Category: Food

Bacolod, The City of Smiles

Bacolod City is the capital of Negros Occidental. Bacolod is known for the Masskara, an annual celebration held every 4th weekend of October. Because of the festival, Bacolod became known as the City of Smiles.
I’m not sure why I don’t have photos of Bacolod City, but mostly because it is a jump-off city for the beautiful Negros Island as well as Dumaguete in Negros Oriental.
The best way to complete the Bacolod trip is to try a gastronomic tour of the different restaurants in Bacolod.

Best Restaurants in Bacolod

L Fisher Hotel in Bacolod

L’ Fisher Hotel is one of the 5-star hotels in the heart of Bacolod City along Lacson Street which is the Tourism Strip of the city. The hotel is near shopping malls, restaurants and bars, resorts and even museums. Aside from the elegant rooms in the hotel are 3 restaurants, a coffee shop, a gym and spa, a pool at the roof deck and different rooms for conferences and conventions. The restaurants are Riffles, Yakinuku Room and L’Fisher Chalet.

L’Fisher Chalet

The restaurant is on the roof deck of L’ Fisher Hotel. They serve Filipino dishes overlooking some parts of Bacolod City and enjoying the resort-like ambiance near the pool.

Riffles

The restaurant is in L’Fisher Hotel that serves local and international cuisine and also serves a buffet every Friday and Saturday.

Calea Pastries & Coffee

The most popular pastries in the Tourism Strip in front of the L’Fisher Hotel. They serve different cakes and one of my personal favorites is the cheesecakes especially the blueberry cheesecake and also the mouth-watering chocolate mud pie.

Diotay’s Eatery

Diotay’s Eatery is located in Gatuslao Street near the Capitol Park and Lagoon and Provincial Capitol of Negros. It is the best seafood paluto in Bacolod. You can order the ingredients like fresh seafood and fish and some pork and chicken. The best-sellers are buttered garlic shrimps, sinigang na ulo (head) of fish, grilled fish and grilled liempo.

Pala Pala Seafood Market

It is located a block after Capitol Park in N. Capitol Road. They serve freshly cooked food. The seafood has different varieties and is very affordable.

Aida’s Manukan Country

Bacolod is also famous for inasal chicken. The best Bacolod Chicken Inasal is from Aida’s Manukan Country which is near SM City Bacolod and San Sebastian Cathedral.

Coastal Tour in Siquijor

We hired the tricycle driver who dropped us in La Villa Alta. We chose the Coastal Tour over the Mountain Tour. We started at 8 am.

Siquijor, Siquijor

We went to the municipality of Siquijor in the famous restaurant called Joel’s Lechon Manok for our brunch. We also check the nearby Bell Tower which was being renovated. We bought foods and drinks in the Public Market.

Paliton Beach

Paliton Beach is located in San Juan. It has become famous and is also called  Little Boracay. The beach is lined up with coconut trees. The beach is also overlooking Apo Island in a distance.
San Juan is a municipality with the most visitors because of the number of resorts, guesthouses and restaurants. It is also a place to hang out for nightlife for bars.

Century-Old Tree

The third place to visit for our coastal tour is the Century-Old Tree in Lazi. It is a 400-year-old Balete tree. A small spring is at the base where you can also enjoy a foot spa with small fishes.
Beside the tree are souvenir shops and a restaurant. The souvenir shops are famous for Love potions, amulets and some handcrafted voodoo dolls.

Lazi Church and Convent

The San Isidro Labrador Church also known as Lazi Church is a Roman Catholic church. It was declared as a National Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. The Baroque church is a neoclassical style built from sea stones and wood.


Across the street is the San Isidro Labrador Convent which was turned into a museum.

Cambugahay Falls

From the Church, going up to a steep road will lead to the entrance going to Cambugahay Falls. It is one of the famous falls in Siquijor with three-level waterfalls. It is also a popular spot on the island for rope jumping.
We had our lunch after along the Circumferential Road of Siquijor in the municipality of Maria called La Guerta Kuzina which offers Filipino dishes.

Salagdoong Beach and Cliff Jump

In the municipality of Maria, a secluded beach called Salagdoong Beach Resort is located. Upon entering the beach, you will enjoy the trees in the Salagdoong Forest. It is a public beach The resort has two platforms for cliff jumping. It has two coves great for swimming and snorkeling.


We also bought the famous Torta, a local bread in Siquijor in Lilibeth Pan de Bisaya before going to our last stop for the tour.

