Apple glazed pork, sautéed vegetables, garlic rice, scrambled eggs. Complimentary
Best Western Hotel La Corona, Manila PHILIPPINES
I think I got tired of breakfast pretty quickly especially when it seemed like the items were leftovers from the previous night’s dinner service. I mean, apple glazed pork? Hmm… Not impressed.
Lapu-Lapu Monument (Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom), Rizal Park.
California roll, gyoza, salmon croquette, shrimp tempura, eggplant tempura, sweet potato tempura. Buffet
DADS Kamayan Saisaki, Manila PHILIPPINES
I wasn’t all that hungry after the Filipino plate, but I figured it was a buffet and I should eat my money’s worth (stupid American mentality!). Lol! The items on this plate weren’t as satisfying though. Tempura is not the best item to choose in a buffet because the batter gets either really soggy or rock hard after sitting out for a while. Maybe the Japanese section isn’t as popular in this restaurant because everything tasted a little dry and old to me. 😦
Miso soup.
Exploring the Intramuros.
Shrimp, pork, vermicelli noodles, salad served with sweet chili sauce. 39,000 VND
Sisters Cafe, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM
Meh, these were standard for Saigon. I mean they were better than most you can get back in the states, but they didn’t blow me away after having eaten at so many places already. I was surprised that they got their food from somewhere else though. You order at the restaurant, but they must have their kitchen at a nearby building because the server always came from outside to deliver our food. Hmm, odd.
Nha Tho Cha Tam Church, Cholon (Chinatown).
Kalderatang baka (beef stew), pork pukyutan, kuhol sa gata (snails in coconut cream sauce), lumpia, mixed pancit, steamed rice. Buffet
DADS Kamayan Saisaki, Manila PHILIPPINES
Please don’t ask me what’s in a lot of these. I just know how to eat them, not cook them – lol! Even though this plate is like a heart attack about to happen, it was pretty tasty! I didn’t like the snails though. I liked the flavor of the coconut cream sauce, but the snails themselves had a texture that didn’t agree with me. They were tough, black, and a little slimy. I tried eating one and left the rest on my plate.
Lechon de leche (roasted suckling pig). He looks so cute! 🙂
Sidecar motorcycle taxis and jeepney.
Pork and chicken wonton soup topped with fried garlic and green onions. Buffet
DADS Kamayan Saisaki, Manila PHILIPPINES
So this is a Filipino version of wonton soup originally from the Iloilo district. I’ve had this several times before but never knew what it was called. There were only a few actual wontons in there and a lot of broken pieces of wonton wrapper, but what do you expect from a buffet. I really like the flavors of this soup though, and I think it’s more hearty than the Chinese version.
Drag performance in Malate. I was impressed at the quality of their performance and choreography!
Sizzling pork asado with onion, garlic, chives, plum and taosi sauce. 285 PHP
Panciteria Lido, Manila PHILIPPINES
This dish was SO DISGUSTING – it tasted like ass! The pork was really tough and dry and it was super hard to chew through. The combination of flavors from the rub and sauces tasted like old, wet dirty laundry. I guess this place specializes in this roasted pork so I don’t know if we just got a really bad batch but it sucked. If this is what it’s supposed to taste like then I’m really surprised that this chain remains open. GROSS!
Place setting.
Kalesa, horse drawn carriage, this one in the Intramuros.
Bun gao xao tom thit. With carrots, cabbage, onion, green onion, cilantro. 120,000 VND
Nha Hang Ngon, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM
This was pretty good and I liked the slightly al dente texture of the vermicelli noodles. The pork was ok, but the shrimp were really tasty. Overall, it was good but I probably wouldn’t order it again.
Outdoor dining area.
Nga sau Phu Dong Thien Vuong, super busy roundabout!
Grilled fish, pork and chicken, pork apritada (stew), kangkong (water spinach) with shrimp paste, pinakbet (calabaza squash and string beans), pancit, and banana cue (deep fried banana coated in caramelized brown sugar).
Villa Escudero, San Pablo City PHILIPPINES
I was amazed at the variety of food they had especially since the service area was directly in the water! They also kept everything nice and warm, and had servers bring drinks to your table. This was a really fun, new and exciting dining experience. Everyone was just really happy and thankful to be eating at such a great location. And the food was really good too!
It’s SO cool that you get to eat lunch in the water from a waterfall!
The stream flows down through the entire dining area.
You have to be careful though because some of the rocks can be slippery especially closer to the waterfall. Everyone is taking pictures of their experience. 🙂
I would go back just to eat in this amazingly beautiful setting again!
Served with rice, tomato, carrot, cucumber, and sweet chili fish sauce. 62,000 VND
Hai Lua Food Countryside, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM
I’ve eaten a lot of Vietnamese grilled pork in my life and I’ll have to say that this was one of the best I’ve had. The pork was juicy and had SO much flavor, but wasn’t too salty like others I’ve tried. Noms!
Moist towelette.
Dining area at Hai Lua (aka the middle of the street). 🙂
Xa Loi Pagoda, Temple of the Buddha’s Relic.
Boiled, grilled, then sauteed pork meat with various spices, onions, ginger and calamansi. 299 PHP
Leslie’s Restaurant, Tagaytay PHILIPPINES
Mmm, pork sisig is SO tasty! Yeah, it’s not the healthiest thing to eat, but I was on vacation. I deserved to splurged a little (maybe a whole lot really).
Filipino dance performance, Villa Escudero.
Crispy puff pastry, spicy pork sausage, caramelized onions, broccoli rabe, and bagna cauda vinaigrette. $14
Park Tavern, San Francisco CA
Do I need to reiterate my love for burrata? Lol. Mmm, this was so good! I sometimes wish that I could afford a personal chef who would make me beautiful snacks like this all day long. 🙂
Winecup clarkia (Clarkia purpurea, Onagraceae), Bon Tempe Lake.
Sweet and sour meatballs, fried rice, ham, kielbasa sausage, scrambled eggs, raspberry cream cheese pastry. Complimentary
Best Western Hotel La Corona, Manila PHILIPPINES
For a complimentary breakfast buffet at a Best Western, I was impressed that they tried to have variety every morning. The food was ok, but they didn’t keep any of it very warm. The bacon was the best part because it’s cooked to order upon request to a waiter.
Bacon.
Crab and corn soup.
Mango juice and orange juice.
Coffee.
National Shrine of Saint Michael and the Archangels, Malacanan, Manila.
Vittle Monster 