Sinadya sa Halaran Festival 2012

a few shots I took at the Sinadya sa Halaran Festival (December 06, 2012)

a Few shots I took at the "Damgu sa Gabi sa Tungang Tingadlaw" (a Muilti-Visayan adaptation of the Shakespeare comedy: A Midsummer Night's dream"):

More Photos here...

Like us on Facebook...^_^

Mariscos (modern Asian Cuisine)

I wasn't able to write for some time now because i thought that the places I've been to recently didn't have that much "umph" in the overall experience. I was thinking that I won't be saying a lot of good stuff about their restaurant so I guess I won't be writing about them. But then a friend of mine told me that I should write about it weather it is bad or good since that would be the essence of a review. I told him that I did't want to make bad publicity for the establishments. He said, "there is no good or bad publicity, when your write about it, whether bad or good, it's gonna be read." Well, in that case, here I go.


Last November 25, my wife and I went to join my in-laws to celebrate my Father-in-law's birthday at "Mariscos," at the Vicinity of the Capiz Provincial Park at Roxas City, Capiz.

Well, the Place was nice and cozy. it was set up to make you feel welcome. And the Ceiling...
well...

The Capiz shells that hang from the ceiling creates a relaxing "running water" sound every time a breeze comes around.

Place is well lit and well decorated.

My 1-year old daughter enjoyed discovering the corners of the place and earning a smile from each of the food service crew members. The service was so-so, polite and attentive. They made me feel like they were doing their job rather than enjoying serving the costumers.

In my experience as a waiter back in the days, I would try to make the costumers feel like I want to serve them because I like them rather than I'm polite and attentive because I am paid to do it. And even in the other restaurants I have been in, it's more enjoyable for the costumers if the service crew looks like they're enjoying it.

Now for the food.

from the first look, the Menu poses nothing special, huh...
well, I'll tell you...

We ordered a serving of Pork Sisig. It was good but it wasn't that good. (I have tasted better)

then we had some shrimp curry and some chicken...
yeah, well, my dad makes a meaner curry and the chicken, although tasty, it was a bit dry...

The Chop Suey was good though...

and Finaly, my wife ordered their Spare ribs... (No Photo. My wife attacked it before I could take my camera phone out.) the Ribs were great, with a scale from 1-5; 5 being the best I've tasted, it's pretty close. I would give it a 4.

Another thing I would give them a High Rate for is the Comfort Room.
Clean and scented with running water and I like the way they arranged the amenities too.

I didn't get to ask for the owner's name and the chef's cause my eldest daughter was already getting restless.

here are the rest of the photos...

So, Ambiance, Service and Food... overall experience I'd rate them at 3 1/5 Stars...

Capiz Hip hop Dance Crews

Capiz, Having culture as the driving force of their tourism industry, has conducted a Hip hop dance competition last September 30 as part of their Tourism week 2012 celebration.

here are some of the performers that day...

a galley on shore!

My wife and I were looking for some Japanese food one night. Along the beach when we happened to stumble upon a little grill. Well, since we couldn't find any Japanese tonight we thought about giving it a try.

From the outside it looks simple enough; Small and humble. But to my surprise when I peeked through the window; "whoa!" I thought, "this might be a little too classy for my budget."

but what the hey, right? it's not every night I get to take my wife out for a date. So, there I was. Intimidated by the set up I just saw through the window. I was about to open the door when suddenly... A member of the food service crew opened the door for us and welcomed us in. she gave us a warm smile and gave us a table and a couple of menus.

the next thing I discovered blew my mind. they named most of their dishes in the native language, making them the first and only restaurant I came across in Roxas City that does that. they don't serve baked oysters, Hell No! they serve baked TALABA! No seaweeds here, they serve LATO! and yeah! they serve MANGA and BAGOONG as Appetizers! now that is a Local Restaurant with a World Class Feel and Service.

But my wife and I weren't actually there to eat our hearts out but to enjoy each other's company. So, we skipped appetizers and soups and ordered Baby back ribs and BAKED TALABA (still can't get over the fact that it's TALABA and not OYSTERS! I love it!) while we were waiting for our order, we noticed a lot more great stuff about this small, humble restaurant by the beach. For one thing, they have a great choice in music and a very "vinyl like" sound. I don't really know what they call it but it's like I hear the music loud and clear yet it's not too loud that you have to shout over it to have a conversation. More like it envelopes the conversation with the music. Kind of like a vinyl record. another thing that caught our attention was the look and feel of the place. it made me feel relaxed, especially when the waitress comes over very politely with a very warm smile on her face. And not just our waitress, I noticed the same thing on the table next to us. our food wasn't served yet but I already felt like we got more than what we paid for (and we haven't actually paid yet). another thing was a window sized picture of the Sta. Monica Parish in Panay that houses the biggest catholic bell in Southeast Asia right beside our table; made me feel like I was in Panay rather than Roxas City.

and we haven't even gotten to the food part, huh? well, check this out:

BABY BACK RIBS!!! they served the ribs with only one knife and I was about to ask for another knife but this stopped me from doing so.

F**k it! Hell yeah! I just forked it and the meat fell off the bone effortlessly! and the flavor is exquisite! the tender meat burst with flavor "I have a flavor orgy in my mouth!" was the next thing I found myself saying. and as I'm writing this, I'm remembering how it tastes and want to go there again.

their food is amazing! and their service is first class!

Anot's Galley Grill & Restaurant Food Service Staff and Crew with Chef Joel Patuglan Later we found out that Anot's Galley Grill and Restaurant is a partnership between Chef Joel and Chef Arnold Abatay. Their specialties are Baby back ribs, Bulalo and Kare-Kare. I haven't had the chance to try every thing they have yet but I'm pretty sure I'll be coming over again to try more of their culinary artistry. Anot's is located at Baybay, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines, and they are available for catering services; just get in touch with Chef Arnold at +369293835723.

Conferences

The province of Capiz, specifically the City of Roxas is becoming a prominent venue for Regional and National conferences, and seminars. Lately, the Philippine Association of Local Government Accountants Inc. held their 7th Visayas Geographical Conference. With more than a thousand delegates from all over visayas, Hotels in Roxas City certainly proved themselves ready for big scale accommodations. this same year, Capiz has also hosted the "Dungog sang mga tumandok nga pamatan-on" (Pride of the Indigenous Youth.) which is a national youth camp that teaches preservation of culture and their way of living and teachings. Now, more organizations are setting their eyes on Capiz as their next venue for their conferences. the Couples For Christ - Youth For Christ - Global Mission Foundation -- Region IV is aiming to hold their 16th Regional Youth Conference at Capiz National High School in Roxas City, Capiz. Targeted to have a thousand or more participants, these kinds of activities would surely bring up tourist numbers in Capiz. Symposiums and Seminars Roxas City is also a hit for regional seminars and exhibits mainly for its ability to accommodate big numbers with minimal costs. now with new conventions center ready to receive guests. but aside from the convention centers, the food is exquisite and (if the organizers contact the right person) the cultural shows are awesome.

If you are planning for a conference, well, I thinks Capiz is more than willing to take care of you. here are a few people you could contact through facebook: El Circulo Convention Center; Grand Gazebo; Kapis Mansion; and Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office.