Lakan Diwa

Healthy Breakfast for Us, Queens - Fresh Fruits, Nuts, Naarmann Yoghurt, and Honey

2020-11-02T13:12:00.013+08:00

Hello, queens! This is the fourth installment of my previous post about how I enjoy eating papaya fruit. This glammed-up version is extra special because it is not only pleasing to the eye but packed with health benefits. Yoghurt is high in protein and proven to be effective to relieve persistent diarrhea, decrease cholesterol level, best alternative to milk for lactose intolerant people, and highly effective to strengthen your immune system to fight viruses such as covid-19.

With added vitamins and minerals from fresh fruits, this meal is filling, very healthy, and appetizing. The best breakfast if you are on a low-carb diet without depriving yourself from delicious and tasty food to start your day and without the feel of missing grease and fat of your usual morning breakfast.

Yogurt is brand new to my palate too, we were not used to eating it because I grew up in the province with only limited food option, never knew this food existence until lately. I've been very fascinated about yogurt since moving in El Nido. The wide arrays of gourmet and home-made yogurt in this touristy town has opened-up vast option of incorporating yoghurt in my appreciation of food and creating new recipes from sauces, to smoothies, and breakfast bowls. My love affairs with FroYo (Frozen Yogurt) is a different thing though.

Learning how to ferment fresh milk and turn it into yoghurt at home was total fun and satisfying. I will definitely share to you how easy to make it, very soon. Making yogurt apart from being easy is economical and addictive. I made sure to never run out of my favorite yogurt in my chiller since then.

How to Eat Ripe Papaya - 3 Ways

2020-10-25T00:00:00.001+08:00

Papaya is very common here in El Nido and is highly in season nowadays. With the influx of tourist going very low to none because of the pandemic, this tropical fruit has become so very cheap in the local market and convenient stores nearby. It has became my favorite, my go-to-food along with bananas when I'm on diet days because of its abundance here. That's right, I am trying to lose weight again for as long as I can remember, lol! This time its different and I hope it would work-out.

Side story: I made a meal plan mix of intermittent and fruit only days and my whole journey will only be shared with you should I succeeded to achieve my goal of 60 kilograms from 82 kilograms. Or maybe not, haha!

Its has been 2 months, with many cheat days in between, a challenge, long way, but I will get there. Promise!

Papaya is also my superfood since suffering from occasional gout attacks. Rich in potassium and big supporter of kidney health, low in purine, and is safe for gout because it cleans out toxins deposited in the kidneys and reduce the accumulation of uric acid in the blood.

There are many ways how to eat and cook papaya; The nearly ripe crisp papaya with coconut vinegar , salt and pepper for afternoon snack, pickled papaya side dish for grilled chicken inasal, and papaya in the good old Chicken Tinola Soup for the rainy days are some of my top picks! Cooking unripe papaya the old Filipino way with coconut milk and dried fish was delish and awesome but its a different story.

I got this from one of our business partners when I saw her post online harvesting papaya from her backyard, begged to buy it but she gave it to me free! Its too beautiful not to be shared, it deserve a da*n blog post and to make sense of this, I'm going to share with you three different ways how to enjoy eating it. 4 ways actually, the 4th will be on my next post, whenever it maybe, lol!

The first is to eat it fresh. Scoop a spoonful straight from the pulp and enjoy! Its uncomplicated, the most basic, simple, and sometimes the most delicious if you've found the right papaya for your taste buds.

Second is to squeeze citrus or calamasi juice. If your papaya is too sweet for your liking, the acid of calamansi is of great complement to the fruit. This one is my utmost choice.

Third but definitely not the last is to drizzle honey on it if your papaya is bland and needs more flavor. I used St. Dalfour Orange Blossom Honey but wild honey or any honey will do to satisfy your sweet tooth.

You may opt to eat the seeds and skin to add texture but I think nobody does that.

So, there you have it ladies and gents, stay tuned for my next post on the fourth and the most beautiful way to enjoy the tropical papaya fruit. Byers!

Yogurt-Dill Sauce

2020-05-07T11:21:00.002+08:00

The perfect garnish for my Fiesta Chicken Tortilla Wrap is a trial sauce I made from basic ingredients available from home. This Dill-Yogurt Sauce is a great base to accompany every flavor wrapped in my dish. Very basic, probably the simplest sauce recipe I made but gorgeously pact with flavor to harmonize festive flavors in my recipe.

I mean, it’s tangy and full of bright and fragrant fresh dill. This recipe uses a small amount of lemon to add a great depth of flavor, with mayonnaise to offset the tartness of the yogurt and lemon, and salt and pepper to slightly balance the sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup Naarmann Profi-Joghurt

1/2 cup Lady's Choice mayonnaise

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Combine everything in a bowl and serve as base of the wrap or drizzle on top before rolling it up.

Extra Special Mother’s Day at Home with The Manila Hotel

2020-05-06T11:24:00.000+08:00

Mother’s Day is a yearly reminder to cherish our relationship with our moms. Given this year’s unique circumstances, many of us will be celebrating this special day at home or even away from the special women in our lives—mom, grandmas, and aunts. Still, even when fancy dinners are impossible, Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be canceled. With some creativity and preparation, you can still give the most special woman in your life the Mother’s Day she deserves.

The Manila Hotel pulls all the stops for you to still be able to give her a memorable Mother’s Day. This home celebration will have a five-star hotel feel and The Manila Hotel will make sure it gets close to a real feast.

The Manila Hotel’s Mother’s Day Surprise gives you discounts when you choose to order the food-and-cake bundle and pay online on or before May 8, 2020 (Friday). You may choose items from the A La Carte Menu or Home Buffet sets (Filipino, Italian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese favorites, as well as Certified Halal items) and get a 20% discount on your food bill, and a 10% discount on the cake of your choice.

Because mothers deserve the only the best, you can choose from our awesome selection: our decadent Opera Cake; Ohaina Chocolate Gateau, a Lifestyle Inquirer Best Dessert Winner; the mouthwatering Trio of Chocolate Mousse, and our amazing Mango Cheesecake.

To order or for more information, please call 8527 0011 or message 0998-9501912.

Press Release: This means that this material is fully and directly from the company issuing the press release. This also means that this website is not the author of the statement being read. Lakandiwa is simply providing the information for readers who may be interested.

Fiesta Chicken Wrap

2020-05-05T12:45:00.000+08:00

Experimenting in the kitchen during isolation is so much fun. Discovering and learning new dishes is more than satisfying but liberating to prepare. I can't complain being lock-down here in El Nido town where access to produce and basic food has been under control since the quarantine started. I am very thankful to the joint forces of private business sector and local government.

Closed establishments and restaurants started to re-open and slowly going back to business since ECQ was changed to GQ by selling take aways and offering deliveries via different social media platforms. Bored in the house, I thought of taking the avenue of Mexican cuisine with tortilla wraps I bought from Sausage with Benefits Restaurant at Php 130 - 10 pcs.

