dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

My good friend Dex loves noodles, ramen in particular. I could say he has tried more ramen restos than I do. We resolved on meeting up for lunch to try this not-so-new ramen place, Kichitora of Tokyo. It is easy to assume that this resto is a franchise from Japan, but upon researching, I found out that it's an original concept. Kichitora's menu is sizeable, comparable to their resto space. We were thinking of having ramen, but the sweltering heat made us decide to have tsukemen. Anyway, I miss having tsukemen (last time I had tsukemen was in Mitsuyado Sei-Men ). For starters, we had Gyouza (Php 150 for 5 pcs). Gyouza It was well cooked and it wasn't oily, which I liked. However, our gyouza arrived a little late.

  VIP guests officially open Levante Levante , The Mercato of the East, was officially launched last May 17, 2013. I was invited to grace this exciting event. Levante is the first collaboration of the Mercato Centrale Group with the Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Group, to finally bring the night food market to Eastwood. Levante opens every Friday, from 6:00pm to 3:00am at Eastwood Citywalk 2. I am personally excited that the Mercato Centrale Group have opened a night food market near my office, as I trek to Makati for Cucina Andare several times since it opened. Over 30 interesting food stalls, both old favorites and new vendors will be selling budget-friendly and delicious food in Levante. Here are some of the food stalls that you'll find at Levante: Twisted Desserts Facebook Page: Twisted Desserts Contact Nos. 09062460976, 09176208749 One of the newest food vendors, Twisted Desserts, sells Dig Deep Cups like 3K "Karrot" , Oh-riffic , and C

One of my closest friends, Jeo, was bugging me for weeks to give Vikings a try. I was honestly surprised, really, because Jeo is not exactly the most generous guy I know. Well, let's say that I will emulate his frugality should I someday practice "extreme saving". :P Little did I know that he was dragging me there because he'll be leaving for Singapore. :( *sniff sniff* It is my cardinal rule to call for reservations, especially for buffets. However, our reservations were only until after 6PM. We arrived late, almost around 8PM (blame it on the freakin' traffic). Fortunately, we were given a table as soon as we arrived. Appetizer section First impression: overwhelming!!! Having tried a good number of buffets, I didn't expect that Vikings would be this bountiful, with sections from end-to-end of the whole place. It is an advantage that I wore my sneakers at that time, I happily ran around to check everything they have to offer.

Note: Namnam was rebranded to Manam  Hydration is important to our health. Hence it is vital for us to choose the right beverages to drink, like Coco Royal. Coco Royal is a delicious and healthy beverage line imported by Conrad & Co. from Thailand. Coco Royal is available in six variants in 300mL bottles: Pure Coconut Water , Coconut Water with Water Chestnut , Coconut Water with Aloe Vera , Basil Seed with Honey , Mango Juice and Pineapple Juice . Any drink is best paired with a delicious dish, like the dishes of Namnam Filipino Comfort Food.

Yellow Cab has recently become one of my lunch spots. I just love anything: pizza ( the new Mrs. Hudson's Pizza , Dear Darla, New York's Finest), pasta (Charlie Chan for the win!) and chicken ( Garlic Parmesan Chicken is still my favorite!) Share your captured Yellow Cab moments with the Facebook App Great Times with Yellow Cab Pizza and win an awesome prize! Here are the mechanics of the promo: 1. The promo is open to all Yellow Cab Facebook Fans ages 18 years old and above, and residents of the Republic of the Philippines.

Banana is one fruit that you can always find in our home's pantry. My mom makes sure that we have a new batch every week. Aside from helping with digestion, bananas are quite handy for baon (Banana-Nutella sandwich for me) or midnight snacking (still with Nutella). The only downside of banana is that it rots quickly, so we buy boxes of Maya Banana Cake Oven Toaster Mix so no banana will ever go to waste. :) You just need an oven toaster to create this recipe, but you may also use a conventional oven if you have one at home. I also found a pack of chocolate chips in the fridge so I thought of adding this to the recipe. My sister got the chocolate chips in the grocery (Dutche Chocolate Chips is Php 100 for 350g at SM Supermarket).

Iron Man 3, The Wolverine, Man of Steel, Fast and the Furious 6 –are all movies to watch out for in the coming months. Now you can get a chance to watch them for free by simply posting an ad on AyosDito.ph   This May, Team AyosDito.ph, in cooperation with SM Cinema, will be giving away 100 Free Movie Passes weekly beginning April 30 to June 2, 2013. This really makes it a “Mas Ayos Dito!” selling experience on AyosDito.ph.  “AyosDito.ph aims to build a strong and educated Online Buy and Sell culture in the Philippines,” AyosDito.ph General Manager, Jon Santico said. “Our purpose is to attract quality advertisers, both private and professionals, and to provide a safe, convenient and memorable buying and selling experience for all our users.”

