新年快乐 2014: Welcoming the Year of the Horse

The Year of the Horse is almost here. As you all know, we celebrate Chinese New Year here in the Philippines because most of us are either Chinese-Filipinos or have at least some drop of Chinese blood in our veins. Or because everything Chinese is just oh-so-good! So for those who love to celebrate the New Year with our fellow Chinese-Filipinos, let me share with you 10 Must-Try restaurants that serve Chinese in the metro, in no particular order of course. 

1. Tasty Dumplings

Tasty Dumplings is located along Ongpin Street in Binondo, Manila. They serve your usual noodles and dumplings, but their best-seller (at least for me) is their big Porkchop Rice. I'm not even sure if this is part of authentic Chinese cuisine but it's good, inexpensive, and really big. The kuchay dumplings are worth mentioning too. 

2. Suzhou

After visiting China in 2008 and trying my very first soup dumpling or what is now more popularly known as xiao long bao, I fell in love. One of the best xiao long baos I've ever tasted before Lugang and Shi Lin came along was from Suzhou. With a limited budget, I had to find a reasonable place to eat at in Promenade and guess what? I discovered Suzhou. Aside from their xiao long bao, they also serve delicious hot and sour soup. And the best part is, their products are priced reasonably and their servings, big. One serving of hot and sour soup will cost you P75 but it's big enough for two people (if you're hungry) or three (if you're having it as it is -- soup before dinner).

3. New Eastern Garden Restaurant

There's only one thing I can say about New Eastern -- LUMPIA! This is by far, the best source of fresh lumpia I have ever been to. The small serving is enough to satisfy any hungry person. It's full of vegetables, crushed peanuts, seaweed, and another ingredient unique to Amoy lumpias (I forget what they're called). The regular will cost you P40, P45 for the special; and P60-65 for the jumbo size.

4. Emperor's Dimsum and Tea House

Ah, my favorite xiao long bao place! Yes, I did mention Suzhou already but Emperor's has the perfect and closest xiao long bao to those that I had in 2008. Six pieces of those steamed, soupy dumplings for only P88. Yes, P88! My first serving of xiao long bao had 12 pieces and it only cost me 3 Yuan or roughly P18. It was so cheap and delicious that I started looking for it here in Manila, and Emperor's had the closest in price, flavor, and quantity. Their spareribs in taosi is also good. They actually have pretty good food for a relatively cheaper price (compared to the other Chinese restaurants along Wilson).

5. Lugang Cafe/Shi Lin

Two of the more popular restaurants that serve Taiwanese food (close enough to Chinese). I put them together because they pretty much serve the same dishes. Noodles in Spicy (or not) Peanut Sauce with Ground Meat. Yum! Lugang's Iced Pineapple Bubble Juice was so refreshing!

A Lipstick for An 80?

Law school has stolen so much of my time that I haven't been able to blog about anything.. Or shop! I haven't been able to eat out, discover new restaurants, or go shopping for more than half a year now and honestly, I kinda miss eating, and shopping (or at least window shopping) for make-up. Not being able to write reviews is one thing, but when I actually lose stuff to write about, that's a whole other thing. Thankfully, MAC's new collection just came out. Their newest collection was released last December 2013 in North America, and soon, in the Philippines. According to the sales executive I spoke with, they're just waiting for the delivery of the new collection, including the two (2) lip colours EXCLUSIVE to Asia.

Now, let me introduce to you MAC's latest collection -- the MAC Huggable Collection. According to their website, this new collection "provides a lasting glossy finish that leaves the lips smooth and sculpted." The new formula was inspired by latest Asian trends, and stays bright and luminous for up to six (6) hours. The best part is, the new collection comes in 12 shades ranging from nice pinks to cool peaches and hot reds.

And since I haven't been able to do some of the things I love doing, like eating and experimenting with make-up, I made a deal with myself. For every grade of 80 and above I get on my midterms, I will reward myself with one lipstick from the collection. Don't get me wrong. I love law school but I also miss doing these things. They're like an outlet from the piles of cases we're required to read everyday. 

