Annyeong Samgyupsal

Annyeonghaseyo yeoreobun!

Hello everyone! It’s me again, and I would like to take you on yet another food trip here in Naga City, to another Korean resto along Magsaysay Avenue (infront of Villa Caceres Hotel) that offers unlimited Korean barbeque for Php299.00 – it is called Annyeong Samgyupsal. So what are we waiting for? Let’s eat!

Samgyeopsal or Korean barbeque may be one of my most favourite Korean dishes. It’s right up there with Korean Seafood pancake, which I love oh so much, by the way. So when we had a meeting and what might be considered as a “company lunch” at Annyeong Samgyupsal, I did not pass up on the opportunity to try it out.

I found the ambiance to be a bit better than in Cjzave because Annyeong has a bigger space, the air conditioning is better and they have suctions for the smoke coming from the grill. I noticed it being a big hit with the teenagers, probably because of the nonstop K-pop music blaring from the speakers and the way the resto tried to imbibe everything Korean in their design to give their customers an awesome dining experience. Jeongmal daebak!

Let’s talk about the food. Korean food is always good. I admit some restaurants do it better than others but if it’s Korean food on the table, especially grilled pork belly, fresh lettuce, various side dishes and samjang (fermented soy bean paste), it’s always good, right? I’m sure K-food lovers out there would agree.

The barbeque was superb because the meat was very fresh.

It went really well with the equally fresh lettuce greens and pickled cucumbers. I also found the baby potatoes side dish really tasty. Their kimchi was the best one I have had so far, probably because it was fresh kimchi and not at all the fermented kind (which I find too tart). I found it delicious, crunchy and packed with just the right hint of spiciness. All that food was downed with bottomless pitchers of refreshingly cold cucumber lemonade.  

I just don’t know how much I love the grilling part though. At some point, it would feel more like a race against time, followed by overcooked and burnt meats. Can’t help but think how much nicer it would be if these restos had grilling services as well.

They also have flavoured or marinated pork, beef and chicken. All the meats have to be ordered from the attentive waiters while the side dishes were placed near the liquor bar where you can get as much as you like.

 

Until our next food adventure. Annyeong!

Wings N’ Things

A few weeks ago, we happened to try the new chicken place in SM City Naga – Wings N’ Things! As I love chicken wings, I was really game to try what they have on offer. The place is always packed and I remember trying a couple of times to eat there (with my family) but we just couldn’t get a table. So, that day was our lucky day.

Cutting right to the chase, we ordered the Grand Slam meal (Php 768.00) which is good for four persons. There were only three of us though, and I eat like a bird, but what the heck.

That was a lot of chicken wings and chicken fingers! And we got to choose different kinds of sauces. My fave was Garlic Parmesan and Honey Barbeque. We also needed to put our plastic gloves on because things got messy pretty fast.

Grand Slam came with three cups of rice, four glasses of iced tea and a serving of fries with gooey cheese on top.

I’m actually getting a little hungry as I’m writing this, remembering the yummy taste.

The ambiance of the place was nice, pretty Instagrammable. It is also cool because SM has centralized air conditioning anyway so it was comfortable.

Hope you guys enjoyed that, and sorry if you got a little hungry too! Till the next post! Bye!

 

Aling Cely’s Kinalasan

As they say around here, “Another day, another bowl of kinalas.”

Yep, no such thing. Made that one up just now haha. Lately, I’ve been struggling for lack of better words and then there’s lack of energy left after doing other stuff (like my day job). Thing is, I have another kinalas story to tell because, well, I live in Naga anyway where it is hands down the most famous delicacy.

This time, we tried the locally famous Aling Cely’s Kinalasan in Dimasalang St, Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Naga City, it is located very near Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. The place is very simple and basic, just like every other local eatery, but people are drawn like moths to the flame.

People come to Cely’s for their famous kinalas, of course. For those who are not familiar with this local delicacy, that is what Bicolanos call this bowl of goodness. It is a noodle dish with thick rich broth, pork or beef, topped with onion chives and boiled egg (by request). For a more detailed description, you can read my previous post on kinalas.

