Carla's Halo-halo in Talisay

We just had an outing in Talisay and on our way home, a friend of ours let us in a secret. According to her, she had a favorite halo-halo hangout nearby from her teenage years. And then she invited us to drop by this halo-halo haven known as Carla's halo-halo.

The halo-halo I think is just PHP50 and boy it was worth it. It was interesting to find strips or scrapings of what appeared to be jelly or gulaman instead of pearls or beads. The ingredients were in sizes that make you appreciate the halo halo's taste more. Not too sweet and it has mango and buko bits. The ice is fine and no clumps are found. On top is the ice cream. I loved it.

They also accept short orders of various pancit like bihon and at night they have live band performances. As I write this piece, they are also showing the Pacquiao vs. Bradley fight at Php 100 with choices of various food and/or drinks for free.

It's nice to know that there's another Cebuano halo-halo worth promoting found outside Cebu City.

What is making me go bananas this summer

Summer time and I am a just going bananas right now - literally. Why? Because I've found an alternative to the usual shakes that seem to come out as the heat of summer begins. And it has bananas in them.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet....... Orange Brutus banana chocolate! It's just the perfect shake for summer (not to mention you get the health benefits of the banana for free). Banana is a good source of dietary fiber which is good for the health of your heart. It is also a good source of potassium, an important electrolyte for vital cellular processes.It also contains vitamin B and C. And banana is believed to have antacid effects.

What's also nice about their shakes is the ice. They are finely crushed and you don't encounter clumps clogging the straw as you enjoy your shake. They come in cups though, and not the glass that you see here. 

Another banana shake variant of Orange Brutus is the Banana Marshmallow for those who love their chocolates with blended marshmallows. 

Banana Marshmallow

The third variant is the Banana Peanut Butter. Yes, you heard it right. Banana Peanut butter. Peanut butter is usually present in breakfast tables so this makes this flavor an interesting choice for a shake. My friend Ruben personally likes this variant while I like the Banana Chocolate.

Banana Peanut butter

These shakes will be available starting April 1 in Orange Brutus stores and these includes the newly-opened Super Metro Colon branch at the second floor and soon the new Gaisano Grand Fiesta Mall branch with its new location at the ground floor instead of the Food Court.

And since we are in the season of Lent, Orange Brutus offers choices like their Fish Fillet and Vegetable lumpia.

Orange Brutus Lenten offerings

Of course there's still the usual customer faves.

And the signature Orange Brutus sizzling Burger Steak...

So the next time you grab an Orange Brutus Spicy Chori Burger or a Brute Burger, you may want to pair it with these shakes and just go bananas!

And I forgot to mention, (according to the Orange Brutus staff) there is FREE DELIVERY! Their Delivery Hotline Number is 422.8000. For more info and for inquiries LIKE the Orange Brutus Facebook Page.

Bababa-babanana! Bababa-babanana! #obgoingbananas

Papa Kits Marina and Fishing Lagoon: A Review Part 1

I have heard about the many activities that can be done in Papa Kits and I have been curious of their restaurant, so me and my wife decided to go there ourselves and try it out.

The entrance to Papa Kits Fishing Lagoon is near a church and even when commuting, it is quite easy to locate. The entrance fee when you are not staying overnight is 100 pesos, half of which is said to be consumable for snacks.

near the entrance

Just by the entrance is the horseback-riding area and bicycle area. One can rent bikes for a certain period (forgot the rates) and do biking of course with your friends, barkada or sweetheart. Or you can rent a horse for P75 per 15 minutes per head and have the chance to ride it in a certain stretch of the property. Initially the guide will hold the horse by a rope as you all take a stroll then towards the other half of the route, you are given the opportunity to "drive" the horse yourself with the guide beside you.

In some distance from the entrance is the Fishing Lagoon and Restaurant. To get there, you can either walk or opt to ride on their free transport which can bring you to various parts of the property.

So let's talk about the restaurant.  It is located in the vicinity of the fishing area. The fishing area consists of cottages where families can do their fishing and perhaps eat their catch along with other items ordered.

