Thursday, September 22, 2011

CAFE VIA ANGELO



Marikina will never run out of great hang out places, I assure you.

We have been waiting for this cafe to open for the longest time. We often swing by Macky's Goto and once we saw the marquee of this cafe being put up just across the street, we knew we will be in its first wave of customers. A few weeks ago, they finally opened their doors to diners like us so we can check out this new cool place that is CAFE VIA ANGELO.

The counter and the dessert bar, behind which is the kitchen where all the magic happens

 The view to my left (Restroom is at the end of the short hall)


The menu offers a lot, I cannot say that they serve a specific type of cuisine, but all the items sure looked interesting. We decided to go Italian that night.

Cafe Via Angelo Pizza

First up - the Cafe Via Angelo pizza. We didn't know that it was that BIG. And that LOADED. I am a sucker for pizzas that are served with loads and loads of cheese. We loved this one, and for amazing eaters (yes, that's the term) like us, we didn't finish it. Told you, it was really good, but HUGE. This is perfect for families or barkadas!

Seafood Marinara Pasta

We also tried their pasta. This one's the seafood marinara (I'm sure you can judge from the prawn head gracefully sticking out... hehe!) I loved the sauce and the seafood flavors. One more thing I loved about the pasta? The bread! I forgot to ask the type of bread they served with the pasta... I think it had walnuts in it! Yum!

 House Blend Iced Tea

To end our meal, of course, we ordered cakes. The cool thing about Cafe Via Angelo is that they serve different cakes all the time (that's what I heard), so every time you visit, you may have a new set of cakes to choose from.

 Yema Cake. Yema Cake. Yema Cake. (We got the corner slice, thus, the rosettes! Hehe)

 Chocolate Decadence. This was actually a slice of chocolate-cheesecake-heaven.

I forgot the name of the cake, but It was chocolate based with marshmallow frosting and toffee crunch filling. Our favorite cake among the three we've tried.

A cool place to hang out, on weekend afternoons, or food trip dates, or after church (this is a few meters from Our Lady of the Abandoned Church). Visit Cafe Via Angelo to relax and indulge for a while!


CAFE VIA ANGELO
333 Christ the King Bldg., J.P. Rizal St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City, Metro Manila
Tel. No.: 09198191833
Open 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
For commuters, take the Calumpang jeep and get off right in front of the cafe. It is right across Macky's Goto, and a few meters from Our Lady of the Abandoned Church. :)
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Thursday, September 15, 2011

SPARTEA SPA AND BUBBLE TEA

***AS OF 28 JANUARY 2013, WE HAVE RECEIVED NEWS THAT SPARTEA IS NO LONGER OPEN. HOPE THEY FIND ANOTHER NOOK IN MARIKINA SOON!***

With all the milk tea craze going around the metro, I am proud to say that in Marikina, we have one, too.

And it's not just your regular milk tea place. They also offer spa services.

But wait, it doesn't end there. They have Japadogs too. (Japa-what?)


Yes, you heard it right. Japanese hotdogs. These are juicy hotdog sandwiches topped with ingredients that are so Japanice, like kani (crabsticks) or wasabi. More of those later! Be patient, my loves.


So there you go, a place that serves bubble tea, that offers spa services, and serves Japadogs. Unveiling our latest discovery: SPARTEA SPA AND BUBBLE TEA!

We come up to the counter and order our drinks. The lovely lady (I think she's the owner) recommended we try their Winter Melon variant, but we reserved that flavor for our next visit. (Side story: After our Spartea visit, I checked their Facebook page and saw that a promo was going on for the Winter Melon drink, but you have to know the magic words to get the free upsize - posted on their page! We totally missed it, awww.)

Here are the drinks we tried, all at 100% sugar level. Every order of drink at Spartea comes with a free serving of add-on - you can choose between pearls, nata, tea jelly, or egg pudding.

 Left: Kiu Milk Tea and Right: Strawberry Milk Tea - Love them!!

 Mom ordered a cup of Hot Roasted Hazelnut Tea Blend (I love this photo, don't you?)

 And the star of the night: Lemon Yakult! So sour, so milky, so yummy!! We'll try the Mango Yakult and Strawberry Yakult next time.

It's an evening tea parteeeey!

Now, I know you can't get the Japadogs off your mind, so here they are. Mind you, they are indeed as interesting as their names sound!

 CALI MAKI DOG - served with crab sticks, mayonnaise, nori strips and mango syrup. Our favorite!

