Southern Comfort

Yes, I did it again! I had a hearty Southern breakfast! However, don’t be concerned, as I don’t eat this every morning. I know, I know, I overdid it with the Dari Creme Buttermilk Butter on my grits but it has 0% trans fat. I regularly buy Dari Creme Buttermilk Butter at SM Supermarket. My personal favorite breakfast dish was prepared at home, here in Bacolod City. Yes, I know how to cook and I enjoy cooking. My wife studied Culinary Arts, so she is a fabulous chef! She has me beat in the kitchen.

Over the years, I have found that many people do not know what grits are! If you are from the Southern USA, you know what grits are. Grits are made from ground white corn and commonly made from hominy, which is alkali-treated corn. There are only two places I know where you can buy grits in Bacolod and that is Metro Supermarket and Cafe Bob’s Deli Grocers. Both stores sell Albers Grits, which are milled in Seattle, Washington, USA. I pay P250 for the large box, which is almost a full kilo in volume.

I bought the pork chop at Bahama Meat Shop on Tindalo Avenue, next door to Hua Kong Chinese Pharmacy. Bahama Meats tout raising their own organic hogs and I can taste the difference! We buy all our pork from Bahama. Their hogs are not fed antibiotics.

Eggs are very commonly purchased in Bacolod but we have one shop we buy from regularly. The egg yolk is bright orange in color and are never rubbery in texture unless you overcook them. The shop is located at Galo and Mabini Streets in Bacolod. Fabulous eggs with hard shells! I poach eggs often in a deep wok with enough water to cover the eggs and I add a little vinegar but no salt or other seasoning while cooking. Eggs Benedict is another one of my favorite breakfast foods but nowhere to buy English muffins in Bacolod any longer since Kuster’s Food Hub closed. At least no where else that I know about! If you know where to buy English muffins in Bacolod, please give me a shout!

Many forget that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but many pig out for lunch and supper but eat a light breakfast or skip it altogether. I like to start the morning out full of energy! My breakfast was a grilled pork chop with over EZ egg and grits with buttermilk butter. Wow! I am still ready to face any challenge today!

If you are a foodie, please check out my new article on Retiring to the Philippines:

http://retiringtothephilippines.com/living-in-the-philippines/banana-ketchup/

Please don’t forget to check out my books on the Retiring to the Philippines Bookstore.

http://retiringtothephilippines.com/books/

Take care and please don’t skip breakfast! I hope to see you one day, somewhere, all around Bacolod!

Tyrol Restaurant: The Taste Of Austria

One of the newest restaurants on the food scene in Bacolod has quickly become my favorite! Tyrol Restaurant, located at the end of 12th Street off Lacson Street. 12th Street is located between Avenue Suites Hotel and Mayfair Plaza, so it is EZ to find. Don’t miss it!

Last Friday, a group of Living in Bacolod expats had lunch at Tyrol and everyone really enjoyed it. It was my 4th visit to Tyrol in the last 5 weeks or so and as always, the food was fabulous, the service was great and the beer was ice cold!

My favorite brew! Paulaner Dark Wheat Beer. Tyrol has a very good selection of imported bottled and domestic beers. They also have 3 sizes of draft San Miguel Pilsen! Wow! That is great, isn’t it? Draft beer! It doesn’t get much better than that on the local scene, as it is not very common. In fact, I don’t know another restaurant in Bacolod City that has draft beer!

I cheated on the photo! This is the liver pate platter and originally, there were 3 servings but I was so excited to dig into one of my favorite dishes, I forgot to take the photo first! The liver pate is served on a bed of lettuce, atop nice bread and garnished with fresh onion slice, delicious pickles and a slice of red bell pepper.

There are many other wonderful dishes at Tyrol Restaurant and I am looking forward to trying them all! Tyrol is enjoyed by Filipinos and expats alike in Bacolod and it is highly recommended that you make reservations if you plan dining there.

Our table last Friday, set for a party of 8. Yes, we had reservations! Check out Tyrol on Facebook for their contact information:

https://www.facebook.com/tyrol.restaurant.bacolod?ref=br_tf

All Around Bacolod is much more than reviewing restaurants! It is about bringing to life all the marvelous things in the Bacolod Area that expats should enjoy. If a restaurant review does not appear on All Around Bacolod, it means that I didn’t like it! No, I never write up a negative review about a restaurant, as it is against my ethics to harm anyone’s business! I am only one person and my view will not be the view of everyone. Concerning Tyrol, I have dined there 4 times, with a total of 9 different expats from the USA and UK and not a single one had anything negative to say! Yes, they all enjoyed their dining experience! Fabulous food, affordable prices, great service and excellent ambiance. I don’t what else anyone would want in an excellent dining experience!

This is my first post in March, as I have been busy as a bee with the launching of my new book and with writing my weekly articles on Retiring to the Philippines, which is the best online expat magazine about life in the Philippines. We now have 97 articles up, all about life in the Philippines and here is a link to our site:

http://retiringtothephilippines.com/

My latest book, out this month and also on Amazon, is “Expat Tales Of Life in the Philippines.” It is about some of the highlights of my 28 years of extensive experience in the Philippines and years of actually living here. I am writing books about the Philippines on a regular basis with more new titles coming out this year and during the years ahead! Please check out the Retiring to the Philippines Book Store:

http://retiringtothephilippines.com/books/

If you haven’t dined at Tyrol, check them out ASAP! I hope to see you one day, somewhere, all around Bacolod!