Happy Foodies

Showing posts with label Seafood. Show all posts

<div class="alignwide"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmaejDq0itAia5ltjrDqHIrGW0iSYx2t5fLkk-DeNGIQSqc8r8JIHCNI5d5UIIefixYYCXVm8teGOz0rP-FLZ0lrnVIEDuD9NrPRuy7KIi4bK-qsD4mlN4KaduYUu-NuUEXaAfsxdfupaLIUKN78wWrY0eUiwcBr_Uc9Yl_6yo7sxRkea4n1gTN_tWCs/s1280/craft-1945.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmaejDq0itAia5ltjrDqHIrGW0iSYx2t5fLkk-DeNGIQSqc8r8JIHCNI5d5UIIefixYYCXVm8teGOz0rP-FLZ0lrnVIEDuD9NrPRuy7KIi4bK-qsD4mlN4KaduYUu-NuUEXaAfsxdfupaLIUKN78wWrY0eUiwcBr_Uc9Yl_6yo7sxRkea4n1gTN_tWCs/s16000/craft-1945.jpg"></a></div></div></div> Braving the holiday traffic in Baguio, foodie friends, Kara, Tin and I were bent to try Craft 1945 in Baguio. A merry collaboration of Spanish food from Casa Marcos and craft beer from Baguio Craft Brewery. Set in the quiet and old town of Baguio at Outlook drive, it’s a dining experience that promises to bring the Baguio ambiance to dining like a good pair of beer and tapas.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9sFRB7PiUJDLU6mEbDARaSkAS_088yGbTYxmHnDhYdvm2ykYuCmOH2Fb3xaB_xQIu4NYDykUVYbo1-rB1Ree50sLVFJvLoOzvWfojwALqW4hYq27orc7RMwV9NNQRHfSBMoUAZBBZKPN_hZZgcQfRILs27l2dVTibytXSibs7jnptvKGvQRse11OC2A/s1280/kainan-sa-dalampasigan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9sFRB7PiUJDLU6mEbDARaSkAS_088yGbTYxmHnDhYdvm2ykYuCmOH2Fb3xaB_xQIu4NYDykUVYbo1-rB1Ree50sLVFJvLoOzvWfojwALqW4hYq27orc7RMwV9NNQRHfSBMoUAZBBZKPN_hZZgcQfRILs27l2dVTibytXSibs7jnptvKGvQRse11OC2A/s16000/kainan-sa-dalampasigan.jpg"></a></div> Dalampasigan, a tagalog word which means "seashore" and it was something I was expecting to find when we arrived at Kainan sa Dalampasigan in Nasugbu, Batangas. There was no seashore nor a view of the sea but we weren't disappointed. Instead, we found a gem of a restaurant, like a secret garden, breezy and exuding with Filipino hospitality and charm.

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img alt="Sri Lankan Chili Crab" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/4130475931_ddacd02378_o.jpg" title="Sri Lankan Chili Crab"></figure> I know foodie friends in Singapore who has have been living there for years. So when I went there recently, they were just too happy to show me their favorite eating places. Say Singapore and you can expect chili crabs and prawns in the mix. We trooped to the back of esplanade and entered a restaurant facing the bay to discover that a really good restaurant really needs No Signboard for patrons to find their way in.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Crispy Pork Binagoongan (P160)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3499/3915535468_a2215631b6_o.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Crispy Pork Binagoongan (P160)</figcaption></figure> One of the perks of eating out of town is the chance to taste unpretentious food. Not to say we’re jaded by city food but there are times when one would just like to sit down to no-frills fare. So when your happyfoodies went to Virac in Catanduanes, we had to ask the locals where they’d prefer to eat out. One place that keeps popping up is Sea Breeze Restaurant. That it’s mentioned in Jens Peters’ Philippine Guide only whetted our appetite to give it a try.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Hai Sain Grilled Tiger Prawns on Lemon and Butter" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3454/3177821859_4c77ce40e5_b.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hai Sain Grilled Tiger Prawns on Lemon and Butter</figcaption></figure> Our flight schedule to Zamboanga City fell on Christmas day so it was imperative that happyfoodies should have a good Christmas dinner away from our respective homes. But we want something else other than the usual hamon and other holiday foods so at the suggestion of our tricycle driver, we ended up in Hai San Seafood Market and Restaurant. Was the meal worthy of a holiday dinner? Was the food delicious as it was filling? Happyfoodies would soon find out.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Curacha with Alavars Sauce (large Ph 745)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/3190342739_e84f8af7bd_o.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Curacha with Alavar's Sauce (large Php 745)</figcaption></figure> Visit Zamboanga City and almost everyone tells you not to miss tasting the famous Curacha, a hybrid crustacean that bears resemblance to the sea crab and a spiny lobster. The name means “cockroach” in Chavacano, maybe because of its appearance. But don’t let that unappetizing translation dissuade you from sampling this tasty crustacean, which is caught only in the seas of Zamboanga and Sulu. Short of buying a live one from the market and cooking it yourself, the best way to enjoy this treat is to eat at Alavar’s Seafood House, which is just a short tricycle ride from downtown. First item on the agenda is of course, Curacha. But happyfoodies got some welcome surprises from other items in the menu.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Chilli Crab" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/3085063676_3849aeae8a.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Chilli Crab</figcaption></figure> One of the highlights of visiting the island of Camiguin apart from the sceneries that fill the eyes is the food that fills the tummy. This island, which lies northeast of Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao, boasts of the sweetest buahan (lansones) and creamy pastel (soft buns with milky or fruity fillings). Boarding off the ferry at the town of Benoni also puts one within walking distance of the Tanguines Lagoon, a sort of causeway that connects a travel lodge-cum-floating restaurant to the sea – the J&A Fishpen/Travel Lodge. It’s virtually impossible to miss this establishment. Ask any of the locals to recommend a place to have good food and a relaxing time and they’ll most likely point you to this place. And they have very good reasons to do so.