Kusina ni Nasing Boneless Lechon Review

A lot of my friends consider the liempo in Kusina ni Nasing as one of the best. From their humble beginnings with liempo as their flagship product, Kusina ni Nasing has added more like their lechon manok, grilled panga and now, the Boneless Lechon. Here is my review for their Boneless Lechon.

Like their liempo, the Boneless Lechon is full of flavor probably because of the spices added to it. However, it appears to be more oily that its liempo counterpart and unlike other Boneless lechon, the pork lechon taste is not evident. I have tasted other boneless lechon brands which retain the typical lechon flavor and kusina ni Nasing's boneless lechon is not like that. However, this is not to say that it isn't delicious. But between their liempo and their boneless lechon, I still like their liempo more which by the way also has a pork rib sibling.

To "remove the guilt" of eating lechon somewhat, brown rice is available along with their sukang tuba, sili and onions to make the boneless lechon experience complete.

Below are the other food products offred by Kusina ni Nasing with the price of some varying depending on their weight.

A reminder before we end this post -- Eat moderately, OK?

Restaurant review: Choobi Choobi in Parkmall

One of the latest restaurants to open in the vicinity of Parkmall is Choobi Choobi, a restaurant that offers mainly Filipino dishes. Choobi Choobi means lingaw lingaw because the owner believes that when you dine in their restaurant, "ma-lingaw" jud mo. You will not get bored eating.

The restaurant itself is located on the second floor and is open-air type.

It's location and it's being an open-air type establishment is a blessing for food lovers as you get the feeling you are eating on the beach especially if you order seafood or grilled dishes as you get to feel the breeze. "Makagana ug kaon," as they say in Cebuano.

The place is quite spacious and I noticed a TV screen in one end of the venue showing cable TV program.

Let us go to the food. First up are the dishes not usually served in other establishments.

Ever tried balbacua minus the sabaw? Yup, this is the first time I saw crispy balbacua.

Crispy balbacua with bagoong at 168 PHP

Then you have some sort of sprouts (I forgot the name, sorry). But it's not alfafa sprouts.

Then there is the crispy adobong kanding. Usually, kanding (goat) dish is prepared as kaldereta. Not in this dish. It's pinirito.

Crispy adobong kambing at 168 PHP

Next is my personal favorite... LOLA PEPANG's Fried Manok, the owner's family recipe. The chicken is one of the tastiest fried chicken I have tasted. It's not lechon manok but fried chicken. Whole fried chicken. Cooked whole, not half to ensure the recipe's desired taste remains intact.

Part of the whole chicken serving upclose (costs 300 to 360 PHP)

Lola Pepang's chicken (Pardon me for the lighting..I'm using a smartphone)

Then we have a constant presence in Filipino restaurants which is also offered in Choobi Choobi, the Crispy Pata.

Choobi Pata priced at around 320 to 350 PHP and comes with sauce 

Those who are health-conscious need not worry visiting Choobi Choobi because they offer good fish dishes like the Pampano....

Grilled pampano

Their tuna belly is fresh, "hindi malansa". No itchiness after eating and cooked just right.

Too satisfy the Japanese in one's taste, Choobi Choobi also has Shrimp Tempura.

Shrimp tempura

My fellow blogger loves this dish best....the Shrimp in the bag. The shrimps are plenty inside the bag and could come with gata or without. I prefer the one with gata as it complements well the shrimp's natural taste. There's some broth in the bag to put in your rice if you want.

Shrimp in the bag with gata

Choobi Choobi actually provides a lot of choices like Tinolang Manok Bisdak, Utan Monggos to name a few. Another thing I like about Choobi Choobi is their iced tea which is not powdered iced tea but natural and somewhat fruity. It is said to be the the same iced tea offered in a popular hotel.

You get your money's worth eating at Choobi Choobi's. Really "choobi choobi" as it's name suggests.

Krispy Kreme 76th Year Brunch Specials

Assorted Pull Aparts

During an informal meetup with my fellow bloggers at Krispy Kreme (KK) IT Park, I just learned that KK in Cebu (IT Park, Ayala Center and SM City) offer Brunch Specials in celebration of their 76th year. For your brunch (until 2 PM), you can have a choice of any of the Krispy Kreme Pull Aparts as shown in the photo above and pair it with Brewed Signature Coffee 8 ounce for 110 PHP.

Alternatively, you can choose any Kruffin as shown below instead of Pull Apart and partner it with the same coffee for the same price of 110 PHP.

Assorted Kruffins

If you want a lighter Brunch Special, you can have the Original Glazed and 8 oz coffee for 76 PHP or any of the other Assorted Doughnut with 8 oz. coffee for 85 PHP.

Original Glazed

Happy 76th year Krispy Kreme!

Bintana, a hidden coffee and food hangout

In the heart of the busy city but hidden from plainsight, just across the Aboitiz property in Elizabeth Pond St. is a coffee and food hangout residents and students nearby may want to try  -- the Bintana.

Bintana is not your usual coffee shop. It's like you are having coffee or eating meals comfortably at home. It is a homey coffee shop which is said to offer various kinds of coffee like Kalinga, Costa Rica and Colombia. Instead of cakes and pastries, they mainly offer palabok, which is said to be one of their bestsellers, as well as set meals like Mechado with rice and cucumber (pipino) and chicken or meat dishes (like Fried Chicken, Sweet and Fried Porkchop, Pork Bistek and Paksiw Pata).

The menu is written in the blackboard above me.

They offer coffee and their bestsellers, Bintana Burger and Pancit Palabok

Like I mentioned, the atmosphere is homey as it looks to me that it used to be a house with many windows (bintana). The walls are adorned with paintings and cool music feels the venue. The place can be perfect for celebrating private occasions with a small intimate group of family and close friends. Or it could be a good study area for students living nearby. Or it could be an ideal place for casual talk among friends or even an informal date. The space outside has lamps and tables if people wish to reserve the entire place for a celebration.

