FOOD & MORE FOOD! « beyond toxicity

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May

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH JAPANESE FOOD CONTINUES

I may be a-die-hard-ADOBO-at-heart (read : my palates love Filipino dishes, apparently) but I have been keeping my love affair with sushi, sashimi and sukiyaki for the longest time, even prior to 2005 when I set foot in TOKYO and have savored authentic Japanese dishes for 14 unforgettable days (read it all here –> http://docgelo.com/2010/04/05/letters-about-tokyo-11-eating-japanese/ and the rest is on my sidebar). That being said, I may not be a connoiseur but I know my palates so well. I may not have expert knowledge on the Japanese cuisine but my taste buds can clearly perceive what it likes from otherwise.

Actually, to state that I love Japanese food is an understatement. I immensely adore how Japanese meals serve both as art and sustenance. I appreciate the creative preparation to every dish. The unusual presentation of sushi and the exquisite skills exerted in slicing tuna and salmon and other fish for sashimi are impressively beautiful.

I conisder myself blessed because my current work place, Penang, boasts of unimaginable gastronomic diversity from its local community of Malay, Indian and Chinese, not to disregard the influences and fusion of Western cuisines and other Asian dishes like Japanese.

Last Sunday was one of my luckiest days! With my wife, Tina in tow, I attended an exclusive invitational Bloggers’ event at SAKAE SUSHI, First Avenue Mall, George Town, Penang. The event was hosted for food bloggers to sample the NEW MENU from Sakae Sushi.

The first couple of Beyond Toxicity were the very first to arrive at the event around 15 minutes before noon. Actually, we reached the mall early at few minutes past 10AM and had quick breakfast at our favorite coffee shop at the lobby; we really made sure not to be tardy for Sakae Sushi (read : we’re extremely excited, obviously). Then, we were friendly received by the staff and the Senior Marketing Manager herself, Ms. June. I have not been used to the fact that some people from Penang easily recognize my accent as someone from The Philippines (it always makes me wonder if my English sounds so weird with distinction…I digress) and Ms. June was not an exception. She candidly said with a smile, “I know, you’re from the Philippines!” She was warm enough to catch our attention as she casually explained Sakae Sushi and its creative and constant innovative approaches when it comes to uplifting lifestyle dining experiences. After Tina and I spent few minutes chatting with her, I took advantage of the moment with less diners yet inside the restaurant and took captures of what it has to offer. Not for long, Sakae Sushi was packed with hungry customers craving for Japanese food.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT SAKAE SUSHI

Freshness and a wide variety of ingredients per dish makes it authentic.
Open-Kitchen-Cooking : I like seeing how my food is prepared. It’s entertaining! Plus, santitation must be non-negotiable. Look at my captures on the chefs preparing sushi and other goodies; they all looked like they’re inside an Operating Theater! Amazing! (I want to learn how to do sushi!)
Wide selection at affordable cost. Majority of dishes on the menu are HEALTHY too!
Quick, friendly and attentive service.
Use of technology : iPad as an interactive menu (order with a flick of a finger!), that sushi conveyor belt is just so Japanese!
Availability of FREE flowing hot tea, chopsticks, wasabi and soy sauce, tissue paper (a rarity in some food places in Penang!) right on the table –diners need NOT to ask for them! That spells convenience and customer-friendliness.
FAMILY FRIENDLY. They got kiddie meals too!

WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT SAKAE SUSHI

Limited space to walk around (I’ve been to 2 of its branches in Penang; both dining areas have small spaces or perhaps, I just think that with huge volume of patrons, Sakae Sushi definitely deserves a bigger area).
No “Irasshai mase!”-greetings. Although the Sakae Sushi staff are always ready with smiles to greet you, and as much as I know Sakae Sushi presents Japanese food as CONTEMPORARY and edgy, I still wish they would greet diners in authentic Japanese greetings. Konnichiwa and a bow would be so wonderful! *just my 2-cents-worth*
Uniforms of service crew are not authentic. I like to see wait staff wearing traditional Japanese wear -Kimonos and wooden slippers, FTW!
Ambience is too casual; it’s OK for me but a choice between something ordinary and an authentic one, I would choose the latter any day.
Addicting choices that one would want to get hold of all sushi from the conveyor belt, or press every page from their iPad menu to sample everything! hehehe!

WHAT I THINK OF SAKAE SUSHI’S NEW MENU THIS YEAR

Now, let’s get down to business.

KAISEN SALAD

Tantalisingly fresh servings of prawns, tuna flakes, snow crab leg and assorted vegetables serve with creamy goma dressing.

I like this salad because it has greens and generous servings of my favorite seafoods perfectly complemented with a tasteful dressing. I want to order this again on our next visit! It’s that good!

And of course Japanese meal isn’t complete without either sushi or sashimi. To me a good sushi is something that screams FRESHNESS! That being said, I do NOT want my sushi to smell or taste fishy. A good sushi is not soggy; neither the fish or seafood is too hot or too cold when served. And Sakae Sushi’s selection doesn’t disappoint!

Look at that beauty. Awesome plate, is it not?

SAKAE BLOSSOM

Intricately-designed roll of tempting grilled salmon, shrimp roe, and mayonnaise on a delightful maki.

With Sakae Blossom, I have only one word to describe all of its ingredients : FAVORITE! …Need I say more?

HOTATE MENTAIYAKI

Succulent half shell scallops grilled with cod fish roe.

I would chow down scallops any day rather than oysters. This Hotate Mentaiyaki could have been perfect for my taste if it’s more buttery and cheesy. It’s just me. ;)

EBI CREPE

Luscious roll consisting of whole cooked prawn with assorted vegetables and mayonnaise wrapped in a light crepe layer.

I like the light crepe as roll layer; it’s the next best thing to nori in my vocabulary. However, I prefer my prawn without shells and all.

SOFT SHELL CRAB MAKI

Mouth-watering maki creation of crispy soft shell crab, sweet beancurd, sushi rice and spicy mayonnaise.

Soft shell crab + mayonnaise = another winner maki for me!

TINARI AVOCADO EBI

Succulent whole prawn mixed with delicious vegetables and salad dressing, wrapped in sweet beancurd skin.

The avocado makes it delicous!

HANA MAKI

Beatifully crafted flower rolls with delicate raw salmon petals and sushi rice centre topped with mayonnaise and a luxurious sprinkle of shrimp roe.

Hands down to Hana Maki. This to me tops the list of the newest offerings from Sakae Sushi. Tina also agrees. This one’s such a gorgeous sushi! I can eat this Hana Maki everyday, any time, baby!

KAISEN PIRIKARA NABE

Appetising hotpot of prawns, cuttlefish, salmon, mushrooms, and assorted vegetables in flavorful kimchee soup.

To be honest, I developed the aversion to anything with Kimchi (or kimchee as Sakae Sushi spells it). Don’t get me wrong, I’m still dreaming of taking my family to South Korea one Spring day someday but I don’t think I will like kimchi or anything with it. This Kaisen Pirikara Nabe, in all fairness, has a subtle taste, you may want to try it for yourself.

CURRY UDON

Japanese curry wheat noodles with chicken.

I also find it difficult to love curry. Sorry. Maybe because curry in Malaysia is so different with The Philippines’, ours back home is a milder and my tongue is as alien as I am here. Nonetheless, Sakae Sushi’s udon or wheat noodles in this soupy dish is to die for! I love that udon!

At this moment, my wife and I were almost struggling in being satiated. And it was a delicous feeling of fullness, mind you! However, we could have not forgiven ourselves had we not sampled Sakae Sushi’s luxurious ice cream set…

Black Sesame.

Green Tea.

Dragon Fruit.

Passion Fruit.

LUSCIOUS!

The flavors are all interesting particularly Black Sesame and Dragon Fruit as it’s our first time to taste such uniquely amazing ice cream c but my favorite is that tangy and sweet Passion Fruit.

Thank you so much to SAKAE SUSHI @ First Avenue Mall branch, George Town, Penang!

We certainly enjoyed your new menu!

We’ll be back very soon.

Terima Kasih to Penangite bloggers, Vincent Yu and Willie Wah for the invite!

*If you’re in Penang, Malaysia, do drop by and try those yummies at Sakae Sushi, located at 4th level, First Avenue Mall. There are also other branches in Penang and other states in Malaysia. If you’re in other parts of Asia, you may savor Sakae Sushi in Singapore, Vietnam, China, Thailand, and the Philippines.

You may also check out Sakae Sushi’s website via http://www.sakaesushi.com.my and their facebook account for online contests and on going promotions via http://www.facebook.com/sakaesushi

Until this blog’s next episode of FAMILY.FOOD.and.FUN!

PS : You may be wondering about Gabby and her Mamita, for they’re not with us on this event. While Tina and I were devouring Sakae Sushi’s newest offerings, our 7-year-old son Gabby and his grandmother were glued watching Men In Black 3 in the same mall. We ate together before and after the event (yes, we do love to eat!), and did a little shopping for Gabby’s essentials.

May

WHEN LOCATION & OTHER CONCERNS MATTER

By docgelo 6 Comments

I always have few things in mind when choosing a place to stay whenever my family and I engange on a trip. And on top of my list is location, next is location and third is location.

LOCATION

Everything seems accessible and readily available when you opt for the right site. My simple and no-brainer-rule-of-thumb includes the hotel should be near to the place and area that we’d like to visit; it’s definitely a big plus if it’s within a walking-distance-to-everything. I also prefer if it’s proximal to various establishments that offer basic necessities –it’s a personal requirement that I frequently equate to the presence of a 711 convenience store unless the hotel we’re staying provides it all.

When my family and I attended the 2012 Malaysia International Tourism Blog Awards in Kuala Lumpur last May 8, I did not have second thoughts in considering a hotel in Petaling Street or what’s considered to be the China Town in Malaysia’s capital city.

I booked Swiss Inn Kuala Lumpur, a decent-budget-hotel in China Town, a week before our trip. It’s near Pudu Sentral bus and train stations, taxi cabs and Rapid KL buses pass by frequently and it’s a ride-away from Petronas Twin Towers and the venue of the event we attended. It’s located in China Town so expectedly, food stalls and restaurants, shops and whatnot are within reach. Who doesn’t like China Town in any city anyway?

FAMILY FRIENDLINESS

Apparently, my choice should also be Tina and Gabby’s. I always ask their opinions and suggestions prior I use my credit card in doing online reservation. Tina’s concern will always be budget, of course while Gabby’s wants are never demanding. Like kids his age, he’s already happy if our room has cable TV showing his favorite cartoons. And to me, more than TV, I instantly give it a green light when wifi connection is fast and free. Availability of other amenities and facilities are just secondary.

ONLINE RESERVATION

It spells convenience when one can reserve accomodation online. However, I also call the concierge sometimes to confirm some concerns.

ACCOMODATION RATES

If location matters, so does money. Cost of accomodation will always be a consideration for a family like us. There’s nothing wrong indulging in luxurious room at a steeper cost but not when one would go out and leave his room the whole day.

For this trip, we only spent a night and 2 days in Swiss Inn Kuala Lumpur but since we arrived at around 6AM and the regular check-in is at 2PM, I availed via their counter, the additional early-check-in rate of RM70 (US $ 22.40) on top of the RM160+ (US $ 50+) rate of the family room I reserved.

LOCAL FLAVOR

It provides an extra appeal and charm to foreigners if and when the hotel offers bits and pieces of culture and arts its country has. It need not be a traditional show or anything grand, but little details can make a big difference.

CLEANLINESS

is always next to godliness. Room and toilet may be simple and old but it’s unacceptable if everything’s dirty. Glad we’re not disappointed with Swiss Inn.

FOOD, FOOD & MORE FOOD!

Another plus in hotel accomodation is the inclusion of breakfast (or other meals) in the package. Either buffet or set meal, it’s certainly hassle-free if the first meal of the day will be right there waiting.

At Swiss Inn Kuala Lumpur, we indeed enjoyed our breakfast. The spread may be less than usual but for its cost (when one’s not checked in and paying ala carte) is so affordable and more than reasonable than somewhere else. However, we noticed that for 2 consecutive days, menu looked like redundant. Good thing that we favor most of its dishes including their beverages of fruit juices, milk and free flowing coffee (but why fresh milk instead of creamer for the coffee?) and fresh tropical fruits!

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Usually, I also browse and read online travel advisories and real-tourist-experiences and reviews from my trusted sites like tripadvisor, lonely planet and various travel blogs before I book any hotel online. It gives me ideas of what to expect somehow.

That being said, I think I made the right decision in choosing Swiss Inn Kuala Lumpur the last time we left Penang. Ask my son, Gabby about it; his jump shot says it all.

What do you consider in hotel accomodation?

May

PENANG SPICE TRAIL : ENTICING SENSORY EXPERIENCE

By docgelo 20 Comments

When I arrived in George Town, it took me about five minutes to figure out the location of the office of Ministry of Tourism Malaysia-Penang branch in Beach Street. I asked a traffic officer and a man guarding a building across the street about its location but I didn’t get a positive response. I found out later the office was newly transferred in the area. It came to mind that my adventure for that day had started early. Luckily, taking few more steps, a warm smile and a friendly welcome greeted me at the office’s lobby. I felt so home and was surprised that Ms. Jaime Yeoh knew my name and my recent win for blogging from their office’s Head Quarters in Kuala Lumpur. I randomly exchanged thoughts with her about being a traveler and being a tourist, and the so many possibilities that Penang can offer. Little did I know that I was already speaking casually to the Director of the Penang branch of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia herself.

Exclusively invited participants arrived in the office few minutes past 8AM. I was introduced to a variety of people who are directly involved in the Tourism industry in this part of Malaysia. Our group of around 40 were composed of hotel managers, travel agency representatives, people from Tourist Guide Association of Penang (I hope I got their group’s name right), some journalists and photographers from the media and of course, a bunch of Penangite bloggers. We were all invited to be introduced and to experience the new tourists’ package called the “Hot and Spicy Penang – The Spice Trail”.

Here are my insights, suggestions and a few tips about the program…

As a tourist, I want to see, taste, smell, hear and feel the place that I am visiting. As a traveler, I want to discover, experience and immerse myself with the culture, traditions, history and lifestyle of the people and place I am exploring. The Penang Spice Trail offers all that with fascinating diversities from Malay, Indian and Peranakan or Straits Chinese all represented in the package.

From the brief orientation at the office’s AVR, we were immediately led to the streets of Penang on foot.

*Suggestions : It would be better if you include an audio-video presentation of somewhat like a synopsis-introduction of the Penang Spice Trail to the participants during the orientation. Also, weather forecast for the day of the tour should be noted.

*Tips : Bring umbrella and fans, wear your sunnies and sun visors and apply that much needed SPF lotion because the tour would involve some walking and strolling in and out of George Town other than riding the very comfy Bas Persiaran or tourist bus.

The tour was professionally guided by the amusing and spontaneous, Ms. Joann Khaw. She kept the participants engaged and well-informed with everything about spices, its history relating to the island and the rest of Asia and lots of pertinent facts. She was never boring and was so candid to burst into laughter and shared smiles with us. She really caught my attention when she mentioned that the Spice expedition to the Southeast Asia was halted when the Portugese, Ferdinand Magellan was killed in an island in The Philippines.

Our first pit stop : An old building with history that dates back to the Spice trade and industry in Penang. I so appreciate the fact that it’s preserved with its structure built with mixed concrete, steel and wood.

After brief discussion on the Spice trade and history in Penang, we strolled back to Jalan Pantai or Beach Street. What’s interesting with this tour package, it’s informative not only of spices and herbs but with almost everything in George Town. Case in point, I learned that when a building has inscription of a year, like that 1886 in the building shown on the next photo, the year indicates the year the building was completed.

From Beach Street, we went to Little India via this quaint alley called Lorong Che Em or Che Em Lane…

Et voila, Welcome to Little India…

Having been to Little India in George Town for a countless times, it still never fails to amaze me. The structures, the aroma of spices and herbs either being sold as raw ingredients or that distinct olfactory stimuli from Indian restaurants will surely draw and entice your noses to try and sample them. Not to forget the loud and lively Bollywood music that lords the parallels of Little India.

That day, I also developed my appreciation for wooden shutters! We were told that this building with gorgeous wooden shutters (on the next photo) is currently undergoing restoration.

It was only a few steps across the Indian restaurant we sampled for breakfast.

I have professed on this blog my family’s love affair with few Indian dishes, as well as this blog has documented some of our gastronomic adventures in Restoran Kapitan located at the junction of Pitt Street and Chulia Street in Little India. That morning, my taste buds were exposed to another Indian restaurant, the Sri Ananda Bahwan.

My Sunday breakfast : Teh tarik or Milk Tea, hot and Cheese Roti which I enjoyed with 3 Indian dips. Flavorful and made me crave for more

I was looking at a young family (who brought their grandparents with them) devouring an interesting Indian food. The Tourism officers noted my fascination and they ordered one for me. I told them I surely cannot finish one with its humongous serving but I really wanted to put my fingers on that Roti Tissue.

It was my first time to see such towering delight! I was like a kid silently jumping for joy! The moment could have been happier if I was with Tina and Gabby; I’m sure my little kiddo would also love this! Roti Tissue is a crunchy and crispy, hand-tossed larger and thinner version of the traditional, Roti Canai. It’s also called Roti Helikopter or Helicopter bread apparently because of its incredibly creative presentation. It can be eaten with jam, sugar, or ice cream or in our case, it was served with condensed milk. A perfect ending to a simple but flavorful breakfast! A must-try in Little India!

*Suggestions : It would be better if the Ministry of Tourism-Penang Office would constantly check or delegate another office to keep an eye on the hygiene and cleanliness of restaurants, not only in Little India but the rest of the island. Delicious foods would appeal more tasteful to travelers, tourists and even local and expats if dishes and beverages are prepared and served with utmost cleanliness. Some restaurants barely offer table napkins or at least tissue to diners.

From Sri Ananda Bahwan restaurant, we walked to another alley in Little India. There were more wooden shutters for me to appreciate, and more wonderful sights to see. I particularly liked this amazing tree whose leaves and branches are not common to me. Pretty, is it not?

One of the parallels of Little India is China Street (Okay, it sounded like we toured around Asia with just few steps. Unless you’re from other planet or somewhere in the outer space, you must have heard of MOTOUR’s tagline, Malaysia Truly Asia! It’s Truly Asia in this part of Southeast Asia!) In China Street, we found ourselves inside the V. Kaleespari Grinding Mill which they had it open only for the tour (read : remember, it was Sunday?).

For me, this is one of the highlights of the Penang Spice Trail. Tourists and travelers would definitely be interested in something they never see and experience on a daily basis. And of those things is being inside a Milling factory.

Spices, spices, and more spices!

I salute this man who was grinding chili on a Sunday morning. He could have enjoyed the day off with his family but he gladly reported to work just to accomodate us in the tour.

Chili grinder, baby!

We only stayed for few minutes inside the Milling factory, enough for us to practically see how some spices are processed. Then we walked along China Street again. There were more wooden shutters and century-old structures to love. The day was even lovelier because the sky was intensely blue and the sun was in its mightiest; at least we didn’t have downpour!

An inspiring day, is it not?

One more shot with those beautiful wooden shutters and that handsome tree…

At the heart of Little India, we were ushered to this store that sells, what else but spices!

*Tips : Take note tourists and travelers, we were told that this spice shop is the friendliest among the many spice stores in Little India. They allow you to ask queries about their commodity even without you buying. Photo-ops are also free!

After that Spice Milling factory and Spice store visits, we needed to go inside this art exhibit gallery while waiting for our tourist bus. It was an extra treat for us!

Inside this art gallery are tons of inspiring objects. I instantly found this corner with art and photography books, a guitar and piles of colored masterpieces very inspiring! Is it not too cozy?

While our tourist guide, Joann further explained things about spices, I found more fascinating things like this wooden staircase.

“PENANGism”

Here we were on this central spot of the art gallery having an engaging talk about spices, spices and spices…

Joann came so prepared like a girl scout and brought several samples… The most interesting spice to me at this point of discussion was the Betelnut which of course, can cause Nasopharyngeal cancer. It’s commonly chewed by Southeasian people including native Filipinos in the Northern Philippines.

On our way to our tourist bus, I saw this Kedai Kopi or Coffee Shop… Do they serve peace and joy with their drinks? I must sample!!!

A stone’s throw away and we reached the Goddess of Mercy Temple in Kapitan Keling Street. The shrine is located beside this pastel colored structure. It caught my attention because it blended well with the hues of the clouds and the sky!

The roof of Guan Yin Temple…

From George Town, our Bas Persiaran took us to Penang Botanical Garden…

It’s my second time in this place; the first time was with Gabby almost a year ago, while Tina was taking her “me-time” at a salon in the mall. I love how lush and textured the trees here.

Mr. Michael Langdon (center) spoke to us about the history of spice trade in Penang and how it evolved through the years. He also pointed out how several species of spices and herbs have grown and were kept in Penang Botanical Garden.

Other than the spices and herbs and century-old trees that may lure tourists, there are a lot more this flora-and-fauna-theme park has to offer…

I found this tree with uniquely charming bloom too interesting that I decided to make a separate blog entry about it soon. For now, enjoy this solitary shot…

Time flew so fast that I didn’t feel hungry until we were brought back to George Town in a restaurant called, D’ Dapur located in Union Street near Beach Street. They specialized in Malay cuisine.

*Suggestion : It would be better if the proximity of location in the itinerary will be well thought of, so traffic jam particularly during rush hour can be avoided, thus time could be stretched.

We had Indian food for breakfast, Malay for lunch!

This bright yellow wall was the view from where I sat. Eye-catching, isn’t it?

Here’s the table where I had my lunch with newly met fellows. Wait till you see the photo below when it was filled with Malay dishes…

A detail shot of the view of the corner from where I sat…It appears to me a father-and-son-bike. And you?

Now, these were the HOT & SPICY MALAY CUISINE we sampled…

Can anyone identify those dishes ?

My Filipino taste buds were intensely stimulated by these Malay dishes! I was sweating profusely on my nape as I taste everything on the table. To my surprise, one of the Chinese-Malaysian bloggers in our table commented to the manager of the restaurant that overall, she found the dishes not that hot but rather SWEET! It was a statement to reckon with; a comment to ponder!!! Kidding aside, I understood her point. For someone whose palates have been accustomed to HOT & SPICY dishes, any local Malaysian can easily tell which is authentic from which is not. The manager of D’ Dapur reasoned out that the dishes they serve were already tailored to the tastes of foreingers.

In all fairness, the set meal that was served per table had veggies, seafoods, rice of course, chicken, tofu, and teh tarik or milk tea to complete. The proportions were huge for sharing and spices and herbs made everything tasteful and… spicy!

God is alive because they followed the hot and spicy meal with a heavenly dessert. A truly Malaysian sweet treat, Cendol! This reminds me of Halo-Halo from the Philippines, although ours have more ingredients while Cendol, in my opinion is a simpler version. It was a glorious ending to a hot and spicy meal! A perfect one to sample even from hawker food stalls in Penang…

My personal serving of Cendol… Refreshingly sweet!

*Suggestions : It would have been better if the chef himself came out from the kitchen (D’ Dapur in English means “Inside the Kitchen” according to my Malaysian students) to explain every dishes and feature the spices he used in cooking. There was no set menu found on the table to introduce the name of the dish to a foreigner like me. The dishes were nicely presented and the facilities of this restaurant including the toilet and a peek into the kitchen proved that they give importance to cleanliness and hygiene.

I also suggest for the restaurant to prepare the set menu with names of dishes, description and include the ingredients highlighting the spices used in preparartion. That way, the diners particularly non-Malaysians would have better appreciation of the Penang Spice Trail.

After that spicy and hearty lunch, we hopped on the tourist bus again and few minutes after, I saw this by my bus window…

We were brought to the Tropical Spice Garden which is not to be missed if you’re into this Penang Spice Trail! It’s my second time there after I brought my family there last year.

*Tip : It’s better for visitors and tourists to go with the guided tour inside Tropical Spice Garden, this would maximize their visit.

I learned a lot from the tourist guide unlike when we had D.I.Y.-tour I had with Tina and Gabby last year. Do sample their in-house restaurant, Tree Monkey and if you have extra time, enroll in their cooking class which highlight herbs and spices of course.

*Suggestion : Remind tourists to wear something casual and easy, comfortable enough to cover the arms and legs and the feet so as to avoid the pesky mosquito bites. Although the free citronella oil spray at the entrace of this tropical paradise was offered, I still had another memorable mosquito bite at my antecubital fossa from Tropica Spice Garden.

I appreciated that almost all species in Tropical Spice Garden has its label complete with Scientific Name and common name, plus its use as a plant, as a herb or medicinal plant or just plain cooking spice and its sources.

It was only during that Penang Spice Trail that I learned about the Pinang Tree (the palm tree on the next photo). I know that Pulau Pinang or the island of Penang’s flag has a palm as a symbol but I had no idea what species of palm tree this state was named after until I joined this tour. Informative, I tell you!

Behold, a tropical beauty at its finest…

This tree that exfoliates spontaneously exposing its nearly scarlet bark is used as an ink to design Malaysian batik.

While that ordinary looking plant beside our knowledgeable and cool tourist guide is poisonous! I think most domestic houses, private and government offices have that as their indoor plant but it was only last Sunday that I learned that it has toxins and is very lethal. Do you such info? I was totally out of the loop!

*Suggestion : Be cautious to observe timetable. Some tourists and travelers want an on-the-dot-schedules. Others may also prefer to have the tour guiding in their native tongue. I remember touring California ages ago, from LA-San Francisco-Fresno-LA, our tour guide then spoke and explained everything in 4 languages – English, Italian, Spanish and French. He did that impressively! However it may add up to the cost of the tour.

The last part of this Penang Spice Trail was way beyond my expectations. We were all assigned to different spa in various hotels in the island. This part of the tour package aims to highlight the Peranakan-Inspired Spa treatment. To me, it completed the package because all the 3 large communities in Malaysia are well represented–We had breakfast and toured Little India. Lunch was at a Malay restaurant that featured Malay cuisine where spices were used and the day ended at a very relaxing note in a Peranakan-Inspired Spa (representing Chinese community).

I, together with 7 other fellows were brought to Rainbow Paradise Inn Beach Resort in Tajung Bungah to experience Samporna Spa…

*Suggestion : Remind tourists who would avail of this package to bring extra clothes.

The massage with aromathic oil followed by application of mud really put me to sleep for few minutes. It was indeed relaxing!

Samporna Spa also has jacuzzi…

A group of four to maximum of six can unwind in the jacuzzi and enjoy a sip of their favorite red or white wine… I only had the massage then hit the shower after an hour. It was so invigorating after all the walking and a whole day of tour in the island… Thank you, Saporna Spa! Thank you, Rainbow Paradise Inn Beach Resort! Thank you, Ministry of Tourism Malaysia-Penang Branch for the invite!

Penang has its unique charm with its rich culture, heritage and diversities in food, people and places. This Penang Spice Trail offers a variety of options on how to enjoy and maximize one’s stay in the island. Avail of the tour packages via your chosen hotel in Penang, ask your designated tourist guides or personally visit/email/call the office of Ministry of Tourism Malaysia-Penang branch for more details about these.

Are you enticed to take the Penang Spice Trail? You’ll definitely savor every step!

Visit their facebook website via https://www.facebook.com/MOTOURPenangOffice. Special thanks to Ms. Jaime Yeoh and her staff and to fellow blogger, Willy Wah for the invite.

*My blog post last year about Tropical Spice Garden via http://docgelo.com/2011/04/03/amidst-lush-greens-good-food-mosquito-bites/

May

PINOY EXPAT MISSING HIS FAVORITE SNACKS

By docgelo 21 Comments

For almost 2 years of being an Overseas Filipino Worker here in Malaysia, I have been grateful to have been exposed to a gastronomic diversity available here in Penang and to a few states that we’ve been to. However, my native tongue remains to be Filipino thus apparently, it craves for Filipino dishes every now and then. And unlike other countries where Filipino restaurants, stores and even groceries spring like mushrooms, we rarely have those here in Penang. So Tina, my mom and I always make an effort to go to the public market here (read : I do the marketing almost every weekend), prepare, cook so we could eat Filipino dishes we love right from the little kitchen of our humble abode here in Butterworth. Despite we’re thankful to have the means to do so, nothing replaces the unique feeling of dining what you love in the comforts of your own home.

And while browsing my files, I found the following photos that made my craving even worse. Can you blame me? See for yourself.

Halo-Halo!!! This one’s from Mang Inasal, but I also love Razon’s version too.

Dulcinea’s Churros Con Chocolate : Not actually Filipino but one of those that surely completes an afternoon snack or merienda!

Taro Taro and Taro Ice from Quickly. With the advent of a huge variety of milk tea, Tina and I still love Quickly! Gabby likes it too of course! I’m not sure if a kiosk of Quickly exists somewhere here in Penang. Too lazy to google.

This should have been Puto’t Dinuguan but Mang Inasal’s upgraded version has it as Toasted Pandesal and Dinuguan. Sarap! Sedap!

Jollibee’s Spaghetti and Palabok Fiesta! Need I say more?

This was from Via Mare in Greenbelt Mall, Makati; but any ordinary suman and mangga is always a winner tandem for me!

Junkies, yeah!

Starbucks Coffee branches are available in most states of Malaysia including Penang. But call me biased, Caramel Macchiato and Banoffee Pie taste more delicious in Pinas. #homesicknesskicksin!

One of foodcourt favorite combo back home : World Chicken! My default choice is usually a plate of Pasta in Pesto sauce, Potato Salad and of course, Grilled Chicken Fillet with Ranch sauce! Sarap! Sedap!

Bibingka with lotsa butter, sugar & coconut shavings! Whether bibingka-tinda-sa-kanto- or that-little-high-end-Via Mare, a bibingka is always a bibingka! hahaha! #lostforsuperlatives!

And a lot more to mention! Do we have the same cravings?

May

ON RED PLATES

By docgelo 17 Comments

Dining out with a 7-year-old-kid who absolutely knows what his palate wants and a wife who can whip almost everything in the kitchen with her disciminating taste, in Malaysian states where predominant dishes are richly flavored with herbs & spices (read : ultra hot, hot, hot!) may be a little challenge. Because of this and due to limited budget, we don’t really go out to eat on a weekly basis nor as frequent as others might think.

For someone whose family’s gustatory sense was not accustomed to spicy cuisine, I often bring them to something we’re familiar with. Our priority has always been Gabby’s preferences or something that he would agree where he can also eat and enjoy dining. Luckily, there are those food places that we all favor that usually reminds of our eating-out-moments back home. One of those restaurants we used to go to in Glorietta in Makati City and Trinoma in Quezon City that has a branch here in Penang and in Kuala Lumpur is T.G.I. Friday’s. ;)

Gabby’s favorites include that Cheesy Macaroni with tomato dip (5th photo above) and Cajun Chicken Fingers with fries and honey mustard dip. He also likes TGIF’s Caesar’s Salad. While Tina’s choices aren’t constant, I am otherwise. My default option if it’s TGIF has been Jack Daniel’s Chicken that’s fire-grilled and basted with that sweet Jack Daniel’s glaze. Sarap!!!

*Photos were taken randomly from TGI Friday’s branches in Paragon Mall in Gurney Drive, Penang and in Pavilion Mall, Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur.

May

MOTHER’S DAY 2012 : SWEETNESS OVERLOAD

By docgelo 8 Comments

Categories: EVENTS, FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, ILOVEPHOTOS and MALAYSIA
Tags: araw ng mga ina, araw ng mga nanay, bouquet, cadbury, cake, carnations, chocolate, chocolate cake, dessert, desserts, family, filipino in penang, flowers, food, foodie, life with mom, love, mommy, moms' day, mother's day 2012, mothers' day, nanay, no bake chocolate cake

Bonding moments while preparing a no-bake-chocolate-cake-with-Cadbury-frosting.

An extra huge greeting card made by Gabby as his school project.

A bouquet of carnations (my mom’s favorite) from relatives in Abu Dhabi (my youngest brother, cousin & cousin-in-law & my niece).

A tub of COKLAT flavored ice cream.

And unconditional LOVE, GRATITUDE and my LOVE for our LOVE-HATE-relationship.

Thank You, God for creating MOTHERS!

May

BUKIT BINTANG, KUALA LUMPUR

By docgelo 10 Comments

If I have to narrow down my list of preferred places in Kuala Lumpur, other than the very iconic Petronas Twin Towers and KLCC-Suria Shopping Complex , I would definitely include Bukit Bintang in my personal must-visit-places-in KL-list. The first time we went there was during the Chinese New Year holiday this year and with so much fascination, my family and I promised to go back again. And every visit has been rewarding with tons of fun memories to cherish.

This upscale shopping and business district in Malaysia’s capital city is comparable to few favorites that I have been to. In so many ways, Bukit Bintang reminds me of Rodeo Drive in LA, Downtown Auckland in New Zealand, Shibuya and Ginza in Tokyo, Canton Road in Hong Kong, Orchard Road in Singapore and our very own Makati City back home. It may be on a smaller and simpler scale compared to those cosmopolitan places but overall, it’s such a vibrant and exciting venue to stroll, shop, dine around or simply while away time during a stay in Kuala Lumpur.

For someone who’s been living and working in a rather more laid back but utterly rich in heritage sites like Penang, a visit to Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur is and will always be refreshing!

***Photos were taken in the streets of Bukit Bintang and Pepper Lunch in Pavilion Mall where we savored our lunch last May 8th before heading to the 2012 Malaysia International Tourism Blog Awards. We wolf down Beef Pepper Rice (for Tina, Gabby and me-a plate each!) and Salmon Pepper Rice for my mom. Obviously, it’s not only Tina and I who love Pepper Lunch but it’s one of Gabby’s favorites -not only here in Malaysia (Can someone bring PL to Penang, please! The Pavilion Mall branch in Bukit Bintang is the only one in Malaysia as of the moment) but in Hong Kong and Manila of course! While the small slice of sublime chocolate cake from Lavander (which we opted prior seeing a branch of Bread Talk) was my celebratory dessert I had as takeaway in the hotel to rejoice this blog’s 5th anniversary.

Apr

ANOTHER WEEKEND IN PULAU PINANG

By docgelo 5 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HEADLINES, ILOVEPHOTOS and MALAYSIA
Tags: action, avengers, beyond toxicity, black and white photos, Brunch, cadburry, captain america, chocolate, chocotop, chris evans, cosplay, costume of the avengers, doc gelo, docgelo, expat, expat in penang, expat life, expat life in malaysia, family, filipino expat in malaysia, filipino expat in penang malaysia, Film, first avenue mall george town penang, first avenue mall penang, food, food blog, food photos, foodie, fun, george town, george town penang, Life, life in malaysia, loki, mall rats, malls in penang malaysia, marvel comic superheroes, marvel the avengers, mcdonald's, movies, parenthood, penang malaysia, photography, photos, subway, subway sandwiches, superhero, The Avengers, thor, tourism in malaysia, weekend

I’m sure you have already experienced a weekend made extra-special by unexpected little happy moments. My family and I spent another Saturday that’s totally different from the ones we already had here in Penang. It was a delicious, action-packed, gripping and charming weekend we all enjoyed.

