Spice (con)Fusion

I really was so hungry that Gilda's description of good food at Spice Fusion in SM City Cebu made my mouth water. Aside from the fact that I do love Asian food, it has been a long time that I haven't tasted one.

I was dreaming of nasi goreng and some other spicy food for dinner even before we arrived in SM.

We sat down at Spice Fusion. 

At first the waitress was very eager to take our orders even if we have not opened the menu yet. It was a good sign. She came back when we signal her we were ready. She took my order of nasi goreng, baguio beans with garlic chicken instead of pork, avocado shake and a hot calamansi for Gilda. Gilda also ordered the grilled squid.

Minutes come and go and my really hungry stomach started to complain. Thirty minutes the first batch came. I eagerly ate the plateful of nasi goreng (250 pesos, good for 3-4 persons). Then came the beans with chicken (190 pesos, I think) and I devoured them because it was cooked deliciously in butter and was temptingly green and crisp. The chicken on it has this distinct flavor I could not determine.

It took time for the grilled squid to come. I reasoned out that because the squid was artistically cut into small and thin pieces, maybe the cook spend more time on it. But it was delivered to another table who protested it was not their order. Gilda told the waitress it was ours but she returned to the kitchen to find out if we were telling her the truth.

Glocel and Leslie joined us and were very late due to some office problems. They ordered chicken wings and glasses of hot calamansi too. While the a waiter delivered their calamansi, I asked for chili powder and a can of Coke Zero. But we have only Coke Light, sir, so I said yes. No Coke came. I called our waitress to tell her I need a can of Coke. Light.

I already finished my food and was kind of sick due to the immediate intake of the food. I went to the comfort room twice but my Coke did not arrived. I have to call the yawning waitress back and she apologized for the delay. The Coke Light refrigerator was a table away from me and if I have the energy I would be the one getting it. She was just standing near the counter.

I noted down that my chili powder still has not arrived.

We talked more. Minutes came and went, we were almost two hours talking in our table. We asked for our bill. We paid. We separated ways towards home. Now it is almost 12 midnight and still my chili powder did not materialize. Not that I wanted to sleep with it.

But still.

Best halo-halo in Dumaguete?

We were looking for a nice place to cool down due to a very tiring journey from Cebu City to Liloan, Santander in Cebu and then to Sibulan, Negros Oriental and finally in Dumaguete.

My friends were hungry. I was thirsty!

We passed by this La Caviteña Restaurant (very near Dumaguete's Boulevard and just beside the Silliman Hall) and was interested to try. They ordered burgers and myself, halo-halo. 

The halo-halo was quite okay despite the claim of the waitress that they served the best halo-halo in that city. It was a very Tagalog recipe with more fruit preserves and some camote, saba, and as the waitress apologized for the lack of gabi (taro?), and was kinda shocked to know their version of halo-halos have gabi in them.

But it was good, really. Not the best but good still. It was consistent and not too-sweet. The syrup they put in it did not "flood" their halo-halo like you were drinking juice instead, unlike the halo-halo at Cafe Lawis in Dauis, Bohol which was the exact opposite and pricey. The ice and fruits mixed well, giving you that crunchy feeling when you chew the halo-halo. I paid only 60 pesos.

The burger, as my companions claimed, were heavy to the stomach and with lots of trimmings. The beef patty was generous. The burger was only 50 pesos and 40 or so for the mango shake. Not bad! 

Overall, we went out patting our full stomach.

Paella night with friends

There is a little known discovery I made of a Spanish restaurant somewhere in Guadalupe, Cebu where authentic Spanish cuisine are made daily to some very few customers they cater. It is like having an exclusive entry to this small resto and feeling prouder for getting there.

I am quite tempted to post here their address but I won't because of selfish reasons. One, the resto is just a small place finding everyone there would cause frequent suffocation. Two, the coming of guests would hinder me to have my paella served on time. Three, I am selfish, period.

We pre-ordered our paella actually because there were about ten of us. A big paella pan made my mouth water upon serving. The big pan is priced at 500 pesos and still survived the deluge of the hands of 10 people.

The gambas ajillo was really good and crisp, the extra sauce I used as dip for the accompanying toasty bread. I did not taste the kalderetang kanding though but the lengua was so soft I am tempted to say it melted in my tongue.

We paid less than 2,000 pesos for ten persons including our drinks.

The owner, Angel Ibarlucea y Arano, asked us in his funny Cebuano intonation, to come back in his resto. He handed small chocolates on our way out.

Snapshots from Bohol

I'm going to the place where love

And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.

Chris Daughtry

When was the last time I came home? July? And yet Bohol is still the place I know except for Tagbilaran which looks and feels too crowded.

Oh, Bohol. Yeah, this is Bohol. My Bohol.