Thanks to  Sammy and Emily for bringing us to this place!  This is Heart2Heart’s favorite restaurant this trip. I particularly like businesses with personal touches, where the owners are the ones hands on and running the place, businesses with stories behind them, those that start from scratch and take the risk to bring their concept and ideas to life….. It is really admirable! 

They will be opening also in the Ayala Mall as their second location.   I can’t wait till they come to Manila.  According to Chef Robert, they are looking for locations in Makati and are open to franchising.  PLEASE HURRY!  

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The Gustavian celebrates the decadence and glamour brought to Sweden in the 1750’s by Crown Prince Gustav III. Gustav, who studied in France, was crowned King of Sweden and proceeded to rapidly change the whole country in to a Cultural movement that included fine cuisine.

Sweden has since become one of the most delightful aspects of the French cuisine family tree.

Scandinavian cuisine is a melting pot of the Haute Cuisine of the Baltic, Russian, Polish, Finish and of course Swedish/French fine dining heritage over the past 300 years.

We hope you will enjoy our own version of preparing dishes created by great chefs from the past, and with our own updated twist in presentation!

‘The Gustavian’ Country Farmer’s Delicatessen

….is fresh from the Old World era, serving homemade European sausages and artisan breads in the heart of Cebu City in the Philippines. The Gustavian is the inspiration of Chef Robert Lilja a renowned master Chef and Saucier who was previously named as the No 1 in customer satisfaction for the Marriott Hotel chain and was one of their star chefs. Chef Robert has risen through the ranks at some of the finest restaurants in Europe. In addition, master chef Dietmar Dietrich has recently joined the Gustavian. He comes with a wealth of experience and has tended to the stoves of many of the finest establishments in Europe. This great combination ensures that the Gustavian is truly world class and the best continental restaurant in the Philippines.

The warm roasting smell of freshly baked bread greets customers as they enter into the broad veranda.

The Gustavian makes sausages, pickles, smoked meats and sea foods along with its artisan breads. Authentic rustic breads, pugliese, potato walnut bread, pumpernickel rye, and Tuscane are offered daily from the Gustavian’s state of the art ovens. Crusty baguettes emerge steaming from the oven, inviting a spread of shrimp paste and dill cream cheese, fresh from the Deli’s creamery.

Chef’s Robert & Dietmar excel at the character and quality of the Old World, but slyly surprises one with their delicate and delicious touches such as sweet Visayan mango slice in the tart prawn’s Caesar salad; crunchy-salty caviar sprinkled on uni (sea urchin sushi) on fresh-cracked oysters; walnut and potato in soft yeasty whole wheat bread with herbed butter spreads.

The Gustavian offers restaurant service for breakfast, lunch and dinner to showcase its home-made offerings from the Deli. In addition, an ever changing menu offers delicacies such as the kitchen specialty, fillet of beef with the trademark pepper, morel and gorgonzola sauce, arguably the best in the Philippines. Omaha Angus seared to perfection, presented with asparagus and green salad, crusted potato rissole that melts in the mouth, and the smoked salmon Caesar dressing combine perfectly for an unforgettable meal.

Chef’s Robert & Dietmar combine the traditional herbs and spices of European sausages into their home-made products. The fresh sun dried tomato sausage features basil and pine nuts for a Mediterranean flair, another has fennel seed and coriander, while thyme & rosemary flavors one of the best fresh sausages one has ever tasted. These are but a few examples of the starters in a line that will feature many standards as well as a changing palette of flavors and affinities, with no doubt occasional zestful surprises from the chef’s broad repertoire.

Healthful, organic, and robustly gourmet are the complementary themes of the Gustavian Country Farmers Market Delicatessen. During the morning you may breakfast on eggs and home-cured bacon with walnut bread and sausage. Sautéed oyster mushrooms, Italian tomato slices, and a sprig of thyme enhance the delicate flavors of the Da Vinci sausage and raise the meal from mere breakfast to memorable. 

