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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