Mitchi Chronicles 2: Of Food Trips and Land Trips

December 8, 2012, Saturday.

Because it was the feast of the Immaculate Conception, I did not miss mass. Even if I slept late, it was not an excuse not to attend the solemnity. So there. If I had to catch up on sleep, I had to do it after the mass. But before that...

I checked in the hotel. And the hotel offers room service. Why not take advantage of it? It was a good thing that Sunburst is located downstairs. Otherwise, I would have to go out to eat elsewhere. It was worth the stay.

My apologies. I was not able to capture a photo of the breakfast that I partook inside the room. I think it is all right. I will sound so narcissistic if I post everything, and I mean, everything. Anyway, I took my meal while enjoying the show on TV. And it happened to be "Showbiz Korea," which featured the latest and juiciest scoops in and out of Korean showbiz. Thank you, thank you so much, Arirang Channel, for saving my life! One of the news that got me giddy was the news about Song Joong Ki and his 2012 hit movie, "Werewolf Boy." I mean, I love Joong Ki since his Goo Yong Ha days, but I can say he really is a good actor. Not bias much, but really, he's good. You may think it's easy to portray the part of a feral boy, but it isn't a piece of cake at all.

Anyway, moving on...

One of the reasons why I traveled to Dipolog was because of the restaurants only found in the city. My cousin, however, invited me to Rizal, my father's hometown. Of course, it had been years since I last went to Rizal, so it is time to go visit the town. Before the travel back home, I met with my cousin, my uncle, and my nephew to Lee Plaza, my favorite mall in the city. Things get boring if you decide to eat in the same fastfood chains that you happen to eat in Cebu, so we decided to have lunch at Big Joe's.

I have to tell you this. If you happen to be in Dipolog City, you should never, ever miss Big Joe's. This chic restaurant is the home of affordable super burgers. When I mean super, I mean that your burger will have a lot of toppings, depending on the menu. Name affordable, and I'll spell out Big Joe's. For less than Php100, you can buy a scrumptious burger that will leave your tongue asking for more even if your stomach can no longer take it. See how amazing it is?

But Big Joe's is not only the home of the big, luscious burgers. They also offer a variety of other food like how a ritzy yet affordable restaurant should. My nephew is fond of sisig, so he ordered one. Sisig, by the way, is a dish comprised of parts from the head of the pig, such as the fat and the skin, and other meaty pork products. Sisig will not be complete if there is no slice of kalamansi (the native lemon) to bring out the sweet sourness that one is looking for. The dish is also commonly seasoned with some pepper to give that extra kick.

Big Joe's luscious sisig... Why did I not try this????

Here in Cebu, there are also a number of restaurants offering baby back ribs, but I had not tried eating them. When I sat down at Big Joe's, I asked my cousin for a recommendation. She related that baby back ribs is a must here at Big Joe's. Instead of waiting to get back home to Cebu, why not try Big Joe's baby back ribs? But of course, due to trade secrets, one menu will not taste the same as the other, right?

Baby back ribs at Big Joe's

My uncle ordered the chicken in the menu. I had not tasted the Big Joe's chicken, but the looks of it, I can tell that it is crispy and tasty. If I can go back to Dipolog someday, it should be one of the entries in the menu that I should try.

Big Joe's chicken

A meal will not be complete without desserts. During my last food trip at Joe's some years ago, I just ordered tea to finish off the meal. For this occasion, however, my cousin recommended the choco lava flow. I don't know what was so hot with it until I realized that it was the cake that was literally hot. She ordered the one with strawberry ice cream, and I had chocolate on mine. Double chocolate much? ^_^

Hot fudge care of Big Joe's

Anyway, this is how Big Joe's will look like from the exterior. And see that green cab? If you do not have any vehicle, you can just take the cab and tell the motor cab driver to bring you anywhere you like. Just say, "Big Joe's," and he will drive you to the spot.

Big Joe's.... only in Dipolog!

Before we traveled to Rizal, we visited an elderly distant relative who was confined at Dipolog Medical Center. We also had other errands after that. Then, we stopped over to Cafe Isabelle. If I were to describe this place, Cafe Isabelle has a really chic ambiance. Just imagine any TV series or Korean dramas wherein the characters would meet at a certain resto even just to have coffee. Sort of like that. Adjacent to the cafe is the bakeshop which sells not only bread but also souvenir items. How cool is that?

