We went shopping with my mom for her Hong Kong attire in Avenida. There are several stores along Recto which sell used jackets (Ukay-ukay) perfect for Hong Kong's weather. I didn't buy her an expensive jacket available at shopping malls due to practical reasons. Anyway, we got exhausted and famished after hours of walking and shopping. So we headed to Binondo and spotted the President Grand Palace Restaurant.

Information

President Grand Palace Restaurant is located in the center of Binondo. It opens from 10:30 am to 11 pm daily.

Ambience

At first, we were hesitant to eat at Grand Palace Restaurant because of its elegant and intimidating interior. From the entrance, you will have a perfect view of the restaurant's stylish design. The ceiling has good lighting and the Chinese patterned walls are exquisite. The area is huge that can accommodate around 500 people. The restaurant is a perfect venue for events such as weddings, birthdays, etc.

Price

You might think it's too expensive to dine out at Grand Palace Restaurant but it's totally the opposite. The restaurant offers several dishes on their menu at affordable prices.

Taste

For our starter, we ordered Fish Lip Soup with Shredded Mixed Meat Thick. We were curious what the fish lip looks and tastes like. When the soup arrived, we didn't notice any strange looking ingredient. The soup was a bit blunt but the mushrooms were tasty. There was this jellyfish like texture in the soup which we later found out to be the popular fish lip. 

Fish Lip with Shredded Mixed Meat Thick Soup - Php 280

Our lunch would not be complete without chicken, my all time favorite food. We ordered a Half-Roast Chicken served with fish cracklings. The chicken was crunchy and more tasty when dipped in the sweet red sauce. The fish cracklings were a bit gristly but it was replaced right away with fresh cooked ones.

Half-Chicken Roast - Php 220

Orio ordered Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple. I have tried several versions of this dish and President Grand Palace's version is the best. The pork was still crunchy and the sauce had a perfect balance of sourness and sweetness.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple - Php 250

My mom loves veggies so we ordered Braised Mixed Vegetables. We thought it would taste like Chopseuy but this one is better. The veggies were fresh and not salty, and the bean sprout added an interesting texture to this dish.

Braised Mixed Vegetables - Php 250

We ordered two small bowls of Yang Chow rice. Chinese restaurants are very consistent when preparing this fried rice. Though, Grand Palace Restaurant has more shrimps and roasted pork added to the rice.

Yang Chow Rice

Rating

We absolutely enjoyed or lunch at the President Grand Palace Restaurant. The place was lovely, the foods were great and affordable, and the staff were very accommodating. My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

President Grand Palace Interior

Roast Feasts

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On New Year’s day, Orio’s friend from Singapore invited us for a get together dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Greenbelt 3. I heard a lot of good reviews about the foods they serve but never tried it because it’s a bit expensive. And for some trivia, did you know that Bubba Gump is inspired by the 1994 film Forrest Gump?

Information

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is located at 2^nd floor of Greenbelt 3 Mall in Makati. It opens from 11 am until 12 Midnight (Mon-Thu, Sun), and 11 am until 1 am ( Fri-Sat).

Ambience

Bubba Gump has a relaxing interior. It reminds me of a typical coastal restaurants in the US. They have smoking and non-smoking areas which is good especially to customers who are not into smoking.

Price

The prices at Bubba Gump are a bit expensive. Though they offer huge servings of seafood, the price is still high compared to other restaurants.

Taste

For the appetizer, we ordered Lt. Dan Cajun Canapes, spicy Andouille sausage baked with shrimp, parmesan, and pepper Jack cheese on toasted baguette slices topped with green jalapeno. This was a pefect way to start our meal. The ingredients were perfectly combined and the green jalapeno added an interesting flavor to the dish.

Lt. Dan's Cajun Canapes - Php 360

We also ordered Ping Pong Shrimp, lightly breaded shrimps topped with a Mango Pineapple Salsa. The spicy coating complemented the freshness of the shrimps. This dish was delicious and can be served without the salsa.

Ping Pong Shrimp - Php 345

Orio’s friends ordered “I’m Stuffed!” Shrimp, large shrimps stuffed with crab, baked in garlic butter, and topped with cheese. The crab balls were made from real crab meat and the shrimps were fresh. This dish goes well with a drizzle of lime juice.

"I'm Stuffed!" Shrimp - Php 650

Orio tried Bubba’s Baked Seafood Rice with shrimp, calamari, spinach in parmesan cream sauce, topped with cheese. The dish was succulent but we got fed up after a few bites due the creaminess of the sauce. I recommend you order and share it to the group to enjoy this dish.

