This is my little corner of the web where i get to promote my hometown and home province, Bacolod City and Negros! I love to eat, so don't be confused when you see a lot of food here, it can all be found here in Negros. Also, don't hesitate to drop me a comment or question in my ask box!
Proud Pinay.
Proud Negrense.
Proud Bacolodnon.
Discover the beauty of Negros
Dad and I were looking for someplace to eat lunch and decided to go to Fresh Start Organic and Naturals store. I tried their Malunggay Smoothie while he tried the Carrot Papaya Smoothie. He said his was a little too sweet, but I believe mine was just right. It tasted delicious! That’s coming from someone who doesn’t eat vegetables. For lunch, we shared a Triple Decker Sandwich and Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Salad. The Triple Decker was a little bit different from last time, instead of just olive oil they put a honey mustard spread which for me was a bit overpowering. But I still loved the “patty” which was made from puso sang saging. Fresh cheese with tomatoes and garlic on whole wheat bread-the grilled cheese sandwich was enjoyable in its simplicity. As always, Fresh Start never disappoints.
eskapo asked: any photos of the "roughing it up" part? curious lang, only been as far as sipalay..
The “roughing it up” part was only at their farm. As for Pinky’s resort, their accommodations are okay. Just a one double bed and a shower that barely works (had to use the faucet and tabo, no pail). Will post some scenes while walking to their farm in a while. :)
One summer weekend, one of my college friends invited us to visit her hometown of Hinoba-an. The this quaint beach town is about a 5-6 hour bus trip from Bacolod City. We left after lunch on a Friday afternoon and arrived at around 7 in the evening just in time for dinner.
We had an early start on Saturday, as we had to cook our food for the excursion after which we packed up and went to Pinky’s Beach resort. Rural is as rural goes and if you’re looking for affordable accommodations, then this is it—if you don’t mind the videoke up until around 10 in the evening. The beach was calm and beautiful in its own way, not anything close to the white sand beaches of Boracay but it had a beautiful sunset.
During the day we went to a private island resort, currently not in operation but since my friend’s family knew the sister of the owner of the island, they decided to let us on a little island hopping trip. The white house on the hill was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. We weren’t allowed to take pictures of the interior so you’ll have to make do with my descriptions. The rooms were spacious and the furniture were all luxurious and many of them antiques. One bathroom even featured black marble walls and floors. The kitchen was big and had all the latest kitchen gadgets including a stainless steel two-door refrigerator with a built-in espresso maker and so much more. The bar was made of white marble and the long dining table as well as the three-story staircase was all made of hard wood. Just breathtakingly beautiful! Including the view! And what a view it was, three hundred sixty view of the island and the ocean on the wrap-around balcony.
The island also featured a chapel, gazebo, other rest smaller rest houses, designated fire places, brick ovens and grills, a Japanese Garden, tennis court, basketball court and my personal favorite, the infinity pool. Too bad we weren’t able to take a dip as the pool was being cleaned. We did get to swim in the ocean though, and look at the water!
We were sad to say goodbye to the island, and are really hoping that all the political problems surrounding this resort would soon be resolved as it really could help with the municipality’s economy.
The next day, we woke up early to go to our friend’s family farm. It was about a 10-15minute walk from the proper and we had so much fun walking around the fields of corn, coconut, peanuts and more! I even got to hold a baby goat! :D
So that pretty much wraps up my experience. I’ve always had fun roughing it up in places like this, hoping for more adventure soon!
This post is dedicated to Angeli, Susan and the rest of the Espinosa family who warmly welcomed us back to their home.
Cookies and Crumbs recently expanded and opened up a new branch in the Mandalagan area. My first sit-down encounter with them in their original branch was a happy accident when my boyfriend and I wanted pizza, but the pizza place next to theirs was closed and they just recently opened.
We didn’t get to eat pizza, but we got a good meal out of it. During that time, cookies and crumbs was known for their delicious, freshly baked soft cookies (and still are, mind you!) but their menu has expanded to include meals.
I’m particularly fond of their chick n’ pasta meal combos, which we tried when we visited their new branch. It was still the same, a pasta, chicken and salad served with vinaigrette.
During our lunch, their place was packed. And given it was a Sunday and the place was new, their staff were a bit flustered if you ask me. The food is ok and very affordable, but if they don’t up their customer service soon, they’re not going to do very good.
One of my favorite places to hang out is at the Fresh Start Organic and Naturals store at Robinson’s Central Citywalk.
In this sweltering summer, sometimes its too hot to get a steaming mug of coffee. You can still get your coffee fix there, they have iced black coffee (yes, I layed off the sugar!) and iced lattes.
I also loved their triple layer sandwich. I think it was vegetarian, because the filling was (my boyfriend took a wild guess) banana heart, in the form of a hash as well as lots of leafy greens with the whole wheat bread drizzled with olive oil and garlic. A delicious snack for only P135 with a side of baked kamote chips!
Fresh Start Organics and Naturals store never ceases to surprise me with their creations!
One sunny Saturday afternoon, my mom, dad, my boyfriend and I decided to visit May’s Organic Garden for lunch. It was so humid in the city, but as soon as we stepped out of the car, the change in the air was immediate. It kind of gave us the feeling of being beside the sea.
Organic Market
Mom, Dad and I decided to try the food at the Organic Market last weekend. It has long been one of our foodie destination, but we never got the chance except last week—and we’ve been missing a lot!
Although the food was nothing spectacular, we got a decent, very cheap meal! All of the food is lutong bahay. Other concessionaires Honey Grace were open but served only limited food and Verdana was closed because it was a holiday. Honey Grace has interesting food I’m interested to try next time I go there such as their veggie burger and their malunggay pesto pasta.
One of the pictures above shows their improvised menu of a variety of fresh fruit and veggie shakes and salads. I tried their mango shake and dad and mom both got avocado shakes. When they arrived, we were a bit puzzled by the color at first, because they had a brownish tinge, but it turns out they use organic mascovado sugar to sweeten the shakes! And only for P30! Next time, I want to try their stevian malunggay shake, it wasn’t available when we visited that time.
Outside the organic restaurant is a small organic market where concessionaires sell organic produce. One of them is Fresh Start Organic. Also available are various kinds of organic rice (red, brown, black and white) as well as organic eggs! Yes, organic eggs at P9 a piece!
So, if you’re looking for home-cooked healthy goodness, go to the Organic Market! It’s located along Gatuslao and South Capitol Road at the back of the Provincial Capitol Building.
My family, my boyfriend and I had an impromptu trip to the newly renovated Buenos Aires Mountain Resort in Bago City. It’s been 6 years since I was last there , and although to me nothing has changed, I guess most of the renovations were centered on the pool area which we did not go to. We decided a dip in the river would be just as refreshing—my grandfather certainly enjoyed himself!
The overnight cottages were newly painted, and the gardens are now much more beautiful and colorful. The name “Buenos Aires” roughly translates to “good air” and I believe its just appropriate. It’s a refreshing place to be because there are so many trees, and the temperature is cooler compared to Mambukal Mountain Resort in Murcia.
We had lunch at The Hostel, it’s located at the top of the resort. You can either drive up there or climb the stairs from the bottom. The food was ok, nothing fancy. Mostly home-cooked meals. What I love about them though, is that they served brewed coffee haha!
Entrance for the resort is P50.00 for adults and P30.00 for children 12 years old and below. Overnight cottages and hostel rooms range from P1,250.00 - P3,500.00 a night. Day use cottages range from P200.00 - P400.00. They also have various pavilions and function halls for seminars and the like.
For inquiries and reservations you can e-mail tourism@bagocity.gov.ph or call (034) 4610 540.
