Adventures of the Happy Tummy

 Entertaining Balikbayans ain't complete without visiting the venue where my parents had their 1st date (cheesy!!!)  Sago't Gulaman (3*) Jelly cubes + tapioca pearls + sweetened water and lotsa ice  Sotanghon Soup (4*) Vermicelli noodles in oily garlicky chicken broth... Half finished Boneless Chicken BBQ (4*) complete with Java rice, atsara (pickled vegetables), and lotsa Aristocrat BBQ sauce!

Cravings after work brought from Makati to middle-ground, Pasig. Looking for food thrills to celebrate a mid-week holiday, off we went to pursue the famed dishes of Cafe Juanita. West Kapitolyo is known for the quaint hole-in-the-walls and utterly good food. Tonight, it's Pinoy (Filipino). Medium-tier priced delicious Filipino dishes in a bahay-ni-lola (your granny's home) setting.  Presentation: 4* Taste: 5* Quality: 5* Ambience: 4* if you like the kitchyness of it Fish: Fried Lapu-Lapu Pork: Adobo with crispy meat hash Beef: Kare-kare (ox tripe and meat in peanut-based sauce with local vegetables)  Pork: Lechon Kawali The hungry gang from Makati Curiously delectable experience! Will come back for intimate celebrations. Cafe Juanita West Kapitolyo Drive Pasig City

For ladies who lunch, and merienda too! Filipino comfort food and then some. Best sellers: Cheese ensaymada Cheese rolls Filipino breakfasts Sandwiches Soups Salads Pasta Dessert Everything! Tip: For a hearty lunch, try the set only for Php400! And Greenbelt's Mary Grace has the best ambience. Casual Php 250 - 500 Café Mary Grace Greenbelt 2 Ayala Center, Makati (02) 501-3089

Love coming back to Chef Florabel Co - Yatco's ELIAS. It was a refreshing sight to see a familiar Filipino resto in a neighborhood mall. And it's not another one from the big chain of grills, mind you. This is a good ol' pinoy served at a "classy-er" setting :) My seniors love it still. :) Featured are: Pinaputok na Isda (plapla i think) Laing sa gata (needs more spice) Queso de bola chhesecake - luvit! and their cleverly-disguised bill peasant envelope :) Php250-400/pax Classic Filipino Casual/ Dress-up weekends ELIAS Robinson's Magnolia Upper Ground Floor Right-most wing if coming from the verandah area

Take a break from shopping at Tiendesitas... pet stuff, antiques, home furnishings and apparel and fashion accessories... a delightful food court awaits in the middle of it all: Bibingka Suman w/mango Suman w/ube Suman w/langka Suman w/chocolate Pair 'em with: Fresh buko shake Strawberry & mango shake and Tsokolate eh! What a nice Filipiniana snack! Then head off to shop some more!

What to eat? Where to eat? It's so hard to please your parents... Nothing expensive, not too exotic, not the usual, no more long walks please? Ha! Thank God for Filipino food, thank God for reknowned chefs like Florabel Co-Yatco changing the landscape of local cuisine into a not so ordinary fare. We, a Filipino-Chinese family, found ourselves in a turn of the century local restaurant, and was amused to see fellow chinky-eyed locals coming in to enjoy dishes that we seldom see on the family dinner table. We shared a PLATTER OF GRILLED SEAFOOD and MEAT and everyone had a fair share. The BINAGOONGAN RICE is a good combination of flavors that complements the grilled entrees. You might want to add more rice though, we're just cutting back on starch due to high sugar levels in the family. And did I mention that they serve really good CORNICKS for appetizers?! We asked for more and mixed it to the rice - Crunchy! We had room for desserts, haha, I miss all the go...

Fiesta ! That's the first word that hit me when we saw buddy's . We passed the place a few times already and wondered what the super mega lighted place is. It was featured in Jessica Soho's tv program that was why it confirmed our guesses that it IS a restaurant worth visiting. This is the perfect place to bring your balikbayan aunts & cousins. Once you catch sight of the establishment, you'll be transported to Lucban, Quezon in all its Pahiyas glory.  It was always in my checklist to visit their fiesta but this as close that I can get for now. And it's also in Quezon... city, hehe, not the province. At least it's near my place & I get to taste the food. And they come cheap! At p150/head, your wallet will be very happy too!   Decors are aplenty - the rice paper lantern goes all the way UP & all the way DOWN! Notice the last picture? You'll get to sneak a peek of the counter - the place looks like a fastfood with everyone coming & goin...