Bubba's Baked Seafood Rice - Php 615

I ordered Kentucky Bourbon Skewers, tender shrimps and spicy Andouille sausages with red and green peppers and red onions served with mashed potatoes, corn, coleslaw, and Kentucky Bourbon sauce. The shrimps were fresh and tender and tasted good together with the sausages. The peppers and onions were crunchy and had this grilled taste and aroma. The sauce was a bit sweet but it enhanced the flavor of the shrimps. There’s nothing special with the coleslaw. The mashed potato was a little dry and lacked creaminess.

Kentucky Bourbon Skewers - Php 490

For our drinks, we ordered Speckled Lemonade with Strawberries. It was very refreshing and thirst quenching.

Speckled Lemonade

Rating

Personally, I enjoyed eating at Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co. It’s a bit pricy but the taste and the quality of the food is above average. My rating is 4 out of 5.

Left to Right: Stu, Wawi, Myself, and Orio

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My buddy Orio celebrated his 32^nd birthday at Classic Cuisine in Shangri-La Mall. We were both craving for pinoy gastronomy and found this restaurant online which offers Filipino dishes with a twist. We enjoyed our lunch at C2 so I returned with my family a week after to celebrate Christmas. My family does not appreciate any dishes other than Filipino. We dined out at some French, Japanese, and Italian restos a few times with no success.

Information

Classic Cuisine (C2) is located at 6^th floor of Shangri-La Mall in Mandaluyong. It opens from 11 am to 9 pm (Mon-Thu), 11 am to 10 pm (Friday), 10 am to 10 pm (Saturday), and 10 am to 9pm (Sunday).

Ambience

Classic Cuisine (C2) in Shangri-La Mall can accommodate around 80 people. The area is fairly small and tables are very compact. The kitchen can be seen from the dining area, which is a very clever idea to give customers a clear view on how the foods are being prepared.

Price

Classic Cuisine (C2) offers a list of popular authentic Pinoy dishes with a twist. The prices range from Php 200 to 700. Each serving is good for 4 people.

Taste

Kare-kare is my all time favorite Pinoy food. Classic Cuisine (C2) offers two versions of Kare-kare, one which uses the usual beef tripes and the other one, C2’s signature dish Crispy Kare-kare. This is not the traditional Kare-kare as the peanut sauce, vegetables, and meat are served separately. The beef tripes are substituted with Crispy Pata, which makes the dish sinfully delicious. The serving was enough to feed 4 hungry stomachs. The meat was very tender  and cooked to perfection. This is a must-eat dish.

Crispy Kare-Kare - Php 695

Another popular Pinoy dish is Monggo. My mom usually prepares this dish during Fridays, a tradition that is still being practiced by many Filipinos. C2 makes an interesting  version of this dish by adding pork cracklings and serving it with fried mackerel fillets in paksiw sauce. I’m not a huge fan of monggo but this dish totally consumed me.

Chicharong Mongo at Crispy Paksiw - Php 355

My mom loves shrimps so we ordered Seafood Inasal. It’s a platter of mouthwatering sea creatures served with classic inasal sauce. The squid, fish, and shrimps were fresh and the inasal flavor was not too strong, complementing superbly to the rich savor of the dish. Another must-eat dish.

Seafood Inasal - Php 385

C2 also offers two versions of Bulalo. We already know what Batangas Bulalo taste like, so we ordered the other version for a change, Sizzling Bulalo Steak. The tender beef shank was smothered with creamy bulalo sauce and served with sweet corn and native pechay. I prefer the traditional Bulalo mainly because of its warm, tender shank soup, but this dish is still highly recommended.

Sizzling Bulalo Steak - Php 425

Our classic Filipino lunch wouldn’t be completed without the popular rice. C2 offers a wide variety of rice options from regular pandan rice to bizarre salted egg rice. Each serving can feed 4 people. Pandan Rice costs Php 70.

A perfect way to celebrate Christmas at C2 is to try their award winning dessert, Bibingka Souffle. This is not your typical Bibingka which is made out of rice flour. C2 has mastered the art of creativity by preparing this dessert using light and fluffy blend of coconut custard and adding the classic Bibingka ingredients (salted egg, quezo de bola, and toasted coconut). Bibingka Souffle costs Php 175

Rating

We really enjoyed our lunch at Classic Cuisine. I’m a huge fan of authentic Pinoy dishes but C2 has transformed every dish to something sensational and interesting. I would absolutely return and try other dishes on their menu. My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

Left to Right: Juliet, Tess, Melody, Siony, and Myself

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My buddy Orio is a huge fan of Erwan Heussaff. So we decided to try his Hatch 22, Erwan’s new café and bakery situated at Powerplant Mall in Rockwell. I don’t really spend that much for my breakfast, but Orio was very impetuous that time and used his dominant convincing skill.

Information

Hatch 22 Café and Bakery is located at the ground floor of Power Plant Mall in Rockwell. It opens from 7 am until 10 pm.