What do you know? I actually owe myself one lipstick as of 28 January 2014. Now, the only question left unanswered is.. Which shade do I get first? :)

MAC's Huggable Collection will be available in the Philippines within the week or the first week of February 2014. Visit or call your nearest MAC store or booth to know more about the collection's launch date.

MAC Cosmetics

R1 Level, Power Plant Mall,

Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella St.

Makati City

Contact Number: (632) 898 2045

Photos and information courtesy of http://www.maccosmetics.com/whats_new/12189/New-Collections/Huggable-Lipcolour/index.tmpl

Hair No More!

A few days ago, I was invited to try out this new IPL service from a well-known waxing salon. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of IPL. I don't understand how it really works, I don't know IF it really does work, and I'm not a big fan of the hefty price tag (I'd rather go for the P200 wax I usually get.) Then again, I can't keep myself boxed in with things I'm used to. Sometimes, we have to go out of our comfort zones to discover the world. Or just experience something wonderful and new.

Last Saturday, I decided to give IPL a chance. Strip Ministry of Waxing, a well-known waxing salon introduced their latest IPL service -- the IPL Ace. So, what is IPL Ace? Before we get into it, let's start with the basics. What is IPL?

IPL or intense pulse light is a service offered by most beauty clinics that uses intense pulses of light to perform various skin treatments or to remove hair. It is a semi-permanent solution to women's (and men's) hair problems. It doesn't completely remove hair permanently, but it does make the hair on your various body parts grow thinner and lesser in number, to none. You might need to go back for a treatment after a year or two, but two years of not having to pluck or shave is better than having to do it every three weeks, right?

Now that we have a better understanding of what IPL is, let's go to Strip's newest service, the IPL Ace. 

Flipped! Caribbean Footwear

Hi guys! As I've mentioned a few days ago, it's my first midterms week in law school, thus, my lack of time for anything else that doesn't involve studying. I've been using my brain way too much the past week, exceeding more than what it was used to before I entered law school (I just hope it all pays off next week) but I'm taking a much needed break now. My brain can't recognize words anymore. -_-

So, over the weekend, I got not one, but two pairs of new flip flops. I don't know if I've mentioned this before but back in college, I was a flip flops girl. Jeans, shirt, and flip flops everyday. I even had a collection! They were just so comfy. :) Anyway, I was loyal to a certain brand (since I haven't really had the chance to try other brands then), but over the weekend, I was able to try something new.

I rarely look at other brands because I'm used to buying my usual. But since a friend mentioned this new brand, I decided to check it out. Normally, I wouldn't waste my time trying out unknown brands because the last time I did that, I got burns in between my toes. Yup, comfy flip flops weren't comfy at all. Anyway, I got a few pairs to try out and I was surprised. They don't feel foreign.

I don't mean to sound harsh but based on experience, not all inexpensive flip flops are actually comfortable. Most of them have hard innersoles (the part where our foot lies -- I don't really know what you call them) and some of the plastic material that goes in between your big toe and other toes are so hard and rough that they cause friction and burn the skin. This one's DIFFERENT.

Introducing my latest find: Caribbean Footwear.

Caribbean Footwear is a local flip flops brand that was launched in 2010. It uses top of the line technology to create flip flops that are durable, fashionable, comfortable, and most importantly, inexpensive. It is sold in leading department stores at a very affordable price. The price range of their flip flops? PhP179 to PhP250. Good, right? 

The best part is, they're not all talk! I checked their website to find out more about this new brand and true enough, their flip flops are what they described them to be. They have a wide range of really cool flip flops that are priced at about 1/4 of what I usually buy. The innersole is really comfortable too! Plus, the strap in between your toes doesn't rub against your skin. I'm actually pretty amazed at how comfortable and inexpensive it is.

If you don't believe me, check out Caribbean Footwear yourself. You can find it in any leading department store (SM, Landmark) and if you like it as much as I do, you can grab a pair for as low as PhP179!

