NEW YORK FOOD TRIP: My Guide to Dining at Peter Luger Steakhouse, est. 1887

August 28, 2019




NEW YORK FOOD TRIP: 
My Guide to Dining at Peter Luger Steakhouse, est. 1887


WHY DINE AT PETER LUGER

1. For the steak, of course.


Dry aged USDA Prime Beef
This is called "steak for 3" according to the menu.


2. More than the steak, the restaurant is part of New York history.

Peter Luger is one of the oldest steakhouse in New York and still thriving. In fact, it's still so famous that it's difficult to get a table if you walk in without reservation. Peter Luger was established in 1887.



MY TIPS

1. Reserve online. Do not walk in.

There's little chance of getting a seat if you walk in. As you can see in the photo below, the restaurant has a very long wait list.

Reserve at https://peterluger.com/




2. When to reserve online

I noticed it's harder to get a slot if you're only 2 in your group. More slots are available if you're more than 2. At the same time, you can't make a reservation for more than 2 people if only two are coming just to get a slot, because they charge 40 USD per person for no shows.

So, if you're only 2 in your group, and desire to book on a weekend peak time, you have a better chance of getting a slot if you make a reservation at least 3 weeks before your intended date. Reservations open 6 weeks before.



3. What time to reserve

We chose the 12:45 PM slot so we'll have the option to choose the lunch special and Luger burger if we desire. Both are available only till 3:45 PM.


4. Make sure to cancel the day before if you're not coming.


You guarantee your reservation with your credit card. No shows will incur a 40 usd fee per person. You can cancel your reservation 24 hours before without charge.


5. Bring cash. They do not accept credit card for payment.


6. What to order and how much.

We are a party of 6 and when we dined we over-ordered the steak.


Steak

If you're a party of 6, only order the steak for 4. In our case, we ordered two "steak for 3". You can see how large it is from the photo below. Friends recommend that to get the most out of the steak in terms of flavor, you should at least order 600 grams of steak.


We ordered 2 "steak for 3" Dry aged USDA Prime Beef
One is cooked medium rare. The other is cooked medium.


The size of one "Steak for 3"









Checkout this post on how it is cooked and how it is served to better appreciate your meal: The Porterhouse at Peter Luger Steakhouse 



Appetizer


Luger's sizzling bacon, extra thick, 3 slices



Salad


Iceberg Wedge Salad, Chopped Tomato, Bacon, Crumbled Blue Cheese
with Blue Cheese Dressing




Complimentary bread basket



Peter Luger Sauce
It's a sweet sauce we didn't put on our steak.





At the end of the meal, they give you Peter Luger chocolate coins.












MENU OF PETER LUGER















NEW YORK FOOD TRIP: All About Brooklyn Bagel

August 27, 2019





NEW YORK FOOD TRIP: All About Brooklyn Bagel


Everyone says you can't leave New York without trying the New York bagel. The New York bagel is considered the signature foodstuff in New York. So the first thing we did when we arrived in New York was to check out Brooklyn Bagel. 



WHY CHOOSE BROOKLYN BAGEL

1. IT COMES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.


Brooklyn Bagel was recommended to us by my daughter's colleagues at work and has been mentioned in several articles such as the ones below:

NYC's Finest Bagels Mapped
18 Best Bagels in New York City - Best NYC Bagel Shops in 2019

The Absolute Best Bagel Shops in NYC 
The 15 Best Bagels in New York City

2. IT'S VERY NEAR THE NEW YORKER HOTEL.


Since it's near the New Yorker hotel where we are staying, it fits our itinerary to try out this place.


 Brooklyn Bagel: 286 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001, USA
Operating Hours:
Mon-Fri: 6:30AM - 4:30PM
Sat-Sun: 7:00 AM - 4:30 PM



It's 930 AM when we arrived and there's still a line.


HOW TO ORDER:

1. ORDER JUST A BAGEL (SEE THE FLAVORS BELOW), EITHER IN MINI OR REGULAR SIZE, OR


CLICK PHOTO TO SEE FULL IMAGE


2. ORDER A BAGEL WITH SPREAD (SEE CHOICE OF SPREAD BELOW), OR

CLICK PHOTO TO SEE FULL IMAGE


3. ORDER A BAGEL WITH FILLING (SEE CHOICE OF FILLING BELOW), OR


CLICK PHOTO TO SEE FULL IMAGE


3. ORDER THEIR SIGNATURE BREAKFAST WRAPS OR SANDWICH (IF YOU DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR SANDWICH)

CLICK PHOTO TO SEE FULL IMAGE



We ordered a plain bagel without any spread
and their signature sandwich called Highline Club. 


Highline Club:
Plain bagel with oven roasted turkey, bacon, romaine, tomato and mayo 

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES: Meals on Los Angeles to Manila Flights

August 21, 2019

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES: Meals on Los Angeles to Manila Flights



LOS ANGELES TO MANILA, PR 113





HOT MEAL (First meal served 1.5 hours after takeoff)

Bread roll and butter
Coleslaw salad with bacon
Pork estofado: Stewed pork slices in spiced tomato sauce
Served with peas, carrots, steamed rice
Vanilla pudding in cup

Bread roll and butter
Coleslaw salad with bacon
Chicken barbecue: Roasted chicken thigh in smoky barbecue sauce
Served with mixed vegetables and bacon mashed potato
Vanilla pudding in cup


MID-FLIGHT SNACK (Meal served half-way through the 14 hour flight, or 7 hours after takeoff)

Turkey and bacon sandwich with mozarella cheese
Chocolate chip cookie




HOT MEAL (Served 2 hours before landing)


