Fat Cousins

The place was packed! Well, it was opening day so we were kind of expecting the place to be full. The place can accommodate at least 30 diners inside. I’m not very sure if the al fresco dining outside was temporary for opening day since it looks like a designated parking space for the building. The interiors were nice, modern and industrial although walking around is a bit hard given the space.

Their menu is a bit limited. They only have 4 entrees to choose from – Australian T-bone Steak (Php199), Home Style Roast Beef (Php150), Hungarian Sausage (Php129) and 1/3lb Beef Burger (Php99). All entrees are served with unlimited soda and rice (except for the burger) so steak lovers who love their steak with rice and glasses of soda will surely enjoy this treat.

We ordered different meals from their menu but they ran out of Home Style Roast Beef so I ordered the same as my friend’s which is the Australian T-bone Steak. It was okay. Flavorful and well done. Nothing too special that will make it stand out from other steakhouses. The mashed potato was a bit dry though. It was opening day and I guess the crowd was overwhelming. I hope to go back on an ordinary day and try other choices on their menu since it’s very affordable.

A few weeks ago, I had an unexpected trip to the mall with my "fat cousins." I spent the entire afternoon with them and before we parted ways, someone's generosity hormones were activated. Haha We decided to cap the night with a belly heavy dinner. 

Unlike me, my cousins have been to Fat Cousins a number of times. Everyone was raving about the steak that comes with unlimited rice and drinks. I'm a sucker for everything unlimited. Haha I was about to ask even if the same rule applies to the steak. Hahaha 

It was Sunday night and as expected, we were greeted with the flock of customers. The place was jampacked. This may look inconvenient on our part but like what everyone says, a populated restaurant is an indicator of great food. 

The menu is quite limited. On the positive side, this makes the selection process easier. I decided to have t-bone steak. While waiting for our orders, I took time to explore the place. I thought the entire restaurant was limited to the air-conditioned area. The place extends to a backyard that offers al fresco dining experience. If given the chance, I would have chosen the wider space outside. I learned that the restaurant also allows private events in the secluded backyard.

It took around 15 minutes before our orders arrived. Don't be deceived with the small size of my t-bone steak. What I thought as a thin and shallow steak came with overflowing strips of tender meat. While my cousin's baby back ribs is no doubt, filled with the much needed taste and servings. 

All value meals come with unlimited rice and drinks. So given the price tag, I believe the prices are more than reasonable. Same story goes with their customer service. Despite the bulk of customers, the service crews were accommodating and responsive. And the interiors of the place, I love the industrial theme! Everything is instagram worthy.

Fat Cousins Diner

Cafe Maria Jerica

Are you a foodie but doesn’t want to spend much? Here’s a new food bistro you should try or might wanna visit. Cafe Maria Jerica located at 14th avenue Cubao Quezon City.

This food bistro is owned by Brgy. Socorro Capt. Jose De Guzman who’s also the owner of Joey’s Bulaluhan located exactly in front of it.

Cafe Maria Jerica offers italian and mexican foods. They have different varities of pastas, different flavors of pizzas, quesadillas, wingers and starters, sandwhiches, colorful drinks in mason jars, and their 1/4 pound cheeseburger worth 60php only. How cool right?

Their foods are freshly served. Extremely huge servings for sharing at a very affordable price. When it comes to service, their staffs and crews are very enthusiastic. However, their place may not be so good for anyone looking at a comfortable bistro for it is not well ventilated since it is just located across the street. But all in all it is great!!!

Have a budget of about 500php and enjoy the Cafe Maria Jerica trip with the gang!!!! 

Cafe Marie Jerica is a one stop shop and the perfect paradise for foodies in budget at the heart of the hustli'n and bustli'n Quezon City. And I am about to tell you why!

The raining was like playing stop and go two days ago and my sister kept on looking at the facebook page of this certain newly opened food house nearby her school. Who wouldn't want to check it out? They got pasta, pizza, burgers, chicken and seafoods! Just looking at their facebook page, you'll see a post that tells the people that they are now open 24 hours due to insistent public demand. 

Going to their page, I saw that they are obviously in the "affordable" range and even though their place doesn't look as "furnished" as other restaurants and places you probably went to, it looked clean and well maintained. 