Check out their other designs at Caribbean Footwear Collection. For more information about the brand, visit their website or their Facebook page.

Price Range: PhP179 - 250/pair

5 out of 5 for Caribbean Footwear

Caribbean Footwear

SM Department Store, Landmark Department Store

Hello, Readers! :)

Hello friends! Penggora's Box is very much alive. I have nearly a dozen more entries waiting to be posted, I just have to finish them. I started law school last May, thus my sudden "disappearance" from the blogging world. But I did not disappear completely. As mentioned, I have many new and exciting food and make-up reviews coming very soon. Let me just finish my midterms and I promise to post most, if not all, of them. 

Thank you for all the comments. I'm glad I can be of some help to some of you. ^@^

See you in three weeks! Midterms start two weeks from now so I will be secluding myself for the meantime. 

Kawayan Massage

Last night, I decided to try this new massage-at-home service that I found online. I really wanted to go to Ahavia but I was too lazy to get my ass up and drive to San Juan so I searched the net and tried to look for a decent, not-so-sketchy-looking massage website and stumbled upon Kawayan Massage.

Kawayan Massage's website is the most decent looking I've seen so far (that's why I clicked it). I haven't seen explicit massage sites but compared to the others, this one gets a G (suitable for young viewers) rating. No reference to Japanese girls, or pictures of men and women half-naked getting a massage. Their website was very straightforward -- services, locations, permits, and contact details. 

Now let's go to the massage. Since this was my first time, I opted to go for a safe choice -- a Swedish-Shiatsu Combo. I was very tired from all the reading and studying that I couldn't resist getting a 2-hour massage. But again, safe choices. Swedish and shiatsu are the two most common massages, who could get it wrong? I didn't have my own therapist yet so I asked them to send an experienced one since I preferred hard massages. 

When the therapist came, she immediately informed me of what she needed. She asked what kind of pressure I preferred and politely asked if we could begin. A few minutes after the massage started, she asked if the pressure was okay. She made sure I was comfortable the whole time. Now to the most important part.. The massage.

It was HEAVENLY.

The therapist knew what she was doing. Every cold spot, every joint, every stressed muscle was de-stressed. The pressure was just the right kind of hard -- not painful, not annoying, very relaxing. She was able to break almost all my protein blocks a.k.a all my "lamig." Words cannot express how amazing that massage felt. It was the best at-home massage service I got.

Apart from the massage itself, their customer service person, who I believe is also the owner, was very nice. He was polite and accommodating. He takes note of your personal information and preference so they can just check it when you book another appointment. They try to make it personal so you'd feel very comfortable and at ease when you get your massage the next time. The overall experience from the booking to the massage to the post-massage service was just amazing. Oh, and they also check up on you after the massage and ask if there were any problems or any way they could improve. :)

How much? Excellent service for only P250/hour. 

Price: P250* (now P300)

5 out of 5 for Kawayan Massage

Kawayan Massage

http://www.kawayanmassage.com/

*The service is now at P300/hour. But it's still worth every cent. 

P3

Law school doesn't come cheap. Apart from the expensive (and heavy) books you need to buy for your first year, a freshman would also have to worry about budgeting his/her weekly allowance, especially if your school is in the middle of a posh business district. 

The first few weeks were either unhealthy or expensive. I usually ate fast food with my friends or real food in not-so-cheap restaurants. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy good food but if you're a student, P200-300 meals everyday will be a burden. Fortunately, I discovered a cheaper place with the help of my blockmates. 

If you know me, then you know that I would choose a good home-cooked meal over any fancy-shmancy dish. And P3 serves exactly that -- inexpensive, home-cooked dishes. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the different dishes they offered during lunch -- sinigang, tinola, afritada, fried chicken. They even have fruits and sweets for dessert. A complete meal for less than P100! A serving of rice and one viand cost around P60 (or less). Add a can of coke or dessert or both and it will still be cheaper than one dish in a restaurant around the area. Can you believe it? All this hidden in the heart of Rockwell. Well, under the Powerplant Mall, in the Basement 3 parking area (thus the name P3). 