One of the things I love about Cafe Isabelle is that the desserts not only look presentable, they also taste heavenly. They are the kinds that you would want to bring home and give to family members as gifts, or as items for pasalubong. Not only that, the store also showcases different souvenir items like those available at the bakeshop. For me, this is a gourmet pastry shop and souvenir store in one.

This shop is located in Turno, and not too many cabs pass that way. If you are planning to lounge at Cafe Isabelle, you need to own your own vehicle, or you need to talk it out with a cab driver.

This is how Cafe Isabelle looks like from the outside. Ritzy, isn't it, Darling?

From the left side, you can see the souvenir items ranging from bonbons to notebooks to planners. Far by the glass display are the tasty cakes.

The item that caught my eye first was the red cupcakes.

This is the planner that I bought and gave to the owner of Topokkiman as a Christmas gift.

A wide variety of sweets cry out for attention in that saccharine way of theirs, making customers marvel and give in right away. Who would not?

Finally, after an hour of travel, we reached Rizal. I stayed in my uncle's house, in my cousin's room. Sweet! And what could be sweeter than being able to get back to the farmhouse which had formed some of my fondest memories? Langging, the caretaker of the farm, was almost due for delivery at that time. Though her status in life is a far cry from mine, I still have high regards for her because of her brains and her diligence. And she did surprised me with a promise: she made mangosteen jam for me! Now, all the grocery stores will envy me for not being able to have a friend such as Langging who can cook home-made jam with so much devotion. For me, that was one memorable Christmas gift that I will never forget. And because it was also marang season, she also promised to make marang jam. Wait, wait, that was a bit too much, I said.  To her, making marang jam was just a piece of cake. Nothing can also compare to Langging's stubborness (if I have to call it) when she wants to do something for her masters, but I greatly appreciate her for it. It saddened me, though, that she would not allow me to carry the jam back to the town proper because she was doing chores here and there with her round belly. Ay, Langging, can I just bring the jam by myself, pretty please?

Speaking of sweets, my day was loaded with a lot of 'em. Hot fudge, candies, jams, and whatnot.... My pancreas is screaming to me to shut up already! And I promise you, my dear pancreas... Let me just indulge in this red scarlet cheesecake, and I will not touch another one for this day... please?

Red cake is rare, I suppose... and this red scarlet cheesecake from Cafe Isabelle had earned a spot in my memory.

One of the habits that my cousin, my aunt, and my nephew do every Saturday evening is to attend the anticipated mass. My uncle used to attend the mass, but surprisingly, he just stayed home. I informed him that I will be attending the mass the next day (a Sunday), so he invited me to attend mass in Misamis Occidental. Ha! My vacation was more than I actually paid for, I guess. Not only did I enjoy Dipolog to bits, I was also invited to attend the mass in the next province. I don't mind, though. Travelling, they say, is a good experience, so why not?

As the next day would be Manny Pacquiao's fourth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez, my uncle and I just stayed at home talking about the fight. He chose Marquez, and so did I. Well, the reason? Why don't you look around for signs?

It would be boring to just spend the rest of the evening in Rizal at home and lounging on the sofa while watching the show on the tube, so my cousin told me to go see the lights at the park by the municipal hall. I remember the park so much because it has a statue of the legendary Maniway. The statue was craftily designed in a way that her body parts (head, hands, legs, and feet) surfaced from the ground, making it look as if she was bathing in the pond or river. By the time my niece, my nephew, and I went to the park, there were already lots of youngsters loitering around to enjoy the evening and the sights. Well, I think it is indeed much better than watching too much TV. And for these younger folks, keep it up! It's much better than playing DOTA the whole day! Showcased below are some of the Christmas designs (manger scenes and all). I applaud the people of Rizal for their brainchild.

Well, what can I say? My day was filled with unexpected and pleasant surprises! Of course, I told myself that if I always stick to a plan, I might not enjoy. Truth to be told, I did myself a favor, and enjoyed my second day of vacation.

What else awaits me for my third day?

Check out soon!

좋은 하루 되세요!!!!