Last week, just after New Year, I was able to get an opportunity to go to the beautiful country of the Philippine islands and was able to eat in a restaurant named Antonio’s Grill in Tagaytay City. My purpose of going there was to get a taste of true Filipino style food and I was not disappointed because I was able to get my taste buds a certain flavor that I’ll never find in the western side of the world.

The pakbet rice was the one that really got my attention because it was purely a mixture of vegetables that was cooked together with rice and made it a complete meal by itself. I found out that pakbet is actually a type of viand that they have in the Philippines, and the restaurant took advantage of its rich flavor and mixed it together to create a unique type of rice.

–

I remember when I had my travels in Europe and some parts of China… I was able to get through Italy and got a chance to have a taste of their genuine amazing food, more particularly the shrimp scampi. It is simply my most favorite of all Italian delicacy due to its rich and wonderful taste, yet it is easy to prepare at home.

All you really need to have is butter, garlic, onions, white wine and lemon, and with all of the herbs and spices that I have inside my kitchen, I can easily mix and match tastes that would soothe my tongue. But of course, nothing beats the unadulterated taste of a dish that was made by a native and when I was able to taste one in Italy, I just couldn’t figure out what the chef has added to it that made it taste so different from how I do it at home.

Speaking of planning early, if you already have a date to tie the knot, it would certainly help if you would look for honeymoon destinations early as well. At this time of the year, only a few people are getting married and if you have been dreaming of spending your honeymoon in a very romantic place, better go to your nearest travel agent now and look for your options because even if your wedding is happening in the month of June, you can certainly find some good deals as early as now, with cheaper prices and even more perks to take advantage of. Just think about it… you could see yourself on a flight going either to Hawaii, Bora Bora, Aruba and their famous Caribbean beaches, Mauritius and their white sand beaches, Italy and their elegant architecture, Thailand and their exotic cuisine, or even in France for the most obvious reasons.