Lunch Along Loboc River

07 November 08 - K and I hired a van so we can check out different landmarks and tourist spots in Bohol. Come lunch time, Kuya Ricky (the driver) took us to Rio Verde Restaurant, a floating restaurant that also gives a tour along the Loboc River with one stop somewhere in the middle.

It's an eat-all-you-can buffet, and typically, what I do in situations like this one is to get a tablespoon of each dish so I can taste all then just go back to the buffet table to get more of the foods I liked the most. Among all the foods they served, my top three choices were the seaweed salad, adobong kangkong, and fried chicken.

The cruise plus lunch cost 300 pesos each. K obviously paid for it, so I could only say thank you to him. And thanks to Mother Nature, too, for giving a great view!

*** Jenn ***

5 for Wednesday - 012809

1. Do you like garlic in food?
>>> Yup! I love the smell and taste of garlic... I can even eat raw garlic!

2. Do you have any favorite food brands you always look for?
>>> Jack and Jill Chippy!

3. What food or foods seem to give your gas the worst?
>>> egg and kamote.

4. Would you like for menu items at restaurants to list calorie counts?
>>> I don't really care much about calories because it acts as body's battery, what I want to have a list of is the amount of fat, sugar, and salt in the foods.

5. If you were lost in the woods of your area, what plants would you know to use as food?
>>> For one, there's gabi (taro). There are also saluyot and other trees/plants that can provide food for my tummy. =)

*** Jenn ***

B = Barbecue

One of my favorite street foods is the barbecue. Actually, I consider this as one of my top 10 favorite foods of all time. I just love the smell of it and how the smoke actually helps in making it more delicious.

This picture was shot at the Salcedo Village weekend market. I went there to take part of the "Yummy Weekend," organized by Yummy Magazine, and while roaming around, I took this photo. There's a space in the market just for grilled foods, and if you're into grilled foods, it's a paradise for you, so to speak.

Sadly, I didn't buy even just one stick of barbecue because I just ate my brunch and I was still full. Maybe next time. =)

*** Jenn ***

From My Kitchen: Arroz Caldo

There was a day last week that I felt I would get sick because my head started aching and my tongue felt warm corrupting my taste buds, so when brother and I were thinking what to cook for dinner, I immediately told him I will cook arroz caldo as it is one of my comfort foods.

Arroz Caldo literally means "rice" and "stock" in Spanish. Here in the Philippines, although there are many variations of the rice porridge or congee, as many people calls it, when someone speaks of arroz caldo, it means rice porridge with chicken. Other variations for this dish had ox tripe, pork intestines and others - which they call "goto."

When I cook arroz caldo, I use 100% glutinous rice. Others mix regular rice and glutinous rice to save up, but I don't really go for it. I prefer my arroz caldo thick and not too soupy, it's like eating mushy risotto. And, I make sure there are chopped spring onions, toasted garlic bits, and a teaspoon of calamansi juice in my bowl. I love the sourness the calamansi gives to the dish, but not all are into it.

*** Jenn ***

Me... a Goat?

Technically, I am a bull and a monkey based on my astrological signs, but here in the Philippines, it's a common nickname (as a form of a tease) to call someone a goat when they love eating vegetables, especially the leafy ones.

Well, I really don't mind being called a "goat," for I do love to eat the greens. I actually eat more vegetables than fruits, although I could say that I would never eat okra come what may. Anyway, this veggie is called "kangkong" here in the Philippines, english name swamp spinach. Usually used in sinigang dishes, this vegetable is also cooked as an appetizer (leaves dipped in a batter then fried), or in this case, adobo.

Once I planned to cook sinigang, but it wasn't materialized because mom brought home ready to eat foods, so the next day, instead of letting the kangkong turn yellow, I decided to cook it a la adobo. A very simple dish, but I love this one a lot. This might be a lowly vegetable, but this fibrous veggie is definitely a wonder for people with digestion and bowel problems.

*** Jenn ***

Eye Candy

Growing up, I never really liked eating chocolate candies. Maybe it's because we cannot afford it before, or possibly it's because our late father used to hoard all chocolate candies so only he can eat it. =) Actually, while both are indeed true, I am happy not be as addicted as my dad was to chocolates, because if I got that trait from him, we would probably fight over chocolates while he was alive.

Anyway, these chocolates were given to my sister by her friend and kumare who resides in Macau. My sister helped her with her school papers, so when her friend's husband came back to the Philippines, they gave sis a bag of Cadbury chocolates. This was an old picture, I shot this one for our family blog and for my sister's blog in Multiply (she's not really a blogger, but at times she updates her Multiply site).

*** Jenn ***

ps - I am still wondering why the PR of this blog has dropped from 2 to "?". I hope it'll change.

Dinner in Bohol

{To continue with the vacation foods...}

06 November 2008 - K and I took the 9:30PM bus ride from Vigan the night before and we arrived in Manila 6:30AM. Because our luggage were heavy and big, we decided to hail a taxi from the bus terminal going straight to the airport. Our flight to Tagbilaran, Bohol was at 12NN, but as early as 7:30AM, we've already checked-in our luggage and we just stayed at the lobby where we await for the flight.

I already shared the breakfast I had at the airport for Food Friday a few weeks back, so I will now fast forward... =)

We arrived in Bohol nearly 2PM and after checking in at the Dumaluan Resort in Panglao Island, K and I rested first and late in the afternoon, we walked along the beach. One of the famous resorts in Panglao - the Bohol Beach Club - was just next to Dumaluan, so we went there, too, just to "see" how it was. While walking back to our resort, we saw this chef grilling some foods and automatically I told K that I wanted to eat chicken barbecue. K suggested we check out what Dumaluan has to offer.

It took a while before we ate dinner, and since the foods in Dumaluan was reasonable, we decided to eat there.

Since I was already craving for it, I had the chicken barbecue, while K had the resort's specialty, the Bacon Wrapped Banana. I forgot the exact name of the food, but it was delicious! I apologize for the poor image on the foods, lighting was so bad as we were eating near the shore. If I put on the flash, it would look much horrible, and if I put on the auto or the night mode, everything was too dark. I took this on the manual mode and my camera gives blurred images if I have it on manual on a low light setting.

But really, these foods were delicious! K and I loved the mix of the salty bacon and the sweet banana, and paired it with the veggies, it was so great! My chicken barbecue was delicious, too! I loved how it was seasoned and cooked. Not being able to eat lunch, K and I surely had a feast!

*** Jenn ***