Ellis Suites

Ellis Suites. 

Tucked in the bustling part of Purok Malakas in Gensan, you will find this whimsical hotel. You might want to peek a little closer when you reach the junction between Aparente and Yumang Sts since in front of the hotel are rows of business establishments which comprise of the entire Ellis Arcade. 

Sbarro Invades Gensan

I used to love eating at Sbarro. But when I moved to Polomolok more than a decade ago, I only get to eat here during the times I visit Manila. So imagine my excitement when this favorite pizza chain opened a branch at the Veranza Mall in General Santos city! 

Sbarro. 

A chain of pizza restaurants that specializes in New York style pizza and other Italian-American cuisine. One particular favorite is the Chicago White stuffed pizza. It has two crisp layers of dough overstuffed with mozzarella cheese with pepperoni, ham, ricotta and pineapple. Perfect for cheese lovers like myself. This baby costs P179 a slice and P1,432 for a whole pizza. 

Blackbeard's Seafood Island's Boodle Fight

It was my birthday, and one of my fellow bloggers suggested a burpday celebration with the Sox Bloggers at the newly opened 

Blackbeard's Seafood Island 

at SM Gensan. 

Boy, we were in for some serious boodle fight! :)

We had so much fun when the food arrived that I forgot to take photos of the place. Sorry! :) While waiting for our food, we were served with these complimentary 

Tuna Chicharon.

Mint Cafe @ Greenleaf Hotel Gensan

Mint Cafe. Aptly named since mint is one of the strongest scented herbs. This restaurant is part of Greenleaf Hotel's main dining area. I won't be surprised if this will be one of the strongest restaurants to beat in Gensan for sure. It is where the buffet breakfast is served every morning for its guests. 

Greenleaf Hotel Gensan "Green is a luxury you can afford"

General Santos city, the city of champions is turning into a new leaf...

with the rise of establishments and commercial buildings in this booming city, 

 Greenleaf Hotel 

is a welcome addition to its new line of hotels opening in its locality.

Tuna fountain sculpture by Leeroy New in front of the hotel :)

Greenleaf Hotel is a deluxe hotel being managed by Asian Grand Legacy Hotels Corp, the same ones who operate Astoria in Boracay, Astoria Palawan as well as Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar in Bataan to name a few.

Microtel by Wyndham - General Santos

Gensan is indeed booming with the onset of business establishments sprouting left and right in its mantel. Just recently, the generals welcomed the opening of... 

Microtel by Wyndham. 

Microtel Inns & Suites (Pilipinas), Inc.'s latest addition to their line of affordable yet chic abode for leisure and business travelers.

This hotel boasts of a total of 66 well appointed Double and Suite rooms. Adhering to the chain's unrivaled value for cleanliness, comfort, and safety. 

Cinco Niñas Filipino Cuisine

Cinco Niñas Filipino Cuisine is a top notch restaurant located at Koronadal, South Cotabato. It is so named maybe due to the fact that the owners have five daughters who are entrepreneur extraordinaire in their own businesses. 

Red Trellis Seafood Garden - Microtel Branch

Just last night, Red Trellis Seafood Garden opened another branch at Microtel, Valley High, National Highway, General Santos city. Bringing with it all the seafood-dish goodness prevalent in their original restaurant located at Lagao.

Blugre Coffee - Mindanao's Pride

With the emergence of foreign owned coffee shops in and around the entire archipelago, Blugre Coffee comes as a breath of fresh air. We take pride in knowing that this coffee shop is Mindanao's pride having originated from Davao and owned by Filipino coffee connoisseurs. Husband and wife team Gatchi and Larcy Gatchalian both Davaowenyos founded the coffee shop with their first branch in Davao year 1998.

Teriyaki Boy @ SM Gensan

Teriyaki Boy is one of our favorite restaurants in Davao, so when it opened one of its newest branch at SM General Santos, our family of three had to troop over for a meal. The restaurant serves Japanese cuisine at fairly reasonable prices. Their signature lemon yellow furnishings is a breath of fresh air from the usual reds or darkwood designs of traditional Japanese restaurants.

First Glimpse of Mt. Sabrina Garden Resort

Up in the hills (Mt. Sabrina), hidden from view of the public's prying eyes sits Jam's Garden Resto-Bar. The handsome property started as a venue for countless prenup shoots done in the area, well mostly by Mr. OSG :).  Maybe due to the picturesque view in these hills, The owner Ms. Sol Mananquil, decided to invest in the property and put up a permanent structure which is perfect for garden weddings. 

I love the view from up here, where you can see all the way to Sarangani Bay. 

