DIY Cebu: Day 1 at Cebu City

Another great way to end the year is to go see a new place. For me, that new place is Cebu. I’ve been to Cebu but only in Mactan. This time, I got to see Cebu city, Oslob, and Bantayan. It was only then that I realized how big Cebu is and that what felt like a long 5-day trip would seem to be short if I want to see all of the scenic spots. From having 4 areas of interest (Oslob, Bantayan, Moalboal, and Malapascua), I cut it down to two – Oslob and Bantayan.

Here’s a map of Cebu from Google:

Gran Tierra Suites

I chose Gran Tierra Suites because it is near the South bus terminal, where we will be riding a bus on our way to Oslob. Also, it is near the Fuente Circle and the famous Larsian’s where most blog posts I’ve read had recommended. It is 30 – 35 minutes away from the airport, depending on the traffic.

Our flight to Cebu was too early so we were also too early to check-in the hotel as their check-in time was at 2PM but they were kind enough to let us check-in as soon as a room was vacant. They served us complimentary snacks from their pastry store that tasted really good! They also have a water dispenser located outside the hall of the rooms for their guests. I’d say Gran Tierra Suites has good service and great value for your money.

Double room Php989/night

delicious snacks

After resting, we had our (late)lunch/dinner at Larsian’s. You can go there by foot from Gran Tierra Suites. In fact, you can explore the area around the Fuente Circle by foot.  Dining at Larsian’s was an exciting experience. It’s a grill place where you go around and order what you want to be cooked and they will cook it for you. However, there’s no “cup of rice” instead “puso” rice are being served and no utensils but plastic gloves are provided.

grilling area

dining area

“puso” rice Php4 each

unwrapped “puso” rice

white marlin Php120

BBQ Php4 each

We were served 15pcs of rice. We thought we had to finish them all as they are part of what we are going to pay for. It was on our dinner the following day that we realized that you only consume and pay for the rice that you can finish. >_< We also ordered tinolang halaan (clam).

Just writing about it makes me miss the place. You just have to be smart in your order to make the most of your budget. 🙂 And come in early as the place tends to be packed with people on peak dining hours. We came in around 5:30PM and the place was ours before people started coming in.

 

 

Buffalo’s Wings and Things

If you’re the adventurous type on anything spicy, try Buffalo’s Wings and Things’ different levels of spiciness for their chicken wings or chicken tenders.

If you’re able to finish their Wingsanity (level of spiciness), you’re picture will be put in their Wall of Fame. We tried the Kpop level of spiciness and it was just the right kind of spiciness. A little more spicy and I don’t think I could eat it anymore.

I had the Garlic Parmesan flavor for chicken tenders which basically had no spiciness but tasted great! 🙂 There’s also Honey BBQ flavor for people who aren’t into spicy food.

It was fun trying out something different with the usual chicken wings.

 

Price

Taste

Place

Will I come back here? YES 🙂

 

Mama Chit’s Coffee House

This is a must-try for burger lovers. I’m not exactly a fan of burgers but Mama Chit’s burger is a refreshing alternative for the usual fast food burgers. Below is a picture of their cheeseburger (Php100).

The place also has a vintage vibe with all their decorations that give a blast from the past feel. However, depending on the time of the day, I’m assuming that the place gets full as they can cater to more or less 50 people for dine-in and they’re not air-conditioned.

I love that they serve rootbeer float (Php85) and mojos (Php80) 🙂

Here’a a snapshot of their menu.

I’d go back to try out their pasta and salad.

Location: 278 J. P. Rizal St, Marikina

Price

Taste

Place

Will I come back here? YES 🙂

Blake’s Wings & Steaks

Marikina has not failed to fill my tummy of delicious but affordable food. Every visit is a journey to discovering new dining places where great food is served. Just recently, my bf and I experienced what it’s like to eat and not want your tummy to be full as you’d want to take in more and more of what you eat. That’s how great the food is at Blake’s!

We tried their best-sellers: wings, ribs, and steak!

