Gala Builders Supply - Our Story

Gala Hardware at Mabuhay Rd. cor Nunez Sts., General Santos City

 Finally! Something to blog about (brag about actually - excuse the pun :) ) ... I've been blogging for almost three years now, raving about other people's business establishments and giving my honest opinion about their place, their food and etc. I've always been a bit shy to talk about our business, much less to blog about it here in Pinay Travelogue. But the time has come that I've finally have something to blog ("brag") about when Gala Builders Supply, our bread and butter, was recognized by the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) as a Bronze recipient of its Bagwis Awards 2012. 

The Bagwis Award is awarded to business establishments that adhere to strict consumer laws such as selling only items with PS/ICC marks for products with mandatory standards, having consumer welfare desks and giving quality customer care to clients. The Bagwis Program aims to give due recognition to business establishments, that are compliant with all trade laws implemented by the DTI. Apart from this, it also encourages establishments to participate in government programs to become socially responsible businesses and provide safe and quality products and services to consumers. Consequently, the interests and welfare of consumers are protected and they are guaranteed to get the best value for their money.

The Bagwis Award comes as a surprise for both Mr. OSG and me, since we are not even aware there was a business ethics standards, let alone an awards committee giving recognition to small businesses such as ours. As far as we were concerned, we try our best to conduct our business by being honest to our customers and providing them with the best service our people can offer. It is also a fact that we value our people as partners since they are after all part and parcel in whatever success we attain. We owe it to them for whatever accolades our store gets. (Is this famas speech material or what? hehe)

Gala Builders Supply has come a long way. From one store in Cannery site, Polomolok in the year 2000 when we started, we have now expanded to three stores in all. One in Poblacion, Polomolok and another newly opened in Purok Malakas, Gen. Santos city (photo above). I remember when we started, we only had around 20-30 bags of cement a few hardware materials for sale and P20,000 pesos in revolving capital. At the time we started, Mr. OSG is the designated delivery driver and manager and I was the saleslady and cashier. Our staff at the time is only three heads, when you buy something from them in the morning, they will be the same ones to deliver the orders in the afternoon hehe. We know and embody the meaning of "multi-tasking". You can ask our loyal staff, some of whom are still with us till this day. 

We had humble beginnings, and we have worked hard for more than a decade now, building what Gala Builders Supply is today. Of course, at the end of the day, we still have our own share of headaches and stress but when we look back at what we've accomplished, our business has given us a wonderful learning experience. We still continue to improve and rise up amidst all our mistakes businesswise. The Bagwis Awards is the cherry on top  of the cake and we are so proud to have been recognized. Thank you, this means a lot to us. 

Cafe Mita's All Day Comfort Food

Cafe Mita is the newest addition to Gensan's string of restaurants. Yep you heard me right, it is not just a cafe, but a restaurant. As its tagline suggests, Cafe Mita boasts of serving "All-day Comfort Food", so you get to enjoy your breakfast fares of choice anytime during the day!

Its intimate and cozy interiors remind me of home, so  eating at the restaurant was literally like having a meal at home. My family and I readily felt comfortable. I just feel that this will be my favorite hang-out place if I want to have chitchats with my girlfriends over a meal or over coffee.

The food was worth the wait when it was served to us. Hubby ordered the Pork Salpicao. It was delectable and very tasty. A hint of spiciness due to pepper I think but then, it was of no consequence since even my little girl loved it. Be prepared to shell out only P135 for this dish.

For me, I ordered the Roast Porkloin with Grilled Pineapple. The pork was cooked just right although I would've loved it even more if it comes with a sauce on the side since some portions of the meat when cut comes out as a bit bland but nevertheless, still an enticing dish for only P135 for a solo meal.

And for my daughter, she loves pasta so we ordered the Chicken Liver Bacon Pasta for her. It is a penne type of  pasta with red sauce coupled with bits of chicken liver and bacon, garnished with parmesan cheese (lots of it may I add) with garlic bread. It was an instant hit with my little girl. It was to my amazement that she cleaned her plate of pasta, we just had to stop her from eating else she decides to eat the plate as well! hehe. This particular dish will set you back for a measly P135.