There are also those who prefer to eat Loglog (just noodles and broth, no meat and eggs). It costs less and parents often order this for their small kids.

When Naguenos think of this dish, they almost always think of Cely’s Kinalasan. Yoy said it is because many students frequently eat there as it is close to UNC and Universidad de Sta Isabel. Even he himself frequently ate the dish at Cely’s along with his closest friends so he’s got a lot of good memories associated with the place. He always ate kinalas paired with baduya (fried bananas).

Julienne herself has become partial to eating kinalas. The Sorsoganon in me though prefers to eat stuff like a lot of dried fish, dried squid, mud crabs and balaw (fermented shrimp). So, kinalas is not my all-time favorite, but it is a yummy Nagueno delicacy that is a must-try when in Bicol, particularly in Naga City.

By the way, if you notice, sometimes the quality of my photos are different with every post. When my photos are really nice and clear, it means I used my digital camera but when the pictures are somewhat pixelated like in this post, it’s because I used my phone to take the photos.

Thank you for reading! See you again soon! ❤

 

 

 

Manna Korea (Avenue Square, Magsaysay Ave.)

Hello everyone!

This is my second time to blog about Manna Korea. The first time I did, it was still located in Barangay San Felipe. Now, they have moved their business in Avenue Square building along Magsaysay Ave. in Balatas so it is now easier to find.

So, during the first time we ate at their new location, we noticed the prices have gone up a bit for some of their dishes. However, I must say that they were able to maintain the quality and taste of their food.

We ordered half of this dish called Tangsuk for Php 200.00. It was deep fried pork and sweet potatoes with salad greens on the side. The pork was awesome and not oily at all.

At first, we mistook this one (below) for another dish that we did not order so we called the attention of the waitress. It turned out to be the dipping sauce for the Tangsuk, a sweetish sauce with carrots, apples, pineapples and spices that was served in this big pretty bowl.

Of course, we had my absolute favorite Korean dish – Korean seafood pancake!

Then, the Soy Garlic Chicken (this half order costed Php 200.00). Yum! I can say with all my heart, Manna korea has not disappointed me yet.

I was not able to take pictures of the place because it was a bit awkward to put a camera infront of people’s faces when they’re obviously busy stuffing it with food and spending quality time with their families. The place was simply packed for dinner. It just didn’t sit well with me that time. So this is all I got for you, this nice painting on the wall.

So, till next time. See you again! Anyeong!

Kinalas at Mister Sabaw

Last Sunday was market day for us. We bought our pork cutlets and buto-buto (for sinigang) at Lehman’s in Magsaysay Avenue then we went to Robinson’s Supermarket along Diversion Road for our groceries. After that, we went to Centro to try to buy aranghita or dalandan (local citrus fruit resembling ponkan oranges but green even when ripe). Unfortunately, we did not find any aranghita to buy that time.

After all our errands,  Yoy, Julienne and I were so hungry that we went to Cely’s Kinalasan only to find it closed. We then went to Dayangdang and came across this attractive little eatery called Mister Sabaw (Bulalo-Kinalas). 

I wanted to try the Lechon Kinalas (Php 65.00) but it was not available that time, so that’s a shame. Yoy and I each had the Pork Kinalas. My fast verdict: The soup was savory and satisfying but the pork bits still needed more cooking time. 

A little info guys, according to Wikipedia, “Kinalas is a Bicol dish created by cooking noodle garnished by scraped meat from pork or beef’s head and other parts, enhanced with a thick deep-brown sauce coming from the brains of a cow or pig. The dish is further flavored with spices and served in hot broth. Boiled egg added is optional.”

As to how attractive that sounds, I just don’t know. Actually, prior to this writing, I didn’t know that the sauce came from the brains of cows and pigs. How was I eating this stuff and never knew about this? Anyway, looking at the dish, there was just no telling that all those gory details had to transpire in order for me to enjoy this Nagueno delicacy lol.

