dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

I recently applied for and have been approved for a US Tourist Visa . I have heard a lot of stories about people getting denied hence I was apprehensive in applying for one. The high visa refusal rate, in fact, isn't true. According to this site , the visa refusal rate for the Philippines is 33.8%, which means you have almost 70% chance of getting approved.  I applied for a B1/B2 Non-Immigrant Visa. B1/B2 is the US visa code for temporary visitor for business & pleasure. Note that this post is written according to my personal experience.  Here are the steps on how to apply for a US Tourist Visa 1. Accomplish the Online Non-Immigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160). Go to https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/ to fill out your application form. This form will be the basis of the questions that will be asked during your interview. You don't need to complete this form in one sitting (and I highly recommend that you review your form thoroughly). You...

Note: Ci Yoo has been renamed to Kuya Rex Korean Restaurant.  The cold Tagaytay weather had the boyfie craving for something with hot broth, and because we want to try something else (aside from the good old bulalo), we decided to try Korean Shabu-Shabu at Ci Yoo Korean Resto. Korean restaurants are everywhere, that even the area where I live has at least 5 Korean restaurants along the street. However, I was still surprised to find a Korean place in Tagaytay.  The place looks quite typical for a Korean resto, with semi-private booths and a private room. The boyfie and I were seated at one of the semi-private booths.  For our dinner, we ordered the Beef Shabu-Shabu for 2 (Php 900). The Beef Shabu-Shabu Set has Australian Wagyu Tenderloin, two sets of veggies, and other shabu shabu toppings (like egg, Korean dumplings, crabstick, etc) and noodles. 

After my Oriental Cooking Class with Kikkoman at 25 Mushrooms Kitchen, I was inspired to create more dishes using Kikkoman Soy Sauce . Here's a simple recipe that you can do in a matter of minutes.  Ingredients: 2 lbs chicken wings Kikkoman Soy Sauce 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp grated ginger 1/2 cup water 1 tbsp sugar sesame seeds Instructions: 1. Marinade the chicken wings in Kikkoman soy sauce. Ideal is overnight but one to two hours will be okay.  2. Saute the grated ginger. Add the chicken wings. Fry both sides.  3. Add the water, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir until the sauce thickens.  4. Coat the wings with the thick sauce. Served with sesame seeds sprinkled on top.  Note that the ratio for the ginger, soy sauce and sugar is adjustable according to your taste. I personally would prefer a combination of salty and sweet for my sauce. You may also add hot sauce if you prefer the wings hotter. :) Share your own ...

It’s time to satisfy your flavor cravings as Wingstop lets you experience all 14 of its mouth-watering flavors  More than your average wings restaurant, Wingstop is ready to invade your senses and entice your taste buds as it lets flavor enthusiasts experience all 14 of their flavors through the Wingstop Flavor Invasion . Wingstop’s flavors are taking over and they won’t take no for an answer. Whether you’re craving for the classic spice of Hot Buffalo , the smooth taste of the Hickory Smoked Barbeque , the sweet heat of the Mango Habanero , or the Oriental taste of our Asian Flavors, the Wingstop Flavor Invasion will get everyone to come back week after week just to satisfy their every craving. What’s more, Wingstop wants their customers to give in to the Wingstop Flavor Invasion through the Flavor Pass . Available from May 23 to August 31, 2016 , the Flavor Pass is redeemable with any single receipt purchase at any Wingstop store. Collect stamps for ev...