According to photographer extraordinaire -- Mr. OSG (excuse me for being biased :), sunsets here are breathtaking. So if you are planning on having a garden wedding, you might want to consider having it here at Jam's Garden Resto-Bar.

I remember MR. OSG telling me a story about the first garden wedding that was held here at Jam's Garden and Resto-bar, they had no covered areas yet, and the wedding party was constantly getting worried should the heavens shower them on their very special day. According to the owner, she will put up a permanent structure if the wedding goes well without a hitch. Well, I suppose the heavens wanted future brides to enjoy the place so true enough, we can see and enjoy the new buildings put up in the  area. Here are a few of the pictures from that wedding...

Their restaurant on the other hand, sits with pride in the highest peak of the entire establishment. 

From my visit there, I think, they can comfortably sit around 50 people inside the air conditioned hall and about 20 more in the restaurant's entrance. 

 This is of course just my guess-timate so you might want to see for yourself how many of your guests can be seated comfortably if you prefer the covered area.

For inquiries, you can get in touch with them through these numbers: (0917) 708-1693 or (083) 553-2763 .

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. 

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 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.

ShutterBlog... A Travel Photoblog Workshop by Ms. Jojie Alcantara

Just the other day, I had the privilege of being one of the lucky 20 Sox Bloggers present for ShutterBlog, a Travel and Photo-blog Workshop given by none other than, idol travel photojournalist, Ms. Jojie Alcantara at the Gensan View Resort, General Santos City.

It was one of the funnest workshop I've ever been to. Ms. Jojie really knows how to give a very entertaining workshop. I think I went home, with a bloated stomach due to excessive laughing. :) Excuse my terms for a lack of a better word to describe gas.. hehe. Excuse also kuya Avel (on the left) sleeping in the background. This picture was taken during our break.

I've learned a lot of very useful tips and ideas about travel photography from Ms. Jojie. And hopefully, I can apply all that I've learned from her in my next travel adventure. Wherever or whenever that may be. 

To Ms. Jojie Alcantara, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom on photography with us! Hoping to see you again one day and hopefully, see you in action in one of your travel shoots. 

Thank you also to the sponsors of ShutterBlog, for sharing your time and resources with the bloggers of Socccsargen. Namely: 

Gensan View Resort located at Nursery Road, Lagao, General Santos City

CameraHaus located at the 2nd floor of KCC mall, General Santos City. It is also worth mentioning that they gave away a Samsung digital camera to the winner of the photo-contest won by none other than fellow Sox Blogger, Aethan Yting of Aethanoscopy. Check out his blog here.

Photo courtesy of Ms. Joyce Mariscal. Sorry wasn't able to be here then. :)

Aromacology for the freebies,

and of course, Gandaeversomuch.com and Gensantos.com for sponsoring another rave worthy event! God bless the two of you for motivating bloggers like me to hone our craft and make blogging such an enjoyable hobby!

Fagioli Coffee Club

Twice a week my little girl has scheduled Kumon class works, which gives mommy a reason to visit Gensan often. And during those times, I have the pleasure of having precious  time for myself - away from the headache of running the store... the piles of dishes to do and the amount of cooking that has to be done at home. In these valuable "me" times, I get to enjoy my time at one of my favorite coffee shops -  the Fagioli Coffee Club  (as often as you can say caffeine).

What can I say, caffeine gives me the relief and the boost i sometimes need to perk up my boring day. At Fagioli, they provide the ambiance that's cozy and welcoming and they play the most wonderful light jazz music that really gives me the enthusiasm to write and plan my week (i'm a plan-freak..i always plan my week including the menu at home, etc, etc). :)

One of my favorite fraps to order is their original blend of Mocha Java  with Mint (P110). The sweetness for me is just right with just the right amount of creaminess. They have a number of cold coffee concoctions to choose from such as the Irish Cream Ciocolatta (P90) or the Choco-Banana frappe that I order if I have my little girl along with me.

At times when I really want a stronger dose of caffeine, I go for their espresso coffee. A bit strong but just fine for my taste. The Cafe Mocha with Peppermint  is a must try for those who have the sweet tooth and crave for something minty. I dont know why but peppermint really goes well with either coffee or choco. It brings out the richness of the coffee or cocoa taste. And this particular type of concoction is one of my favorites.

For the non-coffee drinker, they also offer a variety of choices from different flavored iced and hot teas to chocolate drinks. They also have a selection of yummy desserts and cakes to pair with your favorite coffee or tea drink.

The Fagioli Coffee Club is located at the Ground level of KCC Mall of Gensan and another at Kare Petron Service Station along Jose Catolico Avenue, General Santos city.