Lunch Out Series: Rub Ribs & BBQ

During our last few days in our Makati office, we decided to make the best of all the foodie haven there is. We wanted to try Rub Ribs & BBQ for a while now and so we decided to have our team lunch out there.

Food Trippin' Boni: Kanto Freestyle Breakfast

Ever since Julianne posted her blog entry about Kanto Freestyle Breakfast, I have been begging her to go there and eat. Yes, the inggitera in me strikes again, I know.

Located at San Joaquin Street in Boni, the place is quite familiar with me since I had been near the area sometime this year when we went there for Lime 88. It was lunch time on a Friday and from Makati, we took a cab going there. It was not that far and traffic is light at that hour. Spare those areas which was currently closed due to road constructions.

Backpacking Brunei: Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque and Kampong Ayer

One of the famous attractions in Brunei is the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque because it is one of the most beautiful mosque in the Asia Pacific. It is named after a Sultan of Brunei and is a symbol of Islamic faith. The mosque is near the water Village or the Kampong Ayer.

From a far, the mosque is very spectacular as it features a golden dome. You can also see that it is surrounded with water. It was a very nice view.

Food Trippin' Brunei: De Royalle Cafe

It was our first morning and our last day in Brunei, and while waiting for Amiru to tour us again, we looked for a coffee shop that was open early in the morning for us to have breakfast (since our inn does not offer a free one). We found this small cafe beside CBTL and we decided to have breakfast there and spend some time until all other stores open. It was called De Royalle Cafe.

There were few in the place and most of the shops are still closed early morning and others that are open are already common to us and can be found here in our own country. we wanted something unique but fits our budget, besides, we had a lot of savings since Amiru covered the tours for us.

Place to Stay in Brunei: Brunei Youth Hostel (Pusat Belia)

On our short stay in the small country of Brunei, we stayed at the Brunei Youth Hostel (Pusat Belia) at Bandar Seri Begawan. The place was just a short walk to the nice places you can go to in this country. Lucky for us, we were pre-booked by our friend. This place is definitely cheap and is perfect for backpackers who want to have a great stay here in Brunei.

The place is huge and it even have a big pool for the guests. They have common areas and some internet place where guests can rent a computer. They also have a cafeteria. We didn't get to go around the whole hostel and just stayed at the front area where we could catch up some WiFi and stay connected online.

Food Trippin' Brunei: Nasi Katok

We asked our friend, Gladys in Labuan on what to eat when we get to Brunei as she drove us to the ferry port on the morning we're leaving the small beautiful island. She recommend that we should have a taste of Brunei's Nasi Katok which was a chicken and rice dish according to her.

As we got to Brunei, our friend there, Amiru, brought us to a restaurant that serves Nasi Katok. It wasn't difficult to look for a place that sells it since almost any corner, there is a restaurant that serves it. It is very popular there since it is cheap and very yummy.

Backpacking Brunei: The Emprie

As a budget traveler, I seldom go to hotels in places I go to. Staying in a luxury hotel is a dream but not really a necessity for me. Touring around Brunei, I found out that you'll find one of the most popular hotel here because it is a six-star hotel, the most luxurious I have ever stepped into, The Empire.

The Empire is a hotel and country club locates at Jerudong in Brunei Darussalam. It is located near the beach area so the hotel guests can enjoy the breath taking view of the ocean. Good thing our friend took us on a tour here so that we could explore and see what can be inside a six-star hotel.

Backpacking Brunei: Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque

Brunei is a Muslim country and here, you could expect different Mosques around the city. These had become some of their attractions when touring around the city.

There are several mosques that tourists can go visit here. One of them is Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque which is their biggest mosque in the whole Brunei.

Dinner at Petra and Pilar

A month ago, a colleague from Belgium arrived here in Manila. I have worked with him personally in Istanbul and so, when he visited us, we were more than glad to welcome him. Our team took him out for dinner and decided to give him a taste of Filipino cuisine.

We brought him at Petra and Pilar located at Chino Roces in Makati. The place is owned by Katrina Ponce-Enrile and the place is named after her two grandmothers. The concept of this place is a fancy carienderia. You can order whichever dish you want at the counter and it will be served at your table. They have an array of food choices in display so you can choose whichever looks enticing.

Dinner at Yakimix

To celebrate my brother's birthday, we had a family dinner at Yakimix at Hobbies of Asia in Pasay City. It was bit far and we expect less people so that there would be no waiting or reservation needed. True enough, when we got there, there are a lot of vacant tables and we didn't have any difficulty finding a place to sit.

Yakimix in Hobbies of Asia is located along Macapagal Blvd. It is a small place and the area is lined with restaurants where they accept paluto. I am not sure how to get there by public transport except if your ride a cab. It is near SM Mall of Asia but you really need a car to get there.

Backpacking Brunei: Touring Around the City

As we arrived in Brunei from Labuan Island, my friend's ASEAN summit friend Amiru fetched us at the port. He was with his brother but that was until we arrived. He left us afterwards and we were with Amiru our whole stay in Brunei touring around the city.