It’s my first time to make a wrap so I research online and surprised with huge collection of wraps around the world. It's like blank canvass where you can paint anything you want, I decided to make my own by filling it in with ingredients available from our kitchen and local market. It's colorful and bursting with different flavors and textures.

It tasted like festive celebration of senses in every bite, I felt joy. With sauce dripping down my arms I thought of calling this dish “Fiesta Wrap" because: 1) in celebration of my town's Fiesta which was yesterday 2) It looks like banderitas and 3) It's a melting pot of different tastes. It is “fiesta” in tortilla wrap form.

Ingredients

5 pcs Tortilla Wraps

1 medium cucumber, cut lengthwise

1 medium size mango, sliced

1 medium avocado, sliced

3 ripe tomatoes, sliced

2 starfruit or balimbing, sliced

165 grams Eden Cheese, grated

100 grams lettuce

100 grams arugula

Sauce

Yogurt-Dill sauce (will share on my next post)

Chicken Cajun:

500 grams chicken breast fillet

1 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small onion, sliced

Sesame seeds to garnish

Directions

1) Add butter in a heated pan and sauté onion and garlic.

2) Add chicken and cook for about 10 minutes.

3) Season with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning and cook for another 5 minutes.

4) Put in a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Assemble

Heat Tortilla wrap in a pan for about 3 to 5 minutes each side.

Take and assemble everything you like from all of the ingredients

Roll it up and it’s a wrap!

Happy Eating!

Fiesta Buko Salad Eleganza Extravaganza

2020-05-04T11:38:00.000+08:00

Today is my hometown’s Fiesta and no one can stop me to celebrate while in quarantine because I’m going to live it up with the best food of every fiesta brings: Fiesta Buko Salad!

This salad is the diva version of Pinoy dessert and one of my favorites to make. It’s very easy and fun because you don't need to cook, you just need to mix everything, freeze, and voila! …serve! The important factor that matters most to make it extra special is the selection of ingredients.

Buko Salad is the main attraction, always present on the main stage of every special occasion in Pinoy household. In fact, a well-known brand labelled their fruit cocktail product, a key ingredient to Buko Salad “Fiesta” because fiesta is the best representation of Filipino’s time of joyful celebration. Fiesta is when we cook traditional, hearty food, throw open doors to visitors, elaborate multi-day festivals, parades, and themed street dance to keep our community roots alive. Each Family around the country has their own version of this Pinoy favorite dessert, I tasted some with raisins, calamansi juice, jelly, kaong, gelatin, and fresh local fruits. All were tasted well. Who wouldn't like the sweet and creamy dessert whatever in it? No one.

I'd love to doll-up my food, experiment, upgrade, and glamorize them. I'm a constant rule breaker. If there's drag race about food, I’m a sure winner baby, because I don't play extra lol! Cooking and making food are another ways of dealing with stress and boredom during this corona pandemic so here I am, adding colors, texture and flavor in our classic Pinoy dessert. To elevate whether its Buko salad or Fruit Salad, here's how my family make them.

I normally use the "imported" version of Del Monte fruit cocktail which have peaches and grapes in it. Yes, just between us squirrel friends, there are 2 kinds of Del Monte Fruit Cocktail on the grocery shelves. If you pay attention, it’s normally the expensive one with a picture of peach on the label. I can’t find it here in El Nido so I bought a can of peaches in syrup separately to cut and add to the local version of Del Monte fruit cocktail. I also love to add fresh grapes in my salad to add more texture, no harm intended, lol! It’s better if you peel the grapes, but in this case, I’m kinda lazy so I just wash, dry and add them.

Ingredients

1000 grams shredded young coconut
825 grams Del Monte Fiesta Fruit Cocktail
825 grams canned Peach, cut into bite sizes
300 grams fresh crimson grapes
600 ml all-purpose cream
165 grams Eden cheese, cut into cubes

Directions

In a large bowl, mix everything together put in a freezer for at least 1 hour.

Serve with cherry on top. Happy Eating!

Mango-Avocado Salsa

2020-05-03T08:38:00.000+08:00

Someone asked from Facebook what was the side dish of my Chicken Adobo Flakes from yesterday's blog post. So here it is, my homemade, restaurant-style salsa: Mango-Avocado Salsa, one of my most frequently made recipes!

This is perfectly served with tortilla chips or as topping or bed for any grilled or fried fish, pork, and chicken, or simply as side-dish to accompany any meat for a tropical vibe palate. It is colorful, a combination of tangy and sweet flavor, very tropical, summery and irresistible!

Mangoes are in-season during summer and very sweet, I used the nearly ripe mango so I could achieve a little bit of sourness to balance the taste to accompany the main Adobo Flakes dish. I swapped some essential ingredients of what I already have in my fridge like lemon for lime and basil for cilantro and tasted just perfect.

Ingredients

1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

1 medium mango, peeled, seeded, and diced

2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced

1 small red onion, sliced

3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. lemon juice or lime juice

Optional: habanero pepper, cucumber

Directions:

Mix avocado, mango, red onion, tomato, and chopped basil in a bowl, add lemon juice salt and pepper to taste and serve by the side of your main dish.

Happy Eating!

Leftover Makeover || Chicken Adobo Flakes

2020-05-02T12:44:00.000+08:00

Good morning, ka-diwa! I've seen a lot of chicken dishes on my timeline today and I'm very excited to share mine. Thank you for the ayuda of the local government, poultry has become the saving food for the whole community as whole chicken has been distributed per family.

Dressed chicken has been very affordable too since the pandemic. I hope you were able to stock plenty, make adobo if you don't have freezer and store in a cool, dry place to last for days. I love chicken and will probably stock more should the cost keeps going down, hopefully.

Currently, there is an oversupply of poultry around the country and according to the mainstream media it’s because the COVID-19 pandemic slashed demand from restaurants. I can’t believe that farm gate prices will fall to as low as P30 from P70 per kilo as quoted in the article. However, the price is still high at Php 150 to Php 180 per kilo here in El Nido, why?! On a side note: I once read from Bill Gates Blog, raising chickens would solve a huge problem and the ultimate solution to poverty. I understand why when I read his points and if in case I survive this pandemic, I'm planning to raise chickens too as alternative source of income and to stay alive.

Going back to our chicken supply, many of us made Adobo out of it, the easiest and tastiest recipe for us, Filipinos, Ikr? And if you're tired of adobo, here's a creative idea on how to turn leftover chicken adobo into new meal.

Ingredients

500g leftover chicken adobo

1 cup oil

Directions

Shred chicken adobo along the grain.

Heat a frying pan and add the oil.

Once oil becomes hot, fry the shredded chicken adobo in medium heat until becomes crisp and golden brown.

Turn-off heat and transfer fried adobo in a separate plate lined with paper towel to absorb the oil.

Serve with fried rice, eggs, and mango-avocado salsa by the side (I will share how to make it tomorrow).

Happy Eating!

