Tuesday Night is Burger Night!

Chester and I had a hankering for a really good burger so we went to this new burger joint in Piazza Elesia in Talamban, just across Silver Hills. If I'm not mistaken, Buddies is still on their soft opening. 

The newest burger place in town!

The place was pretty simple, white walls and a red counter. Like most casual burger joints, you order first at the counter and they'll bring the food out to you when it's ready. 

The counter

Here's their menu:

After placing our orders, we looked around and chose a table near the glass wall. Our drinks were served just as we started to get settled in and then we waited a few more minutes for our food. First out was my Philly Cheese Steak (150pesos). Sliced steak smothered with Cheese Whiz and caramelized onions on a Hoagie roll. I love the well seasoned steak and how moist and tender it was. I'm actually craving for a Philly again while writing this post. It was that good! 

Philly Cheese Steak

Then came Chester's Double Buddy Burger (150pesos), twice the patty and twice the goodness. You can have some add-ons like egg or cheese, just check their menu board for the other add-ons available. Chester had it plain. The first bite just exploded with flavor. Juicy, hearty and fulfilling. I wish they served French Fries with it (you have to order the fries separately), not a big deal but it would've made the experience better. 

Double Buddy Burger

Finally, the Cheese Quesadilla (80pesos). Tortilla folded in half and filled with cheese, tomatoes and chopped Cilantro. Oh, that refreshing flavor of the Cilantro! 

Cheese Quesadilla

So there it ended, a Philly Cheese Steak, Double Buddy Burger and Cheese Quesadilla. We walked out satisfied.

Coming back for the Tacos and Burritos!

* Oh, who's up for this challenge?

Challenge will start on June 12!

Coffee, Milk Tea, or Both? Sprockets!

My plan was to go out and have coffee after dinner but since Chester has developed a liking for milk tea, we had to look for a place offering both. Well, we've been to quite a few milk tea places here in Cebu (they've been sprouting like crazy!) but I don't recall seeing coffee on their menu. It took us a while to decide where to go and then we realized that there's this new cafe located in J Block Building, Apitong street that we haven't tried yet, Sprockets Cafe. Who knows, they might have coffee too. So we drove all the way to this quiet street in Escario to check it out. Upon entering the Cafe, I was impressed by their "lomo wall" and immediately chose a table near it. 

Look at those cute camera pillows!

The "Lomo Wall"!

Sprockets Cafe interior

We were then given the menu and I was happy to see that apart from their milk teas, they also have coffee, pizza, pasta and other comfort foods. Yay!!! 

Since we already had dinner, we just did a quick scan of their menu and went straight to the dessert section. "Deep Fried Cookie" (75pesos)... Hmmmm. Sounds interesting! Perfect with milk tea and coffee, don't you think? It's basically just Oreo cookies dipped in batter then deep fried served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate and strawberry syrup. Definitely not on the "light menu" but super delicious! 

Deep Fried Cookies

There's the Oreo!

Chester got a Taro Milk Tea with Coffee Jelly, 50% sugar level (90pesos). He originally wanted Black pearls but it wasn't available. I took a sip of his milk tea and it reminded me so much of Quickly. Ah, those were the days! It was good but the 50% sugar level is too low for a sweet tooth like me.

Taro Milk Tea with Coffee Jelly

 I ordered Caramel Frappe (120pesos) and it was amazing! Ice blended coffee topped with whipped cream and caramel syrup, very rich and creamy! Just the way I like it. 

Caramel Frappe

We enjoyed being able to have our coffee and milk tea in this cafe that screams creativity and fun. Maybe we can have dinner here some time. Pasta and steak perhaps? 

Love the spot we got!

Third Time's the Charm at Surfin' Ribs

I'm always up for trying new restaurants here in Cebu and Surfin' Ribs has been on my radar for quite a while now. It's located along Escario street (where Flame It used to be). 

Surfin' Ribs is packed!

Today must have been my lucky day because we finally got a table after two previous attempts. I guess we got there early enough to beat the ridiculous crowd. 

Woot! We got a table!

The place filled up while we were waiting for our food, talk about perfect timing. 

More people coming in...

Their Menu:

Bobby J's Spicy crab and Chili Wings next time!

Like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter. LOL!

Tables with built in buckets! For Crab shells.