Kinalas is paired best with these condiments – ground pepper and red chili oil.

Julienne had the Loglog (just noodles and soup, no meat) for Php20.00 only and her favorite soda pop (any drink is her favorite as long as it’s carbonated).

It was our first time to eat at Mister Sabaw and I hope to try their Bulalo (bone marrow soup) next time.

Thanks for reading! =)

White Bean Cafe

This is a late post. Apparently, I thought I already posted this some months ago when in fact I only started it then put it away in my archive files, completely buried and forgotten. And when I was re-categorizing my posts yesterday, I was looking for this post about White Bean Café and even thought that maybe I deleted it by mistake. Turns out, I never got to finish it and never posted it in the first place.

This is how I originally started to write it:

“I have been off the grid for a few weeks now. Then, I was practically sick these past three days. I learned only too well that I’m not getting any younger, and the hard way too. The truth is that I’ve been busy stressing at work during the day and barely sleeping at night watching my K-dramas. It all ended up with me having the worst kind of migraine attack for three whole days. I was barely functioning and had to sleep and sleep until my brain was able to repair the damages I caused it. Yep, the signs of aging.

So, last week, I was just at White Bean Café with Ate Franz, Jael and Mabel, all friends from work. When Jael invited me to have lunch together, my mind suddenly wondered where we might go. I thought of White Bean Café almost instantly, it’s somewhere I haven’t been but was always curious about.

The café’s location is a prime spot, right smack in the center of the Centro Naga, it is situated inside Nagaland Hotel, just across from E-Mall.

The place has a nice ambience, it is a cafe after all.

Whenever I get invited to eat out, I used to feel lazy and would rather just go home and rest, or I used to think that maybe I should be spending money on more important stuff instead of eating at a pretty café or resto. That only changed when I started blogging. Sure, I can blog using information that I can find on the internet, grab some pictures from reputable sites and cite them as source, but I had to experience it for myself, I had to have eaten it or seen it in person to be able to talk about it. I guess it would not make me feel confident to write about something I haven’t experienced first-hand. So, blogging made me want to eat out, try new things and go to places I’ve never been.”

As much as I wanted to write something different, say something new, I figured I cannot just throw away my thoughts and feelings during that time because, honestly, that was just how it was. So, I decided to keep them.

As for the food and drinks, these were what we ordered. I have to say sorry that I might not be able to remember the exact names now. The first one was a Matcha Milk Shake,  then the rather simple but yummy Mango Shake and my Iced Tea, which was just a perfect blend of tea and lemon.

As for the food, they offer lots of choices from Filipino fares like Kare-Kare to the usual favorites like filleted fish, pasta and chicken dishes (like the one we ordered which was buffalo wings).

I would say the price range was not the cheapest, but the food, drinks, the nice ambiance and the service made up for it. It was a good first experience for me and I hope to come back again soon. For each person, one might spend around Php250-Php300. Next time, I will discover if they have more affordable meals for those of us on the budget, just like me on most days haha (wink wink).

Thanks again for visiting my blog!

Cjzave Barbeque & Grill

Cjzave Barbeque & Grill is located along Magsaysay Avenue, Naga City, just across the street from Tapsi Terminal restaurant. We discovered this place while walking back after jogging at Basilica Church grounds. Its location is conveniently camouflaged among several establishments and can easily be overlooked if you do so much as blinked.

Last December though, we had a small gathering there (sort of like a Christmas party) wherein we even exchanged gifts. Nothing fancy. All in the spirit of fun.

Well, this restaurant is a Korean style barbeque and grill wherein for only Php 199.00 per person, you can enjoy their unlimited pork belly (samgyeopsal), bacon, seafood (shrimps & squid slices), flavored meat slices and even hotdogs. They also have side dishes like kimchi, zucchini salad, fresh lettuce, cherry tomatoes as well as fresh fruits.

Near the entrance is where you can choose and get raw meats and seafood for grilling… Side dishes and fruits too…

The thing is, you may get and grill as much as you want to eat for one (1) hour. Then how long you take to finish the food is completely up to you. Apparently, this is their version of unlimited. But judging from how our stomachs were filled to bursting that night, the system wasn’t so bad after all.

