Buffet Lunch at Sumilon Island's Pavilion

Our trek of the island took us about an hour and when we went back to the resort's pavilion, which is also its restaurant, it was already lunch time.

Inclusive to the day tour package was buffet lunch so we helped ourselves to their rather limited buffet selection.  

Of these, I only liked their seafood pasta and though the shrimp looked tempting, it was not fresh as my allergy kicked in minutes after eating it (my seafood allergy only materializes when the seafood is not fresh).  Thank heavens I had my trusty Claritin in my travel kit.

As I am a dessert person, I so looked forward to having dessert but three of the items ran out and they did not do a refill so I had to content myself with watermelon and a small slice of some cake.

All in all, it was a filling but unimpressive meal.  Even our iced tea tasted like commercial iced tea that I ended up having just plain water for my drinks.

Gerry's Grill: Sugba Kilaw, Nilagang Bulalo and Sizzling Sisig

My friend and I went to SM City Cebu yesterday for some groceries but first engaged ourselves to an indulgent lunch at Gerry's Grill.  

We ordered their best seller Sizzling Sisig at Php 189.00.  We also had an egg added to it.

The sisig was okay though it was not as delicious as the ones I tasted in their outlets in Glorietta in Makati or the one at Insular Building also in Makati.  Still, it was way better than the last sisig I had at Salagdoong Beach last February.

Sugba Kilaw at Php 265.00 also caught our attention as this is a combination of grilled liempo (thus the "sugba" in the dish's name) and kilawin tanguige.

The kilawin tanguige was quite a treat and served to perfection but the skin portion of the sugba was a little tough.  

Lastly, for our soup, we chose Nilagang Bulalo At Php 295.00.

This was the most delicious of the three.  The meat was oh so tender and the vegetables cooked just right that they had a crunch to it.  The soup tasted perfect and while relishing it, I couldn't help but remark how it reminded me of my daddy's superb cooking of the same dish. 

For my drinks, I had their unlimited Sago at Gulaman at Php 90.00.  But anyone can also have its single order at Php 65.00.

Unfortunately, my drink was too sweet for me.  Oh well, I should have known from its color alone.

At a total cost of Php 998.00 (cost of the above plus my friend's buko juice at Php 75.00 and 2 plain rice at Php 64.00 including the mandatory 12% tax) for two, it was a good and reasonably-priced meal. 

Gerry's Grill in SM City Cebu is located at the mall's Northwing and is opened daily from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM.  You may contact them through (032)  412-7094 or (032) 238-9576 or send them an e-mail at smcebu@gerrysgrill.com.  Or click HERE for their official website.

Late-night Snack at Sunset Restaurant

Because we were so tired from our two-day very physically demanding tour of Siquijor, after our rather disappointing late lunch in Coco Grove's Salamandas Restaurant, Yen and I decided to take a rest then tour the resort at maybe 7:00 or 8:00 PM. 

But we were so tired that after a quick shower, I slept!  Yen also did not wake me up as she was fine with watching the news and also took a nap herself.  When I woke up, it was already 9:00 PM and my tummy was grumbling.

And so Yen and I decided to have a snack at Sunset Restaurant, which was the only open restaurant at the time and the same restaurant where we had our dinner the previous night.

While waiting for my food, I walked by the beachfront and took photos of the restaurant and its setting.

Then my order of Cheese Sticks priced at Php 120.00 was served. 

 Cheese Sticks are cheese wrapped in pastry and deep fried.  

This was the only food from Coco Grove that I liked.  Oh well, maybe it's because I am a sucker for things cheesy (I mean the food, okay?  Though I'm kind of romantic too.  Ha ha!)  that even the cheese sticks sold at Php 10.00 in UP can brighten up my day.

Ever the dessert lover, I couldn't stop myself from ordering their Halo-Halo, one of my all-time favorite desserts. 

But I was so disappointed when I tasted it as it was the weirdest halo-halo I ever had due to it having mango, watermelon and pineapple.  The watermelon and banana lakatan were bland and the mangoes and pineapples were sour.  Gross.  What more, its consistency was already liquid-y and the ice was not finely crushed.  It was so not worth my Php 120.00 that I asked the food attendant if this was their standard Halo-Halo serving and she said yes as it's a "tropical" one thus the mangoes, watermelon and pineapple.  

Dang!  Why wasn't that detailed in their menu so I could have ordered something else?  I only saw Halo-Halo in the menu so I thought it is the usual one that consists of Buko (young coconut) shreds, Langka (jackfruit), Ube (purple yam), Nata de coco, Kaong, Leche Flan, Garbanzos (chickpeas), Banana (the saba variety) and Kamote (sweet potato).  Click HERE on what this yummy dessert should have.

One of the two things (the other being my yummy cheese sticks) that saved this otherwise mess of a meal was the serenaders who personally went to our table and entertained us with their music.

Late Lunch at Salamandas Restaurant

It was already almost 5:00 PM when we arrived at Coco Grove Beach Resort from the Butterfly Garden.  We were so tired already and very hungry as we did not have lunch yet and so I was grateful that checking-in was such a breeze and this is perhaps because we have already paid for our room the night before when we dined in the resort's Sunset Restaurant.