28 April 2012, Saturday. I was fully motivated to wake up early (despite the fact that I am such a morning person even on weekends!) because we planned to watch the Marvel-comic-superhero-movie that’s everyone was raving about. The Avengers! After I’ve read countless superlatives to describe that film on facebook and twitter, and even heard 2 Filipino hilarious-radio DJs via online live streaming of their program from the Philippines, talking of wrong spoilers about it, I personally built an excitement to watch The Avengers with Tina, Gabby and my mom on a wide screen.

So we left our place again in Butterworth, traveled the road via Rapid Penang bus, crossed the bay and reached George Town via ferry (where Gabby met a bunch of my Bridging Course-Ireland-PreMed students en route to see the same movie too!) and rode another bus to Komtar. *whew!*

Why, hello there again, George Town! It’s weekend once more!

As Penang Rapid Bus commuters, my family and I have been accustomed to these road signs in Komtar Tower. The sight is an almost weekly breather from our usual daily routine.

We arrived in First Avenue Mall around eleven in the morning with almost nothing in the tummies. We only drank coffee and hot Milo for Gabby before we left home.

Then just at the entrance of First Avenue Mall, our almost growling stomachs were satisfied in a heart beat by one word –BRUNCH!

With his Lola (my mom) during our brunch before the movie.

Of course, Gabby must have a photo with my lovely wife.

kulitan! (*insert english translation here*)

I thought that the last time I had a bite from Subway was ages ago when I was on a date with Tina who was my, ehem, girlfriend then in Powerplant Mall cinema in Rockwell, Makati City. Or was it the only remarkable Subway experience I can recall? I digress. Anyway, important thing is, Subway opened an additional branch in Penang in this First Avenue Mall and our hunger was remedied.

My mom had her default choice for sandwiches -what else but Tuna, Gabby selected his own, while Tina and I had the same option to have 6-inch-Roast-Beef each.

We had two orders of 6-inch-Roast Beef sandwich; one for me, the other one for Tina. She had Parmesan bread while I chose Honey-something-bread. But we both agreed to have everything with Roast Beef except two things –black olives and jalapenos.

My 6-inch-Roast-Beef-sandwich came with 2 options -either potato chips or 2 cookies. Apparently, I had the cookies and loved these double chocolate and white chocolate macadamia cookies. Sarap!!! Sedap! My family ordered more for takeaway.

Mas Mura Sine Dito Sa Penang!

If you must know, movie admission rates in this Malaysian state (I don’t know with the others) are cheaper than in the Philippines. I only paid 43 ringgit (PhP 14= 1 rinngit, USD 0.32 = 1 ringgit) for the four of us; that’s RM12 per adult x 3 (Tina, Mommy and I), plus only RM7 for Gabby. You don’t pay almost half the price for a 7-year-old-movie-goer like Gabby back home but in full adult price as well. And according to Mamy who lived and worked in UAE and Qatar in the past few years, movie tickets there are more expensive compared to rates here in Penang. That’s another simple reason why we should be grateful in this side of Malaysia.

The Avengers movie was incredibly awesome! The super hero characters were expectedly intersting but gripping action scenes, sophisticated computer graphics and hilarious storylines made it more amazing! What an unforgettable movie! We wish a sequel would be filmed soon.

I liked all the characters but that of Hulk and Iron Man were hilariously funny! Have you watched The Avengers? I’m definite you’ve enjoyed it too! If you have not, c’mmon, give yourself a fun treat!

And look who we saw at the first level of First Avenue Mall few minutes after we exited the cinema…

This little boy was too cute for words, he made me feel envious that Gabby should have worn such fantastic costume too. See his smile? I’m sure even the monstrous Loki’s army will easily melt by this boy’s charm!

Who would have thought that the characters would come alive immediately after you watched them on the big screen? What an amazing surprise! A cool unexpected treat to me.

People of the world, here’s a proof that Malaysians know how to do it too! Here’s Thor and Loki -Malaysian versions!

The Marvel Superheroes came in full force! How fierce! In characters! hahaha!

My mom and his uber-gwapito grandson had that photo-op with Storm and Captain America. Then Gabby became a bit moody; perhaps he was shy too be photographed with the company of Marvel Superheroes. Well his father was otherwise! hehehehe (view next photo…)

I don’t know about you but to me, the chance of being in the company of Marvel Superheroes does not come on a daily basis, does it? Wait, where’s Hawkeye? Had I know that Jeremy Renner’s character can’t make it, I could have brought bow and arrows to complete the casting! hahahaha!

That Captain America little boy was really charming! He’s a stand out in his group! I’m sure Tina would agree that Gabby would look more handsome in that same blue-red-white-superhero suit!

So much fun for that unexpected mall visitors! We left First Avenue Mall and went to Prangin Mall just across the street where Tina and Gabby bought some stuffs. We ended our very special-superhero weekend by savoring one of our favorites…

One cone of Mcdonald’s CHOCOTOP is perfect enough to end a weekend!

Another weekend of family.food.and.fun in Pulau Pinang was wonderfully spent.

It’s MARVELous!

Happiness continues tomorrow.

Apr

ONE OF HIS FAVORITES

By docgelo 4 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, ILOVEPHOTOS and MALAYSIA
Tags: doc gelo, docgelo, food, food photography, foodie, george town penang, italian, komtar, nikon, nikon D7000, pasta, penang malaysia, photography, pizza, pizza hut, western food in malaysia, what to eat in penang

I had the soda, he enjoyed his Milo Ais until the last sip. Solb!

I know. When in Malaysia, you gotta eat Malaysian dishes and my palates’ craving for char koay teow, chicken satay with peanut sauce and nasi lemak as I post this. However, the matter becomes totally different when you’re dealing with an expat-kid’s cravings.

To some people it may be just plain, common and cheap Italian fast food, but to my 7-year-old son, Pizza Hut is pure happiness! It’s one of Gabby’s favorites. You know how the (expat) young ones are; they usually stick to their kiddie-tastes. Thank God a few branches exist here in Penang.

While Tina was attending to a rare weekend call of duty, Gabby and I explored Pulau Pinang and visited PENANG BUTTERFLY FARM after lunch, and headed back to Prangin Mall in George Town to give way to his long-time-request -to eat his favorite all-cheese-pizza (I had to make special request to prepare a zero-topping-pizza because my big boy is a purist when it comes to this Italian staple).

Just like being in other countries where usual fast food joints offer a twist in their menu, some of the dishes here are already varied and fares up to the Malaysian flavors (read: HOT, HOT, HOT!) Case in point –the PRAWN AGLIO OLIO that I orderd; a spaghetti pasta tossed in rich olive oil, minced garlic and special herbs and added spices, topped with sautéed savoury prawns. Spicy defined at its truest sense; or perhaps, only by my gustatory receptors. I liked it, actually, as it’s tasteful, but I don’t think I’ll have it on a daily basis. Now, it’s another story if something has mozzarella.

Apr

BEYOND TOXICITY X OLD MANILA WALKS IN GEORGE TOWN, PENANG

By docgelo 11 Comments

What could be a perfect welcome to a revisiting tourist in George Town, Penang but a RAINBOW! Can you spot it?

My family and I wolf down plates of Restoran Kapitan's Chicken Cheese Kebab + Cheese Naan served with coleslaw, tamarind sauce infused with green mango+chili chutney. The fambam loved it! We usually order Chicken Tandoori and it's only my second time to savor this kebab dish and I personally liked the tenderness of the chicken specially when perfectly dipped in the tamarind sauce+spicy chutney; flavors just burst into mouth!

Roti Prata Telur or Egg Prata + Manggo Lassi.

Chicken Tandoori + Cheese Naan for Ivan

Beyond Toxicity X Old Manila Walks in the heart of George Town, Penang 04/17/2012

When I learned several weeks back that Manila’s tour-guide-extraordinaire, The Main Man from Old Manila Walks, IVAN MAN DY is revisiting George Town, Penang after he graciously informed me via facebook, Tina and I had to think where we should treat him even just over dinner.

Tina first thought of bringing Ivan to Nando’s that specializes in Portugese Peri-Peri Chicken in either Gurney Mall or Queensbay Mall however, both of these malls are located in the tail ends of the island-one in the north, the other southbound; it means travel-commuting would definitely kill our time. I considered something authentic to Penang –the hawkers of course! But we personally prefer hawkers outside Gurney Mall for a wide range of choices but then again, location doesn’t fit the schedule. Then we narrowed the list down to 3 other family favorites –Old Town Restaurant (Malaysian cuisine), Towne’s Steamboat (Chinese) and Restoran Kapitan (Indian). I told Tina that since Old Town Restaurant is a chain present in almost all parts of Malaysia, Ivan might have already tasted it in the airport or somewhere. While we also considered getting a table after 5PM would be close to impossible at the frequently-packed Towne’s Steamboat in Jalan Macalister, thus we agreed to take Ivan to our favorite Indian food place, Restoran Kapaitan in Little India. I think it was a good choice beacause it’s only a few meters away from the hotel where Ivan stayed.

Because his arrival fell on a weekday, we could only meet him after work hours. Too bad we failed to tour him around in some of the heritage sites in this side of Malaysia. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the limited time we spent with him. The moment was like we’re only talking, walking and commuting in the streets of Binondo, Manila, hahaha!

Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks :

“Conceptualized, manufactured, bred and educated in the city of Manila, Ivan is the feet behind Old Manila Walks. Before he finally took to the streets, he was an active museum guide as well as a staunch heritage preservation activist. Now, he has found his calling being seasoned urbanite, a self-designated life-long citizen and ambassador of Manila. Since 2005, he has led the thousands of happy walking hordes down his city’s most historic quarters. Four years on and countless calluses later, he is still loving every step of the way.” -Sourced via OldManilaWalks.com

If you’re a Filipino-balikbayan or foreigner who would like to explore Manila in a nutshell, joining his walking tours back home is always informative, engaging, entertaining and educational. It’s history and gastronomic treats beyond books. We have joined 2 of his amazing walking tours around Manila -

Malacanang Palace, San Miguel Manila : Power, Palace and a Shot of Beer
Malacanang Palace – Legarda Mansion / La Cocina de Tita Moning
Big Binondo Food Wok
and my first few meetings with Ivan Man Dy were at Foodies’ Walk at BGC (Bonifacio Global City) and at where else but Binondo / Manila Chinatown

*For more of his walking tours and its details, check out their website at OldManilaWalks.com

After our simple dinner at Restoran Kapitan, we hopped on the bus to accompanied Ivan to one of the malls in George Town where he treated Gabby who didn’t say no, to a delightful scoop of Baskin n Robbins chocholate chip ice cream! Thanks, Ivan! And here’s wishing you enjoyed your days in Malaysia!

Apr

PATCHI GOODNESS!

By docgelo 15 Comments

It’s incredibly wonderful when something pleasant happens to you in the least expected times. Who would have thought that exactly a day after we evacuated our 11th floor-seaside-appartment for a night, in response to Tsunami Alert issued by Malaysian Meteorological Department after that 8.9 magnitude earthquake on the richter scale and a strong aftershock with epicenter in Aceh, Indonesia and were immensely felt here in Penang, a courier man would be standing in front of our door at lunch time bearing a gift…

The Lord is truly the greatest and indeed the sweetest! After He has saved us and spared our location from unthinkable complications of that calamity, He continuously showed His extraordinary LOVE with a box of PATCHI chocolates from Abu Dhabi in UAE –it was a gift from Ms. Jo, of the blog, WITSANDNUTS who visited her cousin in Penang Island a few weeks back. However, unfortunately we failed to have a meet-up because as I learned from her email, she (and her family) only stayed over the Holy Week-Weekend and left Pulau Pinang on Easter Sunday. Despite the short notice, I so appreciated the thoughtfulness of her email.

It was a day of PAGOD, PUYAT, then PATCHI!!!

See, Gabby’s smiling ear to ear….

The chocholates featured postcard-perfect photos of Abu Dhabi’s scenic spots in every wrapper. What a charming and unique gift!

And even if @PatchiOfficial followed me on Twitter and RTed my tweet about this prior to this blog post which I acknowledged, allow me to mimic one of the usual lines I read from other fellow bloggers’ sites,

“This is NOT a sponsored post!” hahaha! *pun intended*

However, if someone from Patchi would read this and would send gifts over, I’ll be more than willing to feature their uber yummy chocolates in this humble site again! Seriously, sponsored or not, my family and I welcome blessings –big and small so bring it on!

Thanks again, Jo! My family and I hope to meet you when we get a chance. ;)

Follow her blog at http://witsandnuts.com/

And to God, YOU’RE the SWEETEST!

—————————-

Our unforgettable evacuation experience due that 8.9 magnitude earthquake posted here –> http://docgelo.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/the-day-gabby-learned-about-earthquake/

Apr

THE DAY WHEN GABBY LEARNED ABOUT EARTHQUAKE

By docgelo 25 Comments

The “morning after” edition of the New Straits Times newspaper was distributed to all hotel rooms at around 4:30AM, Thursday 4/12/2012 and my mom was the only one awake among us to pick it up.

4/11/2012, Wednesday was a public holiday for the entire Malaysia because their new King was crowned or in their words, was installed (Sultans of Malaysian states rotate on being a King, as explained by one of my Malaysian students). In spite of the holiday when one has the luxury to enjoy the malls and whatnot in the island, my family and I simply chose to stay at home together. Then at around 5PM, I thought of sitting on our rattan chair in the living room instead in the sofa, and felt the seat was rocking and sliding. In a blink, Tina and my mom came out of separate rooms telling me it’s an earthquake! I knew it’s an earthquake but my mind was in denial for a few sec because for 20 months of stay here in Malaysia, I haven’t experienced any natural calamities, not a single typhoon nor floods, neither anything alarming.

Our very first earthquake felt in Malaysia.

As the four of us walked hurriedly to exit our unit, we saw next door neighbors about to go down too. We didn’t panic except for Gabby who knew nothing of earthquakes before this incident! You cannot blame our 7-year-old boy for it was his first time to experience such. The boy was almost in tears, yelling for us to take the lift. I, who was still plugging out and turning off electrical appliances in our rooms, told Gabby, “We never take lifts during earthquakes, anak, we take the stairs!” (Good thing is, our unit is located adjacent to the concrete stairs, almost across the elevators and our block has 2 more exits other than what’s beside our unit and the 2 lifts.) Tina held Gabby’s hand and guided him and my mom towards the stairs –11th floor to the ground. I locked our unit, went down with only 7-year-old mobile and keys at hand. Yes, we didn’t panic but admittedly, we’re NOT ready with such EMERGENCY! (Lesson learned : Pack important stuffs such as passports, credit cards, money, keys, things that matter to you the most and those you cannnot live without in an “E” bag with a couple of clothes and toiletries for survival. I know this, actually but honestly was too lazy to prepare.). We went down the emergency-exit-concrete stairs with one of our Filipino colleagues and stayed for about 20 minutes in one of gazebos in the playground.

The aftershock and the tsunami alert.

Twenty minutes after, we returned to our unit. I heard my mom reminding us to pack important things to be ready enough in times as such. I turned on my laptop and browsed online news about the quake; I even managed to chat to my friends in Pinas and Saudi about the earthquake and inviting a few of them over to Penang on one of its holidays. While Tina called her older sister, relayed our situation over the phone. Then, the inevitable happened. An aftershock! This time, Tina brought money with her in a sling bag and I got my backpack with passports and credit cards, and camera but still left and forgot my laptop, chargers and other things. We saw more people coming down. A siren was heard all over. Security guards seen actively roaming and advising the tenants to evacuate and leave our units.

Tina, Gabby, my mom and I walked our way to a restaurant-cafe in front of our condo unit. We saw some colleagues and talked to one of them who pleasantly, despite of the stress about the quake and all, kept her composure for her own family. We saw them carrying a few of their clothes and other essentials to their cars. We stayed in the restaurant, watched news on TV even if it’s on Bahasa Melayu and stay tuned for updates. We sat in the resto so naturally, we had to order food. It was a blessing in disguise for we had to fill in as it’s almost dinner. Trying to struggle with panic and anxiety, we heeded to the advice of one of our co-workers to get clothes, bottles of water, toiletries and things we need for the night and leave too. So while my mom and Gabby were waiting for our food, Tina and I went up again our unit and finally got our things. Leaving our unit was an understatement -we evacuated! Tina even joked as she tried to fight her stress, “We’re like refugees now!” As we rejoined my mom and our son in the restaurant, I saw my mom flipping pages of the telephone book so I began calling our suking (*insert english translation here*) taxi cab driver. Luckily, the cab driver’s available to pick us up and transport us to a hotel near our work and far from the sea.

Tina, Gabby, my mom and I had to evacuate our 10th floor (actually, we’re on the 11th level as Malaysians consider Ground floor as their 1st) seaview unit in Butterworth, Penang because a Tsunami alert was issued.

‘We have issued a tsunami alert. We urge people to keep away from the beach in (the states of) Kedah, Perlis, Langkawi, PENANG and Perak,’ Che Gayah Ismail, Deputy Director-General of the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

‘People are advised to keep away from the beaches. It is not an evacuation order.’ She said she wanted to clarify an earlier statement by a department official who had mistakenly said an evacuation order was issued.

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra island, triggering an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert. Sourced via StraitsTimes.com

Despite the news which I firstly read on facebook, stated it was only a warning and NOT AN EVACUATION ORDER, the sound of sirens screaming long and twice, the sight of our colleagues who also live in the same condo units packing and about to leave, the countless feet that looked like EXODUS of people of various ethnicities whose ages range across the lifespan –literally, there were a lot of babies and grandmothers, all going down the stairs -but some took the risk of taking the lifts, those series of text messages and (missed)calls and brief talks with Filipino concerned co-workers, and worse, the cry and plea of our 7-year-old son who practically learned about the meaning of earthquake first time led Tina and I to immediately decide to go somewhere else too far from the sea.

We left this seaview for a night…

and woke up in Hotel Seri Malaysia with this view on our window…

Renting our 11th floor fully furnished appartment for 950 ringgit monthly (PhP 13,300 or USD 310) exclusive of utilities and other domestic bills to a very generous and nice Chinese-Malaysian lessor for almost a year now has been a good deal, or at least for us. We know that with such priceless and remarkably beautiful view of the bay before George Town and gorgeous sunsets by the porch, it’d be difficult to find similar cost and perks in Manila or possibly anywhere else. However, it dawned on us that living in a condo unit by the sea has its own downside too. Tsunami risk and earthquakes are difficult to battle. We’re not complaining, just contemplating. In fact, we’re very grateful despite and in spite of everything. Adversities make us stronger and wiser.

On a lighter note, we safely arrived via our reliable taxi cab driver in Hotel Seri Malaysia in Kompleks Dato Kailan, Kepala Batas at around past 9PM, Wednesday. It’s a few meters away from our place of work (and around 40-45 minute-away from our appartment when we take the bus).

Can you spot my mom who's only in her duster seated beside her apo, Gabby? We became evacuees for a night.

If it’s only Tina and I, we could have stayed the night anywhere and waited until the tsunami alert’s lifted, but we’re with our son and my mom.

So I got a Family Room for only 160 ringgit nett (PhP 2,240 or USD 52.13–probinsya po kasi ang Kepala Batas kaya mura kumpara sa iba) inclusive of buffet breakfast for 3, a spacious room with a Queen-sized and a double beds, cable TV, internet use, hot and cold shower and a clean toilet. It was another steal! God knows that we’re financially burdened and unprepared for these things so He led us where comfort is affordable and reasonable (with its inclusives, it’s even cheaper compared to one of our favorite budget hotels, Tune Hotel!). God is great, all the time!

Facebook buddies kept me posted through the night. Notably, just so timely that the concierge gave me a negative reply when I asked her about English news on cable TV, one of my students informed me via fb that there’s an English news on TV3 at 12MN. Thankfully, we learned that tsunami alert was lifted around 10PM.

My family were all knockout at few minutes after midnight while I managed to stay up until half hour past 2AM.

Morning came with a new promise. We headed down to the Delima Restaurant of the said 4-star-hotel. Delima in English means Ruby or the red gem as told to me by the hotel manager. Tina and I actually have been seeing Hotel Seri Malaysia almost every week as it’s located right in the spot where Rapid Penang Bus Station in Kepala Batas is, however we never set foot to it before our so called evacuation.

And with no expectations from an unexpected (excuse the term) staycation, we were delighted with the buffet morning spread…

DIY-congee. I stuffed it with dilis, chopped salted egg, roasted peanuts, spring onions, fish sauce and sesame oil to taste. Sarap!

We arrived home at around past 12 noon, Thursday 4/12/2012 and were absent at work and school. Despite the nice stay in the hotel that night and everything seemed going back to ‘normal’, we felt extreme fatigue as soon as we got back.

We kept on telling Gabby to trust and believe in the Lord and that He shall never abandon nor forsake us, not now, not ever.

DEUTERONOMY 31:6 –”Be strong and of a good courage, do not fear, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD your God, He it is who goes with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you.”

*”We’re so thankful to those people who were concerned and professed that they prayed for my family’s safety on facebook, twitter and personal calls. Their messages were overwhelming! Maraming Salamat po!”

Mar

FIRST SUNDAY OF MARCH

By docgelo 29 Comments

It’s quite rare for my wife, Tina to go out on a Sunday particularly when the following day isn’t a public holiday. I love her dearly and completely understand that she prefers to spend the first day of the week at home to gather all energies to prepare for another work week. And the first Sunday of March this year was not an exception. So instead of attending to an important and supposed-to-be life-changing appointment alone, I brought along my mom with me to keep me company and to provide me that much needed support.

Because we left our place in Butterworth at daybreak with nothing on our tummies yet, my mom and I were the first diners in our favorite Indian cafeteria, Kapitan at the corner of Little India and Lebuh Chulia in George Town, Penang. Egg prata, two orders of tosai with tasteful dips in varied flavors that burst in the mouth were our breakfast. We all washed it down with mango lassi (mango juice with yoghurt).

An hour after, we reached this awesome place…

No, the venue wasn’t a jungle or a park. That man-made hanging bridge, waterfalls and kois with rich foliage were all actually part of a hotel.

Before I appreciated the lobby and took those shots, the first thing I did after hopping off the cab was to go to tandas (bahasa melayu for toilet) for a bladder break. Just like any five star hotel, the toilet’s almost spotless.

Tucked on a hillock at around 150 meters above sea level, one of the branches of Hotel Equatorial in Malaysia is located few minutes away from Penang International Airport. This golf and convention resort reminded me of Shangri La Mactan Hotel back home that I and my mom got to visit ages ago. It has a vast and open-air lobby that welcomes every guests with luxurious warmth and splendor.

Punctuality runs in our blood so expectedly, we arrived earlier than scheduled. No worries because Hotel Equatorial’s ambiance was more than enough to keep us busy.

Then sunshine turned to rain but the beauty remained the same…

Whatever that day will yield, I leave it to the Almighty. With hopes and spirits high, two hours after, we went home with a smile.

Mar

JOY IN SIMPLE THINGS

By docgelo 14 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, Film, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, MALAYSIA and ILOVEPHOTOS
Tags: amateur photography, beyond toxicity, break of dawn, buddhist temple, buhay ofw, butterworth, Butterworth Malaysia, butterworth penang, catholic church in malaysia, Catholic church in Penang, congee, dawn, daybreak, dim sum, disney movie, doc gelo, docgelo, dumpling, entertainment, expat life in malaysia, family blog, family life, food, food in penang, foodie, grocery, happy meal, hawker food in penang, hawkers, john carter, john carter movie, keoy teow soup, Life, mcdonald, mcdonald's, mcdonald's happy meal, morning, movie, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Penang, nikon, nikon D7000, nikon photography, NVBM, ofw, pao, penang food, photography, photos, photos taken nikon D7000, pinoy abroad, saturday morning, shutterbug, siopao, snack, spongebob, taylor kitsch, weekend, you tiao

Don’t be deceived by the photos above, they may look as scenes taken at wee hours of the morning but it was almost seven o’clock when I captured them in a blink, en route to the first scheduled Catholic Mass one weekend (read : Tanghali na kung sumikat ang araw sa Malaysia at gabi na ang paglubog nito). I hopped on the bus at 15 minutes before 7 in the morning with my family in tow. After the short bus ride, we strolled our way to the church. Gabby, Tina, my mom and I heard the 30-minute Mass in English in this parish called Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Hello, Mr. Sun!

Gereja Katolik = Catholic Church. The NBVM Church is located at the back of this old chapel.

That old chapel (or was it the parish office now? who knew?) in front of the church compound was always kept locked, or perhaps it was still early to open it. Nonetheless, I found a visual stimulus in its rustic metal padlocks over textured wooden doors.

Because it was only half hour past seven in the morning and the mall and the grocery are still closed, we decided to take our first meal of the day in one of the local food stalls across the street. The eatery or carinderia for us Pinoys, or as Penangites call it, hawkers is situated in front of a small Buddhist temple which apparently caught my attention.

The caridenderia’s big enough to sit 100 people; well ventilated and offers a variety of drinks and tummy fillers.

No, we are definitely NOT ALOCHOLICS but we have this LOVE AFFAIR with a variety of COFFEE available in Penang. Just in case you want to check out the common beverages offered in food stalls here.... one ringgit = more or less fourteen Ph pesos.

PRICELESS morning smiles…

Children, say, KEOY TEOW SOUP…

LOVE at 8 o’clock in the morning…

With warmed stomachs, we took another bus ride to one of the malls in Penang mainland.

Lunch was done in McDonald’s, in favor of Gabby’s collection of Happy Meal toys currently featuring his favorite, Spongebob. Then we decided to see a movie at around 12:30PM. It has been a while since we last munched caramel popcorn inside a cinema.

Disregarding the fact that Taylor Kitsch's "airport hassle" issue that happened in Indonesia and NOT in the Philippines, JOHN CARTER wasn't that bad movie. We were entertained, actually! But we read via online news this Disney movie plummeted at the box office; who's to blame? *just asking*

After the movies, must buy groceries…

No-Plastic-Policy in groceries and shopping malls in Penang. Let's Reuse, Reduce, Recycle!

After the groceries, must satisfy growling tummies again! We had purple yam balls which we didn’t like (nothing’s special), taho or what they call here, tofoo far with brown sugar syrup, 3 bowls of dried scallop congee that we topped with fried bread called yoo tiao from the restaurant called, I love Yoo. The congee bowls were made even more tasteful with a dash of soysauce and sesame oil. A tall glass of cold soya for Gabby, and a cup of white coffee for me completed the light meal. Solb!

Merienda over a very affordable restaurant called, I LOVE YOO (not yoU! mind you!).

We could not be unhappy when there are more reasons to be grateful!

Mar

IN TUNG CHUNG

By docgelo 23 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HONG KONG, ILOVEPHOTOS and TRAVEL
Tags: amusement parks, city gate, city gate hong kong, city gate outlets hong kong, city gates outlets, commuter train, cut steak and hamburger combo, darth vader, doc gelo, docgelo, double beef pepper rice, expat life, family, family blog, family bonding, family fun, family life, family outing, food blog, food court, foodcourt, foodie, for the love of food, hong kong, how to go to city gate from disneyland, how to go to city gate hong kong, Japanese food, korean food, lego, lego collections, lego darth vader, lego light buzzyear, lego pirates of the caribbean, lego star wars, lego toy story, lego watch, Legoland, Legoland Johor Bahru, Legoland Malaysia, Legoland Malaysia opens end of 2012, Life, life on a train, lunch, milo, mrt hong kong, ovaltine, Pepper Lunch, pepper lunch food, pepper lunch in greenbelt, pepper lunch in hong kong, pepper lunch in kuala lumpur, pepper lunch in malaysia, pepper lunch in powerplant mall rockwell center, pepper lunch in shangri la, star wars, star wars collection, steaks, theme parks, train, TRAVEL, traveling, trip to hong kong, tung chung, tung chung train station, vacation, what to do in hong kong

Parang Nasa MRT / LRT lang sa Pinas (less the stampede and the bomb threats! *no pun intended*)

Closed. Sarado. Tutup.

Siklistas are mall rats, train riders and bargain hunters too!

To the Left. To the Left

Finally, we reached the CityGate Outlets located at the terminal end of Tung Chung Station via what else but Hong Kong’s very efficient MTR lines (Mass Transit Railway). Although it’s just a ride away from Sunny Bay Station where we hopped off from that awesome Disneyland Resort Train Line, you know what a new place can do for some first-timers-unseasoned-travelers like us. Luckily, our feet didn’t get lost.

CityGate Outlets is one those must-visit spots in Hong Kong particularly when you only have limited time to kill or you’re on a hunt for some branded merchandise on a super bargain price (read : 50 – 70% off, which to us wasn’t a surprise because in malls in Penang, discounts also go as low as those during sale season). As for us, our game plan for this short trip to CityGate was simply to see the place and while away time as we wait for our 5:45PM flight back to Malaysia. Oh, and to fill our tummies too!

KIDDIE TEMPTATIONS AHEAD!

Amongst the many branded stores of rubber shoes, bags, clothes offering huge sale, nothing seemed so enticing (to someone whose wallet was well guarded because the budget is uber limited!) to us than this kiosk…

LEGO. Eye Candy to Gabby and Me. And you? Do you dig Lego too?

Gabby's eyes popped upon the sight of this kiosk filled with Lego goodies. While he was asking Tina and I to buy him at least a piece (read : he still has a new large box of Lego which he got as a gift from my father in law last holiday and he just received an exactly similar Lego-Light Buzzyear watch from one of our fellows in our HKDL trip) I held on to my wallet tight and kept my will power. Success! haha! And although those keychains are cute, I passed the chance of buying for I am not much into keychains.

The Star Wars Lego gift that Gabby got from his maternal Lolo last Christmas was as big as this. He has yet to explore and build it soon!

If you must know, I frequently rise up early and always beat my alarm clock- even weekends and holidays, mind you. I believe I don't need a large one as that in my old mobile still does the job perfectly. But these Lego-movie-themed alarm clocks were such an enormous temptations that greater will power to held on to the budget was a must! I know I only wanted them but don't need actually (why do we buy things often times we don't need anyway?) . But then again, they're so cute, aren't they? haha!

FOOD REPUBLIC,

CITYGATE OUTLETS,

TUNG CHUNG, LANTAU ISLAND, HONG KONG.

Yes, Food Republic is the CityGate Outlets’ food court! And I apologize for thinking that we might smell like the food they offer after eating inside; I was so wrong! It must be a great food place for it’s almost packed when we arrived.

Thou shall not judge people by their hairstyles. There are 5 types in this shot, can you count them all? *snickers*

hip and edgy... i like the hoody more than the hair

It's a must when in Hong Kong

Ate, ano ginagawa nyo sa dim sum?

Bibili na sana ako Kuya, pero parang galit ka. Why?

HCR = Hainanese Chicken Rice is happiness. But we passed up because hawkers offer this in Penang anyway or perhaps, we're craving for something else.

Korea House : Tina's choice

Milo or Ovaltine? Guess.

Tina's Korean Lunch : A Bowl of Beef & Veggies. It was OK according to her.

I almost ordered a Korean Bento Box from that Korea House where Tina bought her lunch set but I decided to hop from one food stall to another and tried to feel what my gastric mucosa’s craving was.

Food Republic’s made of various Asian cuisines -Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and my palate opted for a Japanese fastfood favorite!

Impeccable Teamwork : While a lady-crew tends the cashier, these two create our very own favorite that was sorely missed (read: it has been more than 2 years!) Japanese fastfood sizzling yummies in a few sec. However, because queues and orders pile up, customers and hungry diners like Gabby and I need to wait despite the two's perfectly coordinated moves in the kitchen.

They're making Gabby's lunch!

I know.

When in Hong Kong, one should savor Chinese dishes –dim sum, noodles, and anything cooked Cantonese or Sichuan.

But it has been years since we last enjoyed cooking our own food in a sizzling plate with lotsa butter and pepper on the rice meal.

We love Pepper Lunch! We miss their Shangri La Plaza and Powerplant Mall branches back home (We have not tried Greenbelt branch yet). We even won in one of PL’s promo contests years ago (CLICK THIS!). I know now that PL has a branch in Malaysia, but it’s in Pavilion Mall in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur! That’s 5 hour-away via bus ride from Penang. So when opportunity presented itself, Gabby and I didn’t think twice, we had PL Rice for our last lunch in Hong Kong!

Gabby's Pepper Lunch favorite : Beef Pepper Rice (I can still hear my boy saying, "Daddy ang sarap! Favorite ko ito!")

My Pepper Lunch Meal : Cut Steak and Hamburger Combo. With butter beneath and over the meat, plus that favorite HONEY BROWN SAUCE, a cup of Japanese rice seemed not enough! ANG SARAP!!! Miss na miss!

We loved those moments in Tung Chung!

Before 3PM, we went back to Disney's Hollywood Hotel, collected our luggage and bags and rode a cab to the HKIA. Bye bye, Tung Chung! Bye bye Hong Kong. Thanks for the memories! They're one of our coolest! See you again in the near future!

*PS : LEGOLAND MALAYSIA in Johor Bahru (near Singapore) opens end of 2012 (view HERE!)

Mar

OUR HONG KONG DISNEYLAND TRIP 2012 : LAST DAY HIGH

By docgelo 24 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HEADLINES, HONG KONG, ILOVEPHOTOS and TRAVEL
Tags: amusement parks, angelo nino santos, beyond toxicity, black and white photography, blooms, breakfast, broadway shows, cadillac, chef mickey's, dining, dining with family, disney train lines, disney's hollywood hotel, disneyland, disneyland train line, doc gelo, doc gelo blog, docgelo, family and living, family blog, family from philippines, family life, filipino blog, filipino expats, filipino family, flight of fantasy parade, flowers, foliage, food, food blog, food places in hong kong, foodie, fun, gardens, gratitude, Hollywood, hong kong, hong kong disney's hollywood hotel, Hong Kong Disneyland, hong kong island, hong kong tourist spots, hotels, hotels in hong kong, how to go to hong kong disneyland, how to go to hong kong disneyland from hong kong international airport, lantau island, live performances, musicals, must see in hong kong, must-visit in hong kong, nikon D7000, pancakes, parades, park, photography, photos taken using nikon D7000, pinoy expats, r & r, rest and relaxation, restaurant, restaurants in hong kong, simba, sunny bay, thanksgiving, the golden mickeys, the lion king, tourism, tourist spots in hong kong, toy story, train lines in hong kong, vacation, vintage cars, woody toy story

19 February 2012. Sunday. It was the last day of our 3D2N grand family vacation in Hong Kong Disneyland Park and Resort. And although we’re ecstatic with everything we had experienced in the Happiest Place On Earth, we tried to struggle a bit with fact that we’re leaving Hong Kong for our work place in Penang, Malaysia before dusk. It’s always hard to leave something so special that gave you many wonderful memories. Nontheless, we still had a day to enjoy so Tina, Gabby and I started our last morning in Hong Kong with ear-to-ear smiles.

Good Morning, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel !!!

From our room down to the lobby, we headed directly to Chef Mickey to have our buffet breakfast!

“Chef Mickey recalls the lavish Art Deco-styled studio commissaries of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Mickey decorations and various Disney characters in sketch form are found throughout the restaurant.” (via hongkongdisneyland.com)

Here’s the nice corner reserved for my family and me…

From the ceiling, fixtures, tiled walls and the spread, there’s a piece of Mickey Mouse to delight your senses!

It was Gabby who first noticed and told me, “Daddy, look at the plate, it looks like Mickey Mouse’s pants!”