The Lychee Iced Tea was also divine and it was a different twist to ordinary iced tea so we would definitely be ordering that again next visit.

They still have a number of scrumptious dishes on their menu which we intend to try on our future visits. And they also sell sugar-free peanut butter, cookies and other pastries. Hmm.. might have to try those too next time. :)

Cafe Mita is located at at the ground floor of PG Building, below M. Tanoy Showcase, National Highway – Roxas Avenue Junction (beside the entrance to Queenie’s Love Village, GenSan. For reservations or catering needs, you may contact them at 083 552-8338      Business hours is between 8AM till 10PM, and for more info on the restaurant's delectable dishes, visit the Bariles' blog here. 

Thailand Chronicles: Ayutthaya Elephant Kraal ...

Elephants! 

Clearly, they are one of God's gentlest creatures. 

They are highly revered by the Thais.

So, we couldn't pass up the chance of an elephant ride over at the 

Ayutthaya Elephant Kraal. 

Ayutthaya, Thailand's former capital, is an hour's drive from Bangkok. It is filled with historical architecture and home to a number of elephants, most of which are friendly as they are used to tourists. 

The Royal Elephant Kraal is one of the worlds oldest elephant kraal which dates back to the 1500s or so as we were told by our mahoot (elephant handler). 

For an Elephant ride around Ayutthaya Historical Park, be prepared to shell out 100 - 500 Baht depending on the route. Photos if taken by their official photographer is quite pricey at about 100-150 baht and up. But our mahoot was kind enough to ask a fellow mahoot to take our photo on the elephant using our camera (although we were  getting worried of him running away with our camera tee-hee!!) for a measly tip of 20 baht. :) 

This particular Elephant ride was included in the Ayutthaya tour. For more details on the Ayutthaya tour, be prepared to shell out 1,900 baht for a whole day tour including air conditioned coaches, tour guide, buffet lunch at a hotel and mineral waters and refreshing towels after every stop. :) or check out my other blogpost on the tour here.

For inquiries, contact World Travel Service Ltd at tel (662) 2335900-9 or email them at: kusa@mozart.inet.co.th or visit their website here.

Kee's Cafe and Restaurant by Jinkee Pacquiao

At first glance,you would think that Kee's Cafe is just an ordinary coffee shop just like any other coffee shops  scattered all over General Santos city. But look again, it offers a wide array of delectable dishes... Kee's Cafe is a restaurant, open 24 hours daily. 

Beef Roll with mushrooms in tomato puree and pesto...yum! one of my ready favorites!

Kee's Cafe is the brainchild of Ms. Jinkee Pacquiao, lovely wife of world boxing champ Manny Pacquiao. It serves not only as a coffeeshop but a restaurant which has a wide selection of yummy dishes among which are the Pacman's personal favorites.

Upon entering the restaurant, photos of the power couple line the walls. It is of course understandable since the restaurant cum coffee shop is relying heavily on its bankable owners to attract its target clientele.

Upon my visit at Kee's Cafe, Chef Nestor Palle, a chef who just came from Saipan, whipped up a few of his mean dishes which according to him will be included in the restaurant's menu come November this year. So I was touched that they invited me over to sample these sumptuous fare. First dish I tasted is the Seafood Saute, a seafood delicacy made from fish dory, shrimps with capers and olives brandished with lemon butter.  Its sweet, pungent and somewhat salty taste is something new to the palate.   

This following dish, Garlic Chicken with Mustard and Balsamic Sauce is also new to my taste. The sourness of the balsamic vinegar coupled with mustard is truly something that puts your teeth on the edge but it was just right to balance out the taste of the garlic chicken. But to be honest, this one might not be in my list of favorites from the dishes that I've tasted here so far. I'm not a fan of anything sour, sorry. hehe. 