Ippudo Philippines has officially opened its 3rd branch in Manila, at the newly-opened Uptown Mall at BGC last Friday, May 20. But before that, I got a chance to drop by the newest Ippudo branch last Wednesday.  Ippudo BGC has more than 100-seating capacity. The high ceilings and minimalist interiors makes the restaurant feel very spacious.  For this visit, I had two of my favorite Ippudo side dishes, the Fried Chicken Bun (Php 125) and the Deep-Fried Gyoza (Php 220). Fried Chicken Bun Deep-Fried Gyoza

For acclaimed chef JP Anglo (Owner of Sarsa and Kafe Batwan restaurants and judge at Master Chef Philippines), conquering his fears to live out his passion is definitely worth it and makes him a  step closer to truly living life to the fullest. “I got into surfing because when I moved to Australia to work, I lived by the beach and I wanted to learn how to surf,” Chef JP shares. “My love for surfing started to deepen when I started surfing more regularly. Nothing beats that stoked feeling when you catch a wave letting go of all the fear; it's a natural high and it's infectious.” The same can be said about his eternal passion for cooking. “Surfing and cooking are similar in the sense that you need to work really hard and have a lot of patience,” he says. “They both come from a  place of passion, which for me means time stops and you lose yourself in the process. It might be  riding that epic wave or accidentally coming up with a new dish, and tha...

My favorite katsu restaurant, Yabu: The House of Katsu never fails to surprise me with new dishes every now and then. Introducing the Tofu Katsu and the Yabu Katsu Pairs! The new appetizers in the menu, the Tofu Katsu has two kinds: Tofu Katsu with Uni (Php 250) and Agedashi Tofu (Php 220). Each serving has three huge pieces of Japanese tofu with panko crusts.  Tofu Katsu with Uni Agedashi Tofu The Tofu Katsu with Uni is topped with fresh uni (sea urchin), nori, spring onions, bonito flakes and served with creamy uni sauce while Agedashi Tofu is topped with bonito flakes, grated radish and served with soy dashi sauce. I really love both, but I recommend that you try the Tofu Katsu with Uni if you're into creamy but have the Agedashi Tofu if you like salty.  Whenever I dine at Yabu, it is always a major dilemma on which katsu set to choose (because I love all katsu sets), but here's a solution to our katsu-choosing problems: the Yabu Katsu Pairs...

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  My friend and I have recently tried this new burger place at The Grove by Rockwell named BurgerPub , which opened early this year.  Unlike the usual burger places that I go to, BurgerPub strikes me more as a pub than a burger restaurant. As much as I want to have some beers with my burger, I'm really more of a burger-and milkshake person, so we stuck with getting just the burgers.  For starters, we shared a plate of Belgian Frites (Php 190). Belgian Frites Because of the price, I was expecting something more elaborate but we were served something a bit ordinary. Anyway, I love fries so it wasn't so bad. 

Shakey's introduces their latest campaign "Let's"  -a one word invitation for Guests to keep going back to their favorite fun, family, pizza restaurant For Filipinos, going out to eat is not just about enjoying good food but also an opportunity to bond and spend quality time with friends and family. Also, it is a special time to reconnect with loved ones, which is why finding the perfect setting is so important. However, with the increasing number of new concepts restaurants around the metro, choosing a dining option can seem endless.  Sometimes, all you want is something familiar, a place that feels like home, with a menu that you know by heart, where you know exactly what you are getting. A place you know you will surely have fun with your friends and family. That place is Shakey's - where all you need is one word to express what you mean, where all you need to say is "Let's", when you want to go to Shakey's. Fa...

As I really enjoyed cooking my favorite Japanese dishes (with the help of Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Teriyaki Sauce) a few days ago at 25 Mushrooms Kitchen, you will also get a chance to attend a cooking workshop at 25 Mushrooms Kitchen. :) Joining is so easy: simply post a photo of any dish you cooked with Kikkoman on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.  Facebook 1. Post a photo of a dish you cooked with Kikkoman. Don't forget to post the name of the dish.  2. Tag me ( dekaphobe.com ) and use the hashtag #CookedWithKikkoman 3. Make your post public so I can see it.  Twitter 1. Post a photo of a dish you cooked with Kikkoman. Don't forget to post the name of the dish.  2. Tag me ( @michymichymoo ) and use the hashtag #CookedWithKikkoman 3. Make your post public so I can see it.  Instagram 1. Post a photo of a dish you cooked with Kikkoman. Don't forget to post the name of the dish.  2. Tag me ( @michymichymoo ) an...

