food trip buddy: Beraldi and how they make coffee

Another food trip, a coffee sojourn.

After a floppy lunch at a local food chain that offer pizza and pasta, food buddy (foobu)Aida Desalisa and me decided to have coffee at Beraldi, an open-air coffee shop located at the 2nd level of SM Southmall. Its open-air feature allows customers to smoke while drinking coffee and attending to multitude of stuff.

I prefer frappuccino than brewed coffee and other types of coffee drinks. I like milk and choco-based frappes. But this time, the latteccino (coffee and milk frappe) caught my attention.

I ordered a grande latteccino caramel while foobu Aida, who prefers brewed ordered...uhhm ahh-brewed coffee, again. We also tried their Blackout cake and a piece each of choco chip cookie and oatmeal cookie.

The Blackout cake is a stunner-from the icing to the dough and up to its toppings. It is thickly covered with moist black chocolate icing and notably less bitter than normal black chocolates. The cake's dough is packed (not like regular cakes that has sponge-like doughs-lot of air holes) and its moist and also chocolatey.

The latteccino caramel is served and topped with cream like any other frappes. But unlike the cake, its quite a disappointment. The flavor was too mild that you'll wonder where the caramel went, aside from the drizzle on the cream topping. The mildness of the flavor was close to being bland. I've had frappes and lattes before, and this never came close to comparison. Its a forgettable drink.

I wanted to compare it with other coffee blends from other coffee specialty stores, and I'm thinking, perhaps this is how Beraldi makes coffee. Foobu Aida said her brewed coffee is just 'ok', so I assume she didn't like it much either.

As for the choco-chip and oatmeal cookies, it tasted nothing really special. There are better and cheaper cookies in a grocery store.

Beraldi failed to impress but I want to try it again sometime. I want my other foobus to try it out. I believe on first impressions that last in as much as I also believe on giving second chances.

food trip buddy: Vietnam and the city...

My insatiable cravings for food and my eagerness to try out something new is taking me places.

My food buddies planned to visit the newly opened specialty restaurant along Perea St. in Lagaspi Village, Makati City. Since we all work in a call center and have different schedules, it’s hard to work out a plan. Luckily, on the week of the trip, we had the same scheduled days off. After shift, we took a taxi ride from Northgate, Alabang to Greenbelt, Makati City. There wasn't enough traffic and the trip was quick. I was tired and having a slight headache from a toxic and ‘queuing’ workday. And I was thinking, I'll be very disappointed if the food is not satisfying.

When we arrived, we saw the simple yet elegantly designed signage of Ba noi’s. And as we entered, the sound of Vietnamese music was playing on the background. After all introductions were made, we settled on a black, wooden table for four. It’s a new restaurant that had its soft opening last February. The daily rush of customers had just subsided and only a couple of tables where occupied upon our entry. The place is relatively small that could house, as I estimated it, not more than 40 diners.

Enough about the place, time for the food. We're here on a food trip so we ordered just a few dishes of the menu list.

Goi cuon (Fresh Spring Rolls)-has shrimp, vegetables, herbs (basil), pasta (looks to me like sotanghon) rolled and wrapped in rice paper. Best eaten with a peanut butter-based dressing

Ga nuong (Grilled Lemongrass Chicken)-grilled chicken with the satisfying flavor of Lemongrass. Served with a dressing that tasted like oyster sauce and soy sauce but sweetenedho bo (Beef Noodle Soup)-has basil leaves and other vegetables, best tasting when made hot and spicy with chopped chili

Goi ga bap cai (Vietnamese Cabbage Salad)-served with chicken strips and Vietnamese dressing, nuoc mam. It is sweet with slight sour taste because of the dressing.

Goi buoi tom (Vietnamese Pomelo Salad with Shrimp)-good for people on diet or those who who's watching their oily food intake due to health reasons, has sweet pomelo with macapuno strips, shrimp and sesame seeds

Ca phe sua da (Vietnamese coffee)-authentic Vietnamese coffee beans, brewed and mixed with condensed, served with ice. This is very flavorful and could rival the taste of commercial coffee companies like Starbucks and Boston Cafe

Ba noi is Vietnamese for 'grandmother'. The restaurant serves fresh flavors from Vietnam with the feel and authentic experience for Vietnamese food. According to Chef Rob Desalisa, general manager, the restaurant was set-up as a way of “bridging the gap between Philippine and Vietnamese culture”. And true indeed, Vietnamese culture and food is not much publicized in the country, or very few Filipinos are aware that there is a market for Vietnamese food in the Philippines.

With the proliferation of specialty restaurants that serve authentic international cuisines, one does not have to travel outside the country to experience a taste of a different culture. And food is always a better basis to determine the identity of a certain culture and tradition.

Ba noi’s offers something new for food enthusiasts. Its a great dining experience suitable for intimate group dates. And yes, I may add, food is healthy and clean. There is Vietnam at the heart of urban Makati ready to be discovered and experienced. 