Much ado about carbo-loading : My first plate had a crusty cheese bread, a delicate egg tart, sample of fruity and fluffy pastries and a piece of Winnie the Pooh banana cake. Of course, my morning would not be complete without a dose of coffee.

Who says pizza ain’t a morning meal? Gabby was wide-eyed when he spotted an all-cheese-thin-crust-pizza on the spread; he’s a purist when it comes to pizza thus, it’s his favorite! I asked him, “Anak, do you want some?” Of course, I received an excited positive response! I got a few slices for him, added some hash browns molded into smileys; how cute! And the basic scrambled eggs and bacon with Mickey Mouse waffles spruced up with maple syrup, while our boy favored chocolate syrup!

One of my favorites that I found so good from Chef Mickey’s various offerings was those thin slices of smoked salmon! I paired it with fresh green salad which I topped with different kinds of cheeses, some bits of cold cuts and vinaigrette and my morning instantly became perfect!

Tina and Gabby were satisfied with the breakfast too. Why, there were cereals which is a staple for my wife and son; yoghurt and fresh tropical fruits too! There were also some Chinese favorites –choices of dim sum, noodles, congee and a lot more that we wished our stomachs can accomodate.

After filling our tummies from Chef Mickey, we got our luggage and bags, had an early check out at 10:30AM, deposited our bags (for free!) at the Left Luggage Service of the hotel and trooped to the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel garden.

For the nth time, I owe some brilliant observations from our 7-year-old-kid. After first noticing those Chef Mickey’s plates patterned after Mickey Mouse’s pants, he commented about the aisle at the garden has film strips! And so I took a snap…

Bright and beautiful foliage at the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel garden…

The colors of the blooms – both big and small were awe-inspiring!

Pretty, isn’t it? My mother would agree (read : she loves flowers while my wife prefers food!).

It must be the great climate. It must be…

Happy moments in Disney’s Hollywood Hotel were made of these…

So happy he became buoyant on cool air!

Then, at the back of those “Hollywood Hotel” signage is somewhat discreet walkway where vintage cars are parked, excellent for photo-ops. What is Hollywood without them anyway?

Now, here are the exhibits of our “not-our-car-photos”….

Gorgeous cadillac coupled with those lovely smiles…

We’re almost ready to leave the garden when Gabby was fascinated with this movie ticket booth…

Gabby was inspired to do role-playing with his mom. Tina as the movie-goer and Gabby sells the tickets. Guess who’s their director? Definitely, not me! I played the usual camera man; Gabby himself called the shots! And all the while we thought his mind’s already fixed in becoming a chef, hotelier and restaurateur in the future. He got other talents, baby!

The moment came when he thought of dancing in the middle of a turntable-designed ground near the poolside. Elvis Presley songs were on air. He was then more of an entertainer with the grooves more than just an actor-director! haha! (I captured all of his moves in photos which I will probably post on a separate entry soon).

Time to bid goodbye to Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. Thank you for that warm and family-friendly accomodation!

As we planned to collect our luggage from Disney’s Hollywood Hotel at around 3PM before heading to Hong Kong International Airport to catch our 5:45PM HK-KUL flight via Air Asia, we rode the resort’s free shuttle bus and went to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Public Transport Interchange (PTI).

TRANSPORTATION IS ALSO WHIMSICAL AT HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

Here are some info and tips on how to go about the MTR Disneyland Resort Line

Getting to and out the park is as easy as counting 1, 2 and 3. From Hong Kong International Airport, one can opt to ride a bus, a car, a taxi cab or a train to reach Hong Kong Disneyland and vise-versa if you’re leaving the Happiest Place On Earth.

We’ve been to Hong Kong and Hong Kong Disneyland quite a few times already but we were always on a package tour (read : there’s a tourist bus that pick us up to and from the park) and we have not experienced riding that Mickey-Mouse-windowed train running on the MTR Disneyland Resort Line. And so we did not let the chance pass last month to enjoy such experience.

It’s always great to ask whenever you’re in doubt. So I went to the counter of the MTR Disneyland Resort Line to inquire how to go to Ting Chung via Sunny Bay. He instructed me to buy tickets from the machines located at the laterals of the station just before the turnstiles. He generously broke my bills into coins for the train ticket machines; very HKDL-friendly!

The ticket machines are touch screens; you need to identify and press the point of your origin before you touch the point of your final destination. Say for example, touch first Hong Kong Disneyland Resort then Tung Chung. The ticket price for adult and kids are different but the machine monitor will show the amount per person and you just need to press the total pax (e.g. 3 adults, 1 kid). Et voila, you collect the tickets to be inserted (or swipe if it’s loadable) on the turnstiles!

Convenience meets Fantasy.

That’s my first impression on Disneyland Resort Train Station.

It made me wish that all train stations around the globe would be as neat and pretty as this.

“Travel on the railway network of MTR and interchange for the Disneyland Resort Line at Sunny Bay Station.

Only 23 minutes from the Hong Kong International Airport, MTR Airport station,

30 minutes from MTR Kowloons tation and

33 minutes from MTR Hong Kong station where Guests can pick up Park Tickets too!

Operating Hours between Sunny Bay and Disneyland Resort Station
From Sunny Bay: from 6:15am – 12:45am the following day From Disneyland Resort Station: from 6:20am – 12:40am the following day

Frequency 4 – 10 minutes.” (-via hongkongdisneyland.com)

Just wonderful.

And at an instant, we fell in love with the train! Those train handles are one of the many reasons why one should visit and experience Hong Kong Disneyland!

Among the many train couches, we were lucky to randomly seated near that Mickey Mouse bronze statue.

There’s Tink’s and many other Disney characters immortalized in bronze enclosed in capsules.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort line runs until Sunny Bay. From here, you wait and take other trains that will take you to your destination.

Doing the “tourist thing” at Sunny Bay Station….

Now, where did we go and what did we do after Sunny Bay would have to be posted next!

With that, I’d like to thank the people who made our Hong Kong Disneyland trip very memorable and fun-filled! Thank you to Jaclyn, Nicole, Catherine and Purple –you guys are the BEST!

Thank you to my fellow Filipino bloggers with their families and friends! Thank you to Gael of The Pinay Solo BackPacker and her sister, Juvy, Thank you to Thammie of ThammieSy.com who came with her entire family, Pastor Dennis of Act Like A Man and their two adorable daughters, Alyanna and Mika. Thank you to Leslie of Shoot First Eat Later who came with her friend, Ms. Elizabeth (not in photo but Thank you, Maam for giving Gabby a lego-Buzz Lightyear watch!), Thank you fashion bloggers and celebrities, Laureen Uy of Break My Style who came with her special one, Robbie, and Kryz Uy of KryzUy.com who went with her sister, Jack. Maraming Salamat! Don’t you wish we meet again in some similar trip like this? Better yet, let’s go to HKDL again someday!

Last but not certainly not the least, THANK YOU SO MUCH to HONG KONG DISNEYLAND for being the venue of our FAMILY bonding, offering more than expected delicious FOOD and providing us never-ending FUN!

In so many ways, this Hong Kong Disneyland vacation was truly an exceptional one!

Whether it was our first time or we’ve been to the park and hotels several times over, reasons are beyond words to go back and revisit the Happiest Place on Earth!

Let this last set of my photos speak of those remarkable reasons why WE SO LOVE HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

As Shakespeare had put it, “Parting is such a sweet sorrow.”

It was an enormous blessing that we got a chance to revisit Hong Kong Disneyland and experienced family bonding, food and fun beyond our great expectations!

Thank you so much, our dear God!

Thank you so much, Hong Kong Disneyland!

Till we meet again, Mickey Mouse!

———————————

This Blog Series Includes :

Mar

OUR HONG KONG DISNEYLAND TRIP 2012 : GLORIOUS DAY 2

By docgelo 32 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HEADLINES, HONG KONG, TRAVEL and WISH LIST
Tags: alaskan crab, amusement park, angelo nino m. santos md, angelo nino santos, asian dishes, astro blasters, beef dishes, breakfast, cakes, cheesecake, cheesecakes, chocolates, cod fish, crab, desserts, dinner, disneyland, disneyland hotel, doc gelo, docgelo, enchanted garden, enchanted garden restaurant, family, family adventure, family and living, family blog, family bonding, family fun, family life, fantasyland, food, food blog, food blogger, foodie, fun, gelo santos, happiness, happy life, hong kong, Hong Kong Disneyland, hong kong disneyland merchandise, Life, lobster, mango pudding, mementos, restaurants, salmon dish, seafood, seafood platter dish, seafoods, southeast asia, souvenirs, stage musical, surf and turf, tenderloin, the festival of the lion king, the lion king, the many adventures of winnie the pooh, theater, tomorrowland, toy story, TRAVEL, traveling, travelling, trip to disneyland, trip to southeast asia, vacation, walt's cafe, winnie the pooh

18 February 2012, Saturday. Tina, Gabby and I woke up early from one of our restful sleeps in Disney’s Hollywood Hotel and excitedly prepared for our Day 2 in the Happiest Place on Earth!

It turned out to be glorious!

From Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, we hopped on the resort’s shuttle bus and headed to Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. We had a table reserved under our names at Enchanted Garden Restaurant for our breakfast buffet and Meet and Greet with the Disney characters! Everything seemed so thrilling particularly for Gabby!

As we went down directly to the basement of the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel where the Enchanted Garden Restaurant is housed, this beautiful space greeted us…

Enchanting, indeed!

We came in too early at 8AM (read : apparently excited!) and found from the Cast Member at the door of the restaurant that our table would be ready at around 9:30AM (so that’s the time that was reserved to us!). Without a hint of worry, we went out the door from the restaurant and spent time almost unnoticed in this perfectly manicured garden at the back of Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.

The gazebo looks inviting as a perfect venue for couples to exchange “I dos”. Imagine a wedding with all your favorite Disney characters led by no less than Mickey Mouse! Amazing!

A more interesting part of the garden is the hedge maze that Gabby, Tina and I tried finishing…

This is called, “Mickey Maze!”

Our kid totally enjoyed every second inside the maze…

Spot us in the Mickey Maze…

Let’s play “Hide and Seek!”

More cheesy but priceless bonding moments in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel…

Must be so happy? You bet!

After almost an hour at the garden, it’s time to freshen up and hit the tables and the spread. On way to Enchanted Garden Restaurant, we spotted super cool and nice things.

Exhibit #1 : Wooden high chairs for kiddos. They made me smile.

Exhibit # 2 : A room near the Enchanted Garden Restaurant will surely entice parents and their little daughters…

In “My Little Princess”, little ladies may be transformed into a Disney Princess of their choice.

This was just a “one proud daddy scene.” The moment reminded me of our wish (I and Tina’s) to give Gabby a little sister. (read :If it will come, it will in His time.)

Exhibit # 3 : Spotted Cinderella at the lobby of Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel with Alyanna and Mika (the beautiful daughters of Dennis and Thammie who were with our group in this HKDL trip).

Finally, a walk under those trellis! Splendid!

Being ushered to our reserved tables and seats felt surreal! Not that we’re excited to binge eat, hehe! but the ambiance exceeded our expectations!

The spread had Asian and Continental breakfast favorites. Everything looked tasteful and a must-try. There was more than enough for us to savor and be energized for another whole day at the park!

And then a thought popped out…

You don’t go to Hong Kong without sampling good bowl of noodles

and some tasteful dim sum and dumplings.

You just dont.

I just wished they had toyomansi (soy sauce + lime/calamansi) for the dim sums.

And because it’s Disneyland, Enchanted Garden boasts of Mickey Mouse figures in their waffles and pancakes! These made me stare at my plate for several minutes before I dunk my fork and knife at them. I had some of the goodies in pair, yum, yum!!! One of my plates had waffles, pancakes, hash browns and french toasts. Appreciate if you won’t calculate the calories! This is when my weakness in Math comes to be most useful! hehe!

The next set was mostly Tina’s and my plates. I had no chance to take photos of Gabby’s because he’s preoccuppied with excitement and huge appetite.

Known in local Filipino TV series, “My Binondo Girl as”Amethyst” that Tina religiously followed online (Malaysia has no TFC!) and more popular as a fashion blogger-celebrity and sister to Liz Uy, we met the charming and beautiful, Laureen Uy.

One Stellar Moment

More stunning episodes happened as some of the best loved Disney characters went to our table for us to take photo-ops! Diners of Enchanted Garden need not to queue to have memorable pictures with Mickey, Pluto and Goofy (and other characters). It’s another VIP treatment that we enjoyed in Hong Kong Disneyland!

Widest and sweetest smiles from my family as we posed with Pluto and Mickey…

Must have one more shot with Pluto…

After that one-of-a-kind-breakfast experience at Disneyland Hotel’s Enchanted Garden, it was time to explore and enjoy Hong Kong Disneyland Park again!

To those who are planning to experience HKDL for the very first time and have doubts if you can enjoy it in one whole day, actually, you can! But would you not wish to double the fun if you can be there on 2 consecutive days?

Weather forecast checked : 14 to 16 degree Celcius. We loved the climate; we didn’t have a downpour! God is truly great!

We wore various hats : A Cast Member volunteered to take our family pic just before a quaint door in one of the pastel-colored structures at Main Street, U.S.A..

Hot. Fresh. Delicious!

Then our feet brought us to Tomorrowland!

As Tomorrowland intends to give park goers a creative experience of being in the future, the moments became nostalgic to us.

Here’s how we looked five years ago…I guess only pounds and kilos of happiness were added!

Inside the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride, we have been warned.

We had FAST PASSES to this awesome ride! It was so cool when Buzz Lightyear himself introduced us to Astro Blasters!

Emperor Zurg!

Shooting robots. robots and more robots! We liked it here!

After that exhilarating Astro Blaster ride, we trooped to the largest restaurant in the theme park with over 800 seats, the Starliner Diner and grabbed a lip-smackingly good fried chicken and fries for lunch!

Over and beyond the food, what Tina and I liked was the fact that Hong Kong Disneyland’s Starliner Diner prioritizes sanitation and cleanliness by providing plastic gloves given inclusive of the food tray. You’ll find them folded and pack neatly with your tray. So eating chicken with hands was no-worries at all!

One more time on this car, Gabby!

2007 on the left ; 2012 on the right –Take a look at Gabby’s Then and Now photos and appreciate what 5 years have done!

Another ride within Tomorrowland available with Fast Passes is Space Mountain. We gave our Fast Passes to Laureen and her friends as we’re not fond of rollercoaster rides (read : Tina has Vertigo, Gabby’s still uncomfortable and cannot ride alone and I might throw up!). But if you’re adventurous and somewhat fearless, by all means, Space Mountain will surely give you the thrill!

We bid goodbye to Tomorrowland and strolled our way in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle to watch the Flights of Fantasy Parade for the second time! That 30 minute Hong Kong Disneyland parade really left us in awe!

Just before the parade started, Tina thought of a clever strategy. Since we didn’t have priority pass to the musical, The Festival of the Lion King, she suggested that together with Gabby while I am still drowned capturing the parade on photos, they will head to Adventureland just before the parade ends. In that way, while people are still busy watching the parade, they’ll be the first on the queue to that another must-see-musical..And true enough, it was a wise move.

The Festival of The Lion King at Adventureland

The scene became more fascinating after the stage lights were turned off. Let the show begin!

“It’s the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding

In the Circle,

The Circle of Life….”

It’s visually stunning! The songs and their voices are overwhelming too. We have seen this musical at HKDL more than a couple of times already and performance gets better and better! My particular favorite was the gorgeous air stunt of this lady-bird character; the act was so graceful; almost breathtaking!

These live musical shows (The Golden Mickeys and The Festival of the Lion King) make Hong Kong Disneyland specially different from the other Disney Theme Parks!

Then, it’s Gabby’s time for some Mickey Mouse ice cream! Sarap!

Few more steps, we found oursleves in Liki Tiki…
These “leaky” tiki jungle poles squirts water like fountains; look how our little one enjoys the drizzling effects…

Playing with tribal percussion instruments entertained Gabby to the fullest!

Tina and I are the happiest when he’s happy.

OK, so we left Adventureland with a smile and moved on to Fantasyland with even wider smiles!

This Pixie Dust area where Tinker Bell usually drop by for photo-ops wasn’t existing yet way back in 2007 (Gabby’s first trip to HKDL).

Time for some Mickey’s PhilharMagic! This colorful 3D movie adventure about how Mickey Mouse lost his wizard hat and what Donald Duck has to do with it never fails to amuse us. You never get tired of great attractions in Hong Kong Disneyland!

3D glasses on!

Our last Fast Passes on our hands were for the The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh...Gabby was only 2 years old when he first rode the track to the story of Winnie.

Cinderella’s Carousel has 60 graceful, prancing horses!

I learned that last year’s celebration of the 5th Anniversary of Hong Kong Disneyland, Tink had showered Sleeping Beauty Castle with her pixie dust… The effect is even more magical at dusk!

After Winter Must Come Spring… Is it Spring yet?

Smiles and blooms perfectly blend…

Ahhhhh… another stupendous day at Hong Kong Disneyland is about to end…

Thank You, Lord for another magical day!

We made sure we remember this trip not only through photos and video but mementos and souvenirs from HKDL shops itself. Other than the Disney character-hats that we bought, Gabby got himself a rubber Mickey Mouse wrist watch (When we got into the hotel room, he received a gift from one of our new friends in our group–a lego writs watch with Buzz Lightyear design! Thank You, Ms. Elizabeth for such generous gift!).

Before exiting the shop, Gabby called my attention, “Daddy, picture!” hence, this…

Before 7PM, we left Hong Kong Disneyland Park with almost a heavy heart. It’s our last day in the park and surely we’ll miss all the fun!

Thank you for the memories, HKDL!

We had our last dinner in Hong Kong at Disneyland Hotel’s WALT’S CAFE. I’m almost lost for superlatives to describe how great the overall gastronomic experience we had. First thing came to mind : The dinner was EXCELLENT!

I think diners of Walt’s Cafe can opt to enjoy their meals at the lobby…

I checked the reservation and we’re instantly led toward the end of the restaurant where everything seemed perfect.

This is the beautiful corner reserved to our group. Isn’t it divine?

Looking at my photos after the trip made me wish I have sampled a bottle of their wine…

The view from our table… The ambiance and the look of that by-gone era was almost ethereal!

The smiles to live for….

Now, let’s get down to business. We loved everything we chowed down; starting with this crusty bread that looked like a hot air balloon when you work your imagination; it’s baked to perfection and can be enjoyed sans butter.

Gabby favored one of Mickey’s Kid’s Meal -Oven Baked Ham and Cheese Macaroni with carrots and green peas, fresh fruit salad and a choice of drink; our kiddo got himself a hot chocolate.

For Tina, she savored, Grilled US Beef Tenderloin and Simmered Beef Short Ribs with Mushroom and Pinot Noir Sauce, HK$ 268.

Let me tell you, I had a great time from browsing the menu to having a taste of everything my family had. Here’s my preferences and recommendations from Walt’s Cafe..

Chicken Breast Fillet with Poached Crab Meat with Papaya and Mango Salad served with Honey Lime Scented Dressing, HK$ 128.

My palate was satisfied with its texture and flavors. The fusion of freshest and sweetest fruits complemented well the crunchiness of the greens. And the Chicken Breast Fillet? Heavenly!

I requested the wait staff to provide extra small plates so I can share my order with Tina and Gabby. I also sampled one Walt’s Cafe’s soups -

Double Boiled Black Mushroom with Kam Ha Wam Soup, HK$ 78.

The soup’s tasteful. I like the flavor of the Chinese ham and the black mushroom. Beautiful combo! The mushroom was shaped into Mickey Mouse’s head too! Amazing!

Then for my main entree, a huge plate was served first with one of the prettiest veggie side dishes I ever had…

To people who think amusement parks and their resorts only offer fast food junkies, think again! Hong Kong Disneyland’s Corner Cafe and Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel’s Walt’s Cafe proved it otherwise. Their menus are beyond sumptuous! The ambience, sublime!

Seafood Platter for Two. (Grilled or Poached. I wanted it grilled). Lobster, Scallops, King Crab Legs, Squid, Salmon, and Cod Fish with Lemon Dill “Beurreblanc” and Crustacean Sauce, Assorted Garden Vegetables, and Boiled Potatoes. HK$ 538.

One word : Outstanding!

Just take a look at that lime gorgeously wrapped with golden tulle and ribbon; wonderful!

The entree, Tina, Gabby and I shared….

We cannot be grateful enough!

Moving on to desserts…

My choice : Penny’s Bay Mango Pudding with Mango Puree.

Tina’s sweet preference : White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis

Gabby’s dessert plate was the most divine!

Oreo Cheesecake never tasted this great!

It’s one FUNtastic dinner to end one glorious day of everything that this blog gives reverence for :

FAMILY. FOOD. and FUN!

———————

I cannot help but marvel at the immense scale of blissful experiences we had in Hong Kong Disneyland! That 3-day-2-night vacation extremely gave us unforgettable memories that Tina, Gabby and I will cherish forever.

Hong Kong Disneyland spells H-A-P-P-I-N-E-S-S!

Thank you so much, Hong Kong Disneyland!

*Up Next : The concluding post of this Hong Kong Disneyland Series! Stay Tuned!

———————————

This Blog Series Includes :

Mar

OUR HONG KONG DISNEYLAND TRIP 2012 : TIMELESS MAGIC

By docgelo 32 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HONG KONG, ILOVEPHOTOS and TRAVEL
Tags: adventureland, amusement park, angelo nino m. santos, angelo nino santos, artificial animals, beauty and the beast, buzz light year, clam chowder, corner cafe, disney in the stars, disneyland, disneyland hotel, doc gelo, docgelo, elephants, family, family and living blog, family blog, fantasyland, filipino abroad, filipino in malaysia, fireworks, food, food blog, foodie, grand vacation, hong kong, Hong Kong Disneyland, it's a small world, it's a small world after all, jungle, jungle safari, lifestyle, lobster, main street usa, maliit ang mundo, mulan, must see in hong kong, must visit in disneyland, must-visit in hong kong, pinoy expat, seafood chowder, southeast asia, surf and turf, the golden mickeys, theme park, toy story, toy story land, TRAVEL, traveling, travelling, woody, zebras, zoo animals

The fambam goes to Adventureland! Celebrating at Hong Kong Disneyland the best way we know how!

A young elephant at Hong Kong Disneyland, seriously?

We never thought that we’d see Baby elephant with Mama and Papa elephants other than Dumbo in a theme park reigned by our favorite, Mickey Mouse. Or perhaps, we got overwhelmed being there again and forgot that almost anything’s possible because MAGIC and FANTASY come alive in a perfect fusion in the Happiest Place on Earth! ;)

Even Tina, Gabby and I have been to HONG KONG DISNEYLAND a few times already, and thankfully I’ve experienced the theme park in Tokyo and California too, it was our very first time to ride a tour-guided-boat in the waters of ADVENTURELAND last 17 February 2012, and definitely enjoyed every moment to bits.

Our gang at Hong Kong Disneyland with our uber friendly and warm exclusive tour guides, Janice (on red uniform) and Danny (with tie).

How cool it was to bypass the long queues legally without a feeling of guilt because of

DISNEY’S PRESTIGE TOUR (HK$ 3,888 for 3 consecutive hours up to group of six) .

Our Jungle River Cruise in Adventureland was led by an intrepid skipper. Our group was amazed as he passionately described and elaborately narrated what to expect and see along the mysterious waters.

But wait.

Why’s Gabby so afraid?

First he was afraid; he was petrified!!! ....hehe!

Was it because of the Baby elephant?

Or was it because of Papa elephant and his striped African friends?

Can it be due to those rhino and hyenas chasing these men?

Climb for your lives!!! ;P

Oh, I remember! Gabby was frightened about those fire-and-explosions-on-waters effects during one part of the cruise!

Okay.

Fine.

I admit…

Those mother and baby elephants, zebras, hyneas and rhinos, gorillas and cobras (not in photos) are mechanically operated; they’re unreal! You thought so too? But they’re the next best things to see after watching the lovable Disney characters on parade and I think even better than seeing their natural counterparts in a zoo. Exposing kids like Gabby to such artificial animals that appear like real would give them appreciation of the wild and the environment as a whole without the risk. Safety’s always a priority whenever you travel with kids and Hong Kong Disneyland knows how to implement fun with so much care!

That Jungle River Cruise was really something! It felt like we’re instantly ushered into an African Safari and left Asia for a while to experience some animal and jungle encounter.

Adventureland also features Tarzan’s Treehouse, Liki Tiki and the fabulously produced musical, “Festival of the Lion King” which we watched the following day (to be featured on my next post!).

Moments after we hopped off the boat, our HK Disneyland Tour Hosts, Janice and Danny brought us to FANTASYLAND to experience another engaging attraction, tagged as the happiest cruise that ever sailed, as the children of the world sing and dance to the song, “it’s a small world!”

My favorite part of this Fantasyland attraction : The Jungle Safari! We're having a safari-overload! Amazing!

A ride on the lift took us down to another exciting boat ride! This time, our senses feasted on colorful tableaux made of dolls representing children of each countries around the globe sing and dance to the song of “it’s a small world” in their own respective tongues. And just like that Jungle River Cruise in Adventureland, It’s A Small World journey via boat was another first for Tina, Gabby and me because we always passed the chance to experience it on our previous visits due to its long queue (a proof that it’s a MUST-SEE!). But now that we’re on Disney’s Prestige Tour, it was really a hassle-free!

it’s a small world…

Name Game! What country does this dolls represent? The frustrated violinist in me was in awe!

This FANTASYLAND attraction may be so appealing to kids and kids-at-hearts but it definitely shows a serious issue of unity amidst diversities. We may have come from various cultures and nations but in music and harmony, we could be one!

Indubitably, I am biased with tableaux from Asia!

Outstanding play of colors and costumes! …More Asian flavors!

Then at one lowly lit corner, two dolls dressed in Philippines’ national costume were singing “maliit ang mundo” (Tagalog version of “it’s a small world”).

Tina told me that she only wished that the Philippines’ corner would have a larger and brighter area or perhaps she meant, more dolls, more features like that of the other countries. Nonetheless, at least our very own’s represented! Yay!

As for our current work place, I think our eyes missed to spot Malaysia.

I’m not sure what comes first but certainly, our boat sailed onto the Golden Bridge! At this part, I suddenly missed the actual thing!

Tulips and windmills? Must be Holland.

Venetian Gondola? Must be Italy.

It’s so magical how we toured the world on a boat without the fuss of going through terminals and applying for visas! hehe

Cabaret? ...Moulin Rouge?

“it’s a small world” greeted us with “Hello” in different languages and bid us “Paalam”, “Adieu!”

Next, we headed to another Must-See in FANTASYLAND -A musical celebration of Disney’s movies and characters. If in “It’s A Small World” we took a journey around the globe on a whim, “The Golden Mickeys” presented our favorite Disney films live on stage! It’s a favorite and we never miss seeing this show whenever we visit Hong Kong Disneyland. Again, this trip was extremely special -I am with my family, we met new friends and we got PRIORITY PASS and EXCLUSIVE RESERVED SEATING!

VIP TREATMENT at its BEST!

Thank you so much, Hong Kong Disneyland!

THE GOLDEN MICKEYS

Wonderful!

Hearing Mickey and Minnie speak Cantonese never fails to amuse me. It only happens in Hong Kong Disneyland!

I may not be an expert critic in theater but I know my eyes and ears. I have watched a few musicals during my wonder years and this one’s short but excellently staged! We’ve seen other actors performed “The Golden Mickeys” the previous years and I may state that it has been consistent. What an AWESOME PRODUCTION! Gabby’s eyes were glued on the entire show! The three of us barely blinked! haha!

Live performances of songs, dances and stunts really reminded us of our favorite Disney movies!

The 30-minute show ended with a blast! We were soon guided to the newest and exclusive attraction in Hong Kong Disneyland :

TOY STORY LAND

“It’s playtime at Toy Story Land!

Exclusive in Asia, Toy Story Land brings the cherished stories of the Toy Story movie trilogy to reality, providing an immersive and memorable experience for all Guests. Toy Story Land’s opening on November 18, 2011 as the first themed area of the Park’s expansion project marked a key milestone for the Resort.

Entering the themed area, Guests will feel like they’ve been shrunk to the size of a toy as they are transported to the oversized world of Andy’s backyard. Toy Story Land houses three main attractions – RC Racer, Slinky Dog Spin and Toy Soldier Parachute Drop – offering Guests interactive and playful adventures. Through the themed area, Guests will also be able to play with their favorite Toy Story friends.” -HKDL.

Follow the Arrow to TOY STORY LAND!

Everything is oversized at TOY STORY LAND! Never imagined that we’d experience being in a backyard and feel like shrunken toys of Andy, the boy who owns the toys that come alive in the Disney movies, Toy Story. But it happened magically in TOY STORY LAND!

RC RACER

Soaring in a U-shaped bright orange track, you can ride a race car and have the thrill of fun!

I wish I had the will to try these thrilling rides; I passed up for the fear that I might throw up. I didn’t want to spoil our weekend fun feeling nauseous and tachycardic (having increase heart rate). It’s just me and my family (Tina has Vertigo and Gabby’s too young to get the scare out of him). But for those who seek such gravity defying race ride, RC Racer is made for you!

Since we opted not to try the RC Racer, we thought the next best thing was to pose for posterity!

TOY SOLDIER PARACHUTE DROP

TOY SOLDIER PARACHUTE DROP -another ride that gives you adrenaline rush! If you’re into Skydiving or you dig such extreme drill, this one’s tailor made for you! You’ll get a view of the entirety of Andy’s backyard set in Hong Kong Disneyland in the poetic Lantau Island!

Dig this : “Drop from the sky with the Toy Soldiers in a parachute training drill that thrills!”

SLINKY DOG SPIN

This one’s Gabby’s favorite! He asked me to accompany him not once but twice! We experienced how Slinky Dog run around and chase his tail around and ’round! Fun, fun, fun!

We love Toy Story Land!

You’ll never get to sit on pastel-colored popsicle stick-benches on a daily basis! Made me want to bring them home! haha!

Wonderful, isn’t it? “And there’s more to come! Toy Story Land is the first of three themed areas planned at Hong Kong Disneyland. The second themed area at Hong Kong Disneyland will be called Grizzly Gulch and it’s scheduled to be completed and opened to the public in 2012. And the Mystic Point themed area is expected to open in 2013.” -HKDL.

And because Magic is so timeless,

and the fun never ceases,

we didn’t notice the hands of the clock inside Hong Kong Disneyland!

Dusk fell beautifully in this theme park.

Time for dinner at CORNER CAFE!

One of the newly established restaurant inside the park is Main Street Corner Cafe. This table serviced restaurant offers premium American menu; everything spells D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

Gabby’s kiddie set included Fish fingers and fries, veggie side dish, cream puffs that he so loved! (read : as I write this, he uttered, “Iyan ang pinakamasarap!” –”That’s the most delicious!”), watermelon sliced into Mickey Mouse head and watermelon juice to match.

We were served with fibrous bread and butter. Yes to carbo! hehe!

I sampled their Seafood Chowder and it’s rich and tasteful, just what I like!

Satisfying one’s craving inside a kiddie theme park is almost always close to rarity. The usual meals in most amusement parks are fastfood delights and at times, far from your palate’s want. But CORNER CAFE inside Hong Kong Disneyland is amazingly different! Surprisingly, we found the irresistible, SURF AND TURF on their menu! The adequate portion of tender beef which Tina and I had medium-well, and a perfectly seasoned lobster on a bed of creamy whipped potato, all in one heavenly plate was simply divine!

For dessert, Tina, Gabby and I ordered a trio of cheesecake (not in photo); too bad my shots on that plate were so blurry I decided not to post.

Thanks to the Hong Kong people we’ve met -Nicole, Catherine and Purple (you guys are the best!), they left us with beautiful souvenir pins inspired by Toy Story Land! Everyone in our group had a piece; Gabby even got to keep and bring home the handsome box, sweet!

We needed to postpone savoring our desserts because the fireworks outside was about to start. We’re told that it’s best to view such magnificent lighting of the Hong Kong skies in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle but because we’re still halfway on our dinner (it’s really sumptious, you feel half-hearted to eat fast!), most of us just walk outside Corner Cafe and marveled at “Disney in the Stars!”

DISNEY IN THE STARS

Because I didn’t bring a tripod and I was not in the most strategic spot (lame excuses for not having expertise on firework photography!), my shots were disappointing. Good thing though, Tina brought her ipod and took a 43-sec video of the finale of the Disney in the Stars!

Short Video Captured by Tina : View HERE!!!

Our photo and video may not be compelling but trust in Hong Kong Disneyland should be more than enough to convince you that the Disney in the Stars fireworks is such a beautiful and perfect one to end the day at the park.

Thank you, Hong Kong Disneyland!

This post concludes our DAY ONE in Hong Kong Disneyland.

We smilingly hit the sack inside our room in Disney’s Hollywood Hotel

and woke up extremely excited for another MAGICAL DAY!

OUR DAY TWO in HONG KONG DISNEYLAND

and A LOT MORE on this blog’s succeeding posts!

Stay tuned!

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This Blog Series Includes :

Feb

OUR HONG KONG DISNEYLAND TRIP 2012 : SPECTACULAR BURST OF COLORS

By docgelo 43 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, HONG KONG, ILOVEPHOTOS and TRAVEL
Tags: acrobatic acts, acrobats, amusement park, andy's toys, angelo nino m. santos md, angelo nino santos, angelo nino santos md, beyond toxicity, buzz light year, children, disney, disney characters, disneyland blog, disneyland parade, disneyland park, doc gelo, docgelo, family, family bonding, fast pass at hong kong disneyland, floats, goofy, gymnastics, hong kong, Hong Kong Disneyland, hong kong disneyland blog, hong kong trip, jungle book, kids, lantau island, lilo and stitch, main street, mascots, mickey and minnie mouse, mickey mouse, midwest look, parade, parades, photography, pluto, simba, stitch, the magic of pixie dust, theme park, tinker bell, tinkerbell, toy story, toys, TRAVEL, travel photography, traveling, travelling, USA, vacation, woody

He's the major reason to watch the Flights of Fantasy Parade at Hong Kong Disneyland!

HONG KONG DISNEYLAND IS UPON US!

You may think I have lost my sanity but granting that I am still single and hypothetically speaking, one could marry a theme park, without a doubt, I would definitely wed and give my forever commitment to Hong Kong Disnyeland, bar none! haha! I could not see any reason why anyone would not dare LOVE Hong Kong Disneyland; everything a kid and kids-at-hearts could ask for is present there–day and night! It’ll be a never ending happiness! Life would be more colorful and whimsical! But then again, I LOVE TINA and GABBY SO MUCH and TOGETHER, WE ALL LOVE HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

Out of the 5 Disneyland Park locations around the globe, I am grateful to have experienced 3 of them already–Hong Kong, California & Tokyo (Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea) making only that in Florida and Paris still on my bucket list.

Every Disneyland Park has uniquely beautiful charm but that in Hong Kong remains close to our hearts. Reasons are beyond words, let our photos on this blog entry convince you why. So are you ready for some 80+ photos to view and some raves to read?

Don’t ever think I am overwhelming you…

I believe there’s NOTHING TOO MUCH in HONG KONG DISNEYLAND’S MAGICAL EXTRAVAGANCE!

