Skydreamer Dines in Cebu: Manuel's at Parklane

This is a very late post, but on Father's Day a couple weeks back, we celebrated it at Manuel's restaurant in Parklane. This is probably our fourth, fifth visit and I can never complain. For only P550, you get treated to an international buffet that's worth every penny. 

For Father's Day, their buffet was P650 per person and they gave out a glass of free red wine to the fathers dining there. Except for my husband, who was not offered any - I noticed that every "grandpa-looking" guy in every table got a glass, but in ours? We had none. Nobody even bothered to ask if we were our child's parents. Obviously, Parklane, some fathers do look younger than most. Just sayin'.

Now it goes without saying that their food is great; however, do not expect the same level of quality as Marriott's or Marco Polo's. You do get what you pay for - in this case, still totally worth it. I have said this before and I will say it again - Manuel's has the best spread for budget hotel buffets out there (IMO).

This is what you get for your money:

Cold Cuts and different kids of salad

Fresh oyster

Fried Dimsum and Tempura with various sauces

Sushi, Maki, Sashimi - li'l sister's favorite!

Grills, Pasta, Lechon - my husband's favorite

Main course - right smack in the middle of it all

A very lonely crepe, halohalo, gelato station

Fresh Fruits - my son's favorites are here!

Assorted Sweets - my favorite

I enjoyed it, yo (says my 1yr old toddler)

Will I go there again? For sure!

Try it and let me know what you think! xx

Parklane Information:

Address: Corner Archbishop Reyes, Escario Avenue

Contact Number: 234 7000

Website: Parklane

Best Blog Awards 2013

I'm nominating a few blogs that I always enjoy reading to answer Noelfy of Noelimits. She is one of my favorite bloggers from Spain and is traveling all around the world - she is living the life I would have wanted in my 20s. I love her blog because she's always so positive. She has a lot of dreams and she's not afraid to act on them. She has traveled in more countries than anyone I know, and she's one of the most beautiful people in the blogosphere. Noe, thanks for including me in your nominations. You are adorable!

Noe awarded me, along with other bloggers, (post here) to make other blogs be known to others out there and maybe even help new bloggers.

So here's a list of my favorite blogs, the ones that I don't fail to read every time my blogroll updates. These blogs are all related to food, or travel, or motherhood.

International:
The Londoner - Rosie is one of the most famous bloggers in the entire world, and I adore her food/fashion/lifestyle blog. She mostly blogs from London, but she also travels frequently.

We have Aars - Alli is from America and mostly blogs about her family and adventures with her son as a stay-at-home-mom. She makes it sound so glamorous and amazing and she constantly inspires me with her monthly theme of activities for her son.

Local:
Jin Loves to Eat - Jin's blog is all about her food adventures everywhere she goes. Her blog is absolutely amazing, and she goes to a lot of places all the time.

Food Wanderings in Asia - Jo-ann's blog is also all about food and travel. She takes amazing pictures and writes excellent reviews. She's primarily in Cebu.

The Exaggerated Zeal - Fred has just started blogging and his concept is also all about food. Check him out because he has a really good blog going on.

The Vanilla Housewife - Jhanis' blog is all about her adventures as a working mother. She's sharing her "roller-coaster ride of domesticity" through her blog.

Babe for Food - Justinne is one of the more popular bloggers in Cebu. I always enjoy her posts about secret places to eat in Cebu as well as her vlog series, The Cooking Fashionista.

So these are my most favorite blogs of all time and they all deserve the "Best Blog and Versatile Blogger" award. If you have your own favorite blogs, share them with a post like this. Don't forget to include the picture and who nominated you. Once again, I was nominated by Noelfy of Noelimits. She was nominated by a Spanish blogger, Galipon.

Skydreamer Eats: Tuna Aglio Olio Pasta

One of my goals last year was to learn how to prepare 12 dishes - that's one dish per month; however, because of my demanding schedule I wasn't able to fulfill that. This year, instead of being specific about this goal, I just placed a line - "try my hand at being a domestic goddess like my mom." Already halfway of 2013, I can't say if I am on my way to being a mommy wonder but I'm definitely more confident in the kitchen now than last year.

Today, I'm sharing a recipe that's super easy - even first time cooks, wannabe chefs and instant-ramen cooks can make this without fail. You only need four main ingredients - your pasta of choice (obviously), a can of tuna, 5-7 cloves of garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

First, cook 200g of pasta according to package instructions. Once your pasta's cooked and ready, drain and set aside.
Next, and here's the easy part. Mince your garlic, and saute it in a non-stick pan with about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Wait until your garlic is fragrant (always love the smell of garlic and oil). Add your pasta and toss. Add your can of tuna (I used Century Tuna) including the oil. Toss until all your pasta is covered in all its oil goodness. Taste.
Check if it needs salt and pepper. Sprinkle some to taste.
Turn off the fire at this point and serve to your family.
Don't forget to add some shredded parmesan cheese (you can get some at Metro Gourmet in Ayala Center Cebu); or you can shave some fresh parmesan if you prefer. Either way, try to use real and fresh parmesan instead of the ones sold in green bottles at the supermarket. There is a huge difference in taste, trust me.
I'm not a cheese snob, but I cover the basics - parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, gouda, emmental, etc.
Anyway, back to the point.
The best thing about this recipe is that it's so versatile. Do you want to add more garlic? You can definitely do that. More tuna? Some chili flakes? You want to add a few basil leaves? No problem. Really depends on the taste you're aiming for.
Here's a picture of my finished product:

Tuna Aglio Olio Pasta

Try it and let me know what you think! xx