Travel Itinerary Asia to New Zealand

Coming from Asia, here're some tips you may appreciate if you decide that New Zealand or The Middle Earth is your country of choice in 2013.

New Plymouth Coast, New Zealand
The Airlines To Choose - Flight - Asia - Australia - New Zealand
Budget Conscious - Scoot is the best budget airline I have tried. You know that complementary cold water they give on flights is enough to me make want to flyscoot as often as I can. Scoot is headquartered in Singapore. So wherever you are from Asia, you really need to fly into Singapore. You may have a choice of Airline to Singapore - Air Asia, Cebu Pacific, Jetstar

Direct flight - the 2nd best rate and value you will get is with Jetstar. Mind you, Jetstar is not cheap. It just posits itself to be cheap. But try booking from Phils to New Zealand a one way flight Manila to Auckland at this time of the year and you'll have to pay $900 at least - note that's ONE WAY.

Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand - these are good airlines too.. but I would suggest using Air New Zealand from Australia to New Zealand.

There is no better airline in NZ than Air New Zealand. The service is very nice but then of course you do pay for the smiles ;)

Accommodation

New Zealand is a fully-blown tourism country. It has highly astute and professional hoteliers, tourism entrepreneurs who have thought about every type of accommodation plan per customer. There are budget conscious tourists, luxury tourists, families, honeymooners, adventure seekers - name it. They have all the types of accommodation you can possibly need. So when you get to Auckland, here are tips.

Auckland - Proximity Apartments - Never fails. Clean, decent, close to airport. Affordable.

Address: 17 Amersham Way, Manukau, Auckland 2104, New Zealand
Phone:+64 9-263 5450

Coromandel Peninsusla - Admiralty Lodge - you'd like a bit of luxury don't you?  This one is affordable.  Fantastic views, warm waters, swim with the dolphins! Everything you experience here is worth every penny spent.  http://www.admiraltylodge.co.nz Free phone 0508 236 472 Address: 69 Buffalo Beach Road, Whitianga 3510, New Zealand

Rotorua, Bay of Plenty - Everyone HAS to go to Rotorua. It is the most affordable adventure, holiday destination in New Zealand. It's complete attractions - from nature to culture to arts - caters to all ages... at really affordable rates. Family accommodation also abound and the best one is MALFROY http://malfroymotorlodge.co.nz/ 51 Malfroy Road, Victoria, Rotorua 3010, Bay of Plenty Phone: +64 7 346 8053

Skip an overnight in Taupo - you can just drive through it and spend a bit of time a cafe near the Taupo Lake


Wanganui - Head straight to Wanganui! A lovely, picturesque old English town. There are about 35 (or more) cafes in Wanganui. The only city in NZ with free wifi! This town is nominated to be the smartest little city in the world. I kinda miss this town actually. A lot of lovely people. Stay with Tamara Backpackers. Spend a bit of time touring the countryside going up to New Plymouth, Holland gardens.

Wellington - Well end the north island tour with a bit of class. There are nice little boutique hotels in Wellington. It also has a lot of lovely little restaurants. This city is considered the coolest city in New Zealand. Stop over for at least a couple of hours and/or stay over night. This is actually the port where you have to go to on your way to the South Island.

Stay tuned for my next post on "Going around the South Island"

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Antonio's Tagaytay Review


I've heard a lot about Antonio's in Tagaytay. Antonio's is known to be Tagaytay's #1 restaurant, serving gourmet food.

It took time for us to find the place. We were told the place is full so we really hurried to take the last spot.

When we got to the area, the gate itself was already impressive. It did look like a secret garden but instead of flowers, there were glaring SUVs and luxury cars and a noticeable helicopter on a helipad. Well that just meant maybe this place is really that good, I thought.

Upon entering the restaurant, the austere ambiance of old Spanish elaborate architecture engulfed me. With servers dressed in black and white, it seemed to take us back in time when slavery was accepted and not frowned upon. I wasn't a fan of their choice of uniform style.

One of the staff members handed me the menu, a little greasy and untidy but I thought, that's fine. The "servers" seem to know what to recommended and at least they know that the menu contains. They were able to describe the quantity of the meal, what it consists of etc. For example, I asked, "how do you make a flourless chocolate cake?" The server said, "we use mocha / chocolate powder instead of flour." Ok I can accept that but I am not sure if it can work yet.  Anyway they know what gnocchi is.

Quite remarkable are the huge windows and chandeliers and high ceilings. I loved the green surroundings. The weather was hot but I was comfortable with the breeze. The only discomfort maybe would have been the incessant fly-looking-bee.