Ready? Here we go!

After our memorable long trip from our present place in Butterworth, Penang to Kuala Lumpur to our arrival in Hong Kong Disney’s Hollywood Hotel and our fantastic Dim Sum Lunch at Crystal Lotus Restaurant in Disneyland Hotel, we excitingly trooped to Disneyland Park via the resort’s shuttle bus.

Tina and Gabby at the entrance of the park. Happy much!

Because we already have our 2-day theme park tickets (and fast passes to 3 rides), passing through the turnstiles at the gate was fuss-free.

Gabby to me : “Daddy, jump shot!”

And because he’s on the healthy-chubby side, Gabby wasn’t able to jump high, but nevertheless his smiling eyes said it all! hehe!

After a brief photo-op at the entrance of the park, our group was led to the Main Street, U.S.A., the first of the five lands inside the park where Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad, Animation Academy and the City Hall are located and where Main Street vehicles are parked. Food places like the Market House Bakery, Main Street Market and the restaurants, Corner Cafe (that offers premium American menu; it’s where we had our dinner on our first night which I will post soon!), and Plaza Inn (that provides Cantonese cuisine hosted by Maxim’s) plus a number of novelty and souvenir shops are housed.

Walking through Main Street, U.S.A. again instantly brought back blissful memories! It was surreal!!! I smiled when I remember my first visit to that same park when my parents brought me and my siblings there. I also recalled our trip about 5 years ago when I got a chance to bring my own family–Tina and Gabby to the Happiest Place on Earth. “Time flies so fast,” I silently uttered. Then I looked at my wrist watch and it’s almost few minutes before 3:30PM, the FLIGHTS OF FANTASY PARADE is about to start!

MAIN STREET, U.S.A.

With a very fine and cool weather (Thank God, we didn’t have a downpour!), the welcoming atmosphere was very apt for fantastic parade-watching! People of all ages already found their own areas to watch the parade at one end of Main Steet, U.S.A. just in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Everyone was organized and was patiently waiting for the floats of our favorite Disney characters to pass by.

While everyone was anticipating the magical parade to begin, we were ushered to our reserved exclusive viewing area for the Flights of Fantasy Parade…

Notice the rope and pole that secured our reserved exclusive viewing spot? We absolutely felt more than VIPs with such treatment! You too can enjoy the experience of DISNEY’S PRESTIGE TOUR that includes :

Direct Entrance to All Attractions (including RC Racer, Toy Soldier Parachute Drop and Slinky Dog Spin at the park’s newest attraction, Toy Story Land which I will post soon!)
Reserved Seating for Theater Shows
Exclusive “Toy Story Land” Themed Pin Box Set
Exclusive Viewing Area for Flights of Fantasy Parade
All for 3 consecutive hours for up to 6 guests (HK$3,888)

or you may opt to avail of DISNEY’S SUPREME TOUR that includes :

Direct Entrance to All Attractions (in Main Street, U.S.A., Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Adventureland only),
Reserved Seating for Theater Shows
Exclusive Viewing Area for Flights of Fantasy Parade
All for 3 consecutive hours for up to 6 guests (HK$ 3,200)

It’s a wonderful experience to meet the warm and friendly, Disneyland’s Tour Hosts!

Our group’s exclusive Disneyland’s Tour Hosts were Janice (far left on the photo) and Danny (the only guy on the photo).

THANK YOU SO MUCH, HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

Sleeping Beauty Castle, Hong Kong Disneyland, 17 February 2012

*Because Tina, Gabby and I were so amazed with the Flights of Fantasy Parade, we watched it twice on 2 consecutive days in 2 different spots. Thus, some photos here were taken on Friday, February 17, 2012 at the VIP area at the MAIN STREET, U.S.A., and some were snapped the following day just in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY PARADE

Expectators know that the parade’s about to start when the Grand Marshall’s car rolls on the street…

Dumbo and Timothy Mouse in “Dreams Take Flight”

Who would be more fitting to open the Flights of Fantasy Parade but the cute elephant with ears that make him fly, Dumbo!

Dumbo’s even cuter when he flips his ears and blinks his eyes!

Then came the Disneyland Marching Band, oops, let me rephrase that –the Disneyland Marching and Dancing Band!

They surely have the tunes, the moves and the smiles!

A quick glance at Wiki : “The Flights of Fantasy Parade premiered on January 18, 2011 as part of the Celebration in the Air, celebrating the 5th anniversary of Hong Kong Disneyland. The parade celebrates the dreams of Disney characters and includes Disney characters such as Mickey, and friends, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Baloo & King Louie, Tantor, Simba, Tinkerbell, Stitch and Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The parade includes seven floats which include Mickey’s Magical Airship, Caught Up in Daydreams, Romance Takes Wing, Jumpin’ Jungle Jam, The Magic of Pixie Dust, Hangin’ Ten and Ridin’ High, and To infinity and Beyond. This parade replaced the former Disney Parade which had been running since the park opened in 2005.”

Don’t you just love those wind instruments?

“Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-A-Dee-A. Wonderful feeling, Wonderful day!”

…Alright, I’m still having a hangover of the parade!

The colorful flags and ribbons thrown and swirled into the air by dancers in virbant costumes were followed by the float of Mickey Mouse and his friends!

Mickey’s Magical Airship

Mickey’s giant airship called, Flights of Friendship has his friends on board –Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Chip n’ Dale.

Chasing rainbows with Minnie Mouse!

Witness Mickey Mouse dance on air! Click photo to enlarge.

Seeing Mickey Mouse up close never fails to bring out the child in us!

Mickey Mouse is an epitome of every child’s fantasy!

You're the mouse, Mickey! You're the mouse!

We so love his float!

Chip or Dale?!

Let’s salute Donald and Goofy!

If you must know, Flights of Fantasy Parade is exclusive to Hong Kong Disneyland. And one thing unique with it is its being interactive. I didn’t see that awesome parade-perfomer-audience interaction in parades in Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea when I went there in 2010 nor in Anaheim, California back in 2000; perhaps things have changed now for the better. In Hong Kong Disneyland, dancers, performers and cast members encourage the kids to participate in the fun of the parade! Even some from our group joined the limbo rock! It’s just that our very own Gabby was so shy to actively involved himself in the street fun! Perhaps on our next visit.

The float of Mickey’s Magical Airship was followed by the float inspired by The Adventure of Winnie the Pooh.

Caught Up In Daydreams

Eeyore and Tigger were ever present with their friend, Winnie.

An eye-candy for me were those prostheses used by Tigger-dancers for jumping and hopping!

Those cast members must love their job of hopping and jumping with those cool-leg prostheses! I want a pair, haha!

There are specified areas in the park where a certain unit or float would take its full stop to fully entertain the audience.

And in Winnie the Pooh’s Caught Up In Daydream colorful float, four bungee-jumping performers rise and somersault in the air and do their tricks!

She may not be one of the Disney’s Princesses but she’s definitely Winnie the Pooh’s hunny!

Romance Takes Wing

After that playful Winnie the Pooh float, comes the Disney Princess unit called, Romance Takes Wing.

Regal, elegant and lovely. These words seems an understatement to describe the cast members dancing in the street, ushering the Disney Princess float.

A crowned swan airboat nestled on a bed of roses takes the Disney Princesses : Cinderella, Snow White, Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), and Princess Aurora (from Sleeping Beauty).

The sweet smiles and fine movements of these Disney Princesses makes the afternoon even more enchanting! They smile and wave and move perfectly like those in the cartoons. I wonder what happens if anyone of them needs to sneeze. *just kidding!*

Jumpin’ Jungle Jam

Vivid and bright Safari-inspired costumes of cast members with their impressive moves can immediately put anyone into that “Lion King” mood!

Precision in dancing coupled with widest smiles must be pure talent!

Baloo & King Louie from Disney’s The Jungle Book, Rafiki and Timon and of course, Simba -all from The Lion King and Tantor from Tarzan bring life into the Jumpin’ Jungle Jam float!

Hail to the Lion King!

After that African-designed float comes various fairies and Tinker Bell!

The Magic of Pixie Dust

It’s Tink!

Tinker Bell is on board a cotton float, ushered by four fairies driving bug cars and two flower girls following the unit.

I love that feather-dart detail at the back of Tink’s The Magic of Pixie Dust float!

I like this photo; looks like Stitch is chasing Tink!

Even the Hawaiian themed animated characters, Lilo and Stitch participates in Flights of Fantasy Parade with their windsurfing float!

Hangin’ Ten and Ridin’ High

Hangin’ Ten and Ridin’ High proudly features Stitch windsurfing in the air and beneath his image are two daredevil acrobats that swing a rattan-looking airboat up in the air! Amazing!

It’s fun to watch them rock that airboat! While leading the Haiwaian street dancers are no less than Lilo and Stitch!

Beautiful Oriental lady-dancers dressed in pink grass skirts smile and say, Aloha!

I like to have those sneakers in various hues, one for each day of the week. But then again, without Hawaiian shirts and shorts and a beach or a parade like this, one may appear histrionic! hehe!

While my mom was viewing these photos at home, she became so particular with the picture below, so she called and asked me, “Is this boy, Gabby?”

Our articulate son, told his grandma, “Lola, I’m not that boy; look at his shoes, I’m not wearing those shoes and jacket in Disneyland.”

And then, there’s the handsome cowboy, Woody…

To Infinity And Beyond

Admittedly, Toy Story is a personal favorite! Tina and Gabby love it too! If I could have a collection of huge toys, it would have to be Buzz and Woody!

The newest attraction in Hong Kong Disneyland is Toy Story Land which will be included in my next post. It is expected to see Woody and Jessie and Buzz Lightyear leading the float representing Toy Story Land and their memorable fun and touching movies, of course.

Hi there, Buzz! ....To Infinity And Beyond!!!

Green Paratroopers, Rex and Hamm adorn the eye-catching float of Toy Story!

Wonderful parade, isn’t it?

Flights of Fantasy Parade is more than enough reason for people to visit Hong Kong Disneyland. It’s such a visual feast; a burst of colors that everyone will surely enjoy!

You may have viewed the photos of the parade on this humble site but being there and experiencing the parade itself as it happens before your eyes is totally a different overwhelming experience! Indeed, fantasy comes alive in the Flights of Fantasy Parade! Whenever you find time to go to Hong Kong Disneyland, the parade is always a spectacular you should not missed!

Stay tuned on this blog for more fascinating features about Hong Kong Disneyland! The magic continues soon! *wink*

DocGelo, Tina and Gabby are extremely grateful to Hong Kong Disneyland! Thank You So Much! Until our next visit!

Watch out for more posts about Hong Kong Disneyland! –there’ll be more of Family bonding.Food.Fun soon!

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About Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort offers immersive, unique Disney experiences for all families, generations and ages to enjoy. Hong Kong is one of only five locations in the world that is home to a Disney themed park and the many Disney characters that are beloved the world over, such as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Stitch and Buzz Lightyear. Since the Grand Opening in September 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland has received more than 31 million Guests from around the globe. Through the unique product offering and the world-class service provided by the 5,000 strong Cast at the theme park and the two hotels, the Resort has received outstanding Guest satisfaction ratings and a range of awards from the hospitality and entertainment sectors.

If you want to know more about Hong Kong Disneyland and want to enjoy a unique magical experience, click on to www.hongkongdisneyland.com for more information.

For the latest news and photos from Hong Kong Disneyland, please visit our media website at: www.hongkongdisneyland.com/news.

This Blog Series Includes :

Feb

OUR HONG KONG DISNEYLAND TRIP 2012 : ARRIVAL & LUNCH

By docgelo 51 Comments

DOCGELO X MICKEY MOUSE

FAMILY.FOOD.FUN @ the Happiest Place on Earth!

Similar to a shot of adrenaline, the thought of revisiting Hong Kong Disneyland increases the heart beat and quickens the pulse, at least for Tina, Gabby and me. It’s incredibly different and NOT physiologically tiring but a special feeling of excitement that my family and I would love to go through over and over again, despite and inspite of everything! Hong Kong Disneyland has that positively addicting charm that effortlessly draws the young and equally attracts the young-at-hearts! It’s a Nirvana for family bonding, food indulgence and lots of fun!

HONG KONG DISNEYLAND : DEFINITELY, A STRESS ANTIDOTE

Before Tina, Gabby and I immersed ourselves in a worry-free-three-day-and-two-night-fun-filled-vacation in Hong Kong Disneyland, we had to travel a day before from our current place in Butterworth, Penang to Kuala Lumpur to catch our flight earliest in the morning. We all thought it’s wise to travel via KL if you’re coming from Malaysia because the trip from Penang would take us to Hong Kong International Airport at around half hour past 8 in the evening hence, we’ll lose a day. Either we go a day earlier to Hong Kong which will be more expensive or take the alternative route of via Kuala Lumpur. We opted the latter. However, since we didn’t reserve a flight from Penang to Malaysia’s capital city because of steeper cost (read: we are 3), we chose to take the 5-hour-road trip via the public tourist bus from Butterworth, Penang to Puduraya, Kuala Lumpur, then with our luggage and bags in tow, we hailed a taxi cab from Puduraya Bus Station to KL Sentral where buses that take passengers to KL-LCCT airport are parked.

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur-Low Cost Carrier Terminal at around 8 in the evening of Thursday via Aerobus after an hour trip from KL Sentral. My family and I had to spend the night inside food and coffee shops. After our quick family dinner and some coffee for Tina and me, chocolate frap for Gabby, we found a corner inside LCCT and called it a night (Actually, it was only Gabby who slept for few hours; Tina and I rarely shut our eyes). And few hours after midnight, we took turns in taking showers, changed into new clothes and queued to check in at 4 in the morning.

Some may find our travel very stressful but believe me, we’ve experienced more difficult instances than you could imagine. So this Hong Kong Disneyland trip is definitely a stress antidote for me and my family. We cannot thank the good Lord enough for such opportunity!

We took the flight from KUL to HK at 6:45AM, Friday, February 17, 2012 and arrived at HKIA 4 hours after. Before I slept in my seat, I accomplished the Immigration Arrival forms for Tina, Gabby and myself as what I used to do on our few travels.

That long travel to Kuala Lumpur from Penang and finally to Hong Kong, those frequent air pockets and lack of sleep were absolutely NOT enough to kill our excitement and enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth!

Finally, we set foot again at one of the biggest and most impressive terminals in the world! Sweet!

Hong Kong Disneyland, here we come!

Passing through HK Immigration was a breeze, so did the luggage pick up from the conveyor belt. I wish all terminals particularly that of the Philippines would have such remarkable efficiency. Upon arrival at the HKIA lobby, we trooped immediately to the Train Information Counter. Our initial game plan was to take the MTR from the airport to our hotel but after learning that the waiting and transfer period from one train to the other will take us around an hour, we decided to take a cab.

After paying the metered taxi HKD 150, we arrived at the hotel lobby all in one piece. Yahoooo!!!

DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD HOTEL : FAMILY FRIENDLY!

From its exteriors that reflects similarities with Pan Pacific Auditorium, the art-deco theme reminiscent of the golden age of Hollywood echoes to the interiors of Disney’s Hollywood Hotel to every detail in the lobby and in its rooms.

And since it’s Disneyland Resorts, the head of Mickey Mouse with other Disney figures including Minnie Mouse’s of course, are a constant decor. Wonderful!!!

Tina and I have lately developed the appreciation for boutique and themed hotels. It’s nice to see how people put so much attention to details. The first sight of the lobby of Disney’s Hollywood Hotel was definitely a feast to our senses!

Just before those bilateral lifts take Disney's Hollywood Hotel guests to their rooms, the Disney magic manifests with the voice of Mickey Mouse no less, welcoming everyone to their room-level, night and day. So cool! It makes you think that Mickey Mouse doesn't sleep too! *kidding*

Certainly, the glass etching on the doors of the lifts also has the same Hollywood art-deco theme and to make it distinctly Disney's, there are so many Mickey Mouse embedded on it. Can you spot some?

We’re checked in at the 8th level where the view’s fantastic! The blurry hazy skyline at the backdrop confirmed that we’re about to experience a misty cool Hong Kong climate despite the clock already hit 12 noon. And coming from the tropical state of Penang, that for me, was so inviting! Thankfully, we didn’t have any downpour, God is really great!

The view from our room offers a relaxing sight of Lantau island, its bay stretching to South China Sea and Disney's Hollywood Hotel's swimming pool. Can you feel the cool atmosphere despite the clock hit 12 noon? It's Hong Kong, baby!

Another view from our window gives you a glimpse of how Disney’s Hollywood Hotel back lot looks like…

I wish I've photographed it too at night. Some other time perhaps (that's another little reason to go back!).

Tina and I basically want few essentials in a hotel room; just nice and comfy bed and pillows to provide us a restful sleep, an insect-free-airconditioned and clean room, toilet and bath and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel doesn’t disappoint. Its theme is continuously obvious. The play of colors are vibrant and definitely puts everyone into the Disneyland euphoric mood!

I guess each room with a twin-deluxe beds has a black and white cartoon of Mickey and Minnie from one of their movies.

How sweet it was to sleep with worries and stress far from your cerebrum.

A little while later, Gabby felt so at home!

From Malaysia to Hong Kong, this 7-year-old-Filipino kid loves his Disney cartoons!

It may not be the most spacious toilet and bath that we had experienced but nonetheless, its cleanliness and the generous volume of towels are truly noteworthy. It’s expected that Disney Hollywood Hotel would be family-friendly and we proved it correctly. How many hotels have thought of providing kid-sized slippers? This hotel has it making Gabby simply delighted. Toothbrushes, toothpaste and some wipes and cotton buds are provided in a pack inside 3 paper cups capped with Mickey Mouse ears. Even the toilet is richly themed!

And again, the little artsy details made us smile and utter, “so cute!”

Cast members (or those who work for Hong Kong Disneyland Park and Hotels) are amazingly creative at these towel crafts. They even refill it everyday in different colors and adorable animal and alien-designs. We brought home some pieces, actually!

Riding the theme park’s own resort shuttle buses for FREE was definitely convenience in its truest sense of the word. After checking in and quick freshening up in our room at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, we went to the resorts’ other hotel, Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel for the much needed lunch.

The HK Disneyland Resorts Shuttle Buses take passengers for FREE from the theme park to Disneyland Hotel then to Disney Hollywood Hotel in 10 minute interval. It spells convenience particularly when you're traveling with kids. It's so nice when you're worry-free of going back to the hotel and theme park or hopping to a restaurant located at either of Disney hotels.

Experiencing two hotels of Hong Kong Disneyland was so awesome! Both hotels have unique themes, one takes you back in time to Hollywood’s golden years and the other is lavishly Victorian-inspired.

HONG KONG DISNEYLAND HOTEL : ENTICINGLY ELEGANT!

We saw luxury and sophistication at every corner of Disneyland Hotel… Our little-big boy, Gabby’s so amazed! I wonder what other kids think of Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. Surely, most of them believe that it’s a magical mansion!

what a gorgeous pair of chandeliers!

Everything’s so fanciful! Even the men’s toilet melted all my worries away, haha!

While Tina and Gabby were checking out the merchandise at the hotel’s souvenir shop, I walked towards the concierge and didn’t pass the chance of capturing the framed paintings hanging at the back of the counters.

I asked permission from the Cast Members who are at the reception prior to snapping my cam; made me smile when they gave me a nod.

Aren’t these paintings fascinating? I remember the Mark Twain’s steamboat that we saw in Disneyland Anaheim on the next painting.

Those bursts of colors are too beautiful in my eyes!

Sincere to their work place, I noticed Cast Members of Hong Kong Disneyland Park and Resorts are all service-oriented, warm and friendly. Just when I was thinking for someone who could snap a photo of us, one male hotel staff offered to take our family pic even without asking him. That’s marvelous!

Look at my very own Minnie. Lovely, isn't she?

The hedge maze in the garden of Disneyland Hotel fronting South China Sea really caught Gabby’s attention.

Did Gabby and I try and finish the maze? Find out on my succeeding posts!

Meanwhile, can you spot Mickey Mouse’s profile on this green maze?

LUNCH at CRYSTAL LOTUS RESTAURANT, HONG KONG DISNEYLAND HOTEL.

What warmed our souls and filled our stomachs after that long tiring trip from Butterworth, Penang to Puduraya and KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur, to Kuala Lumpur-Low Cost Carrier Terminal to Hong Kong International Airport then finally to Hong Kong Disneyland apart from seeing Mickey Mouse again at the theme park was a sumptuous and divine Chinese cuisine at Crystal Lotus Restaurant.

With rich, classy and exceptional ambience, coupled with prompt and attentive service and a delightful menu, Crystal Lotus Restaurant is the best option when you feel like indulging in some Chinese favorites with Disneyland’s kiddie appeal.

Modern and sophisticated Oriental ambience of Crystal Lotus Restaurant. We're so blessed to have experienced it.

Tina, Gabby and I met a few bunch of Filipinos who own blog sites too; Mom and Lifestyle blogger, ThammieSy, Fashion bloggers Laureen Uy and Kryz Uy of Break My Style and KryzUy.com respectively, Foodie blogger, Leslie of Shoot First Eat Later, and travel blogger Gael of The Pinay Solo Backpacker. We communed with our families and friends and with delicious gastronomic treats at this luxurious room.

Crystal Lotus Restaurant brought our taste buds to a variety of Chinese dishes that we all happily took in.

stunningly gorgeous chandeliers

Now, let your eyes feast on the set meal we savored….you might need tissues to wipe your keyboard when you drooled! *kidding!* A glass of ice cold water beside you might be helpful.

If it's Chinese, there must be Jasmine Tea.

We started our delicious dimsum lunch with Roasted Suckling Pig with Cucumber and Sweetened Paste in Steamed and Piggy Mask Buns…

Crisp and flavorful. I'm in heaven!

Family bonding comes in different packages. At this moment, it came with authentic Chinese cum Disney’s culinary.

Next on the menu brought to our table was Disney Dim Sum Platter. Consisting of Three Little Pigs Barbecue Pork Bun, Little Green Men Pork and Vegetable Bun, Mickey’s Glutinous Seafood Pancake which Gabby liked so much!

Eating Dim Sum has never been this cute! It took me several minutes to take them with chopsticks and bite, haha!

I see harmony in steam basket, haha! Then I gave these 2 cute buns a peaceful death via taking them in, LOL!

Pink ears or orange ones? Doesn’t matter, both are appetizingly delicious!

Then came Braised Seafood Soup with Crab Roe. This warm soup dish won my palate! Tina liked it too.

D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S

The meal got more interesting when the next dish was brought in. It’s called Wok Fried Chicken and Longan with Sweet Sour Sauce.

My palate is familiar with the fusion of pineapples and chicken meat in a dish but with longan, it must be fascinating! And it is!

With Wok-Fried Shrimps and Disney Root Vegetables, Disneyland and Crystal Lotus Restaurant really know how to make vegetables and seafoods appealing to kids. The dish to me is so impressive!

You know how some children have aversion to veggies and making the ingredients of this dish cut into Mickey Mouse’s gloves and head is pure brilliance!

Who says eating veggies is never fun?

Blessings continued to pour on our table with this golden crab dish…

This one really brought out the kid in me. I was in awe with the plating of this crab dish. Indeed, a crab plated in gold, hehe!

Flip the golden shell of this crustacean plate et voila…

Baked Tasmanian Crab Meat Fried Rice in Whole Crab Shell : Eating crab has never been this edgy!

And of course, a meal isn’t complete without a sweet ending. Crystal Lotus prepared and offered us Chilled “Mickey’s” Red Bean Honey Pudding and Chilled Mickey’s Green Tea Jelly.

Gabby like these desserts and so did Tina. As for me, I like the fusion of textures and its light flavors.

Must take a detail shot…

Did I mention that we EACH received a full course meal? What Gabby cannot finish, Daddy Gelo’s there to rescue. hehehe! Immediately after our very first meal at Hong Kong Disneyland, I thought I gained a few more pounds! Who wouldn’t with such hearty Dim Sum lunch set?

It’s not on a daily basis that we get to eat Disney-themed Dim Sum nor a crab dish on a golden crab shell and of course, not everyone is given the chance to have such indulgence in very sophisticated food place thus, Tina, Gabby and I are grateful for this great dining experience. THANK YOU, LORD FOR ALL OF YOUR BLESSINGS! THANK YOU, HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!

Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel : Such a Magical Dreamy Place!

After our sublime Oriental lunch at Crystal Lotus, we headed directly to the Hong Kong Disneyland Park via the resort’s shuttle bus. We got our fast passes to Space Mountain, Astro Blasters and The Adventure of Winnie the Pooh rides and tickets to the theme park for 2 days! Excitement soared the highest! All that and a lot more in the part 2 of this blog series! Stay tuned!

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*for more information about Hong Kong Disneyland Park, Crystal Lotus Restaurant, Disney’s Hollywood Hotel and Disneyland Hotel, kindly visit the theme park website at http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com

This Blog Series Includes :

Jan

KEK LOK SI TEMPLE REVISITED

By docgelo 17 Comments

In my almost 2 years of being an expat in this part of Malaysia, I haven’t explored the entire Pulau Pinang (Penang Island), much more its neighboring states (with the exception of Kota Bharu in Kelantan that we visited last May 2011 and Kuala Lumpur of course). There are lots of tourist spots or must-visit places that my family and I have yet to experience. But of all areas that we’ve been to within the island, one of my favorites is Kek Lok Si Buddhist Temple.

Kek Lok Si is the Temple of Supreme Bliss.

Despite its distance from where we live and inspite of the fact that we need to spend at least half of our day whenever we go there to explore and enjoy the scenic spots, not to disregard the travel period and remarkable fatigue we need to endure in walking and reaching its uphill shrines, every visit seems so meaningful when we’re inside the temple.

No, we’re not Buddhists; neither we know much of their religion other than reading the book Siddharta back in my High School days. Nonetheless, the atmosphere inside Buddhist temples like Kek Lok Si which was dubbed as the biggest in Southeast Asia never fails to bring tranquility, serenity and peace similar whenever we savor the solemnity of a Catholic mass or whenever we have a chance to commune with Mother Nature.

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” ~Buddha

To the few but loyal and valued followers of this humble site, you probably are familiar that my family and I only commute to take our feet to work and whatnot. We usually take Rapid Penang bus from our place in Butterworth for about 5 to 10 minute ride to Penang Sentral and Jetty. There’s a waiting period for buses to pass by of about 30-45 minute-interval but we have learned to go by. From Jetty in Butterworth, we take 12-minute ferry ride that takes us to George Town, the heart of Pulau Pinang.

Ferry from Butterworth, Penang Sentral to George Town and back : roundtrip costs RM1.20 (PhP 16.80) per adult and RM0.60 (PhP 8.40) per "kanak-kanak" or kids like Gabby.

We haven’t tried yet RO-RO (roll-on-roll out?) transportation back home but here in Penang, ferry rides are frequent part of our trips, mostly on weekends when we go to the island. This is how Penang ferries look like – the upper deck is usually alotted for commuter-passengers and the lower deck is for those traveling with vehicles (although some ferries accomodate people and cars at its upper deck too).

A stroll from getting off the ferry brings us immediately to the Rapid Penang Bus station in George Town. Buses are numbered depending on its route. Tina and I use an all-month-pass cards which are definitely cheaper than without particularly for those working people like us. Bus rates here are still affordable compared to other countries; discounts are provided to senior citizens (like my mom who’s here and my dad who came last year), children (like Gabby’s age pay half) and students.

After bus-ferry-bus-rides, I found myself at the foot of Kek Lok Si Temple again. It was my third time to be there but as mentioned, every visit gives a different experience. Tina was left home because she was nursing her bowel (oops!) This trip to Kek Lok Si, I brought my mom who’s visiting from UAE and Gabby of course who was so excited to enjoy her Mamita.

First things first -we had to eat. I took them to the hawker restaurant (their version of our local carinderia or turo-turo) which I’ve tried before located just where we hopped off from the bus. Our tummy fillers that mid morning were Chinese-Non-Halal toppings : Roasted Pork Rice for me, Barbecued Pork Rice for Mamy, Soyed steamed dumplings and Chicken Rice for Gabby which he liked the most! We washed down everything with Pure Lemon Iced Tea and Milo-iced for Gabby (yes, they call it here Meelo-ais).

Entrance to Kek Lok Si is absolutely FREE! After our hearty meals, I led them to its walk way where Mamy and Gabby’s eyes rolled onto the assorted souvenir items being sold by shops left and right. Literally, these stores line up the path en route to the shrines (Kek Lok Si has various temples not just one); they also make the uphill walk less tiring, haha! Tip : when shopping, haggling should always be observed; make sure you ask for the half of the original price.

The pond filled with turtles greeted us once more. It’s Gabby’s second time here, my third and Mamy’s first. Like his first visit, Gabby asked us to buy him kangkong to feed the turtles. No other feeds are allowed except kangkong sold by the vendor there. Our little-big boy had fun as usual!

Kangkong costs RM1 (satu ringgit or one ringgit, PhP 14)

There are short bridges to get to the central gazebo where they fed these tons of amphibian-reptiles with one bunch of kangkong. More bunches come from other tourists and visitors.

“Chinese tradition believes that a turtle is a symbol of longevity, strength and endurance. It is an act of spiritual liberation when a turtle is captured and set free in this pond.” ~sourced via penangvacation.com

Few minutes after, I was mesmerized again. I brought them first to the main temple where the ceilings are such a visual treat. I spent several minutes of silence as the interiors left me in awe.

Must have that detail shot….beautiful, is it not?

Not that we’re superstititious but we believe there’s no harm in doing few practices of other religions. To each his own. When I told my mom that there’s a Wishing Ribbon Tree inside the main temple, she went there first and chose her ribbons; Gabby and I followed to do the same.

Payment is done with honesty. You just drop the fees at the steel boxes where ribbons are selected.

Without a help from me, Gabby chose these ribbons and well, the kid has global concern this early as he included World Peace!

He followed his Mamita in writing the names of the love ones at the back of each ribbons. Gabby did this to 10 of his wishing ribbons.

Then, Mamy and Gabby hung the ribbons to the tree like what Buddhists do.

There are 3 huge altars inside the main temple at Kek Lok Si; here’s the center most. I find it so grand yet exudes humility.

Offerings at the altar…

Flowers and fruits are usual offerings but can anyone explain about the liter of cooking oil?

Outside the main temple at Kek Lok Si, the colors and architecture are so inspiring! Can you blame me not to be tired of being here?

Every corner is picturesque!

Here’s the pagoda of the ten thousand Buddhas.

The view from the lateral of the main temple. The covered cat walk lined by red and yellow lanterns takes you to the other temples at Kek Lok Si.

Mamy and her apo enjoyed photo-ops at almost every spot.

They had wacky ones at considered “safe” places…

and observed decent poses inside the shrines… :

When my son asked me about those golden Buddhist statues, the clueless me simply replied, “I don’t know, Anak, just keep quiet, and smile for the pictures!” haha! After browsing the net just before posting this entry, I found out that those 4 (yes, they come in 2 pairs in glass cases) are Buddhists’ Heavenly Kings that bring hope and prosperity.

Amazing how these kyat-kyat (or what do you call these tiny sweet citrus?) were grown (or put) into almost perfect bunches! They’re reall fruits actually! Funny how some chinky-eyed-perhaps-Korean-or-maybe-Taiwanese tried to test if they’re reall by pinching them several times.

The bursts of colors are incredibly fantastic!

Bottles of water and chilled cans of soda bought from stores in between shrines kept us going.

My mom wanted to see everything of Kek Lok Si or at least most of it; she was in the mood to try even the inclined lift with roundtrip ticket of RM 4 (PhP 56) each….

just to witness the shrine of the Goddess of Mercy overlooking the hill…

the bronze statue of Kuan Yin or the Goddess of Mercy is magnanimous!

The view from the top…

Everything in Kek Lok Si seems to be so fascinating. I chuckled when I saw these creatures at the grounds. Can anyone confirm if Minnie Mouse is a Buddhist? *just kidding!*

Obviously, my 7-year old boy loved them.

Gabby and his Mamita had photo-ops galore!

If you must know, the temple has these voluminous red and yellow Chinese lanterns not only because of the upcoming Lunar Year of the Dragon but they’re there whole year through. Wonderful, aren’t they?

Then the moment came when I extremely wished I had a professional lessions in basic photography or at least has no mediocre skills in capturing such beauty…

The entire temple is such a visual feast!

Everything on it enhances its grandeur. From the magnificent architecture to the very impressive interiors, to the little details such as these greens. It’s a money plant, isn’t it?

Flowers are adored and least likely to be overlooked when we are with my mom. She so loves colorful and various blooms!

And if you must know, Hibiscus or our local gumamela is one of Malaysia’s National Symbols.

I guess my mom was happy with her first-time visit to Kek Lok Si. I know we’re all tired and fatigued after, but those are nothing when we think of the little fun memories we had at the temple. Indeed, the Temple of Supreme Bliss is aptly called!

A day spent at Kek Lok Si will never be dull and boring for me. It will always be glorious!

Gong Xi Fa Cai !

Happy Chinese New Year!

*Kek Lok Si is majestically located on the hills of Air Itam; you can reach it by car or cabs from George Town or by taking Rapid Penang Bus 201, 203, 204.

Jan

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2011 FOOD TRIP

By docgelo 11 Comments

Our Christmas Break 2011 Series includes :

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Foreword : You might need a glass of cold water when you browse this post. You have been warned, haha! *Most dishes are NON-HALAL too. Obviously, this is another gastronomic entry however, allow me to remind you again that I am not blogging food exclusively, but family and fun too. Go ahead, indulge and feast your eyes!

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The Christmas season in my country is all about family togetherness, friendly celebrations and homecoming particularly to those Filipinos who are residing and working abroad. Yuletide is such a perfect time for all those fun pursuits. It’s such a big blessing for us to be able to come home again after almost 2 year of being an expat-family here in Penang. Our hearts and stomachs remain loyal to the Philippines indubitably.

The following photos with brief descriptions essay some of the fantastic digestive feasts we savored with our families and friends during the entire 21 day-break (including holidays and weekends) we had in Manila. Don’t ask me about their calories, we’re not counting, haha!

At Via Mare in Greenbelt 3, Tina, Gabby and I enjoyed Filipino dishes….

Crispy Binagoongang Baboy served with Pakbet side dish (Crispy Pork Belly with Shrimp Paste and veggies).

Via Mare's Beef Caldereta was Tina's choice; sarap!

Our late-lunch-heavy-merienda included…

Wild Mushroom Soup for Gabby

Puto Maya : glutinous rice served with panutsa syrup and riped mangoes.

Gabby's personal preference : Shooters-a trio of guinumis, mais con yelo and halo-halo. The kid has his own taste, do you agree?

Via Mare's famous Bibingka : buttery, fluffy and served with salted egg (or kesong puti) delicious!

It’s only every Yuletide season when leaves of poinsettias become vividly red; lovely, aren’t they?

And poinsettias are lovelier at the facade of Manila Peninsula.

…where Gabby was overwhelmed with holiday cheers

…where we dined with one of our good friends of almost 2 decades, LG who also stands as one of Gabby’s dutiful godparents.

At the LOBBY of the Manila Peninsula, dinner included another set of Filipino favorites…

Kare Kare (Ox Tail and Veggies in Peanut Sauce served with Shrimp Paste) : one of my favorites!