Tulapos Marine Sanctuary

It is the oldest marine sanctuary in Siquijor. The sanctuary is the best place for finding abundant marine life including barracudas, blacktip reef sharks, sea turtles, jackfishes and so many more.

Famous Restaurants in Dumaguete

Dumaguete is one of the places I’d love because of their food with the line up of different restaurants most especially in downtown. My favorite places are near Siliman University and in front of the waterfront of Rizal Boulevard.


The Dumaguete City Baywalk is also known as Dumaguete Boulevard is a stretch of walkway and park along the bustling busy Rizal Boulevard.

Jo’s Chicken Inato

The original inato or chicken barbecue restaurant in Dumaguete is called Jo’s Chicken Inato. It is in front of Silliman University. They also serve different Filipino food. I also love the buko halo-halo.

Casablanca

Casablanca is located along Rizal Boulevard. It is a fusion of Western and Filipino style restaurant. It is one of the best fine dining restaurants in Dumaguete.

Sans Rival Cake and Pastries

This has become famous because of the sans rival, silvannas, cakes and pastries. They also offer a different variety of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Qyosko Café and Espresso Bar

It is located in Sta. Rosa St. which is near Quezon Park and Dumaguete Cathedral. It is a nice go-to place for coffee, drinks and cakes and other merienda food. They also serve rice bowl plates like the crispy adobo rice.

Handumanan

Before you leave Dumaguete, it is also nice to go to Handumanan, where you can buy handcrafted souvenirs from Negros.

Famous Places in Los Baños, Laguna

Los Baños in Laguna is famous for UPLB Campus, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the dormant Mount Makiling and resorts and hot springs.

Mount Makiling

Mount Makiling is a dormant stratovolcano in the boundaries of Laguna and Batangas. It is a scenic view while driving on South Luzon Expressway. It is known as the first national park in the Philippines and was declared ASEAN Heritage Park in 2013 as Mount Makiling Forest Reserve. It also famous for mountain climbing having two trails, one is the UPLB trail and the other one is the Maktrav trail which starts in Santo Tomas, Batangas.

UPLB Campus

Aside from the different buildings for academic study and research and administration, the campus is famous for the UPLB Freedom Park, fertility tree, Jamboree and the Boyscout of the Philippines Camp Ground and the Makiling Forest Reserve with the famous Makiling spring.

Hot Springs and Laguna Lake

On the coast of Laguna lake are some private resorts and hot springs. I went to Splash Mountain resort for a group tour. I also stayed in the City of Springs in Brgay Baybayin and I enjoyed the view of Laguna Lake. Other famous spring resorts are Al Fresco, Laresio Lakeside Resort and 88 Hotspring.

Catholic Churches

There are three parishes in Los Baños that I have seen, first is the Roman Catholic Parish of San Antonio de Padua in Lopez Avenue towards the campus. Second is the Diocesan Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus inside UPLB Campus near the main gate. Another one is in town which is the Immaculate of Concepcion Parish Church.

Restaurants in Los Baños

I stayed for almost 10 months in Los Baños for work and stayed at an apartment near the University of the Philippines Los Baños Campus. I enjoyed the different restaurants inside and outside the campus, especially near the vicinity of the campus.
My favorite restaurants are:
1. Bonito Bar and Restaurant
2. Venice Italian Restaurant/La Gondola Veneziana
3. Mio Cucina
4. Faustina’s
5. Gastronomeats
6. Infusion Gourmet Café and Deli
7. Joe’s
8. Auntie Pearls’ Pizza
9. Entablado
10. IC’s Bar and Grill

I also love the Ginhawa Craft Studio Cafe inside UPLB.

Restaurants in Tagaytay

After going to the popular destinations in Tagaytay, where should we eat in Tagaytay?  What are the best restaurants in Tagaytay? I’m not sure how many times I’d been to Tagaytay, but here’s the list of famous restaurants in Tagaytay.

1. Mahogany Market and Bulaluhan
2. Balinsasayaw in 7180 aguinaldo Highway
3. Breakfast at Antonio’s in Aguinaldo Highway, Bagong Tubig, Tagaytay City
4. Bag of Beans Summit Ridge 115 Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City
5. Bag of Beans Charito

6. Josephine’s Aguinaldo Highway
7. RSM Lutong Bahay
Aguinaldo Highway
8. Steaktown in The Lake District

9. Leslie’s
10. Carlo’s Pizza One Destination, Aguinaldo Highway

11. Diner’s Bulalo