Country > Philippines > Cebu > Cebu City
Date > 2017 > Jun
Activity > Food Odyssey

June 10, 2017

Palm Grass Hotel Food Tasting

Venue: Palm Grass Hotel
Location : 68 General Junquera Street, Barangay Kalubihan, Cebu City, Philippines
Website: www.palmgrasshotel.com.ph
Tel: +63942-948-0241 / +63916-485-6579
Email: reservation@palmgrasshotel.com.ph

Foody Invite
I made a web-pitch for a hotel ad campaign to Palm Grass Hotel. Instead, I received an invite to participate in their food tasting event which will grace their up-and-coming new menu. If I can't have a roof over my head, at least I'll have good food in my belly.

Palm Grass Hotel
Palm Grass is a relatively new hotel along Junquera St. in Colon. It looks upscale for the location with its weak and strong offerings. Weak because Junquera St. used to be the red light district of Cebu - but that is a thing of the past already. The area has since been gentrified. Strong because this hotel features the culture and history of Cebu - fact is, their slogan is 'Cebu Heritage Hotel'. In its latest campaign, it now wants to revise its menu - and that's where I come in (together with a whole host of food bloggers and food expert).

Food Array
There were essentially 3 sets of food served in succession - local, international and bar food. Each genre would have about 10 food items. The bar food was served on the open roof-deck overlooking much of the (city). If not for anything else but the view and alfresco air, it's worth the trip to Palm Hotel. Altogether, we're talking about a lot of food - as much as you might eat in a buffet. I'll let the pictures do much of the food talk.

Criteria
Unlike most food tastings, this one had structure to it. We were each given rating sheets with all the food neatly organized into a chart with corresponding space for our ratings. We were to rate the food according to presentation, aroma, texture, taste and overall grade. This amounts to 30 food items with 5 ratings per item, or 150 comments. It was as much food to eat as it was to grade. Yes, eating good food could be a lot of hard work (tongue-in-cheek).

Nestor Alonso II
Of all the participants, one guy stood out - a professional food critic, Nestor Alonso II. He wears many hats - veterinarian, food critic and columnist for The Freeman. He is in his 60s, and from how he was accorded by the staff, I would surmise that he is a local celebrity. He was the life of the party with his anecdotal narratives about food, life and experience. We ended up chatting for the most part, him doing most of the talking and me doing most of the listening as I squeezed-in bite-fulls of the what was on the table. He was kind enough to give me a lift after the event to my next gig, the weekly Theosophical Society meeting at Persian Palate.

Ending Thoughts
With a fulltime chef onboard, all facets of food preparation were addressed. Presentation was done to make it look as appetizing as possible without the pretension of haute cuisine. Taste generally hovered between good and very good. In fact, there was no bad food. Everything was good with a few that really stood out like the Sinuglaw dish (mix of grilled pork and raw fish in a creamy coconut milk soupy sauce) and the Sinugbang Dinagat, a kind of grilled seafood mini-platter.

Bottomline is, would I come back and pay for these dishes? To begin with, I'm not using a Michellin-star benchmark. I see myself as an unsuspecting guy walking down the sidewalk and got hungry and came up to eat. I don't know how much they'll price what was served, but if pricing is competitive, YES, I would definitely come back and be happy to part with my money for this kind of food. To give it more value, I would go up to the roofdeck and enjoy it there with a coldie and a view.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Lazarus

(Jun 12, 2017) From out of a fleeting and written-off past, from a different place and social circle, a dear old friend with whom I had such an affection to, unexpectedly shows up in Cebu - like Lazarus arising from the dead...more »»

Next Food Odyssey:

Chocolate Overload At Dalareich Chocolate House

(Oct 2, 2017) In tableya conversations with friends, the newly opened chocolate factory - Dalareich Chocolate House, the first of its kind in Bohol, kept popping up. It was an itch that finally had to be scratched. A conversation with the chocolate princess herself, Dalareich, opened up a hidden world of chocolate for me....more »»

Cebu City, Philippines

tourist attractions

Tops - hilltop offering panoramic view of the city
Taoist Temple - temple on a hillslope in Lahug with panoramic view of the city

hotel

Hostel Seven Cebu - newly opened, resto/bar, central location, solo/group travellers
Juana Osmeña Street, Cebu City
S Hotel & Residences - new hotel, luxury rooms, central location
827 M. Velez corner Andres Abellana St.

resto / cafe / bar

Fujinoya - new and refreshing twists to Western style desserts using Japanese techniques
Wilson St., Lahug, Cebu City - tel. 888.6075
Bad Boys Wingz - Buffalo Wings, unique versions of sauces! Great service, accommodating staff, bad boys vibe
Kasambagan, Cebu City | (032) 415 4811

yoga

Love Yoga World - yoga studio
11/fl, Skyrise 2 Tower, IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City
Yoga Now - first Yoga and Wellness studio in Mactan offering daily Yoga Classes
at The Yacht Club Mactan

mountain biking

Cebu Mountain Bike Adventure - MTB tours, bike sales and repairs. Bed and Breakfast + Resto Cafe + wifi
1298-b V.Rama Ave, Guadalupe, Cebu City | 0942.959.7451

Cebu City to Camotes Island

Cebu City to Camotes Islands

via Poro - from Pier One in Cebu City, take the Ocean Jet for Poro, 2 hours, daily trip - 6am and 3pm (0936.823.8762 |0956.270.6610 | 0999.889.9999).
via Consuelo - from Cebu City, take the northbound bus passing through Danao and get off at the Danao Port. At the Port, take a Jomalia Shipping boat for Consuelo (San Francisco, Camotes), P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only).