I don't have pictures to prove it but trust me when I say that P3 is a sulit place to have lunch, especially if you love home-cooked meals. It may not be as fancy as the other restaurants in and around Powerplant but it's good enough, especially if you're on a budget. Plus, it's air-conditioned anyway. :D

Price Range: P50 - P80/meal

3.5 out of 5 for P3

P3

Basement 3 Parking Area

Powerplant Mall, Rockwell

Hidden Food Spot: Eat my GF

Last night, Gus and I went around Greenhills while waiting for his sister. We looked around for a place to eat since 1) I was very hungry after Intro to Law class, and 2) his sister was still in SLEX. If you're from Greenhills, you know how many restaurants can be found in just one street. There were quite a few new restaurants along J. Abad Santos (where Serenitea and Chicken Charlie can be found) so we decided to walk around first and explore the new restaurants we found.

After checking out a few of the new places, we stumbled upon something familiar -- Eat my GF. Upon seeing their big lighted sign, I knew I've already tried their food before. They had a stall back then in Mercato BGC, if I remember correctly. Since there were a few new restaurants in the area, we decided to look around some more until we finally decided to try out the rest of the menu of Eat my GF.

Eat my GF stands for Eat my Garlic Fries. Their specialty? You guessed it! Garlic Fries. Before you jump into any conclusion, let me say that this isn't what or how you think it is. This isn't your regular batch of french fries sprinkled with garlic powder or flavoring. Apart from their specialty, their menu also includes your usual burgers, sausages, rice meals, and some appetizers like buffalo wings, nachos, and jalapeno poppers.

From BB Cream to CC Cream: Rachel K

I've known about CC creams since last year. I saw my first CC cream advertisement when I visited the Beauty Bar in BHS. I thought it was a joke at first, but then, I was in Beauty Bar. I don't think they'd carry fake cosmetics. I didn't really bother checking it out because I thought it was just the West's version of BB cream.

Fast forward to a few weeks back. I stumbled upon online articles about CC cream. It seems that a lot of people, both from Asia and the West, have been raving about the power of CC creams. This finally made me decide to do my own research and see what CC cream is all about.

For starters, CC cream stands for "color correcting" cream or "color control" cream, a supposed better version of the BB cream. The latter was originally developed as a skincare product, while CC creams were developed to provide all the skincare benefits of BB creams with added ingredients that could provide better skin coverage, sun protection, and even skin tone. With these in mind, one would assume that CC creams were improved BB creams. Unfortunately, most of the CC creams I checked out looked tinted but when I applied them on my skin, it was clear/transparent. It looked more like a make-up primer than BB cream.

Kettle Korn: Poppin’ Fun All The Time!

My life has always been like the movies. There's just too much drama. There are times when I feel that if my life were a movie, I bet thousands would be able to relate that it would be an instant hit. Despite the possible future success of my oh-so-dramatic life, I would never dream of starring in it. But, if I were to star in my own movie, I would definitely choose a different storyline. Something less dramatic, but with just enough spice to make it interesting.

I'd play a lawyer who gets mixed up with one of her clients' business foes, turning her usually busy but routine-centric life into a whirlwind game of survival and of course, finding love. I'd be a lawyer with a successful career, who has started living a routine life. Yes, I dream of becoming a high-profile lawyer so I would want to play a lawyer in my own movie. She's forgotten how to live and has become a workaholic instead, until one day, her biggest (and most secretive) client (whom she has never seen before) disappears and a group of masked men ransack his office, where coincidentally, she would be. She barely escapes until the group discovers that she has all the documents their boss is looking for. As she hides from them, she meets her client, who turns out to be a retired spy protecting some valuable international secrets. As they try to eliminate the threat, she discovers that her client/spy is actually a former classmate who disappeared on her years ago. The movie becomes a fight not only to survive but to overcome the issues that have resurfaced from the past. 

