Balamban Liempo in Cebu…

Liempo.

Cebu is well known for its tasty lechon.

Lechon is a roasted whole pig or piglet.

Now, Liempo is a boneless cut of fatty meat from the underside of a pig and according to them, Liempo is tastier than lechon. Well, specifically BALAMBAN LIEMPO. 

Of course we already had liempos in Cebu but Balamban Liempo was special… somehow.
First, it cost more… Like P50 more. (That’s a hint right there)
Each serving will cost you P180 but it’s good for 3-4 people.

We found out that what made it special was the spices used.
I don’t know what they are so don’t bother asking me. I just eat the thing..

Because of the spices, it’s really good! I should know, it’s my favorite liempo.

By the way, Balamban is a place in Cebu.. A municipality really.

I was so curious why it was called Balamban Liempo that along with a good friend of mine; Sherwin, actually went to Balamban just to taste an authentic “Balamban Liempo”!
(13.59 Miles/ 21.87 Km.)

Yup! I’ll go through great lengths just for food, in this case, great distance.

This is why it’s called FOOD TRIP.
You actually go on a trip just to get some food. haha

So to compare, Here you go!

Balamban Liempo sold in Cebu:

I know, right?? It looks sooo good!
And it taste good too!

I had really high hopes for the authentic liempo in Balamban..
So 1.5 hrs after…..

It looked the same but the taste? Not so good.
It’s P20 pesos cheaper though…

It’s a little disappointing.

I mean, it’s called Balamban Liempo for crying out loud!
Yet the Balamban Liempo sold in Cebu taste better than the Balamban Liempo sold in Balamban! hahaha
Go figure.

But that’s okay though. I just really had to know…
Question answered. Problem solved.
Tummy full. 🙂

AhhhhHHhhhh Phets NoodLe HousE…

Food.

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s eating.
And I just love doing it over and over again. Of course, I’ll die if I don’t.

One lazy afternoon, I was hungry and was craving for a Buddies Taco.
So off we went to get one. But to our dismay, we’ll, MY dismay, they were closed.
On a weekday. I don’t get it.

I really wanted to get some snacks so we dropped by AH PHET’S NOODLES HOUSE.
It’s a chinese restaurant located in Escario, Cebu City before you reach LEX Hotel.

Well anyway, I did say snacks so you would expect that we ordered noodles.
Yes, we did. But just noodles? Cmon!
See what our snacks looked like…. (Don’t underestimate a food lover and a natural-born big eater…)

Beef Brisket – P65
The noodles. We ordered 1 for each of us.
Snacks? Ya right!

Rice topping: Humba (Pata Tim) P99

Does this look like snack food to you??
I told you I Iove eating! (Sometimes, a little too much)
This dish is so fatty that I can feel my heart stop.
And it just might if I don’t exercise and eat like this everyday.
THe taste is not bad… It’s okay. Not something that I’d go crazy over but it’s okay.

Oriental Spring Chicken – P99

Ryan loves his chicken. He just might turn into one! haha

Total: P389

But I do commend them for their good customer service. The waitress who waited on us was always smiling and very accommodating.
Price is not bad too. You can always visit the place if you are in the mood for noodles.

Till my next noodle moment Ah Phet!

CheZ ToztAr on a SaturDay night!

Saturday.

Enough said. You can’t just stay home and sulk, right?

One of my friends will be going to the states in 2 days and we can’t let her go without saying goodbye and bond before she leaves.

Best way to do that? Over dinner.

And the Restaurant of choice for tonight was….. Drumroll please..
Chez Toztar “House of Roast”!

Chez Toztar is this cozy place in the middle of the City.
It’s not just accessible, the food is really scrumptious!
Every single dish I tasted is a blast of flavor and texture in my mouth.

The best part? They grow their own vegetables and spices.
Organic, Healthy and fresh!

I don’t have the full menu… You just have to check the place out yourself.
Better, right?

And here’s what you’ve all been waiting for…
Our orders!!!

Exotic Green Tea salad- P 140
I know it doesn’t look presentable now but believe me, it was before we stuck our forks into it. hehe
Very light yet full of flavors.
Vegetables used in this salad was handpicked from their own garden which you can see before you enter the restaurant. Know any restaurants like that in Cebu?
Seafoods, yes. Vegetables and spices, not much.
Which makes this restaurant quite unique.

Mozzarella Sticks- P168/ 8 pieces.

Really good appetizer and hands down, the best mozzarella sticks I have tasted…. so far.

American Pork Steak- P188

The Steak was not as soft as I wanted it to be, but hey, it wasn’t my order and my friend seems to love it. I love the sauce though and the serving is really generous as you can see.

