La Vista Highlands

We had a chance to go on a road trip while we were on vacation in Bacolod. The husband tried looking for places we can go to for a day - somewhere nice but not so far. Then he saw La Vista Highlands. It's about an hour's drive from Bacolod City. 

On the way to the place, we passed by several nice views. One of it was this falls. It was a stopover area with a viewing deck. You can make a pit stop and enjoy the scenery as well.

Once you get to Highway 66, you have to slow down and you will see the signage on the left side of the road if you're coming from Bacolod (or whatever road you call that :P)

The owner's house

Restaurant

Restaurant

Washing area, hall leading to toilets

They have several villas that can accommodate up to 10 persons. You can either swim in the pool or enjoy games in the Sports Zone area where you can play billards or foosball for a minimal fee.

I'm not so sure if you can bring your own food in La Vista Highlands but you can definitely dine in their cozy restaurant. They serve a wide array of dishes, but concentrating more on Negrense (both Oriental and Occidental) kinds of food.

An Ilonggo specialty - Kansi

House specialty - Lemongrass juice

After lunch, we explored the other parts of the resort. We checked out the zip line. It costs Php400 for the full trip (Superman ride) while the half zip is Php200 (Standard ride).

Since we can't ride the zip line, we decided to take the little girl horseback riding. I was thinking she'd be the only one riding the horse while somebody holds her. But no, there should be an adult accompanying her. The husband said the horses look like malnourished and if he rides on it might cause the horse to die LOL Yes, I was left with no choice but to ride with our daughter. With shaky legs all the way (up and down the terrain), I had to endure it for about 45 minutes. Although I was nervous the whole time, my little girl was having the time of her life! 

The place is surely worth the road trip! The weather was cold and windy (we went there January), so make sure to bring a jacket if you're the type who feels cold easily :D The food was good and prices were just right. We will be back! :) 

La Vista Highlands Mountain Resort Paradise

Highway Km. 67 Brgy. Prosperidad

San Carlos City, Negros Occidental

Contact: +639173216704 or +639216124597

Email: lavistahighlands@yahoo.com or albertbg@pldtdsl.net

Facebook page: La Vista Highlands

L'Kaisei

Before leaving Bacolod, we spent our last day of vacation lazily. Went to church early in the morning, had late breakfast and talked to the husband's brother who's currently based in the US. We left the house around 1pm to have lunch. The FIL wants to have Japanese food. Eeeek! I'm not a big fan. But I'm willing to give it a chance :)

The husband and FIL got two orders of sashimi - tuna and salmon. I didn't even touch these:

Tuna - doesn't look very fresh :|

Salmon Sashimi

I couldn't remember the name of the dish I ordered. Just to give you an idea, it's chicken with LOADS of onions (which I didn't expect, and had to take them out :P) and egg on top of steaming hot white rice. It was okay, not fabulous, but not bad either.

The husband ordered the California Maki, which I also didn't try because, again, I'm not a fan. :D

California Maki

Also, I cannot remember, for the life of me, the name of this dish. It's a salad, with some spiced mayo with something orange on top. I tried but didn't like it. The husband loved it.

This was Nanay's food, beef something rice topping. It was ok, the beef could've been more tender though.

The Sukiyaki was my favorite among everything we ordered. It was filling even if you don't eat the beef. I could probably finish two bowls of this!

Sukiyaki

We ordered another entree - the mixed misono. It was lovely, the taste of sweet and salty in one meat dish. The husband also loved this.

Mixed Misono

Of course, a meal isn't complete without a refreshing drink. I had a glass of watermelon shake. It was yum-o!

Watermelon Shake

Definitely we will be back, not for me to eat sashimi or sushi. But for the Sukiyaki! :P


L'Kaisei
Lourdes C. Bldg.

9th Lacson St. Bacolod City, 

Negros Occidental, Philippines

Contact: (034) 435 - 0489
Website: Kaisei
Facebook page: LKaisei

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I know you want me.

This is a very late post. I made these heavenly goodies last month, just before leaving for the holidays but I was too lazy to create an entry. :P 

I have been toying with the idea of making peanut butter cupcakes for several weeks but since the husband isn't fond of peanut butter, then I scheduled it on a playdate with friends. Great for giveaways, too! :D

Took me long to make these because I had to make peanut butter cups prior to making the cupcake itself. It was THAT sinful. Peanut butter cups + chocolate cupcake + peanut butter cream cheese frosting = food coma.

