Dining in the Philippines

        Dream Job?? To be a food critic. Who doesn't want that? To be paid to eat at restaurants, taste several dishes and critique your overall experience, that would be the life! Since I have not acquired that job yet, I thought of putting together a few of my favourite dishes from restaurants around the Philippines, mainly in Makati.

 If you would like to know what other dishes are available at the restaurants, you can view the menus by clicking on the links of the restaurant's title. 

Creamy Truffled Mushroom & Double Smoked Bacon Pasta
Chelsea Market and Cafe

        Truffles, ah Truffles! The Diamonds of the Kitchen. Who doesn't like truffles?? Okay, it may be expensive to buy truffles and cook with them, but it isn't expensive to go to restaurants and eat a truffled dish! That's the beauty of restaurants.

        When I lived in Barcelona, I had one restaurant I would frequently eat at, only because of the Truffled Pasta. When I returned to the Philippines, I wanted to find a restaurant with the best truffled pasta. I found several that had this dish, but many used truffle oil; a big NO NO in the culinary world.

         I was walking through Serendra in Fort Bonifacio when I found my new favourite restaurant, "Chelsea". That is where I found the "Creamy truffled Mushroom & Double Smoked Bacon Pasta". This dish was creamy, earthy, aromatic, smooth and mouth watering. On my cheat days, I usually get this, but thanks to finding this dish, I was able to try Chelsea's many healthy recipes as well; such as the pumpkin soup, or the roasted vegetables with feta and pesto. I am now a happy regular customer there!

Creamy Truffed Mushroom & Double Smoked Bacon

Chelsea Market and Cafe
Php395

Wakeboarding Tantrum (back flip)

Yesterday I went to Deca Wakepark to go Wakeboarding and learn how to do a backflip (Tantrum) off the kicker.

I was so afraid because the last time I attempted a backflip I flipped to my side and landed very hard on my ribs where there was no padding on the left side of my chest. For those who do not know, going at a high speed and spinning in the air makes landing on the water feel like hitting a ton of bricks. I was winded and floating in the water not being able to take a breath in or out for 10 seconds, I thought my lungs were punctured. My friend had to swim out to save me. My ribs felt a little bruised for a week or more.

BUT HEY! Life is about overcoming your fears. I was desperate to learn the Tantrum so I was taking advice and tips from people so I wouldn't do the wrong thing. It is very difficult to expose your neck and your body to danger but if you don't expand your body outwards then you won't do it right. So it is really taking a risk.

So please watch this video of how I landed my backflip off the kicker. I am very proud to be one of the small percentage of girls in the world who can do this! Please leave a comment too!!!

Follow me: @juliaquis

THANK YOU!

Growing up with Eagle Point Resort

 Eagle Point Resort was founded on the coast of a batangas beach. In the early 90's when I was a child I remember Eagle Point Resort starting out as a small little restaurant by the sea, a dive shop, and a few small cottages. Over about 2 decades, this little hotel in Anilao becomes a much larger beach resort that has developed and stretched along the coast. Demand grew for this strategically located dive spot, therefore more rooms were built. After succeeding to satisfy many guests, Eagle Point built a larger restaurant with a panoramic view of the ocean, 2 pools, and more rooms. Over time there became categories of rooms; cabanas, cottages, and hotel rooms. 

The Shark pool became an attraction as it was the only one of its kind in the area. 

A Weekend Getaway at Eagle Point Resort, Anilao, Philippines

     We arrived at Eagle Point Resort (EPR), an Anilao hotel, a hotel in Batangas, late at night. My favourite part of the trip to the Batangas hotel was going down the steep mountain road, like a roller coaster ride, which I believe is only for the brave and adventurous. At arrival, we were greeted politely and shown to our beautiful cottage situated in front of the seaside where we could hear the sound of the waves. 

Pilot

Isabelle Collins

      WELCOME TO MY ISLAND! So, this is my first time writing a blog. I just saw 2 of my best friends again since 6 months and I was talking to them about what I should do with my life since I graduated university. Right now I am having time off but I can't help but think about it. So one of my friends Isabelle Collins told me that I should write a blog since I have time on my vacation, write about the things I've seen, my life, my thoughts, and my hobbies. I was like, "Why not?" If I have too much time on my hands I might go crazy on alcohol so its good to have a project. I asked them, "So how do I start this? What do I talk about?" and my friend Emily Langford 

Emily Langford

told me to write it as a diary, like I am writing it for my future self because if I think too much about what other people think about my blog it will change the way I write. I used to have a diary when I was a kid and it was a super thick book because I would write about what I did, what I thought and what I wanted to do every single day for a year or so. Unfortunately, I lost it, most likely a creepy ex-boyfriend stole it haha, maybe to figure out why I dumped him.

