Happy Foodies

Showing posts with label potpourri. Show all posts

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OrXgP9W1TGAcRHJ48UYgAcGEB0YDRMT-JqKi5ZxilgiT9BAPRkzpd6H325IzYCwjtHoeNM4gzbto9KbWAacAsbVkH8-Mnwb2bK_ezu6yJqI7FyttdWzls92DJUsv8HUloKVM9BoIcJOnyJC2yaifdb1rYW-GpsZHqgC6ELOgyWDP3G9xJnxMMmlYQb0/s800/happyfoodies-tacloban-eats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OrXgP9W1TGAcRHJ48UYgAcGEB0YDRMT-JqKi5ZxilgiT9BAPRkzpd6H325IzYCwjtHoeNM4gzbto9KbWAacAsbVkH8-Mnwb2bK_ezu6yJqI7FyttdWzls92DJUsv8HUloKVM9BoIcJOnyJC2yaifdb1rYW-GpsZHqgC6ELOgyWDP3G9xJnxMMmlYQb0/s16000/happyfoodies-tacloban-eats.jpg"></a></div> Post-Typhoon Yolanda has shaped a different Tacloban City. Businesses are booming and the presence of numerous foreign aid workers has prompted locals to open up not only more lodging but eating places too. People of Tacloban love to eat and its a delight to see some quality home-grown establishments popping up to join old favorites. With the presence of foreigners though, prices have gone up but there are still some affordable options around. This list is not a ranking but the places I have personally tried during my stay. Tacloban City Eats has a nice mix of comfort food, cafes, dessert places and a hotpot. Check out Chew Love, Dream Cafe, Libros Atbp, Porbida Burger, K Patisserie, Miyara Patisserie, Sofa Cafe, Huhku Hotpot Express and Oppa’s Kitchen.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JTFjANuCoe_S0zjIhVPTI4NNd9T3KY6AXR-z3cRHtC1BtlR4ZBEBGISmJ9mY9mmmbnejEqFKOKz8L381TY5NUxFvvAN11m48pqKKaMvyjEYr0gAbLbV33qWHXIPO8lHFGyUQeyRDCQZbsa-pcPww8S9jpcgiVSIv1X-tjOUnw8tPo3zPoDKbRXaszH4/s1280/nueva-vizcaya-eats.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/AVvXsEi_JTFjANuCoe_S0zjIhVPTI4NNd9T3KY6AXR-z3cRHtC1BtlR4ZBEBGISmJ9mY9mmmbnejEqFKOKz8L381TY5NUxFvvAN11m48pqKKaMvyjEYr0gAbLbV33qWHXIPO8lHFGyUQeyRDCQZbsa-pcPww8S9jpcgiVSIv1X-tjOUnw8tPo3zPoDKbRXaszH4/s16000/nueva-vizcaya-eats.jpg"></a></div> Known mostly as a transit town and a gateway to the 8th wonder of the world, Nueva Vizcaya is now making a mark with its ever-growing attractions and development. My last visit to the province surprised me with world-class dining restaurants that offered exciting exotic delicacies. Nueva Vizcaya definitely deserves a stop or even an overnight stay just to try out these exciting Nueva Vizcaya eats.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5nMxIyY1J311YEMrFlKJ-oVSYuoHOx_figSqBvfXMWoi_zubngd2xWRdG4VSGK_RQ5W7BVVqfz2CndYt9CuvHjaxACZLrJZsxJQ4V6HsisuPC5Q99X1Cz6FVyuMzclZ5kgJdIrDf7Y9T0e_jCDM8db5vpteDZw7vQP8SL31klpP0G81B9U_onsh-eLo/s1280/no-diet-in-diet.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/AVvXsEhX5nMxIyY1J311YEMrFlKJ-oVSYuoHOx_figSqBvfXMWoi_zubngd2xWRdG4VSGK_RQ5W7BVVqfz2CndYt9CuvHjaxACZLrJZsxJQ4V6HsisuPC5Q99X1Cz6FVyuMzclZ5kgJdIrDf7Y9T0e_jCDM8db5vpteDZw7vQP8SL31klpP0G81B9U_onsh-eLo/s16000/no-diet-in-diet.jpg"></a></div> Daet is the best place to get a good introduction to Bicolano cuisines. Contrary to what many think, Bicol is not all spicy. Daet spice scale is tempered down. Being the first Bicol region in the west, the influence from Quezon and Batangas is apparent. For our #DateinDaet tour, we got to binge on some of the local delicacies and modern favorites in between our activities. Here are some of the establishments you should checkout.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhmHOZTtAUyM5YSsfU9i0X7W5PymxNYN5MeZpI9PW_3dsQFeiCQPIUA8Q9ctY9RdGp6kiDG14xYBzljjRd8hsxws_nIXyoLbU_V3iRv7BMxOz7nLK5ph7RRepRp9VTmVPaUDFQ74YVj9iG0fCycLB4pT97Ss-DLsWvgrGLF_4GFH1BFhlje3teEcfwj8/s800/boracay-breakfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhmHOZTtAUyM5YSsfU9i0X7W5PymxNYN5MeZpI9PW_3dsQFeiCQPIUA8Q9ctY9RdGp6kiDG14xYBzljjRd8hsxws_nIXyoLbU_V3iRv7BMxOz7nLK5ph7RRepRp9VTmVPaUDFQ74YVj9iG0fCycLB4pT97Ss-DLsWvgrGLF_4GFH1BFhlje3teEcfwj8/s16000/boracay-breakfast.jpg"></a></div> I'm not into the party/gig thing so the times I found myself in Boracay, I'm almost always an early riser. That means I have to have coffee and chow to perk up my morning while looking out to that postcard-pretty beach before launching into work or heading for a swim. Hard to imagine that years back, there's not a lot of good breakfast places to go to along White Beach. Not anymore. Hmmm, maybe not everyone parties all night after all (or maybe, all- nighters head straight to grabbing breakfast before succumbing to sleep). I figure it might be a helpful idea to share nice places to get breakfast in arguably, the Philippines' most popular beach.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/6208/6068633168_ac9d664ee6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="500" height="667" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/6208/6068633168_ac9d664ee6_o.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"> <figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fried Chicken with Hash Browns and Vegetables at Rock Inn</figcaption></figure> We came to Sagada on a weekday to explore the foodscape as much as the landscape. The weather, as always, was conducive not only for hiking but also for good eating. In the limited time we stayed, we found either newer places or newer offerings from the old reliables. Here we share some of our favorites.