Five Reasons Why I Love PRESOTEA Philippines

Presotea, a popular Taiwanese-based tea chain recently reached the Philippines soil and is now impressing Filipino people with its high quality tea drink selections. Whether if you are a fan of milk tea or if you are one of those purist who appreciates the delicious simplicity of freshly brewed tea, Presotea got you covered. 

I love tea. And as I grew older and wiser, I prefer tea over coffee. That is why, I am always on the look out for new tea shops. Having tried out Presotea recently, I could say that I have found a new favorite that I can add on my list. 

On this blog post, I am going to share with you Five Reasons Why I Love Presotea Philippines. 

Islas Pinas Buffet: A Food and Heritage Village [Blog Review + YouTube Video]

I recently went to Islas Pinas Buffet Restaurant which was tagged as a Food and Heritage Village under the famed chef Margarita Fores to check out the place and try out the buffet offerings. Islas Pinas opened last year and originally started as a food hall. Come February of this year, Islas Pinas transformed into a buffet showcasing different Filipino food from all over the county. 

While I am confident that the food would be food since it's under the wing of chef Margarita Fores after all, what I was excited about prior to my visit was the aesthetic of the entire place. And it didn't disappoint. Islas Pinas as a heritage village has a charm of its own. 

Located at Double Dragon Plaza in Pasay City, Islas Pinas is a good destination if you want decent Filipino food while feasting your eyes to the wonders of its decors that mimics different parts of the country and echoes Filipino heritage. Aside from that, they do have a Pasalubong Center that offers local goodies which makes it a perfect destination for people who wants some souvenir edible or not, from the Philippines.

Don Day Korean BBQ Buffet Restaurant, Antipolo City Philippines [A Blog Review + A YouTube Video]

Don Day Korean BBQ Buffet is one of very few Korean restaurants in Antipolo City, Philippines. They offer eat-all-you-can Korean food, unlimited korean barbecue such as samgyeopsal (pork) and chadolbagi (beef), ala-carte Korean dishes, and shabu-shabu or hot pot. 

It is a decent enough restaurant if you in this side of the metro and craving for Korean food. The only thing that I don't like about this restaurant is the way they sometimes change their "rules" pertaining to the unlimited meat without prior notice, and the fact that diners could only have two hours time frame limit to enjoy their meal. 

We dined there one time and availed of their unlimited korean samgyeopsal and chadolbagi. When my friend asked for the refill of his samgyeopsal, the waiter informed us that they only serve maximum of 5 samgyeopsal plate per person. We are under the impression that it is unlimited like what they were claiming on their ads, so the fact that there is a limit of 5 plate per person is just plain stupid. 

How To Cook Tteokbokki 떡볶이 [Toppokki / Dukbokki] Easy Korean Spicy Rice Cake Recipe

This recipe for Tteokbokki 떡볶이 or Korean Spicy Rice Cake, alongside majority of the Korean food recipes I know I learned from an Ajumma 아줌마 (Korean elderly woman) who owned a Korean restaurant near the place where I used to live. My friendship with this ajumma didn't really start off on the right foot, you see. She used to dislike me.

For her, I was this annoying girl who speaks in broken Korean while asking for extra servings of kimchi more than a normal customer would. Until I grew on her. I somehow and surprisingly charmed my way through her heart and the next thing I know she was handing me a notes of her Korean food recipes before boarding the plane that will bring her back to her motherland for good.

I miss her. I miss hanging out in her restaurant and annoying her with my Konglish until she feeds me good food because she'd rather see this annoying girl devour her food happily instead of talking things she cannot understand. But when we speak the language of food, we become friends, there was nothing we cannot understand.

La Travieza Buffet Restaurant, Antipolo City [Blog Review + YouTube Video]

La Travieza Buffet Restaurant is one of homegrown restaurants in Antipolo City, Rizal that is popular among the locals. It offers eat-all-you-can buffet style dining set up as well as plated meals for those who wants to satisfy their hunger within budget. I have a blog series about different restaurants you can visit in Antipolo on my blog archive and now, we are adding La Travieza to the list. 

La Travieza Buffet Restaurant is equipped with several function rooms that make them a perfect venue for different event and occasions. Couple of days back, a relative celebrated her birthday at La Travieza. I figured it can be a good chance to blog about it. 

Aside from this blog post, I also uploaded a simple video of our visit at La Travieza on my YouTube channel. There you can see all the food selections on the buffet spread we feasted on during that day. Feel free to visit YedyLicious TV on YouTube and consider subscribing if so inclined. I will really appreciate it. 

Buta No Kakuni Recipe 豚の角煮 [How To Cook Japanese Braised Pork Belly]

There was this Japanese movie I've seen years ago which title and other information, to my dismay, escaped my mind currently. What I can remember however, was this scene of a man in search of something, who chanced upon an izakaya in the middle of nowhere.

The man, obviously worn out and exhausted from his quest was fed with what the audience can surmise as the best Buta No Kakuni he has ever had in his life. That moment gave him a sort of clarity - a fresh breath of courage to continue with his journey. 

That particular scene was very meaningful thus, it is one which to this day clings to my mind. It was bleeding with metaphorical representation of a despondent man being fed with an edible pep-talk - and a good one at that. By the end of the scene, he was beaming with optimism like that of a glistening chunks of kakuni that hopefully unlike the man's newfound courage, will melt in the mouth.

It was so subtle yet powerful.