Our favorite bakeries - Bagong Pag-asa, Pan de Manila and Balai Pandesal

 I have suki bakeries when buying bread and pastries. My number one bakery is Bagong Pag-asa Bakery (BPB) at Pag-asa, QC. Their bread are of good quality and reasonably priced. My favorites are Premium Loaf Bread (P74.00), Wheat Monay (P38.00 x 6 pcs), Spanish Bread (P21.00), Kalihim (P19.00 x 4) and Kababayan (P22.00 x 6). I also love their Shing-a-Ling,

Bagong Pag-asa Bakery

Pan de Manila has become our alternative bakery when the pandemic happened. Pan de Manila delivers their bread and pastries via Grab or Food Panda. Our favorite choices at PdM are Cinamon Pandesal, Cheese Stick Pesto, Pan de Coco, Banana Loaf and Regular Pandesal. Compared to BPB, prices at PdM are higher. But the advantage of PdM is that there are many branches near our place. 

A new discovery for us is Balai Pandesal. I tried once to order via Grab their specialties like Cheese Bread, Coffee Bun, Spanish Bread, Cinamon and Banana Loaf. Eureka! I was suprised with the quality (soft texture) and taste. The prices are not high compared to other bread shops like Bread Talk but the taste and size are comparable. After my first order, we have become a suki of Balai Pandesal. I tried their Coco Jam, it was great with their pandesal! Now, Balai Pandesal specialties has become a regular bread at home for mirienda and breakfast. Like PdM, Balai Pandesal has also many branches. 

https://www.facebook.com/BalaiPandesalPH/

NAM NAM - A Cozy Vietnam Pho Resto

NAM NAM along Maginhawa St., QC is a new discovery for us when it comes to Pho and Vietnamese specialties. Nam Nam is a small cozy restaurant (15 pax max inside) that serves limited dishes (a) two types of beef Pho noodle soup Pho Bo (Regular) and Bun Bo Hue (Spicy), (b) two types of spring rolls - fresh and deep fried. Their drinks can be a choice of Vietnamese coffee (cold/hot), lemon grass juice and beer (local or imported). With their short menu, you are sure to taste their best and only dishes. 

 

Bun Bo Hue - Spicy beef noodle soup is superb. The quantity of the flat noodles may not be as much at other Pho restos but the soup is the highlight! You can judge how good the dish is after. No left over soup for the Bun Bo Hue!

Pho Bo - another outstanding beef noodle soup - if you want to add some spice, you may add their secret spicy red sauce. 

The deep fried pork spring rolls with their secret sauce is awesome. This may be a little bit expensive for P120 for two pieces but the crispiness and taste would make you forget about the price. 

The Vietnamese coffee is another reason why you will return to this place. Not bitter when mixed with condensed milk. Just right. Comparable or even better than the expensive coffee served in SB or CB. 

GYUD FOOD at UP Diliman

 

A new place to meet and dine at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, QC is GYUD FOOD along Emilio Jacinto St. opposite the UP College of Fine Arts and just beside Mang Larry's Isawan. The place has a building which houses food kiosks like Korento, Miss Sizz, Heaven's Barbecue, UP Student Canteen and more. On our first visit, I tried angus burger of Miss Sizz (It was good althoug the burger size is relatively small) and my daughter tried Koreanto's honey fish. The price of the food in the various kiosks ranges from P100 to P400 for individual meals. There are also group servings and I am curious with the Heaven's Barbecue - their prok barbecues are tempting for those who crave for juicy and oily pork :-). Outside there are food trucks and you can also eat al fresco. And yes, there is even a corner where you can squat ala Japanese and enjoy your food. GYUD is really a "Good Yummy Destination."

Angus Burger and Honey Fried Fish

What's inside and outside Gyud Food?

https://www.facebook.com/carlos.centeno.927980

SteakFix along Maginhawa St., QC

 

Maginhawa St., QC is a popular food street at Teacher's Village, QC. Our favorite restos here are Crazy Katsu, Fruilli Tratoria, Pancinteria and Pappa Didi's Ice cream. A new discovery is SteakFix - Tendermelts, a resto that serves "value for money steak" sets ranging from P185 to P500.00 with side dishes of your choice. Our Food ratings: Steak (3.5/5), Taste (4/5), Price (4/5), Service (4/5).

