TsiBoom and CoffeeCat

    Sinulog is suppose to be sunny and sore-eye free!  So when we woke up at 9 in the morning with a fat and itchy eye and a gloomy weather I knew that we're going to spend the rest of the day on the bed.  I felt guilt for not celebrating the Mardi Gras on the streets but when I pictured the mud all over my shoes the feeling was all gone. 

    Later that evening, we went to Parkmall to avoid the over-crowded SM and Ayala.  On our way to the mall, I suggested to have dinner in Boosog at The Gallery since I was craving for its Lechon Kawali and Seafood Monggo.  Paz agreed but Stick tricked us, saying there's also Boosog in Parkmall.  I was about to have tantrums when I found out that there's no Boosog in the mall and we are going to have dinner in TsiBoom instead.  Stick told me that the food is the same because it has the same owner.  I told myself that it should better be  the same because I'm going to have THE Lechon Kawali on that night, even if it means going to Boosog alone!  Being lead on and hunger doesn't go well together, it can cause irrational thinking.

    I rapidly asked for Lechon Kawali and Seafood Mongo while Paz ordered Pork Sinigang and Binagoongang Baboy and Stick had the Grilled Squid and Baked Scallops.  

Lechon Kawali

Seafood Monggo

Baked Scallops

Pork Sinigang

Grilled Squid

Binagoongang Baboy

Iced Tea

    Then came the food.  Stick was not kidding, it was the same as Boosog.  I enjoyed my Lechon Kawali, it was crispy and tender.  The Seafood Monggo has shrimps and mussels, it was thick and not watery while the Baked Scallops was creamy, cheesy and you'll be asking for more.  Their Pork Sinigang was surprisingly cheap but it was good.  The sourness was just right and the pork meat was cooked well.  I didn't like the Binagoongang Baboy that much because they didn't put coconut milk on it.  It was like sweet and sour pork with bagoong.  I also wasn't able to taste the Grilled Squid but according to Paz and Stick, it was also tender.  And oh by the way, TsiBoom also offer unlimited rice and iced tea just like Boosog.

    On our way back, we noticed the fireworks of Ayala. So we stopped the car somewhere in Reclamation Area to watch it.  It took about more that 20 minutes to be over, It was the longest fireworks display I've ever witnessed.   With that and the traffic, it was enough to get us set for desserts!

    We went to Coffeecat in IT Park. The place was bright and warmly lit and the music was soothing. We went directly to the counter and got Caramel and Mochachip Avalanche, Cinnamon Roll, Coffee Rum Cake and Yogo with 3 toppings(strawberry, cherry and walnuts).

Caramel Avalanche

Mochachip Avalanche

Coffee Rum Cake

Cinnamon Roll

Yogo Premium Frozen Yogurt

    Their Caramel Avalanche was sweet, creamy and you can really taste the caramel.  Paz and Stick said it tastes like a coffee candy.  The Mochachip Avalanche was a bit bitter for me, they're really generous on the amount of chochips they put in it.  The Coffee Rum cake got a mixed review from us, me and Paz liked it but not Stick.  It was like a chiffon cake soaked in a black coffee with rum.  The Cinnamon Roll was soft and one of the best for me because of its creamy cream on top.  We also like their premium frozen yogurt.  You can eat it without any toppings, it's that good.  But also not cheap.

    So that was how we spent our Sinulog.  I really hope we're going to be on the streets next year. Pit Senyor!

TsiBoom Native Restaurant

G/F Parkmall

168 Ouano Avenue, Mandaue Reclamation Road

+63-32-2364147

CoffeeCat

G/F eBloc Tower Building

Asiatown IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City

http://facebook.com/yourcoffeecat

Arano's Spanish Restaurant and La Marea

    On a rainy Saturday night, I got a text from our long, lost friend Pia asking for our plans for the night.  This is the same day when we had our pre-Sinulog dinner.  Anyway, I texted her back stating that we are going have a bite somewhere close to our house because of the rain and the heavy traffic.  She said that she'll join us, so I immediately called Paz using her sister's number asking if she can join us too.  She told me that she was not sure because she had to go somewhere.  Earlier that day, Paz left her phone and wallet in Stick's car when we went home after our Chopsticks dinner.  I kept it and thought I could use it for something.  And I was right.  I blackmailed her to join us, saying I will only give her stuff back if she shows up.  And besides, Arano is just a few steps from their house. Literally.  They're neighbors!

