Mae Krua : A Thai Restaurant Review

Going to Bangkok, Thailand was one of the best trips we've ever had. Aside from the various activities that can be done in and out of the city, the low cost of living was a big plus.The one thing I miss the most though is the food!

Tasty, strong flavors, varied textures and beautiful presentations, make me wish that I live in Thailand.

Heading out to Cebu, right across the unit we stayed in at the Crowne Regency City Suites, Ramos Tower was a place that took me back to Thailand.

Mae Krua, an authentic Thai restaurant, complete with a Thai decor, Thai snacks (tamarind candies, crunchy anchovies and more) as well as that seemingly relaxed ambiance (with lots of groups sharing laughs over a fab meal), I fell in love with the place.

Located at the corner of A.R. Villanueva and F. Ramos Street (#80 F. Ramos Street), they've got EVERYTHING one can hope for from a Thai restaurant! Wish I took a pic of the menu (AGAIN!!) to show you just how comprehensive the menu is. Luckily, the website MunchPunch has most of the items on their website: click here.

The seafood we had was fresh, the portions, good for 2 and the taste...spot on. The price is relatively inexpensive (close enough to the prices in Thailand!). This is what we had (some repeated over a two night period):

Appetizer Platter - Por poa/ tod mun goong/ gai hor bai toy/ nua thod jim jaew 195 PHP

**chicken pandan, calamares, fried beef in sesame seeds and spring rolls (pork, vermicelli and some veggies). this came with two sauces, one spicy and the other was peanut based

fried chicken with basil and lemongrass and a sriracha dip 145 PHP

Thai Fried Rice and Prawns (platter size 180 good for 3)

Spicy Prawns 200 PHP

Thai Milk Tea

my fave, Tamarind Juice (just like the way mom makes it)

We had a pretty good time eating happily at Mae Krua. The service was pretty fast and efficient. The waiters knew their product and the food was great. Give it a try if you're in the area :)

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!

Come By Kampai: A Fastfood Review

You've probably heard of the good advice to NEVER go to a grocery on an empty stomach. We've always tried to abide by this rule (so as not to splurge)  but now, I'm kinda re thinking this.

It all began when I had to meet up with my cousin who is a full time mom and Greenmeadows resident. As with most moms, you can never go to the grocery one to many times, so we hooked up at Shopwise Libis.

MAX seriously loooves Miso soup

Being from Baguio and all, this is where I usually get my Majestic Ham stash. While going down to the food court area after picking up stuff in the supermarket, I came upon a relatively new place in the area: Kampai.

my Korean/Japanese bento box: beef bulgogi, seafood tempura, tuna sashimi and kani sticks, miso soup, sesame rice, 3 kinds appetizers (cabbage kimchi, pickled bean sprouts and radish kimchi) plus some navel orange slices all for 280 php

Kampai is a Korean/Japanese restaurant that features a variety of dishes from both nations and sort of a fusion on the set up of things.

spicy firecracker Maki at 80 php

The place is bright, seats are well placed, service is fast and the menu is pretty expansive. The portions are huge, well prepared, visually appetizing and delicious. I should also share the fact that the prices are more than reasonable for the quality, even if it is a fast food.

the New York maki, still at 80 php

For sure, I'll be back the next time I'm in the area. And maybe this time, I'll remember to take pictures of the menu :P

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!

The Road To Oslob

the Butanding aka whale shark

3-4 hours away from Cebu City lays the coastal town of Oslob. What used to be a sleepy fishing barrio has come into International scrutiny after outsiders discovered its rare treasure: The Whale Shark.
 

Normally migratory creatures, the biggest fish in the world has made the pristine waters of Oslob their home year round. 

one big baby

While Donsol may be the breeding ground of these gentle giants, the big butandings tend to leave their relatively huge young in the Oslob area, enjoying its plankton rich waters.  As big as they are, they can only eat krill and plankton, as anything bigger than that just won’t go in.