First things first. In order to eat, one must toil. In this case, one must grill…

And grill…

 

And grill, for what seemed like eternity…

Until finally, you have this spread in front of you…

And then you can enjoy it too…

Oh well, I’m coming clean. We also ate while grilling, so, we didn’t really hold back so much lol. None of us really suffered that night.

Meet the advance party. The others arrived an hour or two later…

Photo credit: Caressa’s FB

Thanks for reading! Much love from me to you all!

Grissini Ristorante (Naga City)

Have you ever been to a restaurant and bit more than you can chew? Or ordered more than you can eat, for that matter? Well, we have, not too long ago. This was in Grissini Ristorante, located in Magsaysay Avenue, Balatas, Naga City. One of the few sort of high-end restos in the city.

The ambience? It was a good spacious place. It felt open and bright because of the big windows letting the sunlight in.

The complimentary bread basket.

Guys, I am feeling a little lazy today so I am just gonna go straight to my thoughts on the food we ordered. Well, let’s start from my most favorite which was the Pizza Margherita. Ain’t she pretty? This pizza was simple but it was really good.

Pizza Margherita (Php 280.00)

Next was the  Spaghetti Al Pesto which was delightful because of the pesto sauce. I love this because the flavor was not overpowering and the pesto balanced the creaminess of the other pasta dishes we ordered.

Spaghetti Al Pesto Php 240.00 (Grabbed this pic from Caressa’s Facebook since the photo I took was not very good)

This next one was called Pasta Scampi. It was mainly spaghetti with sauteed shrimp, broccoli in garlic, chili flakes and olive oil. I liked it because it had no creamy notes to it at all. This was a welcome break from feeling “umay” from eating a lot of creamy pasta dishes we ordered.

Pasta Scampi (Php 245.00) / Photo credit: Caressa’s FB

Speaking of creamy pasta dishes, my personal order was the Spaghetti Ala Puttanesca. It was a good pasta dish, and if I happened to have it at home, I’d definitely be eating it happily all day (well, sporadically, that is). My thing was, I got overwhelmed with the portion and felt like I was force feeding myself in the process trying to finish the whole serving.

Spaghetti ala Puttanesca (Php 214.00)

Then, the Lasagna Al Ragu. Although this one was creamy, but it was really very delicious. I’d order this again –  It was baked lasagna pasta layered with bechamel and meat sauce topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Who doesn’t love a very cheesy creamy lasagna?

Lasagna Al Ragu (Php 285.00)

Another order was Spaghetti Parmigiana. By this time, I was hardly distinguishing the individual taste of dishes. I was beyond full. So I’d rely on my companions’ opinion that the chicken on this one was superb.

Still Caressa’s photo…lol

This was us…

Photo Credit: Caressa’s FB

And this was my plate…

The food was superb and delicious but we ordered so much pasta than we can eat because we had no idea that the portions were actually good for sharing. So, when you check out Grissini Ristorante, keep in mind that each pasta dish can feed two to three people. We could have been satisfied with just three pasta dishes and two pizzas, instead of ordering one dish per person.

As always, it’s a pleasure having you visit my blog. Enjoy the weekend ahead! =)

 

Disclaimer: All photos are mine except those I give credit to whom credit is due.

Marie-Alyjah’s Cafe (Naga City)

That night, after we had dinner at Wooden Board in Sta. Cruz, Naga City, the little one was not ready to go home yet and was all smiles when we decided to look for a coffee shop to hang out instead. We decided to check out this new coffee shop along Barlin St. Sta. Cruz, called Marie-Alyjah’s Cafe. This cafe is located right inside Domus Residences building, and has no sign board outside with its name. In fact, we only learned its name when we went inside, all the while I thought it was called Domus Cafe or something like that.

The ambience was good enough and the place was clean and well maintained. Like any decent cafe, they have good air conditioning and ample seating.

