Bacolod Food Itinerary

a bright idea came to mind. my wedding in a few months, friends coming over to bacolod for the first time, plus too much time in my hands equals a bacolod food itinerary of some sort. genius.

solely for my friends comfort and information of course. not at all for my need to show off bacolod's gastronomic delights, or a chance to tell people hey i have a food blog. but that would be nice too.

breakfast.

i hardly eat out for breakfast. chances are, i'd still be nursing a hangover. and the only reason id be having breakfast outside of home is if im avoiding a hangover. like if i come straight from a bar and it's 5 am and my liquor-filled tummy is calling out for something substantial that hits the spot. which happens a lot in my case. 

Business Inn at Lascon St. got the best Cansi Steak in town. 

but if a chunk of yummy beef cartilage and marrow is not your idea of breakfast, you can opt for a more traditional kind. There's American Kitchen at Art District,  Pancake House by Lacson Street, or Kuppa by Tindalo corner Hilado street. i heard they make a mean cup of coffee. 

lunch. 

tough. i don't know to which direction ill point you first. 

of course, if there's one thing you cannot miss in bacolod, it's the chicken inasal. it would be like going to germany and not drinking german beer. or go to italy and not eat pasta. or to india and not have curry. i can go on, but you get my point.

i have said this before, and i will say it again. Aida's at Manokan Country, hands down best chicken inasal. don't even embarrass yourself and bring up Mang Inasal in bacolod. just a heads up. 

if a shabby place doesn't work for you and you want an airconditioned place cause you're conyo like that, or you just don't want to take my word for it,  you can head to Bacolod Chicken House by Lacson and 24th Street. they also make excellent grilled spareribs. 

if chicken inasal is not your thing, which i don't see why it won't be, you can head to Bob's. branches at SM Bacolod and North Drive. this restaurant has become an institution. famous for it's sate babe, mongolian barbecue, and fruit punch. 

along Narra Ave. Capitol Shopping Center, there's the Cansi capital of bacolod. you have two choices, Sharyn's or Eron's Cansi House. Cansi is another not-to-be-missed ilonggo dish, our own version of bulalo. only better. i usually have it for take away and eat at home. like i said, nursing a hangover. and this, the cure.

then there's Mushu, by 20th Lacson Street. this restaurant is known for asian food with a twist. pretty elaborate menu. it helps too that this is Masterchef Philippines Judge Chef Jayps' baby. so you know you're in good hands. and during Masskara week, this place transforms into a crazy party scene at night. dinner and drinks. it would have been smart if i had put this in the dinner category. moving on.

snacks.

it would be a shame not to indulge and treat yourself for a slice of blueberry cheesecake, or chocolate cake, or pecan cake, or black sambo, or heck, all of it at Calea. branches at Balay Quince, Lacson street. another at Lourdes C Bldg, Lacson street. and a few more around the city. 

there's also Felicia's by 6th Lacson st, famous for it's macarons and ensaymadas. and Bascon's Cafe' s Baba cake is to date, my favorite chocolate cake (27th Lacson street, Mandalagan).

or if you're not a sweet tooth and want to try an authentic ilonggo dish, i introduce to you batchoy. there's 21 at once again, Lacson street. it's as fine dining as you can get in bacolod. but if you're a hole-in-the-wall type like me, head to Super Batchoy House, Locsin street (beside Kit's store, in front of PBCom). it's been there for more than 30 years! you couldn't go wrong. 

dinner. 

if you're up to have the best sisig in your life, there's Kubo Sa Lawn (KSL at P. Hernaez Street Extension formerly Libertad Extension). be warned, sisig will never be the same again and you'll find yourself booking a flight to bacolod just to satisfy your cravings. im that confident. 

another place for carnivores is Lord Byron's Backribs. known for it's, you guessed it, backribs. by far the best backribs ive had, and im not even the backribs/spareribs type. but this one is definitely my type. the branch at Brgy Montevista, Homesite (behind the tennis court) can be a challenge to find for tourists, but is definitely worth the trip. there's one branch at Magsaysay Ave., if that's more convenient.

