The Bellevue Hotel

By Danne Lim

I'm one of those kids who'd love to live in a hotel.

'What makes a hotel different from a home?', you may ask. Hotels, for one have a cleaning service! Imagine not having to look after your own mess (that much). You have the pleasure of unlimited aircon. You can lie around the whole day, snuggle under the sheets, admire pretty interiors, have a huge bathroom-- what a sweet suite life! Sometimes I think spending weekends on hotels could be an instant vacation within the city. So, let's go on with this hotel post before it gets tooooo dreamy.

We actually came for food on our recent trip to The Bellevue Hotel but Ms. Jehn Domingo got to tour us around and show us the rooms as well as some amenities of the hotel. The Bellevue Hotel is a five-star luxury hotel located in Alabang. They have 2 towers: the main wing and the tower wing.

I was able to take some pictures of the rooms and other places.

Somebody got married there that day.

The pool area in the main tower.

The pool area in the newer tower wing.

They had a chill/massage area beside the pool!

Onto more hotel rooms!

I really find this unique. The bathtub glass in their suite had blinds which could be opened/closed and seen from the bedroom.

The rooms in the tower wing are more modern while those in the main wing are more traditional in terms of design. I personally found the deluxe rooms a little smaller than expected. However, I really liked both pool areas! They were breezy and relaxing.

I think they are also having a New Year's countdown on the 31st you might wanna check out.

Sweet!

The Bellevue Manila

Address: North Bridgeway, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Telephone: (632) 771 8181

Website: http://www.thebellevue.com/

The Bellevue Hotel Manila Location Map
How to get to The Bellevue Hotel Manila

Danne

Therese in Taiwan: Forkers

When my friend Ainna came to Taiwan to meet up with some of her friends, we didn't miss the opportunity of meeting up as well. Since I wasn't that familiar with the restaurants around Taipei Main Station, her friend suggested we try this burger place called Forkers by Zhongshan Road.

Upon entering the restaurant, you will be greeted by a server waiting to lead you to your table. We were given the menu, where you will see how to order their burgers. There are 5 steps (the steps can also be seen in their website):

1. Choose a flavor
2. Choose a patty (beef patty, chicken breast, fish burger, pork sausage, veggie burger)
3. Choose 2 sides (salads or fries)
4. Choose a drink
5. Enjoy!

If you're not into burgers, there are other options for you as well. There are salads, wraps, and of course, there's dessert!

Nachos | 160 NT (~240 PhP)

Description: freshly fried tri-colored corn chips piled high with fresh tomatoes, Spanish onions, corn salsa, and lots of cheese; served with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream

For our appetizer, we ordered the nachos. We were surprised when this arrived at our table because it was huge! We were not expecting something this big. I liked how they were generous with the servings - lots of melted cheesy goodness, lots of tomatoes, onions, and corns. Their description of the appetizer is accurate.

Upper left: Double Trouble | 310 NT (~465 PhP)
Upper right: Mushroom Cheeseburger | 260 NT (~390 PhP)
Bottom center: The Canadian | 270 NT (~405 PhP)

Descriptions:

Double Trouble: double patty, double cheddar, double bacon, lettuce, onion, tomato, and FORKERS burger sauce

Mushroom Cheeseburger: sauteed mushrooms, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and FORKERS burger sauce

The Canadian: grilled ham, mozzarella and cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and FORKERS burger sauce

One thing we noticed is how big the portions of the food are. Value for money, I might add. We really liked the flavors as well! It was a good thing Ainna and I shared a burger, because we felt that it was just right for the 2 of us. Ainna's girl friend wasn't able to finish her burger, but her guy friend did. WE WERE AMAZED!

By the time dinner was over, we were too full for dessert. Too bad! I would have loved to try their dessert as well. Oh well, there's always next time!

Zhongshan branch
Address: No.15 Ln 16. Sec. 2 Zhongshan N, Rd, Taipei City 
Phone number: (02)2567-7697
Hours: Mon~Sun 12:00~11:00pm

Chungxiao branch
Address: No.8, Alley 10, Ln. 223. Sec. 4 Chung Xiao E, Rd., Taipei City 
Phone number: (02)2771-9285
Hours: Mon~Sun 12:00~11:00pm

Other information can be found in: www.forkers.tw Their website is really helpful! All food descriptions are from their online menu.

Cafe d'Asie: Buffet at The Bellevue Hotel

Cafe d'Acie: Buffet at The Bellevue Hotel
Manila Foodistas goes to Alabang
November 28, 2011
Written by Tiffy | Photos by Danne

When foreigners ask you what Filipinos do for Christmas, what do we answer? Eat. There's no denying it. I bet you most of us have given up on the idea of not gaining weight this holiday season.

Last week, the Manila Foodistas were invited to head to Alabang to visit the Bellevue Hotel. It was the first time that we were invited to a hotel to taste its food. We opted for lunch on a weekday since, aside from Nicole, we have never been to Alabang.

Getting there was easier than any of us expected: forty-five minutes after leaving Ortigas, and it's right across Festival Mall!

Are you ready to try something new this season?

Sitting and waiting in the lobby, we realized: it was a Monday and we're away from the buzz of Metro Manila. 

Cafe d'Acie is located at the second floor of The Bellevue's buffet. 

We had lunch with Ms. Jehn Domingo, who turned out to have graduated from UP Los Baños so we instantly felt a connection with her! 

