The Island Explorer

I finally had lunch in Joey Pepperoni along Pioneer in Mandaluyong. The casual American-Italian restaurant is located below the RFM Bldg. I was surprised to see that their menu had more than just pizza, and that it looked more like Yellow Cab mashed up with A Venetto. I ordered their Asparagus soup which was too watery, but at least had flavor. It tasted like instant soup. Their pizza was surprisingly good. I am a fan of their thin crust which was really deserving of a rave. It was neatly thin, burnt just right and brought out the flavors of the toppings with ease. The pizza below was the Scampi Pizza. My friend Mai also ordered Penne pasta that had a tomato-based cream sauce. It was good, but nothing spectacular. For P160 bucks, it could feed two, so it was a good bargain. Another friend Parx ordered the Chicken Parmigiana, which was supposedly my choice. But since I don't like ordering the same dish as someone else, nor allow anyone to order the same dish as someone else as well

A trip to Davao is also a trip to the Island Garden City of Samal for me. The neighboring island province makes a Davao trip just complete and more worthwhile since I am a beach lover. When people think of Davao, people think of Pearl Farm, when it is actually in Samal. I have been to Paradise Island Resort twice, being the most accessible beach from Davao City. It's so near, you could have lunch there and go back afterwards. This time, we had the time to explore more of Samal. We didn't make any plans, so after staying at Paradise, we went back to the city to catch a ferry to Talicud Island off Samal as our ultimate destination. It was described as a rustic island paradise, with white sandy beaches and fantastic coral life. We took a ferry to Talicud Island from Sta. Ana Port in Davao City. The boat left at 12 noon, and arrived in Talicud an hour and a half later. We were supposed to stay at Isla Reta so we took a stupid 2 minute boat ride from the port to Isla Reta, which tur

I have been passing by Paul Calvin's Deli ever since it opened I think four months ago. While I was in Makati, I thought of grabbing some friends for a dinner in this new restaurant. You would say it is hidden, since it's hard to notice it, considering it's in the Fort. Paul Calvin's Deli is located on the road with Jollibee and McDonald's on its ends. It's near Furnitalia. The interiors of PCD were bright, and the red chairs just gave more spunk. I knew from then that this was a nice place to have conversations with friends. The place was relatively small, though I wasn't able to check the space upstairs. The waitress told me that they could accommodate 40 people. We were served complimentary bread, which was soft, hot and topped with cheese. It was good especially when dipped in the classic olive oil and balsamic mix. While waiting I looked in their freezers for stuff to buy at home. I saw a nice selection of cheeses and cold cuts. There were even more bre

I just came back from a travel photography workshop in northern Palawan. The workshop was organized by Colors Travel, and the Palawan leg was the 2nd tour offering out of 4. The first one was held in Batanes with George Tapan. This tour had Master Photographer Wig Tysmans. We took a SEAIR flight and landed in Busuanga Island in northern Palawan. We then proceeded to our host resort, El Rio Y Mar, which is a sister resort of the established Club Paradise. El Rio is situated in a quiet cove near Maricaban. It is on the way to Club Paradise. Though not really an island resort, the secluded location of El Rio becomes an attraction, highlighted with calm waters and a backdrop of hills. The beach is not that great, but the water is clean and clear. At high tide, the beachfront cottages seem to float on water. There is a restaurant serving great food and a refreshing infinity pool that looks out to the serenity of the cove. The cottages are appointed well, neat and huge by ordinary standards.