Published July 31, 2012 | 
Thank God for Shopping / Tote Bag! Shopping in flea market would never be the same if not because of your existence!
I hate shopping for “pasalubong” during my last few hours of my travel. Normally, I would spend it at the mall for some serious shopping instead of going to souvenir shops of flee market to get hold of their local delicacies.
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LOL
Last Sunday, I woke up so early that I forgot I was on my weekend getaway. Although I can feel the cold breeze of the AC and the comfy sheets of my bed, for some reasons, I can’t feel the need back to close my eyes and drown myself in my pillows. I reached for the remote and checked what’s on the Olympic channel. Since they were broadcasting Basketball at that time, I decided to turn the TV off and power my iPod and dance the morning away. My lunch at Shangri-La is at 12NN thus I have until 11 AM free to hop in on the city and get some of the stuff I needed to bring back home.
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I woke up at 4AM but I started dancing around 6AM LOL
Like the restaurants I wanted to try, I have a list of delicacies to get for myself and my family. After having my free breakfast, I headed back to my room and took my morning shower. It was so refreshing that I lasted more than an hour just enjoying my shower.
After dressing up, I hailed for a cab and head straight to Salinas Drive from Lapu Lapu City only to find out that the only store selling Cebu Best Mango Chocolate is closed on Sunday! Imagine I’ve crossed the sea (was that a sea or a river?) just to get something and they were closed! I’ve tried so hard and used my charm in order for them to open the store for me but I failed.
While waiting for a cab, I decided to go to the nearest flea market to buy dried seafood. And when I say Flea Market, I mean SM. I don’t want to smell like dried seafood in my fresh and preppy get up by walking in Taboan. And besides, these items are cheaper in SM than Taboan.
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Few minutes have passed, I went back to the hotel to drop off the things I bought and change for something appropriate for Sunday Buffet. I headed to Shangri La and waited for my Lunch Buffet to start.
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That Stir-fried Noodles was the BEST!
I can’t believe that I’ve lasted only for 1 hour for the buffet. I paid diamonds yet I only ate this much, Kim Chiu is really in my system already.
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So after Shangri La, I headed back to the hotel to rest and freshen up. I wanted to stay all night in my room as the bed was so inviting but I have a consumer duty to do. With me carrying my shopping bag, I hailed for the cab and asked the driver to drop me off at the Shamrock store in Fuente Circle. I wish I bought some promotional drawstring bags as I ended up with a bag full of goodies and hand full of plastic bags. Imagine how I looked like with all these and still manage to go to Ayala Center to get my sanity back.
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The lifting and the walking helps me with my fats but not with my OA and LS. Sometime I wish I have my service that I can bring anywhere I go.
Macappleboy
Published July 31, 2012 | Before flying out to Cebu last Saturday, I have a list of restaurants to try. I know its not a good thing to keep in mind on my current state but why not give myself a treat from time to time.
I have 5 restaurants that I wanted to try out but I only have 80% success rate as I’ve decided to drop the last one due to guilt.
Here’s the list of Food Joints I’ve tried:
1. Zubuchon
2. Harbour City
3. Sunburst
4. Tides
Out of these 4 on the list, I’ve enjoyed Harbour City and Tides. Harbour City because I love Chinese Food and Tides because its a buffet and the ambience. Sunburst is their local version of KFC or Jollibee. Will give you more details in the coming days.
Macappleboy
Published July 31, 2012 |  |
I’m not a fan of Lechon.
While everyone is going gaga over this during any party, I go the other way. I don’t know, I just don’t like the bland taste of the meat and the “cholesterol crying” skin just makes me cringe. However, Zubuchon is a different story.
Last Saturday, I got the privilege of spending my weekend in Cebu. After my duty last Saturday, I went straight off to NAIA for my flight. Good thing the flight is just 10 minutes delayed so I was able to manage a quick tour in my hotel area before heading to the city.
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Zubuchon is one of the well known restaurant in Cebu that specializes on lechon. Their lechon or Porchetta in Italian was once called “The best pig.. ever!” by Anthony Bourdin hence the reason why not to try it when you’re in Cebu.
I was a little hesitant at first to eat in this place knowing what they serve is actually bad for my health. As all of you may be aware now, I am currently on a diet since I was diagnosed with Slip Disk and Osteo Arthritis. Thus losing weight is part of my agenda for this year or else I would end up on knee walkers for life. Part of my diet is to eat only vegetables, no rice and a little portion of meat. By meat, I mean healthy meat like chicken breast, fish and lean beef.
You can’t imagine how long the waitress have waited for my order as I’m fighting over with myself if I should eat rice and lechon. I think it was almost 15 minutes before I decided to order lechon and rice as ordering veggies would not make any sense of dining in a restaurant without ordering their specialty.
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And so, I’ve committed a crime.
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5 Pork Fried Rice (Php 190)
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Zubuchon
In Zubuchon, they don’t usually serve the lechon with the usual Liver Sauce. They serve it with Soy Sauce, Vinegar and Chili Oil. I’ve tried it with Chili Oil mixed with Soy Sauce and it is incredibly good!
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Soy Sauce, Special Vinegar and Chili Oil
To lessen the guilt of what about to happen that night, I ordered something healthy – to balance life. I asked for the Kamias shake which is so good that I’ve ordered to-go the second night when I was claiming my Zubuchon to bring home in Manila.
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According to their Facebook page, pigs used in Zubuchon are fed with 100% organic food a week before they will be cooked. They are stuffed with dozens of herbs and spices and the ski is acupunctured and sprayed with fresh coconut water. They are also not using MSG nor soy sauce to flavor the meat.
Seriously, Zubuchon changes my point of view over lechon. It’s so damn good that I was able to finish the entire plate, not that night. I forced myself to just consume 1/4 of what I’ve ordered as it was already close to 7PM and I needed to dance all night just to digest all my intake. Thanks to Rihanna for that.
If ever you have a chance in visiting Cebu, please drop by at their branch. They have one in Lapu Lapu, One Mango, Banilad Town Center and Escario. Also, should you wish to bring home fresh lechon back in Manila, they have a stall at the Airport selling frozen items.
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I bought 1 kilo to take home back to Manila at their restaurant in Island Stay Hotel in Lapu Lapu the night before my flight and pick it up on my way to the airport. They’ve enclosed it in a box if you will be buying 2 packs of 500 grams.
Macappleboy