dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

It was a truly tummy-filling day last September 14, 2013, at the Ultimate Taste Test , which took place at the Rockwell Tent, where a thousand foodies gathered to taste and critique food offerings from over 50 food vendors. Having attended a couple of similar food events these past months, I was ecstatic because it was my first time to attend UTT.  I was truly impressed with most of the food offered, but here are the 20 food stalls that impressed me during my 5-hour binge. Yes, I was a saint and tried everything.  1. Hamwich by The Plaza Premium Baked Ham An old favorite, I always The Plaza at SM Megamall. They now have an awesome selection of sauces like Premium Glaze, Wasabe Mayo, Sweet Mustard, and Gutsy Garlic. I'm planning to get one for my family this Christmas.  2. Peanut Butter Oreo Dip by Cakeworks Peanut Butter + Oreo? Deliriously yummy dip in a jar! Goes well with crackers, bread, and even fruit slices. :)

Note: This location is already closed.  A few months ago, I was sent gift certificates by Moonleaf Pasig, which is near my workplace. I brought along my workmates for some drinks and snacks.  Moonleaf Pasig is hidden in Ortigas Home Depot, which is ideal if you're looking for someplace to unwind after a day's work or a place to chill after dinner. They have two tables available near the counter, but they also have al fresco spaces outside the shop and upstairs. The choices for drinks aren't as grandiose as other popular milk tea shops, but Moonleaf drinks are the most affordable among them. Also, they only have one size for everything. 

The weather's being uncooperative lately -- well, I think insane is the more proper word to describe it. As our family was stuck at home, I was asked by my mom to cook a rainy day favorite: Macaroni Soup. :) I love how flexible this soup is, as you tweak its ingredients according to what's available at home.  Ingredients: garlic, minced 1 onion, chopped 1 small can of luncheon meat, cubed 1 carrot, cubed 2 cups cabbage, slightly shredded 2-3 chicken broth cubes  1/4 kilo chicken, boiled and shredded 1-2 cups evaporated milk 400 grams elbow macaroni salt and pepper to taste

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  It's quite a while since Akiba Cafe's Ash Creek branch opened , so I decided to bring my workmates along during my second visit.  Akiba Cafe has become one of my quick stops before I go home. I'm addicted to their Peanut Butter Choco Chiru. :) While waiting for our rice meals, our group indulged in their drinks.  Cookie Butter Chiru

Zest-O has played a great part in my childhood years. Who wouldn't forget the cute tetra packs as baon for school? Those unique flavors like the guyabano, grape, calamansi, and strawberry that other juice brands don't offer.  Zest-O juice drinks are also a part of our get-togethers with friends and family -- in reunions, birthday parties, or any reason that could bring people together.  Our favorite juice brand has recently introduced a new product called Zest-O Slice . This new product comes in 355mL bottles and comes in four flavors: Orange , Dalandan , Grapple, and Mango Slush .  Orange and Dalandan are of the same formulation that Zest-O has for over 30 years. Imagine the nostalgia while drinking these two flavors.

My family and I were out malling one weekend, we decided to try Blackbeard's Seafood Island out of curiosity. Though I might not like seafood that much, I truly appreciate eating boodle style. Seafood Island reminds me of Bilao at Palayok in Puerto Princesa . However, Seafood Island has more variety for their boodle feasts. For our group, we ordered the Tali Beach (Php 965 for 3-4 persons).

#shamelessplug My friend and I are pre-selling Reese's Peanut Butter Spread , and Cookie Butter Spreads: Lotus Biscoff Crunchy & Lotus Biscoff Creamy . We're selling these goodies at Php 430 each.  The goodies are expected to arrive on mid-October. :) Reserve your yummy spreads by filling out this order form .  We will be adding more products soon, just let us know which ones you'd like. ;) LIKE us on Facebook: dudeygoodies and FOLLOW us on Twitter: @dudeygoodies Grab your goodies now! :) Photos from Google Images

Last August 31, I was invited to be a part of UP Ecosoc's Foodgasm III at the Mercato Centrale as one of their food blogger-judges. Featured during the event are 29 food entries from various local food entrepreneurs. Some of them I have already tasted before in other food bazaars, while some were fairly new in the food industry.  I was asked to rate each food entry from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). There is a lot of food entries that I really liked, but here are my Top Ten picks during that evening. :)  1. Deep-Fried Burrito by Little Donkey I eat a lot of burritos, but it was my first time to encounter a deep-fried version. I liked it, but I wish it had more cheese on it. :) Visit them at their stall at Mezza Norte.  2. Bagnet Paella by Flavor Avenue I saw Flavor Avenue at "The Next Big Food Entrepreneur" , but I wasn't able to taste the Bagnet Paella. Their localized paella was topped with salted egg, tomatoes, longganisa, an...

Note: This location is already closed.  Alex III is one of the places that has been sitting on my must-visit list for quite a while. Mind you, though I try to cross out everything, this list is just becoming scarier each day.  From the same family who brought us Aristocrat and Reyes Barbecue, Alex III has been serving delicious Filipino comfort food for more than 25 years. I got to try Alex III's Good for 3 Set Menu One (Php 599), which is a complete meal with Pinakbet sa Bagnet , Crispy Tiyan ng Bangus , Steamed Rice, and Iced Tea .