The Japanese Harumaki, which according to Chef Nestor is originally a Vietnamese delicacy, but chef named this particular dish "harumaki" owing to the fact that in Japanese, it means "spring roll". This spring roll is a combination of julienned veggies with chicken. Another new viand to my taste, I find this one a good contender for appetizers. 

Being a meat-lover, the Pork Barbeque Spareribs with Special Sauce below became one of my easy favorites. It has a sweet, tangy taste that is prevalent to a dish such as this.  I am sure this dish will also be a hit with the kids. :) 

Expect a lot of delectable Oriental culinary masterpieces from Chef Nestor (2nd from the left) and the rest of Kee's Cafe and Restaurant's cooking staff. Take my word for it, the dishes I've sampled are just the tips of the iceberg. They still have lots of new and exciting dishes coming out so expect something distinct for the ardent dining public.

If I was surprised that Kee's Cafe is actually a restaurant, I was even more astounded to find out that they also serve cocktails! Roadhaus hotel and Kee's Cafe's operation manager informed me that to make it more formal, they will be opening a mini-bar in the hotel. So here are a few of the cocktails they will be serving: From left: The Pacman Punch (a somewhat strong concoction of 5 - yes five! - alcoholic beverage with a hint of orange which can literally knock you out as fast as the Pacman throws punches); the Counter Punch (below right, which is mostly vodka and four seasons juice, perfect for the ladies) and the Upper Cut (top right, another vodka based cocktail). 

And of course, I just have to mention that Kee's Cafe also has a number of yummy cupcakes (all flown from Manila from the kitchen of Ms. Pia Cayetano so I was told) for its diners who just want a sip of their brewed coffees. 

Kee's Cafe and Restaurant is located at Aparente St., corner Block 0, Dadiangas Heights, General Santos City. You can make reservations or inquiries by calling them at (083) 553 8888 or visit their website here.

The Opulence of the Manilay Ancestral House

In a secluded corner in Purok Malakas in General Santos city sits this stately old house owned by the Manilays.  It was said that the house was originally located at San Pablo, Laguna, owned originally by Mr. Warren Manilay's grandfather, the esteemed Don Juan Manilay. But in order to preserve the old world splendor of the ancestral house of the Manilay lineage, they transported the entire house piece by piece to its current location in GenSan. 

Coupled with the love of Mr and Mrs Manilay in anything antique, the house served as a perfect backdrop to house their collection of antiques. Mr. Manilay is also an avid collector of antique cars, which makes this vintage truck very at home beside the ancestral house. And i have been a witness to the many pre-nups shot in the area which features this classic automobile.

While going around inside the house, I found this old typewriter. I just had to take a photo of it and imagine what it  must've felt like to be Jane Austen typing a novel in the 1800s. The number of antiques in the house even rival those of the best museums in the country.

This staircase going to the second floor is resplendent of the days of old when the men courted their women in the presence of the prying eyes of a parent or a lolo or lola. :) Hmmm. I think this can still be applied to our household  when my daughter comes of age. hehe. Now, how to get me a staircase like this for our house...hmmm.

On the second floor, there is a bedroom that reminds me of Maria Clara's bedroom should she have lived all those years ago, complete with mosquito netting draped as curtains in the poster bed.

They also have antique trinkets and treasures that are locked in glass cabinets like these pair ofsilver hairbrushes that must've been used by royalty once upon a time. :)

Can you imagine listening to this age old radio? Soap opera anyone?

Harps! Who has them? I haven't seen a real-live harp before, so this one comes as a treat!

Need to make a phone call? Just don't ask me how to use it. I absolutely have no idea how it works. :)

If I've piqued your interest in visiting this majestic house, you can make reservations by calling the Goldenstate College, look for Ms. Rose at (083) 552-5544 (083) 552-5544. They also allow walk in visits as you would in a museum but I'm not sure how much they charge for it. But for pre-nups or photo sessions, they charge P3,000 for 3hours, succeeding hours at P500 per hour.

