Shoot First Eat Later

Batanes Day 2 Part 1 – Sabtang Island

We had an early start on the second day of our trip in Batanes. We left the hotel at 6:00 am to make it on time for the boat ride to Sabtang Island.

We weren’t late but there was a big group ahead of us so we had to wait for the next trip. A lot of bags of sand were also loaded into the falowa or round-bottomed banca. All the supplies were transported this way to Sabtang.

falowa

While waiting for the next falowa to arrive we walked around the port. This church was right across the Ivana Seaport.

We also went to the famous Honesty Coffee Shop. There wasn’t anyone manning the small store. Instead all the snacks, souvenirs and props were labeled with prices and a container was placed on the counter to put in your payment. There were three ladies there eating instant noodles which they made themselves with the hot water provided. Even hard boiled eggs were available.

Honesty Coffee Shop

We didn’t want to buy the rain gear or vakul (Ivatan headdress) but we wanted to take pictures of the kids wearing them. So we paid P10 for the rental as the sign suggested.

The one on the right is the vakul or woven headdress worn by women. Zak said it was heavy and itchy. The vest on the left is worn by men.

The falowa ride to Sabtang took 30 minutes. My friend Raymond told me to sit on the end of the boat to avoid the fumes from the engine. Did we listen? Noooo. Well, we didn’t have any choice because the others used to riding the falowa descended quickly and occupied both ends of the banca leaving us poor tourists to sit in the middle smack dab where the engine was.

Here are some tips on riding the falowa. Thank you Raymond!
1. Sit up front or the at the back faw away from the engine.
2. Wear a windbreaker to avoid getting wet. Sometimes you luck out and don’t get splashed.
3. Bring a garbage bag or a waterproof bag to protect your bag and camera gear from more splashes.
4. Take Bonamine before riding the falowa.
5. Wear sandals or flip flops. I guarantee your feet will get wet.

The falowa was manned by two people. The ‘captain’ and the ‘engine guy’.

30 minutes felt like an hour with the rough and bumpy ride, fumes and noise from the diesel engine. I was quite dizzy but I managed to zone out and even fell asleep. Some in our group threw up. I really hoped the place was worth it since I really hated the falowa ride.

The San Vicente port looked good from the falowa.

Our first stop was the municipal tourist information center where we had to register our names and ages.

municipal tourist information center

This was the view from the back of the tourist center.

Basco, the capital of Batanes was located on Batan Island, the most populous of all the islands.

souvenir stone houses

The tourist center had 3 rooms you can rent if you wanted to stay overnight in Sabtang or if they cancel the falowa ride due to bad weather and you had no choice but to wait until it is safe to travel.

Sabtang Island’s accommodations

As we were about to leave the young mayor arrived in a police vehicle. He didn’t have a car because we were using his van and driver to tour around the island. Thanks mayor!

We saw many arches around the island with the words Dios Mamajes. It means God Bless You.

San Vicente Ferrer Church

Cool color! Tiffany blue?

Our next stop was the village of Savidug.

Hundreds of years ago people lived in these lime and stone houses.

The stone walls were really thick.

Some color amidst all the stone.

I call this the Ivatan tricycle.

I felt so hot and still a bit woozy so I skipped most of the walking tour and took refuge in this thatched hut. It was quite cool inside.

To be continued …

Batanes Day 1 Part 2 – Vayang Rolling Hills, Basco Lighthouse

I never thought of myself as a nature lover. Most of my vacations revolve around shopping and eating.

But seeing the Vayang Rolling Hills really amazed me. I enjoyed climbing up the hill so much and seeing the beauty around me.

The top of the hill looked high but the climb was very easy.

Wherever you look you see such beautiful views.

I felt like I was in another country. Ireland perhaps?

We enjoyed the cool winds and cloudy weather but I could have used more sunlight for my pictures.

At the bottom of the hill were some skinny cows grazing.

Our last stop for the day was the Naidi Hills where the Basco Lighthouse was located.

