Pandoraspace

Smalltalk Cafe:  Bicolizing Italian Food

Mr. Ketel took us to lunch at Smalltalk, a restaurant that serves Bicolano inspired Italian food.

Smalltalk looks like an Italian restaurant with a few small tables scattered around the place, a piano and old pictures displayed on the walls. The place was intimate and cozy. Smalltalk bestsellers include pasta with Bicol Express (shrimp and pork sautéed in shrimp paste, a.k.a. bagoong, coconut milk and chili), Laing (gabi leaves, pork and chili cooked in coconut milk) or the Bicolana Pizza (pizza topped with Bicol Express or Laing). I had the Bicol Express pasta and the pizzette. Both were good but I liked the pizzette best. (more…)

The Hotel Venezia

Boktor and I were not expecting to be billeted in a fancy hotel.  Lucky for us, our hotel in Legazpi, the Hotel Venezia, surpassed our expectations.

Hotel Venezia is a three-minute ride away from the airport. Surprisingly, I never saw or heard any planes flying overhead. I was told that this is because the planes fly from the opposite direction of the hotel.  The hotel is located inside a quiet and well secured subdivision away from the busy streets of Legazpi. I was able to walk around the area without fear of being run over by cars or bothered by other pedestrians.

When Boktor and I got to the hotel, we checked-in and went directly to our rooms to unload our things. When I stepped inside my room, I immediately noticed that the room had already been cooled for me. I also saw that it was very clean and the layout was simple and made good use of the space. My room had a king-sized bed with white crisp clean sheet and huge fluffy pillows, an LDC TV, a desk, a coffee table, a comfortable arm chair and a closet. When I opened the closet to put my bag in, I was surprised to note that I was provided with a cotton robe (the one with the small square pattern), room slippers and a laundry bag. I was also pleased when I saw that there was a safe, a well-stocked mini-bar (I just like seeing that there are things to eat in the min-bar but I am not one to binge on mini-bar food) and a bathroom that had complete amenities like cotton buds, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, lotion, hair dryer, comb and shower cap.  My room had a veranda, and when I stepped out, I realized that my view was Mt. Mayon. Sadly, it was cloudy so I could only see parts of it. (more…)