Cebu Secret Chows: Little Saigon Big Bangkok

       Thai cuisine is one of my most favorite Asian cuisines. I love the distinct aroma and flavor from the medley of lemongrass, fresh coriander, Thai basil, coconut milk, hint of fish sauce and a bit of spice from dried chili. It's just so interestingly flavorful and aromatic. It never fails to seduce me. I consider it a pretty healthy cuisine as well. I love how they incorporate a lot of fresh vegetables into their dishes and the mildness of their curry compared to Indian curry. 

       

      I've gotten a recommendation from a reader to try this new Thai-Vietnamese home resto in Guadalupe, right behind the barangay hall. Since I've heard of it, I've been dying to visit the place to have my fill. I just had this feeling it had to be really good, from the name itself -- Little Saigon Big Bangkok.

So finally, I headed there for lunch with Luis. My, was I in for a treat...

        There was a garden setting with comfy outdoor funiture and where the cooking is done in an open hut like an actual street food setting except you sit and wait for your food to be served fresh. I can imagine it to be more romantic during dinner. They also had indoor dining inside the house.

       The menu was easy to choose from and had everything you'd want -- fish, pork, beef and chicken. They use parrot fish for their fish dishes. That's a plus! Cream dory, be gone! :))

         We ordered the Banh Xeo, Hanoi grilled pork and Pad Thai. I just had to try the Pad Thai.

        Service was swift and none of the dishes were a disappointment. It was evident that even the little details that mattered in the composition of the dish were well attended to. In short, everything was made with LOVE.

         The Pad Thai came first and it was an explosion of flavors in the mouth. Every Asian country has a noodle representative and for Thailand, this is it. I consider this the pancit canton of Thailand. The rice noodles were cooked to perfection with an excellent sauce and mixed with well seasoned shrimps.

Pad Thai - P250

         The Banh Xeo was the most interesting one because we didn't exactly know what to expect and the play of textures was amazing.

Banh Xeo - P200

          It's a crepe made with turmeric and coconut milk, filled with shrimps, fresh beansprouts, and vegetables. Lettuce and fresh coriander came along as sidings and a sweet vinegar sauce with cucumber. The crepe wrapper was amazingly crisp yet light and had a faint sweetness from the coconut milk. It didn't easily become soggy even with the filling and sauce; an indication that it had the perfect thickness.

      Then, the Hanoi grilled pork. I was expecting thick, grilled pieces of pork but what came was sukiyaki style sliced pieces that were marinated and tender. The grilled vegetables (eggplant, green beans and tomato) alongside were a perfect match and were a savory delight. They were grilled to perfection and melted in the mouth. The sauce was a mild spicy, salty and tangy sauce. Again, another winner. 

Hanoi Grilled Pork - P250

               So all the dishes that we had were amazing and the owners, a young couple, were very welcoming to the guests. The wife and head chef, who studied in Le Cordon Bleu Bangkok even served one of the dishes, and the husband chatted up a bit about the food. 

                The prices may be a bit intimidating but the servings here are good for 2-3 persons and the flavors and quality do not disappoint at all. I wish I could go back more often. That Pad Thai and coconut crepe killed me right there. I'm lovestruck by this resto. 

Little Saigon Big Bangkok

Andres Abellana Ext. Guadalupe

Cebu City 6000

Contact: (032) 415 0228
              (032) 354 8013

Operating Hours:      Mon - Sun   12 pm-10pm

Price Range: P150-250

Like them on Facebook!

click to enlarge

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Cebu Secret Chows: Chez Toztar -- FIRST and ONLY Organic Hydroponic Garden-Themed Resto in Cebu!

          I read from Hydroponics and Organics blog about the first and only hydroponic-themed resto in Cebu and I couldn't wait to check it out. I was so excited I didn't bother acquainting myself well enough with the given map of the blog post or even the name of the resto! But Cebu's small enough to get around anyway. A little adventure wouldn't hurt. 

