1. Lechon Baboy sa Carcar (if you haven’t tried it, you haven’t eaten the best Cebu Lechon yet.)
2. Siomai sa Tisa (Its reputation makes its owner a millionaire.)
3. Larang sa Fuente (Mais, Larang & Sparkle. Anything more Bisaya than that?)
4. Ginabot sa Mabolo (I love flowers especially if they are made into crackers. Chicharon Bulaklak)
5. Lansiao sa Pasil (Who needs Viagra?)
6. Bakasi sa Cordova (Paksiw is the best.)
7. Kanding sa Consolacion (Say it the goat way. “Lameeeeeeh!”)
8. Halo-halo sa Pardo (magpangita ka)
9. Lechon Manok sa Talamban (Be patient while queuing for it. There is always a prize for those who wait.)
10. Liempo sa Balamban (Nothing beats the original!)

Chicharon Bulaklak PHOTO BY: http://pinayflyinghigh.wordpress.com

Discover for yourself the thrill of authentic Cebuano food!

Now on its 4th year, the Marco Polo Plaza calls on all global citizens once more to join this exciting week of culinary journey to Switzerland, as well as celebrate Swiss National Day.

From July 30, Friday, until August 8, Swiss traditions cross oceans to the hotel’s Café Marco, where diners can enjoy a gourmet selection as comprehensive as the alphabet. Those who come for lunch and dinner get to enjoy Swiss delicacies from Alpine air-dried beef to chocolates, cheese fondue to raclettes, roesti, sausages, and Zurich-style veal. Enjoy a world of Swiss goodness alongside Café Marco’s international buffet favorites. The Café Marco serves lunch from 12:00 pm until 2:30 pm at Php 885 and dinner from 6:30 pm until 10:00 pm at Php 1,072.

On Saturday, July 31, the Marco Polo Plaza, to be led by General Manager Hans Hauri, a Swiss national himself, will also celebrate Swiss National Day – a truly festive affair to honor and gather Swiss nationals outside their homeland.

Swiss National Fest dinner tickets will be sold at Php 1,090+ for a delectable spread of Swiss buffet at the Garden Terrace, unlimited soft drinks and juices, great entertainment, traditional games, bonfire and a chance to win some exciting prizes. Also, enjoy a Swiss Weekend Package from July 30 to August 2, with room rates starting at Php 2,999+.

For inquiries and reservations, call 253-111 loc 8245 or email mpplaza@marcopolohotels.com.

I attended its launching on July 16, 2010 at the Marco Polo Hotel Lobby. The event was graced by the no less than Spain’s Ambassador to the Philippines  His Excellency Luis Arias-Romero and Honorary Consul of Spain Jaime Picornell, Ms. Gema Pido and Mr. Hans Suri. Special performances by Pianist Maestor Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz accompanied by Guitarist Ruben Reyes entertained the guest during the short program.

The ceremonial cutting of the Serrano Ham at Café Marco and unveiling of the quintessential Paella  at El Viento Restaurant at Pool bar highlighted the event. The Parade of Chefs and Waiters makes this event more festive.

Comida

The main event was Dinner where  several Spanish food were served. Among my favorite are of course the Spanish Paella, mechado , olive salad and the yummy tortilla de berenjena (eggplant). Food was savored with every little sip of Spanish wine in between. The Sangria is making me blush. The Spanish Doughnut Churros, creme brule and Brazo de Mercedes were perfect to wrap-up that wonderful Spanish dinner which surely was a champion.

Felicitaciones España!

Thank you Ecka, Jennifer and Belle for the invite and wonderful company during dinner, Sinjin for the picks and Doyzkie for the ride.

The sun was up and burning when I was catching for a taxi ride to Ayala Center Cebu after that nagging cellphone alarm reminded me that I have committed to attend to a media event for the opening of FIC (Fruits in Ice Cream), Ayala Center Cebu. Looking at my insistent list, I was ready to bunk off the event in order to focus more on those that would fatten my wallet but instinctively, I succumb to the summoning pleasures of the Ice Cream, so I attended anyway.

Arriving rather fashionably late and after an obligatory chit-chat with fellow bloggers and other guests, I dig in. I had two scoops of Coffee-Late Lite and NangkaSuy Sorbetes. The contrast was intended for me to be able to at least try all their lines of ice cream. They got almost 40 ice cream flavours in four different lines: gourmet, premium, FIC lite and Pinoy Sorbetes.

