Baji Through the Fire: All women art exhibit

Baji Through the Fire 

an Art Exhibit featuring

Bohol's female artists in celebration of

Women's Month

at Island City Mall Activity Center

March 4 - 30, 2012

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Related link:

Blossoming of the Baji

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Litratong Pinoy

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The Buzzz Cafe

This is the ICM branch of Bohol Bee Farm’s cafe.  A wonderful idea since you need not travel all the way to the farm to replenish your supply of its 100% natural products.  I bought a bottle each of its salabat and wild/molave honey, as well as a couple of their squash muffins.

The salabat I am yet to open, but the wild/molave honey I find lacking in sweetness as those natural honey I’ve been accustomed to in Manila and New York.  The muffins, on the other hand, are quite all right.

I should eat more of this cafe's vegetable dishes, but being at ICM with many familiar comfort food establishments, I tend to give myself license to indulge.  Nonetheless, The Buzzz Cafe is a favorite spot on account of their uniquely-concocted ice cream with unusual flavors, served in what I believe to be, cones made of raw cabcab (dried camote).

This is one cafe that is quite popular and draws a number of patrons at any time of the day.

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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Chow King

This was my favorite Chinese dim sum and short order eatery in Manila until I mastered the streets and alleyways of Chinatown in Binondo like the back of my hand, and discovered its various eateries.  And now, here in Bohol, it has once again become my favorite whenever at Island City Mall and suddenly find myself craving for some dim sum.

Of more significance, Chow King, unlike the other nationally-known and popular fast food restaurants that came to Bohol, has not succumbed to the locals' penchant for saltiness.  

All my favorites from Chow King's menu taste just the way they do in Manila.  That is why, for a quick merienda, I'd often head on over to Chow King for its lumpiang Shanghai and pork tofu.  But for lunch (as in photo on top), I'd add a bowl of wanton soup and at times, siomai, too.  All that for less than 150 pesos.  Chow King's lumpiang shanghai, by the way, has got to be the best I've ever tasted in the country.

Apparently, Chow King seems to have turned a huge number of locals into regular patrons, which explains why it is always crowded.

Lumpiang Shanghai and Pork Tofu

Lunch time

Chow King at its opening hour (Ground Floor -- ICM)

However, when craving for even better Chinese food, I go to Shiang Ma Nou

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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Bo's Coffee

This was my first time to step into a Bo's Coffee shop.  The barista must've known immediately I was a first-timer, for confusion was probably etched on my face as I tried to unravel their menu.  "Hot or cold, sir?" was his question, which I thought was rather smart of him.  I said, "Cold."  And after one more question from him, I was enjoying a grande mocha froccino primo.  

I found myself a seat and perused the pages of the fancy and glossy magazines from Cebu, which they have on a magazine rack for the reading pleasure of their customers.  After a couple of minutes,  I realized how Bo's whole ambience -- the walls' colors, furniture, pastries, my mocha, and etc. -- somehow made me feel like I was in Starbucks instead. 

Bo's Coffee certainly got the Seattle coffee giant down pat!

Without Starbucks in Bohol, Bo's will do and I've been going to this ICM branch ever since then.  I used to finish my trip at ICM by having an ice cream cone next door, but now it has been mocha froccino primo.

Related link: 

Why Working at Starbucks for Three Weeks Was the Toughest Job I've Ever Had

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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Rai Rai Ken @ ICM

I am one of those Chinese food freaks who would oftentimes prefer it than any other dishes.  And that is why Japanese food I'd crave for only every now and then.  However, much to my surprise, I was suddenly and intensely craving for some sashimi one day.  It must have been all that soaking and swimming in salty sea water, I don't know.

There isn't much Japanese eateries here in Bohol.  Even the Japanese-themed resort in Panglao Island does not serve Japanese food.  The only choice for me then is Rai Rai Ken at Island City Mall.  I had the Kantonramen, which was quite tasty and based on Pinoy pancit canton.

The restaurant itself is nice and comfortable, and the lights not too glaring.  They did a good job on creating a very pleasant ambience.

By the way, the very first time I ate at this Japanese restaurant was about a couple of weeks prior to my having the Kantonramen.  I went there for a bowl of miso and to check out their sashimi special.  

However, it wasn't the ideal day for me to order for the latter, because they didn't have the seaweed; thus, they have to replace it with additional tuna.  The platter was not photogenic at all.  Nonetheless, the food was all right, except for the silvery thing that they didn't completely remove from the salmon.  I'd most probably go back there for the ramen and yakisoba.

Rai Rai Ken is at the ground floor of ICM

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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