Here is what we ordered throughout our overnight stay and they were all delicious especially the seafoods. You can also have a fresh fish from their aquarium cooked for an additional service fee.

One thing to improve on is the service especially during peak days like Sundays. We went there on a Sunday and the staff is overwhelmed with the big number of diners not to count those who were fishing on the cottages which they ahve to serve also. Plates, spoon and fork were lacking. Perhaps they would have to find a way to meet the demand during these peak times especially Sunday lunch time.

Next part will be on the other attractions at Papa Kits...

Restaurant Review: Island Grill in General Maxilom Avenue, Cebu City

Towards the end of 2013, many restaurants in the city proper were opening. One of them located in Mango Avenue or Gen. Maxilom Ave, is Island Grill. To recall, Island Grill used to have stalls in mall foodcourts only. The opening of a restaurant in Ayala signalled their entry into the restaurants with a modern carinderia feel.

Compared to other establishments offering Filipino dishes, Island Grill is more affordable and yet they offer good food. Their best offering is perhaps in their grilled dishes especially involving pork and chicken. Especially the Chicken Bacolod style. But I knew that already. For their Mango avenue branch, I tried their grilled fish dishes.

Grilled tangigue

The tangigue was fine although I can't explain why I was still looking for something more about this particular grilled fish. Maybe the cut was too thick but that is good news for some as that would mean they would consume more.

This particular dish was much better. (Forgot the name of this fish).

Dinuguan

One of their cheaper offerings is dinuguan and it is not the diluted kind.

They offer  many other choices and the price is student-friendly. With their location in Mango, students (like those from STC or Velez College), now have another option for their lunch destination. It's relatively cheaper yet the food tastes nice in general.

The food are displayed for you to see like in carinderias or in their mall stalls but you can order like in restaurants where you are given a menu list. Place is airconditioned, clean, pleasant to the eyes although not really big.

So students and employees nearby, you now have another choice especially if you are craving for Filipino food but you do not want to spend much. It's located near National Bookstore and across JESA ITC Building.

Food Review: Boosog at Juana Osmena Street, Cebu City

Juana Osmena Street is becoming the new destination for Filipino food lovers with the opening of two restaurants in the area offering Filipino dishes. One such establishment is Boosog, the same one found in Mabolo. We will talk of the other restaurant in another post.

Boosog is located in the corner of R. Aboitiz and Juana Osmena Streets, within walking distance of St. Theresa's College, Redemptorist Parish and National Bookstore. They offer several choices of Filipino dishes.

When me and my wife checked the place, there were many foreigners dining. We tried their pork sinigang, rellenong talong, and baked scallops. With regards to the aforementioned foods, here's the verdict.

Pork sinigang is one of the favorite dish ordered in Filipino restaurants and so we ordered one. What we got was a bowl with quite a big serving perhaps good for 3 to 4 persons. The soup is plenty with bits of meat and fat, not the usual bony sinigang cut. It tastes quite good even if the soup appears to have some help with sinigang mix as there are also natural ingredients added. They are also a few leafy veggies thrown in the mix. However, it took perhaps 30 minutes for the dish to be served. Perhaps the seeming delay in the serving of the food we ordered may be because they just opened.

I liked the rellenong talong with the right mix of onions, tomatoes and other ingredients.

The baked scallops were prepared differently. It was as if, the scallop meat shaped into squares were bought separately and placed on the shells when baked. I would have preferred the scallop meat left attached to the shell unaltered in appearance (not trimmed). The result was that the scallops meat appeared to be too small than usual and therefore, it's difficult to appreciate the flavor. This is one dish they need to improve as other restaurants have baked scallops as one of their best sellers.

On a separate occasion, I got to taste the sinigang ulo ng isda. Among the food we ordered, it was ghe one I liked best. Even if the soup was plenty, we almost consumed the entire soup.

The restaurant interior

Tinolang isda

We have yet to try the said restaurant's pride -- the mongo with seafood and many other food choices. One thing's for sure though.