you're gonna thank these fatty grubs later when you're binge drinking. but if it's seafood you want, at Old Pala-pala it's seafood you're gonna get. it's by San Juan street corner North Capitol Road. it's our version of dampa. the sinigang na isda there will always be topnotch. there's 18th street Pala-pala too, corner 18th and Aguinaldo Street, just parallel to Lacson street which makes it a more convenient choice. just about anything i eat there is worth the mention, but the grilled scallops will always be a winner.

nightcap. 

Mushu and Dugout brings out the madness, especially during Masskara weekend. Art District have Txacho , a Spanish bar and restaurant which concocts dynamite sangrias and margaritas. Garaje (across Txacho) not only makes cocktails that will make you forget your room number (don't say i didn't warn you), the bar is a must-see. bottle-caps on the bar counter, lamps made of cassette tapes, tables made of sewing machines, coke cases turned into stools.  im a sucker for those things. and for cocktails too, of course. 

if you can squeeze in a midnight snack there, try L'fisher Hotel's Molo Soup.

you're welcome.

don't know how you can fit all these in your itinerary? i have that same dilemma everytime. that would be the least of your worries. try fitting in your jeans after. 

get lost in the moment, join the crazy, get your hands dirty and just let go. after all, you're in the city of smiles. 

here's to October 2013! CHEERS!

Iraqi feast

woke up mid-day, obviously starving, yet feeling adventurous, and cornflakes just won't do.

like always, i go to trusty google and search where to eat in dubai. ethiopian. indian. chinese. hmm, iraqi. sounds unfamiliar but promising. 

Bait Al Baghdadi may be the best go-to place for Iraqi food in Dubai. if you don't trust me, maybe you'll change your mind if you know Anthony Bourdain ate here. see bourdain.

if you're here to eat one thing, and one thing only (which i strongly suggest you don't), have the Masgouf. it's the grilled carp, Iraqi's national dish. it's method of cooking is a show on it's own. 

i suggest calling ahead, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour for it to be ready. and another helpful tip, go as a group, this massive creature is for 3-4 people. or you can go extremely hungry like we did and take the 2 kgs carp challenge.

Whoa. our exact words.

i took a minute just staring at it. i don't know if it was fascination to it's enormity or shock and doubt to how my fiance and i can possibly finish it all. it was a feast fit for a king. 

the fish came with lemon slices, mango chutney and the pickles. also there's the staple iraqi bread. i made a mistake of ordering the green salad, barely touched it since it went perfectly with rice. being asian and all. i was so close to asking for toyo and suka. we were already the only non-arabic people in the restaurant, i didn't want to stand out even more. 

the flavor of the fish, the texture, and even the smell, is unlike any fish i had in dubai. how they seasoned the fish didn't compete with the fish's natural flavor, and that charcoal-kind-of-taste made it even more divine. it was fresh and juicy, to say the least. 

it was like a fish eating contest for my fiance and i. and my hopes for having a portion of it to take home and eat it with toyo and suka is gone. 2 kilos carp devoured by two. to our defense, we were really hungry.

and yes, it was that good.

and if you have space for dessert, try their version of creme brulee. we made space for it. that, with their black cardamom tea is a good way to end a lavish meal.

all that for 160 aed (1900 php). a great deal. as soon as i was able to lift myself off my seat, i was invited to the kitchen. big thanks to the amazing staff. seeing how they make the khoubiz (iraqi bread) was a treat. 

there will sure to be a next time, Bait al Baghdadi. i will have to try your Shawarma Tashreeb soon. if only Masgouf doesn't call out to my cravings first.