Yes, it sounds a little melodramatic but it wouldn't be me if it weren't. At one point in time, we all wanted an adventure, something we know would never happen to us. Something exciting and crazy at the same time. Something we would only see in the movies. ;)

Speaking of watching movies, it wouldn't be as fun without a bag of Kettle Korn on hand. A little crunch every now and then is all we need to make things a whee bit more exciting. Or, to distract us from that really creepy girl starting to crawl out of the kitchen sink. Either way, we all need something good to munch on as we enjoy a great movie on a Friday night.

Etude House Moistful Collagen BB Cream

With only a few days left before law school starts, I started preparing the essentials. From notebooks, to markers, to clothes, and yes, even the make-up I will be needing to look alive in law school. Since I would have less time to experiment once school starts, I decided to buy another bottle of my favorite and most trusted BB cream -- Etude House's Moistful Collagen BB Cream. 

I fell in love with this product two years ago, a couple of months after Etude House opened its first store in the country. It was my first ever BB cream, and truth be told, I was actually a bit hesitant in trying it. BB creams were fairly new at that time, and I didn't really know much about them. In the end, I took the "risk" and tried it out. SO here's the 411 on Etude House's Moistful Collagen BB Cream.

This BB cream is bigger than others. Most BB creams I saw back then were 30g bottles only. This is a 50g bottle. It actually looks bigger than 50g, but I wasn't always good in math. :D

K-Palette 1Day Tattoo Eyeliner

I'm back with an entry on eyeliners. A few months ago, I discovered a new liquid eyeliner. I've been a bit upset with my eyelining skills that I wanted to try out new products that will let me have more control since my hands have been a bit shaky recently. That's when I came across this supposed long-lasting liquid eyeliner that easy to apply because of its fine brush. I know some of you might have heard of this brand already, but for those who haven't, here's a little info about it.

K-Palette 24 Hour Eyeliner is an automatic, pen-type eyeliner. You don't have to twist or turn anything, no shaking required, the fluid comes out naturally.

Kebab Depot

Late nights are usually when we discover new food spots in Manila. Most of the time, we end up eating somewhere instead of just going straight home. I guess we're gluttons that way. But at the same time, these nightly food trips lead us to new, mostly unsung of, hangouts that offer really great food. A new discovery is Kebab Depot in the new Greenhills Town Center.

Kebab Depot is located at the back of Greenhills Town Center. It's somewhat hidden compared to the more exposed restaurants and shops in the middle of the place. We found it because we were looking for it, otherwise, we wouldn't have known there was a kebab place there. If you miss the lighted ad before entering GTC, or if you don't go around the area, you probably wouldn't know it was there. It's a small restaurant that's half Persian, half Mexican (the area is shared by Kebab Depot and a Mexican (?) restaurant, Salsa Verde.) It's like Buffalo Wings 'n Things and Chubby's Rib Shack -- two different restaurants that share space. 

Anyway, the left half of the restaurant had a cathedral-ish vibe. It had colorful ornaments and glass windows that reminded me of European churches I've seen in movies. The set-up was very simple. There were around 5-6 tables that could accommodate 2-4 people each.

BULLCHEF: Bulalohan in Pasig

I received a Twitter notification yesterday saying that "bullchef" was following me. I don't usually get surprised whenever someone unknown follows me on Twitter since my profile's public. What made me wonder this time was the information under @weareBULLCHEF. It had a local address near my office. Out of curiosity, I googled the name and found out that Bullchef is a bulalo house in Kapitolyo, Pasig. Since I've been on a recent bulalo hunt/craving, I decided to check out Bullchef.

According to the online information I read, BULLCHEF is open until 12 MN everyday. We arrived there a little past 11, and looked around first before deciding whether or not we would try it for the night. I think they were about to close when we got to the store front but they suddenly opened up the place when they saw us. We actually felt surprised and shy when we saw the staff prepare the inside of the little hole-in-the-whole bulalo house. Since they already made us feel welcome, Gus and I decided to try it out. We were, already there, after all.