    Arano's Restaurant is like hiding from the world because It's just a door on a wall from the outside.  

    I always wanted to eat at Arano for like forever but never had a chance.  But that night was the night.  Me and Stick waited for Paz outside their house and went directly to the restaurant when she showed up, Pia followed shortly.  We had Paella, Spanish Sardines with Bread, Grilled Malasugi, Callos, Chicken Lollipops, Mashed Potato and four glasses of California Red.

I'll stick with Iced Tea next time.

The Spanish Sardines with Bread was served first after a few minutes.  It was Montaño Spanish Sardines, we know because we asked the waitress.  It was delish!  The saltiness of the fish is addictive.  And if I may say, Montaño is the best Spanish Sardines around!

    The rest of the food was served after a long while.  So you should have a lot of things in your pocket for your friends to discuss while waiting for the food.  But it's worth the wait. 

The Grilled Malasugi was scrumptious, it was moist and it didn't taste like fish at all. 

 The Chicken Lollipops was crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.  I like its sauce because it was spicy and you can simply taste the herbs and the fresh tomatoes.

The Callos was not bad(not a fan of callos in general). 

Finally, the Paella. It was superb!  It has clamshells, chicken meat, vegetables and the rice was just cooked to perfection.  They have mastered the art of cooking paella.  Just perfect!

    After we ate, we drove to Labangon to drop Paz and Pia off.  On our way back, we decided to have desserts at La Marea in Banawa.  

Yema Brownie Cup

Apple Pie with Ice Cream

    I had Yema Brownie Cup, which is a white chocolate brownie in a cup with yema filling in the middle and vanilla ice cream on top.  It was so creamy. Yum!  Stick had the Apple Pie with Ice Cream.  The cold ice cream and the hot pie just blend in your mouth together with the flavors of cinnamon and vanilla.  I wasn't able to ask Stick if he liked it because I was so focused on my white brownie cup.

Arano's Spanish Restaurant
31 Fairlane Village
Guadalupe, Cebu City
+63-32-2561937


La Marea
Paseo Arcenas
Labangon, Cebu City
+63-32-4162919

Tabléa Chocolate Café

    I woke up late Monday night for work with one teary eye.  Finally!  Sore eye!  I prayed to have one for the longest time, so I have a valid reason not to work.  I texted my supervisor informing that I will be absent because of my eye.  He didn't reply so I texted Stick asking if he can drive me to the office so I can have myself checked at the clinic.  He said okay but instead of going the office, we went to Tabléa Chocolate Café in JY Square to have a late dinner.

    Just a short fact:  Tabléa are pure cacao tablets made from cacao beans grown in the Philippines.

    I had the Spanish Chorizo Breakfast Plate and Mocha Frio.  Their breakfast plates comes with scrambled egg, rice and atchara. The chorizo is different from the usual sausage you can buy at the barbecue stands, it's compact with meat instead of fat.  Mocha Frio is a blended chocolate and coffee drink in a tall glass.  Dark chocolate lovers will definitely enjoy the bitter-sweet taste of our local chocolate.

Spanish Chorizo Breakfast Plate - Php140

Mocha Frio - Php100

Bangus Breakfast Plate - Php140

the scrambled egg

Special Champorado

Sola - Php60

    Stick loves the hint of smoked flavor of the fish on his Bangus Breakfast Plate and the scrambled egg because it was just seasoned right.  We shared the Special Champorado with corn flakes and peanut butter.  It's also bitter-sweet because of tabléa.  The corn flakes added some crunch to the regular porridge and the peanut butter gave it a twist.

   The servings are not on the ample side considering its price.  I'm only talking about the breakfast plates and the porridge but the rest are reasonably priced.  Tabléa has three stores in Cebu located at the Northwing of SM City, Robinsons Cybergate and JY Square.  We like the ambiance of the latest store, it's small and cozy.  They also have WiFi but it didn't work when we were there and the store closes at 2 in the morning.  So for people looking for a place to eat and craving for chocolates in the middle of the night, this is one of your options.