As for the food, we ordered one of their house-blended drinks called the Talamansi Tea (Php 53.00). C found it was too sweet at first and asked it to be watered down twice. The taste of dalandan (local lime) was delightfully strong in this one and it was a great blend nonetheless.

 

 

I got the Choco Fudge Mini Frappe (Php 51.00). We were actually surprised at how affordable their prices are. This drink looked too sweet but the actual sweetness level was just right upon taste.

 

 

Julienne had Hot Choco (Php 57.00). We liked this drink best because it wasn’t too sweet and loved the creaminess of the milk. This was probably because we didn’t stir it any so the sugar/sweetener stayed at the bottom (lol).

We also ordered Nachos to munch on. It was a nice pica-pica which C and I enjoyed but the little girl is such a picky eater and do not like stuff with greens on them (sigh).

Photo Credit to Caressa

I’m posting a part of their menu so you can see how affordable their prices are.

As usual, I’d like to thank you guys for taking the time to read my posts. Drop by again soon! =)

Wooden Board (Naga City)

Hello there! How are you guys? Hope you’re all feeling well and happy today. As for me, I’m doing just fine. I mean, life kicks me in the butt time and again but that’s life, right? But really, I have been dead tired these past few days from travelling to and fro Sorsogon City to care for my sick mother. One can’t even imagine how hard it is to care for an aging parent, especially when they’re sick, unless they’ve done it themselves. So, I will be forever grateful to my brother Bong, and have so much respect for his commitment to stay by Mama’s side full time in this difficult time.

As I was saying, I was so tired and have not slept properly for three days. My mind was full of thoughts of my mother being sick and all the negative emotions from the horrible fight I had with my father. Well, he’s notorious for his drinking problem so that’s pretty much self-explanatory. Still being in this state yesterday, I was only grateful when Caressa invited me to go out and try this resto called Wooden Board in Sta Cruz, Naga City.

Photo credit: Caressa

Caressa discovered Wooden Board though a Facebook post and she contacted the owner to inquire about the location and stuff. We met at a 7/11 branch infront of University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) and took a pedicab going to the resto. No worries, the pedicab drivers know the place. It is located in a residential area, a sort of crowded place, but it’s hard to miss because of the large signage.

The entrance, which was enclosed with a bamboo fence and vines, led to a small garden. We proceeded inside and instantly noticed the cool reggae theme of the restaurant’s setting with music playing in the background.

We were expecting a crowd but surprisingly, we were the only ones there. This was a bit odd considering it was a Saturday night.

The staff who appeared to be the owners themselves (or I could be wrong) were friendly and attentive. I just had a couple of issues that they might need to work on like #1. They need to do something about the mosquitoes, #2. The first table we sat in had been used as sort of an ashtray so we moved to another table and #3. They need air conditioning (to finally take care of that mosquito problem for good) because if they won’t shoo the mosquitoes away, they’d be shooing potential customers away.

The food though was good and reasonably priced.

We ordered these burgers called Hashtag Andrea (with lettuce, 100% beef patty, mayo mustard, hash brown and melted cheddar cheese) and Smokey Dale (with lettuce, 100% beef patty, bacon, mayo mustard, hash brown, melted cheddar cheese and caramelized onion). These were yummy burgers, beats the s@*% out of a McDonald’s or Jollibee buns any day.

Hashtag Andrea (Php 95.00)

Smokey Dale (Php 95.00)

We also had Fries Overload, which I enjoyed a lot. I think I’d be happy eating on my own with just this and one of their burgers. What made it even more appetizing aside from the cheddar cheese were the herbs sprinkled on top. I love that little detail.

For Julienne (who tagged along), we ordered Mac and Cheese but she didn’t really like it as much as she liked the fries and burgers. The pasta was filling but all the cheese made us crave for beer. San Mig Apple, yasss please.

Over-all, I really enjoyed it and hopefully, they’ll address the issues soon and turn this place into an ultimate go-to for all the passionate eaters and foodies out there.

Thanks for dropping by! =)