So we saw that they deliver for just the minimum of 300php order and the delivery is free! Of course, just around the Metro Manila. I decided to give it a try and when I called to order, the first thing that the person I talked with said was the delivery might take an hour or so because they only have one rider at that time and maybe, there's a lot of order and I said it's fine.

The delivery came less than an hour. When I saw the delivery guy holding my orders, it felt like I ordered a 2,000php worth of food because seriously, it looks like I ordered a lot! 

irst bite and we knew we would definitely have some of these baby soon again. I mean, compared to TACO BELL'S Quesadillas, this is not dry, and there's a lot of cheese and flavor. It got a bit messy because it was delivered and I suck at taking pictures of food, so yeah. And all of these for less than a hundred bucks!

Anything with bacon, mushroom and cheese would be delightful for me. This is what I always order in Burger King as well as Wendy's and the moment I took a look inside this burger, I knew my 85 pesos will be worth it. It's double the size of a regular burger plus, there's a side dish that's piatos. Yes, PIATOS was still even in it's packaging when it arrived. Lol. The burger buns isn't dry and grainy. It did not surpassed the taste of burgers from Burger King and Wendy's but it's a good contest for an 85php burger. Plus, it's big!

Kiss the Ice

I’ve found a perfect hang-out place to those who are fond of ice cream

Kiss the Ice is a newly opened ice cream parlor near San Sebastian College basically it’s located in Mendiola, if you’re actually looking for a new way to experience your ice cream then kiss the ice is a must try!

They only offers two menus which is the Monster Puff and the nitrogen ice cream. 

Of course we’re already there so I ordered Monster Puff and Nitrogen Ice Cream in Choco Mania and Strawberry Blossom, for me the price is reasonable because you came there for the ice cream and the experience

There are a few precautions when you’re eating the liquid nitrogen ice cream and they are implementing a no water policy. One more thing, the liquid nitrogen only last up to 8 minutes so make sure you consume it during the given time :) 

Based on my assessment I would have to give Kiss the Ice a rating of 9/10, the staffs were friendly, the service was great, the overall food experience was awesome but the place was a little bit small

Razon's Halo Halo

If you are a razon virgin, then you're missing on one of the best halo halo in town!

At first glance, you may think that it is boring and bland because you can't see any color through the glass other than brown and white. But I was wrong. Thanks to our big sister, who just recovered from cough and colds, we were able to have ourOne Time, Big Time experience at Razon's.

 A serving of Razon's halo-halo only has three ingredients: macapuno, bananas, and leche flan. But what made it yummier is the perfectly crushed ice and the creamy milk. Every spoonful is again, remarkable.

How can a simple mix of sun-ripened banana (saging na saba), shredded macapuno, and leche plan with dayap rind taste so good?! It is as if they are blended into perfection that their sweetness does not overpower one another and the its taste is not boringly sweet. There is something with the mix of the ingredients, milk, and shaved ice that makes this the best halo-halo in town. Indeed, it is simple but excellent in taste!

You have to order and pay in the counter as you can see above. They only have a simple menu composed of filipino xxx-silog dishes.

The ambiance is also simple and it is like a fast food chain setup.

There a good reading on a short history of Razon's and a visual on a map of pampanga to show where Razon's started.

Cheddar Burst

This is the first of our Lilac Street food trip in Marikina. Lilac St. had a string of interesting restaurants and cafe'.I think it is very important to know that they have FREE ENDLESS FRIES and BOTTOMLESS ICED TEA for any Juicy Lucy Burger Meals from 11 am to 4pm EVERYDAY.  My heart leaped out of joy when I read this. I love fries!

A big letdown though. They promised 15-20 minutes cooking time. But we waited in excruciatingly 45 minutes. I could understand if there are load of customers but there are only two tables were occupied that time so it makes us irritated. We were hungry.

Endless fries that seem to me are the real thing - not frozen but freshly-cut

El Fili La Mexicana Tacqueria and Churreria

El Fili La Mexicana Taqueria & Churreria is a Bonafide Mexican Restaurant that offers authentic Mexican dishes such as Burrito, Taco, Quesadilla, Mexican Rice Meals and Traditional Spanish Churros with Tsokolate de Tablea Dip. It also offers Italian and American Dishes from its former Italian Restaurant named Some Kind Of Wonderful or SKOW’s Bestseller list. From purely Italian, American and a little bit of Japanese Resto, SKOW evolved into a Bonafide Mexican Taqueria and Churreria which is now presently named EL FILI. 

