Hearty Plate

Imagine yourself being lulled to sleep at 3:00 in the afternoon and you can’t fight back your eyes from getting heavy; betraying you from pretending to be working hard during office or class hours, LOL.

But then that is my daily dilemma. Though I try to combat it with coffee, the good ol’ remedy known to every mankind. I got bored drinking my 3-in-1 at our plain Jane pantry in the office. Desiring to chill in a place with a good ambience for a total R&R experience even for just a minute break.

Imagine how giddy I got when I heard about the enticing news that there will be a new resident café just within the building where our office is located.

Happy Plate Café, just the sound of the name makes my tummy grumble and crave for some coffee. We went there at their soft opening for some latte and snack.

Upon taking a peek at their shop, my smile were like from ear to ear because of what I saw. They had me at their chic and minimalist interior design. White walls with wood furnitures? Yup, I’m a sucker for that. Added with banana leaf painting at one side of the wall which only disappointed me a little since it was covered with the aircon. I was thinking of seeing more of the design.

Their kitchen board was adorned with various cute knick knacks and wall decors with sayings.

Their menu is chalk-written in their blue wooden board. While there is a blank board with wood pegs. I am assuming it will be for some picture posts or calligraphy ones because the owner is into it.

We ordered Matcha Latte (70 Pesos) with cute heart art and Cappuccino (85 Pesos) matched with Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Caprese (both 85 Pesos). Of course, always have a room for dessert, Carrot Cupcake (50 Pesos) is very much welcome in the food gang.

Their sandwiches are heaven on my mouth with its gooey cheese. Prices of the food were cheap too compared to other cafes and reasonable for the taste and ambience.

Now that Hearty Plate Café is just some floor below our office, there will be no sleepy afternooon anymore for me!

How To Beat the Heat!

 

Oh Summer, there are lots of reasons why I love you and anticipate for your arrival all year round. But you know what, I hate you for making me sweat buckets.

So what is my way of coping up with this lakas-maka haggard situation? I refresh myself by eating some ice cold dessert instead since I cannot bathe with ice anyways, no matter how I am tempted to haha!

We, Filipinos have our very own sweet thirst-quencher called Halo-Halo. It’s made up of layers of crushed ice and special ingredients like sweetened banana slices, red and yellow beans, nata de coco (my favourite by the way), and jellies. Then topped with these delightful stuffs like ube jam, leche flan, and sweetened langka and poured with creamy milk to complete the heavenly concoction. The dessert is brimming with ingredients because the more, the merrier. It also got its name because of how it is presented, Halo-Halo means mixed in English.

          Many sells the said dessert especially during this hot season. They just pop out anywhere, thank goodness! But if you want not just an ordinary one, in my own opinion you should search for the following. First is with the ice, you would want the finest of them all of course. Fine ice makes your eating experience more enjoyable since you won’t need to bite the chunks of ice anymore. Next is the ingredients, some offers a lessened number of ingredients but boasts of its flavour. So whatever floats your boat with this one. Lastly is the milk used, the creamier and sweeter the better.

I find myself being lured to this little café in Congessional Avenue, Dasmarinas, Cavite. They offer Halo-Halo and other food as well. Ben’s Halo-Halo’s interior is so kawaii! I can’t help but feel like I am in a doll house with its pastel colors and wooden themed place adorned with chic and cute thingamajigs. It looks very clean, relaxing, and homey.

 

The staffs are accommodating and friendly too. Though the only downside for me is that they don’t have a WiFi service when actually they are near a university. Plus brownie points from students if they have one since most of their customers are them.

As for the menu, they serve sandwiches and rice meals. I find their Burghetti (Spaghetti presented like Burger) interesting too but I just took my lunch so a dessert is more welcomed then.

Their Ben’s Special Halo-Halo is the one I tried though they have an exotic option of Winter Halo-Halo which has a kick of spice from the red chilis. Weird, eh? Well not for the adventurous foodies out there. Some said it is still yummy and it is perfect for cold rainy days to warm you up when you are craving for some Halo-Halo.  I’m not the brave one when it comes to spicy food so I’ll have my original sweet one, please.

 

The price of the halo-Halo is 70 pesos, quite pricey if you would ask me. If their target consumers are students then they should have a more affordable price. As for the taste, nothing special as it lacks sweetness for me but sugar is available anyways. What got me is its fine ice but aside from that, there is no impressive from it considering it is the star of their shop. I would even suggest they add a scoop of ice cream or some more toppings to make it more special and to give justice to its price.

But then, I will forgive them for their IG-worthy café.  I would like to go back too to try their other offerings and maybe, just maybe the spicy Halo-Halo also. Oh let’s not forget the Burghetti!

Postcards from Baguio

Stella Vest, Uniqlo Turtleneck Top, Penshoppe Jeans,  

Fresh from my Baguio trip, I’m gonna share with you guys some bits and pieces of my experience as a first-timer. Warning, the content is quite long because I’m squeezing the first two of my three days vacay into one blog post only. Still, I hope you finish it till the last word. J

My stay there was really a pleasant one. Even though almost every corner of the place’s tourist spots were crowded with tourists like me, from their famous attractions like Burnham Park and Mines View to the Buddhist Temple; Bell Church Tower.

Baguio, hailed as Philippines’ Summer Capital, is one of the most visited in our country because of its cold temperature that Filipinos find as an escape from our tropical climate. But aside from that said reason, last week was a peak season since it’s the time for the Panagbenga Festival 2016! It is being celebrated every year by the locals to give thanks for their prosperous harvest of fruits, vegetables, crops, and flowers which the place is also known for.  A population of the locals get their source of income from it.

Before I spill the happenings on the awaited Float Parade which is one of the highlight of the celebration, (it will be on a separate blogpost.) let me divulge you the partial chronicle of my trip. J

So the five and half hour uncomfortable land trip of course made my butt hurt from the long duration of sitting and cause me an inconvenient sleepless night. But in every pain there is a gain so I just focused on my thoughts on what will happen on my first Baguio experience. I know the cost will all be worth it.

First day was a chock full of events and everything in our itinerary was followed with an additional place I discovered aside from the usual tourist spots you would search over the net about Baguio.

First we visit was the Bell Church Tower located going La Trinidad if I can remember correctly. Oh, another good thing for tourists in Baguio is that commuting is easy as 1, 2, 3 because they mostly have taxis that is so convenient for direction dummy like me. The fare is low since they don’t use air conditioners anymore because well, there’s no need for it. Even their establishments such as malls don’t use one. Anyways, the Buddhist Temple we went to will not be found in the mountains but in the busy city.

Unfortunately, the bell tower was closed at that time because people can only enter during weekends and holidays. It was a disappointment on our part yet the ground is more than okay for us to take some pictures and the temple is open for worship so the visit is still worth it.

I’m so lucky that my OOTD became so on fleek because it matches the color of the place. It’s just that I kind of didn’t expect it to be that cold since summer is just around the corner. But oh boy, it’s still chilly that time especially when it comes afternoon. So my turtleneck with long vest ensemble is not a bad idea but I needed more layers to stay cozy. What saved me is all the walking we did so at least I warmed up without a sweat, and that’s another one I love about Baguio. I could move around while still being fresh.

 

 

 

Many tourists have worn shorts and alike and you know what, I’m so jealous of them because they got to show off their legs. But I shouldn’t be complaining as if I have a mile long legs but to think that they can endure the temp is so impressive lol! Anyways, enough of sulking, for my OOTD I opted for my comfy knee-ripped jeans paired with white sneakers that made my ensemble more casual.

 

Second on our plan was the Mines View. There are lots of people but I won’t lose with the situation, I still got to enjoy what it has to offer, haha! As expected from a park, there are lots of stuffs sold there from plants, foods, and souvenirs.

 

What’s unique about the park is there options of activities lined up for you. I paid a measly 20 pesos for a chance to dress like the Ifugao locals and walked around and took some pictures for souvenir. I had so much fun with it because the fee was so affordable yet it is for unlimited time.

Another was to ride a horse for only three shots for 50 pesos. For me, the price is quite high considering you only have a counted shots but since we’re already there, why not try it. At least, I had a memory for keeps, promote the tourism, and help the locals earn. I guess the horses are more high maintenance, haha!

