Yummy Roast @ Eastwood's Food Junction

Being cheap doesn't mean you get something mediocre. There are times when cheap thrills can be one of the best you've ever had. And that's what happened last Sunday when we had our family day at Eastwood Mall.

After hearing Mass at the Richmond Hotel's lobby, we got so hungry we decided to have early dinner. But first I decided to bring my baby boy Yankee to the groomers (Dogs and the City) before it was too late. Then we passed by YUMMY ROAST at Eastwood City Walk's FOOD JUNCTION. You won't miss it because of their brightly colored interiors plus it takes up a huge space. It also helps that they had their huge menu outside of their door, and we saw their Yummy Pork Asado with Rice. Surprisingly it was only Php98 with unlimited rice and regular coke. Good deal!

Mom and I ordered the Yummy Pork Asado because it looked so good at their photo. How I wish they presented the actual order the same way as the photo on their menu. But it was really, really good. The pork was tender and they gave us generous amounts of the meat, too. The girl at the counter suggested I order their YUMMY RICE (with an additional amount of Php20) with it, and it was YUMMY! Our helper got inggit because I didn't order that for her. But really, try their yummy rice! :)


On the other hand, our helper ordered their Yummy Chicken with Rice. She got disappointed with it because she wanted the pecho part I think and they gave her something different. But I think it was good enough for her because not only did she inhale it but she also asked for 3 more cups of rice hahaha!

They also have other rice meals on their menu which are also very cheap! I do hope it's good. So you see you can have a good meal that can totally satisfy you that's below a hundred bucks!

Now I have yet to try the other stalls at the Food Junction! :)

Cebu Part 2: Hello Bantayan Island

After a hectic tour of the city, Trency and I woke up LATE the next day. We wanted to wake up at 6AM but since we were both tired from the day before we overslept and instead woke up at 9AM. After a quick breakfast, we checked out, and hailed a cab to take us to the North Bus Terminal. Good thing our hotel was only about 15 minutes away from the bus terminal, so we got there pretty quick.

As promised more photos, less words. :D

NORTH BUS TERMINAL. Take a bus going to HAGNAYA PIER. It's a good 3 hours away. Bus fare Php130. This bus ride actually reminded me of our Manila-Laoag-Pagudpud-Laoag-Vigan-Manila trip earlier in the year. But it was scenic drive so it's pretty much ok! :)



HAGNAYA PIER. Take boat that will go to STA.FE in BANTAYAN ISLAND. Fee costs Php170, terminal fee i think was Php2.



We were to stay at the Hard K Kafe & Kiwi Kottages. They were kind enough to pick us up from the pier. After checking-in and had our bags brought in to our rooms, we decided it was time to get our late asses moving. We had already arranged our island hopping tour (more on that on the next blog), but for that day we decided to go to the Bantayan town proper to get to an ATM, look around the town, and to go to the palengke (market) for the food we were to eat during the island hopping. We hopped on the trike that took us from the pier to the resort, and went on a 15 minute ride to the town. We paid Php300 for that.



BANTAYAN WET MARKET. I usually get disgusted with markets because they can get pretty stinky and dirty. But not in Bantayan! It was clean and it didn't reek of anything out-of-this-world. So going around wasn't a problem! :D



THE OLDEST CHURCH IN THE ISLAND: STS. PETER & PAUL CHURCH BUILT IN 1580.




KOTA BEACH & SUNSET


FOOD TRIPPING. I swear Cebu is a city of sin, but more on GLUTTONY. Case in point, this eat-all-you-can buffet for only Php295 with unlimited iced tea. I swear I gained about 20 pounds here! But it was so good. They had a wide variety of dishes, from pancit, spaghetti, fish, adobo to native kakanins like biko and maja blanca.






To cap off the night, Trency and I drank by the bar. We started up a conversation with the most hospitable resort owner I've ever encountered, GING. She married a Kiwi, hence the name of the resort, and they have a daughter named Steffi. It was a fun night of trilingual conversations, switching from Tagalog to Bisaya to English. Funny!

For the next, and the last entry, on Bantayan Island. It's going to be about our island hopping escapade with Bantatay and Kuya Jun and our habal-habal ride to the town of Madridejos. STAY TUNED!! :p

Lunch Buffet with a View to Boot at Taal Vista Hotel

After hearing Mass and walking around the beautiful and peaceful Caleruega, Mom and I got hungry. It was past lunchtime so we decided to go back to Tagaytay. After a traumatizing dinner at our hotel, Mom wanted something grand.

I remember Mom raving about Taal Vista Hotel's yummy kare-kare in their buffet. She wanted me to try it so off we went to the posh hotel which was brimming with hotel guests and families coming in for their famous lunch buffet.

There was a group performing traditional Filipino dances and it gave the dining hall a very festive mood. It was interactive, and they even had this foreigner dance the tinikling (a traditional Filipino dance where a girl and guy dancer cross over bamboo poles to a fast beat).


Their buffet table was only small and offered only a few dishes. Although they did have a salad bar, with this really cute OWL made of vegetables. Then of course the dessert bar, which offered halo-halo, fresh fruits, and assorted sweets.


