Hi Panglao. Love to see you, but sad to be here this time.

Can you guess what is in these bags? So we are at Cebu Pier 1 awaiting the fast ferry down to Tagbilaran. Clearly, there is a big cock-fighting tournament on between Cebu and Tagbilaran. These are the Cebu ‘contestants’.

A new location for us to stay for the first couple of days in Tagbilaran. Right next door to one of the first tourist things I ever saw in Bohol some 10 years ago, The Blood Compact. This is Ocean Suites, and it is a stunner. Well, it is for Amy, as both Ollie and I were working the full day. I even got sunburn as I was sat in a chair working from 0700am to 1800 without moving pretty much. But not a bad view when you look up to gather a thought…

My work-station for the first couple of days.

Back to our mate Chef Raphael at Smoque Bistro & Bar. I tell you what TripAdvisor how this guy is not #1 on your best restaurant list for Bohol is beyond me. Come on tourists get out of your hotel and bloody well explore. You HAVE to come here!!! Maybe just for the pork fat butter – oh my goodness gracious!!!

A new one for the Smoque menu and an absolute belter. I welcome you to an incredible dish. This is Chef Raphael’s Sisig Tacos. Holy shit, what a concept and what a cracking dish. Yeah, we had this twice…

Cannot get enough of his crackling pork belly. We have this literally every single time we visit our mate. It is quality, absolute quality!!!

Another new one for us today was the dry-aged pork tomahawk. Oh yeah baby, damned fine it was. Like damned fine!!! Yummo!!!

Be proud today Chef Raph. You managed to ‘convert’ Amy and she ate your amazing Beef Carpaccio (and loved it!!!).

Superb meal, but we can’t wait to reunite with the rest of the family…

And Chef Raph, your second Amy conversion this night was her first time to ever eat Sisig. And yes, again, she loved it. Taco HEAVEN!!! Just the most amazing idea buddy!!!

You know that food-truck dream I have? Well, morning #1 one after the day travel to the Tagbilaran and the hotel and guess what has parked out the front…? This beauty. It even has the pop-up roof for extra height and it even used to be a food truck and they used to drive it down to Alona Beach to feed the tourists. I might even ask these guys if they would be up for selling or co-sharing this… ChillaxBBQ does Camper Van Cooking. Bring it on!!!

Right next door is the Blod Compact Shrine, dedicated to the original Filipina islanders and the Spanish explorers agree on a peaceful relationship through drinking each other’s blood. I kid you not. Could have just shaken hands lads…

And right next door is this rather impressive place. Superb location to sea and airport. It’s 5-10 to the city. 20-30 to the beaches on Panglao. 2 hours or so down to Anda and Mabini. A really good location. I like. Oh yeah and extremely $ reasonable.

A long drive to Mabini early in the morning but we get to see these gorgeous girls. Missed my wifey massively. Lovely to see my Sis and Maricel. Love you girls xxx

Papang’s new front garden. That is a view and half my friend. Enjoy the beautiful peace Papang.

Daughter #2 in full-on ‘police the toddlers’ mode. Check that face out. I would not want to cause any trouble to Jhea… Ha Ha. So lovely to see Jhea, if only for a short time this trip.

See what I mean… Kids all going NUTS!!! Sugar-rush I think from the Fanta.

Cocktail making the Philippines stylee. My brother YanYan did this. He asked if I would like a Lime Juice and Rum. And this is how they mix the two bottles together to get two perfect bottles of the mixed drink. INcredible, and bloody delicious!!!

Here is my Anda work-station for a couple of days. I did some audio calls from here too – amazing. Anywhere in the world now pretty much and you can work. #justaddwifi

Back to Tagbilaran and another couple of nights booked at Ocean Suites again. Really do like this place. BaiBai stays with us for one night too before departing back to Brunei so we get another chance to show off Smoque to another family member. We love seeing BaiBai…

Yet more of that delicious Beef Carpaccio. Let me apologise for photo quality though. I only took iPhone with me and the lighting in Smoque is low-light. Sorry Chef.

Another new dish this evening that Amy and Ollie were going to share. I wonder what it could be? Looks intriguing in all that smoke…

It’s the Smoque Burger and what a CRACKER it is. This is a must-try gang! Stunner of a burger.

