Cebu Food Spot

Canvass Bistro Bar and Gallery

2009-10-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

Located at the second floor of the terraces Ayala. This restaurant offers Cebuanos a different taste of flavors straight from Australia. The restaurant recently opened its door to the public and offers sumptuous dishes both to the taste buds and your eyes.

Upon entering the place the first thing you will notice is the modern interior, open kitchen and lots of paintings. The open kitchen gives the customer a complete view of what is happening at the kitchen. This type of setup is advantageous to the customer, since it assures them that their food is properly prepared and that cleanliness is important to the establishment.

The service of their staff is good since we were immediately attended upon entering the place. The only problem was their serving time. It took them more than an hour to serve all of our food. My brother and dad were the last ones to be served and they were already irritated, waiting for their food to be served. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they just recently opened, but they should solve this problem if they want people to return to their restaurant.

It was a good thing that their food tasted great. After my dad and brother tasted their food they began to cool down. The presentation of their dishes is quite good. They value presentation as much as taste in their dishes. This is also why it took them a long time to serve all the orders from their customers.

The dishes have distinct taste compared to other style of cooking. One thing I noticed is that they use oregano on almost all their dishes and that the flavors are not as strong compared to Filipino and Chinese cuisine. The pork and chicken meat is also tender and the flavors of their food perfectly blend with each other.

The prices are higher compared to most restaurants in the terraces but their servings are also bigger. You will also notice that the dishes you eat there are prepared by chefs and not any ordinary cook. The chefs have different uniforms since they come from different culinary schools.

Even though it took them a long time to serve our food, I enjoyed their dishes. I just hope that this wouldn’t happen the next time around. The only consolation for waiting over an hour for our food is the complementary dessert.

Pesto and macadamia nut encrusted parrot fish with potato wedges and green salad – 365

Pork fillet medallions and grilled prawns with grain mustard sauce and pesto spinach fettuccine – 275

Chicken breast wrapped pancetta on thyme garlic juice with corn sprouts and vegetable cous cous

Barbeque rum and honey baby back ribs with charred corn wedges and green salad 320

Blueberry date and chocolate chip crumble pie with vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce

Lamesa Grill

2009-09-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

Lamesa Grill is Located at the Northwing In SM City Cebu. They offer a wide variety of filipino foods to cater the cravings of your taste buds. Although I have visited the place a couple of times, I only had the time to write this post now.

Some of the food in their menu are found in most restaurants here in Cebu but there are some dishes which are totally new to me. The flavors of their dishes have also some difference compared to the some of the filipino restaurants found here in Cebu.

Scallops - we ordered this for our appetizers. This is one of the few dishes found in almost any filipino restaurant here in Cebu.

Pinabarog nga Manok - I've tried ordering different kinds of fried chicken in a lot of restaurant here in Cebu and so far this is one of the dishes that has caought my attention. The presentation of this dish is totally different and something that I haven't seen before. The presentation of this dish definitely made it more appetizing. The dish also lived up to my expectations and was delicious and juicy.

Pancit Canton - another dish common to all filipino restaurants. This is a staple dish whenever we eat at a filipino restaurant cause this is one of my brothers favourite dishes.

Minced bangus with dried mango - I wasn't able to taste this dish, my mother ordered this dish and I am really not a fan of dried mangoes.

Kangkong

Sisig Lumpia - a different way of combining two dishes into one. We ordered this dish out of curiousity and ended up loving it.

If you are in the mood for a different experience of filipino food, you should definitely consider trying Lamesa Grill. The food taste great and the service of their friendly staff are excellent.

Vanille Cafe & Patisserie

2009-09-10T03:49:00.000-07:00

Located at the Second Level of the Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu, this pastry and coffee shop offers a wide variety of drinks and pastries which are delicious and appealing to the eyes. The pastry shop has a unique chic design which will only enhance your curiosity to the shop.

Their violet furniture are perfectly matched to the interior and gives it a unique ambiance compared to other coffee shops.

What makes this cafe and pastry shop stand out from the rest of its counterparts are the pastries and drinks that are found in their menu. Most coffee and pastry shops have more or less the same products with minor difference in terms of flavor.

Mocha Mint – P100.00

Vanilla Blue – P105.00

Vanille offers an whole new different set of pastries and drinks that are not found in most cafe and pastry shops. The first impression that I had in mind when I saw their pastries is that these are the pastries found in fancy restaurants.

Calypso – P75.00

Lopera - 85.00

Giligans

2009-08-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Giligans is located at Ayala Terraces and is a good place eat some grub and have a few drinks. They have a lot of group meals which could serve a number of person with different dishes. It is usually cheaper to order their group meals if your with a lot of friends, the only problem with this is you won't be able to choose the dishes you like.

We ordered the group meal and here are the dishes that were served to us.

Fish fillet - at first I was a bit confused if the dish I was eating was fish or chicken. I really couldn't distinguish it cause flavor of the sauce and the flour prevailed over the fish. The presentation of the food is not also very

good.

Lechon kawali- tasted good and perfectly deep fried to a crisp. This was one of the dishes I liked in their menu.

Sisig - was not that goo. It tasted more like chicharon mixed with some spices to make it look like sisig. I wasn't able to take some pictures cause this was the first dish that was served by the waiter and my brothers immediately attacked it.

Baked pork belly- the pork belly tasted like patatim, and the sauce was also good.