One of the memorable lunches I had with my good friend Jeo was in TGI Friday's a few months ago. Jeo recently moved to Singapore for work (and for my pasalubong. hehehe) creative mess at TGI Friday's TGI Friday's is the closest Bistro Group restaurant in my workplace. They serve American classic comfort food and more.  For starters, we had the Fried Mac and Cheese (Php 295). Fried Mac and Cheese I love Mac and Cheese, I even create my own version at home , but having mac and cheese deep-fried is fabulous! It didn't take us long to finish this, but it felt a little heavy after. 

Photo from  www.theribbon.com After I finished high school, I went to Australia to continue my studies. I studied and worked part-time to fund my cool hobby, which is traveling. Because I didn’t earn much, I had to find my way around to keep my expenses affordable but still enjoyable! My smartphone was one of the keys to my successful travels. While most people use it for phone calls and chatting, I use my BlackBerry as my local tour guide. You won’t believe how useful it is! I'm always able to find my way around - from recommendations on points of interest to places to eat wherever I go. Here are my favorite travel apps for most of my travels! Good news is, aside from Blackberry, most of the apps can be downloaded into most smartphones. 1. SkyScanner available on Blackberry, Android and iOS Photo from  www.wallsave.com This app helps me find the best deals on flights, hotels and car rentals. It also gives me the option to check flights from my hom...

This visit is purely accidental: we were supposed to visit a new breakfast place in Marikina, but it was temporarily closed. Cafe Lidia suddenly came to mind, as a lot of my friends have been visiting the place and has been encouraging me to give it a try.  Cafe Lidia's location is quite hidden--a little off from the main road. However, the place is so popular that you wouldn't have a hard time finding the place (thanks Google Maps!). They have a parking lot across the restaurant, where they have security staff to guard the customers' cars.  We were early for dinner so we were seated immediately. This place is very spacious but can get full, especially during weekends.

Subic has always been a haven for adventure-seekers: From the jungle adventures at Zoobic Safari to the water adventures at Ocean Adventure to the shopping adventures at the Royal Duty Free Shops. Now, we’ve got another great reason for you to visit Subic: A Foodie Adventure!  The Mercato Centrale group, organizers of the popular night food markets Midnight Mercato in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Cucina Andare in Glorietta Park, Makati, Mezza Norte in Trinoma Mall, Quezon City and Cocina Centrale in MarQuee Mall, Angeles, opens the NEWEST Mercato Centrale market in the North: PORTO CENA in Ayala’s Harbor Point Mall, Subic every Friday and Saturday starting October 5 (Saturday) from 4pm to 3am.   “We are excited about bringing the Mercato Centrale experience to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone”, shared Anton Diaz, co-organizer of PORTO CENA and the blogger behind the popular food and travel website www.OurAwesomePlanet.com . “The variety of great-tasting and afforda...

The ULTIMATE event of the year is happening once again on September 14, 2013 at the Rockwell Tent, Makati City! The event will happen from 11:00am to 9:00pm. :) For Php 585, you'll have these treats: - Food Taste Portions from a minimum of 40+ home-based food vendors and Power Plant Mall Restaurants for the entire day  - A bottle of San Miguel Super Dry , Premium All-Malt or Cerveza Negra (for adults) - Food Critic Ballot for voting your favorite food discoveries Only 1000 tickets will be sold for this event so get your tickets now. See you there!!! :) More details here: http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2013/08/ultimate-taste-test-tickets-2013-now-available-powerplantmall-.html

My favorite katsu house finally opens a new branch up north at SM City North EDSA The Block last August 27, 2013. Their 6th branch was officially inaugurated the day after its opening. The narrow-looking entrance hides a very spacious dining area -- this is currently the largest Yabu branch.  As we wait for our katsu sets to arrive, we ordered appetizers (2 for Php 195). We had the newest appetizers, Iidako Salad and Spinach Salad with Goma Sauce .

Surprises, who doesn't love them? I don't (except for food-related surprises :p). However, I do love giving surprise visits to friends. :) It was one of those days when I spontaneously dropped by my friend's workplace, which is a few minutes away from my office. Since the night market isn't opened yet, we decided on having dinner at the mall instead. We tried the Premium Burgers from Big Better Burgers, a small stall at the Food Loft. The smell of burger patties grilling is too enticing to resist.  I had BBB One Third Pounder with Cheese (Php 139) while my friend had  Shiitake Teriyaki  (Php 152). I also got Skin On Fries (Php 60) to go with my burger.  BBB One Third Pounder with Cheese

Our last day in Brunei started earlier than usual. It was a Sunday, so we had to be early for the mass. As I've mentioned in my previous post, there are churches in Brunei, including a Catholic church. Parking was a bit of a hassle. I've noticed that most church attendees are Filipino.  A few meters away from the church is the Royal Regalia Museum .  The Royal Regalia Museum houses the cart used during the coronation parade of the Sultan, photographs, souvenirs, and gifts from other countries.