Yummy Gensan: Going Japanese at Rai-rai Ken

I found these photos of the Pugadbaboy from last year as I was looking for updates of their whereabouts. This group loves to eat a lot! And when I say a lot, I really mean humongous! Well, what can I say? That's why we're called Pugadbaboy. :)

These were taken at Rai-rai Ken KCC Mall of Gensan but the store is now at Robinson's place. 

    

I miss having them around so this post is some kind of a reminiscing good times... and good food! :)


     

    

I love Japanese food except for the sushi which is very ironic because I live in Gensan where tuna sushi's are a must-try. I love how tasteful their meat sauces are. Simply superb! Heehee. I told you. I'm not a professional foodie. I only can say a food is delicious or not delicious. That's all! :) And in Rai-rai Ken, my golly! The food is delicious! :)

    

    

Hey you guys! I miss you!

    


Location: Robinson's Place General Santos

Treats For A Royalty: The Horizon Spa

Every last Friday of the month is a "Pamper Me Day" for Laiza and I. This month, we agreed to go to a spa! Ahuh! It's the best treat ever!

I heard and read many great things about The Horizon Spa so it must really be something. We gladly hopped up and looked for the area. And to our amazement, it really was something! :) Just by merely looking at the entrance, I knew I could expect excellence! That's how first impressions work!

This is where it all happened. The hhmmm, the oohhh, the heehee, and the zzzzzzz.

The masseuses asked how our massages be done- hard or soft. Laiza said, "Hard!" I answered after a short pause, "Softest!" :) I don't like heavy hands. I like everything to be soft and easy. The masseuse was obedient enough to grant my request that's why I fell half-asleep. I couldn't help it! The massage was so good!

Got so sleepy after the massage

I almost forgot to take pictures. Then after I remembered, the receptionist was kind enough to take us to a little tour to capture the other rooms of the spa.

I'm so impressed! They lived up to their promise: "For people in General Santos City who are very particular about the kind of spa they want to visit, preferring an establishment that should be special enough to transport them into nirvana-like state and offering services beyond the usual massage and foot rub, then they do not have to look far and wide anymore. The Horizon Spa and Fitness Studio has just opened to cater to their every whim and caprices and treat them like royalty."

I felt like a royalty being served and pampered to my satisfaction!

Confession: I was supposed to make a post on this last night but when I arrived, I found myself longing for my bed. No, not because I was tired but because my body was ready to rest and I had 9 straight hours of sleep. Talk about spa benefits! Love that!

Visit their facebook page here.

Location: 2nd Floor Aparente Ave. Purok Malakas (beside Lagao National High School General Santos City.

Holiday On The Beach

Last Friday was declared a non-working holiday in Mindanao State University in observance of the first day of the Holy Month of our Muslim brothers. We have lots of holidays here in Mindanao apart from the regular National Holidays. So if you want to enjoy more long weekends, come and live in Mindanao or  better yet, work or study  in one of the schools of the MSU system. It's more fun in MSU! :) 

Of course it's not the only reason why it's more fun working in MSU. I can enumerate more but it's what we are always grateful for because we get the chance to squeeze short trips in between busy schedules. Where we headed? To the BEACH! Oh yeah! 

Beaches are just around the area. They're so usual a destination on this side of the world. The problem with them being so usual is that I sometimes forget about their existence. I couldn't even remember the last time I've been to one of the beach resorts here in Gensan. It's been so long! I only realized that when Laiza expressed a desire to go the beach.

Off we went to London Beach Resort with people in the office and their families. It was also a celebration of Ma'am Berl's pre-birthday!

Ma'am Berl with the carrot cake I made for her
And on this side of the world, that's how gorgeous bananas and mangoes are. 

Right photo (clockwise): Laiza, Rommel, Jypzie, Rendon

Ma'am Berl's family

Laiza and I

Laiza's confused moments. Haha! Is it Rendon or Jypzie?

While Laiza is like a mermaid, I'm not fond of swimming at the beach. I just love the feel of being at it. The sand. The waves. The sounds. The wind. The clouds. The skies. And the reflections that come along with witnessing the awesome beauty of God's creations. 

The whole gang and the partly cloudy sky. Nice weather!

Now here we go with the so old school jump shots. Maybe people already stopped jumping after planking and owling came into the picture. But not us! We can't still get over it!

It's still more fun jumping in the air than lying with your face down on a road or perching in strange places like a bird. Jumping can have crazy and funny movements while the other two are so stationary. And I love anything crazy. :)

The most perfect jump shot for this trip (that's for me).

The most perfect jump shot (for them) is my supposedly most perfect, too
if my head was not cut. Tsk!

Amazing Monday: Pretty Mailboxes

I love making letters for special people (especially years back) because I can express my emotions more in writing. But most especially I love receiving one. :) It's not necessarily a love letter. It can also be just the saying-hello and thank-you ones. 