Grilled chicken- really had nothing special to it. If your a big chicken fan, this would definitely be not in your list.

Sizzling gambas - the dish tasted great except for the fact that there were more vegetables and egg present on the dish than shrimps.

Squid - was cooked well. It was juicy and the flavor of the vegetables perfectly complemented it.

What ruined my experience at Giligans was their beer promo. The poster advertised a 4 bottles for 100 and that was the main reason why we ate there. When we ordered our drinks the waiter told us that they had had a cut off. Apparently the ad had a fine print on it and we weren't able to read it.

-- Boy

Sexy Baboy

2009-03-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

If your ever in the mood for grilled filipino food at a very affordable pirce, Sexy Baboy is the perfect place to be. Their food is delicious and has the perfect filipino flavor. Their dishes are mostly filipino dishes and their rates are incredible affordable

The ambiance of the restaurant is also good since they have an outdoor dining area with some accoustic music and an indoor area which can also be used as a function room. The service is also good and the place is also very spacious.

They have ample parking space and a large dining area. Sexy Baboy is definitely a good place to spend time with your friends and family.

Pork Belly

Bicol Express

Sizzling Boneless Bangus

- just an update this place has been converted into a ktv bar and no longer serves the dishes mentioned above.

Ocean Garden

2009-02-22T22:40:00.000-08:00

If ever your in the mood for some seafood but you don't have enough money to eat at a fancy seafood restaurant, there is always another option where you could find good tasting seafood at a very affordable price. I kinda sound like an advertisement for this restaurant, but the truth is Yaya and me always enjoy eating at this place. We always get surprised with their large servings and affordable prices.

I'm not sure whether their are a lot of people who have been to that place cause the location of the restaurant is a couple of meters from the main road. It is located in a subdivision behind Fisherman's Net. Once you arrive on the intersection of JY square and I think its a Caltex gas station. Go inside the road Just all you have to do is follow the signs.

Another thing I really like about this place is the ambiance. It's location is within the city but is far from the noise and traffic from the city. It has a large outdoor dining area with a lot of plants and trees and ample parking space.

Unlike most of the restaurant we dined at, everything we ordered here were seafoods. Even though I'm a meat eating person I was so in the mood for seafoods that I forgot to order any meat.

The first dish we ordered was a blue marlin. We were how we would like them to cook the fish and I told Yaya that it would be better if we tried a different style for everything we ordered.
So we decided to have the Blue marlin sizzled and topped with their gravy sauce. The first thing you'll notice once your food arrives is the lack of presentation of their dishes. I think they really need to improve on the presentation of their food. Although the flavors of their dishes are good, the presentation of it enhances your appetite and will eventually make your mouth water.

The Sizzling blue marlin with gravy sauce was the least of my favorite of all the dishes. It was probably because the sauce didn't match with the fish. One thing I got to hand to them was the fish was fresh and delicious.

We also ordered a lot of lobster and we asked them to cook it in too different styles. I enjoyed the lobster dishes the most, both of the dishes were very tasty. Although I was not used to eating a lobster with out its shell, the dishes were really tasty. I especially enjoyed the lemon butter and garlic sauce. The lemon butter compliments perfectly with the lobster.

Lobster with lemon butter and garlic sauce

Lobster with asian sauce

The Scallops with mixed vegetables was Yaya's favorite. She enjoys eating vegetables and seafoods. I also like the balanced mix of the vegetables and the scallops. They also placed the right amount of sauce which enhances the flavors of the vegetables and scallops. I really liked the mixture of the broccoli, onion and scallops.

I would definitely suggest this restaurant if you love to eat seafoods. The only thing that I could comment of this place is that the food is not served as fast as other restaurants, for the reason that they have to prepare and cook the dishes once you order it.

-- Boy

Krua Thai Authentic Thai Restaurant

2009-01-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

The first thing you'll notice upon entering Krua Thai is the authentic feeling of a Thai restaurant. The interior is filled with Thai ornamentations, painting, decors, fabric and utensils. The Thai theme is not only limited to the place, its best asset is its food. When we browsed through the menu I noticed a lot of different choices of dishes.

Even though I have been trying out a lot of their dishes, every time I dine there I always have a different dining experience. I've tried eating an insanely hot seafood soup and a spicy stir fried rice which eventually made me consume 3 bottles of water, but I'd say its worth trying.

The first thing you should remember when ordering food in this restaurant is to be careful with what you order and if you are unsure always ask the waiter. Although their food tastes great, some dishes are most definitely not for the faint hearted.

Since yaya and I usually order their spicy dishes we decided to try some of their mild dishes. We ordered the spring roll for appetizers; yaya told me that whenever I see spring rolls or lumpia in the menu I just couldn't resist ordering one. There might be a little truth to that, but at least I didn’t regret ordering it.

Their spring roll was a bit different from what I’m used to in Chinese restaurants. It looked the same on the outside but had different fillings in the inside. I noticed a noodle like filling inside it but I couldn’t distinguish the ingredients since I was already very busy eating the food. The taste was also different, unlike the Chinese spring rolls, the flavor of the meat is not really that strong and although it is deep fried, they still managed to keep the flavor of the ingredients inside. It is also less salty compared to its Chinese counter parts.

