Chika-an Restaurant: CEBU, Philippines

One of the most popular eatery around Cebu surprisingly still serve the best native cuisine around, and unlike many of its peers have in fact avoided the predictability and disappointment of commercialization. Chikaan still boasts a variety of dishes that will surely appease any raging appettite while maintaining a family atmosphere, a true Filipino ambiance, and a moderate price point.

Directly below are some of the delicious menu items served at Chikaan. The spinach salad tossed in coconut milk with tomatoes and onions is unlike any salad I have ever tasted. The salad was a great prelude to the next dishes we ordered. We also had the seafood/clam soup, the stuffed soft-shell crabs, and fried calamari rings. I love that there are no added substitutes to the stuffing in the crab, it was all REAL crab meat- as it should be for every stuffed crab shell!!

The abundance of eateries and restaurant in Cebu is mind-boggling, and though most of them are delicious, it is still so hard to decide which one to eat in, and if that's the only problem one has during vacation, then it is a great life indeed.

Bob Marlin: at ParkMall

So any restaurant whose name proudly alludes to the great musician Bob Marley, will surely catch the attention of both local and international diners passing by its doors. I am no different from anyone else curious about an establishment that boasts a rastafarian ambiance while serving local native cuisine. Needless to say, I had to go in and drag my family to eat at Bob Marlin.
Aside from the interesting theme, the menu had some amazing choices and some economic menu combinations as well.  We decided to go with combination A which includes Kare Kare a stew mix of chinese cabbage, beef oxtail, eggplant, tripe, and flavored with a bit of peanut butter to thicken the stew. Krispy Pata is an entire pork leg deep fried to pefection, spicy sisig which is finely diced meat depending whether your choose pork, beef, chicken, or even goat; and a delicious Sinigang which is a spicy and sour soup of veggies and seafood were all included in the order.
Bob Marlin was well worth the curious exploration in food; the food was well prepared, and the ambiance was casual yet attention grabbing, but most importantly it was budget friendly!!

 

Mandaue City Charter Day Parade

On any given day, right outside our home in the Philippines something exciting occurs. From a simple band parade from the local colleges and high schools to an iron man cycling race. Today was specially nice with a city wide celebration commemorating the moment when Mandaue City was officially recognized as a city nationwide- Charter Day!
Led off by a marching band and color guards, everyone from city employeess, members of individual townships (Barangays), and several floats celebrated with exuberance and enthusiasm- proud to be a Mandauehanon!!

 

Mooon Restaurant at ParkMall

 

Another amazing restaurant I had a pleasure to eat in was Mooon, located in ParkMall just before SM it boasts a Mexican ambiance but with a wonderful Filipino twist.
I chose the seared fish fillet in a light coconut milk reduction topped with fresh cilantro and served with garlic rice. The dish delightfully flavorful, filling but also light; a great on the go lunch option. Their house special juice was a bit too sweet for my pallette, but undeniably quenching; with fresh fruits included it was to die for!!