With regards to the food, what we tried as of now is the Burger and the Mechado.

The Bintana Burger is juicy and the size is just enough for one to have his fill. It has tomato, pipino, pickles, cheese and mayonnaise if I remember right. It's worth the price of 80 pesos.

The Mechado is pork-based. It is soft and cooked just right. Too bad, I think my photo of it was inadvertently erased. The Mechado (Tagalog-style) comes with pipino in vinegar and black pepper. The tomato sauce is quite rich and the serving generous as it can feed two persons actually.

I haven't tried yet the palabok but the owner recommends it. Since Bintana is just new, the choices are not that many but the owner promises to add more items as time passes.

Being a student once I think Bintana gives for students a study area feel.

And also I think they are sometimes having an acoustic night in the near future.

It could be a hidden gem, a potential casual hangout for friends and students having a friendly meal together or coffee in the midst of the "jungles" of Elizabeth Pond Street.

You may visit Bintana Cebu Coffee Shop's Facebook page first.

The Villa Pilipino Restaurant: a new Thai-Filipino restaurant for the masses

When owner Mr. Nelson David decided to come home from abroad, he wanted to bring home with him the taste his customers abroad love to experience again and again from the food prepared in his restaurant in Saudi Arabia. A person who is very particular with his food, he learned from his exposure to different cultures while abroad and for 20 years, his menu just keeps getting better and better incorporating Filipino taste with Asian cuisine influences particularly Thai. His loyal patrons then included non-Filipinos, prominent personalities in Saudi and Cebuano friends.

The Villa Pilipino restaurant (named after the "villas" or apartments which are plenty in Saudi Arabia) is the product of Mr. David's wish to have a Thai-Filipino restaurant na "pangmasa"; to let the Filipino masses dine and taste Thai food as if it is just Filipino food --- affordable and prepared in such as manner to suit a Filipino's taste. He noticed that some customers sometimes are hesitant to enter Thai restaurants because they perceive it to be expensive. Mr. David does not want any of that. The food choices in the Villa are usually priced at 120 PHP (good for 2) or 240 PHP (good for around 5). And he added that you can have the dish made to suit your taste by instructing the staff, for example, to make your dish "medium hot" or "really hot".

Mr. David (standing) with the author and his wife

The Villa Pilipino restaurant in Cebu is the first of many planned by Mr. David. It is flattering to note that he selected Cebu as the first venue for his restaurant in the country, choosing it over his home province in Luzon. And in the process of putting up his restaurant, he is giving hope and helping fresh graduates start their journey.

Why offer Thai food? "Kasi laging fresh", explaining that Thai food is always prepared fresh and therefore less likely to become spoiled as compared to food prepared early in the morning and served at a later time observed in some food establishments. "Kahit konti lang, mabubusog ka at may lasa talaga", he added. But he also elaborated that his Thai food choices are made taking note of Filipino taste preferences. Yours truly with my wife decided to try his Tom Yung Goon (Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup with Lemon Grass) and experienced what he meant by his food being Thai-Filipino.

Tom Yung Goon, medium hot

As you can see in the pic, he was generous in using herbs and spices making sure the soup is full of flavor. It may not appear as rich red in the picture but we did not have the feel that it is diluted. I could say it is a nice mix of mostly Thai flavor with a Filipino touch indeed at an affordable price of 120 PHP.

Another dish ordered by my wife is Stir Fried Chicken in Oyster Sauce also at 120 PHP. It was yummy.

Stir fried chicken in Oyster Sauce

The dish was made of mushrooms, carrots, chicken bits, corn and oyster sauce just made right with some nuts. Not bad! And the food was paired with what Mr. David calls "Cebu Champagne", a drink made to taste like champagne without the alcohol content which he specially formulated to provide an alternative to softdrinks, ice teas and alcoholic beverage.

"Cebu Champagne" with mint leaves and some other fruit bits

In the menu, there are many choices including Filipino favorites like sinigang. I think there's also some Chinese food selections. Looking at the menu, I think I will come back to try the other selections.

Though the owner wants to target the masses, the restaurant is airconditioned and has a neat, elegant look with two floor levels and two separate comfort rooms (one for males and one for females). The plan is also to have wifi access in the near future.

Should you also want to try this new resto, The Villa Pilipino Restaurant Cebu I is located in General Maxilom Avenue across Robinsons Fuente in between Mercury Drug Fuente Osmena and BPI Gen. Maxilom or Mango Avenue branch, Cebu City. It just opened this week.

Merilla's Resto Buffet every Friday

Just near Cebu Doctors' University Hospital, in Avon Building before reaching the capitol, there is a restaurant that offers a varied selection of food with a nice, cool home ambiance and music. It opened last year and has been holding baptism celebrations, company parties and family reunions with about 70 persons capacity along with lunch budget meal sets for officemates and students.(They used to be in Arlington Pond St., so Velezians may be familiar with their food).

This time they are bringing back their Ultimate Buffet every Friday with their topseller pork ribs as one among the constant food items offered. The buffet is worth 230 PHP and consists of not just a few choices. Let me show you what they offered last Friday, their first.

Chicken Bulgogi and another chicken dish

Bestseller ribs with pineapple

chop suey

Apple juice

Merillas cooler which I liked best

So if you are in the vicinity, why not try their buffet?

If you are in Osmena Boulevard, Merilla's is located near the Strip at the Ground Floor of Avon Building. You have to go the back to see it. For those riding the Guadalupe jeepney, it can be seen as you pass by Don Gil Garcia Street, the street next to Osmena Boulevard.

Visit their Facebook page for more details including the map location which is their cover pic.

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.