The Island Explorer

8 Spices is a Thai resto in the newly opened Il Terrazo along Tomas Morato. My first impression was, the interiors looked like it has been plucked out from a province in Thailand. It's not classy, like KIngdom or People's Palace, so it's more of the Chinese looking Asian restos. So I wondered, will their food be authentic? Of course, I enjoy Thai food, so I was very weary in trying another Thai resto in a country where there is no "real" great Thai restaurants. We were there for lunch, and since it was still new, only a few guests were present. But compared to the other restos in Terrazo, they had more luck. So I look at the menu, which was extensive. They offered a lot. Since it was a first time, I had to order the basics to measure the standards of the restaurant. But first up was a relatively new dish for me, a Tofu and Eggplant Salad. This tasted really good and the flavors authentic. The tofu was cooked well, not too flimsy. The eggplant was marinated with bo

I've always been a fan of hotel buffets. I think I have eaten in almost all noteworthy hotels. I think the top five ones are Spiral in Sofitel, Circles in Makati Shang, Paseo Uno in Mandarin, Seven Corners in Crowne Plaza and Tides in Shangrila Mactan. I wouldn't say the next one is at par with the ones about for the quality of food, but I am beginning to fall in love with this quaint buffet venue in the heart of Malate in Manila. Let me take you to the Market Cafe at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino. Why am I recommending you to go all the way to Malate for a buffet experience? Well, here are three reasons: 1. The Intimacy As it is not a big venue, like Spiral, Market Cafe becomes an intimate escape for a dinner with friends or family. There are never a lot of people, and this makes it more casual and relaxed. You won't feel too uptight. 2. The Service Aside from Crowne Plaza, the service of the wait staff and chefs in Market Cafe is excellent. They treat you like real guests, a

I'm on a roll summing up lists for the past year, but movies do not fit this blog. But I'm a lover of films, and most of my friends know that. 2008 was a drought for me for movie watching. There just wasn't any time for me to watch. Recently, I bought DVDs and downloaded movies that were shortlisted to be the best of the year. I search for them as well in the Internet, and I try to find these movies for me to watch come awards season. And it is awards season already, and I have watched a lot of the contenders already. Here are the top 10 films of the year for me: 10. Doubt (directed by John Patrick Shanley) Starting off the list is the disturbing drama about a charismatic Catholic priest caught up in a pedophile controversy and battle with the religious and traditional sisters of St. Nicholas in the Bronx. With performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep, who can go wrong? 9. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (directed by Woody Allen) Set against the luscious Me

Well, since I also write about food in this blog, I am going to sum up the most notable dining experiences I had in the Philippines for this year. As you may notice, I don't call them the best restaurants, since being best is so relative. So, I'm just listing down 8 of the most intriguing, buzz worthy and best tasting. These are the restaurants that created a stir in my frantic search for the best dining experiences. So here goes: 1. Ola Espana (Cebu and Davao) I started with an entry from the South. 2008 was filled with trips to Cebu and Davao, and I just had to savor all the restaurants I could visit in these cities. Ola Espana definitely hit me well, with its coziness and simple yet memorable dishes. Yes, it's a Spanish restaurant, but they serve Italian fare as well. Try the Paella Valenciana and the Lengua. 2. Sala Bistro (Greenbelt 3, Makati City) This is a given. One of my favorite restaurants, Sala, decided to put up a more casual atmosphere to serve up the

If you've been to the White Island in Camiguin, then the Agutayan Island in Jasaan, which is on the way to Camiguin will be very familiar. Way back in 2006, I came upon a group of friends in Cagayan de Oro who just came from a summer outing in Jasaan. They were talking about this white sand island that had no trees. The name of the island was Agutayan. I quickly searched about the island, and I didn't get much info about it. I've been to Cagayan De Oro since then every year, but managed not to visit Agutayan. Finally in 2008, I was persistent enough to bring a group of 8 for a very short visit to the island. Talk about being impulsive and convincing as well. It was fortunate that our hosts from CDO knew about the island, however, they have never been there. They knew how to get there, so that solves it. From the Puerto Public Market where we were conducting an interview shoot, we rushed to Liyang Beach in Jasaan, at 3PM. The trip took us only 30 minutes. Liyang Beach is whe

Just a short post here about Cake2Go. I know this is a delayed post on cakes, as the holidays are over, but the Valentine's season is still coming up, so what better way to sweeten up the day but with cakes. Cake2Go is located in the Blue Ridge portion of Katipunan Road. It is on the lane heading towards White Plains. There's a bright red sign so you won't miss it. What I love about the place is the place itself. I admired their interiors, as a recipe was placed in marquee up against the wall. There was one huge freezer with all the cakes they served. A lot of cakes are offered here, and some of them are interesting. We settled though for the classic turtle pie. We also ordered smaller cake versions, so we could taste more of their offerings. I can't remember the stuff we got, but from what I remember, I told people that this was a great alternative to Red Ribbon. Oh, and they do deliver.

As soon as it opened, I was excited to see Hotel Celeste's boutique atmosphere. I have been a fan of boutique hotels, and when abroad, I usually stay in smaller hotels with great ambience and unique character (the definition of boutique). Hotel Celeste may be the first real boutique hotel in Manila, as G is still managed by Waterfront. But this post isn't about Hotel Celeste, as I was only to grace their lobby. This is about the French resto talked about in by both bloggers and chefs. Restaurant Cicou is the newest dining experience at Hotel Celeste. The French menu offers a sufficient variety. I like the way the menu is presented, as they highlight (in bold) the main ingredient of the dish. The ambience is an upscale bistro, though I wasn't too much of a fan of the interiors (I thought they were tacky and cheap in a way if you look in detail or close-up). Anyway, this is about the food, and this is a long overdue post. As soon as we finished ordering, we were offered