Bait Al Baghdadi

Al Muteena Street, 

Deira, Dubai

Phone: +9714 273-7064

Hainanese Chicken Wars

i have made it my life's mission to find the best Hainanese Chicken in Manila. like i have anything better to devout myself to.

first let me introduce to you the fabled Hainanese chicken. named after where it began, Hainan, China, but have been made famous predominantly in Singapore. Although other neighboring countries like Malaysia, Thailand and even the Philippines have adapted their own versions of this famous chicken.

the process: the chicken is steeped into boiling water together with garlic and ginger, then the stock will be reused for the making of the chicken rice. for some who are weirded out eating pale, raw-looking chicken (eyes rolling), there's the roasted chicken too.

Tao Yuan and Wee Nam Kee aced the Hainanese Chicken test, comparing it to my encounters in Singapore. both restaurants originated form Singapore, by the way. no surprise there.

Tao Yuan's Hainanese Chicken (whole chicken-880php).

Tao Yuan branches: 

General Malvar St. Malate Manila

Greenbelt 3, 2nd floor, Makati

Resorts World, 2nd floor, Newport City

also try their Mango Lapu-Lapu and Spareribs in Garlic. 

Wee Nam Kee (whole chicken-890php). 

Wee Nam Kee's branches:

Serendra Piazza, Taguig

Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati 

Glorietta 2, Makati

Trinoma, Quezon City

Shangri-la Plaza, Mandaluyong 

Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa

must-try their chili crab!

Both are the melt-in-your-mouth-kinda-chicken. that simple flavor of quality chicken seasoned and cooked to perfection, paired with rice oozing with chicken broth goodness, and an overflowing supply of crushed ginger and chili sauce on the side.

yes, both are worth the drool.

but there can only be one victor in this Hainanese Chicken Wars. 

Wee Nam Kee- 1   Tao Yuan- 0

ramen. bulgogi. paella.

basically, this is me sulking for losing my camera.

it's been weeks since my last post, and it's not because i haven't been busy stuffing myself with blog-worthy grub, my appetite's been pretty busy. my jeans can attest to that. i, too, have been busy kicking myself in the head a few times too many, losing photos of what i can potentially share to my oh-so-many-readers. enough with the self-loathing.

moving on. 

i finally had a taste of the famous Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (G/F Glorietta 4 Mall, Makati). getting a table was pure luck.  i had the Kara-miso ramen (spicy), my sister, the Shio ramen (salt flavor). then some roasted pork, pork gyoza and boiled egg on the side. we were hungry.

the soup was flavorful. just the right amount of spice. i could go for spicier, but that's what the chili powder on the table was for. the pork slices were tender. and the noodles were firm and just right. spicy ramen on a rainy night in manila. two thumbs up.

then there's this new korean barbecue place in Greenbelt 5 Makati, Bulgogi Brothers. not the authentic kind, more of a franchised, mainstream kind. for the life of me, i can't remember the name of which barbecue we had. first was spareribs and the second was pork. lame journalism, i know. if you call this journalism. either way, id stick to my authentic korean restaurants.

had a Spanish brunch with my sister and her boyfriend at Terry's (Salcedo Village G/F One Lafayette Sqaure, Makati). in my moment of third wheeling, i tried the Gambas Al Ajillo and Chorizo Iberico for starters, then the majestic Super-Paella Parellada. Claims it's from an original recipe from Barcelona and might as well be the most recommended in their menu.

paired with a good glass of wine at 11 in the morning, it was like teleporting to spain. i have to admit, the paella at Terry's was close to the ones i've tried in Barcelona, with regards to the taste and it's spices. although my only concern was it didn't use fresh shrimps (same with their gambas). they were tasty and all, and maybe to another it may be just the right kind of freshness. for me it was frozen shrimps fresh from the bag.

i refuse to end my post about frozen shrimps, so let me say i will definitely come back to Terry's, for its' chorizo iberico and wine that i enjoyed. and to try their risotto and jamon serrano that my sister told me about. all in all, it was a great day of eating, drinking (and third wheeling) that ended with a heavenly slice of Flan de la Abuela.

id like to thank my iphone4 and my sister's, for the photos in this blog. back to kicking myself in the head.