Banana - Garbanzos con Hielo

2020-04-29T10:29:00.001+08:00

It's another day in quarantine here in El Nido and I can't wait to go outside the town on May 1 when we enter another phase of quarantine: General Community Quarantine. I miss my home in the nearby town of Taytay and I'm planning to go home for at least 2 days should the border patrol allows inter town travels and if public transport would be available.

While waiting, let me continue to explore food and share my Halo-halo hack today. Halo-halo is a much-loved treat in Philippine households for decades, a current fave for summery celebrations, deliciously sweet and creamy but I don't like all its ingredients especially the kaong, so here we go, I made my own!

Ta-da! Halo-halo treat transformed with my only favorite ingredients: Banana and sweet chick pea (garbanzo). (Say hello, Diabetes and Gout!)

Prepping up is so easy, we just bought ready-made sweet chickpeas and we cooked sweetened plantains. The only hard part is to wait until it cool down. Here's how to make sweetened plantains or minatamis na saging.

Ingredients

6 pieces ripe plantains, sliced

1 cups water

1 cup brown sugar

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, simmer until plantain are cooked and sauce becomes syrupy.

Turn off heat and let it cool.

Serve cold with Garbanzos, crushed ice and evaporated milk.

Mushroom Porridge in Truffle Coconut Cream

2020-04-27T09:37:00.000+08:00

When east meets west - that is exactly what my dish today: Mushroom Porridge in Truffle Coconut Cream.

An original take in exploring food by combining the sophistication of Italy's truffle and mushroom and exotic Philippine coconut milk. Should I let the consistency a bit firmer and thicker, reduce some coconut milk or eliminate heavy cream, it could've been the Pinoy version of my favorite Risotto Tartufo Funghi at Mama Lous which I'm a huge fan of. But I decided it's a porridge, not risotto. Let's stick to that for now, okrr?😉

Consider this as a developing recipe, and should I open a restaurant, I will definitely add this on the menu... with more or less, 100 more cooking tests to achieve the right amount of creaminess of this dish.

Absolutely right, this recipe is super creamy, combining heavy cream and big amount of coconut milk was a bit over my calculations. Could have been perfect if coconut cream and heavy cream were reduced into two. Balanced cream was my challenge to refine this recipe, I failed, but I still liked it. I will post it anyway in case someone wants to try, just cut the cream and coconut milk in half, or totally eliminate heavy cream because I think its overpowering the coco milk.

If you prefer an over creamy dish, oh yes, this one is for you! Go on and try this recipe but don't say I didn't warn you 😋

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp. olive oil

150 grams shiitake mushrooms, sliced

250 grams glutinous rice, rinsed

3 tbsp. truffle oil

2 knorr chicken cubes

Salt and pepper

4 cups coconut cream

250 ml nestle cream
4 cups water

Directions

In a large pot, add in 1 tbsp. olive oil and sauté garlic and mushrooms.

Add in a pinch of pepper and salt, then cook for a couple minutes until slightly dry and aromatic.

Add in glutinous rice, chicken cubes and water then bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. If porridge gets too thick at any point, stir in 1/2 cup water to dilute.

Add in Coconut cream and heavy cream. Bring to boil and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Sprinkle truffle oil and turn off the stove.

Plate, take a photo for insta, and serve. Happy eating!

Homemade Milk Tea: Lipton Earl Grey Milk Tea with Nata de Coco Sinkers and St. Dalfour Orange Blossom Honey

2020-04-24T21:47:00.000+08:00

If you are one of the people who has “milk tea” as your blood type, I have great news for you: You can make Milk Tea at your home!

Having quick summer beverage to quench your thirsts while experiencing more scorching hot temperature to 36 °F as forecast today, is very easy. With just 3 to 5 ingredients, few tricks and tweaks, you can actually make it in just 10 minutes. Plus, this tea is surprisingly cheap if you compare to the prices of your favorite tea house. Probably three folds cheaper than my favorite Macau Imperial's Black Pearl Milk Tea. Its hand crafted by you, with just the right amount of sweetness level, especially for you.

Put many ice cubes, this is a very refreshing, summer beverage drink of the year 2020!

One option is to make it classic: Just combine steeped or brewed tea, milk, and sugar or honey. I used Lipton's Classic Earl Grey a traditional British flavor tea instantly recognisable by distinctive flavor of bergamot. It’s totally classic, bold and easy.

Another option is to make it something more exotic with infused tropical flavor, which I did on this recipe. A combination of British and Philippine tastes by adding deliciously refreshing twist of sweet Nata de Coco as sinker. Shall I put my own label and trademark into it, I will call this Lakan Diwa Tea, lol!

Ingredients:

4 Lipton Classic Earl Grey Tea bags (Ratio: 1 bag to 1 glass of tea)

Nata de Coco (Optional)

2 cups water

200 ml Alaska Evaporada or any Evaporated Milk

4 oz. St. Dalfour Orange Blossom Honey, or sugar, or any sweetener

Directions

Bring water to a boil, turn off heat add tea bags and steep until tea is dark, about 5 minutes and let it cool.

In a clean pitcher, add Nata de Coco.

Add lots of ice.

Pour in cold tea, add honey and evaporated milk

Stir until honey is dissolved.

Pour in a glass and serve. Happy drinking!

Avocado Toast with local Ham, Sunny Side-up Eggs and Arugula

2020-04-23T11:28:00.001+08:00

I am one of majority Filipinos who rejected Avocado in savory dish. People who eat it in salads or dip were psychopaths, I thought haha. I always wanted it to be sweet, creamy and ice blended. It’s not even my favorite, don't have any cravings at all. I probably eat it once a year when its season. Imagining eating it in a savory dish makes me feel sick.

Not until today when I tried making chunky and creamy avocado with local ham that has been on the fridge for more than 1 month, sunny side-up eggs and fresh arugula on top of toasted sourdough batard bread. Honestly, I just want to make it because it’s photogenic plus I’d like to give a chance and to appreciate it in a salty, fatty brunch today. Heck, I promise myself to be open minded when it comes to food and so I have to, YOLO!

Little did I know that it will be on the list of my favorites. I really liked it! Just dash of pepper and salt, God, it was so goddamn delicious! Nice and healthy substitute for mayo or any dressing if you are on a diet. It was bursting with color and flavor too!

It was luscious, today’s brunch experience was so rad!

Rich in polyunsaturated fats, Avocado needs more protein to balance the taste. You may add salmon, beans, chicken, eggs, or bacon. Arugula leaves were the bomb, don't miss 'em!

Ingredients

2 slices of sourdough batard bread

Butter

1 small ripe avocado, cut in half and sliced

3 slices ham or any protein

2 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Chili flakes (optional)

Sesame seeds

Directions

Spread butter on top of bread and toast in oven for 5 minutes

While toasting, fry eggs in a non-stick pan

Fry ham afterwards.

Assemble in a plate: Bread, Ham, Avocado and sprinkle with salt, pepper, sesame seeds and chili flakes. Eggs and arugula by the side

Serve and enjoy. Happy Eating!