         I just graduated from university Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland with a Bachelors degree of Arts in Hospitality Management and Marketing, this school is known to be one of the top hospitality schools in the world. 

Glion Institute of Higher Education, Switzerland

So now I am back in my home country in the Philippines for some vacation (I'm half American by the way). This, I think, is the most stressful time I have had in my life. In elementary you're happy, life is easy everything taken care of and you get to color and have recess, snack breaks, girl scouts, sleepovers, life was a cake. Middle school got a little tougher but was still bearable. HIGH SCHOOL, when the alcohol starts, this was fun but you know you just want to get over with it and get to college so you don't have to listen to your parent's rules anymore and where you can just go wild on your own. BUT when you get to college it gets TOUGHER - dissertations/IRS and all, and all that freedom you get? Its not as sweet as when you have rules to defy! The risks you take jumping out your window to go to a party in high school are over, you can just call a friend, have them pick you up and have a drink at a bar, lately I feel a lack of need for alcohol since my dad doesn't really care anymore, which is good. I just think, "WHY DIDN'T HE JUST LET ME DO WHAT I WANTED WHEN I WAS YOUNGER!" Well I ended up doing it anyways secretly. Oh I went crazy when I was a teenager, come on I was in the Philippines you can do WHATEVER you want at any age really. When I was in university in Europe we'd take a car to France, fly to Ibiza, Barcelona, Sweden, and many other countries during the weekends to party! Anyways, as a student in university we feel safe because we are just studying, we can skip class if we want, nothing is asked from us except to finish your assignments. BUT ONCE YOU GRADUATE??? Which I did on December 9, 2011,

Graduation day with my Dad

just over a week ago, you get STRESSED OUT! Because its like What do I do with my life now? I can choose what continent I want to live in, I can choose the city I live in, I can choose the path I want to take, so many choices, so where do I start? During vacation, my dad wants me to reconstruct his marketing team in the Manila office for our resort, Eagle Point Resort,

Eagle Point Resort Pool

Eagle Point Resort Restaurant

he also wants me to follow around the manager to advice any good innovative ideas, and train employees. I've worked in Hotel Arts Ritz Carlton Barcelona for 6 months as an intern so I have more of a professional experience in Hotels. I love Eagle Point Resort, its like a second home to me, my dad built it when I was a baby and now its gotten so big, but you know, old people, so old-fashioned. Whats new these days? OH Social Media! So I am going to help the marketing team start up on several social media websites, you know the usual, facebook, twitter, youtube, etc.

     Even though I love Eagle Point I don't want to stay in the Philippines that long, I get lazy here, I lose creativity, I stop cooking and learning new recipes and I stop doing things on my own, as you know its a developing country, so we have maids and drivers to do everything for us. In the states some people frown upon this, but they really shouldn't, it gives millions of people jobs without education AND they become our family AND we take care of their families too, such as pay for their children's schools etc., well depending on how well off you are, you know? My drivers and maids have been with me since I was born! They are the only ones who cry when I leave haha. OH AND also my dad works for Baker and Mckenzie law firm so he has won a lot of cases for Shangri-La hotel in Makati so they owe him big time, so he and the help of my school (good connections you know) will get me a job there just for a few months. THE REAL REASON I am staying in the Philippines for at least 6 months or so is to see my baby brother grow up since I have been gone most of his 3 and a half years of life, his name is Ramoncito =) Soooo cuuuuute.

Sooooo anyways, MY POINT for starting this blog is that I finished yet another chapter of my life, and thought its a good idea to keep track of the new life I begin. I don't know how this works and if people will read this, but it would be awesome if I know people are interested in what I talk about. I have so much to talk about but ill leave it to another time. I'll talk about my past a lot. My blog can be a good place to get recipes that I try (I love cooking, just learned a year ago but learned quickly and have hosted several dinners with guests reaching over 20 people), the blog will also tell stories of my travels around the world, all over the USA, living in Barcelona (I know the best spots in case anyone wants to have a personalized concierge ;) ), places in Europe that I have traveled, thoughts that I may have on a daily basis AND I'll add videos that I make (one of my hobbies). I usually never finish anything I start so I hope this lasts! Keep a track of my progress in life. To whoever is reading this, get ready for the roller coaster confusing life of Jules.