With regards to the place, it appears very clean and elegant. There is I think 3 function rooms outside the main restaurant itself. The rest room appears well-maintained. There is also parking space in front of the restaurant.

The restaurant is worth trying with it's wide range of Filipino food choices and nice ambiance. One can save money if he or she dines with a group as the servings are big and the prices are reasonable.

Big Tom's Charbroiled Burgers in Juana Osmena Street, Cebu City

One of the hottest food stops in Cebu City right now is this charbroiled burger joint in the middle of the city. It is known as Big Tom's. The place used to be a house if word around town is to be believed. Entering the place, one can't help but notice the jars overhead used as makeshift lamps. The atmosphere is especially perfect for the Instagram generation with wifi available and social media icons drawn using chalk on one of the place's walls displaying the establishment's name prominently. Now let's go to the meat of this post.

The menu

The above photo shows the menu highlighting the different choices at one's disposal depending on your preference for burgers. Available sizes are 4 oz and 6 oz burgers.

Burgers are served with a knife and fork along with a wooden chopping board to help you dissect your prey with ease. Many would wish some more fries will be added though. Now for the burger itself.

This is the Deluxe Cheeseburger. The bun has just the right degree of fluffiness and firmness so as not to hinder your appreciation of the meat.  Inside, there's tomato, lettuce and Big Tom's sauce.

If you noticed, the cheese is Cheez Whiz-looking. Since they put in their blackboard that they are using cheddar cheese, I was expecting the quite solid cheddar cheese slice. Some might prefer to have the traditional cheddar cheese slice for their burger.

The burger is charbroiled, well done, not flat with just the right thickness. Big Tom's claimed that the patty is freshly prepared daily, never frozen, 100% pure sirloin beef. So let's do the taste test.

The patty is quite juicy, not dry. The sauteed onions are small enough that it will not stop you from savoring the patty. The add-on veggies and sauce complement well the burger's taste which was blended with just the right mix of ingredients and charred just right, not overcooked or burnt. Approve. Thumbs up. Although I personally wished they have the solid cheese.

They also have other items in the menu aside from burgers like spaghetti and meat balls and some more.

Correction, it's spaghetti and meat ball without an S. Just a single meatball although the meatball was big and yummy. Again, I don't know. I'm for grated cheese instead of the quick-melt kind with my spaghetti. The serving is for someone with a big appetite but it costs around 150 or 160 PHP if I remember correctly.

Overall, Big Tom's offer great tasting charbroiled burgers. And I forgot to tell you there is wifi.

So want to visit Big Tom's today? Pa-burger naman dyan?

Ah Phets Noodle Haus and Rice Toppings

One Sunday, me and my wife were randomly looking for something new to eat and we chanced upon one in Escario Street in the same vicinity as Buddies and near Best Western Plus Lex Cebu. It is Ah Phets Noodle Haus and Rice Toppings and we were in for a surprise.

Since their name has noodles in it, we tried their bestseller, the Beef Brisket noodles.

Tasting it, one can tell that they are indeed Chinese style noodles. Ah Phet is generous when it comes to their meat and other ingredients with a reasonable price of 65 pesos. Can't wait to try their other noodle dishes soon.

But it's not just the noodles which deserve a thumbs up. They also have other satisfying items in their menu.

Oriental Spring Chicken

One is the Oriental Spring Chicken. At 110 pesos, you get one half chicken serving. Big, isn't it? And it comes with pickled cucumber and carrots and matching sauce. And fried rice. Again, the dish is really Chinese style.

Humba Pata Tim

That picture above is Humba (Pata Tim). The Cebuano favorite is combined with a Chinese restaurant staple to produce a very tender, delicious dish which comes with rice, a separate Pata Tim broth and cucumber with carrots which serve as a good partner to most of their dishes.

Looks like she can't wait to eat it.

If you are looking for a hybrid of a traditional Cebuano Chinese restaurant and a Chinese fastfood chain, Ah Phets is a very good alternative. Below is some of their other dish offerings.

They may not be well known but they are worth the try.