dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

Leave it to ASUS Philippines to turn up the heat and give you even more reasons to enjoy the season via its “Summer Vibes Promo”, which fires up starting today and will run until April 10, 2016 only. 
Ultimately, the “Summer Vibes Promo” provides the tech-savvy the best deals this season, what with limited-time price discounts and a corresponding free premium accessories thrown in for every purchase of a select ASUS notebook. 
Participants of this sizzling-hot promo who will purchase any of the ASUS notebooks listed below will either bring home a Razer Ferox Speaker (worth Php 2,995.00) – a small-but-powerful mobile speaker that guarantees a 360-degree omnidirectional sound with  rich acoustics and a quality base for a powerful immersive audio experience wherever you go;  or a premium Republic of Gamers (ROG) Shuttle Backpack (worth Php 4,995.00) – a stylish, water-resistant backpack that allows you to  comfortably and safely carry around your ASUS laptops that are up to 17 inches in…

Note: This food park is already closed. 

My foodie friends and I spent one sunny afternoon in one of the newest foodie spots in Pasig City: Gastro Park Kapitolyo. 

Gastro Park Kapitolyo is an expansive (not expensive) space with 15 food stalls of different cuisines and specialties, wooden tables and chairs, and music. 



We tried as much food as our tummies could handle, and here are the dishes or drinks that we tried that day:
1. El Phante


El Phante is a stall that offers a fusion of Thai and Mexican flavors in their dishes. We got the Sriracha Carnitas Soft Tacos (Php 150) and the Pad Thai-Mex (Php 175).

TheBasics, my favorite peanut butter brand, has recently added two new flavors in their product line: Coconut Sugar and Crunchy Cacao. :)


TheBasics believes that using all-natural ingredients is the best way to be healthier. 
A peanut butter flavor made especially for diabetics or people who wants to lessen sugar intake is the TheBasics All-Natural Peanut Butter with Coconut Sugar (Php 170).

I was invited last March 10 to witness the very first Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition held at Buddha Bar Manila. 
Manila's top-notch bartenders went head to head and demonstrated their skills in creating unique tasting rum cocktail drinks. The cocktail drink should be easily replicated and can possibly become a classic cocktail in the future. The winning bartender will represent the Philippines in the 2016 Bacardi Legacy Global Competition in San Francisco in April 2016. 

The Top 5 finalists from popular bars and restaurants around the metro showed their prowess in making their own Bacardi cocktail. Here are the finalists and the recipes of their cocktails.  
1. Bequest by Joey Cerdinia of The Exit Bar Makati

1.5 oz. Bacardi Superior .75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice .50 oz. Aperol .50 oz. Home made elderflower Liqueur ( 1 part St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur and 1 part Sugar  Syrup) Lime Spiral for Garnish

McDonald's invites everyone on March 14 for a ‘best Monday ever’ experience with the 4th National Breakfast Day! To get rid of the Monday blues, McDonald's offers its customers a reason to welcome the beginning of the week with bright smiles.
On March 14, more than 400 participating McDonald's breakfast restaurants nationwide will be giving away free McMuffins to customers from 6:00AM to 7:00AM. Each customer will be able to get his or her free McMuffin on a first-come-first-serve basis via dine-in, take-out, or drive-thru. 


"With the 4th National Breakfast Day, we want to remind Filipinos that at McDonald’s, they can have a great start to their day.  It is our commitment at McDonald's to provide customers with a beautiful morning experience through our delicious and quality breakfast offers,” says Kenneth S. Yang, McDonald's Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer.

My favorite katsu restaurant in Manila, Yabu: The House of Katsu, has recently launched a batch of new limited edition dishes last February 24 and we were given a chance to try them this week. 
The newest appetizer is the Crispy Ebi Aioli (Php 380). 

This dish is crispy battered shrimps coated with Yabu's special aioli sauce and crunchy furikake chips. I love how simple the Crispy Ebi Aioli looks like but the flavors are a little complicated with the furikake chips and aioli sauce. You must really try this dish. 

Summer is almost here! And with the heat and humidity, we need a drink that can help us stay cool, both literally and figuratively. Here comes Sosro Fruit Tea!


Sosro Fruit Tea is an Indonesian brand brought to the Philippines by Reddimart Multi-Resources, Inc, the same company that brought us Luwak White Koffie. Sosro Fruit Tea just started last year in the country but has been making waves because of their unique tea flavors. 

Hennessy, the world's number one cognac brand, hosted an event last week celebrating the iconic symbol of the culture of the Philippines - the jeepney, our King of the Road. 


The Hennessy King of the Road whose sleek matte black exteriors and refined gold detail, wowed the crowd. It was reflective of the emblematic heritage brand Hennessy has built for over 250 years and ultimately taking its step in embracing local Philippine culture. 

Something quite challenging has happened to me lately. A minor infection on my right thigh has caused me to undergo a procedure. As a result, walking and sitting became quite a challenge for the past few days. 
It was very timely to treat myself to a foot massage by Foot Zone Day Spa along Annapolis Street in Greenhills. Foot Zone Day Spa is specializes in Chinese foot massage and is open for more than 13 years. 


I had the Foot Reflexology + Ventosa Package (Php 1150 regular, Php 1050 discounted), which is 40 minutes foot massage and 20 minutes ventosa. 
It was first time to visit Foot Zone, and I was impressed with its hotel-like reception area. What was more impressive is the VIP rooms for the guests. I was assigned to a spacious VIP room for three. 



I was provided with a head pillow, towels, shorts, robe, slippers, alcohol and tissues. I was given time to change to robes and shorts before the massage started. 
While waiting for my masseuse, I was served hot tea with egg soup. Ther…

The boyfie and I spent our last day in Chiang Mai looking for a coffee shop where we can read quietly. Our search led us to the cutest little cafe just outside the walled city: Bear Hug Cafe. 



True to its name, Bear Hug Cafe is filled with bear-shaped things -- from the decors to the pillows. Even the restrooms are bear-themed too.