It was really convenient that we have someone to go around because in Brunei, there are less public transport since almost everyone owns a car. And I'm not blaming them since gas prices here are very cheap. Surprisingly, even if almost all people there owns a car, there is less traffic. Indeed a haven for car owners.

Backpacking Malaysia: Around the Small Island of Labuan

We arrived at Labuan Island at around 4 in the afternoon. The sun us still up high and we are waiting at the port for Gladys, my friend's friend, to come and fetch us. We waited at the ferry terminal and were tempted to buy all the chocolates they have at stores since they are all pretty cheap as Labuan Island products are duty free.

We are fetched at around 4:30 in the afternoon and off we went to get around the nice spots in this small island. We went to the different areas in Labuan such as Patau-Patau Water Village, An'Nur Jamek Mosque, Peace Park, and the Chimney. It was a bit late but thankfully, we have a car, and so, we can get to many places in little time.

Food Trippin' Kota Kinabalu: Tropicana Lodge and Cafe

Before heading out to Jesselton Point and go to Labuan Island in the afternoon, we decided to have a quick lunch after our museum tours in the morning. We were going around the Australia Place in Kota Kinabalu, looking for something to eat when we decided to eat at Tropicana Lodge and Cafe.

Located at Lot 9, Ground & 1st Floor, Lorong Dewan (Australia Place), it is the restaurant of the main lodge. We were the only customers when we got there and I think we all made them work since we ordered some lunch food a bit earlier than lunch time. This place is just a few minutes walk from Borneo Backpackers where we stayed.

Backpacking Malaysia: From Kota Kinabalu to Labuan to Brunei

On our second day in Kota Kinabalu, we planned to spend the day going around the Sabah Museum and travelling to Labuan Island in the afternoon to meetup with my friend's Malaysian friend (which became my friend also) there. We decided to spend the night there since it is on the way going to Brunei, which is our next destination after KK.

Going to Labuan Island, you need to ride a ferry in Jesselton Point. This will bring you to the small island and is the midpoint port if you plan to go to Brunei from KK. Located at the edge of town, Jesslton Point welcomes you with the big arc and and their ticketing office going to the different areas in KK.

Food Trippin' Kota Kinabalu: BB Cafe Bar and Grill

On our first night on KK, we decided to have dinner since it was in the early afternoon since our last meal We wanted to try something different and so we explored the town. Even though most of the shops are already closed at that time, there are still a lot of food establishments opened.

We were attracted by the bright lights and cheering crowd in the middle of the town. There seems to be some singing competition and as we looked and watched for a while, we decided to dine in BB Cafe Bar and Grill, the restaurant nearest to the singing competition we were watching. 

Milk Tea Hunt: True Brew

There is a newly opened milk tea shop in Ayala and they have a promo for SMART employees. Thankfully, I learned it before the promo ended and I enjoyed True Brew's up size promo for their opening at Blessings.

Located at the Blessings and Prosperity Canteen along Ayala Avenue (beside Rufino), the new tea shop is a new hit in the office. They sell a variety of milk tea flavors and they even have the cream cheese on top variety like those of Gong Cha and Happy Lemon.

Backpacking Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Museum, Sabah Art Gallery and Sabah Islamic Museum

After we went around the Heritage Village, we went to the main entrance of the Sabah Museum. It was already opened at that time and since we ares till waiting for lunch time for our ferry ride in the afternoon.

We hanged out the souvenir shop first because we thought it was RM15 for only one museum but as we asked about it, that amount was already for the three museums, Sabah Muesum, Sabah Art Gallery and Sabah Islamic Museum.

Backpacking Kota Kinabalu: Heritage Village

On our second day in Kota Kinabalu, we decided to tour some sites there before going to Labuan Island in the afternoon. We checked the maps we got in the airport and decided on taking the Heritage Village area since it has a lot of stuff there that could fit in just a short amount of time.

After breakfast, we ask the staff in the inn to tell us how to go there. She suggested that we ride the taxi since it is cheaper and more convenient than taking the bus. After we got our tickets for the afternoon ferry, we hailed a cab to take us to the site. It costs RM20 going there.

Place to Stay in Kota Kinabalu: Borneo Backpackers

Our stay in Kota Kinabalu was short. We didn't really reserved any room and we planned on just taking our chance in Borneo Backpackers for an overnight stay. Luckily, there are available rooms for us the night we arrived at Kota Kinabalu.

Located at No. 24 Lorong Dewan, the inn is in the middle of the main town of KK. It can easily be located since it is near Atkonson Clock Tower. As you reach the area, there is a small coffee shop at the ground level. Whenever people ask them about the inn, they automatically point you to the side for the entrance.

Backpacking Kota Kinabalu: Exploring the City Center

We arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport at around 6 in the evening and after all the immigration process, we got out at around 7 pm hailing a cab that would take us to our inn. We figured not to waste the day and so, we went out at night to find food and to explore Kota Kinabalu's City Center.

It was drizzling a bit but it didn't stop us from walking around. Guided by the few brochures that we got in the airport, we looked for places to even that late hours. Good thing, we are near the city center and everything that you need to see there is reachable by foot. And so, our late night exploring began.