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. 🙂