          I had my trusty foodie partner, Luis, join me for the adventure. We both just walked around the corner of Joven's Grill at Capitol and he figured it would most likely be located at Orchid St., the breeding ground of home restaurants at Capitol. And he was right! We found it across Yayoy's Grill with the affirmation of the hydrogarden tarp on the gate. A waitress was also stationed outside to welcome customers.
  

the organic hydrogarden 

             This resto is owned by Chef Willester Yap. It uses the fresh organic produce of its garden in its menu so you're assured of fresh, quality organic herbs in your dishes and you can even buy some potted herbs here! This is also like a sub-outlet of Ms. Ulyssa Torbiso, the young passionate entrepreneur and pioneer of hydroponic gardening in Cebu. You can contact her through her blog: Hydroponics and Organics. She is an inspiration to me and coincidentally goes to the same university (University of San Carlos) as I do. She developed her own hydroponic garden at home and worked for its success until she introduced it to the market through her blog and business fairs in the university.  

basic black and white-themed interiors

          The interiors of the home restaurant have a simple theme of basic hues -- black, white and grey -- and the place also looked clean. I liked the plates because blue is my fave color. The place was really small, seating only approximately 30-35 people. It was not so cool inside because the air conditioner was on low setting aided by an electric fan. In consideration, there were just two tables of customers (including us). 

from the Babe's perspective :)

               The menu was quite extensive, offering international and local fusion cuisine. Since the resto claims to be a 'House of Roasts', I wanted to try their roasted dishes but I yielded to Luis' preference of the cheesy deep fried pork belly in teriyaki sauce. He was intrigued by the pairing of cheese and teriyaki sauce. I also wanted to try the Seafood Thermidor and Beef Kansi (a hybrid of pochero and sinigang -- something I've tried in Bacolod once) but we only wanted a light lunch. We added the exotic green tea salad to our order since we wanted to try something from the garden. 

            From the menu, I discovered that the resto offered unique and interesting items. They were particularly proud of their home-made flavored sodas which they showed in a table illustration has less calories and sugar than regular sodas in the market. I got the lemon strawberry green tea flavor and Luis just had cola. 

             Indeed, it was less sweeter than regular soda. I was also surprised by the big serving and the unusual use of a carafe as the glass. Felt like drinking from a vase. Haha.  

their home-made flavored sodas: lemon strawberry green tea (mine) and cola (Luis) - 50 php each

Exotic Green Tea Salad    140 php

             hand-picked organic green tea leaves, organic lettuce, carrots, apples, fish flakes with yogurt dressing

             This was a suggestion by the waitress. It was my first time to try eating fresh green tea leaves and it was interesting. The leaves had a distinct, mildly spicy/minty flavor to them and it also had a slightly rough texture like fresh oregano. The combination of flavors and texture were pretty odd to me. I found the carrots too thick as well. It was an interesting experience but I don't think I'd order this again.

             

Cheesy Deep Fried Belly in Teriyaki Sauce     148 php
       fried pork belly with a splash of teriyaki sauce and grated cheese

           I'd usually prefer grilled pork belly than a deep fried one. According to Luis, it was like pork belly in hawaiian sauce. The teriyaki sauce was not the usual Japanese flavor I expected. It was sweet and fruity, and the consistency and strength was lovely on rice. To my disappointment, the pork belly was tough and dry. I think the estimation of cooking time with the employment of at least 2 cooking methods was the cause of failure. 

           Though I was not completely satisfied by the dishes we ordered, I am still curious about the rest of the menu that I left undiscovered, especially the roasts. The prices are also surprisingly affordable for an organic resto; everything for 200 below! They may not offer a full blown organic menu but it's worth a try. 

          Customers also receive free ballers (those rubber bands made popular by Nike before) in black and white as souvenirs. That's a first for any restaurant I've been to so far. Their contact details are conveniently found on these which I must say is ingenious marketing. 

free ballers

What we had:
Exotic Green Tea Salad - 140 php
Cheesy Deep Fried Pork Belly in Teriyaki Sauce - 148 php
2 Home-made Flavored Sodas - 50 php each

Chez Toztar House of Roasts
0392 Orchid St., Capitol Site
Cebu City 6000

Contact:
(032) 412 6452
+63 932 7806 176

Operating Hours:
Mon - Sun   10:30 AM - 2 PM
                   5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Price range: 98 - 225 php

click to enlarge

Like them on Facebook for updates or reservations. 

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Cebu Secret Chows: Simply J's -- the justice post! :D

Hey hey foodies!

          Sorry for the blog's silence. I've been away on a trip to Hong Kong for 5 days and I just got back the other night. I'll be telling you about that in another post though and I can't wait. These fingers are itching. But anyway, there's something I'd also like to share with you before I had left. 