 WASABI POTATO DOG - served with wasabi, ketchup, cheese and potato strings. This hotdog made me cry, but in a good way.

 TERIYAKI DOG - the most interesting hotdog of all. Served with teriyaki sauce, mayonnaise, nori strips, and bonito flakes...that move. Yes, we couldn't bear eating this one because the bonito flakes were moving and they were just too cute to eat. Of course, who am I kidding, we ended up finishing the whole thing anyway!

It's a hotdog and milk tea parteeeeey!

 Happy tea drinkers and hotdog killers


That's the lovely lady behind the counter whom I think is the owner... I'll ask her name next time. Do you see the violet and green curtains? Behind that partition is the spa. Next time we'll try the facial, manicure and pedicure while sipping on our Strawberry Yakult.


Places like Spartea prove that there is definitely more to Marikina than sturdy and beautiful shoes. A great place to hang out with your friends. Sip and snack away while pampering yourself at Spartea!


SPARTEA SPA AND BUBBLE TEA
2F Bennt Bldg., 67 Lilac St., SSS Village, Marikina City, Metro Manila
Tel. No.: (02) 861-7016
For commuters, take the SSS Village FX or Jeep and ask the driver to let you off the end of Lilac. The building's right at the intersection so you won't miss it. :)
Visit their Facebook page here.
Munching Budget per person: starts at 50 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Friday, September 9, 2011

More Reasons to Love ALING REMY'S SPECIAL DELICIOUS PUTO AND KUTSINTA



Wow that was a long title for this post! But no, I am not used to truncating restaurant or business names, specially for Aling Remy's Special Delicious Puto and Kutsinta, no, that won't happen.

We bought a handful of these delicious bites of joy and took a few close-up shots for your enjoyment. We hope you get the feeling that they are so near they will pop out of your screen any second now.

This is a tribute, to one of the best comfort foods in Marikina.


To a party or reunion staple.


To puto and kutsinta with a unique taste, be it the putong pula, putong puti, or kutsinta.


To a secret recipe prepared with love, a recipe that will live on for generations and generations.


If you've been living in Marikina and still haven't tried these, I want a really good explanation why. Kidding! :)


It's never too late though. Just look for the sign:



ALING REMY'S SPECIAL DELICIOUS PUTO AND KUTSINTA
229 J.P. Rizal Street, San Roque, Marikina City, Metro Manila
Tel. No.: (02) 467 9806 / 09163191811
Munching Budget per person: starts at 10 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Saturday, September 3, 2011

DEE COFFEE HOUSE



Once upon a holiday, Sister and I were on our way to buy Aling Remy's puto and grab some snack at Mama Chit's. Walking towards the diner, we noticed that the gates of a garden beside Mama Chit's were open, those of Dee Coffee House. Since we haven't tried this place yet, it was a fairly easy decision to eat there instead.

We chose this cozy spot, to watch the scenes outside while munching, hihi

To order, go through the door that leads to a mini-counter and take your pick from their menu. Here is what we had at Dee Coffee House:

 Penne with Tuna Ricotta al Pesto, 120 PhP (A bit spicy, just inform them if you want less peppers on this dish)

Primavera farfalle, 120 PhP (Light creamy sauce with chicken, peppers, pancetta, mushrooms, and 2 kinds of cheese. This is easily our favorite!)

We also ordered their American Chicken Bacon Burger (75 PhP). This is really good - freshly prepared with flavors that perfectly blend together.

We also had bottomless iced tea (50 PhP) - which was really sulit because we were there for almost three hours, haha!

I am actually saving the best dish for last! As soon as we attacked this dish, Sister and I couldn't stop raving about how good it was. Thus, I unveil:

 DEE COFFEE HOUSE'S NACHOS!!! (115 PhP)

If there was only a way to extort the recipe out of them... Hehe! The ground beef had a unique and really good marinade, every bite was joy! One of the best I've had so far.

So if you're looking for a place to hang out (as usual), I recommend Dee Coffee House for their food and the cozy, private feel of the place - just like enjoying lazy afternoons in your own garden.



DEE COFFEE HOUSE (Since 1960's)
280 J.P. Rizal Street, San Roque, Marikina City, Metro Manila
Tel. No.: (02) 646-8549 / 09179130009
Open Monday to Saturday, 2:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
Visit their Facebook page here.
Munching Budget per person: starts at 60 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni
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