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  The city of Marikina has grown from being the shoe capital of the country to be one of the most popular foodie spots in the metro. One of the newest additions to Marikina's growing list of restos is PIPA House . PIPA House or Pizza Pasta House is the first to offer deep-fried pizza crust in the metro (if not, the whole country). The chef and owner, Chef Dondon, got the idea when he worked abroad. The concept of deep-fried pizza crust, he shared with us, started in the UK.  You can customize your table name. :) We started with Michael Mojo rdan (Php 59) and a pitcher of John Lemon (House Blend Iced Tea, Php 99).  Michael Mojo rdan John Lemon

A stressful day at work led my friends and me to Manila's hottest cold place right now: Carousel Creamery in Greenhills San Juan.  Carousel Creamery is the only ice cream shop in the metro that sells all 101 flavors at the same time. So yes, for an ice cream enthusiast like me, choosing flavors took a long while.  We decided to all get Triple Scoops (Php 200) so we can try as many flavors as we can, but let me tell you now that this made our decision more difficult than ever. Flavors range from the classic Chocolate, Vanilla, Cookies and Cream to weird ones like Beer & Chicharon , Bacon & Cheese , Puto & Cheese, and Tamarind Chili . 

I was recently invited to dine at the newly-opened hotel in Araneta Center in Cubao: Novotel Araneta Center Manila. We were able to try their casual dining bar and restaurant, Gourmet Bar by Novotel .  Gourmet Bar is the signature lounge bar of Novotel Hotels around the world. This modernist bar and cafe serve a variety of international cuisine, along with an impressive line of drinks. For starters, we were served freshly-baked bread and butter, and sampled Pan Seared Local Buffalo Mozzarella & Vegetable Salad and Norwegian Salmon with Chives Burrata Espuma , along with a glass of Unleaded Cucumber (Php 180).  Pan-Seared Local Buffalo Mozzarella & Vegetable Salad  and  Norwegian Salmon with Chives Burrata Espuma Unleaded Cucumber The local buffalo mozzarella is fresh from the Aranetas' El Dorado Farm, paired with greens while the salmon with chives burrata espuma is garnished with crispy sweet potato and avruga caviar. I lo...

The boyfie and I both love the relaxing ambiance of Tagaytay, hence we returned for a few days of cold weather and quiet. We booked our accommodations at Crosswinds Resorts Suites , located inside Crosswinds Tagaytay.  Crosswinds Tagaytay is a 100-hectare Swiss inspired property located on the hillside of Tagaytay .  All rooms are complete with kitchen and dining equipment and the hotel, so you can bring your own food or have your meals delivered with no corkage fee.  We booked a Studio Queen (Published Rate: Php 6000) for our stay.  Our room includes a queen-size bed, a work desk, LCD TV, and DVD player. It also has an electronic safety box, dining amenities, kitchen (with stove, microwave and cooking equipment), and refrigerator. 

I love Japanese food and I have always wanted to learn how to cook my favorite Japanese dishes, and I was really happy to be invited by Kikkoman to attend their Oriental Cooking Master Class at 25 Mushrooms Kitchen in Pasig City. Kikkoman, the world's leading soy sauce brand, is made with the finest ingredients and brewed to authentically oriental perfection.  Compared to other soy sauce brands, Kikkoman is brewed naturally and aged like wine to achieve its oriental taste.  This will be quite a lengthy piece as I will be sharing with you the recipes of the Japanese dishes I have learned to cook at 25 Mushrooms Kitchen with the help of Kikkoman, of course. I made a Sushi Platter , Pork Katsudon and Beef Sukiyaki.   Sushi Platter We have made a sushi platter using fresh seafood: uni, salmon, kani sticks, tiger prawns and tuna.  Here is the recipe for the Sushi Rice: 1 cup Japanese rice (uncooked) 1 1/4 cups Water ...