January Weather + 26th Birthday

At this moment, we are experiencing below 20 degree Celsius temperature. Quite unusual but I love it. Not everyday we experience weather like we have now - cold and sunny. So I wanna enjoy it with a sip of coffee while writing this post. :)

On my last post, I did mention that I am going to Cebu City for this year's Sinulog Festival. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go due entirely to a very bad storm. Real bummer! It would have been a fun weekend if it wasn't because of the weather. Oh well, there's always "next time".

Anyway, I've just celebrated my 26th birthday. Frankly, I didn't feel like celebrating this year for personal reason. Then someone made me realize that birthday is a God's blessing. That alone is worthy of a big celebration. I'm just very thankful for giving me another year to live. It's probably the greatest gift.

My friends and I went to Bourbon St. Bistro in its new location at J.R. Borja Street. They brought American, French and Southern cuisine to Cagayan de Oro. I love the food and the place.


Titanic Ice Cream Treat at Bigby's Cafe and Restaurant. Good for 10-15 persons, I think. Truly a refreshment before we ended my birthday celebration.


If you ask me what's my wish this year, only one... a JOB. Wish me luck! xoxo Chema, not Chima.:D

Kuyane

It's a lie if I say I don't love anything about Korean. I do. But NOT EXTREMELY. I just find Korea, the people and the culture interesting that I want to visit and explore the country in the future. Understanding their language, I think, is the only problem. Maybe this is the right place to thank those interpreters behind those drama series and TV shows. They make my life easy. I mean easy to understand Korean. ;)

Speaking of which, a cousin of mine discovered Kuyane and introduced it to me. I have no idea what it means. I'm not even sure if it's a Korean word. But they serve Korean dishes like Kim-chi and Kim-bap, so maybe it's Korean. It is located in a food court inside a mall. I don't know in your place, but in the city I live in, it's very uncommon to find Korean dishes serve in a food court. Mostly Filipino cuisine. So for me, it's like a K drive-thru, because I don't need to go to a Korean restaurant to enjoy Korean food.


My cousin said that woman above is the owner. Judging her smiles when we took our orders, I can say she's friendly. I didn't hear her talk, but my cousin said she heard her say something in English. Anyway, they only serve 4-5 kinds of Korean dishes. We ordered sweet and chili fish fillet, beef steak and Kim-bap. They also gave us a free Kim-chi. Delicious! ;)


We both love Korean food. :) I remember the first time I went to a K restaurant was a year ago.



Kim-bap is not only a pretty dish but also very healthy. So happy I can eat it anytime I want without going to a Korean restaurant where Korean food are usually expensive. Thanks to Kuyane. I can buy and take it home for only 70 pesos. Very affordable indeed.

I'm actually excited to blog about this discovery considering this is my first food trip for 2014. Glad I have this day to finally share it to you all. I have a new target for my next post. It's a new restaurant near Xavier University where I studied Nursing. Hopefully I have the time to go and have lunch in that new restaurant this week. If not, maybe after Sinulog Festival. Yes, I'm going to Cebu this coming Friday, and my family and I will be staying there till Sunday night. Before I forget, I will be celebrating my 26th birthday on the 23rd of this month. Yay! Time to say goodbye to my 25 year-old self soon. :)

Happy 2014 + 2013 Favorite Food Trips

Happy 2014 everyone! How was your new year's eve celebration? I hope you had a good one. Mine was pretty lame. Just at home with my parents. No fireworks display. Went to church with my Mama which I don't usually do every last day of the year. Felt like I have a lot to pray for 2014. Good thing the mass started before firecrackers set off on the street. After the mass, I spent the rest of the hours preparing this "comeback" post while waiting for the time to strike 12 mid-night. Of course, welcoming the new year would not be complete without food on our table. We had Mama's macaroni salad (as requested by me because it's my favorite), mango float (which I made), spaghetti, cake (my brother brought), fruits and sparkling wine. Although, for me, it was lame, I'm still very grateful that I welcomed the new year with my family.

So glad 2013 was over. It wasn't a good year for me and my country. Hopefully, this new year I will be able to redeem myself. That is why my ultimate goal is to secure a job. Also, be a responsible citizen and serve the people the best way I know how. Just as I hate to look back on the past year, I realize that not everything that had happened are bad. Moments like meeting new friends, the opportunity to travel alone, the chance to work in the hospital again even in the shortest time, visit new places and happy hours with my family and friends are still worth remembering.

Along with this new beginning and new hope brought by the new year is this new blog "The Tasty Life Diaries". Inspired by watching a lot of food shows like Tasty Road and Eat St. on TV and all of my previous food trips with my friends, I've decided to return to blogging. This time I will concentrate more on food, best local food spots and discovering recipes. I'm not a food expert nor a food critic. I just love to eat and discover places and stuff. I hope that is crystal clear. :) Here are my top 5 favorite food trips of 2013. Enjoy!

CHINGKEETEA, located at Marfori Compound CDO. It's a Taiwanese restaurant filled with cute, vintage stuff. They serve milk and fruit teas. One of the best, I think, although my first drink of their milk tea was not memorable. I still recommend you to go to the store, grab their best seller "Wintermelon Milk Tea" and have an "Alice In Wonderland-like" experience. Also, visit their Facebook page here. 
 
T.G.I. Friday's, first in CDO. For me, a new restaurant to enjoy good food and company of friends is a go-to place. What I love about it was they still inject Filipino style to American cuisine and I love their signature red and white stripes. The crew were really cute in their uniform, and they were very entertaining. :)


Candy's Cafe, very pretty right? One of the pricey restaurants in the city but so worth it because their food tastes heaven. It was originally located at Lim Ket Kai Rosario Arcade, but because of the bombing incident last year, it is now in Centrio - Ayala Mall. They serve Italian, American and Filipino dishes that you can enjoy with your family and friends. Aside from the food, I also love the interior design of the place.


Love seafood? Order and enjoy Tali Beach at Blackbeard's Seafood Island. Composed of grilled squid and fish, shrimps, crabs, oyster, pork BBQ, rice, roasted chicken and fruits. When it comes to seafood, Seafood Island is my pick next to Panagatan Restaurant (in Opol and soon to open in Centrio - Ayala Mall).


Italianni's Restaurant, another expensive restaurant and first in CDO. Fantastic for formal dinner or occasions like Valentine's Day or anniversaries. So if you plan to take your girlfriend for a special dinner date, I recommend Italianni's. Cozy, service is fine and the food is great. 


Whew! I didn't mean to make this first post too long, but the photos are too many I want to share them all. :) I hope you enjoyed reading and looking at the photos as much as I did. I'm really excited about this new blog. Can't wait to post more. 'Til my next food adventure!