. El Fili Mexicana Taqueria & Churreria was once called “Some Kind of Wonderful Cafe” but since they serve Mexican food, its new name sounds more appropriate than the former. Aside from churros, they also have burrito, tacos, quesadilla and many more to satisfy your cravings for Mexican food.

I give El Fili Mexicana Taqueria & Churreria a perfect 10 not just in terms of food but also in the ambiance. I love the interior design of the place, and also the decorations they’ve put up. The owner of the place must be a huge fan of TV shows/movies and music because the decorations go from The Breakfast Club to Star Wars to Michael Jackson to Elvis Presley.

The restaurant made me realize that the keys to a great time are just simply good food, good ambiance and a good friend to pig out with.

See also their Menu for other dishes. The prices are just right for the food I think.

The staff were attentive however the place was a bit small.

The trip to Marikina was all worth it. Definitely coming back for more of their churros swear!

El Fili adjusted thier opening time to 12:30pm or 1pm to cater their customers a great and wonderful service. Unfortunately, they are close every tuesday.

El Fili La Mexicana Taqueria & Churreria is located at Rainbow Street, SSS Village, Concepcion Dos, Marikina City

King Sisig

That restaurant is King Sisig in Isetann, Recto.  we just ordered Pork Sizzling Sisig with unlimited rice and sunny-side up egg. King Sisig is challenging their customers because they have their so-called anghang meter. We enjoy eating sisig if it has a pinch of spiciness. I think that our sisig  are just at the medium to hot level. We’re not up to the challenge of eating the super hot sisig. This newly discovered King Sisig by yours truly tasted very good. Its good either for lunch, diner or for pinoys everyday "pulutan sa inuman". 

King Sisig comes with a level of its hotness. You can choose from mild, medium, hot, extra hot and super hot "Anghang Meter" and choose from different variants of pork, chicken, seafood, bangus, beef or lechon. They have cool promotions like unli-rice and you can alter the spicyness of your meal from: mild, medium, hot, extra hot and super hot. We chose those as well. The prices aren't really expensive, at most its php200 for a full meal. They also had a variety of sisig to choose from aside from the usual chicken, pork and seafood. I think there was tapa and others but we both only really wanted their bestseller which we went with.

 The serving size was a little off for me. I wish there was more of it because hey if you compare it with others (like sisig hooray for example), It should have only costed php80 or something based on the size (in my opinion). Although taste wise, it was very good. I liked my lechon sisig very much. It wasn't too salty and they didn't put too much fat in which usually would make me or anyone think otherwise in eating it. The meat is crispy and tasty. It was served hot and the aroma itself made my mouth water immediately as it was served. It's a definite place to go whenever you need to get your sisig fix. I mean I'd definitely eat there again when I get the chance. I even went as far as getting rice refills (atleast twice), although I've already promised I wouldn't eat so much as I am on a diet. Their green juice (whatever it is) was surprisingly delicious too. I'm glad they offered it in pichers and I like the fact that you get your moneys worth from it as the juice is concentrated (Atleast for me. I had to pour atleast 2 full glasses of water to dilute it so it tastes normal) when you get it. 

In summary, I liked the experience even though we've sampled only a few of their goods. I definitely will go back there if ever I get hungry for sisig (which I honestly do from time to time). I'll even try that tapa sisig for sure. :)

Chillin' @ Loreland

If  you’re in Metro Manila and looking for a place to stay over the weekend, with swimming pools, delicious food, and a wonderful massage service, there’s one place I can highly recommend which is just around two hours from the cities of Manila and Makati: Loreland Farm Resort in Antipolo, Rizal.

I had first gone to Loreland sometime in the early 2000s. It was the go-to place of the non-profit I had worked for, and we always went there for our rest and recreation activities. I loved their swimming pools; they were clean and of varied depths. I remember it was in Loreland that I learned how to swim, quite ironic given that I was born and raised in a coastal town!