Well we all ordered the set menu:
Lamb with Gnocchi side dish(1)

Crab Ravioli

Salmon and pasta (2)

We had salad, which was ok. A bit modest serving. Notable was the candied walnut.

Then we had soup which had a nice touch of coffee. They called it mushroom cappucino soup (something like that). Forgive me for not remembering exactly. I liked the twist in flavour.

Then we were given a complementary sorbet "to cleanse the pallatte". Well thank you. That just means that chef is sensitive with customers. Although that may also suggest the main course meals will be a tad bit delayed.

So the main course... well my Crab Ravioli was nice and tasty. I could have more though, not that I'm a pig but I thought the serving was a too small. My dad was so happy with his Lamb rack... my mom was slightly happy with her salmon... but my partner thought the salmon tasted as if it was frozen and not fresh. Well my partner's a bit picky because he's used to NZ salmon and it's understandably quite hard to source that fresh in the Philippines.

Since this is supposed to be gourmet food, I thought dad's and my main meal were the most "gourmet" of all that we had. The Salmon dish was not at all impressive. Even the pasta it came along with.

Then we had the dessert - a long awaited surprised. We were prepped first too, just before the start of the meal that we will be given a huge choice of dessert... so our verdict?

Again Dad picked the best dessert! Spicy chocolate - different and memorable.

My partner ordered chocolate mint, which he adored.

My mom ordered some kind of rich chocolate mousse with pistachios which she didn't really like.

I ordered flourless chocolate cake - yes it was the best chocolate cake I have ever had but too rich for me to have again ever in my life.

The table setting was great. Loved that they used the local flowers.

We even visited the rest of the area - Antonio's breakfast area, which had really creative furniture and interiors.

My verdict? Of course we will visit Antonio's again.

A little treat for all of us. The entire meal cost $40/person on the average. Still good compared to western standards for a three-course meal.

I would love to see some competition though. Surely someone else can create better food at a slightly lower price ;-)



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Marcia's Restaurant Tagaytay Review

This is my review of the little restaurant in Tagaytay called Marcia's.

Tagaytay is very close to Lipa City so it's a perfect spot for us to go to when we're tired of the cafes in Lipa, namely Coffee Bean, Starbucks.

I found out about Marcias from Tripadvisor. I became curious because I read reviews from foreigners, Filipino expats and picky locals. Marcias is located at the border of Tagaytay and Alfonso, specifically in Brgy Sikat. About 10 minutes drive from the Rotunda, just exactly after the usual arcs that welcome tourists to a new town, you'll have to go to Brgy Sikat. Marcias doesn't have a sign on its door so we almost missed it. Thankfully, I have a reliable photographic memory so I noticed the rustic door on one of the properties. Just remember, the property is almost right next to the entrance to the Brgy from the national road.

The immediate entrance is leafy which gave me a refreshing feeling. I noticed that there's a house next to the garden, probably the owner's house. There's also some noticeable development before we arrived to the main restaurant area.

The first thing I admired were the following:
1. The walls, cobbles which I don't know how to get in the Philippines
2. The exposed wood in the ceiling
3. The mud coloured flooring which I adore
4. The fresh flowers
5. The cool feeling


There are other notable areas of course. Every spot in the restaurant seemed cosy. It's just that I didn't want to sit so close to the bathroom and the area where there's a view of the fields seemed quite warmer. We opted to stay next to the entrance of the restaurant.

The place is decorated just pleasantly. Though I don't appreciate the stuffed animals, I liked very much the wrought iron decorations, the stained glass windows, the tiled tables, the different types of chairs on the table, and the table setting is a little bit more generous compared to other high end restaurants in Tagaytay.

This is almost like one of the garden houses I love in Queenstown, NZ.

So our group of four ordered our meal - as usual my meat lover parents ordered Italian pork and aromatic pork, while diet conscious people like myself and my partner ordered beef and chicken stew. For appetizer, we tried the salad, the shrimps, the bacon soup.  For desert, we tried the roasted orange with vanilla ice cream, fried banana in home made liquer, roasted banana with chocolate ice cream and lavender custard. We also tried the lemon lime drink which was recommend by the waiter.


The cost of the entire meal for four is Php 3900+ There is 10% service charge.

I was pleased with the experience and I appreciate that there's a place like this in the Philippines.

I wonder though if this is a viable business model or if the novelty of the experience will fade.