To Get there: from the National Highway, turn left (or right) at the Shell Gas Station/Jollibee to Mabuhay Road. Just follow the road and turn right at Nunez St. (you will see a Gala Hardware store at Jhonston Building in Nunez) once you reach Goldenstate Little College, turn left and you will find the ancestral house. Tricycles parked at National Highway will likewise take you there just let them know you want to go to the Manilay Ancestral House. 

Manny Pacquiao's Roadhaus Hotel

Manny and Jinky Pacquiao has always been GenSan's power celebrity couple. So it was no surprise that visitors to the city, especially first timers are curious to visit and some to stay at their very own

 Roadhaus Hotel. 

I for one couldn't contain my excitement to tour around the Pacman's hotel, hoping against hope that he might be there checking his business.

Their hotel's facade is of modern architecture that is predominantly composed of parallel steel  lines adorned with classy plants and bonsai trees which according to our host, cost about P25k per plant!

Upon entering the hotel, I noticed pictures upon pictures of the power couple. Of course this is understandable since most of the Pacman's establishments in the city are treated by visitors in the city as a tourist spot. It was even mentioned by our host that they are thinking of bundling a tour of the Pacquiao's famous mansion as part of the perks of staying at the Roadhaus Hotel. Hmmm... I for one wouldn't mind staying there if it means I could sneak a peak inside that posh mansion.

Roadhaus Hotel strikes me as a chic motor inn. They have rooms that have provisions for parking for the avid traveler. 

All of their rooms are fully air-conditioned  which comes with complimentary breakfast, bottled water (which I must mention is also bottled by the Pacman water station), WIFI Internet access, PABX telephone system, hot and cold shower, LCD TVs and a state of the art electronic door lock system. Airport Transfers  are also available upon request.

Their Standard Twin room will take you back for P2,240 per night with all the standard amenities mentioned above.

Standard Triple Room costs about P2,560 with three single beds, sofa, coffee table and chairs.

A Superior Room with 2 matrimonial beds, sofa, dinette, reading desk, mini bar, coffee/tee making facilities will cost about P3,200.

And the Roadhaus Suite P2,560 complete with a matrimonial bed and all other amenities.

The Roadhaus Hotel is located at Aparente Street, Bgy. Dadiangas Heights, General Santos City. You can book your rooms through these numbers: (083) 553-8888; 553-5335 or email them at inquiries@roadhaushotel.com Visit their website here.

The House of Cashews

Cashews. I remember my grandfather used to buy us a pack of these straight from Antipolo whenever he goes there to attend a mass. He introduced us to these delectable nuts and it has since been a personal favorite ever since.

Imagine my delight when I've learned about the 

House of Cashews 

in General Santos city! My first impression at first of course is that this is a store filled with bottles upon bottles of cashew nuts, sort of like a "pasalubong center". So it was a surprise for me when I learned that it was a restaurant serving a variety of yummy fares.

The restaurant takes healthy eating into a different level. They use only organic and natural ingredients freshly picked from their garden. They're the only restaurant in the city  that serve alkaline water. If only for this reason, we will surely be coming back to eat here often. And of course, it wouldn't be called The House of Cashew without incorporating this healthy nut into each and every dish that they serve here.

One of their best sellers was the Lumpiang Sariwa a.k.a. Fresh Lumpia, which of course I had to try to find out for myself if it really is worthy to be on every diner's "must try" dish. And sure enough, it never disappoints as I taste the crunchiness of the ubod ng niyog (heart of palm) and other veggies coupled with the delectable honey herb sauce with garlic and cashew nuts. Yum! This dish only costs P55 per serving.

The Aurora La Beef is another dish I tried which I heard was a personal recipe from the grandmother of the Fuentespinas. It is a dish mainly of braised sirloin steak simmered in herbs and spices. The cashew nuts sprinkled on it adds a tinge of robustness on the taste of the beef. For a solo order, it will take you back for a measly P90 and P200 for a regular order for sharing.

The Pimped Shrimp, aptly called since this dish is simmered with the cashew crab paste and garnished with bell peppers and sprinkled with cashew nuts. I didn't really get to taste this particular dish, but from the looks of it, shrimp lovers might enjoy ordering this dish.