Tilapia in Hot Butter Basil- P 199

This is now my favorite dish. The spice really hits the spot!
Spicy fish? Cmon! It’s soooo good! (I’m a sucker for spicy food)
I will definitely order this next time.

Chicken Cordon Bleu – P 188
This used to be my favorite before I discovered the Tilapia. Hehe
There’s just something about the sauce that completes the dish.
Chez Toztar is really big on sauces. I believe it’s their strongest point when it comes to their food. But that’s just my opinion.

And the owner/chief is very hands on which is a big plus for me. 🙂
Great food, great place, amazing company = one great night!

For more details, check out their page at
http://www.facebook.com/ChezToztar?fref=ts

Good morning Brown Cup!

5am.

My boyfriend just got home from work and we were sooo hungry.

One of my favorites coffee/food joint was a nice and cozy place that a friend of mine and I used to go to for breakfast. My boyfriend hasn’t been there yet so I thought,
Hey, what better time to bring him there but during one of our hungry breakfast moments?
So about 15mins from our place, we finally arrived…

Good morning Brown Cup!

This place has affordable and quality coffee I must say.
But since we haven’t slept yet, Brown Cup coffee will have to wait another day.
So this is what we had to satisfy our early morning hunger…

Hungarian with Cheese – P 105

Pesto Butter Porkchops – P 100

And here’s the faces of the eating couple.. 

And how can I not provide you the Breakfast Menu?

If you want good quality and affordable coffe, Brown Cup is a good place to go. The food is good too.

And yes, our hunger was very well satisfied.
Next time I visit would definitely be for coffee time.

Where to find them?
– 4F Patrick Square Don Ramos Aboitiz St., Camputhaw
+63 256-0900 or 412-6353
– Unit 7A, Skyrise 1, Asiatown IT Park
+63 32 415-8483
– Door 1, Rosedale Place on Gov. M. Cuenco Street, Talamban
0922-932-8588

A hot meal for my guy at Muvan’s Pocherohan and Seafoods.

7:00am.

That’s how early we go and hear mass.
I have that side too, you know (religious). Well, sometimes.

Anyway, I watched “The secret” again days ago and wanted to try it out.
My boyfriend was a candidate to be given the opportunity to be a trainer/ mentor in one of their company’s account so, as a supportive girlfriend, I called onto the universe and believed that he’ll get it . Which I actually do believe that he will.

That was last night.

What better way to do a follow up than at a church right? The universe needed a little boosting up so I did it again this morning. As we stepped out of the church checking both our phones, lo and behold!

He got the confirmation that he was chosen to be one of the mentors. Oh yeah!
I was so proud of him that I was literally jumping up and down the street. I looked silly but who cares? He got it! (I’m already silly so it doesn’t really make a difference)

And as manly as he is, he just hugged me, kissed my forehead and said thanks.
Yeah right! For all I know, his insides was doing cartwheels and backflips. hahaha
C’mon! We needed to celebrate.
So that’s how we ended up in this restaurant:
Muvan’s Pocherohan and Seafoods.

We have a lot to celebrate and I wanted my guy to have a good hot meal.

And so we did.

I don’t have actual pictures of the food that was served, unfortunately.
You have to understand. It was 8am, I had no sleep and my stomach was complaining like crazy. So yeah, I had an ulterior motive for bringing my boyfriend here.
What? I was hungry…

But I did manage to take a picture of the menu.
You’ll be surprised at how affordable it is and they really do serve good food. So check this out.

Ryan, my boyfriend (he needs a name doesn’t he?) and I had these:

Breakfast meals:
Spam with egg and rice:                  70
Lechon Kawali with egg and rice:    70
Pochero (good for 2-3 pax):             130
2 Tropicana orange juice:                 15/ea.

Total:                                                 P300.00

I told you it was affordable!

But just a little reference for those of you out there who does not know what in the world we were eating, here’s something to clear that up.

*Spam- A canned meat product made mainly from ham.
* Lechon Kawali-  is pork belly deep fried in a kawali, which is Filipino for a wok or a deep frying pan.
* Pochero- casserole dish of boiled beef, chicken, dumplings and vegetables.

And here’s a Muvan’s pochero picture…
I’ll provide one myself next time… Promise. (Unless I get so hungry and just eat everything again before taking the picture.lol)

(picture by Precious M. posted in foursquare)

This affordable yet delicious food-serving restaurant is situated near Mango Ave. Area.. It’s at Century Plaza Commercial Complex, Juana Osmena, Cebu City, Philippines.

Good news deserve good food, I always say.

Congratz Baby for getting the spot and thanks Muvan’s for helping us celebrate it.

Till next time!