The price is affordable at Php 800 per person (including service charge and/or the drinks).

The question then boils down to the taste. The food is certainly presented creatively. Except for the main course... surprisingly plain (didn't bother upload my photos). The taste is ok, albeit amplified by the beautiful ambience. The food is filling.

To be more exact:
Appetizers - different choices, nice presentation - Salad is generous, loved the fresh leafy vegetables, the light dressing, the peach. The soup was ok, not very sure of the taste but it's due to a personal dislike of meats in soup (in general). The shrimp was spiced up, didn't like the wafer beneath, it was tasteless.
Main course - my beef stew - it was a generous serving, plain rice, plain presentation. Meat was tender. I preferred my mom and dad's pork dishes - both nicely spiced. But theirs too were quite heavy meals. My partner's chicken stew is interesting, it seemed to have 'bagoong' (not sure). Bagoong is some kind of local anchovy paste. Maybe that's why it seemed to salty.
Deserts - I had the roasted orange with vanilla. I loved my desert. Nice presentation. I liked the presentation of the banana split with chocolate too. I thought the fried bananas with liquer was quite plain and I didn't like the purple sauce (liquer). My partner didn't like it so much too. I think it lacks something as a package. The custard was not very interesting.
Drink - We tried the lemon lime drink, about Php 300 for a pitcher. We shared it. I didn't have much of it because I realized it's carbonated. I didn't like that. So this drink could be better and probably I'd rather have ginger beer next time.

So back to the question - the taste ... It's not uber special - so some people might not be raving about it. But bear in mind, the price is only about $20 per person for a 3 course meal! So I'm not sure if the other online comments are fair when they say that the food isn't authentic or special.

Anyway, I think it's best to compare also with the alternatives - Bag of Beans (Php 450 per head) and Antonios (Php 800 - Php 1000) per head. Just in terms of place and ambience, I'd visit Marcia's any day of the week. My last choice would be Bag of Beans but I think Bag of Beans quality has severely decreased (I had breakfast with family there 3 months ago). So safe to say, I would not go back to Bag of Beans for a year.

I would also like to share the comments of the other people I had lunch with:
My mom - She absolutely loved the place, very much inspired by it. My mom said very complementary comments about the talents and the courage of the cook - Marcia, noting her hard work and her attention to detail.
My dad - very happy with the desert, happy with this little trip, overall happy with the experience except of course he compared the price to having 4 meals at Yellow cab...
My partner - liked what they've done with the place. He didn't like the chicken stew, he thought it was a little too salty. Thought the place was overpriced for the food...and wasn't too happy there's construction going on.  My partner and I love cafes and always visit as much restaurants as we can in NZ, Australia, Philippines

Much more is to be said about the creativity of the couple - Marcia and Neil. My mom even said that Marcia is quite an inspiration having created and developed such an atmosphere in the Philippines.

The restaurant is only 2 years old. According to Neil, they started in 2010. They are growing and building a reception area and some rooms for a bed and breakfast accommodation. Exciting times ahead and we can only wish them the best.




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Baked Vegetables for a Healthy Dinner


My dear friend requested for my recipe for this meal.
So here it goes:
1. My favorite vegetables - broccoli, tiny potatoes, capsicum, oninon, garlic, carrots
*As you can see I added some bigger potatoes, as I ran out of my baby potatoes
You can also add other vegetables if you like - baby corn, big red tomatoes, aubergine

2. Slice them up in bit sized pieces, not too small so you can have a good crunchy bite

3. Place vegetables on a baking tray and sprinkle with olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper
* We love spicy food so I added a lot of pepper

4. I also added spices and because there is a lack of fresh herbs in Philippines, I had to be happy with the dried spice versions - rosemary leaves, basil, italian seasoning

5. Bake in oven for 30 to 35 minutes, medium heat

6. After 30 mins, check veggie by poking the potatoes and the carrots with a knife or fork to see if they are already cooked.

7. I added some more olive oil on top of the vegetables after 30 minutes

Serve and enjoy :-) Bon Appetit!

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My Own Oven, My Own Bread



Yes yeast does work wonders. It's my first time to use yeast in baking and I am getting the hang of it. The biggest issue having breakfast in the Philippines is not having good quality, multigrain bread. Most bread sold in grocery stores are sugary, white, floppy and airy bread. They are not healthy and lack texture.

My partner has challenged me to make healthy bread and here's the result!

