dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

Note: Giveaway is now over. Winner is already announced here . Let's begin the month of love by sharing some love: another giveaway! This time, I will be giving away a gift certificate worth Php 1000 from DADS Ultimate Buffet!!!! :) Enjoy delicious Filipino favorites from Kamayan, Japanese specialties from Saisaki or for the best buffet experience, DADS Ultimate Buffet.

One of the things that I love about being a food blogger is being asked about resto or food suggestions. If you have questions (or you just want to say hi), you may tweet me or post on my Facebook page . I'll give you the best suggestion I could give, I promise! :) Yabu is one of the restos that seemingly knows that there's always room for improvement. Since my first visit, this resto hasn't failed in impressing me each time I visit. Also, my first Yabu review also has a space on their wall (at SM Megamall branch) and on their website . Sweet. the black and white sesame seeds for the Katsu Ritual This post is a combination of my two recent visits, only a few days apart.

After having drinks at the Long Bar , we proceeded to Spectrum for the dinner buffet. Spectrum is a spacious and elegant all-day dining restaurant offering dishes from China, Middle East, India, Europe, and the Philippines. The table reserved for us was near the dessert area (which is to my advantage.hehe) What separates Spectrum from other hotel buffets is the interactive dining concept, wherein guests can freely interact with the chefs. Here are the stations of Spectrum buffet: Cheese and Cold Cuts Station Cold Cuts

Before I sum up the 2012 Book Challenge, here are the links of the previous months:   January   February   March   April   May   June   July   August   September   October   November   Last month, Steph asked me about my Top 10 books for 2012 . So here it goes:

The peeps are back!!! Well, not permanently. They went home for the holidays last month, and it wouldn't be complete if we won't have a simple get-together. I have been visiting this North Park branch since I started working. I've seen their neighboring restos close down, but this resto has remained opened for years. Also, this particular branch is quite spacious that they were able to sit us though we arrived during a busy hour.

Raffles and Fairmont Makati was launched December last year, and I was fortunate enough to visit the hotel with my fellow foodies. We began the evening by having a few drinks at Long Bar, Raffles Makati. Out of nine Raffles Hotels in the world, 2 locations only have a Long Bar: Singapore (the original) and the Philippines. Long Bar at Raffles Hotel Singapore is the home of the Singapore Sling. inside Long Bar Long Bar has a cozy atmosphere, the earthy decor of this bar was inspired by the Malayan plantations of the 1920s. The whole place is dimly-lit, which makes it more relaxing. We were seated at the bar, where we watched bartenders mix the drinks. 

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  My co-Lunti officers would always have our annual year-end meeting to assess the activities we organized the past year. Since we are an environmental and health advocacy club, we go somewhere healthy. Last year, we went to ECHOcafe at ECHOstore, so now we decided to meet up to one of the newest health restos in Ortigas: Yellow Halo Guilt-Free Kitchen. Who would think that it's in the middle of Ortigas Center? Lovely shelves The resto is located at the Wellness Alliance, which also houses 360 Fitness Club, Yoga Plus, and other health and wellness centers. The place can accommodate 30 people. It looks like a home kitchen warped in the middle of the business district. The main piece of the resto is the round shelves on the walls that serve as storage for the fruits.

For our Iloilo-Guimaras-Bacolod trip, we spent one night in Iloilo and one night in Bacolod. Since we're working on a budget, we stayed at Ong Bun Pension House. I called Ong Bun for reservations and they were quick to respond. From the Iloilo airport, we rode a cab to Ong Bun (fixed rate: Php 350). Since we arrived very early to check-in, we just asked the receptionists if we could leave our things with them while we start our tour, and they willingly obliged. They actually have an area where they keep the bags of guests.

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  I'll let you in a "not-so-secret" secret: I don't really drink. I retired from drinking before I even started learning how to drink. Alcohol doesn't appeal to me like coffee or Coke or Happy Lemon's Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese. Before you even say that I'm a killjoy, I try to join friends whenever they go out to drink but I don't like it when I'm forced to drink. I'll grab a glass of vodka on my own and drink it, thank you. But that's just it. That explains why I rarely go to bars. I was quite surprised when I arrived at Uno Lounge. It was idiotic that I didn't think that I'm going to a bar. Oh well, I should give bars a try, like, every five years. Uno Lounge is one of the newest hangouts in Greenfield District. It's from the same owners of Uno Pizzeria at the SM Mall of Asia Complex. Uno Lounge been on soft opening for less than a month and will be officially laun