6pcs Wings

Pork Ribs

Porterhouse Steak

Their meals include java rice, veggies, and iced tea. You can also order by the kilo. Kindly check their menu in Blake’s.

They are true to what their menu says about their ribs – they fall off the bone! These are all a must-try when you visit Blake’s.

Our order seems to be good for 3 – 4 people (depending on appetite) and our bill cost Php750. Really worth your time and money! Looks like I’ll be raving about this for quite a while. I’ll be back there next week! 🙂

Location: Mayor Gil Fernando Ave., Marikina (map)

 

Price

Taste

Place

Will I come back here? YES 🙂

 

The Z Compound

As I looked for more interesting places to eat at Maginhawa St., I stumbled upon the Z Compound at #33A Malingap St. Quezon City. It is near the vicinity of Ally’s All-day Breakfast.

The Z Compound is a place where different food stalls with their own specialties come together just like in a food court. My first visit there was really exciting. You’ll feel like a kid in Candyland. You don’t know where to start and you want to try a little something from all the different stalls and restos. There are around fourteen of them in 1 compound and the food varies from Asian, Mexican, Mediterranean (shawarma), and American (burgers).

Chamba Juice serves the popular fishbowl raspberry drink. You’ll see at least one of that drink in most tables. It costs Php80 but is good for 3 – 4 people.

Burgers and Fries are served by The Burger Hub for as low as Php95.

Love Me Long Time serves Vietnamese and Thai food. As I haven’t tried real Vietnamese and Thai food, I can’t say if their food tastes like the original. I tried their Bahn Mi and it’s good. It’s like a sandwich from Subway. It’s priced at Php99 and is really loaded with fillings. I have yet to try the Vietnamese and Thai iced coffees though.

Bahn Mi Php99

Samu Eats, one of my favorites (we’ve been back here at least 3 times), serves Japanese food at very reasonable prices. Their Bento box is priced at Php120 and includes miso soup, cabbage salad, and red iced (which tastes like the raspberry drink from Chamba Juice). I’ve tried their chicken Bento box and I was really satisfied. My tummy was happy.

Php120 only

Of course any Japanese resto isn’t complete without the sushi and sashimi. Their spicy tuna sashimi is priced at Php140 while their California roll is at Php99. They are okay (according to my bf) but not that good if you’re expecting something more authentic.

California Roll Php99

Tuna Sashimi Php140

What I like about the Z Compound is that they are generous with their servings at affordable prices. There are still a lot of cuisines to try at the Z Compound and it’s always delightful to go back. They are open from 3PM and are closed every Tuesday. Best time to go there is from 4PM to 5:30PM. After that, people start to rush in and the crowd thickens. Will definitely come back here for more!

How to go there:

From Quezon City Circle (near the city hall), ride a tricycle near PNB (Kalayaan Ave). Instruct the tricycle driver to drop you off at Malingap St. or Z compound. Fare is at Php30 – 35.

✔ Price

✔ Taste

✔ Place

Will I come back here? YES 🙂

Maginhawa Resto#8: Frosted Desserts & Barkin’ Bakes

After having peri-peri chicken for lunch at Tornado, we walked around the area to look for a place where we could get our dessert. Good thing we stumbled upon Frosted Desserts. Upon entering the place, we were welcomed by some dogs who were customers of the Barkin’ Bakes, a “treat cafe for pets and their humans”.

We were not really into trying the cupcakes although they looked good. I just wanted to have my caffeine for the day so I ordered coffee while my bf ordered their apple crumble. We were happy with what we had.  🙂

More than our orders, we were fortunate that the owner (I assumed she’s the owner or at least one of them) was there preparing a cake order for her client’s dog. She shared a lot of interesting information about a dog’s diet. You’ll see how passionate she is about what she’s doing. Really inspiring indeed!

Products from Barkin’ Bakes are made available at Frosted Desserts. Dog lovers would be delighted to know that you could have cakes and pastries made for your dogs. You could even have a party for your pet at the cafe!

