Prior to our Da Nang, Vietnam trip, I already made research on the must-buy items in Vietnam and in my mind, I will buy Non La (Conical Hat), Lanterns, Fish Sauce, Coffee Grounds, and Coconut Candy. I planned to buy these items during our tour or when we have nothing to do at the hotel. But it did not happen because we are lazy to shop because of the rainy weather.
On our way back to the Philippines, we still have Vietnamese Dong left so we need to spend the money because we don’t know if we still have a chance to go back. Sayang naman kung hindi magamit. I already learned my lesson because I have Sterling Pound na hindi na tinatanggap sa money changer because luma na daw. Waah!
Sharing the few items that we bought during our trip to Vietnam; We bought Coconut Crackers, Que Huong Coconut Cake, Coconut Milk Candy, Coconut Cookies, Black Pearl Robusta-Arabica Coffee, and Trung Nguyen Special Coffee at Da Nang International Airport and Ho Chi Minh International Airport.
Among these items, the must-buy pasalubong for us are coconut milk candy and robusta-arabica coffee.
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I learned about Teppanya when my friend suggested this for our get-together but we ended up at Tong Yang - Eton Centris because most of my friends wanted a restaurant outside the mall. For safety reasons, because they will bring their kids, para iwas COVID-19 na rin.
Since then, I added Teppanya to my bucket list because my son hasn’t experienced eating at a Teppanyaki restaurant and it’s been few years already since my last Teppanyaki Experience at Yurakuen.
I remember last year when my mom was on vacation, we tried a few times na rin to reserve but it was always fully booked siguro dahil ber months na rin and weekend lang kami available. But finally, last March we were able to try Teppanya at Evia for my Father-in-law’s birthday.
My husband called Teppanya to reserve but he was informed na no need to reserve, kapag group of 10 lang daw para sa private room. Since we are only 5 people, walk-in na lang but it is on a first-come-first-serve basis so we were in Evia 35 minutes before the opening pero may mas maaga pa pala sa amin, hehehe!
It was my first time in Evia Lifestyle Center and when I saw the interiors, it reminded me of our trip in Venetian Hotel in Macau. I was wondering why it took us a long time to visit here samantalang lagi namin nadadaanan ito papunta ng Landers since 2019.
There are a lot of tables in the restaurant but it is good for sharing so for our table, we are 3 groups; 5, 3 and 2. Unlike in Yurakuen, na kahit 2 lang kami ni hubby, solo namin table. But of course, magkaiba ng rate.
They have a la carte meals but we went here for the Unlimited Madness. We chose Deluxe only since kasama namin ang in-laws ko na maraming bawal kainin. Upon seated, there are printed instructions and menus on the table so you will get an idea of how the Unlimited Madness works.
* To avail of Unlimited Madness, the minimum requirement is two full-paying adults.
* Everyone in your group must avail of the same type of offer, Deluxe or Premium
* The time limit per group is two hours and it starts when your first set of orders has been served.
Just like in Yurakuen, after a few minutes of waiting, the staff already get our order. We can order a maximum of 10 kinds of Sushi Dishes and 10 Kinds of Teppanyaki Dishes per group of 2-4 persons. Then after serving those dishes, we can order again.
It took us a long time to order because there are so many selections of sushi, sashimi, rolls, grilled dishes, baked dishes, ramen, soups, donburi, rice, and appetizers.
Unfortunately, for the teppanyaki, not all are available so we were not able to try the St. Helen’s Black Angus High Choice Sirloin Fillet Steak, Pork Tenderloin, Korean Pen Scallops, and Flounder Fillet. Ang sad lang kasi scallops pa naman yung type ko sa teppanyaki, they only have Baked Aklan Scallops na hindi ko naman type.
After they served our soups and drinks, I was surprised because the chef already came to our table and she started cooking the main dishes. I thought, same sa Yurakuen na they will give us enough time to eat our soup, sushi, and sashimi before the chef arrived.
