Jill & Athan's Awesome Whatevers!

Sunday 20 April 2014

Resto Review: Gerarda's, Bohol

Gerarda's Restaurant is ranked #9 in the "Ang Pinaka-Yummy in Bohol" list. It is located at #20 JS Torralba Street, Tagbilaran, Bohol.

Gerarda's used to be an ancestral house thus the home-y, rustic feel when you are inside the restaurant.

We ordered their best-sellers - Dinakdakan (Php 180), Adobong Nokos (Php 180) and Ube Kinampay Guisado (Php 150).

Bohol is known for a specific variety of Ube which is Kinampay - and since it was our first time to ever hear of it we wanted to try it. Their Ube Kinampay Guisado is sauteed Ube Kinampay and shrimp. Its sauce is similar to that of a Chop Suey. The kinampay itself is heavy on the stomach mainly because it is of carbohydrate content. We did not really appreciate this dish because we find it nakakaumay. Maybe if they added other greens on the dish or something, I'm not really a good cook to know what's missing hehehe

Next on our plate is their Adobong Nokos (squid). The squid meat was tender and sauce was just right but it was nothing out of the ordinary for us.

Their Dinakdakan uses pork belly instead of the usually exotic pig parts (like ears, tongue, etc) sprinkled with bits of crunchy chicharon. This dish is the clear best seller for us because of its delicious creamy with just the right kick of spicy sauce.

Overall, we recommend dining in Gerarda's for your classic Filipino food cravings when in Bohol.

This is part of our 5D4N Cebu-Bohol Summer Adventure. Read more about our trip in below links:

Read about our accommodations and food trips in Cebu here:

Read about our accommodation and food trips in Bohol here:

Wednesday 16 April 2014

DIY: Felt Mum Flowers

Here's another cute felt flower DIY. This one is super easy, just about anybody can do this. Enjoy!

Materials Needed:

Felt Cloth

Scissors

Ruler and Pencil for measuring and marking

Glue Gun

Earrings or Studs (optional)

Steps:
1. Cut out strips of felt 1" width and 12" length (depending on how big you want your flower to be).

2. On one side of the strip, cut out slits all the way till the end.
3. Roll the strip to form the flower. Put some hot glue every once in a while.
4. Form your flower as you want it. Put a stud in middle if you like =D You're done!

You can also make loopy mums with the same step. Just have the strips in 2" width. Fold the strip in half and glue one side of the strip before cutting the slits. These looks really nice too.

I hope you enjoyed making these flowers as much as I did. Next stop on my DIY series is how to make rosettes. =D

DIY: Felt Roses

Here's a simple tutorial on how to make your own DIY roses. It requires tedious cutting though (",) Enjoy!

Materials Needed:

For Will You? To I Do Template (Click Here)

Felt Cloth

Scissors

Glue Gun

Steps:
1. Trace and cut out the template on your felt cloth. You will have a spiral circle.

2. Start rolling from the outer end. Continue rolling and try to keep the bottom straight. Add glue every now and then to keep the flower together.

3. You will find a circle when you reach the end of the cloth. Glue this to the bottom of your flower to become its base.

Whoala! You are done! You may try to use other type of felts if you want. I used soft felt cloth for the pink one and hard felt cloth for the blue and yellow ones.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

A Day in Cebu

Upon arriving in Cebu Airport, we rode a metered taxi going to Mactan Shrine. The taxi fare was more or less Php 150 going there. No fee was collected upon entry.

The Mactan Shrine was built in honor of Lapu-Lapu, Ferdinand Magellan and the Battle of Mactan.

You will be greeted by an obelisk upon entering the park. The obelisk is known as the Magellan Monument.

Read pa more »

Sampaguita Suites, Plaza Garcia, Cebu

We only planned to stay in Cebu for a day then ferry to Bohol the next day, so we looked for a place that is conveniently located near Pier 1. We then decided to get a room at Sampaguita Suites, Plaza Garcia branch.

It is strategically located near historic sites for us to have a walking tour during our stay. Read more about the our walking tour here.

Room rate starts at Php 698 for single occupancy and starts at Php 898 for double. Check out their web site for latest room rates. Room rates do not include breakfast but its one of the most affordable rate you can find along the Pier area.

We booked one of their Matrimonial rooms online. The full amount should be settled when booking online. You will have to present a print out of your reservation upon check-in. You will also be depositing Php 500 as security deposit which will be refunded to you upon check-out.

Their Matrimonial room has a queen sized bed, a private toilet with hot and cold shower, 21-inch cable TV, a closet and a dresser. Free WiFi is available at the lobby area only.

For meals, there's a 24/7 McDonald's branch and a Mini Stop convenience store nearby. For souvenirs, an Island Souvenir store is located just beside the building itself.

The bed was comfortable and I especially love their pillows - it felt like a memory foam. As for toiletries, we were provided with two clean towels, two soaps and two sachets of shampoo. We can view the plaza where the chapel of Magellan's Cross is located from our room.

We recommend this hotel if you are on a tight budget and needs to go to the pier early. Otherwise, there are other hotel options available nearby that would require you to commute to the pier. Commuting in Cebu is not an issue since they have lots of jeepneys and taxis around.