Our van stopped and we opened a window to take a picture of the carabao. Thank goodness it didn’t stand up and say hello.

Of the three bunkers left behind, one was converted into the Bunker Cafe.

Sure it looked cozy and inviting.

But please, please DO NOT eat here. Eating here wasn’t part of our itinerary but we insisted. BIG mistake. We called it the insect cafe. Whether we sat inside or outside we were attacked with all kinds of annoying insects, big and small. I won’t even discuss how BAD the food and service was.

Basco Lighthouse

We climbed up the lighthouse to see the surrounding view. This lighthouse isn’t in operation anymore.

Views of Basco city and the sea.

Other than our horrible dinner at Bunker Cafe and our delayed flight, it was a fantastic first day touring Batanes.

Batanes Day 1 Part 1 – Tukon Church, Valugan Bay

I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t seen much of the beauty of the Philippines. All I see everyday is the hustle and bustle of city life in Manila. I don’t enjoy seeing pollution and traffic everyday. That’s why I was very excited to see Batanes.

The Province of Batanes is the northernmost and the smallest province of the Philippine Republic, both in terms of population and land area. The provincial capital is Basco. (Wikipedia)

On our first day we checked in to Batanes Resort, our home for four days. After lunch we started our tour at the Tukon Church. Of all the churches we went to in Batanes this was my favorite due to it’s architecture and details.

Tukon Church

The ceiling had beautiful frescoes of saints.

I loved all the wood work in the church.

The Tukon church was a project of Dina and Butch Abad for the residents nearby to have a place to go to mass instead of going to a much farther church in town.

Our next stop was the Basco Pagasa Station.

Basco Pagasa Station

I wasn’t listening so I didn’t really know what was so special about this weather station. All I understood was there was some beautiful views surrounding it.

This simple looking device was used to measure rainfall.

rain gauge

This wasn’t a crystal ball. Through research I learned that this was called a Campbell–Stokes recorder otherwise known as a sunshine recorder. Neat huh?

Campbell–Stokes recorder

Sunny or cloudy, I just liked the picture I took through the sphere.

From the top of the weather station we could see the church we came from.

The Japanese Tunnel served as a hideout of the Japanese soldiers during World War II.

Japanese Tunnel

The entrance was really low and you had to duck-walk towards the back where you could stand. It was cooler as you went in. We didn’t go further in.

One of my favorite destinations was the Valugan Bay. The beach had a kilometer long stretch of fine white beach with large multi-colored rocks.

Valugan Bay

I walked down the huge rocks slowly, step by step while the three boys ran and skipped from rock to rock.

I’ve never seen anything like this. Really amazing.

The next church we went to was located in Basco’s town proper. The Sto. Domingo church was the oldest church in Batanes. It was built in 1812 under the supervision of Dominican friars. It was also one of the first limestone buildings built under the Spanish regime.

Sto. Domingo Church

The ten commandments in Ivatan.

Part 2 here.

What We Ate at Batanes Resort

With our flight delay we arrived at Batanes Resort just in time for lunch.

Lunch was pre-ordered for us. That was how it was done on packaged tours in Batanes. The tour operator tells the restaurants how many people to expect and they prepare the same food for everyone. We wanted to order the food ourselves since the lunch served was way too much and there was lots of food we didn’t finish.

This was some soup that was quite forgettable.

soup

Turmeric rice was an Ivatan specialty. Since I couldn’t eat rice I asked my friends if I was missing anything. They said it didn’t taste anything great but the slightly sticky texture of the rice was good.

Ivatan turmeric rice

chicken afritada

The Ivatan salad was everyone’s favorite. Typically pako or fiddlehead fern salad is served raw. The Ivatan way was steaming the pako until soft and topped with tomatoes, onions and spices.

