District 50 Restaurant at J-Centre Mall, Cebu

Hello everyone! So, about several months ago I've been scouting again for some restaurants in Cebu that are worth mentioning and while I was at J-Centre Mall in AS Fortuna St. Mandaue City, I found this sort of retro-diner inspired restaurant called District 50.

When I entered the place, I immediately liked the theme. It has a sort of diner feel to it though they actually serve more than just burgers. What immediately caught my attention was the beetle sports car which you can actually use as your table although it can only accommodate two persons. But it's pretty cool, huh?

As you can see, they pretty much have a lot of framed pictures (of music bands, music icons, celebrities, etc) and other 50's-inpired decorations, which I find really cool and inspired. They also have booths, al fresco dining and a bar as well.

So I know you're all very excited on what we ordered so without further adieu, here it is:

Nicoise Salad (above) and Russian Egg Salad (below) for around PhP180.00 each. As you can tell from the photo, the Nicoise Salad is a mix of lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, boiled eggs, olives, white onion rings, canned tuna and some balsamic vinegar as dressing. The Russian Egg Salad is basically just two hard boiled eggs with some peas, carrots, corn, olives and then topped with mayonnaise dressing. Both okay.

Chicken Parmesan for PhP180.00. I love love love this one! The sauce is really tomatoey which I like. But if you don't like tomatoey sauces then this might not appeal to your taste. But this is one of my favorites.

Creamy Dory with Pesto and Peas at PhP180.00. This I like too. The sauce is really tasty and complements with the creamy dory very well. Yum yum!

Smoked Paprika Beef at PhP230.00. This is one of my personal favorites! I like it's bit-of spicy taste and the beef is so tender. Really really tasty!

Chanesca (District 50's version of Puttanesca) at PhP180.00. I'm not quite a fan of this one. I was a bit disappointed that it has sardines in it. I guess that's what makes this version a different Puttanesca since the original Puttanesca recipe has anchovies instead of sardines. But I'd have to say that it does have a certain unique flavor to it, but it just didn't suit me that much. It kind of reminds me of misua with sardines, which I don't like very much...

For dessert we had Bea's Crepe and Brownie S'more each at PhP100.00. 

Bea's Crepe has ripe mangoes as filling and vanilla ice cream on top, while Brownie S'more is a chocolate brownie topped with s'mores and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Both yummy and heavenly.

Overall I really loved my dining experience at District 50. What I really like about it is how cheap their price is and yet, as you can see from the photos, their dishes are very much like gourmet in appearance and taste.

Will definitely come back again!

For more information about District 50 or if you want to visit them yourself, here's their address and other contact information:

• Address: 2nd Floor, J Centre Mall, corner Bakilid street, AS Fortuna, 6014 Mandaue City
• Contact #: 520-6562
• Email: district_fifty@yahoo.com
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/District50

They are open from Mondays through Sundays from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm.  Payment options are Cash and Credit Card (Visa, AMEX, Mastercard).

Anyway, that's it for now. 'Til next post guys!

Firozian Indian Tea House, Cebu City, Cebu

If you're yearning for an authentic Indian cuisine here in Cebu, then you have got to try Firozian Indian Tea House.  It is a newly opened Indian restaurant located at Don Jose Avila St. (at the back of Cebu Doctors Hospital).  They've just opened last April 25 and we went there a few days after that to have my first ever taste of authentic Indian food.  Comfortable and cozy, this cute little restaurant is owned by an Indian guy named Firoz, who also happens to be the chef!

It was a great dining experience indeed!  The restaurant has the ambiance of colorful walls and curtains with low tables and chairs and throw pillows such that the customers can get to try what it's like to dine the Indian way.  Firoz actually explained to us why eating this way is better than what we normally do.  First, he said that in the old days, eating on the floor was a natural thing such that even kings enjoyed lying or sitting on the floor while eating.  The Greeks and Romans do this too. Second, eating in a lotus position (or as what we usually call the cross-legged sitting position), helps the body absorb and digest the food faster as the blood flow is concentrated in the stomach area.  It is also beneficial for the back.  Finally, the third reason is that it shows a symbolism of no hierarchy system while eating this way.  Everyone is equal, rich or poor. Pretty cool, huh?

