Wine Dinner at Brasserie Girolle

Saturday, November 8, 2014

So, Edi and I have discovered this great restaurant, Brasserie Girolle, through our friends Carol and Bill.  Chef Ian is an incredible chef and every dish we have tried has been delicious.  Saturday, November 8 we attended a wine dinner there.  The dinner was five courses, each paired with a different wine. 

There were the four of us, Carol, Bill, Edi and myself in addition to two reps from the winery which is located in Barcelona, two distributors, the chef’s wife and one of his friends.

The food was incredible.  One of the courses included scallops of which I am not a huge fan, however, these scallops were yummy!  There were two appetizers one with salmon and one with bleu cheese.  The salmon course was really good as was the beef entre.  The dessert included poached pears – so good and an added bonus were these little chocolate mousse bites – oh my goodness!

The wine flowed all evening.  We had a cava, a white, and three reds.  One of the reps from the winery actually gave us a little background on each of the wines as it was poured. 

All in all it was a great evening with wonderful company, delectable food, and excellent wine.

Siargao Surfing Competition

Friday, September 26 – Monday, September 29

The weekend of September 26 we went to Siargao for the international surfing competition.  We had no idea that it is one of the top places in the world to surf!  We took Cebu Pacific from Manila to Cebu and had another flight from Cebu to Siargao.  Our ride from the airport was this van which is normal, but I wasn’t sure this van was going to make it.  We were sharing the van with another couple staying at the same place, and the man spoke Filipino.  He kept asking the driver why we couldn’t go a little faster.  At one point we were going so slow, these kids were on the side of the road and they were hanging on the side.  They were having a blast!

We finally made it to where we were staying.  It turns out that it really was a resto bar that had two villas for rent.  The place was really nice with a bar / restaurant, a sitting / hanging out area with a pool table.  We felt like we were in the middle of the jungle because the grounds were lush with vegetation, beautiful flowers and coconut trees.  Being in our villa was like being in a treehouse.  It was quite organic for lack of a better word as the entire bathroom was outside.  It wasn’t like an outhouse; the door from the bedroom opened to the bathroom which was really nice all done in stone and tile, it’s just when we looked up we looked up into the sky!  The evening brought bats and all sorts of outdoor sounds, but it was nicely lit, so even in the middle of the night it was fine.

We ate dinner each evening at the resto bar, and the food was delicious!  We only had breakfast the morning we were leaving because the surfing competition began at 6:00 A.M. each morning, so we got up early and watched the competition opting to eat at the Loka Café during the break.  The one morning we did eat at the resto bar, we had fresh coconut water, and when I say fresh, I mean really fresh.  This guy actually climbed the tree and retrieved the coconuts.  Minutes later we had the coconut water in front of us ready to drink.

The Loka Café was a little café on the beach that had just opened.  A couple from Australia who owns a resort down the beach opened it.  Everything we got was really tasty.  It had tables “inside” nothing is really inside.  It also had beach chairs and a couple of benches right on the beach if that is where diners wanted to enjoy their fare.

The people were really nice in Siargao.  We bought a few things from local crafters and even had a homemade ice cream cone from this older gentleman and young boy on a bicycle ice cream cart.

The surfing competition itself was fun.  The waves were cooperative most of the time and there were surfers from different parts of the world, even the USA.  A local won the competition, so that was nice to see.  Mostly we viewed the competition from the viewing tower which offered shade – it was hot! – but one afternoon we wandered out among the rocks / coral when the tide went out – and it went way out.   It was nice because we could feel the refreshing water between our toes but could still see the surfers out in the surf.

Of course just being able to take a dip in the sea and be a part of beautiful sunsets each evening made the trip totally worthwhile!

The Stilts in Calatagan

July 25 - 28, 2014

Out of all the places we have visited since we have been in the Philippines, Calatagan is probably my favorite.  We stayed at a resort called the Stilts.  It was a three hour drive with no flight needed.  There are cottages actually on stilts over the water but they were booked for the weekend, so we stayed in a beach cottage.  This cottage, it was more like a cute, little hut, was right on the beach.  At high tide, our door was literally maybe six steps to the water. 

The beach is really nice.  At high tide it is a great swimming beach, and at low tide we explored for starfish, sea urchins and all kinds of little sea creatures.  The owners have a huge plot of land – they are almost self- sustaining with their own garden and their own animals.  The restaurant which is called The Sweet Spot serves fresh vegetables from the garden and fresh eggs from their chickens.  Every meal we had was delicious. One evening we even felt like we were on The Bachelor.  They had our table set when we got there.  It had lanterns and a beautiful place setting with our yummy food.  Of course being right by the sea was a plus.

There is a floating beach cabana that we swam / walked out to and just hung out enjoying the view and doing a little reading.  Edi even did a little snorkeling out to the reef.  Sadly, the reef was damaged, but it is slowly growing back, and Edi saw some life.  It was funny because at low tide the floating cabana was no longer floating.  We went exploring one afternoon and just trekked around the property.  There are actually three beaches – I like Harmony Beach (the one we were on) the best.  On one of the beaches they have built a tree house.  A couple was staying there for the weekend.  We saw the garden, horses, oxen and the beautiful mountains walking back toward the main road.  There were people riding four wheelers, but we did not take the proper clothing, so we didn’t get to do that.

It was a little cloudy during our trip, but we still got a nice sunset mixed in with the clouds and what great happy hours we had.  I really felt like I was on a spiritual retreat as there are literary quotes painted on these driftwood like signs all over the property.  They are all positive in nature and thought provoking making me appreciate and just feel content and happy.

The people there are really nice and friendly, and the service was great.  I would definitely recommend this place and would love to go back!

Walking to a coffee shop

Well, I always said I wanted to live some place where I could walk to a coffee shop.  Living here in Fort Bonifacio, I have hit the jackpot!  Last weekend Edi and I were out and about.  One of our stops was to a local Starbuck’s here in the area.  After getting our coffee drinks and settling down on a comfortable settee on the outside patio, we started counting the number of coffee shops that are within walking distance to our apartment.

We counted twenty one coffee shops, nine of which are Starbucks.  The particular Starbucks where we sat is huge with an upstairs sitting area, a rather large downstairs area, and a nice outside sitting area with tables and settees.  Most of the coffee shops offer some type of food, from pastries, to sandwiches, to actual pasta meals.  

 

One of my favorite coffee shops is the Starbuck’s on the top level of Fully Booked, my bookstore hangout.  I love to get the most recent copy of The View, a local magazine spotlighting places to go in and around the Philippines, and head to the top floor where I order a nice hot cup of coffee or an Americano, or an iced caramel machiatto, and peruse my magazine getting ideas about where I want to go on our next long weekend outing.

 

Another favorite is Café de Lipa.  This little shop offers local Philippine coffee and is very good on the pocketbook.  It is simple and offers light pastries and is a nice place to sit and people watch. This is usually where I opt to buy my ground coffee that I make in my coffee press every morning.

Whatever my mood, if I’m in the mood for a coffee while I’m out and about, there is certainly a coffee shop just waiting for me to walk through the door.