Ivatan Salad – steamed pako or fiddlehead fern

The thick tanigue or Spanish mackarel steaks were cooked just right. Quite tender and simply seasoned. This was a common fish in Batanes since we had it several times on our short trip.

grilled tanigue steaks

fried squid

My first meal in Batanes while on a diet and I was already cheating by eating veggies and fish that weren’t allowed. At least the portion was correct. I cheated by trying a couple of fried squid. Yummy too!

my lunch

watermelon

We also had dinner at Batanes Resort one night. Since we sat at our favorite table outdoor we were swamped with salagubangs or June beetles. The kids were freaked out and kept running when a salagubang would go near them. Us adults were pretty calm since we all remembered playing with salagubang when we were kids.

salagubang on Jennifer’s back

The waiter recommended another Ivatan specialty, seaweed soup. Very bland but not too bad.

Ivatan seaweed soup

We were happy to eat another kind of fish.

stuffed steamed fish

We had to order the Ivatan salad again.

Stuffed bell peppers seemed out of place in Batanes right?

stuffed bell pepper

We were really excited to try lonyes or crispy fried pork, an Ivatan dish. The flavor was good, salty and sour, but the pork was over fried and it was so HARD.

lonyes

We asked for knives and they didn’t have any so they gave us this huge kitchen knife that was so dull we had a hard time cutting the pork plus we couldn’t stop laughing.

We had breakfast there every morning. They served the typical Filipino rice meals for breakfast. You had a choice of plain or garlic rice. Each plate cost P100.

daing na bangus

The kids chose Spam. For non-Filipinos have you ever eaten Spam with rice?

spam

beef tapa

I actually brought my own pre-weighed veggies and asked them to cook it for me. They didn’t even charge me! I ate a healthy breakfast of sauteed mushrooms & spinach with a fried egg.

fresh mushroom & spinach

Suffice it to say the food at Batanes Resort won’t win any culinary awards. But the people there were so nice even when the service was slow so we didn’t mind so much. At least our bellies were full and it kept us going for whole days of touring around Basco and Sabtang islands.

Batanes Resort

One day from out of the blue my friend Vivian called and asked if I wanted to go to Batanes. My first thought was “Why do we need to fly to Bataan?”

Silly me I didn’t even know where Batanes was. Now I know it’s the northern most island in the Philippines. There’s only one way to go there and it’s through Seair. Since they have the monopoly on flights they charge an astounding P15,327 (as of today) for a round trip flight. Vivian was able to buy our tickets at a recent travel fare for significantly less so that’s why we decided to visit Batanes last April.

There were only 2 flights a day to Basco, Batanes and my friend told me that the flights are often delayed on cancelled if they need to use the planes on more popular routes like Boracay.

Seair shared the old domestic airport with Zest Air. It was a nice and clean airport with really strong aircons. They had decent food selections from Goldilocks, Cinnabon and local eateries. As expected the prices were higher too.

The first frame below showed a lot of people from different flights waiting. The last frame was when the place was almost deserted except for the passengers waiting for the Basco flight which was delayed by 1 hour and 20 minutes. We were lucky it was just delayed. There was a group of 3 women who told us that they were supposed to fly the day before and the flight was canceled. And the bad thing was they waited in the airport from 5:00 am until 2:00 pm when the flight was finally canceled. They were given hope that another plane would arrive.

This was our group who went to Batanes.

The small plane had a 2-1 seating lay-out. Our flight got delayed because the aircon on our original plane was busted. This plane had super duper freezing aircon.

The first glimpse of Batanes from the plane.

The airport had the typical stone cladding popular among old Ivatan houses in Batanes.

Basco Airport

inside the airport

I thought this was to be our ride during our tour. We did inquire with Batanes cultural travel agency but their package was more expensive.

Batanes cultural travel agency vehicle

Vivian and I searched all the possible accommodations in Batanes and there wasn’t too many choices. My only choice was Fundacion Pacita but it was fully booked and the price was really over our budget. We settled on Batanes Resort, a government owned facility. (that’s my pre-diet body :D)

Batanes Resort was the only hotel located on a big open lot surrounded by hills and beautiful foliage. It also had a really nice view of the sea. True it’s the farthest from the city but we didn’t mind since we had a van to take us everywhere.