The girls get stuck into Yellowfin Tuna Tataki with cockles. Looks a little like ChillaxBBQ Tuna Tataki, and believe me I am humbled and honoured to say that.

Wifey cannot come here without having the grilled octopus – as in EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!

See I told you about my darling crackling pork belly. This is my poison I cannot be without. I will have this every single time too. It is just a stunning dish. The little silver jug behind contains a gravy to die for too.

A meal of 2’s it seems as yes we go hard again in Sisig Tacos as our Amy now loves Sisig. See Chef she really is a convert as she is asking for it.

Do you know that 5-year old called Jude? Yeah well, he wants Wagyu, and he wants it NOW. I chose from the menu the following; Nanchiku Grade A4 Wagyu cooked to medium. HOLY SHIT. I tell you what, and I know I say this a lot, but this was right up there with the VERY best steak I have ever ever had. It was just incredible. I got a little sea salt to sprinkle and the whole table was just in heaven with this butter-like beefy goodness. If you don’t order this when you visit Chef Raph you should be shot cos you ain’t no foodie. This is MUST try. Just incredible…

Look at it spread out a little now. I kid you not this melted in your mouth. It really is some of the absolute very best Wagyu I have ever had to go in this big fat gob of mine. And at about $50 it was amazing value on steroids…

I forgot to show these. With your Sisig Tacos, you get these four home-made sauces in your very own little squeezy bottles. Cracking sauces. See the 2nd from left, that is akin to my very own Piri Piri sauce and yes it would burn the arse out of your cat if it licked this bottle. It is PUNCHY!!! Phew!!!

Here is my loaded crispy Sisig Taco – all four sauces. This little thing is heavenly food, believe me. It is absolutely off-the-charts good. More please, Chef Raph can I please have more…????

And, Chef Raph, here is convert #2. Yeap you even got the Jude-meister into Sisig for the first time ever. I am loving this, and cannot wait for the next trip back now. Great work kidlets.

So the kidlets are all now enjoying themselves together after a week or so apart, whilst I sit down and work again. Bah Humbug. So much work to do. After this swim, they all go off again to the shops leaving me on my own to then meet them later at dinner time. Lucky buggers…

It’s good to be a kid right! Enjoy my little ones, cos the fun part soon runs out.

My little United Colours of Bennetton family you!!!

Last night now before back to Singapore and we were so very lucky to have Jimboy join is for dinner too. Off to a place he has not been to yet, that I found last time remember? We’re off again to The Hideout. It is quality here. Great food and beers, so cheap on the $, entertainment all night too. The young lads that created this concept are genius’.

No live music for us tonight sadly as it started quite late, but we did have cool tunes pumping out and a really good fun quiz night. Grear work The Hideout, brilliant family fun thanks!!!

Ollie and I go hard for a cut-down version of Lechon that is called BellyChon from Honch. This stuff is unbelievable from such a small stall. This pork belly is to die for good. I grabbed a load of native sauce too – soya, lime, vinegar and chilli for dipping. Sorry to say though Honch that the Sisig was not good. We all had a tug on it and left it. But your Bellychon is exceptional.

The masters at work. Check out that pricing. Can you see it? 300 Peso for 1/2 Kilo of this deliciousness is equal to SGD $7. Amazing food and amazing prices.

Have a look at that. I went for 1/4 Kilo for about $3. I tell you this wins hands down to most roast pork in SG (did I say that…), and is coming close to competing with ChillaxBBQ slow-roast pork belly (did I actually say that too?). Rock on guys and keep churning that amazing Bellychon out it is truly some of the best pork bellies ever!!! LOVED IT!!!

It’s quiz time. We got 100% right on the food section, how about that. Then it all got a tad Filipina and we were lost. But such great fun. The girls running the quiz were seriously good and very funny. What a cracking idea. We’ll be back!!!

And that was that. An early night and up very early for the first ferry back to Cebu to catch our flight home. Not sure if King Jude had a big enough bed for the night? What do you think? Lucky bugger!!!

One final panorama look-see from our hotel in Bohol over to Panglao where the house is that we didn’t get to visit this trip. Be seeing you soon, missing you already.