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August 08, 2023

Food Trip at Borro + Kandle Cafe

My college friends have been planning for our get-together and it took us almost a year to finalize everything. Unfortunately, we were not complete pero go pa rin kasi baka mag2024 na hindi pa kami magkita-kita. I thought I can’t make it too because my husband was in Indonesia, good thing that he was able to go home before our get-together.

We’ve been eating at Tong Yang for the last two meetings so for a change, my friend suggested Borro Manila. She reserved a table, a few weeks before our scheduled reunion. It was a good decision because when we arrived, the restaurant is already crowded and there are so many people waiting to be seated. Parking is hard too so we're thankful for the valet parking.

Borro Manila

Prior to our get-together, I checked Borro Manila Facebook page so at least I have an idea of their menu but when we arrived, it took us a long time to browse the menu. A one-page menu pero ang dami din options for pasta, seafood, pork, chicken, beef, steaks, soup, salad, and others. Most of the food is good for sharing so it is perfect for family or big groups.

They served complimentary bread kahit hindi pa kami nakakaorder. We ordered Creamy Truffle Pasta PHP550, Mixed Veggies with Seafood PHP650, Lechon Kawali PHP530, Stuffed Pork Chops PHP480, Barbeque Pork Belly PH490, Boneless Fried Chicken PHP580 (2), and extra rice + Service Charge.

When they served the food, we were surprised because of the big serving, especially the boneless chicken, 2 pa naman ang inorder namin. We are group of 8 adults and 4 kids, pero hirap kami ubusin yung order so take-out na lang. Among the food that we ordered, we liked the mixed veggies with seafood.

Borro

10 Scout Borromeo,

cor Sct. Tobias St,

Quezon City, Metro Manila

Kandle Cafe

After lunch, we went to Kandle Cafe which is just a few minutes walk from Borro. I thought they only serve coffee and pastries but they have meals din pala. But we went here for coffee so for my family, I ordered Americano PHP125, Iced Chocolate PHP165, White Mocha PHP170 and Blueberry Cheesecake PHP225. Drinks and cheesecake are good naman but feeling ko mas mahal compared sa ibang cafe na natry ko.

Kandle Cafe

113 Mother Ignacia Ave,

Diliman, Quezon City,

1103 Metro Manila

January 26, 2022

Breakfast at Napa at Crosswinds

“For Christmas is tradition time - traditions that recall the precious memories down the years, the sameness of them all.” Helen Lowrie Marshall

It’s been seven consecutive years that we’ve going to Tagaytay every Christmas Day. It was one of our holiday traditions that we try to keep so I’m thankful that despite the global pandemic, we were able to go out during Christmas Day. Here are the restaurants that we have tried for the past several years.

Breakfast at Antonio’s

Cafe Veranda at Taal Vista Hotel

Verbena Restaurant of Discovery Country Suites

Cafe Voi La

Sonya’s Garden

Among the five restaurants, we frequent Verbena Restaurant because of the less crowd, yummy food, and good customer service. Good thing that we planned to eat at Napa at Crosswinds because we have no idea that Discovery Country Suites is already closed, I’m not sure kung under renovation lang pero sira na siya nung dumaan kami.

Anyway let us go back to our topic, we first visited Crosswinds “Swiss Luxury Resort” way back in 2012 and since then we have also frequented this place for a staycation or food trip. In a span of one decade, they already built few cafes and restaurants like Coffee Project Crosswinds, Cafe Voi La Crosswinds, Ruined Project, Napa at Crosswinds, Windmill Lausanne, and Yama Crosswinds.

Read: Staycation at Crosswinds Swiss Luxury Resort

We only tried Cafe Voi La so last Christmas we decided to visit Napa at Crosswinds. Napa is inspired by the popular place in California which is Napa Valley. You will easily notice the cabin-themed and rustic interiors of the cafe. You can see wooden benches, tables and floors, and wine barrels. And of course, Crosswinds is known for the Swiss-inspired themes so this cafe has a relaxing ambiance. You can choose indoors or al fresco dining.