Loreland has five swimming pools, all well-maintained and of varying depths. There’s one perfect for kids, and others for adults. I loved the pool with a yacht-shaped building across it; it was 7ft at its deepest, and not a lot of people go there.

When I went there on Sunday morning, I was the only swimmer aside from an approximately 65-year-old lola who, despite the printed warnings around the pool, kept on diving into the water. I told her I didn’t know how to dive; she only smiled and showed me again and again how it was done.

When lola left, I would have been happy continuing to swim longer, except that a group of men decided to sit by the pool with their drinks. I felt too self-conscious as I had worn a swimsuit and immediately left. #fail

f you don’t like being in this scenario, I highly suggest you swim in the infinity pool in Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens and Spa instead. It’s not part of the public area, and in fact, you have to pay separately to go there. But the privacy and the view makes it all worthwhile!

The place is perfect for get-together not to mention the ambiance and the great view since it is situated on a cliff, thus it is called as The Hanging Gardens. The Zen Lounge was decorated with tables designed after a ship steering wheel, piece of clothes shipped from Mindanao and other ornaments that were proudly made by our kababayans.

A hot bowl of soup, a plate of vegetable salad with vinaigrette sauce and a serving of Tuna pesto is equal to one satisfied palate. There are also plans of them going organic which is a good thing for health conscious individuals. After the dinner, we took the time to introduce ourselves which surprisingly we haven’t done before. Stories and laughter’s were shared and after it was the moment that our restless bodies have been waiting for… <drum roll please> the-oh-so-good-body-massage.

I was amazed at how big Loreland was - 8 hectares of land divided into 4 phases or areas. And it wasn't a farm resort. It was more of like Hidden Valley with less nature. But I was also surprised how much nature could be found in this resort. I was expecting more concrete and all, but Loreland has designed the resort in such as way that they blend.

Loreland is your typical Filipino family resort. It has more than 10 swimming pools, a conference hall, a chapel, an events venue, hundreds of cottages and huts, a spa and a hotel building. It doesn't have a lot of rooms, since most of the visitors are here for day tours. People flock here to cook, eat and swim in rented cabanas and nipa huts.

Again, there are more than 10 pools, each having their own character. Some are made for kids, like the one above, complete with a slide.

Overall, I was really surprised with Loreland Farm Resort. I knew expected to like a typical Filipino resort because of all my past bad experiences. Loreland was a cut above the rest, a true escape from the city. Who needs to go to Los Banos or to Tagaytay even when Loreland is just 30 minutes away from Ortigas? I must say, I will definitely come back. I just hope there are not a lot of people when I do.

Ang Favorite Book Ni Jude

 Teatro Tomasino presents its second major production of the year — a stage adaptation of a popular novel of Bob Ong. The stage play runs from April 20, 2016, with shows  at the Albertus Magnus Auditorium, University of Santo Tomas.

The film showing contained logical or philosophical instances and event which turn to humor (You really laugh to some story). It also contained truth and about some religious faith with twist of philosophical factors. Here's some quotes or line I like:

• " Paano ka maniniwalang ako, kung hindi ka man lang naniniwalang meron?"(How can you believe me when you don't believe it is existing)
• "May nasubukan na rin akong barberong bading na kung ituring ang buhok e parang tao. Third person kung tukuyin nya ang buhok. Halimbawa: "Saan natin S'YA babawasan?""Tumikwas S'YA eh""Ayaw N'YA ng mataas"Akala ko nung una e meron s'yang kaibigang espiritu na sya lang ang nakakakita."
• "At maraming bagay ang mahal pag wala kang pera" "There's lot of things that were expensive when you don't have money"

Ang Paboritong Libro Ni Judas taught me so much about faith and piety. It may be boring to some, funny to sundry people, but behind all that it opens your eyes to things you may not have realized, or maybe you  do see but don’t give a damn about.  

Faith. It is a deep understanding and complete trust in a thing or person. We are given freedom to believe in a religion and freedom to act in accordance with such belief. 

It's up to us who and what to believe even to those that is not based in proof.

The story is also  funny because Bob Ong tried to predict the future here and he also described what it is like to be in heaven, who are you going to meet there first, and what will happen if you curse there.

