Let Kong do your laundry!
Spotted at A del Rosario St., Mandaue City
For more amusing business names, please visit Go Random.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Macaron vs Macaron
...vs Macaron!
Tried French macarons from three different places...
Macaron Tango Cafe
#5 Centero Arcade (The Boulevard), Osmena Boulevard, Cebu City
(032) 412 5151
My first French macaron. Actually my first two French macarons, one dark chocolate and one pistachio, which costs Php 40 apiece. The size? About an inch and a half in diameter. The taste? Good but wasn't a wow moment. Maybe my expectations were too high after hearing so many praises. They do have a variety of choices (as they should since they named their cafe after it)...I wish I could have tried all the flavors.
PS Parking sucks. Parking costs more than a macaron! The complex has space for 10 cars and only gives an hour of free parking provided you buy at any of the establishments at the complex. Staying for more than that will mean goodbye to your 50 pesos for every additional hour or a fraction of it. Tsk tsk tsk. And they do not give a receipt for the parking fee. If you plan to have coffee and chat for hours on end, leave your car at home --- you might spend more on parking than on food.
Vanille Patisserie and Cafe
2nd Level The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu
(032) 417 1500
How do you choose from so many flavors when you can only afford one (their macarons, which are 1.5 inches in diameter, cost Php 40 each)? I love anything hazelnut...chocolates with hazelnut, hazelnut flavored ice cream, hazelnut spread...so of course I had to pick the hazelnut macaron even if it looks like their bestseller is the tableya macaron (there were only a few pieces left on the display). How was the hazelnut macaron you ask? Oh YUM! But a little too expensive for something I can pop in my mouth at one time. So to make it last as long as I can, I just have to nibble it ever so slowly...kind of hard to do for something so delish!
fudge
No 888 AS Fortuna St. Mandaue City
(032) 416 1727
For Php 50 you get a macaron that's about 3 inches in diameter. Flavors available when I popped in were chocolate, pandan, and vanilla. Without blinking an eye, and trying to keep from drooling, I ordered the chocolate one.
And the winner is... fudge! For its portion size! YEAH! I just wish they had more interesting flavors to choose from. But I have to say I loved the hazelnut flavored macaron of Vanille (I admit, I am just too biased when it comes to hazelnut flavored anything).
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Whale sharks
Shark!? Did anyone say shark?! Worry not for you have selective hearing (or reading)! I said whale sharks. Do not be afraid of their size and, particularly, of their large mouth; they do not feed on people but rather have a taste for plankton and microscopic plants and animals. (Unless you are microscopic or own the Chum Bucket in Bikini Bottom then you should have been alarmed five sentences ago.)
To cross off an item in your bucket list, assuming one of them is to swim with the whale sharks, you do not have to haul your butt to Donsol, Sorsogon. You can do so in your own backyard! Okay, more like 117 km from your backyard if you're from Cebu City. At Barangay Tanawan in Oslob, a town south of Metro Cebu, seven whale sharks have taken a liking to its waters (or maybe to the krill...or was that baby shrimps?...the fishermen feed them).
To borrow Discovery Channel's words "The world is just awesome!"
How to find them whale sharks: Hop on a bus bound for Oslob and get off just before you reach the drop off for Sumilon Island (tell the bus conductor you're paying the whale sharks at Barangay Tanawan a visit, they'll know where to let you off). If they eject you in front of a gate with a whale shark painted on it, then you're in the right place.
What to bring for this awesome experience:
Snorkel and mask or goggles (to avoid getting red eyes after staring underwater at the whale sharks too long)
Rashguard (if you're afraid of jellyfish)
Money (to pay the fees)
Waterproof camera (to record this bucketlist item)
Answers to questions I would most probably have asked before going:
- The bus ride to Oslob will take 2.5 to 3 hours. Buses for Oslob leave the South Bus Terminal every 30 minutes.
- Driving will take 2 hours if you're a speed devil or 2.5 to 3 hours if you're a Sunday chill driver. There is a parking area.
- If you're thinking of having a picnic, open cottages are available (Php 100).
- It is not every day the seven will grace you with their presence. After a typhoon, underwater visibility will be low, and some of them might hide (yes, yes, I made that up) or take a holiday somewhere.
- You can wash the seawater off your hair and skin, there are shower rooms you can use for free (bring your own shampoo, soap, and towel... it is not that free).
How this awesome experience bore a hole thru Mustachio's pocket:
Cebu to Oslob nonAC bus Php 150
Entrance fee at a resort Php 100
Banca Php 200
Lunch at Lusapon Resort in Boljoon Php 0, thanks to the kindness of a stranger
Oslob to Cebu Php 0, thanks to the kindness of a stranger
Updates:
- January 7, 2012 – Heard there are 14 whale sharks now!
- January 10, 2012 – This from a friend who went to see the whale sharks last January 8: you have to register and pay at the barangay. Fees are as follows: Php 300 for banca, add Php 20 if you're going snorkeling, and Php 100 if you're bringing a camera. (Why all the fees??) And according to this news article, 60% goes to the fishermen, 10% to the barangay, and 30% to the municipal government.
- April 28, 2013 – Fees for Filipinos: Php 300 if whaleshark watching only / Php 500 if snorkeling. For foreigners: Php 1000. Fee already includes banca ride, life vest, snorkel, and transfers to and from registration area/briefing area. Whaleshark watching is from 5AM to 12NN only.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Cafe Georg
Let me introduce you to my favorite restaurant in town.