We left the house before 5:30AM and we arrived at the cafe after one hour of traveling. The parking is limited so we are thankful na nakapagpark pa near the cafe or else, malayong lakaran. Marami na rin tao and yung iba hindi na nakapaghintay so umalis na and because of that, lumapit na ang pila namin.

Opening time is 7AM but unfortunately, hindi on-time yung pag-open. The staff ushered the guest one group at a time. As I’ve said before, you can choose indoor or outdoor but we prefer indoor (with a good view) because it is cold and windy. We prefer the second floor but the staff said, hindi pa daw pwede so we settled for this spot na lang. So kahit mauna ka pala, hindi ka naman makapili ng gusto mong place.

We were waiting at the table for several minutes already pero walang lumalapit na staff to get our order so kung hindi pa kami tumayo at nag-ikot sa cafe, hindi namin malalaman na self-service pala so we fell in line na and I noticed that the second floor is already occupied so mas okay pala mahuli? #bitter

Since it was our first time, we were having a hard time choosing from their menu so we ended up ordering kung ano yung nasa picture. hehehe! We ordered Long Drive Breakfast PHP525, Pancetta and Eggs PHP535, Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwich PHP305, Capuccino PHP245, Premium Chocolate PHP280, Vietnamese Latte PHP270, and Basque Cheesecake PHP245. Take note Cash Payment Only.

I was surprised that after six minutes, our order is ready for pick-up, which was so fast. But we were disappointed because the food is cold. Kaya pala mabilis lang, I assumed precooked na mga foods and nagplating na lang. Yung fries na lang ang lamig, sino ba gusto kumain ng malamig na fries?

Ang ganda pa naman nung nakapost sa restaurant nila. “Napa is a place where you can have breakfast at any time of the day with a view to match every soul’s troubles” Kaso kung malamig ang food hindi nakakacomfort ng soul.

The cafe is located in the cold place of Tagaytay, we ordered breakfast meal and the price is not cheap so we were expecting warm foods. Buti na lang yung drinks, hot talaga. Mas masarap siguro yung Pancetta and Eggs kung mainit. We like cheesecake but we don’t like the taste of their Basque Cheesecake. Despite my disappointments, I’m still happy that I was able to visit this place, at least nag-iba ng ambiance. Charged to experience na lang.

Watch the video here

Napa at Crosswinds

Open daily from 7 AM to 9 PM

Crosswinds, Tagaytay, 4120 Cavite

January 21, 2021

Chef RV Manabat Cafe

Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve been seeing a lot of cooking and baking videos on social media. With the help of those videos, some of my friends learned how to bake and some even started their own pastry business. Well, sa case ko naman, nagbalik-loob din ako sa pagbebake lalo na nung wala kami mabiling tinapay.

But of course, my passion for baking did not last, I ended up using instant mixes for cookies, cupcakes, and bread. I want to bake but what I don’t like is ang daming preparation, tamad ako magmeasure at maghugas ng marami. Hehehe! So instead of buying a lot of baking ingredients, I will just buy ready mixes or baked goodies.

Anyway, one of the videos that I’ve been seeing is from Chef RV Manabat so out of curiosity, napaclick ako. I just watched one video and after that sold na ko and I started following his Facebook page. Since then I want to try his cakes kaso we have no reason naman to buy cakes at tapos na mga birthdays namin.

Fast forward to December, my husband and I decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary. For your information, twice kasi kami kinasal ni hubby pero hindi naman namin cinecelebrate na yung pangalawa. But it became an excuse to buy cake and pasta so even though we don’t really celebrate our second wedding anniversary, napacelebrate kami.