Tabléa Chocolate Café
G/F JY Square Discovery Mall
Salinas Drive corner Gorordo
Lahug, Cebu City


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tablea-Chocolate-Cafe/142175245799021

Chopsticks and Vibe's Gourmet

   A day before Sinulog, we decided to eat out.  Me, Stick, Paz and Vhic agreed to have a late dinner at Chopsticks Casual Chow in J.P. Morgan & Chase Building, IT Park.  Vhic and Paz will be out of the office around 1-ish in the morning and we are already in IT Park by 12 midnight.  So we have more than an hour to spare.  Stick and I went to Wanna Eat, it's in the same building and had French Fries, Mango Pandan with Ice Cream and Leche Flan ala mode while waiting for the two.

The fries were like store bought but I didn't mind it because I don't dig fries that much.

Mango Pandan with Ice Cream was a simple glass of pandan jelly at the bottom, followed by diced ripe mangoes then topped with vanilla ice cream.

The Leche Flan ala mode was a custard in an oval shaped bowl with young coconut strips and ube ice cream on top.  It was sweet and yolky but not creamy enough for my taste.  I just like my flan to be thick, smooth and milky but nevertheless it was still good.

  

   We went directly to Chopsticks when Paz and Vhic arrived. We ordered my favorite Bean Curd, a platter of Spiced Rice, Beef Wanton Noodles, Fish in Salt and Pepper, Spring Rolls, Siopao, Japanese Siomai and Century Egg.

Bean Curd

Spiced Rice

Beef Wanton Noodles

Fish in Salt and Pepper

Spring Rolls

Siopao Asado

Japanese Siomai 

Century Egg

We always get Sola when we dine in Chopsticks because they don't have refillable iced tea.  I think it's the same price as their iced tea, but one Sola bottle is like two and half glasses of iced tea.

    I super like Chopsticks. Their food is superb and not expensive. We only spent around Php800 for all of these delectable treats!

Choco Chip Shake, Mango Shake and Supreme Blueberry Shake

   We ended the night with shakes  and a good chat with the owner of Vibe's Gourmet located at the back of the CDU's gymnasium.  I had a Choco Chip shake, while Vhic had a Supreme Blueberry shake and Paz and Stick had Mango shakes. Their shakes are to die for especially the supreme blueberry shake! Creamy creamy creamy!!!

Fried Oreos

    I watched the whole season of America's Next Top Model Cycle 15, and I knew from the start that Anne Ward will be on the cover of Vogue Italia.  But we are not going to talk about her winning the competition though.  For those who watched the series, remember those Fried Oreos she made for the other girls?  Well, I made Fried Oreos too! Kinda...

    Me, Stick and our good friend Paz decided to watch The Last Exorcism in my place after our dinner in Parkmall and IT Park.  While watching the movie, I noticed the plastic bag Vhic gave us with stuff for Fried Oreos inside it.  Right after the flick, Paz and Stick YouTubed all the videos of Bruno Mars.  I got bored and offered to make the fried cookies, they said yes right away!  So i did.

    You just need Oreos(duh!), pancake mix, egg, water and a lot of cooking oil.  Beat the egg until frothy, then add it to the pancake mix with one and a half cups of water and 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (the rest of the oil is for deep frying).  Mix it until big lumps disappear.  I followed the instructions on the box of the pancake mix.  My bad!!!  I totally forgot that I was not making pancakes or crepes.  I realized that when there were no more lumps on my mixture!  I thought of buying another box of pancake mix but did I tell you that I made this thing at 3 o'clock in the morning!?!?

    So for those who are planning to cook, just a cup of water or less will do or else you will just have to deal with the extra mixture.  Anyway, this is how my Kinda Almost Fried Oreos looked like:

Dip

Fry

Voila!

    Still delicious!  Because of frying, the cookie softened and became chewy.  Oreo also complimented the vanilla flavor of the pancake mix.  I don't have enough words to describe how it tasted.  You just have to try it for yourselves. 

    As per the left-over mixture, I decided to make real pancakes out of it.  I was looking for a sauce to complete the dish when I remembered the Frey White Chocolate Vhic(again) gave me.

From this...

to this

Pancake with White Chocolate Sauce

    Stick and I spread the white chocolate sauce on top of the thin pancakes, roll it like a cigar and eat it.  It's really really really sweet, which I love.  You can taste the white chocolate goodness, almonds and nougat.  But Paz didn't like it.  She's a dark chocolate... and Bruno Mars fanatic!