BULLCHEF is located at #4 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City. Yup, another hidden treasure in the heart of Pasig. It's a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant that opened a year and a half ago. Don't worry, you can easily spot it because it is in between what looks like a residential apartment stretch turned business establishments section.

The interiors of the restaurant were very simple. Nothing too fancy. Just big square tables and chairs that could accommodate 2 or 4 people per table. Oh, and there's a big graffiti of a cute bull on the whole left wall, and photos of celebrities who have visited BULLCHEF on the right. I guess this wasn't so hidden in the celebrity world.

Glamourbox PH: April Box

Hello, Philippines! 

A few months ago, the Philippines was finally introduced to sample boxes. Two different brands came out with their own samples box -- BDJ or Belle de Jour (more famously known for their planners) and Glamourbox. I've already posted a review on the first BDJ Box I got last year (click here to read about it) but it took some time before I could finally post my first ever review of Glamourbox. Since this is fairly new in the country, I was a bit hesitant to try it out since I don't really like spending too much money on something I wasn't sure of. But after two months of thinking, I finally gave in and subscribed to my first ever Glamourbox.

So what's the difference between the two? The price. Glamourbox is a little bit more expensive, but it's pretty much the same thing -- a monthly box of samples from various local and international brands. However, one thing I noticed was that Glamourbox's selections were a little more high-end. They had samples from Kerastase, Pevonia, YSL, etc. They even had samples from brands I haven't heard of, which are actually expensive. Yes, it may be a little bit more expensive, but you get so much more than what you pay for.

Since I didn't have time to blog about the first two boxes I got, I decided to write about the most recent box first. I'll post a separate entry on the first two Glamourboxes I received soon. :) 

The April box had more useable products for everyday. Since I haven't been able to put on make-up the past couple of weeks, I haven't tried the other products on my previous boxes yet since most of them were cosmetics. This month, Glamourbox focused on Mother Earth and selected products which were green. The products I received in my box were:

Nivea Fruity Shine Lipbalm

I'm sure you've experienced having chapped lips. It's a pain! Ever since I've experienced having chapped lips, I've relied on lip balms to help soothe the pain. I started with the then most famous lip balm (it started with a C) but then, I developed allergies for reasons unknown. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this to glorify Nivea. I've been using that same lip balm for nearly three years when I developed allergies. I still don't know what caused it. Going back, since my allergies, I had to try other lip balms that will not give me the same reaction. I didn't know what Nivea was back then but I discovered it because of their lip balm. It was among the many others I've tried back then, which thankfully, did not give me any reaction. 

It was difficult for me to try Nivea's lip balm because of two primary reasons. 1) I was very much loyal to my first one, I still couldn't get over how I couldn't use it anymore, 2) Nivea was a little bit more expensive than my previous one. But it was either those two reasons or.. Suffer a long and painful relationship with chapped lips and windburns. I chose to get over my reasons and try out Nivea's Lip Balm.

Red Hot: MAC Russian Red

I don't know a lot about the chemistry of make-up. I'm still trying to understand undertones. From what I've learned so far, our skin has undertones, and lipsticks also have undertones. Certain lip colors look better, or best, depending on the person's skin undertone. Lipstick colors also have different undertones which determine the shades that would look better or best on people. But as I said, I don't understand much about it yet. I do notice how some colors really do look great and awful on certain people though. 

Red is a very difficult lip color to deal with. Not everyone will look good with red lips. I'm not being a know-it-all or anything, but I've seen some girls with red lips that didn't look so great on them. Hey, I've had my fair share of those awkward looking red lips. That's exactly why I don't really wear lipstick often. But, there is always an exception. 

I tend to be loyal to certain brands, especially if they've proven themselves to me. One of these brands is the well-known brand, MAC Cosmetics. I've been using their concealer and powder foundation since I was in high school, and well, when it was time for me to grow up, I decided to look at their other products. That's when I discovered one of their most famous lip shade: Russian Red.