          Simply J's, that quaint little white house-turned-resto along Escario St. that I've visited a while back last year (click this for that last post), has recently expanded their resto to the second floor and the other half of the house where they used to display their home decor items for sale. The second floor is now a function room which you can reserve for meetings or special occasion celebrations. 

           This is a justice post because my last and only post about this cool resto did not do  any justice for the great food, service and ambience it had. So, I was here for lunch with my good friend, Luis. I was delighted to find that the resto has kept its warmth and charm since my last visit. However, the menu has improved. There were several new items such as a crab cake salad which I wanted but was out of stock, and a seafood lasagna which we got, to name a few. What I liked about their menu though, was that there were precise descriptions for each dish. It helps a lot in selection of choices. 

           The ambience really is pretty much like stepping into a house with a huge dining area that invites you to take a seat and be assured of a good meal. Only the original dining area was occupied by diners that day. We took a look around while waiting for our food. 

the expansion

the original dining area

restroom

Hey, Luis! :D

            Reading the interesting new menu, my eyes caught lines like "deep fried" and "breaded". These words usually do not appeal to me at all but reading on, it sounded outrageous and spectacular, especially the sauce: red wine reduction shiitake mushroom sauce. I read it aloud and Luis even thought I was making it up to tease him because he loves anything fried and fatty. The dish described was "Stuffed Rack of Pork". 

hallelujah! Me thinks this piece fell from the sky!

Deep fried breaded rack of pork stuffed with pesto and served with potato gratin and red wine reduction shiitake mushroom sauce

              It sounds like a complex dish but each component complements each other very well like how each instrument in a band significantly contributes to a melody. This has got to be the queen of the menu. This was insanely good. The sauce, oh, it just hit the spot. I love red wine reductions. The shiitake mushroom infusion was not overwhelming as well. Luis and I instantly agreed that this was something anyone would crave for and come back for once they've had a taste. I could probably  finish the whole thing alone despite the huge serving. 

            But first, we had their Asian Mandarin Salad for our appetizer. I badly wanted to try their crab cake salad but as I mentioned earlier, it was unavailable. Oh well. I only like vinaigrette-dressed salads (but Caesar's is an exception) so this was the next choice. I always get disappointed when resto's only use iceberg lettuce though. I don't think I'd order this again.

             The seafood lasagna appealed to me because I read from the description that it had SEA URCHIN. Wow, that sounded extravagant. It sure drew my curiosity because I haven't noticed something like this served in other resto's. 

layered lasagna noodles with sea urchin, shrimp, fish, squid and white wine cream sauce

    
         It looked to be a solo serving but when we tasted it, it was actually very rich. It was also my first time to try cooked sea urchin because I've only had them fresh. Not bad though it was a tad too salty for our taste. We couldn't finish this. I must say, the first spoonful was like having a hefty serving of the ocean in your mouth. Maybe it lacked a little more white wine. Hehe. For seafood lovers, this is a go.

           I had Sola raspberry iced tea for my drink and Luis had Nestea iced tea.  Raspberry is my favorite flavor from Sola. Luis' iced tea was too sweet. He felt that it was a whole liter's pack poured into his glass.  

           Like my last visit, I left with a happy tummy and still dreamt of going back for that stuffed pork rack sometime SOON. It's seriously THAT good. Another thing I love about this place is the service. Waiters are welcoming, friendly and service is prompt. Definitely one of the coziest dining places in Cebu. :)

What we had:
Asian Mandarin Salad - (sorry, forgot to take note of the price for this)
Stuffed Rack of Pork - P220
Seafood Lasagna - P220
Sola Raspberry Iced Tea - P60
Nestea Iced Tea - P30

Simply J's Cafe/Restaurant
10 Apitong St. Cor. N. Escario, Cebu City
(beside Diamond Suites)

Operating Hours:
Mon to Sun
11 am - 2 pm
6 pm - 10 pm

Contact: (032) 505 8315

*Reservation is highly recommended. Though they've expanded, it still gets just as packed. ;)

To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

oink oink,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)

Cebu Secret Chows: A Perfect Ten Dining Experience

      It's been too long since I've posted about a secret food spot. I've been caught up with school and budget's been pretty tight but I finally got to visit one this month. What a relief!

     It was my dearest classmate's birthday on March 7. Chin-Chin is now 17 and I admit, I tend to forget her age because she's so mature! I feel like she's my age or is it the other way around? Haha. Just kidding.