Truffle Mushroom Scrambled Eggs

2020-04-22T11:36:00.003+08:00

Food is my art. A sway in every dance, lyrics to a melody, pigments of color in a canvas. The essence of my world.

It’s my presentation of my experiences both real and imagined from my eyes and palate. Food, for me, should evolve and should not be limited, accurate, nor govern by rules. Well, except of baking which require exact amount of measurements. But other cooks and known chefs were able to defy baking rules too and were proven very good. Hmm.

Our food should be precise and bold according to our liking and should be respected. Don't mind them if you'd like to put pork in your Adobong Pusit or put eggplant in your Sinigang. It’s your canvass, it’s your stage, it’s your music, it’s your dance… it’s your drama. No apologies needed.

The most important is: You are happy and satisfied.

Western food is extraordinary and I am currently interested, if not obsessed, to appreciate and make them. My utmost favorite is the introduction of batard bread courtesy of the artisan baker who moved here in El Nido (thank you!). It taste really good and looks beautiful in photos too.

Presenting my breakfast today: Truffle Mushroom Scrambled Egg. Paired with Nescafe Gold and artisan Sourdough Batard bread with mozzarella and tomatoes, toasted and topped with Arugula I bought from Art Café. I also made TikTok video and Youtube vlog in case you want to try them. Happy eating!

Ingredients

100g shiitake mushroom, sliced (I used dried shiitake soak overnight)

15g butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 medium eggs, whisked

1 tbsp. Truffle Oil (I used Urbani Truffles: White Truffle Flavored Olive Oil)

Salt and pepper to taste

For Bread:

2 slices of Sourdough Batard Bread

Mozzarella Cheese

1 medium tomato, sliced

Arugula Leaves

Directions

1) Melt butter in a small pan and saute the garlic.

2) Add sliced mushroom over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes until aromatic. Add salt and pepper to taste

3) Add the eggs and stir continuously until softly cooked.

4) Drizzle with truffle oil and plate.

For the bread: Put mozzarella cheese on top of sliced bread, top with sliced tomatoes and toast in oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Top with arugula leaves and serve.

Garlicky Squid in Olive Oil

2020-04-15T16:47:00.001+08:00

In surviving this Covid-19 crisis, we have to draw a clear line between wants and needs, set a budget, and adjust spending as millions of households are wondering how they will cope with a big drop in income because of measures prompted by the Corona virus pandemic.

A spare from last week's budget after all my household spending, I was able to afford "Pusit" or squid from a tour-guide neighbour turned fishermen who was also offering home deliveries. Wholesale buyers and tourists are gone and demand affectedly plummeted, squid price dropped from Php 350 a kilo (pre-lockdown) to Php 180.

With just few ingredients and my freestyle, unapologetic cooking skills, this is by far, my ultimate quarantine dish: Squid in Olive Oil and Garlic.

Ingredients

750g fresh squid, skinned, cleaned and sliced into rings

2 heads garlic, 1 head slightly crushed, 1 head cut

¼ cup olive oil

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 pcs. bay leaf

1 tsp black ground pepper

1 tbsp peppercorn

chili flakes (optional)

Directions

Sprinkle whole garlic with olive oil and salt and roast in the oven until brown and aromatic.

Heat olive oil and garlic in a pan until olive oil is fragrant and garlic is brown on the edges.

Set heat to medium and add sliced squid and pour in fish sauce.

Add bay leaf, pepper and peppercorn.

Stir-Fry for about 15 to 20 minutes until squid is tender. Make sure you don't over-cook it.

Add lemon juice and give it a quick stir before turning off heat.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with roasted garlic.

Serve with steamed rice

Quarantine Recipe: Easy Burger Steak in Buttery Mushroom Gravy

2020-04-12T18:00:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone, happy Easter Sunday!

May the day of resurrection give us all hope, love, and peace from any worries, hatred, and uncertainties as we are facing the big crisis of coronavirus pandemic that has forced us to alter our routines and we are all stuck in quarantine.

How do you cope up? I’m sure there are so many ways, from watching Money Heist TV series and accepting TikTok challenges to reading books, cooking, and actively engaging in any online activities. Whatever it is that you are involved-in, while on self-isolation, I wish you are happy and respectful to everyone’s choice of keeping their sanity. For Catholics, I hope you were able to take time to reflect and observe the holy week while maintaining social distance to everyone else.

As for myself, to take the edge off during this very difficult time for a calmer and efficient me, I've decided to make my time to be more productive by reviving this blog and taking advantage of time to learn Photoshop online and stay away from reading provocative comments on my social media platforms while trying to control any urge to be involved in any arguments by which I have tremendously failed days ago, lol!

So, here’s the first batch of images taken earlier today using my old, phased-out DSLR camera and edited from Adobe Photoshop CS6. I’m trying to fine-tune the best quality of pictures for my blog and I’m just learning the basics so forgive the over exposures and inappropriate watermark placements. It will be improved along the way, promise!

This dish is one of my favorites made easy, lifted and altered a bit from my favorite food blog, The Peach Kitchen.

Ingredients

4 pieces of prepared beef burgers I bought from Tuko Restaurant before the lockdown

¼ stick of butter for frying

Mushroom Sauce

¼ stick of butter

3 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 knorr chicken cube

2 tbsp flour

2-3 cups of water

½ cup sliced button mushrooms,(I used canned mushroom)

Salt and pepper to taste

To Serve

Steamed Rice

Directions

Heat butter in a non-stick skillet until dissolved and fry thawed burger patties until cooked. Place in a plate and set aside.

Using the same pan, put more butter in low heat. Add garlic and onions until onions becomes translucent. Then add the chicken cubes and dissolve.

Add the mushroom. Simmer for 4 minutes.

Add the flour, mix well until it forms a roux.

Pour in water and whisk until free of lumps. Add more water if sauce is too thick.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Put the patties back in the pan with the sauce. Cook it a little bit with the sauce for tastier burger patties.

Serve on top of steamed rice or mashed potato.

When People are the Tourist Attraction | Driving Away

2019-06-30T16:54:00.001+08:00

Maybe we live and learn.

Maybe we crash and burn.

Maybe you will stay,

Maybe you will leave.

Maybe you will return.

Maybe another fight.

Maybe we won't survive.

But maybe we'll grow,

We never know....

Maybe you and I.

(lifted from Ordinary People lyrics)

Posting this picture taken somewhere along the longest beach in the Philippines, Port Barton, San Vicente, Palawan using my long-time buddy, Canon EOS 550D .

Reflection to Life:

You are the beach set in your own paradise. People come, appreciate you for who you are, use your beauty to satisfy and fill their emptiness up, some, perhaps will take advantage of your worth, some will learn from you and will value your existence. Very few will stay but majority of them will leave you behind when season change.

Stay humble. Stay free. Stay positive and always find the silver lining in each moment, bad or good.

Don't leave the door closed no matter how heartaches and disappointments crushed you. Be a blessing to everyone. Be true to yourself.

