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Venice Piazza at McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio brings everyone a chance to travel to an Ultimate Asian Destination! Get a chance to fly to the most sought after tourist destination in Asia simply by shopping and dining at Venice Piazza and other McKinley Hill establishments from August 1 to September 30 . For every Php 1500 worth of single or accumulate receipts from any establishment at Venice Piazza, Woodridge, One World, Three World, 810 Building, 1820 Building, customers are entitled to one raffle stub, which can be claimed at the Venice Piazza Atrium. For the complete promo mechanics: CLICK HERE

Note: This location is already closed.  I was recently invited by Clucky's (though Yedy of Yedylicious ) to try their other delicious meals. I have been to Clucky's for a quick lunch a few months ago , but honestly, I haven't found the time to return. The invite was just perfect timing. :) Clucky's opened its first branch last April 2012 in Rockwell Business Center, Ortigas . They have partnered with Mad for Chicken, one of the most well-regarded Korean fried chicken brands in the USA. Their chicken dishes are flavored with Mad for Chicken Sauce, an authentic Korean-style fried chicken sauce recipe made from unique ingredients found only in Korea.

Note: This location is already closed.  I was recently invited by King Bee Chinese Food (through Marco of Kwento ni Toto ) to try their delectable Chinese dishes that suit the Filipino palate. I was personally curious about King Bee since I always pass by the Marcos Highway branch, and I notice that it's always full. King Bee Chinese Food has been offering authentic Chinese food for more than ten years. From their main branch in Cavite, they have expanded to six more locations, including their newest and biggest branch at Commonwealth Avenue. They opened their Commonwealth Avenue branch to cater to foodies in the northern part of Metro Manila. King Bee Commonwealth branch has function rooms for private parties and other occasions. 

Note: This branch relocated to Pioneer Center Supermart, 8006 Pioneer Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig City It started with a tweet, so my engineering friends and I finally met for some awesome dinner at Mad Mark's. :) I was just as excited to try Mad Mark's and to get together with these guys because I haven't seen some of them since college graduation. Talk about a reunion. :P Mad Mark's Man Sandwich and Frozen D is one Kapitolyo gem that offers huge man sandwiches, all-natural ice cream , pasta , and  steaks . I wanted to visit this place for such a long time and since I want to try as many sandwiches as I can, I brought my big boys (and their appetites can really bring the house down!)

For my recent Cebu trip, we planned on staying in Cebu City for the first 2 nights and in Mactan for the last  2 nights. We already had a Mactan hotel booked a few months before the trip, so I only had our Cebu City hotel to worry about. I called/emailed some hotels a few days before our trip (but I wouldn't recommend last minute reservations, try to book your hotel at least a week before the trip). And we stayed at Fuente Oro Business Suites . Fuente Oro Business Suites is conveniently located near Fuente Osmeña Circle, One Mango Mall, Robinson's Cybergate, and Crown Regency Towers. We booked the Superior Room at Php 1500 per night.  Inside the Superior Room Study Table and LCD Cable TV

After a couple of months, I was finally back at Yabu: The House of Katsu :) This time I was with my friend, Kenny , and her special someone. It's been months since we've seen each other personally and Yabu was just perfect for our mini-reunion.  Yabu has gone through some changes since my last visit. The place is now bigger and new items were added on the menu. :) Of course, I was excited to see their testimonial wall, which features raves about Yabu from bloggers and other media (I think politicians might learn a thing or two from Yabu. :P)

Note: This location is already closed.  After our dinner at One Claypot House , we went to Robinson's Cybergate to have dessert , and we found an interesting cafe called Tablea Chocolate Cafe. Tablea Chocolate Cafe offers mostly chocolate-based treats like hot and iced chocolate, frios, desserts. They are popular for their chocolate-covered cacao beans, which is perfect for pasalubong. :) They also have non-chocolate drinks like coffee, non-chocolate frios, and tea. They also offer all-day breakfast, pizza, and sandwiches. 

July has been the slowest month for my book challenge as I only got to read two books since "The Duchess" by Amanda Foreman took almost half of my July to finish.  Currently, I'm trying to keep up with my book challenge. As August is holiday-filled, I have lots of free time to read!  To continue my previous post , here are my July books, which ironically are books that I got to watch the movie versions before I read the books. No harm was done though, as their movie versions were really good! :) 21. Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks Adrienne Willis, a divorcee in her 40s, filled in for her friend who owns a bed-and-breakfast while her friend is away for a few days to accommodate a guest, a doctor named Paul Flanner. Paul is a doctor in his early 50s, who had to travel to Rodanthe to meet the husband of a patient who died after he operated on her.

Note: This establishment is already closed.  After our dinner at Champs Burger , my friend and I walked along Maginhawa to look for someplace to..chill out. Ironically, we found a small cafe called ChillOut Cafe. ChillOut Cafe is not just an ordinary milk tea shop as it also serves pasta , sandwiches, pastries, and cakes. They also have a vast beverage menu. Aside from milk tea, hot coffee, grapes, and fruit juices, they also serve foam cheese series, lemon series, Yakult series, and other creative mixes at really affordable prices. Living up to its name, they also have free wifi. 