Gudo Pizzeria & Steak along Congressional Ave., QC

If you happen to be traversing Congressional Avenue, QC from Mindanao Avenue and have time for a quick bite of steak, pizza or pasta, GUDO Pizzeria is one good place to visit. It serves value for money T-Bone steaks and Tasty Pizzas and Pastas. It is now located at its new place just after Tandang Sora Ave. intersection along Congressional Avenue.  Our food ratings - steak (4/5), hungarian sausage (4/5), Alfredo's Pasta (3/5), Taste (3.5/5), Price (4/5).  Price ranges from P200 to P400.00 Next time we will try their pizza. 

One attraction of Gudo's is Kusing, the Mr. Bigote Cat. Kusing welcomes the guest with a meow!

Relaxing at Pawikan - Pansol, Los Banos, Laguna

To break the monotony of staying at home during the pandemic, our family decided to relax at a private resort at Pansol, Los Banos, Laguna on 13 August 2022. We reserved Pawikan, a private pool resort with a rustic and native theme but with modern facilities. The resort actually can accommodate about 15 people but we had the place for ourselves - four of us. There are three rooms which have at least four beds. We occupied the three rooms, one for Julia, another for Geof and the third room for us, Apple and I. All rooms are airconditioned.

There are two pools - one for kids and dipping and another for adults. The water is warm and relaxing - not so hot unlike in hotsprings. It has a big separate room with a kitchen, dining room and billiards. You can actually brig your food ingredients and cook your meals there since there pots and pans and gas stove for cooking. You have to bring your plates and eating utensils, though. There is a refrigerator and free drinking water.

You can order also for food by delivery since Grab and Food Panda are readily available at the vicinity. Overall, we had a relaxing day but not a quiet overnight stay since there loud speakers of Karaoke music in the other resorts nearby. We will be back for sure to this place. 

Our Tasty Walk-in at WOK INN during the pandemic

 

For almost two years, we have been dependent on food delivery via Grab or Food Panda to be able to taste our favorite dishes from popular restaurants. But visiting our favorite restos seems to be more enjoyable and fulfilling just like when Apple and I had our unplanned walk-in and dine-in at WOK INN, a popular Chinese resto beside the Malate Church. 

By tradition, you order at Wok Inn by pointing to their display of fresh seafood, meat and veggies. Our favorite orders are alahan soup,  sipa(stuffed with minced pork) and the stuffed squid. The taste and the serving of Wok Inn remains the same- tasty and value for money. Eating our favorite dishes brings back memories when we were still not married and now going into our senior years, Wok Inn remains one of our favorites. After enjoying our dine-in, we made sure we have take-home also for the kids - stuffed squid and stuffed tofu. Our total bill for dine-in (3 dishes, 2 cups of rice and one canned soda plus the take-out dishes (with SC discount) is only P1100.00 +. What a treat!

Wok Inn Display of Fresh Seafoof, Meat and Vegge

A soup of alahan is a good way to start your food adventure

Sipa - it's stuffed with minced pork and shaped like a sipa (a kid's game)

My favorite stuffed squid with leeks and special sauce

 

Watami on Father's Day

19 June 2022 is Father's Day. A day to celebrate to thank the Lord and celebrate for the life despite the challenges specially the pandemic. I suggested Watami, a Japanese restaurant which I found to be serving good and tasty hotpot. My first Watami experience was at Shangrila Mall when Apple and UP friends, Gil, Chuck,  et al met for a reunion with Annette, my niece living in the Netherlands. 

So we had lunch at Watami at UP Town Center, QC. We ordered pork curry, tempura, chicken wings and the shabu shabu hotpot. I realized after tasting the hotpot that it was not the same hotpot that I enjoyed during my first Watami experience. The Sumu Hotpot was phased-out by the resto according to the manager at Watami when we visited the Shangrila Mall branch in one dinner. I told the manager that it's the Sumo Hot Pot which I craved for, why did they removed it from the menu. Anyway, back to the original story on Father's Day lunch. We enjoyed the Watami food except the Shabu Shabu Hot Pot. Food rating is 4/5. 

Pork Curry

Tebasaki

Shabu Shabu Hot Pot

Ebi Tempura