Imagine, while the staff is serving the 10 other kinds of dishes that we ordered, the chef is also cooking our 10 kinds of teppanyaki dishes. Everything was in a rush phase because the chef is cooking the vegetables, rice, beef, and seafood by batch. Hindi siya per type so halo-halo na yung kinakain namin, hindi ko na nga madifferentiate kung ano pinagkaiba ng Brazilian Ribeye and NZ Ribeye and ng Snapper and Uhu Fillet.
If I knew that this would happen, we will just order a few dishes like 3 appetizers, 1 meat, 1 seafood, and 1 vegetable dish. Then reorder na lang. Hindi namin alam na sabay-sabay lulutuin yung beef, yung fish, etc. Nasa isip ko kasi yung Yurakuen na one dish at a time so we really enjoyed the experience kasi slow eating. Well, maybe that is the disadvantage of shared table kasi mabilisan lahat.
And because of that, after one hour, we are done. Feeling ko tuloy kumain lang kami sa fast food or restaurant sa sobrang bilis. Kasi naman, hindi mo maenjoy food kung malamig na kaya dapat mabilis din kumain. Parang mas matagal pa yung pagluluto ko sa Samgyupsalan kaysa dito. Hehehe!
Overall, the experience is just okay because some food is hit and miss. Some food is too salty for our taste. My personal favorite is the Premium Yasai Itame, I like asparagus and mushrooms kasi.
The service is good naman although wala silang staff per table so if we need anything, maghahanap kami ng staff na matatawag para magrefill ng drinks or if we want to reorder. The chef asked if there are birthday celebrants so may complimentary cake and birthday song pala sila.
Anyway, it was still a good experience for my son who is starting to love Japanese cuisine. Dati hindi naman yan nagsushi or sashimi, pero ngayon kumakain na. If ever we will go back, I will just order a few dishes at a time so we can maximize the 2 hours teppanyaki experience. It was a birthday celebration kasi so parang ang bilis lang din ng pangyayari. Much better siguro kung group of 10 kami para private room or table.
Unlimited Madness Deluxe Rate (Unlimited Soft Drinks and Juice)
PHP1488+ Lunch
PHP1588+ Dinner
PHP1588+ Holiday
Unlimited Madness Premium Rate
PHP1788+ Lunch
PHP1888+ Dinner
PHP1888+ Holiday
Children’s Rate
Free - 3 feet below
Half Price - 4 feet below
Full Price - 4 feet above
PHP1,212 will be charged on top of your bill for leftovers per head.
Leftovers for this offering are not allowed to be taken out
I suggested two restaurants for my mom’s despedida and she chose Teppanya. So just this month, we went back to Teppanya EVIA but this time with my family. I mentioned before that we planned to eat here last year pero lagi fully booked but we tried our luck again.
I asked my husband to call Teppanya EVIA to reserve a private room and was advised that there is a minimum of PHP15,000 total bill to reserve this room. Which is not a problem since we are group of 11 so even we just availed the Unlimited Madness Regular Rate, pasok kami sa minimum amount.
The day before our schedule, my husband received a message and call from Teppanya to confirm our reservation. And at the time of our trip, we arrived 30 minutes before the opening and marami na rin nakapila, mas marami ngayon compared sa last visit namin. And since we have our reservation, kami una nakapasok.
It was only 8 months ago since our last visit pero marami na rin changes. The good news is, the menu is already laminated, much better kaysa sa printed paper. The sad news is, the menu has changed na pala. May 3 choices na, Regular Rate na kami sa second visit. I was looking forward for scallops kasi wala dati pero ngayon, wala na talaga sa menu. No more St Helen’s Black Angus High Choice Sirloin Fillet Steak and Korean Pen Scallops but there is an additional King Mackerel Miso but we did not order this.
