Stay, Stray, Play and Feast

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Macagang Diner, Nabua Camarines Sur.

Macagang Diner

Nabua Camarines Sur.
(Bicol Cuaresma Series 4)

Tired a weary after an uphill Station of the Cross

hike in Kawa- Kawa Nature Park, we were looking

for a place to dine in an air- conditioned comfort.

There were several new restaurants

at the base of the hill but none were air- conditioned

and all were crowded, hot and humid.

The Jollibee Restaurants in Ligao and Polangui

were both closed, so was Mang Inasal in Polangui.

The popular Bastian Restaurant in Polangui

was the next option but we were looking

for an air- conditioned place and that we found

in Macagang Diner in Nabua, CamSur.

Macagang Diner is attractive and well maintained

and a part of a Department of Tourism accredited facilty

and rated as (Triple) AAA Hotel and Waterpark Complex.

It offers and nice Al Fresco dining area which I believe

is a misnomer as it is located just beside a very busy

and dusty Nabua diversion road and a national highway.

But there is really no reason to suffer the summer heat

and intolerable humidity as it also offers a beautiful indoor

air- conditioned and charming dining area.

It had a very fast and free

Wi Fi Connection.

Since all of us were too hungry and exhausted

to choose what to order and what too eat

we decided to order the Chef’s Rumble

apparently good for 10 persons for only Php 1,300.

There were only six of us in the group so we were expecting

to feast (not fast) on a late Holy Thursday Night.

The Chef’s Rumble is made of Inihaw na Tilapia,

Chicken Barbecue, Calamares, Baby Back Ribs,

Fried Lady’s Finger Fillet, Inihaw na Pusit,

Inihaw na Pork Liempo, Beef Caldereta, Pork Adobo
(not listed in the menu and but it was served nonetheless)

and was served in a medium sized bilao with
10 Cups of Rice (scoops according to the menu)

The sight of the food all laid out on a tray appears

like it was overflowing and looked overwhelming.

You would later come into a realization that while

it was supposed to be good for ten persons but

the serving sizes of each dish unfortunately would

only be good for two to three persons
(except for the 10 cups of rice).

There was only one piece of Inihaw na Tilapia

and how would you expect someone to share

the fish to ten people unless Jesus Christ

comes in with a miraculous rescue?

It had two pieces of

Chicken Barbecue,

…two small pieces of

Baby Back Ribs,

…one piece of

Inihaw na Pusit,

…four small pieces of
Inihaw na Pork Liempo,

There were also about 3 chunks of

Pork Adobo on the tray.

This dish was not mentioned on the menu

but they must have forgotten to print it

all not enough to share even for the six of us

unless each one gets a tiny morsel of the food.

Good enough to be rationed for

6 persons are the Calamares,

Fried Lady’s Finger Fillet which is made

of Fish Fillet coated with crusty crumbs.

served with tartar sauce

and the Caldereta served in a bowl.

The good thing about the Chef’s Rumble

is that everything tasted so good and miraculously,

there was enough for every one and we even had

some leftovers to take home and that was understandable

as were only six of in our group (four adults and two kids).

Things would have been different if there were

ten hungry adults ready to rumble on one table.

The Chef’s Rumble has a great selection of yummy dishes

but I think the restaurant should not over promote the dish

as good for 10 persons as the serving sizes are only good

for two to three persons to avoid disappointments.

Watch out for my Bicol Cuaresma Blogs

CamSur to Albay via Sangay- Joroan Road

Scenic Pilgrim Road

(Bicol Cuaresma Series 1)

Graceland Goa

( Bicol Cuaresma Series 2)

Kawa Kawa Nature Park
Ligao City
(Bicol Cuaresma Series 3)

The Grand Naga Good Friday Procession
(Bicol Cuaresma Series 5)

Mang Inasal Plaza Quezon
(Bicol Cuaresma Series 6)

Holy Week Recipe Sharing
(Bicol Cuaresma Series 7)

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Kawa- Kawa Hill and Nature Park, Ligao City, Albay

Kawa- Kawa Hill and Nature Park

Ligao City, Albay
(Bicol Cuaresma Series 3)

The Kawa- Kawa Hill and Nature Park
is located in Ligao City in Albay
amidst a beautiful Sunflower farm
at the base of the hill.

Kawa- kawa may look like an ordinary hill,
but the difference is at the summit where
a huge hollowed crater- like depression is found.

It is called Kawa- kawa as its shape resembles
a cauldron (Kawa or Caldero in Bikol language)
Because of this unique shape is of the same reason
why it is also called a hill without a hilltop.

The Hill has become a famous religious destination

especially during Holy week because of the
larger than life statues depicting the Stations of the Cross

Each statue in this hill is a work of art,

painstakingly recreating scenes
from the Passion of Christ

...that begins at the base of the hill winding around

the hill, extending up to the crater.

People flock to the hill during the Lenten Season
to pray, reflect and meditate on the Stations of the Cross.

The view a the top is exhilarating as it offers
a stunning 360 degree bird’s eye view
of the City of Ligao. and on a clear day
a breathtaking view of the Mt. Masaraga
and the majestic Mayon Volcano.