I really appreciate the play for making the audience realize who really God is, who are we as his people, our relationship with him and his Son, Jesus Christ, and reasons why do some people don't believe in him-blaming him for everything.But  I'd also seen some parts in the play  that are irrelevant.  

What I love the most is the conversation between the two men who in the end revealed that the first man is the person who reads this black and senseless book, Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas, “Ngayon din ay magbabalik ka sa lupa. Makikita mo na lang ang sarili mo na taimtim na nagbabasa ng katapusan ng itim na librong walang kwenta at hindi mo maintindihan...” while the other man who I believe is Jesus Christ. This is something that needs reflection and/or meditation because I realize that I'm part of it.

I strongly recommend this book for all the lessons you can learn through it. 

Cafe Kivhan Coffee

My blockmate and I  went to Café Kivhan to do our SCL report . The place was huge and they offer a variety of frappe and espresso you can choose from. It was not planned but because of the extreme heat, we decided to go there and do our powerpoint. Cafe Kivhan is beside Simple Line and Coffee Indulgence, just in front of P. Noval gate of UST. It’s a perfect place for group study sessions. Café Kivhan is both artsy and cozy, and the ambiance could really relax you.

Cafe Kivhan offers a huge variation of drinks and pastries, they even have WAFFLES! :) Try their Walnut Castella for just 27 php and you will surely ask for more. 

Pastries range from P18 to a hundred while drinks (hot and cold) ranges from P100 above.

The taste is good and can even taste better than famous cafes, my only problem was the ice- it was not crushed smoothly the way I want it; but as a whole, I think this cafe will rock THOMASIANS and nearby universities for its wide range of menu and cozy interior.

Lights are good for the eyes, not so bright nor dim. Walls are stained and not painted (Like a country style look) and furnitures are mostly wood. The place is simple yet relaxing. 

If you are here just feel the coziness of the ambiance , just enjoy your coffee and the music. This mistake can compromise in time or they might want to change it. But as a whole, try to bond with your friends or love ones here at Cafe Kivhan and ENJOY!

Balanga, Bataan

Traveling to Bataan should not be a problem as not only is it only a few hours from Manila, there are many buses available traveling this route. I went to Bataan during Holy Week. As expected.  I finally boarded the Bataan Transit bus (in Cubao) at around 10 am. My destination that day was Orion, Bataan. Balanga city though is just three hours away from Manila. Balanga City is the capital of Bataan. Buses from Manila ply to Balanga City on a regular schedule. On my case, I chose Bataan Transit which has terminals in Cubao. Their terminal in Cubao is within Five Star Bus Terminal. Bus fare was 200php. 

Since the endpoint of our bus was the town of Mariveles (Manila-Balanga-Mariveles buses), it did not enter the city center of Balanga. Instead, Balanga-bound passengers were dropped off along the national highway. People going to the city center had to ride a tricycle. There are buses that would go inside Balanga City (Manila-Balanga signboard) and their terminal would be between the fork of Don Manuel Banzon Avenue and Calero Street. This terminal though is a bit far from the Provincial Capitol of Bataan, so for people like us who wanted to visit the provincial seat of government, riding the Mariveles-bound bus and getting off at the Balanga crossing is a good option.It wasn't my first to visit Balanga City . I really just want to see what it looks like now, because the last time I went there was 6 years ago.

From the Provincial Capitol of Bataan, I planned to visit the Balanga Plaza de Mayor and the Catholic Cathedral. Instead of taking one of the many tricycles plying along Capitol Drive, I decided to walk since we saw that both sides of the road are filed with trees. The walk was refreshing even though it was nearing 12 noon. When I reached Gen. Kapinpin Street (the road going to the City Public Market), a buffet restaurant across the road caught my eyes. The cheaper price posted outside the building definitely got my attention to check out their offerings

After the hearty lunch, I continued my walk and reached the St. Joseph Cathedral, around 500 meters from BNK Buffet. The cathedral seemed close when I arrived so I just took pictures outside. Across the cathedral along Aguirre Street is the Balanga Plaza de Mayor.

Central BBQ Boy Grill

Saturday, March 12, 2016 my circle of friends  invited me for a night out in Central BBQ Boy Grill, Paranaque City, since one of them celebrating a birthday. Actually, I am not that kind of interested towards the invitation because that time I am not feeling well. But there’s no way for me to refuse it.