Batanes Resort

This was our van for the duration of the trip. It fit our group of 5 adults and 3 kids just fine. I appreciated it’s aircon and wouldn’t trade it for the cute open air lavander vehicle anytime.

our tour van

This cottage served as the check-in area and it extended to the dining rooms and public bathrooms. The whole place was very clean and well maintained.

check-in area

We had breakfast here every morning. Breakfast was P100 per plate of rice with your choice of viand and eggs.

dining room

outdoor dining room

The outdoor dining area was our favorite part of Batanes Resort. We had our welcome lunch here as well as a couple of dinners. We also enjoyed sitting here and simply chatting and enjoying the cool breeze.

This is the view from the dining area.

There were 10 stone cottages on the property. Each cottage was divided into two rooms with two double beds each. My roommate Jennifer and I chose the Sabtang cottage which had a direct view of the sea. This cottage was just next to the outdoor dining area.

stone cottages

Unfortunately our room was one of the older un-renovated rooms. The bed was firm and comfy though. The window type aircon was quite cool too. Our neighbor Vivian had a renovated room but their aircon was really loud and not cold at all.

Sabtang cottage

The water pressure wasn’t really strong but at least there was a water heater. I took a bath wearing my Crocs sandals.

This was the view from our room.

The next night we all moved to another cottage. This was at the back area of the property so there wasn’t any view and it’s farther to the dining room but at least the room looked much nicer and cleaner.

The wooden flooring was changed to tiles. They still kept the annoying red-orange curtains though.

The biggest welcome was the bathroom with new tiles and fixtures.

Batanes Resort is located at Kaychanarianan, Basco, Batanes
Rates are P1,000 per person a night.

For inquiries and reservations you may contact Batanes Resort directly at:
Cellphone No: (+63 927) 582-9078
Batanes telephone: (+63 78) 533-3444/ (+63 78) 533-3456
Manila Office telephone: (+63 2) 927-2393

Lunch at Mana-ish and More!

Last April Rochelle celebrated her birthday and she wanted to treat us for lunch. She knew I just started my diet so she emailed me a magazine scan of a list of good restaurants and told me to choose where we will eat. Isn’t she so thoughtful?

I diligently googled each restaurant in the list and looked at the menus to see what I can eat. I chose Mana-ish and More because of their simply grilled meats. Before seeing that article I didn’t even know this restaurant in Makati that served “Middle Eastern grills and delights” existed.

Mana-ish is located in Jupiter St. just across the Buendia car exchange. From Edsa turn right at Buendia then turn right at the gas station to the beginning of Jupiter St. We made a mistake and started at Jupiter St. near Makati Avenue.

wall oven

They had one of the nicest looking shawarma ovens I’ve ever seen. Too bad that it was hardly used and one had just a small amount of chicken. I guess it’s not one of their popular items on the menu.

shawarma oven

They also sold several kinds of spices.

This was the “And More!”After your meal you have the option to puff on a shisha and choose from strawberry, apple, mint and other flavors for only P250. I tried this once in Hong Kong and all I can say is it’s not for me. I’d rather have a chocolate dessert.

hookah or shisha

There were 4 of us for lunch. One was on a strict diet, one doesn’t eat meat, one doesn’t eat chicken and one doesn’t eat beef. I couldn’t wait to see what my friends would order.

Since I couldn’t eat all these food I had to rely on my friends’ comments which I wrote down in my trusty notebook. That’s how a food blogger on a diet operates :D.