And continue to grow.

RECIPE | Stir-Fry Chicken Cashew with Broccoli and Snow Peas, Oriental Style

2019-06-29T21:59:00.003+08:00

Wow! it has been long hiatus, do you miss me? I hope you do!

So, the long wait for my next post has ended (like somebody care) and I plan to revive this blog again after settling here in El Nido, Palawan. Yes, I finally decided to give-in to my desire and found an exciting yet challenging job here (will share more on my next posts). A job where I don't need a vacation from. I mean, with this view while I write this blog post, why can't I say no to destiny's offer?

Why I resigned after 8 years in the Big Blue, IBM, was of course my personal choice. I wasn't forced nor did something wrong against the company. I am proud that in this lifetime, I had a chance to work in the world's most admire, consistent top ten Fortune 500 company. Resignation has been my decision after careful consideration of my finances and the longer than regular hours I spent working with almost nothing in return. I feel undervalued after receiving excellent performance evaluations for years, exceeding all targets and given more work to do with very little pay rise. I no longer feel that I am making a contribution and an impact to the organization. Worthless, I gotta go.

Sounds like cliche but I am very grateful to the people I met along the way, for sure, I learned something in every bitch and queens my path came across with. Working in globally competitive company is not easy; office politics, peer competition, process challenges, etc - made me a tougher and wise person I am today, and all those collective experiences I've encountered, technical, moral, professional and even personal paved way for me to be ready to face another season.

Speaking of season, cashew nut season has just ended here in Palawan and we have a lot of fried and roasted cashew nut supply from friends and relatives. So I made a recipe with lots of cashew nuts to welcome you all to my blog site again. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tbsp. garlic, crushed and chopped (I used about 5 cloves)

1/2 cup yellow onions, sliced into wedges (I used 1 small onion)

A handful of roasted cashew nuts, unsalted

500 grams boneless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

100 grams Broccoli

100 grams Snow Peas

salt and pepper to taste

Ginisa Mix

2 tbsp. Datu Puti soy sauce

2 tbsp. Oyster Sauce

Add hot chili peppers if you want it hot and spicy!

Sesame seeds for garnish

Procedure

1) Marinate chicken into oyster sauce and soy sauce for 15 minutes. Ready your vegetables while marinating.

2) Add about 1 tbsp. vegetable oil to your wok or frying pan and wait for it to heat up. Then toss in your garlic stir fry for about 10 seconds, and then add in the onions. Stir fry for a few seconds until the onions become translucent.

3) Add the marinated chicken including the sauce, stir-fry for about 10 minutes or until meat is cooked.

4) Add the fresh greens Broccoli and snow peas and sprinkle with sesame oil. Add in a few sprinkles of water if your wok is getting dry, but don’t add too much water. You may also want to add little sugar to have a sweet taste.

5) Grab your Ginisa Mix seasoning, salt and pepper and add it to the wok. Keep stir frying and you’ll see that the sauce quickly begins to thicken and get sticky from the oyster sauce and dark sweet soy sauce.

6) Finally, add a handful of unsalted roasted cashew nuts and gently stir fry, making sure all the sauce evenly coats all ingredients.

7) Garnish with sesame seeds, sprinkle it on top. Serve on top of steaming rice bowl!

Enjoy!

Hotel and Room Review | Hotel Monticello in Tagaytay City, Philippines

2019-02-05T21:57:00.002+08:00

Hotel Monticello

General Emilio Aguinaldo Highway (past km 60),

Barangay Kaybagal South, Tagaytay City, 4120, Philippines

Phone Number: +63-46-4131111

Finding Hotel Monticello, a short distance from Josephine's where we had lunch, did not take us long. With its charming boutique hotel appeal one can never miss from Aguinaldo Highway.

RESERVATION BOOKING and CHECK-IN - The internet has made a dramatic change in the way we travel. We have deal sites and booking sites where we can easily search for great deals and discounts of hotel accommodation and air fares too. Booking.com offers the lowest room rate at the time of my booking 10 days ahead of our trip. We booked 2 rooms: Superior Twin Room (₱ 3,781.52) and Superior Quadruple Room (₱ 5,672.27) for 1-night stay with total price of ₱ 9,453.79 excluding 12% VAT and 7% service charge, buffet breakfast included which will be featured on my next post.

Check-in was smooth, Php 3000 in cash was collected as security deposit for 2 rooms during check-in for incidentals to cover any miscellaneous charges during our stay. Incidentals Deposit may be refunded upon check-out if unused. No welcome drinks were served though, but we were assisted through our rooms.

PARKING - Plenty of parking spots at the front and basement. The driver of our rented van chooses the basement for parking which is accessible by the hotel elevator. Elevators are kinda tricky to use but I get it eventually.

AMENITIES/FACILITIES - Taken from their website, below is the list of Hotel Facilities. Never had a chance to roam around but we were able to use the hotel's swimming pool. My nephew and I were the only guests swimming and the lap pool's temperature was not on but its okay because I prefer cold pool. Poolside lounge at the time of our stay was not open.

Dining and Entertainment Choices
Cafe Mercedes
Trattoria Maria
Roma Piano Bar
Temperature-controlled lap pool
Kiddie pool
Poolside lounge
Spa – open Fridays 1 to 9:30 pm; Saturdays and Holidays 8 am to 9:30 pm; Sundays 8 am to 1 pm
Gym – open daily from 7 am to 9 pm

Business Essentials and Helpful Services
VIA Grand Ballroom
Multipurpose lounge
Function rooms (with soundproof partitions)
Banqueting/events services
Business center
Parking
Non-smoking rooms
Wireless Internet access
Guest and service elevators

R O O M R E V I E W

Note: This room review is for the Superior Quadruple Room only, I didn't have a chance to enter the Superior Twin Room.

My Nanay is in a wheelchair so I made special requests upon booking listed below specifically to be billeted at the lowest floor and I put some comments whether achieved or not. Regardless, it would be nice to get notification via email or text message about the status of my special request prior to check-in.

1) This guest would like the rooms in this booking to be close together if possible - not met, probably the nearest room is not available.

2) You have a booker that would like free parking. (based on availability) - met

3) You have a booker that would prefer a quiet room. (based on availability) - met

4) Lowest floor - not met (probably the type of room we booked are not available in the lowest floors)

We’re in a 48 sqm superior quad room at the 4th floor with 4 single beds. Our bedroom is blissfully quiet — and pretty, too. With enough space to move around and with contemporary furnishings that gives the room distinctly refreshing feels. It offers a view of the nearby cattle farm during the day and the city skyline at night.

Room Features	Yes	No	Note
BED and LINENS	✔
INTERNET CONNECTION	✔
AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM	✔		Individually controlled
ENTERTAINMENT	✔		42-inch flat-screen TV
En-suite Bathroom	✔

The bed is supremely comfortable. The bed linen is sumptuous too, with lots of fresh and puffy pillows. The light switches are not just for geeks , lol! and the room and bathroom are certainly clean and tidy.

