Blondie in Wonderland: eats

Christmas came early for Generals, as the very first steak house of Gensan, Cotton Bowl, an icon by name and taste, opened its doors yet again, after long hiatus, and is back in a bigger than ever. Cotton Bowl Grill and Steakhouse first opened its doors on 1962 at Pioneer Avenue. Their signature Steaks, chicken and burger recipe had been passed down by a retired US Navy to his children, then grandchildren and great grandchildren’s, still maintaining the same food quality that has been served to different people from different generations. Their dishes are all served to their clients specifications.

Medium T-bone, Medium - Well

The new location is quite different from the original at Pioneer Avenue, its more spacious, has a huge parking space, and a very homey atmosphere that goes well with the service they provide. Their service really shows that they’re a family oriented resto, as it reflects to the fact that its also a family ran business.

Cotton Bowl is not only a family restaurant, and not just a steakhouse, its a place where everyone, of all ages, could come and have a great meal and great fun for a great price.

Hanged out with my mom a few days after their Grand Re-Opening last Dec. 08, 2014, along with her BFF’s as the place is owned by one of her BFF’s as well. Got the T-bone steak, I ate it all to the bone, very flavourful, rich and cooked jus as I asked it to be which is medium well. We also tried their Boneless Bangus Steak and Tenderloin Tips which were just absolutely divine. At the end of the meal we had a good laugh, as to where did all the food go, and what happened to our diets. The flavours really made us chow down, guilt free.

Tenderloin Tips

So whenever your in Gensan, this place is a must try. Drop by at San Pedro Extension Lagao, General Santos City.

Something to look forward to, they will soon serve Angus Beef and a Special Day for Steaks on the works, so keep posted. Like their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cottonbowlgrillsteakhouse , for inquiries and reservations call them at *** 55G-RILL ( 554-7455).

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram, @kyriekoutre for more adventures in and around my wonderland that is Gensan, Tuna Capital of the Philippines.

cotton bowl gensan - 12/16/2014

Welcome back! Cotton Bowl Grill & Steak House

Christmas came early for Generals, as the very first steak house of Gensan, Cotton Bowl, an icon by name and taste, opened its doors ye...

Chef Precious Pearl Portia Mendoza-Valdez, started her sushi-venture when they were still living in Cebu City, when she was still a full-time house wife, who can’t cook as she would put it, as she is afraid of fire, boiling cooking oil and knives. But she exerted efforts to prepare meals for her family. Luckily, she became friends with their neighbour who happens to be a Japanese sushi master based Ireland, who’s married to a Filipina. He thought her the basics of sushi making.

When they got back to Gensan and settled there, she forgot about the sushi, because Japanese ingredients were not readily available in the malls. But she came across a dilemma with her daughter Priya, who’s devoted into being purely vegan and was a bit of a picky eater. From then she decided to make unique formations out of rice, shaping them into interesting and fun characters to make her eat.

Somtime in 2011, a college friend brought her nori (dried seaweed) as a “pasalubong” from Japan, it got her interest back in sushi. Around this time she also got an opportunity to attend a culinary course at Joji Ilagan IChef for free, as she and her daughter won it in a cooking challenge. This is what had gotten her into the sushi world.

From then she started making suss for her kids birthdays, christmas etc. Then parents from her kids school took notice of her sushi and started requesting orders from me.

Since putting up a restaurant requires a bigger capital investments, Chef Precious, decided to start her business online. March 5, 2012 is the birthday of SUSHIMOTO. The name which started from a joke, as it is roughly translates as “Sushi mo ito” (This is your sushi). They decided to make it Japanese sounding thus, SUSHIMOTO was born.

Sushimoto offers sushi delivery services, Sushi Bar set-ups, Live Sushi Making and Teppanyaki cooking in parties and Sashimi Bar set-ups (whole Tuna/maguro). They customise the sushi into different characters, cartoon characters, anime characters etc. They specialise in custom sushi, If you follow my Instagram you’d see around July, I posted a custom Gundam (anime) bento by Sushimoto. What is really awesome, they could put in your personal specifications in your sushi, thus the tag “Boutique Sushi came into being.

“I don’t simply make sushi, I create.” says Chef Precious

They also accept Japanese cuisine orders such as Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Karaage, and Tonkatsu. They also offer Korean dishes, limci, bulgogi and sameoyopsal.

With their unique product set-ups, the idea of putting personality into customising, they have the edge compared to others and revolutionised the party scene in Gensan and continue to educate the “eating” public in the process.

When asked whats next for Sushimoto and Chef Precious?

"I can also say because we are an online business, chefs all over the world, especially Japanese sushi masters took notice of my unique operation, another advantage is that I can get advices, lectures and insights from the masters and senseis’ right away. Offers of scholarships, consultancies and work opportunities abroad came flocking in. Thus, I can say, not only I found a very good business, I also found a career!"

