skysenshi.com

When traveling, I usually want to eat in places that will never be found in Manila. I check out what the destination is known for and look for their specialties. Our problem with Cebu (2010) Day 1, however, was that it can be summed up in one word: haggardness!!!

We didn’t have the energy to look for unique places to eat so after checking into our hotel, we headed straight for Ayala Center Cebu.

Day 1 Dinner – Lemon Grass
We were famished and super tired and were in no condition to think. But we wanted something refreshing, something we have never tried even in Manila. So we went for Lemon Grass, a Thai and Vietnamese restaurant at the Ayala Center Terraces.

Gosh. Everything’s just so green! Even the meat. Literally! (Had to adjust the settings or everything would look yellower than they already were.)

Goi Cuon (PhP156.25). Fresh spring rolls, which are my Vietnamese restaurant staple. The noodles were kind of bigger than what I am used to.

Soun Noung (PhP209.82). Pork ribs. Sinful, but you don’t get to eat in Cebu everyday, ne?

Cone-shaped rice!! Actually…I only found out that this was Jasmine rice after checking the receipt. LOL.

Gai Hor Bai Toey (PhP209.82). Chicken pandan. Quite succulent and the pieces were really big.

Citrus/Herb Lemonade (PhP165.18 for a huge pitcher). I thought this was just regular water with fruit bits, but this was apparently their house lemonade. Love it. I regret that I wasn’t able to finish off the entire pitcher, though.

We were actually seated on high chairs, which were very comfy but also very difficult to get out of.

All in all, we were pretty much satisfied with our meal. At first, I thought it was very expensive, but that particular meal was actually good for four people. We had lots of leftovers that night…

Day 2 Merienda – Chocolatier
We had a scheduled meeting with Cebuano multimedia artists but our 1PM appointment was rescheduled to 6PM. Finding ourselves with a bit of spare time (lunch took long, will explain in a future blog entry), we decided to go visit Ayala Center again for snacks.

This time around, we went to Chocolatier. I’ve seen this sweet shop in Greenbelt but I had never gotten around to trying it.

Chocolatier in Ayala Center Cebu seems to be positioned in a favorable location. That was why it beckoned to me.

Pretty seats!! These were really comfy and afforded us a great view of Marriott Hotel, as well as the greens surrounding it.

Shelves of chocolate goodies. Oh, by the way. I am not a chocolate fan, but there’s a brand of chocolate that I really love.

Blissful Pleasure (PhP298). It was what this chocolate fondue set was called. The fruits and marshmallows were dipped in melted Lindt. I can feel myself drooling, just thinking about it.

Mango triangles dipped in Lindt dark chocolate then coated with crushed peanuts. Yummy!!

Hopefully, we can eat somewhere else tomorrow, during the culmination of the Sinulog Festival. I don’t like the idea of staying inside malls when we’re in an unfamiliar place, but it seems like all the celebrations are concentrated around Osmeña Circle, which is filled with malls. Anyway, we’ll see.

I will be posting about Cebu’s more popular delicacies (their special lechon being one of them) soon…