Okada Casino

Manila - Philippines has a crazy number of casinos in Manila - a total of 20 casinos.   Local Filipinos are allowed into the casino to gamble without restrictions.   

inside Okada casino

I never gamble nor like casino because of the smoke and smell but it was a good experience to visit one here in Manila. 

Okada is a casino resort and hotel complex located on the Entertainment City gaming strip in Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. In 2007, with a total construction cost about ¥250 billion and spending seven years, Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada established and managed Okada Manila.

Dark chocolate sundae

Dampa Seafood @ Huey Ying Restaurant

Manila - I brought Donny to experience Philippines seafood - first to pick out the fresh seafood and then choose the restaurant to cook our dishes.    We pick out one medium size mud crab, 2 large mantis prawns and 4 tiger prawns - worth P450.  

Dampa seafood area

There were rows of fishmongers selling their fresh seafood.  So, we choose which seafood we want and just pay for them.  Bring this seafood to the restaurant and they will cook it to the style we like and pay for the cooking only.

We have to bargain with the fishmongers.  The Mantis prawns were kept in separate plastic water bottles as they tend to very aggressive and fight with each other.

There were many restaurants at this place and we choose Huey Ying restaurant - a Filippino Chinese restaurant.   

Huey Ying restaurant

Stir-fried kangkong with Garlic

BBQ prawns

The prawns was so succulent and delicious and 2 each was a perfect portion for us.

Sweet sour crabs

Mantis prawns fried with salt and pepper

This Mantis prawns was so fresh and and the meat was very sweet. 

Intramuros city - UNESCO

Manila - We took a grab from our hotel to St Augustin Church.  A beautiful church but there was a wedding and was not allowed to enter the church surrounded by numerous friends and relatives of the wedding couple dressed in fancy dresses.  

St Augustin Church

fancy Starbucks

Beautiful cobblestones road

Time flies, the last time I was walking around Intramuros was 2013 (10 years ago).   The last time, we took a Calesa - a horse driven cart but now it was an electric scooter and a young boy (16 years old) at the driver seat.  This young boy was an enthusiastic tour guide too, explaining the places along the way.   From Php 350 it came down to Php 200 for both of us - we kept saying not interested and price kept dropping.

Pintong Real 

Pintong Real (Royal Gate) this is one of the historical markers around the Intramuros city.   This was a prison used by the Spanish to incarcerate people.

Pintong Real entrance

Baluarte San Andres

This was part of the Spanish colonial fortification in the historic Walled City. It was built in 1603 to protect the Puerto Real and the southeastern part of Intramuros.  

Intramuros wall 

Looking across from the wall

Baluarte de San Diego

This circular tower was meant to defend Manila’s southern bayside boundary. In 1593, the upper portion of the tower was demolished after suffering from cracks. The rest of the structure was integrated into a new bulwark called Baluarte de San Diego.  Completed sometime between 1653 and 1663, Baluarte de San Diego is shaped like an ace of spades.  It was breached by the British forces with cannon fire in 1762, and was restored when the Spaniards returned.  The earthquake of 1863 destroyed the structure, leading to its abandonment. During the American occupation, the circular fort was buried under layers of soil which eventually saved it from destruction during the Battle of Manila in 1945 despite the damage sustained by the baluarte containing it. 

Baluarte de San Diego

This used to be an old watchtower.   

Donny on the other side 

Canon pit overlooking the Golf course

Casa Manila 

The Casa Manila or “Manila House” is a living museum that features the lifestyle of an affluent Filipino family during the late Spanish colonial period. The façade of Casa Manila was patterned after a house that once stood at Jaboneros Street in the Chinese district of Binondo in the 1850's.

King Chef restaruant @ Lucky Chinatown Mall

Manila - After walking around Binondo (Chinatown), we hanker for good Chinese food and came across King Chef, it was crowded and had a queue in line.   Put my name down and was 6 in line for a table.   We waited probably around 30 mins and was called for a table.   