I had placed oatmeal, almonds, sesame seeds and dried apricot. The outer section is crunchy when toasted and the inside is dense / heavy. It's a filling bread and works well with spreads like vegemite, butter or jams. Of course we use our all time Aussie favorite - Vegemite.


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Coffee Lover?

You may like this video on Latte Art:
 
I love coffee and when I have to pay $5.5 per cup, I really get excited, expecting a beautiful design :-) Restaurant and Food Reviews Accommodation Tips Personal Health Investment Ebooks Travel in the Philippines Living in New Zealand

Hummus and Celery


NZ's fresh and crunchy apple is my favorite snack. Particularly hungry so I had some celery mixed with Hummus and an imported Banana from the Philippines!

Of course this is good for my dinner as well!

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One of a Kind Rotorua Motel

51 Malfroy St - www.malfroymotorlodge.co.nz

This little hotel is full of surprises. Having read online reviews, it deserves its title - one of the Best Value Motels in the entire S. Pacific. The MALFROY Rotorua motel rooms are priced from $115 to $185 per night. Studio rooms are $115 - good for 2 people. Breakfasts are an extra $10 to $15 depending on how heavy you like your breakfast to be. You also have your own kitchenette just in case you want to cook your own food.

Family rooms are usually $185 this winter. It's an entire house - 3 bed with a lounge and fully functioning kitchen. Big families can enjoy the use of the mineral pools and they can use the barbeque facilities.

It's nice that you can check your email while in the premises. You also wake up looking at beautiful gardens. It has a central location... not too close to the city that you'll here too much noise and not too far that you can just stroll leisurely for 5 minutes and you'll already reach Rotorua's biggest mall.

All in all, we had a really pleasant experience. We had a really hectic schedule but we seemed to have all the energy still the next day.

A+ service from the owners of this lodge.

Highly recommended.


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The Philosophy of Buffet Eating

I've had my fair share of ALL YOU CAN eat treats in the Philippines. For a minor expense of at least $10 to $35 (which was the most costly I had in Crowne Plaza's Seven Corners), Filipinos enjoy a massive calorie intake for 2 to 3 hours. 

My recent visit to ALL YOU CAN EAT treats in the Philippines were at DADs Buffet, Manila and VIKINGS Buffet Restaurant, Manila.


As a background, without calling to make reservations, we planned to try Vikings Buffet Restaurant in Manila due to its raving reviews from relatives. We had a feeling we were unlikely to get in when we saw the ant-army-like crowd who just discovered a pot of honey. We were told that we should have made reservations because their current system of having a long queue of guests wait outside is apparently a 'good problem to have'.



The food looked glorious on the tables and the place was impeccably cleaner compared to many Filipino restaurants I have seen. The young dining manager seemed very accommodating, apologetic in stark contrast with the older lady manager who seemed to listen in pretense while pushing that the current system *works*. She seemed to be a very detail-oriented woman, to her credit, making sure all food scattered on the floor were promptly cleaned up.

I personally would love to some time dine in Vikings but not in any urgency and not in great desire... more for reasons I will explain later.


Since our Vikings visit was thwarted, we decided to try Dads... our old favorite as it was closer to the place we intended to visit in Manila. 

My anticipation was quickly shrouded with disappointment as I saw a throng of people eating... voraciously... devouring... grabbing food while chewing. No this is no longer enjoyable eating. This is disturbing!

Vikings, I was told, is owned by a Chinese group, tied with Tom Yum.  This group has done a lot of things right. Surely the photos above appeal to all my senses! I know I will certainly enjoy the taste and variety and I am happy to pay the price of Php 1088 per person.  The issue is my preparedness to absorb the unforgiving 3500 calories (at least). Even before the 3500 calories is completely burned, I have to contend with  real threats to my health. 



26.6% of Filipino adults are overweight. Source.

1 in three Filipinos has high cholesterol. 1 in 4 Filipinos has high blood pressure.


"The data, presented by the International Diabetes Federation in their Diabetes Atlas for 2009, put the number of Filipino adults with Type 2 or acquired diabetes at 3.4 million out of a 51-million adult population, with 4.9 million more on the brink of developing diabetes." Source.

I propose a completely un-Filipino way of eating. I propose a culture of enjoyment of food as an art, an effort by careful thoughts of a chef or the cook, a high quality conversation time with friends and family.

The Vikings ALL YOU CAN EAT restaurant buffet or Dad's Buffet need not be another venue of uncontrolled, whimsical indulgence. 






