Special thanks to: My Teamdahan™ the people who are behind my success and people who give me my best moments at work. To Santi who sings September after the 3rd glass of beer and describes my cooking in a very fancy way. Jea, Bhadong, Jenoi, Khalel, Ryan, John Joe, Lyza, Lean, Lerdes, Richel, Sunny Boy, Panyang, Adon, Roxee, and Cai.

After our dinner at the Royal Krua Thai  Shara and I walked out with full stomach but of course an extra space for dessert. With just a few steps away we is the Boy that makes a lot of people of Cebu go crazy. YO-GO Boy is packed with people waiting for their turn to get a taste of their frozen bacteria, I mean yogurt.

Layers of fruits and frozen yogurt

My taste buds are longing for that sour creamy taste. I love yogurt for breakfast but I never really had it after dinner. Their menu of yogurt sundaes, parfaits, waffle and yogurt are very tempting. Every time I see yogurt my mouth automatically have the same reaction to green mangoes. Waiting in line takes much of my self control at 9:00 PM the place is jam packed with people. Soon we had our turn and we decided to share a parfait. We went for melon, avocado, and ripe mango on our parfait, topped with Cheerios. The best thing about it is that you are entitled to choose the fruit and cereal or toppings that you want. One can choose from Kiwi, strawberry, melon, avocado, mango and peach for the fruits. For the cereal you can pick from Rice Krispies, corn flakes, and Cheerios. You can also go for other toppings like the colorful sprinkles.

The store is well lit and very attractive with its white and  sky-blue color. We got ourselves a table just right next to one of its doors while waiting for our parfait to be prepared. In a matter of minutes we've started to enjoy the goodness of the frozen yogurt with an enhanced flavor brought by the fresh fruits and the topping. The textures of each layer made me enjoy it more. I can eat without feeling guilty for I know that yogurt is a healthy food, I guess its the same reason why people keeps coming back to eat more of their frozen delight.

Cheerios and a dash of cinnamon on top

Oh Boy, YO-GO Boy, made for kids and indeed loved by adults. Can't wait to have more next time when my stomach allows me to eat as much as I want.




TRIVIA:
Yogurt, originated in Turkey. Its name is from the Turkish word "yogurur", which translates to "long life". It is a nutritious dairy product and is easier to digest than milk.  

Although the thought of consuming bacteria may be somewhat disgusting, the bacteria contained in yogurt is, in fact, "friendly bacteria". This kind of bacteria helps to boost the health of your intestinal tracts, which boosts immunity in the body. 

Check this site for the nutritional value of frozen yogurt.  

On our search for something new to entice our palate Shara and I decided to meet at the Ayala but it seems like we've been through the same place over and over. I had a very long day at work and not to mention I barely had sleep for the past 72 hours. I felt like the Energizer bunny gone overcharged. The night before I got into drinking GPS with office mates over a Kere-kere-o-k session (how we call our Video-k session). I got home 4 AM not to mention had a shift at 6 AM. I even made it to my long postponed swimming time.

So we decided to stay away from the usual places and hop on a taxi to Sto. Niño Village in Banilad. A friend suggested a place there so we decided to give it a try. It seems like our dear taxi driver does not know where the place was. We asked the guard and pointed us more about 5 blocks from the gate. The night turned out to be an unlucky one for the place was closed. We asked the driver to go back and drop us off by the Banilad Town Center (BTC).

Fish fillet in black pepper sauce

Red curry rice

There we found ourselves into a Thai restaurant called the Royal Krua Thai. Having in mind that Thai's are best known for their hot and spicy food we forewarned ourselves to be very careful in choosing the food from the menu. We settled down on a table near the bar and we were very much amused by the ambiance offered by the restaurant. The seat was comfortable enough to drive my appetite into frenzy along with the intricately designed hardwood panels hanging overhead held by metal chains that were screwed into the concrete roof. I can't help but take a few pictures of the view around our table. The small statues sitting on top of the bar stole my attention so I snapped a few pics using my phone's camera.

