Beginning with Breakfast

Nutritionists strongly encourage the public to eat breakfast.  Research has shown that breakfast can help increase performance and control weight.  Breakfast can also curb hunger in the morning, particularly a few hours before lunch. 

Thus, when I am out-of-town for business meetings, I never skip breakfast.

But Shangri-la Mactan redefined breakfast for me.  

I sat in the coffee shop, overlooking the coconut trees that lead to the pool and the beach.  The sky was clear, and the lush greenery set against the blue horizon was picturesque.  For an hour or so, my eyes feasted on the breathtaking view.        

The server came to take my order.  I requested for Mango pancakes and made a special note - I wanted the Mangoes embedded inside the pancakes, not on top of it. 

To my delight, the pancakes came in, warm and fluffy just as I like them.  The pancakes were very soft with the Mangoes swirling in the batter.  It was wonderful. 

The breakfast at Shangri-la Mactan lured my senses - the smell of coffee in the nearby table, the impeccable service and smiles of the staff, the charming landscape, the taste of fresh mangoes in delectable pancakes.   Breakfast has then taken on a new meaning for me - beyond the need to source energy from food to a pleasurable start  for the day.  My business meeting in cebu has never been so positive, so dynamic until I had that breakfast in Shangri-la that left me spellbound for an hour and totally invigorated for the day.

There are currently three Shangri-la hotels and resorts in the Philippines.  Two are located in business districts:  Ayala Avenue in Makati City, the busiest street in the Philippines and Ortigas Center, the second largest business district in the country.  The third one, Shangri-la Mactan is located in Mactan, Cebu, approximately one hour by plane from Manila.   Shangri-la is opening its fourth branch in Boracay, one of the finest beaches in the country.  Both Mactan and Boracay are travel destinations, not only for beach lovers but also for scuba divers.  They're also perfect for business conventions and honeymoon rendezvous.  

Shangri-la has been rated among the finest hotels in Asia.  Makati Shangri-la has been identified as one of the top ten hotels in Asia  while Shangri-la Mactan has been voted as one of the best family hotels in Asia by the Hotel Club in 2007. 

And so my food trip began. Shangri-la Mactan has become my first stopover in this lifelong food trip.  

    

Taking Off on a Food Trip

My food trip began in a country composed of 7,107 islands.  

A company assignment allowed me to travel - and taste the local delicacies in this beautiful country.  The country is not only home to a rich marine life abounding in the main bodies of water in Southeast Asia such as the South China Sea, the Philippine Sea, the Sulu  Sea, and Celebes Sea.  It is also the abode of tropical fruits such as Mangoes, Bananas, and Papayas which food manufacturing companies such as Dole and Del Monte grow locally and export overseas.   With only two seasons per year - summer and rainy season, food is available year-round with plentiful harvest during summer.  Imagine then a country with a bounty of seafood and tropical produce.  Dishes can range from the popular seafood dishes such as  kinilaw to many other fruit-based recipes. 

7,107 islands + lots of seafood + lots of fruits & vegetables = lifelong buffet in the Philippines!

I then knew... this would be the start of  a trip I will never forget yet continue to take, year after year.