I checked their page and browsed their menu. According to their page, call daw for orders or inquiries so my husband called but ended up visiting the cafe para doon mag-order and bayad. It was so easy to locate kasi may Waze naman. Since we are still under community quarantine, they don’t accept dine-in customers, only take out orders. My husband waited for his turn, so may social distancing sa Cafe, one customer at a time.

I already gave my list to my husband so he bought Sausage and Mushroom P260, Homestyle Meatsauce P250 and Classic Sampler P1360. All pasta orders have homemade Focaccia bread. Between the two pastas, mas prefer ko yung Sausage and Mushroom and because of this, nagluto ko niyan nung Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, hindi ko nakuha yung lasa nung pasta.

Read: Holiday 2020

Since first-time namin matitikman cake nila, yung sampler na pinili ko and according to their page, ito yung flavors. Oreo Cheesecake, Wild Blueberry Cheesecake, Carrot Walnut Cheesecake, Chocolate Dulce De Leche Cake, Chocolate Blackout Cheesecake, Belgian Chocolate Cake, Pistachio Sansrival, Belgian Brownie Cheesecake, Real Ube Cheesecake, and Biñan Best Queso de Bola Cake

But when I opened the box, hindi siya same sa nakalist, meron wala. So hindi ko natikman yung Pistachio Sansrival, nareplace siya ng Red velvet Cheesecake. Maybe it depends din kung available yung cake. Anyway, we enjoyed all the flavors of the cakes except for the Chocolate Blackout Cheesecake. Our personal favorite is Belgian Brownie Cheesecake. It took us 4 days to finish the cake, naumay na kami kahit sweet tooth kami. Pero present pa rin ito nung Pasko sa get-together namin, potluck ng brother-in-law ko.

I’ve made some research, Chef RV Manabat Cafe started in the year 2017, OMG, ngayon ko lang nadiscover kung kailan pandemic. His cafe pala was inspired by Calea, kaya pala ang dami niya cheesecake na choices. If you’ve been following my blog since 2011, you know for sure that I love Calea kaso nga lang nasa Bacolod sila. So I’m glad that I discovered Chef RV Manabat Cafe. Though their price is not cheap pero worth it naman sa lasa. Alam mo na hindi tinipid sa ingredients.

Read: Pasalubong from Bacolod

Calea Blueberry Cheesecake

Food Trip in Bacolod

Update March 2021: 15th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

We always celebrate our wedding anniversary with my son so as early as January, we were searching for a restaurant or resort that will allow kids. Unfortunately, all the restaurants that we have called are not accepting kids so my husband and I celebrated Valentine’s Day in advance without my son at Alba Restaurante Espaňol. But hubby was able to book a resort in Calatagan, Batangas that accepts kids but our plan did not push through, And because of that we just went to Chef RV Manabat Cafe to take out some meals and cakes to celebrate our wedding anniversary at home. You can read here the reason why our trip was canceled.

We have already tried 10 cakes of Chef RV so I did not buy a whole cake anymore. I remember that we had a hard time finishing the cake sampler before. So I just order our favorites and I added Pistachio Sansrival. Wala kasi ito sa choices ng cake sampler. This sanrival was added to our favorite.

Pistachio Sansrival P150 per slice

Brownie Cheesecake P140 per slice

Blueberry Cheesecake P140 per slice

Carrot Cheesecake P150 per slice

Belgian Chocolate Cake P140 per slice

Chocolate Dulce de Leche P140 per slice

We bought a pack of Ube Cheese Pandesal for PHP180 (9 Pieces), we immediately ate this bread on our way home. The bread is soft but we cannot taste the ube maybe color lang na ube. Hehehe! But we like this Cheese Pandesal, actually nakakabusog na nga yung isang piraso. Next time, I will buy more packs para hindi bitin.

Since I did not cook, I also order hot meals so medyo matagal ang waiting time namin. I ordered Aligue Cream PHP250, Beef Tenderloin Steak Strips P310 and Pork BBQ with Peanut Sauce PHP280. The serving is good for 1 person pero in our case, nahirapan kami ubusin.

