Day: July 7, 2009

“Be prepared to gain ten pounds when you’re in Bacolod.” So said a line in Cebu Pacific’s Smile Magazine while listing a guide to the sights and treats in the Masskara City.

After spending a short three days in Bacolod City, we couldn’t help but agree. I’ve called it a foodie’s paradise before and the impression remains. Bacolod is sleepy compared to Manila all right, but there’s no shortage of great culinary places to try.

One thing I feasted on were the desserts. The bakers in the city sure know how to make their cakes and pastries.

A visit to Calea Cakes beside L’Fisher Hotel is a must when you’re in Bacolod City. Cake slices starting at P50 are very reasonable too.

My companion, a first-timer to the coffeeshop, just couldn’t have enough of their divine chocolate cake, with its real rich chocolate-y taste. But the other treats are equally tempting. We vowed to take home a whole cake, for sale at P650, while wondering all along why they haven’t branched out in Manila. Most of all, I do like Calea’s clean and cozy ambiance, with their interesting display of coffee cups. The only disadvantage is they don’t have wi-fi.

We were in Bacolod for a DigitalFilipino Club networking event, and after the gathering at PAGCOR Hotel in the city, Eric, some blogger-friends and I went out to try Cafe Bobs, a popular coffeeshop on Lacson St.

The ambiance, and quality of the food here, can compete with the best in Manila. They have pizza, pasta, sandwiches, gourmet drinks and of course a luscious line-up of desserts displayed in a see-through glass counter. We ordered the sans rival, green tea cheesecake and pavlova. Their pavlova, a meringue cake with fruity bits, was the house bestseller and left the best impression. I liked the fact that it wasn’t too sweet, but soft sweet, if you know what I mean

Pendy’s restaurant, also on Lacson St., was another must-visit. I was surprised to learn from my server that the establishment is already 40 years old!

For a place this old, the interiors are classy – which also explains the classy prices on the menu, LOL. Spending from P235 to P295 for the usual Filipino breakfast is quite steep, especially as it didn’t come with coffee. Since I was full from the trio of desserts the previous night, I settled for the Spaghetti a la Pendy’s (P110). Good ol’ home cooking.

But I just have to agree, the Pendy’s Half Moon was heavenly. This was a smooth, creamy custard cake the shape of a half moon, with the softest slice of chiffon.

Finally, what’s a Bacolod trip without pasalubong? When in the City of Smiles, taking home the flat bread with filling called piaya is the most popular. The piaya in photo is from Bailon’s which I bought at Pendy’s pasalubong counter.

Until the next Bacolod dessert overload!

I’ve done a few local travelling in the last two months and will now have something to say about the two expressways that dot the opposite sides of Manila.

To the South is the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) which connects commuters going to and from Alabang, Laguna, Batangas and Cavite.

The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), on the other hand, is the gateway when you want to go to and from Bulacan, Pampanga, Olongapo, Tarlac, all the way to Pangasinan and Baguio.

As a commuter, I just can’t help but lament how the South Luzon Expressway has been left behind in road development. While travelling via NLEX is painless and hassle-free because of the world-class highway, the same cannot be said of the SLEX which suffers from perpetual bottleneck because of diggings and repairworks. Shame, shame, shame.

I wonder what this portends for tourism and investments in the two areas. Where would you rather plunk down real estate investments in? The South has impressed me as being overcrowded, and even that white elephant called the Metro Manila Skyway is a joke. Where else can you find a Skyway that suffers from traffic sometimes, and doesn’t really serve it’s purpose (besides being expensive) because it stops in Alabang??

As a tourist, I’ve avoided travelling to favorite places like Tagaytay because the image of being stuck in traffic along the SLEX haunts me. For instance, during my last trip attending the Pahiyas Festival in Quezon, we were stuck in traffic for more than an hour near an Avida Land development in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, on the way back to Manila. Just imagine how worse it can get when the rains and bad weather come.

In contrast, a recent drive to Pampanga took only one hour to get, from Manila to Angeles City. That was certainly impressive. It was just like travelling from Makati to Manila.

Of course, in the future, I hope things improve for commuters in the South of Manila but for now, as far as the roads are concerned, it’s being left very far behind.