I finally got to try Din Tai Fung. Known to serve scrumptious Xiao Long Bao, people went crazy when they opened here in Manila at SM Megamall. I'm crazy for XLB but NOT CRAZY ENOUGH to queue for hours. I was finally in the area and knew exactly wher i was having lunch.

The PG that i am ordered...

Their famous Xiao Long Bao (original)

Steamed Vegetarian Mushroom Dumplings

A staple for me at any dim sum restaurant 

 Noodles with House Special Spicy Sauce

I know, i know... too much for little oh me. In my defense, I didn't have breakfast and this was already 1:00 PM. I was actually considering the Salted Egg Yolk Prawn but thought to myself, "Control yourself." I'm having a serious addiction to the stuff and safe to say i will be back to try their version of the dish. 😂😂😂

So what did i think about Din Tai Fung? It wasn't what I expected. I was really looking forward to the XLB and unfortunately it did disappoint. For me right now, the XLB to beat is from Peking Garden. On their menu, it's called Steamed Supreme Soup & Pork Dumplings. I should come out with my Top 5 XLB spots! Ding ding ding ding ding!!!

So yes XLB did not deliver for me but their Steamed Vegetarian Mushroom Dumplings were awesome! The best i have tried yet! The noodles too were really good. 

Overall, I wouldn't write them off just because the XLB wasn't at par but i would go back to try their other dishes. And I'm very happy they opened a branch in BGC. Definitely meeting P there for one of our early dinners. 

Hugs & Besos!

I've only visited Bohol twice. One, for business and the second, a family trip. Both in very different areas with very different experiences. On a business trip during summer (how very opportune), i stayed in the lovely Amorita Resort. At that time, the family have already booked a trip for Bohol on September and so i decided not to go on any tours or extend my trip - which i now regret. You'll find out why as you read along.

That first trip, though short-lived and semi serious, was to an extent, enjoyable. Let me show you.

The resort itself was pretty amazing. The downside? It doesn't really have it's own beach. You will have to go down a flight of stairs to get to Alona Beach - know more about the beaches of Bohol, here. This is considered the most popular beach strip in Panglao Island. Sadly, i was not able to experience it during the day. I did go there for a round (or two) of drinks with a few colleagues and i thought at that time i am not missing out. Still, I thought i can check it out during the day at the next trip instead. 

The second trip, set on September had quite a few bumps on the road. It was a very busy month at work. So much so that i needed to book a much later flight than my family. Two days late to be exact. Even then i still had to work. 

I arrived Friday morning and we were not off to a good start. After finishing my workload for that day, we headed out to the city for an early dinner. Much too early to our disappointment. The restaurant they wanted to try was closed and will resume for dinner service at a much later time. Why none of them cared to check online the operating hours of the restaurant, i could not fathom. It was hot and we were hungry - not good.

We ended up in a local place, Payag, located in an unmentionable shopping mall.

To make the story short, I am never going back there. In fact, i don't think any of us are.

With a belly full of dissatisfaction, we headed back to the hotel.

We scheduled a countryside tour the next day, optimistic it will get the ball rolling in the right direction.

We drove to the town of Carmen - where the Chocolate Hills are located. Along the way was the very serene man-made forest.





With the current season, it was more Matcha than chocolate. But it was just as beautiful as it is in photographs.

After some leg work on those stairs, we headed for the butterfly garden located in Bilar.

I was not particularly excited about this visit. We went to one in Malaysia some years back and didn't really find anything that interesting. Surprisingly i enjoyed this one. The guide was very entertaining! Giving us little tidbits of information in the most hilarious way. He wasn't trying hard either - he was a natural comedian.

And the place had little surprises that are Instagrammable.






Next stop, Tarsier sanctuary. This, i was really excited about. These tiny creatures are the smallest known primates (not considered a monkey) and are nocturnal. Don't expect much excitement when you visit them. In fact, it's highly discouraged as these animals get easily stressed and may not survive.

One more stop before heading to lunch, the hanging bridge. For some reason, i pictured in my head a death defying cross. Have no idea where that came from. Needless to say, this is a stop that you can definitely skip.



It was i believe almost 1:00 PM when we arrived at the Rio Verde for lunch. We missed the high end boat and had to settle for the regular boat that carried a supposedly less than stellar lunch menu. It was relaxing having a meal on a boat. Nothing special with the food by my cousin says it has already improved compared to when she last visited. I thought, "Okay, at least there is improvement."

Loboc River is beautiful. I wouldn't go on that boat for the food. I think going in you really don't focus on that. You focus on the view, fresh air - the cruise on its own was very relaxing.







The lunch river cruise included a stopover - a tribal village. It included little activities that you can participate in. No fees are required, only a modest donation or tip will suffice.



Our last stop before heading back to the hotel was The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary Church or more commonly known as  Baclayon Church.

It was devastating to see how much damage in the aftermath of an earthquake in 2013. Still, seeing how much effort locals are doing to restore the place is inspiring.




Come Sunday, the family just wanted to chill and so we decided to head for the hotel's private beach house located in Bikini Beach. I made arrangements for a lunch barbecue and turned out to be the best food we've ever sampled in the entire trip.