Dear Reader, meet Cafe Georg.
Georg, say hello to dear Reader.
I have been to this place a couple of times but haven't tried all the items on the menu. But everything else that has touched my tastebuds has my TB's seal of approval! Cafe Georg hasn't disappointed me at all! If only my wallet and my stomach could afford to try everything they have: appetizers, pasta, sandwiches, salads, meat and vegetable dishes, down to desserts!
On this particular day...
Ring! Ring!
Ring! Ring!
Hello?
Where you at?
On my way to Restaurant X.
I'm at Cafe Georg. Wanna join me for dinner?
A quick U-turn and off to Cafe Georg I go!
Oriental Salad to start.
Chicken, lettuce, carrots, jicama, and fried noodles, with hoisin-sesame dressing
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken for the main dish.
Lemongrass-marinated boneless chicken breast with sweet chili sauce
And a slice of Choco Decadence for dessert.
Flourless choco torte made with dark Belgian chocolate
Burp!
Don't worry, I am not a glutton, everything was shared with my host :-)
PS. The dessert melts in your mouth! Yummy!
Ground Floor MLD Building
Banilad, Cebu City
(032) 234 0887
How inviting Mustachio to his favorite restaurant bore a hole thru Mustachio's host's pocket:
Oriental salad Php 225
Grilled lemongrass chicken Php 210
Choco Decadence Php 90
Monday, December 12, 2011
Razon's
Getting lost in the mangroves under the angry sun had me craving for a cold cold halo-halo. On the 13-kilometer ride back to Mandaue, I racked my brain for a place that serves one. Nearing my last stop, out the speeding jeepney's window I see Razon's in a blue blur. "Lugar lang!" and hotfooted it to the "pride of Pampanga" (this according to the snackhouse's sign).
No muss, no fuss. One halo-halo and a scoop of strawberry ice cream, please!
From what I could identify from my speed-eating were nangka (jackfruit), sweetened saba bananas, and macapuno drenched in evaporated milk, and topped off with leche flan. Of course, let's not forget the shaved ice! This halo-halo is a-okay in my book!
Halo-halo craving quenched at:
D'Original Razon's Famous Halo-halo & Special Palabok
Carlos Perez Bldg., AC Cortes Ave., Mandaue City
(032) 239 5052
How this halo-halo craving bore a hole thru Mustachio's pocket:
Halo-halo Php 69
Scoop of ice cream Php 25
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Lost in the Mangroves
Olango Island, located 5 kilometers east of Mactan Island, is part of Cebu province and is under the jurisdiction of the city of Lapu-lapu. The island is a raised coral reef so if you're looking for long stretches of white sand, you're on the wrong island. But if you're a bird lover, then this could be heaven for you for Olango Island has a 920-hectare sanctuary where birds from Siberia, China, and Japan seek refuge from the winter climate of other countries.
Most visitors come to the island on a day trip. To stay a night, either pitch a tent or pick from a handful of choices: Talima Beach Villas, Abalone Beach, Shalala Resort [032 511 3201], Isla Bonita Inn [032 424 8063].
I picked Shalala Resort for two reasons: sand and budget (Php 1000 for a fan room for two). Talima Beach Villas doesn't have a sandy shore and is way over my budget, so is Abalone Beach. Isla Bonita is inland and obviously doesn't have a beachfront, though this is the cheapest (Php 800 for an AC room for two) of the four.
Shalala Resort is on the south side of the island where the mangroves are.
It has fan rooms, AC rooms, and open cottages.
Blue Bayou, Shalala's next door neighbor, doesn't have rooms but open cottages.
The mangroves at high tide.
Ack! Where am I???
Relaxing on a mangrove while figuring out which way to go.
Two hours in the mangroves searching for an exit got me all sunburned, tired, and hungry that once I saw a concrete road I decided to hail a tricycle even if the locals said the resort was close by.
How did I manage to get lost? By taking two right turns instead of one. Quite easy to do when you're surrounded by mangroves and no directional signs! Try it! The goal was to reach the hut where tricycles were waiting (at low tide) to take passengers to Pangan-an island. And here's my actual 2-hour route round the sanctuary in red!
Lessons learned:
1. Know where you have to go. I knew where the wharf is but forgot the name of the area. It could have saved me one jeepney ride.
2. Bring water and food when strolling thru the mangroves. In case you follow my footsteps.
3. Be aware of the tides. You don't want to be in the middle of a 920-hectare sanctuary as the tide comes in, do you?
4. Do not fret if you don't have food. There are small stalls nearby selling food. Just be sure to get there at meal time. Getting there too late will assure you of empty pots and a growling stomach.
How this (mis)adventure bore a hole thru Mustachio's pocket:
Mandaue-Maribago jeepney Php 18
Maribago-Punta Engaño jeepney Php 8
Boat to Sta Rosa (Olango) Php 15
Terminal fee Php 1
Tricycle from Sta Rosa wharf to Suba, Sabang Php 20
Fan room at Shalala Resort Php 1000
Too tired to walk (tricycle) Php 10
Habal habal from Suba, Sabang to Sta Rosa wharf Php 15
Lunch Php 50
Boat to Punta Engaño Php 15
Terminal fee Php 1
Punta Engaño-Mandaue jeepney Php 15