Yaya ordered the sautéed broccoli with prawns. Although I eat a lot of vegetables, the sight of it doesn’t always boost my appetite. I consider myself as a meat eater, but after I tasted the broccoli with all its other mixes and sauce it increased my appetite. The sauce and prawns perfectly complemented the broccoli. The sauce enhanced the flavor of the broccoli.

The fried garlic squid was also a treat. You could definitely taste the garlic in that dish and the squid is fried to crisp.

Another thing I noticed was their garlic rice. Unlike other garlic rice on other restaurants their rice really tasted like garlic.

The service was definitely fast. We didn’t have to wait very long before our food was served. Their staffs were also very friendly. The price is not that expensive, but I wouldn’t suggest you treat a lot of people there; you might have a little problem with the bill.

Thank God Its Friday

2008-12-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

Ever since terraces opened yaya has been itching to dine at tgi Fridays. Our officemate has been telling her that the food there is superb and that their burgers are simply the best. So after yaya and I were done with our Christmas shopping
we decided to eat at Tgi Fridays. When the waitress gave as the menu I was a bit confused on what to order. Yaya wanted to try the burger and at the same time she wanted to taste the fish fillet. I on the other hand couldn’t decide whether to order

baby back ribs or their chicken meal. While I was deciding what to order, the table across us was served with a large burger and the sight of it made my mouth water, so I decided to order their burger instead. Yaya on the other hand ordered the fish fillet.
A few minutes after we ordered, our meals were served. I got to hand it to their staff, despite their numerous customers they still managed to serve the food fast. Their staffs were also very friendly and welcoming. Service in this restaurant is definitely
not a problem.
Right after our food was served I then realized why the prices for their meals were a bit high. Their serving sizes were huge compared to others.

The burger that I ordered came with a lot of fries and the burger was almost twice the size of the large burger's I tried so far. Their meat was 100% real beef and it was stuffed onion rings tomato and cheese. One noticeable thing about their burger is the distinct taste which is very appealing to Americans. Although I consider it delicious it doesn't have the same flavors in which Filipinos are familiar with.

The fish fillet on the other hand was very delicious. The fish is covered with a thin layer of crispy coating. Inside this crispy coating is the tender fish fillet. It is then topped with minced tomato and onions. Yaya wasn't able to finish her meal since the serving size for this dish was also big.

I would definitely return to this restaurant and try their other dishes. Next time around I'll be careful not to order too much or we might end up not finishing our meal again.

--Boy

Chika-an sa Cebu

2008-12-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

Chika-an has been serving delicious dishes here in cebu for a very long time. As far as I can remember we usually eat at there branch on century plaza back when I was still a kid. Cebu was still a small place back then and there were still no malls or commercial establishments around.
Chika-an was one of the most popular filipino restaurant back then, we used to bring our guest there, the only problem then was there prices were a bit expensive.
After malls and commercial building began sprang out everywhere with different new restaurant, Chika-an began to adopt new strategies in order to compete with the market. The prices for their dishes also became competitive.
Even with all those changes, they still managed to maintain the quality and taste of their food.

Baked Scallops
A perfect appetizer to start your meal. Each plates serves 7 Scallop topped with butter and other ingredients. I'm not really sure what they place on top of the scallops but my guess is butter or cheese. Either way it's always a regular dish when we order filipino food.

Mongo soup
The mongo soup is probably one of the most common Filipino dish you wouldn't want to order in a restaurant. Asides from the fact that it is very easy to cook there is nothing extra ordinary with this dish. Anyway my mom ordered this, so might as well eat it.hehehe

Sizzling talong with spicy sauce
This dish is definitely a different way to cook an eggplant, it has the right blend of sweetness and spiciness in it. Although it lacks presentation, it certainly makes up for it in its taste. This dish is one of my new favorites.

Pancit Canton
Another common filipino dish. This is always a constant on our orders since this is my brothers favorite dish.

Boneless bangus with coco milk
Bangus is pretty much a very common fish here in the Philippines but what I like about this dish is that it is cooked in a different way. Sizzling boneless bangus can be bought in almost any filipino restaurant or fast food chain. What is special with this recipe is that it is sauced with coco milk.

Squid

Lechon Kawali
Another common filipino food, pork belly deep fried to perfection.

Grilled Pork Belly

All in all I recommend chika-an if your in the mood for filipino cuisine. The food is delicious and affordable. Their service is good and the food is served fast. The only problem is this place is usually full during the weekends.

--boy

Kapiroti

2008-11-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

There was a stirring hubbub about Kopiroti. The day before Boy and I went there, I read it in some blog. Then when I visited istorya, I saw a really good recommendation about Kopiroti and how their coffee was comparable to Starbucks. What really pushed me to practically drag Boy to take me to Kopiroti was when my backpacker friend, Bar, gushed about how their bun was the tastiest bun he ever had. My mind was practically screaming, "I need to be there!".

Needless to say, we went there after we had dinner at Boy's house (I have strong convincing powers over him). When he had to take me home that's when we stopped by at Kopiroti.

We all know that there are already a lot of coffee shops scattered all over Cebu however Kopiroti really carved a good niche. For one their coffee is different. They don't give you the usual presentation. The coffee is brewed and before they pour the coffee in the mug, they pour a dollop of condense milk first. The condense milk doesn't make the coffee too sweet, even when you do stir it. Their coffee is strong and it is a perfect beverage for one cold morning. Their tea tarik was surprisingly good as well. I'm not much of a tea person and I enjoyed their strong brewed tea with condensed milk (this is the tea tarik) very much.

