Curry Bee: Japanese Curry for Extending Your Palate

Mr. C and I head to Blue Bay for some errands. I told him I was hungry and he recommended this Japanese Curry place named Curry Bee. Since Japanese Curry is a fairly new dish to me, I grabbed this opportunity to enlist a new discovery.

The place specializes in Japanese Curry Rice (Kare Raisu) dishes. Each curry rice meal costs between 300-500 pesos so prepare at least 300 if you're heading to this restaurant.

IT'S CHOWTIME!

At first I thought that Japanese curry is the same with the familiar curry dishes that we have. I was wrong. It's WAY better. Anyhow, here is the list of food that we tried:

MIXED BERRY (PHP 100), left
Let's start with the drinks. Mr. C orders Mixed Berry shake. It is refreshing!

JAPANESE GREEN TEA (PHP 118), right

I was claiming to drink something healthy so I chose to order hot Japanese green tea. You can also opt to have it served cold.

PRAWN CURRY (295)

I love prawns so this was what I selected. I can't get enough of the crunchiness of this dish. This was  when Mr. C and I discovered that prawn definitely suits with Japanese curry. So if you're a prawn lover like me, you should definitely try this one.

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.

A Taste Test: Teavana from Starbucks

Mr. C got enticed by the numerous posters displayed on the walls of Starbucks Robinsons General Trias branch displaying their latest innovation: Teavana. It is a selection of tea flavors, extending their beverage collection.

Sasahama: The humble authentic Japanese restaurant in Kawit, Cavite

Sasahama is that one humble Japanese restaurant which became our favorite food trip spot in Cavite. I say humble because they're not aggressive in expanding their business to other areas even after a decade of success. Moreover, their restaurant vibe only makes you feel like dining in a simple, old home.

Their frequent customers are the Japanese folks living around this area, but they're pretty known by local people too. We are one of the satisfied customers here who keep coming back.

"Irasshaimase!" You will be greeted enthusiastically by their staff upon entering. They wear different costumes every day. This time around, they wore kimono.

 

Hola! Welcome to Gringo!

It's been a while since I've been to SM North.

So when we dropped by here with the fam bam, I got thrilled with all the new restaurants that opened there. The one that caught my interest the most was Gringo because it features two of my favorite things, chicken and baby back ribs. Of course, I had to check what Zomato has to say and good thing it presented favorable reviews.

Mexicali Glorietta: Burrito Quest continues

We frequently pass by this Mexican restaurant because of its proximity to our workplace but we were hesitant to try it here because of our lack of exposure to Mexican food. Thanks to our recent burrito quest, our heart is becoming closer to Mexican dishes. One lunch time when we were so starving, we decided to venture in what Mexicali has to offer and good thing it didn't disappoint. At least not that much. Overall, we can still say that this is a home of quality Mexican food.

The place is a bit small but is fitting to its Mexican theme, with the banderitas, murals and background music.

Huma: A Mediterranean escape

When you stroll around the second floor of Conrad S Maison, you will easily notice this restaurant named Huma Mediterranean Cuisine because of its eloquent Middle Eastern inspired architecture.

Entering this restaurant will keep you amazed because of its elegance. With the intricate structure of the high ceiling, curtains, artistic chandelier, table setting, even the background music, the dining experience is comparable to a Mediterranean escape.

NOTE: Do not get bewitched by this place if you don't like Mediterranean food!

From LA to Manila: Pink's Hotdogs and Chilli

We were looking for a place still open at 12:30 am on a Monday morning when our cousin found Pink's Hotdogs and Chilli. Mr. C got excited because he already has heard of this place. It's that one famous hot dog chain that started out as a food cart in Los Angeles. Today, its fame has stretched across Hollywood celebrities where the pictures of them holding their hotdog buns are hanging on their restaurant's wall. They have also been featured in some shows.

Jonah's Milk Shake: A Shakes' Showdown!

When talking about what food or drink to try in Boracay, Jonah's Fruitshake emerges as an A-lister. Their specialty, fruit shakes, has placed its mark ever since the beginning of Boracay's tourism history. Aside from its cheap price and popularity, they also proudly tag themselves as "The Best FruitShake in the Island".

Jonah's Fruitshake served as our comfort drink all throughout our four-day stay in Boracay. We tried different flavors just to see if there were any other creations that could beat that one flavor which we got addicted to.

A Battle of Burritos: Mañana versus Mayas

I was desperately looking for a good burrito during our Boracay stay for an understandable reason. This led us to find two of the most famous Mexican restaurants in the island: Mañana and Mayas.

Here's the entire story of who won:

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!!!