I remember a very thoughtful girl friend way back in high school who has written me dozens of letters and I've written her back maybe fewer dozens. My girl friends and I were fond of exchanging letters. Those were the days when stationery was so in. How I miss those snail mail days. I've kept all my letters because they've become one of my treasures (but just in a box). I wish I had gotten myself one of these pretty mailboxes instead.

Somebody please send me a post mail!!! : ) ... So that I'll be inspired to get something like this. :)

Photos from picturetrail.

Yummy Gensan: Frappes at Kee's Cafe

Kee's Cafe is located at the ground floor of Road Haus Hotel of the famous Manny Pacquiao or the Hon. Congressman Manny Pacquiao. Sometimes I forget that he is a lawmaker of this land. I always have the great boxer image of him on my mind.

Anyway, the hotel became so famous after just few months of existence. Well, yes because it's owned by a famous man. Kee's Cafe is named after his also famous wife, Jinkee.  

Laiza suggested to have a little more chat after dinner and since we happened to be just near the hotel, we decided to see what the cafe could offer.

With Laiza (again!)

I had the classic Cookies 'n Cream frappe just because it's my favorite! When I have a favorite, it'll take long for me to try something new because I don't wanna let go of it. (C'mon Ems. Stop the drama. You're just talking about a frappe.) Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Haha! I just wanted to be consistent because we were talking about letting go's and moving on's :) We all have those moments, right? We sometimes reflect on these things because we have to deal with life! Oh, sentiments! :)

Ok! Now enough of life. This post is about frappes. :) Frappuccino's are everywhere. This one no different from the rest. This may not be the best I've ever tried but it'll do. I mean this blog is not really about food reviews because I'm no food critic. I'm just a passionate eater. :) And anything shared with good talks with friends can turn out to be the greatest! (Ooopss. There goes the sentiments again.)

Jypzie and Laiza

The place is perfect for hang-outs especially after school or work. It offers good vibes!



Location:  Block Zero, Aparente St., Barangay City Heights

Yummy Gensan: Steaks at Roland's

I've already mentioned in a previous post how I love steaks. I found a new place with equally yummy steaks! Read this - Roland's Steak House and Burger Station. Actually, it's not really new because the place has been existing in Gensan  for about 15 years already but it's just now that I've tasted how good their steaks are! Where have I been all those years? It's definitely in my list of new favorites!

Well done tenderloin. Yum!

The sauce. The plating. The tenderness. The taste. Everything was just so perfect for a meal! It was an excellent reward for a day of hardwork!

Another delicious meal. Chicken something :)

The place was small. There were only 8 tables (if I remember that right). Yes, I counted them. :) It seemed so homey. The walls (and the aircon) depicted old age which gave me two impressions, both negative and positive. The negative is the maintenance of the interior. They needed renovations. :) But it wasn't really that bad. I didn't want to talk about anything negative on this blog but I had to state that to give emphasis on my positive impression.

As I was observing people as they come, I was seeing happy faces. Mostly, they come in families. Father, mother and the hungry children. :) And I assumed they were regular customers because they were so familiar with the place and the people who served them (the first-name basis thing). :) I felt family connections between the people running the restaurant and the customers. 

Fifteen years of serving people with good food and good service must be applauded. The old interior is the evidence of those long years of giving people quality products and excellent service which kept them coming back. 

And I'm surely coming back! :)

Location: Along Jose Catolico Ave., Corner Capareda St. Lagao, General Santos City

Yummy Gensan: Rice Meals at Giacomino's

I'm a very typical Filipino in the sense that I can't live a day without rice. I even can't stand a single meal without it. I eat three full rice meals in a day and even have suman for a snack sometimes. I know that's a super carbo-loading. But I care not. :)

I tried taking just bread or pancake or oatmeal for breakfast but I ended up feeling dizzy after an hour. Haha! The rice person that I am! It's one of my comfort foods. Ice cream. Spaghetti. Chocolates. Rice. Heehee...

One super rainy evening, the girls decided to eat something heavy because it was cold! You know how our stomachs demand when it's cold. Have you noticed that? Or maybe it's not the stomach. It just feels good to eat on cold days. :)

With Laiza and Ate Doli in Giaco Robinsons

Giacomino's Pizza is a home for....Uhmmm...PIZZA! (Redundancy. Haha!) And it's also a home for a lot more delicious goodies just like the rice meals we had. Dishes in chicken, pork, beef (and maybe even fish) they have all those. I've tasted their burgers and tuna pizza before and they all taste good! 

The service crew were really nice. We even asked the store manager to take pictures of us plus we asked the volume of the tv to be adjusted. And I remember them giving me control of the remote once upon a time in their other branch. That's a good service for me :)

I'm actually a regular customer of the restaurant especially when I need a quiet moment. The place is not chaotic which I love in a place. It's a place of good food and good ambiance.

Location: East Asia Royale Hotel and Robinson's Place Gensan

Crazy Over Pretty Dresses

Gosh! I'm inlove with these pretty dresses by Dorothy Perkins! I'm currently a fan of plains! Love these!!!