All 3 of my friends raved about how tasty the baba ghanouj was. They loved the grilled flavor of the eggplant and the strong spices. They had to order another plate of pita bread to wipe the dish clean.

baba ghanouj P158

The name Mana-ish came from the word manakish which is like an Arabic pizza. They ordered the sampler called Magnificent 6 which featured 6 different toppings some with meat but mostly were vegetarian. They liked some toppings more than others but they unanimously declared the thin, crispy pizza two thumbs up.

magnificent 6 manakish P200

Oozie was pastry filled with rice, ground meat, spices and served with yogurt. This was the dish they least enjoyed. Rochelle and Chris said it was very bland.

oozie P285

The yogurt was quite watery and mild. Not a very appetizing sauce for the oozie.

yogurt w/ cucumber

Rochelle and Chris agreed to order the taggen shawarma for their main course. This dish was made up of a fried pita bread as a base and topped ground beef and lamb, tahini sauce, butter and cashew. I’ve never noticed this in other Middle Eastern restaurants I’ve eaten at.

taggen shawarma P320

Rochelle doesn’t eat beef but she made an exception for this dish. They oohed and aahed at how creamy, savory, yummy it was. The pita soaked up all the sauce and was the perfect vessel for the tender meat. This was the one dish that really tempted me to cheat and try it. But my will was strong and I just mentally planned when I could come back to try it.

Db was the one who didn’t eat meat so she ordered the fish harra which was baked fish with spices and tomatoes sauce and walnuts and served with saffron rice. They all said it was delicious until Chris said the fish was dory. The waiter confirmed it and suddenly the fish didn’t taste as good. My friends had an aversion to cream dory fish which is widely used in restaurants in Manila.

fish harra P315

Pie? Arabic calzone?

Tada, it’s saffron rice! It looked similar to the oozie but it tasted so much better.

saffron rice

So, what did I eat? I ordered two sticks of skewered chicken breast marinated in shish tawook spices and grilled.

shish tawook P130 per stick

I brought my scale and weighed the chicken. My allowed portion was one stick plus one piece. I brought my own veggies, sauteed baby bok choy, and had a very hearty and filling meal.

The chicken was much better than I expected. It was uber tender and juicy. The flavors were bold but not too salty or spicy. Although I’m pretty sure some ingredients in the marinade were not allowed in my diet. My friends were amazed with the quantity of my food. They thought I ate teeny weeny amounts only.

Muhalabieh was a light flan similar to panna cotta but topped with orange flower water, rose syrup and pistachio nuts. Their first comment was it smelled like a classy hotel’s bathroom. I almost choked from laughing. They didn’t enjoy the dessert so much since we all couldn’t stop chortling.

muhalabieh P100

Halawe or halva was a confection made from tahini or nut butters although we didn’t know it at that time. It was served with saj bread and honey was drizzled on top. Arabic peanut butter sandwich?

halawe w/ honey served with saj P125

Chris loves strong black coffee but the Turkish coffee was beyond her powers. She described it as tasting like driftwood and it didn’t have any aroma.

Turkish coffee P35

We all loved the free minty black tea served at the end of the meal.

minty black tea

Before we left the server poured scented water on our hands. It was so fragrant that we vowed not to wash our hands forever!

We were all happy to try out Mana-ish and More! There were so many other interesting and unusual food items on the menu that we would like to try. Another bonus is the very affordable price. For all these dishes and dessert our bill came to only P2,000. I would definitely go back.

Mana-ish menu

Mana-ish and More!
#20 Jupiter Str. Brgy, Bel-Air, Makati City
(across Buendia car exchange)
telephone: 896-6262, 501 52 98

Operating Hours
Monday – Thursday 11:00 AM -11:00 PM
Friday – Saturday 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM

My Last Meal Requests

A criminal due for execution usually gets his last meal request granted. I was about to start my diet for real this time and my wonderful friends granted me my requests with a pot luck dinner.

Upon arrival from Bangkok, Rochelle and I rushed from the airport to Deb’s house to partake of my last meal. My first request was crispy pata (pictured above). Who can resist fried pork knuckles? I eat it all the way to the bone!

I have a new favorite and it’s crispy beef ribs that Janet made. Tender, salty, citrusy, crunchy pieces of beef. So delicious!

crispy beef ribs

My all time favorite kare kare (ox tail stew) is the one that Deb’s cook makes. Others use peanut butter as thickener for a short cut. Her cook does it the old fashioned way with ground rice and ground peanuts. You can really taste the difference in flavor. It’s so good it doesn’t really need bagoong (shrimp paste) at all. The sauce was just heavenly with rice.

kare kare (ox tail stew)

These were the veggies that went with the kare kare.