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  After trying out URBN Bar & Kitchen and Shawarma Guys , I got more intrigued about Chef Benjo Tuason's first 'baby', Relik Tapas Bar and Lounge. Glad I was invited to finally give Relik a visit to try the old favorites and the new dishes on their menu. It was a huge advantage that I read Spanky's instructions before I headed out to the place. It was hidden on the second floor of the building, quite invisible from the street. inside Relik Tapas Bar and Lounge The interiors are, if I were correct, very 1950s. It was as if mobs would meet here anytime. For game geeks, imagine Mafia Wars.

I was again invited by Diamond Hotel last night for Cocina Filipina: A Philippine Food Festival at Corniche, featuring local dishes created by Chef Bruce Lim of Chef's Lab. Chef Bruce Lim did some unique twists on our favorite Filipino dishes, and I got to try some (if not all) of them. :) Here are the featured dishes at Cocina Filipina: The Cold Station has Chilled Roasted Beet soup with seared scallops and mangoes and Lumpiang Sariwa & Soy Garlic Gelee . Chilled Roasted Beet soup with seared scallops and mangoes Lumpiang Sariwa & Soy garlic Gelee The Chilled Roasted Beet Soup is something new to me while Lumpiang Sariwa is an old favorite.

The good guys of Yellow Cab have recently sent me their limited edition pizza: Mrs. Hudson's Pizza . Named after the Hudson River of New York City and Sherlock Holmes' landlady Mrs. Hudson, this Italian inspired pizza is Yellow Cab's first-ever sauce-less pizza.

Note: I will be writing in Filipino for this post as I feel that this is more appropriate to the topic. Sakripisyo. Yan ang sabi ng nanay at tatay ko habang nakapila kami kanina para bumoto. Oo nga naman. Ang aga namin dumating sa presinto, mga bago mag 7:30 ng umaga. Higit isang oras na kaming nakatayo at nakababad sa araw pero hindi pa gumagalaw ang pila. Nakakainis na. Bilang botante at nagbabayad ng buwis, hindi ko maintindihan bakit ganito pa rin ang sistema. Sa laki ng awas sa sweldo ko para mapunta sa buwis, napakabagal ng ganitong kalakaran. At mas nakakainis pa yung mga taong dumadaan sa harap ko na hindi man lang nakikiraan. May isang babae  nagrason pa, "HINDI NAMAN AKO SISINGIT EH!". Hindi ka nga sisingit, pero hindi ka pwedeng magsabi ng 'excuse me'?

Eat’s going to be a fun foodie adventure in Eastwood as the Mercato Centrale group, organizer of the premier food and lifestyle night markets around the metropolis, brings to you Levante – the newest night food market in Eastwood Citywalk 2. Grand opening is on May 17, Friday from 6pm to 3am . Enjoy a culinary adventure at Levante with its mouth-watering homemade cooking straight from the kitchens of Eastwood’s budding food entrepreneurs, along with your favorite Pinoy street foods and, of course, the best-selling dishes from your favorite Mercato Centrale vendors. “Eastwood has always been very supportive of new food concepts, from their new fusion restaurants up to their gourmet food markets in the malls. We are very glad to bring the Mercato Centrale concept to Eastwood to further complement the foodie-friendly lifestyle they have created” said Anton Diaz, co-organizer of Levante. Diaz is responsible for the popular food and travel blog www.OurAwesomePlanet.com

Note: This restaurant is already closed. It was the weekend, hence everyone would be going somewhere to hang-out and celebrate. That evening, I was giddy to arrive at Cova Tapas Y Sangria, as I was curious about this place for the longest time. I have read positive reviews from my fellow foodies that it even fired up my craving for this place. Opened last January 2012, Cova Tapas Y Sangria serves Spanish dishes, particularly Catalan cuisine. As what I have researched, Spanish cuisine is divided into regions, which is very much like our own cuisine. Chef Patrick Hesse explained that each Spanish region has their own take on paella, tapas, and many more. inside Cova Cova is known for its impressive cave-like interiors. It made the whole space look more spacious, actually. I love the simple black and white theme as well. :)

Mother's Day is just a few days away, so here's a gift idea you can get your mom for her special day. :) Being a techie nowadays need not be budget-wrecking, as there are products that can suit your needs and still be affordable. Like the Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt Tablet . Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt (in white) Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt (in black)

