Puto-sikwate makes my day

I bowed down to my officemates when they insisted I should try the puto and sikwate near the Basilica of Santo Niño. The office is freezing cold I have to go out. Snacking on puto maya, sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and ginger, with its everlasting drink accompaniment sikwate (local version of hot chocolate) is a great respite.

Well, their version of puto is not the best nor the worst. The really hot sikwate is not like my Grandma's but could pass for a great merienda. 

Although unknown to me, but it seems that nook has regular patrons as evidenced by the slowly forming queue outside. However, one annoying habit most carenderias around the country is the use of cracked china. This one is not an exception.

If you want to try their puto maya and sikwate, go inside to that street near the Basilica where Chowking is and ask where you could find the puto. I believe they are known there. No signage is visible around.

Hot choco on a cracked cup. 

When cheap is not cheap

I have been asked by people, not just by one person, to go to a cheap restaurant somewhere at the back of Cebu Doctors Hospital here at the Capitol Site in Cebu City. They claim the food there is nice and cheap.

The place is called Vibe's Gourmet. The owners may have thought of a sari-sari store but decided to make it a restaurant on a whim because of its proximity to the hospital. Just by looking at the white uniforms eating there will give you, at least, the security that the place is clean. Although once in a while a puff of sewer smell would invade the place. That is what I don't like.

I went there once just to drink beer because I did not feel like eating. The beer was not cheap at 40 or 50 pesos with a place of that ambience. Some other stores offered lower priced beer but they have a better ambiance.

Last night, I went there again with the insistence of a friend, again claiming that their food is tasty and cheap. I tagged along.

I ordered Herb and Spicy Chicken priced at 75 pesos, a cup of rice included. It was not cheap, I told him. My favorite carenderia offers two viands and one drink for about 80 pesos. My order arrived confirming my theory that this place is not cheap. An emaciated piece of yellowed chicken appeared on my table, greasy and without a vegetable or herb to compliment with it. I asked for a sauce. Nada. They ran out of sauce. Catsup? None. Suka? Toyo? None. WTF! Pwede ba yun?

Jollibee gives you a one-piece spicy chicken with rice, gravy and drinks at 80 pesos plus. You can even go ask for more catsup and gravy.

I begrudgingly ate my chicken that hinted of curry but lacked what it claimed- Spicy! Even the mango shake did not complete my meal.

I went to Jollibee to buy stuff for my grumbling stomach.

Traveling to Zamboanga for the cash-strapped

You might say this is crazy but I really did went to Zamboanga with only 2,000 pesos in my pocket! It was a suicidal attempt. But I survived!


Robert informed me he was bringing me to Zamboanga because his friend could not make it. I agreed without analyzing my financial capacities. I could not believe I only had that much during my travel.

The return plane tickets were given by my sis, thanks to Cebu Pacific. This practice of CebPac management to give free round trip tickets to parents and siblings of their employees is a worthy cause. It saved me. But the terminal fee at Mactan International Airport (at P200) did not.

My habit of eating once or twice a day also saved me. I mostly relied on coffee and lots of coffee. It was a blessing because Zamboanga has lots of donuts shops you can rely on. Almost every block there is a Dunkin Donuts or a Mister Donuts.

But going to where the real flavor is (and much cheaper than going to McDonald’s or KFC), we went to carenderias near malls (more safe and clean) so we could taste what the regular guys were eating (prices for a complete meal with drinks ranges from P40 to P80). We even searched for halal restos but seeing the food is not inviting for me. Tintin from UniSpa suggested we try the tiulah itum (pronounced chu’lah), a beef stew topped with burnt coconut shreds. I did not take her suggestion.

We walked around Zamboanga not due to the fact that I was really on a very very tight budget, but we loved feeling and immersing the place. When you walk, you see the real essence of the place. And it was a good exercise, too. (Tricycle fare from airport to hotel is P50 to P60. To Café Sacco at Pasonanca Park is P60 during evenings. Pasonanca Park during the day is P50. Fare to the Yakan village is P10 using the Ayala jeep route.)

A good massage at UniSpa during our last night was heaven. It took a good chunk of my budget plus tip but it was worth it. (Full body massage is P280. Tip is P100 since the masseur was good.)

Robert shouldered our accommodation at Hermosa Hotel along Jaldon Street. (Overnight stay for 2 is from P700 to P750, that’s a room with T&B, A/C and cable TV.)

The terminal fee at Zamboanga International Airport is only at P40. I could not agree more since the airport, despite the fancy name, is not really that good. Just like any government infrastructure.

I arrived in Cebu with only P200 left for the taxi. The driver was kind enough to return P10 for emergency cases.

My only regret on that trip? I haven't seen any vinta in Zamboanga as they advertised. The only semblance of a vinta I saw was strapped in the lamp posts around the city and at the trees in Pasonanca Park.

A Dog? A Kangaroo? Luck?

A friend of mine is keeping a dog (are you sure it's a dog?) because he believes it brought him good luck. Well- he has a carenderia now. And that dog is tied right there near the counter. I can see it was more of a guard dog rather than a good luck dog. Or was there good luck because nobody dared take his money because of the dog? Whatever.