Pancit Guisado

Lechon Kawali

And an Oreo-flavored sundae dessert for Gabby

Moving on to our other indulgence, at the Podium in Ortigas, we were treated to a Chinese dinner by my dad-in-law at …

I am proud to belong to a beautiful family…oh yes, that’s something to be proud of!

Must have soup…

then a prawn dish selected from the menu by my sister-in-law.

And despite no one’s celebrating a birthday (except for Baby Jesus!), must have Birthday Noodles…

Tender slices of beef and mushroom on a bed of broccoli’s always a winner for me.

Hakao or shrimp dumpling cannot be missed.

Our beloved kid ordered Four Seasons to wash down everything. Have I told you he has his own taste?

Gabby and his cousin, Raphael loved the dinner.

Then one lovely weekday afternoon, we found ourselves in the middle of Ayala Triangle in Makati City.

At last, after having a long thread at the inbox in facebook, we finally arranged a meet up with our good blogger-friends around the area of their offices in Makati City. The lunch was set initially at Banapple, however the place was packed, so we had to look for Plan B : Wee Nam Kee.

It’s our (Tina, Gabby and I) first time to dine at this Singaporean-inspired food place, where Hainanese Chicken Rice is the bestseller.

Hainanese Chicken cooked two ways : Steamed and Roasted; sarap pareho! And we ordered LARGE! haha

Dyan, one of the most bubbly blog buddy I have suggested we try Cereal Prawns when we visited Singapore last year. However, we didn’t have the chance back then, and luckily, it’s available to sample at Wee Nam Kee. Another yummy!

Here are our pretty lunch dates at Wee Nam Kee :

Tina & Gabby with blog buddies, Marian, Dyan and Grace

And we had another version of Birthday Noodle. Sarap din!

Two days before our flight back to Penang, I attended to the invitation of Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks a personal FREE Big Binondo Food Wok along with other BIG TIME food bloggers (read : For the nth time, this may be a food post but I am not into an exclusive food blogging). After that almost 4 hours for pigging out at Manila Chinatown, I hurried to meet my family and my sister-in-law with our Med school classmates and great friends, also godparents to Gabby –doc Shiny and doc Mitch at Peking Garden, TriNoma Mall in Quezon City.

At around half hour past 6 in the evening when I arrived, they’ve already ordered and all I had to do is eat. But because I just came from another food trip, I was still satiated and had more appetite in catching up with them and our lost times.

On our table at Peking Garden :

Forgive me, I failed to get the names of the dishes from the menu; as I mentioned, I arrived when there were already food on the table.

Spareribs, obviously. It tasted better than it looks.

Fried chicken that’s nothing special to rave about.

They also selected Yang Chow Fried Rice and yes, Birthday Noodle again. However, if I can call the attention of Peking Garden with this post, or the concerned diners in the TriNoma branch, then I’d like to ask them the reason why their waitresses have to get the used plates from their diners’ table IMMEDIATELY, as in, IN A SNAP, iyong tipong hindi pa tapos kumain, kinukuha na ang plato. Why? Never do that to your paying customers, okay? I believe it’s disrespect. Why in a hurry? May lakad kayo? LOL! I swear, of all the food places I’ve featured here on my blog, my family and I will never set foot in Peking Garden TriNoma ever again, seriously.

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There was no lack of excitement in all the moments amidst gastronomic feasts we shared with our families and friends. Our vacation was made complete with such wonderful experiences. We look forward again to another holiday when we can extremely stretch the time to bond with our love ones.

Jan

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2011 DAY 5 PART 2 : THE LEGARDA MANSION

By docgelo 14 Comments

Our Christmas Break 2011 Series includes :

En Route To Pinas
Day 2 : Ulingan, Tondo
Day 5 : Malacanang Palace
Day 8 : Bisperas Ng Pasko Sa Ulingan
Day 11 : Our Students’ Wedding
Day 12 : We Went To Farmville!
Day 14 : Our Celestial Weekend at Hotel Celeste
Day 19 : Our Big Binondo Food Wok

—————————–

There's my dad-in-law who came home for the holidays from Missouri; holding hands while walking with her lovely daughter (the one in black striped shirt; not in pink, ok--no offense meant.

After an engaging and informative Malacanang Palace Tour with Ivan Man Dy, our group of local and foreigner-tourists walked back to where we met that afternoon –the Legarda Mansion that’s turned into La Cocina De Tita Moning, a fine dining restaurant that features Filipino cuisine at its best.

It’s good to see an herb garden within the restaurant itself. It’s so uncommon to spot a food place that partially rely on their own produce.

They grow Tanglad or Lemon Grass among other herbs and leaves for their very refreshing Lemon Grass Iced Tea.

We were ushered to the outdoor dining area where a tasteful and supposed to be a light merienda but was a bit heavy and delicious on the tummy was served.

While eating, Ivan continued to entertain his guests without a hint of fatigue from more than 3-hour tour guiding inside the Malacanang Palace. I believe it’s his gift more than a talent or skill.

Then the opportunity presented itself. Ivan Man Dy asked us if we’re interested in having a brief tour of the Legarda Mansion for free or as a last stop of our Palace, Power and A Shot of Beer Malacanang-San Miguel Walking Tour (remember, we were enjoying our light snack at its outdoor garden and without a reservation, one may have uncertainties to be accomodated inside the Legarda Mansion itself or the La Cocina De Tita Moning restaurant proper). I immediately replied, “Sure, I read somewhere there’s a medical clinic inside, I want to see it!”

Because it was almost past 5 in the afternoon, some of the tourists had to bid goodbye. We chose to stay to take a peek inside the ancestral house. I’m glad that my father-in-law was so courteous enough not to say no to my want despite he seriously lacked sleep and was still struggling with jet lag from his more than 16 hour flight from US to HK then Manila the day prior to the tour.

More than the main dining areas (read: several private rooms to dine) of La Cocina De Tita Moning located at the mansion’s second level….

Rose petals, sculptured crystals and the best china on the dining table.

I am more interested to see the other quarters inside the Legarda Mansion…

The wooden and iron staircase leads to a whole lot of fascination.

Do you like PHOTOGRAPHY?

Antique photography equipments are showcased in one of the rooms as Dr. Alejandro Roces-Legarda was into this beautiful (and expensive) hobby. Visitors, diners and photo-enthusiasts like me have plenty to talk about over this priceless collection.

This was how a camera looked like in Dr. Alejandro Legarda’s years…

Imagine if time didn’t evolve and cameras still appear like this, I think I cannot strap it around my neck to stroll and shoot, haha!

Are you into ARTS?

"La Inocencia"

For the moment, I was left in awe…

How many houses own a Juan Luna?

If owning a priceless masterpiece is close to impossible, then dreaming to have a coffee table book about such art works is the next best thing, haha!

Let me remind you (or myself, haha) that this mansion is the restaurant itself.

Photography. The Arts. If not, perhaps, are we playing in the same field?

Notice the stirrups on the photo? I'm no OB-Gyn but a humble General Practitioner-Educator only however, man, I miss delivering a baby! Just like many Filipino MDs, I had the chance to go on rotation in Fabella Medical Center in Manila where 98 deliveries in a 24 hour shift is considered BENIGN. I also miss my Post-Graduate Medical Internship days at Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City and my OB-Gyn rotations there. I miss yelling (just to make your voice heard) at women about to deliver, "Ginang, hingang malalim, pigil, ire!" (In that order! --"Mrs., take a deep breath, hold and push")....ah, those were the days!

Can you find a vaginal speculum on the next photo?

Dr. Alejandro Roces-Legarda was an OB-Gyn specialist along with his 3 other siblings who were all MDs.

Like the others, I also believe having a clinic at your own residence gives you the convenience to practice. However, the downside is having your own home and worst, own family being exposed to your clients’ pathogens (microbe-causing diseases ). To each his own.

We read the same book.

Of course, it’s not an issue to me but would you still have your appetite for fine dining at the sight of a female skeleton? *just asking*

An appetite stimulant or an appetite killer? haha! I won't mind for as long as the spread's delicious!

Other than the medical clinic, the living room upstairs is definitely attention-grabbing.

One of the quarters features the family’s radio transmitter collection. Another rare and expensive collectibles.

And then, there are some more things to tickle your fancy.

According to Ivan, a fine dining set meal, either lunch or dinner on reservation will cost you around PhP 1,500 to PhP 2,500 and up per pax. With the sample we had at the outdoor garden, I am definite that the menu is as superb if not beyond words.

The Legarda Mansion, a.k.a. La Cocina De Tita Moning extremely reminds me of two of my favorite heritage houses here in Penang,

the PINANG PERANAKAN MANSION

and

the CHEONG FATT TZE BLUE MANSION

which both stand with grandeur in George Town, one of UNESCO’s Heritage Sites.

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*Special thanks goes out to Ivan Man Dy for his generous invitations to me and my family. For readers out there who would like a professional and intelligent and amusing guided walking tours of Manila, visit the website of OLDMANILAWALKS.COM for details. Kindly give my regards to Ivan if in case you’ll find time to join his tours. Thank you!

Jan

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2011 DAY 12 : WE WENT TO FARMVILLE

By docgelo 25 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD! and TRAVEL
Tags: antipolo rizal, bagoong, bahay kubo, boso boso antipolo, coconut juice, coconuts, crab fat, family, family and living, farm, Filipino food, fishing, flowers, food, foodie, foods from philippines, Kamayan, lechon, lunch, lunch date, lydia's lechon, Philippine food, picnic, roasted pig, shrimp paste, swamp, swing, vacation

Our Christmas Break 2011 Series includes :

En Route To Pinas
Day 2 : Ulingan, Tondo
Day 5 : Malacanang Palace
Day 8 : Bisperas Ng Pasko Sa Ulingan
Day 11 : Our Students’ Wedding
Day 14 : Our Celestial Weekend at Hotel Celeste
Day 19 : Our Big Binondo Food Wok

—————————–

28 December 2011, Wednesday. To be honest, I extremely enjoyed our trip to my in-law’s farm! Our entire day spent there was definitely a breather from the common mall ratting and absolutely far from our usual work-home-routine. Inhaling fresh air and savoring cool mountain breeze was definitely a fantastic treat for all of us.

The whopping 4.6 hectares of farm of various crops owned by my brother-in-law and his family is located at Boso-Boso, Antipolo Rizal. A roughly an hour and a half drive from Pasig City and Ortigas took us to this beautiful respite from the hustle and bustle of the urban life.

Meet one of their farm caretakers….

who lives in this paradise…

The place reminded me of my maternal grandmother’s hometown, Barangay Halayhay, Tanza, Cavite where we used to visit every Summer of our growing up years; where houses were built separately from their toilets (the ones that require you to walk before you pee or poop) and where life is incredibly simple.

Aren’t these puppies, despite the lack of breed (or so called, ~~askal~~ aspin or asong pinoy) and a dumalaga so fit for Tinola, too cute for words?

The farm has a family house too where toilet is much comfortable. (There’s our Tita/Ninang sa Kasal on the photo).

Seeing a white cow grazing in grass doesn’t happen on a daily basis –definitely another treat!

Next photo reveals how my father-in-law who came home for the holidays from Missouri attempted to enjoy fishing.

And our Tito/Ninong sa Kasal became too busy too snapping his camera at this nature’s best. BTW, this is the bahay-kubo where we ate our sumptuous lunch. Very Nice! Cool eh?!

Another shot of that beautiful bahay-kubo…

One of the abundant crops are coconuts. Photo below exhibits Gabby’s amazement on how Kuya Boyet, one of the farm caretakers climbed and tried his best to get us freshest coconuts.

Coke and distilled water were rivaled by delicious coconut juice and pulp. Thirst-quenching!

Sarap ng buco, lalo na libre!

Other than coconuts, rice, some mangoes, there are also grapefruit trees. I’m not sure but it tastes and looks like grapefruit and tastes like pomelo as well.

Abot-kamay ang mga prutas!

Meet Gabby’s cousin, Raphael (left), the heir to this farm.

Look what’s cooking…

Preparation always comes before success. And my sister in law prepared and cooked on the spot a very tasteful Sinigang na buto-buto! The tender meat almost effortlessly fall off from its bones. The sour broth and the veggies were just perfect! Sarap! Success!

Here she is, doc bibsy, a.k.a. my former classmate in med school and Tina’s sister; that makes her my sister-in-law who happens to be the haciendera of this vast farm. Sarap ng buco, bibsy!

Tina and Gabby obviously enjoyed it too…

Jun, my brother-in-law and owner of this farm provided one of the best tasting barbecued liempo (pork belly). His recipe –a marinade of mustard, rosemary, salt and pepper. Imagine, it was my first time to eat liempo sans soy sauce and vinegar. Ang sarap!!!

While the adults were busy cooking, the kiddos were having their own business.

Another addition to our feast that afternoon was 2 kilo-takeaway/takeout by my dad-in-law enroute to the farm; its packaging says, Malutong. Masarap. Masaya!

tadaaaaa…. (nagsebo na kasi malamig sa farm!)

More artery-clogging delights : Crab fat, bagoong, salted eggs. Extra rice, please!

Tina must have her favorite green mangoes that she personally sliced into pieces.

It was Gabby’s first time to eat on banana leaves and it has been a while for me.

The lunch at the farm was surreal.

Shameless display of my plate, err, leaf.

Burp!

Gabby : “Daddy, how do we use this cable car?”

Me. : “CABLE CAR?!!? What cable car?” Then I looked around and found an old swing. Kids loved it!

To Jun, Bibs and Raphael, Papa Chito, Tito Mars and Tita Emma, thank you so much for that fun afternoon at the farm! Wonderful!

Despite we spent a day WITHOUT mobile signal, NO WIFI, no cable TV because the farm is located uphill the barangay in Antipolo City, the experience was still memorable. Food. Family Bonding. Nature. Surreal!

The 4.6 hectare private farm is on the planning stage of progress, either to keep it as crop-producing farm and/or part of it will be converted to a resort. Regardless, it’s a clear gem from Mother Nature.

Jan

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2011 DAY 19 : OUR BIG BINONDO FOOD WOK!

By docgelo 27 Comments

Our Christmas Break 2011 Blog Series includes :

En Route To Pinas
Day 2 : Ulingan, Tondo
Day 5 : Malacanang Palace
Day 8 : Bisperas Ng Pasko Sa Ulingan
Day 11 : Our Students’ Wedding
Day 14 : Our Celestial Weekend at Hotel Celeste

—————————–

04th January 2012, Wednesday. In our last stop of our Binondo food trip inside Sa Lido Panciteria, one of the senior Chinese men seated at the table where I passed by to exit, called my attention and asked me, “Pogi, Pogi, saan ba lalabas iyang piniktyuran nyo, sa ‘NO RESERVATIONS’ ni ANTHONY BOURDAIN?“…..Me : “…po? …In an instant, Ivan Man Dy approached him and explained that we will do some blog posts about it and not TV.

That moment reminded me that I was fortunate to be one of those who was tour-guided by Ivan Man Dy of Old Manila Walks just like what he did with Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations. I was silently smiling as I walked down the stairs out of that restaurant.

After Tina, my father-in-law (who’s now back in the US) and I attended Ivan’s invitation for him to tour us inside Malacanang Palace last December, he invited me and my family again for his Big Binondo Food Wok which I haven’t tried. Despite I have been to Ongpin Street and the rest of Binondo isn’t new to me, I was thrilled with the idea of going through the laterals of Manila again but this time, on a guided tour by the no-less than the main man himself of Old Manila Walks. He set the date to 4th of January, told me it would be his personal food tour of Binondo for us, and we’ll not be joining the other tourist.

Our vacation days went by and sadly at our last week in Pinas right after New Year, Gabby and I acquired cough manifested with fever . We’ve started on medications but as of this posting, we still have residual signs and symptoms. Because of this plus a handful of clearances that we had to secure from local government offices and our PRC license renewal, I almost turned down Ivan’s Binondo invitation. But things fell into places that I (and Gabby) felt better the night before the scheduled walking tour, and our documents were secured in a day. Thus, I was able to join the group of big time foodies (believe me, ako lang ang small time). I left my VERY OWN “BINONDO GIRL” at home to take care of our son and start packing our luggage back to Penang.

I was the last one to arrived at 1PM meet-up at the lobby of Binondo Church; thank God I was never late. We wasted no time and walked our way towards Carvajal Street….

One of the quintessential laterals of Binondo, Carvajal Street.

With lots of fruits, some carts with veggies, sun dried and smoked fish, some eateries and a bookstore, Carvajal Street is a long and narrow fascinating lateral of Binondo. It was my first time there, actually!

Our first stop was Quick Snack…Lesson: Do not underestimate simplicity of the signboard, food may blow your taste buds away! hehehe.

Ivan mentioned we’re in for 3 of his personal favorite food places in Binondo that he doesn’t include in his usual tours; reason : will eat up time of his walking tour.

At Quick Snack, Ivan stuffed us with what he called appetizers….

This Tofu Dish is SURREAL! ...ang sarap!

My favorite was this tofu dish. I like its crisp and crunchy coating because it’s fried but remained soft inside. The sauce was simple but to die-for.

Also on our table were plateful of kuchay empanada. I’ve tasted kuchay dumplings both steamed and fried from another Binondo eatery, Dong Bei, but never a kuchay empanada. It was interestingly good.

Kuchay Empanada.

Oyster cake is one of the hawker dishes in George Town and the rest of Pulau Pinang however, in my 18 months of living and working here, I haven’t dared try it yet. I never thought that Binondo would give my palate a sample of this seafood delight. It reminded me of Okonomiyaki, a Japanese pie.

Oyster cake

Tsinoy cuisine would not be complete without a noodle dish.

What was told by Ivan as a light merienda cum appetizer turned out to be a heavy one; we’re all stuffed at our first stop! Then we walked towards the end of Carvajal which is Nueva Street, a spot in Binondo where paper, stationaries or school supplies and uniforms of all colleges and universities are being sold, in retail and in bulk. We entered a hopia place, one that’s familiar to me and my family other than Eng Bee Tin…

What's your flavor? Tell me, what's youf flavor. ... haha!

Inside Holand Hopia, Ivan quickly showed us the different flavors of hopia which are ALL being sampled in his Big Binondo Food Wok. He also featured some other delights that are must-have for the Chinese New Year celebration. Case in point, the tikoy or that glutinous rice cake. Apparently, it symbolizes unity and oneness, but now, tikoy is being brought to the next level with its impressive variant and flavor. Have you ever tried dunking your fork at a tikoy beautifully shaped as a kois? One of our former Tsinoy Nursing student before gifted me and Tina a box of it with a pair of kois-shaped tikoy. It took us days to stare at it and to decide whether to eat or not.

As my fellow bloggers’ eyes roamed around the small food shop, the moment became nostalgic when my eyes spotted those peanut-caoated angpaw. It reminded me of my maternal grandmother who raised us; angpaw was her favorite and I used to buy her a pack as pasalubong before.

Tikoy became so versatile in flavors. There’s that Ube and Mango tikoy. Have you tried these flavors?

Tsinoys or Filipinos in general are naturally innovative. They usually never run out of new ideas to introduce to the market. Inisde Holand Hopia, I first found HOPTIKS, a fusion of hopia and tikoy all in one! How amazing!

After Nueva Street, we found our way to Ongpin. We saw that famous peculiar street sign again at the corner of Salazar and Ongpin. I asked Ivan the reason why the first letter N of Ongpin was inverted, he replied it must be out of carelessness or plain stupidity. Regardless of the reason, it remains to be the most photographed street sign in Metro Manila.

Ivan pointed out to us the original hopia in Ongpin comes from this simple and unassuming bakery…

The old Tsinoy couple gave Ivan sample of their old-school hopia that’s still wrapped in red Japanese paper.

It’s obvious that Binondo is an interesting community at the heart of Manila. There’s food, there’s culture and heritage and there’s history. At a new age building where Sweethearts Balloons (for parties and all) and other establishments are located, this National Historic signage is posted that an ordinary Ongpin-goer would not easily noticed. The sign deserves a second look.

From Salazar and Benavidez Streets, we strolled towards the second restaurant, ROSSO. Here, Ivan wanted all of us to sample a uniquely delicious offering of a hot pot – Sichuan style!

Most of us are familiar with Yakimix, Tong Yang and other Hot Pots in the Metro but having it Sichuan style is totally different. We began to order two variants –spareribs and chicken. They were severd in stew. Ivan explained that the difference lies not only on the taste; as Sichuan is known to be spicy, spicier, spiciest, haha! but also on how you eat it. In the usual hot pot even here in Penang, you eat the broth with everything on it. In Rosso’s Sichuan style hot pot, you eat first the stewed meat then a new soup base would be pour before you mix the other ingredients. Quite interesting!

The sparerib stew was so delicious, I preferred it over chicken.

Ivan asked all the members of our group to order ingredients for our hot pot. The unanimous favorite is the cheese ball (a fishball like with melted cheese inside, yummy!).

Deliciously good!

Another Sichuan dish that was served was Sichuan water cooked beef that’s so tender and flavorful…

But if there’s one thing that would make me go back to Binondo and eat at Rosso again, it’s this dish –Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork. This plate made me crave for a double cup of steamed rice!!! It was that good! There’s a burst of flavors in my mouth that pleasantly stimulated everything in my palate. It’s one of the best pork dishes I’ve tasted!

Then as we were almost struggling to eat more, Ivan brought us all to our final stop -Sa Lido Restaurant.

The second floor of that bank promises a coffee-panciteria area perfectly fit for Chinese men discussing their families and businesses with their old time friends. If Starbucks Coffee didn’t hit Manila by storm, this type of panciteria would be the best option.

As I have surrendered to Rosso’s Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork as the best tasting food for that day, I thought twice when I tried Lido’s Pork Asado. The slice of meat cooked in wood fire oven effortlessly melted in my mouth and offered its smoky delicious taste. I also considered this as the best Pork Asado in town. You will definitely like it even sans sauce or gravy. Two thumbs up and a must-try!

Ever heard and tasted HOTOTAI? I’ve long heard of this soup dish but never have tried it until last week. Thanks Ivan, it was heavenly!

Hototai’s tasteful until its last drop.

Ivan never forgot to order his favorite siomai.

Asado buns and Camaron rebosado, anyone?

Again, a Chinese cuisine is never complete without anything to represent longevity. Ang sarap ng Lo Mee na to!

Lido serves one of the best coffee in town. I can’t choose between coffee and tea so I had them both.

And what a glorious day of eating Chinese food it was and so perfect to end it sweetly with Lychee and almond dessert. Yummy!

We ended our half day Binondo Food Wok with our gastric pits overflowing. Thank you so much, Ivan Man Dy and Old Manila Walks for that sumptuous treat! We truly enjoyed it.

For the readers and followers out there who would like to experience Binondo in its most colorful and delicious ways, I highly suggest you join Old Manila Walks Big Binondo Food Wok on Chinese New Year. You’ll get a taste and stuffed yourself with Chinese cuisine, stroll with the dancing dragons and lions, and immerse with the diversity of Manila Chinatown has to offer with the best tour guide in town, Ivan Man Dy no less. Below are the details of what’s in store for you.

the BIG Binondo Food WOK (Chinese New Year Edition):

Nibbling Our Way Through Chinatown

January 21 (Saturday) @ 1:00 PM- 5:30 PM (approx)
January 22 (Sunday) @ 8:00 AM-12: 30 PM (approx)

@: 2:00 PM-6:00 PM (approx)

January 23 (Monday 1st day CNY) @ 8:00 AM-12:30 P.M. (approx)

新年快樂

Happy Lunar Near Year!

恭喜發財

Kiong Hee Huat Tsai!

"Oh yes, its that time of the year again when we BINGE ourselves silly as we welcome the the Lunar New Year with a BIG, BIG BITE! It's the BEST time of the year to do the BIG Binondo Food WOK as the year of the rabbit hops away and we ROAR into the year for the Dragon!

So what are you waiting for? Let us paint the town RED, join in the festivities(while filling up our stomachs!) as we usher in the Lunar New Year in Chinatown!“

Rate: P1,500.00/head (inclusive of tasting menu and lotsa fun and surprises!)
**Slots limited.Book early!

And if you happen to be participating this wonderful tour and/or would refer this to your friends/relatives, please don’t forget to tell Ivan you read it here on my blog. Maraming Salamat po! *wink*

Jan

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2011 DAY 14 : HOTEL CELESTE

By docgelo 27 Comments

Our Christmas Break 2011 Blog Series includes :

En Route To Pinas
Day 2 : Ulingan, Tondo
Day 5 : Malacanang Palace
Day 8 : Bisperas Ng Pasko Sa Ulingan
Day 11 : Our Students’ Wedding

—————————–

*This is not a paid post for Hotel Celeste. The blogger and his family spent for their overnight stay and this blog’s simple review and staff commendation attempts to be honest and fair.

Celeste (pronounced with silent last e) means heavenly. And Hotel Celeste in Makati City is just that. Celestial. Stellar. Heavenly!

30 December 2011, Friday. Exactly 2 weeks after we arrived from Penang, we availed of the deluxe room I reserved a few weeks ago at Hotel Celeste, a European-inspired boutique hotel in the heart of Makati City. Now, before someone raises his or her eyebrows and comments that we’re spending a fortune on this overnight accomodation, think again. We only availed of the hotel’s promo called CELESTIAL WEEKENDS that I luckily spotted at their website last year. Besides, give us a break, will you? It’s already 2012 and it’s our 8th Wedding Anniversary on Sunday, January 08, 2012, hence this simple indulgence.

I asked first my commander-in-chief’s go signal (who else but Tina) if I can book a hotel room even for just a night in honor (naks!) of our 8th years of being officially married, 11 years of togetherness and as a part of our Christmas vacation in Pinas. And man, I was in cloud 9 when I got her nod.

It was already the night of December 8, 2011 when I emailed Hotel Celeste to make a reservation. One night for us (December 30-31) and the other date this January 2012 as gift certificate that we gave as present to our first inaanak sa kasal (sponsored newlyweds, Nicole & Carlo). Tina and I thought it’s a decent wedding present for them more than the classic golden chamber pots (ginintuang arinola) *pun intended*

Incidentally, this is the first time I’ll be acknowledging the names of the people who served us beyond expectations. The hotel service was excellent!

First to be applauded was the front desk officer, Ryan Lacerna. We never met him but he was the one who promptly replied to my email-request and immediately sent a reservation under my name on my preferred dates on PDF form. Thank you!

Second was the door man/bell boy, Dexter and the couple of guards outside. Mabuhay po kayo! Dexter’s Indigo blue marvelous uniform was perceived by Gabby as those worn with Samurai. (Our son mixed Japanese with Old World European–you know how kids watch so many cartoons these days, haha!).

And of course, the nicest people who man this small but ever efficient reception should be regarded as well.

Thank you to Em and Ethel who smilingly received me when I first personally went there to settle our bills in advance. Believe me, they’re the friendliest front desk ladies I’ve ever encountered.

Thank you to Jiggs Garcia who texted to inform me that the GC that I requested was already ready for pick up.

Not to forget the front desk people who were on duty during our stay, Gracie and the tall male front desk man who’s with her and whose name I forgot to ask, he also didn’t wear his nameplate that time, nontheless, thank you too!

To the Celi’s restaurant wait staff -morning and night shift, hats off to you for being courteous!

All of you made our brief stay so remarkable and memorable! Maraming Salamat!

Honey, lower your eyebrows, please. Umabot ata sa 3rd floor. Why? hehehe! *she'll kill me for this*

Needless to say, Hotel Celeste impressed us –not only the jologs in me who’s easier to pleased but Tina who has more discriminating taste. With only 30 rooms –in Suites and Deluxe that vary in their interiors (I think no room is designed similar), this charming hotel is an absolute respite amidst the hustle and bustle of Makati City and a great competition to the premier hotels around. It’s a few steps away from our favorite malls -Greenbelt and Glorietta. Very accessible too for tourists and balikbayans who likes a nearby accomodation from the airport.

Wacky Gabby posed for Tina while I check in at the counter.

Gracie, the front desk officer on duty didn’t ask anymore for the PhP 2K refundable deposit when I checked in for my family. I don’t know, either she forgot about it or I’d like to think she trusted me because of the 2 letters after my surname (ehem!). She just requested me to provide an ID; I gave her my passport and after she scanned and returned it to me, I found myself with Tina, Gabby and the bellboy/doorman, Dexter inside the lift. Even the lift was elaborately decorated with DAMASK TEXTILE and mirrors. Nice!

We’re assigned at level 3, room 305. Here’s the corridor…

The lateral view from the door of our room…

We were welcomed by spotless wooden floors and simple yet amazing fixtures.

I'm happy when my family's happy.

The mini bar isn’t free of course unlike QUINCY HOTEL SINGAPORE but nevertheless provides with complimentary bottled water, coffee and tea making facility. Personal fridge also available.

The quality of pillows and the size of the bed for me are relatively important whenever slumbering in a hotel. I want my pillows not too soft but a little firm. Tina and Gabby like it otherwise. We all love a king size bed instead of a twin, so much room to cuddle and curl up. And in Hotel Celeste, we’re grateful that we had one of our restful sleeps. Fantastic!

Tina noticed the wardrobe has a long umbrella for the guests to use. We both think it’s uncommonly provided by most hotels unless you ask for one and Hotel Celeste was thoughtful in doing so even without a request.

The tandas (toilet) at first glance was instantly perceived as covered with wall paper but a closer look revealed it’s beautifully stenciled. Thank God it’s no floral design but leafy. The Deluxe room has no bath tub but the rainshower dutsa with comforting hot and cold water was good enough.

The banyo may be small but almost sterile. It’s so important to be kept clean.

L'Occitane hair and body wash are provided, must of all, I like it when hotel choose Colgate to include in the box of toothbrush (despite we always bring our own gum needs).

The Celestial Weekend Promo package that we availed comes with a foot and leg massage upon arrival that we failed to enjoy. Tina and I opted to have it in the morning just before checking out however, it’s already late when we learned that the service is only available from 3 to 5 in the afternoon. Our fault. No worries. But definitely, Gabby and Tina savored the welcome drinks; they chose ripe mango shake and iced chocolate.

vouchers for fee welcome drinks that were handed to us upon check in.

Fast forward to dinner : Most deluxe hotel room packages would only offer buffet breakfast, but Celestial Weekends treats guests to set dinner as well. When we’re almost ready to choose from the set menu, Gabby asked me to accompany him to pee.

This is how the toilet at the lobby looks like…

waiting area just before the toilet at the lobby

the male toilet : I wish I had mural painting of a knight to in our comfort room.

Admittedly, the set dinner may have been better if the servings are a bit bigger. But I’m not complaining; just saying. As mentioned, it doesn’t happen all the time that set dinner is inclusive in a hotel package unless it’s an ALL INCLUSIVE (Read : QUINCY HOTEL SINGAPORE again FTW!).

Inside CELI’s Restaurant just by the lobby of Hotel Celeste…

There's a male acoustic crooner who's set we adore : love songs from the 80s sang and popularized by male foreign singers. Ang husay!

The view from where we sat…

From the set menu, Tina and I chose, focaccia and another high-fiber bread with buttered spinach and rock salt as starter, then roast chicken for me that’s sadly too salty and so minimal serving (I should’ve ordered the salmon!). Tina had carbonara which we gave a thumbs up but wished for, yes, a larger serving, hehe (note to self : it’s free and included in the package, remember?). She shared some pasta to Gabby but he likes the desserts better. We all love the chocolate ecclairs but the creme brulee’s too sweet for my sweet tooth.

If the set dinner was just OK, we were greatly surprised with the buffet breakfast!

A knock at our door at few hours before we went watching last full show of Gabby’s choice from 2011 MMFF at Greenbelt 3 cinema (guess what movie? haha!), made me opened it and saw 3 people, wearing white collared shirts and pants (correct me if I’m wrong but they struck me as on OJTs or HRM interns) who handed me 2 sheets of paper to fill out.

It's all in the details.

The paper had the menu for breakfast but it allows the guests/diners to customize their dishes. It’s like tick the ingredient you want in your omelette; tick if you want Belgian waffle, croissants, danish pastries, cinnamon, smoked fish, pork tocino, bacon, chicken frankfurter, eggs benedict, fresh fruits, cereals, yoghurt and a lot more choices with various tea and coffee.

The jologs couple in us were puzzled after reading the instruction on the paper. It simply state tick your preferred dish to be served either in Celi’s restaurant or right inside your room. We’re not dumb or anything but we want to make sure before filling it out and submitting it to the front desk before 11PM. So Tina called the front desk to clarify. The OC in me followed to verify.

Tina : “Hello, this is room 305, We just received 2 sheets of paper for us to select our menu for breakfast. So how do we fill it up, will it be, we choose one per dish category or we can select more than one plate?”

Front Desk : “Maam, you can select all po.”

Tina : “Ah, OK, Thank you.” …puts down the phone and turned to me, “‘ney, pwede daw lahat? haha! Ikaw nga tumawag!”

To cut the funny story short, I confirmed that it’s like “select-all-that-apply” kind of thing. SARAP! Alam nyo naman, we have to eat like a KING during breakfast! hehe!

We’re glad to have tasted their SMOKED BONELESS BANGUS… This is one reason why we love Filipino dishes!!!

Admit or deny it, this is how a typical Filipino buffet plate looks like : mix-mix! haha! ...There's that gorgeously delicious Smoked Boneless Bangus (we opted it instead Daing), Omelette, Beef Tapa, Pork Tocino, Hash Browns, Bacon strips, Chicken Frankfurters which we all shared.

Then Tina loved their Eggs Benedict…

And then seriously, while being served with one of our delightful breakfast meals, Gabby began feeling sick (he and I really got sick, NOT because of Hotel Celeste but perhaps of pollution/bacterial/viral exposures or change of weather temperature), so Tina requested the wait staff if we could have all the food to be served in our room in order for Gabby to have ample and more relaxed time to eat. Et voila!

We didn't finish everything! Ang dami..so we take it home by buying microwavables from Landmark when we went grocery shopping before checking out at 12noon. Sayang naman itapon! haha..

Our stay in Hotel Celeste’s Celestial Weekends only cost us PhP 5,399 nett (the promo runs every weekend until January 15, 2012). Some may accused us of overspending beyond our means, but hey, it ain’t your money we’re using. So chill. Some may say it’s too much for an overnight stay, well I say it’s a steal from the original deluxe room price of almost PhP 10K+ exclusive of what we enjoyed. And above all, price for as long as you can afford, shouldn’t be an issue when you spend for family’s happiness and family bonding. Memories are cherished forever. Money can be earned.

I love you honey and Gabby! Cheers to our 8th year and here’s to more traveling, delicious feasts and fun-filled family bonding!

For more details on Hotel Celeste, visit their website at www.hotelceleste.ph

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Jan

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2011 DAY 11 : OUR STUDENTS’ WEDDING

By docgelo 19 Comments

Categories: EVENTS, FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and FOOD & MORE FOOD!
Tags: docgelo, family, family and living, hizon's, hizon's catering, marriage, mount carmel church, mt carmel church quezon city, oasis, oasis manila, wedding, wedding reception, wedding venue

Our Christmas Break 2011 Blog Series includes :

En Route To Pinas
Day 2 : Ulingan, Tondo
Day 5 : Malacanang Palace
Day 8 : Bisperas Ng Pasko Sa Ulingan

—————————–

27 December 2011, Tuesday. This was the day I first stood as one of the Principal Sponsors to the wedding of our 2 former students, Carlo & Nicole. The event was surely one for the books because I became a Ninong sa Kasal for the very first time at the age of 35.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Quezon City

Without hesitation, I accepted their invitation to become one of their godparents because they’re two of our good students. Tina and I became their clinical instructor and lecturer respectively back in the days when they’re still studying Nursing. They’re remarkable in the sense that they were never late to my classes, didn’t have any failing marks, and were obedient even if I asked them to do a multiple page homework. hehe Despite my age is considerably younger for the part, i took it as a pleasure as they wanted to regard me as one of their second parents.

