Banois - Casual Vietnamese Dining

Nope! It's not french. It's Vietnamese for grandmother on the father's side.
Banois is a casual dining restaurant. They have branches in

Legaspi Village
12B Tropical Palms, 103 Dela Rosa Corner Perea Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City

UP Town Center
Ground Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City

Estancia Mall
Basement 1, Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Oranbo, Pasig City

Kapitolyo
Basement 1, Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Oranbo, Pasig City

We've tried the one in U.P. Town Center. Went here for my grandparents' 57th anniversary. We we're hesitant at first since there weren't any people inside so we were thinking if it's good. And I must say, it's really not bad!
Here are some of the food we liked:

Goi Cuon (P215.00)
Pork, shrimp and vermicelli attractively rolled in rice paper served with their famous peanut sauce

Goi Buoi Tom Thit (P215.00)
Sweet pomelo and shrimp tossed in calamansi-sesame dressing surrounded by lobster cracker

Goi Xoai Ca Kho (P215.00)
Fresh green mango, sweet basil and dried fish tossed in their famous nuoc mam dressing and garnish with toasted garlic and fried shallots. A refreshing start.

Suon Nong Xa (P295.00)
The addictive pork riblets flavored with their special lemongrass fusion, pan-fried and served with soy-chili sauce
--Another yummy one! Carlo's favorite!

Bo Luc Lac (P370.00)
The house favorite stir-fried spiced beef served with fried basil
-- This was my personal favorite! Super tender and flavorful beef tenderloin cubes!

Ca Tre Chien Gion Mam Gung (P245.00)
Deep fried crispy catfish served with salad greens and nuoc cham

Mi Xao Don (P250.00)
Crispy Egg Noodles crowned with stir fried pork, seafood and veggies.

Photo from Banois Menu

Banois will surely satisfy your Vietnamese food craving anytime. Reasonable prices and yummy food!

Port Barton, Palawan - A Little Piece of Heaven

Eversince our trip to El Nido, there was no other beach better for us. Then again we wanted to explore more of Palawan so our good friend, Bia, suggested we go to Port Barton. We don't regret it at all! It is actually a more laid-back, quieter version of El Nido.

DAY 1

We booked a plane going to Puerto Princesa. Unfortunately, the flight we got arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon.

NOTES:
Make sure you book for an early flight since you have to travel around 4 hours from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton.

Withdraw cash in Puerto Princesa. No ATMs in Port Barton.

Electricity shuts off at 2:00 AM - 6:00 AM. Some resorts have generators.

We rode a van to Barton at 3:00 PM from PP and arrived around 8pm. We booked an overnight stay at the White House. (because our reservation at Ausan Beach Cottages wasn't until the following day) Locals told us a government official owned the place. Anyway, it was late, of course there was nothing left to do but chill. We had a few drinks before going to bed. Ardie surprised Bia with a necklace! Yep. It was their anniversary. Talked a few minutes more and finally went to bed.

DAY 2

We checked in at Ausan Beach Front Cottages for the duration of our stay in PB. We realized there's really no use in booking an air conditioned room since you're out in the morning and afternoon, and when it's time to sleep, it's going to shut off anyway. We couldn't sleep! Ang init!

Also, it's fine if you don't book a beach front accommodation, the hostels are very near the beach. I'm sure that's also what the locals will tell you.

We booked a 2 day tour. (about 700 per person per day. including lunch)
Everything is actually negotiable with the tour guides. Just please make sure not to haggle too much. Their prices are very reasonable.

Exotic Island
We spent around 30 mins in this island. When the tide is low, a sand bar appears which connects 2 islands together.

Toby and Thelma’s Palawan Camping
For those of you who enjoy camping, this is the place for you! They're offering nipa huts and tents for rent. They'll go fishing for your food and cook it the way you like. For us, it was the best island we visited. The beach was really beautiful!

German Island
It's an island where a lot of palm trees grew in the middle, hammocks were set up, so people can chill, read a book, sleep, eat... We were startled by people shouting and immediately swimming towards something. I thought there was someone drowning. Apparently, someone saw a Pawikan! Too bad we didn't see it.

Long Beach
We went here on Day 2. You'll need to travel by boat, then by tricycle to get to the longest beach in the Philippines. We stayed for about an hour since there was nothing to do but swim and take pics anyway. :) It was worth seeing!

Lubog-Litaw island
It's a sand bar they call lubog-litaw since when it's high tide, it's under the water. :) Then it "surfaces" or lumilitaw in Filipino, when it's low tide. Here's where we took pics with the star fishes!

WHERE TO EAT

We only tried 2 restuarants. Jambalaya and Paella restaurant along Bonifacio. Jambalaya is a beach frnt restaurant. You won't miss it since you'll see 2 large chairs where you have to use a ladder so you can sit on it. :)

We eat at Paella Restaurant EVERY SINGLE TIME - breakfast and dinner (since lunch is part of the tour)

We love this place since they have good food and reasonable prices. They are also open to a "paluto" style where you can just buy seafood from the market and have them cook it for you. Every night was a feast for us!