For orders and inquiries you can call/text them at 09429189313 or visit their website and Facebook page; sushimotogensan.wordpress.com, facebook.com/sushideliverygensan

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram, @kyriekoutre for more adventures in and around my wonderland that is Gensan, Tuna Capital of the Philippines.

custom - 10/08/2014

Sushimoto X Precious Valdez

Chef Precious Pearl Portia Mendoza-Valdez, started her sushi-venture when they were still living in Cebu City, when she was still ...

eats - 10/05/2014

#WhenInGensan : Sarangani Highlands

What started out as a hobby, slowly turned into the best places to stay and chill in Gensan. With a view of both Sarangani Bay, downto...

Only Goodfellas has been known to be a hub for Yuppies, ever since their opening last, May 2013. But don’t let the classic with a side of retro interiors fool you into thinking it’s a pricey place to chill. Once you step inside the resto, owned and managed by Vincent and Janet Zammit, you already left the Philippines, it’s as if the door is a portal to Europe.

The resto specializes in authentic Italian cuisine, with recipes that have been passed from the Sicilian Zammit family for generations. Only Goodfellas is dedicated to give the real traditional home made Italian taste, without compromising the ingredients, ingredients that are by the way from all over Europe. Plus the quantity of the meals are large and their prices are not too high, you could have yourself a reasonably priced meal within a Php140.

One of the edge Goodfellas has over their competitions, besides their imported ingredients, is the fact that they cook their meals in real time, right after they’re ordered. Goodfellas is famous for their pasta meals like my personal favorite the Spaghetti Di Avola which is a mouth watering deep fried pasta that’s crispy on the outside but remains soft on the inside, their Ravioli, Bolognese and Tortellini pastas are some of their best sellers, and meals like their Peppered Beef Fillet, Panini’s’ and their famous Swiss, French, German and smoked sausage meals, make their clients coming back for more.

Its no wonder why tourists from the Philippines and from all over the globe, especially those tourists that check-in the neighboring Microtel, have a huge appreciation for the place, not just because of the ambiance and taste, but also the quality service their crew give.

Goodfellas also has a wide collection wines that the owners collected from all over Europe, D’Avola Sicilia & Cabernet and Sauvignon being the couples favorites. They also have a number of classic cocktails, made from top quality liquors,with their own European twists, twists that can only be defined after you try one. If you ask me, their cocktails are rich in flavor but after you have one you’ll feel the effect of the alcohol without the strong alcohol taste.

If you’re looking for a place to dine that serves good food, provides good service, on a good location, or chill and hangout with good company, Only Goodfellas is where you have to go.

Located at Valley High, Microtel Arcade, National Highway, General Santos City

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram, @kyriekoutre for more adventures in and around my wonderland that is Gensan, Tuna Capital of the Philippines.

eats - 5/02/2014

ONLY GOODFELLAS; European Cuisine in the heart of Gensan

Only Goodfellas has been known to be a hub for Yuppies, ever since their opening last, May 2013. But don’t let the classic with a s...

Craving for some seafood? Then make no excuses to indulge, head over to the spacious, relaxed and homey, Red Trellis Seafood Garden ,located at the heart of General Santos, Valley High Street, which is the second branch of the resto, the original branch is located at Tiongson Extension, in Lagao.

From what started out as a hobby by owner George Sandoval, who enjoys cooking for his friends and family. After sampling his scrumptious dishes, was encouraged by the same group of people to open up a restaurant. Then soon after, he did.

Red Trellis, Valley High branch opened March 15 2013. They present a good variety on their menu, but specialists more on fresh flavorful seafood dishes at an attractive price point. Red Trellis serves them as fresh as they could ever be. Dinning here would really be a haven for seafood lovers. Treat yourself to the likes of delightful crabs, lobster and pompano sourced mostly from Surigao and Sarangani, will undoubtedly fulfill anyone’s seafood cravings.

When you’d have visitors from other cities or even countries, you might want to bring them over to Red Trellis, the food is indeed a good break from the generic restaurants that almost have the same menu. Each meal that Red Trellis serves has been well thought off, from countless experimentation of the owner, and from various food trips in and out of the country.

Their bestsellers are their special mouthwatering Crab and Coco Milk, Jumbo Prawns and Eight Treasures Soup, which is made out of 8 kinds of seafood and a century egg.

I've never tasted century egg before, as I have always been repelled by its smell but when I tasted it in the soup,I immediately fell in love with the taste.

Red Trellis also serves the best Conch Meat in town. The latest addition to their menu which is the Spring Chicken, it’s a deep fried 2 week old organic chicken which is crispy on the outside and yet very tender and flavorful on the inside. After a satisfying belly busting fresh meal you might want to try their sub-zero chilled beer.

This elegant oriental garden themed restaurant is also available for private dinner parties. After your meal you also might want to try their sub-zero chilled beer.