Tales from the Tummy

Oliva Bistro Cafe, A Hidden Gem

2012-06-01T01:29:00.000+08:00

Oliva Bistro Cafe is located on Visayas Avenue in Quezon City, and area I'm not overly familiar with as I rarely venture there. The Club was invited to try out the food so on a rainy Friday night, we trooped there. I was surprised at busy Visayas Avenue, teeming with a mix of residential and commercial places.
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Drum Tao - The Art of Drum comes to Manila

2012-05-31T01:26:00.000+08:00

Drum Tao, the renown Japanese drum and martial arts show finally arrives in Manila for a limited run of 10 shows only at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila. The traveling show has performed in 400 cities worldwide and seen by over 5 million people. Every since seeing our first live Taiko drum performance in Singapore and then in Mall of Asia, we couldn't wait to see more.
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Bon Chon, More Than Just Chicken

2012-05-27T15:37:00.002+08:00

Bon Chon Chicken has taken the fast food scene by storm, introducing their crunchy skinned double fried Korean style chicken wings to the hungry public. Whether you are a fan of their soy garlic sauce like us or their hot and spicy one, you just can't wait to have your weekly or daily crunch.
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Li Li Restaurant's Dimsum Feast

2012-05-24T23:16:00.000+08:00

Lili is the preeminent Chinese restaurant of the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. I was there to sample some of their sumptuous and delicate dimsum offerings. This is actually my first time to ever step inside this hotel, so I asked directions and was informed to take the elevator to the 5th floor. Stepping inside the doors, the first thing that I thought was maybe I was in the wrong place since it did not look like a restaurant, more like some ones foyer.
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Cafe Pascucci in Seoul, Korea

2012-05-23T00:06:00.000+08:00

While waiting for our room at Myeongdong Skypark to be available we walked around the are. Since it was still early we decided to check out one of the coffee shops in the area called Cafe Pascucci. The place was located on the 2nd floor so the whole group trooped up the stairs to check it out.
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Milky and Sunny in Kapitolyo

2012-05-18T09:41:00.000+08:00

Milky and Sunny is a bright and cheerful all day breakfast joint in Kapitolyo. I love breakfast places, the smell of and sight of freshly cooked bacon, eggs, and a whole lot more really gets me going. I was quite excited to check out Milky & Sunny after hearing about it from friends.
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Tamagoya Noodle House in Antipolo

2012-05-17T01:36:00.000+08:00

Tamagoya Noodle House is located in far flung Antipolo, so it took a lazy Sunday night together with Rowena and Peter, for us to venture that way enticed by the prospects of a good bowl of ramen. Even on a Sunday, it took us quite a while to traverse the roads leading there, while encountering some traffic caused by unruly public utility vehicles as well as the usual we own the road religious groups parking all over the road.
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Binulo Restaurant @ Clark Field, Pampanga - Capampangan Cuisine at its Best

2012-05-15T01:08:00.003+08:00

On our way back from Baguio last March, we stopped over in Clark, Pampanga before continuing on to Manila. We had a great dinner at Binulo Restaurant, serving some of the most wonderful Capampangan cuisine I've ever had. Binulo means to cook in fresh bamboo stalks called bulo.
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Anne Curtis, Solenn Heussaff and Kelly Misa are the Greenwich Pasta Girls

2012-05-12T01:08:00.001+08:00

Greenwich recently launched the improved Spaghetti Supreme by tapping 3 of the brightest and most beautiful celebrities, Anne Curtis, Solenn Heussaff and Kelly Misa as their new Pasta Girls.
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Yummy Eats 2012 is Here + Giveaway

2012-05-10T01:06:00.001+08:00

Yummy Eats, the food and cooking fair from Yummy Magazine is back once again for its 2nd year. The event will be happening on May 26, 2012 at the Rockwell Tent from 10am to 9pm. Want to know more and get a chance to win tickets to the event then read on.
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Elias, Turn of The Century Filipino Dining

2012-05-09T01:18:00.000+08:00

Elias by Crisostomo, is the newest restaurant of Chef Florabel Co, located at the bustling Bonifacio High Street Central, serving classic Filipino dishes. Elias, a character from "Noli me Tangere" by Jose Rizal, has a Spanish colonial vibe from the decor, menu and its food offerings. The items on the menu even names from the books and the life of Jose Rizal, quite creative.
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Longganisa Sorpresa in Kapitolyo

2012-05-07T01:37:00.000+08:00

Longganisa Sorpresa (sausage surprise) is a small neighborhood restaurant in Kapitolyo, a couple of doors away from NAV.They serve many different kinds of local longganisa from all over the Philippines. They have lunch sets as well as ala carte orders for their longganisa. I've been there twice already, once with Irene and another time with The Food Club.
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Hotel Skypark Myeongdong 1

2012-05-06T01:59:00.000+08:00

Last April, we took a trip to Seoul, Korea together with our friends from the Food Club and we stayed in Hotel Skypark Myeongdong 1 (pic from Hotels.com) located in the Myeongdong district. Myeongdong is the shopping capital of Korea with hundreds and hundreds of stores, restaurants and what not populating its multitude of walking streets.
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Bliss Cafe at Hotel Elizabeth Baguio

