food | Badudets Everything Nice!

Rave: Magnolia’s Choco Chip Cookie Dough

April 29, 2008 by Badet 4 Comments

Summer heat is always making us crave for something cool to make those hot afternoons bearable. And ice cream is the cheapest escape for kids and adults alike, be it dirty ice cream, gourmet or store bought.

I’ve always been a fan of Magnolia ice cream. I love their Chocolate and Strawberry flavors. Their Limited Edition Choco Berry Truffles is good too! Now, I sooo love their Choco Chip Cookie Dough ice cream which reminds me of Ben & Jerry’s and Sebastian’s ice cream. Choco Chip Cookie Dough is vanilla ice cream blended with cookie dough and sprinkled with choco chips.

I will choose this over Sebastian’s Choco Chip Cookie Dough because Sebastian’s ice cream is too sweet for my taste. Magnolia’s is way cheaper than Sebastian’s too!

*photo taken from http://www.sanmiguel.com.ph/Articles.aspx?ID=1&a_id=642

Filed Under: food

Sidetrips in Aklan (Sampaguita Gardens, Ramboy’s, Bagobos)

April 19, 2008 by Badet Leave a Comment

When you’re in Aklan for your Boracay trip and you have time to spare, visiting Jojo’s Christmas Cottage at Sampaguita Gardens in New Washington, Aklan is well worth it. It’s a 10-minute ride from the Kalibo Airport. The highlight inside the Sampaguita Gardens is Jojo’s Christmas Cottage. In here, the motto is “Everyday is Christmas”. The cottage had its share of media exposures and was featured on some of TV shows like Rated K. The cottage houses “Precious Moments” doll collections and various Christmas trees in all forms, themes and sizes. Souvenir items like handicrafts, T-shirts, trinkets and other Precious Moments knick-knacks are sold here.

Jojo’s Christmas Cottage at night

Sampaguita Gardens is sort-of a Mini-Disneyland of Aklan in my opinion. It also has a Thai Spa, Thai-inspired Mr. Butcher’s House, hotel, butterfly garden, coffee shop, function hall and the Oriental Flavors Restaurant for your fine dining experience.

Restaurants:

To taste the best Lechon Manok in Aklan, go to Ramboy’s along the hi-way of Numancia, Aklan. For Caticlan-bound visitors, you can’t miss this place since public transportation always pass this route.

Ramboy’s, Numancia, Aklan

Just beside Ramboy’s is another restaurant called Bagobos. We had our dinner at this place on our first day. We ordered Crispy Pata and Sisig, the Crispy Pata is delicious. But service is really really slow, I’m warning you not to eat here if you’re looking for a quick bite.

Bagobos, Numancia, Aklan

Filed Under: Aklan, food, restaurants Tagged With: Aklan, Bagobos, Boracay, Jojo's Christmas Cottage, New Washington, Numancia, Precious Moments, Ramboy's, Sampaguita Gardens

Where to stay and eat in Boracay on a budget

April 16, 2008 by Badet 4 Comments

Budget Accomodations:

We all know that tourists from all parts of the world flock to Boracay. And with these, prices of some commodities like food and lodging might be expensive for average travelers like me. First would be the accommodation, beach resorts in Boracay offer varied rates for their fan rooms (cheapest) and the deluxe rooms with air-con, hot water and cable TV. Beachfront hotels have higher rates as well as those hotels found in Station 1. We stayed at Casa Pilar in Station 3. Reasonable rates for a decent cottage, it has its own restaurant and security of the resort is not a problem. Rates of rooms, contact number, email and website are as follows:

Casa Pilar Beach Resort (Station 3, Boracay Island, Aklan)

Deluxe AC: lean season Php 2900 – peak season Php 4000
Superior AC: lean season Php 2400 – peak season Php 3300
Standard AC: lean season Php 2000 – peak season Php 2800
Fan Room: lean season Php 1200 – peak season Php 1800
Tel: (63 36) 2883073
Email: casa_pilar@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.casapilarboracay.com/

During our stay, we found a newly built hotel just near Casa Pilar, also in Station 3, called Boracay Sands Hotel. The curiosity in us made us ask for their room rates, the receptionist willingly showed us the rooms and boy, I made a promise to stay in this hotel the next time around. Rooms have 2 double beds, and LCD TV, and a personal ref to boot.