Plus, it didn't disappoint a hungry body and a craving soul.

foot prints: Canyon Cove: A travel worth it…but

Summer is past officially here and I’ve made a promise to visit a Philippine beach each year. Last year, we hit the road to Pahiyas Beach Resort in Laiya, Batangas . This year, with the suggestion of my sister-in-law Loraine, we went to Canyon Cove in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Lorraine and her husband, Paolo, frequently visit this place as they’ve signed-up as members of this residential beach resort. They have good and positive words about the place and I’m excited to see it for myself.

April 18, 2010. It was still dark and just a few quarters of hours before dawn, I and my extended family left Los Banos, Laguna on a rented van. Our driver took the route via Sta. Rosa City and Tagaytay City. By sunrise, we were in Tagaytay, had a glimpse of the renowned Taal volcano and experienced the cool morning breeze that we don’t get to experience in the city.

We arrived at half hour past seven in the morning where we were greeted with a tight security. Upon arrival, we can’t help but admire the beauty of this well-developed place. Immediately, you will notice the condominium units that border the mountain slope which, as I imagined it, would have given you good scenery of the resort and the sea from a top view. We entered the building and did an initial ocular inspection. From the first impressions, this place isn’t cheap and I felt a rush because it’s all going to be worth it.

We initially planned an overnight stay, but due to schedule constraints, since most of us have work on Saturdays, we opted for a day tour on a Sunday. As Paolo and Loraine said, there are fewer visitors on Sundays, but I doubted, its summer time, children are off school and the sun is hot.

After officially settling business at the reception area, we chose a cabana near the infinity pool. We settled our things and had a buffet breakfast at the restaurant. Once done with our hearty meal, it was time to apply sun block lotion and readily set to explore the area.

My wife and I took a walk by the beach. Holding her hand, I fell in love with Canyon Cove. But more than the sea, sand the sun, I was more in love with this woman who said, “She’d always dreamt of walking by the beach with me, our hands together”. I was happy for the feeling was mutual, we had the same dream, and we fulfilled it together, by the Canyon Cove beach. Forget the headache-causing heat, forget the people around, it was just me and her and she’s beautiful.

I can’t resist the call of the water. It was clean and clear and cold. The sea was a soothing bath that drenched the excruciating high temperature. The sand is creamy and close-to-being-white, but isn’t smooth because of the stones and shells. It is picture perfect for shell and dead coral picking, but not for barefoot swimmers. 

Time is up for the dip. The heat was giving us headache. So we hit the pool next. It was supposed to be an infinity pool. But I didn’t get the feel of it. It was a spacious pool; tourists have started to populate the water. But it was still fun. Lifeguards are visible, and they ask the ladies out off the water if they are not complying with the dress code: strictly swimwear.

The trip was not cheap for someone on a budget. Entrance fees run at Php 800.00 per person. Bringing of food is strictly prohibited and corkage fees are applicable. Thus, if you’re hungry and want to eat, the restaurant offers buffet meals at Php 600.00 and rates may change without prior notice. The only good thing about it is that you get a rebate off your entrance fee which you can use to partially cover for your buffet breakfast or lunch.

We decided to leave early, at around 2PM, we hit the road back home and planned to have lunch on the way. Along the Nasugbu-Tagaytay City national road, we had a pit stop at Perfect View Bulalohan, where we indulged on a savory bulalo dish.

  Canyon Cove is a treasure for leisure, a commercial paradise open for exploration by tourists and bakasyonistas as well. Paolo and Loraine had positive feedback about the place. I wanted to try it. I did. And I say they were right. I knew it was not cheap. Indeed it was. But it was all worth it and we’re planning of going back again..soon.

 

Bar: Pitch @ d 4th

If you’re in Lucena City and you want to explore the night life, you might want to try out a videoke bar in Enverga St. corner Enriquez St. Or if you are within the stretch of Quezon Avenue, just a few blocks away from Jollibee, you will discover Pitch@ d 4^th floor.

I am not a party animal; I just love to relax if I have the chance, and most of the time, my idea of relaxation is to hit a bar, sip (and eventually gulp) some cold beer until I get tipsy, and enjoy the company of friends (just like most of us do). And it was the night after my wife’s birthday when we decided to hit the road and just enjoy the night with our friends. And yes, we went to the Pitch@ d 4^th floor bar located at the heart of the urban Lucena City.

It obvious how the bar got its name, it occupies the 3^rd and 4th floors of a building (which I failed to note for it was dark) along Enverga St. The 3^rd floor has a dance floor, while the 4^th floor has videoke that houses a wide LCD projector screen for visual purposes. The microphone is passed around the tables for songs which costs Php 5.00 each.

We hit the 4^th floor and we met the bar owner and operator who goes by the name Pitchy…thus,  Pitch@ d 4^th floor. And everyone knows how we, Filipinos, love to sing especially with videokes, nobody would mind if you’re out of pitch and tune…so long as you have the character and behave as civilized partier.  

