An exotic toast and tea experience in Cebu

I’ve already tried the Kopi Roti Kopi Bun when I was still working in Manila. My wife’s cousin brought a box to our house. I found the buns to be very delicious.The buns were coated with a brown coffee crumb-like substance, were soft on the inside and had a sweet and creamy concoction at its center (which I thought then was plain butter). These were perfect complements to a cup of coffee.

the Kopi Bun

When I transferred to Cebu, I’ve always had the Kopi Bun at the back of my mind. Although I was never really craving for it, I’ve always wondered whether there was anything that could perfectly go together with coffee than the Kopi Bun. Bakeshops in Cebu eventually sold something similar but these did not capture the taste I was looking for in Kopi Buns.

When Kopi Roti opened in Cebu, I made a mental note to try it out. I realized that all I knew about the store was their Kopi Buns. Maybe I was missing their other, more delicious, specialties?

When I finally passed by Kopi Roti, I had the Kopi Bun, Roti French Toast, Kaya Toast, hot milk tea, cold milk tea, and homemade iced tea. So how different were these from what other restaurants and bakeshops were offerring?

Roti French Toast is just French toast. Kaya Toast is just toasted bread. It is Kopi Roti’s butter and special coconut jam spread – called the Kaya spread – that adds a very special and very Asian taste to these fares. The combination of butter, coconut, sweet potato flavor in the jam spread on the toast is a delight to the taste. I also discovered that this is what is in the Kopi Bun.

the Roti French Toast

The milk teas went well together with the Kopi Bun, Roti French Toast, and the Kaya Toast. Kopi Roti’s milk tea was not too milky and did not taste too exotic unlike other restaurants that serve milk teas. In fact, this was the best milk tea I’ve tasted in Cebu so far.

the milk teas

I advise everyone to stay away from their home made iced tea though. We ordered their iced tea thinking that it would taste like sweetened brewed iced tea. It actually tasted like cough syrup. Yuck!

As for the price of their products, Kopi Roti's meal sets range from P80 to P120. As a budget-conscious individual, I was initially put-off with the price. But I realized that the price was for the pastry and drink already. For the price of one cup of coffee from other coffee shops, I can already enjoy my coffee or tea with my toast or my Kopi Bun at Kopi Roti.

I would love to try the other food items that Kopi Roti is offering. High on my list are their chocolate toast and their soft boiled eggs. I also like to try out their milk coffee too. How would these taste like?

I’ll make sure to order these when I visit next time. I recommend you try out Kopi Roti too.

Kopi Roti is located at The Gallery in Mabolo, Cebu City. You can also visit the Kopi Roti website at http://www.kopiroti.com.ph/.

TOP of the world in Cebu

If you want to be literally on top of the world in Cebu, there is no other place to go than TOP. Situated on the Busay hills, the view from this place is absolutely spectacular. Even if I have been there multiple times, I’m still filled with suspense every time I walk towards the viewing area.

It takes approximately 20 minutes of winding, cemented road to get there from the Cebu city center. Despite the travel distance, the ride is very comfortable and you are treated with snippets of the view along the way. Make sure you pack enough gas and your car can climb steep roads before going there. If you do not have a car, your only other option is to take a taxi since the place has no access to public transportation. You have to haggle with the taxi drivers though on the fare. The entrance fee is also a steep P100 but it’s definitely worth it.

At TOP, you can see as far as Lilo-an to the north, Naga to the south and Bohol island to the east. You marvel at how everything in Metro Cebu and the surrounding islands seem so breathtakingly small but beautiful. You gaze at the wide expanse of the city and the surrounding areas and slowly identify landmarks – “ Look, that’s the Fuente Osmeña over there”, “Can you see the old and new Mactan bridge?”, “There’s the airport”.

what a view from TOP (Mactan and Olango islands are visible)

Food is available in TOP to accompany your viewing. There are chips, grilled food, and alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks. But be ready to pay extra to buy food here. A big bag of chips is P35. Grilled hotdog is around P40 pesos.

In my opinion, the food needs an upgrade. Why not serve pasta or other higher end food to make the place classier?

Tables and enclosed areas are also available for use, be it for intimate occasions like romantic dates or for corporate occasions like team buildings or meetings.

I suggest you visit TOP late afternoon (around 5 pm) and stay until after dusk so you can experience the shift from daylight to night. As the sun sets, the sky slowly shifts from blue, to orange, and then to black. One by one, the stars appear in the night sky. Below, the city streets and building lights flicker on. The nights can be chilly so make sure you bring jackets or blankets to keep you warm.

savouring the view

I definitely recommend visiting TOP when you are in Cebu. In spite of the distance, the entrance fee, and the passable food, the amazing view is absolutely priceless. I haven’t seen the sunrise from TOPS so I’m definitely coming back.

To go to TOP, take Cebu Veterans Drive (the road going to Marco Polo Plaza Hotel). Past Marco Polo, it's still a long drive. Just follow the road until you see the La Tegola restaurant signage to your right. Just past that signage to the left is a small steep road. Take the road until you reach the entrance to TOP.

Cebu island hopping on the Islands Banca Cruises

A new twist on the island hopping experience in Cebu is being offered by Islands Banca Cruises. Based on their print ads and their website, aside from the usual island hopping fare, their banca (outrigger) would be equipped with an ipod dock, would have WIFI access, and would be furnished with beanbags. Refreshments would also be on sale onboard.