Bread roll and butter
Seasonal fresh fruit slices (Melon)
Prawns in chili garlic sauce: stir fried prawns in Thai style spiced garlic sauce
Served with kailan, black mushroom and pad thai noodles

Bread roll and butter
Seasonal fresh fruit slices (Melon)
Beef lasagna: Pasta layers filled with ground beef, bechamel and tomato sauce
Topped with shaved parmesan cheese




ALCOHOLIC AND NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES SERVED DURING THE FLIGHT



CATHAY PACIFIC: Meals on Manila to Hong Kong Flights

CATHAY PACIFIC: Meals on Manila to Hong Kong Flights



MANILA TO HONG KONG, CX 906


Chicken Fajita Wrap
Oatmeal cookie
Bottled water

CATHAY PACIFIC: Meals on Hong Kong to New York Flights

CATHAY PACIFIC: Meals on Hong Kong to New York Flights

HONG KONG TO NEW YORK, CX 846









DINNER
Vegetable salad with beef pastrami
Bread and butter
Traditional salt baked chicken with steamed jasmine rice
Movenpick ice cream, chocolate, tea, coffee 


Vegetable salad with beef pastrami
Bread and butter 
Pan-fried fish, green beans, carrot, new potato, and tomato lemon myrtle sauce 

Movenpick ice cream, chocolate, tea, coffee 


BREAKFAST
Omelette, bacon, pork sausage, potatoes and oven-dried tomatoes
Bread and butter, tea, coffee 











Hanoi Budget Travel and Tour Expenses for 3 Nights

July 9, 2019


Hanoi Budget Travel and Tour Expenses for 3 Nights


This is the breakdown of my travel expenses based on the itinerary I posted in a previous blog post, 5 DAYS IN HANOI: MY TRAVEL GUIDE AND ITINERARY. Day 1 and Day 5 was our flight in and out of Hanoi. But we had 3 full days of sightseeing and 3 nights accommodation. 

CHECK OUT MY ITINERARY IN THIS POST:
5 DAYS IN HANOI: MY TRAVEL GUIDE AND ITINERARY


AIRFARE
Cebu Pacific roundtrip airfare without check-in luggage from Manila to Hanoi:
4979.10 pesos
www.cebupacificair.com


PHILIPPINE TRAVEL TAX
1620 pesos


TRAVEL INSURANCE VIA PACIFIC CROSS
508 pesos
Travelsafe Insurance via Pacific Cross


ACCOMMODATIONS
Golden Sun Suites hotel
113.85 usd per room per night for 4 persons
or 28.46 usd per person per room per night
for a total of 85.40 usd
Buffet breakfast is included in the accommodation

Late checkout: 60 usd

GET BEST RATES FOR GOLDEN SUN SUITES HOTEL HERE 

Total expense in peso: approx. 5150 pesos



TRANSPORTATION
Hotel shuttle from the airport to the hotel: 
18 usd per car with 4 passengers

Hotel shuttle from the hotel to the airport
15 usd per car with 4 passengers

We requested pickup from the hotel via email.

We didn't incur additional costs on transportation because we walked to a lot of sights from our hotel.

Total expense in pesos: approx. 560 pesos



SIGHTSEEING
Halong Bay tour
95 usd
www.halongbayluxurydaytour.com

Than Long Citadel
30,000 VND

Temple of Literature
30,000 VND

Ho Chi Minh Stilts house
25,000 VND

Total expense in pesos: approx. 5000 pesos



MEALS
Ca Ca Than Long: 160,000 VND
Cafe Trung Egg Coffee: 40,000 VND
Bun Bo Nam Bo: 60,000 VND
Hanoi Beer: 20,000 VND
Cafe Pho Co egg coffee: 40,000 VND
Coconut Coffee: 40,000 VND
Bun Cha Dak Kim: 90,000 VND
Banh Mi 25: 25,000 VND
Limu Paleta: 25,000 VND
Coconut milk with Coffee Smoothie: 45,000 VND

Total expense in pesos: approx. 1200 pesos


SOUVENIR
Vietnamese coffee:103,500 VND

Total expense in pesos: approx. 230 pesos


POCKET WIFI
Flytpack: 780 pesos for 3 days
www.flytpack.com


NOTE:
I changed only 150 USD into Vietnamese Dong. That's for 1 person. I only bought Vietnamese coffee for souvenir. It was sufficient since Hanoi is not an expensive city. Meals are cheap. I never exchanged currency again during the trip. 

CEBU PACIFIC: How to Cancel Flights Online and Get a Refund

July 6, 2019


CEBU PACIFIC: How  to Cancel Flights Online and Get a Refund 

Each flight booked may have different terms and conditions, but this is a way to find out how much refund you can get if you're cancelling a flight on any of the grounds listed in the Cebu Pacific as valid reasons to request for a refund.

Cancelling flights involve 3 steps as shown below. You can go until step 2 to see how much refund will be given to you without actually canceling the 

1. Log in to your get go account to retrieve your booking. Go to Manage Booking.




2. Click Cancel Flight as shown below.











3. From this point, you can see how much money you will recover from canceling this booking.

The booking I'm cancelling is a one-way domestic flight from Puerto Princesa to Manila.

Don't click CONTINUE below if you haven't decided whether you want to cancel the flight or not.



4. If you clicked Continue as shown above, the amount should appear in your travel fund as shown below.



These are the fees paid for the cancelled flight


ANOTHER SAMPLE FLIGHT CANCELLED
This is a domestic roundtrip flight 
from Manila to Cebu. 




VALID GROUNDS FOR REFUND REQUEST




I couldn't cancel the flights below because I used getgo points for the fare. But I requested for refund of government taxes for unused flights. I will update this post when I have the result of my refund request.