Ambience

Hatch 22’s interior is very stylish. The ceiling is impeccably crafted and the huge couch (where we seated) is very comfy and classy. It has a very light atmosphere, a perfect setting to spend our early meal. 

Price

Hatch 22 dishes range from Php 300 to 1000 per serving, a bit overpriced compared to our normal breakfast meals. Each serving is huge enough to fill two empty stomachs.

Taste

Our friend Wealth ordered Hatch Farm Omelet. The Tillamook cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese omelet is served with country ham, smoked bacon, spicy pork sausage, potato haystack and toast. There was nothing unique about this dish. The omelet tasted like my mom’s conventional scrambled eggs and the side dishes did not bring any harmony to this dull meal.

Hatch Farm Omelet - Php 380

Orio tried Monkey Business, buttermilk pancakes topped with caramelized bananas, chunky peanut butter, candied walnuts, cinnamon and caramel. This was much better compared to the overpriced scrambled eggs, but still not enough to please my palate. The pancakes were fluffy and chewy, but the over the top toppings hurt the beauty of this dish.

Monkey Business - Php 430

I ordered Southern Comfort, made out of creole bacon wrapped shrimps with creamy cheesy polenta, blackened sausage, sous vide egg, and slow cooked pork jus. That was a heavy breakfast meal. Personally, it was the best dish we ordered that day. The shrimps were fresh and blended very well with the bacon. The blackened sausage and sous vide egg added more texture and flavor to the dish. The only thing I didn’t like was the starchy polenta. I guess mashed potato or rice can be a better substitute.

Southern Comfort - Php 480

For our dessert, we ordered English Trifle. As we expected, the presentation was brilliant but the taste did not give justice to the beauty of its name. It’s an orchestra of flavors without a rhythm.

English Trifle - Php 170

Rating

I don’t mind paying more than my usual budget for food as long as it satisfies my palate. Hatch 22 offers unique and rare menu but it fails to impress me. I guess what they need to focus on is the coordination and harmony of flavors.  The presentation of the dish should level its taste, not to jeopardize the quality. My rating is give 2 out of 5 stars.

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There are numerous restaurants setting up along Bonifacio Global City. Sarsa Kitchen + Bar is one of them, which is co-owned by Chef Jayps (celebrity chef and judge of MasterChef Philippine edition.) It was featured on KrisTV a few months ago and received good reviews from the hosts. So my buddies and I visited the place and tried their famous authentic Filipino dishes.

Information

Sarsa Kitchen + Bar is located at the Forum in Bonficatio Global City. It opens from 11 am until 11 pm.

Ambience

When we arrived at the location around 1 pm, a large group of people gathered outside because the restaurant  was fully occupied. We stayed on a comfy counter inside the restaurant and waited around half an hour for our turn. The interior is small and minimalist, yet relaxing.

Price

Sarsa offers unique and authentic Pinoy menu, mostly Ilonggo-inspired dishes. The prices range from Php 100 to 300.

Taste

For our starter, we ordered Crispy Dilis. This dish was simple yet very tasty. The sweetness of the chili pineapple glaze and saltiness of the Crispy Dilis were combined to perfection.

Crispy Dilis - Php 90

Ilonggo is famous for its La Paz Batchoy, so we tried Sarsa’s version of the soup. There’s nothing special about their Batchoy. The carinderia next to my apartment cooks Batchoy way better at a lower price.

Sarsa Batchoy - Php 170

I’m a fan of grilled sticks so we ordered Sarsa’s chicken tail and intestine. We got three sticks for each serving. The chicken intestine tasted like the chicken isaw available on the streets. I like chicken tail but was not expecting it to have a very strong and odd flavor.

Isaw (Chicken Intestine) - Php 145

Isol (Chicken Tail) - Php 170

We ordered their famous Lechon Kawali with Batwan Tsokolate and Pinakurat, but it was not available that time. So we ended up ordering their Thin-Cut Liempo with Native Coffee and Burong Vinegar. Again, there’s nothing special about this dish except for its strange vinegar dip.

Thin-Cut Liempo - Php 225

Sarsa’s Sizzling Kansi – Bulalo was the best dish we ordered that day. The beef shank was very tender and the Batwan Gravy enhanced the flavor of the dish. This is another way to eat Bulalo without ofcourse the beef shank soup, sweet corn, and native pechay. I highly recommend this dish.

Sizzling Kansi (Bulalo) - Php 335

We saw Gising Gising on Sarsa’s menu and thought it’s the same as the Gising Gising of ChicBoy, but it’s not. Ilonggo’s Gising Gising is actually small cuts of pork cooked in coconut milk and ginamos. I still prefer ChicBoy’s Gising Gising, but this dish was delicious.