Our mediocre adventure began when we rode the clean and comfortable Ceres bus that plies the Cebu-Santander route. At 169 pesos/adult, we headed out to Liloan, Santander where we had booked into Eden Resort. Santander is a 30 minute ride past Oslob, specifically the barangay of Tan-Awan.

on the edge of your seat driving. 40 kph? Really?!! I could've sworn we were running way faster than that

While the buses may be comfortable, one must brace one’s self against the recurring panic one may encounter from the Cebuano-driven vehicles that pass through the 2 way roads. Break neck speeds at blind curves and hair pin bends, not to mention an incoming bus or truck while all this is going on is enough for you to start mentally chanting a prayer to the heavens above.

Phil taking a picture from out in the open sea

Now back to the whale shark interaction:

Based on our experience, we hired a tricycle to bring us to and fro Oslob. The tricycle driver was to wait for us the whole time we had that interaction. This costs around 500 php.

circling the heard

He brought us to a resort that charged us 70 php registration fee/adult and a 500 php/adult interaction fee, which included the rental of snorkeling gear, a paddle boat and the assistance of boatmen. 

for good swimmers, you could take off the bulky life vests

We were also handed out life vests and given a 5 minute (ish) seminar on the proper interaction behavior (no touching the sharks, stay 4m away from the so you won’t impede their movements, no scuba diving to prevent excessive bubbles around them as they will chase you thinking you have food, and lastly, no flash photography). Speaking of cameras, underwater cameras are available for rent (200 php, or so I heard).

we and those few other boats were it as far as the whale shark crowd went

From the shore, you could actually see the dorsal fins of the fish. Oslob’s waters were teeming with whale sharks, unlike in Donsol, where a “hunt” for the big creatures must be done by a spotter. 

MAX freaking out as the big mouth came closer :P

According to the locals, the fish have been around Oslob for the longest time, so they were quite surprised with all the attention it was getting. They also said that the whale sharks stayed there year round often appearing in the early morning while the waters were cool.

feeding time all done :D

The boat used for this interaction was a small fisherman’s paddle boat (much like a canoe).  We went a few meters from the shore and met up with a lone fisherman on a boat who was throwing this fishy (putrid) smelling stuff in the water. Apparently, they were feeding the whale shark dried krill. The whale shark was following our boat around because of this. 

like gentle puppies, they follow the boat that has the food

One of the boatmen then anchored our boat and allowed us to go into the water and swim with the whale shark. Phil and MAX did that while I stayed and captured the whole thing for posterity’s sake. I wasn’t able to go into the water (though it was calm, not so deep that and pretty clear you can see the bottom of the sea from this point). I blame it on my Donsol experience where we were in deeper waters, stronger waves and bigger whale sharks…getting bumped by a whale shark as it surfaced and I was swimming on top of it).

"Durian" the whale shark as named by the local fishermen

BTW, we were given 30 minutes for the total experience. 

Oslob has come under fire from the scrutiny of environmentalist groups who have voiced out their concerns regarding the “unnatural” goings on in the area. 

For one, with the desire of the local fishermen to have a seemingly “closer” relationship with the whale sharks, they have taken to feeding the fish, krill. You have to understand that feeding animals in the wild may, according to the experts short circuit their natural instincts. That includes fending for themselves in the wild, and well, not treating man as your…er best friend.

There is of course, the occasional whale shark that gets treated like a surf board for photo ops by enthusiastic tourists.

At the time of our visit, I didn’t see anyone “abuse” the whale shark.  I saw man and beast live harmoniously in what seemed to be a beautiful symbiotic relationship. 

Maybe the folks in Oslob have learned a thing or two from the environmentalists, or not wanting to push the envelope and losing business, they decided to straighten their act. But whatever the case maybe, they’re pretty organized down there.

It’ a good thing we reserved judgment in heading off to Oslob amidst the controversy.  We’ll probably be back…real soon :D

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!

In The Midst of Eden (A Resort Review)

the bar/restaurant and the owner's residence

The Biblical name Eden has always been synonymous with paradise. And true enough, the next destination in our Cebu trip proved to be just that.

the volcanic rocks and white sand beach make for a dramatic walk along the shore

Situated 3-4 hours away from Cebu City, Eden Resort has well appointed rooms, beautiful surroundings, and the blessing of Mother Nature to boot.