The place is very solemn, so if you are a group of friends then you can communicate better compared to the other bars that play audible music. Moreover, the washroom is also clean; the establishment’s washroom signage is also noticeable because for female its bad girl and for male its bad boy.The hanging lampshades add up the details of the entire bar. And each table there is a candle light for the whole time you are drinking. The place is not that too heavy to hangout out with friends. Just a reminder CENTRAL BBQ BOY GRILL doesn’t have a dance floor.

Once you get hold of their menu, first thing you'd notice is the humor they added when they named their food and drinks (check out the bottom of the post for details). Since we were still full, I decided to get their combo (Php 699) - 3 cocktails + 2 pulutan (a choice of Nachos + Hotdog or Flaming Tuna + Barbeque). 

 Tuna chunks in a sizzling plate which will be served to you while it's still flaming. The tuna is well cooked and there's no malansa after taste. You can even pair this with rice if you're up for it. Macho King (Php 135), it's your typical nacho. It's made up of tortillas plus ground beef, chili pepper, dressing and cheese. We ordered 2 SurferBoy's, 2 Squeeze Me's, 1 Bad Trip, 1 Bad Boy + Bacardi Shot. You will definitely enjoy these drinks and say to yourself "This is alcohol? It tastes like juice!". Well my dear, don't be deceived by these drinks even if they don't leave any bitter after taste there's a chance you're gonna end up barfing all over specially if your alcohol tolerance is low.

Overall, our stay there is priceless. I enjoyed every minute with them and to the place. We left at around 3 am.

Bakas, Norzagaray, Bulacan

It was lunch time when my cousins and I decided to go to Bakas River near My Grandmother’s House. We were rushing to be there because I need to go back in Manila in that day. That’s why, we’re not able to bring any food, just ourselves. It is Located in Barangay Matictic, Bakas River Resort is actually part of the Angat River. It is called Bakas, which means "footprint", because of the rock formations along its riverbank which resembles the footprint of a famous mythical character named Bernardo Carpio.

 It is already 4 in the afternoon when we arrived at the resort so I decided not to swim anymore. Even if it is already late, a lot of visitors are still arriving at the place.

We put our things on one of the vacant open huts that are lined up along the riverbank. One could rent an open hut for 150 pesos. But since we're just staying for awhile, one of the caretakers allowed us to use one for only 50 pesos

 The serenity of the place is very relaxing. Children and their guardians enjoyed playing and swimming around the shallow part, while some adults bask in to the excitement of swimming in the raging water rapids from the deep part of the river.      Groups of people enjoyed eating their freshly grilled food, while others spend their time singing along to the sound of their guitars.   I tried walking in to the shallow part of the river. The water is so clean that I can clearly see my feet underwater. Walking on the sand feels good on my feet too. The rock formations which resembles a large footprint can be seen from the other side of the river. Some people climb on top of the rocks to take pictures. I saw brave men dared to jump off of those rocks down to the strong current of the river.   A statue of the Virgin Mary can be seen on one part of the rock formation. Then there were also three statues of Jesus Christ a few steps away from the Virgin Mary. I wonder who built those statues and what do they signify. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to find information about it from the locals.    I also saw scribbles all over as I look closely on the rocks. Everyone should know about the costs of these vandalism. We can all give respect to this God given place simply by not damaging it. Cleaning the rock's surface and restoring it may also help promoting the tourism of the place.

This river is also known because of its dangerous strong currents. Visitors have to be extra careful while swimming in those areas. Warning signs can be seen on some parts of the river and lifeguards are also stationed within the vicinity.   Even though the place has grilling stations and sari-sari stores, we didn't find any stores where we can buy food. There is this man who sold us some lumpia but we didn't really find one that sold rice meals or anything like that. It would be a good idea to bring your own food before going to this place.   As the sun starts to set, its golden rays touched the green leafy trees and the blowing wind gets colder. I really appreciated the beauty of this place. Its tranquil scenery really took away my exhaustion from the whole adventure. After a while, we said goodbye to this peaceful place.Our whole Norzagaray adventure is a moment to remember.