Taking the leisure of looking into the list of food on their menu, we talk ourselves over as to what we should eat. We decided to have fish and vegetables for we have been eating pork and chicken over the week. Our dinner was a platter of red curry rice (fried rice in spices with chicken shred), fish fillet in black pepper sauce 'Pla phad prik thai dam', and sauteed mixed vegetables which the call as 'Phad pak ruam mid'. For our beverage we tried their house specialty their Krua Thai Iced Tea special which is naturally made from lemon grass best known as 'tanglad'  for Cebuanos.

Their special tea made a great impression on my taste buds giving it an A-OK. To our surprise the rice platter that we ordered which they said is good for 3 person could feed up to 5. As the name suggests the rice is red in color and was spicy. The attending waiter told us that the red curry rice is mild compared to the green curry rice in their menu (now I wonder how spicy could that be?). The fish was indeed very soft that it melts on my mouth; it went very well with the rice. The rice was spicy and makes my sinuses alive while the sweet and smooth flavor of the fish gives it a good harmony. The veggies makes the pyramid  complete, oh yes we are a trying to balance it out with fiber source so to speak.Sometimes we try to make ourselves look like diet conscious though Shara and I consider ourselves lucky. We can eat as much as we want and barely gain an ounce in the weighing scale.

We savored the rest of what we can finish and commend ourselves for picking up the right choice of food. The satisfaction we owe to the chef. Our dinner kept us in our seat for 30 more minutes after we ate giving it enough time to settle down and a room for dessert.


www.thaismile.jp is a good site to learn Thai phrases.

All day we've been dreaming of ice cream after eating a very heavy breakfast at the start of our shift. The little pigs started to feel drowsy and lazy but thanks to some sugar rush in chasing the drowsiness away. We ended our day as scheduled and off we go to Ayala Center.

We didn't waste much time after we got off the taxi but to go straight to the lower ground level. I'm very sure that you can guess where we are headed to. Its my new found ritual and I'm taking Ria to join me. A Real taste of Italia is their promise. Gelatissimo simply takes the stress away. With their very unique flavors you can't help it but keep coming back for more and that's what I have been doing ever since I get a taste of it. My taste buds can't simply get enough of their gelato.

The good thing about this store is that you can sample it first which I think a very good way to help you out in choosing the best flavor that suits your taste. Everything looks very fresh and delicious. You can choose from the common to the wild fruit and nut flavors like strawberry, mango, avocado, pineapple, lemon, citrus, coconut, blue berries, lychee, passion fruit, coconut, hazelnut, pistachio and more. They also have wide choices of chocolate flavors for those who can't resist the chocolaty temptations.

You can also go wild with their unique flavors rhum and raisin combined, chili and other flavors that you don't expect in an ice cream could be a very great experience.

I've tried their rhum and raisin flavor paired with one caramel flavored on a two scoop cup made my day complete. The taste of rhum stays in your mouth on your first taste, the raisin gives it a sweet-taste and an texture. The moment that you would crave for more is when you will realize that your cup is empty.
 Writing this is never easy, my brain keeps me me thinking of gelato and at the same time my mouth waters looking at the pics that I am about to post. Soon they are going to open a new store at the North Wing in SM City Cebu. I'm looking forward to that day and to my next visits in any of their stores. Now who wants  to go with me?

Gelatissimo originated in Australia and not in Italy. Now they have over 30 stores and more to come including their new store in Florence Italy thus their latest tag line Italy meet Gelatissimo Gelatissimo meet Italy

Things that I hate about planning is that they don't go as expected but well  some things that were unplanned turns int something fun. On the last minute we have agreed to have dinner at the Golden Cowrie in Salinas Drive, Lahug Cebu City. Supposed to be a dinner of five but ended up to be a dinner of three. Mitos, Meg and I agreed to meet at the restaurant.

I arrived first and I was tasked to order the food so when they'd get there the food would be ready. I always love their food there though its been almost a year since my last visit. I have read a couple of not so good reviews of the restaurant online over the past months so I'm a bit cautious of what to order though I am very much familiar with what's on their menu. They haven't really changed anything as far as I have observed.

I ordered crispy pata (crispy pork leg), bicol express, adobong talong (eggplant cooked in vinegar, soy sauce, oil, and spices), and green mango and dilis salad (green mango strips with crispy fried anchovies mixed with red onions soaked in vinegar and sugar sprinkled with crushed peanuts).