We ordered standard Siew Mei and Har Kou - the Siew Mei was good but the Har Kou was not given a full fresh prawns like good Chinese restaurants.  I was quite disappointed.

Donny and I having our lunch

Carrot cake

It was good and very different with each piece carrot cake fried to crisp and then stirred fried with onions and spring onions.   It was a good dish.

Big bowl of Fish Lip soup

What is Fish Lip soup?  

It is actually not made of Fish lips otherwise there will be lots of fish lips to be used.  It is actually skin of big fish, especially to skin around the tail fin of shark. (In many restaurants it is added to bulk up the sharks' fin soup).

This dish tasted like Shark fish soup and adding vinegar made it taste very nice and delicious.  

Fried Pork Ribs

It was a bit too salty to my taste but the meat was very tender and succulent.   

Lorenzo Way restaurant @ GreenBelt 3

 Manila - One of Philippines' popular restaurants serving good and tasty cuisine.   This was near Greenbelt and when we reach the restaurant they were about to close and took our last order.  '

Fried milk fish belly

The fish was very tender and light crisp on the outside.  Adding the dark vinegar sauce brought out a very nice taste to the fish.

Gising-Gising

Gising-gising is green bean with Pork in coconut milk.  A nice and delicious dish with the coconut making it a very rich and flavourful meal.

Pork Adobo

Lola Ising's Adobo Rice is a traditional Filipino dish made from crispy pork, rice, and lots of garlic. The flavours are rich due to the use of soy sauce along with other seasonings for an extra kick in taste.

@ Lorenzo Way restaurant

Buangkok new hawker centre

Singapore - I drove to Buangkok to have a good lunch and was not disappointed.   I saw the youtube by Ohjib-san and also read very good reviews on this new hawker centre and wanted to try their food.  Queue, queue and more queues everywhere - I think word got around that this place is the next best place for good food.   Singaporeans always have a taste for good good.

This famous new Penang stall, we ordered the Penang Assam Laksa $5.50 and Char Kway Teow also $5.50.  They were systematic and gave our a queue number.  

Penang Assam Laksa is ready made so we have this first to eat.  While had to wait at least 30 mins for the Char Kway Teow because the chef had to individually cook each dish.

Penang Alley

Assam Laksa

Wow, wow! the Assam Laksa was really good - rich gravy and taste of fish, turmeric, was so flavour full and delicious.   

Char Kway Teow

Though it is smaller than most Char Kway Teow stall is was one of the best I have tried.  The provided a handsome serving of cockles (I did not eat it at all) - Edmund ate all of it.   Lots of pork lard - crispy pork lard which brought rich flavour to this disk.  The prawns when you bite into it is so fresh.  

Hummus and Pita 

This hummus with Pita cost $6 but looks a small portion but it was so creamy and yummy.  Similar to the taste I had in UAE and Israel, very good.   The pita is different like crispy tissue but still good enough to dipped into the hummus.   

Lamb Shawarma

It was filled with lots of lamb meat and very tasty, since Edmund does not eat - I single handedly finished this Shawarma.  I was stuffed and fulled but since I did not had breakfast and a 2hrs of workout - I was happy.

Sharing our table was a man (around early 30+) and I strike a conversation with him and he told me about all the food he had tried here before.  He has been to this hawker centre 20 times since it opened.  I don't blame him as there are many good food here.   He was telling me about the fried chicken wings, Lor mee and queues of 1hr waiting, chicken rice, roast pork store and he could go on and on about the food he had tasted here.

Last we had our Min Jiang Kuek - black charcoal sesame Min Jiang Kuek.  Lots of sesame and it was good that it was not finely grinned as you can taste the sesame seeds.

Min Jiang Kuek stall

 A good lunch - 

Bishan lawn bowl team

Singapore - I woke up early for lawn bowl and drove to indooor stadium for a roof-top lawn bowl game.   The weather was good with light drizzle but it clear and the sun shone brightly.  

time for lawn bowl

After Edmund and me, played a game reaching first to 11.  We had a friendly Bishan team competition.

2hrs of lawn bowling was enough for a good hearty lunch.