Travelogue around Asia Pacific Part II

Manila - We hankered for something different and came across this spanish restaurant @ Greenbelt 5.   Walking into the restaurant gave me an impression that it's a classy and the food is good but on the contrary - it took so long to serve the 1st dish. Pasta con Chorizo The pasta was nice and soft and was tossed nicely with the flavoured blended well. Cod Fish This was the most pathetic dish of cod fish in tomato sauce.   Then we have to wait and wait for our next dish...plus the service is really bad.   If you check TripAdvisor, many people had complaint about this restaurant - our bad not to have checked the review. I looked around and saw that the 2 tables had bread and we did not and I did asked sternly why we weren't given any bread.    We had to ask for butter and olive oil too. Potato and leak soup   The soup was too small to share with Lesley. Rack of lamb This rack of lamb was cook medium done to our req...

Manila - This restaurant serves authentic Filipino cuisine with a modern twist - Sentro 1771 Squash Blossom A plate of squash flowers stuffed with shrimps and cooked in coconut milk.  A very delicious dish authentic from usual greens. Rated GG Galunggong (round scad) fillets fried in garlic oil and topped with brown garlic.   A bit salty dish but a good fish dish that goes with my rice. Corned Beef Sinigang This soup Sinigang dish is very unique as it is cooked with corned beef short ribs and boneless shanks in tamarind broth with native vegetables.  I love this so much that I asked for a top up of the soup. 

Manila - We walked around Green Belt and tried most of the restaurants there until we saw this seafood restaurant - Blackbeard's Seafood Island - a chain of seafood restaurant in Philippines. Classic Pakbet Pakbet is an indigenous Filipino dish from the northern regions of the Philippines . Pinakbet is made from mixed vegetables steamed in fish or shrimp sauce. Isla Mano A Mano A plate of grilled seafood and meat.   The only meat left on the plate was the chicken liver.   A very nicely grilled meal.

Manila - After our 2 hours of calesa riding around the Intramuros, we are hungry and poped into a restaurant just opposite San Augustin Church.   The restaurant is a cafe of White Knight Hotel - must be a very small hotel.   It did not look obvious to me that it was a lodging location.  The cafe too has a strange name Coco Bango Cafe. Chop Suey It is an Anglicised version of chinese 'chap choy' - meaning mxed vegetgables. Beef Caldereta Beef Caldereta is a dish of Potato, Onions, Bell peppers and Beef Shank Beef Stew This beef stew dish is similiar to the above but includes Baguio Beans (also called french beans).

Manila - Together with Albert, we took a calesa (horse drawn carriage used in Philippines) around Intramuros. Albert and Lesley Albert and I Intramuros is the oldest district and historic core of Manila.  The walled part of Manila was called intramuros, which is Latin for "within the walls"; districts beyond the walls are known as extramuros meaning outside the walls.  Construction of the defensive walls was started by the Spaniards in the late 16th century to protect the city from foreign invasions.   Guarding the old city is Fortaiago wich is located at the mouth of the river. Gallery of Philippines past and present presidents General MacArthur Battle HQ Entrance of General MacArthur HQ Manila Hotel Manila Hotel in the distance Manila hotel is the oldest hotel in the Philippines and the most well known icon. Baluarte De San Andres Cannons lined in a semi-circle Colegio de San Juan de Letran was founded in...

Manila - Casa Manila is worth a visit when you are touring the Intramuros area. The entrance ticket is very reasonable and you can walk around the house and enjoy the antique furnishings and architecture. Courtyard of this house Unfortunately, no photographs were allowed inside the house - security guards tightly watched the tourist. The whole tour took less than an hour to complete.

Manila - We had time in the morning and Albert decided to accompany us to see one of Philippines UNESCO treasure here in Manila.   It is the San Agustin Church @ Intramuros .  S an Agustin Church originally known as "inglesia de San Pablo", founded in 1571 is the oldest stone church (built in 1589) in the Philippines. It is a administered by the Order of Saint Agustine (Augustinian Friars). Celebrating 440 years Entrance of the San Agustin church Ceiling of this beautiful church The altar Beautifully crafted ceiling Albert and Lesley This was worth the long taxi trip to visit this Church..

Manila - For lunch this restaurant is a short distance from my reseller office.   XO 47 Bistro Filippino is a spanish restaurant.  There are lots of good review of this restaurant. Beef Kare Kare Kare Kare is a traditional Filipino stew complimented with a thick savoury peanut sauce. Sago Gulaman This is a refreshing Filipino drink which is made from sago pearls, grass jelly, crush ice and palm sugar (Gula Malacca).

Manila -  The flight to Manila was a full but smooth and around 5:30pm.   I booked a 2 room serviced apartment with Lesley taking one of the room.  The hotel is Somerset Millennium Makati and the apartment is huge and very nice for both of us.   It is so much cheaper than booking 2 hotel rooms in Makati. My room Living and dinning area Lesley room Kitchen The only disadvantage is their wireless access - only one device can be connected to the access point at any one time.  So, I have to log off my iPhone to use my wireless on my notebook. 

Takeshita Street - This street caught my attention because you will find many school children around this street as it's stores are famed for pop icons, cute and fun goods.  It is a short walk from Meiji Jingu. At the junction of main road Omotesando, there is this shop...picture tells a bigger story. At this junction, there is internet access. After checking out @ 2pm, I hanker for Soba and was introduced to a small shop around the corner from the Villa Fontaine Hotel. Ebi Tempura