You may satisfy your appetite and your palate by dining in the restaurant, or shop for take-out meals, sausages, breads and bagels, spices and herbs, European and home-made cheeses and spreads, or packaged hard-to-find items like polenta, couscous, risotto, olives, or Parma ham and Genoa salami. 

The décor and the settings resonate with Old World flair. Fleur-de-lis and artichoke motif chandeliers accent the high ceiling with its boxed Swedish Cross that forms the core of the dining area.  The rustic Tuscany tile floor, pine-top tables, and elegant rattan chairs complement the hearty gourmet offerings from the kitchen. 

Restrooms on both ends of the resto 

Country cooking from the Old World makes its home in Cebu in the hearty, rustic gourmet kitchens of the Gustavian. Add to that a dash of Chef Robert’s and Chef Dietmar’s flair from their endless repertory of culinary knowledge, and the ingredients are transformed into a world class dining experience.

Paradise Baked Artichokes/Raclette/House Cream cheese dip with French bread- of course this was my order- YUMMY!  Everything they had with cheese was DELICIOUS!  

Macaroni Cheese and Prawns - YUMMY!!! 

Pan Fried Salmon Steak 

Ostrich Madagascar 

US Angus Rib Eye steak 

 Another unique feature of the place is the BREAD BUFFET.  I love dips and spreads!!  And here you can choose whatever bread and whatever dips you want to go with your bread.  It is part of the meal if you are eating there.  

James chose one dessert from the pastry showcase- CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE- YUMMY!!!!!!

Chocolate souffle with Raspberry Sorbet 

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In Cebu, there is a Pasalubong store right before you reach the airport.  So if you have time, try to buy all your pasalubongs either in that Pasalubong center ( you will not miss it - yellow building ) or in supermarkets in the city.  Because just like anything else, the stuff in the airport are always more expensive.   

The original and the best dried mango brand

 SHAMROCK brand is supposedly the best brand but it was not available at the time I was shopping…or maybe I just did not see it

and now they have other varieties of Otap…with cinnamon

Of course, there is CHICHARON  many many brands all over but of course we try to be healthy and so we buy this which actually is a far cry from the ones with fat

 This Peanut browas I discovered from my sister.  It is like lenguas de gato but has peanut flavor. Lola Pureza is a good brand

and Lola Pureza also has mini mamon which is a popular product as well.  It is small mamons that are toasted

Dad and Mom never fails to buy their danggit..again trying to be healthy, we get the UNSALTED one.  It is still salty though.  Fry it ( in olive oil ) and then serve with scrambled egg and garlic rice! yummy!

and Palad Flakes

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SM Cebu, SM Mall, G/F Fiesta Strip, Tel. 032-231-6455 

 Cebu Ayala, Ayala Center Mall, Cebu City Tels. 032-231-8460/032-231-8456

Ayala Center Annex, Ayala Center, Annex Business Park, Tel. 032-4151911Crown Regency, G/F Crown Regency, Hotel & Towers, Osmeña Blvd. Tel. 032-238-6851 

SM Cebu Northwing, Upper Ground Floor, SM Cebu City Tel. 032-2363161 

No photo since we were not able to visit this store:

Paseo Arcenas Cebu, G/F Paseo Center, Arcenas Estate, Duterte Street, Banawa, Tel. 032-261-4709 

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Another Cebu favorite.  This place was introduced to us by Tita Elizabeth and ever since then Dad and Mom always come back.  Dad always looks for seafood restaurants since he tries to avoid meat.  So he has Victoria’s City Seafood in HK, Oriental Garden in NY, Hai Shin Lou in Manila, and Ching Palace in Cebu.

What is interesting also in the restaurant is the owner’s collection of Koi and parrots.  It is displayed on the walls of the restaurant.   

Good chinese food and fresh seafood!  The crab and the eel was very good.  They did not have the fresh lobster sushi which dad and mom always order.  You need to request for it since it is not in the menu.   