It was our first time eating Aligue Cream Pasta, medyo maasim siya because of the lemon, kahit konti lang ng lemon. It was not a hit for us but I like my Beef Tenderloin Strips and my son enjoyed his Pork BBQ with Java Rice, pinatira pa talaga niya at breakfast daw niya yung leftover niya.

Chef RV Manabat Baking Books

Chef RV has recipe books too so I also bought his books online "Baking Secrets" and More Baking Secrets, I chose the bundle books so I can save money. I hope ganahan na ulit ako magbake or cook from scratch.

Reminders

• Take-out only. No face mask & face shield, no entry.

• All cakes are available in 9-INCH whole OR slices

• Cash only & NO DELIVERY for now.

• For Laguna delivery, try Angkas Padala 24/7, Lalamove, or Grab. You will arrange for cash payment and pickup.

• Shelflife of cakes 3-7 days in the fridge after purchase (depending on the handling).

• Cakes must be kept in the fridge, and hot meals must be consumed immediately. Bread will last at room temp for up to 3 days, or 1 week in the fridge.

CHEF RV | Biñan City

Business Hours: Tuesday- Sunday 10:000AM- 6:00PM (Closed on Mondays)

Contact Nos: (0919) 067 0906 and (0939) 905 5316 (between 10:00 am - 6:00pm)

Address: 172 Manabat St. San Antonio Biñan Laguna. (Chef RV on waze / google maps)

October 09, 2019

Food Trip at Landers Superstore

A few months ago, we applied for Landers Membership and since then we’ve been going to Landers every month. So we shop, eat and my two boys will have their haircut. Sayang din kasi yung FREE haircut for member and PHP150 lang for non-member. Again, it is a big saving for us so doon pa lang, sulit na yung membership fee.

Read: Shopping at Landers Superstore Alabang

Last month, my husband and I went to Landers; we left past 6AM and travel time is supposed to be less than one hour but because of the traffic situation in SLEX, we arrived before 8AM. If there is no Carmageddon issue in SLEX, kahit 8AM na kami umalis sa bahay. Sad to say, we have to deal with this traffic until the last quarter of 2020.

Doppio

We’re the first customers at the parking area so naghintay lang kami sa car because 9AM pa opening. While waiting, I saw some customers na nakakapasok na sa Landers so we got off and went to the store. We can go inside na pala because their coffee shop is already open. So we went to “Doppio” and I was surprised that they have But 1 Get 1 promo for all coffee, all ice cream and all pastry products.

We ordered Chocolate Chip Muffin PHP59 and Ice Mocha Latte PHP119, so we paid PHP178 only which is good for two persons. The muffin is big so we take out the other muffin for my son. Hehehe! This is one thing I like in Landers, kasi may promo sila sa coffee shop and food central nila.

Landers Central

Aside from the coffee shop, they have food central too where you can eat pizza, pasta, chicken, hotdog, burger, fries, salad, and desserts. It is similar to S&R na self-service; you get your own drinks, condiments and clean as you go.

I noticed that every time we visit, they always have a promo. Last June, we took advantage of the “Birthday month promo” where we can buy one whole pizza for PHP400 and may hotdog promo din sila na nakalimutan ko na price. Hehehe!

So far we have tried their pizza, pasta, fries, hotdog, rice meals and others.

July 24, 2019

OldTown White Coffee in Malaysia

OldTown White Coffee is a pride of Malaysia which was founded in the year 1999. They are the largest and halal-certified kopitiam restaurant chain. Kopi tiam or kopitiam means a traditional coffee shop that is mostly found in Southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia. These coffee shops offer toast or kaya plus coffee or tea. Some kopitiam in Malaysia offer extended menus where you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner meals.