After quickly freshening up, we headed for a very late lunch to the other restaurant of Coco Grove, which is Salamandas.  

It was almost 5:30 PM and so seeing the restaurant's operating hours of 6:00 to 9:00 PM on its signage made me worry about not being able to eat lunch at at all.

Thankfully, the food attendant said she could already take our orders as the chef was already in.   Yey!

While waiting for my food to be served, I busied myself so I wouldn't have to mind my growling stomach by walking around the resort and taking photos.  I will not include the said photos in this post though as I want to detail them in my review of the resort.

When I finally sat down as our orders were gradually being served, I took this photo of how the restaurant looked like and the fact that it's empty except for us for its diners should tell you just how late we were for lunch and very very early for dinner.

First to be served was my welcome drinks.

I'm not really a fan of iced tea but this was the worst iced tea I ever had.  Coming from a restaurant, that is, as  it tasted like the commercial Lipton tea in sachets that one can buy in groceries.  They just squeezed in calamansi, which only made it sour and then presented it with flair that it looked good in the photo.

As I was unhappy with my welcome drinks, I waited with great anticipation for my banana shake.

But it too disappointed me as like my milk shake from last night's dinner, it also did not taste sweet enough.  I even felt as if the banana were not fully ripe as it tasted mapakla.

For my main course, I had Pork Rollitini that its menu described as pork tenderloin rolled in bacon, served with home-fried potato and glazed vegetables.

But the pork was not tender at all.  I also could not even taste the bacon as it was too thin a strip.  As for the glazed vegetables, I was left wondering about what they meant by glazed as the vegetables were simply buttered.

Flambeed Bananas and Maple Nut Parfait was my dessert.  It is a parfait of maple syrup, pistachio nuts and white chocolate served with flambeed bananas and homemade chocolate sauce.  

It was served like the above photo but looked more interesting once they poured the alcohol. 

The Parfait was really quite a treat but the bananas were floating in too much alcohol that it tasted bitter.  

After having my fill, Yen and I were convinced of Coco Grove having expensive but bland food.  Good thing the service for today's meal was not slow like last night's. 

Before leaving, I took this photo of the restaurant's interior.

And passed by the restroom for a quick re-touch and couldn't resist taking photos of its cute signage and tastefully done vanity.  

The Danish Lagoon's H.C. Andersen's Restaurant

After my very early morning walk by the seashore, it rained so I went back to our room then at around 8:00 AM, decided to have breakfast by myself as Yen was still asleep.  

As said in my post about the Danish Lagoon, the resort only has one restaurant and it is called H.C. Andersen's Restaurant.  It actually also served as the resort's front desk as on the left side of the entrance is the receptionist's counter.

Prior to this meal, I dined here twice:  the first time was when I had their very yummy Danish Burning Love and the second time was for breakfast on our second day in the island. What I love about H.C. Andersen's Restaurant was its open-air ambiance. 

They also have a bar with its high chairs.

After taking pictures of the restaurant, I proceeded to ordering 2 sunny side up eggs with ham and rice.

 And for my drinks, fresh orange juice.

As with my first breakfast in this resort, the above meal also cost me Php 2000.00 but it was worth it as the home-y cooking was quite delicious I wondered about who prepared it.  Later, Noel answered this questions when he said that one of the owners of the Danish Lagoon personally prepares the meals serve at H.C. Andersen's Restaurant as she's a chef.

Dinner at Coco Grove's Sunset Restaurant

After our sunset moments at Paliton Beach, we went back to the Danish Lagoon to quickly freshen up and leave our things before going to Coco Grove for dinner.

Before dining, Yen and I first checked out Coco Grove and after finding it to our liking, paid for one night accommodation so we could transfer there the following day.

If not an in-house guest of the resort, one has to pay P200.00 entrance fee at the Front Desk, consumable.  After paying for this, we were assisted in going to  Coco Grove's by-the-beach Sunset Restaurant.  I found the location really nice as Yen and I could hear the crashing waves while dining.

For my drinks, I ordered Milk Shake at Php 85.00.  I found it to be not sweet enough.  It also does not taste like Milk Shake at all that mentally, I wished I were at Shakey's indulging in its really yummy chocolate milk shake.

For my main course, I had Chicken Cordon Bleu or breaded chicken fillet stuffed with ham and cheese.  Despite its dip, I found it bland.  At Php 295.00, it was expensive but not satisfying.

As I was unhappy with my drinks and main course, I so looked forward to having my dessert of Siquijor Special.  Priced at Php 95.00, the menu said it's Vanilla Ice Cream with fresh coconut, Siquijor peanuts and caramel sauce.  Unfortunately, I also found it not sweet enough for a dessert and the nuts were not fresh as they were no longer crunchy.  

We also ordered a takeout of Sinigang na Baboy at Php 120.00 for Noel.

Over-all, our dining experience was not really good as the food was so-so and the service was very slow (my stomach was growling as it was already 8:00 PM).  While waiting for our order, we overheard one female attendant say to a companion in the vernacular that there were only the 4 of them.  Gasp!  Four!  And the restaurant was full!  No wonder we saw patrons craning their necks as they waited for their food to be served.

