Iloilo: Barkada burger at Perri Todd's

Now how big can a burger get? Well, I found that out when I tried out the barkada burger at Perri Todd's in Iloilo City. Their Premium Burger, made of pure beef and good for 4 persons, is Php220. They also have a Premium Burger with Cheesy Mushroom Dressing at Php250.


There are over a dozen other barkada burgers in their menu (with bacon, caramelized onions, blue cheese, grilled pineapple or buttered mushrooms). Plus the Todd's Potato, their version of mojos with a pomodoro and carbonara dip, is really good!

Perri Todd's
8 Cuartero Street, Jaro, Iloilo City
(033) 5082598 / (0920) 8925504

Iloilo: Carlitos Restaurant and the Original Biscocho Haus

I was in Iloilo City recently to speak at the Tourism and Hospitality Students' Congress Nationwide Caravan - Iloilo Leg. As always, food tripping was also on the agenda! It was recommended that I try out Carlitos Restaurant which comes from the owners of the Original Biscocho Haus.

The restaurant is named after Dr. Carlos Guadarrama whose food mantra was a balanced diet, way before the advent of the food pyramid. The bestseller is Steak ala Teresa, the matriarach’s version of luscious, moist and sizzling choice beef tenderloin. The original branch of Carlitos Restaurant is along the National Highway in Pavia. But they opened a new branch beside the Biscocho Haus in Jaro.

They serve some local Iloilo favorites. But the menu choices are plentiful since they also serve pizza, pasta, meats and seafood, burgers, sandwiches, breakfast and dessert among others. Perennial family favorites like Ox Tongue and Callos are made available.


I tried out their pizza best-sellers: Carlitos Overload Pizza with everything on it, and Teresa's Spanish Pizza, with Spanish chorizo on mozarella cheese. Both were really good!

For the local food, we had Teresa's Special Efuven (egg noodles with pork and vegetables), and their Dinuguan which is served with Puto Manapla. The Pancit Efuven, cooked light and delicately herbed, is an heirloom recipe of the Guadarramas of Fajardo Street. I also tried out the Carlitos' Steak (beef tenderloin served with a special steak sauce) and the Fillet Steak (which is seasoned with herbs and spices and covered with a creamy crabmeat sauce).


For dessert, I highly-recommend the Butterscotch a la Mode (which is the famous Biscocho Haus butterscotch topped with vanilla ice cream and their homemade custard sauce) and the Banana Fritters (their version of turon but served with their really rich homemade custard sauce).

You also might want to know that Carlitos’ Jaro branch has live music on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with pica-pica to match light drinks on its alfresco T-Grillhouse.


After dinner, I walked over to the Original Biscocho Haus store to buy goodies to take home. On top of the list was butterscotch. I got introduced to this really yummy butterscotch way back in high school and I've been a fan ever since. Aside from the original flavor, they've innovated and created some with dried fruits such as prunes and mangoes.

Biscocho is another main product. That's why they're called the Biscocho Haus! They also have the Ilonggo favorites which include barquillos and piaya. I was actually amazed at the variety of products the Biscocho Haus now produces.

Carlitos Restaurant & Original Biscocho Haus
Airport Highway, Pavia, Iloilo
(033) 3293252

8 Lopez Jaena Street, Jaro, Iloilo City
(033) 3290862 / 3290864 / 5085909

Cebu: Larsian, sutukil (STK) and more Cebu street food

If Malaysia has its mamaks, Cebu City has Larsian sa Fuente or simply Larsian, a street food arcade open from 2 p.m. until the wee hours of the morning. Larsian is a collection of stalls which virtually serve the same thing, grilled meats and seafood. I was able to try out the great grilled meats and seafood they serve at the older location just a few meters away from where the current Larsian stands.



Just to give you an idea of what's available and how much things cost, here a list of what I saw there:
Chicken breast Php40
Chicken butt/pwet/isol Php30
Chicken gizzard/balun-balunan Php13
Chicken intestine/isaw
Chicken leg/paa Php45
Chicken liver/atay Php13
Chicken skin/balat Php12
Chicken wing/pakpak Php30
Hotdog Php10
Longganisa/chorizo Php15
Longganisa/skinless Php15
Pork backbone Php12
Pork barbecue Php5
Pork belly Php12
Pork liver/atay Php13
Squid/pusit Php60
White marlin Php60
Anduhaw Php60
Rice/puso Php2.50

Since we're on the topic of street food in Cebu, another thing you shouldn't miss is STK or sutukil, a short-cut for three ways of preparing food: sugba (grill), tuwa (boil), and kilaw (raw). While Mactan is said to be where sutukil started, I was told it's safer getting sutukil in Cebu City since the stalls in Mactan aren't exactly what they used to be as they charge too much (because they're so used foreigners and their budgets) and are said to switch your chosen seafoods with older supplies inside the kitchen. Is this true?

