Aaah, feed me.

I’m a sweets addict - I go mad without my daily dose of chocolate and I’m always looking for a sugar fix. (As I am writing this, I am chomping through a jar of Nutella like it’s not thirty minutes before bed, tsk) And most of the time, Calea is the answer to my sinful and calorie-filled cravings. Calea is a cake-pastry-dessert store that has become famous all over the Philippines for being a must-go-to place for people who are in town. Whenever I read Filipino food blogs, almost everyone who’s visited Bacolod City has raved about this restaurant. From its small beginnings, it now has a few branches all around the city and serves a variety of food, as well (like, coffee, pasta, sandwiches, etc.)

Place: Forgive the photo, I forgot about the outside of the place until we were about to leave. Anyway, there branch along Lacson Sts., in Balay Quince, is usually their busiest place. It’s also their biggest, so it’s usually bustling with friends or families who just finished eating lunch/dinner or just want to hang out. The place is spacious, but sometimes, it will be hard to get a table. I love how the decor, frames everywhere and everything just looks sweet and cozy. The tables are also comfortable, perfect for dates. :>

Service: There’s always a helpful smiling lady ready to take your order - sometimes, you just have to wait a bit.

Price: The cakes are priced at 60-110 PHP per slice. Coffee complements the sweets perfectly (especially the pie family) - and they’re available at 60-90 PHP. They also serve sandwiches and pastries. A satisfying dessert (which, for me, consists of coffee and a slice of cake) is affordable at 120 PHP.

Food: I’ve been to Calea dozens of times but I still haven’t tried all of their cakes (mostly because I can’t help but keep coming back to my favorites, haha!) Their selection is huge with a variety of flavors that can cater to personal taste. My personal favorites are: chocolate mousse bomb, S’mores cheesecake and the African chocolate cake. Their servings are also just right. I haven’t had any “regrets” at this resto. True, I like cheesecakes more than pecan pie (mom’s fave!) - but all in all, Calea serves awesome desserts at awesome prices.

Calea’s Mudpie, S’mores Cheescake, Chocolate Mousse Bomb, Chocolate Semifredo

Even though visiting this restaurant is an internal struggle (trying-hard-Miss-Health-Buff here!) -eating at Calea is always a treat - one I make sure to let myself indulge in from time to time. I’m definitely recommending this place to everyone who’s at or is planning to visit Bacolod - WORTH. EVERY. CALORIE.

?

I wasn’t really keen on doing chicken inasal as my first post here (especially because there’s this new restaurant that I’m dyiiiing to try) but a friend told me that it’s better if I start with something classic, native and familiar - and being from Bacolod, I’ve probably eaten more of this famous Bacolod dish than I should, so, trust me, I know my inasal.

I think the best place to eat inasal in the city is at Chicken House Bacolod. Some people prefer Manokan Country because it feels more authentic, given that it’s just simple stalls lined up and it’s open-air, so you can smell the chicken being grilled while you’re eating your meal; I like to eat there, too, except mostly I can’t stand the heat and the smoke. Anywayyyy — they actually have a lot of branches - near Lopues’ Mandalagan (has a *cozier* feel), near Gaisano City (bigger, wider space), at the East Block (less known, less people) and along Lacson Street, right beside Citi Hardware (usually the busiest). The latter’s the closest branch to my school so the boyf and I decided to eat lunch there.

Place: In their branch along Lacson Street, they have tables in the non-aircon and aircon section. The ones who dine inside has a 10% service charge added to their bill. Since it wasn’t that smoky, we just chose the open-air area. Sufficiently spacious with clean, colored tables, each equipped with vinegar, soy sauce, calamansi, chili peppers and (the best part about eating chicken inasal!) chicken oil.

Service: Usually the servers in the place are helpful and attentive, but for some reason, on that day, they just seemed bored and uninterested.

Price: Chicken parts vary in price, thigh part - 76; spareribs - 86; rice - around 20. All in all, I think you’d get a good meal for 120 PHP.

Food: When our orders (paa (thigh part) with garlic rice and spareribs) arrived, I was disappointed because 1) the portions were small (what, a girl’s gotta eat!) 2) the chicken was not very juicy 3) NOT HOT. I was, like, what’s this - last night’s leftover serving or something? Meals are usually accompanied by steaming rice. Kahit rice na lang sana. Even the chili peppers they served didn’t pack the punch (old, or something?) Tsk, tsk.

I usually leave this restaurant with a happy tummy, but last Wednesday was my worst experience at any of their branches. I’ve eaten at this place for more times than I can count. Maybe it was an off day? The same day I wanted to review them? Sad coincidence. That one time is forgivable, though - I would still eat at and recommend Chicken House. :)

Have you ever tried Bacolod’s famous inasal? Where’s the best place, for you, to get it? :) Let me know, send me a message!

PS: The review’s still kind of messy. I’m fumbling at this - hopefully, post quality will improve. The logo I used as watermark is half-assed work - not feeling very creative today. Will change it soon. I’d love to hear constructive criticism! :) >

I’ve actually been toying with the idea of starting a food blog for a long time already, but I never got around to doing it. I finally decided to create a separate blog (please do check out my personal page @ http://yoursummerstar.tumblr.com) because every time I eat (a lot of times - I tell you - I’m always hungry), I kind of make mental notes about the service/the place/the flavors/the food in my head. I also like reading other food blogs (making new discoveries, thanks to Bacolod Food Hunters) and torturing myself with food porn (salivating on fyeahwe’rehungry’s page). To sum it up, I’ve always had a thing for writing reviews and, well, eating - so this is definitely the next step!


Here are some things you might like to know about me (before reading the rest of my blog):

1. I am not a food expert. No impressive diplomas, no culinary classes - hell, I even sometimes mix garlic and onion up - so whatever I write here will be my personal no-frills opinion. If you’re looking for something more technical, this isn’t your site. Also, I’m reviewing these food stops as a paying customer - no sponsorship or whatever.


2. I love chicken. So I will always be slightly partial to poultry dishes.


3. I’m a fitness buff gone horribly, horribly astray. This may be TMI, but I was actually a loooot overweight for a while - so when I was trying to trim down, I was a walking calorie calculator. Right now I’m happier with my weight so I’ve become more lenient and my love for food has overcome my weird skinny bitch phase, but there will always be moments when I lose it and snap back to crazy drop-that-spoon-of-Nutella-no-carbs-allowed dragon lady. In behalf of the annoying posts complaining about high-calorie meals while stuffing them down my throat, I apologize.


4. I’m allergic to a lot of our underwater friends. Luckily, I have a pet bf that eats anything and everything.


5. I’m really just another Bacolod belly who loves to eat and write and about it. :)

If you have any questions or suggestions, my ask box is open. Please use the links on the side bar for easier navigation. I hope you enjoy my page! :)

Meanwhile, please enjoy these amazing food photos (of my current cravings) from all over the internet. Food porn spam incoming!

will be posting introduction & official food reviews as soon as I’m done with the site. :>