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Cafe Plums, Geraldine, New Zealand




Eggs Benedict in Geraldine, New Zealand

Cafe Plums, a simple cafe located along the main highway of Geraldine town center - this cafe is about 5 minutes walk from the Geraldine city library. I must say that its location made us visit the place. We were hoping to go to a more quaint cafe behind the church in Geraldine town center but we missed the sign, missed the entrance too. Yes we would have loved to have gone there instead if only due to the ambience and the pricing.

Cafe Plums didn't disappoint as our Salmon eggs benedict was a delight! My small frame did not stop me from eating the entire thing - YES - all that 800 calories of glee. A few things make me not RAVE about this cafe though:
1. The pricing is slightly more expensive than other regular cafes in South Island. I think about 10% more expensive for eggs benedict, a little over $17 if I remember properly.
2. I didn't get to meet the owner. I always love a little chat with the chef or the owner of the cafe. A small country town like Geraldine makes me expect some personal service or a simple "Hi", "Welcome to our little cafe..." greeting. I didn't get that. :-) It's something to smile about I must say. I always get this type of greeting in Sydney cafes. But not in NZ, not anywhere in NZ.
3. The place doesn't have character. I must say my partner loves its simplicity.
4. No wifi.

Will I come back? Likely not ... I would remember a small town cafe if the owners were a little nice or the servers were a little nice. Reminds me of that cafe called "Walnut Cottage" in Queenstown, Lake Hayes area. The owners seem cold too when we visited. Sometimes, a smile or a greeting makes feel better about paying even an extra 10% higher :-)



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Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Lipa City





I visited CBTL - Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Cafe in Lipa City yesterday.
There were 4 of us and we spent Php 735 or about $20 - still cheap by western standards however I think quite pricey already for regular salaries of Pinoys.

The chai latte was a stunner - Php 125 - a small cup. That's about $3 only.
I ordered a mocha latte, small size - Php 110 - $2.50 I think (all quoted in AUD).

Cakes were around Php 125 to Php 140 so around $3 to $3.50 per slice.

In terms of taste, the mocha latte was not exceptional... though I can sense more flavor in it compared to the regular mocha latte I get from Starbucks in Lipa.  The cakes were nice but everyone knows cakes are never healthy. Still to their credit, it's good and I think better than the pastries in Starbucks in Lipa or in Cafe de Lipa by a mile.

The biggest problem in this place even if it offers free wifi is the glaring sun. Hot Philippine weather and hot glaring gray skies hurt my eyes! This makes this coffee shop unappealing to me as I prefer something which is cosy. That being said, I think this place though is design more for casual business meetings instead of peer hangout or pocket book readers.

Will I come back? Well  maybe... with a few conditions:
1. If I have to pay for their coffee, I really would like to have a more relaxing atmosphere. A few in-house plants, fresh flowers would be nice.
2. Some shade and more relaxing music will help.


Perhaps next time, if I don't have a choice, I would order their meals... eggs benedict and some pasta. :-)



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Real Filipino Classic Foods

Pancit Bukid, mix of bihon and canton with egg on top

Kare Kareng Kambing

The noodles were great... just word of caution, it's rather fatty considering the meat. It's also always disappointing many Filipino cuisines do not have a lot of vegetables as part of the meal.

The Kare-kare kambing reminded me of earlier days when I used to see soldiers grouped around drinking beer with Kare kareng kambing in Mindoro. I used to live near a military camp. This dish seems to be a classic yet spruced up with cheese. The kambing (goat) meat was tender - but another caution: some parts of the meat are stretchy and indigestible yet most cooks still cook them. I recommend eating just the edible parts. This meat tastes like lamb "almost". However, I heard this meat is quite cheap. The kambing bones are quite brittle so they break quickly when cooked. Just be wary when you eat this as some sharp bones might get stuck between your teeth or you might hurt yourself.

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How do you like your eggs?


A breakfast favorite. If I have to eat, I will never order anything else than a full serving of eggs benedict from any cafe I visit! Who doesn't love eggs?

These are poached eggs with some hollandaise sauce sprinkled with spring onions. I prefer to have smoked salmon with my eggs benedict but it can come with ham or vegetables instead.

I had a wonderful breakfast with my partner, his mom and his mom's friend in Artarmon. This one on the photo isn't very competitively priced - I remember we had to pay $17 for this. Note that the quality isn't very impressive as well. I think there was a bit more cheese than usual and the serving was quite small. However, I have had other better experiences in cafes in Sydney so watch out for my other posts about these lovely eggies.

