Choobi Choobi, Lingaw Lingaw Kaon!

On February 15, 2016, Monday, a day after Valentine’s, a working day, hubby fetched me at the office for a quick trip to the grocery. After which we decided to have dinner at one of the diners at Centrio Ayala Mall, an instant post Valentine’s date with hubby and the little girl.

The choice for the night is Choobi Choobi Lingaw Lingaw Kaon, a Cebu-based native restaurant that had opened its doors to Kagay-anon last year. Looking at their menu, I have realized that their specialty of the house called the “Shrimp in a Bag” has the same concept like those at Redtail. I wanted to try it, but opted not because we have a toddler with us. Instead, we chose something that the little one can eat.

According to the menu, the Lola Pepang’s Fried Chicken is a family recipe that was passed on for four generations. Hmm quite interesting huh! Checked! We added another one, something fromTanny’s Garden called the Choobi Chopsuey, because according to the menu “veggies are supposed to be delicious”. Let’s see and taste… + rice and iced tea, off to the waiter our order for the night.

A few minutes later the foods came out from the kitchen.

The Lola Pepang’s Fried Chicken was already chopped when served. You’ll probably think that the chicken was a little burnt because of the color, but it was not, just maybe because of the spices used. The taste was something a little different yet tasty, our little loved it too. But the sauce that comes with it was just beyond my taste, because it was very salty for me but just fine with husband. Since, a whole chicken is more than enough for us, we wanted to take home the leg or wing part for our little boy who loves chicken. But surprisingly, there was only one wing; I wonder where the other one was. Hmmmm Anyway, the one whole chicken for P300.00 was already a good deal, I just hope they serve it in one piece para naman may challenge to dig in, unless the customer will ask to have it chopped.  

What I love about local restaurants are the vegetable choices.  Chopsuey is our favorite veggie dish, hence, we did not hesitate to choose the “Choobi Chopsuey”. The phrase in their menu, didn’t fail us, their version of chopsuey was indeed appetizing. The baby girl also loved the sauce when mixed with the rice. It’s definitely a must try for veggie lovers for only P135.00 per serving.

Considering also the place, ambiance and service, overall, it was a good dining experience. If I am to rate from 1 – 5, with 5 the highest, I’ll rate it at 3. Though, I need to try the “Shrimps in the Bag” next time and make another review who knows the myrating will go up.

Until my next foodie adventure… Ciao!

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Ribs and Bibs, Cagayan de Oro City

Someone treated these two ladies for dinner tonight to a restaurant of our choice. Yippee!

With so much to choose from, we ended up in a resto where back ribs is the specialty of the house, the Ribs and Bibs along JR Borja St. Cagayan de Oro City.

source: Ribs and Bibs FB Page

Ribs and Bibs opened its door to the public on June 22, 2015, that means I’ve been passing along for almost 8 months already but never really checked out the place. Hah! Blame it to our busy schedules and limited budget last year (oh, I think even this year hehehe).

Anyway, now that we've found a sponsor who is willing to take us there, why hesitate? With open arms, and hungry stomach, off we went to Ribs and Bibs.

I can’t help but look around and checkout the overall ambiance of the place when we went in. With the historical facts of Cagayan de Oro displayed and the nice interior design, make the place appealing.

At 6:00PM there were only two groups in the resto, I think it’s still too early for dinner, but nevertheless, it’s better to be early as long as the circumstance permit, that means we’ll get to park properly and choose the best spot inside. We ordered, the Daddy Back Ribs, Nachos and Ice Tea (no fancy drinks tonight). By the time our orders were served, the area is also starting to fill in.

The Menu

The first to be served was the Nachos.We dug in right away while waiting for the main dish to be served. Gutom na rin pala... The tortilla chips topped with chili con carne, sour cream, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese sauce taste was really appetizing. I could not ask for more, it’s just so perfect for me. We have consumed about three-quarter when the “back ribs” came.

Nachos

The “Daddy Back Ribs” is the biggest serving of the house (I presumed), a triple share comprising of huge back ribs, buttered veggies, grilled corn on a cob, 1 side dish (we chose coleslaw), 3 plain rice + a pitcher of iced tea with an extra sauce.

