at Bebing’s seafood plaza.
If you are unfamiliar with Dampa style of eating, it’s where you choose the seafood that you want to be cooked, haggle for the price, and tell the kitchen how you want them to cook it. It’s quite fun. I didn’t do the haggling per se but it’s fun to watch, and request for the food you want!
Eating at Aling Bebing’s seafood plaza is more casual than at Coco Grove. Both places have a great view of the beach/shore and you can feel the wind gushing. Aling Bebing’s Plaza’s style of bamboo flooring a little above the sands and closer to the shore was more breezy though. Making the seafood dinner more authentic and enjoyable.
So, what are you waiting for?! Book your flights to Roxas, Capiz or fly to Iloilo and Aklan and take a road trip from there. Or, if you really have a lot of time but not much budget, maybe try the 2GO ship option (I should try this too) or take the Roll-on, Roll-off (RORO) buses. I know it seems like great effort but hey, if you really want the freshest and finest seafood, there’s no other place to be than Capiz, the Philippines’ seafood capital!
The Diarist Wanders 