Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen + Bag of Beans

January 13, 2016 teeshLeave a comment

I feel sad writing this while munching on instant pancit canton (meaning it’s bland and just noodles) because now I’m craving for quality Italian food. But I have a terrible head ache and I was hoping that the MSG in this will get me to crash back into sleep. Being in night shift will be the death of my fitness goals, I swear. I have now added sleeping during the day (too many distractions) in my list of things I do not like doing. It’s quickly catching up on to going out on rainy days – which is precisely what we did during my brother’s birthday. Haha!

We usually only ever go to the Sta. Rosa area for two things: to go shopping and to go shopping then eat at Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen. Haha! We’ve tried to eat at their original branch in BF Homes but it’s always so crowded, probably because they have great tasting dishes. So anyway, the brother wanted Italian food for his birthday, and C suggested we brave the ongoing rain and head to Nuvali. Whenever we eat here, we have at least one order of their risotto along with their house blend iced tea (seriously one of the best ones I have tried). C’s favorite is the buttered one while I lean towards their Risotto Pesto Al Pollo (from the name itself – with pesto and chicken) – and we ordered both dishes so the sibs can try it for themselves. Surprisingly, they enjoyed the pesto one even though they steered clear of anything pesto after my first attempt at making it at home (they said it tasted strongly like grass haha). The appetizer samples was nothing special though, which is the first miss we’ve had from all our visits to the restaurant.

After roaming around Nuvali (roaming = a little bit of shopping), we headed back to Cavite via the Tagaytay-Calamba road. While rainy days in Manila meant being stuck in traffic for what seems like forever, rainy days in Tagaytay meant an overall cuddle weather. Thank goodness I had a thick black pullover on (plus my thick knee high socks under my rain boots), only a little part of my legs was in danger of freezing (not really) because I wore a mini skirt lol. We had the windows down when it started getting foggy, and the chills had everyone craving for coffee. Where to go next then? Nope, not Starbucks!

No filter Tagaytay fog

We headed to Bag of Beans for some dessert, hot chocolate (for me and Tin), and coffee for them guys. Bag of Beans’ fame grew rapidly over the years that they have opened more branches in Tagaytay. Our favorite is still their original one, although the service is not what it used to be (it usually takes a while before you get their attention for your orders/your bill/etc), mainly because the place is too big and it’s always so crowded during weekends and holidays. Fortunately, their menu is something one would come back for. 🙂

Seoul Garden Hotpot

January 10, 2016 teeshLeave a comment

I’m a huge fan of Korean food. I don’t think I may have emphasized that enough in this blog. Haha! There are so many Korean restaurants (and Koreans as well) in Cavite that eating out in one located at a mall seems like a lame attempt on authentic Korean cuisine.

C and I were roaming around The District – Imus when we decided to try it out. But we’re not huge fans of hotpot so no hotpot for us. Haha! C had their crispy fried chicken with noodles while I had one of their bibimbap with a twist. One thing you must know about me is my parents trained me to finish everything on my plate.. but I didn’t finish mine because the flavors were so unremarkable that I had to ask for condiments to mix it with. However, C’s order tasted great! I was taking spoonfuls of his noodle soup all throughout our meal that he kept asking me if I wanted to switch orders. I guess it’s because he couldn’t eat in peace. 😛 It’s actually one of the things I love about this guy – it’s like having a ‘best friends with really good benefits’ kind of relationship. He teases me, annoys me, and has all these little quirks that frankly, I can live without, but it makes him him. And that’s more than enough for me. 🙂

Dak go gi myon without the soup (Php 248)

Shots (I honestly can’t remember how it tasted like sorry lol)

Bek Ryeon Korean Restaurant

January 8, 2016 teeshLeave a comment

Sweet & Spicy Chicken (I forgot the Korean name of this dish)

The struggle is real when looking for great restaurants in the Cavite area. Sure, there are a lot within the Tagaytay area but seeing how it’s so urbanized now, the traffic is not something we’d brave when we decide to eat out on a whim. Imagine our surprise when a Korean restaurant popped out in the middle of nowhere (it literally does not have any other establishments beside it). We had template orders for every kind of restaurant during our first visit. Bibimbap is usually the dish I base my potential future visits (or the lack of it), and it was.. kinda disappointing. The chicken dish was the one who convinced us to give it another go, though. It was better than the one from Top Dish, and just the right mix of sweet and spicy. The price is above our usual food budget, though, with Php 400-500/person, which sucks a bit because I also had the chance to try their Bulgogi on another visit and it was really good!

