TRIPPING OUT ON BIGBY'S

Disclaimer: Once again, this is a very old post so please forgive the photography. 

Rina used her old Sony something-something Phone Camera.

 

From Cagayan to Cebu to Bacolod and finally Manila!

                    As I've mentioned before in my previous posts, I lived a great deal of my younger years in the beautiful island of Cebu. At that time, though, the food choices weren't as vast as it is today. If you wanted Filipino food, you went to either Golden Cowrie or Lighthouse. If Chinese is your thing, You went to Ding Qua Qua or Ding How Dimsum, and Japanese food lovers could go to Ginza or Mikado. The annoying thing about Cebu for me, is that the city's boom seems to have coincided with my departure to Manila. It's almost as if my presence in the city caused the economy to stagnate for so many years. 

                  In all seriousness though, I feel the big boom had more to do with SM and Ayala setting up shop there, than me being a jinx to the whole city (Fingers crossed).When those two establishments opened up, an influx of businesses came into the city, and local businesses saw potential to expand their market. 

                  During a Mall tour that I was tasked to direct a few years back, I noticed the sign of "Bigby's cafe & Restaurant". The design had an "New World" feel to it.. where it kind of looks like something off a map of Christopher Columbus. At first glance, I honestly thought it was an international franchise. I suggested this place to the client I was with, and luckily (for me), she said that when she had gone around the mall herself earlier, "Bigby's" had caught her attention as well. 

                So dinner at Bigby's was set. 

SORRY JOLLI, THERES A NEW KING BEE IN TOWN!

Hail to the King, baby

                   
             Rina And I usually visit my folks in Antipolo on Sunday mornings.. We have lunch there, spend the day with the kids and leave in the afternoon. Having a home in the mountains of Antipolo has both it's pro's and cons. The pro's being the refreshing mountain air devoid of pollution, the picturesque scenery, and the calming peace and quiet. Once you're in the house and plopped down a comfy bed, expect to be knocked out cold within minutes. It's really the perfect place to relax and recharge yourself after a grueling working week. 


                  The cons? Well, It's not exactly far, but it's a little bit isolated. When your there, you feel like you're away from civilization. It's actually really not that far from the city, and there are some malls that are a 20 minute drive away. But you do get the feeling that you're in the province, especially if you're used to working in busy business districts like I am. 

                   Since its along Marcos High Way, I would pass what seemed to be a newly opened restaurant called "King Bee" every time I'd head off to my parent's place.. And I was pretty amazed how it never failed to be jam packed. I asked my brother if he'd ever eaten there, and he re-affirmed it and said "No but it's always full!". So they must be doing something right. 

WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING AT HEALTHY KITCHEN?!?!

Excuse me.. I'm a little lost. Where am I..? I'm scared.

                 There was a time when i was trying to eat healthily. I hated that time. Seriously. Thank goodness I got over that really quick. It lasted- oh- about a week? It was the thought that counted, I guess.. hehe. I did manage to lose a little weight, but I doubt you could really tell the difference. My dream of losing weight actually led me to a place in Serendra that is known for out of the box type of meals that are actually good for you. 

              The cozy little nook is called "Healthy Kitchen." It sorta had a country home feel to it that i really liked, and I've read good reviews about itso I was excited to try it. One glance at the menu though, with it being sprinkled with words I had never heard before in my entire life, (such as "Wheat grass", "Anti-oxidants" and what was that other word again..? Oh yeah! "Sugar-free".) I had to ask myself, "What the F**K am I doing here?"

DISCOVERING CAFE BY THE RUINS

What is the logo supposed to be?

         After the long trek from Manila at the wee hours of the morning, my wife and I, together with my parents, finally arrived at our house in Baguio around 10 in the morning. We immediately settled in our stuff, and everyone unanimously agreed (I VEHEMENTLY agreed) that before we go exploring the amazing city that is Baguio, we needed to get some food.  We were all eager to get on with our own plans (My mom and Rina wanted to shop at the Ukay Ukay, my dad wanted to get some rest, and I wanted to... well.. eat again) but of course, after a 6 hour  road trip, food sounded like a pretty good idea. And since it was a holiday weekend, it would be best to not meet the lunch rush hour head on.

       As I had mentioned in my earlier Baguio post, I conducted a small facebook poll to solicit advice from people where to eat when in the City of Pines. Being the picky eater that I am, I was designated by my mom to decide where we'd eat because she wasn't in the mood to get into any debates with me. As we pulled out into the main streets of Baguio, within minutes I saw a sign bearing a name that I had heard many times during my facebook poll - Cafe By The Ruins.

TENDER BOBS IS THE BOMB, BABY!

The Tower of Doom? Ppsshh.. Only if you're an onion ring.

                              

                    

                     To me, Tender Bob's is in the category of those dependable restaurants that you go to when you're at a stalemate with your wife on the question, "Where do you want to eat?". After ping ponging back and forth around five times with "Up to you" and "No, You", one mention of "Tender Bob's" and the discussion is over. And despite the fact that we made a deal to go to a restaurant we hadn't tried before, the mere fact that I put Tender Bob's option out there, renders that arrangement null and void. ("Sinabi mo na eh, di mo na pwede bawiin!")

