I am Drewsome: July 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

Bulalo Haven: Mahogany Market Tagaytay

Last Sunday, my friends and I went to Tagaytay to celebrate our 7 years of friendship. Of course, celebration is not complete without food. We chose Tagaytay because of it's cold weather and all of us were craving for the famous soup in town, the Bulalo (Beef and Bone Marrow Soup). Though most of us have health issues and we knew for a fact that Bulalo is synonymous to cholesterol, we grab the opportunity to experience as per many people are suggesting the best bulalohan (canteen/eatery that sells bulalo soup) in Tagaytay which can be found at Mahogany Market Tagaytay.

The Bulalohan were located right in front of the market. Mahogany Market is where you can buy the freshest beef and that's the reason why the bulalohan in Mahogany Market were quoted as the best bulalo in Tagaytay. They use fresh beef and bone marrow every time they cook to result a flavorful bulalo soup.

Aside from Bulalo, the stores also offers other Filipino dishes. I took some pictures of the food we ordered and their corresponding prices will be posted as captions.

Adobong Pusit (Squid) Php 120.00

Crispy Tawilis (one of my favorite, best with Bulalo) Php 100.00

Bulalo Soup (good for 2-3 person / Php 300.00)

Nilasing na Hipon (Shrimps marinated in salt, pepper, Sprite/7Up or Beer then fried.) Php 150.00

Sisig (Sizzling Pig ears or mask) Php 250.00

According to the food attendant, the serving size of Bulalo is for 2-3 persons but in my opinion it's good up to 4 persons. Tawilis was really crispy, comes with their seasoned vinegar. Adobong pusit and the nilasing na hipon were usual. Sisig was a disaster. I could say that the price of Bulalo and Tawilis were fair due to their serving size and taste but the others were overpriced specially the Sisig. And also consider the fact that the canteen were located in the market. Sisig in Metro Manila costs around Php150.00-190.00 in most restaurants. Anyways, what's important was we're satisfied with the Bulalo.

If you want to give this a try, the Mahogany Market is located at Mahogany Avenue. From Tagaytay Rotonda, follow the road going Nasugbu. When you reach the Y-road with a Petron station in the middle, turn right and just follow the road going to Amadeo and Mahogany.

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Pipino Vegetarian : Where Healthy Meets Delicious

Last Saturday, my hon and I was looking for a place to have dinner but we do not want the usual fast food or local resto that serve almost the same thing. While browsing the net the other day, I found out that Pino Resto Bar in Teachers Village added a new joint to the family which they named Pipino Vegetarian Restaurant (Pipino is Cucumber in English).

We decided to give it a try. Pipino is located at the 2^nd floor of Pino Bar and Restaurant. The ambiance is quirky, well-lighted with a classroom feeling. They used blackboards for their menu lists.

The menu was interesting and sounded appetizing. I’m really a carnivore type so this was a new experience for me. We ordered the Veggie Lasagna and Eggplant & Tofu Miso with Rice, home made lemon iced tea and vegan chocolate cookie.

The food really tastes good. Since I love tofu, I really enjoyed the Eggplant and Tofu Miso with Rice. It actually tastes like it was cooked with coconut milk. The Vegan Lasagna is awesome as well. The diner stands that all their dishes are plant-based and do not contain any animals or animal by-products. I tasted cheese on the lasagna but it’s not actually cheese. I think it’s made from soft tofu. Home made iced tea was ok but a bit sweet. The cookie is just fine. I’m wondering how they baked it without butter?

Vegan Lasagna (Freshly cooked that's why it's still not firm)

Eggplant and Tofu Miso with Rice (not as presentable like on their website but it tastes good)

The food experience was refreshing. We enjoyed it. Since I need to be more health conscious due to my condition, I think I’m turning vegan. ( But I don’t know for how long. Hihi!)

If you would like to give this a try, Pipino is located at 2^nd flr. 39 Malingap St., Teacher’s Village, Quezon City. If you can’t live without meat, Pino Restaurant is just at the ground floor.

For more info. ('bout the store, menu and map direction), you can visit their site at:

http://pipinovegetarian.com/

http://pinopinopino.multiply.com/

Sagada: Paradise of Mt. Province (Day 3)

It took me some time before I post this part 3 and I apologize. Actually, day three of our journey is just free time for us to roam around the village, buy some souvenir items and some goodies. Since we were really tired about Days 2 Itinerary, we woke up late around 8am (It’s late because our bus from Sagada to Baguio will leave at 1pm and we still need to do a lot of things.)

1^st, we packed our things and took a shower. We headed straight to one of the cafes to have breakfast (I forgot the name but this one is located near where the mini busses were parked.) We ordered ham & cheese and veggie omelette with toasts and this time we tried the Sagada coffee. I liked the veggie omelette more than the meat omelette. The vegetables were really crisps. With added tomato ketchup on your toasts it really tastes like a veggie pizza. The Sagada brewed coffee is amazing. The aroma and flavour is strong just like the Barako Coffee from Batangas.

After breakfast we headed straight to the store for souvenir items. Sagada is famous for wood carving so we bought a set of wood carved spoon and fork for our co-workers ands accessories for ourselves. They have street market during that day. So we decided to peak to see what local produce are they selling. The market sells their vegetable harvests, meat and poultry, coffee beans and local tea. Since we love the tea and coffee, we bought some fresh tea leaves and ground coffee beans.

Around 11:30 am, we went around the church area again to shoot more pictures and then headed back to the inn to get our things. Before heading to the bus station, we dropped by to Yoghurt House to order yogurt for take out. The café is jammed pack with a group of Brits that’s on a tour. It’s already 12:45pm and if we were going to wait for a long time, we will be late for our bus and the last trip is at 1pm (no 2 pm schedule on that day only). So it ends up that we haven’t tried the famous yogurt of Sagada and until now, my girlfriend blames me for that. But I thought it would be enough reason for us to return to Sagada.

To sum it up, we enjoyed our stay at Sagada. We want to stay for 2 more days but we have work to do. My advice, if you’re planning for 3 days 2 nights stay, allot 5 days for your trip if you’re coming from Manila. 2 days is for your travelling time. Surely, we will be back to Sagada. Fresh air, fresh food, breathtaking sceneries, peaceful and quiet. A place you can not find at the metro.