Kopiroti Coffee and Tea

Most of Kopiroti's dishes are for breakfast. I would just love to go to Kopiroti one morning and have a bite of their Kaya toast and their bun.

The kaya toast is a toasted bread which has butter and coconut paste as filling. The bun tastes bland but then it was my first time to ever bite into a bun wherein it's almost rock solid on the outside yet very soft on the inside. No wonder Bar was bragging so much about it.

Kopiroti's Infamous Bun

Kaya Toasts with a view of the Soft Boiled Eggs
on the upper left

I also tried their soft boiled eggs. Just by looking at it, you get intimidated at first but when you start to slurp the liquid slime, you'd be surprised that it's not as bad as it looks. In fact it's actually good. The soft boiled eggs were swimming together with black soya that definitely lessened the almost raw taste of egg yolk which usually stimulates my gag reflexes. When visiting Kopiroti, your visit wouldn't be complete if you don't sink your taste buds in these.

You know how in most coffee shops we just love to lounge around, well not in Kopiroti. For one their furniture is not made for lounging since their chairs are stiff and are not that comfortable. They expect a quick turn-over of their tables so that they can serve more customers. They don't serve comfort food such as cakes, they serve breakfast at any time of the day.

One of the greatest thing about Kopiroti is the price, I only paid Php 285 for the tea, coffee, Kaya toast, bun and eggs. Their coffee is really cheap especially if you start comparing it with other coffee shops.

I know I got you started and I almost forgot to tell you where Kopiroti is located. Their shop is located at the Gallery, its the new building located right in front of the San Carlos Seminary at Mabolo. Kopiroti is opened from 7 am to 1 am and till 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. They also have a free wifi.

Manila Food Shop

2008-10-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

Manila Food shop has been around here in cebu for as long as I could remember. Lately they have been expanding and improving their restaurants.

Although I have always passed by this place, I never tried eating at their place in Osmena Blvd because of the lack of parking space.

When they opened their branch at the Park mall last year, Yaya and I decided to try dining there. We were curious cause every time we passed by the place it was usually full.

We ordered three dishes to try out their dishes. I ordered the lumpia shanghai

Yaya Ordered the Chop Suey Rice Topping

and an additional Quail Egg Siomai

Here are some of the comments I have for this Restaurant

The service is not that good, it took them a long time to serve the food. Maybe because we ate here during their peak hour and they had a lot of customers.
The taste of their food is a little bland. I'm not sure if that's applicable on the other dishes on their menu. Compared to other restaurants of the same price level, I would have say that their are a lot more restaurants which have better dishes than them.

I would have to give them a 4/10

Cafe Volere

2008-10-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

A lot of Coffee shops are popping up everywhere in Cebu. Most of these are already established coffee shops and need not any advertisements, others on the other hand are still new at it.

Even though these coffee shops are new to the business they still provide the same quality and service compared to there established counter parts and what makes these coffee shop better are there cheaper prices.

These cafes are great alternatives to the crowded and expensive established coffee shops, Cafe Volere is one good example of such shop. It is located at North Road Plaza in Basak, Mandaue city.

The cafe has a different ambiance to it and the adequate lighting of the interior is perfect for studying or having a business meeting. The place is quiet and usually has a few customers at a time. The service of their staff is also fast and are they very accommodating.

There coffee, smoothies and pastries are delicious affordable and unlike most coffee shops they also have full meals in their menu. Here are some of the food and drinks we ordered there.

Caramel & chocolate smoothies - P80.00 each

What I like about their smoothies is that it has a different taste to it and is not too sweet. What I noticed on most coffee shops is that their smoothies are full of sugar that there is a big chance you'll get diabetes if you regularly have those drinks.

Lasagna - P65.00

This cheesy meat filled pasta is served hot and topped with some oregano seasoning. It is served with two slices of french bread and is heavy on the stomach.

Pizza slice - P35.00

A large pizza slice topped with some ham, onions, pepper, mushroom and a thick layer of cheese.

Choco Cream cake - P25.00

Whipped cream sandwich between two chocolate bar.

The only thing negative remark I have for Cafe Volere is the location. It is located a bit far from the city and the cafe is not located in the front of the building, and due to the limited customers they usually close early compared to other coffee shops. All things considered I would have to say that Cafe Volere is definitely a nice place to visit. I would have to give them an 8/10.

--boy

Red Ribbons

2008-10-22T04:21:00.000-07:00

I have always favored Red Ribbon against Goldilocks since then. My brother and I just love their cakes and I also know a few more people who share my preference. I would just like to add that among all their cakes my personal favorite is the chocolate mousse. It's creamy and very chocolaty - seriously I will have to stop there since my tummy is starting to churn, craving for some of those delectable, mouthwatering chocolate mousse. *Stop*

One lazy and "economically critical" weekend, Boy and I were both up to taste something entirely different for that particular SM trip. We just happened to pass-by Red Ribbons while carefully searching for affordable yet gut satisfying place to eat. Then there it was, beside KFC, beckoning us to come in to taste their wide selection of cakes and other truly delectable dishes. We couldn't say no and so Boy stood in line among the many people who have been called while I raced to claim a small dainty table for two.