Mom let me take first dibs on the buffet. I tried their Cream of Mushroom Soup which was THE BOMB (sorry no photo again, I was happily slurping on it already!)! So unlike the mushroom soup Mom had for dinner the night before. Yum-o!

For the main course I only had the beef kalderata which was really good. I especially loved this because it was SPICY, but not enough to burn your taste buds, just a bit of a twang. I also had their lechon, a favorite among Filipino delicacies. It was carved right in front of me, and it was still warm! Cholesterolific!

And lastly, I had the freshly made Ebi Tempura. It was just sad that the shrimps they used were thin and small.

Since Mom was more adventurous, she found more stuff on the buffet table than I did. Mom also had the beef kaldereta and the ebi tempura, but she was able to find seafood with tahong and shrimp. She also had a piece of chicken, which I found delish!

For dessert I fell in love with their mocha and chocolate cake. It wasn't too sweet and I had to stop myself because I was about to get another slice.

Since the dance group already left, we were entertained by this trio who walked around the tables singing requested songs. It was so cool because some of the guests started singing along with them. Fun!

Being in Tagaytay, it is a MUST to have your picture taken with the famous Taal Volcano. Good thing the volcano has stopped its volcanic activities, it was threatening to erupt late last year.


The day was really perfect with the sun high up in the sky and sky with a powder blue hue. And the sprawling lawns of the hotel was just to irresistible to shoot. The kids were having a grand time running around the grass, screaming, shouting, laughing, while playing tag.



It was a great bonding with Mom! It was the kind of trip we both needed, just relaxed and unhurried and most of all FAR from things that both give us headaches (ha!). Excited to have another trip with Mom soon! :)


Taal Vista Hotel
Km. 60, Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay City, Cavite
Tel. Nos. (046) 413-1000 and (632) 886-4325
Website: www.taalvistahotel.com

When Cooking Was A Disappointment

Was supposed to blog about this earlier, but bumped it because I just had to share with you guys my favorite comfort food.

When Yakimix first opened its eat-all-you-can, drink-all-you-can, shabu-shabu doors at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, it was JAMPACKED. I remember seeing a platoon of families waiting for their numbers to be called. So I thought, hey! this place must be good!

So on New Year's Day I decided to treat Mom, since she was the one who treated me for our Christmas dinner. We got to MOA WAY EARLY for dinner, so when we got to Yakimix (they don't accept reservations, by the way) they weren't giving out the numbers yet. It was a free-for-all ball game, so we decided to just go for it.

This is not my first time at a shabu-shabu, but I was very disappointed right away at how little the food was. I couldn't help but compare it with the previous shabu-shabu restaurant we ate it where the food was OVERFLOWING and segregated into kinds (pork, beef, barbecue, etc). They even had that hot pot for SOUP.

On one side was the uncooked meat for the shabu-shabu

Yes, that's basically it. Meat lovers, like me, would be super disappointed. But they did have barbecue and even fish that you could cook on your own.

They also have different kinds of soup bases and you can just feel-free to add whatever garnish you want in it


Here, you have the DESSERTS!

Had fun with the desserts. They also had ice cream, and you can have as much as you want.

As I was going around taking pictures of the food, one of the waiters suddenly approached me and said, "Bawal po yan!" (That's not allowed). I was super bummed and irked. So I left my trusty DLSR (who by the way was its first time to get dejected!) and went on to get food.

I mixed the cooked and uncooked food in one plate. For their cooked food, Yakimix had sushi, maki, and sashimi. They also chicken lollipop, sweet and sour pork, and lechon kawali. They were actually pretty good! :)

But I had so much fun in cooking, since I don't really cook anything at home less we want our home to turn into ashes.

Here's Mom enjoying her food.

We left Yakimix full and bloated, but very much disappointed. For P1290 (drinks weren't included in the P580) we could have eaten at a much-better restaurant with much-better food. It was all just a hype since it's eat-all-you-can, and we Filipinos are just suckers for that! If you guys want an eat-all-you-can shabu-shabu just go to TONG YANG!


After that, we went to New Year's Mass at the Shrine of Jesus behind the mall. Then we saw HUBERT AND FREDDIE WEBB.

That is a blurry pic of Freddie Webb who is MORE BUFF, HANDSOME AND YOUNGER LOOKING than his son. Everytime Hubert would pass people would give him the "we-know-you-killed-the-Vizcondes" look, it was funny!

But what we really came all the way to the Mall of Asia for were the fireworks display. It was pretty, and it lit up the night sky with a multitude of colors! It sure capped off our night, and it was a great way to spend New Year's with Mom. :)






Yakimix Sushi, Smokeless Grill, Restaurant
SM Mall of Asia
Central Business Park
Bay Blvd., Bay City
Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. No. 836-1535 to 37

Other branches are at:
Hobbies of Asia
Hobbies of asia
Macapagal Blvd.
Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. No. 387-8120 and 387-8112

Tomas Morato
Forum Bldg.
270 Tomas Morato Ave.
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. No. 385-7500

Greenbelt 3
3rd Level, Greenbelt 3, Greenbelt
Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. No. 475-5153