We started the last day of our Iloilo-Guimaras-Bacolod by having simple breakfast at C's by L'Fisher Hotel, Bacolod City. C's by L'Fisher is right across Balay Quince, where the branch of Calea is located (the one we visited the night before). The place has a very relaxing ambiance, which was perfect for a morning treat. inside C's by L'Fisher Hotel

Korea has invaded the Philippines indeed. Aside from Korean dramas to music, we Filipino are also influenced by Korean food . I have come to appreciate kimbap, samgyupsal, and mandu, but what really became popular is the Korean Fried Chicken. We have enjoyed Korean Fried Chicken from restaurants like Bon Chon and Clucky's, but we can now enjoy Korean Fried Chicken at home through McCormick Korean Fried Chicken Recipe Mixes . I was invited by McCormick (through KC of Spreadsomeawesome ) to experience how easy cooking Korean Fried Chicken at its launch at The Cookery Place . The Cookery Place is a venue for recreational cooking that also caters to private events and cooking lessons. We were divided into small groups for this demo with Chef Min Jun.

Before I announce the winner, I'd like to thank you for joining my giveaway. I know I don't hold as many giveaways as I want to, but I hope you'll keep on reading and support this blog. :) I received more than 400 entries for this giveaway, hope you'll join my future giveaways too! I also enjoyed reading your comments about the best resto you visited last 2012 and took the liberty of tallying them. The top choices are Yabu , Yakimix (will be posting about this soon), Krung Thai , and Gerry's Grill. :)

The UST Main Building is the first earthquake-resistant structure in the country. It is designed by Fr. Roque Ruaño, OP, who is also a civil engineer Let me be a little personal with this blog post by sharing the place where I spent the majority of my life (aside from home): my Alma mater. I spent almost a decade within (and around) the four walls of the University of Santo Tomas, from high school to college. If you have been following me on twitter for quite a while, I apologize for flooding you with UAAP-related tweets during the season. :) After I graduated from college, I only went back to my beloved university twice: first was during the quadricentennial celebration and the second was late last year. My last visit was an impromptu decision with my college friends since our previous plans don't always push through.

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  This is a little overdue post since this visit happened on my birthday, which was last November. I always go to work on my birthday (then avail my birthday leave some other day). This way, I could give a lunch treat to my friends and colleagues. :) I kept my last birthday celebration quite simple so we went Pinoy with Savor Filipino Cuisine. I've been to the place before and I loved the taste and presentation of the dishes.

After our dinner at Aida's Chicken in Manokan Country (and a short trip to Starbucks for the city mug), we went to the most popular place in Bacolod for desserts: Calea Pastries & Coffee. I love desserts (especially cheesecake!), I wouldn't miss this place for the world. Their Balay Quince branch is a few blocks away from Starbucks Bacolod so we just walked to the spot. Seeing the sign from afar was like seeing the light from the end of the tunnel. We were just ecstatic to try what Calea has to offer. The resto was jam-packed by the time we arrived that we got a table at the alfresco area. The counter is like a wonderland. It really took us a while before we decided on which cakes to order. The system was kinda confusing because there were lots of people swarming the counter. It would have helped if they put labels on each cake.

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  I had a quick meet-up with a good friend who works around the area near Y-Tree Milk Tea Hub. I wasn't excited about the milk tea, but I've read that they have their version of Happy Lemon's Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese , something I have at least once a week.  Y-Tree has this relaxing nature-loving ambiance, with a small plant for each table. The place also has a mezzanine floor for a little privacy.  All drinks only have a single size, but like other tea shops, the sweetness is adjustable to your liking. 

Note: Winner's already announced here . :) Let's make this year more awesome by having a giveaway. This time I'm giving away a copy of Northern Eats and Southern Eats! :) Both books are written by Anton Diaz, with the support of Avida Land.  All of the restaurants have met the following criteria:  1. It is not commercialized 2. It has a unique concept 3. It has an inspiring story

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  My fellow foodie and good friend KC recently gave me a dinner treat to one of her favorite places, Cookbook Kitchen. I honestly wasn't familiar with the place, either wasn't reading enough or usually zero in Sambokojin whenever I'm in Eastwood . I was half-expecting a humble resto that resembles a kitchen, but instead, Cookbook Kitchen has a high ceiling, wide spaces, and elegant interiors.

After spending the day in Guimaras , we arrived in Bacolod in the evening. We checked in at Ong Bun Pension House to freshen up and rest a little before we went out for dinner at Manokan Country. Manokan Country is a strip of restaurants that serve Bacolod Chicken Inasal. We went to Aida's, which is the most popular in the area. All of the restos are open-air but properly ventilated. They grill as you order so it would take a while for your orders to arrive. Aida's also has handwashing areas in case you want to eat with your hands.