Regions Organic Coffee

The perks of travel and food writing:

•  you get to do what you enjoy
•   Learn something new every time

This time we got to travel to Balanga, Bataan where the wife and I got treated to the new and improved Regions Organic Coffee shop.  The coffee shop itself has been around for a while but under a different brand name.  Now, with the husband and wife entrepreneurial team at the helm of the coffee shop, they are putting in their own spin and vision for Regions Organic Coffee.

The branch for Regions Organic Coffee shop in Balanga is located at 2100 Laurel St., Balanga Bataan and is open from 2:00pm-10pm daily.  If Bataan is a bit far for that quick coffee break, try these other branches near you:

·         Naia Terminal 3

·         Kalaayan, Quezon City

·         D. Tuazon, Quezon City

·         CCF, Tiendesitas, Pasig City

The branch in Balanga is conveniently located next to some doctor’s offices where you can get a quick dental, facial, or eye checkup.  You can drop by Regions right after that check up and have a well deserved treat.  The shop itself is a small, but very comfy haven for those coffee lovers out there.

After settling down we decided to get the obvious choice at a coffee shop.  We decided to get coffee!  The Organic Farm brew (P75 for 8oz/P85 for 12oz) is made out of 100% USDA organically certified coffee beans.  If you’re already familiar with different coffee beans you can smell the difference right away as they pour the hot water onto the ground beans.  It’s a must try for any coffee aficionado.  

For those who prefer less of a caffeine kick you may want to try out their flavored cream blends.   We decided to try out their bestsellers, which were the Caramel (P130 12oz/P140 16oz) and Green Tea (P120 12oz/P130 16oz).

Caramel

Green Tea

For the chocolate enthusiasts I’d suggest you get the Hot Chocolate Classic (P85 8oz/P105 12oz).  If not for the love of chocolate then for the awesome heart shape design they put into it.  Nothing beats a warm cup of cocoa filled with love and hearts.

Regions also serve food for those who want something to nibble on while drinking that hot cup of joe.  My personal favorite was the Nachos (P125 Half/P175 whole).  It just had that perfect blend of meatiness and cheesiness that I liked very much.  If anything, this is the type of nachos I’d like to bring into a movie theater with me, or while lounging on the sofa.

If you love pasta you should try the Oriental Pasta (P140).  It’s made with chicken, Shiitake mushrooms, peanuts and is served with garlic bread.  It reminds me of a traditional Thai dish I once had.  It’s quite flavorful and has a distinct taste that says Asia.

Another version of pasta that Regions serves is the Spicy Tuna and Beef & Mushroom.   Both are tomato based with the tuna providing a bit of a kick while the Beef & Mushroom is more of a traditional sweet tasting Filipino treat.  Both are good and tasty and are served with garlic bread.

Beef & Mushroom

Spicy Tuna

If you’re looking for something besides pasta you can go ahead and try the Tuna Cucumber Melt (P95).  It comes with a serving of chips in the middle and goes great with a cup of brewed coffee.  You can also partner this with one of the cold drinks.

And for those who just love to skip to the desserts they should try Region’s version of the crinkle the "Whoopie" (P50).  This large sized crinkle is quite a treat.  I especially liked the green one because you could really taste the “tea” taste with every bite.  Again, this delightful dessert goes great with that hot cup of coffee.

The above food and drinks in this blog is just a small summary of what Regions Organic Coffee shop has to offer.  They can definitely hold up their own against the bigger international coffee shops.  For one, they have great coffee, which is of course a must for any decent coffee shop, but not only that, they also have relatively decent prices that we as consumers love.  But in the end, it is the coffee that will bring you back to this coffee shop and its pleasant atmosphere.  

A Truly Asian Experience Part 2 - Petaling Street, Chinatown

As you can tell from the title, this is part two of my Malaysia blog series.  We decided to take the bus to Petaling Street, Chinatown and it took about 2 hours with all the stops.  The bus was quite comfortable and you can take a short nap if you feel like it.  They'll drop you off at the nearest bus station and you have to take about a 5-10 minute walk to the hotel.

