where to eat – One-Armed Wanderer

Bacolod
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- Food
- Negros Oriental

Where to eat Chicken Inasal in Bacolod City? Manokan Country

Posted on January 22, 2017January 22, 2017by One Armed Wanderer

Bacolod City is the capital of Negros Occidental province. Pegged as the City of Smiles for being a friendly city, it is also the home of the famous annual Maskarra festival. Aside from its friendly people and its highly anticipated festival, Bacolod is also popular for its specialty dish – Chicken Inasal.

Chicken Inasal is a marinated chicken pieces in a mixture of vinegar, pepper, annato and other spices then grilled using coals until done. The unique blend of marinade and basting make this typical grilled chicken extra sprecial! Today, chicken inasal has become popular and various restaurant chains serve this yummy Bacolod dish all over the Philippines.

Where to eat Chicken Inasal in Bacolod City? Manokan Country

Manokan Country Bacolod City — Namit ang manok sa Bacolod! Chicken in Balod is delicious!

Manokan Country is a popular food destination among locals and tourists. It is a food complex with wide array of open-air restaurants serving Chicken Inasal.

Located in Father Ferrero street, Manokan Country is just across SM City Bacolod’s north wing. If you are coming from any place in Bacolod, just hail a taxi and inform the driver to bring you to Manokan Country. If you are coming from Bacolod Ceres Bus terminal, cross the road and go to Silay terminal. From there, ride a jeepney bound to SM Bacolod. Just ask the driver to drop you to Manokan Country.

Manokan Country Map

After visiting The Ruins and several old houses in Silay City, I immediately headed to Manokan Country to try the authentic Bacolod’s Chicken Inasal. Manokan Country reminded me of Mahogany Market in Tagaytay. The only difference is that restaurants in Manokan Country offer Chicken Inasal instead of bulalo. (Related post: Where to eat cheap bulalo in Tagaytay?)

I observed that Aida’s Chicken restaurant was jam-packed with guests. Since there are many restaurants to choose from, I decided that Aida’s restaurant must be the place to eat Chicken Inasal in Manokan Country.

Aida’s Restaurant in Manokan Country Bacolod

Affordable Menu

Aida’s Chicken restaurant offers inasal dishes at an affordable price. The most expensive dish at Aida’s is chicken pecho which only costs 80 Php and garlic rice at only 30 Php. If you are a fan of chicken innards, they also serve atay, heart and tina-e (isaw).

Yummy Chicken Inasal at Aida’s Manokan Country

I was surprised by the generous serving size of Aida’s chicken inasal! I have eaten inasal countless times in Manila but Aida’s was really way far better! It was perfectly cooked, juicy and flavorful! I even had to order my second rice to finish the generous serving of their chicken pecho.

I’m a fan of soy sauce with calamansi but I barely consumed the sauce I prepared. The inasal itself is very delicious and is already good without sauce.

Overall, I super enjoyed the gastronomic experience in Manokan Country. It was nice to eat Bacolod Chicken Inasal right where it originated. I would definitely return to Manokan Country on my next visit to Bacolod City!

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Food
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- Siquijor

Restaurant Bar in Siquijor Island: Baha Bar

Posted on January 18, 2017January 18, 2017by One Armed Wanderer

Apart from the beautiful tourist attractions and welcoming people, Siquijor is also an ideal place to enjoy food. Backpacking in Siquijor Island will not be complete without trying its local restaurants. Aside from Marco Polo Restaurant, another must try food haven in Siquijor island is Baha Bar. This one of a kind bar and restaurant is located in Maite village and can easily be reached via motorbike or tricycle if you are coming from any of the resorts in the island.

Jen and I were lucky to have stayed at a nearby cheap accommodation which is literally few meters away from Baha bar. After touring Siquijor island and enjoying the beachfront of Golden Skyview resort, we visited Baha Bar for snack which turned out to be an early dinner for us.

Baha Bar Facade and Interiors

Baha bar’s eye-catching facade will truly attract anyone who is new to the island. The Spanish-Filipino inspired architecture and wooden fixtures matched with modern rural vibe make Baha bar stand out among other Siquijor restaurants. You also get this high-end feel once you get inside this open air restaurant bar. Interestingly enough, the entire place look cozy and homey for a restaurant bar in a remote island.

Baha Bar Menu

Being a restaurant bar, Baha bar offers various drinks such as cocktails and beers. They also offer non-alcoholic drinks. We personally loved their shake with homemade ice cream. For their food offerings, they serve soups, fish, pork and chicken dishes. They also serve burgers and pizza. If you are a vegan, don’t you worry as they also have vegetarian food on their menu.

Food, Accommodation and View Deck

Loy, one of the bar’s staff informed us that they are having this lechon and fish buffet for dinner. Surprisingly, Baha bar offers buffet meals every Friday for only 380 Php! Since Jen and I originally wanted to eat snack, we ordered their signature 12″ Baha Bar Pizza (330 Php) and Strawberry Vanilla shake (160 Php).

While waiting for the food, we decided to check-out the entire place. We discovered that Baha bar also offers accommodation for couples and families/group. The have Keady (3,000 Php), a cottage for two in the middle of a mini garden. They also have a huge accommodation (6,000 Php) for families or group facing Siquijor beach.

The bar has this sunset view deck where guests can simply enjoy the Siquijor beach view. Here’s one of the sunset photo I took from the view deck.