We couldn't pass up ordering their best seller: Pete's Ribs (159pesos with rice; 169pesos with mashed potatoes)! It's nice that they have two barbecue sauces you can choose from, original or spicy. We chose original, we'll try the spicy one next time. The ribs were great and their original barbecue sauce was very flavorful but quite overpowering if you don't spread it all over the ribs. I love that the meat comes off the bone easily...YUM! We ordered the one with mashed potatoes but decided to order extra rice because the ribs were quite huge and the mashed potatoes didn't quite do it for me. I found it a bit bland and dry. 

Pete's Ribs

I was surprised to see a pasta dish on their menu and being the pasta person that I am, I just couldn't resist ordering their Baked Penne (89pesos). Served hot and fresh from the oven, this dish was creamy and very cheesy! Kids would definitely love this. I noticed that they didn't use ground pork or beef for their pasta sauce, it looked like ham and corned beef to me but I could be wrong. 

Baked Penne

We had a great dining experience at Surfin' Ribs although it gets a little noisy when the restaurant is full (most of those who dine here come in groups). The staff were very polite and friendly too. This restaurant probably has the most affordable ribs in Cebu without scrimping on taste! If you're craving for that fall-off-the-bone goodness, you know where to go.

Chester's so happy. HAHA!

*Surfin’ Ribs is open from 11am-2pm and 5pm-10pm, Mondays through Saturdays (closes at 12mn on weekends).The place is pretty small and gets really packed so it would be wise to make a reservation ahead of time. 

Contact number: 0917-937-1495

The Drop at Drop Po Cha

Colorful round paper lanterns and the outdoor cabanas were the first two things I noticed about this restaurant. Apparently, that was enough to tickle my curiosity and make me want to check this place out. Drop Po Cha is another restaurant I've discovered along the Banilad-Talamban road (beside Three Sixty pharmacy, near Jollibee). 

Drop Po Cha

Drop Po Cha's facade

Their menu in Korean and English

We sat outside in one of their cabanas and noticed that the restaurant was packed with Korean diners. Chester and I looked at each other obviously thinking the same thing: another Korean owned restaurant in Cebu. 

Outdoor cabana with round paper lanterns

We were in the mood for some drinks and since I don't drink beer, it was Tanduay Ice for me and a bottle of San Mig Light for Chester. I can't remember the exact prices of their drinks but it was quite expensive considering the casual vibe of the place. 

Draaaanks! Free peanuts!

For pica pica, the owner recommended that we try their Gizzard Fry. She said it was one of their best sellers so that's what we ordered. We had Gizzard Fry (200 pesos) and Korean noodles (100 pesos). 

The Gizzard Fry was a big disappointment. It was served on a sizzling plate which had more bell peppers and onions than the gizzard itself. For 200 pesos, it was not worth it. 

Gizzard Fry

The Korean noodles was basically just instant noodles. So yes, we paid 100 pesos for an ordinary Korean instant noodle. 

Noodles for two

Drop Po Cha is a nice place to chill but I think that the food is a bit overpriced and nothing special. The staff were nice and friendly but that's it. I don't think we'll be going back. 

Thank God for good company!!!

Taste of Thailand in Cebu

I was feeling a bit adventurous one evening so we figured why not try this Thai restaurant we have drove past a few times. It's located right beside Amicos Pizza, across Bright Academy in Banilad. Simple and unassuming like the other restaurants I've been to, Thai Asian Cuisine de Cebu did not disappoint. 

Thai Asian Cuisine de Cebu

Everything here is basic... except the food.

It's easy to miss this restaurant from the street, a slightly worn out sign simply says "Thai Asian Cuisine de Cebu" and right below their signage is their menu printed on a big tarpaulin. But what Thai Asian Cuisine de Cebu lacks in decor, they truly make up on taste. 

We ordered the usual crowd-pleaser, Pad Thai (160 pesos), Bagoong Rice (80 pesos) and Chicken in Garlic Sauce (160 pesos). Their Pad Thai was the best I've tasted, a perfect blend of spicy, sweet, sour and salty flavors. The peanut sauce makes this dish! 

Pad Thai

Chester loved the Chicken in Garlic Sauce just as much as I did. It was just a tad too spicy for me but I didn't mind taking a few deep breaths in between, it was that good. 

Chicken in garlic sauce

I was pleasantly surprised with the Bagoong Rice. It was a huge serving of rice, shrimp paste and mango strips. A full meal in itself.

Bagoong rice

Thai Asian Cuisine de Cebu is a fantastic little restaurant with a very powerful and bold menu of traditional Thai Cuisine. So if you're around the area and craving for authentic Thai food, be sure to give this place a try. You'll be glad you did!

The foodies!

Full to the brim!