Anyway, if the photos of celebrities, politicians and other famous personalities on the wall of STK ta Bay! is not enough testament to the great sutukil they serve, I don't know what is!

STK ta Bay!
6 Orchid St. Capitol Site, Cebu City
(032) 2562700 / 2564732 / (0918) 2647209

Cebu: Handuraw Pizza, the best tasting thin crust in Cebu!

Those who've been reading my blog should have noticed pizza is one of my favorite foods. So while in Cebu, I made sure to try out some of the pizza favorites. And among the top choices is Handuraw Pizza!


Handuraw Pizza serves 12-inch pizzas on a really thin crunchy crust which I really liked. The best seller is the Handuraw Special (Php298) which has almost everything on it including Italian sausage, ham, bacon, pepperoni, onions, green bell pepper, tomatoes, black olives, mushrooms and spices. Another best seller is Pizza Cebuana (Php298) which is chorizo de Cebu and kesong puti. Also try out Filipino Anchovy (Php288) which has dilis or ginamos (Philippine anchovy) and pesto sauce. Last on my picks would be the American Roast (Php288) which has roast beef, honey mustard, fresh lettuce, mushrooms and onions.

Every Sunday, they have a pizza, pasta and pica-pica buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. At Php238 per person, how could you go wrong?! Plus the restaurant is a fine example of adaptive reuse of old architecture since it is situated in an old house which of course adds to the ambiance of the place.

And the good news is they have a branch in Metro Manila. It's hidden in an Internet cafe in Katipunan. Well at least now it's no longer a secret!

Handuraw Pizza
460 Gorordo Avenue, Lahug, Cebu City
(032) 2326401

One Mango, Gen. Maxilom (Mango) Avenue, Cebu City
(032) 4163200

XBX Interactive, 2F Burgundy Place, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
(02) 4354361

Cebu: Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort in Mactan Island and Amuma Spa

Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort is a seven-hectare beach resort in Buyong Maribago, Mactan Island, Cebu. I was looking forward to my stay after a relaxing visit to the Sumilon Bluewater Island Resort. It was another long drive from Oslob to Lapu-Lapu City. We arrived at Maribago just in time for dinner.


They have themed dinners every night. And on Sundays, they serve the five-course Chef's Special. For my visit, it was a kebab theme which included Trio of Maki Kebab (Dragon Roll, Dynamite Roll, California Maki) for the appetizer, a choice of chicken, pork tenderloin or seafood kebab for the main course, and fruit kebab with dark chocolate sauce for dessert.


The highlight of my stay was getting pampered for close to four hours at Amuma Spa. Amuma is Cebuano for pamper. And indeed, that's what I got with their Lapu-Lapu Package. The treatment is a combination of the skin pampering Makisig Treatment (I got scrubbed with barako coffee and painted with chocolate tableas, virgin coconut oil and cream before relaxing in a jacuzzi), and a two-hour deep-tissue body massage called duot (which I can't remember since I was so relaxed and slept through it).

Their signature treatment is the Amuma Hilot which combines massage techniques from around the Philippines including the use of warm banana leaves to soothe your muscles. It even comes complete with native rituals such as pausok (space cleansing through medicinal herbs and mineral smoke), dasal (prayer), and orasyon (blessings, chants and spiritual invocations).

Before calling it a night after four hours in Amuma Spa, I took a stroll around the resort. It was nice walking around in the evening since the mellow lighting around the resort, the many pools and fountains and its thatch-roofed buildings give the resort an enchanting feel.



Before trying out their sumptuous breakfast buffet spread in the morning, I walked towards the beach area to enjoy the morning sun. Unfortunately, I had to rush to the Mactan Airport in a while. Too think there was so much to do at the Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort.

If you're a chess fan, there's a life-sized chessboard in the beach you can play around with if you want to get more than your mind moving. Then there's the in-house Aquamania Water Sports which offers wake boards, wave riders with banana boat, isotope catamarans, wind surfs, ocean kayaks, masks and snorkels, fishing lines, scuba diving and banca tours to other islands.

There's also a calendar in your rooms which outline the various educational activities (they teach you how to dance the tinikling or play native games), entertainment and shows and other things to see, taste and experience. That being said, I hope I get a chance to stay longer because that last stay was bitin!

How to get to Maribago
A stay in Maribago includes free airport transfers. The Mactan Airport is just 15 to 20 minutes from Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort.

Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort
(032) 4920100 / maribago@bluewater.com.ph
(02) 8175751 / 8871348