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Breakfast joys @ BAG OF BEANS, Tagaytay

PHOTOBLOG: Bag of Beans, Tagaytay

 

115 Aguinaldo Highway, Mendez Crossing West, Tagaytay City, Philippines  

63922 873 9686 or +63920 954 6370 

Arabela (Liliw, Laguna): Great things come in small packages

Liliw, a town in Laguna- know as the town of slippers, also happens to house this tiny place called Arabela that gets people to travel there just to have a taste. Or perhaps get to experience what everyone's been raving about in this small town. Liliw hasn't really been keeping this their little secret. In fact, this quaint restaurant has actually been making big (huge, even) splashes that have attracted magazines and food bloggers alike ever since. It's all over the net, just search for it. 

The most fascinating thing, or unique, rather, is their low roof. It's honestly a challenge for my 5'8" height to go around looking at the food on display and such. And don't even get me started on how much smaller their bathroom is. But with its size, it's still definitely a cute place, popular to both locals and foreigners. 

 Arabela is best known for their Pasta, Pizza and Salads. Though I hate making comparisons, Arabela may be likened to Banapple: same small restaurant, similar delicious dishes and menu selection; the only difference perhaps is they haven't branched out yet. oh and minus Banapples award winning cakes. 

Grilled Chicken on Alfredo Sauce (P200)

Parmesan Crusted Chicken (P190)

Baby Back Pork

Cream Dory

I don't know what other people say but I think that no matter what you order, you're bound to have a treat.Liliw is a quick 45-min drive from the famous Lucban. Enjoy you road trip!

ARABELA

503 Rizal Street, Liliw, Laguna
Mobile Number: +63 917 204 1447, +63 927 386 0639.
Telephone: +63 49 5632495

Relaxing Swiss fine dine experience @ VIEUX CHALET, Antipolo

I'm blogging about this based purely on my retained memory of our visit three months ago. We were desperate for something new..and, also something special for our third year. I have this habit of listing down restaurants I come across from the interwebs, which has proven useful for a couple of times. Actually, a lot. This was on the top of my "must go to on special occasions" list. 

Vieux Chalet is a fine Swiss cuisine restaurant beautifully situated in the mountains, in Antipolo. It belongs to the Hassig Family and has been running for decades. Vieux Chalet is part of (or beside) St. Moritz Swiss Inn- Bretsch and Barrie Bed and Breakfast. The B&B actually looks very relaxing, a perfect place for any city resident to get away from the hustle and bustle. Their spa also seems very inviting. A sort of place I'd trust to rid the stress that could ever get to me.

As for the food.. Let's just say, our long drive to the mountains (including getting lost) from the city was worth it. We really hit a gold mine with the dishes we ordered, I think.

 

Complementary bread sticks

We asked the very friendly waitress on what their best sellers are, as always, and we ended up ordering the following. For our appetizer, we had their homemade ravioli stuffed with homemade ricotta cheese and spinach; topped with a white sauce and truffle oil. Just by the sound of it, I could't help not to order it. It turns out that it was actually surprisingly filling. Their Homemade Smoked Pork Chop was equally good. It is served with the choice of 3 sauces: Mushroom sauce, mustard sauce and Sauce Cafe de Paris. The flavors are infused well in the meat and is complemented well with the hashbrown served with it. 

Ricotta-Spinach Ravioli in Al Panna Sauce with Truffle Oil (P295)

Homemade Smoked Pork Chop in Mushroom Sauce (P535)

As for the pizza we ordered.. I don;t even know where to start. I'm not sure if it was the intense hunger I was feeling or it was really THAT good. But from my very first bite up to the last, I couldn't think of anything else but "damn this must be the best pizza I've ever had". The whole time, I couldn't figure out what exactly gave this pizza the edge; what sets it apart from the others. For every bite, i had this in mind and the closest answer I could get was probably its crust. It was different, in a good way. and probably the cheese...and the freshness of the tomatoes (considering I never eat them; i even take them out from my burgers). 

Pizza Napoli 10" (P385)

Our annoyance from our trip (and getting lost) was erased after dinner. The over-all satisfaction of it couldn't be ignored. The very friendly and perky head waiter couldn't have been more helpful to contribute to it too. Everyone was so friendly, I wanted to hug them. 