We decided to stay at the Hotel Chinatown 2 because of its location inside of Chinatown and because it is near an LRT train station namely Pasar Seni Putra.  From the hotel it's a another 5-10 minute walk and from there you can pretty much go to any of the tourist attractions.  More of that later on.

In Malay, Petaling Street is called Jalan Petaling and like other Chinatown's all over the world it's a pretty busy street all day.  You can do a lot of your souvenir shopping here and the great thing about staying at the Hotel Chinatown 2 is that you can bring your loot right up to your hotel room.

Petaling Street, Chinatown

Chinatown during the day.

The hotel itself is located right along Petaling Street itself and is about right in the middle.  A perfect spot for your adventures.  Not only can you do a lot of shopping there but you're also just a few minutes away from some awesome restaurants such as Nando's, Arabesque, and the local Chinese restaurants to name a few.

A shop underneath the hotel itself.

Blurry shot of the hotel lobby.

Hotel Chinatown 2 is clean, safe, and the staff is friendly.  It's a pretty basic accommodation and if you're looking for something more spacious or luxurious then this is not the place for you.  But if you're the type of traveler who is on a budget, love adventure, and who doesn't mind the hustle and bustle right outside of the hotel then this is for you.  Besides, the beds are comfy, there is hot water, and you can't hear the noises from the street in your room.

Along the street you can find various little trinkets for your souvenir shopping.  But it's also just a short walk away to the new Kasturi Walk and its air conditioned Central Market where you can do a lot more souvenir shopping, chocolate shopping, and where you can eat authentic Malaysian cuisine at the food court on the 2nd floor.

These places are just a few minutes away from Petaling Street and it's worth checking them out.  In order to not get lost, get a map from the hotel.  It's especially worth checking out the Central Market if you're planning on taking home a lot of chocolates.  My wife is a sucker for chocolates and they give you a pretty good deal if you buy more than 1 piece.

The food court is also worth checking out especially when you're always hungry.  It's a really good deal if you're on a budget since a meal will set you back about 6 RM on average.  This does not include the drink since that is sold separately.

The above is only a small percentage of what you can do from Petaling Street.  If you love to walk there is plenty more to see.  Come back for the next part of the blog.

From the Philippines to Malaysia - A Truly Asian Experience Part 1

This blog post has been due for quite some time now.  But as life goes it does get busy sometimes.  Ah but it feels great getting back to writing and releasing some stress.  And at the same time helping out other foodies and travelers with their quest for adventure.

We recently traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and explored the food, transportation system, and all the great tourist (and local) areas.  This little blog post, which I will break down to several posts, will show you part of our adventure in Malaysia.  Hope it will help in planning your own trip.  I suggest that for every trip you plan ahead, such as where to stay, how to get there, and what to visit, and of course plan your budget.  This assures you a safe and enjoyable vacation.

Air Asia flies out of Terminal 4 (as of the moment) and now is a great time to visit Malaysia.  They always have some sort of seat sale and you can never run out of great deals.  I would suggest signing up on their website by creating an account with Air Asia.  For our own tickets we purchased them about 6 months ahead of time and paid roughly P4,000 per person (round trip).  Take into account though that even though you're flying out of Terminal 4 you still have to pay P550 for the terminal fee and P1620 for the travel tax (economy seats).  Where this "terminal fee" and "tax" goes is another story though.

Terminal 4 is Manila's airport for local flights but part of the airport has been designated for Air Asia.  It's nothing really to talk about since it's basically a small room with a bathroom.  If you are hungry and want something to eat, Air Asia is selling food near the entrance.  Unfortunately you can't get any other food besides that because you are not allowed to cross over to the food court of the local flights.  No Papa John's pizza for you!

