The Island Explorer

I now have a new favorite. It's located along Connecticut St in Greenhills, just after Belomed. The name of the place is Angel's Kitchen. Though not a newcomer (it's been here since last year), I was only able to visit the place when we planned a get together dinner with friends. We were supposed to go to Chilis, but when I passed by Angel's, I immediately stopped in front of it, and asked if there were still seats. Fortunately, a group was leaving, so I texted everyone about the change in venue. The restaurant was packed, well, it was not that big anyway. It reminded me of Conti's. Of course, it had a home feel, making it perfect for families and friends (of our age). I was excited to see the menu. We ordered I think every signature dish, except for the lamb ribs. So, let's take them one at a time. The first dish here is the Mandarin Chicken. To me, this was the worst of all, but don't me wrong. It was average. I started with the worst among what we ordered...

Perhaps, Kota Kinabalu or KK as the locals call their home, is one of the last popular destinations I haven't been to in SEA. So, our company decided on going to KK for our annual excursion, thanks in large part to the low fares of Cebu Pacific. KK is located in the island of Borneo (the third largest island in the world), directly south of the Philippines, just below the beautiful islands of Tawi-Tawi and the southern tip of Palawan. KK is the capital of the Malaysian state, Sabah, which promotes itself as an adventure destination. Sabah is much like any province in the Philippines, with beaches, mountains, rivers and a whole lot of wildlife. It is also the home to the supposed tallest peak in South East Asia, Mount Kinabalu. This journey takes us into the mountainous area and the islands nearby Kota Kinabalu. We wished we could visit Sipadan and Sandakan, but we had limited time to explore. So, we start off with the capital itself, Kota Kinabalu. The city center is small enough t...

Filipino restaurants are truly becoming a trend nowadays. And it's a good thing, because, I always thought we lacked good Filipino restaurants. We always think of Kamayan, or Barrio Fiesta, or Cabalen. Now, we have a lot to choose from, ranging from those roadside grilleries to fine dining options. A new restaurant hopes to crack the same ground. This is Hacienda, located at the ground floor of the Transcomm Bldg, beside Tiendesittas in Pasig. What made me very interested is the fact that they call the place a Filipino deli/coffeeshop/restaurant. All slashes. Being a deli, it serves local delicacies. Being a cafe, it serves charcoal roasted mountain coffee. Being a restaurant, it serves your usual Filipino fare ala carinderia style. We were there for dinner and surprisingly, there wasn't any customers when we arrived. 2 groups came in a few minutes later though. The food is presented ala carinderia, meaning, they are already laid out on the counter, and you just have to choose...