You know it's Christmas season in our country when leaves of Poinsettias become red. And it's nice to see them lining one of the longest aisles in the Metro.

I like looking at stained glass windows

Team docgelo was ever present, of course!

My beautiful family wearing Punjabi dresses, steal purchases from Little India, Penang.

To be honest, the wedding could’ve been perfect if not for the uber toxic wedding coordinator who also stood as mass commentator. I’m sorry if she’s a relative of the bride or the groom but in my book, if you chose to assume the job, then you should be the one in control of everything, not the very first person to be anxious.

When the part that the entourage needed to queue, she started reading the names for us to line up. I asked her, “Miss, saan ako?” without a smile and worst, without looking at me she replied, “Kahit saan na lang po, di na sunod-sunod iyan.” And then the unexpected happened –Everyone has a partner except me. I was looking for the lady-coordinator but she’s out of sight already. When I was about to walk, I told a man in red shirt (who happened to be one of the choir), that I don’t have a partner. Thankfully to him, he graciously asked one of the couples’ aunt to stand as proxy.

Meet Mrs. Cuchapin, a relative of the couple who came home from Italy. She was so generous to walk with me down the aisle to the altar. Mabuhay po kayo, Maam! At Maraming Salamat!

I was true to my word that I will photograph the bride before she walks down the aisle…

Best wishes, Nicole!

And then there’s that obligatory respect for the parents…

Mano po! FYI, we share the same gesture of respect with Malaysians.

And before the couple became one, my cam was busy snapping at these kiddie fun!

cheers!

This was my "I wish we have a baby girl too-moment."

And then they became one…

Having experienced the same momentous event 8 years ago with Tina, I remember one of the most essential things in coming up with a successful wedding –the church or the wedding venue should be proximal to the reception. And Nicole and Carlo made the right decision in choosing Mount Carmel Church and Oasis, Manila; these 2 areas are just stone throw away.

More photo-ops for Team docgelo at Oasis.

Their 3-tiered deconstructed cake…nice!

I had the honor of sitting at the VIP area…

The program was lively hosted by a lady who could effortlessly pass as a trainer at call center office because of her wonderful pronunciation and a sing-songal diction.

As the newlyweds became busy with photo-ops with all their guests, and people started lining up the spread….

I also enjoyed the pleasure of being served at our table and didn’t need to queue for the food. The set from Hizon’s was delicious; Carlo and Nicole had chosen a great menu to fill our tummies.

(This isn’t Beyond Toxicity without digestive feast!) I liked how a simple salad was served with 2 dressings -Caesar’s and Thousand Island.

Entrees included Fish Fillet with Honey Mustard Sauce, Hawaiian Chicken BBQ, US Roast Beef with Mushroom Gravy, Vegetable Lumpia with Peanut Sauce, Roast Pork with Apple Raisin Sauce and two pasta dishes…

Everything's fine except that Lumpia was served with bean sprouts or togue. I was just surprised. My favorite was Roast Pork with Apple Raisin Sauce; it was to die for!

The disadvantage of sitting at the VIP area : nakakahiya humingi ng second round, LOL!

Desserts were simple yet satisfying.

I loved everything in this set!

Another unexpected thing happened. I mean, despite Nicole requested me to be ready with a speech for her wedding on behalf of the male Principal Sponsors, I didn’t prepare one. I thought, it’d be best to be spontaneous. However, I was caught off guard at the timing! haha! While I just happened to insert a chunk of pineapple covered with luscious chocolate from the fondue served right on our table, my name was called to give a short message to the newlyweds. Of course, I had to swallow everything down in a blink.

The program at the reception got livelier when the host requested some names to be in front with the couple for some photo-op. But lo and behold, it was a pure trap for the single ladies and bachelors. They dished out that old bouquet throwing ceremony and settled to a more modern and quite surprising activities.

For the single men, they were asked to drink a bottle of beer with two straws –one inside and the other outside the bottle making it a bit harder to sip. The one with the less volume drank was declared the winner. He happens to be the groom’s brother.

For the single ladies, they were instructed to insert their right index finger to the mouth of the bottle of beer strategically placed in between the thighs of the groom’s brother. How naughty! Each lady who successfully inserted her finger onto the bottle was spared from the “punishment” este, was eliminated from the game.

Then the host asked the groom to dance his way from the door of the reception to his bride’s leg where he had to remove the garter using his teeth.

Did you find what you're looking for down there, Carlo?

One last photo-op with the newlyweds and the rest of our former students…

Nice to see you again, kids!

To Carlo & Nicole, our best wishes to both of you! Remember that wedding is just a day and marriage takes a lifetime of commitment. No Return No Exchange Policy sana! hehehe! Whenever you need help or anything, huwag lang siguro financial, hehe, we’re just a message or a call away! Enjoy life’s very best! God bless.

Dec

CHRISTMAS BREAK 2011 : EN ROUTE TO PINAS

By docgelo 27 Comments

Categories: FOOD & MORE FOOD!, MALAYSIA and TRAVEL
Tags: air asia, airport, airport food, airport maintenance, airport renovation, asian dishes, asian food, breakast meals, breakfast, budget airline, cakes, chicken noodle, chocolate cake, chocolate indulgence, chocolates, christmas, christmas vacation, Coffee, cold coffee, daricreme, diosdado macapagal international airport, dmia, expat, family, family and living, food, foodie, fracppuccino, Haagen-Dazs, indulgence, kuala lumpur, lcct, manila, mary brown, mary brown chicken, mary brown fried chicken, mcdonald's, NAIA 1, noodle dish, noodles, old town, old town coffee, pandesal, pastries, penang airport, penang international airport, Philippines, philtranco, reno, reno liver spread, restaurants, simple indulgence, theobroma, theobroma chocolate lounge, traffic, twister fries, waffle

*This blog series includes : Christmas Break 2011 Day 2 : ULINGAN, TONDO

—————-

16 December 2011, Thursday night. I arranged a pick up from our place in Butterworth to Penang International Airport via SMS with an Indian taxi cab driver whom we frequently call whenever we need a ride prior to departure and arrival. He came at around 7 in the evening and with the expected rush-hour-traffic jam, we arrived before 8PM at the terminal. Dropping of our 49 kilo-luggages and bags was such a breeze because I did the online check-in already and had our boarding passes printed from the web days prior to our flight. And because we’re on a very limited budget and value practicality above something else, we went home via Malaysia’s budget airline, Air Asia (May kamahalan na din ang nakuha naming ticket kumpara sa karaniwan at promo airfares dito –humigit-kumulang PhP 35K kaming tatlo, one way from Pen-KUL, then KUL-CRK).

I set to use my annual work leave in spending Christmas season in Pinas. I didn’t go home or utilized my paid days off else where (read : our breaks in Paris, New York and London *kidding!* I wish but we only went to Kelantan, Malaysia, Singapore and Hatyai, Thailand this year were all enjoyed during public holidays) but saved it for the yuletide. After all, it is Christmas that Tina, Gabby and I consider as the most wonderful time of the year, the happiest season of all!

Despite Penang is only1545 miles away from the Philippines, there’s no direct flight yet to connect my current work place and our home. So it’s either you fly Singapore or Hong Kong first –which would cost you your arms and legs at this time of the year, or either take the cheaper but longer route by the bus or train or fly from Penang to Kuala Lumpur first that we usually do.

At the Penang International Airport which has on-going renovations (hey look, NAIA 1, terminals outside our country are on the road to improvement, and you?) we had dinner from one of Gabby’s favorite fast foods. It was a simple delight to have twister fries and quarter pounder before a flight.

After dinner, the waiting period began. Our local flight from Pen-KUL was supposedly 11:15PM but was delayed for 30 minutes. What can we do but bear with the waiting game. Are you fond of waiting for your flight/s at the airport? I do except when it’s not on time. I mean, I maybe impatient at other matters but killing time at the terminals for me is not that bad.

We safely reached KL-LCCT after 45 minute flight. Everything’s fine except the looooong walk from the tarmac to the airport itself. The fatigue and lack of sleep were gone withe the sight of this heavenly food place that we’ve been wanting to try…

The Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Kuala Lumpur may not be one of the best, perhaps not even included in top 10 great terminals in the world and in my opinion has also its share of inconvenience but nontheless has decent choices of food places. We passed on Starbucks Coffee, Mary Brown Fried Chicken (Malaysia’s answer to KFC), and some other few but we failed to resist the charm of Theobroma Chocolate Lounge.

the ambiance is casual and inviting.

Forgive us for indulging chocolates before 2 in the morning. Sinful is it not?

Look, everything looked nice and tasted great too but they served the knife & fork with its tips exposed and the handles wrapped with tissues and before you wrongly judge Theobroma, let me inform you that this is a common practice in restaurants around Malaysia; and frequently, availability of tissues is a rarity in hawkers too! (read: I am not a foodie expert neither have a degree in culinary but my common sense dictates me that it’s best to wrap and cover the parts you’ll put in your mouth rather than expose and drop it directly on the table. Spell HYGIENE and CLEANLINESS, people!).

Moving on…Tell me, how can you resist Theobroma’s Belgian Waffle with Ice Cream?

Me speaking to the waiter : “What are your bestsellers here? What can you recommend?”

Waiter pointing to the menu he handed us : “Ah, eto po ang masasarap, ok po ito, iyan…”

Me : “Ah, Kabayan! Saan kayo sa atin? Ano ba masarap dito?“

the eyes tell you that they're sleep deprived but hungry. hehe!

Our verdict : The waffle’s tasteful! The strawberry slices rippled with chocolate were divine. And it’s so amazing that the scoop of ice cream took several minutes to melt which made us ask ourselves, is it gelato?

Gabby went to the counter and checked out the cakes. I believe he wanted Oreo chocolate cake but we were served with Orange Chocolate slice. We did not complain; I felt there’s no need to because we also wanted to sample such flavorful combo.

Gabby’s taste buds were a bit purist. When he wants chocolate, he wants nothing else. In fact, our kiddo doesn’t want any nuts when eating anything chocolate. But the cake was a delight for me and Tina. It reminded us of one of Haagen Dazs’.

Tina asked our kabayang-waiters (we talked to 2 of them-one serving us and the other at the counter) their recommendations. One of them highly suggested QUEEN OF ROCK AND ROLL.

Me asking Tina :” ‘ney, design lang ba iyong nasa cup or chocolate ripple talaga? “

Tina : “ano ka ba, chocolate!” –tapos ngumiti iyong waiter sa clueless moment ko.

We trusted our kabayang-waiter and the suggested cup doesn’t disappoint! Queen of Rock and Roll (left photo below) went to Gabby and he loved it! That chocolatey creamy drink indeed rocks! While Tina opted for a coffee-chocolate blend called MADAME ESKIMO which was beautifully served with a coffee bean on top. My lovely wife, despite sleep deprived was happy!

Thumbs up for Theobroma's blends!

As for me, I needed to have something warm; I settled for FLAT WHITE.

Sarap! Nakakawala ng antok! Someone should bring home Theobroma Chocolate Lounge to NAIA Terminal 1 please!

The prices are comparable to Starbucks Coffee. Service is efficient. Goodies are yummies!

The Air Asia check in counter didn’t open until it was past 4AM. Maraming PASAWAY sa pila na ibang lahi. SINGIT! I didn’t allow them to get in over my queue. Our international flight from Kuala Lumpur to Clark Field, Pampanga was scheduled at 6:45AM. And so I thought, di ba 4 hours dapat bukas na ang airline counter kapag international flight?

Waiting, waiting and more waiting. After few bladder and bowel breaks, yikes! (hey, it’s part of morning rituals, right?), we decided to spend our last hour prior to the flight and our few remaining ringgit in OLD TOWN WHITE COFFEE restaurant also in LCCT.

Tina and I had a plate each of this noodle dish that the name slipped my memory.

I may have forgotten its name but the taste was etched on my palate. Sarap! It’s so comforting to eat hot noodle dish in the wee hours of the morning.

I was fortunate enough to avail of our RETURN FLIGHT on the first week of January 2012 last April 2011 at its promo sale. It only costs me PhP 8K nett for the 3 of us with 40 kg check in luggage and I think that’s a steal! However, due to tight budget, I only purchased our airline tickets from Pen-KUL, then KUL-CRK last week of November for our Dec 16-17 flight. Understandably, most of the aircrafts servicing Malaysia-Philippines route are alreay full because of the holiday season and prices of tickets are expectedly steep than usual. Nonetheless, come hell or high waters, Tina, Gabby and I have to spend Christmas in the country we call HOME.

From the arrival area of Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), we claimed and paid our reserved bus tickets from the friendly ladies of Philtranco bus liner kiosk located at the lobby. I googled their website and did the reservation via email; a ticket from DMIA to SM Megamall (even up to Pasay City) costs PhP 400/pax.

The trip was only an hour and a half and everything went OK except for the traffic from Balintawak in Caloocan after NLEX to EDSA then Ortigas approaching SM Megamall. But hey, it ain’t home without the traffic! *pun intended*

The next morning, we savored one of our missed breakfast meals…

Nothing spells the Christmas celebrations better than spending it in your home country with your love ones. Walang katulad ang Pasko sa Pilipinas!

From Tina, Gabby and me, Maligayang Pasko po at Manigong Bagong Taon!

Dec

RECYCLED GEMS

By docgelo 35 Comments

Never underestimate things from rubbish for you might find gold in them. I told Gabby this while we walked our way towards Armenian Street in George Town after alighting the ferry from Jetty. The little-big boy, at first was puzzled until I simplified what it means.

I was surprised when our 7-year-old wonder boy is already familiar with the triple R -recycle, reduce, reuse. Apparently, his mom and teachers have been doing their duties wonderfully. Our casual father-and-son conversation became more meaningful when we spotted several used bath tubs now serving as plant boxes lining the street. Whoever thought of that must have been so environmental-friendly.

As Tina usually wants to spend her Sunday at home whenever possible (for she thinks and I also agree that she deserves a rest before she begins another work week), it was only Gabby and I who went out to the Island primarily to run some errands (we needed to go to a money changer to have our ringgits changed to pesos as we’re going home to Pinas for the holidays, we also had to buy some ingredients for Tina’s home cooked siomai and a few more pasalubongs for our relatives and lastly, I was asked by my lovely wife to bring her old denims for a change of zippers in a repair shop). However before doing all this, I decided to drop by AMELIE CAFE and grabbed the opportunity to expose my kid to something totally different.

that gem in the mirror

Located in #6 Armenian Street beside a famous tourist spot, Cheah Si Sek Tek Tong that we have yet to explore some other time, AMELIE CAFE is a hole-in-the-wall cafe that serves quality Western food in the heart of George Town.

At first sight, one would not imagine that this tiny food place can provide a charmingly beautiful gastronomic experience. It actually looks like an ordinary carinderia outside, housed at the ground floor of a pre-war building except that its simple facade was made attractively beautiful by those lavish green potted plants and its unique hand-made sign boards express that there must be more than meets the eye.

Amelie Cafe is open from 10AM daily except Mondays

Having been an expat for more than a year here in Penang, I completely know that this Malaysian state, particularly in one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, George Town, offers diversities not only in race, religion and color but evidently in culinary department as well. Like mushrooms in the woods, hawker food stalls, restaurants and coffee shops are having healthy competitions despite they thrive side by side. Food in this part of Asia is more than substantial but a lucrative business too.

With the commercially available kedai kopi like Starbucks Coffee, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf including the popular local kopitiam and the like, AMELIE CAFE, in my honest opinion has greater advantage above all these giants.

It’s edge –the highly creative atmosphere out of recycled materials.

Take a peek at what we had enjoyed inside…

It’s like we entered a hole-in-the-wall eatery-slash-museum-slash-art-gallery. Amazing’s an understatement!

No corner was overlooked; even its humble ceiling deserves a glimpse.

On top of the door were tin plates displayed beneath those water plants (I’ve known them as celia as told by my old relatives; we have some at home in Butterworth cut from the jetty/ferry station) placed in old bottles of various branded fruit jams.

What’s great with all of these decors, I think they’re highly mobile as the owners can move them from one corner to the other making the interiors of Amelie Cafe uniquely different in a snap.

There’s only one ceiling fan without unusual look but nonetheless functional.

Must have that detail shot…

i want to take that dog & cat painting home!

On the left side by the door is a table and this wall…

Who says you cannot create remarkable things out of rubbish?

As we stepped inside Amelie Cafe, we found out that it only has 5 small tables filled with mostly foreigners dining their brunch. Fortune was on our side when we spotted an available table located at the end, just by the kitchen. No worries for Gabby and I because astonishingly, smoke from the frying pan is handled professionally. I didn’t mind being welcomed by the gentle wafting scent of the bacon at late morning; it was so welcoming actually!

The limited 5 tables with 3 to 4 stools each do not come in set. Even their plates, cups and saucers never look alike but when put together they contribute to ones’ fantastic dining experience.

Don't let the simplicity of the table and stools fool you; the total dining experience here is more than you can imagine.

The finish of the walls, floor and ceiling was not made perfect but it added to its enticing appeal.

We were greeted by Yen, one of the owners of Amelie Cafe. It’s only Yen and her husband, Hung run the entire show at their very quaint food place. The wonderful duo serve as wait staff, at the same time, do the preparation of food, do the cooking and tender the cashier counter and if chance permits, entertain their diners. Fantastic! I just failed to ask them if they have formal education in culinary or in related fields nevertheless, I think it’s no longer important as they’ve been managing everything at Amelie Cafe smoothly and successfully.

As Gabby and I sat down, Yen handed in the menu…

menu with hand painted cover, made out of cut-out cartons.

She told us, pointing with her thumb (the way Malaysians do it-not the common use of index finger or for us Pinoys, with a pouting lips, hehe!) to the uber artistic dessert menu board beneath the stairs.

After getting our orders, I asked if they have tandas (toilet), Hung pointed towards the back of the kitchen. The kitchen looks like this…

The Kitchen : Everything's prepared and cooked here. Nothing more, nothing less. Isn't it amazing?

These are some of the artworks located above our table. Other than the use of recycled materials, did you notice the recurrent theme? Mother Nature must be super happy!

Can you spot that solitary little fish inside the jar that was made into its aquarium and a plant vase too?

Humor in recycled art : Old wooden planks nailed side by side painted with fish spines and dog bone noted with “meow” combined with “oof oof !” ….Nice!

I believe the couple also did all those colorful pieces. And it looks like they’re also responsible designing the whimsical interiors of Amelie Cafe. How many businessmen do their work with complete hands-on?

With all those eye-catching things, waiting for our orders to be delivered and boredom inside Amelie Cafe didn’t become an issue. After 15 minutes, Gabby and I were already sharing these…

I gave him the liberty to go over the menu and choose whatever he wants. He selected carbonara, hazelnut chocolate parfait and chocolate banana milkshake. That was pure carbo-glucose fix!

After that candid shot, my boy asked me to dunk my fork and eat all those crispy cut bacon strips from the pasta because he doesn’t eat bacon and seldom he likes ham. Sure, I replied to him; I became easily submissive with his wish.

As Gabby continuously dreams of becoming a chef, a hotelier, restaurateur someday, I told him that putting up a carinderia as gorgeous and attractive as Amelie Cafe would do. Thinking of owning something like this is more than surreal!

Hazelnut parfait was a perfect ending to our mini-brunch. It came with fresh cranberries that Gabby wrongly thought of cherries. The pasta plate was also satisfyingly good, although minimal in serving and less creamy than usual–the taste actually made the difference. And the milkshake? Refreshingly delicious!

Honestly, the food doesn’t come that cheap compared to what you might expect. The price is comparable to Starbucks Coffee’s. A little more expensive than the common fast food joints. But hey, you don’t get all these visual treats from those commercial food places.

Then the moment of “must sample their coffee” dawn upon me…

The first sip of this cappuccino was for Tina. Yeehaa! I really wished she’s with us with this (another) extraordinary experience.

The table where we enjoyed everything…

Just before ending our meal at Amelie Cafe, Gabby told me that he liked everything he ate and appreciated all things he saw inside. Like me, he loved all the artworks, all the delightful clutter including the simple presence of that fish solitarily swimming in that old jar. The sense of recycling old things and turning them into great use rather than considering them as useless junks was reinstilled in his young mind. The ~~exposure~~ brain-washing, I guess was successful!

Dec

HONG KONG

By docgelo 21 Comments

Categories: FOOD & MORE FOOD! and MALAYSIA
Tags: canton-i, chinese, chinese food, dimsum, dimsum & dumplings, dragon-i, dumplings, family, family bonding, food, food trip, foodie, gastronomic, gastronomic adventures, hakao, hakaw, peanuts, rice toppings, shanghainese, shanghainese food, shrimp dumplings, siomai

How would you react if and when your weekend morning’s greeted by this message?

yee-haa!

I am a strong believer of the cliche that “best things in life are free!” And you?

That message simply made my Friday morning. I immediately emailed the sender and noticed her email address and company’s name are both from Malaysia. I got an “out-of-office-automated-reply” but few seconds after that, I received an actual email-response from Ms. Jaclyn. What even delighted me was the fact that she mentioned that the blogger’s wife and 2 kids (I only have Gabby now) will be sponsored too. Ang husay! Tara, let’s go!

If you must know, I have been with famous Filipino bloggers and media people, the lovely couple of hanna and vince whose names were mentioned on the email-invite when we went to (my lone sponsored trip) that Grecian-inspired, lavishly beautiful beach resort in Northern Luzon last year; it was days before I went to Penang (peek at my blog post about Thunderbird Resorts,HERE! ). And after reaching home, I sent a PM to hanna and she confirmed that Ms. Jaclyn is actually her friend and the invite is legit. Now, I am really EXCITED! I hope it pushes through because it’ll be a great treat for GABBY! It’s been 4 years since the 3 of us went to HK Disneyland.

Talking about Hong Kong, I remember we enjoyed an early dinner in a Hong Kong-themed restaurant here in the island of Penang months ago.

With casual but stylish ambiance, CANTON-i in Queensbay Mall is simply charming.

bird cages used as lights adorn the ceiling of Canton-i.

When Chinese, it must be RED! I like the red-painted walls and ceiling infused with those white gorgeous floral and butterfly and dragonfly panels. It definitely draws attraction and makes diners more eager to eat! That auspicious color seems to be so enigmatic!

Appetizer was nutty.

Canton-i has a sister-company, another Shanghainese food place with branch on the same mall called Dragon-i (view our dining experience at Dragon-i HERE!)

My bowl : the photo can't give justice to how good it was.

While Tina shared a wanton-soupy noodle bowl with Gabby…

And apparently, we’re keeping a love affair with dimsum…

One of our favorites : Hakao or shrimp dumplings.

Siomai-mommy!

fish roe-delight on shrimp-pork siomai

Let’s see next year if we’ll take our love for dimsum back to HK….*crossed fingers*

family over Chinese food = simply awesome!

Dec

KAPITAN

By docgelo 20 Comments

There must be something about Little India at the heart of George Town, Penang that irresistibly attracts me. Like most tourists who come here on foot or via riding a trishaw, we all find this spot uniquely charming. Perhaps, a thousand and one reasons include that Bollywood music being played in its loudest volume by shops that sell audio CDs. Seeing little girls and women from the Tamil community, wearing those unstitched and colorful sarees proudly (on a daily basis) like having their tradition and culture on their skin makes an early morning stroll in Little India nothing less than inviting.

Indian-Malaysian women washing their feet prior entering the temple in the morning of Diwali or Deepavali, the festival of lights; taken at Queen Street, George Town, Pulau Pinang.

My eyes usually go on a feast with the sight of various interesting things…

Lantern fascination

And of course, what tops my list is my young love affair with some Indian dishes.

One has an option to enjoy it via hawker food stalls…

or in my case, from Kapitan…

As of the moment, I am partial to Kapitan, an Indian restaurant with branches all over Penang Island; serving the hungry and craving ones for 24 hours, 7 days a week (read : I rarely eat Indian food here if it’s not from Kapitan. Tina, Gabby and I tried the one in front of our appartment’s building and it’s not worth it). The one that I frequent is located at the corner of Little India and Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street which is commonly flocked by foreigners touring Penang).

My Indian Power Breakfast from Kapitan in the morning of Diwali : Tosai Keju (Cheese Tosai) with dips and chutneys, Roti Telur (Egg Prata with curried eggplant dip) and Mango Lassi to wash down; all for only RM 8.60 (USD 2.75 or PhP 120).

Because I had eaten several times in Kapitan and loved it each time, I was raving about it to Tina and Gabby and wished that they would go with me to Little India to try my favorites too. It came true last Saturday as we had our lunch in Kapitan after I bought Tina and Gabby’s choices of Punjabi dress and shirt (no, not a saree) that they will wear in one of the functions that we will attend in our days off in Manila soon.

Our family's love affair for some Indian dishes at Kapitan begins.

Huge servings, quick and attentive service, best of all, English-speaking staff complimented Kapitan’s tasteful dishes. Those essential qualities in food places are sadly, a rarity in most local restaurants here so one can easily imagine happiness and satisfaction in dining in Kapitan. There’s one wait staff in Kapitan-Little India who doesn’t forget to offer spoon and fork and table napkins –this little gesture, believe me, doesn’t exist in others even in fast food joints unless you ask for them.

Personal favorite : Chicken Tandoori set comes with cheese naan and a burst of flavors -tamarind dip, green mango+chili chutney, fish head curry served with freshly sliced onions and lime.

We chose to eat in the open-air-beside-the-street dining area rather than Kapitan’s second floor that’s airconditioned. Tina and Gabby browsed the menu but they trusted my recommendations.

Tina sampled my usual order from Kapitan : Chicken Tandoori set that comes with chicken delightfully marinated in yoghurt before grilling it with spices and butter. She had Garlic Cheese Naan to pair with it. With my wife’s discriminating-hard-to-please-taste buds, she smiled ear to ear after making the first bite. Gabby enjoyed the same set but only with Cheese Naan less the garlicy flavor Tina had.

Although I knew it’s a perfect opportunity for me to try other dishes from Kapitan like their Biryani, Mutton and others, I stayed within my comfort zone of having chicken again but this time not a Tandoori but a Chicken Cheese Kebab.

New found love : Chicken Cheese Kebab with double order of Cheese Naan! Sarap!

Tender. Flavorful. Loved it. The waiter suggested for me to have 2 Cheese Naan instead of one. I became submissive as resistance was futile at that time.

We did have spoons and forks, but since an area for handwashing is available, Tina opted to eat it traditionally; Gabby and I followed. Look at those fingers pinching those Naan-goodness…

I was in cloud 9 when I saw my family enjoying their meals at Kapitan. It’s a refreshing breather from our usual fast food and restaurant dining.

it was a lovely lunch!

Because they liked it too, it’s definitely not our last time dining together in Kapitan-Little India.

—————

Have you tried Indian food? What’s your favorite?

Nov

THE DAY WE HAD BIGGER APPETITES

By docgelo 15 Comments

A few months back, there was one weekend morning that Tina, Gabby and I woke up with a great drive for eating. You might be thinking that there’s nothing uncommon about it as my family and I truly have passion for dining (READ : Gluttony is far different from being self-declared food enthusiasts or foodies; spelling pa lang po magkaiba na!) but that day was totally exceptional. We oddly tried two Steamboat and BBQ buffet restaurants in a day.

The marbling of the meat says it all. Tender, moist and flavorful!

Lunch was at Asian BBQ located at Prangin Mall, George Town, Penang. It was less ordinary compared to Yakimix in SM Mall of Asia, Manila, more so with Don K! Yakiniku Buffet in Tokyo which absolutely earned a spot in my taste buds.

With its price less than 50 ringgit (PhP 700 or USD 15.63), Tina chose a package meal that allowed Gabby to practice his ”cooking expertise” (Consider this part of his chef-wannabe immersion).

This was our table. Clean and almost spotless however the grill isn’t smokeless.

But wait, I know we shouldn’t be complaining because grilling and barbecue are 2 different things. Agree? (READ : Muli, spelling pa lang po, magkaiba na!). To those who are still in the dark, allow me to enlighten you a bit (Violent reactions are welcome on the comment thread but you’re too much if you expect a reply…*biro lang!).

If you must know, I read somewhere that if and when there’s use of direct high heat, it’s grilling. And cooking meat, fish, or anything you fancy over a low heat slowly with a smoke is barbecuing. Ergo, what we had for this lunch was actually barbecue, not to forget the name of the restaurant’s Asian BBQ, hehe!

Res Ipsi Loquitor : The evidence speaks for itself.

Smokin' !!!

Despite we smelled like what we chow down, the fambam had fun!

After stuffing ourselves with that Asian BBQ package that came with cups of rice, we burned those calories by strolling inside the mall and another mall across the street and hopped on a bus to spend the rest of the afternoon at a public beach in Tajung Bungah, a coast line 12 km away from George Town.

Sunset signaled us to take dinner somewhere. And because it will take a while before we reach our home here in Penang, Tina gave her green light for us to pay Town’s Steamboat Buffet Restaurant a visit again.

A sight of a packed food place is always an indicator that we're in the right venue.

If you’re following this blog for some time now, you should be familiar with this food place in Jalan Macalister (Macalister Road) in George Town where (binge) eating is best just disregard the disturbing presence of those LPG gas tanks beside each table (If you’re suffering from paranoia, you’ll instantly entertain the thought that these tanks might explode while you munch and digest a feast–morbid!).

The fantastic and voluminous spread of this place makes up for its lack of proper ambiance. Food choices and value-for-money are the things that make us go back here once in a while.

Piping Hot Dimsum and Dumplings : Bottomless and Self-Service. YUM!

Tong tong tong tong pakitong kitong….

There are spreads of cooked and raw ingredients. You either barbecue or throw them down and simmer on a hot soup base. We always do both!

How sweet it is to end a day with sweets!

Not the perfect Portugese egg tarts but nonetheless can satisfy one's craving.

We never had dessert at lunch that day so I we downed cups of ice cream and ice drops for Gabby (not in photo).

The strawberry and chocolate flavors were mediocre however the coffee ice cream was excellent!

Food is and will always be a substantial part of our great appetite to engage in family bonding.

Until our next one!

Nov

IT’S HER DAY!

By docgelo 13 Comments

Categories: EVENTS, FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD! and MALAYSIA
Tags: birthday, blessings, celebration, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate indulgence, family, food, food blog, foodie, gratitude, indulgence, party, pasta, prawns, scallops, seafood, seafood marinara, secret recipe, thanksgiving

We seriously miss cakes from Red Ribbon, Bizu, Goldilocks and Conti's but Secret Recipe's fill the emptiness somehow, hehe!

Last Sunday afternoon, I traveled and was out for almost 5 hours from home and back just to buy some ingredients and bring home a box of cake. Despite hassles in the trips via buses and ferry, I was nonetheless successful.

I wrote the spelling of our names correctly of course, before I handed in the small sheet of paper to the Malaysian lady at the counter for her to decorate on the cake. I also checked it before leaving the shop but perhaps, my eyes really do have error of refraction because when Tina opened the box at home, she instantly noticed Gabby’s name was mispelled as DABBY. It made her laugh though.

Chocolate Indulgence : our favorite from Secret Recipe -bar none!

I made sure that our little surprises for Tina’s big day that fell on a Wednesday were already at hand 3 days prior. We didn’t plan to be absent from work but it happened. On the morning of her birthday, she didn’t feel well and can’t go up to report to work (blame her Vertigo again). I cannot leave her alone at home thus, I decided not to go to work too (anyway, I had no class schedules); so did Gabby for his school.

It tastes better than it looks!

Gabby became excited to safely use my favorite kitchen gadget, the peeler with one long carrot. Together, we prepared and cooked our own version of Seafood Marinara with only mushrooms, diced carrots, onions, a kilo of prawns and a kilo of scallops! Sarap!

Tina cooked Pasta Carbonara last September on my birthday, and last October on Gabby's. Now, we had roasted garlic and parmesan tomato-based sauce for our own version of Seafood Marina!

Thank you for everything, honey and I’m sorry for my shortcoming. Gabby and I love you so much!

Thank you so much, Lord for giving her to me and Gabby! She’s one of Your greatest blessings to our family!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Nov

ITLOG NA PULA, ATBP

By docgelo 25 Comments

Categories: FOOD & MORE FOOD! and MALAYSIA
Tags: cream dory, dining at home, expat, expat living, family, family and living, filipino expats, filipino in malaysia, food, foodie, fruits, lumpia, papaya, penang malaysia, prawns, salted eggs, vegetables

Whenever clock hits few minutes after 5PM on a Monday-to-Friday-basis, Tina and I head to the bus stop just in front of our work place to hurriedly go home. And while on our 30-40 minute ride, we wait for Gabby’s call to inform us that he’s on his way home too via his service-van from school. During this time, I usually ask Tina what’s on her mind for dinner. Her answer of course, depends on the contents of our fridge and pantry.

Recently, I’ve been craving for some salted eggs on a bed of chopped fresh tomatoes seasoned with either salt or fish sauce (yes, to make it more salty!) so I made sure I bought some. I grew up liking this Filipino favorite combo and was so familiar with ready-to-eat-red-coated-salted eggs back home. Imagine our fancy when I brought home these from the public market here in Penang…

Those black and monstrous looking eggs are raw salted eggs and they're edible by the way, LOL!

Apparently, salted eggs here in Penang are traditionally Chinese. Unlike the ones sold in the Philippines that are dyed in red to easily distinguished them from fresh duck eggs, salted eggs here are covered in black sand and soil (in some parts of Asia, I read, in salted charcoal paste).

I paid 8 ringgit (PhP 112 or USD 2.54) for 10 pieces of raw salted eggs from the Chinese-Malay vendor at the public market here in Butterworth; cheaper than my recall to its price from Landmark Supermarket in TriNoma about 2 years ago (How much are they now in Pinas?).

After throughly washing them one by one under running water, these salted eggs were boiled before peeled to perfection to look like these…

Craving satisfied! The orange-red yolks are rich in cholesterol, I know. We only eat it once in a blue moon! *defensive* LOL! Meanwhile, Tina was up for something more…

Salted eggs + freshly chopped tomatoes coupled with fried fillet of cream dory and mangoes were part of our meal at home.

Another day, another feast.

Tina's fresh lumpia with sweet peanut sauce + chopped roasted peanuts & minced garlic toppings, steamed prawns, slices of papaya and some bananas.

Regardless of the dishes on our table, wherever we eat, we consider being together the most appetizing part of our dining!

Nov

SHANGRI-LA’S RASA SAYANG : A BLEEDING WOUND, A THOUGHTFUL STAFF, A DIGESTIVE FEAST PART 2

By docgelo 35 Comments

I have always thought that most of our priceless and happy moments together as a family are commonly shared over a meal. Either at home or whenever we dine out, great tasting foods have been essential in making the three of us more joyous. Most epicurean adventures that we celebrate, be it simple or otherwise have been a constant reminder too, that we’re so blessed on top of life’s challenges.