                     It's hard to argue against Tender Bob's though. You go there, and you're assured of a darn good meal, and when you consider the wide array of USDA Approved cuts you have to choose from, the biggest problem isn't WHAT you want to order, but HOW you plan to fit everything you ordered into your stomach.

                      (Easy. Just make sure you have a big stomach. Duh.)

HOLD YOUR BREATH, WE'RE GOING TO DAMPA!

          I first heard of Dampa from a friend that described it as the "Best Seafood Experience Of Her Life". Since my ears don't exactly ring when I hear "Seafood", it didn't really leave a mark with me. I don't eat squid, shrimps, crabs, tahong, or any of those things. In fact, the only seafood I really eat, is fish. Though I wasn't really excited about it, I ended up going with some people from work, who had no clue yet of just how picky an eater I was. So with my luck, it was only natural that they ordered everything above that I said I didn't eat. We were taking out a German friend of my boss, and he wanted his visitor to get an authentic taste of Good Old Filipino Seafoods. Not to mention the fact that the Dampa experience was something that would definitely be a story to tell when going back to his country.

               
           So I went to Dampa with low expectations, and completely clueless to the fact that I was about to try something that would make it to my list of "Best Things Ever". 

                  

BEST. GIFT. EVER.

                           

              What's the best pasalubong you've ever gotten? Most people get shoes, shirts, or caps. People look forward to getting balikbayan boxes filled with goodies, like perfumes and chocolates, all from a loved one thousands of miles away. 

           . But not me. Such trivial trinkets don't really do it for me. I'm thankful I have a Godmother in the States who knows me so well, and is well aware that as grateful as I would be for anything she'd give me, I wouldn't be going bonkers over a hat. 

                       Don't get me wrong.. I love getting shirts, shoes and caps as much as the next guy, but my Godmother sent me a package together with my cousin that completely blew my mind away. It became the Barometer that all future Pasalubongs would be measured by. And I don't think anything in this world could come close to it. In fact, tears are welling up in my eyes as I am typing this, just at the memory of what a wonderful gift it was..

                Especially when it's so good, it's in the "Best Thing Ever" Hall Of Fame.

THE FIRST RULE OF THE KANIN CLUB..

        During the Christmas vacation, Rina and I planned to go with a few friends from my work to Enchanted Kingdom. Believe it or not, my buddy Mark had never been there yet at that time, and it ended becoming a running joke between us. (No matter what he has achieved, it didn't mean anything cuz he still hasn't been to Enchanted Kingdom) Mark felt it was finally time to rectify that situation, and so we all planned a trip to Laguna so he could finally feel the magic of the Country's premiere amusement park. 

       Unfortunately, fate had a cruel game to play with my poor friend. Upon entering the gates of EK, we quickly realized that this was not going to happen today. The lines for ticket admissions were ridiculously long, and based on the sign boards outside, each ride would entail a minimum of three hours of waiting in line. We realized that it wasn't the ideal way to spend our free day, so the gang decided to head off to Tagaytay instead for a road trip. 

     Of course, since I was part of the group, the so-called "Road Trip" instantly became a "Food Trip" :)

       To everyone, it was a no-brainer. If you're hungry, and you're in Laguna, you go to Kanin Club. I heard about the place before, but it didn't really interest me because I heard the star of their menu is the "Crispy Dinuguan". I haven't heard a single bad review about it, but still.. I don't eat dinuguan. Nothing personal to people who do, but the Picky Eater in me just thinks that eating pigs blood is a waste of stomach space. Why eat that when you can eat something like BBQ or Liempo? hehe

      We saw signs for a newly opened restaurant called "Pig Out" and that seriously caught my attention, but alas, I could not thwart the will of the majority - so it was off to Kanin Club we went.

MCDONALD'S BREAKFAST QUIRKS

A simple breakfast that'll get you through the morning :D

                  In case I haven't mentioned it before, I eat at McDonald's A LOT. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There was a time that I think I may have had a double cheese burger meal (w/ BBQ sauce) and 6 piece Nuggets for dinner for 2 straight weeks. I didn't feel any heart problems or anything like that, but I did gain quite a few pounds hehe. What do I usually eat for breakfast when I'm there? Not the Big Breakfast with the sausage patty, eggs and muffins. Not the longganiza meal either. Or their Pancakes. Like i said, I'm a simple eater, so I like their plain Sausage McMuffin (no egg) and Hasbrowns. But of course, being the weirdo that I am, i add a little twist.

NOTHING FAKE ABOUT PEKING GARDEN

Be not afraid, my child...

        Forget Gunpowder, the compass, and paper printing.. the greatest invention ever to come out from ancient China is without a doubt, THE PEKING DUCK! I went with my Rina and my In-laws to Peking Garden at Trinoma for a family gathering, and nearly passed out from all the duck I ate!

        Having your own function room in a restaurant as classy as Peking Garden can spoil you, because you usually have a waiter dedicated to your room, meaning the service was impeccable.The place was comfortable as well, but when you get together with family you haven't seen in a long time, it's hard not to feel at home!

          And with me being a Chinese food aficionado, I couldn't wait to try the best of what Peking Garden had to offer.. And I wasn't disappointed!