How Tableya (Native Chocolate) is Traditionally Made

One summer in Argao, I saw some parts of the process of making tableya. During the Gabii sa Kabilin 2013, I was lucky to witness a demonstration of the process of making tableya traditionally.

The photo below shows the plant source.

The Cacao Plant with the fruit below

When the cacao fruit ripens, you have them roasted.

Roasted cacao to be put on the grinder

The roasted cacao is placed in the grinder and the grinder expresses a chocolate colored product which is then molded into round finished products.

The grinding process expressing the tableya

The expressed product

The mold

The final product is the round tableya you see packaged in plastic. You can now make your favorite champorado or tsokolate which you may pair with puto maya.

Boodle Fight at Captain A's Seafood Grill

If you became an ROTC officer way back in college, you might remember having a boodle fight. For those new to boodle fight, it is a fun way of eating where all the food is laid down in front of you on top of banana leaves and everybody eats using their bare hands.

It is this unique experience that one encounters when eating in Captain A's Seafood Grill. You can order from several choices of Boodle Fight menu such as these two below.

The Battle of Mactan

D' Original

Upon serving your meal, the waiters would chant something like, "To the right, To the left...Commence......Boodle Fight!" This adds to  the military boodle fight feel.  By the way, they provide you with improvised gloves made of thin plastic so that you won't worry about the food getting dirty.

Captain A's has branches in  Jose Avila St., Capitol Site near the back of Cebu Doctor's Hospital and also in IT Park. 

The one I visited was the one in Capitol Site. It is spacious and the design of the place was made to give the customers the feel of dining inside a ship since their specialty is Seafoods apparently. I think there is a function room for meetings and also a videoke room although I have not tried it.

Back to the food, the Boodle set meals are good for five with drinks also served good for five persons. The price is just about right. Among the food i sampled, I liked the taste of the shrimps, the kare-kare, adobong manok and baboy mix and the crabs.

The choices are not all set in a Boodle Set Meal. You can order your favorite Filipino dish including Crispy Pata, Kinilaw, Scallops and many others individually. The place is great for barkadas eating and it is this nice barkada atmosphere that makes Captain A's a favorite destination.

Food and Fun with Friends and Fishes at Co Jordan

When you want to take a break from city life, enjoy fresh food and at the same time have clean fun, a visit to this eatery might be refreshing especially if you enjoy...FISHING!

Co Jordan Talaba Bangus Eatery is located in Tayud, Consolacion. It is very easy to locate. Just ride a jeepney to SM Consolacion. Just across SM is where tricycles await plying the route passing Co Jordan. It may be dusty going there though so bring your handkerchiefs.

So here we are.

Don't you love the view?

For an affordable amount (pardon me forgetting the exact amount), you will be given a makeshift rod 9Do not expect a real professional fishing rod) made of what seems to be bamboo, a net for putting your catch and I think, some bait. Even with this, you can actually catch fish with it.

Just choose an area where you want to position yourself, throw in some fish food, then start to fish. When the milkfish (bangus) pulls the bait, pull up and the fun begins! It is because the fish is slippery...jumping and jumping. In my case, I use the net to finally get hold of the fish.

Yay! My first fish catched in my entire life!

Enough of the fishing. I know you want to see the food! By the way, you can have your catch cooked the way you want it. Of course, you pay for it separately. But there are other items in the menu. Here they are:

You can also choose a particular "cottage" or hut where you will have your meal. There is a big one with a karaoke and there are smaller ones, all affordable. Pang-masa na presyo.

For those who cannot live without Facebook, there is wifi!

If you do not have your own vehicle, going home may be a challenge because the tricycle's going back are full but who cares? Busog na man. Hehe. Just sit and relax and wait for a ride.

Banana Leaf at the Ayala Terraces in Cebu

In one events I attended, I got  to taste an interesting mix of modern Malaysian, Thai, Singaporean, Indian, Vietnamese and Indonesian cuisine. An Asian fusion. Feast your eyes on some of the dishes I tried and maybe you want to try it out and be the judge.