Red Panda Modern Chinese Cuisine and Wine Bar

December 4, 2015 teeshLeave a comment

Day 9

Dear mom,

Yesterday, I was on a jeepney to go to the market when I start thinking of something not relevant to this story. The next thought that comes to mind is asking you for your opinion, and that’s when it hit me. I am never going to talk to you again. I will spend the rest of my life having all these totally random questions that I would be meaning to ask you, only to rein myself in because you won’t be able to answer. I usually fancy myself as an adult now, but I didn’t know how much I relied on you now that you’re gone.

I miss you mom. Some days I feel like we’ve been prepared all this time to lose you, but there are days where I just wish I can still talk to you.

***

We ate in Red Panda after mom’s cremation since according to tradition, one should not head straight home after visiting wakes or attending funerals. We had so much food that we had all the extra packed as take away. The broccoli dish had all the kids (C included) eating vegetables which was nice. There were other dishes I was not able to take photos of (and eat) because I was too lazy and only took portions of those nearest to me.

Crispy Noodles with Seafood & Mixed Vegetables

T&C Sundays

October 7, 2012 teeshLeave a comment

Even though weekends and holidays grant me license to sleep all day, I never stay in bed past 7 AM. Normally, my body clock starts ringing before six in the morning, past it when I’m tired, but never beyond seven o’clock. Essentially, it’s a good thing, but I hate it especially since no matter how late I stay up, I can’t manage to stay asleep once the sun comes out (my mother often asks “natutulog ka ba?”).

It’s an entirely different matter with C. He could sleep all day and pretty difficult to rouse. Hence, I really appreciate our Sundays together. T&C Sundays starts the earliest he could make it which is normal between 7 AM to 10 AM, depending on the time he wakes up. Most of our Sundates are relaxed ones with no schedules to follow.

We’ll attend the 8:30 AM mass in Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Tagaytay (or any other church) and light candles after the service. I will force him to walk to Magallanes Square (Starbucks Coffee/Figaro/Leslie’s/Teriyaki Boy/Yellow Cab/Cliff House/etc area), and C will complain about having to walk when we could ride a jeepney while we’re doing so (“lagi na lang akong pinaglalakad, buti na lang hindi mainit!”). We’d catch up on the small details we forgot to tell each other during the week (“alam mo ba, si..”). Our footsteps barely make a sound on the uneven pavement as he frees his arm (which I’m rubbing with both of my hands because I still feel cold even with a cardigan on) to wrap it around me (“ang bilis mo ginawin, lika nga dito”). When we reach the part where the pavements are gone, we do a little dance and giggle as we do so, while crossing the street as there are no cars in sight (“bilis, bilis, ikot!”). We’d look at the same view before deciding on where to have brunch (“Pancake House na lang ulit, gusto ko i-try yung pancakes nila”). We end up staying in our booth/table far too long and have the funniest conversations that I tend to wish someone was there to record every minute of it (“C, let’s try *insert expensive restaurant here*. Pagiipunan ko and treat kita!”, “babe, hindi naman kailangan ng expensive things..”, *after five minutes* “punta tayo sa Boracay, tapos sa Discovery Shores tayo kasi dun kami nagsstay.. Sige, sasama ako kapag gusto mo pumunta ng *insert country here* pero first class tickets ang bilihin natin ha?”). Either a movie or dessert follows brunch before we head home.

Although we spent almost the entire day together, it still feels like the time we had was not enough. I want more of it. (Re-reading the last two lines I wrote, I realized how cheesy this post is becoming. Haha!)

I look forward to more Sundays with you. 🙂

teesh.blog

my life of big & small adventures

Tag: Food Adventures in Cavite