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Dad and Mom’s favorite Filipino restaurant in Cebu.  This one we ate in is a few meters away from Starbucks and there is another location nearby in the Ayala Mall.   Mom says to make sure to order the Crispy tadyang

website:  Cafe Laguna / Laguna Cafe  

 Contact Information:

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Thanks to our friend, Carlson, for giving us a copy of this beautiful CD.   We missed the Loboc Children’s choir during our Bohol visit last year, so we are very happy to listen to them.  Thank you for bringing them to us through this gift of music.  

 Carlson is one of the reasons this CD came to life.  Though he is always so humble about his charitable ways, we know that he is behind many projects and supports many artists.  Not only the Loboc Children’s Choir but artists/the arts in general.    

The voices of the children ( 9 to 12 years old )  are so angelic!  They represent their hometown, their heritage and everything that is beautiful through their voices and the music that they make. They travel to other countries to represent our country…. and they make us proud!  This is already their second album.  Please support them so they can continue to make beautiful music….   

Click here to listen and preview the songs:  River of Songs

 Material taken from their website:  River of Songs

Available at leading music outlets,

selected Bench stores,

Tanging Yaman Stores:

2nd level, Concourse Area, Gateway Mall, Cubao, QC

5th Level ( near the chapel ), SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City 

Previous Bohol Entries:

Touring Bohol November 29,2007 

Ananyana Resort, Bohol December 2, 2007

Bohol Bee Farm December 9, 2007 

Eskaya  January 4, 2008

Ananyana Foodie January 5, 2008 

A National Geographic Moment January 6, 2008  

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If you are going to London, make sure to stop by Primark.  My friends Suharto and Rina told me about this place.  It is really very affordable considering how expensive it is in London.  You can find tops for 1 British pound!!! And no it is not made in China, fashion made in Spain and Italy!

Sounds like a TARGET slogan to me but they focus more on fashion.

 Primark

Primark is a retail group in the value sector and operates a total of 177 stores in Ireland (where it trades under the Penneys brand), Spain and the UK . Primark employs in excess of 25,000 people. In GB, in terms of market share, TNS ranks Primark as GB’s second largest clothing retailer by volumeand Verdict Research now places Primark as the leading retailer in value clothing. Primark was voted ‘Best Value High Street Fashion’ by GMTV and ITV viewers.

Primark Stores Ltd., is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods. Associated British Foods is a diversified international food, ingredients and retail group with global sales of £6.8bn, and 85,000 employees in 43 countries.

In the financial year 2006/7, 32 new stores were opened and five smaller stores were closed to give 4.8 million sq ft of retail selling space. Highlights during the year included the opening of London ’s Oxford Street store in April. This was extremely successful, selling one million items in its first ten days of trading, and attracting considerable media coverage. The 85,000 sq ft Liverpool store was opened in September and was greeted with a similar level of enthusiasm both by customers and media. The new store openings in 2006/7 also included Primark’s second store in Spain . Since the year end, five additional stores have opened in Spain ; in Bilbao , Jerez , Oviedo and two further stores in Madrid . Primark now has 25 stores trading from over 50,000 sq ft of which eight trade from over 70,000 sq ft.

Plans are currently in place to open eight stores in this financial year including Ealing and Basingstoke in the UK .

Primark is successful because it offers:

•  Super-competitive prices (the result of technology, efficient distribution, supply and volume buying)

•  Mainstream market product quality • High Street locations • Superior store fit • Clear focus on the target market.

Dear Valued Clients:

Greetings from Travel Warehouse Inc! If there’s bad news like oil price hike, there’s always a good news and Travel Warehouse Inc. is giving it to you through our “PRICE ROLLBACK” Travel deals. Avail of our much lower airfares and vacation packages and experience a great travel adventure for less.  There’s no best time to travel but today! So see the attached flier for details. Start booking your upcoming trips now by dialing our telephone numbers, 6872490 up to 92, or by texting 09296880544 or by emailing us right now. Thank you so much!Jaison Yang

Operations Manager

TRAVEL WAREHOUSE INC. 