The tricky part is getting there. Here's a map that they provide through their website http://www.vieuxchaletswissrestaurant.com/maps-and-directions.html  but I suggest it's better if you consult google maps or any other road maps your hands can get a hold off also so as not to get lost. You'll probably end up asking for directions so know how to pronounce the Vieux chalet right, since the locals might not understand you if you pronounce it wrong. <Vi-yew Cha-ley> Yes they know how to say it properly.

-B

VIEUX CHALET

Antipolo City: 

09282888584/(02) 6970396

Watch out for my birthday weekend posts! So much nomzzz, I'm  already expanding. 

Roasted Baby Potatoes wrapped in a Bacon blanket

Today as I was staring at the contents of our fridge, I suddenly saw the baby potatoes I bought. I've been making baked potatoes with bacon bits for awhile so I thought "why not just wrap them with bacon?".  It isn't a new thing, actually, I've heard of people wrapping bacon with a variety of things from hotdog and spam to fruits and veggies. Bacon wrapped in anything seems to always work. 

It's very easy to make. Anyone with an oven can definitely pull it off.
Here's my recipe:

• Baby potatoes, washed and patted dry

• Oil, enough to coat the potatoes

• Rosemary leaves

• Thyme

• Salt and pepper

• Bacon

 1. Preheat the oven to 160 deg C. 
 2. Coat potatoes with oil and season with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
3. Cut and wrap the bacon around the potatoes and place them on a greased baking pan with the bacon ends facing down. You can also use a toothpick (soaked in water to prevent burning) to keep the bacon in place.
4. Bake in the oven for around 30-40 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked to your liking.
5. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Addt'l: You can also serve them with a cheese dip: Mix cheez wiz with a cream cheese dip/ sour cream; OR add grated cheese while they're hot.

A great addition to any meal. NOMNOMZ!

-B

BLACKSOUP CAFE + Artspace

Oct 2010

With my favorite restaurant just next door (Van Gogh is Bipolar), you could imagine how I felt when I found out they were closed this particular day- this actually happens a lot especially with a travel junkie-bipolar owner. To make things worse, I was really really hungry already. And so, close to tears, we ended up checking out this restaurant next door that we haven't really noticed before (because we were so fixated with VGIB). Once I noticed how inviting the  sign that said "cafe + artspace blacksoup" in  black bold embossed letters in such an beautifully contemporary way was, my frustration immediately turned into excitement in trying out something new. 

I wasn't disappointed once we entered, as I saw how the place was designed. Different photographs surrounded the walls- it sort of had a hipster vibe actually. The place was definitely a treat to look at. 

I named these fishies Ping and Pong. :P

 I want to kick myself for not taking enough pictures of the place. 

Blacksoup Cafe + Art serves interesting fusion pinoy dishes. Thus, I thank the heavens that VGIB was closed that night, because if not, I wouldn't have tasted Black Soup Cafe's TAPA PASTA. I don't know what urged me to order it. It was probably a "best seller logo" beside it or maybe because it sounded so interesting.  But nonetheless, the tapa gods gave me something unique that I couldn't stop eating. I even ended up not sharing it because I finished it that quickly. They have other pasta fusions like their Spicy Tuyo Pasta.

Tapa Pasta (P150)- 2011 updated price

Their Lamb inasal was also good but the dalandan salad that was served with it tasted a bit off. Maybe the acidity of the dalandan was just not to my liking. 

Lamb Inasal with Dalandan salad (P250)

Other best sellers you'd like to try for a unique pinoy cuisine experience are their appetizer of spicy balut or an Adobo Flakes sandwich among many others. 
And of course, don't miss out on ordering their MANGO TURON for dessert! Served with ice cream, you'll definitely end your meal perfectly.

Mango Turon (P85)

Blacksoup cafe + Artspace also hosts movie nights, open mic nights and other similar activities which I hope I'd get the chance to take part of in the future. 

BLACKSOUP CAFE + ART SPACE

Unit G, Maginhawa Bldg., 154 Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, Philippines

435.2549 / 0915.3055480 

Payment                    Cash only 

Hours	Mon - Sat: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm