La Union weekend

March 19, 2016 - I recently went to La Union with my friends since none of us have been there. Yes, really.

We booked our bus tickets online, through Pinoy Travel. The most recommended bus line is Partas, but since they were fully booked at the time, we rode Dominion (to La Union) and Viron (to Manila.) You may check the website for bus schedules/fares.


For our hotel/resort, we stayed at San Juan Surf resort. We arrived their at around 9AM, check in time is 2PM, so there were no rooms yet when we arrived.

The resort is clean, friendly staff. Our room was spacious. The beach wasn't too crowded, I enjoyed that a lot.

While waiting for our room, we had our brunch at Coast Call, resort's own restaurant. I had Beef Tapa, of course.

I love going to the beach, but I don't know how to swim, I don't surf  as well. Out of the three of us, only one went surfing. my other friend and I just watched, took photos, and ate. LOL!

DINNER TIME! We didn't bother going to other places for food. But I'm pretty happy with what Coast Call has to offer. Sorry, I forgot the names.

Next day breakfast!!! Peanut Butter Smores Pancakes!!!  It was sweet, so I ordered some Breakfast potatoes to balance.

We left an hour earlier than their check out time (12 noon), because we still have to figure out where the Viron terminal is. Ha ha! But would definitely want to go back!

TRIP COST:
BUS to and fro: around 800-900/person
RESORT: 2860/3 pax (our room can accomodate 4 people btw)
FOOD (Brunch, dinner, breakfast): around 800-900
SNACKS (why not?): 100-150

xx,
Tin

Foodporn.

We all love food, I mean who doesn't, right?

I make it to a point that whenever I'm out with friends (or alone), we eat somewhere we've never tried before. Or if we are going to the same restaurant, we try a different dish. But with all the food establishments here in the Metro, the choices are limitless and we probably spend at least an hour trying to decide on where to eat. Lols.

Here's a quick list of the places I've tried for the past few months:
(I'm suck at remembering, so this list will go without some of the food names)


1. Fruili Tratorria - #79A Maginhawa st., Teacher's Village, Quezon City
If Maginhawa Street is not far from my place, I would've been a regular here. No shit. Ha ha! Their food is really, really good and with an affordable price to match!

2. Kanto Freestyle Kapitolyo - 1st Street, brgy Kapitolyo, Pasig
ALL. DAY. BREAKFAST.
Need I say more?

Bacon and eggs

3. CAB Cafe - 18 East Capitol Drive, Brgy Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Another Kapitolyo favorite spot for desserts! Their Mango Cheesecake is one of my favorites! They also serve pasta and pizza, although I haven't tried them. I always go there just for dessert. 

Mango Cheesecake

4. Buffalo Wings 'n Things - Lower Ground Floor, SM Megamall Bldg A, Mandaluyong City
I always order their Classic Twin Hotdogs. And just recently ordered their Chicken Tenders (Fingers?) in Garlic Parmesan, I think. Will definitely order those again!

 5. Señor Pollo - F7 Building, Scout Rallos St., Tomas Morato, Quezon City
I loooove their Patatas Bravas! Not a fan of their Latin Coleslaw. The chicken was meh. But paired with the sauce, it turned out pretty good!

Mojito? Yes, please.

 6. Iscreamist - 46 D, Magiting St., Teacher's Village, Quezon City (walking distance from Fruili Trattoria)
Dragon's Breath Smores: Dip it in the liquid Nitrogen for a few seconds, take a bite, breathe out.
We also tried the malted caramel ice cream which was really good!!! They have quite a small space though. And they open at 1:00PM.

Dragon's Breath Smores

7. Rub Ribs & BBQ - 88 East Capitol Drive, Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City
We ordered Raki's BBQ Ribs Super Duo, with two sides. but instead of getting two different sides, we got two Sprice (Spiced Fried Rice), and ordered an additional Bacon & Potato salad. Because we're really hungry that time, okay. Tbh, I probs could finish the whole thing. Lols. 

8. Cookie bar Manila - 23 East Capitol Drive, Brgy, Kapitolyo, Pasig city
Finally got to try the famous Cookie shot glass. Basically, it's just a cookie shaped like a shot glass. You can put milk, ice cream or any poison of your choice in it.

 9. Tokyo Bubble Tea - Lower Ground Floor, SM Megamall bldg A, Mandaluyong City
my go-to Japanese restaurant when on a budget. Forever love their Chicken teriyaki Doria!

 10. Almon Marina - Ground Floor SM Megamall Bldg A, Mandaluyong City
Ate here for the first time a couple of weeks back. Already loving their Open-Faced Angus Beef Sandwich! Tender beef, with mashed potatoes and buttered veggies on the side, definitely value for your money!

11. Granny's Burger - LPI Building, Capt. Henry P. Javier st., Brgy Oranbo, Pasig city
Just outside our village. YAAAAY!
Formerly Foodcamp but they changed to Granny's Burger. But they adapted the former menu and changed it a bit. I may have tried almost everything on their menu, from their burgers, Bombers, Nachos, Tacos, pasta and milkshakes!

 A quick tip, before heading out, always do a quick research on the restaurants in the area that you're going to. At least you'll have an idea which restaurants are located in the place. I swear it'll save you time!

xx,
Tin

Tin Eats: IHOP

August 22, 2013 - My brother and I went to S&R to buy some stuff we finished early and we don't want to go home yet, so we decided to try IHOP for the first time. We've been planning on eating there for months already, but our plans always got cancelled. Ha ha!

4 syrup choices for your pancakes!!

My brother couldn't eat properly because of his new braces, so he can only eat soft foods. such a baby! HA HA! So we ordered:

New York Cheesecake, Hearty Ham & Cheese Omelette and upgraded the pancakes to Cinn-a-stacks! Few Things you should know, I LOVE breakfast food and cinnamon. So I might be a little biased here.

Freshly brewed iced tea: I believe they put some cinnamon in it or my taste buds are playing with me!

Cinn-a-stack pancakes

New York Cheesecake pancakes

As I've said, I'm a breakfast person. I can eat breakfast food at anytime of the day/night. So I actually love everything! I've been hearing mixed reviews about the place from my friends and on the internet. They said that the place is overrated and too expensive, and the food is not that good. Uhm, well.

For me, personally, great food doesn't come cheap. And when it comes to eating out, you shouldn't limit budget (well, sometimes you have to). And for the love of all that's holy, who doesn't love food? Come on!

So would I go back? Definitely!

And lastly, They're opening a second branch in SM Mall of Asia. I saw it when I was there last week with a friend. :)

IHOP Philippines:
Facebook
Twitter

xx,
Tin

Tin Eats: Wildflour Cafe at the Podium

Last Friday night *cue Katy Perry song* I had dinner with my college friends, mind you that this rarely happens. Ha ha! We decided to dine at Wildflour since we all haven't tried it and we've been hearing so much about it.

I haven't been to their Fort branch, but this one seems a little small considering the amount of customers they're having. They do, however, accept reservations at the other branch.

Also, I've been reading other reviews about this place, they said that Wildflour Podium has a limited menu compared to the one in Fort.

They do not accept reservations also, but we didn't even wait that long to be seated so I guess there's really no need to reserve. We were fourth on the list and we waited for about 15 minutes, That's okay right? Ha ha!

Macaroni and Cheese

I ordered Macaroni and Cheese, which I enjoyed. But I wasn't able to finish it because na.umay na ako. Cheese does that you.

lasagna Bolognese

While my friends ordered their Lasagna Bolognese. According to them, it was good too, then na.umay din sila. Ha ha!

My friend's mom ordered their famous Croque Madame. I wasn't able to take a photo of it though. We didn't order dessert because we were already full from what we ate, we may have to come back to try their famouse cronuts and other desserts!

Wildflour Cafe, Podium:
Wack Wack, Mandaluyong(02) 571-8588G/F The Podium, ADB Ave
Wildflour Cafe + Bakery, Fort Bonifacio:G/F Net Lima Bldg, 4th Ave cor 26th StFort Bonifacio, Taguig(02) 856-7600Facebook

xx,Tin

Tin Eats: Borough at the Podium

August 24, 2012 -- Dinner with my college friend Rhoanne. It was supposed to be our date, but her boyfriend's plans got cancelled so he decided to join us. So, I'm not sure who's the third wheel, me or him. Ha ha!

I decided to have dinner at Borough, since we haven't tried that place and I've read so many things about it.

Borough got its name from New York which is composed of 5 boroughs: The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. There's a little geographical lesson for you. The restaurant offers New York comfort food 24/7.

I've never been to New York so I don't know the place represents it -- They have floral sofas, high stools, spotlights. some kind of a tavern to me. Frames and mirror all over the wall.

Frames all over the wall

2nd floor

That's Rhoanne and I. ;)

What we ordered:

Fried Chicken and Waffles for me: Fried chicken cured in sweet tea with Maple syrup gravy paired with Pumpkin Waffle and Roasted pecan butter. I enjoyed it! The chicken looked a little hard, but surprisingly it's not.

Fried Chicken and Waffle

Rhoanne got the Cheese-Injected Portobello Pocket while Adrian had a sandwich as well but I forgot the name. I'm sorry. I think it's something like BTT??!

Cheese-Injected Portobello Pocket

We also ordered their Popcorn Calamari. It's like your usual calamari but instead of using the ordinary breading, they used popcorn. Never thought of that before!!

Popcorn Calamari: Popcorn crusted Squids and of course, popcorn

I also tried one of their signature cocktails, Serendipity 3, Vodka (Vanilla, I think) + Chocolate syrup + Choco nut. It's a little bit of a Black Forest to me minus the cherry. HA!

Serendipity 3

All in all, it was a good dining experience. Yes, I will come back as I have been craving for that Pumpkin Waffle already. Ha ha!


Give them a visit:
Borough, Ground flr, The Podium Mall, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig city
yes, they're open 24/7, there's an entrance at the side of the mall.

xx,
Tin