Malen's Restaurant: Cavite's Hidden Gem of Native Marvels

Established in 1994, Malen's has proven its influence but still remains as one of Cavite's hidden gems because of its outlying location in Noveleta, Cavite. The reputation that it has gained not just in the food and catering services but also the architectural aspect cannot be overlooked.

With all the decorations featuring old relics such as newspapers, photos, artifacts, military keepsakes, etc., the interiors of the restaurant will bring you that museum vibe.

Cafe Via Mare: A cafe of Filipino Classics

Mr. C is not a fan of classic Filipino food because he has a strong belief that you can have it better at home through lutong bahay. Well, I would have to agree with him, because he and my mother-in-law make fantastic home-cooked food. However, since there was a send-off party with his team at work and Cafe Via Mare was the agreed meeting place, we were forced to give it a try.

Seafood Island Imus: A Seafood Feast

As a celebration for our baby's 10th month which fell on a weekend, we decided to go out for lunch. Since my mother-in-law is a balikbayan, she craved for seafood -  the thing that tastes horribly in the States. Hence, we chose Seafood Island located at The District, Imus as the place to eat.

We had a hard time deciding which group meal to choose so each of us ended up with our individual selections.

Even our little one couldn't decide.

Quick stop over at Chopstop

We headed to Robinson's General Trias, the mall nearest to our house, for some errands. As a product of curiosity over their advertisement about their 'crispy kare-kare', we stopped by Chopstop for a quick lunch.

What The Fuss: Real Coffee and Calamansi Muffin Taste Test

With the favorable reviews from Tripadvisor and being called "The Famous", our palate yearned for Real Coffee's Calamansi Muffin. On our last day in Boracay, we took our breakfast at this place after shopping for pasalubong in D' Mall.

The only signage of this restaurant is the plywood below, so you  really have to be alert when looking for it.

Boracay Toilet: The Only Toilet in Boracay where you can eat

You do not have to travel to Taiwan to experience that bizarre moment of ingesting food in a toilet-inspired restaurant.

A first in the Philippines, Boracay Toilet will bring you a mini adventure of eating inside a room fabricated like a comfort room.

Right from the stairwell walls going to the entrance, you will already feel like going to a dirty john because of the voluminous vandalism on these walls.

Imagine that effort of having to fill in these walls. Woah!

C to D: Mr. and Mrs. C go seafood shopping at D' Talipapa

Welcome to our first blog post!

Today is a special day for us. Aside from our blog going live, we celebrated our first anniversary as a married couple. We traveled to Boracay as a celebration of our special day. To make our anniversary lunch extra special, we tried something different than our usual routine. We explored D' Talipapa, where we shopped for raw seafood and renting a cooking service nearby.

A tip we learned from the other bloggers is to never get the first item you saw. Try to roam around the entire area first so you can get the best offer. Another tip is to always try to bargain, which is a habit that we only do moderately. We want to avoid excessive bargaining as a concern for the vendors working hard to feed their families. By looking around to get the best offer and bargaining lightly, we saved PHP 70.

Below are the photos of our seafood memories in this little adventure:

SCALLOPS (PHP 300 per kilo)

The average cost of scallops is PHP 300 per kilo but after bargaining, the vendor offered it only for PHP 280. 




PRAWNS (PHP 300 per 1/2 kilo)

The price depends on the size. For medium-sized prawns, it costs around PHP 600 per kilo. We bought half a kilo for PHP 300.




PARROT FISH (PHP 180)

After knowing that I haven't tried eating parrot fish in my entire life, Mr. C went ahead and ordered this.




SEA URCHIN (PHP 50 per piece)

We loved uni sashimi so we included this thorny, scary creature in our seafood adventure. It was alive and moving at its own pace when we bought it! The average cost of this is 100 pesos per piece but we were lucky enough to find this one vendor that only sold it for 50 pesos. I asked why his sea urchin is the cheapest in the area and he said that he's the one catching them, hence no need to pay for a supplier.




The market is surrounded by a number of paluto services. We chose the most conveniently located in the area which is Sababi Boracay. We didn't have any regrets at all! Below is the snapshot of their menu:




Let me reiterate. Choosing Sababi was really worth it. Here are the snaps to show you why:


SEA URCHIN SASHIMI (PHP 180)

It was our first time to eat uni (sea urchin) sashimi with the urchin picked straight from the market so I regarded this moment as a little adventure and even called it "Fear Factor". The fresher is indeed the better! I really tasted the sea salty goodness in it, plus having a scoop straight from the shell is really a one of a kind experience.




SCALLOP IN BUTTER GARLIC SAUCE (PHP 230)

Did we mention that we bought one kilo of scallops? Yes, we consumed one kilo of scallops that day.

This is the best dish we had in our entire anniversary vacation on the island. We are both lovers of butter, hence its buttery wonders paired with garlic and the freshness of the scallops all put together left us wanting more and more.



Oh, wait. The one kilo of scallops isn't over yet. The server handed us another plate.

Tadaaaaa!

SHRIMP IN BUTTER GARLIC SAUCE 

Who could possibly go wrong with shrimp, butter, and garlic? Of course, this is one great dish yet again.




GRILLED PARROT FISH

This is what grilled parrot fish looks like. It is meaty and the fish taste is only mild. Dipping it in soy sauce with calamansi is the combo.

A look on the inside..

WHAT WE LIKED:

• The wonders of saving a lot! The price of one dish we had is tripled if you order it from other restaurants. 
• The thrill of shopping for your own seafood!
• The butter garlic recipe from Sababi is oh-la-la!
• That "Fear Factor" moment of eating live sea urchin!

WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE: 

• The butter garlic shrimp is great, however, the sauce is slathered on the shell. We had to rub the unpeeled shrimp on the rice to get the sauce.

WANNA-CHOW-AGAIN  METER
Yes, we definitely want to go back to Boracay and shop here again! Take us back here!!!