Room Essentials and Amenities	Yes	No	Note
Laundry Bag	✔
Drinking Water	✔		4 bottled water, free of charge
Drinking Glass	✔
Door Signs	✔
Tissue Paper	✔
Room Wastebasket	✔
Disposable Paper Slippers	✔
Luggage Racks	✔
Electronic keycard entry system	✔
Coffee Maker	✔
Room Mirror	✔
Electric Kettle	✔
Electronic safety deposit box	✔
Mini-bar	✔		Mini-chiller, micro fridge
Pencil and Paper	✔

BATHROOM ESSENTIALS and AMENITIES
Bar Soap/ Hotel Soap Dish	✔
Dental Care	✔		Toothpaste and Disposable toothbrush
Body Lotion		✔
Body Wash	✔
Shampoo and Conditioner	✔
Grooming Kit	✔
Hair Dryer	✔
Towel ring/ rack / hooks	✔
Water Pressure	✔
Shower with hot and cold water	✔
Bathroom Mirror	✔
Laundry Basket	✔

SERVICE - service is all good.

My Nanay spent half day writing the whole experience in 2 pages private letter I never had the courage to read yet. She loves to write, maybe it was her legacy I'm proud of and inherited from her.

She also left a thank you note to the hotel.

Evidently, I have to agree that we enjoyed every moment and that we were comfortable and were able to relax even just for one day. Overall, it was a very memorable stay.

What a Feast! Nanay and Kurt's Birthday Lunch at Josephine's -Tagaytay

2019-01-13T13:23:00.000+08:00

Crispy Kangkong, Php 220

Destination: Josephine Restaurant Tagaytay

Km. 58 Gen. E. Aguinaldo Highway,Maharlika West, Tagaytay City

Tagaytay City

Josephine's in my mind, is the perfect place to celebrate my Nanay and Kurt birthdays having experienced dining here 2 years ago. So, we headed back to the restaurant near Ayala Malls Serin after our country walk at Sonya's Garden. The restaurant offers the best view of Taal lake and volcano and serves all-time Filipino favorite dishes which my Nanay absolutely liked.

November 14 - It's the biggest event of the year for our family as my mother and nephew celebrated their birthdays. It was my Nanay's 3rd birthday against all odds of breast cancer and we wanted to make her day extra special this year so we decided to spend a day in Tagaytay City. Both celebrants had never been to Tagaytay and never seen the world-famous lake and volcano, I'm quite sure, the experience will brighten their spirits …and I'm glad they do 😍

AMBIANCE

Unlike my previous experience when we have to wait to be seated, the main restaurant was empty when we arrived around 11 AM. With Modern-Filipino interior and air conditioning system, the high-ceiling main dining area that also offers panoramic view of Taal lake and volcano would be best to dine during hot summer days.

Bulalo Soup, Php 840

It was such a lovely day, sunny but chilly, two tables were occupied by group of Chinese tourists at the al fresco area playing card games. We also picked another long table outside to have a better view of the lake and volcano and take advantage of the kinder blew of the fresh and cool air of southern Luzon.

Nanay and Kurt were so delighted to finally see Taal Volcano so real and so close. "I only see it in books and pictures, now I've seen it personally", Nanay said with wide smile on her face that I haven't seen for months.

Chopsuey, Php 320

FOOD and PRICE

We started with Crispy Kangkong (Php 220) while waiting for other dishes. Tatay liked it and amazed how they made it so crispy. Nanay's choice was Chopsuey which was perfectly done according to her liking. We also ordered Lechon Kawali (Php 380) and Mango Salsa (Php 160) to complement with. It was good but nothing beats the Lechon Kawali of Syudad by Barrio Fiesta so far.

Lechon Kawali, Php 380

Mango Salsa, Php 160

The prime attraction of our appetite is of course, Bulalo Soup (Php 840) in large bowl with lots of vegetables and tasty soup. It was big, steaming hot when served - the soup alone can satisfy my hunger. Sorry for bad angle of my Bulalo picture but it was meaty on the other side. The meat was tender, veggies were cooked right, and the large bowl was just enough for all of us. Who wins the bone marrow is obvious, lol!

SERVICE

Josephine's has been in this business for such a long time as proven by the great service they provided us. Offering glass of water the moment we settled-in is I think fundamental and a sign of good service according to my standards and I'm pleased they do.

We were at home - It was like a birthday celebration with extended family when we celebrated my love ones birthdays here, they did not come unprepared for such occasion. Take a look how the crew played and sing Happy Birthday song with us. Nanay was so overjoyed to see strangers celebrating her life with us.

A delightful lunch indeed. It’s a nice place to celebrate milestones in your lives when in Tagaytay with your love ones, family or friends. Serving not only Filipino favorite dishes but also offers great view of the lake and provide exceptional service guaranteed to keep you coming back again and again.

It may be hard trying to get some quality time with your family out of your busy schedule but you gotta clear your calendar for such special moment and dine-in at Josephine's - Tagaytay. Because here, you’re at home.

Josephine Restaurant Tagaytay

Km. 58 Gen. E. Aguinaldo Highway,Maharlika West, Tagaytay City

Tagaytay City

Country Stroll Around Sonya's Garden, Tagaytay

2019-01-06T12:56:00.000+08:00

Sonya's Garden

Address: Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, 4123

Hours: Closes 6PM

Phone: 09175329097

After breakfast at Bag of Beans, it was still too early to check-in at Hotel Monticello so we headed to the nearby Sonya's Garden for a stroll to fill the gap while deciding where to have lunch. Sonya's Garden has been one of my favorite destinations in Tagaytay, introduced by Peachy of The Peach Kitchen back in 2010. We always drop-by at Sonya's garden if we had a chance when in Tagaytay to purchase Cheese-hopia - cheese-flavored rendition of the Chinese hopia made with pure parmesan that often runs out as soon as they’re made. Secret dressing is another favorite pasalubong from their country store.

At 9 AM, sunlight was just piercing the morning mist and, high in the trees, birds chirping like warning each other raucously of our presence - it was music to my ears however. Our original plan was to avail the buffet lunch but we came too early so, we headed to just stroll around Sonya’s different paths leading to many discoveries. Kurt and Tin were pleasantly surprised to find something new and exciting behind the greenery, another secret waiting to be discovered.

The fresh and cool air of southern Luzon blew kinder, just perfect for our morning walk. Sonya's Garden offers a scenic country, Tuscany feel. Its like walking in an Italian region which boasts vivid colors of flowers and glorious views. Nanay particularly enjoyed the small market scene at the entrance of Sonya's Garden, she bought organic fresh fruits and herbs for home cooking.

After challenging months battling cancer and many trips to PGH for treatment, this was the glimpse of old rural Philippines we had been longing for. Out on the marvelously manicured gardens, my worries seemed to evaporate with each footstep. This country walk wasn’t just pleasure - it was therapy. Exploring the garden is 100% guarantee that the sight will cheer you up and the walk will do you a power of good.

