Discovering Pinas

Marco Polo Hotel

Abbie — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:22:36 +0000

Situated in Lahug, Cebu City, Marco Polo Hotel is one of Cebu City’s high-class hotels. We were there for a business meeting but after the business deal was sealed, we went upstairs to see the pool and the gardens.

This building was formerly Cebu Plaza Hotel but the Marco Polo Hotels Group of HK bought it and turned it into Marco Polo Hotel

Marco Polo Hotel has a good view of Cebu City. Plus the hotel employees here are warm and friendly. They even help us take good pictures of the the hotel.

Marco Polo Hotel’s main lobby

Marco Polo Hotel is one of the best places to dine for New Year’s eve. I heard they have a lovely fireworks show for New Year.

Mooon Cafe

Abbie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:52:28 +0000

That’s Mooon with three O’s. That’s what makes it unique. Their first branch was in Guadalupe and the business has boomed. As far as I know, they already have 3 branches, the one in Guadalupe, IT Park, then another in The Terraces in Ayala Center Cebu.

What fascinated me with this restaurant aside from the name was the big fans in the ceilings. They have this Mexican ambiance and they mostly serve grilled meat dishes and Mexican food. I wanted to try their Guacamole but it was dinner time so we order pork belly for only P139 plus an iced tea worth P29.

Siam Restaurant On Jehan’s Birthday

Abbie — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:55:24 +0000

It was my friend Jehan’s birthday last October 21. We actually planned to meet up for coffee but since it was nearly 6pm, the coffee date became a dinner date with parents. It was a happy night for my best friend who I haven’t seen and talked for more than a decade. We met in Butuan City when I was five and she was six. We were inseparable then but my family moved to Cebu City when I was 13. The communication was brought to a halt but it continued when we met again in Manila just this year. The friendship never changed a bit. It’s as if the years of separation were only minutes.

We dined at Siam Restaurant in The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu. I learned that Jehan’s family are frequent diners here. Food must be great here.

Siam Garden Salad

Massawa Beef Curry

Lapu-Lapu In Preserved Plum Sauce

Happy Birthday Jee! I won’t say your age but it doesn’t actually show. Deceiver! Hahaha. Love you Bess.

A.C. RUMPA Restaurant In Pampanga

Abbie — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:24:45 +0000

It was my first time in Pampanga and I heard that Kapampangans are the best cooks. They say, If you’re planning to have a restaurant business in Pampanga especially in Angeles City, the business will not last if the food you serve isn’t really good. You really have to compete with all the other restaurants in Angeles City.

That time we were there in Angeles City, We dined in this restaurant in Surla Street called A.C. RUMPA. RUMPA stands for Retired US Military Personnel Association. It’s one of the best restaurants in Angeles City, Pampanga. They serve big parts of meat, veggies on the side, and a choice of potato wedges, mashed or white rice. The iced tea there is superb and they pour it in cute little jars.

Free Taste Of World’s Most Expensive Coffee

Abbie — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:07:03 +0000

Kape Ti Musang and Kape Milo is touted to be the world’s most expensive coffee at P14,000/kilo as compared to P150-300/kilo of usual Philippine Coffees. The coffee beans are “harvested” by wild cats in the rainforests in Benguet and Mindanao and is known by different local names but generally called Kape Ti Musang. Now, coffee aficionados can get a free taste of this popular and sensational coffee at COFFEE ORIGINS, the annual coffee festival of the Philippine Coffee Board. The first 50 visitors of COFFEE ORIGINS at the Greenbelt 5 and Greenbelt 3 malls will get a free taste of this expensive coffee on October 17 and 18. The free coffee is sponsored by CAFEX, roasters of Batangas Harvest, Café Montealto and Continental Coffee and Cordillera Coffee of Frank and Grace Young.

Come to the COFFEE ORIGINS Festival from October 13 to 21 at Greenbelt 3 and October 13-26 at Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center. Many other coffees from small estates in the country will be sampled for free during the two-week event. Log on to www.coffeeboard.com.ph to join Coffee Farm tours and seminars this October, in celebration of Coffee Month.

Arroceros Forest Park

Abbie — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:36:36 +0000

Arroceros Forest Park is a bit of land beside the Quezon Bridge and Pasig River, and across LRT Central Terminal Station. You might have heard about it from the new Echo-Kristine soap “Dahil May Isang Ikaw” on ABS-CBN. Echo’s character waits every day for Kristine’s character on the bridge of that park . It’s their supposed meeting place after being separated since childhood.

I visited that park after buying some stuff in Quiapo. You wouldn’t know that this bit of land across Central Terminal Station is a park. It’s fenced up which gives a notion to passers-by that it’s off limits to the public. There’s a guard house beside the gate. As you enter, you’ll then see a two-storey building on the right. The building is the office of the City Schools Division. The park was closed to the public after ex-Mayor Lito Atienza converted the park as government office. But present Mayor Alfredo Lim reopened the park to the public in 2007.

The place has a quiet and cool atmosphere. The place looks like it’s not well-maintained but you can sit on one of the benches, appreciate the stillness of the surroundings and enjoy nature. The bridge in the middle of the park that was used as one of the locations in the soap opera is already destroyed. And the pond below it doesn’t look like there’s fish in it. But I can see a group of frogs swimming in the water. I hope the people in charge of rehabilitating the park could fix this soon. It can be a tourist attraction for those who watch and enjoy the soap.