Meg arrived wearing a yellow shirt and with a yellow handbag which made me smile because she's so in for our surprise. The food was served before our dear mother Mitos arrived so we started to eat while waiting for her. I started with the green mango salad and to my delight it still tastes the same as the last time. I was eased from my worries when I get to taste all the food. The crispy pork leg was indeed very crispy and cooked just the way I like it, the adobong talong and the bicol express are cooked just right and tastes just the way it should.

Our dear mother  arrived 15 minutes later with her birthday gift in hand, a fresh pineapple. We were all laughing when she gave her birthday present. I took out my share of present pineapple juice in can and in a bottle which brought more laughter in our table. Just like what  I have said earlier Meg was so in the theme for our surprise. We ate over a a very lively conversation which I think really made us more hungry. I always have a very healthy appetite but all three of use were really hungry because we added 2 servings of baked scallop and sinigang na hipon (soured shrimp stew)  to what I have ordered earlier. The scallops were baked well and tastes really very yummy the second serving is a proof to that. The sinigang was served almost at the end of our meal but nevertheless delightful.

The waiters were very friendly and helpful, the only thing that is not so great about it was that we were billed for 7 servings of baked scallops instead of 2. It was then taken cared of though so it's good. Let's just say that the cashier had read the waiter's hand writing wrong.

And before this post ends we would like to thank mother Mitos for the treat. (SMILE)

• Adobo is a borrowed Spanish word refering to a common and very popular cooking process indigenous to the Philippines. When Spanish colonizers conquered the Philippines  in the late 1500s and early 1600s, they encountered an indigenous cooking process which involved stewing with vinegar, which they then referred to as "adobo," which is the Spanish word for seasoning or marinade. Dishes prepared in this manner eventually came to be known by this name.
• Cowry, also sometimes spelled cowrie, plural cowries, is the common name for a group of small to large marine gastropods in the family Cypraeidae. The word cowry is also often used to refer to the shells of these snails.
  

  Golden cowries are egg-shaped with a flat base and a narrow opening. Like other cowries, their shells are smooth and highly polished. They protect their glossy finish by wrapping their brightly colored mantle lobes nearly completely around their shells when they move. Golden cowrie shells have been used as currency and religious symbols throughout the South Pacific. On the island of Fiji, they were worn on a necklace by a chieftain as a symbol of status and rank.

  The traditional Filipino game sungka uses cowrie shells.

After our hearty dinner we hit Dessert Factory, as the name suggests it offers a variety of sweets; pastries, cakes, brownie and ala modes. One might think that they only serve dessert but that's not all they have. They also have choices of pasta, meal sets, coffee and tea.

The place is quite crowded when we got in at around 7:00 pm. Their friendly waiter wearing the purple clown hat ushered to a table on the farthest corner. The menu looks great and if we were hungry we would have picked one or two of their meals but then our tummy can only give us enough room for dessert.

My love for cheese prevailed over my desires for chocolate so I picked blueberry cheese cake. Shara and Cris both agreed on having their rocky road brownie ala  mode. Their blue berry cheesecake looks good enough to make my mouth water. The cream cheese gives it a moist texture and a not so sweet taste. The blueberry glaze on top gives it a nice, explosive tart taste.

The brownie looks equally tasty. A slice of brownie is the base topped with vanilla ice cream, sprinkled with marshmallows and toasted peanuts. The chocolate syrup all over the top making it hard to resist. People on a diet must take their eyes away before they could indulge themselves into the sinful taste of chocolate.

We enjoyed our dessert and I drowned mine with iced green tea which is really good for digestion and oh before I'd end this post we'd like to thank Shara for taking care of the tab this time. My psychic vibes are telling me that I'd be taking care of the next one.  Peace out!


DEFINED:

à la mode - [ah lah MOHD] French for "in the manner (or mode) [of]," referring to the style in which a dish is prepared. The term has been Americanized to also mean pie topped with ice cream.

Source:  Food Lover's Companion
The New Food Lover's Companion, 3rd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst, published by Barron's Educational Series, Inc.