First Look - Twin Lakes Hotel, Tagaytay

2019-01-05T08:18:00.000+08:00

Twin Lakes Hotel Tagaytay
Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, Brgy. Laurel, Batangas City

Raise your hand if Twin Lakes Hotel is also on your list of travel destination for 2019! I was so excited upon knowing that Twin Lakes Hotel Tagaytay, located at the front of the country's first and only vineyard township resort and community has opened and quickly put it on my list of next destination this year.

We were at the Twin Lakes Shopping Village - a small part of 1,149 hectares estate - the Philippines’ first vineyard township community and Tagaytay’s first master-planned integrated tourism destination where stylish shops. boutiques are mixed with quaint cafes and dining spots, dinning at Bag of Beans Café and Restaurant - “West Lake" Branch when I learned about the newly opened hotel. I checked the rates instantly through their social media channels and quoted Php 18,000 nett good for 4 persons with breakfast at their Family suite on February 10, 2019. Hmmm, gotta wait for Anney's initiative to experience this place. I’ll bet she’ll book and organize once she knew about the infinity pool, lol!

TWIN LAKES is master-planned integrated tourism destination by Megaworld located in Tagaytay and Laurel, Twin Lakes encompasses 1,149 hectares., designed to be the premier medical & educational tourism estate. Provides refreshing views of famous Taal Lake & Volcano Offers a cool mountain breeze amid rugged terrain and a man-made lake. The community is a showcase of themed residential phases that are seamlessly integrated with expansive nature spaces, well-designed retail, commercial and civic centers and vibrant lifestyle and leisure hubs.

So exciting and will patiently wait until the project completed. Hopefully, the hotel would offer great deal via Deal Grocer, booking or Agoda very soon.

Bag of Beans Café and Restaurant, Inc. “West Lake Branch”, Tagaytay City - More than just a Stopover

2019-01-04T14:12:00.001+08:00

Bag of Beans Café and Restaurant, Inc. “West Lake Branch”

Contact Number: 046-460-4146

Address: Twin Lakes Shopping Village, DayapItaas, Laurel, Batangas

Cappuccino, (Php 140)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I hope everyone had a very happy and memorable holidays. Have you spent it with your family at home or gone out of the country? However you celebrated Christmas and New Year, what matters most is that you spent quality time with your love ones. I hope you did and you were able to build stronger relationships and rekindled lost ones, because family and friends is love and love is the essence of our every existence 😊

So, let the love begin with my first post of 2019, starting with our family's short out of town getaway in Tagaytay City to celebrate "the matriarch" and Kurt birthdays. Nanay's 72nd's birthday was on November 14 while Kurt's falls on the same day. It was a double celebration indeed, and my brother decided to treat us for an overnight stay in Tagaytay who by the way, was also on vacation mode from working overseas. I booked 2 rooms for one-night stay at Hotel Monticello through booking.com giving us great deal among Tagaytay's list of accommodations 2 days prior - room review coming up on my next posts. Check it out soon!

We rented a van for just Php 8000 all included (gas and toll) - low price, but we need to depart very early on November 14 to avoid number coding. We departed around 5:00 in the morning armed with pandesal and sandwiches. Nanay was very hesitant to go because she's not feeling well but with continued encouragement, she gave in.

We arrived around 8:00 AM in Tagaytay and decided to stopover and have light breakfast at the quaint French-Country-Farmhouse designed Bag of Beans, Twin Lakes or West Lakes branch while waiting for 2:00 PM check-in time and greeted with the chic and elaborate design of the place. West Lake branch of bag of Beans is my favorite, it shows a fresh display of colors and clean whites to achieve a chic and posh look that is very pleasing to the eye. Distressed woods, machuka tiles, vintage items and hand-crafted furniture also adorned the cafe to add a visual flair, perfect match to complement the beauty of one of the country’s best scenic spot, Taal Lake.

Nanay had Soup of the day (Php 195), a clear but tasty soup with shiitake mushrooms served with bread roll and butter while we had Quattro Formaggi (Php 550) and our own choice of coffee and/or drinks. Oh! yes, pizza for breakfast is love with four cheese toppings, hey, it's the middle of the day for us since we started that day so early, we deserved pizza! lol. Enough of justification, I had their signature iced cafe latte which is really good, Kurt had hot chocolate which he didn't like and Tatay choice was White Chocolate Mocha (Php 150) which was too sweet for him after his first sip. We switched it and both are happy and satisfied. My brother Ramil and our driver had Kapeng Barako (Php 110) and Tin had Cappuccino (Php 140) which were all fine.

The fresh and cool air of Southern Luzon completes the comfort and vibe offered by West Lake. Sipping the signature coffee brew at the veranda will give you a glimpse of a perfect sunrise or sunset and of course, a perfect view of the promising, newly opened Twin Lakes Hotel - the Philippines’ first vineyard township community and Tagaytay’s first master-planned integrated tourism destination. Twin Lakes Shopping Village is every inch photogenic and Bag of Beans is a dreamy and romantic dinning spot offering freshly-baked pastries and delightful cuisines everyday.

Panoramic Breakfast at Panorama Beach Club and Resort, El Nido, Palawan

2018-12-19T13:46:00.000+08:00

View from Panorama Restaurant

Hello, team Lakan Diwa! I was off the grid for two weeks and now I'm back armed with more experiences and more than 7000 pictures, ugh! Spent a week in Puerto Princesa City and El Nido, with side trip at the longest beach in the country located in the municipality of San Vicente, Palawan. Another week was spent in Taipei, Taiwan - got a lot of new stories to tell, new places to share, and of course more food discoveries. Please stay tuned for my upcoming blog entries and the stories behind the fantastic images I'll be sharing soon.

First stop: Panorama Beach Club and Resort, El Nido, Palawan - a boutique hotel hidden in Lugadia, Corong Corong, El Nido Palawan, about 5-minute tricycle ride outside the center of town. My cousin Mabel, a civil engineer and long-time resident of El Nido brought me here along with her sister, Ara for breakfast on our way back to the city.

AMBIANCE

The hotel has an impressive green, "modern Filipino" landscape, well designed - every space is instagrammable and photogenic from the moment we stepped in the lush greenery walkway leading to the restaurant. The resort was fully booked at the time of our visit, but the restaurant was almost empty at the early time of day with 2 tables occupied.

SERVICE

We asked for show room but the newly-built hotel is in high demand and was fully booked at the time of our visit. A night rate is Php 12,000 per night according to the receptionist. With excellent ratings on Agoda (8.8) and Booking (8.9), I got to secure at least a night the next time I'll be here to experience the "excellent service and superior facilities" the resort is known for.

The staff were accommodating and let us peek at the wooden walkway near the private area exclusively for resort's guest where their 8 rooms are located while waiting for our orders to be served. That pool surrounded by lush greens seems inviting and perfect for lounging while reading and sipping Piña Colada. Hmmm, gotta go back in El Nido anytime soon!