A photo posted by Ed Puno (@onearmedwanderer) on Jan 2, 2017 at 6:58am PST

We returned to the 2nd level and Loy was kind enough to wait for us before serving the pizza.

A photo posted by Ed Puno (@onearmedwanderer) on Jan 17, 2017 at 10:04am PST

The 12″ Baha bar pizza is seasoned barbecue bites, ham and bacon mixed with onion, bell pepper, barbecue sauce and chopped parsley. The pizza did not disappoint! It was good and reasonably priced.

A photo posted by Ed Puno (@onearmedwanderer) on Jan 17, 2017 at 9:47am PST

A photo posted by Ed Puno (@onearmedwanderer) on Jan 17, 2017 at 11:12pm PST

Baha bar is undoubtedly a popular food destination in Siquijor not only to Filipinos but also to foreign travelers. In fact, we were the only Filipino guests the time we visited the restaurant.

We enjoyed our Baha bar experience. The place and food were great! The staff was welcoming and accommodating. Will I recommend this Siquijor restaurant bar? Definitely YES!

Visiting Siquijor island? Book your cheap resort/accommodation HERE.

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Food
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- Iloilo
- Solo Travels

Where to Eat Pancit Molo in Iloilo City

Posted on January 7, 2016March 14, 2016by One Armed Wanderer

One of the things I was looking forward in my DIY Iloilo tour is food! On my list are the authentic Illongo delicacies – La Paz Batchoy and Pancit Molo. During my first day in Iloilo City, I was lucky that my accommodation (Dragon Lodge) is located in Molo, a district in Iloilo where Pancit Molo originated. I asked several locals for the best Pancit Molo house in town and I was advised to visit Tita Paz The House of Pancit Molo.

How to Get There
If you are coming from the city, just ride a jeepney bound to Villa Arevalo or Oton. Just inform the driver to drop you at Tita Paz/Molo County Bakeshop. Alternatively, you can also take a cab and instruct the driver to bring you to Tita Paz/Molo County Bakeshop.

Tita Paz share the area with Molo County Bakeshop

Molo County Bakeshop offers various pasalubong items

Tita paz restaurant — Tita Paz Restauirant in Molo, Iloilo

With only 5 tables, the dining area of Tita Paz is quite small. Nonetheless, the area is very clean.

Pancit Molo is a soup dish made of ground chicken or pork in wonton or Molo wrapper. It does not actually have long and thin rice/egg noodles which makes it a not so traditional pancit in Filipino cuisine. It is called a pancit as the Molo wrapper is basically of the same mix with the traditional pancit noodles.

I ordered the largest bowl of Pancit Molo which costs 75 Php ($1.50). An order comes with Pandeciosa, a local bread.

To taste, soy sauce and pepper can be added to the Authentic Pancit Molo.

This dish is not new to me as my mother always cooks this very delicious soup. My mom’s version of Molo has milk compared to the original Molo recipe. Overall, Tita Paz’s Pancit Molo is very delicious! The soup itself is simple yet you can really taste the broth. The rich in flavor dumplings are the main attraction of this Illongo delicacy!

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Food
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- Solo Travels

Where to Eat La Paz Batchoy in Iloilo

Posted on January 3, 2016January 10, 2016by One Armed Wanderer

I have tried the delicious Tita Paz Pancit Molo during my 1st day in the City of Love and I would not definitely leave the city without having a taste of the original La Paz Batchoy. During my second and last day Iloilo City, I left Injap Tower Hotel early to try the famous La Paz Batchoy for breakfast.

La Paz Batchoy originated in the district of La Paz back in late 1930s. This Illonggo delicacy is an egg noodle soup with pork innards, crushed pork cracklings, beef loin, deep fried garlic, spring onions and pork broth.

La Paz Public Market Iloilo The authentic La Paz Batchoy is nowehere else to be found but in La Paz Public Market.

La Paz Batchoy in Iloilo Right in the middle of La Paz public market is Netong’s Original La Paz Batchoy.

Given that the place is located in a public market, I was surprised that Netong’s restaurant is enclosed and air-conditioned. However, there is no comfort room in the restaurant. Nonetheless, the place is clean and well-maintained.

eating la paz batchoy In a progressive city like Iloilo, It feels great that llonggos patronize their local restaurants. In fact, I was the only traveler when I dined in at Netong’s. All guests were speaking Illongo.

I ordered an “EXTRA” size bowl of Batchoy which costs 80.00 Php ($1.60). The Batchoy was served hot in less than 5 minutes. It comes with a a puto (rice cake) too which I initially mistaken as suman.

The aroma of the soup was appetizing!

I could no longer recall the last time I had Batchoy in Manila. Netong’s batchoy really tastes good! Plus having the authentic La Paz Batchoy right in the place where it originated was awesome!

Netong’s Original La Paz Batchoy Menu

La Paz Batchoy Megabowl – 100.00 Php ($2.00) Extra – 80.00 Php ($1.60) Super – 70.00 Php ($1.40) Special – 55.00 Php ($1.10) Others: Miswa – 80.00 Php ($1.60) Bihon – 80.00 Php ($1.60) sotanghon – 80.00 Php ($1.60) Linaga – 50.00 Php ($1.00) Arroz Caldo w/ egg – 25.00 Php ($0.50) Arroz Caldo w/out egg – 15.00 Php ($0.30)

Aside from Netong’s, there are also other La Paz Batchoy houses in the area. You may try Ted’s Old Timer La Paz Batchoy and Deco’s La Paz Batchoy.

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