a little bit about travel, a little bit about food, a lot of everything in between; as seen, tasted and experienced by different points of view..
At first I thought of this place as something like the typical food stops beside UP (Royal Cafe and Brown Gate to name a few) but I was proven wrong when we finally visited this place after watching The Hobbit at Ayala Cinemas. The place …
One of the newer restaurants in Ayala is Planet Grapes, located at the 4th floor of the establishment just beyond the automatic sliding doors beyond Burger King. Or if you’re entering through the new section, at the top of the waiting escalators. 
Planet Grapes, in a sense is a chill establishment that has good ambiance and a vast selection of wines. As opposed to another liquor hub a few steps away from it, this restaurant has a more relaxed atmosphere with carefully selected tunes that melts into the backdrop of the plaza. Neatly arranged wines are placed according to their individual classifications, from dinner wines to desert wines, all on the glass shelf.
If you’re not convinced, the restaurant changes its menu and its wine selections monthly and holds wine classes for those interested in learning the tips and tricks of the savory liquor.
If you’re looking for a place to unwind, socialize with fellow sports enthusiasts, and meet new people, there’s only one spot in Ayala where you should frequent. Located at the fourth floor of Ayala Center Cebu, The Social sits right across Seafood Island at The …
While we were driving around looking for a place to hangout one night, we accidentally came across this restaurant one evening. This quaint coffee/dessert place is located in a semi quiet environment that shies away from the busier parts of the city. At first glance it looks like a mid range establishment where people visit to find some peace and solace so they can read and study.
Upon further research, we found out that this place is the first branch of a popular cafe in Japan outside their home country. Why that is so, i do not know, but what i do know is that they are popular when it comes to baking sweets. 
We’ve come back to this place several times since our first visit, and i’m happy to say that i’m quite pleased with the quality of their baked goods. They have cream puffs, cakes, tarts, and cake rolls in addition to their rice meals that range from short ribs to katsudons. Their dishes can be paired with drinks that range from flavored soda to coffee, all reasonably priced for the caffeine consumer. To sweeten the deal further, all hot drinks are given 50% off of their next refill.
As soon as we were finished with our meal, we visited this place for a few good reasons. One, someone was blocking the driveway of our park. Two, it was one of the neighboring establishments. Three, My sister wanted to try it out there. 
What I liked about this place is the number of assorted desserts to choose from. For those who haven’t had a proper meal yet, fear not! Ice Giants also offers homemade meals like fried chicken, pasta, and pizza. For a huge group, they boast a huge 3kg worth of sweets served in a huge bowl.
As soon as I finished the last class of the day, my sister picked me up from school in and had us both visit this fairly new restaurant located within walking distance from Cebu Doctors’ Hospital. It was an open-air restaurant with several tables and …
With several banners advertising its opening to the public, the gang and I decided to give this place a visit because we’ve been hoping to try it since its conceptualization stage. There weren’t a lot of customers so we were happily seated on a couch for comfort.
The ambiance of the place was unique; painted black with several colorful paintings and masks and beads. There were several impressionistic paintings on the walls that painted the gist of what New Orleans’s nightlife looked like. The background music were select songs in their jazz versions and sometimes purely instrumental.
The food were a bit pricey, especially the meat and other main dishes. The affordable ones were offered in their appetizers and sides, some of which we ordered. For our appetizers, we had Oyster Rockefeller, which was oyster baked in cheese and spices, and a hefty serve of swamp cheesecake, a mixture of cream cheese, veggies, and meat served by slice on top of a plate of gravy.
After our appetizers, we had a large bag of seafood boil with a cup of swamp rice, a very filling everglades jambalaya that had chicken, sausages, and meat in it, and a tray of barbecue sampler, that had grilled corn, chicken, and ribs.
New Orleans
Ayala Center Cebu
Verdict:
A: 2.5/5
Quality control. The first serving of Oyster Rockefeller was absolutely revolting because it had a long strand of hair included in the dish. I’m guessing the chefs of this place do not use hairnets for this fiasco to happen. The Jambalaya was very intense and satisfying. The barbecue sampler was a bit disappointing because it wasn’t even that exceptional for its price. They were kind enough to serve my sick mother some clear soup, though. Also this place is very pricey.