Our Order

Creamy Carbonara Meal (Php 120) - The meal comes with a mocha caramel cake.
Petit Carbonara with Chicken Lolipop (Php 118) - This meal also comes with a tasty cake, mango creme roll.

The carbonara was really good. I really enjoyed it however Boy regretted that we both had Carbonara since he also wanted Red Ribbon's Palabok which is quite popular to be delicious recipe. Nonetheless he also liked the Carbonara but he felt that he would have enjoyed his meal more if it was the Palabok since also it has a bigger serving than the carbonara. **grin**

Creamy Carbonara Meal

Mocha Caramel Cake (cake of the day)

The carbonara serving of Boy is bigger compared to mine since I have two chicken lollipops which by the way were very delicious. I will vouch for that chicken lollipop of theirs. Absolutely tender and flavorful.

Carbonara with chicken lollipop meal

Mango Caramel Roll

The Verdict:

For their cake alone, I would have to give them 10 however over-all as a food spot - I will give them a 9 since I enjoyed my meal so much however I don't really dig the place. For me, I think they should opt for a homey feel instead of a fast-food chain feel.

-- Yaya

Chowking

2008-10-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

Chowking is probably one of the fast food chains yaya and I often eat asides from Andoks. The prices for their meals and snacks are very affordable and their Lauriats are packed lots of food. I usually order their lumpia lauriat or the sweet and sour lauriat. Got these very nice shots from Chewy Chua's photostream.

Their Halo-halo is one of our favorites in their menu. We usually stop by Chowking after a hard days work and order Halo-halo. Although this is a fast food restaurant they still make sure that the food they prepare is presentable. Nothing is better than tasty food that is also sumptuous to the eyes.

There Chicharap has also been one of my favorites. I cant help it, I seem to have this thing with crispy food.hehehe Although this isn't their specialty and there are a lot of restobar who offer kropek as a pulotan, I still like their chicharap cause this is where I first tasted this when I was still a boy.

Another dish we regularly order is the Kangkong with bagoong. Yaya has an addiction with kangkong, she can't resist ordering Kangkong in any restaurant if she sees it in the menu.

The King Congee is perfect whenever you are in the mood for a satisfying meal. It is filled with lots of toppings and is heavy on the stomach. I like the taste of their congee but yaya didn't like the century egg. Maybe she will get used to it in the future.

I would definitely recommend Chowking whenever your at the mall and your a bit short on the budget. Their service is fast and the serving size are large. I give chowking a 9/10.

---boy

Crazy Crepe

2008-10-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Like most of my posts, this has been waiting in my blogs edit section. Boy have uploaded these pics and have been constantly reminding me to finally make the write-up so that we can publish this. By this time, most of you have already seen or tasted the Crazy Crepe located at SM's Northwing. **grin**

One fine evening, after our heavy dinner, my sweet tooth was at it again and this time it was aching for those truly inviting crepes. Depending on the flavors and the toppings, the crepe can cost from Php 70 to a Php 100, I think (I lost the receipt). It can be pricey but I tell you, it's worth it. You truly get what you pay for.

The shop is pretty small since primarily their crepes are bought for take out. The staff is okay and I like watching the crepe guy preparing the ordered crepes. You get to see if the preparation is sanitary or not which it is.

Boy ordered the very rocky road (not so sure if thats the name, I lost the receipt you see) while I ordered the one with peaches and mangoes. I like Boy's crepe better though. I like the mixture of nuts, marshmallow, chocolate ice cream and banana. The mangoes and peaches can get too sweet at some point but nonetheless both crepes have overly satisfied my sweet tooth for that night.

Some Shopping Bags and our Crepes

Boy's Crepe. Love the Marshmallows.

Mine. Mangoes, crushed graham, whip cream and peaches.

I would advise not to eat these crepes on a already full stomach. These crazy crepes are also heavy crepes and you know what happens when you eat too much. You have various crepe selection to choose from. Just a tip though, Boy's crepe is one of their bestsellers.

---- Yaya

Carlito's Way Steak House

2008-09-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I made a post in this blog. Although I have a lot of pending post to make I was very busy the past few days. So I'll just start with the most recent restaurant yaya and me ate.

Last week we had dinner together to celebrate our monthsary and I wanted to treat her at some place with good food. Although this wasn't the first time we ate at this restaurant we rarely eat there since the branches they opened were far from both our houses. When I learned that they opened a new branch at Paseo, I thought that it might be a good idea to eat there.

The first thing I noticed there was they had a very friendly staff and that they had very few customers. It was probably because it was Sunday when we ate there. Their accommodating staff is a plus factor considering the price you pay for a meal there.

We ordered tossed salad for our appetizer and each had a different dish.
I would have to say there is nothing extra ordinary with their tossed salad. In fact I could easily make the same salad which is tastier than what we ordered. I wouldn't expect much from this probably because this is not there specialty. All of the ingredients can be bought in the supermarket and they didn't place anything special to add to the flavor of the salad.

Tossed Salad - P 70.00

Yaya ordered their pepper steak and it was really a mouthful dish. Even though they served large portions for their meals, they lack presentation for their meals. Presentation is really important in order to entice the senses of your customers and enhance the pleasure of eating the meal served. A meal well presented will make you salivate for that tasty meal and will make that meal more enjoyable to experience.