Another favorite of mine is the Cashew Chicken in Garlic Sauce.  So sorry didn't have the chance to take photos of it prior to devouring since it was too good to be kept waiting sitting on the table. :) It is coated in what looks like cashew nuts and deep fried. Then a generous drizzle of their delectable cashew garlic sauce. For this dish, be prepared to shell out P90 for a solo dish and P200 for a regular serving.

The FK House of Cashews is tucked in a quiet corner of Eca Commercial Complex, National Highway, General Santos city. For inquiries and reservation, you can get in touch with them through these numbers: 083 5541331 or 0933 3440136 or 0927 8491545. Special thanks to Ms. Kathrina Hagoriles for accommodating us on a short notice. They also have power/promo meals at a reasonable price if you have need of a lunch or dinner meeting at their restaurant. The restaurant can accommodate small parties of 20-30 heads.

Bo's Coffee Invades GenSan

With the advent of coffee shops in the city, coffee drinkers such as myself find it hard to pin down a favorite. Maybe it comes down to taste, the robustness of the coffee bean used or the perfect blended frappe that is singular to the discerning palate of consumers. But then, whats more important at this point given the myriad of choices is to patronize a brand or a coffee shop that is proudly Filipino. 

Bo's Coffee takes pride not only in the fact that they are wholly Filipino owned but a huge percentage of their coffee beans are sourced from local growers in Bukidnon, Sagada, Benguet and Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato.  

The newly opened store at SM City General Santos also serves breakfast as soon as they open doors at 8AM and you can enjoy your coffee till 11 o'clock in the evening. 

Press Release from Bo's Coffee:

_______________________________________________________________________________

Bo’s Coffee Opens its First Store in GenSan

Craving for a caffeine fix in GenSan?

There’s a new coffee shop in town you’ll definitely want to check out. It’s the recently opened Bo’s Coffee in SM City, GenSan! Go ahead, treat yourself to a well-deserved cup of homegrown brew.

Did you also know that they only serve freshly roasted beans from the Philippines? This means that not a single bean in the store is grinded and brewed has lasted a month at most, ensuring the best coffee experience every time.

Aside from great coffee, Bo’s Coffee gives plenty of reasons for you to drop by its new GenSan store. World-class beverages are up for you to discover and love: from perky Espresso Beverages, healthy and toothsome Green Tea Matcha Freeze, sweet Ice Blended Cookies and Cream, fruity Mixed Berry Freeze, and even tropical freshly-brewed Dalandan Iced Tea!

For quick snacks, healthy bites, and filling meals, Bo’s Coffee GenSan also has an array of food products and pastries for you to try. You can choose from Breakfast options such as hearty Bacon, specialty Sausage, and fluffy Omelette Sets. In the mood for pasta? Then have a try of these picks: meaty Bolognese, tasty Carrittiere, and traditional Aglio e Olio.

Grab a bite of these crusty sandwiches: Bo’s Turkey Club, Grilled Chicken BLT, Grilled Italian Veggie, and Tuna Salad. For dessert, why not have delectable cakes such as indulgent Blueberry Cheesecake and Supermoist Chocolate Cake. For a delightful bite, have a frosty Carrot Bar, zesty Lemon Square, or sweet and nutty Food for the Gods.

There are surely a lot of selections for you to try at the new Bo’s Coffee GenSan branch. It’s just not your usual coffee shop. Its wall interiors are even inspired by homegrown craftsmanship, accented by earthy and organic coffee sacks. The coffee lovers’ cozy nook gives homage to Philippine-origin coffee. 

Your entire coffee shop visit of course won’t be complete without the service of friendly Bo's Coffee baristas who view coffee preparation as an art. So come over and visit the newest Bo’s Coffee store at General Santos City!

With over 60 stores and counting all over the Philippines, Bo’s Coffee guarantees that homegrown, freshly-roasted coffee taste that Filipinos surely love. For more details, visit www.boscoffee.com.