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/5389593401/in/set-72157625909902752/"><img alt="Hot Choco at Soul Cafe" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5132/5389593401_1e94bac272_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hot Choco at Soul Cafe</figcaption></figure> Food discoveries during travel have always been the heart of Happyfoodies. And during this Lakbay Norte 2, a familiarization tour of select places in Northern Luzon, we get to try out some interesting food stops on the way to Baguio from Manila on our first day. We had breakfast at SOUL Cafe in La Union, snacks at Cafe Isabelle and dinner at Hotel Elizabeth's Flora Cafe.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironwulf/4131237538/"><img alt="Maggie's Buttered Squid (SG$6, 8, 12)" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/4131237538_168735904d_o.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Maggie's Buttered Squid (SG$8, 12, 16)</figcaption></figure> Hopping from a hole-in-the wall restaurant to al fresco street dining, then to a humble stall in a kopitiam and later, to an unpretentious mall restaurant, food tripping is one activity I cherish when I'm in Singapore. The food offering is so diverse I can eat different cuisines from different parts of the world depending on what my appetite dictates that day. During my week-long stay, I tried the different restaurants my friend recommended which were all good at the particular type of cuisine they serve yet inexpensive.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggie/4028353869/"><img alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/4028353869_eb8b47359a_b.jpg"></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">No Problem Sutukil Restaurant Fresh Catch</figcaption></figure> One of the indelible impressions that going around Cebu City left me is that Cebuanos simply love to eat. I've visited this so-called Queen City of the South every year for the last four or so years and seeing new eating places coming up just amazes me. The last time around was for another work assignment when we went around and saw signages on lampposts advertising either lechon (roast pig) and pochero, a kind of beef soup.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2550/4116959731_731a03014f_o.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Fireplace's Angus Prime Chilled Ribeye Steak</figcaption></figure> Majority of Filipinos are still meat eaters. We love a good and flavorful steak. And those looking for a more exquisite kind of meat would be glad to know that Manila isn’t short of restaurants serving high grade steaks. We only have to choose the dining experience to match with that sumptuous food. Here we steaked-out three restaurants offering some of the best-tasting steaks in Manila.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Singapore China Town Food Street" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/4152321693_76519186ba_o.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Singapore Chinatown Food Street</figcaption></figure> Chinese cuisine has always been one of my favorites. I remember Mapo Tofu being one of my favorite Chinese dishes in a local restaurant. When I went to Chengdu China and ate at <a href="http://www.ironwulf.net/2008/07/18/china-chens-mapo-tofu/">Chen's Mapo Tofu</a> where the dish actually originated, I realized that the Mapo Tofu here is worlds apart from the original one. Since then, I haven’t tasted anything close to it or any of the Sichuan dishes I tried in Chengdu. That is, until I went back to Singapore’s Chinatown Food Street and found some restaurants that offer something close to what I remembered.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Luang Prabang Breakfast Noodles" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2630/3818170806_6633acf270_o.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Luang Prabang Breakfast Noodles</figcaption></figure> For an intrepid traveler looking to discover and connect with the locals, one need not look further than the streets. Eating by the sidewalk may raise some eyebrows and pop in hygienic concerns. Yes, there are risks but having gastronomical ailments in truth is as rare as hitting the 5 numbers of a 6-digit lottery lotto. So going beyond the risks, eating along with the locals is a great immersion in their culinary culture. And in Laos, it's not such a bad thing as most eating establishments are along the sidewalks. I was feeling adventurous when I was in Laos, so when I met with my local guide and he asked me where we want to eat I told him, “we'll eat where you guys eat”.

<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone"><img alt="Dorado served on Kabaya Leaf" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3537652661_f5dc690339_b.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dorado served on Kabaya Leaf</figcaption></figure> “Where do we we eat?” Tired and famished from all the hiking and traveling, it’s a question we ourselves keep asking whenever we’re in Basco. This capital of Batanes, is usually the jump-off point for visitors exploring the Philippines’ northernmost province. Happyfoodies collates some noteworthy eating places to help out first-time or returning visitors.