Whenever my husband goes to Malaysia, he always eats at OldTown White Coffee and at the same time, he buys OldTown White Coffee instant beverage mixes. Yes, the company is not just a coffee shop but they also manufacture instant beverage mixes. It started with a desire to serve the finest coffee at home or in their 200 outlets across Asia.

OldTown White Coffee is a perfect blend of three types of coffee beans which are Arabica, Liberica, and Robusta. OldTown White Coffee has different variants, they have Classic, Hazelnut, Less Sugar, Mocha, Cane Sugar, Coffee & Creamer, and Extra Rich. They also have OldTown White Milk Tea, Nan Yang White Coffee O with sugar added, Nan Yang White Coffee O Kosong, Black Series Coffee with sugar added and Black Series Black Coffee.

Among the flavors, we have tried the Classic, Hazelnut, Mocha and Extra Rich. Since I’m not addicted to coffee, my favorite variant is Mocha but my husband prefers the Classic one. My husband bought a lot of this coffee during his trip in Malaysia last December so this coffee was our gift to colleagues and friends.

Just this month, my husband went back to Kuala Lumpur and bought a few boxes of coffee. He also bought OldTown White Coffee Extra Rich, we haven’t tried it yet so I’ll just update this post.

So if ever you are going to Malaysia and you are a coffee lover, don’t forget to eat or drink at OldTown White Coffee shops or buy their instant beverage mixes, instant coffee, ready to drink OldTown White Coffee or even milk tea. This coffee is made from premium beans so expect that the price is not budget-friendly compared to the brands that you see in the supermarket.

OldTown White Coffee 3 in 1 Classic
A perfect smooth blend of the original white coffee. Rich, creamy and aromatic, it has a heightened lingering mouthfeel.

OldTown White Coffee 3 in 1 Hazelnut
A rich fragrant Hazelnut flavored white coffee blend. Creamy, nutty and unique, it leaves a tantalizing mouth feel.

OldTown White Coffee 3 in 1 Natural Cane Sugar
A satisfying blend with the great taste of natural cane sugar. Smooth, tasty and milky, it delivers medium strength coffee aromatics.

OldTown White Coffee 3 in 1 Less Sugar
25% less sugar compared to OldTown White Coffee 3 in 1 Classic.

OldTown White Coffee 3 in 1 Mocha
An irresistible treat- the perfect union of cocoa and OldTown White Coffee Blend. Indulge yourself with a creamy rich and full of depth OldTown White Coffee 3 in 1 Mocha.

OldTown White Coffee 2 in 1 Coffee & Creamer
A great alternative for the health-conscious. A full-bodied white coffee minus the sugar.

OldTown White Coffee 3 in 1 Extra Rich
Bolder and richer in taste and aroma, created using coffee beans that are roasted at a special high temperature. Stronger overall coffee enjoyment with our signature creamy and smooth texture.

OldTown 3 in 1 White Milk Tea
A flavourful combination of milk and tea. Aromatic and calming with a smooth creamy mouthfeel.

OldTown Nan Yang White Coffee O with Sugar Added
White coffee “o” with sugar added, roasted to perfection! Strong, dark palette with a nice bittersweet balance.

OldTown Nan Yang White Coffee O Kosong
Distinctive and strong- just like the good old days!Thick and bold with full-bodied white coffee “o” aromatics minus the sugar.

OldTown Black Series 2 in 1 Black Coffee with Sugar Added
Features deep rich flavors with a hint of caramel, satisfying aroma and a lingering sweeter note.

OldTown Black Series Black Coffee
Features irresistible, deep intense flavors with a well-balanced hint of caramel.

OldTown Black Series Enrich Freezed Dried Instant Coffee
Feature a both and smooth flavor made possible only from our premium freeze-dried coffee beans. Enjoy a 100% gourmet-style black coffee or brew it your way!

OldTown White Coffee RTD Can Drink
Perfect for people on the move. Now you can truly enjoy the great taste of the original white coffee anytime, anywhere… chilled!

Read: Where to Stay in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia