Looks like you're gonna be off saying SAMGYUPSALAMAT a little longer as the restaurant known for offering premium unlimited K-BBQ is celebrating Sangyeopsal Day on March 3 (same as in Korea) and extending festivities til the end of the month. This means, there's going to be more time to enjoy Korean food, banchan (side dishes) and meat for only Php 333 (a special rate they did on March 3, 13 and 23) on March 30. Patrons who avail of this promo and decide to participate with the Samgyupsalamat Hallyu Challenge can win a trip to Jeju Island, any KPOP or KDrama fan would relly love that!
After weathering the pandemic, SAMGYUPSALAMAT has continued to grow with the help of their loyal customers in over 70 branches across the country. This is why they are doing this huge "THANK YOU" on these dates. If you want to know more about their recent promos or offers, just search for SAMGYUPSALAMAT on social channels, there's certainly more to come!
Sibuyan Island Mining Situation (Photo Credits belong to Cort Catajay as published in Romblon News Network social channels.)
Things have certainly gone pretty violent at Sibuyan Island in Romblon when environmentalists and townsfolk have tried to stop trucks from going out to port and faced personnel who tried to dismantle their barricade. Videos have already been shown in GMA News Online as published last February 3rd and social posts on Twitter when tensions from parties increased.
According to recent reports this February 10th, the Philippine Ports Authority GM Jay Santiago confirmed that they didn't give permits for ports or ship docks to Altai Philippines Mining Corporation (supposedly owned by William Gatchalian) in the said island. This was said during the Dos Por Dos program of Anthony Taberna and Gerry Baja. He also had instructed the local Port Management Office in Batangas who has jurisdiction in the province and require no permits be issued until resolution be made with the mining company's operations in Sibuyan Island. It would also require them to get DENR clearance, approval from local government too with regards to its foreshore lease. Santiago also confirmed they had previously applied for it but no requirements have been submitted to this date. Any operation without it will be deemed illegal according to the General Manager as their facilities are unregistered.
A local Barangay official was reported to also be handcuffed during the date of the protest but later released. According to reports, they are part of the residents of the island who have seen nickel being transported from the area - this of which they have heavily resisted since late January 2023. The government should certainly intervene with the situation and see how the resources in the area be not abused, and restraint be exercised for the safety of those who live in the area. Pretty sure they only want flora and fauna be saved for them and their children's children.
I've been in the city too long and yes I couldn't have wished for better a trip... this was so timely. I was invited to an event called ALOHA PALAWAN. Yes, this was the island called "The Last Frontier" by travelers who have been there - and I can only agree why they call it as such. There are 7,147 islands in the Philippines and the ones on our itinerary are just the tip of the ice berg. Backpackers have known about the best island in the world for quite a while now but they'd rather keep it a secret. This is paradise we're talking about it and I am so happy Air Asia Philippines is taking us there!
Clark International Airport
This travel arrangement has been done by Amika Travel and Tours. Since they know this place like the back of their hands, it was easy getting from one place to another because of the van arrangements, it was a no brainer to have this as mode of transport because we were in a group. I strongly advise you to do the same rather than commuting as you would save a lot of time (and spend wisely on the beaches instead). We left Manila in the afternoon so we arrived around dinner.
Before we did leave Clark in Pampanga (where the Clark International Airport is), we ate lunch at Matam ih Restaurant that served legit Kapampangan food, all pretty heavy because it's all good with RICE in the Philippines. I kinda stayed with the safe ones because I was on Keto, they had really good Kare Kare so if there's one to try, make that part of your meal. Aside from that, your guests would really love the in house entertainment provided for by really talented Aeta/Amerasian singers who perform there on a regular basis. They were so good that I saw one of them perform in Tawag ng Tanghalan a few days later (a famous singing competition on national TV) and she won that day.
Matam-ih Restaurant in Clark Airbase.
Murky corn soup or Suam was good even on a hot weather
When they say Kare Kare, you don’t say NO
Oh don’t even get me started, they have good Shrimp Fritters!
When in Pampanga, try the Sisig. Their is more on the livery side.
The oh so yummy Native Roasted Chicken
After all that authentic Filipino cuisine experience, we went to Clark International Airport and checked in. I love how that new airport is very clean and not overcrowded like the ones in Manila. When you're taking a trip you can ride a bus from TRINOMA (a well known mall north of Manila) and would only prolly cost you Php 350 or so, pretty cheap than catch yourself squirming in an airport in Manila.
AirAsia Philippines flies regularly from Clark International Airport to different parts of the country. They also have international flights that come from this airport, it's sometimes even cheaper to actually get flights from here. Now I don't know most of these guys I'm flying with but they're from different media entities, some bloggers, some Instagram celebrities and our friends from AirAsia. They count us regularly so we don't get lost haha! Oh and Clark also has strong wifi from Smart, if you fly this way you'll also get to finish some of your blogging backlogs, upload videos quite easy. Plus it's FREE!
When we arrived in Puerto Princesa, it was pretty laid back. I immediately saw the tricycles and how it was totally different than the ones in Manila. I kinda likened it to junior cars because they have that certain look on front that they do, so they can also stretch the back area of the tricycles for luggage as it is a touristy town.
When we arrived at HUE Hotel and Resorts (our home in Puerto Princesa Palawan), we were welcomed with a huge production number courtesy of the hotel. They pretty much did a medley of Philippine dances (which I did when I was in Elementary btw LOL), so imagine our surprise. Then inside our room, it was perfect. They have a separate toilet and bath, two single beds, and you could ask for extra keys. They also gave us Palawan's best banana chips which we had to look for later on to take home because it was so good. Thank you to Hue Hotel, Laag PH for the complimentary shirts too.
MATIZ Restaurant and Tapaz Bar
Fun dining with the others :)
Minestrone Soup
Chef’s Salad, Romaine, shards of cheese, bacon, a little crouton and light balsamic dressing
Ropa Vieja and Gambas, staples in Tapaz bars
The Matiz Paella, a seafood and paella lover’s dream!
Tres Leches Flan, not too sweet, just right.
We'll be sleeping here first before doing some islands the next day. So we relaxed and had dinner at the hotel's own restaurant. It's called MATIZ Restaurant and Tapaz Bar (yes after the painter), which was a very relaxed tapas bar in this side of the world. We had wine, Ropa Vieja (which I love and YOU should order), Gambas, good Seafood Paella, Chicken Iberico with Mojo Sauce and Tres Leches Flan for dessert. Now if that doesn't convince you to stay in this hotel while you're in Puerto Princesa, take a breather because we're about to embark to Kamia tomorrow!
Stay tuned folks, we're publishing the Kamia Bay Resort article soon! If you would want to stay in Puerto Princesa City, Hue Hotel may be reached via https://www.facebook.com/huepuertoprincesa or their website thehuehotel.com.
A small banca signifying our culinary journey of Cavite, a rich food haven located an hour or so away at the outskirts, south of Manila.
I think I've been here, perhaps when I was a kid. Though I couldn't remember specifically when so in a nutshell this is a trip down south that I've been raring to go to because I've been hearing a lot about Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park the past few months. Photos alone had me wondering, why haven't I gone there when it looked so good on photos, and people I know who go there actually had so much fun. The place is picturesque, have stunning views of the Cavite coastline. It's situated along Covelandia Road in Kawit, Cavite and can be accessed through the new line along the Cavite Expressway (CavitEx). You can drive and get there in an hour or so from Manila, perhaps ride to SM Bacoor and ride another van to Island Cove if you want to commute there. All along, I thought Island Cove was a membership only resort as it had some similarities to Fontana in Pampanga. I was wrong, because they're very much open to the public.
Anyway, we were there for good reason. It's about the FOOD. The people at Island Cove find it a little unnerving why they haven't really featured much of the community to the people going there. They've got a mix of locals, foreigners, balik bayans and just about everyone who enjoys food go to their spot called the Fishing Village to have a meal with family and friends, but never solely to showcase what Cavite cooking is all about. Well, they've done the legwork for you and researched the dishes, even had recipes exhumed from long gone restaurants and use it to demystify what Cavite cooking is all about. Chef Vill Purificacion had us sample dishes of this place he calls home, let's just say I didn't know Cavite ever tasted this good!
Lawlaw is a crispy, deep fried local fish dredged in flour/light batter mostly found in Cavite City.
Tahong Chips is originally from Bacoor. It's now one of the city's best exports. They also served it with local spiced vinegar, perfect for groups or beer pairing.
This is the Mutya ng Cavite Soup by Sabater. A thick creamy soup with a huge serving of local sea mollusks, crabs, shrimp, clams caught locally. The original restaurant closed down but they were able to get the recipe from the family. This was a hit among the crowd.
They call this Calandracas. It's got the ingredients of summer, a bit refreshing, but has chorizo so you get those bits of smoky pork flavor in each slice.
This is Bacalao, but they use Labahita fish as the former is a little too expensive. It's salted fish, and is perhaps a good thing to have with just hot, steamed white rice.
This is Adobong Imus which hails from the town of the same name. It's made of the usual, but use annatto oil in lieu of soy sauce. Surprisingly, it was good!
This one's called Valenciana. This version is from General Trias and uses coconut milk as base so it's quite different from the one I'm used to at home (the Bacolod version). It's different, I like how it's become a bit Asian rather than Spanish inspired. I was staying away from rice but this one got me skip a day for that rule.
This is their Pansit Pusit. It reminds me of Black Ink Pasta dishes but they use local rice noodles, seasonal vegetables, seafood and strips of green mangoes, scallions and garlic. I thought it wouldn't work but it did. It tastes like the sea, in a good way. Something totally off beat from the usual Pansit, but would be really good for seafood lovers.
Hot weather calls for Fresh Buco! It was sweet and refreshing!
This one is Afritadang Gulay na may Baboy. Which I think is the usual afritada ingredients but uses pork for the meat. It's soft, would be good for hot white rice. I love anything with tomato sauce on it!
This is the Pansit with Puso ng Saging. It's a little tangy, much like that banana heart dish Mom used to make but made into a rice noodle dish. Don't laugh but I could imagine people eating this with rice too, with this as a viand.
This is their Pansit Malabon. For those who don't know, parts of Cavite was actually called Malabon in Spanish times even before the actual Malabon in Metro Manila was established. This wreaks of shrimp goodness as it probably was made of shrimp head sauce, quite lovely with those bits of pork crackling, egg, spring onions, squid, and more pork.
For dessert, we had Kutsinta from nearby towns. They actually buy these rice cakes from locals the morning before they serve it.
This is the Kalamay, similar to the ones I get from Bacolod but this is flattened and served in individual plastic sheets. A bit modernized I think! This tastes like coconut spread, with coconut strips on it.
This is their Sapin Sapin which literally means layers in English. With different rice cakes, mixed with coconut milk, purple yam, it was totally something to look forward to in a trip to Cavite! Oh wait there's more!
My personal favorite among the things served that day was this! This is called Tamales. Made of corn meal, rice, pork fat, pork meat, paprika (I think because it was a bit smoky) and chili powder (as it felt a little spicy). I could have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's a bit heavy, as it was designed to be a one dish meal that farmers would usually have after tolling the fields back in the days. I would totally go back for this!
If you haven't had enough of your cheese dreams come true, they've got a platter of Kesong Puti probably from cow's milk. I would love to have this with bread or on top of pizza. Or just about anything during breakfast.
To get you a little excited about what to expect at Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park, I made a short video of our trip that afternoon and uploaded it on Youtube. If you haven't seen it yet, please subscribe to my channel or just check this one below. Check out our interview with the Chef and Gilbert Remulla who handles the property.
TIP: You can get a spot overlooking the shore for Php 4,500 consumable (3 hours, like a private cottage) which I think is good for 30 persons (although if you invite that much people chances are you're gonna need to spend a bit more for your birthdays/occasions). You may call them at 8107878 or 8105351 or email them at inquiry@islandcovephil.com if you want to have it arranged, if you expect guests coming to the Philippines or just about any reason to go there. They also have fishing areas, perfect for Father and Son bonding moments, aside from the good food of course!
The “Taste Cavite” menu featured on this article is now available at the Fishing Village on Fridays, Saturday and Sunday. starting November 18 and will be served daily starting December 22, 2016. I hope to get to see you there when I come and visit!
If you haven't heard yet, the place I stayed in Boracay a few months back just got nominated for the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards. They have been consistently getting accolades as one of the best destination resorts in the world and this year, they're proving once again to be worthy of this award as the voting ends tomorrow February 29. Discovery Shores Boracay is one of the best places I've ever been to and if you want to make the country proud this year, you better get ready to vote for them today by going to their website https://tlworldsbest.wylei.com.
You will be brought to answer a survey then to a voting page. All you need to do is choose Hotels > Asia > Philippines > Boracay > then Discovery Shores Boracay Island. Rate the property then choose NOT to rate hotel brands. You will then be notified that your vote is complete and voting will only be allowed until the 29th of February. That's tomorrow so if you have spare time today, would you mind voting for them? I just did. This will not only be good for the business, but will make the country proud!
If you wish to know more about their awards, check Discovery Shores here.
It's another year and another time for the PTAA 2015. Tons of corporations, travel agencies, hotels and resorts converge at the SMX Convention Center to promote the best deals, their places and the whole Philippines in general. The Discovery group of luxury resorts is bringing in their A game and pushing forth unbelievable deals in their property and give you a much closer view of what it feels to be in their hotels, resorts and the islands. This is it!
See what I mean? You and your loved ones are missing a LOT! If I were you, I'd visit them at SMX today!
It's also their 15th Anniversary and they're dubbing it as DISCOVERY XV and will run today February 13 up until the 15th and it'll surely get thousands of visitors from all over the Philippines and other countries. Make sure you get their stays in prime properties such as Discovery Suites in Ortigas, Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay, Discovery Shores Boracay, Club Paradise Palawan and the soon-to-open Discovery Primea Makati. Go on and email them at corpsm@discovery.com.ph or log on to http://tinyurl.com/Discovery-XV for more details. Oh and please try to walk in to the venue if you're not doing anything this weekend.
You can also visit their website http://discoveryhotels-resorts.com/ and do it from there. But remember, special offers and discounts will only be in the PTAA fair!