So anyway, as I mentioned, I've never tried authentic Indian food before and I tell you, the first time I tasted it at Firozian Indian Tea House, it was love at first bite!!!  My personal favorite was the Dal Makhani.  It's a healthy Indian staple food made primarily of whole black lentils (urad) and red kidney beans (rajma).  You can eat it alone or with rice, or you can also add a little yoghurt on it for an extra kick.

Dal Makhani

Another favorite of mine is the Durum, or as what they call, "the real shawarma".  As you can see, it is indeed a shawarma and I must say, the best shawarma I ever tasted.  It's so much different from the shawarma sold in food stalls.  I guess it's because Firozian's Durum has just the right amount of sauce and spices to it.

Durum

I also like the Aloo Paratha, a popular breakfast/snack dish in India which is made of whole-wheat Indian flat bread stuffed with mashed potatoes.  You can eat it with butter/yoghurt or Lassi, also a popular Indian yoghurt-based drink made of yoghurt blended with water and some Indian spices or sugar.

Aloo Paratha

Lassi

Other snack items that we ordered were Roti (a flat bread made of stoneground wholemeal flour known as atta flour) and Samosa (fried or baked pastry stuffed with potatoes, ground meat, and other spices).  The Samosa is much like the Empanada, the only difference perhaps is the stuffing and/or how the pastry was made.

Roti

Samosa

Other main dishes that we ordered were Aloo Keema, Butter Chicken, and Chicken Masala.

Aloo Keema

Aloo Keema, also known as potato and mince curry, is actually a traditional dish of South Asia.  It is made of potatoes, ground meat, and spices.

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken, also known as Chicken Makhani, is one of the best known Indian food (and also, another one of my favorites).

Chicken Masala

Chicken Masala is a creamy spicy chicken dish made of roasted chicken chunks (also known as tikka) in a spicy sauce called masala.

Aside from Lassi, we also had Chai (also known as Indian Tea) for our beverage.  It is a spiced milk tea served with sugar, which they had shaped in cute hearts.

Chai (Indian Tea)

What's interesting about Chai is how it is served.  I can't really describe it in words so you can just refer to the picture below, heheheh!

This is actually the traditional way of serving tea in India and Firoz told us of three reasons why it's done this way.  First is that it creates a natural foam on the surface of the tea, it mixes the tea well, and lastly, it helps cool down the tea a bit so it wouldn't be too hot while you drink it.

So of course a meal wouldn't be complete without dessert, right?  So for that we ordered Besan Laddu and Gulab Jamun.

Besan Laddu (sorry about the teeth marks! hehehe!)

Besan Laddu, also known as Indian sweet chickpea flour balls, is a popular Indian dessert made of bengal gram flour (or chickpea flour), sugar, ghee, and powdered nuts (can be almond, pistachio, etc) formed into balls.

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun, also known as milk balls in sweet syrup, is another popular dessert in the Indian subcontinent made of milk solids, mostly khoya (an Indian milk product), and some flour rolled into balls and then deep fried.  It is then put into a sweet syrup flavored with different spices and natural flavors.  Looks yummy, doesn't it?

Well, that's all we ordered!  I really had a wonderful dining experience at Firozian Indian Tea House.  I can definitely say that Indian food is surely one of my cravings now!  And not to mention that their prices are so budget friendly.  Based on what we ordered, their meals range from PhP120 - 150 and their snacks and desserts range from PhP40 - 80.  Not bad, huh?

Firozian (right most), April and their lovely staff)

I've seen in their Facebook page that they still have a lot of delicious Indian food that I haven't tried yet.  I just can't wait to go back!!

Well, thanks for dropping by you guys!  Till next post!

A Dinner Date at the Persimmon Plus, Mabolo Cebu City

Last Friday February 18, my husband and I were invited by the Aboitizland for a dinner date at the Persimmon Plus in Mabolo Cebu City. It was kind of like a post Valentine's Day event. Lots of other couples were also invited. I guess the event was also kind of a presentation of some of the shops that are soon to open at the Persimmon Plus, although there were only 2 shops that showcased their products that night -- Happy Rooster, which sells imported home furnishings and caters interior designs, and Urban Living, which is a salon and spa that also sells awesome bath products, I was almost tempted to buy one ^_^.