Daddy Back Ribs

My first reaction was, huh? Why served in an aluminum tray? Hindi sosyalin. But when I tasted the meat, oh la la it was so good, I completely forgot about the tray. hehe The meat was so tender and juicy (hahaha parang commercial ng hotdog) and the barbeque sauce was really flavourful. I even dipped the meat into the extra sauce for more sensation.

The buttered vegetable, corn on a cob, the coleslaw that comes with the back ribs are also something to look forward to, crunchy, creamy, saucy and tasty. Everything on the aluminum tray is really worth consuming.

The extra factor was, our sponsor only paid P725.00 (Daddy Back Ribs) + P195.00 (Nachos) = P920.00, quite cheaper for a 3 person meal.

Oh, before I forgot, the service was also good. I have no bad comments for that. Just Smile and Thumbs up!

Ribs and Bibs is really worth recommending. If asked, If I am going to visit the place again? Definitely Yes! By that time, I’ll be going with my husband. J Ciao! 

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The Boy Zugba, Kusina Bisaya Experience

One fine evening, we decided to have dinner. Instead of going to the usual spot, we opted to try something new, a resto that we’ve never been to. That’s when I suggested Boy Zugba, a resto bar along Corrales Avenue.

At 7PM, we’re lucky to get a spot in the small parking space in front of the establishment, considering there were a lot of diners inside.

We were greeted by a smiling waiter, and directed us to a table set for 3 persons near the counter.

What do you expect from Boy Zugba, Kusina Bisaya? With the name alone, it implies that their specialties of the house are grilled (sugba) dishes. But when you check out their menu, they really have a lot to offer, dishes with entertaining and funny names in native dialect Bisaya. Makalingaw (nakakatuwa, nakakaaliw)!

Flipping from one page to another, we decided to order the following; (huh! No grilled food for us tonight!)

Bandihadong Krispy if translated in English is “a bowl of crispy” comprising of prito manok (fried chicken), kalamares (flour coated sliced squid) and lumpiang kagubkob (very crispy spring rolls). There’s nothing special about this dish except for the presentation. The divided ceramic serving dish is a good choice for this type of food combo, with the condiments (sweet chili sauce, mayonnaise and ketchup) neatly filled the 3 square compartments. The word “Krispy” didn’t let us down because everything on the plate we’re very crispy and tasty.

Sakay na sa Bisaya Express is the Bisaya version of Bicol Express. Instead of the long chillies, they substituted it with string beans (it definitely taste and looks like string beans). Now I think about it, the “haling gyud” or very hot and spicy is probably using the long chillies and since we ordered the “medyo halang”, thus, the substitution. (Correct me if I’m wrong please). With the food we have ordered, this dish definitely surpassed my expectation. I loved spicy foods, every drop of the soup, every piece of the vegetables and meat, was delectable.

Ginumis Cooler is the store-made drink. A mixture of gulaman, sago, cereals and something we do not know. The result is a bland, tasteless drink. Hah! the P65.00 for a mason jar full of Ginumis is definitely not worthy.

And last but not least, every Filipino favorite food the Rice, nicely served in an individual ceramic bowl with cover. Liked!

This is how our table for three looks like with the food on it, pre-arranged for pictorial purposes by us. J

Thanks to one of the service crews for the photographs. He was obediently taking our photos from every corner possible.

Alex, Ann’s friend from Iligan was very entertaining. I really enjoyed talking to him, to both of them. Thanks for the time Alex aka Sharapova and Mare Ann.

Overall our first dine out at Boy Zugba was a very funny and enjoyable one. If asked to visit again Boy Zugba?

My answer is definitely yes, because the following week, I was asked for by our newly appointed regular employees for suggestions were to lunch out for a change. I suggested Boy Zugba, and they all agreed!

A long table at the main hall good for 20 persons was reserved to us, our orders were readily served when we arrived, the power of advance order.