Banana Leaf is located at the Ground Level of the Terraces at Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu City. Their contact number is (032) 233-3321.

McDonalds Mactan Newtown opening this January

You have already heard of Megaworld's new township in Mactan, right? The Mactan Newtown? Considered the Eastwood in Mactan. Well, the Mactan Newtown will open this January a very big McDo branch ahead of the other establishments that will rise in the area. This will be known as the McDonald's the Mactan Newtown branch.

This McDo branch will also have a drive-thru and PlayPlace areas children will love. The opening of McDonald's Newtown will pave the way for the launch of other commercial spaces to look forward to. This aside from the fact that luxury condominiums, world-class hotels and high-end retail shops as well as BPO offices are slated to rise in the coming months.

"McDonald's will undoubtedly be a key lifestyle component in the Mactan Newtwon township, since both residents and employees now have an easily accessible branch in this part of Mactan Island, " shares Jericho Go, Megaworld's first vice-president for Business Development and Leasing group (BDLG).

Yes indeed. So pay McDo the Mactan Newtown branch a visit sometime this month. Surprises await the customers this month which may include a nighttime firworks display.

Cebu's Ayer Lechon Offers Many Choices

Cebu's Ayer Lechon is an emerging player in the lechon department in Cebu City. It has been receiving word-of-mouth recommendations from its customers and is becoming a favorite among Koreans so much so that its lechon may be offered with Kimchi, said to be a good combination.

One thing going for Ayer or Ayer's Lechon is that it provides customers many choices.

First, the branches: You can buy lechon prior to taking a flight at it's Mactan Domestic Airport branch. Across Country Club Banilad Road, there is also an Ayer branch. For those working in the IT Park, there is an outlet in the second floor of the I2 Building on top of Starbucks. There's also one in SM City 3rd Level and another one in Salinas Drive Lahug in front of USP.

Second, it provides not just plain lechon because there are several food items being offered.

Lechon

Boneless lechon spicy

Dinuguan

Lechon paksiw

Pritchon

Lechon sisig

Kimchi

The lechon is said to be made from native pigs. With the different food choices, the pig's various parts are never wasted. By the way, other food selections not in the pics are the pork spare ribs (not always available) and the bopis.

The lechon is crispy as well as the boneless lechon. The boneless lechon for me though is not their best product.The spicy boneless lechon does not have a lechon feel when eaten.

I love the taste of the lechon paksiw though. The dinuguan on the other hand tastes like dugo-dugo sprinkled with chicharon. Others may want to try the pritchon and the attractive lechon sisig.

Lastly, Ayers offer various options for ordering. You can order online with the choice to use even Paypal based on what is seen on their website.

If you want to know more about Ayers, you can visit their website and order there.

You can also contact them at telephone numbers (032) 268-0327 or Mobile #09228268133 or #09228268133.

Julie's Bakeshop and Me

Julie's Bakeshop is indeed the largest bakeshop chain in the Philippines with about 130 franchisees. It seems that everywhere you go there's a Julie's bakeshop. Be it in the province or in the city. Just like in Cebu. After all, Julie's has its roots in Cebu being founded by Mrs. Julie Gandionco with its first store in Mandaue.

I practically spent a large chunk of my adult life eating Julie's bread products. During my college days, I pass by a Julie's bakeshop on the way home before riding a jeepney to buy fresh from the oven cheese bread.

Even now at work, I drop by Julie's doing the same routine. But I do not just buy bread from Julie's, I also eat lunch and sometimes breakfast at Julie's. From a simple bakeshop, it grew. And grew. And grew.

Aside from cheese bread, they have the "nakakalokong Pan de Coco" as well as various cakes. Then you also have the local favorite Binangkal.

Julie's is not just about bakeshops. They also reach out to the public. A good example is during the Sinulog when they are one of the sponsors in the Devotee City.

Learn more about Julie's Bakeshop's Corporate Social Responsibility here.

Interested in franchise application? Go to this link.