        

        

        

Amazing Monday: Little Darlings

I was scanning my files and I found these photos of my cousins and niece. I can't help myself from sharing this with you. :)

Heart, Revson, and my niece, Caela (I've mentioned her a lot already in my previous posts) are my favorite little creatures in the world.  :)

These smart goody kiddos are joys of the our family. You know how children can light up the whole world. They blow you away with their smiles, their funny almost silly moves, their innocent ways. 


When I look at them, I'm reminded to stay young at heart... to not worry so much about the future and let tomorrow worry about itself... to have fun in anyway i can... to play around... to be a joy to others... to be happy with what I have... to be contented with life! : )

It's amazing how children can remind us of so many things even without them knowing it!

Baking Expert Wanna Be

Yeah! That's me! :) I'm a baking expert wanna be! I thought of something to do for the summer (the last summer). So I enrolled myself in a 10-day baking course. The school would not give classes to less than 10 students so they told me to wait for more enrollees. Summer enrollees were very few then but I still waited. I was always hoping that when an SMS arrived, it's a signal that classes would start but naaahhh. My supposedly summer thing actually started 2 months after summer. 

My excitement level turned down to 4.5 (with 10 as the highest). Nevertheless, I was eager to learn something new. I love learning and discovering new things, enrolling in classes where I know my passion  lies. Ooppss.. Did I just say baking is one of my passions? 

Guess what? I think it really is!!! I love everything that tastes good! This blog has turned into some kinda food blog for the past weeks but it's not. Food is just my current obsession. :) More than trying out new restaurants and tasting new flavors, it's in cooking that I find more joy. It's my way of making other people happy!

I actually have enrolled in cooking classes 4 years ago. The time when I thought I had to prepare myself for marriage and cooking was an essential skill to be a good wife. :) Haha!  And the good wife becomes better if she knows how to cook. And the better wife becomes the super best when she serves great-tasting meals.   (Those silly thoughts.) Four years after, I'm not yet married. And I'm not cooking very often anymore. I've become a seasonal cook. Heehee...

I didn't know what came into me that I decided to enroll again but this time, I'm attempting to bake. :) I've never baked my whole life so everything was like learning the alphabet to me. It's like learning calculus for the first time. You feel like floating on air because the terms sound so alien and you're so eager to learn already so you can cope up with others. This is how a student feels. I'm feeling it all over again and I'm loving it. :)

Here are some of what we have done!

Looking so delicious! These all taste good, too! These are all products of group effort so don't be impressed with me just yet. :)

Watch out for my baking attempts in upcoming posts. :) I'm so excited! 

Yummy Gensan: Chicken Siomai at Mandarin Tea Garden

I'm known as Ems by friends and acquaintances but my nickname is really Mai-mai (known only to my family and very close friends). 

I've intentionally hidden my real nickname so I won't be teased as Mai-mai Siomai! Mai-mai Siomai! You know how it is for bully kids to make fun of your names, associating it with something funny-sounding and when they see you, they'll tease you all over again. You just wish to disappear like a bubble.

But hey! You know what? I care no more! Because deep in my heart, I'm really a siomai girl. C'mon! Tease me now. Mai-mai Siomai! Mai-mai Siomai! And I'll be very proud. :) I'm a siomai girl! Yes I am!

So where do I find the most delicious siomai? Where else but at Mandarin Tea Garden! :) Siomai's are everywhere but  I'm not a fan of pork and beef siomai, even the shrimp. It's only Mandarin that serves chicken siomai (as what I know). So when Mai-mai craves for siomai, she hops to Mandarin. 

With Laiza

My another favorite is their sweet and sour fish fillet. Chicken siomai plus fish fillet. Yum! These are what I order everytime. I still look at the menu hoping to like something new but nope. I don't understand! I always end up still picking my favorites. :)

With me is Laiza. While I'm a siomai lover, she's a siomai master. (Not the master siomai because that's another thing.) She really is a siomai master who can consume 12 siomai in one sitting! And maybe more! Not impressed enough? Well, I am. I can't take in that much siomai though I'm Mai-mai siomai. And sheh loves siopao, too. So maybe I'll just be Mai-mai siomai and she's Laiza siopao. Heehee.. 

Location: KCC Mall of Gensan

Beautiful Cakes

I wanted to give the cake for my niece's first birthday. I was in the middle of searching the web for ideas when I stumbled upon the FB account of a highschool friend, Jennie Mae. Her creations were so beautiful and I knew right there and then that I had to get her to make Caela's cake.

My sister and I decided to have a garden theme so I'd like the cake to have beautiful flowers and butterflies in bright pink and sunny yellow. 

Look at this! Just the way I wanted it and even more! :)

Cupcakes and a fondant cake. This was the star of the event (like a cake should be).

So if you're looking for a maker of beautiful cakes in Gensan, click here.