Waiting Area

Air Asia food stall.

The good thing about this terminal is that it is quite clean.  I guess the international media coverage of our airports is doing its job.  The bathroom is clean too because my wife approves of it.  If the wife approves of the bathroom you can bet that it is clean.

After a few minutes of waiting it was boarding time.  You board a small airport bus and ridiculous as it sounds the boarding took longer than the actual bus ride to the plane.  But security prevails and I wouldn't have it any other way.

For those who have never flown Air Asia, I can say that their staff if way more professional than other budget airlines.  The flight itself was pretty standard and took about 3 hours.

We landed in Malaysia about 10:30 in the morning at the newly built KLIA2 or otherwise known as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2.  It's quite big and some of the areas of the airport wasn't finished yet when we were there.

The great thing about KLIA and KLIA2 is that it has great infrastructure.  You can either take a bus, take the train, a taxi, or rent a car to get to your hotel.  Please take note that in Malaysia they drive on the left side.

We decided to take the bus to Chinatown where our hotel was.  It cost about 12 Ringgit per person.  The bus is air conditioned and stops at several bus stations.  The bus ride to Chinatown took about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.

But if you want to experience the train it costs 35 Ringgit and gets you to the main train station (KL Sentral) in about 39 minutes.  For more information on the KLIA Express please click the link.  From KL Sentral you can pretty much get anywhere else you want to go.  It's way faster than taking the bus and from KL Sentral it's about another 5-10 minutes to Pasar Seni if you want to get to Chinatown quicker.

Dubai UAE - The Desert Safari Experience

If you're ever in the beautiful country of Dubai, UAE (either for work or vacation) one of the must do's there is the Desert Safari.  It's just one of those things that you should add to your bucket list when you go there.  I found myself speechless as I sat on the top of a dune, overlooking vast areas of nothing but sand. It's scary and awe inspiring at the same time.  You can just imagine being back in Biblical times wandering in the desert with your group.  It's simply amazing.  The sand itself is an amazing hue of red.  The type of sand so fine I think you can actually use it in an hour glass.

Sand as fine as it gets.

The current cost of the desert safari depends on the type of tour you'll be taking and which tour company you hire.  The cost ranges from 100 AED per person up to 400 AED per person (1 AED = about 12 pesos).  You can Google a dozen tour companies which offer the desert safari experience or you can ask your hotel for a good tour company. But the basic inclusions for the evening desert safari tour are:

• Hotel Pick up/drop off
• 20-30 minute desert safari drive
• Buffet dinner and BBQ
• Belly dancing show

The Desert Drive

The best part of the desert safari for me was the drive to the desert outpost.  From the city proper it'll take about 1-3 hours to get to the desert.  The tour company will pick you up in a Toyota 4x4 with built in roll cage for safety.  Once there you make a quick stop at a store at the edge of the desert so that you can buy some water.  I suggest you buy some water especially when you go there during the summertime.   Because you'll be going into the desert and water is a must!  The next stop will be at the campsite for dinner unless there is some random stop in the desert for some sand surfing.

In the desert the drivers will pick up some speed and literally ride the dunes.  They'll go up and down and left and right and slide down sand dunes.  It's pretty safe but your body will still pump out that adrenaline.  If you're prone to throwing up I would suggest carrying a plastic bag with you.  You can never be too careful and the drivers will thank you for it.  

Our driver drove over a dune and slid down the side while the wheels where spinning and we got stuck.  We had to get out of the car while it was basically on its side.  It took them a while to get the car unstuck. I took this time for some snapshots.

Car stuck in the sand.

Desert view.

I took below video of them trying to get the car unstuck.

It took them about 30 minutes to get the car out of the sand and we got going again.  After a few more minutes of driving we arrived at our camp site for the buffet dinner and BBQ.  Here you get the chance to ride a camel and get some henna tattoos while waiting for dinner to get ready.

