Michi Photostory

November 14, 2022

Breakfast at Taza Fresh Table

My mom is staying in our house for a few weeks and we just received my son’s report card, as a reward for a good performance, we went to Tagaytay for a celebration. My initial plan is Balay Dako but I changed my mind so I suggested to my husband Taza Fresh Table. We were supposed to eat here two years ago but the restaurant was closed because of the Taal Volcano eruption and then COVID-19 happened.

Read: Buffet Breakfast at Balay Dako

I checked their Instagram account, Facebook page, and website and I was looking for their Breakfast Menu, because when I downloaded the menu on their website, there is no Breakfast Meal. I even sent a DM on their Instagram account but I did not receive a reply. I booked a table on their website but I did not get any confirmation.

Despite having no reply or confirmation, we still went to Taal Vista Hotel to eat our breakfast. We arrived past 7AM so we waited for almost an hour because the restaurant is still closed. Natetempt na rin ako magbuffet breakfast na lang sa Veranda pero since ilang beses na rin namin natry ang buffet breakfast nila, naghintay kami sa Taza.

From the time we entered and left, kami lang yung diners so the waiting time is not that long. The staff gave us the menu and while browsing the menu, I realized mahal din pala breakfast meal nila, price ranges from PHP350 to PHP950 + 10% Service Charge.

As I’ve said before, I already checked their website, Instagram, and Facebook page so I already have an idea of what to order. I was surprised lang na mahal pala ang gusto ko na order, pero dahil nagcrave ako doon sa photo nila, inorder ko pa rin. I ordered Steak and Eggs PHP950 + SC, my husband chose Tapang Barako PHP900 + SC, while my mom and son chose Taza Burger PHP750 + SC. Yellow Mango Shake PHP250 + SC.

Steak and Eggs PHP950 + SC

Hanger steak with two eggs any style, French fries

Taza Burger PHP750 + SC

Ground beef patty, Tagaytay romaine lettuce, mozzarella, potato wedges, coleslaw.

Tapang Barako PHP900 +SC

Hanger steak marinated in coconut vinegar, coco amino, coconut sugar, garlic, soy sauce, bay leaf, and Barako coffee.

The meals were served in less than 30 minutes but I was shocked when I saw my steak and eggs, ang liit ng steak. Ang layo niya sa picture na nakita, ito yung tinatawag na Expectation vs Reality. Toink! I ordered steak in other restaurants like Melo’s and Hogs & Cattle Steakhouse, and Outback Steakhouse and so far ito yung pinakamaliit. Konti lang din yung tapa compared sa pictures ng ibang bloggers na nakita ko. I told my mom, nasa Pilipinas na siya pero yung order niya hindi nagbago. Halos same kasi sa order nila ng anak ko sa Roft Rotisseri “Lunch Burger”.

Anyway, the service is good and we enjoyed our food naman but whenever we think of the price, nanghihinayang kami. Sana pala nagbuffet na lang kami kasi konting dagdag na lang. Waah! #chargetoexperience

We did not stay long because I attended the Virtual Parents-Teachers Conference while my husband drove to Caleruega for our next agenda.

Read: Mother’s Day at Taal Vista Hotel

Trick or Treat at Taal Vista Hotel

Christmas at Taal Vista Hotel

Taza Fresh Table at Taal Vista Hotel

Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway

Tagaytay City 4120, Philippines

Operating Hours:

Friday 12:00 NN to 3:00PM, 6:00PM to 10:00PM

Saturday 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM

Sunday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Note: Sunday dinner is open during long weekends (Monday is a Holiday)

November 10, 2022

She Bold Stock Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sale

You’ve had your turkey and your sweet pumpkin pie (or are you an apple gal?). Now onto the sales! And we’re really excited about this one.

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November 08, 2022

Day Trip at 88 Spa Resort

If you are a long-time reader of my blog, you knew that my late grandmother used to live in Laguna so we used to visit her every month. On our way to her house, we always passed 88 Spa Resort so when we are planning for a family outing, I suggested this resort because my husband already visited this resort with his colleagues and according to him, the place is good.

So the plan was pushed through but we did not join the family outing because the scheduled trip was just a few days before my son’s graduation, so ayaw ko naman may sunburn ako sa graduation. My family enjoyed the 88 Spa Resort so much that since then, they always go back to this resort, so mga nakailang balik na sila dito, both day trip and overnight but it was only last month, that my son and I were able to visit the resort.

My mom like this place so we had a Day Trip at 88 Spa Resort last month; my sister-in-law called the resort to reserve but was advised that there is no need for a reservation kung day tour lang.