Pepper Steak - 195

I on the other hand ordered their house speicalty, Carlito's Steak. Although it looks almost exactly the same as the dish yaya ordered it is quite different from that dish. I will have to say that due to the lack if presentation of their dishes, the customers can't differentiate one meal from the other. The customer won't have a different experience for every meal. The lack of herbs and the corn kernel side dish without any other vegetable makes this dish look like its un finished. One goog thing about their food thoug was the size of there servings. They also have tasty steaks and excelent service to their customers.

Carlito's Steak - P195.00

The location of their branches is very accessible. The friendly and accommodating staff makes your experience there enjoyable. The large servings of their dishes is worth the money you spend, but due to the lack of presentation of their dishes and the price of their food I will have to give them a 7/10

--- Boy

Flavours of China

2008-09-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

This is probably the newest addition to a long list of Chinese restaurant found here in Cebu. In order for a Chinese restaurant to stand out among the rest here in Cebu is the flavor and prices of their food. Flavours of China adds a new taste compared to the other Chinese restaurants here in cebu.

The first thing you'll notice with their food is the minimal use of bitsin which is commonly used in chinese restaurants. With the exception of the honey lemon chicken they have a well balanced mix of sweetness, saltiness and sourness to their food and have different sauces for their dishes.

Their Spare Ribs is one of my favorites. The meat is soft and it is easy to remove the meat from the ribs.

Scallops & brocolli - I forgot the exact name of this dish but the combination of the scallops and brocolli produced a very delicious result. What makes this dish even better is it is also healthy

Tofu and Fish - this was ordered by my parents, I'm really not a fan of tofu so I only ate the fish and it was good. If I were to choose another fish dish I would rather order their steamed fish fillet.

Honey Lemon Chicken - The chicken is deep fried to make the coating crispy, while maintaining the juiciness of the chicken. It is then topped with a thin layer of honey and lemon which adds to the flavor of the chicken.

So far they only have one branch here in cebu and it is located at the Northwing at SM City.
-- Boy

Bigby's

2008-08-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my aunt visited us here in cebu and my mom wanted to treat us out for dinner. After we toured my aunt around the northwing of SM city Cebu. We went to bigby's for dinner.
I must say, I love eating their cause their food tastes great. The only problem is that their prices are also a bit expensive. Maybe it is because their are a lot of restaurants which offers the same food at almost half the price. Well anyway my brothers were the ones who ordered our food and it wasn't a surprise to me that they ordered a lot of dishes.

It was a good thing though that when we ate their, the restaurant had a promo. We got a free salad cause our order was more than what they specified in their promo. The salad was made up of lean chicken, lettuce, toasted bread, and Parmesan cheese. It was just an appetizer and what made it tastier was the fact that it was totally free.

The next dish that was served was the calamaris or squid rings. The squid was tender in the inside and the covering was crispy and delicious. It also had a large serving and would probably satisfy about 2-3 persons in our case.hehehe

The pasta was served together with the squid and is definitely different from most pastas found on fast food restaurants. It is served with garlic bread and the sauce is packed with meat. The sauce has just the right blend to it is topped with a touch of cheese and herbs.

My mom ordered this fish fillet dish which i wasn't able to get the name on the menu. I think this dish was on of the tastiest in all the dishes we ordered. Although I am not a big fan of fish dishes but I got to admit that this was very delicious. The fish was very tender and the sauce enhanced the taste of the fish. It was topped with some deep fried potatoes which were more like thin small fries on top of it. The mixture of the sauce, fish and fried crispy potatoe was superb.
Some of the most commonly ordered dishes in Bigby's are the buttered chicken and their famous baby back ribs. The chicken is ok with me but I would have to say it is not the tastiest fried chicken here in Cebu.

The baby back ribs on the other hand is what I would recommend in this restaurant. The meat is grilled to perfection and the meat can be easily cut off from the bones. The barbecue sauce also complements greatly with the ribs.

All in all I would definitely recommend this restaurant. I would have to give it a 8 out of 10 though. The ambiance of their restaurant are good. The presentation of their dish are also ok. Service would also be ok. The serving of their dish a big which would really be sensible since their name tells it all. The only problem is that although you usually leave this restaurant with a full bulging stomach you also go out with an empty wallet, well maybe that only usually happen in my case. The prices are a bit high, but I guess for me it is worth eating their every once in a while.

-- Boy

Photo Update:

Belly Buster

Cafe De France

2008-08-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

When Boy was in the mood to just lounge around and study, right after our hard work, the most accessible coffee shop in Mandaue is Cafe de France. Located right at Mandaue Hi-way, Cafe de France occupies the same building as Andoks', the North Atrium.

Cafe de France is a wifi-zone and the second floor is an internet cafe. Boy even said that their internet cafe is more salable than their coffee. They offer full hearty meals, a variety of cakes and pastries, a so-so selection of coffee blends, and smoothies.

Our order:

Braso de Mercedes
Strawberry and Banana Smoothie
Cafe Mocha

The cafe mocha

The pastries are affordable however the coffee prices were surprisingly almost similar to Starbucks. "Suprisingly" because the taste is not at all that satisfying and it certainly tasted a lot cheaper. One of my officemates even said before that their cafe latte tastes almost the same as Nescafe's instant 3 in 1 mix coffee; and I'd have to agree.

Our total order costs us around Php 280. Yes, Starbucks can charge a bit higher especially when I pair my coffee with a cake however its all worth it.