Bugtaw-Bugtaw (Gising-Gising) - Php 145

We also tried Sarsa’s Ginamos Fried Rice. I was a bit hesitant since ginamos (fish bagoong) has a stronger flavor and smell compared to shrimp bagoong. But it turned out to be one of the best fried rice I have ever tasted. The saltiness from ginamos was perfectly balanced.

Ginamos Fried Rice - Php 55

Rating

We had a great time at Sarsa Bar + Kitchen. The foods were delicious and affordable. We also had an opportunity to meet Chef Jayps in person and have a kodak moment with him. My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.

Left to Right: Tyrone, Chef Jayps, Orio, Wealth

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Philippines is composed of numerous majestic islands. One of the most beautiful islands, which is also popular to tourists, is the island and municipality of Coron. We booked a flight on September via Cebu Pacific Air. The island does not offer a convenient public transportation so we got an island tour via Colon Galeri to avoid the hassle particularly travelling within the island. The tour includes airport transfers, breakfast, and lunch.

Coron Island

Here's my 3 days and 2 nights itinerary for your reference:

Day 1

We departed from NAIA International Airport Terminal 3 at 9:40 am. It only takes an hour to travel from Manila to Coron. At the Coron Airport, we took a van provided by Coron Galeri and travelled almost 30 minutes to our hotel. It was a bumpy ride but we enjoyed the scenery of the province.

Coron Airport

We arrived at Sunz en Coron around 12 pm. The hotel is owned by a Korean couple who are actually residents of Coron. The hotel amenities include outdoor swimming pool, spa, poolside bar, free wifi, and a lot more. The staff were friendly and welcomed us with a refreshing pineapple juice.

Sunz En Coron

Outdoor Pool

Our room was very huge, clean, and comfortable.

Our Room

Our tour guide picked us up around 2 pm to start our town tour. The weather was not good but we decided to continue with the tour. We first visited the souvenir shop which is a few meters away from our hotel. We started buying stuff (pasalubong) for our friends and love ones. We also dropped by one of the cashew nut stores in the province.

Souvenir Shop

From the cashew nut store, we headed to Coron Baywalk and witnessed the beauty of the municipality. The area also has a great view of the famous landmark of the province, the Mt. Tapyas, which was our next destination.

Coron Baywalk

Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating so we cancelled the Mt. Tapyas tour and moved on to our next destination which was the Maquinit Hot Springs. It was a long travel and the road to the hot springs was not yet fully developed. The long wait had paid off when we arrived at the area. The place was very haunting and the Hot Springs were very relaxing. We stayed there for several minutes before we headed back to our hotel.

Maquinit Hot Springs

Day 2

It was raining the entire night so we were concerned that we might not enjoy the island tour. Fortunately, the rain stopped as soon as we arrived at the Coron Baywalk where the island tour begins. Coron Galeri provided us an exclusive boat to tour the islands surrounding Coron.

Our Boat

Our first stop was Coron Wharf where we snorkelled and observed the serene water of Coron, though the water wasn't that clear due to the heavy rains from last night.

Coron Wharf

Snorkeling at Coron Wharf

From Coron Wharf, we journeyed to our next destination and hiked an elevated mass of rocks to reach  the Kayangan Lake. The water was clear and the view of the mountains surrounding the lake was breathtaking.

Hiking

Kayangan Lake

The Twin Peaks Reef was our next destination where we witnessed the coral reefs. It was a fun experience but I have to say the water waves scared me to death. After a couple of minutes, we headed to the Calachuchi Coral Gardens for our lunch. We were served crabs, grilled fish, pork, and salad which was part of the tour.

Calachuchi Coral Gardens

Lunch Time

After our delectable lunch, we travelled to the next island to experience the best coral reef in Coron. CYC Island is a small island famous for its white sand. But the best thing about the place is its rich and healthy coral reefs that is truly amazing.

CYC Island

We didn't stay that long at CYC Island since the weather was starting to get hideous again. So we headed back to our hotel. At the hotel, we browsed the net to look for a restaurant nearby that offers good food. And we found Kayawanan Grill, a restaurant and bar located a few meters away from our hotel. Their famous seafood pizza was not available so we ordered kaldereta and chicken bbq. It was delicious but nothing special.

Kawayanan Grill

Since we're tired the entire day, we tried the hotel's spa service and it was heaven and very relaxing.

Day 3

The weather improved on our last day at Coron. Since our flight back to Manila was at 1:30 pm, we decided to visit Mt. Tapyas which is a few meters away from our hotel. We climbed the 750 steps to reach the summit. At the top, we saw a huge cross and a fascinating view of Coron.

750 Steps at Mt. Tapyas

Our Coron trip was really fun and exciting. Even though the weather didn't cooperate, we still managed to enjoy the beauty of the province.

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