There’s also a big and cute St. Bernard dog ready to strike a pose and smile with you for 50 pesos too. I didn’t try it since I’m already too hungry, haha!

We headed to a hole in the wall café around the vicinity we only knew because of the staff yelling delicious food with good view. We got curious and listened to our grumbling tummies so we climb upstairs and we were surprised to see the ambience. The place is hidden so we expected it to be like the other normal eateries on the ground but this one is quaint yet the view was really nice like what they beamed. The great thing about them is the price of their food. For only 80 pesos you can have a generous serving of pasta or 2 pieces of sandwich with camote fries. Their pancits that can feed 3-4 persons are only for 150-180 pesos. They also serve rice for affordable prices. What more can you ask for?

We ended our tour in the Burnham Park, where physical activities like swan boat riding and biking can be enjoyed. Many food stalls and tiangge that sells clothes and other stuffs were there but since it is Panagbenga Festival, there is a display of Flower arrangements.

 

Second day did not go well with the plan because we were supposed to go to the La Presa but the taxi driver told us it was already closed and tourists cannot pass there aside from it is very far. So we did not continue on our way there and also on the Strawberry Farm since our other companions who already went there said there were not much strawberries that time. Instead of wasting time over spilled milk we just went shopping on what they call Wagwagan on Block Four Market. It’s a thrift shop that sells second hand and new clothes especially jackets. I scored a very chic poncho and a floppy hat for such a bargain.

There were lot of scarves also sold there and oh boy, I got dizzy with all the print choices they have.

H&M Turtleneck Top, Penshoppe jeans

 

 I'm digging my second day look. For me, it's very chic and classic because you'll never go wrong with black, EVER! I just added this sophisticated scarf for a pop of color without exaggerating it. I had a jacket with me to the rescue when temp gets too low for me to handle. The jacket would instantly make my outfit more casual if I decided to layer it on my ebony ensemble from top to boots, yeah with its gold deets.
 
You know what, when travelling and there will be times you would have to commute sometimes it is also better to have a huge bag than a small purse. If in case it will ruin your outfit then at least have an eco bag with you. I swear, you will need it when shopping is inevitable and for when you just feel like throwing some thingamajigs in your bag. The one I had my whole trip is so lifesaver as it held my jacket when I don't feel like using it and of course the bulky camera.

 

Another tour on Burnham Park for some shopping and our second day is done but not of course without a serving of their exclusive yummy strawberry taho. That is the perfect and sweet way to end the day.

Night fell and another well spent day happened. We are restless but very much accomplished and satisfied with how our little excursion went. Going back to our transient with this kind of view awaiting for us is just “wow!”. These bright lights are from the homes of the locals situated in the used-to-be mountains. Just like in Santorini but more of a Baguio-style just the way it should be.

Dreamland

One happy day, after a tiresome roadtrip, my friends and I searched for a new place to relax and refresh. Then we found this hole-in-the-wall café in Purok 157 Calamba Road, Tagaytay. Another good thing about this café is that they are 24/7!

The place is quaint and charming because of its bohemian and indie-inspired theme. This café is adorned with various trinkets, knickknacks, and accessories that they also sell. How I love their Dreamcatchers! They can customize it according to the  buyer's preference.

They encourage their customers to bond over good food and engaging talks hence, the no Wi-Fi zone they implement. I am impressed with their vision to make people live by the moment even for a short period of time. They want their customers to feel like they entered the colourful and carefree world of Dreamland. The vibe here is very cozy, relaxing and full of happy things to cheer you up.

Their menu boasts from simple and healthy options to complex and hearty meals. Their desserts and drinks sounds interesting too. The cute and naughty names of their food might catch the curiosity out of you.

While waiting for your order you can borrow (you need to surrender an I.D.) game boards to play with, books to read, and art materials to draw. You can even display your creation on their wall and let your masterpiece be part of their design.

On the half second floor, customers can eat there indian-seat style with their shoes off. Something very homey, indeed.

I highly recommend this place for those who want to escape from the busy city and experience relaxation with delicious food. Plus brownie points for those who wants to shop for some indie items!