     

     We planned to have lunch at J Center to grab some Cobo but it was too much of a hassle to get there because we came from the south campus. It would have to take 3 jeepney rides for us to get there and we were already pretty hungry. She decided to treat me to 10 Dove St. instead.

     10 Dove St. is located at Sto. Nino Village, Banilad. I've heard of this home-based restaurant years ago but I've never gotten to visit it 'til that day. I've only eaten their ube cake which my mom orders occasionally.

the birthday girl: Chin-Chin!

cute chairs that complement the ambience

Chin-Chin with their selection of their home-made cakes

cute menage (salt and pepper holders)!

     Finally having dined there thanks to Chin-Chin, the place was definitely a hidden treasure. It reminded me of the intimate setting at Cul de Sac down Maya St. But of course, this dainty little resto was special in its own way. They specialize in gourmet sandwiches which they offer with a choice of wheat or regular bread. 

      Like Cul de Sac, they have a set menu which consists of a soup, salad, sandwich and cake for only P 190. Great deal if you ask me! The menu was an interesting read. It was only there that I've encountered a wide variety of sandwiches meant as main dish and I did struggle a bit with my selections because I wanted to try so many of the choices. Anyway, I ended up with:

Soup: Brocolli and Cheese

     I've always been a fan of broccolli since I was younger hence the selection. Since it came with cheese, I was kinda expecting it to be slightly thick and elastic but unfortunately, my expectations were not met. I was disappointed when I found that the brocolli wasn't so fresh because the flowers were brownish. I had to season my soup a bit as dictated by my palate but there was a bit of a surprise when I discovered bits of extra miniature parmesan croutons as I dug down the soup.

Salad: Harvest Apple

chunky apple slices, black grapes, toasted whole walnuts, marshmallows and dried dates in light mayo 

      This actually just gave me the impression of a waldorf salad with marshmallows. I've heard of marshmallows in salads before but this was the first time I've tasted it. I'm not sure if it really suits my palate but it does add to the sweetness and texture of the salad. I also loved the combination of toasted walnuts and apples. And the natural sweetness of the grapes and dried dates melded well to complete the salad.

Sandwich: Poseidon's Quest

They're plating.

My plating. Hehe. :D

my real good fat ass sandwich! <3

       The highlight of the meal, one of their glorious sandwiches. I was feeling health-conscious that day so I opted for just a fish sandwich (wheat, of course). I was so glad they didn't use cream dory. It was breaded lamon-lamon (parrot fish) fillet, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber with dill mayo dressing. 

          Though it was just one layer, it was very filling and satisfying. The fish was cooked perfectly, tender and juicy on the inside. Chin-Chin and I switched half of our sandwiches to get a taste of both.

Dessert: Chocolate Decadence

          This, I was excited for. Dessert is always my favorite part of a meal. I wanted to try their carrot cake but this got the better of me. Irresistible. Dark chocolate ganache, moist and soft cake, with a luscious velvety filling. Double sinful!

As for Chin-Chin's choices....

Soup: Clam Chowder

       I found that our soups were of the same broth or base but hers was tastier because of the natural juices of the clam meat. 

Salad: Fandango

w/ a raspberry vinaigrette

iceberg lettuce, parmesan croutons, mandarin oranges, cheese and toasted walnuts

          This is one of their top selling salads but the vinaigrette was too thick. I think it was just raspberry jam added with a little oil and water; nothing special. 

Sandwich: Roast Beef

        This is just as good as a burger -- strips of beef tenderloin, sauteed onions and cheddar cheese. Really heavy. With the set meal, this is ultimately worth it. I loved this, too. Chin-Chin and I struggled to finish our meals because it was really heavy. 

Dessert: Mango Avocado Cake

      And of course, the perfect match to that heavy sandwich is a light fruity chiffon cake. This was really good; light yet flavorful enough and more than satisfactory. Mango and avocado are a perfect combination aside from the lovely color contrast; a teaser for the eyes and palate. 

      Coincidentally, 10 Dove has just turned 10 years old early this year and i'm sure it has left nostalgic marks on diners and still continues to. They are usually busy on weekends, both during lunch and dinner. This is a perfect place for a date away from the hustle and bustle of the city and even for meetings or an intimate party. 

10 Dove St., Banilad, Cebu City
For reservations, call (032) 346 0618. 
Operating hours: Monday - Saturday 11:30 a.m - 10:00 p.m.
Map: link


To know Cebu, eat Cebu! :D

xoxo,

Babe for Food

- your BFF in Cebu dining! :)