I enjoyed our stay there not just because the place was cozy and I felt that we were well-entertained by the owner, but also because there were few customers then. I heard the place gets crowded towards the evening.

I wasn’t able to get the name of the owner but we’ll definitely come back and know more about her. 🙂

Frosted Desserts is located at 57 Maginhawa St., UP Village, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

 

✔Price

✔ Taste

✔ Place

Will I come back here? YES 🙂

Maginhawa Resto#7: Tornado Peri-peri Chicken

I’ve been wanting to try out Tornado Peri-peri Chicken when I saw it featured in Poptalk. The guests from the show seemed to like what they had from this Maginhawa restaurant. I googled their location and menu to make sure that I’m prepared when I get there.

We ordered their 1/4 chicken with side dish and rice (Php125) and an iced tea (Php30).

grilled pumpkin as side dish

corn cob as side dish

The sauces add zing to the peri-peri chicken. You can choose from original (the green sauce from the right picture above), tiger’s fury (left pic above), and dragon’s breath.

The place is quite small – 3 tables inside and 2 tables outside which can accommodate a total of 20 people. So if you plan to go there, try off peak hours. 🙂

 

✔Price: affordable

✔ Taste

✔ Place: as long as you go there on off peak hours 🙂

Will I come back here? YES 🙂

 

*Tornado Peri-peri chicken is located at 104 Maginhawa Street, Teachers Village, Diliman. Quezon City

The Satchmi Experience

Picture this: a cozy place where you could drink your coffee, read a book, and listen to music being played at a turntable. Yep, there is such a cafe and it’s found in Megamall (4F, Mega Fashion Hall). I’m glad I stumbled upon Satchmi. I really enjoyed my coffee experience here. It wasn’t so much about the coffee I’m drinking. It was the vintage feel of the place with all the turntables and vinyl records around you plus the books that you can read while sipping your coffee. I highly recommend vinyl record lovers to check out the place. I just don’t frequent Megamall but if I do, it will be another favorite nook of mine aside from Parvati.

they sell turntables

vinyl records

Satchmi also sells vinyl records, turntables, ties, and socks at their store. You could also check out their website at satchmi.com.

Latin American Streetfood at Brasas

I first tried this resto at SM Aura back in October 2013 and ordered their salad.  I didn’t expect that their serving was huge. The salad was enough for my dinner. I’m no vegetarian or salad-eater but theirs was good enough for me to finish the whole bunch.

The second time I tried this was at SM North EDSA (The Block) just yesterday. I ordered the Carne Asada Wrap for a change. When it was served, I thought “2 wraps for Php290?!” I felt shortchanged BUT when I took the first bite, I realized the wrap was really stuffed with meat and all its ingredients. It was good but it was Tacobell good. 🙂 It tasted like Tacobell’s beef wrap, only bigger and comes in two slices.

My bf ordered the Puerco Asado, slow-roasted pork belly with crunchy skin. It’s like our pork liempo.  It also costs Php290.

Brasas is a good alternative if you’re running out of fastfoods to eat from. With their price, I think the next time I’ll be there will be next year.

Here are some shots of their menu:

O Price: a bit pricey for me

✔ Taste

✔ Place

Will I come back here? YES 🙂

Maginhawa Resto#6: The Sweet Spot

After having breakfast for dinner, we looked for another place to have our dessert. Just by it’s name, we thought there’ll definitely be something for us at The Sweet Spot.

Much to our surprise, they do not only serve desserts but they also serve main courses. I didn’t get to glimpse much at their main courses as I was busy deciding which dessert to have.

I decided to have their salted caramel chocolate cake. A slice costs Php100 – reasonable I think. It tastes just like what its name says.

My sisters ordered their ube cake and walnut turtle pie.

The place was really spacious. They even have a second floor. The seats were comfortable couches where you can just stay for hours and work on your laptop or just chill with your friends.

I like their wall decor too!

 

The Sweet Spot is located at unit 6 G/F, #189 Maginhawa St. cor. Makadios St., Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, Philippines

✔ Price

✔ Taste

✔ Place

Will I come back here? YES 🙂