dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

I introduce to you my newest favorite breakfast: Escan Manila's Homemade Chorizo . Escan Manila is the brand of Escalante family's chorizo recipe, now made available to everyone.  Chorizo is the Spanish style sausages, quite similar to our very own longganisa. Escan Manila's Chorizo has two varieties: Hamonado and Rekado , both priced at Php 245.  What I like about Escan Manila is the packaging. It comes in a microwaveable container that makes it easy to store in the freezer.  It's also easy to cook: just pop it in the non-stick pan, no need to add oil as the fat from the meat will help cook the chorizo. :)

It's been two years since I last watched a concert and I was too happy to be back to concert-watching (and fangirling) again, this time with Sam Smith.   Sam Smith's "In The Lonely Hour" Tour in Manila was supposed to be last May, but was postponed to November due to medical reasons.  I bought the tickets on the first selling date last January. Since the SM Tickets website crashed due to the demand from concert goers. Luckily, a ticket outlet is a meters away from my workplace. No sweat! :P Almost a year ago The magic happened last November 21 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. This was my second concert at the same venue, but this time, I purchased the Lower Box Ticket (Php 4730), a lot better than my Paramore concert seat.  I love the whole album, "In The Lonely Hour" and his songs before the album.  Sam Smith started the show with a not-so popular song, "Life Support" and continued with "Together". 

Our favorite coffee place during our stay in Tagaytay is CBTL in Crosswinds Tagaytay. Not only that it's the CBTL branch that has the most interesting design, but it is easily one of the quietest coffee shops in Tagaytay.  The boyfie and I enjoy the coffee: mine is the Cafe Latte while the boyfie's choice is the Caramel Macchiato.  Aside from the coffee, we both enjoy reading while eating some food served by CBTL. A good breakfast choice is the Eggs Ben (Php 245).  Eggs Ben

Note: This restaurant is already closed. My family and I went to this newest ribs place along Amoranto area: Highway Ribbery Grille. Opened last May 2015, Highway Ribbery Grille is the newest baby of Chef Niño Runas, also the chef of El Cangrejo near Morato area.  Highway Ribbery Grille is an open-air hangout place specializing in ribs and other delicious comfort food. 

Vietnamese cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines in the world. However, I wasn't able to explore this healthy and interesting part of Asian culinary history as extensively as Japanese, Chinese or Thai.  I was glad to be invited by Zomato and Cruising Magazine to try one of the 16 restaurants they have chosen for #TravelForFood campaign, Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen in White Plains, Quezon City. It is also in celebration of Cruising Magazine's 16th anniversary.  Bawai's in White Plains is the second location of the popular Vietnamese place in Tagaytay . The owners have decided to open up a Manila branch to cater to guests who can't regularly drive to Tagaytay to satisfy their Vietnamese cravings.  The White Plains location, quite secluded from the road, is spacious and homey. There are also spaces for private functions. 

Christmas time for Filipinos means planning get-togethers, shopping for gifts, and of course, indulging on various treats. To welcome the holidays, McDonald's has come up with a deliciously sweet way for customers to enjoy the yuletide season! Starting November 9, Filipinos are in for a season of swirls with the new McDonald’s Holiday Desserts ! Good to eat and even sweeter to give, these desserts are sure to make this season merrier for everyone who loves to satisfy their sweet cravings.  KIT KAT McFlurry with Choco Bits For those who can't get enough of the classic McFlurry, two new variants are introduced this season for only Php 50. Choose between the KIT KAT® McFlurry with Choco Bits , where creamy soft serve is drizzled with chocolate vanilla bits, and the KIT KAT® McFlurry with Caramel Crispies  which dons rich caramel sauce over creamy soft serve —both topped with a KIT KAT® wafer stick.  KIT KAT McFlurry with Caramel Crispies

The boyfie's steak craving brought us to this quiet restaurant in Cliffhouse Tagaytay -- Fire Lake Grill.  It was a cold evening that our server suggested that we sit in the alfresco area.  While my date and I were having drinks, a bloody Mary for him, and a latte for me, we shared the House Salad of Fresh Tagaytay Greens (Php 260) for our starter. Bloody Mary House Salad of Tagaytay Greens Our starter is a symphony of fresh veggies and fruit slices with raspberry dressing and roasted walnuts. It wasn't a surprise that we finished this right away. 