On a lighter note, I am a strong believer of my personal beatitude, ‘Blessed are the people who consider food as their kryptonite for they will continuously seek strength to fight cravings for more toothsome dishes!’ LOL!

However, I know most, if not all will instantly agree with me that resistance is remarkably futile if the spread includes the following….

Mont Blanc

Black Forest never presented this edgy…

Our 7-year-old wonder boy loves cheese and cheese cakes and so are we…

Gabby’s palatal exposure to wide array of digestive stimuli may hopefully contribute in his aspirations to become a chef, a hotelier and a restaurateur someday. So help us, God!

Paris Brest

Strawberry Flan

Apparently, Chocolate Dome Cake…

Pralinosa Bavaroise…

And of course, Tiramisu….

Reservation was done over a phone call a week prior to this dinner-buffet. Spice Market Cafe in Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa in Batu Feringgi, Penang is usually packed even on weekdays, as we’re told, not only because of their on-going promotion (Yes, if it’s not a buy-one-free-one we could have not afford it, haha!) but more logically for their delightful dishes.

No fresh floral arrangements, neither fancy balloons nor fruits. What could be more appropriate table centerpieces for Spice Market Cafe but mortar and pestle with dried herbs and spices.

Table for 3 please : Tina, Gabby & me

The three of us immediately became busy viewing the spread of the different live-cooking stations that represent a multi-cultural gastronomic feast : Continental, Indian, Japanese, Chinese and Malay. Even Gabby had several trips to the buffet tables on his own. And after getting our individual preferences, we shared plates generously.

Without a clue, Tina’s scarred wound at the tip of her left ring finger was already bleeding; her table napkin was inevitably stained with drops of blood.

me: Ano nangyari? Bakit dumugo? (What happened? Why did it bleed?)

Tina : Hindi ko napansin e. (I didn’t notice.)

Then out of nowhere, Norizah, a short-haired pleasant female senior wait staff approached our table with utmost concern. She asked what happened and offered something she can do.

Tina : (smiling despite bleeding) “My wound is bleeding but I’m OK. Nothing to worry. I am a nurse and my husband is a doctor.”

me : (smiled and nodded at Norizah)

Norizah : “You’re a nurse and he’s a doctor but you are my customers and I worry about you. Would you like me to bring something from the clinic? I’ll go get some band-aid.”

Right there and then, I wanted to give Norizah a “Natatanging Waitress Award.” (Outstanding Waitress Award) haha! Seriously, I could have told her that it’s our first time to experience such utmost thoughtfulness from a restaurant staff but Tina and I only thanked her for her impeccable service.

How many hotels, restaurants or any form of food places have thought of providing kids their own plates? Isn’t this gesture sweet?

Because excitement was difficult to contain, Gabby filled his first plate with chilled scallops that he topped with what else but parmesan and cheese dressing. Cheesy overload on those delicious mollusks. Takaw mata man, Tina and I were there to eat his leftovers. Sarap!

There’s a bar that has various cheese offerings; celery and carrot sticks made available for dipping.

How do you like blue cheese?

Or emmental cheese perhaps?

There’s no wine for obvious reasons but breads made a great combination..

Now, let’s proceed to shameless display of plates : I started with this few slices of cold cuts– chicken ham and that remarkably delicious smoked salmon, with bread and cheeses. We also enjoyed their thick and creamy corn soup.

Must have that detail shot, haha!

Second of my beatitude, “Blessed are the people who have no hypersensitivity, for theirs the kingdom of seafoods!”

I am a sucker for prawns and proof to this is the fact that I never miss out to buy prawns from the public market here every weekend (read : we’re lucky for it’s a lot cheaper here than in Pinas). Tina usually cook it either with garlic and butter or just steamed and we’re on cloud 9 already!

Mussels on the otherhand, aren’t as common as shrimps here. If you must know, the sweet taste and humongous size of mussels that we’ve eaten when we were in Auckland, New Zealand back in 2005 for our memorable 7 week family vacation there remains to be unforgettable! We’re fortunate enough that the buffet of Spice Market Cafe has mussels but not as close as what we had in Auckland.

Then there were those another family favorite which Gabby had singled out…

Have you tasted yabbies?

We could have wash our hands and enjoyed them to bits but I for one had no extra room in my gastric pit…some other time, I guess haha!

Here’s my seafood plate…

Pity those who must take anti-histamines when they eat these glorious foods!

Moving on, the Chinese section’s essentials were present like noodle station…

It’s an experience watching the chef make hand-pulled noodles live! The force in kneading that dough as he stretched and slammed it to have less air was already an entertainment while eating!

Noodle soup must have other ingredients…

But where are the dimsum and dumplings? Did we miss it out?

I was silently jumping for bliss when I saw that there’s a Japanese station. It has been months since I’ve last squeezed a sushi between chopsticks.

Although to our dismay there were no ebi and crab tempura which are also Gabby’s favorites, we were happy to have freshest tuna and salmon sashimi, and some sushi…

The little-big boy really had his time…

I can eat this plateful of yummies everyday, haha!

I just recently found my love affair with some Indian foods, so I tried some chicken tandoori (but too spicy for my palates), papadum and roti, and one of the famous local grilled goodies here, chicken satay with peanut sauce…

I like their chicken satay but had an aversion to eat it with fresh onions. Usually, it’s eaten with cucumber and onion slices. Don’t you love these brass wares? I do!!! I wish when the time comes that we need to leave Malaysia, there would be extra money to buy these as souvenirs (O marami nyan sa Divisoria? LOL!)

Do you like lamb? I don’t because of its usual-after-taste that leaves you wanting to gargle non stop, hehe! But the slices of roasted lamb leg from this buffet made me reconsider it!

Beef dishes, as I know it, aren’t easy to prepare. It needs slow cooking for it to become tender and the beef medalions with mushrooms from Rasa Sayang doesn’t disappoint!

Peking Duck and Char Siew Chicken were also sublime!

tastier and crunchier than it looks on photo!

Most foreigners and tourists would dig the local Malaysian favorites so for the desserts section, they’re offering ais kacang, cendol, ABC and more….(their version of our Filipino Halo-Halo!)

However, we didn’t try their version; perhaps, next time.

We've already tasted those green worm-like jellies made from rice flour and food coloring that are toppings of cendol from a hawker food stall in George Town before and we liked it! Grossly looking but will delight your palates!

Thankful to Gabby, he had the effort of going to the ice cream station to prepare a cup as Tina and I were already full that time.

Ice cream toppings and syrups never looked and tasted this great!

Chef Gabby’s plating of ice cream…

Local Malaysian desserts were satiatingly good; our own versions we call them in Tagalog, kakanin…

Skewered for dipping…

One of this blog’s valued commenters (convictstock from Australia) mentioned before that their stay and dining in Rasa Sayang was made extraordinary because of their chocolate fondue. I agree but it would not hurt for Shangri-La Penang to double it with white chocolate fountain too! We have lots of hotels in the Philippines who offer it and it’s twice the fun of course!

Melted dark chocolate : so heavenly but wished there was white one too!

Gradually, Gabby’s having big ideas of what his kitchen, hotel and restaurant will all look like in the future as he picks up beautiful things and notes those he must avoid doing by his decent exposures to all this. It’s like (positive) brainwashing 101 or more like an early immersion for our kiddo. Salamat na lang, lagi may promosi! (We’re always grateful for promotions as buffets in hotels are made affordable!).

These FUNtastic looking sculptures out of some ingredients I guess, made Gabby and Tina the happiest people on that dining area that night. My family's addicted to Angry Birds as they left me still enjoying Plants vs Zombies, LOL!

Thank you, Spice Market Cafe for putting up such dining decors for kids and kid-at-hearts!

Fresh fruits were also on the spread but not the same with fruit juices; you need to pay extra for a glass or two. It’s unlike other premier hotel-buffets we have tried here in Penang where beverages are included in their offering; that’s one little disadvantage for patrons of Rasa Sayang in our humble opinion.

However, they uplifted our spirits when we learned that coffee is included in the buffet, yahoooo! Tina and I are just simple coffee-lovers!

One week prior to our dinner when I had phoned them to make a reservation, they told me that the 250-sitting capacity of the restaurant is almost filled. I just took the chance in requesting that if and when some guests back out for whatever reason, I’ll appreciate if they can accomodate us in for consideration that I am bringing Gabby and I was surprised on the eve of our indulgence, they did! They allowed us to sit inside the buffet dining area instead outside where they have nipa huts and more tables for diners.

All in all, our first dining experience in Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa Spice Market Cafe was indeed, less ordinary. Admittedly, I personally had great expectations because of its name and reputation and they exceeded it, bar none! More than great tasting dishes, their friendly service to customers showed how they value their market over their business. And where else can you spot such impressive factors for the price of RM 185 nett (PhP 2,590 or USD 59) for the three of us (at RM 104+ : buy-one-free-one+kid’s half rate)? The cost is such a steal that one will be tempted to go back for more! Visit their website for more details of their rates and promotions (http://www.shangri-la.com/)

Until our next family bonding moments!

________________________________

PART ONE : Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Spice Market Cafe Buffet

Nov

SHANGRI-LA’S RASA SAYANG : A BLEEDING WOUND, A THOUGHTFUL STAFF, A DIGESTIVE FEAST

By docgelo 27 Comments

RASA SAYANG, in Bahasa Malaysia when translated to English means A Taste of Love. And in my vocabulary, Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa here in Penang is aptly called in every sense of the word.

The lobby is so enticing, you’ll fall in love in a heart beat…

Located 12km away from George Town, Penang, Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa is one of the premiere hotels in this part of Malaysia. Other than the lavish amenities and hospitality that Shangri-La Hotels are known for, this branch offers beyond great expectations.

We experienced something extraordinary that cannot be done justice in words or in pictures.

We arrived more than an hour earlier to the dinner-buffet we reserved at 6:30PM. Waiting wasn’t a big deal because appreciation of the hotel’s facilities was more than enough for us to kill time.

Because it was drizzling, Tina and Gabby decided to stay inside the lounge while I, with a huge black umbrella, took the chance to roam around from the lobby to the beachfront…

It reminded me of Shangri-La Mactan, Cebu where the lush green leads you to the waters however less the expansive lobby where you can view the majestic scenery. This one in Penang doesn’t have an elevated lobby like the hotel in Cebu but nonetheless impressive.

Nipa Huts and benches are found along the uniquely shaped swimming pools amidst the enormous trees and tropical plants. I know nothing of architecture but I noticed how creative they were in guiding the raindrops as they fall from huts’ roofs to a massively charming jar that serves as basin. Have you seen one like this in Pinas or elsewhere? (Ang husay ng alulod!).

I joined my lovely wife and adorable son for some more minutes of waiting. While Gabby became busy taking photographs of the lounge and his parents, a male staff approached and talked to us.

male staff : Are you waiting for the dinner-buffet? Do you have reservations, Sir?
me : Yup! I did a reservation over the phone a week ago.
male staff : Spice Market Cafe gets packed even on weekdays.
me : Because of the on-going promotion?
male staff : Not only that, Sir but because the food is really good. And for its price, it’s more than reasonable and competitive with other hotels’ buffets.
me : That’s great to know. Thanks!

After few bladder breaks at the spotless tandas (toilet)…

and some more snapshots at the facade of the restaurant…

If jeepneys are the king of the road in the streets of Manila, in George Town, Penang are the trishaws. Most tourists and travelers are seen on this wheels, being driven by a local on a tour of one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

Finally, at 6:30PM, I confirmed our reservation at the entrance of Spice Market Cafe, was surprised that beside my name on the guest list was the apposition, “recognized blogger”; I cringed and swallowed my saliva! haha! (read : I am recognized only by my family and a few online friends and being known by some may be purely accidental).

Gabby, Tina and I have been to quite a number of eat-all-you-want-food havens but our experience in Rasa Sayang’s SPICE MARKET CAFE was definitely less ordinary….

Located at the main entrance of Spice Market Cafe is Spice Boutique that showcases an interesting display of varied spices and herbs that were sourced all over Asia .

Our 7-year-old kid who dreams of becoming a chef, a restaurateur and a hotelier someday was again exposed to another ground. However, his nose wasn’t ready yet to perceive an array of aromas and different smell from those spices…

Perhaps, because of their quaint characteristics of being rustic and old, I was silently jumping for joy upon the sight of these museum-worthy kitchen wares and whatnot. I don’t care whether they’re original and vintage or just a noteworthy reproductions, they all looked attractive to me.

Tina and Gabby had their own fascinations while I found myself mesmerized…

Ais Kachang or their version of the Filipino Halo-Halo needs finely shaved ice, thus the existence of this equipment…

My eyes were also caught by a corner where a long wooden bench holds a row of canisters of locally-cooked chips…

We never dined anywhere before where the entrance of the restaurant creates such impact…

To be continued…

Oct

HALLOWEEN IN PENANG, 2011

By docgelo 22 Comments

At two years old, he was dressed as a pumpkin. The following year, as Count Dracula. And with his 3 years in Preschool –Nursery, Kindergarten and Preparatory, he wore ninja, scarecrow and tiger-chef costumes with appropriate face-paint makeups done specially by Tina.

From his school to malls in the Philippines such as our favorites, Greenbelt, TriNoma and Gateway, Gabby enjoyed collecting candies wearing his costumes we fancied every Halloween. He was even awarded as a student with “Most Creative Costume” in their school parties for 2 consecutive years.

Being abroad with limited budget doesn’t deter him from celebrating Halloween with other kids. Despite the fact that his school here and our appartment do not have similar activities, some malls here in Penang also conduct such events that add to priceless childhood happiness. Although admittedly, it’s still best and more FUN doing all these things in our own country (read : we miss the malls and almost everything in Pinas!).

29 October 2011, Saturday –We arrived 10AM, so early at Queensbay Mall and headed directly to Starbucks Coffee, not only to grab quick morning drinks and bites but to be strategically near to the venue and stage where the Halloween Costume Contest for kids would be held. As I went to the counter to order a couple of ventis of frappuccinos (chocolate for Gabby, and dark mocha shared by Tina and me) and a plate of sausage roll, Tina didn’t waste any second and prepared her stuffs to do Gabby’s face paint.

If you must know, Tina doesn’t have any formal training, whatsoever on doing make ups. In fact, she only began wearing them few weeks after she first met me (she’ll kill me for this!). Apparently, she’s doing great with her face and with Gabby’s, isn’t she? This proves that Tina has many skills and talents. My wife isn’t only a diligent Operating Room nurse, a dedicated mother, a passionate educator herself, but also a creative makeup artist in her own right! She even managed to work well with the face paint I bought from Toys R Us here despite it was far from the brands she told me to buy (supply of those things is rare in this part of Malaysia).

In character before he ate his lunch!

Gabby requested one of his favorites, Pizza Hut for lunch. We’re delighted with a pitcher of Mountain Dew, a small loaf of garlic bread, soup of the day and a large 7-cheese-pizza!

Pizza Hut's Seven Cheese Pizza : Romano, Monterey Jack, Parmesan, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Provolone, Mozzarella and Cheddar. So heavenly!

Gabby remains to be a purist when it comes to pizzas so he wants it nothing but cheese. This new offerring from Pizza Hut was welcoming to him and in fact, we all found it sublime that I am craving for another slice as I write this.

We finished lunch a few minutes prior to 1:30PM call time for all participants. We went back near Starbucks, confirmed Gabby’s attendance and got his number-tag. He was contestant # 6 out of 33 (or was it 34?) kiddie participants all in all.

His royal blue Chinese-inspired satin tunic was a hand-me-down costume from his eldest cousin, that was worn at our wedding reception almost 8 years ago. We only added a few accessories that Gabby chose himself from a store also in Queensbay Mall for him to look more like a Chinese pirate (uniquely wearing a Beijing Opera mask).

Each contestant was called, asked to walk on the ramp and introduce themselves a little and greet everyone a “Happy Halloween!”. It was the very first time we saw Gabby became shy on stage (read : he doesn’t have stage fright for he had won and placed in several declamation contests in his former school back home).

They paraded on the entire Ground floor before the winners’ names were announced.

He lost but nonetheless, we’re definite that he enjoyed the experience this year. Tina and I had fun too being with these kids! As token of participation, we’ll be issued after a week, a free 8R picture officially taken by Queensbay Mall photographer during the event.

Honestly, when Tina and I saw her and her props, we knew she deserves to be the contest’s grand winner, but this 10-year old girl geared as a ‘Halloween dinner table’ only bagged second place.

First place went to…

Tina and I told Gabby that he had done a good job on stage and made him feel our very own champion. He is and he’ll always be, of course!:)

Group shot!

One more time!

Gabby had fun, he even retained his face paint and costumes on until we reached home; except the fact that he only got candies and chocolates from the organizers of the event themselves because the shops and stores inside the mall didn’t prepare sweets like the way it’s done back home and else where.

How’s your Halloween?

Because obviously, we cannot visit cemeteries of our departed, we’ll just utter prayers for our late grandparents and relatives. It’s what we practice back home on top of trick or treating.

Oct

FOR THE LOVE OF COFFEE & SNOOPY

By docgelo 26 Comments

Categories: FOOD & MORE FOOD! and MALAYSIA
Tags: cakes, charlie brown cafe, chocolate, Coffee, coffee shop, doc gelo, docgelo, food, foodie, penang, penang malaysia, pulau pinang, restaurants, straits quay, tanjung pinang, TRAVEL

As cute and lovely as it gets…

Tina must have been so excited and overwhelmed with all these photos that she borrowed my SD card, copied and edited them on her laptop, and posted an album on her fb account tagging me and Gabby long before I put watermarks on them and come up with this blog post. It doesn’t happen usually. And I love her more for doing so, because it affirmed that she appreciates even the little efforts that I do for us to enjoy our days here in Penang.

Gabby's hot chocolate from Charlie Brown Cafe

Apparently it’s not only Tina who became happier when I brought them to Charlie Brown Cafe at Straits Quay but more so, Gabby!

It's the first in Malaysia that opened last April 2011. The second branch will follow soon in Kuala Lumpur as told by one of the staff.

Saturday, 22 October 2011. We hopped on Rapid Penang Bus 101 from Jetty in George Town and got off at the newly opened Tesco in Tanjung Pinang (a enormous supermarket that opened another branch in the island months ago). We took a 5-minute walk from the bus stop and easily found Straits Quay.

We’re glad that we didn’t get lost looking for it but we all got a bit homesicked. Straits Quay, tagged as “Penang’s First Seafront Retail Marina” reminded us of a lot of places in Pinas. First thing Gabby uttered was, “Mukhang Eastwood!” (“Looks like Eastwood!”). Tina thought so too. With its facade and its entire structure, it really looks like those upscale condo units in Eastwood City in Quezon City. I had Serendra, Alabang Town Center and Mall of Asia fused in my memory when I first saw Straits Quay. But its lobby and everything behind it told us otherwise…

I don’t know much but every amazing geometric structures incorporated in the interiors will confirm its uniquely Malaysia… Beautiful, is it not?

It aint a quay without these…

and a magnificent looking lighthouse…

I digress. The reason why we paid Straits Quay a visit over those few malls in Penang that became a part of our weekends was to experienced a cartoon-themed coffee shop called Charlie Brown Cafe…

This dining place is more than a coffee shop not only because it serves entrees and desserts too but it’s so picturesque and an eye-candy particularly to kids like Gabby and kid at hearts like Tina and me!

As Tina was more excited than Gabby and me, I gave her the freedom to decide where to sit. And I bet it wasn’t easy choosing a spot because every corner of this cafe is fascinating if you’re a Snoopy fan! Obviously, we all are!

The three of us were all under these gorgeous lights that made us wish we have them too at home. Imagine looking at those colorful Peanut characters before and after you retire to bed. Fantastic!

I knew Tina was really having blissful moments being inside this cafe for the first time because she even got the camera to shoot several photos of the place herself. Without spoiling her excitement, I got the menu and asked what they want to try.

Spontaneity, I liked it! Even the menu is animated! ...If only we can try everything at the same time, hahaha!

Are you a Peanut-character fan yourself? Did you also grow up browsing anything with Charlie Brown and Snoopy comic strips?

Are you also fascinated with that beagle named Snoopy who sleeps on top of his doghouse instead inside it? hahaha!

Snoopy loving Woodstock

Follow those dog paw prints to order!

And so Tina had Charlie Brown on her Cappuccino, I had Lucy Van Pelt on my Caffe Latte…

It took us a while before we got our spoons and stir those caffeinated mugs; so wonderfully done you just want to stare at them!

From these chilled display….

yum!

We tried these…

It's so good, i forgot what it's called, hehe!

Gabby wanted a chocolate cupcake with Charlie Brown on top while he enjoyed his mug of hot chocolate drink with Snoopy design.

Not sure if he’ll able to finish it, Tina requested the wait staff to put it on takeaway cup…

There are a lot of interesting stuffs near the cashier at the counter that will surely catch your eyes and attention and could enticed you more to order, haha!

Everything we tried tasted great! Prices a lot cheaper than other coffee shops. Service was quick, staffs were pleasantly attentive. But to us, the selling point of this cafe over all others around is its entire theme…

Do you play chess? I don’t but I would not mind learning the game with these too-cute-for-words King, Queen, Bishop and Pawns..

This was how Gabby manifested his happiness…

We liked the place, we’re glad that we spent our weekend there!

Before leaving Charlie Brown Cafe, we checked out its souvenir shop and got affordable takeaway…

Gabby chose these Snoopy collectibles. Tina and I wanted other versions in various national costumes but just like the chess set, they're not for sale.

Proof that we like Snoopy was this plate that we’re using in our home in Penang; I got a half dozen of this in different theme-countries (Africa, England, Malaysia etc) for FREE from Jusco Supermarket at Queensbay Mall last year.

Even Snoopy barks, "Malaysia, Truly Asia!" hehehe!

It’s definitely not the last time that we’ll be in CBC at Straits Quay! All for the love of coffee and Snoopy, haha!

Oct

OF MUZIUM, LITTLE INDIA & DEEPAVALI

By docgelo 19 Comments

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” ~Confucius.

This scene greeted me when I passed by one of the laterals of Little India, George Town. The Lord said, it's a beautiful day!

I certainly know that not all people would appreciate museums, old mansions, historical or touristy streets. Fascination to anything is such a unique trait that even twins don’t share. As everyone puts it, to each his own. A flower to me may appear a weed to you…

Neither watching movies nor spending lazy day inside a mall interest me lately. Are these signs of aging? haha! No, it’s just me.

On a bright and sunny morning, I got off the Rapid Penang Hop On Free Bus that I boarded from Jetty in George Town, a few steps from the most majestic building in Lebuh Farquhar (Farquhar Street), the Muzium Negeri Pulau Pinang or the Penang State Museum…

With just one ringgit entrance fee (PhP 14 or USD 0.30), I was transported back in time on different era when history of this Malaysian state originated.

Although the 2-storey fully airconditioned building is absolutely smaller in scale than our very own Philippine National Museum (I love Juan Luna’s Spolarium!), Penang State Museum doesn’t disappoint with its uniquely impressive display of magnificent history and colorful diversities. The 3 Malaysian races -Chinese, Indians and Malays are greatly featured in each rooms and chambers inside the muzium.

Too bad, photography isn’t allowed but irresistibly, I secretly captured this art creation from colored rice grains called Kolam…

“Kolam, (far from the witchcraft that you’re thinking! haha!) is a traditional sign of invitation placed at the entrance floor to welcome all into the home, not the least of whom is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity. The patterns range between geometric and mathematical line drawings around a matrix of dots to free form art work and closed shapes.” (sourced via Wiki) True enough that when I asked one of my Indian-Malaysian students about Kolam, she mentioned it’s intended to bring good fortune to homes.

And so when Kolam becomes apparent decors on the floors of entrances of homes, malls and establishments, one can easily tell a Hindu festival is approaching.

Colored rice grains in delicately designed beautiful patterns, a kolam on display at Prangin Mall, George Town, Penang

Detail shot of the kolam on display at the entrance of one of the groceries here, Carrefour in First Avenue Mall…

It’s entirety is amazing!

On the 26th of this month, Deepavali or the Festival of Light, a celebration of triumph of good over evil will be observed here in Penang, and the rest of Hindu communities worldwide. Deepavali is one of the public holidays here in Malaysia.

Cookies to share to welcome and celebrate Deepavali

I only stayed less than an hour inside Penang State Museum and via few minute bus ride, I found myself mesmerized in Little India…

With my more than a year of working in Penang, it was only recently that I brought my feet to Little India in George Town. And what a perfect day it was because all stalls and streets are geared up for that Hindu holiday. The mood that morning was so festive even the pigeons looked happy and lovely…

With several interesting things to see, I killed time effortlessly on these streets within this Indian community…

The structures in these streets truly reflect the fusion of cultures…

How timely it is to visit Little India days before Deepavali! The blissful atmosphere radiated throughout the shophouses and almost all corners of this market place…

Bollywood music were played to high decibles that made the sights and sound of strolling and shopping more festive!

There are multiple interesting items to see, hear, smell and taste…
Another feast for the senses!

I personally liked these lanterns in various hues. One day, Tina and I will build a house with lanai with all those colorful Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Venetian, Moroccan and Turkish lanterns! *wishful thinking*

Having open houses during festivities like Hari Raya for Muslims and Deepavali for Hindus where every visitor is welcomed to eat and partake on the occasion requires offering of traditional delicacies, sweets and cookies…

Amazing colors and patterns…

Ladies may fancy these…

or these perhaps?

Make the garlands and floral leis ready for Deepavali!

Before Mr. Sun hits high noon, I felt the urgency to fill in my tummy. I walked towards Lebuh Chulia to sit and order from Kapitan…

And to complete the Little India experience, it was a perfect time to eat that platter of Chicken tandoori and cheese naan AGAIN!

At only RM 10 (PhP 140), this Restoran Kapitan’s Chicken Tandoori and Cheese Naan combo is a sure hit for me!

It was more than a year since I’ve first tasted this Indian dish here in Penang. I love Kapitan’s version of the tandoori; the chicken’s very tender with sauces and chutneys that are so flavorful! I asked the wait staff who politely told me about what comes with Chicken tandoori. There’s fish curry sauce, then there’s chili and green mango chutney, veggie sauce served with lime plus onions. These dips and sauces perfectly match my favorite, cheese naan. The wait staffs and other diners were looking at me while I perform my usual ritual of capturing my food before I eat it! But wait, I just had to take another shot! :D

Ahhhhhh, Kapitan’s Chicken Tandoori and cheese naan –succulent, deliciously marinated, so tasteful! I washed it down with a mug of Mango shake.

To my students and colleagues and all others celebrating the Festival of Light, have a happy Deepavali!

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PS : Do you consider all these things on photos a flower or a weed to you?

Oct

ON GABBY’S SPECIAL DAY

By docgelo 20 Comments

“I love you, Ma, I love you, Daddy!”
These phrases never fail to melt our worries and stress away. And now that Gabby is turning 7 years old this Wednesday, 5th October, Tina and I cannot be grateful enough to the Lord for giving us His greatest blessing; we love our son beyond words.

Because his birthday falls on a weekday (we have work, he has school), we decided to celebrate it in advance last weekend. Tina was suggesting for us to dine at T.G.I.Fridays again but of course, the birthday boy’s wish prevailed.

He has been craving for some bites at an all-cheese-pizza from Pizza Hut so we gave in to his request…

He’s a purist when it comes to pizza as his preference is exclusively partial to 3 to 4-cheese pizza; like he really doesn’t like anything on top.
Gabby also favored calamari and garlic bread from the menu…

I maybe a doctor and an educator but I honestly don’t know everything. I’m not sure if the love for great-tasting food (read : huge appetite) can also be transferred via genetics, can it? Gabby might have been blessed with good genes, don’t you think? LOL!
My choice : Pizza Hut’s Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings –sarap to the bones!

We washed everything down with iced cold water, canned light Pepsi for Gabby (yes, I know sodas are junkie too!), and a tall glass of citrus flavored drink infused with calamansi and champoy at its bottom–uniquely refreshing; an eye candy too!

After that hearty lunch (we didn’t finish everything; we had some slices as takeaway *defensive*), Tina went to the department store and bought Gabby a new shirt while I headed to the mall’s barbershop for that much needed haircut. We met about an hour after, and had some grocery shopping too.
Then the time to blow candles on a birthday cake came; we sat inside Secret Recipe and the rest was momentous…

While waiting for Gabby’s cake, Tina took this photo on a whim. A littly grainy but I just had to post it because Gabby’s too adorable, isn’t he?

Chocolate Indulgence cake landed on our table with a cake slicer and 7 pieces of candles. Our little big-boy didn’t waste time and made his wishes…

The multilayered and richly textured chocolate cake was truly to die for; there’s no other name more apt for it but Chocolate Indulgence. It’s one of our favorites!

At seven, Gabby’s still a baby. He still likes toys a lot! Good thing he knows how to profess what he wanted to receive so we know what to give. Best, it’s afforbale and functional too. Uhm, I think so… hehe..

He could have asked for a remote control aircraft but opted for his second wish. With these, you now have a clue where we’re heading next weekend, if and when weather permits…

We left Queensbay Mall last Saturday with happy faces and full tummies.

The simple celebration continued the next day on our humble abode here in Penang. Tina cooked another irresistible dish – creamy carbonara with lotsa bacon bits on penne, yummy!

We’re joined by my dad whom we picked up from Penang Airport after we spent our entire Saturday at Queensbay Mall. With his Lolo Ben around (who went home 2 months ago to Manila with my mom for some important matters), Gabby will have longer sleeping hours again before he goes to school daily. The birthday boy’s smile reached ear to ear when his Lolo Ben brought out from his luggage a gift imported from Pinas from his Lola Tessie (my mom).

And there was a candle on a birthday cake again; he really enjoyed blowing candles on his cake. There must be something special about it.

What made his birthday preparation this year a bit different from before, he took the initiative and the efforts to pack his simple loot bags for his classmates and teachers on Wednesday (his actual birthday)…

Alone, he segregated candies and packs of chocolate bicuits piece by piece and put them on these loot bags. Such heightened his excitement to share his special day with his Chinese and Indian schoolmates too…

But we made known to him that he’ll only have loot bags as giveaways and no party will be thrown in his school here (read : we’re cutting on expenses, seriously!). Nontheless, it’s fine with him, after all, he understands and loves us so.

Our family life, although far from being perfect has been incredibly special and seems like there’s always an everyday-celebration because we have you, anak! We love you very much, Gabby!

Sep

IN A KEDAI KOPI

By docgelo 26 Comments

As parents of an almost 7-year-old wonder boy, Tina and I always consider Gabby’s preferences whenever we eat out (read: he’s like our big boss). We frequently ask him of what he likes before deciding where to dine. Are you the same when you go out with your own kids or nephews and nieces? Good thing with Gabby, he knows what he wants despite he’s a littly picky when it comes to food but has been keen on his favorites. He’s very particular with what he eats, like he wants his pizza with only cheese and no other toppings (the four-cheese pizza tops his list).

At home, he eats some veggies; he likes kangkong whenever we have sinigang (sour broth) on our table. Gabby eats practically most greens and fruits that we offer him. But whenever we go out, expectedly like kids of his age, he usually craves for fast food meals.

You can just imagine whenever Gabby gives his nod for us to try other food places over Mcdonald’s and Pizza Hut…

Some few months back, while we’re walking at Lebuh Chulia in Georgetown, we found a seemingly ordinary looking Kedai Kopi (coffee shop).

We’re a family who likes Starbucks Coffee and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf but beyond their frappuccinos in venti, we also enjoy some bites from these coffee shops, even from coffee nooks less famous and commercial than those two.

There’s always something special about simplicity; about places where pretentions do not exist, venues that allow you to be as casual as you are.

Inside Trois Canon Cafe, I found a charming painting of Shanghainese woman (kamukha ni Ate Vi, hehe!)…

Good thing I captured the menu on our table, without it I won’t recall the name of this hole-in-the-wall Kedai Kopi.

The menu contained a combo meal that passed Gabby’s taste : a thick buttered toast, oatmeal infused with maple syrup and milk and Milo ais (meelo iced!).

It’s great that this kedai kopi also serves a variety of all-day-breakfast meals; it gave me the chance to load my gastric pit. I picked from their menu something called East meets West combo : Oriental fried rice topped with fried egg, served with pork luncheon meat strips and frankfurter (yes, they’re non-halal).

While my lovely wife was content with her ham sandwich that tasted better than it looks on photo; the buns were slightly toasted with butter that made it different from the usual burger or sandwiches in common fast food joints.

I felt we also must try something that’s soothing; so I also ordered a warm bowl of beef noodle soup.

It was so good and too bad to resist.

The dining experience in a Kedai Kopi like Trois Canon Cafe would not be complete without trying their signature white coffee (actually, it came with my combo meal…)

We indulge once in a while but indubitably, we also like the simplicity in dining space and the delight in eating uncomplicated and affordable foods. And if Gabby says yes to it? It’s always icing on the cake!

Sep

NANDO’S

By docgelo 14 Comments

Categories: FOOD & MORE FOOD! and MALAYSIA
Tags: chicken, chicken dishes, doc gelo, docgelo, family, family and living, flame grilled chicken, food, food blog, food trip, foodie, fried chicken, gastronomic feast, nando, nando's, peri peri, peri peri chicken

How often do you receive judgment before you eat?

Do you also feel some people easily label you by what you eat or drink? Neither I can blame them nor give importance to what they think. I know my palate so well that their words do not affect my appetite. But I had my widest smile upon receiving my ordered plate in one of our dinners at Nando’s. I almost burst into laughter after reading the label of the Lemon and Herb Chicken with “NOT SO BRAVE” tag. I cannot agree more! I and Tina (and Gabby of course) had developed the aversion to severely spicy food that others prefer. To each his own, I guess.

We had our very first taste of Nando’s from one of their branches near Botany Mall in Auckland, New Zealand when we stayed in that beautiful city with our family and relatives for 7 week-break in 2005. And since then, that flavorful flame-grilled chicken goodness remained a memory for a while until we enjoyed it again here in Penang.

Nando’s became one of our favorites and usually serves as one of our default restaurants whenever we feel like induluging a bit over affordable casual dining particularly when Gabby allows us to skip his fast food preferences.

“Nando’s is a restaurant group originated from South Africa with a Portuguese/Mozambican theme. Founded in 1987, Nando’s operates in thirty countries on five continents. Nando’s specializes in chicken dishes with either lemon and herb, medium, hot, extra hot or extra extra hot Peri-Peri marinades (properly known as Galinha à Africana). In some countries, Nando’s has other flavour options like mango and lime or Mediterranean.” (sourced via Wiki)

“Nando’s specializes in flame-grilled Peri-Peri chicken. Peri-Peri is the Swahili word for the African Bird’s Eye chilli, a chilli indigenous to Africa.”(sourced via Wiki)

Without a word, you know who ordered this plate, and he enjoyed it, i think.

Gabby likes chicken dishes too but he favored those peri-peri flavored processed delights than those grilled ones. He paired it with a plateful of creamy chicken soup…

Now, children, altogether say, E S P E T A D A!

“Espetada has been a favorite in Portugal for years. In fact, it has been rumored that it was one of Christopher Columbus’ favorite meals! Espetada means, “pierced”, referring to how the meat was pierced onto skewer. Undoubtedly, Espetada is the most famous dish to emerge from the Madeira region.”

