Uncle Noodles

I first heard of this place from a classmate. She had pictures of the place on her Facebook page and I was immediately intrigued.

Cebu already has a number of excellent dimsum places. And there's a affordable and delicious option with the Ding Qua Qua and Dimsum Break outlets all over the city. However, when it comes to noodles, Chowking seems to be the only affordable option in town. Unless, of course, you'd be willing to go to the downtown areas for the authentic oldies but goodies such as Snow Shin.

                                              (Borrowed from A Complicated Melody)

Uncle Noodles is located in Mango Avenue in the same complex where the Zubuchon Resto is, so it's more accessible.

I had the Uncle Noodles special (at least I think that's what it was called). It came with drinks and siopao. And it was for less than P150 only -- yey!

Here's a pic of the noodles.

                                                (Borrowed from Foresquare)

It's more appetizing than it looks here. And I was very surprised at how clean and light the broth was. I have a favorite noodle place in Hong Kong and while it's undeniably delicious I also get an MSG coma after eating there everytime. They're a bit heavy handed with the Aji, I think. Anyway, I didn't get that same umami-induced coma here, so I think they laid off it significantly with their broth.

The soup was a little bland but I'll definitely be back. I'll play around with the spices available there. And I'm sure it'll be better with a touch of soy sauce and pepper. I was too lazy to do this the first time. So I'm sure I'll enjoy the noodles even more the next time around.

The siopao was not memorable. I didn't enjoy the bun nor the filling. I'm not recommending this unless the product improves.

But the noodles are a sure winner. And the place is tucked in the corner insides of the complex so it's nice and relaxing. It's quiet too. There's no airconditioning though, so manage your expectations.

Bring your family and/or friends when you go!

A Cafe

I've heard of Maya Restaurant for a while now but A Cafe has only come into my consciousness very recently. I had heard some good things about this little restaurant and decided to try it for myself. The reference to Maya is because these two restaurants have the same owner and executive chef. They're also part of the Abaca Group all together.

                                                ( Borrowed from Zee Magazine)

When I first came in, I couldn't help but adore the overall look of the restaurant. It was cozy and elegant at the same time -- very minimalistic with a lot of wood for warmth. The entrance also featured vines and things (I can't explain it haha!), which I really liked too.

I had the skillet breakfast with coffee for lunch. It sounds like an oxymoron now that I've written it but bear with me. And this is what it looked like. Nice, right?? It was hearty and I was beyond full. This skillet had the most delicious bacon I've had -- ever. It also had hash brows, tomatoes, sausages, beans and eggs. Whew! I felt like a modern-day barbarian woman after that meal but I was very very satisfied.

The coffee was top notch too. A must try.

                                            (Borrowed from a lady from Foursqaure: thanks!)

The skillet was a but pricy at P500 or so. Definitely bring a reasonable amount of cash when dining here. But you won't feel cheated with the portions and the quality of the ingredients used.

I highly recommend this place for foodies with a hefty appetite. Enjoy!

Dong Juan

I just recently came accross this new burger place in Cebu since it recently opened in Crossroads in Banilad. I'm borrwing pictures from other bloggers. Sorry I'm not very good at taking my own pics!

                                                                (Thanks Ka Buena Vida!)

                                                                (Thanks Buy In Cebu!)



                 
Apparently Dong Juan has been around for a year or so, maybe a little but more, but it's only been recently that it expanded to Persimmon and Banilad.

We were excited to try this place since there are few good burger places in the city these days. And we were pleasantly surprised to find a good quality burger all in all. The bun was nice and toasted. And the burger patty itself was beefy and good-sized. The mushroom sidedish was beautifully cooked too. Soft and rubbery just how I like it.

One minor complaint was everything tasted a bit bland. And when we asked for salt, the waiter said they ran out. It was their soft-opening day, so I guess it makes sense to run out of salt...

Anyway, this place was okay. I'm not going to get a hankering for it anytime soon just yet. But if I'll need a burger fix, it's an option.