My First "Real" Online Shopping Experience at Zalora PH

I discovered online shopping through coupon sites. Before trying these out, I never really bought anything online for, well, fear of being duped. Even after buying lots of coupons online, I still haven't tried (or though of trying) purchasing real products because apart form the possibility of being duped, 1) the actual photo may vary form the real product, 2) the size may not be the same size we have here in the Philippines, and 3) the courier may damage the product (I've had experience with products arriving broken/damaged after being sent through a courier). I just wasn't ready to take a risk. Yet.

But a few weeks ago, I received some really good news. I got into law school! Excited as I was, I knew that I had to go shopping for some new clothes and shoes since most of mine were very "casual" and "summery." I had to "grow up" in a few weeks and start wearing more formal and business attire-ish clothing. What was the problem? I can't just shell out thousands of pesos in a day just to prepare for school. I had to think smart and improvise.

I've been hearing of this new online shopping website from friends and well, trusted sources. When I say trusted sources, I knew that they wouldn't recommend anything which will affect their reputation.  Despite this supposed "reputable" shopping website, I still had my doubts. But they did offer good-looking and affordable shoes that it was very hard to say no to them. After thinking about it and visiting their website numerous times, I took a leap of faith and just "ordered."

I got four pairs of shoes from Zalora Philippines. According to their website, the products will be delivered within 1-3 days. True enough, I received my package on the 3rd day (I was actually expecting it to arrive later than what they posted because sometimes, these things fail you).

Sun Coral Cafe at Pico de Loro

This is my separate post for our dinner at Pico de Loro's Sun Coral Cafe. As I've mentioned in my vacation getaway post, there were only two restaurants open at Pico de Loro that time -- the Pico Sands Hotel restaurant and Sun Coral Cafe. Since we read a lot of good reviews about Sun Coral Cafe, we decided to have dinner here.

The restaurant was packed when we got there. It was around 7:30 then. The waiter informed us that our dishes will be served after 15 minutes given the current situation. We were okay with it since we really wanted to try the food here. Based on all the travel blogs we read, the cafe's Crispy Pork Belly is a must try. So that's what we got.

Since I couldn't really eat anything dry, we also ordered their Cream of Lettuce Soup. They had other soups, but this was new to us so we decided to try it.

We waited for more than 15 minutes for our food to arrive but all we can say is: IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! Words cannot describe how good the pork belly was. It had a crisp outer layer, and the meat was just really tender and flavorful. I usually avoid eating the fatty portion of pork bellies because the taste usually makes me throw up, but this was one of the few exceptions. I didn't mind having small fatty portions still sticking to the meat or skin. Every inch of that belly was delicious!

Buffet at Cafe on the Ridge

As I mentioned in my previous getaway entry, I will be posting a separate blog entry for our dinner buffet at Taal Vista. Since I have had the same breakfast buffet here twice, I decided to make a comparison entry on Taal Vista's Cafe on the Ridge breakfast and dinner buffet. 

Cafe on the Ridge's breakfast buffet is not impressive, to be honest. It had the basic dishes we would expect in a typical Filipino home breakfast table -- fried rice, bacon, tapa, fried fish or daing, champorado, arroz caldo, fresh fruits, and cereals. But it lacked variety. Both times we were there, we saw and ate pretty much the same dishes we did the first time. We didn't even bother taking pictures of all the dishes because our pictures would look similar with our first visit. 

1st Visit

Wait! I am not saying it wasn't satisfying. All I'm saying is that I wouldn't pay PhP699++ for a spread like that. Some dishes were actually good, notable. A couple of our favorites include their champorado, scrambled eggs, and fried fish. The champorado was not so sweet and not from a box. It was traditional, home-cooked champorado made with cacao. Gus really liked the scrambled eggs, and as he is an egg person, when he says it's good, I trust him. The fried fish was crispy and just right. It wasn't too salty or too bland. But even if there were exceptions, we think the price for their breakfast buffet is too much. 

2nd Visit