Chicken galantina or stuffed chicken is another of Deb’s specialties.

chicken galantina

Ever since I first tried sisig I was hooked. Elisa brought sisig from Sisig Hooray. Yummy!

sisig

Garlic butter crabs were requested by my other friends. I ate my favorite part, the creamy, fatty bits on the shell. Yes it’s bad for my cholesterol but, hey, it’s my last meal.

garlic butter crab

I was too full to even try the suman or glutinous rice roll cooked in coconut milk. They all raved about it.

suman

But I’m never too full for my favorite queso de bola cheesecake.

It’s been 3 months since this meal. I was quite nostalgic writing this entry. I haven’t been near any of these Filipino comfort food for 3 months. Well except for the crab sans butter.

I know it’s weird for a food blogger to be on a diet but somehow I am still able to eat out some and take pictures of what others eat while I look at their food longingly. Anyway one day soon I will be able to eat all these goodies again. You can be sure of that.

Thanks again to Deb and all my wonderful friends who made this dinner possible.

Sausages, Taxis and A Last Look at Bangkok

This is my last post on Bangkok. Sausages and taxis? What does one have to do with the other? Read on.

Every night the sidewalks in the Ratchadamri and Ratchaprasong area, where a lot of the malls are, turn into markets.

Clothes, food, drinks, toys and other knick knacks line the sidewalks.

Each time we walk these sidewalks I get lured by the heavenly smells of sausages being grilled. I finally succumbed and bought a couple to try.

The first sausage I tried was a delicious lemongrass pork sausage. The flavor was intense and the casing had a nice snap to it. It was cheap too at 15 baht.

The next one I tried was even cheaper at 10 baht and was simply awful. It tasted mushy and was almost all fat. I ended up spitting out most of it.

There’s really no connection with sausages and taxis except I like them both. I was amused with the fluorescent colors of taxis in Bangkok. I don’t know if there’s a meaning to the colors. Are certain colors private taxis? Are some un-metered?

Here’s a quick recap of my trip to Bangkok. Hopefully this will help others who are planning to go to Bangkok.

1. When you arrive in Bangkok, the cheapest way for a group to get to your hotel is to take a taxi and ignore all the offers of a ride from private companies. Our cab fare including tip and toll fees amounted to 400 baht.

2. Choose a hotel that’s walking distance to shopping, restaurants and massage. We stayed at Marriott’s Courtyard Hotel.

3. Rent a van to take you to Kanchanaburi to go to the floating market, River Kwai, Tiger Temple and Elephant Village. You will save time and money hitting all these spots in one day. It just takes precise timing since the Tiger Temple closes early that’s why we missed it.

4. Get the best massage of your life at Wat Po. If you can find it the foot massage at Mr. Feet is also unforgettable.

5. I always thought of Thai food as Pad Thai and tom yum soup. I never thought that they had awesome seafood too. Here are my recommendations on where to eat in Bangkok.

Must eat restaurant in Bangkok – Baan Klam Nam (yummy seafood and great ambiance)
Favorite Pad Thai and Tom Yum fried rice – a small stall in Chatuchak market
Favorite Thai salads – Best Seafood Restaurant
Favorite Hole in the Wall – I don’t know the name 😀
Favorite Mall Food – So many choices in Central World Mall

6. We asked the hotel to arrange a taxi to take us to the airport. We were charged 500 baht. It was a lot cheaper than the hotel van which cost more than double. And so this is how I will end my post, with a green taxi.

Final tip: Get to the airport early and make sure your hand carry is not full. There’s so much shopping in the airport. There were a lot of name brands as well as local brands.

What captivated us were all the free food samples and we ended up buying boxes and boxes of coconut cookies, dried pork snacks and some dried fruit snacks.

McDonald’s Bangkok

It was late and we just finished our last massage at Mr. Feet. We were tired but we were hungry. Since we had to pass by McDonald’s on the way back to our hotel and it was the only restaurant open we decided to eat our last dinner in Bangkok there.
In Bangkok the background of the signage is black. No bright red here.