Anyway, it was really a romantic evening for me and my husband. The food was awesome! It was catered by Dong Juan. They're originally from Manila but they'd be opening a branch soon at The Persimmon Plus to serve their delicious meals for us Cebuanos. My favorite dish from was their Spaghetti. I loooooved it so much that I came back to the buffet table for a second helping, LOL! I wish I had photos of the food but it was a candlelit dinner and my camera wasn't just powerful enough to capture food on a dark background. Sorry guys!

There was also a band which I think was really awesome. They played popular songs which mostly are romantic. Their singers are pretty good, especially their guy singer who has a very soothing voice and almost exactly match that of the original artist's.

After dinner, they held a raffle contest where I won a 20% discount voucher on Oral Prophylaxis from the Bright Smiles Oral Care Center. Awesome! I wonder when I can avail of this service. I think it's been more than a year since I had an oral prophylaxis, hehehe!

So I guess that's all guys. I would really like to thank Aboitizland for inviting us to this awesome event. Wish there are more of this in the future, hehehehe! ;-D

Probaby The World's Largest Cave Discovered in Vietnam

Photo Credit: NatGeo & Yahoo! News (click on the image for more pics)

Hey everyone! So I came across this featured article in Yahoo! News about a gigantic, spectacular cave in Vietnam. I think it's really awesome so I thought about sharing it with you guys in case you haven't seen the article yet. Here's the link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110103/ts_yblog_thelookout/explorers-discover-spectacular-caves-in-vietnam

Pictures are also available on the site. I can't get over how awesome it is! It says in the article that it's so big that it can accommodate a New York City block of skycrapers. It even has a river and a jungle and has its own thin clouds. It kinda reminds of the "The Journey to the Center of the Earth"!

Really guys you should check it out. Isn't Mother Nature amazing?! ^_^

Casa Gorordo Museum, Cebu

Hi everyone! So here's another Cebu heritage that I would like to share with you, the Casa Gorordo Museum. It's one of the oldest houses in Cebu, and is now turned into a museum under the Aboitiz Foundation. It's actually the home of Cebu's first Filipino Bishop, Juan Isidro de Gorordo. It is located along Lopez Jaena Street in Colon.

The structure is kind of similar to Balay na Tisa in Carcar. It is also made of stones but of bituka tabliya (coral stone blocks) instead of tisa (limestones). Too bad it's not allowed to take pictures inside so I'm only gong to be able to show you guys photos of its garden and surrounding area.

So the house was built in 1863. Similar to the Balay na Tisa in Carcar, it is a two-story house, the second floor of which is made of wood and is still furnished with antique furniture and lots of historical collections such as books, paintings and other memorabilia. They even have actual pictures of old Colon street and Plaza Independencia, which I find really cool, mysterious and interesting!

The lower floor, called zaguan, served as a storage place. Right now, part of the zaguan is turned into an office and a small area for painting exhibitions.

As you can see from the photo below, there's a wide balcony called azotea, typical for a 19th century Spanish-inspired houses. The structure of the house is kind of elongated, where on one side are the bedrooms and the other side is the living room and then the balcony. On one end of the house (as you ascend the wide wooden stairs from the landing), is where the bedroom of Bishop Juan Isidro de Gorordo is located. Beside it is a small chapel.

On the other end is a room where they show a prototype of the kitchen. Kitchens of a typical 19th-century Spanish houses were actually separated from the main house, for safety purposes I guess.

In below photo you can see a separate house which serves as a small souvenir shop for tourists and visitors.

A cool thing about the Casa Gorordo Museum is that you can actually hold your parties there such as weddings and other special events. When we went there, a catering service going on and tourists came at lunch time to eat and I guess have a tour around the place.

Across the house is a small resting place, with a built-in brick seating area and trees that provide cool shade. We lounged there for a good 30 minutes before going home :)


I'm not quite sure but I think they're open from Mondays thru Saturdays  at 9:00 am - 12:00 nn and at 2:00 - 5:00 pm.

So that's all for my Casa Gorordo Museum post and I hope you guys like it (even though it's so short and I didn't have much photos ^^). Okay guys I'll talk to you soon!