Blogging has given me more than I expected. Aside from being an avenue for sharing my adventures, blogging has given me opportunities to meet lots of wonderful people. One of them is Zaizai , who incidentally lives near me. :) A good friend, Lance, was telling me about Cafe Dozo for quite a long time that I thought it was perfect to have dinner with Zai there. As far as I know, there isn't a lot of decent Japanese restos in Antipolo City. The last time I've been to a Jap resto within the area was Tamagoya (a ramen place), so I was more than excited that there's Cafe Dozo, which is just a trike ride away from my place. inside Cafe Dozo Cafe Dozo is a small resto located near Lico Park. The area is a string of restos so you wouldn't miss it. There weren't too many people when we arrived, so I chose to sit in the mezzanine area for some privacy.  We were supposed to keep it light, but we ended up ordering, well, quite a lot.

I first knew about Sweet Bites when Bea, one of the owners, sent me a message through my FB page to try their cupcakes and cookies. I told her that I'll get back to her the soonest, but I actually forgot about it. :( So if you sent me a message and I forgot to reply, I'm so sorry, and please don't hesitate to remind me through any of my social media accounts. A few months after Bea sent me that message, my company's food club Templates, had to organize an event and we're looking for affordable yet delicious giveaways. I suddenly remembered Bea's message and ordered right away. For our food club's giveaways, I ordered the Flat Top Cookies (Php 80 for half a dozen, Php 150 for a dozen). I requested to have them individually packed. Of course, I got bought some for myself too. :) Flat Top Cookie

Super sorry for the delayed post. I was supposed to publish this announcement this afternoon, but I feel asleep for almost the whole afternoon and woke up a little after dinner. But here it goes.. I would like to thank everyone who joined this mini-giveaway and thanks to Nescafe for the prizes!  Anyway, here are the answers to the images I posted last time .

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  I was invited by my fellow foodie and good friend Stacy to try the newly-opened milk tea shop at The Strip, Ortigas: True Blends. More than just a milk tea shop, True Blends also has the Cheese Cloud drinks, Yakult Series, Green Tea Series, Italian Soda, and Coffee! I'm glad that milk tea shops nowadays add non-milk tea drinks to their menu. My friends had the Milk Tea Blends: Passionfruit (Php 60 for grande, Php 70 for venti), and Wintermelon (Php 60 for grande, Php 70 for venti). Killjoy me got a Mango Yakult (Php 85 for grande, Php 95 for venti). We also got a Peach-Mango Yakult (Php 85 for grande, Php 95 for venti) and Lychee Nata Green Tea (Php 55 for grande, Php 65 for venti) Lychee Nata Green Tea / Peach-Mango Yakult All milk teas come with free pearls while all Yakult drinks come with free nata. :)

Since this blog started, I have always maintained the black, emo-ish, simple layout. With my limited knowledge on HTML, I try tweaking my blog layout every now and then. I was afraid of doing any drastic change simply because I don't know how. Then I met Lady Spring. Lady Spring and I have been exchanging blog comments for quite a while. I was amazed on how beautiful her works are, that if I were to replicate them, it would take me decades to do so (and my end-products would still end up lame. hahaha.) One day, I asked her if she could help me with designing my blog, and she willingly agreed (thank goodness!) And now my blog has a new look! My biggest thanks to Lady Spring, who incorporated my requests into her design. I love it! :) So what do you think of my blog's new look? You may check Lady Spring's arts & crafts blog at HeyLadySpring , and her online shop Luna Fancy .

  Mezza Norte – Quezon City’s’ premier night food and lifestyle market – is making the big move to Ayala Malls’ Trinoma starting on May 3 (Friday)! From the same organizers who brought you Midnight Mercato at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig and Cucina Andare in Glorietta Park, Makati, Mezza Norte at Trinoma brings together great tasting and affordable home-cooked food, pastry and dessert finds from the kitchens of Quezon City and your favorite Mercato Centrale favorite food vendors! Join us on our opening night of Mezza Norte on May 3 (Friday) at 6pm for great food, great music and great fun! Mezza Norte is located at the Mindanao Open Parking lot of Trinoma, at the corner of Mindanao Avenue and North Avenue, Quezon City. It will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 4pm to 3am.  Mercato Centrale has been the birthplace of many great food entrepreneurs including Manang’s Chicken, Mochiko, Chuck’s Grubberie, Merry Moo Premium Ice Cream, Inutak, Zen Taclings am