Braso de mercedes

Location and Staff:

There are several Cafe de France branches in Cebu and you can barely see certified coffee addicts flocking inside it. The location is good and I would have to add that the internet bit is a good one to pull the business through. The chairs are not that comfortable and the framed tarpaulins (of digitized paintings) are not adding any aesthetics either. The staff are not at all accommodating albeit they are fairly fast at serving your orders.

Verdict:

I'd give Cafe de France a grade of 4. I guess from the start of this post, you could already tell that I didn't enjoy my Cafe de France experience (I already voiced out my verdict to Boy that night, he only smiled nonetheless since he enjoyed the sight of how bumbed out I was after I took a sip of his cafe mocha). I love coffee and the feeling after drinking their blend was, "I can make a better cafe mocha than you".

-- Yaya

Photo Updates:

Braso de mercedes

Cafe Latte

Red Moon Chinese Cuisine and Delicacies

2008-08-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my family and I spent some quality time together. It has been a while since we had lunch together, things has just been busy the past few months. We decided to eat at the Red Moon restaurant at the paseo arcenas.

When we arrived there, the place was full inside so we decided to eat outside. The place is quiet small considering they usually have a lot of customers, but its a good thing they have extra tables outside. There outdoor tables are nice during the evening and is okay during the day as long as its not scorching hot outside.

After we were accommodated by their staff, we immediately ordered the usual dishes such as siomai, lumpia, pancit and my dad ordered the rest of the dishes. I got to hand it to them, the service there is fast and it doesn't take long for them to serve your food.

Siomai - the first dish to be sereved was the siomai, which was different from most of the siomai's here in cebu. Anyway just a small insight regarding siomai, this dish is already very common here since the "Siomai sa Tisa" has been spreading like wild fire in every corner of Cebu.
Anyway back to my topic, what made their siomai unique is they used mostly lean meat compared to other siomais which is rich in fat. Their hot sauce is also good since it is spicy but not too hot. Me and my brothers really loved it that we made an additional order in the middle of our meal.

Price : P42.00 per 3 pcs

Pancit- was the second dish which was served. This dish was okay, there was nothing really special to it except that its really packed with meat and vegetables. If you can you take a look at the picture you can hardly see the noodles in it.hehehe
Price: P 95.00

Fish Fillet & Lumpia Shanghai - were the tastiest dish we ordered there. The fish fillet was delicious and fulfilling. It is crispy on the outside and soft fish meat in the inside.
The lumpia shanghai which is my favorite Chinese dish was also very delicious. In fact we also made an additional order since my younger brother and I ate most of it.
Price:
Fish Fillet - P100.00
Lumpia Shanghai - P 70.00

Yang Chow Fried Rice - it taste just like any normal yang chow fried rice.
Price: P80.00

Chao Pa Chien - it is good and has the right mixture of vegetables, meat, squid balls and the right mix of flavors.
Price: P120.00

Pata - this dish needs a little improvement. If I have to compare it to the other chinese restaurants, this would be at the bottom of the list. It lacks taste and the meat is hard to cut of from the bones.
Price: 180.00

Overall I would give Red Moon a 7/10. Most of the food are delicious and affordable and some are just not worth the price. Their service is good but the ambiance is not conducive for a dating or a romantic dinner.

--boy

Ngohiong Express

2008-08-10T19:48:00.001-07:00

If you are on a tight budget and you want to have a cheap yet satisfying meal go to Ngohiong Express. They have a wide variety of foods to choose from. Their specialties are Ngohiong, Siomai, Tempura, and Squid Roll.

They also have a wide variety of meals which you can order, ranging from tapsilog to sisig. They have a lot of branches and some of their branches are open for 24 hours.

Yaya and me usually stop by at their North Atrium Branch after she gets off from work. This is a fast food restaurant and self service is pretty much what you expect out of this restaurant.

.

Siomai, Ngohiong, Chicken & Squid Roll

The photos above were taken about a year ago and I'll be updating it with better photos soon.

--Boy

Dessert Factory

2008-08-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

This post has been sitting at the dark nooks of my computer since last June. Boy has been urging me to write my very first post then; was never really convinced since I was busy with my other blogs and, of course, with work. Anyway, since I enjoyed my Tokyo Joes review, for this post I will be objectively dishing out my criticism when dining at the Dessert Factory.

Well to start with, the Dessert Factory is for people with a sweet tooth. There are all kinds of cheesecake, crème brulée, mango cake, chocolate cake, flourless chocolate cake, banana split cake, carrot cake, chocolate mousse and strawberry truffle. Their split ice-cream cake is an affordable treat of Php 65. You can also sink your taste buds in palatable smoothies and coffee of different kinds.

Our order:

1 Beef Ribs Adobado for Boy
1 Curry Pork Adobo for Me
1 order of Mash Potato for us to divvy up
1 Split Ice Cream cake
1 Hot Calamansi Juice for Me
1 Pineapple Juice for Boy

Boy and I definitely enjoyed our beef and pork; it is not only flavorful but quite tender. We also enjoyed devouring the mash potato. I have to say that their mash potato happens to be one of the best that I have tasted. It is thick, creamy and certainly delightful; a side dish worth my recommendation. Every after meal Boy and I like to drink pineapple or calamansi juice since it helps with the digestion (we are, after all, health conscious). After our hearty meal we guttled the cold split ice cream cake and tasted a hint of strawberry, banana and nuts.