After the tour on the 2nd day, we rode a van going back to Puerto Princesa. Booked a room at Natua's Cabin, which is just beside the airport. Very budget-friendly and convenient! We rested for a while, went to Baker's Hill for pasalubongs..

 Then had dinner at Kinabuch, of course, we tried the tamilok and crocodile sisig again.

We had a few drinks at the Tiki Resto Bar then kwenuthans at Natua's.

Day 4
Morning flight to Manila. Couldn't believe it's over! Waaaaah! Til next time, Palawan. You'll always be one of our top favorite destinations!

Great Food, Great View at La Finca Tagaytay

La Finca is one of the restaurants at Domicillo - a new boutique hotel in Tagaytay. It's a passion project of designer, Rene Alcala. 

As you enter the venue, the boxy, modern feel of the building makes it look so simple and elegant at the same time. There are big glass windows that lets you see Taal lake, it creates a perfectly vibrant feel.

It's a quiet place that serves delicious comfort food.

La Finca seems like an expensive fine dining restaurant, but it's affordable and the food is worth the price. 

We ordered

Ensalada La Finca (P345)

Oven BBQ'd Pork Belly (P495)

Seafood Chowder (P345)

Prawns in Aligue (P595)


We enjoyed the food, we love the design of the place. It's so nice to spend time with your loved ones here.  

Taal Heritage Town: A Historical Tour

Last weekend, we went to Taal town for a change. We still plan to go to the crater soon, but this time, we thought of visiting the heritage village in Taal, Batangas. 

We left the house at around 9am and got there just in time for lunch. We ate at Feliza Taverna y Cafe. It was a fusion of Spanish & Filipino dishes. The owners, Beth & Ginney are also the owners of Adarna Food & Culture Restaurant (but I'm afraid Adarna is already closed)

While waiting for the food, we walked along the street and saw St. Martin de Tours Church (We were told that this is the largest Christian Church in Asia)

After taking a few photos, we went back to the restaurant. Time to eat!  I had the Zarzuela, it's mixed seafood cooked in fresh tomatoes and herbs. Yummy! Carlo tried the Tapa ng Taal which was also so delicious. 

Since the owners are my dad's friends, they toured us around the house while telling us all about the history of Aguinaldo and things they found in the house that they bought. 

Emilio Aguinaldo's (Yes, Aguinaldo as in El Presidente), secretary Feliza Diokno owned that house. When they bought it they found a lot of furniture and documents from the time of Aguinaldo.

Beth told us stories written in history records about the time of Aguinaldo & Antonio Luna, it was a different perspective from how Aguinaldo was portrayed in the Heneral Luna film. It was nice to hear a different side of the story. She also told us more stories - real stories that she read from various books on the Philippine history during the time of our first president. Very insightful afternoon. Thanks Beth & Ginney! 

We'll definitely come back to visit these other places in Taal Heritage Town: 

Balisong - You can see the collection and buy some for souvenir 

Taal Municipal Hall - Casa Real - municipal government building built in 1845. Notice that it's the only building in town with a roof made of tiles. 

The Escuela Pia - the cultural center for the town.

The Whitehouse - Don Gregorio Agoncillo Mansion 

Dona Marcela Agoncillo Museum - This was where Marcella Agoncillo sewed by hand, the first Philippine flag.

Don Leon Apacible Museum 

The Wedding Gift House - Eulalio gave this house as a wedding gift to Gliceria. Here you'll see photos and other memorabilia of the owners. 

Shonantei - Authentic Japanese Resto

We and our friends came from a birthday party. It was a long trip so we decided to eat late dinner at Shonantei along Mindanao Ave. 

I heard/read about it when my bestfriend, Kriska was craving for Japanese food and asked via Facebook where she can get Japanese food at around 12MN. A friend of her suggested Shonantei. Yes, they are still open at that time of night. 

Plus, our good friend, Budji, already ate there with his family and told us the food is really good. 

They open at 5pm and call for last orders at around 12 midnight. It's a small place along Mindanao Ave. Be careful when driving, it's easy to miss. 

We arrived at around 11PM and as soon as we entered, I felt like we were in Japan. There were Japanese themed posters, curtains, designs. You may choose to sit on regular tables or the area where you may sit on the floor. We chose to sit on the floor to have a complete Japanese experience. Also because all the tables were full. hehe. 

It was late so most of our orders were not available anymore. But since we love Japanese food, we really can eat any that was available. 

Wagyu!!! 

Oyako Don

Chicken Katsu

Everything is sooo delicious. I never thought Japanese food could taste this good. 

After eating, the chef walked by our table and I told him how yummy the food was. Then he started talking to me in Tagalog. hehehe... We talked a bit about when and how he started. And of course we asked for a picture with him. 

Thank you Chef Takeshi-san!

We'll definitely go back to try out other best sellers. 

Tip: Be there early. You may also call them for advanced orders so they know what to get from their supplier and prepare it by the time you get there.