Aside from the videoke ambiance and atmosphere, Pitch @ d 4^th also offers a relatively mass (masa) appeal. But don’t get me wrong with the term for its not so “masa”. Matter of fact, professionals and occasional partiers flock the bar for a really nice after-work and just-some-time-to-relax moment with friends. It offers prompt and decent service and the place is clean. By the word clean, I refer to the bar itself, free of clutter and free of “drunk” patrons. I just didn’t like the rest room, for its communal and its not really well maintained (just like most of other bars you would know). But it’s a decent place afterall.

Menu-wise, it offers regular prices for the drinks. They serve fried chicken as pulutan and has tokwa’t baboy in Mang Tomas sauce. Other than these, there’s nothing really much extra-ordinary about the place. What’s priceless is the fact that you get some quality –time with your company. Plus, I like the way the counter is presented. With its counter alone…the place may have looked classy.

The Neighbor's Creed

We got this in the mail and I guess it was circulated within our village. If this was from the management of our Homeowners Association, I must commend them for this information drive and for at least trying. The management may have good intentions but I guess the intentions have gone from good to crap.

However cool as it may have sounded, I think this is a failed attempt and an apathetic was of making themselves visible. Its a crap because they not only reinstated the obvious.

I live in the village, I know what I have to do, needless to say, and if I am to be reminded of it, they need not use funds to print such crap.

The sun, the sea and the Laiya sand

Summer is always a welcome treat for those who love the outdoors, for this is the time of the year when families and friends get together for outings and gatherings. And if you speak of hot summer sun, the most refreshing getaway would be to head for the waters and beat the sand or dip into pools and slides.

One place that is now gaining popularity as a summer destination is Laiya in San Juan, Batangas. It is about 3 hours drive south of Manila with a number of beach resorts along its shore. During summer season and Holy week, locals and foreigners flock to its beaches to enjoy the sun, sea and sand.

With its close-to-white sand shore and the scenic backdrop of a nature, this could well be a good place to enjoy the company of friends, families and even company outings, not to mention a good and reasonable price. Also, just a few hundred meters from the shore is a dive site where you can snorkel and enjoy its wide variety of marine ecosystem.

In the three occasions that I have set foot into the waters of Laiya, I have so far visited 2 of its beach resorts: Pahiyas Beach Resort and Laiya Coco Grove.

Pahiyas Beach Resort

In the two occasions that I have been into this resort, nothing much has changed from 2006 to 2009. The facilities are well maintained and cleanliness is a management priority. However, the shores are well becoming too polluted, or maybe because on the two occasions that I have been there, the shore was too crowded with people.

The only drawback that I would consider is the availability of water in the rest rooms. Prepare to fall in line while waiting for a chance to get your after-the-sea and before-I-go-home shower. While the sea is a bounty of it, unfortunately the showers are not.

Cottages and nipa huts are available for day tour and overnight stay. While private cottages can hold up to 10 people, open cottages can accommodate more. A private cottage has its own restroom while communal restrooms are available for day tourists.

The tour prices are well regulated for most of the beaches in Laiya. Entrance fees are charged for individual tourists and separate fees are for other amenities like cottages, beach volleyball facilities. Life guards are also within the beach premises so you’ll feel safe while in the waters and being extra careful comes at no cost.

For Pahiyas Beach resort, visitors are allowed to bring food and additional fees may be charged for use of appliances like rice cookers and corkage fees. Hard drinks and other alcoholic beverages are only available in the beach store and selling is as well regulated.

Pahiyas Beach resort is a good option for tourists under limited budget. But then, its always best to bring some extra cash, for the trip would not be complete without the .....snorkeling.

Laiya Coco Grove

This resort has 2 beaches, the white sand beach and the main beach. For day tour company functions, the white sand beach is a great option to consider. It has a pavilion that could hold buffet dining while beach tents and umbrellas are available along its shores. The main beach is for travelers wanting a room to take naps and spend overnights.

Click here to view pictures of the white sand beach

After a day’s fun in the white sand beach, you can opt to relax and spend the night in the main beach. The landscape with its cottages and tree houses is poetry in itself.

I came across Laiya Coco Grove from of a company outing. And what made it more fun and memorable is that, I together with a team had the rare chance to enjoy the beach and an overnight stay for free in one of its tree houses. Truly hard work and good luck can bring you good memories and great bonding time.

As the afternoon fades into dusk, you get a dramatic view of the sunset.

And when you wake up, the cool morning sea breeze will certainly leave you mystified and will make you keep a promise to come back for more.

Along with great amenities, air-conditioned tree houses and yes, as the name implies, quite a number of coconut trees, you will certainly get the value of your money by spending more. A budget of $80-$100 will be worthless as compared to the value and experience you get. Also, just a 10 minute boat ride is the dive site which one should never miss.

I kept a promise that one day, I will take my wife in this resort for this has been one of the most romantic, peaceful and scenic place I have seen so far.