Sushi Night + Ice Cream Sandwich

Honestly, I'm more of a sashimi girl than a sushi lass. I can eat plates and plates of salmon, tuna, mackerel, octopus, squid or uni sashimi without feeling guilty about it.

But since we can't find an eat-all-you-can sashimi in Manila, we settled for a sushi-all-you-can at Sakae Sushi priced at Php399 which comes with Miso Soup and Bottomless Hot or Cold Tea.

Just grab whatever you like from the conveyor belt and eat as much as you can. Just make sure you have no leftovers.

If you're not a big-eater, you can also opt to pay per plate. Red and purple plates cost Php99, green plates at Php79, yellow plates priced at 59 and the blue plates at Php39.

Some of the plates DB and I took off the conveyor belt.

Overall, I think I had a total of 9 plates where half of it are mostly Salmon Sashimi and the rest are just taken out of curiosity. DB on the other hand, had two stacks with 8 plates each!

To cap off the night, we dropped by Dairy Queen for dessert before heading home.

DQ Blizzard in Banana Split flavor with Chocolate Chunks.

My friends and I were talking earlier that day about the food that we miss as kids and one thing that stuck in my mind were the times when I would buy Tivoli Funwich after school. Too bad they discontinue selling it anymore. I'm glad Blizzard made their own version called DQ Ice Cream Sandwich.

Yummy!

~o~o~o~

Sakae Sushi
2F Main Mall, Mall of Asia
Pasay City, Philippines
Tel.: (02) 556-0150

Plantation Bay -- Lagoonview Room

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa has 11 types of rooms, villas and suites conveniently located all over the 11.4 hectares of land and water. Yes, do they have rooms (the most expensive in the resort) built on top of the flowing water called Riverboat Suite which costs an arm and a leg, USD430 per room per night excluding taxes on off-peak season.

Since we both need our two arms and two legs, we decided to book a lagoon view room for USD180 plus taxes. Still pricey but we agreed to splurge a bit after a few hard month's work. *wink*

If only we had a better and unobstructed view of the lagoon..

Nonetheless, we still thought we got a great deal booking this room. For a 16-year old resort, our room in Plantation Bay is still well-kept and neatly organized.

We agreed not to wait for the double room to be fixed so we had a twin room with 2 queen-sized beds.

Coffee and tea making facilities readily available at your service.

A mini business center on one corner with booklets of suggested activities you can do in the resort and room service menu. There's also a compilation of classic movies (ranging from action to drama to suspense and thriller) that you can request the butler to play on your LCD television if you're into that, or in my case, if you get tired of watching the reruns of American Idol.

A vast bathroom complete with a bathtub, shower area and enough space for another bed (that's how big the bathroom is).

We thought this was marble but upon a closer look and some knocking, it was just plastic!

I love how low-maintenance the restroom is by using the marble-type plastic instead of tiles.

Our balcony with the blocked view has lounge chairs and dining area.

I wanted to have breakfast or lunch here but the hot weather is unbearable. I can barely feel the air coming from the ceiling fan.

Now, enough of the room talk and let's go out and get a tan!

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa

Summer has officially started!

Whenever I get invites to go to Cebu, I always end up canceling mainly because of conflict on schedule. Earlier this month, I finally had the chance to see and experience what the Queen City of the South has to offer. And what better way to treat a first timer like me but by spending the weekend at one of the premier resorts in the city -- Plantation Bay Resort and Spa.

Our flight arrived in Mactan International Airport a few minutes ahead of time. I approached the Plantation Bay lounge by the arrival area for our land transfers. As soon as we had our bags, we were led to the loading area and rode the van that took us to the resort.

The van halted by the stairs leading to the lobby. We were told to leave our bags with the staff while we go check in.

The key to our room was handed to me after we agreed to take the twin room with 2 queen beds since the room with a king-sized bed, the one we requested upon booking, is not yet available. We wanted to see the resort right away, which I've been told is one of the best in Cebu, that we agreed to the offer and not wait for maybe two hours for the double room to be fixed.

After resting a bit, hot weather can be tiring even if you're not doing anything, we finally had the energy to explore Plantation Bay.  First thing that impressed me is the expansive man-made lagoon located in the center of the resort.

The water is so inviting!

We didn't take a dip yet (we were still wearing our travel clothes then) so we continued our journey on foot to the 11.4 hectares of man-made lagoons, fresh water pools, restaurants, activity areas and pretty much everything you need for that perfect weekend getaway. 

In case you get tired of walking and biking, you can take either a horse-drawn carriage or the shuttle to take you anywhere you want to go.

Its really not a surprise why a lot of tourists travel here for vacation, (maybe 70% of the guests when we were there are Japanese, Korean, American and European families, couples and friends) just look how gorgeous the resort is!

The most famous and always fully booked Water's Edge rooms. Located on the edge of the lagoon, just take one breath, maybe two, and you're already in the water.

If you get tired of swimming in the man-made saltwater lagoon and wants the real deal, Plantation Bay also has a small beachfront area. Just be careful with the sharp corals, oh and don't forget to bring your snorkeling gear.

One of the things that makes Plantation Bay stand out among the countless resorts in Mactan are the courteous, witty, knowledgeable and very helpful staff. They will drop anything that they're doing to accommodate you on whatever you need or just greet you a good morning/afternoon. You can also ask almost anyone in the resort (drivers, waiters, lifeguards, housekeeping) for any queries with regards to the daily activities that Plantation Bay organizes for its guests, the menu in the restaurants that varies daily and so on. Really the finest and friendliest people you can meet. By the way, tipping is not allowed in the resort (you can see that posted everywhere).

I can barely hear anything from our room but thank you for informing us.

I can't believe I let myself miss out on this wonderful place called Plantation Bay for a long time. But as they say, its better late than never right?

~o~o~o~

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa
Marigondon, Mactan Island
Cebu, Philippines

Manila Office
Suite 906, National Life Insurance Bldg.
Ayala Avenue, Makati City, Philippines

Tel.: (632) 844-5024 to 25

Fax: (632) 844-5030

Website: www.plantationbay.com

Hotpot on a Hot Night at King One

This was all my idea.

It was a cold and rainy morning. While taking a bath, I was thinking that today will be the perfect time to satisfy my hotpot cravings. King One popped into mind at once, I even wore a 3/4 blouse to work just to get in the mood of that rainy day. But when I went out for lunch, man! The sun was scorching hot! But neither hot weather nor humidity can stop me on having hotpot for dinner.

DB filled up the order slip on the table as soon as we were seated, he doesn't have to ask me what I wanted because I always have the same things all the time. We were both hungry and good thing the Spicy Squid arrived fast.

But I did not go there for the crunchy and spicy squid. I was there for the hot soup and the fat beef and the golden mushrooms and the mozzarella balls and the satay sauce.

Satay and Water

Abalone Mushroom

Taiwan Pechay

Beef with Mushroom

Gallbladder

Fresh Mushroom

Sliced Beef

Slice Chicken

Shrimp

US Fat Beef

We also ordered plates of Mozzarella Balls and Beef Balls with Cheese which never fail to burn my tongue on every visit. Why? I tend to forget how hot the melted cheese is and just bite right away!

Fresh fruits are offered as soon as you ask for the bill.

Note to myself: Always carry an extra shirt or a bottle of perfume in the bag in case you need to go somewhere else after, or people will know that you had hotpot for dinner. *wink*

~o~o~o~

King One Rotary Hot Pot

M2A Lower, Hobbies of Asia

Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 556-1370/556-1827