Boracay Sands Hotel (room, pool)

Boracay Sands Hotel (Station 3, Boracay Island, Aklan)

Room rate per night without breakfast: Php 3,850

Tel. no: (036) 2884967 / 4966

CP no: 0927-304-01-31

Budget meals:

Boracay has plenty of restaurants to cater tourists from all walks of life. From fine dining to a simple eatery, you’ll find something somewhere to satisfy your hunger. Andok’s Dokito Frito in Station 3 offers their staple Lechon Manok and other budget meals like Pork Chop, Fried Chicken, Barbecue and Filipino foods. Price of their budget meals starts at Php 49.00. Mang Inasal in D’Mall also has a number of customers because of their cheap but delicious meals. Prices also start from Php 49.00 and up. I ordered Tosilog and Jeff ordered Chicken Inasal when we had our breakfast. If you’re craving for pizza, Yellow Cab has a branch in Station 3 just beside Casa Pilar. They also deliver to your hotels.

Tosilog and Chicken Inasal from Mang Inasal; Yellow Cab

Souvenirs:

For your keepsakes and pasalubongs from Boracay, go to D’Mall to find plenty of keychains and ref magnets for 7 pieces for Php 100. T-shirts that scream “Boracay” range from Php 150-500. On my first visit, I bought T-shirts from “Lonely Planet“. This time, I discovered another store that offers rocking designs called “Metamorphosis“. They sell handpainted shirts and canvass bags for Php 250-580. Just ask for discounts when buying at the store. For summer accessories, sellers can be found at the beach and just choose at your liking from a variety of earrings, necklaces and bracelets offered by the locals.

Metamorphosis Boutique

Accessories and ref magnets a plenty

Filed Under: Aklan, Boracay, food, restaurants Tagged With: Aklan, Boracay, Boracay Sands Hotel, Casa Pilar Beach Resort, cheap hotels, D'Mall, Dokito Frito, Mang Inasal, Station 3, Yellow Cab

Jonah’s Fruit Shakes (Station 1, Boracay)

April 14, 2008 by Badet 6 Comments

Your trip in Boracay will never be complete without trying out the famous fruit shakes in the island. Jonah’s Fruit Shakes is a refreshing break from the sweltering heat of the sun after walking the stretch of Boracay Island. Aside from the fruit shakes, this humble restaurant also offers meals from seafood, Pinoy food such as pancit, sinigang, etc. and Mexican such as tacos, echiladas, etc.

Mango Banana and Choco Peanut from Jonah’s Fruit Shakes

I ordered Choco Peanut while Jeff ordered Mango Banana. Price range of fruit shakes is Php 75 to Php 150 depending on the combination. The most expensive ones (Php 150) are the Strawberry shake variants. I liked the consistency of the shake because of the fine ice.

Since we’re hungry from walking and exploring the islands, we also ate our early dinner here. If you’re ordering in Jonah’s, orders might take long to arrive so don’t go there with your growling stomach or you’ll die of starvation. Jeff’s Chicken Enchilada was first to arrive, since he’s hungry, I told him to eat his meal at once while I waited for my Shrimp Potato Salad. I waited for my salad for about 20-30 minutes, while Jeff already devoured his enchilada.

Chicken Enchilada

Shrimp Potato Salad

The Chicken Enchilada was good, I know because I got to taste a spoonful of it while waiting for my salad to arrive. To sum it up, you can pass up in trying out their meals but their fruit shakes are definitely a must-try! We even went back the next day to try out a different combination, Papaya Mango and Apple Mango.

Filed Under: Aklan, Boracay, food, restaurants Tagged With: Aklan, Boracay, food, Jonah's fruit shakes, Station 1

Going North – Vigan, Ilocos Sur (Part 3)

March 27, 2008 by Badet 3 Comments

At last, the last installment for my Ilocos tour is here though it’s been a month late. But still, I want to share with you memoirs of Calle Crisologo and Baluarte in Vigan. Calle Crisologo is a cobbled-stone street, well-preserved for its cultural heritage. It has a unique character because of its old-world feel complete with the calesas as the only means of transportation. The stretch of Calle Crisologo houses souvenir shops and antique shops. You can buy your souvenir shirts for Php 150-350. Bagnet and Vigan Longganisa are also available here.

Kalesa in Calle Crisologo

Souvenir shirts for Php 150-350 a pop

After buying souvenirs in Calle Crisologo, we headed to Baluarte ni Chavit to check out the animals and exotic birds. Ostriches can loiter around the area but thank God the tigers were kept inside their cages, hehe.