Day Tour is 8AM to 10PM

PHP1500 - Adult

PHP1,150 - (3-12 yrs old)

PHP1,071.43 - Senior and PWD

Inclusions:

Access to all swimming pools

Consumable for food (lunch or dinner)

- Worth PHP450 - per adult

- Worth PHP350 Pesos - per child

Open cottages

Lockers and shower rooms

Note: Foods are allowed to bring inside the resort.

FREE OF CHARGE: Bread, water, and fruits.

CORKAGE: PHP100 per head: Cooked food, chips, sodas, and juices.

We arrived at the resort before 8AM and after payment, they gave us the keys for lockers and vouchers for food. There is a separate locker for men and women but we did not use the locker so I have no idea how big it is.

The 88 Spa Resort is huge, the lot area is more than 7 hectares at the base of Mount Makiling. It has 10 outdoor pools surrounded by palm and coconut trees. We did not bother to check the whole resort, we just stayed in one place and tried the nearest swimming pool. During our trip, there are also pools that are not working, ito yung nasa taas ng stairs. It is better to get the flyer to serve as your guide.

The resort has Octagon Pool, this pool has 8 mini pools with different water temperature ranges from 37 to 43 degrees Celsius. It is recommended to dip in the pool for 5 to 10 minutes to improve blood circulation and metabolism. If you want to relax your muscles and release physical tension, you can sit on Taeguk Pool. There are also pools with slides located in different areas. Aside from that, you can also take advantage of their healing packages, massage services, and food trip.

When you enter the resort, feeling mo nasa South Korea ka kasi may Korean vibes, as far as I know, Korean ang owner nito. So even sa restaurant, offers both Filipino and Korean dishes. I thought the PHP450 consumable per head is enough for our lunch but I was wrong, ang mahal pala ng food, drinks, and even the ice cream.

I was craving Korean BBQ pero hindi ko maenjoy kasi hindi pala unlimited ang Korean BBQ dito and may minimum order pa. So for our table, we ordered Pork Belly PHP900 (ilang piraso lang), Bulalo PHP700, Rice PHP60 per cup, Softdrink PHP90 and Ice Cream PHP120 + 12% VAT. They also have a set menu good for 4 persons ranging from PHP1900- PHP2000.

Even though the day tour is up to 10PM, we left past 3PM since dumadami na rin ang guests. Overall, we enjoyed our experience here and the only thing that I don’t like is their shower room, it really needs renovation. I did not take photo of it kasi madilim din naman.

Watch the video here.

Read: City of Springs

Update: March 2023

After our visit to 88 Spa Resort, we knew that we are going back because my husband wanted to bring his parents here so before November 2022 ends we went back. This was my husband’s treat for my Mother-in-law’s birthday. Hot spring is good for senior citizens so my in-laws enjoyed their visit to 88 Spa Resort even just for a few hours.

We left the house past 6AM and fetch my in-laws in Laguna. We arrived at the resort at half past seven. The rate is still the same and they allowed us to enter even though it is not yet 8AM.

Our consumable voucher is PHP2,250 so for lunch, we decided to order from the Set Menu, we chose Pinoy for PHP2000, which includes special bulalo, boneless bangus, chopsuey and garlic rice. They also serve side dishes. This menu is good for 4 persons pero nagkasya naman for 5 persons. We added rice and sodas and paid the balance after check-out.

After lunch, we did not go back sa main pool, doon na lang kami sa pool na malapit sa restaurant. We bravely tried the 41C degrees pool. After trying that pool even for several minutes, parang ang lamig na noong ibang pool tuloy. Hehehe!

Before we left, we explored the other parts na hindi ko napuntahan during our last trip. By the way, mas maayos yung comfort room na malapit sa restaurant kaso daanan ng tao.

November 07, 2022

Lunch at MESA

My mom is here in the Philippines for vacation so we usually have a family lunch every weekend. She suggested “MESA” for our lunch. It’s been years since the last time we ate here, we have tried the SM Southmall and SM North EDSA branches and so far we had a good experience.

It took us a long time to browse the menu because we were thinking if we would order from the MESALO-SALO Menu, Boodle Menu, or Sampler menu but we ended up ordering our own meal since iba-iba gusto namin ulam. It was funny because it took me a long time to check their menu but I still chose Inihaw Sampler, yun din yung mga past orders ko.

Since it was not our first time eating at MESA restaurant, we thought they would serve our order in 20-30 minutes, but 40 minutes had passed, wala pa rin, so we needed to follow up twice. So our experience with SM Grand was unpleasant because it took them just an hour to serve our meals. Nagutom na kami kakahintay, we were there before 11AM and 12NN na bago pa kami nakakain. I don’t know why it took them so long to serve the food and when we ate the Inihaw Sampler, hindi naman mainit.

