Sokcho Part One

Let me take you to South Korea. But not to Seoul nor Busan (will post about them some other time), but to Sokcho.

It is more than a day's drive from main Seoul to Sokcho, specifically to see the majestic Mt Sorak. Seoraksan is the highest mountain in the Taebaek mountain range in the Gangwon province in eastern South Korea. It is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.

We started off for Sokcho (from Seoul) by mid-afternoon and reached our hotel for the night, Seorak Pine Resort, past 8pm. We checked in and then immediately proceeded to the Taepo Fish Market for some seafood to feed our hungry tum-tums.

Sokcho is definitely one of the best places to sample all the spoils of the sea - including king crabs, manta rays, squirts (first time to see and taste one!) and anything else you can fish out of the ocean. Every seafood was on display in tanks of constantly filtered seawater with everything alive. Talk about fresh.

 

Our main course of the night - King Crabs.

Squirts. First time to see and eventually taste them.

I found the crabs very delicious and filling. On the other hand, I found the raw fish and squirt combo too, hmmm, raw for my taste (Blech!). The presentation is superb though.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for some ice cream and coffee while watching Korean pop stars invade the world. Slept a little bit over two hours and then was on our way to Soreaksan National Park early the next day.

A Cafe

Chasing Delicious with the girls and we ended up at the A Cafe (Crossroads, Cebu) where we ordered the Roasted Turkey Cobb Salad, Pork Chop (with potato hash & apple butter) and Buttermilk Fried Chicken (with homemade biscuits & coleslaw).

Roasted Turkey Cobb Salad

Pork Chop. This would be my favorite.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Likes: The attentive and friendly staff, the overall look and feel of the place and of course, the food - everything was amazingly delicious.

Verdict: Two things: A bit pricey and you'd have to be ready to wait .. and wait .. because serving could take up to an hour! But because the food is so worth it, A Cafe has always been one of my favorite restaurants. 

Taj Indian Restaurant

The Taj Indian Restaurant (City Time Square, Cebu) is one of the few Indian restaurants we have in the city and probably the most recent one to open. 

I have recently grown a liking for Indian cuisine so when I saw this place, I was excited to try it out. I dragged a friend and we ordered their Roti, Vegetable Samosa, Chicken Kebabs and Aloo Gobi. 

Likes: I thought their starters - Roti and Vegetable Samosa - were good. 

Verdict: The Aloo Gobi had too much gravy and too few potatoes. An authentic Indian Aloo Gobi would be a dry dish. The Kebabs were another disappointment - they were too dry and tasteless. I had high hopes around this particular dish since I enjoyed the Kebabs from another Indian restaurant, the Firozian Indian Tea House. Overall, the food experience wasn't worth the money we paid for. 

Eden Nature Park and Resort

Nature tour around the Park.

Other activities in the Park:

• Skycycle 

• Zipline / Skyrider

• Horseback riding

• Fishing

• Swimming 

Tel Nos: (+6382) 2990313; 2991020

Email: info@edennaturepark.com.ph

Website: www.edennaturepark.com.ph

Hof Gorei Beach Resort

"Hof" is German for Farm. "Gorei" is short for Gregorio. This lovely beach resort in Samal Island is owned and run by a German and his Filipina wife. We booked a night's stay in the resort, not expecting much, considering that the place was not as pricey at around 2,500Php a night compared to the other hotels in the island. But boy, were we wrong!

We had our own personal butler, to start with. I have never had my own personal butler, not even from any other 5-star hotel! Hannah welcomed us, toured us around the resort, served us our breakfast, lunch and dinner. She was amazingly punctual and attentive. All we had to do was ring the bell. 

The resort also had two resident hornbills. One of them was our regular friendly visitor - making sure to invite himself every time we had our meals. 

Our little round hut was just lovely. The room was airconditioned, we had our own fridge and television. We also had our private dining area and wash areas. Absolutely no complaints there. 

The meals were delicious and the presentations were just amazing. I especially loved their Chef's Salad and Pollo al ajillo.

Chef's Salad

Fried Ice Cream

Grilled Burger

 

The resort has free boat transfers to and from the Sta Ana Wharf, Davao City.  
Websites: www.hofgorei-resortdavao.com and https://facebook.com/horgoreisamal
Contact Information: info@hofgorei-resortdavao.com and hofgoreiresortdavao@yahoo.com
+63 9228646814; +63 9177113868; +63 9209667564