The Island Explorer

I like staying in Seminyak because it has more sophistication than rowdy Kuta. And a host of the  best restaurants in Bali can be found in this area, particularly in the Seminyak-Kerobokan circuit. One of my favorite dining spots serves up an interesting fusion of Asian and Western food - Sardine.

In every trip I take, I always make sure I visit a high calibre restaurant, whether it be one of the top restaurants in the region or a Michelin starred one. For this trip to Bali, I finally secured seats to the elusive Mozaic. 

There has been a sudden surge of celebrity and Michelin star restaurants in Asia recently and the top venues are of curse, Singapore and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, we have Bo Innovation leading the list for its molecular gastronomic take on Chinese cuisine. With the opening of Marina Bay Sands, several celebrity chefs put up restaurants, such as Wolfgang Puck's Cut, Mario Batali's Osteria Mozza and Pizerria Mozza, Daniel Boulud's Bistro Moderne and Guy Savoy among others. The list goes on, in Singapore, having new Michelin starred spots such as . Perhaps one of the most celebrated chefs is Joel Robuchon, who finally opened not one, but two restaurants in Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa. 

I was getting bored of the food in Cebu, so I asked for something different. I was looking for a place that was not fancy and non-Filipino. After some researching, we decided to head off to Guadalupe in Cebu City, near the capitol building for a hole-in-the-wall Spanish restaurant called Arano.

So I've been to Bohol several times, but I haven't been to this popular cafe till now. Cafe Lawis has always been recommended by my friends who have toured Bohol. Well, it's probably because I don't take the tours when I'm in Bohol.

The Bohol Bee Farm is a popular destination in Panglao Island. The resort and restaurant is located on the way to Alona Beach, so one can stopover for breakfast, lunch or brunch there.

I'm quite shocked that Dean & Deluca, a stellar New York based cafe, chose Bangkok as their first Asian location. I mean, Manila would be perfect, given how much coffee and cafe addicts we are. I would imagine D&D in the Fort, with an all white modern facade, laying their commitment to be purveyors of fine food. 

I love Tagaytay because I love to eat. With its relaxing setting and cool climate, no wonder a day trip to Tagaytay is such a temptation for those living in Manila. My most recent visit was in Marcia Adams, not a new restaurant, but it's jut one of the places that I haven't tried.

Around 30 minutes away from Ortigas without traffic is one of the most talked about restaurants in the country. It is located in the art capital of the country as well, in the town of Angono in Rizal. 

Enchante is the newest and long overdue restaurant of Chef Jessie Sinsioco. I'm so glad that she decided to set up in Ortigas, where I live. I think that Ortigas has no good restaurant, until Enchante and Cafe 1771 arrived. Enchante was recommended to me by a friend, and I didn't think it would be this busy on a Sunday. Well, it was Mother's Day that day, so probably, they had more guests than usual. I like the bright interiors. Enchante is located in the Joy-Nostalg Center, where Oakwood is. It's not part of Oakwood, and you enter the ADB side of the building to get to the restaurant. Now let's go down to the food. This was the Smoked Salmon, Grilled Prawn and Sauteed Mushroom Salad (P495). There were two pieces of perfectly grilled prawns that had an unforgettable smoky flavor. I didn't care much for the Smoked Salmon though, but everything blended well in the creamy balsamic dressing. There was a Special Menu for moms, and it was my Dad who ordered the set (g...

Blu Bar and Grill is the rooftop dining experience in Marco Polo Cebu. At first, it may seem that the place is pretentious, but after passing some time here, I realized that it's a perfect place to chill out. The rooftop venue gives you that outdoor feel, and the fresh cool breeze from the hills descend while you savor on great food. Marco Polo for me serves the best hotel food in Cebu, especially desserts. As Marco Polo is already situated in the hills of Nivel, Blu provides you with the sweeping and unobstructed views of the city, especially at night. Blu Bar is a recommended spot to go to in Cebu, where you can enjoy great food and of course, sweeping views. Its ambience sets the mood for an unforgettable dinner experience, high above a city that is brimming with energy. TIP: Have a drink here from 5 to 7PM and get another one for free.

I've had a string of bad new restaurants recently. The most recent and probably the worst of the year so far was Bordeaux in Burgos Circle at the Fort. That experience was bad enough for me not to take any pictures of the place and food. French food and service at its worst. To think I had a wonderful experience at Je Suis last Valentine's. So when I was again in search of a new restaurant, I became nervous. I pass by a new restaurant called, Celsius in the Morato area, near Shakey's. The place intrigued me, but I was afraid it was another pretentious restaurant, since there were very few guests. So when I went back to the area last night, I took a bold move of having dinner there. Celsius called itself a gastronomic lounge, where you can get a unique gastronomic experience. I thought I made the wrong move going inside, since again, we were the only guests. But, as they say, you'll never know until you try. So we did, made it up to the 2nd floor lounge area. Their menu ...

I have so many backlog reports on Cebu, and am gonna try to start writing with this restaurant. Tucked in a corner of a small road in Mactan, Cebu, you really wouldn't notice the place, even though the outside has a lot of lights. You would think that MB's Tavern Restaurant and European Deli Shop is more of a beer joint, than a place that serves some nice comfort food. MB's Tavern has a simple menu, some of which include German dishes (I am assuming the owner is German). But people go here for the pizza...worth P230 only for 14 inches and good by the way (I was worried it would taste like Greenwich, but they were so generous with mozzarella cheese). But the highlight was this...something they call Pizza Sketti. Pizza Sketti is not pizza at all, but spaghetti baked on huge flat claypot. The claypot resembles the crust of a pizza as you can see. This dish was P245, big enough for 6 to 8 people. We were four that night, and we couldn't even finish half of the dish. And it ...

The frozen yogurt craze is still taking Manila by storm, with the entrant of its newest international player, Golden Spoon. Popular in Southern California, Golden Spoon has something other frozen yogurt don't have - flavors. While Red Mango may be my Holy Grail of frozen yogurts, it only has the plain and green tea variants. Golden Spoon can have as much as a dozen flavors of frozen yogurts. From Chocolate Caramel, to Pistacio, Cookie Batter, Cookies and Cream, Cheesecake and the intriguing Boysenberry, Golden Spoon's wide variety has indeed captured the interest of its crowd in Shangrila Plaza Mall. It also offers the same favorite toppings, with some more new ones. They also have hot toppings, liquid toppings, that can just make you drool. The frozen yogurt may be low-fat but these toppings like Caramel and Mallow Creme aren't. I was actually surprised to see a Golden Spoon when I entered Shangrila Mall (it's beside the Starbucks at the ground level). Even before you...

Canvas is a new bistro bar that have been the recent trend in food hotspots in the country today. Cebu really is a treasure chest for great restaurants, that serve unique dining experiences. Canvas is the newest restaurant to open in the Terraces of Ayala Center Cebu, and it has shot up my list of best restaurants for the year. Canvas calls itself a bistro bar, so it's a casual restaurant during the daytime, and a bar during night time. I heard that there were a lot of plans for this bar, which could turn it into a happening venue for the social class. The kitchen opens up to the dining area, so you get to see and smell what's being cooked. The kitchen staff looked experienced, and seemed to enjoy what they were doing. I was really looking at how they cook the food from my seat. I observed their technique and plating, which really impressed me. I was surprised to see how affordable the offerings were. It was a well planned menu, not too many and not too few. It was als...