From when Cafe d'Acie opened, it has come a long way (they used to serve only a table of food with few selections). Now, they have different sections catering to different kinds of cuisine--from Chinese, to Mongolian, and more. 

And the food that they serve changes every so often so it's never the same old thing. Well, except for some items like the salmon, which, we heard, is the one thing that Ms. Jehn always haves when she has her employee meal.

We also met Chef Mark Biddle, who was gracious enough to step out of the kitchen to meet with us. After being introduced, with a big smile on his face, he went, "Oh, yeah! I saw your blog!" and I think we were all thinking, oh crap, which ones of our nonsense posts did he see?

Chef Mark Biddle carving the roast beef. It was absolutely delicious. I ate a huge chunk of it.

I wonder if he would dress as Santa this Christmas--I would love to see it!

Salad Bar. Their salad bar had asparagus, eggs, carrots, onions, corn, legumes and of course, fresh greens. And if you don't want to make your own salad, you can request for one to be served to your table. Nicole loved the Caesar salad they served us - so fresh!

Cold cuts. According to Nicole, this is perfect for those who crave for Spanish tapas and/or something European.

Fresh selection of seafood. Danne and I particularly loved their mussels. Definitely fresh and awesome with lemon. 

Sushi and Sashimi. The ones on the right are not your usual maki--the outer layer is sprinkled with crushed nachos. Nicole was pretty excited about how different it is. I, however, didn't like it. I think that it would've been okay had the contents of the maki complemented the taste of the nachos. Their sushi is pretty plain and the ingredients used not all that good. So maybe just stick to the salad and their sashimi selection?

Mongolian

Chinese -- they also had dimsum!

Crepe station

Grilling Station

You can ask them to cook you all sorts of things--ask the people manning the station what they would recommend and what is available. Apparently, they have a rotation of food from their a la carte menu that they also serve in their buffet.

Really--if you don't know what to order, leave it to the experts! The sous chef, Chef Bong Andaca, was kind enough to make this for us, and intentionally gave us a smaller servings because he was afraid that we might fill up too easily that we wouldn't be able to eat more of the rest--SO SWEET. I wanted to hug him right then and there. 

Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding served! Cafe d'Acie is said to have the best bread pudding in town. And we agree. Bread pudding tastes  like custard but with a thicker consistency. 

Nicole, our resident health freak. They have a pretty impressive selection of cheese and nuts too. Nicole then recounted her experiences in Spain and how they drank wine with everything!

You have no idea just how happy Danne and I were with the selection of sweets that they had! The one by the bear's ear is mango creme brulee! It was so yummy that Danne finished one by herself while Nicole and I shared!

Yummy and creamy--with a hint of what probably is rum.

Their lemon squares were Nicole's favorite! And Danne liked how juicy the strawberries are.

We didn't know most of what we were eating because the food weren't labeled. And we were told that it's because they often change what they serve. 

The Cafe d'Acie buffet goes for Php 1,307 per person. This November, they treated their guests to a discounted price of Php 973 per person. 

From December 13-24, Cafe d' Asie counts down to Christmas with select buffet menus that get special everyday until Christmas eve. And on December 25, 31, and January 1, they'll have a special Yuletide Buffet. I suggest that you reserve early for it since I read that last year, most of the tables were already reserved and it looks amazing. It's also a good place to go on that date with your special someone. 

Bring three of your friends here on your birthday and you're entitled to a free birthday buffet! I have 9 months left to look for those three friends, granted I'm in Manila on my birthday. 

The Bellevue Hotel
Address: North Bridgeway, Filinvest Corporate City
Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines 1781
Telephone number:(632) 7718181
Fax number: (632) 7718282

The Bellevue Hotel Manila Location Map
How to get to The Bellevue Hotel Manila

Danne: Komrad: Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen

I think there's a reason why Chinese food is popular and a hit with many tummies. It really amazes me how Chinese cuisine have a very far and rich history in itself, and how many ways of traditional cooking there are.

I've grown up eating Chinese food, which makes me a little more knowledgeable of it more than any other existing cuisine. For me though, sometimes some dishes could become really generic especially with the many many Chinese food chains and restaurants around.

I'm glad to have tried Komrad: Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen which offers a different kind of Chinese food, with their Hunan & Sichuan style of cooking. Komrad is located at the Eastwood Mall in Libis, QC.

The price of the dishes are a little more expensive than those of the usual Chinese restaurants but I think the presentation, taste and ambience are worth the try.

The resto's 'theme' revolves around Mao Ze Dong and his other communist friends.

The first that arrived on the table are these huge dumplings. I believe they are called Steamed Hunan Cumin Dumplings (PhP 165). What I really liked about these is that they are really packed with meat.

I really love Sweet and Sour Pork, it reminds me so much of my childhood. Below is Chef Chen's Crispy Sweet & Sour Pork (PhP 288).

Another dish I've tried is the Steamed Fish Fillet with Blackbean Tapenade (PhP 288). The fillets are soft and tasty.

And their Spinach and Century Eggs (PhP 198) was something unique. It had this gelatinous texture.

Komrad also give a modern take to the dining experience, especially when it comes to ambience and interiors.

Personally, I think you can eat here on a Saturday night (with friends) or on Sunday lunch (with family), or on weekdays (with office mates).

好吃!

Danne

Komrad: Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen

Address: Eastwood Mall 2nd Level, Veranda, Eastwood Mall, Orchard Road, Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City, Metro Manila, PH

Telephone: (63 2) 994-8123, (63 2) 921-3440