We chose to book at this establishment, due to its close proximity to Oslob, a whale shark interaction town.

storm clouds may have obscured the sun, made the temperature drop, but it sure didn't stop us from having fun!

As with what happened to us a couple of years back, a storm warning was raised on the night of our arrival in the Queen of the South. On the plus side, at least this time, we landed. Postponing our whale shark for another day due to the rains, we were so thankful that we booked at the Eden Resort. 

our home for 3 days

This gem of a place is great for R and R, prompting me to tell Phil and MAX as soon as we got in our room, that I wasn’t going to come back with them to Baguio and that I was going to move here. Phil said he’d love to join me too.

nesting :P

marbled walls and floors keep things cool on top of the ac and ceiling fan attached to the lights

The entire room is made of marble, with a few small abstract paintings dotting the place. The furniture is simple, quaint wicker pieces..from our wood/wicker headboard, the small desk and chair at the side of the bed to the armchairs, side and coffee table in our mini living room, not to mention the shelf housing the coffee and tea service and the personal fridge.

best part of the room

Our bed overlooks a marbled balcony that houses all weather wicker furniture, set to make sea watching easier. Yup, you read right. All the rooms at Eden overlook the sea. What’s cute is that two years ago, while we were in Dumaguete, our room overlooked the sea and the not so distant island of Cebu. This year, our room in Cebu overlooks the Tanon Strait and the not so distant island of Negros (where Dumaguete is at) :D

It is air conditioned, has a spacious en suite bathroom (decent shower) and clean.

An infinity pool outside, by the resort’s restaurant/bar  is opened to all guests. You also have beach access, passing through a charmingly set up pathway. White sand, corals and clear waters…need I say more?

the beach at low tide

the walkway to the beach

below the infinity pool, along the beach pathway

wonder if the water reaches the wet part of the stairs during high tide...

Though the resort is along the highway, you won’t have to be bothered by sound of vehicles and what have you as the resort a five minute walk or so from the main gate.  Not sure if there are nearby food establishments nearby, so all our food had been ordered from the resort. 

chicken adobo seasoned like pata tim

calamares made from fresh squid

spicy Hunter pasta, while the sea breeze cools you down :)

chili squid

pancit canton

Portions vs price, the food is price reasonably. The Caldereta that we ordered though was a bit tough. The sotanghon was veggie and chicken laden, but a bit bland, the chicken adobo seemed to be a combo of pata tim sauce, but was rather delicious and the calamares was cooked with fresh squid.

Eden's Pizza...soooo good!!!

Best in the menu were the pizzas…huge, tasty and packed that the crust seems to be an afterthought; you can’t go wrong especially with the fact that it costs around 300 pesos. I had pizza dreams the first night :D

On the negative, while the staff is nice, they tend to be slow moving and seem to need a replay of your previous instructions. I could’ve blamed it on the language barrier, but as I can speak the local dialect with passable fluency, I only had them to blame (service water almost never gets to your room):P

They also offer massage services at 350 php/hour. Look for Rizza. I’ve never felt this recharged. It’s a little of shiatsu and some traditional hilot, and no surface is left unrelaxed. Plus, if you don't want to head out, they've got satellite TV hooked up.

Should you want to make arrangement for scuba diving, or for transportation to Oslob (the whale shark place) or to get a ride to where you could take the bus back to Cebu, talk to the folks behind the bar at Eden’s restaurant. They’ll hook you up.

I seriously could get used to living here (if that were even possible). It’s peaceful, activity filled yet quiet..except for the gentle sound of the waves on the beach. 

As I end this blog entry, I am occasionally gazing out on to the Bohol sea for signs of wild dolphins, the very same variety we “chased” 2 years ago in Bais Bay. And yes, they too feel that this place is indeed paradise.

For more info/reservations, check out their website:   http://eden.ph/ 

From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!