Museo Sugbo

Museo Sugbo used to be the old Cebu Provincial Jail. You can see the remnants of the jail from the museum's architecture and over-all vibes. It has been there for sometime yet I only got to visit the museum just recently for one reason-- to see the Cebu Media gallery. 

One focal point of the media gallery is the life (and death) story of my grandfather, Atty. Antonio Abad Tormis, who was murdered in line of his duty as a journalist.  

I was making a speech about my grandfather then and I needed the material for it. I barely knew him and the story of his life because he died when my father was very young. Since we were there already, we decided to take a tour of the whole museum.

Other exhibits in the Media Gallery

There was a gallery dedicated to all the Presidents of the Philippines. Of course, no Philippine museum is complete without a section presenting the life and works of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. 

There were also galleries which displayed different artifacts from the pre-Spanish to the Spanish era. Photography is allowed in almost all galleries of the museum except for one. It is the gallery on the ancient treasures and artifacts which were recently excavated during the construction of the underground tunnel near Plaza Independencia.

The Museum's spacious courtyard.

The museum has a cafe and a souvenir shop which used to be some of the jail's bartolinas or isolation cells.

The Well of Wisdom, Love and Good Fortune

Ang Atabay sa Kinaadman, Gugma og Maayong Kapalaran

Museo Sugbo
M.J. Cuenco Avenue,
Cebu City, Philippines
Tel No. +63 32 239 5626

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Bantayan Island (February 2012)

After almost three months of absence, I'm back to blogging. The past few months have been a mixture of surprises, adjustments and beautiful beginnings-- more on adjustments really-- my body adjusting to hormones, to physical changes. But allow me to go a few months back and share this wonderful trip I had with a few of my closest friends. 

I've lived in Cebu all my life, yet it's only just this year that I've set foot on the beautiful island of Bantayan. Such a shame, I know. Cebu has much to offer. I'm glad we had this trip. Thanks to my friend, Maimai and to her fun-loving husband, Jarred, for making this trip possible. I won't bore you with words. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

On our first night, we stayed at Kota Beach Resort in Sta. Fe. Bantayan is often likened to Boracay because of its fine white sand. If Boracay is far within your reach and you need to have that quick getaway from the stress of city-life, Bantayan is your next best option.

Mid-afternoon, we headed out to the sea for a short island-hopping, which was not entirely materialized for the island that we were supposed to visit had an exorbitant entrance fee as per the"owner's" policy. There's no point of making our presence felt as men and women of the law. We were there to enjoy, not to engage in a legal debate as to whether an island can be owned by a private individual.

Aside from its beaches, Bantayan is also known for the wide array of seafood, it being essentially a fishing island. I've never eaten that many seafood in my entire life. Haha. But I have no regrets.

 
Looking back, I realized that our time was spent more on eating than actual swimming or enjoying the beach. We went to as far as Madridejos (one of Bantayan's municipalities) just to eat halo-halo.

And the eating escapade continues...

This pizza place is just a few steps away from the inn/apartment where we stayed on our second night.

Before heading back to the city, we dropped by (twice actually, during the entire trip) Le Petit Bonheur to quench our thirst with milkshakes.

The place is quite attractive to me. They have this sort-of cabanas strategically placed around the area-- good spots from some photo session actually. Hehe.

But my favorite part of the trip was the bond among greatest of friends (char!)... Seriously, even if you are in the most beautiful part of the world, but you're not in the company of good people, the trip--no matter how luxurious, won't be as memorable.

Ipar's

Craving for authentic spanish cuisine? Then Ipar's Restaurante y Bar de Tapas is for you. Ipar is actually the name of the Chef and Owner of the restaurant--- Ipar O. Miranda.

Everything in the restaurant is Spanish-- from the food, to the whole concept and set-up, to the lighting fixtures (which, for some reason, reminds me of the movie, The Mask of Zorro) and decorations and to every minute detail there is.

To us, Ipar's became the venue for the get together of my high school friends, as our dear Abby, was in town at that time. And because we were so busy catching up with each other's lives, I forgot to take photos of the food. I'm not really a fan of Spanish cuisine, but I love their lengua estofada and gambas al ajillo. Their house specialties include bacalao, paella, chuletas al ajillo, U.S. ribeye, and roasted leg of lamb. I heard that their leche flan is also a must-try. The price range is from 180-400. It can go as high as 2,000+ for the lambs.

15 years of friendship. Our body figure may have changed (lol) but the bond remains the same.

Ipar's

157 F. Ramos Street,

Cebu City

+ 63 32 410 7727

Maitre Chocolatier

Since February is the month of love, why not spend Valentines in a sweet place, as in chocolate sweet--make that premium European chocolate sweet--place. I'm talking about Maitre Chocolatier.

Maitre Chocolatier offers a tasteful array of premium European chocolate brands-- Ferrero (Italy), Ritter Sport (Germany), Lindt (Switzerland), Revillion (France) and many more. They offer not just chocolates, but the usual dish that we have, it's just that the taste is enhanced by these chocolates.

A chocolate boutique won't be a chocolate boutique if there's no rack full of chocolates.

For Valentines, they have this cute Ferrero bouquet.

My husband is a self-confessed un-romantic guy (yes, he said that. I have proof.) But I beg to disagree. Yes, he does not make gigantic gestures. He can't sing me romantic songs nor move me into a slow and sweet dance. But he can write the most sincere love letter. The one that really goes deep into my bones (asus. hehe.) He doesn't do that on a regular basis, yet when he does, I know he put a lot of effort in writing his thoughts and emotions. This Valentines, instead of giving me a card, he wrote me a very long letter. And I gave him a book (yeah, I'm so novel like that. haha) He loved it, by the way. So that's all good.

Food Quality--3.5; Price--4; Ambiance--5; Service--4; Accessibility--5.

I wasn't entirely happy with my order. Carbonara my go to pasta. And yes, I'm a chocolate addict. But not of white chocolates. Ergo, I found my pasta a little too sweet for my taste buds. Oh but the dessert was to die for!

Maitre Chocolatier

101, Level 1, The Terraces

Ayala Center Cebu

+63 32 2387116

Kuya J (Cebu)

Jerome and I have agreed to continue celebrating our 'monthsaries' to keep the fire burning (char. haha) and at the same time, dine at new restaurants or discover hole-in-the-wall gastronomic places. Expect this blog to morph into a travel/food blog soon. 

I've been wanting  to try Kuya J restaurant, to which I've passed by numerous times because of the worthy competitor across it. 

A restaurant is appealing to me if the place is well-decorated and has an infusion of art. I am no expert in the arts but in some way or another, I know how to appreciate it. Case in point is this fascinating lighting fixture---

Then this wall decor---

Of course, no matter how good the ambiance is, the quality of the food should not be compromised. Here in Kuya J, we were not disappointed.

My all-time favorite dish-- drowned in butter, ah, heaven for me!

I've recently cultivated love for prawns and shrimps. This one exceeded my expectations.

Looks tough on the outside, but the meat is surprisingly tender. Easy to chew. No kidding.

 Our verdict?

Food Quality--4; Price--5; Ambiance--5; Accessibility--2.5.

Parking is not so good especially during peak hours of dining. You have to park on the side of the street. 

Kuya J Restaurant

0394 Orchid Street,

Capitol Site, Cebu City

+ 63 32 2531343