Inihaw Sampler includes grilled chicken leg quarter, pork belly, scallops meat, river shrimp, squid, pork BBQ and a slice of Bangus belly basted with sweet soya glaze topped with spring onion.

The food is good naman kaso mabagal lang ang service, though maayos naman ang mga waitstaff nila. We are group of 11 people and we ordered the following, pero ang nakain ko lang yung Inihaw Sampler, Kare-Kare and Sinigang na Boneless Bangus. (kung ano yung malapit sa akin) And dahil sa gutom na kami, yung Inihaw Sampler lang ang nakunan ko ng picture.

Baked Scallops PHP260

Pork Sisig PHP280

Pork Binagoongan PHP370

Grilled Liempo PHP265

Kare-Kare Beef PHP550

Laing 2 Ways PHP240

Garlic Rice P50 per cup

Steamed Rice PHP40 per cup

Sinigang na Boneless Bangus PHP395

Pinatayong Manok PHP335

Inihaw Sampler PHP1295

Kamias Cucumber PHP105

Iced Tea PHP60

Fresh Buko Shake PHP150

Ripe Mango Shake PHp125

Dalandan Shake PHP125

November 04, 2022

Lunch at Romantic Baboy

The first and the last time that I ate at Romantic Baboy was almost three years ago. Nowadays, I seldom go to Korean BBQ restaurants because I can do it at home, I remember during the pandemic days, we always buy meat at Romantic Baboy if I’m craving it.

But last All Saints Day, after visiting the cemetery we dropped by SM Grand for our lunch and we ate at Romantic Baboy. I noticed that there are few changes since my last visit, before a minimum of 2 types of meat lang per order, kapag ubos na, you can order again, now you can order everything and they will serve it. The rate has been changed too, both dine-in and take-out. No credit card payment but they are now accepting GCASH payments.

Romantic Baboy House Rules

1. Minimum 2 diners per table to avail of PHP599 promo (Senior and PWD discount not applicable)

2. Unlimited pork and beef.

PHP649 - Solo diner

PHP325 - 3ft to 4ft

FREE - 3 ft below

3. Strictly no outside food and drinks allowed PHP200 pesos corkage fee/bottle.

4. Strictly no leftover and no takeout PHP200/plate.

5. No choosing of seats.

6. No vaccination card and face masks no entry.

7. Cash basis and GCASH only

The menu has been improved also so there are new dishes that I haven’t tried during our first visit. There is already a special menu and a seasonal menu. You can order the following:

Herb Samgyupsal - Herb Pork Belly

Woosamgyup - Thin slice of Beef Brisket

Moksal - Seasoned Pork Neck

Daepae Samgyupsal - Thin slice of Pork Belly

Yangnyum Galbi - Marinated Pork Ribs

Jeyuk Style Daepae - Korean Spicy Pork Belly

Bulgogi - Sweet Marinated Korean Style Beef

Spicy Beef - Thin slice of spicy Beef Brisket

Special Menu

Smokey Samgyupsal (Pork Belly)

Cheese Scallop

Bulgogi Chicken

Seasonal Menu

Smoked Duck - chewy and savory duck

Makchang - marinated grilled pork entrails

Since this is a family lunch of 11 people, madami na nag-order so I did not order any meat, so I just grilled and ate whatever is on our table. I tried the duck pero hindi ko type but I liked the combination of scallops and cheese. We did not stay long because we are going to visit another cemetery.

Romantic Baboy

3rd Flr SM City Grand Central

Rizal Ave. Ext. East Grace Park, Caloocan

November 03, 2022

Cricut Project: Heaven's Gate Shadow Box

Since last week, I’ve been doing some craft projects for All Soul’s Day but I was not able to finish my project because of typhoon Paeng. And because of the typhoon, we had no electricity and no water for 31 hours. So I can’t do anything for the past few days, good thing that I was able to finish the Angel Wing’s Memorial for my late father.

I purchased this Heaven’s Gate Shadow Box a few months ago because I planned to make this project for our loved ones. With this SVG file, you can make Heaven’s Gate project for your late grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, daughter, son, sister, brother, dad, mom, mum, dog, and cat. There is also a text layer for “glory”, “welcome home” and ‘’eternity”.

Due to limited time, I only use the “Welcome Home” text layer. For this project, I need 11 layers and I used smooth, texture, and glitter cardstock. I only cut the file but was not able to assemble it because my frame is only 6x6, I thought I have an 8x8 shadow box frame. Waah! Anyway, I’m still posting my PHD (Project Half Done).