Update: This restaurant is already closed.  Note: as of November 5, 2013, One Claypot House has relocated to Ground Floor, Mariepaz Suites, 18 Rosal Street corner Molave Street, Camputhaw, Lahug, Cebu City After eight months, I'm recently going back to Cebu for a much-needed vacation (and ultimate food trip!) If I would move to another city, I'd choose Cebu. Why? It's much similar to Manila but cleaner and with a much more beautiful view of the ocean. :) It was late afternoon when we arrived in Cebu City that after we checked in at our hotel, we headed down to One Claypot House. I discovered this place online when I was researching for foodie places that we could try in Cebu. Located between Verbena Capitol Suites and Shamrock, One Claypot House opened last May 2012 by a Cebu-based artist who worked in Singapore for a few years. The place serves food from Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

As a continuation of our Samal Island adventure , let me share with you our lunch at Maxima Aquafun. Maxima Aquafun has a restaurant named Anahaw Resto and Cafe. Anahaw serves traditional and exotic Filipino dishes at really affordable prices. I was expecting that resort food would be a little pricey since there are no other restos around the area (except for the store just outside the resort).

I have written about Sebastian's Ice Cream a few months back , featuring the Artisan flavor Once In a Blue Moon and Cornflake Milk. This time I'll be leaning more on flavors that I never thought would be ice cream flavors: the Filipino flavors and other Artisan flavors! :)  It's been a while since I had my first scoop of Sebastian's, and I've been a fan since. And I love that they keep on introducing a new flavor every now and then.  Sebastian's recently introduced two new Artisan flavors: Green Mango & Bagoong and Bacon Cheddar.  Green Mango & Bagoong

After our dinner at Comida China de Manila , the PEx Gluttony Society headed down to Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe for desserts . The place is just in front of Comida China. Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe is a mom-and-daughter tandem offering comfort food like breakfast meals, pasta, sandwiches, and delicious desserts like cupcakes, cakes, and other pastries.

As part of our Davao trip, we also went to the Island Garden City of Samal.  Samal Island is a city in Davao del Norte and a ferry boat ride away from Davao City. It is known for its beautiful beaches and other tourist attractions like the Monfort Bat Colony, which has the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest colony of fruit bats.  How to Get to Samal Island? From our dormitory (located in Sta. Ana), we rode a jeep to Sasa Port (fare: Php 10). From Sasa Port, we rode a ferry boat (fare: Php 10). Kuya Ramil, our habal-habal driver for the whole day, was waiting for us at the Samal Port. Habal-habal is the most common mode of transportation in Samal Island, so make sure you pack light if you're going for a day tour. Kuya Ramil's habal-habal tour may be rented for Php 800 (entrance fees not included). Note that you will have to pay an environmental fee of Php 5 per tourist spot per person. while riding the fer...

Since my friend and I figured out that we'll be out a lot, we stayed at a dormitory instead of a hotel. And we found Homitori Dormitory. Homitori a two-building dormitory (for men and women). It is ideal for backpackers and for budget travelers. They really have affordable daily and monthly rates that we noticed that most tenants are students. Homitori is strategically located near Magsaysay Park and a few blocks away from Gaisano Mall of Davao.

I finally met one of my cooking inspirations, Ate Kris, last July. Ate Kris is based in Germany but can cook Filipino and other dishes from scratch. She was here for a short vacation with her family, so we met up for a delicious lunch at Shang Palace, Makati Shangrila Hotel.  Shang Palace is Makati Shangrila's Chinese restaurant which offers a wide variety of Cantonese delights and delicious dimsum during lunch. They also have Dim Sum Plus or unlimited Dim Sum during weekdays.   The restaurant is very spacious and has a really elegant feel. There are different dining rooms for either large parties or intimate gatherings. 

Update: This branch relocated to 88 Quimpo Blvd, Talomo, Davao City, 8000  My friend and I accidentally discovered this place as we were walking along Quimpo Boulevard near SM City Davao. We were supposed to ride a jeep to go to our next destination but my friend and I got hungry as we saw the Backyard Burgers sign. Backyard Burgers is an open-air burger restaurant that lets you customize your burger. It's similar to BRGR: The Burger Project in Maginhawa. :)

Note: This location is already closed.  After our satisfying Jawbreaker meal at Zark's Burgers , my friend and I headed to one place I've always wanted to revisit for such a long time: Cello's Doughnuts and Dips. I remember going to the Taft branch a few years back just to try their Pillows, their square-shaped bite-sized doughnuts, and dip. I think I ordered Dulce de Leche then. Sadly, they don't have Pillows anymore, but they still have Cs (C-shaped doughnuts) to go with the dips. Cello's also have Toblerone , Nutella, and Dark Belgian Chocolate Dips.