Ronald McDonald says “sawasdee krup”.

We wanted to try their unique food items not found in Manila, Hong Kong or the USA.

I was impressed with their menu board which was an lcd screen with the objects moving and changing.

No plastic chairs in sight!

They’re trying for an upscale look with all these snazzy furniture.

Design yes, comfort no.

My order was a glass of cold Thai iced tea and chicken ham pie. The iced tea was ultra sweet. I had to ask for more ice.

The tray liners had all the nutritional information for all of McDonald’s food and drinks.

chicken ham pie 29 baht

The pie was described as chicken and ham with signature Italian sauce. I tasted the tomato sauce but there was very little filling inside. I couldn’t even taste the difference between ham or chicken. It wasn’t very filling either. Not too horrible but I wouldn’t buy it again.

My pie definitely didn’t look any where like the one on their menu board.

The only thing good on this tray was the fries.

Chris had the spicy chicken burger. It had a pathetic thin chicken burger with just a little spice which wasn’t enough to give the burger any semblance of taste or flavor.

spicy chicken burger

Rochelle had the pork burger since she doesn’t eat beef. After taking a bite she wished she ordered something else. I tried it and it was just bland and boring.

pork burger 23 baht

Chris and Rochelle had one corn pie each. I was surprised it was listed under desserts on the menu board. I forgot in Asia corn is popular for dessert. In the Philippines we have mais con hielo (sweet creamed corn with ice, maja blanca (corn pudding) and corn ice cream.

corn pie 23 baht

Where’s the corn? Inside the hot, flaky pie was a thick corn flavored filling with hardly any pieces of real corn.

For the pleasure of foot massage we gave up the chance to eat real Thai food one last time. It was a really sad, sad thing to have McDonald’s as a last meal in a country with such awesome food. For the money we spent in McDonald’s we could have eaten really good noodles or sausages in some street vendor.

Dessert & Fruits at Central World Mall

We deserved good dessert after our disappointing lunch at Phan-Khom Contemporary Thai Cuisine.

We walked to the other side of the mall and saw several restaurants we could have eaten at instead. There were even several eat-all-you-can restaurants that offered international food or steaks or Japanese food. All were priced quite reasonably too.

There were so many Japanese brand food and dessert stalls which I’ve never seen in Hong Kong or Singapore. Bangkok has much more imported retail and food outlets than Manila.

Harajuku cafe crepes

Crepes & Co.

I really, really, really wanted to eat those chocolate and orange crepes but I decided to look at all my options first. Chocolate and orange happens to be my favorite flavor!

After deep discussion we all agreed to try Bake A Wish’s cream puffs.

Bake A Wish

So many desserts to choose from!

I’m not really a cream puff fan but the green tea cream puff looked really tempting.

green tea cream puff

I eagerly took a big bite and it was more puff than substance. The pastry was light and crisp the way a good cream puff should be. The green tea custard was the right color and consistency but it was short on flavor. It needed more matcha powder. Too bad I really wanted to like it.

green tea cream puff

The chocolate cream puff was marginally better. I wanted to choose the chocolate filling but my friends overruled me and chose the vanilla custard.

chocolate cream puff with vanilla custard

They later agreed I was right. We should have gone chocolate all the way.

chocolate cream puff with vanilla custard

Since I didn’t have my chocolate and orange crepe, which to this day I regret, and I was disappointed with the green tea cream puff I decided I needed another treat.

Ho-Mu ice cream

I got a soft serve ice cream in orange and green tea. The flavors were prominent, the ice cream was creamy and not too sweet. It was a good deal for 49 baht. Yummy!!!

orange & green tea soft serve twist

We walked around the supermarket on the same level and I took pictures of the tropical fruits on sale. The Philippines has almost all of these fruits but Bangkok has more varieties of the same fruit. I never knew there was so many kinds of guava or pomelo.

Sala fruit