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Good Bye Yellow Cab Lipa City

Shocked to see a cockroach suspended in ice. I took a video as I complained in the counter. The ice has already melted. The manager said they can only give us discount. Shocking service and shocking response. They said they can replace if there's an issue with the product so in this she meant transfer the ice. Yellow Cab Lipa City needs better quality control. I don't think I'll visit Yellow Cab Lipa in SM anymore.




New York's Finest Pizza, our order on the day of the Cockroach Confusion

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Kingston, Otago, New Zealand




The Flyer Cafe and Bar, Kingston, Otago, New Zealand

We visited one of the 2 cafes in Kingston in one late autumn afternoon. Kingston is 50 minutes drive from Queenstown CBD. The road was windy but spectacular! This cafe is called "The Flyer Cafe", closer to the beach and near the old tracks. Immediately, we noticed the renovated old charm of the property. A few enterprising locals chose to develop this cafe and capitalize on the history of the place. Indeed the old trains, carriages and tracks against the golden leaves of the popolus trees is a sight to cherish.

There is free wifi in the cafe which has always been a delight for me. I was able to enjoy the experience. The coffee was a little disappointing at around $4.5 and it was not served in a proper cup even if we had coffee inside the cafe. I was taken aback to accept it but I didn't want to ruin the experience... my experience. So I had to delight myself with the freshly cut wood for the fireplace - which was not used despite the autumn chill. Anyway the place had some heat going, perhaps gas. Their toilet was decent, clean but nothing to rave about.

After a few minutes enjoying the place to ourselves, a group of locals came in to have a meeting. Well yes of course they also felt the place was for them and was a little loud so my companion got distracted from his book reading and we decided to leave.

We had a quick stroll around Kingston, seemingly a forgotten town just 50 minutes from buzzling Queenstown.  It has a lot to offer however at the moment, you'd only see empty streets and unused accommodation. I saw a couple of houses being built as I heard the price of land is considerably cheaper compared to Queenstown...

Some people will really appreciate the quiet, the peace, the old charm of Kingston...


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Joes Garage, Queenstown


This delectable coffee and date cake is only $6 - it's a combo package in Joe's Garage, Queenstown.
The cake is nice and moist. I hope they keep it that way. I've not visited Joe's Garage for a while because the previous cake I had with a coffee was dry and too sweet. However, as I leave Queenstown, I visited Joe's again to reminisce wonderful and relaxing coffee breaks in this cafe - apparently a local favorite.

So long Queenstown, till we meet again in the future. You're a wonderful holiday place however not big enough to live yet.

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Hamill's Banana Pizza in Queenstown


mouth watering banana and chicken pizza


Every Wednesday night, at least when we were in Queenstown, Hamills Restaurant in the Remarkables Shopping Center would have a Buy 1 Get 1 free pizza promo if you eat in the restaurant. My partner and I would go for the banana and chicken pizza with lots of broccoli and eat in even if it's not on special... that's how much we loved this gourmet pizza!

Of course I would order something different to try out their other gourmet pizzas. Seafood and Meat lovers were quite good as well. So this is a quick shout out to Hamills for delivery a really good gourmet pizza selection ;-)


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Vanuatu Restaurant


Looking for a unique taste - top quality service in Vanuatu? Vila Chaumieres serves the perfect treat!

http://vilachaumieres.com

Wonderful accommodation and excellent customer service tops the sumptuous meals you'll get from this little resort on Port Vila. Situated 5 km from Port Vila's CBD, Vila Chaumieres is accessible to all tourists.

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Talk about Fresh Seafood




Nothing tastes better than FRESH crab and prawns. Heavenly delight! These came from Pampanga, Philippines.

To capture the best taste of Philippine seafood, just boil these shelly beasts up with water, a bit of salt!

If you like a spiced up flavour, after boiling, re-cook for 5 minutes in water, butter, garlic and ginger. Add salt and pepper to taste. Personally, I'm happy with the simpler preparation.

It's best served with boiled rice and stir-fried kangkong! Eat with your hands! ;-) Finger-licking good!


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My less than $3 Starbucks Coffe


The only Starbucks in my known world which sells $3 for a regularly sized cafe mocha drink for less than $3. This is exactly Php 125 in Lipa City, Batangas, no whipped cream, non fat milk.

Is it a bargain? Not really. While it is relatively cheaper than the $4 mocha drinks I have in other countries for regular cafes, this drink is quite expensive in the Philippine setting.

However, there isn't much choice of boutique and cozy coffee shops especially in provincial areas in the Philippines.


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