On the table were the following Boy Zugba dishes, Sinuglaw de Cagayan, Tsuper Sisig, Sakay na Bisaya Express, Tuna Belly, Lechon Kawali and Pork Liempo. There were soup that I forgot the name, soft drinks and of course rice.  

So cheers for the delicious foods served and the happy group pictorial! J Congratulations also to the new five (5) young Electrical Engineers for your regular appointment. 

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A Trip to Saging Repablik, Davao City

I have mentioned in my previous post about our food tripping in the land of the bananas, the Saging Repablik in Davao City.

Instead of taking a cab from Casa Leticia, Sir Jay (our colleague in Davao City) offered to take us to our next adventure, to the land of the bananas, a unique diner featuring saging (bananas) in their menu.

Located at Tionko Ave. corner V. Mapa St., Saging Repablik is very easy to find considering the black greasy unique looking building and the big signage in color green, just like those found in highways.

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Soon to be the Best Guitarist

Instead of sitting in front of the computer playing online games, a friend of mine enrolled her nephew in a guitar lesson during the summer. He bought him a not so expensive guitar for a start to test the child if he can really learn how to play the instrument. Surprisingly, his nephew really did well and actually learned the guitar faster than expected, that at the end of the 2 month lessons he was able to play in their graduation recital. Cool, huh! The music probably runs in their blood. 

Now my friend is planning to buy a new and better guitar for him just like those in guitar center phoenix. Knowing how interested the child is, he do deserve not just better but the best musical instrument the family can provide. As for me, I am looking forward to see him play on the stage soon. 

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Davao City: My First Travel Destination for 2016

My first work related travel destination for the 2016 is to the “Durian Capital” of the Philippines. My colleague and I were tasked to attend a meeting with our partners in the industry. Though with injured right leg due to the calf muscle tear, limping, walking one step at a time, I still agreed to travel, after all the pain was less compared to the first few days after the incident.

On board the Cebgo ATR 72-500, we left Laguindingan Airport at 4:30PM short flights are usually on time (unlike flights to Manila) so we landed in Davao at 5:30PM, then took a cab to Seda our booked hotel for this work related travel. I had to ask my colleague to buy our dinner, because going out was already too much for me. My leg needed a good and comfortable rest.

Injured leg... rested! 😆😊 Thank You Lord for keeping us safe. #sedahotel #abreeza #davaocity

The next day, before the eat all you can breakfast buffet, Riz and I went for some photo ops at the pool side of the hotel. I’ve stayed in this hotel for a couple of times already, but this was the first time I actually took photos in the area, the perk of having a travel companion. Cool!

I looked slimmer in this photo. Liked! :-)

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10 Road Trip Must Have for the Whole Family

Two months from now, its summer in this part of the world. Actually, as early as now we can already feel the super heat of the sun because of the presence of El Nino conditions. Sunny weather with no rain or typhoon coming is one of the best times to travel and explore the country. But because hubby and are both corporate employees, our job is literally taking us away from the impending adventures. We need to arrange our schedules in such away, that our jobs will not be affected and the most convenient for the whole family and friends.

Summer last year, together with our friends we planned for a road trip going to the north eastern part of Mindanao. The place where the Enchanted River is located and surfing is a must try. Yep! It’s a family road trip to Surigao. One of our friends will be in the city to attend his daughter’s college graduation, might as well join forces and hit the road after. Oh wait, maybe the car we have cannot carry the whole gang, I think we will look into car rentals too.

Though, it’s still a few months away, I have to list down some of our must have items, considering we’re tagging along our two kids. Going on a trip with the kids is like bringing the whole house with us. To name some here they are, categorized accordingly

1. A set of clothing and footwear. 

This includes shirts, shorts, briefs, pants, jackets, pajamas, rash guards, slippers, clogs and rubber shoes. Always bring extras after all extra baggage will not be charged when you go on a road trip.

2. Toiletries and accessories.

Shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, powder, baby oil, sunblock lotion, bath towel, face towel, wet wipes and diapers. Who knows the place you are planning to go to, will not have the things you need such as the toiletries, so pack all what you need for the whole family.   

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