I thought the above was the end of my sad dinner but a worse event came when we had the misfortune of being served by a snooty gay food attendant.  This happened when we asked for our bill and he asked for our room number.  When he saw our receipt for the entrance fee from the Front Desk, he said "Oh, not in-house" with a smirk.

Huh?!  Is it because we were the only locals (well, aside from those who were with their respective foreign companions) in a sea of Caucasian guests and he overheard us talking in the vernacular?  Stung, we replied in perfect English and said we're checking in the following day.  Hmph!

Lunch at Salagdoong Beach

After my leisurely walk around Salagdoong Beach, we decided to have lunch at the resort's restaurant.

For my viand, I ordered my long-craved Pork Sisig at Php150.00. 

Unfortunately, I did not like it as it was too spicy and even putting calamansi on it did not help.  Good thing Yen and I also ordered Bulalo at Php 170.00 for us to share. 

The Bulalo's soup was okay and the meat was tender but it was not served as hot as I would have liked.  Its vegetables were also overcooked.

If there's one thing that saved an otherwise expensive but not-so-yummy meal, it would be their very delicious and affordable mango shake sold at Php45.00.

It was the yummiest mango shake I ever had as the consistency is just right and tasted of fresh, real mango (I said this as some serve their shakes with additives / sweeteners).  It was such a yummy treat I ended up ordering another glass.

When my second order arrived, the hotelier in me couldn't help but notice the different serving glasses used for my mango shakes.  How's that for standards and consistency, huh. 

Price-wise, it was an expensive meal by Siquijor standards as my computation generated the following figures:

          1 Bulalo                                                            Php   85.00

          2 cups of rice                                                    Php   30.00

          1 Sizzling Sisig                                                 Php 150.00

          2 Mango Shakes                                               Php   90.00

          1 Japanese Beef Steak                                      Php   62.50

                                                                        Total:  Php 417.50

The above is the cost of my share of food.  The Japanese Beef Steak and one of the two cups of rice were for Noel and so their cost along with the Bulalo was shared by Yen and me.    

Breakfast at H.C. Andersen's Restaurant

For breakfast, I ordered scrambled eggs with bacon and homemade bread.  The bacon is the same kind of homemade bacon used in their Danish Burning Love though it was not cut in pieces.  I actually stared at it when it was served as I thought it was cured fried pork.

The bread was soft but not tasty.  Of all these, I found the butter most interesting due to its cut that I mistook it for cheese.

As for my drinks, I had a glass of fresh milk.

It was a good meal though it does not live up to its price of Php 200.00.  As said in my previous post, breakfast is not included in the Danish Lagoon's room rates.

Deep Fried Dory Fillet with Rice

After we were done with our registration at Suntec City, Jid and I decided to have lunch in one of its food court. I was not able to note the restaurant name though because the food attendant was rude. When she saw that I was about to take pictures, she motioned her right hand sideways while saying, "No pictures, no pictures!" Still, I got a picture of their menu. Ha!

My lunch consisted of rice and deep fried Dory fillet. I chose it as it was listed as "recommended" in their menu but I was disappointed when I sampled it. The fish was tough and so was the breading.  The sweet and sour sauce was also more sour than sweet.

In any case, it's still enough to fill a grumbling stomach.

Swensen's Singapore

After our leisurely walk along Bugis area and on our way back to the hotel, we passed by Swensen's and it was here that we decided to have dinner.

Why Swensen's

We chose Swensen's because we were tempted by its mouthwatering desserts while looking at its big menu outside. That time, I was feeling a little stressed and as sweets are my uppers (read that as something that lifts me up) and ultimate food choice, the sweet tooth in me just begged to be satisfied.

While passing by, I was also charmed by its casual atmosphere. It's like eating good food in a good restaurant without having to deal with a stuffy ambiance.

What I Ate

I ordered their Chicken Baked Rice, which was said to be one of their all time favorites. The picture on the menu was just plain inviting. According to it, it is tender fried breaded chicken baked over savory rice with cheese in white sauce. Hmm. Seemed decadently delicious.

When my order came, I wasn't disappointed. The chicken was indeed tender, the cheese in white sauce rich and creamy and the entire combination was absolutely quite a treat.

My drinks

I forgot what my drink was called but it was some sort of shake that's minty. It was yummy! The mint complemented the sweetness just fine thus it's not too sweet to make one stop relishing it after a couple of sip.

The Nutty Mighty

Our ultimate treat and my best stress-buster that night was the Nutty Mighty. It had chocolate buttercup, macadamia and mocha almond fudge ice cream crowned with a generous measure of whole macadamia nuts, peanuts, almonds, hot fudge and caramel. The pictures on the menu alone looked fetching.

True to its picture on the menu and name, it was indeed a "mighty" dessert. It was served in a tall ice cream glass with layers of heavenly ice cream with a slew of nuts. Jid and I were just too happy to share it we forgot we were on a business trip for a while as we felt like pampered travelers while eating this gratifying dessert.

For more information about Swensen's Singapore, please visit their official website.