Melo Villareal
Previous Post : Around Bicol in 30 Plates: Bicol Food Adventure Day 2
Just like most of the long trips I had, the hardest part is when you realized that you are about to leave the destination. Its really hard to leave specially when you love the destination but on a positive note, I take it as another opportunity to comeback to visit my favorite places and eat more local food.
View of Mayon Volcano at The Oriental Hotel’s Infinity Pool
It was our third day in Bicol and to start our day, we left early soon after having breakfast at The Oriental Hotel. Jasmine Restaurant located at the ground floor lobby area or The Oriental Hotel is offering mouthwatering local and international breakfast food choices. For me, Its the only hotel in Legazpi City that offers the best breakfast buffet.
View of Mayon Volcano from The Oriental Hotel
More than just the best food and classy accommodation option, The Oriental Hotel Legazpi also offers the best panoramic view of the majestic Mayon Volcano and the blue waters of the Gulf of Albay.
Breakfast from Bigg’s Diner
Our next stop was in the town of Camalig for a morning spelunking adventure at Hoyop-hoyopan cave. It was my first time visiting this cave and this place reminds me of Callao Cave in Cagayan Valley, Its so huge but Hoyop-hoyopan has a lot more chambers to explore that are not recommended for regular tourists due to its level of difficulty.
Hoyop-hoyopan Cave Entrance
After visiting Hoyop hoyopan cave, we visited Bigg’s Diner Pacific Mall branch for our lunch. We tried Chicken Cordon Bleu, Pumpkin Soup and Pili Pie. What I like about their version of Cordon Bleu is its local twist. Their version of this popular chicken dish is also filled with Bicol’s very own Laing.
Enroute to Hoyop-hoyopan Cave
After lunch, we visited Embarcadero de Legazpi and the whole stretch of Legazpi Boulevard. Legazpi Boulevard is an extended coastal road from Embarcadero de Legazpi. This area is now a place frequented by joggers and visitors who wants fresh air while enjoying street foods sold at the bay walk.
Pumpkin Soup
From the bay walk, we then visited Bigg’s Diner Daraga branch for our dinner. This time, we tried their Korean Pork Chop with Kimchi, oriental salad and their cookies and cream shake. An evening serenade from a live band performers coupled with tasty Bigg’s Diner offerings made our night so special.
Cordon Bleu
After having our dinner, we returned to our hotel to watch “The Voice of the Philippines” and while watching, I was chatting with fellow bloggers before we finally decided to look for a videoke bar down the hill.
Legaspi Boulevard
In the absence of the four chairs and coaches, we had our own blind auditions and battle rounds while enjoying a bucket of iced cold beer. Yes we can still reach the final round but it was almost 3am so we decided to go back to the hotel and consume the remaining beers from last night.
Korean Pork Chop with Kimchi
The Voice of PTB Bagets (photo courtesy of Darwin Cayetano)
Team Bulkang Mayon
Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap – “Smooth”
Melo Villareal – “Maybe”
Brenna Bustamante – “25 Minutes”
ThePinay Solobackpacker – “I’ll Be Over You”
Darwin Miranda Cayetano – “I’ll Never Go”
Touring Around Bicol and sampling the Bicolano’s very own Bigg’s Diner dishes was truly an awesome experience. I just really hope that Bigg’s Diner will put up a branch in Metro Manila soon… Cheers to that!
Around Bicol in 30 Plates was sponsored by Biggs Diner (http://www.biggsdiner.ph/), follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
