When I was handed a bottle of vinegar I started planning on how I could bring it home from GenSan. I knew it was going to be confiscated at the airport if I handcarried it. And it would've been dangerous to bring it as is. I didn't want to risk having the bottle broken in my luggage.
So... I transferred the contents to two empty water bottles, wrapped it with 3 plastic bags and put it inside the bayong for added protection. That's how I successfully brought home the yummy vinegar from GenSan.
I just had 24 hours to spend in General Santos City so I packed my lakwatsa in bite sizes. Andrew insisted that I should try out Little Dubai, so off we went after having a snack at Firenzo Deli.
I'm always excited to try out new things and my experience with Middle Eastern food has been sparse. I have taken a liking to it though, minus the spicy stuff. Drew briefed me on the menu and recommended I order kebab. I got one kebab meal and we split the soup (forgot what it's called).
The Kebab. I loved how the meat was prepared with exotic (well that's what I think) spices. It was served with grilled tomato and white garlic sauce. I passed on the orange spicy sauce.
The Soup. I forgot the name of the soup, it was good in the chinese hot and sour soup way. It was flavorful and matched the kebab perfectly.
Next time I'm in GenSan I'll surely bug whoever I am with to dine at Little Dubai.
Little Dubai (map)
National Highway,
General Santos City
+6383-553-4119
Must have: kebab (of course!)
Price range: PhP85 per meal with iced tea, soup was at PhP45
Lakwatsera's Rating: I love it! I wish they had a branch in Manila.
I was ravenous after going to the new spa at East Asia Hotel and nagged Eric and Andrew to have a snack with me. Eric and I chanced upon Firenzo Deli, located at the Sun City Suites and thought we'd try it out.
I didn't want to eat too much since dinner was just an hour away, so I ordered a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich.
I had my doubts since I'm not so fond of steak sandwiches, but my palate and tummy when to heaven after the first bite. The steak was soft and easy to bite and the cheese just matched it perfectly. I took out the red bell pepper though since I'm still teaching myself to eat it with any food and not just pizza and sisig. Ahhh... I would've ordered another sandwich, but Drew said I should reserve some of my appetite for Little Dubai.
Firenzo Deli (map)
Firenzo Building/Sun City Suites
Pan Philippine Highway
General Santos City
Must have: Philly cheese steak sandwich
Price Range: a tad bit expensive, PhP200-250 for a sandwich and a drink
Lakwatsera's Rating: I'll definitely go back for the Philly cheese steak sandwich and will check out the imported ingredients they're selling
I love eating sushi, especially at GenSan where when they say it's fresh, it is really fresh and not just defrosted, that's because the tuna we eat (be it as sushi, kinilaw or the canned ones) come from GenSan!
During the 2MBS sashimi night we were surprised to witness a fresh catch being prepared for the sashimi night. Here's a vlog about it -
You can also bring home fresh tuna by buying some from Citra Mina before you head to the airport. It's frozen and lasts about 6 hours (just in time for dinner when you take the 2:30 p.m. 5J flight)!
The first time I visited GenSan early this year the only thing I got to experience was eating the fresh tuna sashimi at Orange Bistro (again and again) and the only other place I was able to go to was the KCC Mall. I was there for work, as usual, and my trip lasted about 24 hours.
And I prayed fervently that I'd be able to go back.
I was really happy when I got invited to visit again because of the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit. I met Avel during the Davao F.A.T. and he then mentioned that if MBS was going to be held at GenSan then he'd invite me to come.
Fast-forward to the trip.
We took a land trip from Davao to GenSan after dining at Lachi's and arrived about 3 hours later. It was a full nature trip since we got to see mountains, a glimpse of the sea and mango and banana plantations. We had a short stop-over at the Family Country Hotel and then headed to the East Asia Royale Hotel to check-in. We just dropped our bags and then headed for "Grab-a-Crab" for dinner. After dinner we just hung-out at the hotel resto and had LOTS of blueberry cheesecake!
During the end of the second day we grabbed some coffee from "Coffee Club 101" (beside Grab-a-Crab), I absolutely love the place coz it has great coffee, great food and uber fast wifi!
East Asia Royale Hotel (THE place to stay in!) National Highway, Lagao General Santos City, Philippines 9500 +(6383) 5534120 to 28, 302-4120 to 22 Rates: from PhP1,950 to PhP3,200
Family Country Hotel Mateo Road, Lagao General Santos City, Philippines 9500 +(6383) 522-8895 to 97