Unit 1007 OMM-Citra Bldg, 

San Miguel Ave. Ortigas Center Pasig City, Philippines 1600 

Tel. Nos. (632) 6872490 to 92  Fax: (632) 6872493

Email: travelwarehouseinc@yahoo.com.ph

www.travelwarehouseph.com

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When in New York, there are thousands of restaurants to go to.  It is PARADISE for anyone who loves to eat!!!  One of the reasons I LOVE NY! So many restaurants and each is unique and has it’s own character and story to tell.  We look forward to every meal!  

 1.)  WonJo - Korean  in Korea Town is always a must for us - If you have not heard or tried Chadol Baegi- try it.  My cousin Gippy introduced it to us many years back in New York and from that time on, it is a MUST- we have not ever seen it in any korean restaurant in other countries except for the ones in New York

The photo on top is the regular kalbi beef but below is the Chadol Baegi - it comes with a salt sauce.  TRY IT and you might like it too!  

23West 32nd Street New York, NY 10001Tel : (212) 695-5815

2.)  Hatsuhana 

It is really a sushi restaurant, but we liked the 2 unique tempuras they had - Lobster tempura and the Anago ( eel ) tempura

3.)  Serafina- WOW!  This was a yummy Risotto!!

Risotto veuve clicquot

With champagne & black truffle.

Serafina Broadway  210 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019  Phone: (212) 315-1700 

4.)  Joe Shanghai - We only go here for the Xiao long Bao ( Soup Buns ) - nothing else!  And that is really what they are known for.  James went here three times this trip!  It is his favorite.  He said to make sure you order the CRABMEAT with pork soup buns

From Joe Shanghai’s website: 

Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)

Xiao Long Bao or “Little Dumplings from Basket” was originated from Nan Xiang, a suburb of Shanghai. Their perfectly symmetrical shape, resembles a pagoda.

These tender pouches, “little dumplings”, are freshly made to order. They arrive at the table in piping hot bamboo steamers. Each plump dumpling contains a little pork meatball surrounded by a delightful meaty broth.

To prevent burning one’s mouth and to savor the dumpling, the preferred method of consumption is to bite off a little piece of the doughy wrapper, suck the broth with a “slurp”, then eat the rest.

There are two variations available at Joe’s Shanghai - crab meat and pork meat. Each basket is freshly made to order, so don’t forget to order your Soup Dumpling upon arrival at your table. Otherwise it might be a long wait.

A cartoonist, Robert Zimmerman, had drawn “Soup Dumplings: A Survival Course” comic strip that was once published in the newspapers. It comedically depicts the hazard of eating a fresh, piping hot dumpling. Although a little extreme, the danger of burning one’s mouth is no different from the dangers of enjoying a hot cup of coffee.

Soup Dumplings : A Survival Course 

5.)  Doughnut Plant- Our brother, John recommended this place.  So we made sure we went to check it out.  It is a small shop downtown with only one branch in the city.   Since they only have one shop, they sell their doughnuts in other locations -  Dean and Delluca, Whole Foods, Zabars  and other known food specialty stores.

This is Tres Leche which is supposedly their bestseller and recommended by John.  We liked it.  It is a different kind of doughnut. More “cakey” - not the Krispy Kreme melt in your mouth type.  

6.)  Buttercup Bake Shop

 Buttercup is the Queen of all cupcakes!  This is where we first fell in love with cupcakes many years ago!  Even the kids always ask to go back to Buttercup so they can have their cupcakes. The icing is the BEST!   

7.)  Basta Pasta

Basta Pasta was established in Tokyo Japan 1985, which was designed after the TV program Iron Chef with a totally open kitchen as a Kitchen Theater. In 1990 Basta Pasta opened in New York. We would like our guests to enjoy Italian as The Japanese do    

As you enter the restaurant, you see this gigantic freezer where they store all their ingredients

One of their specialties - Spaghetti with Parmigiano Reggiano and Parma prosciutto,served in half a wheel of Parmesan cheese at table - Pepato in Greenbelt also has something similar to this dish

 37 West 17th Street New York, New York, 10011 (212) 366-0888 

8.)  Ollie’s- Thanks to Tito Stephen and Tita Reggie for our despedida lunch

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