Note: This location is already closed.  My friends and I recently celebrated payday by having lunch at one of my favorite places for ribs: Racks.  I love how Racks have huge dishes for sharing, excellent service, and reasonable prices.  We started with Classic Ceasar Salad (Php 200 for solo, Php 350 for family). Classic Ceasar Salad For our mains, we shared a Racks Classic Pork Ribs (Php 995 for full rack) with coleslaw, mashed potatoes, corn & carrots, and broccoli & cheese. An order of full rack comes with two regular sides, but you may order more sides for Php 60 for regular and Php 105 for large.  Racks Classic Pork Ribs and sides One of the things I love about Racks is how consistently tender the ribs are. As always, it's better with Racks Barbecue Sauce. 

Being a food, travel and lifestyle blogger, I make sure that I have the most efficient gadgets to make my blogging, photo documenting and social media sharing easier and faster whenever I go.  Introducing my newest baby: ZenFone2 Laser 5.0 Launched early this year, ZenFone2 is the first smartphone in the world equipped with 4GB of RAM. ZenFone2 Laser 5.0 is the newest variant. ASUS ZenFone2 Laser is easy to grip, thanks to its curved back and thin edge of 3.9mm. It looks classy with its metallic back cover which available in seven colors: Black, Ceramic White, Silver, Purple, Aqua Blue, Sheer Gold and Glamour Red. Mine is a Sheer Gold. 

Note: This location is already closed.  Greenfield District is one of the fast-growing foodie areas near Ortigas. I myself have enjoyed the restaurants located in this spacious area.  One of these places is Brown's Gourmet , a small restaurant at The Hub in Greenfield District.  Brown's Gourmet serves affordable comfort food but their bestselling dish is the Buttermilk Fried Chicken.  For appetizers and drinks, we had the Mushroom + Spinach Croquette (Php 120), Mango + Mint Shake (Php 110), and Cucumber + Kamias Shake (Php 110). Mushroom + Spinach Croquette Mango + Mint Shake

The boyfie and I went to Tagaytay to unwind and give some Tagaytay B&B's a try. Our first stop is T House Tagaytay , where we stayed for 3 nights.  We booked a Tranquility Garden Room (Published rate: Php 4700) for 3 nights. Note that we purchased it via DealGrocer so we got it for a discounted rate. 

I took the boyfie for a trip around Manila and one of our stops is Binondo's popular dim sum restaurant: Wai Ying.   Wai Ying Dimsum is your typical Binondo hole-in-the-wall eatery -- no frills whatsoever.  We kept it simple (and light) with our choices. For dim sum, we had the Beef Ball (Php 70), Hakaw (Php 80), and Vegetable Dumpling (Php 70). Beef Ball Hakaw

Note: This location is already closed.  A few weeks ago, I had dinner with my foodie friends at the newly-opened tonkatsu restaurant from Japan: Maisen Tonkatsu in SM Megamall.  This branch was officially opened last October but the first branch in Greenbelt has been open earlier this year.  Unlike other tonkatsu restaurants in Manila, Maisen has bar tables for solo diners.  On each table are two salad dressings (sesame and vinaigrette), two katsu sauce (sweet and spicy), and spiced salt.  Each katsu set has unlimited rice, miso soup, cabbage, pickles, and fruits. 

Nothing is as comforting as the warm sweet filling of mangoes and peaches wrapped in the crispy crust of the Peach Mango Pie or the sweet creamy texture of the classic Vanilla Sundae – both Filipino favorites that have always been part of every langhap-sarap Jollibee experience. Since its introduction, the peach mango pie has always been the top choice for Filipinos when it comes to desserts. The Vanilla Sundae, also a favorite among Filipinos, especially kids, has been paired with hot chocolate fudge and strawberry syrup, among others.  This time, Jollibee has decided to mix these two well-loved desserts, bringing a whole new flavor for everyone to experience – the Jollibee Peach Mango Sundae. The creamy texture of vanilla sundae topped with bits and pieces of peaches and mangoes brings out flavors that are both nostalgic and fresh.

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  My friend and I had dinner at the first location of Potts Point Cafe in Manila, at Eastwood Mall.  Potts Point Cafe is an Aussie-inspired organic cafe. Personally, Potts Point looks more like a restaurant than a coffee shop.  I love how Potts Point Cafe looks like a rustic library filled with recipe books on the shelves.  We ordered the Poached Egg Salad Lyonnaise with Bacon, Cherry Tomatoes, Cranberries, Parmesan and Croutons with Balsamic Dressing (Php 280 for solo, Php 510 for sharing) for salad.  Poached Egg Salad Lyonnaise

The boyfie and I had dinner in one of Puerto Princesa's popular restaurants, KaLui Restaurant.  It is best that you call in advance to have a table reserved for you if you are planning to eat in KaLui. We are thankful for Charisse of La Tiara Tours for taking care of our reservation.  my mowdel removing his shoes It is necessary to remove your shoes before entering the dining area in KaLui. There are shoe drawers assigned per table to keep your shoes safe.