FOOD and PRICE

The beach-front restaurant offers the best panoramic view of paradise in El Nido while enjoying our American breakfast, showcasing an unparalleled view of the ocean and El Nido's limestone cliffs.

While late breakfast is idyllic with lesser crowd and clear view, the restaurant has the most spectacular sunsets and is best for a romantic evening meal in the breathtaking silhouette of the Bacuit bay as I've seen on their Facebook account. Scattered camas at the front is perfect lounging area after a day of island hopping.

The restaurant's menu has fair selection of local and foreign cuisine while the breakfast menu offers the following;

American Breakfast, Php 380 - slices of toasted bread with scrambled eggs bacon and cheese with signature coffee and juice

Spanish Breakfast - Php 380, 2 slices of toasted bread with olive oil, salt, and tomato jamon with signature coffee and juice.

Continental Breakfast - Php 380, 2 slices of toasted bread with fruit jam and butter, 2 pieces of French patisserie with signature coffee and juice.

American Breakfast - Php 380, 2 slices of toasted bread with 3 eggs of your choice, bacon and cheese, with signature coffee and juice.

Fruit Breakfast - Php 280, fruit platter with signature coffee and juice.

Cereals with milk - Php 280, cereals of your choice with a jar of fresh milk.

Pancake - Php 330, banana pancake with syrup & signature coffee and juice.

Big applause to restaurant's signature coffee! one of the best and perfect for afternoon break. Ara refused breakfast and ordered the creamiest mango shake.

American breakfast is huge and I'm guessing its Manchego cheese slices which is one of my favorites. Overall, I've enjoyed the breakfast at Panorama immersed in visually stimulating surroundings.

Panorama Facebook Account

Panorama Instagram Account

Picture of the Week | Sweetest Escape

2018-11-28T12:15:00.000+08:00

Ahh, its midweek and I caught myself staring at my favorite place on earth, the Malampaya Sound. Dreaming between sipping my Christmas Blend coffee I'm officially become my grandma 😄😄😄Sad that I only seen it in an image today. I hope I'd be able to come back home anytime soon and reconnect with nature in my Palawan homeland. Re-sharing this photo to you to join me in my dreams of coming home and take a glimpse at cultural and enchanted mountain. This image was captured using my old buddy Canon EOS 550D and enhanced on PicMonkey.

I was raised in New Guinlo, Taytay, Palawan. By the bay of Malampaya Sound, I learned how to swim in the brackish water along with my peers. One of the best treasures of my hometown in Palawan is the majestic Mount Capoas. There are many strange and enchanted stories from the elders of our community. Old folks said that there are giant golden crabs guarding the mountain. Some said that Limahong's treasures are buried somewhere there, let's go and find 'em hahaha.

With a peak of about 1,030 meters above sea level, Mount Capoas ranks as the third highest mountain in northern Palawan. It is located along the Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape. If you are planning to hunt Limahong's treasure, forget it, per my research, climbing the peak is prohibited for safety reasons. The mountain is reserved for research and tribal residency.

Reflection to Life: Home. It is where our heart is. Think of home when things have been a 'lil rough. Look-up, close your eyes, and let your sadness fades into the clouds. Happy Hump day!

Rome Review | Syudad by Barrio Fiesta

2018-11-21T13:56:00.000+08:00

When the pressure is on, turning to a sugary treat or a delicious fat-laden mouthful can feel like an easy way to get a little relief, isn't it? and what else is more comfortable than indulge in our classic Filipino favorite dishes such as Kuhol sa Gata (Snails in Coconut Milk) and Litson Kawali ( Crispy Pork Belly) with steaming hot rice on the side.

Kuhol sa Gata (Snails in Coconut Milk), Php 295

We've finally tried to dine-in at the Filipino inspired restaurant - Syudad by Barrio Fiesta located at the newly built Caloocan City Hall Complex. I was with my constant foodie buddy, Gladys who also live near Syudad's new outlet. We always do stress-eating when we're both needing some time to release all tensions from a week work and talk about our personal issues over delectable bites.

Syudad by Barrio Fiesta has a spacious Pinoy-inspired charm and classic Filipino interior; wooden tables and chairs offers a rustic appeal. Customers like us, #ninangsofmanila who are tired and wanted to lean on a comfortable chair have an option to be seated nicely at the booth with cushion and backrest.

It was around 3 PM when we arrived and they were catering their merienda buffet but were pleased when they accommodated us for ala carte late lunch. Syudad by Barrio Fiesta's Merienda-all-you-can costs Php 185 per person from 3 PM to 6 PM serving Pinoy favorite merienda (snack) in case you are interested.

We started with Kuhol Sa Gata (Snails in Coconut Milk) as appetizer. A smoother-than-velvet Filipino-style dish with an orchestra of flavors and can be doubled as meal with rice. Highly recommended if you are searching for the best dish serve in this restaurant. The coconut milk sauce was thick, I doubt if there's an artificial flavor. I tasted shrimp paste that blends perfectly to the sweetness of the coconut milk. My "joy" hormone lifted up from the first bite 😊

Kare-Kare Solo Meal, Php 195

Extensive Filipino dish from Solo Meals list are constant favorite among their clientele, Solo Meals are served with rice and instant iced tea. Out of curiosity, we selected Kare-Kare from the list. Kare-Kare is one of the restaurant's specialty and best seller but nothing spectacular to me. The sauce was thick but loaded with artificial flavor and color. I was expecting real peanut sauce but little bit disappointed, it was boring. Tender slices of beef and accompanying shrimp paste plus the large portion (can be shared by two) redeemed my respect.

Litson Kawali, Php 425

Syudad had got a buzz from foodies of Manila for their superstar dish, Crispy Pata - but we refused to try considering we already ordered too many just for the two of us. We agreed to settle for Litson Kawali to satisfy our greasy, fatty appetite. Surprise! surprise! it was the very best Litson Kawali I've tasted in my whole life! It's kinda pricey at Php 425 but I think its just proportional to its quality. Succulent pieces of crispy and crunchy pork belly served its price. To me, its another Syudad's superstar dish waiting to be discovered and worth another try.

Inihaw na Talong, php 95

We also ordered Inihaw na Talong for the sake of having vegetable on the table and to show compassion to our upset hearts, lol😋! A very familiar dish, and a perfect complement to any fried or Inihaw dishes. Delish specially when dip into signature Barrio Fiesta Bagoong (shrimp paste).

Green Mango Shake, Php 130

I had Green Mango Shake which I liked, which by the way, perfect anti-umay!

Thinking that she had a large belly space like mine, Gladys ordered Mais Con Heilo she barely touched. It was okay, she said, when asked how it tasted like.

Mais Con Heilo, Php 115

Overall, it’s a fun place to get together with friends, day or night. They have Beer Belly promo every Friday at Php 299. And if you’re not in the mood for venturing out they even do takeaway and delivery just dial (02) 7016572 or 09560680189 from your mobile.

Syudad by Barrio Fiesta
Address: C-Cube building, 9th Ave.,
1400 Caloocan