The 2007 of Lakwatsera Ako

It's been a very busy year for the Lakwatsera! Here's a rundown of all the Lakwatsera's lakwatsa's for the year:

January

Jakarta


Bali


February

Hongkong


Singapore


March

Puerto Galera

Photo by (1) Abe's camera; (2) Abe

Davao

Photo by (1) me; (2 & 3) Abe; (4) Jayvee

Cebu


April

Bataan and Pampanga


Punta Fuego


Bohol


Cebu


May

Laoag, Vigan, La Union

Photo by Sasha Manuel

June

Tagaytay

Photo by Sasha Manuel

Lucban


Cebu

July

Davao

Photo by Migs

Cebu


Iloilo and Capiz


August

Boracay and Kalibo


Singapore


September

Iloilo


California


Washington


October

Singapore


Lipa


November

Baguio

Photo by Sweetie

December

Davao


The Lakwatsera's New Year's Resolution: See more of my country (and increase my Lakbayan rating!)

Good Earth Tea Room

I've dined at Good Earth Tea Room countless of times already. Why? Because the founders/owners are my godparents. What joy it was growing up with them. When I was a kid we'd always go to the beach with them and other neighbors. It was a caravan from Paranque to Bicol and we'd always camp out by the beach. It was there that Tito Henry showcased his cooking prowess.

Eventually, Henry's Frames diversified into what we now know as Good Earth Tea Room. Opening their first branch at Greenhills and then Magallanes, Tito Henry's cooking brought in very important guests, including former President Fidel V. Ramos. I also always bring my guests there (including my boss, a well-known actor who I used as an endorser and who I found out now frequents the Alabang branch, and other foreign guests - they all loved eating there). I'm not sure how many branches they have now, but GETR may be found in The Fort, Greenbelt, Trinoma, Alabang and Malate among others.

Mom and Dad were quite lazy to prepare lunch today, so together with Titay and Miguel, we all hied off to Good Earth Tea Room at the Fort. Here are just some of their yummy dishes:

Sweet & Sour Pork

Crispy Peking Chicken

Popoy's Delight (lapu-lapu fillet with ham)

Pampano with Yellow Bean Paste

Tunaquittos

And you might also want to try out my kinakapatid's resto, Good Earth Roast. He has branches in Rockwell and recently opened one at Shopwise, Libis.

Fwendz Diner and Red Moon (Davao)

Davao has a lot of great places to dine in and my dear friend, Blogie, features a lot of these in his food blog.

I love going to Davao (and wish that's where I live) and I always gain at least 3 to 4 pounds whenever I visit. Last weekend I had the chance to see a bit of Davao before heading back home to Manila.

Fwendz Diner, Tope, founder of fwendz.com brought his passion for social networking offline and opened up this cool resto frequented by students and a number of oldies. The place is now known to be where IT people of Davao hang-out. Food's great too. The night I was there I hung-out with Ted Padova (Adobe evangelizer), The Usual Suspects, Blogie, Migs, Winston and Jun, and Rodney.

That's me with Fwendz Diner founder, Tope

Baby Back Ribs for just PhP99.00.

Quesadilla (uber hot, let's wait for Migs to upload the video he took)

On Saturday evening we wanted to try out something new and ended up at Red Moon Chinese Cuisines and Delicacies. With me were Andrew, Migs, Ria and Blogie.

Red Moon, Ria and Migs, me and Andrew

Oyster Omelet

Sweet and Sour Pork

Honey Spring Chicken

Now you know why I want to live in Davao. =)

Sentro

I always tell my foreign guests when they visit me here that they are required to gain at least 5 pounds before they leave. Two full days here in Manila and that goal is easily met.

Our country I would think has the most delicious food anywhere in the world since we use a lot of spices and pampalasa. Each region also represents a different type of cuisine. Northern Luzon is known for bitter and exotic dishes, Bicol for spicy food, inasal and different seafood dishes down South. I always gain whenever I travel in any part of the country.

But, my guests always have limited time whenever they visit and the no-brainer choice is, of course, Sentro (located at Greenbelt 3) and what to eat?

Crispy Pata, a cardiac delight


Sinigang na Corned Beef


Huge smiles due to full bellies

Baguio

Baguio for me holds the title of "coldest city in the Philippines". I've not been to Baguio on the "ber" months and I'd say I think I'm going to hold off going back unless it's summer or the first half of the year. It's really coooooldddd!

It's quite easy to get to Baguio from Manila. All you have to do is take a bus (Victory Liner) which costs PhP380 one way (deluxe is PhP600) and there are loads of hotels you can stay in - either at the city proper or go try the Camp John Hay Manor Hotel (a superior room at PhP4,600 per night can accommodate about 3 to 4 people). The huge numbers of cabs also makes it easy to get around the city. I recommend walking from SM Baguio down Session road down to the Baguio Public Market and then walk a bit more and you'll get to Burnham and a stone's throw away is Cafe by the Ruins. Walking also helps keep one warm.

Tried out Cafe Volante as recommended by ProjectManila. The pasta and pizza were very tasty and the apple pie was quite yummy too. Cafe Volante is located at Session Road (beside Greenwich) and is open 24 hours a day.


Here's the spaghetti and meatballs -


Here's the pizza (forgot to take a photo before eating!)


Here's the uber-yummy apple pie -


Fresh strawberry milk shake -


Ate breakfast at Cafe by the Ruins. Cafe by the Ruins has been around for the longest time and the last time I was there was about a decade ago with college friends. Noteworthy to order are the longganisa, tapuy and umm basically everything since it's all organic.


Cafe by the Ruins is unique for its interiors and they favor the arts as well.


Smoked ham with pineapple served with fresh fruits and organic rice


Spanish omelet served with fresh fruits and organic rice


Ruins Coffee


And I gained at least 2 pounds in just 30 hours! Argghhh....

Baguio Expenses:
Bus - PhP760 (round trip)
Accommodation - PhP4,600 (Manor; you can get places for less than PhP2,000 as well)
Food - PhP150 - PhP200 per meal
Taxi - PhP25 flag down; average of PhP40
Pasalubongs - Php40 for lengua, average PhP75-Php100 for choco flakes/peanut brittle