The Freudian Slip Of A Bacolodnon

     Bacolod City is not the Sugar Capital of the Philippines for nothing. Besides being the capital city of Negros Occidental where acres and acres of sugarcane plantations are a familiar sight, Bacolodnons are very popular for their sweet tooth. Bacolod City is a diabetic's worse nightmare.      Almost every food in Bacolod is sweet. Of course, Bacolod's Cafe Bob's offers a variety of choice for cakes and sweet pastries. Cafe Bob's is an original Bacolodnon landmark. One of its more familiar branches is located along Lacson street. Cafe Bob's has become a favorite spot for young professionals and students to hang out either after school or during weekends.      Cafe Bob's however offers more than just cakes and pastries. Of course, Cafe Bob's is originally a coffee shop and long before Starbucks came to Bacolod, the locals already are accustomed to the familiar taste and scent of Cafe Bob's coffee. Cafe Bob's also offers pizza c...

     In celebration of the 2013 Masskara Festival of Bacolod City, I will be featuring some highlights about my beloved hometown, also known as the City of Smiles and the Sugar Capital of the Philippines. Of course, it is impossible not to feature first the most familiar "landmark" of Bacolod City: the Inasal Na Manok.      Out-of-towners would call it Bacolod Chicken Inasal. It is nothing more than just a piece of chicken meat skewered in bamboo sticks marinated in a well-guarded family secret sauce, grilled and served with rice and tasty chicken oil.      Many other towns and cities would "copy" the Inasal but none of them could 100% imitate the original taste of Bacolod Chicken Inasal. It is so delicious that Bacolod has it's own "Manokan Country". If it's your first time to visit Bacolod, it is one's sacred duty to visit the Manokan Country at the Reclamation Area fronting SM City - Bacolod.      If you pre...

   During my last night in Singapore, our hosts treated us to a sumptuous dinner at the Tower Club. The Tower Club is located right at the heart of "downtown" Singapore, at the 62nd to the 64th floor of the Republic Plaza Tower One. It is definitely ideal for a business meeting or a lazy chat with friends and colleagues while enjoying the view of Singapore.    Upon arriving, you will be greeted by a lavish lobby where a friendly receptionist will lead you to your reservation. Our group was hosted inside one of the private dining rooms so we could enjoy some exclusivity.    Offhand, the place looked ideal for wedding receptions and other small business conferences. The interior design could make a huge impression to guests without appearing intimidating.    It was fun dinner for us participants of the NIHA Healthcare Leadership Program at the National University of Singapore. It was a night of gourmet food and even some spontaneous si...

    I was lucky enough to visit Singapore this week (and I am actually still here while writing this blog) and one of the places I was able to visit was IndoCafe The White House. Our hosts (the faculty of the National University of Singapore Business School) were telling us about the cultural value of this restaurant. It is an old Indo-Peranakan house converted into a museum and at the same time a restaurant.      Peranakan refers to descendants of 15th century Chinese immigrants who settled in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Malaysians and Indonesians however use the same term to refer to 'descendant' without any specific to any ethnicity. According to history, it was economic hardships in China that pushed the early Chinese immigrants to move out and settle in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. As they migrated from China, they brought with them their own culture and mingled it with local culture.     The Indocafe White...

Looking for a nice restaurant to eat in Boracay under a tight budget can be a challenge, especially if it's the peak season. During the off-peak season however, a lot of things in Boracay can be quite cheap. However, I place called DeParis in Boracay remains affordable throughout the year. DeParis is located at the Beach Front of Boracay, right at the center of Station 2 just close to the entrance of D'Mall. It is a hotel and a restaurant which caters to tourists who are traveling on a shoestring budget. When I was in Boracay recently I was able to discover this place while looking for a place to eat. Having arrived in Boracay after island-hopping from Leyte to Caticlan, I thought that I deserve a good meal without tearing apart my wallet. DeParis looked attractive at this aspect considering that they have a 250-pesos worth of "budget meals". This "budget-meal" is composed of a vegetable soup, a main course of your choice and a dessert, all for 250 ...

During an overnight stay in Estonia, one of the places my friends and I visited was Olde Hansa. Olde Hansa is a medieval-inspired restaurant right in the middle of the Old Town in Talinn. The place was built and named in honor of the Hanseatic League. Upon entering the place, I couldn't help but feel like I was entering a hobbit's pub just like in the Lord of the Rings movie. It was really like stepping inside a time machine and going back to the days of old when knights roam the countryside rescuing damsels in distress. We were ushered in by a beautiful maiden who gave us our seats and our menus to choose from. The list was also very medieval. The list included Divine leg of pork with beer syrup, "Pepper Bag" fillet mignon and Braised sauerkraut with meat. There are other specialties like the grand leg of duck in saffron sauce and smoke-grilled salmon with salmon eggs. Of course, there is a variety of drinks that could satisfy a thirsty serf. There is d...

Finding a perfect place to have lunch with 2 very picky kids is a challenge. So, while "hunting" for "feeding grounds" at SM Mall of Asia, we happened to pass by Pepper Lunch. It was actually my first time to notice Pepper Lunch and since it wasn't that crowded at that time, we decided to try the food. I ordered the Teriyaki Beef Pepper Rice with egg. The kids ordered Teriyaki Pepper Chicken. Seated in a comfortable couch, we waited for only a few minutes. The service was fast. The waiters were friendly. And the food was served sizzling hot. For dessert, we tried the recommended Molten a la mode: a chocolate cake with gooey icing on top with vanilla ice cream on the side. For a complete set of menu, you can visit their official webpage here . The SM MOA branch is just one of many branches of Pepper Lunch. There is one in TriNoma and also one in Robinson's Ermita. There is also one at the Power Plant Mall and also at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall. ...

During the socials night for the participants of the 3rd module of the Health Leaders For The Poor conducted by the Zuellig Family Foundation for leaders from the ARMM, we brought them to this place in Makati called Ziggurat. Located at Sunette Tower, Durban Street corner Makati Avenue, Ziggurat is a restaurant which serves Indian, Mediterranean, African and Middle Eastern cuisine. It is a small but cozy place which transports any customer into the Middle East or a Turkish bazaar where one sits on the cushioned floor and eats a like a princely Arab. The inside of the restaurant can occupy at the most 30 customers not including the small upper deck which can occupy an additional 10. One can choose to eat outside the terrace section of the restaurant but I strongly suggest eating inside for you to have the feel of a Middle eastern ambiance. It was unfortunate though that during our visit there, we didn't have any Turkish or Arab music playing in the background to complete the whol...