It was quite an experience eating Espetada. The presentation was apparently appealing to the senses. I just felt short of its serving.

At Nando’s, there’s always a reason to engage in protein & carbo-loading
(as if we’re diet-conscious, hahaha! *evil laugh*)…

Tina and Gabby love french fries while I will dunk my fork onto potato salad at any given time!

We can’t handle too much spicy foods but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t try a little…

After all, we can always wash it down with cold beverages. Gabby’s iced Milo (or as they say it here, Milo Ais; pronounced as meelo ice) and iced tea never fail to be refreshing.

And end it with irresistible melt-in-your-mouth-textured-chocolate cake…

Regardless where we eat – be it on our humble dining table, at Nando’s or somewhere else, we make sure our dining experience is always simple yet memorable and less ordinary.

Sep

ON THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON

By docgelo 12 Comments

Categories: EVENTS, FOOD & MORE FOOD! and HEADLINES
Tags: birthdays, crispy birthday noodle, crispy noodle, doc gelo, docgelo, Life, noodle dish, seafood noodle

Today’s my 35th birthday. Thank You, Lord for everything, most specially for giving me Cristina and Gabby. Amen.

————————-

updated @ 4:19PM 18 September 2011…

Who needs a fancy birthday party when I’m enjoying a great time bonding with Tina and Gabby? I had the luxury to doze off after I left home at 6AM and went to public market to buy stuffs to last until the next weekend. Life is good.

And look what my lovely wife prepared and cooked for lunch…

Tina’s version of crispy birthday noodle is enough to complete the wish for longer & blissful life. Medyo maalat nga lang ang noodles, she needed to add water so it became a noodle soup dish after. What the heck, it’s still delicious! cheers!

PS : my blog’s hit couter just reached more than 300,000. thank you so much for the follow. it really means so much. Maraming salamat po!

Sep

SINGAPORE BY THE BAY

By docgelo 13 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO, FOOD & MORE FOOD!, ILOVEPHOTOS, SINGAPORE and TRAVEL
Tags: doc gelo, docgelo, esplanade, food, food blog, foodie, grilled liempo, hotels in singapore, liempo, makansutra, makansutra gluttons bay, marina bay sands, merlion, merlion park, one fullerton, singapore

Can you guess where I took my shadow?

Those are the waves at the foot…..err the tail of the merlion…

Merlion has been iconic that a trip to Singapore would not be complete without a visit to its park. I don’t know with Tina and Gabby but I was in awe; it was actually bigger than I thought.

Across the statue of half-lion half-fish are a couple of structures equally worthy of admiration…

The Esplanade : Singapore’s theater for performing arts creatively built with shopping and dining complex, with fantastic architectural shape similar to durian; only more sophisticated looking than the tropical pungent fruit because it’s made of glass. Its waterfront location is just perfect to wait for the sunset in this side of Southeast Asia.

One of the luxurious hotels in the Lion City is The Marina Bay Sands, famous not only for its service, and noted spectacular amenities but it’s strategic location.

At our first sight of its magnificence, Gabby asked me, “Is that a boat above those buildings?”. I replied to our kid with a smile, “It’s the Marina Bay Sands’ SkyPark, anak.”

Believe me, if Tina and I have the fortune, we could have brought Gabby to Marina Bay Sands to watch and marvel at the musical, The Lion King.

From the Merlion Park, we strolled to Esplanade via their sidewalk on the bridge. Had a dose of S$1-ice cream bar, watched the glorious sunset and went inside the Esplanade mall.

When dinner time came, we had to ask directions to Makansutra Gluttons Bay. A few steps more within the Esplanade Mall, we found what we’re looking for.

Our meal that night could have been cereal prawns or chili crabs but our Filipino palates became so biased with 1/2 kg of Liempo (grilled pork belly) from a Filipino hawker food stall in Makansutra. We coupled it with Seafood Fried Rice and downed everything delightfully!

These capped our day 3 in Singapore after we enjoyed Universal Studios.

Other than having the lack of budget for The Lion King, failing to taste cereal prawns and chili crabs, ~~another little regret~~ I also passed the chance of trying to capture Singapore’s beauty at dusk in my lens but then again, it’s all because I prioritized bringing Tina and Gabby back to our hotel to rest. At least there are a lot of reasons to go back to Singapore. It’s that fascinating!

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Beyond Toxicity’s Singapore Blog series includes:

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Sep

WHEN IN SINGAPORE, MUST EAT…

By docgelo 11 Comments

Categories: FOOD & MORE FOOD!, SINGAPORE and TRAVEL
Tags: chicken, chicken dish, doc gelo, docgelo, food, food blog, foodie, gastronomic delights, hainanese chicken rice, kata butter toast, kaya, kaya toast, malaysian food, sinagporean dishes, singaporean food

…toasted bread with kaya and butter + 2 half-boiled eggs then washed it down with milo dinosaur

and of course, one of my favorites, Hainanese Chicken Rice…

They tasted better than they appear in photos. Would you believe that these were our airport meals?

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*Singapore Blog Series continues…

Beyond Toxicity’s Singapore Blog series includes:

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PappaMia, Check-In Level 3, Changi Airport Terminal 1.

Sep

DAY 3 IN THE LION CITY…

By docgelo 20 Comments

It’s our first time to attend a Prayer Rally that drew a huge crowd on our 3rd day in Singapore!

*kidding!* Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with going to prayer rallies but we really spent our entire 3rd day in the Lion City at Universal Studios Singapore. The photo above was taken at one of the featured live attractions we watched – Waterworld.

We continue to dream. And dream big...

On Thursday morning, 1st September 2011, I initially brought my wife and kid to the riverfront near One Fullerton via bus from Bencoolen Street. However, since the sun was unforgiving (at least Mr. Sun was up after days of downpour prior to our trip), we opted to head directly to USS via cab.

And did the much-needed tourist thing, haha!

It was ages ago when I stepped foot in Universal Studios Hollywood; I was still single then, and apparently didn’t have Gabby yet to share the experiences with. Nonetheless, the memory remains vivid and it’s so apt to relay the fun to our son when we got a chance to bring him in a similar venue.

With Marty, Melman, Alex and Gloria of Madagascar!

A day in most if not all theme parks would not be complete without photo-ops with those lovable mascots…

Wonder where Shrek and Princess Fiona were that day. It was only Puss whom we saw in Far Far Away.

We watched Shrek 4D Adventure though, and tremendoulsy enjoyed the simulations of splashes and spiders crawling on legs.

Then we also caught a birdie mascot (Is this Woody Woodpecker?)…

Whe we heard the growling of our stomachs, it signaled us to immediately chow down.

Of all the restaurants inside USS, we chose Goldilocks (not the local cakeshop that we grew with) and ordered some delicious fastfood junkies…

We shared these tray of chicken burger, criscut potato fries and 3-piece chicken seasoned with 7 spices done just right!

Ang sarap! But it made me miss our very own Max’s Fried Chicken back home.

Moving on…

There was a souvenir shop where we tried on some novelty hats just for the cam…

While Gabby wore an Egyptian hat, Tina can pass here as a Miss Universe contestant representing the land of milk and honey sans visa or citizenship, haha!

There were so many hats to choose from and almost everyone at the facade of the store wanted to try them all.

He is my King and I am his Knight...

We still wanted to escape from the heat of the sun, so we took the chance of queueing at Monster Rock that featured the Universal Classic Monsters in rock-and-roll extravagant show. I had a mixed feelings and thoughts watching (performers wearing costumes of) Frankenstein, Count Dracula, Lady Mummy and others doing Lady Gaga and other contemporary pop songs on stage, nevertheless, it’s fun! They pulled out the show. But prior to their production numbers, Tina and Gabby had their own show…

If there's a casting audition that day for the best act in sleeping roles, Tina and Gabby could have won it, hands down! hehe!

I’ve told you, we also watched Waterworld before lunch time. The show has death-defying stunts, pyrotechnics and explosions on water. I’ve seen it first in Los Angeles and concluded then that the USS show is even better than its movie version.

Since I knew that there will be parts of the show where actors would intentionally wet the audience with splashes and pails of water, I told Tina and Gabby to sit in the so-called-”dry area” of the bleachers. I noticed improvements from its USS Hollywood version; this one in Singapore has more humor and stunts.

We continued to while away time and went to the part of USS called Sci-Fi City. Here, the famous buwis-buhay (life-threatening) ride called Battlestar Galactica can challenge fear in anyone…

Are you daring enough to ride this?

We’re not! We’re just content in watching the actions from the ground. At least there, we’re surely safe!

“Battlestar Galactica -Human or Cyclon? Choose your side on the world’s tallest duelling roller coasters. Prepare to engage in aerial combat between two coasters. The Cyclon (blue track) suspended coater goes up, around and upside down with an intense corkscrew and a cobra roll, while the Human seated coaster zooms at speeds of 82.8km/h and propels you over fourteen storeys into the air!” -sourced from the USS Studio Guide.

In Ancient Egypt…

one funny thing happened to us…

Overwhelmed with excitement, we went to the locker area and left all of our things at hand -bags,camera etc, to the designated locker by the ATM-looking machine for free. We went on queue for the Revenge of the Mummy absolutely clueless that it’s another buwis-buhay-ride. Why? Well, we went inside without reading anything! *bummer!* So we hurriedly exited the building after reading a ~~warning~~ sign that stated it’s indeed an indoor roller coaster ride. It really pays to read, hehe!

At around 4PM, we decided to leave USS. And just before exiting the turnstiles at the gate, we saw Marilyn…

better hands off...just smile!

Outside USS, was a paradise for Gabby and Tina….

My family has sweeter tooth than I am (OK, we all have!). Imagine their bliss upon seeing a volume of shops of chocolates and candies…

I know Tina’s number 1 fan of Jelly Beans; she can eat it as if there’s no tomorrow!

Those enormous Hershey’s bottles are plastic coin banks that I wanted to take home. However budget and logic restrained me, it costs S$25 each! Nevermind, haha!

Now, these are happiness to me (Tina, Gabby and Reese’s)!

At the Hershey’s store, they have these biggest chocolate bars available at whopping price of S$60 each! As I took it from its shelf to hand in to Gabby just for fun, I told him to hold it carefully for I didn’t want to be jailed if he breaks it, haha!

Honestly, I expected to ride an open-air tram that takes guests to different studio buildings inside USS. I thought it’s similar to that in Hollywood with backlot filled with studios where famous movies were shot and where simulations of scenes can be experienced but I was totally wrong.

I even inappropriately compared the size of USS to Disneyland in Anaheim, Disneyland and DisneySea in Tokyo but it’s no match. Perhaps, not even half of Disneyland in Hong Kong. That was my mistake making me felt short of USS.

What’s important for Tina and me was the fact that Gabby enjoyed his day.

So much for a day in Universal Studios Singapore. We went to Merlion Park, Esplanade and Makansutra at dusk that same day which will be featured and posted soon…

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Beyond Toxicity’s Singapore Blog series includes:

Our Amazing Quincy Hotel Singapore Experience
Orchard Road
Chinatown, Singapore

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Sep

CHINATOWN, SINGAPORE

By docgelo 22 Comments

On a limited budget and with only enthusiasm and a game plan to spend more time & lots of fun with my family in my pocket, I brought Tina and Gabby to Singapore. On our second day in the Lion City, we headed to Chinatown !

After checking out at 12 noon from Quincy Hotel where we stayed the first day, we hopped on the bus along Orchard Road and alighted at Bencoolen Street. We transferred to a more affordable hotel (which deserves a separate post) and more accessible to our itineraries. And like what we did the first day, we just left our luggage to the hotel room and utilized the rest of the day in exploring Singapore.

I am grateful that former colleagues and online buddies (credits at the end of this post) suggested one of Singapore’s most helpful websites particularly for tourists and first timers on the island like us (read: without gadgets with GPS). The site gives you details on your trip from point A to point B from mode/s of transportation (either by bus, train, taxi cab), estimated total travel time(including waiting and walk time), to total fare (click the link and be enlightened!).

http://gothere.sg/

The Lion City’s transport system is impressively efficient.

I googled http://gothere.sg/ and lifted details of our itineraries for the remaining days of our stay. We walked through the train station from our hotel, purchased MRT cards from the touch-screen machines (with refundable deposit of S$1 on top of our fares) in the subway.

Subways of Singapore are clearly wider than Tokyo or it might be just me. But creativity is present at every turn in Singapore, so apparent in the mosaics and murals in the train stations…

We told him but I’m not sure if Gabby realized the thought that we were literally underground when we boarded the train.

The Dhoby Ghaught MRT station bound to Harbourfront was just few minutes-and-one-train-ride away to Pagoda Street, Chinatown.

Upon getting off the subway, we were in awe and together we uttered, “WOW” in amazement! Our eyes feasted on a burst of colors…

I read from online reviews of tourists that Singapore has the cleanest Chinatown in the globe, knowing the city implements strictest rules on fines and penalties (read : thousands of dollars), everyone is disciplined regardless of the place in Sg.

One doesn’t need to be Chinese to expect to see mostly reds in any Chinatown…

or Oriental lanterns that doesn’t fail to fascinate…

Souvenir items cost usually 3 for S$10… I got a nod from Tina in purchasing fridge magnets we bought for 6 for S$10.

Of all the things being sold in the stalls of Chinatown, I found these glass balls most interesting. Agree? Do you know what they call these?

Few steps more and another surprise (well, not actually, I included it in our itinerary) caught our eyes…

“The Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple. It is an agamic temple, built in the Dravidian style. Located at No. 244 South Bridge Road, in the downtown Chinatown district, the temple serves mainly South Indian Tamil Hindu Singaporeans in the city-state. Due to its architectural and historical significance, the temple has been gazetted a National Monument and is a major tourist attraction.” –Wiki

A lion and holy cow guard the roofs of Sri Mariamman Temple…

Fantastic sight amidst the high noon…

The doors to this Hindu temple…

We opted not to go inside the Sri Mariamman Temple, we continued walking in Chinatown. We spotted the famous Ann Siang Hill…

Vivid colors paint the structures built in Ann Siang Hill. Unfortunately, my wife and kid didn’t want to explore it so we went on walking to Sago Street and reached the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. After a Hindu temple comes a Buddhist temple… both equally stunning!

If the exteriors of Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is magnificent, the inside’s trully awesome! I’m almost lost of superlatives to describe its interiors,haha!

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”–Buddha.

I’m left speechless.

Almost right across the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is a famous hawker food place, Maxwell.

When in Singapore, must try Singaporean foods! Our late snack-early dinner were made of noodles….

Maxwell’s Tian Tian Chicken House became a word of mouth when Anthony Bourdain gave it a thumbs up. It’s famous for one of my favorite chicken dish –Hainanese Chicken Rice…(believe me, this plate tasted so much better than it looks on photo)

The rice was cooked with chicken broth and seasoning, it’s delicious sans ulam.

For drinks, a fellow blogger, Dyan and former colleague Gina who’s based in Singapore never failed to remind us not to forget to try water chestnut. We’re obedient. I bought a cup, it tasted like sweet pandan; refreshingly good! I took a photo on a whim…

Then we felt it’s time to bid Chinatown goodbye…

but can’t pass the chance without a photo-ops with this Buddha statue…

We finally found our way back to the subway and rode the MRT again. We had Starbucks Coffee break in a mall on way to our hotel (not in photo) and called it one fine day.

Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Singapore.

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Beyond Toxicity’s Singapore Blog series includes:

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*Thank you to fellow bloggers, Dyanie (she did my initial itinerary!), Cza (recommended the other hotel we stayed in), Chyng, Sards , Dom/Dong Ho, Annevdns, Bambi (all of their blog posts about Singapore and replies to my queries served helpful references for this trip) and former colleagues, Ms. Gina (who provided useful links online about her work place), Dr. D. and former student, Lea for replying to my questions about the city we all like.

Sep

ORCHARD ROAD, SINGAPORE

By docgelo 32 Comments

Several minutes after checking in and marveling at Quincy Hotel, we maximized the day by strolling towards the upscale shopping district of the Lion City, Orchard Road which is about 5-7 minute walk. Thank God, Mr. Sun shone its brightest that Tuesday afternoon because few days prior to this-end-of August-trip, Singapore (and the rest of Southeast Asian countries including home-the Philippines) had experienced quite heavy downpours.

Considering we’re medical professionals, my wife and I felt extra-safer after we saw two huge hospitals several steps away from Quincy Hotel ; these are Paragon Medical Center (adjacent with Paragon Mall) and Mount Elizabeth Hospital. You never know when these facilities will come in handy whenever you’re traveling.

Here are photos of Mt. Elizabeth Street, one of the laterals of Orchard Road…

Our very first glimpse of one of the famous shopping districts in the globe …

It reminds me of Ginza in Tokyo or its counterpart back home, Makati City. But I think, Orchard is busier, more populated and a lot more impressive because it has so many street art installations (read : it doesn’t mean I like Ginza less; it’s still remarkable in my book and definitely, would like to revisit that fantastic street with my family someday and of course, Makati City remains one of our favorites too!). Correct me if I’m wrong -I think Singaporean government really allot budget or possibly requires establishment owners to put up creative structures in streets, is there any truth to my guess?

Don’t you wish Metro Manila will have more street art installations too? (On the second thought : Huwag na lang kaya, unahin na lang ang pagkain sa mesa, edukasyon at pangangailangang medikal).

Orchard Road got busier despite it’s a weekday because it was Hari Raya holiday….

We wish all cities in the world would be as lush as this…

More inspring art installations…

Inside Paragon Mall…

The most lovable mall rat…

Being jologs as we are, my wife and I cannot relate much with the high-end boutiques inside Paragon Mall except for this wonderful shop…

We wonder if Muji in Manila is more affordable or just the same as their branches abroad, can anyone tell? I spotted a light-weight luggage, a dark colored jacket that I like while Tina’s eyes were at Muji’s kitchen stuffs and other functional things. Do you shop Muji?

While we only window-shopped at Muji, ditched out and snobbed these divine sweets from Breadtalk…

to feast on Old Chang Kee….

We have hawkers in Penang that sell these fried balls of fish, squid, crab, shrimp but we have not seen any branches of Old Chang Kee in our probinsya. Perhaps, there is in KL, I’m to lazy to google.

At SGD 1.20 to 2+, each stick of these fried delights are afforbably satiating. We bought a few sticks of crab, shrimp cakes, fish balls, chicken wing for Gabby and paid only SGD 8+. Not bad for a late afternoon snack. We munched them where else but in Orchard Road, just outside Paragon Mall and infront of Takashimaya Mall…(drinks were loots from Quincy) solb!

But wait, we had to taste that one singapore dollar-ice cream bar…

Ice cream’s OK for SGD 1. I had chocolate, Tina enjoyed blueberry, and I forgot what Gabby’s preference was. After having those heavenly snacks (read : late lunch!), we walked through Orchard Road and enjoyed being tourists again.

Then we went inside the Mandarin Mall for a much-needed bladder break. We proved that hearsays about toilets in Singapore are true. Most, if not all comfort rooms in this city are almost immaculately sterile.

Tina was irked at the irritating scents of a candle store inside Mandarin Mall, so we went out and headed to Takashimaya and Ngee Ann City… another couple of malls rich in upscale boutiques.

Here, Gabby found a fountain at its plaza-like facade and asked a coin from me, closed his eyes, whispered his wishes and threw the coin onto the fountain… *sarap, maging bata!*

Must have photo ops of course…

The last photo for this post was taken by Gabby. A bit blurry but nontheless can pass your taste for sure with caption, “lovers in ngee ann city” hahaha

We also checked out Lucky Plaza, the mall that was described by our limo-airport-pick up driver as “The Little Philippines” in Singapore. It’s also in Orchard Road and is frequented by Filipinos staying and working in the city. We didn’t stay long inside, actually, I just had our few USD changed to SgD at forex there, and headed back to Quincy for dinner. Let’s just say that among the malls we visited in the area, it’s far different from all of them. End of story.

Up Next : Chinatown!

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Beyond Toxicity’s Singapore Blog series includes:

Our Amazing Quincy Hotel Singapore Experience

Sep

OUR AMAZING QUINCY EXPERIENCE

By docgelo 40 Comments

Hainanese Chicken Rice… Fried Hokkien Mee.. Iced cold water chestnut… One-dollar-ice cream bar… Sri Mariamman Temple… Perhaps, the cleanest Chinatown… Orchard Road… Esplanade… Sentosa… Merlion Park… These and more can obviously describe the city where we spent our Hari Raya holiday this year.

Now, if you’re still clueless of the place, you may have left your brain cells somewhere, haha! *kidding*

We loved Singapore! Although our pockets and credit cards are now weeping, the experience was worth it! My wife,Tina and I took our soon-to-be 7 year old kid, Gabby to the Lion City for four glorious days (August 30–September 2, 2011) of food indulgence, fun and of course, family bonding!

Let’s begin this Singapore blog series from our arrival at few minutes before 2PM, Tuesday 30th August at the Changi airport, Terminal 1…

Gabby with Mr. Lee, one of the friendliest Singaporean drivers we’ve met (We encountered almost a handful, and you’ll meet them with some of their stories toward the end of this series).

PERSTAYMERS : It’s our first time to be in the city described by the National Geographic as “the smallest nation in Southeast Asia that has long been a financial powerhouse.” and by the -The Lonely Planet as a place with “a strange brew of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Western cultures, a rich social stew that’s anything but boring.” …Who would not be excited?

I planned the trip several months back with gradual let go of the budget by purchasing online plane tickets via Air Asia (Penang-Singapore) on its promo rates and reserving rooms in 2 different hotels (read: maximizing the range of experience at the same time, reducing the cost); we only chose one theme park over a volume of choices and pre-paid it online on a non-peak season. I even asked blogger-friends who have been to Singapore many times over and former colleagues who are presently based there, for their recommendations and whatnot (credits at the end of the post). I made sure my family and I would enjoy our vacation the way we know how.

After reading tourists’ reviews at tripadvisor.com countless times and after paying attention to what bloggers have been raving about, I finally settled for Quincy. I thought it wouldn’t be voted as the tripadvisor.com’s Winner, Travelers’ Choice, Trendiest Hotel 2011 for nothing. I know Tina and Gabby will like it too.

Our airport pick up, included in the room package I availed for my family…

Jologs lang po kami. (repeat : Jologs lang po kami!) We’re so easy to please, and so riding a Mercedes benz E-class limo that doesn’t happen on a daily basis was indeed something for the 3 of us! Hence, that explains those sweetest smiles mixed with pure bliss and excitement inside the car…

Mr. Lee made us feel so welcome while he was driving. He confirmed some of the (positive) things about Singapore that I have heard and read. Everything, including the air in Singapore seems so sterile!

Singapore in so many ways is so expensive yet seductively beautiful. Prices of almost all items are notoriously steeper than you could imagine. Hotel rates and charges could leave you begging for alms in the streets, haha! And so one of my considerations that made me chose Quincy is its being an all-inclusive boutique hotel. It’s amazing! Imagine buffet breakfast, set lunch and dinner, all served with appetizers, salad, soup, bottomless canned sodas, free flowing brewed coffee and tea, distilled water exclusively bottled for Quincy and even beer and cocktails in the evening are all included in the package! It’s the first time in the history of our vacations that we didn’t buy bottled water from any 711!

About 25 minutes after we left Terminal 1 of Changi airport, we arrived in Quincy.

Tucked in the secluded end of Mt. Elizabeth Street, one of the laterals of the famous high-end shopping district, Orchard Road, Quincy is strategic in its location. Quincy is about 5-7 minute-walk away from Orchard Road. It works best for guests like us who would like to walk after a sound sleep and particularly after partaking on a heavy, sumptuous meal. We felt so secured (physically) as we passed by Paragon Medical Center and Mount Elizabeth Hospital from Quincy just before reaching the upscale malls like Paragon, Takashimaya, Ngee Ann City, and as per Mr. Lee’s words, Lucky Plaza -”the little Philippines in Singapore” due to its Filipino stalls and patrons.

As Mr. Lee dropped us off at the lobby of Quincy, (although we know Singapore offers jobs to many Filipinos) it was (still) surprising that 2 Filipina staffs were at the reception area to welcome us. One of them accompanied us to the 10th floor to endorsed the entire room and its gadgets to us nicely.

This was the view from our window…

Pillows that provided us one of our restful sleeps…

Everything’s so impressive at Quincy. I love its interiors in neutrals and its atmosphere, so edgy and manly.

The king-sized bed with 400-thread-count-immaculate white sheets were too perfect to curl up in bed the whole day and do nothing. –now, that’s a luxury!

I told Tina, I like this desk lamp other than the presence of 42″ LCD TV and everything so ergonomic!

For a moment, the world seemed to stop revolving as my lovely wife and our wannabe-chef son, had their amusement over the coffee gadget inside our studio deluxe room (read : My wife and I are coffee-addicts!). It’s not just your ordinary coffee making facility but Nespresso Expresso Machine! In Tina’s words, “kape pa lang, sulit na!” (“abundance of coffee alone makes the stay in Quincy worth it!”…. because Quincy also offers free flowing coffee at the spread every meal time, even have takeaway coffee cups to Tina’s delight!)

How many hotels offer complimentary mini bar with Lays potato chips, cup noodles, lots of tea bags, canned sodas, soya milk and iced tea and even canned beer? They replenish it everyday for free!

It’s difficult to get over with that coffee machine, hahaha! …I should get one for Tina (read : but where’s the budget?), haha!

Availability of a number of electric plugs is also a plus! Everything spelled convenience at Quincy!

The tandas was spotless…

The toilet and bath left us in awe! Quincy provides toiletries by Molton Brown, London with scents that definitely, rejuvenating.

There’s that rainfall effect shower, pull-me-down curtain blinds if you want some privacy on that glass walled comfort room. Bath tub seemed sterile, weighing scale’s available, slippers were uniquely thicker than usual hotel room footwears, they’re even smart in providing toothpaste that my gums prefer! Our toilet experience at Quincy was truly beyond expectation…

The wardrobe essentials are commendable too. Sana lang, Quincy goes for better choice of towels…

We didn’t waste time and checked out their facilities at Level 12…

The infinity pool gives you a relaxing view of the slice of Singapore skyline…

Popcorn’s offered every weekend, 9PM when they show movies on big screen by the pool. Chilled drinks are again available for free!

A gym, a sauna and steambath rooms are located adjacent the swimming pool.

The lobby boasts of mac computers and egg-shaped lounge seats too.

Now, the succeeding photos make us miss Quincy more…

Quincy pampers guests on the gastronomic department too! We’re given menu of entrees to choose from, then free flowing beverages from fruit juices, canned sodas, tea and coffee, and cocktails are at the bar for self-service.

The dining area gives you a view of the greens at the hotel’s facade…

Admittedly, Tina and I rarely drink. She tried sipping her red wine paired with her main dish, but she’s really not into alcohol, while I finished my glass of white wine.

My lovely wife had an appetite for prime steak…

She had it well done, still the beef slab was tender, passed Tina’s discriminatory taste.

While I was delighted with my salmon plate… yum, yum, yum!

Gabby had tomato-based seafood pasta; and unlike kids of his age, he loves mussels and clams!

Beverage bar…

The buffet spread is simple but satisfyingly good! There’s a self-service ice cream bar too! The soft ice cream can pass as gelato with its thicker and creamier- less-air consistency. We loved the chocolate syrup topping!

Gabby at the ice cream station …see the reflection of the lush green from the outside; i love this shot! hehehe

I asked the wait staff if there’s any available dessert, he replied, “Apple strudel.” Gabby and I ordered (repeat : it’s an all-inclusive hotel package!). I went to the ice cream machine but was no expert in topping my apple strudel with it, nonetheless was superb! Gabby’s apple strudel (on the right) was perfectly ice cream topped by the staff… Dinner was absolutely delightful!

Simple yet sophisticated hotel dining experience continued through breakfast…

Tina’s favorite corner at Quincy… the coffee counter! Here, Gabby makes me a cup of cappuccino…

Digestive indulgence so early in the morning : We tried fish congee, I tossed some greens, loaded fibrous fruits, & my family’s favorite (but not me), cereals+milk.

After breakfast must come lunch, haha!

I went to the salad bar and made this…

Tina prefered a sandwich called Modesto something… (sorry, slipped my memory; must be because of aging, haha!)… She liked it a lot!

I opted for an open-faced steak sandwich… sublime!

But Gabby’s choice was the winner that lunch…. He decided to eat Creamy mushroom pasta; even asked for more parmesan cheese! The fusion of shitake and button mushrooms with the creamy sauce was unforgettable! Sarap talaga…

Almond jellies and Longan was the dessert of the day. Of course, we had another round of ice cream + dark chocolate syrup topping!

These smiles apparently show that we loved our Quincy experience…

If you are looking for an ultimate relaxing respite from the busy and stressful life, a staycation in Quincy when you’re in Singapore is highly recommended. In a city where hotel accomodation defines a huge portion of its tourism, Quincy rose above the rest in my family’s book.

I’m glad I made a right decision in choosing Quincy. Wouldn’t you be happy if you’re family’s content too?

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This is the first of Beyond Toxicity’s Singapore blog series. Disclaimer : DocGelo’s stay in Quincy was only for 24 hours; accomodation package was personally paid and Quincy has nothing to do with this blog entry. For specific inquiries and details about Quincy kindly *visit their website here -> Quincy Hotel Singapore. Thank you.

UPDATE : 11 September 2011 sourced from tripadvisor

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Aug

IT’S ALL ABOUT FAMILY.FOOD.FUN!

By docgelo 12 Comments

Categories: FAMILY : LOVE KO 'TO and FOOD & MORE FOOD!
Tags: choc nut, chocnut, chopsuey, dining at home, doc gelo, docgelo, expat, family, filipino dishes, filipino expat, food, food blog, foodie, leche flan, lechon, lechon kawali, lechon paksiw, pinoy meals

PROLOGUE :

A lot of people perceive this site as an entirely food blog or a foodie’s virtual home. I cannot blame them, photos of food are apparently present in most, if not all of my posts. Although I really don’t mind to be tagged as a food blogger or a foodie, allow me to remind everyone that Beyond Toxicity (yes, that’s my blog’s name), is a personal blog that gives reverence to family, food and fun (and thus, it’s NOT exclusively food). Thank you!

Again, I don’t deny the fact that it’s flattering when people recognize BT as food blog and me as a food blogger; here’s a proof :

Exhibit A : casual virtual conversation on facebook recently :

And while most people are at it, here’s another post about food and some things in between…

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Unlike typical Filipino expats (a.k.a. OFWs or Overseas Filipino Workers), I am blessed to have my wife and our kid with me here in Penang.

Whenever Tina, Gabby and I spend lazy weekends at home, it’s definitely cable TV/movie/internet browsing marathons for the 3 of us (of course, creativity works as we squeezed in laundry, washing dishes, doing homeworks for Gabby and blogging for me). And these ~~bumming~~ family bonding activities would not be complete without preparing and eating our favorites!

Admittedly, I’ve only (forced myself) to cook more frequently when I became an expat (last year). Part of cooking your own dishes is buying its ingredients of course. Thank goodness, there are still pasar (bahasa melayu term) or public markets here that sell pork amidst being a Muslim state in a predominantly Muslim country. Fortunately for people who eat pork like me and my family, Penang and the rest of Malaysia have rich diversity composed of Malays (who observe Halal-dining), Indians (who don’t eat beef) and Chinese (who eat pork like us). FYI, present cost of pork meat in my place is RM 13 (PhP 182) per kg of kasim (shoulder part), and RM 16 (PhP 224) per kg of lomo or sirloin (mura ba iyon? kamusta presyo ngayon sa Pinas?).

From my late maternal grandmother’s (undocumented) recipes, I managed to reconstruct her delicious Adobong Pork Giniling. This was one of my very first baon (personally brought food) to work and a personal recipe that I generously shared to Filipino colleagues who liked it too.

It’s a no-fuzz, easy-to-do, ready-to-go recipe that’s perfect baon to work or school. It’s a no-brainer to figure out that it’s not perishable easily because it’s simmered with vinegar and soy sauce, and it’s so easy to eat for it’s ground pork not the usual Adobo in chunks or cubes.

If you’re Filipino or Pinoy-at-heart, it’s absolute that you love Adobo!

Try this recipe, and you’ll find yourself asking for an extra cup of rice!

DocGelo’s (grandmother’s) Adobong Giniling :

Ingredients :

ground pork, 1kg
vinegar, 1 cup
soy sauce, 1 cup
tap water, 1 cup
garlic, 3 – 4 heads, minced
salt and pepper to taste
cooking oil

Cooking instructions :

Saute minced garlic in cooking oil over medium fire; then add the ground pork.
Cook the pork and minced garlic for 4- 5 min then add water, soy sauce and lastly vinegar.
Remember not to cover the pan and never stir after you’ve added the vinegar.
Simmer for 10 – 20 minutes, set aside and can be kept at the fridge for baon the next day.
When reheating it, do not add additional oil to the pan, just heat it and let the sauce mixture (vinegar+water+soy sauce) be absorbed by the ground pork.
Serve it with a smile!

I don’t know with you but I believe Adobo in any form is best eaten at least a day after it’s been cooked. This is when the vinegar and soy sauce mixture has already been fused with the meat (chicken or pork or even veggies like kangkong or string beans).

Additional cooking tips I got from my lola were the importance of having lots of garlic in adobo and an equal proportions of vinegar, soy sauce and water when cooking the dish. Try it and let me know if you like it too.

Imagine this scenario : At lunch, just before I put a spoonful of rice and viand in my mouth, Tina said, “Oops, di mo na ba pipicturan?” (Don’t you want to take pictures?) I smiled. It affirms that my wife understands and supports my being a blogger, haha! Sometimes, that line is uttered too by Gabby. They’re already used to me taking pictures before eating.

This one’s an Ode to Tina’s cooking : Other dishes that Tina cooked last week was that artery-clogging, Lechon Kawali that’s deep-fried to perfection. She also prepared a paksiw sauce for it from sachets of sarsa ni Mang Tomas!

Supreme crunchiness, sarap!

Then just before you think we only eat meat, consider these…

We also eat fibers, of course! Only that this vegetable dish was buttered…oops! fatty again, hehe!

Anything that looks leafy and veggie on the fridge can be guisado… instant chopsuey!

Desserts on our table range from fresh local fruits –bananas, apples, lanzones watermelon, papaya or whatever is in season (I still have to convince Tina for us to try durian and myself, rambutan), to chocolates and lately, these….

Deliciously divine : Leche flan by my one & only

(naks!)….

she steamed so many, they can lasts for a week and a half, i think… do you want some? haha!

And one of our sweet endings to our homecooked meals are nutty and sweet local chocnut!

I therefore conclude that nothing beats cooking and eating at home; dining with your love ones, dunking fork at toothsome leche flan while being oblivious about your blogging category. hehehe!

	KG on MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH JAPANESE F…
	onyxx on MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH JAPANESE F…
	jeanny on HAPPY BLOGGING
	docgelo on MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH JAPANESE F…
	nicccchang on MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH JAPANESE F…
	MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH … on LETTERS ABOUT TOKYO #11 : EATI…
	MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH … on LETTERS FROM TOKYO #3 : MY FIR…

Archive for the 'FOOD & MORE FOOD!' Category

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