Camotes Islands to Cebu City

Poro - Cebu City (fastest and most direct) - go to Poro and take the 8am or 5pm Ocean Jet to Pier One in Cebu City, P380/pax/aircon, 2 hours
Consuelo - Danao - Cebu City - go to Consuelo (San Francisco) and take the Jomalia Shipping boat to Danao, P220/pax, a/c, 2 hours, daily trip - 5:30am, 7:00am (special trip), 8:30am, 12:00 noon (express), 2:30pm, 5:30pm and 9:00pm (express, Fri/Sat/Sun only). From Danao, take the Ceres Bus to Cebu City

Cebu City to Dumaguete

Cebu City to Dumaguete by Boat

George and Peter Lines - Mon/Thur/Sat/Sun 10pm, (035)225.4337, 0922.557.1023
Oceanjet - via Tagbilaran, daily 6am, dumticketing@oceanjet.net, 0918.898.2188
Cokaliong - Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri/Sat 7pm, Sun 12pm, 6 hours, (035)225.3599

Cebu City to Dumaguete via Liloan (bus, boat, jeep, tricycle)

Cebu City South Terminal - take the southbound Ceres bus to Liloan, P200, 5 hours
Liloan - the bus drops you off at the Liloan Port where you board the Fastcraft to Sibulan, Negros Oriental, P62, 30 mins
Sibulan - at the Sibulan Port, the jeeps wait for Fastcraft passengers to take them to the public market in Dumaguete, P12, 30 mins.
Public Market - at the market, you can take any tricycle to your hotel, P8 for short trips

Cebu City to Tagbilaran, Bohol

Weesam Express - Pier 4, departs 9:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 6:30 PM, 2 hours
one way: Economy (aircon) P500.00, Economy (non-aircon) P400.00, First Class P600.00
round trip promo (at least 2 days advance booking): Economy (aircon) P600, Economy(non-aircon) P500, First Class P1200
round trip promo (1 day or on the day booking): Economy (aircon) P800, Economy (non-aircon) P700, First Class P1200
Ocean Jet - Pier 1, departs 6-7-8-9:20-10:40-11:40AM, 1-2-4:20-6:35PM, 2 hours
Open Air / Tourist Class P800, Business Class P1000
+63 932 8734 885 / +63 922 8572 300
SuperCat (2GO) - Pier 1, departs 08:15-13:30-15:10-18:00-19:40
P 500.00
+63 32 233 7000
Lite Ferries - Pier 1, departs daily 12:30pm, 10:00pm and 1:00pm (Mon, Wed, Sat)
Standard (Lying) Php 150, Tourist (Lying Aircon) Php 340
+63 977.822.5483 / +63 998.999.5483 / +63 925.347.5483 / (032)255-1721 to 26 / (032)414-9001 to 03
info@liteferries.com.ph / www.liteferry.com

Cebu City to Siquijor by Boat, via Tagbilaran

Cebu City to Siquijor, via Tagbilaran

Lite Ferries - Pier 1, departs M/W/SAT at 1:00pm, 10 hours, economy Php 649 (through barkota.com), layover in Tagbilaran 5:45pm-8:00pm, arrives Larena Port, Siquijor at 11:00pm
+63 977.822.5483 / +63 998.999.5483 / +63 925.347.5483 / (032)255-1721 to 26 / (032)414-9001 to 03
info@liteferries.com / www.liteferry.com
Ocean Jet - Pier 1, departs daily at 1pm, 5 hours
Open Air P1600
+63 932 8734 885 / +63 922 8572 300

Cebu City to Siquijor by Bus, via Liloan (Santander)

(as of Jan 2023)

Sugbo Urban
There is only one bus plying this route - Sugbo Urban. Tourist class coach, a/c, comfortable, Sun-Fri (these dates keep changing). P420 for bus, P275 for ferry to Liloan. Leaves Cebu City (South Bus Terminal) at 8 pm (Sundays 1 am), heads south to Liloan (Santander), takes the ferry to Larena Port, Siquijor, docks around 5 am, makes a clockwise roundtrip around Siquijor Island - Larena, Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi (stops at Lazi market for breakfast and leaves 6:50 am), San Juan, Siquijor (arrives 8am, P50 from Lazi to Siquijor Poblacion) and catches the 1pm ferry at Larena Port for Liloan, Cebu and resumes its land route. Arrives Cebu City 10 pm.

Sugbo Urban is the cheapest and most convenient way because when it reaches Larena Port (Siquijor), it continues its trip around the island (clockwise) along the circumferential road, passing through - Enrique Villanueva, Maria, Lazi, San Juan, Siquijor...and back to Larena. It spares you the cost of hiring a tricycle or habal-habal which charges exhorbitant fares. Besides, it's a long trip to the other side of the island to be taking by tricycle.

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Palm Grass Hotel Food Tasting

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Lazarus

Chocolate Overload At Dalareich Chocolate House

Cebu City, Philippines