[bacolodpaulo]

Hypnotized by gyoza

In Osaka, the walks through the Dōtonbori area were a nightly event. There were some nights to check out some of the local shopping, popping in and out of souvenir shops; other times were spent alo…

[bacolodpaulo]

Takoyaki at every corner

On recent visits to a local mall in Bacolod City, have noticed a kiosk selling takoyaki, the world-famous octopus balls sold across Japan. Served piping hot and covered in sauce and bonito flakes (…

[bacolodpaulo]

The lunchtime haul from Kuromon Ichiba Market

When selecting accommodations in Osaka, besides looking for a place nearby the ever-lively Dōtonbori neighborhood, also wanted to find a market; primarily, a place that sold local food, but opportu…

[bacolodpaulo]

Draft beer means Suntory

Learned fairly quickly during a trip to Osaka and Kobe, when ordering a regular draft beer it will always be Suntory. Prior to the visit (it was my first trip to Japan) had indulged in other Japane…

[bacolodpaulo]

Kobe beef in Kobe (and Osaka)

Traveling to Osaka, Japan, one of the planned excursions was a daytrip to Kobe. After learning the trip would take anywhere between 15 and 40 minutes (depending on the type of train), knew this was…

[bacolodpaulo]

Gyūdon: Breakfast of champions

It was sightseeing day and took the Tanimachi line of the Osaka Municipal Subway to Tanimachi 4-chome station with plans to explore Osaka Castle. Arriving back on ground level, it was clear breakfa…

[bacolodpaulo]

Fresh toro off a conveyor belt in Osaka

One evening, while walking around the Dōtombori area of Osaka, it was that in-between kind of hungry; after enjoying a pretty sumptuous lunch, it was almost dinnertime but the hunger wasn’t there j…

[bacolodpaulo]

Samgak kimbap or onigiri, they’re always addicting

It was on the first trip to Seoul, South Korea a couple years ago when first encountering samgak kimbap, the triangle-shaped snack of nori-wrapped rice filled with a variety of ingredients. Learned…

[bacolodpaulo]

Dining aboard Cathay Pacific

Flew Hong Kong-based carrier Cathay Pacific on a recent trip from Mactan–Cebu International Airport to Kansai International Airport, which services Osaka, Japan, and I was pleasantly surprised by t…

[bacolodpaulo]

Scrounging around the kitchen

The work schedule typically leaves little time to mess around in the kitchen to put together a dinner. Often times, dinner is comprised of leftovers from lunch; often reimagined to add some variety…

[bacolodpaulo]

Appreciating soju

There once was a time one of the local supermarkets in Bacolod City carried massive qualities of soju; unfortunately for me, at the time, had yet to develop an appreciation for the distilled Korean…

[bacolodpaulo]

The undeniable draw of egg tarts

With one of the local malls always seeming to have some kind of “food festival” at any given time, the selections offered have become somewhat commonplace. While still delicious, with the same vend…

[bacolodpaulo]

Finding authentic coffee in a place where instant is king

Even before moving to the Philippines, I remembered always having to send ground coffee, along with a myriad of other items, when packing those ever-present balikbayan boxes for family members back…

[bacolodpaulo]

Just the essentials

Housesitting for the night and had everything else in mind except (ironically) dinner and snacks. First and foremost, it was a work night, so the laptop and charger went in first. That was followed…

[bacolodpaulo]

A reliable source… for dinner

On numerous occasions I have found myself ending the workday, shutting down for the night (way past a traditional dinnertime), and scrounging around for something to eat. When there weren’t leftove…

[bacolodpaulo]

Something missing at the airport in Manila

After a couple months of travel, making stops on three continents, was finally heading home and, given the past few years, was not looking forward to the last stop before the final leg home, Manila…

[bacolodpaulo]

Stopping in Guangzhou before heading home

After a couple months away, cruising the Mediterranean and reuniting with friends in New York City, it was time to head back to the Philippines. On this trip, flew with China Southern Airlines – a …