NankaSoy was very tasty. I can taste and smell the jackfruit in it. Exactly, what this store promises – a fruit in ice cream. I can taste the fruit juxtapose with the creaminess of the coconut milk, a very good alternative for the lactose intolerant or those that have allergy on dairy protein. Other available sorbets in the market comes with a lot of air softening the ice cream making it easy to melt. I think FIC has a better stabilizer that really holds those air bubble structure together for a better texture and smoother ice cream.

For a guilt-free indulgence, why not try the Lite line of ice cream? It has NO SUGAR and with 50% less calories compared to regular ice cream. The same ice cream but less worries. Who can’t be happy with that?

The ice cream was such a welcome antidote of that stressful list of To-dos. It has the capacity to put you in another world where satisfaction is genuine and joy is real. Simply, it makes me happy.

Suggested Flavors you should try:

Almost all in the Gourmet line like Pistachio, Raspberry Rapture and Caramello con Pastillas. These and all for less than a hundred pesos.

COMPANY DETAILS:

Fruits in Ice Cream is available in Ayala Center Cebu (3rd Floor, next to Chowking) and SM City Cebu (Upper Ground Level by Chinabank and Ace Hardware), as well as Cebu Country Club.

One may avail of big discounts when purchasing the pints and half gallons at FIC Cebu depot, which is located at 13 Bauhinia Drive, Banilad. Telephone No.: 232 8164.

Fruits in Ice cream also caters for special events such as birthday parties, anniversaries, as well as school and corporate events.

Watch out for the new product lines to be launched by May. I tried their Milkshakes and its really good. Its 2 scoops of ice cream plus a little milk blended together. For sure I will be getting it by May.

Early morning of the “beach day” we met at Jollibee A.S. Fortuna which is incidentally the tip of the Maribago-Mandaue route of public utility jeepneys. From A.S. Fortuna (Highway Seno) one can ride a PUJ to Maribago Bluewaters with a fare of only P13.00. I was a little bit late for the assembly. I erroneously assumed that others may come late. I think I underestimated their excitement. We even took a taxi instead of a PUJ in order to reach Maribago Bluewater fast. That is how thrilled we are. We paid P300.00 for our taxi fare but I think it would have been 200 – 250 pesos had it been metered. It doesn’t really matter anyway. We are all ecstatic to amuse ourselves with the charming beach and pool of the Bluewaters.

Upon our arrival, we are greeted with the polite and enchanting smiles of the receptionists. Since I know one of them personally, we immediately registered our names and hit the beach. This would have been 600 pesos worth of entrance fee had this not been an official blogger activity.

It was an awesome morning but the sea was a bit shy hiding away from us. We proceeded to a better alternative – the Garden Wing Pool. It was supposedly a pool dedicated for in-house guests of the Bluewaters but after being identified as VIP guests we got a pass to swim the pool. (Wow, this is the life. that is a blogger)

Maribago Bluewaters Parasailing

The pool is 5 feet deep which is just perfect for me. We wander and tour the pool while we flaunt our camwhoring genius. The poolside is ideal for friendly chitchats while lying on the beach bed. Reading a good book while resting is also an option.

It’s 11:30am and we are all hungry. I was ready to devour whatever is on the table. The feast was lavish and appetizing. It was set up on the beach with white tent under the shade of the green tall trees. On the menu are some appetizers including the famous chicken lollipop, some Mongolian food, paella, beef, and fish but what interests me the most was the grill section of the buffet. I tasted all that was grilled. I started with the grilled squid which was so tender and yummy because of its fresh sauce. Then, I tried the grilled chicken which is also a knock-out. My favourite, hotdog wrapped with bacon was a sure hit. I can still remember its taste and I am actually salivating while writing this. The grilled marlin was also very fresh and tasteful. I did not expect that it will taste that good. To cap it all, I finish my main dish with some fresh burgers. I was fascinated with its patty so I gave it a try. It was very juicy made up of 100% pure beef. Burger patty plus tomatoes would always work wonders for me. I am not really a big fan of halo-halo but I am an ice cream addict. I finished my lunch with my own concoction of what is supposedly a halo-halo in a coconut shell topped with a scoop of ice cream. This is the life. This is supposedly a 700 hundred pesos eat-all-you-can buffet.

After our last burp, we took some pictures by the beach and decided to exercise our jumping skills. We hit the pool again do some pool exhibitions like the merry go round, old Nestea stunt, water race, human bridge and the trivial “dakop-dakop”. We also record short video of us giving tips for the next bloggers who will soon visit the resort for a maximum Bluewater experience.

The day ended as we lazily lay down on the beach beds facing the sea as we witness the enchanting sunset while it kisses the horizon. It was a zen moment. We then took a refreshing shower and hit the road ready for the arduous week ahead.