Recipe for Peanut Butter Cups:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Chocolate Coating

• 9 ounces semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 9 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Peanut Butter Cups: Line 36 miniature muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a medium pan over low heat, melt butter and add the peanut butter. Add salt and confectioner's sugar. Whisk until well combined. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Melt the chocolates in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.
4. Drop a teaspoon of the melted chocolate into each of the paper lined miniature muffin cups. Top with a scant teaspoon of peanut butter mixture. Then top with another teaspoon of melted chocolate. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• Peanut Butter Cups (optional)

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup of creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup whipped cream
• Mini Peanut Butter Cups, for topping cupcakes, if desired

1. Preheat oven at 170 degrees Celsius. Line muffin pans and set aside.

2. Place butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30 second spurts on 50% power, stirring in between, until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth. (Alternatively, you could do this step in a double boiler.) Set the mixture aside to cool until it is warm to the touch.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl to combine, then add the sugar, vanilla and salt and continue whisking until fully incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the bowl and whisk to combine. Sift one-third of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk gently to combine. Add the Greek yogurt or sour cream and whisk to combine. Finally, sift the the rest of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk until everything is well combined. The cupcake batter will be thick.

4. Place a spoonful of cupcake batter on the bottom of each cupcake liner. Place a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on top of the batter. Cover the peanut butter cups with remaining batter, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the peanut butter buttercream frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and peanut butter until creamy. On low speed, add in powdered sugar. Mix until combined and add the heavy cream. Mix until frosting is fluffy. You can play around with the amounts of powdered sugar and heavy cream to get the exact texture and consistency that you want.

6. Frost cooled cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting and top each cupcake with a mini peanut butter cup, if desired.

Sources:
Two Peas and their Pod
Top Secret Recipes

Silay City's Cafe 1925

A friend of mine recommended Cafe 1925 a few years back. Even if we go home to Bacolod every year, we're always busy trying out new restaurants there that I always forget about this place. Last month, it was a chance I couldn't pass up. We visited Silay and had lunch at Cafe 1925. It was the perfect time, the little girl was asleep, thus the husband and I had a peaceful lunch! :D

Daily specials

As you can see from the menu below, their prices are very affordable! And the food is not bad at all. Too bad we didn't get to try the Churros or the Ricotta doughnuts. I wonder how that would taste. :)

Menu

For a change, I had a hot tea for my drink. Even if I was really tempted to get the Frozen Iced Tea. :|

My green tea

For me, the bruschetta was the highlight of our visit. Even if I'm not a really big fan of fresh tomatoes, this one made me eat them non stop and craved for some more. It was THAT good! The perfect combination of tomatoes, garlic with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on a warm french bread. Yum!

Bruschetta - a winner! Php 80

The husband had the daily special, Dory with Misono rice. I wasn't able to try it myself but according to him it was just okay. Not a big wow here and there, but it was good enough for its price, Php 190.

Pan Fried Dory with Pesto Php 190

It came as a surprise for me that even if they were a small cafe, they had Rosti. So I decided I had to get one myself. The last time I tried rosti was in Marche and I wasn't too happy because the potatoes weren't crispy.  According to Wiki, "Rösti is made with coarsely grated potato, either cooked or raw. The grated potatoes are then shaped into rounds or patties, which come in different sizes. Often rösti is simply shaped inside of the frying pan. They are most often pan fried, but can also be baked in the oven."

I loved how the rosti was cooked. Just as I would imagine it, crispy potato shreds. Albeit oily (of course it is oily :P), I liked how it was cooked to a perfect crisp. I wanted to finish all the sour cream and devour everything but I thought to myself, this is just too sinful :P So I had more hot sauce (Tabasco) rather than the artery clogging sauce. Blah!

Potato Rosti with Hungarian Sausage Php 160

To finish our meal, we had the Calamansi cupcake and the chocolate with ganache. I wasn't blown away with the chocolate cupcake, maybe because it was just too plain for me. And the frosting was fondant which is something I'm not fond of. The Calamansi cupcake was a nice surprise with the right balance of sweet and tanginess. Just a good way to end a delightful meal.

Desserts - Calamansi cupcake and Chocolate ganache

Cafe 1925
14 J. Ledesma St., Silay City, Negros Occidental
Contact number: (034) 714-7414