2012-05-03T09:52:00.000+08:00

During my recent trip to Baguio, I got a chance to try Bliss Cafe, a vegetarian restaurant located at the G/F of Hotel Elizabeth Baguio. Did you see the word vegetarian, I was a bit wary of eating there since I'm a self confessed carnivore. Jean of Trip of Treats assured our group that we would love the food there, so off we went.
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Mario's Restaurant Baguio + Giveaway

2012-05-02T01:13:00.001+08:00

I got a chance to visit Mario's Restaurant, way up north in Baguio where it all started in 1971 last March. This was my 2nd trip to Baguio in less than 6 months, after being absent for a good 30 years, the long travel time was not particularly endearing for me.The two recent trips have changed my mind, with improved roads getting better, the travel time is being cut down and the cool weather there is definitely something I regret missing out on. I stayed at Hotel Elizabeth Baguio both times and had a wonderful time.
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Signature Dishes by Chef Myrna Segismundo at Heat in Edsa Shangri-la's Manila

2012-04-29T00:45:00.003+08:00

I got a sneak preview of Signature Dishes by Chef Myrna Segismundo, the Filipino themed buffet from Edsa Sangri-la Manila that will be happening from May 2 to 12, 2012 during both lunch and dinner at HEAT. The food fest will feature traditional Filipino dishes that will retain all their flavors but will improve their presentation and cooking techniques.
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Hatsu Hana-Tei in Herald Suites Makati

2012-04-26T00:26:00.000+08:00

Located just across the Japanese paradise that is Little Tokyo in Makati is Hatsu Hana-Tei, located on the 2nd floor of the Herald Suites. The only inclination you might have of its presence is a couple of banners in front of the hotel.
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O, Wow with Elmo Magalona and Oishi

2012-04-24T00:19:00.001+08:00

Oishi is a brand many of us are very familiar with throughout the years. The brand has been giving consumers a number of different snacks to munch on for more than three decades. They decided to tap Elmo Magalona, the son of the late Francis Magalona to be the face of their new hip and young campaign called O,Wow!.
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The Visayan Room at XO 46

2012-04-23T02:01:00.002+08:00

Taking over the space left by Raku Hokkaido Ramen is the Visayan Room, a restaurant focused on heritage dishes from the Visayan region. The place is an offshoot of the Filipino restaurant next door X/O 46, which it shares its kitchen with and manned by the affable Chef CK Kalaw.
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Sariwon Korean Barbecue Grills in Manila

2012-04-21T01:12:00.000+08:00

There's been an explosion of Korean restaurants in the Metro with their mostly quaint and home style charm but now comes Sariwon Korean Barbecue, hailed as the best Bulgogi restaurant in Seoul. Tracing its roots from Sariwon in North Korea, when Mrs. Bun-Im Koo opened the 1st restaurant serving diners her special bulgogi marinade way back in 1938. Mrs. Koo uses a special marinade, made up of 12 fruits and vegetables but devoid of sugar, for her diabetic husband. Sariwon's main branch seats 350 people compared to the original humble 27 seater restaurant.

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The Cake Club in Bonifacio High Street Central

2012-04-18T01:02:00.002+08:00

The Cake Club by Diamond Hotel opened its 2nd branch at the posh Bonifacio High Street Central which houses Aria and Jamba Juice. What sets this branch apart from the busy Rockwell branch is the availability of savory dishes, so you can actually eat a whole meal from starters to dessert here, albeit the savory dishes are from a sparse but interesting menu.
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Match and Mix in Pioneer Center Supermart

2012-04-02T01:04:00.001+08:00

Our regular supermarket is Pioneer Center Supermart or PC for short because of its proximity, ample free parking as well as very competitive prices. It's located in a sprawling complex with many different fast food places as well as ChaTime. They are constantly adding new tenants and one of them is Match and Mix, a small hole in the wall casual place serving rice toppings.
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Botan Bubble Tea and Cafe in Makati

2012-03-30T01:01:00.000+08:00

Botan Bubble Tea and Cafe is the newest entry into the highly competitive milk tea craze in the metro. Eschewing the highly visible and mostly take out setup of most stores, Botan instead aims to transport customers to Taipei thru the atmosphere the place exudes. A small sign heralds the stairway leading down to Botan's basement space, the entryway instantly reminds me of spaces in unusual places like in Taipei and Hong Kong.
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Meat Overload at Balkan, Yugoslavian Home Cooking

2012-03-28T01:03:00.000+08:00

Balkan, is the Makati branch of Balkan Express in San Juan, the only Serbian restaurant in the country. The restaurant serving Yugoslavian home cooking was started by former La Salle player Marko Batricevic, whose playing career was cut short because of injuries. He decided to stay in the Philippines and share his country's cuisine together with his brother.
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Ang Mo Kio Singaporean Hawker Cuisine in Podium

2012-03-27T01:20:00.000+08:00

Ang Mo Kio's announcement of its impending opening at the Podium caught my fancy a couple of months ago but it was not until a week ago that I got to try it out with Irene and Lauren in tow. Ang Mo Kio serves Singaporean hawker food in a quaint looking mall setting. Ang Mo Kio is a suburb in Singapore, its name has many meanings and origins, one said it traces its roots from the Hokkien phrase for Red Tomato while Ang Mo is also a slightly derogatory term for Caucasians.
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