Total Cost of our dinner is Php 535.00 - I'd have to say, a good price for a good meal.

Location and the Staff:

You can find several Dessert Factory restaurants in Cebu, with SM and Ayala (Ayala being the most noteworthy and full of customers) being the most accessible. I have to hand it to their staff for being so accommodating.

The moment you enter, their staff will greet you with a smile and accompany you to your seat; very welcoming.

And you just have to love the Jester’s Hat; it denotes fun and comfort (at least in my opinion).

The Verdict:

I’d give Dessert Factory an 8. The food is excellent, especially the desserts, and I just like the lively and colorful interior. The Jester’s hat is their icing on the cake.

--Yaya

Tokyo Joes

2008-07-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Photo Updates:

Miso Soup

Lovers Meal

Spicy Tuna Roll

Tuna and Salmon Sashimi

Tuna Sashimi

Boy and I love eating at Japanese restaurants when we have the money to splurge. I was not quite a fan back then since my chopsticks skills weren’t that good. Now, my taste buds are occasionally seeking to consume some fresh Tuna Sashimi. There are several choices in Cebu, one of my personal favorite is Tokyo Joes. The name might not be as popular as Rai Rai Ken but the food is really good and a bit affordable when you compare it to other Japanese restaurants.

Our Order:

1 Chicken Termpura Bento Meal

1 Beef Tempura Bento Meal

1 Tuna Sashimi

2 Red Ice Tea

Soup and the Sashimi

The Bento Meal comes with two tempuras, a soup, mixed vegetables (that yummy mongo sprouts), the Teriyaki of your choice (you have option of Chicken, pork or beef), and a slice of this steamed sweet scrambled egg. The service is fast. They first serve your drinks, next the soup and the appetizer, which in our case is the Tuna Sashimi. Shortly after the Sashimi, our bento box is dished out.

Chicken Tempura Bento

Beef Tempura Bento

I love their tempura; I can certainly feel the prawn rather than munch up a thick coat of flour unlike some Japanese restaurants. I also like their stir fried (I think) mongo sprouts. You can taste a hint of sesame oil and the dish is not overcooked rather a bit crunchy once your teeth break through it.

Total cost of our dinner is Php 545.00

Quite affordable for a Japanese dinner although the bento order did help a lot in reducing the cost. If I could make a tip, order a Bento Meal if you’re not up for exploring more exotic Japanese dishes and if you want to make small savings on the bill.

Location and the Staff:

The location makes Tokyo Joes negligible to the eye. It is located at the lower ground floor of SM just near Golden Cowrie. Personally, I think they would get more attention if they transfer at the North Wing or at the fiesta strip of even just along the side of Goldilocks. The staff is fast and accommodating although not as accommodating as Rai Rai Ken’s.

The Verdict:

I’d give Tokyo Joes an 8. 5. The food here I can recommend but, then, they lack the ambiance. Tokyo Joes is very low key when you compare it to most Japanese restaurants such as Rai Rai Ken or even Nonki.

-- Yaya

Filipino Food Quiz

2008-07-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Think you know Filipino food? Test your recognition skills. Type in your answer in the comments section. Whoever gets all 5 correct, I will link to your blog.

Food no. 1________________

Food no. 2 ________________

Food no. 3: ________________

Food no. 4: ____________________

Food no. 5:_____________________

-- Yaya

Grand Majestic - A whole new chinese cuisine experience

2008-06-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I've written a new post in this blog. I've been busy the past few weeks I never got the chance to write new food reviews for this blog. A couple of weeks ago my family had a small gathering, we ate at this Chinese restaurant which has already established there name here in Cebu.
The Grand Majestic has been around for more than a decade and as a child we usually eat here on special occasions and during the weekends. Maybe because during that time Cebu didn't have many restaurants for us to choose.
Anyway unlike out previous visits in that restaurant, this was a bit different. Our food was really hardcore Chinese food with the exception of a few dishes, that even I couldn't understand what I was eating. It was a whole new experience for me and my cousins.
The image above is the appetizer they served us. Its a dimsum sampler and most of the samples there I frankly have no idea what they are or what there made of. Except for the siomai which is the only familiar dish in that sampler.

The next dish they serve was chicken but in another style, I even thought that it was a chicken from another planet. hehehe I never saw a black chicken before thats why I asked my aunts, who are familiar with chinese food, what that soup was made. They told me its a black chicken soup and my grandfather used to cook this soup for them while they were young. If only I saw my grandfather I would have learned a lot from him since he was a pure Chinese. I could have tasted his delicious cooking.
The next dish that was served was something I mistook for a familiar dish. I thought these wear fried lumpia shanghai but it turned out to vegetables. I think they told me its made out of radish.
Another dish which I mistook for pancit bihon or noodles was in fact another type of dish. This dish was totally out of my vocabulary of Chinese foods that even my aunts didn't know what it was made of.heheheLuckily the next dishes they served were familiar dishes. This one is a deep fried prawns.
They then served the Crabs, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to take a picture of the untouched version of the crabs. My cousins were really hungry at this time and they never gave me a chance to take some shots on the crab.hehehe
This one was supposed to be a roasted piglet but I don't know why in the world they decided to chop it in to tiny pieces.

--Boy