The food itself was amazingly good, lots of BBQ, middle eastern food, and plenty of belly dancing and a guy twirling for over 20 minutes doing different things while twirling.  Man, that guy must have been dizzy doing that!  The twirling guy was one of my most favorite shows for the night actually because lets face it, twirling for that long would make all of us puke.

After enjoying the dinner and show it was time to head back home to the hotel.  Overall it was a very fun and exciting experience.  It's a must try when you get the chance.  Maybe it's time to book that Cebu Pacific flight and make Dubai your next destination.

Take a Hagod Spa Break

My wife and I are always on the lookout for new things and new experiences.  We also love relaxing and getting massages.  So this last weekend I got to spend some great leisure time with the wife at Hagod Spa in Makati.  It’s located just a short walk from Greenbelt 1 and the Asian Institute of Management.  Its exact address is The Colonnade Residences (Basement), 152 Don Carlos Palanca St. Legaspi Village, Makati City.

The spa itself has been around for about 10 years already and this is definite proof that they have something great to offer to its customers.  Its main entrance can be found at the basement of the building.  Please see pictures below.  Note:  They are in the process of renovating so as you can see in the picture they have a temporary sign on display.  The interiors of the spa will also be renovated soon for a better spa experience so we’re looking forward to that.

The waiting area is a small cozy place and is very quiet compared to some other spa’s we've been to.  Maybe this sign has something to do with it?  Either way, I love the fact that once you enter the spa it’s very quiet and relaxing.

The interior is a mixture of a traditional and modern Filipino home.  It even has an old chair in the corner where you could put up your legs and relax.  You know the ones with the long arm rests?  The furniture and floor all look antique and adds to the general ambiance and theme.  It kind of feels like you went home to the province.  It has that laid back mood and quietness that I generally associate with visits to my grandparent’s house.  All of that combined put me at ease right off the bat.

While waiting for our turn for the massage the staff gave us some complimentary hot tea.  It was made out of a honey/lemon/ginger type mixture.  It was nice, warm, and presented in a motive fitting tea set.  The tea is a small, but much appreciated addition to the whole spa experience.

Hagod Spa and Nail Services definite must try in my opinion is the Swedish massage.  It only costs P400 and is as relaxing as it gets.  The Swedish massage is a relaxing, full body massage that consists mainly of sliding (or gliding) strokes on the human body.   I personally prefer this over other types of massages which I find painful sometimes.  And as the name of the spa suggests you can also get your nails done there.

For reference, I have listed some of the costs and services below for your convenience.  For other services or updated pricing you may contact them at (02)893-3698 – 0939-939-5390.

Full Body Massage:

• Swedish Massage                              P400
• Shiatsu Massage                                P400
• Combination (Swedish & Shiatsu)      P400
• Aromatherapy Massage                     P400

They also have other services such as:

• Foot Spa with Foot Reflex                 P400
• Therapeutic Massage                         P1200 (or "Tuina" which consists of a 2 hour treatment of a traditional Chinese method using hot compress to relax muscles an reduce muscle pain.
• Executive Package                             P1500 (Body scrub, full body massage or a choice of foot spa with scalp treatment.

When it was our turn for the massage the staff led us through a short hall with curtains.  Behind the curtains we found a small but comfy therapy area where we could get undressed.  It was clean, the towels were fresh, and there was a small basket provided for us where we could store our belongings.

Shortly after getting dressed in the usual massage attire (shorts, and pretty much nothing else), we got a great 1 hour Swedish Massage by Hagod Spa.  At certain points during the massage they will ask you if you want to do some stretches.  Since I wanted to experience all of it I opted for the stretch and boy did they do a good job since the stretching involved some good acrobatics.

Overall we had a great time at Hagod Spa.  It’s a very affordable and above par spa experience.  Not only did we get to relax, enjoy, and get a massage; we also learned that a heftier price tag does not necessarily translate over to better service.