Excited to try it out, I hastily arranged an island hopping package with them for a Sunday. For P790 per person for 10 persons, Islands Banca Cruises would be bringing me and my friends to the Gilutungan marine sanctuary, just beside Olango island, and to Pandanon island, nearer to Bohol than Cebu. Inclusive in the package was the use of their medium banca called the butete (could fit up to 20 persons), free barbecue lunch with a complimentary drink, entrance fees and cottage rental fees, and towels. Unfortunately, their WIFI would not be available for this trip.

an Islands Banca Cruises banca

How did it turn out? First off, the Islands Banca Cruises butete truly offered a very unique experience. Instead of the usual cramped spaces I’ve experienced with other bancas, this one had a wide padded deck that added extra space for lazing around or sunbathing while cruising to your island destinations. The bow even had enough space to fit up to 5 persons. The banca seats were cushioned and were very comfortable. The beanbags were an excellent addition – very inviting for chilling out under the sun or lazing around under the shade of the banca’s canopy. If the summer heat gets to you, a variety of drinks were available for sale – softdrinks, water, sports drinks – and cold towels were available on board as well.

the butete deck (see speakers at the top of the picture)

Before the trip, I had the impression that the ipod dock on board would be an actual Apple ipod dock. I was wrong. It was just an audio jack to connect your ipod to the speakers. Islands Banca Cruises could have equipped an actual ipod dock to the banca to maintain the unique experience. The sound quality of the speakers was so-so. I would not recommend playing your ipod with the banca running on full speed since you’ll barely hear the music amid the roar of the engine.

lounging on the beanbags and bow on the way to the Gilutungan marine sanctuary

In spite of this, Islands Banca Cruises really scored high by bringing music on board. Having your favorite tunes available helps to set the mood, be it for a lazy afternoon lounge or for an all-out party on the boat.

Before we had lunch, we encountered a small hitch. The cottages in Pandanon island were not immediately available due to the number of visitors. We were fortunate that we did not have to wait long for one to become available. Since part of the package was the cottage rental, Islands Banca Cruises should have reserved a cottage in advance. This way, guests, starving from snorkeling or swimming the whole morning, can immediately partake of lunch.

subathing on deck

As for the food, lunch was adequate for the group. We had one quarter chicken barbecue, three pieces pork barbecue and five pieces puso each. If you or your friends have huge appetites, I recommend requesting for additional servings before the trip. Since there might be no other places to buy food in your trip, it’s better to be ready than to go hungry. You can also bring food from outside on the banca. Just be prepared to pay the corkage which, surprisingly, is very affordable.

I and my friends spent the rest of the afternoon resting in the cottage after a hearty lunch, enjoying the view of Bohol from the Pandanon island beach and taking a quick dip in the island's cool waters. And before we knew it, it was time to go home.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Islands Banca Cruises trip. The additions – beanbags, ipod dock, sunbathing deck, first class service from their stewards – were definitely worth experiencing. Although some improvements can be made, the positives vastly outweighed the negatives.

I’m definitely island hopping with Islands Banca Cruises in the future.

Islands Banca Cruises can be contacted at (32)2364896. You can also visit their website at www.islandsbanca.com.

Cebu Lechon in Time Magazine’s Best of Asia 2009

Cebu’s lechon (roasted suckling pig) is very popular across the Philippines. People have always associated Cebu with lechon. When I was still working in Manila, I was often asked by my officemates or my relatives to bring lechon every time I came back from Cebu.

Now, the Cebu lechon has reached greater heights by being named the Best Pig in Time Magazine’s Best of Asia 2009, Best for the Body category. Here’s the article in its May 4 issue:

Pork Art

When itinerant TV chef Anthony Bourdain — whose love of all things porcine is famous — visited the Philippine island of Cebu with his show No Reservations and declared that he had found the "best pig ever," many viewers were as surprised by the hyperbole as by the country he situated it in. But not Filipinos, among whom the zenith of porky perfection is an indisputable fact. It was just a matter of time before the rest of the world found out.

The pig that made Bourdain smack his lips with glee was lechón, or slow-roasted suckling pig, perhaps the Philippines' most beloved dish. Usually reserved for fiestas, it has long been a source of fanatical adulation; it's not uncommon for a whole lechón, still hot and fresh from roasting, to be flown across the country for special occasions. Though varieties differ regionally — stuffing can include any combination of lemongrass, tamarind, star anise, garlic, green onions and chili leaves, while condiments range from a light vinegary dipping sauce to a thick liver-based gravy — the basic concept remains the same. A pig is roasted for hours over a fire of open coals, slowly rotated on a bamboo spit, lovingly basted and meticulously supervised until its flesh is so tender, moist and succulent that it can be sliced with the edge of a plate, and its skin so crisp it can be punctured with the tap of a finger. You could call it the Platonic ideal of a pig, but it's doubtful if Plato, or even an entire faculty of philosophers, could have imagined anything so exquisite. – by Lara Day

You can also read the article in Time Magazine’s website. Just follow this link.

I totally agree. Darn, now I’m craving for lechon.

The ultimate CEBU blog

I noticed that there aren't enough information about things to do, places to go or eat in Cebu on the internet. I thought that posting my experiences in Cebu will be helpful for those who want to visit this beautiful province or those who already reside in Cebu and want to try new things.

I will be posting reviews on the different food establishments I've eaten in, be it home-grown food establishments or those who've opened branches in the province. I will be mentioning places in the Cebu province that are a must-see and those that should be skipped. I will be describing local delicacies that are pasalubong-material and those that should not be bought at all.

Come to think of it, there are countless topics on Cebu that I can post in this blog. I'll post all that I can as soon as I can. I would like to welcome you to the ultimate CEBU blog. I would also like to invite you to come visit the wonderful island province of Cebu. Ari na mo!