Even though we are a group, we have our own likes and dislikes so may kanya-kanya rin kami order. Like I said before, konti na lang order ko para maenjoy ko kasi sabay-sabay niluto last time e. For my family of three, we ordered NZ Ribeye, Salmon, Shrimp, Squid, Premium Yasai Itame, Usuyaki Beef Roll, Miso Soup, Ebi Tempura, Premium Sashimi Moriawase and Baked Scallops.
I liked our recent teppanyaki experience kasi hindi sobrang nagmamadali yung chef so we were able to enjoy our two hours. And this time, hindi maalat yung food, so siguro nakadepende na lang talaga sa chef.
I was expecting na may sariling butler sa private room pero wala pala so the downside is, kapag may gusto ka iorder or ifollow-up, mahirap. Kailangan mo pa lumabas or maghintay na may magserve para makapag-order or follow-up, especially sa drinks. Ang tagal makapagrefill.
One of our family members is confined in the hospital and visiting is not possible so I just created “Get Well Soon Cards”. The SVG file is designed by The Bearded Housewife, this is part of the Craft Fest that I attended.
This cute pop-up box has a separate card where you can write your message and envelope. I also added a “Get Well” die-cut letter so it won’t look plain.
I only need one card but I remembered that I have a Get Well Card Bundle that I haven’t tried so since nagcraft na naman ako, itodo ko na. This is an easy-to-do project if you have a cutting machine because all you need to do is upload the designs, change the layers to draw, score, and lastly cut the design.
These are insert cards but I added some colors using markers, distress oxides, and beads.
The Atlanterhavsvegen or Atlantic Ocean Road was opened in 1989 and is considered a National Tourist Route, World’s Best Road Trip, and a cultural heritage site. It is an 8.3 km road that connects Averøy to the mainland with a total of eight bridges over a series of islets and skerries.
This road is only 8.3km so it was just a short trip but of course, in order to enjoy the experience, you need to stop and enjoy the magnificent view. As you pass the Lauvøysund Bridge, Lauvholmen Bridge, Geitoysund Bridge, Storseinsundet Bridge, Hulvågen Bridges, and Vevangstraumen Bridge, there are four resting places and viewpoints where you can stroll, take pictures or have a snack.
This road is a popular site for automotive commercials and even for movies because it is one of the shooting locations of “James Bond’s No Time to Die” movie. And because it became popular with tourists, natives opened restaurants, accommodations, fishing, and scuba diving resorts.
Storseisundet Bridge is the longest among the eight bridges of Atlantic Ocean Road, it connects Hustadvika Municipality and Averøy Municipality. It is 260 meters long.
I will share some trivia that was posted in their resting places.
* During the six-year construction period, the workers endured a total of twelve hurricanes. The road was opened on July 7, 1989.
* The Atlantic Ocean Road was voted Norway’s Construction of the Century in 2005.
* National Tourist Routes offer spectacular and varied drives. Eight of the 18 routes selected as National Tourist Routes are located in this area, and they make for unique driving experiences. The area’s sheer mountainsides, magnificent glaciers and waterfalls, deep fjords, and rugged coastline allow you to experience the very essence of the National Tourist Routes.
Aside from the Atlantic Ocean Road, here are some sights that you can visit in Averøy, Eide, and Fræna.
1. Bud is a fishing village in Fræna municipality. It is a paradise for those who love nature and fishing. A child-friendly village with several apartments and boathouses for rent.
2. Bud Museum Ergan Coastal Fort and Culture Center is a German coastal fort that today is a war memorial museum.
3. Kvernes Stave Church is one of the youngest Norwegian stave churches.
4. Old Kvernes Rural Museum is an open-air museum.
5. Halås Gårdsutsalg is a farm shop and bed and breakfast.
6. Derinngarden is a farm shop and cafe.
7. Håholmen is an 18th-century fishing village with original wharves, traditional fishermen’s shacks, and a bakery.
I'm so thankful to God for giving us good weather because it's been raining since we left the house but no more rain when we drove to Atlantic Ocean Road.
