Malaysia: Hello again from Kota Kinabalu!

Hello again from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia! I found myself back in the city where Ivan About Town was born. I wrote my first blog entry in Trekkers Lodge, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on April 19, 2005. Sabah then was such an exotic destination to me. It still is now as I discover new places outside Kota Kinabalu.

The Sabah Tourism Board had graciously arranged my itinerary for this trip. From Terminal 2, I was brought to the Novotel Kota Kinabalu 1Borneo which would be my home for the next three days. It's several kilometers from the city center but is integrated with the 1Borneo Hypermall together with several other hotels. 1Borneo has a free shuttle service between the complex and major points of interest in the city every 30 minutes.


The rooms are very chic and modern with really comfortable beds. And there's free LAN Internet access in the rooms which is obviously very important to me. Breakfast was a feast. And I enjoyed in particular the roti canai and other local dishes that is included in the international breakfast buffet they serve every morning. I was guilty of a food binge almost everyday.

During this visit, I got to return to Manukan Island and visit another island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park called Sapi Island. I also got to visit the Klias River in search of Borneo's Proboscis Monkey. I'll talk about that in my next posts.

Makati: Legazpi Sunday Market turns five on Sunday!

Legazpi Sunday Market will be celebrating it's fifth anniversary this Sunday, July 25, 2010 with a Grand Buffet featuring dishes from all of Legazpi Market's food vendors. The one-go buffet starts at 11 a.m. and costs only Php180 per head. Raffle prizes will also be given away to lucky shoppers.

To learn more about Legazpi Sunday Market, check out Legaspi Sunday Market is Makati's undiscovered food haven. And when you're at Legazpi Market, don't forget to take home Imang Salud Ensaimada. It's best to reserve since supply runs out really quick.

Palawan: La Terrasse is Puerto Princesa's next big restaurant

It all started with a search for this secluded French restaurant called Ditchay's Bistro. I was told about this really cozy restaurant which serves French cuisine in an area near Rene's Saigon Restaurant. It was not even along the main road and you had to go further inside to get to it. When I finally got there, there was a sign that Ditchay's was closed for the time being. And it invited guests to try out a new restaurant called La Terrasse along Rizal Avenue.

La Terrasse is also managed by Ditchay Roxas, who is married to a Frenchman. She was at La Terrasse when we got there and introduced her new concept to us. La Terrasse is a representation of Puerto Princesa's international vibe, owing to the fact that the city has a large expat community. It offers a mix of international cuisine fused with local flavors, in what she calls a balance of Asia and Europe. She also mentions her effort to make some local Filipino delicacies palatable to the foreign tongue such as dilis which she tastefully mixes into fried rice.


We got to try the sumptuous and sinful Adobo Overload which is chicken and pork adobo twice fried served with a generous portion of rice fried in adobo oil and topped with adobo flakes and chicharon. We also ordered Crackling Belly which is her version of bagnet. The menu is still a work in progress though since it's still on soft opening. They expect to launch the restaurant in August.


Also in the works is a deli where they plan to sell locally-sourced products such as breads and locally-processed meats such as bacon and ham from Ernie Lim, sausages from a German national based here, and a Spaniard who makes chorizo. Also available will be locally-made cheeses such as Davao's blue goat cheese, carabao cheese from Nueva Ecija, blush blue and pink and margarita cheese.

While the quality of some popular restaurants in Puerto Princesa are going down as they continue to sit on their laurels (I hope certain by-reservation only restaurants realize that word is going around that the quality of their food and service is decreasing), La Terrasse provides a breath of fresh air, offering a new choice to Puerto Princesa's locals and visitors. Owing to the success of Ditchay's Bistro, I can foresee that La Terrasse will be Puerto Princesa's next big restaurant.

To the fans of Ditchay's Bistro, the restaurant will remain closed until the operations of La Terrasse will normalize. Hopefully, when I do return to Palawan, I can eat at both!